POST-WAR
Carl coughed into his fist. When Rick didn't respond, Carl coughed again with more vigor.
"Is there something you wanna say to me?" Rick questioned, even though he was still looking down at the picture in his hands.
"I mean…when is it gonna stop?"
The speed at which Rick rose and tilted his head toward his son was all the confirmation Carl needed that he had gotten his dad's attention.
"You better not be referring to what I think you're referring to?" Rick asked with a slight smirk.
Carl scoffed and shook his head.
"That's exactly what I'm referring to. Judith's just now starting to talk. Baby Hershel's just a few months old. Sasha's gonna pop any minute now. And now I'm gonna be a big brother again?"
Rick replying with a puff of his chest and shit-eating grin didn't help Carl's irritation.
"Chonne and I are just doing our part to…repopulate the world."
"I love you guys, but I don't wanna imagine you…'doing your part.' I'm still dealing with the trauma of you telling me about your…first night together or whatever."
Rick laughed and put his arm around Carl as they continued their stroll along the sidewalk. His eyes returned to the picture he was carrying of Michonne.
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Rick had taken the picture a few days earlier. The night before, while cuddling in bed, Michonne quietly announced to Rick that she was pregnant. Rick had been on cloud nine since.
That following morning, while getting ready for the day, he had come across the Polaroid camera that he had used during the war against the Saviors. He kept some pictures of the carnage to caution the young ones not to repeat history. He also wanted to remind himself of how far he and his people had come.
The last picture Rick had taken with the camera, Negan's dead body with Lucille snugly attached to his forehead, held particular significance for him. Negan's death marked the end of that dark period. That era of constant death, terror, destruction, and sadness were over. Good had triumphed over evil.
In the months that followed, Rick's goals for the new world had been realized. The Alexandria Safe Zone, Hilltop, and Kingdom had come together to rebuild their communities and pool resources. Conversations eventually evolved from planning attacks to planning get-togethers. Sounds of laughter and neighborhood gossip replaced the sounds of explosions and monologues from bat-wielding demagogues.
Rick's people were protected. His children were healthy and happy. His wife had discovered an inner calm now that she had a home. And their family would now be expanding.
After reflecting on how life had changed since the war, Rick inspected the camera and noticed there was still some unused film. He then decided that he needed pictures to memorialize this era of peace and prosperity. And he did not have to put much thought into the first image he wanted to capture.
Rick made his way to the patio with the camera in hand. Michonne was curled up in a chair and covered in blankets due to the slight chill in the air. She appeared to also be looking at a picture, not yet aware of Rick's presence.
"Morning," Rick greeted.
Michonne turned her head toward the direction of her husband's voice and was met with a camera flash.
"Rick! I wasn't ready!" she exclaimed.
He chuckled and began shaking the picture.
"You always look ready to me."
Michonne grinned and lowered her eyes, returning her gaze to the picture in her hand.
"Andre?" he asked.
She nodded in response.
Rick made his way over to his wife. He sat on the armrest of the chair and took a moment to stare at the image of the cheerful toddler.
"He's gonna be a big brother, too," Rick assured while stroking her arm.
"I know," she responded resting her head in Rick's lap.
Michonne had told Rick about her son not long after she had revealed that part of her past to Carl. She had mentioned Andre a few times since, including the night before. Yet Rick never pushed her to share more than she wanted. He figured it was best to just listen.
"He's been my guardian angel through everything," she began as Rick moved his hand from her arm to her locs, continuing his comforting touches. "He's always liked Carl and Judith. He wasn't so sure about you at first."
She looked up at Rick with a mischievous smile.
"Oh, is that so?" he questioned.
"Yeah. You weren't always so...welcoming."
She moved her head back to Rick's lap.
As much reflection as Rick and apparently Michonne had been doing that morning, he didn't want to spend too much time thinking of his mental breakdown following Lori's death. He wasn't himself then. He had sometimes found it difficult to believe that the Rick at that stage was the same man who emerged from a war victorious. The same man who could now spend a lazy morning taking a picture of his pregnant wife.
"He's warmed up to you now." Michonne's comment broke Rick from his thoughts.
"I hope I've proven that I'm worthy."
"He's seen how far you're willing to go to protect Carl, Judith, your community…me. He knows. He's happy about the baby, too."
Rick noticed that Michonne's thoughts on Andre weren't the same as before. In the past, he could see the sadness and pain in her eyes. The conversations about him were never that long, with Michonne cutting herself off before any major dialogue could take place. It was why Rick knew it was better to listen. But on that morning, he noticed that just as he used the war pictures to remember how far he had come, she was doing the same with Andre's picture. She had also come such a long way from her depressed state. The woman who had once envisioned herself as a monster was now a wife, mother, and respected community leader.
Rick glanced at the picture he had taken of Michonne and then placed it in his pocket.
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Rick and Carl approached their home, seeing Glenn's car parked outside. They then observed Glenn and Michonne walking out the front door, each with a bag of food in hand. The quartet met as Glenn opened the trunk.
Rick couldn't believe what he was seeing. The image of his pregnant wife doing manual labor was unacceptable.
"Chonne, what are you doing carrying that? Carl, get that for her," he ordered.
Michonne rolled her eyes, but that didn't stop Carl from walking to her and removing the bag from her grip. She didn't put up much of a fight, either.
"Must I remind you that Maggie fought a war while in the family way?" Glenn laughed.
"Yeah, but we ain't fighting any wars right now, so we're gonna make her work as light as possible," Rick answered placing his hand over the slight bulge in Michonne's lower abdomen. She scoffed in a horrible attempt to appear annoyed but instead of removing his hand, she simply placed one of her hands over his. Carl shook his head for the umpteenth time that day and placed the bag he was holding in the trunk.
Glenn threw his hands up in defeat. "All hail the queen. Who do you guys think is next?"
There was a brief pause. Then Rick and Michonne replied "Rosita" in unison.
"Is she seeing anyone?" Glenn asked closing the trunk.
Carl had had just about enough of all of them. The baby-making, his father's overprotectiveness, the teasing. But as he walked up the steps to his home, he figured that, given the world they had beaten, he wouldn't have wanted this new world any other way.
A/N: I am still feeling extremely salty about The Walking Dead at this time, but I will always love Richonne! I hope to update Beginnings by next month.