"Um, ew," Carl gagged from across the kitchen at the sight of Rick and Michonne sharing a kiss. "And that's coming from me while I feed Judith-" he broke off to read the label "-baby squash mush."
"One day Carl," Rick said, ruffling his son's hair. "You will find a girl you like so much that, that will be all you want to do."
Michonne joined in, "And your dad and I will walk in on you all the time, or make you watch Judith, or give you a lot of chores, just so you can't do it, and we know that you're going to do it anyway."
"Yeah, like any girl wants to kiss a kid with one eye."
Rick and Michonne grimaced before Michonne said, "You're a man with battle scars. That's the only reason I like your dad."
"Hey!"
"I'm going to go for a walk with Judith," Carl said. "It's clear you two have something to talk about."
Michonne chuckled as Carl left.
"You seemed to like a lot more about me last night."
"I like a lot more about you all the time. One of the things I like, is your kid. I want to make him feel better."
"I know you're just teasing." He kissed her forehead.
"He loves you."
"I know. I love him very much as well."
Rick wrapped his arms around Michonne and she rested her chin on his shoulder, savoring the warm feeling of his body. "I love you," she whispered.
"What was that babe?"
"I didn't say anything."
They stood, embracing each other for a few minutes, until Michonne turned around. Rick kept an arm wrapped around her waist as she took his forearm and looked at his watch.
"Crap, Maggie's gonna kill me." She broke the embrace, stopped. She turned back around and kissed Rick once before slinging her katana over her shoulder. As she walked to the door, Rick called out, "I love you too, you know."
She looked over her shoulder and smiled, "You knew what I said."
"I just wanted to hear you say it again."
"Later."
She closed the door and Rick was speechless. He sat down on the couch, and started to think about how when he first met her, he shoved a finger in her bullet wound to hurt her. Now, he was settled into domesticity, sharing comfortable silence, raising his kids with her, kissing her, telling her he loved her, waiting for her to come back.
Rick was startled when he heard the door open and he relaxed when he saw Carl enter with Judith on his hip.
"Hey son," he greeted them, standing up to take Judith from him. He held her up and cooed in her face. She giggled and Rick blew a raspberry on her little belly. He saw Carl crack a smile out of the corner of his eye.
"I can't get over how fascinated everyone is by her."
"She's the first one they've seen in a while and you know that."
"Still."
"I know, I know. So, how's Enid?"
"I wouldn't know, since she hates me right now."
"What'd you do?"
"Well, I may have locked her in a closet before we went to find Negan."
Rick put Judith down on the floor, and placed both of his hands on Carl's shoulders, "Carl, that upsets girls. I know you haven't been around some in a while but, come on, use your brain."
"Well, she was gonna follow us, it was the only way to stop her from leaving the walls."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Rick answered, taking his hands off of his son. "That's very unfortunate."
"You're telling me," Carl muttered.
"Give her time, she'll come around."
"You're acting like she's my girlfriend."
"She will be."
"Why do you think that?"
"I've seen you two together. I know things Carl. You forget how much older I am than you." Rick cleared his throat and said, "Did we have- There's a conversation- You know that you are probably getting to having-"
"I'm not having sex with Enid, Dad."
"I know, but-"
"Nothing to talk about," Carl said to the floor.
"It's just, there's precautions-"
"You act as though I've never seen the condoms that Maggie and Glenn have in their bathroom."
"Carl."
"Dad."
"Just, let me know, if you're thinking-"
"I will do anything you want if it helps end this conversation."
"Just talk to me. I'm going to tell you not to do it, but I don't want you to think you're hiding everything."
"Okay, are we done?"
"Yes," Rick nodded.
"So, you and Michonne?" Carl asked.
"Go away," Rick chuckled. "You're the kid, I'm the parent."
"Wait, Dad, I have a serious question."
"Come on, let's go into the kitchen," Rick suggested, and bent down to scoop up Judith before following Carl into the kitchen where they sat down at the table.
"Am I supposed to call Michonne 'Mom'?" Carl asked, looking at the nick in the center of the table.
"Not if you don't want to."
"I just think, that Judith is probably going to call her Mom, since she didn't know our mom."
"You might be right, but, you and Judith don't have to do the same thing."
"Would Michonne be upset if I didn't call her Mom."
"She would be upset if you did something you weren't comfortable with. I would be upset too."
"Thanks, Dad."
"So?"
"I don't want to call her Mom."
"I understand. It's different for you and Judith. Like you said, Judith didn't know Lori- I mean your mom."
"I have another question."
"Shoot."
"If Mom were alive, would you still be with her?"
"I don't know. Things were getting better. You know that at the prison, I missed her a lot, and I imagined a lot of things, which tells me I still loved her, but I don't know Carl, I really don't."
"I get it. I was just wondering."
"I know, and I'm glad that you asked."
"Aww, isn't this cute?" Michonne said, leaning in the doorframe. Carl jumped, blushing bright red. Rick shook his head at her, "You are way too quiet. We gotta get you a bell or something."
"Shush," Michonne said. Her attention turned to Carl, "You don't have to call me Mom. I don't expect you to at all. I don't want to take away your mom from you, because from my understanding, she was a lovely woman."
"Except for sleeping with Shane," Carl muttered.
Michonne and Rick exchanged a look before Rick drew in a breath, "You know about that?"
"It was hard not to. I didn't get it then, but I do now, and with Daryl making comments about "little Shane" after she was born, it makes sense."
"Carl, your mom thought-"
"You were dead, I know."
"She did what she thought she needed to move on. After she knew I was back, she was faithful, and she helped us, you know that. Your mother was a good person Carl."
"I wish I'd had the chance to meet her. She might have stopped this idiot from shoving a finger in the bullet wound in my leg," Michonne said. She sat down next to Carl and said, "I'm not replacing her and I'm still your friend. We're still going to share candy bars, and joke around and talk at night and go on watch together."
Judith babbled from Rick's lap and Michonne smiled. "When Judith is older, we can explain to her what happened, and if you don't want her to, she won't call me Mom."
"I got a mom from Lori, and I got friend from you. It's not fair for her not to have a mom."
"That's very mature."
"I have to be, don't I?"
"Well, it would be weird if you threw a temper tantrum right now."
Carl smiled a little bit.
"I guess it doesn't matter what we call each other, as long as we love each other," Carl said. "I'm sorry I made such a big deal over this. It's stupid really."
"It's not stupid," Rick and Michonne answered together.