RaphaeltheCowboy: I do intend on saving Merle, as well as giving him a reason for a more 'compassionate' side...you'll see what I mean...

FanFicReader47: This has been planned since before I started writing. I've got plans that I'm sure follow along the lines of your hypothesis.

Azureskye21: I'm actually happy you had the willies. That's what I was hoping for. Just wait. I have a lot more planned with her that will make the willies turn into the heebie jeebies soon enough...

Let's just say that this season is Merle's redemption arc and also where I start to slowly diverge a bit from canon. I only just found out that Daryl has a few interests in later seasons, especially season 11, and do not plan on letting any of that fly. His eyes are for our OC only, from season 1 through every season I can find a proper way to integrate Tea into. Once I can't do that, well, I'll find a good way to alter the story to keep them together until a proper end. So, yeah...I have a lot of future plans. This chapter is rather short, less than 4k without these comments from me, but I had this planned for a while and just couldn't find a way to make it longer without taking it into an M rating that I'm not sure I could accurately do justice...

Hershel wasn't awake for very long and was in and out of consciousness for a couple of days. Even though they'd found the laundry meaning they had plenty of soap to wash their clothes, half of them had blood on them. And the clothes were becoming ratty as it was. After washing them several times, many of the articles had holes in them that could no longer be repaired. Due to that, Tea and Daryl had planned a run using one of the cars to find clothes. It was an absolute necessity and practically everyone needed at least one full new set, plus whatever baby items they could find at that.

Tea had picked the spot a long time ago, but they had been on the road the entire winter and had been cut off the few times they had tried to get there as a group. As the two hunters, it was more feasible that they could get there and back with no problems. Glenn needed to be at the prison for Maggie and the kids were on strict guard duty inside the prison and courtyard for 28 more days. Rick needed to remain at the prison to get things up and running. Lori couldn't walk more than ten paces without being winded and obviously Maggie and Beth weren't going to leave their father. Carol was the only person with medical knowledge, albeit very little, and also needed to stay behind. Tea had ordered T-Dog to stay and help Rick finish cleaning the courtyard; the field could wait until they got back unless they had time.

They left after lunch, planning on returning in time to have something to eat before heading to bed. Getting into Glenn and Maggie's vehicle, they drove away from the prison. She'd left strict instructions with Carol to index their medical supplies and to have Sophia and Carl take her back to the infirmary when they had a chance. She would better know what else was there that they could use. Glenn and Maggie were helping with the clean up process, planning on burning all the bodies when they got back. Tea had already talked to T-Dog and Daryl about Axel and Oscar, now she just needed to convince Rick to let them into the fold.

It was silent going down the road. Neither of them minded for the first little bit, but after an hour on the road, Daryl was getting antsy. He normally enjoyed the silence, but not when Tea had been silent more often than not lately. Daryl was afraid that the little woman was trying to withdraw again. He just didn't know how to breech the subject. Last time he'd been angry about it, but this time she'd warned him that it was going to happen and he couldn't be angry he kept telling himself. This time he understood why she was being like this. But that didn't mean he had to like it.

"We got a place now," he said, breaking the silence.

"Eh?"

"We got us a place now. You can relax," he told her.

She smiled and spoke quietly, "I know."

"Are you okay?"

"Rick didn' kill Andrew. Locked 'im up outside with the walkas while he was bleedin', but 'e didn' kill 'im," she mused, seemingly changing the subject.

"You think that was a bad thing?"

"Is it bad that I do?"

"Naw, I trust your judgment. Haven't led us wrong yet," he told her, risking a longer glance at her.

She smiled at him, thankful for his trust in her. "Tell me somethin' ya haven' told me yet 'bout yaself."

"Tit for tat?" he asked.

"Sure."

"Alright. You remember how I told you about how my mom died?" he asked her hoping if he gave her something, she would let him into her head. She silently nodded her head. "So, my dad, he was a mean bastard, but my mom, she was the sweetest thing. Always said I had a soft heart and was her precious boy. My dad hated how soft she was on me, sayin' she was gonna turn me into a faggot, that I weren't never gonna be a man. Up until the day she died, she'd protect me when she wasn't drunk outta her mind. Didn't blame her for bein' drunk, though, married to a man like my dad. I always thought, was always scared, I'd end up like him. That I'd get angry and lose my shit with the woman I ended up with. Damn near lost it on a couple a the ones I was just with for one night 'fore. You're the first and last woman I've been involved with for more than a night," he told her.

"Seriously? Even in high school?"

"Dropped out sophomore year. Worked on cars at my uncle's shop instead. Huntin' only gets you so far when there's no one else to put food in your belly. Merle was already in the Army by then, halfway on his way to gettin' kicked out, and my dad was either on benders with the local piece a ass or in a damn drunk rage at home. Either way, gave me somethin' to do and somewhere to go," he said with a shrug. "Your turn."

"What do ya wanna know?" she asked him.

"We still okay?" he asked timidly.

She looked at him, "We were neva not okay, D. I know I been quiet. I know I ain' been the most touchy feely lately. And I know ya need that, ya need the reassurance. I'm sorry I ain' been givin' it ta ya. Jus' wait for me jus' a little bit longa and I'll be back ta what ya love."

"Don't say it like that," he said, a bit of hurt in his voice. "I love you even though you can be a serious pain in my ass and don't wanna touch me."

Now it was her turn to be hurt, "Ya know it ain' like that, D! I do wanna touch ya. I don' eva wanna stop. I jus'. Fuck, it's hard ta explain. There's jus' so much goin' on in me head right now. It's hard ta focus on doin' anythin' that ain' in line with what Rick wants. Or what ya want when ya take the initiative. I know that first night in the cell block was the first time in ova a month I started it. I ain' tryin' ta keep from touchin' ya, I jus'," she sighed and hung her head in defeat. "I forget ta give ya attention 'cause me head's so wrapped up in everythin' else. It'll get betta, I promise. We got a base now. We got some place we can make a home. Some place I don' gotta constantly worry 'bout the next move or whetha or not walkas are gonna come bearin' down on us in our sleep. A large burden's been lifted now, I jus' gotta let that sink in now."

They both fell silent, unable to think of what to say to the other to ease the guilt they felt towards one another. They were both hurt by how the other had worded what they said, but Daryl knew that he was the one who had done the most damage. She couldn't help how she was behaving, literally couldn't help it, and here he was accusing her of not wanting him. She'd never once shied away from his light touches nor his heavy advances. She welcomed and encouraged him every time he'd demanded her attention and he'd all but said she was refusing him.

Daryl sighed heavily, upset with himself for letting his emotions get ahead of him again. He hadn't meant to; his need to know she was still his outweighing her need to adjust. I'm a fuckin' asshole, he thought to himself angrily. Every time she apologized, she would explain herself so well that he could understand exactly where she was coming from. But doing that for her was difficult. He wasn't as educated as she was and he didn't have her way with words. In some ways, he was so inferior to her and yet she was always telling him the ways he was amazing. Hell, just the other night she had gone on and on about how she loved how his hair was growing.

Growling and hitting the steering wheel in frustration, he pulled the car over to the side of the road. "Dammit, Ania, I didn't mean it like that!"

"I know," she said in a small voice.

"Dammit, girl!"

"It's alright, D. I get it."

His anger got the best of him as he got out of the car and slammed the door. Of course she knew, of course she understood. She always understood. And if that didn't make it that much worse. He didn't have to explain himself because she always knew exactly why he did what he did. It was as if he was an open book whether he spoke or not and it irritated him to no end to be so well known. He punched the door to the trunk as she got out of the car, trying his best to get his anger under control. And of course, she simply wrapped her arms around his waist tightly. Laying her forehead between his shoulder blades, right between the angel wings, she waited for him to calm down. Of course she fuckin' is, he thought spitefully. Tears were pouring down both their faces by now as he brought his arms up to wrap around hers.

"I'm sorry, Ania," he cried, unable to face her.

"Me too, D. Me too," she whispered back. "It's me fault. If I wasn' like this. If I was normal, ya wouldn' have ta deal with this shite."

"Naw, girl, never apologize for that. I was an ass 'cause I got scared. I got dumb and got scared and it made me angry and I took it out on you," he said in one breath. "You told me it was gonna happen. You warned me and I still...I'm sorry."

"It's okay, D. It really is. Ya've neva had much good in ya life. Ya jus' as scared as I am 'bout losin' each otha," she told him. "I'm sorry I've been hurtin' ya. I really am."

"Dammit, girl," he said, finally turning around in her arms and holding onto her. "Just quit apologizin' already and let me be in the wrong for once."

They held each other for a few minutes, leaning against the car, before deciding to get back on the road. It only took another twenty minutes to reach the housing development. They found that it wasn't just a development, but it also had a few stores they could hit up as well if there weren't too many walkers. There was even a biker store that should have a few spare parts for his brother's bike, and a damn good thing too. The poor thing was in horrible need for a tune up. Deciding that the stores would be a better option, they went for the biker store first.

Walking up to the front of the store, Tea rapped on the glass of the door and waited with Daryl, counting to sixty. When they heard nothing, Daryl opened the door and Tea entered with her crossbow at the ready. Nothing moved as far as she could see and she and Daryl moved standing back to back as they searched for walkers. In the storage room they found the door to the office, behind which they could hear the telltale signs of walkers. Daryl motioned for Tea to stand by the outward swinging door to open it. She knew this was his way of trying to make up for earlier; every time his anger got the better of him and he took it out on her, which really, she didn't consider it anywhere near that, he would become overprotective and have her take the least dangerous job. It wasn't as if she minded; overprotective Daryl turned into cuddle-bear Daryl when night time rolled around. There was no better feeling than when he held her in his arms as she slept, except perhaps waking up in the morning with half his weight on top of her, using his pillow as an arm, one leg between hers and her hands resting limply on his back.

Counting down from three, she opened the door at the same time as Daryl released his arrow. He didn't have time to reload as four more walkers stumbled out of the office space after the one that immediately dropped. Tea came from behind the door and took two out at once using her knives while Daryl stabbed one of the others. She grabbed the final one and let Daryl finish it before letting it drop. As weird as it was, the release killing the walkers gave both of them damn near killed all the tension between the two of them. Daryl pulled her in and kissed her hard and dirty, a promise of what was to come later. Her response to him almost made him lose control right then and there, but they had a job to do and they were expected back by a certain time.

Releasing her, they checked for anything of use in the office, finding a rifle and a box of rounds. After that, they moved into the storage room where Daryl rifled through the spare parts, pulling those that would work for his brother's bike and putting them into his bag. Tea was standing guard for him, humming along to a song she was listening to in her head. He didn't recognize this one at all, but he found that he was quite enjoying it.

"What song is that?"

"It's called, 'The Rose'," she said. "I don' really like it, but it's stuck in me head."

"Why hum it if you don't like it?"

"It's stuck in me head."

He scoffed at her before asking, "Why don't you like it?"

"It was momma's favorite song," she admitted quietly. "I only learned it ta sing for 'er and, well, she told me ta teach me sista and then sang her praises when she butcha'd the damn thing all ta hell," she lamented.

"Do you think you'll find 'em, your family?"

"Gods, I hope not."

"What would you do if you saw 'em again?"

"Depends; as walkas? Shoot 'em with no remorse. As livin', breathin' people? I ain' got a single damn clue," she admitted honestly. "I haven' seen any a 'em in a long ass time. I'd like ta think I've changed and gotten stronga since the last time I saw 'em, but I know the logical, psychological likelihood. What would ya do if ya saw ya daddy, alive and well?"

"I'd put a arrow through his brain," Daryl said, though he could feel his voice waver.

Tea laughed, "I bet ya could. Me, though? As with most trauma surviva's, I'm scared a regressin'. Not bein' able ta take what I've learned, who've I've become and keep it if I see 'em. I'm scared a becomin' that same scared little girl surrounded by her family gettin' beat for gettin' a betta score than 'er sista. Scared a bein' the girl who can' speak up for 'erself. I'm fuckin' scared me family's gonna show up and take everythin' I've worked hard ta build, ta protect and jus' fuck it all ta hell."

He pulled her into a hug, holding her to his chest as her breathing calmed down from its raspiness it'd had a moment before as she was speaking. Her trembling slowly ebbed allowing him to let go and pull her back into the main area of the store. While there weren't a lot of clothes available that were feasible for now, there were still some long sleeve shirts and jackets as well as some pants that the group's men and women could use. Daryl caught sight of something in the window and told Ania to stay put until he got back. Grabbing the article of clothing and heading back to her, he told her to close her eyes.

"Alright," he said after he got in front of her. "Open."

She did, gasping at what he was holding out to her. It was a leather vest, much like his and Merle's, with the exception of the wings. While theirs were monotone gray, the wings on this vest started a deep blue before coming up into fiery colors that tapered off near the wings' arches into pure white. She reached out to touch the wings, finding them to be embroidered pieces of colored leather rather than material like the brothers'. It was absolutely beautiful and she was giving him the same smile she had given him the day he gave her Jewel.

"Damn, D," she said joyfully. "People might think ya tryin' ta make an honest woman outta me."

"And if I am?" he asked raising an eyebrow, but looking away from her, his ears tinged red.

"I like Ania Dixon a hell a lot betta than Titania Parker, that's for sure," she said smiling even brighter.

"Well then, let's see how it fits."

He helped her put it on and smiled at the fact that it reached just above her hips and the sleeves stopped right at the curve of her shoulders. Taking a deep breath in through his nose, he had to will himself to remember the task at hand as he looked at her in the vest. She actually said it, he thought to himself merrily. My Ania fuckin' Dixon! His smile was just as bright as hers as he lost control momentarily and crashed her into him for a second time in less than an hour. They were both laughing into the kiss, too happy and in the moment to care about anything else. That was until a bang at the window drew them back to reality.

A single walker had made it's way to the store and was watching them from outside. Withdrawing himself from her once again, Daryl left the store to take care of the intrusive thing. There were no more in the street, but due to the urgency they both began feeling, they quickly began going through the houses and stores until they determined they had enough to take back to the prison to last a good while. Before they left, Tea ran back into the biker store to come out a few minutes later with matching sets of leather gloves. She handed the large pair to Daryl and kept the smaller one for herself, tucking them in the back pocket of her jeans.

~x~

"Dammit, Rhee!" Daryl roared.

He and Ania had snuck off to one of the guard towers, the one the furthest from the prison, and just as he was about to get her pants off, Glenn and Maggie came waltzing in. Ania had collapsed into a fit of hysterics and was in no way embarrassed, having caught the two of them a couple times over the winter herself. In such small quarters, it was bound to happen every once in a while if they weren't careful.

"Pick your own damn guard tower," he growled as she laughed while the Asian man apologized over and over again; like Tea, Maggie was laughing her ass off too.

Daryl growled in frustration as the two left, Ania still snickering away on the makeshift bed they'd made while he could still hear Maggie and Glenn on the steps heading down. The one time they thought they could get privacy, and the two idiots had to ruin it. He looked at Ania, lying with her pants half-way down her legs, shirt missing, flushed red from laughter with her face aglow. The thread in him that was holding onto the anger snapped as the one holding onto his control frayed. He was thankful for the distance from the cell block as he finally got to hear her scream his name once again.

They'd stayed in the watch tower all night. Daryl had been the monster she had been expecting, both in body and in cuddles. They hadn't even bothered with trying to sneak back into the block. Maggie and Glenn would open their mouths anyway, and it wasn't like the two of them kept the couple's whereabouts a secret either. In fact, in another one of Ania's over-sharing moments that made Daryl's entire face go red, she shared in detail how Glenn and Maggie had interrupted their wedding night, earning a peel of laughter from the adults around. Of course, she'd sent Carl and Sophia off before she told the others. When they came through the gates the night before with all the supplies, Ania sporting her new vest, a lot of looks were given. Glenn had joked that she looked like a Dixon with it on, to which she simply replied she should since she was. That earned a round of congratulations from the group for what essentially counted as a wedding in this day and age.

There wasn't much to do but clear out the field little by little, Tea and Daryl heading out every day to find propellant to help the corpses burn without burning through the gasoline they'd managed to collect. Near mid-week, Tea started puking almost as soon as she woke up only to be fine afterwards. Neither of them spoke of the possibility that brought up and simply acted as if nothing had happened. Tea didn't feel as if she was having anything other than PMS symptoms and told Daryl that they needed to wait at least ten more days before his particular fear became viable.

When nearly another week had passed in which Hershel had become more aware and awake while Ania continued to puke in the morning, Daryl started freaking out. Everything in him told him he would be a horrible father and that he didn't deserve to sire Ania's children. But she would simply hold him and tell him all the qualities she felt was worthy of a father in this day and age, as well as what she wished for in the past. Every single quality he possessed, causing his dick to twitch constantly as she sat straddling him.

"Do you want my kid?" he asked her, wondering what her answer would be just in case.

"I'm Mrs. Daryl Dixon," she replied. "If I didn't give ya a kid, I wouldn't be doin' me job as ya wife. It's jus', ya think we could? Here? At the prison? Lori's already 'bout ta pop. What if we are?" she asked in rapid succession. "Still think it's jus' the flu, but what if we are?"

"I'd be damn proud to knock you up with my kid," he told her seriously, picturing it happening in his head, her belly swollen with his seed.

A few days later and nothing had changed at all. Tea was still puking in the morning only to be fine for the rest of the day. She insisted that it was probably the heat, a stomach bug, anything but what Daryl feared and she refused to think about. It didn't matter one way or the other at this point. They had agreed that no matter what, they wanted a child together and would do damn near anything to ensure and protect the possibility of it happening.

He was in the dog walk with Glenn and Rick when his world went to hell.

Updated 9/8/21