I decided to trail off the beaten path a little bit. This will be multi-chaptered, a different sort of story than I usually write. Slightly AU because Shane's not dead. Enjoy~

"Shane, you're the body." Andrea said one night as she pushed her hands closer to the dwindling fire.

"Excuse me… what?" Shane asked, instantly alert, his hands on the pommel of his ever-present gun.

Andrea laughed and Beth giggled, instantly in on the idea Andrea had planned. "Who done it!" Andrea said, smiling. "You've never heard of that game?"

"Well, yeah," Shane shrugged, dropping his hand, "I heard you talkin' about it all conspiratorially with Beth. What's it?"

"A mystery story." Andrea explained. "Everyone picks who they think others should be and then I tell a murder story how you guys picked it." Andrea grinned and saw Lori and Carol and even Glenn grinning, too. "It's a murder mystery."

"Then why the hell I gotta be the dead guy?" Shane grunted out.

"'Cuz yer annoyin' as hell t' listen to." Daryl glowered at the squirrel bone he held in his hand. "Better off dead."

"Shuddup, hick." Shane muttered but there was a clear undertone of jest. He turned back to Andrea. "Fine, I'll be the dead person. But you're the detective's lover."

Andrea wrinkled her nose but nodded, "Deal. Alright, who's Lori?"

Glenn spoke up, laughing as Maggie elbowed him in the ribs, clearly not liking his choice. "Shane's lover."

Though the thought struck close to home by the look in Shane and Rick's eyes, Lori was laughing. "Alright, then you're a wise-cracking police officer who no one really takes seriously."

While Glenn groaned and Maggie laughed, Andrea continued. "OK, what about T-Dog?"

"He's a suspect, a'course." Daryl said, gnawing on the squirrel bone. "Was with Shane a'fore he died."

"What the hell, Daryl." T-Dog groaned. But he was smiling. "Alright, then. You're the detective on the case."

Beth was giggling again and she leaned close to Andrea to whisper, "Andrea and Daryl, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G."

Daryl threw the squirrel bone at her and she shrieked out a laugh. Then the whole group was cracking up. No one seemed to notice the blush spread across Andrea's face or the way Daryl tensed up.

"The hell I'm a detective." Daryl growled out, digressing.

"Makes sense." Rick shrugged, "You're the best tracker."

"Alright, Daryl's the detective and I'm his lover." Andrea agreed, shaking her head, laughter and embarrassment mixing together curiously. "So who's Rick?"

"An eye-witness no one believes." Maggie offered.

Rick shrugged, "Fine with me. Then Maggie's an escaped convict who might be a suspect."

Glen was obviously trying not to laugh but Maggie elbowed him again anyway. Beth spoke up then, "And Dad's the police leader."

"Captain of the force?" Rick asked for clarification.

"Sure, that." Beth nodded.

"Hey, I don't want to be in any of this." Hershel stated in his wise voice. He was obviously just beginning to retire for the night.

"If ya don't wanna, old man, no one's stoppin' ya. But I'd say yer job's cool." Daryl shrugged.

Shane grinned, "Yeah, you get to boss Daryl around."

Hershel thought for a moment and then shrugged. "Sure, why not. I'll be the police captain. Then Beth's the daughter of Lori and Shane."

"What?" Several voices cried in surprise.

Andrea laughed at the look on Beth's face. "Okay then, Beth's the daughter. Probably adopted, but the daughter nonetheless. That leaves Carol and Carl."

Carol looked up in surprise and Carl crowed with delight because he was suddenly allowed to partake in this. Instantly, he cried out, "Carol's the owner of the farm Shane died on!"

Carol blinked and then shrugged. "Well that's a surprise. Um, okay. Carl's an eye-witness, too. But he's a kid. Dunno if people would trust him or not."

"Aw, come on," Glenn grinned, "Just look at him! Who wouldn't trust this kid?"

People laughed hard at that and it took a while for them to quiet down. Finally, Andrea raised her voice, "Alright, alright!" When people quieted down, she looked at them. "Ready for me to begin?"

"S'long as you make it good." Shane growled.

Andrea grinned almost malignantly, "Oh, it'll be good."