This was a little thing that came to my mind awhile ago and I know there are several versions of this out there, but I just wanted to write my own. I never planned on posting this, but I changed my mind. Hopefully some of you like this!

The handprint was too small and the crime scene too messy to have been done by someone that hadn't wanted to get caught. It was almost painfully clear that the killings had been done by an amateur. Carol was smart. She wouldn't have left that much of a mess if she had hoped to get away with it.

Carol Peletier had not killed Karen and David. But who had?

Rick watched with a grim expression on his bearded face as Carol walked away from him, hands full with buckets of water. The confession had come to a surprise. He had expected her to tell the truth and deny her involvement. But she had said yes, like it was the easiest thing to admit to.

Carol was covering for someone, or someones, and he really needed to find out and fast. When Tyreese came back from the run with Daryl, Michonne and Bob, he'd want answers and Rick hoped he'd have some for him.

Several hours later, he found Carol in the kitchen gathering things for supper. She looked tired, the work having doubled with people getting sick, but Rick knew he would never hear her complain. Carol loved helping out, loved helping others and she cared for everyone in the prison. That was why he knew she hadn't killed two of their own.

"Carol," he said and approached her. "Tomorrow morning you and I are goin' on a run. We need more food and other supplies." He said it no nonsense, hoping that he was asserted the same authority he had lost many months ago.

Carol's eyes never left the chore in front of her, which was cutting up some of the vegetables he had picked that morning, and nodded. Her mouth was set in a thin line and her face gave away no emotion.

Rick left her, then, and hoped that his plan went according to plan. If not, things would get bad around the prison. Really bad.

Sweat gathered at his temples as he stared at the woman who had been a part of his family for the past two years. The same woman who had gone from broken and bruised to strong and capable. This was also the same woman who had taken care of his children when he was unable and who was also forming a bond with two parentless girls back at the prison.

She'd do anything for those girls.

"I won't have you there." The words hung in the air as she looked at him in disbelief. He had said everything he knew that would cut her to the bone, like how he could no longer trust her with his children. He knew she loved them and knew that she would do anything for them. She would never harm them, but he had to say those things to make her realize what he was doing.

That was he was leaving her behind. Banishing her.

He didn't want to, but it was the only thing he could think of that would make her confess to who had really killed Karen and David. If he threatened to tear her away from Lizzie, Mika...Daryl, then he knew she'd crack.

But she didn't and now she was handing him a watch her dead abusive husband had given her and was leaving. Part of him knew that he should call her back, tell her the truth, but the other part, the part that won, let her leave. It was selfish and he hated himself for it. With Carol now gone, Tyreese would have his 'killer' and he wouldn't be constantly up his ass about it.

Daryl didn't factor into his mind until he was on his way back to the prison. Alone.

As of right now, this is just going to be a oneshot. I might write more to it, but I have two other WIPs that I need to work on first. So, let me know what you all think!

Thanks for reading! :)