Camping Out

Rated T

Prompt: Group is headed to D.C; Rick is having a hard time sleeping, as he listens in the darkness. He hears giggling coming from Daryl's truck, Judith cries in the night. He's surprised who comes out to tend to her.

Rick sat up, the effects of the prison falling, Terminus, all of it made it hard to get good if any sleep. He and the rest of the group, after being reunited, they had decided to follow Eugene and go to D.C. For the night they, parked all the vehicles in a circle. Most of his extended family, slept in the cars that they drove, or like Rick slept in front of them.

He leaned back, against the small mini van. He looked threw the open sliding door, to see Carl and Michonne sound asleep, on the folded down seats of the van. Their vehicle held pots and pans, and things they collected. From their runs, for the next places they would call home.

The only one missing from his smaller family was Judith, since they had been reunited with her; he had had a few moments with her, she was being passed around. In lager part of the family, He realized that she was not only his guiding light and hope. But she was everyone else's, she was the child they lost, or the child they could never have.

Tonight started out with Beth tending to Judith, but as the night progressed he had noticed, that Maggie took his little girl. He sighed leaning his head back. A faint female giggle, coming from the truck that Daryl had been driving. He smirked, now that Carol and Daryl could be back together, he was happy she was back.

He listened to the small pillow talk, going on in the bed of the truck. Moments later Judith let out at small cry. The couple's pillow talk had ended; Maggie was dead to the world sleeper. Neither she nor Glenn heard the baby's soft cry. He began to get up to get up, when he heard the soft squeaking from suspensions move from the truck.

The campfire light had to be deceiving him. He shook his head, looking again. Beth had hopped, out of the back of Daryl's truck, not carol. His eyes widened. The realization, he watched as the young blond, walked over picking the baby out between the young couple. He heard her coo at the baby. Lucky enough for him already measured out baby formula, by the rest of the food. Beth just grabbed a pot started her bottle.

She walked around the campfire, feeding and rocking the baby. When she looked up from the baby, and saw Rick staring at her.

"Hey" she whispered.

He nodded in response,

"did she wake you?" she asked, he nodded lying.

"Sorry, I'll have her asleep in no time." she said shyly.

"I'll take her," he said holding out his arms.

"If you want, to I don't mind." She said.

"I'm her daddy after all," he laughed, as Beth nodded handing the baby over to him.

"You should get back to bed, you look like you have gotten any sleep." he smiled to her she hid her blush.

"I guess your right." She whispered,

"Good night Rick" she said quietly, slipping over to the blanket and pillow, lying beside Maggie. He sat in silence, watching his baby eat. How lucky he was, to have his family back.

"I can trust ya, to keep ya mouth shut right?"he was taking away from his thought, as Daryl spoke lowly to him.

"She's only 19," he responded.

"Ya don't think, I don't know that, anyway aint like that." He said Rick raised a brow at him.

"Didn't say, she wasn't trying." Daryl looked away from his brother.

"What a bout carol?" Rick couldn't help but ask.

"Just a good friend. He replied.

"Just never pictured young and innocent, your thing." Rick teased, earning a grunt from Daryl.

"Or mysterious and ass kicking to be yours." he shot back, looked over towards the occupants in the mini van.

"Dose she make you happy?" Rick asked, now looking over to Beth, who turned in her sleep.

"Yea" he replied with out a though.

For some reason it made Rick smile.

"Hate to be here, when Maggie finds out." he said chuckling,

"not looking forward to it either" Daryl replied

Thanks for reading 3