A/N: Here's the next chapter. It's the one everyone has been waiting for I think so I hope you enjoy!

Also, I'm debating on whether to make Lori and Shane a couple or to leave that aspect like the show… let me know what you think of the idea of me deviating from the story and putting them together.

Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended.

Chapter 12

"I guess it's my turn to spill my history," Molly said, knowing somewhere inside that she should shut up and leave before she told him anything, but the alcohol still coursing through her veins had a different idea in mind.

"No, you don't have to tell me anything, I just wanted you to know, after all you've done for me and Keegan. You deserved to know." Daryl had seen the sad looks she had sometimes and the vague things she said when she looked sad and he almost didn't want to know what could cause such a feeling.

"And you deserve to know about me," Molly replied. "About a year and a half ago I met a boy at college. His name was Aaron and I thought we were in love. After a couple months I moved in with him and things seemed to be going alright. We weren't the happiest couple on the planet by far, but we weren't the most miserable either. Not long after we moved in together I found out that I was pregnant. My son Finn was born in January. Aaron wanted nothing to do with him, refused to have anything to do with the pregnancy, and had pretty much broken contact with me by my eighth month. He said that his education was the most important thing in his life and that he wasn't going to let some mistake ruin the rest of his life. Without Aaron helping support us, I had to get a tiny little apartment, put school on hold, and start working two jobs, at the daycare and at a bar near my place. Finn was with my mother the day all this went from bad to worse. When I heard what was happening with people coming back and eating each other I went to my mom's house as fast as I could."

Molly bit her lip and looked toward the ceiling to try to keep the tears at bay. "Uh, when…when I got there the front door was open and there was a walker in the living room with my mom. They were…" Molly's breath shuddered as she tried to keep going. "They were standing over Finn's playpen and…" The tears began falling in torrents, nothing Molly did would stop them as she let out her pain and grief for the first time since she'd found her mother tearing her son's body apart. She hadn't cried about it since the day it happened, and hadn't thought about the actual event at all. She had refused to think about it, knowing that if she thought about it she would never stop thinking about it, and it would break her. "I didn't even do anything. I remember screaming and crying, but when my mom turned to look at me and I saw her face…I ran. I left my son to be eaten alive; I couldn't even put my own mother down."

Daryl was shocked at her story. He had no idea what to do for her, had never met anyone who had suffered something so traumatic. Because he couldn't think of anything else to do, he gathered her close to him and held on to her tight. Her hands moved from her face and wrapped around his back and gripped him tighter than any woman had ever held him before. She sobbed into his neck and he couldn't help inhaling the shampoo she'd used on her amazingly pretty hair. "It's alright, everything will be alright," he said soothingly, running his hand up and down her back repeatedly, letting his fingers tangle in her tresses.

"I'm a terrible person Daryl. What kind of person just stands by while her family is destroyed like that?" she cried against his neck.

"You're not a terrible person Molly. You did what you had to do. If you had stayed you would have just ended up dead like them. You know that your son was already gone by the time you got there right? There's no way he could have lived through it, and your mother had already turned. You survived, just like all the rest of us are doin. You can't blame yourself; there was nothin you could have done to prevent it when you had just learned about it. I'm sorry about what happened to you, and your family," he whispered into her hair.

He could feel her sobbing still but she had quieted quite a bit. As they sat there wrapped in each other's arms Daryl thought about this new information and used it to make connections with things he'd previously noticed about this girl. He understood now why she acted so extra protective of Keegan, she was compensating for how she hadn't been able to protect her own son, and he probably reminded her of her baby in a couple ways. But he couldn't understand how she had kept herself so collected all this time, how she hadn't just curled up in a ball and been consumed by her grief. She was stronger than he'd ever give her credit for. The more he thought about it the more he was pissed about her scumbag boyfriend and he found himself hoping that he had succumbed early to the walker epidemic. It also made him think about Lori's treatment of her and that irked him to no end. After everything this girl had been through she shouldn't have to deal with that uppity bitch's shit too.

Finally, Molly pulled away a little bit. Her eyes were puffy and red and still wet, and her cheeks still had tears on them but she was smiling a little. "Thanks for letting me cry on you," she said softly, staring into his blue eyes. "And for trusting me with what happened to Keegan's mom."

"No one should be left alone with grief as deep as yours is Molly. Does Keegan help with the pain?" he asked in return, just now realizing how deep a brown her eyes were.

Molly nodded, biting her lip against fresh tears. "He looks a little like him, or maybe I just think he does because I want him to look like Finn…but Finn acted a little like him, was quiet and more observant than whiny like some babies. But really, just having a baby around helps me through it, makes me feel like maybe it's not as hopeless as I feel it is sometimes. And being able to watch him, protect him, makes the pain a little more bearable, like I'm making up for not being able to protect my own son. I know he's not mine Daryl, I'm not trying to claim him as my own, I would never try to take your son from you. He just makes me feel better."

Daryl smirked a little, remembering that first day they'd met when he told her that Keegan was his and no one was allowed to just steal him away. "Any time you feel sad or hopeless, you find Keegan and hold him. No, he's not your son but that don't mean you haven't kind of taken on a role in his life that only a woman can really fill. It doesn't have to be any more than you carin for him when you want to. I trust you with my son Molly, you will always be the person I give him to if we're in a jam," he said quietly.

Molly searched his eyes, looking for a lie or a 'but' or anything to tell her that he was going to pull the rug out from under her. But she didn't find anything but honesty and compassion. His blue orbs were looking into her eyes in return and before she could control her actions she was leaning toward him, her lips coming to rest against his. She could tell she'd shocked him, she was surprised herself, but it didn't take him long to get over his shock. He brought his right arm around her waist and his left went behind her neck, tangling in her damp hair and holding her close to him as her arms both wrapped around his neck, one of them playing with the hair at the base of his head. It was a slow, languid kiss, not frantic and rough like Molly would have expected from this rough-hewn man.

They broke apart when they ran out of air, both panting a little as they stared at each other.

"I'm sorry," Molly managed to get out as she sat back enough to see his whole face.

Daryl grinned, loosening his hold on her so she wouldn't feel like he was making her stay where he wanted her. "Don't be, that was nice."

"It was, and I really enjoyed it. I just don't want you to feel obligated to be nice to me because of what I just told you, and I don't want to feel like you're being nice because you feel sorry for me. I don't think now is the right time to explore anything like this," Molly offered in an apologetic voice.

Considering her words and realizing that she was right, Daryl nodded. He knew that he wasn't just being nice to her, she had caught his attention when they'd first met, but he didn't want her to feel like he pitied her. He didn't even know if he wanted to start anything - physical or emotional - with this girl. She was so damaged already, and he had never had any kind of real, healthy relationship of his own. He was fine leaving it at an ill thought out kiss for the time being until they both figured out what was going on. "I agree that we should hold off, but I want you to know that I don't pity or feel sorry for you. I'm sorry about what happened to you but I know you'll pull through. You're a strong woman Molly and I don't think I could ever pity you."

Molly nodded and heaved a sigh. "Thank you so much Daryl. Well, I think I should head to bed. Amy is alone in our room and I don't want her to wake up while I'm not there. You and Keegan sleep well tonight," she said with a smile, running her hand down his cheek then doing the same to Keegan before going to the door and disappearing down the hall.

Daryl sighed and stripped down to his underwear before checking Keegan one last time and laying down on his cot with one arm behind his head, thinking about all the things he'd learned that night. He slipped into sleep with the image of dark brown eyes and hair permeating his dreams.

I'm sorry this is kind of short, I thought it was a good place to stop. Let me know what you thought of Molly's story. I hope it wasn't too similar to anyone else's story on here. Please review! I love the feedback and they help motivate me!