"The two of you worry me, have I ever told you that?" Bryce told the two teens who were digging through boxes of old stuff in the basement of the house they'd found.

"You say that a lot." Cas said, he seemed to have found something. "But what does it really mean?"

"It means you don't act normal." Bryce replied.

"Gee thanks." Hattie rolled her eyes. "What do you have there Cas?"

"Oh I am so keeping these." Cas looked in wonder at the twin swords he had found. They came with something that would allow him to carry them on his back. "Now I'll be a real threat."

"You already are." Bryce replied.

"Thanks." Cas grinned at him. Strapping the swords to his back and practising getting them, which was rather smooth and did indeed make him look a threat.

"Do you know how to use them?" Hattie asked, there was an edge to her voice, amazement maybe, Bryce wasn't sure.

"I'll figure it out." Cas shrugged, putting his weapons away.

"Hey look at this!" Hattie grinned, holding up a big tin of chocolate pudding. "There's at least six of these."

"I can't remember the last time I tasted chocolate." Cas said, "We have to take these home."

Bryce smiled, it was the first time he had heard Cas refer to Alexandria as home. "Come on then, we'll take them back and then carry on with our patrol."

"Sir yes sir." Hattie saluted him and piled four of the tins into her bag. "Can you take these, Cas will keep the biters at bay."

"Sure." Bryce picked up the remaining two tins and they headed outside, after Cas had checked there were no walkers in the immediate vicinity.

"Come on." He said, and then stopped, holding up his hand like they were in some kind of movie to halt them. A walker was stumbling down the road into town. "Oh it's fine. Sound travels weird here."

Hattie snorted and carried on, Bryce following, feeling surprisingly calm with having only Cas for protection. But then he knew Cas would hear anything that came so much as twenty metres towards them.

"Keep going, I'll just get the stragglers." Cas told them, Bryce stopped dead.

"What if something comes?" He asked, Cas looked at him as though he hadn't thought of that, which put Bryce on edge.

"Huh. Erm... stay there." He advised, Bryce sighed, put his tins down and pulled out his knife.

"Cute isn't he?" Hattie grinned, Bryce frowned.

"What?" He questioned with a frown.

"Cas. Now that is my kind of man." She said, "he's not dating anyone is he?"

"No, but Hattie he's only sixteen." Bryce pointed out. She sighed dreamily.

"What's three years between true love?" She asked with a grin. She nodded over at Cas who was taking down two walkers at the same time. "That's the man for me."

"You met him only a few days ago." Bryce frowned.

"And? You can't wait around in this world." She told him. "You have to live life before life gets you."

^^^
Bryce sat apart from the others, who were sat around a table listening to Cas tell a story about him and Sam on the road to terminus. He couldn't stop thinking about what Hattie had said. He saw Cas as a kid, despite knowing he was not, and he wanted to protect him, but Cas wasn't really the one who needed protection, he was.

The others burst into laughter. "You did not!" Tara exclaimed through her laughter.

"It's not as difficult as it sounds." Cas defended himself. "Honestly it wasn't bad."

"It just- oh my god!" Tara punched his arm. "Gross!"

"Ow!"

"That didn't hurt you." Hattie laughed.

"No." Cas agreed with a smile. "But I didn't want to offend Tara."

"Oh shut up you!" Tara laughed.

"So, We're going on a trip tomorrow." Noah laughed. "Will you miss us?"

"You're coming back right?" Cas asked. Tara nodded.

"Yeah, we'll be gone a day, but that means it's just you four." She pouted.

"We'll miss you." Carl confirmed for Noah, who grinned and put an arm around Carl and Cas.

"Awe you." He laughed. "I'll miss you when we're gone, but we'll find something cool for you?."

"Like what?" Cas asked with a frown.

"A new personality." Tara snorted, Cas just rolled his eyes and made a dig at her rib with his elbow.

"Funny."

^^^
Once the scavenging group had left for the day, Deana and Rick rounded up Cas, Hattie and Bryce into Deana's office.

"Theres this mall, maybe four hours from here, it's overrun, but the supplies inside we need." Deana began.

"Cas you're small enough to fit into the vents, and sneak in unnoticed." Rick added. "Hattie if you sneak in through a window, lock the doors of a shop, remove the walkers and help him, neither of you should get hurt."

"And Bryce we'll need you to keep watch, draw them out if necessary." Deana finished.

"Okay." Bryce frowned. "How are we going to get there?"

"I can drive." Cas replied with a shrug.

"Since when?"

"Daryl taught me." He replied. "We'll be fine."

"I highly doubt it." Bryce mumbled, against walkers yes, he did trust Cas, but as a driver? He definitly didn't think Cas would be the safest driver, he wasn't even sure that Daryl was a safe driver.

"Oh yee of little faith." Hattie patted his shoulder. "Would you rather I drive?"

"On second thought, you'll be great Cas." Bryce said hurriedly. Cas snorted.

"I'll go get my car."

Cas's car was not what Bryce had expected, he had somehow expected a flashy sports car, but instead faced a 2008 Corolla.

"Awe I love it!" Hattie skipped towards the front passenger seat, leaving Bryce to sit in the back.

Bryce just sighed and began sloping towards the car, he had a feeling it was going to be a long day.