Daryl snd Merle were on their own. Daryl knew that he should be at the prison, with the group he belonged in. Merle may be his brother but Glenn was right, they were a family. He knew he was right, but it was more than that, he wanted to go back. Merle was the only reason he wasn't there but then he had a reason to go back. He made a promise.

He was sleeping on the ground. Merle was walking around, watching the trees do absolutely nothing. He watched Daryl sleep for a while when he saw something.

"You have a hickey"

Daryl shifted awake "What?"

"You have a hickey"

"I do not" He pulled his poncho over his head

"If you didn't, you wouldn't be hiding"

"I'm not hiding"

"Oh no?"

"I'm...cold"

"Oh ok, so you just leave your ass hanging out, only your head is cold"

"Hm hmm"

"It's hot today, your sweating I can see it"

"Your imagining it"

"Daryl, you have a hickey, trust me I know"

"No I don't god damnit"

Merle walked over to him and pulled the poncho off, then he started poking at his neck "Right there, Daryl theres a hickey"

He rolled over "There is not"

"Whatever you say"

He wandered around by the trees again. Daryl grabbed the necklace out of his pocket and he held it close. Carol gave it to him and made him promise to come back. Daryl really meant to go back, to give the necklace back to her, but he didn't know how to get Merle there. Rick didn't want him back anyway.

"What you got there?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"In your hand"

"What hand?"

"The one you have that I don't"

"That could be anything"

Merle grabbed the necklace from his hand. "Merle!"

"Oh, so you've got a girlfriend is that it? You know, you've really gotta stop hiding stuff from me"

"Shut up and give it back!"

"Why, you gonna give it to your girlfriend?"

"No!"

"You miss her?"

"No!"

"She waitn' for you right now, she gonna come lookin' for you?"

"No!"

"Well I'd hope not...I told you you had a hickey"

"Shut up!" He lunged up at Merle and tried to grab the necklace. He threw it into the forest behind them.

"Merle! What the hell you do that for!? Go get it!"

"Oh, you want me to go get it?"

"Yes!"

"You gotta girlfriend?"

"Yes!"

"You miss her?"

"Yes!, now go get it!"

He opened his hand and the necklace fell into Daryl's hands. He stared at it blankly. He glared at Merle "You son of a bitch"

"Oh what you mad at me now?"

"Yes" He buried himself under his poncho again.

"Don't be a baby, Daryl"

"I aint no baby"

"You sure?"

"Shut up"

"Fine, I'll give you your moment with your imaginary girlfriend"

"I thought we already established that she's real"

"Just making sure"

He flipped Merle off.

"Oh now don't be mean"

"What do you mean he left?"

"I mean he chose to leave with Merle"

"Why couldn't he just bring Merle here?"

Rick didn't respond, Carol realized what he did "You wouldn't let him come back?"

"Carol, he had a gun on Glenn and-"

"I don't care, we could've used the muscle"

"Thats what Daryl said"

"So, why didn't you let him stay, not only did we lose the chance for extra muscle, we lost most of the muscle that we already had"

"Carol, he's dangerous"

"So was Ed"

"He had a family"

"So does Merle"

"Daryl could have stayed, he lived long enough without him"

"He thought Merle was dead"

"Carol listen I know that your just trying to get Daryl back"

"He promised"

Rick sighed "What?"

"That he would come back"

"He said you would understand"

"Well I dont"

"I'm sorry but theres nothing we can do, we have no idea where they are"

"Thats not the reason"

"No one here is comfortable with it"

"I dont care, Merle knows what the govenor does, and where he lives, how he thinks, and like how Michonne said there were heads in tanks, well Merle knowsa what he's trying to do"

"He could betray us"

"We betrayed him, you left him on the roof"

"And I took the blame for that"

"Listen he'll help us, if he betrayed us he would practically be killing his brother. His blood"

"Carol..."

"No listen, he was a part of this group in the beginning, he's just as much of one of us as anybody who was and still is"

"Carol wait-"

She walked away.

"C'mon"

"Merle, quit draggin' me"

"Im sick of your moppin' around all day, now come, we're gonna get ourselves back in that group and you can see your girlfriend and then you can shut up about it"

"I haven't said anything, you just imagine things"

"Hey, that has...absolutley nothing to do with it"

"Oh ok"

The prison started to come into veiw. Carol was at the gate and she let them in. Rick kept the second gate closed. Wanted to hear their case first.

"So you gonna let us in?"

"Idunno, can I trust you?"

All three of them looked at Merle. "Oh was that question for me?"

Daryl covered his eyes "Yeah, Merle, yeah"

"Believe me, Govenor aint as good as I thought he was"

"Are you willing to take him down?"

"Please I took down my own daddy many times for this little shit over here"

Daryl just felt obliged "Sorry"

"I swear to god you were a baby for like seven years"

"Sorry"

Rick interupted them "So, you won't be a dick?"

"Well..."

"Merle! You want in the prison or what?"

"Ok ok I wont"

"If you do, if you fight with anyone here, if you help the govenor you have to leave. Got it?"

"Hm hmm"

Carol spoke up "So are they back in?"

Rick looked like he actually had to think about it "I suppose"

He started to unlock the gate. Carol dove into Daryl's arms. Merle just kinda stood there when he started kissing her. Merle was picking at his wrist-cover. Then he just ventured off to find his way around the prison.

"You promised"

"I know I did, I kept it"

He still had his arms around her "You left"

"I came back, like I said I would"

"I expected you to be back with Rick"

"You only said to come back"

She said through tears "I thought you were gonna get killed"

"Hey, I don't get killed" He held her close. He pulled her away "I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner, K?"

"Ok"

He wiped away her tears. "Here" He grabbed the necklace from his pocket and put it on her. She smiled.

"You didn't lose it"

"Course not"

"I thought you got beat up, how'd you hold onto it?"

"I clipped it around my belt loop"

She wrapped her arms around him and they eventually went inside.