I wanted to write a short little blurb about Daryl being a father. So here it is.

Mockingbird

"I know mommy's not here right now and we don't know why. We fear how we feel inside. It may seem a little crazy, pretty baby, but I promise mama's gon' be alright." - Mockingbird, Eminem

Daryl lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling. The spot besides him was empty. The other bed in the room, a single, held his daughter, the five year old Marsha. Andrea, though, wasn't there. He didn't like sleeping without her anymore. He felt ridiculous, really. He used to be able to get to sleep any where and on anything. But now he needed her smell, her warmth, her body to be able to fall asleep. He needed her. He wasn't the only one though.

Marsha had trouble falling asleep without her mother to sing a lullaby or tell a story. And even after she did fall asleep, it wasn't an easy one. She tossed and turned, her dreams not treating her kindly. Daryl felt helpless.

Andrea had gone out on a salvaging supply with Glenn and T-Dog. He hadn't wanted her to, but she insisted. She wanted to grab something that no one else could, she claimed. But in going with them, she'd left her lover and her daughter alone. And now Daryl was lying awake in the dark, waiting for her to come back. They should've gotten back hours ago.

Daryl sighed. "Daddy?" a small voice called. He got up and went to the side of Marsha's bed.

"What is it, baby girl?" he asked, taking her tiny hand in his.

"When's Mama coming back?" She looked up at him with her deep blue eyes and frowned. Daryl swore that it was Andrea's frown. It was un-nerving at times, how much Marsha looked like her adoptive mother.

"Soon. I bet if you go t' sleep now, she'll be here when you wake up," he replied, placing his chances on Andrea's swift return.

"Can I lay with you, Daddy? Until mama's back?"

" 'Course ya' can, Little Bit." He picked her up out of her bed and brought her over to the one he usually shared with Andrea. He lay the child down and took the spot besides her. She cuddled up against him.

"Why'd Mama leave?" she asked in her tiny voice. She was scared that something had happened to her mother, just like something had happened to her birth mother.

"She hadta help Glenn and T-Dog get more food for everyone," he explained.

"Why couldn't sum'ne else go?"

Daryl hugged his child and sighed. "Your mama's a good shot. She's gotta protect everyone." Marsha curled against her father, a few tears slipping down her cheeks. He wiped the tears away with his thumb and kissed her forhead. "Now, now, baby girl. Don't cry. Your mama's gonna be alright." She grabbed onto the front of his shirt with two tiny hands and, while fighting not to cry, fell asleep. He held her gently, wishing Andrea would be back soon.

After a while, he fell asleep. He had a nightmare. He was standing over a grave. There was a rock placed at the head of the grave, serving as a tombstone. Marsha clung to his leg, sobbing. He leaned forward and read the named scratched into the rock's surface. Andrea. He fell to his knees, taking Marsha in his arms. All hope drained from his body as he held his now motherless child close.

He woke again and found he had been alseep no more than a half an hour. Marsha was still asleep before him. He heard the door creak open and looked over at it, sitting up just in case. A figure entered.

"Daryl? You're up?"

He sighed, getting up from the bed. " 'M glad you're back, doll." She pulled him into a hug, pressing her lips against his in a short burst of passion. "Marsha n' I were worried," he admitted, holding her close.

"Whatcha get out there?"

She smiled, resting her head on his shoulder. "It's a necklace for Marsha," she whispered. "She told me when her birthday is, and it's soon. I wanted something special for her."

Daryl kissed her again. "She's a lucky kid, huh, with you as her mama." "She's lucky with you as a dad," she chuckled. "C'mon. I'm tired." She layed down besides Marsha. The child shifted, opening her eyes a crack.

"Mama!" she whispered, cuddling up to her.

"Hey, sweetie," Andrea replied, brushing the hair out of her child's face. Daryl slipped under the blankets besides them. He settled in quickly, content with what was happening. It was normal again, having Andrea back. He could sleep now that he knew his lover and his child were at his side.