Hello, readers! Here's another one-shot for you guys. I know it's not the holidays yet, but I just wanted to put this up for you guys - It's been a while.

I don't own TWD... still, I hope you enjoy it!

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Christmas in the Apocalypse

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The rare southern snowfall manifested itself and accumulated over the past couple of days. Carl and Judith enjoyed playing in the white powder yesterday; it made Carl smile to see his sister go slightly cross-eyed as she watched a snowflake fall down onto her little nose. Michonne appreciated it for the beautiful quiet it always brought. Most were thankful for it because the cold markedly slowed the walkers down. For now, the group stayed in a small neighborhood that was never fully developed. It was almost ideal. They were near an, admittedly dinky, little strip mall and a couple other seemingly empty neighborhoods. There was a small clinic a little further out, as well. The lack of built houses in the neighborhood gave them good sightlines for any impending threats.

The group was gathered in one of the six houses there to celebrate together, not having been able to do that since… ever. They couldn't even really have Christmas at the prison; growing pains of having so many people and lack of sufficient food at times made it nearly impossible to do. But now the group was smaller, which would make it easier to do. Carl pitched the idea after he and Michonne went to snoop around in the attic for comic books.

Daryl managed to find a couple of chickens living in an abandoned garage nearby and dragged them back to the house, along with a few bottles of wine and a couple of bottles of soda. Glenn and Sasha managed to find a bag of dried cranberries, a couple of boxes of instant stuffing, mashed potatoes and wild rice at a dive diner in the strip mall, also finding yet another polaroid camera in one of the staff lockers. Maggie and Carol went to some of the other houses in one of the other nearby neighborhoods and found some toys, clothes, and other things to wrap up as presents. When they came back, preparations went underway.

"This some bullshit." Daryl grumbled. He shot a look over at Glenn as he stifled his laughter. "Why I gotta be a damn elf?"

"Cause you drew a short straw, like I did." Sasha called from outside the room. "Just be glad you're not Santa."

"I'm… sorry." Glenn snickered as he looked at the archer. "If it helps, the long hair makes the pointy ears more believable." He teased. "And there are books with elven archers…."

"Like hell, you tryin' to help." Daryl scoffed as he roughly pulled the green felt hat on, which made Glenn laugh even more. "Smart-ass."

"Now… there are innocent ears around." Maggie said, joining in on the teasing. "Besides, it's Judith's first real Christmas… she's gotta know what it's like." Maggie smirked as she pulled a half used spool of curling ribbon she found in a junk drawer. "Should be enough for the presents, if I measure it right." She sighed and prattled.

"At least they don't have curly shoes and horrible elf clothes to force us into." Sasha sighed as she looked the pointy ears she had to wear in the mirror of the bathroom just across the hall. "Who would have thought the people that lived here had this stuff?" she added, placing her green and red striped hat on her head. She pouted a little when barely able to see with the over-sized hat practically swallowing her entire head.

"Carl and Michonne found it all in the attic." Maggie answered "Holidays must've been a big deal in this house… even had fake mistletoe."

Maggie smirked when she recalled Daryl and Tyreese passing under one of the archways adorned with mistletoe and glancing at each other before simultaneously shaking their heads , saying 'no' and continuing on their separate ways.


Meanwhile, Rick and Michonne hung the fake mistletoe in the second entryway to the dining room. The sheriff had the most boyish of grins on his face as he held her steady by her thighs while she stood on a chair to tape the mistletoe up. His smile had only widened when Michonne looked down at him and met his eyes with a gentle smile of her own. Their gaze stayed locked onto each other as his hands slid up to her waist to help her down.

"That's the last one." Rick sighed, giving a little smile as his eyes stayed on Michonne.

"It's been a long time since any of us did something like this." Michonne said quietly. "I've never seen Carl smile so much."

"You were the first to say you were on board with the idea this morning." Rick said "Carl hangs on to your every word. I think knowing that you were all for it made him happy. He adores you."

It was silent as they found each other's eyes again. Getting lost in the depths of them. His smile softened a bit as he gently placed a couple of her wayward locs behind her ear, allowing his thumb to run along her cheek caressingly.

"Can't say I blame him…." Rick murmured.

"He's an amazing kid with a great role model in his life." Michonne said, earning a slightly broadened grin from Rick as he held her closer to him, hugging her just a little tighter.

He placed a lingering kiss on her forehead before resting his own against hers and peering deeply into her eyes. Their bodies absently swayed slowly, back and forth, as if to soft music that only they could hear. His eyes stayed on her as his hand smoothed down her shoulder. Michonne was nothing short of amazing. His kids loved her and she was fiercely protective of them and him, just as he is of them and her. They just got each other; she understood the heaviness of the responsibilities that fell on him. She voiced her opinions, but always supported him. She was there at some of his lowest points and reminded him that he was the one everyone counted on, that they would follow. Having her right beside him made it so much easier to carry that weight. Michonne was everything to him and Carl and little Judith.

"Our family needs you, 'Chonne." Rick started "You've given me, Carl and Judith so much… but I need to ask one more thang of you." his voice softened even more as he continued to gaze lovingly upon her.

"What's that?" Michonne inquired, matching the gentleness of Rick's voice. She chuckled when his boyish grin started to come back.

He placed a gentle kiss to her soft lips, nipping them gently. He loved how they just melted into one another when they touched. He craved the way she breathed into him and left him breathless at the same time with every kiss. She made him happy, and he never failed to tell her as much; it made him light as air whenever she told him the same.

"… I need to ask you… to be my wife." Rick finally answered. His smile broadened when he saw her slightly stunned, speechless expression. ". I want you to marry me… Will you officially complete our family, Mrs. Grimes? "

Carl and Maggie quietly looked on from their "hiding spot" in the hall, Carl looking as if his next breath depended on Michonne's answer. Maggie almost brought her hand to her mouth as a silent gasp left her before she smiled a little. Daryl, who was further down the hall and leaning against the wall as he wiped off an arrowhead he found in one of the rooms, smiled to himself when he heard Michonne say yes to Rick.

Maggie and the others quietly walked away just as the two shared a kiss. It was nice to see Rick and Michonne happy, Maggie felt. None of them were strangers to hard times and losing people they cared about. But to find happiness, was a miracle in this world. Michonne and Rick were a couple of people that more than deserved it and she was glad they found it in each other.


Later in the day, Carol and Bob had the house filled with delicious aromas of meat roasting, savory herbs and a sweet potatoes dusted with sugar and cinnamon and a cherry-apple crumble that Michonne made with a couple of cans of pie filling and some oatmeal hiding in the cupboard. Rick found himself hanging the last of the ornaments on the fake tree Carl and Michonne found in the attic of the house, along with the other decorations and parts of costumes they found up there earlier in the day.

He couldn't help but smile to himself as he took a gander over his shoulder of Carl kneeling on the floor as Michonne held Judith's hands, guiding the munchkin as she moved her little wobbly legs with determination as she attempted to walk over to her brother.

"C'mon, Judith." Carl encouraged, beaming as he saw his baby sister place one foot ahead of the other. The sound of her babbling made him chuckle a bit.

"Look at you, Judy." Michonne spoke in a soft voice with a smile "You're doing so well."

As Rick chuckled and made his way over to Carl, Judith and Michonne, he felt a warmth rise within him. Seeing his family and friends so happy did his heart good. The sheriff gently slid his hand across her upper back, wrapping his arm around Michonne's shoulders as Carl hugged Judith and praised her for her accomplishment.

"She's growin' up so fast." Rick sighed and smiled as he placed his free hand in his pocket. "It's like she shoots up every time I blink."

"Yeah…" Michonne nodded as she rested her arm around the back of his waist. "It'll seem like only yesterday they were so tiny and dependent on you… they grow fast."

Rick noticed the slightly saddened expression that started to form on her face before she snapped herself back in time for Carl to look up and smile at them. He knew that her mind drifted to Andre. He knew how much she missed him, sometimes muttering his name in her sleep. Deep down, Rick wished there was something he could do to make that hurt all right; all he could do was hug her a little tighter and be there for her.

"Hey, Dad." Carl called "Can I give Michonne's present?" he asked.

"Yeah, of course." Rick smiled.

Carl beamed and darted toward the tree, looking for the one with Michonne's name written on it, Judith crawling up to him and darting her eyes back and forth as she watched him search underneath the tree. Carl's smile broadened when he found it and he popped up from the floor and walked back over to Michonne.

"It was a lucky find." Carl said. "I hope you like it."

Michonne smiled and thanked Carl as she carefully opened the package to reveal a warm, blue scarf with a sewn-on decal of a cat made from patches of bright, colorful fabric at one end. The katana wielder grinned. Carl knew how much she loved that sculpture and thought it would be a nice gift the moment he found it. Michonne pulled Carl into a hug, telling him how much she loved the gift.

"Thanks, Carl." Michonne she said warmly. "I don't know if I can wear it on the run your father and I are going on tomorrow… I wouldn't want to ruin it with walker muck."

"Too damn gorgeous?" Carl smirked before his father gently warned him about language.

"It's beautiful." Michonne grinned back.

Carl was so glad that Michonne liked his gift and hugged her tightly. Rick couldn't help but to feel light in this moment. Everything was going right, everyone had smiles on their faces – even Tyreese, who had to dress in full Santa costume, much to Judith's delight. Rick and Michonne sat on the couch as Carl, Judith and some of the others opened their gifts. The sheriff put his arm around his bride and they snuggled up together and watched as everyone was enjoying themselves.


That evening, everyone sat at the table to eat with smiles and chatter. Daryl was still a bit grumpy about having to wear the elf ears and hat, but started to get into it a little as Lil' Asskicker seemed to have a giggle over seeing Daryl and Sasha in their elf getups.

Carl just looked around the table and saw so much happiness. His dad and Michonne sitting together, Judith set on Rick's knee as Michonne fed her a small spoonful of mashed potato. Glenn hugging an arm around Maggie as she talked about a frilly pastel purple baby Easter dress she found in one of the closets as she rubbed the beginnings of her baby bump. The young man cleared his throat, holding his glass of sparkling grape juice in hand.

"I'm… I'm really glad that we were all able to find each other after what happened at the prison." Carl said, feeling a little nervous now that all eyes were on him – the only exception being Judith who was babbling quietly and completely fascinated with the piece of macaroni that she grabbed from her father's plate and squished between her fingers.

"I just wanted to say that… though we went through hell-erm... I mean… a lot." He said, knowing how his father felt about language. There were soft chuckles around the room. "We're still here. We're stronger and closer now than we'd ever been…. I'm really glad I can call you all family." He continued. "I was a little nervous bringing up the idea of celebrating Christmas this year. I thought maybe no one would want to do something like that."

Everyone around the table either smiled or nodded. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his father smiling and Michonne looking at him with kind eyes. He saw Maggie and Glenn snuggle a little closer together. The boy noticed Bob and Sasha steal a glance across the table and Carol's grin as she listened. He missed all the good people that the group lost up to this point, but he was grateful that he still had everyone that was at the table. It was miracle enough that they all found each other, let alone Tyreese and Carol showing up with his precious sister in tow, completely unharmed.

"I really love you guys." Carl said gently "Thanks for letting me be a little selfish today and everyone helping. I just… wanted Judith to experience a real Christmas at least once, y'know?" he said, blushing bright red toward the end, not really knowing what else to say. "To love and family." He blurted out and raised his glass slightly.

"To love and family." Everyone around the table said with smiles and applauding Carl's speech.

"To love and family…" Michonne said quietly as she looked over at a smiling Rick.


Later that night, the group dispersed into the four other nearby houses to turn in for the remainder of the night. Carl had gone upstairs in the main house to get some sleep after stuffing his face. Rick walked into the master with a warm bottle of formula and smiled broadly when he saw Michonne sitting on the bed with Judith, reading a copy of a children's book to the baby as she sputtered and warbled, sweeping her tiny hand through the locks of Michonne's hair and giggling to herself.

"Story time's a little lively tonight." Rick teased as he knelt down beside Michonne. ""Green Eggs and Ham" is a good book, Judith… I never met a kid who wasn't into Dr. Seuss."

"She seemed to like "Harold and the Purple Crayon" a little more." She joked back.

"Yeah?" Rick smirked a little as he moved to sit beside Michonne "Well, I think Judith's more interested in you than in green eggs or purple crayons, Mrs. Grimes."

Michonne gave Rick a knowing smirk and he kissed her cheek and looked back at Judith with a smile as she kept playing with the samurai's hair.

"Mmmm…. Mmmmmmppphhbt-muh…" Judith babbled as she managed to take hold of three of Michonne's locks.

Michonne chuckled and carefully removed her hair from the baby's hand the moment she saw the child was about to satisfy a curiosity by putting the ends of the locks in her mouth and offered her a bottle in place of it. Judith only managed half of the bottle before nodding off to sleep. Rick offered to take Judith to her room the next door down from them and set her in the crib. When he returned, he saw Michonne looking out of the window with this look of serenity on her face. Quietly, he sat next to her looking up at the sky. It was the first time in four days that they saw the sky after all the snow. The stars and moon just looked so much brighter and the snow gleamed as it bathed in the lunar light.

"This is the first time I didn't see the cogs turnin' in your head, 'Chonne." Rick said playfully, which got him a playful nudge as Michonne chuckled a little.

"I don't think we've had this many days where we just… we're living." Michonne said "Four days and we barely had to deal with walkers or marauders…. We were just here…. being. Carl had a great idea."

"I haven't seen everyone that happy in a long time." Rick agreed "If it stays somethin' like this, I'm hopin' we could stay for a while… maybe the whole winter." he suggested. "It would be nice to keep Judith and Carl from travelin' in the cold."

"This could be home, for a while." Michonne responded. "It can be home."

Rick nodded and took hold of her hand before placing a kiss on her smooth shoulder, bared from where her cardigan slipped off. This place could really become home for them. They knew that it wouldn't always be this peaceful, but they could take advantage of what they have and the group would do what they could to protect the area. For now, they didn't have to think about any of that. for now, they could do as Michonne said and just be.

Michonne noticed a bit of a grin play on Rick's firm lips and she raised an eyebrow slightly.

"I have a confession to make." Rick said "There was something I wasn't… entirely honest about."

"Oh? And what was that?" Michonne inquired.

"What I said about that bit of mistletoe we hung up bein' the last bundle?" Rick mentioned. "That wasn't really true."

Her eyes followed his hand as he reached into his sweater pocket and pulled out a bundle of the fake mistletoe they'd hung up that morning. Michonne chuckled and shook her head as she watched him take a piece of tape and stick the bundle of mistletoe on the headboard of the bed.

"You're in trouble." Michonne laughed quietly as she climbed into bed.

"Big trouble?" Rick smirked, growing to a grin when Michonne playfully pushed him down onto the bed.

"Yes, very big trouble." Michonne purred as she leaned down to him and kissed his lips.

Rick deepened the kiss as he cupped a hand against her cheek as the other wrapped around her waist. Whatever his "punishment", he was more than willing to "pay for his crime."