So I felt bad for my abscense so here's another chapter! Yay~

Edit: 3,743 words...Geez. I think that's my longest chapter ever! You better enjoy~

That day, Lucia had made up her mind. While everyone was inside eating lunch, she had taken down her tent and taken it in pieces over to Daryl's little camp. She set it up, not directly beside but close enough, to his own. When lunch was finished, Daryl seemed slightly shocked at the sight of her pitching her tent. "What are you doing?"

"If you wont come to us, I'll come to you." She said simply and stepped inside. He stood there, confused, but a bit smug. Rolling his eyes, he went inside his own. It wasn't ten minutes later that Lucia heard a knock on the top of her tent. "Come in." She said, rolling over into a sitting position. In walked Daryl. Surprise danced in her eyes as she watched him take a seat beside her.

"Look," He said slowly, staring at the ground. "I aint no preacher, so don't really know how to explain these things." He heaved in a deep sigh and looked over at her. "I'm sorry for the way I treated you the other night."

There was silence, as Lucia looked at him. A smile formed on her lips, and without thinking twice she leaned over and wrapped her arms around his neck. His body was stiff at first, and he was uncomfortable with the contact, but Lucia didn't care. Slowly, but surely, she felt him relax and he patted her back awkwardly. Once she leaned back, he gave her a half smile. They were friends again.

Later in the afternoon, Dale had asked Daryl to find some small food for them to snack on if they should get hungry during the night. They didn't want to go through the supply in Hershal's house too quickly. After he had found several squirrels, he went to work gutting them on the porch of the house. Naturally, Lucia was sitting next to him, helping. A long time ago, he had taught her how to clean out the inside of the small, fuzzy creature. And while it sort of put her off, she did it anyway.

Suddenly, Lori bust out of the house and ran towards Andrea who was sitting on top of the R.V. "Have you seen Hershal or Maggie?"

"I saw Maggie walking around with Glenn a minute ago. Why?" The blonde asked, setting down her shot gun. There was an urgency in Lori's voice that didn't go unnoticed.

"I need you to go get her, I have to get back to the house." Without waiting for an answer, Lori took off back for the house.

Lucia looked over at Daryl. "Wonder what's going on."

He grunted without taking his eyes off the squirrel for a moment. "Hell if I know."

She stopped for a moment and looked out at the horizon of the farm. One of those familiar ominous feelings drifted past her and she shivered slightly. The weather was starting to get colder. It was turning into fall, slowly, but surely. "Do you ever get these feelings that something bad is goin' on?" She kept looking out over the farm. Everything seemed so beautiful, so untouched. It couldn't be true.

He shrugged his shoulders and turned to her. He watched her as she stared at the landscape around them. He didn't know what to think anymore. He had apologized to her, but it didn't seem like that was enough. She had forgiven him, but the more he thought about it, the more what he said had bugged him. He was stupid to not think that she was attractive, but she said she loved him. A burly stupid redneck like himself. Could that even be possible?

"Well I wanna go find out." She set her knife down and started to walk into the house.

"Why do you care about their business?" He asked, looking up at her.

A smirk played on her lips. She joked with him, "Why? You want me to stay?"

There was a slight pause and he spoke, "Yes."

Surprise and shock made her eyes widen as they stared at each other. He didn't want her to leave? Without another word, she sat in the chair beside him.

Later still, they were leaning against a tree trunk. Daryl was reading the book Andrea had given him. "I never pegged you to be a reader." Lucia said with a grin, as they sat in the heat.

He glanced over at her. "Just cause I don't talk pretty don't mean I can't read." She giggled.

Their attention was turned as Maggie and Lori stepped out of the house as Andrea was running up to meet them. "How is Beth? Is she alright?" Andrea asked.

Maggie put her hands on her hips. "She would have been alright if you would have stayed with her. Where were you?" She huffed and a bit of her hair flew out of her face. "My dad is in there stitching up her arms right now."

Andrea smiled, and glanced at the ground in surprise. "She wants to live!"

"She tried to kill herself!" The brunette snapped. Andrea attempted to walk up the stairs, but Maggie stepped in her way. "Stay away from her." Her voice had dropped to a dangerous warning tone. "Don't you dare step foot in the house again." They stared at each other for a moment, then Andrea nodded and turned to leave.

"Shit." Daryl mumbled, watching them. "Women gettin' pissed."

"Ever had something like that happen to you?" Lucia asked, gesturing to the topic of the recent argument. He looked over at her. "Nah man, I aint got time for that shit." He gazed at her. "You?"

"Yeah. Back when I first had a run in with this crap." She sighed and hugged her knees into her chest. "I thought that there was no hope for anything, and I just wanted to be done with it." She laughed slightly. "I guess not much is different."

"What changed your mind about wanting to live?" He asked, listening closely.

She smiled at him. "You."

That evening, when Shane and Rick returned looking like they just finished beating the shit out of each other, Randal was stuffed inside the barn with Daryl, while Lucia stood with her back against the door; arms crossed across her chest.

The boy had his hands and ankles tied together. Daryl reared back and punched him directly in the face. Randal cried out in anguish. The gruff man slammed his his fist into his jaw again. And again. The boy started to bleed from the mouth and was moaning loudly.

"I told you." He said brokenly.

"You aint told me shit." Daryl growled. He grabbed him and threw him roughly against the wall.

"I hardly knew those guys. I met them on the road."

Daryl pulled out a knife. Randal started to loose it. He begged and pleaded but Daryl wasn't a one to be screwed with. "How many are in your group?" When Randal didn't talk, he slammed it next to his leg, barely scraping the skin. "How many?"

"Thirty! Thirty men!"

He rips off the bandage that covered his wound. From what Lucia had been told, he jumped off a roof and fell right onto a iron fence. Went straight through his knee. "Where?" He put his knife on his cut, threatening to tear into it. This wasn't exactly something Lucia wanted to see, but she promised Daryl she would stay beside him.

"I don't know I swear!" Randal's voice was shrill with fear. "We were never any place more than a night."

"Scouting?"

He shrugged his shoulders. Daryl applied more force to the blade. "They left me behind! Come on man, I'm trying to cooperate here."

"I'll start real slow at first, then I'll just rip it off." He started to squirm and scream again. Daryl grabbed him by the hair. "They took a shot at my boys. Try to take this farm. You're just gonna tell me you were innocent?"

"Yes!" He screeched. "Those p-people took me in. Not just guys, a whole bunch of 'em." Daryl stood back up to his full height and turned away. "Men and women. Kids just like you people. I thought I had a better chance with them ya know?" He voice started to return to it's normal volume, but he started to stutter.

"But we go out, scavenged. Just the men. One night we found this little campsite. A man and his two daughters. Just teenagers." He slowed his speech. "Real young...real cute..." Daryl slowly turned around and glared at the boy, not liking where this story was headed.

"I-I had to take watch while those guys..." He paused in his speech, as if thinking of the right words to choose. "They didn't even kill em afterwards. They just made him watch."

"Disgusting." Lucia spat. How horrible. Fucking people like that still exist? It's an apocalypse for God's sake can't we all get along and pull together?

Randal looked at Daryl. "His daughters. Just left 'em there. But I didn't touch those girls I swear!" Daryl kicked him hard in the gut.

He yelled in agony. "Please man you gotta believe me man!" He kicked him again. Then he leaned down and punched him.

Lucia didn't say a word.

Daryl and Lucia came out of the barn about an hour later, approaching the group. Daryl spoke as they neared. "Boy's got a gang. Thirty men, heavy artillery." He turned his attention to Rick. "They aint lookin' to make friends. They come up here, guys will be dead. And the women..." He shook his head. "They gonna wish they were."

Carol stepped forward. "What did you do?"

Daryl adjusted the crossbow on his back, then glanced back at Lucia. "Had a little chat."

Shane interjected, "Rick what are you gonna do?"

He sighed then slowly looked around at the rest of the group. "We have to eliminate the threat. It's settled." He breathed in deeply. "We'll do it today."

Daryl turned to leave, and Lucia kept in step beside him.

Later that day still, Daryl was poking at the sticks that served as his fire pit. Lucia was sitting outside of his tent reading the same book that he had earlier. When Dale appeared, he spoke up. "The whole point of me coming out here was to get away from you people." Dale threw a twig he was carrying into the pit.

"Nah, it's gonna take more than that."

He stood but avoided looking at the old man. "Carol send you?"

He shook his head. "Carol isn't the only one who is concerned about you and your new role in the group." He nodded towards Lucia.

She quickly spoke up. "He did what needed to be done."

Daryl said, "I don't need my head shrunk. I'm better off fendin' for myself."

Dale's fuzzy brows scrunched in confusion. "You act like you don't care."

"Yeah, cause I don't." He picked up his nearby vest and threw it on.

The old man stepped forward. Lucia watched from her spot on the ground silently with mild interest. Daryl was about to go hunting and as much as she wanted to go with him, she knew she would be better off here. Daryl could take care of himself. "Live or die, you don't care what happens to Randal?"

He turned and looked at him. "Nope."

Dale shrugged he shoulders, "Then why not stand with me and try to save the kid's life. It really doesn't matter one way or another."

The gruff man grabbed his crossbow and slung it over her shoulder.I didn't peg you for a desperate son bitch. Aint nobody looking at me for nothing."

Dale shook his head quickly trying to sound convincing. "Lucia is. Carol is. And I am...right now. Obviously Rick is."

Daryl stepped forward towards him, getting in his face. "Rick looks to Shane. Let 'em." He turned to walk away, but Dale's words stopped him.

"You cared what happened to Sophia; cared what it meant to the group." He threw his arms up into the air. "But torturing people... that isn't you. You're a decent man, and so is Rick." He lowered his voice. "Shane, is different."

Daryl cocked his head to the side. "Why? Cause he killed Otis?" A shocked expression crossed the older man's face, and Daryl continued. "He made up some story that Otis died to cover his ass. Showed up and the dead guy is gone." He scoffed, "Rick aint stupid. If he didn't figure it out its cause he don't wanna." He stepped forwards towards Dale. "Like I said, this group is broken."

Before the sun set underneath the mountains, everyone gathered in the living room of Hershal's home like it was some kind of court.

Shane was standing next to Andrea, and she was the first to speak. "So how do we do this? Take a vote?"

Lori interjected, "Majority rules."

Rick stepped forward a bit, standing in the center of the room as Shane began to speak. "Only way I see, it's the way to move forward."

Lucia shifted her weight. She was, of course, standing by Daryl to the right of the door. Resting her back against the wall, she thought of her opinions of Randal. She didn't like the way it sounded, but the boy needed to die. She looked over at Daryl, who was leaning against a small table. He raised his eye brows in question. "What do you think?" She asked quietly so the others wouldn't hear.

He nodded slowly. "He's gotta go."

Dale shook his head. He slipped his hat off of his head and took a small step. "Why should we even vote? It's obvious which way the wind is blowin'." When no one said anything, he raised his voice slightly. "We need to give him a chance. Put him to work."

Lori disagreed. "I wouldn't feel safe unless he was tied up."

Shane scoffed and shrugged his shoulders. "So say we do put him to work. Say he's nice. Then one day he runs off; brings back his thirty men."

Dale narrowed his eyes at the police officer. "So you answer is to kill him? To prevent a crime that he may never even attempt?" His voice became desperate. "If we do this, we're saying there is no hope."

Shane rubbed his hand on his face and muttered, "Oh my god.."

Lucia looked down at her tattered shoes. She could tell that they were going to be debating for a while. She tried to tune out the conversation. She didn't plan on chiming in unless it deemed necessary. For once, Lucia actually agreed with Shane. There wasn't another option unless they all wanted to raped or killed.

When she returned her attention to the conversation, Dale was yelling, his voice straining to get his point across. "How are we any better than those people we are so afraid of?" When no one agreed with him, he hung his head in defeat. "Are ya'll gonna watch too? No you're gonna go hide your heads in your tent and try to forget we're slaughtering a human being." He headed for the door, but on the way he patted Daryl on the shoulder. "You're right. This group is broken."

And he was gone.

Night had fallen and Lucia tried to convince Daryl to let her go with him, but he wouldn't have any part of it. "I kill walkers all the time, what's one person going to matter?"

He shook his head. "This is different. Look," He gazed over at her, "I don't want to argue again. Just let me handle it."

Sighing, she nodded and he went off with Rick and Shane, heading towards the barn. A smile formed on her lips. Of course she was going to watch. She rounded to the back of the barn and climbed up to the hayloft using a very convenient ladder.

As soon as she arrived at the top, Rick opened the door while carrying a lantern, Daryl was dragging Randal inside, and Shane was following close behind. He dragged him to the center where Shane proceeded to wrap a blindfold around his eyes, and whispered, "It will all be over soon."

The boy started crying, and his words began to slur together. "No no...please...no."

Rick sighed, trying to keep his act in one piece. "Would you like to stand or kneel?" All Randal could do was sob and shake his head, muttering those two words over and over.

Daryl walked forward and shoved him down by his shoulders and onto his knees. Rick pulled his gun and pointed it at the boys head. "Do you have any last words?"

"Please... Don't do this..." Was all the words he could muster.

Suddenly, Carl appeared, standing in the doorway. Nobody had noticed him but Lucia. Suddenly, his small voice was heard. "Do it dad. Do it." Rick looked over in complete surprise, gun still pointed at Randal head. He glanced at Shane, and the police officer went to lead Carl away. Rick stared down Randal, but he just couldn't pull the trigger.

"Take him away." He mumbled. Daryl groaned, and grabbed Randal by the back of his shirt, forcing him forward. Rick sighed deeply, then exited the barn.

Lucia climbed down the ladder that led her back outside. Then she rounded the building, and entered through the front in time to see Daryl tying up the boy. She caught his attention as she entered. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"So he's not going to be killed?" Daryl shrugged his shoulders, setting the lantern on a nearby wooden box.

"I really don't know what's goin' on the be honest with you." Suddenly there was a scream. Not a girlish shriek, but a manly cry.

"What was that?" Lucia whispered. Daryl looked at her, then rushed out of the barn. She followed behind him closely, trying her hardest not to trip. They ran out into one of the large fields where the yell was coming from. As they closed in on the sound, Lucia saw it. A walker had Dale pinned down. Daryl didn't think twice. When they approached, he jumped, knocking the walker off of the old man, then when it tried to rise, he slammed a knife into it's head.

Lucia stopped at Dale, and bent down next to the man. Daryl waved his hands in the air, calling everyone over and yelling for them. Lucia's mouth was opened in shock, gaping at the scene before her. Dale's stomach was ripped open, organs and blood flowing out in a pool around his body. He was easily chocking on his own mixture of crimson and saliva. Rick was the first to arrive. Shock and distraught crossed his face. He yelled for Hershal, but it fell on deaf ears. Soon everyone else arrived and all they could do was either stare in horror or cry.

"Hershal!" Rick hollered again. Finally, the old man was seen running towards the group. Andrea was knelt beside, sobbing and grasping onto Dale's arm. When Hershal found his way, Rick immediately started talking. "What can you do?"

He bent down and took one look at the man, and said. "We can't move him-"

"Okay well then we'll have to do the operation here Gle-"

"Rick!" Hershal interrupted. When he had the officer's attention, he shook his head slowly.

"NO!" Rick screamed, standing up and looking away. Everyone's sobs got louder. Rick sighed deeply and slowly pulled out his gun, pointing it to Dale's head. The old man stared at it in shock, but could say nothing.

Lucia stared in horrible awe at what was happening. Dale was going to die. He was finished, and she couldn't come to terms with that for some reason. Daryl walked over and slipped the gun out of Rick's hand then turned it towards the man's forehead. He bent down on one knee and said softly, "Sorry brother."

Dale looked as if he was trying to smile, and nod, but Daryl fired the shot before anyone could tell.

Lucia felt her knees go weak. This was the first she had seen someone attacked. They found Sophia already bit, but this was different. This was Dale. The Dale that was the guardian over everyone; kept the group together and in order. Now he was gone. Her legs gave out from under her. Just before the hit the ground, Daryl dropped the gun he was holding and caught her. She turned into his chest and started sobbing. He wasn't as uncomfortable with the body contact with her like when she hugged him. But he didn't know what to do. Instead, he rested his hand on her head, and hugged her, hoping to comfort her in the slightest.

No one could understand or even comprehend...

...Dale was dead.