'I still don't understand how this all happened?' Daryl asked Merle. They were sitting in the office of the workshop. Merle was showing him all the books and where the business was at.

'How what happened?' Merle looked at him, his face was hard.

'I mean you never really liked Carol... Rick didn't even know her,' Daryl stated.

'You don't understand how this happened brother?' Merle wondered what he was actually asking what part he was asking about.

'Yeah how, I mean you all just decide to move in on Carol?' Daryl asked.

'No Daryl, it aint like that.'

'Well what the fuck happened.' Daryl waved his arms around, he really wanted to know.

'You got no rights here man!' Merle looked like he wanted to kill Daryl.

'I want to know how it happened, simple question.'

'Well she rang and came everyday for a couple of weeks, then she just stopped calling, we assumed she got the message you were not coming back,' Merle started to say and Daryl butt in with.

'I didn't mean for that to happen!'

'And about a month later Rick and Shane got a call out to a Car near the park, they got there it was Carol, living in her car. She been so sick with morning sickness she couldn't work. The people she was sharing with kicked her out. She run out of money and was sleeping in the car,' Merle was glaring at Daryl, because it was his fault she was in that situation.

'I didn't know!'

'You just left. So Rick told me she was in the hospital, he stayed with her that night, she was pretty sick. She was crying cos she couldn't afford to stay at the hospital with the bills and that so I paid them out of your cut from this place,' Merle stood up pacing around the room yelling at Daryl he was beyond mad with him.

'Then I moved her into your bedroom, told her no nephew of mine was going to sleep in a car. She wasn't well for a long time. Sick all day, all night. In and out of hospital. Then the little guy come, and things just moved on from there. I fell in love with him and her... You have to ask Rick what his story was but that's me. You not coming in here, to leave her broken like that again,' Merle shouted at Daryl.

'I told you I never knew,' Daryl stood up shouting back.

'You got no idea, ya just fucked off and she was sleeping in her fucken car!' Merle leaned forward on the table growling at Daryl.

'I should have rung or something,'

'No nephew of mine was going to be brought up in a shit hole like we did, not knowing where his next meal is coming from,' Merle shouted walking out of the office going down to the work shop. Daryl started following wondering if Merle was looking for a weapon or something to hit him with, kept his distance watching then started talking.

'I'm sorry alright, I didn't know about Joey or what was going on.'

'You can't come back and just expect it to be ok! Its not! Rick and I don't want you here... I don't know if Carol wants you here. But ya here, spend ya time getting to know your son,' Merle pulled open drawers looking inside for random things, or things to do with his hands, not to put them on Daryl.

'I ... fuck I don't know!'

'No you don't fucken know. Don't fuck this up for her or you dealing with me, then Rick,' Merle told him. He just wanted Daryl to fuck off back where he come from.

'I don't want to cause trouble for her or Joey.'

'Good don't, and if your sticking around don't pressure her, get off ya arse and help me with this place, Left me in the fucken lurch dealing with everything,' Merle told him.

'I'm Sorry.'

'Sorry aint good enough!' Merle slammed the drawers shut and indicated towards a car that needed some work, together they started working on it. Staying at the garage grunting and muttering to each other like they had done in the past till it was after 5pm.

Daryl and Merle come back to the house and were greeted by a naked boy covered in bubbles running around squealing, Carol was chasing him through the lounge.

'Come back you monkey,' She giggled chasing him around on her hands and knees, Joey was squealing with delight, laughing so hard Carol wasn't sure he wouldn't pee on the floor. She chased him harder and he ran into the kitchen.

'No,' Giggled Joey

He run smack bang into Daryl's legs, he bounced off onto his bottom and started to cry. Merle reached down to pick him up. Kissing his head and rubbing his leg.

'You meant to be in the bath?' Merle asked him, walking into the lounge with him. Daryl trailed behind watching the interaction between Merle and Joey with interest.

'No,' Joey cried. Merle tickled him on his tummy and he squealed.

'Yes, come on, Uncle Merle will help,' Carol smiled at Merle, ignoring Daryl for the moment. 'Come on Uncle Merle's all dirty,'

Carol reached out to take him but Joey wasn't letting go of Merle so he walked down the hall making a big deal about dumping him into the bath again doing a big bomb, Daryl trailed behind listening to the little boy squealing and laughing with Merle who was now kneeling by the bath playing with boats. Carol walked past him into the little boys bedroom, to get him some P.J's to put on. It was early but he was feeling better but still tired.

'He's feeling better,' Carol told Daryl as he followed her into Joey's room then into the lounge where she set out the clothes. Daryl just followed Carol around the house, bending down to put more wood on the fire so he wouldn't be cold getting out of the bath. The kitchen door opened. Rick walked in finished work. Followed by Shane Walsh his partner. Shane was out of his clothes, he was all dressed up like he was going out for a night on the town.

'Hi Rick, Shane?' Carol greeted them, carrying on with getting things sorted. She gave them both a huge smile and they gave her a wave.

'Hey Carol, how's Joey?' Rick asked reaching into the fridge looking for something to eat and drink. Pulling out some can's he past one to Shane.

'He's better, still not well but lots better,' Carol told him watching him and Shane settle at the kitchen table with a bag of chips talking. Rick nodded. Starting to loosen his shirt and pulled off his shoes.

'Heard the little guy wasn't well Carol... Daryl?' Shane looked past Carol noticing Daryl for the first time. Daryl and Shane and a staring face off looking at each other, they were not good friends. Shane was always there, Rick's best friend since they were kids. Daryl nodded towards him walking into the kitchen. Carol watched.

'Shane,' Daryl stepped forward shaking Shanes hand. Shane looked from Carol to Daryl.

'Well well well, you kept this to yourself Rick!' Shane muttered looking at Rick. Out of everyone Shane was the only one knowing what was going on between Rick, Merle and Carol. Shane kept their business quite, surprised but it didn't bother him. He'd been best friends with Rick since they were 5.

'Shut up Shane,' Rick growled across the table. Both men looked up as Merle brought Joey wrapped in a towel. Carol quickly dried him pulling on his clothes as Joey had spotted Shane and was desprate to go see what he had in his pockets. Trying to get away from Carol as she held him tight on her knees in front of the fire putting his PJ's on.

'Uncle Shane, Me see?' Joey asked Shane, who went through a production on pulling out his keys and bits of paper out of one pocket. Joey was digging into his back pocket coming out with the prize, cards from the breakfast cereal boxes that Joey loved to collect. Joey looked about as happy as he could get.

'What you say to Uncle Shane Joey?' Rick prompted him. Joey just stood with his finger in his mouth, then climbed up onto Shane and hugged him, then stayed there convincing Shane that he needed to share his chips and get him a drink, Shane leaned back on the chair reaching the fridge and pulling out a juice box looking at Rick if that was ok, Rick gave a nod that he could have it.

Merle had wandered off to have a shower after work. Daryl was leaning up against the door frame watching Rick and Shane interacting and talking with Joey. He felt a little put out that Shane seemed to have a relationship with Joey, and looked to Rick for answers to what Joey was allowed or not allowed. Carol become uninterested starting to fold a basket of Joey's clothes watching the news on TV. He knew she was listening though.

'How long you sticking around Dixon?' Shane asked him, not looking at him, passing Joey potato chips, helping him hold his juice box.

'Till he leaves home,' Daryl commented pointing at Joey. He didn't give a shit if they wanted him there or not, he and Merle owned the house. Outright, they made the final payment not long before Daryl left. He knew Merle would still be here because he couldn't sell unless Daryl co signed. He wasn't leaving even if they tried to push him out. He co owned the garage too. They owned that outright as well. So if he wanted to work there he could.

'Really, well this is interesting then isn't it,' Shane stated. Rick glanced at Shane to give him the eye to be quiet and be mindful of Joey. Shane gave Daryl a sideways look wondering if he knew what he knew.

'So are we still doing this tonight Carol?' Shane asked Carol calling into the lounge.

'Yeah not till after 7 though, I need to get ready, have a shower and stuff,' Carol called back.

'What are you doing?' Daryl asked Carol.

'Work thing, been booked in for months,' Carol told him.

'But Joey's sick?' Daryl commented.

'Yes but Merle and Rick are here. You are here. He's not that sick now, look at him eating those potato chips,' Carol pointed towards Joey who was cuddled up against Shane eating chips. Trying to put soggy half chewed ones in his mouth.

'Your going out on a date with Shane?' Daryl looked shocked.

'Smoke screen,' Carol stated. 'You got him? Rick while I get ready? Give him something to eat that's not junk?'

'On it,' Rick called back.

Daryl followed her down the hall, 'Your going out with Shane?'

'Yes.'

'On a date?' Daryl wanted to know.

'Yes,'

'But...' Daryl couldn't work it out.

'Look I use Shane as a bluff if I need to go to anything at the hospital or something, it wouldn't go over well in my job if they knew what was the deal here. No one knows I don't need people in our business ok. It has nothing to do with you, or anyone else.'

'Carol, I'm sorry,'

'I know you are, I can't just forgive you because your sorry though, it doesn't work like that,' Carol told him. 'I've given everything up for that little boy, Rick has, Merle, they all put him first and I'm sorry isn't going to work, show me your sorry, show Joey your sorry. Spend some time with him, I've got to get ready.'

'I would have come straight back if I known your pregnant."

'How could you know, you didn't contact anyone, your only here now because someone accidentally banged into you and told you, you only want me because someone else has me, I don't need you,' Carol told him walking into the bathroom shutting the door in his face. She couldn't shake dirty thoughts about Daryl from her head, she wanted his hands on her. She wanted Rick's hands on her and Merle's. She thought about it last night when both Rick and Merle were starting to work her together before Joey got sick. They were all for it. She needed to think about how to get Rick and Merle back to that again. She smirked thinking what would her work mates think if they knew she was thinking about taking a third lover.

45mins later Daryl had convinced Joey that he should sit and have a cuddle and watch 'Finding Nemo' with him on D.V.D. Rick and Shane encouraged him telling him that Daryl might get scared watching on his own, the little boy curled up beside him talking finally climbing onto his lap to point out different characters on the screen. Merle hadn't come out of his room. He knew Carol was going out with Shane and didn't want to see it unfold in front of him. He was ok with Rick but got intensely jealous when she went out with Shane for work stuff.

Carol knocked on his door before going, 'You know its for work.'

'I know, just don't want to see ya smiling at him and stuff, looking like that,' He muttered looking at her clothes. 'Ya look good.'

'Thanks Merle, please ring me if Joey gets sick again, I'll be mad if I get back and he's sick and you didn't ring!' Merle nodded stepping into her kissing her.

'Don't kiss him or anything right,' Merle growled at her.

'I'm not going to be kissing Shane,' Carol looked at him. Merle sat back on his bed looking at his tv in his room. 'Don't go drinking Merle will you? Or anything else,' Carol was slightly worried. A social drink was fine, but when she first come onto the scene Merle was doing drugs and drinking a lot. When she moved in he stopped taking drugs doing a program, cutting back drinking. She still worried he might turn back to it if pushed too far.

'I'm not going to be doing anything stupid,' Merle growled at her. 'Go.'

'Ok Night, love you.'

'Ya I know.'

Carol chew her lip as she pulled the door behind her. She walked down the hall going to the lounge looking at Daryl who had Joey very settled on his lap asleep now his head resting against his chest, Daryl had his eyes shut, he seemed to be enjoying the moment. She walked across to the book case grabbing her camera snapped a pic of the two of them looking like clones of each other. Daryl's eye's opened at the flash. He looked at her taking in her outfit then shut his eyes.

Rick was watching from his place at the kitchen table with Shane, he indicated with his head for her to follow him, in the hall he pulled her into his room pushing her up against the wall bringing his lips to hers kissing her hard grinding into her a little. He was rock hard, his kiss left her wanting more. He run his hand up the inside of her dress and slipped his tongue into her mouth.

'Just wanted to tell you you look really pretty,' He groaned against her neck.

'Yeah I got that message,' She run her hand over his hard on inside his work pants.

'Ya did then, good, watch out for Shane, don't go kissing him or nothing. I never liked sharing with Shane,' Rick growled at her giving her a warning. She got it loud and clear. Rick would put up with a lot, but wouldn't put up with her playing around with Shane.

'I know,'

'Good, I'm going to be waiting up,' Rick told her, he looked down her at her chest, before letting her go. 'I'm not Merle, I'm not going to put up with you playing around with someone for fun on me, you want to play around you come home, we will play,' He growled the last bit out. 'I'm not talking Daryl, no one else but the three of us.'

Carol was quite turned on by Rick, he did put up with a lot, he nearly did walk out a year ago when he found out she slept with someone else. Merle accepted it, Rick was wild and nearly left. Didn't speak to her for a month, only hung in there at that time for Joey. It took a long time for him to forgive her, yet he just basically told her he was willing to accept Daryl into this.

'I'm not going to sleep with Daryl,' Carol whispered to him.

'For fuck sake Carol, we all know you are, I'm telling ya, I will accept him. If he plays by the rules and plays fair,' Rick growled. Carol stared at him. Now both Rick and Merle told her they accept him in. Daryl wanted in. It was up to her, she had the control of whether she had two lovers or three. All three men were accepting of it. Carol stood there for a moment.

'I need to go, we are going to be late,' Carol told him.

'Just remember, don't fuck with Shane or I'm gone,' Rick warned.

'I won't,' Carol pushed him away straightening her clothes to go to her work thing with Shane. Daryl was actually sleeping on the couch now. She bent over and kissed Joey, starred at Daryl for a moment, then told Rick to put a pull up on him because he had been sick and might not wake up. She gave him a kiss and followed Shane out to the car.