It was the next day's evening. Daryl had just brought still crazy Rick his dinner, when he wanted to get to his own cell. Like every day he was damn exhausted and just wanted to rest anymore, when the corridor he was walking along, was suddenly filled with Beth's quiet, angel singing. Daryl frozen where he was standing, even closed his eyes, while he listened to her beautiful voice for a few moments.

Finally, he slowly made his way to Beth's cell, not let her know his presence, while he leaned against her door frame. Daryl didn't want to bother her, while she tried to sing little Judith into sleep. He stayed quiet, even when Beth had already stopped her song one minute ago and now she was just looking at the half asleep baby in her arms. Only after she had kissed the little girl's soft hair, Daryl cleared his throat quietly to make her realize his presence.

"Oh. Hey Daryl. I haven't heard you." Beth whispered, while she gave him one of her sweet smiles. "Is she already asleep?" Daryl asked curious, before they both looked down at little Judith in her arms. "No, not yet. But soon. I just have to craddle her for few more minutes, till she will be asleep and I can lay her into the crib and get myself into a clean shirt. She likes to burp onto my clothes all the time you know." Beth told him, before she gave her whole attention back to the baby. Daryl kept on watching her, when suddenly a thought popped into his head. Without thinking too much about it, he stepped inside Beth's room and asked helpfully "If you want, I can take her, so you can get yourself a shower."

Beth's eyes began to widen surprised, while her mouth got a little opened, because his well-meant offer made her obviously that overwhelmed. "You would do that?" Beth asked him still all puzzled. "Yeah, of course. I just have to craddle her, right?"

Beth nodded and after a few more seconds looking up at him with big eyes, she finally stood up and placed the baby girl carefully into his arms. "Exactly. And I promise you, that it won't take long. I will be back pretty soon. Thank you, Mr. Dixon." While Daryl tried to bring little Judith in a more comfortable position in his arms, he couldn't look away from the sweet young woman in front of him.

"It's alright. Take your time. You deserve some time out, after taking care of little ass kicker the whole day long." Daryl whispered and conjured an even bigger smile on her lips for that. Before Beth left almost jumping the room, she gripped herself a clean pyjama and stroked one last time over Judith's soft hair.

The first few minutes Daryl craddled the baby carefully in his arms, while he went around Beth's room and looked at the self painted pictures on the walls. She had got them from the kids inside the prison, mostly animals and flowers were to be seen on the drawings. Daryl already got it pretty soon, that Beth could handle very well with children and he could also tell, that they all loved and admire her back.

In contrast to his own cell, Beth had many personal items in hers. Little things she had found in the time they were on the road. Things from the prison, about someone other probably thought they were useless, but not for Beth. Even when it was the end of the world, she liked to keep her room clean, everything had its own place and fitted well. The room even smiled good, smelled like her and Daryl couldn't fill his lungs often enough with her beautiful scent.

It seemed like Beth still tried to see the light, the best even in this world. She really tried to make the best of it, which Daryl could just admire. But at the same time he knew, that she wasn't clueless, too naive or unknown. Beth knew how to fight the world with her own weapons and on her own way.

Suddenly Judith began to move in his arms and her little whimpers filled the room. "Hey little ass kicker." Daryl whispered down to her, while he lowered himself carefully on top of the mattress of Beth's bed. But all the cradling and soothing didn't word, the baby still whine and soon Daryl knew it will start to cry, if he won't do anything against it.

"You don't like it to be called little ass kicker huh?" Daryl asked her carefully and Judith's louder screams told him, that his premonition was right. "Okay, okay. Then I will call you.. I will call you.. I don't know." Daryl stammered unsure, while he looked seeking for help around the room, when his eyes suddenly caught one drawing on the wall. "Little bug. I will call you little bug from now on, is that better baby girl?" With his thumb Daryl whipped the tears on the baby's little cheek saway, when Judith suddenly stopped crying.

"That's right little asski.. I mean little bug. You don't want to let me look like a dork, when Beth comes back and sees you crying like that, right?" With big and still glassy eyes Judith looked up at Daryl like he was a enchanted rabbit.

"Yeah, that's right baby girl. You are well-behaved when you listen to me." Daryl whispered thankfully to her, before he leaned himself against the wall and placed the baby's back against his angled uper legs. As carefully as possible he stroked with the back of his index finger, over the rosy cheeks of the baby.

Judith was the first and maybe the last baby Daryl will ever see in his life. Holding such a young, fresh, unknown bunch of life in his arms, got him goose bumps everywhere on his body. And at the same time he was praying to God, that this new life will get the chance to live, to grow up, to smile and enjoy it being on this world.

Suddenly Daryl had to think about his childhood, his dark childhood. The awful things his father had done to him and Merle and even worse the things he hadn't done, but should have done as a father. The brothers had lost their mother way too soon, even when she hadn't changed anything, when she was still around. But at least she hadn't hurt them physically.

Slowly little Judith's eyes began to close and peacefully the baby fell asleep. And even if Daryl wanted, he couldn't imagine, even think about it, how his father had brought it over his heart to hurt some so tiny and innocent. To ruin someone's life, which hadn't even began.

While Daryl kept on watching the sweet baby in front of him, a picture suddenly go in front of his inner eyes. A picture where his brother was looking at him, while he was that little. What was Merle thinking then? Was he already sorry for his little brother, because he exactly knew what Daryl will have to get trough? Maybe hope, that his father and mother will become real parents with the birth of their second son? That Merle had someone to play with now, a friend? Maybe he was giving his little brother a silent promise, to protect him don't matter what? To protect him from their father's hands, the nasty words from the other kids at school? That he will be there for him, don't matter what will happen?

Daryl didn't know what his brother was thinking, while he was looking at him, when he was little. And Daryl also won't ever find out or will be able to ask him so, because even when it was a promise or not, Merle had left him alone. So many months had already passed since Rick and the other had left him on the roof top. Merle was Daryl's whole family. It was always the two of them, also before the apocalypse and from one day of the other Daryl was alone, on his own, without his brother.

Maybe Merle hadn't promised his little brother to protect him and stay by his side for the rest of his life, but his little brother had given him that silent promise a long time ago. But Daryl had failed, he wasn't there to protect or safe him. He had left Merle alone there and he won't ever forgive himself that.

Little Judith was sleeping quietly in his arms, while Daryl kept on staring at her. Suddenly a soft voice filled the silent room "Daryl?" Beth was standing in the door frame, watching him with a compassionate look. "Are you okay?" She asked carefully and only then Daryl noticed the tears burning in his eyes.

Still half in his thoughts he nodded almost unnoticeable, before he looked back at the sleeping baby in his arms. "Do you want to be alone?" Beth's soft voice filled the air again and even when this was one of the most uncomfortable situations in his life, Daryl didn't want to be alone right now. Maybe it was because it was Beth and no one else, maybe Daryl just wanted, needed her presence right now.

After Daryl had sniffed quietly and had cleared carefully his throat, he answered "No. It's okay." Slowly Beth entered the room then, after his premision, placed her stuff on the desk in the corner and finally turned around and watched Daryl for a few seconds, before she said "Let me take her Daryl. It's time for her to go to bed."

Quietly Beth came closer to him and carefully she took still sleeping Judith from his arms into hers. She cradled her a little, while she got over to the baby's crip. Before Beth laid the baby girl carefully inside, she placed a soft kiss on the top of Judith's head. It was such a sweet, heart-warming moment, that the tears in Daryl's eyes began to burn again, because he knew, that no one had ever done for him, when he was little.

Daryl just kept on sitting with his legs angled and stared at the bed sheet in front of him. Very slowly Beth came closer to him, sat herself gingerly on the mattress and finally she even took place right next to him, her tiny back she also leaned against the wall.

Minutes passed by, while they were both just looking at everything and nothing. Listened to the sleeping baby's regular breathing and their own. Even when Daryl hadn't told Beth one word, why he was feeling so sad and unsure in this moment, she got his worries like they were written in the middle of his face and finally she whispered "You miss him don't you?"

And somehow Daryl wasn't even shocked, that she could obviously read his thoughts, but still he kept quiet, while his glassy eyes wandered to his fingers. "I also miss my older brother." Beth finally let him know. Her voice sounded dreamily and so far away from here.

Suddenly Daryl got it how less he knew about her. Or with better words he didn't even know anything about the girl he was intimate almost every day. He was feeling stupid for not knowing at least, that she had a brother. Suddenly Daryl got the need to get to know her better, a feeling he never had in his life before.

Curious he looked to his left to see Beth staring at the wall in front of them, her thoughts far away, at a time where everything was still good. As soft as never before in his life, Daryl asked "You had a brother?" When their eyes finally met, he could read in hers how surprised Beth first was about Daryl's question and for one quick moment he hated himself for being so careless and curious. But then Beth's eyes got their usual sparkle back, her expression softened and he could finally breathe normal again.

A sad smile got on her lips, when Beth told him "Yeah. His name was Shawn. He was actually my half brother, but it's like with Maggie, we never really bothered about that. He was my older brother." Understanding Daryl nodded his head, while he processed the information, that Maggie and her were half sisters.

"Before, I have never believed, that one day a will miss his annoying, over protective way. But now I do, I really do. I miss him so much." A single tear found its way out of Beth's so sad looking eyes, while she though about her beloved brother.

Daryl could never really handle sadness or were able to soothe someone. And because he didn't know what to do, he just wanted Beth to stop crying, because he hated it to see her like this, he just asked something thouthless. "What happened to him?" In the second he had spoken it out loud Daryl wanted to punch himself for it, because he could read in Beth's face, that it still hurt her to talk about this topic.

Daryl just wante to tell her how sorry he was for being so careless, when suddenly Beth answered him with a broken voice "He just wanted to safe my mother. Like every early morning she wanted to feed the hens, when she got bit from one of these walkers. Shawn saw her from his room's window, fighting for her life with two of these. Only with his pyjama on he wanted to help her, when he got also bit. And the worst part was, that we couldn't help them. To see them change into some of these was so.. so terrible."

With the last words Beth's voice began to boycott, finally she just whimpered any more, before the room was filled with her quiet sobs. And Daryl could just watch her breaking down next to him, helpless about what he should do, how he could help her, make her feel good again.

It felt like they have already done it so often, when Beth leaned her head naturally against Daryl's shoulder and cried into the fabric of his shirt. It felt so normal, so right, so heartbreaking. Finally Beth even wrapped her right arm around his left, she wanted to hold herself onto him, make sure, that he won't leave her right now and without even thinking about it, Daryl knew, that he would never leave her behind like that.

Beth already leaned herself against his side since minutes and cried quietly, when Daryl finally found enough courage and leaned his head on top of hers. Maybe he was just imagined it, but somehow he could feel how Beth's body began to relax, her whimpers got silent and her tears slowly stopped. With closed eyes Daryl took in this moment, his lungs filled from Beth's sweet scent, her heat wandered into his body and finally back into hers.

The two of them had already many moments together, moments when they were much more intimate, but this almost magical moment right here was far the best. Even when he still wasn't doing anything at all, Daryl felt useful, dreamily and even loved. And that only because of the blond, beautiful girl next to him.

Minutes had already passed by since Beth's last sobs had filled the air and the two of them were just sitting silently on top of her bed, leaned against each other and enjoyed the support from the other body. Daryl didn't know, what had finally brought him to that, when he took his whole courage together and whispered into the silence "Yes, I miss him."

Carefully Beth took her head away from its place by his shoulder and with her glassy, but still so damn beautiful eyes she was looking compassionate up at him. "I bet he also misses you, wherever he is." Beth whispered and it warmed up Daryl's heart, because no one ever had tried to cheer him up.

"Maybe, but I probably won't ever get to know it. He is gone." Daryl told Beth bitter, while he could already feel some new tears burn in his eyes. "Never say never Daryl. Wonders are still happening." Beth tried to ginger him up with her kind words and a sweet, little smile.

Beth's eyes were looking so soft, lovingly and hopefully in this moment, that Daryl was just spellbound to them. They kept on looking deep into each other eyes, till he finally got the need to lean down and place a kiss on her so tender looking lips. But this need was wrong, he knew that, even when he suddenly got the big desire to do it. But not because Daryl wanted to have sex with Beth right now, he knew they couldn't do it in her cell, little Judith next to them, but still he just wanted to meet her soft lips with his. To taste her, to feel her so close.

Trying to get a clear mind again, Daryl finally stopped their connection and after he had cleared his throat he said "I should better go now." In Beth's expression he could read, that she didn't want him to leave and also the worry, that maybe she had said something wrong, because of that and the fact that he hated it to see her like that Daryl added "I mean, I bet you are tired. You should go to bed sweetheart." Calling Beth like that did leave his lips so easily and it also felt so right. It almost tickled his lips and tongue.

"Yes, Mr. Dixon." Beth said with a playfully voice and a sweet smile on her lips. Daryl desided that in this moment, he liked it so much more to see her smile and be good. He just wanted to stand up, after their knotted bodies got separated, when Beth suddenly crawled next to his side and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "Good night Daryl."

She whispered so close to his skin, that he got goose bumps everywhere, while his head already began to blush. Before Daryl really stood up and left to his own cell, he looked her one more time deep in the eyes, when he wished her "Good night sweetheart."