Hey guys! So yesterday was my birthday and I got a new laptop! It's so awesome so now I have a lot more memory! YAY! I really love it and I don't have any more broken keys and I don't have to take out the battery to turn it off! No more hand me down computers from my sister! Haha! It's bitter sweet though, I did love my old computer no matter how crappy it was (Insert sad violin music). It took me a little while to transfer all my scribble ideas for new stories to my new computer but it's all good! Anyways thanks for all the views, reviews, follows, and favorites! Please feel free to leave a review! Thanks and as always, happy reading!

Chapter 16: How Do You Know

Brooke walked through the house around supper time. Herschel insisted that she took a day off so that she could relax and not strain her back. After some protest she finally went home, not without a check up from Herschel first. Everything was great and the she was six months along now. The baby was healthy from what Herschel could tell. Her belly was getting bigger it seemed everyday and reaching things in the cupboards was getting more and more difficult. She was cooking some chicken that Daryl had brought form the butcher shop with some green beans and some homemade mashed potatoes so that she could surprise him when he came back from his tasks for the day. It had been a month since Daryl had forgiven her and everything seemed to be going great. They would actually talk, laugh, it wasn't awkward when he talked to her stomach. And Becky was right, doggy style was the most comfortable way. She had to get to the top of a shelf to get a spice for the chicken but she couldn't reach it because of her bump and her height. She heard a snicker behind her and she turned.

"Need some help darlin'?" Daryl asked. She smirked at him and put her hands on her hips.

"Yes please." She said. He reached up and got the bottle for her and kissed her when he turned to give it to her.

"What're you doin' home so early?" he asked.

"Herschel told me to take the day off." She shrugged. "Said I needed to rest. How was work?"

"Good, we went huntin' today." He said. "So apparently Merle had a talk with Becky."

"Oh really?" she sang. "What did Merle tell you?"

"Why, did Becky talk to you?" he asked.

"I want to see if their stories match up." She replied.

"Well, they decided they want to be together." He said. "Merle said he's not doing just for Meghan."

"Yeah, Becky told me the same." She said. "That's good. I'm glad they're together. It's just-"

"Weird." They said together and they laughed.

"So what're you makin'?" he asked as he put his arms around her. "It smells really good."

"Food." She said and he smacked her arm lightly. "Chicken, green beans, and homemade mashed potatoes. It should be done pretty soon."

"Oh, I'll be right back!" Daryl said and ran outside. She left the food for a little and walked to the front door. He came back with a large, cardboard, box. He placed it on the table and she opened it. She pulled out some baby clothes, cloth diapers, maternity clothes, a couple of children's books, and toys. "I also got some bedding and a couple of blankets."

"Where did you find the store?" she asked.

"Not too far from here." He said. "We took everything we could for the store here." She kissed his cheek.

"It's just what we needed." She said and soon went back to cooking. They finished and ate dinner. They popped in a movie into their TV that they barely used and cuddled on the couch. It wasn't long before she fell asleep so he turned off the movie and carried her up the stairs to their room. He gently laid her down. He kissed her stomach and then her cheek. He stripped to his boxers and climbed into bed with her. He was pretty tired himself so he almost instantly went to sleep.

"Stop it Jack, you're scaring me!" Mrs. Dixon exclaimed, shielding herself from her husband. "You're scaring Daryl!" Daryl stood in the doorway of the kitchen. He was his current thirty year old self but this scene reminded him of when he was eight.

"Shut-up you bitch!" his father roared and pushed his wife. He punched her in the stomach and she flew back into a counter. He stormed over to Daryl and he could smell the alcohol from a mile away. He lifted Daryl by his shirt and threw him away. He saw his father beating his mother unconscious and he stalked over to him. "You think you can take care of a baby? You think you ain't gonna hurt it and your love it? Let me tell you something thing you pussy, women and children are useless in this world. They're only good for smackin' ain't fit to be a daddy. You think you won't hurt them raised in my house? Please I taught you better than that. She don't care about you, ain't nobody gonna love a Dixon, imagine if someone will love a Dixon baby!" His father brought out a knife. "You're just a waste of space, Daryl. You should know that by now you worthless piece of shit." His father lifted the knife and it was about to impale his stomach.

Daryl shot up panting from his dream. He was sweating from head to toe and was shaking. He rubbed a hand down his face and heard Brooke whine a little.

"Daryl?" she asked hoarsely and opened her eyes. "Honey, what's wrong?" he didn't answer he just kept shaking his head. "Daryl you're scaring me."

"Don't say that!" he almost yelled.

"Daryl!" she said and grabbed his arm. "What's going on?" Daryl shot his arm away from her grasp, stood up, and walked down stairs. He paced for a little bit and was still breathing hard. He heard her reach the bottom step. "Daryl, honey, please talk to me. What happened?"

"How do you know?" he asked.

"What?"

"How do you know I'll be a good dad?" he asked.

"Because I know you love the baby." She replied a little shocked at his question.

"I can't do half the things a dad is supposed to do! I can't sing it to sleep, I can't carry a tune!" he said.

"I think you have a nice voice." She said.

"How do you know I won't hurt it? How do you know I won't hurt you?" he asked.

"Daryl, what are you talking about?" she asked.

"You know what I'm talkin' about!" he yelled and she stepped back a little in surprise at his reaction. "I was raised in that family, how do you know I won't hurt the baby or you?" she walked over to him and held his arms.

"You're not Jack." She said. "Have you ever threatened me? Have you ever hit me? Have you ever hurt me?"

"I had to leave you for that year." He said softly.

"That was to protect me, Daryl!" she pointed out. "You did it to protect me. I know you love our baby, I know you are not your father. Just because you had that kind of past doesn't mean you have to let it dictate your future, our future, or the babies future. You're not a drunk, a wife beater, and you will not abuse our child." She said firmly. "I know you won't because I trust you and I've known you for twelve years. We've been best friends for twelve years, and I have loved you for twelve years." She gave him a kiss and he wrapped his arms around her. "You're not your father. You are the bravest, kindest, most amazing man I've ever known and ever will know."

"I'm sorry." He said quietly into her collarbone.

"There's nothing to be sorry about." She said. The baby kicked again and Daryl pulled back a little. "Seems like baby Dixon agrees." She smirked and he sadly smirked at her stomach. She kissed him again. "You're going to be a great dad Daryl. I know you will."

"I love you Brooke."

"I love you too Daryl." She saw the dark circles under his eyes. "Come on upstairs." She said and he took her hand.

"I've always known we'd end up this way Brooke. Y'know having a family." He admitted.

"Then why are you so afraid that you'll hurt me or the baby?" she asked.

"I don't know, it just kind of hit me that I was raised in an abusive environment." He said. "I got scared, Brooke. I didn't trust myself and I just lost it."

"How long have you felt this way?" she asked.

"I've been questionin' if I could be a Dad for a little while but I've always assured myself I could do it. I've never questioned whether I'll hurt it or not until now." He shook his head at what his father had cursed him with. "I'm glad that bastard is dead." Brooke sighed and kissed his cheek. "I mean it."

"I don't doubt you." She said. "You just need to know that I trust you and that you are Daryl, not Jack." She said and he kissed her again. "You're going to be a great dad."

"You're goin' to be a great momma." He said.