I'm redeeming Carol a bit in this one for all you Carol fans out there. She's not a bad character in my mind, but like all the walking dead folks she's just got some serious flaws. It's one of the things that I love so much about this series. Let me know what you think!

Chapter 25

-Carl-

Glenn drew his gun and pointed it at Lexi and Carl instinctively brought his own weapon up to point at Glenn. It was only for a moment, but it was long enough for Maggie to see her eyes widening in shock and betrayal. He hated himself for his reaction but he knew what it meant- he wasn't going to let Lexi die.

Carol was whimpering softly against Lexi's knife but still refused to talk. Lexi was speaking to her in a low undertone so the the rest of them could hardly hear.

"Shane died in a walker attack! Leave her alone!" Glenn yelled. "No one needs to get hurt."

Lexi shook her hard sadly, "I really liked you people Glenn! But no one puts up a fuss like this about a walker attack. And I can see from Carol's eyes that you're lying. No, someone here murdered my brother, and unless I find out who did you better believe someone will get hurt. There's no polite resolution if you're gonna hide my brothers murders, sorry."

Carl knew what he had to do, but he hated to do it. Lexi was the only person he really had left now from his past. Shane and his mom were dead, Caitlyn and his dad were broken and different. Even with a knife pressed against Carol's throat Lexi was still Lexi. Glenn and Maggie were acting so surprised, and Carol hadn't even thought about it before mentioning Shane. Her brother was dead and they were protecting his killer, of course it got ugly.

He hated Carol more than anything in that moment, although part of him knew this would have happened eventually.

"...done playing game with you..." he heard Lexi say menacingly to Carol. It was now or never.

"Glenn put your gun down," he ordered stepping into his line of fire. Reluctantly Glenn did, while Maggie shot Carl a look of pure hatred. She wouldn't forget his gut reaction to back Lexi over them any time soon.

Willing himself not to cry at the thought of Lexi hating him and leaving, he stepped forward again. There was nothing left to do now but confess.

"Lexi! I shot Shane."

-Lexi-

Part of her knew this was gonna lead no where good the second she drew her weapon, but part of her didn't care. Fuck these people, especially this stupid trembling bitch she had in her grasp. Throwing her brother's death out there over petty jealously and then getting shocked and horrified when she reacted? What universe did this woman live in.

Still, she didn't like the idea of having to fight Glenn and Maggie and she didn't like the fact that Carl was here. But still! How could Carl and Rick be staying with these people of one of them had killed Shane? Rick should've sought this vengeance the day after it happened. Her confusion only added to her fury and the twisting feeling in her stomach that something was terribly terribly wrong.

The reality of his death was truly hitting her now, coming in sharp terrible waves as loss often can. She's suppressed it, in the months of not knowing and even in the days since she'd been at the prison, allowing herself to pretend he was merely absent. But this confrontation brought all of that to an end. He was gone, the rift between then would never be healed. And justly or not this woman had effectively volunteered herself to take the brunt of Lexi's rage and anguish.

"I'm done playing games with you," she said to Carol in a low menacing tone. Right then she had no qualms with causing this woman pain. She'd shot men of Woodberry to protect these people before she'd even met them all, she was not beyond hurting Carol to avenge her brother.

The woman merely shook her head silently tears streaming down her face. Somewhere deep inside her Lexi's humanity screamed at her to relent. Even at the height of her fury she didn't think Carol herself had been the culprit. She shoved her arm against the woman in frustration, but was about you release her wrap hen she heard Carl call out.

"Lexi! I shot Shane."

More shocked than anything else she released Carol and turned to face Carl in disbelief, moving towards him.

"Don't you touch him!" Carol screamed, grabbing a kitchen knife and lunging at Lexi. Her cry had come a moment before she lunged giving Lexi time to duck. Even so the knife sliced into her leaving a shallow but painful cut on her left shoulder inches from her neck. She threw the older woman to the floor pinning her easily, the knife cached uselessly in Carol's trapped right hand. But the rage was leaving Lexi to be replaced by sickening pain and confusion.

"I would never hurt him," she said quietly the anger leaving her voice. She had to get out, had to get air.

"I'm sorry for hurting you." she mumbled to Carol. She might think the older woman was weak and petty but she'd put herself in danger to protect Carl, and she couldn't hate her for that. She climbed off her slowly, throwing the knife away for good measure, and fled, ignoring the cries from Carl for her to wait that echoed through the prison after her.