Mama Bear
Michonne walks toward home with Judith on her hip. The baby is sleepy, but Michonne tickles her, trying to keep her awake long enough for dinner and a bath. She's learned the hard way that if she lets her sleep now, Judith will wake up screaming to be fed in the middle of the night. No one wants that. Judith laughs and wriggles in Michonne's arms, still yawns wide though.
Just as Michonne is about to go in for another tickle, she see something she is sure has to be a mistake. One of the Alexandrians, Betty…no, Barbara—a portly woman who is usually quiet but wears a permanent scowl—rounds the corner with Carl by the ear. By the ear like he's a naughty student. Michonne quickens her steps and the group meets at the foot of the stairs to her home.
"Get your hands off of him," Michonne says. Her voice is soft, almost a whisper, almost pleasant, but there is no mistaking…it is not a request.
Barbara lets go of Carl. He immediately straightens—he's taller than this woman—and rubs his ear.
"What's going on?" Michonne asks, looking at Barbara only.
"I was—" Carl starts.
"I'm talking to Barbara." Michonne give the woman a steel glare.
"Listen," Barbara starts, "I know you all have a different way of doing things, cause you'd have to be different being out there so long. But this boy can't just run around firing off a gun whenever he feels like it. Look, I'm just gonna say it. There is no discipline in this house. He's running around half-blind firing a gun like a sociopath and I'm just—"
"I wasn't," Carl interjects. "I was just—"
"Take your sister in the house," Michonne says, eyes still on Barbara.
"But—"
"Now." Michonne hands Judith to Carl. He stomps up the steps, flings open the door and doesn't bother to close it.
When Michonne is sure he is gone, she takes a step closer to Barbara, invading her space.
Barbara smiles nervously. "I know how it is with teens, but—"
"Stop talking." It is no more than a whisper, but Barbara's mouth snaps shut. "You need to hear what I am about to say to you." Michonne pauses, making sure she has Barbara's undivided attention. "If you ever put your hands on that boy again, I'll make sure you don't have hands to touch anything ever."
Barbara gasps, eyes flicker to the sword on Michonne's back. She steps backward. "There is no need to—"
"I said stop talking." Takes another step closer. "If I ever catch wind of you referring to him as anything other than Carl, you will be sorry."
"Don't you even want to know what he was—"
"I don't care what he was doing!" She shouts now, causing Barbara to take several steps away. "Carl is confident, tall and intelligent so I get that sometimes people forget, but make no mistake, he is a child. If you have a problem with him, you come to me or his father. That is it. You do not touch him and you damn sure don't refer to him as an undisciplined, half-blind sociopath. Now get away from my house."
Barbara flees as fast as her dumpy feet can carry her. Michonne has to stand there for a moment, hands clenched into fists, trying to regulate her breathing. She really wants to go after the woman, kind of wishes Barbara had more fight in her. She takes a deep breath, turns to head into the house and finds Rick standing in the open doorway.
He cocks his head to the side. "Wanna tell me what that was about?"
"In a minute." Michonne skirts past him and enters the house. Rick follows. She pulls her sword over her head and props it against the wall.
"Carl!"
She finds him in the kitchen. He is feeding Judith, but still looks as pissed as Michonne feels. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she asks.
Carl shoots to his feet in full defense mode. "I was just doing what Dad said I could. He told me I could practice shooting over by the west wall. There are a lot of bushes and the rabbits. I was only—"
"That's not what I'm talking about. You don't allow anyone put their hands on you. I know she was just grabbing your ear, but she has no right to touch you."
Carl looks taken aback for a moment, as if realizing Michonne is angry with him for an entirely different reason. "I didn't want to be disrespectful, I guess."
"You can be respectful, I want you to be respectful, but she needs to respect you too. She is not your parent and therefore cannot discipline you. She can tell you to stop and then address your father or me. That is it. If she ever puts her hands on you like that again or insults you, come get me. I mean that."
"Oh I think it's clear you mean it," Rick says. The corner of his mouth lifts slightly.
"What are you smirking at?" Michonne asks.
"You seem angrier than Carl." The two Grimes boys chuckle.
"I am. And it's not funny."
Rick and Carl smile wider.
Michonne narrows her eyes at the two of them. "Go get washed up for dinner, Carl."
He places Judith's empty bowl in the sink and exits the kitchen with a muffled "Yes, ma'am."
"Undisciplined my ass." Michonne heads to the sink and washes her hands. She begins to clean Judith's food smudged face all the while she feels Rick's eyes on her.
"What?" she finally askes, turning to him.
He lifts a shoulder. "Nothing. Just wondering if I should go talk to Barbara, smooth thangs over."
Now Michonne laughs. "Since when are you the one to smooth anything? She'll see you on her doorstep and shit herself."
He snorts a laugh. "Yeah, you're probably right."
Michonne lifts Judith out of the highchair. "You think I was too harsh on her?"
"Not at all." He takes Judith from her. "I'm gonna give her a bath then I'll be back to help you with dinner."
"Sure." As he leaves, Michonne would swear she hears him mumble, "Mama Bear."
A/N: So I wrote this today because I feel like there was a lot of missed moments on the show with Michonne and Carl. I love their relationship. To me, even in the graphic novels Michonne is more of a mother figure than Andrea. Could be that I am all about Michonne, but that's really how I see it. I even think her relationship with Rick is more solid in the books than his with Andrea. Still, I said all that to say this…I feel like Michonne would totally go mama bear on someone for the slightest thing if it were about Carl or Judith.
