(AN: Hey guys! I'm sorry it's been so long. After my previous updates, I was consistently getting harassed with people putting me down, calling me out for minor inaccuracies in the story. I'd just like to remind you all that this is called fanfiction for a reason. While I try to stay true to the overall universe, not everything will match up to the story. And that's okay.)
Three months later.
Michonne made her way down the staircase, dressed in only a robe, with a towel around her head. She was greeted by her son, seated at the kitchen table, eating dry cereal out of a bowl. He smiled at her brightly, allowing her to ruffle his hair as she approached "Hey handsome."
"Hi mom." Carl chuckled, still chewing his food. She tapped him on the top of his head.
"Hey. Close your mouth while you eat. C'mon." She nudged him, and headed toward the cabinets. With a smirk, he considered rolling his eyes, but decided against it. He'd rather try his luck with a field of walkers than get caught sassing his mother. "What are you doing up so early?"
"I thought I'd take care of Judith when she wakes up, so you and Dad wouldn't have to. Where is Dad, anyway?"
"He'll be down soon." She replied, leaning her hip on the side of the counter, slightly tossing an apple between her two hands. "Just got out of the shower." She took a bite of the fruit, punctuating her sentence with a loud crunch.
"Didn't…. Didn't you just get out of the shower?" Michonne raised an eyebrow at the boy, unsure on whether to come up with an excuse, or be blunt with him. "Oh-oh gross! Never mind, never mind. Gross." He shot his head away, and continued mumbling to himself.
"Have you changed your bandages since yesterday?" changing the subject, narrowing her eyes on his cotton-pad eyepatch once he turned back to look at her.
"Not yet." He grumbled. Before his mother could respond, they heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Following them, came a not-entirely dry Rick Grimes, holding his daughter in one arm. He was still adjusting a dark purple v-neck shirt to his body with one hand, as he made his way into the kitchen.
"Mornin' Corl." He greeted, "Change your bandages yet?"
"Not yet." Michonne and Carl replied in unison. Rick couldn't help but smile in response. He approached his girlfriend by the counter, and planted a brief kiss to her lips. Following its conclusion, she handed him her apple, which he didn't hesitate to take a large bite of.
"Grosssss!" the boy yelped at the display of affection his parents shared.
"Its gross when we do it, but it's alright when you and Eni-?"
"Mooom!"
"What's that about?" Rick questioned, inspiring a wink from Michonne in Carl's direction, and a blush on the boy's face in response. Before anyone could respond, there was a knock at the door.
"I got it." The teenager responded. Assuming it would be Enid, he rushed toward the entrance of their home.
"His manners are improving." Rick quietly spoke to his girlfriend. "Thanks to you."
"Or he just wants to see his girlfriend."
"Well that makes two of us." He said, nibbling the apple.
"Stop." She nudged him, but couldn't resist another kiss, pulling him closer than he was before.
Meanwhile, Carl answered the door. To his surprise, it was not Enid. Instead, a pale, but blushy, Jessie Anderson. They had not seen her in months, not since the night he lost his eye, and she lost a child, and her husband. No one in Alexandria had seen much of her since that night, in fact.
"What are you doing here?" He asked with a straight face, only his eyes narrowing slightly
"Hi Carl!" She said with a smile.
'Is she serious right now?' Carl wondered.
"Is your dad home?"
"No. You- you should go."
"Carl, who is it, baby?" he heard his mother call from the other room.
"You should go." the boy repeated, now whispering.
"Carl…I...I'm sorry.." she replied, too stubborn to walk away.
"Carl?" His mother questioned again. Before Carl could get another word out, his parents cautiously entered the room, both armed with weapons they had kept in the kitchen, hidden. A pistol on Rick, and a black-handled dagger on Michonne. Judith was sat in a high-chair in the kitchen, away from whatever they thought they were about to walk into, assuming the worst based on the silence coming from their son.
"Rick!" the blonde sighed with relief, her eyes making her way to the man. He rolled his eyes in response, lowering his weapon. Michonne kept hers up.
Michonne's eyes stayed on the unwanted guest, her teeth gritted as the woman pushed past her son, entering their home.
"Look, Rick. I'm so, so sorry. This whole thing- it was all my fault…" She approached him quickly, opening her arms, expecting to embrace him. She was cut off by Michonne placing herself in front of the woman.
"Don't."
"I just wanted to-"
"This is our home. Ours. You're gonna walk yourself out of there, and it can be right now, or it can be with a few broken bones. Your pick." Michonne had had enough.
Her eyes filled up with tears. "R-Rick…can we please just...I miss you…"
"Out. Now." Rick's muscles tensed, and his fist clenched.
Without another word she left the home, tears beginning to fall down her face. Once she made it past their porch, and the door was shut behind her, she paused. She looked around at the families and couples walking the streets on Alexandria that morning. She turned her head back to the house. She felt she then knew what she had to do. She whipped the tears from her face, and headed to the armory.
Meanwhile, the Grimes were still on shock she had dared to visit their home. Michonne crossed her arms, her jaw was tight.
"She barged into our home. Again." She spat. "She can't do that. We can't let her do that."
"'Chonne, I'll put a stop to it." Her boyfriend assured.
"How?"
"I will. I promise." She wasn't sure, but she decided to believe him for now. Carl pecked her on the cheek, and left to go visit with Enid for the day. She put on a smile for him, and let him exit.
Nighttime
Michonne was stripped down to her typical pajamas, small comfy shorts and a tank top, as she fluffed the pillows to their bed. Rick watched from the doorway. They had not talked much that day, both cooling off from the morning. Michonne was ready to get into bed, when she was interrupted by Rick's words.
"Michonne." She turned around.
"Hm?"
"Look, I…I'm sorry."
"What for?" Her voice cracked, but her tone was strong.
"I haven't been protectin' you and Corl the way I should be." He paused, now staring to the ground. "I let Jessie storm into our house. I let Carl lose his-"
"Rick." She stopped him. "Come here." She waved him over, and he complied. Once he was close enough, she sat on the edge of the bed, and patted it, encouraging him to do the same. Her soft hand met his rough face. "Stop blaming yourself." Her eyes were intense. They looked golden up close. He could get lost in them, but instead let his eyes drop back to the floor. "We're lucky." she started, "We have Carl. We have Judith. We have each other. What happened, happened. But we're still here. I'm still here." The thumb on her free hand stroked his in a circular motion.
He couldn't fight the urge to kiss her any longer. It was killing him. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, and brought both his hands to her waist, pulling her to him. It was a long moment, that felt to pass with a blink of an eye. They separated, and he leaned over the bed, to pull something from his bedside drawer. Shutting it, he turned to her, the object hidden in his closed hand.
He never had been a man of many words, and struggled to find the right ones in this moment. He was actually getting a bit chocked up, without even speaking. Instead, he decided to simply open his hand, revealing a thin, silver engagement ring with a small stone. Michonne's head shot away, trying to hide a single tear that had fallen from her face.
"I- I don't know if you-," he started, "I just thought-," She turned back to him. Looking down at his hand, tears streamed down her face. She frantically wiped the tears away, and simply nodded several times. Rick slipped the wring on her finger, holding it in his other hand. He moved his right hand to the back of her head, her dreads separating his fingers, gliding between them softly. They pulled each other into a slow, strong kiss. He led her to her back, and began placing kisses down her body.
"Rick." She whispered, "Shut the door."