I am posting this earlier because I can XD! No, I really just wanted to have it posted before I go to bed. I hope I wake up to a lot of happy readers! =) The storms got bad for a little while and tree fell on my house! I nearly pissed myself. It was loud and scary and I nearly grabbed my laptop and ran away! Very little damage was done and everyone was perfectly fine but still. I needed a drink after that! Anyway, thank you guys for not yelling at me for making them do stuff... and thangs! ;) I hope you like this chapter. I hope you are at least a little surprised by the person I have decided to bring in, as one of the main characters. I hope everyone has a great day! Be safe. And for Gods sake! Watch out for trees. I have no trust in them anymore. I'm scarred for life! And I would also like to add that it is Brooklyn'sRoisinDubh's Birthday today! Happy birthday my friend!
Chapter Seven
Daryl couldn't even bring himself to open his eyes. The pounding in his head was enough to make him feel nausea well up inside him. It felt as though every time his heart would beat it was sending shock waves of pain through his head. He was having trouble remembering what the hell he could have done that would cause him to be in so much pain. Had he gotten into a fight? Had he crashed his truck?
He could tell there was muted light hitting his face by the way the backs of his eyelids were lit up with a hazy red tint. They didn't have any windows in the living room of their apartment. Was he in the hospital? He opened his eyes quickly but then slammed them shut again as soon as the light hit him and made his head feel even worse.
Something moved. Something warm and soft and very much alive was pressed up against him. There were legs tangled up with his own and under his hand was the bare skin of someones back. The sickening pain in his head intensified when his heart started pounding, sending more blood to his head.
Carol.
He forced his eyes open then. Yep. Carol. She was wrapped around him like a blanket. There was a sheet pulled up over them but he noticed right away the thin black strap that had traveled down her arm. His eyes moved down and as he could have already guessed, there was her bra clad chest pressed against his. Fuck.
He remembered now. He remembered coming in so he could call his new boss and he remembered her asking him to stay with her. He remembered drinking... a lot. Other things started tumbling through his head then, not clear enough to fully grasp but there all the same. His hand running up her thigh, the stairs... nothing else. What had he done? What did they do?
He moved his leg, that was trapped between the softness of her own, just enough to determine that his leg was bare. Jesus. Was he naked? Had they...? Surely not. Surely they hadn't done that. He wanted to run away. Grab his shit and jump out the fucking window and run to his goddamn truck and then forget that this ever happened. He'd fucked her! And he didn't even remember it!
She stirred a little in his arms and he stiffened. Shit. She was going to wake up and freak out and think he'd took advantage of her just like Merle would have done. His head was splitting, his mouth was dry, his heart felt like it was about to explode out of his chest and she was moving again, sliding one of those perfect fucking legs right between his own.
"Carol?" He nearly barked right before her thigh reached a very critical place. His head, unfortunately wasn't the only thing throbbing anymore. And he needed to wake her up. He needed to get the fuck out of this room and away from this house. At least now he wouldn't have to worry about avoiding her. He doubted she'd ever speak to him again after this.
Her brow furrowed and she frowned but her eyes remained close for a few more seconds. When she opened them she mostly looked confused at first. And then she looked down and saw how close they were, that they were in her bed and that neither of them were wearing hardly anything at all.
"Daryl?" She whispered with eyes that grew to the size of saucers. "What did we do?" That last word was strained.
He shook his head, realized that he still had his hand on her back and jerked it away. "I don't know." he choked. "I swear. I don't remember anything." Except now there was a vague memory of him tossing her panties over his shoulder. Oh god...
She slowly pulled away from him, careful to keep the sheet over herself as she rolled onto her back. "Are you naked?" She asked as she stared at the ceiling.
He peeked under the sheet and was happy to see that he was still wearing boxers. "Not all the way." he muttered, still feeling like he wanted to die. He had realized last night when he was talking to her on the phone that he really liked her. Found himself excited by the fact that he even had a person to call. Someone that didn't let the things she heard about him bother her. And he had fucked that all up. In one stupid night he had ruined any chance he had at having someone there. Someone to look at him and smile and not look at him either in disgust or outright fear. All of that was over and he'd only had it for less than a day.
"I hardly remember anything." She groaned as she covered her face with her hands. Her voice cracked. "I never should have asked you to stay here."
That kind of hurt. He sighed. "Look, I'll get my shit and go, okay. If neither one of us remember then it didn't happen. We can both go on with our lives and forget that any of yesterday ever happened. No big deal." He lied. It was a huge deal. To him anyway.
She tore her hands away from her face and glared at him. "You just want to leave? And then what? Avoid me like the plague because of... because of this? Daryl Dixon, that's about the meanest thing I've ever heard you say."
She was really crying now and he had no idea what she wanted him to say. "What do ya want me to do then?" He sounded exasperated but a little relieved too. She didn't want him gone. Not yet anyway.
She glared at him. "Do whatever you want." She snapped. "I'm not going to beg you to stick around. Asshole."
"I'm tryin' to make this easier on you. What the fuck do you want?" He frowned. He didn't have a clue why she was so pissed off at him. The only time he ever talked to girls was when he was kicking Merle's out of their apartment. He thought she would be relieved that he would just go and not make a big deal out of any of it.
She lifted her head and narrowed her eyes. Just the look on her face had his head pounding that much more. "Easier on me? I bet. You come over here and get your rocks off and then don't speak to me again. You aren't a stupid boy, Daryl. You know that isn't what I would ever want."
That was bullshit! He glared right back. "You invited me to stay here, you forget that part? I didn't come here to fuck you and leave. You always such a bitch in the mornin'?"
Her mouth dropped and then she shut it quickly. "Did you really just call me a bitch? After insinuating that all of this is my fault? Really? I didn't want you to stay because I wanted to sleep with you, you adolescent jerk! Maybe I get nervous when I'm alone. Maybe being with you makes me feel safe. Maybe I wanted you to stay because I like you. And I thought the feeling was mutual. But if it would make your life easier to leave and never speak to me again then by all means, Daryl, don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out."
By the end of her little temper tantrum she was yelling. The sound causing fresh pain to wash over his brain. Maybe all this time Merle had been right. Women were fucking crazy. "I don't want that." he said quietly as he squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. "But you gotta tell me what the fuck you want."
He cracked one eye open and looked at her one more time. She was studying him skeptically. "I agree with you. We should forget all about this. And then I want you to stay here while I take a shower. And when I get out, we'll both be dressed and decent and just Daryl and Carol, okay?" She brightened. "And I'll even cook you breakfast."
He wasn't expecting that at all. "Are you serious?"
She nodded. "Yes I am."
He still felt embarrassed over this whole mess but she had a point. They could just forget it ever happened. Neither one of them even knew what happened in the first place. And this was a good thing. She was a good thing. He'd take whatever he could get so he nodded. "Alright, go shower then."
She tossed a pillow over his face. "Do not look until you hear me shut the door. Got it?"
He nodded and then laughed. This wasn't so bad. The worst part seemed to be over anyway. She had freaked out a little but mostly it was because she thought he was going to leave. He heard hangers clinking together and new she was going through the closet. He kept the pillow over his face, by sheer willpower.
He tossed it as soon as he heard the door close. He sat up, holding his head in his hands and groaning out loud. Sitting up made it even worse. He stood up with the heels of his hands still pressed to his eyes. He waited for the pain to ease up a little before he took his hands away. When he did he spotted his pants in the middle of the room but once he started looking for his shirt it was no where to be seen.
He studied the room for a few minutes before leaving it. He'd never had room like this. Spacious and clean. There was some clutter on the dresser and for some reason he found himself standing in front of it. There were some framed photos that he laughed at. Her as a kid on some old dudes shoulders. Another of what looked like a senior picture of her smiling into the camera. The rest was typical girl stuff. Perfume and face cream and crap like that. He picked up one of the bottles and sniffed it quickly. Yep, definitely Carol. He sat it down and then felt stupid for sniffing it in the first place.
When he got to the hallway he stopped. There was a table with half it's contents broken on the floor beside it and there was Carol's shirt tossed over by the stairs. Jesus, what the hell had they done? Through the pain in his head he thought he was starting to remember something else. Lifting her onto the table. The way her tongue felt gliding across his throat...
Fuck... But at least he remembered a little more now. And she seemed to have liked it. From what little he could remember. That was good. Or not good since it was something they were going to try to forget about. He kind of wished he would stop remembering because if his memories became more clear and he actually remembered what it felt like to really be with her then he wasn't going to be able to keep going on like nothing happened.
A loud bang at the door jerked him from his reverie. Shit. It was probably one of the neighbors or one of her friends or that asshole big shot cop that seemed to be so friendly with her. Asshole. He stood outside the bathroom door. He could hear the shower.
"Carol?" He called.
"What!"
"Somebody's knockin' like they're they goddamn police."
He heard her laugh. "Then answer it."
"Goddamn it." He grumbled as he hurried down the stairs, ignoring the pain in his head.
He should knock the shit out of whoever it was. They didn't have any business knocking so damn loud. He yanked open the door, ready to give somebody at least a little hell but he was too surprised when he saw who it was to get any proper bitching done.
"Merle? The fuck you doin' here?" He asked, squinting agianst the pain. From the looks of it it was going to be pouring again by the afternoon.
"Been lookin' for you all over the damn place." Merle growled. Then he must have finally took in Daryl's disheveled appearance. He was shirtless, shoeless, and he could tell his hair was sticking up everywhere. He ran a quick hand through it. "I knew you was fuckin' that girl. I'm proud baby brother. Woman like her," He shook his head, "That's a hard one to come by."
"Merle, what the fuck are you doin' here?" he asked once more as he glanced towards the stairs behind him.
Merle's grin fell quickly. "You ain't gonna be too happy, baby brother. You just remember that it ain't gonna be like it was before, okay?"
"The fucks goin' on?" he asked, a feeling of dread causing his stomach to ache.
He heard heavy boots coming up onto the porch. Merle gave him one more worried look and then stepped to the side. Daryl's heart fell to his feet.
"Dad?" He croaked.
There stood Buck Dixon. Bigger than Daryl remembered. He stood nearly six and a half feet tall. Grey hair cropped close to his head, blue eyes cold as ice and a ready smirk for his baby boy. Massive arms crossed over a broad chest. He looked almost identical too Merle, just older and bigger. Prison seemed to have set well with him. He looked healthy enough... to break the neck of a goddamn bear.
"Don't just stand there, ya little fucker. Where's the love for yer ol' man, huh?" His voice was deep and familiar and Daryl felt a chill run down his spine.
He stepped out onto the porch and then Buck was actually hugging him. And he wasn't even trying to break any bones while he was doing it. Daryl was frozen in place, not knowing how to respond. He had to get them the fuck out of here before Carol came down. He'd call her later or something and explain why he took off.
Buck let him go and them stepped back and ruffled his hair. "You filled out since last time I saw ya, boy." He said as he gave Daryl a once over and a nod. "What's it been? Four years? That's a long time to go for a man to not see his boys."
Merle's eyes were shifting from their dad to Daryl. "We ain't had the money for the trip, Ol man. I told ya that already.
Buck narrowed his eyes but Daryl wasn't about to let this happen on Carol's porch. "Let me go get my shit and we can take off." He said quickly.
Buck looked at Daryl and then grinned. "You don't think I'm gonna go anywhere now do, ya? I gotta meet this girl of yours. You done fucked your way into the big time, baby boy." He glanced around. "Makes a daddy proud."
"She ain't my..."
Buck stepped around him and then right through the front door. Daryl hurried in after him. He hoped to God he didn't try to steal anything. Fuck. His dad? He wasn't suppose to get out for another few years. Oh shit, did he bust out?
"Did you get parole or somethin'?" Daryl asked as Buck stood in the middle of the foyer and gazed around.
"Yep. Good behavior." He chuckled and then bent down and picked up something off the floor. Buck held up the black lace underwear he must have tossed to the bottom of the stairs last night. Buck and Merle shared a wide eyed look and then grinned at each other. Daryl snatched them out of Buck's hand and, not knowing what else to do, he shoved them into his pocket.
Next it was Merle's turn. He bent down and picked up Daryl's discarded t-shirt and handed it to him. He hurriedly put it on and then glanced up the stairs again.
"Can't we just get the fuck outta here?" He grumbled knowing that there was no way either of them would miss out on torturing him. He heard the bathroom door open.
"Hey, do you remember how the hell we managed to break so much stuff up here last night?" She called down from the hallway. "This place looks like a tornado hit it. Oh! Found my work shirt. Damn it! You ripped it, Daryl! It's the only one they..."
She was hurrying down the stairs and then stopped in her tracks. She wasn't wearing anything like she had been wearing the night before but Daryl still couldn't help but stare at her. Red tank top, faded jeans with a hole in one knee and no shoes. Her eyes were bright and the color rushing to her cheeks was amazing to watch. He shook his head, knowing there was no time for pussy stuff like that.
"Hi." She said after she studied the three of them for a few long seconds. She continued on, stopping right next to him as she took in the other two Dixon's. "How are you, Merle?" She asked after no one said anything for a few awkward seconds.
Merle just gave her a nod.
Buck was looking at her but Daryl was glad to see that he wasn't blatantly undressing her with his eyes. She stepped a little closer to Daryl but then he saw her chin raise an inch or so. She stuck out her hand, meeting Buck's gaze.
"I'm Carol." She said.
Buck looked at her hand like he was confused for a moment but he was quick to recover he took her small hand in his huge one. "And I'm impressed, little lady." His eyes met Daryl's then and he nodded and then dropped her hand.
It seemed the tension in the room thinned once the two were finally introduced. But the four of them still just stood there awkwardly. Daryl finally had to break the silence.
"We was just about to take off. I'll call ya later or somethin'." He started chewing his thumb nail again as she frowned at him.
"You said you would stay so you're staying." She said firmly. "You boys hungry?" She asked with a smile as her eyes left Daryl's and went to the two men standing in front of them.
God, why did she have to get all bossy and shit right in front of them?
"Starved, sugar." Buck said with a grin.
She smiled back and nodded. "What about you Merle? You slap a girl on the ass, the least you can do is stay on for breakfast. How bout it?"
Merle's eyes shifted to Daryl's, who was now glaring at him but then he shrugged. "I could eat."
She nodded and then was gone, heading towards the kitchen. The three men followed her.
"When did you touch her ass you dirty fuck?" Daryl hissed.
"I didn't even know you knew her." Merle whispered, rolling his eyes. "You seen her ass. I couldn't help it."
Daryl whacked him in the back of his head.
"That hurt you little bastard." Merle growled, still keeping his voice low.
"Fuck you, stupid. Keep your grimy hands off of her." He growled back.
Merle punched him in the arm, hard. "What if I don't?" He glared.
Daryl glared back and then slugged Merle right in the kidney.
Merle groaned, causing Carol and Buck to turn and look at him. He held up a hand. "I'm alright. Gotta cramp."
Carol kept going but Buck was eying them. Finally he turned and followed her once more.
"I'm gonna fuck you up later." Merle huffed.
Carol stopped in her tracks once they got to the kitchen. There was more glass on the floor, his boots, a pair of high heeled shoes and in the middle of it all, was the large empty whiskey bottle.
Daryl could hear Merle chuckling behind him. Buck just raised his eyebrows at him and Carol looked like she was about to burst into flames.
"Y'all musta had yerselves a hell of a night, huh?" Merle grinned and he elbowed Daryl.
Carol bit her bottom lip and met Daryl's eyes but then her gaze shifted to Merle and those eyes narrowed. "Merle, there's a broom in the laundry room," She pointed to a swinging door off the kitchen. "You get the glass up and I'll cook your food."
Merle snorted but then Buck gave him a hard look. He huffed and then glared back at the man before he stomped right through the glass on the floor. Daryl had to give his brother credit. At least he was trying. Once they got home it would be a different story. But he was trying now and that's what counted.
Carol tiptoed around the edge of the area with all the broken glass and made her way around the island. She busied herself, glancing up at Daryl every once in a while with a questioning look in her eye. She was going to have a lot of questions if Merle and his dad ever left. He hoped they would eat and then leave.
"Your brother's got a problem boy." Buck said quietly.
Daryl tore his eyes away from Carol and studied the other man. He looked troubled. That wasn't a look that Daryl associated with the man. Buck didn't have troubles. He was trouble. But his eyes were clouded as he watched Merle. Daryl couldn't help but feel a surge of anger. "Yeah, well, he's had a problem for a long fuckin' time. You know all about it."
Buck tore his eyes away from Merle and fixed Daryl with a heated look. "You got somethin' to say to me, boy?" He asked, unable to keep the menace out of his voice.
"Not here." Daryl said as he clenched his teeth. He looked up and Carol was looking at him worriedly.
"I changed, boy. I know you ain't gonna believe it for a while but it's the truth. All I'm askin' is for you to give me a goddamn chance." he hissed.
Daryl couldn't believe he was hearing this. He couldn't just stand here and act like everything was fine. Nothing had been fine for a long ass time and it was this man's fault. He needed air. Buck was too close. He just wanted to get out.
He turned and stormed off towards the front door. He knew the son of a bitch was following him but he didn't turn around, not until he was out of the house. Then he spun around and faced him, almost causing the big man to run into him.
"What the fuck do you want from us? Huh?" He spat and then he braced himself for the blow he knew was coming. Only, it didn't come. Buck crossed his arms over his chest, his face unreadable.
"I'm clean, boy. What'cha want me to do, huh? You want me to tell how fuckin' sorry I am? That gonna make you feel better?"
"You're clean?" Daryl said in a low voice he barely recognized. "That's real good. I'm happy for ya. You know who ain't clean? My goddamn brother. You got him hooked to that shit and I'm the one that's shouldered that. You beat my fuckin' brains out. How the fuck you want me to react to you showin' up? I didn't even know you was in prison for four days. Four days I didn't wake up because of you. And when I did, Merle was my problem. I had to quit school and keep a fuckin' roof over our heads, because of you. You know how many times I've watch him almost die?" Daryl shook his head.
Buck just stood there, arms still crossed. "What the fuck am I suppose to say?"
Daryl shook his head, his mind reeling, his gut churning and his head pounding in rhythm with his heart. "You ain't gotta say nothin'. Ain't nothin you can say gonna change shit. But don't you come lookin' for that fuckin' boy you left for dead. You succeeded. He died. Right on that mother fuckin' floor. All you got left is me. Some fucked in the head man tryin' my hardest to live down your name."
Daryl's breath was coming fast and ragged. He was still waiting for it to happen. Waited for blows to reign over him. But still they didn't come. Buck, for the first time in Daryl's life, looked defeated.
Both of them turned towards the door when they heard it open. "Foods on the table." Carol said quietly, looking from Daryl to Buck. "Better hurry, Buck. Merle's eye balling your plate."
Buck smiled at her, but it was forced. He walked past her but Daryl didn't budge. She had a worried look on her face and he hoped like hell she hadn't heard all of that.
"You okay?" She asked as she came a little closer, pulling the door shut.
He nodded, not trusting his voice. He was still breathing heavily, probably still scowling. He backed into the banister.
"So, your dad..."
"I don't wanna talk about it." he said, his voice thick with the weight of the emotions he was feeling.
She nodded. "Alright. Then we wont talk about it." she was still coming towards him and he had no where to go to get away from her.
He wasn't looking at her. He couldn't force himself too. His hands were shaking badly. Couldn't this damn girl see that he just needed a fucking minute? He felt her hands on his shoulders before he finally looked up and met her eyes. He felt his muscles tense under her touch. "What are you..."
She pressed one finger firmly against his lips, silencing him. "No talking." She said sternly.
Her severe expression almost made him want to laugh. Almost. She took that one last step until there wasn't a breath between them, he narrowed his eyes and she finally moved her finger from his lips and slid her arms around his neck. "What do you..."
"Shhh. You said no talking. Do you ever listen to yourself?"
"No." He grumbled but he finally relented and wrapped his arms around her waist.
She grinned. "There." She squeezed his neck tighter. "This is called a hug, Daryl. Sometimes people need one." She grinned.
"I don't." he growled.
"Mmm hmm. I can tell by the way he refuse to put your arms around me. Big bad Dixons don't hug bothersome women." She winked.
He shook his head. "You're an ass."
She dropped her arms from around his neck so he let his fall to his sides. "And I've seen glaciers easier to thaw than you, Daryl. Breaks a girls heart. Something tells me you weren't so grumpy last night though." She winked and then turned around to go back in.
What a witch. He felt his face redden and then remembered something. "Hey, Carol?"
She turned around with that playful look in her eye once more.
"I found somethin' that belongs to you." he reached his hand into his pocket and pulled out the panties he'd snatched from his dad a little while ago.
He smirked and then watched as her eyes went wide and then narrowed quickly. The smile on her face tightened. He figured this would be good. He could see her face growing hot but then she bit her lip and locked her eyes on to his. She shrugged. "Keep'em."
His smirk died. "What?"
She winked. "Keep them, Daryl." She turned then and went back inside, shutting the door.
He looked down at the flimsy thing in his hand, looked around for a second and then shoved them back into his pocket.
Fuck it. He was a Dixon. It wouldn't hurt for him to act like one every once in a while.
