RaphaeltheCowboy: Thanks for the review! I just feel like Daryl deserves better than to have the abuse continue as an adult. I think that's why he's so closed off all the time. That's why I decided to keep Merle rather distasteful.

And into canon I go...Hope I do a good job...

After they had gotten over their little spat, they'd managed to get to the campsite. It hadn't taken them long to start showing each other just how much they meant to one another. Their affections had gotten carried away and they both would have to be careful around camp the next few days. The hickies that splattered their collarbones and chests and scratches adorning their skin acted as physical reminders of their admission. Sleep didn't evade them so much as they stayed entangled and connected until sleep forced itself upon them in the dead of night. In the morning, they'd decided that they would just take the day to themselves. There were fresh enough tracks near by that they'd definitely be able to get a deer before the day's end tomorrow, if not earlier. They didn't even bother getting dressed, just started a small fire in the buff as they already had firewood stocked inside the tent to keep it dry.

It had definitely been an unproductive day as far as work went as they just ate from the supplies they had left at the camp. However, as far as their relationship went, they made quite the stride. She finally explained what happened with her and Jesse now that she'd said the end of it. Ania told him how Jesse had been her best friend in college and although she was four years older than Ania, the woman had stood by her side. Her boyfriend had been an ass the entire four years they roomed together, having moved to Atlanta together, and more than once had she gotten into a physical confrontation with him that had resulted in Jesse getting between them. The last altercation she got into with him, it sent him to the hospital because he had spilled the beans about Jesse using her to pay her way through school by using her fame. After Jesse had returned from the hospital, she immediately gave Ania two days to leave or they would be pressing charges. About a week later, the woman had called and apologized and explained that she'd been dumped for being Ania's friend and wanted her friend back. But Ania had been too hurt to reply. She had been Ania's first and only friend in her entire life, and the woman had played on Ania's naivety and desire for kinship to hurt her. And the girl still seemed to consider the bitch a close friend, Daryl thought. He finally opened up and showed her his back, explaining how he had gotten the scars and letting her touch them, though she admitted to already knowing about them. She admitted to seeing him bathe in the stream, making him blush and momentarily angry before he admitted to having seen her bathe too. They held each other close after that.

They remained a tangle of limbs and almost constantly connected the entire day and fell asleep early. When they woke, they washed in the creek behind the cabin before dressing and heading out as the dawn began to break. The sun was only half way risen when they spotted a large buck. They'd need to herd it towards camp, but if they tagged it, they could slow it down enough to do so. And so that's just what they did. Daryl shot first, both hunters grinning like Cheshire cats at each other before bounding off after it. They tracked it for about a mile and a half before catching it again, this time Ania tagged the thing right above Daryl's own arrow. It seemed like they'd been tracking it for miles as midday rose.

"Ya hear that?" she asked as they got closer to the quarry.

"Yeah, sounds like the kids."

"Should we hurry?"

"Nah," but Daryl quickened his pace anyways.

As Daryl emerged from the woods, helping Ania over a fallen log, he was greeted by Shane's shotgun to his face and a group of men from around camp with weapons at the ready. Almost instinctively, he pulled Ania behind him to block her from the line of fire. It wasn't until they lowered their weapons and he walked a couple paces forward that he understood their caution. Lying next to the buck with their arrows was the decapitated body of a walker. It had obviously been chewing on the deer, tearing open its throat.

"Son of a bitch," he said walking up and leaving Ania behind. "That's our deer! Look at it all gnawed on by this filthy," kick, "disease-bearin'," kick, "motherless," kick "poxy bastard!" he finished emphasizing with a kick.

"Calm down, son," Dale said. "That's not helping."

"What do you know about it old man?" Daryl said getting up in his face. "Why don't you take that hat and go back to On Golden Pond?"

Tea snickered behind him earning her a hidden smirk from him. He turned and faced the buck, "Been trackin' that deer for miles. Was gonna drag it back to camp. Cook us up some venison. What you think? Think we can cut around this gnawed on part here?"

"I would not risk that," Shane said.

"That's a damn shame. Still got some squirrel, though. About a dozen or so. That'll have to do," he said turning around as Ania stepped over.

That's when the head decided to reanimate and Amy uttered, "Oh god!" as she and Andrea looked ready to puke.

"Come on people, what the hell people?" Daryl said as Tea took aim and shot it through the eye.

"It's gotta be the brain," she said.

"Don't y'all know nothin'?" Daryl quipped as he gathered the arrows and walked away, Ania hot on his heels.

Tea wasn't sure how she felt about going back to camp. With how she and Daryl had left the night before last, Merle was going to be absolutely livid. She knew damn well that the older redneck would continue trying to end their relationship. Even if he didn't end it, he'd try to sabotage and complicate it. Her nerves were shot because they hadn't bothered to talk about Merle and how they were going to handle the situation with him. Daryl was going to want to see him first thing and make sure the man was safe and Tea didn't know how she felt about that. She could only hope that she could find some common ground with the older man and salvage whatever relationship they could have.

Sure enough, as soon as they got back to camp Daryl shouted, "Merle! Merle! Get your ass out here! Got us some squirrel! 'S do 'em up!"

And that's when Shane popped up ready for a fight, "Hey Daryl. Slow up a minute. I need to talk to you."

"About what?" he responded slightly irritated.

"'Bout Merle," he said walking up a little less confrontational. "There was a, uh, problem in Atlanta."

"He dead?" Daryl asked after a pregnant pause looking around camp.

"Not sure."

"He either is or 'e ain't!"

"There's no easy way to say it, so I'll just say it," a curly haired new guy said walking up.

"Who're you?"

"Rick Grimes."

"Rick Grimes," Daryl all but growled out as his body tensed. Tea was tense too, not at all liking where this conversation was heading. "You got something you wanna tell me?!"

"Your brother was a danger to us all. So I handcuffed him on a roof, hooked to a piece of metal. He's still there," he said matter-of-factly.

Daryl turned around, trying to understand the information. Even Ania was looking at the new guy as if he had lost his mind, he noticed as he glanced at her. The fear and rage at not knowing where his brother was seized him as he caught the fear and guilt hidden in her eyes. He had to wipe his own before addressing the guy again.

"Hold on. Let me process this. You saying you handcuffed my brother to a roof. And you left him there!" he yelled the last part.

"Yeah," came the simple reply.

Almost immediately, action came from three directions. As Daryl threw the string of squirrels at Rick, who was stepping back, he also lunged forward as Shane shoulder blocked him from his right side, knocking him to the ground. Tea had also started moving forward, but Dale had quickly held her back gently by the elbow. Knowing he was just looking out for her, she allowed him to stop her movements, but kept a keen eye on the fight. Someone shouted "watch the knife" as Daryl pulled his smaller one from his pocket and stood up. After a couple of swipes at Rick, the man managed to grab Daryl's arm and push it behind him as Shane came up and put the redneck in an arm-lock choke hold.

"Best let me go!" Daryl said as Shane dragged him back and to the ground.

"Nah, I don't think so," Shane responded, sounding a little too happy with the situation.

"Choke holdin's illegal!"

"You can file a complaint."

"Let 'im go 'fore I knock ya lights out again, Shane," Tea threatened as she heard Daryl's gasping breaths, not caring if she exposed their relationship; she was livid as she tore herself from Dale's hand and marched forward after watching Daryl struggle long after Rick had forced him to drop the knife.

Ignoring her, he continued, "Come on now, I can keep this up all day."

"Shane," she warned.

Rick knelt down in front of Daryl and reasoned, "I'd like to have a calm discussion about this top. You think you can manage that? Do you think you can manage that?" he reiterated looking in Daryl's eyes.

"Let 'im fuckin' go Shane!" Tea growled out, fingers curling in on themselves on one hand as she stepped up and grabbed his shirt.

Rick looked at Shane and nodded, who then huffed and all but threw the older hunter on the ground while looking at Tea. She had that look in her eyes that she got every time she had a physical altercation with him, whether it was just pushing his arm off or hitting him. It was a look he'd come to love putting there since he couldn't have his way with her. He knew she was on the breaking point and smirked and tilted his chin up as if daring her. There was no way in hell she was going to take that bait, though, not when Daryl needed her right now and Rick was still talking to him. Especially when she didn't know the new anomaly that was Rick. She used as much force as he had with Daryl to shove him away while letting go of his shirt.

"Now what I did was not on a whim," Rick said gently but seriously. "Your brother does not work and play well with others," he continued kneeling as Daryl sat catching his breath.

"It's not Rick's fault," T-Dog stepped up and admitted. "I had the key, I dropped it."

"Couldn't pick it up?!"

"Well, I dropped it down the drain."

Daryl struggled to his feet, accepting the hand that Tea offered, even though she wasn't much help, before saying, "If it's supposed to make me feel better, it don't," as he walked by the man, dragging her with him, much to Shane's dislike and many people's disproval.

"Maybe this will. I chained the door to the roof so the geeks couldn't get at him," T-Dog said. "With a padlock."

"That's gotta count for something," Rick added.

Daryl looked between the two men before dropping Ania's hand, wiping his eyes and yelling, "Hell with all a y'all." His voice broke in his next sentence before it got strong again, "Just tell me where he is so's we can go get 'im."

"He'll show you," Lori cut in. "Isn't that right?"

Rick looked around before saying, "I'm going back."

Daryl walked over to grab the squirrels before walking away from the group, Tea following a few paces behind. When they got to the safety of his tent, Daryl broke down falling to his knees. Tea didn't know what to do other than hold him. Thankfully, he accepted her embrace and wrapped his arms around her hips, burying his face in the bottom of her chest and clutching the fabric at her back. He sobbed for a few moments as she held onto his shoulders, arms cradling his head. She had bent enough to put her forehead against his head letting a few tears of her own fall. This was her fault, she thought ruefully. She had never seen the man break down before. Now, because she had been selfish and lashed out at his older brother then run away, Daryl was sobbing at his loss.

"What do I do if he's dead, Ania? What do I do?" he whispered brokenly.

"I don' know. I'm sorry. I shoulda gone on that trip," she whispered back, just as devastated. "I shoulda gone and made sure 'e was safe, even from 'imself."

"He'd a killed you, you know it," Daryl shook his head his voice becoming even more anxious as he held onto her desperately. "He'd a gotten you alone and told 'em a walker did it for what you did to him. He'd have killed you."

"Wouldn'a worked. I'd'a seen 'im comin' a mile away and sent 'im with someone else. I shoulda gone ta keep 'im safe."

They just held each other tightly as they both spent a few moments drowning in both guilt and grief. They had both left him knocked out in the tent after the fight. Rather than confronting him, they wanted to wait for him to cool off and now he was gone. For Daryl, this was the second time in a short time span that this was happening; first Ania had taken off and now Merle was left behind. He could only hope he found Merle in much the same fashion as he had Ania. For Tea, she wanted to set the record straight once and for all that she was basically a Dixon now too and it was the three of them against the world, not just the two. She wanted to apologize and explain everything to the old soldier. She had spent the better part of the journey back thinking about how things would go down when they saw Merle again, but this hadn't even been a thought in the slightest. Stifling their tears and wiping each other's eyes, they looked at each other with determination.

"We'll find 'im," she told him.

"Yeah we will," he said as he stood up and gave her a small peck on the forehead before getting his stuff together.

She walked out of his tent and over to hers, noticing the looks she had gotten from a few of the women in camp. Rolling her eyes, all she could think was that they had more gossip now. She didn't really grab anything from the tent, but she did change. The loose-fitting shirt she had on was too revealing of the marks on her body if someone got too close. She switched it out with a tight-fitted muscle-shirt that hid all the hickies on her chest and scratches on her back, though a couple scratches and marks on the back of her arms were still visible. Hopefully whoever saw them would think they were caused by a tree, because that was the story she planned on sticking to regarding them. At least until they had Merle back. Once they came clean about their relationship to the elder Dixon, there was going to be no keeping it a secret from the camp.

They both sat around the campfire cleaning their bows as Rick and Shane came up arguing. "Why would you risk your life for a douchebag like Merle Dixon?" he pleaded.

"Hey, choose your words more carefully," Daryl said.

"No, I did," he shot at him. "Douchebag's what I meant," before turning back to talk to Rick.

Tea listened to their conversation as Lori butted in about it just being him and Daryl. Tea was actually impressed by Rick and his reasons as they were rather honorable. Thirst, exposure, and starvation, no matter what kind of person it was, were not things the new cop could let a man die from. She could only think that if she had been there, Merle would have been knocked out long before needing to be cuffed. An unconscious man could be carried; a man on a roof could die of exposure.

"I'm goin' too," Tea said.

"I think you should sit this one out, miss," Rick started.

"Hell nah. Me fault I wasn' there ta keep the man in line. I'm the only one in camp that can keep up with 'is bullshite, but I got in a fight with 'im and left camp night 'fore last with Daryl ta go huntin'. Was a selfish thing ta do. Gotta make it right. 'Sides, I ain' stayin' in camp alone with him," she said nodding to Shane.

"Don't start that shit up again, Tea," Shane threatened. "You know damn well I'm just lookin' out for you. "

"Don't start that shite up again, Shane. Minute Daryl takes off and I'm left with ya and Lori, ya will be puttin' hands on me and she'll be tryin' ta force me inta doin' domestic work 'round the camp 'stead a actually bein' useful with me skill set. It's what ya do every time I'm left in camp alone."

Rick was watching the two back and forth and noticed the palpable look of hate in her eyes and a glint he'd rather ignore in Shane's. The young lady seemed to have a grudge against his partner and best friend as well as against his wife. Not knowing the reason, he decided that he would have to ask around camp about the small woman that stayed by the side of the redneck. Rick looked to Glenn then, recruiting him for his knowledge of getting in and out of the city. He explained that it wasn't fair of him, but he needed his help. Glenn quickly agreed, though begrudgingly while saying they had Tea and didn't really need him.

"That's just great," Shane said. "So you gonna risk the lives of three men now?"

"Four," T-Dog commented.

"Technically five," Tea said.

Daryl scoffed while he continued to clean his and Ania's arrows, "My day jus' keeps gettin' better and better, don't it?"

"You see anybody else here stepping up," T-Dog said, "to save your brother's cracker ass."

"Why you?" Daryl inquired.

"You wouldn't even begin to understand," T-Dog said. "You don't speak my language."

"He feels responsible 'cause 'e dropped the key," Tea chimed in. "It might a been an accident, but 'is honor ain' gonna let 'im sit this one out."

"Yeah, something like that," the man agreed.

"That's five," Rick said, not arguing with the small woman about going.

Shane turned to Rick, "It's not just five, Rick. You're going out there with a damn headcase as back up." Both she and Daryl bristled at that. "You're putting every single one of us at risk, Rick. Just know that. You saw that walker, Rick. It was here. It was in camp. They're moving out of the cities. They come back here. We need every able body we got. We need them here. We need them to protect camp. Even the nutcase."

"Seems to me what you really need most here," Rick said, trying to ignore Shane's rude comments, "are more guns."

"Right, the guns," Glenn spoke up.

"What guns?" Shane asked.

"Six shotguns, two high powered rifles, over a dozen hand guns. I cleaned out the cage back at the station before I left. I dropped the bag in Atlanta when I got swarmed. It's just sitting right there on the street, waiting to be picked up."

"Ammo?"

"Seven hundred rounds, assorted."

Lori started talking again while Tea just walked off. She was done listening to everyone talk about why they should or shouldn't go get Merle. Daryl had known automatically that she was going with him. Not only would he not let her stay at camp with Shane, she felt guilty and responsible just as much as T-Dog did. That's how she even knew how the man was feeling to begin with. It wasn't a nice experience when Rick tried to tell her not to go, but at least he backed off after she said her peace. That made him much more tolerable in her opinion. Hopefully he wouldn't believe Shane and Lori and would make his peace with her himself.

She watched as the man talked to some of the people in camp. It was refreshing to see how he seemed to treat everyone with respect rather than trying to order people around. Daryl was in the cube van with Glenn, impatiently pacing the length of the trailer. T-Dog came up and she offered him a stabilizing hand as he started to climb in. He gave her a cursory glance before accepting it, quickly finding a spot to sit down. As Rick talked to Carol and then to Shane once again, Daryl used his foot to stomp on the horn, much to Glenn's disproval. He might have taken it better if Daryl's kick hadn't been over his body, Tea thought to herself, chuckling at the antics of her redneck.

They were sitting in the cube van a short while later as they traveled down the road heading towards Atlanta. Rick had been told about Tea's condition by both Shane and Lori, but many others had mostly praises for the huntress; the biggest complaints were her fights with Shane and Merle and how aggressive she was in those altercations. She seemed to be quiet and closed off, almost aloof until she turned her eyes to you, something else noticed by others. They were like looking right into the eyes of the angel of judgement. As if every thought Rick had were read plain as day by her, calm and calculating. Looking at her, he couldn't see the unstable girl that Lori and Shane had made her out to be or the little angry ball of fury Carol had called her with approval from those around her. He watched her wearily trying to see what the pair saw, but all he could see was a young woman surviving in a cruel world.

Finally, he got up the courage to ask her, "So, you're autistic?"

"Yeah, and ADHD. What ya hear?"

"Shane says you're unstable."

"He would. But then, he's gone and gotten 'imself knocked on 'is ass for not gettin' the hint that I don' like bein' touched."

"Lori says you're dangerous."

"Mr. Grimes, a rabbit can be dangarous when provoked. I have trouble controllin' me anga if I get pushed past a point, but I don' do shite without reason," she said tensely; Daryl's shoulder brushed against hers in a show of silent support.

"Yet you've knocked my best friend out twice for no reason. Beat another man down for no reason. They say you walk out of camp all the time for in-determinant amounts of time, and have a problem with authority," he stated, watching her reaction to see whether she would tell the truth. So far, he didn't see what his best friend and wife saw, aside from the way her eyes glinted when she'd looked at Shane.

"Mr. Grimes, have they told ya anythin' at all 'bout me otha than what they want ya ta know and think?" she asked seriously. The man shook his head, so she continued, "I was workin' on me PhD in forensic psychology while also workin' as one for the Atlanta PD, so I ain' stupid and I ain' unable ta think for meself. I have a problem with people forcin' their viewpoints or themselves on me in any way. Shane has a problem with personal space and tyrant behavior when it comes to me, and Lori's backed 'im up every step a the way while tryin' ta domesticate me. Keep me in camp when me skill set ain' doin' the damn laundry or suckin' Shane's cock." That earned her a hard stare from the man as the other three occupants stifled chuckles. "You'll see what I mean by that soon 'nough. I'm a hunta, Mr. Grimes; me place is in the woods and by Daryl at the skinnin' station. Not doin' someone else's dirty laundry, 'specially when those otha people have their own pair a hands ta do it 'emselves. As far as knockin' Shane out, the first time it was 'cause 'e put 'is hands on me and called me weak ta me face right afta I had told 'im what I'd do if he grabbed me again. I literally warned 'im not two minutes 'fore and 'e ignored me. The second was honestly jus' an accident. I was aimin' for Merle." That earned a chuckle from T-Dog and Glenn.

"She really was," T-Dog proffered while smirking. "The man was off his rocker on whatever he'd been taking and said some real nasty stuff to her. Shoved her back a couple steps when Shane came over to get in the middle of them. She'd already been mid-swing when he got there. Impressive punch, though."

"Thanks," Tea said.

"Alright," Rick said while nodding his head, taking in the information. "And the man you beat for no reason?"

"I can only assume they're meaning when she beat up Merle on our first run," Glenn answered from the front. "That's the only time she's beat anyone in the camp other than the time she laid Shane out, well, aside from choking out Merle. But she lied when she said it was just because she was angry he didn't help take down walkers! They got into a verbal fight and he punched her first, and then I don't really know how to describe it."

"I lost control. I went inta auto-mode and lost control. Elbowed Daryl in the jaw and escaped 'is 'old twice 'fore I let 'im pull me away," she said.

"That true?" Rick looked to the man.

"Yeah, it's true," Daryl said.

"And you choked Merle out too?"

"He was beatin' on Daryl," was the only response he got for that as she stared hard at him, clearly daring him to keep this particular topic going.

"Why'd you lie about getting punched by Merle?" the cop asked, getting the hint and changing the subject.

"They were gettin' 'nough shite from the people at camp and I was the one who flew off at the mouth. I saw how shocked Merle was when 'e hit me and the short lived regret, but I was already headin' inta auto-mode. I couldn' stop meself from flyin' off the handle. Don' think 'e had a reason ta regret it after that. And so ya know, I walk outta camp all the time 'cause I need ta. There's so much noise in camp. Everyone's always chatterin', always got somethin' clinkin', always got someone bein' a bit too loud in mundane activities. I jus' need ta get away from time ta time. I don' really have a problem with authority so much as I got a problem with Shane and Lori thinkin' they can lord all ova me as if I was some sorta propaty. I been on me own since I was fourteen. I know what the hell I'm doin' and where I lie best in a group dynamic," she gave willingly.

"And where is that, exactly, Miss -" Rick left the question hanging.

"Call me Tea, and it's keepin' people fed and healthy ta the best a me ability considarin' the way the world's turned."

"Do you think you can listen to me?" he asked seriously.

"Depends. Can ya listen ta me, too, not jus' 'xpect me ta listen no questions asked?"

"I think I can manage that."

"Then here's ta workin' with ya, Mr. Grimes," she said while holding out her hand.

That surprised Daryl and T-Dog. Daryl because she had only ever initiated contact with him before as far as he knew, T-Dog because she never had since he'd met her. Rick shook her hand in confusion at the other men's reactions.

"I don' like bein' touched," she repeated as understanding began crossing his features before his brows furrowed again.

"Why the handshake then?" he asked.

"Cements the undastand slash agreement we've come to," she stated plainly.

"And that is?"

"That ya need ta make up ya own damn mind in regards ta me and why I do what I do and am how I am. And that I can at least trust ya ta listen when I speak. Ya seem like the kinda man who stands by 'is word, so I believe I can at least trust ya 'bout that."

Rick just nodded his head and the rest of the ride into the city was silent. She and Daryl were getting antsier by the second as they neared an overpass. They'd be leaving the safety of the van soon. Daryl leaned over while T-Dog wasn't looking and Rick sat in the front with Glenn.

"Stay by me, Ania. Don't get separated, ya hear?" he whispered in her ear. Tea nodded her head looking in his eyes and nudging him with her shoulder. He looked over at the other man in the back and growled louder, "He better be okay. That's my only word on the matter."

"I told you," T-Dog cut him off. "The geeks can't get at him. Only thing that's going to get through that door is us," he said with conviction.

Glenn parked the truck turning to the others and telling them they walked from there. They all got out and grabbed their gear, her and Daryl their crossbows, her and Glenn their packs, Rick his hat and T-Dog the pair of bolt cutters and a monkey wrench. They traveled quickly towards the city from the outskirts, the skyscrapers already towering high overhead. Tea wasn't happy with the situation at all. She had no control over this mission and she hated the feeling of helplessness that was beginning to overpower her. It was the bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, a bad omen every time she felt it. She sent a quick prayer up to the gods that everything would be alright.

As they entered the city through a cut in the barricade, Rick turned around and asked Glenn, "Merle first? Or the guns?"

"Merle!" Daryl shouted at him. "We ain't even having this conversation."

"We are," Rick said. "You know the geography," Rick told Glenn, "you're call."

"Merle's closest," Tea answered for him.

The young Asian agreed, "The guns would mean doubling back. Merle first."

They continued to run through the city being as quiet as possible. As soon as they could make it to the rooftops of the lower buildings, that's how they navigated to the department store and got inside. Cautiously moving as a unit with the two hunters in front, the group made their way to the staircase leading to the roof, taking out 'one ugly skank,' as Daryl called her, along the way. It was in a rush of movement that they climbed the stairs. Every step she took closer to the roof, the stronger Tea's feeling of dread became. Finally reaching the door to the roof, T-Dog took the bolt cutters and cut the lock. As soon as the chain was off, Daryl kicked the door open calling for his brother and rushing out, Tea hot on his trail. T-Dog, Rick, and finally Glenn broke out onto the roof running much slower than the two hunters. As Daryl jumped off the walkway leading to where Merle was supposed to be, Tea felt all the air leave her lungs.

Falling to her knees, all she could hear was Daryl's devastated cries of no. He'd come and stood beside her and stared up at T-Dog before walking away again. Tea couldn't look away from what she was seeing. This was her fault. She hadn't gone on the trip and now this had happened. The air just couldn't be drawn in as her ears began to ring before the world started to tilt and go black. In front of them, where Merle should have been, was a bloody hacksaw and cuffs, Merle's disembodied hand lying on the ground.

So, I'm double posting this tonight so that tomorrow I can focus more on writing to catch up lost time from my man being home. Thank you to everyone who has been reading my story so far. I really appreciate it!

Updated 8/29/21