Hello! This was suppose to be a one shot for Halo's Birthday last month. Apparently there was a story that needed telling because once I started, there was no stopping. Now it's a multi chapter and I'm down to writing the last couple chapters before it's finished. I figure since I only have a few to go before it is complete that I can post without regretting it. Thanks to anyone that gives it a shot!
Chapter One
An extended camping trip with Merle Dixon wasn't exactly Daryl's idea of a good way to celebrate graduating high school. Merle's big mouth had chased off most of the game and it had rained during half the trip. Since Merle had joined the military Daryl hadn't seen much of him and he enjoyed spending time with him, just not camping. They had drank too much the night before and now he had a headache. He doubted the headache was really caused by the alcohol though.
No, the headache probably had more to do with Merle's wailing. He'd been singing loudly since they had left their camp and they had a long drive ahead of them.
"I was drunk... the day my mom... got out of prison," Merle bellowed causing Daryl to wince. "And I went... to pick her up... in the raaaaain."
Daryl glared over at his big brother but Merle wasn't paying attention. He was pounding out the beat on the steering wheel as he sang.
"But befoooore I could get to the station in my pickuuuuuuuup truck... she got runned over by a damned ol' traiiiiin... And I'll hang around as long as you will let-" Merle stopped mid roar and turned his head sharply. "Why the hell did you turn off the radio?"
Daryl shook his head. "You been singin' since we left camp."
Merle made a face but kept his hands on the wheel, not bothering turning the radio up again. Daryl leaned his head against the glass and closed his eyes, reveling in the quiet and knowing it wasn't going to last very long.
"You know what you need?" Merle asked just like Daryl knew he was going to.
Daryl shrugged. "A lot of things. I need a job. I need to get the hell away from the house before I kill our piece of shit dad. I need a car. You can tell me to stop whenever you're ready. This is a depressing topic," he said glumly.
Merle snorted. "I was talkin' about right now. What you need right now is a nice soft willin' piece of ass, little brother."
Daryl groaned and slid a little lower in the seat. "Goddamn it, Merle. Can't you think of anything else?" The truth was, Daryl knew that was the last damn thing he needed. He knew Merle was just trying to cheer him up but the future looked bleak and he had enough worries without throwing females on top of the pile.
Merle looked like he wanted to argue but then he leaned over the steering wheel, squinting into the sun. "That's your problem, little brother. You over think things. You never just loosen up and have a good time. Always sulkin' and shit. Been sulkin' ever since we got out here," Merle muttered.
Daryl followed Merle's gaze and realized that there was someone up ahead on the side of the road. He could make out the car anyway but little else. This was a bad spot to break down. They were a long ways away from civilization. Daryl felt a little bad for whoever was stuck out here. He glanced over when Merle slowed down, giving him a look that Merle steadfastly ignored.
"You hungry?" Merle asked in a low voice.
Daryl kept staring at him, willing him to keep his foot on the gas. "No, why?"
Merle nodded towards the windshield and Daryl followed his gaze once more. They were closer now and there was the car broken down, steam still sifting up from the open hood as someone bent over the car. "Cause I wouldn't mind takin' a bite outta that ass and I was makin' sure I wouldn't have to share with your skinny self."
Daryl let his eyes fall to the ass in question and even he had to admit that it was one hell of a great ass. Not only that but whoever it was had on a pair of shorts that were borderline obscene so he got a decent eye full of some nice legs as a bonus. He licked his lips without thinking and heard Merle chuckle darkly. Daryl looked away from the woman, shaking his head and feeling like an asshole for the thoughts that the woman's body had evoked in his mind.
"You're eighteen, goddamn it. You look guilty or somethin'. If that ass didn't give you a boner I'd be callin' you Samantha right now and introducing you as my baby sister." Merle grinned and then slowed down even more.
"Why the hell are you slowin' down?" Daryl grumbled, crossing his arms across his chest.
Merle's grin slipped and then he was frowning. "Listen, I know how hard shit is for you right now, okay? The old man is a goddamn tyrant and a drunk and I know it. If I could take you back to base with me then you know I would. You just gotta hang tight till I'm able to get back here and find us somethin'."
Daryl nodded. "I know."
The truck rolled to a stop and Daryl glanced out the side window as the girl raised her head. She had a freckled face, bright blue eyes and unruly auburn hair that she was blowing out of her face as she regarded the truck wearily.
"What the hell are we doin'?" Daryl asked.
"I figured we could take a look at the girl's car. This ain't no place to break down. Ain't a town within walkin' distance either way and your the best goddamn mechanic I know."
Daryl sighed but agreed with a nod, grabbing the handle and pushing the truck door open.
"You know I just want the best for you, right?" Merle asked, his tone still serious.
Daryl paused and looked at him again without getting out. "I know you do, Merle," he muttered.
Merle gave him a slight smile and Daryl turned to slide out of the truck, but he didn't have a chance to do anything as graceful as that. Merle shoved him with all his might and Daryl toppled out onto the blacktop a few feet away from the girl. He came up on his elbows and before he could yell at his idiot brother he was smacked in the face with his pack and then Merle gunned the engine, speeding away so fast that the passenger door closed on it's own.
"Oh my God!" The girl cried.
He sat up, watching as the truck disappeared around a bend. He couldn't believe this shit! Merle wouldn't abandon him out here! There was no way he would do something like that...
"Are you okay? Why would that man do that to you!"
He looked up just as the girl was about to kneel down next to him, her hands flitting around like she wasn't sure if she should try to touch him. He'd rather she didn't but he couldn't really think of anything to say to her. "M'fine," he grumbled, pulling himself up off the road and dusting off the seat of his pants. "My brother's idea of a joke. He'll be back." Surely Merle would come back.
The girl didn't look convinced and even though he wanted to he couldn't avoid looking at her. She was shielding her eyes and looking down the road where Merle and the truck had basically vanished. "He's got an odd sense of humor. I wish he would have asked if I needed a lift. If he doesn't come back we're both kind of screwed. My radiator is completely shot and my cell is dead."
"You sure it's the radiator?" He asked, frowning deeply. He did not want to be stuck out here with this girl. He wasn't good at shit like this and Merle knew it. Checking out her ass from a distance and in the safety of the truck was one thing but being forced to actually socialize was something else altogether. He had no idea what he was going to do if Merle didn't come back and he had the sinking feeling that his brother had just thrown him to the wolves.
"I'm sure. I've been on my own long enough to know a shot radiator when I see it," she said with a sigh. She closed the hood and turned, leaning against the front fender.
Daryl rubbed the back of his neck nervously and avoided meeting the girl's eyes.
"Where were headed before you got kicked out of that truck?" She asked after a long awkward pause.
He finally met her eyes. "Home," he muttered. "I live on the outskirts of Gordon," he added.
Her eyes brightened. "As of last Friday morning, so do I."
He raised a brow. "If you just moved to Gordon what are you doin' all the way out here?"
She lifted one slender shoulder in a shrug. "I was going back to pack some more stuff and decided to travel back roads. My grandma passed away last year and left me her house. I stayed there over the weekend."
Daryl grunted. Just great. They weren't even headed in the same damn direction. If somehow she managed to get a ride he'd still be stuck walking. Not that the girl had much chance hitching a ride out here. This was probably the most least traveled stretch of back road in all of Georgia.
"Anyway, I'm Carol." She held out a hand.
Daryl stared at it for a few moments before shaking it quickly. "Daryl," he muttered before shoving his hands in his pockets and gazing down the road again, willing the truck to top the rise.
"I'm gonna go ahead and guess that you aren't a serial killer or sadistic rapist."
He looked over sharply, a scowl in place. "What? No!"
She smiled, her blue eyes dancing. "That's good to know."
This girl was weird.
"How old are you?" She asked suddenly.
"Just turned eighteen." Nosy much? He squinted in the distance, trying hard to send Merle messages with only his mind, begging him to come back for him.
"Me too. Well, not just as in just now. I turned eighteen four months ago," she rambled.
He grunted in response.
"You aren't much a talker, huh? Strong silent type?"
He glanced at her and caught her grinning again. "I should probably get to walking. If he ain't comin' back then it's already gonna be well after dark before I run into any signs of life out here."
"Good idea," she said, stepping around him and then diving halfway through the open passenger side window. This left her ass hanging out and he felt his eyes widen. She was standing on tip toe, the smooth muscles of her calves flexed as she rummaged in the car for something. When she stood back up she had a bag of her own in her hands. "Ready?"
He shook his head. "I was headin' the other way. I gotta walk my ass back to Gordon."
Her expression went from friendly to worried, her eyes widening. "Is it okay if I walk with you? I really don't think I'll run into anyone else and so far we've established that you aren't some sort of psycho. The thing I was most afraid of was being stuck out here alone. I don't mind heading back the way I came if it means not being by myself when the sun goes down." She was rambling nervously, her voice carrying a little more edge with every sentence.
He stared at her for a few long moments, cursed Merle Dixon to the fiery pits of hell in his mind, and then gave the girl a nod. "If you wanna walk with me then lets get our asses movin'. There's still a chance my brother is just messin' around." But he knew that wasn't true. Merle had assumed that what would make Daryl's life a little more bearable would be to climb between this girl's thighs because that was how Merle's mind worked.
"Thanks," she muttered as she fell into step beside him, not sounding very enthusiastic anymore.
He shrugged and wasn't going to say anything at all but he was finding it hard to keep his mouth shut at the moment. "You know, it's a stupid move on your part, askin' to come with me and all. Just cause I said I wasn't some sort of freak don't mean I ain't one. You could get hurt just takin' off with random ass guys you don't even know," he chided, flushing because he sounded like an old person.
She studied his face for a few seconds before she grinned again and then she just shrugged. "For some reason you just don't strike me as the type. I mean, it's so obvious that you'd rather be skinning live rattle snakes than be walking with me. If you really wanted to do something to me out here, you'd likely be in a better mood than this. I guess that's how I know I can trust you. Cause you don't want me around."
He huffed, shook his head, and kept his eyes on the blacktop. He really couldn't find any fault in her logic.
