Panacea - {Daryl Dixon Fanfiction}

Day 303+ - Proof

It was almost too good to be true. To find yet another familiar face, let alone someone from the Atlanta group, was absurd. Yet there she had been, cowering the bushes with the samurai-darkie. At first he had been delighted to see her, thinking she would know more about the whereabouts of his brother. And then he thought that if she were here, maybe she has been the only survivor.

She was sick, nearly to the point that Gabry had been. Once she was well enough, the Governor allowed him to go in and speak with her, since they were familiar with each other. 

His first question to her was, "You seen my brother lately?"

She had a look of remorse when answering. "Not for a long time."

He had feared that. "What 'appened?"

"We got out of Atlanta. We went back for you, you know. Rick and Daryl..."
Merle wrinkled his nose at the mention of that cops name. "Daryl really stepped up. He became a key part of the group..."

"He's always been the sweet one, my baby brother." Merle grinned.

"I lost the group about...seven, eight months ago. We were at a farm, not too farm from here. Place got overrun...everyone scattered." The look one her face told Merle that she could remember that night in vivid detail.

"There's someone you ought to meet." 

* * *

It had taken a few days for Andrea to feel well, and some convincing to get her and her silent-but-deadly samurai friend to stick around, but Merle had promised them that they were in for a surprise. He could care less about the black girl, but Andrea's reaction would be priceless.

"So, my brother really stepped up, eh? Came out of his shell finally?"

"He was one of the most helpful." Andrea said, thinking of how he had gone off in search of Sophia and almost lost his life, leading her to remember that she had almost accidentally killed him. She didn't speak of this to Merle.

"He ever mention a girl named Gabry?" Merle asked as he lead them down the street. Even after being here for almost three months, she only ever associated with one other person aside from him, and that was Milton, much to Merle's distaste. He was glad to see that she was at least talking to someone though, even if it was that shrew of a man.

"No," Andrea shook her head as she and her companion followed behind him. "Who is she?"

Merle grinned. She was a lot of things, but firstly she was "Daryl's girl," he said.

"Daryl? Your brother, Daryl? Had a...girlfriend?" She sounded as if she couldn't believe it. Andrea knew that Daryl was kinder than Merle, but she never saw him as the type to make a commitment. 

"I told you he was the sweet one."

"It's just...in all that time he never mentioned her. Not to me, at least." Andrea said.

"Nah, he wouldn't. Took 'im forever to tell his own big brother," He smirked.

Andrea snorted, "Can you blame him?"

Merle rolled his eyes and knocked on Milton's apartment door. "There's more to 'er than that, though. We've not let many people hear about it, but..."

"But?"

Milton cracked open the door and winced when he saw who it was. "Oh, Mr. Dixon...afternoon," his eyes landed on Andrea and her companion (who shifted from side to side impatiently), "You, uh...need something?"