The weeks passed the same, the two of them take watches, and Merle's arm healed pretty well, it was not bandaged up anymore, but now people stared at it. It was not a nice view, but Merle doesn't give a shit, they can stare, nobody dared to say anything. After a couple of weeks, everyone learned not to piss off Dixon.
Some respected him, and his skills, while others don't liked him that much. Amelia was another story. She was much more approachable, less intimidating, but she was hot-headed, and her closeness with Merle don't help. She liked Martinez, and however odd it was, she liked Milton too. He was a little odd, a scientist, he was close to the Governor, but he was oke.
Merle teased her about it, but she just ignored it. She wanted to settle in, making more effort than back at the camp in Atlanta. In the beginning, it was not noticeable, but after a while, it started annoying Merle. She was always busy, or too tired, and spent her time in her room, or with that Milton kid, if she was not on watch. He was frustrated, Amelia was his friend, and recently the only person he can trust. Before she never minded his company. He scoffed, while kicking a pole in the street, and startled some people passing by. Great, now he acted like a stupid kid. He calmed down, and decided to wait for her in her room, and just simply aks her whats going on.
He waited for her, and when Amelia opened her door, she not noticed him immediately, just after she closed the door, and turned around.
"Hey, I didn't know ya going to be here."
"Well, nowadays I need to sneak into yer room if I wanna talk with you. Ya avoiding me, or sometin'?" He looked right into her eyes, and Amelia was taken aback a little.
"Why I would avoiding ya?"
"Dunno, that's why I'm 'ere. Ya always busy with that Milton kid."
"Oh, I thought ya don't going to notice it." She was nervous, but then she got excited, and an unpleasant feeling settled in Merle's stomach. She clapped her hand together. "I was really busy, but now it's done, so I can show ya."
"'m a little confused here, so ya not screwing around with that scientist?"
"What? With Milton? No."
"Then what kept ya so busy?" He would be first dead before he admit, that he was a little relieved. In the past, it never bothered him when she stayed the night with some dudes, because it was never serious, and it never occurred to him that one day maybe it going to be more serious. And she going to spend less time with him and Daryl, but now that it was just the two of them, he don't wanted to lose her in any way.
"I show ya." She turned around, and went to the kitchen area, then came back, holding something in her hand, wrapped in a brown rag. She sat down next to him, her eyes excited, and held it to him to take it. "C'mon, ya going to love it."
He eyed her for a moment, then took off the rag and he was silent. It was a prosthetic with leather straps. He traced his fingers on the cool metal, then on the straps.
"You don't say, but I know yer hand has been bothering you. So I started thinking, and came up with a couple of ideas. Milton helped me, he's good with stuff like this, but I did most of the work and the design. Wanna try it on?" He looked up at her, and just nodded.
"Yeah." She helped him put it on, tying the straps, and she grinned the whole time.
"And that's not even the best part." She reached to the knife holster on her waist and took out a bayonet, then attached it to the end of the prosthetic. "Ya can attach a knife on the end, so it becomes a weapon. Pretty cool. I chose a bayonet, I know ya like that type of weapon, but you can pick sometin' else."
"So ya were busy with this the whole time?"
"Yup." He holds his hand up at eye height, trying out how it feels. It was strange, cool on his skin, and it had a little weight. Amelia really took the time to plan this, just for him. "Yer quiet, if you don't like it..."
"Of course I like it! Damn, sugah', ya spent weeks working on this, are you?" She nodded, biting her lips, and playing with the dog tags on her neck. Nobody has done anything for Merle, nothing like this. "C'mere.
He pulled her closer and hugged her, and he was certain that Amelia smiled. He was careful with his new attachment still on. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. I can't wait when we can try it out in action." She pulled back, a grin on her face, and Merle smirked back.
"I like yer thinking."
"'m sorry if ya felt I was avoiding you."
"Nah."
"Admit it, ya missed me." She teased him, and he just snorted, but smiled nonetheless.
"I ain't missed ya."
"You were, ass." She said fondly, and he just rolled his eyes. She can believe what she wants.
"What ya sayin', you wanna go to the gate, and try this thing out?"
"Hell yeah, let's go." She was relieved that Merle liked the prosthetic, in her opinion, it was really cool. But she was surprised about how Merle thought she avoiding him. He was a little cute, sitting on her couch like that, but it was nice to know he could miss her company.
When they were at the gate, she waved to Matinez and Crowley.
"Yo, guys, open the gate for us."
"Why you two wanna go outside?" Martinez asked, and Merle showed off his new arm, a smirk on his face.
"I have a new toy, we wanna try it out." Both men looked at his arm with wide eyes, not quite believing what they saw. Crowley was the first who started grinning.
"Man, that's really a knife? Where do you get that thing?"
"Amelia made it. She's talented in many ways, right sugah'?" He was a little too smug, but he enjoyed teasing Martinez with his double-meaning words. He was too comfortable with Amelia, and Merle don't liked how he looked at her.
"Oh, I have magic hands." She smirked, and played along with Merle's teasing. The look on Martinez's face was priceless. "No, but seriously, I made it. We wanna try it on the biters."
"You guys are crazy, but suits yourself." They opened the gate, and Amelia distracted the first walker, grabbing its neck.
"C'mon, Dixon!" Merle lunged forward with the bayonet, and it went right into the walker's head.
"Yeah, baby!" Merle was excited, and he killed the next one alone. Martinez and Crowley exchanged a glance with each other, then looked back at the duo. They enjoyed a little too much killing the walkers. Martinez liked Amelia, she was cool, but in moments like this, she was a little crazy. He hated the walkers too, but Dixon and Amelia made a sport about who killed the most. The idea alone that she made a weapon like that for Dixon was crazy, but it worked pretty well, he had to admit that, but now Dixon going to walk around with a knife on his hand.
"Yer hand now literally a weapon. I'm a little jealous."
"We don't going to cut yer hand off." Merle snorted, then wrapped his good hand on her waist. Martinez frowned a little, he didn't like how close Dixon was to Amelia, even if she said they were not together. "You can have my hunting knife, ya know, the one you kept begging me to give it to ya."
"Really? Thanks!" She gave a kiss on his cheek, and Merle just smirked amused.
"Sometimes yer act like a six year old." He chuckled, and Amelia stuck her tongue out.
"Ass. I think we had enough fun today, wanna head back?"
"Ya right."
"She's cute, I didn't see her this childish before." Crowley said, glancing at Martinez. "Dude, you always staring at her, why don't you make a move on her? Because of Dixon?"
"They not together."
"Then what? She seems the kind of woman who can handle a little flirting, I mean, she and Dixon always joking with stuff like that." Martinez scoffed.
"You heard Amelia, right? She curses and makes just as bad jokes as Dixon."
"And you still like her. I mean, apart from her taste, she seems cool." Their conversation ended, when the duo came back, blood splattered on their face and clothes from the walkers. Martinez waved toward her face.
"You have something on you. I think it's walker gut." He said ironically, and Amelia just shrugged her shoulder.
"Yer almost as sexy, sugah', as you always after a hunt."
"Oh, yeah?" She had a sly smile on her face, throwing her hair back. It was Merle's specialty to make her feel sexy, even when she was bloody and dirty. "We weren't on a hunt since we came here. Can we go this week? I kinda miss it, but it going to be strange without Daryl."
"Sure." He nodded, while thinking about Daryl. They not often talked about his brother. His thoughts stopped when Martinez spoke.
"You two wanna go outside hunting, when we have enough supply right now?"
"We always did, it's kinda good to be away from people for a while, but Merle's arm needed to heal."
"Now it's good as new." He hold his arm up, and Amelia just giggled, patting his shoulder.
"C'mon, I need a shower." She waved goodbye to the boys, and they went this time to Merle's room. She had a few things there, but she asked for a shirt from him.
"Ya always stealin' my shirts."
"Because they are comfy." He just shook his head amused, but gave her a button-up shirt anyway. While Merle went to shower, Amelia curled up on the couch, and fell asleep. He rubbed his face, then put the prosthetic on the table while looking for some beer.
"Hey, ya wanna..." Merle wanted to ask if she wanna drink a beer, but looking at her, he just smiled. He grabbed a beer, and then put a blanket over her. "Pussy, can't even stay awake."
He went to his bed, with his back against the headboard while drinking his beer. He was not tired, quite the opposite, so he let his mind wander, but his thoughts went back to Amelia and the prosthetic she made. He looked at his stump. In weeks, for the first time, it has not bothered him that much. She can't give his hand back, but she gave him a weapon. He can't wait to use it on their next hunt.
-
They were both in a heightened spirit, away from the others in the forest hunting, just like how they planned it the other day.
"Oh man, it's good to be outside. I hate sitting on my ass all day, even if we take watch and other things..."
"I knew what ya' mean sugah'." Merle was just as relieved to begin outside, no walls, no rules. The Governor was not too happy with them going out for no real reason, but didn't stop them either. I was strange without his brother, but he knew Daryl was not someone who could die easily. He was tough. He looked to the side when he felt Amelia's hand on his shoulder.
"You thinking about Daryl, are ya'?"
"Yeah. But he is tough, my brother."
"If he were here, he would say we bickering too much." Amelia chuckled, and Merle let out a deep laugh. They were both nostalgic and kept talking about Daryl, until they noticed a rabbit. Amelia smile widened, and with a clean shoot, the rabbit was dead. A few hours later she had two more on her shoulder, and Merle had a buck.
It was late afternoon when they returned, Martinez and a woman, Sheila, standing guard today, their eyes wide as they opened the gate for the two hunters.
"Your eyes will fall out, Martinez, if ya keep staring."
"You two weren't kidding about the hunting." Oh well, Merle enjoyed the look on his face, this Martinez guy was shocked, that was for sure, and Amelia just grinned.
"Yup." The duo kept walking, drawing quite a bit of attention to themselves. Merle was pleased that his strength was like back then when he still had his other hand too, and he can managed lifting the heavy buck on his shoulder and bringing it back to Woodbury. Amelia only helped him, when he lifted the animal up, but that was it.
There was a quiet spot a little further away from the houses, where they often hung out just to smoke, or when they grew tired of being inside the house for too long. It was just like back in the camp, Merle brought two camping chairs here a few weeks ago, and it was their spot behind the houses, but it was Amelia's idea to turn this place into their after-hunt spot. Merle had also set up a long table, and Amelia loved that Dixon could do so many things, he was handy.
"You know, it was good to be out there, this Philip guy is too bossy to my taste. Who is he to tell us what he can do in our free time?"
Merle put the buck down on the ground, and he agreed with Amelia. Philip was too controlling and either of them liked this, but there was little what they can do about it. He gave them a place to stay, and Woodbury was a good place.
"Yeah, we can't let our guard down in this town, even if we think it's safe. I trust no one, only ya and my brothe'." Merle's heavy southern accent was way more noticeable than Amelia's, but everyone in Georgia has a southern accent. She slowly grinned at Merle.
"The same goes for me too. I only trust you right now."
How strange, Merle thought, this woman was not his blood, and yet they trusted like they were. He had to admit, even if Amelia liked him how he was, he behaved way better when she was around. Maybe because she drew a line sooner on some things than Merle and he didn't wanted to piss her off.
They started working on the animals, and prep them, they had enough for right now, but Amelia wanted something fresh, and Merle can't agree more. So it going to be bunny stew, and the buck meat will be preserved, dried meat is good for a long time, especially if they have to go outside Woodbury. It was almost dark when the stew was ready and the smells, oh god. Amelia was excited when Merle handed her a plate, and the two of them sat down and began to eat in silence, sometimes humming because it was much better than the canned food.
"I miss my brothers. I try not to think about them, but... sometimes I wonder if they are alive or not. There is always a chance, I mean... I'm alive too." Her voice was quiet, and Merle glanced at her. He knew her older brother, Caleb, they met a couple of times, he was a good lad and he can understand how Amelia felt.
"I don't know sugah', but if any of yer siblings are alive I bet on Caleb. Maybe ya can find him, maybe not. Ya right, it's not good to dwell on the past but... I can't stop thinking about Daryl, so... I'm not the best person to say how ya can feel or not."
"I know, but thanks, for listening to me." She had a sad, but honest smile on her face, and Merle felt good about it. He was always lost when it came to comforting someone so it was a little win in his opinion.
"Anytime, Am."
They both needed a day like this, just the two of them, a little nostalgic but fun day. Everything else can wait until tomorrow.