Disclaimer #1: I do not own any characters from "The Walking Dead." They are the property of Robert Kirkman, Glenn Mazzera and AMC. No money is changing hands in the writing, reading or distribution of this story.
Disclaimer #2: Any similarities to any specific persons, living or dead, is unintended.
Warning: This chapter contains sexual imagery.
Badass and Beauty
Chapter 25
Daryl was…Grecia sighed mid thought, her eyes fluttering closed as she lay beneath the dining room table…Daryl was… astonishingly, remarkably and superbly marvelous! Wow, that was a lot of adverbs…any time a lot adverbs got put together, things sounded silly…but silly or not, that was how Grecia felt about him! Last night was…oh wow, here came more adverbs…okay, she held herself up, didn't want to make things too silly. But yeah…last night, outside on the ground, being close to Daryl, the power in his muscled up arms pulling her against that hard chest with all the rolling swells of rigid flesh and deep cut lines of definition and power…oh God…it made Grecia feel dizzy to remember…but it wasn't all about his body; being close to Daryl like that would have made her dizzy even if he wasn't as built as he was…she loved his sneer scarred face and that permanently cross disposition and rough demeanor, and she adored how he completely forwent any kind of frills…he was so very very different from anyone in the life she'd been trapped inside of before…Grecia loved Daryl Dixon, inside and out! Daryl was…he was just so…no, more adverbs…Daryl was her man…there wasn't any other description for him that made Grecia any happier than that one did.
But…there were some things that still crawled the walls of her mind, despite how lost she was becoming in Daryl, and loving every moment of it. Grecia no longer had the kind of life that would allow her to just lie in bed all day, doodling her first name and Daryl's last name after it; no, she was part of the group more than she'd ever been now that she and Daryl were in love, and therefore, Grecia had to keep the group protected. She and Daryl were in love…in love…Grecia had never ever been in love before…and it was…no, no more adverbs…it was okay to keep feeling that, but it was also time to focus on something besides it; being in love with Daryl came with a big responsibility. She loved Daryl, and Daryl was part of her group, so yeah…Grecia had to keep her group safe! And that meant doing what she'd been thinking about; going to Rick and suggesting she be…promoted, or appointed, or whatever to keep an eye on Shane. Shane wanted to work with her; she seemed to be someone whom Shane was willing to let into whatever little world he was working on building…and it sure would benefit everyone in the group, including Shane even, to have someone that was going to keep Rick on the same page with the book Shane had been reading from. Grecia didn't want anything to happen to the group…or Shane, if she could prevent it.
But…and this felt so awful to realize and think about…but how was Grecia going to break it to Daryl that she essentially wanted to do the occasional patrol with Shane, so that she could keep an eye on him? Daryl wasn't going to like that…it had never been more clear how much Daryl and Shane didn't like one another…and now it all made sense why Daryl had freaked out on her and started screaming about "trying to make him jealous" that one day when Grecia had brought up the way Shane had looked at her, too. But, Grecia wasn't getting the "I want your body" vibe from Shane…she wasn't even getting a "I like you, so I'm just saying I want to work with you as an excuse to be close" vibe from him either. Whatever Shane's motivations were, they weren't sexual or emotional…they were something else, and that worried Grecia more than if they had been something carnal, or something heart twisting. But she did know that Shane had been a good man once…if he still was needed determining…and that's just what she was signing up to find out. But…Daryl was not going to like this…no matter how well Grecia explained it to him.
Daryl…it had become clear to Grecia the day before that no matter what was going on, Daryl was always going to dominate her thoughts, and it hadn't taken long before he'd regained his top spot. Grecia had to think of how to ease him into the idea of her working with Shane…well, not with, really…more like around. She loved being in love with Daryl and knowing that he loved her back…wow, Grecia loved Daryl, Daryl loved her…and her heart beat like mad every time she remembered him vanquishing his fears and telling her he did…but, well…there were a lot of things that still needed defining and discussion…and Grecia's pending assignment to keep an eye on Shane might have been the biggest one, but it certainly wasn't the only one. Last night was perfect…it really was…perfect and…well, strange. Not that Grecia's past unhealthy relationships with men put her in any position to start labeling anything 'strange,' but yeah, last night…while perfect…so perfect that despite Daryl thinking it best to sleep on top of the dining room table like he usually did, Grecia could still feel him next to her all night long…but last night, outside, was still kind of strange.
Grecia didn't mean to…turn Daryl on quite that much…and he'd realized that…had switched off that switch that she'd accidentally switched on in a hurry, almost like he'd felt about doing what he'd been doing…and it was good that Daryl thought going for it last night wasn't right…it was great…it was a major turn-on too…and that, added to how much Grecia already knew she wanted Daryl, was the biggest contradiction she'd ever faced in her life. She loved Daryl…like, really loved Daryl…part of her wanted to crawl up on top of this dining room table right now and…and…Jesus, she didn't even know what she'd start doing to him, or how to even imagine doing it, and that was the problem.
Grecia wasn't any good at sex. Grecia didn't like sex. At least she didn't until she felt that…big, huge, hard, thick cock pressed up against her leg! Oh God…she had to stop thinking of it like that! Find a simpler, less stimulating description! Yeah…like that was going to happen! Feeling the shape and size of that monster should have scared her…major "ouch!" factor and all! But no…she wanted to have sex with Daryl! That was a definite…provided that she could figure out how to have sex with him, without somehow actually having sex with him. She had no idea how to do any of the whole sex thing that wasn't just lying there, stiff as a board, ignoring what was happening and holding her breath until whoever he was rolled off of her and said something smart-mouthed like, "oh! You are still here after all!" Yeah…Grecia wanted Daryl, loved being close to him, wanted to see and touch and feel that…that…oh hell, call it what it was, she'd already let herself go and think it once…that big, huge, hard, thick cock she'd felt pressed up against her leg…but Daryl had given her the blessing of reminding him to slow down…and the slower they went, the longer it would be before Daryl would find out that the girl he loved was also the world's worst lay…
"Hey,"
A smile instantly brightened Grecia's face…that breathy whisper had been against her neck for so long the night before, she and Daryl having spent a good half the night on the front porch, after their little hug fest out by where the group had once camped. They hadn't said much, they'd just sat, Daryl on the top step, Grecia one below it, her back to his magnificent chest and those muscle pumped arms locked around her…they'd briefly uttered their temptation to just pass the entire night like that, on the steps, nestled together like those Russian Matryoska dolls, but decided better of it since the wall around the house wasn't yet complete. Daryl had been largely quiet, a few grunts and groans and moans here and there when he'd hug her so tightly it made her ribs hurt…huh…Daryl was a lot huggier than Grecia thought he would be…not that it mattered, but it was just strange…yeah, there was that word again, 'strange.' And it was strange because all he did was hug her and pull her close…he never kissed her…not once, not even on the hand or cheek or neck or anything…that hot, breathy whisper was the only contact between Daryl's mouth and Grecia's skin…and 'strange' or not, it still made her feel good enough to not be able to contain her smile.
"Hey," she whispered back, so happy to know he was awake early too, and then trying not to laugh and wake the rest of the house when she turned her head and saw Daryl looking upside down at her, leaning over his table top bed…just like when he'd awakened her from that dream she had all those nights ago…that incredible, but hideously embarrassing dream…that had turned out to be amazingly accurate when it came to that big, huge, hard, thick cock…oh God…okay, yeah it was some serious fun to keep thinking about, but Grecia had to knock it off…she and Daryl had their usual morning patrol to get ready for in about a half hour, and 'the pit' was no place for that kinda shit…
…but…seriously…Daryl was big…big! In the effort to make the connections that being and staying famous required, Grecia had seen more penises than the average woman likely did, and Daryl had them all beat by a good two to two and a half inches…maybe three, but she'd really need to get her hand on it good to know for sure…oh God, get her hand on it! But it wasn't just the length…it was the overall…hmm, what was the word she was groping for…heft! Yeah, heft was a good one! Stop! Now! Jesus, first it was all of Daryl that Grecia kept obsessing about, now it was only a particular part of him! And she hated sex!
Grecia could feel the warm blush on her skin from the thoughts she was having, and she was hoping Daryl wouldn't notice, as he was sort of slithering down off of the table now, coming down to be with her…moving as quietly as he could…which was pretty quiet being that Daryl was a hunter and tracker who knew that noise equaled starvation. Grecia sat up, moved back on her ticked camping mattress to make room for him, and the minute Daryl slid under the table and knelt there on her mattress across from her, the new connection they shared instantly bloomed anew, Grecia feeling warm from the inside out, heart pounding, the wings of some majestic bird fluttering inside of her.
She looked at Daryl and he looked at her…both of them sleep deprived and showing it, but like magnets, they were stuck together in no time, those big, strong arms around her like cables, grabbing her up and pulling her into him before she got the chance to move or even breathe, holding her like he might never let her go…and Grecia couldn't help but hope he wouldn't…but still no kiss. Hmm…did she have to go spiraling downhill, out of control, with half a walker in order to get him to do it again?
"Listen," Daryl was whispering, hot and breathy against her skin again, making Grecia shiver in his arms and want more…like a kiss…which was 'strange,' being as how Grecia never liked that either…someone else's tongue in her mouth? All their spit too? No, thank you! But as soon as Daryl spoke again, Grecia forgot all about what she didn't like…per usual since last night. "I don't really wanna…you know, be doin' this kinda thing when we're 'round everyone else, okay?" he said, and Grecia wasn't at all surprised; Daryl never did strike her as a PDA kind of guy…and she'd never been a PDA type of girl either…in fact, she'd never even been an "A" type of girl…but, whatever…Daryl was talking again. "Let's keep…whatever the hell we are under-wraps 'til we get a chance to see how she rides." He paused, his hard, tough body stiffened up a bit like he was bracing for something. "You okay with that?"
"Yeah," Grecia answered without having to think about it, not resistant to that idea at all being that she had no idea what the hell it was to be in the kind of relationship she hoped she and Daryl were trying to have…the 'in love and sex crazed sexless' kind…kiss-less too, apparently…yeah, she loved every minute of what she and Daryl had, but it was 'strange!' But, keeping what they had a secret from everyone would really help when it came to trying to hang out a little more with Shane. If Shane knew that Grecia and Daryl were…whatever the hell they were, then Grecia was really going to look like a spy! Daryl's arms reclaimed her as tightly as they had before and Grecia smiled, laid her head on his awesome chest…wishing his shirt wasn't there, too. "Anything else we need to get straight?"
"Yeah," his whisper was a little more on the husky side now, a little hotter and heavier on her skin, lulling Grecia back into that place where she wanted all the things she didn't like. "When I go to the trouble 'a sneakin' down to you to get a some 'a this in before everyone wakes up, you could gimme a little back." He was smirking a touch, Grecia could hear it in his voice, no matter how much he was wanting what he'd asked her for…his arms were moving and shifting around her, pulling her more into him as his big, strong hands roamed her back…big hands…yeah, it must have been true! No, stop! Now! And it wasn't really Grecia's fault that her arms were sorta at her sides the way they were…Daryl had just grabbed her up so fast, she didn't get a chance to position herself.
But, she laughed a little into the fabric of his sleeveless olive drab T-shirt, hated to do it, but pushed back against his arms that had lassoed her so that he'd let her go enough to allow her to raise her arms up, her hands moving to his chest, pressing firmly against the fabric, consciously trying to feel what she couldn't see because of his shirt as her arms eventually made their way up and around his neck.
Yeah, this was better…his body was so warm and so hard and so powerful…made Grecia thankful that when she'd gotten her big, stupid, fake boobs that she'd sprung the extra couple thousand bucks to have the implants put in behind her natural breast tissue instead of over it like most boob jobs were done. Women who didn't have the money Grecia had made ended up with big, perfect looking boobs, but they often times couldn't feel anything in them when the implants were right under their skin…but Grecia's augmentation being situated behind the tissue she'd had naturally meant that her nipples still worked! And they were the first things to notice what Daryl's body felt like when it was against hers chest to chest like this…and it was…wow…just wow!
A little too 'wow' as it turned out…one of her hands just wouldn't stay behind Daryl's neck, and he was leaning into it as much as he was watching it cupped over the outwards arch of his right pectoral muscle, Grecia's hand gently squeezing the unyielding mound of muscle, suddenly feeling Daryl's nipple scrape hard against her palm through the thin jersey fabric that kept her skin from his, and he moaned softly passed her ear.
"You feelin' me up cuz you like it, or cuz you think I do?" He whispered; his voice low and smoky in her ear as he seemed to not really care what her answer was and just kept pushing the part of him she held into her hungry hand. One of his arms disappeared from around her and Grecia felt it move in between them, his strong fingers clutching the tail of his shirt and just about to pull it up and over his head and really let her have what she'd been wanting to feel ever since he started hugging her again…but all of sudden, it was like whatever came over him last night and made him stop like what he was doing was wrong, came over him again, and he pulled away from her…sort of…one hand was still on her back, but he completely broke the contact between his chest and her hand, then looked up at her panting and gasping. "You're lettin' me go too far…" he half admonished. "What I tell you about that?"
Oops! Again, Grecia didn't mean to…wasn't even thinking about…hmm…hmmmmm…did she go and wake up that big, huge, hard, thick cock again? No! Stop it! She had to get that out of her head, and also stop doing this to Daryl! This wasn't fair to him, and even Grecia could understand why. "Sorry," she whispered and knew she sounded regretful…but a lot of why was because she kind of didn't want to stop…feeling him up, as he'd said…and she also really wanted to sneak a downwards glance at that big, huge har—No! "I don't mean to keep on like this, I really don't, and I know how frustrating it is for you, I do…" she sighed, Daryl listening, and also looking directly into her eyes, making it impossible for Grecia to steal that downwards glance, anyhow. "It's just that…I've never been good at this…and I guess I don't really know where 'too far' begins and 'far enough' ends."
"That's great," Daryl looked back at her and sighed facetiously, rolled his eyes like he'd been beset with some huge burden. He let go of her entirely and leaned back on his hands on her mattress under the table like he was letting himself cool down. "That's the next thing we're gettin' straight then, ASAP! Cuz 'yer killin' me here, girl!"
"Okay." For some reason, there was a part of Grecia, one hundred percent girly in nature, that found that kind of funny…but she didn't dare laugh. But, her mind digested Daryl's complaint and began to wonder if maybe Daryl's fear of going too far, too fast, was part of what made things between them so 'strange.' Hmm…dare she ask? Was it a good idea, being as how she was killing him? No, don't laugh, damn it! And before she knew it, Grecia was asking. "So, is that why you won't kiss me, too?"
At the word "kiss" Daryl snapped up so straight and stiff that he actually banged his head against the underside of the dining room table. He cussed and Grecia's hand flew to her mouth, pressing hard to contain laughter that shouldn't have been there in the first place. Maybe that was why Daryl didn't kiss her? Was kissing her going that much too far? Was that really it?
Daryl wasn't amused though; those blue eyes turned steely and narrowed at her like they always used to, the Dixon jumping back into him. "Why the hell don'tja never eat something?" He bit out at her, his voice ever so slightly louder than a whisper now, but if they hadn't been playing this quiet game, he'd have yelled that at her.
Grecia was hungry…she'd been hungry for days now…it had been years since she'd felt hunger pangs, lived on an empty stomach with no complaints from it because of how she'd managed to tame and train that organ…but now, in the face of ultimate survival and physical work, Grecia was feeling hungry again…all the time…and it was terrifying and even more annoying. She never did take to anyone bringing up her and food, but with being constantly hungry now, she really got snitty about it, real snitty. "That's it! I'm just going and wait out on the porch for you, starting now!" And she started to crawl off of her camping mattress, trying to figure out how it was that things had flashed up in smoke that quickly between them…hugging up a storm one minute, going straight into 'too far'…and now, here she was about to stomp off onto the porch to get away from breakfast and Daryl alike.
Daryl must have been wondering the same thing, and feeling as badly about it as Grecia did, because he real quick caught her by the arm before she was even off her mattress. "Hey," he started with another sigh, looking at her with half squinted blue eyes, but there wasn't anymore of that defensive redneck pride burning in them. "Don't go, okay? I'd really like it if you'd stay in and eat with me this morning."
He didn't overtly stress the "with me" part, but Grecia knew he'd thrown it in there special, and it did hold a certain power of seduction…wasn't like Daryl to go around asking just anyone to "eat with him." Nope…just the girl he was in love with! Grecia's snitty fit settled some…but that didn't mean she was going to eat…her and food? No way! Not happening! That had been her motto since she was thirteen years old! "Thanks for saying that," she smiled at him, and really, she was touched, and hungry…but she also wasn't eating breakfast…with anybody. "But I can't though."
Daryl's eyes went right back to being steely and mean again. "What the hell does that even mean?" He asked; voice an angry hiss as he shook his head at her and he must have either been tired of arguing with her already, or was too afraid that he would be yelling in a minute, because he just amped down with another heavy sigh. "Fine," he griped quietly, "You ain't gonna eat nothing, then I'll go out on the porch and not eat with you." And he'd said it all haughty like it was some kind of highbrow threat or something.
But it might as well have been, because it was the last thing Grecia expected him to say. "What?" She screwed up her face and asked, part of her thinking how it could be fun to be alone with Daryl on the porch…provided they weren't fighting over him and kissing and her and food. But mostly, Grecia just didn't understand where he was coming from with saying he wouldn't eat if she wouldn't. "That's stupid!"
But Daryl didn't budge, just looked at her levelly and grinning, like he knew he had her. "How come if I don't eat, then it's 'stupid,' but when you don't eat, it's some kinda noble, mystical, supermodel shit that the rest of us just don't understand?"
Damn it! Grecia's eyes narrowed now…yeah, he did have her boxed in! But there was a way out of this box! Daryl had acted awfully tense and squirrelly when she'd asked him why he wouldn't kiss her…and there was something to that, she could tell. Daryl…squirrelly? Okay, that was hugely funny, but now was no time to laugh. Instead she just narrowed her eyes a little harder at him. "I dare you to kiss me! Right here, right now!"
And that quick, Daryl bowed up just like she'd seen him do so many many times before, shooting her his very best 'don't mess with the redneck' look…yeah, whatever the real reason for why he wouldn't kiss her, he was overly sensitive about it! There was a vein in his neck thumping away…he looked like he might be a second or two away from waking the whole house with what he was about to shout at her…his hand came up, his index finger extended, pointing at her…but at the last minute, it was like the safety switched on and Daryl just kind wound down and sighed one more time, shaking his head again. "Alright look," he told her, and hung his head a little bit like he was ashamed to be standing down, even if he knew it was somehow best to. "These are stupid damn problems for the two 'a us to be havin'…so, I'll make a deal withya." He raised his head up and looked her in the eyes, as serious as anything, and also more in love with her than anything. "You work on the eatin'…and I'll work on the kissin', okay?"
Hmm…Grecia pursed her lips…part of that sounded pretty good…but not the eating part! But she wanted Daryl to finally kiss her without taking a tumble down a hill, while half of a cannibalistic corpse took swipes at her…and she was hungry…so so so hungry…but…she didn't want to eat…she couldn't eat…food was just going to do bad things to her…but kissing Daryl was going to do amazing things…that she didn't like…but she still wanted…oh hell! This was a total mind fuck! Maybe she could just not answer him?
"C'mon, Greesh!" Daryl hissed as though he could read her mind. "You eat, I'll kiss ya! Let's go, cards on the table, already!"
Damn! Damn! Damn! This is what she got for falling in love with Daryl Dixon! "This is so not fair!" Grecia hissed back to him and crossed her arms over her chest, huffing a little bit. But it wasn't really Daryl she was angry with…it was her…because she was about to give in…the thought of kissing Daryl so much more attractive than remaining a size 0. She sighed, grit her teeth…didn't want to look like she was going down on this easy, because she wasn't. Why in hell did she have to love him so damn much? "But fine! Okay! If that's the way you want it, then that's how it'll be!" There was some satisfaction in feeling as though it was her who had just put terms to him…even if it really had been the other way around.
"Good!" Daryl nodded, still sounding a bit aggressive, but it was fading…and he reached out an arm to her. "Now c'mere," and the other big strong arm reached for her, his hands grabbing her and having to really pull her to him this time, because Grecia wouldn't let herself just fall into his arms like she normally would have…but she didn't resist him either…hell, she wasn't that strong! "I know I'm a prick, but I love ya'." Daryl whispered against her ear, arms wrapped around her again and holding her to him tightly again, and he'd even sounded a tiny bit sorry for making her choose like that.
Well…there was no fighting how it felt to be enveloped in the strength and power that was Daryl…Grecia couldn't stop her smile, even if she did hide it from him…just lay her head back against his wonderful chest. "Yeah, you are a prick," she agreed, and heard Daryl kind of chuckle, the rich, warm sound of it resonating through all the muscle to where her ear was pressed. "But I love you, too."
Daryl gave her a little squeeze in return…but still no kiss…big surprise…and patted her shoulder a little bit with his big, strong hand. "Still some shit we gotta talk about, huh?"
Grecia sighed, and her mind spun suddenly out of control; everything from food to kissing to sex to PDA's jumping up and down on the trampoline of her mind…but the biggest one though was still her pending volunteer safety watch with Shane. How was she going to get Daryl on board with that? Just, how? "Yeah," she said, feeling so overwhelmed. "A lot."
Author's Note: I know I should maybe be over it by now, but I just get so damn giddy when I get 8 or more reviews or more for a chapter! You all are so kind and so funny and so thoughtful in what you say! Thank you! Thank you also for reading, and for your patience waiting for this chapter to post! Like I said, weekends I am at the disposal of my husband and his motorcycle club, so being able to write is hit or miss. But I can never wait to get back to this story, and all of you!
Special thanks and welcome to KELL-BEAR for subscribing to this story, making it one of their favorites, making me one of their favorite authors, and for also subscribing to my author alert status! Wow! All four! Please, join the rest of us in sharing ideas and thoughts on this story! We'd love to hear from you!
To JEZEBELLA CORVUS: Yay! I get to start with you, and I love talking to you! :-) Well, I'm so glad you read the sexy chapter in an appropriate place, like in bed!lol And by the time you were apologizing to Daryl's hard on, I was on the floor laughing!lol And I'm like major league impressed that you went with the whole "god/dog scenario" and all of sudden injected some serious Eastern religion thinking into my raging erection scene!lol That's awesome of you!lol No, really, I'm astounded and so charged up that you got so much to the core of what that chapter was really about and didn't get tripped up on how graphically I wrote it! I love to write the erotic stuff and I will really do it up with imagery when I do…cuz hey, if you're going to write that kind of stuff and the reader doesn't pop wood reading it, then why bother doing it?lol So I'm ecstatic that you thought it was "hot" while also seeing all the other stuff that was in it too! You rock! You do! I may have said that to you before, but like you are really seriously rocking it out, girl! Yeeeee-hawwwww!lol And thank you also for using the word "frottage!" Makes my smut seem kind of classy in a really unfortunate way!lol But most of all, thank you for being brave enough to say you thought the "frot was hot!" (Oh God, it's 3:23am and I'm sitting here talking about 'hot frot'…I need to sleep!lol) Anyway, yes…it does take a lot of self-security to admit something like that in a review, and I love that you have it! As always, you're just too much of a sweetheart for words! And you posted another chapter of your story for me to enjoy over coffee on Monday morning! Yay! Thanks for that also! See? Told you that you rock!
To ELOQUENT DREAMS: Thank you for letting me know that you had some issues with how Chapter 24 read! I think I know why that was. Unlike other chapters, Chapter 24 was more of a psychological/emotional/sexual plot point and not a chronological "first someone did this and then so-n-so did that, and this was the outcome" kind of structure. It was different, there, and then when you add it that I wrote Chapter 24 with a little more poetry and imagery in it than I usually do…yeah, I can see where you probably had some difficulties getting it to flow. Again, thank you for saying something! I know what to be careful of with structure and images now when I write these types of chapters! Thank you also for taking the time to read it twice, though! Wow! It's readers like you that don't just give up on me that make me so dedicated to my writing! It truly is! And I love 'catching up' with everyone, you in particular! You always get to the point and let me know what I need to know the most, so thank you for being around as someone to be caught up with! I appreciate it so very much!
To EQUAL-OPPORTUNITY-READER: Wow, Honors Convocation, huh? That's terrific! Good for you! I am not at all surprised that you'd have something like that to attend! I am sure that your list of significant academic achievements is a long one! You are smashingly intelligent and you put so much of yourself into even your reviews, so I am sure that carries over into everything that you do! Congratulations and my sincerest wishes for your future, post-graduation! And my dyed in the wool Shane-hater is liking the twist of Grecia trying to save Shane from himself?lol Hmmm…you're not changing your mind on me, are you?lol Be careful…you're going to pull a Lori in no time, being all "Rick, I made Shane crazy and now I need you to kill him! What? Why in hell would you kill Shane?"lol And yeah, Daryl would be more intimidated by a quiet woman, or even a crying woman, than he would a screaming and yelling woman, very perceptive of you! And I do see your point about where all the slash evolves from, the whole break down of society and all the shit society does to people who are different…and the intimacy factor during trauma…I think that tends to be lost in a lot of slash stories out there, the same as it often gets lost in a lot of stories period, but I can see where a piece could be hella successful if time is really given to the idea of intimacy and where it comes from. There's just still this immature dork in me that wants to laugh at the apparent side effects of the zombie virus in regards to all the slash work out there…we're all infected, we're all going to become zombies after we die…but before you do die, you're going to be as gay as you can imagine!lol Anyway, thanks for the positive energy about my horse drama! She's doing better each day, thankfully! Thank you again for reading and for reviewing, even in the face of finals and pre-graduation affairs! Now, go work on your papers and study and stop worrying so much about this story! I mean it, and I'm also very proud of how hard you have obviously been working in school! Great job and all the best to you!
To CORBSXX: Hmm…so chapter 24 made you "swoony," huh? That wouldn't have anything to do with Daryl being hung, now would it?lol Made me swoony, and I wrote it!lol Thank you for letting me know how you were affected by it, though! I've got to write these little test chapters to gauge everyone's reactions to where and how to proceed and you're helping me to do that and I'm so excited that you are! You're always so great at pointing out the direction to go in for me, so I'm always delighted to see your name on a review! And now you're crushing on me?lol Well, the feelings mutual, because that's how I feel every time I read your reviews! Aww…we'd make a lovely couple!lol And yay! You checked out the Photo Album! Thanks for doing that and I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I hope it maybe helps you to see and understand somethings in the story a little better! Again, Thanks again for all that you do for me!
To RAINBOWSHELBY: Yesss! Thank you for finding the "Dixon Flare" amidst everything that was going on in Chapter 24! But then you always do find the things that I put so much work into and then have to hope like hell that they come through! But when you pick them up, I can relax and know that I did it right! Thank you for saying that! And thank you always for being so considerate and generous! You are truly a welcomed addition to my many wonderful readers/reviewers!
To VERITASKYM: I gotta tell you, I'm leaning further and further towards writing this "date!" I've got a lot of ideas all strung together in my head for it! Did you get my PM? I'm holding off on seriously writing anything until I get some info from you. Oh, and speaking of our double date, Daryl would like to know what kind of wine you like, box or twist-off cap?lol And I really would love to know what the mall was like with Merle for you…I always lose him, and then find him again in the lingerie section, holding up a thong and spouting off how it "cain't be no damn good; you cain't bowl in it cuz it'd cut yah right in two, there!"lol Anyway…you got exactly what I'm doing in not making Chapter 24 the big porn scene!lol The anticipation is so much fun to write and so challenging to keep smoldering! That's what I'll be doing for a while…sex with no sex!lol And you get it, on all the levels that I was hoping you would, so now I'm really anxious to keep building up to the big moment and make it even more big! (I sound like one of those KY commercials! I lose Merle when they come on too!lol) Oh, and yes! The title "Sloppy Seconds" was meant to indicate what happened between Merle and Grecia back in the Atlanta camp, so you got that one dead one! But when you included all of Daryl's conquests and Grecia's messed up relationships, I was like "wow, it does refer to that too! Wow! VK gets my stuff better than I do!"lol So very cool of you to go there with it! I love it when someone can do that, make me see something about what I wrote that I didn't see at the time! Wow! You may have just earned yourself a "date" story!lol No, that's not the only reason I'd write that…but trying to thank you and show you my appreciation for all that you do for me is the most prominent one! Thanks again! You really do make me think…and laugh!
To KAY012JS: Yay! I get to talk to you again too! What you said about looking forward to what I wrote to you is really staying with me; I want you to know that! The reviews I get from everyone, you standing out in this amazing crowd, stay with me too, and it's important to me to make sure you all understand how much I value your words to me! You are one of the people who is shaping me as writer, and I am just so happy to know that my "thank you" to you has not only been accepted, but is also appreciated as much as are your reviews by me! We make an awesome team, you and I! I have the ideas, but you ultimately are who I can rely on the most to tell me if they are working and coming through the way I want them too! You've never let me down and you've always made me want to write even better than I do now! So, thank you again for the dedication of re-reading each of my chapters, looking for the little things that I sprinkle in there and expecting them to be there, and for noticing all the little details to begin with! You are one of the readers who gets a little more out of what I write than others do, and I absolutely go nuts over readers like you who do! So, I know I've said it a lot, but I don't mean it any less: Thank you for always giving me more than just feedback, but also for giving me the confidence I need as a writer! And hell, when you throw in a "wish for the best to me and Merle," well then you just done went and overflowed my happy bucket!lol You really are one of the best and now you've got me even thinking about the "date" story I'm likely going to write...and it involves you…but that's all I'm saying!;-) Thanks again!
Okay…5:01am and the Chapter's up and I'm out! Thanks to all for you continued support of me with my silly horse, and she is recovering well! It was touch and go at first, but she's leveling out nicely! An even bigger thank you to all of you for being there to level me out while I was dealing with it! Oh, and don't forget, let me know your thoughts on if you'd be interested in reading this "date" story! I'd like to include ALL my reviewers in it…I'm still working out how to do that, but please, let me know if you'd be interested in reading it, and being "in" it in some way! Okay…think that's it! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and thank you all very very much for reading and for reviewing! I hope our week has started off well, everyone take care and don't work too hard! Highest regards! - Grace