Arrow to the Side

When they got back to the farm. Rick called everyone up to the house to discuss Randalls fate. It had resulted in Rick and Shane taking Randall 18 miles out. That hadn't gone so well. No one knew exactly what had gone down between the two officers but Anna had a feeling that Shane was the root of the error.
Sitting in the Greenes livingroom once again, the group decided that Randall should be taken to the barn and shot. Anna expressed how she felt about the situation but eventually agreed. This earned her a disappointed glare from Dale.
"Are you all going to watch too?"

***
The decision freaked her out all day.As she was sat in her tent cleaning her gun her mind wandered to Daryl and what he would have to do later. She felt her heart plummet but she knew she wanted to make things right with Daryl before he took the boy to the barn.
She didn't know what to say to him. She just hoped that the heatof the moment would provide her with the words.
She coughed to clear the lump in her throat as she approached Daryl leaning against the house.
"Daryl."
"What?" He didn't look at her but continued to scrape some mud off his fingernail.
"I just...I just wanted to say I'm sorry."
That got his attention but he still didn't say anything. She groaned in frustration and flopped back against the wood.
"I didn't mean what I said before... I mean, I meant it but, I didn't want... I don't know." She threw her hands up to her head and pulled her hair in frustration. It was a minute before she spoke again.
"You were right. You were doing what needed to be done and I wasn't being fair. I just didn't want that to be what needed to be done and It scared the crap out of me. I'm sorry." Daryl didn't break eye contact as she spoke but when she finished he stared down at her feet.
Anna started to turn away.
"I said what I wanted to say so..."She trailed off when she felt Daryls hand wrap around her wrist. Turning back, she saw the shy sincerity in his crystal eyes and it dropped her heart into her stomach.He squeezed her hand lightly.
"M'sorry too." His voice sounded strained and Anna took his other hand in hers and pulled him closer to her softly. She kissed him on the cheek and buried her face in his neck.
She could hear his heartbeat and felt the fabric of his shirt move as he wrapped his arms around her. The warmth from his arms seeped into her bones and she smiled into his shoulder.

"I really like you,Dixon." She whispered it softly into his shoulder like a secret.
She felt his breath hitch and a second passed before he moved his lips to her ear.

"I really like you too."

She didn't know how long they stood like that. Time lost it's meaning as she stood in her little bubble with Daryl. But when Rick rounded the corner of the house Anna noticed the dimming light.
Rick looked solemnly at Daryl.

"It's time."
***
Anna sat in her tent with a lump in her throat. Waiting for a gunshot to signal the end of the boys life. She waited. And waited. She waited so long that her eyelids started to droop despite the fear that flowed through her veins. It never came. She never thought the absence of a gunshot could make her so nervous.
Anna poked her head out of her tent to see Rick leading his son away from the barn while Daryl dragged Randall back to the shed. Anna sent him a questioning look. Daryl just shook his head stiffly.
A cold feeling of dread hit her in the face and settled down into her stomach like a rock.
She crawled back inside her lonely tent. She wrapped herself up in her sleeping bag as tight as she could.Anna hugged her pillow to her as she tried to chase the anxiety out of her system.