How the Man Designed Me
Chapter 11
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**mild smut warning**
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Xavier Naidoo - Alles Kann Besser Werden:
There's a chance that everything's going to be all right
watch?v=iie-KZETBjI
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Janessa continued driving past the house, sliding yet another CD into the player, this time a German R&B singer, Xavier Naidoo, he always had such a positive message and she let the upbeat, inspirational message quietly wash over her. She always loved the sound of German sung softly, it alway put her in her happy place.
She loved the line: Auch wenn alles verdorben scheint Gib nicht auf. Even if everything seems to be fucked up, don't give up. She believed in the power in positive thoughts and how they had helped keep her human this year, and frankly for as long as she could remember. She'd lost track of the times she's sung Bitte gib nicht auf: Please don't give up.
Jimmy found himself feelin' a little shut out ever since she'd signalled with the redneck. It's like they had made up over a bird call of all things. Ok, maybe it was more serious with the open window back there, but how bad could it be with four armed men. Did she forget how rude Daryl had been to her? He wondered if he reminded her would she just defend him? He didn't want to risk having that blow up in his face and settled on flattery instead.
"That was a good catch back there…" he began, trying to start up the conversation again.
She just nodded back at him not really listening as she was concentrating on the task at hand and sorting out her thoughts. As Churchill put it, "If you're going through Hell, keep going." She'd learned that once you figured that out, things got easier to deal with.
Her grandmother used to say life is like a dresser, the trick is to get good at compartmentalization. Keep the big drawers for the good stuff and only let the bad stuff fit in the little ones. If more bad shows up, throw out what's already there, but under no circumstances do you let it go into another drawer. Shaking her head she realized that's just what she'd been doing. It's been a tough year and sometimes that drawer overflowed a little.
If now is all we've got why waste it on ego? She would just have to work on it. What was the anagram again? H.A.L.T. Was she hungry, angry, lonely or tired. Check, check, check and check. Yup! She needed to halt because you just make things worse when you let the shitty committee run the show.
So if she wanted to relax in a tub she still had a task to complete first. The sooner it was done, the sooner she could check those things off her list. A bath would be fantastic. Perhaps one of the greatest things in life, something that helped her remain human and made Oak Alley feel like home. With that thought in mind she continued with the fence check.
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Daryl slunk soundlessly down the stairs with a hunter's grace, following the faint sound of shoe scuffing on the hardwood floor, the only sounds Bob and Merle made. You don't stay alive this long without being careful as well as lucky and they were good at what they did.
Meeting up in the back hallway he was able to direct them with a tilt of his head to the open window and they quickly deduced its meaning. Pointing his finger to the kitchen he took point with his crossbow as they entered the massive room and slowly walked around a huge harvest table in the centre of the room, checking behind the old fashioned wood burning stove and cavernous fireplace.
Blake had mentioned a root cellar accessed from the pantry and that's where Daryl led them next. Taking in for a moment how well stocked that pantry actually was, and that his group could live for years on what he saw. It was a gold mine containing case upon case of every kind of canned good he could think of and it showed a lot of trust that Blake had told him about it. He wasn't sure he would have if the situation was reversed. Looking back he saw the same look pass through their eyes as well before he pointed to the ground and the trap door.
Bob pulled on the door handle on the floor and Daryl proceeded cautiously down the stairs, with Merle close behind him. Wishing he had Janessa's flashlight he narrowed his eyes to help with the adjustment to the darkness within, using only the sliver that the open door created for guidance. It took a moment until he could see beyond that to discover the cellar was more of a storm shelter containig several benches for seating in the large crawl space designed for much shorter people. Daryl and Merle weren't overly tall at 5' 10' and even they needed to duck in order to walk into the space. Truth was there wasn't a lot of places to hide and the dark outline of a person huddled behind a barrel of sweet potatoes was easy to spot.
"Come out! Don't do nothin' stupid or I'm gonna have t' stomp your ass. You woudn't like it brother, and that'd just be for starters. You alone? Who else is down here?" Daryl growled to the shadow.
The man stammered and his body language conveyed terror along with a resilient determination.
"Let's go!" Daryl said motioning with his crossbow to the stairs.
He was a black man, quite tall and slender and although it was hard to tell in this light, Daryl thought he was maybe in his 70's. With the dropped ceiling he man had to walk at a crouch holding his palms up in a submissive gesture and so it was hard to get a full measure of the man, but he seemed healthy and in good condition. Merle gave him one of his signature smiles that could make a strong man gulp and then waved his stump bayonet to direct him upstairs. Skittering up the stairs to get past Merle quickly he found himself stumbling into Bob up in the pantry.
"I don't wan' no trouble, I'll just be on ma way, don"t wan' no trouble, no sir, no trouble at all." the man pleaded in a jumble of words as he looked at the floor, not making eye contact with his palms still up submissively.
"We'll see what's trouble, shut up ol' man unless you're answerin' a question, we need to figure things out. C'mon out into the kitchen where the light's better." Daryl replied tersely.
Merle was impressed, usually he did all the talkin' and Daryl just stood back. It was good to see him man up, let him know he could handle himself and he nodded in approval. Baby bro ain't such a baby no more. Dayum! They grow up so quick he thought chucklin' to himself. Daryl glared at his brother as if to say best respect my author-i-tay and Merle couldn't help but see South Park's Cartman standing in front of him. Knowing better than to say anything' though, knowing how explosive Daryl could be, he kept his face neutral, well mostly. Hard not to let some of it show in his eyes and Daryl just huffed and rolled his eyes at him.
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Janessa noticed a flicker of movement from the corner of her eye and reacting automatically she accelerated abruptly and drove straight towards the retreating figure, ready to run them over if need be but easily outpacing them. Truck trumps runner every time and this one wasn't even moving very quickly. In fact, there was something familiar in the gait the person was moving with. Every person's walk is fairly unique and she'd seen this one before. With an abrupt swerve she cut the person off and looked down from the truck to the figure huddled on the ground. With a leap she was out of the cab and sweeping the person up into her arms with whoops of delight! Jimmy just rubbed the back of his head in a bemused fashion thinkin' it looks like there'll be one more for dinner tonight.
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Blake came down the stairs two at a time, easily done with his long strides and met up with the men who'd formed a circle around the person they'd found in the cellar. With his Mark II blade in hand, the light bounced off the double wide serrations on each side of the diamond, cross-section shaped knife. The genial Southern Gentleman was gone and in his place was the soldier who'd seen many tours of duty. He closed the distance with a deadly grace that had Daryl purse his lips in appraisal, not one to miss a thing. Blake circled the prisoner predetorialy, balanced on the balls of his feet fully ready to neutralize the threat that hard dared to encroach on his territory until something made him pause.
"Rene?" he exclaimed and grinning broadly sheathed his knife, clasping the old man into a bear hug. "Thank God! I never thought I'd see you again! Let me look at you, Rene, as I live an' breathe you're a sight for sore eyes!"
"Mr Turner Sir, is it really you? I hoped and prayed but I was about to give up hope that I'd find you here." Rene replied eyes tearing in Blake's embrace.
At that moment the front door was flung open and Janessa ran in like happy child on a homecoming with Jimmy slowly bringing up the rear.
"Blake! Blake! You're never going to believe who I found! It's Josephine!" Janessa exclaimed, holding up her clasped hand in that of an elderly black woman who she was half dragging at a trot next her. Tears streaming down both of their faces.
"Lawd, have mer-sey! Jesus wept! Child, is that really you? Land's sake come give your ol' nanny a hug." she called out to him with her arms extended towards him.
Blake threw his hat in the air and whooped with joy as he grabbed Josephine by the waist and swept her off her feet, swinging her in a circle and holding her close to him.
"You put me down young man afore I put you over ma knee. You know I will!" her stern words were negated by her giggling like a schoolgirl in his arms. Blake set her down gently kissing her on both checks and hugging her to his side he wiped the tears away with his other hand.
"Merle, Daryl, Bob, Jimmy, I would like to introduce you to Josephine, the woman who raised me, taught me to tie my shoes, right from wrong and helped make me the the man I am today."
"Now don't go on none, It's the good Lawd who brung us togetha' an' Iz suspect there's sumpin for us still to do that we come togetha again." Josephine said as she cupped the side of his face with her hand and looked up at him lovingly.
"And this gentleman is Rene, her husband and our caretaker. Along with Janessa, these people are my kin. I'm sorry Rene, for any misunderstandings but these days a person can't be too careful." Blake continued reaching out his hand to pull him in close.
"No sir, no trouble at all, your friends were real careful is all, an' I'm grateful." He nodded to them, letting them know there weren't any hard feelings. "Miss Janessa, I'm real happy to see you too."
Janessa squirmed her way into the group hug and it was a heartwarming sight to see them together. Daryl gave them a half smile as he slung his crossbow over his shoulder, he understood feelin' the same way about Rick and the others, although he wasn't much of a hugger. Looking over at Merle he let him know with a look that there was a truce between them, family comes first no matter how you define it. Merle nodded back, glad he still had family too. Bob grinned widely, relieved that what had been a tense situation a few minutes ago was now a happy "family" reunion. Jimmy looked on wistfully, feeling a little left out of the love fest in the foyer and coughed softly.
"This has got to be one of the best homecomings I can ever hope to experience and I'm glad to have y'all here to share in our joy. We'd best unpack the vehicles and get settled in for the night." Blake said as looked around at everyone with a smile making him look at least 10 years younger.
"I'm real glad your sharp eyes made this all possible. Thank you darlin'." he said quietly to Janessa, giving her hand a squeeze as he kissed her temple softly.
With the tension behind them, everyone had restless energy to expend and it was good to have a physical task to focus on. Josephine got to work in the kitchen starting the fire in the wood burning stove, while Rene got the fireplace started so that they could start boiling water for bathing. Janessa gathered candles and oil lamps and started to pile them on the large circular table in the foyer for when the sun would set, hopefully not for a few hours yet, but with the rain in the distance the sky could darken sooner.
As the boys brought in the supplies she had them drop them off in the foyer until she had enough of the quilts to pad the dinning room table. It would be more efficient to have a central sorting station for organizing. Blake took the food stores straight to the kitchen and Merle and Bob starting going through the weapons at the far end of the dinning room table. She set Jimmy up with sorting the hygiene products in preparation of everyone's bath.
"That's everythin'. Where do want these?" Daryl asked as he came into the house with two guitar cases.
"Let's put them in the conservatory for now, until we figure out if they're getting packed for the next trip." she said and then beckoned him to follow her instead of simply pointing the way, which was not lost on Jimmy.
Daryl looked around in wonder at the massive room that even a grand piano couldn't diminish. Shelves lined the walls holding rows upon rows of instruments with a large seating area arranged to hear concerts that must have been played here over the years. The air was scented lightly wood and beeswax and he found the space made him feel comfortable, seeing she felt the same way too, as her shoulders relaxed.
"Looks like a studio or somthin' in here, you guys play all of these?" he asked, starting with a neutral topic.
Janessa could see what he was doing but didn't want to make it effortless for him. She wasn't angry anymore but she didn't want him to think treating her that way was ok. She'd meet him halfway and hear him out, she just wasn't quite ready to admit to him that he had her at hello.
"Uh, yeah a lot of them, some better than others mind you." she replied, thinking two could play at neutral.
"So uh, do you have a favourite?" he asked looking up at the wall of guitars. Good Lord he thought, it's like he was at a rock star's house.
Turning to another wall he saw the big framed record awards that were gold and platinum, whistling when he saw her name was on many of them along with Blake's.
"We wrote a few hits over the years." she replied modestly, as she walked over to him.
"I'd say." He replied quietly, biting the inside of his mouth and feeling out of his league again as he looked up at a picture of them on stage playing at the Grand ole Opry.
"I specialized in string instruments, starting with classical training in the violin and cello, but it was the guitar that I love best. Went country for a while, that's when I met Blake, but I've done rock and experimental as well." she said as she motioned for him the drop the guitar cases over by the wall, keeping them handy but out of the way.
He put down the cases and found himself looking for a way to stall as he turned to her, now that the moment was here, he didn't quite know what to say. Closing his eyes he tried to think back to the point things started to go wrong.
"Look, I've been thinking' an' I didn't mean how it came out. I just want ya safe." he began haltingly. "I could tell you were tired out an' I didn't want you havin' to look out for both you an' Jimmy." Especially Jimmy he thought, but he figured he'd leave that out for now.
She stepped towards him, knowing this was a lot for him and that he had a point.
"I know, I'm sorry too." she said quietly, reaching out tentatively to touch his hand. "I need you to trust me and talk to me instead of telling me what to do. Ok? Let's agree to make an effort to meet each other halfway."
He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it lightly letting her knew he agreed, which brought her the rest of the way into his arms. Holding her tightly he breathed into her ear, "Look, I'm new at this. I can promise to try, but I need ya to know that I can't always be sweet about it. Not and keep us all safe."
She nodded, biting her lower lip as she looked up at him and slowly slid her hands across his chest and around his neck. Caressing the long hair at the back of his head, twirling it in her fingers and sending jolts of electricity to the base of his spine again. He loved it when she did that and groaned when his pelvis pressed against her, finding himself instantly hard.
Kissing and nibbling her neck and jaw before settling on her mouth, his tongue probing deeply. Her breath hitched and she felt her knees buckle as her body pressed against his lean frame. Grabbing the back of his head she pulled him closer as she panted into his mouth. Daryl unbuttoned the top pearl snaps of her plaid shirt and ran his hands along her neck and shoulders, his eyes fluttering open looking for a place for them to collapse into each other. Seeing a sofa close by he kiss walked her using his pelvis to guide her like a tango dancer, determined to possess her. Falling to the cushions below he pulled her on top of him so that she was straddling him and grabbed her hips to grind her onto him in a rocking motion, making them both groan.
"You feel so good." he growled running his tongue along the swell of her breasts. "I want you Janessa."
She threw back her head and her long hair cascading down her arching her back, thrusting her chest further into him in response. He grabbed her breasts and started to kneed them with his hands, first gently and then harder, rubbing his thumbs over her nipples through the fabric. Seeing how responsive she was he continued to unbutton her blouse and edged the straps of her bra off her shoulders. Reaching into her bra he gently pinched and twisted her nipples, rolling them between his thumbs and forefingers, becoming more urgent the louder she moaned.
"Oh my God yes, harder! Bite me Daryl!" She begged wantonly as she began to grind on him without guidance. Shocked at what she had asked him but not wanting him to stop.
Understanding her instinctual needs he felt his primal response rising as he freed her breasts and bent to suck and gently bite one nipple as he pinched and twisted the other. "Oh God yes! I want you Daryl! That feels so good, Don't stop." she begged ardently.
She began to buck on him as the beginnings of an orgasm started to build in her, and Daryl thought she'd never looked more beautiful, with her cheeks flushed and hair forming a cloud about her bare shoulders and heaving chest when they heard a brief knock and then the door swung open.
"Janessa! Are you in here?" Jimmy called out.
Her eyes fluttered open, suddenly aware that her breasts were exposed to the open door and hunched over to cover her self. Daryl pulled her down and on her side to protect her from view.
"You'd best git tha fuck out o' here 'fore I stomp yowr ass Florida. In fact, Ah still might." Daryl said quietly with a frightening intensity as he turned to glare at Jimmy. Anger making his backwoods accent even stronger.
"Sorry! I'm so sorry! I was just wondering where you wanted to put the things you asked me to sort." he said as he backed out of the room with visions of heaving, pert breasts in his head.
It was more than Daryl could stand and he felt he could almost cry with frustration. He had almost brought her to orgasm with a dry hump and fondle and he'd never done that before. Hell, there was a lot of things he was doing with her he'd never done before. He didn't want any of it to stop, scared that he wouldn't be able to do it again. When he thought about it he became awkward and started to bite the inside of his thumb.
Hearing the door close she started to put her self back into her bra and button up her blouse. Daryl huffed in frustration knowing they'd lost the moment.
"Don't worry Daryl, we'll have all night to finish our conversation." she said as she kissed him lightly, preparing to climb off his lap.
Grabbing the sides of her face to hold her in place he kissed her deeply and growled. "In a room with a lock on it and not too long from now, I need you." He said with unexpected vulnerability.
Janessa didn't want to climb off him, but she also knew the sooner they took care of business the sooner they could be alone again.
"I need you too Daryl. Come on, help me make that happen sooner." Extending her hand to him she helped pull him to his feet. Standing in front of her he kissed her hand again, biting her knuckles as he stared deeply down into her eyes, losing himself in her dilated pupils and the swirls of blues, greys and greens.
"Oh, Behave!" she said laughing and pulling her hand away before things started up again and spun away from him. Just before she was out of reach he smirked and smacked her ass making her yelp and jump a little as they walked out of the room.
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Thanks for the reviews FanFicGirl10; FrankiKaos; fanreader01; Guest; Manchester lady; and DixonLover. I want you to know that the inspiration really does help! I'm leaving these lyrics because it's in German and frankly it can be a pain to get a good English translation.
Xavier Naidoo's Alles Kann Besser Werden
There's a chance that everything is going to be all right
Let's create a heaven here on earth
Everything's supposed to turn out right
We are going to turn this earth into heaven
Everything's going to be all right
We are going to turn this earth into heaven
And no one has to put his life at risk anymore
One of the greatest treasures on earth
I want to get out of this mess
But I have no idea how I'm going to do it
Get out of this damn hood
But I have no idea how
One has locked me up here in this district
Because I'm not supposed to see the rest of the world
I will walk out of this prison
As soon as I know where to go
There's a chance that everything is going to be all right
Let's create a heaven here on earth
Everything's supposed to turn out right
We are going to turn this earth into heaven
Everything's going to be all right
We are going to turn this earth into heaven
And no one has to put his life at risk anymore
One of the greatest treasures on earth
Even if you're crying your heart out now
Please don't give up
Even if you have given up on life
Please don't give up
Even if you feel like you're dead
Please don't give up
Even if everything seems to be fucked up
Don't give up
There's a chance that everything is going to be all right
Let's create a heaven here on earth
Everything's supposed to turn out right
We are going to turn this earth into heaven
Everything's going to be all right
We are going to turn this earth into heaven
And no one has to put his life at risk anymore
One of the greatest treasures on earth
There's a chance that everything is going to be all right
Let's create a heaven here on earth
Everything's supposed to turn out right
We are going to turn this earth into heaven
Everything's going to be alright
We are going to turn this earth into heaven
And no one has to put his life at risk anymore
One of the greatest treasures on earth
There's a chance that everything is going to be all right
Let's create a heaven here on earth
Everything's supposed to turn out right
We are going to turn this earth into heaven
Everything's going to be alright
Please don't give up
We are going to turn this earth into heaven
And no one has to put his life at risk anymore
One of the greatest treasures on earth
Please don't give up
Please don't give up
Please don't give up
Don't give up