Life in camp could get pretty boring. There wasn't much to do; she played with the other kids and got closer to Sophia especially, she had already read the book she brought, had even had a look at the ones Dale had but they were all boring crime or complicated adult books she wasn't interested in. Sometimes they did schoolwork after Glenn had found some workbooks that he brought back from one of his runs into Atlanta. None of them were very thankful for that, except their parents of course.

The adults seemed bored too; they did chores like washing clothes and cooking whatever was available for food that night but there really wasn't so much to do in a day that took up all that much time. People would group together and chat, gossiping about the other members of camp, talk about what they all did for work or fun usually and what they would do once they got home. Just doing whatever they could to keep occupied but they were all getting on each other's last nerves you could tell; tensions were pretty high in camp these days.

That was probably the real reason Shane suggested a whole group go into Atlanta to gather supplies instead of just Glenn like usual; to get some people out for a change of pace. Probably why he okay'd Merle going too, to get him out of the camp before someone snaps and kills him. He had been going around being worse than usual since Daryl's been gone a few days now, hunting for some big game for food. Cassie's mom, Jenny, had wanted to go with the group, but Shane had talked her out of it, not wanting a single parent to leave their kid to go do something dangerous that could leave them an orphan.

The group had been gone a good few hours when a call had come over the radio, someone heading right into the middle of Atlanta with no idea of how things were there, not knowing that the city belonged to the dead now. Lori had wanted to go put up signs warning people coming into the city that it was over-run, but Shane had also talked her out of it luckily. Carl had told her about what happened to his dad, he had already lost one parent he didn't need to lose the other as well. Shane could come off as being rough and authoritative, but she appreciated him not letting Carl and her become orphans because their moms wanted to run straight into danger for some reason. The adults really were going crazy being cooped up in a camp full of people on top of each other, having no choice but to be in everyone else's business.

The group that had gone into Atlanta had been gone a while now, longer than they should have been gone by now really. She could see the adults looking worried, shooting anxious looks at each other and being quieter than usual. Except Amy, who was loudly and continuously worrying aloud for her sister Andrea. Cassie was even more glad her Mom didn't go with them now.

She was hanging out with dale on top of his RV while he paced and repeatedly brought his binoculars up to look for signs of the group returning.

"Dale? I'm heading out!" Lori called up to him from below before turning to Carl who was playing with his toys in the dirt, "Sweetheart, I want you to stay where Dale can see you okay?"

"Yes Mom." Carl droned.

"You too! Don't wander too far, stay within shouting distance and if you see anything holler, I'll come running." Dale called down.

"Yes Mom." Lori echoed Carls reply dryly making Cassie chuckle.

Not long after Lori left, Cassie was getting tired of Dales constant pacing and fidgeting. She was about to go find somewhere else to be when Sophia's head popped up as she climbed up the ladder onto the top of the RV with them.

Sophia joined her where she was sat on one of the chairs Dale had brought up so he and others could sit while keeping a watch.

They smiled at each other and Sophia held up her hand that had a book in it, it was Cassie's book, The Fault In Our Stars that she had lent to her a few days ago.

"Did you like it?" Cassie asked.

Sophia shrugged, "It was sad."

"Well yeah but that's part of why it was so good. Real life isn't fairy-tale endings and happy ever after but that doesn't mean it isn't good too."

"I guess I just want my fiction to be happy and fairy-tale if my life isn't going to be." Sophia smiled sadly.

Cassie reached over and held her hand, "That's okay too, wanting your books to be a happy escape from reality."

She looked down at the people milling around camp, spotting Sophia's father Ed, sitting in a chair drinking from a can of what was no doubt beer. She couldn't see Carol, but she knew she was probably keeping herself busy helping with chores while giving herself a good excuse not to be near Ed.

"How have things been?" she asked Sophia lightly, knowing she would know what she was really asking.

Sophia just shrugged, avoiding eye contact, "Alright."

Cassie squeezed her hand, not saying anything more.

They sat in silence for a while before Sophia turned to face her suddenly, her eyes bright and wide, "We'll still stay in touch once this is over right? You can get your Mom to give your address and number to mine and we'll keep it a secret from Dad and maybe I can come over and we'll have sleepovers!" her voice was excited but there was a layer of desperation and fear under it.

"Yeah soph, of course we will. Maybe you and your Mom could come stay with us for a while."

Sophia ducked her head, looking at her lap with a sad smile, "That would be nice."

Cassie was still on top of the RV, alone now, while Dale and Jim were working on the RV's engine as she began to hear a rumble in the sky.

Amy was pacing next to Dale and Jim while others were going around camp and bringing the things into tents and cars that could get damaged or ruined if it gets wet in case the rain passes over camp.

"Hey Cas, get down off the roof sweetie! You're going to get struck by lightning." Her Mom called to her from below.

She sighed, getting up and was about to climb down as the walkie on top of the RV went off.

"Hello? Please can you-… can anybody out there hear me?... base camp, it's T-Dog, can anybody hear me?"

Dale rushed up the ladder, joining her on the RV's roof and grabbing the walkie, "Hello. Hello! Receptions bad on this end. Repeat. Repeat."

"Sh-… you?"

"Is that them?" Lori asked, sounding worried as the camp began to gather round below the RV.

Dale held a finger up to ask her to wait while he tried to get the connection to clear up.

"We're-sh-ku. We're trapped in a department store." There was a burst of static.

"He said they were trapped?" Shane murmured.

"There's geeks all over the place. Hundreds of them. We're surrounded."

"T-Dog! Repeat that last, Repeat!" Dale called over the line but only static came from the walkie now.

"He said the department store." Lori spoke up.

"I heard it too." Dale confirmed from next to Cassie who noticed her Mom gesturing silently for her to join her back on the ground.

She climbed down the RV's ladder as Shane, Lori and Amy began arguing about going after the group stuck in Atlanta.

Amy ran off when Shane refused to send anyone after them or let Amy go herself and Lori turned to follow her as Cassie finally joined them all on the ground and everyone began dispersing. She looked at her Mom annoyed that she had made her come down and now it was over anyway, but Jenny just shrugged and smiled cheekily.

"They're still alive." She stated to her Mom, not really sure what her point was just that she felt like everyone was giving up.

"That's right, and as long as they're alive there is still a chance they'll get out and make it back to us." She put her arm around Cassie's shoulders and pulled her into her for a hug. "Let's not write them off just yet, yeah? Don't you worry too much."

Seeing Lori return from where she had followed Amy to and not looking very cheery, Cassie headed in the direction she came from, uncomfortable with what she was about to do but determined to do something at least make Amy feel slightly better, or at least distract her from worrying, knowing Amy would do the same for her. She found her sitting against a tree, head between her knees and taking deep, distressed sounding breaths.

She sat down beside her and looked forward silently until Amy had calmed down enough to get her breathing under control and lift her head to turn and look at who had joined her.

"Cassie? What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see how you were."

"My sister is trapped by those things and is going to die so…I'm not doing great."

"She's not dead yet though-"

"Exactly! We should be going after them and saving them while we still can!" Amy ranted.

"But we don't really know where they are. There's more than one department store in Atlanta, right? Besides they've got Glenn with them who has been going into Atlanta a bunch of times and got out of sticky situations before probably. He knows what he's doing, and he'll help Andrea and everyone get back."

"He was just one person by himself before though, getting in and out quickly and quietly but now there's a whole big group of them and they're trapped." Amy sounded devastated and defeated.

"Glenn and Andrea are both really smart, they'll keep themselves and the others safe until they have a chance to get out. I'm sure they wouldn't do anything too stupid that could get them killed… they'll just leave that to Merle and then make a run for it while he provides a distraction." Cassie added jokingly.

Amy let out a wet, reluctant chuckle, rubbing her face free from tears.

"You're pretty smart too, Cassie. If you're ever in a bad situation, you keep yourself safe and wait for someone stupid to cause a distraction so you can make a run for it, yeah?"

Cassie started laughing, only slightly at first but it grew until it was a proper, full bellied laugh. She was laughing loudly and hysterically for the first time since she couldn't remember when. Amy joined in, neither of them really laughing at what had been said anymore, they were simply happy and relieved to be laughing and letting out their overwhelming emotions that have been building up when they've been feeling so down and scared for so long.

They looked like a pair of nutters, sitting in the mud, laughing at nothing until tears ran down their faces as Dale walks up looking confused and worried, only making them laugh harder until they're gasping for a breath, cheeks hurting.

Cassie left Amy with Dale and returned to camp to see Sophia and Carl were waiting for her so that they could join the Morales kids in tag and Cassie was in such a weirdly good mood from the breakdown of laughter that she joined in properly, running around, giving it her all and actually having fun.

They wore themselves out until they were exhausted, but they all had big smiles on their faces until both Cassie and Carl's moms came over holding scissors and smirks on their faces. Carl groaned, realising what they wanted almost immediately while Cassie looked back and forth between them in confusion.

"Haircut time, Cas." Her mom clarified.

"Nooooo." Cassie groaned, "I don't need a haircut! I'm a girl, I can have long hair, it's okay."

"I can have long hair too!" Carl pleaded with Lori, "Boys can have long hair, can I grow my hair mom? I don't need a haircut!"

Lori just chuckled and led Carl over to her chair while Jenny came and got Cassie, "Your hair's getting too long Cass, besides its safer right now to have shorter hair. We'll cut it to just sit on your shoulder okay? It'll still be long enough to put it up if we need to."

She sighed but nodded, following her mom to sit in front of her chair next to Carl and Lori. Cassie's haircut really should have taken longer than Carl's, but he couldn't stop fidgeting or moving to watch her getting her hair cut or Shane cleaning his gun, so Cassie's mom finished her hair first.

She tried to wait for Carl to finish having his haircut so they could hang out and play some more, but it was taking so long that she got bored and left to join Dale on top of the RV again. He had been up there a while already now, once again pacing and staring through his binoculars for signs of the group stuck in Atlanta.

She liked it up on the RV roof; partly because it made her feel safer, being high up off of the ground and partly because she could see the whole camp here and people watch, she has learnt a lot about the people in camp from sitting up here and just watching them go about their days.

She was brought out of her musings by what sounded like an alarm going off. The entire camp jumped to attention and Shane ran over, "Talk to me Dale!"

"Can't tell yet." Dale called, searching the hills for signs of whatever was making the noise.

"Is it them?! Are they back?!" Amy shouted.

"I'll be damned." Dale muttered.

"What is it?"

"Stolen car is my guess." Dales explanation quickly turned out to be correct as the car pulled into camp, alarm blaring loudly as Glenn climbed out and Shane and Amy ran over.

Cassie felt a tightness in her chest that she didn't even realise was there release.

"Holy crap turn that damned thing off!" Dale yelled over the noise.

"I don't know how!" Glenn threw his hand up.

Amy and Shane started shouting over the alarm and each other so that Cassie couldn't properly hear or understand what they were yelling. Dale climbed down from the RV and she followed him, her Mom was waiting below to grab hold of her, making sure she stayed next to her.

The cars hood popped open and the alarm cut off so only sound was Amy's hysterical,"-why isn't she with you? Is she coming back? She's okay?"

"Yes!" Glenn yelled.

"Yeah," he said; softer now, "she's fine, everybody is… well merle not so much."

"You crazy drivin' this wheelin' bastard up here? You tryna draw every walker for miles?" Shane demanded.

"I think we're okay." Dale said, looking around.

"You call being stupid okay?"

"That alarm was echoing all over these hills, hard to pinpoint the source."

Shane gave Dale an angry look.

"I'm not arguing, I'm just saying." Dale explained before turning to Glenn, "Wouldn't hurt you to think things through a little more carefully next time would it?"

"Sorry… got a cool car." Glenn shrugged apologetically, his words making Cassie hide a smile.

A van turned the corner behind him, pulling up as Andrea and the rest of the group that went into Atlanta minus Merle, jumped out and reunited with their families.

Cassie watched them hug and laugh in relief that their families were okay when she caught sight of Carl holding back tears as Lori tried to comfort him, she knew he must be thinking of his Dad.

"How did y'all get out of there anyway?" wondered Shane, as the reuniting families settled down.

"New guy; he got us out." Said Glenn.

"New guy?"

"Yeah, crazy vato just got into town." Explained Morales, "Hey helicopter boy! Come say hello!"

A man stepped out of the passenger seat of the van wearing a police officer's uniform.

"Guys a cop, like you." Morales added.

He walked towards the group until his face changed; mouth dropping and tears filling his eyes as he sped up and a smile grew on his face.

"Dad! DAD!" Carl called hoarsely as he shot past Cassie and her Mom, running at the man and jumping into his arms. The man fell to his knees briefly before picking Carl up as he stood and continuing towards Lori with him in his arms. Everyone watched them in shock and delight as the family embraced and cried together.

That night, after eating, they sat around the campfire and listened to Carls Dad, Rick, explain how he returned from the dead and not in the way everyone else in the world has, thankfully.

"Disoriented. I guess that comes closest…disoriented. Fear, confusion, all those things but… disoriented comes closest." Rick concluded, after explaining how he woke in the hospital and came to be here.

"Words can be meagre things. Sometimes they fall short." Dale commiserated.

"I felt like I'd been ripped out of my life and put somewhere else. For a while I thought I was trapped in some coma dream, something I might not wake up from, ever."

"Mom said you died." Carl murmured, staring up at his Dad from where he was lying in his lap, being held close.

"She had every reason to believe that. Don't you ever doubt it." Rick smiled down at his son.

"When things started to get really bad… they told me at the hospital that they were going medevac you and the other patients to Atlanta. And it never happened." Lori murmured.

"well I'm not surprised after Atlanta fell. And from the look of that hospital it got over run."

"Yeah looks don't deceive." Shane spoke up, "I barely got them out."

"I can't tell you how grateful I am to you, Shane. Can't begin to express it." Rick told him earnestly, leaning forward to look him in the eye.

"There go those words falling short again." Dale smiled, bringing some levity back to the group. "Paltry things."

Crackling drew everyone's attention to the Peletier's who where sitting off by themselves as they usually were, around their own campfire. Ed had thrown another log onto their fire, causing it to crackle as it burned and made the fire smoke and grow.

"Hey Ed, wanna rethink that log!" Shane called over to him.

Ed tilted his head up towards the sky, refusing to look back at him, "It's cold man." He called uncaringly. Sophia met Cassie's eyes briefly before flitting back to the ground looking ashamed.

"Cold don't change the rules does it? Keep out fires low, just to embers so we can't be seen from a distance, right?"

"I said it's cold! Why don't you mind your own business for once."

Shane stood, walking over to him, "You sure you wanna have this conversation?"

Ed looked away, turning to his wife, Carol, "Go on, pull the damn thing out." He told her.

"Go on!" he spoke up when she didn't move.

She quickly stood and pulled the log from the fire and Shane stamped it out before turning back to them and crouching in front of Carol and Sophia.

"Hey Carol, Sophia. How are y'all this evening?"

"Fine. We're just fine." Carol spoke, sounding combative before changing her tone to apologetic, "Sorry about the fire."

"No no no, no apology needed. Y'all have a good night, okay?"

Shane stood to leave, shooting a parting, "Appreciate the cooperation." At Ed as he returned to the group. Cassie continued to watch for a moment in case Sophia looked over again but turned back to their own fire when she didn't.

Dale spoke up as soon as he returned, "Have you given any thought to Daryl Dixon? He won't be happy to hear his brother was left behind."

"I'll tell him." T-Dog said, "I dropped the key. It's on me."

"I cuffed him." Rick argued, "That makes it mine."

"Guys. It's not a competition, I don't mean to bring race into this but… it might sound better coming from a white guy." Glenn explained.

"I did what I did, hell if I'm gonna hide from it." T-dog argued.

"We could lie." Amy interjected.

"We tell the truth. Merle was out of control, something had to be done or he'd have gotten us killed." Andrea turned to Lori, "Your husband did what was necessary. And if Merle got left behind, it is nobody's fault, but Merles."

"And that's what we tell Daryl?" Dale sounded incredulous, "I don't see a rational discussion to be had from that, do you?"

There was an awkward silence before he continued, "Word to the wise, we're gonna have our hands full when he gets back from his hunt."

"I was scared, and I ran. I'm not ashamed of it." T-Dog

"We we're all scared, we all ran. What's your point?" Andrea asked him.

"I stopped long enough to chain that door." Everyone stopped and turned to face him, "Staircase is narrow, maybe half a dozen geeks can squeeze against it at one time. It's not enough to break through it, not that chain, not that padlock. My point… Dixon's alive and he's still up there, handcuffed on that roof. That's on us." He looked at Rick as he finished, then got up and left for his tent.

Everyone dispersed back to their respective places to sleep pretty quickly, not feeling up to talking about much of anything after that.