-A Few Hours Later-

The group parted after the events at the barn. However, it seemed everyone was having their issues.

Firstly, Beth, Herschel's youngest daughter, had gone into shock. She was unresponsive, but she had a heartbeat. 

Herschel had gone missing in town, Maggie telling Theo and her father the place he used to go drinking when he had alcoholism, his coping place.

In addition, Carol, understandably, has shut everyone out. 

Daryl stayed with her to make sure she stayed safe.

"Do you need an extra pair of hands?" Theo asked her dad, who was waiting by the car for Glenn.

They were heading into town to find Hershel.

"Yeah," Rick smiled. He and his daughter hadn't had time to speak since everything happened. Rick wanted to forget about it, and Theo wanted nothing more.

When she noticed Glenn talking to Maggie, Theo was about to get in the car. Theo gave her dad a hug.

"I'm sorry I never said anything about Mum and Shane", She apologised, making him tense.

"It wasn't fair for you to hold that secret, but I understand," he told her, still hugging and stroking her hair gently.

"You know I love you, right? You're my best friend," Theo said, looking up at her dad, the man she wished she could be like.

He gave her a large smile before kissing her on the head.

"I love you too," he said as they pulled away.

Theo smiled before getting in the car. Glenn soon joined them.

"Maggie!" Theo yelled out the window. "Can you tell Daryl where I am?" She begged.

She nodded before going off to look for him.

The journey started quietly before Theo looked at Glenn, noticing him more silent than usual.

"You alright, buddy?" Theo asked, concerned about her best friend.

"Maggie told me she loved me," he exclaimed, making Rick and Theo look at him in disbelief, not because they didn't think it was possible, but because it's something you didn't hear often.

"Okay, so why does your face look like she told you she wants to kill you?" Theo asked laughing

"Because she doesn't, she shouldn't, not in a world like this", he explained, turning to look at his best friend.

"Anyone who has seen Maggie can agree she loves you, Glenn", Rick explained.

"What's the problem, Glenn?" Theo wondered as she listened to her best friend ramble. 

"I didn't say it back."

Theo cringed, knowing that would have hurt Maggie a lot; as far as Theo could tell, she wasn't the type of girl to say that to anyone.

"Do you?" Rick asked, looking at him and the road.

"I don't know," he said. "With her, it's different, but what does she know about me? We are practically strangers," Glenn rambled, rubbing his forehead frustratedly.

"Hey, enjoy it; we don't get enough of it these days. When we get back, return the favour," Rick said, making Glenn smile.

"You never know; this could be your soulmate" Theo smiled in the back, making Glenn roll his eyes.

"And you, Daryl?" Rick asked, making his daughter instantly go quiet.

"What do you mean?" Theo blushed. She knew what he meant, but she wasn't about to have that talk with her dad. "We are friends, that's all." 

"I would hope so..." Rick raised his eyebrow at her in the mirror

Glenn and Theo looked at him strangely, unsure what he meant by that. 

They finally pulled up to the town and parked in front of the bar Maggie mentioned.

They got out of the car and headed over slowly, being cautious as walkers could be around.

Or worse, people. 

"I know about Lori, the pills," Rick began, directing his comment to Glenn.

"What pills?" Theo asked, unaware of any pills.

"Your mother tried to get rid of the baby, and Glenn, it wasn't your fault; you did what you thought was right; it just happened that you weren't," Rick said. 

The pills took Theo back, but she was also not surprised; she knew her mum wasn't sure if she wanted the baby or not. 

It was understandable.

They headed into the bar. It was dark and dusty, just as Theo imagined it to be. The windows were blocked up, keeping out any light.

"Herschel?" Rick asked carefully, not wanting to startle the older man.

He was sitting at the bar, back facing the door.

"Who are you with?" he asked without turning to look at the trio who stood at the doorway.

"Theo and Glenn," Rick told the old man calmly.

"Maggie, send you?" Hershel asked, raising the glass to his lips.

"No, he volunteered. He's good like that," Rick answered, nodding at Glenn.

Rick headed over to him, Glenn following slightly while Theo watched out the window.

Theo could barely hear what they were saying.

She wasn't focusing too much, but she knew Herschel wasn't moving, and getting him to leave would be more complicated than they thought.

"Maggie wants you home safe. Therefore, we aren't leaving without you," Glenn said sternly. 

"We promised her that", Rick continued, hoping it would help persuade him to leave.

"Ha, like you promised that little girl?" Herschel laughed, making Rick quiet, which sparked Theo's anger.

"You think it's funny, she was in your barn, you didn't think to check when we mentioned a little girl; my dad tried his hardest to save Sophia; Daryl searched every day, almost died, the group was chasing after a girl that was already dead, and you are going to sit there and laugh? Your piece of shit," Theo yelled, walking over to him.

Herschel looked at her apologetically.

"You are drunk. I'll forgive you, but your daughters need you at home," Theo snapped. His comment made her angry, but it wasn't important now.

"What is the plan?" Before Herschel could answer, Rick asked, "Finish that bottle, drink yourself to death? Leave your girls?" Rick furiously put.

"You don't get to tell me how to look after my family, my farm; you people are like a damn plague; I did the Christian thing to do, I let you people into my home, and you destroyed it all!" Herschel walked over to Rick.

"How long do you think it would have taken?!" Theo yelled, and Herschel turned to look at her, confused by what she meant.

"Pardon?" he asked, looking Theo up and down aggressively.

"How long do you think it would have been until you went to put a new walker in that barn, and you made a wrong move, causing either them to escape, or for you to get bitten, or they get so hungry they start killing themselves until they make it out that barn and head towards your home while you and your family are sleeping until you got bitten or eaten?" Theo asked him, anger coating her voice. "How long?!" She yelled, repeating her words.

"You had no right!" he yelled at Theo. "You", he said, turning to Rick once again. "You are meant to control your people; you are their leader!"

"I'm here now, aren't I?!" Rick snapped, looking at Hershel 

The room was tense from the yelling.

"Herschel, you have lost people, we all have, but they aren't sick people, they are dangerous, dead people, who if they bit you, you would die also; you put the rest of your family in danger", Theo tried to explain.

"Beth's mother and brother were in that barn", he cried, falling back into his seat.

"And so was Carol's baby girl", Theo cried, her voice matching his.

This made him go quiet.

"I chose not to believe you when you told me the first time that these people were dead." Herschel began looking at Rick. "You said there was no cure, but I still had hope, but now, you see it too, there is no hope."

Rick sighed

"No hope for any of us", Herschel repeated.

Theo looked between Glenn and her dad before placing her gun on the table and getting comfy, knowing they might be there for a while.

"I'm not doing this anymore. You know nothing has changed. Death is death; it's always been there. But you didn't lose hope before. But now people are counting on us, on you, and you're giving up?" Rick asked. "You are giving them a reason to lose hope."

Theo looked around the room before noticing a bottle of rum.

Daryl wouldn't mind this. She thought to herself.

She grabbed the bottle before placing it in her backpack.

"Even if we don't have hope anymore, we keep making people believe we do, for them, for the others, to keep them going", Rick explained.

Herschel looked at him in almost shock before finishing his glass.

They nodded at each other, finally on the same terms, when the door cracked open slowly, revealing two men.