Please hold my hand || Daryl Dixon

𝟐𝟎.

The two teen boys rotated shifts, both taking on the burden of less sleep. Ryder would sleep one hour and Carl the next. But it was all worth it when the sun rose.

The two separated to wake up their own parents. Ryder lightly shook her arm, "M-Nina,"

It takes her a moment to respond. "What's up, kid?" She snuggles further into her pillow.

"Wake up."

"Why? What's wrong?" Nina forces her tired eyes awake and sits up, taking his face in her hands, looking over his face for any injuries. When she doesn't find any she smooshes his cheeks together playfully and flops back onto the bed, looking up at him.

"Just get Daryl and Daphne up and meet me downstairs." He then runs out of the room.

Nina furrows her brows, pursing her lips. She turns in the bed and looks at the man still sleeping beside her.

Despite what you might think, when he's reassured and resting beside her, he can sleep like a rock. He definitely sleeps light normally, always aware and keeping an eye and ear out for everyone. But Nina has logged it into his mind that he needs to trust the people on watch and to get a full sleep.

Nina nudges the ever growing hair out of his resting eyes, almost letting herself fall back into her slumber when the warmth of his face nestles into her hand.

Instead, she pulls her hand away and gets out of the comfortable bed, knowing feeling her leave would wake him up.

She drags her feet over to Daphne, stretching her arms before picking the baby up. When Nina looks back, Daryl is sitting up with his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes.

"Perfect. Ryder needs us downstairs." Nina softly speaks, knowing it's too early to be loud.

He looks up at her, nodding his head, the beauty of her just woken state forcing him to oblige as if a trance does it for him. The perfect image for him is her standing there with Daphne in her arms. The baby sleeping and the woman of his actual dreams looking back at him with a lopsided morning smile.

Nina, decoding the stare in his eyes, gives him one of her own. Hoping his hunter eyes can detect the yearning of his arms around her body, of the battle she fights to not lock the door and show him just how much she actually feels for him. His ears can probably even pick up on her thoughts- god, she hopes so.

Walking over to him, she kisses his jaw and then his lips, telling him to hurry up before leaving the room.

Nina goes slowly down the stairs, being able to hear Lori gasp from downstairs. Now curious, she picks up the pace and grips the railing with little nerves.

Christmas decor wrapped the room like the presents under the mini tree. A wreath hanging on the front door, long garlands laid on top of the fireplace and around the windows with shiny ornaments hung from them. A big red bow on the back of the couch with small Santa's and reindeer characters on the side table. Candles lit the room and smelled perfectly of peppermint and cocoa, maybe even apple cinnamon too.

A messily cut tree half the size of Nina sits barely decorated in the corner of the room with glittery ornaments and bows. Messily wrapped presents scattered under the tree.

Out of the corner of her eye she can see Rick and Lori digging in to the no doubt expired peppermints in a bowl on the table next to the stairs.

Nina turns to Carl and Ryder who stand nervously, awaiting reactions. "You two did this? With no help- all by yourselves?" She asks barely above a whisper. Rick and Lori stand behind Carl cheeks stuffed. The two clasp their hands on his shoulders.