Much later it was dark again, and they had gotten up and heated some leftover pizza in the microwave after falling asleep around four. Allie just wore her t-shirt and panties, and Daryl was in his boxers and t-shirt as if they did it every day. They could be together this way, every day, maybe someday. Of course, they weren't thinking of moving in together or anything like that, yet.

But this was a great way to ring in the New Year, without a doubt.

The wind blew outside, but they were warm in her kitchen, New Year's Day was almost over, and Allie couldn't remember a better one in the past few years. She was so glad she was off and could be here with him like this.

Luna was at his feet purring as he leaned down and gave her a piece of his pizza. It was surreal how normal and right this felt.

Everything just fell into place like domino's one after the other, he was feeling well despite treatment, and he had met her. How could it get any better than this?

No there was nothing better than eating pizza, standing in her kitchen in the dead of winter, and there was nowhere he'd rather be.

A song came on that Daryl liked and he took her plate from her and set both hers and his on the table. Then he was holding her, and they were dancing slow right in her kitchen. He intertwined his fingers with hers as they danced, and to her, it was the most romantic thing. He made her so happy, in every way.

I wannarock your gypsy soul, just like way back in the days of old, then magnificently we will float, into the mystic.

He didn't twirl her around the kitchen floor or anything like that, they just held each other and moved as the music washed over them on the dark night. He hummed in her ear with the song, and she laid her head on his shoulder as if it belonged there.

"When can I see you again?" He asked.

"Friday?"

"No, I mean…"

"I know what you mean," She said quietly, "It's just."

Daryl felt his stomach flip, thinking this was it, she'd come to her senses. He mentally prepared himself for what he was sure was coming. To his credit he kept dancing with her and he would keep dancing with her, now and through life until she told him otherwise.

But it was coming, he knew it for sure.

"We can't, not till you're done treatment, I could get in trouble, lose my job or licenses," She said.

"Oh, oh shit." Daryl replied, "I didn't know that."

"It's not even really cool after ethically, but at least I can't be reprimanded by the state for it," She said, "It's just, you know judgments get made, it could look shady."

"You wanna be with me?" He asked even though he was afraid of the answer.

"Yes," She replied.

"Then we tell people we met in the supermarket, cause I ain't letting you go," He said, "No one has to know but you, me, and our close people about the scandalous truth."

"Makes it kind of dirty actually," She said looking up at him with a glint in her eye, "Tawdry."

"Exciting," He grinned at her, "Kinda like that thing in your tongue," He said running his nose over her neck, nuzzling it softly, and he felt his face flush because of what he just said.

"You like that huh?"

"Yeah," He said as his face flamed red, "How long have you had it?"

"Since I was sixteen," She said.

"You kissed a lot of guys with that?" He asked.

"Including you?" She asked, and he nodded, "Two."

He liked that answer.

"Why'd you get it?" He asked.

Allie shrugged, "To piss off my Mom I think."

"Gotcha," He said, "I like it,"

"You'll like it even better after tonight," She said with a grin, and he pulled her closer, he was half hard again just hearing her talk like that.

Merle had been right, she had a wild streak a mile long.

"Are you sure I can't sneak over some nights after dark?" He asked, and she shook her head, "But can I call you, or text?"

"Yes," She answered him slowly as if she was still considering it.

"Are you sure?" He said looking at her, and she was biting her lip, which at any other time would be sexy but not now.

"Yes," She said, "I'm sorry, yes, call me every night if you want to, text me all day long."

He pulled her closer still.

"It's just five more weeks; we can do this. It's going to suck, but we'll get through it."

"We really have to not let on at my job about this," She said, "And I don't like doing that, being dishonest, I'm not ashamed of you."

"Hey, I get it, it's about keeping your job, and I'm not gonna lie it's fucking hot to think about seeing you there and knowing I'm the only one who's seen what's under that uniform," He shrugged as she grinned at him, "What can I say, I'm a guy."

"Can you stay?" She murmured, "Tonight if you want to."

"Just try and get rid of me." He replied, thinking that he could love her, he could love her for the rest of his life, and maybe he already did.

"I'm sorry if I sound paranoid," She said.

"You don't have to say sorry to me for anything, just promise you'll follow your heart when it comes to us," He said, "And not care what people think."

"I will," She replied, "I didn't mean for this to happen, but I'm not sorry."

"Would you have contacted me?" He asked, "When I was done if Merle hadn't opened his big mouth."

She shook her head.

"That's what I thought," He said, "But I think things sometimes happen just the way they're supposed to."

"I agree," She said looking up at him and kissing him.

"No matter what, we just don't let go of each other, deal?"

"Deal," She replied and pulled him closer, breathing him in, they had two more days together before it was back to reality.

Then he spun her around and dipped her right there in the middle of the kitchen.

She laughed and smiled up at him, "Didn't know you were such a good dancer."

"I'm not," He said pulling her back up and continuing the dance, "I'm winging it just like everything else lately."

33333333333333333333

Tara called to check in that night, and she was a little tipsy from being at the party that day. Allie could hear Alisha shushing her in the background, but Tara just ignored her. Tara rarely drank, but apparently, she'd had more than a few at the New Year's Party.

It was seven pm, and Tara was trashed beyond belief, Allie knew she would be hungover bad the next day. But for tonight she enjoyed her friend and her playful nature.

Tara spoke to Allison for a few minutes and then asked to talk to Daryl, Allison wondered how she knew he was still there and Tara just burst out laughing.

"Lemme talk to Daryl," Tara whined into the phone until Allie gave up and handed him the phone.

"Hey Tara," He said into the phone.

"Are you taking good care of her?" Tara slurred, "She's my bess frien, you better be good to her and don't be throwing her no pity fuck and then leaving her, I'll have to shoot you."

"Never crossed my mind, I promise," Daryl said with a grin, "You have nothing to worry about."

"You love her?" Tara said, and then Alisha grabbed the phone from her told them she was putting Tara to bed and Happy New Year.

33333333

Later that night they laid in bed talking, Daryl hadn't had a better New Year's Day ever. Last year not too long after New Year's was when he'd gotten the first headache which set him on the path to her. A cancer diagnosis was a horrible thing, but he knew he would gladly go through it all again because it was the luckiest thing that had ever happened to him. Merle had said Sweet December, and he had been absolutely right.

"I'd like to see a beach someday," Daryl said, holding her hand and looking at their two hands together, "I've been writing things down that I want to do after this is over with."

"There's lots of beaches where I come from," Allie said, "But the lifestyle is so fast up there, I wouldn't like to be there for very long."

"We could go to Savannah, there's beaches there, but I ain't never been," He said.

"I'd love to go there," She said turning over to lay her head on his chest. He pulled her close and ran his fingers through her hair.

"Me too," He answered.

"This isn't a bucket list you're making is it?"

"Nah, it's a list of things I want to do with you," Daryl said, "It's the kind of list of things you wanna live for."

That satisfied her; he was going to live, he'd done everything he was supposed to do. He was now on the road to recovery.

"You are going to live; you're going to live to be an old, old man." She said with a smile, "And you'll do all the things on that list."

With you I hope, he thought to himself.

"I know," He pulled her closer, "Will you come to the beach with me, even if it's the dead of winter?"

I thought you'd never ask, she thought to herself.

"I would love to go to the beach with you," Allison said, "Maybe when you're done with treatment we can take a few days and go away together, to Savannah or wherever you want."

"I'd like that a lot," He said as she climbed onto his lap and faced him.

"Good," She smiled, "We can plan something whenever you want, then start going down the list, if you want."

"I want to," He said.

"Me too," She said kissing down his neck and sucking on his skin with her wet mouth; he could feel the stud along his neck, and he moaned out loud, "But right now? Right now I'm gonna suck your dick," She said moving her lips down his chest.

"Allie," He breathed out.

She looked up at him through her bangs, moving the stud around in her mouth so that he could see it, "Don't you wanna know how it feels?"

"Yeah I do," He barely whispered.

"One more thing to cross off that list of yours," She laughed.

"How do ya know that's on there?" He said with a grin.

"Just a feeling I get," She said as she kissed and licked her way down his stomach, and Daryl mentally checked out and checked this off his list even though he knew he'd want it again and again.