When The Rain Washes You Clean. (You'll Know.)

Chapter Twenty-Four. (Part One.)

PART ONE.

Hands clawed their way into Leland's chest, wrapping tightly around his heart - digging their nails into the pumping organ; no care for the pain that shoots through his body, as they rip it out from his chest. Leland can't move, his eyes widened on his own heart in front of him - pain shooting through every inch of him from the removal - as he's forced to watch them tear it up, pegging it to the ground before stomping all over it. The shock stays stunned inside of his body, the tears wanting to flow but nothing was coming out. And all he wanted to do right now, was lay himself in the dirt and let the earth decompose his body; have the worms and bugs flesh on his skin... Anything to stop the pain of what's folded out in front of him.

His eyes can't leave the child's own, watching the way she grips at Johnny's leg for dear life; her head looking between the pair, blue eyes wide that Leland swears you could see the ocean in them. She was a gorgeous girl, there was no denying that - curly black hair on top of her head, puffy red cheeks and a flower dress covered in mud and dirt. She looked like a spitting image of Johnny, defined features that could only scream his genes; and it made Leland feel like dying.

He swallows hard when Johnny's arm comes out, wrapping around the little body as he holds her against him as well. And for the first time in Leland's life, he's never wanted to fight a child more than now. He knows that's a ridiculous thought to run through his head right now; and he does his best to shake it away... It wasn't her fault that Leland was feeling this way.

It's just that Leland was too late.

It's been five years of him trying to sort his own life out, figure out the mess that was inside of his head; that he didn't even think about what Johnny would be getting up to. Leland had no idea of the journey that Johnny would've taken as well, the people he would've met - and the things he would've done as well. Leland was too caught up in trying to change his ways, be a better person that Johnny could love - and while that was happening... The other man was already moving on with his life. He picked up his own pieces of the mess Leland left behind, fixed his life and he made something beautiful out of it.

Something so beautiful that Leland can't even allow himself to be mad anymore. His body was dejected, his mind was fried, his heart was destroyed - and once again, it was all his fault. He took too long to make things right, he never called when he should've and he never stopped to think about how Johnny would actually feel right now either. It's ridiculous to have these thoughts right now, that they only came to him because of a child - but Leland can't help it - he built up this fantasy in delusions, so why was he so shocked that none of what he dreamt was real?

The tension between the pair was becoming thick, one of them waiting for the other to speak; and it's only when Leland finally took his eyes off the girl, moving them back to Johnny's own; that he fears he might break down once more. Johnny was looking at him with just an eyebrow raised, his mouth in a straight line as he kept his arm tight around the child's shoulders. Leland should speak, maybe congratulate him on this blessing, before turning around and making a run for it.

There was no reason for him to stay here any longer, impose himself into Johnny's life once more; Leland knew better now. He knew better than to interfere into something where he didn't belong, and even though he feels destroyed once more; Leland would rather feel this pain, then inflict Johnny's life once again. So he takes a deep breath in, does his best to stretch a smile on his face... And he finally speaks up about what's going on right now.

"Wow," Is the first thing that comes out of Leland's mouth, his cheeks going red from embarrassment already, "She's beautiful."

A small look of surprise washes through Johnny's eyes, quick enough that he could notice it - but not enough time to actually comment on it. Instead Leland adverts his own from Johnny's once more, looking towards the girl by his feet; and he takes a step forward, before bending himself down and sticking a hand out for her to shake.