Chapter 9

Daryl was pacing back and forth outside the Bellagio next to their Dancing Fountains. The cold dark fury he was feeling was clearly evident all over his face. Tourists skirted around him his anger flowed off him in waves. He took drag after drag on his cigarette as it gave his one hand something to do. The other was repeated being clenched into a fist, like he was getting ready to hit something…someone.

He was furious and completely embarrassed. He didn't remember the last time he was ever this mad. It was even worse than the motel room argument they had. How dare she put him down that way and in front of his closest friends!

No, he wasn't college educated or ate in fancy-ass restaurants, but he worked hard and treated people with respect. She was nothing but a fuckin' snobby bitch. He had been stupid and Daryl hated being stupid. He had her figured out to start, but then she had to go and play nice and he fuckin' fell for her act. He'll admit to being stupid, but he'd be damned if he would ever fall for her crap again.

Great he was married to a woman who he hated. So typical for a Dixon.

Rick ran out the front door of the hotel looking for Daryl. He searched to the left, then to the right before walking a little bit further, and then he saw him. "Thank God," he murmured when he saw him smoking by the fountains. He walked over to Daryl and touched his arm. Rick took a step back as Daryl whirled around ready for a fight.

"Easy Daryl…easy. It's just me."

When Daryl saw that it was Rick, he relaxed. Their eyes met and he just shook his head.

"She is so far out of line, I couldn't believe it. The shit she said was…just wrong, so fucking wrong. I'd take ten of you any day compared to one of her, you know that right?" Rick told him.

"Only one other person thought I was a worthless piece of crap and that was my old man, but at least he didn't humiliate me in public. I'm sorry, man. I can't be around her. I …I just can't." Daryl had never ever considered hitting a woman before, it wasn't in his nature, but until he calmed down he didn't trust himself around Gabrielle.

Rick put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "I don't want anything to do with her either. I told Michonne to deal with her and get her out of here. She has no place in our lives."

"I appreciate that Rick, but she's Michonne's friend. I can't ask you to do that," Daryl said. That his friend was so loyal, meant the world to him, but it wasn't fair to Michonne.

"Oh yes you can," replied Michonne as she joined the men. "I want nothing to do with that person in there. That's not the Gabby I grew up with. She's turned into a person that I don't even recognize anymore." Michonne took a step towards Daryl and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Daryl."

Michonne didn't know what to do. Daryl was furious and had every right to be so. She had known him for a couple years now and had never seen his eyes looking so deadly, so cold, yet hurt at the same time. She put her arm around him and rested her head in his shoulder. He just stayed stiff under her touch.

The love he felt radiating from Michonne touched him. Rick had found himself a wonderful woman. He on the other hand married a viper. "It's not your fault, don't worry about it. Hopefully we can get rid this stupid mistake we made pretty quick."

"The sooner the better," Michonne agreed. "You really don't remember any of that from last night?"

Daryl rolled his eye at her. "Do you really think if I was in my right mind I would have married someone like her? Even if we got along, she is so outta my fuckin' league, it would never work."

"Daryl," Michonne said softly. He always underestimates himself.

"C'mon. She lives a completely different lifestyle than I do. I just about make my rent every month and she flies first class with designer luggage. She looks like a god dammed Victoria Secret model, for fucks sake, Michonne. Do I look like I belong with in that life? Hell no." Daryl didn't know if he was trying to explain the differences so that Michonne would understand or that he would.

"I get what you are saying. It's just too bad because she was never this way growing up. In fact you two would be surprised on what you have in common." Michonne could see that it was time to change the subject. They all needed to forget about Gabrielle, at least for now. "So what shall the three of us do today?"

"Forget about me, it's your honeymoon," Daryl told them. He didn't want to be the third wheel today. It was bad enough that this morning was a total disaster.

"No way, man" Rick said. "You're hanging with us today."

Daryl thought about it for a minute. He looked out over the fountains that made no sense to him. Nothing in Las Vegas was making any sense at all. He chewed on his bottom lip while deciding what to do. If the newlyweds wanted him to hang with them, who was he to say no. It was better than wallowing in his hotel room

So that's what he did. The three of them spent the day together checking out a few of the casinos, shops and walked around the Las Vegas Strip. They took a taxi to The Hard Rock and had lunch there. Just before they left, Daryl put ten dollars in a slot machine and on his very last pull, he ended up winning a little over five hundred dollars. He looked around in shock on what was happening. Lights were flashing and he was clueless until the slot attendant came over to help him. He was completely surprised by the amount and it felt good to have decent spending money in his pocket for once.

Rick and Michonne had planned to have a romantic dinner for two that night, so Daryl was on his own. He was actually happy to get some time for himself. He had a lot to think through. Daryl dropped down on the bed and put his hand behind his head. The last time he was here he wasn't alone. He certainly was now.

Some of last night had started to come back to him in little flashes. It was her idea to go for the drive and Gabrielle hired the hotel limousine to take them out. There was a lot of making out going on in the car and hands touching places they had no business touching. The driver was just told to keep driving so he was making the rounds throughout the city.

He remembered how good it was kissing her. The fire he felt the second her lips touched his was something he had never felt before. He knew he was drunk, but some things you just don't forget. It may have taken him a little bit to remember, but he did. He hated her, but he wanted her at the same time and that was fucking with his head.

Daryl didn't remember whose idea it was to stop, but the car did outside wedding chapel that had the big picture of Elvis. Even that drunk he should have known better, but apparently he didn't. They had the marriage certificate to prove it and also that damn photo with the man that did not even look like Elvis on a bad day.

He was going to have to talk to Gabrielle at some point soon. They needed to get divorced or annulled, however that worked. He just had no idea where to start.

The rumbling of his stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten dinner plus the room was starting to close in on him. It was time to get out of there. Daryl grabbed his wallet and room key and headed back to the place that started it all last night…the bar. And the same bartender was still behind the bar, maybe he'd know more of what happened last night.

"Hey Daryl, welcome back!" the bartender smiled.

Good thing he wore a name tag or Daryl would never have remembered his name. "Hey Joe."

"What'll you have tonight?"

"Pour me a Bud and no matter what, don't give me a shot of anything. Last night 'bout killed me. Order me a burger too."

Joe smiled as he poured the beer. "You looked like you were having a good night."

"You have no idea," Daryl told him shaking his head. He took a sip of his beer. "I fucked up so bad last night."

"You blew it with the hot babe? Gabrielle, right?"

"If you call waking up to her this morning...naked and married blowing it. I was so drunk that I married someone I barely knew and I don't even remember it, man. How fucked up is that?" It actually felt good to talk about to Joe. Daryl wasn't one to 'share' or talk about himself much, but he just needed and impartial person to talk to.

"Dude, I can't believe you did that. She's so hot!" Joe was pouring drinks while talking to Daryl. He couldn't believe what he just heard. Gabrielle was drop dead gorgeous and Daryl had managed to snag her good. Why didn't shit like that happen to him? "Did you know her before coming here?"

Daryl took another sip of beer and popped a handful of pretzels into his mouth that were in a bowl on the bar. He was starving. "She's my friend's wife's best friend or at least she used to be. She came for the wedding like I did."

"Used to be?"

"Yep. Look at me man, does it look like I should be with a woman who could be a damn Victoria Secret model? Fuck no, but this morning when we figured out what had happened, she was none too happy to be shackled with a loser like me. Her words were fuckin' brutal. I didn't take being called 'an embarrassment' too well and neither did my friends. Haven't talked to her since." Daryl downed the rest of his beer. He felt like getting lit again tonight, but that wouldn't solve his problems. Never did.

After a few minutes of wallowing in the mess his life had become, he asked, "Hey Joe, how's that burger coming?

"I'll check on it, you want another beer?"

"Hell yeah," Daryl told him.

Joe went off to check on his dinner and Daryl casually looked around the bar. It was not the usual dive bar he was used to. He had not taken the time on his previous visits to see how nice it was. Plus the caliber of people in it was different. No ratty jeans and old t-shirts here, except on him. Just another place in a long list of places that he just did not belong. He was so ready to get back home to Georgia.

He turned back to the bar just in time for Joe to slide the plate with his dinner in front of him. Daryl looked at the large size cheeseburger and knew it was going to be good. He put ketchup on it and drenched his fries. The first bite told him this was one of the best burgers he had ever had.

Joe placed a newly poured beer in front of him. "This one's on me," he told him. Joe knew he should have cut them off last night, but since he knew Daryl was staying at the Bellagio he didn't see any harm. He felt a little to blame for what happened.

Daryl nodded his thanks as he devoured his dinner. He didn't realize how hungry he was and this was a top notch cheeseburger. He wiped his mouth on the napkin and downed half the beer. He was done.

Joe was wiping down a glass at the end of the bar and looked up to see who was walking in the door. He quickly moved in front of Daryl. "You got the wife coming up behind you," he warned him in a quiet voice.

"Fuck."

Daryl kept facing the bar and waited for her to approach him. His heart started beating faster, so he took another sip of beer.

He felt her body heat before he saw her. Another flashback hit him at that instant of them in bed naked and sweaty and he was inside of her pumping away. "Bad timing to finally remember that," he said to himself. While he regretted what had happened, his dick sure didn't, because it was starting to come alive. Just what he didn't need right now.

Gabrielle had been looking for him for a while. He was not in his room or answering the cell number he had given her. She figured he was avoiding her…big time and she did not blame him at all.

She had spent a good portion of her day just sitting in her room wondering what had happened to her. Sure she was hung over this morning….really hung over, but that did not excuse the way she treated him.

It was a shock to find out what they did last night. She had always had poor judgement when she drank and she should have known better. Hadn't she learned her lesson all those years ago as a teen? Apparently not.

They were both at fault, not just him. This morning she took her shock and anger out on him and the words she said were hurtful and cruel. That it took Michonne walking out on her and their friendship to make her realize it, showed how far she had fallen. Living in the big corporate world in Atlanta had not made her a better person like she had planned, no it had not. It made her into an uncaring, snobby bitch that no one wanted.

While Daryl was not the husband she would have chosen for herself, he was in fact her legal husband…at least for now. He had done nothing to deserve her treatment of him and she knew she owed him an apology. Then they needed to figure out what they were going to do.

When she looked in the bar she immediately saw his strong back and longish hair. As she walked over to him, her heart started to race. She convinced herself it was because of the situation between them and it had nothing to do with the attraction she kept denying she had to him. He wasn't your classically good looking guy, he was more and different and she liked that. Actually she liked that a little too much.

Gabrielle quietly slipped onto the bar stool next to him. He didn't turn to look at her, but just kept drinking. She placed a hand on his arm and slowly Daryl turned his head to look at her. The anger she saw in his blue eyes startled her, but she quickly pulled herself together.

"We need to talk," was all she said.