The next morning everyone who was going out to look for Sophia where gathered round the hood of a yellow car the map having been sectioned into grids to organise the search more. When Daryl arrived and stood next to Cassie he placed a shirt onto the cars hood which caused Cassie to frown.
She reached over and picked up the shirt which confirmed her suspicion. It had long sleeves. She turned to Daryl who simply gave her a confused look.
"What?" He asked her.
"Are you feeling okay?" She asked to which he responded "What?" again making it clear to her he was confused.
"It's just this is long sleeved so are you okay or should we call Hershel?" She explained to him.
"Ha ha very funny Sunshine believe it or not I do own a shirt with sleeves"Daryl said in a dry voice which caused Cassie to laugh as he snatched his shirt back to put it on as the others approached.
Rick had been focusing on the map but he heard the interaction which only made him further believe his sister was crushing on Daryl Dixon.
"All right everyone's getting new search grids today" Rick started as everyone arrived. "If she made it to the farmhouse Daryl and Cassie found she might have gone further east than we've been so far."
"I'd like to help" the boy Jimmy announced walking over to Rick. "I know the are pretty well and stuff"
"Hershel's ok with this?" Rick asked not wanting to take the boy out without Hershel's permission.
"Yeah yeah he said I should ask you" Jimmy stuttered out making Cassie think maybe he wasn't telling the truth.
"All right then.Thanks" Rick thanked jimmy for his help.
"Nothing about what Cassie and Daryl found screams Sophia to me.Anyone could have been holed up in that farmhouse." Shane said yet again bringing the conversation to a negative.
"Anybody would include her Shane. Plus the person who slept in there could have only been about this high" she explained using her hands to show the height.
"Maybe we'll pick up her trail again" Rick suggested.
"No maybe about it I'm gonna borrow a horse,head up to this ridge right here get a Birds Eye view of the whole grid. If she's up there I'll spot her" Daryl explained. Cassie had already been told by Rick that she was with him and Shane today wanting to spend more time with his sister.
"Nice idea cowboy" she joked causing Daryl to lightly shove her with his shoulder before she pushed back.
"Maybe you'll see your chupacabra up there too" T-dog added drawing their attention.
"Chupacabra?" Rick asked having no clue what they were talking about.
"You never heard this?" Dale asked to which Rick shook his head "The first night of camp Daryl talks us that the whole thing reminded him of a time he went squirrel hunting and saw a chupacabra" Dale explained.
Jimmy started to laugh at Dales story which cause Daryl to ask "What you braying at Jackass?"
"So you believe in a blood sucking dog?" He asked Daryl
"You believe dead people walking around" Daryl retaliated which made Cassie laugh a little.
Just then Jimmy reached into the car to grab a shotgun before he was stopped by basically everyone.
"You ever fire one before?" Rick asked him
Jimmy didn't give him a straight answer replying with "Well if I'm going out I want one"
"Yeah and people in hell want slurpees" Daryl mocked Jimmy one last time before he walked away crossbow over his back. Cassie's eyes followed Daryl as he left before turning her attention back to the group.
"Why don't you come by and train tomorrow. If your serious I'm a certified instructor" Shane told Jimmy.
He stood silent think about it for a minute before Andrea said "For now he can come with us"
"He's yours to babysit then" Shane told Andrea before Rick started showing each group which part of the grid they'd be searching
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After grabbing whatever they needed Cassie,Rick and Shane headed out into the woods on the hunt for Sophia. The journey had been dead silences so far which you wouldn't expect from a group of childhood friends yet still no one said a word.
"You remember the name of that waitress who worked at the Dairy Queen?" Rick asked Shane breaking the silence. He let out a small chuckle before saying "I know you Shane,well enough to know that there is only one sure fire way of engaging you in a conversation"
Cassie realised now what Rick had been talking about so she added on "it's to ask you about girls you did in high school". She looked over at Rick who gave her a smile that made Cassie realise she would have to walk through the woods and listen to the stories of Shane's high school sex history.
"I don't want to neither of us do but we're willing to if that's what it takes" Rick told him not turning back as they continued to walk.
There was a pause of silence before Shane simple said "Maryanne" in response to ricks earlier question. "I told you about her?"
"Oh I'm excruciating detail" Rick replied which made Cassie chuckle.
"Rick that's such bullshit you use to live for those details back then" she told him causing him to turn over to her and shake his head.
"Yeah but I was impressionable. And I may have been vicariously living through Shane" he said making the whole trio laugh. It was almost like old times.
"Well of course you did with my impressive list of accomplishments" Shane chuckled but stopped when he saw they death stare Cassie had given him.
"So that's all women are after you've slept with them huh? Achievements on some list?" She asked Rick stepping back behind her not wanting to get in the middle of this.
"No nope not at all" Shane replied as Cassie walked away from him letting her brother be in the middle as they walked. "But I was a protege"
"You mean a prodigy" Cassie corrected causing Shane to like over to her again.
"We'll yeah if a prodigy is a young high school stud who was banging 30year olds on the regular" Shane told them with a smirk.
"Oh please what 30 year olds where you banging in high school?" Cassie asked as she raised an eyebrow not believing Shane at all.
"The p.e teacher" her replied which caused Rick to give Cassie a confused look.
"Mr Daniel?" He asked to which Shane shook his head,
"Mrs Kelly" he told them making Cassie gasp slightly.
"The girls volleyball coach?" She asked to which Shane simply chuckled "I though she was married?"
"Come on" Shane said in a slightly annoyed tone but he was like that most of the time so it was hard to tell.
"You know what I just remembered? Why I don't ask you about this stuff"
"Why don't we talk about your high school love life then?" Shane asked Rick which caused Cassie to laugh out.
"That'll be a short conversation you only ever got with Shelia" she laughed as Shane and Rick started to laugh too.
"Yeah that's the one he lied about" Shane reminded her.
"I never lied I just got mixed up about what the bases meant" causing more laughter from the group "and Cassie you can hardly talk you weren't getting with heaps of people"
Cassie chuckled softly thinking back "no I guess not but I had Natasha. And that was enough"
"And you had Ryan before that." Rick reminded her to which she smiled slightly. He had been her first boyfriend before he broke up with her when she wouldn't sleep with him.
"Damm I still can't believe Natasha was gay or I would have gotten on that" Shane said which made Cassie smirk.
"You were so jealous that I got with her. But when you like both guys and girls you've got a wide selection" she smiled before the three went silent. Rick had always been happy for his sister having found who she was and always supported her.
"Shouldn't be talking about this stuff. That idea gone along with everyone one in it. Shelia, Natasha, Maryanne Mrs Kelly. I mean we're like old folk all the people in out stories are dead." Shane said negativity coming from every word he said.
"We can't just forget them" Rick said disagreeing with Shane and Cassie could tell an argument would probably spark from this.
"The hell we can't. It's hard enough to accept what's happened without digging up the past. I'll tell you what it is. It's nostalgia it's like a drug. It keeps you from seeing things the way they are"Shane told them which made Cassie frown. How could Shane so easily forget about the lives they used to have? "That's a danger you got people depending on you."
"You think I don't know that?" Rick asked Shane as they came to a stop.
"I don't know. I mean you've got every able body we got out looking for a little girl we both know is likely dead" Shane told them and that's when Cassie had had enough.
"Stop saying that Shane she's alive out there. How can you give up so easily on her? What if it was Carl missing out there?" She asked but Shane never gave her a reply so she continued "you think we should give up the search don't you?"
Rick gave Shane a look as he waited for his reply to his sisters question. "It's not my call is it?"
"We'll we're asking" Rick told him siding with his sister.
"Survival guys.It means making hard decisions but you've both got this knack.You spread is thinner and thinner. I'm trying to save lives while you two save cats from trees" Shane told them both walking away.
"Is that what you think Sophia is a cat in a tree?" Rick asked Shane disgusted that the man he saw as a brother could think that.
"Don't do that man don't twist my words" Shane said.
"We'll what did you mean Shane?" Cassie asked but he ignored her.
"How many times have we get called up to look for a missing child man. You got 72 hours before your looking for a dead body. And that was before. You honestly think we'll find Sophia alive?" He asked them.
"Yes I do. What do you think Shane?" Cassie responded hoping he wouldn't say what she thought he would.
"You want my complete honesty?" He asked her.
"Please" she said.
"It's maths Cass. Alive or not Sophia only matters to the degree in which she drags the rest of us down" he responded which caused Cassie to scoff and look away from him. "You wanted honesty. You know if we had just moved on we'd be half way to fort benning by now and Carl wouldn't have been shot!"
He turned to Rick before continuing "You said so yourself. But we're out here we're risking lives. Your own son almost died man. Otis he paid that bill what the hell we still doing this for?"
Rick walked up to Shane and looked him dead in the eyes Cassie not far behind him. "We had her Shane. She looked in our eyes and trusted us. We failed her and if we hadn't she wouldn't be out here" Cassie nodded her head agreeing with Ricks words as he spoke. The Grimes twins carried the shared guilt of losing the little girl and both believed she was till alive."I agree with Cassie I believe she's alive and I'm not going to write her off."
Cassie looked away from Shane's glance and saw a piece of blue cloth nailed to a tree. "It's Andrea,T dog and Jimmy we must have wondered into their grid."
With that the three walked back to the farm Shane walking ahead furiously rubbing his head with his hands as Cassie and Rick walked together. Neither said a word but there was shared understanding they wouldn't give up on Sophia.
And when they eventually arrived back at the farm Shane stormed away, Rick went to talk to Lori and Cassie went looking for Dale hoping she could join him on watch duty and clear her head.
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After attempting to make his way back up the hill bolt still in his side Daryl had fell all the way back down lying on the stone ground in pain. When he finally opened his eyes groaning in pain he was surprised to see a figure standing in front of him. It wasn't till his vision adjusted he realised the figure was none other than Merle.
"Why don't you pull that arrow out dummy? You could bind your wound better" Merle told him
"Merle" Daryl rasped out a small smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.
"What's going on here? You taking a siesta or something?" Merle asked him in a taunting voice.
"Shitty day bro" Daryl replied.
"Want me to get you a pillow? Rub your feet a little?" Merle asked his brother making him wish he had stayed missing.
"Screw you" was all he said in response which made Merle chuckle.
"Your the one who looks like he's screwed from the looks of things little brother"
"He's fine" a feminine voice came from somewhere behind Merle. Daryl watched as his brother turned around to greet the women.
"Hey lil sister!" He greeted her pulling her in for a hug. 'Little sister?' Daryl wondered. Just then the women came into Daryl's sight and his eyes widened when he saw who it was.
"Sunshine" he sighed smiling at the sight of her in front of him.
"Hey. Are you okay?" She asked him eyebrows furrowed as she looked him up and down.
"I'm fine just fell is all" he said trying not to worry her.
"If your fine then why don't you get up and come back to me?" She asked crouching down and gently stroking his cheek. He rested his cheek into her hand and felt the cool metal of a ring on her finger. He looked down to see it was a wedding ring.
"Where'd you get that?" He asked confused to who Cassie had married. After he asked this Cassie stood up and turned to Merle before they both burst out laughing.
"Wow lil brother can't believe you can't remember who your own wife is" Merle chuckled. 'I married Cassie?' Daryl thought to himself and he couldn't help the smile that spread onto his face when he imagined the idea of calling Cassie his wife. Cassie Dixon. Sounded right to him.
Just then Cassie and Merle shared a look before turning back to Daryl. "We've got to go their coming" Merle told her about to drag her away but before he could she leaned back down to Daryl.
"Come back to me" she whispered in his ear before turning and walking away with Merle. Daryl watched her walk away wanting her to come back. He then felt a small pain on his foot and looked down to see a walker trying to get a bite out of it.
He kicked the walker off grabbing a nearby stick to smash it's head in. When he saw another approaching he pulled the bolt from his side and placed it in his crossbow getting ready to fire it. He aimed for the walkers head and fired quickly right before it could get a bite out of him. He rolled over away from the two dead walkers before saying "I'll get back" and getting ready to make his way back to Cassie.
After binding his wound better, eating a squirrel raw and creating himself a necklace of ears he began to make his way up the hill a second time. He was near the top when both Merle and Cassie reappeared standing at the top of the hill he was trying to reach.
"Cmon Daryl your so close" Cassie encouraged him willing him to climb so he could get back to her.
"Nah my lil brother just needs to kick of his damm high heels and climb" Merle shouted which caused Cassie to turn to him as the pair began to argue over wether Daryl would make it forgetting he was even there.
"At least I'll be there when he gets back" she shouted.
"If!" Merle argued back not a lot of hope for his brother.
"When!" Cassie argued back believing in him.
"Shut up" Daryl shouted at them causing both their heads to whip around and realise he was nearly at the top.
"Cmon Darlina. Climb!" Mere yelled as Cassie shoved him to get him to shut up. Daryl looked up to Cassie and she gave him that smile that made the butterflies appear. This time though it willed him on and he finally reached the top of the hill grabbing the roots of a tree to haul himself up. When he reached the top both Cassie and Merle had now disappeared.
"You better run! I'm coming" he said before beginning his walk back to camp.
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Having found Dale Cassie was now sat on top of the rv with him helping to keep watch as she looked at the trees surrounding the farm waiting for Daryl to come riding out on the horse he had taken. Dale saw the worried look on the women's face so he sat down on the roof next to her placing the rifle in his lap.
"Are you alright Cassie? Anything I can help you with?" He asked the women.
"He should be back. Daryl should be back by now." She told Dale who had now figured out why she was so worried. "What if something happens to him out there? What if he's hurt? What-" she rambled before dale cut her off.
"Cassie it's Daryl. You know he does things his own way hardly one to follow rules is he. I bet you he's fine probably out following a lead on Sophia or something" he reassured her making her slowly nod her head. "So is there something going on there? Between you and Daryl?" He asked her.
"You know ever time someone's asked me that I've denied it straight away but now, now I'm not so sure. I think there might be. I want there to be" she admitted to the man who nodded his head as he noticed Andrea approaching wanting to take over as lookout.
"Your secrets safe with me dear" he told her patting her shoulder as they both got up, Andrea then climbing up the ladder before Cassie climbed down.
She had began walking round the farm trying to find Glenn but when she finally did before she could say anything she heard Andrea shout "Walker!"
Cassie made sure she had her knife attached to her belt before joining Rick,Shane,Glenn and t dog as they began to walk towards the field. When Andrea started talking about being able to hit the walker down Rick immediately shot her down knowing Hershel wanted to deal with the walkers for some reason.
The small group began to run through the fields down to beside the tree line where the walker was. Nothing could have prepared Cassie for what she saw in front of her.
"Daryl?"