It had been almost a year since Michonne had given birth to Joy, her and Rick's little girl. With the execution of Negan and the successful integration of his people into the communities of Alexandria, the Hilltop, and the Kingdom, there had been a year of peace and prosperity.

Rick and Michonne had easily adjusted to married life, as they had been unofficially married for quite some time. The family had adjusted easily to having three children, especially Carl, who adored his two little sisters. He spent a lot of his time playing hide and seek with Judith as Joy rested comfortably in his arms.

As Joy grew, her skin progressively got darker, almost a perfect intermediate between Rick and Michonne's, but her eyes stayed a deep shade of blue making her a strikingly beautiful baby. Rick took every opportunity to show her off to whoever would look.

Michonne would spend her days taking care of Judith and feeding Joy while Carl was out weapons training the young adults in Alexandria, and Rick was helping to run the town. As much as Michonne hated to admit it, she had pretty much been confined to the house and the walls of Alexandria since her pregnancy with Joy. Occasionally she would take short walks, putting a sleeping Joy in the stroller and holding Judith's hand as they made their way through town, but those escapes were few.

She had never imagined herself as a house wife and had never been one, but it seemed that the warrior had finally been domesticated.

As much as she loved her babies, she was itching to get out of the house. Even out from behind the walls if possible. In the past year, the communities had established a patrol force who's job was to clear the roads between the communities of walkers, making the areas relatively safe for travelers. But going on runs was usually a trip taking weeks or even months at a time, as resources were depleted for miles around in every direction. She would have loved to go out on a quick run, maybe for an hour or so, but those kind of runs didn't exist anymore. And with Joy needing to breastfeed every few hours, a week long run was unrealistic.

One night after dinner, Carl was visiting Enid who lived at Glenn and Maggie's, Judith was already asleep, and Michonne was breastfeeding Joy. Rick walked in from the kitchen carrying two cups of hot cocoa. He smiled as he realized Michonne was feeding Joy, and he plopped on the couch next to her. He carefully rested the two cups of cocoa on the coffee table in front of them and turned to gently stroke Joy's cheek as she ate.

"She's growing so fast" Rick said adoringly. "Yea she is" Michonne said, looking down at Joy. There was a slight silence. She sighed and looked at Rick. He immediately knew something was up. "What is it?" He asked.

"Rick, I need to get out of the house. I'm here all day every day. I haven't touched my katana in months. I feel like I'm losing all the skills I worked hard to get"

"Ok" he said "you know I'll watch the kids while you take a walk."

"No" she said grabbing his hand "I need to get out of Alexandria for a few hours. I need to be out there".

Rick looked at her in surprise. He knew from her determined look that she had been thinking about this for a while, and he wouldn't dare tell her she couldn't do something. He respected her too much, but he had to tell her how he felt.

"Honey you haven't been out there for months. I think you might be a little rusty. And what about Joy? You know we exhausted our formula supply, you're all we've got in terms of food for her."

"I know" Michonne replied "I'm taking Joy with me. It will be a quick walk, an hour tops. I'll feed her right before so she sleeps through it. I'll leave Judith with Maggie and baby Hershel."

Rick's eyes popped open. "You wanna go on a walk alone with our baby!?"

"Well I can't leave Maggie with three babies! And do u know anyone who has the time to be an escort?" Michonne said rolling her eyes. "Plus, with the patrol force there are hardly any walkers out there anymore."

"I'll be your escort. Just wait until I get off duty" he said.

"You don't get off duty until 8:00" she said. It'll be too dark and too dangerous to leave then and you know it Rick".

Rick was speechless. This would be the first time Michonne left Alexandria since she was kidnapped and nearly raped by Negan. He understood that she had to get out and prove to herself that she could still do it, but he was terrified for her and Joy.

Michonne could tell Rick was terrified and she felt bad, but she needed this.

"Please Rick" she said looking into his eyes. "If you say not to go I won't. I would never take our daughter out there without your ok, but I have to get out or I'll go crazy".

Rick moved his eyes from Michonne's face to Joy's who was now sleeping soundly with her mouth hanging open and milk trickling out the side.

Michonne followed his gaze to Joy. When she realized Joy had stopped suckling, she pulled her shirt down and laid the baby on her lap.

"I don't like it" he said "but I trust you Michonne. Just don't go far please. You know I'm gonna worry."

She smiled. God she really loved this man. "Thank you honey" she said kissing him quickly on the lips. He gave her a crooked smile, one that she knew meant

I hate this but I'm only agreeing because I love you.

Relieved, Michonne reached out for the cocoa sitting on the table and took a sip. Rick reached for his as well. They drank their cocoa in a comfortable silence.

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The next morning, Rick woke Michonne up on his way out the house to go meet with some representatives from the Kingdom. He gently kissed her on the lips and stroked her hair. "When are you leaving?" He asked.

"I'm gonna get the girls fed and take Judy over to Maggie's and then go, so maybe in an hour or so?".

He nodded. "Tell whoever is on gate duty where you're going and when they should expect you". She nodded. "And try to stay in sight of the people on watch as long as possible". She nodded again. "And watch your back" he added. She nodded again with a smile on her face. "And..." "Got it Rick" she interrupted with a smile. He then nodded and made his leave. As he started down the stairs he yelled back "love you babe" "love you too" she called as she pulled herself out of bed.

She sleepily wandered into Judith's room. Judith was already up bouncing in her crib. "Up mama" she said, holding her arms up. "You wanna go up?" Michonne asked in her sing song voice. Judith nodded her head. Michonne picked Judith up with a loud groan acting as if Judith weighed 200 lbs. "Woah baby girl! You're getting too big for mama!" Michonne exclaimed. Judith just laughed hysterically. This was their daily morning routine and Judith couldn't get enough of Michonne's antics.

Michonne quickly checked on Joy who was still sleeping, before carrying Judith downstairs. Carl was sitting on the couch, reading a book he had borrowed from the Kingdom's library. Since the Kingdom was situated in a school it was the only one of the three communities that had a library and textbooks for kids to learn from.

"Good morning Carl" Michonne called making her way to the kitchen. "Hey mom" he called not looking up. "What are you doing today?" She asked him as she prepared some yogurt for Judith.

"I'm gonna hold a sharp shooting class for the kids 13 and up in a few minutes, and then dad said he wanted me to go with him to meet with Ezekiel and some of the leaders from the Kingdom. And then Enid and I were gonna... hang out" Carl said quickly.

Michonne smiled to herself when Carl brought up Enid. Carl and Enid had been an official couple for 8 months now, and during their free time they were practically inseparable. Both of them were contributing members of the community, Carl took the role of training newbies and children to use weapons safely, and Enid was a medical apprentice for Winston, the community's resident nurse. They were practically adults, with jobs, and Michonne didn't know at what point in this world someone stopped being a child and became one of the adults. Carl had been towing this line for a long time now, and Michonne was pretty sure he'd completely left his childhood behind.

"What does 'hanging out' consist of?" Michonne asked Carl playfully. She knew it wasn't as innocent as it seemed. She had once accidentally caught Carl and Enid in the middle of a serious make out session, and made Rick talk to Carl. Rick had been astonished to learn that Carl was maturer than expected, and he had assured his father that he and Enid weren't having sex, and if they did he would be sure to use condoms to not get her pregnant. Michonne had laughed when Rick told her that, and she completely trusted that Carl would keep his word.

"Talking and stuff..." Carl mumbled, his face turning slightly red. He knew he couldn't lie to Michonne, but he could be as vague as possible.

"What are you doing today?" Carl asked trying to change the conversation.

"Um..." Michonne paused. She didn't know how Carl would feel about her going outside the gates with his sister. "I'm gonna go for a quick walk" she said.

Carl stood in front of her and crossed his arms. He knew she was keeping something from him. "Spill" he demanded.

Michonne rolled her eyes at him and sat down, stalling by bringing spoonfuls of yogurt to Judith's mouth.

"I'm going to go for a walk outside the walls, and I need to bring Joy with me" she said, not looking at him.

"What!" Carl shouted. Michonne shot him a look, "bring your voice down, Joy is still sleeping". Carl quickly nodded and sat down in front of Michonne.

"You can't go out there with a baby! You haven't been out there in months and you need to practice with your katana first. And what if she wakes up and starts crying? Why are you doing this Michonne?" Carl said in a yelling whisper.

Michonne closed her eyes and thought. Everything that Carl was saying was right, but she couldn't shake this need to get out. She felt like a trapped animal.

"Carl, I have to. I..." she sighed. "I need to know that I can still do it. I need to know I'm still me."

Carl looked at her and he suddenly understood. He nodded. "Ok, but if you're taking Joy then I'm going too".

Michonne started to open her mouth to tell him no when he cut her off. "I'm going mom. It's my job to protect you and my sister. I'm going with you. I'm going to cancel the training and I'll meet you by the gates in an hour." Without another word Carl got up, kissed Judith on the head, and walked out the front door.

Michonne looked in his direction in amazement, and then a wave of pride washed over her. Her little boy was finally a man.

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Michonne quickly got both girls washed and fed. She then strapped Joy to her back using a piece of fabric, a trick that her own mother taught her when she'd given birth to her son Andre. She figured she'd be able to move better with the baby on her back then on her front, but it also meant she couldn't bring her katana sheath. She'd have to hold her katana during her walk.

Michonne held Judith's hand and then trecked over to Maggie and Glenn's house. Maggie opened the door with baby Hershel on her hip.

"Hey Michonne" she said happily. "Hey Maggie, can you watch Judy for like an hour? I'm just gonna go for a walk with Carl".

"Yea sure" Maggie said. "You leavin' Joy here too?". "No" Michonne said "She's already sleeping and we'll be quick. I know you've got your hands full with Judy and Hershel already" Michonne said, giving Maggie a knowing look. Maggie laughed. Judith loved Hershel and she would point at him and repeat "see the baby" over and over.

Michonne squatted down to look Judith in the eye. "Mama's gonna be back soon ok? Will you be good for Auntie Maggie?". Judith nodded, and Michonne hugged her and kissed her on the top of her head. "Thanks Maggie" Michonne said. "No problem" she replied, closing the door. As Michonne walked off the porch she could hear Maggie yell "Who wants to play hide and seek?" and Judith squeal in delight.

Michonne headed over to the front gates where Carl was already waiting for her.

"I already told Sherry we were going to go straight down the road to Foster lane, walk a quarter mile up to Asher place and then turn around and come back." Carl announced. Michonne couldn't help but laugh. "You know, you are getting very bossy young man." she joked. "I learned from the best!" he shot back laughing, and Michonne playfully swatted at his sheriff's hat.

As they walked up to the gate, Sherry waved. Michonne had met Sherry when Michonne was being held captive by Negan, to keep Alexandria from attacking him. Sherry had been living at Negan's factory, forced to become one of Negan's wives, and she had protected and comforted Michonne during that difficult time. In the months that followed after Negan's execution, Sherry had become a contributing member of Alexandria, and one of Michonne's closest friends.

"How's that precious lil' girl?" Sherry yelled down from her lookout post. "She's sleeping, hopefully she'll stay that way until we get back" Michonne called up to her. "Have fun out there!" Sherry said, as another guard closed the gates behind Michonne and Carl.

Once outside of the gates, Michonne paused and breathed in and out deeply. She felt like she had let out a breath she was holding for a long time. The air felt different out here, cooler, bigger, wild. Carl just watched her in amusement as they began to walk.

"You really couldn't stand it in there could you?" he asked, as they started walking.

"It's not that I couldn't stand it, I just... I need some fresh air. I can't be cooped up in there too long".

"Were you like that before?" Carl asked "Did you always hate being in the house?"

"Actually, I spent a lot of my days indoors before the turn. I was the director of an art gallery." Michonne mused.

Carl looked at Michonne in surprise. "Really? I've always wondered what you used to do. In the prison they used to take bets".

Michonne burst out laughing. "What did they think I did?" She asked.

"Daryl said corrections officer, Hershel guessed gym teacher, dad said a college professor, Glenn and Maggie said a track coach, and there were some other ones I forgot. But no one ever guessed that."

"What did you think?" She asked. " I figured it was something cool, but I never would've guessed a director of an art gallery. That seems so..." Carl just trailed off.

Michonne looked in his direction. "So... What?"

"Like I would imagine an old lady with glasses and a long skirt being an art gallery director".

Michonne laughed again, throwing her head back, almost forgetting that Joy was sleeping on her back. Joy started to stir and Michonne immediately stopped laughing. Carl gently reached over and stroked Joy's hair and she fell asleep again.

They had made it to the end of the road, almost out of the range of the guards on gate duty. As they turned onto the next road, Michonne waved to the people on watch, and they continued on in silence.

"Carl, I'm really glad you came with me" Michonne said, "It's nice to get some time to talk with you... just us".

"Yea" he said. "I guess everyone's been really busy lately..." Carl kept walking, while looking down at the ground. Michonne could tell he was thinking hard about something.

"What is it Carl?" she asked, slightly concerned.

"How old do you think someone has to be to get married?" he asked, still staring at the ground.

Michonne was confused. "Why do you ask?"

"I mean, what age makes you a grown up now a days?" he asked her.

"I don't know Carl" she answered honestly "I was just thinking that this morning. I guess, there isn't really an age anymore. If you can take care of yourself and your family then I guess you're an adult"

"So... I'm an adult?" he asked, still looking at the ground.

"Well, you're 16 now, but I would say you can take care of yourself and your family, so I guess you are".

He nodded, still looking at the ground.

"Carl what is it?" Michonne asked. She could tell he was trying to tell her something.

"I want to marry Enid"

Michonne stopped walking. "You want to get married?" she asked in disbelief.

Carl's face turned a slight shade of red, but he looked up and met her eyes.

"I love Enid. I've loved her for a long time... I know I want to be with her. I know we're really young, but we're adults and... and I don't know how long we'll get to live. And I want her to be my wife" Carl blurted out.

Michonne was shocked. She didn't know how to respond. Carl was right, he was an adult in almost every way except his age. But maybe making someone an adult because of their age was old fashioned now. Some of the older men and women couldn't take care of themselves half as well as Carl could. And she knew that Carl really did love Enid. She decided she wouldn't disrespect him by telling him he was too young, he was old enough to know his own feelings.

"How do you think Enid would react if you proposed to her?" Michonne asked.

Carl seemed relieved that Michonne was willing to have this conversation with him, but then he looked down again. "I've been trying to hint at it a little. I asked her if she could see herself with me forever, and she said yes. She told me she loved me."

Michonne nodded but didn't say anything more.

"Mom, what do you think I should do?" he asked.

Michonne smiled like she did almost every time Carl called her mom. "I think you should talk to your father, and then you should talk to Glenn and Maggie. They're practically Enid's parents, and it's only polite to let them know what you're thinking".

Carl nodded. "I didn't think of that". He paused as a troubling thought went through his head. "What if they say no?" he asked her, looking truly dismayed.

Michonne smiled. "Well, a man does what he has to do to keep his family".

Carl smiled back at her as he understood what she was trying to tell him, and they walked in silence a little longer.

Finally, they reached Asher Place, the road Carl told Sherry they'd turn back around on.

"Well, we made it" Carl said. "Yea, ready to go back home now?" Michonne asked. "Yea, lets go" he replied.

Michonne quickly turned her back to Carl, "how's Joy doing back there?".

"She's still sleeping, but she's drooling on your back" he laughed. "At least she's not peeing, that happened a few times before I figured out how to tie these cloth diapers correctly" Michonne joked.

"Ewwwww" Carl groaned.

They started walking back in the opposite direction.

"So if you got married, where would you and Enid live?" Michonne asked Carl.

He seemed thoughtful. "I really didn't think of that before".

Suddenly, a rustle in the woods made them both freeze. They could hear the crunch of boots coming towards them.

"Run!" Michonne whispered to Carl, and they both sprinted towards the woods on the opposite side of the road.

As soon as they reached the dense cover, five men loudly burst through the woods on to the road.

"Shit I'm hungry" one of them complained "Y'all got any more of them strawberries?".

The other men looked at the complainer in disgust. "Your dumb ass ate all your strawberries instead of rationing like the rest of us. You can fucking starve for all I care" another said.

Michonne was relieved when she realized the men hadn't seen or heard her and Carl. She glanced over at Carl who had his gun up and was staring the men down. Michonne held on to her katana more tightly. Maybe if they just waited here the men would move on.

"I gotta piss" the complainer said. "So go fucking piss somewhere, why d'ya need to announce it?" another man said. To Michonne's horror, the complainer started walking towards where she, Carl, and Joy were hiding. Carl quietly took the safety off his gun, but Michonne signaled him with her eyes to wait. The man still might not see them.

As the man got closer he began to veer off towards a tree a few feet away from Carl. Carl and Michonne stayed deathly still, trying not to break a single branch. The man unzipped his pants and Michonne could hear the trickle of urine as it splashed on the tree. The man peed for quite a while, it seemed like he had been holding it for some time. When he was done, he zipped up his pants and began walking towards the road again. Just as he was clearing the tree line, Joy suddenly woke up, letting out a wail that echoed through the forest.