15: you are the best thing

"They slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered." – F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Grimes home was silent as a grave. It was so quiet, in fact, that the sound of snowflakes falling to the ground was almost loud. The stillness of 5:00 am had overtaken practically their entire house – everywhere but Rick and Michonne's bedroom.

Michonne awoke to the sound of Rick humming softly as he swayed in circles near their bathroom. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, but she realized that he was holding Judith in his arms.

"What the hell are you doing?" she whispered, amused, but confused.

He stopped humming his favorite Kings of Leon song long enough to answer his wife. "We're dancing, obviously."

"Why are you doing it in the middle of the night?"

"Au contraire, my dear. It's five in the morning," he corrected her as he stroked Judith's hair. "This is what time we wake up."

She shook her head, tickled by his southern-glazed French, and turned on their bedside lamp to get a good glimpse of them. As sleepy as she was, she never passed up an opportunity to see Rick bonding with his daughter. Judith was so in love with him, it stopped Michonne's heart every time she saw them like this. She grabbed the Polaroid camera she'd found while rummaging through the house one day and quickly snapped a shot of the two of them.

"The amount of pictures you take with that thing, you're gonna have a book soon," Rick noted as he came and sat down on the bed with her.

"Maybe that's the point," she smirked, focusing her attention on Judith. She left the picture on their nightstand and softly took hold of one of her feet, covering it in little kisses as she giggled. "Merry Christmas, ladybug."

Rick grinned as Judith wriggled happily in his arms. "Merry Christmas to you," he told Michonne.

"Merry Christmas, baby." She smiled warmly at him as she began to play with the tips of his fingers with her own. He had beautiful hands, she always thought, even despite all the filth he put them through. They were strong and masculine, always holding onto her exactly the way a man should hold a woman. She leaned in and gave him a quick but passionate kiss – a kiss that meant to thank him for being the man that he was. She was sure to give him one every single day.

Judith made sure to follow suit and covered Rick's face in her version of a kiss, which was really just her putting her lips on him and blowing. "Look what you've started," he laughed, wiping her spit from his cheeks.

"Can't fault a girl for loving a good guy," Michonne shrugged with a long yawn. "I will fault her for waking up this early, though."

"You should go on back to sleep."

"I'm fine," she began to yawn again but shook it off before it came all the way out. "I said I was gonna wake up early anyway to do the gifts."

"I finished wrapping everything before I came to bed," he informed her, knowing she'd be pleased. "Except for Carl's. Couldn't find a big enough bow."

"Teamwork," she smirked tiredly. "Thank you."

He and Judith stood from their seat, Judith taking off for the door as soon as he set her down, while Rick tucked his wife back into bed. "You barely get enough sleep as it is, go on and get a little more rest."

"I really am fine," she declined in a tired moan, turning her body towards him. "She'll be awake soon. No point in getting comfortable."

He could tell that Michonne was already was quite cozy, despite her logic, but gently rubbed her arm, willing her back into her slumber. "I got this one."

"No..." Her protests were futile, though, as she had already fallen back to sleep.

Rick chuckled at how easily she had drifted away. If only Judith were that simple, he thought. He quietly moved out of the room to find his daughter, seeing that she had taken to Carl's room, most likely to wake him up in some torturous fashion. Rick supposed she was done with her dad for the time being, so he headed back down the hall to the nursery, where his youngest was fast asleep.

Baby
It's been a long day baby
Things ain't been goin' my way
You know I need you here to clear my mind
All the time

Bellamy Grimes was her name, and after a very difficult delivery, she came roaring into the world on November 12th, a day after her big brother's 15th birthday.

She was a tiny little thing, and nearly as pale as her father when she arrived, but she had all ten fingers and toes, striking blue eyes, and a mass of curly black hair covering her head. Rick couldn't figure out whether he was relieved or in love when he walked into the infirmary and saw his wife and his new daughter sitting there. He quickly figured out it was the latter.

It took them less than a minute to settle on the name Bellamy once Rick suggested it. Michonne liked it because they could call her Bell for short, and Bell Hooks was one of her favorite authors. But Rick had chosen it because it was Michonne's, and nothing felt more appropriate than for this child, indisputably a piece of both of them, to take both of their names. He felt a strong surge of pride wash over him the second she nodded in agreement.

Now, he stood in her room, that he wished he had listened to Michonne and painted pink, watching his littlest one in her peaceful slumber. She was so precious, he thought, with her tiny hands that could barely wrap themselves around his thumb. Her skin had darkened a bit, to a light tan, making her eyes pop even more than they did when she was born. He gently ran a hand over her hair, reveling in how soft everything about her was. She was perfect – much like her mother.

And baby
The way you move me, it's crazy
It's like you see right through me and make it easier
Believe me, you don't even have to try

"Hard to believe it's been six weeks already," Michonne lamented from the doorway, watching Rick watch Bellamy.

He looked up, happy to hear her voice. "You're supposed to be sleeping."

"I told you I don't like sleeping without you. That's why I always wake up when you're not there." She padded towards their daughter's crib, standing with Rick to take a look at her. She did this several times a day and never tired of her angelic face. "She looks like you," she told him with a contented sigh.

He thought she looked like Michonne, with her round face and heart-shaped lips. And when she was awake, she would stare at them as if she knew things about them that they didn't know themselves.

"Did you see it was snowing outside?"

"I didn't even notice," he whispered as he traced his finger along Bell's skin. "This'll be the first white Christmas I've ever had then."

"Seriously?"

He tried to think of Christmases past, but it was much more likely to be warm in Georgia than to get any snow in December. "I think so."

"You're in for a treat then," she grinned. "It's a beautiful sight."

He smiled at the thought, but he was used to those by now. "You're a beautiful sight."

"Oh god." She suddenly felt bashful, knowing what a mess she must've looked, having been up half the night, tending to the baby. "Why are you like this?"

"Like what?"

"Perfect."

He pulled her into him by her waist, leaving a tender kiss at the top of her head. "If that's true, it's only because you are."

She held onto his waist as well, enjoying the feeling of being close to him. It was her favorite space, right there in his arms. She closed her eyes, taking in the moment. "Can you promise me somethin', Rick?"

"Depends on what it is, I guess."

"Promise me we'll be together 'til we're ghosts."

He smiled widely at her choice of words, still staring down at their baby girl. "I think I can do that."

Oh, because you are the best thing
You're the best thing
You are the best thing
You're the best thing baby
You are the best thing to ever happen to me

"Michonne," Carl called into the living room from the kitchen. "Dinner's ready!"

She had been sitting in the living room with Judith and Bellamy, reading to the younger, while the older occupied herself with her new toys. Rick and Carl insisted that she not enter the kitchen until they were done, and she was so exhausted, she didn't have to do much to oblige their request.

When she finally did enter the dining room, cradling Bell, she was pleasantly shocked to be met with a full spread – roasted chicken, mashed sweet potatoes, grilled zucchini and corn, and macaroni and cheese, with eggnog and hot tea to drink. They had even set the table. "Wow," she marveled.

"Merry Christmas," Carl beamed proudly at his gift to her. "And don't let my dad fool you, I did most of this myself."

"Yeah, everything except actually get the food and cook it," Rick joked, hoisting Judith into her high chair. "Carl, help Michonne into her seat."

He quickly pulled out a chair for her and his youngest sister before moving to fix her a plate.

"Oh, this is full service too?" she noted happily. "I could get used to this."

"You should be already," Rick retorted with raised eyebrows. He left a quick peck on her cheek as he took his seat at the other end of the table.

Rick did tend to wait on her, hand and foot, whenever he was home, and it did not go unappreciated. "I'm sorry baby, I meant from this one," she nodded towards Carl.

He filled her plate with everything on the table and placed it in front of her. "Hey, I've been helping."

"You're right, you have," she conceded. "Since Bell got here, I haven't had to ask you to do anything."

"Thank you," he grinned in satisfaction. "I was even gonna start shoveling the snow after dinner."

"Oh, now you're just lying," Rick laughed as he prepared Judith's plate. He was shredding chicken and separating the macaroni into pieces small enough for her to eat with her hands. "Should we say grace?" he looked to Michonne.

"Yeah," she frowned in realization that they hadn't said one in months. And God knows they had a lot to be thankful for. "We should."

"Carl, why don't you do the honors?"

"Me?" he looked up from his plate with widened blue eyes. "I don't know what to say."

"Say whatever comes to mind," Michonne encouraged him. "Whatever it is you're thankful for."

He thought about it for a moment, looking around the table at his family. He lived in constant, albeit latent, fear that he would lose them, that this would all be taken away from them somehow, just like with the prison. But it still hadn't happened. In fact, his family was growing, and he'd begun to feel safer than ever, which was astounding, considering their circumstances.

"Okay," he nodded as he decided what he was going to say. His parents bowed their heads, but he kept his eyes on Judith as he spoke. "Thank you, whoever you are. God. Karma. The universe. Not so much for the food on this table, although we do appreciate that, but for the people at it. Thank you for letting them be in my life, thank you for giving them to me." His eyes moved over to Rick, who seemed to be smiling as he listened. "When all this started, when I thought my dad was dead, and me and Mom were just trying to make it from one day to the next… I won't lie, I didn't have a lot of faith in the outcome. I didn't think we would be alive much longer. But then you gave me my family back. Dad came back, and you gave me Judith, and then Michonne, and now Bell." He smiled to himself as he gazed to their newest addition. "I don't know why you took my mom, or why you brought the dead back to life, or... anything really. But I do know when I'm ahead, and I'm chalking this up to a win. So thanks, whoever you are."

That night, after dishes were washed and a rousing game of Monopoly ensued, the Grimes family retired to the master bedroom to top off their Christmas night together. They had been having lazy conversation, but were slowly falling asleep a the minutes passed. Carl was laid haphazardly between his parents with Judith sleeping beside him, holding onto Michonne's pajama pants. And Bellamy was cuddled comfortably against Rick's chest, where he laid on the other side of the bed.

Michonne looked at her sleepy family and smiled to herself. This was it. This was the life she had imagined, back when things were normal. A home full of kids and laughter and love, and a partner to share it all with – someone that loved her, that protected her, but also needed that same love and protection in return. She had given up that dream long ago, because when the world ended, there was no point in dreaming anymore. But somehow, miraculously, she had arrived.

Baby
We've come a long way baby
You know I hope and I pray that you believe me
When I say this love will never fade away

"I forgot, I have another gift for you," she realized as she sat staring at her husband. They had exchanged their presents already – he gave her a new cat sculpture to replace the one she lost back at the prison, as well as some of her favorite books to start off her new bookshelf. And she'd given him a collection of the Polaroids she had taken of the kids since they'd been in Alexandria. But there was one more small offering that she wanted to share with him. She moved stealthily out of the room and returned a few minutes later with an opened bottle of champagne and a smile.

"Really?" he grinned, lifting himself carefully so as not to wake any of the kids.

"I came across it while I was Christmas shopping," she explained with a small shrug.

"You drinkin' too?" he hoped, though he knew it was a long shot considering she was breastfeeding.

She nodded. "I'll just have to pump and dump."

Happily, the two of them left the room with Bellamy, quietly making their way into her nursery, where Rick gently laid her in her crib. He then took a seat in the large easy chair in the corner, near the window, where they had a perfect view of their snow-covered backyard. "Get over here," he whispered, offering a hand to help her into the seat with him.

She took position in his lap, handing him the champagne as she rested her head against his chest. "After you, love."

With one hand holding her waist, he used the other to lift the bottle to his lips, taking a long pull from the opening. He let out a long exhale as the cool liquid moved through his body, lightening his already good mood. "This really brings me back to the beginning."

She smiled and accepted the champagne from him. "Well that was the point."

He softly kissed her neck from behind as she took her sip. He couldn't believe that where they started, the previous Christmas, had brought them there. "Thank you."

"For what?"

Oh, because you are the best thing
You're the best thing
You are the best thing
You're the best thing baby

Like Carl, he had a lot to be thankful for. For their home, their family, their safety. Being in Alexandria had given him the opportunity to serve and protect again, and he took that seriously. He took it as an honor, really, because looking out for his community meant looking out for his family. And in the year that had passed, he'd done a lot of questioning himself about whether he was capable of actually doing that. After what happened at the prison, he stopped trusting himself for a while. But Michonne wouldn't allow him to do that, she wouldn't let him fall apart. She championed him, she walked beside him through those gates of Hell. She saved him.

"Thank you for today. For every day. For you." He kissed her again, this time on her cheek, and then the side of her lips. "You're my best friend, Michonne."

Her smile grew to the width of her face, as she remembered saying the exact same thing to him at Maggie and Glenn's wedding. It was more true now than it ever was. And there was something in the way he moved her, she knew it would stay that way forever. "I love you, too, Rick."

You are the best thing that ever happened to me

-End

Lyrics: "You Are the Best Thing" – Ray LaMontagne (Gossip in the Grain)

A/N: A part of me really hates to end this here. I wanna watch the kids grow up, and see what their community turns into. I'd like to see Rick and Michonne have a whole baseball team full of kids until people are just like, "You guys have to stop." I wanna see them get old and go on double dates with Daryl and Sasha and Glenn and Maggie, and there are just a bunch of biracial babies creating this brand new civilization… But alas, that's all, folks. I've said everything I wanted to for this particular story – which has basically been my idealized wish for what would happen on the show with these three. So I really hope you've enjoyed the journey, because it's been a true pleasure and honor to share it with you all.

I have a few other ideas swirling around, so you won't be rid of me yet, but I can readily admit that this will probably always be my favorite iteration of Rick and Michonne. To everyone that's left a review, especially those of you that are guests and I can't send you a message, a huge ass THANK YOU. Your words have been encouraging beyond belief, sometimes to the point of making me cry, because I'm a giant dork and that's what I do. But in all earnestness, I positively could not have done this without you. I hope to see you on the next one, but if not, again, I appreciate you more than my meager words can say. -Ashley