Dale noticed that Kit was beginning to load some of her things into the minivan she drove – that couldn't be good. He knew that there had been tension between the pair and the rest of the group, but he hadn't imagined that things had become so bad that they wanted to leave. Since Kit was still upset from earlier, he decided to approach Daryl, instead.

The redneck sent him an irritated look, but Dale reminded himself that Daryl was a good man, just a pissed man at the moment. "The point of us comin' up here is ta get away from you people."

"It's going to take more than that," Dale informed him. "Kit had to learn that the hard way back at the quarry. I am a very persistent man."

"Did Carol send you?" Daryl asked.

"Carol isn't the only one who's concerned about you and your role in the group."

"I don't need my head shrunk: the group's broken, Kit an' I are better off by ourselves." He meant it, too. The idea was becoming sweeter and sweeter.

"You keep saying that you don't care," Dale began.

"That's 'cause I don't. The only thing I care 'bout right now is standin' next to her car." He paused for a second, knowing that Kit cared about the Old Man. "Yer free ta come if ya want," he said guardedly. "I know Kit likes you an' Glenn."

"I'll pass," Dale sighed, as he watched Daryl putting on his jacket. "So live or die you don't care what happens to Randall?"

"Nope."

"So why don't you take my side, help him live."

"I didn't peg you for a desperate sumbitch," Daryl drawled.

"Your opinion makes a difference," Dale insisted. "Kit's, too."

Daryl scoffed. "Ain't no one lookin' to me fer nothin'. An' they certainly don't give a damn what Kit says, even if they should. She's right too damn often fer her own good."

"Carol's looking to you," Dale told Daryl. "I care about your opinions and Glenn listens to Kit. You obviously have Rick's ear."

Daryl had never heard more bullshit in his life. "Rick listens ta Shane," he growled. "Let him."

However, the redneck did have to give Dale one thing: he was as persistent as he claimed to be. "You cared about what happened to Sophia, you cared about what it meant to the group." Dale had unwittingly just crossed a line with Daryl. "Torturing people? That isn't you," he said firmly. "You are a decent man – otherwise Kit wouldn't be with you. Rick is a decent man, too. Shane is a different matter."

"'Cause he killed Otis. Rick ain't stupid: if he don't know what happened, it's 'cause he didn't wanna. Like I said, the group's broken. 'Sides, I don't know what that Olive Oyl bitch said ta Kit yesterday but I do know that I never want ta see Kit come back to our tent lookin' like that again. But so's ya know, ya don't need ta convince me ta side with ya on Randall. I don't give a damn, but Kit doesn't want the kid ta die and I know what's good fer me. So ya can go ahead an' leave an' then come back when ya need somethin' else from me."

"You know that I think highly of you, Daryl," Dale insisted. "Otherwise I wouldn't have told you that you should pursue her."

Daryl continued to stalk off, wanting to leave this group behind him.

Dale was happy that Daryl would side with him, even if it was only because of Kit, but he was still disappointed that he hadn't gotten through to the man. The last thing he wanted was for the pair to leave, especially her. Kit was one of the few people in the group who wouldn't go flying off the handle with every new issue that came up; she was calm and exerted that calm on the others. If Dale wanted to prevent the group from actually breaking, he would need her.

He approached Herschel, thinking that he would have an easy ally in the other man, but soon realized that this wouldn't be the case when all Herschel would say was that he didn't want to know and he would leave it to Rick.

"If you aren't going to talk to Randall, you can't tell me you don't care about what Kit thinks."

Herschel paused. "She's always seemed reasonable – nice enough."

"Well you should know then that she is very opposed to this execution and wants nothing to do with it. In fact, I suspect that if Rick goes through with it, she and Daryl may leave the group permanently. I'm sure you can imagine the potential consequences of that."

Herschel nodded gravely. "She keeps some of your uppity thoroughbreds in check, I know. I'll think about it and if it appears many in your group side with you two, then I'll agree with you, but I don't want to go against Rick if I can help it."

While Dale was trying to get the group on his side, Kit continued making preparations for her departure with Daryl, should they make that decision. What surprised her was that Shane approached her, literally waving a white flag, or rag, as the case was. "I'm comin' here peacefully. Can we have a civil discussion?" he asked.

"I'm never opposed to civil discussion," Kit informed him. "You simply make very uncivil suggestions which causes uncivil debate."

"Well, I'm just here ta talk." Kit eyed him up and down before nodding, giving him the signal he could continue. "I wanna know where you stand on the Randall issue."

"I'm sure you can guess, given how often we end up on opposing sides."

"I figured as much," he sighed. "What do you suggest if we don't kill him?"

"I say we drive him off as far away as possible and leave him there – I'll take him myself, if I have to. I won't deny that you might be a challenge, but I could kick that boy's ass in about two seconds if he gives me trouble."

Shane nodded amicably. "I will give you that, Eldridge, you could kick his ass. But don't you think it's dangerous lettin' him go?"

"My guess is that his group is long gone by now and he doesn't even have the slightest inkling of where to go to look for them. Look, I'm not saying we should help him out but we should at least give him a fighting chance. I don't think he's even eighteen, yet."

He sighed, realizing he wouldn't convince her. "I s'pose it's inevitable for us to disagree on everythin' an' you know by now that I don't care fer you much but I don't want you an' Daryl leavin'."

Kit couldn't believe her own ears. Yes, they never agreed and yes, they hated each other, but why the hell would Shane want her and Daryl to stay? "What?"

He rubbed the back of his head, like he always did when he was agitated. "I'm gonna tell ya right now, I think yer wrong on just 'bout everythin', but you gotta understand that I've got only one priority right now an' that's ta keep Lori an' Carl safe. You an' Daryl are probably the best shots here an' you both know how ta survive, unlike most people. Given the special set of skills you two have, I want you to stay because I want to protect my own. I know you an' Lori ain't on good terms right now, but I also know you don't want her dead."

"Walsh, you are so fucking strange," she grumbled. "You want us to stay?" Kit did have to give Shane credit for one thing: he cared about Lori, Carl and his unborn child. He, like Kit, had probably done the math. "Well, I'll tell ya what, Walsh, whether or not we stay depends entirely on how the debate goes tonight."

He nodded, getting the answer he expected. "Since we're actually managing to talk to each other without this turning into an all-out brawl, I do have another question for you, since Lori told you before me or Rick. Does she know who the father is?" He figured Lori could be lying about the confusion with the paternity.

Kit had to think carefully before she proceeded. She knew that Shane would only pursue Lori even more aggressively if she told him what she knew and that he would certainly inform Rick that he was the uncontested father of the baby. She also believed that Lori had the right to choose who she wanted to father the baby. However, she was not in the mood to make Lori's life any easier at this point and she certainly understood why Shane would believe he had a right to be involved. "What will you do if I answer yes to either situation?" she asked.

"Well, if Lori is actually confused, I still think it's mine and I still know that Rick can't protect her and Carl like I can. If it's mine, then I think I should have a right to it and I'm gonna fight for that right."

It was about what Kit expected. "What do you mean by fight for it?"

"I'll do whatever I gotta do to convince her."

"Well," Kit replied, "I don't know whether or not Lori knows who the father is, but I certainly do." Screw Lori and screw Rick – they played just as large a part in her desire to leave as Shane. At least Shane was straightforward, though, easy to understand. Under normal circumstances, Kit didn't believe in giving into personal vendettas but she figured that either way Shane would still believe the baby was his. Lori could now consider her and Kit even. "It seems that all those years learning to count weren't a complete waste for you, Walsh," she said.

He raised his eyebrows. "So it ain't Rick's?"

"If either you or Rick or even Lori had actually paid attention in health class, then you would know that a woman isn't going to know she's pregnant only barely over a week since the sex – no missed periods at that point. So, if Lori was exhibiting symptoms to make her believe she was pregnant when she took that test, there's no way it's Rick's. I don't even think her body would have even registered the difference after only eight days or sure."

Shane didn't know what to say. "Are you actually helping me out, Eldridge?"

"I'm sharing general knowledge," she replied. "Besides, right now I'm actually more pissed at Rick and Lori than I am at you, if that's even possible. I ask only three things in return for this information and I think you'll agree it's a fair trade. First, no one is to know that I told you this – as far as they're concerned, you figured it out yourself. Second, don't make me regret giving you this information by creating a massive shit storm. And finally, don't be an asshole tonight. If you fail to come through on any of those conditions then Daryl and I leave that very second, no more discussion."

Shane nodded in agreement. "You got yerself a deal, Eldridge."

"We never had this conversation then. Now get your ass out of here before you piss me off and make me retract this deal."

The tension in the room as they all waited for the debate to begin was absolutely insufferable. Kit and Daryl stood together on the very edge of the group, as had become their customary place. It was agreed that they would see where the group stands before determining how many votes it required to execute that poor kid.

"The way I see, we got only one option," Shane declared. After all, he hadn't promised to agree with her during the debate, only that he wouldn't be a complete asshole.

"By killing him!" Dale said indignantly. "Why even bother with a vote? It's clear where the wind's blowin'." Dale knew that so far, he only had the assured votes from Kit and Daryl.

"I still want to see where everyone stands," Rick insisted.

Kit decided to speak. "Daryl and I agree with Dale." All the eyes in the room were drawn to her and appeared shocked that she and Daryl agreed with the older man. Though, it was still only a small group of three.

They began arguing about how Randall was just another mouth to feed when Dale suggested Randall could be an asset. "Hold on," Kit interjected. "I said we don't want Randall to be executed, not that he should be a part of the group. I say we ship him off as far away as possible and leave him there."

The others seemed to agree that it was impractical to keep him around and trust him. Kit did have to agree with Shane on one thing: keeping Randall there was a bad idea. A watch on him would be a pain in the ass and just because she didn't want to kill him that didn't mean Kit trusted him.

"So the answer is to kill him for a crime he may never even attempt?" Dale asked. "We do that and we are declaring there is no piece of civilization left."

Shane was about to groan about Dale's little speech when he saw that Kit had her eyes trained on him, making sure he kept his end of the deal. He would just have to express his opinions in a different way.

"Well," Herschel said. "What about Kit's idea? We drive him further out?"

"You barely came back this time," Lori whined. "Anything could happen."

"I'll do it myself so you don't have to worry about putting your husband in danger," Kit told Lori icily. "I don't care if I have to drive Randall all the way to Montana by myself if that's what it takes to save his life. Now, I say we drive him a few hours away, drop him off, and leave him be."

Glenn gave her a worried look. "I don't want anyone putting their lives at risk." Though, in truth, the people actually making the decisions didn't give a damn whether Kit's life was at risk or not – those people being Rick, Shane and Lori.

As the others began discussing execution methods Daryl and Kit shared a look of discomfort with the topic and Kit shook her head in disgust at the ease with which the others talked about a man's life. She also knew that if there was dirty work to be done – say, an execution – Rick would want Daryl there for sure and she could possibly be dragged in as well.

"This is a young man's life!" Dale cried "And it is worth more than a five-minute conversation." He glared at everyone. "Besides, there are other consequences to this decision than simply whether or not that poor boy lives. Or was I the only one who noticed Kit packing her car today?"

Everyone except Shane looked at her with surprise, so Kit could reasonably assume that no one had been paying any attention, not that she cared. Glenn and Herschel in particular looked concerned. "Are you leaving?" Glenn asked, hurt.

"I've been considering it," she replied slowly, realizing that everyone was staring at her in shock. "It's something Daryl and I have discussed for a while and in all honesty I don't know if I want to stay in a group that is capable of casually ending a boy's life."

"You would abandon the group?" Rick asked, clearly not getting it.

"In many ways, Daryl and I have never been a part of it," she said, sending an accusatory glance at Lori. "And don't think that this decision has been made lightly. Besides, we're just two more mouths to feed," she said, echoing the concerns that had been expressed about Randall earlier. "And we're two more people who don't agree with every action that you take, Rick."

The group appeared completely astonished that she and Daryl would even consider this. "We're better off on our own, in case ya didn't get the picture," Daryl added.

"That man has been tortured and now he's going to be executed," Dale continued. "How are we any better than the men we're so afraid of? Most of you can't even tell when two people in your own group are feeling alienated from everyone! Some people noticed it, Carol being one, but up until just now, now that they're actually leaving, I haven't seen any attempts to try and keep them in the group coming from anyone else."

Dale's speech made everyone else in the group besides Shane feel incredibly uncomfortable as they considered their actions with Randall and continually stole glances at Kit and Daryl. "I think we all know what we need to do," Shane said, staring straight at Kit as he said it.

Rick made half-hearted attempts to be diplomatic before Andrea finally added her two cents. Apart from the opinions expressed by Dale and Herschel that night, Andrea's opinion was one of the few Kit actually gave a shit about. Andrea, like Kit, could be diplomatic when she wanted to and try to find a healthy medium. "So what's the solution?" she asked. "We haven't come up with a single viable solution, yet, that everyone feels comfortable with."

"So let's try to find one!" Dale insisted.

Kit decided to give one final opinion to the group, knowing it probably wouldn't do any good. "The key to a good compromise," she began "Is that nobody feels completely comfortable with it. That means that a compromise has actually occurred. This discussion has seen two extremes: Randall's execution and trying to sing kumbaya with him on the farm. Our job is to find the solution that sits between those two extremes and carry it out, even if everyone doesn't agree on it because that solution is the most likely one to be fair."

Carol finally said something, though it didn't exactly warm Kit's heart. "Just stop it! Stop arguing. We didn't ask for this, you can't expect us make a decision. Either of you, both of you, any of you: you can decide for yourselves, but leave me out."

"Not speaking out, or killing him yourself, there is not difference." Dale was a little more passionate about this subject than Kit, but that may have been due to the fact that she was ready to leave.

"That's enough," Rick declared. "Anyone who wants the floor before we make a decision, this is your final chance."

Dale continued begging the group, mirroring Kit's own thoughts on the issue, but Kit could see already that everyone else had either made up their minds, or would be a bystander in the matter. "Is there anybody apart from the two people about to leave this group for good who will stand with me?"

"He's right," Andrea said, giving Kit a pleasant surprise. "We should try to find another way. If you don't want to do it for Randall, then do it if you want Kit and Daryl to consider staying. I know that I don't want them to leave."

If she and Daryl left, Kit would miss Andrea. She would miss Glenn and Dale and Herschel and Maggie, but ultimately, she had to listen to her conscience and maybe Andrea would leave with them. Kit knew that Andrea felt a little out of place in the group, too.

Dale was clearly rattled by the decision the group had come to, despite the fact that four people were opposed to the execution. As he left, he gave Daryl a very serious stare. "You're right, this group is broken."

Night would be falling soon and Daryl and Kit were making final preparations to leave when they were approached by a small group of people: Carol, Andrea, Herschel, and Glenn.

"So you're really leaving?" Andrea asked.

Kit nodded in response. "We leave tomorrow – I can't live with this."

"You know that we don't want you to leave," Carol told them. "We all care about you two, Dale, too."

"Maggie doesn't want you to leave," Herschel insisted.

Daryl and Kit weren't happy to be leaving, but at this point they felt as if they had no choice. "Unless Randall's life is spared," she informed them, "We leave tomorrow morning. Just like I said in the house."

With that, she and Daryl laced hands, heading back to their tent for their final night on the farm. They ran into Rick and Shane there, but they only served to confirm one of their reasons for leaving. "Daryl, can you help us out? Kit, you'd be useful, too."

"Kill him your own goddamn self," she spat. "Since you so clearly want him dead."

Rick glanced at Daryl. "It's just in case somethin' happens," he said, knowing what it would take to get Daryl to come. "We don't want him runnin' off."

"Unbelievable! So I guess it takes three men to kill someone." She retreated to her tent, knowing that Daryl didn't want any part of it, but still pissed that he would so easily bow to Rick's manipulation.

Daryl didn't feel at all comfortable with the execution, especially because he knew that Kit would be very pissed off. But they would be leaving in the morning, and anything he had helped Rick with would soon be far behind them. What made him even angrier with Rick was the way the other man was dragging his feet when the execution was supposed to be 'quick'. If Rick couldn't carry out the execution himself, then he shouldn't have made that decision.

He couldn't help but feel happy that Rick couldn't stand by this particular decision, though. However, it did leave him wondering what he and Kit would do in the morning. After all, she had only promised to leave if Randall was executed, which clearly wasn't going to happen. At least she would probably be a little less pissed at him.

Kit had been looking for Daryl, knowing that he should have been back by now – at least if they had actually killed Randall – when she heard someone screaming in the field. Acting solely on instinct, Kit unsheathed her knife and ran towards the screams.

What she came upon was something she couldn't bear to see: Daryl hunched over Dale with a dispatched walker not far away. She nearly vomited when she noticed the condition he was in because there was absolutely no way he could live through that, at least not without a hospital.

"Dale," she choked, alerting Daryl to her presence.

He was about to run to Kit when he saw Rick standing over Dale's body, clearly lacking the balls to put the poor man out of his misery. Daryl took the gun from Rick, not wanting Kit to have to see Dale suffering. "Sorry brother," he said, before pulling the trigger.

Right after doing so, he ran over to Kit who was, as always, his first priority. He supposed he had his answer now: there was no way they could leave the following morning.