A/N- For Leighann, melodytaylor85 & Anyone Else wondering, I am going to try and keep this story going along with the show. Like a saga? Ya know? This one will end with Season 2 & then I will start the next story with Season 3. Again, thank you guys for everything thus far and I hope to continue to live up to your expectations! This chapter is going to get a bit vulgar I guess you could say. Nothing too bad I promise. Also it gets a bit emotional, but I promise all will be ok. Shall we jump in?
Night had fallen, Dale was on top of the RV with Glenn on look out. Shane, Abby and I were sitting around what was left of our small fire. Shane had his arm around Abby and her head was resting on his shoulder. I had my knees pulled up to my chest, cuddled up in the long sleeved shirt I borrowed from Daryl, eating a peach as I listened to Shane tell us about playing high school football. It didn't shock me, I could picture Shane as a total jock. I glance towards the picnic table to see Toby sitting there eyeing everyone. He catches me looking at him and smirks. I just roll my eyes and flip him off before looking back at Abby and Shane.
"Abby and I were cheerleaders." I say
"Oh yeah?" Shane smirked and then looked at Abby for a moment.
"Yeah, if ya play your cards right, I could show ya a few of our old cheers." Abby jokes.
"She left her cheerleading outfit in her other duffel bag." I laugh.
"Shut it, Murph." Abby said sticking her tongue out at me.
"Oh my God, one night, after a game, Abby got so drunk she made up her own cheer for the school's quarterback." I laugh and stand up for a moment raising my hands in the air. "Robby, Robbie he's our man, if he can't do it, no one can. He's super cool and super fast, you can't get past him, he's a blast." I laugh
Abby's face was now red and buried against Shane's arm. Shane laughs and kisses the top of Abby's head.
"Aw, darlin' don't worry, it was cute." Shane says.
I laugh and glance at Toby who was now walking over and sitting down on the tree stump next to me. I ignore him and take a bite of my peach before licking my lips. By now there would of been a fight, we would both be bloodied and he would be wanting sex. The thought kinda made me sick, but I choke it down and laugh as Shane teases Abby. I go to sit down, but stop as I felt an arm come around my waist. I spin around and come face to face with Daryl. I smirk, it was kind of odd, normally he didn't show a lot of affection in front of the others. Of course I knew why, he was marking his territory like a grouchy old hound dog.
"Hey." I say softly.
"Hey yourself." He answers back.
I sit back down, a bit shocked when Daryl sits down on the ground right next to me. It was cute, felt a bit odd that someone was actually trying to stake his claim, not that I minded. I offer him a bite of my peach, taking note of Toby staring at us.
"So Murph, where did ya learn to shoot?" Shane asked breaking the silence.
"Mine and Abby's friend John taught us. Spending the weekends at a shooting range, you get pretty good." I say.
"Nice, you should come show us some of your skills tomorrow." Shane adds.
I go to speak, but I'm cut off by Toby letting out a sarcastic snort.
"What's so funny?" Daryl asks glaring at Toby as he hands me back my peach.
"You praisin that bitch like she's actually worth something." Toby says.
"The fuck I tell you bout callin' her a bitch? Watch yer mouth, boy." Daryl snaps.
"Go fuck yourself Toby." I say rolling my eyes.
"Rather have you do it, was the only think you were good at." He laughs.
Before I could lunge for Toby, Daryl was up, but I managed to stop him. Abby and Shane both glare at Toby, Shane looked a bit crazed, like he could possibly kill Toby. Shane has had that look for a while, but I chalk it up to stress, plus Abby would of shot him if he tried anything. I put my hand on Daryl's arm and give him a "let me handle it" look.
"Yeah, well that was when I didn't know REAL men existed and fell for stupid little boy who couldn't get it up unless he was trying to rape somebody." I snap back.
"Like you didn't ask for it. You wanted it and I gave it to you." He snapped.
I knew Daryl was ready to pounce, hell I was too. Toby would of already jumped me if Daryl and Shane weren't sitting there watching him.
"Oh yeah, that's what you keep saying. Such a big man." I say, my voice raising.
"So mouthy, what your redneck there can't keep you in line. A few back hands and you'd be back in line." He laughs.
"Oh, such a big man. See unlike you, Daryl doesn't need to beat me up to feel important." I say standing up.
"You always were fuckin' pathetic Toby. Too bad someone hasn't put a bullet in your head already." Abby says as she stands up.
"Just like old times, sluts always stick together." Toby says laughing.
This time it was Abby holding Shane back.
"Did you forget our little talk Toby? You forget what I said? We need a refresher course?" Shane says towering over Toby.
Toby didn't answer, which made Abby and I smirk. With a "thought so" from Shane, everyone settles down. Toby mumbles "asshole" and goes back to tossing twigs in the fire. I shake my head and bite into my peach. I don't know what came over me, maybe I wanted to put on a show for Daryl, or maybe make Toby jealous. I lick my lips slowly, before making sure to slowly bite into the peach one more time. Even as Daryl sat cleaning his bow, I could feel him glancing at me. I don't know what cam over me, I was in a playful mood.
"Well, I'm off to catch a few Z's before my turn on watch." Abby says standing up once more.
"Well, let me walk you to your tent." Shane said getting up.
"Uh huh..." I say raising a brow looking at them both.
I watch Shane and Abby walk away and laugh a bit. I look towards Daryl who was still glancing at me every now and then. I give him an innocent smirk and offer him another bite of my peach. He watches me before taking the peach from my hand and biting into it. I laugh as the juice runs down his lip and dribbles into his goatee. Again, I guess I wanted to show off, because I lean forward and lick the juice from Daryl's bottom lip. I nip his bottom lip before taking my peach back. Obviously Daryl didn't mind because he pulled me too him and kissed me. Granted I think it was more to make a point to Toby, but I didn't mind. I feel him nip at my lips, I tasted the peach on his tongue as it explored my month. Once the kiss breaks I smirk and lick my lips.
"I'm gonna have to share with you more often." I joke.
Daryl goes to speak, but was cut off by Toby snorting sarcastically. Daryl shoots him a look, but Toby laughs a bit more.
"Fuckin' pathetic. I figured a good ole boy like you could keep a woman in line, not let her emasculate you." Toby says.
"You askin' to get yer ass stomped, ain't ya? Keep fuckin' talkin'." Daryl snapped.
"Whatcha gonna do son? You got soemthin' to prove, then I'm right here." Toby says.
Daryl just gives him a cocky smirk, I shake my head. Thunder was starting to echo in the distance, oh joy, rain. I look at Daryl who puts an around around me and pulls me close to him. I rest my head on his shoulder, but smirk as I knew if anyone else was around but Toby, Daryl would never be so affectionate. I was ok with that though, I didn't need to flaunt my relationship with Daryl. I was only doing so now to piss Toby off. Toby glances towards us and snorts sarcastically, but I reach up and grip Daryl's hand, letting him know to just ignore Toby.
"Or are ya one of them lost puppy types? Ya know, no one wants her or you so you decide to breed with each other. Only good thing is this bitch can't have puppies." Toby laughs.
I feel Daryl tense up, but I rub his arm trying to keep him calm. Yeah, that was a hit below the belt, but I held my head up. Toby would not make me cry, I wouldn't give him the satisfaction. He stole so many years of my life, I'd be damned if he would steal anymore.
"Enjoyin' my leftovers? Look on the bright side, least I broke her in for ya." Toby says. "She wasn't even good half the time, had better. She was kind of like a dead fish, no wonder she lost the only pup she could get." He added.
"Shut the fuck up Toby! No one gives a shit what you think, God I wish you had died." I say without thinking.
I was shocked, I never wished death on anyone, but I just let those words cross my lips. I was ashamed. I looked away from Toby and Daryl and stood up. Daryl goes to grab my hand, but I pull away. Toby continued to mock me, laugh at me and degrade me. I couldn't tell you what happened next really, I walked away. I can tell you Toby stopped laughing and I heard him hit the ground. I didn't know where I was going, but I knew I wanted away. Running into the woods probably wasn't the smartest thing, but I needed away.
Was I really this weak? At least I waited till he couldn't see me to let the tears fall. My head shoots up as I hear footsteps. Fuck, now I was questioning my actions. I turn over and come face to face with a very pissed off hunter. Daryl stands staring down at me, hand gripping his bow and face red with anger. Without a word he reaches out and grabs my hand, pulling me to my feet. I braced for him to yell at me, tell me how stupid I was for running into the woods at night, unprotected. Instead he embraced me, held me close to him. We stayed like that for a few moments before he pulled away a bit and looked at me.
"I know, I know, no crying, but he just gets to me." I say.
"More than he did this mornin', why?" Daryl asks.
I look up at the sky and then look down at my stomach. I gently run my hands over my belly and cry harder. Daryl continued to stare at me, wondering. I look up at him, he was what I had prayed for. He was the man I longed to have and that seemed to only make things harder.
"He took her..." I whisper.
"Took who?" Daryl asked.
"Aurora, he took her away from me." I cry. "And now he fuckin' mocks me for it!" I yell.
"Murph, who's Aurora?" Daryl asked reaching out to calm me down.
"My little girl..." I say dropping to my knees sobbing.
I clutch my stomach, how could Toby still have this much power over me. Daryl stands a bit shocked, I couldn't look up at him. I hear Daryl squat down in front of me, his hand on my back. He lifts my chin and looks me in the eyes. I couldn't stop the tears from falling.
"He took her...he took my one chance..." I cried.
Thunder echoed around us and lighting was beginning to streak across the sky. I didn't care, right now I hurt so much, the emotional pain floored me.
"Come on Murph, we gotta get in before the storm hits" He says.
"Aurora..." I whisper.
The next thing I remember was Daryl lifting me up from the ground into his arms. I wrap my arms around his neck, and continue to sob as Daryl carries me back towards camp. As we approach, the fire was out and Toby was gone, probably laid up in the tent proud of the fact he hurt me. I feel Daryl sit me down long enough to unzip the tent. He helps me inside, kicking off his boots and helping me out of mine. He takes his crossbow from his shoulder, sitting it by the door, before zipping the door down. I plop down on the make shift bed and pull my knees to my chest, tears continued to fall. Daryl sits down next to me, he was confused, I could tell. I run a hand through my hair before looking towards him with my red puffy eyes.
"She was my miracle, my one chance and that son of a bitch took her away." I say softly.
"Whatcha mean?" Daryl asked with concern.
"Toby, when he raped me. I...I got pregnant. I didn't have the heart to abort my little girl. Even if she was the product of something awful." I choke a bit. "I was going to finally have someone to love, someone who would love me whole heartily. I was told I had slim chances, so when I found out about Aurora...I was shocked." I say wiping tears away, but more kept coming.
Daryl listened quietly as he brushes loose hairs from my face.
"A few nights after I took him back, the night he threw me into the broken table, was the night I lost Aurora. He didn't even know I was pregnant until we got to the hospital." I whisper. "They told me I lost her and he didn't even fuckin' care. He just said "oh" and walked away. He killed my little girl and all the son of a bitch could do was say "oh"." I say clenching my teeth.
Daryl slowly pulled me into his arms, I knew he wasn't use to this. I knew he wasn't use to this type of raw emotion, but he tried to understand. He held me tight as I heard the rain begin to fall, echoing off the tent. I bury my face in the crook of Daryl's neck and cry. He gently lays us down, holding me tight and letting me cry.
"You woulda been a good mother Murph, ya have a good heart." Daryl said softly.
"I did something right in life, and he took her." I say lifting my head.
"I'm sure she woulda been beautiful, like her mother. She would be proud of her momma right now." Daryl says.
"Proud?" I ask wiping tears away.
"Yea, proud. Yer a strong person Murph, you could of easily given up back at the CDC, but you didn'. She would be proud." He says.
"I guess..." I say rolling over onto my back.
"I know so, trust me Murph." He says.
"I miss her, I never got to hold her, I never got to hear her laugh, see her smile. I'll never have any of that." I cry out as I close my eyes.
Daryl sits up and pulls me with him. He wipes the tears from my eyes and looks into them. He kisses my forehead and then looks back down into my eyes as he speaks.
"I wish I knew what to say, what to tell ya to make it ok. I know I can't, but I wish I could." He says.
"It's ok, I know you do." I say.
I couldn't help but smile through my tears at Daryl. Even though he claimed not to know what to say, his words gave me comfort, hope that things would be ok. I see him look down for a moment, as if he wanted to say something but wasn't sure about it.
"What is it, Daryl?" I ask in between sniffles.
"I almost had a little girl once. Her mother was my high school sweetheart." He says as he looks down at his bare feet. "She got pregnant, she got an abortion though. Told me she had better things to do, that I could of ruined her life. I guess I didn't need to be a part of that decision, even if it was my daughter." He says. "I remember one time she said if she was ever going to have a baby, she'd name her Leigh." He added.
I look at Daryl, I admit I was stunned. I watch him chew on the skin around his index finger, nervous twitch. We were both broken people, wronged by ignorant people in the world. Maybe that's why we seem to be drawn together, we both know what it's like to be used and abused, tosses aside like we meant nothing. Daryl flinches when I reach for him, but then lets me pull him into my arms. I hug him tight, I feel his arms around me eventually and that's how we sit, in each others arms, for what seems like hours. When we finally break apart he looks at me, wiping the last of the tears away.
"I love you Murphy O'Connor." He says.
"I...I love you too Daryl Dixon." I say.
I was a bit shocked, I admit, Daryl saying he loved me, even if we both never really knew love in our lives. It's funny how you just seem to know. I gently take Daryl's hand in mine and look into his blue eyes, they seemed to hold so much pain, so much anger. I should know, mine held the same.
"We'll continue on, we have to. For Aurora and Leigh." I say squeezing Daryl's hand.
Daryl leans forward and kisses me gently, pulling me close to his body. He was my solace, his arms my sanctuary and I knew here with him I was untouchable. When the kiss breaks I look up at Daryl, place a gentle hand on his cheek.
"Let's go to bed, get lost in the night, in each other, in our dreams." I say.
Daryl nods, he watches as I slip out of my jeans, the shirt I had on belonging to him came down to my knees. Daryl tossed his shirt aside and we both slowly crawl under the blankets. It was getting cold, so we both huddled together. Daryl claimed not to be a cuddler, but I think I convinced him for one night. He lays on his side, I bury myself down in the blankets, up against Daryl. My head rests under his chin, his arms around me.
"Thank you..." I whisper.
"It's ok, I told ya, yer not alone no more. We will get through this together." Daryl says. "Sleep..." He whispers.
Slowly my pain was subsiding, my tears were drying. I knew things would be ok, my little girl was in heaven playing with the angels. I smile, Aurora and Leigh were little angels, I could imagine them in heaven being best friends. That image gave me hope, strength and filled my heart and mind with a hint of happiness. Daryl and I lay in our comfortable silence, letting the sound of the rain sooth out aching hearts. Tomorrow was a new day, but for tonight I was going to lay in the arms of my hunter and repay him with the same kindness he has shown me.
A/N- I know, sorry if I made you cry! :( I figured it was time to learn something about Murphy and I wanted to give Daryl something to connect with her about, which is why I added that to his past. Hope I am still keeping you guys interested! I know, it's short, but I builds to things later on down the line. Yes I re-labeled the last chapter a bit, I got different plans now. I know I'm horrible.