Daryl heard a buzzing sound that startled him from his sleep. He didn't want to wake up from the best sleep he had in years, but that buzzing wouldn't stop. Slowly, he opened his eyes and realized the warmth his body felt was Riki snuggled in against him. The buzzing was the alarm clock on her nightstand. Shit, it was Monday morning and they needed to get up and go to work.
"Riki…Riki wake up." Daryl said as he gave her a light shake. Daryl had never woken up with a woman before, and he always thought it would have been awkward, but with Riki it felt natural.
"Hmmm?" She moaned. Daryl never heard anything so sexy before in his life. Just that simple moan coming from her throat. Oh shit, he had morning wood and realized it was pressed up against her backside. He swore he felt her every so subtly grind back against him, but it just could have been her moving and not quite aware he was there with her.
"We gotta get up." He told her. Finally her eyes opened and she rolled over to get a good look at him. His hair was disheveled and his eyes were still slightly drooping, as he hadn't completely woken up. It was then that all the events from the previous day and evening came flooding back into her memory.
Lucky and Oscar were awake chasing every movement under the covers of the blanket they could. Riki reached down and pulled the kittens to her, giving them each a little kiss on the head. She turned to Daryl, who miraculously was still lying beside her and spoke "Thank you Daryl. You have no idea how much what you did for me yesterday means to me."
She batted those big brown eyes at him and he felt his face flush, but not out of embarrassment, it was out of desire. "Ain't nothing, you needed a friend and I wanted to offer that to ya. Your face don't look that bad either." He said softly.
"Um…thanks," she said laughing. "I promise to make it up to you." She told him. She was a little put off that he 'friend zoned' her, but he did hold her close the entire night, and that had to mean something.
Both of them rolled out of Riki's bed and headed to the showers. Surprisingly, there wasn't any awkwardness that Riki was sure Daryl would have towards her. If he was feeling regret about cuddling her for the night, he wasn't showing it.
Daryl pulled out his work clothes and threw the clothes he had been wearing all night to the floor and strutted into the shower. The hot water felt soothing on his body, and his arm and shoulder were a bit sore from holding onto Riki all night long. He couldn't believe he had actually spent the night holding a woman in his arms, let alone someone as beautiful as Riki. However, Riki needed him and he convinced himself that the only reason he had done it was because she had been so generous towards him. Deep down he knew it was a lie and that he actually wanted to hold her closely. He was falling hard for her…hell, he had already fell and this was uncharted waters for Daryl. He knew he stood no chance with the woman, but he could at least try.
Daryl emerged from his bedroom after his shower clad in a pair of black cargo pants and a gray work shirt. Riki was already dressed and was sitting at the kitchen table watching the news while sipping a cup of coffee. Her long hair was still damp and fell in ringlets across her shoulders and down her back and she was dressed in a fitted white T-shirt that bore the logo of the center and pair of jeans tucked into cowboy boots. Nothing about the way she was dressed screamed 'Socialite' and Daryl admired her natural beauty. She had thrown together a quick breakfast of biscuits and sausage and had a plate waiting for Daryl.
"I made you a cup of coffee, but I didn't know how you took it." She told him pointing to the cup on the table.
"Black is fine." He told her as he took his seat and began to eat.
"We will need to park behind the building this morning to avoid the media and the protestors when we get to the center." Riki told Daryl.
"I ain't gotta hide from no one" Daryl said adamantly.
"It's not hiding Daryl…but unless you want to see yourself on the six o'clock news tonight it's the best way to handle things. These moron's from Alexandria don't realize just how bad they are hurting people in the name of 'their good community'." Riki said sadly.
"So do ya just let them stay out there all day and you don't do or say anything?" Daryl asked, curious as to how she handled the negative press.
"Sort of…I let them stay out there and make asses out of themselves, and towards the end of the day I finally let the media into the center and let them see all the good we are doing. By the time I'm done with them we are the 'feel good' story of the week and the people of Alexandria come off as a bunch of uncaring snobs." She informed him.
"That's fucking smart, but then again it's you coming up with the idea I shouldn't have expected nothing less. Don't ya get nervous talking to the press?" Daryl asked her in earnest.
"Oh hell no. Hell, as long as I'm not the story, I'm glad to do it, especially for the Center. That's why I'm going out to San Francisco Wednesday morning. I'm going to speak at a Gala to bring awareness to domestic abuse and homelessness. It's actually gonna be televised if you want to watch it. There will be a lot of celebrities and shit there, and I'm hoping to pick up some sizeable donations for the Center." Riki told him.
"Fuck all that, ain't no way I could do it. I can barely speak to people I know, let alone talking to an annoying reporter." Daryl told her. Riki let out a laugh at his honesty.
"So now you see why we go in through the back entrance. Here is what you will deal with today, when we get to the Center I will introduce you to Rosita…she runs everything. Now just a warning to you, she is very blunt and outspoken and she just got back from Mexico with her boyfriend late last night…so if she seems a bit grumpy, just ignore her. She is my right hand at the Center. Rosita will take you through your paperwork. Once you are done with the paperwork, she will take you around and introduce you to everyone and show you the building. She will save the best for last and turn you over to Axle. We had a visit from the Fire Marshal last week and we have some code violations that we have been given ninety days to correct, so Axle can go into more detail about that for you. I want this center to be top notch Daryl…that is why I hired you. Whatever you think needs to be done, then we will get it done. It if means you have to hire someone else to assist you and Axle, then you do that. I am trusting you to do the right thing." Riki said to him in a serious tone.
"Yes ma'am…can't say anyone's ever had this much confidence in me." He admitted.
"Well I do, and I'm a good judge of character." She told him. "I've got a weird question for you Daryl…do you have a passport?"
Daryl snorted "Ain't never been out of fucking Georgia, why would I need a passport?"
"Just wondering is all…I'm gonna talk to Rosita about helping you get one. Once a year I like to take the staff on a vacation, and this year I was thinking about a ski trip in Vancouver." She told him.
Daryl let out an audible laugh "I don't see myself ever going down a mountain of snow with six foot boards strapped to my feet. Woman have you lost your mind?" He joked.
"Daryl, none of us can fucking ski, that's what makes it fun. We are from Georgia after all." She replied back.
Daryl just stared at her like she had grown a second head. To Daryl, vacation had meant he could stay an extra day camping in the woods without Merle. Now she was talking to him about leaving the country to go on a ski vacation. He knew that getting there would most likely not involve driving a vehicle either…they would be flying. And who knew whom he would be sharing a hotel room with. Daryl didn't do well with strangers, though he did enjoy himself the other night with those he met at the bowling alley. In a matter of days his life had changed drastically, and he wasn't sure how to react.
Riki sensed Daryl's apprehension "Don't fret Mr. Dixon, it wouldn't be for a few months and by then you will be so comfortable with everyone at the center you won't know what to do."
Daryl laughed at that "Ain't never really been comfortable with anyone, including Merle." He wanted to add that she made him feel better than anyone he had ever met, but the words wouldn't form on his lips. His thoughts were disturbed when Oscar and Lucky began to have a wrestling match across the top of his feet.
"Hey you two, there will be none of that." Riki said as she bent down under the table to pick up the little critters.
"Reckon I will leave 'em some food. I'll change their boxes tonight when we get home from work." Daryl told her.
"I'm going to call the vet and see if he can stop by one night this week to check them out and give them their shots." She told him.
"Vet's make house calls?" Daryl asked surprised at her statement.
"They sure do. I used to have a Chihuahua and I got to know Dr. Jamison really well." She told him.
Suddenly Daryl felt a tug of jealousy about Riki's revelation of how well she knew the vet. Did she mean in the Biblical sense? He had to pinch himself to curve the little anger he felt. Who was he to judge her about her past relationships…hell even her future ones. He had no claim on her, though now he was beginning to wish he did. Was the idea of them together as a couple an impossibility? She seemed to cling closely to him last night as he held her, but was it because she was desperate and lonely? No Riki wasn't desperate, because she was alone by her own choice. Any man would be lucky to have her as a…girlfriend? The term girlfriend seemed so trivial when dealing with a woman like Riki Thornton.
…
Rick was sitting at his desk going through paperwork on some new cases that had come across the wires. He had felt like shit since delivering Riki home yesterday and had to fight everything he had to turn around and let Thomas know what he was really feeling. Thomas had done all he could to control Riki over the years, and no matter what she did, it was never good enough for him. As a result Riki had made a lot of mistakes in her own life in the past and Thomas did a good job of hiding those mistakes away. However, deep down, Rick new his cousin was full of regrets and had one very dark secret that she had carried for almost twenty years. Other than her parents, Rick was the only one who knew about it and that was only because Riki had disclosed it to him once when she was extremely drunk and he had to retrieve her from a bar when she was involved in a fight.
He looked at his phone and saw he had a message, so he punched in his code to listen to his voice mail.
"Rick, this is your Aunt Kim. Have you heard from Riki? I'm worried about her and she isn't returning my calls. Thomas feels absolutely horrible about what happened, and I know he will find it in his heart to apologize, eventually. Please just let me know if my daughter is OK."
Rick just shook his head. Thomas would never apologize, and he was pretty certain that Kim had not actually called Riki. Kim avoided confrontation like the plague, and most likely figured the safest way to check on her daughter was through Rick. He hated to admit it, but he felt a little used. Thomas seemed to destroy everyone he touched, and Burgess had tried for years to get his son to understand the importance of family, telling him of the mistakes he made in his past, but Thomas wouldn't listen. As a result Riki was a mess and Gareth was a clone of his father, maybe even worse. Gareth held a lot of resentment towards Riki, especially since she would gain a much larger portion of the company when her Grandfather, and Father passed, than he did. He would always live with the stigma of being the bastard son, and no matter how much he tried that title would always follow him around.
Rick was brought from his thoughts at the sound of a throat clearing. Looking up from the paperwork in front of him he was presented with the person he wanted to see the least of anyone in the world. Shane Walsh.
"Fuck…this day keeps getting better and better." He said.
"Yeah, good to see you again too." Shane bit back.
"Why are you here? I was hoping I didn't have to deal with you anymore." Rick admonished.
"We gotta problem Rick and I am asking your help." Shane said as he sat down in the seat aside of Rick's desk.
"What kind of problem Shane? Is there anything else in my life you need to destroy." Rick asked in a gruff tone.
"Fuck you man, can't you let it go. How many times do I gotta tell you I'm sorry for what happened. It was a mistake."
"A mistake that happened over and over again and destroyed my family, and hurt Riki too." Rick reminded the smug asshole sitting beside him.
"Riki's the reason I'm here. What do you know about this Daryl Dixon that she has shacked up with her?" Shane asked.
"Not much, just that Riki thinks a lot of him and he seems harmless." Rick told Shane, not that it was any of his business.
"Well, he's not harmless." Shane said in an angry tone.
"Does he have a record or any warrants?" Rick asked, now a bit concerned at what Shane was telling him.
"No, but his brother and father have record a mile long. Brother's been in and out of the Pen a few times for dealing, theft, aggravated assault and the likes. The father, Will Dixon, did a few stints in jail for public drunkenness, theft, and assault. The mother died in a house fire when Dixon was young and the older one, Merle, was in Juvie. Social Services intervened and removed the boy to foster care, but he was returned a few weeks later." Shane informed his former partner.
"Fuck Shane, just because he comes from a rough family doesn't mean he's a bad guy. Jesus, you came from a good family and look how you turned out." Rick said, getting in a dig any chance he could.
"I'm getting sick of your shit Rick. I came here because I was concerned about Riki, but since it seems you aren't going to do anything to intervene, then it looks like I'm going to have to take matters into my own hands." Shane threatened.
"Leave them alone Shane. You've done enough damage to Riki for one lifetime. Daryl isn't a bad guy and you need to trust Riki to make her own decisions. She isn't your problem to worry about any more." Rick said.
"Should have known you would be a pussy about this Rick. That's why you lost your wife and why your cousin's life is in danger. You don't know what it's like to be a real man." Shane said angrily.
Rick stood up quickly and before he knew it he and Shane were standing chest to chest and nose to nose. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
"I suggest you leave here now…and don't return ever again." Rick said through gritted teeth while anger and tension rolled off of his body.
"Whatever man. Your loss." Shane said in a snarky tone as he turned to leave. That fucking smirk he always wore shining across his smug face.
Rick let out a deep sigh and flopped back into his desk chair. Somehow he knew Shane was going to cause trouble for Riki and Daryl, and other than warn Riki, there wasn't anything else he could do. Shane would use his connections as a law enforcement officer to make their life hell and unless Rick could prove it was abuse, there wouldn't be any recourse.
…
As they pulled into the parking lot of the Community center, the people of Alexandria were already protesting in full force. Daryl let out an audible snort at the group gathered around the front of the center. Ralph Lauren Polo shirts, designer jeans, expensive jewelry…these people had no idea what it was like to be one of the individuals that relied on this center to give them just one simple chance at life. A chance to become someone who pulled themselves up by the bootstraps to get out of the poverty and desperation that they had known. To say that these protestors made Daryl angry was an understatement. It just proved all of his misgivings about those people who never knew what it was like to wonder when they would eat again. He knew that feeling all too well…there were times when he was younger that he went days without eating because his deadbeat father forgot to buy groceries. Daryl wished that the mountains of North Georgia had a community center like this…but he had nothing and no one to help him out. That was when he learned how to hunt and it was the beginning of his self-reliance. It made him stronger in many ways, but weaker in other ways. This was why he was so damn emotionally stunted, because he never had anyone to rely on. For as long as he knew, it had always been Daryl Dixon versus the world.
Riki noticed the set jaw that Daryl now possessed and could tell he was effected by the protesters. "Daryl, don't let them get to you. I got this under control." She assured him.
He gave her a nod and a grunt and the two exited the vehicle and headed into the back of the building. Daryl could still hear the shouts of the protestors outside, but he did as Riki suggested and ignored them. She then led him in the back door of the center and took him to the front desk.
The blonde from the other night, Beth was going over some schedule issues with a very attractive dark haired girl at the desk. Beth looked up and saw Daryl and Riki, and without thinking her eyes grew wide and she ran over to Daryl and gave him a hug.
"I'm so excited about you working here with us." She exclaimed, blushing. Daryl stood there stiffly not knowing how to react to the pretty little blonde's show of affection.
"Thanks" he grunted out.
Riki gave Beth a strange look, but didn't say anything as she bounced away from Rosita's desk and headed towards her classroom. They could all hear her singing down the hallway.
"She's always in such a fucking good mood. You would think that girl's happiness made the sun rise every morning." Rosita said.
"God I missed you." Riki said as she hugged the sharp-tongued woman.
"Yeah, I missed ya too. I needed to talk to you so bad, but I couldn't get cell service down in Mexico and I landed late last night and didn't want to wake you up." Rosita said.
"Well this is Daryl, and he has agreed to take the job as our new maintenance manager." Riki said as Rosita extended her hand and gave him a firm handshake. Rosita then looked at Riki and a smile crossed her face.
"What?" Riki asked.
"Nothing. Guess I should tell you that Abe dumped me last night before we flew back. He informed me the trip was a last hooray and he was reconciling with his wife Ellen." Rosita told her. Daryl just stood there looking around the front lobby at anything that would distract him from the girl talk he didn't want to take part in.
"Damn Rosie girl…I am so sorry. Are you OK?" Riki asked truly concerned for her friend. Rosita and Abe had a tumultuous relationship at best, but Rosita love the man and it pissed Riki off that he would take her all the way to Mexico and then end things.
"I'm fine I guess. Should of known something was up because he hasn't touched me in the past month." She admitted. Daryl suddenly wanted to disappear. This was not a conversation he ever needed to hear.
"We'll talk later Rosie. I need you to get Daryl started on the paperwork, and then I need you to find out what he needs to do to get a passport. Vancouver will be here before we know it." Riki told her.
"God I can't wait. Maybe I can meet a good Ole Canadian man and get over this shit with Abe." Rosita told her friend.
"Or you could try being single for a while and realize what a good catch you are. Any man would be lucky to have you." Riki told her friend.
"Yeah, yeah…whatever. Come on Daryl, let's get you started." Rosita said as she led Daryl to a table and sat down with a folder full of paperwork for him to fill out.
…
Rosita collected all of Daryl's paperwork, made a copy of his driver's license and social security card and then took him on a tour of the center. Riki had gone to her office to participate in a conference call with some possible donors so she wasn't able to show Daryl around herself.
She introduced Daryl to everyone they came across. Theodore Douglas, or T-dog as he was known to everyone, was the head chef and also drove the van to pick up homeless men who would gather in different parts of the town. They would come in at night, and leave first thing in the morning and Riki made it abundantly clear that they would only be allowed in the center if they were sober. The only time she made an exception was during "white flag" season, which meant the temperatures were exceedingly cold and she worried about people freezing to death.
Beth taught the smaller children music, while Glenn maintained all of the communications and IT systems around the center. There was a bank of computers set up in a small library that allowed the teens to apply to colleges and financial aid, and the older individuals could look for employment opportunities.
Sasha and Maggie were both social workers, so they were responsible for helping to decide who met the criteria for being able to stay in the center's semi-permanent housing. There was room for four families, but currently there was only one family in the dorm. A woman named Carol and her teenaged daughter. When Rosita showed Daryl the dorms, she stopped short of allowing him into the female dorms. "No men allowed in here unless you are doing some sort of maintenance or repair, and to enter we have to clear out anyone that is staying here. State rules we need to follow." Rosita informed him. Daryl nodded in agreement.
She showed Daryl where the medical station was set up and Bob gave Daryl a thorough handshake, and confirmed how glad he was to have him on staff. "Dr. Denise Cloyd is our physician, fresh out of medical school. She comes in around mid-day so she can be here when they start bringing in the over-nighters. For a lot of the homeless Bob and Denise are the only medical care they get. Denise will even go out on the streets during her off-hours to try to help those in need. It's not the safest thing in the world, but she feels committed to the cause." Rosita told her.
He met a lot of other people as Rosita took him around. She explained they also had a night shift that was made up of mostly volunteers and that Sasha's brother Tyreese headed it up. "The volunteers that come in and help are priceless. We have several local companies that send groups of people over a few times a week, and between our regular full time staff and the volunteers we make it work. Of course, no one here is getting rich, and most of us could make a lot more money somewhere else, but the true reward is seeing the faces of those we help." Rosita told him.
Daryl gave a nod "Not a lot of folks willing to do this huh?"
"Nope, we've been looking for someone to fill your position for months, but the salary has kept a lot of people away. You don't know what a blessing you are to us." She said, giving him a smile that caused Daryl to blush.
He wasn't used to all these compliments, but he was trying to be gracious in what everyone told him. He wanted to change…to be seen as more than redneck white trash, but was that possible. If others could believe in him, why couldn't he believe in himself?
"Ain't nothing, I needed a job and this one seemed like a good fit." He told her in a soft gruff voice.
"Well whatever it is, we are lucky to have you." She said as she gave him a pat on the back. One thing was or sure, and that was that Riki had a lot of nice people working for her. She truly did seem to be a good judge of character. How she ever ended up with Shane Walsh baffled him.
"Last but not least we are going to meet Axle, so buckle up and hold on." Rosita said letting out a laugh.
She led him to the maintenance work area and he took a look around while she called out for Axle. He appeared from the back storage room, grinning like a crazy man. The front of his shirt and hands were orange from the bag of Cheetos he was eating from and when he saw Daryl, he quickly began to wipe his hands on his work pants and then extended it out to Daryl.
"Please to meet you sir. It's going to be an absolute pleasure to work with you." Axle said in an exuberant voice.
"Um yeah, nice to meet you too." Daryl said limply reaching out and shaking the man's junk food stained hand.
"I am so glad to finally get some help in here. We have tons to do around this place, and I don't have all the skills you need to handle it. Mr. Dixon you don't know what a blessing you are." Axle told him, once again causing Daryl to blush.
"I'm going to leave you two now. I've got a volunteer up front and with the fucking protests going on outside I have to make sure she hasn't let the press in." Rosita told them as she excused herself.
Daryl stood there for a moment and then looked at Axle. "You got a clipboard around here I could use? I want you to take me around and she me everything, and I'm gonna make a list of what needs to be done."
"Yes sir, that is a good idea." Axle told him as he scavenged up a clipboard, paper, and a pen and handed it to Daryl.
The two men walked around the center and Axle pointed out the things he knew were wrong and needed to be corrected, and Daryl made extra notes at items he found to be a concern. It took them about two hours to go through everything and Daryl looked up at a clock and realized that it was now early afternoon. As if on cue, Riki showed up and asked Daryl if he was ready to take a break. He nodded and the two of them slipped out back and made their way to the designated smoking area. Daryl noted how nice that it was set up with a covering, nice chairs to sit in, and an abundance of ashtrays. He was used to the smoking areas being tucked away from everyone's sight, usually somewhere near a Dumpster or a back alley. This had Riki written all over it.
"I try to keep this area maintained as much as possible. We get a lot of people through here that smoke, and I don't want them feeling like second class citizens. Plus, I pop out here regularly too, and the least I can do is make it comfortable." She told him.
Daryl nodded at her, not missing the fact you could still hear the protestors out front. "How long do you think they will stay?" He asked.
"Until they get what they want, which is me to go out and address them or do something stupid so that it creates a blurb on the evening news. Don't worry though, I've got this under control." She said offering him a sweet smile. She was beautiful, and her standing there with a slight breeze blowing her hair, smoking her cigarette did things to Daryl he couldn't push aside. He had never met anyone like her, and he didn't think that he ever would again.
"Let's grab lunch in the cafeteria and you can tell me about your day." She told him when she finished her cigarette. She stood up and led him back into the building.
Daryl couldn't remember the last time he had an honest to good hot meal for lunch, and the meal that T-dog had prepared for everyone didn't disappoint. Fried Chicken, Mashed potatoes, Green beans, and pound cake were on the menu for the day, and Riki let out a laugh when she saw how Daryl shoved it all down. "I didn't realize how much you liked good 'ole country cooking Daryl."
"This shit is good…can't remember the last time I had a lunch like this. Of course, your cooking is even better." He told her so she knew how much he did appreciate the food she prepared for him.
"T-dog is a trained chef, and he knows how to cook a lot of food for a little money. We are fortunate for the donations we receive, and even more lucky with having someone as talented as T-dog to fix it for us." She told him.
"Yup." Daryl said, still shoveling food into his mouth. When he was done, He looked up at Riki, and she couldn't help but notice the big smile on his face. She realized that Daryl had an appreciation for the small things in life, not dissimilar to a lot of the individuals that were down on their luck that came through the center. She didn't know much about his life, but she could tell there was a lot of hurt and pain in his past. She was glad she had found him, because she needed him in more ways than one.
"Hey, you got a little something…" she started, as she took her napkin and wiped a bit of potato from the corner of his mouth. He blushed upon the contact, but nodded a thank you.
"I ain't got the best table manners. Sorry." He said looking down. His face was flushed and Riki knew she had embarrassed him and she felt bad. What she didn't realize was her soft touch had sent tingles through Daryl's body, and he was doing everything in his power to keep his body in check.
"You're table manners are fine Daryl. I'm happy to see you enjoy this food." She said offering him a reassuring smile.
"Thanks." Daryl replied.
"So tell me what you have been working on today." She said.
Daryl went over the list of items that he had determined needed to be repaired, and then he had mentioned some things he could work on that could improve the comfort of the center.
"I'm gonna go through the inventory cage and see what we have to work with and go from there." He informed her.
"If you need any materials, let me know and I will give you my credit card so you and Axle can purchase the supplies. I want this place to be top notch, and I don't know if Axle told you, but I am really concerned about the inspection in ninety days. We have to get those violations corrected so we don't get shut down." She said.
"Yeah, he told me. He is a chatty individual. I know more about his momma and his personal life in the short time I've known him than I think I know about you." Daryl commented.
Riki laughed "To say Axle is an open book would be an understatement."
"He's nice though…he keeps calling me 'Sir' or 'Mr. Dixon'. Makes me feel like an old man." Daryl said, once again causing Riki to laugh.
Her laughter was quickly ended when they heard the sound of breaking glass coming from the front lobby. Daryl, Riki, and the others ran out to the lobby to find a large rock had been tossed through the glass of the front doors. Riki bit her lip, not looking particularly happy and turned to Daryl "Guess you need to add this to the top of the list."
Anger was visibly rolling off of Daryl. His first instinct was to run outside and confront whoever had done this, and give them a proper ass kicking, but Riki had told him not to give into the assholes.
"Riki, do you want me to call the police?" Rosita asked.
"No, they have enough to contend with and no one was hurt. We'll get it fixed, but I think I'm going to call in Morales early to beef up security." She turned to Daryl "He's our night time security guard, but he's flexible and it might not be a bad idea to have him here."
"Just the one guy?" Daryl asked, concerned for the safety of everyone in the building.
"It's all we can afford, and I'm paying for it myself." She admitted.
"Don't make no sense that more folks don't want to help out. Instead we got these assholes out here protesting 'cause you're doing something good. Fucking pisses me off." Daryl told her, his face flushing in anger.
"Sometimes it's easier for people to put their head in the sand and pretend that poverty doesn't exist. That's why they don't want this center here. This place is a reminder to them that bad things exist, and they don't want to deal with it." Riki told him.
Daryl didn't disagree with her and reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about this mess, I'll handle it. Just make sure you get your security guy here, I don't want anything happening to anyone in this place because of those assholes." Daryl told her doing his best to reassure her that everything would be OK. After spending less than a day in the center, Daryl felt that this was his place too, and he would do whatever he could to make it better and safe.
…
Daryl was going over the inventory with Axle when Rosita and Riki showed up and told him that there was someone up front who wanted to speak to both he and Riki. Daryl's first thoughts were that it was Shane Walsh trying to start some shit. To say he was surprised to see none other than Merle standing out front was a bit of an understatement.
Merle was standing there, dressed better than Daryl had seen him in years, and most importantly, he was stone cold sober. This was a rarity that had Daryl's interest peaked, and by the look on Rosita's face, her interest was peaked as well.
"What do ya want?" Daryl asked in a terse tone.
"Hey now, aren't you glad to see me?" Merle asked.
"I don't know about glad, but surprised for damn sure." Daryl replied.
"I came by to see if you and your friend here would like to come to the house for dinner Saturday night. If you would answer your damn phone sometime I wouldn't have had to come down here. It's a rough crowd out there. I gotta say though, the scenery is much nicer inside." Merle said pointing towards the protestors, and winking towards Rosita, who actually lit up at his comment.
Daryl immediately told him 'No' while Riki spoke louder "We would be glad too Merle. What time?"
"Six, will that work?" He asked, actually shocked that she was willing to come over while it was Daryl who was refusing.
"Perfect, we'll see you then. Is there anything you would like me to bring?" She asked. Merle thought about saying 'yeah your checkbook' but instead he just smiled graciously and told her not to worry about a thing.
"Let me escort you out." Rosita said, giving him her prettiest smile.
"Shit." Riki whispered as Rosita led Merle out of the building.
"What did you do that for and what's wrong?" Daryl asked.
"Look Daryl, maybe he's realized he fucked up and is trying to do better. He needs you in his life, and whether you agree or not, I think you need him. He is your brother and it's obvious y'all have a close bond whether you admit it or not. It can't hurt to do this." Riki said offering him a voice of reason.
"You might be right, but Merle doesn't usually do things out of the goodness of his heart. He's got another angle in there somewhere. I know him." Daryl told her.
"Maybe so, but we've got bigger problems. I can already tell Rosita's got her eye on him. He's her type, and when she wants something, there isn't any stopping her." Riki informed him.
"Shit is right. Merle was checking her out too, and she is his type as well. This can't be a good thing." Daryl told her.
They both looked at each other and then started to laugh. What else could they do?
…
Merle had been clean and sober for three days and he had to admit, it had been a long time since he had felt this lucid. When he had sold the only possession that Daryl cherished to pay off a fucking gambling debt he knew he had hit rock bottom. The look of hurt on Daryl's face was too much to ignore. Sure, Merle did what he always did and passed the guilt to Daryl by implying it had been his fault when he chose to look after Riki instead of helping him pull a job, but he knew it was just an excuse. That job wouldn't have made a dent in the amount that Merle owed the asshole.
When Daryl told him he was done, Merle finally realized he had pushed his baby brother as far as he could. He and Daryl were so different, and Merle tried everything he could to keep his power over Daryl, just like their father had done before him. The sad thing was that Daryl was so different than he and his father, yet he didn't know it because neither of them let him know it. Daryl cared about people and that made it easy to take advantage of him. Yeah, Daryl could be a stubborn hard-ass, but compared to the other Dixon's he was a saint. Daryl was smart, had done well in school until he was forced to drop out at age seventeen so he could get a job when Will did an eight month stint in jail and Merle was away at the State Prison. When Merle found out he was furious, but there wasn't anything he could do. It was just one of the many mistakes that the older two Dixon men made that helped to destroy Daryl's chances of ever getting out of poverty.
Daryl had always been responsible, but instead of Will being proud of him, he resented his youngest son. He was a constant reminder of his failures as a Father, Husband, and a man, and when Will took to the bottle, which was almost constant, he took that anger out on the boy. Daryl was a small skinny kid, and easy to dominate. When Will was finally released from jail, the first thing he did was go by the liquor store and then head to the house.
That night when he got home he was furious to find the house spotless, groceries in the fridge, and even sheets on the beds. When Daryl came in from work, Will was already drunk, and started off the argument by reminding Daryl of how much of a pussy he was for "doing women's work" around the house. He violently attacked his son, nearly beating the boy unconscious, but somehow Daryl found and inner strength and fought back. Daryl knocked his drunk father unconscious, packed his few belongings, and left Chickamauga, Georgia for good. That was the last time Will had seen or heard from his son, until the other day when he caught a blurb about Daryl and Riki on the news. It took him less than five minutes to place a call to Merle to find out what was going on with Daryl.
Merle had still kept in touch with his father after all these years, but the subject of Daryl never once came up. Merle felt he was protecting his baby brother from their asshole of a father, but there was also a selfish part of Merle that wanted to keep Daryl to himself. He controlled his brother's every move, either directly or indirectly. At one point when Daryl was in his early twenties he had started to take classes at the local community college to get certified in HVAC. Daryl was doing well until Merle needed cash one day to buy a fix, and he showed up at the college higher than a kite. He marched himself straight into Daryl's class and caused a scene, both embarrassing his baby brother and then starting a violent fight with the professor that had asked Merle to leave. In the end, Merle did three days in jail and Daryl was told he was no longer allowed at the college. Once again, any chance Daryl had to get himself out of their dismal life was shot to hell.
Now with Merle being sober, he was re-living every shitty thing he had done to Daryl. The end result was a brother that was both emotionally stunted and destined for nothingness. Merle was taking responsibility for this, and it hurt like hell. The final realization of it all was when Daryl finally told him he was moving out. Merle thought there was no way he could do it, especially now that Daryl didn't have any transportation, but that damn rich bitch stood up for his baby brother, and offered him something Merle never could, opportunity.
So after their fight in the yard, Merle marched into the house, sat down on the couch, and began to think. He knew there was absolutely no chance that anything would come out of Daryl's relationship with the socialite. Daryl didn't know how to have relationships with anyone other than Merle, and Merle wasn't even sure if Daryl had ever been with a woman. There were plenty of women who tried to hook up with Daryl; after all, he was a good looking man, but Daryl didn't know how to react around them. He had heard many stories of bar whores complaining that Daryl had turned them down, and then rumors started that Daryl might be gay. Merle knew that wasn't true, Daryl liked women, he just was terrified of them, and well to be honest, never really felt worthy enough to go after one. He damn sure wouldn't touch any of them bar whores, and Merle figured it was his own bouts with STD's that made that decision easy for his younger brother. But damn, just once he wanted his brother to feel some sort of sexual pleasure that didn't take place with his own hand.
So Merle decided that it was time for him to get his shit together and try to finally be the brother that Daryl needed. The first thing he needed to do was sober up, and then he needed to take care of a few loose ends, the biggest being getting Joe paid off for the damn Twenty grand worth of drugs that he had stolen. Merle was supposed to flip it, clean the cash, and return it to Joe, but instead he went on a three week bender and not only used half the drugs, but hadn't bothered to collect the cash he was owed for the other half. Fortunately, he had spent the previous day 'collecting' what was owed to him, and at least had half the money. He was hoping that Saturday he could convince Riki and Daryl to lend him the other half. Daryl knew how serious the situation would be if he didn't pay back Joe, and felt confident his brother would help convince the girl to help him out. Once he had Joe paid back, Merle was convinced he was done with drinking and drugging. He would get a legitimate job, and then hopefully he could convince Daryl to move back home. He wouldn't be able to get his bike back, he didn't have enough money for that, but they could at least share the truck to get around.
When Will called yesterday morning suddenly inquiring about Daryl's well being Merle knew that the son-of-a-bitch had seen Daryl on the news with Riki. Suddenly Will was crying about how much he missed his baby boy and after all these years they needed to let the past go and that he had 'changed'. The only thing that had changed about Will Dixon was that he was now much feebler and couldn't physically beat his boys like he used too. Merle told him he hadn't heard from Daryl and if he did, he would pass along his good wishes. Will's attitude changed and the phone call ended with Will hanging up abruptly.
So Merle got up that Monday morning, pulled out some half way decent clothes hidden in the back of his closet, and decided to pay Daryl a visit. It didn't take him long to figure out where Riki worked, and he assumed that she most likely would give Daryl a job. So he gambled and headed towards the center and sure enough his hunch had been right.
He invited his brother to dinner, and even though Daryl said No, Riki had agreed. That gave him a glimmer of hope that the girl might be breaking through Daryl's emotional walls. He knew if she was truly interested in Daryl, she was going to have a tough fight ahead of her, but Damn Daryl deserved some sort of happiness.
The bonus of his little excursion was the hot as hell chick that ran the place with Riki. She had shown an interest in Merle the minute he walked into that front lobby. Merle had to fight through the crowd out front to enter the center. He also had told more than one of the asshole protestors to fuck the hell off when they started shouting at him about how much the Center was destroying their 'better way of life'. These were the people that Merle despised most in the world; fucking sheep is what he always called them. One man even made a weak attempt to step forward to challenge Merle, but Merle stood tall and the man backed down immediately.
When little Ms. Rosita greeted him with that hot body and those pearly white teeth, Merle thought his dick was gonna bust through his pants. She looked like one of them models in the girly magazines he kept under the bathroom sink, but she had a lot more class. She smelled like expensive perfume and had a voice that could melt butter. When he asked to speak to Daryl and Riki, she was more than obliging, and returned again flashing him that pretty smile of hers. The best part was that after he talked to his brother and the socialite, Rosita escorted him out to his truck, and then slipped him her number. She told him she would love to meet him for coffee sometime. Redneck whores don't meet for coffee, but women of class did. So Merle gave her a wink and told her he would call her later that night. Maybe this being clean and sober shit wasn't gonna be so bad after all.
…
Riki's plan to talk to the media went brilliantly. She told them about the Center and gave them a tour and even introduced them to several of the employees, including Daryl. They managed to get a few words out of him when they asked him why he had chosen to work at the Center when there were better job opportunities elsewhere. He simply told them "because I know what it's like to be hungry and these people deserve a chance." Riki couldn't have been more proud of him.
After blowing away the press with her interview, the media lost interest in the protestors and now had changed the story to one of human interest. She had accomplished what she wanted and Daryl was taken back with how well she handled everything. She was like a shining star.
When they finally left work to head back to the condo, Daryl asked her if she wanted to stop by and pick up some dinner, and she told him she had a surprise for him waiting back at home. He wasn't sure what to think, but he trusted her so he didn't ask any questions.
They got home and Daryl immediately cleaned out the litter boxes like he had promised, and then told Riki he was going to take a shower. He was filthy from rooting around in the old inventory room and something about Riki made him want to look his best. There were times when he would go out on a hunt that he wouldn't shower or bathe for a week, and it never once bothered him, but Riki was changing him, and he didn't think that was a bad thing. He suddenly had someone he wanted to be better for.
Daryl's muscles were tired from all the lifting he had done, and he felt a slight headache coming on, but he hoped the hot shower would offer him some relief. As the warm water sluiced over his body his mind went over the events of the day. Merle showing up had taken him by surprise, and Riki accepting his brother's dinner invitation had taken him by even a bigger surprise. He was curious to see what Merle was up too, and seeing his older brother sober for the first time in a long while gave Daryl a glimmer of hope. Maybe Merle was realizing it was time to grow up.
Daryl slipped on some clean jeans and a T-shirt and didn't even bother to put on socks. He felt surprisingly comfortable around Riki, and a part of him wished he could sleep with her in his arms every night as they had done the night before. "Stop kidding yourself Dixon, she was in a bad spot and needed a friend, and that's what you are to her…a friend." He thought back to earlier in the morning when he told her that he was just being a friend that he saw a hint of disappointment on her face, but he had to have been imagining that. He wished they could be more, but there wasn't any way that he could allow it. She would break his heart and then he would lose her completely.
When Daryl emerged form his bedroom he found the table lit with candles and dinner waiting for him. Riki had turned on the news, curious to see the news story on the Center. "I hope we are able to pick up some donations and some volunteers from the story today. That would really piss off those Assholes from Alexandria." She joked.
"What's all this? Did you cook it all when I was in the shower?" He asked surprised at the food laid out on the table. He had no idea what half of it was, but Riki motioned for him to sit, so he obliged.
"I thought you might enjoy a Japanese meal. My guess is you have never had one before." She said giving him a smile.
"Hmmm, what made you think that?" He asked giving her a rare smile.
"We will start out with Sushi and Sashimi" She told him, as she explained the various dishes sitting on the table in front of him. He looked a little skeptical at the idea of eating raw fish, but she told him what would taste good with the different sauces laid out, so he trusted her and tried it. The explosion of the different flavors on his tongue was amazing.
"This shit is good...real fucking good" he told her shoving more into his mouth. He accidentally took a large bite of Wasabi before Riki could warn him, and that sent Daryl for his water glass, gulping down water as fast as he could.
"That's Wasabi, and you only use a little of it. It's got quite a kick." She told him as she fought back laughter.
"Yeah, it's got a kick. It's still good though." He told her, laughing as well.
She convinced him to eat the salad with the ginger dressing, and promised him his manhood would not be threatened by eating a salad. Then he ate some Edamame after she explained that you eat the bean on the inside and disposed of the salted husks. The final course was Kobe beef with rice, tempura vegetables, and some more dipping sauces. By the time they were done Daryl thought he was going to burst.
"I don't know how I'm ever gonna be able to re-pay you for all you've done for me." Daryl told her.
"Seeing you enjoy the dinner is re-payment enough Daryl. I told you I don't have a lot of friends, and having you here, enjoying and appreciating things means the world to me. And then after what you did for me last night, I'd say I still owe you quite a bit Daryl." She said.
The way she said his name made his heart flutter. She said it with such a tenderness and caring tone in her voice. He hadn't heard that since a few years before his mother had passed away. He also had forgotten how much he had missed it.
"I won the food service in a raffle, so you get to pick out your meals all week long while I'm gone to San Francisco. The menu is on the counter and all you have to do is order whatever, and how much you want, and they will bring it to you at whatever time you request it. It's actually not costing me anything." She assured him.
"It's like fancy room service or something." Daryl said, grinning at the idea of having hot cooked food for the unforeseen future.
"Yep, and you can order breakfast and lunch on Saturday. Do you have anything planned while I'm gone?" She asked.
"Got a lot to do at the Center and figured I would put in extra hours trying to get things caught up. Tomorrow I'm gonna call around and price out what we need. I promise to be smart with the spending since I know the Center ain't got a lot of money." He told her.
"Daryl, you don't know how much I appreciate that. I knew I had done the right thing by hiring you. What did you think of your first day?" She asked.
"Everyone's real nice, even Axle. Does Beth always greet someone with a hug like that?" Daryl asked.
"Sometimes. She is probably one of the sweetest and most talented individuals I know. She can sing and play the piano and guitar. A couple of times a month I have her perform for the residence. It seems to soothe them and Beth really enjoys it. Her heart is the size of Texas and I don't think she has a mean bone in her body. Now her older sister Maggie, good as gold but tough as nails. Glenn handles her well though."
They finished up with dinner, and wrapped up the left overs and then moved to the couch to watch the news. Without thinking Daryl pulled Riki up against him and she tucked her feet under her relishing in the comfort of his strong arms again. When he realized what he had done, he momentarily froze, but when he saw that Riki was actually smiling, he let out a breath and just enjoyed her warmth.
"Daryl, I didn't make you mad today when I accepted dinner with your brother did I? I just want to see you two on good terms. He might not have been the best brother, but I can tell deep down he cares for you. It's nothing like the relationship I have with my brother. He hates me, and he doesn't do anything to try to convince anyone any different. It wasn't right for me to do that, but there was something about him that made me think he was really trying." She told him.
"It pissed me off at first, but you have been right about everything else, so I decided just to go with it. Just don't let your guard down around him and we'll see how it goes. It's been a while since I've seen him sober. I will tell ya this, I wouldn't trust him here, He'd probably steal half your shit." Daryl admitted.
"He might surprise you Daryl. But for now, I'll trust your instinct too. You know him best." She said giving him a smile.
They watched the news and Daryl was impressed how the story was presented. He even thought he came across looking less like a redneck and more like a normal person. Yeah, his accent was still strong and he had a hard time looking at the camera, but what he said came from the heart, and that showed in the interview.
After the news they watched a few TV shows and Oscar and Lucky jumped up on the couch to make it a foursome. Daryl was doing his best to stay awake, but being as relaxed and comfortable as he was snuggled on the couch with Riki was making it difficult. He wanted to hold her here like this forever, but he knew they needed to head to bed.
"I reckon it's time to hit the hay." He told her.
"I know…it's just that this has been so nice. I'm not used to cuddling with such a handsome man." She said to him as his face flushed. She took a chance and craned her neck so she could give him a chaste kiss on the lips. Daryl let out an audible moan.
"Riki…I don't think this is a good idea." He admitted to her, scared out of his mind.
"Shhh Daryl, just relax and kiss me." She told him softly.
So Daryl closed his eyes and gently kissed her. He didn't have much experience, but the moan that came deep from her throat when their lips parted and their tongues mingled let him know he must be doing something right. It seemed like their kiss was an electrical shock running through their bodies.
Riki ran her fingers through his hair as he caressed her cheek as they deepened the kiss. Her knees were weak with pleasure and he could feel parts of him light on fire as their tongues continued to explore each other's mouth. Finally, Daryl pulled away gently and stood up from the couch. He offered his hand to Riki and helped her up. Her body was trembling and he knew he was sporting an erection, but he didn't care. Something about this woman made him feel comfortable, and he knew that tonight nothing would go any further.
He led her to her bed, tucked her in, and gave her a final kiss goodnight as Oscar and Lucky snuggled in with her.
"Daryl, I don't want this to be weird for you in the morning OK. This isn't some sort of game I'm playing with you, I truly have feelings for you." She said in a tone that let Daryl know she was serious.
"I got feelings for ya too Riki, but you gotta be patient with me. I don't know how this shit works. But I promise you one thing, for once in my life I don't feel awkward and I got you to thank for that. See ya in the morning girl." He said as he gave her a final peck on the lips and then headed off to his own bed, knowing there wasn't any way he would be able to fall asleep.
So sorry about the delay for posting...I promise to get better. I am not totally thrilled with this chapter, but I wanted to get something posted before everyone thought I abandoned the story.
Thoughts? I really really need to hear from you for some inspiration to keep writing. I haven't had a lot of response and I'm not sure if it is because the story is stupid or boring. Please let me know.
I LOVED the Season 6B premier the other night...I won't spoil anything for those of you who haven't seen it, but OMG...lots of things went BOOM.
Please enjoy and if you think about it, leave me a review and let me know what you think, or if you have suggestions. This story is very fluid, and I can always change my ideas around.
Take care and have a fantastic day/week...hopefully I will have a chappie up by Sunday.
Thanks and much love and appreciation-
Missy
XXOO