Between the Raindrops

Lilith couldn't exactly remember when she’d met Merle, it had been a long while since then, but she had remembered telling him her story. He’d mentioned that he wasn't ready to share his at the time and had sworn to tell her once his strength had picked up. At the time it had all been fine and dandy until Phillip managed to take him as a toy soldier. She’d completely forgotten about it, had spent most of her time attempting to escape, until now. It wasn't until the blonde she’d come to know as Andrea began relaying past events with him.

She’d stayed quiet for most of their conversation, keeping questions to herself, until her ears perked up at the mention of Merle’s brother, again. The possibility of Merle still having a living family intrigued her. She wanted to know more, so much more, anything he’d be willing to give her.

“So, we've established that you may or may not have a brother still running around,” Lilith stated, suddenly feeling the need to butt into their conversation “Now tell me why it is that you've never told me any of this shit before?”

Merle simply shrugged, “ Didn't think you’d need to know. For all I know he really could be dead.” he finished as he turned to Andrea.

“The last I saw of him? He’d been alive.” she sighed “One can only assume that he made it out safely with Rick and the rest of the group. She eyed Lilith with curiosity for a moment before turning back to Merle. “Who exactly is she to you, Merle?”

He looked from Andrea to Lilith with a raised eyebrow and, for once, he didn't know what to say. That question had caught him off guard and while he would have gladly called her nothing more than a brat, one that he occasionally had to babysit, if it didn't mean that she’d more than likely beat his ass for it. Something inside him insisted that he say that she was nothing more than a friend while yet another part of him saw her as a sister, a replacement for the brother he’d lost, but he knew better than to do that. Merle found that he could only reply with, “She’s someone worthy of protection.”

Andrea smirked a bit at his reply and said, “A girlfriend?” though the smirked soon faded from her face once Merle let out a hearty laugh. It didn't help that Lilith scowled in disgust at her question. “I’m wrong?”

Merle nodded his head, he hadn't laughed so hard in a while, it was hilarious to him. The last time he’d laughed as hard was when Lilith had kneed Martinez for grabbing at her ass. As it so happened, Merle couldn't find it in him to see her in a sexual way. Something about her, she’d brought out the good in him, it was something he’d only ever let her see. Despite that fact that they weren't blood, she was all he had left, she was a Dixon in his eyes.

“Oh, ain't no man stupid enough to bang the Governor’s kid sister, Blondie.”

No sooner than the words escaped his lips had then Governor managed to step through the door. He’d appeared with a smile on his face, one that Lilith longed to slap off, and it was one that she had no choice but to return. The grin she returned was, without a doubt, fake, but it was something he needed to see. It was all she ever needed to do to keep him from pestering her.

“Hello brother.” she spoke in the calmest tone possible.

“Lilith,” he began as he stopped to plant a kiss atop her head “Are we feeling any better?”

She was slightly amazed that he hadn't noticed her cringe away from his touch. However, always the crowd pleaser, she replied with what he wanted to hear. “I guess all that action did me some good. My angst obviously needs to be focused elsewhere, on something more productive, like shooting.”

“Maybe I’ll have you up shooting bitters at the gates with Merle sometime this week.” he smiled as he moved to speak to Andrea and the quiet woman, Michonne.

“You probably will.” Lilith muttered to herself as she tuned the small group out “Oh, dear brother, I bet you will.”

She had absolutely no intention to listen to their conversation. She had no interest in it so long as she knew where it was headed. It was a no brainer that it’d somehow revolve around Woodbury, around its lies, and she wanted no part of it. Lilith despised the town, and everyone in it, with the exception of Merle. At times she found herself wondering if she escaped to run free or catch his attention. It would've been a lie to say that she’d often put little effort into her escapes. All she’d have to do was make it into the Red Zone because it would be the only place a fighting chance to properly escape her personal hell.

The only downside would be Merle having to go after her. Philip was sure to send him out in search of her, the way he always did, and she didn't want to put his life on the line.

“Let’s go.” Merle said as he pulled her away from her thoughts “Get movin’ before I stick ya.”

“What’s going on?” she asked as he shoved her out the door, leaving Philip with pair of women.

“The Governor asked that I get some food in yer system. When was the last time ya had any food?”

“I dunno,” Lilith shrugged “I had a pretty shitty energy bar before I managed to hop the wall.”

Merle chuckled at her statement before going silent. It wasn't an awkward silence at all, it was somewhat comforting, and he liked that they could simply sit beside each other for hours without having to say a word. He looked over at Lilith, just in time to catch her glaring at him, before realizing that she was expecting something of him. It was a first. “You wanna know about my brother, don’t ya?”

“Geez, you make me sound like a creep.” she smirked.

It wasn't something that she’d willingly admit, not without dancing around it, but it was true. His name had echoed in her mind for quite some time and she had to acknowledge that curiosity was killing the cat. She’d wanted to know if he was anything like Merle and that would be the only satisfaction that could bring her back. Unless, of course, Merle had managed to track down his brother alive and well. She was slightly jealous of Merle’s need to know where he was and whether he was still alive or not. Lilith was alone, she had no living family that she knew of, and she didn't want to share the closest thing she had to one. It was selfish of her and she knew it.

“You wanna know the story?” he asked with a sigh “The whole damn thing?”

She simply shrugged and he chuckled at the sight of a smile playing on her lips. He’d tell her the story, the whole story, and hopefully she’d never take the time to think of him differently. She was the first person he’d met who hadn't judged him for the kind of person he was, an asshole. Merle realized that it was about time that he told someone who was actually willing to listen. If he was going to tell anyone, it might as well be someone who cared for him, it might as well be her.