Author's Notes: It's a while since I did something "properly". Getting into the swing of it, bear with me! Things will be better soon, when I get my new laptop and have shit like Spellcheck hahah.

This is for Haley, who was the only one to successfully guess the rude meaning behind my drabble series title! It's a two parter, hopefully part two will be up before episode 9!

Many thanks.

He was back. She couldn't stop her lips curving into a smile as she gathered up their meagre supplies for Hershel to patch Daryl up. Not even as Merle could be heard hollering the worst insults he could think of at them, did the smile fall from her lips.

And how he could roar. He'd been smug, crowing, as he made his way into the cell block, propping an injured Daryl up. Even more smug when he heard the protests from the newcomers who had not been extended the courtesy of being welcomed into the fold. Almost unbearable as Glenn unleashed his steady stream of protests even as the gates closed.

But in the midst of his self-satisfaction, he missed the look that passed between Rick and his younger brother, did not understand that in his absence, the two men no longer needed words to communicate their plans. So it was Daryl who shouldered his brother into the empty cell, much to Merle's surprise and it was Rick who turned the key in the lock, handing it to Daryl to hook onto his belt.

Merle's screams and shouts filled the air, sending the baby into fits of wailing as Daryl limped away from him. Towards her. Carol stood at the end of the walkway, jiggling Judith lightly to try and shush her cries.

"Shut up, Merle." Daryl groaned, stopping and looking back at his brother.

Carol took a few steps to meet him and Merle fell silent as she got closer. Judith quietened, as if by magic and Daryl leant over and rubbed one grimy finger over her chubby cheek. Looked up from her to Carol, gave her a quirk of his lips.

She watched Merle from behind Daryl's shoulder, saw the way he watched the three of them, slackjawed. It took a moment, but then she understood why he looked so suprised. He thought that Judith was Daryl's baby. Their baby.

Daryl did not see Merle's face, but she wondered if he knew about it all the same. She wasn't about to point it out. Let him think that Daryl had more important people in his life now. That there were people out there who he would save first. And maybe there were. He did lock Merle in a cell, after all.

"Let's go take a look at that leg, son." Hershel called from the cell at the end of the corridor and Carol quickly passed the baby over to Beth and rushed up to the top level to retrieve the necessary supplies for Hershel.

His pants leg was rolled up to his knee and there was a nasty gash on his shin, blood drying in a trail all the way down to the top of his boot. But Hershel wasn't looking at the cut, he was rolling Daryl's ankle back and forth, pressing fingers against bones for which Carol had no name. Yet.

"Nothing is broken, but I expect this ankle is gonna swell up something nasty over the next day or two. Going to have to rest up, Daryl." Hershel looked up from his awkward spot on the floor, speaking to him sternly.

Daryl snorted. "Yeah, well there ain't no time for that, Doc."

"We'll make time." Carol crossed the threshold of the cell and set down the bowl of clean water she carried before she helped Hershel off the floor. "I have the stuff for stitches, looks like he needs it."

"You can do it, I am needed to tend to some of the others." Hershel passed by her and patted her shoulder before shooting Daryl a stern look. "No walking on that ankle."

"What happened?" Carol settled herself on the end of the cot, pulled out all the things she'd need to put him back together.

"Got caught in the forest. Think it was the end of a crowbar or somethin'." Daryl watched her as she pulled things out of a bag, set to cleaning up his wound.

"I meant more generally. Sounds like you almost wanted to get left behind, so the story goes." Carol chose her words carefully, lightly, as light as her hand was against his skin, wiping the blood from his wound so she could see it properly.

"I had to cover the rest of the group. Fuck!" His hands reached out and pushed her fingers away. "Watch it!"

"Hey!" She warned sternly. "I have to clean this. I'm sorry if it stings but it has to be done." Carol brushed his fingers aside and gripped his leg firmly, before applying the antiseptic that sent him into a steady stream of hissed expletives. "Daryl, I have seen you get shot in the head and stabbed with an arrow and I swear, you did not kick up such a fuss."

Daryl grumbled something she didn't quite hear and Merle kicked up again down the corridor, ignoring Rick's yells to shut up.

"Is he hurt?"

"Nothin' we gonna unlock him for. He can take care o' himself."

Carol braced his leg again. "Gonna stitch now, hold tight, you hear?"

Daryl nodded and in the corner of her eye she saw his hand scrunch the cover tight into his fist, knuckles turning white.

They were silent for a few moment, listening to Merle's obscenities, broken up with calls for Daryl. Carol focused on making her stitches clean and tight, it was not her first time patching together a member of the group, but it was her first time on Daryl and the way he watched her made her nervous.

"You can't keep him locked in that cell forever." She murmured as she stopped halfway through to clear up a little more blood.

"I can." He told her firmly.

"No, Daryl, you can't. You brought him here, there was a reason. It was worth the risk. Putting him near Rick. Near Glenn, after what happened in Woodbury."

"Yeah, well, he's gonna know how I feel 'bout that soon enough."

Carol picked up her needle again and looked at him critically. "And how will that help? You've gotten us this far, Daryl. Instincts have never failed. So, when you bring your brother here, I know that it's because you see something the rest of us don't."

She pierced his skin once more, kept pulling the gash together, a millimetre at a time.

"He's my brother. I ain't never gonna leave him behind. 'Sides, I didn't have much choice. Didn't have no weapons and I fucked my leg up, what else was I gonna do 'cept let him help?" He looked at her for a response but Carol didn't have one. Didn't know what to say. She suspected he brought Merle back out of Dixon loyalty, something so deep rooted it was worth causing tension in the family he had now.

"I won't let him hurt you. Or Judith. Anyone." He told her as she finished the last stitch. Secured the wound.

"I know." Carol gave the injury a final clean before drying his skin with a towel.

"He knows he's outta options. Can't go it on his own, got not weapons, no car. Knows I ain't goin' anywhere. Governor ain't gonna take him. He messes up here, he's dead."

Carol's ears pricked. "He wanted you to go? Go where?"

Daryl shrugged. "Dunno. Outta here, I guess." He stuck his grimy thumb into his mouth, set to work at biting down his jagged nail. "Don't matter anyhow, wasn't gonna happen. I got business here."

Carol couldn't hold back the grin and she ducked her head to stick down gauze and bandage so he wouldn't see.

She cleared her throat a little as stuck the bandage down, pressing the edges tightly onto his skin. "He...I think Merle thinks you have a little more business than you actually have though."

Daryl raised an eyebrow. Her hands pulled away and he pushed his pants leg down.

"He watched, after you put him in that cell." She grasped his wrist as it came closer, inspected the cut on the inside of his forearm before letting it go. It was only a graze. "I think, I think he thinks, that Judith is our baby." She cleared her throat again. "Your daughter."

Daryl appraised her for a moment. Lips pursed as the cogs in his head whirred. And then he shrugged.

"Don't matter. Let him think it. He needs to realise that I got other folks in front of him. That he ain't as precious as he likes to think he is. Besides, it don't matter who Judith's daddy is, I'm still gonna look out for her. Same goes for you and everyone else in here."

Carol nodded. "Anything else I can take a look at?"

"Naw." Daryl rubbed a hand across his face wearily.

"What they do to you? In Woodbury?"

"It don't matter. It's done." He moved to get off the bed.

"Woah, where do you think you're going?" Carol put a hand to his chest, pushed him back onto the mattress. "You can't walk about on that ankle."

Daryl scoffed. "I ain't gotta a choice. I got shit to do and first up, is shutting Merle's big ass mouth."

"No! Daryl, don't. Not today." She protested, but Daryl only shrugged her grasping hands off. Merle was shouting something obscene at Michonne, she guessed, judging by how many times she heard the N word.

"You wanna hear that all night?" Daryl jerked his head towards the door. "'Cause I sure as shit don't." His foot crumbled underneath him, but he righted himself quickly, using the damp wall to brace himself.

"You need to elevate that foot, Daryl. I want your shoe off too, in case it swells up bad." She came beside him, put a hand round his waist to help steady him. "Maybe I can go see if I can find some Arnica growing wild, use that..."

"You ain't goin' out there. Don't know if the Governor got enough men to get out here."

"You think he'll try and take this place?"

"Don't know. Don't wanna risk it right now." He curled his arm over Carol's shoulders, let her take a little of his weight as they limped into the corridor as if it were a three legged race. She knew he only let her because it meant she wouldn't moan about him being up and about. He was in a very graceful mood and it puzzled her a little, because he very rarely let her go about her ministrations in such a way, didn't like the fuss.

Rick was outside the cell with Merle, one hand resting against the bars and another on his hip, just above the Python. He spoke lowly and until they were on him, Carol couldn't really understand what he was saying. But Merle fell silent as soon as he caught sight of Daryl.

"Go." He jerked his head at Rick, towards the mess hall that they'd taken to eating in. "It's fine." He reassured him, pulled his arm from around Carol and instead leant up against the bars of Merle's cell.

Rick nodded slowly and backed away and Carol took the opportunity to slip into the cell next to Merle's yanking two chairs out and settling them by the bars.

"Sit." She ordered, pushing Daryl down onto one by the shoulder and a chuckle escaped his lips. She looked up curiously and instantly she saw a change in him. Like a wave of confidence. His chin jutted out and as she lifted his foot onto the other chair, Merle chuckled too and she saw, for the first time, a resemblance between the brothers.

Bravado. It was all bravado and swagger. Put on especially for Merle. She tried not to take it to heart, not when she knew he was doing it to protect them all. Protect himself.

"Keep that foot elevated, Daryl." She gave him a final pat on the shoulder and headed for the stairs. "I'll bring dinner down to you." She eyed Merle warily, he watched her closely, lip curled. In disdain or in jest, she couldn't tell. "To both of you."

"You got yourself one bossy lady there, baby brother."

She did not wait to hear Daryl's response.

Dinner was instant potatoes and tinned vegetables. Carol was suprised how much she missed squirrel and rabbit in Daryl's absence.

Axel had hovered around her as she cooked up the meal quickly and there was no-one there to take some of the heat for her. He was beginning to be an awful pain and she wished she'd gone along with his notion of her being a lesbian. But then, at least it kept his eye from Beth. She'd vowed to tell Rick and Daryl if it kept up. But in the meantime, everyone was busy so she put up with his horrific attempts at flirting and tried to focus on the camping stoves in front of her.

It was a relief to finally dish up and call for everyone else. She found herself eager to see Daryl, even though it would be with Merle. But when she came up the steps, Daryl was not there and Merle was alone, slumped up against the wall.

He eyed her with little interest, not even moving when she brought the plates to the bars. It was too big to fit through.

"I'll just go find Daryl to give this to you." She muttered, setting the plate down on the empty chair.

"Can't let a man go take a piss?" Merle scoffed and pushed himself off the floor. "He ain't gonna be long."

Carol nodded and made to turn away.

"Carol, right?"

She nodded once more.

"I remember you. Little girl. Husband." He came closer, slowly. With a smile on his face.

"Not anymore."

"No. My brother said. Sorry to hear that."

She shrugged. "It happens. We lose people all the time." Of course, she didn't feel that way. Not about Sophia. Her heart burned everytime she thought of her daughter. Every day. But she buried the thought, because she would not let Merle Dixon spot a weakness.

Merle huffed. He could see through her.

"Got yourself a new kid anyway. Daryl didn't waste no time."

That raised her eyebrow.

"Seems you think you got us all figured out."

"Naw, I don't know shit. All I know is Daryl is holdin' out on me." Merle shrugged. "I'll figure it out. Just rusty on account of not seein' him in a whole year and all."

"He's watching out for us. Like always." Carol folded her arms over her chest and turned away.

"Always had a proclivity for goin' soft, did our Daryl. The sweet one. But you, woman, you just 'bout turned him into mush." Merle stuck a finger in her direction, as if caring about other people were the worst personality trait in the world.

"What makes you think that's my fault?"

"Pfftt. It's obvious, you an' that goddamned baby. Just 'bout set yourselves up for death, carryin' that brat around."

She'd just worked up a retort, something that didn't give the game away about the baby, when Daryl popped up out of nowhere, watching the two of them with trepidation.

"You a'right?" He looked at Carol warily and she nodded quickly. The baby kicked up a scream somewhere in the distance and she sighed.

"Just brought you both dinner." She shifted from foot to foot. "I'm going to fix up Judith's bottle."

"Hold up. I'm comin'." Daryl fumbled with the keys and hastily shoved Merle's plate towards him.

"What you just gon' leave me in here whilst you go cuddle up to the rest of those losers?" Merle burst out as Daryl turned away from the cell.

"Watch it Merle!" Daryl hissed in his direction. "They are fixin' to put a bullet in your brain and I am tryna fix it! Do me a favour and fuckin' help some for once in your goddamn life!" Daryl snatched up his own plate and marched over to Carol, chivvying her along with a hand on the small of her back.

"They're not really talking about killing him, are they?" Carol murmured to him once they were out of ear shot.

Daryl shrugged. "Glenn and Michonne are thinkin' of it."

She looked at him wide-eyed, a little panicked. "They wouldn't!"

Daryl stopped his limping down the corridor and looked at her. "You think he don't deserve it? 'Cause you the only one."

She laid a hand on his arm before he could pick up speed again. "Hey." Fingers rubbed against the skin on the inside of his wrist. "That's your brother."

His head reared back, like he was shocked by this information.

"Your brother." She repeated. "You've got him back, after all this time. Don't just give up on him." Daryl didn't say anything. "What he's done...it's awful. But there's got to be a way to fix it somehow." She shook her head ruefully and released his arm.

"Carol." Daryl took her arm back, ran his calloused fingers over her palm. "Don't ever turn ya back on him. Don't ever think ya can trust him, ya hear? Merle is always gon' take care of Merle." He was quiet, spoke sadly, almost. "Don't go foolin yourself, 'cause I ain't."

She was overwhelmed with sadness then, sad that even Daryl, the person who knew Merle best, who loved him, didn't even trust him. And it was frightening too. It meant, that even in their beds, they had to watch their backs.

Daryl was waiting for an answer from her, squeezed her palm a little and she blinked back into reality. Nodded at him. It seemed to be enough to satisfy him, he dropped her hand and pushed the door to the cafeteria open, found a spot to eat his plate of food, long gone cold. Still, he shovelled it into his mouth like he hadn't eaten in days, but then, Carol wasn't surprised. He hadn't eaten since they'd left for Woodbury in the first place, it seemed like an age ago.

Rick was rocking Judith back and for, she could see Beth behind him, rapidly making up the bottle of milk that the little one cried out for and Carol stood in front of the man, arms outstretched.

"Let me. You get to the important stuff." Rick slowed his rocking and Carol pushed her hands between his arms, pulling the baby close to her chest.

"Carol - I, you still need your rest -" Rick protested, hand still on the baby.

"I'm fine. There's no time, I can do this." She jerked her head to the door. "But I can't do that. Let me." She backed up a little, let him appraise her before finally nodding and turning away. She did feel unsteady on her feet. Realistically, she knew that her body needed time to recover from being hidden away in a cell for days, but there simply wasn't time to spare.

Taking care of Judith. That she could do. She could wield a gun, handle a blade, but in her heart, she wanted nothing more than to take care of the group on a more basic level. Washing clothes, making meals, it seemed like a step backwards, almost. But for all the training she'd gone through over the winter, her hands would always be those of a homemaker first and foremost.

"I'll keep ya company, Carol." Axel sidled up, seemingly from nowhere, his breath hot on the skin of her shoulder. She tried not to shudder.

"No." She took the bottle Beth held out for her and the girl quickly scuttled away. "No, thank you." She spoke clearly, raised her voice a little. "I'm sure Rick could find you something to do, if you've got idle hands."

Rick looked up at the mention of his name, Daryl too, and the former sheriff eyed both her and Axel for a moment. "Sure." He said, finally. "Hershel and Glenn are on watch, go relieve Glenn."

Axel opened his mouth to protest, shifting from foot to foot but Daryl cut him off before he could spit his words out. "Shift it." He growled. "Now."

Axel jumped a little and scuttled off and Carol gave Daryl a small smirk as she adjusted the bottle in Judith's mouth. Once she was certain he would've disappeared, she followed out the door behind him, ready to take Judith for a nap.

She went in to the block through the other entrance, tiptoeing as softly as she could to avoid Merle kicking off again. She wished he'd been put somewhere else, further away. She knew why he was there, Daryl wanted him close. That Michonne woman had been looking murderous since she'd gotten back with them. But he still made her nervous. The way he eyed her up. Figuring her out. Aside from Daryl, Rick too, perhaps, she was the most interesting person to Merle Dixon. Perhaps wondering how someone like her, ended up meaning something to someone like Daryl.

She wondered herself, all the time. Alright, so they weren't like Merle thought they were, but there was something to them. She might've been naive when it came to relationships and she was pretty convinced that Daryl was exactly the same, but she wasn't an idiot. They might not have slept together, or even shared a kiss, but they meant something to each other. More than Maggie meant to Daryl, more than Glenn meant to her.

It turned out, she had been pretty exhausted. She'd settled herself on the bunk, soothing Judith in the crook of her arm and felt her own eyelids growing heavy. But she couldn't have dozed off for more than a few moments when the now familiar hollering that belonged to Merle kicked up again and Carol knew from the first shout Glenn had come into the block.

"I still need to finish off that kickin', Chinaman!" Merle crowed and Glenn's response was drowned by Judith, who suddenly went stiff in Carol's arm, limbs outstretched, she let out a high pitched wail.

Annoyed didn't quite cover how she felt. Was this how it was to be permanently? She thought he would've run out of steam by now. It was as if Merle wanted to die. Judith flailed and she tried to soothe her, tucking her little body into her breast tightly.

She should've stayed away, she knew that. Especially after Daryl's words. He had a plan for Merle, even if he didn't know it yet. She told him she trusted him on that and she had to put that trust into practice.

But Merle was so damned loud and Judith was going red in the face.

Glenn was right up against the bars, Merle too and they were screaming in each other's faces, fists clenching each others shirt fronts.

"Hey!" She called out, putting a hand to Glenn's shoulder. Judith squawked some more and Glenn snapped to, fists loosening on Merle's shirt. "He's not your problem, Glenn, he's Daryl's."

Glenn opened his mouth to protest but Carol shook her head quickly.

"No, don't. Just go." She gave his shoulder a squeeze, forced her mouth into a thin smile and she saw the young man's hesitation, but his hands came free from Merle. "Merle." Carol warned, give him a glare.

The man gave her a wide smile, all teeth and gums before sneering at Glenn one more time and letting his hand loosen. "Next time, Jackie Chan." He said, making the words sound like a promise.

Glenn just spat out a curse, bolting down the corridor. Judith's cries became pathetic bleats and Carol rocked from side to side to silence her entirely.

"Can you keep it down?" She asked sharply. "Because Judith needs to sleep a lot and this hollering is upsetting her. And you can be sure that when you want to sleep, she damn well won't let you."

Merle took a step back, eyed her up good and proper.

"Judith? What kinda name is Judith?"

"Carl picked it." She said defensively. "And we all like it."

"My brother let that snot-nosed brat pick his first born's name?" Merle scoffed and came back to the bars, peering to look at the snuffling baby.

She sighed. It was one thing to let Merle assume something, but she wasn't about to lie outright. But Merle didn't wait for an answer however.

"Come closer. Wanna see if the poor kid got stuck lookin' like Daryl."

She bit her lip. She didn't think Merle would be a danger to the baby, not one that he assumed was his family. So she took a step forward, tilted Judith outwards a little and the little one only grumbled for a second, turning her head to look at Merle sleepily.

His hand, his only hand, jumped through the bars and she resisted stepping back and it hovered over Judith's head and he looked up to Carol, seeking permission. She gave a small nod and Merle gave her a smile she not seen before, a soft curve on one side of his mouth. His hand gently stroked Judith's soft hair and she cooed in response to his touch.

"Naw, she don't look a thing like my baby bro." He murmured softly. "Lucky girl, huh?"

It was time to come clean. "She's-"

"I thought I said to you not to go near him." Daryl came limping down the metal steps, with a thunderous look on his face. "Especially with her." He jerked his head towards Judith and Merle pulled his hand back behind the bars.

"We were just talkin'." Merle said easily, backing up and slouching on the cot.

Carol nodded. "I'm going to try putting her down again." She didn't wait for Daryl's response and turned back to her cell.

"Kid don't look a thing like ya, thank fuck." Merle told his brother as she walked away. Her step faltered but she kept moving.

"Well she ain't gonna, is she? She ain't my blood." Daryl scoffed and Carol walked a little faster, preparing for Merle's shouting to resume. Except it didn't.

"So why everybody up in here sayin' she is?" He asked, but his voice didn't raise any louder than Daryl's.

"You just gone an' assumed like always. Besides, what does it matter? Ain't nobody more important than anyone else in here." The words left unsaid were clear to her. And to Merle. What Daryl meant was, you are not more important.

"You goin' with a woman who got a baby wit' someone else?" Merle made a disparaging noise. Carol lingered at the entrance to her cell, Daryl's back was to her anyway.

"She ain't Carol's neither. Her mama died havin' her. Rick's her daddy." Carol smiled to herself. She did not miss what he had said. He'd said that Judith wasn't her daughter. He didn't deny that he was "going" with her. The thought made her heart flutter.

She didn't listen to the rest of the conversation and settled the now-sleeping Judith on the bottom bunk, arranged pillows either side of her and set to folding up the clothes scattered across top bunk.

"Don't go rilin' him up." Daryl was quiet, so quiet she hadn't heard him and he leaned on the door way, arms folded and watching her pick up the scattered items.

"I was talking to him. He may be in a cage, Daryl, but he's not an animal." She gave him a look, raised an eyebrow at him, like he should know better and Daryl looked back at her strangely. As if he didn't recognise her. "Besides, he was making too much noise. Getting her to sleep is hard enough and I'm tired, Daryl. I'm exhausted. I figured it would be easier to just talk to him nicely instead of adding to the noise."

She stopped her folding moved to stand in front of him, shirt wrapped in her hands.

"We've got to start somewhere, right?" She gave him a gentle smile, sighed a little, because now she'd said it, the tiredness washed over her. She couldn't imagine how tired he must've been.

Daryl didn't say a word, just kept looking at her like she had two heads. Was the idea of her giving Merle Dixon a chance really that awful?

"You don't gotta do nothin' for him." He muttered finally, shifting from foot to foot.

"I'm not." Carol said immediately. "I'm not doing anything for Merle, Daryl. I'm doing it for you." She shook her head slightly in disbelief and picked her hand up, gave his arm a squeeze.

The statement made him uncomfortable, she could tell instantly. He froze underneath her touch, clenched his jaw and eyed her warily before nodding once.

She gave another smile before releasing him and turning back to her folding and she heard him disappear from the doorway as fast as he could.

It still baffled her, that over a year since the group had come together and he still didn't get it. Didn't get that he was worth something. Worth more than the game he brought back and the Walkers he took down. He was a friend. He was family. She didn't just care about him, she loved him.

As the last shirt got tucked into the duffle bag, it had been one of Lori's plaid button downs, sending her heart lurching, she heard shoes scuffling along the floor, almost rushing and she was completely taken aback by the body that came rushing at her, sending her backwards into the cold concrete wall, almost knocking her head.

Hot, chapped lips crashed into hers and it took another second for her to completely realise that Daryl was the one attacking her with such fervor. His hands clasped her shoulders to hold her there, not that she could move, his body against hers made sure of that. Not that she wanted to move. Definitely not.

She finally found the ability to respond, to bring her hands to his back and hold him just as firmly as he held her. His eyes remained firmly closed but one had moved from her shoulder to her neck and she wondered what brought the whole thing on. Why now? But as his tongue hit the roof of her mouth, she decided to not think at all and to just enjoy it. Enjoy him, enjoy the moment.

Eventually, he pulled his lips from hers, taking a deep breath and opening his eyes. He looked at her fearfully, like he couldn't believe what he had just done. Carol couldn't bear to see the uncertainty, the doubt in his eyes, so she pushed forward, pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth and she felt the warm breath of his sigh on her cheek.

She was pretty sure she could keep her back on the cold wall forever, with the warm that pressed across her front. Daryl seemed to have no inclination to move either, in fact the only thing that seemed to move was his thumb, brushing back and forth along her cheek.

But it seemed outside forces would not let it become so. There was a call in the distance, Rick, she thought, seeking out Daryl and he sprung away from her, like she burned him and gave her one last look before darting out of the cell.

She touched her fingers to her lips. They tingled from his touch. She had absolutely no clue what had happened just then, only that it was good. Her heart fluttered in and she turned her attention back to the pile of clothes on the top bunk.