Raphaelthecowboy; thank you for the continued reviews! They really are helpful in letting me know I'm doing right by the actual characters as well as the OC.

Tea went into the shed first just as the sun began to rise. Even though she wasn't watching him directly, she saw his leer and how he licked his lips when he thought she couldn't see. She didn't say anything, just gauged him while he desperately tried to get her to talk to him. He was making himself look weak, as if he wasn't a threat. If it weren't for the fact that he was so desperate, she might have thought it was real. Instead, she was on high alert, looking for anything that could be used against the boy. Daryl came in after Randall had offered her a place with their group, saying a cute, little, mute girl would get along just fine with them. Tea had caught the glint in his eye at that, which was exactly why she had decided to remain quiet until Daryl came in, and why he had waited so long.

Daryl wasn't too thrilled with the entailed suggestion the kid's offer had, and immediately lost his temper and began punching him. He punched him three times before he stopped and started to ask him where his camp was and how many were in his group. After several rounds of questioning from Daryl, each getting more and more aggressive, the boy had begun to 'cry'. Daryl looked to Tea who shook her head slightly and then he punched the boy again, making him cry out in pain. He repeated the action a couple more times before Tea walked up and moved him back, squatting down in front of the boy.

"Where's ya camp?" she asked sweetly, taking a rag and wiping at the blood on his face.

"I dunno, I swear I dunno!" he answered, eyes slightly widening at the fact that she could talk.

"How many are there?" that same sweet voice rang out.

"I, uh, I, I, I'm not sure!" he stuttered.

She told him that she was sorry for what came next before retreating from the male who couldn't have been any older than herself. Daryl continued beating the boy until he was bloody again, asking the same questions over and over again, only to get the same answers. No matter how many times they switched, he denied anything. They were both quite fed up with the boy's constant denials. Tea had been nice; she gave him water, wiped the blood off his face, been gentle and tender with her questioning, even telling him a bit about her home town. Still, the boy gave them nothing after two hours. Walking up to Daryl and putting a hand on the small of his back after another round of his beatings, she stepped around and crouched down to the boy, fed up with playing nice cop.

"Ya gotta give me somethin', hun," she said with a sigh. "Othawise I'm gonna have ta let him do the talkin' again. And he don' talk nicely like me. And if ya don' answa him, ya really ain' gonna like the next time I gotta talk ta ya. A human can withstand 1,000 papacuts on their body, and I'll centa 'em all on one specific location 'til I get what I want."

The boy blanched at her implied threat, "I don't know! I swear I don't know! They left me behind!"

Heaving a deep sigh, she simply said, "Love?"

"I told you!"

"You ain't told us shit!" Daryl said, hauling the boy into a sitting position.

"I barely knew those guys. I met 'em on the road!" Randall said; finally, they were getting somewhere.

"How many were in ya group?" Tea asked.

When he didn't answer, Daryl took a couple steps back before unsheathing his hunting knife. The boy noticed the action and started stuttering and stammering. Daryl rushed forward and slammed the knife down into the floorboards right next to Randall's injury, scaring the poor boy.

"How many?!" he snarled into his face, holding Randall's injured leg.

"Uh, uh, uh 30! Thirty, thirty guys!"

"Where?"

"Uh," at the hesitation, Daryl ripped the bandage off the wound causing Randall to scream. "I don't know! I swear! We were never in any place for more than a night!"

"Were ya scoutin'? Tryin' ta find a home base?"

"I, I don't know. They, they left me behind!"

"Did you ever pick off a scab?" Daryl asked amidst protests from Randall.

"Come on, man!" the boy said as Daryl placed his knife along the wound. "I'm, I'm tryin' to cooperate!"

"Start real slow at first. Sooner or later, you've just gotta rip it off," Daryl snarled in the boy's face.

"Ok! Ok," Randall said, finally caving. "They have weapons, heavy stuff. Automatics. I didn't do anything!" he insisted as Daryl refused to let up.

"Your boys shot at my boys, tried to take this farm. You just went along for the ride? You're trying to tell me you're just innocent?" Daryl growled at him, voice fluctuating as he tried to play off being truly enraged.

"Yes!" Randall cried, letting out a sigh and looking around, voice cracking as he continued. "These, these people took me in. Not just guys, a whole group of 'em. Men and women, kids too, just like you people. Thought I'd have a better chance with them, you know?" So far Tea believed him, and said as much with a slight nod to Daryl, who finally gave the boy some leeway and began pacing in front of him. "But, we go out, scavenge, just the men. One night we, we found this little camp site. A man and his two daughters. Teenagers, you know? Real young. Real cute." He looked up to gauge their reactions. It didn't take a fancy degree to know the two in front of him were going into true rages. Randall hung his head in shame, his voice gave him away though. It was too calm, too collected to be full of shame. He was acting the part that he thought they wanted him to play by telling them a true story but omitting his actions. "Their daddy had to watch while these guys, they...and they didn't even kill him afterwards. They just made him watch, as his daughters...they just, just, just left him there," he looked down before looking up and gauging their reactions. "No, but, but, but I didn't touch those girls! No, I swear!"

Whatever he was going to say was cut off by Daryl's kick to the stomach. After what Ania had almost had happen to her just last week, hearing what these men did was too much. He hadn't been able to protect her at all this entire time, and now she was under threat again. He didn't even bother holding back his strength anymore.

"You gotta believe me, man! Lady, please! I ain't like that!" Randall insisted.

"Ya liked what happened jus' as much as the men who did it did, ya jus' didn' join in 'cause ya morals held ya back. Ya'd be jus' like them othawise, and ya'll break 'ventually," Tea said coolly. "Ya had the glint when ya thought I couldn' talk, thought I was easy pickin's. News flash for ya; I'm the killa in this camp."

He didn't have a chance to reply before Daryl was back to beating him. All the pent up anger and frustration from Shane's attack he took out on Randall. By the time Tea pulled him away, Randall was out cold and Daryl's knuckles were bloody. She washed his hands carefully from the canteen she'd brought with her and checked for any major damage before kissing each knuckle. It was a rare and tender show of affection from her that made Daryl's heart burst. While she often initiated contact, it was usually when she was emotional or horny. Otherwise, it was just little touches here or there or him having to initiate affectionate contact. Which he did, a lot.

He felt like a little bitch this past week, but any time Ania was within his grasp, he had a hold of her. He'd noticed the looks both Carol and Lori had been giving them when they walked through camp. Daryl didn't care; her assault had reminded him of a time long past when his father would pin him and beat on him much like he'd done to Randall. After that first evening where he had focused on making sure she was alright, his brain provided him with nightmares reliving those hellish years at night. And every night since it had been the same thing, random nights from his childhood being thrown at him when he first fell asleep. Every time he woke up, she would too, and he would clutch at her and bury himself in her chest, her arms holding him tightly for a while before rubbing his back and stroking his hair. Only her heartbeat could lull him back to sleep, and he'd wake in the morning still laying on top of her.

Daryl was being even more stingy now that Rick had given Ania the second-hand man status. It seemed like any time they were near the group, she was being stolen away by everyone else, especially Andrea, Maggie, and Beth. He wasn't sure when he became so needy; he'd never had a good thing in his life until now and he wasn't ready to share. Especially not when, this past week, damn near everyone in the camp had started talking to her. He had grown accustomed to Sophia hanging around; Carol's resentment of Ania had her at their camp almost as much as she was in camp with the group. But now they couldn't get ten steps without one of the others stopping them to talk to her or ask her a question. While he was happy she was being acknowledge finally, he couldn't help feeling sour at having to share her.

They walked back up to camp as the others were sitting around the campfire. Daryl was pulled out of his thoughts as Rick nodded to him. One hand holding his crossbow, the other tightly holding Ania's, he answered the unasked question, "Boy there's got a gang, 30 men. They've got heavy artillery and they ain't lookin' to make friends. They role through here, our boys are dead. And our women, they're gonna" he paused as he pulled Ania closer, not wanting to think about it. "They're gonna wish they were."

"What did you do?" Carol asked disapprovingly, noting his bloodied hands.

"We had a little chat," Tea answered for him, coming to stand in front of him protectively. "Ain' nothin' worse than they'd do ta us."

"No one goes near this guy," Rick said as Tea watched Carol roll her eyes and walk away.

"Rick," Lori asked quietly when she walked up to him. "What are you going to do with him?"

"We have no choice," he said with conviction. "He's a threat. We have to eliminate the threat."

"You're just gonna kill him?" Dale asked, walking up.

"It's settled. I'll do it today," Rick answered.

Tea and Daryl were walking away when Carl came up with Sophia and started asking about the prisoner. "So he's a kid?"

"No, not really," Tea said.

"How old is he?"

"Old 'nough ta know right from wrong and still do wrong," Tea answered him. "Ya can' believe a single thing that comes outta that dude's mouth, Carl. Ya've got jus' as much a risk as I do these guys are gonna use ya. As in rape ya. The world ain' what it was."

"Can I see him?" Carl asked.

"Hun, I wish I could answa that one; ya know as well as I do what the answa would be. But that ain' me call. Ya eitha have ta sneak in and risk bein' caught, which is absolutely stupid if ya ask me, or take mine and ya daddy's word for it. The man is dangarous and capable a spinnin' tales out 'is ass, Carl. Ya should go back ta ya dagga-glarin' momma and keep 'er company and off me back for a bit, yeah?" The boy smiled at her, grabbing Sophia's hand and heading towards his mother, leaving the hunters alone.

Daryl dragged Ania away after that, out to their camp. She had a small stash of herbs out there and she ransacked it, throwing a few in her mouth and chewing them before coating Daryl's knuckles as they sat down before she wrapped his hands. Neither of them spoke through the entire process, but as soon as she was done, Daryl had pulled her into his chest. It wasn't extremely comfortable how she was sitting and he knew it, but he just needed to hold her. Shifting as gently as she could to keep as much contact as possible with Daryl, she lay down against his chest and brought one knee beneath his upturned leg, her other leg leaning against the opposite side of the same one. Her entire torso was folded into his chest, as much of her chest and stomach pressed against his as possible. For once, it was his body that was shaking.

"I'm no better than my daddy," he said in a broken whisper, tears falling into Ania's hair.

"Ya a thousand times betta than that rat bastard," she told him with conviction, spitting the last two words.

"I wailed on that kid. I lost my temper and I wailed on him."

"And I could a stopped ya. I didn' 'til I knew the kid was out. Ya ain' the only monsta if ya gonna think a yaself as one. I'm a monsta, too, for not stoppin' ya. And 'ere's the biggest difference 'tween ya and him, D, the shitebag in the shed deserved that beatin' for what 'e let get done ta 'em girls, what 'e'd do ta us. Ya neva once deserved what ya got. Neva fuckin' once. Ya wouldn' wail on a kid jus' 'cause."

"I lost my shit, Ania!" he all but yelled as he held her as tightly as he could.

"And I let ya. Ya needed it and he was the propa outlet."

"There's times I wish you'd fuckin' hit me when you get angry," Daryl admitted. "Or when I'm bein' a pussy like this. Merle'd beat the shit outta me."

Tea turned her left wrist up and showed him several thin lines, "When was I first on me own, I couldn' handle not feelin' the pain. I didn' feel nothin' inside, so I thought physical pain was the only way ta feel. Took years for me ta stop, and I only did thanks ta Jesse. It's easia for ya ta take a punch than ta hear words, 'cause no one eva used their words with ya. Same as me, needin' ta be taught how ta feel. And I still don' do that right. 'Sides, ya really think I'd let Merle wail on ya?" she said with a little laugh.

Daryl caught her hand and brought her forearm up to his lips. He kissed each of the scars still prominent on her skin, and the ones that were barely visible. These were the first scars he knew of that she had that weren't caused by her family. There were a lot of scars on her body from the abuse. From her legs and chest to her back and shoulders, including random letters she wouldn't explain at the base of her spine; T, E, C, P. It was the only set of scars she refused to tell him about, and he found himself stroking it often. The first time he'd done it, she'd tensed and quickly rolled away from him, tears in her eyes. Now he would often trace his name over them, over and over again, as if just tracing those letters would replace whatever the ones really there meant. The first time he'd done it, she'd been asleep and woke up flushed. Now he was doing it to calm himself down.

He allowed himself just a little bit of time and cried into her hair as he felt the emotions leave him and his body relax. The night before they'd left for the CDC, he'd broken down in her arms, cradling her to him similar to how he was now. She hadn't pushed him away. Hadn't punched him or mocked him or judged him. She'd held him close and rubbed circles in his back like she was now. It felt like an eternity before he was able to tear himself away from her, feeling lightheaded, both then and now. She'd reached up and gently wiped the tears off his face before leaning in to give him a soft, lingering kiss back then just like she did now. And just like that he felt infinitely better, as if the world had centered itself again.

"You, me dear Daryl Dixon, are a fuckin' amazin' man and me safe harbor, and not jus' 'cause ya can survive. Ya love me for me, and I can' even begin ta explain how grateful I am for that. Ain' nothin' ya eva do is gonna make me think less a ya, ya got it?" she told him. After a second she paused and said in a serious tone, "Unless ya cheat. Ya cheat, I'll cut ya dick off and feed it ta ya."

He just nodded and detangled himself from her, getting busy doing various things around their camp. Starting with double checking their wood supply, he then went into the tent to grab his brother's vest. Coming back out, he began sorting his homemade bolts, obviously preparing to go on a hunt. As he was doing that and Tea was getting her own things ready to go with him, Dale walked up.

Daryl scoffed, growling out, "The whole point of us comin' up here is to get away from you people."

"It'll take more than that," Dale said. "Especially with Tea playing second in command."

"Didn' ask for it."

"Carol send you?" Daryl asked, knowing full well the woman had only become more and more aggressive with her attempts at making him leave Ania.

"Carol's not the only one that's concerned about you. Your new role in the group," Dale said. "And you let him," he told Tea.

"Oh man, I don't need my head shrunk," Daryl told him. "Get enough of that from her."

"And we had ta know that information. I offa'd ta do it meself," she told the man with a shrug of her shoulder.

"This group's broken," Daryl said. "We're better off fendin' for ourselves."

"It's not broken," Dale insisted.

"Lori goes against 'er way ta go against me all the damn time. Carol's fightin' me and Phia while tryin' ta get Daryl's attention or at the very least tryin' ta get 'im ta leave me. Lori's pregnant with Shane's kid and that's not sittin' well with Rick, but he's doin' 'is best ta ignore it. T-Dog could care less and Andrea wants ta prove herself. It is broken, and will be 'til we got a single unit workin' tagetha 'stead a bein' at odds."

"You act like you don't care."

"Yeah, it's 'cause I don't."

"You do, Tea."

"Yeah, 'bout me family. Not some outsida who may very well come back and kill me brothas and man and rape me and me sistas."

"So live or die, you don't what happens to Randall?" he asked them.

"Nope," they both said in unison.

"Then why not stand with me, try to save the kid's life, if it really doesn't matter one way or the other?" Dale pleaded.

"I didn't peg you for a desperate son of a bitch," Daryl quipped.

"Your opinions make a difference. Both of yours," Dale insisted.

"Man, ain't nobody lookin' at me for nothin', 'xcept Ania and Phia," Daryl told him.

"Carol is. And I am, right now," Dale said.

"Carol's tryin' ta split us up, that's why she's up his ass," Tea spat; Carol had been trying to get Daryl's attention all week much to both her and Daryl's chagrin. Even Sophia was angry with her mother for her actions.

"You both obviously have Rick's ear."

"Rick ain' wrong, though. I don' care whetha or not the kid lives or dies, I care 'bout eliminatin' the threat in the most efficient way possible. If that means killin' someone near me age, I'll pull that trigga ta keep me family safe," Tea admitted.

"You both cared about what happened to Sophia. Cared what it meant to the group. Torturing people? That isn't you. Either one of you. You're decent people. So is Rick."

"He is, but he's right in this," Tea said. "And ya don' know me 'nough ta know what I'm capable a."

"Like I said," Daryl said while grabbing Ania's hand and pulling her to the woods. "Group's broken."

Once again he was being selfish as he pulled Ania, but he didn't care. He needed her and her alone. She didn't seem to care anyway as they trudged along. An hour into the woods, she pulled him to a stop and kissed him. He looked into her eyes afterwards, his resolve slowly crumbling. Falling to his knees, he buried his face in the bottom of her chest and listened to her heartbeat. She had one arm wrapped tightly around his shoulders while the other was wrapped partially over his shoulders, but the hand was tangled in his hair. Short as it might be, feeling her fingers against his scalp and running through the strands of his hair was soothing. He had been there last week when her mind was taxed, and now she was here giving him exactly what he needed when he was in a moment of weakness. Guess there's a first time for everythin', Daryl thought as he slowly gathered himself.

They didn't catch much before they had to return to the farm. The meeting was to happen before dinner, so the pair only had just enough time to get back by the time they'd been ready to break from their moment. When the pair walked into the house, Daryl leaned against a hutch and pulled her back into him. Tea watched as Carl and Sophia tried to stick around, only to be forced to wait with Beth and Jimmy upstairs. It caused her to laugh and Daryl to smirk, leaning in to whisper to her that she was the one putting that defiant streak in them. The look on Carol's face at what could be construed as an intimate action between the two was priceless; Tea briefly considered whether or not she should be smug, but decided there was no point. Daryl was hers, and that wasn't going to change.

"So how do we do this?" Glenn asked quietly. "Just take a vote?"

"Does it have to be unanimous?" Andrea asked.

"How about majority rules?" Lori suggested.

"Well, let's just see where everybody stands then we can talk through the options," Rick stated.

"I don' see much choice in this, ta be honest," Tea offered. "He makes himself look weak, but 'e's got the glint in 'is eye, the one that says 'e's gonna turn out ta be jus' like those men 'e was with."

"So we kill him, right?" Dale said unbelievably. "I mean, why bother to take a vote? It's clear which way the wind's blowing."

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

"Well, I can tell you it's a small group, maybe just me and Glenn."

The man in question looked down before telling Dale, "Look, I, I think you're pretty much right about everything, all the time, but this –"

"They've got you scared!" Dale cut him off.

"He's not one of us!" came the counter. "And we've, we've lost too many people already."

After a pregnant pause before Dale turned to Maggie and Hershel, "How about you? Do you agree with this?"

"Couldn't we continue keeping him prisoner?" Maggie asked.

"Just another mouth to feed," Daryl growled out.

"It may be a lean winter," Hershel provided.

"We could ration better," Lori suggested.

"Well, he could be an asset. Give him a chance to prove himself!" Dale insisted.

"Put him to work?" Glenn asked.

"We're not letting him walk around," Rick stated.

"We could put an escort on him," Maggie said.

"Who wants ta volunteer for that duty only ta be killed when ya turn ya back?" Tea asked.

"I will!" came the defiant answer from Dale.

"I don't think any of us should be walking around with this guy," Rick said.

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

"We can't exactly put chains around his ankles, sentence him to hard labor," Andrea said.

"I've seen people like 'im in me line a work," Tea said. "He's the kind who will do whateva it takes ta survive, and the second the wind blows against 'im, 'e'll take up arms for the otha side. Say we let 'im stick it out with us and 'is group comes rollin' through, or some otha group with stronga numbas. He's gonna jump ship without a second thought. There's also the glint in 'is eye; jus' a matta a time 'fore 'e's tryin' ta grab Beth if we let 'im loose. Then there's always the chance that we let 'im inta the fold and let our guard down and 'e runs back ta his group anyway and brings 'em 'ere. He's a threat one way or the otha."

"So the answer is to kill him to prevent a crime he might never even attempt?" Dale asked flabbergasted.

"Betta odds for us," Tea said with a shrug.

"If we do this, we're saying there's no hope," Dale told her. "Rule of law is dead. There is no civilization."

"Dale, the minute the military got ova run, rule a law was dead! Now it's rule a land. Our land, our rules. That is how civilization started. Clans and turf wars. That's all this is now. Anotha breakdown ta the beginnin' a civilization and a need for different laws. It ain' pretty and ya ain' gonna like it, but that's the way it is now," Tea reasoned.

"Could you drive him further out?" Hershel asked Rick. "Leave him like you planned?"

"You barely came back this time," Lori said, the look on her face making Tea think she was being incredibly selfish. "There are walkers. You could break down. You could get lost."

"Or ambushed," Daryl offered.

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

Another pause ensued before Patricia tentatively asked, "If you go through with it, how would you do it? Would he suffer?"

"The most peaceful and painless for him would be execution style, bullet ta the back a the head," Tea told her.

"What about the body?" T-Dog asked. "Do we bury him?"

"Hold on, hold on!" Dale said. "You're talking about this like it's already decided."

"You've been talking all day, goin' around in circles," Daryl told him, pushing off the hutch with Ania to gesture with his arm before leaning back again. "You just wanna go around in circles again?"

"This is a young man's life! And it is worth more than a five minute conversation!" Dale exclaimed angrily. "Is this what it's come to? We kill someone because we can't decide what else to do with him?"

"And this is our lives," Tea retorted. "I hate ta say it Dale, I really do, but we ain' got the luxury 'ere a playin' it safe. I'm sorry ya havin' a hard time comin' ta terms with the world as it is now, but it is what it is. We keep ours safe, and do whateva it takes ta do so."

"Rick, you saved him!" Dale turned to the cop, realizing Tea was a lost cause to his. "And now look at us. He's been tortured. He's gonna be executed. How are we any better than those people that we're so afraid of?"

"We wouldn' rape their women or kill their men jus' for stumblin' across 'em!" Tea yelled. "If they were friendly, we wouldn' even be havin' this conversation. But they ain', so we can' be. If they were, we could, but they ain'. We all know what needs ta be done here ta protect ours."

"We have a responsibility –" Dale started before Andrea cut him off.

"We haven't come up with a single viable option yet other than death," she said. "I wish we could."

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

"We are," Rick said in a hard tone.

"Stop it," Carol's meek and frail voice rang out. "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."

"Yes he can, same as a damn jury in a court, Carol!" Tea said. "Ain' no real damn difference ta that, 'xcept this is majority rules, 'stead a unanimous. Fuck, ya kid's got bigga balls than ya!"

"Tea," Rick warned.

"Please decide," Carol continued, ignoring Tea. "Either of you, both of you, but leave me out."

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

"That I agree with," Tea said to Dale, but keeping her eyes fixed on Carol; it was one thing to be against killing, it was another to be indifferent either way.

"Alright, that's enough!" Rick said, somewhat frustrated by Tea and Dale's attitudes. "Anybody that wants the floor before we make a final decision has the chance."

"You once said that we don't kill the living," Dale said to Rick in a last ditch effort when no one else spoke up.

"Well that was before the living tried to kill us," Rick said with conviction.

"But don't you see, if we do this, the people that we were, the world that we knew is dead!" he insisted. "And this new world, it's ugly, it's harsh. It's, it's survival of the fittest! And that's a world that I don't wanna live in anymore. And I don't believe that any of you do. I can't. Please," he said getting emotional. "Let's just do what's right."

"The problem there, Dale," Tea said sadly, "is that what's right ta the old world ain' what's right for this one. It is survival a the fittest now. It's us versus them, goin' right back ta when cave people started formin' groups. Each group has it's own laws, own way a doin' things, that's gonna make it ta where what's right 'ere is what's wrong there. There is no right or wrong way 'bout this. It's simple risk assessment. The risk 'e poses is greata than the safety he offas."

"Isn't there anybody else who's going to stand with me?" Dale asked, understanding where Tea was coming from, but appalled by how comfortable she seemed with the idea.

There was a pregnant pause where everyone looked around at each other, some avoiding eye contact with Dale, but T-Dog looked at him and said, "He's right. We should try to find another way."

When no one else spoke up, most people not even able to look Rick in the eye now, he simply cocked his head to the side in a motion that clearly said 'you tried' to Dale. Tea had been in professional mode almost the entire time, only breaking it over Carol. This was where she shined. In the old world, there wouldn't have been a need for this at all, because the criminal justice system would have taken Randall into custody long ago. Now, they had to decide the fates of those they ran into on the road. There was no right or wrong when it came to it, simply assessing the risks vs gains.

She felt horrible for Dale, because she understood why he was having issues. He was in his mid-sixties and had an old soul. He was full of life and morality and all things good, but that was warring with the way the world was now. If he had been younger like the rest of them, aside from Hershel, he might have understood their viewpoints a little better. Unfortunately for him, his mindset would be difficult to carry out in this new world.

Almost in tears, the man asked, "Are you all gonna watch too? No, you'll go hide your heads in and try to forget that we're slaughtering a human being."

"Ain' slaughta. Slaughta entails it bein' violent and bloody, for food, or in large numbers. Murda, yeah, sure, but ain' slaughta," Tea said, internally face palming at her automatic English language lesson in a time like this while Daryl bit his lip behind her and gripped her hip a little tighter, trying to stifle a chuckle.

Dale scoffed at her, "I won't be a party to it." He walked out of the room and past Tea and Daryl. "You're right. This group is broken."

Everyone dispersed in silence, leaving Daryl, Rick, and Tea behind. "I hate to ask this of you after this morning," Rick said. "But do you think you can help me with this?"

"I can do it," Tea offered. "It won' affect me the same as it would ya."

"Naw, Ania."

"Daryl's right. I'm the one who made the decision to bring him back. I'll pull the trigger," Rick told her.

"Moral support then?" Tea asked, wondering why he needed the two of them.

"Something like that, yeah," Rick said.

"We'll be there," Daryl told him before pulling Ania out the door.

Sophia and Carl both joined them a little ways outside, asking about what happened inside. Tea didn't sugarcoat anything, telling the kids exactly what was going to happen and why. She felt like, although they were young, they had a right to know what was going on so long as it affected them. They were old enough to understand, so there was no harm in telling them in her mind. When the two hunters had satisfied the two children's questions, they stayed in the camp for a little while. It was rare, but they would need to be in camp when Rick was ready. Andrea came over and sat down next to them.

"You were good in there," she told the woman with the redneck leaning on her.

"I was doin' me job."

"I knew you'd be a great leader."

"That wasn' bein' a leada. I meant it, that was me job. What I did in there was similar ta bein' an expert witness in court. Not so much as provin' the evidence is correct or the specifics a the case and whatnot, but knowin' and assessin' the risks and behaviors and likelinesses."

"Do you think Dale's going to be okay?" Andrea asked, watching the man's back as he sat on top of the RV away from them.

Taking a deep breath, Tea looked back at the man, making Daryl grunt in protest as he was moved from his position, "Eventually. If I hadn' a had Phia ta look afta and then everythin' that's happened since, I'd prolly have been in a similar situation ta him when I quit smokin' weed," she said honestly.

"Never took you for a pothead," Andrea laughed.

"We all have our vices, and it jus' kinda happened 'cause I was gone and then hurt and jus' everythin' that's happened," Tea pointed out with a shrug. "He'll be fine. He jus' needs time ta adjust. Ya were a civil rights lawya?"

"Yeah, down in Florida. Kinda wish I had moved here to Atlanta when I got the offer, but I wanted to be closer to home," Andrea said.

"Why you wish you'd gone to Atlanta?" Daryl asked from his spot, not caring about the odd looks from the men or the glares from Carol and Lori as he sat leaning against his girl.

"I'd have met Tea, of course!" Andrea chuckled. "You're a very interesting woman and a good friend."

Tea blushed fiercely, "Thank you."

"Not used to getting compliments, huh?"

"Not from friends, no."

"Get used to it," Andrea said before she walked away laughing.

~x~

It was nighttime when Rick came and found them over by the RV with Glenn. They'd moved around a bit after Daryl had ended up taking a short nap on Tea. As a single unit, the three of them moved to the shed where Randall was being held. Daryl grabbed him up while Tea and Rick led the way back to the barn. As they neared it and Randall realized what was happening, he started begging for a chance. They all steadfastly ignored him as they entered the building. Daryl and Tea positioned him in the center of the barn and flanked him. Taking out a piece of cloth from her pocket, Tea handed it to Daryl who blindfolded the young man in front of him. No one said a word to him as they stepped away, but that didn't stop him from begging for his life.

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

When the only answer was more begging, both Daryl and Tea moved as one, grabbing each side of the man. Tea kicked his good knee out, forcing him to kneel in front of Rick before they both backed away once again. Rick looked to both Tea and Daryl as his resolve began to crack, both of which nodded to him, reassuring him this was for the best. Tea knew it, but also that Daryl was having a hard time with this turn of events; he didn't want to be a murderer any more than Rick did. That's why she had offered; she already was one thanks to Shane, and even before thanks to her family, a fact she hoped to keep hidden for the rest of her days.

"Do you have any final words?" Rick asked.

The man in front of him simply begged Rick while sobbing. It took Rick a long time, readjusting his grip on gun a couple times before a voice that should not have been anywhere near there rang out.

"Do it dad. Do it," Carl said as he walked into the barn.

"Ya have got ta be shite'in' me right now!" Tea yelled as she stormed past Randall and Daryl and grabbed Carl, yanking him out of the barn. "I told ya ya couldn' be here! That was the promise ya made me! Dammit Carl!"

"Take him away," Rick said, his voice breaking before saying it once more with conviction.

Daryl grabbed the man and hauled him to his feet, taking him out of the barn. Tea wasn't even upset; she didn't want Carl to see that either. A kid that young being an advocate for murder had her feeling uneasy. Sure, she had taught him how to kill walkers and defend against the living, but she never intended for the kids to become cold. Was I wrong ta tell 'im what was happenin'? she wondered, following behind Daryl as Rick talked to Carl.

As they locked Randall back in the shed, Daryl looked at Ania and asked, "Think it's right leavin' him alive?"

"I know it ain' right ta kill 'im right 'fore a kid," she said flatly. "Was I wrong ta tell 'em the truth?"

"Phia stayed in camp."

"Phia takes me word as law anymore," Tea joked.

Daryl opened his mouth to reply, but it died as a man's screaming was heard from the fields. They ran in the direction the scream was coming from, hearing the others screaming for Dale. Screams of terror turned into screams of pain right before Daryl tackled the walker off of Dale. He quickly rolled on top of it and slammed his knife into the walker's skull as Tea yelled at the top of her lungs for the others.

"Hang in there, buddy," Daryl said as Rick and Andrea caught up to them, asking various questions.

"Oh my god," Rick said, "Alright, just listen to my voice," he told Dale.

He and Andrea traded places as everyone else managed to catch up, Rick screaming for Hershel. Tea just took in the state of Dale and stood frozen. Maybe she'd been wrong, maybe she could have found a solution for Dale. Stood on his side instead of against him. Then he wouldn't have been in the fields. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Hershel finally arrived and looked at the damage, informing Rick of what was the obvious but most unwanted answer. There was no way he was going to be able to be moved, nor saved. It was obvious Rick was blaming himself just as much as she was.

Through her sobs, Andrea exclaimed, "He's suffering! Do something!"

Rick pulled out his Python and pointed it at Dale's head, but he couldn't find it in him to pull the trigger. Daryl grabbed the gun out of his hand, but before he could get a proper hold of it, it was taken from him.

"I've got it," Tea told him quietly, knowing he would close off if he had to do it. Kneeling down, she looked Dale in the eye while placing the barrel against his forehead, saying, "I'm sorry, sweetie. We'll make it right." The trigger was pulled, hammer kicked back before pitching forward, releasing the bullet.

I feel like I haven't delved much into Daryl's troubles, so this chapter is full of them. Mainly because this episode in particular I feel would have deeply troubled him given his past even though they make it seem as if nothing bothers him in the show. Given his past with his father, I don't think he'd be okay with torturing a kid. I especially felt like it was a little harsh making Daryl be the one on the show to ease Dale's passing. I felt like it should have been Shane, as he was the other leader of the group. I also tried to make the arguments more reasonable than 'kill to kill' like Shane's. Also, if you want a rendition of Tea's screaming, basically think about any rock band that has screaming or roaring and ya got it... Hope I did a good job.

Updated 9/8/21