To be clear, I really like Lori and the other camp women, I think they are awesome, but I can imagine that Linzie probably would not like them at first judgement. Also thanks so much for the reviews and how quick they came! Y'all are awesome!

2

Linzie sucked on her third cigarette in ten minutes, her hands shaking as she fought to keep the cigarette steady against her lips. She might have been imagining it but she could smell the napalm in the air with every bright flash of light igniting over Atlanta.

"Your name was Linzie right?" Linzie slowly swung her head towards the soft, southern voice, the same genteel accent her mother had had. It annoyed the royal fuck outta her.

"Lori, right? Whadya want?" Something in her refused to smooth out her accent in the face of a real Southern belle. Some call it pride.

Lori nodded and gestured vaguely to some ten feet back where Merle and Daryl were standing by the truck. Cooper sat in between them, apparently the dog had taken a shine to them. "I was wonderin' how you knew those gentlemen?"

The dark-haired man nodded. "You don't seem like the type-"

"What type is that.. Shane, was it?" Linzie dropped her cigarette butt and stubbed it out with the toe of her steel-toe.

As she reached for her pack of cigarettes, Shane made a choking sound. "You know what type I mean. And would you please quit smoking?"

Linzie smiled sharply and pulled out her empty pack. "Since you asked so nicely... 'Sides I think second hand smoke is the least of our worries nowadays."

"You didn't answer my question, ma'am."

Linzie glared at him. "Well, Officer, earlier today when the troops were marching down 85 shooting at everything: living, dead, and otherwise, my jeep didn't start and the Dixons were kind enough to get me outta that situation." With that Linzie turned on her heel and made towards the truck.

Merle had found the couple cartons of cigarettes she had bought on her way out of Auburn. Gesturing at the still staring couple he grunted. "Problem, Lil Bit?"

Linzie made a face at the name, the day had started with little inappropriate nicknames, Babe, Sugartits, but Lil Bit, that was new. Hell though, not like she could complain, damn sight better than Sugartits...

She shrugged and motioned for the now half-empty pack, the Dixon boys had been busy. "Ran outta cigarettes." She lit one and hopped up onto the tailgate of the truck. "So what now?"

Daryl reached for a map in the bed of the truck. "There's an old quarry about twenty, twenty-five miles outta Atlanta on the north side. I say we set up there."

Merle nodded. "Close enough to Atlanta for necessary scavenging but far enough away that the hunting should still be good."

Linzie blew out a smoke ring. "Plenty a' water too."

Merle stood up straight and exhaled a cloud of smoke. "There a problem, Officer?"

"You said you were heading up to that old limestone quarry?"

Linzie snorted. Guess we aren't that bad, huh? Or maybe they just aren't too good to mooch.

Daryl regarded them quietly. "Yeah, so?"

Shane got quiet, rubbing at the back of his neck like a child. "I have guns and ammo."

Merle chuckled. "And?"

"We could band together, protect each other."

"What's in it for us?"


She leaned up, standing on her tip-toes atop a precariously placed bucket and chair combo. As she arranged the over-hanging tarp, her dirty, grey tank top rode up and her cut-off shorts rode low, revealing not only the belly-button ring he had seen before but the little Dixie flag tattooed low on her hip.

He watched silently as they neared her. A couple weeks of very little food was showing, her limbs had thinned, her belly flattened.

"Ladybird! Wha' are ya doin'?"

Linzie looked over her shoulder at Daryl and Merle and grinned widely. "It's a shower!"

Daryl just raised an eyebrow, examining the tarp-and-tube contraption she was hanging in the tree. She turned too fast and a split second later, he plucked her off the toppling bucket. He set her down and she smiled at him.

"See? The rain collects here," she pointed to the tarp bowl some five feet above their heads and continued: "and flows out of this tube here." She wiped her hands on her shorts. "If nothin' else we can cook with the rainwater. No dirtier than what's in the quarry or out in that creek you found."

Merle chuckled. "They teach you this one in school, Ms. Doctorate?"

Linzie smirked. "I had a professor that used to tell me that engineering is just a fancy name for problem solvin' and to think differently is just plain arrogance."

"D'ya think we could make it a hot shower?" Linzie turned over her shoulder and regarded the young Asian man silently. He must be new, hadn't gotten the 'avoid the Dixons' memo yet.

"Yeah technically you could have someone pour heated water into the basin, but... uh they'd have to be up on a ladder while you were in the shower."

"Why is that a problem?"

Linzie chuckled. "The most effective way to bathe is to do so naked. Anyone up on a ladder's going to be able to see... well everything. Water wouldn't keep warm long in this tarp, so there would have to be someone up on that ladder almost the whole time."

The kid blushed and decided to change the topic. "They called you Ladybird. Is that your real name?"

She shook her head and shot an amused look at Daryl. "No kid, I'm Linzie."

He nodded. "I'm Glenn."

"Nice ta meet ya, Glenn." Linzie nodded to him and turned back towards the brothers. "Successful hunt?"

Merle nodded and jerked his head toward Glenn. Holding up the line of squirrels and rabbits, he grinned savagely. "Anyone ever teach ya how ta gut a squirrel, Chink?"

Glenn turned pale. "I'm Korean and uh, no... I think I'll pass though. Thanks for the offer."

Linzie smiled softly, almost kindly at the kid. "So polite."


Linzie cursed and pulled one end of the radiator hose loose. Looking into the hose, she chuckled and leaned back. "Damn if this thing isn't leakin' like a sieve...Dale, was it? You didn't happen to mistake this thing for a snake, y'know try to kill it with bird-shot or somethin'?" At the older man's chuckle, she shrugged and looked up at Jim. "You don't happen to have 'nother radiator hose, d'ya?"

He pulled a face, shaking his head. "I wasn't expectin' the apocalypse...sorry."

"What 'bout duct tape? That should hold at least until we can scrounge up 'nother one." She looked over at Dale and huffed when he shook his head no.

"Daryl!" He looked up from where he was, cleaning his crossbow near what had been termed, 'the Dixon tent,' snoozing bloodhound at his feet.

She choose not to tell people that it was her tent. They already thought she was the camp prostitute, she didn't need to add fuel to the fire.

He nodded, signalling that he was listening. "You got any duct tape?"

Merle cackled from inside the tent and popped his head out of the tent's open flap. "That's a fuckin' stupid question, Ladybird."

Daryl smirked. "Tool-box in the bed."

"Thank y' kindly, dear." Linzie marched towards the truck she was starting consider hers at least in part and popped down the tailgate.

She was about to swing herself up on the gate, when she felt hands close over her hips, a second later she was airborne and another second later she was standing in the bed, looking down at a smirking Daryl Dixon.

"Git me one a' m' gun kits, darlin'." he patted her leg and she narrowed her eyes at him. Darlin'?

She shrugged it off however, and made for the heavy metal toolbox. Digging around the ratchets and wrenches, she located the gun kit quickly and dug for a few more seconds to find a large roll of duct tape. Standing up, she closed the tool-box and made for the tail-gate where Daryl was petting Cooper behind the ears. He looked up when she approached and reached for the gun kit, throwing an arm around her waist and pulling her from bed.

As he set her down, and she regarded him quietly. "I can jump down all on my lonesome, y'know. Don't need no big tough man to rescue me from truck beds."

A strange look passed over his face and he smirked. "So what do you need rescuin' from, Ladybird?"

Linzie arched an eyebrow and gestured vaguely towards the band of gossiping women making their way down to the quarry lake, a coy smile on her face. "You can save me from the Southern Housewife Committee... if ya dare."

He actually scowled. "They been botherin' you? Really?"

She shrugged, not entirely comfortable with the sudden serious turn in the conversation. "They steer pretty clear of me... for fear that I might corrupt their children."

Daryl cussed under his breath and made for the tent and Linzie grabbed his arm. "Hey, don't worry 'bout it. I've been dealin' with their kind all my life." She shrugged and ventured a small smile. "I'm well-equipped for it."

She shrugged again and turned back towards the RV.

"Linzie." She turned back and smiled softly at Daryl. "Whadya mean?"

She hummed, confused.

"You've been dealin' with their kind-"

She cut him off. "My daddy was the no-count mechanic that knocked up the judge's daughter and I was the result..."

"Linzie!"

She looked over at Dale and Jim and smiled, holding up the duct tape. "Success, gentlemen."

When she looked back, Daryl was already back at the tent and Cooper sat in front of her, looking at her patiently, his tail thumping back and forth.

"Ms. Lawrence?"

Linzie started and looked off to the side at the boy... Carl, Lori's son. "Linzie's fine, kid."

"Ms. Linzie."

She smiled and nodded, squatting down so she was more level with the boy. "Yep?"

"Can I play with Cooper?"

Linzie blinked. "I don't think your mom would like that too much."

"Why?" Carl looked really confused, and reached a hesitant hand out to Cooper, who pushed his big wet nose into Carl's hand, snuffling loudly. Carl giggled and grinned, rubbing Cooper's head and playing with the wrinkles on his face. "Mr. Dixon said Cooper likes kids. He wouldn't hurt me, right?"

Linzie looked over at the tent and noticed Daryl watching the interaction and she smiled. "Cooper loves kids. He likes to give them big, slobbery kisses." Carl made a face and Linzie chuckled. "Yeah, but why don't you check with your mom before I say yes. Just to make sure."

Carl nodded. "Will you walk with me down to the quarry? My mom said I wasn't allowed to leave the campsite without an adult."

Linzie nodded. "Yeah, let's go do that." Turning over her shoulder, she waved at Dale. "Be right back."


"Mom!" Lori looked over her shoulder at her son. Linzie stood behind him, shiny, silver revolver stuck in the waistband of her shorts, big dog sitting patiently at her side. Lori scowled.

"Carl? What are you doing down here, son?" Lori stood from the wash and walked up the bank.

Carl came rushing down the bank. "I came to ask you if you were okay with me playing with Cooper."

Carl looked so excited that she had to force herself not to say yes automatically. "Who's Cooper?"

"Ms. Linzie's dog." Carl pointed back towards the big black and tan hunting dog.

"He's a hunting dog, sweetie... sometimes hunting dogs don't like kids. What did Ms. Linzie say?" She ran her hands over his head and leaned down.

"She said that Cooper loves kids," He leaned forward dramatically. "She said he likes to give them kisses. But she wanted to make sure you were okay with it." Carl was literally bouncing on his toes. "So please? Please?"

Lori shrugged and looked up at Linzie, who was smiling softly. "If she's okay with it, so am I."

Carl grinned and turned on Carol. "Mrs. Peletier, can Sophia play too?"

Carol nodded. "Sure."

Sophia stood from her spot next to her mother, doll clutched in her hand and reached for Carl's outstretched hand.

Lori smiled at her son and waved him off. "Make sure you ask Mrs. Morales if Louis and Eliza can play too."

Lori smiled and mouthed thank you at Linzie who nodded and waved back, waiting for the two children to pass her before following up after them.

"You know maybe... just maybe she isn't as bad as she originally seemed." Amy shrugged and turned back to her laundry.

Jacqui clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "She hangs around those Dixon men, how can she not be at least a little like them."

Lori shrugged. "They saved her, as far as she's concerned, they are the only one's she can trust...Besides have you ever heard her say one negative thing? Make one racist comment?"

Andrea snorted. "I haven't heard much from her at all. She's kinda standoffish. She doesn't really do anything with us, she does all of her laundry before most of us are awake... when it's her turn to cook, she never asks for any help."

Carol grinned, in that soft way of hers. "She's an engineer... she's just awkward."