Summary: Daryl reminises on the good old days and Rick reflects on his life.

A/N: This chapter is short and sweet, featuring (as requested!) more squirrels and, of course, Richonne family cuteness! I hope you like it.

Storytime Chapter 2

It was getting late when Rick wearily pulled himself away from the picnic table. Dinner had been cleared more than an hour ago, but the heat of the day was receding and the crickets were humming almost loud enough to drown out the last few walkers on the fence. A handful of people hung around, laughing and telling stories after dinner, putting aside their worries if only for a little while.

Rick knew that Daryl hated being the center of attention, but if there was only a small group like tonight; himself, Carol, and Glenn, then his brother in arms would sometimes open up to them. Daryl was in rare form tonight, recounting in gory detail the time he and Merle had unintentionally terrorized the local community college.

After entering them both in a squirrel-hunting contest, Merle had come up with the bright idea of heading to the college campus where, he knew, the little buggers ran rampant, fearlessly hoping in and out of trashcans every couple yards.

To hear Daryl tell it, they made quite a team, Merle rolling his motorcycle slowly along the walkways, Daryl on the back with his crossbow at the ready, and their hunting dog Bo was running along beside them. As soon as Daryl targeted a squirrel, Bo was off to fetch it almost before it hit the ground, bringing it back Daryl.

It didn't take long for some terrified students to call the police but it turned out that the head of campus security was one of Merle's regular clients and he helped them slip away just in time. Altogether, the Dixon brothers bagged twenty-three squirrels for just under an hour's effort and won the first place prize of $100 cash. It was a proud moment for Daryl and he remembered those days fondly.

Rick went inside to wash up and relieve Beth from babysitting duty. He liked to spend time with Judith in the evenings, sitting in the quiet of his cell, holding her until she fell asleep, reassuring himself that she was okay, that they'd all survived another day.

The Cell Block was quiet. Rick found Beth lying on her bed writing in her journal.

"Beth, where's Judith?"

She looked up, "Carl is watching her."

"Oh," Rick was a little surprised. Carl didn't usually volunteer to watch his sister.

"Thank you, Beth. Good night," he said, walking a few cells over to Carl's room.

His son's room was empty.

"Carl?" he called, looking around. Maybe he'd brought Judith to her crib in Rick's room.

Rick pushed aside the curtain to his cell and found his bed very much occupied. A slow smile spread across his face.

Carl was sound asleep, lying beside a sleeping Michonne, her arms gently cradling baby Judith who was resting contentedly on her chest, one little hand curled around a lock of Michonne's hair. There were brightly colored picture books spread all across the bed.

Moving carefully, Rick gathered up the books, gently easing 'Goodnight Moon' out of Carl's hands, and set them on the desk.

For a second Rick wanted to lean over and kiss his son's forehead like he used to every night, before the world changed, but these days Carl was such a light sleeper. He would only wake up and protest that he was too old for that kid stuff, anyway. It was better to let them sleep.

Rick took a step backwards and slid his back down against the wall until he was sitting on the floor. He rubbed his hands over his tired eyes and leaned his head back against the wall. It was too rare to see his small family together, resting peacefully. He would stay here and watch over them for a while, then find somewhere else to sleep.

'Dad, I think she's one of us,' Carl had said before, when the three of them went on a run looking for weapons and Rick didn't yet trust Michonne, didn't know if he wanted her sticking around. It was those words, Rick thought, which had opened his eyes. It had been gradual, but he started to think that maybe things could change, that it might be alright to let new people in to the prison, that things might get better. He might get better.

Somehow, Michonne's friendship has helped Carl to open his heart again. Rick could see the difference every day. His son was still growing but he wasn't the same angry, cold, closed off boy that he'd become after Lori died. If he wanted Carl to hold on to the compassionate, hopeful, moral side of himself then Rick knew he had to lead by example. Hershal had showed him that.

As Rick started to doze off, he heard Hershal's words again, from that first day working in the field that became their garden, 'It could be like this all the time.'

'I could live with that,' he thought slowly, drifting off to sleep, 'keep Carl and Judith safe, keep Michonne close…'

There was no way to know what dangers tomorrow might hold, but it was like this now, and that was good enough.