Thank you to everyone who has shown me love onthis very different story. It was suggested to me months ago by my bestieMagenta's Nightmare, and it went on the back burner while I worked on other things,but it never left because it is so close to my heart. I always put a little bit of myself into my stories andthis one especially. Thank you so very much for letting me know what you think xxxKrissy

"Yup kids, crazy Aunt Meg is here," Meghan announced as she dropped her suitcase in the hallway that Friday night as advertised. Tara and Chelsey screamed when they saw her because Geana hadn't told them she was coming to visit. She never told them in advance.

"Mom didn't tell us you were coming!" They both exclaimed, as they ran to her and hugged her at the same time. Geana didn't say anything to the girls in case something came up, which often did with Meghan, but it seemed she was turning over a new leaf. She was still eccentric and wild, but more reliable than she had ever been before and that was a beautiful thing.

"Well, I'm here," Meghan said, giving them each a kiss.

"Let me just go text Chase and Greta and tell them we can't make it tonight," Kelsey said.

"No, no don't cancel your plans," Meghan started to say, but the girls shushed her.

"We haven't seen you in months' Aunt Meg, we're staying put," Tara said, "We see Chase every day he lives right next door."

"Chase and Greta are going to the batting cages with his Dad, no big deal," Kelsey said as she texted on her phone, "Greta said to call her later, Tar."

"Oh," Meg whispered to Geana, "That explains those arms."

"Zip it you!" Geana said.

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Daryl, Chase, and Greta spent two hours at the batting cages and then stopped for food. They dropped Greta off around seven, hung out with Merle and Andrea for a few minutes and went home. The sun was just going down, and Daryl's eyes were drawn over to the house next door.

He seemed to look over there every time he came home now, hoping for a glimpse of her. Sometimes she was out on the porch and would wave to him, but tonight she was inside, and it sounded like a party was going on.

There was an '85 Porsche 911 Targa parked in Geana's driveway, Daryl knew cars, and that was a beauty, Chase said that he thought that was Meghan's car. As they pulled into their driveway they could hear music and laughter coming from the house next door, it was "Ring of Fire" by Social Distortion, and Chase remarked that he liked that version better than the Johnny Cash version. Daryl just shook his head, the kid had no taste obviously, but then he heard singing.

This version was better than Johnny Cash tonight.

"Uh, Dad?" Chase said as Daryl leaned against his truck and listened to Geana singing for a few minutes, "You coming inside or what?"

"Yup," Daryl said, pushing himself off from the vehicle, taking one last glance over at her house, which did not go unnoticed by his son.

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"Friends in Low Places" floated through the air later as Daryl watched Geana's house from his deck, later that night, while having a cigarette. He found, not a big surprise that he missed her presence that evening, but it sounded like she was having fun. He could hear their laughter, and at one point she was singing along with the songs again, which made him smile.

They were even singing along to Cher, "Just Like Jesse James" he liked that song a lot and listening to her belt the words out with no fear did things to his heart.

Chase and Greta had told him that Tara and Kelsey canceled their plans that night because their Aunt who was also their Godmother had come to visit and from what he could tell, this woman and Geana were best friends. Laughter and joy was coming from their house, and it made him want to be a part of it, to be a part of her life.

He hoped he'd have the courage to pursue herwhen the time was right. Sometimes he was so brave and sometimes he totally choked.

Daryl sat and listened to her music and her singing most of the night wishing for it to be more between them. He stayed on the deck smoking, talking himself up and attempting to build his confidence until it was very late.

While he listened to her voice and the voice of Meghan as they sang, he presumed that they were pretending to be rock stars and it made him smile; he'd been smiling a lot since he moved in.

It started with a whisper

And that was when I kissed her

And then she made my lips hurt

I could hear the chit chat

Take me to your love shack

Mamas always gotta back track

When everybody talks back.

Daryl grinned, thinking of Geana; she liked a lot of different music he thought to himself, from Nirvana to Social Distortion to Neon Trees to Garth Brooks and Cher. The layers of her were vast and many, and he longed to get to all of them.

After a while, he put out his cigarette and went inside to watch TV with Chase, taking one last look over at her house before he shut the sliding door.

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It was just Geana, the girls and Meghan that night, Tara and Kelsey had canceled their plans for the evening to watch movies with them. Their friends understood completely, and the four of them had a fantastic night of movies and laughter.

Meghan entertained the girls with stories of their mother as a young girl, and some of the shenanigans they had both been a part of. Meghan had an expressive way about her when she told a story, and the girls were always entertained when she was around.

She was a breath of fresh air, always ready to make a fool out of herself to make someone else laugh, it was her greatest asset and her biggest flaw.

Meghan was talking about herself and Geana as teenagers, sneaking out of their respective houses to go to concerts or just to hang out. Both of their mothers had been strict, and they found new ways of maneuvering around that as they needed to.

You tell Maria that you're sleeping at my house and I'll tell Jane I'm sleeping at your house.

There was never a need for Tara and Kelsey to go to such lengths, and Meghan often told Geana she was the best mother she had ever known. Her kids could come to her with questions and not be immediately shut down and told to go away.

Meghan knew how hard her friend worked as a parent, and a single one at that.

Geana had changed the pattern, with no role model to look up to, and Meghan praised her often for that.

Meghan continued her tales their life together as best friends and young girls much to Tara and Kelsey's delight.

Meghan and Geana had seen almost every band imaginable live and even met a couple of them backstage and in concert hall parking lots.

Geana had even kissed Eddie Vedder once, a fact that she had never told Tara and Kelsey and they were now screeching like the teenagers they were.

Life was good.