Evelyn woke to the sound of people yelling. Her head was pounding making focusing anything difficult. With a groan she forced herself to her feet and stumbled out of the room and out of the MedHut.

Following the loud crys of guys she stumbled to the group, pushing the guys out of the way, to get to the front.

"Please! Please Newt! Nick Please!" Ben was screaming.

Evelyn made it to the front. It took a minute to figure out what was going on. Laying on the ground being held down by Sonny, Gally, Winston and Minho was a screaming Ben. Thomas was sitting on the ground looking dishevelled and bleeding from a few scratches and cuts. Nick and Newt stood over Ben, Newt held a shovel in one hand and Nick had his arms crossed.

"He's bad! He's bad bad bad!" Ben screamed, wiggling and fighting.

"Evy? There you are!" Nick cried.

She looked up and over to him.

"Shuck! You're bleeding! What happened?" Nick cried again, rushing over.

"I am?" She asked confused, reaching a hand to the back of her head. It came away sticky with blood.

"Would ya look at that." She mumbled and stumbled sideways.

"Whoa whoa. Easy does it." Nick caught her before she fell.

"Newt! Nick! Please believe me!" Ben screamed.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Thomas yelled back.

"Take him to the slammer. Keepers! Gathering, now! Nick yelled.

"Tommy. Go get cleaned up and meet the keeps in the buggen' Garherin' room." Newt added. "Evelyn you too."

"I'm fine. It's just blood." Waving him off.

"You're not-"

Her head snapped in his direction, her eyes narrowed, "I said I'm fine. Who's the healer here?" She snapped.

The guys were taking a screaming withering Ben to the Slammer. Jeff took Thomas to get cleaned up and Nick escorted Evelyn to the Council room. It took a few minutes for everyone to come back. In the meantime Newt sat in his chair arms folded staring at the ground. Nick had run for a cloth and ice for her head. It was an awkward tense silence.

Evelyn had nothing to say. She had talked to him already, given him an ultimatum. She knew he knew she heard the conversation in the woods. The next move was his. Evelyn was surprised how dull the pain was. She cared for him, she always would, maybe a piece of her would always love him. But right now...she was angry.

Newt lifted his head and opened his mouth but snapped it shut and looked over his shoulder. The door opened and Nick and the rest the guys came in. They all flocked around her. Nick took a quick look before placing the clean cloth over her head.

"Not as bad as it looks." He sighed in relief.

"Got a shucken wicked headache though." She muttered.

"All right, everyone sit down. Let's start this bloody meetin'" Newt yelled.

The Keepers all found their seats in the half circle. Minho caught her eye, "you okay?" He mouthed, concern written in his face. She nodded.

"All right. This stupid meetin' starts. I'm in charge, 'cause our leader is sick in bed. Nick takes my spot as second." He waved a hand and rolled his eyes. Evelyn saw how exhausted he looked.

"Great that's settled." He rolled his eyes again. He turned to Evelyn, looking at her but not making eye contact. "What the shuck happened?"

"Ben shoved me, took my knife I passed out."

"That's it?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Yeah that's it. He shoved me after I turned around and told him to get back into bed. I slammed my head on the window sill, took my knife and demanded to know where Thomas was."

Newt growled and turned to Thomas, folding his arms, "your story?"

"You sent me to the woods for fertilizer. Ben showed up swinging a knife. Yelling at I'm bad. I don't know what that means!" He pleaded, looking desperately at Newt.

Newt sighed, ran a hand through hair.

"Go on. What happened?" He asked.

"He tried to stab me. We faught. I got away, ran into the Glade and you saw what happened. He tried to choke me! And then you hit him with the shovel."

"Shuck sakes!" Evelyn muttered.

Newt looked over at her frowning.

"What?"

Evelyn raised an eyebrow. Newt was gonna act like this, then fine. She was done being the victim. She threw the bloody cloth onto the floor beside her and crossed her own arms.

"Everything started going wrong the day the Greenie showed up. Animals were wild, Gladers wild, the Maze wasn't right, two guys stung, trapped in the maze for a night, another Greenie shows up with some shucked up note half dead. The box still hasn't gone down. I'm not saying it's his fault...but it's awfully coincidental that two guys went through the changing and recognized him."

The room was quiet, taking in her words.

"At least someone agrees with me!" Gally muttered.

Newt's jaw was clamped and his eyes darted between Thomas and Evelyn. She couldn't detect his emotions, but he was definitely not happy and seemed skeptical of what she said.

"Again." Evelyn said wearily, "I'm not exactly blaming you Thomas. Just...it's a weird coincidence that we shouldn't overlook." She looked over at Thomas, who looked like he was actually considering her words.

"Umm...no offense taken..? I guess." He said it more as a question. He leaned forward and rubbed his face. " Look! Guys, I came up same as you with no memory of what happened! I don't know what's going on. I don't know the other girl. I don't know why anything is happening!"

Gally was grinding his teeth, his face red and eyes narrowed.

"You guys made me a Runner...I'm going to try find a way out!"

"You've been here 3 days and we've been here three years!" Gally suddenly explode.

"Yeah, three years and your STILL here, Gally!" Thomas shot back.

"It's been working just fine!"

"But... we're still here. This isn't a home. It never was." Evelyn said quietly.

Evelyn could see Thomas getting frustrated, he was bouncing a knee and a muscle in his jaw was twitching. "Maybe it's time we start doing things differently!"

"Yeah different is what got us into this mess!" Gally yelled back.

"Gally, things are happening already. Things out of our control. The box...the Greenie girl, the Maze...those things we can't control."

"But he's shucken everything up!" Gally tried to protest, pleading for her to understand.

"Oh I know. Trust me. I know." She shot a quick glance to Newt who had the decency to look down ashamed. "But we can't ignore that different might be good. Looked at the other night. Four of us survived a night in the maze. That's different, but good!"

"Yeah but-"

"Gally, please." She cut him off. "I've been here with you since day one. You trust me, right?"

He nodded immidiatly.

"I'm different. The only girl. The one with magic glowing hands that can heal people. That's very different-"

"-what the shuck?"

"Thomas shush!" Nick scolded.

"Different can be good." Evelyn repeated, "I know you don't trust him. I have a hard time trusting him too. But trust me. Trust Minho. We're doing our best to go home!"

Gally shrunk in defeat.

"Thank you." Thomas muttered.

"Don't thank me yet, I still don't trust you." Evelyn snapped, narrowing her eyes at him.
He shrunk in his seat as well. She turned back to the rest of the Keepers.

"Minho and the Greenie-"

"It's Thomas."

"It's Shuck Face if I want. Zipp it!" She rounded back on him.

Minho snorted and smirked at her, "feisty little Pixy."

She couldn't help it, the side of her lip twitched into a smile. Shacking her head she turned back to the Keepers. Crossing her arms she continued.

"The three of us are going to check that Griever I killed-"

"The bloody shuck you are!" Newt cried, uncrossing his arms he straightened.

She ignored him.

"Maybe it'll hold some answers. Jeff and Clint can handle the MedHut for half a day. And we also need to decide what we're gonna do with Ben."

"The shuck Eve! You're not goin' back out there!" Newt tried again.

She finally spun around, her bloody hair flying. White hot anger rose up, her face became red and her heart slammed against her chest. Narrowing her eyes she growled. Taking a step closer she pointed a threatening finger at him.

"You do not get to tell me what to do. I'm a leader if this shucken hell hole just as much as you. I've kept this place running since day one. Sure you have the fancy title, but don't you dare think you can boss me around. I spent a night ALONE in the maze, ALONE, Newt. No help, no Minho who knows where to go, half dead from using up my powers, and then managed to find my way back while bleeding out from being but by a mother shucken Griever. After the klunk you've pulled? You have no right to tell me what to do!"

The room was silent. Newt stood with his mouth open and eyes wide in shock, and at a loss for words. The soft spoken gentle Evelyn was gone at the moment. Replaced by a very angry, bitter kid who has seen too much, and who has gone through too much trauma. It was time to toughen up and start taking a more active roll in leading this place. She turned to Nick. He readjusted his glasses. A look on his face that he was trying to mask, giving up he gave her a proud smile.

"Well Queen Evy, what do you suggest?"

"We have rules for a shucken reason." She glanced at Minho, his face slipped from a smirk to stone cold, realizing what she was suggesting. Struggling to keep the tears at bay, she took a deep breath.

"We can't have someone who is actively trying to kill a Glader, as much as we may not trust him, Thomas is still a Glader. But Ben broke a rule."

"He also hurt you." Sonny growled. It was the first time he had talked.

She nodded in agreement.

"I'm sorry Minho." Sonny continued, "I know he was a Runner and good friend, but Banishment is my recommendation."

"All right. We vote. All in favor of banishment of Ben?"

It was unanimous.

"Ben will be banished at sun down. Everyone meet at the West doors." Nick sighed.

The Keepers all got and started making their way out.

"Hey, Minho, Evelyn, Newt? Come here a second." Nick called.

She gave him a questioning look but his face didn't reviel anything. The three gather around him.

"Okay, Minho I know Ben is a friend. So maybe pack a small bag, maybe...if you guys can survive a night, he might be able to as well."

Minho nodded, his face still cold, his eyes looked broken and cold. Evelyn's heart hurt for him. She couldn't imagine having to banish a friend like this, it would be like her banishing Clint or Jeff. Nick turned to Evelyn and Newt.

"I agree with Evy in this, she's been a leader the whole time, a silent one, guiding us through the worst times this place has seen. I stepped down as leader for a reason, but with Alby still out, the three of us need to work together and get through this. We still have no idea how Alby will be when he wakes up. We gotta work together."

Evelyn nodded. Newt looked like he wanted to protest, but ended up nodding in defeat.

"Good that's settled. Now, who's gonna be the one to actually banish him, it was usually Alby."

Newt was looking at the ground, avoiding the question.

"I'll do it."

"Evy?"

"I said I'd do it. You obviously don't want to, or else you wouldn't have thrown that question out, and Newt won't. I will."

Nick looked at her sadly.

"You've changed."

"I had to." She said coldly. Her eyes flicked to Newt and then back to Nick. "I'll see you at Sundown."

She spun on her heel and left the council room. Nick and Minho watched her go. Both of them sighing. Minho glanced at Newt who also watched her leave with such a broken look on his face.

"You're just watching her walk away from you." Minho spat and then he also left the room, followed by Nick. Leaving Newt alone.

He slumped into a chair and placed his head in his hands. He sat for a while when there was a knock on the door. He looked up and Thomas came in, he walked over and sat down beside Newt. He fidgeted with his hands.

"We gotta set some things straight."

Newt didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry I caused any and all problems between you and Evelyn. I honestly didn't know you were a thing-"

"Because I was a coward and didn't say anything."

"No you didn't. But whatever we have isn't gonna go anywhere if you don't go fix what you broke. Don't leave it any long, it's just making it harder for the both of you. I didn't know her before...but people keep saying she's changed...and you can't just ignore the girl if you were together for a full year! Come on man!" Thomas let everything fall out, it came out quickly and a little jumbled.

"I know. I know what I gotta buggen' do...it's just doin' it that's the problem." Newt sighed.

"Well then go do it." Thomas said sweeping an arm towards the door.

"I'm not gonna be the person you cheat on your girlfriend with. And I'm not gonna wait with open arms, it was low what you did...to her and me. Ya messed up man. I'm not denying what ever we have. But ..you gotta fix what ya broke!"

"I know." Newt whispered. He reached over and squeezed his hand. "Thank you."

Thomas hummed. Newt got up and went to find Evelyn.

______________________

Evelyn sat at the picnic table, holding a cup of tea tight in her hand, steeling herself for what she had to do. Sonny, Minho and Chuck sat at the table with her. No one was talking, they tried talking with her, but she was withdrawing from them, pulling the strength she needed from deep within her.

"Uhh, so uh, ya think I could talk to Eve?" She slowly picked her head and looked up at Newt. He was already looking at her. The guys looked at her, she nodded sharply once and the guys silently up. Newt stood standing, shifting from foot to foot. Evelyn hadn't moved, she sat silent and waited for him to say what he wanted.

"Can I sit?" He finally asked.

"Dunno. Can you?"

He rolled his eyes and sat.

"Lee-"

"Stop." She looked up sharply. "No. No you don't get to use that name. You ruined any and all trust I have in you. That name was given in love and trust. You don't get to use it."

He hung his head and was quiet for a moment. He took a deep breath.

"A sorry won't fix it-"

"You're right, it won't."

Again he hung his head.

"Let me help you get to the point. Have you figured out what you want?"

He took a ragged breath, and looked up at her with such broken eyes her heart squeezed. She sighed as well, and ran a hand through her hair.

"Newt, there's no pretending, I heard you and Minho. I know what you tried and I'm so sorry you were so low again." She reached across the table and laid her hand on top of his. He flipped his hand over and held hers, holding it like a life line.

"I couldn't imagine watching the doors close with us inside. But watching it slamm shut from inside was no better. I heard you scream...was I not enough? I watched you try and kiss him. Was I not enough? You obviously have strong feelings for him, because this wouldn't be such a hard decision for you. Our three years here, our time together, a yeah and a bit...all those memories, those quiet moments, secrets and laughs...I gave you my everything!"

She was determined not to cry, but the tears sprang up anyways, her eyes burnt and her throat felt tight.

"Everything Newt. My heart, soul, my time, my secrets, my powers and my body. And in a few hours it was ripped and disregard. I gave you an ultimatum. And you clearly doesn't have an answer. So I'll make it easy for you."

"Evelyn..." He whispered, tears in his own eyes.

She shook her head. "You have some personal stuff to figure out, Newt. So when you do figure it out we can talk again. But right now? You've hurt me too much. I don't trust you. I'm angry with you. I will always care. There's a piece of me that will always love you. But right now...? We're done. I'm so hurt, too angry, shed too many tears."

She gave his hand a squeeze and got up and left the picnic table, more tears sliding down her cheeks.