Chapter 24

Leah collapsed into the dirt, drew her knees up and cradled her head in her hands before the tears began to flow. It wasn't the bodies on the ground that brought on the tears, but the hope that had just died right in front of her eyes.

There had been Amy, then Jim and Jacqui. And so many others before them, but Sophia. She was different. One of the last few pieces of innocence left had just been ripped away. The reality of the dead world hit Leah in the gut with a new sense of despair and she let her tears flow freely.

Andrea emerged from the barn with a wool blanket and headed over to little Sophia's body. Slowly, Leah stood and brushed the dirt off the bottom of her jeans as she walked towards them. "Let me help," she said quietly, while reaching for a corner of the blanket.

Together they gently covered the limp body. Leah tucked the corners of the blanket around Sophia's tiny feet. There wasn't much difference in how she looked now, compared to when she got lost on the highway. It rattled Leah. Sophia still looked as human as she did that fateful day on the highway.

"Where's Daryl? Sure could use his help." T-Dog asked as they began to dig the graves for Sophia, and Hershel's wife and stepson, Annette and Sean.

Leah paused her own digging and looked up at him, "With Carol, I think." She wasn't sure, but she thought she caught a glimpse of him following her into the RV earlier. There had been a time in her life when the idea of the man she cared for alone with a another woman would have sent Leah into a tailspin. Today, she was completely fine with it. She had no say in how Daryl lived his life. More importantly, she had no reason to doubt his affections towards her. Carol wasn't the only one who had lost Sophia. Daryl had put his life on the line for a girl who had been dead the whole time. There was nothing to be jealous about. The pair was grieving together. Leah was fine with respecting their space.

Andrea's eyebrows furrowed with contemplation, then sadness. "I feel so bad for them both. Daryl tried so hard to find her, and for it all to end like this?" She shook her head.

Leah nodded and heaved another load of dirt over to the side of the grave.

Andrea continued, "But he shouldn't have gotten Carol's hopes up."

Leah bit her tongue, but shot Andrea a nasty look and kept digging. Tense was an understatement for how things had been between the two of them since Andrea shot Daryl. She couldn't believe that Andrea was now chiding Daryl for getting Carol's hopes up.

Andrea caught onto Leah's change in mood and lowered her voice, "Look Leah. I'm sorry. I know that things between us aren't the same as they used to be. I wasn't trying to start anything. Just trying to apologize."

"You sure picked a hell of a way to say sorry." Leah heaved another shovel full of dirt out of the hole where she was standing waist deep.

Andrea frowned and propped her arm over the wooden end of her shovel. "What else do I have to do? I'm sorry Leah! Sorry about Dale and the CDC. Sorry about shooting Daryl. I already feel like shit about both things. I didn't mean to make it worse!"

Leah stopped digging and hoisted herself out of the shallow grave. "You're sorry about Dale? Andrea, you have been treating him horribly!"

"Look, your uncle cares too damn much! He won't let me make my own decisions. I think I have a right to life my life how I choose. When and where to use my own gun. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm sorry for almost taking him away from you."

They stood toe to toe and Leah soaked up Andrea's words.

Andrea continued, "And Daryl. I know he means something to you. You two have been sneaking around, but everyone knows. And I'm sorry! How many times do I have to say it?"

Leah flushed in embarrassment and anger as Andrea shouted her business with Daryl for all to hear. Suddenly, she needed this conversation to be over before any more revelations about her and Daryl came flying out of Andrea's mouth. She pulled her lips pulled into a tight line and gave a small nod, "Okay."

Andrea looked at her in disbelief. "Okay? Really? That's it?"

Leah nodded, "For now."

T-Dog kept digging, but chuckled good -naturedly as he listened to the exchange between the two women. He didn't see the need to interfere. They were strong enough to handle themselves.

However, Shane was less than thrilled, "You women need to either dig or take your shit somewhere else."

"We're good," Leah said meeting Andrea's eyes and giving her a nod.

Andrea gave her own small nod back and the two women resumed their digging with a mutual understanding to let bygones be bygones.

Carol didn't come to the service. When Leah saw Daryl walking towards the group alone, she knew exactly why. Parents weren't supposed to bury their children.

When the group dispersed and went their separate ways, Leah stayed by the small grave. Gingerly, she sat down in the grass and fixed her eyes on the mound of fresh dirt. Something shuffled behind her and she turned to see Dale staring down at her with sad, blue eyes.

"You okay," he asked.

She gave him a small nod.

"This place has gone to hell," he muttered, while shifting the rifle on his shoulder.

Leah wiped a small tear away and sighed. "Truer words have never been spoken."

Dale studied his niece, he was sure this reminded her of Asher's funeral. He remembered that day like it was just yesterday. Sunny, warm and cloudless. Perfect weather for a heart-wrenching occasion. It was as if Mother Nature was playing a sick joke on them. Leah had barely been able to make it to the gravesite, Erma had intervened coaxing her out of bed and into suitable clothing before Dale had helped her down the stairs and into the waiting car. She was stoic through the entire service. Dale had been fearful that she had gone into shock. It hadn't mattered that the doctors at the hospital had tried to prepare her for Asher's death. It blow was still crippling.

He gave her a soft smile. "I'll give you some time here."

"Thanks," she sniffed. "I'll be back soon."

"Hey Leah." Dale turned. "One more thing. Stay away from Shane. "

Leah's voice stopped him as he turned to give her some peace. "Wait. Come back. You have more to say. I know that look."

Dale held up a hand and shook his head. "Later. You take your time here."

"No, now Uncle Dale."

Dale sighed, turned back and took a seat next to her on the ground. He told her about Otis, his theory about Shane gunning him down in town to save his own ass and get back to the farm. Their confrontation when he was trying to hide the guns. "He's going to kill some body else. I can feel it, Leah. Sooner or later. It will happen."

Wrapping her arms around her knees, Leah frowned. "What should we do?"

"Nothing we can do. Stay alert. Sharp."

"Should I say something to Daryl?"

Dale stroked his beard in thought. "I don't see how it could hurt anything right now. But, I know those two don't exactly get along."

Leah snorted, "Do either of them really get along with anyone?"

Dale chuckled. "I never thought I would say it, but Daryl seems to care a lot more about the well- being of this group than Shane does."

"Well, that makes two of us," Leah placed her chin on her knees and looked out over the small graveyard. "I'm saying and thinking a lot of things these days that I never thought I would. We all are."

Dale reached over and gave Leah's shoulder a squeeze then silently stood up.

"Love you," she said as he walked away.

"You too, Leah. You too."

"Hey," Leah ran towards Daryl as he walked away from camp, a bag thrown over his shoulders. "Where are you going?"

He stopped and turned to face her, the look in his eyes was obvious. Daryl was pissed.

"Gettin' away from this damn mess," he answered gruffly before spinning around and heading towards his destination. "Setting up camp away from these people."

Leah reached out for his elbow, "Daryl, stop please. Talk to me."

He turned back and stared down at Leah's face. The prettiest face he might have ever laid eyes on was staring back at him like no one had ever looked at him. Full of compassion and full of sincerity, it nearly cracked him in half. Daryl's jaw twitched as he processed his thoughts. "I almost died looking for that little girl." He pointed towards the house as his voice rose. "For what? For nothing!"

"Not for nothing," she soothed.

Daryl grunted. He never could find the right words when it mattered.

Leah's hands wrapped around his biceps and she faced him squarely, "You know what you were doing out there? Keeping hope alive. That's what."

"Ain't like it matters."

She took one hand off his arm and placed it over her heart. "It matters. To Carol it does. To me, Daryl. It matters to me." Her big eyes stared at him, "Don't go. I need you close. I don't feel safe when you're not around."

Daryl looked at her through slanted eyes while chewing on his bottom lip. He knew when people were bullshitting him and Leah wasn't. It scared him. How in the hell was he supposed to deal with a woman who actually cared about how he felt and wanted him close?

Her beauty? He could handle that. Her teasing? Could handle that too. The crazy sexual tension between them? He could certainly handle that.

But this? The emotions, sincerity and kindness? It was almost too much.

Daryl groaned inwardly and searched for a way to keep his emotions at bay. "I showed ya how to shoot the damn gun. And ya got Rick. Yer Uncle. Shane."

"Exactly. Shane scares me to death. Dale thinks he killed Otis."

Daryl snorted, "He came back with his gun. Doesn't take a genius to figure that one out."

"You knew?" Her eyebrow lifted in surprise.

"'Course I knew," he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I gotta get away from these damn morons." He pulled away from her hands and turned to keep walking.

Leah watched him go. It wasn't like she could just invite herself to join him and throw her sleeping bag beside his under the stars. Nope, that was the equivalent of moving in together in the apocalyptic world and she and Daryl were nowhere near that stage. A few hot kisses and a mutual understanding of affections didn't warrant that license. So she watched as his sturdy back retreated, biting back words and emotions. Desperately trying to hold it together as the one thing she could trust walked away.

With the farmhouse in the distance, Daryl sat against a crumbling chimney and silently cursed himself. Why hadn't he just scooped Leah up over his shoulder and carried her down with him. Hell, why hadn't he just honored her request and stayed by the house with the group? She wanted him close and made no qualms about it. And what had he done?

What he always did.

Shut her out.

He smacked his head against the hard brick behind him. Punishing himself. He had failed Sophia. Failed Carol. Now, he had failed Leah. The one person who trusted him. Who believed in him. Carol believed in him, but not like Leah did. She didn't even have to tell him, he just knew by the way she treated him. With kindness and respect. Even in the way she wasn't afraid to tease him, Daryl saw how she believed in him as a man. No one cared like she did. No one made his skin scream with desire like Leah did. Everything little thing that Leah did proved to him that he was a good man.

It scared the shit out of him.

He pulled at his hair and let out a low groan. He would never get this right.