A/N: Alrighty, I guess we're doing this! I know how I want this to end, but I have no clue how I'm getting there, so let's hope I don't make a mess, huh? Or maybe a mess will be fun. I don't know. Let me know what you think!

1: before

"Maggie?" Michonne stood nervously outside of the cell that Glenn and Maggie shared, hoping that she could get her attention without waking the entire cellblock. It was early, and Maggie had been up late, helping Hershel tend to all the sick folks in Cellblock A. Michonne felt like an asshole for even trying to wake her. She gave it one more try with another harsh whisper, "Maggie?"

Soon, she heard the light patter of feet and Maggie appeared in the threshold of her cell, resembling one of the dead they worked so hard to keep out. "Everything okay?" she frowned. After the past couple of days she had, she wasn't sure she could take much more.

"Can I come in for a sec?" Michonne requested. She hated being so forward, but she didn't have much of a choice at the moment.

Maggie looked back to her room, remembering that Glenn was still recovering and the cell was empty. "Sure." She stepped back to allow her friend inside, but was visibly wary about what she could want so early in the morning.

"This is awkward," Michonne started quietly. "And I wouldn't bother you if it weren't important."

"Okay…"

She was hesitant to say this, because it sounded rather creepy without context. But it was all pertinent information. "I know you took a pregnancy test the other day, and—"

"I don't mean to be rude," Maggie cut her off tersely, "but I don't see how that's any of your business."

"It's not," Michonne held up a hand in defense. "I know that. I shouldn't have even said that. But that's the only reason I came to you first." She took a deep breath and looked her friend in the eye. "Do you have any left?"

"Another pregnancy test?" she frowned.

Michonne nodded.

"Oh my gosh." Maggie's green eyes widened in simultaneous confusion and realization. They'd all been gossiping about Rick and Michonne for months now, but figured they hadn't really done anything more than a lot of playful flirting. "You and Rick really are…"

This was the exact reaction Michonne had not been looking forward to. She wished she'd had this inkling when they were at the Big Spot a few days ago and she could've just picked up a test herself. But no, her symptoms were a day late and a dollar short, and she had to pray that someone in the prison – namely, Maggie – would have one on hand.

"Yes," Michonne finally whispered. "Not very recently, but yes."

"Oh my god," she marveled, oblivious to Michonne's growing irritation. She had so many questions for her. How did that even happen? Were they a couple? Were they a secret couple? What was Rick like in bed? It would've been nice to have someone to girl talk with. It seemed that no one else in the prison was getting laid.

"So… is that a no?" Michonne inquired somberly when Maggie hadn't responded.

"Shit, I'm sorry," she whispered. "I think I do have a couple left." She quickly moved to the desk she and Glenn shared, rifling through a drawer full of tampons until she found what she was looking for. "Guess we'll probably need more of these now that all the condoms have dried up," she noted, handing over a package of EPT.

Michonne eyed her as she accepted the contents. She didn't know the results of Maggie's test – she'd only seen her go into the bathroom with it, but a small part of her hoped she was pregnant too, just so she wouldn't have to go through this alone. "Thank you." Michonne turned to immediately head for the restrooms, but stopped in her tracks when she realized that Maggie was behind her. "What are you doing?"

"I'm coming with you…"

"I'm fine."

Maggie looked her in the eye deliberately, letting her know that she wasn't about to back down. "You don't need to do this by yourself."

"I want to."

"You gotta stop this. Stop pushin' people away when all they want is to be there for you."

Michonne frowned at her words, knowing that had been the exact reason she and Rick weren't in a relationship now. She just didn't know how to stop herself. She was a survivor first, and keeping people at a distance was her greatest defense mechanism. "Maggie…"

"Either I come with you, or I go get Rick. But you're not doin' this alone."

The absolute last thing in the world she wanted was for Rick to know about this yet. "Fine. You can come. But you better not say a word," she threatened bitingly. "Not to Glenn, not to anyone."

"I can keep a secret," she promised. She thought of what Rick had told her about Carol the day before and immediately pushed it back down. "Come on."

The two of them entered the bathrooms, making sure they were empty, and Michonne continued into a stall to do what she needed to do. When she reemerged, Maggie offered her a small smile.

"Whatever happens, everything's gonna be okay."

Michonne tried to smile back, though it came out as more of a wince. She had to admit that Maggie's presence was a bit of a comfort. Something in her southern drawl really did make her think it would be all right, whatever the result.

"I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told Glenn. I'm not pregnant, but I could've been. Might even try to be at some point in the near future. There's nothin' wrong with tryin' to have a life here."

Michonne nodded. "It's different for you, though. You're married, you guys should be trying to have a life."

"You should too, Michonne. I obviously don't know the details of you and Rick's relationship, but I'd be blind not to see how close you've become. Families exist in all forms, 'specially nowadays."

"I know. You're right." She let out a sigh, wondering if two minutes could possibly go by any slower. "How's Glenn doing?"

It was Maggie's turn to sigh. "Considering how close he came to dying last night, he's doing pretty good. I'm gonna head back in there to check on him after this."

"Glad to hear that."

"I didn't thank you, by the way. For goin' on that run for the medicine."

"You don't have to thank me, Maggie. We—"

"I do," she cut her off, accidentally this time. "You risked your life to save Glenn and Sasha and the others. That's worth a thank you."

Michonne accepted her gratitude hesitantly. "Just glad we made it back in time to save at least some of them."

The two of them stood in silence for a while, contemplating everything that had happened. They wondered what the prison would be like, having lost so many people. By the most recent count, at least 17 had passed, including Dr. S., which cut into their growing population significantly.

It was a weird feeling, having felt safe for so many months, only to have it snatched away by the flu. And Michonne felt bad, having not put any real effort into getting to know any of the new people. But this was exactly why. The moment she got comfortable, the moment she felt like happiness, or even the prospect of it, was tangible, it always disappeared right in front of her.

"You might wanna check now," Maggie softly suggested, shaking Michonne from her thoughts.

Michonne turned to the sink, where she'd laid her test, and held the stick unsteadily in her hands. The blue plus sign confirmed what she already knew to be true. She was pregnant.

"Shit," she whispered to herself.

Maggie knew what that meant and gave her a moment to come to terms with what was happening. When she saw the tears streaming down Michonne's face, she moved closer and pulled her into a hug. She was resistant at first, as Maggie knew she would be, but eventually she surrendered to her sobs, and then to the embrace. The two of them stood like that for minutes.

"It's gonna be okay," Maggie whispered again.

Michonne quickly sobered up and pulled away. "Thank you. For doing this with me."

Maggie nodded. "It's no problem."

"You go on back to Glenn," she instructed with one last sniffle. "I'm fine."

She knew she wasn't fine, but Michonne had let her in much further than she ever had before, so she wasn't going to push it. She got her through the hardest part, at least. She gave her friend's hand a tiny squeeze before leaving her alone.

Michonne quietly let herself outside, surveying the courtyard and all its damage. Everything was a mess. Rick and Carl had dispatched an insane amount of walkers the night before, probably saving everyone inside, but a large section of the fences were completely down, and it was a scary thought. There were only so many people that could keep watch now, she wondered what plans the council had for fixing this mess. She accidentally stumbled upon Daryl, who was keeping watch where the breach was.

"What you doin' out here this early?" he wondered, not taking his eyes off of the open fence.

"Couldn't sleep," Michonne shrugged, careful to keep her voice down and her footsteps light. "I can take watch if you want."

"I'm all right."

She could tell he was tired. He'd been working himself to the bone since the sickness had taken over the prison. The only time she'd seen him rest was in the few peaceful moments on their car ride to Peachtree City. "When's the last time you slept?"

"I'm all right," he repeated, a little more roughly this time. "This is my shift. Carol oughta be comin' along soon." Little did either of them know, Carol was gone.

She nodded and decided to leave him to his sworn tasks. She didn't much feel like sitting in the sun anyway. "I'll get started on those bodies then," she offered, referring to the pileup of dead walkers near the cellblock entrance. "Holler if you need a break."

"No time for breaks," he mumbled, almost to himself. "Not now."

She moved on, heading for the truck that she knew had a flatbed attached to the winch. Daryl was right, she thought. It was time to get the house in order.

As the sun got further into the sky, and less bodies littered the ground, Michonne caught sight of Rick emerging from the prison. Her stomach dropped. Her face became hot. She continued her task as if nothing was wrong, but she knew he was headed straight for her.

The pure relief on his face was evident as he approached. Everyone was back at the prison, the flu wasn't going to kill anyone else, and they could get back to keeping the place safe.

He watched Michonne as he walked towards her. The way she moved so effortlessly honestly astounded him sometimes. He knew she would decline but he decided to ask her anyway, "You need some help with that?"

She smiled at him. She knew he knew what her answer would be. "Nah. Do your thing."

In all honesty, she really could've used some assistance, but she simply couldn't bear to have him there with all the shit she had on her mind. It would've been too much. She watched him nod and walk away, wondering what he would've said if he knew.

With a giant sigh, she turned to resume her task, almost shocked to find Hershel standing before her.

He gave her a tender but knowing look, as he so often tended to do, and offered a small piece of advice. "I know it's hard to fathom, especially when life keeps throwing us these curveballs, but it's okay if you love him."

She couldn't take any more lectures about Rick, and what it meant to open yourself up to love and all that jazz. The two of them had decided to be friends, and they were fine with that. Why everyone else wanted to push her any further, she didn't understand. "I know," was all she responded with.

"Life's too short to pretend otherwise is all I'm saying."

"I know this too," she nodded genuinely. She pulled the last body she could fit onto the truck and looked at Hershel expectantly.

"You headin' out?" he questioned, surveying the scene.

"Yeah," she grinned. "You wanna come?"

He thought about this for only a second before deciding. "Hell yeah."

Happily, the two of them hopped into their jeep, headed for the back of the prison, where they took dead walkers to be burned. Rick and Carl crossed their path as she drove by, both of them offering small waves to the passengers in the car. Her eyes locked with Rick's for a little longer than they should have, and her mind went haywire. True realization struck that she was pregnant. Having his baby. There was a life growing inside her that belonged to the two of them. Holy shit, she thought.

He seemed to recognize that something was on her mind – she was never good at keeping anguish off of her face. But he needed to talk to Daryl about Carol before he delved into whatever was going on with her. "You got any plans for dinner?" he called after the Jeep.

She chuckled quietly, as if she'd have anything to do other than be there. She supposed that would be as good a time as any to tell him the big news. "I'll see you then," she yelled back.

Little did either of them know, their plans would be majorly interrupted.