More big sadness...


Leea

Burt couldn't believe it. They were barely back for even a week. It just...how could he be dead? He had survived so many things all those years ago. But Casey had, regretfully, confirmed it.

Tyler Reed was dead.

He had passed peacefully at least, listening to Burt drone on about a particularly annoying case Twitchell had sent him on a few years ago. It had also been painless since Casey had given him enough morphine to the point he wouldn't have felt someone chopping his leg off.

Now pretty much the entire town was at the lab, broken hearted. Larry wasn't doing well and was getting worse. Everyone wanted to see him, but when Jodi had arrived, they knew they had to give her all the time they could.

She sat in a chair at the head of the cot, playing with Larry's hair to distract herself. It was pretty much expected that he wouldn't survive the day but she didn't really want to think about that.

Larry, though weak, reached up and took her hand. "Jodi?" he said, barely more than a whisper.

"I'm here Larry."

"I'm sorry," he said with sad, scared eyes.

"About what?" Jodi asked, confused.

"It was my fault we fell into the lab," Larry whispered in a pained voice. "And I leaned on the lever. And now Tyler's dead," his voice shook, tears welling in his eyes.

"Oh, Larry," Jodi rubbed his hand comfortingly. "Tyler's death isn't your fault. Falling into the lab was just an accident and if anyone's at fault it's those stupid scientists. Alright?" her voice took on the sharp, gentle tone women of Perfection had, looking at him sternly to make sure he understood.

Larry nodded slightly, resigning himself to concentrating on his increasingly more difficult breathing. After a couple minutes of silence, he took a shaky breath and grasped at the store owner's hand as if it was a lifeline. "Jodi," he sobbed, "I- I don't want to die."

Jodi swallowed hard at those words. She didn't want him to die either but she wasn't sure what to say to comfort him. She couldn't promise him he wasn't going to die, that was lie they both knew. Instead she leaned down and pressed a reassuring kiss to his forehead. "It'll be okay Larry. I promise."

The words still felt hollow and empty. There had to be a better way to do this. Jodi heard Burt's voice carry from the other room, something about calling Twitchell, and she suddenly remembered how he had just been telling Tyler a story. Maybe that's what she could do; take Larry's mind off the present as well as her own. She bit her lip trying to think of something entertaining to say.

She stroked his hair and an idea struck her. "One time, a couple years ago, this old lady came to Perfection," she said, a bit wistfully. "I don't know why she'd want to; she couldn't walk without a cane. But she was really nice," she added, smiling at Larry. "You would have liked her, I know it. She had a daughter named Leea and told me so much about her, I felt like I met the girl."

The woman also told Jodi that Leea past away from complications with pneumonia, but she didn't tell him about that. "That woman was so nice. Sometimes I wonder why I stay in this town, but stuff like that makes everything worth it," she said gently, kissing him on the forehead again. "And, y'know, ever since I heard the name Leea from her, I loved it."

"Leea?" Larry repeated softly. "Like the princess from Star Wars?"

Jodi couldn't help but laugh at the reference. "Yeah."

Larry gave a half-smile. "It is pretty," he agreed. His smile dissipated when he took a painful-looking breath. He reached up slowly and touched her face with tears in his eyes. "I... I, uh, love you, Jodi," he choked, voice almost unheard.

Jodi couldn't keep the tears at bay any longer nor could she form any coherent words. She settled for giving him one last kiss, this time on the lips. For a moment he kissed back...then he was gone. The tears flowed down her cheeks freely and she buried her head against his chest, muffling her sobs.

She wasn't sure how long she sat there crying but at some point Casey came in, pulling her into a tight hug and Jodi clung to her. She'd been right all along; there was no way on earth she could handle this.


Nancy's heart had shattered into a million pieces. Both of the boys were dead. Not missing, not presumed dead. Just gone. The way she felt in her chest, her own daughter could have died. And Jodi, who she cared about as much as a daughter, was completely broken. The store owner couldn't stop crying, and had actually turned to Burt. Nancy had never seen the survivalist so... compassionate, holding Jodi while she sobbed.

Luke was holding up the best since he hadn't really known either of them for very long and didn't feel the pain of losing two close friends. He did feel the pain of seeing the others looking so beaten though and he hated it. He also felt a little a guilty and useless since he had hardly done anything to help, not that there was anything he could have done. Yet he still felt as if there was something he should do. Luke just didn't know what.

Rosalita paced in the middle of the lab, a look of pain and held-back tears on her face. Luke chewed on his lip as he watched her. He had always kind of like Rosalita and he hated seeing her so upset. For a moment he considered going over to talk to her when her sudden spin to walk back the other way froze his thoughts. He watched her more closely as she paced back and forth, one way then the other, and an idea started forming. Glancing around to make sure no one saw him he slipped out of the lab.

The room was silent for another quarter of an hour before Burt suddenly straightened from where he stood with Jodi and everyone was broken from their daze. Casey left to deal with the bodies while Jodi asked Nancy to take her home. Burt looked around the room and only then noticed his missing son.

"Where's Luke?"

Roger looked around. "He must've left," he shrugged half-heartedly. "He probably felt uncomfortable. He didn't even know them."

Burt nodded slightly, but still felt a bit suspicious. In the years he had known his son, Luke never seemed like the one to run off without telling someone….unless he was up to something.