Author's Note:

Welcome back people :) You're probably all wondering what this is, so I'll give you a quick run down. It's my birthday, so I figured, what better way to celebrate than to give my awesome readers a nice (unusually long in my case) oneshot?

And in case anyone reading this hasn't already done so, this is connected to my fanfic Footsteps of the Damned, so go read that before you dive into this one. I guess this can technically be read on it's own, but you'll miss the connections between this and the story.

I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just briefly say that this is somewhat an AU oneshot, but fear not, it's all relevant. What else... Oh! Some descriptions of characters may not be accurate in relation to the tv show, but that's only because Riley hasn't actually seen those characters and that's the image she put in her head. I think I'll leave it at that for now... If you're confused on what's going on, just keep reading, it'll all click in the end :)

Footsteps of the Damned

Bonus Oneshot

Warning:

Here there be smut- well, just towards the end anyway ;)

Knoxville was a quiet city, boring and plain. Well, that's what my friend had told me anyway. I kind of liked that about it, nice, relaxing, familiar, but Aleah wanted new and exciting. Our personalities were on both sides I the spectrum, yet that's what brought us closer. And since I was the more passive one, it also brought us closer to Atlanta. Scratch that- to Atlanta.

"Come on, loosen up a little, Riley. When's the last time you've been to a bar?"

I rolled my eyes and shrugged indifferently as we walked down the busy street. Of course she had to pick a Friday night to go drinking.

"There's a reason for that," I sighed. "Plus, Thor's back at the hotel all alone. I can't just-"

"You can, and you will," she clarified.

I knew I wouldn't have a choice in the matter, but that didn't mean I had to be happy about it either.

"Hmmm... Eenie meenie miney mo. That one!"

I raised a brow as I followed her finger towards the bar in question. To be honest, they all looked the same to me, but at least this one had a cool name; the Wolf's Den. Better than the Falcon Firkin anyway- try saying that five times fast.

"Come on, a few drinks should loosen you up," she teased while all but dragging me through the front door.

She chose two of the bar seats, much to my dismay, and was quick to order drinks for both of us. While she was busy with that, I took the time to get a good look around the building. It was painfully obvious that most of the people there were guys and that every female was surrounded by them.

"Well ain't you just a pretty little thing," a gruff voice commented.

Groaning inwardly, I turned to my right, spotting the owner of the voice. Shaved head, tattoos, leather vest, and a white wife beater. Not the kind of guy I'd go home with at all.

"Sorry, not intereste-"

"Then maybe you'd like my brother here," he said with a grin. I raised a brow in his direction as he patted the man beside him on the back. "Darlina, come say hello."

"Fuck off, Merle."

I couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped my lips. Maybe his brother had more potential.

"Aww, don't be like that baby brother, the nice girl here wants'ta meet'cha."

I watched him for a moment as the first guy, Merle I think, left his seat and pushed his brother to take his place. The second guy seemed aggravated by the gesture, but he went along with it. He didn't bother to look over at me though, just kept his eyes on his beer.

I could feel my curiosity getting the better of me though. There was something about the strong silent type that drew me in. Or maybe it was the fact that he wasn't interested. He wasn't hard on the eyes either, pretty attractive actually. Light brown shaggy hair, toned arms, rough stubble, yeah, not bad at all.

For whatever reason, I found myself about to ask him what his real name was when I was interrupted by another guy. How Aleah found nights like this fun, I'd never understand.

"Don't waste your time with these rednecks. They're just trash," he leered. " I can show you a good time, babe."

I nearly gagged at how ridiculous he sounded. At least Merle had the decency to call me pretty, not babe.

"Trash? At least they're not some grade A douche bags." Honestly, I was not in the mood to deal with guys like this. On a good day, maybe, tonight, no. "Why don't you go try that line on some other girl? Maybe one will be stupid enough to fall for it."

My little outburst seemed to have confused him, but a glare was quick to take over his features when the guy beside me chuckled to himself.

"Something funny, asshole?"

There was no response at first, but after a minute or so, he turned towards the guy in question with a hard look.

"Yeah, how pathetic you are."

Before I could register what was going on, the two if them were in a full on fist fight. It was just the two of them going at it for a while, then some other guy stepped in and held Merle's brother while the other one threw punch after punch at him. Merle, however, was just sitting there, nursing his beer.

"What the hell are you doing? Help him!"

He took one look at the fight, then back to me with a shrug.

"Boy's got'ta learn to make it on 'is own. Ain't that right, Darlina?"

Of course, he was too busy getting beat up to respond, so I raked my mind for a way to get him to help. I honestly had no idea, so I just went with the first thing that came to mind.

"I'll have a few drinks with you if you help him."

The offer seemed to catch Merle's attention, but he didn't move just yet. I was getting beyond anxious now. Why the hell did I even care for this guy so much?

"Kiss 'im and we have ourselves a deal."

My jaw dropped slightly at his counter offer. I hardly knew him, why would I agree to that?

"He's not going to have a face if you don't hurr-" I turned towards his brother as he took a fist across the face. The poor guy needed help, now. "Okay, okay, I'll do it."

"That's more like it."

The second I turned back to Merle, he had a grin plastered over his lips and he smashed the beer bottle on the edge of the bar. It confused me at first, until I noticed that he held onto the bottle neck and was holding it as a weapon. Oh geez, what did I influence?

"Al'righty then, who wants a piece of ol' Merle?"

There was a decent crowd forming around the fight and I could hear a police siren in the background as Merle jumped into the fray and slashed the man holding his brother. It wasn't a fatal wound or anything, but I couldn't help but think he wouldn't bat an eyelash if he did kill him.

With his brother free, Merle moved to the next one and started a one on one with him. Merle had gotten in a clean punch to the face before he slashed the bottle across the guy's chest. It was another shallow cut, but who's to say he wasn't looking for a kill?

The fight only lasted a few more seconds before a pair of cops burst through the front doors and grabbed both Merle and the guy he was fighting. Almost instantly, they had cuffs on them and were being dragged out the door.

Now I felt a little bad for getting him into this.

"Officer, wait-" of course he didn't stop, so I followed him to the door. I took a quick glance at his name tag before continuing. "Officer Grimes, it was my fault he was fighting- he was just protecting me."

That was a lie, but it was slightly better than the truth. Well, 'better' in the sense that they may go easy on him. I got him into it anyways.

"Ma'am, we have to follow the rule of law and bring him in." The second officer informed. He had curly brown hair and a built frame. Officer Walsh, or so his tag said. "He'll stay over night, then be released tomorrow."

"Oh goodie, won't have to cut my hand off to get out."

I gave Merle a concerned look, then nodded to the officer as he dragged Merle out and into the back of the police cruiser. "Make sure you give Darlina a nice wet one!"

Oh shit, his brother...

When I moved back into the bar, I caught sight of Merle's brother, but Aleah was quick to block my path. She had a guy beside her too, a rather attractive guy, but I ignored him for now.

"What was that all about?" She asked quickly. "You're okay, right?"

I waved off her concern, making sure to keep my eyes on Merle Jr. "I'm fine, just a few guys being guys, that's all."

She gave me a nod, watching as I checked out her new friend. It wasn't necessarily in a sexual way, just curiously. I could tell by her subtle movements that he was off limits- for me anyway.

"Riley, this is Nathan. Nathan, Riley." She paused, letting a grin spread on her lips. "He's British."

I couldn't help but chuckle in amusement. She was always a sucker for British accents.

"I believe she said my accent was sexy. Isn't that right, Aleah?"

Honesty, the accent was working for me too, but I'd leave him alone for Aleah.

"Mmhmm, still is. Hey, Riley, we're going to-"

I raised a hand quickly to stop her from continuing. She had plans and while I was curious, I didn't necessarily need to know.

"Enjoy."

We shared a knowing look before she and Nathan left the bar. At least he seemed nice enough.

I started making my way to the table I had been keeping track of, trying to ignore the voice in my head that screamed 'Aleah's gone, you're free!'. I considered leaving, but in the end, I found myself sitting at the table across from Merle's brother.

He didn't say anything, just like before, so when a waiter walked by I waved her down for a few beers. What guy could say no to a cold beer?

"I don't need your handouts," he grumbled.

Apparently he could say no to a cold beer.

"It's not a handout, it's a thank you," I clarified.

He finally looked up at me with a confused, yet still aggravated look on his face. "I didn' do anything for you."

I watched him for a moment curiously, before speaking. "Indirectly you did. That guy wasn't going to back off."

I gave him a small smile as we received our bottles and I inched one of them closer to him. I wasn't expecting him to take it right away, so it didn't surprise me when I was right.

"I didn't drug it, promise."

With a scoff, he took the beer and took a large swig. Phase one: complete.

"So I'm guessing your name's not actually 'Darlina'."

I was hoping to start a conversation, but it was looking like I'd have to try harder.

"Gee, no shit."

With a sigh, I rested my chin on my knuckles and watched him.

"The hell you lookin' at?"

"You." His eyes narrowed at my answer so I continued. "Well, it seems like you want to play the name game, so let's play. You look like a- hmm... Darlina... Dar... Darwin, no... Darl... Daryl? Yeah, you look like a Daryl."

A grin spread on my lips as he chuckled to himself with a brief nod. Chuckling was definitely a good sign.

"And now my name."

He took another gulp of beer before looking over at me. "Blondie."

For a moment, I just sat there blinking. Blondie? Did I really look like my name would be Blondie?

"Come on, you're kidding, right?"

"Nope, you look like'a Blondie to me."

I sighed, knowing I wasn't going to win this one.

"Well, if you're curious or care for that matter, it's Riley."

He finished off his bottle and raised a brow towards me. "Ain't that a boy's name?"

As much as I wanted to recite the whole 'it's a unisex name' speech, I didn't want to run him off at the same time. I wanted kept chiseling away at his tough exterior to see where it could lead, so I chose the safer route.

"It's both, but feel free to stick to Blondie if you want."

My answer put a smirk on his face and he waved down another beer. Looks like this night was taking a turn for the better.

Eight beers in and he was finally starting to relax. I was only at four and I could feel my buzz turning into more, but if it meant I could spend more time with this side of Daryl, I'd happily continue drinking.

"Don'chu have to get home or somethin'? Your friend waitin' up for ya?"

Placing down my fifth bottle, I shook my head and gave him a grin. "She left a while ago with Nathan, the hot British dude."

Daryl shook his head slowly in amusement and put his ninth empty bottle next to mine. Looking at our little collection, I figured he might be right about getting back to the hotel.

"Guess I should call it a night after all..."

My comment caught his attention, but he didn't say anything in response. Maybe it was just me, but he actually seemed... Unhappy that I agreed. I was probably putting to much thought into it, or maybe not enough. Alcohol does that to me sometimes.

As I moved to stand up, I felt the room spin and I stumbled for a second before someone steadied me.

"Note to self... Don't drink five beers without standing up at some point..."

"Lightweight," Daryl teased.

I had to take a second to register that he was the one to steady me before I'd lose my balance. Maybe there was something there after all.

"Come on, tell me where your house is."

"Uh, it's okay. I'm sure I can manage," I excused with a wave I my hand. I took a step away, this time steadying myself. "See? I'm fine."

I figured he'd back off at that point, but he kept at my side and left a few bills on the table. "It's not you I'm worried about."

"But you are worried," I pointed out with a twinkle in my eye.

All I received was a scoff before he started leading me out of the bar. "Where do you live?"

I didn't let his cold shoulder discourage me as I followed close behind.

"We're saying at the Sheraton down the street."

The sceptical look he was giving me was enough for me to understand what his next question would be.

"We're just visiting from Knoxville," I told him with a smile. "Apparently it was too boring for Aleah, so we came here for a little while."

My answer seemed to sate his curiosity and he nodded his understanding. It was quiet after that, well, aside from all the drunk guys trying to give me a 'ride home'. Apparently seeing a drunk female was like waving a beer in front of an alcoholic.

Daryl had almost gotten into another fight, but I stopped it before it could escalate by pretending to stumble. He caught me quickly and instead of going right back to the guy, he put his arm around my waist and continued to walk.

I was pleasantly surprised at his chivalry, but chose not to comment on it. If I reminded him that he was breaking away from his 'tough guy' demeanour, he'd probably ditch me. That's one of the last things I wanted right now.

I zoned out into my own thoughts for most of the walk and when I finally snapped out of it, we were at the Sheraton.

"Blondie, you really that much of a lightweight?" Daryl asked with a smirk.

My mouth opened and closed for a second, still half out of it. "I-I'm fine. Just thinking. Uhh, second floor, two-fourteen."

I received a nod before we walked into the elevator and he pushed the button for the next floor. A second later and I finally clued into the fact that he didn't just drop me off, but that he was walking me to my door. I was anxious, yet excited at the same time. The latter was mostly due to the alcohol.

"Anythin' you do from here on is you're own damn fault," Daryl warned as I opened the door.

I stepped into the room and turned towards him, but his back was already facing me as he walked away.

"D-Daryl, wait!"

Using the door frame for balance, I reached out and grabbed his wrist, successfully ending his retreat. Just knowing that he was leaving sent my mind into some sort of panic mode and my body acted before I could fully comprehend the situation. Luckily, he didn't react negatively to my impulsive actions.

"What? Need me ta hold your hand an' read ya a bedtime story?"

I felt the heat on my cheeks at his teasing, but I still didn't let him leave just yet.

"No... It's just that... I, uhh, promised your brother something."

Now, in any other situation, I would have just said goodnight and let him leave, but there was a good amount of alcohol in my system and I had actually taken a liking to him. With that being the case, I stepped closer to him and pressed my lips to his.

Daryl's body instantly tensed at the contact, but he didn't pull away. It was like I had caught him by surprise (which, in his defence, I'm sure I did) and he didn't know how to react.

When I pulled back, he had the most adorable confused look on his face. I had opened my mouth for an actual goodbye this time, but I couldn't bring myself to say it. Instead, I felt myself leaning in for another kiss and this time, he responded.

The door closed behind him and I felt my back hit the bed within seconds, his lips never breaking from mine. Our kisses were needy at first, our bodies pressed together as we clawed at each others clothing. My shirt was the first to go and was easily tossed to the side as I worked on the buttons along his chest. To say he was the type of guy I normally looked for would be a lie, but so would saying that he wasn't attractive. Just seeing his toned shoulders and arms was enough to turn any girl on and his chest just made it that much better.

After his shirt joined mine, I let my fingers trail along the tattoo on his left peck before letting both hands explore the rest of his torso. The muscle along his chest was the first thing I had noticed, but now that I had my hands on him, I could feel the scars that ran along his skin. As much as my curiosity was begging me to ask, now wasn't the time and they were his stories to tell on his own.

As if he had sensed my curiosity, he brought his lips back to mine, easily claiming my full attention. Not even a second later, he had my bra off with his mouth taking its place over my breast. He started with feather light kisses that drew whimpers from my lips before taking each firm nipple into his mouth.

Through all of my moaning, I had hardly noticed him undo my jeans and slip his fingers down the front of my panties. At first, he just ran a finger along my entrance teasingly, but before I knew it, he had me whimpering and raising my hips to meet his finger. A smirk graced his lips as he brought his finger to my clit and rubbed slowly. My hips moved in time with him and my moans were progressively growing louder before he tried to quiet me with his lips. It didn't help much when he slid a finger into my warmth and thrust it in and out as he continued working my clit with his thumb.

I could feel my release getting closer and closer with each movement, but as he brought me to the brink of an orgasm, he stopped completely and removed his finger. A whimper-like protest escaped my lips, but it only took a second for him to remove my remaining clothing and bring his lips down between my legs.

The feeling of his tongue lapping at my clit sent a shiver of pleasure through my body and my fingers gripped into his hair, begging him for more. When he brought his fingers back and slid them into me I nearly screamed, my hips lifting to meet him.

Every stroke of his tongue and thrust of his fingers brought me closer and closer to my climax, but once more, he stopped, leaving me breathless and begging for more.

I couldn't take much more of his teasing. All I wanted was for him to be inside me, fucking me senselessly.

My hands found the light layer of hair along his naval and I followed it down to his pants before tugging at them needfully. I could feel his length through the thick fabric, which only hastened my movements. Once I had him free, he pushed me back onto the bed and rubbed himself against my wetness. The growling sound he made as he pushed into me was one of the sexiest things I had ever heard and I swear I could have came at that exact moment.

He moved slowly at first, but I could feel his restraint faltering as mine had. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I urged him harder and faster into me. It didn't take long for him to get the hint and soon enough, he had me moaning out his name. The coil building up inside me was nearing its end as each thrust sent a wave of pleasure through my whole body.

I could feel my orgasm getting closer and he must have too because I heard him groan and thrust into me faster. I was so close that nothing else mattered past his body moving to meet mine. I shut my eyes as the pleasure just kept building.

It wasn't until I opened my eyes that I was finally given my release. I could feel him continue through my orgasm, only stopping when I was done and panting for breath.

"Have a nice dream, Riley?"

My brow furrowed for a second before I looked up to Daryl's face, his lips pulled into a smirk at my confusion. I didn't notice until I looked around that I was on top of him and that we were fully clothed. He had a hand down the front of my pants though, which he removed after a second.

"Uhhh...?"

I was looking for an explanation, but apparently he was enjoying my confusion way too much. My mind was still foggy from my orgasm, but it only took me a moment or two to get my bearings and put the pieces together. I was having a wet dream about Daryl and he decided to give me a hand. Pardon the pun.

He chuckled softly after a moment and I could only assume it was at my flushed cheeks.

"You were moanin' and groanin' in your sleep," he told me in a husky voice. "Figured I'd help you out."

The blush across my cheeks darkened at his words. Sure it was a little embarrassing, but at the same time, I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was aroused. The tone of his voice didn't help me cool off either.

"So what were you dreamin' 'bout?"

I bit my lip for a moment before kissing him softly on the lips.

"You..." My voice was quieter than I though, but judging by the smirk on his lips, he had heard. "Do you think we would have found each other if the world hadn't gone to shit...?"

His smirk faltered for a moment before he put on a content mask. "Don't matter. The world went'ta shit and we're here now."

A smile tugged on my lips at his answer and I nodded my agreement before kissing him again.

"Think you can do better than 'dream Daryl'?" I teased.

He raised a brow and sat up as I moved to straddle his waist.

"Was that a challenge?"

This time the smirk was on my lips. "Sure sounded like one."

Footnote:

So what'd everyone think? It's my first oneshot ever, so hopefully I did a decent job :)

The sequel to FotD won't be coming out yet, but it will be towards the end of summer, so y'all will just have to be patient. Leave a review and let me know how I did. I miss hearing from everyone :D