Rick had knocked Merle out on his ass and we were all in the street. I was trying to convince them to let my brother stay with us, but they all admit that he couldn't come with us.

"It's not gonna work." Rick told me and it was like he wasn't even willing to try.

"It's gotta." I told him and I saw Raven fold her arms and shake her head. She only did that when she was irritated or knew something others didn't.

"It'll stir things up." Rick already made his choice to not deal with Merle.

"Look, the Governor is probably on the way to the prison right now. Merle knows how he thinks and we could use the muscle." I told them giving them some actual good reasons as to why Merle should come back to the prison with us aside from the fact he is my blood and I couldn't just leave him behind. Not again.

"Look Daryl, I get it I do, but when we had fugitives from ISIS come to us we didn't invite them in for tea. We kept them at a distance. Sure, he knows the Governor, but we can't trust him." I turned my attention to the sweet angelic voice that I had learned to love. Raven. But, he words were like knives to my heart. From the way she was looking at me I knew I had a sour expression but my attention was torn from her when Maggie said something.

"I'm not having him at the prison." There was a pause after what Maggie had said. He was my brother. Sure, he wronged them in the past but, they left him chained up to a roof with a horde of walkers. How is that fair?

"Do you really want him sleeping in the same cell block as Carol or Beth?" Glenn said and I just stared at him.

"He ain't a rapist." I added they were making it really difficult for me to plead my case to keep my brother with us. It was like they already had made up their minds.

"Well his buddy is." Glenn added and I think everyone saw the fire light in Maggie's eyes like he had said something wrong or something he wasn't supposed to say.

"They ain't buddies no more. Not after last night." At this point I was basically begging and trying to come up with reasons why he should come back with us.

"There's no way Merle's gonna live there without putting everyone at each other's throats." Rick said and his words only made me more irritated.

"So, you're gonna cut Merle loose and bring the last samurai home with us?" I was pissed how could they bring a fucking stranger back but, not Merle my own fucking blood. Sure, he was hard to deal with but, at least they knew him. We didn't know this bitch.

"She's not coming back." Rick told me quickly as he was looking over at her.

"She's not in a state to be on her own." Maggie said trying to be a good person or some shit.

"She did bring you guys to us." Glenn added defending this complete stranger.

"And ditched us." Rick added as a reason we weren't taking her. I saw Raven out of the corner of my eyes. It was like her mind was trying to keep up with everyone but she couldn't.

"I tap out." Raven said leaving the group.

I watched her walk away over to the car and she sat on the ground in front of a tree. "At least let my dad stitch her up." Maggie asked Rick and we were all looking over at her at this point.

"She's too unpredictable." Rick told her probably was the same reason he wouldn't let Merle come back with us.

"That's right. We don't know who she is. But Merle, Merle's blood." I said after pulling my eyes away from Raven, who was just picking at sticks on the ground.

"No, Merle is your blood. My blood, my family is standing right here and waiting for us back at the prison." Glenn said I could tell he was getting mad at me for what I was saying but, to me. They weren't family, I still felt like an outcast no matter how much Carol or anyone else tried to make me feel welcome. The only one who really did was Raven. Maybe because she was an outcast too who knows.

"And you're part of that family." Rick said looking at me with what I would say is sadness in his eyes.

"But, he's not. He's not." Rick continued and I just couldn't take much more from any of them.

"Man, y'all don't know. Fine. We'll fend for ourselves." I said and everyone seemed to get on defense mode at this point.

"That's not what I was saying." Glenn said, trying to defend his words but I made up my mind.

"No him, no me." My words were quick and I shoved the sudden pain in my chest away.

"Daryl, you don't have to do that." Maggie tried telling me with sympathy in her voice.

"It was always Merle and I before this." I told them not caring what else they had to say.

"Don't." Maggie begged me.

"You serious? You're just gonna leave like that?" Glenn questioned whether we had all spent quite some time together but, I wasn't going to leave my brother.

"You'd do the same thing." I told him honestly.

"What do you want us to tell Carol? Or Raven. You gonna tell her?" Glenn asked me and honestly I knew Carol would be fine, but Raven. She was just as much of an outcast as I am and we had just started to get back to what we were. I mean she would flirt with me non stop and I wouldn't know what to do. I had feelings for her that I didn't understand or even know how to express. They were feelings I wasn't used to having.

"She'll understand." I told Glenn and we all stood around for a moment and I knew it was time to go. I pushed past Maggie and started to walk away.

"Say good-bye to your pop for me." Glenn and Maggie called out my name but, I knew Rick was right there following me.

"Hey. Hey. There's got to be another way." Rick asked me, causing me to stop and look at him.

"Don't ask me to leave him. I already did that once." I kept walking and Rick was relentless in trying to get me to stay.

"We started something last night. You realize that, huh?" I walked over and opened the trunk of the car as Rick kept talking to me. I noticed Raven walk over.

"No him, no me. That's all I can say. Take care of yourself. Take care of lil ass-kicker. Carl. He's one tough kid." I finished saying just as Raven got to the car.

"What's going on?" She asked us and Rick motioned his hand towards me.

"He's leaving." I saw the confusion hit her face.

"What? Why?" She asked, looking at me her brown eyes were burrowing into my soul so I took my gaze from her and looked up at my brother.

"Oh. You've got to be kidding me. You're leaving a family we have built for someone who could give two shits about you." Raven was angry I could tell by the fire burning in the pit of her beautiful brown orbs, but then her words hit me.

"Raven don't..." I started but she cut me off quickly by shaking her head and yelling at me in a fit of rage that only made me love her more.

'Wait love. Daryl Dixon, did you just say you love this girl. This firecracker who is degrading your own blood. Do I love her? Is that what these feelings are, love?' I was mentally scolding myself but I was brought back by Raven's yelling.

"No. Don't you don't me. How could you. He literally beat the fuck out of you just to 'prove his loyalty'. How is that someone you want to hang around? I get he's your brother but he left you." My blood was boiling at this point and I had to get her to stop.

"Raven." I said again in a more angry tone but she wasn't shaken or even phased.

"No, Daryl. You told me he left and when he did things for you only got worse. Look at the scars you have from it. He left because he will always and only care about himself." She was done yelling and didn't even seem phased by what she had said. Rick was more surprised than anything and me. I was hurt, but I had to act like I was mad at her so I shoved past her and stormed up the hill to my brother. This wasn't how I wanted our possible last moments to be, but she made them this way and it hurt my heart with what she had said. Maybe because it was true.

I took one last glance back at her to take one last look before leaving her, possibly forever. I saw my brother's devilish grin out of the corner of my eye but we kept walking. We got maybe 50 ft into the woods before I heard her voice call out to me.

"Daryl, wait." She had run after me with no bag. Nothing just ran stupidly into the forest. "Raven?" I asked her as she approached us.

"You joining us, hot stuff." Merle said, licking his lips. I swear if he wasn't my brother I would have beat his ass right then and there.

'Great job Daryl now you're jealous. What is this girl doing to you?' I said mentally.

"Shut up, Merle. Daryl, can I...can I talk to you for a minute? Alone. Then you can leave." She asked, playing with her dog tags. I knew she only did that when she was nervous or something was bugging her.

"Yeah, come on." I told her and she looked shocked at the fact that I said yes. But the truth was I wanted to tell her something that I knew I might now be able to tell her ever again after we leave here.

"What." I asked her after leaving her a good distance away from Merle so he couldn't ease drop. We were hidden behind some trees and she leaned back on one.

"Look, I'm sorry for what I said. It's just...I just got you back and you're leaving all over again." Her voice was soft and I could tell she was getting shy on me which didn't happen often. Actually the last time I saw her this shy was back at the CDC when she showed me her battle scars. I thought she was beautiful from that moment and every moment after.

"I ain't leaving my brother." I told her hoping that she wasn't going to ask me to. Because honestly for her if she had asked I would go to the end of this earth for this girl. She nodded, messing around with her dog tags again.

"I know, that's why I need to get this off my chest now in case you and I never see each other again." My mind was confused with what she was talking about and I didn't really understand why she was so nervous.

"What are ya' talkin' about?" She looked up at me with her brown eyes and I could see the pain in them and it only caused me pain thinking about it. She ran a hand through her long wavy brown hair. It had previously been in braids but, I'm guessing she took them out. Then she bit her lip and it drove me crazy when she did that. I wanted badly to be the one to bite those beautiful plump lips, they looked so soft even at the end of days.

"Fuck. Look, I don't know how to say this, so I'm just gonna go for it and if you push me away so be it." Her voice was shaky like her hands were. She did that a lot. Talking with her hands I thought it was cute. Mostly because I knew she didn't realize she was doing it.

"What..." I went to speak but I was cut off by a pair of soft hands gripping my face and her soft lips on mine. I froze and I didn't know what to do. Do I push her away? I could tell she wasn't wanting to move either so she started to pull away.

'Kiss her you fucking idiot!' The voice in my head screamed and I listened. I wrapped both my arms around her small waist and kissed her. I felt something that I had never felt before, a type of electricity that ran from out connected lips to my toes and back again. I felt her arms wrap around my neck and one of her hands tangled itself in my hair. It was amazing. Holding her right there in my arms like time had stopped moving just enough for us to enjoy this last moment with each other.

She pulled me down more to kiss me deeper, so I backed her into a tree and pulled her body so It was flush against my own. In that moment she gave a small gasp and I took that as my chance to entangle my tongue with hers. She moaned into my mouth and a new found boldness ran through me. I ran my hands down her waist gripping tightly at her thighs. She got the message and let me lift her off the ground with ease as she wrapped her legs around my waist. Her body, her kiss, the sounds she was making. It was like a drug and I needed more. I wanted more. I wanted to have her skin against mine, to hear her screaming my name. At that moment I knew I needed her. More than I realized I wanted her. I left her swollen lips and kissed down her jaw to her neck. I knew right when to stop as she let out a soft moan. I sucked and nipped at the spot and she moaned out. I could feel she grind against my shaft that was pressing hard against my jeans. My voice betrayed me by letting out an animalistic growl that seemed to make her shiver as her body got goosebumps all over. I had to stop. Otherwise, I knew I wouldn't be able to leave with my brother.

I pulled away and we caught our breath, her chest rising and falling quickly. I let my forehead rest against hers and for a moment we were quiet. I didn't want to put her down or open my eyes in fear that this would be another perfect dream like many I had before.

"Do you have to?" Her voice ran through my ears and hit my heart in a new found pain.

"I wish I didn't" I told her and It was true. I wish I didn't have to leave this beautiful thing that I had found. My beautiful bird.

"What if I beg you to stay?" She asked me and deep down I had wished she would beg me. But, then I wouldn't have the strength to leave her.

"Raven, you mean so much to me. But, he's my brother and I can't leave him like that." I told her as I gently set her on her feet out foreheads never leaving each other.

"Will we see each other again?" Her voice cracked and I opened my eyes only to wish I hadn't and I saw tears fall free from her eyes.

"Little bird, you will always be mine. And we will find each other." I told her, trying to stay strong. I placed a kiss on her forehead and she finally looked up at me. Her brown eyes were glossed over as more tears welled in them like overflowing bowls.

"Wait for me?" She asked me and I knew she was worth waiting for.

"I will." I said quietly and pulled her in for one last kiss and as I pulled away she started into my eyes. And the pain and heartache she was feeling showed so clearly in those brown pools of sadness. I kissed her once more on the top of her head and left quickly. Knowing if I stayed any longer I wouldn't be able to leave her side.

Merle and I left and all I could think about was Raven. The sadness in her eyes and how much I wanted to go back for her. Merle and I wondered the woods looking for some sort of food but, we had to make a stop so his stupid ass could take a piss.

"There ain't nothing out here but mosquitoes and ants." I was frustrated partly because I was hungry and the other part was because I couldn't get Raven off my mind.

"Patience, little brother. Sooner or later, a squirrel is bound to scurry across your path." Merle said from behind me over the sound of him pissing.

"Even so, that ain't much food." I told him, keeping my eye out for anything, hopefully a deer or something bigger than a damn squirrel.

"More than nothing." Merle told me, he was alway kind of an optimist but, he was a fucking dick too. Then I remembered some houses we had passed by on our way through here.

"I'd have better luck going through one of the houses we passed back on the turnoff." I said looking back the way we came.

"Is that what your new friends taught you? Hmm? How to loot for booty?" Merle was starting to push my button like he always did, wasn't anything new to me but I also wasn't in the mood.

"We've been at it for hours. Why don't we find a stream and try to look for some fish?" I told him. I honestly wanted to go back to see if they were still there. Maybe Raven stayed behind, maybe she was waiting for me.

"I think you're just trying to lead me back to the road, man. Get me over to that prison." Merle said and he wasn't wrong. I wanted to go back, back to Carol, Beth, little ass-kicker. Most of all back to Raven.

"They got shelter. Food. A pot to piss in. Might not be a bad idea." I was leaning against a tree thinking about everyone back at the prison as I was trying to convince Merle to go with me there.

"For you, maybe. Ain't gonna be no damn party for me." Merle said and It was like arguing with the group all over again.

"Everyone will get used to each other." My crossbow was raised as I shot a small squirrel that was scurrying past us.

"They're all dead. Makes no difference." Merle said and something in me ached as I lowered my crossbow. He had to be wrong. They were a strong group and even with Rick going nuts they had Raven and she was a strong leader.

"How can you be so sure?" I asked him hoping he was wrong knowing they could overcome anything with or without me.

"Right about now he's probably hosting a housewarming party where he's gonna bury what's left of your pals. Let's hook some fish." Merle said walking off like what he said was supposed to not phase me, but it was like a part of me was left behind at that prison in the arms of a soldier with a broken soul. I knew that I couldn't go back with Merle that much was true, but what I wanted. Merle and I kept walking and all I could think about was if I had stayed with them, let Merle go off on his own. He would have been fine, he doesn't need me. He could take care of himself. I knew that much. He did it when he left me with our drunk dad who beat the shit out of me. He was always fending for himself and when I needed him he was never there. He wasn't there when my mom died, he wasn't there when I got these scars. I have always had to fend for myself but, in the end, Merle was with me and I didn't feel alone. But, now I'm thinking I'd rather be alone than near him or anyone.

"Smell to me like the Saugahatchee Creek." Merle said, pulling me from my thoughts.

"We didn't go west enough. There's a river down there, it's gotta be the Yellow Jacket." I said looking around and walking ahead of Merle.

"You have a stroke, boy? We ain't never even come close to Yellow Jacket." Merle basically scolding, me for my sense of direction.

"We didn't go west. Just a little bit south. That's what I think." I told him and kept walking as he started to walk off in a different direction so I stopped and looked at him.

"Know what I think? I may have lost my hand, but you lost your sense of direction." Merle said and I followed him.

"Yeah, we'll see." I said making my way to him.

"What do you want to bet? Maybe that pretty little thing you got back at that prison?" Merle said and that thought of him touching her made me fume and I just wanted to kick his ass for even thinking about her.

"I don't want to bet anything. It's just a body of water. Why's everything gotta be a competition with you?" I said, trying not to show how pissed I was at his little joke.

"Whoa, whoa. Take it easy, little brother. Just trying to have a little fun here. No need to get your panties all in a bundle." Merle said and I was pulled from him by a distant cry. It sounded like a baby screaming.

"You hear that?" I asked him and it happened again.

"Yeah, wild animals getting wild." Merle said and I shook my head.

"No, it's a baby." I told him and he looked at me shocked.

"Oh, come on. Why don't you just piss in my ear and tell me it's raining, too." Merle said being a fucking sarcastic dick.