Newly Revised

Four weeks. It had been four weeks since the group had come to the quarry. It was fully operational now, although supplies were limited. If it weren't for the hunting trips she and the Dixons went on combined with her own foraging skills and her and Glenn's frequent runs, things wouldn't have been going so smoothly. Shortly after that first trip she had managed to convince Carol, as well as Dale, Shane, Jim, and Lori, to let her take the kids out with her to learn what was edible and what wasn't. She had argued that if the kids get lost on their own, knowing what they could eat and what to put on a wound would be invaluable. It was a real possibility in this world thanks to the walking dead. Learning how to track gave the children a fighting chance to be able to get back to the group without incidence should the worst happen and they be separated or lost. Lori had been completely against the idea at first, but Shane had talked to her after seeing the wisdom in Tea's reasons. Even then, it had taken more words from Dale and Jim to convince him before he convinced Lori. The Morales's simply told her thanks, but they had their own way of doing things. It didn't help that his wife wasn't too fond of how Tea acted around camp nor how often she got into it with both Shane and the older Dixon.

Both the children she was allowed to teach now knew how to make a simple poultice from the various medicinal plants within the forest as well as how to make a splint, set a sprain, and build a campfire without matches. They both also had knives hidden at their spines kept secret from their parents. She had shown them how to track, too, though Sophia was the one who picked up on it the most. While Carl could roughly guess that something had come through, it only took three times for Sophia to be able to pick up the difference between a rabbit and deer trail. The little girl had quite the talent when it came to being in the woods, and Tea could only guess that it came from her home life. While Ed hadn't openly done anything to either Sophia or her mom, Tea could tell what happened behind closed doors. She was just waiting for something to happen out in the open before she took matters into her own hands so that she could justify it. If she just started beating the man, people would think she was more aggressive than many already did.

For their silence about the weapons, she promised to give them any secret of her own they wanted. The two children had agreed to keep their weapon and combat training a secret in exchange for her real name. Sophia had gushed about how pretty she thought it was while Carl had asked why she kept it secret. She simply told him it was because she used to drink a lot of tea and got stuck with her nickname as a result. What Tea didn't have the heart to tell either children was that she had been relentlessly teased for having a name with the word 'tit' in it that she had started calling herself Tea when she had moved away to college.

Most everyone in the group got along relatively well with each other with the exception of her and the Dixons. She was at odds with most of the group due to how she was around Shane and Lori, who had essentially become the leaders. Tea felt they didn't deserve it because of how they kept running things via stereotypes versus strengths. Shane was archaic in his thinking and Lori didn't know shit from stones when it came to the woods. The only ones who genuinely liked her were Glenn, Dale, Jim, and Amy. Carol, Jacqui, and T-Dog were on speaking terms with her, but it was just polite conversation. The rest of the group had remained wary of her and, like with the Dixons, only talked to her if they needed her. It didn't help any when she was always cussing Shane out for trying to control her or getting exasperated with Lori's desire to turn her domestic. She didn't mind the fact that they kept their distance because she wasn't in the habit of making friends let alone wanting to be judged when the bomb finally dropped. No one aside from Shane and, although unknown to her, Daryl cared about when she came and went in the camp because she always brought stuff back when she did. Lori didn't care so much as she didn't agree with Tea going out by herself.

As for her and the Dixons, things were like day and night when she was with them. With Merle constantly on a bender, the two of them were almost always at each other's throats if they were around one another. Merle never stopped his sexual innuendos and insisted she knew what he was talking about, leaving her completely frustrated and more than not angry in her confusion. More than once her annoyance with his behavior had her call him some form of stupid, always making him even angrier than if she had simply walked away. They had ended up chest to chest several times in a showdown that never went past staring each other down before it was broken up in some way, shape, or form. She and Daryl were the exact opposite. They hardly spoke when they were together, but it was a peaceful harmony they worked in. They hunted, occasionally spending the night in the woods, and skinned their kills together unless Merle was with Daryl. It wasn't as if they had gotten close, but his presence brought her even more peace in the woods, a peace she found herself seeking even in camp.

~x~

It was quiet out. She'd left the camp while the moon was still high in the sky, small bag and Jewel in tow. Tea had only been managing to get a few hours of sleep at a time, a few at night and a few during the day, since they had gotten to the quarry. She wasn't fatigued, though, since she had only gotten five or so hours of sleep a day before the world went to hell. It might have been solid sleep then, but it was still the same amount. Nothing had really changed about how much sleep she got, just how she got it. Insomnia had always been a problem for her and without the sleeping pills she usually took at night, she was helpless to the schedule her body made her keep.

She had been following a trail for a while, at least twenty minutes or so and was about a half mile from camp. While she wasn't entirely sure what kind of trail she was following because it had been obscured, there had clearly been something big that had come through the area. Crouching down to get a closer look at one particularly clear indent now that the sun was rising, she was startled to find she was following the trail of another person. Judging by the size of the footprint, she presumed it was a man but without knowing who wore the kind of boot, she would rather be safe than sorry. Without a second thought she took off into the woods looking out for more signs of the trail. If there was someone else out here, she needed to find out who it was and whether or not they were a threat to the camp. As the trail came closer to a clearing, she crouched down low to keep covered by the brush as she silently stalked forward, nearing the source of water she could hear close by.

When she found a tree large enough to hide behind but close enough to be able to see the brook where the trail would end, she peaked out and nearly dropped her bow. The last thing she had expected to see was Daryl's naked ass knee deep in the water. He was scrubbing himself down as she quickly hid back behind the tree, making a small sound of surprise in the process and covering her mouth with both hands. Daryl stopped in his movements, lowering himself down into the water to the waist on high alert, head on a swivel. When nothing else moved though, he figured it had probably been some sort of bird and went back to washing. Tea, however, was staring as he stood once again. She could see every coil of muscle on his body marred by scars and tattoos, her mind bringing up thoughts she would rather not have considering her situation. Her face as red as a tomato, she cautiously made her way away from the bathing man and back to camp, for once returning without so much as a leaf for medicine. That was definitely not what she had been expecting to see so early in the morning and she was embarrassed by herself for being a peeping Tom. It embarrassed her even more that she had spied on him in such a vulnerable state when she knew how reserved a person he was. Throughout the few weeks at camp she had learned a lot about everyone, but it was easy to admit that it had become hard not to notice everything about Daryl Dixon specifically.

It had started when Shane had told her to do his laundry. There was no way in hell she was touching his shit and she had told him as much, only for him to tell her she had to help out with it somehow. All the women were going to be doing the laundry and she had to do her part too. She had scoffed at him and told him the men had working hands, too, and she would be better in the forest. He pissed her off when he had said that the Dixons could handle the woods and she needed to stick around camp. In a fit she had spat out that she'd do the 'damn Dixons'' laundry if she was going to be forced to do domestic work instead of what she was good at. Merle had watched her walking up in a right state and sarcastically asked if he could help her. He'd chuckled when she said he could sock Shane in the mouth before telling him to get his and Daryl's dirty clothes. She had sent him into a fit of howling laughter when she admitted that she'd gladly take on the rednecks' clothes before touching Shane's 'shite stained shite.' That was the only good exchange she'd yet to have with the older Dixon, leaving her smiling as she walked away. Daryl had been silent during the entire conversation, but had no issues with going into their tent and pulling out his and his brother's clothes and handing them to her, if that's what his action could be called. He'd all but thrust the clothes into her arms, one hand touching against her shoulder roughly while the other had raked down her forearm as the clothes passed between them.

That exchange had set Shane off yet again. It was like whatever she did had sent the man into a fit of unexplainable rage. Several times he had decided to grab her and pull her away from Daryl throughout the weeks, Lori too. It was as if the two of them had a vendetta against the rednecks on top of her spending time with them, and the entire camp could feel it. No one really talked to the Dixons unless they had to, so it seemed like everyone agreed with the small, weird girl being treated like a child when it came to spending time with the outcasts. Lori had tried to pull her away the first time she had helped Daryl with skinning squirrels, earning her a warning from Tea not to touch her. Shane had gone and physically forced her to stand up and move from the area, only for her to rip herself from his grasp, making him fall on her ass with a trip technique, and tell him to fuck off. She moved to sit next to Daryl rather than across from him to keep herself from lashing out. Tea had been smart enough to put Daryl between herself and the two tyrants in charge though she was shaking like a leaf. While Merle hadn't been too happy to come out of the tent to find her sitting beside his brother, the look on both Lori and Shane's face as the girl bloodied her hands with squirrel guts kept him from saying anything that time.

The two 'goodie goods,' as Tea called them to Daryl, kept trying to control her, too, attempting to keep her in camp no matter what she did. Every time she went to leave camp, Shane would grab her and demand to know where she was going and how long she'd be gone. There were a number of times he would sit next to her and drape his arm around her shoulder for her to move away only for him to do the same thing the next time he got up. He was constantly hovering around her if she wasn't near the Dixons or hanging around the women. Tea had taken to avoiding the man as much as possible, which meant she spent a lot of time out in the woods by the time the third week had rolled around. She would meet Daryl in the woods half the time she went out, working together to feed the camp by hunting as a team. He'd even taken to standing around waiting for her when she foraged things almost as if he was watching her back while she worked. If the two in charge didn't like how much time she spent with Daryl when she was around others in camp, they shouldn't have pushed her into the woods where they spent time alone. They had learned a lot about each other just from spending time out there, and they were both impressed with each other.

Daryl had been thoroughly impressed by the little girl's knowledge in foraging and tracking. When she had offered to go hunting with Daryl on the fifth day at the quarry, she had surprised the hunter with her capabilities. Not only was she silent, but she was also accurate. Whoever taught her how to hunt was hunting to put food on the table, not for fun. Between her ability to hunt and her knowledge of what was useful, he couldn't help but wonder why a girl like her would even know all of this stuff. After that first day in the woods, he'd meet with her quite often, sometimes waiting around on purpose until she came to the woods herself. They brought back a hell of a lot more food when they worked together than they did alone was what they both told themselves rather than admitting that they didn't mind each other's company. The hunters had continued to get stuck together after had she walked over after the hunt to offer to help process the game they'd managed to get and sat down. He had been pleasantly surprised by her when she had skinned her first squirrel as smoothly as he did. While he knew she could skin a deer, had taught her the steps himself and watched her do it once again last week, that was a lot different than the tiny critters the group were getting used to eating.

They worked silently, only a few words shared between the two but both always in harmony with each other. When they went hunting together, she was as silent as the wind following behind him. Sometimes Daryl would turn around to find she wasn't even there, only to turn his head and find her wandering up from a different direction, kill in hand with a smirk on her face. It didn't bother him much that she and Meryl didn't get along. He figured they didn't like each other because their personalities just didn't mix. Merle didn't like Tea because she had beat him down and stood her ground more than anyone the man had ever met. Tea didn't like Merle because he was unreliable and selfish. The real reason that Merle didn't like Tea was that knew Daryl liked her and wasn't about to lose his baby brother to a snitchy shrink. Tea felt as if Merle was going to get someone in the camp killed with his behavior and was already coming up with ways to stop it before it happened. If Daryl had known that, he might have paid a little more attention to the animosity between the two.

Instead, he simply tried to keep them away from each other when they started gearing up to fight. The first time they'd stood damn near chest to chest in camp, he was sure he was going to have to either recoil from or take a hit from Tea when he went to pull her away. She'd whipped around so fast her arm had been pulled from his hand as he gave her a hard look himself. All she did was stare at him for a few seconds before throwing her hands in the air and storming off with a yell of "Fuckin' Dixons!" After that, every time his arms snaked around her waist or his hands pulled at her arms, she let him drag her away without a fight. That fact hadn't gone unnoticed by Merle or Shane, the former using that information to taunt his brother while the latter fumed. Shane had only tried to grab her from her quarrel with Merle once, thankfully, the very first time they got into a screaming match in camp. Both she and Merle had turned on him as soon as his hand had reached out with Daryl fast approaching from another direction. Being at the mercy of not one but two hot heads had sufficiently put Shane in his place as far as breaking up their fights went. Merle had laid into him about getting in business he didn't belong while she bitched him out for trying to touch her yet again. Only Daryl could tell them off when they were at odds with each other and no one else could say shit about it.

Daryl had taken to keeping tabs on the girl throughout camp, telling himself it was just because of how kind she was to them. He knew it had to do with her presence in the woods as well as her attitude, too. She was the only one in the camp that was even willing to talk to them without expecting something from them it seemed, let alone put up with Merle. Hell, she didn't take anyone's shit, and that was impressive considering her age and her size. She also seemed to rely on him to help her when she was confused and he was around, her eyes questioning and taking in his expression before either understanding or nonchalance washed over her. It made his chest swell with pride and something unknown to know that someone seemed to need him for more than just survival, especially since it was her. No one had ever given the Dixons a reason to feel responsible for anything but themselves. They had always believed that blood was blood and it was the two of them against the world. Now, this tiny little thing had quite literally thrown herself into the mix and caused him to want to make an exception just for her. It didn't help that her eyes brought on a faint voice in the back of his head asking for a smoke when he thought about the old times.

It'd been about three weeks by the time he'd started talking to her at times, the two of them sitting at their regular spot cleaning a dozen and a half squirrel they had hunted. Daryl had spoken up, asking how she'd learned to skin them anyway, when she didn't even know how to skin a deer the first time. He'd learned by trial and error, ruining a few squirrels before his dad had gotten frustrated and showed him the right way before beating him for ruining the other squirrels. It wasn't something a person just picked up from cleaning a completely different animal species. When she simply shrugged and told him that she had learned by watching him doing it before she'd offered to help the first time, he had stopped working to look at her.

"You fuckin' serious, girl?" he'd had asked.

She'd just looked at him as if to say obviously, "I told ya, I'm a freak. I can learn jus' by watchin'. Told ya that before, too, 'fore we went on that run. How'd ya think I learned how ta clean and maintain my bow? I asked ya afta ya found 'er for me, but ya neva got around ta actually showin' me. I jus' watched as ya cleaned ya's," she responded with a shrug, earning a frown from the younger Dixon; how hadn't he noticed her watching him?

"Hell, girl, that ain't bein' a freak. That's bein' smart. Shouldn't call yourself that so much," Daryl had replied back, returning to the squirrel in front of him.

"Nah, ya smart. Ya know how ta hunt and how ta savive in this world. I'm jus' goin' off a shows I've seen and the things I learned from my papa. Watchin' the world around my ta learn what I need ta. It's ya who's the special one. I'm jus' not lyin' down and givin' up. I know one a these days my luck'll run out. I know I'm jus' walka chow walkin'."

"Now listen here, Tea," he said, pointing his knife at her. After just a few weeks getting used to the girl and the numerous times she had stood up for him and his older brother, even with their fights, he felt like he owed her. "You can't keep callin' yourself that. Ain't a freak. You got more of a chance than half these son a bitches in the group. On top a that, I can look out for ya," he told her, looking up at her a couple times through his lashes to gauge her reaction, the soft gaze that momentarily crossed her face disappearing as she'd set her knife down.

Merle might have been under the influence of his drugs, but he heard that and saw red. He knew it. He just fucking knew the boy had been watching that little bitch all over the damn camp. He knew it wasn't just a coincidence that they were always together any time he wasn't around. Every time they left camp together, he could see how the boy's step was just a little slower than normal so he could have more time with her. And now he was outright saying he was going to look out for her? Was he fucking serious? Merle knew he needed to get that boy in check and quick. Blood is blood, and Daryl needed to remember that. Her next words had him smirking, though, and thinking that maybe he'd have an easier time keeping his brother in line.

"I'm thankful ya feel that way," she'd said while standing, the squirrel in front of her finished, "but ya wrong. And ya won' be wantin' ta watch afta me for long. I'm a walkin' catastrophe waitin' ta happen. Ya'll see."

She had stood up and walked away after that, grabbing the rag she had tucked in her back pocket and wiping her hands. Even now, a week later, Tea couldn't understand why the man would want to look after her. She didn't mean anything to him and hadn't been overly friendly. She tried to make sure that her ogling and noticing of the man was completely ignored or unnoticed, too. Merle and her hated each other and she knew damn well Merle wouldn't let Daryl do anything for her. She and Daryl barely spoke to each other, though when they worked together she felt at peace. He was nimble and quiet when hunting, his arms taunt as he held his crossbow ever at the ready. It hadn't really occurred to her that she had no reaction to him when he hauled her away from his brother until she'd seen his bottom. At first, she had chalked it up to being in the heat of the moment and focused on Merle. After that morning, though, she knew she needed to re-evaluate herself. She didn't even realize she had started watching him around camp until Merle had spoken up the day before.

"I see the way you watch him," Merle confronted her in front of her tent as her eyes trailed Daryl throughout the camp.

Startled, she looked quickly to Merle, "No I don'."

"Yeah ya do, ya bitch. You're wantin' a taste of the 'd' my baby brother's got to offer ya. Too bad that ain't never gonna happen. He don' want no snitchy bitch like you," he spat at her.

"It's not like that at all," she said as she fought to keep her emotions in check within her, disappointment and anger mixing with sadness and raging through her in tandem at his words.

"Then why you let 'im touch ya and no one else, hmm? Last I checked, you're all over Shane for puttin' his hands on ya. First time Daryl ever touched ya, you just walked away. You haven't even pulled away since. Don't try tellin' me you ain't sweet on him," Merle deadpanned, his irritation at the situation evident in his voice and face.

"Don' matter much, now does it?" she asked being honest and looking back to Daryl, her face blank. "He ain' gonna want someone like me, even if I didn' work with the cops. I ain' stupid, Merle. I can admire 'im as much as I want, but it don' change the fact that no normie in their right mind would want a versie like me. He's too good for me and I know it. I'd only hold 'im back or get 'im killed and that's the last thing I want."

Merle full on beamed at that point before walking away and getting into his tent. He recalled his conversation from a few nights ago when he'd caught Daryl watching the tiny vixen. The man had been doing more and more to go out of his way to spend time with her, it seemed, and Merle had been determined to end that crap. He wasn't about to lose his baby brother to some green-eyed pig-tramp.

"Ain't nothin' gonna happen between me and her, Merle" Daryl had told him with conviction. "She's just a little girl, anyways. Smart and resourceful. Good to have around. That's all."

"Uh-huh, sure baby brother. That's why you're always starin' at 'er ass and keepin' tabs on where she's at. Don't think I didn't notice."

"Leave it alone, Merle. She's twenty fuckin' two; I'm thirty four. 'Sides that, I ain't good enough for someone like her. She's some college educated bitch and I ain't nothin,'" Daryl had ended the conversation with that, getting up and walking away with the meat from the squirrels they had just processed.

Now here he was being told by the little woman that she thought she wasn't good enough for his brother, too. Smile staying in place, he looked at her and told her, "Don't you fuckin' forget it either, bitch." All she did was look at him before walking away.

~x~

A few days later, she could almost swear she was going crazy, her senses going crazy as she went about her morning chores. The feeling of being watched never once left her and she could almost swear she was being watched or followed. Looking up from hanging the laundry on the line between Carol and Jacqui, she caught Daryl watching her while chewing on his thumb from across camp. When he saw her looking at him, though, he quickly looked away. Shane was watching her, too, from his spot by the RV. That ship never even set sail, and even if it had it would never happen now. If seeing Daryl's rear end had been a glorious surprise and a lovely sight to behold, catching Shane and Lori in the act was traumatizing. She hadn't meant to walk near a clearing where the guy who was lusting after her and his best friend's wife were getting it on any more than she'd meant to spy on Daryl, yet she'd unintentionally seen that disturbance as well. Tea had done her best to stay away from that side of the camp after that unsightly find and thanked the gods they hadn't notice her when she'd run away at full sprint. Turning her eyes back to the younger Dixon, she caught his eyes peeking over at her again, leaving her to openly ogle him as her hands stopped moving. His ocean blue eyes held her firmly in place even across camp and she felt her face flush as he smirked at her.

"You alright, honey?" Carol asked after a moment, peaking in the direction the young woman was looking and seeing Daryl, a frown and crease of disapproval forming on her face. Not only did she think the age gap was hardly appropriate, the differences between the two were insurmountable.

Tea cleared her throat and reluctantly pulled her eyes away, returning to her work while responding, "Yeah. Uh-huh. I'm good."

She didn't know that Shane had seen the exchange between the two of them, too. The lovely red covering the tips of her ears and across her cheeks and chest shouldn't have been caused by a damn hick. He was livid because she never once gave him a look like that. Any time she caught him looking at her, she would make a face that showed clear contempt and disgust before she'd turn away. Now he'd all but caught her and Dixon eye fucking? Hell no! That wasn't going to fly with him at all. Yeah, Lori was a good way to blow off steam, but in the end, she was just a place holder. Someone to get his rocks off with while he bided his time and waited for the real prize. Yet Dixon thought he could get the prize that was Tea? Fuck that! His feet were already on the move before he even realized it. Anger was rolling off him in waves as he stormed up to the rednecks' camp.

"Fuck you lookin' at, Dixon?" he demanded.

"Fuck you," was Daryl's only response before he stood up and went to move away.

Daryl hadn't known his and Tea's little moment had been caught, but he simply hadn't been able to look away the second time she caught him looking at her. The fact that she'd already caught him and then looked back at him when he'd looked away had his mind wandering. As much as his eyes had roamed over her body, it had made it even harder to want to turn his head again. Especially after she started blushing; he had smirked to himself at that. She blushed just because he was watching her, and hell if that didn't make his chest swell with pride. If he was being honest with himself, he hadn't wanted to look away the first time. He'd only done so out of habit.

The little girl had wormed her way into his thoughts more than he wanted to admit. He couldn't even sleep at night without her popping into his dreams, little things she'd say or do making their way into his subconscious. She'd gotten just as many kills in hunting as he had, was almost as good a tracker, and if possible she was even quieter than he was when in the woods, though he blamed her size for that one. He couldn't even hear her breathe half the time, that's how silent she could be. Learning by watching rather than having to be taught was something he admired because it was something he'd had to learn to do as a kid, too. It made him wonder why she called herself a freak so much when she was just using what she had available to survive. A part of him wanted to tell her that, but instead he'd offered to look after her. When she shot him down and told him that she would be the one to run him off eventually and not the other way around, he hadn't been prepared to feel the disappointment and worry he had. He hadn't meant to, but he'd let the little girl get too close to him. He'd let her worm her way into his thoughts and heart and now he didn't want her to back off. So Shane's little outburst had him feeling like his toes were being stepped on and this time he was determined that he wasn't going to let Shane get his way.

"I mean it, Dixon. Stay away from Tea. She's too good for you," Shane warned once again for the umpteenth time, following the man over to his truck.

"Ain't that her choice to make?" Daryl boldly asked as Merle walked up, looking pissed himself at his brother's words.

"Dammit Dixon, this ain't a fuckin' game. Stay the fuck away from Tea. She don't need your bullshit causin' her any more problems than she's already got. We all know she's a little messed up in the head even if she's got some smarts to her. I've seen the way you watch her around camp. I see how you always gotta put your hands on her. She don't need your redneck ass trying to pull shit," Shane growled loudly while stepping right up into Daryl's personal space, earning some attention from others as they heard what the man said and looked back and forth between the two, a couple looking over to Tea.

"Fuck you say?" Daryl barked back, stepping toe to toe with the cop, not at all liking what the man had insinuated he was doing to the little thing, let alone what he said about Tea being messed up.

"You heard me," Shane said. "Keep your hands to your damn self, Dixon."

"I could say the same damn thing ta ya," her sweet voice sang out from behind him. "After all, ya the one who needs ta take that advice. Actin' like ya got the rights ta jus' play Mr. Grab Hands when I'm tryin' ta leave. Puttin' ya arms on my shouldas wheneva ya want. Sittin' too fuckin' close or grabbin' at me when I'm even jus' tryin' ta go take a piss! Wanna tell othas hands off? Learn the fuckin' lesson yaself first!"

"Now listen here, Tea, I've had enough of you defendin' these douchebags. You keep hangin' 'round them and helpin' them, and I get it. You're a kind girl, nothin' wrong with that. But these two assholes are goin' to take advantage of that sooner or later. All they are are assholes, drug dealers, girl! Drug dealers and drunks and they ain't gonna do nothin' but use you. You gotta know that! Daryl's been gettin' handsy with you and watches you all over the camp! Man, it's like he's stalkin' you! And here I am, just tryin' to look out for you, and you constantly act like I'm the bad guy. Like I'm the one playin' grab hands and forcin' you to stick around," Shane said, turning around to see Glenn, Dale, and Morales behind her, Tea's arms full of the brothers' clothes. "And to be fair, if I didn't grab you when I'm tryinna talk to you, you'd walk away without listenin' to me. The other times, I'm just tryinna be friendly, that's all. You take things too seriously, girl."

"I happen ta like Daryl's company, thank ya very much. He knows 'is limits, unlike some," she said while glaring at him, handing the clothes off to Merle as he was closer to her, ignoring the glare the man was sending her with a passion. "Daryl only eva grabs me ta keep me from givin' Merle anotha beat down, not jus' willy nilly like ya do! And whetha I wanna walk away or stay has nothin' ta do with what ya want, Shane. When I'm done talkin' or don' wanna listen, I'll walk the fuck away. And if ya got a problem with that ya can tell it ta the birds. Pharmacists deal drugs, too, they jus' have a license ta give 'em out, and a lot a those drugs get sold ta othas. Hell, I'm a drug deala if ya think a it that way, since I used ta give my pain killas from surgery ta my friend for 'er migraines! I don' give two shites what someone is ta someone else, it only mattas what they are ta me! I decide who I care about and who I hang 'round! Not ya! And ya keep pawin' at me like ya've been, ya gonna learn jus' why ya shouldn' be undaestimatin' someone like me! Trust me when I say Merle couldn' do shite ta me! He's damn near a foot talla and quite a bit bulkia than ya; ya sure as hell ain' got shite against me."

"You just don't get it, Tea. Girl, you're tiny," Shane began as he yet again placed his hands on her, specifically laying both on both her shoulders firmly and forcing her to look at him. She noticed that all the guys held the same look of disbelief she was sure shown through her own eyes as he did so. "You got fuckin' lucky with Merle. He was probably high off his ass and just didn't have the fight in him. Looked worse than it really was," he chuckled while shaking his head, completely missing the fact that Tea's face drained of all emotion as soon as he touched her and kept darkening as he spoke. "There is no way you could take either of us in our right minds. You've got it written all over your face just how weak you are. I'm tryin' to look out for you. Girls like you, you try to show you're strong, that you're the toughest of the tough, but you're not, Tea. Girl, you're weak and you couldn't take any of us if you wanted to sober. So just let me protect you. Daryl ain't any good for you to be hangin' around and ain't worth you defendin' him. Him or Merle."

For the first time since Shane had seen her, Tea smiled. Glenn and Dale shared a look of utter disbelief at what Shane was doing after her warning. Even Morales had a look of disbelief at his actions let alone what he had said about her friendship with Daryl, especially since it actually benefitted the camp when she and Daryl work together. Daryl and Merle noticed the sinister look in her eyes that didn't hold even the slightest trace of that sweet smile gracing her face. It was even darker than the smile she had given Merle before she had beaten him. Shane was an absolute fool for thinking the little thing had gotten the drop on Merle through luck. Even Merle had to admit that the reason he never swung on the girl again was more because of that beat down than his desire not to hit her. He'd wanted to beat the snot out of the brat, but didn't feel like taking a beating just to dish one out; he preferred one sided beat downs to two. Tea simply decided that if Shane wanted to call her weak and touch her unwarranted again, he was going to learn his lesson once and for all as to why the hell he needed to leave her alone.

Shane didn't even register what was happening when all of a sudden his diaphragm was being pushed further up than it was supposed to go, causing him to lose his breath and double over. A quick blow to his jaw followed by another to his temple not a second later and the man was laid out on the ground. The rednecks wore twin expressions of astonishment while many other members of the camp where now focused on the situation near their area, many gasping in disbelief. Dale and Glenn were both wide eyed while Morales was openly snickering, his hand on his mouth as his eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. It was Lori who ran over to check on Shane, looking at the girl in front of her as if she was a beast.

"What the hell did you do that for?!" she screeched in a demanding tone.

"Now, Lori," started Dale, trying to diffuse the situation, "Shane kind of had that coming. She keeps telling him not to touch her and he clearly has no respect for her boundaries."

"That doesn't give her the right to attack him!" Lori screeched.

"It could count as self-defense," Morales commented.

"Knocking him out?!" her voice got even higher.

"It's not my fault," the girl in question claimed calmly. "I don' 'xactly know my own strength let alone have control a it when I'm pissed or threatened. He shoulda kept 'is damn paws ta himself like 'e was tellin' Daryl ta do and damn sure should a kept 'is fuckin' mouth shut. I may look weak, but I was trained in all the fightin' 'e's been trained with and then some. Even Merle hasn' tried shite since I beat 'im down. Shane's own damn fault 'e's laid out. Not mine."

"Yeah, girl, ain't got an ass like that for nothin'," Merle called out unhelpfully.

"Are you kidding me right now?" Lori asked incredulously.

"Ya should know by now that I don' joke around," Tea said as she nodded in appreciation towards Merle. "How many times have I asked 'im ta keep 'is hands ta himself? Now maybe he will."

"Are you crazy?! He was just talking to you and looking out for you!" Lori said.

Tea shook her head and walked away. There was no use trying to explain herself to Lori when the woman already thought of her as a villain. She then went back over to her tent, pulled out the same bag she always took with her to the woods and attached her machete to her hip. Her crossbow secured over her shoulder along with the quiver, she headed towards her regular trail. When Lori asked her where she thought she was going, she simply flipped her off and disappeared, leaving the woman to yell at her back. Her nerves were completely shot and her mind was running a mile a minute with various scenarios that could have happened and still might when she returned. She didn't care if anyone cared where she went, she just wanted to be gone. There was enough of a trail behind her that one could find her if they wanted to, and that was good enough for her. Continuing on until she found the same log she'd sat against the first night to smoke, she lowered herself to the ground and pulled out her grinder and bowl. After blowing up at Shane she couldn't stop shaking and almost spilled some of the weed on the forest floor. Cussing up a storm before finally managing to fully pack her bowl, she ripped her lighter from her jeans and took a giant rip. The effects were almost instant as the shaking slowly subsided. She'd only taken two more hits when a twig snapped, alerting her to the approaching company.

"Well, damn, girl," came a familiar redneck voice, "didn't take you as a pothead."

"We all got our secrets, Daryl," she called out, exhaling the hit she'd taken.

It was only a moment or so later that the younger Dixon entered her view quipping, "That's a hell of a right hook you got."

Offering him her bowl and lighter, which he gladly accepted, she replied, "I meant it when I said I can' control my strength. It ain' nothin' more than that."

"Wha'ch'ya mean, can't control your strength?"

She eyed him contemplatively, deciding that if anyone in the camp would understand, it might be him. "I'm autistic and ADHD. Basically means my mind don' work the same way as ya's. Strength is largely a mental prospect, as we subconsciously limit the amount we exert in any motion we do. That's how I broke that jar I was jus' tryin' ta open for Amy. I don' have that subconscious limit. I gotta think about how much force ta use in almost everythin' I do 'til I'm so used ta doin' it and only use the amount a strength ta exert comes naturally. And when I'm in a moment like I jus' was with Shane? The last thing I'm doin' is thinkin' 'bout my strength."

They passed the bowl back and forth a couple times before Daryl asked, "What's your deal with Shane, anyways? Don't seem to mind me so much, or Dale or Glenn."

"I don' like bein' touched and people...people are confusin'. They ovastimulate me with the motion and noise and jus' bein' 'emselves. Dale's kind a like a grandpa and is wise enough ta give me space when I need it. He kind a reminds me a the old guy who used ta live across the hall from me and Jesse in Atlanta. Always takin' care a people younga than 'im and makin' sure they're doin' alright. Glenn knows, I think, that I'm a versie. He must a known one 'fore all this happened. He jus' talks or backs off or is jus' there, so it jus' is with 'im. He don' try ta touch me and if it does happen, it's usually jus' an accident and I know it. Ya okay, but ya different. Ya and Merle both, but Merle's an asshole. Ya savivors like me, I think," she stated as she could barely discern shock and curiosity cross his face. At least it was better than the looks most people gave her, as if she was a basket case or a fragile doll.

"Survivor like you?" Daryl asked as he handed her back her bowl, looking her right in the eye.

"Yeah, a," she cleared her throat and looked away, unsure about the topic change, her voice smaller than he'd ever heard it, "childhood."

Both of them paused, Daryl completely taken aback as she took a long draw off the bowl in her hand while avoiding eye contact. Daryl snapped, not liking where this was going, "Fuck ya mean by that?"

She looked at him in all seriousness then, before her eyes flitted back to the forest floor, "Ya know why we get along so well?" He shook his head when her eyes briefly looked at him through her lashes, "It's 'cause we're the damn same. Only difference is that I got it beat inta me ta at least act all civil like ta othas." He continued to look at her, questioning what she was getting at as she looked everywhere but at him, another first. Her next confession had him feeling closer to the girl than he wanted to admit, "I was maybe four when it started. Momma didn' like that my preschool teachas kept talkin' 'bout me 'cause I didn' like sittin' still. Always had ta be doin' somethin' and always pickin' things up the first time through. Really didn' like how I couldn' talk like my daddy and my sista. When I was five and the doctors told 'em I was different, well, they didn' like it at all. They were upstandin' citizens in the community. They were part a the PTA, had a nice house on the nice side a town in the cull de sac with a family estate up north. Participated in all the community events and did more'n their fair share a community service and charity work. Daddy was loved by everyone and everyone looked ta him for advice, wantin' 'im ta get inta politics.

"He was a war hero, ya know? Knew all kinds a people within politics and the military that wanted ta rub knuckles with 'im. Momma was known for bein' the most charitable and generous woman 'round, a real righteous, God-fearin' saint in their eyes. They were the cream a the crop and I was expected ta be the same, perfect, socially acceptable bein' that my olda sista was when I ain' eva gonna be. And bein' told their daughta had ADHD, they'd already been smackin' me 'round 'cause a what the teachas said. I had ta stand at ease in the corna for hours on end and go without meals 'cause I jus' couldn' sit still. Got worse when I was six and diagnosed autistic and was skipped up a couple grades by 'showin' off.'"

She motioned to her face, "Momma gave me this 'cause we were at the store once and she was tryin' ta do these basket things for the less fortunate for the holidays. Don' rememba which one, but I pointed out a deal that would make buyin' in bulk cheapa for 'er. She didn' like that at all and when we got home, it was straight ta the basement with me," Tea said, a sad scoff escaping her as she closed her eyes and leaned her head all the way back against the log after taking a deep hit, exhaling it slowly before continuing. "Dug 'er thumb inta my chin while makin' me look at 'er face while she screamed at me 'bout how I made 'er look like a fool and left me in the room down there. Daddy came home and laid inta me; used a soft leatha belt ta whip me hard 'nough ta leave welts, but not ta break the skin 'cause 'e didn' want me bleedin' that night. Had a get togetha a the neighborhood, ya know? 'Magine bein' given hugs and pats on the back for hours while people compliment ya on how well ya was doin' without flinchin' even though it hurt ta move. It neva fuckin' ended 'til I fuckin' left. That's the biggest part a why I don' like bein' touched, 'cause a the abuse. Smalla part is jus' 'cause a how me mind works. Get ovastimulated when I'm upset and people are pawin' at me, less it's the right person given the right situation."

Neither talked for a few rounds of passing the bowl before Daryl asked, not wanting to delve further down memory lane, his or hers, at the moment, "What ya gonna do when you get back ta camp?"

"I dunno, honestly," she said with a little laugh, thankful for the change in topic. "Jus' don' want ta deal with the same shite all ova again. I'm a fuckin' versie at the end a the world surrounded by normies who don' fuckin' get it." She ran a hand over her face before combing her fingers through her hair as she stood up and paced, her blank façade finally dropping as anger and frustration took over. "Normies don' got ta worry 'bout half the shite I do, from noises bein' irritatin' ta my anga goin' from zero ta a thousand like it did with Merle and Shane! Y'all don' care if someone's breathin' too loud or smackin' their lips while they eat or gulpin' their water down like a dog lickin' its balls. Ya don' gotta put up with the looks like ya 'bout ta go bat shite. And now I get ta go back ta that camp and deal with Lori doin' jus' that 'cause Shane can' fuckin' keep 'is hands ta his damned self! I have ta defend myself yet again 'cause someone else don' fuckin' care! It ain' fuckin' fair Shane gets ta fuckin' act a pig yet I'm gonna be the one in trouble for fuckin' defendin' myself in the only way he would undastand! It ain' fuckin' right that I got ta out myself bein' a versie jus' 'cause Shane's an asshole! I'm gonna be judged six ways ta Sunday when I get back! This whole thing jus' ain' fuckin' fair! It jus' ain' fuckin' fair!" She started kicking at the log.

"Hey, now," Daryl took a couple steps closer to her and place a hand gently on the small of her back, "Ain't nothin' wrong with ya. You gave that asshole fair warnin' and he didn't back off. It ain't on you."

She scoffed, folding her arms around herself and looking at the ground, barely leaning into his touch, "Tell that ta Lori."

"Just some dumb broad lookin' to climb Shane's beanpole," he said watching the girl who looked even smaller now sit back down slowly while he took a step back, even if she did snort at his words with a small smirk on her face.

"Ya mean climbin' 'is joystick. Bitch ain' fuckin' tryin'. Caught 'em a while back goin' at it," Tea responded as she turned towards him, her face completely morphed into a stony expression. "Sorry. Didn' mean ta be a whiny little bitch jus' now. Jus' got me nerves shot thanks ta Shane. Hell, should a seen me when I got 'ere. Saprised I didn' dump me grinda on the ground with how bad I was shakin'. Happens every time I get worked up."

"Ain't nothin' to worry 'bout, girl," Daryl said handing the now empty bowl back to the small woman. "Don't really get that autism and ADHD stuff, though."

She just shook her head and repacked the pipe, not caring that she was going to be running low seeing as how Daryl had found her; any time she walked off she'd probably have company now. He'd been the only one not to judge how she acted around camp, though, so she was willing to share what she had with him. Maybe when they went into town again she'd get lucky and find someone's stash to add to her own to give her a larger supply. It'd already happened twice before, though it hadn't been much either time. It seemed like she might have a smoking buddy now that he knew her little secret. She thought it funny how she, someone working with APD, was smoking with Daryl. She just didn't look nor act the type to do drugs, let alone hang out with a biker.

Finally she replied with a soft smile, "Like I said. I'm a freak a nature."

"Why you call yourself that all the damn time?" he growled, finally irritated enough by her saying it and the weed helping him relax enough to admit he cared. It was bad enough he thought about himself that way sometimes and here she was constantly calling herself it like it was natural.

"'Cause I am. Autism and ADHD, bein' a fuckin' genius, my mind bein' fucked by anxiety and depression that's fuckin' caused by the autism and ADHD, always gotta plan everythin', gotta be in control. Even my folks knew I was a freak. Reminded me every damn chance they could," she stated like it was a fact, him to stare at her intently.

"Listen here," Daryl started, not enjoying the revelations she had given him, "Autism, ADHD? Fuck's that even matter? You've gone and done more for that camp than Shane has and more for my brother and me than anyone ever. And Merle's been an ass to you the whole damn time. Anyone gives you trouble for bein' you, you come get me. I'll put 'em in they're place. So stop callin' yourself that."

"Why do ya even care?"

"Fuck, you're around so much I've gotten used to you. That's all. Kinda like havin' a huntin' partner. And, hell, you're the only person I've ever known to put Merle on his ass 'sides our old man," Daryl said with a laugh before looking at her through his lashes. "I dunno, I just do. So stop fuckin' callin' yourself that."