Author's Note: Yeah, so...I suck at writing fight scenes. You have been warned, haha. xoxo

"Don't be afraid

I've taken my beating

I've shared what I've made

I'm strong on the surface

Not all the way through

I've never been perfect

But neither have you"

— Linkin Park

The moment Georgie blacked out again, Rick panicked, thinking the worst had just happened.

"No, no, no, no, no. Georgie." Pulling her more into his lap, he smoothed her hair out of her face as Carol reached forward and placed two fingers to Georgie's neck to check for a pulse.

"She's okay," Carol assured with a nod of her head. "She's just unconscious."

Rick was shaking with rage as he clamored to his feet, pulling Georgie's body up into his arms with Carol's assistance. "We can't take her to the Infirmary. Jake's there. We can't let him near her."

"It's alright, Rick. I've been where she is. I can look after her." Carol placed a hand on Rick's arm and got him to look at her for a moment. "Let's put her on a bed upstairs."

"Yeah. Okay."

Rick was beside himself. There were too many things he was feeling all at once that his mind felt as though it would explode. Climbing the stairs with Carol behind him, sort of as a spotter, they made it to the second floor and Carol opened up the door to Rick's bedroom. Carl appeared in the hallway watching as Rick carried Georgie in and laid her gently down on his bed. The young teen came over to the doorway with concern on his face.

"Is she gonna be okay?"

Carol turned around and nodded. "She just needs to rest right now."

"Dad? Tell me what I can do to help."

Rick was hovering over Georgie's body as he cast a glance at his son. He held the boy's gaze for a moment and then said, "Just stay with Judith right now, okay? If I need you for anything, I'll come get you." He could see that Carl was just as worried about Georgie as he and Carol were. "Hey—she's gonna be alright, y'hear?"

"She's not gonna die, is she?"

"No," Rick replied adamantly. "She's gonna make it through. She's just been hurt and she's sleeping it off. Now—go be with your sister."

Hesitating at first, Carl nodded obediently and stepped away from the room.

Rick turned and looked toward Carol. "What do I do?" he asked, completely forlorn.

Carol frowned. "Well, first we just make Georgie comfortable; let her sleep this off like you told Carl. She'll come to soon enough. But, you need to be serious about what I told you earlier, about Jake." She looked Rick in the eye. "He needs to die and you need to be the one to do it. Normally, I would say this is something Georgie should do for herself, but she's in no condition to right now. But you can't go into this half-cocked, either. You gotta play this right."

Rick nodded, focusing on a random spot on the floor beside the bed. His lips were pursed and his mouth twitched again. The rage in him wasn't subsiding and he needed an outlet for it. He tried channeling it into his love and concern for Georgie, which only made him angrier about her situation.

Then, a new concern hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Shit," he muttered. "Where's Tristan?"

"He came back here earlier, and I was able to talk to him about what he thought was happening," Carol informed. "He told me he saw Jake putting his hand around Georgie's neck this morning. He got scared and upset and that's why he made a mess of the garage and broke his bike chain." She looked at Rick; at how he just watched Georgie's sleeping form while she spoke. "He said he hadn't been sure his dad was a bad man until then. He said the reason he asked me for a gun was so that his dad wouldn't hurt his mom the way he hurt his friends."

Rick knitted his brow together, turned his head and looked up at Carol. "Wait—what?"

Carol reached for the red cap Georgie was still somehow gripping in her hands. "Tristan told me about this hat already. He said that before he escaped that house in Greensboro with that woman Melissa, that he had seen four men. He never saw their faces, but one of them was wearing a red baseball cap with the Atlanta Braves logo. The man in the red cap was the leader of these bad men and was the one who gave the orders to kill everyone." Carol felt her heart ache. "Rick, all those bodies we found in that room in the basement of that house, all those people, those children — we know they were killed execution-style. And we know that it had to have been done while they slept. All that dried blood on the underside of every mattress and cushion. The man in the red hat gave the order for them all to die. Whether he pulled the trigger or not, he is responsible for the death all of those lives."

"It was Jake, wasn't it; in the hat?"

"A few days ago, Tristan wanted to paint so Georgie told him to go look through his father's closet for an old T-shirt to wear over his clothes. He got curious and decided to snoop a little, like any kid would. He found a shoebox on the shelf and got it down and looked inside. When he saw the hat, it upset him and it made him think about the man who had his friends killed." Carol walked around to the other side of the bed and sat down, taking one of Georgie's hands in hers. "It wasn't until Tristan saw his dad about to hurt his mother this morning that Tristan knew his dad and the man in the red hat had to be the same person."

Rick remained silent, just listening to Carol speak. He was barely maintaining his composure. His body still shook with rage, his mouth still twitched and his nostrils flared. But tears were also stinging his eyes, having to hear these things and see with his own eyes what had been done to Georgie.

"Tristan's just a kid, and he survived so long out on the road with good people that took him in. He saw the horrors of the outside world, the same as Carl has. He thought his parents were dead. He thought, aside from the people he was with, that he was alone. And now, to learn his own father is the one who killed the people he cared about, the people who protected him and kept him safe — to realize his father is more of a monster than the walkers are; I can't imagine how traumatizing it's gotta be for him." She looked at Rick, and repeated, "He's just a kid."

"Where is he right now? Do you know?"

Carol nodded. "He's next door, eating cookies and watching a movie with Rosita and Abraham. I asked them to keep an eye on him."

"Good, good. That—that's good." Taking a few steadying breaths, Rick looked toward the doorway. "Carl!" he called out.

A door clicked open down the hall and footsteps followed. A moment later, his son appeared.

"Yeah?" Carl asked, resting his hands on either side of the doorframe.

"I want you to go next door and tell Abraham that he's not to let Tristan out of his sight, and if Jake comes by, he's not to let him in under any circumstance. And he, especially, is not to let Jake leave with Tristan or know Georgie is here. Actually, don't even mention to Abraham that we have Georgie here."

Carl nodded. "Okay," he agreed, turning to leave.

"And, Carl: stay there a while. I think Tristan could benefit from having someone closer to his own age there with him."

"Alright, dad."

"There should hopefully be some cookies there, for your trouble," Carol added with a small smile.

Carl shrugged. "It's no trouble," he insisted. "If it helps Georgie and Tristan, then I'm cool with it."

Rick smiled and ushered his son over to him. When Carl was near enough, Rick reached his arms out and pulled his son into a hug. He didn't say anything to his son, but it was expressed that he was proud of him nonetheless.

Once Carl had left, Rick leaned forward and brushed a hand along the side of Georgie's face that wasn't bruised.

"You and I have a special bond with her," Carol said quietly. "Next to you and Daryl, she's become my best friend. We haven't known her as long as we've known each other and we haven't been through enough with her that we have together, you and I, but that doesn't really matter. She helped me get back to you and the group. She was a shoulder to lean on when I needed it." Carol smirked a little. "She was kind of like this angel that appeared on the road, like a sign of things to come; that things could get better." Reaching her hand across Georgie to take a hold of Rick's, she gave it a squeeze. "She came into our lives when we needed her most, and went above and beyond to help us when she didn't have to. Now it's time we repay the favor."

Rick nodded. Then, after a moment of silence, he squeezed Carol's hand back. "I love her, you know." He turned and held Carol's gaze. "I love her."

Carol smiled. "I know you do. I've seen how you looked at her and talked to her; the way you wanted her at your side on supply runs or found little excuses to touch her arm or hold her hand." Her smile brightened even more. "I think you've known for a while how you feel about her. We're all a little broken inside and she makes you feel more together."

Rick nodded again, swallowing down a lump in his throat and threatening the tears lining his eyes with pain of death if they fell as he blinked them back. "She does that," he agreed.

"With Aiden and Noah dead, things are already going to be tense here. People are going to be on edge and we need to keep our cool. We still don't know the extent of what Jake's done to Georgie and we won't know until she wakes back up and can tell us, so, until then, you need to stay clear of Jake and not act rashly. We have to do this the right way."

Rick removed his hand from Carol's and returned it to Georgie's instead. "Easier said than done."

"I'm serious, Rick. I want Jake dead just as much as you, but you can't do it tonight. Maybe not even tomorrow. But it will be done. It has to be done."

"Will you stay with her?" Rick looked at Carol, but gestured to Georgie with a nod of his head.

"You know I will."

"I need to…take a walk," he remarked. "Think about things."

Carol nodded. "Okay."

Rick stood up and paused for a moment before walking toward the door.

"Rick," Carol spoke before he left.

He looked over his shoulder at her. "Yeah?"

"Georgie's strong. She has a fire in her," she commented. "Whatever happened today, I don't think she took it without putting up a fight first. I wish I had had that fire in me a few years ago." Rick looked back at her a little more and she added, "If walkers hadn't gotten Ed, I wouldn't be standing here right now."

Rick smirked ruefully. "Yeah, you would," he replied with a slight nod.

Stepping out of his bedroom, he made his way downstairs as if he was walking through a haze. He could feel the veins throughout his body pulsing and his hairs were standing on end. His insides felt twisted and as he walked out of the house and down the porch, his hands balled up into fists. His thoughts were focused on all the ways he wanted to kill Jake and how he really just wanted to see the bastard ripped apart. Maybe he could knock him out cold and drag him outside the walls and let walkers have their way with him. But, no, then Rick wouldn't have the same satisfaction as he would if he did the job with his own bare hands.

As he walked up the road, he began to think about when Jake had paid him a drunken visit earlier in the day and he wondered if that had been before or after he'd hurt Georgie. Her head wound didn't seem too recent. It was at least a few hours old and that made Rick even madder; to think Jake could've had the balls to come visit him and suggest they be friends while he was privately hurting Georgie.

Jake had to die. There was no way around it in Rick's eyes.

He completely ignored looking at Georgie's house this time. No, actually, it wasn't Georgie's house. She didn't belong there. It was Jake's house. Either way, Rick wouldn't look at it.

He reached the pond, spotting a toy boat floating on the water with a red balloon tied to it.

It was a curious thing.

"Hey, Rick."

Rick's eyes lifted from the boat and stared straight ahead, not looking at the person that the voice belonged to.

Jake slowly approached, coming from the direction of the Infirmary and smiled as if nothing was wrong. "Rick." He got nothing and took a step closer. "You okay, man?"

Rick just stood there.

He had removed the gun from the back of his pants and held it hidden behind his right leg, doing everything possible to maintain control on his anger.

Slowly, he turned and glared daggers at a befuddled Jake. "Keep walking," he warned; his voice even and his gaze deadly.

Jake still didn't seem to get it. "What? What are you—?" When he peered more through the darkness at Rick, and how Rick looked back at him, Jake leaned back and finally understood the meaning.

Not saying another word, Jake turned and walked back to his house.

Rick closed his eyes and exhaled.

Rick relieved Carol later that night, after returning home from walking the inside perimeter of the community. She gave him a side hug and kissed his temple in a sisterly fashion, leaving him alone in his bedroom with a still sleeping Georgie.

Closing the door for privacy, Rick removed his constable jacket and tossed it onto a chair. He removed his watch and set it on the bedside table before kicking off his boots as quietly as possible. Walking around to the opposite side of the bed from Georgie, Rick sat down. Choosing to leave his pants on, he pulled his white T-shirt off over his head and tossed it to the ground before swinging his legs up onto the mattress to lie down beside her with his hands folded on his chest.

For a moment, he stared up at the ceiling, thinking about nothing and everything at the same time. He closed his eyes, listening to the sound of his own breathing, mingled with the sound of Georgie's. Despite everything that had happened, it was a wonderful sound to him; to hear her asleep beside him, in his bed. Well, it was their bed now, really. That was enough to make him feel a little better.

Turning onto his side, Rick faced Georgie and watched her for the longest time. He rested his head on one arm while the other reached out and wrapped around Georgie's waist.

Eventually, he closed his eyes, letting their breathing soothe him to sleep.

However, as soon as he fell asleep, it felt like several hours passed by in the blink of an eye. It didn't help that he had a restless sleep. His mind was too caught up with everything going on.

Sitting up, he looked down at Georgie and held a hand out in front of her nose just to make sure she was still breathing. He got scared for a moment when she seemed too still for his liking. But, she was okay. She was breathing, just still in a deep sleep.

Grabbing his watch off the bedside table, he looked at the time.

It was just after seven in the morning, so he really hadn't gotten much sleep after all; maybe just a couple of hours.

Looking toward the bedroom windows, he watched how the morning light filtered into the room; how the rays of light danced with particles of dust. He then hunched forward and picked up his white T-shirt, putting it back on before standing up. Walking around the bed, he grabbed up his boots and slipped them on before heading to his closet and pulling out a greyish dress shirt. Pulling the shirt on, he buttoned it up and tucked it in before adding his tie to the mix. While he stared at his reflection in the mirror to make sure the tie was straight, he heard Georgie stir.

"Wow," she mumbled.

Rick was at her side in an instant. "Hey. Easy there." Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he cupped the good side of her face with his hand. "How you feeling?"

Georgie blinked away the sleep from her eyes and sought out his face. "You want the God's honest truth or the children's version?" she rasped.

"God's honest."

She sighed. "I feel like I was punched in the head hard enough to knock me out cold for several hours and then to wake up in the dark and find I was only half dressed." Georgie blinked tears away and she brought her hands up to her mouth to muffle the sob that slipped out. "Oh, wait, that's what happened," she tried to jest, but her attempt at smiling through it failed miserably.

Rick's chin quivered with a mix of anger, sadness and horror. "Did he—?" He didn't even know if he could finish that question. "Did he—did Jake ra—?" Rick couldn't get the detestable words out.

Georgie caught his eye and nodded. The words didn't need to be spoken. She knew what he was trying to ask.

"I think so," she admitted, her eyes a bit distant. "He said it was time for me to earn my keep. Then he threw me to the bed and I kicked him in the stomach, but that's when he knocked me out." She focused her gaze on Rick again and could see he was seething with rage, so she lifted a hand to his face and held it there. As he leaned in to the gesture, she continued, having promised him the truth. "I woke up and my pants were missing and I was so sore. I just put two and two together." Georgie sighed. "I'm just glad I wasn't awake for it. It'll be easier to pretend it didn't happen."

"I'm so sorry," Rick shook his head. "I should've been there. I should've stayed."

"You couldn't have known what was about to happen," she assured. "Please don't carry that burden on your shoulders. You carry enough."

Rick tried to smile for her, to be brave for her. "Too late." Georgie smiled back a little as well and he leaned down to kiss her. Brushing his thumbs over her cheeks, he leaned back and studied her face; focusing on the welt on the side of her head. "When did it happen?"

Georgie looked away, remorsefully.

"Georgie," he pressed.

She sighed. "Pretty much right after you left."

Tears stung at his eyes and he shook his head, beating himself up over it again. "I knew it. I knew I should've stayed."

"Rick, please. There's only one person at fault here and it sure as hell ain't either of us."

Swallowing back the lump in his throat, Rick watched as she used him to pull herself upright. His hands were at her shoulders immediately to help her, urging her to take it slow and easy. As they stared at each other, they both leaned in and embraced. Georgie rested the good side of her face down on his shoulder and brushed her nose against his neck, inhaling his natural scent and, for a moment, every bad thing disappeared.

"I have to tell you something about Jake," she whispered. "It's gotta do with that hat I found. I think I had it with me when I got here last night."

"You did. Carol took it. But you don't gotta say anything. We already know about what Jake did. Tristan told Carol about what happened in Greensboro; about the man in the red, Atlanta Braves hat and how he found the hat in the closet," Rick informed. "He also said he saw Jake with his hands around your neck yesterday morning and that's why he made a mess in the garage and why he wanted a gun from Carol."

"Oh, God," she cried. "I couldn't find Jake when I woke up last night. Do you know if he's okay?"

"He's fine," Rick assured. "Carol sent him next door. Abraham and Rosita kept an eye on him and then I sent Carl there, too, to be a friend. I told them not to let Jake in if he came looking for Tristan."

"Did he? Did Jake come looking for Tristan?"

Rick shook his head. "I doubt it. I think if he had, there would've been some commotion and I would've heard it. But there was nothing." After a moment, he continued. "When we were together yesterday afternoon, you never said anything about Jake trying to choke you. You had the opportunity. Why didn't you take it? You said you would come to me if anything happened."

"I know, but it didn't seem like enough of a reason at the time. I thought I could handle him." Georgie pulled back and looked down between them. "I was wrong," she shrugged, and started to cry. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, now," Rick shushed her, pulling her back against his chest and running a hand along the back of her head. "It's alright. You came to me when you could. That's what matters."

"I did," she agreed. "He had a chair barricading his bedroom door to keep me in. I had to throw my body against it to get out. It was dark and there was no one home so I ran here, or at least I tried running. I was so dizzy." Georgie touched a hand to her welt. "I think I might be concussed."

"How're you feeling now?"

"A little better. My head isn't pounding as much."

"That's good," he nodded. "Let me go get you some aspirin."

"No," she muttered, grabbing his hands and keeping him there with her. "Can you just stay here a while longer?"

Rick watched her face; the way her eyes looked up at him with contrasting mix of dejection and hope. "Yeah," he nodded. "Yeah, of course."

Wrapping his arms around her waist he helped scoot her over a few inches on the mattress so he could lie down beside her. They both laid on their right sides, him spooning her like they had in the RV the night before they arrived to Alexandria, but this time both his arms were still wrapped around her so he could hold her close. Rick buried his face into her neck and craned his head to kiss the skin just behind her ear. The sound of her sighing with contentment was like music to him.

"You're gonna kill him, aren't you?" she said after a few moments of silence had fallen between them.

"Yes."

"I need to be there when it happens."

"I know."

Rick felt her moving her hands out in front of her so he lifted his head to look over his shoulder. With her right hand she was pulling her wedding band off and then held it up. He was aware of the significance in the gesture. She was cutting her ties with Jake once and for all.

"I know just what to do with this thing," she commented.

A short time later, Rick finally left the house. He found that Carol was already downstairs, looking after Judith and asked her to keep an eye on Georgie, who was conscious again, but still resting in bed. Once outside the house, he made the short trek next door where he found Eugene in the kitchen making oatmeal for both Carl and Tristan, both of whom had stayed the night in the second house.

"When you're done with breakfast, had back to the main house with Carol, alright?" Rick said. He looked first to his son, and then to Tristan. "You're mom's there. She'd like to see you."

Tristan looked up with a small smile. "Okay."

With a nod to Carl, and then over to Eugene as a sort of hello, Rick turned around and walked out of the second house down off its porch.

He avoided looking at Jake's house again, in case he was there, because Rick felt that if he saw the other man, he'd run at him and kill him then and there. He also walked right on by the Infirmary, in case that was where Jake was, for the same reason. He just needed to avoid Jake altogether for now.

Instead, he went to the Monroe residence to further express his condolences and also talk to Deanna about the issue with Jake. He she deserved to know about the situation at hand before he did anything about it. She wasn't at home, though. Reg said she was at the graves of the four community members who had died a month before Rick's group arrived. There would be no grave for her son, so that was clearly all she had as a physical place to mourn her loss.

Approaching the woman, Rick called out quietly, "I'm sorry for what happened. How are you holding up?"

"I'm not."

It was now or never. "We have a problem with Jake."

Deanna sighed. "It was only a matter of time."

"Wait—you knew he'd become a problem?"

She nodded. "I'd hoped he would be good for this place; that he was different than the others he arrived here with."

"Well, he's not good for this place and he never will. Do you even know what's done? What he's capable of doing?"

"Jake's a surgeon."

Rick scoffed. "He's a glorified pediatrician."

"He's still a doctor. He's saved lives," Deanna remarked. She turned to look at Rick with tears in her eyes. "He might be saving Tara's life."

"Trust me, he's taken more lives than he's saved," Rick asserted. "Do you know what he did yesterday, before the possibility of saving Tara's life was even an option? Do you?" He paused, holding her gaze. "He beat and raped Georgie."

Deanna looked somewhat horrified, but she forced herself to maintain a resolute disposition. "I'm—I'm sorry." She was aware that Rick felt a great affection for Georgie and this was a personal issue for him as well.

"We have to stop him."

"How?"

Rick couldn't come right out and say he was going to kill Jake. He had to offer up a more attractive solution she'd rather hear. "We separate them. We tell him that's how it'll be from now on."

Deanna stepped closer to him, her arms folded. "What happens when he doesn't want to do that?"

"It's not his choice."

"So what happens?" Deanna insisted.

Rick clenched his jaw. He knew she wasn't stupid. She knew what he really wanted to do. "I kill him," he answered. "We kill him."

"We don't kill people," she remarked. "This is civilization, Rick."

He got closer to her face, getting a bit angry with her. "Warning someone to stop or die — that is civilized nowadays.

"Oh," she scoffed at him.

"So—what? So we just let a murderer and a rapist walk freely around here? What if he goes after Georgie again and I'm not there for her? We if he kills her?"

"No, that wouldn't happen, because we would exile him if it came anywhere close to that."

"We do that, we don't know when he comes back and what he does to her. He came here with three people who caused problems and who you exiled. What if Jake finds them again and brings them back here?" Rick narrowed his gaze at Deanna. "Letting him go makes this place vulnerable. You really want to wait till someone in that tower has to take care of it? And that's if we're lucky."

"We are not executing anyone," she snapped at him. "Don't ever suggest it again. That sort of thinking doesn't belong in here."

"People die now, Deanna. They do. There's times like this you can decide who and when. Or it can be decided for you."

"It already was. I wouldn't kill you. I'd just send you away."

Without another word, Deanna walked away, leaving Rick alone at the graves.

He clenched and unclenched his fists.

"Alright," he said to himself. "I'll kill him outside your precious walls, then."

None too happy after his conversation with Deanna, Rick headed home to find Carol standing around nervously.

"What's wrong?" he demanded.

"Well, I was busy changing Judith's diaper and I heard the back door open and close so, as soon as I could, I went to see who had come or gone, but I didn't see anyone. And then I went to check on Georgie only to find out she wasn't in bed." Carol sighed. "Carl's run off somewhere and I didn't want to leave Tristan and Judith here alone. I think she went back to the house. I think she might be planning to kill Jake on her own."

Rick's face fell. He didn't even wait for Carol to say anything else.

Running out the front door, he darted between both the group's homes and toward the back alley road and didn't stop until he reached the garage of Jake's house.

The garage door was open and Georgie was sitting inside on a stool, holding a blowtorch in one hand and her wedding ring in the other.

"Georgie."

She looked up and attempted a smile. "Hey. I'm sorry I took off without saying anything."

"S'alright," he assured, stepping into the garage. "Why are you back here? You should still be resting."

"I've rested enough, and I had some things I needed to get."

Rick gestured to her hands. "Like a blowtorch? You planning on setting this house on fire?"

"I was planning on setting something on fire."

"Jake?"

"The thought had crossed my mind, but no." Setting the blowtorch down on the workbench, she stuffed the ring in her pocket and looked down at the ground. "Carol told me that Noah died yesterday."

"Yeah."

"He was a sweet kid. He didn't deserve to go out like that. And Tara…" she trailed, shaking her head. "As much as it pains me to say, she's in good hands with Jake. He was always a very good doctor. That's the only thing about him that hasn't changed."

Rick nodded. "I talked to Deanna about all this. She's not keen on the whole killing Jake idea."

Georgie smirked. "I'm not surprised. She's a politician to the bone. She'd never sully her reputation in this community or get her hands dirty with doing what needs to be done." She winced just then, placing a hand to her pelvic bone.

Walking directly up to her with concern, Rick took her hand in his and pushed it away. Discreetly, he pushed down the waist of her pants down off her hips and saw some fresh bruising. Looking back up at her, all Rick could do was pull Georgie into his arms and hold her still.

"Deanna's not gonna have a say in what's done with Jake. It's not up to her. This is our decision to make," he whispered. "Shit's gonna have to change around here. And the people here are gonna change with it or get left behind."

"You're not wrong," she muttered. "They don't get what it's like out there, if they were really ever out there. You can't know, not living in a bubble like this." Georgie stepped back from Rick, nodding to herself. She picked the blowtorch back up and gripped it tight. "Bubbles pop eventually."

As she turned to head inside of the house, Rick stepped forward to stop her. "I don't think going in there's a good idea."

"It's alright. I've already been inside. Jake's not here. He's at the Infirmary."

"He could come back."

Georgie shrugged. "What's he gonna do that he hasn't already done to me?"

Rick frowned at her. "He could kill you," he stated.

"He can try."

Georgie turned completely away from Rick and entered the house, leaving him behind in the garage.

Frustrated with just about everything at the moment, Rick walked out of the garage and out onto the road on the side of the house. When he reached the intersection, he stopped and looked around at all the residents of Alexandria going about their lives. He looked to his right, toward his house and saw Tristan playing on the front lawn, by himself, doing cartwheels like every kid his age should be doing. Everyone was acting as if everything was peachy keen. But everything wasn't peachy keen. Everything was—

"Sour apples," Rick mumbled.

Turning to look up at Jake's house, he couldn't leave Georgie alone in there. Not again.

Running up to the stairs and up onto the porch, he threw the door open and found her in the process of throwing plates and bowls at the cupboards while she cried.

This was how she was trying to deal with what was done to her.

When she saw Rick standing there, she walked up to him and threw her arms around his neck and he just held her tightly for what felt like forever. Together they sank down on the blue sofa and he cupped her face in his hands. Leaning her head closer to him, Rick kissed the bump on her head and then her lips.

Leaning back, with a smile, he asked, "Why destroy the dinnerware when you can destroy the nightmare?"

Georgie laughed. "Did you just make that up all on your own?" she teased.

"I did," he nodded. "Did you like it?"

She simply looked right at him and grazed his stubbly face with her fingertips. "I like everything about you."

Smiling in response, Rick pressed his forehead to hers. "What say you and I get whatever else it is you might need from this place and then you finally come home with me for good?" he suggested. "You go upstairs and get clothes, both yours and Tristan's, maybe a couple of toys for him. I'll stay down here and keep an eye out."

Georgie nodded. "Okay."

Standing up together, he watched as she winced from the pain she still felt in her groin and pelvic area. He gave both her hands a squeeze and nuzzled his face against hers.

"Don't rush things. Take it slow."

"Slow and steady wins the race? Something like that?" she quipped.

Rick smirked. "Yeah," he replied, leaning in once more to kiss her. "It's gonna get better for us now. I promise."

"I can't wait," she whispered.

"Rick. What are you doing here?"

Both of them turned and saw Jake standing at the open front door with an eerie smile on his lips.

"Jake," Georgie uttered, as if she had just swallowed a mouthful of cod liver oil.

The tall, blonde man stepped further inside the house, eyeing up Rick. "What are you doing here?"

"You listen to me, Jake," she continued, but was unceremoniously ignored by him.

"I'm gonna have to ask you to leave, Rick."

"No," Georgie shook her head.

Rick stood his ground, but allowed Georgie to confront her husband on her own terms, so long as he was there in case Jake tried anything against her. On the outside, he was cool as a cucumber, but on the inside Rick was a raging sea, and looking for any reason to tear Jake a new one.

"Excuse me?" Jake questioned, shifting his attention to Georgie. He took a step in her direction and Rick did the same.

"You need to leave." She balled her fists at her side, wishing she hadn't set the blowtorch down on the kitchen island before she started throwing dishes around.

"This is my house, bitch. I'm not going anywhere."

Rick's chest puffed. He was losing his cool, and Jake sensed it and used it to what he thought was his advantage. Glaring at Georgie, he got in her face. "How long you been fucking him?" He looked between the pair and then settled on Georgie again. "Once white trash, always white trash. You were nothing until I married you. I put you in a nice home, gave you beautiful kids. You wanted for nothing."

"I thought I wanted nothing else," Georgie replied, scowling at him. "And then the world changed and showed me who you really were—who you are."

"And what am I?" he egged.

"A monster. A murderer. A rapist. A child killer," she growled. "Did you know Tristan was at that house when you killed all those people—his friends? You would've killed our son and not realized it. He found the red hat. He remembered it. He told us what happened and now our son knows you're the monster from his nightmares." Pursing her lips together, Georgie spit in his face. "Our son is coming with me now. Fuck your stability and fuck you."

Without missing a beat, Jake reached out and grabbed Georgie by the arm and shoved her into the art easel and Rick wasted no time in taking that moment to attack. Grabbing Jake's jacket sleeve, Rick pushed him aside and glared up at him.

"You come into my house—"

"You're leaving right now," Rick announced, shoving Jake.

Jake shoved back. "You think you're the law? You actually think you have a say in anything here?"

"You're gonna want to get out of my face," Rick warned as Jake stood inches from him. "Step back."

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Someone who really wants to kill you right now!" Rick shouted.

Hauling back, Jake punched Rick in the face and Rick retaliated, punching right back.

"You will not touch her ever again!" Rick declared, getting another punch in before Jake came back up swinging, punching him in the gut. "You are never going to—"

He was cut off when Jake grabbed him up like a football player going in for a tackle. Rick was slammed into the wall and both men began to wrapped their hands around each other's necks; the fight quickly becoming primal. Jake began pushing his hands into Rick's face and slamming his head into the wall where he had him pinned. Being a taller man, Jake had somewhat of an upper hand.

"You think you can tell me what I can do with my wife?!" Jake shouted back, emphasizing each word with every bang of Rick's head.

"Jake, stop it!" Georgie shouted, picking up a glass bottle filled with brandy off the top of the liquor cabinet by the door and smashing it across the back of his head.

Somehow, though, Jake remained unfazed. He kicked his leg back into her knee and she buckled, dropping to the ground, which only enraged Rick more as he struggled under Jake's grasp.

"It's my house!" Jake barked.

Rick was able to bring his knee up into Jake's stomach and get the elbow room he needed to shove Jake away. However, Jake kept his hands on Rick's jacket and pulled him down with him as he tumbled backward over the sofa; both crashing onto the coffee table and shattering the glass top. Both men continued to shout and grunt, like two alpha male lions battling for dominance.

"No! Stop it!" Georgie pleaded as she got to her feet and tried pulling Jake off Rick, but was knocked back again.

Before she could react, Rick and Jake were back up on their feet and Rick used the adrenaline building in him and barreled into Jake, knocking them both through the front window. Shattered glass showered down around them as they landed on the porch outside; both cut up and starting to bleed pretty badly.

Georgie ran out of the house, shouting after them as Jake lifted Rick to his feet and tossed him off the porch. Rick somersaulted backward and clamored to his feet just as Jake jumped down on top of him and both men continued to tussle out into the middle of the street.

The commotion drew everyone away from what they were doing, and they came running from all directions.

When Rick managed to get on top, he wrapped his hands around Jake's throat and squeezed, while his own blood ran down his face and began to blur his vision when it dripped into his eyes. Jake got a punch in but then so did Rick. They continued like that with everyone just standing around. Georgie saw Tristan being pulled protectively behind Carol, and Carl seemed scared for his father.

As they rolled and Jake took over being on top, Rick tried pushing his thumbs into Jake's eyes while Jake tried choking him. Both men were grunting, snarling and gasping in a mad dash for dominance and Georgie had to do something, so she ran over to Jake and grabbed his shoulder in another attempt at pulling him off Rick.

When Jack released his grip momentarily on Rick, he swung his fist back into Georgie's face, hitting her in the same place as the day before. She fell back on her ass and that was enough to kick Rick's adrenaline into overdrive.

Rick used the slip in Jake's grip to lean up and headbutt him.

Jake fell off him and Rick claimed the top again, trying to choke Jake.

All he saw was red, and not just his own blood. He was so enraged with what had happened to Georgie, and with everything he knew Jake had done. Add in everything that had happened to his group in the last month alone, and Rick was suddenly a time bomb that had exploded.

Carl even tried to put a stop to the fight but was shoved back unsuccessfully by Rick.

When Rick got behind Jake, he wrapped his arms around the man's neck and began to choke him out. All he needed was that extra 'oomph' and he could easily snap Jake's neck.

But that's when Deanna came running up, out of breath.

"Stop it! Stop it right now."

"You touch her again and I'll kill you," Rick threatened venomously into Jake's ear, but loud enough for others to hear as well.

"Dammit, Rick! I said stop."

As Tobin and Nicholas advanced on him, Rick released his grip on Jake, stood up on his knees and whipped out the gun he had been hiding behind him, under his jacket.

"Or what?" he asked, waving the gun around. "You gonna kick me out?"

"Put that gun down, Rick," Deanna urged.

Panting, Rick shook his head. "You still don't get it," he remarked, sitting back on the heels of his feet. He looked around at everyone. "None of you do!" Gesturing to his people, focusing momentarily on Georgie, he continued, "We know what needs to be done and we do it. We're the ones who live. You—you just sit and plan and hesitate." Glaring at Deanna, he continued to point the gun. "You pretend like you know when you don't. You wish things weren't what they are. Well, you want to live? You want this place to stay standing? Your way of doing things is done! Things don't get better because you—you want them to. Starting right now, we have to live in the real world. We have to control who lives here."

"That's never been more clear to me than it is right now," Deanna remarked with a scowl.

Georgie shot a look the other woman's way.

"Me? Me?" Rick gestured to himself and laughed. "You—you mean—you mean me? Your way is gonna destroy this place. It's gonna get people killed. It's already gotten people killed. And I'm not gonna stand by and just let it happen. If you don't fight, you die. I'm not gonna stand by and unnhh—"

He was cut off mid rant by Michonne who walked up and punched him in the back of his head.

Rick went down like a sack of potatoes.

Looking over at Carol, Georgie saw her son was alright. When she received a nod from the older woman, Georgie stepped past Michonne and crouched down beside the unconscious form of the man she loved. Staring up at Michonne for a moment, she then cast her eyes upon Deanna.

"Rick came to you today in my defense, to do something about the kind of people you knowingly allow to live here." Georgie got to her feet and approached Deanna and pointed to her face. "This is the visible damage, and you played a part in it. You let him in," she gestured to Jake. "You let a monster in."

She turned and looked at everyone else while Tobin walked over to Jake and helped him up.

"Do you see me?" she asked everyone and no one in particular. "I'm still standing." She placed a hand to her mouth, tears falling down her face as she glared at Deanna. "And I'm standing here."

She emphasized her point, whether anyone understood it or not, by looking down at Rick.

Georgie sighed sadly at what a mess he was. All that blood covering his face, all those cuts and other unseen injuries he sustained to help defend her. He deserved so much better than all of this. He was a broken man trying to piece his world back together, but it was like trying to slap a Band-Aid on a broken leg. She wanted to help him heal, the way he helped her heal. She wanted to be his cast.

Looking at Jake with disgust, she spit at him again.

"Georgie—" he began to speak to her.

"Shut up, Jake." She took a step closer to him as Glenn and Abraham walked over to lift Rick's limp body up off the pavement. "I believe in Islam, when a man wants to divorce his wife, all he has to say is 'I divorce you' three times. Well, I may not be a man, and I may not be Muslim, but, you know what, Jake?"

He looked her defiantly in the eye.

Georgie smiled and wiped blood from her cheek. Whose blood was anybody's guess at this point.

"I divorce you, I divorce you, I divorce you."