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This chapter contains a quote from J.R.R Tolkien's poem "All That is Gold Does Not Glitter"

Jameson pulled her car into the spot next to her apartment building. She had been surprised he asked to go for a ride but also ecstatic. She spent the entire drive nervously thrumming her fingertips on the steering wheel, and bouncing in her seat. She had been thinking about riding with him on and off all day, seeing him leaning against her car out back made heat pool deep in her stomach. He was too damn hot, stretched out looking all comfortable-like against the car door, smoking like some kind of redneck James Dean.

'Get you're shit together Jameson, he is probably just bein' nice to the weird girl. Maybe he just wants to thank you for hooking him up with Jim.' She thought, pulling open her car door.

She looked over and saw him parked next to the curb. He turned his bike off and walked over to her.

"Ya mind if I use your restroom before we go?" he asked looking embarrassed.

She smiled and nodded. They walked upstairs and once they got into her apartment she asked, "Hey how did work go? Just a short day or something?"

"Ya. He had me do some work but he had a light schedule. I'll have full days the rest of the week." he answered and then pointed at the bathroom.

She laughed, "Oh yeah sorry go on. I'm gonna change."

She went into her bedroom and pulled on clean long sleeved thermal. It was chilly out and being on the bike was going to be colder so she grabbed her knit hat and gloves. She pulled off her chucks and laced up her high combat boots. When she walked out of the bedroom she saw Daryl sitting on her couch. He looked up, chewing on his lip. His lip curved up into a crooked smile when he saw her and asked, "Ya ready?"

"Almost, gonna pee." She said, her cheeks getting pink with her admission of having a bodily function.

She closed the bathroom door and huffed a nervous breath.

'What're ya doin Jameson. Gettin' embarrassed because you have to pee?' she shook her head thinking about what a bumbling idiot she became when she was near Daryl. When she exited the bathroom she pulled on her knit beanie hat and heard him laugh. She looked up and saw his amused expression.

"What? It's gonna be cold, I'd like to keep my ears from getting frostbite." She said, irritated that he was making fun of her.

"Not laughin' at ya. Ya just look…." He trailed off.

"Just look what? Dumb?" she asked feeling her irritation grow, she squinted at him.

"No. It's just…you look cute, ok." He said chewing on his lip and looking away. Jameson sighed and bit her lip. "Sorry, Didn't mean to get pissy." She mumbled.

"It's fine. Do ya still wanna go? If it's too cold it's fine." he asked looking worried, his hands shoved deep in his pockets.

"I wanna go. I mean if you still want to ride with such a bitch and all…" she muttered feeling like such an asshole. He was giving her a compliment and she snapped at him like a nut job.

"You're not a bitch 'n I really wanna go for a ride with ya." He said making eye contact, showing her he was being honest. She smiled and pulled on her hoodie, topping it with her leather jacket.

She looked fucking adorable when she pulled on the little black beanie. He couldn't hold in his amused laugh but he realized his mistake right after. He would've been pissed if someone laughed at him like that. His heart stopped when he realized he had upset her and tried to back pedal from fucking up the afternoon. Luckily he salvaged it and they made their way downstairs. While she had been using the bathroom he thought of the place he wanted to take her. She was from the area but he didn't think many people knew of the spot he had found randomly on their last trip through town. He wanted to see if she'd like the twisting ride up the mountain to the secret spot he went to, to think.

"Ya ok with alotta turnin' roads?" he asked hoping she would be ok with a longer curvy ride.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You're a good rider; you take turns easy with me on the back. " She answered as she slid on the bike behind him.

"S'nuthin' Just careful when I have a passenger." He answered feeling awkward with her compliment. He hadn't realized he had been more careful with her on his bike. Now that she mentioned it he realized it was true. She wrapped her arms around his stomach and he felt the heat from her arms through his flannel. He felt his jeans tighten. He groaned inwardly and growled at himself, 'Hold it together fucker.'

He could feel her chest against his back, her legs spread behind his, the heat of her inner thighs touching his legs through the denim. He couldn't stop himself. He placed a hand on her thigh, squeezing it once, his thumb stroking over the rough fabric. He closed his eyes tightly as he strangled out, "Ya ready?" then he pried his hand away from her warm leg. Daryl felt her head nod against his back as she squeezed his middle to assure him she was holding on. He swallowed hard and nodded.

Daryl pulled the bike out of the parking lot and gently rode off down the road. The spot he wanted to take her to wasn't far but he wanted to make it last so he took her the long way through the forest. It was fall and all the leaves were changing colors. The tree's canopies were flaming reds, oranges and yellows. They fell and tumbled along the road before them. They rode through different patches of fallen foliage, causing it to ripple up behind the bike, trailing after them in waves of autumn color like flames.

He watched the yellow line speed along as he expertly turned with the road. This was his favorite part of riding, the free feeling of flying along the road, nothing holding him back. This ride was so much better than any other he had ever taken. He was flying along but had someone with him, a warm interesting girl, wrapped all around him. He could feel her arms tighten at certain sharper turns but relax once they had passed. She moved fluidly with his body and the bike. She leaned with him when needed and made it easy to control the bike, something not everyone knew how to do. He didn't have to struggle with balancing the other weight on the bike because she fused herself to him; they were like one person on the bike. They were completely unison in their movements. He could even feel her breathing matching his. He smiled at how comfortable and how natural it felt to ride with her behind him. He never wanted to ride alone again.

Jameson enjoyed feeling the cool air rush past. She kept her head against his back, moving with his body as he leaned for turns. She made sure she moved exactly the way he did. She had ridden before with her brother and she knew it was difficult to control a bike with an extra body on the back. Johnnie had always told her how to lean with the curves and turns in the road. Jameson hoped she still knew how to do it. It had been awhile since she had been on a long ride.

She watched the gorgeous colors of fall rush past her. She closed her eyes at one point, reveling in the feeling of Daryl's wide back against her face, the warmth of his stomach muscles flexing beneath her arms. She smelled his leather cut and cigarette smoke. She took deep breaths of him and the wet forest that surrounded them.

It was freeing, riding with him. It felt like she belonged on the bike, she belonged all tangled around Daryl. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to smash that feeling down but couldn't. It was burning inside her chest. Growing with a vengeance every time she saw him or spoke with him. Taking a long ride on his bike, holding onto him was not going to help her pull back. It made the strange feeling of longing inside her grow exponentially. She swallowed the lump in her throat when she opened eyes and realized she didn't want to let go. She wanted to ride on the back of this man's bike forever, just her and him flying through the roads, through the turns and over the mountains. She wanted to ride away and not look back. She wanted to hold onto this feeling of being connected to someone. Jameson wanted Daryl, wanted him more than anything she had before. It was mind shattering, earth shaking and completely terrifying but her face cracked into a huge grin.

She tucked her face into his back and closed her eyes. She focused on his breathing, the flexing of his shoulders as he controlled the bike, the thrum of the loud engine below them. When she opened her eyes again she saw they were nearing the top of the mountain on the edge of town. She could see the town below and the horizon beyond. It was overcast but not dreary. The bright colorful forest surrounding town was vibrant and beautiful from so high up. They pulled off the road onto a small dirt outcropping.

Daryl let her balance on his shoulders as she pulled her leg over the bike. Her legs felt weak from the long ride but she was sure footed.

"Ya ok?" he asked place a hand on her elbow when he saw her stumble slightly.

"Yeah just wobbly legs from the ride. I'm good." She answered with a smile. "That was an amazing ride. Beautiful."

He gave her a crooked smile and said, "I was hopin' ya'd like it. Come on follow me." He climbed off the bike and strolled into the forest nearby. They took a small footpath for a few minutes until they reached a cliff. At the end of the cliff was a wood bench. Jameson walked around to sit and saw that it had an inscription.

"Not all who wander are lost."

"Huh." She muttered and added, "I guess there's a Tolkien fan nearby." Daryl tilted his head in confusion. "It's a quote from a poem in the Lord of the Rings books." She explained and sat down, looking out over the forest tops.

"This is fuckin' beautiful." She said with a smile. Daryl chuckled and sat next to her.

"This's my favorite spot ta go when we're in town. I like sittin' here." He said quietly, leaning back, stretching his long legs out in front of him and crossing them at the ankles.

They sat quietly looking at the town below when Jameson let out a snort. Daryl turned to look at her and asked, "Wha'?"

"Its just funny. It doesn't look like a shithole from up here." She said with a smirk, rolling her head to the side to look at him. He snorted and said, "Ya guess distance does that."

She watched him for a moment and looked back over at the view. She got an idea and said, "Wait here."

Daryl watched her walk back up the path towards the bike. He smiled and thought about what she said about the ride. He was happy she enjoyed it as much as he had. He sighed and relaxed against the bench again. He hadn't known where the quote was from and it made him smile to know she knew it right away. It made it feel like their spot now, not just his. He heard her approaching again and turned to look at her. She was carrying the box of pastries from the bakery she gave him.

He smirked, "Ya stealin' my sweets now?"

"Hey now, technically I gave 'em to ya," she explained, setting the box down between them.

"Yeah ya gave 'em ta me, now you're takin 'em back?" he said raising a challenging eyebrow.

"Pfft. Fine you eat every single one while I watch." She said with an equally challenging raised brow. He chuckled and shook his head. He picked up the box, untying it and opening the top. He looked at everything she had packed into the small box.

"Watcha want?" he asked looking up from the confections at her.

She chewed on her lip and took out the two cupcakes. "Oh so your eatin two things now huh?" he joked, watching her place them on the bench. She closed the lid and put the cupcakes on top of the box.

"Nope we're splittin' 'em. This ones Vanilla with strawberry cream filling and a buttercream frosting. This one is double chocolate with Bavarian cream filling and a chocolate ganache. Think fancy Little Debbie cupcake." She explained as she pulled out her switchblade.

"Don't worry its clean. I don't gut animals with it." She said with a smirk.

Daryl squinted at her and realized she was teasing him. "How'd ya know I use my knife to gut things?" he asked with a furrowed brow.

"Daryl…you're a redneck. You said you own a crossbow and it's a hunting knife. I deduced you hunt, and when you hunt you have to dress animals. Soooooo I guarantee your blade has old animals guts on it. I like my cupcakes gore free." She said while cutting both cupcakes down the middle.

"Pfft I clean my knife." He muttered. She picked up one half of the vanilla one and handed him the other.

Daryl took it and bit it in half. The filling was oozing everywhere but he moaned once he felt the sweet treat on his tongue. It was mind-blowingly good, sweet but not too sweet. The filling had enough tart to cut the sugar.

"Fuckin' so good right?" she mumbled while licking her fingers of frosting and strawberry filling. He watched her suck on her fingertips. His mind going blank but full at the same time, images of her lips sucking on other things shuffled through his brain. He looked away and put the rest of the cupcake in his mouth, chewing slowly. He moaned again and mumbled, "Those are evil." He licked his fingers clean and rubbed his face with the back of his hand.

She laughed when Daryl looked over at her. "Wha?" he asked, rubbing his hand over his mouth knowing he probably made a mess. She reached over the gap between them, leaning to rub frosting off his jaw. She held up her finger showing the frosting he had missed. He watched her pop it into her mouth. He raised an eyebrow at her antics.

She turned pink and cleared her throat. "Don' judge. I have a sweet tooth and you're wasting the good stuff." He laughed and shook his head.

"Ya made those today?" he asked picking up his half of the chocolate cupcake.

"Ya I usually make the cupcakes. Lori lets me experiment with the flavors 'n stuff." She told him, lifting the chocolate one to her pink lips. He watched her take a bite and close her eyes, humming.

'She doesn't fuckin' know how hot she is' he told himself, shaking his head.

He ate his in one bite, trying to save himself from making a mess but didn't succeed. He got chocolate frosting in his beard and dripped it on his shirt.

"Damn" he mumbled with a mouthful of cake.

She chuckled and watched him turn pink. "Sorry. They're messy." She said reaching into her jacket. She pulled a bandana out of the inside pocket and handed it to him. He held it for a moment, looking at it confused.

"What?" she asked, "It's clean, swear."

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his own bandana. They matched. She laughed and said, "Well ya don't need mine then." She reached for it but he pulled it out of reach, wiping his face and shirt with it.

"Why dirty mine when I can use your?" he said with a smirk and a laugh when she looked offended. He handed it back and watched her huff out an irritated breath but could see her hide a smile. They sat in silence for a while when the wind picked up. He saw her pull her jacket tighter around herself.

"We should go, getting' colder 'n looks like rain." He told her standing up. He stretched, reaching his arms up high and groaned in pleasure at feeling his muscles pull. He looked down and saw her staring at him. She realized he was looking at her and shook her head. "Ya let's go." She murmured, retying the box lid and standing up. They walked the path back to the bike and climbed on. He took the fast route home since the weather was turning. He didn't want to make her ride in the rain on wet slick roads.

Jameson had to force herself to stop staring at his stomach when he stretched. She could see a sliver of tanned skin and a happy trail. She wanted to follow that happy trail all the way...

'Such a pervert. Stop.' She scolded herself, her cheeks burning.

The ride home was quicker. She noticed he took a different route and realized he took her on the longer one earlier. She was happy he did that because it was way more scenic. When they pulled into town, the rain started. It was only a little at first but by the time they arrived to her apartment it was pouring.

"Come up, ya can't ride in this." She hollered over the rain and thunder. She saw him nod and they jogged up the steps.

Once in the apartment they peeled off their soaking jackets and shoes. "Ill get ya a towel," she said walking into the bathroom. She brought out her extra towel and handed it to him. She saw that his jeans were soaked. "I have some extra clothes that'll fit you, I can throw yours in the wash…" she said trying to sound normal and not excited by the idea of him staying long enough to have his clothes washed and dried.

"Umm…." He hesitated chewing on his lip looking away from her.

"Nevermind. That's weird huh?" she mumbled and turned to go into her bedroom. Her clothing was soaked and she was shivering.

'Stop pushing yourself on the guy, so pathetic and desperate.' Jameson muttered inside.

"Wait. Yeah. Just….who's clothes are they?" he said with a furrowed brow.

"Oh. Just some of my brother's things." She answered, chewing on her lip. Jameson watched him nod and smile slightly, "Ya dry stuff sounds good."

She brought out a pair of large flannel sleep pants and an old Megadeath t-shirt.

"I'm gonna change in my room, you can take the bathroom." She said with a half smile.

When she came out in her pajamas she saw Daryl sitting on the sofa in the clothes she gave him she smiled. He looked adorable in loungewear. He stood up and handed her a folded pile of wet clothing. She took them over to the tiny closet that housed her stacked washer and dryer.

"Best part of this place is the actual laundry in the units. No laundry rooms. I hate laundry rooms," she said, pouring in detergent and adding some of her dirty laundry. She turned it on and shut the door. "It's loud as fuck but I don't have to go to some creepy basement so it outweighs the irritation."

Daryl laughed and sat back down. Jameson stood there for a moment trying to figure out what they would do now. She chewed her lip and realized she'd only eaten a cupcake worth of food for the whole day. "Do you want something real to eat? I mean besides sugar?" she asked, shuffling into the kitchen.

"Ya. Starvin' actually but ya don' have ta cook or whatever." He told her but followed her.

She looked in the fridge and asked, "How about grilled cheeses and soup?" She turned around and looked at him leaning against the kitchen counter. He looked comfortable in her place and she liked it.

"Sounds good." He said with a smile and sat down at the flimsy table. Jameson nodded and pulled out the butter, cheese and bread. She heated the pan and added a pad of butter, waiting for it to melt. Then she poured a can of soup into a pot to heat on the stove. Once the sandwiches were toasting and the soup heating up she pulled out dishes.

"Do ya cook a lot?" he asked, watching her move around the kitchen.

"Yeah. It's cheaper. I end up at the diner when I've haven't shopped or am too lazy to cook." Jameson told him with a smirk. Daryl nodded and grunted.

She set his food down and brought hers over, sitting down across from him. She didn't know why but she decided to fuck with him. "Can you say grace?" she said barely containing a giggle at his shocked face.

"Wha? I …um." He stammered looking flustered. She couldn't hold it in and laughed at his worried expression.

"I'm joking, stop freaking out." She said between laughing gasps. He was glaring at her but she could see a hint of humor in his eyes. "Sorry I couldn't not fuck with you. It's so easy." She said, calming down. She wiped her eyes and smirked at him.

"Shuddup. That was mean." He grumbled, taking a large bite of sandwich. "Crazy woman." He muttered.

Jameson smiled widely at him, "You're catchin' on."

Daryl's heart was still racing. He totally believed she wanted him to say some kind of crazy religious prayer over their melted cheese sandwiches. This woman kept him on his toes. She was not predictable, which was both exciting and terrifying. When she had offered him clothing to wear he froze. He didn't want to wear her boyfriend's old clothing. It was weird and he almost turned and walked out. Thankfully they were her brother's things and Daryl relaxed at that thought.

"Have you heard about Merle yet?" she asked, biting into her sandwich. Daryl watched her chew slowly and shook his head, "Nah. Gonna call tomorrah. The cop said the guy pressin' charges may drop 'em but Merle's in deep shit for the drugs." He hated talking about Merle. He's always been a fuck up and doesn't want her to think he's like his brother. Daryl hadn't ever been arrested and didn't do the stupid shit Merle did. He spent all his time trying to keep Merle straight but could never make it stick.

Jameson nodded and said, "Well it'll work out I s'pose. Some people just go to jail. It's parta life for 'em'." She looked away, lost in thought and chewing.

Daryl watched her and could tell she was probably thinking about the guy her and Carol were talking about, Johnnie. He wanted to ask but wasn't sure she would be happy for him asking. He had to know if she was taken though. It would be fucked up to keep trying to spend time with her if she did have someone.

"Who's Johnnie?" he blurted out. He watched her turn back to him, her eyes widened a bit. Daryl chewed on the inside of his cheek, anxious to find out.

She cleared her throat and asked, "How? Where did you hear that name?"

"I heard the old lady earlier talkin' 'bout a Johnnie. Carol mentioned him once when ya where at the diner." He answered, fiddling with his spoon feeling bad he brought it up. He hoped he didn't just ruined the great day they had.

Jameson nodded and chewed on her lip. "Johnnie's my brother." She said standing up and placing her dishes in the sink.

"Oh. So he's…" he asked but didn't finish the sentence.

"He's in prison up state." She said and then asked, "Ya finished?"

Daryl watched her look everywhere but him. "Ya. Thanks it was good." He said, trying to get her to make eye contact. When she turned around to wash the dishes he chewed on his lip trying to think of ways to un-fuckup the night. He didn't know what to say, he could tell her brother being in prison was a sore spot. People talking about it made her on edge. He saw it with Carol and the old lady and here he was bringing it up again.

"Do ya wanna watch Tv or somethin'? It's still rainin', so I can't leave jus' yet but I mean I can if ya want me too…" he stammered, feeling out of his depth.

"I don' have cable. I have movies we can watch if ya like?" she said turning around from the sink. She leant against the counter and crossed her arms, looking towards the living room. She still looked to be anxious but was reeling it in.

"Sounds good, if ya don't mind puttin' up with me awhile longer?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"I s'pose I can deal with it for a while longer." She said smirking.

"Pffft." He scoffed then laughed, "Ya always so mean?"

"Most definitely. How else am I s'posed to entertain myself?" she said chuckling and wandered into the living room.

Daryl let out a relieved breath that the tension had broke. He swore to himself he wouldn't ever bring it up again. He would let her tell him if she ever wanted to. Now that he knew she wasn't dating some guy who was in jail he didn't care why it stressed her out. If she wanted to talk he'd listen, if she wanted to sweep it under the rug he'd hold the fuckin' broom. He didn't want to lose her before he even got to know her.

Motorcycle rides, Cupcakes and Rainstorms? Best Day Ever.

Thanks for reading! I hope you are enjoy this story and my other Jameson fanfic "Backroads" :)