Time for Hershel's farm! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to The Walking Dead. I also do not own anything related to popular culture references. However, there's one allusion I'm not sure everyone will catch since it's from an old show. Count that as a hint.

Before we left for the Greene farm, we left supplies on an abandoned car for Sophia. Andrea found some white window chalk in a vehicle that had been decorated in a "Just Married" theme. On the vehicle with the supplies, Carol used the chalk to write a note to her daughter: Sophia, we will come back here every day. In a solemn silence, we left to find the farm. Dale, Andrea, and Carol took the lead in the Winnebago. I followed behind them, and Daryl's roaring motorcycle followed me.

Arriving on the Greene property, I was amazed at how intact and normal everything appeared. We were greeted by an extensive span of lush, green grass for the livestock to graze on. A sturdy barn and stables were a distance across from one another. Near the stables, a couple of horses were out in the open area, munching on fresh hay as their tails swished in delight. As we drove up the driveway, we passed by a few oak trees with dense leaves providing cool shade. The white farm house was absolutely beautiful, and didn't have any damage from walker attacks. A covered porch wrapped around the front part of the two story home, and a porch swing and rocking chairs were neatly spread out. The whole scene was a welcoming site, but I still worried about what was going on inside with Carl.

As we parked and exited the vehicles, Rick and Lori rushed out to greet us. Dale quickly asked about Carl.

"He's alright," Rick answered. His voice was weak from sleep. "What happened was a hunting accident. However, my boy is alive, especially thanks to Shane and Otis."

I glanced up to see Shane leaning awkwardly against the porch railing. He was dressed in a pair of denim overalls, and he or someone else shaved his thick, wavy hair.

"Otis?" Andrea questioned.

"He was the man who accidentally shot Carl. He went with Shane to the high school, which was set up as a FEMA camp, to get supplies. Otis didn't make it out, but he covered Shane so that he could make it back with the supplies."

"I'm so glad to hear Carl is alright," I said to Rick and Lori.

"Thank you," Lori replied. Her voice was as weary as Rick's. "He just woke up a few minutes ago to eat if you'd like to go see him."

I nodded, and walked up the steps. Before entering, I turned to Shane. His expression wasn't readable at the moment. "You did good, Shane. You and Otis helped a lot to save Carl."

He nodded. "It was mainly Otis."

"Well, I'm sure Otis knows how grateful everyone is for his help, especially Rick and Lori."

When Shane didn't respond, I went inside the house. "You must be from Rick's group." I looked to see an elderly man come in from an adjacent room. He appeared to be around the same age as Dale.

"Yes, I'm Elise Bryant," I greeted. "Lori said I could visit with Carl."

"I can take you to him," he replied, and I followed him up the stairs. "I'm Hershel, by the way. I suppose it's safe to say the others in your group made it here alright."

"Yeah, they're getting caught up on everything with Rick."

"He's in this room here."

"Thank you, Hershel."

Hershel finally looked at me and smiled. I guessed he was just as exhausted as Rick and Lori, and probably overwhelmed by so many new people on his property. "You're welcome, miss Elise. I'm sure the boy will be happy to see more familiar faces."

As I entered the room, Carl quickly looked up from his breakfast with a smile. "Elise!"

"Hey, Carl," I said as I sat down in the seat beside him. "You're looking pretty happy for someone who was shot yesterday."

"I'm just glad to see more people made it here. However, dad and I are in the same club now."

"And what club is that?"

"He and I have both been shot."

I laughed with him. "That must be a pretty prestigious club."

Carl was a bit reluctant before speaking. "Have you ever been shot, Elise?"

"I've been shot at, but the shooters had crappy aim."

"Perhaps dad and I can make you some sort of honorary member. We'll have to discuss it at the next meeting."

I smiled at the boy's high spirits, despite everything that has happened to him. Lori soundlessly entered the room, and I excused myself. As I made my way to the living room, I met with Hershel once again. He introduced me to his family: his daughters, Maggie and Beth, Patricia, Otis's wife, and Jimmy, Beth's boyfriend. They seemed like nice people. People who, so far, had not been tainted by the events taking place on the far away outskirts of their little haven. I wondered if they had an idea how bad it actually was. Patricia was in obvious distress because she lost her husband not long ago. Despite her sadness, she filled me in on T-Dog's condition, and I was glad to hear he would soon recover from the infection.

Patricia invited us to attend the brief funeral in memory of Otis. Although none of us knew the man, it felt right to pay our respects to him. After all, if it wasn't for him helping Shane, we could be having a funeral for Carl.

Otis's funeral contained the same sorrow and remembrance as the elaborate funerals before the world changed. The Greene family was in tears as Hershel eloquently spoke and read from his Bible. His words reached our very cores, even though we didn't know Otis. Now, when people died, it affected us all in one way or another. It meant one more innocent person fell victim to the walkers. One more person couldn't survive this world anymore. One more family lost someone who was very dear to them. Patricia felt that pain more than anyone gathered around the makeshift stone grave at the moment.

Patricia, in her soft, somber voice, spoke to Shane. "You were the last one with him. You shared his final moments. Please, I need to hear. I need to know his death had meaning."

Shane stood on the other side of Andrea, who was standing beside me. I slowly shifted my gaze to him in order to see what he had to say.

Shane was reluctant at first, but he eventually agreed. "We were about done; almost out of ammo. We were down to pistols by then. I was limping; it was bad. 'We've got to save the boy.' See, that's what he said. He gave me his backpack, and he shoved me ahead. 'Run,' he said, 'I'll take the rear. I'll cover you.' And when I looked back…. If not for Otis, I'd have never made it out alive, and that goes for Carl, too. It was Otis. If any death ever had meaning, it was his."

Daryl, who stood across from me, watched Shane as well. He raised his eyebrows at me as if to say I told you so. Something was definitely off with Shane, more so than before.

As we dispersed from the makeshift grave, I followed Shane toward the farm house. Beth had told him his clothes would be ready. "Shane," I called as he ascended the porch steps. I hadn't really talked with him since his "emergency" discussion.

"What do you need, Elise?" He inquired in a neutral, stoic tone.

I leaned against the railing at the bottom of the steps. "I just wanted to say that it was kind of you to speak for Otis. I know it had to be hard, but I'm sure Patricia appreciates it more than you know."

His gaze drifted down to the wooden steps as if he couldn't completely face the conversation. "She deserved to know he died trying to save a kid. He put Carl first."

"He did," I agreed, "it sounds like he had a strong, kind heart. To me, that sounds like an honorable death."

Shane definitely seemed somewhat uncomfortable as he shifted his feet, and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Yeah. Yeah, I'd say it was."

To him, it probably appeared that I changed the subject in a light hearted manner in order to avoid the cloud of doom. "So, what's with the new haircut? Surely your hair isn't frizzing out too bad in this humidity."

Although he chuckled at my joke, he still had an uncomfortable posture. "Nah. At least your curls are too loose to frizz," he tried to joke back. "While at the high school, one of the walkers trapped me in a hallway, and grabbed and pulled a small chunk of my hair out. So, I went ahead and shaved it off. To hell with it."

"Oh, ok," I answered, although I didn't believe him. "Well, you won't have to worry about that anymore."

"Yeah. I'm gonna head on in so I don't have to look like Farmer John anymore."

I laughed along with him, and he went inside to track down his clothes.

I took a seat in the cushioned porch swing, and gently swung back and forth as I ventured through my thoughts. There was no way a walker would only pull out a chunk of his hair. A walker's nails were just as hazardous as its teeth. Its scratches had the same effect as a bite: the victim would eventually turn. There were no signs of such lethal scratches on Shane's head. When a walker attacked, they claw and bite with a tenacious ferocity, and once they grasp a person, their resilient grip is like a vise.

With Shane's behavior in mind, there had to be more to Otis's death. Surely he wouldn't kill the man, would he? I heard he beat Ed within an inch of his life, but he allowed the scumbag to live for the moment. So, what really happened at the high school, and how was Shane responsible?

"Elise, there you are."

Andrea took the seat beside me. "You seem to be in a better mood," I cautiously commented.

"Yeah. Talking to Dale last night did some good. I'm still a bit mad at him, but it's mainly because of how he went about it. He's agreed to back off a bit. Just have to see how that works out."

I smiled. "It might not work out too well. He's the unofficial father figure for the group. He cares about everyone, obviously more than he cares about himself."

Andrea agreed as she stared out at the vast Greene property. "Amy would have like it here."

"She would. Lots of places to tan."

Andrea let out a genuine laugh. "Speaking of Amy, remember when she'd ask you about your 'Agent Booth' or whatever his name was?"

"Yeah, I do." She actually mentioned it more than once.

"Well, she and I originally thought you had a past with or was with Shane. At least until we found out you hadn't been in Georgia as long as we first thought."

I stared at her as if she was the craziest person on the planet. "Shane?! No. Just, no." I didn't want to tell her about my suspicions about him, at least not yet.

Andrea held up her hands in defense. "I realized that a while back. Amy had a pretty big kick out of it, though. Anyway, I don't think the search party for Sophia will be too big today due to everything going on."

"That's what I was thinking, too. I hope at least a couple of us can go out."

"I don't think Glenn will be one of them. He's been following the farmer's oldest daughter around."

"I noticed that. He must have been struck by cupid's arrow when he first saw 'Zorro Chick.'"

"Must have," Andrea agreed as a sly smile, similar to Amy's, grew on her face. "However, Daryl is the only one with arrows around here."

Her sly grin seemed to imply more than our Glenn joke. I wasn't sure how to respond, so I quirked an eyebrow at her.

She sighed. "You two seem to get along well, especially compared to how he is with everyone else."

"You all just haven't taken the time to get to him."

"Maybe. Even so, I don't think it'd be the same. You certainly heard him give me an earful back at the highway."

"Yes, and you deserved it."

"Yeah, and perhaps that shows I don't really know him, but that's not the point I'm making. You two get along well together, and that's good for both of you."

I had a hunch she was beating around the bush on purpose. Since she was a lawyer, I knew she was capable of clearly speaking her piece in many ways. When I didn't speak up, she did with a small smile. "Anyway, I'm going to see if I can set up watch with Dale. I am definitely helping more with that. I'm sure you're getting tired of playing house often, too."

I nodded as she started to walk to the RV. I didn't mind the chores, but I wanted to do more watches and whatnot, too. Although this was an apocalypse, it didn't mean people had to revert to the 1950s way of thinking. I doubt Mrs. Cleaver could survive all of this, anyway.

Daryl's POV

After the funeral, Elise took off after Shane, probably to see what was goin' on with him. We both saw how he was actin'. It didn't take me long to learn Elise was the curious type, probably one reason why she became an investigator. However, that could be a bad thing at times. At least it was me who caught her snoopin' 'round at the CDC. Shane was a different story, though, 'specially if he was becomin' unhinged. I haven't trusted him since day one at the quarry.

Once Shane went inside, Andrea sat with Elise to talk to her. At the same time, Rick came up to me.

"Kid still doin' alright?" I asked him.

"Yeah," he answered, "he's just resting now. He keeps asking to help with the search."

"Speakin' of that, what's the plan for today?"

Rick ran his hand through his hair. Stress just kept headin' his way. "With setting up and making sure the area really is safe and whatnot, not as many people will be heading out. Only a couple or a few. I'm hoping you'll be one of them."

"Yeah, I can. I'll hunt some 'long the way, too. I'll see if Elise will help."

"Thank you, Daryl. I'm sure Elise will help you. Just be careful out there, and try not to stay out there too late. You and Elise will need some time to set up."

As we talked, I heard Elise and Andrea laugh from time to time. It seemed Andrea was back from the phase of wantin' to off herself. Merle was literally the only family I had with me, and I didn't try jumpin' off that buildin' when I found his severed hand.

Once Andrea left, I jumped up the steps, slightly scarin' Elise. I smirked once she realized it was only me, and her face had a red tint to it.

"I must be the popular one today," she commented. "I can't get a moment's peace to just swing and think."

"Ya can hide out later for that," I replied. "Want to head out with me to search for the girl?"

"Yes. I just to need to grab my pack from my car."

"Alright. I'll wait here."

She rushed off to get what she needed from her car. I already had what I needed with me. As she ran back to me, she looked off in the distance.

"Has Rick or anyone said anything about setting up a watch at that barn? Since it's closer to the tree line, it would be good to have someone there, just in case."

I quickly looked at the barn and back to Elise. "Hershel told Rick to leave it alone, 'long with some other ground rules for while we're here."

She nodded as she stared at the barn. As we entered the woods, I filled her in on the rules and whatnot from Hershel.

"So, what's up with Shane?" I asked in a low whisper. Although I didn't find any tracks from the girl, there were some left by a rabbit not long ago.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. The way he's acting and his story just doesn't add up."

She filled me in on their little discussion. "A walker would have taken more than a chunk of his hair," I added. "Maybe Otis did that to him." I stopped to raise my crossbow, and Elise stopped quietly behind me. With the squeeze of the trigger, I had a small part of tonight's supper.

"Nice shot," Elise commented before continuin' on about Shane. "I'm just trying to figure out how responsible Shane may be for Otis's death, and how I could even prove it."

"Ya ask me, your word is pretty much is good as gold, but Shane would still put up a fight 'bout it. Then, he definitely wouldn't tolerate ya."

She quietly laughed. "He'd have me out of here in a heartbeat."

I didn't like the sound of that. "So, why did ya want to be an investigator anyway?" I asked as I came across another set of tracks. Another rabbit.

"I've always liked to solve puzzles and whatnot. Try to figure out something others may not be able to. A case is just a bigger to solve, and easier than those damn Rubik's cubes."

I chuckled. "Seriously? Those things ain't that hard."

She gave a mock, angry look. "They're evil."

"If we come across one on a run, I'll show ya how easy it is."

"It's easy if I'm allowed to peel the stickers off, and put them back on as if I solved it." I shook my head, and stopped again to aim and shoot my crossbow. Rabbit number two.

"Anyway," she continued once we started walking again. Throughout the search, she had her knife ready. "In the process, I also get to be the voice for the victim. I can speak for the ones who can no longer speak."

"And ya want to speak for Otis."

She looked me dead in the eyes. Her hazel eyes were serious. "Yes."

I nodded as we continued our search. We went through spells of silence and small talk. At times, we spaced ourselves apart to cover more ground, but I always had my eyes on her.

"Daryl," she called, and I jogged over to her. Past the trees was a small clearing, and a small house.

"If she found it, she could be inside," I said.

"Then, let's check it out."

Slowly, we approached and entered the house. I had my crossbow loaded, and ready to fire. Elise held her knife up, ready to stab any walker she came across. We slowly made our way through each room, only to find 'em empty of the livin' and the dead. Elise looked through a trash can that was pretty much empty except for one empty can.

"It was a pull top can," she said. "Sophia could have been the one to open it."

I carefully opened a pantry door, only to find it empty. However, blankets and pillows were at the bottom of it in order to make a bed. It had recently been slept in. "Only a kid could fit down here."

Elise agreed, and we headed out back to look 'round. We carefully called out for Sophia, hopin' she was within earshot. When she didn't turn up, a bush caught my attention. Cherokee roses.

I pulled my knife out to cut one of the stems. Elise came up beside me. "What are they?" She asked.

"Cherokee roses," I answered once I had one of them in my hand. "Ya ain't heard the story 'bout 'em?"

She shook her head. "No. What do they mean?"

"You'll find out once we get back to the farm."

"Sounds good. I saw an empty bottle inside you can put it in so it can have some water."

Once we made it back to the farm, we put our stuff near the tree. I led Elise to the camper where Carol was. As I stepped up, I saw Elise stand off to the side. "Ain't ya comin' with me?" I asked her, slightly confused.

She gave me a small smile, the one that had started that foreign feelin' a while back. "I'll wait out here. Since the window is open, I'll be able to hear you. Besides, I doubt Carol wants too many people swarming around her. She's been trying to get away from time to time, but it doesn't always work."

I nodded and went on it. Carol had straightened up the mess in the RV. It actually looked like Dale was goin' on a normal road trip now. "For a second, I thought I was in the wrong place."

"A flower?" Carol asked once she saw the bottle and rose in my hand.

"It's a Cherokee rose," I answered as I placed the bottle on the table. I noticed the open window Elise mentioned, and saw her shadow on the ground. I knew she was standin' beside the window. "The story is that when American soldiers were movin' Indians off their land on the Trail of Tears, the Cherokee mothers were grievin' and cryin' so much 'cause they were losin' their little ones 'long the way from exposure, disease, and starvation. A lot of 'em just disappeared. So the elders, they said a prayer; asked for a sign to uplift the mothers' spirits, give 'em strength and hope. The next day, this rose started to grow right where the mothers' tears fell. I'm not fool enough to think there's any flowers bloomin' for my brother, but I believe this one bloomed for your little girl."

Carol smiled, and nodded in thanks. As I started to leave the RV, I stopped. "She's gonna really like it in here," I reassured her before steppin' out.

Elise came up to me with the same smile on her face. "I really like what that rose means. I hadn't heard it before."

"Seems like that's somethin' Carol needed."

"It was. That was very kind, and, dare I say about a Dixon, sweet to do," she said, a jokin' tone in her voice 'bout the Dixon part. However, her tone wasn't like the one she used with Shane when we first arrived. It was genuine. I scoffed at her, but she only ignored me. "I'm sure she really appreciates it, and it gives her hope. You said the roses wouldn't bloom for your brother. There's probably a reason for that."

"And that is?"

"He's not in the same type of danger as Sophia. He is capable of defending himself, and he knows how to survive. After all, you said the only one who could kill Merle is Merle. Besides, he doesn't seem like the 'stop and smell the roses' type."

I chuckled, but she had a point. "Maybe so."

"Anyway, what you did for Carol was beyond kind. I'm sure Louisa would be very proud and happy with what you did."

Once again, her hazel eyes held no deception. Just sincerity.

Elise is suspicious about Shane, Andrea isn't too blind about some things, and Daryl was somehow able to accept a compliment from Elise, which he doesn't mind too much. I enjoyed writing the part where Elise was trying to pull information from Shane, and using words that obviously affected him. Honorable death. . . more like murder courtesy of Shane. I hope the scenes with Elise and Daryl came out alright. I thought the Cherokee rose scene in the show was sweet, and shows the shift in Daryl's behavior. As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! :)