Randall knew Maggie. That was the news Rick and Shane had returned with three days ago, and now everyone was on edge. They had put him back into the shed beside the barn, not really knowing what else to do with him, before Rick decided they needed to know more about Randall's people. So he sent Daryl to 'talk' to him. At first, Parker wanted to speak up about this. She didn't care that Randall was getting beaten up, the little shit had shot at them for god sake, he was obviously on the opposite side. But sending Daryl to beat the kid up to get information out of him? That wasn't him, so she had no idea why Rick hadn't asked Shane instead. Sure, Daryl was hot headed and temperamental when it came to his anger, but Shane was scary when he was angry. Daryl? He just looked normal. "I've made up my mind, Parker." Rick had said as she walked with him across the perimeter of the farm, checking the wire fences and seeing if they were stable. Parker looked at her feet.

"But wouldn't Shane want to beat the crap out of him?" She asked. "They aren't exactly the best of friends, him and Randall."

"No one's best friends with Randall." Rick said. "But Daryl he-" He cut himself off and Parker looked up at him in confusion.

"He what?"

Risk hesitated but glanced down at her before pulling on the fences again. "He volunteered." Parker frowned. "He seemed pretty angry and I mentioned Randall probably had information we needed, and he told me he'd do it and marched off. I didn't really get to agree with him myself."

"But...why would Daryl do that?" She asked. "He's not exactly the 'talking' type." Rick grimaced.

"Trust me, not much talking is gonna happen in there."

When Daryl made his way over to Randall's shed, Parker followed him from a few feet away. Neither had spoken to the other since she kissed him; something she very much regretted now she thought about it. It was stupid to just throw herself on him, he didn't want that. He showed no real signs of feelings for her, she just assumed he'd be cool with it. Kiss her back at least. But Daryl had frozen then shoved her off, and she knew where they stood now. Awkward acquaintances. But she still wanted to keep an eye on him; she felt like she had too. Daryl was more on edge than ever, someone had to make sure he wasn't doing anything stupid.

So Parker sat outside the shed by herself, listening to Daryl beat the absolute shit out of Randall for nearly twenty minutes, before finally something happened.

She kept hearing the sound of a fist hitting a nose and she winced when it suddenly cracked, making Randall splutter and cry out. That didn't make Daryl stop, however, if anything it spurred him on and he struck the kid again, and Parker heard him collapse to the floor.

"I-I told you!" Randall whimpered from his awkward position on the floor, curling up as best he could to shield his body whilst his hands were still cuffed behind his back. Daryl scoffed.

"You ain't told me shit!" He spat and grabbed Randall by the collar, yanking him up. Randall yelped as the cuffs pulled on his wrists and struggled against Daryl's grip. Daryl threw him against the wall and outside Parker jumped, not expecting the heavy blow.

"I barely knew those guys!" Randall's voice cracked and he spat out some blood. "I met 'em on the road!"

"How many in your group?" Daryl asked, standing over him menacingly. Randall didn't say anything, just let out big spurts of air as his lungs ached in his chest. Daryl just slowly pulled out his hunting knife and let it rest in his hand against his thigh, and the second Randall saw it he started to panic.

"N-no! Come on, man!" He yelled as Daryl then rushed forward and stabbed the knife the floor in between Randall's open legs, his life flashing before his eyes.

"How many?!" Daryl bellowed, staring right into the kid's eyes.

"Uh, uh...uh thirty! Thirty guys!"

"Where?"

"Uhh…" Daryl ripped Randall's bandage off, revealing the ugly scabbed up scar left behind from Hershel's surgery. Randall cried out as the bandage ripped at his skin, taking some hairs with it, and stared at Daryl pleadingly. "I don't know, I swear!" He hissed through gritted teeth. "We were never in any place for more than a night!" Daryl slowly pushed the knife into the scab, hearing it squelch and tear under the blade. Randall started to cry.

"Scoutin'?" Daryl asked, then looked directly into his eyes. "Plan on stayin' local?" He kept his hand firmly on Randall's injured leg as the younger boy wriggled around and tried to escape Daryl's grasp, and the blade of his knife.

"I don't know! They left me behind!"

"You ever pick off a scab?" Daryl asked threateningly and pressed the blade harder into the wound.

"C-c-come on, man! I'm tryin' to cooperate!"

"Ya start real slow at first, but sooner or later you just gotta rip it off!" Daryl pressed down and Randall shouted at him.

"Okay!" He calmed his breathing, looking at Daryl through his one good eye, the other slightly puffed up and bloody. "Okay. T-t-they have weapons. Heavy stuff; automatics." Daryl kept on moving his blade around, making Randall squirm. "B-but I didn't do anything!"

"You shot at my boys." Daryl said. "And one of our women. You try to take this farm? You just went along for the ride? You're tryin' to tell me you're innocent?!" He shouted.

"YES!" Randall cried. "These people took me in, not just guys a whole group of 'em!" Daryl took his blade away, becoming intrigued, but kept the knife out and against his knee so Randall could still see it. "Men and women, uh, kids too just like you people! Thought I'd have a better chance with them, you know? But...we go out, scavenge, just the men." Randall looked at the floor suddenly, his face dropping, and Daryl scowled at him. "One night we...we found this little campsite. A man and his two daughters. Teenagers, you know? Real young." Randall then slowly looked up at Daryl with a look in his eye that made the older man's stomach turn. "Real cute." The realisation of what was about to be said washed over Daryl like a tidal wave. "The guy had to watch while these guys they...and they didn't even kill him afterwards! They just...they just made him watch. His daughters, they just...just left 'em there." Randall looked up, realising that Daryl was staring at him, and suddenly went back to his whiny old self. "But-but I-I didn't touch those girls! Nah, I swear."

Daryl didn't even think, he just kicked him straight in the gut. Randall begged him to stop, but Daryl just snarled and kicked him again.

"You gotta believe me, man!" Randall cried, tears falling from his one good eye. "I'm not like that! I ain't like that." He sobbed, but Daryl just threw another punch to his nose, making him scream.

From outside, Parker was holding herself and staring at the shed door in horror, refusing to let herself cry again. She had heard everything, and shuddered at the thought of Randall spending one more night on the farm with them. Near Beth, near Carl, near any of them. If his men found their farm...she nearly gagged at the thought of what could happen to them all. The women especially. Suddenly, the shed door slammed open and she jumped back as Daryl stormed out, kicking it shut behind him and locking it. He then yelled and kicked the door with his foot in pure rage before resting his head against it and breathing deeply. Parker awkwardly stood behind him, not yet being seen, before she cleared her throat.

"You okay?" Daryl froze then turned to face her. His face was angry but he didn't yell at her. He just shook his head.

"What are you doin' out here?" He grunted. Parker shrugged.

"Well, I didn't come for the view." She retorted and Daryl just scoffed. She then noticed his bloody knuckles. "Socked him pretty good. At least we know now what his story is."

"Lil asshole deserved it." He said, pushing away from the door and standing next to her.

"He did." Daryl glanced at her, surprised to hear her say that. "I want him gone. Off the farm. It's not safe with him being here, whether his buddies abandoned him or not. They still could have followed us or at least find out we exist and try something." Daryl nodded.

"Didn't know you thought that way." He said.

"His people raped two girls and made their father watch. I'll kill the prick myself." Parker snapped and started walking ahead of him towards the camp, spotting her brother stood to one side near Lori and Carol. Daryl sighed and shook his head before following her, grabbing his crossbow from a nearby tree where he left it and swinging it over his shoulder. Everyone turned to stare at his bloody and bruised knuckles when he was close enough but he just ignored them. It wasn't exactly rocket science, figuring out what had happened, so Daryl let them stare. None of them had the balls to do what he did anyway; the dirty work.

"Boy there's got a gang." He said once everyone's eyes were on him. "Thirty men. Got heavy artillery and they ain't lookin' to make friends. They roll through here, our boys are dead. And our women are gonna wish they were." Parker shuffled next to Glenn and he patted her arm.

"That's not gonna happen." He whispered and she just nodded without looking at him.

"What did you do?" Carol asked, nodding at his knuckles. Daryl just glanced at them and shrugged.

"Had a little chat." His eyes glossed over to Parker and she stared right back. Rick then walked to the front of the group and addressed them all.

"No one goes near this guy." He ordered.

"Rick." Lori said quietly, standing at his side. "What are you going to do?"

"We have no choice, he's a threat. We have to eliminate the threat." Everyone in the camp went silent. Then Dale shook his head.

"You're just gonna kill him?" He asked and Parker glared at him.

"You're not seriously thinking we keep him here, are you?" She snapped and Glenn jumped, not expecting her to be so aggressive.

"Parker, he's just a kid." Dale said. Parker scoffed at him.

"I heard what he told Daryl. The things his people did are sick, I'm not having some rapist stay in our camp."

"Rapist?" Carol gasped and stared at the shed in shock. Dale shook his head at Parker and stepped towards her.

"Killing isn't-"

"I'm not listening to this." She interrupted him and walked over to Rick and Shane. "Get it done. I don't care how just...get it done." Rick looked into her eyes, seeing the seriousness behind her words, and nodded.

"It's settled. We do it today." He walked off, not allowing anyone a word in edge ways, and Parker had never felt such appreciation for a man before. He understood, he knew the risk they were taking by keeping him here. And he had listened to her without a moment's hesitation. Parker ignored the other's looking at her and made her way into her tent, zipping it shut and falling down onto the cot, bringing the covers up over her body and turning to curl up on her side. She closed her eyes just as thunder cracked overhead, signalling the start of a long night ahead of them.

***
Daryl was sorting through his arrows when Dale approached him. He took one look at the old man before sighing, placing two makeshift arrows to one side. They could still do with some cutting down.

"The whole point of me comin' up here was to get away from you people." He said.

"It's gonna take more than that." Dale said and Daryl rolled his eyes before standing up straight.

"Carol send you?" Daryl asked, still annoyed that she had bothered him twice in one night.

Dale shook his head. "Carol's not the only one who's concerned about you." Daryl scoffed and grabbed some more arrows, making sure they were all the same length.

"What, Parker worried too?" Dale smiled slightly.

"I never said anything about Parker." Daryl paused and looked at him over his shoulder.

"What do you want?" He grunted. Dale turned serious again.

"Your new role in the group."

"I don't need my head shrunk. This group's broken. I'm better off fendin' for myself." Dale watched patiently as he stepped over some of the bricks and grabbed his blue shirt with the winged leather jacket over it.

"You act like you don't care." He said. Daryl nodded.

"S'beacuse I don't." He swung the jacket around and shoved his arm through the holes as Dale shook his head.

"So live or die, you don't care what happens to Randall?"

"Nope."

"Then why not stand with me? Why not try and save the kid's life? If it really doesn't matter one way or the other-"

"I didn't peg you for a desperate sum-bitch." Daryl said, adjusting the collar on his jacket.

"Your opinion makes a difference." Dale said.

"Man, ain't nobody lookin' at me for nothin'." Daryl grabbed his crossbow and arrows and began walking away when Dale stopped him.

"Parker is. And, and I am. Right now." Daryl reluctantly turned around faced Dale. "And obviously you have Rick's ear."

"Rick just looks to Shane. Parker has Glenn, the hell does she need to talk to me for?" Daryl said bitterly.

"Isn't it obvious?" Dale asked and that hit Daryl like a slap in the face.

"The hell you talkin' 'bout?"

"It's not rocket science, son." Dale said, stepping towards him. Daryl blinked and clutched his crossbow tighter in his hand. "I've seen how she looks at you, how she listens to you like some of the others might not. She's always tried with you, ever since Atlanta. But you just throw it away, you don't care."

"You don't know what you're sayin', old man." Daryl hissed, getting in Dale's face.

"Oh, I do." He said, standing his ground. That just made Daryl both respect him and detest him even more. "And you do too. So just give her a chance. She's a nice girl, and if she's willing to make an effort I see no reason as to why you shouldn't too."

"You ain't no damn match maker!" Daryl snapped, his anger getting the better of him. "So just leave it, alright?"

Dale watched him walk away and he tried one last time to make him see sense. "You know I'm right. You know she cares! Just don't leave it before it's too late!" Daryl disappeared into the woods and shook his head.

"Crazy asshole." He muttered before finding some deer tracks and setting off after them, trying really hard not to think about anything Dale said.

"Just don't leave it before it's too late!"

It's already too late, Daryl thought, and allowed his hunting senses to take over.

***
"You really want him dead, don't you." Glenn said, sitting beside his sister on the Greene's sofa. Parker rested her forearms on her knees and ran a hand through her short hair.

"I just don't want him near us, Glenn." She sighed. "Maybe I was being hot headed when I told Rick that but...he's dangerous. We don't know him, what if he does something?"

"Hey, I agree with you. It's not safe to keep him here." Glenn said, raising his hands in mock surrender. "I'm just surprised you're okay with execution." Parker stared at him wide eyed.

"Is that what you'd call it?"

"It's what Dale calls it." He said sadly. Dale had visited pretty much everybody in the camp now, Hershel included, to try and convince them that keeping Randall alive was not only the right thing to do, but something that may benefit them all in the end. He believed they could put him to work, or he could be a valuable asset. But Parker still didn't like the way he had spoken to Daryl. That tone of voice creeped her out, and she refused to allow that boy to run off the moment their backs were turned. He could bring his men back and if they wanted, they could take over the farm. She couldn't let that happen to Hershel and his family, she felt obligated to keep the farm safe now. It had been her home for nearly two months at this point, she didn't want that to be taken away from her.

"I just hope he knows we still support him, just not on this." Parker said., leaning back into the sofa. "Dale's a great guy and he's right about pretty much everything but…I can't budge on this. I won't." Glenn nodded. Parker then saw him shift uncomfortably in his seat. He wanted to say something. "What is it?"

"We never talked about it. The fight we had. About Maggie and me?" Glenn said and Parker looked away, shame instantly filling her body. She had wanted to bring this up too, still feeling guilty now that she knew Maggie a little better.

"Look, Glenn-"

"Thank you." Parker frowned and cocked her head to the side.

"Um...for what?"

"For being there for me." He said, smiling. "I know that you meant well, you were trying to protect me and I was just thinking about myself. I didn't even take Hershel's opinion into account but now...just, thank you, Parker." He reached over and pulled her into a hug. At first she didn't respond, but after a few seconds she wrapped her arms around her little brother and smiled into his shoulder. "Thank you for everything."

"Don't get all sappy on me." She joked, pulling away and grinning at him. "But what I said was wrong. You aren't risking anything being with her, in fact, I fully encourage it."

"You do?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. You're happy with her, right?" Judging by the dopey smile on his face, that was a yes. "Well then, that's all I needed to know. Just don't upset her, okay? She's tough and I'm pretty sure she could kick your ass whenever she felt like it." Glenn snorted.

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"I'm always right." She teased, and reached up to ruffle his hair. Glenn was slapping her hand away when Hershel walked out of Beth's room, a small smile on his face. The twins stood up politely and he nodded at them.

"How's she doing?" Parker asked, glancing into the small bedroom to see Beth rolling over to take a nap, a tiny smile on her face.

"She seems to be in good spirits today." Hershel said before closing the door slightly.

"Well, let us know if we can do anything to help." Glenn said and his sister turned to sit down on the couch, leaving her brother to stand beside her, his hands stuffed into his pockets. Hershel then tilted his head and looked between the two of them, studying them both intently.

"Where's your family from?" The twins glanced at each other before Glenn cleared his throat.

"Um, Michigan." He said. "But before that, Korea." Hershel nodded, as if satisfied with that answer.

"Immigrants built this country. Never forget that." The twins both smiled. "My family came from Ireland." Hershel said after a pause, walking over to them.

"Maggie Greene, I kind of figured." Glenn chuckled.

Hershel then reached into his pocket and pulled out a large, silver pocket watch. Parker had never seen something so beautiful before; the silver shone in the light and illuminated the small detailing, and the second she heard the small, rhythmic ticking, she realised how valuable it was. Time was something they hadn't had much of nowadays, never knowing what day of the week it was, what month. But Hershel had all the answers in that tiny watch. It was incredible.

"My grandfather brought this over from the old country." He said, turning the watch over in his hands. "He passed it onto my father, who passed it on to me. I pawned it to pay for a night of drinking that I do not remember." He chuckled to himself and the twins smiled.

"But you bought it back." Parker said, standing from the couch. Hershel smiled down at her.

"My late wife did. Josephine, Maggie's mother. She gave it back years later when I'd sobered up. She was a good woman, my Jo." Parker stepped closer to her brother and he in return bumped his arm with hers. It was a little thing they did to let the other know they were still there, right by their side. And they both knew that that was what Hershel was thinking about Josephine. She was still with him, she'd never left. Parker just hoped Maggie thought that too. "Maggie's a lot like her." He said after a while of staring at the face of the watch. "When we were in that bar, afterwards, I thought a lot about a lot of things." He turned directly to Glenn. "If you become a father someday, you'll understand. No man is good enough for your little girl, until one is." Parker smiled and glanced at her brother, who was staring at Hershel with wide eyes. He was giving Glenn his blessing. Hershel then gently let the watch dangle from his fingers before lifting it up to Glenn. "Go on now," He said, "before I change my mind about you." Glenn didn't react for a second, before slowly lifting his hand and taking the watch, looking at it and letting his thumb run over the face.

"Thanks." He whispered. Hershel nodded once more, before turning back to Beth's room and disappearing inside. Neither of the twins said anything for a while, they just stared at the empty space where their host had been stood, before Glenn slowly sat on the couch again, staring at his new watch. Parker sat beside him and nudged him gently.

"He's right you know." She whispered. Glenn turned to her. "You are good for her."

"I got what he meant already." Glenn said suddenly, making Parker frown.

"But you're not even a Dad."

"I don't have to be. I have you." Parker rolled her eyes but Glenn took her hand in his. "I'm serious. No guy is ever gonna be good enough for you in my eyes, they just won't. Because you're my sister, you're everything."

"I'm still older than you." Parker joked with a sniff. "You can't tell me who I can and can't date." Glenn chuckled and flicked her shoulder playfully.

"Only by three minutes." He said softly. Parker then leaned her head against his shoulder and stared at the watch with him, both of them revelling in the meaning behind it. And Parker realised something; Hershel Greene was too good for this world.

***
Everyone had gathered in the living room at sunset, just like Rick had told Dale, and they were all desperate for a fight not to break out. Parker stood behind Glenn who was on the piano stool next to Dale, and she bit her thumb nail nervously. Daryl wasn't too far behind her, leaning against some drawers, with Rick in front of him. Everyone else was either stood or sat in a semi circle, no one being able to make eye contact with anyone else in the room. The tension could cut like a knife, they all knew it.

"So, how do we do this?" Glenn asked after a while of very uncomfortable silence. "Take a vote?"

"Does it have to be unanimous?" Andrea asked. But Lori shook her head.

"No, majority rules."

"Let's just see where everybody stands. Then we can talk through the options." Rick spoke up. He was clearly tired, emotionally and physically, but he couldn't do much about it. They had to make a decision, tonight.

"Hell, the way I see it, there's only one way to move forward." Shane said in a bored tone, as if he didn't even care. Parker scowled at him and it didn't go unnoticed by him. "There a problem?"

"No." She bit back. "Just wish you could take this more seriously."

"Ain't I? I'm saying we do the only thing we should do."

"Killing him, right?" Dale asked with a shake of his head. "I mean, why even bother taking a vote it's clear which way the winds blowing."

"Well if people believe we should spare him, I wanna know." Rick said, leaning against a chair.

"Well, I can tell you it's a small group." Dale said bitterly, looking at everyone in turn. "Maybe just me and Glenn." Parker looked down at her brother who looked rather sheepish, and Dale turned to him when he didn't say anything to back him up.

"Look I-I think you're pretty much right about everything all the time, but-"

"They've got you scared!" Dale exclaimed, raising his hands to sweep over everyone in the room.

"He can speak for himself." Parker said gently. "He's allowed to disagree with you sometimes."

"But this is a young adult's life!" Dale hissed. "Surely that's something you can relate to, you're both practically the same age as Randall!"

"He's not one of us!" Glenn said. "And we've...we've lost too many people already." Glenn looked down and Parker brought her hands up to rest them on his shoulders, giving them a reassuring squeeze. Dale didn't know what to say, but then he turned to Maggie.

"What about you? Do you agree with this?" She looked startled but turned to Rick with a big sigh.

"Couldn't we continue keepin' him prisoner?"

"S'just another mouth to feed." Daryl chimed in.

"It may be a lean winter." Hershel pointed out.

"We could ration better." Lori said softly, folding her arms over her chest.

"Or he could be an asset!" Dale argued, gaining everyone's attention once again. "Give him a chance to prove himself!"

"Dale, his people are dangerous. God knows what they're capable of doing if they find us here." Parker said. "At the bar, when those two men came in, they were from Randall's group. They drew on Rick not long after he refused to take them to where we were staying. They chose to be violent and they will again." Everyone went quiet again.

"We could put him to work?" Glenn suggested.

"We're not letting him walk around." Rick said firmly.

"Put an escort on him." Maggie said and Shane scoffed.

"Who wants to volunteer for that duty?" He asked.

"I will." Dale snapped.

"I don't think any of us should be walking around with this guy." Rick said with a raise of his hand. Behind him, Lori nodded.

"He's right, I wouldn't feel safe unless he was tied up."

"We can't exactly put chains around his ankles and sentence him to hard labour." Andrea pointed out.

"Look." Shane said, standing up a little straighter than before. "Say we let him join us, alright, maybe he's helpful. Maybe he's nice. We let our guard down, maybe he runs off and brings back his thirty men." Daryl couldn't help but glance over at Parker. If those men came to the farm...the things they might do to her.

"So the answer is to kill him? To prevent a crime he may never even attempt!" Dale spluttered. He desperately looked at Rick, his eyes wide and wild. "If we do this, we're saying there's no hope. Rule of law is dead, there is no civilisation!" Another pause, then Shane looked away.

"Oh my god." He muttered, not wanting to hear anything else come out of Dale's mouth.

"Could you drive him further out, leave him like you planned?" Hershel asked.

"They barely came back last time. It's not worth the risk." Parker said with a shrug.

"She's right. There are walkers, you could break down, you could get lost." Lori nodded, looking at her husband with a worried expression.

"Get ambushed." Daryl muttered.

"They're all right, we should not put our own people at risk," Glenn said.

"We're already doing that by keeping him here. Either way we're kind of screwed." Parker said and looked at her feet.

"If you go through with it, how would you do it? Would he suffer?" Patricia suddenly asked and Parker almost forgot she was there. She was always so quiet, so observant. Just listened and never really spoke up.

"Could hang him." Shane suggested. "Snap his neck."

"Yeah, I thought about that." Rick grunted.

"That just seems like we're back in the dark ages." Parker shuddered.

"Maybe shooting is more humane." Rick offered, looking her way. She just shrugged.

"Whatever you think is best." She said quietly.

"What about the body? I mean do we-" T-Dog started to say, but Dale abruptly cut him off.

"Woah hold on! Hold on! You're talking about this like it's already decided!" He exclaimed.

"Been talkin' all day. Goin' around in circles, do you just wanna go around in circles again?" Daryl snapped, getting fed up of all the chatter. Just do what had to be done, he thought to himself, get it over with so they could move on. Stop this pointless arguing.

"This is a young man's life!" Dale cried. "And it is worth more than a five minute conversation! Is this what it's come too? We kill someone because we can't decide what else to do with him? You saved him! And now look at us, he's been tortured, he's going to be executed! How are we any better than those people we're so afraid of?"

"Dale, it's not like that." Parker said whilst pinching the bridge of her nose.

"No it's exactly like that!" Dale said harshly, glaring at her. "None of you care, do you? What if it was one of ours?"

"What are you talking about?" Shane asked with a groan. Andrea shushed him.

"If one of us was taken by another group, like Randall, and they tortured them. Beat them. Messed with their head the way we have and then decided to execute him after not much thought? How would you all feel, huh?" He was shouting now and Parker felt her hands shake on Glenn's shoulders. He reached a hand up to steady them but she pulled away, the contact making her uneasy. Dale turned to her, a dark look in his eye. "If it was Glenn, you'd be devastated that they didn't even consider keeping him alive. They just killed him, right off the bat!"

"Stop it, that's never going to happen." Parker hissed.

"You don't know that! This world is dangerous, but if we carry out with this then we're dangerous too!" Dale threw his hands up in the air and then looked around at everyone. He needed them to just understand, but none of them were listening. Not really. "Daryl." The younger man looked up, not expecting to be called out. "Parker means something to you-"

"Don't." Daryl growled. Parker stared at him, her mouth slightly agape.

"Her life is worth more than a conversation, not just to you, but to everyone. All of our lies are more than that. And so is Randall's." Dale was seething with rage, his hands shaking and his lip trembling. Eventually, Rick looked around the group, dumb struck. But Shane was the first to speak up.

"We all know what needs to be done." He said, his voice softer than before.

"No, Dale is right." Rick said, making everyone stop and stare at him. "We can't leave any stone unturned here-"

"So what's the solution?" Andrea interrupted.

"Let Rick finish." Lori said rudely and Andrea raised an eyebrow at her. Rick hesitantly nodded her way, giving her the floor.

"We haven't come up with a single viable option yet." Andrea pointed out. "I wish we could but-"

"So let's work on it!" Dale shouted.

"Stop it!" Carol called out, making everyone go quiet. "Just stop it. I'm sick of everybody arguing and fighting! I didn't ask for this, you can't ask us to decide something like this." Carol said, directing her last comment at Rick. "Please decide, either of you, both of you. But leave me out." She pressed herself against the door and sighed, feeling better after her outburst.

"Not speaking out, or killing him yourself. There's no difference!" Dale said angrily.

"Alright, that's enough." Rick said loudly. "Anybody wants the floor, before we make a final decision, has the chance." Nobody moved for a long time. Maggie and Patricia both sat down, not wanting to draw attention to themselves, whilst everyone else refused to look one another in the eye. Parker looked around and sighed before stepping forward. Daryl watched from behind her, taking in her every movement, before she spoke.

"I heard everything that Randall said to Daryl in the shed." She said slowly. "I heard him beg for Daryl to stop hitting him, I heard him cry, and I heard him plead for his life. But the only thing I took in was that his men raped two girls." Everyone stiffened. She had to be blunt, she had to try and make Dale change his mind. The severity of the situation was too high, they were too vulnerable to take any chances. Even if that meant the death of someone who could be innocent...Parker realised they really didn't have much of a choice, not anymore. "They made their Father watch, and then they left them there. We haven't been here long, we haven't known each other for that long. But you guys are important to me, you're family now. You've been good to Glenn and I, and I am forever in your debts for keeping us alive so far."

"Parker-" Glenn said but she hushed him.

"I need to be honest." She said gently. "I've come to make friends with all of you, and the thought of that being taken away is…" She paused and her eyes drifted over her shoulder at Daryl. He didn't look away, he didn't even flinch, he just looked right back at her. Right into her eyes. And something passed through the two of them, something neither had ever felt so strongly before. Protection. "Dale, I know this is hard to hear." She said, looking at the old man who she had come to know as a good friend. A voice of reason. He blinked at her. "But if Randall was telling the truth about his group then I refuse to let anything happen to anyone in this room. I won't let anything happen to Carl either, or Beth, or Glenn. Nothing is gonna stop me from protecting them, from protecting everybody. And if that means he has to die, then I don't see why we're wasting our time arguing anymore." She hastily wiped at her eyes when she was finished and stared at the wooden floorboards at her feet. She hadn't meant to open up like that to them all, but it was out there now. There was no going back. But she meant it, every word. From then on, she'd do everything she could to protect them all, no matter the cost. She had to be brave and strong now, not afraid or worried or cautious. She just had to fight, she had to.

"Isn't there anybody else who's gonna stand with me?" Parker snapped her head round to look at Dale and she pleaded with him through her eyes to just stop.

"He's right." Andrea said and Parker shook her head, running a hand through her hair. "We should try to find another way."

"Anybody else?" Rick asked. Silence. Dale scoffed, tears welling up in his eyes.

"You all gonna watch, too?" He asked sarcastically. "No. You'll go hide your heads in your tents and try to forget that we're slaughtering a human being. I won't be a party too it." He said and stepped past Glenn and Parker before stopping in front of Daryl, resting his hand on his shoulder. "This group is broken." He said and walked out, slamming the door behind him.

***
It was one of the darkest nights Georgia had had in weeks, and it seemed rather fitting as Daryl dragged Randall towards the barn, towards his death, Rick and Shane just ahead of him, with Parker trailing behind. She had tugged on one of Glenn's baseball caps and threw a hoodie of his over her shoulders to keep the cold away from her skin the best she could, but she was still shivering. Dale hadn't been seen for hours, too distraught with the group's choices to stick around them for much longer. She didn't blame him, he was upset, he needed time.

She stared at Daryl's back as he dragged a whining and struggling Randall by the scruff of the neck towards the barn, the only light source being the moon and the lanterns Rick and Shane were carrying. She had one herself, but kept it low to her side, her muscles being too exhausted to hoist the metal lantern high enough. She was too tired to be doing this, her head was still throbbing every so often, but she needed to see this. She needed to get over her fear of death. It was inevitable, now more than ever, and if she wanted to protect the group like she said she had to be stronger than she had ever been before. So that meant she had to see Randall die first hand. Parker wasn't going to hang her head like Dale said, like the others were doing, she was going to face up to her decision and see it through. That was the price she was willing to pay.

Rick yanked the barn door open and stepped inside, feeling the cold chill of the air rush through him. Shane followed close behind him and Daryl shoved Randall through the entrance, watching as he nearly stumbled to the floor. Parker was the last through and hesitantly stepped inside, pulling her brother's hoodie tighter around her body.

"Put him there." Rick instructed whilst placing the lantern to the side, pointing to the centre of the barn. Daryl did as he was told and pushed Randall into the middle of the room, leaving him exposed to all four pairs of eyes. Parker watched from the sidelines as Shane grabbed Randall's arm and pulled him backwards so he could tie a bandage over his eyes to stop him from seeing. That only made the boy panic more.

"This'll all be over soon." Shane said and Randall's eyes widened.

"W-wait, what's gonna be over soon?" His vision was lost once the bandage was wrapped around his head and he started to whimper and wriggle about. "Hey, hey! No, no, no, no!"
Shane stepped back, Daryl doing the same, as Rick checked his gun for bullets. When he was satisfied with a full house, he clicked it shut and looked at Randall.

"Would you like to stand or kneel?" He asked.

"No, please!" Randall begged, but Daryl had already come up behind him and kicked the back of his knees, making him fall to the hay covered ground. Parker flinched as she heard his knees click under his weight, knowing it must have hurt his injured leg badly. But she shook her head, remembering what Randall had possibly done, and all sympathy went out the window. All of the men nodded at each other, all ready for what was about to happen, before Rick looked at Parker.

"You don't have to be here for this." He said quietly as Randall sobbed. Parker met his eyes and held his gaze before straightening out her shoulders and tilting her chin upwards, feeling slightly more powerful.

"No. I do." She said. Randall turned his head at the familiar voice and blindly looked around. Daryl grunted beside him and Randall flinched.

"Is that the Asian girl, the pretty one?" He asked and all the men glanced at one another again. "Please, please you saved me back at the bar, please don't let me-" Daryl grabbed onto Randall's hair and yanked his head up, making him yelp in pain."No, PLEASE!"

"Don't you talk to her, okay?" He barked, gripping his hair tighter in his fist. "She ain't gonna save you, so shut up." He pulled away, stepping back towards Parker on instinct. He then realised what he had just done and he mentally slapped himself. So much for trying to stop acting like he cared about her.

"Do you have any final words?" Rick asked, holding his gun a little higher.

"Please, please don't kill me." Randall sobbed. At first, Parker thought Rick was going to pull away, but then he raised his Python up to Randall's head and slowly clicked the safety off. Randall's back straightened and he gulped for air, the shock washing over him like a wave. Parker wanted to tear her eyes away but she held her ground and gripped the handle of the barn door to keep herself from running. She thought she saw something move out of the corner of her eye, but refused to let anything distract her, so she kept her eyes pointed forward. She had to see this, it would change her, she knew that better than anyone. It would change her and she'd grow stronger, she'd protect the others better and become more level headed. That had to happen, it had to. She needed to keep Glenn alive, safe. She had to keep Daryl and Carl and Maggie and Beth and everyone else safe.

Rick stared down at Randall with cold eyes and was about to let his finger squeeze the trigger, when something appeared from the shadows of the barn door.

"Do it, Dad." Carl said from the doorway and Parker jumped, turning to face him. Shane and Daryl did the same, staring at the kid in shock. "Do it." Carl said again. Rick hesitated and looked to Shane, but all the other man could do was grumble and storm up to Carl, dragging him by the arm and scolding him for coming down here. Parker watched as Rick seemed to debate with himself inside his own head before putting the gun down. Parker's heart stopped.

"Take him away." He said, his voice trembling. Everyone, including Randall, stopped what they were doing and stared at Rick in shock.

"Rick-" Parker tried to say but he shook his head at her. His mind was made up. She shut her mouth and looked at Carl, who looked almost ashamed to have wandered in now. Daryl paused but grabbed Randall and pulled him to his feet, ignoring his series of 'thank you's' and dragged him outside and back up to the shed, grumbling the entire way up. Shane stormed out, throwing the barn door open with a bang, and made his way back to camp, leaving Parker, Carl and Rick alone together. Parker shoved her hands into the hoodie's pockets and sniffed.

"I'll let the others know your decision." She said quietly, not knowing what else to say, before turning to leave. Carl then grabbed her arm and stared up at her, tears in his eyes.

"Don't be mad at me." He begged, and Rick watched in amazement, not expecting his son to be so upset about Parker's views on him. Parker bit her lip but gently pulled away.

"Not now, bud." She said and walked away from him, feeling like an asshole the second she did. Carl was sweet to her, he looked up to her completely. And she had shut him down, all because she hadn't gotten her way. She hadn't seen someone die. She kicked a stone near her foot and sighed before walking into the camp. Everyone stood up once they saw her and Glenn was the first to go to her.

"Is it-"

"He didn't do it."

Glenn blinked and shook his head. "Why wouldn't he-"

"Ask him yourself." She said, not meeting his gaze, and sat down in one of the nearest deck chairs near the fire. Glenn looked over at Maggie, who was sadly looking at Parker. She wanted to go up and talk to her, ask her if she was okay, but she already knew the answer. That speech at the house had inspired her, she never knew Glenn's sister could have that amount of courage to say such powerful words. Words that laid a heavy burden upon her shoulders, but she had. And Maggie knew Parker had meant every word.

"We're keeping him in custody." Rick's voice came through the trees and everyone except Parker turned to see him and Carl walking towards them. "For now."

"I'm gonna find Dale." Andrea said with a smile and left the camp. Parker just stared into the fire as everyone else around her spoke or wandered off. She felt herself falling into a hole, she just didn't know what to do about it. She hated that she felt this weak, this vulnerable. That was why she had wanted to see Randall's execution, so she could get over this feeling of dread and worry. One day she knew she would be able to sleep at night without worrying something could happen to one of the group members, because she would be able to protect them. She just knew it. The problem was, now she had to wait for that moment to come.

She heard movement beside her and barely glanced over before she realised that it was Glenn. He looked at her with worry in his eyes and leaned against the chair, running his tongue across his bottom lip.

"Park?" He said gently, tapping her forearm. She didn't respond. "Please don't beat yourself up over this." He begged. "We'll...we'll find another way to keep the group safe, I promise."

"How can you be so sure?" She asked, her voice strained. Glenn looked at the fire himself, and sighed.

"You said that there's always hope, even when it gets really bad. That's what you said. You can't stop believing in that now, okay? We'll find another way, there's always another way." He then looked at her with a worried look and cleared his throat. "What did Dale mean earlier?"
Parker looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"He said you meant something to Daryl, what does that mean?" Parker felt her eyes widen and Glenn clearly noticed as he started to frown. "Parker? What is it?"

"Glenn, I-" She couldn't finish her sentence as a scream erupted through the trees. Everyone jumped to their feet, scanning the camp and taking note of who was with them. They were missing Dale, Andrea and Daryl. And the scream had been a man's. Parker hurried to get her gun from her tent whilst Rick ran out from his own tent with Lori and Carl hot on his heels.

"What happened?" Carl asked his mother but she held him back as Rick told them to stay put. He looked over at T-Dog, who was equally as worried as the rest of them and looked at the bag of guns.

"T-Dog! Get a shotgun, now!" T nodded and ran to the guns as Rick took off in the direction of the screaming. Parker and Glenn followed him, Parker holding her gun tightly in her hands and desperately trying to focus her vision in the darkness, trying to see who was out there. Rick led them through the main gate and as it creaked open, the screams suddenly got louder as if the person was in more pain than before. Everyone else in the group was running after them with their torches shining across the grass, giving them some indication on where they were. They were in the main field where the cows grazed, but no cows were around, and no one could see any other people. Parker's heart was ready to beat right out of her chest and she looked at her brother.

"Who is it? Who's missing?" She asked and Glenn just shrugged.

"I-I don't know! It could be Dale, it could be Daryl, Hershel, Jimmy, any of them!" He ran a hand through his hair and Rick gestured for the two to follow him.

"Come on!" He yelled and the three sprinted towards the edge of the field where Parker could faintly make out movement in the grass up ahead, but it was too far away to see who was there. Then she heard a familiar voice cry out and her stomach dropped.

"Help! Over here! Help!" Parker's legs took off, pushing her ahead of Rick and towards the voice.

"Daryl!" She screamed and suddenly saw a lantern up ahead along with Daryl who was madly waving his arms to get everyone's attention. She heard the footsteps of the others behind her and kept going until she saw the cause of the screams. Dale was lying on the floor with a walker not too far away. It had been stabbed through the head, but she saw the damage it had done and nearly vomited at her feet. Dale's stomach had been ripped wide open, exposing his organs and allowing blood to pour out of him and onto the grass, staining his white shirt and shorts. He cried out, gripping Daryl's hand who was staring down at him, telling him that it was going to be okay, that he was going to be fine. Parker collapsed beside the older man, tears already slipping down her cheeks as she grasped his other hand and held his head.

"Dale, just breath, okay? Just breath!" She said over and over, looking over his wounds as the others finally caught up to them.

Rick collapsed beside Parker and took Dale's head in his hands as the others started to gather round him, gasping and shouting in shock, not being able to believe the horror at their feet. It hadn't even been 3 hours since they had last seen Dale up and about; telling them all about humanity and how killing wasn't the way to go. And now he was dying, ripped apart by a skinny, dirty looking walker. And none of them knew what to do.

"Dale, Dale look at me buddy, okay?" Rick said gently as Dale thrashed about and spluttered in pain, squeezing his eyes shut as blood poured out of his open stomach. Parker couldn't hold back the sobs as Andrea fell to her knees next to her, holding Dale's arm. Parker let her take over and stood up on shaky legs, stumbling backwards into Shane who gripped her shoulders to steady her. She shook her head and turned away from him to Glenn who was staring at Dale with wide eyes, not moving at all.

"What do we do?" Parker cried, gripping her hair as Carl cried into his mother's arms beside her.

"Get Hershel! He's gotta operate on him, now!" Rick shouted to Shane, who turned and saw the farmer and his family running towards them all with another lantern raised.

"Hang on Dale, okay? Hang on." Andrea said calmly, taking his hand in hers and nodding her head. Dale opened his eyes and looked at her before nodding his head too, wanting to believe every word. Parker felt Glenn wrap his arms around her and she collapsed against him, sobs wracking her body as Hershel and his people saw what was going on. Hershel's eyes bulged and he knelt down near Andrea, inspecting Dale and his injury.

"What happened?" Hershel asked.

"It's gonna be okay Dale." Glenn called out, holding onto his sister and nodding at the older man, running a hand over his face nervously as he saw Dale's stomach and liver starting to pop up and out of his body every time Dale let out a breath. He couldn't help but gag and that only seemed to make Parker cry harder.

"Can we move him?" Rick asked, and Hershel shook his head at him.

"He won't make the trip." He said and Rick started to panic, his hands shaking wildly at his side.

"You'll have to do the operation here, Glenn get back to the house and-" Hershel grabbed Rick's shoulders and shook him.

"Rick!" He cried, getting his attention. Everyone watched with heavy hearts as Hershel shook his head sadly, telling Rick all he needed to know.

"No!" Rick shouted and paced around, not wanting to accept the reality of the situation. Parker sobbed, staring at Dale and then at Daryl, who was still holding the man's hand, and wishing for it all to stop. Dale was in so much pain, they could all see it, and she couldn't bare it anymore. As everyone cried, Andrea looked up at Rick with tears in her eyes.

"He's suffering, do something!" She begged. Rick bit his lip and hesitantly un-holstered his pistol. He raised the gun up to Dale's head and stared into his eyes.

"Oh god." Andrea choked out and looked away, not wanting to see it happen. Parker watched as Rick and Dale mentally said their goodbyes, before Rick started to falter. He couldn't do it. He'd already shot Sophia, he couldn't shoot another one of their own. It was too much. A hand came up and gently pulled the gun from Rick's hand and Parker stared as Daryl took over, getting onto one knee and pointing the gun at Dale's forehead. The older man nodded once at him and Parker clutched Glenn's hoodie before burying her face into his chest, feeling him wrap his arms around her and grip her tight.

"I'm sorry, brother." Daryl said quietly before pulling the trigger.