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.
Badass and Beauty
Total Words in Chapter: 4,576
Chapter 38
Was she really going to let that peach just lay there on the ground and keep walking away from it? There was a time that Grecia wouldn't be thinking so much about it, would never even have stopped long enough to look at it and consider taking a bite of the sweet, slippery, yellow flesh, wouldn't have been able to imagine how the soft fuzz would feel crushed to her lips or how the sticky juices would flood her mouth once her teeth sunk into the smoothness of the surface. But she was hungry now…her patrol with Rick, climbing up the far hill, had made quick work of her glass of cold water with the artificial lemon juice stuff and the little handful of raisins she'd snuck from the kitchen…it had been a morning full of temptation to boot, from staring down into the abyss of the breakfast she'd gotten for Daryl, to wanting so badly for him to kiss her…oh God, did she want him to kiss her! She wanted his mouth on hers, with the tongue and the sucking and the spit and all those things that Grecia always hated about kissing…well, maybe she didn't really want the spit part, but still…she was hungry in the normal sense and for Daryl's kiss…was she really going to let that peach just lay there on the ground and keep walking away from it?
Dale meant well…looked over and thought he'd seen her struggling to reach a peach that was in fact just out of arms reach for Grecia…but she could have stood up on her toes some and grabbed it…had been about to when Dale's hand just appeared over her head, picking her peach for her and handing it over to her with a smile that spoke of how happy he was to see her reaching for something to eat.
"Good choice," he'd even complimented her, smiling as he gave the peach she'd been ogling after a quick inspection then put in her hand. "Looks like a sweet one."
But Grecia felt discovered and exposed, wanted to just run away…but she'd already went and yelled at Rick some this morning, didn't want to repeat that with any member of her group ever again; didn't even want to be impolite to anyone in her group…that was Shane's mark…she wasn't like Shane…so she made herself stay there, forced her hand out to accept that peach that Dale had retrieved for her, and made herself smile the way she used to when she was being photographed in an outfit that she thought looked stupid on her, or one that was painful to wear given how tight it was. "Thanks," she said to Dale, almost through clenched teeth, trying to be friendly and grateful to one of the group's elder statesman, but oh God…someone had seen her about to eat food…if someone saw her eat anything, then they'd know to notice any weight she gained as a result, and before she knew it, everyone would be talking about how big and fat Grecia was! Grecia couldn't have that…wouldn't have that!
"No problem," Dale smiled at her and gave her a little wink as he turned to head back over to the wall. "You enjoy that now; we're all counting on it!"
There were only two ways a statement like that could have effected Grecia; either she'd have felt like everyone was watching her and waiting to see her get big and fat, or she'd have been inspired by how her entire group was behind her, and devoured that peach on the spot. Unfortunately, all she could see was herself waddling around, stuffed full of peaches and scrambled eggs with big, melty hunks of farmers cheese and bacon, and everyone pointing to her and saying how she "used to be so little and pretty, but that was back before she let herself go." Yeah…the peach hit the ground…along with any chance at a kiss from Daryl…
But, somehow Grecia was moving on, hungry as hell, but not letting that stop her from trying to forget about that peach, thoughts of Daryl and how he was doing, how well he'd dealt with not being able to go on patrol this morning…and how she was going to tell him that she could end up undercover, trying to catch Shane in a lie or some conspiracy, with the blessings of Rick, all taking the place of fruit. She walked in through the main gate stepping through the massive doorway of the wall that now extended fully in front of the house on both sides, looking almost like the entire place was protected now, even if it was only a façade still at this point.
Work continued at a feverish pace though, even Rick having laid down his rifle and gone straight to work measuring and cutting logs instead of going into the house and handling the schedules and patrol findings and whatever household or supply issues and the like that he usually dealt with all day. If work continued at this pace, the house would be securely surrounded by a good, sturdy wall in about another two weeks, Grecia estimated…as if she knew anything about construction…that was more Daryl's thing; he was good at building things, having some concept in his mind that he could then make happen in reality with a few materials. Grecia had noticed that about him when he'd been resetting that snare trap…that he'd eventually ended up on the losing end of…damn it, Shane! But Grecia suspended that thought for now…letting herself think about her man instead and how it was impossible for Daryl to explain to her what it was he was doing when he was working from a blueprint that was in his head and nowhere else, but how well Daryl could get things done based on what he saw in his mind. Hmm…Daryl had been throwing in with the wall construction before his injury…maybe that's why the progress had taken off the way it had?
"Hey," Grecia was feeling so proud of her man that she at first didn't notice anyone calling to her, but when she looked up, there stood Shane, a hammer in his hand, shirt off and dangling from where he'd tucked it through his belt loop. He was built like every man she'd ever tried to lure closer to her, he looked a lot like all those celebs and pro-athletes that were in a position to bring Grecia the fame she was after…hmm…that was likely another reason she'd considered dealing her body out to him in exchange for protection once; Shane looked physically familiar in a world that was anything but. But Grecia didn't notice his bare chest or how prettily he was built; she just looked up at his face, the bruises and the, sharp black eyes that always masked any traces of old Shane. He'd been working on one of the huge doors for the main gate of the wall with Andrea and Glenn…yeah, Shane liked to keep his soldiers together, where he could see them all, and he considered Grecia to be one of them, despite how non-committal Glenn was to 'Team Shane,' or how clueless Grecia kept acting about its existence. But that didn't stop Shane from assuming command of her though. "Go in, put your stuff up and get back out here. We could maybe get this piece of the gate hung by tonight if we have another pair of hands."
Grecia's eyes for a second darted towards Rick, was he watching? Did he see how readily accepted, and even sought after, she was by Shane? And yeah, Rick was looking on, like he wanted to shake his head at her, but he didn't…he was thinking about her undercover idea…even if he didn't like it. Really, that was all Grecia could ask…unless of course she could figure some way to muscle Shane into the barn and lock the doors herself…and that wasn't likely…and also would have made her just as screwed up as Shane was himself, as Rick had to go and point out. Grecia gave Rick a good few seconds to say no, or just send her into the house on some kind of other pretext, but he didn't…though he didn't exactly nod his approval either. Not being told 'no' though was enough for Grecia; she looked back at Shane…and started to feel just a little bit disappointed…Daryl, she'd wanted to maybe spend the day with Daryl…he'd always be first for her, even in the face of trying to further win Shane over. "I have to check on my partner first," she told Shane, careful not to call Daryl by name, trying to seem less intimate with Daryl than what she was. "Give me a few?"
Shane exhaled like he was really frustrated with her statement, shook his head at her. "Fine," he sort of grunted, like he was trying to hide his own set of interests from her, but then leveled a sympathetic look at her, furthering his own cover with some drummed up concern. "How's he doing?"
Anger flickered to life in Grecia…the same man that was the reason Daryl was recovering was now asking after him as though he considered him a brother. But she shook it off, she'd already yelled at someone once today; this was no time to do it again. "He's getting there," she said, trying to be vague on purpose, then had a thought that maybe she could buy herself more time with Daryl if she turned some praise Shane's way…even if that was going to be hard to do, given how much she could feel her hand wanting to leap up and slap his face for pretending to be worried for Daryl, whom Shane had been trying to kill! But…this really wasn't any different than sex…if Grecia could ignore that as it was happening…particularly with Merle Dixon…then why couldn't she ignore the outrage she was feeling too? "Hey, I was kind of a mess the other night when Daryl went down," she said, and hoped saying "Daryl" wasn't giving away anything. "I don't think I ever said 'thank you' for being there with me through it all."
Saying the words made her empty, raging stomach ache in a whole new way, but whatever it forced her face to show, Shane was apparently believing it. He nodded at her, but that was all the 'you're welcome' he offered her before he just cocked his head a bit as he looked down at her. "Go look in on him," he ordered sounding almost compassionate, almost like old Shane…then shrugged his arm towards the house like he didn't really care enough to life it up and point. "Then we really do need you out here, okay?"
"Okay," Grecia nodded back, and almost felt like she should be saluting or something to maintain her cover as she walked away from Shane up the porch steps…but she didn't. She'd heard something about how Shane had been a marine, or was in the marine reserves, or something like that, and maybe that's what accounted for how military-like he ran 'Team Shane,' and that was going to take some getting used to, but Grecia knew she could do that…she'd gotten used to the 'Wild Man of the Woods-Bear Grylls' style of Daryl Dixon after all, and that had been a lot harder to grasp. Yeah, Grecia could get Rick plenty of evidence of what Shane was up to and had done already…this wasn't going to take too long, Rick just had to give her the go-ahead. She could do it!
Hmm…but yet another bit of looming evidence to be discovered was creeping through Grecia's mind…why was Shane so about getting the wall completed when he'd pretty much abandoned the house in favor of the barn? Whether that wall was completed or not, it didn't much matter to Shane…the barn didn't stand within the protective barrier that was the wall…so, what was in the house still that Shane was working so hard to keep protected? Was it the 'team' he'd been assembling, or trying to assemble, in herself and Andrea, and Glenn…sort of? Or was it someone else…someone who had showed up on the porch when Shane had started acting up about Grecia falling in for patrol with him and Andrea that one morning? Good God…that 'spoken for feeling' that had hung all over Shane back in the Atlanta camp, the same vibe that made her ultimately go to Merle Dixon and not Shane…was that all about Lori?
Part 2
This weren't at all what they were supposed to be doing…Daryl's arms all around his girl, just 'a holding her as tight against him as he could get her now that the big fuckin' tube was gone, and Grecia free to wind her arms around him as much as she liked to as well. They were sitting there, facing one another, in a big hugging lump that felt fantastic, made Daryl want more and Grecia seem to want to give it, but this weren't talking, and there was a lot what had to be said. There always seemed to be; he had to know why it was that she didn't eat, the real reason, and he wanted to know how it was with her and his brother…not in any great, porno detail, but just some kinda general idea that would help to point Daryl in some direction he was yet to find himself. They weren't never going to be as strong as they should be unless they talked about that stuff, Daryl had at least figured that much out.
But…weren't easy gettin' to the talking part…never was. Grecia was feelin' him up again, though she really shoulda been tired out. She'd put a good five hours of work in on the wall, the first time she'd likely ever held a hammer, nails and a saw in her hands ever before. Fucking Shane had been right there by her side though…Shane…the fucker…Shane weren't leavin' Grecia alone lately, was all about to step up and be some kinda guardian angel to her the same night the fucker had also tried to kill Daryl! And it was Grecia what shut Shane down then too…kept him well away from Daryl, and herself…but out there, working on the wall…Shane was all giving her orders, having her hold shit for him as he cut it or nailed it up…actin' like Daryl's girl was something that belonged to Shane…and it was all Daryl could do not to go bustin' out there and kick Shane's ass right away from his girl again. Didn't matter how vulnerable his left lung mighta been…Daryl didn't want Shane nowhere's around his girl.
Had it not been for Rick, who made a special trip inside the house to get Daryl and say to him that Rick, personally, was keeping an eye on Shane with Grecia, and that he'd not only handle anything that went beyond the boundaries what Rick knew Daryl wanted respected, but that Rick'd also call for Daryl to come on out too if anything happened, then Daryl would had Shane right well stomped by now. But Rick's promise hadn't eased Daryl enough to not leave Daryl there, perched in the rocker and watching out the window at his girl, and Shane…the fucker! But Grecia looked like she could handle him; didn't let him push her around, wasn't afraid to disagree now and then, and whatever way it was Shane did something, Daryl's girl found a way to somehow do it even better. Yeah, watchin' that gave Daryl a real warm, proud feeling.
The way Grecia went at her work was impressive enough to draw Daryl's attention away from Shane here and there. It was the last sorta thing that Daryl had ever expected outta Grecia, physical labor, particularly after she'd come runnin' in to Carol with a splinter in her thumb that took some fishin' with a sewing needle to remove…Daryl'd been there alongside of her…she'd come to him first with her splinter…but Daryl was better off just bein' alongside of her, couldn't bring himself to start jabbing around at her with a needle knowing it was gonna hurt her and she was gonna wince…so he'd sorta wussed out, made 'Mama Dixon' take over, made some excuse that he couldn't keep his hands steady…his fingers were too big to hold something as tiny as the needle…or some shit like that…he didn't even remember now. But he did remember the splinter finally being out of Grecia's thumb, and then watching her get right back out the door and finish up the day's work. Damn…that girl 'a his had really become something to be proud of! Only bein' proud of her was what glued them together like they were now…all over each other, but not talkin' any like they shoulda been.
But how could they be talkin' at a time like this? Didn't Carol tell Daryl he had feel instead of think? And with Grecia in his arms like this, Daryl suddenly realized how well he really could feel…well, a lot of different things, most of them that he couldn't have put into words if he'd tried to. Grecia's hands weren't on his chest this time…her head was against it, meaning that her hands had to go to his arms and shoulders…but she seemed just as delighted to be rubbin' her palms and fingers all up and down his biceps and deltoids as she'd been delighted to be feelin' up his chest last night. It was good, Daryl was getting used to her touchin' on him, but what was with his girl? He kinda understood her wantin' him to kiss her, that was a normal part 'a lovin' on somebody…but what was all this…this…pressin' her hands to his body like she had some kinda peel and stick shit on her skin what was gonna adhere her to him like a bumper sticker? Daryl didn't know what the hell she coulda liked so much about feelin' him up like this…she was the one with the tits after all…what good was feelin' on somethin' what didn't have tits? Not that Grecia likely was all that impressed with tits anyways…but still…why did she do this? What was in it for her? Musta been somethin', cuz she had a way of bein' real dedicated to doin' it.
He was now discovering that his girl could bend just the very top, first joint of her fingers…cuz she'd found the place where his deltoid muscle dipped inwards on his upper arm to give rise to his biceps muscles below, and she'd hooked her bony, little fingers into that indentation like a tree frog hangin' on a screen door. She'd 'a been pretty tight up against him even if Daryl weren't holdin' her to him…but if he weren't, she wouldn't 'a been so nicely nestled into him, she wouldn't a been sighing as happy as she was and nestling even closer, the bottom of each of her thighs wouldn't 'a been over top of his own, sorta like he was holdin' her on his lap, just facing him instead of away.
That was…yeah, that was enough to do somethin' to him, Daryl was feelin' like…like he wanted more of her, got his dick woke up, but not in so much a way that it was gettin' too hard to handle. Mostly, it just felt good…felt like there was some sort of…energy buzzing between them, some kind of power that came from inside of each of them to wrap around the other, and just keep them all bound up in this embrace…is that what this was? An embrace? Did embrace mean to hurl arms 'round someone and just not take 'em off for a long time? Cuz that's what Daryl and his girl had been doing…and all the while, he just kept thinking about what Carol had told him; don't think, feel. Daryl kinda thought that maybe…just maybe, he really might could learn what that meant…cuz he could feel his girl just fillin' him up whenever she touched him, making him feel like a balloon about to bust…and maybe the way not to bust was to kiss her? Not that Daryl was ready to try that yet…he didn't think…
Figures…just what in hell had gotten into him? Here he was, not long ago with a big fuckin' tube 'a sewed into him cuz of Shane trying to kill his ass, but instead of being all plotting and planning on his revenge, Daryl was thinkin' mostly on what he felt with his girl. But having his girl close like this was too good to think about anything else…it was better than good…Grecia clingin' to him, her head on his chest, over one of the pectoral muscles she'd been playin' at all the night before, and Daryl free to touch whatever part of her liked…as long as it was somewhere's on her back…shit…this was the kinda thing he didn't understand, but didn't want to have end either. They were close enough for the contact to please, to make them both feel like it was only the start of something…but not so close as to set something too wild to be reeled back in a tearin' through Daryl's blood. This was just some quiet, peaceful, but smoldering passage of time that was drawing them closer together, letting the right parts of them touch without their bodies being in the way. It was like…like…doing some kinda prep work, laying a foundation, or scouting for game, before he tried kissing her, or doing anything more than that.
They needed this, something that would let them get strong just being close like this…give them something to build on…neither of them knew what they were doing, or how to do it, they'd each said that…and so this must've been part of the figuring it out. So, why rush it? Why try to wreck it with thoughts of Shane…the fucker…or thoughts about anything, really? Carol was right…just feel it…just feel it and let whatever happened happen…
…and just as Daryl felt himself sorta slip under that spell, he also felt Grecia snuggle a little closer into him, moving her hands up over both his shoulders with that firm pressure she liked to suck up the feel of his body with, and then locked her arms together behind his head, her soft breath teasing the skin around the collar of his shirt…and then…very very lightly…and slowly, almost like Grecia wasn't thinking about what it was she was doing herself…he felt her lips press gently to his neck. The contact was so soft, like the bloom of a rose on his skin at first, and then a slight, puckered tension in between his collarbone and ear that held only for a moment, then released with a quiet 'smack' kind of sound. Jesus…did she just…no way…why would she…on his neck of all places? No…Grecia wouldn't have…but…it sure as hell felt like she'd just kissed him!
"What the hell?" Someone, with Daryl's voice, up and yelled…Daryl realizing way too late that it had indeed been him, and that he'd grabbed Grecia around the arms and was holding her out away from him like she was on fire and trying to burn him down…but then, Daryl kinda felt on fire himself, what Grecia'd gone and done gettin' in his blood fast, flipping every switch he had to the 'on' position, had him feeling like he was running full on downhill at something he meant to annihilate, every muscle pumped, heart thundering in his chest, a light coat of sweat forming over his limbs…she kissed him…she fuckin' kissed him…on the fuckin' neck…put her mouth right on him and fuckin' sucked up on his skin! And right while Daryl'd been doing so good feelin' shit too! She had to go and kiss him? Jesus…didn't she realize that's not when he had the wherewithal to withstand that kinda sucker punch of affection? Did she want him to throw her on her back in this bed and…and…insert his insemination rod past her cervix? What? God damn modern beef breeding techniques book! What the hell'd he read that damn thing all morning for? Look what it done to his brain now!
"I'm sorry!" Grecia was trembling in his grasp, but it weren't outta any fear what Daryl coulda put into her…nope, her pupils was dilated, skin flushed, them lips what she'd gone and pressed to his neck as ruby red as if she'd been wearing her signature shade of lipstick from her cosmetic line. "I didn't mean it! No! I mean, I meant it…but I didn't mean to do it!"
She was a back-peddling mess, trying to make sense of herself so she could make sense to Daryl, fighting like hell to get herself gathered up and try to apologize and explain herself, looking a crazy mix of mortified and…and…hmm…all that flushed skin, dilated eyes and supple, plump looking red lips…was Grecia turned on? Is that what that was? Yeah…it was…it had to be…cuz as crazy as it was to say so, Daryl could feel it, it was all over in the air, seeping into his skin, making him want to sorta give his head a toss and breathe in whatever it was like a buck tracking a doe in heat…that energy what was buzzing between them bouncing off 'a Grecia and into him and showing him a whole world of everything that girl 'a his was wantin' from him…
…but something was very wrong…her words weren't matchin' up to any of what Daryl could feel comin' off 'a her…in fact, nothing about how she was acting, or how she was shaking, or how she had that same look on her face what he'd seen that night back in the Atlanta camp when he'd interrupted what he'd assumed to be Merle trying to have his way with her, was matching up to how she'd gone and pressed that kiss to his neck. She looked terrified…but not of him…in fact, she was sort of reaching for him, like all her instincts were telling her to run to him for some kind of protection, even though getting too close to him was what seemed to have set off the thing that scared her. What the hell?
And that's when Daryl realized, Grecia really didn't know how to do this! Shit…she'd had her dealings with his brother…she'd been married…how was it that she could know even less about both love, and sex, and how to tie the two together, than what Daryl did himself? But one look at her and he knew it was true…she was a bigger can o' crazy than he was when it came to anything physically related to love!
"Okay," Daryl heard himself talking again, he also felt himself holding her even tighter in his grip when he'd meant to let her go and try get them both calmed down…but there weren't no calming down. He looked at her hard, but not mean, didn't bow up or nothin', just wanted her to know that he weren't playin', that she was gonna do exactly as he told her to do. "We gotta talk," Daryl said and felt good that something had finally made them get to this point…even if it was this. "I wanna know everythin' 'bout this reaction, so you best start tellin' me!"
Author's Note: Thank you for reading and also for your patience in waiting for me to respond to all of your reviews! I do appreciate that! Like I said, Sunday nights are the worst…I end up trying to write an entire chapter between 10pm and 4am…half the time I have to re-read it on the site to know what it was I wrote!lol So, I apologize if Monday morning chapters feel a little crazy…they were!lol But thanks again for the 10 reviews over the weekend and the 10 reviews tonight! You guys are so sweet! And you make my mad-dash, sleepless Sunday nights worth suffering through! Thank you!
A special Thank You and Welcome to KISSMEQUACK for subscribing to this story and making it one of their favorites! Wonderful to have you!
To AMTSY: Thank you! One of the best compliments I get is from readers who are honest enough to say how much their dislike of Grecia nearly had them give up on this story, but that they stuck around anyway, and came to love it! Thank you so amazingly much! I love readers who get it enough to react to it and think about it, and that certainly sums you up! And I'm so excited any time anyone says something supportive of my Merle!lol I really do have to write something with him…it's killing me! And lol at the "have a good time with my boys"…thanks…but I sometimes wish I had a choice!lol Thanks again for such a marvelously honest review!
To NOREEY: Thank you for your consistent reviews and thoughtful insights! And no hard feelings on the Merle thing…he isn't for everyone, and I've always had a thing for crazy and mean, and that's Merle!lol So happy to hear that I made you smile in the most recent chapter and I'm excited about Grecia turning "spy" too! Will do that up for you, I promise! Thanks again!
To THEBONEYKINGOFNOWHERE: No no no…don't think I was feeling sorry for you! I was more feeling guilty, that as an American, I grew up in a culture that kind *expects* everyone in the world to not only speak English, but to speak it as well as we do. That's bullshit! I think it's horrendous that anyone would choose to only speak one language, and so I wanted to try and put things on an even field of play. I apologize for not always having the time to respond in French, because I do need the practice! That will be something I will try to do more often, because it isn't fair that you should always be who is trying to express yourself accurately in a second language. Wow…okay, now that I'm done preaching…lol…thank you for taking the time to leave a review even when you are busy! Thank you for supporting "my" Rick! I sometimes worry that he comes off a little too soft when I write him, but if *you* get him, then I feel better. And wow, I am so grateful to you for re-reading early chapters and reporting back how much Grecia no longer resembles who she was! Yay! I was hoping that progression was going to get more and more stark, so thank you for being nice enough to research it and let me know that it is! Wow! I can't thank you enough for that! You always say something that no one else does, and that illustrates how wonderful you are at doing so! Thanks again!
To BEINGLOLASTAR: I thought you'd be all over the Rick/Gresh chapter about Shane!lol And you didn't disappoint in the slightest! Thank you for that! I loved the comparison you drew between what Lori and Carl are to Shane vs. what Daryl could possibly be to Grecia! Wow! That's getting into things pretty deep, and I love that you have the ability to do that! And so, how drunk are you after Chapter 37?lol And I love that 37 was a "giggly chapter" for you; I'm giggling envisioning you with the pillows pressed to you face!lol I realized while writing this that I must have some weird cow obsession myself…I swear to whatever powers that be that I did not incorporate a cow fixation into this story knowingly! Man…now I wish I could go back and change it! Although, Tig and his cows are pretty funny…Oh! And sorry to leave you hanging on "Three Princes," but thanks for reading it! That story got waaaaay out of hand…it has some good parts, but it also has a lot of parts that I really don't like and wish I'd never written…so, hence it sits, waiting for me to figure out how to fix it. And I'm really laughing also at how you're planning some reverse hunger strike for Grecia in my front yard…lol…oddly enough, it won't be the first time I've had people stomping around in front of my house carrying signs that something about "sticking it in your mouth"…bikers…lol Thanks again, and I hope you found something to giggle at in Chapter 38 as well!
To RAINBOWSHELBY: Love it! You heard the "b-bump bump" at the end of Chapter 36! Great! Thanks for saying so! I love that you have reactions like that and then share them with me! You're so great to have around! And so you wanna see Merle putting up with Shane? Hmm…you've just given me another great idea for if I do a redux of this story where Grecia stays with Merle, because Shane was one of Grecia's choices of who to go to for protection, so that would set up some natural tension between Merle and Shane! Wow! RS, you're a genious! Thanks so much!
To ALINA MAXWELL: Thanks for your faithfulness, AM! Gotta another chapter cooking for you!
To EQUAL-OPPORTUNITY-READER: Thank you for seeing, thinking about and listing how much Grecia has changed! I'm so glad you see it and that you approve! And I guess you must have loved her yelling at Rick about Shane, right?lol And damn it! I really did type "heresy"…fuck! Excuse me…but I get so frustrated with myself over things like that…thanks for catching it! I have to watch myself with brassiere/brazier all the time too! And wow, you're already thinking of Daryl and Grecia as the "new leaders of the group?" Cool! And "hillbilly ninja" still has me laughing!lol So happy to make you laugh with some cattle breeding, too! And I had you in mind when I wrote that last line of Carol's in Chapter 37! You're right, she'd never get to say anything cool like that in the show! And thanks for letting me know I'm not the only one with vagrant cadaver-grafts holding me together! Your surgeries sound so…traumatic, and not just because I'm as dental phobic as I am! But, I'm so glad that you fought through and are able to join us all here and be part of our story! You're one of the leaders of our "group" so much strength, love and support to you! Thanks again!
To CORBSXX: Damn girl! You've got books and papers and examinations breathing down your neck, and yet you find time to read and to review! Go you! I cannot even put into words how touched I am that you reviewed each chapter! You are such a kind hearted and considerate wonder! Thank you! And I'm so happy you find STD's so hilarious!lol You had to read through a lot of weirdness from the Clap, to food envy to cattle breeding…but thank you for doing it all and sharing such great insights along the way! Lots of luck to you with your exams and thanks again!
To KAY012JS: Good! Glad we got that whole "lost luster" thing cleared up, and thank you again for asking about that! And it's because of my fondness for Merle that I really don't want to bring him into this story anymore than what I have. I'd be far too tempted to shove Grecia back into his big strong arms…and then you'd all hate But…Merle could be getting his own Grecia story soon…just depends on what kind of time I find…if I didn't need to sleep, I'd be writing it now!lol And yes…while we're here in fanfic land, VERITASKYM deserted us to go and rub up on our men…at least, she was probably rubbing up on the one you two want…I'm bettin' mine had no choice but to stay true to Thanks again for reading, and you and best of luck to you and KYM with this world war in the underwear!lol
To KISSMEQUACK: Hello and welcome to our little group! It's always so very nice to hear from new people and I love that you're reviewing from an early chapter! I hope you continue to share your thoughts and opinions as you move along! I love readers who are tired of the trite female badasses, or the gorgeous female doctor that just can't help her attraction to the barefoot hillbilly. That means you're a thinker, and I love thinkers! And you said exactly what I was hoping someone would about how even though Grecia is a celebrity, she's still someone everyone can identify with! Wow! Thank you for seeing that! You're awesome! Thank you also for your support when it comes to negative reviews, and thank you for wanting to read something more sophisticated!
To AMBELEAMULLEN: So nice to hear from you! I am so excited that you were laughing in Chapter 37! I was so tired when I was writing it, so maybe that's why it was so funny?lol Thanks again for reading and reviewing!
To THEDOGISGONE: Yay for laughing and smiling like an idiot!lol Thank you for sharing that! And thank you for sharing the bus story even more!lol Wow…"the power of Dixon!"lol I'm laughing too! And a big hug for you for saying "who doesn't like Merle?"lol As soon as I get time, you'll see some version of this story re-written where Grecia stays with Merle! I really do think I'm going to do it! Thanks again for reading and for reviewing, and being brave enough to show off your second language skills! If it helps at all, I do speak a decent amount of French, and I don't mind responding or getting reviews in French…but then, I have no idea what your first language is!lol Thanks again for sharing and for the wonderful story you had about my story!
To VERITASKYM: Wow! What can I say other than, WELCOME BACK and I HOPE YOU KEPT YOUR HANDS OUT OF ROOK'S PANTS!lol Thank you for telling me all about it! I've never met Norman, but I have met Rooker twice. The first time there was a lady with her little boy ahead of me in line, and when she got up to Michael, her little boy looked up at him and said, "My mom's got hair on her toes."lol Michael thought that was hilarious, was still laughing when I got up to him, so I very proudly announced to him that I didn't have hairy toes, and he cracked up again, eventually looking up at me kinda rough-like and saying, "so whatja want from me?" and the friend I was with rolled her eyes and said, "Oh, you shouldn't have asked her that…"lol Anyway…yeah, good times…so glad you got to meet him, he is really sweet and funny! And I love his voice! And his shoulders. And his arms. And his…okay, enough, right?lol Thank you for keeping up and reading even while you were in the throngs of Dixon-esque delights…without me!lol Glad to see you sharing in the peach tension and so happy to make you laugh with modern cattle breeding!lol And before I set out to write Daryl, I studied up on just about everything Norman had to say about him, so really, I'm not "GOOD," Norman's "GOOD!" But, I do thank you for saying so!:-) And I feel like such lame-ass, but I'm still putting those PM's together to get to you! I will soon, I promise! There's just not enough hours in the day, and nice weather wrecked any free time I thought I was going to have over the weekend…bikers…oy!lol But I'm bursting with ideas for the "date,"…and yes, by the way, I did send Rook down to the lobby, just to get him out of our room while I shaved my toes…you shoulda said "hi!"lol Thanks again for reading, reviewing and laughing! Love you bunches!
Okay…so, here it is 4:50am and I'm done…chapter up! I also updated the Photo Album once again for those of you follow that. Thanks again to all of you for reading and for commenting! I have more fun with you than I do with some of the people I end up around on weekends!lol So, thank you all for being so smart and so much fun, and all the very best to all of you on your Tuesday! - Grace