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thebarkingraccoon · 4 years ago

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Overpass - Curative AU

Summary: A small accident on a mountain road introduces Laura to a curious pair of brothers.

This is an AU of an existing fanfiction story called Curative It can be read without reading “Curative” though there may be some references to it. “Overpass” is a working title, may be subject to change later. FFN Quotev ao3 Wattpad (please note all chapters are not yet uploaded on ao3 or Wattpad, but will be in the near future)

Laura was holding her head, trying to stop the ringing in her ears. She was stunned when it happened, she couldn't see the pickup coming around the bend. The moment it came into view it was too late, thankfully, they weren't going exceptionally fast.

This left her with that horrid ringing and the world spinning. While she was dazed the people in the other vehicle had gotten out to look at the damage, inspecting their pickup and her car. To their surprise, the large old pickup took far more damage then the small, less than a year old convertible.

Their pickup suffered a crumpled in front left end that caused a bump in the hood, white smoke came pouring out every crack. That pickup wasn't going to move without some serious repairs; repairs likely worth more than the pickup itself.

The car they hit was low to the ground, fresh off the lot convertible that suffered a sufficient dent and broken headlight. Outside that, though the smaller car had survived relatively well thanks to the modern framework.

While Laura was trying to sort out the spinning in her head, the men from the pickup were talking about the damage. A few stings of expletives, talking about the damage and trying to pop the hood of the pickup. Only to find the latch had broken.

It took a few minutes before either one of the men checked on the driver of the car they hit. Laura had not sustained a serious injury, but she planned to get checked out regardless of the severity. Just to be entirely safe.

"Hey," One of the men came up to the driver's side of the convertible. He saw her inside leaned over, head in her heads messaging out the remainder of her nausea. "Ya' alright?"

He knew the accident was entirely on their end, his brother had crossed the lines between their lanes. It wasn't unusual for him to be reckless; sober or not the man was a danger to himself.

She lifted her head back slowly, revealing a slowly reddening spot on the bridge of her nose. Undoubtedly going to develop into a solid bruise the next day or two. He didn't react, anxious about dealing with this stranger and the problems that would come next.

This expensive convertible riding up the mountain, the clothes the woman was in, and the fact the accident was their fault; he fully expected an explosive response. While she would be in the right, that isn't what he got. Instead, she nodded and a small whine escaped her as if she had just woken from a deep sleep.

"I'm fine." She sighed, her eyes closed as she ran her hand on the back of her neck. "How're you?"

He shrugged, not really caring if she saw it considering her eyes were shut. She rolled her wrists out, popping her knuckles, then reached for her door handle. Seeing her go for the door he took a step back, letting her push it open.

She swung her legs out the car door then leaned over on her elbows, taking calming breaths before handling the situation. It would take a bit as she didn't feel any pain yet, that would set it later on. Trying to be careful, she lifted her head and looked to the pickup that hit her.

That's when she discovered her glasses were cracked, the frame having been snapped and one lens had fallen out. Through the small shards of one lens, she could still see, but it was difficult. Impossible to do much with, only giving tiny bits of clarity.

Sighing, she pulled off the broken glasses. She had a backup pair at home, but nothing currently on her. Tossing them into the passenger seat, she accepted defeat for this once relaxing day. "How's the damage? Is it bad?"

He figured she couldn't see without those glasses and bit his thumb, "Ain't that bad. Ya' ride'll be fine, our pickup's busted."

Hissing through her teeth, she sat up straight. "That sucks." She brought her hand back up to her head, lightly rubbing over the sensitive spot. The steering wheel had connected just over her right brow, sending a strange pressure through her eye. She groaned when she felt that pressure start to throb again. "Wait, 'our'?" She inquired, not having heard from a second person.

"Yeah, my brother." He looked over to see the person in question rummaging through the cabin of the pickup. None of this would go over easy and he knew it.

"Oh... is he okay too?" Laura couldn't make out anything more than a foot from her face. She was momentarily concerned when he mentioned a second person involved; if he was here why wasn't he talking?

Trying to avoid that soon to be very complicated discussion, he gestured loosely to her face. "It hurt?" He immediately noted she couldn't see that gesture.

Her fingers tapped around the bump and she nodded, "It doesn't feel good. I need to get it checked out."

He crouched down, looking at the welt. The knock she took didn't break the skin despite the obvious force behind the accident. Definitely not going to look pretty, but that was the least of their concerns.

When she turned to look at him directly he hesitated. While he was all blurry colors to her, she knew where he was. But he froze because he got a look at her face straight on and... she was beautiful. Not something he expected to be thinking after a minor car accident with this stranger, but he couldn't deny his reaction.

It was her eyes that caught him first, those startlingly bright green eyes. Sure, overall she was a gorgeous girl that clearly took care of herself and her appearance. Still, those eyes were what stopped him on the spot.

He set his jaw, working his head out of that space. "Here." Shifting a bit closer he looked at the reddening skin. He lifted a hand to check the area for any more long term damage. In his years of experience with brawls and fractured bones, he had gotten quite adept at checking himself and his brother over for injuries.

She had not anticipated him nearing her at first, his hand coming vaguely into view. The approach, and her long-standing issue with being touched, caused her to recoil the second she saw his hand in her vision. A deep-rooted fear she never shook free from, something too much a part of her to let go so easily.

When he saw her flinch away from him, he paused. She winced, her face turned away slightly from him, and her shoulders rose in anticipation.

This changed his demeanor to her instantly. An involuntary reaction born from years of experience, something he recognized too well. Not trying to force it, and knowing how uncomfortable he would be in her position, he dropped his hand. "He's fine." He'd rather talk about his brother than her flinching away from him.

She took a deep breath, doing whatever she could to quell the awkward feeling she just got. "Well, uh... we should exchange information. Do you have your ID or car insurance info on hand?"

Oh shit. He had completely forgotten about this part of it. So many times out in the deep country people who got into a hit didn't often report it, they just checked over the damage and worked out a deal. It tended to be beneficial when one or both parties lacked insurance... or a driver's license.

Which, as it happens, his brother did not currently have a driver's license and their pickup hadn't been insured for well over a year now. This was definitely going to get them in serious trouble if they didn't handle it right. Knowing his brother, it wouldn't go well.

Laura reached behind her to the armrest, unlatching the center and pulling out her wallet. Then for the glove compartment where she retrieved the thin piece of paper with her insurance on it. Prepared to exchange and get everything out of the way, she took her phone from the dash holder.

She couldn't see far, so she took it a single step at a time. Unfortunately, she knew she would need a bit of help to get everything down right. "So, was it you or your brother driving?" She asked, not realizing he had left her side and headed to his brother.

Looking around, she could tell there was a distinct lack of a body. She sighed, leaning on the side of her car while she waited for them.

Quietly, he came up to his brother. "She's askin' for-"

"Yeah, I heard her." He pulled himself from the pickup, pissed to see this old truck had finally bitten the dust. It had been around a long time and survived without needed serious repairs miraculously. And in a split second, it was totaled.

Not looking to agitate his brother, he stepped back. His brother clearly taking issue with her request for his information for obvious reasons.

"Let's see if we can't change her mind, huh little brother?" A smug grin on his face and false confidence, he rounded the collided vehicles. Taking note of other bits of damage around the body of the pickup, how worse off their truck was compared to her car.

He put on a confident posture while he found a way to spin the situation on her. Regardless of how convincing and intimidating he could be, she was not going to be moved so easily. Her limited sight actually helped negate the towering stature of the older brother.

"Hey there, lil' lady." He gave her a wide grin, standing only a couple feet away from her. He didn't notice how she squinted to get a better look at him. "Ya' got yourself a big ol' welt on your head. Did my brother give you a look over?" His tone was glib even though he thought he was about to get away with murder.

Uncomfortable about that brief encounter with the brother that tried to help her out, she nodded. Better to leave that whole thing behind, a very awkward exchange. "We're all okay, so I don't think emergency services are needed. But... uh, sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Name's Merle and this here's my baby brother, Daryl." He greeted, still that smug tone overpowering his attempt at sincerity. It made her a bit uncomfortable hearing him, he just gave her a weird vibe.

"I'm Laura, nice to meet you guys despite... the obvious." She gave them a very trying smile, doing what she could to hide her discomfort. "Like I told, uh, Daryl. I'll just take a picture of your ID and insurance card if you have them both on you. My car is fine, so I'll get outta' your way after that."

He nodded, rubbing his hand over his mouth and jaw. "'Course, just thought you might wanna' forego the legality. Seein' as you hit us and all, wanted to give ya' a chance to back out if you wanted."

"You hit me." She crossed her arms and pursed her lips. "I saw your front end over the double yellow. You weren't in your lane and you hit me."

His first plan didn't work, clearly only serving to disturb her. Even Daryl was looking at him doubtfully, not having expected Merle to try outright lying to her. The pickup was over the lines even now, definitely enough to tell that they were at fault not her.

Seeing she didn't accept his first attempt, he tried something else. "You still wanna' call the cops for a little accident? Ya' car's fine like you said. You can just drive right on outta' here like nothin' happened. No need to get insurance and those types involved, they'll just ask ya' for more money."

"My car will need to be fixed and Daryl said your pickup is, and I quote, busted. When I take my car back to the dealership to get repaired the damage, reported or not, goes on this car's record. My insurance will go up anyways." Laura explained, not entirely understanding what he was trying to say. It sounded to her like he was trying to wiggle his way out of giving his info up...

Merle gave Daryl a sideways glare, the younger brother having told her too much to his liking. She wasn't catching on immediately, but she was getting there. The closer she was to figuring out his angle the less likely he was to convince her not to report the accident.

But before he could keep pressuring her not to report it, Laura sighed deeply. "Ooh... You don't have insurance or you don't have an ID?" Laura stopped him from giving her any further excuses.

Annoyed, Merle clenched his jaw forward. If this little accident was reported it would land Merle securely with some jail time or community service. He had his license revoked and he was driving uninsured, both of those offenses he had received multiple warnings and fines for already.

Which meant this time there would be a fine and punishment. The brothers definitely wanted to avoid that no matter what.

Merle didn't answer her, but Daryl did. "Both." He muttered lowly under the glare of his older brother.

Laura pinched the bridge of her nose only to wince at the contact. If she reported it the driver would get in serious trouble, but more importantly, this whole ordeal would turn into a legal issue as well. That would mean she'd have to go to her father and explain the situation.

She had already taken off college, strike one for her father. He made it painfully clear that this time out of college was limited. Once she struck the deal that she would take off a few semesters with him, she was taking every precaution not to incite him further.

He was straightforward when he told her the slightest incident or risk to her educational future and the deal was off. A car accident on a narrow mountain road could end-all of her future prospects.

Going to him now to say she got in an accident while vacationing with a friend... It would end all of her plans. Everything she looked forward to would be gone in an instant just because some asshole crossed the double yellows.

She didn't want that to happen, she was having fun with Jason for the first time in a long time. Losing that now... it would devastate her and she knew Jason would be disappointed. He had taken so much of his time planning their vacation and hangouts.

Plus this guy, Merle, wasn't about to let the situation go. While she couldn't see him clearly, she was still keenly aware of her position here. She was alone on a quiet mountain road with two men insisting that she not call authorities to handle the accident that was obviously their fault.

It made her nervous and a little scared. She wasn't good alone, she wanted Jason here to feel safe. Feeling anxious to get out of this situation and terrified of her father finding out, she knew what her choice would be. At least they would be satisfied, she figured.

"Okay." Laura ran a hand through her hair, nervously trying to distract herself. "It's fine, don't worry about it. Not like I can't afford the repairs anyways."

Pleased, Merle grinned while Daryl was surprised they had just gotten away with it. Not exactly the expected outcome, but they weren't about to press the issue.

Laura pushed herself off the side of her car, taking her phone from her pocket. She squinted, holding the phone closer to her face. The words barely sharpening enough to be guessed at, she could barely make out anything on the screen.

"I'm going to get my friend to pick me up, so it'll be a bit." Laura navigated to Jason's number, "Since y'all have to wait for a tow truck I figure you won't mind me sticking around for a bit." She hit the number, putting the phone on speaker as she clicked open the driver's side door.

Curious, Merle pointed to her car's front end. "Ya' ain't gonna' head out?"

"My glasses were broken when I hit my head on the wheel. I can't drive." Laura leaned against the door, kicking her feet into the passenger side while the phone rang. "I can't see anything but blobs of light and color right now."

Merle, for a moment, realized that she didn't know their faces. Were the truck working he would've just left right then and there. Unfortunately, that white smoke kept reminding him that pickup was dead.

Laura turned her car on, ensuring the emergency brake was on and turned on the radio. She couldn't see anything, couldn't enjoy the scenic view off the edge of the road, so she just sat and listened to music.

"Go for Jason." The phone clicked, he had thankfully answered her call. Merle listening in to the conversation while he and Daryl stood at the front of the pickup.

"Jason," Laura whined playfully, hoping to keep him calm when she broke the news. "I need your help."

She could hear him hum down the phone, "Why...?"

Laura bit her lip, "I got in a car accident."

"What!" He yelled, "Oh, god. Are you alright? Does anything hurt? Did you call the paramedics? How long ago was this? Did it just happen or are you at the hospital? What hospital!" He panicked immediately, her earlier attempt to keep him from this freak out failed miserably.

"Relax, relax. I'm fine. Only a little. No paramedics, not an emergency. Like maybe twenty minutes ago? Still on the road with the guys that hit me." She answered in order, having adjusted to his almost motherly concern for her. "I'm on the road to the cabin, honestly right down the hill from it. My other pair of glasses is in my room on top of the dresser. Can you bring them to me?"

Jason was already searching through the bedroom, snatching the glasses up and heading out the door. "You said on Terrora, south of the cabin, right?"

"Mhmm! On that blind corner right before the rapids. So be careful, we're right around that corner." Laura chirped, "Thank you, Jason."

"Anytime." He hung up first, seated in his car ready to deliver her much-needed glasses. Laura just turned up her music and kicked back for a while, it was a long road and it would take a few minutes for him to arrive.

In the meantime, the brothers were stuck deciding how to get out of the mess Merle got them in. As it stands their pickup wasn't going anywhere fast. Dead on a mountain road was just asking for trouble and they were in a dangerous spot as it was.

The only option was to call a tow, but that tow costed money. Money neither of the brothers had on hand nor had waiting for them back home. Picking up any car in this place wasn't cheap, the full charge would run them at least two-hundred.

That meant they had no surefire way to get back on the road. They could get their other truck back home to tow it themselves, which is how they would normally do it. But with no spending money to get home, they were up shit creek without a paddle. As it were.

However, Laura had openly mentioned how she could easily afford the repairs to her car. That combined with the new car smell and her appearance, she was not hurting for cash. This was a wealthy woman with money to spare.

With no way to get home short of walking, Merle was working on buttering Laura up. She was sweet and small, an easy target for a bit of smooth talk. He thought so anyway, but that was far from the truth.

While Daryl had expressed their situation in detail, Merle was not listening to a word. Something he did regularly and didn't surprise Daryl in the least when Merle cut him off. "Maybe we could talk to the girl, two poor folk in need of a little pick me up."

Daryl thought through it as best he could. Laura was a young woman, alone, in an unfamiliar place, stuck on an old mountain road with two strange men. She would not be open to Merle's approach but were Daryl to argue that point he wouldn't get far.

Through everything they'd done together, Merle was always in charge. The older brother was prone to self-destruction, including this little accident he got them all into. What's worse is Merle didn't often listen to Daryl's advice, good or bad.

Were they to argue about it, Merle would do whatever he was going to do regardless. That and Daryl knew he would without a doubt always have his brother's back.

But he looked to Laura lounging in her car, the convertible top was down so she could just lay back and soak in the sun. She didn't look relaxed, just patient. He thought back to her flinching away when he tried to check her bump over. It made him nervous to think about pressuring her, feeling some guilt for Merle's plan.

Merle tapped Daryl with his elbow, winking at him. He knew the plan was stupid, he fully expected her to pop the top up and lock them out. Especially if she could actually see them clearly. Two men that dwarfed her, rednecks that as Daryl figured, lived up to the negative assumptions. At least, in Merle's case.

Laura's eyes were closed, completely fine to wait until Jason arrived. Her peace and quiet was interrupted when Merle knocked on the windshield, startling her up.

"Say, girly," Merle confirmed, leaning against her car. "Where ya' from?"

Daryl stayed close by, listening but not speaking. He watched Laura turn around in her seat, squinting as she searched out Merle.

"Atlanta." She shrugged, assuming it a boring answer. Anyone could tell she wasn't from the area, but she lived only a few hours away. "Just up here on a little vacation with a friend." She swallowed nervously feeling that usual social awkwardness rearing its head.

She didn't like small talk, she didn't like talking to people she didn't know. At least when they talked about the accident that was a mutual topic of discussion. Now that it ended, she had no idea what to say and didn't really want to say anything at all.

Trying to be polite, she had answered while secretly hoping he would leave it alone. That creeping feeling of being vulnerable slowly worming its way back up.

"That guy on ya' called?" Merle pried, either not noticing her nervousness or not caring. "Your boyfriend?"

Laura frowned, trying to keep herself steady. Hearing him ask that felt very personal, an intrusion on her privacy. "Uh, no, I guess?" She didn't know if she should answer or not.

"So you ain't got yourself a man, huh?" Merle's line of questioning was only serving to give Laura a heart attack. She didn't like the prying and she certainly didn't like what he was asking about specifically.

As she attempted to laugh off his questions, she ended up coming off a lot more awkward than she meant. It was painfully clear the woman was far beyond uncomfortable. She was practically sweating bullets every time Merle spoke.

Daryl could see how she started to look away, making herself smaller than she already is. Seeing her skittish made him feel very strange, not recognizing he sympathized with her.

Laura caved, "No, I don't think so. Jason and I are just really good friends." She was starting to count the seconds for Jason to arrive.

"If ya' single, why not head out for a drink with us? We're on our way back from a long day workin', figure we would treat ya' to a drink as a- an apology, yeah. For the whole accident thing." Merle's intent was to smooth talk his way into getting a free ride. While they lacked the funds for a tow, they could afford a drink at the local bar.

The very idea of going out for a drink with these two strange men made Laura reasonably more nervous. "I- uh, no. I don't drink. It's okay- the whole accident thing I mean, no apologies needed!" She tried to put on the friendliest face she could, acting sweet and entirely amicable. Internally having a panic attack.

Merle took a step closer, "Come on, let's put this whole thing behind us. Maybe we can show ya' 'round the town too. If you here on vacation, we know some good spots to get a look at the view..."

Daryl really couldn't see how Merle was overlooking how increasingly worried the girl looked. He was being willfully ignorant of how intimidating he was.

"Some places nice an' quiet up in these mountains." Merle continued, each suggestion for solitude with the strange man causing Laura to sink further into the leather seat. "Secluded too, ain't nothin' up there but the view."

Laura slumped forward, her curtain of hair helping to hide her from Merle in some small way.

"Yup, 'specially good at night. Dark as can be an' far enough from anywhere to see stars."

And Laura looked pale, wide-eyed, terrified, and looking for any way out of this conversation.

To her relief, Merle was interrupted. Daryl had stepped in out of her view, shaking his head at Merle to tell him his convincing wasn't going to work. He was telling Merle to lay off without saying it directly. The girl was scared and all Merle was doing was making it worse.

Frustrated, Merle glared at his younger brother before leaving her car back to the totaled pick up. It definitely pissed him off that she hadn't responded the way he wanted, but Daryl had expected that from the beginning.

Seeing his brother angrily round the pickup far away from Laura, Daryl approached her. She was holding herself into the seat, visibly shaken from Merle's inappropriate persistence.

Daryl made no attempts to convince her of anything, only felt guilty she was stuck there with them. "Sorry 'bout 'im." His quiet voice actually surprised Laura more than Merle's smug comments. She was expecting more of the same, instead, she got to see the younger brother that checked on her before.

She swallowed hard, licking her lips as she realized her mouth had gone dry. He was being considerate and she appreciated it. "It's okay, thanks." She gave him this lopsided weak smile. Unable to hide the weirdness she still felt.

"He ain't usually like that." Daryl once more gestured towards Merle, knowing she couldn't see the movement. "He's just upset we ain't gotta' way to move the truck."

Laura frowned, "There are no tow truck companies that operate out here?" It seemed surprising, the mountains weren't high traffic but they still saw plenty of breakdowns.

Daryl kicked the road under his boot. "Nah, it-" He hesitated, embarrassed by his and his brother's situation. It wasn't easy admitted they were broke and couldn't afford anything outside a quick drink. "It ain't that. Don't worry 'bout it."

She felt calmer talking to Daryl, much calmer than she did talking to Merle at least. There was still this awkwardness hanging in the air, the normal suspicion a woman in her position would have. "Oh, okay." Laura heard Daryl walk off after his brother.

Now she just felt bad. They were stuck here for some reason and she was worried. While Merle scared the hell out of her, Daryl didn't give her that feeling.

During this time, Jason had pulled up right behind the pickup. He was sure to park his car on the other side of the blind corner so anyone could see he stopped. No one had come by, but he wanted to be safe.

Hurrying around the corner, he saw the pickup smoking and Laura's convertible sitting in front of it. The accident clearly the fault of the pickup, but it wasn't severe enough to warrant an emergency. It looked worse than it was.

Jason saw the brothers standing at the bed of the truck, neither one talking. He slowed down, waving to them as he passed. They just watched him with no more than a nod to acknowledge his arrival. Jason got a strange feeling around them, they definitely made him feel unwelcome.

Shaking his head, Jason approached Laura. "Sorry it took so long, there were some bikers." He came up to the driver's side, immediately welcomed with a big hug from Laura. "Whoa, now. You alright? Those guys... they cool?" He whispered, careful to not let them overhear.

He got an awkward feeling just passing them, he couldn't imagine being stuck here with them. Not to mention they were in the Georgia mountains, the locals were not well known for their inclusive nature.

"So much better now you're here." Laura swiped the glasses from Jason's hand, slipping them on. As her vision sharpened she could finally see the damage from the accident. "Oh, man. That looks a lot worse than I expected."

Jason chuckled, "Well, it doesn't look good."

Laura shrugged, "Whatever, my car can make it out of here. I'll just have to get a new headlight to make it road legal again." She pushed down her sense of unease, trying to focus on getting back to the cabin to rest. Then likely taking a trip to a local doctor to check her over.

He put his hands on his hips, spying the dents to her front end. "Should be good. Doesn't look like it really did much." His eyes traveled up to the pickup and he laughed, "But that old thing is definitely screwed. No way in hell it'll be worth the repairs. They'll probably scrap it."

"Huh, really?" Laura glanced up to Jason confused. "I just thought 'busted' meant it wouldn't run right now. I didn't know it was like, completely totaled."

"Oh yeah, no, that thing's going anywhere." Jason patted her car door. "I'll see you at the cabin?"

Laura stared at the broken truck, barely able to glimpse the two men through the windows of the pickup. "Uh yeah, I'm going to sit tight for a minute though." She couldn't find it in herself to leave knowing what Jason told her.

Curious, he raised a brow. "Oh?"

She was slow to respond but nodded. "They called for a tow, I'm gonna' chill with them 'til it gets here. Is that okay?"

Sure, he could tell something was up. Laura couldn't hide anything to save her life. He swore her transparency would be the death of her one day, but for now, he didn't question her choices. If she wanted to stay, then she would stay.

"Alright then, you want me to stay with you?" Jason offered, using it to gauge her reaction.

She waved him off, "Nah, it's all good. They're alright, very sorry for the whole thing. I just want to make sure they're able to get out of here safely."

Highly suspicious, Jason narrowed his eyes. "I'll wait in my car just around the corner. We'll head back together then."

Laura was pleased to know he'd be nearby still. "Sounds good." She gave him the most confident smile she could. He rolled his eyes, rustled a hand in her hair, and walked back to his car.

Having Jason around made her feel better, especially since Jason was a bigger guy than Merle and Daryl. It was an extra blanket of safety she appreciated. When Jason went back to his car, she looked up local tow truck companies on her phone.

Unbeknownst to the brothers, she had a tow truck on the way and ready to pay for it. She knew technically they should be paying for everything since it was Merle that caused the accident, she just couldn't find it in herself to force them.

With their pickup totaled she assumed they were considering junking it. It wasn't a stretch to deduce they couldn't afford the tow and certainly not the repairs. She wanted to do something nice, less for Merle's sake and more for Daryl who came off to her as kind.

It was difficult for her to explain her need to do something for them. She knew what it was like to be stuck in a bad place, she knew the accident was their fault, and she could tell Daryl was concerned about the whole ordeal.

She was confused as to why she wanted to do it. Perhaps she didn't have a solid case for, but she didn't care. She really liked seeing people happy and it made her happy to be able to help someone out. Especially when that someone is in need.

Her company did not go unnoticed by the brothers. Though Jason had come and gone as far as they could see, she was still sitting in the same place. Interested they kept an eye on her, watching and waiting to see why she was sticking around for so long.

It was a good long while before they all could hear the sounds of a massive vehicle approach. A flatbed tow truck had hauled itself up the mountain roads to assist.

Laura started to move her car out of the way, driving up passed the pickup and parked right on the corner behind them. She left her car on, stepping out with her wallet in hand. She knew they would talk to her, likely Merle would too, she didn't let that bother her though.

Right now she was their lifeline and she was happy to provide.

The tow truck driver was working on maneuvering into place, trying his best to line up the pickup. Laura walked passed them, waiting for the driver to step out and give her the bill. Before she could approach the tow truck, she was stopped by Merle.

"You called in a tow?" Merle was puzzled by this, having gotten the hint she wasn't open to his suggestions earlier.

She shrugged, "Yeah, he'll take you wherever you want to go." Laura pointed to the tow truck, "I just figured you guys could use it."

Unsure how to explain their seriously lacking finances, Merle set his jaw as he thought through the problem she posed. On the other hand, Daryl didn't show his reaction to the tow. Neither brother particularly wanted to say we're broke but she didn't need or want them to say anything.

Laura, detecting neither of them were going to speak against it, continued to the tow truck driver. The man greeted her with a smile, bringing up the clipboard to sign, and the card reader. With a swipe, the driver was paid and ready to get moving.

He came with Laura back to Merle and Daryl, "Afternoon, boys. I just need the keys for the truck so I can load 'er up."

Merle handed the keys to the man, offering nothing but a curt nod.

"You know how it goes, just give him directions." Laura looked around nervously, "So, uh..." She pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket, holding it out towards Daryl.

Surprised, he gradually took the torn strip of paper. He looked down at it, seeing a quick scribble of numbers followed by her name.

"For when you decide to get it fixed or replaced. Just give me a call... okay?" Laura already felt awkward about the whole event, she didn't really want to discuss her choice to help them out. All she really knew is she didn't want to leave them stuck on the side of the road.

Daryl nodded, "Okay."

"Okay." She echoed. "Uh, goodbye!" With a wave, she was off to catch up with Jason. Leaving the brothers just as dazed and confused as she had been.

At the end of it, as Laura got back in her car, she felt glad to do something kind for someone else. While she didn't much like Merle, she felt pretty pleased about helping Daryl.

When she finally got to relax at the cabin it felt like it had been forever. She sighed, relieved for it to be over, and half expecting them to call her in the future. They may or may not accept her offer, she had no idea and was too tired at this point to care.

#Curative AU #Overpass #twd fanfiction #the walking dead fanfiction #oc #laura #daryl x oc #merle #jason

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