I know I said this wouldn't happen a lot, but it has happened again. Something compelled me to write this content in a chapter and before I could stop myself, it was already written halfway out and I couldn't stop. SO, everyone give this chapter a chance and keep in mind that yeah, a lot of these flashback chapters in-between her and Daryl's childhood, to them reuniting at the quarry, is pretty sad and sometimes depressing but I also wanted to depict that yeah, she did have happy moments too and this is one of them. It will be a two-part chapter, the next chapter being posted whenever I finish writing it, so yeah, enjoy! :)
There is also a little mini lemon at the end, but its not anything explicit.
HaloHunter89 - I always liked my idea of Will. I mean, in the videogame (the horrible one - Survival Instinct) Will doesn't die like he does in this fanfic but when he does, Daryl is a little torn up because of it. And I always wondered why Daryl would have been a little torn up, considering that Will was always supposed to have been abusive towards him and Merle. So yeah, I expanded a little bit off of that. But anyway, I love that you guys like how I write him and I might plan future chapters with him in because of that :)
DarylDixon'sLover: Yeah, I thought that would do a good job explaining things :)
- Nagiana
PS - Virtual cookie to those of you who can figure out what actor I based Jeremy on ;)
"Cold late night so long ago
When I was not so strong you know
A pretty man came to me
Never seen eyes so blue
I could not run away
It seemed we'd seen each other in a dream
It seemed like he knew me
He looked right through me
"Come on home, girl," he said with a smile
"You don't have to love me yet
Let's get high awhile
But try to understand
Try to understand
Try, try, try to understand
I'm a magic man."
- "Magic Man" - Heart
He was tall, dark and handsome. His hair – at that time in his life – had been a beautiful light brown and his eyes were blue – blue and gorgeous. His body was the lean, taut, muscular body of a fighter and he was – BJJ, karate and the occasional MMA. He had a daughter, Evan (short for Evangeline), who was in Ethan's class, and when Tessa first met him, it was at their kids' 2nd Grade Class Fair, where he was a volunteer helping out – the same as her. This year, he was volunteering again at the 3rd Grade Class Fair and thanks to them both being on the PTA, they had gotten to know each other quite well over the years.
She had fallen firstly for his eyes – those gorgeous, mirthful but yet also solemn and serious blue eyes of his – the eyes of a man who had seen much and experienced things in his short existence that not many people could fathom a person going through. He was also charming, wickedly intelligent and very, very likeable.
His name was Jeremy Roth. He was tall, dark and handsome – a twenty-eight-year-old firefighter and ex. Navy Seal. When he looked at her, he made her heart beat pick up a frantic beat against the inside of her ribcage. He made her feel things that she hadn't felt since Daryl and that both frightened and exhilarated her.
"Watch out, Tess - here comes Gloria . . ."
Tessa let out an angry 'ugh!' as well as a roll of her eyes when Jeremy's quiet words appeared in her ear. She glanced up and to the side, where - sure enough - the overweight, snooty and very, very irritating Gloria Barker, the head of the School District PTA and Tessa's semi-rival, was making her smiling way over to them, a binder clutched in her bejeweled hands.
"What is with that track suit?" Tessa murmured in slight awe, and before she could stop herself from speaking. Jeremy's grinning laugh came from her right and she knew he had heard her.
"I don't know but it looks like something out an acid trip. Holy shit, Tess - quick!" His hand suddenly latched onto her arm then and while Tessa managed to ignore the heat that bloomed from underneath the gentle grip, she still managed to grin. "Don't look directly at her – she might bitch-slap you with her precious binder!" He warned her and Tessa let out a snort before the both of them descended into a fit of laughter, one that earned them a few curious looks from nearby people, as well one from Gloria as she finally neared them.
"What's so funny over here?" She asked, her voice coming out in its normal nasally tone. The both of them immediate dried up their laughter and when they turned their gazes onto her, they were both desperately trying to keep a grin from breaking out across their faces.
"Nothing, nothing – it wouldn't interest you at all!" Tessa quickly spoke, and Jeremy let out a snort of laughter, one that caused her to throw him a look over her shoulder before she turned a look of interest onto the woman standing before her. "Now, what did you need, Gloria?" Tessa asked and the other woman gave a simper as she reached into her binder. Tessa let out an inward sound of disgust as she withdrew a garishly bright sheet of paper and then handed it to her.
"The gym look fabulous, Tess, it really does – you've outdone yourself yet again with the decorating! But if you look at the fifth bullet on that sheet of paper there, it clearly says that I asked for a blue and white banner announcing the Class Fair, not a blue and red one!"
Tessa gazed down at the paper, the black bullet glaring out at her even from the fuchsia colored paper and she felt Jeremy let out a 'tch' of irritation over her shoulder as he gazed down at the paper as well. That bullet had not been there when she had supervised the decorating of the gym a few days ago – it had not!
Eventually, Tessa swallowed hard and smiled a tight smile before handing the paper back to Gloria. She shared her tight smile as she placed the sheet of paper neatly back into her binder. "I'm sorry, Gloria, I guess it just . . ." Tessa trailed off and gave a shrug. "I guess I had so much to do that I failed to notice it!" Gloria nodded.
"That's fine, Tess, but this is the third time it's happened, you know. And I don't mean to be picky, but you overlook a lot -!"
"It was my fault."
Both Tessa and Gloria's eyes widened in shock then and they both immediately turned their attention onto Jeremy, who gave a half-shrug and his normal charming smile. "Yeah, Tess just had so much to do when we were decorating a couple of days ago, that I took over the production of the banner after I finished help constructing the booths. I . . ." He trailed off and gave another half-shrug and a little laugh. His hand settled on her lower back, the largeness of it positively engulfing the arch, and Tessa kept from shivering at the additional warmth that he placed on her body with just one touch. "I guess I missed the bullet – I'm sorry."
Gloria nodded, a look of slight distaste appearing on her face, however, it disappeared when Jeremy broke out into yet another charming smile. "And by the way, I loved the font of the PTA newsletter this month!"
Gloria immediately perked up, her eyes brightening as a light blush appeared on her cheeks. "Oh thank you, Jeremy – I'm glad you noticed! And . . . I have to admit, I debated on that or Lucinda Calligraphy, but . . ." She winked and Tessa let out another inaudible sound of disgust as she shifted out from underneath his hand "I'm glad I followed my gut now."
Tessa felt a roiling of disgust in her stomach and she went back to straightening the papers on the table in front of her in order to not have to pay attention to something so sickening. Gloria let out another girlish laugh and shook her head. "You know what? Don't worry about the banner – it looks amazing regardless and since this is your first mistake, it's easily ignorable." She told him flirtatiously and Jeremy nodded, a slight roiling of disgust moving through his stomach as well. It was then that she caught sight of her next victim and after telling them a quick: 'Keep up the good work', finally left their booth.
"Thanks for that . . . I guess . . ." Tessa told him with a slightly sarcastic laugh and he gave a shrug.
"You're amazing at this, Tess – you're certainly better than what she is. You also get along better with everyone else than she does, and I think she sees that and I think she's jealous of that." He shook his head. "You don't deserve the amount of shit she gives you every time she sees you."
Tessa shook her head as well. "I mean, can you believe her? I swear to God that bullet was not on that paper when I looked it over a hundred fucking times while we were here a few days ago! I guarantee you she added that later just to get an excuse to dog me!" She shot him a look. "And then there you go, turning on that-that . . . freaking charm of yours!" She shook her head and he gave a little laugh.
"Well, I know her type. Good looking guy even looks her way and all of a sudden, she's putty."
"Your humility is so endearing, Jeremy!" Tessa grinned before glancing up at him, for he seemed to tower over her. "And it's hard not to look at her, by the way, with all those garishly colored track suits she wears!" She quipped and Jeremy grinned as he shook his head.
"Oh believe me, Tess - Gloria isn't the woman I look at whenever she steps into the room . . ." He muttered and immediately, Tessa's heart gave a violent jump before they were abruptly sidetracked. Their eyes turned up to the double doors of the gym now opening, where a flood of 3rd graders entered. Immediately, Tessa caught sight of Ethan and she grinned and waved. He did the same before running off with a few of his friends and Tessa didn't take it personally. He would be by later with his friends, she knew it.
A blur of yellow darted past her field of vision and she turned around, eyes wide in surprise, right when a little girl with bright blonde braids, darted into Jeremy's arms. Grinning, he picked her up and hugged her tight for a moment before pressing a kiss to her cheek.
"Hey peanut, how was your day?" He asked and she gave a shrug, her eyes moving down to look at her twisting hands on his chest. For a moment, Tessa marveled at the beauty of the little girl and when Jeremy turned to face her, Tessa couldn't help but immediately grin. "Evan, this is Tessa – Tessa, this is my daughter Evan." He introduced them and Evan shyly said 'hi' as Tessa nodded her greeting. "Tessa here is Ethan's mother." Jeremy continued and Evan immediately brightened up.
"I know Ethan!"
"You do?" Tessa asked and she nodded.
"Yeah, he's really cool." She told them and the both of them let out small laughs as Jeremy quickly pressed another kiss to her cheek before setting her down.
"Okay, now go run off and have fun – I gotta stay with Tess and help out at the booth." He told her and Evan nodded as she hugged him tight around the waist before smiling and waving goodbye to Tessa. They watched her go for a minute and Tessa turned a grin onto him.
"God, she's beautiful, Jeremy!" She told him and he nodded in thanks.
"Yeah, she's the best damn little girl I could ever have asked for." He told her and she nodded in mutual agreement.
"Yeah, the same goes for Ethan with me. I couldn't have asked for a better son." She told him and he stood there for a minute uncertainly for a moment before stepping closer to her.
"Listen - let me take you out for dinner tonight." He told her and she turned a startled look onto him. Her eyes crossed with his and she shook her head, a look of regret appearing on her face. Damn it – why did she have to be married to Sam?
"Jeremy, I'm sorry, but I-I'm married!"
Jeremy gave a shrug in reply. "Who says anything is gonna happen afterwards?" He gave a laugh and a shrug. "Hell, who says I meant it as anything more than just a dinner between friends? And fuck, it doesn't even have to be dinner – it could be just drinks if you want! Either way . . . let me take you out tonight." He gave a small smile. "Tess, no offense, but you look like you need a man to take you and then mean it."
She thought back to Sam, teaching one of his highschool science classes across the parking lot and knew that it would definitely be possible to go out for drinks with Jeremy that night. She could lie and say she was going out to something with a couple of girlfriends – even her mother if she absolutely needed to. Sam wouldn't know the difference – Sam wouldn't care!
And they would be drinks and/or a dinner that he would never need to know about.
Drinks and/or a dinner . . . with Jeremy! The thought alone made a warm feeling bloom out in her lower stomach - a warm feeling that made her swallow heavily and finally nod in agreement, a shaky smile splitting her face.
"Y-Yeah, you have yourself a deal, Jeremy!" She told him and he grinned and nodded. It was a grin that eventually turned down into an excited smile as the both of them returned to their booth and the children that so recently shown up. Tessa let Jeremy have this group and watched with a small smile on her face as he interacted with the kids, showing them the object of the game with the infinite patience that only came with being a dutiful father. And it was as she stood there and watched him, that she wondered if only she had waited until then to find herself someone to move on with, if it would have been Jeremy she still would have met instead of Sam . . . that maybe Jeremy had been that man she was supposed to meet in order to move on from Daryl but didn't because of one stupid little fluke of fate.
"You know . . . I think I will have dinner with you instead of just drinks." She told him when he was finished and the children were gone and he nodded, glancing at her.
"What changed your mind?" He asked and she gave a shrug.
"Myself . . . thinking . . ." She answered and he grinned and shook his head.
"Don't hurt yourself." He murmured teasingly and she grinned and let out a laugh. Her hand wrapped around his upper arm before she playfully pushed him and for a moment, her breath caught in her throat at the firmness of the muscles that she could clearly feel through his shirt. Her eyes widened slightly and he noticed and arched an amused eyebrow. "You want me to flex? 'Cause I totally can, but I'm afraid it'd make your head explode!"
Tessa gave him a look as she immediately released him and moved back to the booth. "Whatever – it wasn't like I was distracted or anything." She replied with a laugh and Jeremy grinned as he moved past her, his voice lowering.
"Did I see a: 'Thank God for Navy Seal training!' in your eyes a few seconds ago?" He asked and she arched an playful eyebrow before glancing at him.
"Maybe . . . but if I admit it, I'd have to kill you."
"You know, I heard this restaurant was pretty difficult to get into. . . I'm impressed!" Tessa spoke and Jeremy grinned as the maître d' came to a stop beside their booth and he couldn't help but smile at her words.
"Yeah, well, I have my contacts." He told her and Tessa arched an eyebrow as she picked up a menu.
"A firefighter has contacts?" She asked and Jeremy gave a snort of laughter.
"Are you shittin' me? I'll have you know that I saved a lot of people in my life, so understandably, a lot of people owe me!" He told her and Tessa's eyebrows lifted in slight incredulity and Jeremy's eyes twinkled with mirth as he grimaced good-naturedly. "Oh Jesus Christ that came out bad, didn't it?" He asked and Tessa grinned and laughed as she nodded.
"Yes, it sounded quite horrible!" She told him and he smiled as they averted their eyes down to the laminated menus in their hands.
"In all seriousness, though, my friend owns this place. I met him when I got out of the Seals and was going through my MMA phase in California. So really, I can get a reservation no matter how busy this place gets." He told her and she nodded.
"You don't talk about being in the Seals a lot. What is it, Frog Man - you don't have any good stories you can share with the class?" She asked him with a smile, and he let out a laugh and nodded.
"Oh Hell yeah, I got stories. I just . . ." He trailed off and gave a shrug then, his eyes becoming particularly solemn then. "I just can't talk about them."
"Are they too painful?" She asked and he turned his eyes onto her for a moment before returning them to the menu.
"That, and try too classified. Some of them I can't legally talk about, even now when they might be classified as completed." He returned and she nodded, the both of them descending into silence then as a waiter appeared at their side, black leather notebook opened in his hands. He asked if they were ready to order after he had taken their drink orders and when they had placed their food orders, he nodded and walked away after telling them that he would return soon with their drinks.
"So, if you can't get into any stories, then tell me this: why did you get out of the Seals?" She asked and he gave a shrug. His mirth was gone and she could tell that talking about his time in the Seals, was not exactly his favorite topic. His muscular body was tense underneath his well-fitted black blazer and it was again that Tessa noticed that his eyes were much, much too old for a man his age to reasonably possess.
"Evan was what made me get out. I was stationed . . ." He abruptly stopped and shook his head before heaving a sigh. "Where I was stationed doesn't matter, but when I was gone, was when I got the news that her mother had died. She had been in a car accident and Evan was staying with two close friends of ours until I could come back. I was dismissed for the funeral and while I was there, I got the notice that I could leave. My superior understood. He understood that I was Evan's last living parent and he pulled a few strings and got me out before my time was up." He gave a wry smiled. "So what about you, Tess? How long have you and Ethan's father been together?" He asked and Tessa immediately gave a bark of a laugh and shook her head.
"Oh no – oh no, no, no – Sam is not Ethan's father, Jeremy!" She told him with a quick shake of her head, and he gave her a curious, almost amused look, one that Tessa felt herself blush a little under. "Holy shit that sounded bad, didn't it? I mean - I'm not . . . I'm not with Ethan's father, anymore. We separated before he was born." She told him and he furrowed his eyebrows slightly.
"That sounds like it's an interesting story!" He told her and she nodded.
"I know. And it's not what you think it is. Daryl was good to me – he was very good to me. I didn't leave him because he abused me or I didn't love him anymore or whatever other reason that women use nowadays. I left him because . . . I left him because I couldn't deal with his family anymore, let's just say that."
Jeremy nodded as their waiter finally returned with their drinks, setting a White Russian down in front of Tessa before placing a double shot of rum in front of Jeremy that he would nurse throughout the night. He was never a big drinker, but that night, he figured, why the Hell not?
The waiter let them know their food would be with them momentarily before walking away and it was then that Jeremy silently observed the woman sitting across from him in the dull light of the restaurant. Her blue-black hair, which was pulled back into a thick, curling ponytail behind her head, gleamed in the light, seemingly silky to the touch, and the black cocktail dress she was wearing, accentuated the curves she had in all the right places. Her dusky skin shone as well and when she turned her eyes onto him, the big, beautiful brown eyes widening slightly in curiosity, he smiled.
"What?" She asked as she set her drink down after taking a sip and he gave a shrug.
"Nothing, just . . ." He trailed off before giving a shrug. "You know, I could just get used to this."
"Get used to what?" She asked with a grin, the tip of one of her fingers moving to swirl around the rim of her drink. His smile grew a little bit bigger then, and his eyes grew soft as he reached across the table and took her hand in his. The rough pad of his thumb skated across her knuckles and Tessa swallowed hard as her heart skipped a beat before setting up a wild rhythm.
"I could get used to being seen in public with such a beautiful woman as you." He replied and immediately her heart kicked in overdrive. A warm feeling spread throughout her body, rooted from within her stomach, and she couldn't help but flush and avert her eyes away from his before snapping them back onto his.
"You are such a charming SOB!" She muttered and he broke out into a grin, one that she couldn't help but echo, especially when he answered her:
"Yeah, but its working, isn't it?"
With any other man, Tessa would have smacked him for saying such an arrogant thing. Yet, with Jeremy, she knew he was joking – being his normal teasing self. With Jeremy, she would let such things slide.
They sat there for a moment longer talking, her hand still engulfed in his and when she leaned forward slightly, she brought her other hand into view, where it hesitatingly curled around his strong wrist. His eyes immediately flickered down to it mid-sentence but he didn't skip a beat as he continued talking. In fact, he brought his other hand into view as well, where it lay gently on top of hers. She smiled a small smile and he smiled as well before she replied to what he had said.
Their hands stayed that way until their food came, Tessa's heart in her throat the entire time.
"I'm sorry – I didn't mean to keep you out so late!"
Tessa smiled and shook her head as she walked down the dully lighted sidewalk towards the brick house that Jeremy shared with his daughter. Tessa's car sat in the driveway behind Jeremy's big white Ram truck and she hardly noticed it when she moved closer to him, her hand curling around the inside of his bicep as they walked.
"No, don't worry about it. I told Sam I was out with girlfriends so he won't expect me back until late." She told him and he grinned and laughed.
"I don't know about what you think, Tess, but I do not look like a girl!" He quipped and Tessa grinned and laughed as well. She shook her head.
"No, you're . . . too muscular to be mistaken for a girl. Too big, I mean." Jeremy turned an amused look down onto her, his hand squeezing hers slightly.
"Again, blame my training. Once you've been through that Hell, it's kinda hard not working out on a daily basis!" He spoke and Tessa stayed silent as they turned onto the cement walk leading up to his front door, but knowing pretty damn good and well that she would not mind seeing him work out without his shirt on at all.
They paused at his door then, where they turned to face each other. "Thanks for taking me out to dinner. Your right, I needed it." She told him and he nodded.
"Don't mention it – I had fun. You, uh . . . you want to come in for coffee or anything?" He asked and Tessa stood there thinking for a moment before she remembered that he had mentioned during dinner that Evan was having a sleepover at one of her friend's houses. It then occurred to her that if she agreed to his cup of coffee, then they would be alone . . . completely alone.
She gave him a slight smile. "You said nothing would happen, Jeremy." She told him and he shrugged his shoulders.
"It's just a cup of coffee, Tess. You'll be in and out in ten minutes – fifteen tops!" He told her and she let out a grin and a laugh as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"We both know, Jeremy, that with how this night went, if I go into your house for a cup of coffee, then I won't be coming out until the morning. And while I find myself wanting to, I keep remembering that you told me nothing would happen, so I cannot help but think that someone changed their mind here." She told him, her words halfway teasing, and Jeremy let out a laugh as his fingertips skated across the flesh of her cheek in its quest to move a lock of her hair behind her ear. She shivered at the ghosting feeling and he noticed and took a step closer to her.
"Well then, I guess I lied then, huh?" He murmured and Tessa stood there, her chest starting to rise and fall a little more heavily than she ever anticipated, and she swallowed hard before she bit down on her bottom lip.
"I don't normally do this, you know . . . sleep with a guy the first time he takes me out for dinner . . ." She told him and he gave a shrug.
"But we've known each other for two years, Tess. I'm pretty sure that rule doesn't apply to us."
The rule had certainly applied to her and Daryl, she couldn't help but think, so what in the Hell made Jeremy so different? But then she remembered that back then, they had been stupid and young and she had been a nervous virgin. Now, she was older, more mature and standing in front of an equally as old and mature man. She knew what made them different – what made him different and suddenly, his logic seemed sound. They, as competent, mature adults, had known each other for two years – pretty damn well, too! They had a right to be a little more impulsive than her and Daryl had been way back when.
"What type of coffee do you have?" She asked quietly, knowing it was a stupid question, and he smiled as he fished out his keys and after unlocking his door, flattened a hand out against her lower back. As soon as she was ushered inside and the door closed behind them, the light flipping on seconds later, that cup of coffee was thrown out the window in favor of the one thing the both of them had told each other would not happen.
The light had stayed on. Something that Tessa never failed to cut off before getting in bed with Sam, stayed on while she was taken to Jeremy's bed. In fact, both one of them had not made any movement towards turning off the light, and when they fell on the bed in a tangled heap, whether or not the light was on was the furthest thing from both of their minds.
Jeremy and Sam were two completely different men and the fact had never been as clear as when she was in bed with Jeremy. Sex with Sam was a chore – something they did because they felt obligated to for the sake of their marriage, Sex with Jeremy was, first and foremost, something that Tessa did because she wanted it – because she wanted to get swept up in that whirlwind of pleasure and ecstasy that she hadn't felt since Daryl. Their foreplay had been long and languid and breathtakingly hot, and when she allowed him to flip her onto her hands and knees in front of him, she felt no bolt of uneasiness or fear that she got with Sam whenever he tried or suggested the same. And when he pulled her up so her back was to his chest, she couldn't help but let out a low moan as her back arched against his chest. Her hand moved behind them to grip the back of his strong neck and his lips caught hers in a fierce, heated kiss. One of his strong hands held her hip in a vice-like grip while the other slid down the smooth, silky plain of her stomach to disappear in-between her thighs, massaging her where they were so intimately conjoined and her breath hitched before she let out a low moan.
He was steadily driving her to her climax and for a moment, she almost didn't recognize the feeling, for she hadn't felt it in so long that it was almost foreign to her.
She whimpered, her hand latching onto his tattooed forearm (it wasn't until they had pulled off each other's clothes before collapsing onto his bed, that Tessa saw just how almost completely covered in the beautifully inked tattoos, Jeremy was) as he pushed her just a step closer to the edge. His lips were at her ear and he was murmuring for her to come – to come with him – and when she did, he did too, the both of them going rigid as their mutual release washed through their bodies in warm waves.
She felt his arm loop around her waist, supporting her as she kneeled there in front of him, allowing the lasting remnants of her orgasm to run its course through her trembling body.
Eventually, she felt Jeremy's lips against her hairline before he pressed a kiss to her heated flesh. "How about that cup of coffee now?" He asked, grinning, and Tessa let out a grin and a breathless laugh as she shook her head.
"Fuck the coffee – get me a glass of water!"
