Three weeks. It had been three weeks since the group had come to the quarry. It was fully operational now, although supplies were limited. She and the Dixons regularly went hunting, although she foraged while she was out as well. Sometimes Daryl would surprise her and bring back some edible leaves and berries, too. If she wasn't hunting, she was planning and going on trips with Glenn. Between the efforts of the three, four if Merle's meager efforts to contribute by accompanying Daryl hunting counted, the camp was running smoothly. It wasn't perfect, but they had a basic set up and were in the process of hanging cans along the perimeter just in case.

Shortly after that first trip she had managed to convince Carol, as well as Dale, Glenn, Andrea, Daryl, and T-Dog, to let her take the kids out with her to learn what was edible and what wasn't. She had argued that if the kids get lost on their own, which was a real possibility in this world thanks to the walking dead, knowing what they could eat and what to put on a wound would be invaluable. Learning how to track give the children a fighting chance to be able to get back to the group without incidence should the worst happen and they be separated or lost. Lori had been completely against the idea at first, but Shane had talked to her after seeing the wisdom in Tea's reasons. Even then, it had taken more words from Dale and Glenn to convince him before he convinced Lori. The Morales's simply told her thanks, but they had their own way of doing things; his wife wasn't too fond of how Tea talked nor how often she got into it with both Shane and the older Dixon.

Both the children she was allowed to teach now knew how to make a simple poultice from the various medicinal plants within the forest as well as how to make a splint, set a sprain, and build a campfire without matches. They both also had knives hidden at their spines kept secret from their parents. Learning quickly, the two children could now throw proper punches as well as escape the hold of an adult. She had shown them how to track, too, though Sophia was the one who picked up on it the most. The little girl had quite the talent when it came to being in the woods, and Tea could only guess that it came from having to be wary of her father all the time. She knew what the man was like behind the cover of his tent. All she was doing was biding her time until he did something in the open and then she'd teach him why you don't disrespect women.

For their silence about the weapons and combat training, she promised to give them any secret of her own they wanted. The two children had agreed to keeping the secret in exchange for her real name. Sophia had gushed about how pretty it was while Carl had asked why she kept it secret; she simply told him it was because she used to drink a lot of tea and got stuck with that nickname. She didn't have the heart to tell either children that she had been so relentlessly teased for having a name with 'tit' in it that she had started calling herself Tea when she graduated high school.

Most everyone in the group got along relatively well with each other with the exception of her and the Dixons. She was at odds with most of the group due to how she was around Shane and Lori, who were essentially the leaders. The only ones who genuinely liked her were Glenn, Dale, Jim, and Amy. Andrea, Carol, Jacqui, and T-Dog were on speaking terms with her, but it was just polite conversation. The rest of the group had remained wary of her and, like with the Dixons, only talked to her if they needed her. It didn't help any when she was always cussing Shane out for trying to control her or getting exasperated with Lori's desire to turn her domestic. No one aside from Shane, Lori, and, although unknown to her, Daryl cared about when she came and went in the camp because she always brought stuff back when she did.

As for her and the Dixons, things were like day and night. With Merle constantly on a bender, the two of them were almost always at each other's throats if they were around one another. Merle never stopped his sexual innuendos and insisted she didn't know what he was talking about. She would become exasperated at his behavior and call him some form of stupid, always making him even angrier. More than once they had ended up chest to chest in a showdown that never went past staring each other down before Daryl pulled her away and told Merle to leave it alone. She and Daryl were the exact opposite. They hardly spoke when they were together, but it was in a peaceful harmony they worked. They hunted, spending the night in the woods once, and skinned their kills together unless Merle went with Daryl. It wasn't as if they had gotten close, but she had become much more aware of the quieter redneck around camp.

~x~

It was quiet out. She'd left the camp while the moon was still high in the sky, small bag and Jewel in tow. Tea had only been managing to get a few hours of sleep at a time, a few at night and a few during the day, since they had gotten to the quarry. She wasn't fatigued, though, since she had only gotten five or so hours of sleep a day before the world went to hell, even though it had been solid. Nothing had really changed about how much sleep she got, just how she got it. Deciding that waiting around in her tent wasn't going to be productive, Tea figured an early morning hunt would be a good distraction. She had been following a trail for a few minutes now, and while she wasn't entirely sure what kind of trail she was following, there had clearly been something that had gone this way. Crouching down to get a closer look at one particularly clear indent, she was startled to find she was following another person. Without a second thought, she took off into the woods as fast as she could. If there was someone else out here, she needed to find out who it was and whether or not they were a threat to the camp.

When she found a tree large enough to hide behind but close enough to see the brook where the trail would end, she peaked out and nearly dropped her bow. The last thing she had expected to see was Daryl's naked ass knee deep in the stream. He was scrubbing himself down as she quickly hid back behind the tree, making a small sound of surprise in the process. Daryl had stopped his movements, lowering himself down into the water to the waist on high alert, head on a swivel. When nothing else moved though, he figured it'd probably been a bird or something and went back to washing. Tea, however, was staring as he stood once again from the water. She could see every coil of muscle on his beautiful body, marred by scars and tattoos. Her face turning into a tomato, she cautiously made her way away from the bathing man and back to camp. That was definitely not what she had been expecting. It embarrassed her even more that she had spied him in such a vulnerable state when she knew how reserved a person he was. It was hard not to notice everything about Daryl Dixon.

It had started when Shane had told her to do his laundry. There was no way in hell she was touching his shit and she had told him as much, only for him to tell her she had to help out with it somehow. All the women were going to be doing the laundry and she had to help. She had scoffed at him and told him the men had working hands too and she would be better in the forest. He pissed her off when he had said that the Dixons could handle the woods and she needed to stick around camp. In a fit she had spat out that she'd do the damn Dixons' laundry if she was going to be forced to do domestic work instead of what she was good at.

Merle had watched her walking up in a right state and asked if he could help her. He'd chuckled when she said he could sock Shane in the mouth before telling him to get his and Daryl's dirty clothes. She had sent him into a fit of howling laughter when she said she'd gladly take on the rednecks' clothes before touching Shane's shit stained shit. That was the only good exchange she ever had with the older Dixon. Daryl had been silent during the entire conversation, but had no issues with going into their tent and pulling out his and his brother's clothes and handing them to her. He'd all but thrust the clothes into her arms, one hand touching against her shoulder while the other had raked down her forearm as the clothes passed between them.

That exchange had set Shane off yet again. It was like whatever she did sent the man into a fit of rage. Several times he had decided to grab her and pull her away from Daryl throughout the weeks, Lori too. It was as if the two of them had a vendetta against the rednecks on top of her spending time with them, and the entire camp could feel it. No one really talked to the Dixons unless they had to. Lori had tried to pull her away the first time she had helped Daryl with skinning squirrels, earning her a warning from Tea. Shane had gone and physically forced her to stand up and move from the area, only for her to rip herself from his grasp and tell him to fuck off before going and sitting back down next to Daryl rather than across, putting the hunter between them.

They kept trying to separate her and keep her in camp no matter what she did. Every time she went to leave camp, Shane would grab her and demand to know where she was going and how long she'd be gone. More than once he had straight up put his arms around her shoulders while just standing and talking to the group. Tea had taken to avoiding the man as much as possible, which meant she spent a lot of time out in the woods as the days pressed on. A lot of the times, she met Daryl in the woods, and they worked together to feed the camp. If the two in camp didn't like how much time she spent with Daryl when she was there, they shouldn't have pushed her out into the woods so much where they were together alone.

When she had offered to go hunting with Daryl on the fifth day at the quarry, she had surprised the hunter with her capabilities. Not only was she silent, but she was also accurate. Whoever taught her how to hunt was hunting to put food on the table, not for fun. After that she would follow him out on the hunts regularly, only to bring more meat back for the camp than when she didn't. The hunters had continued to get stuck together after she had walked over after the hunt to offer to help process the game. He had been pleasantly surprised by her when she had skinned her first squirrel as smoothly as he did. While he knew she could skin a deer, that was a lot different than the tiny critters the group were getting used to eating.

She and Daryl worked silently, only a few words shared between the two but both always in harmony with each other. When they went hunting together, she was as silent as the wind following behind Daryl. Sometimes he would turn around to find she wasn't even there only to find her wandering to him from a different direction, kill in hand with a smirk on her face. It didn't bother him much that she and Meryl didn't get along. He knew they didn't like each other and he knew their reasons; Merle didn't like Tea because she had beat him down and Tea didn't like Merle because he was unreliable. If only he knew the real reasons were that he liked the girl and she knew Merle had him under his thumb, he might have been more concerned.

The first time he had gone to pull her away from Meryl during a confrontation, he was certain that he was going to have to recoil from a blow. She'd whipped around so fast he'd had to drop his hand; all she did was stare at him for a few seconds before storming off yelling, "Fucking Dixons!" After that, every time his arms snaked around her waist or his hands pulled at her arms, she let him drag her away. Shane had only tried to grab her from her quarrel with Merle the first time they had, thankfully; both she and Merle had turned on him as soon as his hand had reached out with Daryl coming up behind them. Being at the mercy of not one but two hot heads had sufficiently put Shane in his place. Merle had laid into him about getting in business he didn't belong while she bitched him out for trying to touch her yet again. Only Daryl could tell them off when they were at odds with each other and no one else could say shit about it.

Daryl had taken to keeping tabs on the little girl throughout camp just because of how kind she was to the two of them; she was the only one in the camp that was even willing to talk to them it seemed, let alone put up with Merle. Hell, she didn't take anyone's shit, and that was impressive. She also seemed to rely on him to help her when she was confused, which made his chest swell with pride and something unknown. No one had ever given the Dixons a reason to feel responsible for anything but themselves. They had always believed that blood was blood and it was the two of them against the world, but now this little girl had thrown herself into the mix and caused him to want to make an exception just for her.

It'd been about two and a half weeks at that point and the two of them had been cleaning a dozen and a half squirrel they had hunted. Daryl had spoken up, asking how she'd learned to skin them anyway, when she didn't even know how to skin a deer the first time. When she told him that she had learned by watching him doing it before she walked over the first time, he had stopped working to look at her.

"You fuckin' serious, girl?" he'd had asked. She'd just looked at him as if to say obviously.

"I told ya, I'm a freak. I can learn jus' by watchin'. Told ya that 'fore too. How'd ya think I learned how ta clean and maintain me bow? I asked ya afta ya found 'er for me, but ya neva actually showed me. I jus' watched as ya cleaned yas," she responded, earning a frown from the younger Dixon. How hadn't he noticed her watching him?

"Hell girl, that ain't bein' a freak. That's bein' smart. Shouldn't call yourself that so much," Daryl had replied back, returning to the squirrel in front of him.

"Nah, ya are smart. Ya know how ta hunt and how ta survive in this world. I'm jus' goin' off'n shows I've seen and the things I learned from me papa and watchin' the world 'round me. It's ya who's the special one, Daryl. I'm jus' not givin' up. I know I'm walka chow walkin', I'm jus' not goin' down without a fight," she said with a shrug.

"Now listen here, Tea," he said, pointing his knife at her. After just a few weeks getting used to the little girl and the numerous times she had stood up for him and his older brother, he was feeling a little protective of her. "You got more of a chance than half these son a bitches in camp. On top a that, I can look out for you. You can't go talkin' about yourself like that anymore, ya hear?"

Merle might have been under the influence of his drugs, but he heard that and saw red. He knew it. He fucking knew that the boy had been watching that little bitch all over the damn camp. Every time they left camp together, he could see how the boy's step was just a little bouncier than normal. And now he was outright saying he was going to look out for her? Was he serious? He needed to get that boy in check and quick. Blood is blood, and he needed to remember that. Her next words had him smirking and thinking that maybe he'd have an easier time keeping his brother in line after all.

"I'm thankful ya feel that way," she'd said while standing, the squirrel in front of her finished, "but ya wrong. And ya won' be wantin' ta watch afta me for long. I'm a walkin' catastrophe waitin' ta happen. Ya'll see."

She had stood up and walked away after that, grabbing the rag she had tucked in her back pocket and wiping her hands. Tea was still having problems understanding why the man would want to look after her a couple days later. She didn't mean anything to him and hadn't been overly friendly. Merle and her hated each other and she knew damn well Merle wouldn't let Daryl do shit for her. She and Daryl barely spoke to each other, though when they worked together she felt at peace. He was nimble and quiet when hunting, his arms taunt as he held his crossbow ever at the ready.

It hadn't really occurred to her that she had no reaction to him when he hauled her away from his brother until she'd seen his bottom. At first, she had chalked it up to being in the heat of the moment and focused on Merle. After that morning, though, she knew she needed to reevaluate herself. She'd had crushes before and they had never ended well, so she tried to stay away from him, but she couldn't help but follow him with her eyes. She didn't even realize she had started watching him until Merle had spoken up the day before.

"I see the way you watch him," Merle confronted her as her eyes trailed Daryl throughout the camp.

Startled, she looked quickly to Merle, "No I don'."

"Yeah ya do, bitch. You're wantin' a taste of the D my baby brother's got to offer ya. Too bad, ain't never gonna happen. He don't want no snitchy bitch like you," he spat at her.

"It's not like that at all," she said, her face as blank as ever while the pain at Merle's words ripped through her.

"Then why you let him touch ya and no one else, hmm? Last time I checked, you're all over Shane for puttin' his hands on ya. First time Daryl ever touched ya, you just walked away. You haven't even pulled away since. Don't tell me ya ain't sweet on the boy," Merle deadpanned, his irritation at the situation evident in his voice and face.

"Don' matta much, does it?" she asked being honest and looking back to Daryl, doing her best to keep her breathing steady and her hands from shaking. "He ain' gonna want someone like me. I can admire 'im as much as I want. Truth is, no normie in their right mind would want a versie. He's too good for me, Merle. I'd only hold 'im back."

Merle full on beamed at that point, recalling his conversation from a few nights ago when he'd heard Daryl's conversation with the little vixen.

"Ain' nothin' gonna happen 'tween me and her, Merle" Daryl had said. "She's just a little girl, anyways. Smart and resourceful. Good ta have around. That's all."

"Uh-huh, sure baby brother. That's why you're always starin' at 'er ass and keepin' tabs on where she's at. Don't think I didn't notice."

"Leave it alone, Merle. She's twenty fuckin' two; I'm thirty four. 'Sides that, I ain't good 'nough for her. She's some college educated bitch and I ain't nothin'," Daryl had ended the conversation with that, getting up and walking away with the meat from the squirrels they had just processed.

Now here he was being told by the little woman that she thought she wasn't good enough for his brother. Smile staying in place, he looked at her and said, "Don't you fuckin' forget it either, bitch." All she did was look at him before walking away.

~x~

A week later, she could almost swear she was going crazy. All morning long she could swear she was being followed. Looking up from hanging the laundry, she caught Daryl watching her while chewing on his thumb. When he saw her looking at him, though, he quickly looked away. She noticed Shane looking at her too, but that ship was long gone now that he was screwing around with Lori, if it'd ever come to port to begin with. If seeing Daryl's rear end was a glorious surprise, walking near a clearing where the guy who was lusting after her and his best friend's wife were getting it on was downright disturbing. She had done her best to stay away from that side of the camp after that unsightly find and thanked the gods they hadn't notice her. Turning her eyes back to the younger Dixon, she caught him looking at her again. This time, though, he didn't look away and she was simply entranced. His eyes held her firmly in place even across camp and she felt her face flush when he smirked at her.

"You alright, honey?" Carol asked after a moment, peaking in the direction the young woman was looking and seeing Daryl. She scoffed, knowing exactly what was happening, even if she thought it was a bit inappropriate for a girl Tea's age to be flirting with a man much older than her.

Tea cleared her throat and reluctantly pulled her eyes away, returning to her work while responding, "Yeah. Uh-huh. I'm good."

She didn't know that Shane had seen the exchange between the two of them. The lovely red covering the tips of her ears, back of her neck, and across her cheeks and chest shouldn't have been caused by a damn hick. He was livid. Any time she caught him looking at her, she would make a face and turn away. Now he had all but caught her and Dixon eye fucking? No, that wasn't going to fly with him. Yeah, Lori was a good way to blow off steam, but she wasn't who he pictured in the midst of it. That emerald eyed little girl was the image that got him off, and now she was make eyes like that at Dixon? His feet were already on the move before he even realized it. Anger was rolling off him in waves as he stormed up to the rednecks' camp.

"Fuck you lookin' at, Dixon?" he demanded.

"Fuck you," was Daryl's only response.

He hadn't known their little moment had been caught, but he simply hadn't been able to look away the second time she caught him looking at her. Especially not when she started blushing; he had smirked to himself at the fact that she was staring back only for her to turn red. She blushed just because he was watching her, and hell if that didn't make his chest swell with pride. If he was being honest with himself, he hadn't wanted to look away the first time but did out of habit.

The little girl had wormed her way into his thoughts. He couldn't even sleep at night without her popping into his dreams. She'd gotten just as many kills in hunting as he had, was just as good a tracker, and if possible she was even quieter than he was when in the woods. He couldn't even hear her breath, that's how silent she could be. The fact that she learned by watching made her all the more endearing to him because he didn't like having to teach. It irked him to no end how often she called herself a freak for doing something amazing, but for the life of him he couldn't bring himself to do anything about it. When she had shot him down and told him that she would be the one to run him off eventually and not the other way around, he'd been haunted. He hadn't meant to, but he'd let the little girl get too close and now he didn't want her to back off. So Shane's little outburst had him feeling like his toes were being stepped on and he wasn't about to let Shane get his way.

"I mean it, Dixon. Stay away from Tea. She's too good for you," Shane warned once again for the umpteenth time.

"Ain't that for her to pick," he said boldly as Merle walked up, looking pissed himself at his brother's words.

"Dammit Dixon, this ain't a fucking game. Stay the fuck away from Tea. She don't need your bullshit causing her any more problems than she's already got. We all know she's a little messed up. Don't think I ain't seen the way you watch her around camp. Or the fact that you always gotta put your hands on her. She don't need your redneck ass trying to pull shit," Shane growled loudly while stepping right up into Daryl's personal space, earning some attention from others.

"Fuck you say?" Daryl barked back, standing up and stepping toe to toe with the cop not at all liking what the man had insinuated, let alone what he said about Tea.

"You heard me," Shane said. "Keep your hands to your damn self, Dixon."

"I could say the same damn thing ta ya," her sweet voice sang out from behind him. "After all, you're the one who needs ta take that advice. Actin' like ya got the rights ta jus' play Mr. Grab Hands when I'm tryin' ta leave. Puttin' ya arms on me shoulders whenever ya want. Wanna tell othas hands off? Learn the lesson yaself first."

"Now listen here, Tea, I've had enough of you defending these douchebags. You keep hanging 'round them and helping them, and I get it. You're a kind girl, nothing wrong with that. But these two assholes are going to take advantage of that sooner or later. Daryl's been getting handsy with you and watches you all over the camp. Man, it's like he's stalking you. I'm just trying to look out for you," Shane said, turning around to see Glenn, Dale, and Morales behind her, her holding an armful of the brothers' clothes. "And to be fair, if I didn't grab you when I'm tryinna talk to you, you'd walk away without listening to me. The other times, I'm just tryinna be friendly, that's all. You take things too seriously, girl."

"I happen ta like Daryl's company, thank ya very much. He knows 'is limits, unlike some," she said while glaring at him, handing the clothes off to a scowling Merle, as he was closer to her. "Daryl only eva grabs me ta keep me from givin' Merle anotha beat down, not jus' willy nilly like ya do! And whetha I wanna walk away or stay has nothin' ta do with what ya want, Shane. When I'm done talkin' or don' wanna listen, I'll walk the fuck away. And if ya got a problem with that ya can tell it ta the birds. Ya keep pawin' at me like ya've been, and ya gonna learn jus' why ya shouldn' be undaestimatin' someone like me. Trust me when I say Merle couldn' do shite ta me; ya sure as hell ain' got a chance."

"You just don't get it, Tea, girl, you're tiny," Shane began as he yet again placed his hands on her, specifically laying one on both her shoulders firmly and forcing her to look at him. She noticed that all the guys held the same look of disbelief, even Merle, she was sure shown through her eyes as he did so. "You got fucking lucky with Merle. He was probably high off his ass and just didn't have the fight in him. Looked worse than it really was. There is no way you could take either of us in our right minds. You've got it written all over your face just how weak you are. I'm just lookin' out for you. Girls like you, you try to show you're strong, but you're not, Tea. Seriously, you just don't know what's good for you. Daryl ain't any good for you."

For the first time since Shane had seen her, she smiled. Glenn and Dale shared a look of utter disbelief at what Shane was doing after her warning, let alone what he had said about her friendship with Daryl. Daryl and Merle noticed the sinister look in her eyes that didn't hold even the slightest trace of that sweet smile gracing her face; it was the same smile she had given Merle before she beat him. Shane was an absolute fool for thinking the little thing had gotten the drop on Merle through luck. Tea simply decided that if he wanted to call her weak and touch her unwarranted again, he was going to learn his lesson once and for all.

Shane didn't even register what was happening when all of a sudden his diaphragm was being pushed further up than it was supposed to go, causing him to lose his breath and double over. A quick blow to his jaw followed by another to his temple not a second later and the man was laid out on the ground. The rednecks wore twin expressions of astonishment, though Merle busted out laughing not a second later, while many other members of the camp were now focused on the situation near their area. Dale and Glenn were both wide eyed while Morales was openly snickering. It was Lori who ran over to check on Shane, looking at the girl in front of her as if she was a beast.

"What the hell did you do that for?!" she screeched in a demanding tone.

"Now, Lori," started Dale, trying to diffuse the situation, "Shane kind of had that coming. She did tell him to keep his hands to himself and gave fair warning he wouldn't like what would happen if he did it again. And he went and did it again."

"That doesn't give her the right to attack him!" Lori screeched.

"It could count as self-defense," Morales commented.

"Knocking him out?! Just for touching her?!" her voice got even higher. "Are you crazy?!"

"It's not me fault," the girl in question claimed calmly. "I don' exactly know me own strength let alone have control a it when I'm pissed or threatened. He should a kept 'is damn paws ta himself like 'e was tellin' Daryl ta and damn sure should a kept 'is fuckin' mouth shut. I may look weak, but I was trained in all the fightin' he's been trained with and then some. Even Merle hasn' tried shite since I beat 'im down. Shane's own damn fault 'e's laid out. Not mine."

"Yeah girl, ain't got an ass like that for nothin'," Merle called out unhelpfully.

"Are you kidding me right now?" Lori asked incredulously.

"Ya should know by now that I don' joke 'round," Tea said as she nodded in appreciation towards Merle. "How many times have I asked 'im ta keep 'is hands ta himself? Now maybe he will."

"Are you crazy?! He was just talking to you and looking out for you!" Lori said.

Tea shook her head and walked away. She went back over to her tent, pulled out the same bag she'd always took to the woods and attached her machete to her hip. Her crossbow secured over her shoulder along with the quiver, she headed towards her regular trail. When Lori asked her where she thought she was going, she simply said for a walk and disappeared. Her nerves were completely shot and her mind was running a mile a minute with various scenarios that could have and might still happen. She didn't care if anyone cared where she went, she just wanted gone. If anyone really wanted to find her, they could simply track her light footsteps if they wanted and had the ability. Continuing on until she found the same log she'd sat against the first night to smoke, she sat and pulled out her grinder and bowl. After blowing up at Shane she couldn't stop shaking and almost spilled some of the weed on the forest floor. Cussing up a storm before finally managing to fully pack her bowl, she grabbed her lighter from her jeans and took a giant rip. The effects were almost instant as the shaking slowly subsided. She'd only taken two more hits when a twig snapped, alerting her to the approaching company.

"Well I'll be, girl," came a familiar redneck voice, "didn't take you as a pothead."

"We all got our secrets, Mr. Dixon," she called back.

It was only a minute or so later that the younger Dixon entered her view quipping, "That's a hell of a right hook you got."

Offering him her bowl and lighter, which he gladly accepted, she replied, "I meant it when I said I can' control me strength. It ain' nothin' more than that."

"Wha'ch'ya mean, can't control your strength?"

She eyed him contemplatively, deciding if anyone in the camp would understand, it might be him. "I'm autistic and ADHD. Basically means me mind don' work the same way as yas. Strength is largely a mental prospect, as humans subconsciously limit the amount we exert in any motion we do. I don' have that subconscious limit. Like, when I broke that jar Amy asked me ta open? I gotta think 'bout how much force ta use in almost everythin' I do. And when I'm in a moment like that, like with Merle, the last thing I'm doin' is thinkin' 'bout me strength."

They passed the bowl back and forth a couple times before Daryl asked, "What's your deal with Shane, anyways? Don't seem to mind me so much, or Dale or Glenn."

"I don' like bein' touched and don' like people. They ovastimulate me with the motion and noise and just bein' too close. Dale's kinda like a grandpa and is wise 'nough ta give me space when I need it, and 'is touches are only ever ta nudge me in a direction or offa me somethin'. He's respectful. Glenn knows, I think, that I'm a versie. He just talks or backs off or is just there and he almost neva touches me on purpose, so it jus' is with him. Ya okay, but ya differen'. Ya and Merle both, jus' Merle's an asshole in 'is difference, unlike ya. Ya survivas like me, I think," she stated as she could barely discern shock and curiosity cross his face. At least it was better than the looks most people gave her, as if she was a basket case or a fragile doll.

"Survivor like you?" Daryl asked as he handed her back her bowl, looking her right in the eye.

"Yeah, a," she cleared her throat and looked away, unsure about the topic change and unable to look him in the eye, "childhood."

Both of them paused, Daryl completely taken aback as she took a long draw off the bowl in her hand while avoiding eye contact. Daryl snapped, not liking where this was going and unable to control the anger he felt at the mention of his childhood, "Fuck ya mean by that?!"

She looked at him in all seriousness then, "Ya know why we get along so well?" He shook his head, "It's 'cause we're the damn same. Only difference is that I got it beat inta me ta at least act all civil like ta othas." He continued to look at her, questioning what she was getting at. Her next confession had him feeling closer to the girl than he could admit. "I was maybe four when it started. Momma didn' like that me preschool teachas kept talkin' 'bout me 'cause I didn' like sittin' still. Always had ta be doin' somethin' and always pickin' things up the first time through and barely talkin' ta me peers. When I was five and the doctors told 'em I was different, well, they didn' like it at all. They were upstandin' citizens, all respectable and shite. Daddy was loved by everyone and everyone looked ta him for advice, wantin' him ta get inta politics. He was a war hero, ya know? Momma was known for bein' the most charitable and generous woman 'round, a real righteous, God-fearin' saint in the eyes a the community. Bein' told their daughta had ADHD, they'd already been smackin' me 'round 'cause a what the teachas said. I had ta stand at ease in the corna for hours on end and go without meals 'cause I jus' couldn' sit still. Got worse when I was six and diagnosed autistic and was skipped up a couple grades." She motioned to her face, "Momma gave me this 'cause we were in a tight spot with money and I pointed out some deals at the store that would help us save. Didn' think nothin' a it otha than helpin' the family. Momma was pissed, though. Dug her thumb inta me chin when we got home while makin' me look at 'er face while she screamed at me 'bout how I made 'er look like a fool. Daddy came home and laid inta me; used a soft leatha belt ta whip me hard 'nough ta leave welts, but not ta break the skin. And aftaward," she scoffed, "aftaward I had ta act like nothin' was wrong. Had a get togetha a the neighborhood, ya know? 'Magine bein' given hugs and pats on the back for how well ya was doin' by everyone who came through the door without flinchin' even though it hurt like hell jus' ta move. Had ta lie 'bout why I had a band-aid on me chin, too, and make it believable, elsewise I'd get it worse. It neva fuckin' ended 'til I fuckin' left. That's why I don' like bein' touched."

Neither talked for a few rounds of passing the bowl before Daryl asked, not wanting to delve further down memory lane at the moment, "Wha'ch'ya gonna do when ya get back ta camp?"

"I dunno, honestly," she said with a little laugh, thankful for the change in topic. "Jus' don' wanna deal with the same shite all ova again. I'm a fuckin' versie at the end a the world surrounded by normies who don' fuckin' get it." She ran a hand over her face before combing her fingers through her hair as she stood up and paced, her blank facade finally dropping as anger and frustration took over, her Irish brogue breaking through. "Normies don' gotta worry 'bout half t'e shite I do, from noises bein' irritatin' ta me anga goin' from zero ta a thousand like it did wit' Merle and Shane! Y'all don' care if someone's breat'in' too loud or smackin' t'eir lips while t'ey eat or gulpin' t'eir wata down like a dog lickin' its balls! Ya don' gotta put up wit' t'e looks like ya 'bout ta go bat shite at t'e drop a a dime! And now I get ta go back ta t'at camp and deal wit' Lori doin' jus' t'at 'cause Shane can' fuckin' keep 'is 'ands ta his damned self! It ain' fuckin' fair Shane gets ta fuckin' act a pig yet I'm gonna be t'e one in trouble for fuckin' defendin' meself in t'e only way 'e would undastand! It ain' fuckin' right t'at I gotta out meself bein' a versie jus' 'cause Shane's an asshole! I'm gonna be judge six ways 'til Sunday when I get back! T'is whole t'ing jus' ain' fuckin' fair! It jus' ain' fuckin' fair!" She started kicking at the log.

"Hey, now," Daryl took a couple steps closer to her and place a hand gently on the small of her back, "Ain't nothin' wrong with ya. You gave that copper fair warnin' and he didn't back off. Not on you."

She scoffed, folding her arms around herself and looking at the ground, barely leaning into his touch, "Tell t'at ta Lori."

"Just some dumb broad lookin' to climb Shane's beanpole," he said watching the girl who looked even smaller now sit back down slowly while he took a step back.

"Ya mean climbin' his joystick. Bitch ain' fuckin' tryin'. Caught 'em a while back goin' at it," Tea responded with a shiver as she turned towards him, chuckling lightly before her face completely morphed into a stony expression. "Sorry. Didn' mean ta be a whiny little bitch jus' now. Jus' got me nerves shot thanks ta Shane. Hell, should a seen me when I got 'ere. Surprised I didn' dump me grinda on the ground with how bad I was shakin'. Happens every time I get worked up."

"Ain't nuttin' to worry 'bout, girl," Daryl said handing the now empty bowl back to the small woman. "Don' really get that autism and ADHD stuff, though."

She just shook her head and repacked the pipe, not caring that she was going to be running low seeing as how Daryl had found her; any time she walked off she'd probably have company now. He'd been the only one not to judge how she acted around camp, so she shared what she had with him. Maybe when they went into town again she'd get lucky and find someone's stash to add to her own to give her a larger supply; she'd already gotten lucky twice before, though it hadn't been much either time. It seemed like she might have a smoking buddy now that he knew her little secret. She thought it funny how she, someone working with APD, was smoking with Daryl. She just didn't look nor act the type to do drugs, let alone hang out with a biker.

Finally she replied, "Like I said. I'm a freak a nature."

"Why you call yourself that all the damn time?" he growled, finally irritated enough by her saying it. It was bad enough he thought about himself that way sometimes and here she was constantly calling herself it like it was natural.

"'Cause I am. Autism and ADHD, being a fuckin' genius, me mind bein' fucked by anxiety and depression that's fuckin' caused by the autism and ADHD, always gotta plan everythin', gotta be in control. Even me folks knew I was a freak. Told me every time we were alone," she stated like it was a fact, him to stare at her intently.

"Listen here," Daryl started, not enjoying the revelations she had given him, "Autism, ADHD? Fuck's that even matter, girl? You've gone and done more for that camp than Shane has and more for my brother and me than anyone ever. And Merle's been an ass to ya the whole damn time. Anyone give you trouble for bein' you, you come get me. I'll put 'em in they're place. So stop callin' yourself that."

"Why do ya even care?"

"Well, shit, you're around so much I've gotten used to you. That's all. Kinda need my huntin' partner and you're the only woman I ever known to put Merle on his ass. Gotta keep ya 'round for that," Daryl said with a laugh. "I dunno, I just do. So stop fuckin' callin' yourself that."

Well, there you have it...a bit of her badassery, a bit of her history, a bit of a tender moment...Yeah...Review if you'd please. I'd like to know how I'm doing if you'd be so kind...Also, not sure if I'll get a chapter up tomorrow. My man's coming home a day early and I have a house that needs a serious overhaul...XP

Updated 8/27/21