Gets a little steamy...XD Hope y'all enjoy! Still don't own TWD

To RaphaeltheCowboy, I appreciate the kind words. I have a basic plan of how I want her to grow, but that's the best I can give you without giving away things I have planned.

To Anlovi, I have every intention to continue for as long as people are interested in reading. If I need a break, I will let everyone know. But I do intend on following this through until I cannot find a storyline for my OC and those I save that follows along with canon.

Thanks for all the love, guys!

There had actually been a bear. Daryl had thought it might have been a hallucination when she'd mentioned it the night before. However, when she showed him the tracks at sunrise, he was dumbfounded. By mid-morn they had found the thing munching on berries in the woods. It was a young adult black bear, only about three feet at the shoulder, and no more than three hundred pounds. Daryl was behind the bear while Ania had gone on ahead to climb up a tree. He was supposed to wait a few minutes before trying to get a kill shot. If his bolt didn't find purchase, she would be able to fire from her position and give him time to knock a bolt back if she didn't manage to kill it. Thankfully, it was only a black bear; they definitely wouldn't have been able to take it on if it had been a grizzly. Everything went according to plan as his bolt found purchase behind the bear's front shoulder, just below the ribs. The bear had reared up and roared before a second arrow penetrated its eye, stabbing its brain. It dropped like a sack of bricks. After finding a fallen branch thick enough, the two hunters had it hog-tied and ready for the long haul back to camp.

"Should we take your camp down?" Daryl asked as they returned to her tent.

"Nah, leave it. Got some place ta go if the group can' keep ta 'emselves regardin' business that ain' theirs," she answered. Continuing, she shot him a sly smile and raised her eyebrow, one hand placed on her cocked-out hip, "'Sides, we could always come back, jus' ya and me. Pretty secluded."

It was all of two seconds later that his lips were attacking hers. She smiled into the kiss as one hand grabbed a hold of his hip while the other snaked into his hair. The desire was palpable as he held her tightly against him. All he could think of was how she had felt in his arms last night and how much more he wanted to feel of her. Both of them were drowning in each other, hands roaming all over each other's body. Her body arched into his and her hands wrapped tight around his neck as his slid down her ass before picking her up. When she wrapped her legs around his hips, arching her body into his and giving them both friction they moaned at. He knew this was a fast move, but there was only one way he was going to pull back from this little vixen now.

"You ever?" he asked against her lips.

"Nah, but I wanna," came her muffled reply.

"You sure, Ania?" he asked as he pulled back from her to look her in the eye.

She was absolutely beautiful in that moment, pupils blown and lips swollen, "I'm ya's, Daryl."

He carried her back into the tent shortly after, dropping her back onto the sleeping bag and laying down on top of her. The kiss they shared was passionate and full of want. Daryl pulled away to work a trail with his lips down her jawline as his hands worked her shirt free of her pants. She was working her own fingers against the buttons of his shirt. After they were both topless, they resumed their feverish kissing. She had tried trailing her hands down his back, but he stopped her and put them on his shoulders instead with a pointed look. She took the hint and kept her hands to his shoulders, chest, arms, and ass. He then bent to her neck and kissed a trail down her body, stopping to appreciate both mounds of her breasts. Taking one nipple into his mouth, he rolled it with his tongue before sucking on it and moving on to the other bud. She moaned loudly at his ministrations and pulled him into another searing kiss as both pairs of hands quickly moved to the other's pants. There was no stopping now. The woods around them soon echoed with the sounds of their passion.

They had taken a lot longer to get back to camp than expected. There was an ache deep inside her and between her legs that he had put there. She had bruises on her hips from his fingertips and spattered low on her chest and between her thighs from his teeth and lips. Her body still smelled like him as she trudged behind Daryl, branch on her shoulder helping to carry their kill. Tea was sure he smelled like her, too. They'd stayed in the tent until after noon, only leaving due to necessity. They'd stopped to take breaks a few times, each time resulting in more heated kisses and groping. For a while as they walked, she hadn't been able to keep the smile off her face, only for him to look back at her every so often and smirk when he saw it as she blushed and looked down. It was only when they got closer to the camp that her face had gone back to the stony expression she usually had. Daryl had looked back and smirked at her one more time as the camp came into view, noticing the fire in her eyes when he did.

It was a quiet evening when they finally got back. When Daryl first broke through the tree line, no one but Merle bothered to notice. The bear coming out next got people to look over, but it was when the small woman behind him emerged that the commotion really took place. Many members of the group started talking loudly asking where she had been and if she'd found the bear. The children were openly gawking at the thing while many of the adults were commenting about it. They'd barely managed to set it down where they skinned before Shane and Glenn were trying to talk to them. Merle, Lori, and Dale had also walked up, though they weren't nearly as animated.

"Where the fuck you been?" Shane asked at the same time Glenn questioned, "Are you okay?"

"In the woods and yes," came her reply, as if it weren't obvious.

"For ten days?" Shane commented.

"Ya eva hunt a damn bear?" Tea looked over at him with scrutiny. "Ain' fuckin' easy and it can be really fuckin' dangarous if ya don' do it right. Caught it's tracks a little too close ta camp for me likin' and thought it'd make some good meat. I know how ta preserve it, turn it inta jerky usin' the sun. It'll last a good while. 'Sides, a bear in me backyard with kids in the camp? Not takin' the chance. Wasn't sure if I could take it on me own and didn' expect Dixon ta take so long catchin' up ta me. Didn' wanna take the chance it'd follow me back ta camp eitha. Got fuckin' lucky it was on the smalla side, othawise we coulda had a problem."

"Ain't my fault you left no damn trail," Daryl quipped back, hiding a smirk as her skin turned just a tinge pink.

Glenn chimed in, "You've seriously just been stalking a bear in the woods all this time? It's been nearly two weeks!"

Getting frustrated she decided to answer with a half truth, "Look, I know I left camp without tellin' anyone. I needed ta be on me own for a bit, that's all. I had every intention a comin' back that day afta I'd cooled me head. Didn' mean ta be gone so long, but like I said, caught the trail a the bear."

"The fuck ya leave for in the first place?" Merle asked; something didn't add up and there was clearly something off about his brother. "You're a dumb bitch takin' off like that."

"Ya know why, Merle," she faced him with a glare. "Don' fuckin' push it."

"Still don't explain why you were gone so long," Shane said hotly.

"Again, ya eva hunt a damn bear? Ya gotta stay downwind at all times if ya smell, which ain' exactly easy, 'specially nowadays. And I sure as hell couldn' very well carry at least three hundred pounds back ta camp on me own. Been fuckin' difficult ta get 'ere with it as it is," she shot back.

She and Daryl had talked about what excuses she was going to use on the way back. It had been Daryl's idea to stretch the truth a bit; the only lie was that she had spent her time tracking the bear not running away. They each had their own reasons for not wanting to tell the camp the whole truth. Tea didn't want the others to know how weak she could really be let alone the strength of her emotions when they were present. Daryl just wanted to make her feel safe and didn't want her to feel any more judgment than she already was going to be getting. Ania was his woman now and he wasn't going to let anyone hurt her, not even Merle. He couldn't even chance to look at his brother just yet let alone get too close to him. Merle was smart enough to know that they weren't telling the truth, at least not all of it.

"What really happened, bitch?" Merle pressed, getting pissed off at the two silently working to string the bear up.

"I told ya," came the short answer.

"Now listen here," he started, "I know damn well your lyin'. At least ya ain't tellin' the whole damn truth. So start fuckin' talkin'!"

"Fuck ya, Merle," was his only response.

He was fuming and about to force her to look at him when Daryl popped up between them, "Leave it alone, Merle. This bear ain't gonna skin itself." He all but pulled the girl along with him to get her away from his angry older brother.

The next day, Tea had preserved most of the bear meat by cutting it into very thin strips and laying it out on a clean tarp on top of the RV. She left it in the hot Georgia sun for hours, flipping the meat every so often so it dried evenly. Daryl had helped her with it, Merle watching the two the entire time as if he wanted to strangle them, well, her. He'd caught the smiles and touches the two gave each other while appearing to just be handing things off. Life around camp got a lot harder after that.

Merle was pissed that his brother was keeping something from him, and it obviously involved the little bitch. Whatever happened in those woods, the hunter was not willing to talk about it. For two weeks now they would leave to go on hunts, always in the opposite direction, but somehow came back together. He could have sworn he could smell the scent of sex on Daryl after they'd gone hunting over night last week. They also went off alone together for an hour or so when they thought no one was watching every so often. Merle had noticed every interaction and passing glance and touch. Those stupid smiles they shared whenever they caught each other's eye. He had had his suspicions and confirmed them four nights ago.

He followed them out of camp knowing he had to keep a safe distance. He'd waited fifteen minutes before getting up and finding their trail. A short time later, he found the two sitting at a log smoking pot. For one second he was momentarily distracted by the fact that the bitch actually did drugs. That was until he saw how they were sitting. His brother had been leaning against the girl, had settled right between her legs with his back to her stomach and his head on her shoulder like a little bitch. All he wanted to do was march over there and beat his brother black and blue. Since when was he such a little pussy?

He'd stayed long enough to hear his brother affectionately call her something sounding like Tanya as he leaned his head back further into her shoulder. She leaned down and wrapped a hand under his head, pressing her lips to his. When Daryl's hand had reached back and entangled in her hair, deepening the kiss, Merle had had to stomp off. It took everything in him not to storm over there and tear them apart. Only problem was that he could tell his brother would stand up and defend the bitch if he did. He'd told the boy time and time again that she was just toying with him and now he'd fallen for her game hook, line, and sinker.

Merle had to get her alone. If she thought she could steal his baby brother away from him, she had another thing coming. It was easy enough to get rid of her and all he had to do was say the right words; people might question it, but no one would have any proof. That's why when they were looking for volunteers to go to Atlanta, he offered to go. Surely the dumb bitch would go on the biggest trip she'd planned yet to make sure it went smoothly; she'd gone on most of the others. As long as he got her alone, he could easily put an end to the game she was playing with his brother. All he had to do was wait a few days.

~x~

They were at the log they frequented the night before a small group went to Atlanta. She was currently leaning between his legs with her back against his chest, his arm across her belly while his back was against the log. It was their favorite way to sit when they were alone, one leaning against the other's chest. They had been passing her bowl back and forth for a while now, just enjoying each other and the calm they were feeling. No one was certain about their relationship, and they had every intention of keeping it that way. They only ever allowed nothing more than a passing touch when they were around the others. Not only had they agreed the night before he brought her back to camp, but they both cherished the times they spent alone and away from the group. Neither felt anyone in the group had a right to know about them, except maybe Merle. Only problem with that was that Merle hated her guts and was convinced that she was just playing games with Daryl, and Daryl was scared of the results of telling him.

Daryl was enjoying the feeling of holding Ania against him; only way it would have been better was if they had been naked. The images from their secret camp ran through his mind once again. Every time he got to embrace the feeling of her skin against his it felt surreal. Never in a million years had he thought that such a thing was possible. He knew Merle knew something was going on between them, but he wasn't ready to confront that situation yet. His brother had always thought very little of women, and it didn't help that this woman had beat him. Daryl feared what Merle would say, or even worse do, to Ania if he found out he and the girl were involved. Merle was still telling him that it was just the two of them against the world and that no one cared about him but Merle. She had been trying to be nicer to Merle for Daryl's sake, but the man simply would not let up and had become even worse in the last few days. Daryl thought about how Merle would be going to Atlanta too and wasn't very comfortable with letting Ania go with him.

"Could always use your help on the hunt," Daryl told her. "Don't really want you goin' to the city."

She thought long and hard about the trip to the city. Morales, Andrea, T-Dog, Merle, Glenn, and Jacqui had all volunteered to go and she had it all planned out. As long as they followed her plan they would be fine, so they didn't really need her on the trip. Besides, having two hunting meant twice as much meat so it would still benefit the group. Glenn could handle the minor details since he knew by now how she handled the runs to begin with and had gone on several by himself already. Whether she went on the trip or went hunting, both were viable options that would benefit the group. On top of that, Merle had been so much worse the last few days that she really wasn't thrilled about the idea of spending time with him without Daryl playing buffer. Whatever his problem with her was, it was getting out of hand and it scared her what he might try to pull if she went to the city. She hadn't guaranteed she would go to Atlanta, it was just expected of her, but if she was being honest she didn't want to go.

"I think we can manage that," she answered, even though she knew both of them were being a bit selfish. "Who knows, maybe we'll stumble 'cross me ol' camp. Stay over night," she stated suggestively, running her fingers up and down the length of his arm slowly.

"Mmm, maybe," he responded, even though he knew they both felt his body betraying him at the thought. It had quickly become their favorite spot and they had found themselves there more than a few times on their hunting trips. Those trips always took longer, though they'd only stayed the night once more.

"I'll let 'em know when we get back ta camp," she said simply before frowning. "Think Merle knows?"

"Fuck, he ain't stupid, Ania. If he don't know, s'cause he don't wanna know," Daryl responded.

"Can I ask ya somethin'?" she asked tentatively feeling him nod against her head. "I ain' eva askin' ya ta leave him behind, but ya wouldn' leave me behind eitha, right?"

"Nah, girl. Couldn't even if I wanted to," came his honest answer as he buried his nose in her hair before turning her head to kiss her.

When they got back to camp, she and Glenn started scouring over the maps and plans for the next day. She informed the Asian that she was staying behind and going hunting instead; if she could get some more meat preserved before the heat started dying off, they could have some for winter. There were more than enough hands going and he knew his way around the city well enough that she had full confidence in him. That was the first time she openly told him that she trusted him, and it made Glenn beam. Earning Tea's trust was the hardest thing to do; she obviously trusted a few people around camp, but hearing it out loud was cherished. Only Dale, Daryl, and himself had had the privilege to hear her say it. Other than that, she just trusted people to do what they needed to.

Once their conversation was over and everything had been put back where it needed to go, she walked to her tent. Merle was standing near his own tent, brother next to him, watching as she walked by. She had moved her tent near theirs saying it was for a better vantage point almost as soon as camp was set the second day. But there it fucking was, that little smile as her eyes flitted to his brother. His scowl deepened when he saw it mirrored on Daryl's face. The two were acting like love-sick crackheads, and he was not happy. He turned on his brother, grabbing him by the back of his shirt and forcing him to turn away.

"Fuck ya doin' boy, huh?" he demanded. "Get your head in the game, son. That little slice of pussy ain't ever gonna stop our plans. She just usin' you, man! You ain't mean shit to her! You gotta know that by now!"

"Shut up, Merle," Daryl growled out, sick of hearing this shit.

"No, fuck you man!" Merle roared out as he pushed Daryl further towards their tent before stepping up into his face. "Chasin' a piece of ass that ain't never gonna want you. What? You think she's actually fallin' for you? Think she'll ride off into the sunset with ya? Love ya? You ain't fuckin' worth shit to that little bitch and you know it!"

"Fuck you!" Daryl roared right back, pushing Merle away from him. He'd had enough of listening to this shit.

Merle decked him, a full on sucker punch to the jaw. Daryl retaliated by roughly pushing him away again not wanting to hit his brother, but his shirt was held firmly in Merle's grasp and he didn't go far. When Merle's fist reared back a second time, the entire camp ended up standing still and watching. As soon as his fist connected with Daryl's face, Merle was tackled. Not only tackled, but the lithe body had moved so quickly that he was once again unable to retaliate. Before he even hit the ground, Tea had her thighs wrapped around his throat, one hand trapped between her calves, the other arm being straightened by her arms. It was an advanced leg scissors choke hold, one she was supposed to reserve for life and death situations because of how easy it was to completely cut off oxygen. She wasn't being nice about it either, exerting as much of her strength as she dared to choke the man out as quickly as possible. For all Merle's strength, he could not get a firm grip on the ground to stand, and his arms were trapped, leaving him to kick and gasp as he started seeing spots. Shane had come running as soon as the Dixons started fighting, but stopped when he saw that Tea was currently choking the older brother out; a part of him turned on and a part of him wishing he was the one between those legs in a very different way.

If there was one thing Tea could not tolerate, it was abusive behavior towards those who were your family. She had been putting up with Merle simply because he was Daryl's brother. Daryl had been abused enough when he was a kid. Hell, he was still dealing with mental and emotional abuse from his brother, let alone all the scars from his childhood. She had heard Merle verbally abusing Daryl and using her to hurt him several times before. Words that haunted her from the past came creeping back every time as Merle's voice blended with Jesse's boyfriend during those final moments with her friend. She had already started walking towards them to intervene and set Merle straight, consequences be damned. But when he punched Daryl hard like that, she was done with playing Ms. Nice Girl. She was finished with everything that had to do with the older redneck when she saw Daryl's blood flow from the cut on his cheek.

After Merle was out cold, she released him and looked at Shane and said in a voice that left no room for discussion, "I'm goin' huntin'. Be back in a couple a days."

That wasn't what the plan had been. The plan was that she and Daryl would leave around sunrise to get an early start on the hunt. But there was an urgency to get out of camp before the emotions inside her exploded and Merle woke up. Her voice had been completely flat and devoid of emotion, though her eyes held the rage that burned through her. Shane had at least learned by now that if she had that tone of voice it was best to back off. He simply said alright before walking away while she was still staring down at Merle who was laying out on the ground. Tea didn't know if she wanted to see Daryl but when he told her he'd get his gear, she hoped they were okay. Going to her tent and throwing on her quiver, she grabbed Jewel and walked over to where she and Daryl usually entered the woods if they left together.

Enough of the camp knew that the dynamic between the hunters had shifted, even if the extent of the shift wasn't exactly known, and that it had left Merle the odd man out. If the way the man had been treating the duo in general lately wasn't an indication, the altercation that had just transpired laid it out plainly. As Daryl walked up to her and motioned for her to follow him, the camp watched with rapt attention. The two hadn't really done much hunting together over the last few weeks, but they always seemed to be gone at the same time and arrive back together. A few members of the camp commented about the implication of it all while Carol and Jacqui shared a knowing smile. The two had become close bonding over chores and the hunters were a hot topic of discussion. Even though Tea hadn't said anything, the smile she got every time Daryl was mentioned was enough to tell the older women all they needed to know.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly once they got into the woods and away from camp. The tears had never stopped from the moment she turned her back on the camp as she thought about the consequences of her actions.

Daryl wasn't sure how he felt about the situation. She had stood up for him and protected him from his brother. That had been a first that anybody had done that, but she had also choked his brother out. He didn't understand how he was feeling because a part of him was happy while the other part of him was pissed.

"Why?"

"He's ya brother. I did it 'cause family shouldn' hurt family and I'm sorry 'cause 'e hurt ya and I hurt 'im," she said, her arms folding in on herself.

He knew she meant every word and was angry at herself almost as much as he was with her. It didn't stop him from continuing, "Only gonna make it worse."

"I know. I'm sorry. I wasn' thinking. I heard what 'e said ta ya 'bout me! It was all I could do ta not go ova and punch 'im then. He had no right! Ya were jus' tryin' ta let it go and 'e kept at it and 'e punched ya 'cause a it! He punched ya, Daryl! He's ya brother and he punched ya! How could I jus' stand by and let 'im hurt ya? I jus' reacted and I'm sorry," she ranted. "I was jus' tryin' ta protect ya!"

"I didn't ask you to protect me!" he finally shouted at her, turning on her as his anger finally got the best of him, getting in her face.

"Ya didn' have ta!" she yelled back.

"I don't fuckin' want you protectin' me!"

"Too fuckin' bad!"

"You really are just a bitch playin' games, aren't you?" Daryl said, his voice dropping low as he stepped back giving her a disgusted look.

That caused her to step back, too, looking at him with shock, horror, and pain. Her Irish brogue was strong as the emotions wracked her body. "How dare ya! Ya know damn well I'm incapable a t'at. How could ya e'en t'ink li'e t'at? Is t'at wha' ya t'ink I been doin' all 'long? Playin' some sort a game wit' ya? I gave ya me firs' fuckin' time, Daryl, and ya know it! Who would play a fuckin' game t'at makes ya give t'at away?! I'm twenny fuckin' two, Daryl! I chose ya dammit!" her voice had steadily risen as she talked. "Wanna know why ya don' get a choice in whet'er or no' I protec' ya?" She yelled through her tears, "It's 'cause I fuckin' love ya!"

She turned on her heel and practically ran away from him. Daryl stood there watching after her. Out of everything Ania could have said, that was not anything he could have expected. He didn't want or need her protection and was beyond enraged that she was the one doing the protecting. It was supposed to be him protecting her, not her making him look weak. Telling him she had every right to protect him was not what he wanted to hear. He wanted her to leave him, wanted Ania to realize he was just like his brother, so he said the one thing he knew would hurt her. The last thing he thought he would hear in return was her telling him that she loved him. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to react and so just stood there before running his hands through his hair, cussing while kicking the tree behind him.

Daryl looked down, somewhat ashamed. He knew she wasn't playing him; they'd shared nearly everything with each other about their lives, from the horror stories to the good memories, even if the horror stories were just brief mentions and the good times were few and far between. She had explained to him how her mind worked, and the fact that emotions to his Ania were either fleeting, non-existent, or fiercely strong. The fleeting emotions, like when she found something funny or was happy, were just that; they were there one moment and gone the next. Most of the time, she was just in the moment and living, thus the reason her face was always so blank. She just didn't feel emotions the same way others did. The fierce emotions she felt were related to two things, anger and possessions. She'd been very clear to tell him that while she does consider him hers, that didn't mean he was a possession she owned, like Jewel. It just meant that she didn't share and felt very strongly towards him. He was somewhat scared when she'd said that, but played it off by telling her she was his, too.

A few moments later he finally got his act together and followed after her. He didn't know what he was going to do when he caught up to her or if he could; Ania was fast when she wanted to be. His mind was still reeling from what she had said. From the way her trail looked, she had decided to go to their secret camp, though it was hectic and wavered, almost as if she hadn't been able to walk straight. He found her roughly half way to their camp sitting with her arms around her knees, face buried in them. She was sobbing harder than he had ever seen her, and there had been a number of times she'd been reduced to tears. Every time Shane or Merle got into it with her, she'd left camp for a while to hide her tears. He'd taken to following her after she'd laid Shane out and had been the one to help dry them since. Now he was the cause of them and it hurt him to have done this to her. Even though he was still trying to figure out his emotions from everything that had happened, he could tell that she was simply heartbroken.

"Hey," he said quietly, coming up behind her. When she didn't give a response, he sighed, "Wha'd'ya want from me, Ania?"

"I jus' want you. But I also want ya ta be safe, Daryl. I don' wanna see ya gettin' hurt. And 'e's always fuckin' hurtin' ya. I can't, Daryl. I jus' fuckin' can' watch it anymore. 'Specially not when 'e's usin' me ta do it," she choked out between sobs, not even looking at him.

Daryl was confused, "He ain't always hurtin' me."

"That's a lie and ya know it. Words hurt, Daryl," she stated, finally looking at him. "They fuckin' hurt and make ya think things that ain' true. How many times he tell ya ya ain' good 'nough? How many times he tell ya no one's eva gonna be there for ya but 'im? No one's gonna care 'bout ya but 'im? I hear it all the damn time! And the worst thing is that 'im sayin' it ta ya brings back all the people who've said the same damn shite ta me! How Jesse's boyfriend told me she was jus' usin' me 'cause I was smart and it turned out she was. Little autistic girl's too fucked up ta be wanted or loved. Me momma, daddy, papa, so many fuckin' peers in school, fuck even Jesse told me that in the end! Hell, me own parents didn' fuckin' want me, Daryl! Abuse don' jus' come in the form a beat downs. Mental, verbal, and emotional abuse are all as real as physical abuse. They jus' leave scars on the mind 'stead a the body."

They were both silent, just watching each other as her tears continued to fall. Daryl didn't know how to feel about her words. He had always thought that beatings were what constituted as abuse. What she said made sense, though, and it was true that Merle was always telling him what she'd said to the point he believed it. The fact that she had gone through it herself and that Merle's words also affected her surprised him, although he knew it shouldn't. She was always so quiet and helpful around camp, acting like nothing was wrong with the world. It was easy for him to forget the fact that she'd also grown up in an abusive environment. The only time she ever acted aggressive was when people grabbed at her or when Merle was being Merle. Ania was so different in dealing with her past than he was. He was still stuck believing the words he'd heard his whole life and here she was trying to fight against the echoes of them.

"'Mere," was all he said, wrapping the girl in his arms as her body shook. "Sorry, Ania."

"I love ya, Daryl," she cried into his chest, clutching onto the back of his shirt with all her might. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"S'okay," he paused. "Love ya, too."

Oooooooo...confessions and Merle getting laid out on his ass again...I really have a thing against how Merle treats Daryl and Daryl seems to have no clue that it's abuse...So, yeah, there it is...Hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you again tomorrow!

Updated 8/28/21