Mercy on Me

What is that?! A bird? A plane? No! It's a new chapter of Mercy On Me! FINALLY!!
The holidays were really busy for me (as they are for most), so I just didn't have the time to sit down and get a'writing. But no worries, it's here. Finally. After about, what, four months? Hot damn.
Well, no need to keep y'all wait, enjoy!
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WriterGirl92183; Yes, Shane has definitely gotten a LOT worse. If he's gonna go crazy, he might as well go batshit crazy, right? Hope you enjoy!(:

HotRanger69; So about this little perfume sale, around Christmas I went to Bath & Body Works, which was having a Buy 3 Get 3 FREE sale:O Now I have enough perfume to last me until next Christmas!(: So sorry this one wasn't so quick): I feel so bad! It's so funny, because I absolutely ADORE Shane's character. Love him. If Daryl wasn't around, Shane would be my numero uno, so writing him so crazy makes me kind of sad): I just like to think that he never went crazy and that's still the man he was in beginning of Season 1.(:

TBPFelton18; Even if Harper appears and acts to be fine, she will definitely be out of commission for a while, which will definitely be a pain in the ass for her. I'm so sorry about the lack of updating lately): Hope this makes up for it!(:

xXSad_GurlXx; :O You're in a shotgun club?! That is seriously so cool.. This girl's jealous! My schedule? Girl, I hope YOUR schedule gets easier! You're nonstop! I love the days where you have absolutely nothing to do and can just sit on the couch and eat, all day long. They're pretty perfect in my book.(:

Just.Breathe.; Good! I like to keep my twists a surprise and sometimes shocking(: Hope this makes up for the lack of story!

Driven To Drift; Just keep in mind: Whether Shane gets it now or three stories from now, he WILL get whats coming to him. Hell in a hand basket is the cutest quote ever (albeit the hell part). haha, I love it! Might have ta use that. Hope you enjoy!(:

MichelleLeigh77; Don't be sad, a new chapter is here now! That always happens to me.. I read an awesome story in hours and then I'm just like, I NEED MORE. So sorry! I wouldn't say genius, I would just say in love with a genius story. Hope you enjoy and glad to know I have a new reader that loves it just as much as I love writing it!(:

House of Cards; Thank you so much for the review! Reviews like yours mean a lot, especially when they're good (obviously). (:

**Thank you all SO MUCH for leaving comments, dropping private messages yelling at me to update, and even just reading my story. You all mean SO much to me and I can't really express it enough. Thank you for jumping along this crazy train and not getting off a stop early(: **
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"As long as we hide in the trees, they'll never find us!" Shane giggled, extending his arm to help pull me up into the large tree he had picked for me.

"Are you sure? All Rick has to do is look up.." I whispered, my voice barely making a sound.

"Trust me, Harper, this is the best spot—you know Rick always sucks at this game,".

"Don't say that, it's a bad word!" I huffed, slapping my hand across my mouth in surprise.

"Mom can't hear me from here, silly," Shane rolled his eyes, slapping me across the back.

"28, 29.. 30! Ready or not, here I come!" Rick's voice echoed throughout the woods.

"Make sure you're super quiet, I don't want to get caught because you were too loud," Shane warned me with a cautious look.

"Don't worry about me," I told him, trying to act all cool; after all, he was the 'cool, bigger brother'.

When I flew my hands to my hips, my tiny feet slipped on the branch that my brother and I were perched on, sending my body flying backwards towards the earth. The world spun as I began to flip upside down, but the spinning screeched to a halt when Shane grabbed hold of my foot.

"Help me, help!" I screeched, terrified at the thought of being stuck upside down from a tall tree.

"Calm down, I got'cha..." Shane grunted, his young 11-year old self working hard at pulling me back into the tree.

When he had purchase on my back, he lifted me up hard, forcing me to spin a little bit more before I could clearly see my surroundings. I scrambled into Shane's lap, hugging him around the neck tightly.

"Thank you, Shane! Mom and Dad would've been so mad if I got hurt!" I mumbled into his shirt.

Shane hugged me back, responding, "You're my little sister, I have to take care of you,".

"Found you guys!" Rick's voice erupted into a fit of laughter below as he pointed up at us in the tree.

"How?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"Harper, you could hear you screaming for miles!" Rick laughed, bending over from laughter so hard.

"Darnit, Harper.." Shane sighed as he slapped me lightly in the back of the head.
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Death is the easiest option.

Maybe not the best, but the easiest.

The shock that sets in first is always the best part; you're stuck in that 'fight or flight' scenario where your body doesn't really know how to react, so it numbs you instead. If you live through the shock, you poor soul, that's where the pain sets in—physically and mentally.

The pain was enough to put me in and out of consciousness; hell, I don't even remember being conscious, but I know it happened. Sometimes I feel cold, sometimes I feel warm. Being shot can affect a person greatly, or not at all. Some people are just used to the pain, no matter what kind. I wasn't, so my body wasn't too happy.

In the darkness, my body writhed, but it was the lack of control that caused the writhing. I'd like to think I've trained my body to react better than this, but I guess not.. Merle's probably telling everyone how much of a pussy I am at this exact moment.

I heard voices but they were probably just my imagination; can a gunshot make you go crazy? Possibly, but not yet. Not to me, at least. The voices in my head were real, and when my eyelids fluttered open I saw a blurred shadow jump up, shouting for help.

"She's awake! Hershel!" someone yelled, and the pitch hurt my ears.

"Stop," I muttered, barely able to speak.

The figure of blurred lines practically lunged towards me, but I had no strength to flinch.

"Don't slip away again, Harper. We need you to stay awake, got it?" the voice ordered sternly.

I nodded quietly as the blurs cleared and faded. It was only a matter of seconds that took me from blacked out to wide awake. I almost smiled at the sight of Rick leaning over me with worry written all over his face.

"Hug me?" I asked, finally smiling.

Rick's mouth broke into a large grin, something I hadn't seen from him in a while, as he leaned over and hugged me tightly. I winced at the pain but he only let up a little bit, clearly glad to see me awake.

"Thought you were a goner,".

"Me too," I replied honestly, shifting to get comfortable.

A figure moped into the room and I saw Hershel, his face long and sad. His features brightened just a little when he saw me awake, but not by much.

"How's the patient doing?" he asked Rick, who shrugged in reply.

Hershel pulled my covers back and began his short inspection of my body, going directly towards the gunshot wound. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw that I still possessed two legs.

"What was the damage, Mr. Greene?" I asked, voice thick with concern.

"Well, you were obviously shot. It was a standard handgun round that went straight through, thank the Lord. If it shattered, we would've had a problem. The bullet grazed some muscle so you'll have a decent limp for a good while, but a lot worse could've happened, dear. I treated and stitched up the wound as best as I could, but you will have scarring on both sides of your thigh. Mr. Dixon was kind enough to help with the entire procedure," Hershel explained thoroughly, eventually glancing over at Rick.

"Did he now?".

"Don't act so surprised.." Rick chuckled, rolling his eyes.

"Fingers crossed he didn't get in the way of your work too much," I smiled at him before turning back to Hershel.

The grim events caused by my brother flashed through my mind, sending me body into a sitting position despite the large amount of pain. Both Rick and Hershel reached forward to catch me and lean me back down onto the few pillows that were under me.

"Bed rest, Miss. Walsh for at least another day or two. You're very lucky to be alive, considering the large amount of blood you lost. God was with you that day," the doctor said grimly.

"Hershel..." I began to say, swallowing hard.

"Don't," Hershel tried to say but I stopped him.

"No, let me. I can't even begin to apologize for what my brother did.. Shane, he... He was never like this. This world, it, it changed him. That man is not the man I grew up with for a brother, and I am incredibly sorry for the loss and pain that he put you through,".

The words leaving my lips were sincere and true. The sadness and guilt I felt for the man and myself was intense; the only thing calming me down was Rick's hand rubbing my back. Hershel waited a moment before responding, blinking away the tears in his eyes.

"I could never blame you for what happened, Harper,".

It was obvious Hershel wanted to say more but chose not to. Short and sweet. Hershel gave a strange goodbye before leaving the room, shutting the door behind him. When the door clicked shut, Rick sat down on the end of the bed.

"Otis?" I asked, sadly.

"Dead,".

We sat in silence for a while after that before I spoke again.

"What happened after.. Well, you know. I don't remember,".

Rick sighed, running a hand through his slicked hair.

"Somehow, Otis turned. Not a damn idea how, but he did. Then he bit Patricia,".

"What?! Is she okay?" I asked, breathless.

Rick just shot me a look as if to say, 'You're kidding, right?'.

"How long have I been out?".

"'Bout three days or so; Hershel's been pumping you with the leftover meds from the school yard,".

I frowned when I noticed the black circles under his eyes.

"When was the last time you slept?".

Rick shrugged, rubbing his palms against his tired eyes.

"Not to kick you out or anything, but you should get some serious sleep," I told him, waving him out the door.

Rick looked reluctant, but I continued to wave him out. As Rick's hand touched the frame of the door, I dared to ask the question I had been wondering: "Where's my brother?".

"Nobody's seen him since the barn,".
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"Hershel, please, it's been days. I'm going crazy being pent up in here—ever since Rick visited, you haven't let anybody see me!" I groaned, dropping my head against the pillow.

Hershel shook his head back and forth. Why must he be so adamant about the situation?

"Harper, please don't be like how Daryl was when he was injured. You need as much rest as possible, and by rest, I mean bed rest,".

"Hershel, please. The only person I've seen is Rick; don't get me wrong, he's great and all, but I would love to see my friends," I pleaded, but stopped when I realized, oh yeah, we kind of just killed all of his old friends.

"All in good time, Harper, I promise. We don't want all of your healing progress to be ruined due to eagerness, let the Lord work,".

Sighing in defeat, I laid back and let the good doctor check my stitches.
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The smell of the fresh air was wonderful.

The warmth of the sun on my skin was wonderful.

The taste of the Georgia air was wonderful.

The sight of the makeshift graves was not.

There were not graves for every person that was killed three days ago, only Patricia and Otis. They sat tucked under the air conditioning duct that stuck out of the side of the house, shielded from the sun. I'm not a very religious person, but I couldn't help but make the sign of the cross at the sight—Hershel was right, God had blessed me that day.

Wincing as I wobbled down the porch steps, a little voice echoed across the large yard.

"Harper!".

Sophia had caught sight of me and was sprinting full force at me, arms wide and ready for a hug.

"Slow down, I can't catch you if you jump," I called out, but the smile on my face matched hers.

If I was never to have a daughter, she was good enough. Sophia did as she was told and slowed down, but still hugged me full force.

"I'm so happy you're okay, so happy," Sophia cried, tugging on my tank top.

"Come on, let's go say hi to everyone, huh? I might need a bit of help getting there, though,".

Sophia nodded quickly and took hold of my hand. We walked slowly, my limp quite noticeable. Hershel had found an old cane for me to use, which I had almost turned down.

"I'll look like a mobster!" I had laughed, but Hershel insisted.

I was hoping that the limp would go away sooner rather than later so I could ditch the cane, but after finally getting up and walking around, I knew the limp would be here to stay. Rounding the corner of the Greene house, I was struck with a sharp pain up my leg, forcing me to a stop.

"Are you okay? Do you need to sit down?" Sophia asked with worry at the sound of my gasps of pain.

"I'm doing better than I thought I would, just help me to the campsite," I told her, shaking my head.

Sophia nodded back vigorously before urging me forward.

"Look who I found!" she cheered happily when our friends were in sight.

I couldn't help but smile despite the situation: Dale sat atop the RV, binoculars in hand, while Glenn sat arguing with Merle. I fought the surprised look I wanted to make when I saw Lori and Andrea actually smile at the sight of me.

"Harper!" Glenn cheered back, jogging over.

"I missed you," I grunted after being tightly embraced by my friend.

"Okay, pizza boy, outta my way, gotta see ma' girl!" Merle hooted, shooing Glenn away from me.

Merle gave me a quick hug before pulling back to look me over. My wound was on display for everyone to see, for Hershel insisted on shorts so the fabric wouldn't pull any stitches or aggravate the wound any more than it already was.

"It's okay—I'm okay," I whispered at the sight of his angry face, shooting him a small smile.

"For once, I'm not takin' yer word for it, girl," Merle shook his head angrily, swiping his thumb across his bottom lip.

I couldn't help but smile—Daryl and Merle are definitely brothers.

"Want me to give Darylina a heads up 'bout ya? He's been chomping at the bit to see ya, but tha' damn doctor wouldn't let anyone see ya in case anything went wrong," Merle asked, glancing back at the Dixon campout.

"Nah, it's alright, I'll be heading over there eventually," I insisted, shaking my head.

"He's been in a rare mood, the littl' asshole. It's been 'Harper this, Harper that' ever since that fucker shot ya," Merle said before he could stop himself.

The pain in my heart reached my face, contorting my features.

"Harper, princess, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that,".

"Don't bother with apologies, Merle, you're right," I choked out, still not wanting to admit it.

Shane had lost it.

"Nobody's seen him, Harper. We've been looking, too," Merle sighed, a slight twitch in his hands.

Noticing the slight movement, I pulled him to the side.

"How are you? Really?" I asked him, sincerity dripping through my voice.

"I'm fine," Merle began to growl, but the unconvinced look that I shot him changed his tune. "Not too bad, 'guess. Ain't fun, but withdrawals never are,".

Smiling, my hand found its way to his chest.

"I'm here if you need me,".

I spun slowly on my cane until I was facing Daryl and Merle's tents. As I began to walk, a tiny voice spoke my name behind me.

"Harper, I'm glad you're okay,".

"Please do not apologize; you know all of this is your fault, and I have no respect for you," I growled, not bothering to turn back to face Lori, "Do not respond, just turn around, and walk away,".

For once, Lori did as she was told.
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Taking a deep breath, I faced the string of cigarette smoke that left the tent entrance.

"Knock, knock," my voice faltered a little as I rapped on the weathered tent.

"Go both'r someone else for once, will ya?" Daryl's gruff voice passed through the air.

I hadn't realized how nervous I was about seeing him; how'd he do that? Just to bother him a bit, my knuckles rapped against the tent flaps again, to which I heard him growl and sit up.

"M'fucking serious! If you need Dixon help, go get Merle,".

My head zipped to the side to follow the still burning cigarette that went flying out of the tent.

"Are you done throwing your little bitchfit or should I wait out here?" I snorted rolling my eyes.

At the realization of my voice there was the sound of moving around, accompanied by quite the colorful language from Daryl. In seconds, his head popped out of the tent, squinting his eyes at the bright sun.

"I whacked my head," Daryl muttered sheepishly before stepping out completely.

Clearly unsure of what to do with himself, he shoved his hands into his back pockets and stared at me with scrutiny.

"Hey,".

"Hey," Daryl replied, still unmoving.

We stood in a comfortable silence arm's length apart, but I was itching to reach out and grab him. When it was obvious Daryl was just going to stand there, I spoke.

"Can you not be awkward for once and just hug me?".

"Ain't awkward.." Daryl grunted before shooting his hands out to pull me into him.

Looping my arms through his, I embraced the hug and squeezed as tightly as my body would possibly allow. Daryl's arms squeezed back while his hands ran up and down the length of my back.

"Missed ya," he muttered against my hair.

I couldn't fight back a smile when Daryl's chin rested against the peak of my head in relief.

"I thought.. I," Daryl tried to say

. I tried to pull back but Daryl wouldn't let me.

"You thought what?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Thought you weren't gonna make it; ya lost a lot of blood. I panicked," Daryl sighed, pulling my body farther into his chest.

"I'm a survivor, Daryl—we're both survivors. That's what we do," I told him, smiling.

"Survive," he repeated, looking out in the distance.

"What you looking at, deer?" I joked, twisting my upper half.

I winced in chagrin at the pain in my leg.

"You okay?" Daryl asked in a hurry, dropping down to my eye-level.

"I'll be fine if you just hold me," I insisted, pulling the back of his shirt into my fist.

"You're so stupid," Daryl shook his head, pulling me to him for the third time.

"Why, because I want you to hug me?" I asked, laughing.

"No, for getting in front of that bullet; shoulda just let 'em kill Otis," he sighed, letting go of my body to walk a few steps away.

I watched him begin to pace, clearly upset by recent events.

"Hey," I called out, picking up cane to walk over to him.

Daryl glanced at me in the corner of his eye, thumb against his bottom lip.

"I'm here now, you're here now, and that's all that matters,".

"But your brother is still out there, Harper, nobody's seen 'im," Daryl argued, crossing his arms against his chest.

"Can't you just forget about that for a minute? I've been dying to see you and Hershel wouldn't let me. I just want it to be us, even if just for a moment," I tried to say, but my voice was cracking.

"Like it used to be. It's been so hard, Daryl,".

Daryl's stance remained the same but he was squinting at me, thinking.

"So just for one moment. One. Forget about all of the dangers, the walkers, the drama, my damn brother. And for a moment," I pleaded, reaching up to place his my hand on his cheek, "Just kiss me,".

The look in his eyes was pure hesitation but something of want and need overpowered that hesitation. When Daryl leaned forward and pressed his lips down on mine, I smiled.

"Don't do anything that stupid again. Ever," Daryl warned me in between kisses, but I was too caught up in Daryl to answer.

Daryl's hands weaved their way into my long hair, pulling me against him. Nails scratched down Daryl's back, moans escaped throats as Daryl's muscles rippled against my touch. My tongue slipped into the crevices of his mouth, he pulled away, taking my chin by his hand.

"We've gone over this, Harper. You're not leaving,".

I shook my head, not waiting to speak.

"I'm not leaving,".
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The crickets were chirping, stars were shining, the moon was out in full bloom.

Everything was perfect until Daryl snored right in my ear.

I woke up in alert, not used to the sounds of his sleep.

"Shit," I whispered to myself, running my hands across my face and through my hair.

When I heard footsteps, I thought I was just going crazy. But as Daryl's snores quieted down, I knew I wasn't. In the moonlight, there was a large shadow cast against our tent. Looking around quickly, I reached out and grabbed hold of one of Daryl's knives that lay perched next to his head.

Gripping it tightly, I pulled up onto our bags to help me up, not bothering with the cane. If I wanted to be useful, I couldn't be holding a cane. Making my way across the small tent, I was careful not to trip over Daryl's long legs before leaning my ear up against the filthy material.

Breathing. Normal breathing. Closing my eyes in relief at the fact that it wasn't a walker.

"Harper?" a voice whispered, making me jump.

That was when I realized it; if I can see a shadow in the moonlight, they can see mine. I lunged with my good leg, knife at the ready. I plowed into a tall body, who reacted quickly, wrapping one hand around my armed hand and the other against my mouth.

"Don't scream, it's just me," the voice whispered as my body thrashed against it.

My eyes snapped up at his voice.

"Are you going to scream?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Shaking my head no, he released me.

"Good,".

"You shouldn't be here, Shane. Daryl won't hesitate to kill you," I warned him, looking back over my shoulder at the tent where Daryl's snores could still be heard.

I wanted to smile but I didn't. Turning back to my brother ripped that smile away for me.

"Gonna put down the knife?" he joked, chuckling lightly.

"No. You shot me,".

"You forgave Merle, didn't you?".

"Yeah, but he didn't actually go through with it. And besides, I can trust him," I replied, gripping Daryl's knife tightly.

Sadness shot through his eyes as he spoke.

"Harper, I wasn't in my right mind, I—,".

"You never are! Ever since Rick got here, you've been batshit crazy; I've just been too hopeful to realize it," I growled.

"Hopeful?" Shane asked, now raising both eyebrows.

"Yeah, hopeful. Hopeful that you were just jealous. Not an obsessed crazy maniac who would shoot his own sister,".

With that, Shane had no words.

"If you have nothing left to say to me minus the fake apologies, I am to turn around and walk away. I'm going to go back to sleep and forget you ever came back and let you leave peacefully. Goodbye, Shane,".

Sighing, I turned and, slowly, headed back to my tent and to the comfortable sounds of Daryl's snores.

"Harper, wait.." Shane reached and grabbed my arm, making me flinch.

"Let go,".

"Just hear me out. There really isn't anything you can do?" he asked; his question made me laugh.

"Excuse me?" I continued to laugh, something he didn't understand.

"There isn't anything you can do to convince Rick that I'm... Well, I'm okay? I want to come back but I—,".

"Don't think we'll let you? Damn right, we won't. You're not just a bastard, you're a home wrecker," I sighed, forcing my body to continue walking.

"Harper, please, just do this one last thing for me. I'm your brother,".

When Shane used that as an excuse, I had just about had it

. "Brother? Really, Shane, brother? You are not my brother, and you sure as hell haven't been for a long time!" I yelled, ignoring the lights that were being turned on inside of the RV.

"Stop it, Harper," Shane began to beg, worry on his eyes at the commotion of I was making.

"No, you stop it, Shane. I'm done being walked over just because you're my brother. You shot me. You shot me! Your sister—not too fun when I use that excuse on you, huh? I'm done, Shane, I'm done! Hershel said that the damage you did to me was enough to keep me limping for years! I'm in pain because of you and your carelessness," my tears were flowing now and the heartbreak in Shane's eyes was obvious.

"Harper..".

"You can't 'Harper' me, anymore! You are not family anymore; I have a new one now and there is no room for you in it. So I suggest you leave before the new family gets over here,".

My arms were crossed and my legs parted, standing my ground. Shane's lips were pursed as he nodded and went to turn away.

"One for the road?" he asked, pulling me in quickly for a hug. Shane was always a tight hugger, but the pressure he put on my wrists made me drop my knife automatically.

"Let go of me!" I screamed, pushing and punching at his chest.

"Just remember that I'm sorry,".

"The hell is going on out here?" Daryl growled, as he emerged from the tent, crossbow at the ready.

Someone else called over and Daryl responded, alerting them of the situation. I was quickly spun around, making me yell out in pain for my leg.

"Come closer and her good leg's getting a bullet to match," Shane growled as Rick, Merle, T-Dog, and Glenn approached, guns at the ready.
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"What the hell, Shane?" I yelled, shocked at how fast he changed.

In seconds, he had gone crazy all over again.

"Told you I was sorry, sis. You won't help me, I can't help you; it's how life goes," Shane shrugged against me before resting a gun against my temple.

"Shane, let her go," Rick tried to say calmly, but there was no calm tone to his voice.

It was obvious Rick was incredibly worried. Daryl's finger slipped to the bow's trigger, but Shane caught it.

"Ah, ah, ah, wouldn't do that, Dixon; the bullet will be in her before you pull that trigger,".

At that moment, something caught my eye, as well as Shane's. Lori had emerged from her tent, concern splayed across her face. Shane's armed hand faltered a little at the sight of her, but he quickly recovered.

"I'm going to let Harper go and in return you're going to let me go. Hear me? I don't want to hurt my sister, but I will," Shane rambled off his orders like it was nothing.

"That's just it, you only care about yourself!" I growled, struggling against his strong grip.

"Harper," Daryl breathed, letting me know I should do what Shane wanted.

"Fine. It's a deal," Rick nodded, staring down his best friend.

"Good, that's what I thought; you always sucked at games like bargaining. Put down the guns, now,".

Much to my chagrin, all four of the men put their weapons down, albeit Daryl's hesitation.

"I'm going to walk away now. Harper will follow me to the edge of the property and if I see so much as you boys flinch, she's dead," Shane said while planting a kiss atop my head.

I was shivering by now, terrified; my brother was going to kill me. I felt Shane tug me backwards so I began to walk with him, keeping my eyes on Daryl the entire time.

"How can you do this to me?" I asked when we were out of earshot.

"You're my little sister, gotta take care of you somehow," Shane chuckled, pulling me farther.

The only thing that kept me calm was the crunch of the dirt and grass underneath our feet.

"That doesn't even make sense," I scoffed, taking hold of Shane's arm for support.

In minutes we reached an abrupt halt where Shane turned me around to face him.

"This is where we go our own ways," he said, forcing a smile.

"Good thing,".

We stood in silence for a moment before Shane cleared his throat, finding his words.

"See you in hell?".

This almost made me smile.

"You got it,".

Shane leaned forward and kissed me lightly on the cheek. Pulling away, he studied me face as if not wanting to forget it.

"Love you, Walsh,".

This made me smile.

"Love you back, Walsh,".

We smiled at each other and I watched Shane turn around into the woods to leave. For good. I stood there and watched until I couldn't see my brother anymore; he was gone. My caring, loving, sweet, crazy, maniac brother was gone.

Now that he couldn't see me and make fun of my tears, I let them flow as I turned and limped back to the farm. When I could see my boys, Daryl came running full sprint.

"Harper!" he shouted, pumping his arms fast to reach me.

"Daryl.." I sobbed his name when he reached me, pulling me into his arms.

My tears stained his shirt but he didn't care, instead more worried about soothing me.

"I'm sorry, I—I'm so sorry Barbie," Daryl whispered against my ear as my body was wracked with sobs

. "Just take me home," I whimpered.

I grunted in pain as Daryl lifted me up into his arms.

"Takin' her back ta bed," Daryl said, nodding as he passed Rick and company.
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"I'm sick of being treated like a weak little girl. I'm either babied or put at gunpoint and I'm sick of it. I'm sick of all this drama and bullshit," I sighed against Daryl's chest where my head was laying.

My eyes fluttered shut at the feel of Daryl's fingers running their way through my long hair.

"Ya really mean it?" he asked.

"Every word,".

"Then let's get outta here. Just you, me, an' Merle. Forget everyone else, we can make it,".

Daryl's suggestion made my head pop up to look at him in shock.

"I thought we agreed we weren't leaving," I said, confused.

"Said we ain't leavin' each other, not all o'them other assholes," Daryl shrugged, running his thumb against my bottom lip.

Putting pressure on his chest, I reached up and kissed him lightly, lips molding against his.

"I love the offer, but you know we can't leave. Not with Shane out there; this is the only place he won't go,".

"He came tonight," Daryl brought up, pointing at me.

I nipped at his finger, catching Daryl by surprise.

"He told me he wouldn't come back and I believe him,".

Daryl nodded and put his head back, staring at the roof of the tent.

"I heard what ya' said to Shane 'fore I got out there—bout havin' a new family," Daryl muttered just as I had begun to fall asleep.

"Yeah?" I replied, curling into Daryl's side.

"Nothin', just heard ya say it," Daryl stuttered.

"Oh, come on, you don't have to chicken out, you can ask me. Yes, Daryl Dixon, you are part of that family," I smiled, kissing him on the nose lightly.

"T'hell was that?" Daryl asked, throwing his head back.

"A kiss," I laughed.

My eyes had been shut, so when I felt Daryl's lips hit my hose, I jumped smacking heads with him.

"T'fuck! See, told ya it was weird!" Daryl groaned, rubbing his nose.

"Sorry!" I was full-blown laughing now, glad that Daryl could cheer me up just by being his redneck self.

"Just go ta sleep," he growled, shoving me lightly.

"Only if you promise not to snore really loud like you normally do," I told him in a stern voice.

"Pfft. Don' snore," he snorted, rolling his eyes.

"You so do!".

"Do not, now go ta sleep, Barbie," Daryl's tone told me that it was the end of the conversation, so I answered him with a "Goodnight, Ken,".

Just as I had fallen asleep, I was awoken with a loud Dixon snore, right in my ear.
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