"Your plan is going to get me and my friends killed." Shepherd argued.

I held in a sigh at her attempt at making us release them. Our plan is trying to keep everyone alive. If they knew our original one they'd be pretty grateful that this is the one we're going with.

"We're gonna make it work." Sasha said.

She dismissed the cop as she went to stand next to me. I glanced at her but she didn't seem to notice. Ever since Bob, well, she hasn't been herself. A state I'm familiar with.

"It would work if you had different cops to trade. Dawn's running Grady into the ground. A bunch of us want her out and she knows it. Pretty sure she knows we want Lamson to replace her, too."

I am once again baffled by the amount of resentment they hold for their supposed leader. If it was so bad, they should've replaced her by now. At this point they're just letting Dawn pick them off one by one.

"Dawn doesn't know that." the other cop protested.

"She might. And she's smart. So there's a good chance you can't make this deal work and that'll leave us all dead." Shepherd said.

Her eyes locked with Dakota's who shifted uncomfortably. Out of everyone here, Dakota was the most likely to hear her out. Other than Tyreese.

"But if you let us go, we'll take care of Dawn ourselves. And then we'll let your friends go and this is over."

Too many risks there. We can't trust them to hold up their end of the bargain. Although we could barge in guns blazing if they betray us, that is still a situation we're trying to avoid.

"No, we're not gonna do that." Lamson spoke up.

I raised my eyebrows at Shepherd who looked away uncomfortably. She's smart, she can see how their disagreement makes the situation worse.

"Do you want to die?"

"No. I just need you to shut up right now."

I clenched my jaw at his dismissal of her. At least she was willing to bargain. He hasn't said anything useful so far other than being a supposed good guy.

"You can make this work. But you've got to be able to talk to her." Lamson said.

I glanced at Dakota who was frowning at him. Neither of us were the ones who were going to talk to Dawn. Only Rick was in charge of that.

And our new friend was coaching him on how to approach their boss.

"We don't need you for that. Noah's been more than eager to tell us about her." Dakota argued.

I hummed in agreement. They were the bait, not the masterminds of the operation. Though their support would help, we don't need it to get what we want.

"I've known her for eight years, ma'am. I know this woman. And my only interest is peaceful resolution, not dying, and sleeping in my bed tonight. So, please, let me help you. Please."

I placed one hand on my hip before looking him up and down. My eyes met Daryl's and I nodded at him. Whether they were lying or not, it was best to hear them out.

"Hey, Rick. You're gonna want to hear this."

----

I stared through the windows trying to keep an eye out for any backup that might've been called without our notice. Sasha had taken Lamson to the upper side of the building muttering something about a walker.

"I don't like being this far from the twins." Dakota said.

I looked at her as she came to stand next to me, before frowning and resuming my watch. Until we head out and do the trade, there wasn't much for me to do.

"You didn't have to come, you know." I replied.

She shrugged before looking into the same direction as me. While I looked at possible threats, she seemed to look beyond it. Her mind was elsewhere.

"I don't like being far from you, either.
Not after Ryan."

My eyes snapped shut upon hearing my little brother's name. It brought everything I was avoiding back to the front of my mind. The image of him that flashed before my mind was one of him with a devilish smirk on his face.

It quickly faded as it changed into his lifeless eyes and the bloody bullet lodged in his throat. I inhaled sharply as I tried to keep it together. We weren't here to grieve Ryan, but to save Beth and Carol. It's what he would've wanted.

I swallowed a lump in my throat. "This isn't the time nor the place, Dakota."

A scowl appeared on her face as soon as I replied. She was holding in her frustration best she could. Yet the way she clenched her jaw made it clear she was upset with me.

"Then when is it time? Because you haven't said a word about him, about what happened to him." she argued.

Not to her, at least. Abby and I briefly touched upon it and even that made me sick to my stomach. If I don't talk about it, then it feels just a tiny bit less real and painful.

"You think you want to know, but you don't. I was the one who found him and I'll never be able to unsee what-" I cut myself off.

What his eyes look like without the spark of life in them. What his throat looks like with blood gushing out of it.

I'll never be able to think of him without remembering how cold and heavy his body was as I cradled him.

"He's gone. That's all there is to say." I stated.

Abby and Dakota were blessed in a way. They get to go on in life with a picture perfect image of him in their head. Alive and untouched by death.

Dakota went to argue when Tyreese ran into the part of the building we were in. "Lamson's escaped."

The news came like a cold shower to both me and my sister. While we were distracted, Lamson was able to slip past Sasha and flee.

"Should we go after him?" Dakota asked.

Tyreese shook his head. "Rick's on it, but we need to guard the others."

We joined him and the others at the base of the building where the other two cops were being held. I waited impatiently to see if Rick was successful in capturing him again.

When he did show up, he did so alone. Daryl went up to him and they discussed what happened. We couldn't hear what they were saying, but it was clear that Lamson was gone.

If he had escaped, Rick would've been upset. This wasn't his upset face, this one was cold and calculating. I shifted uncomfortably at the thought of him carelessly killing Lamson. We needed him for the trade.

Rick and Daryl approached the cops we were guarding. The situation has changed, that much was clear. Rick wasn't given the chance to say anything as Shepherd spoke up first.

"He was a good man. He was attacked by rotters. Saw it go down." Shepherd said.

Rick tilted his head. "Huh. You're a damn good liar."

The way it was easy for her to hide the truth made me uneasy. She could be planning something while lying to our faces about it. A good survival tactic but inconvenient for us.

"We're hanging by a thread here. He was attacked by rotters. That's the story." Shepherd argued.

A good of a story as any. No matter how skilled of a warrior someone is, getting bit by a walker was surprisingly easy. Especially if there's more than one.

Daryl frowned. "You said the trade was a bad idea. What changed?"

"Lamson was our shot. So it's this or you go guns blazing, right? You don't want that."

I rolled my eyes. Wanting it and it needing to be done are two very different things.

Am I glad that for once I sided with the moral plan? Sure, but if killing is what's necessary then that's what I'll do. Whether it's the right thing to do or not.

"If this is some bullshit you're spinning and things go south-" Daryl was cut off by Shepherd.

"I know. I know the good ones from the bad. Let us help you."

I pursed my lips contemplating her words. Can anyone truly know the good ones from the bad? I thought I could.

But only because I consider myself one of the rotten apples of the tree. Anything that's better than me is naturally good and vice versa. My eyes flickered to Rick's face.

That logic wasn't one I could cling to forever.

"What about you? You wanna live? How much?" Rick looked at the cop who tried to help the others escape.

He seemed the least likely to cooperate with the plan. It was clear from the way he looked at us that he had no love for us, only hatred for what we've been able to do to him and his colleagues.

"Dawn's afraid she'll look weak in front of us. Thinks it'll tip things against her. Hell, it will. She'll see this trade as a rip-off if she thinks you took out one of our guys. So it's a good thing Lamson got aced by rotters."

-----

After a quick chat with Dawn's other officers who spoke with her, the trade was agreed upon. Noah showed us the way into the building where Dawn and her people were waiting in the hallway in front of us.

"Holster your weapons." She ordered.

From behind the hospital doors, Rick glanced at all of us before nodding. I held in a sigh as I reluctantly put away my gun just as he opened the doors.

He stood at the front of the group facing down the woman responsible for all of this.

"They haven't been harmed." Rick stated.

My eyes connected with Carol's. She gave me a faint nod. For someone who got hit by a car, she was holding up quite well. Though she was in a wheelchair.

I turned my attention to Beth who was anxiously looking at Rick. Seeing her now was as if no time had passed at all since the last time I saw her. Yet everything happened.

Dawn frowned. "Where's Lamson?"

I took a deep breath as having the cops betray us felt almost inevitable. This was their chance to warn their people.

Yet their need for avoiding bloodshed was stronger.

"Rotters got him."

"We saw it go down."

If Dawn didn't believe her own people, she didn't show it. Seeing her in person made me think she knew better than that. Shepherd said she was smart. The calculating look in her eyes confirmed it.

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. He was one of the good guys." she said.

My eyes narrowed at the look in her eyes. Not a single part of her was affected by the news. It was less manpower but she didn't give a shit about Lamson.

Dawn was a stone-cold bitch, if I ever saw one. A part of me almost respected that.

"One of yours for one of mine." she spoke up again.

Rick nodded. "Alright."

Carol was brought to us first. Daryl led the male cop to the middle of the hallway. He was taken by his colleague as Daryl moved the wheelchair Carol was in.

A weight lifted off of my shoulders as her hand reached out to touch mine. I nodded at her as I moved out of the way so Daryl could guide her towards the back. If things go sideways, she needed to be protected.

Beth was next. Dawn held her elbow and guided her forward as Rick did the same with Shepherd. Beth reached Rick who put his hand on the back of her head.

From the way he tilted his head, I could tell he was silently asking her if she was alright. Something he'd done for me a thousand times. At her nod, he kissed her head and led her behind him putting some distance between all of us.

"Glad we could work things out." Dawn mumbled.

Rick glanced at her and let out a bitter 'yeah'. If she thought we were going to turn friendly then she was in for a rude awakening. We got what we came for.

All of us headed towards the doors when Dawn's voice cut through the air.

"Now I just need Noah," I froze mid step, "and then you can leave."

My eyes closed for a brief second as I knew it felt too easy. So close to getting through it. Carol was safe. Beth was safe. No one had to die.

Until Dawn decided to change the rules.

"That wasn't part of the deal." Rick argued.

Dawn shrugged. "Noah was my ward. Beth took his place and I'm losing her, so I need him back."

As much as I hated to admit it, she had a point. A sick and twisted one but its logic held. The only problem was the Noah didn't want anything to do with Dawn.

"Ma'am, please it's not-"

"Shepherd!"

My jaw clenched at Dawn's clear lack of respect for her people. They had no voice, no will of their own. Even at his worst, Rick always gave a choice. She didn't.

"My officers put their lives on the line to find him. One of them died." Dawn said.

I shifted uncomfortably as I realized what Rick's killing of Lamson did. It gave Dawn an excuse to win this exchange. That way she'd still have the respect of her people. At least in her own eyes.

"No, he ain't staying." Daryl said.

He stepped forward, trying to stay close to Rick in case things go south. My eyes found Dakota's concerned ones. The situation could escalate very quickly.

"He's one of mine. You have no claim on him." Dawn stated.

"The boy wants to go home, so you have no claim on him." Rick snapped.

Dakota glanced at Noah who looked disturbed at the thought of what all this meant for him. His role in this was an unexpected one.

"Well, then we don't have a deal."

"The deal is done!"

I inhaled sharply as my hand found its way onto my holster. Protecting Rick was all I could focus on. He was in direct line of fire. Dakota was behind me so my body could act as a shield.

But for Rick and Daryl? The only protection I can offer is the one in form of bullets

Noah rushed towards Rick. "It's okay."

I looked at him in surprise. After everything he's been through to get out of here, he's willing to go back? Kudos to him, I wouldn't do that for a couple of strangers.

"No, no!" Rick protested.

"I got to do it." Noah said.

He took his gun from his belt and gave it back to Rick. The kid was noble, I'll give him that. He didn't want to screw us over, or Beth.

Probably mostly her.

"It's not okay." Beth mumbled.

My eyes flew to her figure close to my mine. An anger and determination flashed in her eyes that I'd never seen before. She was passive most of the time. Whatever happened here must've changed her.

"It's settled." Dawn said.

Noah took a couple of steps forward when Beth called out for him to wait. She pulled him into a tight hug and it made me wish we could do something to get him back.

He was nothing but nice to us. Without him, we never would've gotten Beth or Carol back. He reassured Beth that it was okay. Even though it wasn't.

"I knew you'd be back." Dawn said lowly.

Her smugness was enough to irritate me, but it triggered something inside Beth. Her eyes didn't leave Dawn's as Noah stepped behind them. An unspoken understanding went between the two of them.

"I get it now."

Before any of us could even blink, Beth jammed a pair of scissors into Dawn's shoulder. There was no time to process how bold that was as Dawn's gun fired.

A splatter of blood on the floor shocked all of us as Beth slowly collapsed on the floor. I stopped breathing for a moment as the realization of what happened sunk in.

Beth was... dead.

Dawn panicked as she looked at us and started shaking her head. I vaguely registered Daryl pulling out his gun and shooting her in the head. No hesitation from his part. That's when all of us took out our guns.

"No! Hold your fire!" Shepherd yelled.

Each group was pointing guns at each other. My grip tightened on the one I held in my hands. The shock of what happened simmered down and left me with anger.

Beth was never my favorite person, but she was part of our group. And it was their fault that she was taken from us. From Maggie.

"It's over. It was just about her. Stand down." Shepherd ordered.

Her people lowered their weapons though. I reluctantly lowered my own as Rick's and Daryl's remained in the air. The sound of Daryl's silent cries broke my heart.

Carol stepped forward and put her hand on his shoulder. It was enough to make him lower his gun but his attention went to Beth's body. My eyes softened at the state of both him and Rick.

"You can stay." Shepherd said.

I ignored her words and went to Rick. My arm wrapped around his waist pulling him into me. His back hit my chest and I could feel the tremors going through his body.

My other hand reached out for Daryl's hand and squeezed it tightly. His eyes didn't move from Beth's body though his chin did wobble. There was nothing I could say that would comfort them but I hoped my presence would be enough for now.

"We're surviving here. It's better than out there." one of the doctors spoke up.

Rick stepped forward moving away from my touch. I let him do it before going to Daryl and rubbing his back. His hand gripped mine cutting off my circulation but I didn't care.

"No. And I'm taking anyone back there who wants to leave. If you want to come with us, just step forward now."

Rick's words were in vain, though. With Dawn dead, there was no reason for anyone to want to leave. Other than Noah. In the end, all that we could do was pick up Beth's body and take her from this goddamn place.

We made our way outside where an unpleasant surprise was waiting. Maggie and Glenn had arrived with the rest of the group. My heart sank in my chest at the hopeful look on Maggie's face.

That look quickly withered away as she saw Beth's body carried by Daryl. Her face twisted in agony as she crumbled to the floor. Her screams made me flinch as I went to Dakota.

Judging by the haunted look in her eyes, I knew we were thinking the same thing. It could've been us. We could've been in her position right now. In a way, we already had been before but it only made the fear of losing each other even worse.

There were only three of us left. In a way, it felt like a clock was ticking down until another one of us falls.