{I just like making these, I think Daryl deserves so much more happiness than he gets on the show.}
As soon as the baby's cries reached the room, Daryl felt Indra shift, doing her best to move from under his arm without jarring him. He had been awake long before that, but he decided to play considerate. Letting her believe she was stealthy. After he heard the nursery door open, he pulled himself out of bed, pattering silently down the hallway to the small opening that peered into the room. This had become routine, sometimes - of course, he'd get up letting Indra sleep while getting the baby back to lull off himself, but times like this he liked to watch. Daryl had always been one for observance, and to see Indra with their daughter, his daughter, it was something else. It made the heart that didn't beat for many people swell, both of them his pride and joy.
He watched Indra changing her, his little Lucinda Beth, named after two of the best people they both knew, as her fists clenched and pumped the air, tiny squawks of displeasure coming from her. He could see the deep blue of her eyes darting around; Indra had told him she had inherited that from him, already a survivor, looking for an escape route. The little girl huffed, crying commencing again. Picking her up, Daryl watched as she was tucked in the crook of Indra's arm.
"Oh, no, no, we got to be quiet Lucy."
Being glad to be off the table and in her mother's arms the girl started cooing.
"Because we got to let daddy sleep, he's been working too hard."
Lucy gave her own reply before putting her balled up fist in her mouth.
"I don't think he'd take to be tied to the bed, but we'll get him to relax. Won't we?"
With her eyebrows scrunching up, Lucy began to wail again.
"I know, you're hungry, sweetie, we're going to sit and rock while you eat, okay?"
Sitting in the rocker he had built for them, Daryl couldn't help but blush a little as he always did when Indra was able to expertly maneuver their daughter in one arm, throwing on a spit rag and pulling up her top enough so Lucy could hungrily latch onto a breast. After situating her, she'd pull off the shirt enough so she could look down at her face.
"My sweet little girl."
Indra always had that gentle touch with her, as you were with him unless he needed a kick in his ass. Which he usually never minded either. He watched her stroke a finger down Lucy's cheek, the chair positioned near the window and enough to see her blue eyes widen and look out.
"What do you see? The moon?"
Lucy gurgled a coo around her breast, and he watched the white liquid trail down as she gave a small laugh wiping up the mess with a rag.
"Maybe daddy will show you the stars when you're bigger, he's pointed them out to me, but I think he was just trying to be a charmer then."
He had to hold in a snort on that. Charmer his damn ass, he was trying to teach her. She hadn't known the North Star from Orion's belt before he showed them to her. Bringing Lucy away he watched as she was placed up on a shoulder and Indra started patting her back, he saw her begin to squirm in her arms.
"I know you don't like this part honey, but you got to burp, you'll hate it even more if you get a tummy ache."
Indra continued patting until that familiar sound came a cross between a burp and puke, as she pulled her back and wiped the spit up from her face. He watched with a smile as Indra gave her a noisy kiss on her cheek, the action causing another round of babbling.
"My messy girl, I don't want to have to give you a bath this late."
Lucy waved her fists as if in protest.
"I know, you hate them as much as daddy does."
He clicked his teeth, it was as if she were baiting him, egging him to snort and give himself away.
"You still hungry? Yes? No?"
Indra had moved her to the other breast giving Lucy time to see if she wanted more or not, after she seemed to contemplate she reached out to suckle.
"I can see you nodding off again. How about I sing to you, maybe you'll conk out for the night."
He watched Indra looking down at her before laughing. "I can tell by those eyes I'd be better off not expecting that. Such a night owl, aren't you?"
Daryl couldn't help the contentment coursing through him, seeing her snuggle the baby close. She had told him not long after Lucy was born that she looked just like him. And it contrast it was true, her eyes were the same blue though slightly darker, her hair a dark mahogany that shined golden in the sunlight, she had even pointed out in her fussy state that she scowled like him too. He was lost in the thought until his ears pricked when he heard singing.
I see the moon.
The moon sees me.
God bless the moon,
and God bless me.
The calming lilt in her voice, he could see Lucy's eyes struggling to keep open.
"Are you going to say goodnight before she goes off, daddy?"
Again he was caught, and the amusement in Indra's eyes told him she had known he was there for a good while.
"I suppose I should."
"I'm afraid you're not quite the ninja you think you are, Mr. Dixon."
He couldn't help but brush his lips to hers, the affection so much easier to him now, that amusement turning to tenderness in her eyes and he knew it reflected his own. Both looking down Lucy's drooping eyes widened a smidgen, her mouth unlatching as she reached for her dad. The tiniest hints of a smile forming on her bow lips, making Indra laugh in amazement.
"Oh, Daryl, look at that, she's so happy to see her daddy."
He was rooted in place, just as astonished by the sight. It was then he felt a hand in his hair, running it through the middle. Pulling down her shirt, he watched her sit up, holding Lucy out to him.
"Sing something to us."
Sing? Him? He never thought he'd hear those words put together in a sentence like that.
"Baby don't wanna hear me sing, make her go tone deaf."
"It will not, please?"
He clutched his daughter to him, her eyes still struggling to stay open, as Indra helped to swaddle her. He didn't really know any lullabies, only the ones that were sang to her already. There was only one song he could really think of.
He cleared his throat. "I ain't got that good of a voice girl, but I had a good friend a long while back sing this to me so I could get some sleep, you were named after her –"
He saw Indra smiling at him, and his ears burned though he couldn't help but return it as he started to sway back and forth.
So we will drink beer all day.
And our guards will give way.
And we'll be good.