A/N - Hello all. I know I promised eight chapters, but I think I'm gonna end it at seven. Honestly, it ties everything up much more nicely than anything I've come up with for Chapter Eight. Probably because, while I have some hot smut locked and loaded, the rest of it seems to drive the story forward in ways that raise new questions instead of answering old ones.
Y'all should know that I'm also working on a multi-chapter third person piece that introduces another OC, Greta, around the time of Season 2's Cherokee Rose, one that I'm finding to be more inspiring than Stella and DD at the moment. Although part of me really likes Stella and Daryl and wouldn't mind writing another piece that explores her back story some more and would really go OFF on a bunch of themes that have been twisting around in the dark recesses of my brain as I've struggled with Ch. 8...
E.g., D's angsty issues centered around his loyalties to Merle vs. a new vision of himself symbolized by Stella and the fact that she likes him... The fact that she refuses to put up with D's squirrelly bullshit... The teasing dynamic between them... Him getting emotionally smacked in the face when confronted with the fact that she doesn't necessarily know if she wants anything more from him besides sex... Him having to work through his demons on his own (how lasting lessons get learned, imo), as opposed to someone coaxing/pushing him to do it... Which would lead to him having to go off to his proverbial cave and sort out his shit once he decides that he really wants her, which could lead to a fuck ton of entertaining Daryl first person stream of consciousness... I really like the idea of upending the 'some sweet OC gently takes D's hand and guides him through his forest of angst' trope. I'll be honest, I like reading those stories just as much as any other DD fangirl, but if I ever decide to pick these characters up and play with them again, that's the tack I plan to take.
Anyway, if you've taken the time to read my word vomit in the guise of another chapter, thanks. And honestly, any thoughts you have on my ideas for another story that continues Stella and Daryl's love/smut story would be appreciated. Should I continue with them? What do you think of the themes I'd take up if I did continue with them? I'm new to this whole Fan Fiction universe and don't really have anybody to bounce these ideas off of. Alva Starr? I'd love to chat with you, in particular. Your Note to Self: Don't Die story was the first really good piece I read on here. In fact, I first started entertaining the idea of writing my own story while I was balls deep in yours, so to see that you followed my story gave me a girlie shiver...
PLEASE REVIEW... I've decided to just come out and beg for it...