Dean's Dixon

Brothers

"No him. No me."

Daryl had meant it when he said it but he never thought he'd be leaving without their sister. He knew damn well that their brother wouldn't give her a choice on the matter and muttered something about her catching up so he'd walk away without a fight. Merle had bought it and seemed nearly giddy at the thought of the Dixons back together again, but the further they got from the road without June, the more confused he got.

"Hold up a second little brother."

"What?"

"Where's June?"

"She ain't comin"

"What'd-ya mean, 'she ain't comin', of course she is."

"Not this time."

Merle had spent too much time thinking about the day he'd get back with his siblings, thinking about what an unstoppable force they could be. He got through the hard days by remembering the good days spent with Daryl and June, well good days for him anyway. Hearing that she wasn't coming simply didn't compute.

"Why the hell not?"

"You've been gone... June's gotten close with the others, feels a responsibility for 'em. She didn't wanna leave and I wasn't gonna force her."

"You shitting me?"

"No."

Merle didn't give a damn what June wanted, he was going to get his sister and she'd be lucky if he didn't tan her hide. Her choosing strangers over family was not something he'd allow, and just because Daryl had gone soft, didn't mean he had. Merle turned and walked back to the road but Rick had been concerned about something like this happening and they were already gone by the time he got there. Daryl watched his brother pace up and down the road a bit, before he picked up a rock and threw it at him with an angry yell, dodging easily out of the way and bracing himself for the tongue lashing this would earn him.

"You stupid son of a bitch! What the hell were you thinkin, leavin her with them?"

"I was thinkin that she's old enough ta make her own damn choices! You think this was easy for her? If it weren't for you beatin on Glenn, on me, she would be with us!"

Merle chose to ignore every word that had just come out of his brother's mouth, feeling that it was bullshit. Giving her a choice wasn't how they'd survived their childhood and wasn't how they'd survive now.

"Do you have any idea what you've just done? You've left our baby sister to get attacked!"

"They didn't want you back at the prison!"

"Boo fucking hoo! I coulda snuck in the back and they coulda just dealt with it, but ain't no way we should be out here without her!"

"Great, what the hell do ya want me to do?"

"I'm gonna tell you... we're gonna find a safe place to bring her to and then we're gonna go get her outta that death trap! I can't fucking believe you."

"What if she don't wanna come?"

"She ain't gonna have a choice! That's the difference between us little brother, I've actually got the balls ta do what needs ta get done... fucking... stupid motherfucker..."

**

They walked for a little bit in silence until Merle had to take a piss. Daryl was already regretting not fighting harder for his brother to be allowed in the prison but it was too late now. He only hoped that if Merle made good on his threat to take June out of there against her will, that she wouldn't hate HIM for it.