Oh, don't I LOVE the smell of drama! Seriously, folks, this chapter is chock FULL of drama - and I love it! So yeah, I bitch-slapped you guys with news like I'm always fond of doing (and which never fails to put Halo on her toes ;)) and left you guys on a completely, friggen awesome cliffhanger. Ah, this chapter is a good one :)
Oh yeah, and there is a lemon. A lemon I like MUCH better than the last one, so yay me! I've got my groove back!
DarylDixon'sLover: Thanks for the review hun. Sorry for this chapter, too, cause I know your gonna hate me cause of the cliffhanger :)
HaloHunter89: Your gonna love/hate this chapter. Don't know what else to say. Maybe, sorry, but that's only cause you gonna be pissed for me making you wait a week for the next chapter LOL. And by the way, in the show, I ship Daryl and Maggie so hard, its not even funny. Too bad they'll never be, though :(
Enjoy everyone!
- Nagiana
PS - I HAVE decided who exactly will be taken next chapter, just so you guys know. So yes, next chapter will be a doozy and I swear to God, if AMC fucks this up for me, I will SO pissed!
"She's really good, ain't she?" Tessa asked Daryl later that evening as she stood in the archway leading to the funeral parlor, and as he moved to join her. He took his customary spot behind her, his hand curling around her hip as he moved to lean against the archway on his other hand. Beth was sitting at the piano, playing and singing while Ethan and Wren sat beside her, the twins in-between them with their scant toys strewn all around them. Lit candles sat strewn everywhere to provide light and Tessa had to admit - the light gave the scene a sort of surreal quality to it.
Daryl nodded. "Yeah . . . could have been a singer if none of this shit had happened." He told her and she nodded in agreement. They stood there, watching for a moment, before Daryl leaned forward and pressed a loving kiss to the back of her neck. "Put tha kids to bed and then come on up with me . . ." He murmured, and she grinned.
"I could . . . but they said they're sleeping down here tonight. That way, it'll be easier to hear someone coming." She told him and he chuckled as he looped an arm around her waist and brought her back against him.
"Even better! I've nailed the alarm system up tight and the only way in is through the front door." He quipped, and she laughed.
"And what would we be doing in that big bed?" She asked, forcing her voice to come out solemn, and right when Daryl grinned and moved to whisper just what he was going to do to her in her ear, Beth ended her song and turned around to face them.
"You guys can't go to bed yet! It's still early!" She spoke up and Ethan and Wren were quick to voice their agreement. Tessa grinned as she crossed the room, where she bent down in front of the twins.
"Yes, well, we're tired and that bed's been lookin' really good to your deddy since we got here!" Tessa told Ethan, and he grinned and crossed gazes with Daryl as she scooped up the twins. "So we're gonna go take a shower and head on up to bed. And besides, we'll be up bright and early, I don't doubt it!"
She brought the twins over to him then and Daryl immediately took Aayla in his arms when she confidently held them out to him. "Yeah, like you guys are only gonna be sleeping -!"
"Ethan!"
"Hey, watch ya mouth, ass! And yeah, for ya information, we aren' jus' gonna be sleepin', but like tha's any of ya business -!" Daryl shot back but ended up stopping with a yelp as a blushing Tessa gave him a look and a hard smack in the chest. Ethan immediately broke out into laughter as Beth and Wren shared looks of 'TMI'.
"Say goodnight to your kids and then get on up to that shower before you guys start egging each other on!" She ordered him and he nodded as he quickly gave Danny and Aayla both a lingering kiss on the head.
"She is Momma Bear, hear her roar -!"
"Daryl!"
"Yeah, yeah, woman - I'm goin'! Damn!" He interrupted her with a laugh as he turned around and headed for the stairs after calling 'goodnight' to the rest of them. Ethan shook his head as Tessa rolled her eyes and headed back over to them, where she replaced the twins on the blankets they had spread out.
"If you have any problems with them, just come get us, okay?" She told Wren, and the young girl nodded.
"I will, Tess, don't worry." She promised her, and Tessa gave her a small smile then as she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her head, before doing the same with the twins and Ethan.
"See you guys in the morning. Sweet dreams, okay?" She told them and they quickly echoed her sentiment as she got to her feet, turned around and headed towards the stairs.
It was strangely peaceful that morning, as Sam floated into consciousness from the deep sleep he had been in. He woke up to Maggie sitting silently beside him and pulling on her boots. "Hey, good morning -!"
"Morning."
Maggie's tone came out clipped and cool and immediately had Sam awake and on alert. "Hey, is anything wrong? What's happened?" He asked as he sat up and scooted towards her. He moved to sit behind her, where his hand curled around her hip and attempted to her bring her close to him – a motion she resisted and which put him even more on edge. He rolled his eyes. "Goddamnit, Maggie!" He cursed but immediately apologized when he saw the mean look she sent him. She shook her head.
"Nothing's happened - everything is peaceful. Except . . . my fucking head! How come every time I sleep with you, I wake up feeling like I just killed someone?" She asked and Sam shook his head.
"Look, Mags -"
"I'm not mad at you, Sam," She told him with a deep sigh. He relaxed and when she turned her eyes onto him, he saw that they were soft and conflicted. "What we did last night - that meant something. I know it did. And that's what annoys me – what makes me angry. I couldn't wake up this morning and not feel guilty! I suppose that's a good thing, but still . . ." She trailed off and glanced at him again. "I'm leaving. Don't try and stop me."
The words floored him and he sat there for a minute, trying desperately to make sense of what she just told him and when he finally had, she was already done lacing up her boots and was on her feet He quickly scrambled to his feet as well. "Maggie, you can't leave – it's not safe to be on your own -!"
"I have to find him, Sam." She told him, her voice firm. "I have to find him and end us."
Sam stood there for a minute, blinking in stunned shock. "End . . . your marriage?" He asked slowly, still trying to wrap his mind around what she just told him, and she stood there gazing at him for a moment before eventually nodding.
"I love him, Sam, I really do, or else I wouldn't feel guilty about what we done, right? But at the same time, I've come to the realization that what Glenn wants for me, is not what I want him to want for me. When I first met him, he allowed me to be myself – he allowed me to fight for myself. Hell, when I first met him, I-I panicked because I thought he was the last good, decent, single man out there for me!" She shook her head, tears appearing in her eyes as Sam's face softened. He wrapped his arms around her and brought her close to him. "But now, he just wants to shove me in a tower and protect me because . . . I don't think he wants to think that I can protect myself! That or he's terrified that if he doesn't always have an eye on me, then something like Woodbury is going to happen again! And then . . . and he doesn't want a baby because of what happened to Lori, and . . . and I eventually want that, Sam – a family! And . . . and if Glenn doesn't, then we're just delaying the inevitable, aren't we?"
Sam gently broke apart from her then, where he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, Mags, I don't . . ." He trailed off, thinking for a moment. When he spoke again, his tone was low and apologetic. "Maggie, I want to be with you – I do! I haven't wanted to be with someone in my entire life, than I do with you right now! But . . . I don't . . . I don't think I can give you that family you want! Not that I want to, 'cause I do - eventually!" He quickly added before shaking his head. "But physically, I don't think I can."
The look of determination and stubbornness that appeared on Maggie's face then, almost made him smile. Almost. "But . . . you would, right? Eventually?" She asked him, her tone slow as well, and he nodded as he took her hands in his.
"Of course! A family with you would be . . . Goddamnit, it would be a dream!" He told her and she nodded with a hard swallow.
"Then at least you'd be willing to try. I can't say that much for Glenn, but at least you'd be willing to give a betting chance."
Sam heaved a sigh then as he took her into his arms again. She immediately wrapped his arms around and held her close for a minute. "Are you sure you want to do this? Glenn loves you – he'll be heartbroken when you tell him the truth!" He asked and she nodded, firmly – confidently.
"I've thought about it all night and I'm pretty sure it's what I want. I'm pretty sure I won't regret it, too. I love you, Sam, and I want to be with you. It'd be unfair to stay with Glenn when all I want inside, is you." She answered and he nodded.
"Then let me get dressed and we'll leave."
Maggie's eyes widened as she pushed him away with a shake of her head. "Oh no, Sam, you aren't coming with me!"
"And why not?"
"Because I have to do this alone! I have to be the one to tell him!"
"Well see, that's funny, 'cause I feel like I have to be there when you tell him!" He told her with a wry laugh, and she opened her mouth to speak but he shushed her and continued on: "Look, what I managed to accomplish over the last week or so – stealing his wife away from him – was a dick fucking move! And I like Glenn – he's my friend, Maggie! I think I owe him enough to be there when you tell him that you're ending your marriage . . . to be with me of all men!"
Maggie gazed at him for a minute before she swallowed hard and nodded. "Okay . . . okay, get dressed – I want to leave before Sasha and Bob wake up. I don't . . . I don't want to have to explain shit to them. But I am going to go leave a note."
Sam furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he bent down to pick up his jeans. "A note? How are you going to write a note?" He asked, and she glanced at him over her shoulder, a small smile gracing her features as she did so.
"We have dirt, don't we? And I have a finger too, don't I?"
"How long are we going to walk for?"
"The map showed Terminus not being that far away from where we had been camping . . . so hopefully, it won't be too long." Maggie answered him, her eyes pinned to the wooden slats of the railroad track they had been walking since that morning. A couple of times, Sam wondered how Sasha and Bob had reacted when they awoke that morning to find them gone, and their note written in the mud by Bob's bedroll. And a couple of times, Sam scolded himself. They weren't who mattered right now. Right now, Sam had to prepare himself for however Glenn would react, upon hearing what Maggie had to say to him.
"You know what your gonna to say to him?" He asked, his tone gentle and quiet, and she swallowed hard before shaking her head. Anxiety was written out clearly on her face, however, and Sam wrapped an arm around her waist, where he pulled her into him. She let him and he could see the thankfulness echoing in her eyes when she glanced at him.
"No, I-I don't. I figured I'd . . . I'd play it by ear?"
"I figured you'd have a strategy worked out." He replied, and she nodded.
"I'm trying, but . . . it ain't working out so well."
Maggie worked an arm around his waist and they walked like that for a moment, Maggie trying to gather as much strength from him as she could, before she came to an abrupt stop. "What's up?" He asked as he stopped alongside her, and Maggie answered by nodding to a nearby white building that had a map of Terminus pinned to one side.
"If we want to find Glenn as fast as possible, here's a way to do it . . ." She told him and he nodded as she left him and marched over to the white building, whipping out her knife as she did so. Sam couldn't help but feel curious as to know just what she was doing, as he followed her. She stood on the clean side, knife poised to dig into the wood, when they heard a snarl come behind them. They whirled around, Sam whipping out his knife as well, however, they relaxed when they saw it was just a lone walker.
"Well that was uneventful . . ." Sam muttered and Maggie let out a laugh. She continued to stand there and gaze at it, however, until a light bulb seemed to go off in her head.
"Wait a minute . . ." She muttered and Sam nodded as she moved over to the walker. She dispatched it with relative ease. She stood after withdrawing her knife from its head, and turned her gaze onto him, before they flickered onto the stark whiteness of the building behind him. Then, when she was sure he wouldn't stop her, she plunged her knife through the walker's stomach before bringing it screaming downwards. She then reached in and after withdrawing a handful of bloody goop, returned to the building. Sam watched the entire proceeding with eyebrows raised in approval.
"Clever . . ." He spoke and she shot him a smile over her shoulder as she began writing a message on the side of the building using the walker's blood.
"Thanks for not stopping me." She told him and he gave her a smile as he moved over to her. His hand flattened out over the small of her back, where he rubbed lovingly.
"Why would I? You seemed like you had it all under control."
"Is tha' a bed?"
Tessa grinned and laughed as she nodded. "Yup – it's a genuine mattress and everything! Weird seeing one again, ain't it?" She asked as she glanced at him over her shoulders, and Daryl nodded as he entered the room, locks of his dark brown hair beading with water from the recent shower he had taken.
"It's like seein' a damn ghost!" He muttered and she smiled as she began stuffing their dirty clothes into a bag. He stood by the left side of the bed and gazed unabashedly at her. His eyes ran over every gentle curve of her fine, delicate features, and she shot him a look of curiosity when she noticed him.
"It's rude to stare, you know?" She laughed before shaking her hair out of her face. When he continued to stare, she felt a slight burn across her features. "Seriously, Daryl, what's up?"
Without answering her, he leaned forward, where he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and brought her up to him. With a sharp intake of breath, she felt his lips meet hers and she immediately opened her mouth to him – to kiss him back and allow his tongue to make love to hers. It was a loving, suckling kiss full of heat and molten warmth and when he slowly broke apart, it was to press his forehead to hers.
"I love ya, Tess." He murmured, and she nodded.
"I love you too. What brought that about?" She asked, and he shook his head as he moved to sit down in front of her on the bed.
"Come to bed with me?" He asked, and she couldn't help but grin.
"How fun was that to say?" She asked, and he immediately broke out into a grin.
"Oh babydoll – ya have no idea!"
Being inside Tessa was like nothing that Daryl had ever felt before - ever. Maybe it was because they had spent so long together they knew every facet about each other - everything that they liked being done to them and everything they hated. Maybe it was because he hadn't made love to her in a genuine bed since the farm - hearing the squeak of the springs as they moved with each other, and the tightness of the bedsheets around their limbs as they twisted around each other like roots in the earth. Maybe it was the way she scratched at his back, raised her hips and whimpered his name with a confidence that belied at just how much they really were comfortable around each other. Maybe it was how easy they flowed together - like two people who were made to be with each other. Hell, maybe it was all of those reasons - Daryl didn't really know, he didn't really care. All he cared about was how good their sex felt - how good it felt to her.
"Fuck . . .!" He hissed into her neck and he felt her hands dig into his flesh in reply. Both arms were under her knees and his were planted on the bed so that he could hold her legs wider apart than she could. He was pumping hard and sweating harder - had it always been this hot?
"Don't stop . . . oh my God, Daryl - don't stop!" She whimpered aloud as she tilted her head back slightly. He gave a scoff of laughter as he planted his lips on the pulsepoint of her throat. Her nipples were hard and wet from his hot mouth as they brushed against his chest, and he brought up a hand to grasp one as he continued.
"Fuck no I ain' stoppin'!' He grunted, and it was her turn to let out a laugh as she gripped him tighter to her. His hair was falling in his eyes, but he couldn't care less. She was so wet; he couldn't think straight. Her hands flew down to his ass, where she squeezed him hard and brought him further into her.
She tilted her head back further, the smooth column of her olive-colored throat bared to him, and she bit into her bottom lip hard. He latched onto her neck again and he felt her frantic heartbeat against his tongue. "Daryl . . .!"
She squeezed her eyes shut and came in an explosive orgasm that rocketed through her. Her nails bit down into the soft flesh of his ass as she shook and trembled underneath him. He mouth fell open against her skin as his air rushed out of him. His body wanted to freeze up as his own orgasm started to fly out, but he refused to let it. He pumped harder with his back arched - his body rocking and jerking from the pleasure of it all.
He cursed violently as he slowly collapsed on top of her, trying to spare her his full weight. They were panting and sweating and her legs were as heavy and ponderous as tree trunks as he let her legs go and as his head fell to her chest. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and laughed when he continued to let out quiet little curses. She closed her eyes in bliss as she ran her tongue over her lips.
Eventually, she allowed him to roll off her and allowed him to take her with him. Her eyes grew heavy as she laid her head on his chest, but his words kept her from sleep. "Maybe we should stick around some, Tess," He spoke and when she turned her head upwards to gaze at him, he continued: "And if they ever do come back, we'll make it work. I mean, maybe it's nuts, but . . . maybe since one of 'em is an undertaker, he knows somethin' about medicine, maybe . . . maybe we've found tha place for ya to have Luke? It's jus' a thought, but . . ." He trailed off, and Tessa nodded. "Maybe we'll be alright, after all."
Tessa grinned as she moved herself upwards to prop herself up on either of him with her hands. "So you do still think there are good people out there!" She grinned, and he smiled as he cupped her cheek with his hand. He gave a shrug and she laughed. "Well, what changed your mind?"
He lay there for a moment and when she continued to grin and prod it from him, he gave another shrug. "Ya are good for me, Tess. All my life, ya've been good for me. Despite what happens, I always find myself movin' forward, 'cause I have to protect ya and our kids – I have to make sure ya'll are safe and fed and . . . well, relatively happy. I'm tha' man, it's my job!" He spoke before shaking his head. "Its people like ya, Tess, tha' make me feel worth livin'. Ya is what makes me feel like there are still good people out there worth findin' and reachin' out to."
Tessa couldn't help but smile as she gazed down at him, her heart-warming at his words, but then, of course, he had to go and ruin it.
He gave a shrug and a roll of his eyes. "That and I jus' have an overwhelming hard-on for Cherokee women!" He quipped and she gritted her teeth and before giving him a good-natured slap on the shoulder.
"You ass -!"
"Wait, Tess, why are ya pissed? I said Cherokee – ya are Cherokee, are ya?"
"Yes, I am, but you ruined a completely -!"
The pounding on boots down the hallway towards them, immediately made Tessa stop. They turned expectant gazes onto the door, right when Ethan came bursting inside. Chest heaving, eyes wide with fright, they immediately knew what was wrong. As Daryl slid from the bed and began yanking his clothes on, Tessa pulled the sheet up to cover her own nudity as Daryl also threw her clothes to him.
"Ethan what's wrong?" Daryl quickly asked, and his son's eyes immediately found his through the gloom.
"Walkers . . . walkers are in the house!"
