A/N: Ever since I started this I've been thinking about a prequel. I'm not sure how well that would work out or how much it would really tie into this but it would be focused around Daryl and Merle along with the Sons of Anarchy. I've been trying to think up some ideas to throw something together so if any of you are interested, let me know. Same goes for a sequel. Not so sure yet. Any who, welcome to the mind of Daryl Dixon in this chapter! (And more drama! Yay!)
Daryl flipped his cell phone around in his hand, staring at it as though he were contemplating on calling someone. It was times like these where he actually hated being alone and having nothing to keep his mind busy. After yesterday all he could think about was Beth, and how pathetic was that? There was a slim part of him that wanted to call her and apologize for what he had said. Looking back, it was a good thing he got rid of her number as soon as possible so that he couldn't make that mistake.
Daryl had said all those things to her but he meant them. He had to let his words sink into her. It wasn't going to work out no matter what. No matter how much he liked her—thought he liked her—it wasn't going to happen. He liked the idea of her. She was way too young and way too innocent for him. And she seemed to genuinely care, which was something he was definitely not used to. But she didn't know him. If she actually knew him, she would have surely gone running in the other direction.
Hell, he was even willing to look past the whole "stalking" thing. After having found out that she had been talking to Jesse and Jesse had apparently been playing as her spy, he kind of admired all the effort she put into trying to track him down. And lying about her age?
What had the world come to with a little young blonde girl chasing after him?
No, he stood by what he said. He had to do everything he could to push her away. In all actuality, he was shocked the incident in his truck didn't send her running. It was only obvious she wasn't experienced and the bold move on her half took him by surprise. She was apparently braver than she looked. He felt disgusted with himself after that though because he felt like he had taken advantage of her, even if she had led him on and he had a bit to drink. But she would move on from this and completely forget about him in no time, which is exactly what they both needed at this point. He was just another asshole in her book and that was fine with him. He didn't need her around. If she showed up again after all of that, he'd be surprised.
A buzzing sound suddenly went off, startling Daryl and bringing him back into the real world. He had been standing against the wall of the apartment complex fiddling around with his phone in his hands while lost in some daze before he realized it was his phone going off. He cursed under his breath and glanced down at the screen before rolling his eyes.
Fucking Merle.
Daryl muted the ringer and slid his phone into his back pocket. He wasn't in the mood to talk to Merle. There weren't many times here lately that he was. It was always the same stupid shit. So Daryl kept his hands occupied and grabbed the cigarette that he had sitting behind his ear and stuck it between his lips. It was probably a good thing Merle called in a way because he snapped Daryl out of his thoughts. He needed that.
Just as Daryl flicked his lighter and successfully lit his cigarette, he noticed a squad car slowing down on the road. It was when that same squad car pulled into the parking lot belonging to the apartment complexes that Daryl shook his head and held back a laugh. So that was what Merle was calling for. He must have already went off and done something stupid to have the cops back on his trail.
Daryl slid his lighter into his other back pocket and took a drag as he watched the two officers emerge from the parked car. Of course to make matters even worse, the two officers just so happened to be Grimes and Walsh.
"Daryl Dixon?" Rick stared right at him like he didn't already know who he was. He and Shane were quickly approaching while Daryl stayed put with his back against the wall.
"Yeah? This have to do with my brother or something? 'Cause he ain't here." Daryl figured he'd keep his cool. There was no point in getting worked up over these two.
"We've received some suspicions that you raped an underage girl and that you've got some crystal on you," Shane spit his words, not bothering to bounce around the topic at hand.
Well, so much for trying to keep his cool.
Daryl scoffed, "Where'd the hell you get those suspicions? I ain't done neither."
"Well, you're gonna have to come with us down to the station regardless until everything can get sorted out," Rick replied.
"Fuck you, I ain't goin' nowhere. Ain't nothin' to sort out."
"You best watch your mouth, Dixon," Shane warned, grabbing onto his belt and adjusting it. He was always the prick of the two, making Rick seem like a halfway decent guy for being a pig.
"Freedom of speech, jackass. I'll call you whatever I damn well please." Daryl took a final drag of his cigarette and discarded it. "You can't arrest me on suspicion."
"No, but we can bring you down to the station and if you give us a reason to keep you there then that's all it'll take." Shane pulled the handcuffs off his belt and took a step forward as Daryl took a step to the side, moving away from the two.
"I told you I didn't do shit." Daryl's eyes were glued to the handcuffs. No way in hell was he going with these two. This was a set up. It had to be. But who would have tipped the police with false information?
"You keep backing up and it'll be considered resisting arrest." Shane grabbed Daryl's left wrist but that was as far as he got before Daryl sent a punch at his face. Rick intercepted though and grabbed Daryl's free wrist before his fist could collide with Shane's face. Daryl struggled to break out of their grasps. It was shortly after that when he felt the cold metal cuff click over the wrist Shane held, Rick and Shane both leading him over to their car.
Shane took over completely now as he grabbed Daryl's other wrist and slammed him down against the hood. He finished cuffing him while Rick patted him down, taking his cell phone, lighter, keys, and cigarettes. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed for you. I cover everything?"
"You wanna search my apartment or truck you best work on gettin' yourselves a warrant." Daryl didn't have anything to hide but if these shitheads wanted to play their little games then he was going to play along.
Shane pulled him back upright and led him to the back of the squad car. "That won't be a problem."
Of course it wouldn't be a problem. Damn pigs.
"So you're not going to own up to it, huh?" Shane led Daryl into the station with Rick following along right behind them. Shane didn't stop until they were in front of the cells where Rick took over and unlocked the handcuffs before ushering him into one of the barred cells and shut the door.
"Ain't nothin' to own up to. I told you I didn't do shit." Daryl glared back at them.
"Well, give it some time and we'll have your warrant. I guess you won't mind waiting here now will you?" Shane sneered.
Daryl held his glare until the two left. Once they were out of sight, he sighed and sat down on the bench inside the cell. Well this was certainly a turn of events, and definitely not the way he saw the day going. Maybe he should have just left Beth on her own with her car problems. Had he ignored her then he wouldn't be sitting in a damn jail cell.
After a few minutes, Daryl glanced up to see two new figures approaching. He smirked as he got up and walked over to the bars, "The hell are you two doin' here?"
"Scout here called me. She saw you getting arrested," Jax nodded toward Anna. "We should be asking you the same thing. What's going on?"
"I'm apparently in possession of crank and raped a girl. You tell me," Daryl summed up what Shane had to say. If looks could kill, Jax would have Rick and Shane in their graves. Daryl turned to Anna, "Can't you talk to your dad?" Daryl never thought he'd be thankful for having Anna as a next door neighbor. They had become fairly good friends because of it, and her dad being a cop was a nice bonus. John Ed Turner had become a good friend as well, having their backs when something went down.
"Nah, don't worry about it. I'll get Unser. We'll get you the hell outta here." Jax immediately turned on his heels and stalked off to find Wayne. Good ol' Wayne Unser. Sometimes it was nice having cops on their side rather than just against them. Shane and Rick weren't going to win this.
"I saw Shane cuffing you. So I figured I'd call Jax and get everything sorted out," Anna briefly explained.
"Yeah, thanks Scout." Daryl never did get the explanation from her as to why she liked the nickname 'Scout' but he didn't bother asking either. Ever since he met her she claimed everyone called her that and that was the name she went by.
"Good thing we are literally next door neighbors, huh? Otherwise no one would have known you were here," Anna smiled.
Jax reappeared with Unser not too far behind, the old man shaking his head and Jax grinning.
"I gotta be a cop from time to time here, you know…" Unser muttered as he grabbed the key from off his belt.
Daryl smirked as Unser unlocked the door and let him out. "So where are Grimes and Walsh?"
"I imagine they're still trying their hardest to keep you in here," Unser replied. "And I guess I'll have to go make sure they stay busy so that you three can get outta here."
Jax handed Daryl his things that Rick took from him and Daryl shoved everything back in his pockets. Jax Teller was probably the first and only true friend Daryl ever had. He liked most of the guys at Teller-Morrow but Jax always had his back without question, even if they did have a few scuffles from time to time. It wasn't ever anything serious though.
"Thanks, Unser," Daryl nodded in gratitude.
"Yeah, don't mention it…" Unser partially nodded in return as Jax led the way out, Daryl following with Anna by his side.
Anna parked her car a few spots away from Daryl's truck. As soon as she turned the key in the ignition, Daryl had already bolted from the passenger seat, having practically chewed on the side of his thumb the whole way back. He was already at the foot of the stairs by the time Anna got out of her car.
"Whoa, what's the rush?" she called out after him, slightly jogging to keep up.
"Got someone I wanna pay a visit to." Daryl fished his apartment key from his pocket and climbed the stairs to the second floor before walking down the balcony until he reached his door. While he unlocked it he noticed Anna was leaning against her apartment door staring at him. "What?"
"We already busted you out of jail once today. Don't you think that's enough?" Anna joked.
"It's not like that. Won't go that far." Daryl entered his apartment long enough to grab the key to his motorcycle and stepped back out, locking up. Anna was still standing where he left her, her arms crossed.
"Daryl," Anna's voice was full of warning. "You're going after whoever it is you think reported you, aren't you?"
Daryl forced a small smile, "I'll be back later." He shoved his apartment key back into his pocket and gripped the key to his motorcycle in his hand while walking back down the balcony and heading for the stairs.
"You better be, hillbilly! Play nice!" Anna shouted at his back.
Daryl may have been a little slow at catching Jesse watching him for however long it went on for, but that didn't mean he wasn't observant. So when Daryl parked his motorcycle outside the bar and noticed the red piece of shit Toyota parked a ways down the street he grinned. Bingo—Jesse was here.
Daryl entered the bar and immediately spotted Jesse hanging around by the wall. He never really suspected the kid to still be in high school hanging around here but apparently nobody else questioned his presence either, and for good reason considering at least half of the guys around there were always looking for a little bit of something. And it didn't take long for Jesse to realize that Daryl was there or that he had his glare locked onto him.
Jesse ducked and meant to run for cover but Daryl caught him by his shirt and slammed his back against the wall. "Hey—whoa, whoa, whoa—" Jesse put his arms up to deflect any incoming blows that he suspected but Daryl held back.
"Tell me why I shouldn't jus' beat the shit outta ya right now," Daryl lowered his voice and readjusted his grip on Jesse's shirt, grabbing him by the collar and keeping him pressed against the wall.
"'Cause I don't know what the hell you're talking about?—You asked me questions and I answered truthfully, I swear." Jesse slightly lowered his arms once he realized Daryl wasn't hitting him.
"You sayin' you had nothin' to do with the cops showing up at my apartment?"
"Why would I get involved with the cops, yo? Hello?" Jesse reached into his pocket and revealed a small plastic baggy of meth and waved it around for emphasis.
Daryl sighed, "Alright, good point…" He released Jesse's shirt and took a step back. "Put that shit away."
"My bad. Just wanted you to back off my case. I don't go to the cops for nothing. I mean, obviously." Jesse stuffed the baggy back into his pocket and sighed in relief. "So are we good here?"
"You been keepin' your distance from Merle?" Daryl narrowed his eyes.
"Yes. I haven't even seen him since like… the festival. I don't talk to him. And if he's getting crank from someone, it's not me, alright?"
Daryl nodded and scratched his chin. He smirked which in turn had Jesse furrowing his brow before he punched him in the face.
Jesse stumbled back against the wall, almost tripping over himself and falling flat on his ass. "What the hell was that for, bitch!" He clutched his nose and glared back at Daryl.
"For being a creepy bastard and stalking me. We'll leave it at that." Daryl turned and headed back outside digging in his pocket for his cigarettes in the process. He pulled one out and set it between his lips as he leaned against the wall outside the bar, grabbing his lighter and lighting the end. He pocketed the pack of cigarettes and lighter, taking a long drag before he heard the door to the bar open. He glanced over to see Jesse had slowly followed with a nose bleed.
Jesse put his hands up to show he meant no harm before he leaned against the wall next to Daryl, leaving about a two foot gap between the two. Jesse cleared his throat, "I don't suppose I could bum a cigarette off of you after you punched me in the face?"
Daryl found himself holding back a laugh as he set his cigarette back on his lips and offered Jesse one. Jesse eyed him cautiously before reaching over and taking one from the pack. "Need a lighter?"
"Nah… I'm good." Jesse put the cigarette between his lips and reached into his own back pocket and pulled out a lighter. He got it lit after a couple flicks and stored the lighter back in his pocket, taking a drag. "You think it's funny? Punching me?"
"Don't take it personally," Daryl shrugged. "You got balls, kid."
"Yeah, thanks. I guess." Jesse took another drag and stared down at the cigarette as he exhaled. It was silent for a short while before Jesse spoke up again. "She really does like you, you know…"
"What?" Daryl glanced over at him. He was well aware that Jesse meant Beth but wasn't wanting to go down that road again.
"Nothing, never mind." Jesse shook his head. "Thanks for the uh… cigarette." He wiped the backside of his hand under his nose and glanced back at Daryl, nodding in recognition before taking off down the sidewalk towards his car.
Daryl just shook his head. That kid was a real piece of work. Maybe even reminded him of himself in his teen years in some odd way.
Just wanted to explain that Anna Turner, aka Scout, is a character from the video game Survival Instinct, as well as her father (John Ed Turner). And to clear up any confusion, she and Daryl are only friends—if even that really. She calls him "hillbilly" in the game so take that as you will. I thought it would be an interesting little twist to make them apartment neighbors.