This chapter is dedicated fondly to Brazen Hussy for her dedication. And the safety of my legs. :)

"Mornin' sunshine!"

"The fuck?" Sinclaire heard Daryl groan as the truck door was yanked open.

"Good morning Merle," she answered as she sat up. "You're up early."

He crawled into the truck and sat down beside her.

"Yeah well...slept pretty good. Good fuck's the best way to get to sleep. Guess ya'll wouldn't know about that," he finished with an appraising glance at the space between them.

"You know I'm not a cuddler," Sinclaire said offhandedly.

Merle tried to hide his shock. "Ya sayin'..."

"Why should you have all the fun?"

Daryl was sitting up too by now and she knew his confused expression would give the whole thing away so she stretched long and luxuriously to keep Merle' eyes on her. It always worked. He watched her move with obvious approval before he spoke again.

"So ya really did? Good goin' Yank. I-" he turned to say something to Daryl and then said, "Ah yer lyin'."

"Damn it," Sinclaire muttered. "You couldn't manage to look a little bit recently-laid?"

"He don't know what the hell it looks like," Merle pointed out. "Ready to eat?"

"Shouldn't you be taking your new woman to breakfast?" Sinclaire asked.

"Shit. She ain't my woman. We just fucked."

"No future there?"

"What the hell ya want from me? Think I oughta get down on one knee over one roll in the hay?"

"Only if it's the best one you've ever had," Sinclaire said with a smile.

Merle shrugged. "No complaints. Ya know, she can-"

"Let's eat," Daryl said suddenly.

Sinclaire agreed wholeheartedly.

They walked in. Glenn and Carrie were sitting at the bar with their heads together, whispering and laughing. Daryl's dark scowl in their direction didn't dampen their mood at all. Tiff waved Merle over.

"Where'd you go?" she purred. "I woke up alone."

"Shit happens. Checkin' on my baby brother."

"Your brother or Sinclaire?" The purr was distinctly missing now.

"In the truck together wasn't they? Calm down."

Tiffany muttered something under her breath and got a plate. She didn't get one for Merle. He shrugged and got one down. She pissed him off, but in a comfortable, normal way. He was used to girls like her. He glanced at Sinclaire. She was talking to Sophia and absently eating one of the pancakes Carol had cooked. It was a funny looking pancake. Made sense though. They were out of just about everything. He took one and tasted it. Yeah. Disgusting.

"Sorry," Carol said.

She must have seen his face. He shrugged until he felt the dagger point of Sinclaire's stare.

"Ain't yer fault," he said. "Supposed to have milk ain't they?"

"Yes," Carol said in surprise. "They are. And we don't."

"Ah ya did the best ya could then."

He gave her a nod in response to her slack jawed amazement and went to sit down. Sinclaire gave him a smile. Tiff sat down on his other side and gave Sinclaire a long look. Merle did his best not to laugh when Sinclaire's smile turned into a full fledged grin of amusement.

"Merle," she said, making her voice husky. "I might...need you later."

"Yeah?"

"Oh yes."

"Ya know ya can count on me Yank."

"Thanks," she said. "Come find me when you want me."

She stood and attempted to sashay away. It didn't really work; Merle figured she wasn't used to moving that way...but it was funny to watch. And kinda sexy. She had a great body and a good face. He absently rated her a 6 out of 10. Probably 7 when she was clean and in clothes that didn't hide all the good parts of her. From the way Daryl was watching her he must have thought higher. Or maybe he was just desperate. He punched him in the shoulder.

"What the hell?"

"Yer gonna start droolin' in a second here. Ya had yer chance."

Daryl snarled wordlessly and got up.

Merle grinned. It was going to be a good day.

"So I've been thinking," Sinclaire said later as she threw kindling into the fire pit so they could boil water. "About that store."

"What about it?" Rick asked.

"We really need it. Bowhunter isn't having much luck with his off-season hunting and we're running out of supplies. Especially since it looks like we've got new people."

Rick followed her gaze to Glenn and Carrie.

"Do you think they're going to want to move in?" he asked.

"Either that or we risk losing Glenn. I like Glenn; he's level headed and brave and he can hot wire a car. Useful skills."

"You're right," Rick mused. "I wonder how the others will feel about that?"

"I don't know. I'm not loving it myself. But we can't tell them that they can't be together. They might get all Romeo and Juliet on us."

"What're ya talkin' about?" Daryl asked, dropping his own arm load of kindling.

"Adding three people to our group."

"They're stayin'?"

"I don't know. I'm just saying that we should examine the possibility."

Daryl knelt and began getting the fire started.

"I don't like it," he said. "Why can't they just stay in their own damn store? Have...whatcha call it? Conjugal visits."

"I think that's only for prison. If you're not in prison you just call it dating."

"God," Rick said suddenly. "Even dating seems weird now."

Daryl and Sinclaire weren't moved. It had been weird for both of them before.

"Anyway," she said after a moment. "I think we should try to secure that store."

"I've been thinking about that too," Rick said. "I think we might have to."

"Or find another one," Daryl pointed out as he stood up and looked down at the fire.

"That might turn out to be just a waste of gas," Sinclaire said when it had caught to everyone's satisfaction. "We don't know where to start. And this is a really small town. That might be the only one."

"Whatcha talkin' about?" Merle asked from behind them.

"The grocery store. I think we should go back and try to clean it out."

"The fuck for?"

"Food. It's crazy, but I like to eat."

"Ya said there was a lot of 'em."

"And I meant every word," Sinclaire assured him. "But...we'll run out of food if this keeps up. Rationing is one thing, but we've got the whole winter and the beginning of spring to get through."

"How would we do it?" Daryl asked.

"Are you volunteering? Sinclaire asked.

"If yer goin' so am I."

"And ya ain't leavin' me again," Merle said. "That was some underhanded shit Yank."

"I didn't think you'd notice," she said in surprise. "You and Tiffany were all cuddly."

"I ain't never cuddly!"

"So the four of us," Rick said, getting back to business. "It might not be enough, but we have to leave some people here to guard the bar."

"So we're leaving Shane, T, Nate-"

"Leaving me where?"

"Here," Daryl said shortly. "Or ya can go back to Grady's. Whatever ya wanna do."

"Where are you going?"

Sinclaire let Rick explain, since both the Dixon brothers seemed to hate it when she spoke to Nate.

"I'd rather go," he said. "With you I mean. Infiltration is what I do."

"That's a good point," Sinclaire pointed out, earning death glares from the Dixons. "Oh get over it! He's a Navy SEAL!"

"All right," Rick said, taking control again. "We need to figure out a way to do this as quietly as possible. Gunshots just draw more."

"Guns are all I've got," Sinclaire said. "I lost my big knife during the...unpleasantness on the road."

"Thought ya got it," Merle said.

"No. I was too busy thinking about the guns."

"Well, I still got the machete," Merle said. "What about ya'll?"

"I'm set," Daryl said.

"I don't have anything but a gun," Rick said.

"I've got three axes, six machetes, and a box full of knives," Nate said causally. "In the car."

Everyone went silent. Nate and Rick went to the car.

"Yeah, well..." Daryl muttered. "Still an asshole."

They joined Nate at the SUV and Sinclaire took the machete he handed her.

"Whatcha doin?" Glenn asked when he saw her twirl it experimentally.

"We're going to clean out the grocery store."

"Without inviting me?" Glenn looked hurt.

"You want to come with?"

"Sure."

"Glenn," Carrie said. "You might get hurt! Let Nate handle it; he's good at this stuff."

"So am I!" Glenn said indignantly.

"Then gear up and quit bitching," Sinclaire ordered.

He did. Rick glanced toward the bar.

"Guess I should go let Lori know," he said. "I'll be back."

Sinclaire jumped into the SUV and was prompted flanked by Dixons.

"Shouldn't you go tell your lady love that you're leaving?" she asked Merle.

"No. Ya done pissed her off Yank," he said with a grin. "She thinks ya want me."

Sinclaire batted her eyelashes and Merle laughed.

"Ya wanna piss her off or somethin'?" Hopes for a cat fight had never been higher.

"No, not exactly. I just think it's silly to get territorial. And also, I had you first."

"Can't argue that."

Daryl opened his mouth to say something but he stopped when they heard a shrill voice from the back porch of the bar.

"So you're just going to go? They don't even need you! What about Carl? What about-"

They didn't hear what Rick's answer to his enraged wife was, but it wasn't for lack of trying. Sinclaire was practically in Merle's lap and she could feel Daryl pressing against her back as they got as close to the window as they could.

"Fine!" Lori shouted. "At least I know Shane will take care of us!"

Everyone saw Rick's shoulders stiffen, but he only walked down the steps. Sinclaire and Daryl scrambled for their seats.

"Low fuckin' blow," Merle muttered. "Bitch."

"Thought ya hated Rick," Daryl answered.

Merle shrugged.

"But then again you hate everybody," Sinclaire said.

"Damn right. Hell, we movin' or ain't we?"

"Merle!"

"I'm afraid she's got you," Sinclaire said as Tiff came running down the steps.

Tiff hopped into the back of the SUV, crawling over Daryl, which made his face turn red, and stepping on Sinclaire's foot before sitting down in Merle's lap.

"You weren't even going to tell me?"

"Hell ya was all pissy. Didn't figure ya cared."

"Of course I care!"

"Fuck, it's gonna get mushy." Daryl muttered as he exited the SUV.

When Sinclaire stayed, he reached in and pulled her out too.

"Ya like makin' her uncomfortable and ya might as well admit it," he said.

Sinclaire shrugged and gave him a grin.

"Or maybe I'm just trying to get back into my own room," she said.

Daryl glanced into the car. Tiffany was kissing Merle so he glanced away again.

"Fat fuckin' chance."

"It doesn't look good for you either," she pointed out; Carrie and Glenn were sharing a passionate goodbye of their own a little way away from the SUV.

"Hell, I get to share the truck with you I'm doin' better than I was before."

Sinclaire looked down at her boots; she didn't know what to say. For the first time, she didn't want to go with her impulse to make a joke of a compliment.

"Uh...thanks."

"Yeah well..."

Clearly they were both great at this.

"Let's go," Rick said brusquely.

Sinclaire was so relieved that she contemplated hugging him for breaking up the awkward. And she hated hugging.

Tiff got out of the car, Sinclaire, Daryl, Rick, and Glenn got in. Nate cranked it up and they left.

"Off to kill some zombies," Glenn said. "Bringing home the bacon, taking out the trash, cleaning the-"

"We get it," Daryl said dryly.

"You're just jealous my eloquence. Trying to jack my swag."

"Tryin' to jack yer what?" Daryl asked in confusion.

"Look don't nobody need to be jackin' nothin' fer nobody else while I'm stuck in the car with 'em," Merle said.

"That's not what I meant!" Glenn protested.

"Consider your swag jacked," Sinclaire said, giving him a sympathetic pat on the back. "Also, I can tell it's been a while since you've been out of the house."

"Cabin fever is serious disease," Nate agreed. "We need to make a plan."

"Well, we've been there before," Sinclaire said, indicating Rick, Nate, and herself. "There's only two entry points. Both of them are open-"

"Both?" Nate repeated. "You didn't close the front door?"

"Didn't have time. I say we go around back and close up that exit so they won't keep pouring in on us before we go in through the front."

"That's what I was going to suggest," Nate agreed. "We need to station one person near the front door to keep watch for more so we know when to leave."

"I'll do that," Glenn said. "Someone will volunteer me either way."

"Glenn on the doors, the rest of us throughout the store," Daryl said. "We oughta take sections so we don't accidentally kill each other."

"That's a good point," Sinclaire agreed. "We'll just have to start from the front and proceed in a linear fashion all the way through to the back. And hope nobody dies."

"Don't be so pessimistic," Glenn said. "We're all good at this."

Nate pulled around to the back of the store and they all looked out. About ten zombies milled around the back door. The store was filled with countless more. There were two doors to close, supplies to gather-

"We're all ready for this?" Rick asked.

"You have my sword," Sinclaire said with a grin as she held up the machete.

"And my bow," Daryl said obligingly.

"And my axe," Glenn chimed in, even though he was carrying a machete too.

Nate laughed and even Rick smiled.

"Yer all idiots," Merle informed them as he punched Sinclaire in the arm. "Now, lets get 'er done."

She gave him a thumbs up and slid out of the SUV behind him.