Roadbound to Nowhere

Ian did not like driving late into the night if he could help it, but he'd already been held over a few days longer in Boston than he'd planned for work, he'd grown tired of dealing with the endless issues there and decided he was just going to go home while he still could, before they decided to change their mind again and make him stay longer. He'd left the city later than he'd planned though, and still had several hours stretching out ahead of him before he finally made it back home to Maryland.

He'd been doing everything he could to pass away the time, he'd made a few phone calls and caught up with a few people. He'd listened to some work audio for a while, but that wasn't doing anything to help him stay alert. He'd finally just put on the radio and determined to just get through the next couple hours out of grim determination. It did not look like the weather was going to make it any easier.

As he drove he caught sight of someone walking down the road and this gave him pause. People generally didn't walk down the highway even during the day...but especially didn't in the middle of the night, in winter, with the temperature dropping quickly down to freezing. He should just keep going, but he couldn't shake the feeling this was someone who might need help and he couldn't bring himself to drive past without stopping. There was a risk involved, but if he kept the car running and didn't get out he could easily pull away again should this turn out to be some sort of ranting crazy person.

A little way ahead of the young man the luxury sedan pulled abruptly over to the shoulder, and putting on his blinkers backed up a bit until he was close enough to talk loudly and get the other's attention.

"Hey, are you alright?" He called. "Do you need any help?"

It was getting colder, and the chill was biting into his measly sweater like some beast sent to kill him where he stood, but he kept moving, that was what he knew to do, just keep moving and the cold wont get you. He wrapped his arms around himself and shivered, teeth chattering terribly, it didn't stop it from being unbearably cold though, made worse by how damp he'd gotten from the flurry of snow and sleet, he knew this was a bad situation to be in, and he hadn't seen a single vehicle going either way on the road.

That is, until the lights of a sedan shined behind him, and the vehicle stopped on the shoulder. He hand instinctively moved to the knife he kept, just a small pocket sized thing, but it was his only protection from creeps and weirdos.

He glanced up when the man began backing towards him, stopping his walking until he was pulled up beside him. When he asked if he needed help, he nodded and came a little closer, "yeh...Weather didn't say nothin' 'bout snow when I started walkin' this afternoon..." He brought both of his hands to the front of him to show he wasn't armed with anything especially deadly, "M'alright...But a ride t'wherever yer goin' would be keen...I'm Jamison...By the way..." He figured maybe giving his name would make him less of a potentially dangerous stranger.

Ian sized him up as best he could in the dim light, he couldn't make out much but the stranger didn't seem very old, and he certainly wasn't dressed for the weather. He didn't even seen to have a coat, never mind any other better gear for this weather.

"You've been walking since this afternoon?" He asked, incredulous at the thought of how many hours he must have been on the road by this point. He struggled with his thoughts for a moment, weighing how much of a risk he was. But it was at least 10 miles to the nearest stop-off with even a gas station or diner or anything else to it, a short drive but on foot...he probably wouldn't make it. Not in this cold, dressed like that.

"Get in. I'll at least get you to a town." He rolled up his window and waited for the other to get in to the warm car. "I'm Ian." He introduced himself as the other joined him. "Where is it you're trying to ultimately get to?" He asked.

Jamison nodded, coming a little closer still so he could be seen better, leaning on the open passenger window, "yeh...I'm roight an' propah' beat." He chuckled softly, but it was studdery thanks to the cold causing him to shiver terribly, "usually pretty good at this...Watchin' th'weathah'...S'pose we all got our days, eh?" Another halfhearted chuckle, but at least this guy looked friendly, like the helping sort.

His eyes widened when the man told him to get in, he grinned wide and nodded, looking relieved, "Oh thank yew sir, thank yew!" He moved to set his backpack down in the back seat before taking his own place in the passenger seat, looking over at him with a quirked head when he asked where he was going, "wherever th'road takes me..." He looked back ahead with a calm sort of smile, "I'm a drifter...Don't got no home...Nothin' t'me name but wot's in me bag." He chuckled, "I ain't even got papers t'officially be'ere. Flew in from 'stralia with wot I had. Been drifing across th'country ever since." He would be lying if he said he hated living this life.

Ian shot him a bit of a concerned look as he pulled back out onto the road.

"Drifting is all well and good, but I'd be more careful about your opening line being how you're not in this country legally." He cautioned. "Say that to the wrong person and that's the end of your drifter days."

Another glance over. "And watching the weather or not...this is a lot of what this part of the country is going to be for the next several months. If you don't already have it, you'll need some better gear for the weather."

He grimaced slightly to himself as he caught himself slipping into fatherly mode, this kid wasn't Sol, and probably didn't care to be lectured at by a random stranger. Yet still, he was in his car, he could listen.

He was also having to fight back the sudden desire to want to help beyond just a ride into town. This kid obviously needed a whole lot of...well...a lot of things. But Ian couldn't fix everyone, and Harley would undoubtedly have words for him if he showed up with someone he'd picked up off the street. Literally.

"That sounds like it would make for an interesting life though." He said next, sounding more interested.

Jamison looked at him for a long time after those words and tilted his head, "yew trusted me enough t'let me into yer car. I trusted yew in return." He shrugged, "I gotta good eye fer people. I do't jus' go tellin' everyone...But yew seemed trustworthy." He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, chuckling softly at the man's scolding, "yew a dad?" He said this in a genuine way rather than sarcastic, "kin kinda tell...Yer kid's lucky t'have yew." His voice sounded almost mournful at that, his on father had been a drunken fool, more likely to lob a bottle at his head than talk.

He shook his head and glanced at him, chuckling, "Yeh...I meant t'get some gear but...I ain't been able t'find someone who needed enough done t'warrant..." He cleared his throat, "an' there's only so much yew kin' take in th'back of a gas station bathroom before yeh say enough is enough." He glanced to the side and chuckled, this man definitely had kids.

He glanced back over at him and brightened up, nodding, "yeh! Yew learn a lot about th'kindness of strangers...An'..." He looked to the side, "even if yew meet jus' as many bad people...Good people like yew kinda make it worth th'bad." He nodded, "y'see all sorts of 'ole in th'wall places too." Places that would let an illegal young man work for a day or two of shelter and food, "I like it. Even with th'bad."

He'd been told before that he seemed the fairly non threatening sort, he supposed he could see how the other might more immediately trust him. At the question about kids he nodded.

"I have a son. He's around your age..." maybe that was part of why he wanted to help him, if, everything forbid, it was Sol out wandering like this, he'd want someone to stop and help.

As Jamie went on he frowned a bit, less out of judgement but more concern. "I know you can pick up all manner of under the table sort of work but just...gas station bathrooms? That's..." He just sighed and shook his head, everything he could say about that Jamie undoubtedly already knew all too well.

His mind was made up, he wasn't just going to dump him off in the next town to fend for himself. Exactly what he would do or offer though, he still had to decide.

Jamison nodded and chuckled, "could tell, yer very dad." He laughed softly, clearly meaning well by this, "me own dad...He wasn't like yew." He cleared his throat and shrugged, "they're why I booked it." He leaned against the window and watched the road go by, "booked th'first flight I could afford outta there." He snorted and smiled, "course that left me with nothin' arriving'ere." He waved his hand to the road, "so I took wot I had on me back and decided I'd jes' live like this. On th'road." He glanced at him, "it ain't...glamorous...I gotta do a lot of..things I don't want t'do...But sometimes when yer desperate...Ya gotta."

He glanced over at him, "sick? Dangerous? Yeh...It is. But it's been th'diff'rence between starvin' an' havin' a decent meal a few times." He cleared his throat and looked back out the window, clearly not thrilled to talk about the less savory things he'd had to do, he looked over at him and smiled, "so wot're yew passin' through here for? Where'd yew come from?" He glanced at him with a curious smile.

Ian wasn't surprised to hear he was running away from a bad home situation, all the pieces fit and made sense. And then being young, not knowing what options he had, if any, taking to the road also made sense. But that didn't make it less dangerous. He knew people, and knew people who knew people who could help him, if he wanted it. But that would perhaps be a conversation for the morning, if he stuck around that long and didn't prove out to be an axe murderer who robbed them blind.

He could sense the other's desire to change the topic, so went with it. "I'm heading back home to Maryland. I've been in Boston for the past week for work. I do medical research and development, I've been presenting some new ideas to others up there...but it's time to go home for a while and I figured I'd escape while I could, before they decided to keep me longer." He laughed a little to himself. "Just didn't take rush hour into account for the first few hours of the drive, or I would have been home hours ago."

Jamison chuckled when he mentioned his work, eyeing him with an amused glint in his eyes, "kinda took yew fer a medical guy." He chuckled and leaned back in the seat, looking over at him, "yew cared a lot more'n most of th'people who pick me up." Most people wouldn't question his lack of a coat or comment on the cold, Ian definitely seemed more concerned about that than he did the possibility of him being an axe wielding maniac, which he wasn't, but Ian didn't know that.

He glanced over at him when he mentioned rush hour and chuckled softly, "lucky me. I hadn't seen another car on this road all th'time I been walkin'...I'd of frozen t'death." He knew the rush hour was probably a nightmare for Ian, who just wanted to be home, but he was thanking his lucky stars for it right now. He grinned, "Maryland though, eh? Ain't been out that way in a while! Was fond of th'place th'last time I got out that way...Lotta hospitality!" He looked over at him, "I ain't got no money...Uh...But if yew need anythin' fixed around th'house I kin do it? Pretty handy!" He grinned, looking proud of this fact, it was about the only thing he was good at save for surviving.

"It's a nice place." He agreed. "Out of all the mad rush, but close enough to commute into D.C., I do a fair amount of work there too." He explained.

When Jamie asked if there was work he could do Ian paused, thoughtful for a few moments. He was probably going to catch some hell for this. And he hoped it didn't backfire...but dammit, he wanted to help and it was too late and he was too tired to think of solutions beyond the most obvious one right now.

"We can put you up in the guest room tonight, and figure out something for you tomorrow...old houses, there's always something!"

Jamison chuckled and nodded, "right smack in th'middle of convenience an' pleasant, eh?" He looked thoughtful, "I hope I kin' find a place like that someday...When I'm done seein' all there is t'see." Or when he was too old to travel any longer, he hoped he had a place to go then, other than some cave off the beaten trail.

He glanced up with a surprised expression when he offered the guest bedroom, giving him a genuine smile, "that's hella kind'a yew, mate..." He chuckled softly and leaned his head against the window, "like I said...Yew name it I kin' do it." He looked visibly more relaxed now that he had a bed secured for the night, yawning wide and chuckling, "yer a good man." He looked at him with a serious expression, "I promise I ain't got no ill intent...I'm armed with a pocket knife, but thas' it." He knew he ought to carry a better form of protection, but people were less likely to pick up a clearly armed person, it seemed wiser in the end.

"I'm sure you will someday." He smiled over at him.

"You know, I'm trusting you on that." He laughed a little. "Why don't you get some rest, we still have a little ways to go."

Over the next hour the open stretch of road slowly became more populated, houses and businesses dotting it on both sides. They became more dense, until it became clear they were back in a city, signs indicating Frederick, Maryland. Ian took them off the highway, winding through side streets and residential neighborhoods that got nicer as they went, before he finally turned into a driveway, the end unit on a three story old fashioned brick building. Seeing how late it was most of the lights in the townhouses were out, but a light still burned on the porch of Ian's, as did a soft gold glow from the first floor window. Snow had already started to pile up, sticking to the car even when it had only been stopped a few minutes.

"This is it." He said, getting out and circling to the truck to get his things and then to the porch to open the door and let them both inside.