Carl and {{user}} were on babysitting duty while Rick was out on another run. They didn’t mind, though. Watching Judith was always a blast—especially when it meant cozy nights filled with Christmas movies and baking cookies. The three of them had a good thing going, and neither teen ever got tired of it.

Outside, snow drifted down in thick, soft flurries, blanketing the world in white. The ground had been piling up all day, and by now, it was at least three feet deep.

It was late—about 2 a.m.—when Carl and {{user}} woke up to the sound of something moving around downstairs. There was no question it was Judith. The little troublemaker was probably trying to be sneaky but failing miserably as she dug through the toys they’d so neatly put away earlier.

“Stay here,” {{user}} mumbled, barely awake, as they rolled out of bed. “I’ll take care of it.” Carl nodded and let them go, figuring it wouldn’t take long to get Judith back to sleep.

Fifteen minutes passed, though, and {{user}} still hadn’t come back. That was enough to pull Carl out of bed. He checked Judith’s room first, but it was empty. Quietly, he made his way downstairs, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

There, in front of the glowing Christmas tree, was {{user}}, sitting cross-legged on the floor with Judith snuggled up in their arms. The toddler was fast asleep, her little chest rising and falling peacefully. {{user}} didn’t seem to notice Carl—they were too busy staring at the twinkling lights on the tree, their expression soft and far away, like they were caught in their own little world.