This is the final chapter to this story
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Her words broke Rick's heart. He knew she was in pain, and the end was near, but hearing her say it, and knowing what she wanted him to do, made him fall apart.
"Baby" he said, barely able to get the words out. "Are you sure? Is this what you want?". He knew the answer, he was just trying to stall for precious seconds with her.
Michonne knew he was stalling and managed a weak smile. "Yes Rick. It's ok baby. I'll be ok." Rick reluctantly got up and went over to his bag where he had a knife. Michonne followed him with her eyes.
He unzipped the bag and pulled out a hunting knife. He stalled for more time, wiping off the blade on his shirt. When he turned around to her she was watching him, and the determined look in her eye made him almost fall to the floor in grief.
He slowly walked back over to her and got back in bed with her. She turned so that they were eye to eye and he wrapped his arms around her. She gazed into his blue eyes as if she were trying to remember everything about them. He did the same to her.
"Rick, when I'm gone... you have to live... for the kids" she whispered. Unable to speak, he just nodded.
She moved in and kissed him slowly, tears mixing with the kiss making both of them taste salty. After a while she broke the kiss and grabbed his hand with the knife, staring into his eyes as she brought it up under her chin.
"I love you until my dying breath" she whispered. "I love you Michonne" he choked out. She nodded and closed her eyes. Before he lost his nerve, he thrust the knife up through her chin into her brain. He heard a quick gurgle of blood and then nothing as she died in his arms.
He let out a howl of grief as he stared down at her motionless body, still so hot that touching her was painful. He wailed in sorrow, clutching her head to his chest and rocking her back and forth like a mother with her baby. He rocked her for what seemed like hours, her blood staining his shirt red.
He cried her name over and over again until his voice was hoarse. When he had no tears left to cry anymore, he just held her in his arms until he saw the first rays of dawn.
He felt numb on the inside and outside as he finally let go of her body and got off the bed. He looked down at her and watched her face, now peaceful, no longer contorted in pain from the wound, or sweat from the fever. Right then he knew.
She's with Andre.
He bent down and kissed her lips again, and then wrapped her up in the sheets from the bed. He stumbled out of the house in search of a car to take her back to Alexandria.
As he walked in the cool morning air his mind went back to when she had found him and Carl, after the prison had been destroyed. She had been the first one to make Carl laugh again, to make him play games and make bets as if he were a kid once again. He needed to bring her home to Carl.
He felt his pocket where her letter was still sitting. He was tempted to open it, but he would never betray her trust. It was meant for Carl, and he would get it.
Rick walked for half an hour until he reached another house that had a garage. He looked through the garage door and saw two cars parked inside that seemed to be in pretty good condition. He opened the garage and broke out one of the car's windows so that he could get inside. He then jump started the car that still had a quarter tank of gas left, and drove it back to the house.
As he walked towards the master bedroom where Michonne's body was, he passed the bathroom where the bathtub was still full of water, and the candles that he had lit had burned themselves out. He paused, remembering their last night together, and tears threatened to come, but he pushed them down. He had a mission and he wouldn't fail her.
Rick walked into the bedroom where his love was still laying on the bed wrapped in the sheets. He lifted her carefully and carried her to the car that was waiting out front. As he passed the tree with the swing he smiled to himself and he could almost hear her say "Push me Rick". He gently laid her in the backseat, before starting the car and making his way back to Alexandria.
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Carl was worried. Rick and Michonne hadn't mentioned staying out overnight, and he knew they would never do that unless something went wrong. Maybe they ran into a herd of walkers, or bad people. He knew they were probably fine, if anybody knew how to handle themselves it was his father and Michonne, but he couldn't shake a feeling of dread that settled in his gut. He had taken care of Judith the night before, feeding and playing with her and then putting her to bed. He almost expected them to be home when he woke up, but they still weren't back. He made himself and Judith a breakfast of stale Cheerios and they ate in silence.
Afterwards, Carl put Judith into her stroller and decided to go for a walk around the gates. Judith loved going for walks and she happily gurgled and cooed in the stroller as Carl pushed her.
As Carl pushed Judith past the front gate, he noticed a car pulling up. "It's Rick, open the gates" Sasha called from above. Spencer pulled the gates open as the car pulled in. Carl was relieved. He pushed the stroller towards the car and immediately noticed he didn't see Michonne. Rick slowly got out the driver's side with tears running down his face and his shirt covered in blood, and he didn't need to say a word. Carl knew she was gone.
Carl let out a scream that made everyone who was outside turn towards him. Even Judith froze and looked around. He dropped to his knees and wailed. Sasha ran to him in confusion "What is it Carl? What happened?". She looked towards Rick, who was now walking around the car and opening the backseat. When Sasha saw the bundle in the back wrapped up in sheets she gasped and clutched her chest. Carl moaned "Michoooooooonne".
Rick picked up her body out of the back seat in a daze. He didn't acknowledge anyone or anything. He walked off in the direction of his home.
Rick carried Michonne into the house and laid her body on the couch. He then fell down in front of her and stared off into space.
Sasha, joined by Maggie and Glenn, escorted Carl and Judith back to their home. Glenn opened the door first, not knowing what to expect from Rick. As Glenn walked in he saw Rick slouched in front of the body of Michonne, which was on the couch. Carl walked in next, and quickly made his way to the couch. Without saying a word, he reached out and moved the sheet that was covering Michonne's face. When he saw her peaceful expression, Carl burst into tears, getting on his knees to move closer to her. He reached his hand towards her face and touched her cheek.
Rick suddenly heard Michonne's voice in his head. Rick, when I'm gone... you have to live... for the kids.
Rick nodded his head. He reached out and touched Carl's shoulder. "She was so brave Carl. She got bit, but she fought for as long as she could. We tried to get back to you and Judith but we couldn't".
Carl just stared at Michonne's face, stroking her cheek while tears ran down. "She's still warm" he whispered. "She had a fever from the bite" Rick said.
Carl swallowed. "Did she suffer?". "No, she asked me to end it before... before it got too bad". Carl nodded his head. "I'm glad you were there, to end it for her. It's what I would do. It's what you do when you love someone". Rick stared at Carl in shock of how mature his son was. His son was a much better man than he was.
Rick remembered the letter and took it out of his pocket. "She wrote this for you" he said. Carl looked at the letter in surprise. He couldn't believe that she had time to write a letter after being bitten by a walker. Carl took the letter from his father and tucked it into the pocket of his jeans to read later.
Carl reached over and hugged his father. "I know it was hard for you. But it was what she wanted". Carl's words of reassurance broke Rick. He burst into tears, hugging Carl hard. Both of the Grimes men cried on the floor, as Sasha, Maggie and Glenn looked on heartbroken.
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Carl made his way to his room and closed his door. He needed a minute to be alone. His best friend, his mom, was dead. He laid on his bed and closed his eyes, trying to understand why this happened. Why this world was so cruel that it would take away both of his mothers. He reached into his pocket and took out Michonne's letter. He wanted to read it so badly, but he was also afraid. He was trying to be brave and strong for his father's sake, but he was afraid that her letter would make him break down. She could always see right through him.
He decided to take the risk and he opened the letter. As he read, tears rolled down his face when she said she was scared, but she would always be thinking of him. Especially when she said she was proud of him, and that his mom Lori would be too. His mouth dropped open when she said he could have her katana, he knew it was her most prized possession. He laughed when she told him where her candy bar stash was and that she was a member of team Batman all along. When she told Carl to take care of Judy, he smiled. She knew how much Judy loved him, and she knew he would always take care of his little sister. When he finished reading, he felt like he had a final conversation with her. That she said her goodbyes to him, and that he could now say his goodbyes to her. He folded up the letter and held it to his heart, closed his eyes, and said "Good bye Michonne. I love you too".
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The men in Alexandria went out to dig a grave for Michonne, as the women started to cook a group meal to feed everyone after the funeral. Maggie, Sasha, and Rosita offered to help dress Michonne for the funeral, but Rick insisted on doing it himself. He knew she had hated the shirt and pants he had found for her in the house, and he certainly didn't want to bury her in that. He browsed through the closet in his room, which had become their closet, for anything that she possibly might have wanted to wear, when he pulled out a light blue sundress. He had no idea she even owned a dress, especially not a blue one. Her words popped into her head.
Before I met you my favorite color was orange. But it changed to blue because I love your eyes.
He knew that this was the dress. He took a wash cloth and cleaned the blood off of her neck and chest. He then carefully removed the clothes she had on, and pulled the dress on her. She looked so beautiful that he couldn't help but bend down and kiss her, but by now her skin was cold and lifeless. He found a scarf and wrapped it around her neck to hide the knife wound.
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All of Alexandria came out for her funeral. Everyone knew how important she was to Rick, plus, she had saved them all when a walker herd had broken its way into Alexandria, by encouraging them all to get behind Rick and fight the walkers in one on one combat.
Rick, Carl with Michonne's katana strapped to his back, and Judith watched as their wife, mother, friend, lover, confidant, and moral compass was laid to rest in the ground. Rick and Carl had tears silently running down their faces, but even Judith seemed to understand that there was something going on. She was abnormally quiet, and stared into the hole in the ground with concern.
Before the men began covering Michonne with dirt, Carl stopped them and took out one of the candy bars Michonne had told him about. He took the wrapper off, broke it in half, and dropped one of the halves into her grave. "We always share" he whispered, as they began filling in the hole.