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The next day Daryl waited in the living room for Jillian to come down the stairs. The baby had slept the entire night through but they hadn't. Both parents had woken up at different times, feeling her and making sure she was okay. Her fever had gone down during the night and she seemed comfortable. Every time Jillian woke up to check on her, Daryl woke up then a few times he had woken up by himself.

While she was in the shower, Daryl laid on the bed with Avery. She was rolling from her back to her side, cooing and laughing at him. Daryl was smiling and making faces at her. Every sound she made, he made back to her and that made her laugh. He made the kissing sounds that she loved so much. She brought her hand up to his mouth and he kissed her open palm. He couldn't believe that he loved such a small thing so much.

" You're loud this mornin. Knock it off." He snapped playfully to her. She cooed as he lightly played with her arm. " You feelin better now, huh? Daddy's gonna take you outside today after you eat so hurry up. I ain't been able to play with you for a couple days and I got you somthin special, somthin I ain't ever had when I was kid." Avery started kicking her legs, not understanding anything he was saying to her but liking his voice and the attention he was giving her. " When you gonna talk? You best say mama first, might cheer her up. You say daddy first, she just gonna keep bein mad at me." He said. He sighed and picked her up.

Daryl laid on his back and put his legs up. He set the baby on his waist so her back as against his legs. He took her hands in his so she was holding onto his fingers. He was swinging her arms slightly as she kicked and made noises. Daryl watched her face as he thought about Jillian. She hadn't spoken a word to him when she woke up. She refused to meet his face or look in his direction.

After she had come in from her shower, Daryl left the room to let her get dressed. She kept the baby with her because she was going to feed her. He went down stairs to the living room. He sat on the couch while he waited for her to come down. He had found a baby swing and wanted to hook it up to a tree in the backyard. He waited for a while but when she didn't come back, he got up to go see her.

He walked slowly up the stairs, waiting to see if she would come down. When he reached their door, he leaned in and listened but didn't hear anything so he knocked on the door and opened it slowly. He walked in and found Jillian rocking in the chair with the baby on her lap. Avery was sitting with her back to Jillian's chest. Jillian was looking out of the window. Daryl shut the door and at the sound, Avery looked over at him. She started clapping the best she could. Her legs were kicking and she was cooing. Daryl couldn't help but grin at her. It felt nice to have someone get that excited to see him.

" You comin down? Since she's better, I thought we'd put that swing up for her." He said. Jillian sighed and looked at the baby who's eyes were still locked on Daryl. Jillian swept her hand down the back of Avery's head.

" You can take her. I think I'm going to stay in here for a while. I'm tired." She said. Daryl came forward and slipped his hands under Avery's arms. Jillian let her go as he picked the baby up. He made the kissing noise again as he looked at her. Avery put her hands on his face, trying to grab his mouth. He pulled his head away then looked at Jillian.

" You want me to come and get you when it's up?" He asked. She looked away again and shook her head.

" Just go." She said as she started to rock in the chair.

" Jilly," Daryl said. She closed her eyes then wiped her cheek as a tear started down.

" Daryl please, I need sometime alone right now. I need to think." She said.

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Amanda held Avery on her left hip as Daryl and Rick hooked up the baby swing. She was bouncing the baby lightly who was fussing and reaching out to Daryl. He made a few kissing noises to make her smile and laugh but it only lasted a few minutes before she was fussing again. When he had giving her to Amanda to hold, Avery had not been happy.

" Avery!" Daryl said sharply as he looked at her. He had her full attention then. " What I tell you? Dixon's don't whine. You ain't allowed to whine so stop it." He said. Avery did her own raspberries in reply to him and he smiled. " Patience, baby, patience." He said softer.

" That's funny. I remember thinking the same thing about you not that long ago." Rick said.

" Why the hell you callin me baby?" Daryl said as he looked at him. Rick laughed as they started working again.

" That's not what I meant and you know it." Rick muttered.

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Amanda opened the door to Jillian's room without knocking. She walked in and shut the door. Jillian was standing at the window, her arms crossed over her chest. Amanda walked up to her and put her arm around Jillian's waist. She rested her head against her friend as they looked out into the back yard. Daryl had Avery in the swing and was pushing her. Everytime Avery got close to Daryl, Jillian could see he was pursing his lips in a kiss. Most of the group was sitting around them, watching and laughing at the baby. Rick, Carl, and Shane were throwing a football back and forth.

" He really is good with her." Amanda said. " He loves her, you can see it. She's got that redneck wrapped around her finger. She just adores him." Jillian nodded. " He's planning on going back to the Walgreen's with Rick, Shane, and Glenn. Nick was going to go but I said no." Jillian tensed but still didn't say anything. Amanda glanced at her then looked out the window again. " I bet Daryl won't go if someone asked him to stay." Jillian's shoulders dropped.

" Avery can't talk." She said softly.

" I wasn't talking about Avery." Amanda said. " I think he's waiting for you to ask him to stay." Jillian sighed. " You wanted him here, you wanted to be with him, you wanted him to see her, well he's here now." With that, Amanda patted Jillian's arm and walked out.

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Jillian walked outside, crossing her arms over her chest. The group had spilt up to go through the supplies that were brought. Daryl looked past Avery and saw she was walking towards him. He looked back at Avery and stuck his tongue out at her. The baby squealed and kicked her legs harder. She loved almost everything he did.

" She seems to like the swing." Jillian said softly. Daryl nodded, not taking his eyes from Avery's face. Jillian came up to his side and smiled. She waved at the baby.

" She feels better." He said. They stood in silence for a while before she turned to face him.

" I don't want you to go back." Daryl looked at her then. He kept one arm out so he could still push the swing.

" What?" He asked.

" I don't want you to go back. I want you to stay for her," He sighed and shook his head. He looked away from her and back to the baby. His mouth went into a tight line. " and for me." When he didn't say anything, she spoke again. " Fine, do whatever you want." She started to walk away.

" Ask me again." Daryl said. Jillian paused and faced him. " Ask me stay but for you and you only."

" Stay for me." She said softly. " Please."

" Did you think about me? Would you have thought about me if you hadn't been pregnant?" He asked.

" I thought about you before I found out I was pregnant." She said. Avery squealed to get the attention back to herself.

" Daddy's talkin, be quiet." Daryl snapped playfully to her. He made the kiss noise but didn't take his eyes from Jillian's face. " If I had found you, would you have left with me?"

" Yes. Why did you really take my perfume and picture?" She asked.

" Because I cared about you. I needed somthin of yours with me since I couldn't have you." He answered honestly.

" Do you still care about me?" She asked softly. Daryl looked away and back to Avery who smiled. He pushed her slowly, squinting in the sun. He cleared his throat. " Do you?" She asked again after a few minutes of silence.

" Hell, Jillian, what'd you want me to say?" He asked when he looked back at her. " You want me to tell you I care about you even though you know I carry around your picture, even though you know I have your perfume with me and sleep with your pillow. You really need me to tell you I care about you even though you know all that?"

" Yeah, I kind of do." She said as she started back to him.

" Look, I still go out to my truck and smell your perfume and you're in front of me. I don't lay in that bed with you because of her only, I do it cuz you cuddle in your sleep and that's the only time you touch me. Now I know that's party my fault. I shouldn't have said what I said after I fucked you." He looked at the baby quickly, " Daddy's sorry." He said then looked back at Jillian. " I was angry with you. When I asked you if you had been thinkin about me, you said yeah but because you were pregnant."

" And that pissed you off?" She asked.

" Damn, Jillian, watch your mouth. Got a baby right here." He said with a small smile. He looked back at Avery again. " Daddy gonna wash out your mama's mouth with soap."

" Focus, Daryl." Jillian said. He sighed and looked at her.

" You know I ain't good with all this. I ain't good with expressin myself. I got mad cuz I told you I'd been thinkin about you and you didn't say the same thing to me. But I ain't got a right to be upset. I'm sorry bout what I said bout Shane and Glenn. I'm sorry I've been a dick." He said.

" So do you? Do you still care about me?" She asked softly as she came to him side. Daryl faced her, still pushing Avery with one hand.

" Wouldn't have been so mad at you bout that walker if I didn't have feelins for you." He said.

He brought his free hand to the back of her neck and tilted her head up. His hand went into her hair and he tugged it slightly as he brought his mouth to hers. Her eyes went shut a second before he kissed her. Jillian's hands came to his sides. She rested her finger tips against the waist band of his pants. When she parted her lips, he groaned and moved his other hand to the side of her face. He pulled her in closer to him as they made out slowly. Her tongue twisted and untwisted around his. He let his hands trail down her body to her hips then he yanked her against him. Her fingers danced up the inside of his shirts, making his stomach jump at the light touches. Every one of his senses came alive. He would have pushed her to the ground if Avery hadn't yelled and started to cry. Both parents jumped and looked at her. Daryl smiled as she banged her hands on the top of the swing.

" You gonna have to be patient. You ain't gotta be swingin every second. Dixon's don't whine I told ya." He said. He pushed her and she started to laugh.

" Don't go to Walgreen's." Jillian said. He looked down at her then.

" You gonna make it worth somthin to me to stay?" He asked. A slow, knowing smile played across her face.

" I think I might have something up my sleeve." She said. He grinned and put his arm around her shoulder. She put hers around his waist and they spend the rest of the day, hugging and pushing Avery in the swing.

the end for now. Already have plans for part 2 though!