After Carl left, Enid rolled out of bed as much as she could with her rapidly growing belly, and padded into her kitchen. Rick was already awake with Joy and was playing patty cake with her on the floor. Judy was sleeping nearby, and Michonne looked like she had just woken up as she was rubbing her face sleepily.

"Morning everybody" Enid called.

"Mornin' Enid" Rick and Michonne called simultaneously. Joy came over and hugged Enid's belly giving it a kiss. "Morning baby!" She yelled to Enid's belly, causing them all to laugh.

"You guys hungry? Pancakes are my specialty" she said.

"Let me help you" Michonne said, struggling to get off the couch. Rick got off the floor and pulled Michonne to her feet, kissing her good morning before she and Enid went to make breakfast.

"So how are you holding up?" Michonne asked, taking the eggs out of the ice box.

"Honestly? My back hurts, my feet hurt and I feel fat" Enid replied, laughing as she spoke.

Michonne smiled, "so basically you feel like every other pregnant woman ever"

"Yea I guess. How are you?" Enid asked.

"Everything you said, plus I have to use the bathroom every other hour and I can't scratch my itches, or put on shoes or see my toes." Michonne said.

"So, more fun things to look forward to" Enid jokingly said, mixing the eggs, milk, and flour.

"This part is hard" Michonne admitted, "but once you have this other human being to hold, and love, and have it love you back, it's worth everything".

"I know. And I love this baby already. I'm just... Scared. This is the scariest thing I've done ever, dealing with walkers included. I'm scared I might not make it... Carl told me about his mom, what he had to do... I'm scared for him too... If something happens to me..." Enid just stopped talking.

"I know it's scary. I know you can't help thinking of the what ifs, but the benefits are worth the risks Enid. And you have a pediatrician here who can take care of you, keep you safe. And you have Carl, and Maggie, and me to help you through it. You can do this."

Enid nodded. "I know, it's just nice to have someone who's going through this with me, someone who understands. I know this whole situation is a little weird but I'm glad you're here Michonne."

Michonne smiled. "I am too. Can I?" Michonne asked, gesturing to Enid's belly. Enid nodded and Michonne leaned down so her mouth was right next to Enid's belly.

"Hi baby, it's your grandma. You be good to your mommy in there. No kicking, ok?" Michonne said to the baby in a soft soothing voice.

Enid laughed, and suddenly Michonne felt her own baby kick, causing her to hold her own belly. "Is yours kicking?" Enid asked. Michonne nodded her head and took Enid's hand, guiding it to where her baby was kicking.

"Wow! that's really strong!" Enid said as she felt the fluttering in Michonne's belly.

"Just more fun things to look forward to" Michonne told her, smiling. "You be good to your mommy too" Michonne said rubbing her own belly. She then looked at Enid, "Cmon, let's finish breakfast".

Xxxxxxxxxx

The crew drove back to hilltop as quickly as possible with the unconscious child in the backseat. Carl took the opportunity to remove the child's mask and saw that it was a little boy about five years old, the same age as Judy. The child had shaggy brown hair that looked like it had never been cut, and his face was sunken in as if he were perpetually starving. Carl also noticed the scratches and bruises on the child's face and it broke Carl's heart. The kid looked like he was in some sort of fight and he'd lost.

The child was breathing shallowly and Carl wanted to get the child to a doctor as quickly as possible. When they arrived they pulled the car up to Dr Carsons trailer and Carl scooped the boy up and ran inside. He couldn't help but notice how light the little boy felt.

Carl laid the child on the medical bed and Dr Carson looked on in shock. "Where did you find this child?" He asked while feeling the boys pulse.

"He was hiding in the closet of a house. He had a mask made out of walker skin on his face."

"He was conscious when you found him?"

"Yea, I gave him an apple and then he fainted when I brought him to the car."
The doctor took the boy's blood pressure and then opened his filthy blood stained shirt to reveal the boys ribs and sunken in stomach, and more cuts and bruises.

"God" he said "what has this poor boy been through? It looks like starvation and dehydration is what made him pass out, but these bruises are serious too."

"Will he be ok? He'll wake up right?"

"We'll have to see. I'll put him on an IV and see if that wakes him up."

Carl nodded and sat on the corner of the boys bed.

"I can tell you when he's up" Dr Carson said.

"No. The kid was terrified and I was the only one he kind of trusted. I need to be here when he wakes up."

"Ok, I'll send someone to tell Enid where you are."

"Thanks Dr. Carson" Carl said.

Xxxxxxxxxcxx

Three hours later and with lots of fluids via an IV, the little boy opened his eyes. Although he still didn't say a word, his eyes were wide with fear.

"Hi remember me?" Carl said as non threateningly as he could. "I'm Carl. You were feeling sick, we brought you to our Doctor."

The little boy's eyes flitted around the room.

"You're safe now. No one will hurt you. Can you talk?" Carl asked.

The little boy nodded his head slowly.

"What's your name?" Carl asked.

"Omega" the boy said in a raspy voice.

"Omega?" Carl asked, registering the unusual name. "Um... Ok. Hi Omega. Where did you come from?" Carl asked. The boy now stared down at his hands and refused to look Carl in the eyes.

"Did something happen to your mommy? Are you lost?" Carl asked Omega, but it was clear that the boy was done talking. Dr. Carson came back in the room and examined the boy again. Afterwards he pulled Carl over where the boy couldn't hear them.

"Well fluids seemed to do the trick. Now he needs to eat a solid meal, nothing too big, it could put his system into shock. Maybe a few spoonfuls of something if he can keep it down".

"Is there a reason why he isn't talking? I mean he said his name is Omega, but he won't talk anymore"

"Trauma. This kid is obviously traumatized and something has happened to him. He may talk with time and patience."

"Ok" Carl said. "I'll take him home, see if I can get him to eat something."

"If he starts showing any signs of distress bring him back here" Dr Carson warned.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Dr. Carson gave the ok that Omega could leave the infirmary, Carl took his hand and led him to his home. Rick, Michonne, and Enid had surprised and shocked looks when Carl walked through the door with a small child.

"Hey, this is Omega. He's gonna stay here for a little bit until we find out what's happening with him. I found him when I was patrolling and he needs a good meal and some love." Carl explained.

The other adults just looked on unsure of what to say, but Judy and Joy happily approached the boy.

"Hi I'm Judy" she said. "I'm Joyjoy" Joy chimed on. The boy shyly looked from Judy to Joy. For once he didn't seem afraid, and his face softened. Judy took Omega's hand and shook it. "You wanna play?" Judy asked.

"Wait a minute Judy" Carl called, "we all have to eat dinner first". Carl then looked to Rick and Michonne and gestured with his eyes that he was really talking about Omega. The boy needed food and quickly.

"Judy, can you take Omega to the kitchen and show him where to wash his hands?" Michonne said quickly. "Ok" Judy said, leading Omega away with Joy trailing behind.

"What is going on with that kid?" Enid asked Carl as soon as the kids were out of earshot.

"I found him out there all by himself, he was hiding in a closet and he pulled a knife on me. He had a mask made out of walker skin on his face and he's covered in cuts and bruises. Dr. Carson said he's traumatized and he needs to eat." Carl looked at Enid. "I'm sorry I didn't ask you first about bringing him back here but he needs someone, and you know what it's like being out there alone. I can't even imagine for a kid his age.

"You said he pulled a knife on you" Rick said. "Is he dangerous?"

Suddenly Judy yelled "mommy!" From the kitchen. Rick and Michonne hopped up and ran to the kitchen, Rick reaching there first.

The girls were standing by the sink with the faucet still turned on, and Omega was crouched in the corner the same way he was in the closet. "What happened Judy?" Rick asked, nervously eyeing the little boy.

"When we put on the water he ran away" Joy said, answering for her sister.

"I think he's scared of water" Judy added.

"Maybe he's never seen a working faucet" Enid said, and everyone paused to consider this.

He was about five years old, the same age as Judy, and he had been born after the world fell apart. It was possible he had never lived in a community with electricity and running water, he had lived out in the wild his entire life.

"It's ok" Carl said to Omega "it's ok, come on" he said, reaching out his hand. This time the boy didn't hesitate to take Carl's hand. Carl led him over to the sink that was still running.

"Did that startle you?" Carl asked. The boy just stared at the running water, almost mesmerized. "This is a sink, water comes out of here. When you're thirsty or you want to wash your hands you turn the knob here and water will pour out".

Carl slowly brought the boy's dirty hands over the sink. "Can I wash your hands?" Carl asked. The boy didn't respond but he looked from Carl to the running water.

"Judy pass the soap" Carl called and Judy reached over bringing the bar of soap closer, but she took it upon herself to rub the soap on the boys hands. The boy looked on in wonder as Carl moved his now soapy hands together to create suds. Carl then moved the boys hands under the sink to wash the soap off.

"There you go, your hands are clean" Carl said to him.

The boy examined his cleaned hands as if a magic trick had been done, causing Judy to laugh.

"You really like washing your hands don't you" she chuckled, and suddenly the boy's mouth turned up in a small smile, the first one they'd seen from him.

Carl had an idea. "Judy can I talk to you for a sec?" He said, and she walked over to him while Rick, Michonne and Enid started handing out plates for dinner.

"Judy, Omega has been through a lot and he doesn't have a mommy or a daddy or a brother and sister like you do. Can you do something really important for me?" Carl asked.

Judy nodded excitedly when she heard the word important. "I need you to be Omega's friend. Be nice to him and let him play with you and Joy."

"Ok" she said "I can be his friend"

"Thanks Judy" Carl said, patting her on the shoulder.

Everyone sat down and Enid scooped some tuna casserole onto everyone's plates. She was careful to give Omega only a few spoonfuls, she knew he had been starving and couldn't eat too much.

Omega looked around the table as the others ate. He then looked down at the utensils in front of him seemingly confused. Judy who was sitting next to him reached over and grabbed his fork, putting it into his hand.

"Look Omega, it's a fork. You eat like this" she said, stabbing some noodles with her fork and putting it into her mouth.

The boy watched Judy and then held his fork as if it were a weapon. He roughly stabbed his noodles, the fork stabbing the bottom of the plate with a loud bang. He then shoved the food in his mouth quickly and stabbed some more noodles.

"Whoa, slow down" Carl said gently. "If you eat too fast you'll get sick".

The boy looked over at Judy and she purposely put food into her mouth with Omega copying her.

Michonne looked at Judy and Omega and smiled. It was heartwarming how quickly Judy took to the boy, and how much more relaxed he seemed around her. It was as if he'd never seen other children before.

"So are you guys really leaving tomorrow?" Carl asked "it feels like you just got here, and I barely got to see you."

"I know. Same here. But we can only stay for the weekend." Michonne said sadly. "Alexandria is starting a new expansion project to add more housing because the population is growing... obviously..." Michonne said, looking down at her belly.

"But after the plans are finalized we can come back for a little while" Rick added. And maybe you and Enid might consider moving back to Alexandria" Rick said hopefully, "we really miss the both of you"

Carl smiled at his father's attempt to convince him to move back. "I know dad, and we miss you guys too, but the hilltop is our home now."

"Yea, I know" Rick sighed.

Rick really wanted to ask Carl about what he planned to do with this wild little boy that he picked up, but he couldn't with the boy sitting at the table. It wasn't that he didn't trust the child, but it was obvious he was with another group that they knew nothing about, and someone had obviously mistreated this boy.

"Daddy, is Omega gonna live with us now?" Judy asked, asking the question he was just thinking.

Before Rick could answer, Enid said "Omega is gonna stay with Carl and I for while. At least until he's feeling a little better. But when you come back here to visit you can see him. Would you like that?"

Judy looked over at Omega, who was listening to the conversation intensely. "Yes" she said, "Omega is my friend. You're my friend right?" She asked him.

Omega looked at Judy and gave the smallest hint of a smile. He then nodded his head slightly.

"He's my friend too" Joy said, not wanting to be left out of the conversation.

"Ok, he can be your friend too" Judy relented.

Omega just smiled shyly.

There was a knock at the door. Carl got up to answer it, letting Jesus into the house.

"Hi Carl, I saw your parents' car out front and thought I'd stop by. And I also wanted to talk to you about what happened today, but I think that can wait" Jesus said.

"They're in the kitchen, we're having dinner, why don't you join us" Carl said, gesturing to the kitchen.

"Ok, sure" Jesus said and he walked into the kitchen. "Hi every-" Jesus stopped and sucked in a breath when he saw Michonne. "I didn't know you guys were expecting!" he said excitedly.

"what are you talking about?" Michonne asked with a straight face.

"What are you trying to imply?" Rick asked Jesus angrily, copying the intensity that Michonne had.
Jesus froze. "I didn't... she isn't?..." he asked confused.

Rick and Michonne busted out laughing at the same time and a relieved smile broke across Jesus' face.

"Don't do that to me, I've seen what the two of you are capable of" he joked. He walked over to Michonne and hugged her and then Enid. He then shook Rick's hand and greeted Judy and Joy.

He stopped in front of Omega. "Hi, my name is Jesus, what's yours?" he asked.

Omega just stared.

"His name is Omega" Carl cut in, "He... he's just getting used to things."

Jesus nodded in understanding and took a seat at the table. "So you Grimes' are trying to take over the world huh?" Jesus joked. Rick chuckled.

"So how have things been over here?" Rick asked Jesus.

"Pretty quiet actually, partially because Carl is doing such a great job with our road patrol. Seeing a walker is a novelty now." Jesus said, nodding in Carl's direction.

"What about people?" Michonne asked.

"Well, Omega here is the first person we've spotted in 10 months. It seems like there's less people wandering the roads nowadays. Which is why I'm so curious about where you come from Omega. Do you have people nearby?" Jesus asked.

Omega's eyes moved down to his plate and he stopped eating, his lower lip beginning to tremble.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset" Jesus said, feeling badly.

"Um... I think it's time for the little ones to go to bed" Michonne said, seeing that Omega was on the verge of tears.

"Rick can you put Joy and Judy to bed? and I'll give Omega a bath before he goes to sleep." Michonne said, quickly taking control of the situation. "I'll help" Enid said, also getting up.

"C'mon girls" Rick said, rising from the table "say goodnight to Jesus and Carl"

"Good night!" they said in unison, Joy running to hug Carl before they followed Rick into the living room. Enid held out her hand to Omega and he took it, following Enid and Michonne to the bathroom.
Carl and Jesus were left alone in the kitchen.

"So what's the story with the child?" Jesus whispered so that Judy and Joy in the next room couldn't hear.

"He had a mask of walker skin on when I found him, and he didn't make that mask himself. He was with people, and I think they beat him with all the scratches and bruises he has. I don't know where those people are, but they have to be around somewhere." Carl explained.

"Do you think he's a threat?" Jesus asked, "he or his people?"

"He was alone. He did pull a knife on me, but he was just scared. I don't think he's a threat, but I would advise the people on gate duty to be extra vigilant, you never know" Carl said, and Jesus nodded in agreement.

"How's the Gregory situation?" Carl asked, and Jesus sighed. Gregory was the former leader of Hilltop, a cowardly man who immediately bowed to Negan's demands and gave away half of his people's supplies to appease Negan. When Jesus suggested Hilltop assist Alexandria and the Kingdom in fighting against Negan, Gregory had refused, but the people of Hilltop rallied behind Jesus anyway and helped take Negan down, making Jesus their leader. Gregory still lived in Hilltop, but he was bitter about being removed from power and he had begun to gather followers who were trying to get him back into power.

"My sources have told me that he's been riling up some folks and there are people who agree he should still be leader. He has meetings in his home but I'm not sure what they're discussing."

"Do you think he'd be stupid enough to try something?" Carl asked.

"Knowing Gregory... yeah" Jesus said, "that man is a snake. But I'm not too worried, it's only a small handful of people who agree with him"

Carl nodded. "I'll keep an eye out for him too. Just in case."

Jesus smiled and patted Carl on the shoulder. "What would I do without you" he said.

"Fall flat on your face" Carl responded, laughing.

"Well I better get going, I have a few more rounds to make" Jesus said. Carl led him into the living room where Rick just got the girls tucked in on the floor.

"Good to see you Rick, and congratulations to you and Michonne. You're a lucky man" Jesus said.

Rick got up and shook Jesus' hand. "I am, and I'm thankful for it every day. Take care". He said, as Jesus walked out the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In the bathroom, bath time wasn't going as planned. Omega was fine until Enid turned on the water in the tub, and he began to freak out. He pulled away from Enid, making a beeline for the door.

"Wait, wait" Michonne called to him, quickly standing in front of the door so he couldn't leave. She slowly got on one knee in front of him so she was eye level with him.

"I know you're scared, and it's ok. You don't know us. But we're only trying to help you. I won't hurt you. Enid won't hurt you. Rick, Carl, Judy, and Joy won't hurt you. You can trust us. Ok?"

The boy's eyes darted around the room and then finally fell on Michonne's.

"We just want to wash you, and give you some clean clothes so you can get some rest" Michonne said calmly. "Is that ok?"

The boy didn't respond, but continued looking into Michonne's eyes and didn't make a further attempt to escape.

"Can I help you take this shirt off?" Michonne asked "If it's ok, nod your head".

Surprisingly, the boy responded and nodded. Michonne quickly glanced at Enid, excited that he answered. She carefully helped him out of his torn, bloody, walker shirt and was shocked by how skinny, scratched, and bruised up his small body was. Enid's mouth dropped open before she gained her composure again.

No wonder this kid is terrified Michonne thought.

"Ok, that was good, can you take the rest of your clothes off so you can get in the tub?" Michonne asked. The boy looked from Michonne to Enid.

"We can step out if you want" Enid said, seeing that he was uncomfortable.

"I have an idea. My son loved bubbles when he took a bath, would you like some bubbles in your water so you can play while you take a bath?" Michonne suggested.

The boy didn't seem to know what bubbles were, but he understood play. He nodded slightly. Enid reached under the bathroom sink and took out some dish detergent. She squeezed some underneath the running water and bubbles immediately began to spread throughout the bath water.

The boy's eyes opened wide in wonder. Michonne knew they had gotten him.

Omega reached in the water and scooped up some of the bubbles, squeezing them in his hands and smiling.

"Wanna get in now?" Enid asked.

Omega nodded again, and the women quickly helped him out of his torn, stained pants and into the tub. He happily scooped up more bubbles, seemingly mesmerized. It was the happiest they'd seen him yet. While he was distracted, the women quickly worked on cleaning him, Enid scrubbing dirt and blood off of his arms, while Michonne scooped water and shampoo into his hair, watching as brown dirt ran out of it.

Soon the water in the tub was cloudy with the dirt that was washed off of the small boy.

Enid went to grab a towel and one of her own shirts for him to wear. They didn't have any little boy clothes, and Carl's clothes were way too big for him, so they dried him off and draped him in one of Enid's t-shirts.

Now that he was clean, Omega seemed a little more present, looking both of them in the eyes. "Do you feel better?" Enid asked him. The boy nodded again.

"Where do you want him to sleep?" Michonne asked Enid. "I have no problem with him sleeping on the floor with us in the living room. I know your room is really small, and Judy will be thrilled".

Omega's eyes lit up at Judy's name. To their shock he whispered "Judy".

Both women froze and stared at him. "Did he say..." Enid started. "Do you want to sleep in the living room with Judy?". He nodded again.

Michonne smirked. "Someone made a friend".

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rick tucked both girls in on the floor, sitting between them.

"Daddy tell us a story" Joy said, "It's my turn". Rick smiled. He alternated who got to pick the story that he would tell that night. Judy got to pick the previous night, and Joy was eager to get her turn.

"You're right, it is your turn Joyjoy. What story do you want me to tell tonight?" Rick asked.

"When Carl saved us!" Joy said eagerly. Carl, who was sitting on the couch, smiled proudly.

"You heard that story last time!" Judy complained.

"It's my turn. I pick!" Joy said stubbornly. Rick smiled. She was stubborn just like her mommy and he loved every bit of it.

"Ok Joyjoy, I'll tell you that story again and then it's sleep time". Joy nodded and snuggled deeper into her sheets in anticipation.

"When you were a baby, your mommy and Carl took you outside of the walls for the first time..." Rick started

"I was sleeping!" Joy cut in.

"Yes, you were sleepin'. But then, bad men appeared and your mommy and Carl had to hide so they wouldn't see them."

"And I woke up and cried cried cried!" Joy laughed.

"Yes you woke up and started cryin', so they had to run. Your mommy and Carl hid in a cabin to hide from the bad men, and me and Uncle Daryl were so worried about them. We got in a car to look for you but we couldn't find you anywhere. We got out the car and searched the woods, and..."

"Then you found Carl!" Joy interrupted again.

"Why don't you tell the story if you're not gonna let daddy talk" Judy muttered bitterly, mad that she didn't get to pick the story that night.

"It's my turn!" Joy said again, pointedly giving Judy the side eye. She looked so much like Michonne that Rick had to stifle a laugh. Rick looked over at Carl and saw him silently laughing as well.

"Then we found Carl, and he led us back to the cabin where you and mommy were. We went to the road to wait for Uncle Daryl, but the bad men found us. But Carl saved us from them and we all went home. The end" Rick ended.
"Daddy, how did Carl save us?" Joy asked. Rick quickly glanced at Carl. He had skipped over a lot of details in that story like Michonne getting shot to distract one of the men from shooting Carl, and Carl shooting both men in the head.
"I uh... I scared the men and they ran away" Carl threw in from the couch. That answer seemed to satisfy Joy, for now.
"Ok, time to sleep" Rick said, but just as the words came out of his mouth, Michonne and Enid came into the living room with a much cleaner Omega, who was wearing one of Enid's shirts.

"He wanted to sleep in here with... uh... Judy" Michonne said. Rick looked up quickly, eyeing Omega. Michonne quickly shot him a look that said:

Calm down, they're five

Rick relaxed a little, but still eyed Omega. Enid laid out a sheet a few feet away from Judy for Omega to lay on.

When he laid down, she tucked him in.

"Goodnight guys" Enid said to the children. "Goodnight" Judy and Joy responded.

"Goodnight Omega" Judy said, and he smiled in response.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After the kids had fallen asleep, Rick and Michonne decided to go for a night walk as they sometimes did even in Alexandria. Carl was still awake and volunteered to keep an eye on the kids while they were out. The night was warm but there was a cooling breeze and the stars were bright in the cloudless sky.

"I love nights like this" Michonne murmured.

"I remember" Rick said, immediately causing her to smile. It was a night like this when the two of them snuck into the back yard of their home to make love like horny teenagers. And it was probably how this new baby was conceived.

Michonne elbowed Rick in the ribs "shut up" she smirked. "Yes ma'am" he responded.

The walked, hand in hand, down the streets of the Hilltop, waving to others who were still out and about. There were torches every few feet that acted as street lamps, that allowed people to move around in the community at night.

"Come this way" Rick said suddenly, pulling Michonne's hand as he led her to the horse stables.

"Why are we going to the stables?" Michonne asked, confused.

"Why do you think?" Rick asked, smirking. He opened the stable door and she slowly stepped inside. "I just wanted some alone time with my wife" Rick said.

"Your very pregnant wife, who is not liking the smell of horse poop and pee" Michonne said disgustedly.

"Oh... I was tryin' to be romantic, didn't really think of that" Rick said sheepishly.

"It's ok, luckily I love you more than my disgust at the stables" Michonne said, pulling Rick in for a kiss. He happily kissed back, with one hand holding the back of her head, and the other on her waist. She reached up and wrapped both arms around his shoulders, pulling him in closer. He moaned into her mouth.

Rick moved both hands to her breasts and began to rub and squeeze them, knowing that they were sensitive because of the pregnancy.

Michonne moaned loudly and Rick could feel her nipples harden in his hands. He moved his mouth down to her neck and began sucking on the spot right below her ear. By now he knew all the right buttons to push and he was pushing as many as possible.

"Rick" Michonne panted into his ear. Her calling his name was music to his ears. He reached down, slipping one hand into the front of her stretchy pregnancy pants, finding her spot and rubbing it. Her breath hitched and she leaned her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him as he rubbed her. Soon she was involuntarily moving against his hand, trying to get relief from the sensations she was feeling.

"Its ok baby, let go" he whispered, and she came on command, just from his voice. She panted and leaned against him until she caught her breath, looking up into his eyes.

"That was great" she sighed.

"Anything for you" he said, kissing her again.

"Now its your turn" she said, reaching for his belt buckle, but he stopped her.

"I came out here for you, not me. I wanted to give you some relief. You're carrying our child and I know it's hard on you, and I just wanted to show you I appreciate everything you're doing. Don't worry about me, I'm good."

Michonne looked up at Rick and smiled. "I kinda love you right now" she said, kissing him.

"I always love you, baby" he said, kissing her back. "Now c'mon before someone sees us".

"You know, we're getting a little too old to be sneaking around like this" Michonne said laughing.

"Speak for yourself!" Rick said "I'll never be too old for this".

The two of them snuck out of the barn and headed back to Carl's trailer, not noticing Gregory watching them from around the side of the barn.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

After Michonne and Rick got back, Carl headed to his room with Enid. She was already in bed but she wasn't sleeping. Carl changed into a pair of boxers and snuggled into bed next to his wife.

"What are we gonna do with this kid?" Enid asked "Are we adopting him?"

"Do you want to?" Carl asked.

"I mean, we already have a baby on the way and I don't know if I can handle that one. I can't imagine suddenly having two children to take care of. But..."

"But what?" Carl asked

"I kinda see myself in him. I was like him when I first got to Alexandria. Being alone can do things to your head, and I understand where he's coming from. I do want to help him."

Carl nodded. "I do too. I imagine if something happened to us, to this town. If that was Judy wandering around, I would want someone to take care of her. Take her in, y'know? That's why I want to do this".

Enid nodded. "Ok, lets do it. We can do this. We can be parents."

Carl leaned over and kissed her. "We can do this."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Enid had fallen asleep and Carl was on the verge of sleep when gunshots erupted from the walls. They both leaped out of bed and Carl shouted "stay here" before rushing into the living room. Rick and Michonne were also awake, visibly startled by the gunfire. "Stay here" Rick mumbled to Michonne, as he and Carl took off towards the gates.
Michonne grabbed her katana, and Enid had her gun in hand. All the children were awake and Michonne said to Judy, "take Omega and Joy into Enid's room and close the door. If you hear any loud noises in here you lock it and get under the bed ok?" Michonne asked her.

"Ok mommy" Judy said, grabbing Joy's hand. Omega quickly followed behind them.

The two Grimes women locked the door of the trailer, turned off the lights, and waited.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

Rick and Carl rushed over to the gates with their weapons drawn. Other members of the Hilltop's defense team also arrived from their various homes. "What's going on?" Carl yelled up to the guards on the gates.

"Walkers! dozens of them" the guard yelled.

That didn't make sense to Carl, they hadn't seen a herd in so long, why would one be coming their way now?
One of the guards who was shooting suddenly stopped firing. "What the fuck?" he yelled "are they running away from the bullets?"

Carl quickly climbed up on the gates, and sure enough, some of the walkers were behaving strangely, hiding behind trees and dodging bullets. Carl immediately knew what was going on.

"Stop firing!" he yelled "Stop!"

Soon there was silence, as everyone turned and stared at him. "Those aren't walkers. Those are people with masks on".

Sure enough, as soon as the gunfire stopped, the walkers stopped hiding and stood up again. Then, one of them stepped forward.

"Stop firing at my people! I am Alpha, you will return Omega to me or you will die!"