Well this is it. The last post on this story. I can't believe it took me almost a year to finish this. When I started I honestly did not intend for it to be this long, but the story kind took on a life of its own and here we are. I really enjoyed writing this and reading your intelligent insights on my interpretation of these characters.

Thanks again to all who read and responded! Your reviews were inspiring.

Special thanks to all who continued with this story through the angst and could find overall enjoyment in what was written. I would like to personally thank you all but there are just too many of you to list – so big hug and thanks a million to each one of you.

Epilogue

The announcement of their engagement hadn't gone exactly as planned. For Mrs. Mitchell, had caught Rick and Michonne in a very compromising position on the couch in the art room. Michonne and Rick had been mortified, shocked, because they were in the basement on the far side of the house, and understood that no one ever ventured down there. Unfortunately, they'd been wrong, and thus had found themselves in a situation akin to two teenagers getting caught by their parents doing something they weren't supposed to with their high school sweetheart.

After Michonne and Rick had gotten dressed, she'd told her mother what was going on, besides the obvious, that they'd just gotten engaged to be married. Of course, her mother had not been thrilled considering what she'd just seen and her displeasure with who her daughter was marrying. However, Michonne and Rick didn't care. Though still embarrassed by what had happened, they were beyond thrilled with their engagement.

The announcement to the rest of their families and friends had gone well, with everyone being genuinely happy for them, save for a couple of exceptions Lori, Angela and Rick's parents. The former had been livid, kicking up a fuss that only served to make her look silly, claiming that Rick was trying to replace her as Carl's mother. She'd been virtually ignored by Rick and Michonne, and begrudged by Carl who had no desire to see her while she was raging over the engagement. However, he'd continued his bi-monthly weekend visits to her in Palmer because he didn't want her to think that he was abandoning her for Michonne.

Angela had expressed what she always had about their relationship, that it was a huge mistake and that Michonne was marrying beneath her worth, but Michonne had let her friend know that she loved Rick and he was more than worthy of her and she of him. "Either you support my choice or don't bother coming to the wedding." She'd told her friend who'd chosen the former.

Rick's parents thought the engagement was too much too soon. "You just divorced Lori and moved to Atlanta, now you're remarrying?! Carl will not be able to handle so much change." They'd argued, but Rick had countered that he loved Michonne more than he'd ever loved before and that Carl loved her too and would be fine. "In fact he blessed the engagement." He'd told them, then reminded them that this had not "just" happened, that he'd been in Atlanta for nearly a year and divorced for more than two. "I'm happy." He'd let them know, which had somewhat settled their concerns and led to them reluctantly supporting their plans.

The wedding had happened 6-months later, on a gorgeous Saturday in early May, at Little Gardens, a property that was 45 minutes outside of Atlanta. The ceremony was intimate, with only about 75 guests who were Michonne and Rick's closest family and friends. The wedding party was small, consisting of three bridesmaids - Maggie, Michonne's sister-in-law – Tracey and Jenny, and groomsmen – Darryl, Morgan, and Rick's brother Gary. Carl served as the best man and Sasha as the maid of honor. The colors had been light pink and gray, with the women in the wedding party wearing pastel pink dresses and the men, including Rick, wearing light gray suits with pastel pink ties.

Michonne wore a simple gown, the Lea, by Amsale Aberra. It was cream in color with a bias cut, silk chiffon and strapless with crystal hand beading on the bodice and bordering the beatuex train. Her ears were adorned with diamond studs that were set in a platinum circle, and her neck and wrist were beautified with a matching necklace and bracelet, all of which had been gifted to her by her father for her wedding. Her hair was swept up in a loose bun and her makeup was a natural elegance of brown and bronze hues, stunning Rick who thought she looked beautiful.

The ceremony took place at twilight under an archway near the waterfall. There were twinkle lights everywhere and lovely flowers, the same as Michonne's bouquet - light pink peonies, snapdragons, white calla lilies, cream English roses – adorning the white chairs and arch, under which they married. Michonne received a white gold swirl style wedding band that was accented with 24 round diamonds matching perfectly with her engagement ring, while she'd given Rick a white gold band with a rich black rhodium design, matching her wedding set.

The reception was held outside with an open bar, an abundance of champagne and a plated dinner. The meal consisted of a choice of Filet Mignon, Herb Roasted Lamb, Fourchu Lobster, King Salmon, Red wine-braised lentils with Veggie Sausage – for the vegetarian attendees, and sides of grilled asparagus, mashed potatoes, roasted butternut squash and green salad. For dessert, there was a choice of various flavors of ice cream and cupcakes and of course the wedding cake which had been a four-tier creation of cream cheese icing with vanilla batter and raspberry filling. Michonne and Rick had been beaming with joy having the time of their lives, excited about their future together, while their guests, including those who had been reluctant about their union, had let their hair down and had a fabulous time – partying until late in the evening.

The world had changed. Her world had changed, so drastically after becoming Mrs. Rick Grimes. For though they'd been dating for two years and Carl had been a big part of her life, it was an adjustment having a 13-year-old boy in the house. She could no longer be the cool girlfriend but at times had to be the authority figure and even a disciplinary – putting him on punishment, when Rick wasn't around, which had tested her relationship with Carl and sometimes caused issues with Lori, but they'd gotten through it and had become closer than ever.

Another adjustment was dealing with their finances. When they were dating, they did talk money and had done many things together, pooling their finances together to accomplish a common goal. They'd done this to pay for their honeymoon. However, being in the same home, having all their money going to the same household was strangely a challenge, mainly due to the way they handle their money and stayed on top of things. Rick kept a running tab in his head, never opening a checkbook and thus occasionally going over budget. While Michonne was the meticulous bookkeeper, tracking every penny. They'd had many disagreements about this, not because they were constantly short on cash, due to his spending, because unlike many couples they were doing well financially, but that his way of tracking the money would always throw off their budgeting. It had been a struggle but Michonne had finally convinced Rick to let her handle their finances. He would put a portion of his check in their joint account and she would manage all the bills and fundamentals for the house.

The other major transformation was where they'd live. After their week-long honeymoon in St. Lucia, Rick and Carl had moved into the condo with Michonne due to the house he was renting having been sold to new owners. The decision was a transitory solution being that they wanted Carl to finish the school year in Druid Hills, but what came after had been where the conflict arose. Rick wanted to move out of the city and to the suburbs. The cost of living was more economical. There were bigger houses with more land and it would be the best place to raise a family. Nonetheless, Michonne was adamant about remaining in the city. It was close to their jobs, had more activities available for them and though Carl would eventually have to change schools, he'd at least still be able to participate in the sports leagues that were local to that area, which was where he'd made many friends.

She'd temporarily won that battle, but once Carl started high school, a year later, they'd moved. She'd fiercely resisted it, finding several properties within their budget that was in the city and provide some of what Rick wanted, but he would not yield. He wanted a home that was more conducive to a family. Thus, they'd bought a new construction, Craftsman four bedroom/two and half bathroom house – in east Cobb County. It was a beautiful home that provided the space they needed to start a family and Rick the yard he wanted. Moreover, it was only 5 miles outside Atlanta, which made Michonne happy because she'd still have easy access to the city.

All else seemed to fall into place. They'd kept their in-laws at bay, meaning not allowing them to get to deep in their business and thus cause trouble. They'd learned how to handle their time before they'd married, and continued their routine after the wedding. They'd done more traveling, finally getting Carl on a plane for a trip, one Spring Break, to Hollywood and doing a wonderful vacation in Europe one Fall after Michonne had finished her work in Paris.

Both had continued to exceed at their careers with Rick moving up quickly with MARTA, becoming a Lieutenant on the force, which increased his pay and provided more flexibility with his schedule. Michonne had continued working with the same marketing firm, with constant travel to New York, and the annual month long engagement in Paris, rising to Senior Director and was poised for the position of Vice President when Rick had asked the question.

It had been true. Michonne had always been very passionate about her career, wanting to break the glass ceiling and reach heights beyond her expectations. She had been quite successful with her work and was set to continue to the next level, until Rick had asked for a family. He'd wanted more children since they'd married, but they'd been busy with their careers and still trying to adjust to the demands of building a life together. However, three years into the marriage he'd not wanted to wait any longer. For they were settled in their jobs, living in a location and home they loved, had a nice routine with Carl and had life generally under control. It was expected that she'd resist his request being as she was on the precipice of a new career high, but she'd immediately said yes. Though she was fearful, remembering what had happened when she'd been pregnant years before and worried that she'd become overbearing and disapproving like her mother, she wanted a family with Rick. She wanted him to be happy.

Late May 2026

Michonne sat smiling, gazing out over the back lawn, watching their 4- year old son Christopher, frolicking with his constant playmate – Ben, who was Glenn and Maggie's son.

"Hey." Rick quietly uttered as he came to stand over her, drawing her eyes up to him.

"Hey." She responded in the same quiet tone, before he then lovingly took her mouth.

"Glenn and Maggie still aren't back?" He asked.

"I think they 're gone be a minute, because they decided to go way up to Sam's Club near Dobbins to get the buns." She answered. "When Sasha called and said her and Bob were running behind I told her they could take their time."

"I guess that's just as well. The coals are still getting hot on the grill and Carl just called and said he's just now leaving Knoxville. So, we won't be eating for a while anyway."

"Why is he just now leaving? I thought he got on the road a couple of hours ago."

"Take a guess." Rick casually retorted.

"Enid again?" Michonne quietly laughed, referring to the young woman who had captured Carl's attention since his sophomore year at the University of Tennessee.

"Yeah. He said something about spending as much time with her as he could because they weren't going to see each other for a few weeks." Rick sighed, shaking his head.

"Ah, young love." Michonne smiled at her husband.

"Yeah, but it ain't nothing like seasoned love."

"Seasoned love?" She countered in jest. "Is that a nice way of saying love between us old adults."

"We ain't that old." He chuckled, then kissed her with a deep heat, causing her to silently moan.

"You best be careful. You don't want to wake your daughter with your amorous play." Michonne lightly warned as she gently stroked the back of the three-month-old, who lay sleeping comfortably on her chest.

"Don't worry I can keep things tamed." He huskily countered then tenderly, hotly tasted her lips again.

"You are too much." She breathed, beaming with delight.

"That's why you love me." He quipped with a smirk, then chastely pecked her mouth, before planting a soft kiss on his daughter's forehead. "You want me to take her upstairs to her bed?" He offered, eying their beautiful little Kaliyah aka Kali with adoration.

"No, just put her in the pack n play in the living room. That way when she wakes up we don't have to go all the way upstairs to get her."

Rick heeded his wife's words then carefully extracted their daughter from her arms. Kali barely stirred as she came to rest against her father's chest, when he then leaned down and caressed Michonne's lips once more. "I'll be back." He whispered. Michonne watched him as he walked away, the joy on his face at holding their daughter, filling her with so much love. Saying yes, keeping the faith all those years ago when their relationship had been tested from the start, marrying him and agreeing to start a family when he was ready, even though she was afraid, had been the best thing she'd ever done in her life. For though she valued her career and the many things outside of her family that made her who she was, nothing was comparable to this – a life with a great husband, beautiful children and wonderful friends, a life that despite some heartache was happy.