A/N: This was written for a prompt for the We're The Ones Who Write Michonne and Carl Chronicles – First Fight with Girlfriend. Please check out the other stories on the WTOWW FF page, and on Tumblr. Enjoy!

The lively sounds and blurred surrounds were the backdrop to the Grimes family's Saturday lunch outing. This day, they travelled the short distance to the Macon Mall, a couple of hundred miles away from King County, Georgia. Seated in the food court, Rick Grimes and his wife, Michonne, enjoyed their meals with their children, Judith and Carl. Judith, a spritely six year old, eats her chicken nuggets happily; her face smeared with dipping sauce and an enthused smile. Carl, a somewhat brooding fifteen year old, stares distractedly at his phone. Both mother and father take in the scenes before them.

Rick steals a fry from Michonne's tray, before she swats his hand away. She rubs hers over her pregnant belly and reminds him that she is eating for two. He gives her an apologetic stare, and then presses a kiss to the side of her face. Their moment of sweetness is broken by their son's loud sighing.

"Carl?" Rick says. "What's wrong? You got a face like a cat's butt."

The teen shoots his father an unimpressed glare, and then scrunches up his nose, before looking back at his phone and replying, "Well everyone says I look like you, so…"

"Hand it over," says Rick, as he snaps his fingers thrice and gestures for the device.

"Oh, come on!" Carl complains. "I'm not doing anything wrong!"

"Nah, just givin' me an attitude, and sittin' here with your face all screwed up, while it's stuck staring into that phone," Rick counters. "Now give it."

Carl looks dejectedly at his father, and then to his mother; Michonne is watching their exchange.

"I'm sorry, Dad," he says, in an attempt to hold onto the device that is currently buzzing from the message notifications he is receiving.

"Is sorry gonna teach you table manners?" Rick asks; Michonne cannot help but give him a sideways glance. She admires his firm hand, but sometimes he can be a little overzealous, especially with Carl.

"Honey," she interjects. "It's not like we're dining at Bone's or anything. Maybe he can just put it away while we eat?"

Rick looks over to his wife beside him; she bats her long lashes in his direction and offers a sweet smile. He sighs loudly, knowing that she has already won him over. He shakes his head slightly in her direction, as he feels her hand rest on his leg reassuring him that the two of them are not conspiring against him.

"Fine," Rick says, turning his attention back to their son. "If I see it again during this meal, it's mine for the rest of the trip. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," says Carl, as he places the device into his jeans pocket.

…..

Using a paper napkin, Rick wipes Judith's face, before he speaks once more.

"You sure you don't wanna come with us?" he asks, as Michonne shakes her head.

"Nah," she says. "We'll be okay, right Carl?"

"Yeah," the teen answers, eager to get the phone from his pocket. "We'll be fine."

"Okay, then," Rick says, as he scoops Judith up and places her on his shoulders. "Meet back here in thirty."

He and Michonne share a kiss before he carries Judith off in search of a toy store. When he is a few yards away, Carl gets his phone out, and furiously types a reply. His face looks annoyed; Michonne takes note.

"Hey," she says, patting him on the shoulder. "Do you want to get some ice cream?"

"Nah," he says, not looking up from the screen.

"Well me and your baby brother do, so come on," Michonne says as she hooks her arm into Carl's.

…..

Her mouth waters slightly as she reads from the menu of the ice cream parlour. Carl is busy typing somewhat angrily into his phone.

"Peppermint and choc chip sounds good," says Michonne; Carl does not notice, as he continues to type. Michonne lets out an exasperated sigh, and then takes a seat, before saying, "Carl?"

"Ugh?"

"Okay, stop," she says sternly, getting his attention. "What is going on?"

"Nothing," he lies, looking at his mother briefly, and then back to the phone.

"Nope," she says. "No way. Put the phone down and talk to me. What's wrong?"

Carl sighs, and then places it down on the tabletop, before climbing onto the stool next to Michonne.

"It's Enid," he offers.

"What about her?" asks Michonne.

"She's angry at me," he admits. "We've been fighting all day."

"You've been here all day," says Michonne slightly confused.

"Yeah, but through messenger," he explains, gesturing to the phone.

"I see," Michonne replies.

"It's our first fight," he says.

"Oh," she says. "Your first fight ever?"

"Yeah," says Carl. "And I don't even know how it started."

"Well, what did she say?" Michonne asks.

Carl sighs loudly, and then looks off to the side as he tries to recall how he and his girlfriend of three months got into a spat.

"I think it's 'cause she wanted to hang out today," he offers. "With just the two of us."

"Okay, well, why didn't you invite her to come along?" Michonne queries. "You know it'd be cool with me and your Dad."

"Well, that's the thing," he starts, almost sheepishly. "I didn't actually tell Enid we were coming…"

"Carl, you knew for two weeks that we were…"

"I know, Mom!" he says, defensively. "But I kind of forgot to tell her."

"And she already made plans to spend today with you?" Michonne asks, putting all of the pieces together.

"Yeah," he replies, letting his head fall.

"So, did you apologize?"

"Yes," he answers. "I swear I did."

"What did she say?"

"She said I was selfish, so I said she was just obsessed with me…"

"Carl!" Michonne chides. "You did not say that."

"I did and I know it's mean," he retorts. "But she said something that upset me, so I wanted to upset her."

"Honey, that's not the way to deal with these things," Michonne says, her tone much softer with her son. He lifts his head and his eyes meet hers.

"How should I deal with it?" he asks, genuinely wanting to fix the rift between himself and his girlfriend.

"Firstly, if she is upset because of something you said, or you did, then you hear what she has to say."

"Even if it's a lot of cursing?"

Michonne sighs and then says, "If she is cursing at you, then she doesn't deserve you."

"No, not at me, she's just cursing at the situation," he admits.

"Alright," Michonne continues. "If there's cursing, then there's still a message in there about what she's feeling. Try to find that message. Acknowledge what she is saying, and apologize for what you've done."

"And if she doesn't accept it?"

"Then you give her the time and space to process it," Michonne explains.

"Process it?"

"Yeah," she offers. "Time to stop being upset; time to hear what it is that you're saying."

"Okay," the teen replies, nodding his head. "That makes sense. I should've done that."

"You'll do better next time," Michonne soothes.

"Next time?"

"Sweetie, disagreements are a natural part of relationships," says Michonne. "People are going to make mistakes and not see eye-to-eye. What's healthy is hearing the other person's point of view, processing how you feel, and keeping communication open."

Carl nods his head once more; he is starting to understand what his mother is saying. She continues speaking.

"What would you do if you got into a fight with Duane, or Patrick?" Michonne asks.

"I'd let them cool off and then try to talk to them later," Carl answers.

"How?"

"I'd text them and say hey," he offers.

"So it's that simple?" asks Michonne.

"Yeah," he says. "We mainly disagree about sports, or video games, or things like that."

"Are you always right?"

"No," he answers. "But neither are they."

"But you move past it?"

"Sure," says Carl, swivelling slightly on the stool as his mother watches.

"And that works?" Michonne questions.

"Yeah," he shrugs. "And I say I'm sorry, of course."

"That's a good thing," Michonne offers.

"And ask if we're cool," he adds.

"So, you agree that it's about communication?"

"Yeah, it is," says Carl.

"That's what you need to do with Enid," Michonne advises. "You say sorry, give her time, and then reach out to her later."

"Okay," Carl replies. "Got it."

They fall silent a moment before Carl adds, "Do you think I should get her something?"

"Like a gift?"

"Yeah."

"Sure," says Michonne with a smile, noticing the romantic in Carl that mirrors Rick. "Since she is your girlfriend, it's a nice gesture to make her feel better, and tells her that you care about her."

"Cool," Carl replies while nodding his head. "What d'ya think I should get?"

"We can look at one of the gift shops," says Michonne. "I bet you'd find something there that she'd like."

"Thanks, Mom," says Carl gratefully. "You're the best."

Michonne beams brightly at her boy, places her hand on his shoulder and jokes, "Yeah, I know, but I'd like that in writing, please."

…..

Seated on one of the benches provided, a pregnant Michonne is resting her feet while her family continues to shop. She has not been waiting that long, when she sees Carl approaching. He is coming from in the direction of the gift shop with a bag, just as Rick and Judith round a corner. The small girl runs toward her mother, and excitedly tells her about the new toys that her Daddy has procured. In amidst the energetic squealing of Judith, and the struggling of Rick with the toys, Carl does not get to show his mother the gift he bought for his girlfriend. He can show her later, he surmises, and smiles widely at his family.

…..

The drive home is quiet, save for the music from the radio playing softly. Michonne is in the front passenger seat, Rick is driving, and their children are seated in the back of their family vehicle. Judith is asleep, holding onto one of her new toys; Carl sits staring out the window while listening to music on his phone. Michonne glances back, and smiles, before she suddenly remembers something.

"Carl?" she asks, waving her hand to gain his attention.

The teen removes his earbuds, and replies, "Yes?"

"What'd you get from the gift shop?" Michonne queries.

"Oh, yeah; I forgot to show you," Carl states, and he reaches down and searches for the bag. Once he retrieves it, he reaches inside and removes the gift: A small plush teddy bear holding a purple heart.

"That's really cute," Michonne gushes cheerfully. "She's gonna love it!"

"I got her this card, too," Carl adds, holding up a purple card that matches the heart. "I'm gonna write her an apology in it."

Michonne smiles, and Rick listens in on their conversation, glad that whatever his son was going through, his wife was there to help with. Even when he is not sure of how to reach their son, he knows Michonne can.

"That's good," she offers. "Communication is best."

"Yeah," Carl answers. "Communication is best, and that's why I wanted to, like, get you something, too. Just to, ya know, remind you of what you mean to me, and as a thank you for helping me out."

"Oh, honey," she says, watching him hand over a box. "You didn't have to…"

"I wanted to," Carl replies with a smile. "So that you remember this every day, even when I forget to tell you it."

She gives him a loving and thankful smile, which he returns, before taking the gift from his hands. Their little family has been through a few ups and downs, but they always make sure to love openly and unconditionally. She was so glad that Carl was growing into a discerning and respectful young man; she could not ask for anything more from him. Feeling the warmth spread through her chest, Michonne smiles, then opens the box and retrieves a mug that reads, 'World's Best Mom.'

"Wow," says Michonne. "This is great, honey. Thank you."

He offers his mother a genuine smile, and supplies, "Just happy you like it."

"I love it, and I'm so glad I have this," she says, pointing to the vibrant scrawl, "In writing."