A/N: I'm really really sorry that I haven't updated for almost a month! It's just that real life has been getting in the way. I never have the time or the energy to write. But this chapter is one of those chapter's that I hate writing because it has drama in it (I both hate and suck at writing drama) and it's kind of a filler chapter, the next one will be better. Thanks for the reviews, I love them all. My computer is still being a retard, so I have no spell check, I hope there won't be too many spelling errors!

Hope you guys enjoy this chapter, R&R!

It was December 22nd and Sophia had forced Daryl to decorate the house. It wasn't a lot, a small Christmas tree, a fake plastic Santa on the kitchen counter and other various things that showed that Christmas were being celebrated in that house. Daryl had never decorated his house for Christmas, or any house that he had ever lived in. They never really celebrated the holiday in the Dixon household. Well, until now.

Daryl had also noticed a few changes with his daughter. The closer they got to Christmas eve, the sadder she got. At first he thought it was odd, he always thought that kids loved Christmas and counted down the days until December 25th. But then that day, it all clicked. He had walked into her room, telling her it was time to wake up when he saw her sitting on her bed. She was holding a framed photo. Daryl knew exactly what that photo was, she had put that thing on her nightstand months ago.

It was a picture of Sophia and her mother. Daryl had never really taken a good look at the picture, just long enough to see who was on it. Sophia was probably around seven in that picture, she was sitting on her mom's lap with pigtails in her hair. They were both looking at each other, smiling.

Daryl's heart ached when he saw her like that. He had lost his mother at her age. But still, he couldn't say that it had affected him that much. His mom had been an alcoholic just like his father, barely acknowledged him for the last few years before she died. Of course he had missed his mother, but her dying hadn't affected his life as much as it did for Sophia. So he didn't know exactly how she felt, but he came close.

He slowly walked into the room, Sophia only noticing him now. Daryl sat down on the bed next to Sophia, his back resting on the wall behind him. He wasn't sure how to comfort her, there had hardly been anyone to comfort him when he was younger.

Sophia finally looked at him, his frown becoming even deeper when he noticed that her eyes were full of tears. She silently handed him the photo and after hesitating for a moment, Daryl accepted it. He finally took a good look at the photograph. Carol was older than when he had met her. Her hair was cut short, and was gray instead of blond like he had remembered it. Her face didn't seem that much older, she had wrinkles around her eyes and mouth. He was shocked how much her hair had changed, but he guessed Ed had forced her to wear it like that.

"She always..." Sophia started but had to stop to take a deep breath. Daryl saw that she was struggling not to cry. "She always-" She tried again but her voice broke. Finally she burst into tears and Daryl didn't hesitate about pulling her into his arms.

Daryl wasn't sure what to say, or if he could say something to make her feel better. Instead he just let her cry. They stayed like that for a few minutes, Sophia desperately clung to his shirt while she sobbed into his chest.

"I just want her back." Sophia said, her voice muffled because her face was still pressed against his chest. "I wish she hadn't died. It's so unfair, she didn't deserve too."

Daryl just tightened his grip on her. It was the first time she had said anything about her mother to him. She had kept it all bottled up and he let her, and he knew it hadn't been right. She should have talked about it all from day one.

"I know." Was all he said. He started to rub her back, one of the few things he remembered his mother doing to him when he was younger, and back when she had been sober.

Sophia readjusted herself so she was pressed against his side instead of his front, her arms wrapped around him. She had finally stopped crying, just sniffing now and then, hoping that the headache that she felt starting to form would go away. "I know that if she wouldn't have died then I never would have met you. My mom and I would still be living with Ed. That's one of the few things that make me feel better. She doesn't have to be afraid or hurt anymore. And neither do I." She said and tightened her grip on Daryl.

They stayed like that, in the same position for twenty minutes and Daryl continued to rub her back. Sophia was just about to fall asleep again when her dad spoke. "You want to visit her grave today?"

Sophia nodded, "Yes."

xxx

Daryl put his car to a stop in front of the cemetery. Sophia had only visited her mother twice since she passed, once with her aunt that Daryl had met very briefly, and one time she went alone. Daryl had never been there, he really didn't know Carol. He had had plenty of one night stands, and never spared them a second glance after that. But Carol was the mother of his child, they did have some kind of bond.

It was freezing outside that day. It wasn't snowing, but definitely cold enough to make you want to spend your day at home under a warm blanket.

"You want to go alone?" Daryl asked. Sophia hesitated for a moment before shaking her head no. They both stepped out of the car at the same time and started to make their way towards Carol's grave. Sophia surprised Daryl by slipping her small hand into his large one. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, knowing that she needed the support.

It was clear that Sophia knew exactly where she was going as she stopped in front of one of the graves. Daryl stood of by the side, giving Sophia some privacy as she kneeled down in front of her mother's grave. Daryl had never seen Sophia looking so sad, and it broke his heart seeing her like that. Sophia put her hand on the tombstone, stroking her hand lovingly over the picture of Carol. A few minutes she stood up, not even acknowledging her dad as she headed towards the car.

Daryl watched her go, his hands in the pockets of his jacket. When he saw that Sophia was inside the car, he finally took a few steps forward, stopping when he reached the grave. He looked at the picture of Carol. They had probably used a picture of her taken 10 years ago, since she looked just like Daryl had remembered her. Her blonde hair, freckles and smile all reminded him of their daughter.

Not sure what else to do, Daryl put his hand on the top of the tombstone, letting it stay there for a few seconds before pulling away. He stared at the picture for a few moments before finally walking back to the car.

Sophia was sitting silent in her seat when he sat down in the car. "You alright?" Daryl asked. It was a stupid question, he thought, of course she wasn't alright. Sophia just shrugged, her arms wrapped around her small frame. The drive back to the house was silent, the only thing they could hear was the song on the radio that was being played, a cheesy Christmas song that neither of them really wanted to listen too.

"You're still going to sleep over at Carl's house? I'm sure that will make you feel better." Daryl asked as he parked his car in front of their house.

"Yeah, I'm still going. Carl and I have the whole night planned, wouldn't want to ruin that."

xxx

Daryl put his truck in park in front of the Grimes house. He was glad that Sophia was feeling better since that morning, maybe she just needed to get that out of her system. "Have fun. And no Lego death traps this time." He said and gave his daughter a playful smile when she opened the passenger door.

"Then tell Rick not to come back home drunk again." She replied with a smile on her face and gave her dad a wave before stepping out of the car and shutting the door behind her. When she was halfway towards the house and Daryl was about to drive back home, he saw Rick open the front door. The cop started making his way towards his friend with a smile that Daryl knew all too well.

"Hey." Rick said and leaned against the window that Daryl had opened.

"Hey." Daryl replied. Rick must have known that Daryl was suspecting something, causing him to grin. "Wanna go out tonight?"

Daryl groaned and started tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, he had planned on buying beer and falling asleep in front of the TV. Now he had to drink beer around other people, he didn't like that. "I'm not sure." He mumbled.

"Come on man, it's not like we're getting drunk or anything. Just a few beers." Rick said, the smile still plastered on his face.

Daryl sighed, "Fine."

xxx

"So why are you out at a bar on Christmas instead of spending time with your family?" Daryl asked as he and Rick sat down on the only available table they could see.

Rick sighed, "It's nothing. Lori and I kind of had a fight this afternoon."

Daryl nodded, "You've been having a lot of those for the last few weeks." He said, causing Rick to shrug like it didn't bother him. Although Daryl knew it was bothering him, Rick loved his wife and family, he couldn't deny the fact that fighting with Lori wasn't something he enjoyed doing. "It's just... never mind, let's talk about something more fun." Rick said and gave his friend a tight smile.

Thirty minutes and three beers later, Rick was looking around the bar, looking for a cute girl. His gaze landed on a young girl sitting by the bar. She was thin, tall and her brown hair was cut short, just below her ears. Daryl followed Rick's line of vision and frowned. "Dude," He said, causing Rick to look at him, "I know that you're pissed but you sure are going to regret this in the morning."

Rick frowned, "Oh god no! I could never cheat on Lori." His frown turned into a small smile, "I was looking for someone you could go home with tonight."

Daryl shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "I don't think so."

Rick sighed, "Alright, just trying to be a good friend." He said and stood up, grabbing his empty beer bottle. "You wan't another one?" He asked and pointed at Daryl's also empty bottle.

Daryl shrugged, "Sure. Thanks." Rick grabbed the bottles and made his way towards the bar. He stopped next to the brunette and waited for the bartender to serve him next. He used the time he had to take a good look at the girl. She had small breasts, but was really cute. He couldn't help but to find her a little familiar.

"What can I get you?"

Rick finally tore his eyes from the girl and gave the bartender a small smile. "Two beers please." After paying for the drinks, he turned to look at the girl.

"Hi." He said and smiled at her. The girl looked up from her phone and gave him a smile, "Hi."

It had been ten minutes since Rick had left the table and Daryl was starting to get inpatient. He looked away from the small TV set in the corner and scanned the bar for his friend. He mumbled a curse under his breath when he finally found him. He was talking to the girl, occasionally looking at him before looking back at the girl.

A couple of minutes Rick finally stood up from the stool he had been sitting on, but to Daryl's luck, the girl stood up as well and the pair made their way towards Daryl. "Maggie, this is Daryl. Daryl this is Maggie."

Maggie gave him a bright smile and tilted her head to the side, "We know each other."

"You do?"

"Yeah, she was a nurse at the hospital I was staying at." Daryl filled Rick in. Maggie planted herself next to him, and Daryl scooted closer to the wall so she would have more space.

They started having a light conversation, well, Rick and Maggie did most of the talking. Twenty minutes later Rick's phone started ringing. "Hello."

Daryl and Maggie were silent while Rick was on the phone, "Oh, hi Lori." Rick said, his voice losing the cheeriness from earlier. "Yeah, I'm at the bar."

Maggie looked over at Daryl, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "His wife." Daryl whispered. Maggie nodded and took another sip of her drink.

"No Lori, I don't know where Judith's pacifier is." Rick said, obviously getting frustrated. "No, I don't. It's not like I carry the thing in my... pocket." Rick said, his lips forming a tight line when he pulled out a pink pacifier from his pants pocket.

"Damn it," He mumbled and stood up, "Yeah, I'll be right there." He said before hanging up the phone. He looked at Daryl and Maggie, "Sorry guys. Baby emergency."

Maggie let out a small laugh and stood up. At first Daryl thought she was going to leave, but she suprised him by sitting down across from him. "How's Sophia?" She asked.

"She's fine." Daryl replied.

xxx

An hour later, Maggie and Daryl we're in deep conversation. He was suprised how easy it was for him to talk to her, usually he hated talking to people he wasn't close to, but Maggie was different.

"So, because of my huge debt, I had to move back in with my dad." Maggie finished, pulling Daryl out of his thoughts.

"That must suck." He said and took another sip of his drink. Maggie shrugged, "Nah, it's alright. It can be a little crowded sometimes, since my little sister and step brother still live there too."

"Why did you become a nurse?" Daryl asked, trying not to get caught staring at her chest. He wasn't the type of guy that would usually stare at women, but she was wearing a very revealing shirt and well... he was still a man. And it had been way too long since he'd been with a woman.

"I love helping people, and my dad is a doctor. I've always wanted to be like him, ever since I was little. But being a nurse suited me better than being a doctor." Maggie answered, a small smile on her lips.

Daryl couldn't help but to laugh a few minutes later after Maggie had told him a story about a crazy patient. He was really starting to like that girl. She wasn't like the other women he was usually around. She was funny, smart and caring. And even though she was wearing a revealing shirt, he knew that she wasn't a slut.

"But where's Sophia? At her mother's place?" Maggie asked. Just as Daryl was about to answer, a man walked up to their table. The man pulled Maggie into a long kiss, causing Daryl to awkwardly shift in his seat.

"Hi babe." The man said once he had pulled away. He was young, no more than 27. He was wearing a leather jacket and black jeans, obviously the type that thought he could kick anyone's ass. His black hair had probably half a can of gel in it, Daryl would be suprised if he was able to move the hair.

"Hi," Maggie smiled and then quickly introduced the two men, "Daryl this is Mike, my boyfriend. Mike this is Daryl, a friend of mine."

Mike pulled Daryl's hand into a very firm handshake, a cocky grin on his face. "Nice too meet you bro." Mike pulled his hand away and turned to look at Maggie. "Sorry I took so long. Andrew needed help with something. But, ready to go?" Mike asked.

"Yeah." Maggie said and stood up, "It was really nice running into you, Daryl. Tell Sophia I said hi." She said and smiled at him. Daryl only nodded in response and watched the couple walk out of the bar.

That's it. Women suck.

A/N: There was a reason why Maggie is with Mike instead of Glenn in this story, and it will all be explained in the next few chapters.

Thanks for reading!