A/N: Before you begin reading this chapter, I would like to thank everyone for their undying support for this story. When I first revisited it, I decided to complete it for a lack of wanting to leave something incomplete, and planned to finish this story in a few quick chapters. However, the more I write, the more I want to add and the longer the story becomes. This is due in part to the extremely positive response I have received from everyone who has reviewed, favorited and followed this story and me as an author. When I began writing, I could not have dreamed of being the author of a story with nearly 200 reviews, and I am thankful for every single bit of feedback I have received on this story. I am also extremely surprised, and humbled to have received exclusively positive feedback. Thank you all for being such a wonderful community of supporters of The Walking Dead and encouraging this story. You are all truly magical, as it is completely due to the support that this story received even three years after being abandoned that I decided it would be worth concluding.
Sincerely,
LEAJPEHP

Their wedding was a hurried affair as neither Rick nor Michonne wanted to wait. When they were in high school, they waited too long to start dating. They were not too keen to wait again, when they knew they were meant to be a family together. Thus, it was no surprise when they had their wedding in the Grimes' backyard. Andre was their ring bearer, Daryl was Rick's best man, and Andrea was Michonne's maid of honor.

Rick's tux made him swelter. He was uncomfortable, sweaty and antsy as he stood at the end of their makeshift aisle, anxiously awaiting Michonne's arrival. He hadn't seen her dress, even though she had offered to show him. He had wanted to be surprised. He certainly got what he wanted when Michonne appeared. She wasn't being walked down the aisle by anyone; Rick found it appropriate. Michonne was her own person, a force of nature. She was not anyone's and even though she would become Rick's wife, she would never be his. She would be his partner, his favorite person in the world, his rock, but she wouldn't be his.

He looked at her with absolute awe and adoration in his eyes. He took in her beautiful body in, covered in a short, non-traditional wedding dress. Then he focused on the gorgeous features of her face, and the way that she even stepped beautifully. Rick knew she was out of his league and he knew she vehemently denied this claim, somehow failing to believe that she was too good for him. He counted himself lucky that she didn't recognize her own worth and made a mental note to get her to realize how fantastic she was. She smiled shyly at him, and she was grateful that she had a bouquet to hold, because otherwise no one would have been able to miss her shaking, trembling hands. She breathed slowly and purposefully as she tried to walk down the aisle in time with the piano. She knew she was doing a miserable job, but she comforted herself by thinking about Rick and the way he was staring at her. The tears in the corner of his eyes and the way he subtly sniffled did not escape her notice. These small, involuntary reactions increased her affection for Rick.

"Hi," she whispered after she passed Andrea her bouquet and turned to face Rick.
"Hi," he whispered back, trying not to cry. He had no idea how he would make it through his vows without dissolving into a puddle of tears.

Hershel officiated the ceremony. He began, "We are gathered here today to witness the joining of these two beautiful souls, Michonne Gemma Dawson, and Richard Andrew Grimes. Now, I have been fortunate enough to know these two young individuals and they've spent enough time in my home that I consider them family. I am so happy to be here today to perform this ceremony, as I firmly believe that Michonne and Rick are made for each other. From my understanding, these two have written their own vows, so I'm going to stop running my mouth and let them let you know how they feel about each other."
Everyone chuckled and Rick took a moment to compose himself and swallow the knot in his throat before he began speaking. He steeled himself before he looked into her eyes. Yet, when he looked into her sweet, confident, perfect, chocolate brown eyes, he knew everything would be okay and that he would be able to get through this without disintegrating.

"Michonne, when I first met you, I was at the lowest point of my life, and I won't ever deny that. You were a mystery, but with time after we learned to trust each other, I understood you. I understood everything about you, and I knew we were meant to be together. You made me laugh, and you still do. Today, I stand here and I get to do what I've wanted to for the better part of five years. I get to marry you, and we can continue our life together. Today, I get to promise you a lot of things, and I won't bore everyone here with all of the details, so I will give the highlights. I promise that I will always be there to support you not only when you are accomplishing incredible and amazing things but also when you are having a rough day, that I will love you for the incredibly small number of flaws that you possess, and that I will continue to love your son as though he were my own. Today, I promise you that what is mine is also yours and this includes but is not limited to my time, my joy, my strength and my vision for our future. Today, I promise you that I will love, honor and cherish you as my wife."

Michonne reached a hand up to wipe a tear from her face before she took a few calming breaths and shared her own promise, "I will never be able to hold a candle to what you just said, but I vow to spend our marriage trying to. I vow to share my undying love with you and to spend the rest of my life trying to support you in the ways you supported me since I met you. When we met, I was sure that I would never find anyone who would love me the way that you have since come to. When I think about it, the odds of me meeting you were very low, and since I have hit the jackpot, I promise to spend the rest of my life capitalizing on the amazing chance event that was meeting you, becoming your friend and now your partner."
She paused, and quickly spoke, "You're my best friend, Rick."
"You're mine," he responded. "You'll always be my best friend."

The two spent almost the entire night dancing with each other on the area in the backyard which had been cleared and designated as the dance floor. They were slow dancing to even the most upbeat pop songs and they did this because they were too enamored and involved in each other to notice the world around them. They were exceptionally happy, happier than they ever imagined they could be, given the tragedies that had occurred in their adolescence. They spent the evening whispering sweet nothings into each other's ears. It was only when their guests began to leave and gave Rick and Michonne their best wishes that they managed to disentangle themselves from each other to be polite and bid everyone a goodnight. They did so begrudgingly and compromised by holding hands and standing as close together as humanly possible.

Michonne's mom would be keeping Andre for the next two weeks as Rick and Michonne went on their honeymoon which would be a cross country trip in a rented van. Their first stop was Chicago because Rick was desperate to see where Michonne had grown up. He felt it was only fair since Michonne had immersed herself in Rick's childhood, living in King county for five years. Then they would continue on along the historic Route 66, stopping at all of the tacky tourist attractions until they reached the Pacific Ocean, at which point they would begrudgingly start their journey back home.