Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This

Chapter 11

Authors Note: More followers and more reviewers make me a happy writer. So, decided that both Rick and Jewel are going to have people to talk to after the kiss. Big brother decided to wait in her room for her and Shane well Shane is just being noisy! And, of course I needed to do a little 'morning after' which isn't really a morning after but still! Review please! Maybe I'll get another chapter out this weekend if you do!

Jewel's POV:

Jewel walked into her room and turned her back to close the door.

"Where you been?" Daryl asked from his laying position at the couch.

Jewel jumped as she turned around. "What the hell Daryl? What are you doing here? You have a room of your own don't you?" she asked as she put her hand on her chest and took a breath.

Daryl took another sip out of his bottle. "I came to check on my lil sister, and see how she was doin' bein' around everyone drinkin, see if she was tempted. And if she was, we could talk about it. It's not like you 'ave a AA meetin' you can go around too," he told her. "Been waitin' over an hour," he told her as he looked at her.

Jewel sat down on the other end of the couch. "Appreciate your concern, big brother, but I'm perfectly fine. Been a long time since I've had the urge to drink," she assured him. "Usually a person who wants to talk to a person about not havin' a drink, doesn't come drinkin' himself," she teased.

Daryl rolled his eyes. "Well we have just found a place of reasonable safety after being chased, attacked and everythin' else by dead corpses, not to mention Merle cuttin' his own hand off and go missin'. So, I was a little concerned that my baby sister might have snuck a bottle," he told her.

"Oh, just a little concerned? I'm touched," she told him as she grinned at him. "Truthfully, I'm OK. Why don't you just stay here? I don't think I can get you back to your room," Jewel told him.

"Planned on it," Daryl answered as he looked at her. "So where were you?" he asked again.

Jewel sighed. "Daryl, I'm not a kid anymore," she said as she got up and got the bottle of Tylenol. "Heads up," she said as she threw it to him.

"Still my baby sister," Daryl told her catching it. "Do I 'ave to ask again?" he asked her.

"I was comin' back from the rec room, ran into Rick, he was havin' a bit of trouble walking, I helped him back to his room. We talked for a bit," Jewel told him.

Daryl looked at her. "That all?" he asked.

Jewel looked at him. "Yeah, that's all," she lied. "Why would you ask that?"

"Seen the looks he's been givin' you," Daryl told her. "Not to mention, you stickin' up for him."

Jewel hit his arm. "I stuck up for him because he was right, you jerk," she told him. "I appreciate your concern, but I'm a big girl Daryl."

Daryl nodded as he swallowed the Tylenol then took a swig of whiskey. "He try anythin'?" he asked.

Jewel rolled her eyes. "If he had tried anything that I didn't agree with, I would have kneed him," she told him. She bit her lip as she realized she said a bit too much.

Daryl sat up. "I'll kill him."

"Daryl!" Jewel said as she grabbed his arm. "Nothin' happened OK? It was just a kiss, that's all. And, what if somethin' did happen? It would be none of your business."

Daryl glared at her. "You're my sister, it's my business."

Jewel sighed as she pulled him back down to the couch. "I'm only gonna say this once, I don't care if you're drunk or not, you better get this through your head. I am over 18, and what I do in my personal life is not any of your business. Am I lookin' for somethin' to happen between Rick and me? No. Am I going to actively pursue it? No. I think I 'ave enough to worry about the dead wantin' to eat me, and a teenage daughter. I really don't 'ave time for a relationship, not to mention that I don't need to deal with Lori. BUT, and let me phrase this perfectly clear so even your drunk brain can wrap around it, if somethin' happened or happens, unless it winds up hurtin' me, it's not really your business."

"Don't want to see you getting' hurt. He did leave Merle on a roof," Daryl told her.

"I'll be sure not to give him a reason to handcuff me to a roof," Jewel informed him. "Though handcuffs…" she said with a grin.

Daryl looked at her as he took another drink of whiskey. "I'm not drunk enough for that image," he told her. "Just a kiss huh?"

Jewel rolled her eyes. "Yes, a kiss you aren't gonna mention to anyone, including Rick," she warned.

Daryl nodded. "You know I'll kill 'im or anyone else if they hurt you, right?"

Jewel sighed. "Yes Daryl and I think you just figured out why I have no love life. Oh, wait, add the fact that Merle would scare a guy who even gave me a second look away with a growl, and bein' a single mother, that's why I don't have a love life. If I wasn't ready to drink before this conversation, I may be tempted now," she teased. "Good night Daryl. You know you're takin' the cot right, and I'm getting' the couch."

Daryl looked at her. "I'm older."

"By three years," Jewel responded. "My room, so I'm getting' the couch. Now if you'd like to stumble to your room, then you can have a couch."

Daryl grumbled as he got up. "You're a pain in the ass sometimes, you know that?"

"Like you aren't?" Jewel responded as she threw a blanket at him.

Rick's POV:

Rick came out of the shower rubbing his hair dry with a towel as a knock came on his door. "Come in Carl," he answered as he started to get dressed.

"Not Carl, just me," Shane answered as he came in. "He was still sleepin' when I left the room," he told the other man.

"Somethin' you need Shane?" Rick asked.

"Last night, I was comin' back from the kitchen getting another bottle of wine, saw Jewel leavin' your room about 2AM. Somethin' goin' on that I should know about?" he asked as he sat down.

Rick looked at him as he pulled his shirt on. "This is your concern why?"

"I'm just thinkin' about the group, may not be the best thing to do getting involved with her. I mean with Daryl and all," Shane told him.

Rick turned and looked at him. "Seriously Shane? Are we really havin' this conversation about what's good for the group and what's not? I mean, considerin' you have done nothing but disagree with me on everything since I got back. And, you are making no secret that you and Lori are involved."

Shane sighed. "Rick, I'd step off if Lori told me to, if you wanted her back. We thought you were dead."

Rick shook his head. "I told Lori and I'll tell you. I can put my differences aside for the groups' sake, for Carl's sake. But as far as you and me sharing stories, those days are long gone," he told her.

Shane looked at him. "Then you understand why I'm askin', for the group."

Rick looked at him. "So for the good of the group are you goin' to stop arguin' with me about every little thing? I would think, Shane that you of all people would be happy to think I may have somethin' going on with Jewel or anyone else. I mean that pretty well tells you that I don't want Lori back right?"

"Do you?" Shane asked.

Rick laughed as he sat down. "Shane, the day I got shot, I had met with a divorce lawyer. I think I knew it was over the day she asked me to move out, the same day she told me that I didn't care about her and Carl in front of him. You remember that day don't you?" he asked. "I did tell you about that, in the squad car, the day I got shot," he reminded him. "You would think I'd be upset about you and Lori. I'm not, now if we were back in the real world, I'd probably switch partners. I'm sure you understand. I will always care for Lori, we have Carl. I would do anythin' for Lori and for Carl. He's MY son, don't you ever forget that. If we were in the real world, we'd have to find a way to work for Carl's sake. But this, you comin' in and askin' me what's going on between me and someone, that's not OK Shane. If it's about somethin' to do with the group, somethin' with Carl, that's OK. I'm not going to do anything that is going to put the group in danger, not on purpose. You know that," Rick told the other man.

Shane nodded. "I guess I do," he agreed.

"Good, now I'll see you at breakfast. Tell Carl I'll see him down there," Rick told him.

Shane nodded as he got up and left the room without saying anything. Rick shook his head as he saw Jewel pass the room as Shane left.

"Morning," Rick greeted as he came to the door. He glanced at Shane as he left. "Come in for a minute?"

Jewel glanced at Shane leaving. "Sure," she told him. "How you feelin?" she asked.

"Not as bad as I could have been, had a good nurse," Rick told her. "Shane saw you leave last night."

"Daryl was waitin' for me in my room," Jewel told him.

"So cat's out of the bag," Rick told her.

"What cat? There's no cat, Rick. I told Daryl, who can amazingly hold his alcohol and remember everythin' surprisingly well, that it was a kiss. Nothin' more," Jewel told him.

"If I remember correctly there was more than one kiss, and the last one you started," Rick teased her.

"Am I the only one in this group that can't hold there alcohol?" Jewel told him. "I'm not sayin…I mean…damn it," she told him as she looked at him. "Look, under normal circumstances, maybe somethin' could develop between us. But this in no way is normal, no how, not even now. Here," she told him as she squeezed his arm. "I don't regret kissin' you I'm not sayin' that, but this is a complication that neither one of us need right now."

"So if I kissed you again? You can't say it's because I'm drunk," Rick told her.

Jewel shook her head. "Well lucky for you, I need to go see how Summer is doing with the boys, keep you honest," she teased.

Rick shook his head. "You can't avoid me forever."

"I've got a big brother that may make sure you avoid me," she teased. "See you at breakfast."