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On a wing and a prayer

Here

Daryl rode his motorcycle to his shack and breathed a sigh of relief. Merle wasn't there yet and he wouldn't have to try and explain where he had been all night. He definitely planned on telling him about Willow and everything but to do it the morning after a booze binge probably wasn't a good idea. Walking inside, Daryl kicked off his boots and stretched out on the old worn couch staring at the chipped ceiling thinking about last night.

He had been so afraid she would tell him to go to hell after he left and then hung out with Tonya. It was so crazy how he didn't have to explain anything, she already knew and believed in him without question. It was almost like he had found the other half of his soul. Before it was about liking her because she was beautiful and funny and the sex was amazing but when she showed complete faith in him is when he knew that this thing with her went much deeper. Nobody had ever had faith in him for anything and now not only did she have faith, so did Joe.
He still couldn't believe what he had offered him...he thought maybe he did it because of Willow and maybe he did a little but Joe told him straight up that even if things didn't work out with him and Willow he still wanted to do this. He said he owed him for warning him about Merle and his boys and for promising to fix his truck. He told him to stop running from being happy and nothing ever made more sense to him than that.

He could be happy and for the first time in his life, he really believed it. Having the shop, a little house and who knows...maybe Willow would want to stay there with him one day. Good Lord, he thought. I was petrified not that long ago of being someone's boyfriend and now he was thinking about living with her? He had to grin in spite of himself. Speaking of which, he had only been home for a short time but he already missed her and wanted to go back. Where the hell was Merle? Screw it, he thought. He'd surprise her by coming back so fast and if Merle asked where he'd been, he'd tell him he went hunting. Pulling back on his boots, Daryl quickly got on his bike and headed back, hoping to hell he wouldn't pass Merle.

Willow's eyes flitted open but she closed them quickly watching the room spin. Her head hurt something awful and her mouth was so dry it felt like she hadn't had anything to drink for days. Opening her eyes again, the room slowed and eventually stopped. Sitting up slowly she looked around. She was in some sort of underground bunker or cellar or something. She could see the steel ladder leading upwards on the rounded metal walls. Where was she and who had done this? The last thing she remembered was walking from the bar and the feel of someone grabbing her. She screamed but then everything went black and now she was awake, here, only she didn't know where here was.

Feeling a shiver from a chill come over her, she looked down and realized someone had undressed her down to her panties and bra. Panic and fear gripped her heart. Finding herself locked up and half-naked, someone had plans for her...but who? Pulling the thin blanket off the cot, Willow wrapped it around her shoulders, trying to take away the chill from the cold room and cover her exposed body. Looking up at the ladder again, following it up to a small hatch, she knew it was a long shot but she had to try and see if the hatch would open. Walking slowly towards the ladder, her leg stopped. Looking down Willow became aware of the chain and clamp around her ankle, sending her heart into another round of palpitations.

Willow looked around some more, hoping to find anything that would pry the band off of her ankle. Her mouth hung open looking at the supply of food and water and all of it looked new like it was just put there. There was a bathroom, fresh linens, and stacks of magazines and books... Whoever did this, had gone to great lengths in planning it. Looking around again she realized not much was in here besides the bed and books. Looking at the bed, not even that would do her any good seeing it was bolted to the floor. The hopelessness overwhelmed her as the panic began to squeeze her chest again. Why? Who? Was all she could think until she heard the click of the hatch as it opened. Waiting breathlessly to see who her capture was, she prepared herself for anything...until she saw him...

Daryl pulled into the parking lot and parked his bike and could hardly wait to see and kiss her again. Walking through the doors, he smiled seeing Joe sitting at the bar going over some sort of book.

"Hey old man" Daryl said softly

Joe looked up and looked at him, then behind him and looked rather confused.

"Hey Daryl..." he said quietly still looking at him and then the door "Is Willow coming in behind you?"

Daryl stared at him...why would he ask him something like that?

"No...she's here with you, I just saw her a couple of hours ago."

Joe slowly shook his head

"She's not here Daryl, when I got up and saw she was gone, I figured she took off with you somewhere since you guys were together last night"

Daryl stared at him trying to think.

"We didn't go anywhere, we fell asleep on the old cot in the back. I woke up early this morning and told her I wanted to try and get home before Merle so I left and figured she would just go back to sleep. She has to be around here somewhere, I'll go look"

Daryl felt sick to his stomach and his heart was pounding in his chest. Going first to the back room, he looked at the cot and the folded sheets and blanket sitting at the end. Trying to think suddenly the lake popped in his head. She loves the peacefulness and likes to draw by the lake, she was probably there and time just got away from her. Running out the door and down the path, Daryl stopped and stared at the empty space. No, No, No, he thought running back up the path. Finding Joe standing there he shook his head. Where could she be?

"Are there any vehicles missing? Did she maybe drive somewhere?" Daryl asked begging for a reason that she was gone.

Joe shook his head

"No, nothing is missing"

Then it hit Daryl like a thunderbolt. She was missing, Merle was missing. He had somehow found out about her and took her to punish him.

"I'll be back" Daryl growled.

Flying through the bar, Daryl hopped on his bike and went roaring out of the parking lot. Going as fast as his bike would take him he blasted up the rock driveway to the old wooden shack. Seeing Merle's chopper sitting there, his anger went into overdrive. Kicking the door open and seeing Merle sprawled out on the couch, he began to shake with rage.

"Heyyyyy little brother, where you been? Oh my lawd did I have a night" Merle smiled rubbing his face

Merle never saw the punch coming. Daryl blasted him, tagging him in the side of the nose as blood spurt everywhere.

"What the-"

"Where is she?" Daryl drew his fist back again

"Take it easy brother, I just left her and she was still in one piece," Merle said with his hands up

"Where is she?" Daryl growled with his fist still in the air.

"What the hell Daryl? If I woulda known you liked the little blonde that much I wouldn't have-"

"NOT TONYA... WILLOW!" Daryl screamed interrupting him.

Merle stared at him in confusion

"Who the hell is Willow?" Merle asked

Daryl drew his gun and clicked back the hammer.

"One last time...where is she? I'm done with you taking things away from me because they make me happy. I know you found out about us and you took her. Where is she Merle? I swear to God if you don't tell me, I will put a bullet through your brain you piece of SHIT!"

It was quiet for a moment until Merle spoke

"Brother, you do this and you'll never forgive yourself, especially when you find out it wasn't me. I was with Tiny, Colleen and Tonya all night long. Tiny scored some China white and we had a party all night long, you can ask any of them. I didn't take her little brother, I don't even know who "her" is"

Daryl held his gun on him for a few more minutes the uncocked it and dropped it. It made sense... but if Merle didn't then who did?

"Alright," Daryl said quietly "I'll believe for now, but if I find out you're lying to me...you will no longer be my brother and I will kill you."

Merle nodded still staring at Daryl

"You still didn't answer me...who is this Willow?"

Daryl stared off into space

"Joe's granddaughter, we've been seeing each other for awhile," Daryl said with an ache in his voice.

Merle nodded, for once in his life knowing better not to make a smart comment.

"I gotta go" Daryl mumbled and tore back out the door.

Daryl raced back to the bar, praying she was there and it was some sort of fluke.
Pulling back into the parking lot, he ran into the bar, finding it empty. Running through the back door, his heart fell as he ran into Joe. Joe looked at Daryl hoping, Daryl shook his head

"I don't think he took her. He didn't even know who I was talking about at first." Daryl said quietly.
Joe nodded.

"Daryl, I haven't tracked anything in a long time but this looks odd over here...what do you think?" Joe asked while staring at the ground.

Daryl stared at the ground seeing two sets of prints, one smaller that would probably be Willow's and another that were larger. Daryl looked seeing only one set of prints that led away from the spot.

"He took her here...walked that way carrying her," Daryl said softly, following the tracks.

Daryl's eyes were glued to the ground looking for anything that would tell him where they went. Following the footprints around the building and to the parking lot, Daryl stood there thinking. The tracks stopped here, so they must have gotten into a vehicle noticing the fresh oil drips. There was something familiar about those oil drips.

Walking back across the parking lot slowly, Daryl stopped and looked at the oil drips. It hit him hard. Jesse. Jesse's car had been parked there last night. Daryl remembered because he thought about telling Jesse to move it because he was almost blocking the doors. It had to be him.

"Joe!" He yelled

Joe walked hurriedly around the corner.

"It was Jesse" Daryl growled

Joe looked shocked

"Why would he? He's her friend?" Joe pleaded

"He wants to be more than friends Joe. I saw him last night at the bar and the way he was staring at Willow was damn right creepy. I almost went over and said something to him because of it."

Daryl ran for his bike

"Daryl wait!" Joe yelled

Daryl stared at him impatiently as Joe continued

"If he's as obsessed as you think then going there all half-cocked and threatening him may backfire. If he knows that we know he took her and has her hidden somewhere, he may just leave her there so we can never find her. He could be in the mindset that if he can't have her, nobody can. We need to play this smart Daryl"

Daryl nodded and began to think.

"Do you know where he lives?" Daryl asked

Joe nodded

"I'm pretty sure he still has his parent's old farmhouse. From what I heard, the both got sick and passed so he's been staying there by himself. It's on Butler Rd, off of Rt 20. It's white with a wraparound porch but the main thing is that it has a big red barn in the back that abuts up to some pretty thick forestry. He could have her just about anywhere around there. Let me get my jacket and-"

"No" Daryl interrupted. "I track better alone and if we're both there, there's a better chance of him noticing us. I can be damn near invisible when I need to be. I'll bring her home, Joe, I swear to you I will."

Joe nodded as he grabbed Daryl's shoulder and squeezed, unable to talk from worry. Daryl started his bike and grabbed Joe's shoulder as well, giving him a sharp nod before kicking his bike into gear and taking off like a shot.

"Jesse?" Willow whispered

Jesse climbed down the last rung and stood staring at her.

"Good, you're awake. I was hoping I hadn't hit you too hard but when you didn't wake, I was beginning to worry"

Willow stared at him not really being able to grasp that it was him who had knocked her out and kidnapped her.

"Jesse, why? Why would you do this?"

Jesse stared at her and then the blanket.

"Take the blanket off, Willow," Jesse said with a cold stare

Willow was stunned by his expression and the coldness in his voice. Trying to reason with him, she tried again.

"Jesse it's cold in here...you're my friend...you don't want me to be uncomfortable do you?"

Willow watched the room spin again as the back of his hand found her cheek.

"I said take the blanket off" Jesse glared

Willow dropped the blanket from her shoulders and stood in her humiliation and fear while Jesse looked her up and down.

"You're mine now Willow, just like you should have been all along. I told you he was no good and would hurt you and he did! But you still ran to him, and did things with him in that lake that you should have been doing with me! How could you Willow? After what he did, being with another woman right in front of you, but you still didn't care? How little do you think of yourself?" Jesse demanded with a dark rage in his eyes.

Willow was mortified that he had watched she and Daryl in the lake. Trying to explain she spoke softly.

"Jesse, I know what it looked like, but Daryl was just pretending to like that girl. His brother isn't a very nice man and we knew if he knew Daryl and I was together, he would do some pretty bad things, so he pretended to be interested in her and we would see each other in secret"
Jesse stared at her and shook his head.

"He's lying to you. He's just seeing you in secret so he can have both of you. You're a fool Willow, he doesn't care about you or love you...but I do. I have to save you from yourself and if that means keeping you here for the rest of our lives then so be it. Someday you'll see it and you'll understand that we were meant for each other. I knew you wouldn't even try as long as Daryl was sniffing around you, so I removed that temptation. You will learn to love me Willow...you will...even if I have to beat it into you."

Willow stared at Jesse and realized her friend was gone and had been replaced by something cold, dark and sinister. Trying one last time to bring him back she spoke softly again.

"Jesse...I do love you. You've been wonderful to me since we were kids, you will always be in my heart. But this? This isn't you Jesse, this isn't my friend who loves and cares about me. He would never keep me in a place like this away from my family who happens to love you too"

Willow reached out and touched his arm "don't do this Jesse, you don't need to. I love you without all of this."

Willow looked into his eyes and could see he was conflicted. She was getting through to him.

"We can forget all this happened and just go back to how we were, being happy fishing and hanging out together," she said softly then realized she must have said something wrong as his rage returned.

"You will NEVER see that lake again. After you did those things with him there? It's ruined. You're going to love me like you love him, and you're going to let me do the same things he did to you but you're going to love it more because it's me!" He screamed.

Willow watched in horror as he grabbed her shoulders and brought his mouth down on hers violently. Willow tried to fight and grab his hand as he fondled her roughly. Trying to force his tongue into her mouth, her reflexes kicked in and she did the only thing she could think to do, she bit him. Hearing him scream, she let go and brought her fist up, clocking him between the eyes. He was hurting, but not enough for her to have an advantage. Punching her so hard it sent her sprawling, he stared at her in a black rage.

"You're going to pay for that," he said deathly quiet spitting out blood "Maybe once your precious Daryl is dead and can no longer do those things to you, you'll let me do them. You will love me Willow, one way or another."

Willow watched horrified as Jesse climbed the ladder to the surface and disappear out the hatch. Curling into a ball, Willow leaned against the corner of the bed and let her fear and anxiety claim her, unable to control her shaking and sobs. She wanted to believe that Daryl would come for her but now that Jesse was on the hunt for him...Daryl would never see it coming and she would never see him again.

Daryl slowed his bike as he spied a road sign approaching. Reading "Butler Rd" he drove past and looked for a place to pull off and hide his bike. Seeing a thicket, he pulled off the road, killing the engine and pushed it into the dense woods. Laying the bike on its side, Daryl pulled a pile of shrubbery over it to keep it hidden. Walking quickly through the woods, Daryl found the treeline and began walking along it. Seeing a big red barn in the distance, his heart sped up as did his feet. She was so near, he could almost feel it.

Arriving on the edge of the woods at the back of the barn, Daryl stood taking everything in. Jesse's car was there, so he was still here. A huge part of him wanted to go blasting in there and demand to know where she was, but Joe had been right...he had to play this smart. His heart stopped seeing Jesse come out of the house and walk to his car. Daryl observed red welts around his eyes and a blood stain near his mouth. He had been in a fight...she had fought him. At that moment, Daryl was both overwhelmingly proud but absolutely terrified. What if Jesse had hurt her when they fought? Desperate for him to leave so he could check the house, Daryl was on a dead run before Jesse was halfway down the road.

Sliding his knife around the lock on the back door, he heard a click as it opened. Walking into a kitchen, Daryl looked around for any kind of sign she was here. Seeing a basement door, he tore it open and ran down the stairs looking for any sort of hidden door or movable wall.

"WILLOW!" He screamed and stood waiting to hear any sort of sound. Not hearing anything he ran back up the steps and began checking the rest of the house. Not finding anything screamed her name again.

"WILLOW!"

Daryl stood there in silence as his heart began to break. She wasn't here. Remembering the barn, Daryl left the house, locking the door and ran to the barn. Checking the floor for any trap doors or hidden areas, he came up empty again.

"WILLOW!" He screamed again listening for anything.

He couldn't help it as the tears of frustration gathered in his eyes. He had been so sure she was here! Walking back to the edge of the woods, he realized he would need his bike for the next time Jesse left so he could follow him since he obviously had hidden her some place else. Walking back towards his bike, he suddenly stopped, staring at the ground seeing footprints and a path where something had been dragged through here. Following the path, Daryl soon stepped into somewhat of a clearing except for some piles of leaves, sticks and greenery.

Losing the path to the grass, he stopped and stared and began screaming her name again.
Willow's head jerked up as she thought she heard someone call it. Listening...there it was again! Trying to think of anything to signal the voice she stared at her chain. Grabbing it she began to pound on the metal frame of the bed and began screaming back

I'M HERE! I'M HERE!"

Daryl listened but not hearing anything started to turn and leave until a "ting ting ting" sound reached his ears. Walking towards to middle of the area, he screamed her name again and heard the tinging louder and then a voice. Digging through the piles of debris frantically he finally came upon a pile that wouldn't move. Feeling around it, he finally found a button and heard the hatch open. Lifting it, he climbed the stairs and turned and looked at her huddled in a ball.

"Daryl?" She whispered

Daryl went to her and picked her up holding her close to his chest. Sitting on the bed he looked at her seeing all the bruising and red marks as a single tear escaped his eye.

"My God, what has he done to you?" He whispered

Willow shook her head

"I'm OK, I'm OK but please Daryl, get me out of here." She said desperately

Daryl nodded looking at her chain. Pulling as hard as he could Daryl shook his head.

"It's bolted to the bed, it's not going to budge," he said quietly. "I saw a bunch of tools in the barn,

I'm going to see what I can find to get this off of you"

Willow shook her head frantically

"No...no Daryl don't leave me. He's out there and said he was going to kill you. Please don't leave me." She whispered clinging to his neck.

Daryl's heart hurt realizing just how afraid she was. Hugging her close, he kissed her softly.

"Sweetheart, I have to find something to cut the chain. I would fire my gun at it but I'm afraid with all this metal there would be a bad ricochet. I promise you I will be back. Remember this morning when I promised I would see you later?"

Willow nodded her head, staring at him

"Well, here I am. Now I'm promising I'll be right back...do you trust me?"

Willow nodded, she trusted him with her life.

"Then I will be right back. The barn isn't far...5 minutes...tops" he said kissing her softly again

Getting her to her feet, Daryl stood up and looked at her and frowned. Pulling his shirt off his back, he slipped it over her head, helping her put it on. It was chilly down here and she had to be freezing. Daryl kissed her softly again and whispered

"Be right back"

Willow watched him as he climbed back up the ladder and hugged his shirt to her body still warm from being next to his skin. Finally at the top Daryl went to pull himself out but stopped hearing the click of a gun.

Notes

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