AN-So some scenes may be a little different from the show I had to put my spin on it to make the story work.

It was the screaming that woke Conner from his sleep and then the gunshots. Who was shooting in Woodbury? He stood and went to the window carefully pushing away the curtain to glance outside. He couldn't make our much he could see smoke and people running most with guns in their hands. What was going on?

"Connor?" Harper's voice cried out as she shot up in bed upon hearing a gun sound.

"I'm here." He said as he hurried to her side of the bed the spot she had hardly left in weeks.

"What's going on?" she asked. It was good she was talking again good she was asking questions, but he only wished he had answers.

"I don't know love." He told her "But I'm going to find out."

"Don't go out there." She whispered.

"I have to Har to make sure everything is alright." He grabbed his coat and quickly put it on as he left their small house.

Once outside Connor almost felt like he was in a war zone so much was going on it was hard to figure out exactly where most of the commotion was coming form. He hurried in the direction that others were running from, in the direction of the danger. He turned around one building and ducked almost as soon as he did when a gun shot rang out he glanced next to him and saw it hit only inches from where he now stood. His heart began to race, not in the way someone who had never been in a gunfight would have, but instead he felt an old rush, an old memory. He could smell the gunpowder from the shoot out, he hard the ring of shots. He tried scanning the crowed to find out why everyone was shooting or rather what or whom were they shooting at. The Governors voice hit his ears,

"Shoot them Merle."

"They got my brudder." Merle seemed to argue.

"He's one of them now."

"You said he ain't gunna be hurt." The hick still argued which surprised Conner who would have thought Merle could be so loyal to someone other then himself.

"You." The governor's eye caught Conner, "Ever handle a gun before."

"I uh-"

"He has but he ain't no good always missed when he tried out for the wall." Merle interrupted.

"I used to shoot sometimes with my brother at bottles." He told the governor.

"You a good shot?"

Conner hated this man, but their town was under attack he had to help the people and put aside his hate for this man, both men in front of him. "My brother was better." Murphy was probably smiling down onto him right now laughing at how his brother finally admitted to his superior shooting as he had once called it.

"Here." The governor handed him a gun, "Shoot to kill. These people are murders they want to steal our food and hurt our woman think of your little wife. There is a jail not far from here, they are convicts from inside the jail."

Connor thought of the time when he had once put those people to death back in Boston this should be no different. He didn't tell them that he was a good shot, led them to believe his brother was better, but even if it were true Connor would never admit to it. In his mind he was always the better shot who would really know if it had been him or Murphy those years ago.

He now turned his attention to the fight and left the two men he hated to join the shoot out. It seemed the other end were better at shooting then those of Woodbury. He took cover behind a far, he tried looking around to get a quick glance at the convicts, but could hardly see since he had to duck for cover as bullets flew past his head. He took one more quick glance trying to place where exactly the other men were as he did this time a bullet didn't fly at his head, instead an arrow. Who brought a bow and arrow to a gunfight? An idiot that's who. For a moment his brother's name came to his mind that was something Murphy would do.

"That's just as bad as my bloody rope." He mumbled. His eyes focused on the man with the cross bow, he couldn't make out much other then a shape of a man holding the bow, he took aim and fired through the smoke. He saw the man almost drop the bow and even from where he stood he heard the man yell out.

"Fuck." Daryl yelped as a bullet his shoulder god he forgot how much it hurt getting shot. His eyes tried to figure out where the bullet came from, which little prick shot him? He could hardly make out a man hiding near by behind a car he took aim and fired his cross bow just in time as the man leaned around the car and managed to hit his shoulder almost the exact spot that Daryl had just been shot. "See how that feels asshole." He turned to look for an opening he could escape through. His eyes scanned the distance beyond the smoke, for a moment his eyes locked on a woman who seemed to be wondering around in a white night dress that hugged her in all the right places. She wasn't holding a gun she wasn't even looking at the fight. Something about her made Daryl forget where he was he didn't look away. "Daryl!" Rick's voice yelled. He didn't respond the girl slowly turned in the direction of the fight she was so far away he couldn't make her out, but for a moment only a moment he thought he saw eyes he knew. A bullet flew past only inches from his head. He jumped to move out of the way and when he looked back the woman was gone, like a ghost.

In all the years of being the saints and since the world ended Connor had never been shot with an arrow from a crossbow. Bullet's yes, stabbed with knives as well but never an arrow. That man who fired the bow was a good shot he managed to his Connor's shoulder, which had hardly even been showing from around the car. "Daryl lets go now." He hard one of the shooters yell out, the man with the crossbow turned and left he could hear running and more yelling. He only assumed they had gotten away. He stood up and saw no more shooters he could only hear a few people crying out in pain, he could smell the blood and the smoke. He placed his hand on his shoulder as he glanced at the arrow protruding from it. "Fucker." He muttered. That man with the crossbow seemed to know or rather be lucky to hit the spot he did right in the joint it would take forever to heal, it would be hard to hide this from Harper. As he thought of the girl who pretended to be his wife his heart sank, it wouldn't be hard to hide this from her at all she wouldn't even notice she was an empty shell from who she had once been.

"Idiot." He heard Merle almost laugh, "Got yer self shot."

"Lucky shot, I hit the guy that shot me though." He grinned, before he knew what was happening he felt a fist meet his face.

"If he died you die little man." Merle growled.

Connor didn't fight back Merle's punch had taken him by surprise he wasn't sure how to react. "He's the enemy."

"He might be." Merle growled, "But he also my brudder."

Before Connor could even get up Merle turned around and walked away leaving Connor more confused, when he heard them talking earlier he assumed that the convicts had Merle's brother as a prisoner, but now it seemed Merle's brother was one of the convicts. He didn't know why it surprised him, it really shouldn't would he even think that someone in Merle's family could even be remotely good?

He stood up and winced again as the arrow seemed to shift, he reached over with his good hand and up carefully with the bad hand attached to the bad shoulder. He snapped the arrow then pulled it out quickly. He would have to sneak back into the house and quickly change in case he would be lucky enough that Harper would even know he had been missing.

They made it out of Woodbury with someone Daryl didn't think he would ever see again. His brother. Who would have thought his brother had been in Woodbury all this time he had made it off that roof, cut off his own hand and now here he was following everyone back to camp. He knew Rick and the others wouldn't accept Merle, but he wished they would he didn't want to have to chose between them and his own brother. He knew Merle wasn't his brother by blood, but for a few years he had believed it so. he had thought of Merle as a brother in every way and that part of him wouldn't be able to let him go, he couldn't leave him again. When they met back up with the group his fears were realized they didn't want Merle didn't want his brother.

"Merle's blood." He lied. That wasn't true Merle was just the man that saved his life when he was near dead, hid him from the police when they followed the trail to the hunting camp. The man who lied to him just to keep him safe. There were moments Merle was a good man, but his past just haunted him to greatly.

"No Merle is your blood not mine. My blood my family is standing right here and waiting back at the prison." Glenn said through his teeth.

"And you're part of that family." Rick told him, "but he's not."

"Man ya'll don't know." He told them shaking his head, "Fine we'll fend for ourselves."

"That's not what I was saying." Glenn told him

"No him no me." He had to stand by Merle he couldn't leave not again.

"Daryl you don't have to do that," Maggie said softly.

"It was always Merle and I before this." He told them shaking his head as an image of Connor flashed into his mind.

"You serious?" Glenn shook his head

"You'd do the same thing!" Daryl growled at him

"What do you want me to tell Carol?" Glenn asked.

"And Liam you brought him into the fold said you'd protect him." Rick shook his head, "I told you no more, and you said he was your responsibility."

Daryl thought of the boy that he couldn't help but be drawn to he thought of the eyes that haunted him that belong to the boy. Rick would keep him safe Daryl wanted that much for the boy, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could look into those eyes knowing they looked so much like the girl he had lost. "Carol will understand." Daryl mumbled. "And Liam." He paused, "Carol will look after the boy." He turned and walked away.

"Daryl are you serious?" Glenn asked again.

Rick ran up behind him, "Hey, there's got to be another way."

"Don't ask me to leave him I already did that once."

"Hey, we started something last night." Rick told him, "You realize that?"

"No him no me, that's all I can say." He told him lifting the back door to the car. "Take care of yourself. Take care of little ass kicker, and Carl that's one tough kid." He paused, "And please Rick take care of Liam." He turned and left the car before Rick could reply and walked in the direction of Merle.

"Daryl!" He heard Rick call out, but he didn't respond.

"Come on brother." Daryl mumbled as he reached Merle

He had been able to sneak into the house to get cleaned up, or rather he didn't need to sneak Harper hardly seemed to notice he had left. He remembered her asking him not to leave, but she didn't act happy to see him she hardly lifted her eye to look at him when he walked into the bedroom after he showered.

"Did ye ayte anythin'?" He asked with his Irish accent he was to tired to use his American accent. He also hoped perhaps if he went back to a familiar voice for her would she come back to him maybe he could pretend just for a moment that they were normal maybe he could pretend they were back in their old crappy apartment living with hardly any money but as happy as they could be.

Conner just shook his head and sighed, she wasn't going to speak to him not now after he had left. He knew he should have stayed by her side, but a part of him drew him to the fight part of him still wanted to protect everyone. He wondered if it was wrong of him to show Merle and the Governor he could really shoot when he had been trying so long to aim poorly so he appeared bad. He wasn't going to mention any bit of what he had just done to Harper he couldn't let her know the truth. He thought of the man he shot, he never gave a kill shot his only hope was the man would die of infection.

He cursed the man out in his mind, how had he gotten in a lucky shot with an arrow of all things? He had been shot by bullets many times but an arrow? Who actually used those when there were guns around? He thought of Merle speaking of his brother could it be another hick just like him but fighting on the other side? Yet how far was Merle from being one of those men? He was a horrible mean mess of a man whom Connor was sure ended up in jail at one point or another. HE thought of his stay in the jail he had enjoyed it only because he and Murphy had tormented the other men. Yet only the ones that asked for it. They never sought anyone out in that jail only men that came after them and boy had they regretted it. Murphy and Connor didn't need guns to defend themselves and in the end no one messed with them for fear. Merle was the type of man that would have been in that prison and so would those men that attacked today. All of those people would live in fear if Murphy was still alive if they could be the saints of Boston again then there wouldn't be anymore of the strong praying on the weak. No one would have to live in fear of each other and instead they could all truly come together as one to fight the walkers.

The father stood watching helplessly as Merle looted through the car. Daryl knew he would have let Merle continue at the start of this world before he had met Rick and the others, while he was still finding parts of him that were still Murphy. Now he knew he was he knew he didn't stand by and watch as those who could protect themselves were hurt. That's what pulled him to run onto this bridge and help the small family. Yes it was from his new found family how they stood together no matter what, they didn't stand by at watch others be harmed or rather they used to be before they had lost so much. No he couldn't stand by and let Merle take what few things this family had. He wouldn't have wanted someone taking anything from Harper when she had their young child when he had been in jail. "Get out of the car." Daryl told Merle pointing his cross bow at his brother's back

"I know you're not talking to me, brother." Merle growled

"Go get in your cart" he yelled over to the men of the family, "Get the hell outta here." Merle tried to grab the cross bow, but Daryl just pulled it away glaring at his brother before storming off.

"The shit you doin', pointing that thing at me." Merle yelled as he traced after him

"They were scared, man!" He yelled back stopping and turning around

"They were rude that's what they were." Merle growled, "and they owed us gratitude."

"They ain't owed us nothin'" Daryl told him shaking his head.

Yyou helping people out of the goodness in your heart." Merle couldn't understand why his brother had changed so much he had modled him into being just like him, how had he changed so much in only a year? "Even if you might die doin' it. Is that something your sheriff Rick taught you?"

"There was a baby!" Daryl yelled turning around again to face his brother

"Oh, otherwise you would of left 'em to the biters huh?" Merle asked raising his eyebrows looking smug.

Daryl thought of Liam again the boy he couldn't shake from his mind. He felt bad for leavening the group leaving everyone they were his family they needed him and every moment he spent with Merle he began to realize his mistake. But there was something that group of people brought to his life that made him feel whole again. That boy they had found he reminded him that there was more to him then he thought left. He believed he was an empty shell of the man he once had been. He hadn't wanted to believe it, but everything Merle said and did just reminded him of the man he had been so dangerous to becoming.

"I bet you a penny and a fiddle gold, you never told him that we was plannin' on robbin' that camp blind."

"It didn't happen!" Daryl said softly

"Yeah, it didn't 'cause I wasn't there to help you." Merle replied

He had forgotten what their plan had been what he had almost done to his new found family. HE turned to leave.

"Where you goin'?"

"Back here I belong."

"I can't go with you." Merle looked like a lost puppy, "I tried to kill that black bitch, I dam near killed the Chinese kid."

"He's Korean." Daryl said before he walked away

"Thanks' for coming back." Rick said as he walked back into the prison with Daryl. For a moment Harper's voice came to his mind 'Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind. Or Forgotten.' She stole that line from some kids movie she had watched with a friends child while babysitting one time and for some reason she really took to the quote. Hell he had even lived he, never watched the movie but he did like what the quote meant he knew he would never leave his brother behind. He had just walked away from Merle, but his other brother nothing would have made him walk away from him. Connor wouldn't have asked him to walk away he knew that for sure. "You're family." He mumbled.

"Liam will be happy to see you, we didn't tell him you left." Rick said, "Carol told him you'd be back."

"How'd she know?" Daryl asked

Rick shrugged, "Said something about you havin' a code." He smiled, "I'm happy she was right.

Liam looked up from the table where he was eating with Beth. Daryl felt a pain in his heart as the little boy looked up at him with those eyes, it was as if he could see her in his eyes, see a ghost of the woman he used to love. He knew she was dead now, but it almost hurt to look into that boys eyes every day and see them staring back at him, a hint a reminder of the one he lost

"You're back!" Liam said with a mouthful of food. "The others all came back and I didn't see you I was worried."

"No need to worry little man." Daryl told him, "I ain't goin' no where."

"Want some dinner?" he asked

"Sure what is it?"

"Stew." The little boy said, "I think."

"Yes." Carol smiled, "It's stew with some of the rabbit meat you were able to catch."

"Sounds good." Daryl sat down and placed his cross bow at his feet he was always open for some rabbit stew and Carol was a pretty good cook.

"It is!" Liam said excitedly, "Taste just like ma's when we used to live in Ireland."

"You lived in Ireland?" Daryl asked the little boy paused for a moment as if he spoke of something he wasn't supposed to.

"Um, I'm not supposed to say." He whispered, "Ma and Pa don't want anyone knowing."

"Why?" Daryl asked.

The boy shrugged, "Just said to be safe we had to pretend to be from Atlanta."

Daryl looked at the boy for a moment before coming to a quick conclusion that the boy came from a strange family or rather a family running from something. What ever that something was it had to be gone now with the world ending who ever was after them couldn't still be trying to find them. At the end of the world old feuds had ended. "Well we ain't tellin' nobody."

"Good cause Ma and Da would be mad if they knew I told you." He looked down at his stew, "Do you think I will see 'em again."

"Maybe." Daryl said softly, Carol looked up she had never heard his voice so kind before. "We could still find them, they could still find you." He doubted if it were true he would bet good money on the fact his parents were dead why else would they leave him alone in the woods were the dead walked?

"I miss them." He paused, "Do you miss your family?"

Daryl thoughts should have gone to Merle but they didn't. Instead he thought of Conner he thought of everyone in the McManus family his Ma his Pa every extended member. He could remember the family get togethers and all the drinking, laughing. He remembered running around with his brother even into adulthood and pulling jokes over on people. Then he thought of her, his wife she was the one that showed him he could be more then he ever thought. She made him a better man she made him want the beautiful white house with the white picket fencing perhaps even a dog. That was all gone now, his family. Even Merle the man he had allowed to be a fake brother for the last few years was gone now. All he had left was this rag tag team of half broken people and some how they made a new family, it wasn't whole like the one he had lost but it was worth fighting for, worth protecting and worth taking a bullet for.

"I'm gunna hit the sack." Daryl said as he got up and stood away from the table.

"I'm not tired." Liam frowned.

"Ain't said nuthin' 'bout you. Follow when you're ready." He walked out of the room to his cell a sudden rush of exhaustion washed over him. He knew it was from getting shot he had been shot many times he just had to sleep it off.

He hadn't seen how it all started all he knew was that Merle's brother had been part of the attack and Merle had been part of the attack he had let those men in. He had only arrived after they escaped once again he had been woken from his sleep. The people of this town had gone crazy since that night everyone wanted to leave. The Governor was nowhere to be seen Andrea was trying her best to control the crowed of people. He stood in his doorway trying to fight himself not to move forward and help her.

"Connor." Harper's voice came from behind him

"Har what are you doing out of bed?" he asked.

"Where were you?" she asked, "I followed and you weren't there."

"What are you talking about?" Connor asked.

"Last night when everyone was shooting." She thought she was crazy she didn't see whom she thought she saw.

"You left the house?" he shook his head, "How many times have I told you if you hear bullets you don't go to them!"

"I-" tears filled her eyes, "Something pulled me out there. I couldn't stop and then I thought-" she stopped again, "I lost Liam I know he's gone and Murphy is gone too but Connor I thought I saw him." She said tears spilling over her eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey." Connor said hurrying over to her pulling her close, "Who? Who did you think you saw?"

"It was so dark, so much smoke and bullets and yelling." She let the tears spill down. Connor couldn't believe this was the same woman that Murphy would always call 'The boss.' Then she stopped crying almost instantly. "This isn't me." Her voice was weak, but began to grow stronger. "If he saw me he wouldn't know me."

"I don't have any idea what you are saying." Connor told her, "Harper you need to make sense you need to let me understand so I can help you."

"You've always been there haven't you?" She said with a soft smile.

Connor didn't know how to respond had the time finally come? Had she fully lost it?

"I need to get stronger." She told him as she took a deep breath, "Last night I thought I saw Murphy pinned down being shot at in the middle of the battle."

"Murphy is gone." Connor told her.

"I know, but it woke me up." She looked down then back up at him, "I might not be whom I used to be, but I can't be who I've become."

Connor smiled softly at her knowing she was going to try now she was going to try and live. "You had me scared Har I was beginning to hide all the pointy objects."

"I'm sorry I'm sorry." She sobbed.

"What?" he asked

"I did something bad, something bad."

"What did you do?" he asked he could feel her growing heavy in his hands.

"Sorry I shouldn't of-" her whole body fell limp in his arms.

"Harper!" he yelled as he did something fell out of her hand and hit the ground. He looked in horror as he realized what it was. Pills. "No!" he yelled, "Help me! Someone help!" he yelled.

"Careful." Daryl mumbled as he watched Liam take off running then seem to trip over nothing and falling over. Watching the boy run around wasn't what he called fun, but for some reason he didn't mind spending his time doing so. The only problem was his mind could run away from him. He hadn't had much time to think about the other night. So much had happened in that little time. He thought of who he thought he saw. She had been standing barefoot in the middle of what some would consider a war zone in a white dress. He was going mad she hadn't really been there. And even if a woman had been standing there it wasn't Harper. Right? He had heard Rick mumbling when he thought he was alone he mumbled about seeing Lori in a white dress from time to time. Rick was losing it so did that mean he was to? In the end would everyone lose their minds?

"I was careful." The boy mumbled with a frown as he got up brushing his hands on his pants.

Brining Daryl back to the moment he was in. "Don't look like you were." Daryl fought back a laugh now at the boys face who was clearly embarrassed someone watched him fall.

"You know when you laugh you remind me of my da." The little boy said.

"How so?" he asked

The boy shrugged, "Dunno you just do you have the same smile as him and your laugh is a lot the same too."

Daryl looked at the boy for a moment not really sure what to say to him before he shook his head, "doubt that kid." He paused, "Your dad was probably a good respectable guy."

"Only in front of the Governor and Merle." The little boy said. Daryl looked up upon hearing his brother's name. "Cause they couldn't know our secret, but when it was just me an Ma he would speak with his accent and Ma said there was moments when she could see the carefree Irishman again."

"Is Merle a bad guy where you are?" Daryl asked.

The boy shrugged his shoulders again, "All Da would say was he couldn't be trusted and he always said bad things to Ma and Da would get really mad and Ma would always try and keep him calm cause she didn't want Da to hurt Merle."

Daryl chuckled, "I doubt anything your dad would do would hurt Merle."

"My Da could easily have Merle on the ground crying." The boy told him, "But Ma always wanted people to never know what he could do cause if they knew she was afraid someone would come after him."

"What is it your dad can do?"

"He wouldn't say." Liam told Daryl, "Ma would only tell me he had done some things that were for the good, but others saw bad." He paused, "I over heard 'em talkin' one night they said that Da and other Da killed people."

"Well you never know what someone is able to do in this world." Daryl told him, "When the dead started walking everyone had to change." He paused, "other dad?"

"No it was before." He told Daryl. "My Da I know isn't my real Da." The little boy told him, "My Da real was his brother, but he died because of something that happened in their past, the killing people thing."

Daryl raised his eye brow his mother used to watch T.V. shows that reminded him of how this boy was talking, what had they been called? Soap Operas? "Sorry little man." Daryl told him.

The boy shrugged. "They were in jail when I was born and Ma had me, then they escaped they said my real Da died protecting the Da I know."

"Well then he must have been important for him to give his life." Daryl told him.

"They were family." The little boy said, "Ohana."

"What?"

"Ohana mean's family. Family means nobody get's left behind." Liam told him.

"Or forgotten." Daryl finished.

"How'd you know what I was gunna say?" the little boy asked surprised.

"Someone I used to know." Daryl told her, "Someone I used to know said that a lot. Got it off some movie."

"My Ma always said that." Liam said softly, "When ever Da would go out and find food sometimes he was gone for a long times. Ma would always say he would come back that he wouldn't leave us 'cause we was family."

"Family is important." Little Man." Daryl told him "come on we should get back to the group." He said shaking off some strange feeling that washed over him.

AN- So what do you guys think?