Chapter 13 - Return To The Dixon Farm
The schoolhouse opened up again in March. Emma was glad for it. The reverend and Amy had returned baby Judith to Rick shortly after Christmas and Emma had not been prepared to help care for an infant. Never in her life had she helped care for a baby and it was frustrating. Emma had always learned quickly and been able to do things for herself without assistance, but taking care of Judith was a different story entirely. Unlike how it had been before with Emma helping Rick to get back on track with his life, it was Rick who helped Emma learn how to care for Judith. Rick showed Emma how to change a baby, how to feed a baby, how to wash a baby, and how to rock a baby to sleep. He was patient with Emma. Carl found great amusement in Emma's struggle with Judith.
Rick went back to work at the start of the new year, leaving Emma in charge of Carl, Judith, and the house. It was a challenge to balance all of her responsibilities. It took her some time to fall into a rhythm, but eventually, Emma found her way. She woke and immediately checked on Judith. If the baby was still asleep, Emma would slip downstairs to make Carl breakfast. If the baby was awake, Emma would feed and change her first. Emma would leave Judith in her playpen in the living room while she and Carl ate. Carl would study near his baby sister while Emma cleaned up in the kitchen. She knew she could count on Carl to comfort or play with Judith if she became fussy. Once the kitchen was clean, it was time for Judith to eat and be changed again. Once Judith had eaten, Emma put her down for a nap. Then, she was able to get work done around the house while Carl studied. Emma tried to have lunch finished before Judith woke, but if she didn't, she relied on Carl to take care of his sister until Emma's hands were free. With winter coming to an end, there was more work for Lou and Teddy to do. When lunch was ready, Emma would send Carl out with it so that the three of them could eat together. Then, Carl would stay and help them with their work while Emma looked after Judith. Rick returned home before dark. He would spend time with his children while Emma cooked supper and cleaned up afterward. By the time the kids' bedtimes rolled around, Emma was exhausted. She found that her job on the Grimes' farm was one of the hardest jobs she had ever worked.
With Carl going to school every day, it was one less child for Emma to worry about. Her days became much more manageable with only Judith in her care. Carl didn't get home from school until mid afternoon, sometimes later if he stayed in town to play with friends. Emma was able to get more work done, leaving her evenings less hectic than before when she had Carl and Judith all day, every day.
Though the snow had begun to melt in March, the heavier drifts hadn't melted down until April. By the middle of April, any traces of winter were gone. Emma knew that meant the way up to the mountains was probably clear, allowing her access to the Dixon farm. She would be able to return for the rest of her things, for Suzie, and for Skipper. Though she was looking forward to collecting the old horse and dog and to seeing Merle and Sam, she was not looking forward to facing Daryl. Over the course of the winter, Emma had rarely thought of Daryl at all. When she had, it hadn't been on purpose.
One evening, with Carl and Judith down for the night, Emma sat out on the front porch with a mug of hot tea. It was warm enough for Emma to be outside in her usual skirt and blouse, but still cool enough that she had a shawl draped around her shoulders. As she sat on the porch sipping her tea, the door behind her opened. Rick stepped out onto the porch and took a seat. He and Emma had slowly become close since she had come to be on the farm. Emma looked at him as a friend, someone she didn't mind being around and even had a good time with. Rick felt that Emma was almost like another daughter to him. At first, he had loathed her presence on the farm and he hated how she treated him. Then, without the alcohol, he began to understand why Emma had been so tough on him. He could see the results of her tough love just as well as everyone else could. When Rick was finally able to overcome the grief he felt over losing his wife, he was able to appreciate Emma fully. He saw how hard she worked, how dedicated she was to each job she did, and how even though caring for children wasn't exactly natural for her, how much effort she put into trying to be good to Carl and Judith.
From what little Emma had told Rick about her time on the Dixon farm, he was able to come to the conclusion that she was in love with Daryl and that he had hurt her very badly when he had gone away. He also knew that Emma was unaware of her feelings for Daryl, or that she simply refused to acknowledge how deep her feelings for him ran. That didn't surprise Rick after getting to know Emma.
"I asked Shane if he could take over in town for the next few days." Rick suddenly announced, breaking the silence.
"What?" Emma asked, turning her head to look at Rick. "Why? Are you ill?"
Rick shook his head and leaned forward in his chair, looking out over his property.
"Isn't it about time you went up to the Dixon farm for your things?" Rick asked.
Emma looked away from Rick and took a sip of her tea.
"I will." Emma replied, tracing the rim of her mug.
"I know you will. That's why I asked Shane to take over, so that I can stay at home with the baby until you get back."
"You shouldn't have done that without asking me." Emma said.
"Maybe not, but what's done is done." Rick turned his head to meet Emma's eyes. "You need to go on up there and get your things. That dog of yours is missing you more and more the longer you stay away."
Emma thought of Skipper and couldn't help but smile softly.
"You can leave tomorrow at first light, be up there by noon, get your things together, stay the night-"
"I'm not spending the night." Emma interrupted.
"Why not?" Rick asked. "You shouldn't make the trip back in the dark. Besides, won't you want to spend any time with Sam? I'm sure he's been missing you just as much as Skipper."
Emma sighed. She thought about her promise to Sam to come back for her things in the spring. She knew that Rick was right. She needed to return to the Dixon farm.
"All right." Emma finally murmured. "I'm going to leave first thing tomorrow morning, but I'll be back the following day around noon time."
"If that's what you want to do, but if you feel like staying up there another day or two, please don't rush back to town."
It was settled. Rick and Emma went inside soon after, parting ways to go to bed. When Emma got to her bedroom, she packed up what she would need to make the trip. As she packed, she thought about how much progress she had made since returning to town. She had taken a new job, got Rick and Carl on track, helped bring baby Judith home, and was performing duties that were new to her. She liked being on the Grimes' farm. Since Rick had gotten better, he was nice to be around. Emma was okay with the fact that she had never had a daddy, but when she saw Rick with his kids, she thought that maybe if she had had one, she would have liked him to have been like Rick. Carl was a good kid. He reminded Emma a lot of Sam. Even though baby Judith was still a mystery to Emma at times, she didn't mind her presence when she wasn't being fussy. Emma had a new life with Rick and his little family and she liked it. Her return to the Dixon farm didn't threaten that life. She wouldn't allow it to threaten herself, either. For what seemed like so long, she had been a stranger to herself where Daryl was concerned. She had finally found herself again. She wouldn't give that up without a fight.
The next morning, Emma took her saddlebags downstairs. She found Rick sitting at the table waiting for her with a cup of coffee. He smiled when Emma descended the steps.
"Want some coffee before you go?" Rick asked, lifting his steaming mug.
Emma glanced out the window at the darkness outside.
"Sure." Emma decided, setting down her bags as Rick got up to pour her some coffee.
Rick and Emma sat together with their coffee.
"The kids will miss you." Rick spoke up, keeping his voice quiet so as not to wake the children.
"They'll get along all right." Emma replied with a soft laugh.
"I mean it." Rick replied, leaning forward. "Those kids love you, you know?"
Emma stared down into her black coffee.
"I've never...well, I've never been very maternal." Emma murmured.
Rick chuckled, which caused Emma to look up from her mug.
"That's not true at all." Rick argued with a smile. "In fact, you're one of the most maternal women I've ever known. You might not show it all the time, but when you do..."
"You saw how I struggled with Judith." Emma pointed out.
"All mothers, and fathers for that matter, struggle with their kids." Rick replied, sitting back in his chair. "Believe me. I know."
When Emma finished her coffee, she and Rick headed out to the barn. The sky was just beginning to lighten as they reached the barn. Even though she didn't need it, Rick helped Emma get Barrow ready and assisted her in climbing up into the saddle.
"Have a safe trip, Emma." Rick told her gently, his hand covering hers.
"I will." Emma reassured Rick.
"I'll see you in a few days." Rick said, moving his hand.
Then, Emma was off. As she rode off of the Grimes' property and into town, she reminded herself that everything would be all right as long as she stayed true to herself. As long as she accomplished that, nobody, not even Daryl Dixon, could get under her skin or have the power to upset her. So, as she rode out of town and up into the mountains, she kept her head held high. She even allowed herself to enjoy the beautiful ride. She was looking forward to seeing the dogwood trees that would welcome her onto the Dixon farm. As she got closer, she felt anxious, but it felt good. She was going to see her dog. She was going to see Sam. Emma could hardly wait as she finally rode up to the gate.
As Emma rode through the gate and closed it behind her, she suddenly heard a voice calling her name from not too far off. She turned around to see Sam rushing through the grass towards her. Emma quickly made her way towards him, but he was faster. Sam crashed into Emma in the same moment that he was wrapping his arms around her. Emma couldn't help but laugh as she returned Sam's fierce embrace.
"Hello, Sam." Emma greeted him, still laughing.
"I was starting to think you'd never come back." Sam said, giving Emma a squeeze before he let go of her. "What took you so long?"
"The pass only just opened up." Emma replied.
Emma gave Sam a once over. She reached out to touch his long hair.
"You need a haircut." Emma told him with a smile.
"I was waiting on you." Sam grinned.
"I see." Emma pointed her thumb at Barrow. "Why don't you hop on up there? We can ride to Merle's together."
Emma didn't have to ask Sam twice. He scrambled up into the saddle to ride behind Emma.
"So, how long are you staying?" Sam asked as Emma led Barrow up the path.
"The night." Emma replied, keeping her eyes ahead. "I'm leaving first thing tomorrow morning."
"Oh, you can't." Sam whined, slapping his knee. "I've missed you so damn much. You've gotta stay a couple of days at least. Please?"
Emma turned her head to look at Sam. Though he had his bottom lip pushed out childishly, Emma could see in his eyes that he was sincere in having missed Emma. He really wanted her to stay, but Emma wasn't sure if she could.
"We'll see." Emma replied simply, looking up at the trees lining the path.
When Emma got to the barn, she led Barrow inside so that she could get him settled. As Emma guided Barrow into the barn, she couldn't help but look up at the loft. It had been her home for several months. She expected to feel something, but she didn't. She felt nothing. Emma was happy where she was with Rick and the kids. She didn't want to return to the Dixon farm. She had moved on. With a relieved smile, Emma watered Barrow while she took off his bridle and saddle.
"How's it been going for you with Mr. Grimes?" Sam asked.
"It was difficult at first, but things are much better now." Emma answered. "I just saw your Amy at Christmas. She asked me how you were last I saw you."
Sam was beaming from ear to ear.
"She asked about me?" Sam asked excitedly. "What did you say?"
"I told her that you were well, that you wanted to come and see her once winter had come and gone." Emma replied amusedly.
"You did?" Sam asked. "What did she say?"
"She said she would like that."
Sam gave a hoot, which sent Emma into another fit of laughter.
"Emma..." Sam suddenly became very serious.
"What is it?" Emma asked, lifting an eyebrow.
"I...I want to...well-"
"Spit it out, Sam." Emma interrupted with a sigh.
"I want to ask Reverend Horvath...if I can...court Amy..." Sam finally answered amidst several swallows.
Emma's expression softened.
"I'm sure he would approve." Emma assured Sam as she led Barrow down to a stall. "The reverend likes you. He knows Amy likes you."
"You think so?" Sam asked, leaning against a post.
"Of course."
With Barrow situated, Emma and Sam exited the barn so that they could head up to the house.
"Wait here." Sam said suddenly, jogging ahead of Emma.
Emma waited while Sam opened the door. He disappeared inside, then reappeared with Skipper in tow. Emma's heart melted when she saw the dog walk out onto the front porch.
"Skipper!" Emma called, crouching down.
Skipper couldn't get down the porch steps and across the grass fast enough. He ran right into Emma's open arms, his tail wagging back and forth happily. Emma stroked his fur while he used his tongue to give her several kisses. Sam looked on with a smile.
"He's been chomping at the bit to see you." Sam said as he watched.
"Well, look at what we got here."
Emma looked up as Merle walked upon the scene with an ax over one shoulder.
"I thought I heard someone ride up." Merle was grinning as he deposited his ax into a nearby stump before walking over to where Emma was now standing with Sam.
"Hey, Merle." Emma gave him a nod. "Thank you again for letting me keep my things here."
"It wasn't no problem." Merle replied with a shrug, one hand on his hip.
It was quiet then. Merle cleared his throat. Sam shuffled his feet. Emma could guess what they were thinking. They were wondering what to say about Daryl, or if Emma was going to ask about him.
"Have ya'll eaten?" Emma asked.
"Sam made us some breakfast this morning." Merle answered, giving Sam an elbow. "Sam's been making up most of our meals since you gone away."
"Really?" Emma asked, smiling amusedly at Sam when he started to blush.
"Someone had to take over." Sam mumbled, brushing the hair out of his eyes.
"First things first, I'm going to cut your hair." Emma pointed at Sam as he lowered his hand from his hair. "Then, I'm going to make up some lunch."
"Since you're gonna cut Sam's hair, you might as well give old Merle a shave." Merle grinned as he swept one hand over his stubbly head.
As the three of them headed up the steps, Skipper following close behind, Emma couldn't help but feel uneasy wondering when Daryl would show his face. He had surely returned from the cabin. It was only a matter of time before they faced each other. Emma remembered having to face Daryl after she had kissed him in the barn the night of the fall gathering. They had been able to spend time around each other without it being awkward. She was hoping they could do that again, but until she saw him, she wasn't sure if they could.
"How much should I make?" Emma asked as subtly as she could.
"Daryl's out hunting." Sam answered from behind Emma. "He won't be back til late."
"All right." Emma replied.
0o0o0
Daryl didn't return to the farm until way after dark with nothing to show for the day. That always put him in a sore mood. Luckily for him, his brother and Sam were in bed. As Daryl started for his house, he looked up at Merle's place. Though Sam had started cooking meals, he wasn't always good at cleaning up afterward. It wasn't unusual for leftover food and dishes to be left out overnight. Daryl was hoping there was food leftover for him to eat for supper. Then, he would head to his own house for some shut eye. So, he headed up to his brother's house. He opened the front door quietly so as not to wake Merle, Sam, or Skipper. He didn't notice her until he was about halfway through the living room. When he saw her on the sofa, he felt his heart stop and then stutter as it restarted. Daryl was frozen to the spot. He stood still for what seemed like an eternity, but the woman didn't stir once. When he was sure she was deeply asleep, Daryl slowly inched closer to where the woman lay.
Emma had a quilt draped over the lower half of her body. She was wearing a nightgown Daryl immediately recognized. She had been wearing it the night they first met, the night she had kissed him for the first time, the night they had laid together in the loft. It was hard to forget that nightdress. Daryl realized he was practically panting. He swallowed and tried to control his breathing. Daryl should have left Emma's side then, but he remained where he stood. He listened to her steady, deep breaths in the shadows to help him ease into a calmer breathing pattern. One of her arms was thrown up over her head. It was almost hanging over the side of the sofa. Her other arm was at her side, above the quilt, her fingers curled as though she were holding onto something. Daryl carefully crouched beside the sofa to see if she had something in her hand. She didn't. Closer to her level, Daryl could see her better. Her waves were mostly tucked beneath her, but a few sections fell over her front. Daryl felt like he was in a trance as he watched the way Emma's chest rose and fell with her breathing, causing wavy tendrils to fall away from her body. It dawned on Daryl that the last time he had seen Emma, she had been asleep. He remembered the circumstances of that night and frowned. The spell seemed to be broken.
Daryl stood up. He suddenly wasn't hungry. Just as quietly as he had entered, Daryl let himself out of Merle's house and went home.
0o0o0
After Emma made breakfast in her nightdress, she used Sam's bedroom to get washed up and dressed for the day. She hadn't yet decided if she was going to leave or stay another night. That would mostly depend on how Emma felt around Daryl. If things were amicable, she would stay another night to make Sam happy. If they weren't, she would leave after she got her things packed up in the carriage.
As Emma dressed, she heard voices downstairs. Curious, she opened Sam's door a crack.
"...so strange?" That was Daryl's voice. Emma knew it the moment she heard it. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
"Emma is here." That was Sam's voice.
"I know."
"How do you know?" That was Merle's voice.
"...uh...I saw...Barrow out in the barn."
"Uh huh. Sure you did."
Emma closed the door to finish dressing. As she buttoned up her blouse, she realized that her hands were quivering ever so slightly and that her heart was pounding. Emma turned to look at herself in the mirror hanging on the wall.
"He means nothing to you." Emma told her reflection. "Daryl Dixon is nothing."
As Emma concentrated on taking deep breaths, she finally began to calm down. Satisfied, Emma smoothed out her skirt before she opened up the door. The moment she swung the door open all the way, any conversation that had been going on below stopped. Emma wasn't going to let that affect her. She calmly descended the stairs and went straight into the kitchen without hesitation.
"Good morning." Emma smiled at all three men without looking to long at any one particular face before she turned her back on them to get the coffee. "How did everyone sleep?"
It was silent, but Emma refused to turn around until someone answered her.
"...good." Sam finally spoke up.
Emma turned back around with coffee in hand, first going to Merle's side to pour his cup.
"Skipper sure turned into a traitor." Emma joked, glancing up momentarily to smile at Sam.
"That's fine by me." Sam laughed. "He kept me warm during the winter."
Emma poured Sam's coffee next.
"I gotta admit, I'll miss him when you take him with you." Merle said after he had taken a sip of coffee. "Goddamn, girl. I missed your coffee."
Emma laughed as she finished off Sam's mug.
"I mean it." Merle continued as Emma slowly went to the other end of the table. "Sam makes it too weak. Daryl makes it too strong..."
Merle kept on as Emma started to pour Daryl's cup of coffee. She finally looked Daryl fully in the face since first coming into the kitchen. He was looking up at her, too. His mouth was pulled into its usual emotionless line. That was relieving to Emma, a sign of normalcy, but only for a moment. There was something about the look in his eyes as they held each other's gaze that wasn't normal. Daryl would have never looked at Emma like that back when she was working on the farm. In fact, he would have never looked at her for such an extended period of time. Even though it was making it difficult for Emma to breathe, since she was putting all of her concentration on Daryl, she couldn't pull her eyes from his.
"Careful." Daryl suddenly blurted out.
At the same time Daryl spoke, he was wrapping his hand around Emma's wrist. She looked down and realized she had poured Daryl so much coffee that it had overflowed his mug. Silently cursing herself, Emma ripped her wrist from Daryl's hold so that she could put down the coffee and get a rag to wipe up the little spill, but all with a smile plastered to her face.
"I'm sorry." Emma laughed as she mopped up the spilled coffee. "I already had a cup of this myself and I guess it went right to my head."
"I guess so." Merle chuckled from the head of the table.
"Emma, this looks great." Sam piped up.
Emma smiled gratefully at Sam for changing the subject. She took her seat at the table.
"Dig in." Emma told the men, motioning to the food on the table.
While the men all helped themselves to breakfast, Emma silently repeated her newfound motto. "He means nothing to you. Daryl Dixon is nothing." Though she had been able to calm herself down upstairs, she found it difficult to do so in Daryl's presence. She refused to look in his direction. She didn't want to know if he was looking at her or not. The idea that he might be was enough to keep her heart racing though she was seated and had barely moved since sitting down. She made the decision then to return to town once breakfast was through. She would only have to be on the Dixon farm for a couple more hours. Then, she would be free of it forever.
"You going to eat, girl?" Merle asked suddenly.
"I'm really not that hungry." Emma replied, waving her hand.
"You sick or something?" Merle asked. "You're kinda flushed."
"Am I?" Emma asked, touching one of her cheeks.
"Are you okay?" Sam asked concernedly, putting down his fork.
"You guys, I'm fine." Emma reassured them with a laugh. "It's pretty warm outside and I just got done making ya'll a hot breakfast. Of course I'm flushed."
Sam's expression relaxed.
"Well, we sure appreciate it." Sam said, picking up his fork to continue eating.
"Have you thought about whether or not you're gonna stay another night?" Merle asked.
Before Emma could answer, as if on cue, a thunderclap sounded from outside. Merle threw down his napkin.
"Aww, hell!" Merle shouted, getting up from the table.
Emma and Sam followed Merle to the front door. Sometime in the past few minutes, it had started raining cats and dogs outside. Another thunderclap sounded as lightening flashed against the gray sky.
"Well," Merle sighed, "I guess you ain't going anywhere til this clears up."
Emma frowned in disapproval. She knew she couldn't leave while it was storming. Barrow could handle it, but Suzie and Skipper couldn't.
"I guess not." Emma muttered.
0o0o0
To Emma's relief, Daryl braved the rain to go to his own house just after breakfast was through. Merle smoked one of the pipes Emma had gotten for him while sitting in his chair by the fireplace. Sam relaxed on the sofa with Skipper. Emma cleaned up the kitchen and then joined Merle and Sam in the living room. She and Sam proceeded to play a card game while Merle watched in amusement.
"When should I come to town?" Sam asked suddenly as Emma shuffled the cards.
"To speak with the reverend?" Emma asked, continuing when Sam nodded in reply. "Well, why don't I call on the reverend and Amy and see when a good time would be for them? I'll send a courier once I do."
"That would be great." Sam grinned as Emma dealt him his hand.
"What's all this about?" Merle asked.
"Sam is going to ask the reverend for permission to court Amy." Emma replied.
"He is?" Merle asked with an amused smile. "Well, hot dog, I never thought he'd get up the nerve."
"I'm sure it isn't easy." Emma said on Sam's behalf.
"Why not?"
"Well..." Emma set her cards face down. "I think it must take a lot of courage for a man to...to allow himself to be vulnerable enough to ask a girl's father for permission to court his daughter."
"Vulnerable?" Sam asked, his brow furrowing.
"He could say yes, but he could say no." Emma replied.
Sam's face fell. He looked down at his lap with a frown.
"See what you did, girl?" Merle asked with a grin, waving his arm in Sam's direction. "You discouraged the poor boy."
"Oh, Sam." Emma couldn't help but laugh as she reached out to set her hand on Sam's knee. "The reverend is going to say yes."
"What if he doesn't?" Sam mumbled.
"Sam, don't sulk." Emma replied, pulling her hand from his knee. "The reverend will say yes. Now, are we going to play, or not?"
It took him a moment, but Sam eventually picked up his cards.
0o0o0
The storm didn't let up until mid afternoon, but by that time, Emma had resigned herself to the fact that she was staying the night. She would leave after breakfast the next morning. She had responsibilities to return to. Even though she was having a good time with Sam, and even with Merle, she couldn't afford to stay any longer.
Emma made lunch for everyone. She sent Sam to collect Daryl so that he could eat, too. The three men and Emma sat out on the porch with their lunch as the sun slowly came out from behind the gray veil that had been covering it before. With the rain having stopped, the men were able to go out and work. Once lunch was finished, Merle and Sam got up to head out to do their individual jobs. Emma was about to head inside when Daryl's voice stopped her.
"Hey."
Emma paused, her hand on the door handle.
"I was wanting to ask you something." Daryl spoke again from behind Emma.
Emma slowly looked over her shoulder at Daryl, who was sitting on the porch doing the same. She couldn't imagine what Daryl was going to ask her. Was it something trivial? Was it something more? Did it have anything to do with the winter? Emma repeated her motto once silently before she took a deep breath and spoke.
"What is it?" Emma asked softly.
Daryl stood up and turned around to face Emma.
"My hair got kinda long over...well, I tried to trim it up and did a bad job of it-"
"You want me to cut your hair?" Emma asked, lifting an eyebrow in surprise.
"If you wouldn't mind." Daryl replied, looking down at his feet.
Emma couldn't help but remember Daryl having sworn once that Emma would never get her hands on his hair. Before she could stop herself, she was laughing out loud. To her surprise, Daryl began to laugh, too. Suddenly, it seemed all right again. They could forget what happened over the winter and move on from it as friends, whatever that meant. Daryl would never be a friend to Emma the way Sam, or Merle, or Rick was. Emma felt very protective of sweet Sam. She put up with Merle's antics, but also found herself being amused by him some of the time. Rick was someone Emma could rely on for help and guidance, just as he could depend on her for those things in return. Emma's friendship with Daryl was different. The more she started thinking about it, the more she decided she probably shouldn't.
Daryl sat in one of the chairs while Emma got a sheet to drape around his shoulders and the scissors. When she returned, she wrapped the sheet around his shoulders and started cutting. Emma would occasionally use her hands to move Daryl's head slightly. When she did, she felt nothing. Emma couldn't help but smile to herself. It had worked. Refusing to give into feelings she had experienced before, repeating her motto to herself, and remembering who she was had all helped to get over what had happened during her employment on the Dixon farm.
That all changed suddenly when Emma stooped down in front of Daryl to make sure she was cutting his hair evenly on both sides. Their eyes met just as they had at breakfast. Emma felt a traitorous flutter in her gut as she looked into those dark blue eyes. She cleared her throat and quickly stood back up to finish Daryl's hair. There wasn't much left to do. She could get through it. She just couldn't think about the way those eyes had looked at her the first time they met, or the way those eyes had looked down at her as she was leaned against the ladder in the barn...
"Are you all right?" Daryl asked softly, breaking Emma's trance.
Emma realized she had stopped cutting Daryl's hair. He had turned his head to look at her hand, which was trembling. Before she could speak, Daryl had reached out to ensnare her wrist for his own like he had that morning. The touch of his hand sent Emma's heart sprinting behind her ribs.
"Emma, are you okay?" Daryl repeated himself a little louder, genuine concern bubbling up in his tone.
Emma looked down at her wrist in Daryl's hand and suddenly became angry. She snatched it away from him. In turn, a look of surprise came across Daryl's face. It was only for a moment, because then the features of his face were suddenly contorting into an expression that matched Emma's.
"What the hell is your problem?" Daryl snapped, all concern gone from his voice.
"My problem is that I don't want you touch me." Emma snarled angrily, matching his tone.
Daryl's enraged expression faltered for a split second. Had Emma blinked, she would have missed it. It had been too quick for her to identify the emotion, but before she could even begin to try and guess at what it was, the anger had come back to his face with a vengeance.
"Fine!" Daryl shouted, throwing his arms out. "I won't touch you!"
Emma took a deep breath so that she could calm down enough to lower and level her voice. She crossed her arms over her chest.
"Good." Emma finally replied coolly, but calmly.
Daryl scoffed, then his lips pulled into a smirk.
"It ain't like it matters anyways." Daryl said, lowering his arms. "You're leaving soon."
"Not soon enough."
"Well, then go!" Daryl exclaimed, waving one arm towards the path. "Get out of here!"
"Why are you so angry with me?" Emma asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I ain't mad at you!" Daryl yelled bewilderedly. "You're mad at me!"
Emma chuckled dryly.
"I'm not mad at you."
"Yeah you are." Daryl argued. "You're mad 'cause I'm the reason you ain't pure anymore."
Before Daryl could react, Emma closed the distance between them and slapped him hard across the face. As his head flew to the right, Emma slapped him across the opposite cheek. Daryl was stunned as his face began to sting. He could barely feel it over the emotions being hurled his way from the look on Emma's face. Her gray-green eyes were narrowed. Her lips were pursed and her jaw was clenched.
"How dare you." Emma hissed icily, her tone matching her expression.
Without another word, Emma whirled around and flew into Merle's house. The door slammed shut behind her.
0o0o0
The next morning, Merle and Sam woke to a note left on the kitchen table. Sam read it out loud so that Merle would know the contents.
Merle and Sam,
Thank you again for letting me keep my things here over the winter, and for taking such good care of Suzie and Skipper. You will never know how much my time here last year meant to me, or how much I needed to move on. I apologize for not saying goodbye this time. It was time for me to be on my way again. You are both welcome to visit me whenever you'd like.
Sam, I will send a letter once I speak with the reverend and Amy. Be patient.
Emma
Merle and Sam had known something had occurred between Emma and Daryl when they came back to the house for supper. Emma was practically silent at dinner and Daryl never showed up. Neither one of them asked Emma what had happened.
"What Did I Ever Come Here For?" - Brandi Carlile [Emma leaves town for the Dixon farm, arrives on the farm]
"Girl From The North Country" - Johnny Cash & Bob Dylan [Daryl watches Emma sleeping]
"My First Lover" - Gillian Welch [Emma overhears conversation downstairs/Emma and Daryl fight]