Hello wonderful readers! So sorry about the flight delay as your Captain Shy has been very busy. Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I dont own TWD

Rick clenched his jaw as he looked Eva straight in the eye, "That is a bold accusation"

Eva immediately let her eyes go downcast as she played with the brim of the hat, his piercing eyes made her incredibly nervous. She kept her gaze from his, it was a strong accusation, and she really didn't have any evidence that he killed her father or not. She didn't have enough time to look at her father's corpse enough, and there was a potential that the walkers had eaten all the evidence.

"So, you're going off the word of some guy who thinks that everybody is a danger?"

Eva sighed, "I have no evidence that what Dale said is true, I couldn't examine my father's body enough to see where he was killed… I don't even know where he was hurt. Rick, have you had to put down somebody you love yet?"

Rick this time looked away as she looked up at him, "No"

Eva shifted her stance as she held her sides, an attempt to hold herself together, "It sucks. I saw my dad's dead eyes look at me…. Hungry"

Rick couldn't imagine having to put down his family, he believed that Lori and Carl had been safe or already dead. He didn't have to put them down.

Eva looked Rick square in the face, "Rick, I honestly hope that you will never have to put your family down."

While the two were talking it was Glenn who was sent to fetch him, telling them that there was a group meeting about Randal.

Inside almost the whole group was seated, there was one chair open and Rick claimed it immediately leaving Eva to stand by Maggie.

"Okay, now we can get this meeting ready" Patricia stated. Eva guessed that she was standing in for Hershel as he was finishing up with Randal

"Ok, I'll start" Shane said as he paced around to the side, not really getting close to the group, he addressed Rick. "Why would you bring another mouth, a mouth that have shot at you back to the barn?"

"We couldn't just leave him behind, he would have bled out" Rick argued, he was standing up with one foot up on the chair, he was leaning against it as if it gave him some strength. He looked at Maggie, "if he would have lived that long"

"It's gotten bad in town" Glenn piped up, his eyes looked weary and his body language suggested that he'd rather be recuperating.

"What do we do with him?" Andrea asked.

Eva hummed as she was going to reply when Hershel came in from the barn, "I repaired his calf muscle the best I can" he announced.

Everybody immediately looked at Hershel, "but he'll probably have nerve damage. Probably won't be on his feet for a week"

"When he does, we'll give him a canteen, take him out to the main road and send him on his way"

Eva shook her head, "He knows Hershel"

"Isn't that the same as leaving him for the walkers?" Andrea asked.

Rick looked at both the girls, "He'll have a fighting chance, just because he knows about Hershel doesn't mean that he knows where he lives. He was the town vet, he probably had a dog or something"

"Just gonna let him go?" Shane asked, skeptical, "Eva is right, he knows where we are"

Rick shook his head, "He was blindfolded the whole way here, he's not a threat"

"Not a threat! How many where there?" Shane sarcastically asked, "You killed three of their men, you took one of them hostage, but they just aint gonna come looking?" he was angry with Rick now.

"They left him for dead" Rick growled, he didn't like Shane acting like this. "No one is looking"

"We should still post a guard" T-dawg interjected, he was erring on the side of caution.

"He's out cold right now, will be for hours" Hershel's voice cut through the dining room.

Shane took this moment to act like an ass. The relative peace was easily shattered. Shane was riling everybody up, especially Hershel. Because Shane was storming off it caught Hershel's wrath reminding him that he really wanted Shane off his land but Rick had talked him away from his decision. Hershel didn't want to hear Shane any more, and if Shane did that they would live more or less in peace.

Shane conceded with a simple nod of his head and walked away, with him running his hand over his bald head. The tension immediately dwindled.

Rick told Hershel that they weren't going to act on Randal today and they needed the time to cool off and get their head back on right. Eva noticed how Andrea looked offended and followed Shane out the door.

It seemed that because the two people left it gave everybody the permission to leave also. The group broke from the meeting almost immediately, trying to go back to what they were doing.

Eva watched Rick as some of his thunder was taken from him, she walked by him and gave him a pat on the back. She was going to check on Beth before she continued on her chores. Beth was still lying on her bed, comatose in her own way. She brought the chair close to the bed. Eva took her cold hand, "Oh B, I thought you'd be better already"

Beth obviously didn't respond. Hershel came in not but a few minutes later, her eyes moved as he placed a hand on her forehead. Eva looked up at him, she was hoping Hershel would somehow fix her.

Maggie came in after Hershel, Eva felt like the tiny room really shouldn't have more than two people inside. Hershel looked to Eva, "Can I take the seat?" he asked as he pulled out his pocket watch. Eva nodded as she stood by the foot of the bed. Hershel took his youngest daughter's wrist and counted her pulse.

"Has she eaten?" he asked the two women, "No" Eva verbalized and Maggie shook her head. "I'll give her a sedative, it'll stop her body from working too hard."

Eva nodded, maybe this was for the best, to give her a moments rest.

"You were drinking" Maggie accused.

Hershel sighed, "That was the least of my worries"

"You left and I didn't know what to do!" Maggie's voice was wobbly like she was about to cry or scream. Hershel looked at Maggie then back to Beth, he looked slightly tormented.

Eva felt like she was intruding upon a deep family matter, "I should leave" she commented.

"No, you can stay" Maggie replied, "I need to check on some things" she left the two alone.

"She's just angry because she didn't know what to do…. She was scared" Eva tried to comfort Hershel. His back slumped as he sighed, "None of us knew what to do"

She put a hand to Hershel's shoulder, he smiled wearily at her, "Beth will be just fine" he told her.

Eva nodded, "Do you want some alone time?"

Hershel nodded, "just a few minutes"

Eva left Hershel to do what he needed to do, she went out to the barn to clean the manure. Despite the smell and the chores it was the pure simplicity and mundane that she enjoyed. It was almost a sense of déjà vu.

The rest of the day passed without much problems, Rick and Lori spent a good amount in their tent, and everybody made sure not to get close to the tent as the couple spent alone time.

Shane and Andrea were gone for a good amount also, Eva didn't want to even know where everybody was or what they were doing.

The next day.

Eva was washing dishes in the warm soapy water. Her mind was elsewhere, earlier in the morning Rick announced that he and Shane were going out on a drive. Before they left Rick sought out Eva who was eating breakfast on the porch steps.

His hand gently squeezed Eva's arm, "Shane and I are going out for a drive"

"Ok?" she replied with skepticism.

"I believe you, and I'm going to address it"

Eva blinked curiously at him, "What?" He smiled at her, it wasn't a wide one in fact it was quite small. He gave her arm a final squeeze and left.

Eva watched them leave, she couldn't really understand what he was talking about. And this is where Eva found herself, cleaning long overdue dishes.

Maggie was visiting with Beth, who had gotten better since the other day. She was awake and reactive.

Maggie and Lori was cutting meat and cutting tomatoes "Rick say anything to you about Glenn when they got back to town?"

"Just said that had gotten pretty bad" Lori dismissed.

"He's not the same" Maggie noted.

Eva hummed, "I'm sure he's just rattled"

Lori looked at the woman's back, they were still on shaky ground.

Maggie continued, "Says he froze" she sighed as she looked away, "Blames me. Says I got inside his head."

"He came back- that's what matters" Lori said. "Men have to do certain things, you know that, and they're either gonna blame the little woman as the reason they do 'em or the reason they don't"

Lori took a baking sheet from a cupboard, "I'll tell you something- what happens out there happens out there" she moved around, "And we…. We're just trying to keep it together till they get back."

"Things were maybe I-"

"Glenn's a big boy, he makes his own choices and then you… do you have anything to apologize for?" Lori asked while munching on a cucumber slice.

"This probably the first time he was in real danger from humans not walkers" Eva noted.

Maggie shook her head to show she wasn't sorry, Lori shrugged "Tell him to man up and pull himself together"

Eva tensed, she didn't like Lori's attitude, Glenn was scared, and it couldn't be fixed with a 'man up'

"Just don't say 'man up' it never goes well"

Maggie smiled and took some food, "Let me just get this to Beth"

"You go on, we got this" Maggie nodded to both the women with Lori taking the food tray to Beth.

Eva watched Maggie through the window as she continued with her chores.

Eva began to hum the song 'Jolene' as she did the dishes, today was just one of those days, a day where the sun was out and shining and things were looking up. She never thought she could feel good enough to hum or sing again especially with Beth still in her bed and Hershel still somewhat in lala land.

Eva finished with her dishes and went to finish other things. She helped Maggie with the eggs and milking the cows.

They were in the middle of working when Glenn solicited Maggie's attention. Once again Eva was alone. She continued to hum from earlier, time to time she'd sing a line, "Lucky bird inside a gilded cage. Golden words spoken by an ancient sage. Everything you may have in life. Still, all you hold is dust"

She had been to Disneyland and saw the Aladdin show, it was particularly amazing. The two groups were abuzz she could hear people running around but she didn't really care. If Hershel noticed that they couldn't finish their chores they would be in trouble.

Maggie came into the barn, "Beth did something stupid" she simply stated. Milk was immediately left forgotten.

Maggie and Eva ran to the home, however Andrea and Lori barred Eva from entering the room. Eva was forced to wait with Lori and Andrea. "What happened?" she asked.

Lori sighed as she leaned against the sink, "When I brought her food she took the steak knife"

Eva gasped, "Wait… did she want to commit suicide?"

Lori nodded, "Yeah but I stopped her, it's a family affair, let them work it out"

Andrea looked incredulously at her, "That's working it out?" They were listening to the sisters shout at each other.

Eva felt stung by Lori's words, she was forced to wait because she wasn't family despite the fact that she knew every child for their entire life.

"When Beth stops fighting that's when it's time to worry" Lori commented.

"Beth will stop fighting a lot quicker than you realize" Eva commented, "She will stop verbally fighting"

"This could have been handled better?"

"How so?"

"You shouldn't have taken the knife away" Andrea commented.

Both Lori and Eva looked at her, appalled. "Excuse me?" Lori asked

"Yeah, do explain"

"You were wrong, like Dale taking my gun. That wasn't your decision."

"And letting her attempt suicide is?" Eva asked.

"Better attempt and realize you don't want to die than entertain the idea"

Eva took dishes that had dried and put them away, "I disagree"

"She has to choose to live on her own, she had to find her own reason"

"Want me to tie a noose for her?" Lori sarcastically asked, putting some food away.

"If she's serious she'll figure out a way"

"Over my dead body" Eva declared, she wasn't going to let Beth take her own life.

Thank you all! Please read and review!