She woke up hazily to the realisation that she wasn't as warm as she should be. Carol had shared the narrow, thin mattress with Daryl for months and they'd perfected the art of fitting in it comfortably.
Her hand should've been resting on his chest, tucked under his shirt but it rested on her pillow instead. She finally managed to find the strength to open her eyes and spotted his head, not quite where it should be, but close enough nonetheless.
He sat on the cold cell floor, back up against the bunk and on his knees sat Judith, dark curls bobbing wildly as she jumped up and down on him.
"Quit it, kid." He told her quietly, pushing a colouring book further down his thighs towards her.
Judith let out a giggle, she clutched a purple marker in her chubby little fist and began furiously scribbling across the white page. What she lacked in finesse, she made up for with enthusiasm, so much so, the marker skidded off the page and left a purple trail over one leg of Daryl's pants.
"Hey! Watch it, Jude!" Daryl hissed his annoyance with the child and Carol stifled a giggle.
The child was none too perturbed, as ever, because never in her life had Daryl ever seriously told her off. She simply picked up the blue marker from the floor and thrust it in his face.
"You colour." She commanded in her lispy drawl, waggling the pen.
"No." Daryl retorted, pushing her fist away.
"Yes." Judith hissed. She was becoming quite the little madam, Carol had noted. At eighteen months or so, she had the entire group wrapped around her minute finger. They all bent to her will and Daryl was the worst.
Daryl let out a sigh. Carol knew without looking that he was rolling his eyes and undoubtedly would relent. His head turned to look back at her and she closed her eyes hastily, forcing herself to breathe slow and deep so that he would not know she was awake.
She knew what he was doing, checking to see that no-one would see him being bossed about by a toddler.
Apparently satisfied with her silence, she opened her eyes to see him hold out his hands to the little one.
"I want the yellow." He mumbled gruffly and Judith looked uneasily to the pile of markers on the ground, unable to know which one was called the yellow. She shrugged and held out the blue pen once more.
"No." He pushed her fist away. "The yellow. Find me the yellow."
Judith's brow crinkled and her lips pouted as she debated on which one was the yellow her favourite person wanted.
"It's the same colour as Beth's hair." He clued her in and her little face lit up with recognition, all but throwing the blue marker down and snatching up the yellow.
"Good girl." Daryl patted her head like a dog and yet again, Carol bit back a laugh. Watching the two of them interact was a comedy show in itself and it always made her heart glow when she saw the affection the two showed each other, in their own little ways.
They worked on the picture silently for awhile, heads almost touching as they bent over the paper seriously and every so often Daryl would request another colour with the tone of a surgeon wanting another tool and Judith would slap the correct one into his open and waiting palm.
Eventually, the little girl's attention started to wain and Carol could see her looking over Daryl's shoulder trying to see if she was awake. On one occasion she wasn't quick enough to close her eyes and the little girl beamed at her.
"Look!" She ripped the book out from under Daryl's hand and lifted it to show her.
Carol propped herself on one elbow and looked at it with a forced interest, one she was an expert on after having her own child.
"It's beautiful, sweetheart. Did you do that all by yourself?" She cooed and Judith nodded. Daryl let out a strangled noise that suggested he wanted to protest, but daren't get caught out. "It's wonderful, why don't you go show your daddy?"
"Yeah!" Judith scrambled upwards, markers forgotten and tore out of the cell, off to hunt out her father.
She reached out lazily and ran her hands through the hair on the back of Daryl's head and he twisted to look back at her.
"Enjoy a little colouring?" She mocked lightly and he scowled at her.
"I was givin' you a lie-in." He argued.
She smiled softly. Her fingers twisted around the curling strands at the nape of his neck. "Thank you."