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This chapter is dedicated to @SynysterHarlot because she said she would comment (go check out her story!!) and @Riley15340 because they read the story in a half of day!!!!

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It had been a week since we had settled into this house. Things were running somewhat smoothly for the most part. Merle seemed to be finally playing nice and being somewhat of a team player and when he wasn't Daryl definitely kept him in line.

Daryl was currently out hunting much to my dismay. I knew we needed good meat and we needed to eat but it was starting to snow and I doubted much game was out there. Sophia was downstairs playing with Carl. The women were inside and I'm pretty sure the men were outside chopping wood for fires.

I was currently sitting in the bedroom we were occupying looking out the window towards the woods hoping Daryl would just magically appear. I sighed as I heard a familiar loud knock on my door recognizing it as Merle's. I opened the door and was greeted by his familiar smirk.

"Yes?" I asked him. I didn't know where Merle and I stood. I wouldn't call us enemies anymore but we definitely weren't friends. Merle waved his stump in the air. "Ya think ya can help me out and clean this thing," I sighed again and opened the door further to let him in.

Merle sat on the edge of the bed which shocked me. Usually Merle was a pig and just made himself comfortable anywhere. Maybe he was actually trying to change for the better. I snorted out loud and Merle gave me a funny look. Him changing? Yeah, right.

It was quiet between us as I started to remove his bandage. Luckily it hadn't become infected which once again shocked me. It looked like that hadn't been changed since he hacked off his hand which had been almost five months ago. I sighed thinking about how long it had been since shit had hit the fan.

I started cleaning his stump making sure no sores were popping up. "I know you don't like it but I think you should let it air out for a bit before putting a bandage back over it," Merle nodded slightly and it fell silent between again. I crossed my arms and looked out the window.

"He's gonna be alright," I heard Merle's familiar drawl and I felt myself turning to him. I shrugged slightly. "I know. I'm not worried. I know he can take care of himself. I just wish he was back," I said. I was waiting on Merle to laugh and come back with some smart ass comment.

"I really don't get what my baby brother sees in you, but you're something else," Merle said. I felt my eyebrows pull together in confusion. "Uh, thanks...I think," I said. Merle leaned back a little on his elbows. "You're not the same person I remember six years ago," he said.

I scoffed. "Are any of us? Look what happened to the world. I think that has changed us all," I said. Merle snorted but nodded in agreement. "I like you now," I scoffed again. "Merle, you've never liked me," I said while turning my attention back to the window.

"Dammit girlie, I'm trying to be nice. Just hear me out, will ya?" I could hear the anger slur through Merle's voice. I turned back around and cocked an eyebrow at him as if telling him to go on. "You're stronger now. Ya got a back bone and that says a lot."

I felt my eyebrows arch slightly. "Before I just thought you were some pussy girl clinging to my baby brother in hopes of getting him to marry ya so you could use him but now I see I was wrong. Ya both love each other and I sure as hell don't know why but I'm not gonna stand between my baby brother and his woman especially if it's you."

I was still kind of confused by his words. "Damn girlie, I'm not good with words. Ya should know this by now," truthfully I was just getting a kick out of watching him squirm. "I guess I'm trying to say is that it takes a lot to be a Dixon but it seems like ya have it figured out."

I felt a small smirk forming on my face. "Is Merle Dixon actually being sincere?" I asked with a teasing tone in my voice. "Shut it, don't go telling anyone that ole Merle is getting soft," we both chuckled lightly before it fell silent between us again.

"Is that my Ma's ring?" Merle asked after a few minutes of silence between us. I nodded slightly and ran my thumb over the ring. "Yeah, Daryl threw it at my head after we had a fight....about you," I said my voice trailing off. Merle let out an airy chuckle.

"Look at me, stirring up shit and I'm not even around," I couldn't help but laugh at that one. "Ma would've loved you. She always wanted a girl and that's why she hated us. That's why I started calling Daryl, Darlyna. I figured maybe if I started treating him like a girl Ma wouldn't hate us so much, but it just made stuff worse and Daryl hated it."

'Well I wonder why' I thought to myself. "The past is the past. I just hope that we can let bygones be bygones," Merle said somewhat quietly. I reached over and squeezed his shoulder. "Look, I'm not saying we're all good but I told Daryl I would try for you. Whether you both admit it or not y'all need each other," I said. Merle nodded a little.

I reached out for his stump and I started wrapping a bandage around it. Merle and I had killed about an hour sitting up there and talking in my room. After wrapping his stump he let it rest in his lap. "My baby brother loves ya. Never thought I'd see him love someone."

"He's stubborn my baby brother, but he means well. Don't let him scare you away," Merle said. I nodded slightly. Merle looked up and held my gaze for a second. "Stop that," he said. I cocked an eyebrow at him. "What did I do?" I asked him.

"No one has ever looked me in the eye before," he said. I reached out and squeezed his shoulder again and surprisingly he didn't tense up. "That's what friends are for," I said and I surprised myself when the word 'friend' flowed from my mouth so easily.

"Ole Merle ain't never had a friend before. Not even my own baby brother wants to be my friend," he said. I rolled my eyes. "That's not true. Daryl loves you. You're his brother. I don't know how many times I listened to him argue about how you were still alive and I know he still gives T-Dog grief for dropping the damn key."

Merle cracked a slight smile. "You may be stubborn as hell sometimes but Daryl has and always will love you," I said. I squeezed his shoulder one last time before packing up my medical gear. Merle followed me out of the bedroom and down the steps and out the front door.

It was definitely getting really cold and I was not looking forward to it though I knew it would make the walkers slower. Merle leaned against the banister beside me and we both silently watched the tree line waiting to see if Daryl would pop up with some game.

~~

*Daryl's POV*

As I broke from the woods I saw Merle and Emery standing on the porch with their backs to me. I picked up my pace slightly when I saw Rick and Shane starting to walk towards them with an authoritative look. I saw Emery's shoulders shaking and I felt myself growl.

If Merle had hurt Emery I would pound him myself. I heard a shriek and I saw Emery's shoulders shaking harder and Merle's were mirroring her's. "Wait," I stopped both Shane and Rick. We stood and watched the two for a second and then it hit me.

Emery and Merle were laughing. Now that was a sight I thought I would never see in a million years. First, Emery getting along with Merle. Second, I've never really known Merle to laugh unless it involved a dirty joke about some woman walking by him and his friends.

When we reached the steps Emery made eye contact with me before winking and looking back at Merle who was now howling with laughter. I just shook my head and walked inside letting the two women get back to their little gossip fest. Who knew what they were talking about.

~~

*Emery's POV*

Merle was currently telling me a ton of embarrassing stories that happened to Daryl when we were in high school that I never knew about. I was laughing so hard that I had tears in my eyes. I definitely hadn't laughed like that in a long time. My sides were killing me.

We walked inside after seeing Daryl come back to see if he needed any help skinning what he caught which wasn't much. After quickly skinning everything and then giving it to the women to start cooking up Daryl, Merle, and I went to wash our hands and knives in the snow.

Merle nudged me lightly and I tried to hold in a snicker thinking about some of the stories he had told me about. "What are you two braying at?" Daryl asked. I could hear that growl in his voice. "Don't get your panties in a bunch little brother," Merle said while putting him in a headlock and giving him a noogie with his stump which made Daryl cringe.

"Panties? Are you sure they ain't something else?" I asked rhetorically causing Merle to start laughing again. I was trying to hide the laugh again as Daryl looked at both of us like we were nuts. We quickly cleaned out hands and knives and by the time we made it back inside the small dinner was ready.

Dinner was once again silent. Merle, Daryl, and I were leaning against the walls and door frames as everyone else was sitting. You could still tell that even though Merle was doing good that he was still on the outside of the group and because we were closest with him we were put there too.

I felt Daryl's shoulder lightly brush mine like he was trying to pull me out of my thoughts and show me that he was there. I gave him a slight smile before returning to my food. I quickly finished it and sat my plate in the washing bin. Daryl trailed right behind me.

It was already late. It had been a long day and I knew everyone was tired and right after this small dinner basically everyone would be turning into bed. I quickly hopped up the stairs and went into my room. I quickly changed before turning around to see Daryl standing just inside the door. Luckily it was shut.

"What?" I asked him. He shrugged. "What were you and Merle yacking about?" he asked. I felt the smile creep on my face. "That's for me to know and you to find out," I said. Daryl glared playfully at me. "Honestly we had a pretty nice talk and I think we have a mutual understanding with each other."

Daryl nodded slightly before starting to bite on his thumb nail. I knew something was bothering him. Biting his nail was always a habit he had when he was bored, nervous about something, or wanted to ask something. I decided to ignore it knowing he would possibly tell me when he was ready.

Suddenly Sophia came busting through the door with a panicked look on her face. She grabbed our bags without saying a word. "Sophia, what is it?" I asked slightly concerned as to why she was being frantic. Daryl had already marched back down stairs when her voice barely squeaked out, "walkers."

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So Emery and Merle's little friendship? Yes? No? Do you think the group will ever warm up to Merle or all three of them?

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