3 – Family Business

Michonne was enjoying a casual stroll home after her most eventful evening on duty to date. Deanna's younger son, Aiden, had gotten "trapped" in the guard tower after discovering it was surrounded by about a dozen walkers, and proceeded to freak out. Carol happened to be passing by at the time, so Michonne enlisted her help and they were able to dispatch the small herd in a matter of minutes.

Other than that, her day had been fairly low key, which she was fine with. That was, until she ran into Pete on her way towards her house. Much by her own design, she hadn't seen him since the awkward end to their dinner several nights prior, and she had been hoping to keep it that way. He clearly had other plans, however.

"Well hello there," he approached her with a big smile on his face.

Her hand instinctively went to grab the handle of her sword, only to be reminded that she didn't have it with her. She had nothing. She silently cursed Deanna and her ridiculous rules as she avoided eye contact with him. "Hello," she answered him flatly, begrudgingly.

"Haven't seen you around all week," he noted, somehow oblivious to her distaste for him. "Everything been going okay?"

"Fine."

"Listen," he shook his head, moving in closer to her. When she instantly retreated, he stopped short. "I know I wasn't on my best behavior the other night, and I probably said some things I shouldn't have…"

Michonne glared at him, then up the street, towards her house. She was still about a block away, but she wanted nothing more than to make a run for it. She would never forget how creepy she found him, especially after offering to examine her.

"I'm saying I'm sorry here," he chuckled when she didn't respond. "I'm a shit when I'm drunk. And you're just so…"

He actually made her skin crawl. Even when attempting to be contrite, he just came off as creepy. He reminded her of Gorman. "Keep walking, Pete," she instructed sternly.

He laughed again, confused. "What?"

"You should keep walking."

"Michonne, I'm s-."

When it became clear that he wasn't going to stop trying to engage with her, she decided to walk off herself, leaving him looking back at her stupefied. She let out a quiet sigh of relief that he didn't try to follow as she continued to her home. She walked through the door just as darkness officially fell over their little community. And as she pulled off her jacket, she noticed Rick and Sasha sitting at the kitchen table, looking back at her.

"Hey," she smiled at them uneasily, somewhat surprised by their guest. She was really hoping to come home and just fall into Rick's arms.

"Hey, 'Chonne," Rick greeted her first. Even from a few feet away, he could detect the odd look on her face and the unease in her voice. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," she sighed again, coming to join them. She softly patted Sasha's shoulder before going to Rick for her welcome home kiss – a quick, but much needed peck on the lips. "What are you two in here talking about?" She took a seat at the head of the table as she waited for their reply.

"I just wanted to see what Rick thought about this recruiter job Aaron offered Daryl," Sasha revealed, tiredly rubbing at her face. "He's supposed to give him an answer tomorrow, and we still don't know what to do."

"I told her I don't like the idea of Daryl leavin'. And especially not once she gets further along," Rick submitted. "But… given everything I know about Daryl, it's probably best if he's not cooped up here for too long."

While Michonne agreed with that, she didn't feel comfortable weighing in on something she hadn't been asked about, so she simply nodded. "What do you want him to do?" she questioned Sasha.

"Well I obviously want him here with me," she chuckled lightly. "But I feel like he'd regret it if he didn't take the job. I mean, what else is he gonna do? Construction with Ty and Abraham?"

"He could," Rick offered with a shrug. "I don't think that's what's best for him, but… he could."

"Well, I want what's best for him."

Michonne so badly wanted to ask if that was at the expense of what was best for herself. But again, she refrained. She and Sasha weren't as close as Rick and Sasha, and she didn't want to step on any toes. Maybe she would talk to Daryl about it.

"What are you over there thinkin' about," Rick wondered, cutting into her thoughts. He had already noticed that she seemed preoccupied with something, and it didn't seem to be going away. "Everything go okay today?"

She was reluctant to bring up Pete in their home again. They hadn't discussed him since their dinner on Sunday, and she appreciated that Rick hadn't pressed her on it. But she knew the second she brought him up now, it would officially be a 'thing.' "I think I'm just tired," she nodded.

Sasha gazed at her curiously, as it was obvious that she was lying. 'Tired' was the line everyone used when they were avoiding something. "You sure?"

Rick looked his wife up and down, studying her face and the frown she was trying to suppress. He noted her body language and the way she wouldn't look at him, but kept her eyes focused on her fingers, gliding along the edge of the table. "Michonne, tell me."

She laughed in spite of herself, amused by his ability to read her to a tee. "Have you had any interaction with Pete Anderson?" she asked Sasha.

"No," she frowned, shaking her head. "Nothing more than in passing at the pantry."

"What did he do?" Rick asked as calmly as he could. But it was obvious the tension on his face was mounting.

"He didn't do anything," she promised him once again. "It's just a vibe I get. He's said some things he shouldn't have said, but… maybe I'm—"

"Like what?" he demanded, his jaw clenched.

"I don't even know," she shook her head. "That's not the point."

"You just don't like him?" Sasha pressed.

"Yeah, he just… he gives me that same feeling I got from Gorman," she admitted, looking to her husband. Only he knew who that was, and what that meant. "And I don't know if that's fair," she went on, just as Rick got up and began pacing the room, "but I can't shake that feeling."

"And who's Gorman?"

"One of the officers at Grady," she answered simply. She would leave out the part where she ripped out his throat with her bare teeth. "Rick, please sit down."

"We're gettin' our guns back," he said matter-of-factly, still pacing; his boots pounding against their wooden floor. "We're not doin' this again."

"Rick…" Sasha sighed as well.

"I don't care," he went on. "We saw what happened the last time you didn't have a weapon on you. I don't care if I have one, but you need to be armed," he said seriously. "You too, Sasha."

"Deanna's not gonna let us-."

"Fuck Deanna," he spat back. He concocted a plan and spoke it into existence as quickly as his brain would allow. "I'll raid the armory tonight. No, tomorrow night," he corrected himself. "Olivia closes up the pantry at nine on Saturdays, right?"

"Yeah… but you leave room for more witnesses if you go in that early," Michonne frowned. "We should wait until midnight; maybe even later than that."

Rick nodded, glad to know that his lady was instantly on board. "So tomorrow afternoon sometime, I'll need you two to go to the pantry. One of you distract Olivia while the other unlocks the window."

"You two are crazy," Sasha shook her head at their actual plan for a B & E. "And I can't show up at the pantry again tomorrow, or Olivia is gonna think I'm a hoarder."

"Well she's one, so it wouldn't matter much," Michonne joked. "And isn't Carol hosting a get-together on Sunday?" she realized. "It would make sense that you're hoarding food. We'll just say I'm there to help you carry it back."

Sasha could only roll her eyes, realizing that she had already gotten caught in Rick and Michonne's grimy little web. And with a sigh, she conceded that she was in this with them now. "All right, so after we unlock the window, what time does Rick go in?"


Nearly an hour later, once the plan for the armory raid was fully concocted, Michonne trudged up the stairs to retire for the night. Rick wouldn't be too far behind, once he put away the last remaining dishes. So while she waited, she headed into the kids' rooms to check on them, just as she had every night since they arrived.

Carl's was the first on the right as she came up the steps, so she went to him first, amused to see him sprawled across his bed, snoring loudly, like an absolute teenager. He had obviously fallen asleep reading some comic book about wolves, so she picked up the open book from the floor, careful not to lose his place, and sat it face down on his dresser. She couldn't help but watch him for a moment. It was astonishing to her sometimes, how much he had grown in the time she'd known him. He was so adult in so many ways, it made her happy to have moments like this, where she could steal a glimpse of the kid she met a year ago. In some ways, he would always be that kid to her, even as he transformed into this man before her very eyes. So she would cherish those moments, holding onto them tightly before they were all gone.

With a wistful sigh, Michonne continued back across the landing, towards Judith's room, surprised to walk in and find the toddler standing in her crib, as if she'd been waiting for a visitor to appear. She had a mischievous grin on her little face, with her finger hanging out of her mouth.

"What are you doing up," Michonne whispered, walking over to her with a shocked smile. "What are you doing up, Cutie?"

Judith responded with a long string of nonsensical words, as she often did, and then giggled at herself. She held her hands out, signifying that she wanted Michonne to pick her up, and she did so in one rapid sweep. Judith instantly grabbed one of her dreads and attempted to pull it into her mouth.

"Listen," Michonne laughed, taking her hair back. "We are not doing this tonight." She began to feel her diaper for wetness, relieved to find that she was dry as a bone. That, of course, did nothing to explain why she was wide-awake at a time she was normally dead to the world, whether she had a bed to sleep in or not. "Are you hungry?" she wondered out loud. Rick wouldn't have put her to bed without feeding her, but figured it wouldn't hurt to see if she wanted something.

The two of them padded downstairs, finding Rick was already gone, and Michonne opened the refrigerator to see what she could do for the baby girl. There wasn't much in the way of quick snacks, so she pulled the peanut butter from the top shelf, shaking her head at the fact that Rick insisted on keeping it there like some kind of savage. "How about a PB sandwich?" she offered, knowing the baby wouldn't answer as she grabbed the bread from their pantry, along with a plate. "I wish we had some bananas."

Judith watched every move Michonne made, attempting to repeat the word "bananas" as she stuffed her fingers in her mouth in amusement.

"Yes," Michonne quietly cooed. "Bananas." She sat the baby on the kitchen counter next to their plate, grabbed a butter knife, and got to work on making them a quick one-sided peanut butter sandwich. She cut a small piece for Judy to work on, and a bigger one for herself, knowing that Judith was very serious about sharing. "Here," she offered her piece, watching with a smile as her little fingers folded the bread into her mouth and she began to suck on it. "That's disgusting," Michonne chuckled. She took a bite of her own makeshift sandwich, thoroughly enjoying their late night snack.

Judith's face contorted as she smacked her gums and little teeth together over the sticky substance. "Mmmm," she babbled up at Michonne.

She couldn't help but smile back at her animated little face as she repeated her. "Mmmm." She gave her kiss on the nose, mimicking the smacking sound she was making. "Mmmmuah."

Judith covered her face with her tiny peanut butter-covered hand, followed by an adorable giggle. She continued to speak in words Michonne didn't understand while kicking her legs against the counter. Michonne simply watched her as she finished her half of their sandwich.

"You two are adorable," Rick commented from the entryway to the kitchen, beaming from ear to ear as he observed them.

Michonne looked up, startled, while Judith turned her entire body to the sound of her father's voice. "I thought you went up to bed," Michonne grinned back at him.

"Just lockin' up," he confirmed, walking towards the two of them. "I thought I put you to bed hours ago," he whispered to Judith.

"I went in to make sure she was okay," she explained, "and she was standing in her crib, in the dark, as if she was waiting on me to come in."

Judy was still giggling at her own antics as she held out what was left of her soggy bread, handing it to her dad. "Oh, okay," he chuckled, taking it into his palm.

Michonne gave her the other half of her half, both of them watching her go to town on it. As excited as she was to have another little one running around, she really enjoyed Judith more than words could say. The two of them had become inseparable on the way to Washington, and it was only becoming truer as they got more comfortable at Alexandria.

"I love you, Cutie," Michonne told her genuinely. She wiped at the peanut butter on her face and then looked to Rick, seemingly enthralled with his daughter, and it was right there, in that moment, that she understood what happiness looked like after everything they'd been through. This was it. She was happy. "I love you, too," she added, wiping the remnants of peanut butter over Rick's lips.

He took that opportunity to kiss her, leaving the confection on her cheek now. "And I love you."


Rick, Michonne, and Sasha's plan to steal guns from the armory had gone off without a hitch. Saturday afternoon, Michonne and Sasha went over to the pantry to do their version of grocery shopping; Michonne unlocked the window to the pantry, while Sasha and Olivia discussed wild boar and bread-making. Then later that night, at the end of his shift, Rick stopped by the pantry to steal back his Python, along with a couple of smaller handguns for Michonne and Sasha. They decided to keep the numbers low, so as not to arouse suspicions, but he really, really wanted to take all their weapons back. Deanna just seemed so oblivious to the threats surrounding them. But for now, he would take three and hoped it would suffice.

He walked into his home at somewhere close to midnight, surprised to find Sasha and Daryl asleep on one of his couches as if they lived there. He quietly tiptoed closer, finding Michonne asleep on the other, with Carl and Judith haphazardly laid across her. He noticed the empty plates and popsicle sticks adorning the coffee table, and he realized he had obviously missed a party.

Ever the light sleeper, Daryl heard Rick's footsteps, and opened his eyes to see his friend searching for blankets. "We're leavin'," Daryl announced quietly, knowing Rick wouldn't have woken them otherwise. "You ain't gotta do all that."

"Nonsense," Rick declined in a whisper, his eyes falling to Sasha. "She's knocked out." He quickly rummaged through the chest built into the cubbyhole at the front door, finding three lightweight blankets for his family. He tossed one to Daryl, then covered Carl with the second, and Michonne and Judith with the other. He left three kisses to the tops of their three heads before heading off to bed.


Rick awoke bright and early the following morning, after a somewhat uncomfortable night in bed alone. He had gotten so used to Michonne being next to him, be it on a bus, the ground, or their bed, his body almost didn't know how to react without her there. He was quick to retreat from his room, hoping that she would be awake when he went downstairs, but instead, found Sasha sitting at his kitchen counter. In his grogginess, he had completely forgotten that she and Daryl spent the night.

"Hey," he greeted her hoarsely, immediately wishing he had thrown on some pants over his boxers.

"Hey," she smirked. She stuffed an apple slice into her mouth, trying not to laugh at Rick's skinny legs. "How'd it go last night?"

"Good," he nodded. He briefly peered into the living room, seeing that there were no signs of life, and then glanced at the clock on their oven. It wasn't even 6:00 yet. "What are you doin' up so early?"

"I was gonna ask you the same thing," she retorted, cracking a smile. "Morning sickness over here."

"It's back?" he frowned. He remembered it waning while they were on the road, so he was surprised to hear that she was experiencing it again.

"Rearing its ugly ass head," she confirmed, taking a few small sips of her water. "We were thinking now would be a good time to tell the rest of the group…"

Rick shifted towards the pantry to find his favorite coffee, but nodded in agreement. "You said you like it here, right?"

"I do," she nodded back. "We do…"

"So then why wouldn't you?"

She smiled ruefully at the fact that it was just so easy for him to adjust to all this. "Because then it's real."

"It was real long before you got here," he turned back to her, his eyebrows raised knowingly. "Consider yourself lucky we found a place where it's okay that it's real."

"I guess you're right," she sighed. She took another bite of her apple as she considered the alternative. "Even if we do have to steal our own guns back to get through the day…"

"Minor complication," he chuckled quietly. "Look at the big picture, Sasha."

"I'm looking at it," she nodded, smiling. "And I like it. That's the scary part. We all got here and signed the papers, not a whole lot of questions asked."

He mulled over her analogy as he poured enough coffee grinds for himself, Michonne, and Daryl. She wasn't wrong. They had walked into Alexandria a bit blindly, trusting that Noah's family being there was testimony enough. And so far, that hadn't led them astray. "Michonne is happier than I've ever seen her," Rick declared quietly, but seriously. Her laughs, her smiles, they were genuine, and frequent. This was exactly what she needed, especially after everything that happened at Grady. "Things aren't perfect here," he admitted. "Deanna is… she needs help. And I don't even know what to think of Pete Anderson. But… she's happy," he gestured towards the living room, where his wife was asleep. "She's safe, and so are my kids. That's all I need to know."

She smiled at him warmly as she took another sip from her glass. "Speaking of Pete, he came by last night…"

Rick immediately felt his face flush, and his grip tightened on the coffee pot as he turned back to Sasha. He wanted to break that man's jaw for showing up at his doorstep when he wasn't home. His jaw clenched as he asked, "What did he want?"

"He was looking for Jessie," she shook her head, confused by it all. "It was weird. I couldn't tell whether he was concerned about her, or mad at her."

"That all he wanted?" he tilted his head combatively.

"That was all he said," she shrugged. "I can see why Michonne doesn't like him, though."

He looked up to the ceiling with a big sigh. He couldn't figure out this guy's angle, and it was driving him crazy. He couldn't kill a man just because he annoyed him, but by god, he wanted to.

He walked out of the kitchen without warning or explanation, and returned a few seconds later with a small satchel in his hands. "Our stash," he offered simply, dropping it to the counter to finish his coffee-making.

"How long do we wait to wake them up?"

"Michonne'll be up soon," Rick knew, taking a seat beside his friend. "If Judy doesn't wake her first."

"Well god knows she gets up early," Sasha joked, remembering all those mornings she heard her crying before the sun even came up.

"We're up, too," Carl announced from the doorway of the kitchen, rubbing at his sleepy blue eyes as Daryl moved past him, quickly followed by Michonne, with Judith still asleep in her arms. "You make a lot of noise, Dad."

"I was tryin' to be quiet," he shrugged, standing to greet his two girls. He took Judy off of Michonne's hands before giving her a quick kiss. "Hey."

"Hey," she yawned.

Daryl claimed Rick's seat as he looked around the large kitchen for signs of actual food. "All that noise and you ain't makin' breakfast?"

"I hadn't gotten to that part yet," Rick chuckled. He draped Judith over his shoulder, holding her steady with one hand, while using the other to open his bag. "Carl, get over here," he instructed. He wanted to make sure that everyone in his family was well aware of what was going on. Once they were all in place around the counter, he carefully pulled out his .357, along with two other 9mm pistols. "This stays between us," he reminded them as he handed Michonne one of the guns. He passed the other to Sasha, knowing she would need it more than Daryl, given that he would be leaving soon. "Keep it hidden. This is a just in case, emergency situation thing."

The two women instinctively checked the clips for bullets before nodding to him. "And don't pull it out if you don't plan to use it," Michonne added. "Once our secret's out, it's out."

"Is there a reason we're doing this?" Carl piped up. "Should I be worried?"

"No," Michonne and Rick answered simultaneously.

"But you should be alert," Rick appended. "We all should. Whether it's walkers or your neighbors, or some other threat we haven't met yet. But when you've got something good," he looked at all four of them, his piercing blue eyes full of fire, "that just means that there's someone who wants to take it."

Rick surprised even himself as Morgan's words came falling from his lips. But those words, that omen, had stuck with him for so long. Likely because it was true, and it had been proven over and over again. If someone wasn't trying to take his home, they came for his family, his woman, his sanity. He had a lot of somethings good now, and he would be damned if anyone took them from him.


A/N: (Please forgive me for any typos - my laptop is being super weird tonight.) Anywho! This was a little more lighthearted, I know, but some very necessary things are being set up as well. Can't wait to hear you guys' thoughts on where this is headed. Of course, if any of you actually guess it, I'm gonna change the whole story, so maybe I don't wanna know, haha. -Ash