The next day the group stood yet again at the make shift grave yard where Dales body had been freshly buried. Cassie stood with her family however Daryl had opted to yet again stand at the very edge of the groups small semi circle. Cassie and Rick had dug Dales grave early that morning while the rest of the group were sleeping and Shane,Andrea,T-dog and Daryl had been out on a perimeter check.
"Dale could get under your skin" Rick began as he was going to speak for Dales funeral. "He sure got under mine. Because he wasn't afraid to say exactly what he thought, how he felt. That kind of honesty is rare and brave. Whenever I'd make a decision, I'd look at Dale. He's be looking back at me with that look he had" Cassie felt a few tears begin to fall down her face as she remembered her time with Dale. At the same time she could feel Daryl's eyes on her from where he stood a few feet away.
"We've all seen it one way or another. I couldn't always read him but he could read us. He saw people for who they were. He knew things about us- the truth who we really are. In the end he was talking about losing our humanity. He said this groups broken. The best way to honour him is to in break it, set aside our differences and pull together, stop feeling sorry for ourselves, take control of our lives, our safety, our future." Cassie wasn't sure how clear it was to the others but to her it was quite clear the last part of what Rick was saying was directed at Shane and the beef they had between them.
"We're not broken. We're gonna prove him wrong. From now on we're gonna do it his way. That is how we honour Dale." After Rick had spoken the group slowly started to leave the Greene family leaving first followed by Shane, Andrea, T-Dog,Carol, Lori and Carl then Glenn. Soon enough only Rick, Cassie and Daryl were left standing.
As Cassie looked up from the ground she had been looking at she was met with Daryl's blue eyes staring into hers. He nodded his head to the side signalling her away to walk with him to the farmhouse. They walked together in a comfortable silence hands brushing together as they did.
——————————————————————————-
Hershel and his family had decided to let the group come stay in the farmhouse with them as as the days went on it got colder and sleeping in tents would be no good for them."It'll be tight 15 people in one house"
"Don't worry about that. With the swamp hardening,the creek drying up-"
"With 50 head of cattle on the property we might as well be ringing the damn dinner bell" Maggie continued on from her father.
"She's right. We should have moved you in a while ago" Hershel agreed.
"Thank you It's very generous of you" Cassie thanked the pair.
"It's no problem dear" Hershel replied.
"All right let's move the vehicles near each of the doors facing out toward the road. We'll build a lookout in the windmill, another in the barn loft. That should give us sight lines both sides of the property" Rick told the group before pulling T-dog over to give him a task as Cassie stood besides Shane leaning against the truck waiting for Rick to come back over.
As Daryl walked past her he gave a small crooked smile that made her blush slightly. God she felt so stupid for getting so flushed around him. When Lori walked past she saw a glimpse of Daryl's smile and then Cassie's reaction to it. After Daryl walked away to continue his job Cassie met Loris eyes and when Lori gave her a knowing smile Cassie's eyes widened before she turned away trying to distract herself.
"I'll stock the basement with food and water, enough we can all survive there a few days if need be" Hershel told them.
"What about patrols?" Andrea asked.
"Let's get this area locked down first" Rick told her "After that, Shane will assign shifts, while me, Cassie and Daryl take Randall offsite and cut him loose"
"You think this is a better idea?" Cassie asked her brother wanting his opinion.
"We really back to that?" Shane asked after her in an annoyed tone. He obviously still wanted to kill Randall.
"It was the right plan first time round bad execution" Rick answered both of them.
"You can say that again"
"You don't agree with it but it's happening. Swallow it, move on"
"You two do know that Dales death and the prisoner that's two separate things right?"
"Yeah we do" Cassie answered for both twins.
"You two want to take Daryl into a little trio with the two of you be my guests" Shane stated clearly jealous the redneck was replacing him.
"Thank you" Rick said before he walked away from Shane. When Cassie went to follow when a hand on her wrist dragging her back stopped her. She turned to see Shane giving her a smug look.
"What do you want?" She asked thankful Lori was still stood on the other side of the pick ups bed in case Shane were to try anything not that she couldn't manage to fight off Shane.
"I'm guessing he doesn't know. That your screwing the redneck" Shane said causing Cassie to shift uncomfortably.
"I have no clue what your on about Shane. Taking another trip down crazy lane?"
"Nah you see what would your sheriff brother think of his 'perfect' sister going at it with a piece of redneck trash"
Cassie heard the words leave Shane's mouth and without thinking she brought her hand up to give him a hard slap across the face. Cassie heard Lori let out a small gasp and Shane's stare hardened on Cassie. He stood up straight and just as though it looked like he might retaliate Lori walked around to Cassie taking the blondes hand in her own.
"Cassie come help me move some stuff up to the house" Lori told her trying to move Cassie but she stood her ground.
"You talk about him like that again and I will do a lot worse" were Cassie's last words to Shame before she stormed away. Little did she know the two men she had just been arguing about with Shane had seen the whole thing and we're both equally confused.
As she walked towards the house she heard the familiar sound of a motorcycle coming up behind her. She didn't want to face Daryl so instead quickly grabbed her bag and ran into house to find her own spot to sleep.
"Hey Cass" Maggie's voice called out making the blonde turn where she stood. "There's space in my room if you want. It would be less crowded"
"That would be great thanks Maggs" Cassie smiled accepting Maggie's offer as the two walked up the stairs to Maggie's room together. "Wait why didn't you offer Glenn the space?"
"I did. He said no" Maggie answered "So you told him yet?"
"Which one?" Cassie said with a dry laugh. "I don't know what to do but somehow Shane's found out and is threatening to tell Rick. But it's not that I don't want Rick to know it's that I should tell him"
"That's fair enough. I'd say tell Rick first. He's your twin maybe he can help you with telling Daryl" Maggie suggested to her.
"I think your right, thanks Maggie"
Cassie then went back downstairs in the hope of being able to talk to Rick before they met with Daryl to plan their run and then leave. Although instead of finding Rick once she was outside she ran into Carl.
"Aunt Cassie I've been looking everywhere for you" Carl said in a slightly annoyed tone before he grabbed his aunts hand and dragged her away from the house to stand under a large tree near where the rv was still parked up.
"Sorry Carl. What's up?"
"Dale. It's my fault he died" Carl told her causing confusion to sweep over his aunt.
"Wait Carl what do you mean cause Dales death that was an accident. You know that right?"
"No it's my fault. I was messing about at the swamp and then I saw that walker. So I started chucking rocks at it. But then it got loose and I ran away and then it killed Dale and it's all my fault" Carl rambled quickly so Cassie had to put her hands on his shoulders as she crouched down to try and calm the young boy.
"Carl calm down. Why were you out alone anyway? You could've gotten hurt"
"I had this" Carl confessed as he reached behind his back and took a gun out "I took it off Daryl's bike. He'll kill me if he finds out I took it but your his girlfriend he'll be fine with you. I tried giving it so Shane but he wouldn't let me."
Cassie could see how guilty the young boy felt for something that wasn't even his fault so she tried to make him feel less scared. "Yeah I'll give it back to Daryl"
"And you have to promise not to tell my parents" Carl told her as he extended a pinky out to his aunt in the hopes she would join hers with his.
"Okay" Cassie agreed. "Now go find your mom" Cassie told him before pulling him in for a hug.
"Thank you for always being here Aunt Cassie" he whispered in her ear the he ran off Cassie walking slowly behind him as she watched him run up the stairs into the house.
She saw Daryl and Rick walk onto the porch Rick with a map in his hand. When he saw his sister in the distance he waved her over causing her to speed up. Once she reaches the house she walked up the steps and saw both men looking at the map.
"We'll drive him out to Senoia hour there hour back give or take. We may lose the light but we'll be half way home by then." Rick explained to them.
"And this whole pain in the ass will be a distant memory"
"Thank god for that" Cassie agreed.
"Good riddance"
"You can say that again"
"Carols putting together provisions, enough to last him a few days." As Rick finished the threes attention turned to the car Shane was driving towards them up the dirt path. "Listen that thing you did last night" Rick said as he turned to Daryl.
"Ain't no reason you should do all the heavy lifting" Daryl replied and Rick gave him a thankful nod. Cassie watched the pair interact now thinking maybe telling Rick wouldn't be the worst idea.
"So you good with all this?" Rick asked after a moment of silence.
"I don't see you and I trading haymakers on the side of the road. Nobody'd win that fight. Plus this one wouldn't be too happy about it" Daryl told him gesturing towards Cassie with the last part.
"No I would not" Cassie said before out of the corner of her eye she saw Shane approaching them. "Cmon let's get the last of our stuff ready to go" Cassie suggested scowling at Shane before she walked off the porch Daryl following close behind her.
"Thanks for getting us out there" Daryl said as they walked.
"No problem. Shane's being a total dick but honestly what's new"
"Why whats he done now?" Daryl asked her noticing that she was acting kinda weird.
"It's fine honestly" Cassie assured Daryl rubbing her arms. She was yet to find a jacket that could help keep out the bitter cold well her denim one not doing well at it.
"Oh I got ye something" he told her before he began to leading her to his motorbike. In one of the two side satchels on the back he pulled out a dark red leather jacket for her.
"Thanks" Cassie said as she shrugged the jacket on it fitting her perfectly, slightly oversized so she could wear a jumper underneath if she wanted, the warmth immediately helping. Daryl gave her a smile she returned before they walked away to get their bows and arrows or in Daryl's case bolts. They then walked over to T-dog who was stood by the blue pick up putting Randall's supplies in a box for him.
"Only so many arrows" T-dog said to Daryl handing him a gun.
"Bolts. Careful Daryl gets very technical over what they are" Cassie warned T-Dog with a grin as Daryl scowled.
"Shut it. This Dales gun?" Daryl asked and from the way T-dog bowed his head down slightly before he answered Cassie already knew what he was going to say.
"Yeah"
"Wish I knew where the hell mine is"
"Oh do you mean this?" Cassie asked pulling the gun she had gotten from Carl out her waistband, waving it in front of Daryl.
"Where'd ya find it?" He asked her trying to grab it before she pulled it away.
"In the field near your old camp. You must have dropped it while we were moving out stuff" Cassie answered covering for Carl.
"Okay can I get it now?"
"Nope. Finders keepers losers weepers" she smiled putting the gun back behind her waistband.
"Ready?" Rick asked as he walked over.
"Yeah" both Cassie and Daryl responded.
"I'll get the package then" T-Dog told them, the three thanking him as he walked off towards where they were keeping Randall.
"Guys!" T-Dog yelled once he got back to camp. The only problem was he was alone. "Randall's gone!"