A/N: Okay yall. Let's get back to #PositiveVibesOnly. A lot of you have reached out to me and your support has meant a lot. Thanks to all of you who understood where I was coming from and told me that it was okay to take some time for myself. To those of you I offended, I apologize once again. Hopefully we can all move on and help each other out. I've decided that when a Guest leaves a review, I will respond via A/N on whether I can/will do it or not since I can't directly respond. That way the guests will know I got their prompt. I think that'll help everyone out. Thanks again to all of you who understood.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.


Carl and Michonne having a serious conversation. Set sometime during the two-year time jump.

THE TALK

Rated K

Carl climbed up the guard post latter, the sun beaming high on his face. Michonne looked up and grinned softly at Carl.

"Hey," Carl said.

"Hey yourself," said Michonne. Carl approached her, standing next to her and facing out towards the forest. Michonne stared at him but he didn't seem to really desire to rush into a discussion.

He was here for something, she just didn't know what.

"Everything okay?" Michonne finally asked.

Carl sighed heavily and glanced at Michonne. "Judith will be talking soon," Carl told her.

Michonne stared at Carl quizzically. "Okay…?"

"Do you ever think about… what she might call you?"

Michonne stiffened and quickly looked away, suddenly unable to stare at Carl anymore. She felt her throat constrict and she found it hard to swallow.

"You have to think about it," pushed Carl softly. "Especially with you and my dad together…."

Michonne kept her eyes ahead, taking a deep breath. "I'm not Lori, and I don't want anyone to think—"

"I don't care what anyone else thinks," Carl interrupted. "You are our mother. And under no circumstance am I trying to be insensitive to Andre, but—"

"You want to call me Mom?"

Carl blinked at her. "What do you think I've been trying to say all this time?" Michonne closed her eyes. "Judith is a baby. You're all she's ever known. You're all she'll ever know. I mean eventually she'll understand that that you're not her mother biologically. But in every sense of the word, you've earned that title. From both of us." Carl turned and faced Michonne. "I can keep my mother's memory alive. Judith looks just like her. But there's no need for me to call you Michonne, or for Judith to call you that. Not when you spend every moment of your life protecting us, and my dad. And we do the same for you."

"I thought you didn't want—"

"I want to." His voice was firm, and held a tone of someone who didn't want to argue. "And I think Judith should too. But it's up to you. I just wanted you to know my stand. I know you miss Andre, you miss Andre every day, just like I miss my mother, but… I'm okay with you thinking of me as your son."

"You are my son," Michonne told him. They stared at each other. "Have you told your dad?"

"Yah," nodded Carl. "I told him I was thinking about it. He agreed. It wouldn't have mattered, though. I know how I feel about you, the same way he knows how he feels about you."

Michonne looked away, touched. "What brought all this on?"

Carl shrugged. "I had a conversation with Enid, and it just got me to thinking. But I've been thinking about it for a while. Long before our talk on the porch the night you and my dad hooked up."

"Carl," sighed Michonne, and he laughed. He was pretty sure she'd never forgiven herself or Jesus for making him find out about her and his dad like that.

"I'm glad we had this talk," Carl said softly.

Michonne glanced at him and smiled, wrapping her arms around him. "Me too."