Merle couldn't stop grinning, not even Rick's stern expression of concern could dampen his mood.

"You said this man is insane." the man questioned again.

"Oh yeah." Merle nodded, "certifiable."

"and he is that close to us."

"yep."

"and you've been helping him."

"yep."

"Wait! so how can we trust you?" this was Maggie chiming in with concern.

"Cause I want my brother and my brother's here with y'all. I help the Governor for my own reasons and I'm goin' back to warn them for my own reasons but I ain't goin' back to the Governor."

"Goin' back?" Daryl stood up. "What do ya mean yer goin' back?"

"Emily is there, with the Irish."
"So can't they take care of her? She's the reason you stayed?"

Merle glanced around the group, he wasn't keen on spilling all his guts about Emily to these people and judging by how Beth stayed on he other side of the room from Daryl, either they weren't together or they was sneaking still.

"Let's talk alone." he motioned to Daryl.

"No." Rick stood between them. "You tell us there's a threat that close and you're a part of it but wanna keep secrets, No."

"You tellin' me I can't speak to my brother?" Merle got right back in Ricks face. "Since when do you own him, Officer Friendly?"

"Hey, Hey!" Daryl walked round Rick. "What's happenin' here?" his eyes searched Rick's in confusion.

Merle could see they had formed a bond and it twinged at his heart a bit.

"How do I know I can trust him? He could be plannin' somethin'." Rick motioned wildly at Merle.

"And me?" Daryl's eyes grew hard. "Don't trust me neither after all I done here?"

Rick looked away, putting his hands on his narrow hips.

"I trust you Daryl." Beth's soft voice floated down from the prison stairs, she'd been sitting on. "And if you trust Merle, I trust him too."

Merle noticed the older man, now missing a leg, Hershel, if he remembered correctly, smile at his daughter. "I agree with Bethie." he added patting her leg through the bars of the staircase.

"Me too." Glenn agreed.

"OK." Maggie nodded to her family and looked at Rick.

There were a couple of guys in prison jumpers that simply shrugged their shoulders.

"Alright." Rick let out a huff of a laugh through his nose. "Can't blame me for wantin' to be careful after everythin' , can you?" he laid a friendly hand on Daryl's shoulder.

Daryl gave him a nod and Merle could tell he was touched by the show of support. He turned to follow his older brother but stopped and looked up to where a certain blonde girl was sitting.

"Thanks Beth."

"Anytime Daryl." she gave him a small smile.

"So you and little blondie still gettin' freaky?"

Daryl laughed but shook his head sadly, "She's pissed, ain't let me touch 'er."

Merle nodded, "Emily's with Murphy."

"Which one's that?"

"One that looks like you."

"So why you goin' back then, and he don't look that much like me."

"Yeah he does. Like it weren't bad enough he got my woman, I had to come back to that face when I couldn't find yer ugly mug."

Daryl shook his head, "Tried like hell to find ya. I was fixin' to go out again tomorrow, but the bike is fucked."

"Yeah, well, still need ta go back."

"Why."

"Cause they don't know, the brother's they got an inkling, yeah, but they don't know. They need ta leave for it gets worse."

"And that's it with Emily?"

"I guess." he laughed. "Guess we did all this for nothin'."

"Least we got a place now."

"Not with that man down the road. I'm tellin' ya Daryl either we kill him or find another place."

"So you just go an kill people now."

"Ain't like it used ta be brother. Sometimes killin' is best."

"You been killin'?"

"More than I'd like ta admit brother, but if we face off with the governor there's gonna be lots of killin' and better it's us doin' it, than gettin' it done ta us, if you catch my meaning."

His younger brother bit his lip. "They are all in danger?"

"Yeah little brother," Merle looked him square in the eye, "She's in danger." then he looked away. "They both are."

"Hey, Murphy, Connor!" Martinez's voice rang out on the quiet dark street. "Wait up!"

The brother's stopped but sent Emily back home.

"Hey, she shouldn't be out this late." Martinez huffed out at them, catching his breath.

"Em was just bringing me something to eat," Murphy held up a bag.

"Yeah, Murph gets bitchy when he's hungry." Connor lit up a cigarette and dodged his brothers slap to the head.

"Yeah well," Martinez smiled, "Don't let anyone see her, people will get pissy."

"Ay, any reason you stopped our patrol?"

"Oh yeah," his brown eyes looked out into the night. "Merle and the other's haven't come back yet, keep an eye out for them."

"They'd come through the gates wouldn't they?" Connor asked curiously.

"Yeah, sure if nothings gone wrong but incase they had to circle around and come at us another way just keep in mind, will you."

"Sure." Murphy smiled, stealing the cigarette from his brother's mouth. "We'll not shoot the poor bastards."

Martinez nodded at them and jogged off to take over night watch at the wall.

"Maybe that woman took care of all of them." Connor mused out loud once Martinez was out of sight.

"Ya wish blondie." Merle's voice drawled from behind a building to their left. "Why don't you two sneak on over here quick like."

The brother's moved in unison and Daryl couldn't help but admire what a fine oiled machine the two were, just as good as Merle and him, maybe even better.

"Where are the rest of your crew?" Murphy asked once they got behind the building, he squinted into the shadows, "Daryl?"

"Yeah,"

"You found your brother!" Connor grinned and Daryl couldn't help but notice it was with genuine happiness.

"I ain't here to celebrate." Merle cut off the younger man's mirth. "I ain't stayin' neither. I came to warn ya, and ta help ya get out."

"Did he send you for Michonne?"
"How'd ya know that?" Daryl asked suspiciously, "thought you said they didn't know nothin' 'bout that stuff." he turned to his brother.

"They's observant, like I said." Merle answered.

"You called it Conn." Murphy sneered.

"Did you." the lighter twin asked Merle.

"Naw, she's alive and at the prison with my brothers crew."

"Prison?"

"Ain't not damn time ta explain. We got a place, a prison, you can go there for yer on yer way. I'm hopin' the Gov. thinks I'm dead, plenty of evidence ta suggest I didn't make it, if they care ta go lookin', but y'all need ta leave as soon as possible or ya never gettin' outta here."

Connor and Murphy stared at each other for a long minute before nodding. "Gov's got a fight going in a couple of nights, for a few of the newer fighters, we can slip away then."

"Fightin'?" Daryl asked.

"Fightin' pit fer entertainment." Merle answered briskly. "We'll meet ya here this is the easiest spot to sneak in an out. Em doesn't go to the fights, send her here ta us, make yourselves seen, then sneak off ta meet here. We'll take ya to the prison, then y'all can go north like ya plan."

"Alright." Murphy nodded, "but why help us."

"Ain't helpin' you." Merle snarled before he and Daryl disappeared into the night, silent as foxes.

"Can we trust him, Conn?"

"We can trust his love for Em."