A/N: I made sure the story isn't just a copy of the movie. However, if you're interested in watching the movie, then you do that before reading this story. I love Death Proof so much (well, the second part), so I don't want to be responsible for ruining it for you. Other than that, I'll admit that I occasionally took small liberties concerning the characters' personalities. Jacuzzi, for one, is low-key sarcastic in the second chapter. I still struggle to get the characters right and this is an Alternative Universe, so I thought that I might as well go for it. Now, without further ado, I hope you enjoy it.

I.

Morning was merely a few hours away and she was still alive. She had been dumped by every murderer in this area. What did a woman need to do around here to get herself killed? Her good looks and apparent loneliness didn't seem to work their magic today. Lua didn't want to return home, but it was no use if she couldn't find somebody doing her this tiny favor. To her annoyance, after fishing it out of her purse, she noticed her cellphone had no power left and her charger was nowhere to be found. Of course not, she had planned to die, so it didn't matter at the time.

Well, if it was a taxi she probably could use the bartender's phone. Lua took a peek at him. A tall man with bright hair and an Irish accent. Sudden shyness surfaced, but she swallowed it down as best as she could. The only thing that didn't make her nervous was the prospect of dying. Four times she tried to grab his attention, but her damn voice was, as always, a mere whisper which she tried to fix, but found herself unable to.

The handsome stranger who sat at the other end of the bar interfered. "John, the girl over there is talking to you."

Lua felt her cheeks grow hot. It was amazing that he had been able to hear her, but it was quite embarrassing at the same time. He talked as if he was helping out a little kid, but Lua rewarded him with a grateful smile nonetheless.

Finally the bartender focused his attention on her. "I'm sorry. What can I do for you?"

"My phone's not working, but I want to call a taxi. Would you be so kind and let me borrow yours? I – of course I'm willing to pay," she stuttered.

His smiling face turned immediately into a pitiful one. "I'm afraid I can't. We've got trouble with the damn phone since yesterday."

Just my luck, she thought bitterly. "Ah, but I'm sure you've got a cellphone..."

"I'll drive you home."

"Really? How kind of you."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Ladd...," the bartender started.

"Why?," the look on the man's, Ladd's, face was feral. "I didn't drink a drop of alcohol, so what worries you? You aren't suggesting that I can't be trusted. Now, there's no way that could be the case, right? I mean, that would be incredibly rude of you and you don't want to upset your crybaby bootlegger boss because you were rude to an upstanding guest."

A shiver ran down Lua's spine and from what she could tell it was the same for the bartender, however, his must have felt cold as ice. Ladd was dangerous and Lua welcomed the danger with open arms.

"Now return to your fucking work, asshole, I've got this."

Lua felt John's gaze on her. "That would be even worse than upsetting you, but I can't let you...Jacuzzi wouldn't...It's quite dangerous around here, just warning you, Miss."

"It's alright," Lua was sputtering. She was aware of the reputation this area had and she didn't mind. "Thank you for your concern and I hope you'll look out for others in the future, but there's no need to right now, I'm fine..." It was likely that she didn't come across as confident and so she tried her hardest to get her shaking body under control. It shook out of excitement, but the bartender might mistake it for fear. "Believe me when I say that..."

Ladd grinned. "I feel the same way. What's your name? I'm Ladd. I wish you could've heard it from me first, but John had to ruin it."

"L-Lua."

"Lua! What a beautiful name, how absolutely befitting of a beauty. Anyway, we're no longer strangers, so it's perfectly safe for you to get into my car. See, John? Now fuck off."

A sigh and a last glance, then he retreated.

Soon after they left and walked over to his car. Lua was taken aback for a moment when she saw what kind of car Ladd owned.

"It's used for stunts," Ladd explained and held the opened door for her.

"Oh, so you're a stuntman?" She was about to get into the car when she noticed its unusual interior. A proper seat was missing, there was no seat belt and a window pane divided the front seats from each other. "That doesn't look comfortable. Is it safe?"

"Don't worry, it's better than safe, it's death proof."

That was an odd way to put it, but again Lua couldn't care less. If something bad happened...that wouldn't be half bad. Dying in the company of a handsome guy like Ladd was a thing you only got the chance to do once in your life – for obvious reasons. Without further hesitation, she sat down and smiled at him as he closed the door. Ladd got inside mere seconds later and started the engine. The speed was almost murderous. Almost, not quite yet.

After awhile without having said anything, it was Ladd who broke the silence. "Remember when I said this car was death proof? That wasn't a lie. It's a hundred percent death proof, only to get the benefit of it, honey, you reeeaaally need to be sitting in my seat."

"I see," she simply replied, unaffected by the underlying threat. "I don't mind if you kill me here and now, Ladd."

Ladd laughed heartily. "You're quite amazing, aren't you? It's almost a shame, really. I understand. I'll make an exception for you."

He granted her unspoken wish to speed up more and soon Lua was pushed around uncontrollably, hitting her head, face and back. She groaned and looked at Ladd who was laughing like a maniac. She was uncertain whether or not Ladd realized how much she enjoyed this moment. She desired to ask him before her time was up, but she never got the chance to. She only managed to smile at him one last time, then her head smashed against the window as he hit the brakes out of nowhere.