A/N: This is for the Guest who wanted a sequel to "Home Walked Out the Door."
I can't find the request, but somewhere someone asked for a Penny follow-up. I'm not sure what I'll write about, lol. But I accept the challenge. Can't say when it'll be posted.

He couldn't stop pacing. In his bedroom. Out in the back yard. And now on the front porch. Back and forth he went with Judith in his arms. "She'll be back soon. The sun is about to go down and she said she'd be back before sundown," he said to Judith. It was his poor attempt of trying to calm his own nerves by talking to Judith.

Meanwhile, she sucked on her pacifier and took in the world around her. It was like her head was always on a swivel. She was ready for this world and she didn't even know how bad it was. She lost one mother. He didn't want her to lose another. Another? He ran his hand over his face. Never had he thought of Michonne having that role in her life. Maybe subconsciously he knew she was that person. She was the woman in their home. The one who tucked her in at night and told her she loved her. He just never put a word to it.

He thought he lost her once. When he saw her vest and her hair on that walker it was the first time he lost hope. When she was pulled out of that van and thrown to her knees it felt like the final coffin. He had never been without options, without a way out or the confidence that he could make everything okay.

He saw Carl running his way and descended the stairs of their home to meet him.

"Dad, Michonne is back," he said. "And she's hurt."

He handed Judith to Carl, not saying a word before he rushed down the street in the direction Carl just ran from. He didn't know where she was but he was anxious to find her. He turned the corner and saw her being assisted by Eric and Aaron but they weren't coming from the direction of the gate. They were barely visible in the last rays of the day's light.

"What happened?" His eyes were lasers focused on Aaron, who failed to protect her. He knew it was a mistake to let her go out with him.

She answered for him. "Running from walkers and I cut my leg on a piece of tin sticking out from a house. I'm fine. Rosita stitched me up."

He turned his attention to her. "What? You went to the infirmary and didn't bother to tell me you were back? How long have you been back?"

She and Aaron seemed to both realize their colossal lapse in judgment by not notifying Rick of their return.

"Rick, I'm sorry," Aaron said. "I should have made sure you knew while Michonne was being tended to. I'm very sorry. You must have been really worried."

"You think?" He sneered at him. "See you didn't fail to make sure your boyfriend knew you were back."

"Rick," Michonne said with a sigh.

He hated when she did that. It was like being reprimanded. It was passive aggressive. Now wasn't the time for her to act like she had the moral upper hand.

Eric, whose contact with Rick was minimal, interjected. "Why don't we help you get Michonne home."

"I got her." He pulled her from Aaron and Eric's arms and placed his arm around her waist and put her arm around his neck.

"No need to talk like I'm invisible. I'm standing right here," she said.

"Barely," Rick grunted.

He left Aaron and Eric standing on the sidewalk. As angry as he was, he made sure to keep her comfort at the forefront. He walked slowly, allowing her time to hobble against him. What he really wanted was to pick her up and get her home but he knew that she would not allow herself to look weak. They didn't speak the rest of the way back to the house but he didn't miss her sneak a few glances his way.

Carl was sitting on the porch in the rocking chair with Judith. "Are you okay?"

"No," Rick answered. "She's not."

"What's wrong? Are you going to be okay?" Carl stood up.

She released a deep sigh. "Yes, I'm fine. Just a little cut and a few stitches. Rosita took care of me."

Carl looked doubtful.

"I promise. I would never lie to you."

"Carl if you want to keep talking you'll have to follow us inside. I need to get her in bed."

"No bed," she said as Carl held the door open for them. "The couch."

"I'll go get you some magazines or something," Carl said.

Unless he recently found some magazines, those wouldn't be of use to her. She read those magazines so much that she memorized the articles and the captions.

"You need to be in bed."

"The couch, Rick," she said firmly. "And you shouldn't worry him like that just to try and make me feel bad."

He didn't respond as he hesitantly removed his hands from her, waiting to make sure she could stand up right without him.

She placed her hand on his arm and gently squeezed. "Rick, I'm sorry you were worried. I wasn't thinking."

"You're right you weren't thinking." He placed a pillow against the arm of the chair then guided her to the couch so she could rest her back against it. Gently he placed her legs up on the couch. "Did Rosita give you any pain medicine?"

"Yes."

"Tell me, how long have you been back here?"

"About an hour," she said softly.

He shook his head and bit down on his lip so hard to prevent himself from saying anything bad he was sure he almost drew blood. "An hour. You didn't think Carl and I would want to know the moment you got back? You knew I was losing my mind before you left."

"I know. I'm sorry."

He went to the kitchen and returned with a glass of water. "Take your pain medicine."

"I already had one at the infirmary. It's not time for another one yet."

He hastily placed the glass on the coffee table spilling some of the water.

"No more. No more going out." He shook his head firmly.

"You're kidding, right?"

"No, I'm not kidding."

"The decision has already been made."

"The decision has been made?" She shook her head. "That's not going to happen. I'm going to keep going out whenever I'm needed."

She was beyond frustrating at this moment. There was no doubt in his mind she was in more danger than she and Aaron admitted and now she was sitting here telling him she would do it again and she didn't care how he felt.

"You always talk about wanting to make things easy for me. Want to help me? How about doing what you're told." He snapped at her. His voice was louder than he planned.

The mood of the room changed. She stared at him. He couldn't recall a time he ever raised his voice at her. Not even when they first met, when he didn't trust her he never yelled. He watched as Carl took Judith and the magazines back upstairs. He hated seeing that look on his face. It was like being transported back in time when he caught Rick and Lori arguing. Then he looked back at Michonne's face and all he could think was fuck. Their second fight and they were both going to happen in the same day.

He walked over and sat on the coffee table. "You love me, right?"

She nodded her head.

"And that's why you're going to let that slide?"

She didn't say anything but she remained open to wherever he was going with this at least. Her face was blank. He couldn't read it. He knew her well enough to know what her face wasn't telling was a bundle of not so nice thoughts about him and he received them loud and clear.

"Because you know that was not like me?"

"Yes."

"You know I'd never be so stupid as to raise my voice to you?"

"Yes."

"Because you know I worship the ground you walk on?"

"You better."

He leaned in and kissed her letting his mouth linger against hers a little longer. He didn't have words so he just kissed her lips over and over. He lay his forehead against hers. "Finding you in all of this...was everything." He whispered against her lips. "And the thought of losing you," he said as he held his head down. "Too much to even think about."

He felt her hand though his hair.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"I never thought there would be a world without Glenn until there was. I thought Abraham was as close to immortal as someone could be but he's gone. So don't tell me I can't lose you too. Not now. Not with him out there."

"I understand all of that but we can't keep living like this. Feeling like this. Afraid to do what needs to be done."

"Can't pretend it's not a real threat."

"I agree but we can't sit around obsessing over him. I don't want every moment of our lives consumed by him, taking the oxygen out of every room and all the joy out of each moment. We'll deal with him and this new reality but we won't give up our happiness."

"In the future."

"The future is now."

"You're right." He nodded. "So tell me what happened out there."

"It was fine for the most part."

"Until?"

She smiled. "Sometimes it's just bad luck."

"Not this time though," he said as he saw Carl holding Judith at the top of the stairs. "Carl, come down. Michonne was just about to tell me what happened out there."

"It's safe?"

Rick smiled. "It's safe."

Carl sat on the coffee table next to Rick. They all watched as Judith's body went limp and she whined as she wiggled out of Carl's arms in a mini tantrum. She took a step between Carl and the couch and her hands landed on Michonne's stomach as she steadied herself.

"Be careful, Judith." Rick held her at her waist.

"She's fine." Michonne pulled Judith up and adjusted her in her arms in an attempt to protect her injured leg. "She's more than fine," she whispered her as she ran her hand over her head.

"So what happened?" Carl asked.

"We came across this minivan just off the road. Looked like it was recently abandoned but it had supplies in it. Aaron and I were packing the last of what he found when a couple of people, Saviors, appeared."

"How did you know they were Saviors?" Carl asked.

"They told us everything we found was Negan's."

Rick wanted to punch something or even better, kill Negan and all his brain-dead spineless followers.

"What happened?" Carl asked. "How did you get away?" He leaned forward.

"Aaron shot them."

"Won't they know it was us who killed them?" Carl asked. "I mean, no one else had the guts to take them on. Who else would kill Saviors?"

"We made sure some walkers ate on them, especially around their wounds. It's how the walkers got so close to us. We had to make sure they ate the Saviors. We basically held the dead Saviors up in front of us."

Rick couldn't believe what he was hearing and then Judith started clapping. "Don't encourage her, Judith."

Michonne and Carl smiled.

"There were more than we realized. They had the path to the car blocked off. We had to made a wide detour. It took a lot of running." She shrugged and looked up at Rick. "As usual, we made it." She looked over at Carl. "We always make it, right?"

He smiled. "Right."

She reached out and placed her hand on Rick's knee. She was always so optimistic. She had been that way since they lost the prison. Seemed when everyone else was at their lowest, she managed to be her most confident and determined. She was that shining light that led them to where they needed to be, not just physically but emotionally as well.

It was strange how there were so many reactions to Negan and their loss. Some were paranoid and afraid to sleep at night. Others walked around as if they were invincible and ready to fight. Others were devastated and numb.

"You can't underestimate them. I know you know that," Rick said.

"I won't. I'm just not afraid anymore. I've worked hard to feel this way. I've earned it."

"But you still need to be careful."

She nodded. "Careful but not afraid."

That's all he could ask for and as long as his family was safe, that was all he needed.