Chapter 16

"You're back..." Daryl stated the obvious. He was shocked. In the past two months he had been so involved in denying that he had feelings for Bay, before ultimately getting together with her, that he hadn't wasted a single thought on his older brother, or the fact that Merle would come back at any time. Actually he had been supposed to be back a couple of weeks ago, now that Daryl thought about it.

"What's that?" Merle eyed the bags in Daryl's hands, seeing clothes peek out . "You comin' or you goin'?"

Daryl looked down at the plastic bags in his hands and chewed on his lip nervously, not even stopping when he answered Merle's question. "Going."

"Got a place for us? Or your boyfriend kick ya out so he can fuck that lil' spitfire of his without ya playing Peepin' Tom?" Merle chuckled. He always thought of himself as extremely funny.

Daryl shook his head awkwardly while mumbling incoherent syllables. He had no idea what to say. There was no way he would take Merle back to Bay's, but he didn't want to hang out with Merle either and stand his girlfriend up. She was making them dinner and was waiting for him to return soon.

"What's that hemming and hawing shit, son? Whassa matter? Cat got your tongue?" Merle studied him with a frown, immediately knowing that his little brother was trying to hide something.

"How long you staying in town for?" Daryl asked the most important question first. Depending on Merle's reply, Daryl would know if he would be able to hide Bay away from his brother or if it would be useless and he would eventually have to tell Merle about her.

"Long haul... opened some lines of communication in Atlanta. Gonna make good money transporting 'goods' there for ma old pal Smitty."

"Christ Merle,... usin' ain't enough? Now ya gotta deal that shit?" Daryl hated that Merle used crystal meth. He was sure that one day it would destroy him, but Merle never listened to him.

"Ain't dealin', just transportin'. Keep your pants on, boy. We live in the Meth capital of the fucking United States, son. Gonna get maself a piece of that pie." Merle looked him up at down and narrowed his eyes at him.

"Now, where did ya say you were going?"

"Ya can't come!" Daryl told him and pushed past his brother, letting the door fall shut behind him. "Got plans!"

"Awww, yer boyfriend waitin' on ya? That shit more important than family?"

"Like you care about family." Daryl muttered to himself.

"What was that, boy?" Merle shouted after him.

"I gotta go. You staying at Smitty's then?"

"Yeah."

"I'll find ya tomorrow!" Daryl told him and high-tailed it out of there. He felt caged and his fight-or-flight-instinct kicked in, having him practically running out of the building and to his truck and stepping on it, before Merle would be able to tail him.

"You sure got some secrets." Merle said to the empty hallway. Daryl had always been a bit awkward, but his behavior right now had been more than that. Something was going on, and Merle would figure out what it was. Always do. Can't hide nothin' from me, baby bro.

"Hey, right on time." Bay smiled as she set their plates with steaks and roasted potatoes and broccoli on the breakfast bar. Her smile faltered, when she noticed that, for the second time in two days, he looked unhappy. He looked shaken, even. "What happened?"

Damn her for being able to tell when something's wrong. "Nothing... just walked in on them fucking." Daryl lied, knowing it was a safe lie, because she would never bring that up in front of the other couple.

"Oh!" she blushed with a giggle. Despite them doing some naughty things of their own now, hearing words like that still made her slightly uncomfortable.

"Yeah." He dropped his bags by the closet, except for the one with the meat, which he took to the kitchen and stuffed the contents into the freezer with Bay watching from her seat. When he went to pass by her, she gently grasped his arm.

"Are you okay?" she asked with a concerned look on her face.

"Yeah. All good." he forced a smile and quickly leaned in to press a kiss to her lips before he took his seat next to her.

"Okay." she wasn't convinced, but if he didn't want to talk about it, she wouldn't press the issue. Something had happened at Patrick's, of that she was sure. She would give him some time, but if he kept being weird for longer than the rest of the night, then she most definitely would ask him again. She hoped that Patrick and Daryl hadn't had a fight. She knew how much Pat meant to Daryl, even if he would never admit it out loud.

"This is good." Daryl mumbled after a while.

"Thanks. I'm glad you like it."

"I like everything ya make... Brought some more meat."

"I saw. Is Patrick okay with that?"

"It's mine... and with me being here all the time, he don't need all of it for himself." Daryl shrugged. He had to be careful, he'd almost told her that Patrick hadn't been there to see Daryl taking the meat. He felt bad. He hated lying to Bay, but he had to get his head straight first on how to handle the whole thing with Merle. He had to take a day to steel his nerves as well, because as soon as Daryl would tell him, Merle sure would have a million things to say about his relationship with Bay, and very probably none of those things would be even remotely of a positive or happy nature.

An hour later all thoughts about Patrick, Merle and fights were forgotten. Bay and Daryl were once again naked in bed, kissing like their lives depended on it. Daryl had never felt comfortable naked, but with Bay, he wouldn't mind being naked 24/7. She was crazy about him and his body, and it showed. It was a great confident boost for a guy who didn't think of himself as attractive at all, even though a lot of girls thought that he was gorgeous, and that he could be in a freaking boy band with Pat. He had never believed any of that crap, still didn't, and he still got uncomfortable as soon as Bay said something about him being attractive, but with her he knew that she wasn't bullshitting him. She wasn't an ass-kisser. She only said things she meant.

Right now she wasn't saying anything, though. She was too busy alternating between panting and gasping his name, and sucking on his neck. She had her legs spread, and Daryl was laying between them and rubbing his rock-hard length against her pussy, finally giving her the naked dry-humping she hadn't been able to stop thinking about. Bay was almost in heaven, but the whole thing was starting to get a bit frustrating. Daryl was oozing pre-cum and Bay was quite wet herself, so Daryl's thingy kept slipping and only hit her good spot every once in a while. And he was so focused on keeping himself from pushing his cock into her, that he also kept losing his rhythm. "Gotta switch..." he murmured under his breath. "You gotta go on top, baby girl. Should work better. You up for that?"

"Let's try it." Bay nodded and let Daryl turn them around with one swift motion.

"Come up a little higher... Pin it against ma belly..." Daryl instructed her, referring to his cock while he was holding on to her little love handles and helped her position herself right. Bay lowered herself and did as she was told, pinning his length against his belly with her soft, wet pussy. Daryl guided her movements, pushing and pulling at her hips until Bay got the hang of it. She put her hands on his chest to support herself and started rubbing herself against his wonderful dick.

"Oooohhh..." she moaned with rapture. He was right, the friction was so much better. This position also allowed him to play with her tits and he was soon massaging and squeezing, rolling her nipples and tugging them gently, while she ground her clit against the underside of his tip, the grooves and the raised parts of his cock stroking her just right. Oh God, Daryl... we're gonna be doing this so much! Bay thought as she let her hips speed up and gave herself over to the pleasure she felt. Daryl watched her get herself off on his dick. He couldn't wait until she would ride him for real, impaling herself on his throbbing erection over and over again, until he bottomed out inside of her and she would grind her hips down on him, just like she was now, trying to get him even deeper. Daryl groaned at the thought, and the familiar tingle of an impending orgasm formed in his balls and raced up his spine. He had never thought that dry-humping would be this fucking hot, but he was able to feel her little stiff nubbin' perfectly rubbing his hot spot just underneath the head of his cock. She might not know what she was doing, but yet she had the uncanny talent of hitting that spot over and over and over, with her fingers, as well as with her pussy. He wouldn't ever complain about that, but it had him fighting not to cum within sixty seconds for sure.

"Come on, baby girl..." he groaned out, not even realizing that it hadn't just been inside his head, as he fought to hold out a little longer. He grabbed her hips again and pulled her to move over him faster. He would ask her what she needed to tumble over the edge, but he thought it was a safe bet that she didn't even know herself, due to her not even having experimented with herself. "Bay... I can't..." he was panting harshly in an effort not to lose it, but he knew he was losing the fight. He brought his hands back up to her sensitive breasts, roughly pinching her nipples in a last attempt to help her along.

Bay released a little yell, her fingers dug into his chest almost painfully, as the movement of her hips stuttered, then stilled for the fraction of a second, before her whole body shuddered and twitched rhythmically as her climax tore through her. "Oh God... Oh Goooood... Oh shit Daryl..." she moaned out her pleasure, faintly feeling his dick spasm and hearing him groan her name as he finally let his own release wash over him. He quickly held on to her hips to still her movements, when she kept rubbing herself against his over-stimulated cock, and pulled her down to rest against his chest. "Why on Earth didn't I try this sooner?" Bay gasped with closed eyes as she rested on top of an equally breathless Daryl.

"I'm fucking glad that ya didn't try sooner." Daryl scowled a bit at the thought of anybody else experiencing this with her. This way, all of the pleasure she had ever felt was caused by him, and therefore belonged to him. It might be selfish to think like that, but the whole thing deeply satisfied him and he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Yes, me too. I waited for the right person." She grinned shyly and absentmindedly drew little circles around his nipple with her forefinger. "I don't think it would be this way if it would be another guy I'd be doing this with. I can't explain it, but it's a strong feeling I keep having." She giggled when she remembered all those times she had ran into him over the years, still thinking how funny it was how things turned out sometimes. "All this time I thought you hated me. I never thought we would ever end up like this."

"Hate ya?" Daryl frowned. "Why would I fucking hate ya? Never done anythin' ta me. Barely ever talked."

"I know, hate is too strong of a word. I thought you didn't like me very much, or not at all."

"Nah, ain't right. I liked ya alright. Ain't never been good at socializing I guess." he shrugged and started playing with Bay's hair. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Bay sighed in bliss as she snuggled deeper into his chest.

He hesitated. He felt stupid asking her about it. It didn't really matter, because they were together now, but he was curious. "After we met for the first time... At that party at Henderson's?"

"Yeah? What about it?"

"Did ya...? Um... so if ya think that I didn't like you,... you sure didn't like me, huh?" he felt like an idiot asking, but he couldn't help it. He wanted to know if she had liked him too for some time. And by that he meant like like, because he'd had to admit to himself by now, that he'd really had a thing for her for two damn years.

"I don't know." It was a good question and Bay didn't quite know how to answer. To be perfectly honest, she hadn't spent too much time thinking about Daryl Dixon. He had simply been a very cute boy she had run into from time to time. She wanted to be honest, but she tried not to make it sound too crass. "I didn't dislike you. You had different friends, you're two years older. You were one of those older, cooler guys. I always thought you were cute, but..." Damn, didn't mean to say 'but'.

"But what?" Daryl asked right away, just like Bay had expected him to.

"Like I said, I thought you didn't like me, so ummm... well, again, like I said, I thought you were cute and cool and it wasn't like I thought 'hey, he doesn't like me, so he's an ass.' So,..."

"So ya were pretty indifferent ta me?" he guessed and finished her sentence.

"That sounds bad,... but that's what it was, I guess." She admitted carefully and felt bad about it. "But I'm sure it was the same for you, right?"

"Mhm..." he shrugged. It was silly, he knew that, but the fact that she hadn't been into him like he had been into her, hurt a little bit. It was especially silly because he hadn't even realized for those damn two years that he'd liked her all along, he had been too busy denying that fact to himself. At the same time he knew that all this shit from the past wasn't important. They were together now and he felt that Bay cared for him a lot, and that she trusted him. Still, he felt a little stab. To him it meant that so far, he was a bit more into this than she was, and that thought scared the living daylights out of him. What if she decides that I ain't good enough after all? At this point it would destroy him. It was like he'd imagined it in the past couple of weeks. She had succeeded in hammering a tiny hole into his thick, concrete wall. Slowly and persistently, over two years she had hammered away, with him always ignoring it and denying it was happening. She had been stronger than his denial, though. She had broken through his wall and she had squeezed herself through the little hole, and she had made him open up his safely guarded heart for her. She had crept right in and now he would never ever be able to get her out of there again. Not that he even wanted her out of there, but if she would dump him, it would be torture for the rest of his life. His heart belonged to her now...

That thought gave him an idea, momentarily distracting him from the bit of disappointment he'd felt at her admission. Bay felt that he was starting to brood and felt even more like shit. His moody demeanor also made her wonder. Has he been wanting to get together for some time? She knew she shouldn't ask though. She didn't want to risk darkening his mood any more. "How about we take a bath?" she smiled up at him and gently brushed some hair out of his eyes.

"Together?" the corners of his mouth started turning up at that.

"Yeah, I'd like that. I've been thinking about it for a while." Bay admitted with a giggle.

"Really?" Daryl perked up noticeably. He wondered what else she had been thinking about in that wonderful head of hers, but somehow he didn't dare ask.

"Yes. It's one of my favorite places to be and I want to share that with you." she said and suddenly blushed as the butterflies in her stomach started up fluttering like crazy, as if a tornado had hit them and was whirling them around. She was still scared of the word love, but she knew that her want to share everything she had, she liked and she wanted with Daryl, was very, very meaningful. And that very meaningful emotion was hitting her full force in that moment.

Daryl was absolutely powerless against the smile that formed on his lips, his own butterflies had started batting their wings and made it difficult to breathe. She makes me fucking happy, he realized in that moment. He had realized that before, but it really hit him and sunk in, in that moment. They looked into each others eyes for a long moment, unspoken communication going on as they both felt like they were falling a little deeper into this beautiful thing they had created between them. Eventually Daryl cradled her face in his hands and kissed her as lovingly as he could muster, and never broke that kiss while he sat up, gathered her in his arms and carried her into the bathroom so they could take that bath together.

"Are you really okay, Daryl?" Bay asked and gently rubbed her thumb across his cheek while she searched his eyes for an honest answer. It was morning now and Daryl had accompanied her to the store. Now that he didn't have to work himself, he didn't want to be apart from her any longer than he really had, too. It was a slow morning and they were both behind the register right next to the open door to the break room. They kissed and hugged while the store was empty and as soon as the bell above the door announced a new costumer, Daryl slipped into the break room, busying himself with making new coffee or having a smoke.

"I'm fine."

"I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, but you don't seem fine. Haven't seemed fine ever since you came back from Pat's. You're so... I don't know... tense. And quiet. Quieter than usual."

"I'm fine. Jus' thinking 'bout some things." he tried to reassure her, but it was weak reassurance.

"You're not tired of me, are you?" She bit her lip nervously, her heart pounding in her chest, but not in a good way this time. Losing him... she couldn't even think about that without wanting to scream and bawl her eyes out.

"Never." he said firmly, leaving no doubt that he meant it, and Bay released the breath she had been holding. "I'll tell ya... when the time's right. Just gimme a couple 'a days. Alright?"

"Okay." she agreed, before she gave him a cheeky smile. "But ooonlyyyy, if I get a big kiss."

"Can't say no to that." he laughed quietly and lowered his head to kiss her and pressed his mouth to hers firmly for a couple of seconds before he pulled tried to pull away, but Bay wouldn't let him.

"Nuh-uh." she whispered against his lips. "Real big kiss!" she muttered, making Daryl grin. Of course he knew what she'd meant before, but he liked teasing her a little. She was sexy when she got a bit impatient. He nuzzled her nose, letting his lips get closer to hers, but pulling away again, when she leaned in, making her chase his lips while he chuckled. After a couple of attempts he had her growling and grabbing his face more firmly in her hands while she got on her tip-toes and pushed her tongue into his mouth unceremoniously. Daryl smiled into the kiss, letting her take control for a moment while he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off her feet as their tongues swirled and flicked urgently. Shit, she's getting me hard.

They made out a little, blissfully unaware of the man that was looking in through the shop window and who was speechless for once. "Well that certainly explains you bein' all skittish, lil' brother. Got yerself a sweet piece of ass." Merle muttered to himself as he watched the happy couple kiss. "That where ya been stayin', huh? Nice!" Merle decided that it was time to announce his presence and to see his little brother squirm a little. He walked the two steps over to the door and pushed it open forcefully, making Bay and Daryl jump apart in shock. Daryl was just about to back into the break room, when he realized who exactly the new costumer was, and his eyes widened in shock.

"Awwww hell nooo, Chickadee! I leave for a couple of weeks and ya go and get the next best blonde slut ta keep yer bed warm at night? I'm hurt! I thought you and me had sumthin' real! Didn't know ya were into girls! Thought ya needed a real man, girly! Not little Darylina over here!" Merle grinned.

"Merle!" Bay was more than a little surprised to see the older Dixon brother. It was weird, even though she was not with his younger brother, she hadn't thought about the flirtatious bastard that was Merle in months. She smiled warmly at him. She knew about Merle's reputation, but he had never been bad or mean to her. He'd always just been a big flirt, a bit on the suggestive side, who liked to hear himself talk, but other than that, she had never had any reason to complain. But then that smile faltered when she realized that Merle had called Daryl a girl. A blonde slut even. Suddenly the penny dropped and she thought she might have solved the puzzle of why Daryl was being so broody. However, before she was able to ask, Daryl spoke up.

"Hold up... You two know each other?" Daryl was flabbergasted. You would have been able to knock him over with a feather.

"Of course we know each other, dummy! Where do ya think I buy ma booze and smokes? Miss Bayanne and me go way back, ain't that right, sweet cheeks?" Merle went over to them and leaned against the counter casually, majorly enjoying Daryl's puzzlement.

He knows her name? He knows her? He... ? Somehow that piece of news blew Daryl's mind and he wasn't able to think straight and it also rendered him pretty speechless.

"Now, back ta you, Chickadee. Fine girl like you couldn't find nothin' better than ma little brother? Ya been getting desperate?" Merle grinned and winked at her with a chuckle.

"Don't be mean, Merle. You're brother is the best out there." Bay blushed while she said it, but she still smiled adoringly at an increasingly uncomfortable Daryl.

"That so?" Merle seemed to ponder her words. "Ain't really a fair thing ta say, when ya haven't tried me first, Miss Bay! But yer smart, gotta give ya that. Can't have me, so ya settle for the next best thing..."

"You'll forgive me when I say that that's not exactly how I see it, Mr. Dixon." Bay winked, before she asked the question she had been wondering about. "When did you get back to town?"

"Last night." Merle smirked when Daryl had the decency to blush and lower his head in embarrassment, avoiding Bay's eyes. "I see ma baby brother ain't told ya bout that. Was too busy tastin' yer tonsils, huh? Ha!" Merle always thought of himself as very funny, while Daryl and Bay both just rolled their eyes. However, Bay had her answer and she was sure that this was why Daryl was so tense. What she didn't know was, why he would keep Merle's return from her and why exactly the whole thing had him so tense.

"Anything I can do for you, Merle?" Bay asked politely, slipping back into sales person mode.

"Awww, always so accommodating and helpful, Chickadee. That's what I like about ya. You church folks are just so kind." He said it with his trademark grin and just a hint of sarcasm. "Pack of Camel if you'd be so kind." While Bay turned around to get the cigarettes, Merle looked back and forth between her and Daryl. He was very intrigued by what was going on. His brother had never shown much interest in the girls around town. It was more than just a little surprising that he had hooked up with the sweet, little Catholic school girl. That's how he thought about her when Merle encountered her. A hot little Catholic school girl, sweet and spicy from what he was able to tell by watching her handling various nice and not so nice customers. She certainly wasn't as shy and quiet as she seemed, he knew that much. He'd seen her handle some assholes pretty well. He wouldn't say that he admired her for it, but he had some kind of respect for her. Being so young and having to fend for herself, he could relate to that. Having to stand up to stupid assholes like himself? Ain't easy for a young girl, he knew that, so yeah, she had earned a bit of his respect in the past. He could definitely see why his little brother would pick her to hook up with. Easy on the eyes, sweet and feisty. Nice combination. Too bad she ain't a couple years older. Would'a showed ya a damn good time, Miss Bay. Merle grinned that unsettling grin of his, and Daryl grew even more nervous. Merle wouldn't leave well enough alone, he was sure of it. It was weird and kind of alarming to Daryl, that Merle hadn't said anything derogatory about Bay or about Daryl kissing her. So far he'd only made fun of him, which either meant that Merle actually liked Bay, or that this was the eerie calm before a damn hurricane.

Merle paid for his cigarettes and looked at his brother. "You free?"

"I guess..." Daryl mumbled around his thumb. He hadn't done that in a while, but Merle's return certainly had him pick up the nervous habit again.

"Alright. Ya can join me for some grub. Come on." Merle walked towards the door and looked back at Daryl who was awkwardly standing in front of Bay. "Ain't ya gonna kiss yer girlfriend goodbye, son? Come on, we're losin' daylight." Merle looked at him expectantly, refusing to look away to give them some privacy. If this was for real, then Daryl would have to man up and grow a pair.

"I'll come by the restaurant later, alright?" Daryl murmured shyly, not quiet sure if she was mad at him or not.

"Yeah okay." she smiled and tilted her face up to get a kiss from him. Daryl blushed beet red, but he managed to give her a little peck on the lips before he walked out from behind the register and over to his smirking brother.

"You have a nice day, Bayanne."

"Thanks, Merle. Later." she said in parting and watched Daryl follow Merle outside, noticing how his shoulders were slumped and his hands were burrowed deeply inside his pants pockets. She had never seen the brothers together, so this was interesting to watch. It was like some weird power exchange was happening. Something's definitely going on there. Please God, don't let Daryl be this quiet and high-strung all the time now. One thing was for sure, they would definitely have to talk bout this. She wanted to know why he had felt the need to lie about this.

Thank you for reading!

A little mid-week update for you, because I didn't want to keep you waiting for a whole week. It's a busy week and I don't get to write too much.

So, who's surprised that Merle's attitude towards Bay seems to be friendly right now?

Thank you so so so much for the lovely reviews and the follows and favorites. I am still blown away and humbled by the response to this story.

My son has his 2nd birthday today, so I am off to eat some cupcakes now. Oh, and for gifts he would like reviews;-) haha. JK.

snowbird: Check out the story's tumblr for the picture of Daryl's "manhood" I picked out, lol. It's great inspiration. Thank you for your kind words and the continued support. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Leyshla Gisel: Thank you so much for your review. I don't think it will be grumpy Daryl exactly, just a bit more insecure when he's around:) Wary, maybe.