* Please review even though this story is finished. *

" A week after the outbreak started, we ran into a group of six men. They had weapons, we didn't. They promised to protect us and we were stupid." She started. The mattress shifted as she rolled over. Using the night light in the room, Daryl saw her hand came out and felt her lightly touched his arm. " They took us to a building they said they had fixed up to keep the walkers out. They made Jocelyn uncomfortable but we didn't know where else to go. I was used to men looking at me like perverts, I got that a lot from the bar. I tried to convince her it was fine." She took her hand away but Daryl reached out and captured it in his.

" I saw the way the men at the bar looked at you. All of them leerin." He said with a frown.

" On our third night with them, the men surrounded us. Two of them took a hold of me and put a knife to my throat. Two other ones forced Jocelyn to her knees. When she refused to give one of the men oral, they cut me across my shoulder." Daryl felt himself start to squeeze her. He tugged on her hand to pull her closer to him as if he could protect her from the memory. They were now laying side by side still holding hands. "Every time she tried to stop, the men would cut me somewhere. They all raped us, one by one, taking turns cutting us. In the morning I told her we had to leave or they would kill us. I just knew they would."

" Tell me they are dead. Tell me they are dead or I might go back there and kill them myself." Daryl growled. She interlaced their fingers together. He glanced down at their hands then back at the ceiling.

" We waited until they were asleep then we took off. We propped the door open and took off running. We found that drug store you found us in and locked ourselves in for days. We were terrified. We didn't know what else to do. Our parents had been killed, we figured. We just didn't know where to go. We were there for about four days when we saw them again. They were walkers. I hate to admit it but I was glad." Jillian said. Daryl brought his other hand to his eyes and started rubbing them.

" They got what they deserved." He said. They were quiet for a few more minutes before Daryl spoke again. Jillian leaned her head against his shoulder. " I used to get so pissed at the way guys used to look at you, fuckin assholes checkin out your ass like you were some whore." Jillian was shocked by his confession. She always thought he was just an angry person because he was always frowning at the bar. For once, Jillian took Jocelyn's advice and just went with what she was feeling.

" Why didn't you even ask me out? I mean, if you didn't like the way guys looked at me, then why didn't you ever do anything about it?" She asked. Daryl sighed.

" You aint the type of girl that would go for me. You're beautiful and smart. I'm just a stupid ass hick." Daryl admitted. " Besides, I'm a one night stand kind of man, you deserve better than that." He said as he started to pull his hand away from her. Jillian tighten her hand on his and brought her other hand to his arm, holding him to her.

" You aren't stupid. You are an amazing hunter and you hunt for a group of people you don't even like. I could never hunt, I'm not patient enough. And yeah, I have never had a one night stand and I don't want too. But I'm just a bartender, I barely made it through high school and college, yeah right." She said. They fell into a silence again for a while before Jillian turned onto her side. She placed one hand under the pillow as she looked at him. " I would have said yes." Daryl frowned and looked at her.

" To what?" He asked.

" If you had asked me out, I would have said yes." She said.

" Oh." Was all he said before he looked away. Jillian frowned and felt embarrassment crept over her. She let go off his arm and turned away from him. She sat up and pulled her hair into a bun. She threw the blankets off her and stood up. Daryl sat up and watched as she started gathering up her stuff. " Where the hell are you goin?" He asked.

" I'm going to get a different room. Thanks for taking care of me and my sister but I think I need to be alone for a while." She said. Daryl passed his hand through his hair.

" Oh hell, Jillian, don't leave." He said.

" No, I need too. I need to think." She said without looking at him. " I just need some time to think." She was gathering up her clothes and tossing them into her bags the best she could since she was still buzzing from the beer. He stood up and quickly went over to her.

" Come on, just stay here." He said.

" No, I can't." She said. Daryl grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. Jillian struggled against him but he had a hold of both of her arms. " Let me go!"

" Just listen to me, for fuck sakes!" He said. She glared at him with tears in her eyes.

" I have listened enough, I get it. You don't want me. That's fine. I have some stupid crush on you but don't worry, I will get over it." She said.

" I don't want you? How can I not want you? You're so fuckin beautiful and sexy it kills me! It hurts me to look at you because I ain't ever gonna have the chance to be with you! We don't move through the world the same way! You need sumone so much better then me!"

" In case you haven't noticed, the fucking world ended! Everyone who is still alive moves through it the same! And don't you think it should be up to me to decide who I am with or not? You never even gave me a chance! You have these thoughts about me and what I deserve when you don't even know me! Your excuse is pathetic and stupid!" She snapped. " Now get you're fucking hands off me so I can leave! I can't get over you if you're always in my face!"

They stared at each other for a few seconds before he pulled her against him and kissed her hard. Jillian struggled against him, refusing to allow him to deepen it no matter how hard he tried. She finally pushed against him, making him break the contact. She started full on crying, completely shocking him. Women and their feelings were not something he was used to dealing with.

" Don't! Don't even think about kissing me because I can't take it! I have lost everyone in my life, my whole family is gone! My sister died last night! I went against my promise to her and told you what happen to us! I trusted you enough to let you in on one of the most horrible times in my life! I tell you I like you and you throw it all back in my face! No! Don't kiss me again!" She cried. She covered her face with her hands and was sobbing.

" I thank you for trustin me, for lettin me in but you ain't lost me." He said softly. Her hands slowly dropped from her face but the tears continued to fall.

" I never had you to lose." She sobbed softly. He brought his hands to her cheeks.

" You had me the first night I saw you." He said. She slowly stopped sobbing as he started to wipe away her tears. " I only went there to see you. I had to watch you talk to the guys there knowin I wasn't as good as they were. I had to watch those assholes stare at your ass and tits, wantin to knock them out but knowin I couldn't touch them. I never regretted who I was until you. The more I was around you, the more I wished I could talk better and be smarter. I wanted to be better so some day I could ask you out and you wouldn't laugh at me." Daryl said. " Then the world went to shit."

" I would have accepted you the way you were."

" I didn't know that. I figured you'd never give me a chance." He said as one hand slipped through her hair, tugging it out of the bun.

" So instead, you decided to never give me a chance." She said. He sighed and nodded.

" I guess that's about right. I treated you the way I was scared you'd treat me. I ain't got an excuse for that."