Thank you to all my readers and reviewers! Keep'em comin! This was supposed to be a connector chapter and it ended up making me cry. Gah!
"Damn, I said I was fine!"
Norm looked up at Kaye and Amber from where he lay on the side of the road. Merle and Barry had drug him out of the car still unconscious less than ten minutes before.
"And your SURE it wasn't a bullet?" Amber asked her father for the tenth time as she looked over the cut and big bump on the back of her 'uncle's head.
"Yeah, Pooshie. Damn. I know when me and a brothers gettin shot at and when the fuckers are scared shitless and running. It was right after Beth hit that guy, musta been a piece of his ride." Barry turned to Beth who was tucked, red eyed, into Merle's side. "And don't start crying again. Takes a lot more than a piece of a damn headlight to bust open this dumbass' head. That was some fine driving, girl."
Beth nodded, the corner of her mouth turning up as Merle tightened his arm around her proudly. "Hell yeah it was." he agreed.
"Piece of a headlight?" Norm asked a little woozily, trying to sit up with Daryl and Kaye's help. "Sure it wasn't the whole damn bike?"
"Why don't you go get your head x-rayed?" Amber suggested, always wary of head injuries after her time spent working an ambulance.
"They wouldn't find a thing in there, baby girl." he said, straight faced.
Amber snorted and shook her head. "I'm serious."
"Fine. Me too. We all know why I can't."
She sighed. Norm was right. They had just killed no less than six men. Even with it being self defense, the trouble it would cause for the club would be immense. Ty and his crew were already well into the 'clean up' detail.
"Mama Kaye, look. Watch him tonight. Wake him up every couple of hours. Take him straight to the ER if he starts puking or anything or if he starts acting stupid."
"Damn, Lil' Sugar. He shoulda been took long time ago." Merle chimed in, his usual jovial self now that the immanent threat had passed and Norm was reasonably okay.
"How are we all getting home?" Beth asked.
Barry looked at the Dixons Escalade, now much the worse for wear. The other one had several bullet holes and the shot out sunroof to contend with too.
"Well, Miss Earnhardt. I guess Debbie and I will try to baby the car you were driving back to our place, it's closest. The rest of you can take this one to get hard head home. Then I'll see what I can do."
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Merle and Beth dropped Amber and Daryl off at their house an hour later, after they had deposited Kaye and a still groggy Norm at the junkyard.
Amber eyed Daryl warily, slipping her dress off over her head as he took off his leather and laid it on the bathroom counter next to where she stood. She pulled the pins out of her hair to let it fall down her back, Daryl pulling his shirt off over his head before he turned the water on in the big tub. He stepped behind her wordlessly, sweeping her hair to the side like he did since she had taken his mark, so he could look at and trace his fingers over it.
"Baby?" She asked quietly.
Daryl's eyes met hers in the mirror but he still didn't speak.
"Baby please. Please don't be mad at me."
"Ain't mad girl."
"You've not said two words since you came back in that sunroof. And you chain smoked all the way home. I've known you long enough, Desperado."
Daryl just continued tracing his rough fingers over the arrow and rattlesnake on her back for a moment. He finally took a step back, toeing off his boots and undoing his belt to push his jeans and boxers off. "C'mon. Get in w'me."
Daryl took Amber's hand, helping her into the tub. He settled back in the water, Amber scooting in to sit between his legs, leaning back against his chest. She reached up with one foot, pink tipped toes turning off the water. They just lay there for a long time, his lips resting against the top of her head as his fingers played over her shoulders and arms. Amber rested hers on his legs where they rose out of the water on either side of her. After a bit, Sugar padded in to sit at the side of the tub and lick the drops from Amber's fingertips when she held them out to her.
"Damn dog." Daryl said low, shaking his head.
"You keep saying that and she'll think it's her name."
"Promise me ya won't never do nothin like that again." Daryl said suddenly, as if he had to get it out before he chickened out.
"What, keep someone from putting a bullet in your head? Sorry."
"Me an Merle had it."
"Not from where I was looking from. I wasn't going to let that happen, no more than you would let it happen to me."
"Almost lost ya once. Cain't do it again."
"They're not after me this time. They were gunning for y'all. We just happened to be there."
There was a long quiet.
"Got a run t'morrow. Gotta leave early, pickin up a load in Macon."
"I know. Last one for a little while, alright? We don't need the money right now."
"I promise, baby girl."
They lay there in the dim until Amber began to doze and the water began to cool. Daryl gently nudged her awake long enough for them to take a quick warm shower and then he toweled her off before drying himself and leading her to bed. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, Daryl following soon after, Sugar laid across their feet.
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"Wake up, Desperado."
Amber's fingers trailed over Daryl's scruff as she sat next to his hip, already wearing his tee from the night before over her panties. Sugar was tucked under his arm on the other side, having burrowed into Amber's warm spot as soon as she vacated the bed. Daryl's arm tightened around the dog and then he frowned, finally opening one eye to look down at what he just realized wasn't who he thought it was.
"Damn dog." he grumbled pushing her away to turn over onto his stomach and bury his head in the pillow. Amber traced her fingers over his ink, finding every scar that was hidden in the folds of the cloak of Leraje, the Demon of archers. Daryl rolled his shoulders under her touch, groaning quietly.
"You could just go ahead and admit you like her. It would make it whole lot easier." Amber said.
"I don't like'er. Dogs ain't sposed ta sleep in bed with ya."
Sugar jumped off the bed, claws clicking on the hardwood as she went to see if her bowl had been filled yet. She was already quite the impressive eater.
"What time is it?" Daryl asked with a yawn.
"Ten."
"Shit."
"Yeah, I know. Daddy just called to make sure you were up."
"What'd ya tell'im?"
"That you were standing in the kitchen drinking coffee."
"Good girl."
Daryl turned over stretching, Amber's hand gliding over his chest to travel lower, heading for parts south that were definitely more awake than their owner. Daryl snagged that errant hand before it could make it's target, moving it back to his chest. "Don't start shit we ain't got time ta finish, girl. Cain't ride all day next ta ya daddy with a hard on." he said with a smirk, eyes half lidded and voice sleep husky. His head tilted toward his smokes on the nightstand and she lit his first of the day.
"Promise me you won't smoke all day."
"Depends on if the damn Macon chapter is movin those explosives again with their weed. That shit don't sit right with me. An they got some shit goin on overseas that we don't need spreadin up here."
"C4 won't blow without a detonator."
"That don't keep my nuts from drawin up ever time that truck hits a bump."
Amber laughed then, standing to pull on Daryl's hand. He sat up on the side of the bed, wearing only his ink and his sleep rumpled hair. Amber ran a hand through it.
"My, you have the freshly fucked look going on this morning, Mr. Dixon."
"Yeah, problem is that I ain't and ain't got time to till t'night." Daryl leaned over to set his cig in the ashtray and tugged Amber down into his lap. He ran his hand up into her hair, pulling her down into a slow smoky kiss. He looked up at her for a moment, sleep having mellowed his mood from the previous night. "Thank ya."
"For what?"
"For savin my ass."
"I guess that pays you back for that." She gestured toward the rattlesnake skin and bullet hanging where it hung over the head of their bed.
Daryl looked at it for a second before turning back to her. "I didn't know shit then, girl." He kissed her again, Amber breaking it reluctantly after a minute to pull him to his feet and push him toward the bathroom. She pulled out his 'work uniform'. All black, down to the wife beater she added for a little extra warmth. Daryl ran so hot that he refused to wear long sleeves under his leather jacket, even on long rides when it was cold. She did good to get him to wear his gloves. His colors and jacket were already laid out on the kitchen counter next to the back door that led to where he parked the bike.
He was brushing his teeth, still naked when she stepped into the bathroom to hand him his clothes. "Hurry and get dressed or you won't have time to eat. I'll fix your plate."
His two tenderloin biscuits and coffee were sitting on the kitchen table when he came out of the bathroom a few minutes later fastening his fidget band. He didn't sit to eat, Amber didn't expect him to.
Daryl was always tightly wound on run days, even more so than usual. He ate as he walked what Amber had taken to calling his 'circuit' in the house. Woodpile have enough to last until he came home? Check. Amber's Glock loaded and sitting within her reach on top of flour canister? Check. Fire laid correctly in woodstove? Not so check. Amber shook her head and smirked as he bent over, rearranging the wood with the poker as he held his biscuit with the other hand. Daryl's opinion of her fire starting abilities wasn't great. He finished up his breakfast as he finished the circuit, slipping on his jacket and then his colors, pulling his gloves on last. Amber handed him his sunglasses and Eagle from where they lay in their spot on top of the microwave. The bow was already hanging from it's clips on the bike. Daryl chugged the last of his coffee and checked to make sure his smokes and lighter were in his vest. He was down to one in the pack so he grabbed a new one out of the carton that sat on top of the fridge. He tucked it safely away and then pulled the new helmet off the counter. Daryl looked at it, smirking before tucking under his arm and turning to Amber.
She pushed up on her toes and he bent over to kiss her, hand cupping the back of her neck. He kissed the top of her head after she relaxed back down on her feet, holding onto the counter having left her cane in the bedroom.
"Ya got enough wood in here t'last till I get home. Don't be doin shit all day without ya cane. Ya got it for a reason, don't want ya fallin."
"Yes sir. You be careful guarding drugs and illegal explosives." she said with a wry grin.
Daryl shook his head at her. "I love ya, smart ass."
"Love you, Desperado."
Sugar came up, putting her paws on his knees. Amber looked down at her and then grinned up at Daryl. "She loves you too, daddy."
Daryl scowled. "Ain't her damn daddy." but he still bent down to scratch the puppy behind the ears for a second before kissing Amber quickly one last time and heading to the door. He turned just before he headed out.
"We won't be back till late." he said casually and then was gone.
If only they had known then just how late the Demons would be.