Thank you guys! I love reading the reviews :)

It was uncomfortably cold when Beth awoke, and the harsh sun through the window did nothing to warm her. She knew she wasn't in her bed, but it took a moment for the thoughts of the night before to come spilling back into the forefront of her mind.

Beth immediately sat up and glanced around when they did. The shop was seemingly barren, much to her relief. She had this irrational fear of sleeping in a room where someone could be watching her without her knowledge. This is why she would never nap in a public domain, such as a living room. She couldn't bear the thought of waking up to find someone sitting adjacent from her and staring at her sleeping form. She typically only napped and slept in a bedroom with a closed door, when she could help it. She didn't even like to share her bed with anyone, for this very reason. Ironically, she couldn't seem to find the root of her own problem. If it had been anyone else's, she would have had it in the bag. She just figured it was a quirk that she had and left it at that.

Beth yawned widely and smacked her lips together, swallowing to try to rid herself of the dryness of her mouth. When that failed, she quickly grabbed the pack of gum from her pocket and popped a piece in, chewing and relishing the burning of the mint flavor. She started glancing around for a bathroom, needing to relieve herself and wanting to look in a mirror; she was sure her hair and make up looked a mess.

She spotted the door and quietly made her way over, not wanting to awaken the beast upstairs just yet. She didn't even know if she would see Daryl again, he might have been sleeping in. Truth be told, Beth really didn't want to see him. She would much rather use the shop phone that she had seen at the front counter and call a tow truck. The night before, Beth hadn't felt that uncomfortable around Daryl. But the clear, cool light of day can do wonders for the mind, revealing hesitations that were entirely inhibited in the concealing darkness of the night. Daryl would be an interesting case study, sure. But something told Beth that Daryl really didn't want to be examined.

She used the bathroom and washed her hands, looking up into the mirror and mussing with her bedhead, forming it back into shape the best she could. She used his index fingers to clean up the little bit of eyeliner that had smudged, and slapped her cheeks slightly to awaken some color in them. After deeming herself acceptable for possible viewers, she left the bathroom.

"Who the fuck are you?"

Beth jumped and defensively backed up into the door behind her at the voice.

There was an older man, dressed in grease-stained pants and a sloppy t-shirt. He had the scruff of many days of missed shaving and the bags under his eyes of someone who rarely got a decent night's sleep. He was standing in a highly predatory position, his fists clenched at his sides and his upper body leaning slightly forward.

Beth took a deep breath. "I'm sorry sir. My name is Beth and uh..." Beth quickly figured out how to explain her situation in the least amount of words. "My car broke down outside and I didn't have anywhere else to go for the night. I met Daryl, I'm assuming your son? And he let me sleep in here. I'm so sorry for the trouble." Beth inwardly cursed Daryl for leading her to believe that his dad was out of town and that there would be no one in the shop on Sunday.

"Daryl let ya stay here? Really?" Furry eyebrows scrunched up on a wrinkly forehead.

"Er...yeah. I mean, he didn't have much of a choice I guess. Anyway, if I could just use your phone and call a tow truck, I'll be out of your way," Beth requested.

"That son of a bitch. Letting strangers stay in my shop. It's not fucking called 'Mechanic Daryl', it's called 'Mechanic Joe'," the man positively fumed and Beth's skin turned cold.

"Joe?" Beth ventured carefully and the man glared back but Beth took it to mean that it was in fact his name, despite the ire that came with it. "It...wasn't Daryl's fault." Beth didn't even know why she was sticking up for him. "He literally had no other options."

"Oh, so you forced yourself in on my son? Is that it?" Joe walked toward Beth.

Beth held up her hands and moved along the wall to get away from him. "No! I mean, of course not. I was going to sleep in my car!"

"Why didn't you? Trying to steal stuff, were you?"

Beth couldn't believe this man. So very untrusting and angry. Beth could see where Daryl got it, although Joe was a much, much worse breed. Beth didn't doubt that Daryl had daddy issues after meeting this monster, although it was clear that it wasn't where the problems with his name stemmed from. Being that his dad's name was Joe.

Beth mentally slapped herself for analyzing in such a precarious moment. "I wasn't trying to steal anything, sir. I swear it. I'll just leave. Please just let me go..." Beth edged toward the front door, ready to walk home if that was her only option.

"And just let you get away without learning a lesson? Life is hard, kid. You can't just sleep on someone's property for free." Joe grinned evilly and revealed a set of discolored and broken teeth.

"Oh, God," Beth whispered. "I will pay you. I'll give you money. Just please, let me go?" Beth could hear the desperate pleading in her voice, she hoped that it would help.

"I don't wanna be paid in money..." Joe raised a sinister eyebrow and began to back Beth into a corner.

"No! Get away from me!" Beth yelled and made to run away. But Joe grabbed her forearm and slammed her against the wall.

Beth tried to knee him in the crotch but Joe pushed his body firmly against Beth's before she could get the chance. Beth could feel tears welling in her eyes as Joe's breath hit her neck, it was strong with the smell of liquor. Beth could have guessed what it would smell like even without experiencing it.

"Please..." Beth whispered as a tear ran down her cheek and she used the entire force of her body to push against her assailant. To no avail though- Beth knew she was a weakling.

Joe just grinned again and reached down with a hand to undo his clunky belt buckle. In a hopeless attempt, Beth called out the only thing that could possibly help her, "DARYL!"

Joe jerked back and glared hard at Beth. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" He grabbed Beth by the shoulders and slammed her back against the wall, causing his head to make contact with a harsh thud.

Her head swam and more tears ran down his cheeks. "DARYL, PLEASE!" She tried again.

Joe slapped a swift hand across his cheek. "You shut up, kid. You'll fucking regret it if you speak again."

Beth bit her lip hard and closed her eyes, silently praying her heart out. And in a moment of bleak despair, her prayers were answered.

"Dad! What the fuck are you doing?" Daryl
's sleep-ridden voice called out.

Joe and Beth snapped their heads over to look at the direction of the stairs. Daryl was rushing down them, clad only in boxers. Beth couldn't help the sigh of relief that came from her lips.

Joe shoved her against the wall again when he heard it.

"Let her fucking go. Now!" Daryl strode over to them and grabbed his dad by the arm, pulling on him roughly.

"You leave this alone, son. You brought this upon this girl, letting her mooch off of me like you did," Joe snarled.

"Then deal with me! Leave her alone. The fucks wrong with you...pushing a girl around like that!" Daryl's eyes were wide with anger and his jaw was tight. Beth just stood frozen, waiting and hoping for the moment when she would be released and could flee out the front door.

"It looks like someone already did deal with you," Joe motioned toward Daryl's bruised eye, that actually looked way worse than it did the night before. "Fucking wuss. Can't even defend yourself. I don't even know why they still want you."

Daryl's mouth tensed and he took a shaky breath instead of replying. He firmly pulled on Joe's arm, effectively getting him off of Beth.

"You'd better let go, now!" Joe warned, his right hand balling up into a preparatory fist. Beth immediately ran to the front door but for some reason, she didn't exit it. She rationalized that she had nowhere she could run. And there was also an unprecedented worry that was in her mind, a worry for Daryl's well-being. He had just saved Beth, after all.

"I'd better never catch ya touchin' anyone er anythin' that don' belong to ya again, ol' man. Ya drunk, ya sloppy, and ya pathetic," Daryl spat.

Joe immediately swung his fist and Daryl blocked it with his left hand hand and then landed his right hook against Joe's face with a sickening punch, kneeing him in the stomach when Joe tried to retaliate. The old man doubled over and fell to the ground.

"I done told ya that ya'd never git ta hit me again," Daryl said with a voice of rich and fucked up history, glaring down at the heap of his father and then looking over to Beth, his expression a mixture of anger and remorse.

Beth took a shaky breath and gave a little nod of thanks. Daryl looked back down at his father, who had obviously passed out. Not only from Daryl's hit, but also likely from the effects of his mass alcohol consumption.

Daryl slowly backed up, flexing his inflicting hand and walked over to Beth, rubbing his other hand over his uninjured eye.

He looked down at the ground when he reached Beth, his body rigid and shaking slightly. "I'm...I don' know what ta say."

Honestly, Beth didn't really know what to say either. She was still trying to absorb the enormity of what had almost happened. "You live with that creep?" is what ended up coming out.

Daryl tensed further and looked up. "Unfortunately..."

"I'm so glad you heard me call you," Beth breathed, feeling a large amount of gratitude for the severely troubled man in front of her.

Daryl gave a confused expression. "I didn't...I just had a bad feelin', so I came downstairs. He wasn't supposed to be back until tonight but sometimes if he's been drinkin', he shows up unexpectedly. I wanted to make sure that ya were...okay," hesitancy was very apparent in Daryl's voice.

"You have impeccable timing," Beth managed to say a little light-heartedly, surprisingly.

Daryl's lips quirked up slightly before turning into a hard line. "Yeah well, ya should probably go. Who knows when that asshole will wake up," he motioned with his head over to his unconscious father.

They shared a moment of silent contemplation. Beth bit her lip and looked at all of the features of Daryl's face that she hadn't looked over the night before. The scattering of moles on his skin, the chapped and red quality of his lips, his clear and sort of glowing complexion, the tiredness of his eyes that was only barely masked by his thick lashes. He briefly let his gaze wander to Daryl's bare, firm chest where tattoos and scars decorated the olive skin. The way that it rose with a sudden intake of breath when Daryl saw where Beth was fixated. Daryl looked over Beth in much the same fashion, Beth followed his eyes as they went from Beth's own eyes to her nose, her cheekbones, the piercings in her ears. Beth shivered slightly when Daryl's gaze landed on her lips and then carefully dropped down the length of Beth's body.

Eventually both of their eyes met in the middle and the tension was palpable.

"Thank you for...keeping me safe," Beth finally spoke to break whatever thickness was in the air there, going with the most accurate description of what Daryl had done.

"I fuckin' put ya in more danger than before," Daryl scoffed and licked his bottom lip.

"Thanks for keeping me safe from the danger you put me in, then," Beth smiled.

Daryl looked taken aback once again. Beth got the feeling that this guy didn't receive many genuine smiles. "Let me grab some clothes and shoes and I'll look at your car really quick," Daryl nodded.

"Oh no, you don't have to. If I could just use your phone to call a tow truck, I'll be on my way," Beth insisted for what seemed like the tenth time that morning.

"It's the least I can do...Beth," Daryl replied slowly.

It was the first time that Daryl had actually used her name and Beth tried to comprehend the motivation behind that kind of respect that Daryl was showing her. Guilt, she assumed. Perhaps embarrassment.

"Okay, I'm just going to go wait out by my car then," Beth ducked her head in appreciation and then walked out to her car. The sun felt warmer out there, but her body was ice cold. She needed to get some distance so she could shake what had happened in there. She sat on the hood of her car and waited, her mind numb but reeling.

A few minutes later, Daryl came out fully dressed, and a cigarette hung from his lips. Beth hopped off of the hood and moved out of the way, letting Daryl do his thing.

Daryl lifted the hood and fiddled with a few things, and then asked for the keys so that he could get in the driver seat and check under the dash. Beth completely dazed out, watching Daryl's hands check over things. She was only broken from her reverie when Daryl started laughing, actually laughing.

"What could possibly be funny?" Beth scowled but had to stop her lips from smiling, automatically reacting to the carefree sound of Daryl's laugh.

"You..." Daryl got out of the car and spoke through his laughter. "You just ran out of gas, Beth."

Beth's cheeks blushed. "No way, I'm so good about that."

Daryl smiled widely and Beth admired the fact that his teeth were perfect and white; the opposite of Joe's. "You're just outta gas. Your car may be older but it is in pretty good shape. It jus' needs fuel. Ya know, the thing that makes cars go?" Daryl teased as he took in Beth's dumbfounded expression.

"I know what gas is! I'm just surprised that I let that happen," Beth said in embarrassment.

"It's fine. Lucky for you, this is a gas station. Let me fill it up for ya," Daryl shook his head and his grin turned into a small smile.

Beth couldn't help but smile back a little. She was still mortified, but Daryl's smile was contagious. She reached into the car to grab her wallet to pay for the gas.

Daryl saw her and held up his hand. "It's on me."

"What? No. I'll pay for it," Beth argued.

"Please. Jus' don' make a big deal out of it. I've got it," Daryl's smile dropped and his face hardened again.

"I've got money though! I don't need your charity." Beth had a problem with accepting help from people, even when it wasn't coming from a place of pity. Unfortunately, growing up poor had made her that way.

"Ya don' think I have money?" Daryl's tone was harsh again. "Jus' 'cause I work in a mechanic's shop don' mean that I'm a nobody."

"I didn't...God, I didn't mean it like that," Beth countered. "I just didn't want you having to spend your money on me."

"Whatever, it's done," Daryl said as he swiped his credit card through the reader and got the gas pumping.

"Thank you, Daryl," Beth whispered.

Daryl just sniffed and nodded. They stood in silence as Beth's car was nourished. Beth was trying to establish the moment where Daryl's mood had turned, and why it had happened.

Daryl put the pump away and closed off Beth's fuel cap. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he glanced at Beth carefully. "If ya value yourself, don' come back here."

"Are you threatening me?" Beth asked in dismay.

"I'm fucking lookin' out for ya," Daryl growled. "Look, if ya turn left out of here, and then take the second right that you see, you'll hit the highway after goin' straight fer a while." He was obviously ready for Beth to leave.

But Beth being Beth, pushed her luck. "What...what was your dad talking about when he said he didn't know why they even still want you?"

Daryl glared hard. "Ya may have gotten my name out of me, gotten to sleep on my couch, but that is none of your fucking business."

Beth took a step back from the daggers that Daryl was hurling. "I'm sorry I asked," she whispered.

Daryl rolled his eyes and groaned. "Look, it's better that ya don' know about it. That way ya can't get caught up in it. Trust me. Jus'...leave it alone, Beth." There was actually a look of pleading in Daryl's eyes, like he wasn't just saying it to be a dick, but rather for her protection.

Beth listened intently and nodded, completely surprised that Daryl sort of, kind of, maybe cared a little. "Um, thanks. I guess...good luck with everything?"

Daryl gave a bitter smirk as he glanced back at his father's shop. "Yeah, you too."

"Bye, Daryl." Beth swallowed and then got in her car. She backed out and noted that Daryl stood and watched her with curious and intense eyes, his hands still shoved in his pockets, until he was out of sight.

Beth drove in the direction of the highway, windows rolled down and radio playing lowly, trying to clear her mind.

But it didn't work. She felt completely haunted by the image of Daryl standing by himself as Beth drove off, staring at her with those penetrating eyes. Beth inexplicably wanted to know what was behind those eyes and underneath the rough exterior and bruises