I was in a mood and felt like writing something with Merle after he was dead... Idk.

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Merle rolls his head on his shoulder almost impulsively. He doesn't feel any kinks or pains. Doesn't even really need to pop his neck. He just does. Cause it's a habit now. Habits die hard. Dead or not. And he was fucking dead. His little brother stabbed the fuck outta him. Fucked up his pretty face and all... Ah well. He wasn't looking so hot as a biter.

Merle swirled a wad of saliva in his mouth before spitting. Well not really spitting. He wasn't sure what the fuck he just did, but when he looked at the ground he stood on there wasn't a trace of where he'd spit. Course couldn't leave a mark if you didn't exist. Least he didn't exist in the real world anymore.

"Merle... You can't stay here."

Merle looks over his shoulder where he finds his dear old mama standing before him in form. She certainly wasn't flesh and blood but she was real. Her hair was soft, she was in a pure white dress, and she looked young. That was the thing about being dead. You looked how you wanted really. What you felt. Merle knew he still looked as gruff as he had alive, but he hadn't really gone up or down to get a new look. No he was just hanging out in limbo.

"Suurre I can, mama," he drawled, crossing his arms and stepping on, following after the pair ahead of him.

"Merle," she sighed.

Merle didn't have to look back to know she wasn't standing there anymore. Good. He was happy to see her again. She hadn't been an abusive bitch to him. She'd just been weak. Broken by the old man... Hope he was burning on a steak in hell right now... The thought made Merle snort before he was speeding up his pace.

He kept a good two feet away from his little brother and Girl. He watched them. Had been watching them since they got separated from the others. Had seen all the little shit they'd pulled. Darylina getting his ass drunk with Girl. The awkward hugs. Him teaching her to shoot his crossbow – the one Merle himself had gotten him – and just downright being disgustingly sweet with one another. Well Girl was being sweet. Darylina was just being a fuckin pussy.

"Little brother ya got a legal piece of ass throwin herself at ya, obviously getting the hots for ya and whattya do? Ya act like a fuckin pussy," Merle scoffed to himself as he put himself beside the two as they found a place to rest.

Girl wasn't bad looking at least. Neither was Mouse though. Hell his brother got some good ones throwing themselves at him. Course he'd always been popular with the ladies. Learned it from himself afterall... That and - Course he'd never admit out loud – at least Daryl didn't scare them. Not really. Merle was good at putting people in their place, and he knew he could be a scary sunuvabitch. So women may have been easy pickin, but that didn't make em always his biggest fan.

"How old was Merle?"

Merle jerked his head to Girl, coming out of his thoughts. The hell was she doing bringing him up? Merle watched Daryl turn and give her a look before he was looking down at the crossbow in his lap. Girl looked at him and waited quietly to see if he'd nswer.

"Fifty," Daryl spoke up.

"Was he like he was growing up?" she asked.

"No... He changed. Like everyone else," Daryl shook his head and stared up at the sky.

Merle grunted and had to agree. He'd been a saint compared to how he'd been before his death. Fucking Governor had really changed that from him. Felt like he'd stripped away every last decent trait he had left in him; which hadn't been much to begin with but it had still been there.

"He was strong... I think he was sad, though," Girl said softly, and Merle couldn't help but stare at her.

The Hell was she talking about? Girl didn't know him. Hell she'd avoided him most of the time... Merle straightened as slowly... He realized he was wrong. Girl had actually tried to talk to him. The others had been off...

Merle made his way across the catwalk of the cafeteria with leisure steps. He wasn't going anywhere in particular. Simply moving around to keep himself from going crazy. He hated being stuck with nothing to do while Daryl was off with Officer Friendly and the others, leaving him with a bunch of bitches.

"Hush-a-bye, don't you cry, go to sleepy little baby... When you wake, you shall have, all the pretty little horses..." a voice sang softly, causing Merle to slow to a halt.

His head turned to the sound of singing and a fussing baby. His feet leading him unconsciously so until he was almost standing in the doorway of a cell. Inside the cell was Girl, Hershel's daughter with the long blonde hair. The one who'd started singing the other day.

"Hush-a-bye, don't you cry, go to sleepy little baby... When you wake, you shall have, all the pretty little horses..." she continued to sing, the child squirming and sniffling loudly, upset.

Merle listened with slight sense of fascination. He'd never seen someone sing a lullaby. Least not unless it was in shitty romance films his mama had watched when he'd been a kid. Girl had a carrying, soothing tone to her that Merle found strange on someone so young.

"Do you need something?"

Merle looked up and found Girl staring at him. He expected to see disgust or fear. Instead he saw nothing. She was simply staring at him, waiting for an answer, but not sure to expect one. Now that was puzzling. Little thing like her? Think she'd be scared of him, right? Hell she'd certainly given him the eye the first day here.

The baby started to fuss again and her bright eyes turned to the little girl, whispering and shushing softly. Without much thought, Merle stepped into the room and made a motion to the kid. Girl looked at him carefully, reading him. It unnerved him to say the least.

But then she gently placed the baby in his arms and with that old instincts kicked in and he began to rock. And just as he'd done with Daryl when he'd been a kid and Merle only ten, he bounced her lightly while keeping the same rhythm.

Within a few minutes the girl was calm and within about a few seconds, the kid was out. Merle smirked. Heh. He still had it... And he'd just acted like a real softie infront of Girl. As if snapping from a trace, Merle handed the baby off to her and stepped back and turned to leave.

"I wont say anything."

Merle stopped and straightened. He looked over his shoulder and saw her staring at him. She smiled a small smile and nod before turning to place the baby in its crib safely, not paying him any mind to see if he left or stayed.

"I liked him... A little."

Merle jerked to the present from the old memory and found he was absently following Daryl with Girl. She was looking around as his little brother stared at her. Merle also stared at Girl with disbelief and shook his head. Crazy fucking kid.

"He'd probably call you crazy for that," Daryl drawled and Merle snorted in agreement.

Girl – Beth was her name right? - simply gave a pleasant smile before the two were walking on in comfortable silence. Merle scoffed as he watched Daryle shoot glances at her and saw Girl oblivious (or just ignoring) his brother eying her.

It was like a fucking romance novel, these two. Merle snorted and walked beside Daryl, placing his hand on his shoulder. Daryl stiffened – as if he felt him – before he relaxed and shrugged if off. And Merle smirked.

Maybe having Girl around was what would do his brother some good. Kid needed a good lay sometime anyway. Might help him get the stick he's got up his ass.

Merle smirked at his own joke and kept on, smiling the whole walk.

R&R Plz