A/N: Ok everyone. This is going to be a long one, possibly broken up into numerous multi chapter stories. It begins with Daryl and Glenn meeting three years before the apocalypse and progresses into season 1, 2, etc. Major plot points will (most likely) remain fairly similar but I will be taking extreme liberties with the show and comic's story line.

Title is from the song of the same title by Johnny Cash and Emmylou Harris. Listen to it…it is magic. I've heard a few versions of the song and I'm ashamed to say I'm unsure which is the original but I like this version the best. The song actually inspired a lot of this story so I would highly recommend listening.

Disclaimer: Not mine. If the boys were mine this story is exactly how the show would have happened.

Chapter One

Glenn stared down at the bill in his hand, a big, red OVER DUE stamp plastered over the front. There were at least a dozen envelopes like that splayed across the table, many of them final notices and warning of legal action to come. He was neck deep in debt and just getting deeper as the days went by. With a groan Glenn's shoulders sagged in defeat and for the briefest of moments he thought he may cry. Glenn was already working seven days at Eddie's Pizza as a deliver driver and had recently picked up a shift at the drug store down the street which gave him an extra twenty hours a week but every paycheck seemed to be gone the same day he got it.

Asking his parents for help was out of the question and he didn't think he could manage another job with his night classes so that left only one option; find a roommate. Glenn's apartment was small and technically only one bedroom but there was a very large storage closet that could be turned into a minimally functioning sleeping area. There was no way he could get away with charging much but any help would be useful and Glenn would be lying if he said the company would be unwelcome. Finding someone to live in his piece of shit apartment would most likely be a challenge. The closet was large enough for a bed and a dresser and not much else but for someone who really needed a roof over their head it would look like a palace.

The internet was shut off weeks ago but Glenn's cellphone was miraculously still in service so he placed the ad on craigslist before he could second-guess himself. In the past he had always made fun of people who found lodging via craigslist, assuming everyone online was crazy but desperate times called for desperate measures. Glenn kept the ad short and sweet, leaving his cell number and specifying he was looking to fill the room "ASAP". It was just after midnight and Glenn had to be up in seven hours so he plugged his phone in to charge and went about his nightly ritual, hoping he hadn't just made a terrible mistake.

When Glenn woke there were eight messages left on his phone, all of them inquiries about the room. Slightly fazed Glenn called them all back but only agreed to meet with two of them; a twenty-five year old Grad student named Beth and a twenty year old guy named Jason, both of whom had steady income, seemed nice and didn't care where they slept. Glenn had an hour break between his shift at the corner store and the one at the pizza place so they were meeting him at a coffee shop, both agreeing to a group interview. He had never been to the cafe but customers told him repeatedly how amazing the coffee was.

The day passed uneventfully and agonizingly slow, Glenn's phone going off every so often with requests to meet. No one struck his interest, however, so he was forced to lie and say he had already picked a roommate. A total of five customers came during his six hour shift, all of them regulars, and when the clock struck two Glenn left the store as quickly as possible, practically sprinting the five blocks to the coffee shop. Turns out Beth was always prompt and prepared, already waiting for him without a single hair out of place, and Jason was twenty minutes late.

Glenn didn't like that.

By the end of the interview Glenn wasn't happy with either of them; Beth seemed like a neat freak-which Glenn was not-and Jason appeared unreliable. He thanked them both and said he would be in touch but Beth gave him a look on her way out that said she knew he wouldn't be. Frustrated, Glenn bought another cup of coffee he couldn't afford, ready to leave when the man behind the counter stopped him.

"You lookin' fer a roommate?" He had a deep southern accent. The kind you found in the country, not Atlanta.

"I am." Glenn nodded, really looking at the man. He was the same guy who had made Glenn's first coffee.

Glenn wasn't sure how he had overlooked him.

The barista was older than Glenn that much was obvious, but Glenn was having difficulty pinpointing his exact age. The man-Daryl, his nametag read-had the bluest eyes Glenn had ever seen, crows feet gently framing them. Daryl's mouth turned up in a smirk and Glenn found himself immediately drawn to the prominent beauty mark above his lip. Glenn realized he was staring when Daryl cleared his throat, looking at him expectantly.

"I'm sorry-what?"

"I asked 'how much'?" Daryl was leaning against the counter, face still cocky but his body language was screaming awkwardness.

Glenn found it endearing.

"Oh." Glenn stared a second longer, distracted by the man's facial hair, before answering, "It's only fifty dollars a week."

"What's wrong with tha place?" Daryl asked, wiping the counter down with the towel that had been draped over his shoulder. "That's might cheap fer the city."

"It's technically a storage space," Glenn explained, sipping his coffee. "Big enough for the basic necessities but it's nothing special. I'm just really desperate for some extra cash."

Daryl was quiet for a while, staring at Glenn with an intensity that made the younger man fidget.

"Can I come check tha place out? Imma bit desperate m'self."

Daryl went back to work before Glenn could answer, making some mint frappe nonsense for a woman with large, fake breasts and far too much makeup on. She looked Daryl up and down, licking her lips and batting her eyelashes, but he only shoved the drink in her hands and turned away. Daryl seemed completely unaware of the blatant flirting.

"I get off work at eleven. Is that too late?"

"Naw that's fine. Where should I meet you?"

"Do you know where Eddie's Pizza is?" Daryl nodded. "That's where I work so you could just come there when I get off. I don't have a car, though."

"Don' worry, kid," Daryl said, throwing a few things in the trash without looking.

His aim was perfect.

"I can give you a ride."

TBC…

A/N: First chapter is a bit short but I actually have quite a bit of this written already. Inspiration struck randomly a while ago and I've been going crazy since. PLEASE review and let me know what you think. I so appreciate it.