"It's late. They should've been back by now."
"Worrying won't make it better," Dale commented from where he and another camper, Jim, were working on the RV.
"Amy, I know it's hard. Why don't you come sit with Belle and I," Charlotte invited, patting the ground where she and Annabelle were playing with a collection of plastic horses.
Blowing out a breath, the blonde ran a hand through her hair, "I just need to know what's happening," she said, dropping down next to Charlotte.
"I know," she sympathized, patting the young girl's knee.
"Hello, base camp! Can anybody out there hear me?"
Looking up to the roof of the RV where they'd moved the C.B. in hopes for better reception, Amy scrambled off the ground, "That sounds like T-Dogg!" she exclaimed, as Dale climbed the ladder to the roof of the RV.
Picking up the walkie he spoke into it, "Hello, hello. Receptions bad on this end," he said, twisting the knobs on the C.B.
"We're in some deep shit. We're trapped in the department store," T-Dogg's voice came over the radio.
"He say they're trapped?" Shane questioned.
"There are geeks all over the place. Hundreds of 'em. We're surrounded," T-Dogg continued as the radio spit and sputtered with static.
"T-Dogg, can you repeat that?" Dale asked, continuing to play with the knobs till the radio went silent.
"He said the department store."
"I heard it too," Dale said, looking down at Lori.
"I know where Glenn was going. I can go there," Charlotte volunteered.
"No way. We do not go after them," Shane said, "We do not risk the rest of the group. Y'all know that."
"So, we're just gonna leave her there?" Amy cried.
"Look, Amy, I know that this is not easy," Shane began as he approached her.
"She volunteered to go," she interrupted him, "To help the rest of us."
"I know, and she knew the risks, right? See, if she's trapped, she's gone. So, we just have to deal with that. There's nothing we can do."
"She's my sister. You son of a bitch," the petite blonde spat at him, before running off.
"You can be a real prick, Shane," Charlotte added, "Can you watch Annabelle?" she questioned Carol, who stood off from the crowd with Sophia by her side. Thanking the woman when she nodded, Charlotte took off after Amy.
Finding her sitting on a rock down by the quarry, Charlotte approached her, "Shouldn't run off by yourself."
Sniffling, Amy wiped her tears away as Charlotte sat down next to her, "If I stayed, I would've hit him."
"Well, I would've been okay with that," she responded, wrapping an arm around the young girl's shoulder, pulling her close as Amy laugh sobbed.
"She's all I had left," she cried into Charlotte's shoulder.
"I know," she whispered as she held Amy while she cried, "You okay?" she questioned sometime later when it seemed Amy's crying started to subside.
Sitting up, she wiped her face as she nodded, "Sorry, to cry all over you."
Dismissing the apology with a wave of her hand, Charlotte told her she had nothing to apologize for, "I know it's not the same. Not by a long shot, but you're not alone, Amy."
Taking a deep breath, the girl nodded, "Thank you," she whispered, wrapping her arms around Charlotte again as she hugged her.
"You hear that?" Charlotte questioned, as the two climbed the hill from the quarry back to camp.
Blinking, Amy tilting her head, "It sounds like an alarm."
"It sounds like it's getting closer. Come on," she said, running up the rest of the hill to the camp. Dale was already on the top of the RV with a pair of binoculars.
"Is it them? Are they back?" Amy asked, looking up at Dale hopefully.
"What is it?"
"Stolen car is my guess," Dale answered, lowering the binoculars, as a red sports car turned into the opening to the camp with its alarm still blaring.
"Turn that thing off!" Shane yelled running towards the car as Glenn popped out of the driver's side, smiling.
"I don't know how!"
"Pop the hood, please. Pop the damn hood," Shane told him at the same time as Amy was questioning Glenn about her sister.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Glenn opened the door and hit the release for the hood as Amy continued to bombard him with questions, "She's fine. She's okay," he told the distraught blonde, as Shane pulled the hood open, and Jim disconnected the car battery effectively cutting off the alarm.
"Why isn't she with you? Are you sure she's okay?
"Yes!" Glenn answered exasperated, "Everyone's fine," he assured them, "Well, Merle not so much," he amended, glancing at Charlotte.
"Are you crazy, driving this wailing bastard up here?" Shane questioned, cutting off Charlotte's questions about Merle, "Are you trying to draw every walker for miles?"
"I think we're okay," Dale cut in.
"Ya call being stupid, okay?" Shane retorted.
"Well, the alarm was echoing all over these hills. Hard to pinpoint the source," Dale explained, logically, "I'm not arguing. I'm just saying," he said when Shane glared at him, "It wouldn't hurt you to think things through a little more carefully next time, would it?" he continued, looking at Glenn.
"Sorry," Glenn apologized before giving them a boyish grin, "It's a cool car, though, right?"
"What were you saying about Merle?" Charlotte asked, glancing behind her towards the RV where Annabelle stood with Carol and Sophia.
Opening his mouth to respond, Glenn shut it and turned at the sound of another approaching vehicle, "She's back," he told Amy who took off towards the small white box truck.
Smiling, as the two sisters hugged each other, and another camper, Morales, reunited with his wife and two kids, Charlotte approached Glenn, "What happened?" she asked quietly.
"He was being Merle," he told her, "Actually, I think we might've found someone," he said as Shane asked how they made it out of the city.
"New guy," Morales answered.
"New guy?"
"Yeah, crazy Vato just got into town. Hey, helicopter boy! Come say hello," Morales called.
"Charlotte, I think," Glenn began only to be cut off as she gasped and grabbed his arm as the new guy approached the camp, "We found your brother," he finished, wincing at the death grip she had on his arm.
"Rick?" she choked out through a sob as she slowly put one foot in front of the other.
"Coco?" and that was all it took before she was running into her brother's arms.
"I thought. I thought you were dead," she sobbed as he squeezed her tight. Feeling a weight hit her legs, she pulled away to see that Carl had reached them.
"Carl, Carl, Carl," her brother cried, letting her go so he could pick his son up. Stepping back, she watched as Lori came running, hugging Rick with Carl in between them.
She waited for her moment.
Everybody was overjoyed that they'd made it back, and that Rick had been found. Glenn had told her about Merle. About how he'd been high on whatever drugs he was on and had been a threat to the group. About how her brother had handcuffed him to the roof for the safety of the others, and that he'd been left behind.
She knew she'd be the one to have to tell Daryl, but first she had something else to deal with.
So, when he headed for the woods, she whispered for Amy to watch Annabelle and followed him.
Finding him crouched down by a tree she approached him silently, like a predator approaching its prey.
"Praying that my brother doesn't find out ya left him to die?"
Standing quickly, he whirled around wide eyed, "Coco," he began before she cut him off.
"I don't want to fucking hear it, Shane. You said. You said he stopped breathing!"
"He did! I thought he did!"
"Well, obviously not! I trusted you. Lori trusted you. And this whole time he was alive."
"I didn't know that! The machines went off," he reminded her, "I thought he stopped breathing, Coco, and there hasn't been a day since that I haven't thought about him. Mourned him, just like you did."
"Oh, yeah? Well, you sure as shit had a good time at the wake, Shane. Tell me. Were you thinking about him the whole time you were plowing Lori?"
Opening and closing his mouth, he stood wide eyed as the color drained from his face, "You can't tell him, Coco, please," he pleaded, "It was just a comfort thing. That's it."
Pursing her lips, she studied the man in front of her. Someone she'd known quite literally her entire life, "It's over?" she questioned.
"Of course!" he exclaimed.
"Fine. I'll keep your secret, Shane, but not for you, for Carl and for Rick. They've had enough and they don't deserve to be hurt by this," she told him, before turning and walking away from him.
"Lori said you weren't staying with them in the tent," Rick said, walking up the slight incline to where Charlotte was just crawling out of her tent after putting Annabelle to sleep.
Taking her brother's offered hand, she let him pull her up from the ground, "It was a bit crowded," she responded.
"She says you have a relationship with the brother," he commented.
"Yeah, she tell ya anything else? Or is she too busy ratting me out for things?" she questioned with a raise of her eyebrow.
"She ain't ratting ya out. Just catchin me up with things. Sorry about Cammie," he told her, glancing briefly at the open tent door to where Annabelle was sleeping curled up with her duck.
"I don't want to talk about it," she whispered. Nodding, he wrapped her in a hug before inviting her down to sit with some of the others around one of the other fires.
After zipping the tent closed, Charlotte followed her brother down to the campfire.
"Is the munchkin asleep?" T-Dogg asked, as she settled down next to him.
"Out like a light. She kept asking about Merle, but I don't know what to say."
"Have we given any thought to what we should say to Daryl?" Dale questioned, looking around at the small group, "He's not gonna be happy to hear his brother was left behind."
"I'll tell him," T-Dogg said, "I dropped the key. It's on me."
"I cuffed him. That makes it mine," Rick spoke up.
"Guys, it's not a competition," Glenn cut in, "I don't mean to bring race into it, but it might be better coming from a white guy, or," he trailed off looking across the fire at Charlotte.
"Or?" she questioned, daring him to finish his sentence.
"Or, from the one he's sleeping with," Shane finished with a smirk.
"Shane!"
"Good God, that's my little sister!"
"Fucking prick, ladies and gentlemen."
"Language, Charlie," Rick chastised his sister, placing his hands over a laughing Carl's ears.
"Really about my language, but you're gonna let him say that," she retorted, pointing at Shane.
"I can see nothing has changed between the two of you," Rick commented.
"Nope," Charlotte shook her head, "And since I'm less likely to get punched in the face by Daryl, I'll tell him about Merle."
"Look, I was scared, and I ran. I'm not ashamed of it," T-Dogg said.
"We were all scared. We all ran. What's your point?" Andrea questioned.
"I stopped long enough to chain the door. Staircase is narrow. Maybe half a dozen geeks can squeeze against it at any one time. It's not enough to break through it. Not that chain. Not that padlock," T-Dogg told them, "My point is that Dixon's alive. He's still up there handcuffed to that roof. That's on us," he said, before getting up and walking off into the darkness.
Sighing, Charlotte stood up, "I'll tell Daryl," she repeated before she too left the campfire.
The next morning, she was just helping Annabelle out of the RV after using the bathroom when she spotted her brother emerging from his tent. Leaving Annabelle playing in the dirt with Sophia and Carl, she made her way over to Rick and Lori after he waved for her to join them.
"What's up?"
"He's been thinking about Merle," Lori responded, bitterly as she hung one of Carl's shirts up to dry.
"You're going back," Charlotte realized.
Before Rick could answer, the sound of an approaching vehicle had them turning to find Shane driving his jeep back into the camp with the back loaded down with jugs of water, "Water's here ya'll. Just a reminder to boil before use," he announced climbing from the jeep.
"Are you asking me or telling me?" Lori questioned, getting back to their conversation.
"Asking," Rick responded.
"Well, then I think it's crazy. I think it's just the stupidest way to break your son's," cutting off as the sounds of screaming had come from the woods.
Whirling around, Charlotte's eyes scanned the camp for the children, "The kids are gone!"
"Carl!" Rick took off towards the screaming with Lori, Charlotte, and a few others not far behind.
"I've got them!" Jacqui, another camper, hollered as she herded the children out of the woods.
Stopping long enough to ensure that the kids were just scared and not hurt, she left Annabelle with Jacqui and Lori before continuing into the woods. Following the sounds of grunting she came across Rick, Shane, Glenn, Dale, and Jim beating on a geek.
"What are they doing?" Andrea questioned.
"Being men," Charlotte responded with a shrug, smiling when the blonde snorted, "Finally," she muttered when Dale finally chopped the geek's head off.
Walking into the small clearing she raised her eyebrow, "Everyone feel better?"
"This is the first we've had up here," Dale commented, "That's concerning."
"They're moving out of the city. Heading where there's food," Jim said, motioning towards the dead deer the geek had been munching on.
Glancing down at the deer, Charlotte recognized the arrows sticking out of its hind quarters. Before she could mention that Daryl was nearby a rustling from behind them had all but Charlotte turning with their weapons raised.
"The hell?" the redneck grumbled, eyeing the group of men with their weapons aimed at him. Narrowing his eyes at the geek laying in front of the deer he swore as he moved around Shane to where Charlotte was busy pulling his arrows out of the fallen animal, "That's my deer," he griped.
"Well now it's the geek's deer," she responded, smiling when he shot a glare her way.
Sneering at the geek, he began to kick it, "Filthy, disease-bearing motherless poxy bastard!"
"Just calm down son. That's not helping."
"What do you know about it, old man?" Daryl growled, "Why don't you take that stupid hat and go back to "On Golden Pond"," he said, making fun of Dale's khaki fishing hat, "Been tracking this deer for miles. Gonna drag it back to camp, cook ya up some venison," he said, taking his arrows from Charlotte, "What do ya think? Do ya think we can cut around this chewed up part right here?" he questioned, pointing to where the geek had been eating the deer.
Humming, Charlotte shook her head, "Wouldn't risk that, Babe," she answered, grinning at him as he rolled his eyes.
"Christ," he mumbled, "Anyway, gotta about another two dozen squirrels," he said, indicating the string of squirrels on his shoulder, "It'll have to do," he cut off as Charlotte squealed, jumping behind Daryl as the geek's head began to move.
"Pull it together, woman," he snorted, pulling his crossbow around and aiming it at the moving head. Sending a bolt through the head he shook his head in disgust, "Gotta be the brain," he reminded them, "Maybe these idiots forgot, but you know better," he said, glancing at Charlotte before moving around the group and heading towards camp.
Watching him go, Rick turned back and raised an eyebrow at his sister, "What?" she questioned, noticing the look he was giving her.
Shaking his head, he turned and followed after Daryl who was already yelling for Merle to come help him with the squirrels he caught. Knowing he needed to be told about Merle, Charlotte hurried to catch up.
"Daryl, just slow up a bit. I need to talk to you," Shane called.
"About what?"
Pushing her way through, Charlotte glared at Shane, "Actually I need to talk to you. It's about Merle."
"What about him?" he asked, dangerously.
"Well, uh, there was an issue in Atlanta," she began hesitantly.
"He dead?" he questioned, interrupting her.
Clearing her throat, she shrugged, "I'm not sure."
Squinting at her, he looked around at the rest of the campers who'd gathered, "What the fuck does that mean? He either is or he ain't!"
"There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just say it," Rick said, stepping forward and inserting himself into the conversation, "Your brother was a danger to us all, so I handcuffed him on a roof, hooked him to a piece of metal. He's still there."
"And who the fuck are you?"
"Rick Grimes."
Swinging his gaze to Charlotte, she nodded, "My brother," she confirmed.
"Hold on. Let me process this. Your supposedly dead brother," he snarled, pointing to Charlotte, "Handcuffed my brother to a fucking roof and left him there to die!"
"Yeah," Rick answered, stepping in front of Charlotte.
