Judith had taken to waking up every night as of late. Three years old and up until they moved into the old place, the deserted little hotel, she had slept as well as anyone could expect from a small child in the world they lived in.

They'd been on the road from years now, so it came as a surprise when little feet slapped across the cold floor and her little body burrowed her way under Carol's blankets, curling up into her favourite spot, right under her chin.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Carol whispered, pushing Judith's unruly curls off her face. They'd gotten darker over the winter months and was starting to look more and more like her father everyday. Carol did not mention that to Rick, although she was sure the other man knew.

"I gots scared." Judith whispered back, wrapping her little arms around Carol's torso, rubbing her nose into the fabric of her shirt. "Want Daryl to come to sleep too."

They'd been taking it in turns to sleep in the same bed with Judith. She'd gotten accustomed to sleeping beside them all. But her favourite was Carol. Probably because Judith was the most restless sleeper in the whole group, even worse than Daryl but Carol could tolerate them both. It never bothered her, not even when she woke up with no covers and a little foot in her face.

And so it continued. Five nights and she'd barely dropped off before Judith would wake, wake up Carol too and tell her about her nightmares. The usual childish things. Monsters were going to eat her or hurt her. Except the monsters did exist. And they very much wanted to eat her.

It was not easy to convince her that they would not let that happen. Not when she had seen the things she had seen.

By day six, she'd told Rick she would keep the little girl in her bed a little while longer, just until the nightmares passed and to help keep everyone's resting hours peaceful.

Daryl had been doing the night watches, mostly. Didn't get much chance to speak to him. Since they had to evacuate their last place, where Daryl almost had gotten bit, but Glenn had gotten there just in time, he'd been absolutely insistent on taking the night watch.

So when she got up, he took her spot in the bed. Judith would still be there, still groggy with sleep and Carol would watch them both as she pulled on her clothes and laid out the little girl's things ready for her on the footlocker.

Daryl tried to keep up the icy pretense sometimes. That she was just an annoying little kid that was under his feet. But Carol knew, he loved her. She'd curl up into his side, tuck her little feet into the palm of his hand and make him tell her exactly what he'd been up to all night. How many Walkers he killed, if he caught their dinner already, if ate breakfast before he came to bed, she wanted to know it all.

And when Daryl yawned and complained, she'd pat his forehead and tell him to close his eyes. That she would take watch. That'd raise a smirk out of him. Mostly because watch would last all off the three seconds it would take her to find Carol and demand her breakfast.

By day 12, it was getting tiresome and Judith was just plain wriggly. So when the little one fell asleep, Carol got up and pulled on her cardigan and went to find company of the more still kind.

He was outside when she'd gone into the kitchen, could see his flashlight off in the distance. Carol turned the lamp on in the window, so he knew she was there and the light grew larger as he returned to the building.

"What you doin' up?" He closed the screen door quietly, hung his string of game onto the window ledge.

She poured herself a glass of water, made one for him too.

"Miss Grimes is particularly active tonight." She said wryly, before sipping on the drink.

"Been doin' that a whole lot lately."

"Tell me about it. Haven't slept properly in at least a week."

"Put her back in with Rick." Daryl shrugged as if it were obvious. "You gotta rest too."

"She wants you. Doesn't like you being out there at night."

"Yeah, well I'm tryin' to stop her livin' the nightmares." He drained the glass and pushed it onto the table.

"I know. I'm not blaming you. You're keeping us alive. That's worth more than a few restless nights." She smiled at him, reached out and cupped his cheek. "See you tomorrow."

She rubbed her thumb across his cheekbone before returning to her bed.

The following night she had considered doing as Daryl suggested and putting her back in with Rick, but come the little girl's bed time, she could hear the hushed arguments going on behind Rick's bedroom door, Andrea's voice shrill and upset and swiftly moved on to her own bed.

Come midnight, she still hadn't managed a lick of sleep, waiting for Judith to wake. Instead, she was surprised when the door creaked open and standing in the threshold was Daryl.

He moved silently to remove his weapons and his boots, so quiet that when she closed her eyes, she didn't hear him. He crawled under the covers in his oily jeans, he'd been working on the bike that evening and the smell lingered. She'd normally chew him out for it, but tonight was the first night that he'd been in her bed with her in what seemed like forever. She'd take a little dirt for that.

"Who's on watch?" She asked, gently scooting Judith over a little to make room for Daryl.

"Andrea." He mumbled into her neck. "Go to sleep." He jerked the blankets up to their neck, pressed his fingers into her waist.

Not more than half an hour later, the familiar sensation of a warm wiggly body woke her up. Judith turned to face Carol and the woman opened one eye.

But Judith stayed silent, pressed her hand onto Daryl's cheek, lodged firmly in Carol's neck and sighed.

She said nothing more, just turned back over and drifted off quickly back to sleep.