HAPPY TOSSED AND TURNED, annoyed groans filling the small motel room as the couple next door robbed him of his sleep. After nearly ten hours on the road, he just wanted to call it a night and get some sleep before hitting the road again, preparing himself for the seven hour drive back to Charming after he had spent a week in Tacoma.

With all this fucking noise, though, that wasn't going to happen. And it was annoying the shit out of him.

"Right, that's where you belong, on your knees, little slut", he heard a man's voice bark, the walls so thin it wasn't hard to miss anything. "Fuckin' pathetic bitch!"

Happy growled under his breath. The guy had no fuckin' idea how to talk to a woman and no, this was definitely not some kind of consensual sex play.

The woman's sobs were filled with nothing but pain, too poignant to be a part of some kinky sex games. Something gnawed at Happy's conscience as he heard how humiliated the woman sounded, choking on her own hysterical crying before the next slap hit her face, sending the woman with a loud thud and whimpering to the groundᅳ at least that's how it sounded.

The SAA couldn't just lie there and do nothing, that would be wrong. Happy was the last person to get involved in relationship dramaᅳ as long as no woman was seriously hurt. If that was the case, he was one of the last people to just look away.

The guy continued to throw punches and insults at his wife, spitting his words with so much hatred that even Happy was disgusted by his behavior.

Weak bastard to treat his wife like that.

"Alden stop, please", the woman suddenly yelled in panic, more sobs echoing through the other room. "You're going to hurt the baby!"

And that was it. Happy threw the covers back and was on his feet within seconds, throwing on his white Shirt as he quickly slipped into his boots, not bothering to lace them up. There was a damn baby involvedᅳ which meant the guy was a fuckin' psychopath for still hurting her.

His gun firmly in his hand but still somewhat hidden, he ripped open the door and strode to the door next door, the screaming and crying now much louder and no one else seemed to want to help. No one even bothered to at least call the cops.

"Hey!" Happy banged on the door, anger ripping through him. "Open the god damn door before I kick it down!"

Nothing. Absolute silence. Now he could sleep if he wanted to, the guy on the other side of the door warned. He probably wouldn't do anything shit to his wife for the rest of the nightᅳ but it wouldn't feel right to leave now. Happy knew he had to get the woman out of there.

"Open the fuckin' door", Happy repeated, voice dangerously low and demanding.

He couldn't hear exactly what was being said, but someone was whispering, probably the guy who was ordering his wife to keep her mouth shut.

His hand already lifted to bang his fist against the door again, it opened, a guy with a broad frame but shorter than himself stood in front of it, a fake smile plastered on his face, slightly hidden by the full beard.

"Can I help you?", he asked, his stance sturdy, the door barely open enough for anyone to see in. "If it's about the noise, we're sorry. My wife and I had a little argument."

Happy scoffed at the words 'little argument', his features darkening. A murderous glint sparkled in his eyes as he stepped closer, pushing the gun against the man's chest.

"Mind if I take a look around, check on your wife?", he taunted, the corners of his mouth twitching in a grin as the man's face fell. "Where's the big mouth now, huh? Maybe you're the fucking pathetic bitch and not your wife."

"Look man, I don't know what you heard, but my wife's fine", the man spat, nervousness still evident in his voice, after all, a loaded gun was being held to his chest. "Why don't you mind your own fuckin' business, mate?"

Something moved in the background, followed by a whimper, the woman clearly afraid of making a noise.

"Jesus, you damn whore." The guy ran a hand over his face as he muttered the words under his breath before glaring at Happy again. "Just get the fuck out, aight?!"

The guy tried to dodge the gun, gripping the door frame tightly before attempting to slam it into Happy's faceᅳ to no avail.

Happy was faster, shoving the man into the room. With his foot, he kicked the door shut and landed two hard punches directly in Alden's face, causing the man to stumble back. Then he grabbed him by the collar and shoved him against the nearest wall.

"You think you can talk to me like that?" Happy spat, shaking his head with a snort. "You really some have balls, I'll give you that."

His attention was drawn to the whimpering and crying woman. Her trembling figure sat on the floor in front of the bed, her knees pulled tightly to her chest. Her makeup was running down her face, leaving black streaks on her glowing red cheeks, the guy's fingerprints clearly visible.

But that wasn't all. Her lip was split and bleeding, a small gash sat just above one of her eyebrows, blood slowly running down her temple. She wasn't wearing much, just a set of lingerie made of expensive laceᅳ at least it looked expensive, the dark fabric the perfect contrast to her pale but still some how sun-kissed skin.

Her blonde hair was disheveled, wild strands falling into her face, her red lipstick was smeared and yet he could still tell that she was a really beautiful womanᅳ but also so broken and fragile, looking like she was about to fall apart.

What Happy couldn't see as he looked around the room was a baby, so the woman had to be pregnant and that made things even worse, after all she had blue/purple/green colored spots all over her body.

"Pack your shit, I'll get you out of here", he ordered, tone harsh and commanding but with a certain gentleness. Scaring her further was the last thing he wanted.

"Come on, he can't hurt you while I'm here", he told her as she still didn't move, her bright blue eyes filled with nothing but uncertainty and fear. "You wanna get out of here, right? Then fuckin' listen to me, woman."

As she slowly shifted from her position, her movements cautious and her gaze always on him, she finally picked herself up from the floor and nodded silently, avoiding her husband's trembling, murderous gaze.

"I swear if you leave now I'll find you", he yelled, beside himself with rage. He almost mustered enough strength to break free of Happy's grip, attempting to punch the larger man in the face. "I swear I'll kill you, you useless fuckin' piece of shit, pregnant or not! You're not leaving me!"

"What the fuck is wrong with you, dude?", Happy asked with a huff, a man who had more blood on his hands than Alden ever will haveᅳ but Happy at least hadn't the blood of his own wife on his hands.

"I'll find her", Alden let out a dry, dark chuckle, pure madness flashing in his dark eyes. "And I'll fuckin' kill her."

"You try to go after her, I'll make sure that's the last thing you ever do, you hear me?", Happy snarled, his murderous eyes burning into Alden's skull. "And I'll make it the most painful lesson for you."

"You don't even know her", Alden snorted disdainfully, licking his chapped lips. "What about a deal, huh? I mean, look at her, she's fuckin' hot, really good at givin' head. I'll let you fuck her and then you get out of here, deal?"

The woman's eyes grew with panic as Happy glanced at her, just feeling pity for the blonde who couldn't be older than twenty-five. "I won't, don't worry. Didn't I tell you to pack your shit?"

"Y-yeah, s-sorry", she stuttered, used to following orders and apologizing when she wasn't doing it right.

"No need to apologize", Happy grunted, his gaze slowly falling back onto Alden.

"Come on, man", he smirked, wiggling his eyebrows as he tried to hide how nervous he became again as Happy pressed the cold steel of the gun against his temple. "She's worth it, fucks like a proᅳ I taught her well. If that's not a good deal.."

"You heard me. If you try to look for her, I'll put a bullet between your eyes faster than you can say her name", Happy threatened, growling the words at the man before spitting in Alden's face, grinning slightly as he elicited a deep growl from him. "That girl is definitely never goin' to fuck you again."

Before Alden could express his anger, Happy slammed the butt of his gun against his temple with such force that it knocked the man out cold. Unfazed, Happy slid the gun back into his waistband before slowly walking towards the blonde woman.

"Happy", he said calmly as she flinched, protectively holding her stomach where only the tiniest bulge was visible, really minimal.

"Huh?", she asked cautiously, a little confused. "Happy..I'm notᅳ"

"No, Happy's the name", he grunted as he took the duffel bag in her hand and just threw in what looked like women's clothes. "Get dressed, fast, not sure how long he's been knocked out."

"Oh..okay..", she muttered quietly, rubbing her hand nervously up and down her arm before grabbing the first dress from the other suitcase, her body aching with every movement.

"You need help?" Happy asked gruffly as he saw her struggling, the next whimper falling from her lips.

The feeling of utter uselessness and helplessness crept into Nola's bones as Happy put the bag down at her nod and walked towards her, his touch gentle and careful as he helped her slip into the straps of the dress.

This was humiliating in so many ways it almost made her choke on a new wave of sobs. How could she let it get to this point where she now trusted a stranger more than her own husband? Stifling her sobs, she fell back onto the bed, putting her face in her hands after slipping in her sandals.

"I can't even leave him, I have no place to go", she blurted out, her voice cracking mid-sentence as she looked up at the tall man again. "My mom doesn't talk to me anymore, my dad lives in California and I have no friends. Shit, I don't even have my own bank accountᅳ which means I can't even afford a hotel room."

Happy stood in the room, a little overwhelmed, the duffle bag already packed in his hand as he scratched his forehead with a sigh. What was he supposed to do? He couldn't leave her here. And with all the insight he now had, he knew that if he left her alone now, she would go back to that bastard.

Why? Because he made her dependent on himᅳ those fuckers were smart, he had to give them that.

"I have a house in Charming, California", he began, glancing at Alden every now and then to make sure he was still knocked out. "You can stay there until you get everything sorted out, I hardly use it anyway. If in return you promise me not to go back to that fucker."

Nola stared up at the man, so surprised by his offer that even her crying had stopped abruptly. "Why would you do that for me? You don't even know me."

"No, I don't. But I'm not letting a pregnant woman get beat up and maybe killed by her own guy someday", he told her firmly, grabbing her arm to pull her to her feet; but she stayed seated. "You want my help now or not?"

"That's..really nice of you", she said, still amazed at how helpful he was when he didn't even know her. Nevertheless, she didn't move, staring down at her hands that were folded in her lap. "You said Charming..", she trailed.

"Yeah, is there a problem with that?", he asked, arching an eyebrow at her words as he crouched down in front of her, getting a closer look at her. "The fuck did he do to you?!" he asked, clearly irritated.

Not only were there bruises, now he also recognized scars from cuts and burns, probably from cigarette butts, on her legs and arms. His chest trembled with anger, the urge to beat the shit out of the man growing.

"Way too much, and I let it happen. Maybe he's right and I am a fuckin' pathetic bitch", she laughed dryly, silent tears rolling down her cheeks that she quickly wiped away, forcing a smile. "No, I don't have a problem with Charming. It's just..my dad lives there. Haven't spoken to him since I got married."

"Stop talkin' shit, woman. Don't give the guy the power to still manipulate you into submission", he grunted sternly, his gravelly voice chilling. "Well, that's a coincidence. Would it be so bad to maybe run into him?"

"Iᅳ no, I guess not", she muttered, shrugging her shoulders. "Actually, I'd be happy to see him again, after all, I was the one who pushed him away."

"Well, I guess that's another sign to leave the bastard behind and come with me to California", Happy countered with a casual shrug before standing up, helping the young woman to her feet. "You really wanna risk him killing you someday? Maybe even your kid?"

"No..no of course not", Nola breathed with a hasty shake of her head, her hand immediately flying to her stomach, the fabric of her dress crumpling under a gentle squeeze of her hand. "But he'll find us anyway..no matter where I go."

"Not if you live in a house that's not yours", he winked, throwing the duffel bag over his shoulder. "Are you coming?"

With a hard kick to Alden's ribs and another right in his face, Happy sauntered to the door, holding it open for the blonde.

For a brief moment, Nola hesitated, wondering if she should actually trust a stranger. But was she safer with Alden? Absolutely not. So it could only be a win-win situation for her.

As intimidating as the heavily tattooed man looked, he still seemed sincere and helpfulᅳ above all, honest. God, she was really crazy to just go with him and at the same time she could already smell the freedom as she made her decision.

Excitement bubbled in the pit of her stomach as she threw on her red coat to hide her bruises and gathered her most important things; her ID and some money from Alden's wallet. All of this was so exciting. Maybe this was finally her ticket to a peaceful future with her baby.

"Nola", she said softly as she slipped past him without sparing Alden another glance, smiling slightly as Happy looked down at her somewhat confused. "Nola's the name."

Happy's answer consisted of a brief nod and a grunt before he slammed the door behind them shut and led Nola to his room where he quickly packed his things, patched her up and drove to the next nearest motel with her.

He needed at least some sleep before he'd hit the road again, especially when he had a pregnant woman with him. And tomorrow after breakfast at the latest he'd make his way back to Charming with his new acquaintance.

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