The day was just breaking and already thick and hot. Daryl threw himself into the front seat.

"what d'you thing yer doin, boy?" Merle demanded.

"Im driving." Daryl answered.

"Oh no." Merle answered, and jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. "Get in the passenger's seat, Daryl." Daryl sighed and pouted, sliding over into the other seat. "You didn't sleep last night." Merle mumbled. "Nightmare's again?" Daryl shrugged.

"Lets just get to the Quarry." Daryl answered, crossing his arms.

"You say his name in your sleep." He offered.

"Shut up, about it." Daryl snapped. "You made me come home. You made me leave David, and our lives together but it's FINE. I'm FINE." Daryl snapped, throwing his legs out the window.

"I know you miss him..." Daryl withered. "I'm sorry. I should have just left you there, on your rich bitch little private island, but... I love you! I hated the idea of you... and a man. It freaked me out! I thought maybe you were doing it because of... well... Adam."

"You were in jail." Daryl mumbled. "I knew you'd come back, find me... I knew the perfect life David and I had wouldn't last." He answered softly. "It was a year ago, lets drop it." Merle frowned. He reached over and ran a fond hand through Daryl's hair.

"Dont." Daryl mumbled. He did it again and watched his little brother lean into his hand. "Don't." He repeated and Merle did it one more time, pulling his head down into his lap.

"Take a nap, you need it." Daryl closed his eyes, and adjusted his head on Merle's warm lap. He slept until Merle shook his awake. He sat up, and looked out, then up at Merle.

"Who are they?"

"Survivors, like us. Time to put on the gruff face." Daryl snorted and watched Merle roll down the window.

"Who are you, what's your business here?" a man with fluffy ass hair and a lame 22 necklace around his throat, demanded.

"Came up 'ere ta keep away frem them walkers." Merle answered, "Didn' expect no people up here. This was always m' Baby brothers place an' mine. Huntin's nice round these parts." Daryl watched with little interest as the others. Gathered. there was men and women. An RV parked to the side of the camp, and tents. It was a few weeks into the infection, no sign of people anywhere. Daryl wondered how many were in the group. Daryl watched a woman hold her son closer to her. Daryl saw a woman with greying hair, a girl at her side and a man sitting on a log close to her. Daryl knew instantly there relationship was based on abuse.

"You hunt?" Daryl heard.

'Thas right." Merle looked over at Daryl. "Mostly baby brotha. He's real good at it." Merle paused. "Perhaps we should... join our forces." The man paused.

"Sure." He mumbled. "Names Shane, Shane Walsh."

"Nice Ta meetcha Shaney boy. Names Dixon, Merle Dixon. Thats mah brother, Daryl. He dont talk much." Daryl gave a limp wave and yawned, stretching uncomfortably in the cramped car.

"Y'all have a tent or something?"

"Oh yeah." Merle answered.

Within a few days Daryl had met everyone. He kept his opinions of them to himself, except for the occasional 'Nigger' comment when T-Dog came over to him. he didn't actually mean it. Where his brother did. Merle had his reasons for his racism, and it wasn't because of the racial slurs their daddy liked to make.

The fire flickered relentlessly. It was cold outside and daryl wanted to add another log to the fire, but decided agaisnt it. He didn't want the great and wonderful Officer Walsh to jump on him the second he breathed. After a few minutes Daryl got bored of waiting for Merle and went to join him at the other fire. He put out theres, by pissing on it. He had to go.

He sat down next to Merle.

"Why do you insist of saying things like that?" Jaqui demanded.

"Like what?" Daryl answered, looking between the two. "What did I miss?"

"those words you two insist on using all the time! Towards me, and T-dog and Glenn, and Morales and everyone else that has a little more pigment on their skin then you." Daryl sighed.

"I just talk like my Daddy did, is there somethin wrong with that?"

"Merle." His older brother elbowed him and he grunted.

"Thats barely an excuse Mr. Dixon."

"Dont call me that you fuckin nigger."

"Merle!" Daryl repeated, only to be elbowed again. Daryl withered and mumbled something under his breath, he didn't want to hear the story again. He half wanted Merle to admit the reason he hated colored people. He wanted to tell about the group that raped Merle and beat him and left him for dead. Merle insisted he was fine, of course, and that he raped just as many people in prison.

"you know nothin about me. And I'd kindly like for you to leave me and my baby brother alone." He paused. "That is of course if you want either of us to keep bringin in the food." Daryl sighed and got up to get himself a bowl of soup. When he sat down again he said:

"you could try to be a little more racially sensitive, bro." Daryl pointed out. "I mean it aint like it was before." Merle slapped him up side the head.

"Shuddup." He ordered and Daryl sighed again. "Racially sensitives for pussy's."

"No it isn't!" Jaqui exclaimed. "The bigger man can accept anyone."

"Naw, my daddy beat that talk outta me when I was 12." Merle snapped, and sent a glare Daryl's way. "Thought he did you to, maybe you need a refresher." Daryl rolled his eyes and went back to his soup. He knew his brother wouldn't attack him,as much as he threatened to.

"How about we change the subject?"offered Lori. Merle snarled.

"C'mon Daryl, lets get back to our own fire pit."

"But... im already comfortable!" Daryl protested, and Merle grabbed his arm and yanked. Daryl tightened his eyes at him. "No."

"Fine." He hissed and stormed away. After a few moments of awkward silence Daryl spoke up.

"I dont say it out of harshness. It really is just a word I was raised with." Daryl said gently. "Dont mind my brother none. He's got his own reasons for his own hate. Pain he suffers every day aint nothin he cant handle. It just makes him... gruff." Daryl offered. "He don't mean it." With that Daryl went back to listening to the conversation. Merle stumbled back a few hours later.

"Daryl." he said softly. Dayrl looked up. "Can't sleep." He mumbled. Daryl nodded and put his bowl down. He wrapped an arm around Merle shoulders and led him back to the tent. He paused on the edge of the light. "Dinner was real good, Jaqui. Thank you." He mumbled and Daryl pulled him to the tent. He opened the flap and zipped it behind him. Jaqui frowned.

"That man... is bipolar." She said they laughed.

Later at the CDC

"They raped him. A gang, a racially correct gang..." He laughed. "It was a combination of Black men, Hispanics and a few japanese... Merle was in prison... with one of the RC's members as his cell mate. Black, real scary lookin. Merle's always used the N word... but he didn't use it in hate until after that. He was 18, in maximum security prison for 10 monthes for drug possesion and being an acomplaice in a murder. Our dad... used to do things to Merle things he didn't do to me. My mom had partial custody of me, I was younger, i dont know, I did more things that he liked. I cried when he hit me... Merle was defiant, my dad said that meant he ahd the devil in him. Used ta lock him up in a little box all alone for days. Starve him while I was with mom. Things like that. He always acted out. I think it was because he didnt have a big brother to look out for him like I did. But because of Merle's long rap sheet, he ended up in prison." Daryl shrugged. "He called his cell mate a negro, and the man flipped. Merle used to be a real pretty little thing. Young, lots of hair..." Daryl shrugged. "He kept it long. His cellmate decided he liked that... and when Merle called him that word, his cell mate worked it so he ended up in solitary. then him and his little gang decided to pay him a visit. If you know what I mean." Jaqui nodded. "They each took a turn, nealry killed him, beat him so baddly he could barely move. After that Merle got really into drugs, his face, his body, was ruined. He... ended up in prison for 35 to life, a while back. I was 17 at the time. I realized I couldn't take it anymore, what was happening to me at hom,e." Jaqui narrowed her eyes.

"What was happening to you?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Daryl, why do you do that, sugar?" She asked.

"You remind me of my grandmother." Daryl said softly, Jaqui looked shocked.

"What?"

"No offense." He laughed, he took a drink from the bottle and passed it to her. She did the same.

"I never expected a little alcohol to loosen you up like this, Daryl." She laughed. "Why do I remind you of your grandmother?"

"My grandmother was Native American. She was the one who taught me how to hunt, and she was so... just detailed. She was kind and gently and... your just a lot like her. She died when I was younger. It was part of the reason why I ran away..."

"What do you mean?"

"dont matter none." He shook his head. "I ran off..."