Author's Note: Oh lawd, guys, an actual story with Jules! With a semi-real plot and eerthang! I'm excited. lol I've mentioned the time issues (as in, I have no idea how long it's been) so here's my own adaptation of how things happen. The barn massacre/death of Sophia happens in What You Need, then this one picks up immediately after What You Need, the following morning. I know technically Hershel left the evening of the funeral, but I delayed it a bit. Also, the dialogue isn't exact. Sorry to the purists.
Rights to the owners, etc. etc.
Would I change my ways?
Wasted times and broken dreams
Violent colors so obscene
It's all I see these days
These days
Jules got dressed and joined Daryl outside the tent. She smiled in greeting to Maggie, who looked anxious.
"Dad's gone. Beth collapsed and we can't find him and she's in some kinda shock or something, so-"
Jules took hold of her cousin's arms. "Slow down, sweetie. Now, what d'you mean Hershel's 'gone'?"
"Mom's stuff was out," Maggie said, her voice quaking. She was trying her best to keep it together.
"Oh, no." Jules looked at Daryl, who nodded and jerked his chin toward the farmhouse in the distance.
"Go on back up to the house. I'ma go get a bath, so I'll see if he went to the creek or something."
"There's a shower at the house, you know."
"I like the lagoon. More privacy. Now git." He gave a sheepish smile when she cupped his cheek and gave him a quick kiss. He cleared his throat and ducked his head. "G'on now."
She and Maggie went back to the house, asking anybody they came across if they had seen Hershel. No one had. Maggie told Rick, and he and Shane had gone to Hershel's room to look around. Shane found her uncle's flask and Jules looked at Maggie.
"D'you think he went into town?"
"Would he do something that irresponsible?" Lori asked. "Go into town by himself?"
"He might've," Rick said, turning the flask over in his hands. "There a bar in town?" Maggie answered him as Jules left the room.
"Where you going?"
She looked at Patricia. "I figure Rick's going to go after Hersh. He'll need someone to have his back."
"Julia Elaine, you don't have any business going out there. Let Rick handle it."
Jules goggled at her. "Are you kidding? You want me to just leave him there?"
"I want you to let the men handle it. Beth needs-"
"Beth has Maggie here and she needs here father. I'm going, Patty. Jesus, at the risk of sounding like Andrea, this 'little woman can't do nothin' attitude has gotta go," she said, shaking her head and walking off. She checked in on Beth while Lori and Shane argued with Rick over going. Big surprise that was going down. After seeing that there was no change in Beth's condition, she kissed her baby cousin's cheek and promised her that she would come back with her dad.
"You ready?" she asked Rick, gently shutting Beth's bedroom door.
"You're not going," Rick said. "I'm taking Glenn. He knows his way. It's too dangerous for me to have to look after you too. We don't know how many walkers are in town by now."
"All the more reason you need me with you. I can run, shoot, and fight, same as you. Believe it or not, having a vagina does not slow one's cognitive skills. "
"Dude," Glenn mumbled, shifting and blushing.
Rick scoffed a half-laugh and cussed under his breath. "All right. But you better stay sharp. If anything happened to you, Daryl'd tear me apart."
