I know I know. I have what feels like a dozen already ongoing stories and here I am posting this. I was bored and couldn't get in the mood to write on anything I had already started. I was listening to one of my playlists when a song came on a line from it spawned this idea. Now I'm not even sure if this is going anywhere. As it stands it is a mere one shot. I might come back to it if I feel so inclined. I do hope you enjoy it though. :D I'm marking this complete for now but as I said I may come back to this here soon if it strikes me and wont leave me alone.
The title also sucks. Overlook that...it may change.
Wiping down the table and ignoring the looks she was getting Lacy gritted her teeth and turned her back to the counter. She was only in here because Tara had a doctor's appointment and asked her if she would care to come in and cover her shift. She didn't even work here anymore but done just that for her. That's what friends done anyways and she was a damn good friend if you meant something to her but that didn't mean she had to like the condescending looks she was getting from the bible thumping customers.
Dale had never put her on the church going days knowing that was a large part of the customers on those days. With her thick black hair that just hung under her chin with more chopped layers than even she was use to. Her dark eyes could flash in an instant and she was quick to say what was on her mind. Dale had decided she was better fit for later in the evening customers on days when less finicky religious types were around. This had her seeing a few rare birds and a few even rarer types than that.
The door burst open and Tara was there looking at her eyes wide and smile worth a million dollars as she made her way over. She jerked her head for behind the counter and she sighed not even sure what to attribute the sudden cheer in Tara too. Tara was a normally happy person to Lacey's moody nature that usually had her responding in sarcastic riddles.
"He's in town."
Lacey tossed her rag into the sink and looked at her, "Am I supposed to know who ever he is to you?"
"Um Earth to Lacey Deschain but it aint my he." Tara had that smile again and her eyes were shining brightly as the green turned an emerald shade. "Seen him just a minute ago when I was getting gas."
Lacey tried to keep her face passive but knew she was going to crack sooner or later. "Why are you telling me?"
Tara's look was disapproving, "You know you can act like it don't bother you or even that you don't care altogether but we both know you are nothing but a liar." Tara pulled herself up on the counter, "I've always admired you and never once doubted you but looking at it now Lacey don't be a coward."
She felt her anger drone through her blood like good little soldiers and shot a venomous look at Tara, "I'm not a coward-"
"The hell you aren't!" Tara snapped her normal cheer vanishing in place or steel, "The second he got to close you cut things between you and him so quick he couldn't even be here anymore. You broke his heart!"
She felt the first tendrils of guilt slithering around her like a predator ready to take her, "And you know this how?"
Still disapproving, "Just because you decided you couldn't be around him for any reason at all didn't mean I stopped being his friend after that. I still talked to him before he left."
Lacey shot her a look, "I didn't know that."
"Why would you? Any time he was brought up you got so mad that you became impossible to talk to." Tara's eyes were loosing her anger and taking on a sad shade, "He told me he had to go."
Holding her hand up she silenced her, "I never told him he had to leave his hometown Tara I just said we were done."
"But would you wanna stay somewhere that everywhere you looked you were reminded your own heart didn't want you?" Tara nodded, "Those were his exact words to me Lacey."
The guilt that had threatened her earlier overwhelmed her for a moment and she swallowed blinking, "Why is he back here?"
"Merle is out of the service." Tara shrugged, "He still lives here."
Lacey nodded knowing that it was indeed time for the eldest Dixon to getting out of the Army. She had always gotten along with Merle and was a little nervous at his being home. Merle wasn't one to take to anyone fucking with his little brother and he would take Daryl leaving as a direct result of her leaving him. She didn't even give Daryl a reason for the break up despite him asking her multiple times until he just gave up and avoided her like she asked.
Did she regret it? Every damn day but she made that choice and was stuck with it. When she had finally went to fix things she had gotten a slap to the face with reality when she found out he had moved. She had made sure no one brought him up to her and for all that she didn't even know he had moved and had been gone for three months. With that news came a deep hollowness in her chest and despite how much she ignored her own hearts beat felt like a traitorous event to her without him there now.
The dinging bell let her know there was customers and she thrust the apron at Tara, "You're here now take over." Her voice was off and she knew Tara was looking at her funny.
She'd even look at herself funny. She felt like ice was sinking into her chest the more she thought about how she had done him and the look on his face the night she had done it. It was all very cold and impersonal. He looked so confused but on top of that was the hurt, the blatant hurt that shown through that was eating her up. She had hurt him. The very thing she promised she wouldn't do after hearing about his father and the things he'd been through.
At twenty years old Daryl Dixon wasn't the most trusting of men and he had been a hard-headed man to even get close to. She had gotten past those defenses though and in that time when she had just wanted to be his friend she had fallen hard for him. She was stuck in the middle like limbo and was confused. She knew that there had to be something better than be stuck in the middle like that so she made a wild jump from being friends to kissing him when he went to talk to her. Instead of him backing away like she thought he would he'd frozen up and stared at her wide-eyed and confused until he didn't and when he kissed her back she knew that things were done for right then.
Gathering her stuff up Lacey paused hearing a familiar laugh and cringed when she realized it was Merle's. He was talking to Tara and sounded like he was alone but she couldn't be sure. She knew that if Merle was close then Daryl wouldn't be far behind.
"Now tell me sugar when was the last time my brother was here?"
Tara was leaning on the counter and smiling up at Merle, "Not sure Dixon when was the last time you were in for leave?"
Merle frowned at her and Lacey tried to slink by while he was looking off, "Now Lacey I know you aint so rude as to not speak to me." His voice wasn't condescending like usual but there was something there.
Turning and smiling at him, "You were occupied."
He hummed in his throat and the second she met his eyes she knew what it was she heard in his voice. He was trying to rein in his anger at her and she knew that he'd talked to Daryl. She didn't know when or how he even got him to but she knew and he knew she did. He gave her that lopsided smile that she knew meant trouble, "You don't have to slip away like a snake in the grass he aint coming in here."
Frowning at him and shaking her head, "I'm not leaving because he might be here I'm leaving cause I don't even work here and I covered her shift after my job."
Merle shrugged, "All the same he's aware where he's not wanted."
She flinched at the accusation and he looked back to Tara and the dismissal couldn't have been more clear to her. Merle was livid with her but wouldn't make a scene at Dale's. Dale had always looked out for Daryl while Merle was gone and after their mother had died and he'd walk out before he let his anger get to him.
Lacey got in her car and set staring at her hands on the steering wheel. She didn't want to go home and she didn't want to be around anyone. The one person she needed to talk to was like a ghost haunting her but never within reach. Lacey just started driving not thinking about it even as the storm in her mind warred with her causing her to suck in heavy breaths to combat the tears wanting freedom.
Pulling up and parking she didn't even know where she was until she realized she was at the old county line bridge. She snorted and pushed her door open the darkness of the night swallowing the sound and taking it like it owned it. Lacey walked to the well-worn path and slipped up on to the old bridge to nowhere. The roads here went nowhere and the bridge was like a snapshot in time of a world that never came and never went.
She stopped when she seen a figure setting with their legs just over the side of the bridge. The profile couldn't have been more striking despite the dark shroud around them. She knew Daryl better than anyone and she had mapped his body with her own hands. Every inch of him was known to her and she would be able to spot him blind folded.
He stiffened and his head turned just slightly and she knew he seen her but he went back to looking at the water. She hadn't meant to end up here but she should have known better. When Daryl had been upset when they dated those fiver years this was where he ended up and when she had needed him this was where she found him. And now her subconscious brought her here where he was at when she thought she was going to die of a broken hearted disease.
Lacey walked forward waiting to see if he was going to ask her to leave or go himself but he never moved or indicated either way. She took it for a positive and walked to where she always set just to his right. It felt surreal to be here with him again and she felt tears threaten her again as his scent that was so long lost to her washed over her. Smoke, mint, coffee, leather, cologne, and something spicy that was just him.
"Want me to go?" Lacey kept her voice low.
Daryl snorted and finally cut his eyes to her slightly, "Do what you want."
Frowning she left it alone and instead set quietly with him just getting use to being back around him. "Seen Merle."
Daryl sighed, "What did he say? Just go on with it." He sounded defeated.
Lacey pulled her leg up and left one dangling as she turned towards him. This put him slightly between her legs something more intimate than they had been in a long time. He looked at her but didn't move away, he was waiting for her answer.
"He's mad at me but didn't make a scene at least."
Daryl blew out a breath and lit up a cigarette inhaling sharply his cheeks hollowing out. On his exhale his words were rougher, "There is that."
"How have you been?" Lacey prodded. She wanted to know everything now that she had him here and she was hoping he would open up some.
His voice told her he was confused, "How do you expect me to answer that?"
"I...I just want to know if things have been good for you."
Daryl turned looking at her the cherry of his cigarette red and warning as his eyes blazed in the red glow, "Want me to tell you I've been a miserable bastard or do you want me to tell you I've moved on? Which would ease your conscience more?"
His words hurt more than she was ready for and the dam broke. She hiccuped seconds before her tears started. Standing suddenly she ran till she was out of breath, she ran until there was nothing left. She let the air pump into her lungs and the finality of her decisions chased her like the ghost that haunted her. Nothing was forever and she was more aware of that than ever before.
A stick breaking behind her had her turning in the dark as she looked around seeing the forest thick and suffocating. Daryl stepped out of the brush his chest heaving and he looked at her like she was crazy.
"Are you fucking stupid?" He snapped walking right for her. "You goddamn know you have no sense of direction how the fuck did you expect to get out of here in the dark?"
Lacey's chest shuddered and heaved with her tears looking at him and seeing his concern for her. Even now he was trying to take care of her, even after ripping his heart out so bad he ran from his home town.
"I...you...I don't know Daryl." She hiccuped again.
Daryl coughed and walked towards her, "Ahfuck Lace don't cry. Shit."
His arms wrapped around her and she fell into his chest easily. It was all so familiar and she welcomed the lie he was giving her as she cried for her mistakes. His arms tightened with each of her cries and he sunk to the forest floor pulling her with him and she crawled onto his lap her arms tight around him.
"I'm sorry Daryl." Lacey whispered on his throat.
"Be quiet." He spoke just as low as her his hand coasting down her back while the other still held her to his body. "Just let it go Lacey. It's in the past."
"I hurt you Daryl."
Daryl sighed, "Everyone hurts everyone at some point."
"I never wanted that for you."
"And I didn't want to make you cry but I guess we're both assholes."
She laughed against his throat and was grateful he wasn't lashing out at her. "I really am sorry. When I tried to find you to make things right you were gone and I wasn't sure how to get ahold of you. Tara wouldn't talk about you to me."
Daryl pushed her back from his throat forcing her to meet his eyes. The blue in them was shining in the faint moonlight that was making it through the canopy. The emotional turmoil in his eyes was devastating cause she could still see the longing there but hurt was there with it now. Daryl pushed her hair out of her face and swiped her tears away.
"Please stop crying you know I hate to see it." His voice was low and pleading.
Nodding she sucked in a breath, "Are you here just to see Merle for a day or two before you're gone?"
Daryl gave her a weird look and then smirked, "Tara tell you I was here for Merle?" At her nod he went on, "Merle got out but he came to my place first. That was about four months ago, his ass roped me into moving back here with him."
Lacey was breathing harder as she watched his face as he told her about Merle coming to stay with him. He hadn't put up much a fight wanting to be back close to his brother and his home town. He was looking at her but wasn't looking at her and she seen her opening. Just like before she took a chance and could only hope he didn't react badly.
Leaning forward her lips met his silencing his words and he only stalled for a mere second before he was kissing her back just as hungrily. His arms locked around her like irons and hers on him. She felt like her body was melding to his and the heat that she felt was almost painful as she fought for control of the kiss. Losing the fight she let him lead her and reveled in the feeling of home that surrounded her like a warm blanket.
Daryl pulled away from her and his lips were brushing the side of her face when he spoke, "If you ever do something as stupid as that shit again I'm going to beat you."
Lacey laughed and nodded, "I don't want to be without you."
Daryl stood up causing her feet to land on the ground and he let her go. "We need to go before the rains start."
Lacey looked up and shook her head, "Forecast was clear Daryl."
"I don't give a fuck what that over paid charlatan says." He sneered, "It's gonna fucking rain."
Lacey grabbed his wrist as they started through the woods unable to see anything now that it was so dark. He chuckled and pulled her along with him his hand strong and sure. When they got to the gravel of the road and the solid crunch under their boots he walked for their vehicles and she realized she had completely missed his bike when she had gotten there.
"I don't want you to go." Lacey sighed.
Daryl looked over at her as he straddled his bike and then to the sky, "Tell me what you want then."
Looking at him for a moment she smiled and nodded, "Come back to my place. If I remember you have an appetite that could rival that of a small country."
"And if I remember your special was ordering food." He raised an eyebrow.
"I never said I was cooking just that there would be food." She opened her door and felt unease creep in, "Daryl?" She turned looking at him, "You will come right?"
Daryl set down on his bike and turned the key looking at her, "I'll be right behind you."
When she got to her house she ran straight to the bathroom and cringed at the raccoon eyes and fucked hair she had. No wonder his face was amused while he looked at her. She looked like a wild animal that had been beaten and drenched. The sound of someone at the door made her feel a pang in her chest. Daryl never knocked before always just letting himself in and for a moment she had forgotten that they'd been broke up for a year and that he'd go back to how things were before.
Swinging the door open she scowled and ushered him in, "Why didn't you just walk in?"
"Kind of rude." He shrugged.
Lacey shot him a look, "Daryl you're welcome here any time you want lets get that clear." She rubbed her hand and eyed his key ring for a second, "The locks are still the same."
Daryl wasn't look at her but so she watched as his fingers unconsciously rubbed across a worn key that she herself had put there. Just seeing that key there gave her a sense of hope and she clung to it. Grabbing him she pulled him towards the living room and he let her setting down where he always did. She scowled realizing that before she would have just set in his lap with her back to his chest but now she wasn't sure what to do.
"What are you hungry for?"
Daryl looked up at her through the fringe of his bangs and she tried to keep her body under control. It amazed her how he could say so much with just one look. Lacey grinned at him and grabbed her phone calling a number so familiar she didn't even need to think they also just took her name knowing her order. She interrupted them adding to it and causing the person on the other end to question her. She dismissed Taylor's good natured ribbing and hung up looking back at Daryl.
"Food'll be here in twenty-five minutes." He nodded and lifted his hips his hand moving around pulling his wallet out and tossing it to her. "Daryl I offered I'm paying."
He looked over at her and shook his head not saying anything else. He had a severe look to his eyes that threatened his temper appearing if she refused him and she sighed. She didn't want to chance pissing him off before she could talk to him more. His phone went off and she watched as he ignored the call before settling back in his seat.
"You gonna tell me what's on your mind or keep standing in the same spot hoping I'll read your mind?"
Lacey looked over and he was giving her a once over that was slightly wolfish and scowled when his phone rang again. She watched him ignore the call and then no sooner than he did it went off again. Growling he answered and she cringed at the tone in his voice.
"What?" He wasn't looking at her but instead his boots. "No forget that stupid shit." The person on the other line must've said something worse cause he set forward, "No goddamn it." He snapped his phone shut and looked at her. "Sorry."
Lacey walked over and set on the table in front of him, "I don't know where to start and nothing I can say will take back what I done."
He licked his lips looking at her and leaned his head back on the wall his eyes on her, "Then tell me why."
Rubbing her hands down her thighs, "We were together five years and at the time I hadn't thought about it terms of length or anything like that. I was happy and just went with it. But Tara mentioned it one day how serious it was and I just felt panic at that." She looked at him and seen him watching her, "You know how things were in my house. Always a schedule every thing so severe and serious that it scared me."
Daryl set up and looked at her, "In what way did I ever make you think of your father?"
Cringing at the hurt in his eyes she shook her head, "It wasn't you. I never stopped loving you or even really considered what I was doing. It felt like a tail spin through panic and all I could think was that I was going to be like my mom stuck under lock and key having to ask permission to even go to the store."
"Why didn't you just say something?"
Lacey stood up and moved towards him now regardless if he wanted her in his space. She needed to feel the comfort he offered, "I told you I wasn't thinking straight." Sinking into his body she let out a breath when his arms went around her and let herself finally relax. "I missed an entire year with you cause I'm a coward."
"Not a coward Lace." He chuckled, "Just do stupid fucking shit."
She stood when the food got there and her stomach growled loudly as the delivery boy Glenn chuckled. He delivered to her so often she felt like they had a tentative friendship. His eyes widened when Daryl pushed himself standing and she seen his eyes flash over him heatedly as he turned. She grinned at him and shut the door.
"I give it twenty minutes that it's all over town that you're at my house."
Daryl eyed her and then snorted, "Already is. Merle was the one who called already knew where I was."
Lacey thrust the food at him as she grabbed something for them to drink. It was old times again and she looked over seeing him setting on the floor one leg pulled up his arm draped over it the other extended in front of him. She had him back here and she be damned if she ever let go again. She knew there was still some things to clear up and despite it all he was a man after all. They'd work through it. She knew they would.