Beth pulls the rain barrels out from under the veranda in the backyard before jogging next door through the torrential downpour. She rapped her knuckles against the door. It took Carol less than minute to answer and she beckoned Beth, inside a book still clutched in one of her hands.

"Hi Beth. You here to see Daryl?"

"Well looky he'e! Come to borrow a cuppa sugar Sweetheart?"

Merle emerged from the bottom of the staircase and came into the entryway from behind her, winking at her. Beth twitched, slightly startled to hear him come in as she hadn't heard any sound to indicate his presence behind her before now. He was bare-chested and barefoot, a pair of faded combat pants fastened along the ridge of his hipbones. He had a couple of water droplets running down his arm and the slightest smear of shaving lotion along the side of his jaw. Without missing a beat, Carol wacked him lightly on the back of the head with the book.

"Hey!" He exclaimed, annoyed.

"Don't be a jackass!" She said matter-of-factly before turning to Beth, "He's just in the garage.

Beth thought of all the people, before and after the dead started walking, Carol was probably the only one that could bat Merle Dixon over the head with a book and not get clocked back for it. He would probably never admit it to anyone but Daryl, but Beth knew that he liked Carol.

She was he first to hear about it. Daryl was good at keeping secrets, and Carol had learned the art of subtelty out of nessessity. It was not unusual for the pair to walk together or share friendly innocent touches, and Beth had assumed that nothing had changed with their friendship. It wasn't until their thrid night in Alexandria that Beth had found herself alone on the front porch in the middle of the night with Daryl.

"Couldn't sleep?" He asked her from his perch on the banister.

"No...you?"

"Nah. But I've always been a light sleeper. Comes in hands now."

"Not me. Before all this I was always sleeping through church. My Daddy would get so mad. Said I could sleep through the end of the world if it came to it..."

"Guess he was wrong."

"Yeah...I guess so."

"'m sorry, 'bout your Pa'."

"Wasn't your fault y'a know."

"Maybe I-I could o' done somethin'..."

"No, don' even alright?" She walked over to him and bumped his sholder with her own comfortingly, "It wasn't you. The Governer killed my Daddy, not you."

"I think he killed my brother...the Governer."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah...left a note for me. Never showed it to nobody, but he did. Just said he had to set somethin' right. Never said where he was goin'. Pro'lly left after everyone went to sleep and snuck out through the crypts. Rick said he ne'er saw him leave. Just dissapeared. I think he might o' liked Carol, pro'lly jus' as a friend or soethin'. She said he didn't try nothin', but he beat the shit out of her husbend one night outside of Atlanta."

"I didn't know Carol was married before..."

"She doesn't like to talk about it...he was a real asshole. Merle caught him beatin' up on her and knocked a couple o' his teeth out." Daryl chuckled darkly, "Was 'fore he had the metal hand too. Bloodied up his knuckles somethin' awful."

"That's good, that Merle hit him. Guy deserved it."

Daryl took a deep breath, "I'm seein' her you know...Carol. Happened a little while ago; after Termenius, 'fore we got here. Nobody else knows."

"I-I won't tell anyone, y'know that..."

"No, I know. It's okay though, if someone asks. Thinkin' I might move in there."

"That sounds really nice."

Daryl smiled slightly, "Yeah, it does."

Beth opened the door to the garage. Daryl was rolled underneath one of Alexandria's cars, only his worn boots visable."

"Daryl?"

She heard a loud band and then an irritated 'Fuck!" before Daryl rolled out from underneath the car, one of his hands rubbing at his forehead, "Didn't hear you come in," he said before getting up to turn off the casset player.

"What's wrong with it?"

"Broken wire in the starter I think. Gotta pull it out 'n' take it apart first. You lookin' for those arrows?"

"Yeah, I'm going out tomorrow. Thought it'd be good to have extras."

"Where you headed?"

"Checkin' the north cashe. Just some maintanence and restock. One of the run crews stopped off for ammo and noticed a couple of broken tiles."

"You need backup? Aaron wants to go out lookin' fore people tomorrow, but I can get Merle to go wit' you."

"I think I'll be fine on my own. It's just an R&R..."

"You sure? You get in a jam you might want some extra muscle..."

"He's drivin' you crazy isn't he?"

"...little bit." Daryl said, trying not to smirk.

"Don't take it the wrong way, I mean, I'm glad you've got him back but...Merle's kinda of an asshole."

Daryl laughed, "Merle's deffinitly an asshole. I mean, I missed him an' all...but yeah, he's an asshole. But he's gettin stir-crazy and he likes havin' you around."

Beth scoffed, "...Right. An' what makes you think that?"

"He ain't stopped complainin' since he got here."