Sorry for the delay- I actually meant to have this up much sooner. But I kept hitting a little bit of a wall. Anyways, I had surgery yesterday and now I'm home. Hopped up a little bit on pain meds. And I managed to write this.

I do not know if it's gibberish or not. So for now- please just roll with it.

"Drop the gun, Shane." Rick said in his most authoritative 'officer' tone as he eyed his friend warily. "She just told us all that she has plans to inoculate some of us..."

"Yeah, Rick. I heard. The main word there is some, brother. Which means that the rest of us will be left to turn into those rotter's." Shane spat the last few words out as if they were poison.

Rick could empathize. Really he could.

He didn't like the idea of his life being in the hands of a teenage, mute, girl anymore than his friend did. But he also knew that Ichigo's reasoning for being so selective about who to save and who not to save was sound. But even more than that- was the fact that being in her position was a horrible thing.

He didn't have to imagine walking a mile in her shoes, he could see the terrible burden for what it was. The horror of knowing that the weight of everyone else's lives resting on her shoulders...it had to be damned near unbearable to her on a good day. And nearly crippling to her on a bad one.

After all, she was bonding with them and allowing herself to get attached to them. Which had to make doing her job that much more difficult.

But at the same time he also could understand her reasoning for this as well. Bonding, and getting attached to them allowed her to gauge them better. Understand their way of thinking. What drove them. What they were willing to fight for and what they weren't.

All of it was understandable since it helped her to determine things easier. Especially if she really on the level about how little of the cure as she said she had.

"I know, but Shane she also gave us a reason why she had to be so selective. You heard her explanation yourself. She can't save everyone. She has to be really careful about who she gives the cure too. She only has so much and she can't afford to use it on someone that is considered a threat. They might hurt other people in the long run. Remember?" Rick said gently as he tried to get Shane to lower the gun.

"I don't care. She's going to give us- all of us- the cure." Shane said stubbornly as he pressed the muzzle of his gun against her skull.

Ricks eyes flickered away from his friend for a moment to look at Ichigo to see if she was still alright-ish after being hit in such a violent manner. And aside from the blood that she had running down her chin from her mouth- the girl was staring down Shane and his weapon like she'd like to tear them both apart with her bare hands.

Which was...a little bit shocking to him considering that most kids like her would have been crying or something by now. Especially after being pistol whipped in the face.

But not her, she was not only calm and collected but she also had this look on her face that was both grim and determined. It reminded Rick of the whole, 'I don't negotiate with terrorists' spiel that he'd heard people utter before during particularly precarious/dangerous times. Usually when someone wanted something that wasn't theirs to begin with.

Daryl and the others must have seen that look too. And it really didn't sit well with them.

The fact that this one girl held all of their lives in her hands and yet was willing to let Shane kill her to prove her point, turned their stomachs. And for good reason too. After all, Rick highly doubted that they'd be able to stay alive- much less unturned without her around to help them.

And she'd already proven herself several times to be a highly intelligent, and very efficient hunter, tracker, killer and even a doctor. So letting Shane lose his mind anymore and kill the girl would just be all kinds of stupid regardless of what he or anyone else wanted.

It was at this point that Dale decided to say something. He slowly stood up from his seat and stared at Shane as if he'd like to curb stomp his ass. In fact he was probably wishing right then that he was young enough and strong enough to do just that as he slowly said, "Ichigo, I think it's about time you come clean about that...medical condition that you were born with. Show Shane and the others why it's imperative to all of our survival that you be kept around."

"What the fuck are you talking about old man?" Shane spat as he let his eyes flicker away from the girl.

It was a small opening, but then again, she didn't need a big one. She was up on her feet and had Shane's wrist in a crushing grip in the blink of an eye. The man let out a pained sounding yelp as she forced his arm up away from her while he reflexively pulled the trigger.

The gun discharged several times, just up over her shoulder, narrowly missing her ear as she reared back her free hand while Shane twisted and brought his leg up and kicked her in the ribs several times in an effort to escape her. She used the flat of her hand to jab him in the throat and then dropped him by kicking his legs out from under him.

He hit the floor hard on his back, wheezing for breath and writhing while she took his gun and then made quick work of emptying the chamber onto the floor and then crushed the weapon in her hand. Not stopping until it was totally crushed into what resembled little more than a wad of steel that she then dropped onto the floor next to Shane's head.

Rick, Daryl and the others all stared at her in stupefied disbelief as she turned her head to look at Glen while he absently got to his feet and then asked her, "You need to break some more stuff?"

She nodded her head curtly and he sighed. "Alright, I'll go and grab a few cars for you to break."

And then started to leave. He didn't say anything else. Not even once he reached the door. He figured that after the small display with the gun, everyone else would be curious enough to follow after her for one reason or another.

So the next little group gathering was going to be a fun one. Well...funner at least.

Once he was gone, Dale moved over to stand in front of her and handed her an old and dirty kerchief that he tended to carry around on him, and watched her use it to wipe her mouth as Carol finally snapped out of her stupefied funk and came running over to check on her.

"Are you okay?" The woman asked as she framed the girl's face in her hands and then turned her head this way and that while checking her face for any damage.

It wasn't exactly lost on Dale that she didn't even have a bruise where she'd been hit. But he wasn't sure if Carol realized that right away while the woman fussed over her and alternated between cussing Shane out.