TRIGGER WARNING: This story will contain mentions of attempted rape and assault. If this is something that could possibly bother you, please take caution before proceeding. All chapters that include it, will have a warning at the top.
It was two in the morning. Daryl sat over his half eaten plate of eggs and hash browns, deciding if he wanted another cup of coffee to drive through the night or if he wanted to call it a night and move his rig and turn in. The waitress, a portly woman with a curt attitude, slammed around before him, as if annoyed that he and one other person were here keeping her somewhat busy.
He looked over his shoulder at the other patron in the diner. It was a young woman, clearly out of place, sitting quietly and asking for nothing. Daryl's irritation was growing by the second at the way the waitress was acting.
"You need anything else?" She asked bitterly. He pulled a ten dollar bill out of his pocket and slammed it down on the table with a slap. His peripheral vision noticed the blonde girl jump in her seat at his outburst.
"Nah, try not to overwork yourself." He bit back. The woman glared at him as he turned to make his way out of the diner and back to his rig. He still wasn't sure what he would do tonight, but he figured he would decide when he got back to the truck.
His hand moved to push the door open but something drew his attention back to the girl. She couldn't be more than 20. What was she doing in a place like this? And why did she look like a whipped dog? He couldn't stop himself from dropping his hand and walking over to her.
Beth had noticed the older man the minute she walked into this diner. At this time of night, she assumed him to be the owner of the big rig that was parked outside. She thought he was going to leave after his outburst, but he stopped at the door and started making his way towards her. She suddenly grew tense at what he could possibly want.
He seemed to hover around her, not quite sure of what to say but Beth could only imagine what a man like him would want at this time of night.
"I ain't that kind of girl," she sneered at him.
"Ain't lookin' for nothin' like that. Ya mind?" He asked, his hand gesturing to the seat across from her. She drew into herself and, when she didn't respond, he took that as her acceptance. "What are ya doin' in a place like this?"
"Don't matter, ain't botherin' anyone."
"Nah, but the wrong kinda person walks in here, ya ain't gunna want to be here. What's your story, girl?" Daryl knew, even though it was late, any kind of trucker could come in here and do any number of things to this girl. And he knew the bitch behind the counter would do nothing to help her. He felt compelled to help her; a distant memory from his own past, flashing in his mind.
"You tryin' to be my knight and shining armour? I can take care of myself."
"Where ya headed?" He wondered out loud. He couldn't help but notice that since he sat down, her arms were still wrapped tightly around her body and the bruises on her hands stood out like orange paint on camouflage.
"Doesn't matter. As long as it's away."
"You runnin' from something?" Beth couldn't bring herself to speak, her throat felt tight. Why was this man talking to her like he gave a shit about her? She was nobody to him. What did he stand to gain from talking to her?
The silence between them allowed for Beth to take in this man. He wasn't being threatening, he wasn't trying to pick her up, what was his deal? Beth thought she was a good judge of character but she had been burned too much in the past. She wasn't willing to trust her gut anymore but there was something about him.
Before she realized what she was saying, the words spilled out of her mouth, "Where ya goin?"
"Gotta take the truck up to Lexington, Kentucky. Drive for a production company and they need it for some basketball game." He wasn't sure why he explained more than he needed to, but he felt like it might comfort her. "Ain't supposed to pick up people along the way, but ya look like ya need to be anywhere but here."
"I can't pay you for lettin' me come with. I barely got enough for food as it is." She whispered, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment.
"I ain't askin'' for money. And don't worry, I'll kick you out when you start to annoy me or when I come to my senses." Daryl said with a small smirk from the corner of his mouth.
Beth could finally see that he was being genuine and decided to put the last of her hope into this man and follow him. Daryl stood and headed to the door. He noticed she had yet to move to follow him.
"Ya comin'?" He asked. She shook her head and finally untangled herself from her arms and rose to follow him. She followed him to the rig and was slightly surprised when he opened the passenger door for her. She hesitated for a moment before climbing up into the passenger seat. After a few moments, he opened his door and climbed in behind the rig and closed the door.
"I'm Beth." She whispered as she tucked her legs under herself and wrapped her arms back around her body, her frame pressed against the door as if it were a lifeline to safety.
"Daryl." He grunted. He pulled out a notebook and looked over it for a moment.
"What's that?" She asked curiously.
"Goddamn logbook. Got six more hours before I gotta stop. Think I'll make it to Lexington before then."
Daryl looked at Beth while she sat, huddled into her seat. Thinking back to what she said before about not being able to pay him, he suddenly figured out a solution to both their problems.
"I hate filling these out, goddamn nuisance if ya ask me, but I gotta. Think you can handle this? Earn your keep while we're on the road? All ya gotta do is mark when we stop for gas, food, or sleep. And how many miles we travel." Beth nodded her head and grabbed the book from him to look it over."How long you plannin' on ridin' with me?" He asked as he fired up the rig.
She closed the book and looked at him, a far off look in her eyes. "Haven't thought that far ahead. What happens when you get where you're going?"
"Company puts me up in a hotel and I hang around til the show is over then hitch back up and hit the road. Think they have me going to Colorado next."
"I just can't go home," she mumbled, looking out the window. "Ain't no place for me there anymore so I'll stick with you till ya kick me to the curb."
Beth became emotionless with her words. Rejection was something she had been dealing with for quite some time now so she kept with the feeling that it wouldn't be changing anytime soon.
"You ain't no runaway junkie are ya?" Daryl joked but asked with a hint of seriousness. The last thing he needed was some young girl looking for her next fix. He had heard too many horror stories through the years from other drivers of them getting robbed by people they picked up along the way.
"No, I ain't like that," she responded meekly. He could tell she was telling the truth, as she looked almost insulted by the insinuation but she understood his need to protect himself. "Just got other issues. Enough that I just can't go home."
"Ain't something I should be worried about is it?" She shook her head quickly and tightened her arms around herself again.
"Nothin' like that. I just really don't wanna talk about it." Daryl nodded and turned his attention back to his truck. He understood how difficult it was to talk about the past so he decided not to pressure her or question her anymore. When and if she wanted to talk, he'd listen. The bruises on her arms were proof enough of what she had been through. He didn't need to be a mind reader to know someone had hurt her. He just didn't know who.
"Won't tell anyone you're here if you won't." He said with a smirk. "Ya look tired. There's a bed in the back. Get some rest for a few hours."
Before she was able to decline his offer, she gave off a huge yawn and conceded that a few hours would probably do her good. She wasn't sure of the last time she got a decent night's rest. She nodded her head to him and moved from the seat to the small area behind them.
The bed was slightly made, a flannel shirt thrown over the pillow. She picked it up, feeling how soft it was and looked to Daryl who was busy checking that everything was in working order.
"I don't got a change of clothes," she stammered out. He looked behind, to see her still holding his shirt in one hand with a look of trepidation.
"You can use that till we get to Lexington. Getcha some stuff to wear then." He heard her whisper a thanks as he turned back around to get the truck moving. It wasn't until he heard the zipper of her jeans that he realized what he just agreed to. She was removing her clothing directly behind him. He focused on the gauges as he put the rig into gear and pulled out of the parking spot, but he had to ignore the primal need he felt the first time he saw her.
Yes, she was gorgeous, but he wasn't his brother and at the very least he to considered himself a decent man. Why else would he have asked her along if not to help her? But seeing her in the small mirror that was installed on the dash from the last owner of this rig, he was having trouble keeping his thoughts pure. He was a decent man, but he sure as hell wasn't a saint.
As Beth slipped his shirt on, she could smell the hint of nicotine and leather. There was even the lingering of a wood scent. When she crawled into the bed and wrapped his blanket around her tight, she took notice of the bunk. It was well kept and somewhat orderly. She noticed on the back of his chair was a leather biker vest with angel wings. It was well worn but well taken care of.
On the floor, she noticed a bright green feather. She stuck her hand out to touch it and noticed what it was attached to.
"Is that a crossbow?"
"Ah, shoulda warned ya bout that. Don't travel without it." Daryl responded.
"Why?" She asked meekly, her voice barely louder than the roar of the engine.
"Use to hunt before I started drivin'. Got a handgun up here too, just in case it makes ya nervous. That bow is pretty much the only thing I own that I would risk my life for." He said with a chuckle.
"My brother took me huntin' once. The first and the last time he ever took me with him," she responded with a hint of glee to her voice. Once she realized what she said, she quickly reverted back. "Night Daryl," she whispered out and turned over to face the wall, putting what little distance she could between herself and the man. Logically, she knew a few extra inches wouldn't matter much if Daryl turned out to be like all the other men, but it gave her that much more peace of mind as she let exhaustion pull her under.
"Night Beth." He pulled out onto I-75 north and sighed into the darkness.
"Thank you." He wasn't sure he heard her thanks so he remained silent as he merged onto the interstate. This girl, this Beth, would make his travels very interesting.
Thank you very much for reading. Please let us know what you think by leaving a review. This is our first attempt at co-writing a story but it has been so much fun.
This story will start out as AU but the ZA will eventually happen. We are taking ideas from the television series and using them but will essentially be changing up the story line to be non-canon.
Big thanks to Carla for giving us a hand and keeping us on track.
We will update this story twice a week, Fridays and Mondays.
Thanks for the love!