A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews, I really appreciate it!

Late that evening, when everyone gathered to try and get something to eat before heading to bed, Shane was still missing. Dale had been sent to keep watch, but only after he furiously ranted for nearly 15 minutes about the incident in the kitchen. Carol joined them for the late night meal that they decided to eat in the living room in front of the fire instead of in the kitchen. Being in there felt uncomfortable now. The mood was low, with Rick sitting quietly on the floor next to the couch and Lori hovering near the doorway to the kitchen, on the opposite side of the room to him. Glenn, Daryl and Carol occupied the couch and Evan sat on the armrest next to Daryl, her legs dangling slowly in the air as she chewed on the canned pears she'd been handed. Carl had come down earlier to say goodnight, and the expression on his face had said that he too knew about the incident as well as the clean break between his parents. He had bent down to whisper something in Rick's ear, although Evan couldn't hear what.

Every now and again a mouth would open, only to close a few seconds later. The only one who didn't even seem to have anything to say was Daryl. Sometimes Evan was so fascinated with the way his mind seemed to work, and with the kind of person he had grown into just since Evan had gotten to know him. He was an enigma if ever there was one, and it intrigued her. At least it usually did. But not that night. The only thing on her mind was Rick, and the blank expression on his face. She would have preferred it more if he'd looked sad. Or angry. Or anything. Anything but a clean slate, seemingly completely void of emotions. Finally, without a single word having been uttered, everyone headed off to bed. Lori left first, closely followed by Carol. Glenn gave up another five minutes later and the Daryl announced that he was going to crash, and would they please get the hell out of his bedroom.

Evan and Rick both headed for the kitchen, where she hesitated outside her door. He stood by the sink, looking as if he couldn't even see it, or register where he was. It pained her but she wasn't sure if it'd be better to leave him be or push him into talking about it. In the end she decided that she couldn't possibly make it worse.

"Rick," she said. Then she repeated it when he didn't react. The second time he turned his face towards her. "Come on," she insisted and held her hand out. For a moment he stared blankly at the outstretched hand as if he didn't understand what it was, but then he walked towards her and took it.

She didn't say anything else as she pulled him with her into her bedroom and closed the door behind them. Not a word was spoken when she tugged her jeans off and helped him remove his. Silence still lingered when she lay down and made room for him to join her. They assumed the same position they'd been in earlier, on their sides, facing each other and with their foreheads firmly pressed against the other. Evan kept her eyes open until long after Rick had closed his. And it wasn't until after his breathing evened out that she was able to relax, and then she fell asleep too.

His warmth was gone when she woke up again, and she found herself reaching out and placing her hand on the dip in the mattress. Evan knew that everything was still on edge, because they still had to handle Shane, but she was glad that they had at least gotten one relaxed night. She was glad that both her and Rick had been allowed to once more, even if it was just for a few hours, crawl into their little cocoon of peace. Moaning she pushed her legs off the edge of the bed and sat up, rubbing her face with two hands. She stopped moving when she heard voices in the kitchen, and after recognizing one of them as Shane's she instantly stood. Without wasting any time she pulled her jeans back on over her hips, and then approached the door slowly. With her breath caught in her throat and her hand trembling she turned the cold knob and pulled it open. The metal felt impossibly strange in her hand. Shane was standing next to the kitchen table, where Lori, Dale and Rick were sitting.

"Evan," Shane piped up when she came into view. "I'm sorry."

Evan didn't respond, instead she wrapped her arms around herself and took a few steps into the room before stopping. She had seen the shift in his eyes, but that didn't mean she trusted him. He had come close to crossing the line before; she didn't want to be caught off guard if that would happen again.

"I'm going to leave," Shane said, his eyes still on Evan and no one else. From the way everyone else looked Evan realized he'd already told them, and they'd already accepted it. She did too. She nodded slowly.

"But that's crazy! You'll die out there." Lori was rubbing her hands together, nervously.

Shane let out a huff of air and Evan could see the internal struggle on his face. "Maybe, but I can't stay here. Not after what I did yesterday."

Briefly, so briefly that Evan thought she might have imagined it, there was a shade of something sinister on Shane's face. Her guard instantly shot back up and her entire body tensed. Was this another game? Was he trying to manipulate them?

"You didn't do anything," Lori began, but now Dale was the one who wanted the floor.

"The hell he didn't! He had a gun on Rick and Evan!" The expression on his face was unmistakable; he wanted Shane gone. Now. Evan didn't disagree with that at all.

The only one silent was Rick, and in spite of having tried her best to comfort him, Evan could see how beaten down he still was. She realized it must tear him apart, to sit there and trying to decide whether to send his former best friend away to die, or allow him to stay and risk his own life and those of others. Lori and Dale continued to argue, and Evan kept her eyes steadily on Shane as she moved forward until she was standing behind Rick. She put a hand on his shoulder, just to let him know without words that she would support him no matter what he decided. He was trembling under her hand.

"Rick, say something," Lori finally demanded. "Should he stay or go?"

"Lori calm down," Shane interjected, "I'll leave."

"Of course you will," Dale agreed sharply.

"Rick." Lori ignored the other two men. Her gaze tried to find Rick's, but he was still looking down at the table. Evan wondered if he'd even heard her.

That's when she got it. When it hit her. The look on his face, the look in his eyes. Evan pulled her hand back as if he'd burned her, and held it to her chest. Her heart rate had picked up, hammering at her ribs from the inside. She knew what it meant. Rick had given up. He'd accepted defeat. He'd accepted that he was a bad leader. That he was the reason people kept dying. That he wouldn't be able to save them all. That he had ruined his and Lori's marriage. Everything Shane had been saying had finally crept under his skin and nested there, clawing and biting until he was unable to fight it anymore. Evan felt sick and helpless. She didn't have a way of fixing anything. In spite of her best efforts of at least offering her company and some human contact everything was useless. She couldn't fix anything.

"For God's sake, Rick!" Her patience spent Lori stood up, moving over to stand next to Shane. "If you're better than him then don't sentence him to death!"

This time Evan couldn't miss the smug look on Shane's face. Rage sparked within her.

"Him staying here is a danger to all of us!" Dale hadn't given up on fighting. "And he killed James! I know he did."

Another argument broke out and Evan stumbled backwards until she hit the wall. The all too familiar ringing had invaded her mind again and everyone's words started to blur. If Rick truly had given up then it would be over for everyone. Evan wished that Carl would come and have an opinion. That Carol and Glenn and Daryl would all come and say something. Something that would settle the situation as well as cause Rick to snap out of the state he was in. But no one came. It didn't take a genius to realize that Carl had been given strict orders to stay somewhere – maybe with Glenn or Daryl – and that Carol was still in her room mourning her daughter. Evan knew that to Carol it probably didn't matter much either, what happened next. And someone was on watch. That accounted for everyone. No one else would come and end the argument. Evan's eyes fixated on the back of Rick's head.

Everyone jumped when Rick's hand finally made contact with the table, a loud bang shot through all of them.

"You will leave." He stood up, straightening his back, and hope sparked within Evan. His voice was even. Solid. Sharp.

For a few seconds silence embraced them, but then Shane broke it.

"Okay. I'll go right now." Without throwing them a single glance he left, but Evan saw the clenched fists at this sides. She knew that this wasn't over, although she had no idea what would happen next.

"You can't send him away." Lori's voice was filled with unshed tears.

"Yes he can, he just saved our lives!"

The bickering continued, but Evan didn't want to hear anymore. Rick had made his call, and that was the end of it to her. No matter what anyone else said she would trust him, because so far he hadn't let her down. He had kept her safe and he had given her a group to belong to. When he left the kitchen Evan followed him, and he didn't stop until he was standing on the porch in the bright daylight, his hands on the white railing that ran along the entire front veranda. Evan fell into position next to him, but said nothing. Birds were chirping somewhere not too far away and the distinct smell of grass and wildflowers was hanging in the air.

The door opened behind them and they turned around, to see Shane with a bag in his hand and a grim look on his face. "I took two bottles of water and some cans of food. And a gun."

He stopped in front of Rick.

"That's fine," Rick said. His voice was still filled with authority, but Evan knew. Evan saw. It was all a façade.

"Can I take one of the cars?" Shane asked, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"Yeah. Take the red truck."

Shane didn't reply, he just nodded. As he walked down the steps to the grass Lori and Dale joined them. Carl snuck out too and it broke Evan's heart to see tears glittering on his cheeks. The poor kid clearly hadn't at all been given the full story. He clung to his mother's hand with all his might. With no hesitation in his steps Shane approached the truck he'd been given and opened the door. He didn't look back as he climbed in or turned the ignition on. He didn't offer them a single glance as he drove down towards the gate, and there was barely a pause before the gate had been opened by whoever was keeping watch and Shane could drive out, leaving the farm behind completely. They all stood there, peering after the vehicle as it grew smaller and smaller, without saying a word. The wind made the trees dance and Evan's hair moved slightly, and she pushed a stray piece of brown locks from her face.

Part of her felt as if it was finally over. As if the danger from within had disappeared when Shane did. But there was still a gnawing inside her mind and it scared her. Something told her it wasn't over yet and that things would go to hell completely before it was. For the time being though, she pushed those thoughts away and reached for Rick's hand to give it a reassuring squeeze. Whatever happened next Evan hoped they could handle it.