Author's Note: I don't own anything having to do with the Walking Dead only Becca belongs to me.

Got a request for more flashbacks and some protective Merle which turned out a lot harder than I expected but I hope you like what I've come up with.

Any suggestions/comments/critiques are all welcome!

Chapter 3

Just because I didn't know how to hunt like Merle and Daryl didn't mean I should get stuck picking berries like a fucking housewife. I understood we all needed to do our part to survive in this little hell hole of a camp but there were some that got held to different standards. I had been denied going into the city with Glenn on a supply run something along the lines of he worked better by himself. I didn't mind scrubbing our clothes down in the quarry because it meant getting some peace and quiet for awhile but there was only so much laundry one could do.

I knew better than to ask Merle if I could go with him when he went hunting but I had gotten to the point where I needed to do something. I even resorted to begging Daryl if I could go with him but wasn't surprised at his answer. So, here I was picking stupid berries. Not that I really knew which ones would be good for eating but I got a small satisfaction out of picturing some members of the group losing the ability to move if they ate a poisonous one.

I got so lost in my daydream of seeing Lori paralyzed on one side of her body and not being able to go fuck the deputy that I had stopped paying attention to where I was walking and stepped in a hole that was covered with leaves. The bucket of berries went flying as I put my hands out trying to brace myself for the impact. It all happened so fast I barely had time to think before my face collided with a tree stump.

Karma was an unforgiving bitch. I rolled onto my back with a groan and laid there for a minute before picking myself up. Gently running my fingers over my face I was happy to see that I hadn't cut it open but knew it would be a beautiful mess in the morning. Seeing that the sun was starting to set I gathered up the scattered berries and headed back to camp. At least Merle and Daryl wouldn't be back until tomorrow and with the dark of night starting to set in no one would see my face.

*Flashback*

"Hey, Bec…Becca!" An annoying voice came from behind me but I continued on my way ignoring him until there was a hand wrapped around my arm spinning me to face him. "Hey, I'm talking to you."

I ripped my arm from his grasp and took a deep breath in through my nose before letting it out through my mouth slowly trying to keep my temper in check. "What do you want, Keith?"

"You haven't come around in awhile," his hungry brown eyes scanned me from head to toe.

I slightly shrugged already bored with the conversation, "Been busy."

"We had fun together," he shifted himself in his pants and I had to fight to keep the disgust off my face. "We should do it again sometime."

I couldn't help myself and a bitter laugh escaped. "Fun? Shit, Keith, I can get myself off quicker with my fingers than you'd ever be able to."

He took a calculated step forward, any amusement completely gone from his features. "You been with someone else?"

I mirrored his movements and took a step back, "We're not together. Never were. You were just someone to warm my bed on a cold night and you did a piss poor job at it. You have no claim on me I can go out and fuck any guy I want."

"Yeah? That include Merle Dixon?" his voice was laced with disgust and it was getting even harder to keep my temper under control. "Heard you were sweet on him and that you two were dating."

The Dixons got a bad name from their sleazy drunk father and the fact that their mother had passed a few years back from passing out with a lit cigarette. They each had their own rumors circulating about them as individuals as well though. According to the rumor mill, Merle had spent time in juvy for killing some guy with a baseball bat and Daryl walked around with a scowl on his face all the time because no one would ever love him. Of course I was one of the few people that actually knew the truth. Merle did go to juvy for a little while but it was for getting caught breaking and entering after he was already running a thin line with the cops in town. Daryl did walk around with a scowl on his face but it was because everyone in a small town whispered as you walked by and he didn't want to hear it. They would always be my Dixons though and I wouldn't want them any other way. I accepted them for who they were and they were the only two guys in this whole pathetic town that saw past the makeup.

I took another deep breath, "Merle doesn't really date."

"You must be one of his whores then guess he is following in his daddy's footsteps. Going and getting so drunk that any old piece of ass will do. That's all you'd ever be to him," he took another step closer until I could feel his breath on the side of my neck. "You are nothing but an easy trick."

With my hands on his chest I pushed him as hard as I could causing him to stumble back a few steps. When he regained his balance a wave of fury washed over him and he backhanded me. Any thought of keeping my temper under wraps went out the window as punches were thrown. He had a good hundred pounds on me and within a few minutes he had me pinned.

"You taste that?" he sneered as he shoved my face into the ground with such force it was almost hard to breathe. "Even that dirt is better than a Dixon."

*Present*

The next morning the pounding in my head was the least of my worries as I heard a commotion outside of the tent. It wasn't until I heard the malice behind Merle's words that I hurried out of the tent. I nearly ran into Daryl's back from him standing right in front of the door like some damn bouncer. I didn't even get a second to question what was going before Merle had Shane pinned to a tree.

"Never had much use for cops before," he spat into his face. "To protect and to serve, bunch of bullshit if you ask me." He released Shane for a quick second only to slam him back against the tree. "Last chance."

*Flashback*

"Damn it, Becca, open the door!" Merle knocked again and I thought about waiting him out but if his mind was set on something there really was no changing it. "Don't play me for a fool I can hear your shitty music."

I opened the door and let him and Daryl inside, "Don't hate on the music, asshole."

"Yeah, well-" he started to say something but stopped, his whole body going stiff as he clenched his jaw. "What the fuck happened to your face?!"

I tried to laugh it off, "C'mon that's kind of rude. Have you seen your ugly mug?" He took my chin in his hand and turned my head to the side to get a better look.

"Just my temper, Dixon, nothing to worry about. Some bitch was running her mouth so I shut her up with my fist."

His thumb glided over my cheek and I couldn't help but wince. "Who was it?"

"No one important," I tried to move away from him but he kept a firm but gentle grasp on my chin.

"Never seen you get this fucked up from some cat fight before."

Daryl cleared his throat as he stood off to the side, leaning against the wall with his legs crossed at his ankles. "Saw you talking to Keith today."

"Keith?" Merle questioned with a growl. "He did this?!"

"Merle, I-" was all I got out as he kissed my bruise cheek and strode out of my trailer with determination and hate etched into his features.

*Present*

There were multiple gasps and a few whispers as I walked over to the small group that had formed. Merle glanced over at me but it only fueled his anger as he punched Shane in the jaw. I knew how bad things were about to get if anyone let it continue so I attempted to get Merle to let go of him.

"Hey, nothing happened," I spoke only to Merle, trying to get him to look me directly in the eye so he would know I was telling the truth. He always had a way of looking through the bullshit to see who I really was. "I fell yesterday when I was out in the woods." He hadn't moved to hit him again but he hadn't glanced at me yet either. "Merle, look. I'm fine. If we had ice it wouldn't be as bad as it is. My face isn't made of glass you know that."

After a few moments of silence his gaze finally fixated on me and his grip on Shane loosened enough that he could scurry away. He stormed past our tent and into the woods while everyone else turned their attention to Shane who was trying to stop the bleeding from his nose.

"You need to keep a better leash on your dog," Shane spat a mouthful of blood on the ground.

Lori was next to him in a second with one of her tank tops held against his face. The whispers throughout the group were too much like our hometown and I would have got lost in them if it wasn't for the youngest Dixon nudging me back toward the tent.

I took the hint and walked back into our tent to see Merle sitting on his cot with his head in his hands. I crawled behind him and rested my cheek against his back. "I'm sorry."

He was silent and at first I didn't think he was going to answer at all. I didn't expect him to. He shifted on the cot and I moved so I could see his face but he kept his gaze on his boots. "It wasn't Shane."

"What?" I asked, interlacing our fingers together and was genuinely surprised when he didn't move away.

He swallowed hard, his eyes lost in some other time besides here with me. "It started with Josh." I froze at the mention of my brother's name but didn't have long to dwell on it until he continued. "Then it was Keith and then Rich." He pulled his hand away from mine and rose to his feet, his back to me. "Nothin' I do keeps you safe. Sometimes I think you'd have been better off if you didn't hang around me."

"Fuck, Merle, you know…you know…" I couldn't finish it. I couldn't let those three little words roll off of my tongue. I wanted to tell him, I wanted him to know that he had always been my first choice, and that I made a mistake marrying Rich. It didn't matter what my heart felt; loving a Dixon came with consequences. He waited for me to finish my thought but I couldn't. How could anyone like him ever love someone like me?

"Know what?" he questioned, turning to look me in the eye.

"Never mind."