Chapter 4

The night air was cool as Daryl leaned against the car smoking another cigarette. At this rate he may go through this entire pack in record time. Only his brother could press his buttons like Gabrielle did. He probably overreacted, but she wouldn't stop pushing him until he admitted he couldn't afford the damn room. It embarrassed him to have to say that, but that was not as humiliating as her saying she would pay for it. She might as well just have kicked him in the balls, in fact that may have bothered him less.

He had no idea what it was like not to have to worry about money. He worked hard for what he made, but being a mechanic was not a well-paid occupation. It was what he knew and what he was good at, but it just barely paid his bills with very little left over. Daryl got the feeling that her American Express Card got a good workout on a daily basis. He doubted she knew what being poor was like.

If this was anyone else but Rick, he'd just turn around a hitch a ride home or suffer through another plane trip if he could get the ticket changed, however that worked. He just couldn't do that to Rick. This was his best friend and he would be at his wedding if it killed him and so far it was doing a damned good job.

Daryl climbed into the car and reclined the seat to get comfortable. He had slept in worse places than a Lexus, so all in all this wasn't that bad. He put his hand behind his head and closed his eyes. Smoking had given him time to calm down. He was no longer looking to punch a wall.

He owed Rick and his parents more than he ever could repay. The Grimes's took him in when he had no place left to go. He was at the lowest point in his life and they embraced him into their family. Daryl had a brutal fight with his father who was drunk as usual. He had accused him of eating food he had in the refrigerator, but Daryl never ate it. There hadn't been food in there in days.

His father was cursing and swinging at him and Daryl tried to hold him off, but his father was out of control. He had to defend himself or take another viscous beating that he just couldn't handle. This time he fought back and hard. At sixteen he was starting to rival his father in size, so he was able to fight back stronger than his old man was used to. He basically kicked his father's sorry drunk ass.

He left him bruised and beaten on the living room floor. He walked the three miles to the only place he knew he could go. When Mrs. Grimes opened the front door to his late night knocking, she saw a bloody Daryl in ripped clothes standing in the dark. His eyes were so sad, that she immediately engulfed him in her arms and didn't let go for minutes. Rick's father found them there crying together in the doorway. He ushered them inside and took over.

He asked his wife to heat food up for Daryl, while he took him upstairs. Mr. Grimes walked the bedraggled teen to their spare bedroom and put a hand on his shoulder. "Son," he said. "This room is yours for as long as you need it. This is now your home and we are your family. I'll talk to a lawyer in the morning on how we can do this, but in the meantime why don't you shower and I'll leave some of Rick's clothes for you on the bed. C'mon down when you are done and we'll look at your hands then and then get you something to eat. You know how much Ruthie likes to feed you boys."

All Daryl could do was nod his head yes as he was afraid he'd start crying again in front of his best friend's father. He had just offered him what he wanted more than anything in the world…to be part of a loving family. He looked up at the man he respected more than anything and saw tears shining in his eyes. Daryl couldn't hold them back any longer and as they started to flow down his cheeks, Mr. Grimes grabbed him by the back of the head and pulled him in close. "You're safe here, son," he whispered to Daryl. And he was.

Daryl never knew how they did it, but the Grimes's became his legal guardians until he turned eighteen. Those were the best years of his life and he never saw his father again.

That's why he knew he couldn't back out on Rick no matter how pissed off Gabrielle made him. He would never see her again after the next few days and was just fine with him. Daryl quickly brushed away the tears that threatened to fall. He hadn't thought about that night in a longtime. It was both his worst and best night combined into one.

A loud stomach growl broke Daryl out if his walk down memory lane. He realized he had not had a meal since that morning and was starving. He looked around for the beef jerky he had bought, but he could only find an empty bag. "Damn," he thought. "The other bag must be with Gabrielle in the room."

Since there was no way in hell he was going to go ask her for it, he was shit outta luck. A quick look around outside, didn't show anything with lights on. He would have to go hungry until the morning.

Daryl locked the doors and got as comfortable as he could. He closed his eyes and eventually drifted off to sleep. This horribly frustrating day was finally behind him.

.

Daryl decided he was getting too old to sleep in cars anymore. It had been a restless night of getting just a few hours of sleep here and there so now he was tired, grouchy and his muscles had stiffened up. It was only seven in the morning when he got out of the car and stretched his sore back. He lit up a cigarette next and took a nice long drag on it. This was his favorite smoke of the day. He reclined against the car as the rush he got from that first hit of nicotine flowed through him. Cigarettes were his drug of choice. He had given up anything else years ago because they made him act like his brother and that was the last thing he ever wanted to do.

In the daylight he now had a better idea of where they were. There were quite a few businesses that lined the road they were on. Hopefully, there was a place they could grab a quick breakfast. He was starving.

He wondered when the new car was coming and knew that he'd have to talk to Gabrielle about it. He really didn't want to have to deal with her at all, but since they had at least the next nine or so hours together in the car, he had no choice. He would just have to suck it up. Gabrielle should probably call the rental place again for an update. He automatically looked up at her room and saw her standing in the doorway looking down at him.

She waved at him and he acknowledged her. "Might as well get this over with," he said to himself. "Maybe I'll grab a shower too." Daryl grabbed his duffle bag off the back seat and headed towards the room.

Gabrielle had been up at the crack of dawn. She also had a fairly sleepless night, but for different reasons. The bed was comfortable enough, but what had happened with Daryl bothered her... a lot. She knew she owed him another apology.

She watched him walk slowly towards the motel from the parking lot. Initially she thought he was a pretty decent looking guy, but the more she got to know him the more her attraction to him grew and grew. He needed both a haircut and shave and that turned her on more than she wanted to admit. It shouldn't have, but it did. He wore old jeans and a blue plaid button down shirt that accentuated his broad shoulders. He had shoulders that went on for miles.

Michonne said he worked hard being a car mechanic. That should have automatically turned her off, but instead it did the exact opposite. Gabrielle was fighting the temptation that her body was responding to. Her head kept telling her he was not the right guy for her and while she was fighting her body's reaction to him, she was over compensating too much.

She was being too harsh, too abrasive…hell she was being too much of a bitch and it was backfiring on her big time. This was Michonne's fiancé's best friend and Gabrielle was treating him like crap just because she was finding him hot as hell. "Get it together Gabby," she scolded herself.

Daryl was approaching the doorway, so Gabrielle walked back into the room. "Good morning," she said to him with a hesitant smile.

"Mornin'" he automatically responded. "What's going on with the car? Any word?"

"No. Should I call them again?"

"Yeah. We need an ETA and the earlier the better. Can I shower while you call?" he asked.

"Of course," she told him. "Daryl?"

He was just about to walk into the bathroom. "Yeah?" he said without turning to look at her.

"I'm sorry about last night. I really am," she said apologizing.

He turned and his eyes met hers for the first time since he walked into the room. "Thanks," he said in his deep gravelly voice. He held her eyes for another second and then continued into the bathroom closing the door behind him.

Gabrielle sat on the bed for a moment to catch her breath. She heard the shower turn on and refused to let her mind wander where it had no business going. That brief second he looked at her, really looked at her threw her carefully planned life into a turmoil. It was however a turmoil she couldn't afford to have, as a man like Daryl fell nowhere in her plans.

She would be nice to him, she had to be, but she wouldn't let herself take it any further than that. She had no choice. Gabrielle grabbed her phone off the night stand and called Hertz to find out the status of the car. She needed to do anything but think about Daryl.

Once she got the company on the line, she was in full professional mode. By the time she got off, she had an estimated delivery time of eight thirty and they were getting free mileage on the car.

Meanwhile in the hot shower Daryl was trying to soothe the soreness out of his stiff muscles. Spending the night in the car was not the best idea he ever had, but had felt he didn't have any other choice. He washed his hair with one of the little bottle of shampoo the motel supplied and wondered if he should have gotten haircut before coming. He didn't know the last time he had one and it was getting pretty long.

When he walked into the motel room, it didn't get past him that Gabrielle was no longer wearing that sexy black dress, instead she was in tight jeans that hugged every one of her curves and made her legs look a mile long. Her red shirt emphasized her breasts and contrasted her long black hair perfectly. The woman sure knew how to dress for maximum impact.

He had no business thinking about her legs or breasts, especially when he was naked in the shower. None what so ever, but that didn't stop his dick from getting hard. She drove him crazy, she treated him like he was beneath her and yet all he wanted to do was rip her clothes off and make her scream his name.

Daryl did the only thing he could, which was jerk himself off in the shower while she was in the very next room. It didn't take him long at all, as his excitement level had skyrocketed knowing she was so close.

After that, he quickly cleaned up quickly and got out of the shower. It didn't take him long to dry off and put back on the jeans he had on yesterday with a black t-shirt. He wanted to be comfortable while he drove.

When he left the bathroom, Gabrielle was sitting cross-legged on the bed waiting for him. He felt his cheeks blush in embarrassment when he looked at her. He quickly put his duffle down on the other bed and pretended to look through it.

"Did you talk to the car people?" he asked.

"Yes. It will be here by eight thirty, so we have a little time yet," Gabrielle explained.

"Great," he thought to himself. "What the fuck are we gonna do for an hour?"

Daryl's stomach growled loudly at that point and he knew food had to be next on their agenda.

"Oh my God. I am starving too," Gabrielle laughed. Daryl noticed how her face just lit up when she smiled. She was even prettier if that was at all possible.

"You got that bag of snacks we got earlier? I should have some jerky in there." Gabrielle pointed to the plastic bag on the desk and Daryl pulled put his jerky. Everything he had bought for Gabrielle was gone. He took a piece for himself and then offered the bag to Gabrielle. She didn't hesitate on taking a strip.

"You ate all that junk food you got already?" he asked her.

Gabrielle nodded turning slightly pink in embarrassment. "Don't take this wrong Princess, but how can you eat that junk and still look as hot as you do?" Daryl took a piece of jerky for himself and then offered the bag to Gabrielle. She didn't hesitate on taking a strip.

"I have a really high metabolism. Someday it may catch up worth me, but now I can eat whatever I want." She realized that Daryl wasn't looking at her. "Daryl?

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for the compliment. I know we haven't gotten off on the best foot, so I appreciate it." She gave him a smile that simply lit up her face.

He started to think and feel things he shouldn't be and knew he needed to get out of the room as soon as possible. "I'm fixin' to go down to the office and find out where we can get a quick breakfast from. Maybe stuff to go. We need to hit the road as quickly as we can. We have more hours to drive, than we have time. We have no choice to do it, but it's is gonna be tough," he told her.

Gabrielle looked a bit worried. "Should we call them?"

"Let's get on the road first and then give them an update, 'specially since it's earlier there anyway. Right?"

"Good idea. Do you want me to go with you?" Gabrielle asked.

Daryl shook his head. "Someone needs to stay here in case the car is early. I won't be long."

Gabrielle watched him leave the room once again. She could tell that he wasn't comfortable around her and she blamed herself for that. Little did she know the real reason he couldn't look her in face that morning.

Daryl headed over to the motel office to get advice on breakfast. The guy there told him that just a few buildings down the road was a casual restaurant that served breakfast and lunch. Since it was within walking distance, Daryl headed over to check it out.

The Sunflower Café' was small, but clean and fairly busy. Busy usually meant good food, so Daryl asked to see a menu. While reading through the choices, he realized that he never asked Gabrielle what she wanted. She would have to get settle for whatever he ordered because there was no way he was walking back now.

He ordered four different breakfast sandwiches along with two of the largest coffees they had to go. While he waited for the food, he drank a cup at the counter. He needed the caffeine almost as bad as he need that first cigarette earlier.

Within twenty minutes he was headed back to the motel and he was happy to see a flatbed tow truck pulling in with another car behind it. He had a good feeling that's what they were waiting on, so he headed over to them.

Gabrielle was watching out the window and saw the tow truck pull in and Daryl walk over to it. Since the car was in her name, she headed out to see if she was needed.

Daryl put the food down on the hood of the broken down car. Finally something was going right for them, as these guys were from Hertz and had brought them the replacement car. Gabrielle needed to sign for it, so Daryl turned to go get her and saw that she was already on her way.

It didn't take long to get everything squared away and it wasn't even eight thirty yet. It was time to go. Their Lexus had been exchanged for a Chevrolet Impala. Daryl would take an American made car any day. He stored Gabrielle's multiple pieces of luggage in the trunk and while she checked out of the room.

Gabrielle came back over to the car and it was time to go. "Princess, I got a couple of breakfast sandwiches for us. Wasn't sure what you liked, so take your pick. Some got sausage or bacon on them. I eat anything so I'll take what's left. Got coffee too," he told Gabrielle.

It didn't bother her this time that he had called her Princess. It was more of a nickname, then him insinuating she was a pain in the ass. She kind of liked it. "I'm starved anything is fine with me."

Gabrielle looked in the bag and saw that he had gotten four sandwiches in total. She could eat two...easy. Her high metabolism burned off calories without her even trying. "How many do I get?"

Daryl looked up from lighting a cigarette. How many? His mouth curved in to a half smile. "You can have two, if you want more than that, you're on your own. Fixin's for the coffee is in the bag too. Didn't know how you liked it."

"Light and sweet…just like me," she teased.

Daryl about spit out his coffee. "Okay," was all he managed to say.

Gabrielle laughed at him. "You don't agree?"

"I'm not sayin' a word," he told her trying to hold back a smile. Anything was a sure fire way to get him in trouble and they were about to start a long day in the car together.

"Chicken shit!" she called him. The sexy smile on her face easily let him know she was teasing him.

"Just fix your coffee and get your sandwiches, Princess. No starting any shit. We got a long day to go," he told her. He was laughing inside. He didn't remember the last time anyone called him that and didn't end up bloody. He knew she was just having fun. He didn't think she had it in her.

A few minutes later they were settled in the car about ready to go. Daryl quickly ate one sandwich before starting the trip. His stomach could not wait any longer. Soon they were headed back onto the interstate with Utah in their sights.

A/N - Thank you for all the chapter reads and all of the great reviews. I love knowing what you all think.