Molly didn't hear it again and Daryl just laughed to himself as he walked down the steps. That bird did not like him one bit and he thought it was hilarious. There was a time when he worried incessantly about what others thought but those days were gone forever. The bird could hate him and anyone else could as long as Molly liked him.

She was all that mattered now, all of the sudden. Merle was going to have a laugh about this. Daryl had finally fallen in love.

Meeting Molly had changed him somehow and he struggled to put a finger on it. He had liked her right away when she was Jacob's nurse and he had already in the span of just a few days told her almost everything about him. It was different somehow, then with anyone else, it was like he had been looking for her his whole life.

That was love, the way people always said it was and he had thought drugs had taken that ability away from him forever. When you're high and damaging your brain that way, it takes things away that people don't realize, like emotions and the ability to bond with others.

Daryl had thought that happened to him, because he just didn't care about anyone but his brother and father. It turned out he was wrong, he wasn't damaged goods, he could love another person.

He knew her too now. She had been very frank about her sister and the guy that hit her. She had already been involved with a drug addict and she was willing to take a chance on him, he would never let her down. Molly had faith in him and he wondered how she knew he was a good man. Most men that used weren't, even after they got clean, the lifestyle changed even the best of the best.

Molly knew that, but she also saw something in him that he didn't see in himself.

She had watched him care for his father all those months and he knew her nurse's heart loved that side of him. There was more to him that he wanted her to see, for the first time he wanted to let someone in and allow them to know him completely.

For all his life he felt like he was missing something and as he watched her walking in front of him, he was sure he had found it.

He never wanted to let her go, he knew what this was as it creeped over his heart and soul and took his breath away. She was his person.

She was missing something too, that he could never give back to her, but he would try and make her happy, for as long as she would have him. She would never have sadness as long as he was around, she would never cry again.

Molly turned around and smiled at him and he made a promise to himself that she would always have a reason smile with him.

/

As they rode along Molly held tight to him and lay her face against his back. She breathed him in and felt again that his scent made her feel safe and happy. She hadn't felt this way since before Charlie came into her life and tore it all up. Since before Claudia died, she knew she had been sleepwalking through life and throwing everything she had into her work. She was a woman though and she longed to connect with someone other than her girlfriends.

It had been such a long time since she held someone's hand, had been kissed. Molly had forgotten how nice it was, to be wanted and desired. To want someone, the way she wanted him, it had never been this way with Charlie, not even in the beginning.

She felt things that she hadn't felt in such a long time and it was both scary and familiar, exciting and terrifying in equal measure. She was along for more than just this ride on his bike with him and she hoped like hell that it would last.

They stopped at a coffee house that was far off the main road and she didn't know of it. He had said they skipped dessert before and this place had the best tiramisu that he had ever had. He led her through the door, by the hand and the place was dark and lit by small lights and candles. Daryl always held her hand when they were together, and Molly loved that.

"This reminds me of the place Tara and I lived in during college, the apartment was above this place called the Inkwell." She said as they sat down in a booth in the back. "It was noisy as hell on the weekend between the bands and poetry readings and all kinds of stuff."

"I love this place, best coffee in town."

"Drink up, you might need the caffeine later." She grinned what she hoped was a wicked grin that would seduce him again.

Daryl reached for her hand as the waitress came over and took their order. They ordered two coffees and tiramisu to split and he started talking. He wasn't going to stop until he told her what was in his heart and mind, it was like he couldn't hold it inside himself.

"This is more for me Molly; I think you know that."

"Well, you did take me to meet your Dad." She said smiling, but then she saw how serious he was. This was not a fling, not for either of them. "I know, for me too."

"Seriously, I think we've both been through the ringer and I wanna be honest right from the jump." He said. "It's why I didn't try anything with you that first day."

"Oh at the car place, when I threw myself at you?" She laughed, remembering how she tried to be all sexy and wrote her number in his hand and then kissed it. "Its ok, I got you the next day." She laughed.

"I didn't want to wreak it, because…"

He stopped and looked directly into her eyes.

"I could marry you." He said. "I want…" Then he stopped and looked at her. He saw the tears welling in her eyes. "No, don't cry, it's too soon, I know, I'm sorry, don't be scared." He said reaching for her hands.

"Yes." She squeaked out and looked up at him. People would say it was too soon and they would say they didn't really know each other but they did.

She took care of his father for months and Daryl had always been there. She knew his heart and he knew hers. They knew each other and they knew each other enough to know that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together.

The end

Thank you to everyone who left me love on this story. It isn't over, I will revisit them like I did with Daryl and Stephanie in "Transference" And "Sometimes love isn't enough" There's more to their story. Thanks again and please let me know what you think xxxxx Krissy