I posted this because I was going through my old story ideas and found it. I like what I've written but I haven't watched the walking dead in a long time and I never got past season three. As a consequence of that I can't in good conscience keep writing about something I don't know. I'm looking for someone to adopt this story, it needs a good home and a bright mind.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Teddy and her siblings.

She watched as her brother's short brown hair reappeared through the trees. His expression was neutral but at this point that was the norm. He reached the bike shortly after she caught sight of him, "It's inhabited, by the living."

She smiled as she put her hair up, "at least the living can be reasoned with."

From his position on his bike her brother looked at her like she'd lost her mind. Her face fell as she remembered the last group they had encountered, "well, most can." The conversation ended and the siblings were heading for the prison they had found.

Carol entered the watch tower seconds after Daryl noticed a motorbike heading toward the prison. Turning quickly he left the room yelling over his shoulder, "get Rick, we have company!"

The bike pulled up as Daryl reached the gate. "Who the fuck are you?"

Walkers began moving toward the pair at the sound of their bikes. The woman looked around and asked him to wait a moment. She stood up on the back of her bike and kicked the first of the walkers, knocking it off balance. When it hit the ground she jumped off the bike and put a hunting knife through its skull. She did the same to another, while her brother shot any that got too close with his crossbow. When there was a lull in the flow of the living dead the woman turned to Daryl, "I'm Teddy and the guy over there, with the great aim, is my brother Ben. Want to let us in so we can finish this conversation?"

Daryl hesitated for a second before replying, "yeah, but the weapons stay outside." The siblings dropped their weapons, both the ones in their hands and the ones hidden on their person, and moved inside the gate. The trio stood awkwardly until Teddy asked for Daryl's name. Though hesitant and suspicious he gave it to them. He watched them and waited until Rick arrived, with Carol only a few steps behind. Upon his arrival Rick raised his gun and pointed it at the strangers.

"Whoa, there cowboy!" Teddy raised her hands in surrender, "we're unarmed. Your buddy here made us drop them all over by the bikes." Lowering her hands she watched the man narrow his eyes and look at Darryl. Teddy couldn't stop a sigh escaping despite understanding his reasons for treating them with suspicion.

"Look if you don't trust us, which I can completely understand, then feel free to search us." Rick seemed at least slightly appeased by this solution. He looked at Daryl and Daryl moved toward Ben to begin his search. Once Daryl was satisfied that Ben was unarmed he moved toward Teddy. Starting at her ankles he began patting her down. When he reached her thighs several things happened at once; Teddy cried out, causing Daryl to move back, Ben to move toward her and Rick to raise the gun no one had noticed he had lowered. Rick, Daryl and Carol watched as she stumbled toward the fence and waved off her brother's concern.

"You bit?" Daryl's question was followed by a severe glare from Teddy, "what kind of careless moron do you think I am? As if I would risk anyone like that! Let alone my own blood!"

Daryl watched her for a moment, "so that's a no?"

"Of course it's a fuckin' no!" She snapped before sighing and leaning on the fence, "I ran into some people who liked to cut up pretty girls, I'm still healing. Finish the search...I'm just gonna hold on to the fence, if that's okay."

Daryl did as she said and they all watched as her knuckles and jaw turned white from clenching. Once he was done he apologised and nodded to Rick letting him know that they had no weapons. Carol watched on in awe of this woman who, despite being in pain, was now smiling in answer to Daryl's apology. Daryl however only nodded quickly understanding the look in her eye that spoke of a past similar to his. Rick lowered his gun and introduced himself and Carol.

Carol spoke then, "why are you here?"

"We're looking for a safe place," Teddy said as she turned her smile on Carol. Daryl and Rick exchanged a loaded look and Daryl moved away from the siblings, "you can tell your gov'ner that this place ain't for sale!" Teddy's smile dropped to be replaced by a scowl that could rival any Dixon's. Her voice came out as a growl and her enunciation deteriorated, " I ain't with that fuckin' monster! Imply that again, I dare you!"

Daryl scoffed at her while Rick and Carol analysed her reaction, "why should we believe you?"

She looked resigned as she looked at the three of them, "you want proof? Okay, I'll show you my proof." She began to undo the brown leather corset she was wearing. Her brother moved forward and grabbed her arm, stopping her movements, "you don't have to do this. We can find somewhere else." His voice, though undoubtedly masculine despite his apparent age, was soft as he spoke to his sister. She pulled her arm from his grip easily, "we don't have time. Jess and the twins need shelter, proper shelter, now!"

Increasingly distressed and worried for his sister he tried again, "we can make ti-"

"No, we can't!" His sister snapped, "now you either help me with this or you don't but it's happening!" Despite his obvious frustration he helped his sister remove the stiff leather. Once it was gone he helped her pull the black long-sleeved shirt over her head so it only covered her chest and arms. What they saw when she turned around had all of them gasping in horror. Her back was covered in stitches and sores, some less recent, some almost fresh. Daryl, more used to this than even Carol, was the first to recover, "the gov'ner did this?"

Teddy nodded as she redressed, "that and more. Is that enough for you? Or should I fetch my sister whose wounds are so fresh they haven't stopped bleeding?"

Rick sighed at the look Daryl gave him. Daryl trusted this woman, despite the threat the governor posed and the fact that they knew nothing about her. Unbeknownst to her Carol's next questions would rain chaos on the already hard choice Rick had to make; "how are you still alive? How did you escape?"

Everyone turned to look at her but Teddy spoke only to Carol, "my brother-in-law was working for the bastard. We got separated a few months back, it was pure chance that he was there. Anyhow, he managed to convince the gov'ner to take a break, you know, give me a chance to heal up." She sighed sadly before continuing, "the only problem was that it put his girl, my lil' sis, in the firing line. It wasn't till after he went missing a few days ago that my boys had a chance to break us out."

Carol watched sadly as her story turned her mood further south. She couldn't help herself she was too curious, she asked for his name. Teddy looked up and smiled, "Merle, his name was Merle."

Daryl's head shot up, disbelief all over his face. Even though they knew it was unlikely, he had to be sure, "you don't mean Merle Dixon?"

Teddy and Ben looked over shocked and nodded. In seconds Daryl's expression went from disbelief to anger, "you're a fuckin' liar! Merle ain't never done nothin' for anyone but Merle! And he sure as hell ain't ever had just one girl!"

Seconds passed as Teddy and Daryl glared at each other. The silence broke when Teddy's temper did, "and how the fuck would you know? Who the hell do you think you are?"

Three words stopped her in her tracks, "I'm his brother!"

Minutes passed as she processed the new information. Finally she connected the dots and smiled, "that's why he disappeared, ain't it? You brought him here!" The look on their faces gave them away and her smile grew. She turned toward the prison and cupped her hands to her mouth, "Merle, you redneck son of a bitch! You get your filthy white trash arse out here and stop bein' a fuckin' pussy!"

All but Ben were shocked by her outburst. Rick was the first to recover this time, "what the hell was that? Are you trying to attract a herd or alert a Woodbury scout?" His voice was heavy with anger.

"Oh, please! There ain't no herd close enough to hear that, I checked. And I've had my boys causing all kinds of trouble for that screwy lil' town, it's chaotic. Ain't enough organisation for any kind of scout," She laughed, still refusing to face the others. "I'm just sending a message to an old friend."

Ben smiled at his sister while the others exchanged worried looks. Minutes passed, all of them unsure what to do or say. They all jumped as Carl's voice crackled through Rick's walkie asking who was shouting. Rick's reply was uncertain, "I don't know yet, why?"

"Well whoever she is I think Merle knows her."

Rick asked why he thought so and his answer had Daryl, Rick and Carol's jaws dropping, "he's begging to be let out. I mean literally on his knees begging. What do I do?"

Completely stunned it took Rick a while to respond to his son, "let him out." Exclamations of disbelief came from both his friends but he ignored them, staring at the smirk he could see on Teddy's face. He noticed as he watched that she had started counting down from five. When she reached one a bang resonated out from the prison. Whipping around the could see Merle sprinting toward them, they watched in shock as Merle stopped in front of Teddy. Merle wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off the ground. She cried out his name, a hint of pain entering her voice again. Merle put her down gently. Cursing himself he asked her if she was okay and she smiled at him, answering in the positive, despite holding her hand to her ribs.

Merle looked around, pausing to nod to Ben, before his gaze returned to Teddy, "where's Jessie? Did she..."

The look of fear crossing his face made her interrupt him before he could fully ask that question, "she made it out." He looked relieved until she continued, "Ben had to carry her out. She's alive but it's bad." Merle stiffened as he realised that the Governor might have raped his angel like he raped her sister, "Did he...?"

Understanding what he needed to know she nodded slowly. Growling Merle walked away from the small group, his remaining hand clenched tight enough for his blunt nails to draw blood. Daryl started to walk over to his brother, expecting him to blow up, only to be stopped by the feel of Carol's hand on his shoulder. He nodded without looking at her as he watched Teddy approach his brother.

"Merle..."

He interrupted whatever heartfelt speech she had intended to give when he spun around and smacked away the hand she had placed on his shoulder. He glared at her as he spoke. "I should 'a gutted the bastard the first time he laid his slimy hands on ya!"

She smiled at him, "maybe but then his men would have killed you and raped us anyway right before they killed us too." Merle nodded and started walking towards the prison. Confused by his departure she called out to him, asking where he was going. He shouted his reply over his shoulder without pausing, "I'm grabbin' my stuff so the three of us can get the fuck outta here!"

It dawned on her then that he had every intention of leaving his brother behind. Teddy got angry then, visibly so, tensing up and clenching her fists. Her voice came out loud and cold, "NO!"

Merle froze mid-step and turned to face Teddy, "wha'd you say?"

She almost growled her answer at him, "you heard me Dixon! We aren't going anywhere." Merle tried to protest but she ignored him and kept talking, "We kept looking, Merle, even after you got separated from us. We did not spend a year looking for him just so you could run away at the first chance you got!"

"They don't want me her, he don't want me here!" Merle yelled, getting in her face, going redder as he shouted.

Teddy didn't back down, scoffing in his face at his attempt to intimidate her, "I don't care, he's your brother, you ain't leaving him again!"

"He fuckin' chose them over me. Why should I give a flyin' fuck about him?"

Teddy sighed, "He brought you with him, Merle, even though he knew it'd cause trouble. How does you leaving here with us and abandoning him make you better than him? You ain't even giving him a choice?"

Merle's breathing slowed and his body relaxed as he calmed down. He glared at her, making her grin, "I hate you sometimes."

Her grin grew, "I love you too, bro."