Original prompt: "Judy begging to stay the night with Beth and Daryl."

"Da-wul, Da-wul, Da-wul!"

Judith's little chubby legs churned, the pitter patter of her feet echoing through the room as she ran towards the door and flung herself at Daryl, giving him just enough time to lean over and catch her as the door to the day care closed behind him.

Rising up with the little toddler in his arms, Daryl held her close and gave her a little smile. "Hey there, sugar. You have a good day?"

"Uh huh!" Her twin pigtails bounced as she exclaimed bright, "I drew Scwap 'n Bethy hung up! An' we had apples, an' we sang, an' Bethy said I have pwetty voice."

"Well I reckon she's right about that, sugar. You've got one of the sweetest voices I know, right next to Beth's." Speaking of Beth… as Judith babbled on in his arms, Daryl looked up to see her coming towards them, a smile on her face as she crossed the large open play area of the day care, hips swaying in her favorite jeans with her natural, graceful gait. Instantly he smiled. His gaze was riveted to her as if he didn't get to see her like this every evening, didn't get to fall asleep with her in his arms or wake up to the sight of her curled against him. She was the prettiest girl he'd ever known, and he'd never get enough of looking at her.

"Hey there," Beth murmured, leaning up on her toes to kiss his cheek before her eyes flashed mischievously. "She asked again today… that makes every day this week."

"Did she?" With a hint of a smirk, Daryl glanced down at Judith in his arms, jogging her a bit until she looked up at him. "What were you asking Beth for, Judy?"

The fair-haired little girl blinked up at him a few times before the question clicked in her mind and she excitedly babbled, "I go home with you an' Bethy, Da-wul? I wanna sweep- sweepover! Pwease pwease pwease?"

He supposed they had Carl to blame for this. Granted Carl had been sleeping over his friends house for awhile now, it was just that Judith had finally figured out what a sleepover meant,

and ever since then she'd been begging to sleepover Daryl and Beth's. To the little girl, hearing that a sleepover meant spending the night at your best friend's home had put one thing quite firmly in her mind.

The fact that the toddler considered him (and Beth) her 'best fwiends" was pretty damn cute, of course, even if it baffled him sometimes. But they'd grown close in the time he'd lived with the Grimes family, and he knew Judy missed him being there in the mornings, playing with her or helping her go to bed at night. That, combined with her visit a couple weeks ago to see their apartment and their new kitten meant that Judith just would not give up on the idea of a 'sweepover'. She'd been asking every day for almost a week and a half now… and finally, they could give her an answer she'd like.

With a little grin, he asked innocently, "You mean your Mama didn't tell you, Sugar?"

As Judith blinked in complete confusion, Beth leaned her cheek against Daryl's arm and gave the girl a smile as she added, "You're spending the night with me and Daryl, sweet pea."

"A… A sweepover?"

"Uh huh."

"Judy have sweepover?" Her eyes got bigger and bigger with excitement as she practically vibrated in Daryl's arms. "With Bethy? And Da-wul? And Scwap?!"

"That's right, Sugar," Daryl adjusted his grip on her as the girl squealed in delight and clapped her hands together. "I guess that's a definite yes from the little a-… butt kicker." He chuckled down at Beth and leaned in to kiss her forehead; only the squirming toddler in his arms stopping him from giving her a much deeper kiss.

"I'll get her coat and then we can get going. Come on, sweet pea, let's get your things and then we can take a ride in Daryl's truck, yeah?"

His grin only widened as he set Judith down and watched her run off, chubby legs churning as she shouted, "Twuck twuck twuck!"

Having Judith over to spend the night was far from a last minute decision. They'd been planning it for several days, ever since Judy had refused to stop asking whenever she saw them and, according to Rick and Lori, when she was at home too.

Lori and Rick had packed up all the things she might need, including her little travel cot bed, her potty, her favorite blanket, and several toys. With Carl spending the night at his friend Luke's, Daryl had a feeling the Grimes would be enjoying a night to themselves.

He and Beth on the other hand, got to experience the joys of an almost-3-year-old in their very small apartment. Granted when it came to toddlers, Judy was about as sweet as could be. Daryl as pretty sure she didn't even know the meaning of the word 'terrible twos'. She was entranced by their apartment, running around with Beth right behind her to explore every inch of the place. Her babbling voice and Beth's sweet softer one echoed around Daryl as he put together Judith's little travel cot and got her potty set up in their small bathroom.

The moment his hands were free, though, Judy had claimed them. With her little fingers curled around his hand (or rather, his thumb and one other finger), she tugged him around his own apartment to give him her own version of a tour. While Beth giggled and videotaped on her phone from behind, laughing at the way he crouched his tall frame over to allow the little girl to keep a hold of his hand, Judith showed him in the plants in the window ("Bethy plants not like pulling!"), the collection of DVDs beneath their TV ("Pwincess Elsa!") and of course the cardboard box beside their bed that was still Scrap's bed until he was big enough to wander around at night ("Scwap sleep in box!")

Judy adored Beth, that much was obvious. Even as Beth tried to make them dinner the toddler was clinging to her legs and begging to be picked up, letting Beth prop her on her hip as she moved through the small kitchen. It made sense to Daryl that Judith (or anyone really) would love Beth. She was sweet and kind and funny, and she always listened, no matter what. So he got it.

What baffled him was that Judy seemed just as attached to him.

Her enthusiasm for him hadn't faded even in the months since he'd moved into this apartment with Beth. She clung just as tightly to his hand or his legs, cried out his name in excitement whenever she learned or saw something new, and played with his hair when Beth stood beside him and held her close enough to reach. At dinner Judy insisted on climbing into his lap, wanting 'Da-wul' to hold her while Beth helped her eat. Of course he obliged, wrapping one arm around her to hold her in his lap, because she was prone to bouncing and squirming even when she was focused on eating. He almost felt guilty, but when he shrugged apologetically at Beth, who had been planning on holding the little girl herself, she just grinned.

"You think I mind? Hey I get it." She nudged Judy's bowl closer and smiled as the little girl focused on dipping her spoon into the bright blue bowl of macaroni and cheese. Glancing up at him, her smile turned to a little smirk as she added just for him, "I mean, I'd want to sit in your lap, too…"

He was pretty sure Judy didn't notice a few minutes later when Beth got up to get her some juice, and Daryl took advantage to grab her ass, coaxing a squeal and a laugh from his girl as she darted away and to the fridge.

Having the little girl there was an adjustment to their routine, but neither of them minded. They took turns with her, Beth playing with her on the floor until Daryl washed the dishes and joined them. Playtime turned to winding down time when Beth changed her into her jammies and handed her off to Daryl, who brought her to the couch to watch a movie on their small television. He had Beth tucked up against his side and Judy sitting in his lap, and the Disney movie they watched, usually accompanied by Beth's playful singing, was now also narrated by Judith's excited babbling. By the time the little girl began to yawn and signal that she was tired, both their phones were filled with videos; Beth playing with Judy, Judy playing with Daryl, Judy laying on her back giggling while Scrap climbed all over her and mewled.

His favorite would turn out to be the picture Beth took of him laying on the couch with Judith curled against his chest clutching her blanket close in one hand, the thumb of her other between her lips as Daryl gently kept her close with a hand against her back. He almost would have been content to just lay there with her, especially with Beth right beside him. But eventually she turned off the TV and he stood up slowly, carefully carrying the little girl into their small bedroom where her cot had been placed at the foot of the bed.

She had her own room at home but Lori had suggested her sleeping in their room, guessing she might be afraid sleeping somewhere unfamiliar. Sure enough though she was fine at first when they carefully lay her sleeping form on her cot and covered her with her blanket, a few hours later the darkness of their room was pierced by her fussing, unsure cries.

"Sugar?" Daryl groaned just faintly as he pushed down the covers and sat up in bed. Their normally dark room was lit by Judith's moon-shaped nightlight, and when he sat up he could see her at the foot of the bed, sitting up and whimpering.

Beside him Beth sat up halfway as well, her sleepy voice warm and reassuring. "What's wrong, sweet pea?"

When all she did was continue to whimper and look around her wide-eyed, clearly confused and upset by the change in her usual surroundings, it only took one glance at Beth and a nod in return before he was up and on his feet, moving round the bed to scoop her into his arms. And just like that Judy ended up curled between them on the bed, her little body snug in the space left between there. She faced Daryl, her fingers curled lightly in the shirt he wore, her back against Beth's chest and Beth's hand stroking lightly up and down her arm as she drifted back to sleep slowly but surely.

In the dimly lit darkness his eyes met Beth's over the toddler between them, and he found the smile on his lips matched by her own.

"You're good with her," Beth whispered, reaching up briefly to run her fingers through his hair before she settled her hand back down on Judy's arm, gently rubbing up and down as the last of Judy's whimpers settled.

"She's a good kid," he murmured back. As his eyes held hers, he found himself admitting, "Y'know… I never much wanted kids, before."

"No?"

"Nah. But…" Daryl's hand stretched over Judith between them, so he could run his fingers down Beth's arm lightly and lovingly. "I reckon maybe it wouldn't be so bad… someday."

She didn't answer, but she didn't really need to. Her smile said it all, lingering on her lips even as she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.

Yeah. Maybe it really wouldn't be so bad. Someday, of course.