A/N: I'm not quite as happy with this chapter as I had hoped. Things will pick up soon, because there's a huge time gap in the show, and not a lot of Daryl. So, I plan to have a lot of little gems for you guys to enjoy, as I flesh out Daryl in season 2, and head into the winter months in between 2 and 3. There was a lot of character development off screen for Daryl, both in season 2 and in between. I'll give you that, my way.

I hope you enjoy this for now. This will be the last chapter until late Tuesday afternoon. So, don't forget to REVIEW, and criticism is appreciated. :)

Love to all of you.

Chapter 21: Shane

"Hey…", I heard as my brain attempted to awaken. A hand slapped my foot, grabbing my big toe, and wiggled it back and forth. I half smiled, tugging my foot away from its attacker.

"Mm…", was all that I could mutter, opening my eyes.

"I'm goin' to work. You want a ride home, or what?", Daryl whispered, attempting to not wake Merle in the next room. I stretched, and sat myself up. My body was itchy and slightly aching from sleeping in my clothes, but I felt refreshed.

"I'll just ride with you. Mom's gonna be pissed…", I complained, dragging my hair to the back of my head, and throwing a rubber band around it.

He shook his head, a small smirk on his lips, "I already told her you decided to crash here. She just asked if you were alright…She ain't mad or nothin'."

"Really…", I said, rather than asked. With another nod, he grabbed his hat from the bedpost, and sat it on top of his head, "Thanks for…you know…helping out last night."

"Get dressed. Don't wanna be late.", he mumbled, and left the room. I let another sigh leave my lips, and stood from the bed with a wide stretch. With my boots still covering my sore feet, I left the room, a mess. Daryl was Daryl. He had his convictions. He was a good man, with a seemingly bad fate ahead of him. Watching him fight the fate off was rewarding, being a part of that was breathtaking. So, his silence was welcomed. Who needed words, anyway?

"You alright? I was waitin' for you inside.", I heard Rick's voice say, and I quickly dried my eyes and looked up at him with a fake smile.

"I'm fine. I just…I just wanted to be alone to think."

"I saw Shane out here. Everything okay with you guys?", he asked. There it was. There was that question I was dreading. I didn't want to lie to Rick. I didn't want to look him in the eyes, while he was trying to help me, and lie to him, but I didn't trust Shane.

"Yeah. He was worried about my head. I don't even remember falling, really…", I said softly. Though, instead of the understanding look I expected from the older man, I received a narrowing of the eyes. It was a look I knew all too well, with nosey parents. He knew I was lying. He knew that something else was going on, but he knew that for whatever reason, I either couldn't, or wouldn't tell him. So, he raised his eyebrows, erasing all signs of suspicion from his face, and thrust a plate toward me.

"Well, I brought you that sandwich. You need to eat somethin' after being out all night.", he explained, and I took the plate, diverting my eyes from his, "Daryl's worried you're pulling away."

"He tattled to you? That's rich…I just wanted to be alone."

"After going missing for two days? Shan, he's been out looking for you…for Sophia. He's out right now, beating the bushes and…", I took a bite from the sandwich, but stopped chewing and swallowed, to interrupt him.

"You know, I appreciate everything. I do, but I don't know what you want me to do."

"I want you…", Rick said slowly, before cutting his words off, "I want you to take care of yourself, of Daryl. I want you to be a part of this…but on your terms."

"Then let me do it…on my terms, Rick. A lot happened last night. I watched a man get ripped to shreds, to protect me. I watched…", I stopped, before the words slipped from my lips, and took another bite of my sandwich. My hands had begun to shake, and Rick shifted from one foot to the other, placing his hands on his hips.

"If there's anything you wanna tell me…My ears are open.", he whispered, his fatherly tone causing me to meet his eyes. I nodded, slowly, and handed him the plate. Taking it, he began to turn, "Hershel wants to have a service for Otis. They asked if you would attend."

"I-I don't know…", I whispered, looking down at my hands.

Rick nodded, "You take your time. I'll check on you in a bit."

Daryl pulled an arrow from the neck of a deer, wiping it on his jeans. He smirked a bit, grabbing its legs, and began dragging it through the sparse woods. His insides jumped around at the idea of having venison, of having venison ready for Shan. She always loved wild game. She was one of the few women he knew that ate squirrel, willingly.

He smiled at the thought, but turned it into a frown, as soon as he dragged the deer into the open field, and was met by Rick.

"You need some help?"

"Nah. Ain't nothin' I ain't done b'fore.", Daryl said quickly, tugging the deer up to the tree beside his tent. He dropped it there, and pulled his knife, quickly opening the stomach to remove the guts.

"Alright, then. Hershel wants us to all come to the service for Otis…that means you, too."

"I'll make my way over there when I'm done with my deer. Shan up and around?", he asked, looking up at Rick momentarily.

"I don't know about that. She's not doin' too good.", Rick answered, and Daryl nodded.

"Might wanna ask Shane about all that…He seems…"

"I know. Just, finish up here. Let me take care of Shane…", Rick answered, and Daryl caught the definite tone of his voice, nodding his head slowly as he slung guts into the fire pit.

I crept to the well, retrieving my water bottle from the ground. As I leaned down to grab it, I drug my opposite hand across my pistol, as my mind wondered to earlier. It was times like this that I wished I were still stuck to Daryl's hip, like the last few months on the farm.

I kicked a bit of the mud around the water bucket, and contemplated the idea of going to the makeshift funeral. Was Shane going to be there? If so, what bullshit lie was he planning to tell Rick, and Otis' family? Would they look to me? Would he place the blame on me, by saying that Otis died to protect me? The running of thoughts almost knocked me off my feet.

I looked around the yard, for the first time taking in the expansive farm. It was laid out like ours, save the large area of wooded land that didn't lead to anything but the highway. The horses made noise and played in the background, and behind the nearest tree, I noticed a tent being erected. I tilted my head, trying to make out the person behind the tattered material. Soon, a head peeked out, throwing a rain tarp over the top of the dome with some effort.

"Hey…", I said softly, as I approached the camp. Daryl's eyes met mine, and he gave a small smirk.

"Rick said you were down for the count..", he answered with equal softness. He crossed his arms, and I nodded, looking the tent over. The doorway, I noticed, was directed toward the woods, toward my camp.

"I'm alright. What're you doing this far out?", I asked.

"Shit got cramped up there. Lots of women bitchin' and whinin' about everything. I couldn't take it. 'Sides, it ain't fair for you to get this plot to yerself."

A smile broke across my face. I knew the reason he was out here. Either Rick sent him, or he was worried, and moved on his own. I hoped for the latter.

"Well. I guess I wouldn't mind the company tonight."

"Ya always were scared of the dark…", he said softly, chewing the skin from his thumb. I sighed, suddenly feeling less anxious in his presence. No matter what Shane said, I was safe with Daryl.

"Rick came out earlier, said they were havin' some thing for Otis. You gonna go?"

"I was gonna ask you the same thing. I mean…if you don't feel up to it…", Daryl started, and I waved a hand, cutting him off.

"Everyone needs to stop with the pity party. This family lost one of their own…", I started to say, before flashbacks ran through my head. They were intense, and made me want to vomit. Gripping my stomach, I frowned, and Daryl nodded.

"Let's go then."

"We gotta save the boy…", Shane acted out, tears in his eyes, stress in his voice. My hands were shaking against Daryl's side, as I itched to tell Patricia to her face that her husband had not gone down for Carl, under his terms. Her husband had been brutally gunned down, beaten, and fed to the walkers as if he was garbage.

Daryl watched Shane's show, glancing to my face every now and again as it changed from one shade of red to another. Shane took a deep breath, and gestured toward me, with his hand.

"He fought for her. When she fell, he realized that we weren't all going to make it out. He sacrificed…himself…", he said with an intense stare. Biting my lip, I closed my eyes tightly, and turned, walking away. I had to go somewhere, anywhere but here. I couldn't stand and watch him lie. I couldn't hold it in any longer.

Daryl crossed his arms, watching Shane's show. From the way everyone was reacting, they were either buying it, or they were just too nice to say anything, in fear of Shane. He glanced to Rick, as Shan's hand brushed against his elbow, shaking like a leaf. Rick was staring at Shane with the same intensity, their friendship giving Shane away. Rick could see right through him. So, Daryl decided to leave it alone, staring at the ground as Shane finished with a line about Shan. His eyes narrowed in a bit of annoyance. What was the point to that? As if she wasn't fucked up enough…

Shan's fleeting presence turned Daryl's head in worry. He gave another glance to Shane, meeting his eyes with a glare momentarily, and turned to follow her. He didn't know the dead guy. He was only needed for respect. He had paid his respect. Now it was his turn to take care of his own.

"Wait up, now…", he called out to her as she sped her pace up, her head down, headed straight for the stable. He knew that look. She was either planning to run off, or go viciously groom a horse until she fell out. Catching up to her, he grabbed her arm, turning her to him roughly, "I said wait…"

"Wait for what? For him to…to…", she started, and Daryl narrowed his eyes.

"For him to what?"

"Nothin'…", she whispered, crossing her arms across her chest, "I'm gonna go work on the stable…help out…"

"No yer not. Just…come back to camp."

"I…I can't be there, right now. I can't watch them walk around, mourning Otis' death, while Shane lies to their faces. I can't…I just can't Daryl…", chewing on his lip, Daryl decided it was the best time to ask.

"Shane killed him…Di'nt he?"

"No. Get the thought out of your head, Dare…", she murmured, breaking into a quiet sob as she pushed him away enough to start her walk to the stable.

"What'd he do to you? You either tell me…or…", he broke off, chewing his lip hard enough to draw blood, "...or I'll ask him myself…"

She stopped. Her hands balled into fists, and she turned. He had to admit that her facial expression made him nervous. Her fists being balled up, with that facial expression was intimidating, to say the least. He clenched his own fists, his arm muscles flexing with them.

"Fine. You wanna know? You wanna know how he drug me out like I was his last prayer on earth. You wanna know how he killed that man in cold blood, simply because he was tired of running? He was tired of me dragging him? So, he shot him in the kneecap. You wanna know how Rick coming to offer me lunch ended in a threat? I saw the whole thing, Dare…", she said quickly, somehow holding in the sob that was threatening every word, "He bashed my skull in, because I was going to kill him. I was going to put a bullet in his brain…and he bashed me in the face."

Daryl felt himself tense, his eyes wondering to her forehead. Shane had told a boldface lie to Rick, saying that she was wiped out by a curb. A curb had supposedly taken her out of commission for almost twenty-four hours. Shaking his head, he put his hands on his hips.

"That's not the best part. Oh no…", she stepped closer to him, "You want me to tell you how he came out, drug me into the woods, and unbuttoned my pants. How he ran his hands all over my body…and threatened to kill you? Is that what you want? What good does it do? What…fucking…good does it do for you to know?"

Daryl's mind began to race as he heard her out. It didn't do a damn bit of good for him to know these things. It just made him want to slit Shane's throat. No one would find him, after Daryl was done with him. He would simply disappear. The group would think he simply moved on. Shan was being herself. She was strong. Sometimes she was too strong.

He frowned, looking her dead in the eyes, and turned, without another word.

"Where you goin'?", she called after him. He replied with a simple, 'out'.

Confused, I watched Daryl walk away. He's the one who had asked for the truth. Maybe this was his new thing. When things hurt, he walked away from them, shut them out like they didn't exist. Letting the sob break from my throat, I turned in a circle, attempting to figure out what my next move could be. I wiped my eyes quickly, and followed him.

"Daryl…don't go. Stop…", I called out, carefully running to catch up with him. I made sure to keep myself from shedding many more tears as I approached, to keep his temper down, "Please stop…"

"I'm goin' out lookin'…", he said, as his pace quickened. I groaned internally and sped up, as well. I grabbed his hand, and it was quickly yanked from mine.

"You're going to Shane, aren't you? Daryl look at me. Daryl!", I attempted to slow him down, stop him, whatever I could as his pace quickened. He stopped by a tree, just long enough to lean his crossbow against it. I knew exactly where he was headed, as Shane stood, putting up his tent, "Daryl, no!"

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!", he yelled suddenly, causing Shane to turn, just in time to catch a punch to the face. He stumbled back, followed closely by Daryl, who straddled him, and proceeded to bash his face in.

"Rick! RICK!", I screamed out, realizing that I couldn't stop this. Daryl would kill him. Rick sprinted up, T-dog close beside him, and instantly speared Daryl off of Shane, onto the ground, pinning his arms above his hand.

"Let me go! You can't control him! You can't! Do you have any idea what he did?!", Daryl struggled, as T-dog removed his knife from its holster, and Rick laid his body weight against his chest.

"I know. Daryl, look at me. I…know…", Rick whispered to him, drawing himself close to Daryl's face. I could hear Daryl's breathing, as Shane stood and wiped the blood from his mouth. He glanced to me, raising a single finger to point straight at my face, before pushing past me to find Hershel. Rick released Daryl, helping him to his feet.

"You ain't gonna do nothin'?", Daryl asked Rick, his eyes almost begging the older man to go after Shane, to blow his brains out, to do anything but stand back and let this happen.

"Not yet. I know Shane…better than anybody. I go all sheriff now, and whatever has happened…will get worse. You want that?"

"I want you to give me five minutes alone with him…", Daryl whispered, straightening his vest a bit.

"That ain't gonna happen."

"Go screw yerself…", Daryl snapped, pushing past all of us. As he passed T-dog, he snatched his knife from the outstretched hand, shoving it back into his holster, and began the trek back to our camp. I caught Rick's eyes, as my own teared up. It seemed all I could do, anymore, was cry. I wasn't cut out for this world, but I was too proud to leave it…to leave Daryl.

I turned to follow Daryl, tearing my eyes from Ricks.

"Daryl…"

"Stop followin' me like a damn puppy!", Daryl snapped, turning on me so fast that I ran into him, trampling his feet. So, we were back to this. I took a step back, and stared straight into his eyes.

"Was that necessary?", I asked. His eyes rolled, and he placed a hand on his hip.

"What? Takin' care of you?"

"I don't need you to take care of me, Dare…", I whispered, my eyes devoid of tears.

"Like you didn't need me in Atlanta? Like you didn't need me…", he stopped, seeing the shocked look on my face, and scoffed, "…hell with ya. I don't need this."

"No…Do NOT walk away from me…", I ordered him, causing his eyes to narrow, "It's okay, Dare. I'm okay."

"Yer NOT OKAY!", he screamed, his voice carrying across the entire yard as he drew close to my face, his lips dangerously close to mine. I stared straight ahead, waiting for his breathing to slow down, "YOU ALMOST DIED WHILE YOU WERE AWAY! And then that son of a bitch…That…I ain't gonna sit back and watch you go down like that…"

"Then don't…", I whispered, "But I can't watch you go down, either. I've lost everything. I have nothing…"

His breathing slowed, as he stared at me. The blue of his eyes seemed silver, as he calmed, and his forehead touched mine. I brought a hand up, twisting a strand of his growing hair around my finger.

"All I got…", he whispered, closing his eyes in what I had to assume was the first true rest he had had in days. I smirked. He was still Daryl. This world made people like Shane. This world hardened good people, made them into soldiers. Daryl already had the soldier in him, from his life at home. Without someone to hold onto, this world would harden him, too.

His shoulders relaxed, and I picked his hands up, "You should get some rest."

"I'm gonna go out…look for the girl. I want ya to stay close to Rick…'way from the asshole.", he murmured. I nodded carefully.

"Stay safe, please.", I whispered.

"Worry bout yerself.", he answered, placing a soft kiss against my forehead. He turned, and stomped across the yard, swiping his crossbow on the way by.

"Daryl! Wait up…", Rick called after Daryl, as he stomped through the gravel, a smirk still playing on his face. He rolled his eyes, turning to deal with the confrontation, "Where you goin'?"

"Out.", Daryl answered.

"You don't owe us anything. You know that, right?"

Daryl rolled his eyes again, and gestured toward Shane's tent, "Muh other plans fell through."

With that, he disappeared into the woods. At that point, he wondered if he should just move his tent into the trees. It tended to be the only place where people would leave him the hell alone.