A/N: This is a joint story with my FF BFF Magenta's Nightmare, we have been working together on this story for a few weeks and it is complete. We hope you enjoy it and please let us know what you think.

Today was going to be a good day. Merle was up early, as usual but this morning he had more of a smile on his face. Last night he received a text from his brother that he was coming home for a while. They hadn't seen each other in over a year and Daryl was Merle's only family. He was more than happy at the prospect of seeing his younger brother after such a long absence.

He missed Daryl, and he never seemed to stay long enough for Merle. He said something about his tour being over for a while. That would be great news. They had lived separate lives for such a long time and Merle sometimes wished for their childhood. They spent so much time together hunting and fishing as kids, but Daryl joined the Coast Guard when he was nineteen. Since then his visits had been sporadic and short.

Merle had his friends and actually he had a close relationship with his secretary Carol. She was seven years younger than him a year older than Daryl. He had people in his life but he missed his brother. He had a girlfriend that he adored, but Daryl was his blood.

Carol had come to work for him last summer and she had been a godsend, straightening out his office after his last secretary ditched. They formed a very strong bond very quickly and he loved her like a sister. A younger sister who needed to be protected from this world and all the crazy in it.

Carol was a sweet little thing with auburn hair and blue eyes, cute as a button, but not Merle's taste and a good thing too. He knew better, you don't shit where you eat and he had no desire to lose the best secretary he had ever had over a roll in the hay, no thank you.

Not that he would ever think of her that way, and nobody else better think of her that way either.

Carol had been newly divorced when she first came to work for him and her ex came around one time threatening her. Merle let him know he was not welcome and he wasn't welcome to bother Carol ever again. As far as Merle knew he had instilled the fear of god into the man, because Carol had said he never came back or called again.

Daryl had been away on the job for a long time. The leave from the coast guard came at just the right time. It was summer time and he could use Daryl's help to run the crew, consisting of Axel, Martinez and Oscar. Glenn Rhee ran his other crew of Tyreese, Theodore and the kid Zach.

He was close to firing Zach though, if he didn't stop eye fucking Carol. Merle already told him twice, she is off limits and Zach was not hearing it at all.

Glenn even said something to him, and the kid didn't listen to him either.

Carol had become like his surrogate little sister and Merle looked out for her as such, no one was allowed to go near her.

Zach was going to lose his job and it was a shame. He was a good worker, but nobody was allowed near her and Merle didn't care who it was.

She was still trying to get over her awful marriage and had just started to get back into the dating scene. That must be a nightmare too, but she was young, just turning thirty, too young to give up. Merle would be happy to screen her dates for her, but she declined nicely.

Merle Dixon would scare all the men away she knew.

But these assholes around here all knew better. Merle would personally kick the ass of any man who even looked at her cross eyed.

He walked in the office that morning whistling and Carol handed him his coffee right away as he sat down at his desk opposite hers. He had plans all over it for the job they were doing right now.

They were right now situated in a trailer outside the mall that was being built. Merle was doing it all, with the help of his two crews.

He needed his brother here like yesterday.

"Morning boss." Carol said.

"Mornin sugar, how was that date you went on last night."

She shook her head and gave him the thumbs down.

"Ah, sorry honey, one day you'll meet the right one, don't you worry."

She nodded. "I know Merle but it's so disappointing sometimes, maybe I'm just going to be alone forever."

"No you won't, you're too pretty, you just haven't met someone you click with yet." Merle said sipping his coffee. "It's gonna happen when it's meant to happen."

Carol always made his coffee perfectly and had it ready when he walked in every morning. He knew she came in ten minutes early just to do that for him. He planned on giving her a nice Christmas bonus for doing that.

He never wanted to lose her. She was the best of both worlds, a woman that doted on him that he didn't have to worry about impressing.

"Well, there was definitely no click last night, he wanted to split the check and he didn't like to share. I liked what I ordered but his looked good too." She said.

"What a douche." Merle said.

"So Martinez was just here with the plans for the fountain, he was trying to track down the plumbers and electricians because you all can't do your part till they get done."

"And." Merle said, wondering what she came up with.

"I told him to go prep the area so that you can just lay the concrete when the plumbers get their stuff done and you don't have to wait for the electricians, if they aren't done, they can wait on you."

Merle sat back and looked at her. "What did I ever do without you Carol?"

"You struggled and you drank crappy coffee." She said smiling at him and passing over Martinez's work order.