*sniff sniff* I smell another plot twist comin' up soon...

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.::.

"It's always gonna be sour grapes with you, boy."

- "Sour Grapes" by Puscifer

You could probably compare my reaction to one of those cartoon characters when their mouths drop all the way to floor in total shock and they end up having to roll it back up like a window blind. I couldn't believe it was really her, standin' right in front of me. I really never thought I'd see her again.

I pensively studied her appearance. Her face was dirty and tired. Her hair had been cut short, falling just below her shoulders. It was no longer red like it had been the last time I saw her. It was a dark shade of mahogany that contrasted dramatically against her twinkling green eyes. Her clothes were tattered and torn. The biggest surprise of them all, however, was that she was wearing my shirt from our last night together.

Suddenly, I felt like I had been kicked in the gut. She parted her lips to speak as her wide eyes bore a hole through my skin. However, she remained quiet.

Shit. Hell hath no fury...

I don't think I had ever felt so terrible and so happy in my entire life. Just to know that she was actually safe and alive and standing right in front of me again made me feel like I could never want for nothin' else. But at the same time, the hateful look on her face reminded me that she wasn't as happy to see me as I was to see her.

"You." Her voice cracked. Honestly, I expected her to cry just by the upset look on her face. But she didn't. Instead, she came up on me faster than a Rattlesnake and sucker punched me right in the jaw.

I stood still, trying to calm myself. I immediately told myself that I deserved it and I intended to handle it like a fuckin' man. And I ain't even gonna lie, it hurt like hell. I rubbed my jaw softly and she lifted her arm as if she was fixin' to do it again.

"Hey!" Rick interrupted, grabbing her arm. "The hell are you doin'?"

"This motherfucker..." Her body was trembling with anger. I had never been afraid of a woman in my entire life until this very moment.

The wind howled through the trees ominously as the three of us stood there looking at each other. Her lookin' at me, me lookin' at her, and Rick lookin' at the two of us like we both had three heads.

"Will somebody please explain what the hell is going on here?" He asked, furrowing his brow with confusion.

I kept quiet for no other reason than I really had no idea what the hell to say. "Oh, this is the girl that I pretty much left for dead the night after I fucked her." Just didn't seem to roll off my tongue so easily.

Molly continued to stare at me like I was the devil's right hand man for a moment before she finally disengaged herself and glanced at Rick. "I, uh...my name's Molly. Millar."

He licked his chapped lips and hesitantly reached his hand out to introduce himself. "Rick Grimes. You two know each other?"

She nodded her head. "Used to. I thought." Her bitterness cut into me like a dull knife.

Rick sighed, trying to come up with the right way to handle this very difficult and dramatic situation. "Look, I don't know what's going on between you two...that ain't none of my concern. But if ya need some place to go, you're welcome to come with us. We've got a big group. Couple a cars. Safer than bein' out here on your own."

"Thank you. Honestly...I have nowhere else to go." She wouldn't look at me at this point.

"Now, you said you had friends?"

"Yeah, two others. They got attacked a mile or two back...I just ran...I left them." She rubbed her tired eyes, visibly very upset that she hadn't stayed to help them.

"They got bit?"

She nodded her head.

"Look, I'm sorry-" Rick tried to calm her by putting a friendly hand on her shoulder. "But if they got bit they're ain't no use in going back. What's done is done. Do you understand?"

Hesitantly, she nodded again, looking up to meet his eyes with hers. "Wait...Don't I know you?"

Rick looked a little confused, but I could tell he was trying to place her face. Finally, he shrugged his shoulders and said, "Not that I know of. I used to be a cop though. Seen a lot of faces that I'm bound to forget..."

"You're Officer Grimes. You helped me on my birthday when we saw that walker on the beach. Remember? Right when it all first started?"

His eyes widened upon the realization. "I do remember. So you two did know each other." He gestured towards me. "Good to see you safe."

We stood silently for only a moment before Rick took his hands off his hips and began walking a few steps away. "We should be getting back. It's getting dark. Ain't no use in stayin' out here lookin' for Sophia if we can't even see five feet in front of us."

I nodded my head and the three of us headed back towards the highway. Rick led the way while Molly followed behind him, and I followed closely behind her. I couldn't see her all to well, but it was nice to know she was there.

We had been walking for a good ten minutes and were coming up on the mouth of the forest. I had been debating on whether or not I should say something to her but I was unsure of what. If I could just get her to listen, I could explain my side of things. "Molly, I-"

"Shut the fuck up, Daryl."

Well.

That was short-lived.