A few people packed up to help, including Theo; she felt she owed it to Daryl.

She grabbed a bag after getting changed into a pair of cargo trousers, which were baggy enough to have room to move and fight. She placed her holder on her hip, her pistol tucked in, and a knife in her leg holster. She put a black tank top on her upper body; it was the summer, and it was hot. 

She tied her hair in a high ponytail, put on her boots, grabbed a flannel, tied it around her waist in case it got colder, and headed over to her father, who was waiting by the van. 

"You need extra help?" she asked, not asking.

"You aren't coming with me," he said, standing beside Daryl, who glanced at her. 

"Tough", Theo answered as she shrugged her shoulders.

"No," he repeated, stopping her and making Theo frustrated. She sighed, annoyed, before looking at the man she considered to be her best friend. 

"Glenn" She looked at him and whined, needing backup.

"Oh, come on", he shook his head.

"Please," she begged him, fluttering her big hazel eyes.

"Fine," he rolled his eyes. We need her. You can all shoot, but she has a good shot, up close and far away, more backup," Glenn defended honestly. She had a natural talent for it.

"Fine, she is your responsibility," Rick told the small Korean boy.

"Thank you", she winked at her best friend, making him playfully roll his eyes.

"So, now you are risking three men, or two and a girl", Shane bought up, looking directly at Theo.

"Bigger dick than you anyway" She snapped, making everyone laugh, including a smile from Daryl. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he liked the girl; she was brilliant in his eyes, snappy, sassy and sexy. Though he knew he wouldn't ever get close to the girl, he did enjoy watching her break some of these assholes egos. 

We could make a good team. Daryl thought to himself before continuing to load the truck.

"Hey, less of that", Rick told his daughter.

Shane looked the girl up and down in annoyance.

Bitch Shane was mentally insulted.

Their past was messy, one of which Theo wanted to keep to herself. 

"I am coming too," T-Dog said, walking over to them. T-Dog felt responsible; even though Merle was the biggest asshole he had met, Daryl didn't deserve to lose his brother.

"You are putting us in danger, everyone here", Shane argued, standing flustered. 

"What we need is guns; I have plenty. I dropped them when I got swarmed, but I know where they are," Rick told everyone.

"Guns, you just got back here; you aren't leaving, neither of you, especially not for guns and Merle Dixon", Lori spoke up, wishing she had never mentioned the idea in the first place.

"I don't see you wanting to do anything to help," Theo told her mum, letting an evil look leave her eyes.

"I don't want you to go either," Carl said to his father and sister.

Rick started ranting at Lori about why they needed to go away from everyone else. 

While that was happening, Theo caught herself looking at Daryl, who was already looking at her.

She gave him a confused look before getting in the truck and finally driving off into the city.

Theo sat in the back with Daryl and T-Dog while Glenn and Rick were up front, them knowing where to go.

"Ay," Daryl whispered to Theo, snapping her out of a daydream.

He had previously sat opposite her but moved beside her, shuffling over to her when she wasn't paying attention.

She looked at him, wondering what he wanted; he wasn't one to start the conversations, more to end them.

"Where did those bruises come from?" he asked, pointing at her neck and arm. She quickly covered them with her hand, wishing she had checked before she left.

"Fell" She covered, knowing it wasn't the best excuse.

"You know I ain't stupid; don't make me ask again," he asked, sounding almost sincere.

"Look, get Merle, and then I will tell you my depressing life story," Theo smiled, getting a small one in return before Daryl looked at T-Dog.

"If he's dead, you're next", he threatened, pointing his knife at him, his change in mood turning in half a second.

"We walk from here," Glenn said as the truck stopped.

They all got out and began following Rick and Glenn, T-Dog behind with Theo and Daryl.

They ran down the train track before cutting off at a point to give a shortcut.

"Merle first, then guns, as Merle is closer", Glenn explained as they quickly moved, close and together.

The small group snuck into the building where Merle had been left, and they saw only a few strays on their own.

Daryl managed to take them out from a distance with his crossbow, and slowly and carefully, they made their way up to the roof.

The chain and padlock were still on the door, meaning walkers couldn't have gotten through and got to him. There was a chance he was still there. 

They ran out onto the roof, but Merle was gone.

"No, no!" Daryl yelled inches away from crying. He was heartbroken. He and his brother hardly ever got on, but he was the last member of his family alive. Even if they fought until their days' end, they would always be brothers.

Theo watched, upset. 

This wasn't something she had seen before, and Daryl showed no emotion. Here he was, standing in the middle of a bunch of somewhat strangers, crying in front of them. 

They slowly walked over to see a saw covered in blood and Merle's hand. It made their stomachs turn, knowing he had done this to himself.

Theo walked over to Daryl slowly, making sure he didn't have a chance to shoot her.

Instead, he raised his crossbow to T-Dog, making Rick grab his gun. He followed the action to Daryl's head.

"Okay!" Theo yelled, getting in the middle with her arms up, "Put down the weapons; no one is killing anyone!" Theo ordered. 

Both of them looked past Theo, ignoring her. 

"Hey! If you're going to shoot, you'll have to shoot me too" She looked at Daryl,  who slowly met her eyes, before she turned to look at her father, who slowly nodded.

Everyone lowered their weapons slowly; they all knew that wasn't needed.

Daryl took Merle's hand and wrapped it up before putting it in the bag they bought.

"The saw couldn't have been strong enough for the handcuffs", Daryl began before walking back down to where we came from. They all began following apart from T-Dog, who went to grab Dales's tools.

"Merle. You in 'ere?" Daryl yelled.

The group continued to search the place, but there was still no sign of him; the only thing to show any sign of someone being there was the blood drops everywhere.

Theo could tell he was strong enough to take out two walkers with one hand.

They came across a gas stove, followed by a lot of blood.

Theo walked over and turned it off, lowering the risk of a fire.

"He stopped the bleeding" " she pointed out, noticing that he had burnt his wound shut with a flat metal tool that was still a bit warm.

"It means he is alive and not far," Rick told Daryl, but he already knew that Daryl wasn't as stupid as Rick made him out to be; he would probably be the last man standing.

There was a window smashed with a lot more blood covering the glass shards; Daryl, wanting to go and follow him, began climbing out.

Rick grabbed him, pulled him back, and caused another argument, making Theo sigh. 

"You two arguing isn't going to make Merle come back!" She snapped as the two of them walked away from one another.

Rick agreed to check a couple of blocks before leaving, which Daryl could accept, but it didn't mean he trusted the guy yet.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I think we should get these guns before we head further into the city," Theo pointed out as everyone looked at her. 

"Yeah, I agree with her," Daryl and T-Dog said. Theo smiled at the others as she managed to get them to something useful. 

"Well, let's go", Theo said, walking to the bottom of the building.

"Hey, hey!" Rick yelled after his daughter.

"I don't know about you, missy, but when did you get so...bossy?" he smiled, letting her know it was a joke.

"51 Days without my dad, a mum who doesn't care and a seven-year-old brother to look after", she informed him.

He looked at her with sad eyes before giving her a side hug; Rick and Theo were extremely close before everything happened. 

The day she found out he was in the hospital, she hardly left his side. She visited him in the hospital every day, only leaving when she was forced to.

 Theo was a troubled kid, but Rick could almost look past every time; his having to do parental duties meant that there was sometimes a limit. 

Rick was young when she was born. Lori's not taking a liking to her daughter meant he was the primary parent. This almost destroyed the couple, but after a few years, Carl came along and balanced everything out. 

But that never changed the fact that Theo was Rick's first; he was the reason he became a cop. He had kept her safe a long time before all of this, and he wasn't going to stop now; even though she was 20 and spent a lot of time away on her bike, nothing could break their father-and-daughter bond.

"You know, I wasn't ever going to stop looking for you," he told his daughter.

"And I never doubted that" She smiled, looking up at her hero. 

"You killed any of those walkers yet?" he wondered as we stopped.

"Yeah, quite a few."

"You okay with it?" he asked worried

"You have to forget that they were human, or else it will kill you in another way, I guess", she sighed.

He nodded in agreement.

"Guys, I have a plan," Glenn said from behind them, stopping them.