#normanreedusxreader

"Daryl!" You called out to him grabbing him by the arm. The hunter turned to you, biting his lip nervously staring at you waiting for you to say something. "Promise me one thing... promise me you'll come back alive..." You pleaded squeezing his arm with your hand, your other arm in a sling.

"I can't promise ya that." He replied hoarsely, a growl vibrating at the end of his sentence.

"You don't have to go, you know that..."

"This is my fault, I have to go." He jerked and let go of your grip ready to leave.

You hesitated, it was only for a second, but you finally ran up to him as he was about to leave the room. You held his arm again and when he turned to look at you you stood on tiptoe and kissed his lips.

It was a very slight gesture, you just pressed your lips against his feeling them vibrate on your partner's with hesitation and embarrassment. You slowly broke away to look at him, your mind completely blank, dread running through your mind reflecting in your eyes. You saw him make a very discreet grimace before grabbing the back of your neck and leaning over you to kiss you again. A little more intense getting your brain to 'click' again. When you broke apart your sentence was burning on the tip of your tongue, but he stepped forward.

" I'll be back. I promise" He whispered in a whisper before breaking away, adjusting the crossbow on his back and disappearing out the door.

"CUT!"

The director's voice echoes through the prop room and Norman pokes his head back through the false door he came out of with a smile on his face.

"Did it look good?" he asks amused seeing the affirmative gesture from the rest of the crew and walks over to you.

"Thanks for saving the scene." You say to the man who is still smiling at you amused and shrugs shaking his head. "I've suddenly gone blank..."

"It's the effect of kissing Norman Reedus. It happens to all of you." He struts off laughing at your offended gesture and snort a laugh.

"Yeah, right, if you call that a kiss..." You try to prod him and he catches you in his arm sticking out his tongue ready to lick your face as he always does to tease you. "No, Norman! NO!" You struggle with him, but it's impossible, his bicep nearly choking you. Neither of you stop laughing.

"Come on guys, give us the stage, you have forty minutes break." You are informed and the two of you get out of there so the rest of the team can continue working.

NINE YEARS EARLIER.

You were nervous, not quite sure where the hell you had gotten the courage to find yourself right there in the middle of the huge queue waiting to enter the building.

It was an audition for the next season of one of the series that was all the rage at the time. The main cast was almost complete but they needed new people for several recurring characters that would appear for the first time in the story. You were interested, you liked the story, you had seen the first few seasons and when you heard there was an audition where you lived you plucked up the courage to apply.

You looked around and saw that there were many girls your age and even younger, they were also much prettier than you, which made your spirits decrease, but when you realized it was your turn, you were at the door and they were asking your name. With a stutter you introduced yourself being guided to a room where there was a table with several people taking notes, waiting for you. The nervousness became much more intense in you, but you stood before them introducing yourself once again, attentive to their indications.

"You tell us your name, age and the character you want to play, okay?" One of them said to you turning on a camera they had on the table.

"Okay..." You nodded and introduced yourself. "I'm twenty years old and I'm coming for the role of Julie."

They nodded letting you continue. Julie was an original comic book character, Tyreese's daughter, but in the show they were going to put a different spin on it, they weren't looking for a person with any special characteristics, just an age range of 18 to 25. They gave you some guidelines of what you were to do, so you took a deep breath, laid out the scene in your mind and picked up the stick of a broom to use as a weapon and felt your eyes fill with tears before you started.

"Okay, that's enough." You heard one of them as you finished your interpretation. You got up from the floor wiping your tears and repositioning the broom again. "Since we have your details, when we are done with all the casting if we are interested we will call you."

"Great, thank you so much for the opportunity." You said goodbye with a fond smile and walked out feeling your heart hammering hard in your chest.

You walked out of the building and it seemed like the line was much longer now, you walked away wishing the rest of the people still there luck and looked at your watch. You still had time to go home to take a shower before going to work.

You really had nothing to lose. You hadn't studied anything related to theater or representation, so you doubted they would want someone like you in a series that was on everyone's lips, but you had to admit that you had fun auditioning.

You took off your white jacket when the shift was over and rubbed your eyes hard, feeling like you were about to fall over. Sleep had taken over you several hours ago, you had a double shift and it had been a hard day, too many people to deal with in a short time and you alone, but it was over and you didn't have to go back until the day after tomorrow afternoon. You said goodbye to your boss with a friendly nod and left the pharmacy to go home and sleep until it hurt.

The next day you were startled by the ringing of your cell phone. You looked around not knowing where you were until you discovered the phone vibrating on top of your bedside table. You sat up and answered it without looking at the screen.

"Hello?" you mumbled, rubbing your eyes.

"Honey, I didn't wake you up, did I?" Your mother's voice shook you for a moment, what time was it there? You frowned looking at the screen of your phone checking the time, ten o'clock in the morning.

"No, mom, I just didn't expect you to call him."

"Your brother gave me a watch so I would know what time it was there and since you had a night shift last night and didn't tell me anything..."

"I was out very late and it would be early morning there, I wasn't going to call." You explained clearing your head completely and getting out of bed yawning. You needed a coffee.

"A message at least, you know I like to know you're okay." She protested offended and you couldn't help but smile understanding her concern, you were her youngest daughter and you had thrown yourself into the world at barely 20 years old, it was normal for her to be scared.

"I'm fine mom, work is going well, there are hard days, but it's usually quiet and I don't do a lot of double shifts, which is fine." You informed her as you brewed the coffee pot and made yourself breakfast.

"But...?" your mother's voice sounded concerned and you stopped in your tracks.

"But?"

"Yeah, you don't sound very convinced, it sounds like there's something you're not telling me."

You were surprised. You sighed smiling against the phone, you hated that motherly sixth sense I had.

"It's nothing, well... nothing important, it's silly actually, but..."

"Honey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing! Really, it's nothing, it's just that well... yesterday I went to a casting..."

"A casting? Are you going to change your job?"

"No, no, a casting for a TV show." You bit your lip and waited. Your mother was speechless on the other end of the line, you knew what was going through her mind, you knew the face she was making at that moment, she wasn't happy, the fear that something bad could happen gripped her, nervousness and doubt playing tricks on her. "Mom." You called out to her to get her to react. "Don't freak out, okay? I'm not going to quit my job, it was just a test, I had time before I went to work and it was close to here and..."

"Tell me you're not going to do anything crazy, please." She replied at last with a frightened tone.

"Of course not, seriously, mom it was just an audition, I'm not giving up my job for anything."

"What if they call you wanting you to act?" she asked her voice sounded intrigued now and you laughed.

"It's an important series, I highly doubt they'd waste their time with someone who has no idea." You laughed taking the coffee pot off the stove and grabbing the milk from the fridge. "And if it happened I'd already think about what I'd do..."

"What show is it? Maybe we'll see you next season." She joked and you felt some relief that your mother's tone was already calmer.

"I doubt it, it's about zombies and the dead and stuff, mom, you guys don't like them." You scoffed listening to her protests.

Talking to your mother was always intense. You had a lot to catch up on, you could spend hours glued to the phone. You loved sharing those moments with her, knowing how everyone was doing there, your sisters, your brother, all your nieces and nephews. You would tell her about your job, living in a huge city like that, if the apartment was nice, if you had problems with your neighbors, if you had a boyfriend.

"No, Mom, there's no boy." That was the quintessential phrase when the question at hand came. "I don't have time for that."

"You should go out more!" Was what she always told you to which you wanted to add that if I had more hours in the day, maybe you would.

After the long hours and chatter, you hung up the phone feeling your ear burning. You finished preparing your breakfast by sitting on the wide window sill of your living room window that you had arranged with cushions to settle there and watch the people strolling down the street. You loved watching the crowds coming and going from one side to the other, the cars, the bicycles... you had never liked crowds in cities or crowds of people, but you had to admit that from a safe distance and without the anxiety of feeling in the way, it was fun and pleasant.

It was your day off, you didn't have to leave the house, you could spend the day watching people running from one place to another, but since your mother had woken you up, you took the opportunity to leave the whole house clean and tidy. It was not a very big apartment, a living-dining room, a small bathroom and your bedroom, you had two large windows, one in the dining room and one in the bedroom, which heated the house while the sun was streaming through them leaving the place warm for when the light was gone. So you finished early giving you room to spread out the rest of the morning on other tasks.

It had been several weeks since the last time you talked to your mother, the last news was that one of your colleagues had become a mother and you had to replace her position in addition to taking charge of your own guards, which meant more hours and some more money, but also that you would end up exhausted every day, lying on your couch trying to pull yourself together and not fall asleep right there.

Once again it was your cell phone keeping you awake, you sit up seeing on the screen a number you didn't know, you felt your heart skip a beat before you picked up the device and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hello!" they asked for your name and when you said it was you your voice trembled a little. "We're from the TWD audition you auditioned for a few days ago."

"Oh, right, do you guys know who you're going to pick already?" if you were nervous before now your hands were ice cold.

"Yes, that's why we were calling you, the role of Julie, the one you applied for, we're finally going to give it the original comic book line and we've found a person who fits the parameters much better."

"Yeah, sure, I understand." You nodded even though they couldn't see you, you didn't fit a lot of Julie's stuff. "Thank you so much for letting me know..."

"The thing is, we have other options that maybe might fit you."

"Oh, really?" she surprised you by sitting up better on the couch biting your thumbnail.

"Yes, we'd like you to come in tomorrow around seven to practice some new dialogues, see how you get along interacting with others."

"Sure, there would be no problem, around seven?"

"Yes, same place as the previous audition."

"Perfect, in that case I'll see you tomorrow, thank you very much for the opportunity."

"Thanks, see you tomorrow." They said goodbye on the other end and you hung up at the same time.

You looked at your phone and leaned it against your chest, your gaze lost in nowhere, your heart hammering in your ears, your breathing ragged, you were in shock.

What were you supposed to do?

You couldn't call your mother, that was out of the equation, if the woman found out you were going to take another test without knowing for sure they were going to give you the part you knew her nerves would be shot she would shoot up the last time you talked to her, however you needed to talk to someone, so you called one of your sisters. She rang the dial tone twice before she picked up.

"Uh, hi, what's wrong?" your sister's voice relaxed and tensed you at the same time.

"Nothing, why should anything be wrong? why is it that when I call you you think it's because something's wrong?"

"Well... you don't call me during business hours, I know the store is mine but you've always respected that and besides... you're defensive."

"I'm not!" you protested and then you both remained silent. "Okay, maybe a little..." You muttered at last and she laughed on the other side.

"What happened? what did you do that you don't want mom to know about?"

"Well... I haven't really done anything yet, but..." you sighed hating that your sister knew you so well.

You told her about the casting, about the little audition you applied for, the part you had wanted to play, your conversation with your mother and that you had been called back for another audition to play another part, that you had to be there early the next day and you were a nervous wreck.

"So what are you scared of? don't you want to go?" she asked after a few seconds.

"No, I mean yes, I want to go, I lose nothing by trying again...."

"The 'no' you already have, what if you get caught in the end? I could take advantage and use you as a store lure."

"Uhm okay, I can see you're really worried about my future if I quit the job and then I'm out on the street." You said wryly, but you appreciated that your sister wanted to cheer you up, at least in her own way.

The talk with your sister made you feel a little better, but it didn't take away the nerves of having to go all the way to the new audition and hope they liked what you were going to do. As your sister had said, you already knew they could say no, if in the end they wanted you to be part of the cast for that new season, you had a lot of things to think about. Mainly about whether you were going to risk it all to jump into the acting world, something you had never thought could happen to you.

Just like the first day you were there the nerves became more intense as soon as you got to the door and gave your information, the man made you follow him to the room where they were waiting for you, again three people with a camera pointed at you. You greeted them all with a shy smile waiting for them to give you the necessary guidelines. They put you on stage giving your imagination the situation you were in, gave you a small script with which you interacted with one of them and you went through the scene.

"Okay, that's enough." They said to you like last time and you handed them back the little script they had given you and stepped back a couple of steps.

"Thank you very much, it's been fun." You smiled a little.

"You defended the role we gave you very well without a lot of annotations, a little static, but that can be solved with practice." They commented and you nodded again, you didn't think you'd ever show up for an audition like that again, but it was good to know your skills weren't too bad. "The official recording is in Georgia, I think you already knew this, we start next month, if you give us the details of your manager or agent, we will contact him when we have everything ready." They kept saying and you between opened your mouth in surprise.

"Wait, what?" you stammered trying to process what that meant.

"The paper is yours, if you're really interested, of course" Said another one of those still at the table, looking at you with a raised eyebrow.

"No, of course it is, it's just that I don't... Thank you very much, I... I don't have anyone... I actually introduced myself and..." God you wanted to crawl under a rock seeing their surprised faces.

"No problem, we can take care of that, for now give us an e-mail where we can send you your full script so you can go practice your character before we get everything going." The person who had interacted with your character during the interpretation spoke to you again and you nodded.

"Fine." You walked over to the table to leave your details, they explained a bit more about how everything worked and shook your hand with a gentle shake.

"Welcome to the TWD family." They said and you felt your eyes fill with tears of disbelief and excitement.

The conversation with your family went through different mood swings and mixed feelings; first there was surprise, then confusion, followed by your sisters' excitement and joy as your mother went into a state of denial and fear, your father was still processing the information. Of course it was nothing that you had expected before, the conversation with your mother that you had had before that had already had doubts and fear on her part, but now it was real, you were seriously considering leaving your stable job to embark on an acting career that you had never pursued, that no one in your family expected you to ever pursue. Yes, you had enjoyed some plays as a child, even as a teenager you were in an amateur company in your town to get rid of your stuttering and fear of crowds, but it was never anything serious, you never really thought of turning it into a full time job.

There you were with your script in your hands, shaking like a leaf as it was thicker than you thought and from what you could appreciate your character was going to stay alive at least all that season, which meant you would spend at least half a year out of New York City, you couldn't keep paying rent to keep it for yourself in case you had to go back there, maybe you could find something else later. You weren't sure how much money you would make in those months either, it was the least important thing, but if you wanted to stay in the US afterwards you needed to at least have a small cushion until you found a new job.

In case you didn't stay in the show, of course.

You decided to take the risk, maybe it wasn't forever, maybe it was crazy, but you could go on, you were still young, you could find something when it was all over, even if you had to go back home you weren't ashamed, you never said that city would be your final destination, that you would stay there forever.

Probably the worst part of leaving New York was the trip, having to take a flight to your next destination was the worst step you had to take, leaving your job and the apartment you had rented were the least of your problems, you left everything there, except for a half size suitcase with some clothes, your precious objects and your laptop, the rest stayed at home, you didn't need it, you had savings, you would buy what you needed as the days went by. The production company had told you that someone would be waiting for you at the airport when you arrived to take you to the specific place where the series would be shot. You had never gotten along well with airplanes, you liked them, you admired their ability to hover in the air, to make trips that used to take months just in several hours now, but your claustrophobia and your terror of heights did not make the trips pleasant for you, you remained in tension during the whole process of takeoff and landing, the trip in between was calmer, you only felt a little anxious, but if the plane did not have to make any sharp turns or you entered a turbulent area, everything was fine.

At the airport as you were told someone was waiting for you, with a huge black car they took you without many details to the city where you would spend the rest of those months, coming and going from the recordings, they had put you a small trailer where you could leave your things, a nice caravan equipped with everything you needed to make your life more comfortable in those days. Well, at least you didn't have to look for an apartment for the long weeks when you needed to shoot scenes too early or too late at night, or when they stretched throughout the day and you finally had to stay there to sleep.

Your nervousness started to become more and more palpable, now you were already there, it was a damn reality, you were not dreaming, you could see people moving from one side to the other, everything full of cameras, cables, people talking through microphones glued to their ears, others in suits talking on the phone with someone as if they were discussing about the decisions of a world war. Everything looked confusing and chaotic, for a moment you wanted to disappear from there when you felt a touch on your arm that made you let out an exclamation of surprise discovering one of the women you did the casting with and unconsciously you felt calmer, at least a familiar face.

"Hi! I see you've arrived safely, how are you?" she asked you in a friendly way picking up your suitcase starting to walk with you towards your little caravan, you weren't even sure where it was.

"Fine, a little nervous and... recovering, the flight has been... intense." You joked and saw her laugh nodding her head.

"I'm glad, I hope you guys didn't have too much trouble with the road." She insisted and you shook your head. "As you can see here since early morning people are already very intense, we've been rolling since very early." He informed you and you opened your eyes wide discovering some of the main characters moving around the cameras, practicing for the next scene.

"Now I'm really nervous..." you whispered and heard her laugh louder, she stopped in front of what would be your house from now on and opened the door letting you in first.

"Don't be overwhelmed, the first days are always harder, but you'll manage to adapt, you'll see." She encouraged you and you really hoped things would go as she said. "Did you take a look at your script?"

"Yes, I was going over it a lot, I didn't expect... I didn't think it would have so much text." You came clean seeing that she looked at you again amused and shrugged.

"She's a recurring character, she's going to have several major starring scenes, after that we'll see how she evolves for the following seasons."

"Okay..." you smiled nervously taking the script out of your bag playing with it between your hands.

"Until this afternoon we don't need you to record anything, so if you want you can take a walk around the place, meet the people and talk to your colleagues."

"That would be great, thanks." You nodded and she then received a call on the walkie she was carrying, looked at you apologetically and wishing you good luck she left your caravan.

Alone again you allowed yourself to let out a nervous chuckle, your eyes roaming the entire caravan, every detail etched in your mind. It didn't differ much from a common caravan you would find in a camping, a small living room next to the entrance, kitchen, a bathroom that you didn't know if you would be able to use and at the back your room, the largest area of the whole place, the mattress was thick and looked comfortable, you doubted you could sleep there, at least the first few days.

You decided to give yourself a little time to yourself, you called your family to tell them that you were settled in, that you had arrived safely and were making some time putting your things in the room and getting familiar with your new 'home'. Your mother bombarded you with a thousand questions, many of which you yourself were not yet able to answer, as you had not interacted with anyone else except the woman who had accompanied you there and whom you had met before.

When you were done with your suitcase, storing it in the built-in closet of the room, you said goodbye to your family and decided it was time to stop being a coward and walk around the recording set to get to know your new workplace and especially your new teammates.

You took a deep breath trying to temper your nerves as you exited the trailer and headed to where everyone was now crowding around.

On the way to the set you passed several people who were in charge of the cameras, wardrobe, some make-up girls, you also discovered several interns running around taking care of too many things at the same time. You introduced yourself to other colleagues who were also waiting for their time to shoot their scenes, it was easy because they were also starting there that same day as you so the nerves you felt were shared. You peeked your head to see what they were shooting then discovering an outdoor scene, a fight of the initial group with a few walkers, they were well studied movements, with short phrases, some screams, chases, but finally everyone was safe, fake blood and viscera decorated the whole place, but people seemed happy and amused.

There were some hugs, jokes between them, possibly the reunion between some of them was today the first day and they had barely managed to talk and they had to start shooting as soon as possible taking advantage of the daylight hours and that the sun was having mercy with all of you. It was going to be hard to shoot in summer, you were convinced of that.

Little by little people were dispersing, moving to another side of the stage to shoot some scenes closer, individual conversations between several characters, the staging introducing new members of the group. Without realizing it you stood there alone, watching the place, with your head everywhere and nowhere, mumbling something between your lips, but not really saying anything, behind you you thought you heard footsteps, but your brain didn't process it until they were accompanied by a voice.

"Are you lost?" He sounded hoarse, curious and even with an amused timbre. You turned around discovering a middle-aged man, with straight brown hair, black sunglasses, several strands of hair caught between the glasses and his ears, which peeked through his hair like a lion, he was wearing clothes full of fake blood and his skin glistened with sweat.

"N-no, sorry, I was... Sometimes my mind gets disconnected from the world, sorry." You stepped aside wanting to let him pass. You knew who he was, not only because you had seen the show, but because his character was on everyone's lips.

"Do you suffer fromany disease?" he asked you with an amused tone and you were suddenly offended.

"Would that be a problem? I'm not going to infect you with anything, don't worry" You couldn't bite your tongue in time, you saw his eyebrows shoot upwards, over his sunglasses and you regretted what you had just said.

"My character in the show maybe is a redneck, but I'm not an asshole, you know?" he replied with the serious tone and you lowered your head with shame.

To be Continued...

I hope you liked it!

I'm sorry if there is something wrong, I don't understand about castings, and act, or those things, it just was part of my imagination. As always sorry for my english!!

Yes, maybe your first meeting with Norman Reedus didn't go quite right, you both felt uncomfortable in each other's presence, but that changed as the days on set went by. You weren't sure if you apologized to him times enough, but eventually Norman got fed up with your pleas and decided to forgive you, years later he would confess to you that he didn't know what he had to forgive you for, but because he didn't keep listening to you he had.

You also learned quickly that Norman was a man to watch out for, not for himself, but for the people around him. There were always eyes on him. You were sure he was well aware of the effect he had on the people around him. He was kind and funny, a bit of a jerk when he felt he had made a fool of himself and needed people to pay attention to something more than himself, but he generally hit it off easily with everyone around him. You were surprised from the first moment, he didn't just get along with the group he had started the series with. It was fun to watch him interact with Chandles, the kid who played the role of Carl, teasing him and making him mad, playing games and sometimes even dancing with him when the shot stopped because they had to check that everything was okay or because they had skipped something important. With Andrew he spent much of the time, the two of them sitting in their chairs, waiting for their turn on stage, smoking or having a coffee, telling their confidences, laughing or just Norman showing him his photographs, because yes, you had discovered that Norman Reedus was a lover of photography and even had some exhibitions spread out there and there. You would never have guessed it if you had to find out on your own. In general there was a genuine atmosphere, it almost seemed utopian to you that everyone got along so well, even with you people were friendly and relaxed.

You were a little more difficult to open your mouth, always a little apart from the group, self-conscious and worried at the same time that your way of being would automatically separate you from everyone and that this would cause them to stop dealing with you as well. You talked more often with the new characters, like you, Tyreese, Sasha, Julie, your TV show mother, although her role was not going to be exaggeratedly extensive, you felt comfortable with her the time you were practicing your dialogues.

It had already been several months since you arrived, the first parts of the series were almost finished, the heat began to press on the set and often stay inside the building that was the prison, was more dangerous than being on the street, the walls were overheating throughout the day creating a scorching atmosphere inside, sweat and wet clothes was the daily bread. It was an unpleasant and uncomfortable feeling, every day, when you had some rest time you stayed under your shower inside your caravan to temper your body a little. Then you would take a walk around, without going too far. You were not from there and your sense of direction had never been very good, so it was best not to wander off accidentally.

That afternoon off, you didn't have to shoot any scenes until the next day, you decided to go see Sonequa, maybe she was also free and you could both walk around the city for a while, she was older than you, maybe she had other plans in mind, but you felt good when you talked to her, you felt more integrated. You left your caravan to go find your companion, on the way you stopped to discover Laurie and Norman sharing a conversation that seemed quite intimate, the blonde woman was leaning against the caravan, Norman smiled and told her something holding her by the waist, their noses rubbing together before sharing a small kiss.

You felt your cheeks redden as you were a spectator in something that obviously had nothing to do with you, you quickly set off on your way again wanting to eliminate those images from your mind, wishing that the couple had not noticed your presence. If you had already gotten off to a bad start in your relationship with Norman, the last thing you needed now was for him to think you were sticking your nose into his business. Which was far from your intentions, of course.

"It's not something that's talked about, but there are a lot of rumors and none of them seem uncomfortable with it." Your coworker told you when you rolled up to her house and told her what you'd seen.

"Really? Wow..." You muttered staring off into nothingness.

"It's true that you're not very set in this world, I see." She laughed as she saw you lower your head sheepishly and you shook your head.

"It's never been something that has caught my attention too much..." You shrugged. "Well, maybe when I was thirteen, but I was young and crazy, now I'm just crazy sometimes." You joked and Sonequa laughed at your words I understand what you meant.

The rest of the day you escaped with your new friend, plus the group was joined by Laura, who played Maggie, Emily and Danai, escaping all of you to Senoia to be able to spend a quieter day, although some of them were already known for other previous roles in other series and it was a little awkward to stay apart to let them take pictures with them. You weren't really sure if you would ever get used to that kind of thing.

If it ever happened at all.

In that episode you had more prominence, not too much, but you were with the main cast of the series, your character's duty was to help Rick's group to rescue Maggie and Glenn, but you were discovered and you lost Daryl on the way due to the Governor's men. Your character went back to rescue him, looking for Sasha and Tyreese as well because in the prison you had been rejected by Rick who was still suffering from the pain of the loss of his wife, however that community was not as safe and peaceful as they had tried to lie to you. So you have to go back for your companions and the archer.

There were a couple of scenes in which you were alone, you had to move quickly and stealthily between the abandoned cars, kill some Walkers that came too close to you, try to go unnoticed by the guards and get to your companions. The conversation with them was rushed, nervous and urgent, you didn't give them much explanation you simply led them to the front door giving them a gun you had taken from one of the downed soldiers and went back to look for Daryl.

"Where are you going?" Tyreese asked you.

"To find the stupid redneck who is Rick's boyfriend!" you shouted back.

There was a thick silence on the set and suddenly laughter began to flood the place as Norman peeked out from the side of the scene waving and wiggling his hips.

"Hello? Did I hear my name?"

"Sorry..." you said laughing, cheeks burning feeling embarrassment overtake you as you covered your face with your hands.

That wasn't your line, you didn't even have a line at that moment, but it had slipped out without you being aware of it. You had messed up the shot, after all the stress you had gone through to make the stealth scene as good as possible, you had cleanly killed those extras disguised as zombies and when you didn't have to say anything, you had screwed up. The laughter kept reaching your ears and you just wanted to make yourself small and disappear. Then you felt it, Norman's arms wrapped around your body, trapping you against his chest, hugging you on the shoulders and rubbing your back wanting to get the embarrassment off of you. You didn't expect that, of everyone there, he would be the one to reach out and try to comfort you. When you pulled away from him, he had a kind and warm smile painted on his face, gently pinched your cheek and pulled away from you.

"It's been a long day, hasn't it?" he said to you, but he said it loud enough too for everyone to hear.

"Okay, understood, that's enough for today, let's all go eat and sleep, but tomorrow I want you all here at six in the morning!" Agreed and ordered the director hearing sighs of relief from many who were there.

"Thank you..." You whispered looking back at him out of the corner of your eye still feeling embarrassed. Norman just winked at you complicitly and walked away going with the rest of the group.

NOW.

If you thought about it, Norman had always been there to save your ass when you needed him. You weren't bad, you liked to interpret, you had found that you didn't do badly at all either and very rarely drew a blank, but you did come in late or stumbled more than the rest, Norman always had some excuse or a joke ready to play it down. You didn't feel special about it either, as you had already discovered, his affection was special to each of you and he always had funny ways of provoking any of you.

After that scene, magically everything seemed to take a simpler, more dynamic path between everyone, the group opened up completely, all of you feeling much more at ease. There were a lot of jokes, afternoons sitting around doing nothing, just resting, mornings when you were in the area preparing the fights, maybe sometimes too asleep to pay attention to what the monitor was telling you, maybe too bored of his indications and doing whatever you wanted.

In this way the months of the first shooting went by, as well as the following years that your character continued to be part of the main cast. You had to say goodbye to some of them, you cried a lot with the farewell of several colleagues, you welcomed others, but your character was still accepted by the critics and especially by the viewers. As time went by, your character was adopted under Melissa's wing which made your friendship with the woman much more intimate, you liked spending hours with her, you felt good, it was like being with your mother again, in a way, you could tell her some confidences that you didn't dare to talk to other colleagues. Sonequa and Emily were no longer in the series, with Emily things got a little weird when everyone started to say that the blonde had a little affair with Norman and that's why she had left the series, because things had not ended well. You doubt those rumors a lot. Laura had accepted her role as big sister with you and you could also confide some things to her, Danai was going back and forth between the scenes she had to shoot and the movies she was doing at the time. The group had broken up a bit and although you still had contact with some of them off set. It just wasn't the same anymore. Chandler as he got older had become like your little brother, you hung out often when you had some time off between scenes, but when other teenagers like him started to come into the picture the group expanded and you were getting pushed aside knowing that maybe he preferred to have people closer to his age, that maybe he had more in common with them than he did with you.

The only thing that didn't seem to change around your life was Norman.

The man despite being a restless ass was always around when you least expected it. Not in a stalkerish or awkward sense, more like he would drop by your side when you were taking a break from some scene, bring you food when you were too engrossed in your lines that you couldn't get memorized, sometimes he would even peek by your trailer when you came home from your parents' house because he had fallen in love with your mother's recipes.

"One day you have to invite me to your house. I'm going to marry that woman." He had told you once and you laughed because he meant it.

It's strange the way you've gone from mere scene partners to good friends. You'll never measure up to Andrew or Jeffrey or even Melissa, but it's a nice feeling. You know you can count on him if you need anything, just like he can count on you. Sometimes he calls you on the phone to ask about the food your mom was going to make you and asked if he could talk to her, which you would flat out refuse and hang up laughing, hearing him call your mom on the other end of the line like he's being killed.

He's an idiot, but he's your idiot and you love him just the way he is.

That new season is putting a different spin on your character's relationship with Daryl, it wasn't an overnight thing, after the season where Negan's character showed up and tortured Daryl, he and the young woman you played had become close friends, leaning on each other. Negan had tortured Daryl to the point of almost tearing his soul apart, your character had had to endure becoming one of his wives so that the torture would not have been so damaging, however Dwight had continued to have fun with Daryl at the expense of Negan's orders. With Sherry's help you managed to free Daryl and take a motorcycle to get away from there, Jesus met you in the middle of the escape and took you to Hilltop. Once there your characters were not able to talk to anyone, the simple fact of facing others was complicated, the trauma was strong, but you managed to survive it together, your character calmed Daryl's fears and anger, she let a man touch her again after everything that happened with Negan. There was never anything sexual between them, but from that moment a door was opened that let us understand that the feelings that began to be born in them were much stronger than a friendship, they had survived something so traumatic and painful together that that had linked them in a deep and intense way.

That season brought you together as well. Spending so many hours together for so many days, going over dialogue, preparing scenes, made your friendship that much closer. You felt him like an older brother, overprotective and somewhat suspicious, you had had some boyfriends during those years and he didn't seem very convinced with them.

"Be careful with that one, I don't like him one bit." He had told you on occasion.

Nothing bad ever happened that you could regret, neither physically nor mentally to you, nor any absurd dirty laundry that could put you in the mouth of the press, but it was true that they were relationships that did not last too long. Nor did you intend to marry the first man who asked you. You were sure that Norman saw you as a little sister and that's why he acted that way with you.

After the Christmas break you return to the set to continue with the second part of the season, there are many things that must be recorded before the next break and it is better to take advantage that this year the weather is giving a break with the low temperatures. You are nervously standing in front of Norman's door holding a small tray with some cakes that your mother has prepared for his birthday. Because yes, it has been his birthday, your mother knows it and wanted to give him a present. At first your mother wasn't sure what to expect from Norman, she didn't trust the man's way of treating you, but little by little she discovered that there was no malice, that he was like that by nature. You also had to add that the continuous compliments to his food had won her heart.

You don't have to show up there with an excuse, you know perfectly well, your friendship is enough to want to appear in front of his door and wish him happy new year and happy birthday. Nevertheless, you can't stop trembling. Maybe you could just leave the bag there, on the steps of the caravan, wish her happy birthday to nothing and run away.

"Hey, what are you doing there?" you hear from behind you and your back gets a draft to his raspy voice that has deteriorated with the passage of time and the smoke.

"Nothing." You turn around smiling. "I was looking for my trailer, but I got confused." You joke and he smiles nodding.

"Yeah, of course." He pushes his sunglasses up on his head, gathering the strands of hair from his face as well. "You wanted to see me so badly that you couldn't wait?" amusement tinges in his voice, you know he's just teasing you, but you can't help but feel yourself blush. "Aren't you going to come and give me a hug?"

You can't resist, abandoning the embarrassment that has suddenly invaded you, you walk up to him and embrace him sinking your face into his chest, his particular scent invading you at once, cologne, smoke, something spicy and toasty that his own skin gives off, the tan decorating it nicely, the warmth he gives off cradling you for a few seconds as his arms wrap around you with infinite affection and his cheek rests on your head before kissing you in the same spot. You wrap your arms around his waist squeezing him.

"It's good to see you again, Norman." You whisper against his chest, feeling him caress your hair.

"And you, girl." He smiles against your head and you pull apart to look at each other. "What do you have in there?" he asks looking at your bag and you laugh low. "Wait, did you bring back food from your mother?"

"It's for you, she made you some pastries." You nod taking the Totebag off your shoulder to give it to him.

"For me? Why?"

"For your birthday." You laugh at the look of surprise on his face. "Happy birthday, Norman."

"I love your mother." He laughs with you and you can almost see him blush sheepishly covering his mouth with one of his hands nervously. "Come on." He tells you taking the bag and your hand.

"No, no need..." You try to let go but he intertwines his fingers with yours as he sets off towards your own trailer. "But..."

Norman keeps pulling you all the way to what will be your next home in the next few months, but you don't understand why he has taken you to your trailer while standing at the door of his own. But you smile when, upon entering, he sets the bag of pastries down on your small dining room table and glances sideways at your kitchen.

"You brought me here to make you coffee?"

"You know I love that machine you have." He smiles putting his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah, you've got some nerve." You joke giving him a tap on the shoulder.

You walk over to your little kitchen to make him coffee. You grab the Italian coffee pot you took with you from the first day and make coffee for Norman and yourself. You return to the table taking the pastries out of the bag to remove the paper and Norman rubs his hands together nervously and hungrily. They are little sponge cakes with chocolate and cream inside.

"They look so good..." he murmurs biting his lip.

"Take one, try it and see what you think." You offer but he shakes his head.

"I'll wait for the coffee."

"I should have bought you one for your birthday." You tease and he snorts in amusement but shakes his head.

"No, I like coming here to drink it. It works out better for you."

"What a ball you are." You shake your head listening to the gurgle of the coffee pot and grab two cups to make it, leave the milk and sugar on the table and sit down next to him. "Enjoy."

Norman smiles beside you making his coffee the way he likes it and picks up one of the cakes to take a bite, the chocolate on the sponge cake crunching and the cream expanding in his mouth. A soft but happy murmur escapes her throat licking her lips.

"I swear I'm going to marry your mother." He jokes again.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not ready to call you Daddy Norman yet." You tease bringing your coffee to your mouth taking a sip.

"I didn't know you had that kind of kinks." He chuckles taking another bite of cake and you feel your cheeks burn.

"I didn't...I meant...you're an idiot." You defend yourself by smacking him again at the same time he laughs loudly covering his mouth so he doesn't spit out the pie.

"Oh come on, wouldn't you like to see me every day?"

"I already see you every day and I don't know if I'd like to be aware of you...well you know." You grimaced as you pictured Norman with your mother.

"Hey, I'm sure she's a very attractive and very active woman..."

"Oh for God's sake, shut up." You laughed hysterically covering your face with both hands. "She has a son your age, you know?" you insist and he shrugs drinking from his coffee.

"Age is just a number, it's how everyone feels." He shrugs raising an eyebrow at you.

"Yeah sure, but you're talking about my mother, if she was a widow I wouldn't mind, but poor my father." You pout before taking the last sip of your coffee.

"He can always join, I didn't say no."

The coffee gets stuck in your throat, the laughter bubbling in your stomach propels the liquid upward and shoots violently and comically out of your mouth and nose. Norman's shocked expression turns into a violent guffaw as you do your best to hold in your cough and clean up the mess you've made.

"Oh fuck, I'm sorry, are you okay?" Norman's voice sounds like a squeak as he is unable to control his own laughter.

"I hate you..." you manage to mumble feeling your nose burn and your eyes fill with tears.

Norman needs a little more to control his laughter, he strokes your back by way of consolation, but you can't stay annoyed with him for long, you know that humor is part of him and he hasn't tried to annoy you at any time.

"Was the cake good?" You ask him after a while talking about anything that didn't involve your parents.

"You know I like your mom's food, but yes, the best birthday cakes." He jokes picking up his phone and walks over to you putting an arm around your shoulders.

You settle in next to him leaning on his shoulder looking up at the camera phone as he raises it above your heads and kisses you on the cheek as he takes the picture.

"Hey, I'd like to propose something." He says looking at the photo and smiles putting the phone away again.

"No, Norman, I told you my mother is married." You tease and he nods with a wide grin.

"No, that's not it. I've started the TV show again." He gives you a sidelong glance. "The one about the motorcycle tours."

"Great, people liked to see you out there getting into trouble." You prod him and he looks at you offended.

"I didn't get into trouble, it's just that people would lock me up."

"Yeah, call it what you want, what's up with that?"

"I'd like to invite you to come with me."

You open your eyes wide hearing him say that, you gasp wanting to respond, but your mind is blank. Norman is still staring at you, with a lopsided smile resting an elbow on his knee and hand on his cheek, not taking his eyes off your reaction. You finally find the words you were looking for.

"But... I don't have a motorcycle. I don't even have a driver's license..."

"I know, it still seems incredible to me that living in New York, you never use a car."

"I've always been a public transportation person." You stand up for yourself, it's true, you moved back to the big city after your character was more solidly grounded in the series, although you liked to see your family after each shoot, you always had a nice apartment in New York to come back to. Maybe that's also why you had more contact with Norman than with other co-stars, as you often coincided there. "Or as a cab if it got too late..."

"What I was saying, unbelievable." He scoffs again and you roll your eyes. "But you don't have to worry about that, we can find a car or you can go with me, as a package." He shrugs. "It's no big deal."

"It all depends on where you want to go... if the ride is too uncomfortable, the two of us on a motorcycle is going to be devastating..."

"I'll leave that up to you." He smiles biting his lip and your face reflects confusion again as you don't understand what he's referring to. "I want to see your hometown, get to know your surroundings."

"But... you went there once before, if I remember correctly."

"Yes, but your town is different and I want you to make the itinerary."

"Me? I don't know where I could take you, maybe in the village I could show you the old circuit, ask them to let you into the new one, but..."

"I don't care, I don't care if it has nothing to do with motorcycles." He shrugs once more.

"Okay... I don't know if people will like that, but maybe we could..."

"Don't tell me about it. I talked to my people who are in charge of the program, they'll get in touch with you, I'll find out when I travel there."

To be continued...

I hope you liked it!

5. Ride with Norman Reedus.

First thing Monday morning, Norman's team arrives to prepare everything for the program. Norman is in a better mood, it seems that everything from Saturday has passed and he is his usual self. He's talking to his crew in a lively way, explaining what he wanted to start filming, how to approach the town, you're in your sister's store helping her to pick up everything you had used for the convention and you put the shelves back in order.

"How's it going? are you nervous about the trip?" your sister asks you.

"A little, actually." You laugh quietly. "I don't know if he'll like what I want to show him."

"Of course he will, this whole area is very interesting and I'm sure he'll find something to photograph."

"Yes, I thought so too...it can encompass several of his hobbies I think he'll like that."

"You'll see it will... Have you thought about what we talked about the other day?"

"I'm not going to get in his pants, don't insist... we're just friends." You sigh and give her a serious look, so she won't insist on it. Your sister shrugs and doesn't say anything else.

"Do you have everything already?" you walk out of the tent approaching Norman who finalizes the details and nods his head touching your back affectionately.

"Let's pretend I go into the store and you're there, we'll talk to your sister for a bit and then we'll go on through town." He points to you and you nod.

At first you struggle to find the dynamic, after a comfortable week with no set plan, having to fake some things or forced questions give way to some nervous giggles or quick glances at each other, but eventually you find a nice dynamic with your sister.

After leaving your sister's store you walk around town, you explain a little bit of fun facts about the town and arrive at the main street where a childhood friend of your brother's who is a member of the town's car club is waiting for you.

"Norman, meet Dani, he's on the board of the street circuit car club, he'll be able to explain all this to you better than I can." You joke, Norman smiles and squeezes the other man's hand. You give him a hug since you've known him forever too, and Dani begins to explain a bit of the street circuit's history.

"And as you can see, we've brought a couple of riders from here in town who compete nationally and internationally and we've closed the circuit for a lap." Finishes the man surprising Norman.

"Really?" He looks at you and you shrug, that surprised you too. He walks over to the two cars waving to the drivers and looks curiously at the vehicles. "We're going to race with you?"

"Yes, you will ride in the co-driver's seat, normally in these cars there is no co-driver, but we will give you a slower ride." Dani explains and you smile broadly.

"That's great, thanks for getting this." You tell her giving her another hug.

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Norman." Intervenes a crewmate of the actor gesturing for them to stop filming for a moment. "We don't know if this is safe, I don't question your abilities, but..."

"It's only going to be one lap and I don't think they're going very fast." He cuts his partner off and picks up the go pro to put it on his chest. "I'm carrying this camera, I want the ride recorded."

"Okay..." He sighs stepping aside and making way for them to go back to recording. "Be careful."

The two of you climb into the cars, you've been fitted with overalls and a helmet before, Norman takes his middle finger off the camera and climbs into one of the cars. The roar of both engines is deafening, people curiously approach to watch, those who lived the races in their youth feel nostalgia invade them for a few seconds. The lap is quick, you set off at the same time and soon a constant but safe race between the two cars is evident, overtaking each other in the widest and most accessible places, creating a bit of a spectacle. Norman cheers excitedly as the cars cross the finish line again and slow down. He gets out of the car with his fists in the air laughing under his helmet. Your head feels a little dizzy and your legs are shaky.

"I'm going to take this off before I puke..." you say taking off your helmet and Norman laughs next to you.

"That was fucking awesome, spectacular." He admits waving to the riders, congratulating them and also squeezes Dani's hand again. "Thank you so much."

"How did you get them to let you close the circuit to race?" You ask Dani and he shrugs.

"I talked to the mayor trying to sell him a little bit on the program and he didn't put up much resistance." He smiles with a shrug and you laugh hugging him again.

You talk some more, the cameras give you a break when they decide to stop recording for the moment, you say goodbye to everyone thanking them again and go to your parents' house to pick up your bags that will go in the huge car that will follow you all the way with the equipment inside and your mother gives you a backpack with several lunch boxes and some of the cake she knows how to make, you try to tell her that you don't need to get any of that, that it's too much but she shushes you by keeping it herself in the van.

"Be very careful." Your mother asks you hugging you warmly and then Norman who squeezes her against him.

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of her." He promises your mother making her smile and dares to kiss the actor's cheek making him laugh shyly.

"Alright, we can get going." One of Norman's companions speaks and Norman takes the bike brought to him, tests it a little before making sure everything is okay.

You've been brought a biker suit and a helmet to fit you, it's been a long time since you've ridden one, so nervousness immediately comes over you, but you calm down when Norman gestures for you to get on, you say goodbye for the last time to your family by climbing on behind your delivery partner, holding him by the waist.

"Are you comfortable?" Norman's voice inside your helmet startles you and you bump your helmet against his. "Sorry." He chuckles. "I forgot to warn you, we wear a mic inside the helmet, so it'll be easier to talk while we're en route and they can record our voice without a lot of wind noise or interference."

"O-okay... yeah, I'm good, anytime." You assure him, Norman takes your hands and wraps them around his body making you lean over his back.

"I prefer you to be closer to me, you're not used to riding a motorcycle and we'll avoid accidents." You explain and nod your head settling against his back.

He starts the engine and you leave behind the black van that is marking the road avoiding cars to get too close to the motorcycle in which you two are riding taking much of the road for you.

The ride is quiet, fortunately there is not too much traffic on the road, you and Norman talk animatedly through your helmets as you follow the van's directions. A couple of hours later of driving and changing scenery Norman stops the bike looking over his shoulder at you.

"Are you sure it's this way?" he asks you hesitantly and you laugh nodding your head in agreement.

"I know you can't see it, but that's it over there." You point to some huge coppery red rocks and he turns a little more towards you.

"What? Come on, there's nothing there."

"Do you really think if I wanted to kill you I would have taken you that far?" you joke and you both laugh inside your helmets. "Come on, trust me, not all pretty things are in plain sight, sometimes you have to look for them."

"I like that line, remind me to record it." Norman asks you and starts off going ahead of the car now, following your directions.

What you are looking for is a small village on the ledge of a mountain, even Norman has doubts that the van will fit through some of those streets, but it is not the final destination, you must go up a narrow and curvy road, Norman's companions ask him to go first, they will follow him with a drone from the air giving freedom to the man with the motorcycle. You hold on tighter to his body as he accelerates at full throttle and pulls up the hill with a little wheelie as he releases the brake.

When you reach the top of the mountain Norman finally discovers the castle hidden inside the red rocks, the same ones used to build it and so it camouflages with the landscape. He needs to take off his helmet and put on his goggles to be able to observe the huge construction.

"I must admit that I didn't expect this..." He looks at you and smiles. "It's impressive."

"I told you." You joke taking off your helmet as well, feeling your pulse still shaking. Norman reaches over taking your hands.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, you know my experience with motorcycles isn't very pleasant."

"I know, sorry, I got a little carried away." He apologizes again and you shake your head dismissively.

Before entering the red castle Norman sneaks between the marked paths around the imposing site finding several lookouts with panels informing you of how great that place had been in its better days. You walk beside him watching him bounce on the tips of his toes, enjoying the scenery, the place, smiling broadly infecting you. You find Norman's eyes on you several times as you turn to look at him, to make sure he hasn't gotten lost along the way. Inside the castle they tell you its history, they show you the huge exhibition of large weapons such as catapults from which you have to move him away as you see him ready to climb into the basket of one of them to take a picture and the guide who is showing you the place is already looking at him with a face of few friends.

After recording a couple of scenes there, several panoramic images or Norman looking nowhere in particular, you get back on the bike heading to the next destination. More confident and with the road all to yourselves, you hug Norman's back feeling your body relax against his and even dare to close your eyes. You smile thankfully that Norman can't see your cheeks redden as he rests his hand against yours resting against his stomach.

The trip has been fun and enjoyable. You have made different stops where Norman has had a few questions for you about the place and about everything in general. However in the back of his mind is still the question of why you hadn't told him about your relationship with Tom. He knows he shouldn't dwell on it, that you told him yourself that it was nothing important, but it's a feeling he can't shake. He is driving to your last destination before returning to your village and finishing recording the program when he discovers something that surprises him. It's a huge lake next to you and in the middle... A church bell?

"What's that?" he asks filling his voice your helmet.

"The what?"

"That thing inside the lake, is that a building?"

"Oh yes, maybe... it must be an old town that got swallowed up in reservoir." You explain and hear him curse. Norman stops the bike and takes off his helmet pointing further ahead.

"I want to go there." He says seeing that his fellow program members don't look too happy. "There might be a fucking town underwater. I want to see it."

"No... I don't think they'll let you get that close, but..." you try to make him understand but he shakes his head.

"I want to go." He insists getting off the bike, unzipping the jumpsuit and pulling it down to his waist, the day is hot and the garment is a bit oppressive.

"Okay, let's go, but it looks to me like we'll have to walk."

"We'll take a couple of cameras to catch two angles, the rest we'll leave here." The team gets organized but before they can get ready, Norman is already walking away down the road that prevents vehicles from passing, but they can walk.

Again you follow closely, the reservoir is huge, it is now low due to the dry seasons so it has created several islands and uncovering part of the ruins of what was once a village, but the church is still submerged in the water, only the bell is visible at the top.

"It's not a medieval village or anything like that. It's probably only been thirty or forty years since the reservoir was made." You explain to him already that these are not wonderful ruins, you don't want to disappoint him.

"What made them leave, was the village abandoned, why the reservoir?" he asks you, he holds your hand pulling you slightly, his target is those ruins.

"Well... they were probably forced to leave. This area before the reservoir was very poor and wild, the winters were very harsh, very few people wanted or could continue to live from the fields or animals, young people looked for opportunities in more comfortable places... the reservoir helped make this area more prosperous, but they had to abandon their homes." You explain lowering your gaze, feeling bad about it. You didn't live through it, they weren't even your families, but it seemed so sad to you.

"They were forced to leave?" Norman stops abruptly to look at you and you bump against his chest. "No one cared about them finding another place?" his eyes widen in surprise as you shrug not knowing how to explain.

"Surely the vast majority were older people, so... yeah, I guess they just forced them to leave."

"What sons of bitches..." you mutter and laugh nodding your head in agreement.

"There are many villages that are still fighting against these big companies, some that were forced to leave are now fighting to go back to their homes because finally the dam didn't get done..."

"If they need help with anything..." he offers and a smile forms on your face.

You feel infinite affection and love bubble in your chest as his eyes sparkle with earnestness. Taking advantage of the closeness you kiss him on the cheek and squeeze the hand that is still holding yours.

"You're adorable..."

"I mean it."

"I know, but there's nothing we can do, it's a paperwork war and well... you know how these things are." You sigh with a shrug.

"I hate paperwork..." he sighs regretfully and you squeeze his hand again conveying encouragement.

You continue walking to the edge of the land with the water of the reservoir, as far as you can get and Norman pulls out his phone to take several panoramic pictures taking in the entire reservoir and the ruins of the village that were submerged there.

"Since you've gone off the grid, we'll stay here for a while and ask some questions." The voice of Norman's companions, they carry with them some bags of food and a huge blanket. "You take the blanket and the food." He says handing you the things. "In the meantime we'll do a general shot of Norman with the reservoir and then you sit down to eat and talk a bit." He gives you directions and you nod doing as he asks.

You leave the bag with the food you had ordered in a village within your established route on the blanket and sit to the side. Norman joins you sitting down, leaving the bag right in the middle of the two of you. You start talking about anything and everything as you eat, enjoying the nice weather, the sun warming you. You have to admit you don't like not being able to look at him since he's wearing the sunglasses, but you don't say anything.

"So... Does your sister do that convention every year?" he asks you when you finish eating and are quietly lying on the blanket, you have to admit you were about to fall asleep when his voice came to you.

"He's trying, not every year he gets the same acceptance or he can't book the site because there are other events, but his intention is to expand it little by little." You nod and hear him mumble something.

"I'd love to come back another day, so count me in." You laugh softly, but you know Norman is serious. "It's been fun, people have reacted well to the new season preview."

"Are you talking about the kiss?" you don't dare look at him as you feel your cheeks burning.

"Among other things, yes." You feel his body vibrate next to you as he laughs and it rubs off on you. "Were you afraid people wouldn't like him?"

"Daryl is a beloved character, you know better than anyone that changes to your character are complicated."

"I know, but you're not a change, I think it's more like... a stepping stone, they've been developing a relationship and... I don't know. I think it was supposed to happen." He shrugs lowering his voice lower and lower.

"Yeah, I guess so, people were pretty respectful with their questions."

"Oh yeah, it's the first convention where they didn't ask me about whether Daryl is going to shower or the size of my penis." He jokes and you both laugh loudly.

"Don't think so much of it, it was only once and because Jeffrey stopped you or you would have shown it to him right there."

"They were curious, and I'm pretty quick at unbuttoning things." She confesses to you and even though you laugh you feel some nervousness and clench your legs at the thought of it.

"I'm sure you are."

You set off again. You have a couple more hours until your last destination. You have left for last a small village that is really nothing special, but it is a place full of legends and stories and you are almost sure that Norman will like to hear about it.

You stop the bike at the foot of the small village that is also hidden in the mountains and above it are the ruins of a castle. You take off your helmet and get off the bike smiling.

"Welcome to Trasmoz, village of witches and pagan rites." You announce stretching your arms out smiling. Norman takes off his glasses and raises both eyebrows curiously.

"Witch village? Really?"

"Yes, officially today it is still a cursed village and is excommunicated by the church." A chuckle escapes you as you see the shocked look on the face, not only of your co-worker, but also of the camera crew accompanying you.

"I don't believe it..." You hallucinate as you move a little closer to the entrance of the village where you discover a metal statue in the shape of a witch riding her broom.

The look is of an old town, where not too many people must live, low, unkempt houses, the streets of stone and dirt, the ruins of the castle is the most imposing thing there, the clouds have covered the sun, the darkness of them give a more somber and gloomy touch to the place and Norman smiles like a little boy before wrapping his arms around your shoulders and kissing your head.

"This trip is being a fucking blast."

"Don't be exaggerating, I've only shown you a bunch of ruins and ghost towns."

"Not true, I trusted your judgement and you haven't let me down."

"Thank you..." You mutter looking sideways at him. "I talked to the guide of the castle and the museum, he told me he would leave the keys of the museum in the house we rented to sleep today." You explain and laugh low. "So if you're not afraid, we can take a tour tonight." You joke seeing Norman's offended gesture.

"Sure we can! I'm sure it's much more exciting to see it at night."

Norman accepts the challenge, you get back on the bike to go to the little house you have reserved at the foot of the village, although the village does not have too many inhabitants, you will go unnoticed and you can stroll through the streets in peace. The house is made of stone, with two floors and a large garage where you can store your motorcycle and van without any problem. The second floor is divided into a large living room with fireplace, kitchen, a toilet with shower, a large backyard and two bedrooms with two large beds in each, upstairs there were two more rooms, reserved for Norman and for you, a larger bathroom with bathtub, terrace overlooking the beautiful views of the castle and the mountains now decorated with the mist that began to rise by the change in temperature now that the sun was hiding giving way to the night. You enter your room, where there is a double bed, it seems comfortable and your bones protest for a moment. You smile leaving your suitcases aside, you have a big closet to keep your clothes in, but you are only going to spend a day there, so it is not worth taking your clothes out. You sit on the edge of the bed feeling the hard mattress, you close your eyes and you are sure you could fall asleep sitting up.

"They left us food in the fridge and stuff for tomorrow for breakfast." You hear Norman's voice, you open your eyes discovering him leaning against the door frame of your room, he's with his arms crossed and a small smile on his mouth.

"Great, I hadn't even thought about food." You joke seeing him snort through his nose coming over and sitting down next to you.

"You're tired, too many hours of travel maybe? We've been almost non-stop for two days now." He looks at you seriously, massaging the back of your neck feeling you relax under his caresses.

"A little, but I'm fine, I'm taking advantage of seeing new places thanks to this." You laugh and Norman smiles staring at you, his hand stops at the back of your neck, but his thumb continues to caress the line of your jaw under your ear giving you goosebumps.

"You know you can propose any trip whenever you want." He offers and you look up at him smiling, nodding your head.

After leaving the house ready, planning how you want to do the shots of that town and the night visit to the castle you are given some time to relax and you even fall asleep without unmaking your bed.

At night you walk through the empty streets of the village, if during the day you have not met anyone, now at night it looks like a real ghost town.

"The truth is that it makes a name for its legends." Norman comments looking around. "There's not much light, you can't hear anything... it's spooky."

"At vacation time there might be about eighty people living here, not many more." You laugh as you see the surprise on his face. "The rest of the year the few people who work in the fields or in the surrounding villages live here."

"What I was saying, bad vibe." He jokes and you both laugh.

You continue walking down the long, steep, unpaved streets of the village until you reach the door of the museum. You open it carefully and the statue of a witch greets you. It makes you jump backwards not expecting it and you bump into Norman who holds you carefully. Nervously you let out a chuckle as you pick up the huge key to the castle and stroll inside the museum to take a look.

The huge wooden and steel doors creak in the silence of the night as you turn the key and push them open. Norman makes a gesture of mock terror at the sound of them and you enter followed by the cameras. The silence in that place is absolute. If you couldn't hear anything in the village, there even less, only the air whistles through the ruins causing slight howls when it brushes against the rocks. You don't know much about its history, but you tell them what happened there, how it was passed from one lord to another, the fire that caused its decadence, the continuous passage of time and the attempt to rehabilitate it again, but it was never achieved. The multiple legends that deal with this place. Everyone listens attentively, your voice blurs in the place and creates small images in the minds of your companions, giving life again to what was once a majestic castle. You stand in the center of the most open room, where there is a small display of armor and weapons sheltered behind large glass cases. Norman comes up to you and puts his arm around your shoulders, the two of you standing close together. You don't mind his gesture, it's something innate in him, he can't help it. You wrap your arm around his lower back and lean against his body.

"Okay, so... The legends were true?" He asks after a few seconds in silence.

"About the witches?" When he nods, you deny. "No, there were some... money counterfeiters who used the castle as a base for their own purposes and to keep people away from the castle they made up a rumor that witches gathered here at night to do their potions and their meetings." You laughed as he looked at you raising an eyebrow. "They were simple folk, miners, farmers, housewives, so their minds believed the rumors and it spread so far that it reached a monastery near here, the bishop who lived there asked for help from another larger city to excommunicate the town since it was cursed and all...and to this day it's still going on." You laugh again and Norman snorts loudly through his nose.

"So someone who didn't care, stuck his nose into matters that didn't go with him..."

"Something like that."

"Yeah, I see we haven't changed much over time." He snorts again and you shrug.

"The difference now is that it's become a tourist attraction, it's a forgotten town, you see there aren't many people living here, but thanks to these things, it's kept alive, if only a little." You shrug your shoulders lowering your gaze ruefully.

Norman watches you chewing his lip. There's a droopy smile painted on your mouth and he doesn't like it. The hand resting on your shoulder caresses your cheek catching your attention, you raise your head and feel Norman's arm pull you closer to him.

You open your eyes wide when you feel his mouth on yours. His lips catch your upper one, his hand still caressing your cheek. You sigh and grip his waist tighter when you feel the tip of his tongue brush against your lips. You are about to reciprocate when you hear a noise next to you and you pull away from Norman quickly looking up at him in panic.

You had completely forgotten that you aren't alone.

To be continued...

I hope you liked it!!

He knows he can't behave like a hothead showing up at your door every day, making demands of you, much less banging on your door waiting for you to open it, but he tries. Being nice, the first few days he walks around, calls you and asks you to please open the door, but no one answers from inside, which makes Norman think that maybe you have gone to your mother's house to feel more protected, but you are not there either, Norman uses your mother as a last resort to find you.

He doesn't want to worry the woman, but when he shows up at her door, she already knows what has happened. Norman lowers his head, feeling embarrassed by the situation. You are both adults and supposedly responsible people and there you are, playing cat and mouse. Sarah lets him into the house and offers him a coffee, Norman accepts although he doesn't think it will calm his nerves.

They talk quietly, Sarah doesn't ask questions, but he tells her his own side of the story, wanting to defend himself somehow, knowing that the fault is not his. None of them really, but the situation is surreal to anyone who can hear it without knowing the details. Sarah smiles with kindness and infinite affection when Norman finishes explaining himself and watches as the man runs his hands over his face and hair, a clear gesture of desperation, wanting to restrain himself somehow. Sarah gets up from her seat and walks to the furniture that adorns the entrance of the house, opens one of the drawers and returns to the living room leaving some keys on the table where the coffee cups rest. Norman stares at the object, raises his eyebrows, understanding what Sarah is offering him. He bites his lip nervously and his fingers play with the hair on his chin. He looks at the petite woman and she smiles warmly, nodding her head.

"My daughter is at home, she hasn't left the house all these days, but I've talked to her on the phone, I know you've tried to go see her every day and you've respected her stubbornness in not opening up to you, but you have to talk, so if she doesn't want to do it the easy way, other measures will have to be taken..."

"I don't want to scare her any more than I already have..." he admits lowering his gaze, but his fingers brush against the keys your mother has given him.

"You've done nothing wrong, Norman, you've taken the step you wanted to take with her and believed she would understand, and not only that, you've been patient with her reaction. You're good for her, Norman, I know that, I know she sees it too and that's why it scares her...I'm just asking you not to give up." Sarah looks at him pleadingly and Norman sighs nodding his head, smiles softly and grabs the keys in his hand, getting up.

"I'm going to fight for her, but if she doesn't see herself capable of accepting things as they are...I'm not going to force her into anything."

"I understand, Norman. Thank you." The woman smiles and stands up, hugging him.

Norman walks out of your mother's house with the keys in his hand and a decisive idea in his head. He's not going to give up, he's going to go back to your apartment and try to talk some sense into you. If you don't want him to, then he'll turn around and accept that it's all over there. But first you're going to talk to him.

Go back to your building, open the door to the street and go up to your apartment, after that night you asked him to stay there you hadn't been back there, you always met at Norman's house, but he has a good memory and remembers perfectly how to get there. He clenches the keys in his pocket between his fingers and again his teeth scratch the skin of his lower lip thinking about what he can do, what he can say. He sighs and drops the keys, knocks on the door as he has done so many times before and waits. He closes his eyes, leaning his head against the door. He doesn't want to force his way in, he knows that barging into your intimacy, your privacy, isn't going to help fix things.

"Please..." He mumbles against the wood of the door. "I just want to talk to you, then I'll leave if you don't want anything to do with me, but open up..." He asks you. He tenses because he hears a creak, but it's not your door, but another one not far from where he is. He turns his head to discover an old woman peeking out of another house.

"She's not home, pretty boy." He says to her in a shaky, muffled voice. "She went out a few minutes ago, if you wait, she won't be back long." She tells him with a wrinkled smile. Norman mimics her gesture by nodding his head.

"Thank you, ma'am. I'm sorry for the show." He hones in, but she shakes her head, downplaying the matter.

"That's all right, young man. You like her very much, don't you? She's a very special girl."

"Yes, yes she is..." He smiles because it's true. He steps away from your door and walks over to the lady who smiles a little wider, opening the door to her house. "But I don't think I'm doing things right with her."

"Don't talk nonsense, I know she likes you too."

"Has she been told?" Norman looks at her in surprise and the woman laughs low.

"No, but I see these things and I’m old enough to understand what she's thinking about." She tells him in a confidential tone and winks at him. "Don't let her get away." She squeezes his arm affectionately and closes the door again.

Norman stands there for a moment staring at the closed door, weighing what the old woman has told him. He tenses because he hears footsteps on the stairs and turns in time to see your head appear around the corner of the hallway.

You are unaware of his presence, you are looking inside your bag at the things you have gone to buy at the supermarket down the street. Normally you do all your shopping online, but you needed food and maybe to get some air, so since you had work ahead of you, you allowed yourself to go out and shop. You don't really like it because you always end up buying things you don't want because what you're looking for, specifically, they don't have it, but this time you're satisfied with your purchases. You're near the door when feet appear in your field of vision. You stop and raise your head. Your face pales as you discover Norman in front of you. For a second you want to turn and run, but Norman grabs your wrist. Your gaze shoots from his face to your hand and back to him. Norman releases you by holding up both hands, in an attempt to get you to stay calm. You babble, fiddle nervously with the keys and the bag in your hands. He still doesn't say or do anything. Following an impulse you can't control you open the door to your house and leave it unlocked. Norman hesitates for a moment, but then comes in after you, closing the door behind him, following you into the kitchen where you leave your shopping bag. He continues without a word, watching your movements, watching as you gather the groceries in your fridge and various drawers, pick up some clean dishes and make coffee. Norman sighs biting his lip. You startle when you hear him speak.

"Aren't you even going to look at me?"

"I'm making coffee..." You reply. "Do you want some?"

"Yeah, sure, do you want me to help you?"

"No, it's just a coffee..."

"Yeah, sorry..." The nervousness is evident in him, he's folded his arms and repeatedly bites his lower lip, tugging at his beard hair with his teeth. "Do you think you could put that down and talk to me?"

"Coffee's almost done..." You mutter turning back toward the coffee pot. Norman lets the air out of his mouth very slowly and nods.

"Okay, fine, we'll do it your way..." He agrees without turning away from the kitchen door, not taking his eyes off everything you do.

You move through the kitchen, take two cups and prepare coffee for both of you, black with two spoons of sugar for him and for you a little milk and two spoons of sugar. You hand him his cup with a nod of thanks and move into the living room where you have your entire work area set up. Several computers plugged in, your laptop on the side table next to the couch. You point to it and both of you sit there. The silence is still thick and uncomfortable. Your heart doesn't stop beating violently and violently, your mind doesn't stop working at a mile a minute. There are too many variants open and again your anxiety is winning over your sanity. You have to get back to work, you're on your workday, you can't neglect your job. You have to talk to Norman, clear things up or else ask him to leave, to leave you alone. You also need to talk to your mother, set some rules as it is clear that she is taking too many liberties. Especially when Norman leaves the keys to your own apartment on the table in front of you. You raise your head looking at him in surprise.

"Your mother gave them to me, I thought I should use them if... you kept ignoring me, but I didn't want to force things, I didn't want to pressure you."

"And coming to see me at my house and knocking on the door everyday when I'm working?"

"I'm sorry, I know I was an idiot doing that, but God, I didn't know what to do." He ran his hands over his face again, trying not to get too worked up. "You just disappeared."

"I didn't... you gave me..." You mutter, lowering your gaze again.

"It was just some fucking keys..." You snort unable to control the frustration in your voice. "They don't hurt you, you know, you could've..." He licks his lips searching for the words. "I don't know, you just could have not taken them and that's it."

"It's... It's another change, Norman I didn't..." You muffle because you know what he's going to answer you, you can see him clench his fists slightly, controlling himself. "A set of keys means a lot of things... I..."

"Meant nothing more than what they are, keys." He cuts off your stuttering and hesitation. "We always go to my house, okay?" he shrugs wanting you to understand what he means. "We've been doing this for two years, and...I don't know, I thought maybe some keys wouldn't hurt."

"It implies a commitment, Norman..."

"It doesn't imply anything, just that you can come to my house whenever you want... I told you, I'm going to be with you as much as you need me, but you can't block me every time I want to do something else for you..."

"You already do for me..."

"I don't want to follow a fucking plan." He cuts you off again and you bite your lips holding back your thoughts. "I don't want us to compulsorily see each other on Fridays, yes, it's not once a month anymore, yes, now it's every Friday of the month, I know the changes are slow going with you, I know you have a hard time accepting them, that you don't like them, but I thought we talked about this."

"You are not a change..." You mumble understanding what he means.

"Exactly...It’s been..." He bites his lip and moves a little closer to you, squeezing your hands between his. You startle and look up at him. "It's been two years since we started this...I don't want to follow a fucking calendar." He says and knows he's letting his anger get the better of him and he takes a deep breath. "I want to be able to meet you on Monday, Saturday, Friday, I don't care what fucking day. I want to be able to call you, know if you want to see me and leave the house or not, fuck like animals here or at my place, come home from work one day and see you waiting for me on my couch, not because it's the fucking day we're supposed to see each other, but because you really want to see me. That you've missed me at some point." He's sincere and squeezes your hands a little between his. You stare, understanding what he means, thinking over all his arguments, looking for a logical answer that will make you also understand if you want the same or she's just crazy. Norman sees that you are not able to answer and speaks again. "Is it the case that when you stay at my house on the weekend you feel bad about being there? Tell me, do you feel uncomfortable when you stay with me after we've seen each other on Friday?"

You hesitate for a moment on what to answer, there are so many things swirling around in your brain at the same time. You understand what he's telling you, what he's asking, but he also knows that you can't give him a yes or no answer, your answers are never simple, you never leave your decisions to a few simple monosyllables. You look down at your joined hands and feel his thumbs caress your skin lovingly.

"Yes..." You whisper, but he doesn't move, he waits, he knows there's something else caught in your throat. "I was uncomfortable, at first and yes, I wanted to leave because it wasn't what was agreed, I didn't want to... but that gradually changed, like everything about you... you always manage to trap me, you always manage to make my mind cloud and with you I'm unable to think about anything else but you... See us outside of... our dates? Yes, I thought about it once, I even came over to your place one night, but...

"What?" he looks at you in disbelief. "Why didn't you tell me... why didn't you knock on the door?"

"Because I showed up there too late, it wasn't the right time... maybe I could have bothered you or..."

"Oh God..." He can't help but chuckle under his breath and cover his face with both hands, trying to process what you just said. "Really, and I give you my keys and everything goes to shit?" He still can't believe it. He knows he shouldn't be using that asshole tone, but he's just feeling overcome. "You came all the way to my house yourself outside of our... dates. Don't you think if you had my keys, you would have avoided standing at my front door and going home? You could have come in whenever you felt like it and we would have had a great night, don't you think?" He insists and once again, the pieces seem to fit together much better than they do now Norman is the one explaining the situation to you.

"Yes... I suppose you're right, as usual..."

"No, don't say that, I don't want you to feel obligated to believe what I tell you." He sighs and again his hands fall on yours, he squeezes them and brings them over his mouth, kissing them lovingly.

"No, but it's true. I've gone back to acting without thinking about... anything." An amused smile forms on your mouth and Norman looks at you with a frown. "It's ironic, because my brain can't stop thinking... even now..."

"What can I do to make you stop thinking? What do you need me to do? Tell me." He looks at you intently, one of his hands releases yours and strokes your cheek affectionately.

You stare at him for a moment, move closer to him and kiss him slowly, your lips caressing his. Norman gasps, holding the back of your neck, kissing you back, making you sigh against his mouth.

Norman didn't come to see you with that intention, he didn't really have it in mind at all. But you find yourself in front of him, completely naked, devouring him with your eyes and he is not made of stone. Well, he is now, but for a totally different reason. His bare chest and his jeans concealing a more than obvious erection. He settles down on the couch, spreading his legs, inviting you to come to him. His own fingers caress his lips, watching every move you make, his breathing is heavy, but he tries to be as calm as possible, letting you do what you need to do with him. You walk slowly up to him, your leg brushing against his as you slowly, slowly climb onto his lap, resting your hands on the back of the couch he's sitting on. Norman's breathing becomes heavier as you consciously brush your breasts against his face as you sit up. Your hard nipples brush against his lips and Norman opens his mouth to catch your tit between his lips. You gasp and moan at the feel of his lips and tongue against your skin.

His hands caress your thighs slowly, you sit fully on his cock, hard and hidden inside his pants, you move your hips against him and Norman releases your breast from his mouth, panting against your wet skin.

"This is... this is all we are?" you gasp feeling your mind finally stop thinking.

"No... you know it's not..." Norman caresses one of your cheeks, lifting his head to kiss you slowly, stroking your hair, letting it fall to your shoulders. "But if it helps you keep your mind blank..." he smiles kissing your jaw, moving down your neck slowly. You gasp letting yourself do it, closing your eyes. "I told you I'd be with you whenever you needed me... and that's what I'm doing." He whispers against your skin, catching one of your breasts in his mouth again, enjoying it. You sigh at the sensation and move your hips against his body, rubbing against his hard bulge still inside his pants.

Your hands come loose from the fabric of the couch to caress his head, his shoulders and down to the edge of his pants, brushing your fingertips against his belt. Norman pulls away from you a little again, letting you follow your path, you settle over his thighs unbuckling his belt, unzipping his pants. You slide out and between his legs holding the edge of his pants and underwear, slowly pulling them down, Norman lifts his hips to help you and you leave him totally naked in front of you. Your eyes are riveted on him, who doesn't look away either, with a crooked smile, slowly stroking himself, hardening his cock all the way. You lick and bite your lower lip crawling up to him, licking the tip of his cock as he grips his own erection from the base, grunting at the wet touch of your tongue.

You like hearing him, you like feeling him grunt and twitch with need and some desperation as you take your own time sucking and licking the tip of his cock, producing little wet sounds that bounce in the silence of the room. Your hand replaces his hand at the base of his cock and as your mouth continues to give his tip a warm wet treat, your hand strokes and moves up and down his length. You hear a hoarse moan escape his mouth, your chest filling with a certain pride in yourself. You look up and your body shudders as your gaze connects with Norman's, he watches you intently, breathing hard, biting his lip, enjoying what you are doing with him. Your fingers close around his base and you open your mouth a little wider inserting every inch you are able by closing your lips around it, starting to move your head in a gentle up and down motion, lubricating his entire cock with your saliva.

"Oh fuck!" Norman grunts and his hand closes over your head.

For a second you stop, but again your lips close around his cock, still sucking up and down, tightening your grip on his base a little. It's another thing that has changed in your relationship. The first few times you shared your intimacy, the contact you allowed from Norman to you was minimal, only when he takes his time to go all over you. When you were the one enjoying him, the occasions were very specific, but now you don't care. You like to feel his hand closing in your hair, his fingers twitching against your skin at the pleasure, his hips moving against your mouth wanting to go deeper. You've tried, but your mouth has never fully cooperated, yet you know you're capable of making him enjoy it, of taking him almost to the limit, of feeling his thighs tremble and his cock swell inside your mouth, only to stop and leave him there, pleading and completely needy. You've discovered that you like the animal side that takes over him when you play with him like that.

“I love that fucking mouth of you…” He grunts and his fingers grip harder your hair. “Feels so fucking good around my cock…”

Your body shudders when you hear him talk. That's another thing that has changed between your relationships. At first Norman didn't talk much, if at all, while you were fucking. Maybe a little at first or when he felt your mind going back to thinking too much, but it wasn't usual. Then, little by little, his tongue became bolder, in every possible way. At first it felt strange and even uncomfortable, you felt that something was cutting the moment short, forcing your mind to start up again, but then you discovered that it wasn't your brain that started to work at speed, but your body, which reacted to every word the man whispered, with goosebumps and your pussy totally wet.

“You like that too, right? All my cock on your mouth, taking me to the edge… Feeling my cum on your tongue…” He grunts again and you moan getting wetter just thinking about it. “Yeah, I know, girl, but not now. I wanna play with you too… Stand up.” He says and you look at him sucking his cock once again before doing with he wants.

You stand up slowly, feeling the insides of your thighs completely wet, Norman looks at you biting his lip. He lies down on the couch and gestures for you to come closer again. Once upon a time you would have demanded that you go straight to the bedroom, that the couch was no place for such things, but now you feel the need hitting you so hard, you can't even protest.

You approach ready to straddle him and ride him the way you both like it best, however, Norman holds your wrist carefully and guides you. A gasp of surprise catches in your throat as he pulls you down and you end up on top of him your thighs on either side of his head. He pushes you down and his tongue brushes your folds from his position beneath you. You moan and shudder. You clutch at the couch and your other hand closes on his hair.

You've never sat on a man's face before and your whole body trembles at the sensation. You gasp as you look down to find Norman staring up at you. His hands caress your legs, your thighs, his fingers spread your folds further apart and his tongue delves deep into your tight interior. You cry out at the sensation and your legs slam together. You exhale in fear and move over him. Norman stops and looks at you with concern.

“Are you okay?”

“N… No… I never… I never did it before…” You mumble embarrassed, fearing that in some movement you couldn't control, you might hurt him. He smiles understanding what might be going through your mind and turns his head slightly to kiss your thigh.

“It’s okay, let’s go to the bed… You will not to escape from me anyway.” He smiles and you do the same getting up of him.

Norman has you back on the mattress. Your legs raised, the inside of your knees resting on his shoulders, he has you with your hips slightly raised, holding your thighs and his mouth is once again buried in your pussy. He licks, bites and sucks your folds, his lips tighten around your clit making you moan, arch against him and fuck you against his tongue as he makes his way inside your wet inside. His gaze is once again fixed on you, not for a second neglecting what he is doing. Your mind, as well as your body, are a complete mess, as he always manages, you can't think, you can't be coherent with any of your actions feeling his tongue take you to the limit. He lets go of one of your legs and inserts his fingers spreading your walls apart, moving them in and out, curving them inside you touching that special spot that manages to make you see stars. You moan loudly and arch once more, pull his hair hard and cum against his fingers and mouth, feeling the spasms of pleasure shaking your whole body uncontrollably. Norman licks, sucks and moves his fingers, slower and slower, until he pulls them out. His gaze is on you again, he sits up and licks the cum on his fingers, you gasp at what you see and bite your lip. Your gaze is clouded with desire, your chest rises and falls erratically, your body still twitching in the little scraps of pleasure that envelop you. Norman stretches over your body, now your legs encircling his waist, he kisses you slowly, with infinite affection, his tongue brushes your lips and enters your mouth lazily, he breaks away again to look at you and kisses your chin and neck.

You caress and scratch his back enjoying the kisses that run down your neck. You bite your lip and push his waist a little. He puts up no resistance. He separates from you and lies down on the mattress. You sit up, your hand caresses his hard erection and Norman hisses holding your wrist.

“Easy, girl… I’m so fucking hard, I could cum too fast.” He says in a husky voice and you nod.

You let go of his cock but not without squeezing once more on his tip, Norman moans and uses all his self-control not to cum on it. You straddle him, rubbing your folds against his erection, lubricating it with your own flow. He holds you by the waist and helping you position yourself on top of him, you sit on his cock, feeling it work its way inside you without resistance. You moan once more, he grunts digging his fingers into your skin and holds you still, again controlling himself. You watch him out of the corner of your eye guessing when you can start moving again, your hands rest on his thighs and you begin to move slowly over him, bouncing slightly, gasping as his own hips rise, meeting you on the way, going deeper, throwing you back to the edge of your own pleasure. Norman joins in, wrapping his arms around you, the two of you sitting on the mattress. His hands move down from your waist to your ass, your knees dig into the mattress to gain momentum, your hands clinging tightly to his shoulders starting to move quickly over him. Norman helps you propel yourself by grabbing your ass, digging his fingers into your skin and even allowing himself to spank you. You moan at the sensation and clench tightly around his cock.

It's triggering for him, as he feels his cock strangling around your walls he can't hold back any longer, he moans hoarsely against your neck, his fingers pull at your skin and push you down, getting wedged deep inside you as he cums intensely. The heat his cock gives off and his cum inside you, makes your body shudder and you reach your own orgasm, pressing back against his cock feeling him pulsing inside you.

Norman opens his eyes the next morning. It takes him a moment to discover that he is still in your bed, but you aren’t with him. There is a small twinge in his chest of fear, imagining that you might have run away again or waiting for him to ask him to leave. He remains silent and hears a steady murmur coming from your living room. You're talking to someone and from the mechanical tone of your voice, Norman deduces it's something about work. He stretches out under the covers and looks around for something to wear, but remembers that all his clothes were left lying on your living room floor, he's never left anything there either, so if he wants to go out he has to do it naked. Not that he minds, but he's convinced it won't be a good show if you're in a business meeting. He finally makes up his mind by wrapping your sheets around his waist like in the typical movies, feeling a little ridiculous, but at least this way he'll placate a little embarrassment if your coworkers see him through the camera. He trips a couple of times on the fabric of the sheets but manages to get out of your room unscathed. He peeks through the living room door and smiles.

As I thought you are busy talking to your co-workers. You seem to be explaining to him your latest interventions, what you've been up to over the past few days, the results you've been getting, but that's not what really catches his attention. Your hair is messy and you look a little sleepy, maybe you've been up too long talking about it, over and over again, but what he likes is to see his shirt wrapped around your body. You got up in a hurry and it was the first thing you grabbed before starting the meeting. The smell of Norman on the fabric relaxed you and allowed you to focus on what you had to say without overthinking things. Something that surprised your colleagues. You continue talking to them, your fingers stroking the collar of your shirt, feeling the softness of the fabric against your skin. You spot Norman in the doorway, but he doesn't move, just nods at you. You smile and point to his clothes, folded and gathered on the table you use for family meals. He winks at you in appreciation and walks over, avoiding being seen by your coworkers and puts on his boxers and pants, folding the sheet to put it in the washing machine if you want. You look back at the computer screen, listen to the proposals of your coworkers and your boss and say goodbye to them, turning off the laptop. You get up from the couch and stand there quietly, watching him. Norman smiles and points to the kitchen, separated from the living room by a breakfast bar. You haven't spent much time in your house, but you've had breakfast there before.

"Would you like me to make some breakfast?" he offers and you nod.

"Thanks." You whisper and Norman walks over to you giving you a soft kiss.

"Good morning..."

"Good morning..." You reply back feeling your cheeks flush. It's like you're getting to know each other all over again.

Norman walks back to your kitchen, the good thing about you being a methodical and mechanical person for some things makes it easy for him to find things around him. He's a bit of a stickler for that too, but not to your extreme. You sit on the stool in front of the bar watching him move from side to side. He looks so natural that again your heart races. You clench your hands tightly, rubbing them together nervously. Norman catches your eye after placing the coffee pot on the stove and there is a mute question in his gaze. You know you've left a talk hanging, that last night you had to have a serious talk about what was going to happen from now on. Norman has nothing more to say for now, you are aware of that, now it's your turn to be clear with him. You sigh and tangle your fingers in your own hair before intertwining your hands again.

"I think I'm afraid to fall in love with you..." You whisper at last, not daring to look at him, but you know Norman doesn't take his eyes off you. "I think... I was afraid of falling in love with you..." You clarify because you're sure it's too late to stop that from happening. "You know things work differently for me..." You whisper again and Norman nods his head.

"I know, but it's been two years..."

"I know, but I'm not like you..." You shake your head because you don't want to refer specifically to him. "Like everyone else... I need a plan, a routine, I need stability so that... so that I don't collapse..."

"I understand..."

"No, actually you don't." You look at him and sigh covering your face with your hands. "I need everything to have a specific place and control around me so I can keep moving. Since I've known you all that has failed, everything has been changing, little by little around me; changing things, bringing in new things and forgetting routines I had since I was almost a child... Everything has been transforming around me and you've seen what happens when that happens."

"It's never been a problem, I mean... We've known how to handle it..." He insists, he thinks your relationship is on a good footing, or at least he thought it was.

"And it's not, at least not now, now that I've adjusted to... a lot of our relationship. I like hanging out with you, I like being with you, staying at your house even if it's not part of the program, I'd like to see you outside of the program we have set up, but I'm afraid that one day... it'll all be over." You lower your gaze again and bite your lip nervously. "I can't go back, I can't... forget about it and start from scratch like you or someone else would. You leave a person because you stop liking them, or because things become complicated, you are maybe a few days or a few hours bad and the next day you find another person who seems to fill you as well or better than the previous one... I can't do that. My brain won't let me, I'd need to think it all over again, rebuild my wreckage, almost everything would go back to zero and... and I'd just collapse." You confess and your voice sounds choked, tears have taken over your eyes without being able to control it. Norman moves closer towards you and his hand squeezes yours. Your whole body shakes so hard he's afraid you'll break. "That's why every time you wanted to be with me, to bond with me in a more personal and intimate way I..."

"You think you're the only one in love?" He tells you softly, you lift your head like a spring and see that his cheeks are aflame. "Do you really think if I didn't care about you I'd be here?" He asks you again, but doesn't wait for you to answer. "You are important to me. Very much. I've had times when yes, I've wanted to throw in the towel, Has it been frustrating? Yes. Have I felt overdone? A lot, but it's not your fault, or mine. It just is what it is. And I'm not going to run away. And if you need me to come after you when you run away again because you really don't know what you're doing. I will. I told you, I'm going to be with you whenever you need me. That the first night was weird? It was, but I think it was for both of us. That the second night was personal curiosity? Yes, I confess that too, but then everything came together. I don't know whether to call it love, even for me the word is perhaps too strong, but I'm not going anywhere, nor am I going to get bored of you. That's not going to happen.

"You're just saying that now..."

"I've been telling you that for two years, actually." He jokes and you look up at him again, his warm, amused smile making you smile too. You squeeze his hand against yours and then stand up.

Norman takes advantage of you stepping away to take the coffee off the stove and put two cups on. When you return to the table, you leave the keys your mother had given Norman the day before on the table and look at him hesitantly.

"You can... You can keep them... I'd really like you to come and see me... Even if I'm working or it's not... Friday..." You say this last in a breathy whisper and Norman's smile grows much wider.

"Thanks, I'd love to... Mine I think you still have them." He jokes raising an eyebrow. "You ran out of my house with them in your hand."

"Y... Yes, I'm sorry..."

"There's nothing to be sorry about." He smiles once more and hides the keys in his pants pocket, just in case you drastically change your mind again at some point.

Your back protests once again as you shift in your chair and groan low. You've clearly stretched your working hours beyond what was rightfully yours, again. You peel your eyes away from the computer screen, rubbing them with your hands, feeling them dry from overexertion. You look around, still getting used to the idea that this is your new workplace. It's been a few years since you have reduced your work area to that room in your new house. You were used to working anywhere in your apartment, but that has been changing little by little, like everything else. But it's good, you know, there's nothing to worry about. Besides you imposed it on yourself for obvious reasons.

You smile weakly drinking from your coffee cup when you hear the door of the house open and close, filling the silence with laughter and nervous, anxious voices.

So much had changed.

Your gaze falls on the ring that decorates your ring finger and you rise from your chair, ending your workday. You grimace painfully and bring your hand to your bulging abdomen, caressing it gently, feeling the little one stir inside. The door to your office opens and two pairs of blue eyes stare at you, asking permission in a mute way, if they can come in. You smile and walk towards them.

"Are you done yet?" Norman asks you, opening the door all the way. The little boy with him runs up to you and hugs your legs.

"Mom, dad says we can go to the park if you're done working! Can we?" Norman's little reflection pins his innocent gaze on you and you laugh nodding your head.

"Sure we can, I think I've been sitting here too long." You smile and Norman comes up to you kissing you lovingly, his hand caresses your belly and his eyes sparkle with restrained emotion. Your cheeks redden as you look away, you still can't get used to him looking at you that way.

"How are you feeling, is she behaving?"

"Yes, you know it's been a very quiet pregnancy."

"Good, then I'll get some things ready and we'll go to the park."

Now you remember with embarrassment what your first pregnancy was like. You were so surprised by the news that you repeated the test a couple of times and then went to the hospital for a third. But there it was, it was tiny, barely a couple of weeks gestation. A "chickpea" as the doctor who attended you had called it, and for the first time in your life you felt like hitting someone. You didn't have a chickpea in your belly, you had a baby. Yours and Norman's. You had made a little person and you needed Norman with you to take it in.

You burst into the man's work to the cry of "I'm pregnant!" you literally shouted in the middle of the photography studio earning you a look of surprise and amusement from everyone there. Norman was thankful that day that he had his camera strapped around his neck or he's sure it would have fallen out of his hands.

After that you both needed a moment to take it in. Of course it wasn't an easy thing to hide until you were sure the pregnancy was going well, your scream in the studio had caused all your mutual acquaintances to spread the news like wildfire and a few hours later you had your mother in your house. For that was another change that had happened to you before the baby. You and Norman had married and moved into a nice house where you could both start from scratch. It was a complicated process for you too, but it was less difficult than you had expected from the beginning.

The dizziness, the nausea, the avoidance of certain foods and suddenly wanting to eat other things you had never tried before made the eight and a half months of your pregnancy a real roller coaster for you and Norman, you were both new to it all and every gesture, discomfort or doubt that assailed you became a big dilemma that kept you both on edge. At least at the beginning. From the fifth month onwards you both seemed more sure of what you were doing and Norman loved touching you, loved having his hands always on your belly, feeling it grow, feeling the baby move. He would lie close to your belly and whisper to it as he caressed your skin, sometimes, to your surprise, the little one would react to Norman's presence by moving into his touch or his warm breath would collide, making the man smile with immense excitement.

You never expected Norman to be a man who adored children.

"How did it go at the studio? I hope he's been good..." You say looking sideways at your son.

The little boy was born with a personality very similar to yours. Some things that happen around him are hard for him to assimilate, but it's not as drastic as in your case, however when he feels anxiety taking over he shows it by getting too excited. Norman found that painting and photography calmed the little boy. Despite his young age, he was able to capture very interesting things in the pictures his father let him paint. While Norman took care of the photography, developing and mounting, the boy stayed close by, painting on small canvases or in sketchbooks. Crises had dwindled to almost none over the course of the year, but one could never let one's guard down for good.

"We brought a gift with us. We left it in the living room." He tells you as his only response, biting his lip in amusement.

"What did you guys do this time?" You look at him fearfully and the three of you walk out of your office.

Your eyes widen when you discover that your son is holding a small black kitten in his hands, clutching onto his shirt like a life preserver. You look at Norman and his smile grows much wider. He's enjoying the situation, he knows you like animals and that you're not going to be able to say no to him staying at home.

"How did you...?" you try to ask and he laughs with a shrug.

"Our little adventurer found him and held on to our son so tightly that I couldn't say no to him." You look back at the boy petting and playing with the cat who keeps purring and rubbing against his face, making him laugh. "I think it will be good for him."

You look sideways at Norman and then at the little blond boy who has put the little kitten down and both of them explore the room making little jumps and running scared when some extraneous noise over jumped the little feline. You smile and stroke your belly feeling your second baby move. Norman catches your gesture and comes over and hugs you from behind. He kisses your cheek, rests his chin on your shoulder and his hands caress your sides, the baby moves again, looking for the source of warmth and you smile.

"You know what I love most about your pregnancies?" he whispers in your ear, as if it's a secret. "How big your breasts get..." He confesses and after a few seconds you both laugh loudly. You shake your head and turn around hugging him.

"You're such an idiot..."

The End...

Thanks for reading!

I hope you liked it!

The first impression Dixon gave you was of an elusive man, he didn't seem dangerous, but he didn't like dealing with other people. When you asked around town about him you were soon accosted by a million speculations about him; dangerous, weird, wild, even the older locals said Daryl Dixon was cursed. To you he just seemed like an introvert, that all those rumors had caused him to move away from the town himself to be left alone. Hershel for his part didn’t have a specific opinion of him, he always commented that he had known him since he was a child, that he had always been surly and reserved, but that deep down he was a good man who cared about his people and the forest, which was part of him.

So that morning you dared to ask him, you were in autumn, coming to the end of October and Halloween was taking over the streets of Woodbury. Being a small town the main street had become a huge house of terror, decorated by all the neighbors, decorating the streets and the houses themselves to give it a more terrifying touch, for the children and not children to enjoy. You weren't really into that sort of thing, but you saw it as an opportunity to offer Daryl a plan outside of work. You never saw the Ranger around town, sometimes he would come by with his van to pick up some stuff or with his motorcycle, but he never went into town for a long time, so with the excuse of Halloween and ‘Trick and Treat’ thing, maybe you could propose a scary movie marathon night and scare the kids who came to your house for treats.

As you got to know the locals and worked with both Hershel and Daryl, more curious you became about the latter. Physically Daryl was an imposing man, not very tall for the average man of his age, but he had an aura of mystery and danger that always surrounded him, you weren’t sure if it was because of his serious gesture, all that hair always covering much of his eyes and face or it was more because of the scars that ran across his face. Once the vet told you that the man had been in a fight with a bear and that the scars were due to that, but you didn't take it seriously either.

Hershel had delegated you to take care of some of the farm animals and to check up on the clinic Daryl had at the cabin. The man believed that being relatively similar in age, the man would feel more comfortable having you around, making friends for once. You liked the idea too, you had friends in Woodbury and got along well with your neighbors, but you didn't want Daryl to be alone either. Talking to him for the first time was like hitting a wall. The times you had gone to the cabin with Hershel the two men had talked comfortably while you just paid attention, but when you started going on your own, he just ignored your existence. It surprised you at first, but that didn't make you give up. Every time you arrived at the cabin you greeted him politely, he would respond with a grunt, which gradually started to turn into a low greeting, a nod and even in the last few months you could discover a small smile on his mouth. Whenever you arrived at the office, he was always there going through his papers and helping you place the new products you brought him. Little by little your conversations were pleasant and pleasant, not extended as the man was rather sparing with words, but at least you were no longer talking to the walls and sometimes you could even hear him joking.

Because you had started to like him and wanted to get to know him a little better. So when you finished restocking the man's first aid kit at the cabin clinic you plucked up the courage to ask.

"Hey, Daryl, do you have any plans for next week?" You glanced sideways at him seeing that he was watching you through his bangs. He bit his lip and shook his head with a shrug.

“Workin' I guess… why?”

“uhm no, nothing… it's just… Halloween's night is coming and I wonder if you want to do something special that night…” You insist, feeling your cheeks redden. Daryl is silent for a moment. He stands up leaving a box of expired medications in the bucket you've brought, helping you rearrange things in the office. He looks at you and through his bangs you see a glint of gold in his left eye.

“I thought yer going to the Mayor’s party.” He says finally.

“No… they insisted but I don't like to much those parties so… I'll stay at home watching horror movies so… If you want…” You look at him again but he isn't looking at you in return, he seems on his thoughts ignoring you again.

You haven't insisted again, clearly he isn’t comfortable with the idea of going into town let alone spending a night watching old horror movies that really aren't scary at all. You've never handled fear well, since you were little you've hated scary movies or avoided them as much as possible, so you always look for old movies, from the 70's-80's that special effects are fit for your sensitive nerves.

Halloween night arrives faster than you expect, you have managed to decorate the house to the same height as your neighbors, not without help; you have prepared a huge bowl of candy for when the kids come to beg at your house, you bought a costume, the least provocative you could find, you’re sure that the party at the town hall isn’t suitable for children and there people will go wild, it’s another reason why you don't want to go to the party, alcohol and sexual desperation isn’t what you need right now. You put on your Little Red Riding Hood dress, a tiny dress with a red cape, put on some black stockings so you don't feel so exposed, even though you're at home and your slippers. You aren’t certainly the eroticism in person right now, but since you're spending the night alone, you don't care. You leave the kitchen leaving the bowl of candy by the door and go to the living room where you leave your popcorn, candy bars and a coke. You prepare your movie marathon and settle down on the couch and grab some popcorn.

You aren’t even half an hour into the movie when you hear the doorbell ring. Well, apparently the kids are already out on the streets. You pause the movie and shake your hands adjusting the short skirt of your dress. You should have worn one of your pajamas, you'd be much more comfortable. You grab the bowl with the candy and pull the hood over your head before opening the door with a huge smile.

"Hello, children...!" you fall silent because in front of you there is no child, rather a grown man who looks at you curiously, he even seems to have a mocking grimace on his mouth. "Daryl! You finally came!" You say excitedly and now more than ever your miniskirt makes you uncomfortable.

"Ya said scary movies so...I couldn't say no." There's that little tease in the smile that plays across his face and you smile wider. You step aside and let him in.

Your eyes widen as you see, for the first time, completely the scar on his face. You can almost tell that it really does look like a bear claw that runs down the left side of his face, from his hairline, all the way down to his jaw. He has his bangs and some of his hair pulled back in a small ponytail, leaving his face exposed. You're cut off because he has one eye of each color, the right one blue, the left one amber. Daryl feels your gaze on him and shrugs lifting his hands, you look at his gesture and laugh as you discover some hideous clawed gloves.

"Yer the Little Red Riding Hood and I'm the big bad wolf." He scoffs and you laugh at it.

"Good point." You smile and close the door walking in the living room with the man.

Again you look at him, he's only wearing the fake gloves and he lets his scars show to give him a more sinister look, however, he's wearing a black long sleeved sweater and jeans with his hiking boots. You point to the couch and he smiles at you sitting on one of the free sides. You walk into the kitchen grabbing a beer and set it down on the table in front of the couch and sit down next to him. Daryl steps back a little giving you space and grabs the beer you brought giving it a long drink.

"I thought you said you were working.”

“I'm always workin'” He shrugs and leaves the beer on the table. “But ya said somethin’ about a horror movies marathon so… I couldn’t resist.” He smiles a little and you do the same.

"Good, then make yourself comfortable and enjoy." You offer and hit play again to let the movie run its course.

After several hours between movies and handing out candy, your gaze shifts to Daryl. You're watching the Werewolf movie and the brown-haired man looks uncomfortable, even bored. He bites his lower lip and rubs his hand across his chin, thoughtfully. Maybe the scary movie idea hadn't been the best idea and the ranger was starting to get bored. You bite your lip searching for an alternative in your mind and clears your throat getting his attention.

"Do you want to go to the mayor's party?" You propose and he frowns slightly.

"Why? I thought the idea of watchin’ scary movies was yers."

"And it is, but... you seem to be bored and I don't want to..." you stutter not knowing how to find the words.

"I'm fine. I don't think they want me at that party. Besides I ain’t wearing a very elaborate costume." He tries to joke and you laugh quietly nodding your head, understanding what he means.

"That's okay, in that case we can switch movies if this one bored you." You offer him another alternative and he shakes his head. His gaze bores into you and his eyes shine with an intense hue.

"No, it's just that I've realized that movies aren't very scary." He raises an eyebrow and you redden playing nervously with the skirt of your dress, Daryl's eyes watch your movements and his nostrils flare inhaling your scent. He closes his eyes for a second to let out a growl that catches your attention. "I thought you were a fan of Halloween."

"And I like it, but I don't handle scares well..." You confess still with your cheeks flushed. "But they're movie classics, that's a point in my favor, isn't it?" you try to joke and bite your lip. Daryl notices your gesture and smiles nodding.

"Yeah, yer secret's safe." He jokes again and you let out a giggle.

"I was going to bring you a beer now." You tell him holding up both hands. Daryl nods biting his lip and walks towards you, slowly.

Your coke and his beer are gone again, so you get up going to the kitchen again, this time you grab two beers. You feel your heart racing a little, you aren’t sure if it's because of the sugar in your body or knowing that Daryl would rather spend the night with you than a party, or alone in his cabin. You smile opening both bottles feeling your heart beat faster again and you’re ready to go back to the living room, however you’re startled to discover Daryl leaning against the door frame, watching you.

Again his bangs fall over his eyes hiding his peculiarity eyes and scars, the rubber is on his wrist, he has taken off his gloves, but from your position, his fingernails look particularly long. You smile nervously in an attempt to take control of your mind again. Clearly the day, and the movies, are taking over your sanity.

"Thanks, I was comin' in case ya needed help with anythin'."

"No, but if you want me to fix something for dinner...I didn't really ask you if I wanted to eat anything more solid than some popcorn..." It dawns on you and again you feel embarrassed by your awkwardness.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." He assures you by stopping right in front of you. You look up and through his bangs, his eyes sparkle unnaturally and something stirs inside you, causing his smile to widen. "Y'know, I think yer hiding more secrets..." His voice sounds husky, dark, his arms folded across his chest, hands hidden under his armpits.

"Secrets?" you mumble averting your gaze, wanting him not to notice what is going on in your mind. "Everyone has secrets..."

"Yeah, sure... but this is different..." He slowly advances towards you and when you want to be aware, his body has trapped you against the kitchen counter. "I smell ya..." He growls in your ear in a low tone and you flinch looking at him out of the corner of your eye.

"Excuse me?" You left the beers on the counter and pull away him slightly to look into his eyes and you feel a twinge in your head.

"The first time we met I didn't notice...ya hid it well, but I guess it's not exactly you." He watches you closely and you grow more and more confused. "Something's blocking yer memories, isn't it?"

"W... What are you talking about?"

"About what ya really are..." Daryl lifts a hand and pushes your hair aside tucking it behind your ear. His eyes flash once more and you feel the pain in your head increase. "Something or someone blocked your past, what happened, did your pack cast you out, did you rebel against them, why are you here?”

"I... I came looking for an opportunity... Daryl if it's a weird role play, I don’t..." You try to joke but the ranger growls and your body shudders. You close your eyes feeling Daryl brush his nose against your hair, his body getting closer and closer, the heat he gives off giving you goosebumps. You gasp giving thanks that you've left the drinks out of your reach or else they'd be on the floor by now.

"It's not a game, but certainly what they've done to you is a bitch." One of his hands runs down your arm and your breath catches in your lungs as he holds you tightly by the neck, forcing you to look up at him. Fear grips you for a second, remembering all the warnings your neighbors had given you. "Yer too young, that's for sure... Ya went into heat and yer pack left ya behind?" he repeats and his grip loosens enough for you to breathe.

"I... I don't know what you're talking about... Daryl, you're scaring me." You stutter and he smiles. He shakes his head just enough for the bangs to clear his gaze and again his two-colored eyes bore into you.

"I can make you remember, girl, if that's what you want...but it will be painful." His voice drops a tone and his gaze glows dangerously. "Look at me." He commands you and unable to disobey you pin your gaze on him. Unknowing, your eyes react with a golden glow, just like his, and his smile widens. "That's right... a young Omega exiled from her pack. You certainly made someone very angry."

"That's not funny, Daryl, let me go, please..." You stir in his grip and he loosens his hand on your neck a little, letting it drop to rest on the countertop. You breathe calmly again and feel your body tremble. You should have listened to the people of Woodbury from the first moment. "I want you to leave, please." You ask in a trembling voice, not daring to look at him.

"I'll leave, but first I'm going to show you something..." his voice turns into an animalistic growl as he finishes the sentence. You lift your head and are horrified about what you see.

Daryl's body grows, he becomes much taller, much more burly and hair takes over all his skin, his arms, on both sides of your body, widen and his hands become huge, sharp claws scratching the surface of the countertop you are leaning on. Its face stretches into an animal snout and he shakes himself like a dog. The traces of human clothing and appearance disappear completely from him, in front of you, a huge wolf rears up on two powerful hind legs, his eyes, one of each color watch you, glowing, the scar creased along his muzzle and his teeth, sharp and lethal show menacingly in a snarl. Your heart stops and you feel like you are about to faint. Something activates inside you as his nose brushes your cheek, sniffing you intensely, snatching a purr you are unable to control. He moans low.

"Run." He growls in a bark and before you're aware of what's happening, your body has bolted out the back door of your house, taking you deep into the woods. Daryl howls shaking off the last drop of human sanity he had left and his body propels forward, running after you.

You are scared to death. Instinctively you've run towards the Greene’s farm, but you've veered off course thinking about what they might do against Daryl. The man had transformed in front of you into that huge being, it was clear that they were no match for him. You feel like you're trapped in an old horror movie, running from the murderous maniac who is probably already on your heels. Your second choice is Daryl's cabin, he has guns there for the hunters, maybe you can get your hands on one of them and stand up to him. You feel like he's playing with you, hunting you slowly, giving you a chance to escape but not really letting you go completely. You stop in the middle of the trees with your breath hitching and your heart about to burst out of your chest. You hear a growl not far from where you are and turn on your heels in search of that monster.

"Daryl Dixon is cursed..." You hear the old women's voices in your head.

"Don't be fooled, it's dangerous..."

"Somethin’ is blocking yer past..." Now Daryl's voice rattles your brain. "I smell ya... a young Omega exiled…”

You shake your head and hug yourself. You don't know what he meant by that, but he's wrong. You are a human, you left home of your own free will, to seek your own luck. No one forced you to leave, no one erased your memories. You aren’t a monster.

"Ya made the mistake of comin’ to the cabin in heat..." Daryl's voice is heard through the trees and you turn around looking for him. You can see his human silhouette, moonlight shining on his nakedness. Right now the last thing you care about is that he's naked in front of you.

"Guess it's somethin’ ya don't know why happens to ya..." He slowly advances back towards you, his hands and feet, dirty from running through the forest you can even appreciate a soft film of sweat on his skin. You frown as a scent hits your nose and gasp in surprise when you realize it's coming from him. It’s a wild, pure smell, a mixture of sweat, earth, something more intense, hot, that you can't decipher, his pheromones are attracting you in any animal courtship. You gasp as you feel your body start to react to him, your underwear getting wet and the heat starts to become more intense in your own body. He growls in the distance.

"It ain’t the first time it's happened to ya, right? Feelin’ that heat, that need, guess it was manifestin’ before yer period and so ya didn't make a big deal of it, like an effect of yer hormones... even though that's basically what it is." He goes on and laughs through his nose, you feel embarrassed, the last thing you expected that night was to talk with Daryl Dixon about your hormonal cycle.

"Why do you keep insisting...? I... I'm not like you..." You stammer and take a few steps back. "Don't hurt me, please, I'll leave, I won't tell anyone about you..."

"Do ya really think anyone would believe ya?" he asks you mockingly. "I'm not going to hurt ya. I didn't show myself to ya for that." He assures you and walks until he stands in front of you, your body trapped between his body and a tree trunk.

"Daryl..." You gasp and are surprised when his mouth girdles over yours. You struggle to react, you didn't expect Daryl to do that, at this moment, maybe kill you and then eat you, but certainly not kiss you. His mouth doesn't assert itself either, he simply glues his lips to yours. As if that might relax things. Maybe at another time it would, but when his hand girdles itself around your neck again, all your alarms go on again.

He pulls away from your mouth to look into your eyes, his eyes glow brighter than before, no longer hiding what he is, his long nails break the skin on your neck, you groan in pain. Panic fills your gaze again, but the werewolf seems very calm.

"Look at me, listen to my voice." He commands you, something in your mind tingles and you feel the involuntary desire to obey. "I ain't care where you come from, but remember…” His voice asserts itself again and that essence you had picked up earlier hits you hard again.

As if it were a trigger, your mind opens. Something inside you expands and you open your mouth in a mute gasp. Your eyes take on a bright golden color reflective of your true nature and Daryl steps back a few paces watching you react. Memories come back to your mind, your old pack, your Omega gender, how they got rid of you because they believed it would make them weak, how you got there totally lost, your mind clouded in your memories, everything you thought you knew about yourself fitting in with your true past.

You hear Daryl move and you raise your head alert. The man is waiting for you, he knows what's coming now. A growl is born from your throat as your body stretches, the disguise you wear ends up in tatters, hair takes over your entire body, your muscles widen and your face stretches transforming into a snout. Howling, Daryl imitates you, transformed too, raised on his hind legs, hands in fists and an obvious defiant gesture shining in his eyes. You lunge at him, he blocks your blow and knocks you to the ground. There are growls, bites are thrown into the air, your nails pierce skin, whimpers of pain and some threatening barking. The two of you are struggling to dominate the other, and at the same time Daryl is just playing with you, because he knows that your status as Omega doesn't allow you to really hurt him. The moment he gets bored or your control is in danger, he will give a clear command over you and you will be his. That's how this works. And you both know it.

"Enough, Omega." His voice vibrates in your ear and you open your eyes wide.

The unnatural glow in them slowly fades as your body shifts back to your human form. Daryl shifts as you do, his arm around your neck from behind, his body completely draped over yours. Your skin aches and stings from the bites and scratches you've given each other, but it's a sensation that quickly fades into the background as Daryl's hard cock rubs against your wet folds and you moan with need. Daryl moves next to you, just enough to settle you on the forest floor, just enough for the tip of his cock to press against the entrance to your vagina and penetrate you in a single thrust. A moan escapes your mouths, Daryl feels you tighten around his cock as he tries to go deep inside you, you gasp and moan low feeling his passage dilate and stretch you, each time he moves his hips against you. You move against his grip and he grunts in your ear again to keep you still.

“Don’t…” He grunts and lifts one of yours legs moving his hips against you again, the new angle makes him go deeper inside you and you moan archering your back in pleasure.

“Daryl…!”

You feel him slowly pull out of you, then thrust hard again until he is completely inside you. You moan and your nails dig into the floor and into the arm around your shoulders, keeping you glued to his chest. You feel Daryl curse under his breath and start to move faster and faster, in and out, thrusting deeper and deeper, stretching your walls, enveloping you in a strong sense of pleasure despite your body being sore from the fight you've had recently. Daryl's hips thrust harder and harder behind you, he becomes fast and erratic, clearly reaching the edge of his own pleasure. Pausing for a second he settles your body under his again, encompassing you completely, pressing your body against the blanket of leaves and dirt of the forest.

“Yer mine now…” He says with a husky voice, he bites your ear and you gasp.

“Daryl, please!”

“I’m yer Alpha…”

“Yes! Please…!” You beg. “Please Alpha!”

The werewolf's voice becomes a guttural growl, like the beast he is, the base of his cock swells inside you, stretching the walls of your pussy unexpectedly. A scream escapes your mouth, you thrash about trying to pull away, but Daryl holds you to the floor and his teeth bury so hard into the skin on the back of your neck that it breaks. The scream turns into a moan of pleasure, the sensation of his teeth buried in your skin sends a wave of intense pleasure throughout your body triggering your own orgasm, squeezing you so hard around the werewolf's cock that he cums, filling you. Daryl feels the metallic taste of your blood in his mouth, stops gritting his teeth and pulls away just enough to lick the wound he has caused, but he doesn't get off you. In fact, neither of you are going to be able to move for a few minutes. The knot holds you together, but he does move to one side so that you are both more comfortable, he grimaces a little as he feels a tug on his cock as he moves, but he doesn't want to crush you. You finally feel your lungs fill with air again. You feel Daryl still inside you, his knot preventing his cock and cum from leaving you, the sensation is uncomfortable and pleasurable at the same time. You breathe erratically, your bodies covered in sweat and thin lines of blood, there is dirt on your hands and under your fingernails, the smell, the sound of the forest envelops you completely, even a fine cool night breeze gets your hair to bristle, Daryl feels it and hugs you against his chest, enveloping your body with his own warmth. You feel your head ache, the memories coming rushing back to your mind causing you to have a bit of a migraine. Daryl brushes his nose against your neck and kisses your shoulder.

"Easy, girl..." he murmurs against your skin, his hand making small circles over your waist.

"It's a little late to say that..." you try to joke and you feel him smirk at your back.

"It could’ve been worse, ya could’ve turned on me. We would’ve ended up very different." His voice rings with a timbre of menace and you shudder. If you hadn't accepted Daryl as your mate, he would have kicked you out of there, you might have even ended up one of the two of you dead from the fight.

"You know I couldn't refuse..." You whisper and feel your cheeks redden. You're not sure about it, but something inside you tells you that you came to Woodbury by following the werewolf's scent, though you hadn't been aware of it until now. "Hershel..." You try to ask, doubtful. "Does he know...?"

"No one knows what I am, what we are, there ain’t many wolves in Georgia either, my lineage ends with me..." He falls silent and you bite your lower lip knowing what you're both thinking.

"I am marked...I am yours now...Your bloodline will not die with you."

Daryl stands silently just behind you, his arm around your body resting his hand on your belly, caressing it meaningfully. You sigh feeling his knot slowly deflate, but neither of you move. The smell of the forest welcoming you to your true home.

I'll see you in the next story!

And that's it!

"I think that for today the meeting is over." Jesus speaks before your Father intervenes and bangs the gavel on the table. Reluctantly Clay manages to get Jax out of there and slowly the 12 Apostles leave as well.

"Leave me with them, Father." He asks the man. "I need you to calm the atmosphere down there." He doesn't look too pleased, but finally he leaves and Jesus closes the door to the meeting room. It's just the three of you; Jesus, Judas and you. You look at both men and it's obvious which Judas has deflated, whatever he was willing to do to Jax for opening his mouth was gone and now he had his eyes fixed on the floor.

"I'm sorry." He says to your brother. "I didn't mean to...I know I shouldn't have...”

“It's okay, brother, this was bound to happen sooner or later..." Jesus shakes his head and lets Judas rest his forehead on his shoulder. You are fed up with the whole situation, you need explanations. You get up from your chair drawing the attention of both men.

"What's going on here? I have anything to say? are you going to raffle me off like I'm a fucking prize?"

"Sis, calm down, it's something we wanted to tell you in due time." Jesus starts, but you don't want to hear it.

"I'm not a fucking object! I don't know what the fuck this all means but I don't belong to anyone!"

"Not yet." Jesus agrees and then looks at Judas who stands silently a few steps behind him observing the whole situation. "Listen, ten years ago, The Father found out about your relationship with Norman." You both shudder as your brother uses his real name. "Our father was angry, our mother almost had a stroke, he sent us on a mission and forced me to punish him..." He mutters and you see the two men lower their heads. "I had to because our father was there watching, but when he left I promised him you would be his, I gave him my blessing so you two could be together later..."

"That's bullshit, I was of age, I could have chosen whoever I felt like, you didn't have to plan anything behind my back." You are angry and you feel your eyes stinging.

"Your Father would never have left us." That's when Judas speaks up. "I may have the title of Vice President but your parents would never have left the club in my hands, even if you were with me... They never forgave what my father did to them, he pretended in front of everyone that he accepted me, but he never trusted me so I had to walk away and he would think it was all over."

"Was Mingus part of the plan too?" you say angrily and wipe away a sneaky tear.

"That doesn't..."

"That doesn't matter now. Our father forced him to bring that woman with him, and the things that have happened can no longer be fixed, but we are trying to have a different future." He explains and you raise your head like a spring, a different future? It's ironic since it's the same thing Judas had told you a few days ago in your apartment about Mingus, about his gallery, did that future also involve the club? Maybe Judas and Norman Reedus weren't as different as you first thought. Still all that doesn't make sense, you can't be Judas' girl, you never accepted that, they can't keep you there as a reserve for when he wants to claim you, things don't work like that. At least you're not going to let them be like that with you. Norman had his chance, you really don't believe what Jesus has said about your father, your father accepted Judas into the club many years ago, it didn't make sense.

"We are trying to change the direction of the club from within." Judas' voice brings you out of your thoughts. "We're fed up with the gun running, the problems with the police, the gangs, we want to make the club legal..." Okay, you have to admit that you weren't expecting that at all.

"We've never said anything to you because you've never been involved in the action, the club's accounts would be reduced but it wouldn't change too much for you... but it's something we have to do when our father is gone." Jesus insists and you stammer not knowing what to say. "I brought Jax and his men because they want the same thing they’re trying to take Clay's position away from him, if we join forces it will be much easier, but it's something we have to do little by little..."

"How many people know?"

"Andy and John... they are the only ones I fully trust." Jesus is sincere and Judas nods you look at them and run your hands over your face trying to process all that. "What I didn't expect is that Jax would want to claim you." At that moment it's your turn to avert your gaze and lower your head in embarrassment. You don't quite remember what happened the night before. You're sure that you and Jax didn't have a moment, it's also true that waking up alone in your bed doesn't mean anything, but you're convinced that if that man had spent the night with you. You would remember. "But I'll talk to him, I'm sure you aren’t a priority for the covenant otherwise... we'll look for someone else." Your brother declares and then sighs. He gently taps his right hand on your shoulder and exits the meeting room leaving you alone.

You don't quite know what to say, you feel the anger has subsided a bit and you feel bad about it, you shouldn't just accept what happened, you feel used and for some strange reason, you feel relief to know what is happening. Somehow it all makes sense; why Judas stopped talking to you, why they disappeared for so long, why the men at the club have never tried to approach you like that, why Judas showed up with that woman as if she was his but they never really hit it off. Everything seemed to fit together like a puzzle and yet you're still overthinking your head. You tense up when you notice that Judas is moving, he has taken out his phone and seems to be looking for something. He approaches you and shows you a photograph. You recognize it, you've seen it in Judas' gallery when you went the other time with Ana, it's blurred, you can't really see what it is, but you don't understand why he's showing it to you either. You look at him and he changes the image, you look down and cover your mouth with both hands to discover that it is the same picture, but now you see clearly what it is; it is Judas, his face is destroyed from a severe beating, broken nose, eyes completely black, split lip and hair mixed in blood and dirt. You look at him and he pulls the phone away from you a little.

"You can think what you want, that's your complete right, but I don't want you to think Jesus is a liar or a traitor to your father. Because he isn't. He did this to me on your father's orders, I'm not blaming him either, he did what he had to do. But he's telling you the truth, we're... he's trying to fix the club, so that no one else gets hurt." You stay quiet, looking at him, his pupils are dilated, there is passion and anger in them, he is not lying to you, they are really plotting something so that the club becomes something legal, something new and good. You don't say anything, you see him go to the door and leave, you need one more moment alone to think.

You take out your cell phone and text Ana asking her if she is alone, she responds positively and asks you if something is wrong, you don't answer, you just pick up your stuff and leave the club. She is your best friend, you need to talk to her, tell her everything that has happened in such a short time, besides John is aware of everything, it's not like you are betraying your brother or something like that.

It takes you twenty minutes to walk from the club to your friend's house, actually you have been almost running, while you were leaving you had heard Andy calling you to take you with his motorcycle, but you had ignored him completely. What you really need is to clear your mind, stop thinking about everything, stop crying like you are doing and control yourself a little, get your mind in order. You arrive at your friend's apartment and knock on the door. Ana takes a few minutes to open the door and when she sees you she lets you hug her, hiding your face on her shoulder, as if you were a little girl who has done something very bad. You go into the apartment and sit on the sofa. Ana doesn't say anything, waiting for you to recover a little and giving you time to talk without feeling pressured. You tell her everything.

You tell her about Judas, about Norman, you tell her about everything you went through together, you tell her about when he disappeared, when he came back with that woman, you tell her about how it was taking care of Mingus, you tell her about the club and the new intentions Jesus has to remodel it from the inside, about how Judas is even with him, they both want to change the club and that's why they need help. You tell him about the beating Jesus gave Judas for being with you at your father's command and that's why he walked away. You tell him about the covenant, the "blessing" Jesus gave Judas to be with you when everything calmed down. You tell him that you are confused, hurt and angry. Your feelings for Judas are still too present and too strong and you hate yourself for it because you should be angry with your brother and with him. But you can't. Ana listens to you without saying anything, she just lets you vent and cry as much as you need to. When you're done you're a snotty mess with red, puffy eyes. Ana hugs you warmly and strokes your hair.

"You want my opinion? I think you should send it all to hell. If it's true that Judas still wants to be with you, why not have fun? I think I told you that before and I'll tell you again. Have fun, he's been having fun out there no matter how much he says he loves you..."

"Well it's not like I've been in a convent either..."

"No, but I'm sure he turns you on quite a bit more." She smiles wiggling her eyebrows, you laugh and run your hands over your face and nod.

"I guess you're right... sorry for just popping in like that it's just... I needed to talk to someone."

"Hey don't apologize to me. We've been friends for many years, if you didn't tell me these things I'd be offended."

You look at her again gratefully and consider what she has told you. It could be good, remembering those moments with Judas, with Norman, when you were together. However you're not entirely sure if you could handle it. You need to think it through. The rest of the day you spend together, you watch a movie, you talk about nothing in particular, Ana tells you how things are going with John, something that makes you happy and you enjoy the fact that they are doing well. Afterwards you go out and have some fun, girls' night out and your mind wanders a bit and everything seems to weigh a little less. The rest of the night you forget about everything.

A few days pass after the meeting that the club had with Sons of Anarchy, At first it's awkward for you to run into Jax around the club, but the blond seems fun. On one of those afternoons when you're in your office, Jax walks into your office surprising you, there's a soft, mischievous smile on his face as he nods at you.

"May I?"

"Yeah, sure, come on in." You smile setting the ledgers aside. The blond closes the door behind himself and advances to your desk. "Is something wrong?"

"I wanted to apologize, Jesus told me what's going on between you and Judas." You look at him in surprise and lower your head feeling your cheeks redden a little.

"You don't have to apologize, there's nothing going on between him and me.... Not anymore, it happened a long time ago and now things are .... complicated." You sigh heavily because this topic is starting to wear on you. "But I do want to ask you something, did something happen between us the other night, why did you want me to be part of the deal?" You look at him confused and he smiles in amusement with a shrug.

"I thought it would sound more interesting if I wanted to have you in my gang, which your father wouldn't hesitate to agree to on those terms, Clay was looking forward to it too, but I didn't expect your guard dog to interfere."

"I'm sorry... And he's not my guard dog..." You try to justify Judas and see the blond's smirk, you roll your eyes and shake your head. "Whatever... And what about the other thing?"

"No, nothing happened, not out of desire I have to say, you have an impressive alcohol resistance, but you fell asleep at the bar like a baby and that guy.... Andy, took you to the room and politely told me to stay still or he'd blow my balls off."

"Yeah... Sounds like Andy, but more British." You joke and he laughs with you nodding his head. "Sorry..." You apologize anyway and he shrugs.

"There's nothing to forgive, I doubt the night would have ended like that, it sounds to me like that guy, he's more in your head than you want to admit."

You lower your gaze at that and feel your cheeks burn as your pulse quickens, he doesn't know you two at all and yet he knew how to read you perfectly. You feel him move again to get closer to you, but then the door opens, Jesus and his companions appear through the door and suddenly the atmosphere becomes rarefied. Mentally you hope that no one misunderstands the situation.

"You've come up early for the meeting" John comments with a menacing tone in his voice.

"I had some things to work out with your Sister." He says with a shrug and leans over giving you a kiss on the cheek, you redden and out of the corner of your eye you see Judas frown hard. Great.

The meeting is only with some members of the gang, they have tricked the old bosses to show him the district and how they work there to try to convince them in the union of both gangs. What they agree to is irrelevant, what really matters to Jesus is that Jax agrees to their terms and conditions, that his people support the move and prevail over the old blood.They still have a lot of things to work out to help them with their gang problems. Jax seems to be trying to do the same thing with his gang as Jesus did in the 12 Apostles, but Clay isn't making it easy for him either; the old blood relies on the old ways, on what kept them all safe, risking his people trying to legalize everything seems like a joke, which should be a good thing for everyone, apparently it's fucking crazy.

You haven't had a moment to talk with Judas again, he's busy with the club and his gallery, Mingus tells you he's getting to the apartment pretty late, exhausted, but he seems happy, surely the pictures are selling well and that future he so longs for his son is closer. You too have been avoiding him locked up in the office, at work or at home, there was always some excuse not to be too close to the club when all your brother's men were there.

However Ana's words keep echoing in your head "have fun" she had told you that day when you arrived full of snot and your eyes swollen from crying so much, like a damn baby. Your feelings towards Judas, towards Norman, have not changed, you know it is something difficult to happen, you have even been in love with him all your life, but the pain of deceit and lies is still too present in you, they do not let you take the step you would like, or at least try.

You sigh because you don't really know how you got here. The night before you had a shift at the hospital, you slept all day today and you were like a damn owl on the couch at home not knowing what to do. You've changed shifts with Ana so you couldn't meet up with her to go to the club to drink and play some pool. You were face down on the couch, staring at nothing when you decided to take a shower, put on something nice and go for a walk. What you didn't expect was that your feet, shod in nice, comfortable black booties, would carry you to the door of Norman's gallery. You tremble shifting your weight from one foot to the other undecided, you don't know if he might be there, you don't know if you are able to face him or you will just turn around and go home. You swallow saliva releasing your hair, arranging it on your shoulders and you enter, maybe you are not as elegant as the last time you were there, but the young woman who is at the door controlling the entrance and exit doesn't seem to care, she smiles at you and you get lost among the pictures. Many have been sold, which makes you happy, being replaced by more extravagant ones, by casual moments and some new ones of Norman with Mingus, where you never see anyone's face, but you recognize them. You're curious if there are any new photos of you, but you find nothing. It's a little disappointing, your smile weakens a little, when you feel your shoulder being tapped. Your whole body tenses up believing that Judas has discovered you and you have no good excuse to explain how you got there. However when you turn around you sigh in relief to discover that it is the same young woman who was at the entrance. You look at her in confusion and she seems a little nervous.

"Mr. Reedus didn't warn us that you would be here by before the opening." She says and you frown.

"He didn’t know I was coming...what opening?"

"He's opened another room in the gallery, it's a new exhibition." She seems hesitant, as if she's telling you something you weren't supposed to know, at least not at the moment. You start to get pissed off at all the secrets Judas is having with you, as if you have no say in it.

"Can I see it? I won't say anything to Ju... to Norman." You tell her rectifying his name at the last moment. "I'd love to see what he's doing, he said something about some new pictures, but he never tells me anything." You feign an innocent pout and the young woman seems to take pity on you.

The two of you walk to one of the rooms in the gallery that you hadn't seen before, it's all dark but you see a huge sign that says "The Judas’ secret, new opening " which makes your confusion and curiosity increase. The girl at the entrance turns on the light so that the room is illuminated and leaves you there to return to her work. You hesitate for a moment, reading once again the sign at the entrance " The Judas’ secret ", take a deep breath and enter the room. You are petrified when you discover what the theme is about. They are pictures of you. All of them. You should feel strange, you should feel uncomfortable and even be angry with him for exposing you like this without your permission, but you can't. They're not just pictures of you. They are not only photos of you alone, but moments, memories, moments with him, as always your faces are hidden by something, a hand, hair, blurred when Judas edited them, but you recognized the places, that precise moment came back to your memory. There are many of your relationship, when you escaped from the club, when you got lost, when you hid in his apartment and the nights turned into day and you kept enjoying each other. It isn’t a finished room, as the girl told you, there are things missing, you see the holes, you see the plaques but not the images. You walk around the room stopping at some images that are more recent. You are alone, distracted, observing the nothingness, smiling, talking with the boys, enjoying the company, you are with Mingus, taking care of the child, playing with him, enjoying his presence. Judas has never stopped looking for you, never stopped having an eye on you. It's something that these photos show you and you feel it tighten in your chest. You stop in front of one in particular. You are asleep on your desk, with the club's account books on the table and serving you as a pillow, your face is relaxed, you are in a deep sleep and on your back, covering you like a blanket, you are wearing the club's Judas vest, but that's not what catches your attention, behind you, blurred because the target of the photo was really you, is him, sitting on the couch in the office, quiet, with his elbows on his knees, one hand on his chin and his eyes on you, watching over you, protecting you without you being aware of it.

Another photo catches your attention much more strongly than the previous one, located next to the one you just saw. Your body shudders and memories flood you for an instant. The image projects your hands, you are holding hands, your fingers intertwined and on your ring finger rests a plastic ring. It's stupid, but for you it meant a promise.

You remember that day, Judas had returned from a mission after two weeks out of town. You arrived at his apartment that night, sneaking out of your parents' house like you used to do. When you entered the house and greeted Eye you went straight to meet Norman who was already waiting for you with dinner ready. It was an intense night, it had been a long two weeks for you and seeing the man again had ignited a flame inside you wanting to devour him completely. Lying on the couch, you were caressing Jude's chest with affection when the man looked at you holding your hand in his.

"Marry me." He asked sliding the plastic ring from one of the bottles down your finger. Your chest squeezed at that moment and you hugged him crying on his shoulder.

"Yes..."

After that pretending you had no feelings for him when you were with the rest of the band was hard, you just wished you were coming of age so you could be with Judas in a formal way at last, but that never happened. A few months later the man came back from his longest mission with the gang and with that woman under his arm. Your heart broke into a thousand pieces as Judas stopped addressing you, there was always someone in the way, he never had a moment alone for you to explain what had happened. Little by little you began to build a wall over your heart so that the pain would disappear and when The Father gave the news that she was pregnant, the walls became stronger.

But now...

You leave the gallery with a thousand thoughts in your mind, you feel agitated, confused and too eager to scream. Your life was so much easier before, how had it suddenly become so complicated? You walk with your hands under your armpits feeling the cold of the night, you should go home and stop thinking about everything, however your feet have taken a different direction, but first you will buy some dinner.

Judas is concentrating on his computer, he’s a little late with the new exhibition he has planned, he doesn't have too much material, there are many of them that he wants to keep just for himself, so choosing is being a real odyssey. He rubs his chin with some despair and sighs as his brain collapses once again. It's too late. Another day will follow. He turns off the computer running his hands over his face and hair leaning back in his chair. He hears Mingus laughing in the living room of the huge apartment and smiles, maybe enjoy a little of the small clear his mind and, for another day, make his work easier. He leaves his small office turning off the light and closing the door, it is one of the only places in the house that Mingus and Eye in the Dark are totally forbidden to enter. He heads into the living room to discover his little boy playing with the cat that has hidden under the side table and attacks his feet every time he walks past. Eye is gentle with the boy, not using his claws to catch him, stretching out his paws and swiping at his feet when he detects them, but not intending to hurt him. Mingus throws himself on the carpet and scares the little black cat who runs off into the rooms, Mingus goes after him without thinking. Judas opens his mouth to tell the little guy to calm down a bit when there is a knock at the door.

He frowns slightly and looks at the clock, it's too late to expect any visitors. He stands in the middle of the hallway and checks his phone. He doesn't have any messages or calls from his brothers at the club, so it must not be them. He walks slowly when he hears another call, next to the door he has a small cabinet where he leaves his keys, he slowly opens the drawer trying not to make noise and takes out a gun, places the barrel against the door and looks through the peephole. He is petrified to discover who is on the other side. He quickly puts the gun back in the drawer and yanks open the door.

"What…?" The surprise is more than evident in his voice. You stand there, head bowed holding a paper bag with a few tokens of takeout. His brow furrows because he doesn't understand anything.

"Hello..." You mutter daring to raise your head at last to face him. You're dead embarrassed, you've been debating for half an hour whether to go up or not, you've called the elevator two or three times and fled the first two when the doors opened before you. Yet now you're there and you don't even know what to say. "Are you hungry? I brought some dinner..." It's a start though you know Judas isn't expecting that answer, though he hasn't asked you the question either. You see him bite his thumbnail for a second before letting go of the door and stepping aside.

"Sure, come in."

"Is Mingus in?"

"Sure, where do you want him to be?" you know he doesn't mean to sound annoyed with you, it's just something so obvious that father and son should be together that he seems to be hurt by your hesitation.

"No, sorry, you're right." You shake your head. "I had a late shift last night and my brain cells haven't yet..." You try to justify yourself.

"Is that why you're here?" Curiosity is now evident in him. You grab your bags and make your way to the kitchen, you know that damn place like it was your own home. Maybe one day it was. You look around, not much has changed, if you discover any renovations in the living room, it's a little smaller, it looks like he's expanded the terrace, probably so he can play with Mingus there on nice days in New York, he still has plenty and plenty of room.

You both enter the kitchen. Judas looks curiously at the bags of food and takes out the Chinese food you ordered, checking the tupperware. He smiles. He seems satisfied with the choice you made when ordering. It's not like it's the first time you've done it, to tell you the truth, this way you had an advantage. You don't quite know what to say, you know that Judas has left a question up in the air, that he hasn't insisted on it, but he's waiting for you to answer. You twitch nervously, ready to open your mouth, when your body lurches forward with a small tackle. You gasp in surprise, eyes wide, look down and see Mingus clutching at your legs like a burning nail.

"Auntie!" he shouts with joy and you feel him squeeze you a little tighter. You smile and stroke his blond hair. In the position he's holding you you can't turn around and hug him back, you have to wait for him to pull away. Out of the corner of your eye you spot Judas on the other side of the counter, leaning with his hands on the edge of the counter, tensing his arms, squaring his broad shoulders, he looks at you with a soft smile that rubs off on you. "You came!" he releases you at last, and you are able to bend down and hug him. "Dad said you'd come to see us when you’ll be less busy." He smiles broadly and your heart skips a beat.

"Hey champ, sorry I took so long, I've been a little... busy, yeah." You don't know how to justify yourself to him, in theory fooling the little guy should be easier, but when you look at him you are unable to. "But I'm here now, and I've brought dinner."

"Actually, Mingus has already had dinner." You hear Judas' voice on the other end and slowly you sit up to look at him. His little smile is now twisted and mocking. "You always over ask, never learn." He tells you and you know he's joking. It has always happened to you, it's true. Whenever you ordered takeout you would always repeat the leftovers the next day, at first it was a little frustrating, then you started to see it as a huge advantage.

"Whatever's left over for tomorrow." You say without being too aware of what that means, however Judas is, and his pupils dilate for a moment.

"Sure..." His voice sounds deeper, like a growl, but you don't pick up on it. Mingus has captured much of your attention. He talks non-stop, telling you about everything you've missed those days you've been "busy " he tells you about school, his homework, the trips to the club, his evenings at Andy's house playing with his kids, he tells you that his father has also been very busy those days and finally he tells you about his little adventures with Eye. You laugh about it all and feel a little sorry for the cat. Eye has always been a bit wild, he doesn't tolerate human petting too much, he has always preferred Judas to you and now he even seems to be more protective of the little guy. "Come on, Mingus." Again Judas' voice brings you out of your thoughts. "It's time to go to bed."

"What, but auntie just got here!" He pouts enormously. "And I'm not sleepy!"

"Of course you are." The man smiles as he watches him rub his eyes trying to stay awake. "Eye is already waiting for you in bed and you know it, plus you have school tomorrow."

"But..." He turns to you, looking for support and you look at him apologetically.

"I'm sorry, kiddo, but your father is right. I promise you that another day I will come earlier and we can play as much as you want." You tell him and he seems quite happy with this, Mingus yawns loudly and Judas comes to his rescue by taking him in his arms, the little boy leans against his chest, all the energy he had playing with Eye is gone in a flash. Judas looks at you and he walks down the corridor with the child in his arms. You hesitate for a second and follow him down the hallway a few steps behind. Judas enters the little boy's room, decorated to perfection, with various toys scattered everywhere and a bed decorated with superhero sheets. You stand in the doorway of the room watching as Judas lays the little boy on the bed, tucks him in and kisses his forehead lovingly. Mingus is a bit of a nag and looks up at you. It's obvious he expects you to say goodnight too. You smile and approach the boy as his father steps aside. You kiss him on the cheek and wish him good night. The two of you leave the room as the little boy falls asleep.

You two return to the kitchen. You don't open your mouths, there is a strange atmosphere, to be honest you didn't expect to be alone with him so soon, you would have liked to enjoy Mingus a little longer but you were too late. You help Judas place the dinner things on the side table next to the sofa. You unfold it and sit down on the comfortable sofa. Your back seems to remember its comfort because suddenly your body relaxes and your mind regales you with various memories of everything that couch has been through and seen. Judas' gasps and moans dull your ears and your body shudders as you let the memories wash over you. Judas next to you passes you one of the tuppers of Chinese food and with trembling hands you pick it up putting some on your plate. He eats, for a few minutes, in silence, but he is a nervous and overly curious person and for you to be there, without saying anything, as if it were part of the daily plan. Like a routine. He drops his silverware and turns to look at you as he rubs his chin with his hand and then rests it there, still looking at you.

"Are you going to tell me at some point what's going on?" he finally speaks and you stop eating too.

"At some point..." You agree without daring to look at him.

"Today? Or will you wait for any other opportunity to run away?" there's irony in his voice, you can see he's not well either, after the conversation in the office and him revealing to you that you belonged to him things had become tense at the club and you avoiding him doesn't help either.

"Don't talk to me like that..." You sigh setting your silverware down on your plate and shake your head. "I don't know what I'm doing here..." You say at last. His gaze is locked on you, much more intense than before and it makes you nervous. "I've been thinking about you since that day in the office... how I should feel..."

"Have you figured it out?" he asks patiently, turns his body slightly towards you, resting an elbow on the back of the couch.

"No, but..." You sigh and dare to look at him. "I guess that's why I'm here, I... I was at home not knowing what to do, I went outside and started walking... I got to the gallery." You look at him again and see him tense his jaw slightly, biting his lip nervously. "I saw the exhibition... the new one" You whisper quietly, you appreciate how his body tenses, but he still doesn't change his gesture. You can see his pupils dilate and the blue color of his eyes take on an electric hue. Dangerous.

"Have you seen it?" he asks, his voice low, with a growl.

"Yes... I didn't know... I didn't think..."

"What? Say it, you didn't believe, what, that I was serious?" He sounds angry, growls like a wounded animal, but his gesture remains calm, controlling. "I've always been there, for you, I've always watched over you. I'm not going to justify what I did, because I can't, because I was stupid, but within that; I never stopped caring about you. I couldn't be with you, I couldn't make a false step. Anything that would cause your father to find out I was seeing you again would mean the end. He would have done anything to keep you away. He would have taken you away, as far away from me as possible, he would have killed me and if he didn't succeed, I would have gone crazy trying to find out where he had hidden you."

"You could have told me..."

"Don't you listen to me? I couldn't risk you, I couldn't just walk up and talk to you, it wasn't that simple. I have let my guard down now that Jesus is reasserting his power in the club. Your Father is old and growing weaker every day. I have no love for him and I truly hope he dies suffering, but when that happens, I can claim you." He said releasing air forcefully through his nose, like a bull.

"I'm not an object you can reserve in a store, you know, I'm a person, I have my own thoughts, I make my own decisions, I have an opinion about this... You can't expect me to wait until..." You fall silent and lower your head in pain, scared to death, but mostly ashamed.

"You can't wait for what?" He calls out to you, suddenly his voice sounds terribly close, his warm breath vibrates against your head. "Look at me." It's a command dragged out in a thick gasp. Slowly you lift your head to look at him, his breath is ragged, it runs all over your face and your noses collide. "Can't you wait, for what?" he insists.

"For you to claim me... I've been waiting too long for you; I can't take it anymore.”

His mouth crashes against yours. It is violent, desperate, his mouth encompasses and demands upon yours, his tongue bursts inside your mouth and tangles with your own tongue. His hand closes tightly on the back of your neck, pulls at your hair and a moan escapes you. There is no gentleness, at least not now. Judas' free hand tightens on your thigh and moves up to your waist to press your body as close to his as possible. As if he wants to melt into you. His mouth mistreats yours, kisses you desperately, bites your lips leaving them red and swollen. But you don't care, you need more. When you are able to reciprocate you wrap your arms around his neck to kiss him intensely, panting against his mouth for some air, but he gives you no respite. The food has clearly taken a back seat, as has your conversation. Judas pulls you up to straddle his waist. You settle in by giving the table a little kick, it's too close to your wiggle room, but right now neither of you seem to care that something might end up in the dream and stain the carpet. There will be time for that.

You pull away from Judas' mouth at last, he goes back on the attack but you bite the top of his ear and he stops, his hands tightening on your waist. You gasp at the feel of him, you trap his lobe between your lips giving him a little tug, he grunts as you move down to his neck, you kiss and bite his skin. You sit on his lap and move against him, causing some friction between the two of you, hearing him let out a longer gasp. His hands move from your waist to your booties yanking them off, one of them hits the table and the plate jumps, but stays in place. Judas moves his hands up again, unloads one of his hands on your buttock and you groan at the sensation of discomfort that has ruffled your hair. He repeats the action, but this time, after the spanking, he grabs your cheek and you moan louder into his ear.

"Calm down, girl." He says against your lips. "We don't want to wake Mingus..." You gasp and shake your head, look up at him and kiss him biting his lip.

"Let's go to bed..." You whisper in his ear and before you can even move, he grabs your thighs and stands up with you on top of him. You can't help but let out a gasp of surprise holding tightly to his shoulders, you feel him laugh and you bite his ear again. He stops in the hallway pinning you against the wall.

"Don't do that..." He growls glaring at you. The shove against the wall has knocked the wind out of you, but you recover enough to grin mischievously at him.

"Why, are you just not able to control yourself, have you gotten too old?" You provoke him and you can see his gaze darken once again, however this time you feel some fear as he pushes you away from the wall.

"You're going to regret that." He assures you.

You enter the room, he releases you long enough to turn and close the door. You back away, trying to put some control in the situation, but it's clear that your comment has touched his pride more than you expected. He moves towards you, like an animal surveying its prey, pupils dilated, his blue color has turned dark, electric, he has squared his back and shoulders and surprisingly looks much larger, he pulls his arms back to pull his t-shirt over his head and drops it to the floor. You shiver at the image before you and unconsciously squeeze your legs together. Judas senses this and smiles, licking his lips as he continues to move closer to you. Your legs crash against the mattress and before you can pull away, Judas has laid you down on the mattress, getting on top of you. He kisses you, his mouth dominating yours, leaving your lips red and swollen again, he moves down your neck, licks and bites the skin under your ear knowing that for you it is an extremely sensitive area, you throw your head back unable to hold back a moan. You wrap your arms around his neck pulling his hair slightly, but Judas pulls away holding you by the wrists, putting them above your head.

"Is it that you can't resist touching me, little girl?" he says wryly and you smile defiantly. "Are you like a desperate old woman?" He finishes and you can't help but laugh heartily.

Your laughter is cut short by another nibble on your neck, you want to hug him again, but you're not going to give him that satisfaction, you grab the sheets and stretch your neck giving him more space. He goes down slowly, runs his mouth over it, down your collarbone, bites the bone leaving a small mark, goes down a little more and bites again, this time your chest, over the fabric of your t-shirt and over your bra. You smile because he seems really desperate. He pulls your shirt up to pull it over your head and you can see he smiles triumphantly when he discovers that your bra has a front clasp. He unclasps it and yanks it off you. You moan low as his mouth takes over one of your breasts, he licks your nipple, sucks and pinches it with his teeth, you arch at the sensation of pleasure, his free hand catches your other breast massaging it and squeezing the nipple, you moan low and bite your lip trying to control yourself, but he isn’t making it easy for you. You feel him open your legs and place a knee between them, he presses on your center and a shiver of pleasure runs through you at the sensation of pressure against your clit. He pulls away from you, gets up from the bed and pulls your pants down to drop them somewhere in the room, unceremoniously. His own pants go next and you discover to your amusement that he isn’t wearing any underwear. He's at home, why should he wear them? You bite your lip with some need, it's been too long since you've seen him totally naked. You sit on the bed and spread your legs wider, offering yourself. Judas approaches ready to lay you down again, however when he reaches your height, you grab his cock and begin to slowly masturbate him. Judas grunts as he watches you lick your lips before grabbing his erection from the base and taking it into your mouth. You suck and lick his glans taking as much as you can into your mouth. Judas gasps and moans hoarsely holding you by the hair moving his hips slightly against your mouth. You relax your throat and hold onto his waist feeling him push into your mouth, not too hard, not too deep. You feel him swell and get even harder with each suck with each thrust. He pulls away from you when he feels he's ready and lays you back down on the bed. He kneels in front of you taking off your last remaining garment. He spreads your legs apart and sinks his head between them. You arch up on the mattress feeling his tongue run all over your sex, as his fingers spread your wet folds and he slips a finger in without getting too much resistance. You gasp and moan as his mouth closes around your clit, he licks and sucks combined with his fingers that keep moving inside you. You move your hips not knowing whether to push against his mouth or fuck yourself on his fingers. You feel like your head is going to explode with pleasure, Judas holds you back with his free hand so you can't move. However you can't hold on much longer, his mouth on your sensitive muscle is ravaging your whole body, you feel the pleasure bursting in your lower abdomen expanding to the rest of your body, you moan loudly and shudder against his fingers, which he doesn't stop moving at any moment, feeling the spasms of your body due to the orgasm. You are still trembling when you feel the absence of his fingers inside you. You try to focus your gaze to see him lying on top of you. He holds your legs below your knees and guiding his cock to your entrance, he rams in one thrust. You cry out, but Judas shuts you up with his own mouth, you feel him snort and pant like an animal. He stands still inside you, you feel him throbbing, how your walls still sensitive from your orgasm clench around him wetting his entire cock, making him slide deeper. You gasp and Judas moans in your ear.

"Fuck... you don't know how much... I missed this..."He gasps, but still doesn't move, he lets you brace your legs against his waist and his hands rest on the mattress to look up at you. "Always so tight for me." He moves slowly, thrusts hard, erratic, you groan and dig your nails into his arms.

"Norman!" You call out to him desperately, wrapping your arms around his shoulders.

"You're mine, little girl." He thrusts hard again and you roll your eyes, that's going to kill you. "Mine..." He growls in your ear.

"I'm yours, Norman..." you assure him and move under his body, you see him bite his lip and his thrusts suddenly take on a faster pace, desperate, pounding mercilessly inside you, deep, and intense. "Oh God, Norman!" you cry out wanting to keep up with his rhythm, tightening around his cock. You hear him moan, hear him curse under his breath. He falls on top of your body, his hands sinking under the mattress to grip your ass and ram so hard you fear he might actually break you in two. You wrap your arms around his shoulders, dig your nails into his back and Judas moans once more in your ear. He tenses suddenly, his fingers squeeze your buttocks tightly and he thrusts one more single time feeling himself spilling inside you as he moans languidly hiding his face in your shoulder trying to catch his breath. You continue to embrace him, your whole body trembles from your own pleasure, your nails loosen his skin and caress the marks you have left. You kiss his cheek, his temple, you kiss his shoulder and his neck and you hear him purr.

"I am yours..." He whispers and you open your eyes wide, smile and hug him tighter against you, if that's possible.

You stay like that for a while, Judas doesn't move from on top of you, you don't mind either because he's not carrying all his weight on you, he's just hugging you, arms resting on both sides of your body, his face hidden in the hollow of your shoulder. He's still inside you, you can feel him slowly losing his strength, but still doesn't pull away. Your arms are still around his shoulders, caressing his hair, damp with sweat. You feel him move, repositioning himself, fitting his legs better under yours that continue to encircle his waist.

"God, you don't know how much I've missed this." He murmurs against your skin, making your hair stand on end.

"Come on, it's not like you haven't fucked the girls at the club."

"It's not the same... I missed being here, like this... inside you." He clarifies and a small laugh escapes you, cut off by a thrust of your hips. You gasp because you're surprised, he's just cummed and you feel him getting hard inside you again. He sits up slightly on top of you, just to look at you. He thrusts inside you again and you arch slightly as you feel him slowly harden, expanding your insides, still sensitive from your orgasm.

You have to admit, you missed him too, in every way, but certainly now what you feel is that you missed his cock. You kiss him eagerly, hold him by the back of the neck so he doesn't pull away and move under his body. You feel him gasp and push a little harder. You moan and arch your back. Your mind takes you back to the old days, when Judas seemed to have no limit and you smile. Maybe calling him old has hurt him more than you expected, but it amuses you.

"I see you missed me too." You hear him gasp while still moving tremendously slow.

"A little." You laugh against his shoulder, but nudge him lightly with your knee in his side.

He watches you bite your lip, he seems to hesitate but carefully pulls out of you joining you a little more, you join him in turn and knock him backwards. Judas lets himself be done without looking away from you, you squeeze his erection in your hand slowly masturbating him, feeling how he recovers all his thickness against your palm. You smile leaning over it ready to put it in your mouth, but he stops you. You look at him blankly, but he gestures for you to come to him. You straddle his waist and he nuzzles your waist.

"Today I just want to feel myself inside you." He growls, holds your cheeks forcing you to lie on top of him to kiss you. You sigh long, settle on top of him and move against him, press his new erection between you and move, exerting pleasurable pressure against your own clit as you moisten his cock with your own fluids, but still not letting it enter you. "Fuck, babe..." He moans low squeezing your ass with both hands.

"You're an impatient." You kiss his chest, move up his neck, bite his lobe, still moving, feeling his fingers crisp more on your skin. "Have you always been like this?"

"You know damn well I am." One of his hands whips you and you moan into his ear getting wet further if that's even possible.

You seek his mouth to kiss him once more, needily, trying to control the situation a little more. Judas reciprocates holding you by the back of the neck so you don't pull away. You bite his lips, lick inside his mouth and pull away, tugging lightly on his lip, hearing him moan low. You sit on top of him and watch him lick your lips, grab his cock and slowly feel him enter you as you sit on his erection. Judas grits his teeth spreading his legs a little apart, settling under your body to help you move, his hands tighten on your waist as he is fully inside you. You moan low and lean back slightly, leaning back on his legs and begin to move slowly. Judas moans low, his hands squeezing and massaging the skin of your hips, but he holds still, letting you take control, at least for now.

Slowly you increase the speed of your hips. Judas' hands hold you tightly, but he can't hold on any longer. He thrusts under your weight, upward, hard, giving you no respite. You cry out in pleasure, arching further over his body, trying to keep up with the cruel rhythm of his thrusts under your body. You both moan as Judas joins in, leaving you both sitting on the mattress, moving intensely, resting your foreheads on each other, feeling your orgasm much closer than either of you expected, feeling the sensation run through your lower abdomen and explode with such force that it takes your breath away. You open your mouth unable to utter a sound the pleasure devouring you from within. Judas rests his head on your chest and his fingers dig into your skin leaving a mark as he cums inside you. You gasp at the sensation of his cum leaking inside you, you hug his shoulders feeling your body still trembling from the violent climax that has enveloped you in a few seconds. Judas’ hands loosen around your waist, just stroking you slowly, from your waist up your back and up your sides. He holds you carefully lying on top of him, you place your legs better on his sides and lean on his chest caressing his arms still around you. You smile because he is still inside you and can feel his cum dripping out of you, completely full. You sigh closing your eyes, your body is exhausted and your head starts to disconnect as you feel Judas’ fingers making soft circles on your back, relaxing in an unexpected way.

"Dad?" You hear on the other side of the door and as it is opened slightly.

"Mingus!" Judas shouts pulling you in, turning with you so that he was hiding your nakedness from the boy, however the door stops and the little boy doesn’t enter. You feel Judas pull out of you and cover you with the sheets as he stands up and pulls on some boxers from his drawer and hurries to the door, opening it just a little.

"What's wrong, champ?" You hear him leave the room and the muffled voice of the boy telling you possibly about some nightmare he's had and why he's gotten up looking for his father. You sigh and feel a small fit of laughter and embarrassment come over you and you pull the covers over your face to muffle the sound of your nervous laughter. Judas walks to his son's room and climbs him into bed and tucks him back in. He has had a rather complicated nightmare and seems quite nervous, Judas comforts him slowly, trying to calm that nervousness by kissing him on the forehead. Slowly Mingus becomes calm, Eye settles down next to him and purrs loudly. Judas smiles and strokes his son's new fur. "Come on, time to sleep again." He tells him and the boy smiles. "But first, you have to promise me one thing, buddy... never come into my room." He asks him, his voice is calm, loving, there's no threat, no anger, he's just asking him. "Will you do me that favor? No matter what you hear. Call me and I'll come get you, okay?"

"Yes, Dad, I'm sorry..."

"Don't be sorry, you haven't done anything wrong." He assures him and kisses him on the cheek. "Good night, buddy, I love you."

"Good night, Daddy." He whispers and settles under the covers. Judas pats Eye in the Dark and making sure once again that the boy is comfortable, he turns off the light and leaves the room.

He stands in the hallway for a moment and then heads back to his room, running his hands over his head, combing his hair back slightly, leaving it even messier than it already is. He enters the room ready to apologize to you but remains silent. You have fallen asleep in his bed, wrapped in his sheets and hugging his pillow you rest peacefully with your breathing steady and your face totally relaxed. He smiles half-sideways closing the door behind him again and walks over to the bed. Trying not to wake you up he lies down next to you and wraps his arms around your body, he pulls you close to his body and you stir a little, settling against him but you don't wake up. Judas kisses you on the head lovingly before resting his chin on your head and closing his eyes, falling asleep shortly afterwards.

The sun wakes you up the next day, you let out a little groan because you feel your body heavy, exhausted, despite having slept like a baby you feel that even your hair hurts. You need a moment to remember where you are, how you got there rather. You are bored at home, you left without a specific direction but you arrived at the Judas gallery, you discovered the new exhibition of the two of you and wanted to go home, however your feet took you to the house you weren't thinking about. You groan low hiding your face in the pillow and the scent of Judas floods your nostrils. You open your eyes at last discovering you are alone in the room. The sun is high so it must be late, you get out of bed feeling your legs tremble a little and you redden realizing why your whole body hurts. You go into Judas' bathroom and take a quick shower, under the water you discover on your skin several reddened marks in the shape of Judas' fingers, you smile and get out when you finish showering.

When you return to the room, Judas is still not there. You open the closet looking for some of the man's clothes and surprise floods you. There are clothes of yours there; neatly folded, laid out and clean, as if they were waiting for you, of course they are clothes from when you were younger and some of those things no longer fit you, but you can't help the surprise turning into a nostalgic smile and your heart gives a strong beat. Judas has always been waiting for you. You take a T-shirt that despite being old is big, you wore it to sleep at that time and now it can serve you, you take some sweatpants that surely when you put them on will surely be above your ankles. You open a drawer inside the closet and you laugh when you discover your underwear, even the panties you threw at him not more than a month ago. You take everything and when you are dressed you get up the courage to leave the room. The house seems quiet, however you hear a soft conversation possibly coming from the kitchen, in the hallway Eye is sitting, watching you, he gets up and approaches you rubbing against your legs, you smile and take him in your arms giving him a kiss on the head feeling that you have missed him more than you thought. You walk with him in your arms to the kitchen where Judas is having breakfast with Mingus who upon seeing you appear through the door is surprised to see you and laughs at the sight of your clothes. Judas turns to see you as well and an amused smile comes across his face as he raises his eyebrows. Your cheeks redden slightly and you shrug your shoulders.

"Good morning." You try to appear natural and walk towards them.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty." Judas jokes and gets up from his stool, you freeze because you don't know what he's going to do, however he walks past you, pulls out a cup and pours you a coffee, you breathe easy again, until he hands you the cup and gives you a kiss on the cheek. "Did you sleep well?"

"Y... yes." You stammer reddening, make your coffee to your liking then sit on the free stool next to Judas, Mingus doesn't take his eyes off you and you start to get nervous.

"Did you stay over?" It's an obvious question but you still nod your head. "Where? The guest room..."

"She slept with me, Mingus." Jude explains without cutting himself with a knife and you look at him with wide eyes. He's a five-year-old boy who doesn't understand a lot of things yet, but it's certainly not the best thing he could say to him. The kid can misunderstand things, you guys haven't even talked. You don't even know if you want to.

"Auntie and you...?" He starts with an exaggerated frown and makes a confused grimace. "Are you two together?" And there's the misunderstanding from an innocent, immature mind of a child. You gasp like a fish, you see Judas turn his head towards you, his smile is mocking and amused as he rubs his goatee beard.

"Don't look at me, you brought this on yourself." You say to Judas and watch as he smiles wider and then laughs through his nose. He turns to his son and you see him open his mouth. Unfortunately you have provoked what is to come so you can't stop it in time either.

"Yes, Mingus, we are together." His smile is sincere as much as the boy's surprise, you want to smash the coffee cup over his head, but it's clear he's not finished. "She's my wife, you know what that means? That she's mine, just like I'm hers." Your body shudders at his words, Mingus' confusion is evident, these are terms that such a young child is counted on to understand, but he still smiles because his father does and that means what he's telling him is good. "You can't tell anyone, it's our little secret, the three of us." He continues and Mingus puts his hands to his mouth making it clear that he won't say anything, your heart melts and you feel like hugging the little blondie. "I promise it won't be forever. When the club stabilizes, I'm going to make it formal." This time he's not talking to Mingus, but to you, you turn to look at him and frown slightly.

"We've already talked about this, Judas, and I don't think in front of Mingus..."

"I don't want you to be Judas' wife..." He cuts you off and again you freeze. "I want you to be my wife, mine for real. Of who I really am; Norman Reedus. I want you to call me by my name, like you always did, I want you to come back here, I want you to stay here with me, with us... because that's really where you belong. I love you." Your breath hitches because that overtakes you for a few seconds, it's a statement, a formal statement, Judas, no, Norman is putting his feelings on the table, not caring that Mingus is present, right now he's only looking at you, he's determined, you can see his pupils slightly dilated, serious, ready for whatever it takes, but he needs you by his side, he wants to have you with him, because it's clear that this goes beyond the club, it goes beyond the future he's pursuing for Mingus and apparently it also involves you, him. All three of you. You look at him trying to say something, but you're still totally paralyzed. Norman smiles a little and his hand rests on your cheek, you feel him sweep a tear from your cheek with his thumb, when did you start to cry?

"I love you..." You whisper with a trickle of voice.

You see Norman smile and rest his other hand on your other cheek leaning towards you, leaving a small kiss on your lips. Mingus claps and raises his arms in victory mode and you can't help but laugh. It's so surreal that you don't know if you're really awake or still sleeping. But it feels so good that if it's a dream, you don't want to wake up.

Things will be complicated in the club from now on, you know it, you are aware that there are going to be many changes, that Jesus is going to take his position as president, whether your father likes it or not, but he will not be alone, his people will help him, they will support him, Jax's gang will also be part of the movement, they will attack together against the old school, they don't care what it costs, but they will change their future, for a better one. And you are going to be by his side, because you want that future, you want to be part of the future of the new 12 Apostles, of Norman, of Mingus.

The End

I hope you liked it! Thank you so much for reading!

Your mouth drops open in surprise as you move a little closer to see it. The size is not very large, possibly so as not to spoil the quality of the photograph. You are on the beach, sitting on your towel, with your hair to one side and your back uncovered, there are some grains of sand on your skin and on your shoulders and thigh you can see that the skin is starting to redden. It is a picture taken from right behind you, being in the center of the picture, with the beach and the cove in the background. You remember that day; Judas took you there the day after your high school graduation. Your father and Jesus had left New York on business, your mother was busy with her own stuff, and the rest of the men were recovering from the hangover from your graduation party. Judas came to pick you up at your room at the club and took you to that beautiful cove on the way to New Jersey. You had to turn off the main road onto a barely traveled road that cars couldn't use, luckily Judas' bike was adapted for dirt roads and you arrived at that beautiful cove where you spent the whole day together. Explaining to your mother the blush all over your body when you returned home was difficult, but she didn't ask you for too many details either. You sigh and try to touch the photo, as if you wanted to take a closer look.

"It's also one of my favorite pictures." You hear Judas right next to you and you pull your hand away, glancing sideways at him.

"I didn't even know it existed..." You mutter, he's looking at the photo with a crooked smile, he turns to you with his glass of whiskey in his hand. "I didn't even know you did this for a living..."

"Very few people do..."

"At the club?" You raise an eyebrow and he shrugs.

"John and Andy... Jesus helped me get this up..." He looks sideways at you, seemingly embarrassed to admit it. You smile because from Jesus you expect it, they are lifelong friends.

"They're very pretty." You don't quite know what to say, you see him smile and nod.

"Thank you... they are a future."

"For you?"

"For Mingus... my life is with the club, I decided that, but he doesn't have to follow in my footsteps... a lot of the money I make from this goes into a separate fund for him... for when he's older." You look at him again, your expression must show all the surprise you feel, because he smiles sheepishly again and shrugs. There is something about him that night that you didn't know, he is calm, relaxed, he almost looks like the Norman you shared your youth with, but he seems much more comfortable now. A part of you wants to know, wants to know more about that part of the man and on the other hand you feel afraid, what if you make a mistake and fall again. However you are sure that his words about Mingus are totally true. Judas loves his son, he adores him and if he can keep him away from everything bad, he will do everything he can to make it so. You smile and before you know it your hand caresses Judas’ arm, he looks at you and gently holds your hand.

"Is Mingus okay?" you worry about the boy as you talk about him, he nods and bites his lip.

"He's at home with Eye in the dark." You can't help but laugh as you remember the cat's name and he mimics you. Conversation is easy, it comes up unforced, wandering around the rest of the gallery, just talking, paying no real attention to your surroundings. "Do you want to come and see him? The gallery isn't too far from my apartment." He offers you after a while talking and when you switch drinks once more.

"I actually miss Eye a little bit..." You mutter almost without realizing it. "But Ana... I can't leave her alone."

"I was talking about Mingus, but I guess the cat misses you too." He jokes and you laugh reddening, you see that he laughs too and covers his face with his hand brushing his bangs off his forehead.

"I know Mingus will forgive me for not going to see him today, I think I'm going to get Ana and we should go..."

"Okay, let me get you a cab." He asks and you nod, he sets the cup down on a tray that passes by him and walks over to you, his lips brush your cheek. "You know the way, you can come see us whenever you want." He says to you and leaving your hair standing on end he walks away to hail the cab. When you manage to react you put down your drink and go to find your friend.

Several days pass after the exhibition, neither you nor Ana tell the rest of the club that you went, Judas keeps it a secret because of his son, so you respect that. At work things don't change much, you are playing with the vacations and maternity leaves of the permanent workers, but you still don't have a definite position, you don't worry about it either because you are still taking care of the club's numbers and everything is going well. You have decided to spend less time at the club than before. Your routine is still the same, but now your afternoons and evenings are spent most days between your apartment or your parents' house. Judas takes care of Mingus these days, so you don't see the boy as much as you used to. You feel sorry for him and miss him, but you're not able to deal with his father's presence without feeling your whole body tremble. And you hate that feeling. Ana and John have continued to see each other, you are happy for them, John seems quite affectionate with her and she is delighted to show off such a man. Neither has any commitments to hold on to and they know how to have fun. It's a very free relationship that they both respect. You really want them to be together for a long time.

It's Saturday and you're at home quietly, you've tried to contact Ana to go out for a drink later and eat around, but the brunette hasn't picked up the phone so you imagine she's busy with her man. You settle into your couch and pick up a book giving yourself some peace and read for a while. Rolling, your cat, paces back and forth in the house, he seems a little restless and when he approaches the front door, he meows. He does it a couple of times and the second time you hear a knock at the door. You are surprised because you don't expect anyone in particular. You leave the book on the dining room side table and get up to see who it is. You open your eyes wide in surprise as you open the door. On the other side you find him. Judas. He is leaning with one hand on the door frame of the house and with the other he is rubbing the back of his neck. He looks a little nervous, uneasy, for a second the worst crosses your mind and you look at him worried.

"Judas, what's wrong, is Mingus okay?" It's all you can suddenly think. He lifts his head to look at you and nods with a shrug as he bites his lip.

"Yeah, sure, why not?" he looks at you and a small smile forms on his mouth. You get confused but don't say anything, you feel the neighbors starting to stir in their own homes and you step aside.

"Come in, how did you know where I live?" You close as he enters and walks to the dining room. Rolling runs away, he doesn't like new people.

"I see you got another cat."

"Yes, I found him on the street...you haven't answered me."

"I brought you the other day, remember?"

"Yes, but how did you find my apartment?"

"By looking through the mailboxes." He says as if it's obvious. "I've been looking through the thousands of mailboxes at the entrance of the building for a fucking hour." He says with a sarcastic smile and you can't help but laugh. He sits down on the couch and you sit down on the wing chair. "It's been days since you've been by the club, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, sure, it's nothing. I just don't live there, I've had shift changes during the week and it was more comfortable to come here." You play it down, you're not sure why you're telling him that either, it's none of his business.

"Everything okay at work?" he asks again and you raise your eyebrows.

"What's with this interrogation, since when are you my father?"

"That wasn't my intention." He winces and you can't help but laugh. "Mingus is asking me about you and I don't have much to tell him. I told him I was coming to see you and wanted to see how you were doing." That kid is going to kill you, you don't understand why he has you so captivated, he's just a kid. You have never considered yourself a very maternal woman or good with children, it has always been difficult for you to get along with them, trying to talk or play with them was a challenge and yet, that blond little boy managed to melt your heart. It was a gift he had inherited from his father, no doubt. You sigh and feel Judas looking at you from the corner of his eye, his head down, just looking up at you, his blue eyes fixed on you.

You sigh and grimace not quite knowing what to say. He smiles and nods, stretches and leans against the back of the couch. He's wearing a black long-sleeved T-shirt that's wrapped around his arms, his club vest, and black jeans with his boots.

"Thank you for coming to the gallery that night." He says suddenly and that catches you by surprise again.

"I didn't even know it was yours..." You admit again and he laughs." But I liked seeing what you do... I know, well I knew you liked photography...

"I've always interspersed it with the club as a hobby, I would take my camera on our missions and always find something interesting to photograph." He explains and rubs the bridge of his nose. "If it hadn't been for Jesus I wouldn't have opened the gallery, he insisted to me to do it."

"I'm glad he did." You smile and get up, walk into the kitchen and grab two beers, sit down on the couch next to him and hold one out to him, Judas accepts it and settles back on the couch taking a swig. "Was it very successful?"

"Some pictures yes." He admits and grins like a child. "Your picture sold." He tells you and you look at him in surprise.

"The one on the beach?" He nods and you laugh. "Wow, I didn't expect that."

"There was even a bidding, there were several people interested in it." He explains.

"Where's my percentage for image rights?" you joke and he laughs nodding, you're surprised because he reaches into his pants pocket for something and pulls out a brown envelope with something inside.

You raise your eyebrows and stammer because you really didn't mean it. You make a gesture to refuse, but he drops it in your lap. You hesitate for a moment and take it, opening it, your heart calms down. There are more photos. You take them out carefully and discover that they are some of the photos from the gallery, unretouched. Photos of Mingus, of your brother with the guys from the club, of you on the beach, you spot another one you've never seen before and you shudder because it's you, asleep in Judas' bed, in his apartment and against your belly is Eye in the dark asleep. You smile and caress the animal in the photo with affection.

“We didn't go to see him the other day, so I thought I could bring him in somehow.” He tells you and looks at you sideways, you smile and put the photos down on the side table.

"Thank you..." You whisper looking at him out of the corner of your eye, again Judas is closer than you expect, but you don't turn away. His hand clasps you from the back of your neck and he moves a little closer to you. "Norman..." You whisper touching his wrist, but his lips brush against yours, and you don't pull away. You close your eyes as the kiss becomes real, his lips pressing against yours, his thumb caressing your cheek. You sigh and feel your body tremble again.

"Honey!" You hear the door ring loudly and you freeze on the couch. " Are you there?" it's your mother. Your mother is knocking like crazy on your door. You pale and look at Judas in fear. To your surprise he just looks annoyed. "I've seen his bike, tell me he's not there with you!" You hear her scream again and you look at him like he's an idiot.

"You really came with your bike!!!?" You whisper turning away from him. Judas stands up with a shrug, as if everything is normal.

"How did you want me to come?"

"For God's sake." You gasp and cover your face with both hands, then remember that John has a bike much like Judas.

"Open up or I swear to God I'll break the door down!" your mother shouts again.

You move hurriedly and desperately around the apartment, look for where to hide the photos. You pull him out onto the balcony and ask him to stay there, Judas looks at you blankly and you just close the door. Judas tries to enter from the balcony but then the door bursts open and The Mother enters the apartment and he has to hide.

"Mother!" you cry out looking at her without understanding, the woman moves like an animal around the house, looking for the owner of the motorcycle, you move discreetly to hide the balcony door so that she can't see Judas.

"Where is he!" You shout to yourself and look at her confused.

"Who?"

"Judas! His bike is downstairs!"

"Judas? Mother, he's not here! We don't have that kind of relationship, not any more....

"Don't lie to me! What's his motorcycle doing in the street then?"

"His motorcycle... Maybe it's John's, their bikes are the same model and maybe.... Maybe he's with Ana, she lives one street down." You remember and explain to her suddenly wanting her to believe it.

"Fuck... you're going to give me a heart attack." Says the woman running her hands through her hair.

"I'm sorry, but the one who came in here like a hurricane was you." You say crossing your arms and she looks at you apologetically.

"Sorry, it's just that I saw the bike and I thought..." she doesn't know how to explain and looks a little embarrassed, you laugh a little and sigh.

"Was it something important?"

"No, I mean I was just passing by and... I'm sorry, I'd better go."

No one says anything, your mother, everything becomes very awkward. You can't help but glance from time to time towards the balcony where Judas is hiding, you just hope that the man doesn't get an outbreak of stubbornness and decide to go inside, regardless of the consequences it might entail for both of you. Embarrassed decides to leave. You stay in the apartment in silence, waiting a few minutes before going to open the balcony to let Judas in. You see him moving from side to side like a caged animal. His expression is serious and he is biting his thumbnail. You sigh and look at Judas who now is leaning against the back of the couch staring at you, his jaw is tense and his knuckles are white. "You'd better go too, Judas... and don't worry, I'll be back by the club to see Mingus, you don't need to come see me anymore."

"No..." He grunts looking sideways at you and sits up a little.

"No? My mother almost found us out, you shouldn't be here. That kiss meant nothing, thanks for the pictures and now get the fuck out."

Judas looks at you, it's clear that he doesn't want to leave, but things aren't in the mood to get into negotiations. Judas shouldn't be there either, much less get to kiss you, you should have stopped him before and asked him to leave. You appreciate the detail of the photos, you're going to keep them and look at them always with nostalgia and affection, but you refuse to fall for him again. You step aside when he approaches you, you look away because you know that if you look at him again you won't be able to let him go. You feel his hand on your hair and he kisses your forehead, you don't move until he walks out the apartment door and you take a deep breath trying to calm down. You run your hands over your eyes collecting some furtive tears and sit back down in your armchair and resume reading your book. Or at least you try to.

After that incident you decide to stop by the club again. You know Judas might show up at your house again and you don't want to go through that again. So, under the watchful eye of the other men in the gang, you lock yourself in your office in the evenings when you come home from work. You've got a regular morning schedule, one of your colleagues has taken a reduced workday to take care of her son, so you get to cover her four hours in the morning. It's not much, but it's enough to be able to continue to pay for your things, be independent of the club and not have to ask for money from either The Father or Jesus. It also helps distract you from other things. When you go back to the club you see Mingus more often which means that his father is also moving out of New York again with the rest of his brothers. Sometimes he goes off on his own and you can't help but wonder if he'll do it to get ideas for his show. Little Reedus is thrilled to have you around again, after you finish with the bills you always make some time to play with him, before it gets dark, you always say goodbye to the boys and head home. You know the approximate time Judas returns from his escapades and you prefer not to meet him.

That morning there is a meeting, the most faithful members of Jesus are in your office talking about a little business they have to settle with another band on the other side of New York. You listen attentively, it's not a long mission, possibly several days out of town, but it's not like the last trip, Maggie is not there which means that Jesus is not going to take her with him. You give it a month at the most. Apparently they are straining some deals with other gangs that aren't very friendly and they have to calm things down and look for new allies in case things get out of hand. You really don't want to know about that, because that worries you too much. Knowing that they are risking so much for the club makes you anxious. Father listens to Jesus, the young leader puts Matthew, another of his men, in charge of the club for the days they would be away. Jesus gathers John, Andrew and Judas to go with him. His best men. His most trusted men. You write it all down for the record, that's another thing you bring when meetings are held in your presence. You are not usually very involved in them, which you are usually grateful for. You look up and for days you see Judas too close, he is attentive to the meeting but his gaze is fixed on you. When you make contact you can see how the blue color becomes darker as his pupils dilate. The effect on you is immediate, you tighten your legs and lower your head, focusing on the book in front of you. They are definitely going to be gone for a while, when they get everything ready they leave in the afternoon. Jesus says goodbye to Maggie, Andy calls his wife and kids to be quiet, Judas hugs and kisses Mingus promising to bring him something from the trip and John is talking to Ana on the phone. You smile a little saddened, possibly they are saying goodbye or something like that, you liked what they had, you just wish it would have lasted a little longer. That same afternoon they leave New York, Matt will take over the club with no problem, plus The Father will be watching from the shadows, as usual.

The days go by without a problem, you dedicate yourself to work, the accounts, you go out with Ana and take care of Mingus, you have even taken him to your apartment to spend some nights there, when things get out of hand at the club. He sleeps with you in your room, next to Rolling, you are thankful that your bed is a double bed or you would end up sleeping on the couch. Mother checks your accounts and seems proud to be doing well, sometimes she tries to broach the subject of what happened in your apartment but you are able almost every time to change the subject or just not say anything. You'd rather have her figure things out than let something slip out that you might later regret. After two weeks, you're pulling up to the club when you hear motorcycles behind you. You smile as you instantly recognize them; Jesus, Andy and Judas. Your smile fades for a moment when you discover that one of them is missing, you feel your heart squeeze inside your chest and you wait for them to park at the door of the club. You expect to see their sad faces, but the smiles are wide and Jesus comes over to hug you. You don't quite know what to say but everyone seems very calm. Andy gives you a kiss on the cheek and you feel Jude's hand on your head stroking your hair and then he kisses you on the temple. You have to admit that you are a little overwhelmed by so much male attention, especially after so long alone. You turn away from them laughing a little.

"Where's John?" you ask looking at Jesus and they all laugh low.

"He's gone to see his girl." You hear Judas and that surprises you. "Your friend, Ana, has gone straight for her." He smiles and your surprise turns into a long but excited laugh, they just made your day for sure.

"I knew those two would hit it off." You smile and now return those hugs you've been given, even tiptoeing a bit to hug Judas who is surprised but responds to your embrace. You gasp and hear the laughter of the other two members of the 12 Apostles as Judas' hand travels lower than you expected. You pull away and punch him in the chest, but you're content, you're happy, so you don't care. "Come on, let's go inside. The guys can't wait to see you."

None of them object, they can't wait to get back to the club and fall unconscious to a good party like they haven't had for days. You're heading inside when John's bike appears and it's clear he's not coming alone. You laugh and wait for them inside. Soon music and alcohol start to be present throughout the club. Maggie rushes for her man, Andy's wife is there too, Mingus is at your place sleeping, but Judas' favorite girls quickly come up to him to give him his well-deserved welcome. You break away from him, you feel him trying to hold you, but you manage to let go and leave with the rest of the men from the club. Not only do you celebrate the return of your men, but it seems that John has claimed Ana as his own, she seems fine with it and suddenly the men in the club seem a little more respectful and polite to her, it's clear they understand what they might face otherwise. You separate your friend from her penis for a few minutes at least so you can celebrate.

The party goes on throughout the night, you don't remember when was the last day you stayed up so late and especially so drunk, but you are happy and exhilarated by everything that has happened throughout the week. You have to be honest, you've been to Judas' gallery a couple more times knowing you wouldn't find him there. As he told you, your photo has been sold and replaced with another, several of the photos have been sold and exchanged for others that Judas had probably prepared in advance before he left with the club. You continue to be amazed by the double life he leads, the almost perfect balance he seems to have. You look for him with your eyes, he is sitting at one of the tables with several other companions, they are drinking, laughing and with their bitches under their arms while you are rubbing for their attention, but they seem to ignore them completely. That man certainly didn't look like Norman Reedus by any stretch of the imagination. He was drunk, with one beer in his hand and the other on the shoulders of one of his favorite girls. He had his vest on and had taken off his jacket underneath, leaving him in a short-sleeved T-shirt, the sweat made his skin shine a little and the short bangs stuck to his forehead, his ears and the back of his neck. Matt says something you obviously can't hear, but he laughs pointing at him and then looks up to find you can't stop looking at him. His laughter dies into a crooked smile. He drinks from his beer bottle, leaves it there as he releases the girls and gets up from his chair leaving the conversation with the guys. He walks in your direction. He's heading straight for you.

Coming for you.

"Hello, beautiful." You have to look up to find a pair of light blue eyes watching you. A blond man, with mid-length hair, with a blond goatee and he smiles without taking his eyes off you. You stammer, the alcohol is taking its toll on you. You look over your shoulder, Judas has stopped behind him.

"Hi..." You mumble and he moves a little closer to you. "Who...?"

"My name is Jax, can I buy you a drink?"

"Yeah... yeah, sure." You look out of the corner of your eye that Judas has stopped and you feel the blond's arm around you and pull you towards the bar.

You open your eyes the next day. You are in your room, your head hurts terribly and you groan at a new prick when you try to open your eyes and the light hits your retinas in a cruel way. You sit up in bed looking around you, you are alone and you have little flashes of what happened last night; the arrival of Jesus and the others at the party, everyone having fun, everyone enjoying the fact that they had returned safe and sound. The moment you saw Judas and he seemed to want to come to you, but then that boy, Jax appeared and... you shake your head feeling it hurt again. You don't remember much after that, the alcohol was a mortal enemy and has created a gap in your head. Luckily you are dressed, at least in your underwear, no one is sleeping next to you, which means you arrived alone or whoever accompanied you left after leaving you there. You sigh long and sit up in bed, you need a shower, clear your mind a bit and a coffee.

You leave the room with clean clothes and your hair still wet, you go down to the bar and see the rest of Jesus' men lying all over the place, sleeping as best you can. You smile because some of them are still cuddling with their girlfriends even with their pants down. You bite back a laugh and walk over to the bar to make yourself a cup of coffee, look for a pill to take away your headache and once you have your coffee ready you go upstairs to your office hoping not to find anything indecent there or any trace that something has happened there. It's too early, your head still hurts and you haven't even taken a sip of your coffee yet, but you need to do something to keep your mind distracted until the rest of the men finally react.

You are startled after a few hours when the door to the office opens and several members of the 12 Apostles walk in, and behind them come other men of whom you only recognize the blond, half-haired man. Jax. It is clear that he belongs to another gang, you can read the name as they pass by the desk where you are working. Sons of Anarchy. You want to remember something about them, their headquarters is in California but they are spread across much of the country. They protect one of the boroughs of New York, there has never been hostilities between your gangs, but you weren't exactly allies either. However they are there, an older man, not as old as your father, but short white hair, he and Jax are followed by a rather tall, young man, possibly Jax's age, there are a couple of other men next to Judas and John, possibly of a similar age to them. You look at them in confusion, The Father is also there and approaches your table with a gentle smile.

"Sweetheart, can you bring us last year's account book, please?" he asks and you nod.

You all go into the meeting room you have there. You get up grabbing the book from the cabinet where you keep them and you call to the door of the room, as you enter everyone has taken a seat along the wide table and you leave the account book to Jesus, you aren’t quite sure who you should consider the leader now, but he is usually the one in charge of everything so you do it by instinct. You smile and are about to leave, but again The Father's voice stops you.

"No, please, stay, this also concerns you." You are surprised as you are never usually in that kind of negotiations. You nod and grabbing a chair you sit down next to Andy who seems to be the one who has woken up the best that morning.

"We thank you for agreeing to negotiate with us." The Father speaks and looks at you. "I want to introduce you to Clay leader of Sons of Anarchy and Jax his son and future president." He mentions and you smile, you feel the blond's gaze on you and you don't know very well how to react, you don't remember what happened after arriving at the bar and ordering your drinks. "She’s my daughter, is in charge of the club's accounts, both the legal work we have here and in the workshop as well as the other businesses. I know all this time we've been working in parallel, but the dope is starting to creep into our territory and I know we both want the same thing."

"So, you want us to merge our clubs?" He looks at him curiously Jax and Jesus shakes his head, interjecting.

"Not at all, we just want to join forces, between them they are allying and taking more and more ground."

"It's obvious we need each other and your club is well supplied, it's true." Jax looks at the accounts next to Oppie and Clay. "It wouldn't hurt to join forces, plus we could have each other's backs with guns and the rest of the jobs." He looks at Jesus who nods his head.

"No need for an answer now, you guys can stay at the club for a few days, we can go over some planning..." Insists Jesus and Jax nods his head, his gaze falls back on you, you even feel Judas look at you.

"I would like, if in the end we accept the alliance, for her to be in the pact." Jax says pointing at you. You freeze, staring wild-eyed at the rest of the table. Judas has his fists clenched tightly, Jesus looks confused and The Father smiles. There's something about that smile you don't like.

"My sister?" Jesus looks sideways at you and then back at the blond. "Why?"

"It would be a good way to unify our clubs. I'll be president when Clay is gone and she's your sister, someday she'll take over all this..."

"No." Judas' voice makes your hair stand on end.

"Judas..." Jesus tries to get him to shut up. The Father removes his smile and frowns. You too are confused, there is something about this whole situation that you don't understand, there is something going on that only Jesus and Judas know about, or so it seems. You look at the rest of the group that is there and it is evident that John and Andy also know what is going on. You frown, you're starting to get flustered.

"I said no." Judas says again and Jax looks at him with a crooked grin.

"What's the matter, man, is it that she turns you on and you want to claim her? You should have thought of that before." He smirks and Judas rises from his chair abruptly. Jax gets up at the same time facing him, you watch the whole situation in disbelief, is this really happening? Are they fighting like two animals for you? Are they pretending you have no say?

"She’s mine." Judas whispers in a growl and you freeze.

What?

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!

"Hello, sweetheart." You greet and hug him warmly.

"Auntie!" He hugs your neck with infinite affection.

"Mingus has been asking about you all day." Your mother says and you smile warmly.

"Well, I'm here now, kiddo."

Mingus is a five-year-old boy, blond, with beautiful sky blue eyes in which you could dive into the child's innocence and affection. He is Judas’ son. Six years ago Jesus' right hand man found a woman to settle down with, or so it seemed, however, when she became pregnant everything went south, she wasn’t willing to take care of an unwanted child and Judas wasn’t going to make her his wife. The pregnancy was full of disputes and problems in the club, Judas wasn’t to keep his mind on anything other than the health of his son, it was the worst year the club had ever had. However when Mingus was born things didn't get any better, the baby's mother died in childbirth, Judas was too far away to care for the baby and the first few months were spent at the Cross family home, The Father never said anything, he loved seeing the baby at home, at that time you moved back to your parents house to help them with the baby, when Judas could take care of him again he proved he was a good father, he loved his son, he was going to take care of him whenever he was available. Until Mingus was a little older, Jesus forced his right-hand man to stay close to the district, to always come home to take care of little Mingus. When he had to go away with Jesus or for more important matters, the boy stayed at home Cross and you liked to take care of him. He was funny, sweet and affectionate, curious like any five year old, but there was no malice in his actions. Never.

"You know I can't always pick you up from school..." You remember him sitting with him on the floor, watching the toy display.

"I know... daddy's coming home today." Says the totally excited little boy and you feel a shiver run down your spine. You lift your head and your mother nods and shrugs.

"Jesus called, they've finished with the unfinished business they had in New Jersey and they're coming home, there's going to be a celebration tonight."

"That's great, it's been a long time since I've seen them." You smile excited to see your brother, nervous to be reunited with him.

"I know, so try not to be too wrapped up in your papers tonight and enjoy the party, promise?" your mother looks at you seriously and you nod, you would be safer wrapped up in your papers than down there.

"Sure Mother, don't worry, I'll be with Mingus for a while and the papers I'll leave them for tomorrow."

"That's the way I like it, I'll get something to snack on."

"Yes!" shouted the boy happily making you both laugh.

You stay with Mingus playing with him, while remembering the dream you had with his father a few hours ago. You find it amusing to remember it, since you had never gone to a school in uniform, of course that had been a figment of your imagination, but it is true that you had not dreamt of that memory for a long time. Your mind takes you back to that day from time to time, modifying some factors, but it is always the same result, you wake up trembling in your bed longing for Judas' real contact. That time wasn’t the last time you were together. After that day you would get together when Judas was free from the club or his own legal work, it was fun, it was risky, but mostly fun, you would escape with the motorcycle away from the New York district to the other side of town where Judas had bought an apartment under his real name so the family couldn't track him down. Four years the biker's interest in you lasted, when you turned twenty Judas had to go with Jesus to the other side of the country for a few months and when they returned he was accompanied by the woman who a few years later would give him Mingus. After that you stayed as far away from Judas as you could, although he didn't put up much resistance either. The treatment between you was polite, hello and goodbye when you met in the bar, you were happy for him, that he was well and of course you were always happy that he returned home safe and sound, especially for Mingus, it would not be fair that the child was left alone being so small.

 Several hours passed, you played with Mingus and finished settling the accounts for that month so it was when the music started to play loudly in the lower part of the club making it clear that the party was starting. You look at Mingus but the boy has fallen asleep on the large sofa in the office. You grab a blanket and cover him carefully so as not to wake him up and leave the office trying not to let the music keep him awake. You cross the hallway of the club's motel when you hear the men downstairs get restless and the cheers get louder and longer, announcing that Jesus has returned. You hurry up and as you reach the bar you see them appear through the door, Maggie goes first, clearing the way for the two men right behind her. Jesus smiles as he is surrounded by his men, friends and new allies. He raises his arms in victory and the cheers roar much louder and the glasses are raised in the air in excitement. You smile and walk towards his brother, hugging Maggie along the way, you have missed her too, but your relationship with her is not very extensive. You reach your brother and hug him with infinite affection, Jesus responds to your embrace with the same emotion, he kisses your cheek and rocks your body rubbing your back.

"Welcome home." You say and he smiles pulling away a little.

"It's good to come home and see that everything is perfect."

"You know your men take care of the club and The Father is always making sure everything is in order."

"Yeah, I guess he still doesn't trust me."

"Don't say that, you know it's not true." You laugh giving him a gentle punch on the arm. "But while you're gone someone has to keep this in order."

"I thought that's what you were in charge of."

"You know I'm just keeping score, I'm away from the action... How'd it go?" you ask as you feel an arm wrap around you from behind your back encircling your collarbone and gripping your opposite shoulder. Jesus smiles at the look of surprise on your face, but you lean back against whoever is pushing you and then you recognize his scent and block. Whiskey and cigarettes envelop your nose and you gasp. Judas. His chest crashes against your back and his mouth brushes your temple. You smile even though you don't know if you're too comfortable with the whole situation. You laugh when you turn your head to look at him and he's smiling. He's come back looking very handsome. More than you remember. His blond hair had gone a few days ago to a darker shade, an ash blond, he doesn't wear it so long anymore, now he has his bangs to one side, barely brushing his forehead, disheveled by the shape of his helmet and a little sweaty from all the traveling. His gesture has hardened with the passage of time, but his playful smile is still there if wise eyes know how to appreciate it. He wears some blond beard around his mouth and the line marking his jaw. His blue eyes give off a dark hue that night that did not promise anything good. Yes, he's more handsome than you could remember and that's not good for your judgment. You sigh long but move against him and embrace him as you half turn and kiss his cheek lovingly squeezing his shoulder, you feel the short sleeved shirt under the vest damp with sweat and the hairs stand up on your body as his other hand caresses your waist. "It's good to see you, Judas." Because it's true, you're glad to see him, glad he's okay like everyone else.

"And me to come home, pretty girl." He smiles caressing your cheek with the hand that rested on your shoulder. "Everything all right here, has anyone come to bother you?"

"All good, vice president, you have nothing to worry about." You joke and see him smile again nodding his head as he bites his lip.

"How's Mingus?"

"Perfect." You admit with a smile. "He's a sweet little boy, he came to see me this afternoon and fell asleep in my office." You laugh and see a small smile play across his mouth, he stares at you and gestures with his head, pointing towards the top of the club. You nod and pull away from him a little, you're starting to get overwhelmed at having him so close.

You make your way as best you can through the crowd, the band men and rookies accost Judas on his way to the stairs leading up to the office, you slip through the crowd without a word waiting for him at the edge of the stairs. While you are there you see two of the girls he usually spends his nights with blocking his way, he gets rid of one of them without much trouble, the other one he grabs by the back of her neck and says something very close to her, brushing his lips against hers and finally reaches you. You avert your gaze and go up to the office, open the door, luckily in that area the music is somewhat muffled, so when you enter the little one's sleep isn’t disturbed. You stand by the door watching Judas walk towards his son in complete silence. His vest remains on top of your desk as he exchanges it for a marker on your desk and walks over to Mingus. Without waking him he crouches down next to him and takes his hand leaving a soft mark between his index finger and thumb. You smile as you recognize it as it is the same tattoo he has on his hand. You feel a little bad to be standing there, being an intruder witness of that intimate moment between father and son, you wish you could melt into the wall and disappear, in fact you give yourself a little scare when you see him get up again returning to the table leaving the perm on it. His blue gaze shines in the gloom of the office making you tremble again.

"It's a little arrangement we have." He tells you, taking off his leather gloves, leaving them next to his vest. "If I don't come in time, I'll leave a mark so he knows I've come to say good night." He shrugs. "It's stupid but I feel more connected to him..."

"It's very nice." You admit daring to walk up to him smiling a little, you look at his hands, strong, rough from day to day, short but thick fingers, on his knuckles he had x's marked and on the back he has a skull tattooed. You can't help yourself and you graze the tattoo. "A new one."

"If only it was one." He laughs low and you laugh soft with him.

"You can't be left alone."

"You know better than that." His voice sounds soft and husky in a whisper, you glance sideways at him, you don't remember being this close, you take a step back and Judas' hand settles on your back. No. This isn't right.

"Go back to the party." You offer, separating yourself completely from him. "I'm going to leave Mingus in my room so he doesn't wake up to the noise...come on down, have fun." You smile. "You guys have been away from home a lot, the guys miss you." You look sideways at him with a soft smile and try to dodge him, but he holds your wrist to stop you and his gaze is on you again, he devours you, the blue of his irises bores into you, sucking you in, you want to pull away again, but he holds your head and moves you towards him kissing you. His mouth clumsily collides with yours, your teeth scrape his tongue as he tries to break through and you pull away. Your hand impacts against his cheek and the slap echoes in the room. Your breathing is ragged and you feel your heart pounding violently in your chest. "Go back to the party." This time you order him. "Go back to your whores, I'm sure they miss you."

You don't wait for his response, you don't think there is one either. Carefully you take Mingus in your arms going to the back of the office; there is another less noisy hallway that leads to the motel rooms next to the club where you and the guys have rooms assigned for when you stay there. You walk to your room afraid to look back, Judas has never been a demanding man, he exercised dominance towards whoever he knew was looking for him or needed to remember his place, but he wasn't aggressive for the sake of it, however you are frightened at the thought of him suddenly appearing and accosting you. You shake your head wanting to get that idea out of your head.

You open your room, which is always locked, and leave Mingus on the bed. It isn’t a particularly decorated room, it looks more like a student's room, a table full of books and papers, several shelves with more books and things you had collected over the years, a double closet and a large double bed. You close the curtain and tuck the child in, leaving him in the center of the bed so he wouldn't accidentally fall out of either end. You carefully leave the room, remove the hair tie that tangles your hair and it falls in a flowing motion to your shoulders as you walk. You reach the office again, but Judas is no longer there, he has left his vest on the table, but you ignore him by going down to the bar. You've told him to have fun and immediately you discover him with the same girls who cut him off earlier. You told him to have fun and you plan to do the same. You unbutton the denim shirt you're wearing revealing the black top you're wearing underneath, thin strapped and tight just under your chest, enhancing it with the help of your bra, exposing your belly button. You have never felt completely comfortable showing that part of your body, it is soft and flat, but having wide hips and thighs, it had always seemed to you that it acquired a certain roundness, now it doesn’t. You no longer care, you know that men are more aware of the size of your chest. You adjust your jeans to show off your ass and the eyes of the Jesus’ men are on you. Well, it's going to be a fun night.

"There you are!" You hear then and see your friend and co-worker.

"Ana, you came!" You hug her warmly.

"I told you I was coming, didn't I? Wow, what happened to you?"

"I'm pissed." You say simply with a shrug and she laughs. "Come on, let's go drink and have fun."

"You won't tell me twice, but wait... Is he here?" she looks around over your shoulder, you sigh nodding your head. "Where is he?" you signal him and she sees him next to the two girls from earlier, now they both seem very busy looking for his attention as his gaze is locked on the back of your head. "Oh shit, he's looking this way..."

"Come on, let's go to the bar, I don't care, have fun." You take Ana by the hand leading her to the bar. "Andy!" you greet the man sitting at the bar and hug him warmly. Andrew is another one of Jesus' trusted men, he's one of your brother's quieter men, but he's always fun to talk to.

"Honey! How good to see you." He hugs you back and kisses you on the cheek. "I see we're all in full mood today." He says looking you up and down.

"She said she's mad." Ana says and Andy laughs.

"In that case make it two shots and some beers." He asks the bartender.

"Thanks Andy, this is Ana, a good friend and co-worker."

"Andrew, it's a pleasure, Ana." He says squeezing her hand gently and smiles.

"He's quite a gentleman for a biker."

"He's British." You laugh and they laugh with you. They pour you shots and you down them in one gulp.

"Another round, but put one more in." A deep, husky voice suddenly appears behind you. A tall, strong man with a graying beard approaches you with a broad grin.

"John, oh my God! Ana, meet John, if you want to have fun this is your man."

The man pins his grizzled gaze on the brunette and smiles taking the girl's hand and placing a kiss on it. You laugh in amusement and Andy drinks from his beer toasting you, it's clear that this night would be intense. 

A couple of beers later and a few more shots you decide to grab a pool table and play a little, Andy and John against the two of you. They don't scare you, you like to play and you have mastered the game, they are not rookies either, which will make everything much more interesting and fun. You approach one of the tables and gently touch John's shoulder, he looks at you and you feel his eyes fall on your chest, you smile and tap him on the chin.

"She's my best friend, and I love her very much, so take care of her, okay?" you whisper staring at him.

"Of course, ma’am." He smiles and kisses your forehead lovingly before walking over to the table to start playing.

Andy and John are some of the best men Jesus could find for the gang, Andy has been happily married for years, he is loyal and faithful to both; the gang and his own wife, it's hard to see him angry or involved in a fight. John is faithful and loyal, but to the band, he never had a wife of his own, he liked to have fun, but had enough respect not to humiliate the woman he was with at every opportunity. The same woman in the city could be with him for several months or even a year, but when John would take the motorcycle and go with his brothers to settle some business out of town, the relationship would end. So you know that Ana can have fun with John, that it won't be a big deal for either of them, plus you're sure that John is interested in her too.

The night goes on, some colleagues and friends have come to the table to watch you play, you have made a little tournament between you and it's fun, however the alcohol starts to take its toll on you. At least on you. Your last roll you can't even call it that, you're leaning on the table with your whole body and you just slide the cue along the green surface and Andy laughs next to you. You lift your head and laugh too. It's clear that the game has been over for a while. You see John and Ana too busy on the other side of the table, she is sitting on the edge of the table and John is holding her ass firmly as they kiss eagerly. You slowly sit up on the table and run your hands over your face. You shiver as you feel the cold, wet body of a water bottle on the back of your neck, you look to your side and discover Andy with a smile. You reciprocate and drink some water to clear your mind.

"I think we'll call it even." He jokes and you nod.

"I should get to bed, it's going to be a laugh going to work tomorrow." You mumble and Andy smiles broadly.

"Do you need me to walk you?"

"Relax, I know these hallways by heart." You assure him. "When that pair is done groping each other, ask Ana for a cab, please, I don't want her going home alone at this hour."

"Don't worry about it, it looks to me like John isn't going to let her leave." Andy shoots a glance towards the couple, you follow and spot them slipping through the crowd.

"Even better." You laugh and give Andy a kiss on the cheek. "Don't keep your wife waiting."

"Don't worry."

You say your goodbyes and you too make your way through the people still there having fun. You're a little surprised that the club is still so crowded being a weekday, but well they mean profit for the club. You bump into a couple of people, apologize for your left feet and reach the hallway leading to the club rooms.   The hallway opens up before you immensely long, you need a second to lean against the wall, but you never reach it. You feel your body pull to the opposite side and you collide once again with someone. A stupid smile forms on your mouth, you recognize his smell instantly. Whiskey, sweat and cigarettes.

You hate him.

"Norman..." You are unable to control yourself, you know that name is taboo among your own people, even he shouldn't allow you to call him that, but it means so many more things to you two.

"Where are you going, pretty girl?" he asks with a hoarse voice due to cigarettes and alcohol.

"Bed..." You mumble and laugh.

"Is that a proposal?" he whispers in your ear, his hands caress your bare waist, his warm touch shudders you and you sigh. You try your best to pull away from him, but his hand is like a pincer.

"No... I have your son waiting for me there, to sleep."

"Our Mingus..." He whispers again and you close your eyes. You manage to pull away at last but he walks you to the door, his arm around your waist once more, his hand on your stomach pulling you to lean against him, you sigh because you know what he's trying to do, but you can't, you mustn't let yourself be pulled in. His mouth falls on your neck, you gasp closing your eyes and throw your head to the side feeling him run from under your ear to your shoulder.

"Stop..." You sigh and pull away opening the door. "Good night, Norman. Go find one of your girlfriends." You advise him and close it before he can say anything.

You need a moment to collect yourself, you don't hear Judas walking away down the hall either, you even think you hear his breathing on the other side of the door. You shake your head, you can't let yourself be defeated, too much has happened, it's not like it used to be. When the world stops spinning around you, you take off your denim shirt and pants, lie down on the bed and hug little Mingus who sleeps oblivious to everything. Your ears ring from the loud music, but you soon fall asleep.