Evening. The baby was wrapped up and asleep in Daryl's arms. Rick looked down at them both. He was stretched out next to Daryl, holding him gently, feeling at peace. Finally, after a barrage of visitors, they were alone. Rick could tell Daryl was almost asleep himself. In a moment he'd take the baby from him and tuck him into Judith's old crib, and then they could all catch some much needed rest. Rick was only holding out because it felt so nice to be comfortable after this crazy day, and he felt reluctant to disturb Daryl.

Rick smiled. The hunter kept touching little Ricky's face, his hands and tiny feet every few minutes, as if to make sure he was still real. Now, close to sleep, he was whispering very quietly to the baby, so quietly Rick couldn't make out any words.

The others all had been to see the baby earlier, and had cooed over him as expected. Rick could see why. Apart from being a veritable miracle the little guy was amazingly cute. Rick thought he looked exactly like Daryl must have as a baby, and the realization of this being the complete truth hardly even freaked him out any longer.

Hershel had pronounced the boy healthy and strong, and Daryl in good condition, all things considered. Rick marveled at how normal it all seemed. The birth, while stressful for all concerned, had gone smoothly enough. The baby was normal. How could this be? They would most likely never fully understand it. But for now, the fact that they'd come through it more or less in one piece, and that Daryl would be ok, seemed enough.

Daryl glanced up at Rick and gave a painkiller-fueled half-smile. He leaned his head against Rick's chest and sighed. Rick tightened his arm around Daryl's shoulders.

"You ok?"

"Hmm…yeah… Feels strange, but right, too, don't it? You feel it, Rick?"

Rick thought for a moment, absently stroking Daryl's neck and hair. What were they doing here, he and Daryl? Apart from all the strangeness, what did his feelings of tenderness and the urge to protect Daryl at all cost mean? Did he just want to protect the baby, and their group? Was it just friendship? Or more? Rick guessed only time would tell. He leaned down and placed a kiss on Ricky's head.

"I can feel it, yeah…"

There was a rustle at the curtain over the cell's entrance and Tyreese's embarrassed face appeared a second later.

"Real sorry to disturb you, Rick, but… well, there's two, ah, visitors here and they, well… they wanted to see you…" He looked at Daryl. "And the baby," he added.

Rick frowned. "Who are they?"

"Not sure yet. But they sound foreign…"

"How do they know about the baby?"

"It, ah, came up…?"

Tyreese's face vanished and two men stepped through the curtain and stood just inside the cell. Rick looked at them both, then did a double take. One of the men looked oddly familiar. He glanced down at Daryl, then back at the strangers.

"Who are you?"

The man with the familiar face stepped forward.

"Name's Murphy. Murphy MacManus. And this is me brother Connor."