Parental Concern

A few days after leaving Hershal's farm, as well as about a hundred miles, they reached a house too late. There had been a group of survivors there, but by the time the group got there, the walkers had over run them. Daryl killed the last zombie before it was able to grab a little girl of maybe five years old, the last survivor out of the group that had been slaughtered. The child rushed forward and clung to her saviour's legs. Andrea smiled at seeing this and spoke to the girl, crouching down to her level. "Hey, sweetie. What's your name?"

"M, M, Marsha..." the child stuttered, big blue eyes looking at Andrea with fear.

"Well, that's a very pretty name. Now, Marsha, sweet heart, would you mind letting my friend go?"

"I don't wanna... He's big and strong, like my daddy was..." Marsha squeezed her tiny arms tighter around Daryl's lower legs. Daryl, unsure what he should do, looked at Andrea with a nervous frown. She inclined her head slightly towards the child as if to say "Help me".

Daryl looked down at Marsha. Her pretty light blue eyes looked back up through her light blonde hair. "Uh... I gotta help the others. Andrea's real nice, so... Maybe you could go to her..." he mumbled. The girl stared at him for a moment more before letting go of him and clinging to Andrea's torso. "Thanks, 'Drea.." He left, off to help bury those that hadn't been walkers.

Before leaving, the gas from the tanks of the vehicles in the driveway were siphoned out, giving a few extra miles to the traveling posse. Marsha hadn't left Andrea's arms since Daryl had convinced her to let go of his legs. When Andrea went to get into the vehicle she usually rode in, Marsha protested. "Nuh-uh! I wanna ride with him!" She pointed her one little finger at the truck Daryl was climbing into.

Andrea smirked and spoke to the girl. "I can ask him, but he might not let us."

"He will 'cause he's nice..." Marsha trailed off.

Andrea approached Daryl as he tossed his bag into the bag of the truck. "Daryl," she addressed, capturing his attention. "Marsha was hoping we could ride with you."

"Uh.. Sure..." He wasn't good with kids, so he didn't really know how to handle how Marsha seemed to like him. What struck him more was how she had said he was like her daddy. He knew that he'd be a horrible father if ever the chance was given. He didn't know how.

Andrea climbed into the passenger's seat and set Marsha down in the middle. "Here we go, Sweetheart." She buckled the child in and waited for Daryl to climb in the driver's seat.

Marsha curled in on herself, leaning against Andrea. It was a couple miles onto the road when the child spoke. "My friend at school said she didn't have a Mama or a Daddy because they got hurt and wouldn't wake up... She said that she was a orf... Orphan..." The child paused after having difficulty with the word. "My mama and daddy are gone now too... Does that mean that I'm a or.. orphan?"

Andrea frowned for a second before answering. "Well, yes, but I know that you'll still be loved by everyone in the group. Okay, sweetie? We'll protect you." The lawyer pulled Marsha into an embrace, hoping that she had comforted the child.

"I like your hugs..." Marsha murmured. "They're warm like my mama's were..."

Twenty miles later, Marsha was asleep, half in Andrea's lap. She hadn't spoken much after saying she liked Andrea's hugs. "She really likes you," Andrea stated, smiling gently. He nodded nervously. "That kind of scares you, doesn't it?"

"Like hell," he mumbled. Daryl glanced over at the woman in the passenger seat of his truck. She wasn't paying attention to what he was doing, only staring out the side window and lightly humming to the sleeping child. She seemed to be pretty good at mothering the orphaned child, which didn't really surprise him. She was the type that could take care of a child, no matter what.

The next stop was made near a small group of abandoned cars. It was just to siphon the vehicles dry and salvage what supplies were possible. Daryl told Andrea to stay in the car with the sleeping Marsha while he helped out the others. She protested at first, but he only had to mention the toddler on her lap for her to concede. The cars were just starting to rust from exposure to the elements. He walked past one that Carol was busy at, pulling out a backpack with a few cans of food in it. He nodded a greeting to her and kept walking. The next car was being looted by Glenn and Maggie. He walked on. The third car seemed to have held a family at one point. It was a little blue mini-van. One of the fancy ones that Daryl hadn't cared to learn about. But his particular interest in it now, though, was that it held various family oriented items. He pulled open the door and took the first three things he had seen through the window. A child's car-seat, a booster seat, and a small pink bunny.

He approached Lori and set the car-seat down infront of the pregnant woman. Her eyes widened at the gift and a hand went to her rounding stomach. "Thanks, Daryl..." She smiled. He mumbled a 'Welcome' before retreating back to his own truck.

Opening the driver's side door, he set the bunny down besides Marsha. He glanced up at Andrea who smiled at him. "She'll love it," she reassured. The corner of his mouth twitched up into a small smile. She noticed. "That smile suites you."

He blushed and looked away. "Shuddup..." he muttered.

The group stopped to make camp just before dark. It was an empty area on the top of a hill. Andrea staked her tent, smiling as Marsha watched, hugging her bunny to herself. "You really like that bunny, huh?" Andrea asked the child with a smile as she pressed the stake into the ground.

The child nodded her head excitedly. "I love it."

"Does it have a name?" The older woman asked standing from her now finished tent.

"I dunno..." The child mumbled. "I think her name'll be Elly..."

"That's a nice name," Andrea spoke, kneeling to the child's level.

"It was my old mama's name..." Marsha murmured.

Andrea pulled her into a hug. "Then it's a perfect name."

"... Andrea?"

"What is it, sweetie?"

"My friend from school... She said she got a new mama..." The girl trailed off before continuing. "Can... Can you be my new mama?"

Andrea was surprised by the request. Before the world had gone to hell, she had thought about settling down and having a child. But, with the apocalypse in full swing, she hadn't expected to become a mother ever. The child before her, orphaned and alone, changed that immediately. "Of course!"

The child smiled, burying her face into Andrea's shoulder. "I love you, Mama."

"I love you too, Marsha." Andrea held the child close for a moment before pulling away to look at her. She smiled. "Now, c'mon. We'll go sit over by the fire for a while before bedtime."

"Okay!" The now mother and daughter headed towards the fire. They took a seat on a log that had been rolled up, Marsha sitting on Andrea's lap.

Carol glanced over at the two. "I see you've got a pretty little girl with you tonight," the woman smiled. It was really only a conversation starter. Everyone was already aware of the newest and youngest member's prescence.

"She's my daughter," Andrea said, grin on her face.

Carol raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yup!" Marsha answered.

"Well, I think you've got a lovely mom." Carol looked at Andrea. "And you've got a beautiful daughter."

Andrea nodded, kissing Marsha on her temple. "I know." Suddenly there was a presence besides the two. It was Daryl.

"Did I hear that right?" he asked. "This little thing is your kid now?"

"Yeah," Andrea said, looking over at the hunter. Marsha climbed out of her adoptive mother's lap and into Daryl's. She curled up there, leaning against him.

"Wha..?" The man was taken aback, surprised by the child's actions. She yawned cuddling against him.

" 'm tired..." she mumbled.

"You want me to take you back to the tent, sweetie?" Andrea offered, reaching out to take the child's hand.

"Nuh-uh... I wanna stay here..."

"You don't mind, do you, Daryl?"

After a moment, Daryl shook his head. " 's fine." He felt awkward, holding the child. She seemed comfortable enough though, and it barely took her a minute to fall asleep.

"And you think you'd be bad at parenting," Andrea joked quietly.

"I would," he retorted, though he only half believed what he was saying as he looked at the sleeping child in his lap.

"Hmph. Well, Marsha obviously thinks differently. She's been attached to you since you saved her."

"I've saved you a couple a' times, and you hang around me," he pointed out in a mumble.

She rolled her eyes. "Daryl, I hang around you because you're my friend."

"So?" He looked up at her with a smirk. "I still saved ya' a couple of times."

She slapped his arm lightly. "Oh, please. I've saved your life a few times too. Who says you're not the one hanging around me?"

"Fair 'nough."

The two sat there for about ten more minutes until Andrea finally stood and said, "By any chance, could you hand me my daughter? I'm thinking it's time I put her in bed."

"I'll carry her there," he offered, shifting the child so he could transport her easily from the spot by the fire to the tent. Andrea smiled as he carefully moved to follow her with the child in his arms. She held the tent flap open for him to place Marsha inside. "Those all the blankets ya' got?" he asked. Andrea nodded. "You should take some a' mine. I got a few extra and you'll be needing them soon."

"I'll get some the next time we stop. You're gonna need your blankets." She leaned foreward and gave him a kiss on his cheek. "But thank you."

The next day they woke early and moved on. Marsha and Andrea once again climbed into Daryl's truck. Marsha now sat in the booster seat he had found, happily positioned between her mother and her saviour. Her bunny, Elly, sat in her lap. She chatted to the two adults about everything she could think of. She eventually drifted off again, lying half in her mother's lap. Daryl glanced over at the two, already accustomed to the two ladies that had chosen his vehicle over the others. Andrea looked at him and then down at her daughter.

"I'm really glad we got to that house in time," she spoke. "I'm really glad you saved her."

He shrugged. "Weren't nothin'."

"It was though, Daryl. I mean, I've got a child now. I never thought I would, not with the world how it is." She sighed. "Everyone claims we're going to find someplace safe and survive. But even then, who says that I'd find someone to have a child with?"

Daryl cleared his throat. "I'd think you'd meet some survivor or other that'd want ya. I mean, safety attracts people. You'd find someone."

"Please," she stated. "No man wants to be with me because I'm all 'feminine strength' and not a bit 'feminine beauty'."

He laughed and she glared at him. "You tryin' t' say you ain't pretty?"

"I'm not trying to say it, I am saying it," she said blandly.

He rolled his eyes. "Don't say that," he told her. "You're the prettiest one in this bunch. Ya don't put on make-up or perfume like Lori does, or act like you're better than everyone else. You act like yourself, 'n that's the prettiest thing you could be."

She blushed lightly. "Thanks."

"You don't need t' thank me for telling the truth."

There was silence after that lasted until they stopped again, almost an hour later. Niether really minded either. They both enjoyed silence. But when they did stop, Marsha was just waking up again. She yawned and picked up her bunny. They had stopped in a fenced in vacant lot, not sure if they wanted to stay the night and send a few searches out to the small town a mile up the road while there was still daylight. They decided they should and quickly set camp up and chose four to head to the town. The first three chosen were Glenn, Daryl, and T-Dog. Andrea had hoped to go to so she volunteered and asked Dale and Carol to watch over Marsha for her. Daryl pulled his bike down off of the back of his truck while T-Dog and Glenn took the Grimes' car.

Andrea climbed onto the back of the bike and wrapped her arms loosely around his torso. He started up the motorcycle and they led the way. She watched over his shoulder as they navigated around a few broken down cars. She was close enough where she could smell his scent, a mixture of the forest and crossbow lubricant. The hum of the motor was calming, letting her relax from her usual tense posture. Daryl felt her lean against him fully, chin on his shoulder. It made him a bit nervous, but he wasn't protesting.

They pulled up at the edge of town besides a large building, previously a store with an apartment on top. The bottom windows were boarded up from the inside and outside. Daryl tried the door but to no avail. T-Dog tried to break it down, ramming his shoulder against it. "No luck," he concluded.

"Well, somethings gotta be inside..." Andrea walked around to the side and then the back. "Hey, guys, come here!" Daryl was the first to follow, and then T-Dog and Glenn.

"What is it?" Glenn asked.

"A ladder. But only half. Looks like they pulled up part of it. Like a fire escape ladder." Andrea stretched up, attempting to reach the end of the ladder. Her hand fell short by about six inches. "I don't think any of us are tall enough. Someone give me a boost," she ordered. Daryl stepped up, hooking his fingers together.

"Careful," T-Dog warned.

"I'll be fine," she shrugged. She stepped into Daryl's cupped hands and he lifted her up. She snagged her fingers onto the ladder and hauled herself up. He turned and looked up as she pulled herself into the window.

"You enjoying the veiw?" T-Dog joked, a smirk on his face. Daryl rolled his eyes.

"I better not've just heard a comment on my ass," Andrea called down as she leaned out the window to unhook the second half of the ladder. It came down with a loud bang.

"Crap. Let's hope there aren't any walkers around," Glenn muttered. He began to climb the ladder. There was a yelp from inside the window.

"Shit! You okay, Andrea?" T-Dog called in from his spot on the ground. They didn't hear a reply, only a struggle.

"Dammit... Get in there, China!" Daryl said in frustration, jumping onto the ladder. He caught up with Glenn in a moment, pushed the man through the window. Andrea was struggling on the ground, a walker nearly on top of her. She had it by the wrists, keeping it from tearing into her flesh. She managed just to kick the walker off, letting Glenn follow up with a knife through it's eye and into it's brain.

Daryl helped her up. "You alright?"

"Yeah..." she replied. "Just give me a second to catch my breath." He nodded.

"Everyone okay?" T-Dog asked as he slipped in the window.

"Yeah," the blonde answered. She glanced at her surroundings. There was a computer desk besides the window. On top was a heavy metal grate that seemed to fit over the window. She opened one of the drawers and whistled. "Looky here. A decent bit of ammo." She opened her back pack and emptied the drawer into her bag. She looked over to see T-Dog coming back from downstairs. "Anything useful down there?" she asked.

"Yeah. Some supplies and clothing. A shit load of cans. I'm gonna back the car up so we can fill it up. Glenn and Daryl are already down there grabbing stuff. Wanna help?"

"Of course." She headed down the stairs, running into Glenn who carried a box filled with cans of food. He nodded to her as she stepped to the side to let him pass. The downstairs was an open area that was mostly empty. There were boards over all of the walls, blocking the windows and the door. There seemed to be two smaller rooms branching off the original. "Daryl?" She asked.

"Back here," came his voice. He was in the second room. She found him digging through a tote with clothes in it. "You got any extra clothes for Marsha?" he asked.

"No. Why? Find some?" He stepped back and let her look into the tote. She pulled out a shirt about Marsha's size. It had a various cartoon flowers on it. She smiled. In the tote there were a few more shirts as well as some pants.

"Thanks, Daryl! She'll love these." Andrea dropped the shirt back into the tote and gave the hunter a quick hug before returning to the clothes. She shoved the clothes into her pack, on top of the ammo. "C'mon," she said. "Let's fill up the car."

They were greeted like heros upon return. At least fourty cans of food, everything from soup to string beans. They loaded the cans into the RV, leaving out a few cans to add to dinner. "Looks like we'll have a feast tonight!" Dale said happily.

Andrea looked over at him, noticing the absence of her little blonde child. "Where's Marsha?"

"She got tired, so I put here down for a nap in the RV about an hour ago," the elder man answered.

The ex-lawyer smiled. "Thanks." She turned away from the group and towards the RV. "Marsha," she spoke as she entered. She saw the girl on the back matress. She sat down on the edge of the bed, lightly brushing Marsha's hair back out of the child's face. "Sweetie, time to wake up. Dinner will be done soon."

The child shifted, slowly opening her eyes. She yawned and sat up. "Hi, Mama. Where's Grandpa Dale?"

"He's outside."

"Whadda 'bout Daryl?" the girl asked.

"He's there too." Andrea stood up and scooped her daughter. "Let's go see if dinner's done." Marsha nodded, leaning her head on her mother's shoulder. Andrea carried the child outside and sat on the ground by the fire. Same as the night before, Daryl took the spot besides her. Marsha wiggled over to sit in between Andrea and Daryl. She grabbed the hand of each and pulled them into her lap. "Marsha, Daryl might not want you to hold his hand," Andrea said in a parental tone.

The five year old looked up at him with big blue eyes. Daryl shrugged, glancing over at Andrea. "Little Bit ain't hurtin' no one." They sat like that until dinner was done; Daryl's hand under Marsha's small one, Andrea's hand on top of Marsha's and Daryl's. Both adults had to reclaim their hands when bowls of soup were passed out, seeing as it was hard to hold a bowl and operate a spoon too. After dinner, goodnights were spoken and besides Rick up on watch, everyone went to bed. Andrea climbed into her tent, Marsha snuggling in besides her.

"Mama, will you tell me a bedtime story?"

"Sure, sweetie." Andrea closed her eyes for a moment and quickly thought of a story. "Once upon a time," she started. "There was a great big dragon up on a mountain. He had icey blue eyes and a firey temper. His scales glowed a dark gold color and his wings were large and leathery. He'd stay all alone up in his cave, hunting the animals in the woods. At times, the king would send a knight to try and kill the lonely dragon, even though the beast stayed away from people."

"No!" Marsha said, frowning.

Andrea smiled and continued. "But the dragon would always win, sending the knights back to the king with burns and claw marks. The dragon continued to live alone on the mountain, his only comfort being the trees." She pulled the blanket up over her child and herself. "But one day, when the dragon was hunting in the woods, he came across a clearing. In the clearing was a woman from the village. She had long golden hair and pretty, warm eyes that reminded him of the forest reflected on a lake; green and blue. He hid in the shadows where he couldn't be seen and watched as she picked various herbs from the clearing, all while singing under her breath. He'd be entranced by her voice. Every day he'd sit in the shadows, listening to her, wanting to make himself known. But he'd stay hidden, afraid she'd fear him and run away."

Marsha yawned. "Keep goin', Mama. I wanna know what happens."

Andrea kissed her child's temple before speaking on. "One day, when he was walking to the girl's clearing, he heard her scream. He rushed to the clearing to find she was being attacked by theives!" Marsha gasped. "He rushed from the shadows, pouncing on the bandits, roaring with all his might. When he was finished, he found she had collapsed on the ground and wasn't moving. He carefully lifted her off the ground, holding her with one arm. With a flap of his wings, he carried her into the air and back to his cave where he laid her down on his own bed, made of feathers and hay. He curled around her to keep her warm and fell asleep." Andrea yawned this time, but shook some of the tired away so she could finish telling the story.

"When he woke up in the morning, he found her awake too. She looked up at him and asked why she was saved. She expected that it was because he wanted to eat her, but he shook his head at that. In a deep, rumbling voice, he said 'Beauty such as yours should not be treated the way they treated you'. She blushed and shook her head. 'I am not pretty,' she said. 'I am the ugliest in my family. That is why they sent me into the forest for the plants they wanted. They hoped I might be eaten or stolen.' The dragon became angry at this, wondering what family would send any of their number into the woods for the soul reason of death. 'Stay here,' he commanded. 'Stay with me and be safe. I will provide for you and love you as your family has not.' She agreed to this, hoping that life might be better with him than with the people who had raised her. Every night, she would sleep besides him and every morning, he would leave to hunt so he could provide her with what she needed. While he was gone, she would tidy up the cave and make something for him upon his return. She very quickly grew to love him as he had loved her. One night, just before they were about to go to bed, she was sitting with his big, scaly head in her lap. She lifted his head up and gently kissed the ridge between his deep blue eyes. Suddenly, the room was filled with a hazy smoke. In panic, she reached out for her dragon and found he was no longer there. When the smoke cleared, she found that her dragon's place had been taken by a handsome man with brown hair, tan skin and the same deep blue eyes. He stepped foreward and kissed her. The kiss she had bestowed on his forhead when he was a dragon had enough power behind it to change his form to one that could love her better. They were married and lived happily ever after."

Andrea looked over to see her daughter had fallen asleep. She smiled and tucked the child in. Her attention was caught by movement just outside her tent. "Hello?" she asked into the darkness.

Suddenly, something launched it's self at the tent, clawing at the fabric, pressing it's rotting face against the fabric. She let out a short sharp scream of surprise, trying to find her gun. The dead thing managed to rip a hole in the side of the tent, half falling through. By the time Andrea found the cold metal handle of her gun, an arrow had found it's home in the walker's skull.

"Andrea?" An urgent voice asked. "You two okay?"

"We're fine, Daryl... Thank God you were close by..." He unzipped the flap of the tent, looking in on the two. "She didn't even wake up..." she informed shakily.

"C'mon," he said. "You two can sleep in my tent." She nodded, pushing herself up and taking her sleeping child in her arms. He guided her with a gentle arm, understanding some of what she was feeling at that moment. She leaned against him, greatful of his strength. They ducked into his tent. Andrea placed Marsha down on a blanket, tucking her in. Daryl watched, glad these two were safe. "I'll be just outside, 'kay?"

She looked up at him, fear present in her eyes as well as tears. "Daryl," she spoke in a low, desperate tone. "Stay... Please." Without another word or even a hesitation, he sat down besides her. She buried her face against his shoulder, crying quietly.

"Wha's wrong?" he asked in a barely audible whisper. She managed to take a deep breath and, through tears, say, "I couldn't protect her... I can't, not by myself. That walker... It would've gotten her. If you hadn't been there, she or I, or both of us, would be dead..." She clung to him, hands gripped firmly on his shirt. He had one arm around her back, the other gently patting her shoulder. "I can't do this by myself, Daryl. I can't!"

He slowly layed back on the blankets with her, holding her against himself. He pressed a quick, barely noticable kiss to the side of her forehead. "You don't haveta do this alone, Darlin'. I'm here... I'm here."

The next morning, hasty answers were given to why there was a dead walker hanging out the side of Andrea's tent and to why Andrea and Marsha had spent the night in Daryl's tent. The rest of the group accept the answer seeing as it was logical. Walker breaks tent, badass kills walker, badass offers own tent to residents of broken tent. To the rest of the group, that's how it was. To Andrea and Daryl, it was the start of something they're not sure of yet. To Marsha, it was what she wanted. She wanted the big stong man who saved her to be with her mama. She wanted to have the spot labeled 'Daddy' taken by him.

Two days later, the group set up camp at a house on a hill. It had fields surrounding it as well as a comfortable place to sleep. Everyone decided that it'd be best to stay there, at least for a while. Daryl was able to restock their food supply, hunting as much as possible. The rest fixed up the vehicles and reorganized their things. Andrea felt better in the morning. She'd wake up and find Daryl had slept nearby, whether it had been in a chair in the corner or a cot that had been brought up from the basement. Marsha was protected, and that's what mattered.

"Mama?" Marsha asked one morning.

"What is it, sweetie?" Andrea asked, folding her clothes as well as Marsha's.

"Can Daryl be my new daddy?" Andrea dropped the shirt she had been working on and looking down at her child. "Please, Mama? He's big and strong and takes care of us."

The older blonde kneeled besides the five year old. "Honey, I know he does a lot for us, and I love him for it, but I don't know if I can ask him that..."

"Why not?" the child asked, frowning.

"Grown-ups are bad at stuff like that," Andrea quickly posed.

Hmph." Marsha went back to playing with her bunny. Andrea returned to folding clothes, not noticing her child stand up and walk off the porch where they had been and out to where she saw Daryl walking in from the woods. He noticed the child and changed his direction to walk up to her. "You got squirrels?" she asked, big blue eyes looking up at him. He nodded. She covered her bunny's ears and whispered to him, "Don't tell Elly, but I think bunnies are yummier."

He chuckled. "That all ya' came t' tell me?" he asked.

"Nuh-uh," she replied. She scruntched up her eyebrows and tilted her head to the side. "Will you be my daddy?" He was caught completely by surprise. "I asked my mama to ask you, but she said grown-ups are bad at it. All ya' gotta do is protect me and my mama and love me and my mama. It's really easy."

After a moment, he scooped up the child with one arm and spoke. "C'mon, baby girl. I gotta ask your mama first if I can."

"But I thought grown-ups were bad at asking questions?" Marsha said, confused. "We are. But we still gotta try." He carried her back up onto the porch and set her down. Andrea had her back to him and still hadn't realized he was there, so he caught her by surprise when he wrapped an arm around her waist. She was caught with her back to his chest as he put his mouth besides her ear, whispering in a voice only she could hear. Marsha watched as her mother suddenly whirled around and kissed Daryl full on the mouth.

Marsha smiled. She had a Mama and a Daddy now.

It took me weeks to write this. It's based off a dream I had, though I tweaked it. In my dream, there was a flood and abunch more stuff happened. But this... Exhausted me to write. I stayed up late last night to finish.

Review please!

The part where Daryl called Marsha 'Little Bit' was a nickname, by the way.