Blank Slate

by can08writer

After a head injury, Michonne is left with severe memory loss of her life post-apocalypse. Rick is left with the task of helping Michonne remember the rules of the world they now live in, and the woman she's transformed into. But can Michonne learn how to be a warrior again? And does she want to? Takes place in the zombie apocalypse. A Richonne story.

10. Chapter 10

This chapter is long, but it's the final chapter. I hope you enjoy it and please leave a review at the end!

The next day, after a quickie to celebrate the new morning, Rick and Michonne got Carl awake, and Judith dressed for Daryl's wedding.

The groomsmen consisted of Rick, Carl, and a small boy from Oceanside who was the ringbearer. The bridal party was much larger and consisted of Carol, Maggie, Rosita, Michonne, three Oceanside women including Cyndi who were friends of Lorna, and Judith who was the flower girl.

Carol was an older woman who embraced Michonne warmly and re-introduced herself when they'd met at the bonfire the night before. Michonne's first impression of her was that she was a sweet, caring woman. But Michonne had always been very perceptive, and there was something in Carol's eyes that told Michonne she'd been through some things.

Although Michonne knew she had a long history with these women, she still felt like the odd woman out, smiling politely while they joked about and discussed things that she didn't fully understand. She couldn't help but feel a little awkward, although she appreciated that the women tried their best to include her in the conversation. Judith wasn't uncomfortable at all, thriving from the attention of her many aunts.

"I can't get over how tall you've grown," Carol said, stroking Judith's hair as she sat on her lap.

"I'm up to Daddy's belly now," Judith said proudly, "and guess what? Daddy's gonna get me a pony now 'cuz I'm big."

Michonne gave Judith a look. "He said maybe," Michonne corrected.

"But he's gonna, Aunt Carol," Judith said, ignoring her mother's insertion.

Maggie chuckled and Michonne rolled her eyes saying, "she's been begging for one for a while now."

"Well if your Daddy says yes, I know a pony just the right size for you," Carol said, stroking Judith's hair that Michonne had braided down her back. "She's a little pony named Tinker. Ezekiel and I have had her since she was born, two years ago. She's the perfect size for a little girl."

Judith's eyes lit up, and Michonne knew that now she and Rick would never hear the end of it. Judith looked at Michonne, begging her with her eyes.

"Thanks Carol," Michonne said unenthusiastically.

"Anything to help!" Carol said with an amused glint in her eye.

Just then, Lorna entered the room with Cyndi and the other Oceanside women. Michonne, Carol, Maggie, and Rosita got to their feet and showered praise on her for her beautiful dress.

It was a simple light pink shift dress that came to her knees, with lace arms, that showed off her curves. No one really had fancy clothes anymore, but the special clothes they did have came out only for big events such as weddings. Most of the fancy clothes were made by inexperienced tailors, who were newly re-discovering the art of making clothes. But this dress seemed well made, as if they'd gotten it from an actual dress store.

"I found this dress on a Macy's run five years ago. I just grabbed it, never thinking I'd have cause to wear it. Who'd guess I'd be wearing it to my wedding?" Lorna asked, shaking her head in wonder.

"You look amazing," Maggie beamed.

"Daryl's a lucky guy," Rosita agreed.

"Thank y'all," Lorna said, blushing slightly.

"The guys and all the guests are already at the beach," Cyndi announced. "Are you ready to get married?"

Lorna smiled and held her hand out for Judith to take. "I've never been more ready in my life."

***can08writer***

Daryl and Lorna stood on the beach in front of Father Gabriel, surrounded by friends and family. Everyone was barefoot, and wore their best clothes, which for most consisted of clean shirts, and jeans that didn't have holes in them.

Lorna was the best dressed, as she should've been, but Daryl gave everyone a run for their money by shaving, cutting his hair, and wearing slacks and a button down shirt.

"He surprised the heck outta me," Rick whispered to Michonne. "This is the cleanest I've seen him, ever."

Michonne giggled and playfully elbowed Rick. She hoped he was joking.

Rick slowly ran his fingers down Michonne's arm, and clasped their hands together as they watched Daryl and Lorna face each other to say their vows. Michonne smiled and squeezed his hand back.

Daryl was first.

"You know I ain't that good with this stuff," he said, looking down at the sand. "I ain't one to say all the fancy words people say at weddings… but what I can say is we both've been through some bad shit. Stuff we had to do to survive."

Daryl looked up from the ground and at Lorna. "I've never really had someone to tell all the bad things I been through, before and after. The only person who ever knew about all of it was my brother. And he ain't here. I thought I'd never tell anyone all that stuff. I thought I just had to suck it up and move on. But you showed me I could tell someone. I could rely on someone and trust 'em."

Daryl took a deep breath. "I ain't never loved nobody like I love you Lorna."

Lorna smiled and began her vows.

"In all the horrible things we've both been through, I'm glad we found each other in the middle of it. First time I saw you I didn't like you much to be honest. Thought you were too quiet, too standoffish. But I thought it was cute how you used to just sit across from my house like a stalker… pretending to wait for a bus that would never come or somethin'. I didn't think you'd ever make a move if I didn't come stand in front of you and ask you why you were starin' at me. I'm glad I did though, 'cuz I met the sweetest man I've ever met in my life. You, Daryl Dixon, are quite a man, and I'm lucky to be your wife. But you are damn near blessed to be my husband, so you'd better appreciate it for a long, long, time."

Daryl smiled again, wider this time.

"Yes ma'am," he grumbled, and grasped Lorna's hands tighter.

Father Gabriel had the couple exchange rings, and the wedding was soon over. The ceremony ended with Lorna reaching up, grabbing Daryl by the cheeks, and kissing him passionately on the lips. Daryl seemed slightly taken by surprise, but he responded by wrapping his arms around Lorna, tilting her backwards, and taking control of the kiss. The crowd cheered as the two put their love on full display.

Rick turned to Michonne and saw her smiling, but she had a wistful look on her face.

"You okay?" Rick asked.

"Yea," Michonne said with a smile. "Yea, I'm just… I'm happy for them." Her lip began to tremble.

"Michonne…" Rick began, seeing she was on the verge of tears.

"I am, I am… I just love weddings," she said with a shrug, wiping away her tears. "Stupid hormones."

Rick wrapped an arm around her and kissed her forehead. He knew she loved weddings. He was genuinely surprised at how she'd been almost obsessive about their own, planning, and saving, and decorating for months beforehand. She'd had her dress made by a seamstress, and she'd handmade many of the decorations and centerpieces. He'd joked that she should've been a decorator instead of a lawyer.

He watched her clap while the newlyweds made their way past the guests and towards their house where there were refreshments.

Suddenly, it dawned on him that she didn't remember their wedding, their vows, the decorations that she painstakingly made, and the joy that she had when they'd declared their own love for each other. All of those magical memories they'd made that day, and their honeymoon night, were stored in Michonne's head, but cruelly packaged somewhere she couldn't reach.

Rick began to get emotional when he realized how many beautiful moments they had shared, and how many good times they'd had, that Michonne didn't know about. His eyes welled up with unexpected tears.

Michonne looked up at him amused. "Do you cry at weddings too?" she asked with a laugh.

"No, no I don't," Rick said, wiping at his eyes.

"Yea, 'cuz you are totally not crying at this wedding," she said.

When Rick didn't laugh, Michonne moved closer to him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her own emotions forgotten.

"Nothing… I mean, something, but it's nothing you need to worry about right now."

Michonne's forehead wrinkled. "If something is wrong I do need to worry about it," she demanded. "Rick, don't start hiding things from me. Please."

The other guests began to make their way towards Daryl and Lorna's home as the two talked quietly. Rick nodded to Carl who was escorting Judith back with the others.

"I just was thinking about what you don't remember. The good times we had and made together. Our wedding… you have no memory of one of the most important days of our lives. Seeing you cry over this wedding, it just brought back memories. Memories that you don't share, and its… it's just not fair I guess."

"Oh," Michonne said, immediately looking down.

"I didn't mean to bring down the mood, but that's what I was thinking."

Michonne blinked a few times, and created a slight distance between Rick and herself.

"I'm sure it was beautiful," she said softly. "I know it was. And I wish I could remember. I've always wanted a wedding. I was happy with the arrangement I had with Mike, but if he'd proposed to me I would've said yes immediately. I always imagined I'd have a big dress, and beautiful centerpieces, a fancy venue, and all the things little girls are socialized into wanting. I'm just glad to know that it did happen for me, and it happened with you. That has to be enough for me for now."

Rick gave her a smile, nodded, and held her hand.

"Let's get back to the party shall we, Mrs. Grimes?"

Michonne smiled back. "Yes Mr. Grimes, we shall," she said, laughing at her husband.

Michonne was pleasantly surprised to find that Rick could dance, and on beat too. She didn't know why she'd assumed he couldn't. Maybe it was the flat ass, or the bowled legs. Maybe it was his beat up cowboy boots, or his country accent, but she was impressed and a little turned on when he pulled her away from a conversation with Rosita, wrapped his arm around her waist, and led her to the dance floor, also known as Daryl's front yard.

Rick wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close, swaying side to side on the grass as a battery operated cd player blasted a tune.

"Hmmm, I see you're a man of many hidden talents," she complimented, pressing her cheek against his.

"Baby, you have no idea," Rick murmured, squeezing her waist.

Michonne laughed and kissed Rick's cheek. "Oh, I think I have an idea or two."

Rick chuckled and held her closer. "How are you feeling?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Happy, very happy," she said with a smile. "This place is magical. Can we stay here forever?"

"You like it better than Alexandria?"

"Our house in Alexandria is beautiful, but replacing the smell of horse manure with ocean air will win every time."

"Well, we can come back again."

"Promise?" Michonne asked, giving him a winning smile.

Rick looked at her slyly. "You sound just like Judith."

"Hey, when she's right, she's right," Michonne said with a shrug.

Rick looked around and spotted Carl laughing with Anna, both of whom were sitting on a nearby bench.

"I don't think my plan worked," he said, gesturing at Carl with his head.

"Oh leave them alone," Michonne scolded, slapping Rick on the chest. "Let him have some friends. He's gonna grow up no matter what you do."

Rick sighed. "I know. He already has."

"That's the point, right?" Michonne asked.

Those words made her think of Andre. He never got to grow up. She never got to the point that she had to explain girls, and adulthood, and the more difficult parts of life to him. But Rick was lucky. Carl made it, and Judith made it. The lack of children running around told Michonne that most kids didn't make it. She was content having a child with a man that had raised two others successfully in this world.

"That's the point," Rick agreed. "I'm gonna try to not be that overprotective dad, but it's gonna take some time. Being overprotective is what's got us this far."

Michonne couldn't disagree with that. He was probably right.

Lorna appeared, holding Daryl's hand as she led him from the house. Everyone looked as she turned to him and placed both of his hands on her waist, and she wrapped both of her arms around his neck. They began to dance to a chorus of hollers and cheers.

Daryl's face was a shade of red, but he held on to his new wife, swaying slowly from side to side as she led the dance. Lorna leaned in and gave Daryl a nip on the lips, but Daryl held her more tightly, kissing her deeply.

Rick cheered at his friend, glad to see he was so happy. Lorna seemed to open up Daryl to love, and a part of himself that he usually wasn't comfortable showing. Michonne had done the same for him. Rick understood the transforming power of a good woman.

As everyone watched the pair, Rick felt a tug on his hand. He looked down and saw Judith pulling at him.

"I wanna dance too Daddy. Can we dance?" she asked.

"Of course sweetheart," he said. He held Judith's hands, and she stepped up on the toes of his shoes. Judith beamed and stared at their feet as Rick swayed with her, stepping side to side as she held on, giggling.

Michonne stepped off to the side and watched the pair in complete contentment. She wished she had a camera to capture Judith joyfully smiling and laughing up at her father, her braided blond hair trailing down her back, and Rick's bright smile as he danced with his little girl.

Michonne's hand absentmindedly stroked her abdomen as she watched other couples join in with the dancing. Carol and Ezekiel, Rosita and a man from the Hilltop group, and then she beamed when Carl asked Anna to dance. As he led the girl to where everyone else was dancing, his eyes met Michonne's and she gave him a knowing smile. Carl rolled his eyes and turned away from Michonne to hide his embarrassment, but still he placed one hand on Anna's waist and the other held her hand as he rocked side to side with the beat.

***can08writer***

The caravan stayed at Oceanside for two more days before preparing for the trip back home. The day after the wedding, Anna had taken the family on a tour like she promised. She showed them the places where Oceanside dried and stored their fish reserves, the place where they built boats and canoes to go out in the ocean, and a beach that only the locals really visited, that had a view even more beautiful than the main village.

Rick took a liking to the young girl, and Carl seemed to be awestruck by her knowledge of fishing and surfing. The day after the tour, Carl and Anna went fishing on their own. Judith hung out with her Aunt Carol, giving Michonne and Rick some alone time which they spent naked in the room in their cabin.

"Put your feet up here," Rick told Michonne, patting his lap as she lay before him in the bed.

"Rick, I was just mentioning my feet were a little sore, but I'm fine."

"Put them here," Rick said seriously.

"You don't have to…" Michonne started, but she saw Rick's serious face and slowly propped her bare feet up on his lap. He checked over her feet, gently rubbing them as he scrutinized them.

"Your feet are a little swollen," Rick declared as he massaged her arches.

"Really?" Michonne asked, surprised.

"I think that walking tour yesterday was a little too much. I should've known better. You shouldn't be exerting yourself so much."

"How could you have known better when I didn't?" Michonne asked. "I've never had swollen feet during my pregnancy before. You couldn't have known that was going to happen."

"Lori got swollen feet when she was pregnant with Carl, and with Judith. With Carl I was attentive to her, getting everything she needed, making sure she had her body pillows, and her massages, and all the food for her cravings. But with Judith..."

Rick looked up at the ceiling for a moment as he continued to rub Michonne.

"I was busy doing… things. I was looking for food, and shelter. I was providing security. I was going on runs. I acted like I didn't have time for her, but I did. I just didn't want to be around her. I wanted to punish her for what she did with Shane. I wanted to punish her for looking at me like a monster after what happened with Shane. I was just awful to her. She didn't deserve that. Not while she was pregnant."

Michonne closed her eyes as Rick continued rubbing her feet. "I'm sure she understood you were trying to make things safe. And you were entitled to feel what you did. I couldn't imagine how that was for both of you."

Rick took a breath and opened his eyes again.

"Did you have any complications? When you were pregnant with Andre?" he asked.

"Well, I wouldn't call it complications, but the last few months I was super emotional and horny as hell," Michonne said with a laugh, her eyes still closed.

"Well that's something to look forward to," Rick joked, and Michonne slapped him on the chest with her eyes still closed.

"What? I'm serious. At least about the horny part," he replied.

"Well the horny part wasn't even that fun. I would end up crying during or right after sex for one reason or another. I was a mess. It's not anything I'd look forward to."

Rick finished massaging the bottoms of her feet and slowly inched his way up to her calves.

"What would you cry about?" Rick asked.

"I cried because I thought Mike didn't really love me. I cried because I thought I looked like a cow and his compliments were just him trying to be nice. Once, I fell asleep during sex and cried when I woke up and realized that I'd left him hanging. Like I said, I was a mess. He was so patient with me though. I know I was a little difficult in the last few months."

"He was patient with you because he knew he was lucky to have you," Rick said, leaning down and kissing Michonne's knee. "Any man with half a brain would know that. How long did labor take?"

"Ten long hours. I went into labor at my job actually. I was officially on maternity leave, but there were files from a case that I had to give to my co-worker. I went in to the office to transfer my files to him, and my water broke. Right there in the office."

Rick chuckled. "Of course you worked right up until you went into labor."

"It was so embarrassing though," Michonne said, shaking her head. "He was so nice about it, even though I knew he was panicking. It was just us and he didn't know what to do. He wanted to call 911, but I asked him to call Mike and tell him that he needed to come get me. He even cleaned up the mess I left on the floor, and he apologized over and over, like he did something to make my water break."

Rick continued massaging further up Michonne's legs, reaching her lower thighs. Michonne noticed, but chose to ignore his ascent.

"Was it a natural birth?" Rick asked, his fingers slowly rubbing her inner thighs. Michonne was temporarily distracted by his touch, but she continued.

"Yea. Thank God for epidurals though. I'm terrified how it's gonna go without medication."

"You'll be okay. You'll make it through. We'll do whatever we need to do to keep you comfortable."

"What if I can't take it? What if the pain is too much? I mean, before I got the epidural I felt like I was dying, I can't even imagine going through that for hours on hours."

"You'll be okay," Rick said again, leaning down to kiss her thighs. "I'll be there with you. And we have a midwife, she's delivered 6 babies so far, including Maggie's. And we have Rosita too, okay? We're all here for you, and I'll do whatever I need to do to make sure you're okay."

Michonne relaxed into the bed completely with her eyes closed. "I don't really have a choice, do I?" she asked.

Rick's fingers traveled up to the tops of Michonne's thighs and he lightly massaged, making her relax and ever so slightly move her legs apart.

"Don't worry about that now," Rick said softly. "I want you to enjoy our time alone together."

Michonne snorted and opened her eyes. "And let me guess what you have in mind."

Rick smiled and let his tongue lightly brush Michonne's spot on her inner thighs. Her eyes promptly shut and she bit her lip.

"I'll give you one guess," Rick said.

Michonne smiled and grabbed Rick's hair with her fingers, just before his lips made contact with her sweet center.

"Mmmm" Michonne moaned loudly, and then she quickly placed a hand over her own mouth.

"Don't do that," Rick said, pulling her hands away.

"But Rosita is just next door," Michonne explained.

"She's a grown up. She knows what's going down in here," Rick laughed. "Besides, you don't remember, but she owes us big time for the things I had to overhear between her and Abraham when we were on the road. Believe me, she'll get over it."

Before Michonne could protest, Rick's whole face was between her legs, and any thoughts of quieting herself were gone. His tongue lapping at her slit made her forget everything that was weighing on her mind. Pregnancy, labor, pain, loss, regret, her old life, everything else was less important when she was making love to Rick.

After listening to Michonne's encouraging moans, Rick moved his face up her body towards her abdomen, planting little kisses all over her belly.

"Hey you in there" Rick called, making Michonne open her eyes and laugh. "This is your Daddy speaking. I'm not sure if you have ears yet, but if you do, listen up. I'm gonna have to ask you to not remember any of the things I'm about to do to your Momma in a minute, okay? As a matter of fact, if you can hear I need you to put your hands over your ears for the next 15 minutes or so."

"Only 15 minutes?" Michonne asked, arching her eyebrow.

"Well, I'd say 30, but I don't think you'll last that long," Rick said, lifting the corner of his mouth.

"Oh I can last all night. One of us can have multiple orgasms in a row."

"Let's see if you stay awake long enough for that to happen," Rick shot back, and Michonne playfully poked him.

"That was a low blow" she said.

"Okay, it was. I'm sorry" Rick agreed, apologetically kissing her stomach again.

"You're gonna be," Michonne said, quickly flipping herself and Rick over, so she was straddling him.

"Woah, where did that come from?" he asked, but Michonne didn't answer. Once on top, she leaned down and kissed Rick enthusiastically, her bare breasts rubbing against his chest.

Rick wrapped his arms around Michonne pulling her closer, but not interrupting the kiss she grabbed both of his arms and pushed them up towards his head.

"Keep your hands up here" she said. "Just lay back and relax."

Rick grinned showing all his teeth, but did as Michonne commanded.

Michonne was sitting on Rick's stomach, and she slowly began to whine her body against his, circling her hips to a rhythm that existed in her mind.

Rick looked up at his beautiful wife with his mouth hanging open slackly. She looked straight into his eyes as she moved against him, her womanhood painting his belly with moistness.

Rick was standing at attention within seconds, and Michonne could feel his rod pressing against her behind as she continued moving on him. She slowly moved her hands up to her breasts, gently squeezing and fondling them as he stared up at her in wonder.

"Are you sorry for saying I'd fall asleep during sex?" Michonne asked him, with Rick hanging on her every word.

"Mmmm," Rick grunted.

Michonne rolled her eyes and moved further back on Rick so their pelvises lined up. His manhood jumped from being in such close proximity to her opening, and his hands moved downwards to grab her waist.

"No" Michonne scolded, lifting his arms back up. "I asked you a question."

"Yes. Yes I'm sorry for saying that. I am so, so sorry," Rick said with a smirk. "Please, can I touch you now?"

"Nope," Michonne said, whining her body more slowly on top of his dick, "I don't believe you."

Rick licked his lips at the sensation of her moving her muscles on top of him. Her stomach muscles twisted as her hips circled, and she reached down and started to play with her clit.

"Michonne please. Let me touch you," Rick said, his palms itching to rest on top of her breasts and feel her hardened nipples.

Michonne didn't answer, she was too busy pleasuring herself as she picked up her pace, grinding faster against Rick. Rick watched in amazement as her wet center began to drip on his rock hard dick.

"God please. I'm… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Let me… let me touch you."

Michonne still didn't answer as she rubbed her clit, moaning and biting her lips.

"Dammit Michonne," Rick said, and he reached to take over the job of stroking her. As soon as he touched her she slapped his hand away.

"How do I know you're sorry?" she asked, not even opening her eyes as she slipped a finger between her folds.

"I… shit… I just am… I… I was just joking. I wanna… let me do it… please."

"What do you want to do?" Michonne asked, slipping another finger inside.

"I wanna fuck you. So bad. I wanna slip my dick inside of you and fuck you."

Michonne opened her eyes and looked down at Rick who was damn near pleading to touch her.

"Okay, I believe you Rick," she said with a smile, "but you're not gonna fuck me."

Rick was panting as he stared at his wife. Surely she didn't do all this to tease him?

"I'm gonna fuck you," she said simply. She rose off of him to grab hold of his rock hard dick, and she slammed down on top of it, driving him completely inside of her.

"Ohhhhh" Rick groaned loudly.

Michonne giggled at his loudness. She leaned forward so that she was pressing down on his arms, keeping them above his head. Her loose hair made a curtain around both of their faces so that all he could see was her. He leaned upwards and took a hard bite of her bottom lip, as she continued circling her hips against his.

"Fuck," Rick released. It was so sexy when she took control. Michonne pressed down harder on Rick, pushing him into her impossibly deep.

"Mmmmm" Michonne moaned. She could feel him inside of her, the pressure from him giving her a satisfyingly full sensation.

She began to whine faster, her body dripping fluids as she became more and more aroused. Rick could smell her, and he could still taste her from earlier. He wanted to devour her, to make her his, but he respected that she wanted to be in control this time, and the torture of not being in control was turning him on even more.

"Harder baby. Fuck me harder," Rick whispered.

Michonne began to bounce on top of Rick, every one of her down strokes impaling her again and again and again. She released Rick's arms, and moved her fingers to his lips as she continued bouncing.

Rick bit and licked at her fingers which still contained her juices. With her fingers in his mouth he looked up to watch her writhe in ecstasy on top of him. He bent his knees to give himself leverage as he thrust himself upwards into her. He wasn't using his hands as she'd commanded, but he was taking some control back.

She didn't complain as she now held onto Rick's abdomen with both hands, riding her man as he pushed in and out of her. Michonne picked up the pace, and she felt a tingling in her toes that told her she was close.

"Touch my breasts," she ordered.

Rick's hands went straight to her breasts, his palms pressing against her nipples, as his fingers squeezed them. Michonne opened her legs wider, wanting to feel more of him.

"Lick… lick my breasts" she commanded in a harsh whisper. He could hear, feel, and smell that she was close. He was holding on only until she came.

His tongue circled her nipples, licking and biting them.

"Fuck!" Michonne yelled, bouncing on him hard. "Touch… touch me."

Rick grabbed Michonne by the waist and flipped her on to her back before she had a chance to protest. Within seconds he found her g-spot and gave it all of his attention.

"Ahhhh" Michonne yelled, "fuck Rick, yes!"

"You like when I touch you?" Rick asked, pushing her over the edge, "tell me if you like it."

"Yes!" Michonne shouted, right before she came, her muscles clenching down on Rick's dick.

"Oh fuck," Rick spit out, and he came inside of Michonne so hard that it mostly ran out and flowed all over the sheets.

The room was silent as the both of them recovered from their exhausting romp.

Michonne was the first one to speak. "You're gonna have to wash those sheets before we leave," she declared.

Rick laughed. "I don't suppose they have a washer and dryer here?" he asked.

"Nope. I guess that's payback for making fun of me."

Rick pulled Michonne in to him and she kissed him on the nose.

"That was amazing," he whispered.

"You liked that?" she asked with a smile.

"You can fuck me any day," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Maybe I will" Michonne said, wiggling her own eyebrows. She then let out a yawn.

"You wanna sleep?" Rick asked.

"How long do we have until we have to get Judith from Carol's cabin?"

Rick reached over and picked his watch up from the table next to the bed. "An hour," Rick said.

"Oh I can't waste that hour sleeping" Michonne said, climbing on top of Rick again.

"Really?" he asked, surprised that she was ready to go again.

"Have I ever twerked for you before?" Michonne asked, with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Is that question even relevant?" Rick asked, gripping Michonne's waist. She laughed, throwing her head back and letting her locs swing down her back.

"Okay, put your hands up," Michonne demanded.

Rick quickly placed his arms over his head, clasping his fingers together. Ready for whatever it was Michonne was about to do.

***can08writer***

Soon, it was time for them to leave Oceanside and return to Alexandria. They thanked and said goodbye to Daryl and Lorna, who understandably spent the majority of the two days after their wedding alone in their own home. Daryl thanked them all for coming, and Lorna sent home more cod jerky for Judith.

When Michonne asked Carl about his time fishing with Anna, he was stoic and barely gave her any details, making her believe he truly had a crush on the girl. She saw him give her a hug goodbye as everyone was packing their things. She didn't want to push him with her questions, but she was fairly certain he'd find a reason to come back to Oceanside sometime soon.

They crossed the swamp in the barge to meet up with their horses and wagons that were left behind, and then were on the road again.

Judith begged Carl to ride her on his horse and he obliged, placing his sister in front of him, and even giving her control of the reins. Michonne smiled at the joy on Judith's face as she controlled Carl's horse. Carl spent a half hour teaching her how to stop and turn the horse, and he let her ride for a while before placing her back on the wagon with Rick and Michonne.

"See Daddy? The horse liked me," Judith bragged.

"That he did sweetheart," Rick agreed.

"I bet Aunt Carol's pony will like me too," Judith said. "Right Mommy?"

Michonne snorted and gave a high pitched chuckle.

"I'm sure Aunt Carol's pony will love you, Peanut. Won't he Rick?" Michonne asked, nudging Rick in the side.

"I thought you were on my side about this," Rick said.

"I think she has some great points. And aren't we raising her to think for herself? My mom always said a woman who speaks her mind gets what she wants."

"C'mon Michonne…" Rick began, but he was interrupted by a series of whistles coming from the front of the procession.

Rick straightened up, and his change in demeanor made Michonne's heart beat faster.

"What is it?" Michonne asked.

"They've spotted something up front," Rick said. The people at the front of the caravan held their hands up to silently warn the people behind, and Rick joined them, putting his hand in the air to warn Maggie's wagon behind him and the others behind her.

Everyone went silent and two whistles sounded from the front of the caravan. Michonne looked from Rick to Carl, trying to figure out what was happening.

"Walkers," Rick said, putting the reins of the wagon down. "I'm gonna go to the front and help them out. Stay here with Judith."

Michonne looked to her right and saw others who were on single horses making their way to the front of the caravan to help take care of the walkers up front. Carl was already making his way towards the blockage on the back of his horse.

"W-wait, is it safe?" Michonne asked, her eyes widening in concern while she gripped Rick's arm.

"It's okay," Rick said reassuringly. "Stay in the wagon."

Rick casually hopped out of the wagon and jogged up front with Carl, Rosita, and a few others. He was soon out of sight.

"Mommy are there Walkers up there?" Judith asked.

Michonne didn't want to scare Judith, but she was scared herself.

"I think so Jelly Bean, but don't worry, Daddy and Carl's got it under control."

Judith climbed from the back of the wagon and into Michonne's lap, where Michonne firmly held her. Holding Judith helped calm both of their nerves.

Maggie, who was on the wagon directly behind theirs called to them when she saw the concern on their faces.

"Don't worry, when we're far away from our protected communities like this we see herds here or there. We'll be on our way in a few minutes."

Michonne nodded and ran her hands through Judith's hair. She paused and stood up from her seat when she finally heard the moans and growls of many walkers up ahead. They sounded like wild animals, their garbled vocalizations echoing down the road.

There were thuds, walker snarls, and the sounds of metal on bone, and she knew that the group was taking the walkers down as quickly as possible.

Despite her fear, she had a strong urge to be there with them. She wanted to help Rick and Carl and make sure they were okay, but she couldn't.

She looked down at her sword that was stowed under the wagon's front seat. She'd brought it just in case… of what she didn't know, but it had been laying under the seat practically the whole trip.

She pulled it out and placed it next to her.

"Are you gonna use your sword Mommy?" Judith asked.

"No. I'm just gonna keep it here until Daddy comes back," she said, pulling Judith closer.

The Walker noise got louder, and she could hear shouts and warnings from the people on the front lines.

"How many do you think are up there?" Michonne called to Maggie.

"Not more than they can handle," Maggie said nonchalantly.

There were a few more yells and shouts over a span of a few minutes, and then the noise died down.

"See?" Maggie called to her. Michonne nodded at Maggie slightly while continuing to stroke Judith's hair, but her heart continued to pound in her chest. She wouldn't relax until Rick and Carl came back unharmed.

The relative quiet of the caravan was interrupted by more whistles from the wagons in the back. Michonne, Maggie, and the other people in the wagons all spun around. What Michonne saw made the blood drain from her face.

There were more walkers coming for the rear of the caravan. Michonne grabbed Judith to her in terror, pressing the girl's head against her stomach.

"What Mommy? What is it?" Judith asked.

"Shhh, shhh" Michonne warned. "Get down!" she said, pointing under the wagon's bench. Without a word, Judith ducked down, already suspecting what was going on.

The others who had stayed with the wagons hopped down with weapons, ready to defend against the herd coming up behind them.

Michonne had never seen a herd before, and the sight of it made her freeze. There were dozens of corpses in various stages of decay, stumbling towards the group. Many of them were missing limbs or body parts from them simply rotting off. Still they inched their way forwards, their dead eyes staring.

"Stay up there," Maggie yelled to Michonne before she hopped off her wagon.

Michonne crouched down with Judith as she watched the others run at the approaching Walkers. Maggie pulled a knife from a sheath at her side, and plunged it through the head of a Walker with a sickening pop. Two other men were tag teaming a Walker, one knocking it down, the other running it through the head with an axe.

Michonne was mystified at the way these people moved. They killed Walkers as if it were the easiest thing in the world. They barely gave the Walkers a second glance as they moved from one to another.

Everyone was preoccupied with the mini invasion, and Michonne was fixated on watching them, so she didn't see the Walkers approaching the wagon at first.

It was the loud growls that drew Michonne's attention towards the horses in the front of the wagon. She startled at the sight of the two walkers that were ambling towards her horses.

"Maggie! Help!" Michonne called to her friend, but she was too far and too preoccupied to hear her.

The Walkers were about ten feet away, making their way towards the nervous horses.

"Mommy!" Judith yelled in alarm.

"Shhh," Michonne quieted her, pressing her head downwards to keep her hidden. Michonne slowly drew her sword.

The horses neighed nervously and stomped at the approaching pair. Their movement shook the whole wagon. Michonne had to protect the horses. The Walkers would tear them apart.

The first one was only feet away from a horse. Taking a deep breath and praying to God to protect her, Michonne leaped off the wagon and ran at the Walker before she could psych herself out.

The Walker turned its head towards Michonne, distracted by her movement. It was a large man with a gaping hole where his left cheek should have been. It looked like something had taken a bite out of his cheek, and the skin flapped down his neck, swinging as he walked.

Mind numbing fear encompassed Michonne as he headed straight towards her, his skeletal arms reaching for her. Trying not to look at him directly, and too afraid to properly aim, Michonne swung her sword at him. The blade swung through the Walker's decomposing arm, easily slicing it off, but not slowing him down at all. Within seconds he was a foot from Michonne, his teeth gnashing at her.

Michonne screamed in terror and leaped backwards. He was too close to her. Her practice with Carl, and her training in the safety of her backyard didn't prepare her for the pure fear she felt with a moving, growling, murderous Walker standing in front of her.

"No Mommy!" Judith screamed, not hiding as she'd been told to do, and watching from the seat of the wagon. The Walker looked up at the girl, its hunger focused on her for a second, but the second was long enough for something to be triggered in Michonne. That Walker's glance at her daughter caused anger to flood her veins. This is what had taken away Andre. One of these things had torn her Peanut apart, and now it wanted Judith. It would never have her.

A sound that was a mix between a scream and a growl exploded from Michonne's mouth. Using her fear and anger to her advantage, she swung her sword and severed the Walker's head from its body. She stared down at the Walker for a moment, watching its head snap at her as it rolled away. She felt nauseated, but the second Walker was right behind it.

She swung at the second Walker's head, merely slicing its face. The Walker barely reacted and stumbled forwards. Concentrating her panic into a scream, Michonne shoved the sword straight through the Walker's face and out the back of its skull. She was so shocked that she'd impaled it that she let go of the sword, and the Walker fell with the katana still tangled in its skull and hair.

"No! Over here! Over here!" Judith screamed, banging on the side of the wagon. Michonne spun around quick enough to see Judith distracting a Walker that had come up behind Michonne unseen. The thing was reaching up for Judith when it could have easily bitten Michonne while her back had been turned.

Michonne bent down and yanked on her sword, dislodging it from the Walker on the ground. The distracted Walker soon got bored with Judith and continued its journey of trying to eat Michonne. Michonne raised her sword and brought it down on the Walker's head, slicing its forehead into two, and sending the corpse to the ground face first.

Michonne looked around wildly, on the alert for any Walkers that were making their way to her. She pressed her back against the wagon so nothing could sneak up behind her.

Judith was still peering over nervously while Michonne panted from her exertion.

"You… you called… that Walker," Michonne said, taking a gasp of breath between her words.

"It was gonna eat you!" Judith said softly.

Michonne chanced a glance up at Judith who was looking down at her, her eyes wide.

"I'm okay because of you. Good job Peanut."

Michonne caught her breath as she held her sword out in front of her. She could hear the others still finishing off the remaining Walkers, and then the pound of horse hooves from those who had handled the first group of Walkers up front.

Michonne took a calming breath and walked over to the Walker whose head she'd detached. It stared up at her from the ground, moaning and snarling. Swallowing down her disgust, Michonne raised her katana and firmly stabbed the head, its growls coming to an abrupt stop.

"Michonne?" Carl called, he was trotting up to her on the back of his horse, concern written all over his face. Rick was a small way behind him, sprinting towards her.

"I'm okay" she called, raising her katana with the Walker's head still impaled on the edge.

"You did that?" Carl asked, his concern turning to fascination.

"I… I did," she replied. Now that she'd calmed down and had less adrenaline coursing through her veins she could acknowledge her accomplishment. She'd killed three Walkers. "I killed them, but Judith helped me."

Carl looked from Michonne to Judith in confusion. Rick who'd finally caught up, was on her in a moment, wrapping his arms around her, and then holding her away from himself so he could inspect her.

"They were gonna attack the horses. I had to," Michonne explained.

"You're okay?" Rick asked, his eyes scanning hers.

"I'm okay," she said, glancing up again at Judith with a smile. "And Jelly Bean is getting her pony."

Judith let out a gasp and then grinned, bouncing up and down on her toes. Rick looked from Michonne to Judith and let out a small reluctant smile.

"Yea, she is."

***5 months later***

Michonne was well versed in the stories of her past. Abraham, Andrea, Glenn, Beth, Hershel, Deanna. She knew these people like someone knew of their great, great, grandparents, whose stories had been passed down through the generations, but who they'd never met in person.

She knew of the trials they'd faced with the Governor, and Terminus, the prison, and their first months in Alexandria, because her family had told and retold all of the parts that led to who they were today. But Michonne still had no memory of the events for herself.

She'd have dreams sometimes, of moments that she assumed happened in her past life. Sometimes they'd be happy, she had an occasional recurring dream of her, Carl, and something involving crazy cheese. Sometimes her dreams would be dark. There'd be walkers, and heat. Despair, and blood. She'd dream of being on her knees and surrounded by shadows, she'd dream of fighting and kicking, attacking and being attacked. She didn't know what was memory and what was dream, but either way, that wasn't her now.

When she'd wake up she'd see Rick lying next to her, she'd feel her baby move in her womb, and she'd put the dreams behind her and greet the new day.

Her morning sickness was long gone, and so was her aversion to meat cooking, although she never ate deer tacos again since waking up and smelling it for the first time. Her belly had been steadily growing, it seemed like it was inches bigger every time she looked at herself in the mirror.

Rick had been planning something behind her back. She knew it. He'd have conversations with Rosita, or other members of the community, but stop whenever she approached. She'd learned he was a horrible liar when his face would turn red when she asked what he was talking about.

She knew something was going on, but he and everyone else seemed determined to keep her out of the loop. Although it was annoying, she decided not to push the issue.

One morning she was surprised when Rick came back from watch duty early, only a few hours after he'd left. Michonne was tending to the family's backyard garden as much as she could, which meant simply watering it since her belly was much too big to bend down and weed at this point.

"What are you doing back so early?" Michonne asked, wiping her hands on her stretchy leggings. There were no maternity clothes for her, so her torpedo shaped belly hung out over the leggings. She'd sewn a few extra inches on to the bottom of her shirt to at least cover her impressive baby bulge, but any movement of leaning back or raising her arms caused her belly to jut out the bottom of her shirt. Rick loved seeing it, the proof that their love had spawned new life.

"I missed you," Rick said, wrapping his arms around Michonne and kissing her gently on the forehead.

Michonne pulled away and looked into Rick's eyes. "You missed me enough to leave your watch shift?" she asked.

"It's a beautiful day, I wanted to enjoy it" Rick replied, giving Michonne a winning smile.

"Rick, what's going on?" Michonne asked, immediately on guard. He was acting too weird, and he was a really bad liar.

"Nothing," Rick said, grabbing Michonne by the hand. "C'mon, let's go for a wagon ride."

"A wagon ride?" she asked, completely confused. "Rick, I'm watering the garden and you should be working. Why are you here in the middle of the day, talking to me about wagon rides?"

Rick ignored her and pulled her by the hand. "It's fine. Come on, it's a beautiful day and I'd like nothing more than to take my wife and my baby for a ride."

"Rick I'm not dressed to go out, and you know I have to pick up Judith from school in a few hours. What's gotten into you?"

"You," Rick said, raising her hand and kissing the back of it. "You've gotten into me."

He wrapped his arm around her waist and continued guiding her towards the stables.

"Rick I can't…" Michonne began.

"Shhh. Just trust me Michonne. Okay?" he asked.

Michonne rolled her eyes and sighed. She guessed a wagon ride wouldn't hurt. She allowed him to lead her to their wagon, and she patiently waited as he hooked it up to their two horses. Judith's palomino colored pony, Tinker, nickered at them from her stall, desperate to get any treats or attention they were willing to give out.

"Hey girl," Michonne whispered to her quietly. She reached over and patted her on the neck while she waited for Rick. "Don't worry, Judith's gonna come back to feed you after school."

The pony nickered again and shook her head. Judith had been taking good care of her. She was diligent about keeping her food fresh and her water clean, and she let her out for exercise every afternoon. Carl had even continued Judith's riding lessons, and the pony did well with Judith on her back.

When Rick was done hitching the horses, he grabbed Michonne by the hand and helped her into the wagon.

"Rick, where are we going?" Michonne asked as she got comfortable on the wagon's bench, still confused and a little suspicious of his behavior.

"Goin' for a ride," he said, not looking her in the eye. She sighed and decided to stop asking questions for her own sanity.

As they made their way towards the front gates, Michonne noticed the town didn't look nearly as busy as it usually did.

"Where is everyone?" Michonne asked, turning around in the wagon as they made their way through the streets.

"Huh?" Rick asked, looking straight ahead as they pulled up to the gates.

"Where is everyone? There's usually people all over the place, and hardly anyone is outside today."

"Look, Wanda is right there," Rick said, pointing to a woman on watch who opened the gate for them and gave them a wave as they made their way through.

"I'm talking about everyone else Rick," Michonne said, beginning to get frustrated. She didn't like feeling like she was out of the loop. Especially since she had been out of the loop for so long. She hated not knowing what was happening around her.

"C'mon, just enjoy the ride Michonne" Rick said, reaching for her hand and interlacing his fingers with hers. He slowly caressed them, and then turned his head towards his anxious wife, giving her a winning smile.

Michonne sighed and squeezed his hand. "Fine," she huffed. "Can you at least tell me where we're going? I may have to make a bathroom stop in a few minutes. The baby is sitting on my bladder right now."

"Don't worry, we're not going far. If you need a stop just let me know."

Michonne slowly rubbed her belly as the two of them continued down the still road. Rick was right, it was a beautiful day. It had to be mid fall, but the temperature was still warm with a cool breeze. The trees were changing color, and the ground was just beginning to be sprinkled with orange and red leaves.

She glanced over at Rick who had begun whistling softly to himself as he glanced at the road ahead. Although she was annoyed he was obviously hiding something, the idea of getting out of Alexandria for a while was growing on her.

"So should we be worried about Walkers?" she asked, turning to look into the woods.

"Nope. Don't worry about them at all," Rick replied, squeezing Michonne's hand tighter. "A patrol just went through here. There aren't any in the area."

Michonne nodded slightly.

"Have you thought of any names for the baby yet? We haven't really talked about it, and it's coming soon," Rick asked.

"It?" Michonne asked.

"Him? Her?" Rick asked, turning to her. "What do you think?"

"I'm not sure," Michonne said, looking down at the rapidly growing bump resting on her thighs. "When I was pregnant with Andre I thought it was a girl up until we had the sonogram. I decided not to even guess after that."

Rick laughed. "I thought Carl was a girl too. Lori, she always knew he was a boy. She said mothers just know."

"I guess that's not true for all mothers," Michonne said.

"Do you have a preference?" Rick asked, his hand that was holding Michonne's carefully sliding over to her abdomen and rubbing it next to Michonne's own hand.

"I just want the baby to be healthy. No complications, a short 3 hour labor and delivery, and absolutely no pain on my part. That's not too much to ask is it?" Michonne smiled.

"Not at all," Rick agreed.

"No, but if I had to pick, I've always wanted a little girl. I wanted to give Andre a little sister but it never happened. But now, I'm content. I have a son, and I have a daughter, so this baby is just a bonus on that."

Rick smiled. "I agree. Healthy baby it is." He glanced around them, and pulled the wagon to a stop on the side of the road.

"We're here" he declared, climbing off the side of the wagon.

"We're where?" Michonne asked, looking at the desolate road that had no indication that there was a destination around.

"You'll see," Rick said, holding out his hand to help Michonne from the wagon. When she got to the step for her to jump down, Rick lifted her in his arms and swung her around before placing her on the ground.

Michonne giggled and wrapped her arm around Rick's as he escorted her into the woods.

After a minute of walking, Michonne could hear noises and footsteps up ahead.

"Rick!" she said, pausing in her tracks and gripping Rick's arm. "Wait, do you hear that? It could be Walkers."

Rick just smiled and rubbed her arm. "It's not. It's fine. Just trust me, okay?"

Michonne nodded and continued forward, the noises getting louder. Up ahead, the forest opened into a clearing of grass and flowers. Michonne noticed a small stream ran through the clearing. People were milling about, all of them dressed nicely. Michonne recognized the faces, Rosita, Carl, Judith, Maggie, even Daryl and Lorna were amongst them.

"What is going on?" Michonne asked, completely confused and concerned.

When everyone noticed the pair they waved and began clapping and hooting. Michonne gave them a confused smile and turned to Rick with an expression that simply said explain.

"It's our anniversary today," Rick announced, holding both of her hands. "We got married 5 years ago today, and I've been thinking about that. About the fact that you don't remember any of that. So I figured you deserved a re-do. If you're willing, I wanna renew our vows today, so you have a new memory of our wedding. And also, we merged it with a baby shower too. That was Rosita and Maggie's idea."

"It's our anniversary?" Michonne asked, shocked.

Rick nodded.

"You did all this? For me?" she asked, looking around the clearing. Two large tents were set up in the middle of the field, and chairs and tables decorated with balloons and fabric were everywhere. Each table had a centerpiece that Carl, Rosita, and some other Alexandrians had spent a week putting together. They were perfect replicas of the centerpieces Michonne had made for their wedding.

"Everything is so beautiful," Michonne gasped. "But I… I'm not dressed for a wedding, and I have dirt on me from the garden… I…"

"Shhh" Rick whispered, placing his hands on either side of her cheeks and lifting her head.

"You have a dress," Rick said softly. "You had a dress made for our wedding. You designed it yourself and Izabelle stitched it for you. I asked her to make a few changes to accommodate our baby, but its in one of those tents over there. Maggie and Rosita are gonna go help you get ready, and then we can renew our vows. Are you okay with that?"

Michonne smiled but her chin began to tremble and her eyes filled with tears. "I don't know what to say. No one has ever… I've never had something like this before."

"You have, and now you'll have it again," Rick whispered, hugging her and rubbing her back.

She sniffled a bit and then nodded.

"Okay."

Rick walked her over to Maggie and Rosita who both gave her hugs and escorted her off to get dressed. When Michonne entered the tent she was captivated by the dress that hung inside.

It was an off-white color, and had small spaghetti straps. The fabric had intricate stitching and lacing, and Michonne wondered where that type of fabric had come from. A dark blue sash cut across the waistline and ended in a bow in the back of the dress. The front of the dress reached down to her knees so she could easily maneuver on the grass, but the back had a long train that dragged a foot or two behind her. As she studied the dress she could see where the abdomen area had been let out and fabric had been added to accommodate her belly which had been flat the first time she'd worn the dress, but Izabelle the seamstress had done a great job of hiding the extra stitches.

The dress was exactly how she would have designed her wedding dress, and she was amazed at the perfectness until she realized that she had designed it.

"It's beautiful," she said, slowly running her finger against the fabric.

"It is," Rosita agreed. "Let's get you in it."

***can08writer***

Twenty minutes later, Michonne, escorted by Carl, made her way down an aisle between rows of chairs to Rick who was waiting for her. He smiled as he watched her. He didn't think it was possible, but she looked even more beautiful in the dress the second time around, her pregnant belly adding to her beauty. Rosita had brought the shells that Daryl had given Michonne from Oceanside, and placed them strategically throughout Michonne's hair. As Michonne made her way towards Rick, the shells glinted and reflected the sun, making Michonne look almost angelic.

When she reached her husband she noticed he'd changed his clothes as well and was wearing a light blue button down shirt, black slacks, and a dark blue tie that matched the bow on her dress. He was holding a fake rose, and he clipped it on to her dress with a smile when she reached him.

"Really Rick? Fake ones?" she asked, but her voice caught in her throat.

Michonne looked down at the rose, and a sense of deja vu hit her. She'd been here before. This rose, this field with the stream, these decorations. She remembered this place. She'd dreamt about this place.

She blinked a few times and looked at Rick. "We were married here. I think I remember. This field is where we were married before. There was music, and dancing. You gave me a rose, just like this."

Rick smiled and cupped Michonne's cheek with his hand. "Yes. This is where we got married before. And this is the same rose I gave you last time. You do remember."

Rick turned so that the crowd could hear him, but when he spoke he only looked into Michonne's eyes.

"To renew my vows, I'm going to say the same vows I made to you five years ago today. When I made these vows I meant every word, and I mean them still to this day. Michonne, I loved you before I knew you. I loved you before I knew I was in love. From the moment our eyes met at the fence at the prison, my soul leaped, because it recognized it's partner. You started out as a stranger. You were damaged. I was damaged more. But you brought me back from the dark, just by being yourself. As time went on, I finally recognized what my soul had known from the moment I laid eyes on you. That you, and I, are meant to be together. I am so lucky, so lucky to claim you as my own. I am so lucky that you want to claim me as your own. I hope to spend every day, every bit of life that I have left to live, with you. No matter what circumstances or situations we may face, we're the ones who live. I'm not naive. I know life is not guaranteed in this world. Nothing is guaranteed now. But we live by continuing to thrive, even when that seems impossible. I pledge to live for you, until I leave this life. And even then, my love for you will continue. Forever."

Michonne gasped at Rick's final lines. Those words, she'd heard them in her dreams. They were so beautiful, but so true. She felt the same way about him. She took a moment and closed her eyes, overwhelmed with all the emotions she was feeling.

"Honey?" Rick whispered softly. "Michonne? Are you okay?"

She nodded, taking a moment before she opened her eyes.

"I'm okay" she said with a watery smile. She then spoke loud enough for everyone else to hear.

"I don't remember what vows I said the first time, but I'm gonna speak from what I know now. I vow to love you Rick, and our children, as long as I live. I promise that no matter what happens, no matter how far we are from each other, or what trials we go through, I'll always come back to you. I promise that I will try to be the best person I can be, and show you the same level of love that you have given me since I woke up in that hospital bed. I love you."

Rick leaned in to Michonne, and their lips met, softly drinking each other in. Judith began to loudly clap for her parents, and the rest of the guests joined in, cheering for the couple.

Michonne pulled away from Rick's kiss, and with a smile she gestured for Judith and Carl to come to them. She kissed and hugged them both and Rick did the same.

Their anniversary afternoon continued, with lots of food, gifts for their impending baby, and dancing. Towards the end of the party, when sunset was coming, and guests began heading home, Rick led Michonne away from the crowd, and over to the stream that trickled through the field. As she walked, her long train trailed in the grass behind her.

When they reached the flowing stream, Rick stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face in her neck and gently kissing it. Michonne sighed and leaned back against her husband's chest, closing her eyes and breathing the scent of the water and grass.

"Today was so special Rick. I loved all of this," she said.

"So did I," Rick replied. "Happy Anniversary honey."

"Happy Anniversary," Michonne answered, already looking forward to the anniversary gift she'd be giving him when they got home.

***can08writer***

"Draw four, the color is green," Carl said, placing his card down on the table.

"Aww man," Michonne said, staring at the final card that Judith was holding. She leaned over and whispered something into Judith's ear. Judith smiled and slammed the last card on the table.

"Draw four, the color is red!" she yelled. "Uno, out!"

Rick broke into applause at Judith's final move. She and Michonne had been working as a team to defeat Rick and Carl, and their team had finally beat the both of them.

"Well Dad, draw eight," Carl said with a shrug.

"You got me there," Rick said, stroking his chin. He then slammed down his own Draw Four card.

"Draw twelve" he declared to Carl.

Michonne and Judith both laughed at Carl's shocked face.

"Ugh, I give in. You guys win," Carl said.

"No, I win!" Judith said, "and Mommy too."

"Yea, you win Judes," Carl agreed.

Michonne released a sigh and stretched her back, rubbing her left side. Her brow wrinkled and she sucked in a breath.

"You okay?" Rick asked.

Michonne rocked from side to side stretching her back.

"Yea, my back just hurts" she said. " I guess I sat still for too long."

"I'll give you a massage later," Rick said. He then turned to Judith.

"And guess what time it is?" He asked.

"Aww. But Daddy I'm not even sleepy!" She whined.

"I know" he agreed, "but your bed misses you."

"It's a bed Daddy. It doesn't miss me," Judith said crossing her arms.

"How did you get so smart?" he asked, pinching one of her cheeks. Judith pouted.

"Will it help if I come up and tuck you in?" Rick asked.

Judith's frown turned into a smile. "Okay."

Rick stood and held out his hand to Judith. She clasped it and the two of them headed upstairs. "Be right back," he called to Carl and Michonne.

Michonne leaned back in her chair and stretched some more.

"Michonne?" Carl asked, concerned about the way she was frowning.

"Yea. I'm alright. My back is just aching."

She leaned back and let her neck drop over the chair so her head was facing upwards.

"Is there anything I can do?" Carl asked.

"No. It's alright. I'm okay." She stood and stretched her back again, placing both hands on her hips and leaning backwards. Carl continued to stare at her, worried.

She sat back down in the chair.

"So, you planning on going to Oceanside in a few weeks with the next excursion?" Michonne asked him teasingly. Carl had said he'd wanted to visit again, to practice before getting a job as an expedition escort. They were people who escorted travelers on trips between communities. Although his interest in the job was genuine, Michonne suspected the real reason he was interested in the trip back to the beach community had to do with Anna.

"Um, yea. If Dad says I can. But really I'm going even if he says I can't."

Michonne looked at Carl and lifted her eyebrow.

"Those are some bold words right there," she said with a scoff.

"Well it's true. I love Dad, and I love you too, but I'm an adult now. If I have to move out to prove it to Dad I will, but I'm old enough to make my own decisions."

Michonne nodded, agreeing with Carl. It was true, he was an adult in all the ways that mattered. He could protect himself out in this world even better than she could. But Rick might see things differently.

"What about the baby?" she asked. "What if you miss the birth of your little brother or sister?"

"You think you won't have it in the next few weeks?" Carl asked, glancing over at Michonne's heavily swollen stomach. "I think it's ready to come out now."

Michonne laughed and leaned back in the chair, propping her feet up on the chair Rick had vacated.

"I hope so," she admitted. "Being nine months pregnant sucks."

"Well if you have it soon I can help for a few weeks before I leave."

"Would you ever move to Oceanside?" Michonne asked, rubbing her abdomen soothingly. She shifted position when her back started aching again.

"I don't plan on it, but I might. If I have a reason to."

When Carl saw the disappointed look on Michonne's face he added "But if I did, I'd come to visit a lot. I promise."

Rick's footsteps creaked down the steps. "She's in bed," he announced. "Y'all up for another game of Uno?"

"I think I'm gonna head up to bed too," Michonne announced. "My back is aching and I should probably lay down."

Carl stood and cleaned the cards up, shoving them back into their box. "I'm gonna read for a while" he said, picking up the lantern that was lighting the kitchen table. "Goodnight".

"Goodnight" they answered Carl in chorus, and he turned and headed into the living room.

Rick took Michonne by the elbow and helped her to the steps, giving her his arm as she climbed her way up. Her stomach was so large that she couldn't see where she was stepping, and she'd missed a step before and almost fallen.

He helped her on to the bed and then went over to a drawer where he pulled out her cocoa butter that she'd been religiously rubbing on her belly, arms, and legs. He climbed back into the bed behind her, dipping his fingers into the jar, and then placing his warm hands on her back. He rolled up her shirt so that he could view her smooth, brown skin, and began to lightly massage her back muscles.

"Lower," Michonne said softly, the muscles deep in her lower back were aching and squeezing. Rick moved his hands down lower and leaned into her as his fingers rhythmically kneaded her muscles.

"Mmmm" Michonne groaned, not from pleasure, but from pain. Her back pain was continuing even with the massage.

"Here, lay on your side" Rick suggested, pulling back the sheets so Michonne could get under them. Once she lay down and propped a pillow under her head, he continued massaging her back.

"Mmmmm" Michonne groaned again, and she stretched, trying to get comfortable. Rick continued rubbing and kneading for a few more minutes, until his own hands started to hurt. Michonne had stopped groaning, so he gradually slowed down and then stopped his massage.

"You think it's the beginning of labor?" Rick asked her.

When Michonne didn't answer he moved his head closer and could hear her deep breathing from falling fast asleep. He smiled and blew out the lantern that was illuminating their room, and fell asleep next to her.

***can08writer***

Five hours later, Michonne bolted out of her sleep. She moaned loudly, grasping her stomach in pain. She was definitely having contractions, and strong ones.

"Rick" she said, tapping him on the arm.

"Hmmm?" he asked.

"I'm in labor," she said.

***can08writer***

Michonne hated that she had to wake everyone up. Carl, Rosita, the midwife, but the baby was definitely on its way. She had slept through the lighter contractions, and now they were going full force, every three minutes.

When she wasn't contracting she was fine, but when she was she couldn't talk, she couldn't open her eyes, all she could do was breathe.

She was going into labor earlier than the midwife had predicted, but seeing as there were no ultrasounds, it was just guesswork about how old the baby was. As far as anyone knew, today could be her due date.

After shaking Carl awake and telling him what was going on, Rick asked him to stay home with Judith who was still sleeping.

She and Rick had shown up on Rosita's doorstep in the early morning, Michonne gripping the wall as she fought through a contraction.

Rosita had rushed to fill up a birthing pool that Michonne had decided to give birth in. The lack of pain medication was a fear of hers, and she wanted to get relief and relaxation from the water.

Michonne stayed out of the pool for as long as she could, pacing up and down the infirmary's hallways, squatting and rolling her hips to help ease the baby's head downwards, but soon the pain became overwhelming.

Rick helped her undress until all she was wearing was a bra, and he gently lowered her into the warm water.

"How are you feeling?" he asked while he leaned over the pool, massaging her back while she wasn't in a contraction.

"The water feels so much better" she said with her eyes still closed.

"Good" Rick said. "Let me know if you want it to be a little warmer, Rosita is heating the water now."

"Okay" Michonne said.

"More ice?" he asked. The refrigerator in the infirmary was stocked with ice whenever any of the women could possibly go into labor.

"Yea" Michonne said, opening her mouth. Rick gently pushed some between her lips and placed a kiss on her cheek before continuing the massage.

"It's coming" Michonne warned, and within seconds she released a deep moan, as another contraction gripped her body. She didn't move, she simply moaned with every breath, breathing the pain away.

Rick kept up his rhythm, continuing to rub and massage her. He was amazed at how quiet she was. When he was in the hospital when Lori gave birth to Carl, the yelling of a woman in the room next door had scared him to death. Lori had had a C-section so she hadn't felt much when having Carl, but Rick assumed women always screamed during a natural birth.

Michonne labored for another three hours, occasionally getting in and out the pool and walking when she could. At one point Michonne was so tired she'd fallen asleep in the birthing pool, making Rick panic and think she'd passed out. Rosita ran to get some honey, and they'd given her a few mouthfuls to wake her up and give her some energy. By the mid afternoon she was fully dilated and ready to push.

"Uhhhhhhhhhh" Michonne groaned in a high pitched voice.

"That's it, good job honey, just push our baby out" Rick encouraged.

"UHHHHHHHHHH" Michonne moaned louder.

The midwife who was waiting to catch the baby, stared between Michonne's legs.

"I see a head," she announced, "your baby is right there. Do you feel it?"

"Yessss" Michonne moaned, her breaths coming hard and fast. "The head is right there."

"Okay, now if you want that head to come out you're gonna have to push nice and hard" she explained. "Only you can get that head out, okay?"

"You can do this Michonne," Rick said. "I know it's been a long day but you're almost done. Our baby is almost here."

Michonne leaned back against the side of the pool, gathering her strength. She was tired and in pain, but she wasn't going to give up. Her baby needed her.

Rick placed a wet washcloth on Michonne's forehead, the cooling surface of the cloth making her feel a little better.

She took a deep breath and pushed, releasing a deep growl as her muscles clenched.

"Good job," the midwife said, "keep that up, keep on going."

Michonne breathed and then let out another growl as she pushed again.

Rick looked on in admiration. "That's it sweetheart, that's it. Great job."

Michonne pushed with all she had. It didn't feel like she was making much progress, all she felt was pressure and pain, but Rick and the midwife seemed to be happy with what she was doing so she kept it up.

"Wait, wait I need a break" she huffed after pushing for twenty minutes.

"Okay, take a break" the midwife said, "gather your strength, you tell me when you're ready to push again."

Michonne nodded, closed her eyes, and leaned against the pool. Rick massaged her shoulders as they waited.

"You're doing so well honey. I'm so proud of you. Our baby is almost here. When you're ready we'll finally get to see our baby," Rick whispered in her ear.

"Okay. I can do this," Michonne said, hyping herself up.

"You can do this," Rick repeated. "I love you."

Michonne nodded and sat up again. She placed her hands flat on the bottom of the pool floor to brace herself, opened her legs wide, and pushed down.

"Uhhhhhhh," she yelled as she pushed. "C'mon babyyyyyyy. It's coming! Uhhhhhhh it's coming! Oh my God!"

Michonne could feel the baby sliding from her, within seconds the midwife had lifted the newborn out of the water and placed it into a shocked Michonne's arms.

"There's your baby!" the woman said cheerfully.

Michonne's eyes were wide in shock as she stared down at the tiny baby in her arms. She looked from the baby to Rick, who was crying next to her, and back to the baby, scarcely believing that she was actually holding what had been growing inside of her for nine months.

"This… this is my baby?" she asked, still unable to comprehend what had happened.

"That's our baby" Rick said, his hands shaking. He was in shock too.

Michonne looked down again, still unable to comprehend that yesterday the baby had been inside of her, and today it was in her arms. Barely aware of what she was doing, she lifted the baby's leg and checked its sex.

"Oh my God, its a girl," she said, and she burst into tears.

"A little girl?" Rick asked, leaning down and kissing Michonne on the cheek, and then gently caressing the baby's head.

The little girl let out a strong wail, putting her lungs to good use.

Michonne looked down at the baby again. "You're a little girl and you're so beautiful," Michonne said to the baby. "Oh I love you so much." She cradled the baby against her chest and kissed her on the cheek.

Rick simply sobbed behind Michonne. The midwife wrapped the baby in a towel while she stayed in Michonne's arms. Her dark eyes were fixated on Michonne's face and she blinked curiously up at her mother.

"My God you're so beautiful" Michonne repeated, unable to comprehend anything else but her baby. She was in love. "You look so much like your brother."

Rick stroked the girl's dark hair. "She's looking at you," he noticed. "She knows her Mommy's voice." When he spoke the baby turned and stared at him as well.

"She knows her Daddy's voice too" Michonne said, her eyes filling with tears again. Rick pressed his lips against Michonne's forehead.

"You did so well. You're amazing Michonne. Look at our baby, she's healthy just like we wanted."

Michonne held her daughter to herself again, snuggling the tiny bundle of joy. After finding out Andre and Mike were dead, never did she imagine she'd be able to have this much love and hope in her life again. She buried her nose in her baby's hair and sobbed quietly.

***can08writer***

"Mornin'" Maggie said, as Michonne made her way into the kitchen holding Madeleine, her baby girl.

"Good Morning Maggie" Michonne said, rubbing her eyes. The baby still wasn't sleeping through the night, and although Rick woke up with her to change the girl's diapers, only one of them could feed her, meaning Michonne had to be up every three hours.

"How's the little princess doin'?" Maggie asked.

"She's wide awake and hungry," Michonne said, plopping into the dining room chair. "Did Carl take Judith to school already?" Michonne asked, looking around. She was so sleep deprived she didn't even know what time it was.

"Yup, four hours ago," Maggie said, going into the cabinet to retrieve a plate. "Rick left for watch duty a few minutes ago. He was gonna wake you up to say goodbye but he knew you were exhausted. He asked me to tell you he'll be home around lunch time to take the baby for a while and let you take a nap."

Michonne smiled and sunk into her chair. She couldn't believe how great a father her husband was.

Maggie placed a plate of eggs in front of Michonne who had begun to nurse the baby. "Here's some breakfast for you while Maddie eats hers."

"Thank you so much Maggie," Michonne said.

"You're welcome," Maggie replied. "I'm sorry I can only stay for a few more days, but you know Hershel's back at home."

Michonne looked up at Maggie. "Maggie you've been such a help. Thank you for everything. I totally understand you have to go back home, but thanks for getting Judith up, and washing the dishes, and just taking care of all the little things so Rick and I don't have to. I'm so grateful."

Maggie nodded and joined Michonne at the table, watching the tiny girl. She had a full head of hair that was plastered against her head, and dark brown eyes that were now closed as she ate. Rick and Michonne had both agreed that she had Michonne's nose, hair color and eye color, but it was hard to tell if she had any of Rick's features. They figured as she grew it would become more obvious.

Michonne loved to watch her as she ate. It was a time where Michonne could bond with her daughter in a way that no one else could. Michonne patted the baby's bottom and rocked her as she smiled down at her.

"She's beautiful," Maggie said, watching Michonne's adoration of the girl.

"Thank you," Michonne said.

"You and Rick thinking about another one?" Maggie asked.

Michonne looked at Maggie out the corner of her eye.

"I didn't mean right now," Maggie said with a laugh.

"I don't know. Maddie was made at probably the worst time possible, but it all worked out. She's okay, and I'm okay. I'm torn between wanting another baby because everything worked out, and not wanting another baby in case it doesn't work out next time."

Maggie nodded her head in agreement.

"What about you? Do you think you'd ever have another baby?" Michonne asked Maggie.

"That would require finding another man. Not like there aren't any around that would jump at the opportunity to be my baby's daddy, but I haven't looked at anyone in that way. I don't think I could ever look at another man in that way again. Glenn's been gone for a while now, but in my heart he's still my husband. I still love him. I'm not ready to put that aside and move on."

Michonne looked down at her baby. "It was hard, trying to let go of Mike while another man's baby grew inside of me. It was hard but, once I did it I could fully embrace what I had. I'm not saying it's the same for you. I'm not comparing my situation to yours, and you knew Glenn much better than me, obviously, but if he loved you, I would think he'd want you to be happy."

Maggie looked up at the ceiling as if she were willing herself not to cry. "I know it's hard to understand, but I am happy. Thinking about Glenn makes me happy. Remembering him makes me happy. Hershel is enough for me. Maybe that will change one day, but for now, my son's happiness is all I'm worried about. Maybe having a step dad one day will make Hershel happy, but I'm not ready for that, not yet."

Michonne reached for Maggie's hand, and Maggie clasped hers back. Michonne then sighed and changed the subject.

"When I'm finished feeding Maddie, do you think you could show me how you washed those cloth diapers again? That is definitely new to me, and I want to make sure I have it down before you go back to Hilltop."

Maggie smiled and patted Michonne's hand, glad she could help with something else. "Of course. I'll go get the bucket. When you're done, just step into my Mommy office."

***Six years later***

"It's cold!" the little girl squealed, jumping out of the water. Her fluffy brown hair was fashioned into two twists on either side of her head, and the twists bounced up and down as she jumped.

"Of course it is, it's the ocean. You have to acclimate to the water before you get in," Judith explained, pointing her long thin arm at the water. She was twelve now, and in the middle of a growth spurt, her arms and legs had grown long and she was almost the same size as Michonne.

"What's that?" the girl asked, her almond shaped eyes staring at her sister.

"Watch me. First you put the bottom of your feet in like this. It'll feel cold, but if you wait a few seconds it won't be cold anymore. Then you can step in deeper. C'mon Maddie," Judith said, reaching her hand out to her little sister.

Madeleine held Judith's hand, stepping into the cold water.

Michonne watched from the sand next to Rick. They were at Oceanside to visit Carl, who had moved in with Anna, his girlfriend of two years.

"How adorable is that?" Michonne asked as the two girls slowly made their way into the ocean water together.

"Very," Rick replied, wrapping his arms around Michonne and pulling her in to him. She rested her cheek on his chest as they watched Judith jump up and down in the water. Madeleine copied her, and soon the cold was long forgotten as they splashed water at each other.

Michonne's eyes were drawn to Carl and Anna who were surfing nearby. The couple were practically professionals at the sport, and they zigzagged across the waves.

"Rick, I think it's time. We should move here, for good," Michonne said. They had discussed the topic over and over since Carl had moved. He'd settled down and found a life for himself there, and they wanted to be close to their son. As much as they loved Alexandria, Rick had wanted to step down as leader for a while, and Madeleine was old enough to travel now.

"You really want to do it now?" he asked.

"We've talked about it so much. I think we should just stay. We can work for Cyndi at her hotel to pay for us renting one of her cabins, just until we have our own built. I'm sure Daryl will help. We can have a whole new start here. And the girls love it," Michonne said, gesturing to their daughters.

Rick looked at Carl and Anna who had ridden to shore on the same wave and were laughing together about something.

"What about all of our belongings…"

"We can always go back, Rick. But what I'm saying is we all love it here. Why not just stay?"

Rick took a deep breath and watched his whole family enjoy themselves around him. This was all he needed in his life. His family all together.

"Okay", he agreed. "We'll stay here. We'll make it work."

Michonne smiled and snuggled into her husband's chest again as she watched her family, happy and thriving. She couldn't help but turn her thoughts to Andre. How he would be if he were still alive today. What he'd be doing if he were here. She wished Andre could be part of the family she had now, and see his little sister. She hoped that wherever he was, he knew his mom was happy.

Author's Note: That is the last chapter for Blank Slate. I really hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review and let me know how you feel about the story. Thank you and until next time!