Carl and Elide were only out for an hour with Judith, as she then got tired and her nap called.

So Carl put her to bed and gave Elide another gentle smile, which she returned with a pounding heart, before he ran into the house.

Elide didn't know what to do, so she got up from the grass and brushed the dirt off her arms before walking towards the gate where Rick was standing with Morgan. Rick was closing the boot and putting a shovel in the back seat.

Curious, the girl with the loose long hair, stood next to Rick. "Where are you going?"

Rick looked to his left, eyeing Elide as his hands automatically clamped down on his hips. That he made that movement reminded Elide strongly of his job. He was a cop, had been given the job of sheriff here, and would remain one forever.

"We're getting Pete out of here," Rick answered her in a lowered tone, so that all the people who were walking this way wouldn't hear.

It took Elide a brief moment to understand what had happened, but as the pieces of the puzzle came together in her mind, all that escaped was a quiet 'Oh'.

"What happened?" she wanted to know and crossed her arms in front of her chest. She often did that when she felt uncomfortable. Rick noticed her posture and put a hand on her shoulder. "Things happened last night that made me kill Pete," he told her, looking deep into her eyes as if he needed to convince himself again that he had done the right thing.

Elide nodded in understanding. "You killed him because he was an asshole," she said, shaking his arm off her shoulder as her eyes suddenly darkened and Rick's eyebrows drew together. "I would have too."

Rick couldn't believe his ears and was about to retort something when Morgan came to the car and stood beside Rick, eyeing the young Elide. "I don't think we've really met yet," Morgan smiled and held out his hand to her. Elide took an instant liking to him and shook his hand in a friendly manner. "Elide."

"I'd love to chat more, but Rick and I should get going before the sun sets."

Rick jerked out of his thoughts and nodded to Morgan, who was already taking a seat in the passenger seat. It wasn't that Rick was scared or anything of the sort, but the way Elide made it clear without any hesitation or questioning that she would have killed Pete too reminded him of his son Carl. He had lost him just as much to this fucking world and he knew the same would happen to Elide.

Elide turned and headed back towards the house, hearing him background as the engine started. On the way to the house, she saw Ron coming towards her. Elide didn't feel like talking, especially when he had just lost his father and Elide wanted to kill him too.

But something about Ron wasn't right, his gaze was forward, he wasn't paying attention to anything, even stumbling over the curb. Elide rolled her eyes and ran over to him. "Ron."

He stopped and looked at Elide, who was now standing in front of him, eyebrows drawn together.

"What?" he wanted to know bluntly.

Taken aback by his hard side, Elide tilted his head.

"Are you okay?"

Laughing, Ron turned sideways briefly, his hands massaging his temples before turning back to Elide. "Am I okay? Fuck, my father was murdered by an asshole! And you're seriously asking if I'm okay?" he asked hysterically, moving closer to her.

She didn't like the tone he was shouting at Elide at all, so she pushed him away and pointed her finger at him threateningly. "Watch how you talk to me and about my people, Ron," her tone was dangerously menacing. "Your father was an asshole and you know it. He's better off dead."

"You have no idea, Elide," he began, a tear leaving his eye. "You don't know these people any more than I do. They only took you because they had no other choice."

He hit the mark. Elide had never really felt like part of this family, but she tried and trusted Rick and Carl, but especially Glenn. They welcomed her and helped her with everything. If the group hadn't wanted Elide with them, Daryl or Abraham would have fixed the problem long ago.

"Shut up, Ron," Elide hissed. "Your father's dead. Accept it, or don't. Your choice how you want to live."

With the words, Elide walked past him, seeing Carl standing on the terrace watching them from a distance. With slow steps she climbed the stairs and stood by him. Immediately his gaze was on the smaller Elide. "What was wrong?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Elide saw that Ron had disappeared. He was nowhere to be seen on the grounds anymore, which was rather strange since he couldn't walk home that fast, could he?

"Nothing. Just a little conversation with Ron."

Carl raised his eyebrows. He didn't believe her, of course. "He got close to you," he mentioned, based on what he'd seen. "You pushed him."

Carl was seething inside and Ron had long been someone at the top of Carl's list of people he didn't like.

Elide sighed and turned to Carl, noticing that he was standing quite close to her. "He insulted your father and said a few other things," she began carefully and with thoughtful words. Carl tensed, and not because Ron had insulted Rick, but because Elide had to go through the whole thing with the boy alone.

"Did he say something to you?" Carl wanted to know gently, tilting his head just as Rick always did.

Elide looked down at the floor and shook her head, barely noticeable. Carl wasn't stupid.
He knew by now when Elide was lying. "You can tell me, El."

"What difference does it make if I tell you?" Elide retorted instead, raising her eyes in hurt. Carl exhaled in frustration and looked off into the distance for a moment before moving a little closer to her.

"Then you don't have to go through everything alone."

Both teens maintained eye contact until Elide suddenly dropped her forehead to his chest. This action of hers came as such a surprise that neither Elide herself, nor Carl could think about what she just did. But for Elide it was important. She needed him right now and this despite the fact that he knew nothing about her past.

Carl's heart was beating so fast. But Elide's heart was not beating normally either and they could both feel it.

Carl exhaled deeply and carefully put his hands on her back, which was so strange he was afraid to actually touch her. "Please, Elide. Tell me." They both knew that this request was secretly not just about this situation with Ron. Elide did not cry, but nevertheless she breathed in and out raggedly. "I don't belong here, Carl," she pressed out, clutching Carl's shirt with her right hand as he tightened his grip around her back. Elide drew in the scent of Carl that was familiar to her.

Carl shook his head, even though Elide couldn't see it, meanwhile his gaze was on the meadow in front of him. "What do you mean?"

"All this," she mumbled into his shirt as he listened intently. "I just don't fit in here and I'll never be a part of you, you know?"

Carl didn't want to believe what she was saying and pushed her away a little, but still kept his hands awkwardly on her shoulder. "No," he began firmly. "I don't understand. You're perfect for us, Elide. If my dad trusts you, if I trust you, then everyone will. Besides, you're one of the few we trust anew, after everything that's happened."

Glenn had told her something similar then, that the group had a hard time trusting anyone. But that was the problem. Why should they blindly trust someone nowadays, just in the hope that this time it won't be abused? "What does it matter, Carl? I'm a nobody. I've lost everything!"
She sounded unintentionally, just as desperate as Ron had just sounded. And suddenly she understood how he felt. Of course, that's how he reacted. Pete had still been his father.

Carl got angry. "So, if we were all a nobody, just based on what we lost," he began and paused. "Then I'd be a nobody too."

Elide drew in her breath quietly and averted her gaze. Before the situation got any more awkward, Carl wanted to go back to the house, although he thought it was rather rude. But when Judith started screaming, Carl was more than grateful.

He ran into the house and left Elide standing alone for a short moment before she decided to run after him with a very specific goal, although her whole body ached at the thought alone.

Upstairs in the room, she first just watched as Carl put the sleeping Judith back in her bed and looked at her for a few more seconds. Elide could wait no longer and pressed her lips hard together. "My parents and little sister were mauled by walkers and my brother sacrificed himself for me."

There was silence. Nothing could be heard, not even the soft snoring of Judith. Carl never thought he would ever hear such words, such a story, so dull and emotionless from the mouth of a girl, like Elide.
Elide clenched her hands into fists and let her nails leave deep wounds. It didn't hurt. That silence, which was far too loud, hurt much more.

"What?" Carl breathed incredulously, turning to Elide. He had clearly understood what she said, but something inside him could not process those words. Elide didn't answer him, so he glanced briefly at Judith and then gently grabbed Elide's hand to pull her into his room with him. Once there, he leaned the door just to make sure he could hear Judith if she cried again.

Elide still just stood still in place, but watched Carl's every move, even the one when he stared at her as if she were crazy.

A snort escaped Elide. "I can't keep quiet about why I'm here forever, can I? Sooner or later I would have told you." Carl blinked a few times. "Why are you telling me now?"

Shrugging her shoulders, the girl stroked her face wearily. "So you'll finally realise there's nothing keeping me here."

The boy bit his lips, not knowing what to say.

"I don't know what you've been through, but-," Carl interrupted her, just as blunt and emotionless as Elide did.

"I killed my mother after Judith was cut out of her while she was still conscious."

The death of her family had been hurting the hell out of Elide ever since, choking the breath out of her every now and then. But what Carl just told her struck at her heart and ripped all the words out of her mouth.
Carl took a deep breath and looked out the window. "But I'm not a nobody. Neither are you. We're just two broken kids trying to live again and there's nothing wrong with at least trying, El."

God, how could such a child speak such orphan and sad words?  Elide didn't know what to say, let alone what to think. So she just acted and walked with slow steps towards Carl to close her trembling arms around his torso. Carl tensed at first, but then allowed it and put his arms around the girl too.

Neither of them said anything and neither Elide nor Carl said anything as they hugged each other even tighter, not intending to let go. They said nothing in response to each other's stories, but neither wanted to nor could imagine the pain they were carrying.

But one thing they both knew; they were closer than they had ever been before and even though they both had a big problem with trust, they would always be there for each other.

Carl took a deep breath in and out. "El?"

"Mm?" her voice slightly muffled by his shirt.

"I got your back, always."

Elide smiled sadly as she listened to his soothing voice.

"And I've got yours."

__

Any opinions or anything?

-Ally