A/N: Written for the Richonne Halloween Challenge on Tumblr; I didn't get around to posting it in October, but it's here now.

Word Count: 2,268

The days had steadily grown cooler as the leaves of the trees began to change and most of the residents of the Safe-Zone had not paid it much attention. Michonne and Carl knew Halloween was fast approaching since they discovered that Alexandria had kept track of the dates while those on the outside did not even know what the time of day was.

It had always been Michonne's favorite time of the year and she discovered it had been Carl's as well. They discussed at length the possibility of celebrating on that day.

"Well, we have no candy, so that sucks," said Carl as they tossed ideas back and forth.

"And there's not really much else in the world that's spooky since monsters are basically everywhere," offered Michonne as the two of them sat side-by-side out in the back yard of their home.

"We barely have clothing as it is so costumes are out of the question," Carl added.

Michonne sighed.

"There's no way Rick is gonna let us waste his pumpkins to make jack-o'-lanterns and we don't have enough apples to bob for," she said as her shoulders slouched in defeat.

Michonne had really wanted to do something special for Carl when she found out how much he had loved Halloween. The world they lived in was not an easy one to navigate; there was danger at almost every turn, but there were times that the survivors could put all of the wretchedness behind them and live in the moment. Michonne wanted that for Carl. She wanted it for herself as well.

"Well what else can we do? I remember Dad was saying that other people around the world celebrated in different ways. What if we made up our own way to celebrate with what we already have?" asked Carl.

"Your dad's right. A lot of different versions of the same celebration used to happen, but it all basically came from the same idea of honoring the people who have died," she explained, feeling as if the conversation had now taken a sombre tone.

They fell silent and Carl looked pensive a short while.

"That's what we should do," he said, looking serious.

"What's that?" asked Michonne.

"We should do something to remember our loved ones who…who didn't make it," he said.

Michonne looked at Carl proudly as she felt her chest swell with adoration for the teenager. He had seen so much horror in his short life, but he still had a tenderness to his heart. She smiled and ruffled his hair as her eyes became glassy.

"Yeah," said Michonne. "We should definitely do that."

xXxXx

In the days that were leading up to Halloween, Michonne was busy throughout the community trading items and gathering supplies to ensure their small celebration would be a success. She had procured more than the allocated number of apples that were given to a household per month and had managed to obtain five extra candles.

"Need some help with that?" called Rick as he watched Michonne carrying the plastic basket full of supplies.

She smiled at the sound of his voice and looked in his direction before nodding her head. The basket was not heavy at all, but she enjoyed it when Rick displayed his gentlemanly ways and southern charm. He offered her a small grin and then dashed over to her, taking the basket and brushing his fingers over hers as she handed it over.

They were still at the early stages of traversing their relationship, though the intimacy and love had already been there for some time. Both Rick and Michonne were very private people, and did not announce to the whole community that they were together.

"Thank you," she offered softly as Rick inspected her supplies.

"What you got here?" he asked.

"Some stuff for our Halloween gathering," she replied.

"You and Carl are really serious about it then?" asked Rick as they walked along at a steady pace towards their home.

They reached the front porch and Michonne opened the door for Rick.

"Of course we're serious. I think it'll be good for us,' she replied.

Rick nodded as he passed.

"Will you join us?" Michonne asked once they set down the supplies and took a seat.

"I don't know," said Rick.

"It could be good to give us some closure," she offered.

Rick ran his hand over the stubble on his face.

"We'll see," he replied.

xXxXx

The comforting aroma of pumpkin soup wafted through the home of Rick, Michonne and the children. It reminded them of a time before the world ended; a time when their lives were simple and their loved ones were still around. The apple pie was baking in the oven, and Michonne and Carl, both with their sweet tooth, could not wait to tuck in.

Michonne put the finishing touches to the shelf she had set aside for their little ceremony; she had the candles placed around a foot apart and the matchbox sitting next to them. The shelf was adorned with a few pieces of costume jewelry that Carl had found to make it look nice and festive; it was, after all, going to be a shrine of remembrance.

Rick entered the room with Judith in one hand and an apple in the other; he took up a seat in front of the shrine and sat his daughter on the floor. Carl then entered the room and stood next to Michonne. The teenager waited a moment before he spoke.

"I'm glad we've got the chance to do this today," he said evenly. "Dad knows how much I love Halloween, well, any celebration, to be honest."

Rick smiled and nodded at his son; he then looked at Michonne who was also smiling.

"Since we can't celebrate like we used to, I hope this new tradition lasts," said Carl as he turned to Michonne. "Even if it's as simple as lighting a candle each year."

He waited a moment.

"You go first," she said gently.

"Well, to start with, I stayed up last night and wrote letters to everyone who we lost along the way. All of the people who I called a friend; everyone who helped us. I'd like to read one now, if that's okay," Carl said.

"Of course it is," said Michonne as she took a seat next to Rick; he reached over and held her hand.

Carl began to read: "Dear Sophia," he started. "I just wanted to tell you that I miss you. You were my first friend after all of this happened and I'm glad we got to meet. I still remember that time when Shane tried to teach us how to catch fish and he slipped on one of the rocks. We laughed so hard I thought my stomach was going to burst and you were in tears. He ripped his pants and Carol had to stitch them up for him. It was a really good day that day. By the way, your mom is doing fine and I know she misses you as well. I'm sorry about what happened to you. I wish you were here."

Carl stared down at the paper in his hand and smiled before he placed it back in the envelope with the others. Michonne felt her eyes well with tears.

"That was nice, Son," said Rick.

"Thanks," he said. "I've got a whole bunch of them. I thought later we could burn them and bury the ashes, I don't know."

"That's a lovely idea," said Michonne as she stood and wrapped her arm around Carl's shoulder.

"I have one more thing," Carl added. "I wanted to hang this spare key up in our shrine too. I thought it could be a nice way to show Mom that we found a home again and we'll always remember her. I don't know what I'm saying. It made sense when I thought about it. It's like this is her home now too because she lives inside of us."

Rick felt a lump form in his throat.

"That's a perfect way to explain it," said Rick as he stood and embraced his son.

Carl took a match and then lit up one of the candles before he and his father took up a seat on the sofa and waited for Michonne to speak next. She took a deep breath and smiled weakly at her new family.

"You're a hard act to follow, kid," she said to a grinning Carl. "I'm not much of a speaker anymore, so I'll keep this short."

Michonne then proceeded to pull a small yellow teddy bear from her back pocket before blinking rapidly in succession. She stared down at her hands and the soft toy lying there and began to speak.

"He was born in the summertime and I wasn't happy about it because I was as big as a house. My feet were swollen and I was hungry all the time; it was like he was taking his time to arrive. But two days after Memorial Day, he decided to come along. My parents sent flowers and balloons and clothes and the day we took him home, he was dressed in a little yellow onesie. He was such a good baby. He never gave me any grief. He was such a good boy," her voice broke a little.

Rick and Carl remained quiet.

"I didn't talk about him at all after it…afterwards," she said softly. "But now, it's getting easier. I don't want to think about him and only feel sad."

She swallowed hard and looked at Rick and Carl.

"This," she said holding up the teddy. "This is for my Peanut; for my André."

Michonne placed the toy on the shelf and then lit one of the candles. She breathed deeply to calm herself but found that it was not a crippling sadness that had overcome her, but more of a relief. Relief that she could so openly speak about her beloved child and remember him; relieved that she could honor him.

Rick got up from where he was seated and held Michonne gently in his strong arms awhile; lightly stroking her hair and rubbing her back. He marvelled at her strength once more, knowing full well he may not have been able to endure had he suffered a loss like she had. She offered him a frail smile and her gratitude before taking a seat next to Carl; the teenager leaned his head on her shoulder lovingly.

Rick stood in front of his family and gave them a small grin; he really was happy with where they were in their lives. Things had changed and people were lost to them, but they were together now and that meant the world to him. Slowly, Rick removed his wedding band and held it in his palm.

"I'm not really good at makin' speeches and statements," he started. "But I just wanted to say right off the bat that I'm happy we're here together."

Michonne smiled and nodded her head.

"You know, when everything changed, I didn't get the chance to see it happen. I woke up one day and my family was gone. Every minute after I woke up in that damned hospital was about survival. Some of us didn't make it along the way, and we are forever linked to them; we'll always care about them."

Carl listened carefully to his father's words.

"I miss Lori," he said softly. "Every single day. We weren't on great terms before the world ended, or after, and that's one of the things I will always regret. Both of us weren't the best partners to the other, but I appreciate what she did in the end. She… she sacrificed herself so that Judy could live. I only wish she got to meet her."

Both Carl and Michonne felt tears well in their eyes.

"This," said Rick as he held up his wedding band. "This is a reminder of how much she meant to us, which is why I keep it; I look at it and think about the past, good and bad."

He turned and placed the ring down next to André's teddy bear.

"But I'm leaving it here from now on because I want to look to the future. I'm thankful for the healing that was in my heart because it let me see a future. I want to have a future with you, Michonne," he smiled. "I want the kids to look to their futures."

"I do too," Michonne whispered.

Rick lit the remaining candle.

"This is for Lori and André," he said tearfully. "If they're somewhere lookin' down on us, well, I hope that they're together."

Michonne wiped the tear that had fallen and gestured for Rick to approach; he sat next to her and she kissed his lips softly then rested her forehead to his. Carl, noticing that they were having a moment, moved to get the pumpkin soup. When he returned with two bowls, Rick had his arm wrapped around Michonne and they were watching as the flames of the candles dancing gently.

"Are you guys okay?" the teenager asked.

Rick nodded and Michonne grinned.

"Yeah, buddy. I feel…a little sad, but a lot hopeful," she offered in earnest. "I'm okay."

"What about you, Dad?" Carl asked as he handed the soup over.

"I feel closure," said Rick.

That was good enough for Carl as he settled onto the floor next to Judith; they spent the rest of the evening remembering their loved ones who passed and talking about what was still to come.