Daryl couldn't, he just couldn't believe his ears. But it all made sense. It was working with the time, if she was about four years old. Her big, blue eyes. Her long, bright blond hair. Her birthmarks. Daryl could feel the tears running down his cheeks, but he still wasn't able to move.
"Daddy? Why are you crying? Did I something wrong?" Rose asked with a worried look. This brought Daryl back to life and he took the little girl in his arms. He held her as close as he could without hurting her. Her tiny hands around his belly. "No sweetheart. You did everything right." He answered, while he placed a short, but lovingly kiss against her forehead. This little girl in his arms was his little girl. No, it was Beth's and his little girl. He just couldn't believe it.
Daryl and Rose were sitting like that for minutes, her tiny arms around him. His right hand on her head next to his on her shoulder, his other hand was holding her close to him. Finally Rick came over to them and he placed his hand on Daryl's shoulder. Daryl couldn't see much, because of the tears in his eyes, but when he finally looked up, he could see that Rick had also tears in his eyes, like everybody.
Daryl and Rose didn't leave each other side that evening. Rose was still very shy around the other, but when Maggie gave her a plate with some fish on it, she said a shy thank you to her, which made Maggie smiling. The other didn't ask any questions and Daryl was glad about that. He just enjoyed the time with his little daughter.
Rose was sitting on his lap, her little back against his chest. She still had the blanket around her small body, but Daryl made sure that she was warm. Sometimes he started crying again, because he still couldn't believe it. Beth and he had a daughter together.
And there was no doubt that Rose wasn't his daughter. They all were watching her very close and sometimes they had to laugh a little, especially when Rose was biting on her thumb, like Daryl was doing so often. Sometimes Rose was looking up to make sure, that Daryl was still here. Then he was always bending down to her and give her a soft kiss on her forehead and she gave him one of her brightest smiles back.
Rose had so much from her mother. Beth. Daryl wanted her here. Next to him. Next to their daughter and him. He hoped so much that she was okay somewhere and that he will find her soon.
Then he remembered, what Rick had said a few hours ago. He had to ask Rose what had happened to Beth. Daryl was looking down at his little girl just to see that she had already fallen asleep. He didn't want to wake her, because he knew, that she needed to rest. Suddenly Maggie was standing next to him and said "Give her to me. I will take her into Judith's tent."
Daryl didn't want to give Rose away, but he had a plan for tonight. So he placed sleeping little Rose carefully in Maggie's arms and after he had stood up too, had gotten into the direction, where his crossbow was leaning against the tree and had picked it up, he started to go away from the camp.
"What are you doing Daryl?" Rick asked him worried. "I will find her. I will find Beth." Daryl simply answered. "You can't go. It's already dark and we don't know where to start." Rick tried to change his mind. "I will go alone."
"No you aren't. Why didn't you tell us, that Beth was pregnant?" Maggie asked him a little angry. Daryl's cheeks were getting red. "Because I didn't know it. I think she didn't know it either. But now I know and tonight I will find her." Daryl answered Maggie. He could hear Little Ass Kicker calling for her father, when he started walking again.
"Daryl you can't leave." Rick said, when he began to follow his friend. "Just give me one good reason why not?" Daryl asked him already damn angry. "What should I say to Rose when you won't return?" Daryl's tensed face began to loosened, when he thought about it. The voice of Judith came to Daryl's ears again, when she was calling for her daddy one more time.
"You have a daughter, Daryl." Rick said. Daryl could feel something plucking at the bottom of his shirt. When he was looking down, Daryl finally saw, that it wasn't Judith, who was calling for her daddy. It was Rose, who was calling for her daddy, for him. Daryl had to get used to that someone was calling him daddy.
"Daddy are you really going to leave me?" Daryl sank on his knees and took Rose's hand in his. "I won't go anywhere sweetheart." He promised. "I can't sleep.. Can I sleep at your place daddy?" Rose asked shyly. "Of course you can. Come here." Daryl took her in his arms and together they went to his tent on the other side of the camp.
The other were just looking at them, but now they know that Daryl won't go anywhere tonight. Daryl opened his, no their tent, and laid Rose carefully on the mattress, before he was lowering him next to her.
His right hand around her tiny body, he was thinking, that she would probably be asleep an few seconds, but soon her sweet voice filled the air "I can't sleep daddy. I miss mommy so much." Rose began to cry.
Daryl took her even closer to his chest and whispered "I know baby girl. I miss her too, so bad." They both were crying now, even when Daryl wanted to be strong for his girl, but the fact, that his baby was missing her mother and in this moment he couldn't do anything against that, he just couldn't be strong any more.
He wanted Beth next to them, he wanted to hold her as close as Rose. Not only their baby needed her, Daryl needed her too, so damn bad. Rose and Daryl were laying like that for a long time, she was crying on his chest and Daryl just stroked her tiny, trembling head and back.
When they both calmed down again he asked her "What happened sweetheart?" "Mommy said that she wanted to go to find us some food. But she didn't come back. I didn't want to, but I was so hungry, I ate our last cane." Rose told him with a sorry look. "You did everything right sweetheart." Daryl tried to make her feel better again. "Mommy said, that I shouldn't go out of the hut, but I was so scared, because she didn't come back. So I went outside and tried to find her."
Daryl's heart began to hurt damn much, only when he was thinking about, what could have happened to Rose alone out there. "I promise you baby girl, I will find her and bring her back to you. Do you remember in which direction she went, when she was going away?" Rose began to nod. "Can you show it to me tomorrow?"
Suddenly Rose stood up and said with a strong voice "Yes, of course. I will show it to you. Come on, stand up daddy." Yeah, this was definitely Beth's daughter, Daryl thought with a smile on his lips.
Daryl stretched his hand out to Rose and said "Rick is right sweetheart. We can't go tonight. We wouldn't see anything."
Rose sat down again and asked curious. "Who is Rick?" Then Daryl remembered, that Rose didn't know, who the people around her were. "Rick is the man with the black hair and the beard. He is Carl's and Judith's daddy." "I know that. Mommy always told me about them. My aunt Maggie, she is the one with the brown hair, who helped me into the new clothes today right?" Daryl nodded.
"Glenn, my uncle, is the man who was sitting next to Maggie at the fire?" Daryl nodded again. "I also know who Carol, Michonne, Sasha, Tyresse and Bob are. But I don't know, who the other people are. Mommy never told me anything about them." "Because she never got to know them, but they are nice people. The man with the red hair is Abraham and the woman next to him is Rosita. The other man with the funny hair is Eugene and the young woman's name is Tara." Rose nodded like she was trying to remember their names.
Daryl was just too curious, so he just had to ask her "You knew my name too. Did your mama ever told you about me anything?"
"Oh yes. She always talked about you, every day. She told me about what you are looking like, that's how I knew who you were. She also told me, that you never wanted to leave her before I was born. She knew, that you were looking for us and she is looking for you too. She said, that you are a great daddy and she was right. You are the best daddy in the world."
This time Rose was the one who had to comfort Daryl, because he started crying overwhelmed. She took Daryl's head between her little hands and were pressing their foreheads together. They were laying like that until Daryl calmed down again. He took her under the blanket, close to his chest and kissed her cheek. "I love you baby girl." He whispered "I love you too daddy." He could tell, because of her quiet voice, that Rose will fall asleep soon. So he just held her close and didn't ask anything any more.
Daryl couldn't believe it. Beth was thinking about him every day, she was talking about him every day, she wasn't mad at him. Their little girl loved him, even through she didn't really know him. And he loved his two girls too, so much.
Daryl was thinking about the things he had missed. Beth when she had found out, that she was pregnant. Beth being pregnant. When his girl gave birth. The first time she saw and held Rose. The first time Rose opened her eyes. Rose's first words. Her first steps. Just everything. Daryl never thought that he would be a father, even when the world was still alright. But now he was and he loved this beautiful feeling.
He was thinking about the things he would have done, when the world would be still normal. He would have taken his girls to the fair. Beth and he would have taken Rose by her tiny hands and together they would have gone through the fair like a real family. Maybe he would have tried to win a soft toy for Rose at a fair booth. Daryl began to smile, when he was imagined her look, when he would give her that soft toy.
He would teach her how to ride a bike, like in movies. He would teach her how to swim too. Maybe he couldn't do all these things any more, but he will as sure as hell, give her all his love.
Not like his.. his father. He hadn't thought about him since a long time. What if Daryl will become just like him? He didn't know, if he will be a good father for Rose. But he also didn't want to believe, that he will become like his old man.
He loved Rose, even though he only know her since today, but he already loved her. She was his little baby and he will always be there for her. He had already missed so much and he had to catch up with everything. He will try to be a good father, for Rose, for Beth.
Finally Daryl also fell asleep, with his little girl still protective in his arms.