I apologize for the long time before Updates... I would love to get these out weekly instead of every couple of weeks.

Riki's alarm went off and she groaned at the thought of having to get out of her bed. The memory of the night before flashed through her mind and she couldn't help but grin. Daryl had finally kissed her, and she enjoyed every second of it. For someone who wasn't very experienced with women, he was an exceptional kisser. Firm but soft lips that made her go weak in the knees. The way he cupped her face as he kissed her made her feel like a teenage girl, but who wouldn't when they had been kissed so thoroughly. She was praying that things would be normal between the two of them this morning, but knowing Daryl he would withdraw from her, or worse…he would tell her he was leaving to go back to live with Merle.

"Stop it Riki- don't over think it." She told herself. Oscar and Lucky looked at her like she was crazy, then they began to wrestle with each other under the blankets, causing her to laugh.

Riki pulled herself out of bed and headed straight to the shower. As the hot water poured over her body she fought the urge to touch herself to relieve the sexual tension she was feeling. Daryl had admitted to her that he didn't have a clue about relationships and that she needed to be patient with him, which meant sex was most likely off the table for a while. And to be honest, Riki had known him less than a week, and she wouldn't sleep with him anyway. She wasn't a slut (well at least she wasn't anymore) and if she had any chance of ever getting things to work out between the two of them, this relationship needed to be nurtured. She was intrigued with Daryl, more so than she had been with anyone. There was a lot of hurt behind those piercing blue eyes, and if Riki could reach inside of him and pull it out, she gladly would. Daryl was full of self-doubt and insecurities and she was going to make it a point to spend every moment she could building him up to his full potential. She could take things slow knowing that if she finally broke those walls around him, the reward of Daryl knowing happiness would mean happiness for her as well.

…

Daryl had barely slept. He felt like things were falling out of his control, and it was causing him to doubt himself even more than he normally did. He spoke honestly when he told Riki he didn't know how to be in a relationship, but that didn't mean he didn't want to be in one with her. When he thought about how quickly things were changing, he could feel his heart racing and his breathing became labored. He didn't even know her a week ago and now he was living in her spare bedroom. He knew it was temporary, but did he want it to be? Daryl had absolutely no game and no charm, and Riki came from a world where other people's opinions of you actually mattered. He knew he came off as aloof and blunt, but if he and Riki were ever together somewhere in public, she could possibly be judged by his actions. The last thing he wanted to do was embarrass her because of his lack of social graces.

Then there was the whole sex thing. Daryl's few times he had sex involved lots of alcohol, slipping out his cock, and thrusting until he got off. No romance and no feelings were involved. He didn't know much about pleasuring a female, let alone someone like Riki who he was pretty sure was much more experienced than he was. Her hook-ups had made the news, and he even vaguely remembered something about a sex tape…but he knew that wasn't how she was anymore. She had grown up since those days a decade ago. He certainly didn't want people to hold things he had done in his past against him. Of course, most of the shit he had been involved in prior was Merle's doing. But that being said, Daryl was an adult and knew right from wrong, but still chose to follow his brother because he didn't really know what else to do. He wasn't proud of his actions in the past, but he knew that Riki wasn't proud of her past as well.

Around five in the morning, after only napping instead of sleeping, Daryl got up and took a shower. He put on another pair of work pants and one of the gray T-shirts that Rosita had given him yesterday that had the Center's logo on the pocket. He gathered up his dirty clothes and made his way to the washing machine and started his laundry. Knowing Riki wouldn't be up for at least another hour, he rummaged through the refrigerator and pulled out some eggs, cheese, sausage, onions, milk, and then found some flour and potatoes and assembled a breakfast casserole. There would be plenty for them to eat, and they could even have some the next day as well. He knew she had to leave for the airport, but he wanted to get up with her before she left and enjoy his final time with her for the next few days. Just the thought of her being gone for four days made him miss her already. He hadn't ever felt this way about anyone, and had decided he would spend as much time working at the Center as possible.

Daryl was outside drinking coffee and smoking a cigarette when he heard the shower turn on in Riki's room. His heart picked up speed knowing he would be facing her in a short while. Then he remembered what she said last night "Daryl, I don't want this to be weird for you in the morning OK. This isn't some sort of game I'm playing with you, I truly have feelings for you." He inhaled deeply on his cigarette and then let himself calm down.

Riki entered the main room and headed towards the kitchen, catching the scent of the breakfast Daryl had made still warming in the oven. She caught a glimpse of him sitting out on the balcony outside the kitchen and opened the door to join him.

"Something smells good." She said as she walked over to him and gave him a kiss. She hoped that any second thoughts he was possibly having would abate as she made contact with him. His hands gently caressed her back as he returned the kiss.

"I was up early, so I made breakfast. There is enough leftover for tomorrow too, so you don't have to worry about breakfast before you leave." He told her in a soft voice.

"You know a girl could really get used to this." She said giving him a smile.

"How so?" He asked.

"A Handsome man, breakfast fixed for me, and good company to enjoy the first cigarette of the day with. Yeah, this is the good life." She said.

"I think some of your family might object to that darling." He said as he let out a yawn unexpectedly.

"Are you tired Daryl?" She asked concerned.

"Didn't sleep to good." He replied.

"Why not? Is the bed not comfortable?" She asked. He just gave her a look, but didn't say anything. It took her a second, and she realized he had spent the night thinking about her.

"Oh." She said.

"Don't worry, I'll get over it. I've had worse things keep me up at night. I was thinking though, do you want me to take you to the airport in the morning?" He asked.

"No…you don't need too. I have to leave out of here at four-thirty to catch my flight and that is entirely too early for you to be running me around." She told him, noticing a look of disappointment on his face. "Unless you really want too." She added, seeing him give her a nod.

"I'm usually up early anyhow. Besides, it will save you the hassle of parking or catching a cab. I can pick you up Saturday too." He said.

"Well that sounds fantastic Daryl. It will make things easier on me. I do have some errands to run today, so if you want to take the Porsche to work, I won't mind. Then if you want to leave for lunch you will have transportation. I have to pick up my gown for Friday night and then tonight I need to pack my things. I took the liberty of ordering us a dinner again for tonight." She told him.

"We can ride in together, I ain't planning on leaving today unless I need to pick up some material and if that is the case I will just send Axle. I wanna spend as much time with you as possible before you leave." Daryl said honestly, but blushing as he admitted his true feelings to her.

Riki swallowed as a big smile crossed her face. She had to fight off the urge to yell out a "woo hoo" when Daryl told her he wanted to spend time with her. Instead she kept her composure. "That sounds nice Daryl. I will pack as soon as we get home and then we can eat dinner and enjoy each other's company. I have to admit I wish I didn't have to go now, but this is an important fundraiser. You can watch it on cable Friday if you want. I am giving the key note address, so that means I will speak last…boring stuff, but important too."

"You're gonna be on TV? Shit woman, I didn't realize how big of a deal this is. Wish I was going with ya to see you do this in person." Daryl said.

"Do ya wanna come? We can make arrangements so you can." She said to him.

"Nah, it wouldn't be right. I just started working yesterday and there is a lot of shit to do so we pass that fire inspection. It's tempting though. Maybe you can call me before you make your speech and I'll give ya a pep talk." Daryl said, laughing at the thought of him giving anyone a pep talk.

"OK…you're on, and when I take the podium, I'll send you a little sign that is just for you. Carol Burnette used to do that at the end of her show each week. She would tug her ear just for her mother." Riki told him.

"You don't have to go to all that trouble. I just wanna hear your speech and I'll be sure to watch." He assured her. She grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down the cable channel and the time that the Gala would be showing.

"Isn't any trouble at all Daryl. Just thrilled that you wanna watch." She replied.

"All this work you do for the Center is a really nice thing Riki. Those people need ya." He said as he thought about adding 'I need ya too' but he held back. Daryl couldn't express his feelings about her to that extent after knowing her for such a short time.

"They need a lot of people Daryl, that's why I am going on television to beg anyone and everyone who can to help. It's all I can do." She said looking him square in the eyes…those intense beautiful blue eyes that he possessed. She could get lost in those eyes.

…

When they arrived at work Daryl went straight to the maintenance room where Axle informed him that they had a bit of vandalism over the previous night. Someone had cut the back fence and spray painted some disparaging remarks about Riki.

"Has anyone else seen it?" Daryl asked.

"Nah, I was the first one here this morning and I cleaned it up. They had put her name up on the wall with 'Whore' and 'Slut' after a few other choice words. Ms. Riki doesn't deserve to have that kinda shit said about her. She's a kind lady who has sacrificed a lot to put this Center together." Axle said as he played with his wild facial hair.

"Don't say shit to no one, I don't want her or anyone else upset about this. I thought security was supposed to be here last night after what happened yesterday." Daryl said, his tone angry.

"I won't say nothing Mr. Dixon, but Morales had a family emergency and couldn't make it in. He's all we've got for security and we run a skeleton crew at night." Axle informed him.

"First of all, you don't need to keep calling me Mr. Dixon, Daryl will work just fine. Second of all, do we have security cameras?" Daryl inquired.

"No security cameras on the premises." Axle replied.

"Do you think you can run down to the home improvement store and pick up some? I can work with Glenn to get them hooked up so that at least if this happens again, we might have something we can give to the cops so they can arrest the mother fuckers who did this." Daryl said. He was seething at this point, but knew he needed to act like a professional.

"Ain't a problem boss but we should check with Glenn first so that I get the right thing." Axle said.

"Fine, let's go find him. And Axle…"

"Yeah boss?" He replied.

"Thanks for cleaning this shit up before she or anyone else saw it." Daryl told him, thankful that Axle had reacted so well to the situation.

Axle gave him a big grin, thrilled to know he had gained Daryl's approval "Ain't no problem…Glad you appreciated it."

…

Merle Dixon woke up sober again. It had been four days and he had to admit, he felt pretty good. Considering he was pushing fifty years old the number of times he woke up without a hangover, sick, or aching from a fight were few and far between. But maybe things were finally about to change for him. He felt it. Once Joe was paid off, he could start life anew, and after the feisty Latina he had met for coffee the night before, he now had a new purpose in his life.

When he had stopped by to extend the invitation to Riki and Daryl he had been shocked by Rosita's boldness. Women like her didn't look at men like him. But damn, she did and she had slipped him her number. Normally Merle had a swagger and a male bravado to him and would never let a woman call the shots, but this lady was different, not only did she command respect, he wanted to treat her like the lady that she was.

They met at a little café not far from the Center, and Merle was nervous. He couldn't ever remember being nervous when it came time to interact with the female sex, but when she showed up in a pair of jeans that hugged her curves, and a low cut red blouse and matching lipstick, he couldn't even remember his name. Hell, he even opened the door for her and pulled out her chair.

They eased into a conversation and for once, Merle listened to what someone else had to say. Rosita was thirty years old (way to go Merle…) and had grown up in Houston. She moved to Atlanta five years earlier to finish up her Masters Degree in Sociology at Emory University where she had received a full scholarship. She had been dating a Military officer from Fort Benning and apparently he had recently chosen a trip to Mexico to break up with her and informed her he was reconciling with his wife whom he had split with two years earlier. She admitted that it hurt, and she also informed Merle that as much as she was attracted to him, any chance of anything sexual was a ways away. She was honest and straightforward, and she mesmerized him.

Merle had informed her that he had quite the checkered past. He told her about his fight with Daryl, and how he realized that selling Daryl's most prized possession out from under him was the wake-up call he needed to try to get his life straight. He let Rosita know he had only been sober a few days, and that he struggled with hard core drug use. Sobriety wasn't something he could promise her, but he said it was his goal.

She told him she was willing to help him out. She knew about some outpatient treatment facilities that she could get him into. When it came to him getting a job, she said she might have something in mind, but she would have to talk to someone. Merle had a military background, and from what she could gather, he had at least received a GED and an honorable discharge. That worked in his favor and she was willing to help him if he was willing to help himself. He had agreed that he would try, and that was good enough for her. His honesty with her was refreshing, and at least he was aware of his faults.

The evening ended with Rosita giving him a chaste kiss on the cheek and permission for him to call her if he needed to talk. Merle Dixon acted the complete gentleman that night, and for the first time, he realized it felt pretty good to be deemed a decent human being. He wasn't holding his breath for this relationship to go anywhere, but Rosita made him feel like he had opportunities he had long forgotten about. If he didn't have this damn thing with Joe hanging over his head, he would feel pretty damn awesome.

…

Daryl and Axle had met with Glenn, and he had let them know what they needed to pick up to install security cameras. Daryl met with Riki and she agreed that installing camera's was a good idea (though Daryl didn't explain to her about the vandalism) and she gave Daryl the company credit card to pick up what was needed. Daryl sent Axle out on his own and then headed back to the maintenance room to work on some other plans.

Daryl was concentrating on the blue print of the sprinkler system when he heard someone enter the room. He looked up to see none other than Miss Sunshine, Beth enter the room.

"Hey Daryl…I was bored last night so I thought I would bake some cookies for you and Axle to share." She said with a bright smile on her face.

Daryl looked at her awkwardly. He wasn't sure how to react to his little gift of kindness. Was she sweet on him? He hoped not. There wasn't anything wrong with the girl, she was adorable and could sing like a songbird, but she was barely twenty- one, and that was territory Daryl didn't want to explore. Plus, he had eyes for Riki but he didn't want to share that information with anyone at the Center. He wasn't sure if Riki would want anyone to know either. So Daryl reached for the tin of cookies and gave her a polite nod.

"Thanks, we'll enjoy them." He said.

"No Problem Daryl. I guess I'll see you around." She said, smiling once again with a hint of sadness in her eyes. He couldn't pin point why, but it seemed like she knew something he didn't.

…

The previous night as Beth sat down to dinner with her parents she mentioned the new man that had taken on the role of managing Axle. Beth was the only one living at home these days and her daily discussions of what was going on at the Center was the high light of Hershel and Annette Greene's day.

"Beth you sound smitten with this new gentleman at work, do we know him?" Annette asked her daughter.

"No mama, it isn't anything like that. There is something familiar about him though, but I can't place my finger on it. His name is Daryl Dixon and I don't think he is from the Atlanta area originally. I think I heard Riki say he is from Chickamauga." Beth said suddenly realizing her mother had stopped eaten and dropped her fork. Tears were forming in her eyes and Beth could only muster a bewildered look at her mother.

Hershel then spoke "Annette…don't go there. We don't even know if it is the same man. That isn't the most uncommon name."

"Beth do you know anything else about this man?" Annette whispered.

"Not a whole lot momma. He's quiet and keeps to himself and I would even go so far as saying he is shy. Sort of like a wounded animal. I also know he has an older brother that Rosita had an instant crush on. I think the brother's name was something like Earl…no, it was Merle. He seems a lot different than Daryl…almost scary. Why are you asking?" Beth said.

Hershel looked at Annette and shook his head "No Annette, we have to leave all that mess back in your past."

"Momma, what is going on?" Beth pleaded.

Annette could barely catch her breath, but she finally was able to calm herself so she could speak. "You remember me telling you about my sister that passed away many years before you were born?"

"Yeah, Aunt Lois…you said I looked just like her." Beth replied to her mother, curious as to where this conversation was going.

"Well your Aunt Lois was eight years older than me and she had run off and eloped when she was sixteen. She and her husband, who was four years older than Lois, moved to Chickamauga and Lois had a son nine months later after getting married. They named him Merle. At first everything was fine and Lois was as happy as any young newly married mother could be, but her husband, Will, started drinking and soon he spiraled out of control. He would regularly beat Lois, and before long she was drinking as much as he was. Lois stopped visiting the family, and my parents wouldn't let me see her. They said it was too dangerous for me to be around Will." Annette said.

"So what are saying momma? Right now it sounds like Daryl might be my first cousin." Beth challenged.

"That's because he is. Merle too. As I got older I tried really hard to get in touch with Lois, but she wouldn't respond to my letters, and daddy still forbid me to go to Chickamauga to visit. He and my mother had been angry with Lois since the day she had eloped. They never made any effort to meet their grandchildren and just said that Lois had married the Devil, and now she was one of his minions as well. Your grandparents came from a very strict religious background, and had always fought against Lois's wild streak. The end result was I had a sister and two nephews that I never saw. Lois passed when I was twenty five and I married your brother Shawn's father about six months later." Annette informed her daughter, still fighting back tears.

"Why didn't you make an effort to see those boys Momma? They were without their mother and you were at an age you didn't need your parents permission or help to visit them." Beth said, a slightly angry tone in her voice. She was pissed that she had two cousins that she was just finding out about, and angry that no one had made an effort to help those boys.

"Will Dixon was a violent man, and he refused to let anyone from the family "taint" his boys. My daddy tried once to visit the boys so he could take them to Church right after Lois passed, but Will threatened them with a shotgun and forbid him from seeing the kids. Plus, at that time Merle was sixteen and from what we heard, he was following in his father's footsteps. Shawn was born shortly thereafter, and his daddy passed away soon after that. I was so busy being a single mother that I never had the time to follow up on the kids. Years passed, I married your daddy, and unfortunately, Lois and her boys became a distant memory." Annette confessed.

Hershel then spoke sternly "Beth, I need you to keep this to yourself. I don't want a man like Will Dixon, or his children around you. Those people aren't safe or sane."

Annette slammed her fist down on the table, something totally out of character for the soft-spoken woman "Hershel, you can't forbid her or me from speaking to those boys."

"First of all Annette, they aren't boys. By now they have got to be in their forties, and the oldest one may be pushing fifty. Second of all how do you think they will react knowing that not a single person in your family fought to get them out of their situation? It could lead to a violent reaction knowing they were forgotten." Hershel said in response.

"Daddy…they are family and you want us to turn our backs on them like everyone else has? Don't they deserve to know?" Beth pleaded.

"Beth, I can't tell you what to do, but I do believe that it is in your best interest to steer clear of the Dixons. At least give us some time to think on what to do." Hershel said in a soft tone.

"You know what, I'll be quiet about this for now, but you two should be ashamed of yourselves. Those men deserve to know they have a family…even if it was one that let them down. Momma, I love you more than anything, but you should have done more to at least make contact with them. God knows what type of horrors they grew up with at the hands of their daddy." Beth said in an angry tone.

"Beth…I was young, and I had just got married and was expecting your brother…I didn't have the means to care for them." Annette said, tears streaming down her face.

"You didn't have the means to write them letters, send them cards, or even make the occasional visit to Chickamauga? Maybe someone could have done something to get them away from their father…you saw what happened to Aunt Lois and I can only imagine how bad it was for those boys. No child deserves to be forgotten like that." Beth yelled as her heart broke knowing what Daryl and Merle must have gone through.

"Beth, that's enough. You don't get to talk to your momma like that. Keep this to yourself for now and we will come up with a plan to make it right." Hershel bellowed at his daughter.

Beth's face must have turned three shades of red, but she nodded in agreement with her father. "I'm sorry momma, it just hurts knowing that our family…my blood, had to suffer like they did. The least I can do is make Daryl feel welcomed at the Center. I'm gonna make him and Axle some cookies to enjoy tomorrow. Maybe we can have the Dixon's over for dinner one night…and maybe we can all become a family again." Beth said with both sadness and hope in her voice.

Annette responded "Hopefully we can…but at this point I am not even sure they would accept us. All we can do is pray about it." She said, and both Beth and Hershel agreed.

…

It was getting late in the afternoon and the heat was stifling. Even though it was early October, Atlanta was going through and Indian Summer and the temperature was close to ninety with high humidity. Daryl and Axle were both out in the back lot of the Center repairing the fence where it had been cut. It was only Daryl's second day on the job, but he already felt like the Center was part of him. Maybe it was because it was so deeply connected to Riki.

He was angry that someone had painted such horrible things about Riki on the wall. Yeah, he knew she had a past, but who didn't. Unfortunately for Riki when you grow up to become the wild child of the wealthiest man in Georgia, your private life becomes public. She didn't make the best decisions when she was younger, but that didn't mean she deserved to still pay for them now…ten years later.

"I'm gonna jump up on the roof and take a look. Rosita said they had some issues with leaks and I wanna see if I can patch up the weak spots or if we gotta get a whole new roof. Hopefully I can just do a patch job." Daryl told Axle.

"You want me to come up there with ya boss?" Axle asked.

"Nah…It won't take me long to figure out what we are dealing with." Daryl said as he grabbed a ladder and climbed up on top of the building. He surmised that there were just a few weak spots that he could patch up with the extra shingles stored in the shed on the back property.

"Yeah…I can fix this." Daryl said to Axle as he climbed down the ladder.

"You want me to grab the shingles and bring them over here so we can get started?" Axle asked.

"No, I got this. You have been busting your ass around here as it is. Why don't you do me a favor and go inside and take an inventory of the plumbing supplies while I do this. I've got the Fire and Sprinkler guys coming out this week and then next week we need to focus on the plumbing. The water pressure around here is lower than it should be and that has me concerned." Daryl told Axle.

"I can do that." Axle said to Daryl. Axle really had a lot of respect for Daryl, because quite honestly Daryl was the first person he had ever worked with that seemed to have respect for him. Axle never felt that confident in his own abilities, but Daryl seemed to have the confidence in him that he never did, and that made Axle hold his head a little higher and gave him a little extra spring in his step.

Daryl had been up on the roof close to an hour repairing the weak spots when he finally decided it was time to climb down and grab a drink of some much needed water. He was sweating and his back was aching, but he felt confident that the roof would hold through at least another twelve months. One advantage of growing up poor was you learned how to make things work as long as possible. A lack of financial resources forced you to learn how to make do with what you had.

Daryl was sitting down in the smoking area, enjoying a cigarette and gulping water. He was using muscles he hadn't used in a while, and his back and shoulders were beginning to ache. That being said, he felt satisfied in doing a good hard day's worth of work. His thoughts were disturbed when he heard raised voices coming from an open window, that he realized was Riki's office. He didn't want to eavesdrop, but Riki's tone had him alarmed. He also didn't recognize the second female voice he heard arguing with her.

"Look Mother, I don't know why you bothered to lower your standards and head down here to talk to me. There isn't really a lot to say about the matter. My Father is a prick and there is nothing you can do or say that is going to make me change my opinion of him." Riki screamed.

"Riki he is sorry for what he did. Honestly." Her mother Kim said in a begging tone.

"Sorry enough to apologize to me personally, or did he send you to do his bidding for him?" Riki bit back.

"You know how he is Riki…he's prideful. Why can't you understand that? Sometimes I wish you were more like Gareth." Kim said, realizing she had just made a mistake.

"Oh Really, now the truth comes out. You want me to be my father's clone? Well I'm not Mother…I'm my own person and I actually give a shit about other people, and I'm not going to step on anyone to meet my own personal achievements." Riki said.

"Riki…think about the family…that is what is most important." Kim pleaded.

"Oh is it? Is it family, or image you and Daddy dearest are worried about?" Riki challenged.

"Image is important Riki…I think you learned that the hard way. It's taken us years to rebuild what you destroyed in your early twenties. You were lucky that your father was so forgiving…now it's what I ask of you." Her mom said in an almost smug tone.

"Ha Ha Mom. Don't forget that Gareth was conceived by an affair Daddy had with our Nanny. You just turned a blind eye to that and accepted it."

"Riki, that was the past, and your father has spent years trying to make that back up to me. It wouldn't hurt you to do the same thing with Shane. He was such a nice man. In fact he came by the house last night…concerned about this man you have been spotted with recently."

Daryl's ears perked up when he heard Riki's mother mention him indirectly.

"Daryl is ten times the man that Shane ever wished he could be." Riki replied.

"Well I don't think that is necessarily true. He comes from a criminal family and he may just be using you to get to your money." Kim said.

Riki lost her mind at her mother's comment. She slammed her fist down on her desk while Daryl felt himself bristle at the obvious judgement Riki's family had already placed on him. Damnit this is why it could never work between the two of them. Her family would never allow it and eventually they would talk her into her senses. He could feel his heart fall as soon as 'Kim' spoke those words to her daughter. That was until he heard Riki answer back.

"You listen to me right now Mother. I have deep feelings for Daryl and I would give up every damn dime I have to be with him. He is caring and kind, and a genuine person. You know what happened with Shane…and Lori wasn't the only one he was fucking. I have more respect for myself than to put up with that fucking bullshit, and you should too. It sickens me to see how weak you are." Riki screamed.

"Do you always have to be so Vulgar Riki? I am not weak, but I am just smart enough to know that powerful men like your father need a little distraction every now and then. It's the price you pay to live the lifestyle we do, and you are a fool for not seeing that. And how can you say you feel so deeply about Daryl when you barely know him." Kim challenged.

"Because he has done more for me in the short period of time I've known him than you or anyone else in this family has done for me. He is good people and I'm tired of dealing with the fake bullshit that comes with being a Thornton." Riki replied.

"Well, I tried Riki. I love you, but I can tell there isn't going to be any dealing with you when you won't listen. Good Luck, but don't come crawling back to me for support when he breaks your heart and steals your money." Kim said as she grabbed her purse, kicked her chair back, stood up and left Riki's office, slamming the door behind her.

Riki was livid. How dare her mother of all people judge her like that? God she needed a cigarette. She grabbed her pack and went outside to find Daryl sitting down on one of the benches in the smoking area.

"I heard what you said." Daryl told her.

"Please don't hate me." Riki said, tears threatening to fall.

"Why would I hate you? You stood up for me. I can't say many people have ever done that. I reckon this means I won't get invited for Christmas Dinner at the Thornton Mansion." He joked.

"Don't worry about that Daryl. I'm done with them. All they do is cause me hurt, except for my Grandfather. He is the only one worth anything. Oh Yeah, and Rick too. He's a good man as well." Riki said.

"Did you really mean what you said about having deep feelings for me?" Daryl asked.

"I already told you that Daryl. I don't lie and I'm gonna spend every freaking moment I can showing that to you. We'll talk about it more tonight…I promise. Right now I gotta go back in and help Rosita. We've had tons of calls today from people wanting to volunteer time and companies wanting to make donations. Alexandria's ploy to get the Center closed down has backfired for now, and we are going to take all the help we can get while we have the chance. Talk about a silver lining…" Riki said.

Daryl reached out and took her hand and gave it a squeeze. He was by no means comfortable with Public displays of affection, but just that touch let her know all she needed to know about him. He cared for her too…he might struggle with human interaction, but he was attempting to try. That impressed the hell out of her, and she gave him a smile and a wink as she headed back into the building.

…

Riki had her hands full with all of the things she had picked up during the day for her trip in the morning. Daryl scooped most of it out of the back seat and told her to carry only her gown. She led them up the elevator to the penthouse and he placed all of her things on the kitchen table.

"I swear Daryl you are one of the nicest people I have ever met. I would have been lucky if Shane would have even opened the door for me." She said.

"Trust me, I ain't that prick." He told her. Before he could start another sentence, Riki grabbed onto his sturdy shoulders and pulled him into a kiss.

"I've been waiting all day to do that. I couldn't stop thinking about you." She confessed.

"Darling you gotta let me take a shower first. I'm a filthy mess." He admitted to her.

"No you're not, but I don't blame you for wanting to clean up. It was hot as fuck outside today and I know you were on the roof. I'm surprised you are even standing." She said.

"Hard work ain't gonna hurt me. It felt good to do something besides following Merle around all day." He told her.

"OK…I'm gonna start getting my stuff together and wait for dinner to be delivered." She told him.

"What are we having tonight?" He asked curiously.

"Cuban food." She told him, guessing he had never had it before.

"Sounds…interesting." He told her, confirming her suspicions.

…

Daryl came out of the shower dressed in an old worn pair of jeans and plain white T-shirt with the sleeves removed. Riki didn't think she could possibly ever grow tired of looking at those arms and shoulders, and she so desperately wanted to see what he kept hidden beneath that shirt. In all the time they had spent together she had not once seen him with his shirt off. She wondered if he was hiding something like a third nipple or something.

"I'm fucking beat." Daryl told her as he sat down at the kitchen table. Dinner had indeed arrived while he was showering and getting dressed.

"You know, the hot tub would do wonders on your sore muscles. We could put on some soft music, grab a couple of beers and soak in it for a bit." She told him.

Daryl looked like a deer caught in headlights. He didn't know what to say and he didn't want to run scared anymore. So with every bit of honesty he could muster he looked Riki dead in the eyes and finally told her something about himself. "Riki…I ain't comfortable with my shirt off in front of people, even Merle. When I was younger…my Daddy beat me bad, and well, I've got marks on my back that ain't ever gonna go away."

Riki sat there quietly pondering what Daryl just told her. Unfortunately, her silence freaked him out and he muttered to himself " I knew it, ain't no one as good as you want someone as damaged as me."

"Whoa…wait a minute Daryl. I was just waiting for you to finish and wrap my head around what you just told me. Part of me wants to jump up and wrap my arms around you and love those marks away, and then the other part of me wants to give you the respect you deserve. Daryl it breaks my heart to know that someone hurt you that horrifically, and I am fighting off the urge to cry for you. But I know you, and I don't think you would appreciate that. Just so you know, none of this changes a fucking thing regarding how I feel about you. It just proves to me how strong you are." She told him.

"I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions. I ain't never told no one before. It has a lot to do with why I ain't never had relationships. You can't be in a regular relationship with someone and not expect something like these scars to be revealed. I've always been ashamed of 'em. They just show how weak I was." He told her in a soft almost broken tone.

"Don't you dare say that Daryl Dixon. You survived abuse and turned yourself into an honorable man, instead of using it as an excuse for everything in your life. It's part of what makes you beautiful to me. Daryl, you aren't weak…you are a very strong man." She said in a loving voice.

"So you don't think any less of me because of it?" He asked again, making sure he heard her right.

"Daryl I think more of you if that is possible. I want to get to know you so badly…all of you. The good, the bad, and the ugly and I hope you want to get to know the real me too." She said, a little unsure of what he was gonna say.

"Deal." He said, giving her an almost smile.

"So what do you think of dinner?" She asked, putting the serious conversation to the side.

"Pretty good so far, but are those cooked bananas?" He asked, curious about the strange dessert she had laid out on the table.

"They are Plantains, and they are so freaking good, especially if you serve them with a scoop of ice cream. Trust me." She teased.

"Well you ain't let me down so far." He said. She got up from the table and pulled out two bowls and a half-gallon of vanilla ice cream. After she put the warm plantains in the bowl she heaped the ice cream on top and handed Daryl the bowl.

"Try it." She said.

He looked at her a bit hesitant, and then remembered he had eaten all sorts of woodland creatures and never thought twice about it. So he dug his spoon into the bowl and tried the exotic dessert. He wasn't disappointed. It was a different texture, but it was full of sweet flavor. It was fucking good as hell.

"Do ya like it?" She asked him.

He nodded as he began to shove it in his mouth. "Oh shit, I got brain freeze."

Riki started laughing, and before long Daryl was laughing with her. He loved how she made him feel. He didn't have to try to be anyone else around her, and she didn't have to be anyone else around him. They were comfortable with each other and though the feeling was new to Daryl, he was enjoying it.

"So, can I still talk you into getting into the hot tub with me? If you wanna keep your shirt on that is absolutely fine by me. You can let me see your marks when you are ready, and not a minute before." She said as she reached out and gave him a reassuring squeeze on his arm.

"Okay…and thanks" he said in a soft voice.

"Good deal. I'll go put on my swimsuit and meet you out there." She told him.

Daryl went into his room and put on the bathing suit he had purchased and decided he would feel better just keeping the T-shirt on. There would be a time and place for him to finally remove it in front of another person, but he wasn't feeling quite secure enough about himself to do that.

He met Riki in the hot tub and couldn't help but notice she was wearing a very nice fitting black and white criss-cross bikini. God she looked almost good enough to eat.

"How do you stay in such good shape?" He asked her.

"Luck I reckon, because I hate exercise and I love to eat. I'm active and there are times I forget to eat, so I reckon it all works out in the end. Plus, my boobs have had a little bit of surgical help." She admitted.

"You had a boob job?" He blurted out.

"Yeah, I might be thirty five, but these girls are ten." She joked.

"Well they look mighty fine." Daryl said without thinking.

"Thank you very much Mr. Dixon. Maybe one day you can meet them up close and personal." She teased. Daryl felt his cock twitch when she made the comment, and he knew the bathing suit wasn't going to hide a damn thing.

After a couple of beers and listening to the relaxing music, Riki moved up against Daryl's body and he wrapped his arm around her. It didn't take much after that to lead to an intense make out session. There bathing suits stayed on, but hands wandered and Daryl got to feel Riki's "girls", eliciting a moan from her and an out of control erection on his part. She slid herself so she was sitting on his lap, grinding against him and he was pretty sure he was going to come right there and then.

Daryl could hardly breathe from being so aroused and he finally pulled back gently and broke their kiss. "Girl, I ain't gonna be able to hold on much longer if you keep squirming around on my lap like that."

"I'm sorry Daryl, I just got carried away. We need to slow it down. Don't be offended, but I want you to know that I won't be sleeping with you right away. I want it to be special and planned, and I want to know you better before we make that final commitment to each other." She told him.

Daryl nodded in agreement. "I like you a lot girl and I'm willing to do whatever I can to make you happy. If you wanna wait, that's fine with me. Can't say it's gonna be easy, but I'm willing to do it."

She gave him a soft kiss, pulling his bottom lip gently between her teeth and then rested her forehead on his. "Thank you Daryl. You don't know what that means to me."

He pulled her in close and let her rest with her head on his shoulder. Just being here like this with her lit a fire in his belly he had never enjoyed before. He was hers already, and he didn't care.

…

After a little while more in the hot tub they headed back into the house so she could finish packing. Daryl took another quick, but very cold shower to get his body under control, then threw on a pair of sweat pants and another shirt that had sleeves. He went out to the balcony to smoke a cigarette while Riki finished packing. He was going to miss her terribly.

It was around ten when she finally finished and she sat down on the couch with him so they could watch the news. She was wearing a cute little pajama set, but for once she was completely covered up.

"I have to get up at three-thirty so I have time to get dressed and ready to go. We have the breakfast leftovers to eat in the morning. Are you sure you want to take me? I can either take the Navigator and park, or call a cab."

"I want to take ya. I want to spend all the time I can with you." He said to her.

"I'll call you while I'm gone, and I'll give you all the details of which movie stars I will see. Dr. Jamison is coming by tomorrow night to give Oscar and Lucky a check up, and you will need to be here to let her in. I hope that is OK." She said hesitantly.

"It's fine. Do I need to pay her?" He asked.

"Nope. She will be me. I am going to miss you so much Daryl." She admitted.

"Same here." He told her.

"Look, my speech is going to be about domestic violence and child abuse, will that bother you?" She asked.

"It won't, I'll be proud to hear what you are gonna say. This is a big deal and my girl is going to be the guest of honor. Wish I could be there in person to hear ya speak." He admitted.

"Next time you can and will be. We'll get you a tux and everything. I bet you will look so damn good it will make every woman in America melt. Ovaries will burst at how gorgeous you are." She said teasing again.

"Don't think that will happen, but thanks for thinking so." He told her.

"Will you lay with me tonight? No funny business, but I just wanna feel your body against mine. It felt so good the other night that I think I was spoiled. I missed you last night to the point I almost came into your room and got in bed with you." She confessed to him.

"You should of, I like having you close. I will do anything you want Riki to make you happy. I can't give you the things financially that others can, but I can at least give you all of me. Does that sound fucking stupid?" He asked, hesitant to hear her answer.

"No Daryl, it doesn't sound stupid, it sounds like a dream." She said as she stood up and turned off the TV and led him to her room with Oscar and Lucky following close behind them.

Please Please Please tell me what you think...I need words of encouragement and to know people are reading. I promise to give you a nice shout out if you leave me a review.

I am on pins and needles about Ep 16 of this season...Please let Daryl live...that's all I'm saying. My heart will break if he doesn't...

Love Ya'll and hope you enjoy. Any suggestions are welcome. I like that Merle is trying to redeem himself, and I like the idea of pairing him with Rosita. They would have been awesome together.

Take Care and hugs to you all-

Missy

XXOO