Holy shit, this chapter was hard to write. I don't know why but . . . it just didn't want to get written! In fact, I wrote the chapter after this one, even before I finished writing this one! I might go back in and edit it later but I doubt it. Maybe if these flashbacks end before the series comes back on and I have time, I will, but if I don't, then I probably won't. Also, sorry for the extremely short chapter but the next one will be much longer, I promise you guys! :)
NanamiYatsumaki: Will gets explained a little bit in this chapter :)
HaloHunter89: Yeah, I think this chapter was so hard to write because I subconsciously thought I should end this little two part chapter with the last chapter instead of this one, but ah well, its already written: enjoy!
DarylDixon'sLover: Thanks! :)
"Damn, damn!" the Devil screams. "He's been too long on the fires.
I told you imps to fry him slow, now you gone and burned out his desire.
You gotta leave 'em some hope, leave 'em some dreams, so they know what Hell is for,
'Cause when a man forgets how sweet love is, well, Hell ain't Hell no more . . ."
- "Billy Markham's Last Roll" – By Shel Silverstein
"Hey, don't be so nervous!"
"Easy for ya to say! Ya ain' meetin' ya girlfriend's parents at ten at night!"
"Yeah, well, I have met your dad already in a full bar after he's had a couple and that wasn't exactly a walk in the park, so . . . yeah, your gonna have to get over it." Tessa retorted with a laugh. It didn't help the pounding of Daryl's heart or the nervous rolling of his stomach and her gaze softened as she moved to the edge of the porch, where Daryl had yet to place a foot on the second step leading up to the porch. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him close to her, an action that had his arms wrapping reflexively around her waist. "How about a kiss for good luck?" She asked him then, her voice quiet and lilting and Daryl shook his head.
"Tess, ya know this don' have to mean anythin'! If ya don' wanna be with me, I'll understand – ya don' have to protect me." He told her and her eyebrows furrowed in slight confusion as she cocked her head to the side.
"Daryl, I wouldn't have said anything to him if I didn't mean it," She told him firmly before shaking her head. "Now, whether you want me or not, you're kinda stuck with me." Daryl shook his head.
"I do want ya, Tess - I've wanted ya since tha day I first saw ya, but ya gotta understand where I'm comin' from on this! Ya could have at least warned me – could have . . . asked me out in a more traditional fashion first." He gave a weak shrug. "I mean, Good Lord, we haven' even had a first date yet and we're already datin'! 'Scuse me if ma mind's still reelin'!"
Tessa adopted a soft look on her face then as she pulled him closer to her still, where the fingers of her right hand played with the fine hairs at the back of his neck, causing him to let out a shiver. She gave a small smile. "Did you ever once think that our relationship would start out normal, let alone be normal?" She asked him and Daryl swallowed hard before shaking his head.
"Truthfully? No, not really. But I'm so fuckin' damaged, Tess, and I've been damaged for so damn long, tha' . . ." He trailed off and thought for a moment before picking back up where he left off. "I always thought tha' if ya gave me tha' chance I wanted, but didn' deserve, tha' I would give ya what ya most deserve in a relationship, which is me tryin' to make it as normal as I can and to not drag ya into ma shitty little life!"
Tessa shook her head. "Daryl, when I first saw you, I knew that nothing about you was normal and quite frankly, I don't want a normal relationship with you! I want you as you are – as you come! And if I'm with you, then I'm sorry, but . . ." She gave a weak shrug. "Your gonna have to get used to me and your father interacting. I refuse to bow down to the whims of that asshole!"
He gazed at her for a moment before finally nodding. "Yeah . . . I think I can do tha'." He answered, his voice quiet and pensive, and she smiled.
"Now how about that kiss? You still want it?"
Daryl couldn't help but allow his smile to turn upwards into a grin and her heart ached at the sight. He was so handsome when he smiled and when he grinned . . .
Well, he was handsome anyway, but still - she knew then, at that moment, that she would strive every day to make a grin come upon his face. There was no excuse as to why he couldn't with her – absolutely none!
He nodded. "Tess, if I told ya how long I've been waitin' for this kiss, it might shock ya." He told her and she grinned and laughed and shook her head.
"Nothing about you shocks me, Daryl, just sayin'! Now come here, big boy . . .!"
She leaned down then and kissed him, their lips meeting slowly at first – just a simple and gentle exploration of the other's mouths as his arm slid out from around her waist, and upwards to tangle in her hair. His fingers in the silky strands echoed the twist his tongue made against hers, and it was with this primal twisting, that Tessa found herself suddenly plunged into a world of various sensations that she had never known was possible from just a kiss and a caress alone. It was a world of heady desire and silken tongue – a world of pleasurable sensations that had her gripping him close.
Her hand slid up to grasp the back of his neck as the other hand curled around one muscular bicep and when they broke apart, their lips remaining inches from the other's, one of his hands moved down to curl around her hip and draw her closer to him, causing her to drop down a step to become more level with him. She felt her breath catch in her throat as her eyes closed, however, they snapped open when the 'click' of the hallway light cutting on in the house behind her, met their ears.
"Shit!" She cursed and pulled away just as the front door opened, revealing her father standing on the threshold. She smiled a tight, slightly uneasy smile. "Hey daddy! I'm sorry I'm late – we lost track of time -!"
"Tess, it's a weekend – your curfew's eleven, not ten," Her father interrupted her with a slightly amused smile on his face. "But what we can't understand is why you two are standing out here and you haven't invited him inside yet." Blush immediately appeared on Tessa's face then and she turned around, where she gave him a weak smile.
"Would you like to come inside?" She asked him and Daryl couldn't help but grin as he gave another nod.
"Sure." He laughed and Tessa nodded, her hand grabbing his as she led him across the porch to the opened front door. Her father was standing aside, allowing them entrance before him.
"Your mother's in the living room – hey, I'm Tessa's dad, Colton," He greeted Daryl once they were in the house, and Daryl smiled as he shook his head.
"And hi, I'm Sadie – Tess's mom!"
Daryl's eyes widened slightly when a woman that could very well be an older Tessa, stepped into the front hallway, a smile on her face. Her daughter trailed behind her and she continued to smile as she shook his hand. He gave her a smile back as Tessa took her place beside him, her hand moving down to grasp his, where their fingers automatically entwined.
"Mom, daddy, this is my . . . boyfriend – Daryl."
Sadie and Colton Nightrun's eyebrows rose slightly at the sight of him and he gave a small smile. "It's nice to finally meet ya guys." He told them and they nodded in agreement.
"Yes, it's nice to meet you too, Daryl. What's your last name?" Colton asked and Daryl swallowed hard. Here went nothing:
"D-Dixon. Ma name's Daryl Dixon. I'm . . . Will Dixon's youngest."
"Will Dixon the mechanic?" Colton asked with a slightly upturned brow, and Daryl nodded as he shoved his free hand into his front jean's pocket.
"Yeah, tha very same."
He shifted uneasily from foot to foot when he saw the pursed look her mom sent her dad and he smiled a tight, slightly awkward smile as he turned to Tessa. "Sorry, baby – Tess!" He quickly corrected himself and she gave him a brief, thankful smile as he continued: "But I gotta go – deddy'll be home any minute. See ya . . . tomorrow?" He asked, somewhat hopefully, and she immediately nodded and smiled.
"Definitely – here, I'll walk you out!" She replied as he turned around and she all but shoved him at the front door. He quickly opened it and they fell out of the house, making their quick way down the front porch steps to his Jeep sitting in the driveway.
"Why do I get tha feelin' tha' ya parents didn' like me nearly as much as ma deddy liked ya?" He asked, meaning for it to be a little teasing, but he could tell she didn't catch that tone. She shook her head.
"Ignore them. They think I should have impossibly high standards that no guy can reach." She told him with an irritated rolling of her eyes. Her voice came out slightly bitter as her arms crossed in front of her chest, and he chuckled as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and brought her into his side.
"And it seems like I am incapable of bench-pressin' with those standards, am I correct?" He asked and Tessa gave a little laugh as they reached him.
"You more than bench-press with my standards, Daryl, so don't worry. They shouldn't matter. I don't care about what your father thinks, so you shouldn't think about what my parents think." She told him simply and he nodded.
"I-I think I can do tha'." He told her and she swallowed hard before giving him a slightly apprehensive look.
"This . . . we didn't make a mistake, did we?" She asked and Daryl cocked his head slightly as he silently moved a lock of her thick black hair behind her ear. Afterwards, his hand moved down to hook behind her neck, where he pulled her towards him, their lips meeting seconds later. They kissed for a minute before they broke apart and when they did, he brought her into a tight hug, one that she readily reciprocated.
"I will never consider us a mistake, Tess . . . never."
"Hey . . ."
Daryl glanced over his shoulder as Will Dixon moved out of the house later that night when the both of them were back, to join him on the porch. He leaned up against the support beam across from him, just like his youngest son was doing, and Daryl's eyebrows furrowed in slight confusion. There was something different about his father . . . he couldn't put his finger on it but when he did, his eyebrows rose in slight incredulity.
"Are ya sober?" He asked and Will Dixon gave a weak shrug. He rubbed at his eyes with the heels of his hands for a moment before he spoke.
"I figured it might be smart . . . didn' know if ya and ya girl would be here or not and I didn' want to show ma ass if she was here."
Daryl gave a laugh and shook his head. His hands were buried deep in his front pockets and his eyes scanned the darkened front yard and the shifting shadows that the bright moonlight created. "I ain' ya, old man. I get to know girls before I bring them home. But no, I dropped her off as her place earlier. I met her parents, too."
"How'd tha' go?"
Daryl laughed and crossed his arms in front of her chest. "They didn' exactly like me, I don' think. Actually, not many do, come to think of it . . . she and Dirk's the only two who have been able to be 'round me through ma anger and all."
"Ya told 'em ya last name was Dixon and tha's why they don' like ya, ain' it?"
Daryl shot him a look. "What do ya think?"
Will Dixon gave a laugh and a shake of his head. "Tha's always tha' reason, ain' it? It was hard for me and Jess to escape it growin' up thanks to our deddy and grandeddy and it's been hard for ya and Merle too thanks to me and ya momma. Although . . . ya good-for-nothin' brother hasn' exactly done anythin' to change tha way tha town looks at him, has he?" He asked and Daryl stayed silent. Will Dixon glanced at him before continuing: "And truthfully, Daryl . . . if ya had brought her home, I prolly would have kicked ya ass, sober or not. She's too good to be treated like I've treated some of tha women I've been with."
He stopped talking then and rubbed his eyes again, letting out a low groan as he did so. Daryl watched him impassively for a moment and when Will noticed he was watching him, he pursed his lips.
"Ya know why I drink, don' ya, Daryl?"
"A little, sir . . ."
Will Dixon gave a little laugh. "And tha' tells me tha' ya only know so much as ya momma told ya. What did she tell ya?"
Daryl looked away. "Tha' ya drink to forget. Ya drink to forget what ya did in 'Nam . . . what ya saw happen . . ." He glanced at him, his voice quietening slightly. "Ya drink to silence the voices . . ."
"Actually, it ain' tha' voices tha' make me do it. Its tha' tha screams . . . tha screams and tha pleads and tha . . . all tha' horrible fuckin' bullshit with the gas and tha bombs strapped to fuckin' kids . . ." He shook his head and glanced at him, his eyes pained and slightly mad. Later - much in his life, in fact - Daryl would learn that the VA had diagnosed Will Dixon with an advanced case of PTSD and when he grew older, Daryl completely understood just what had made Will Dixon drink.
"I never wanted to treat ya like I do. Merle, maybe, but . . . not ya - never ya. Ya don' deserve any of this shit tha' I hand ya, but . . ." He swallowed hard. "If I didn' drink to forget Daryl, then I'd be ten times as worse than I am when I do."
"So wait . . . ya drink to protect me?" Daryl asked with a slightly incredulous laugh and Will pursed his lips again before rubbing his lips with his fingers.
"Well, when ya say it like tha' . . ." He muttered and Daryl shook his head.
"I can' believe it. I mean, I always knew there was a reason, but . . . tha way ya justify everything . . ." He shook his head. "And ya can actually live with yaself with this justification?" He asked and Will shrugged.
"Like I said, it's more with Merle than with ya."
Daryl let out another laugh. "Deddy, come on, ya can' honestly believe -!"
"Ya bet ya ass I'll be goin' down to ma grave thinkin' tha'!" Will Dixon interrupted him vehemently before he shook his head. "Ya look tha' spittin' fuckin' image of me Daryl, and if ya don' go tha' far, then ya can admit tha' ya look pretty damn close to me! Merle . . . Merle took nothin' from me and everythin' from Marla and tha' fuckin' piece-of-shit she was seein' behind ma back!" He glanced at him. "Not-to-mention, ya got tha' Dixon blue eyes from me when Merle 'didn''. Tha's how ya know ya kids are ya's in this family, Daryl – if they got ya Dixon blue eyes."
Daryl shook his head. "What are ya doin' out here, old man?"
Will stayed quiet for a moment, thinking, before he turned to face him. He took a few steps towards him and for once, Daryl managed to not flinch away from him. He observed him for a moment before he looked down at the wood of the porch underneath their feet. "Look, I'm sorry, Daryl, for everythin' I've ever done to ya. But . . . I saw how ya looked at tha' girl – Tessa – at JT's earlier today and I . . . I realized tha' she's gonna be different for ya. And . . . and no man needs to be walkin' 'round with his girl while wearin' signs tha' he jus' got his ass kicked by his old man. So I'll drink in town for now on and . . . and I'll try to control maself."
Daryl knew what he was trying to say and no matter how hard he wanted to be angry at him for everything he had ever done, he just . . . he couldn't because he was tired. He was tired of everything and for once, he figured he should cut someone some slack. And if it was family he was cutting the slack to, then great.
Will shrugged. "Tha' girl is gonna be tha best tha' ya'll ever gonna do in this Godforsaken town, Daryl - ya take ma word for it. Now ya hold on to her tight, ya hear me, and ya don' ever let her go!"
Daryl nodded. "Y-yeah, sir, I will." He told him and Will Dixon nodded and gave him a small smile. He clapped a hand on his shoulder and turned towards the front door of the house but Daryl calling him back made him stop and turn to face him again.
"Ya know . . . there were times when I could have given ya a run for ya money if I fought back, ya know?" He asked him and Will laughed and nodded. He grinned as he grabbed ahold of the handle to the front door and for a moment, Daryl almost made him hang back even further. This was a new side to his father - a side that he never, ever thought he would see and for a moment . . . for a moment, he didn't want to let that go.
"And ya know somethin', son? There were times when I though ya would if ya had fought back."
