Fluff. Fluff. And more fluff. I've been missing this little family lately so I decided to just write something and add it to this story.

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Part Eight.

After a few short weeks, she and Ophelia already have a morning routine together. Beth has always been a morning person. Even when she was a young girl and had no reason to be up early. She has always preferred sunrises to sunsets and if she wakes up too late to see one, she will feel as if her entire day has already been wasted.

Daryl has always been a morning person, too, but he's also never had a crying infant to interrupt his sleep during the night and it's taking a while for him to get used to it. So when Beth gets up in the mornings, just as their bedroom is turning grey with the pre-dawn light, Daryl is still snoring softly away in their bed. And when Beth has finished going to the bathroom, washing her hands and face, brushing her teeth and hair, she goes into the bedroom next to theirs and Ophelia is starting to wake as well.

Beth smiles every single morning when she leans over the crib and sees her baby daughter. She is healthy and happy, beautiful and… perfect. Beth remembers how it was when Matty was this size. She was so young and so terrified, she wasn't really able to enjoy having a baby and being a mother. Every second of every day was spent, taking care of Matty and trying to keep her head above water. But this time, with Ophelia, it's different. This time, she's older and a little wiser, and she has a husband to help her with the burden and Beth feels like she is able to treasure every second rather than worrying about every second instead.

"And how did you sleep, my little Ophelia?" Beth asks as she lifts Ophelia from her crib and gives her a kiss on the head. Ophelia smiles a tired, gummy smile at her and blinks at her with her big blue eyes – the size inherited from her mom and the color an exact match of her dad's – and anytime Ophelia smiles, Beth smiles, too.

Each morning, she takes Ophelia to the changing table and sings to her softly as she changes her diaper and putting her into a fresh onesie. Beth admits that she went a little crazy when Ophelia was born and went shopping for the first time, looking at all of the absolutely adorable clothes she could buy for her baby girl. Again, with Matty, even with help from her parents, she had tried to be so mindful of the little money she had but with Ophelia, she has a bit more money now – she and Daryl are on a comfortable financial level with her cupcake shop and his promotion at the garage to manager – and between presents from family and friends and Beth shopping, Ophelia has a full wardrobe – that she'll grow out of in no less than six months.

Today, Beth changes her into a gray onesie with a picture of a strawberry and Berry Cute written beneath that and she sings. "Oh, Ophelia. You've been on my mind, girl, since the flood. Oh, Ophelia, heaven helps a fool who falls in love."

And Ophelia smiles as she always does when Beth sings to her.

Beth hoists her up in her arms and leaves the nursery, heading towards the stairs, and she peaks into the bedrooms as she passes. Daryl is still fast asleep because even though he's usually a light sleeper, he's usually the one to get up at Ophelia's two o'clock feeding and that keeps him passed out for a bit. Matty is still asleep, too, in his room, their pit-bull, Otter, sleeping on the floor just inside of his bedroom where he usually always sleeps if he's not stretched out in the hallway, tripping them in the dark.

Otter lifts his head when he sees her pass and within a second, he's on her heels, following Beth down the stairs into the kitchen. They have a routine, too, and Beth goes to unlock the backdoor for him and let him out into the yard.

The kitchen is her favorite room in the entire house – painted turquoise and white with plenty of room for her to bake. It's small, yes, compared to most kitchens in houses nowadays, but she still has plenty of room to bake and it's so much bigger than the tiny apartment kitchen she used to bake in.

When she and Daryl decided to was time to move from the apartment, they sat down and did their research, looking for a house in their town that would fit their budget. They weren't about to go house-broke, buying a house they could barely afford just so they could have some big house and way too much space they didn't need. The house they settled on is small but they pay in mortgage as much as they had paid in their rent and that's one of the reasons it's perfect. And Beth has always dreamed of living in a little house like this when she was older. She loves the farm and the old farmhouse but the house is huge – especially now that it's just her parents living there – and Beth can't imagining her family living in a monstrosity like that.

This small house is absolutely perfect. Three bedrooms upstairs with a bathroom and linen closet and down on the first floor, a living room, dining room and kitchen that all flow into one another and a tiny bathroom beneath the stairs. There's a basement and a laundry room and she's so thankful she doesn't have to save her quarters anymore and they have an attached garage that Daryl spends hours in – working on cars or one of his projects – and the backyard is fenced so Otter has the run of it and Matty has plenty of room to run around. It's perfect and meets all of their needs and size doesn't matter.

Holding Ophelia strongly in one arm, she takes out the can of coffee grounds and begins brewing a pot, and then taking a bottle of the breast-milk she had pumped the night before from the refrigerator, she begins warming it up over the stove.

"You and me are going to have a fun day today, baby girl," Beth says with her lips to Ophelia's baby-fine dark hair. "We have grocery shopping and then we have to go to the bank and then we have to go buy something for your Aunt Maggie's birthday. Maybe we'll go to the department store. Your daddy has a card and he always seems to find the best stuff for presents there."

"Damn card's been nothin' but a scam since I got it."

Beth turns and sees Daryl shuffle into the kitchen, looking as if he's still half asleep. She smiles and takes the bottle from the stove. "Good morning," she goes to him and standing on her toes, she gives him a kiss on his cheek, and he turns, kissing her temple and then kissing the top of Ophelia's head.

Taking Ophelia and the bottle, Beth heads to the table and on her way, she opens the back door so Otter can come back inside. She settles down at the table and situates Ophelia in her arms, the baby taking the bottle's nipple as soon as it's to her lips. Beth smiles as Ophelia blinks up at her, suckling the milk.

Daryl comes to the table with two mugs of coffee and he sits down in the chair next to her. He rests his head in his hand and closes his eyes as he lets out a yawn.

"What are you doing up?" Beth asks him quietly with a smile and she brings her cup of coffee to her lips, taking a small sip.

He keeps his eyes closed as he answers, fighting back another yawn. "Wanted to get in early this mornin'. I get in early, I get to leave early."

"I don't know how much use you'll be to the garage and the other guys if you're falling asleep where you stand," Beth teases him lightly.

"'m fine," he says but even as he says it, there's another yawn, and Beth smiles, looking back down to Ophelia. "You gonna be at practice later this afternoon?"

"Yep," Beth looks to him again and he's practically asleep once again, his eyes closed and his head resting heavily in his hand. "Will you be?" She asks.

He doesn't answer for a few moments and Beth purses her lips together to keep from laughing. He has fallen back asleep right there at the table. Beth sips at her coffee and when Ophelia finishes her bottle, Beth stands up, grabbing a dishtowel and tossing it over her shoulder before she begins patting the baby's back lightly, burping her.

Ophelia burps and Beth kisses her head. "Be quiet for daddy, Ophelia," she instructs the baby and sets the baby down in the bouncy activity seat they have set up for her on the floor. Glenn had bought it for her and every time he comes over, he sits on the floor with her and seems to enjoy the different jungle animals and the sounds they make more than Ophelia does.

Just as Beth has finished placing the cinnamon rolls in the round cake pan to slip into the heated oven, she turns her head when she hears feet on the footstep and Matty comes down, his book-bag in one hand and his practice football pads in the other, banging his thigh. Otter lifts his head and wags his tail but goes back to eating his breakfast of dry kibble.

"Good morning," Beth whispers to him with a smile and puts a finger to her lips.

When Matty sees Daryl at the kitchen table, sitting up and fast asleep, he is about to burst out laughing before he catches himself. He goes into the living room to drop off his things and then comes back into the kitchen. First, he goes to Ophelia and bends down, kissing her on the head, and the baby already always has a smile for her older brother, which she gives to him now, and then he goes to get a glass from the cabinet.

Matty looks like her – a fact which she is always thankful for because it was hard enough being so young and raising him on her own without having to look into Jimmy's face every day. And Ophelia features will develop more as she grows past the newborn age but Beth knows that she will grow to look like her daddy. Matty has her blonde hair and Ophelia's hair is already dark like Daryl's.

"I'm going to the grocery store this morning," Beth says to him, still whispering. "Do you want anything special?"

"Handi-Snacks," Matty answers in a matching whisper as he gets the jug of orange juice from the shelf in the refrigerator door and Beth smiles at her son's addiction, watching the timer on the oven so she can turn it off before it beeps and wakes up Daryl.

She still can hardly believe how stubborn that man is sometimes. He could be upstairs, sleeping peacefully in their bed while she and their son didn't have to whisper one another like two spies trying to hide but nope. He wanted to get up long before he actually had to and fall asleep at the kitchen table – the busiest room in the mornings.

As soon as the time gets down to one second, Beth is quick to turn the oven off and then pull the pan of cinnamon rolls out, setting them down on the counter and taking the pack of icing, dripping it over the rolls. When Matty comes up to her side and begins to reach for one, she gently takes his hand and pulls it away.

"Let them cool for a second, Matty," she whispers and Matty sighs as if that's the hardest thing that's ever been expected of him.

Three things happened at once then. Ophelia drops one of her toys – a giraffe rattle – and it falls onto the floor with a clatter and within seconds, the baby began to cry. The doorbell suddenly rings. And Otter begins barking, running towards the front door.

Daryl's head jerks and his hand falls away. "Wha'?" He asks, bolting up straight in his chair, confused and disoriented for a moment but then looking wide awake.

Matty goes to pick up the rattle and he lifts Ophelia from her chair, bouncing her slightly to try and get her to stop crying, and Beth wipes her hands on a dishtowel before going from the kitchen to the front door to see who is there that early in the morning. Otter is standing on his hind legs, his front paws against the side window glass and he's barking still but his tail is wagging and Beth puts her fingers around his collar, gently pulling him back. Daryl appears beside her – he doesn't like her going to answer the front door on her own – and he peeks through the peephole before turning the locks and opening the door to reveal Shane Walsh, dressed in his Deputy's uniform and his marked Sheriff car parked in the driveway.

"Fresh blueberries, as requested," he gives them both a grin and is holding three plastic containers in his arms.

Beth lets go of Otter's collar and takes the containers from him as the dog instantly bounces up to greet Shane and Shane grins, rubbing the dog behind his ears.

"You are the best. Thank you, Shane. And thank Amy, too," Beth smiles, looking down at the freshly-picked berries in her arms.

She and Daryl had just planted their own blueberry bushes in their backyard but it would be some time before they started producing berries. Shane and Amy, newly married, had recently moved into a house with their very own matured blueberry patch taking up most of the backyard and had begun giving pounds of them to Beth, who used them in all sorts of her baking.

"We didn't request them at six o'clock in the mornin' though," Daryl frowns grumpily at his close friend before turning and heading back towards the kitchen.

Beth smiles and rolls her eyes at Shane. "I told him to go back to bed for a little bit," is all she says and Shane grins. It seems like everyone in town knows that Daryl is trying to get his body clock adjusted to a newborn. "Do you have time for a cup of coffee?"

"You just make sure your husband knows that if I stay, killin' me isn't an option for him while I'm wearin' the uniform," Shane grins and comes into the house, closing the front door behind him and following Beth into the kitchen. "Hey, Matty," he greets the boy, who's now sitting at the table with a plate of two cinnamon rolls in front of him and his fingers sticky with icing. "You ready for your game tomorrow?" He asks.

Daryl is sitting back in his seat at the table with Ophelia in his arms, the baby's cries having quieted down and she's sucking on her pacifier, her eyes drooping sleepily.

"Yep," Matty nods and answers with his mouth full. "The Warriors have a killer offense though."

"Maybe, but they don't have one thing. They don't have you," Shane smiles at him as Beth comes to set a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll down in front of him and Matty grins at that. "Thanks, Beth. You think you could give Amy some cookin' lessons or somethin'? I love that girl but I'm startin' to lose weight since I married her."

"She can't be that bad," Beth says as she takes the cup from in front of Daryl, which is still filled with now-cold coffee and sets a fresh cup down in front of him.

"She's pretty bad," Shane says as Beth sits in the chair between Daryl and Matty. "I had to teach her how to make spaghetti last night. Boil water and open a box. Don't know what the hell she lived on before," he said.

Daryl is quiet as Beth and Shane continue talking cooking and then talk shifts to football as it usually eventually does. He looks down at Ophelia in his arms, almost completely asleep now, and he feels like joining her. He didn't think it'd be this hard to get himself used to her. He loves her more than anything in this world; didn't even know feeling this much love for just one thing was possible. But he's pretty sure she's trying to slowly kill him and he feel like he should tell her to stop it because he's her dad and she only gets one of them and she can't go killing him.

He wouldn't think it was a big deal. She wakes them up around the same time every night. Usually around two o'clock for milk and a clean diaper and Beth says she's easy because Matty would wake her up at least twice after not going to sleep until sometimes after ten. Beth was a walking zombie for the first couple years of Matty's life. So, compared to him, Ophelia is easy but not getting a full night's sleep is beginning to take a toll on him. He goes to bed each night and he feels as if he doesn't completely ever fall asleep because he knows Ophelia will wake him up in a few hours.

And he wants to ask Beth how the hell she's able to function like a human being.

He's zoned out of it because when he hears scraping of chairs on the floor, he snaps himself out of it and sees that the others are standing up. Beth is taking the dishes to the sink and Matty is following her to wash his hands.

"I'm gonna drive Matty to school so you don't have to worry about it," Shane tells him.

And normally, Daryl would shake his head and refuse the offer because he usually drives Matty to school on his way to the garage but Matty has to get in early today because the Bulldogs are having two-a-days now with the league's championship coming up. Practice before school and practice after. And Daryl's still wearing his sweatpants and tee-shirt he wore to bed.

"Thanks, man," Daryl says and has the urge to yawn again but he's able to swallow it down and Shane claps him on the shoulder as he walks past him.

"Take it easy on your daddy, Ophelia," Shane smiles down at the baby in his arms. "He's an old man."

And Daryl finds himself too tired to even tell him to shut up.

With his shoes on now and book-bag on his back, Matty comes back into the kitchen from the living room and goes to Daryl and Ophelia. "Bye, dad. Bye, Ollie," he says, his nickname for Ophelia. He leans down and kisses Ophelia on the head and Daryl shifts her to one arm so he can wrap the other around Matty in a quick hug.

"Be good today," he tells him and Matty nods.

Beth leaves the kitchen and Daryl can hear her at the front door, hugging and kissing Matty good-bye and thanking Shane again for the blueberries and taking him to school. Daryl gets up to let Otter out once more in the backyard and then taking his cup of coffee – now lukewarm – he carries Ophelia back upstairs. Setting the cup down, he then leans over the side of the crib in the nursery and sets her gently down, watching as she doesn't even stir from her nap and he covers her with her blanket. At least one of them is able to get some sleep.

He leaves the nursery and goes into his and Beth's bedroom. In the fall, Beth likes to sleep with a few of the windows open and he can feel the cool breeze, rustling their white window curtains, and he hears the birds chirping their morning songs as he sits down on the edge of the unmade bed and sips at the black coffee. Beth's right. There's no point to him going into the garage early when he's like this. He's no good to anyone when he's shuffling around like a damn zombie.

Daryl finishes the coffee in a few gulps, knowing that he'll have to have at least two more cups when he gets to the garage later that morning and he looks at the clock. He can either go and take a shower and get himself to the garage early where he'll probably fall asleep in his bay. Or he can get forty more minutes of sleep and get to the garage at eight, which is his normal start time.

And just thinking about forty more minutes of sleep, he yawns and his mind is made up. He makes sure his alarm is still set and with that, he lays down and closes his eyes, drifting off within seconds.

His alarm goes off in what feels like seconds later and his eyes snap open as he reaches a hand out, slapping the blaring sound off. He turns his head and sees that Beth is now in bed beside him, lying on her side towards him, and Ophelia is lying on her stomach between them, awake and sucking her pacifier quietly. She is running a hand up and down Ophelia's back and smiling and when she lifts her eyes to look at Daryl, her smile stays in place.

"She's perfect, isn't she?" She asks.

Daryl's own lips move upwards in a little smile and he rolls onto his side towards them. He bends an elbow and props his head up in his hand, looking at both wife and daughter. "Yeah, she's a'right," he answers, joking, and Beth laughs softly. He watches as she leans down and presses her nose to the baby's hair, inhaling her.

"I think we should have another baby when she's a little older just so we can always have new baby smell," Beth says with a smile. "I can never get enough of that smell. I bet heaven smells just like new babies."

Daryl smiles a little at that. "How 'bout I get my body some rest 'fore you start demandin' another baby from me?"

Beth rolls her eyes. "I was hardly demanding," she says. "Do you think you'll want another one when we get this one out of diapers?"

He shrugs, his hand joining Beth's on Ophelia's back, feeling the small rise and fall with each breath she takes. It still amazes him – that he has a wife and kids and this house and that this little baby, he and Beth made her from nothing. Sometimes, he still wakes up and has no idea if any of this is real or not and it takes his brain a second to catch up and remind him that this is definitely real. All of this is his life. He wonders when he'll stop thinking anything else.

"Whatever happens, happens," he says. "If we wind up havin' another one, ain't gonna be like I'm gonna turn it away."

Beth laughs softly at that and then leans down, her nose to Ophelia's dark hair again. She lifts her head and her eyes meet Daryl's and she reaches a hand out to his cheek.

"I promise. Before you know it, we'll start training her about day and night and you'll start getting sleep like a normal person again," she says.

"I ain't complain'," he reminds her and he doesn't. He's tired all the time, yeah, and he grumbles more but he doesn't complain. He has a baby daughter. What is there to complain about? He'll have plenty of time to sleep when she's in college.

"I know and I know it's not easy but soon, not getting sleep will be the norm," Beth says to him as if promising him.

He turns his head and kisses the inside of her wrist and then looks back to her. "How the hell are you survivin' this? I ain't the one who carried this one around for nine months. I would think if anyone would be complainin' 'bout sleep, it's you."

Beth just shrugs and smiles and her hand falls from his cheek to brush back some of Ophelia's hair. It looks like she's starting to drift off into another nap. "Coffee," Beth answers him. "Lots and lots of coffee. And when that wears off, I'll be collapsing down in this bed right next to you."

Daryl smirks a little at that. "Pretty sure that's what happened last time and we wound up gettin' this one."

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