YEARNING - Daryl Dixon

FOURTY ONE.

BONNIE was furious at Rick's behaviour, she understood that the man was trying to protect his family, but the group needed this.

"I'll check out the cars." Michonne volunteered, though was turned down by Rick "There aren't any cars." He told her, not taking his eyes of Aaron for a second.

"How can you trust him so easily Bonnie?" Carol asked the blonde "Well, the moment we met he didn't attack me, and he approached us slowly and carefully." Bonnie remarked with a scoff.

"There's only one way to find out." Michonne spoke up "We don't need to find out." Rick responded, tearing his gaze from Aaron too Michonne.

Bonnie walked over and stood beside Maggie "We do." Michonne bluntly replied, her hard gaze fixated on Rick "You know what you know, and you're sure of it. But I'm not." Bonnie added, licking her chapped lips.

Rick turned to look at Bonnie with a stone hard face.

"Me neither." Maggie added, agreeing with the two women.

"Your ways dangerous, mine's not." He shook his head as he looked back over at Michonne "Passing up some place where we could live? Where Judith could live?" Michonne asked Rick "That's pretty dangerous."

"Rick we need to find out what this is." Bonnie pleaded, "Judith and Frankie can't handle living on the run, especially Judith."

"We can handle ourselves, so that's what we are gonna do." Bonnie looked around as she spoke, noticing Glenn nod "Then I will too, I'll go." Bonnie sent Glenn a tight lipped smile.

Rick called out to Abraham who nodded "Yeah, I'll walk with him." He readjusted his grip of the weapon in his hands, before he walked over "Rosita." The woman nodded her head, holstering her gun "Okay."

Bonnie moved over to her bag as Michonne, Glenn, Abraham and Rosita left to find the cars.

She reached in and pulled out the double edged knife she took from Terminus, holding it as she turned around to face Frankie "Stay here with Rick and Judith, ok? I'll be back soon." The little girl nodded her head "Be careful Aunty Bonnie." Bonnie smiled and pecked Frankie's forehead "Yes ma'am."

"We're all in here, we're a target." Rick spoke loudly as the group geared up "We got the area covered." Daryl replied and Rick nodded "Groups of two, find somewhere safe within eye shot." Everyone began filing out of the barn behind each other.

"Hey, you be careful out there ok?" Daryl mumbled and Bonnie looked into his blue eyes she came to love "Don't worry 'bout me, I'll be fine." She assured him and he reluctantly nodded "I know, just worry 'bout ya." Bonnie smiled "Don't you be gettin' soft on me now Dixon, save that for when we are alone hmm?"

Daryl chuckled with a roll of his eyes "Yes ma'am." Bonnie took hold of his hand and squeezed it, almost their way of saying goodbye.

Bonnie exhaled the fresh air as everyone began pairing off, Bonnie split off with Noah as the pair walked towards a part of the woods.

"You okay kid?" Bonnie asked him gently, after the incident at his home and Tyreese dying, she could see the effect it had on him.

Noah nodded, eyes looking at the ground as they continued to walk "How about you tell me about yourself?" She looked over at him for a second before scanning the area.

"What does it matter, my old life is in the past." He responded and Bonnie nodded "Maybe it is, but it still says a lot about you. That is at least what I personally think." She responded.

They continued to walk slowly "Did-Was your family here, when this stuff started?" He asked her carefully.

Bonnie felt her skin crawl at the memory, something she hadn't thought of for a while.

She nodded her head "Yeah, they were."

Noah nodded "You know I feel like it's my fault that my family is dead. They were fine when I was taken by Dawn, now they are dead, I couldn't look after them like I promised."

Bonnie frowned at his words and shook her head "Don't feel bad at all Noah, it is in no way your fault." Bonnie stopped, turning to face the boy and he looked exhausted.

Her eyes ran across his soft and broken features and she bit her lip.

"I killed my family." She whispered.

His eyes widened slightly "No you didn't." He tried to convince himself more or less.

Bonnie shook her head "I did."

She had never told anyone the story about her family, too ashamed, though she would tell Noah.

"One day I left to go on a run to a local store for supplies and food, I had Frankie with me, the area had close to no walkers." She told him.

"We took the car that had all of the guns in it, which I didn't know at the time till after I come back."

Noah noticed Bonnie's eyes glass over "I left them, with no protection, nothing. They died because of me, because I took all the guns on accident." She paused, looking up at the sky for a moment.

"A large group came through, around twenty five or so. Mum and Dad were old, in their late sixties, my sister in law had no self defence bone in her body, so only my brother and uncle could protect them." Bonnie inhaled sharply "But because I had the guns, they died."

Noah felt for the woman "It wasn't your fault that your family died, at all and it especially wasn't your fault that Beth died." She reached out and grabbed Noah's shoulder gently.

"This new world is a cruel place, we have to endure hardships and cruelty, but those will only make us stronger." Noah nodded his head, reaching out and bringing the blonde into a tight hug.

Bonnie smile and hugged him back tightly "If you ever need to talk, or you're going through a rough time, do not at all hesitate to come to me at all, okay?" Bonnie whispered, and she felt him nod his head.

"You may not see it Noah, but you are a good kid." Bonnie pulled away with a sad smile "You're a good person Bonnie, you're part of the good in this world."

The pair turned and continued their tracing of the woods.

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