Summer was in full bloom. They'd been at the quarry for roughly five weeks now and Tea was dying in the heat. She didn't feel comfortable wearing any of the shorts they had found. While they fit on all the other women to at least mid thigh, they barely even covered her. That was the curse of having a giant ass, wide hips, and a small waist. Skirts and dresses just weren't an option to wear over such short shorts, so she was stuck with limited options. She decided that she could just wear her high-rise capris and one of the numerous crop tops she had stuffed in her bag that had helped her keep the heat off during previous summers. It was half the reason she'd grabbed them, the other half being the lack of necessity for a bra.

She pulled the black denim capris on and loved how they settled above her hip bones. Her toned abs were visible from the bottom of her ribs to the top of her belly button. She took a minute to admire herself in the little compact mirror she had. She thought herself decent, as the pants stretched from mid calf to just above the belly button while the shirt ended at the bottom of her ribs. Her hair was in a high ponytail, leaving her shoulders bare aside from the thin straps of the baby blue top. It only showed the barest hint of cleavage, nothing more than some of the other shirts she'd worn around camp. Overall, she looked amazing and felt good about herself. She exited her tent in a pretty damn good mood.

Daryl and Merle were by their tent and Tea gave them a wave as she walked past. She and Daryl had spent a few hours at the log a couple more times over the last week or so. He had been very interested in learning about her 'condition,' as he called it, and she had been more than willing to answer his questions. They went hunting a few times as well and had started being able to read each other across camp. So when she saw the scowl on Daryl's face, her good mood deflated fast. She wondered what she had done to make him so angry as he stalked up to her and grabbed her forearm. He dragged her back towards her tent before shoving her towards it, making her stumble for a second before catching herself.

"Can I help ya, Mr. Dixon?" she asked with a smirk, taking a small step closer to him, not entirely sure what she was doing, but wanting to see what had gotten him so riled up; a small part of Tea hoped it had to do with her.

"The fuck you wearin'?" came her only reply.

"It's hot. Shorts ain' exactly me friend thanks ta me ass. Jus' tryin' ta stay cool," she responded, hoping she sounded playful.

"Go put a fuckin' shirt on," Daryl growled, pointing towards her tent.

"Already got a shirt on. Don' like it?" she looked him straight in the eye as she took another step and pressed her chest right against Daryl's, feeling bolder than ever by how good she felt about herself. "Stake a claim and show everyone I belong ta ya or shut the fuck up. Eitha way, ya gonna have ta get the fuck ova it. I don' like bein' hot, so this's what I'm gonna wear as long as I need ta."

Even Merle was stunned by her words. Just over a month ago she had told Shane she would never let him stake a claim. She'd said she wasn't good enough for Daryl to him just a couple weeks ago. And now she was telling his brother to stake a claim straight to his face? He was pissed at her, but it only lasted until he caught the heartbroken face she held when Daryl just scoffed and all but shoved her away from him before walking away. The smile he burst into as he went after his baby brother and clapped him on the back could only be called award winning. Congratulating the man on finally telling the little bitch off, he turned back around to look at the woman, victory all over his face. He had only just registered the tear running down her cheek, her face contorted into an expression of hurt before she had turned on her heel and went into her tent. She hadn't changed, just walked out of camp that day after grabbing a large duffle bag, the small backpack, and her crossbow without uttering a single word to anyone. No one even saw her leave.

That had been nearly a week ago and Merle was about to rip his brother a new one. The longer Tea was away, the more irritable Daryl had gotten. He'd been snapping at anyone and everyone in the group who even looked at him, even Merle. Hell, they'd even gotten into a fist fight of their own because of the little bitch. Merle had decked Daryl for acting like a lost little dog looking for his master while Daryl had fought back in kind for Merle saying it was better she was gone. They'd been at odds since then, and it was all due to that little fucking vixen.

Daryl had gone 'hunting' every day since the day she hadn't come back, but the trail had gone cold before he could even really begin looking for her. While her tracks in camp were heavy, as soon as she had walked into the woods, they were light and hard to follow. Half the time he caught her tracks, there would only be a few steps before they disappeared again. The other half were older, leading to the log where they had smoked and she'd admitted so much about herself. More than once he found his own feet taking him to that log where he silently pleaded for her to come back.

~x~

Daryl had left camp just as the sun had started to come over the horizon. Going hunting was the only way he could get his mind off the little girl who had yet to return. How was he supposed to know she'd been serious? And now she was just gone. The thought that she might never return lay heavy on him. He'd gotten used to her being around and her absence was hitting him harder than he wanted to admit. Daryl was no pussy, and he knew it, but damn if he didn't feel like one chasing some tail all over the Georgian woods. He didn't even know where the hell she was and he was still looking. How the hell one woman could just walk away like that in this shit show of a world, he didn't know. He just knew if he found her, he was going to tear her a new one.

He had been in the woods for hours when he came across the fresh tracks of an indentation he had made himself extremely aware of. He had several squirrels to take back to camp, but now that he had a lead, he'd be damned if he was going back without her. Ten days. She'd been gone ten days and everyone in the camp thought she was dead. It had pissed him off to no end when Shane had explicitly said that she had wandered into the woods on her own, she could find her own way back. That had been the third day she'd been gone and he'd all but demanded they started searching the woods for her. It had taken Merle holding him back to not start wailing on the cop; he and Merle had gotten into a fight instead. It seemed like the cop was still pissed about her laying him out.

The better part of the group had been treating her differently since she had explained what happened and why, something she had anticipated. Only Dale, Jim, Glenn, Carl, and Sophia acted normally around her. Lori was not thrilled with the fact that Tea had still been teaching the kids about foraging, but it had been for the better of and backed by most of the group, including the kids in question. T-Dog and Jacqui were friendly enough, but kept their distance and watched her every time she was around them. The rest of the people in the group avoided her more than they did him and his brother. His brother had been even worse in his treatment of her, not wanting a 'psycho bitch' near him. If she hadn't have left camp, Daryl wasn't too sure what would have happened between the two of them after her bold words. Originally, he'd planned on just ignoring them, passing it off in his head as a joke. But now she was just gone, and the sensation that had started to burn in his chest when she didn't return that first evening had only gotten worse.

As he followed the trail leading deeper into the woods, he could barely make out the smell of a campfire. He picked up his pace, knowing he was close. Breaking through the tree-line, he was not expecting what he saw. A burnt out cabin was sat in a small clearing, clearly having been someone's old hunting lodge. There was no roof, one of the front corners was completely missing, and the better part of the walls were crumbling. It still offered some shelter from the elements but not enough to be habitable; maybe that was why the yellow tent was set up in the center of the cabin. And there she was, sitting alone and sharpening her knives in front of the tent. There was a small stone fire pit containing flames she was using to cook what looked to be a squirrel. She had literally left the safety of the group and moved out into the woods all alone. Looking no worse for wear, as if she didn't have a care in the world that she was alone at the end of the fucking world and still wearing one of those far too revealing shirts. The burning sensation in his chest swelled and morphed into a raging anger as he stormed his way towards her at top speed.

"What the hell do you think you doin', little girl?"

It had been ten days since she had heard that voice; all it did was cause her to seethe, "Was t'inkin' I'm fuckin' betta off on me own."

"Thought you were a smart bitch," Daryl growled out as he came to a stop right in front of her and grabbed her under the arms, hauling her to her feet.

He kept one hand firmly grasped against her bicep as he started dragging her away and back towards the group. He had only gotten two steps before she had dug her heels in and started struggling against his grip. Daryl didn't pause to think as he grabbed her around the waist with the other arm and lifted her feet off the ground, letting go of her bicep to get a better grip around her middle. He tried walking away again but she kept thrashing in his arms trying to trip him up. He only cleared half the field when she succeeded in damn near making him fall. He had been forced to drop her. She landed on her feet and turned around quicker than he anticipated, pushing him away and making him stumble backwards a few steps.

"Fuck ya, Daryl! Fuck ya e'en wanna find me for? What? Come across me by random?" she spat at him.

He looked absolutely livid now as he stalked back up to her, "No, fuck you, you bitch! I been tryin' like hell to find you since you decided to be a little pussy and walk outta camp! You left me no damn trail to follow!"

"I didn' wanna be followed!" she screamed in his face, stepping so close that their chests were almost touching, just as livid as the redneck in front of her. "Don'ch'ya fuckin' get it, Dixon? Leave me t'e fuck alone!"

"Ain't what you said 'fore you fuckin' left camp!" he roared back.

"Well I fuckin' take it back!"

"Fuck you will!"

He didn't know what had come over him. He was pissed that she was trying to leave. Pissed she wanted to be on her own. Pissed she was fighting him. But when she said she was taking back her offer, his mind went completely blank. His hands moved on their own as he wrapped one arm around her waist and another up under her arm and against her shoulders, hand gripping her hair tightly. He pulled her flush against him and off the ground as his lips crashed against hers. She responded in kind, hands burying themselves in his short hair, and all Daryl could process was the feel of her against him. Teeth clashing, tongues tangling, hands grabbing at each other as if they were clinging to life itself. All the pent up anger and frustration he'd felt over the last week and a half he poured into that kiss. When they pulled away, they both were panting and held matching looks of desire painted across their faces. That was until hers contorted into fear and pain and she pushed him away again with all her might, though it was only enough to make them break contact.

"Ya kissed me," her voice sounding more broken than ever. "Ya stupid fuckin' hick, ya kissed me!"

Now he was confused as she stood with her hands in her hair looking as if she was going to breakdown, "Fuckin' hell, girl!"

"I'm a fuckin' basket case, Daryl!" she screeched as she paced in small circles, hands in her hair. "I'm a damn versie! Ya a fuckin' normie! Ya'll ge' sick a havin' ta deal wit' me bullshite! Hell, ya already had ta come and find me 'cause I couldn' deal! I ain' no fuckin' good for ya! Jus' accept t'at! Jus' fuckin' leave me be already! I ain' gonna be not'in' but dead weight ta ya so jus' fuckin' go back ta Merle and fuckin' leave me be!" Her voice had gotten louder as she talked, but all of a sudden she stopped pacing, her hands falling to her sides as she looked up at him completely lost. "Jus' leave me," she pleaded while her voice cracked.

He pulled her back against him, arms holding her securely as he tried to understand why she was so upset, "Don' care about all that shit. Versie. Normie. Only matters in your head. You said to stake a claim, so that's what I'm doin'."

"Ya walked t'e fuck away when I said t'at! T'at was ova a week ago!" her voice was trembling as much as her body was now as the anger in it began to wane. "Ya walked away."

"Thought you were jokin'," Daryl admitted softly, gently gripping her biceps. "Didn't think you'd take off like you did."

"Just go," her voice was soft and weak this time as all the fight left her, eyes lowered.

"Come back," Daryl whispered, his own voice shaky and feeling all his anger morph into fear as he engulfed her in his arms entirely and leaned his forehead against hers.

Tea couldn't help her reaction. It was easier to run than to get hurt. The only reason she was even still in camp was mostly for him. Between Shane and Lori always wanting to boss her around and the looks she got from everyone, she had already been thinking about just walking away and saying to hell with it. That was the whole reason she'd packed a larger duffle bag. It contained roughly a week of supplies, as long as she found a water source and could hunt, as well as some extra clothing. When Daryl had just scoffed and shoved her away at her honest invitation, all the color had drained from her face. All she could hear in her ears were the words of all those she'd cared about before. How they had always told her that she would never be good enough for anyone, she would always be the freak of nature no one wanted. She had acted on auto-pilot and grabbed Jewel and the duffle bag. All she would need to do was find a new tent and sleeping bag and she'd be all set.

It would be better that way, she decided, as her mind shut down all conscious thought and her body moved on instinct. She hadn't even realized how carefully she was stepping until day had turned to night and was breaking again. It was the burnt out cabin that she had stumbled on that had brought her out of autopilot. That's when she realized she had left no trail and had broken down. She wasn't afraid to be on her own and she hadn't wanted to be followed, but the rejection of the camp to her being a versie followed by Daryl's rejection of her in general had her sobbing. She'd gone and gotten a sleeping bag and a small, compact tent later that day. After scouting the area, she realized she was only about five miles away from camp, but the opposite way Daryl generally hunted. She decided it was as good a place as any to stay. They wouldn't be checking the opposite direction she usually walked into the woods, anyway. The quiet ambiance of the forest had greatly calmed her mind, though the echoed words still rang in her ears. It had been ten days total since she'd left and she was content, or thought she was, until this redneck had stormed up.

Her anger had boiled when he grabbed her, but for some reason she was clear as day instead of fuzzy. Whatever hold Daryl Dixon had on her, it was intense enough for her to not lose complete control. All of her strength had gone into pushing him away and he had only stumbled a couple of steps. Such a push had knocked Shane and Merle both on their asses before. She wasn't sure why she had stepped up closer to the raging man in front of her when he had challenged her. If he took a swing, she was going down for the count and most likely would be dragged back to the group and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it. She had made her bed, and she had to lay in it. One way or the other, she was going to get this man to go away and leave her alone.

To say she was surprised when he crashed her to him was an understatement. The kiss was rough and hard. This wasn't a kiss that was being given to cherish her; this was the kiss of a desperate man unable to find words to convey what he felt. Her body reacted on its own, grabbing him and returning the kiss for all it was worth. She already knew that she was going to be fighting an uphill battle against the hunter. It wasn't often she felt strong emotions, so when she did they were hard to ignore. Telling her that it was all in her head that being a versie mattered broke her resolve. When the look in his eyes softened to that of pleading, she lost her breath completely. The soft way he begged her while holding her so close made every echo in her head silent immediately. She didn't realize she was crying until his thumb brushed against her cheek wiping away an escaping tear. That's all it took for her body to be wracked with sobs as her arms circled around him and squeezing him as tightly to her as she could, her face buried in his neck.

Daryl buried his face in her hair while holding her just as tightly. How long had she had to endure pain on her own like this? How many times had she been rejected to have such a harsh reaction to being accepted? She'd been telling him about coping mechanisms a while back at the log, was running away how she dealt with what she thought was his rejection? He knew she had been abused, but even when she had talked about it she hadn't been as broken as she was now. She was so strong in some areas, he never realized how weak she could be as well. It had tears falling from his own eyes as his heart went out to the woman crying in his arms.

After a while, he managed to choke out, "Fuck you cryin' for, girl?"

"I don' know how to do t'is," she admitted.

"Do what?"

"T'is!" she cried in exasperation, as if that one word explained everything.

"This as in us or this as in be accepted," he hit the nail on the head.

"Bot'," she hung her head in shame. "Papa, he jus' kinda happened. And 'e neva botha'd ta address it. And t'en Jesse, closest t'ing I have ta kin, I t'ought she didn' care. T'ought she t'ought I was a good person 'til I exploded on 'er boyfriend and sent 'im ta t'e hospital. Ya jus' lookin' afta me was a blessin'. I shouldn've asked for more. I'm sorry," as she tried to pull away from him again.

She just couldn't fathom how he could accept her and actually want her. It had felt like she was just a schoolgirl with a crush after he had walked away, so him being like this now had her completely confused. She wanted to run away. She wanted to hide. But she also wanted nothing more than to bury her face back into his neck and take in his earthy scent again. The feeling of being in his arms was the most reassurance she had been given since she'd let Jesse hug her. And it terrified her. The thought of being accepted was terrifying, because there was always the chance that he would leave her alone like all the others. And what if she ever lashed out at Daryl in anger like she had others? Tea would never be able to forgive herself. It felt like a knife was gutting her as she tried to leave the safety his embrace promised her, but she was too scared to deal with the confusion all this was bringing her.

"Hey now, stop it," he said as he held her more firmly. "I ain't exactly got much to go on here either. Just gotta take it one step at a time, yeah?"

"One step at a time?"

"That's what I said."

"One step at a time," she said to herself more than anything before nodding her head. "Yeah, I'd like t'at."

"Wha'd'ya say to stayin' out here one more night," Daryl suggested, watching as her eyes began to tear up again, holding her to him. "Just the two a us for the night. Let ya calm down a bit. Maybe find somethin' to hunt to explain your delay gettin' back to camp. Somethin' bigger than a damn rabbit."

Even as the tears fell she shook her head in agreement, touched that he was thinking of an excuse for her, "T'ere's a bear somewhere 'round 'ere. T'e tracks aren' far from 'ere. Was t'inkin' a goin' for it and preservin' whateva I could. Shouldn' take too long ta track it now ya here too."

"Seriously?" Daryl asked in surprise.

"Yeah, not sure what kind, but it'll feed t'e camp for a while."

"How the hell we gonna get a bear back to camp, woman?"

"Simple, kill it, gut it, skin it, cut the head off, and hog tie it ta a thick branch if it's small enough. If it's too big, process and de-bone it, rope the chunks togetha on a branch, and heft it back ta camp that way. I've got 'nough rope and we ain' so far away from camp; only four or five miles. Only reason ya didn' find me soona is 'cause ya'd neva been this way 'fore," she stated plainly, her nerves calming.

He chuckled and shook his head. "Shoulda seen that one comin'," he mumbled. "Ya gonna quit cryin' any time soon?"

"I dunno. I don' even feel 'em right now. I'm jus' exhausted," she replied honestly.

He took her hand and led her back to the tent, sitting her down where she had originally been and removing the now burnt rodent from the fire. Thankfully, he had the ones he had originally gotten for the group to replace it. After processing them, Daryl decided to cook for the girl. Looking at her he could tell that she wasn't in the moment. She sat staring at the fire, but the look in her eye told him she wasn't actually seeing it. Shut down mode, she'd called it during one of their talks. It was a way for her mind to take a break from the reality that it couldn't handle, her body acting purely on instinct when and if it needed to move. Although he wasn't happy that she was in it, he knew that it was a necessary part of her coming to terms with what had just transpired. At least she trusted him enough to keep her safe while she processed. It wasn't until the food was ready that he pulled her back to reality and even then she remained quiet. Daryl didn't mind it as at least she looked at him properly. His mind wandered back to the first night in camp and remembered that she had never given her name.

"Hey," he said, bringing her emerald orbs to meet his blue ones. "You never did say what your name is."

She laughed at him, honestly amused that it was now that he was bringing it up. "Really, Daryl, now you wanna know my name?" He just nodded with a little smile of his own when she just shook her head, "Titania Marie Parker."

"That's real pretty," he said, saying it under his breath to feel it on his tongue. "Why you call yourself Tea with a name like that?"

"Seriously?" she scoffed. "Daryl, it's got 'tit' in it. I was a genius, prepubescent girl in a school of hormonal teenagas. Why would I use my name?!"

"Could always call ya Ania," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Ania? I kinda like that," she said. "But only if it's you, and jus' us for now. Don' want othas judgin' ya for bein' with me."

"Let 'em. Not gonna stop me."

"Please, Daryl. Ya get 'nough shite. Ya don' need ta be judged for bein' with the camp's nutcase on top a it. And Merle fuckin' hates me, ya know that. Jus' keep it 'tween us for now, while I process, please?"

He nodded, surprised that's what she was worried about being judged for and not the age gap like he was. They finished their meal in silence before deciding to call it a night. Daryl offered to stay outside the tent on watch, but Tea shook her head and invited him in. They both took off their boots after entering and securing the tent. Leaving them at the entrance, she moved towards the sleeping bag on the far side of the tent. Daryl moved towards the other side and laid down, trying to get comfortable. He had just gotten into a somewhat comfortable position when he heard her calling him across the tent.

"Daryl?" He answered with a nod. "Sleep next ta me tanight?"

He didn't have to be asked twice. As soon as the question was through her lips he was up and moving. He hesitated when got to her sleeping bag, not sure if she wanted him literally next to her or on top of the covers. Daryl got his answer when she opened the bag and made room for him. It was a larger sleeping bag than he was used to and he wondered about it for two seconds before he saw the zipper behind her. She had zipped two sleeping bags together to make a large one just like she had at camp. He remembered how she didn't like feeling confined, and one sleeping bag was too small for her to be comfortable. He laid down on his back, one arm behind his head while the arm next to Tea laid out at his side. As expected, she slowly had slid between the two before laying her head on his chest, one arm curled up against his side under her chin while her other hand found it's way over his heart. As his arm came up to hold her to him they both couldn't help but sigh in content. There were no kisses shared and yet the intimacy between them was exactly what they both needed. Tonight it was just them being there for each other, and that was the only thing either could have wanted.

Another moment between the two, but a bit shorter of a chapter by word count...still over 4.7k, so not bad...Hope you're all enjoying reading and grace me with more reviews! I really do appreciate any and all feedback! Should be able to post again tomorrow! Thank you again!

Updated 8/27/21