A/N: Yay, I'm so glad everyone liked the last one! Aside from the chapter where Rick and Michonne break up, 19 was the one I was most excited to write. (I make no sense, I know.) So it means a lot that you guys connected with it. To those that asked, yes, "We don't die" is a Rick/Andrea thing in the comics, but I've already decided that Michonne will be taking over that role in the TV show. Now if the writers could throw me a bone and just have Michonne say those three words in the finale or S6 opener, I may be willing to forgive all their other transgressions! Haha.

Anywho, some of you guys have probably guessed this by now, but this is the last chapter! More of an epilogue, really. I used to suck at completing stories, so to have another one done is always a little astonishing for me. But it's you guys that make it so easy to keep going, and I can't say enough 'thank you's and 'I love you's to everyone that's left me any feedback on this. You've all helped shape me into a better writer, and that's invaluable. To everyone that's favorited and followed, I see you and I appreciate you so much! I've already started outlining the sequel, so I'm sure you'll see that during the break, but in the meantime... I hope you enjoy this bit of a happy ending! And seriously... Thank you.

20 – Coda

Michonne sat at the front of the church bus as the group quietly drove through the dark, abandoned roads of South Carolina. It had already been a bumpy ride, quite literally, towards Washington, and they had no idea what to expect once they got there, but the important part was that they were getting there. She held onto a sleeping Judith, but her eyes were on Carl, also fast asleep, in the aisle across from her.

She'd felt the strain in their relationship since she snapped at him nearly a week prior, and she hated herself for it. He was easily her favorite person on that bus, and didn't deserve her ire. He'd been her confidante even when Rick wouldn't be. He wasn't only her best buddy, but he was her son, for all intents and purposes. She loved that kid.

She carefully maneuvered to the edge of her seat so that she was close enough to whisper to him. "Carl," she said, gently brushing his hair from his forehead.

He stirred quickly but quietly and looked up at Michonne, confused. "What's wrong?"

"I just wanted to say that I love you," she answered seriously, making sure to hold his gaze.

He sat up to face her, unsure of where that had come from. He knew as much, but it scared him that she was waking him up to say it. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she smiled, glancing down at Judith. "I just… need to make sure you know that."

"I've never doubted it," he assured her.

She smiled again, moved by his maturity. She was so busy trying to treat him like an adult, she forgot that he was actually becoming one. "What I said the other night was… I was angry. But not at you."

"I know," he nodded, changing positions so that they were knee to knee. "I haven't been holding that against you, if that's what you think."

"You sure about that?"

"I just wanted to give you space," he whispered back. "So you and my dad could work things out."

"We have." She instinctively looked toward the back of the bus, where Rick was talking to Sasha and Daryl. She noticed he looked confused, which amused her. But then focused in on Carl again. "We're fine."

"And we're fine too," he promised with those big blue innocent eyes. "I may not always say what I'm thinking. And maybe it's best if I don't sometimes," he smiled, "but I get things. And I get what you were going through had nothing to do with me."

"You promise you're not just saying what I wanna hear?"

"I promise." He held out his right pinky, waiting for her to do the same. As they locked fingers he added, "This is just ours."

"Pinky swearing?" she chuckled inaudibly.

"Yes. You can't share it with Judith, and you definitely can't share it with Dad."

She giggled out loud this time, relieved to find that they really were okay. "That's a deal," she confirmed, letting go of his finger. "Better yet? Anything we swear on stays between the two of us."

He liked the sound of that. Not that he had any intention of keeping secrets from his father, but he was learning that that was the nature of all relationships. Some things just stayed between a pair of people, and that was okay. He figured that was why his dad and Michonne had kept their relationship to themselves for so long. "Hey, Michonne?"

She noticed he had gotten contemplative for a moment, so she knew his next question would have little to do with their deal. "Yeah?"

"When we were at that cabin, and you said you loved my dad. And you said you didn't know if he loved you…" He looked down at the bus floor, suddenly somewhat unsure of himself.

"Yeah…" Michonne encouraged him to go on.

"Do you know now?"

She had to laugh, shaking her head at this kid in all his inquisitiveness. Even when she knew the question would come out of left field, she hadn't prepared herself for it. But luckily, the answer was easy this time around. "I have no doubt that he does."

"Are y'all sure about this?" Rick asked, staring across the aisle, between Sasha and Daryl. The two of them were smirking back at him, happily. "I mean, you confirmed it and all?"

"I took three tests," Sasha nodded slowly. "I didn't believe the first one, was still in a bit of denial with the second, so I took a confirmatory test to the confirmatory test."

He chuckled, not quite sure what to do with their news. He was happy for them, of course, but having been on the road with Lori throughout most of her pregnancy, he knew it would be a strain on the group. "I mean… congratulations," he finally offered awkwardly. "Seriously."

"It ain't the best time," Daryl submitted, knowing Rick probably felt the way he had way back when, "but we'll be all right."

"You will," Rick promised. "We'll make sure of it."

Daryl nodded back, understanding that Rick was with him, as always. "We ain't tellin' anybody else until later," he added. "But we figured you oughta know."

"I appreciate it," he replied quietly, then looked back at Sasha. It was a good thing she was a sniper, which meant she could stay out of direct harm, but still help the group. "You stay outta trouble, and I'll do my best not to put you in any."

"I think I can make that deal," she promised, looking back at her boyfriend. "And I know you're gonna tell Michonne. But just… not the whole group, okay?"

"I wasn't gonna tell her," he lied, glancing up towards the front of the bus, where she and Carl were thankfully conversing. "But all right."

She laughed as she began to dig into some fruit cocktail she'd saved from the church. "Nobody has time for your lies right now, Rick."

He was still smiling as he asked, "Speakin' of time, you know how far along you are?"

Daryl and Sasha glanced at one another before offering a shrug in reply. "Had to be back at the prison," Daryl surmised. "So two, three months, probably."

"All right then," Rick nodded with finality as he began to stand from his seat. He knew he had a lot to consider, with getting them to safety in Washington, but mostly, he was just happy for the two of them. He recalled Sasha saying that their relationship started similarly to his and Michonne's, and all he could think was that their good news signified better things ahead for his relationship as well. "I'm gonna go up here and tell Michonne," he joked, "but you two be careful back here."

"We will," Sasha grinned, watching him leave. She turned to Daryl with a gaze in her eyes full of nothing but love. "Well that was easy."

He looked back at her with an amused smirk on his face. "You thought it wouldn't be?"

"You never know with Rick."

With a chuckle, the two of them fell back into their seats, enjoying one another's warmth as they headed off toward their new destiny.

Rick quietly checked on each member of his group as he made his way back towards his immediate family at the front of the bus. Carol and Tyreese were playing cards. Beth and Glenn were asleep, across from Maggie and Bob, going through medical supplies. Noah, Rosita, and Tara were scrunched together, watching a movie, while Eugene sat at the very front, directly behind Abraham, their driver for the evening. Everyone was all right, finally.

He found himself grinning as he reached the spot between Michonne and Carl. "Hey," he greeted them, relieved to see that they were just as chummy as ever.

"What are you so happy about?" Carl wondered, looking up to see a rare smile adorning his father's face.

"Everything," he answered simply and honestly as he squeezed into the empty space beside Michonne. "What is there not to be happy about?"

"Well, for starters, we have no idea where we're going."

"Oh, hush," Michonne hit his knee and then looked back to Rick expectantly. "What's up?"

"Nothin'," he shrugged.

"You do have a stupid grin on your face, you know."

"Do I?"

Her eyes narrowed on him and her voice got so low, not even Carl could hear. "If you have a secret, you better spill it."

Amused, he gazed down at Judith, and then back at Michonne. "You can't tell anyone," he prefaced seriously.

"Who am I gonna tell?" she rolled her eyes.

"Not even Carl."

"I can hear you, you know," Carl inserted loudly, having scooted in closer to be in on the conversation.

"What did I just tell you," Michonne laughed, turning to discover him crouched on the floor just beneath her.

He shrugged playfully. "It looked like a family meeting."

"Just sit down," Rick relented, moving as close to the window as he could, allowing Michonne to huddle closer and give Carl some space on the seat. Once he was settled, he went on, "This stays between us, you hear me?"

They both nodded as Michonne retorted, "Spill it, Grimes."

He took a deep breath, and turned to make sure no one else was listening. "Sasha's pregnant."

"Shut up," she smiled brightly in reply. "They just told you?"

Rick nodded. "They just found out, right before we left the hospital."

"Wow…"

"Is this good, or bad?" Carl interjected, confused. He couldn't exactly see how this would end well for Sasha, given how his mom died. But then, they had Judith, which was inarguably a good thing.

"It's good," Rick answered quickly, but then looked at Michonne for confirmation. "Right?"

"It is," she nodded, frowning. "We can't stop living our lives just because we see a few obstacles in the road. We don't let the world keep us from being whoever we were meant to be." She looked between her boys, thankful that she was able to say that with full confidence. "It's gonna be rough," she assured them with a gravity to her tone, "but that's okay. Because no matter what's on the other side of this journey, they'll have a new life waiting for them. And so will we."

With a thoughtful smile, Rick rested his open hand on his lap, waiting for Michonne to take it. She did exactly that and held on tightly. "Maybe in Washington, we could have a baby, too," he suggested hopefully.

Carl looked at the two people he now knew as his parents, beaming at the idea. "I'd like that."

Holding Judith close to her chest, Michonne let her head rest against Rick's shoulder, and she closed her eyes contentedly when she felt Carl lean against her similarly. "I'd like that, too," she said softly.

She felt so full, sitting there with her family. Finally. It had been such a long road to get to this point, but in the end, it was worth the fight. Nights like this were why all those days alone were okay.

-End