I know it's been a while since I've updated, so this is what happened previously on Prodigal son:
Rick, Michonne, their son Kaleb, Carl and his son Collin, Judith and her husband Tony and their two daughters Tabitha and Selena all left Alexandria due to a severe drought. They are headed to a lake where Rick believes there may be some water, since Alexandria will run out of water very soon. They tried to convince other Alexandrians to come along, but none of them were willing to leave their homes. Kaleb's girlfriend, Akisho, snuck out of Alexandria, followed them, and met up with the family on the road. While on the road, they encounter a large herd of Walkers, taking the family by surprise.
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Tony paced up and down on the porch of Rick and Michonne's house. He had been there for five minutes, and was trying to work up the courage to actually knock on the front door. He knew they were both home, he had made sure of it, and he had hyped himself up enough to get there, but having the nerve to get them to open the door? That took balls.
Tony took a deep breath, and ran a hand through his short dark brown hair.
You have to do this. She's worth it. And what's the worst that could happen? Rick won't kill you… right?
Everyone in Alexandria knew how protective Rick was of his family. Especially his daughter. Rick had allowed Tony to get closer than most of the boys in town, but with strict and unbreakable rules.
No leaving the gates with my daughter, no coming to my house when I'm not home, my daughter cannot visit your house when your mother isn't home, and if you hurt her I will hurt you.
The rules were simple enough, and effective, as Tony had developed a healthy fear of both Rick and Carl, and surprisingly an even greater fear of Michonne. The first time he had met her she was sitting at the kitchen table sharpening her katana with Kaleb in her lap. Tony instantly realized that she wasn't a woman to be trifled with. And the fact that she was slightly less vocal than Rick added to her mystique.
He had been dating Judith for 10 months, and followed Rick's rules to a T, always being sure that he brought her home before dark, and that he treated her with all the respect due to her. And Judith deserved it. Tony knew from the first time that he saw the brown eyed, blond haired beauty that she was special. She was smart and funny, and although she wasn't quite as hardened as the rest of her family, she carried a toughness in her that he respected. He'd never told her, but he had fallen in love with her on their first date, a picnic by Alexandria's pond. He had made a joke, and she laughed so hard that she snorted, and he thought it was the most adorable sound in the world. He had decided in that moment that he would do what he had to do to make her his wife, and after 10 months of dating, he was ready to make that a reality.
Taking another deep breath, Tony raised his fist and knocked on the front door.
"It's about time" Michonne whispered to Rick. Both of them had been watching Tony psych himself up for the past 5 minutes on their porch, and finally the boy had knocked.
"Be nice to him" Michonne warned Rick, while placing her katana on her back. "We've side eyed him for 10 months and he's still around. He loves her, y'know."
"Yea, I know. That's what I'm afraid of" Rick said softly, before adjusting his gun belt, grabbing the door handle, and swinging the door open.
Tony's eyes widened at the sight of Rick in front of him with his hands on his hips and a deadly stare on his face.
"Um… good morning Mr. Grimes" Tony started.
"Judith isn't here right now" Rick said.
"Uh… yea… I know that. I um… I came to talk to you, and Mrs. Grimes…"
"About what?" Rick interrupted quickly.
"Come in" Michonne said, her voice a little more polite than Rick's. Tony nervously glanced at Rick as he stepped past him into the house and stood awkwardly by the doorway, unsure if he should walk into the house further or stay where he was. The couple looked at him expectantly, and he nervously shoved his hands into his pockets and raised his shoulders to his ears before he began.
"Um… hi Mr. and Mrs. Grimes. I uh… I wanted to talk to you about Judith. I mean, Judith and I. Both of us." Tony stopped and tried to gage the feeling in the room. Rick was staring as if he wanted Tony to leave as quickly as possible, and Michonne was slightly less hostile, but she looked confused. Neither spoke, so Tony took his hands back out of his pockets and continued.
"We, Judith and I, we've been dating a while, and um… and I really like her. And I think she really likes me. And Mr. Grimes, when I first met you, you gave me those rules, and it's been 10 months, and I think I've followed those rules. And I wanted to know… um… I wanted to ask…"
Michonne suddenly knew what Tony was about to ask, and her stomach dropped. She knew that he and Judith were serious, but Judith was only 16 years old, and Tony was 20. In the old world, their relationship would be frowned upon if not illegal, but in this world, Judith was old enough to make her decision. Carl and Enid had done as much, and by the age of 16, Carl had more than earned the title of adult. But Judith was different, she was more naïve and innocent then Carl had been allowed to be, and Judith was Rick's baby girl. Michonne knew Tony had to be pretty damn convincing if Rick was going to agree to let his daughter go.
"I wanted to ask you if I could ask… ask Judith to marry me… I wanted, I wanted your blessing."
Rick froze and his eyes narrowed. He stared Tony down even more than he had already been. He didn't speak, but his body language spoke louder than any words. There was an awkward silence for a few seconds and Tony shakily wiped his hands on his jeans before he cleared his throat and continued.
"Mr. and Mrs. Grimes, I know you know that I love Judith, and I would never do anything to hurt her. I want to spend whatever time I have in the future with her, and I'll do whatever I have to do, and prove anything that I have to prove in order for you to be okay with this."
"You're twenty years old" Rick stated. "Judith is sixteen, a little girl. You're both too young, but she… she's just a teenager..."
"Sir. I know Judith is younger than me" Tony interrupted, "but she has always been responsible enough to make her own decisions. I just ask that she have the opportunity to decide if she wants to marry me too. And if you think she's too young right now I'll wait. I'm not going anywhere. I'll wait until you think she's old enough to decide. I love her. There's no one else for me" Tony said, finding the courage to look Rick in the eye.
Michonne looked from Tony to Rick and back to Tony. She could tell Tony loved Judith by the way he'd treated her for the past 10 months, and she knew Judith loved Tony as well. She'd told Michonne multiple times when Michonne asked about their relationship. But Rick was also right too. Judith was young, and had never dated anyone else but Tony. But she also felt that Judith was old enough to make this decision about her future, without the adults in her life deciding for her.
Michonne walked up beside Rick and placed a hand on his back to calm him down. Rick and Tony both turned to look at Michonne, Tony taking a tiny step back.
"Tony, my husband and I need to talk. Wait here" Michonne said softly, but her eyes conveyed to him that it was in his best interest to shut up and let her do her work. Tony nodded and took another step back, as Michonne led Rick into the bedroom so they could talk privately.
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"Kaleb, get them out of here!" Judith screamed at her little brother.
"But…" Kaleb began, completely stunned. He knew what he was supposed to do, but he couldn't believe that the time had come for him to actually do it.
Judith hopped down off the wagon, refusing to look at the approaching Walkers until her children were out of the area.
"You promised! Get out of here!" she said, shoving Kaleb towards his horse. Kaleb took another backwards step, and then turned to Akisho. "Come on!" he said, grabbing her arm and pulling her away. The two of them quickly mounted his horse who suddenly smelled the incoming horde of Walkers and whinnied nervously.
"Collin, Tabitha, let's go!" Kaleb said, taking charge.
"Mommy!" Selena called from on top of Peppermint the pony, her eyes wide. Tabitha had the reins, but she was hesitating to move the horse forward, not wanting to leave her parents.
Judith slapped Peppermint's behind, causing the already scared pony to take off down the road. Kaleb and Akisho, and Collin followed behind on their horses. Once Judith was certain the children were on their way down the road, she forced herself to focus back on the largest herd she had ever seen. The dead were staggering forward at a snail's pace, but there were so many of them she was sure they were done in.
Michonne had run to her horse and expertly mounted it within seconds, forgetting about her bad knees completely. "Judith, take the wagon and get the animals away!" Tony yelled at her, as Michonne galloped off towards the herd, her katana held high, glinting in the sun. Carl and Tony ran behind her on foot, their knives at the ready.
Rick knew Michonne already had a plan, and being married to her for twenty years, he knew how she thought. He and she could've communicated a whole strategy just by body movements and gestures alone, but seeing as though Carl, Tony, and Judith were there, and the trio weren't privy to Rick and Michonne's secret language, it was best that they were verbal.
"Judith, herd the cattle down the road fast. We'll distract this herd and try to lead them in the opposite direction, then we'll meet up with you and the kids" Rick yelled as he ran after his wife who had already cut down three walkers as she flew past them on her horse.
Judith turned towards the frightened animals, some who had been slowly inching away from the rest of the herd, skittish from the threat staggering towards them. Judith jumped into the wagon that was still hitched to a horse, and whistled at the dogs to help round up the cattle. They began to circle the herd of cows and goats, nipping at their ankles to push them forward. The livestock quickly got the message and began to trot away after the kids who were now out of sight.
The Walkers were drawn to Michonne's horse, but she skillfully maneuvered out of the reach of their hands, as she swung her katana to decapitate the Walkers that got too close. Rick, Carl, and Tony, flanked Michonne, trying to knock the Walkers' heads off with single blows to conserve their energy and give Judith enough time to get a head start with the animals.
These Walkers were nothing like the ones that existed when Rick and Michonne were living on the road. Some of the Walkers were literally skin and bones, barely standing, their skeletons showing through their bodies. Most were dried out from the drought, just like the plants and brush that surrounded the road. Their skin was leathery and hard from the sun, making it difficult for them to raise their arms to reach for the living. Their desiccated knee joints barely bent, making them walk with a stiff legged gait which would almost be comical if there weren't so many of them.
The four warriors worked together silently, hacking and slashing at the dead that just kept coming. They had to move backwards now and then, just to get out of the way of the stacks of bodies and heads that were laying at their feet, blocking the road.
"Did Judith get the animals out of here?" Michonne asked, unable to turn around and lose focus because of the many Walkers in close proximity to her. Rick backed up behind Michonne's horse and then turned to glance back at his daughter and saw that she was halfway down the road, still prodding the livestock to keep moving away.
"Yea they're leavin'. In a few minutes we can start leadin' the herd back into the woods. Then you can lead them off a few miles with the horse and then circle back."
"Watch the sides, they're starting to surround us" Carl yelled, noticing that Walkers were approaching them from the woods on their sides.
"Back up! We need to back up again!" Tony called, and the group took a few steps backwards to keep the hungry Walkers ahead of them. Rick looked backwards again and could no longer see Judith on the road.
"Okay, Judith is out of here, let's start leading them into the woods before we get too tired" Rick suggested, his arms burning from swinging his hatchet back and forth for minutes.
"We all go left, once we're deep in the forest I'll whistle and draw most of them towards me. You guys finish off the stragglers and I'll take the bulk of them a few miles, speed off, and then circle back and look for you down the road. Same thing we did with the mega herd. You go find Judith and the kids" Michonne quickly directed as she swung her katana like a golf club, beheading a Walker whose head was already haphazardly attached to its neck.
Rick felt anxiety when hearing Michonne's plan. He trusted her completely, and knew that his wife was a force of nature and could take care of herself, but he couldn't help but worry about her handling a herd this size by herself.
"C'mon, there's a gap in the Walkers!" Michonne yelled suddenly, "let's go now! Go left. Quickly!"
The men sprinted into the woods as Michonne brought up the rear on the back of her horse. The Walkers were slow, and within a few minutes, the group had a sizeable lead ahead of the herd.
"Okay, you all hide here, and I'll draw them in the opposite direction" Michonne reminded, pointing at a patch of bushes she found suitable for them.
"You… you sure?" Rick asked.
"Yes Rick, come here" Michonne demanded. Rick walked up to her horse, and Michonne quickly leaned down and pecked him on the lips. "Be right back" she said with a wink, and then she prodded her horse forwards, whistled loudly to draw the attention of the front of the herd, and then trotted away from the direction Judith and the kids had gone.
Rick quickly dove behind the bushes and waited with Tony and Carl.
"Will she be alright?" Tony whispered, since there were Walkers within a few feet of them.
"Yea" Carl and Rick said simultaneously, sharing an amused look. The three of them crouched in the bushes for another 10 minutes until the slow-moving Walkers had thinned out enough that they could stand up. Rick gestured with his gun in the direction that they came from, and they headed back towards the road, taking out straggling Walkers that could follow them back to the children.
When they finally reached the road, all that was left of the herd were the beheaded bodies and body parts of dozens of walkers. The trio picked their way through the massacre, stepping over or kicking the heads that were still snapping and growling from their spots on the ground.
"I hope Judith caught up with the kids by now" Tony said, "I think she'd take them off the road a-ways and wait for us."
"You're right" Carl said, "she'll take care of them."
"Michonne will…" Rick began, but suddenly Tony's foot slipped on the face of one of the Walker's heads, turning his ankle to the side awkwardly, and causing him to fall backwards on to a pile of the bodies.
"You okay?" Rick asked, while Tony quickly rolled off the pile and scrambled to his feet.
"Yea, man that was embarrassing" Tony laughed, brushing off his pants. Rick and Carl smiled as Tony pulled his pants leg down slightly, when he noticed a little spot of blood on his ankle. He pulled the pants leg up slightly higher to study the spot when he saw a semi-circular row of red dots, like teeth marks on his ankle.
"No!" Tony said angrily, rubbing at the marks on his leg. "No, it can't… it can't be!" he said again.
"What is it?" Carl asked, but Rick immediately knew. Tony had been bitten.
"How? What the fuck!" Tony screamed, and he turned back to the pile of Walker parts he had fallen into. There, on the top of the pile was a single severed head that was snapping and growling at them.
"Fuck you!" Tony yelled, lifting his knife and stabbing it into the Walker's face. "Fuck. You. No! No!" he screamed loudly.
"Tony!" Rick called, trying to calm the young man down. "Tony just… just calm down. There's Walkers…"
"No!" Tony screamed, tears coming to his eyes. He bent down and lifted the leg of his pants, glancing again at the semi-circle mark from the Walker's teeth, and the new blood that was trickling from the wound. "Oh God no" he whispered.
Rick came over and wrapped an arm around Tony's shoulder. "It's okay, just… just try to stay calm. We're gonna find Judith and the kids, and we're gonna have to take that foot off, but you'll survive. You're gonna live Tony. Okay? You'll make it through this."
Tony began to sob, leaning in towards Rick's shoulder. "I just tripped, that's it. I just fell. How could this happen? My girls… Judith… I can't leave them."
"And you're not going to" Rick said, "C'mon, we're gonna find your girls and then we'll take care of this."
Carl moved closer and gently rubbed Tony's back. "It's okay man, you'll be okay. My dad has done this before. You're gonna survive. No one's leaving."
Tony didn't respond as Rick put his arm around one of his shoulders, Carl putting his arm around Tony's other shoulder, and the two of them helped him walk down the road. Although his bite was small and not a devastating wound, after half a mile of walking, he had a noticeable limp.
"How's it feelin' Tony?" Rick asked after a while. Tony didn't answer as he stared straight ahead.
"I'm sure they didn't go too far, we'll find 'em soon. And Michonne should catch up with us in a little while. She can take you on the horse so you don't have to walk on that ankle."
Rick's attempt at reassurance fell on deaf ears, as Tony stared blankly into the distance. The men continued onwards, an uneasy silence settling between them.
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"Okay, it's far enough" Kaleb decided, pulling his horse to a stop. The rest of the small caravan also stopped short, the horses whinnying nervously.
"Let's get off the road, and um… and hide in the trees. Walkers won't be able to see us, but we can watch the road." Tabitha and Collin followed Kaleb in directing their horses into the forest on the side of the road, the bushes and tree branches scratching against them as they squeezed through the small gaps between the trees. After moving a few feet off the road, they all dismounted from their horses.
"What do we do now?" Collin asked his uncle. "Where are they? Are they coming now?"
"What if they can't find us?" Tabitha asked.
"I want mommy and daddy!" Selena whined, on the verge of tears.
"Shhh!" Kaleb hissed, silencing the younger kids. "You need to be quiet. We'll all be in trouble if the Walkers hear us. They will find us, but until then we need to watch out for each other. Collin, take out your knife. You and Akisho are gonna help me on watch. Tabitha, you keep Selena quiet."
"I don't wanna be quiet!" Selena said loudly, "I want mom…" Tabitha quickly put her hand over Selena's mouth. The two year old struggled briefly and her sister whispered "if you're quiet I'll move my hand, but you have to be quiet Selena, it's time to be a big girl. Mommy and daddy will be so proud of you if you're a big girl. Okay?"
Selena looked from Collin, to Akisho, to Kaleb to see if she could get out of this somehow, but the others were just watching to see if she'd be quiet. Selena slowly nodded, and Tabitha moved her hand from Selena's mouth and wiped it on the side of her pants.
They watched and waited silently, every creak, bump, or animal call setting them on edge. Kaleb and Akisho felt the burden of being the oldest, especially Kaleb who had agreed to take on the job of keeping his nieces and nephew, and girlfriend safe. When he'd agreed to that he was certain he could, but now that reality set in, he was terrified. He was now responsible for four other human beings. Protecting them against a world full of dead cannibals, wild animals, opportunistic people with no conscience, and the elements.
After 20 minutes of waiting, with no sign of the adults, Kaleb began to shake with the weight of his responsibilities. Akisho, who had been silent for the majority of this recent crisis suddenly appeared at Kaleb's side, and planted a kiss on his cheek, and then rested her head on his shoulder, her hair brushing against his skin. Although she didn't say anything, she spoke loudly with her gesture.
I'm here to help you. You're not alone.
Not dropping his guard, or moving his gaze from the distance, Kaleb reached towards his shoulder, and grasped the side of Akisho's head, caressing her face. He was so glad she was here.
Another ten minutes passed and the children were getting restless, and bored. Kaleb was surprised Selena had stayed quiet for this long, and Tabitha was taking her job at keeping Selena quiet very seriously. She had pulled her little sister on to her lap and was rocking her side to side in an attempt to make her take a nap. She must've seen her parents comfort Selena that way before.
Kaleb glanced back at Collin and watched the ten year old blankly stare into the forest. He couldn't imagine what his nephew was going through. The kid had already lost his mother, and now possibly his father too. Kaleb was too young to remember Enid well, but he did remember the depression his brother was in for years after her death. He remembered Collin asking Carl questions about his mom and why she wasn't there anymore, and Carl choking up or being unable to speak. After a while Collin just stopped asking.
Kaleb wanted to comfort the kids somehow, but he didn't know what to do. He was freaking out himself.
"You hear that?" Akisho asked, lifting her head from Kaleb's shoulder. He sat up straight, listening for what she was hearing.
"Sounds like... like the wagon!" Akisho said, sneaking towards the tree line to get a closer look, with Kaleb right behind her. He was relieved to see a herd of cattle noisily making their way down the road, followed by their wagon of supplies steered by Judith.
"Mommy's here" Kaleb announced to the girls, who happily leaped from their spots and ran to get a glimpse. Even Selena was fully awake now.
"Where's dad?" Collin asked him, looking around to possibly spot his father. Kaleb felt weak. He didn't even know where his own mother and father were.
"I think... I hope they're okay. We can ask Judith when she comes a little closer okay?"
When Judith spotted the kids on the side of the road she leapt out of the still moving wagon, raced to her daughters, and picked them up, spinning them around happily. After she was done squishing her girls, she kissed Collin on the head, patted Akisho on the shoulder, and then smothered her brother with an all-encompassing hug.
"Thank you Kaleb, for real, thank you so much little bro" she whispered in his ear. Kaleb was surprised, he was closer to Judith than he was to Carl due to the large age gap between himself and his older brother, but he had never heard so much love and gratefulness from her before.
"No problem" he said quickly, attempting to control his emotions. He was just glad he wasn't completely in charge anymore.
"Where is everyone?" Kaleb asked Judith.
"I don't know" Judith said, glancing down at her girls who had attached themselves to her legs and wouldn't let go.
"They told me to run, so I went to find you" she admitted. "When I looked back I just saw the four of them hacking heads off the Walkers. I'm not sure where they are now. But I… I think they're okay. Maybe they'll be here soon."
Kaleb nodded, and wrapped an arm around his nephew, who looked like he might cry. "If I know anything about Carl, he knows how to survive out here. He'll be okay Collin" Kaleb reassured, but inside he prayed that it was true.
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Judith crouched in the woods with the children, her rifle resting against her knee. Kaleb and Akisho were watching their flanks while Judith kept an eye on the road, waiting for her husband, brother, father and mother to come back for them. The sudden appearance of Walkers had shaken her to her core. She knew that it was dangerous coming out here. She knew the risks. But she had hoped that they'd make it to the lake with no incidents, and the first day out had been deceiving. It had given her hope. It had made her relax ever so slightly. And now, everything could be gone. She thought about what she'd do if her family never made it back. If she never saw them again. She didn't think she could do it alone. She barely was holding it together now. If she had to protect these children as the only adult, she knew she'd fail.
You're not like the rest of your family. You're weak.
Those words of doubt swirled around her head, causing her to move her head from side to side, cracking her neck. Something inside of her had always made her think she wasn't good enough, even though her mother and father had always tried to build up her confidence. Carl was the battle-hardened firstborn, her parents' pride and joy. Kaleb was the only baby that her parents had had together, and that cemented him in their hearts forever. But where did she fit in? She was the only girl, that was true, but what did she have that they'd be proud about? She wasn't the strongest, or the fastest, or the bravest. She knew that she wasn't Michonne's biological daughter just by looking at her mother. And once, when she and Carl had a particularly nasty fight, he'd told her that she wasn't Rick's biological daughter either, causing her to run to her father in tears and demand the truth.
"I don't know" he'd said after grounding Carl for a month and screaming at him so badly that the whole house shook. "To be honest Judy, I don't know if you are. There were some things that happened with your mom, and it could go either way. But you know what? That doesn't matter. Because in my mind, and in my heart, you're my daughter, and you always have been. I love you more than anything Judy bee. You're my little girl, blood or not. Just like Michonne is your momma, blood or not. Just like Michonne is Carl's momma, blood or not. Just like Carl and Kaleb are your brothers. It's your heart that makes you a family, not your blood."
Carl had since apologized for telling her that information in anger, and she had believed Rick when he'd told her that, but deep in her heart she had never truly felt like she belonged. She turned and glanced back at her daughters who were petting the hunting dogs, keeping them calm. When Tabitha was born, it was the first time that Judith felt like there was someone who was hers. Someone who shared her blood and was a part of her. She adored her daughters, and she always believed they were the best thing she'd ever done. And now there was a new little one, growing inside of her every day, and she feared for it. This world was unforgiving and harsh, and they weren't guaranteed another second of life.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the clod of horse hooves. "Hey!" she whispered, getting the children's attention. She figured it was her family, but you could never be too sure. She crept closer to the end of the woods while signaling for the children to stay back. As she looked in the direction of the sound, she recognized Michonne's horse, a brown mare, trotting towards them. Carl and Rick were walking a short way behind the equine, while Michonne sat behind Tony on the horse's back.
Judith already knew something was wrong. Why wasn't Tony walking with Rick and Carl? She walked out of the woods ahead of the arriving group so they knew where she was. The horse trotted up to Judith and the look on Tony's face made her go cold. He was crying.
"What?" Judith asked in a panic. She had never seen her husband cry before. Not even when he had almost severed a finger while helping to extend the walls around Alexandria. What could he possibly be crying about? Everyone was back, in one piece, alive. Why was he crying?
"What is it?" Judith asked Tony, as Michonne slid off the horse behind him, and then held out her arm to help Tony down. Rick and Carl began to run towards the group so they could help get Tony somewhere to start the amputation.
"Tony, what is it? What happened?" Judith asked again, her voice shrill with panic.
"I'm so sorry baby, I'm so sorry. I just slipped, it was an accident. And I… oh God" Tony sobbed, as his daughters made their way from the forest to greet their father. They stopped short when they saw the total despair on the adults' faces.
"I'm bit baby, I'm bit. On my ankle."
"What!?" Kaleb asked in shock.
"Kaleb, move the wagon over here, we're gonna need to do the surgery on it so we don't have to move him afterwards. Akisho, start a fire now, as hot as possible. Collin, you sit with the girls in the woods, keep an eye on the livestock. Don't let them come out here, no matter what you hear. Go! We need to do this now!" Rick commanded, but everyone stared at him in shock.
"A Walker bit him?" Kaleb asked softly, Rick's words not penetrating his brain.
"Does that mean my daddy is a Walker?" Tabitha asked, tears welling up in her eyes. Judith knew she should say something to comfort her daughters, or comfort her husband, but she couldn't speak. She couldn't think. Her mind replayed the same two words on repeat. I'm bit.
"Dammit, Akisho, fire! Collin, woods! Now!" Rick yelled in frustration, as no one seemed to be moving. Michonne ran off to get the wagon herself, since time was of the essence. Rick and Carl held on to Tony as they walked him towards the wagon. He still was limping a little, but he was capable of walking.
Judith stared after the three men, still not uttering a word. Once Michonne pulled the wagon up closer to the men, they lifted Tony into it as gently as possible. Selena's wails of daddy snapped Judith out of her shock.
She turned around to her daughters and quickly kneeled in front of them. "Go in the woods with Collin and stay with the animals. Daddy will… daddy will be okay. Go on now."
Collin stepped forward and wrapped his arm around his cousins' backs. "C'mon, we gotta keep the cows calm" he said softly, and Judith gave him a proud nod, as he escorted the girls into the woods.
Judith then focused her attention to the wagon where her husband was laying down. Akisho and Kaleb had finally moved, Akisho frantically using matches to set a bundle of dried grass on fire, while Kaleb gathered dried sticks and twigs that lined the road. Taking a deep breath, Judith approached her husband.
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"A 20 year old guy wants to marry our 16 year old daughter? Hell no!" Rick said angrily as soon as Michonne closed the door behind them. His hands were on his hips as he paced back and forth across the bedroom floor.
"So, it's the age difference that you don't like?" Michonne asked calmly.
"Well… yea! He's too old and she's too young. And that's that" Rick said, still pacing.
"They're four years apart, the same age difference that we have", Michonne said matter of factly.
"Well we didn't meet when you were 16!" Rick threw back at Michonne.
"What age would be old enough for her to decide?" Michonne asked, her voice as calm as a lake on a windless day.
"I don't know, 18, 19!" Rick said, stopping and leaning against the room's windowsill.
"And what don't you like about Tony?" Michonne asked.
"I didn't say I didn't like him" Rick said, crossing his arms. "I just said he's too old to marry her"
"But you were okay with them dating?"
Rick sighed and squinted his eyes at Michonne. "I was never okay with him datin' her. I didn't want anyone to be datin' her…"
"And that's what it boils down to Rick" Michonne interrupted. "You don't want anyone to date her. You don't want anyone to show interest in her. It has nothing to do with Tony, or Judith, or age, or anything else. You don't want to let your little girl grow up. Carl was her age when he married Enid. You didn't seem to have a problem with that."
"Carl is… he's different. It's not the same situation. And you see what happened to Enid…" Rick began, but abruptly stopped when he realized what he was about to say.
"What happened to Enid won't happen to Judith. They're two different people, and you shouldn't stop her from living life because you're scared."
"So obviously you want to let him marry Judith then" Rick said, shifting uncomfortably.
"No" Michonne said simply. "But I think she's wise enough to make that decision for herself. He loves her, and she loves him, Rick. I can see that, and you can too. He'll do right by her. He'll protect her. And if she's not ready, or she doesn't want to marry him, he'll accept that. You have to let her grow up Rick" Michonne said, stepping forward and placing her hand on Rick's cheek. "I know it's hard to let go of a child, but if you keep them a child forever you're not doing them any favors. Let her grow, Rick. Let her decide for herself. And trust her decision."
A few minutes later, Rick and Michonne emerged from the bedroom. Tony had placed himself on the edge of the couch, and as soon as they appeared he nervously leaped up.
"My husband and I have discussed what you asked us. Look… we like you Tony. You have been nothing but respectful to Judith, and I know you care deeply about her" Michonne began. Tony's heart beat faster and he began to sweat. He had never been so nervous in his life.
"I like you, but I love my daughter" Michonne said, taking a step forward and looking into Tony's eyes. "How do I know you'll take care of her the way she deserves? How do I know you're the man for her?"
Tony swallowed harshly at Michonne's proximity. She was an intimidating woman, but he knew he couldn't back down now.
"Mrs. Grimes, I love your daughter too. Judith is all I think about all day. I wonder what she's doing, and when I'll get to see her next. When I'm with her, I feel… I feel like that's what I'm supposed to be… with her. I don't mean to be rude, but you can tell me I can't ask her to marry me, and I'll respect that, but you can't stop me from being with her, and loving her. The only thing that can stop me from that is her telling me she doesn't want me anymore. Only she can do that."
Michonne narrowed her eyes at Tony, and he literally held his breath. He was trying to be confident, but the couple before him were like the royal family in their community, and he had the nerve to tell them that he was going to love their daughter whether they wanted him to or not.
There was silence for a few moments, and then Tony realized that Michonne's mouth was slowly turning up into a smile. When he saw her eyes soften he took a breath that he didn't realize he needed. Michonne began to nod slowly.
"She deserves the chance to choose you. The decision is hers, but if she does choose you, you have our blessing" Michonne said, nodding. Tony exhaled deeply at Michonne's words, and he flicked his eyes towards Rick who was staring at him. Although Rick's expression was unreadable, it didn't seem hostile, or happy.
"I promise, I'll take care of her" Tony said to Michonne, but his eyes met Rick's again, silently pleading for the man to believe him.
"I know" Michonne said, nodding.
XXXXXXXXXX
"Can I… I need to talk to him" Judith said to Michonne, Rick and Carl who were frantically buzzing around Tony, moving supplies, preparing their meager water stores for sterilization, and prepping a makeshift surgery area on the back of the wagon.
They all stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Judith. The blood had drained from her face, and she and her husband were staring at each other as if everyone else had left already.
"C'mon, we can give them a minute" Carl said, carefully hopping off the back of the wagon. Rick and Michonne followed suit, giving the couple their privacy.
Judith climbed up into the wagon, and wrapped her arms around Tony, who was propped up against some boxes of supplies.
"What happened?" she asked, her voice breaking.
"I tripped, that was it. I tripped and a Walker's head bit me on the ankle. It's not even a bad bite. It didn't rip me open, or bite my arm off… I… I'm so sorry baby."
"Don't be" Judith said quickly. "Don't be. It wasn't your fault. Okay… we can…we can get through this" Judith said, wiping her arm across her forehead. "Daddy knows how to do this, he did this for his friend Hershel. They're gonna take that foot, but you'll get through it. You'll be okay…"
"Judith" Tony interrupted.
"…maybe we can find some crutches or a wheel chair. I can look for some pain-relieving herbs…"
"Judith" Tony said more loudly, placing his hand on her arm. "I'm not gonna let them do it."
"Do what?" Judith asked, completely confused.
"I'm not gonna let them cut my leg off. The whole ride back here I was thinking about it, I was thinking how can I leave my family? How can I die from something so stupid, so meaningless? This isn't how I imagined myself going. But the last and greatest gift I can give you and the girls is the gift of making sure you get to the lake. Making sure the three of you live and go on. Even if it's without me."
"What? Tony what are you talking about?" Judith asked.
"If they cut my leg off, they're gonna have to use at least a day's ration of water to sterilize everything. They're gonna have to use all of our medical supplies to control the bleeding and wrap up this huge wound, and I may just bleed to death anyway. And we have no antibiotics, I will probably get an infection. I'll die within a few days, and traumatize our daughters…"
"You don't know that!" Judith said.
"I do. I don't want to go through that. I don't want to spend my last days unconscious, or in a delirium, not being able to help protect my family, not knowing what's going on. This wound isn't bad. I can walk on this. If I don't cut my foot off I can be of help for a day or so, I can help protect you and get you to the lake, and then, I can die, and it'll be my choice. And I'll know I did everything I could."
"Tony no" Judith moaned, tears running down her face.
"Judith please. This is my choice. This is my gift. You and the girls are all I'm living for, let me do this for you."
Judith sniffled and buried her face into Tony's chest. Tony leaned down and kissed the top of Judith's head. "I don't want to leave you, but if I have to, this is how I want to."
Judith cried into Tony's shirt a little while longer while his words were slowly being absorbed into her brain. After a few moments she took a deep breath and fought to control her tears. "I understand" she said, gazing into his eyes, her voice shaky.
He nodded, and the corner of his mouth turned up slightly.
"I'm pregnant" she spoke softly.
Tony smiled a bright smile, as tears ran down his face. He placed his hand on Judith's face and caressed her cheek with his thumb.
"I know."
Author's note: Thank you so much for your reviews! I appreciate them all and you guys help me to develop my stories and make them even better so please keep them coming. I apologize for the long gap between chapters. I got caught up writing 'Birthday Times Three', and then I was very busy, but I promise I will finish this story and 'The Greater Good' eventually. Thank you for your patience and readership.