Thank you to everyone who gave this one a shot. It means more to me then you can ever know :) xxxxx Krissy.

"Thought you'd be in late today," Tara said as Elisa walked into the store and headed to the back staircase that led to her apartment. Tara had been sitting behind the counter with a cup of tea and the latest Stephen King novel, trying to relax before the crowds showed up again for Christmas shopping.

"I don't wanna talk about it," She said as she walked by the counter.

"Alright," Tara shrugged as Elisa turned back to her, she needed to talk even if she didn't want to, so she went to sit down next to her best friend.

"I left, I had to get out of there," She murmured.

"I'm sorry sweetie," Tara closed the book she had been reading and got off the stool she was sitting on.

"Someday I'd like to be able to have a relationship with someone," She put her backpack on the counter, "I'm tired of being broken."

Tara walked over and hugged her, pushing her hair out of her face, "You aren't broken, just a few issues is all, just like the rest of us."

"When I was with him, it was good, really good, but then I woke up in the morning and I couldn't breathe."

"Hey," Tara comforted her, "You saw him more than once."

"I saw a few guys more than once..." Elisa replied, "I like him, I really do."

"And apparently hes a great lay too right?" Tara joked trying to cheer her up.

"It was so intense, more than I've ever had before," She said, remembering the moment when she pulled him up to her and they were eye to eye, she had felt something in that moment that she had never felt before and it terrified her.

"Since when is that a bad thing?"

"Since I say it is." Elisa answered.

"So what? You friend zoned him?" Tara questioned.

"I don't even know,"

"You're ridiculous," Tara said, " Come on, lets go, what kind of Ice Cream you got up there."

"Chocolate peanut butter," Elisa answered and then it was decided, they would eat Ice Cream for breakfast, cause it was that kind of day.

/

"He's got a kid, and I have a kid and our ex's, it's too much," Elisa said as she walked up the stairs to fetch the Ice Cream.

"So now what, you avoid him at the family reunion and pretend it never happened?" Tara called up to her.

"I haven't gotten that far yet," Elisa said as she came downstairs with a pint of Ice Cream and two spoons.

"You let me know how that works out for ya ok?" Tara said as she scooped some ice cream out and ate it.

"It's too weird," She continued, "I just feel like it couldn't work out."

"Sometimes weird is good Liza, maybe you should try a little weird." Tara answered.

"I can't see him again, I just can't."

"Good luck with that," Tara speculated, "Some day you'll run into him, and maybe you still wont be able to resist, ever think about that?"

"I guess I'll worry about that when the time comes,"

"Ok Scarlet, just worry about it tomorrow." Tara teased.

/

The phone rang again and Merle let out a groan as he looked up at her. It was the second time Daryl had called, Merle knew from his ring tone that it was him and he'd never been so pissed to hear "Free bird" in his whole life.

Couldn't a man fuck his wife on a Saturday morning in peace?

"Don't you touch that phone baby he can wait." Merle said bringing his hands up over her breasts and sliding his thumbs over each of her nipples.

"But what if he's stranded on the side of the road or..." Lindsay sighed looking over at the phone on the night stand, it was hard to think of anything else but Merle's hands though.

"Let him call Axel, I'm busy here," He protested as he brought his lips back to her thigh where he had been just about to move lower," Why's he gotta call when I'm trying to get some anyway?"

"Outrageous timing?" She answered with a laugh and ran her fingers through his hair.

"Whatever. He's gonna wait," Merle said as he kissed his way down her thigh and slid his tongue around the elastic leg of her panties. He looked up at her with a sparkle in his eye and to make sure she was right there with him, then brought his fingers over her pussy through her underwear.

Lindsay sighed and arched her back and Merle was satisfied that she wasn't worrying about Daryl any more. He would accept nothing less than her full attention and he smiled to himself as she closed her eyes and groaned.

"That's what I'm talkin about," He murmured against the silky material that covered his goal.

Slowly he peeled her underwear down over her legs and tossed them over his shoulder causing her to giggle, then he surprised her by spreading her legs wide and burying his face between them like a starving man. Her eyes shot open and and locked on his as he kept his face buried in her. Merle smiled against her and brought his fingers into the mix and she knew he wouldn't let up until she was screaming.

After a minute or two he reached his fingers down around her ass cheeks and pulled her body against his face as his tongue found the spot and he didn't stop once he got there.

Lindsay dug her hands into her man's hair and moaned out loud to let him know he was on the right track. Within seconds she was loosing control as he moved her hips against his face without abandon, chasing the feeling that was growing inside of her.

Merle grinned to himself, pleasing her was his favorite thing to do and he wasn't holding a thing back this morning.

She was going to get the works, he had already set his mind to it as he took one hand and placed it on her stomach to hold her in place where he wanted her.

Lindsay gasped out loud as he ran his tongue lightly back and forth over her lips and then looked up at her like the devil himself.

"You like that darlin?" He looked back up at her and she sighed as he stopped the exquisite torture he had been laying out on her just a moment ago.

"You know I do," She panted, "Don't stop, please don't stop."

Merle smiled against her thigh and brought his fingers over her slippery flesh and fingered her nice and slow. "Tell me I'm the best,"

"You're the best, oh god you're the best." She moaned, and let her head fall back on the pillows, taking in every sensation; he was a tease but it was oh so good.

"Nobody fucks you like me," He instructed and dipped his head between her legs, placed his lips gently on her clit and did nothing, he could feel the tension radiating off of her, she wanted it and he wasn't putting out till she said it. He stopped and slid his finger inside her looked back up at her, "Say it."

"No one fucks me like me, no one fucks me like you," She cried, and he knew he could make her say anything, that was an exquisite power and he reveled in it.

She had power over him too, in every way.

"You wanna cum honey?" He licked her slowly, savoring every part of her.

"Yes, oh please."

Merle did as she asked and when he was sure she was well and duly satisfied he laid a smack on her ass as he stood up and shucked off his sleep pants.

"That's a good girl, now," He said as he climbed back on the bed with her and rolled onto his back, "Climb on up here sweetheart and show me what you got and if it rings again I'm throwing that phone out the window."

Lindsay swung one leg over his and looked down at him, "Tell me what you want big guy." She leaned over so he could cup her breasts in his hands.

"I want you to ride me like I'm payin for it," He grinned up at her, "Give it to me good."

He brought his hands down over her hips and lifted her until she was sinking down on his dick and it was heaven. She moved her hips just the way he liked and soon his eyes were heavy in ecstasy.

"That's it darlin," Me moaned, "Oh sweet Jesus that's it baby."

She leaned down and kissed him dirty and gave him everything she had until he was the one screaming. Swiftly he rolled them over so he was the one on top.

"You're the one," He groaned as he fucked her hard, she met his hips thrust for thrust until he couldn't hold out any longer. In a moment of unbridled lust he pulled out and poured hot cum all over her breasts and collapsed on top of her.

/

"Should I call her again, text?" Daryl said when Merle finally called him back.

"I don't know Daryl, jeez," Merle rolled over in the bed and lit a cigarette," I got no experience with this shit."

"Is Lindsay home?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Put her on,"

"Hang on,"

Merle handed the phone to Lindsay as she came out of the bathroom and sat down on the bed.

"Hey what's up, Daryl."

"I think I blew it with her and I don't know what I did."

"What happened?"

Daryl told her most of what happened, about their dinner date that went so well, how much they talked and how they discovered they had so much in common. He skipped over the sex, obviously and then explained how he woke up and she was gone.

"OK, maybe she's just a little spooked, did you call her?"

"Just one time," He answered, "She didn't call me back either."

"Yeah, she's scared. Give her time " Lindsay said trying to reassure him, it seemed Daryl really like this girl.

"How much time?"

Lindsay thought about it and an idea quickly formed in her mind, Merle was good at this stuff, she knew that first hand. Even if he didn't want to let on about it.

"Hard to say, you could do something though, so she knows you aren't forgetting about her, that you're serious if that's what this is."Lindsay explained.

"I am. I wanna be with her," Daryl replied, "Just her."

"OK then. I got just the thing," Lindsay said, "Can you be patient?, This might take a little while."

"Yeah I can," He answered.

"Alright, I got just the thing for you then."

"I don't wanna seem like a stalker or anything. I ain't standing in front of her house with a radio or signs or anything."

"Nope, this is something you can do from afar."

"Alright," Daryl agreed, he had no choice, he was at a loss of what to do.

"Merle and I had a horrible fight once and what he did has always been one my best memories of him." She said as she smiled at her man and then Merle knew just what she was going to tell his brother to do.

/

Tara signed for the bouquet of Daisies and brought them into the store. As she passed by Elisa who stood behind the counter filling tea canisters, she shrugged to her friend. Elisa's face looked pained, Tara had been seeing that look on her face for a while.

"Where do you want these?"

"By the window," She pointed, where seventeen other vases of flowers, all daisies sat.

"Are you gonna call him yet?" Tara asked, "There's no more room here..."

"I was thinking of it." Elisa sighed.

"Hallelujah, he's made it clear he ain't going anywhere, you still feel scared?"

Elisa shrugged.

"This leaving them before they leave you thing isn't working Elisa."

She shrugged again.

"How did he know anyway?"

"I mentioned once at dinner that I thought daisies were pretty. It was in passing, there were some outside the restaurant and all I said was those are gorgeous it wasn't something a person would remember."

"Yeah well, he remembered." Tara answered, "He hasn't called you ?"

Elisa shook her head as Tara took out the card. It said the same thing as the one the day before and the day before that for the last seventeen days.

"Says the same thing. Please call me."

"Great chemistry doesn't mean a relationship is good for you."

"Would you listen to yourself?" Tara complained, "You're 37 years old, a grown ass woman, too old to be ghosting people. Will you talk to this guy like an adult."

"But if I see him I won't be able to be strong."

"Don't you ever want to be happy?"

"Yes," Elisa assured her.

"Then call him!" Tara said, "Just once, take a chance in life."

/

~ Hey.

Elisa didn't know what to say exactly, so she texted him instead of calling. He had gotten to her after all, and now there was no turning back. Whatever she was afraid of wasn't bigger than this, or it didn't have to be.

~Hey, how are you?

Daryl answered right away, he didn't care if it made him look desperate, all he cared about is that she contacted him.

~Confused and surrounded by flowers :)

~Did you like them?

~ Yes, thank you so much.

~It's ok if you feel confused.

~I'm sorry.

~You ain't gotta be sorry.

~Can you come over tonight? So we can talk?

~Just tell me what time.

~Six?

~Alright.

/

She waited out side the tea shop and at quarter to six she saw his bike come around the corner. She stood up from where she was sitting at an outside table and ran to him. His strong arms enveloped her and he held her tight. It was clear by the way they held each other that they had missed each other.

A soft breeze blew as they stood there next to his bike and hugged each other and Elisa knew she had been wrong and the last three weeks had been a sad waste of time.

She wanted this with him, whatever it was.

"I got all jammed up, thinking," She explained as he pulled her close and inhaled her scent. He had missed her smell, it had worn off his sheets weeks ago.

"That's your first mistake, thinkin," He grinned.

"It's kind of what I do," She said, " I got really anxious the next morning thinking of all kinds of stuff..."

"Hey, listen," He said softly, "I don't want to cause you any trouble, unless its in bed."

She smiled at his efforts to put her at ease, and she started to realize that it was what had attracted her to him in the first place.

"Let me ask you a question," He said as he led her to sit down at the tables as the sun was going down.

"Ok,"

"Do we have fun together, and have things in common," She was nodding already, but he could tell she was torn.

"Of course, you know that."

"It's the way we met isn't it?" He said meeting her eyes, "I think it will be a great story to tell people someday."

She couldn't resist the laugh that bubbled up inside her, "I just don't know...what to call this thing between us."

"Elisa," Daryl reached across the table and took both her hands in his, "I don't care what it is as long as it's with you. Call it whatever you want. Don't call it anything."

And just like that 50% of her self imposed fears went away, life was short and for the first time in her life she wanted to grab it with both hands.

"One day at a time, OK?" She said.

He squeezed her hand, "You got it, no running away, ok?" He said, "We talk about it first even if it feels weird."

"Ok," Elisa squeezed his hand back, "I promise."

/

/

Epilogue Ten months Later

Daryl and Michael leaned against the side of his house with the hose of running water, and Daryl handed it to the young boy next to him and cautioned him to be quiet.

It was a warm spring day and all the trees were blooming as well as the row of daisies along the front of his house that Elisa had planted the weekend before.

They weren't living together, but she was a frequent visitor, she spent little time at her little apartment above the tea shop now and hadn't had too many anxiety attacks since that first bad one.

They were just letting things happen and it was good.

Elisa and Travis came around the corner, each holding a super soaker water gun already cranked and ready to shoot but they never got the chance.

Michael turned the hose on them and they were soaked in seconds in cold water from the well on his property.

The scream she let out was loud, but not angry and she shook her head at Daryl with a huge grin on her face. He always did things in the "Go big or go home way" from the day they first met to the daisies to this and she loved the way he made her laugh, like now.

Travis, however was unimpressed and let loose with his gun on Daryl while Elisa went after Michael and slipped in the mud.

Swiftly she grabbed Michael's pant leg as she landed on her ass and as he went down he knocked Daryl over. Travis was the lone man standing and he was laughing his ass off at the sight before him, until he got hit in the face with a handful of mud from his father.

He backed up with the gun turned on his father and let loose, but he was soon pulled down in the mix.

They rinsed off in the out door shower one at a time, although Daryl snuck in with Elisa while the kids were getting dressed in dry clothes and ate pizza out on the deck later, life was good.

The End