Dead Man Walking | Rick Grimes

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--Month 6--

I sat in the tower, Judith in my arms, as we looked up at the setting sun. The sky is painted with shades of pink, orange, and red as the sun descends. Judith babbled in my arms as she turned, her hazel eyes looking at me as she smiled. She's about six months old and perfect in every way. She had Lori's hazel eyes, but I couldn't help but notice how she's looking a bit like Shane as she grows older. I always knew this baby was his, but seeing some of his features on her still surprises me—I just hoped she was Rick's. If I can see the similarities, I'm sure Rick can too.

Judith rested her head against my shoulder and continued to babble, her hands coming to yank on the few stray hairs that escaped my ponytail. I hissed as she pulled, gently prying her hand away from me as she giggled. I promised Lori that I would care for her kids as if they were my own, and I'm trying to live up to my promise. Carl is doing so well! It makes me incredibly proud of him. He's thriving and even turning into that loveable kid I met almost two years ago. We both know I can never come close to taking Lori's place, but he accepts me. Selena has gotten closer to me, but she and Carl are glued at the hip. I suspect she has a little crush on him, but she'll never spill the beans. I heard the door open behind me, causing my head to snap back and tighten my arms around Judith.

"It's just me." Rick smiled as he came into view, his hands up and pointed towards me as a friendly gesture. Judith stirred in my arms, her head popping up to look over my shoulder and a happy squeal escaping her lips as she saw her daddy. I smiled and felt Rick sit beside me, his arms extended so he could hold his daughter. I handed her over, watching as she slammed into him and babbled excitedly.

"She loves her dad." I mused, looking up at Rick. He smiled at me and looked down at his daughter, his blue eyes scanning her face as she twisted and turned in his arms. He frowned slightly, just slightly, before pushing his lips back into a smile as he turned to look at me.

"Not as much as she loves you, though." Rick chuckled as he put her down so she could attempt to crawl around the tower. It's good that the outside door is shut, or I would have a heart attack. "You're her mom. That always beats Dad."

"Probably." I nodded, agreeing with the man, a chuckle escaping my mouth. I looked down at her again as she crawled, her face full of determination. "She's such a silly baby." I mused, leaning into Rick.

"That she is," Rick agreed, his arm wrapping around me as we watched Judith sit up on her own and tug at some of the wires hanging from the control panel. I frowned and bit my lip, worrying about an electric shock, but then shook my head as I realized there was no electricity running through here.

I sank into Rick and sighed contently, enjoying the time he and I could spend with one another. We went through hell together with the whole Governor situation, and now we're just enjoying our peaceful time. A knock interrupted our moment of peace, our heads snapping towards the noise. Daryl opened the door and nodded at the two of us, his crossbow slung across his shoulder as he approached us.

When Daryl walked in on us that night two months ago, it took everything in me to stop him from beating Rick to a pulp. We managed to keep the quarrel between us, but people definitely noticed how he was standoffish with Rick for a while. Daryl had accepted our relationship, and now he was managing to be happy for us, but I could see the hesitation in his eyes every time he saw us together. He explained that he didn't want to see me hurt and just wanted to protect me. Then, after a week of shunning Rick, they talked, man to man, as Daryl put it. I still don't know what they talked about; they both refuse to tell me, but it seems like everything is behind them, and they're acting like the friends I know them to be.

"Hey, Dixon." I smiled at the man, my heart fluttering as I scanned his face. I pushed myself away from Rick and stood on my two feet, anxious to hug him. I embraced him tightly, smiling so widely that my cheeks strained. He wrapped his arms around me and lowered his head, his face hidden by my ponytail, as we enjoyed being together again. "Did you find anything?" I asked him as I pulled away. He nodded and flashed me a rare smile before looking over at Rick.