AN - alright, story number three! I'm super excited to have you guys read this and I hope you'll love it. as always, please follow/review/favorite. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Two-Bit

I guess I wasn't really cut out for being a dad, you know? Never really had one myself. Just Mr. Curtis and, yeah, he was fatherly, but it wasn't the same as having my own. I learned to be a good kid from him, at least. He didn't have the time to teach me to be a good dad, though. Not like I was all that great at school anyway... Kinda sucks, but it's true.

When I finally made it out of high school, I didn't bother with college. I was too stupid for that. Couldn't even graduate from 12th grade on my first try. A guy like me belonged in a dead-end job, not a university. So I began my luxurious career as a truck driver.

And, looking back on it, I'm pretty glad I started cause that's how I met my girl. Savannah. She was as beautiful as they come, her hair all long and flowing and, most importantly, golden blonde. First saw her down in Santa-fe on one of my 'business trips'. I'd been driving ten hours and damn was I tired! But when I noticed her watching me from the other side of the parking lot, I felt fully awake.

I went over and chatted her up and, next thing I know, we're spending the night in some cheap motel room. After that, I was in love. I know it was stupid and crazy, but who was surprised? Stupid and crazy men did stupid and crazy things. Guaranteed fact of life. 100% true.

Well, we stayed in contact for a few years by just talking on the phone or writing letters (cause sometimes I couldn't pay the bills and they shut off my electricity). Then, another assignment sent me back to Santa-fe and we got to see each other again. We spent that night together as sweethearts should - a quiet dinner and gentle loving in the bedroom afterwards.

In the morning, I whisked her off to Vegas. We were married almost immediately. But I couldn't afford to stay more than a couple hours, so I brought her home to her parents then returned to my boss in Tulsa.

Sure, he was pissed cause I was supposed to be back days ago. His anger didn't last too long, though. He just took a little money out of my paycheck and we never spoke about why I'd been late. No reason to tell him that I'd left a Mrs. Savannah Mathews back in Santa-fe. I doubted that he cared, anyway.

But I guess he suspected something. I was never sent to Santa-fe again. For a while, I tried to sneak away to see her and I could never manage it. She hated that more than anything. I didn't get the chance to ask why cause she stopped answering my calls and letters. Didn't make any sense... She'd never been mad at me before. She'd said she understood how hard it was gonna be - being a trucker's wife, I mean.

I never spoke to her again.

After another four years, I finally found out why she'd needed me with her.

It was a cool morning in late April and I was already on my way out the door when the phone started ringing. Swearing a little, I went back inside to answer.

"Hello?" I asked, probably coming off as real impatient. Of course, I was cause I knew I'd be late for work if I didn't get going soon.

"Mr. Keith Mathews, this is Alice Johnson from the Santa-fe police department," the voice replied. "I'm calling to inform you that your wife was killed in a car accident three days ago."

My throat went dry and I felt my heart drop into the pit of my stomach. I swallowed hard. "What happened?"

"She was walking down a sidewalk when a truck veered off the road and hit her. She...died on impact." The woman almost sounded guilty.

There were tears in my eyes, but I just let them fall. Nobody to judge me here. Only empty walls and the echoing news that the love of my life was dead. "Thanks for letting me know."

Silence on the the officer's end. Regret on mine.

"Yes, well..." the woman said, coughing awkwardly. "A social worker will be around tomorrow at about 6pm to drop off your daughter. You must be wanting to see her again."

"Yes, I..." I trailed off, realizing what she had said only after she hung up.

A daughter. I had a daughter. And Savannah never told me. Was that what had been bothering her then? Had she wanted me to live with her because she'd been pregnant? It must've been the reason she got so mad at me. She should've said so. I always wanted to have a happy family of my own cause I was sick of being on the outside and looking in at the happiness my friends had found.

The delivery I made that day was a short one - only a couple hours. I returned the truck to its usual place then marched into my boss's office. Quit my job that evening, went home to search the papers for another. Now that I had a kid, I needed something closer to Tulsa. I was gonna be there for her even if I didn't know what a good dad did.

She arrived that Monday at about 6:27pm. The social worker didn't have much to say - just a curt, "Mr. Mathews." - then he jumped back in his car and left.

"Hey, kiddo," I said, gently guiding the little girl into my house. "What's your name?"

"Amelia..." she mumbled.

She kept her eyes down. I knew they were tearing up cause she felt like she was being punished for no reason. Poor girl just wanted to go home, be with her mom. But she couldn't. Maybe she didn't understand yet...

I showed her around the place, trying to joke about how messy it was. She didn't laugh. Not even once. She only looked up when I showed her the kitchen.

"Are you hungry?" I asked.

"No..."

Sometimes she looked like Savannah, with the same blue eyes and blonde hair. But most of the time, she just looked like a stranger. I was already having doubts and I hadn't even known her for an hour. But I couldn't give up. We were still getting used to each other. It would take time.

I wished we had met under better conditions. Maybe we'd be joking around together or watching Mickey Mouse. And she'd be calling me "Daddy" while Savannah giggled from the kitchen. Then my wife would come out with plates of chocolate cake and we'd sing Happy Birthday just for the fun of it then eat the best tasting cake in the world.

What had I done wrong? Why didn't I deserve to actually live that scene?

But I had to stay positive. For Amelia. She was the most important person in my life right now and I needed to be the best I could be.

I left her in the bedroom (my old one that I was giving up for her) cause I knew she didn't want to talk. Things would get better soon, though. I was sure of that. She didn't love me yet, but I was determined to win her over. I was determined to make her smile again, to teach her to be the same lovable joker that I had been before I'd had to grow up.

As long as I was here, she would never have to worry about growing up too fast. Maybe I was gonna be a better dad than I thought...

AN - hope you enjoyed chapter 1! I would love it if you guys had any suggestions for some of the next one-shots, as well. also, should I include the two one-shot ideas that I have for Johnny and Dally? it would be like a "if they had lived" kind of thing, I guess. do you think that'd be a good idea?