Daryl woke up about one hour before sunrise. Quickly he was looking down to make sure that Rose was still there and that everything wasn't just a dream. No, she was still asleep in his arms. Daryl carefully placed thankfully a kiss on her forehead.
He was watching her, while she was sleeping peacefully next to his side. She was looking so much like her mother, especially when she was asleep. Her long eyelashes sometimes moved, but she was still deep asleep. She had her little mouth relaxed, while her tiny fingers didn't clasp her doll any more, instead they were clasping Daryl's shirt. Like she wanted to make sure that he won't leave her side during the night. He never would. She still smelled like a little baby, like Judith did.
Just then Daryl noticed, that he hadn't any nightmares that night. Instead, he was sleeping like a baby, next to his baby. He hadn't slept that good since Beth was gone. Maybe this was a good sign, he told himself.
Daryl laid there watching Rose, till she slowly woke up. Sleepily she was opening her big eyes and was looking up at him with a sweet smile on her face. "Good morning sweetheart." Daryl stroked her cheek. "Good morning daddy." She returned, crawled up to him and gave him a little kiss on the cheek. She began to laugh then and said "Daddy your beard is tickling me." Daryl was also smiling bright and took her closer to his side one last time, before they were going out to the other.
While Rose ate some breakfast next to Maggie, Rick and Daryl made a plan. Rick, Maggie, Rose and Daryl will go to the barn, where they had found Rose yesterday. His little girl will show them, where Beth had gone and then Maggie will take her back to their camp, so Rick and Daryl could look for Beth.
Soon after Rose had finished her breakfast, they left the camp. Rose had to promise Daryl that she won't let go his hand or leave his side. She will also be quiet and listen to him, when they would get in danger. But thank God nothing bad happened and soon they were at the hut. "Ok sweetheart. In which direction did your mama go?" Daryl asked Rose.
"This way." Rose pointed north with her little finger. "Ok, perfect baby. Listen to me, Rick and I will go and look for your mama now and you will go back to our camp with Maggie, ok?" Daryl said and he could already see the tears building up in his daughter's eyes and her mouth fell open. "You are leaving me daddy?" She said with a quiet, shaking voice.
Why hadn't he thought about it before, he still had to learn so much for becoming a good father. He should had told Rose already yesterday evening, that she will go back with Maggie. Now she was surprised and scared. Daryl sank to his knees, took her little hands in his and tried to speak reassuringly to her "I don't want to leave you baby girl, but I have to look for your mama. I promise you, we will be back, before it will get dark."
"No daddy, please don't leave me." Rose was begging. Daryl was looking for help up at Rick, but he was just looking at the ground, then Daryl was looking at Maggie. She finally said "Come Rose. Your daddy will be back soon. You can play with Judith at the camp if you want?" "No I want to be with my daddy." Rose cried.
Daryl was helpless and he could feel the tears building up in his own eyes. He quickly kissed her forehead and finally stood up. Maggie tried to hold Rose by her shoulders, so she couldn't follow Daryl, when he went to Rick. Rose cried again "Daddy, please don't leave me. Daddy."
"Don't look back." Rick said to Daryl, when they started walking. But Daryl just took a few steps before he stopped and ran back to his girl. Her cries were so heartbreaking and he didn't want to be the reason, why she was crying so bad. He sank to his knees in front of her, took her in his arms and said "Don't cry any more baby girl. I won't leave you. You can go with us if you want."
Rose couldn't speak any more, because she was sobbing so much, but she nodded agreeing her tiny head. Daryl knew that Rick and Maggie didn't think it was a good idea, but they didn't say one word. "But you have to remember what I have told you." Daryl whispered to her. Rose nodded again, still unable to speak.
They went the whole day long. Sometimes Daryl saw some tracks, but most of the time he wasn't seeing anything. Beth had done a good job. It was hard to say, where she had exactly gone. They took some breaks, so Rose could eat and drink something. She was a very well-behaved girl, of course she was. She was Beth's daughter. She never left Daryl's side or made too loud noises. Daryl was also wondering, that most of the time she was walking by herself, just three times he carried her. Maggie also offered to carry her one time, but Rose said that she wanted to be by her daddy.
It was late afternoon, when they finally found something. "What happened here?" Rick asked Daryl. But before he could answer he had to swallow, because Daryl really didn't like what he saw. "These weren't walkers. These footsteps are from humans. They took her." Rose came closer to his side and took his hand. Daryl was looking down to her and said "Don't worry sweetheart. We will find her." "But not today. It's getting dark soon and we still have to go all the way back." Rick said.
Daryl didn't want to stop now, but he saw in Rose's face how tired she already was and he sure as hell won't put her in danger, because he didn't know when it was enough. And he couldn't take her with him, when he will follow the people, who had taken Beth. He already knew, that they were dangerous. "Come on sweetheart. We are going back now." Daryl said to Rose and they started walking home.
Soon Rose was asking Daryl, if he could carry her again and within minutes she was asleep. He held her close to his body, so she won't freeze, he was looking at her so many times just to see her sleeping. Rose was such a sweet, little girl. She was his baby girl.
The second they finally reached their camp Rose opened her eyes again and was looking a little confused. Daryl kissed lovingly her forehead and said "We are back baby. Do you want to eat something?" She just nodded, still sleepily.
Daryl sat her down near the fire and brought her a blanket, with which he covered her little body. Quickly he got her something to eat and drink and placed it on her lab. After he lowered himself next to her, Daryl carefully placed her on his lap, before she began to eat.
When she was finish with her dinner, Daryl took the plate next to them on ground and held her closer to his chest. They both were just listening and watching the other. Sometimes Rose was looking up at him and he always smiled down to her and kissed lovingly her tiny forehead. One time sheplaced her tiny hand in his bigger and didn't let go again. Daryl leaned down then to her ear and whispered "I love you my little princess."
Rose was looking up at him then with her big, blue eyes and she smiled her tiny teeth, when she said. "I love you too daddy." "Do you want to go to bed now?" Daryl asked her. "But I'm not tired yet." "We don't have go to sleep now, but we can cuddle if you want?" Daryl said hopefully. Her eyes and smile became even bigger. "Oh yes." "Come on baby girl."
They both said good night to the other and went hand in hand to their tent. "Why didn't you take your doll with you this morning?" Daryl asked her curious. "Because I have you now daddy. I don't need my doll any more." That made Daryl smile, smile like a proud father. "Come here little lady." He took her in his arms and started to stroke her tiny head.
Daryl knew, that he still had to tell it to her, before she will fall asleep. So he started "Well sweetheart, I have to tell you something. And you have to promise me that you will listen to me, alright?" Rose nodded. "Tomorrow, while I will go with Rick looking for your mother, you will stay at the camp with your aunt Maggie, Carol, Glenn, Judith and the other okay?" Daryl thought. that maybe she will start crying again and he knew, that this time he had to be strong, but she didn't start crying to his surprise.
She just nodded understanding with her tiny head again. "But you have to promise me something too daddy." "Everything you want sweetheart." "You will come back, with mommy together." "I promise you little princess." Rose got even closer to Daryl and made herself comfortable against his chest. She started to pull on her blanket. Daryl already knew, that if she was doing so, she was nervous or wanted something, but was just too shy to ask for. So he helped her.
"Everything okay baby girl?" Daryl was kissing her forehead. "Yes, daddy.. but I can't sleep and... mommy always sang to me, if I couldn't sleep. Maybe you can sing for me too?" Daryl smiled, when he said "I don't think that's a good idea. I would probably wake the whole camp, but if you want I can try to tell you a bedtime story?" "Yes, please." Rose said with already big eyes.
"Just give me a second to think about one." Daryl didn't know any bedtime stories, but he knew that there was a story about a beauty and a beast. He didn't know the storyline of this tale, but he had an idea, so he started speaking.
"A long, long time ago there was a man, who was looking like a beast. He was angry all the time and didn't want to let anybody close to him. He was living in his own world and thought that no one liked him, but one day a girl came into his life. She was such a beauty with her big, blue eyes and her long blond hair. She was always nice to him and she respected him.
The beast always admired her and her doings, because for him the world was at the end, but the beauty still had hope and believed in good people. The beast liked it to watch her all the time, but when she came closer he always got so shy. He wanted to tell her, that she was so beautiful and that she was the last good thing in this world, but he was just too shy.
One time she hugged the beast, when he was sad. She comforted him like nobody ever did in his life before and he was enjoying it to be in her arms. But suddenly the beauty and the beast had to leave the safe place they were with their family together. A bad guy had hurt her father and destroyed their home.
They ran the whole night long and finally they spent a few hours in a trunk, because there were monsters outside, who wanted to hurt them. The beast wanted to comfort her so bad, but he just couldn't. He never did it before in his life, he just didn't know how it was working. The beauty cried many times, but he just couldn't help her. She finally got some hope again and wanted to look for her family, but the beast was too depressed. He thought, that she shouldn't be with him, rather she should be with her family, so he could live alone again. She tried to give him hope again, but he didn't know for what he should have hope any more.
She wanted to find a magic potion to make herself feeling better. At the beginning the beast thought it was a stupid idea, but finally he helped her looking for some. And they even found one. The beauty wheedled him to drink from the philter too, so he did. But he got way too much and started yelling at her for nothing. They had a big fight, but finally the beast began to cry and the beauty comforted him again. She didn't leave him, she was standing next to him the whole time.
After he has calmed down again, the beast told her everything about his dark past and she still didn't run away. They even burnt down a house together. She came up with that idea, she wanted to make it symbolic to burn down his past. The beauty and the beast became friends and he even learned her how to use his weapon.
They also found a new home. One time the beauty played something on a piano and sang a beautiful song and the beast listened to it the whole time. He wasn't afraid to touch her any more or to be touched. He liked it to touch her, so he did it every time he could. The beauty made him happy and gave him new hope. One night they were sitting in the kitchen with some candles on the table and the beauty wrote a thank you note, because they wanted to leave again and she wanted to say thank you to the people in whose house they had lived for the last few days.
But when the beast was looking at her, while she was writing something on a piece of paper, he changed his mind and said, that they didn't have to leave. They could stay at this place, maybe for the rest of their lives. The beauty was looking happily and also surprised, so she asked him what has changed his mind. He really wanted to tell her that she was the one, who had changed his mind, his whole world, but he just couldn't. He just starred at her, but she already knew everything..."
Rose had already fallen asleep a few minutes before, but Daryl went on and told the bedtime story for himself.
"They didn't speak about this moment again, but one night, when they were already lying in their bed together she asked again and he told her, that she was the on who had changed his mind. The beauty didn't say anything. She was looking up at him with her beautiful eyes and kissed him softly on his lips. The beast was so nervous because he didn't know what to do, but when she lowered her head on his chest, she said, that her heart was beating as fast as his.
With each day they got closer and closer to each other. On one rainy evening they both made love to each other for their first time and the beast just couldn't remember, that he had every felt something like that in his life before. Finally he felt complete with the beauty next to his side. They stayed at that house for the rest of their lives. They also became a sweet little girl, who was such a beauty like her mother. They were happy together. And the beast forever loved his two beautiful girls. The end."
Daryl had tears in his eyes, when he stopped. Why couldn't it be like in his story. It would have been enough for him, it would have been everything for him. He was missing his Beth so much. His heart hurted so badly, every time he was thinking about her. Everything remembered him of her.
In the first months he had hallucinated many times. Daryl had thought, that she was standing next to a tree and so he ran to her, just to see that he was wrong again. He needed her so much.
Beth was his hope, his love, his everything. She was the only one, who really understood him. She was his first one for everything and she would also be his last. He needed her touches too. He always loved it, when she was stroking his head, arms or chest. Her kisses too. How her soft body was feeling under his. When he was kissing her behind her ear and he knew she loved so much. When he was touching her breasts and her hip.
Beth knew everything about him, even about the scars on his back. When he had showed them to her for the first time, she just held him close and finally kissed every scar and stroked his back. He was loving her touches everywhere on his body. He wasn't ashamed about anything anymore, when he was with her. Beth loved him the way he was, with all his scars.
Daryl didn't just make Rose that promise, that he will find Beth tomorrow, he made that promise also to himself.
Tomorrow evening, the three of them will be lying here. Daryl with his two girls together.