Chapter 25

Bay didn't sleep for very long. She had never been able to sleep during the day when others were awake and making noise around the house. She washed up, got dressed and went to the kitchen to fix herself some coffee. Thank God for that little luxury. She enjoyed every cup like it might be the last, because these days, it might be the last. They were running out of that instant crap. It didn't really taste all that good, but it was still better than no coffee at all. The kitchen was empty and Bay was glad that she would have another couple of moments to herself. She leaned her hip against the kitchen counter and looked out the window while she enjoyed her hot brew. Immediately, images of Daryl started appearing inside her head, as well as his words from the last couple of days. She did believe him now. She knew he hadn't taken the money after all. But what did it matter, really? If he was going to leave again soon, she would end up sad about him yet again. The only good thing would be, that she wouldn't still be angry at him for taking her cash... But he would leave her again, wouldn't he? He'd come back into her life, making her feelings flare up full-force again, only to leave once more. She didn't know what to think about that. Well, actually she did. She hated the thought. She would have loved to crawl into his arms last night, but there were still so many uncertainties between them, that she firmly kept herself from doing it. She needed answers, but she had no idea if he would be able to give them at this point. She couldn't get too close to him physically and emotionally if he was going to go with the group. It would be a challenge to keep herself from getting too close, because it was already happening. She wanted it, too, but she was also really scared of getting hurt again. She didn't even know if she would be able to ever fully forgive him for the first time he left. So many damn things to think and worry about.

For now she decided to think about their guests/patients. She rinsed her mug in the sink and left for the guest room the Grimes family spent most their time in.

"Hey!" she gave Lori and Carl a big smile when she entered the room after knocking.

"Hi Bay." Lori smiled back at her. "Sleep well?"

"I did, just not enough." Bay laughed. "How about you, cowboy? Feeling okay?"

"Yeah. Hershel said I can try to walk around tomorrow. Think if it goes well I can go help look for Sophia?" Carl asked her with a hopeful expression on his face.

"I'm afraid that will take another couple of days, Carl. The heat is really bad these days. You need to rest some more, eat well and drink lots of fluid before you can go stomping around in the woods." Bay smiled gently at him, trying to let him down easy. "Hey speaking of eating. You guys hungry?"

"Carl's a young boy. He's always hungry." Lori grinned and squeezed her son's arm affectionately.

"Men. You should have seen Daryl. If it would have been up to him, I would have cooked five whole, big meals a day, but he was skinny as a rail." Bay said without thinking, a wistful smile on her lips.

"So it's true?" Lori looked at her curiously. Rick, of course, had told Lori about the tattoo on Daryl's chest.

"Is what true?" Bay hadn't realized yet, that she had talked about Daryl.

"You and Daryl? You were together before all this?"

"Woah! Daryl was your boyfriend?" Carl asked incredulously. "But you're so nice..." he said, like it was the most logical thing to say in the world.

Bay mentally slapped herself, when she noticed what she had said. Looked like now that he was back in her life, he was slipping into her mind without her even noticing. "Um, yeah. He was. A long time ago. 'Barely out of high school-sweethearts' you could say." Bay laughed with a shake of her head. "Well, on my part. Daryl was two grades ahead of me, so for him it's been longer."

"Oh, so it was more like casual dating?" Lori assumed when Bay told her that they had still been pretty young.

"No. We were serious. We lived together." Bay said, before she changed the topic. "How about that food? You guys want an omelet?"

"I love omelets! Yes!" Carl was excited about food. Ever since he'd been able to eat after the surgery, he had been happy about getting food that didn't come straight from a can.

"Great, what do you want in it? Tomatoes? Shallots? Bell Peppers? Garlic?"

"Can I have all of it?"

"Carl..." Lori admonished him, but Bay waved her off.

"No, that's alright. We have a lot of veggies from the garden, and he needs to eat. Sure you can have all. What would you like Lori?"

"Oh, umm... just tomatoes and shallots. Thank you, Bay."

"No need to thank me. You guys are very welcome." Bay left the room and went to work in the kitchen. She made the veggie omelets for Lori and Carl and brought them into their room, then she grabbed a wicker basket and put in more vegetables and eggs, and also some fresh fruit, to bring over to the group, so they could make their own lunch. Bay felt a twinge in her stomach when she saw Carol, who accepted the basket from her with a grateful smile, but she forced a smile in return. The woman hadn't done anything to hurt her, so she didn't deserve a cold shoulder from Bay. It wasn't easy though, because her jealousy where Daryl was concerned, had always been extremely strong. Some things never change.

"Bay!"

Bay turned around to face Shane, who had downright bellowed her name. He seemed to have lost all of his nervousness and Bay kind of lamented that loss. She hated the way he was leaning against the tree with his shirt hanging open. It seemed cocky, like he was thinking he was God's gift to women. "Yes, Shane?"

"Can I ask you somethin'?" he asked, but didn't wait for her to give her consent. "Is the rumor true? Dixon's wearing your name on his chest?" His question made everybody else freeze in their tracks. Apparently Rick hadn't yet blabbed to everyone about it. Dale, Carol, Andrea, Glenn, T-Dog and Shane, they all turned their curious gaze to Bay.

Here we go again. "Yes." she stated simply.

"Oooohhh,... now it makes sense." The penny dropped for Glenn. That's why Bay had been so weird about the pill bottle. If she knew Daryl, then she knew Merle.

"Does that mean that you and Daryl were a couple?" Andrea asked with a surprised laugh.

"Yep." Bay nodded and stuffed her hands in her pockets.

"Wow, when was that?" Andrea kept asking.

"Over ten years ago."

"You guys must have been serious about each other if he had your name tattooed on his body." Andrea couldn't get enough, while the others listened curiously. Carol stayed quiet. She remembered how Bay had slammed the door the other night and she now realized that the other woman hadn't been mad about Daryl losing her horse.

"Yes. We were."

"How did that happen? I mean, how did you get together? You're both so different. You seem so sweet." Andrea smiled.

Okay why do people keep saying that? Bay wondered. "We are actually pretty similar. At least we used to be."

"No way. I don't see you running around yelling at people." T-Dog shook his head and laughed.

"You would be surprised. I got into a fist fight once and won." Bay was still thinking fondly about how she had put that stupid Cassie in her place.

"Okay, maybe I was wrong. Looks like you do share some traits with Daryl."

"What was he like? Has he always been this angry?" Andrea spoke up again.

"Angry? No, can't say that he was. He was sweet. A very good boyfriend and provider." Bay replied truthfully. "Why? He's been angry?"

"Angry would probably be putting it mildly." Glenn said with a shrug. "Lots of snarling,... lots of yelling."

"Very abrasive." Andrea nodded. "But I have to admit, since Merle has been gone, he's been changing. I actually had a nice conversation with him when I went with him to look for Sophia."

"What happened with Merle? You said he got lost?" Bay was curious what had happened to the heartless bastard.

"Some of us were in Atlanta on a supply run. We were on a roof, hiding out, waiting for Glenn and Rick to return. He kept making too much noise, kept shooting at the walkers. When Rick and Glenn came back, Merle and Rick got into it. Rick cuffed him to a pipe on the roof." T-Dog told the story of how Merle had ended up alone. "He gave me the key, they left us alone and went to get the cars. There was so much chaos that day... when it was time to go, I tripped and the key fell down a drain... I left, but I chained the door shut, so the walkers wouldn't get to him. We went back for him a day later, but all we found was his hand. He sawed it off and left. Haven't seen him since."

"Good." Bay nodded with satisfaction, surprising everyone around.

"Good?" Carol asked her, not sure if she had heard right.

"Yes. Good." Bay said it again. "Let's just say that Merle and I have history. And I guess he got what he deserved."

"We're on the same page on that one" Shane grinned at her, making her skin crawl.

"Anyway,... I'll bring you some fresh milk later." Bay said and left without another word.

"She scares me." Glenn deadpanned, making the men and Andrea laugh.

"Don't be silly." Dale chuckled. "She seems like a nice girl."

"She dated Daryl, and he's scary."

"Looks like he wasn't always like that." Andrea laughed. "And I agree. She seems nice and very generous. I think 'having history' with Merle Dixon might make everyone have murderous thoughts where he's concerned."

"True dat." T-dog agreed wholeheartedly.

When she was back in the house Bay fixed lunch for the rest of the family. When they had eaten, she also fixed a plate for Daryl and put it on a tray with a glass of sweet tea and took it upstairs to her room.

"Hey." she greeted him with a little smile.

"Hey." his eyes lit up when it was finally her who was showing her face in here. Hershel had been in, Rick had been in, Carol had been in, Beth had been in,... it had been fucking annoying. All he'd wanted in the room had been Bay and she had let him wait.

"Hungry?"

"Yeah."

"How are you feeling?" she asked while she put the tray over his lap.

"Sore. But better." he replied as he forewent using his fork and his knife and started eating his omelet with his fingers.

"Gonna take that shower today?"

"Yeah. Guess so." he replied with his mouth full.

"You wanna wash your hair first or after?"

"First. Gonna help me with the shower, too?" he asked, making her freeze for a second.

"Very funny."

"I ain't kiddin'. Can't get my back. Can't see where the bandage is back there. Can't reach..." Daryl shrugged nonchalantly. He didn't care much about getting clean, but if she kept bringing it up, the least she could do was help him.

"Once again. Very funny." Bay shook her head with a laugh. He couldn't be serious. Then again, she almost wished he was. Now that he had put that idea in her head, she involuntarily began picturing what he would look like completely naked these days. She already felt her fingertips itching to touch bare skin. Dammit, you tempting bastard.

"Bay..."

"Why don't you ask Carol? I'm sure she'd be very happy to 'scratch your back'."

"Really? That again?"

"Just a suggestion." It was Bay's turn to shrug.

"Yeah well, screw that. Don't wanna be naked in front of her."

"Oh, so you're gonna be naked?"

"What kinda question is that?"

"You could wear underwear. At least until I leave the room and let you do the rest by yourself."

"Ain't like ya ain't seen it before."

"In a way, I haven't."

"Whaddaya think, that it grew a horn or somethin'?" he asked exasperated. "Still just a dick. Nothing's changed about that."

It is a nice dick. Bay thought back to how she had loved to play around with it, making goosebumps break out on her skin, when she heard him moan inside her head. Good God, woman. Get a grip. 3 days ago you wanted to kill him and now you want to go right back to jumping his bones? Who are you? Ugh, but the 'bone-jumping' was always So. Damn. Good.

"You're thinking about it." Daryl smirked.

"Oh stop it, you perv." Bay grumbled and swatted at him.

"I ain't the one thinking bout my dick." he teased her with a little, satisfied smile.

"I will not throttle an injured man. I will not throttle an injured man." Bay chanted quietly, but it was playful. They were starting to rebuild their friendship and were gently teasing each other. It felt good to both of them. It was comfortable and it was what they knew. Something familiar and warm in this strange new world.

She startled a little, when she felt his fingertips brush the back of her hand. She looked down, and her breath hitched when she watched him take her small hand into his much bigger one. Little shocks shot up her arm and straight to her heart as he gently squeezed. "Thanks for lunch." he murmured quietly and sounded a bit out of breath himself.

"...welcome..." Bay stammered almost inaudibly.

"What happened there?" He tugged on her hand and made her scoot higher up on the edge of the bed, closer to him, until he was able to see her forearm up-close. He studied her scar for a moment, before he looked up into her beautiful, large, hazel eyes.

"Accident." she said under her breath. His startingly blue eyes were as distracting as ever. "I have a couple of screws in there, holding everything together."

His expression turned into a concerned scowl. Her words and the picture she was painting with them pained him. The accident must have been much worse than she had previously let on. "That's my fault." he stated somberly.

"No it isn't. Not everything is your fault, Daryl. Shouldn't cross a bridge on foot, which isn't meant to be crossed on foot. Especially not in the dark. It was my own stupidity that did this."

"Does it hurt?"

"Sometimes, when the weather changes. I have a bit of chronic pain during winter,... but only when it gets really cold outside, which thankfully isn't too often. So chronic might not be the right word..." she explained with a nervous laugh, his intense gaze was really distracting.

Daryl slowly pulled her arm up to his mouth and gently pressed his lips against her scar, like he would be able to kiss the pain away. Tears stung his eyes at the sensation of having his lips against her skin again, and Bay wasn't faring much better. "I miss you." he whispered against her skin, not trusting his voice not to break if he spoke up louder. There they were, up close and looking into each others misty eyes with his lips against her arm. Bay's heart seized up for a moment, before it started hammering inside her chest, and she knew, that she was a lost cause. She would always love him. She would never not be able to love him. It was scary to think that he might hurt her again, but that she would still be powerless against the love she felt for him. She had tried hating him for 11 years and it had never really worked. She had been able to feel hate for him at some point, but it had never lasted very long, because the memories of how he had loved her had always been stronger, even though she hadn't been able to be sure if he had been honest about that or not. The feelings she'd had for him, and what she had felt coming from him while they had been together, had felt real to her. She wasn't even sure if that made sense or not and right now, she didn't even want to analyze all that anymore. He was here now, that's what they would have to figure out... the present.

"I miss you, too Daryl. So much..." she whispered right back as a tear rolled down her cheek. He was about to lean in and kiss it away, when her words stopped him. "But we can't do this."

"Why not?"

"You'll be leaving soon."

"What if I ain't?" he asked and watched her eyes widen in surprise.

"Don't even joke about that, Daryl Dixon."

"I barely know those people out there. They ain't family. You are. I'll help them find the little girl, but after that... I wanna stay. Ain't never gonna leave ya behind no more, Bay." It was a promise, and Bay wished she would be able to have blind faith in him like she had used to, but he had burned her before.

"I'll get you more water." She pulled her arm out of his grasp and wiped the tears from her eyes as she got up from the bed.

"Bay..."

"I need a break. Please." She took a deep breath. "Being around you again is intense. Talking about all this,... I need to think, and when I'm around you I'm just never able to think clearly." She took his dirty dishes and left the room. She was startled to find Rick in the kitchen.

He smiled when he noticed her jumping slightly in shock. "I'm sorry. Just brought in Lori's and Carl's plates."

"Oh thank you. You shouldn't have. I could have gotten them."

"Bay, you are kind enough to share your space and your supplies with us, you don't have to wait on us hand and foot. And don't let Carl bribe you." They shared a laugh, although Bay's was still a little shaky. Rick studied her for a moment and leaned against the counter when she filled the sink with water. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I am." Bay smiled. "Just a lot happening these days..."

"Daryl?"

"Mhm..." Bay nodded with a little grunt.

"Lori said you were together years ago?"

"We were. 11 years ago."

"And you haven't seen each other since then?"

"No."

"Bad blood?" Rick pressed her gently for details. Professional curiosity.

"It's really complicated. Daryl and I are still figuring it out ourselves."

"Sounds complicated." he smiled sympathetically.

"It is. He thought I was dead and I thought he was a deceiving, heartless thief... now we both had to realize that neither of those things were true." What she had refused to tell the others had now suddenly bubbled out of her. Either she just had a moment of weakness or Rick had been really good at his job.

"He thought you were dead? And then he saw you here on the farm? Alive?" Rick's eyes widened. That had to have been a huge shock for the redneck.

"Yep. I think for a moment he thought he was going mental." Bay couldn't help but laugh when she remembered Daryl's incredulous looks.

"Who wouldn't?" Rick smiled. "He probably looked the way me and my family looked when we were reunited. They thought I was dead, too. And I thought that they hadn't made it, either."

"Really?" Bay looked at him with curiosity. "Did you get separated during the outbreak?"

"I got shot in the line of duty some time before the outbreak. I was in a coma. I woke up less than a month ago, believe it or not." Rick grinned when Bay's eyebrows shot up. "Yeah, I'm not kidding. I woke up in that hospital, and I thought I was caught in the worst nightmare ever. I left my room, went down the hallway. There was this door, and on it were the words 'Don't open, dead inside'. Imagine my shock, when one of those dead stuck his hand through the gap between those two swinging doors."

"Holy crap!" Bay was speechless and stared at Rick with wide eyes, completely riveted as he told her his story of how he met a man named Morgan and his son, how he rode into Atlanta on a horse, straight into a herd, and how Glenn saved his ass, before he went back to their camp at a quarry, where he reunited with Carl and Lori. "That's a miracle, Rick."

"It was. Looks like they still exist. You got your own now, with Daryl finding you."

"Actually, it was you who found me... in a way... or Carl? Otis who found you? Who knows..."

"Tell me, just so I know what I got myself into... Is Daryl gonna thank me for 'finding you' or is he gonna throw squirrels at me again?" Rick asked seriously, but wasn't able to hide a little smirk.

"He threw squirrels at you?" Bay laughed out loud. "What in the world for?"

"Cuffed his brother to a roof... Did he tell you about that?"

"No, but the others did. I want to thank you for that."

"Thank me?" Rick looked at her in surprise.

"Through you, Merle Dixon finally got what he deserved. I don't ever say things like that, and may God forgive me, but I hope that Merle rots in hell."

"Did he have anything to do with you and Daryl not working out?" Rick took a stab in the dark.

"He had everything to do with it." Bay grumbled and violently scrubbed a plate clean. "You could say he single-handedly tore us apart... Ha,... single-handedly... guess that fits just right..." she smirked wryly.

"What happened between you and Daryl? Why did he think you were dead?"

"No offense Rick, I just told my family after 11 years... It's a long story... "

"I told you mine." he smiled when she rolled her eyes.

"Fine. Long story short, Daryl and I were in love. Very, very much in love. We lived together for about 7 months, I think. We had the best relationship two people could possibly ever have, and yes, I know, I was only 18, but it was the real deal. I worked two jobs and was saving up to go to college. My whole family had died the year before and my college fund was gone. I hid the money in my apartment. Then Merle came along. Kept telling Daryl that our relationship is crap, that I don't care about him, yada yada yada... I begged Daryl several times not to listen to him. A couple of months later Merle got in trouble with some drug mafia people. He stole from them, so they cut off his finger and told him to pay them back. So what does Merle do? He breaks into my apartment, takes all of Daryl's stuff, takes my money, making it look like Daryl had taken it, goes to Daryl's place of work and convinces him that he has to leave town with him in order to protect me. Daryl, of course, once again believes him and they leave town without a word. A couple of months later Daryl returns to Dalton, looking for me, but our former friends tell him that I had committed suicide by jumping off a bridge. Police found my bag on that bridge and I guess they just thought I had jumped, because both my parents had killed themselves. In reality, I had an accident on that bridge and the driver that hit me took me to Calhoun where I was in a coma for two weeks. Woke up, befriended the Greenes and came to live with them. That's my story. Or our story."

"Wow... so... you could say that you and Daryl still have unfinished business?"

"In a nutshell, yes." Bay sighed deeply. "The feelings are still there, so we are trying to rebuild our friendship... but... how is that supposed to work out. You won't stay for that much longer."

"You are welcome to join us, Bay." Rick pressed out after having swallowed hard. He had no plans to leave the farm. This was exactly what the group and his family needed. A safe haven. Looks like I have to talk to Hershel. Convince him to let us stay.

"I'm not crazy enough to leave this farm." Bay scoffed. "I might be crazy about Daryl, but this is a safe place. I'm not going to give that up. Not even for him. If he wants to be around me, he will have to stay."

Rick swallowed again. Daryl might not be the easiest person to be around, but he was a valuable asset. Losing him, along with the safety of the farm... that was not an option for Rick. He would have to work on something to figure this out. He cleared his throat. "Do you want to participate in gun practice?"

"No. Daryl taught me years ago. I'm good." she smiled.

"Alright. I need to find Shane. I'll see you later. Thanks for the food."

"You're welcome." she reassured him. Rick gave her another nod, before he left the kitchen and then the house, with a whole lot of new information to think about.

"I don't think I've ever washed your hair before... have I?" Bay was gently massaging his scalp with her skilled fingers, while Daryl had to bite his tongue in order to keep himself from moaning at how good it felt.

"Nah... Not the hair up there." he muttered to himself, but Bay had heard him.

"Daryl!"

"Wha'? You asked!" he lamented at being scolded.

"Whatever." She carefully rinsed his hair, making extra sure not to wet the stitches close to his temple.

"You make up your mind 'bout the shower?"

"Yeah." Bay's voice was serious, but she was grinning, which he wasn't able to see. "Hershel's gonna jump in with you and help you out. Had me find his old Speedo, just for this occasion."

"What the hell, girl? Ain't gon' get naked with yer damn substitute Daddy." He tried to sit up to while he started shouting, but Bay erupted into giggles and gently pushed him back so he'd keep his head tilted back over the sink.

"Relax, I was kidding. I'll help you." she replied with a hint of nervousness in her voice. That might get very weird and awkward, but the man definitely needed a real shower.

Daryl wanted to make a smart-ass remark about her wearing a Speedo, but he decided to keep himself from saying it out loud. He was grateful that she had agreed to help him, even though he was sure that they both knew, that it might not be that necessary for her to help him out. They could have just taped the wound on the back off with medical tape and a piece of plastic bag to cover the bandage, but he sure as hell wouldn't bring that up now. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Bay said, and added. "Seriously. Don't mention it to anybody. Nobody needs to know."

"Fine by me." Daryl responded, before he fell silent until she was done with his hair.

About five minutes later he stood in front of the bathtub, while Bay explained how it would be going down. "I'll wash your back, you get the front. When we're done soaping you up, I will protect your wounds from the water while you use the shower head to rinse off."

"Alright." Daryl nodded and started opening his belt. He was already topless, so he only had to remove his pants and underwear. Bay turned her back on him and busied herself with cleaning up around the sink while Daryl undressed and stepped into the bathtub.

Don't look down, don't look down, don't look down. She chanted in her head. She heard him turn on the water, carefully wetting his body a little, before he turned it off again. Bay turned around and immediately her gaze dropped down to his bare butt. Dammit! She forced her eyes back up to focus on his back. His tattoo, oh his wonderful tattoo. She had missed the sight of it. It looked even better now, that he had bulked up.

"You ain't comin' in?" his voice pulled her out of her silent admiration.

"Umm, no. I can help you from out here."

"Yeah maybe, but I have to get close to the rim and get the floor wet. Would be easier if ya just came in." he argued.

He kind of had a point, but then again, it would only take a minute to mop the floor later. Still, Bay found herself removing her boots and socks before she stepped into the tub behind him.

"Your pants are gonna get wet." He said as he looked at her over his shoulder.

"Doesn't matter. I can hang them out to dry later." She better kept her clothes on. Being so close to his naked body was almost too much to handle, and her breath was hitching already. She didn't even realize that she was biting her lip quite hard, when she started to lather up his back and shoulders, letting her hands glide over smooth skin that covered wonderfully hard and strong muscles. They were rippling beneath her fingers, because his own arms and hands were working on his front, and the whole thing was sinfully delicious. It was hard not to lean in and lick up his spine, sink her teeth into his shoulder blades and rake her nails down his back. Her gaze traveled down his body again, and she was glad that he wasn't able to tell and she got to look at him without him ever knowing. He's still got that cute little butt. Just a liiiiittle bit fleshier. How she wanted to squeeze it in that moment, but she didn't want to give him the wrong idea... or not even more wrong than she already was giving him. She wished she would have been able to just say no to him, but her own longing to be around him was stronger than her beliefs that it would be better to take things at a snail's pace. "I'm done." she murmured with a sigh after enjoying feeling his skin a little while longer. She hadn't even paid attention to what he had been doing. If she had, then she would have noticed that he had stopped washing himself minutes ago and that he was just standing there with slightly labored breathing and closed eyes, reveling in her gentle ministrations and her familiar touch. His dick was halfway erect and he didn't care if she noticed. Not like she hadn't seen it before.

"Alright." his voice was deep and gruff, and Bay found herself liking those new tones coming out of him. She was unprepared for him turning around until his left side was facing her. He thought it would be easier for her this way to keep the washcloths wrapped in saran wrap pressed against the stitches on his body, so they wouldn't get water and soap in them. Her eyes automatically drifted to his impressive length, and just as quickly she averted her gaze when she noticed that he hadn't been unaffected by their little bath time adventure. She blushed when she felt her insides clench at all the memories that hit her. She remembered well how it had felt in her hands, in her mouth, inside her pussy. She remembered sweet and gentle love making as well as wild and hard fucking, and one of their favorites... the naked and wet dry humping. Yeah, Daryl Dixon definitely knew how to use his wonderful, beautiful dick. She blushed even more and closed her eyes, screwing them shut tightly even, which didn't go unnoticed by Daryl. He was watching her, and he knew that she was just as affected by being close to him as he was being close to her. The fire between them was still burning, it just needed some more tinder for the flames to get higher again.

He rinsed off, getting them both wet all the way, soaking her clothing and part of her long hair in the process. She winced a little at the hot temperature, but got used to it quickly. Daryl had always liked his showers to be scalding, which was why steam started to surround them quickly, making the air sticky and sweltering. He soon hung the shower head back over the faucet, but he kept the water running. He didn't need anyone listening in on them. He grasped her wrists in his hands and pulled her hands from his body, making her drop the washcloths as he slowly backed her up against the wall, still giving her enough space and time to pull away and get out if she wanted to. Her eyes opened and she looked up into his with a mixture of want and fear. She hadn't fled the tub or the room, and now she was with the back against the wall and Daryl closed the gap. He kept his hands by his side, but he slowly lowered his head as he looked at her, his blue eyes sparkling and standing out in the small steam-filled room. "Am I that horrible to look at now?" he rasped as he leaned his forehead against hers and brushed the tip of his nose against her. "That ya gotta squeeze yer eyes shut like that?"

"We really shouldn't..." she murmured breathlessly.

"Ya keep saying that, Bay... but ya still keep comin' back." his hands moved up to her shoulders and he slid them down her arms to her hands, linking them with his and slowly moving them up the wall towards her head, as he leaned his body into her even further, pressing his erection into her midriff.

"You know it's not that simple..."

"It could be... Fresh start..." he breathed against her lips. "We got a chance here, baby girl. I wanna take it. Lemme show you that I can be a good man. A man that stands by his word."

Bay didn't say anything, she simply couldn't, because she was too wrapped up in the moment. He had her pinned against the wall, she was able to feel his length against her belly, and like that wasn't distracting enough, their lips were only a hair's breadth apart. Both their lips were parted as they let them glide along one another, touching, but then again not touching,... just the lightest, teasing caress of lips against lips and sharing breath. Not a kiss... not yet,... just the hint of it, but just as intimate.

"Daryl..." his name left her lips in a whisper full of broken hearts, unfulfilled desire and uncertainty. She didn't know what else to say. She didn't know what to say period.

He released a shuddering breath when he heard her breathe his name, it was so familiar and yet so new. He squeezed her hands and pushed against her even more when he felt his want overwhelm him, and it wasn't just the sexual kind. He wanted all of her and he wanted their life back. He wanted to kiss her, to make love to her, to hold her, to comfort her, to soothe her pains and aches, to listen to her when she needed it and to hear her say that she loved him. He wanted all of it so much that it almost brought him to his knees. He needed her and he couldn't wait any longer. Just one kiss. One kiss would be all he needed for now, to hold him over until she had cleared her head some more. Just when his brain had sent out the signal to press his lips against hers, the rattling of the bathroom door shocked them both out of their haze.

"I'm in here!" Bay yelled without even thinking about it. "I'll be right out!"

"Okay." she heard Maggie call out to her.

"Shit." Bay pulled her hands out of his grasp and gently pushed him away from her. She climbed out of the tub, grabbed her boots and socks and quickly left. She startled, when she found Maggie waiting in front of the door. She flattened herself against it, before Maggie would be able to go inside and discover a very naked Daryl. "M-maggie... I... ummm..." she stammered, not knowing what to say.

Maggie frowned as she looked at Bay's wet clothes and hair. "What were you doing in there? Taking a shower in your clothes? And you forgot to shut off the wat-" Maggie stopped, when she noticed the water getting shut off just as she had said it. "Nevermind... Who is in there?"

Bay looked down at the floor like a guilty pre-schooler, as Maggie's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me? Daryl is in there?" she whispered and grabbed Bay's arm and dragged her away from the bathroom door. "What the hell were you doing? What happened to 'let's not get ahead of ourselves'?"

"I don't know. God, I just don't know, Maggie." Bay sighed when they had arrived in Maggie's room. "I'm... I don't know... I'm still into him. Very much into him. He wants a chance and I want to give it to him, but I don't know if it's right. Am I crazy to want to do this again with him? Part of me says yes, part of me says I'd be crazy if I said no." Bay was talking herself into a frenzy. "I love him. I goddamn love that man and two more minutes and I would have been about to give him a damn hand-job, like it was just yesterday that we said goodbye in his truck!"

Maggie's eyes widened, then she burst out laughing. "Oh my God, Bay. He's got you wrapped around his little finger."

"Yeah, but I don't even mind, because I know he would do anything for me, too."

"Then what's your problem? If you know that, then give him his chance. I bet he won't dare hurt you this time around. Not with the whole Greene family to kick his ass if he screws up. And his brother isn't around anymore either. Sometimes you just gotta jump, Bay. You can't go through life being afraid of getting hurt again and deny yourself happiness because of it. If he still makes you happy, go for it."

"You sound like your father."

"Sounds like he gave you good advice." She winked. "Now go and change before you catch death."

"Gladly." Bay mumbled and left Maggie's room, only to run smack into Daryl, who had just exited the bathroom on bare feet, but dressed in pants and a shirt that hung halfway open. They both froze and Bay bit her lip while she stared at her own name on his body.

"Listen... I'm sorry, Bay. That was-"

"Shut up." she said quietly as she slowly walked towards him. She raised her hand and let her fingers slide over the tattoo, eliciting goosebumps in the process. She leaned in and softly pressed her lips against it, surprising the hell out of Daryl. "You get your chance." she whispered against his skin. "Don't hurt me again. Please." She didn't wait for his response, she didn't need to hear his promise. In this case he would have to let actions speak rather than words.

Thank you for reading!

I didn't proof-read this, so if there are more mistakes than usual, I am very sorry. I just wanted to get this out to you real quick. I love you guys, see what your reviews do to me? I just keep writing and writing and writing!

I guess since you are already getting an update one day after the surgery, it's needless to say that it went very, very well. Five minutes after waking up from anesthesia, he was already sitting in his hospital bed and eating a Kaiser roll and munching pretzels, lol. Kids are seriously so amazingly resilient. Thank you so much for all the well wishes and the support. Naptime is over just now, so this time no PM's but another list of thanks. Next week when he is back to daycare I have more time for PM's again. So here we go

Special super duper thanks to the wonderful reviewers:

gabby871

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