Author's Note: {AU} one-shot written for ultimatebethylficlist 'Bethyl Holidays Fest: Halloween' 2019 Tumblr challenge.

Prompt: 'Pumpkins'.

And, I Built A Home

Out in the garden where we planted the seeds
There is a tree as old as me
Branches were sewn by the color of green
Ground had arose and passed its knees...

Beth swung her feet up into Daryl's lap, examining her rainbow striped socks in exaggerated appreciation, holding her ankles aloft, turning each foot in turn this way and that.

"Chrissake," Daryl complained, leaning back dramatically against the sofa, "get your feet outta my face, woman."

"They're not in your face."

"They's in the vicinity of ma face."

"Still not in your actual face though."

"Whatcha guys doin'?" Judith sing-songed as she skipped through the door, RJ at her heels, pulling a wooden dog on wheels behind him.

"Aunt Beth is just shovin' her honkin' feet in ma face," Daryl said, pushing them aside as he spoke, only making Beth do it again.

"Whatever," Judith said smartly, straightening her cowboy hat. "RJ needs you to fix Dog."

"Which Dog?" Daryl asked, exchanging a glance with Beth. "The real one or that one yonder RJ has?"

"The one RJ has," Judith said, summoning RJ to come forwards, the little boy instantly obeying.

"Can RJ not speak for himself?" Beth said, repressing a smile.

"He can," Judith said with a toss of her head, "but not just now."

"Are you advocatin' for him, then?" Beth continued, ignoring Daryl's elbow in the side.

"Can you fix it or not?" Judith demanded, folding her arms across her chest.

"Hey, watch your tone, kid," Daryl warned, sitting up. "Give it 'ere, then," he then said to RJ, beckoning him over.

RJ wordlessly handed the wooden dog over, watching with interested eyes as Daryl turned the toy between his hands, knocking a bit of soil from the wheels.

"Where did you make tracks?" Daryl said with a frown. "A lot of earth in there cloggin' the wheels up."

"The pumpkin patch," RJ said, finally speaking. "We wanted to see how big they were getting."

"Not big enough," Judith said darkly.

"How big do you want them?" Beth asked, amused.

"Bigger than my head," RJ said promptly.

"No, they gotta be bigger than RJ," Judith said, "or we can't fit in them."

"Don't," Daryl muttered to Beth, seeing she was about to ask another question, "don't even go there." To his relief, Michonne came into the room, balancing baby Emily on her hip. "An' talkin' of pumpkins," he said, setting the toy down on the table, "here's my own lil homegrown punkin."

"Here's our lil punkin," Beth corrected him as he took Emily from Michonne, "she didn't just spring solely from your flesh."

Daryl looked at Beth as if she were mad. "Nah, she came fresh outta the punkin patch," he drawled, leaning his worn cheek against Emily's round one.

"Just like this one," Beth said sweetly, taking his other hand and placing it upon her abdomen, stunning him into silence.