Oh my god, I'm so excited to get this out to you guys.

This was a mixture of two prompts I received on AO3.

The first comes from Buttons1721: What goes through Daryl's mind after he learns he is about to be a father.

The second is from Erica: Later on, down the road, Beth and Daryl have a baby.

I hope I did these two prompts justice!

"I'm pregnant."

As soon as those two words fell from her lips, everything went hazy. He could feel his heart about to beat out of his chest as he looked down at her stomach. Her mouth was moving but Daryl could hear no words coming out, the only sound in his ears was the sharp ringing, unrelenting.

He couldn't really seem to grasp any concept of reality. How was he supposed to really understand there was a life, that they had created together, one that was growing inside of her at this very moment? He must have been focusing to hard on trying to comprehend the situation, forgetting to breathe in the process, because everything went black.

Daryl came to about fifteen minutes later, laying on his back in the brush of leaves on the outskirts of their woodland campsite, surrounded by Beth and the others. All were looking at him with concerned and slightly confused looks. He sat up and shooed everyone away from him, telling them he was perfectly fine, passing it off as simple exhaustion. He didn't particularly want to explain that he had been so freaked out to learn he was going to have a child that he passed out from actually forgetting to ventilate.

They obeyed his orders, somewhat reluctantly, with Rick staying behind only to double check that he was alright. After the concerned questions stopped, the former sheriff left him and Beth alone.

"Not quite the reaction I was expecting...but also not worst case scenario." Beth tried to smile to lighten the mood, but it definitely did not reach her eyes.

"You're sure?" His pitch cracked slightly as he spoke.

"What do you mean? Of course I'm sure! The test is kind of idiot proof, you pee on a stick and it says either you are or you aren't!" Daryl couldn't help but wonder if her snapping was the beginning of the infamous pregnancy mood swings or if she was just stressed...probably a mixture of both.

"Alright, jesus! I's just askin'!" He put his hands up in mock surrender.

"I'm sorry...it's just...you haven't exactly really said anything yet." Beth's eye trailed down to the ground in fear of rejection.

"What do you want me to say, Beth?" This caught her attention, her eyes now filled with fire looked up at him.

"Anything! You could at least tell me what you're thinking!" She threw her hands up in the air, thoroughly exasperated.

"I don't know what the fuck I'm thinkin', Beth! A baby in this world? How is anyone supposed to feel about that?" In all honesty, it was probably not the most diplomatic response.

"Thanks for being so supportive, I really appreciate it." She then proceeded to turn around and stomp off in the direction of the group, where they had just started a small fire. Beth plopped down on the ground beside Maggie, her expression one of a toddler who didn't get their way, her arms crossed over her chest as she huffed in annoyance. With the flames reflecting in her eyes, Daryl could see the tears starting to pool there...and now he felt like the world's biggest asshole.

He stayed in his position on the ground, only pulling his knees up, letting his arms hang over them. Now actually having a chance to think clearly on the subject, Daryl realized he didn't totally hate the idea of being a father...it was only that he had three very major concerns. Living in this world made life complicated to say the least, so his first concern was for Beth. Thinking of Lori, Daryl had to wonder if she'd even live through childbirth. The second concern was similar, only he wondered if the baby would even survive out here, if it did in fact make it through it's birth. Sure, Judith had been able to do it, but that was within the relatively secure walls of the prison. The last concern he had at the moment had absolutely nothing with living in a world filled with walkers. It was perhaps one of Daryl's biggest fears...he had always wondered if in some bizarre twist of fate, he would end up as a father, how would he do? If Daryl were to assume he would be like his own dad, then he wouldn't even want to go near the kid, for fear of ruining it for life. He knew he was a better man now, but you couldn't help but ask how much of that stuff was really genetic.

Beth, though...she would be the perfect mother, she had shown that much when she took over being Judith's primary care giver. He could picture it in his head, a slightly older version of the beautiful blonde, body changed to accommodate motherhood, holding a squirming infant in her lap, playing some stupid game like peek a boo. The image could defrost his slightly icy heart. It made him realize that he loved this woman, who was now carrying his own flesh and blood, and with her, he knew he could do anything, even if that meant facing his own fears.

So Daryl decided he would overcome his own pride and go apologize to the mother of his child. He got up, not bothering to brush the dirt off his already filthy form, and made his way towards the group. He stood next to Beth, but she wouldn't even look at him. He had even tried clearing his throat for good measure. When she still ignored him, Daryl squatted down to her level, silently cursing his ever aging knees. "Beth." She still didn't look in his direction. "Come on, Beth. I need to talk to ya." This time when he spoke, she shot him a glare, mentally screaming profanities at him for not doing that in the first place. She harshly sighed and stood up, following him away from potential eavesdroppers.

When he stopped and turned around to look at her, her strong personality showed as she placed a hand on her hip, cocking it out to the side, and put an expecting expression on her angelic face.

"I'm sorry." This seemed to be a good start, as her features softened. "It's just...a huge deal, ya know? It ain't like this was somethin' I was hopin' for."

"I'm well aware of that, Daryl! I always wanted kids before, but do you really think I ever wanted this to happen now? I'm not that naive to think everything is going to be okay."

"I ain't sayin' that and you know it. I'm sayin' I was out of line before but now that I've had some time to think about it, I realized it ain't all so bad."

Beth dropped her hand from her hip, straightening her posture. "What do you mean?"

"If this is happenin', like really happenin', then it's okay, because we're in this together." He was almost knocked off his feet as Beth barreled into his body, jumping up to wrap her legs around his waist and her hands around his neck. Daryl managed not to fall and caught her underneath her thighs. She pulled her head back from the hug and kissed him passionately on the lips.

Daryl pulled back first, a very rare bright smile lit up his face. "I love you."

Beth chuckled at him. "I love you too...even if you aren't the smoothest man in the world."

"Oh, shut up." He joked, as he set her down. "How pregnant are you exactly?"

Beth shrugged, not even really knowing the answer herself. "I think three months, but we won't ever know for sure." Daryl did the math in his head, coming to the conclusion that he had half a year to prepare as best he could for the arrival of their child.

She grabbed at his hand, pulling him from his thoughts, curling their fingers together as they walked back towards camp to get some dinner, during which Daryl had every intention of giving Beth his portion.

Just before they reached the others, Beth spoke. "We're gonna be okay."

Daryl squeezed her hand as a sign of reassurance. "I know."

Month 4

Beth was curled over, spilling the measly contents of her stomach out on the ground. When she had began puking, Daryl told the others to continue on, they would catch up in a few minutes. It was counter productive for everyone to stop a couple times an hour for Beth to hurl.

"You ok?" He asked, holding her hair and rubbing her back like he was supposed to, when he thought she might be done.

Beth moaned, nodding as she straightened up. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and Daryl quickly pulled out the bottle of water for her to rinse her mouth with. She took a small swig, swishing it around before spitting it back out. Then she took another, bigger sip to swallow down, knowing how easily dehydrated she could become in these conditions. "I thought I would be one of the lucky ones since I thought all this was supposed to happen in the first trimester...but apparently I'm just a late bloomer."

Daryl shook his head at her words, trying to hide the smile creeping up on him. "Come on, let's catch up with the others."

Month 5

Daryl couldn't help but smile at the image of Beth, laying on her back in one of the group's newly acquired tents. She was a vision, in that tiny white tank top that had been stained with walker blood, sweat, and dirt. Her constantly growing bump was poking out from underneath, the fabric no longer able to accommodate her swelling form. He noticed she would always be tugging it down to try and cover it, but Daryl wished she wouldn't. It made him feel great pride when it was on display. She held an old pregnancy book above her head, one that some of the group had found on the run when they discovered a deserted library.

Daryl leaned over, pushing her shirt up further so it was fully exposed. He placed a hand on it and looked on in awe. It was quite scary to think that the situation wouldn't fully hit him until the baby was actually here, but it did put things into perspective even more when he felt a soft quick nudge against his palm. Daryl immediately looked over to Beth, who was staring at him with a smile on her face. "Wow" was all he could say.

Month 6

Daryl and Maggie had been paired up for watch, Beth was safely tucked away in one of the tents along with Michonne, so Daryl felt confident that she was safe. It wasn't often that this happened, him being alone with his lover's older very protective sister. He found he didn't mind it though, he knew Maggie just wanted what was best for Beth.

"He would approve, you know..." Daryl raised an eyebrow at her, as if to question what she was talking about. "Daddy...he would have approved of you and Beth." Daryl slightly flinched at the mention of the deceased Greene father. "He thought you were a good man...and I think, that if he were here today, he'd be glad Beth ended up with someone like you." Daryl, a man of few words, nodded at her in thanks. Her words did make him feel better, if that's what she truly thought.

"And I know he'd be lookin' forward to being a grandpa." Daryl looked away from her, now plagued with the thoughts of Hershel never getting to meet his grandchild. He knew though, way deep in the back of his mind, that he was watching over his family know, and he would know his grandchild, just from afar.

Month 7

It was one of the few times Beth had been allowed on a run, but it was to an area the group had previously scoped out. She had begged him to let her go, wanting to get some things for the baby. She'd never get to experience this in the 'normal' world. It was one of the many times that made her truly miss the opportunity to experience simple things, like strolling through Babies R' Us registering for her baby shower.

They were in a small boutique, Daryl standing guard, eyes constantly scanning for threats as Beth perused the selection. She gasped, making Daryl immediately start towards her, ready to strike at whatever had startled her. He soon found out that nothing was lurking in the shadows of the empty store. No, Beth had inhaled the sharp breathe because she had found a onesie, making Daryl shake his head wanting to scold her for scaring him and taking two years off his life. Beth held up the small piece of fabric to show Daryl. "Isn't it just perfect?"

Getting a good look at the article of baby clothing, he was able to see that it was black and the pattern on it was designed to look like a fake leather jacket, one fit for a true biker, making him chuckle. "Doesn't get any better than that, does it?"

"I don't care if it's a boy or a girl, but it's totally wearing this." Daryl couldn't agree more.

Month 8

"We gotta think of some names."

Honestly, when Beth brought this up as they were trying to fall asleep, his arms wrapped around her protruding belly, it was the first Daryl had even thought of it. "I guess we do...or we could just go around calling it Baby Dixon forever." Even he could crack a joke once and a while.

"Mmm...somehow I don't think I'm gonna go for that idea." Beth hummed, tapping her finger on her chin as she thought. "How about Hunter, if it's a boy?"

Daryl nodded, not seeing any problem with the name. It definitely fit. "Sounds good."

Beth smiled and wiggled against him. "What about for a girl? What do you think?"

"I guess I always liked the name Ella...but it's stupid, so never mind."

Beth elbowed him in the stomach. "Don't do that! It's a beautiful name. I love it."

"Really?"

"Yes, it's perfect." So it was decided.

Month 9

They had managed to find a house that would do for the time being, knowing that Beth was ready to pop at any moment. It was isolated, not many walkers around, which would hopefully come in handy during the commotion that would sure be made when she went into labor.

Daryl had helped her fuller form make it up the stairs and settled her into the biggest bedroom. She was currently laying on the bed staring up at the ceiling with Daryl sitting next to her. "What if I don't make it?"

He felt as if he had been stabbed in the chest. "Don't even think like that." Daryl sure had, and it was not a pleasant thought. "You're gonna be fine."

"I've never had a baby before...we have no idea what to expect."

Daryl looked down at her, seeing the true fear in her eyes. "Maggie's been readin' up on it. It's gonna be smooth sailin'."

Beth sighed, resigned to the fact that he would think any different. However, she had different concerns she could bring up. "What if the baby doesn't make it?"

It was like she was just now realizing what Daryl had feared in the beginning. "Ain't you the one who is supposed to be positive?"

Beth realized that it wasn't that Daryl didn't want to talk about these things, it was that he couldn't. So she dropped it and prayed for the best.

A couple hours later, after most everyone had fallen asleep, Beth awoke to the cramping pain in her abdomen. "Ah!" She grasped at it as Daryl shot up.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

Beth took a deep breath. "Nothing...at least I don't think."

"What do you mean you don't think?"

"I just had this pain for a second but it wasn't that bad...it's probably nothing."

"Nu uh. That ain't nothin'. I'm gettin' Maggie." Daryl threw his legs over the side of the bed, slipping into his boots. Beth sighed knowing there was no stopping him now.

A few minutes later, Maggie came in looking like she was still asleep, her eyes half shut and her hair sticking up in all directions. "Are you really in labor?" Beth felt the cramping again at that moment, fisting her hands into the sheets below her as she waited for it to pass. She hissed out a breath as she felt the last of it. "I'll take that as a yes."

And so it began, the painful process, that some might call beautiful, of bringing a baby into the world. Beth awoke the whole house with her yells, everyone now impatiently awaiting the arrival of the newest Dixon. By the grace of god, everything did go just fine. With a final push, a new life was brought into this world, screaming at the top of it's lungs. Beth, in a haze of endorphins, questioned about the health and gender.

"It's fine, you have a healthy baby girl." Maggie then proceeded to place the wailing pink neonate on Beth's naked chest. Daryl looked on in awe as he got his first good look at his daughter. She was perfect.

Only after they had cleaned the baby up and swaddled it up tight, did they hand it over to Daryl. "Ella, meet your Daddy." He cradled the small baby with surprising ease as Beth looked on with tears in her eyes. If he wasn't experiencing the pure joy himself, he would have called her for being so cheesy.

Looking at her, Daryl felt the parental bond begin to form. He now felt confident he would do just fine as a dad. He would do anything to protect his girls. He'd make sure she'd have the best life possible in this world. And she'd grow up with a mom who knew just what to do and a dad who'd teach her to kick a lot of ass.

Sometimes, tons of fluff is nice. I hope you guys enjoyed! Please let me know what you think! And as always, send me any prompts you'd like to see! I have a list but I don't go in any specific order, it just depends on what type of mood I am in.