Seasons
Timestamp: Season 8 & 9 Interim -
Season 9 Episode 5
Autumn
Folks were still tucked into their beds and a windy silence cloaked the streets of Alexandria when Rick walked with Andre and Carl to the infirmary. Once he opened the door to the house, unlike when he'd departed it to wake his sons only a few minutes prior, he found it crowded with his family and friends who were murmuring in hushed tones to each other. As he and the boys stepped into the house, Rick wondered how the hell word had gotten out at four in the morning. The quiet voices faded to silence when everyone spotted the three of them in the door frame; every anxious pair of eyes were on them.
Abraham was the first to break through the quiet. "The cubs okay?"
Rick broke out into a smile so wide it nearly split his face in two. "They're doing great!"
A collective sigh of relief reverberated throughout the entire downstairs as Abraham made a beeline for Rick. "Congratulations, Papa!" he beamed, shaking Rick's hand with one of his and slapping Rick's shoulder with the other. "Got a cigar with your name on it, my friend."
Rosita came to stand next to Abraham. "How's Michonne doing?"
"She's good– she was just..." he shook his head, trying to bring to remembrance a word sufficient enough to describe the strength he'd seen his wife display over the past eighteen hours. And the only word that came close was, "Incredible. She was just... incredible."
"So everything went smoothly?" Aaron asked, from where he stood in the corner of the room, still looking as nervous as Rick had felt the whole way back to Alexandria, one week ago when Jada had radioed for him to hurry home.
Luckily, the labor had been false. But fearing the babies were soon on their way, Jada had gone ahead and put Michonne on bed rest in an effort to keep them in there for as long as possible. They'd only stayed put one more week.
"Yup," he answered Aaron. "They're both– they're both healthy."
"When can we meet them?" Glenn asked.
"You all will get to meet both of them soon enough." As he scanned the room, it wasn't lost on him that this was not only a momentous day for his immediate family, but his extended family too.
He could recall the exact moment Michonne had told him, late one night in the guard tower of the prison, that her mother's name meant 'hope' in Swahili. And when they found out Michonne was pregnant, the name was the first to come to mind. But standing among his friends and found family now, it hit him just how fitting the moniker was, because it represented what both RJ and Taraji meant to the group of people in front of him. After years of running and barely surviving; it finally was time to breathe, time to grow, and time to live.
"Soon," he assured, before looking at Carl and then Andre, putting his arm around both of their shoulders. "But first, the twins have to meet their brothers... come on."
Rick led his sons up the stairs. "Hold up," he said when they reached the closed door at the end of the hallway. He cracked it open and peeked inside—making sure Michonne was covered up. He saw her sitting up on the bed, staring at the infants situated in the crook of each one of her arms and he opened the door wider to make room for the boys to step in.
At the squealing of the hinges, Michonne looked up, her tired eyes brightening at the sight of them. "Hey," she whispered, her voice faint and a tad bit hoarse.
Rick wasn't surprised. Michonne had been an absolute rock, quietly grunting through the initial onslaught of labor pains. But boy, when she hit that ring of fire, as Jada had so aptly called the moment their son crowned, Rick had witnessed a scream escape Michonne that rivaled anything that he'd ever heard before.
Rick guided a mouth-agape Andre and wide-eyed Carl around the empty bed nearest to the door to stand beside the one Michonne occupied. He stayed behind the boys, keeping a supportive hand on their shoulders as they took in the two tiny humans cradled in Michonne's arms. Rick took the moment, waiting patiently for his sons to process, to admire the twins.
Weeks back, Dr. Carson had let them know that since the babies were fraternal they would most likely not look alike, but he hadn't been prepared for how vast the difference in their appearance would be. Their brown eyes were where the similarities ended.
RJ had the most adorable chubby cheeks and a rounded face contrasted by Taj's slender more delicate features—she looked like a real-life baby doll. And where Taj's hair was light brown, RJ's was a darker shade of the color. Though he knew this was only a starting place for what they'd ultimately look like, it intrigued him to no end that they were both already so distinct.
After a few minutes of silence, and sensing the boys had no clue how to proceed within the moment, Rick squeezed their shoulders. "What do you think?"
"Why are they so little?" Andre asked, staring at the babies who looked like burritos, wrapped tight in their blankies.
"They were born just a little too soon," Rick explained. "They still have some growing to do."
Carl looked back at him. "They're gonna be okay, though, right?"
"They are," Michonne replied. "You wanna hold one?"
"Uh… are you sure?"
"Yeah. Come sit down on the bed with me."
Andre and Rick stepped back, giving Carl room to get settled in the spot next to Michonne. When Carl swung his legs up onto the bed, Rick stepped back up and asked, "Which one do you want?"
Carl stared down at the twins. "The least fussy one, I guess."
That would be RJ, Rick thought. In addition to their distinguishable features, their polar personalities were already shining through. Their little girl had burst into the world and made it known she was here; it had taken a lot to calm her. Their son, however, was much more subtle during his entry and the few minutes following.
Rick reached over and gingerly lifted RJ, transferring him into Carl's shaky arms. "Don't worry, he's not as fragile as he looks. Just make sure you keep his head up. You good?"
"Yeah," Carl said, with a tiny unbelieving laugh.
I'm right there with ya son, he thought, before sliding his hand away.
"Can I hold one?" Andre asked.
"Go sit on the other bed," Michonne replied. "Dad will bring your sister to you." Andre climbed onto the empty bed as Rick walked around to the other side of Michonne's.
When he reached down to take Taj from Michonne, their eyes locked and held for a moment; the look on both of their faces was a mix between awe and gratitude. He lifted Taj and dropped a kiss on Michonne's lips before walking around to the other bed.
He sat down next to Andre. "Okay. Put your arms on top of each other." When Andre did as he'd been instructed, Rick moved Taj into his arms and kept a supportive hand at the back of her head, until she was firmly situated in her brother's grasp. "Good job, bud."
"What are their names?" He heard Carl ask.
Rick looked over and saw him staring down at his brother.
Michonne adjusted RJ's blanket, so Carl could see his face better. "Richard Grimes Jr."
Carl's head snapped up at Michonne. "After Dad?"
She nodded.
"Cool…" He thought for a moment. "So we're gonna call him Rick too?"
"We were thinking RJ."
"Yeah... I like that." He looked back at his brother. "Hey, RJ," Carl whispered.
"What's her name," Andre asked Rick.
"Taraji Rose."
"Taraji?" Carl repeated and looked like he was trying to remember where he knew it from. He looked over at Michonne again. "Isn't that–"
She nodded and shifted her eyes in Rick's direction, catching his gaze. "Your dad picked it."
"Nice one, Dad." Carl gave him a smile. "And Rose... is after Nana, right?"
"Yep."
Rick lounged against the pillows on the bed he shared with Michonne, and Taj—milk drunk and drowsy—lay against his bare chest. He looked over at Michonne, who was admiring RJ, as she breastfed him.
Rick had planned on giving his sons half an hour with Michonne and the babies, but when he saw her eyes begin to slip shut, he had sent the boys back home a little early, knowing she still needed to feed the twins.
Watching Michonne now, he wondered if there was a ceiling to his growing love for this woman. He'd known her for two years and still, there were moments pretty much daily, when she'd say or do something that made him sit back and question how he'd gotten so lucky.
Not only had she sacrificed her body for nine months, but she'd labored for eighteen hours with no epidural or any kind of medical intervention except for Jada's coaching and Dr. Carson guiding the babies out.
Of course, he'd held onto her hand the entire way through, whispering his encouragement, but this, the babies cradled in both of their arms, was all Michonne.
He leaned over and kissed the rounded corner of her shoulder. Michonne peeled her eyes away from RJ and turned them on him.
"Thank you," he whispered. The words were far from adequate but he hoped his voice, low and dripping with untapped emotion, conveyed his reverence for not only this moment and what she'd done but also who she was to him.
Early Summer
Michonne broke her sprint, then eased into a steady jog, before she slowed her pace into a leisurely stroll down the sidewalk. Beads of sweat trickled down her face and onto the beeping stopwatch. Trying to catch her breath, Michonne raised her arms above her head and intertwined her fingers as she walked the rest of the way.
She reached her house and hustled up the porch steps dropping to the ground to begin her ab exercises. She was merely a few seconds in when the sounds carried through the open window reached her ears, causing her to pause.
Michonne pushed through the distraction and tried to do a few more sit-ups, but the sounds were simply too delightful to ignore. She made a mental note to add a few extra reps in the next morning's workout and walked to the front door.
She crept inside unnoticed and stayed by the front door, taking the moment to observe the chaotic life she was ordinarily at the epicenter of.
Rick, who was firmly settled into his father-of-four mien with his cut shorter hair and outgrown beard, was strapping a babbling RJ into his high chair. Taj, already settled into her seat, banged on her empty food tray and screamed out as if petitioning for her meal. Carl was at the counter mashing eggs for his baby brother and sister, Aoki was dishing breakfast onto plates for the rest, and Andre set the table.
The house itself was in utter disarray, as it had been since the day they brought the twins back from the infirmary; toys were strewn all over the living room floor and all the accouterments of raising two infants were scattered across the entirety of the first level.
Smiling to herself, Michonne pushed off the door and joined in.
"I expressed some milk last night and put it in the fridge..." Michonne's eyes were focused on feeding Taj, but her words were for Carl and Aoki, who sat across from her at the table a few minutes later. "Don't forget to offer them both a bottle before you give them a meal. If they finish, just give them half of the food– oh and RJ's got a small rash. Make sure to use the butt paste when you change his diaper and the hypoallergenic wipes." Michonne looked at Rick. "I think he might be allergic to..." she trailed off at the smirk on his face. "What?"
"I think they got it, baby," he said. He sat at the head of the table, adjacent to Michonne and next to RJ's high chair, feeding their baby boy.
Michonne shifted her gaze to Aoki and Carl, who sported their own slightly amused expression as they stared back at her, and she realized she was belaboring the point. They'd gone over all this the night before and she'd even jotted down the twins' feeding and napping schedule—to the minute. But the prospect of being away from her babies for an entire day, for the first time, was the culprit of her crazy.
Michonne sighed and handed the miniature spoon to Taj, so she could practice feeding herself, and sat back in her seat. "Sorry... I know you guys will do fine. I just..."
"I get it," Aoki said. "But this ain't my first rodeo, okay? I babysat plenty in my former life."
"And don't forget," Carl added, spreading his arms out. "I'm the Taj whisperer."
Michonne laughed. Carl and his sister had in fact formed a tight bond; his sister preferred to be held by her oldest brother more than anyone else in the house, including Michonne. "I know..." She blew out a breath, scooted her chair toward the table, and began eating her forgotten breakfast.
"When will you guys be back?" Aoki asked.
"Before dark." Rick handed RJ his spoon and turned back to his plate too. "But we'll radio you if anything changes.
"Can I come with you?"Andre asked Rick.
"Not this time." Rick had taken Andre along with him and Carl on a few pickups to the Kingdom. But a few months after the babies had arrived, Rick handed the duty over to Daryl, which disappointed Andre. Michonne had chalked her son's annoyance at not being able to go to the Kingdom with his dad up to her son feeling cooped up behind the walls.
But, then again, Andre had stuck closer to Rick in the months since the babies had been born. Watching her son slump his shoulders and cross his arms, she wondered if Andre's newfound clinginess had anything to do with his brother and sister taking up much of his dad's attention. They were parents of four—well, technically five, including Aoki—and parsing out their time equally among their children was just something they hadn't figured out yet.
She turned to Rick to gauge whether he noticed it too but found him already staring at Andre with furrowed eyebrows. He cleared his throat and sat up. "Hey, Dre..." Rick waited until his son looked up from his lap, before going on to say, "Tomorrow there's a lot I have to do around here. How do you feel about being my right hand for the day? I could use your help."
Andre stared at Rick for a moment. "Yeah. Sure..." He sat up, shaking himself out of his funk. "Can I use the drill?"
"Uh…" Rick glanced at Michonne, who subtly shook her head. "Maybe we can work up to that."
Cyndie stared out at the cobwebbed and overgrown city, sitting in the back seat of the horse-drawn cart. The ride had been quiet. Bobbers still roamed, but the group ahead of them on horseback clearing a path, made it so she hadn't seen a single one.
The last time Cyndie had been to the city was before the start when her school had taken a field trip to The White House. Observing the crashed cars and broken storefront windows, a freeze frame of how a percentage of the population had reacted to the world going to shit, Cyndie wondered what it would take to bring things back. Like not just a few small communities trying to survive any way they could, but really come back: airplanes and hotels and restaurants and school systems. The charter Michonne had created, which all four communities had signed, gave Cyndie hope that they just might have a shot at seeing those things again. Albeit, it might not happen until she was late into her mid-life, but it was a future to look forward to.
"What do you think Cyn?" she heard Jada ask, from the upfront seat next to Glenn, who steered the horses.
"What?"
"You think Glenn can hack it on the Albacore?" Jada glanced back at her and then turned to Glenn. "We were thinking about going out on the next trip with Kathy and them?"
Her aunt had gone back and forth between Oceanside and Alexandria, after the birth of the Grimes twins, spending every other month at the Safe Zone to train Aoki. But Cyndie had suspected early on that offering her medical training services wasn't the only reason her aunt spent so much time in Alexandria.
Glenn was a great guy, one of the best she'd met in a long time and she couldn't think of anyone better for her aunt, but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't anxious at the likelihood that someday soon her aunt would permanently move to Alexandria.
She and Jada had grown closer in the past year than they had ever been, both before and after. But Cyndie and Natania—who Jada didn't have that great a relationship with, hadn't since before—were the only ones Jada was close to at Oceanside. So, besides herself, there was nothing left for Jada there and Cyndie was having a hard time stomaching the thought of losing yet another family member.
"I don't know," she replied, remembering she'd been asked a question. "Do you have a strong stomach, Glenn? Because sleeping on a rocking boat full of fish is not a joke."
"I guess we'll find out, won't we? You should come."
"No, thank you. Nope. I've had enough of eating fish. I'm not about to live among them."
Rick smacked the spiked end of his baton into a walker's head when his horse darted past it. Behind him, he heard the galloping of Michonne's horse and glanced over his shoulder just in time to catch her slicing her sword into a walker's neck. He turned back ahead with a smile on his face. The way she commanded that horse, oh, that was sexy as hell.
The two of them slowed, and Ezekiel and Jerry on horses behind them did too, once they reached the entrance of the Smithsonian. The four waited for the others—Laura, Arat, Daryl, Glenn, Jada, Jessie, Benjamin, Dianne, Jesus, and Cyndie—who made up the follow caravan, to catch up.
Inside the building, he walked with the group to the central atrium, where tents and sleeping bags were scattered, undoubtedly from a time at the start. "Y'all got your lists," he whispered. "Circle back here when you're done... be... safe."
In the sub-basement, Rick guided his group—Ezekiel, Jessie, and Glenn—down the long hallway that led to the storage facility. He held his flashlight up in one hand and knife in the other, keeping his eyes peeled for anything that might pop out. "How are things?" he whispered to Ezekiel.
In his peripheral vision, he saw the man shake his head. "The place is old, man. The buildings. The infrastructure... I'm worried we won't make it through the winter the way things are going."
Rick nodded, he'd been privy to the troubles of the Kingdom and when Alexandria had finally gotten back on its feet a few months prior, the tables had turned and Daryl had begun running food their way. "You already know what I'm gonna say."
"Mm-hmm. I don't know if I'm ready to let it go, you know. As long as we're there, there's a chance to fix things... leaving, it feels like giving up, ya know?" Rick didn't think that was the only reason. Ezekiel was far from a selfish man, but what was a king without his kingdom?
"Well, my offer always stands... you took us in during our time of need and I have yet to repay that favor. Let me."
"Thanks, man."
"This door right here," Jessie said when they reached the end of the hallway. He looked to where she was pointing, at two double doors marked Horticulture Management. She grabbed the handle on one side of the door. "Glenn." She jerked her head toward the other side. He took the handle and on "three" they opened the doors.
Rick and Ezekial pushed in, doing a quick sweep of the small room. His flashlight grazed over a file cabinet wall. "Check each one."
The four of them made quick work of rummaging through the drawers. The first one Rick opened held a row of aluminum packages. He plucked one out and read the label: heirloom seeds.
Jackpot. "You were right, Jessie."
"How'd you know to find seeds here?" Glenn asked her.
"I chaperoned a field trip here for my son's class. Learned they cultivated heirloom lines for the gardens, and they kept seeds on hand so they could rotate the crops."
Rick slipped his backpack off his shoulders and began stuffing the packets inside.
"They made a doomsday vault without knowing it," Ezekiel mused.
"We're grateful," Rick added. "The Hilltop will be too. Let's take the lot, get back, and see if the others need help."
"How are the babies?" Jesus asked as Michonne walked alongside him on the second level, with her katana held up at the ready.
"Big," she answered with a laugh. "Growing faster than Rick or I would like, but they're good. They're great."
"Well, I've heard they are adorable. Seems their Uncle Daryl is quite fond."
"You know he's nicknamed them little ass-kicker?" she deadpanned. Secretly, she loved the nickname and admired how Daryl had taken to the twins. Every time he went on a run now, in addition to what he brought back for Andre, he always had something for the little ass-kickers too.
Jesus chuckled. "You should hear him gush about them..."
"It's sweet," she admitted.
Jesus looked away. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to come to Alexandria to meet them yet."
They meandered along, keeping their eyes open for anything they might be able to use. "Last time Daryl visited he reported back that things were slow going after the storm. How are you doing?"
"Everyone's working around the clock to rebuild. We'll get there."
"I asked how you were doing."
Jesus sighed. "It's been difficult. Everyone... including me, is demoralized after what we lost." It had been three months since a tornado had touched down on the Hilltop, breaking through the gates and leaving the entire outer parts of the community in pieces. But it wasn't just sheltering they'd lost.
"How can we help?"
"You've done more than enough. The extra hands and supplies you sent, that was everything..." He trailed off into a pregnant pause.
"But?"
Jesus stopped and Michonne did too. He turned to face her. "I care about my people and no one else wanted to do it, so I stepped up... I can't help but think that maybe if someone else had been in charge, we wouldn't have lost so many... only a handful of people knew to go to the shelter in the event of a tornado. At the last minute, I tried to get everyone else in, but... a better leader would have been prepared–"
"It is not your fault."
Jesus stared at the ground, stroking his beard. "Even with all the help you sent our way. It's gonna take us years to rebuild and I'm not sure we can ever get back to where we were before..."
Michonne opened her mouth to encourage him, but Jesus spoke first. "Some days I just wanna leave in the middle of the night... never look back. I can survive on my own." He laughed deprecatingly. "I'm better that way."
"And what stops you?"
"Thinking about them waking up and finding me gone."
Jada wandered around the corner of the third-floor hallway and spotted Cyndie, standing in front of a displayed canoe.
That's perfect for Oceanside, she thought. "Nice find Cyn? Do you need help with that?" she asked, approaching. Jada watched Cyndie reach up to wipe at her face and when she heard her sniff, her footsteps halted. "Are you okay?" She moved to stand next to her and inspected her tear-streaked face.
Cyndie kept her eyes on the canoe. "I was just, um... just thinking about Kyle. We were fighting during a canoe ride at the county fair... it's funny, you know, how certain things just bring up random memories like that." She looked over at Jada. "Does it happen to you?"
Jada slid her hand around Cyndie's middle and her niece mirrored the gesture and leaned her head against Jada's shoulder. "Most of the memories I have of your dad, we were bickering." She laughed. "But I sometimes have moments like that about Marcus. Especially now. We used to talk about finding other communities. Rebuilding the world together..."
"You still miss him?"
"Every day."
"But... Glenn helps, right?"
Jada opened her mouth but snapped it shut, giving herself a bit more time to figure out the right words. She and Glenn weren't a secret, or at least she wasn't actively trying to hide it. Most people in Alexandria knew about their relationship since she was shacking up with him when she was there. But she hadn't found a way to tell Cyndie, because her niece was smart enough to figure out what came next in their relationship—they couldn't be long distance forever—and she hadn't been ready to have that conversation yet.
Beating her to the punch, Cyndie asked, "You're moving to Alexandria, aren't you?"
"It's not a concrete plan. Just something Glenn and I have discussed."
Cyndie pulled away, turning her head so Jada couldn't see whatever was on her face.
"Glenn has a leadership role there, he can't leave. And those people are his family. Hey..." She walked around to stand in front of her niece, when she wouldn't turn to look at her, and Jada saw the fresh sheen in her eyes. "If you don't want me to go, then Glenn and I will just figure it out."
A tear slipped from Cyndie's eye. "No." She wiped at it. "Glenn's a great guy."
"Would you ever consider coming with me?"
"Ha!" Cyndie's laugh was short and succinct."You know Grandma would have a heart attack if I even brought the idea up... I'm gonna be fine. You'll visit, and I will too. It's not like you're moving to another country."
Jada hugged Cyndie. "Oh, I wish. The countryside of Paris sounds so nice right about now."
The fragile glass positioned at the bottom of the grand staircase had groaned under the strain of the oversized covered wagon and farming equipment the others had just delicately pulled across it. And aware it threatened to break at any moment, Michonne, who was tethered to the round concrete columns carrying one side of the canoe with Cyndie holding up the other end, kept her deliberate footsteps in line with the panes in between the glass squares and her eyes trained on the walkers trapped below the glass, just in case.
The canoe was the last item they had to bring over and the others stood on the linoleum flooring, watching them quietly, with bated breath.
Michonne and Cyndie were halfway to the other side when she heard a definitive cracking, immediately followed by the progression of glass breaking behind them.
"Michonne, you gotta go!" Rick yelled into the silence.
She and Cyndie picked up their speed and Michonne hustled, back peddling until she reached the linoleum.
A few feet away from safety, Cyndie tripped.
The canoe dropped onto the glass shattering it where Cyndie stood. She fell into the open space and grabbed at the rope connecting her to the column, trying her damndest to pull herself up through thin air. Her only saving grace was her rope shorting out, jerking her to a stop before she fell into the pit of the dead. "Help!" Cyndie screamed.
Michonne ran around the glass square to the column where Rick and the others were already working to pull the rope back up. She filed in behind, grabbing a piece.
"Cyndie!" Jada tiptoed onto the glass with a blanket in hand. She threw it over the sharp edge. "Hold on!" She reached her hand out, ready to pull Cyndie up once she got close enough.
Daryl with his crossbow and Dianne with her bow and arrow stepped in beside Jada and began shooting arrows into the walker's heads.
Michonne's arms burned as the group strained to pull Cyndie up against her squirming. "Jada!" Michonne yelled. The woman looked at her. "She's gotta try and hold still!"
Jada turned back to the hole. "Cyndie! Relax, baby! Don't fight it. Daryl's got you."
Within a matter of seconds, the tension eased and the group was able to pull her up a few more inches. That's when Michonne saw it, where the frayed rope was slicing against the razor-sharp edge of the glass amidst the tug-of-war.
But they had her. Just a few more pulls.
Once more they yanked on the rope and dragged her up enough for Cyndie to grab hold of Jada's hand. Levering her niece up, Jada slid on the glass, dipping Cyndie back down. Dianne dropped her bow and grabbed Jada's waist, acting as her anchor.
Oh no. "Stop pulling!" Michonne yelled when she saw the rope was on its last piece of string. They all paused, still holding on to keep the tension as Jada continued her efforts, but Cyndie's flailing scissored the rope against the glass, slicing it in two. Michonne and the others dropped to the ground, from the release of tension.
"No!" Jada screamed, holding onto Cyndie's hand as her legs dangled above the pit. Michonne and the others ambled up and ran over to help pull Cyndie up, but before they could get close enough to lend a hand, a walker grabbed onto Cyndie's leg and bit into her calf.
"Aaaaaah!" Cyndie screamed and when she looked down, kicking her other foot at the walker, her hand slipped out of Jada's.
"You ever think about it?" Aoki asked Carl.
In the middle of the living room, he lay on his side across from her fiddling with a baby toy, with Taj and RJ in between them. Taj pressed up on her hands and knees, trying with all her might to push up enough to get moving, while RJ lay on his back working to get his foot in his mouth. Carl snorted at the blatant display of his siblings' unalike personalities. " 'bout what?" he asked, looking up at Aoki, who was studying the babies.
"Having kids and stuff. You know, getting married."
Carl sat up. "No, not really. We're kind of young for that..."
"Next year I'll be an adult."
"So you've been thinking about it?"
She shrugged. "Not a lot. But sometimes, when I see Rick and Michonne together, you know, being all lovey-dovey and shit..."
Carl gasped and jokingly covered RJ's ears. "No cursing in front of the babies."
Her hand went to her mouth. "Oh shit– I mean, my bad... anyways, I just think it would be nice to have someone, ya know?"
"You ever had a boyfriend?"
"Just once, but it was only for like a week."
"Are you interested in anyone?"
"Actually... yeah."
Carl's mouth went dry and he counted to ten in his head, so as not to come off too eager to know the answer to his next question. "Who?"
Aoki sat up straighter. "Okay, I feel really stupid because I don't even think he noticed me, but I think Benjamin's pretty hot."
And like a balloon that someone had poked a hole in, Carl deflated. He wasn't sure why he was disappointed. Aoki was his best friend, and he'd known for a while that was all she saw him as. No matter how well they got along, he was still too young for her. But, okay, maybe he'd been holding out hope for years down the line when their age difference wouldn't be such a huge deal to her. "Ben's cool."
"I mean he's all the way at the Kingdom, so..."
"Daryl goes there every month, we could tag along next time. I could be your wingman," he joked.
Her eyes twinkled. "You think he'd go for that!"
"Yeah, Daryl's–"
Radio static interrupted. "Carl, come in. It's Dad."
He hurried over to the pushed-aside coffee table and snatched up the walkie-talkie that sat on it. "Dad, it's me. Where are you?"
"We're alright. But…" He heard static once again, but only for a moment, before his dad's voice came back through. "Cyndie died."
Carl looked at Aoki, whose mouth dropped open.
"Listen, Michonne and I and the others from Alexandria are headed to Oceanside. We didn't want Jada and Glenn to have to bring her body back alone. We're gonna stay the night. I wanted to radio you before we got out of range. Ask Rosita and Abe if they'll keep Andre overnight too, so you guys can focus on taking care of the twins. But if their hands are full with Socorro and they can't, then ask Aaron. We'll be heading back first thing in the morning. Can you hold down the fort?"
"Yeah, we can. We'll take care of things here... I'm sorry about Cyndie."
"Yeah. Thanks, son."
The door to the cabin opened as Rick was sliding his shirt over his head. Michonne gave an exhausted sigh when she stepped into the room, with a bed and a kitchenette all in one. Rick threw his t-shirt onto the foot of the bed and met her at the door. He grabbed hold of her waist and pressed a tender kiss onto her lips, before wrapping her up in his arms. "How are they?"
"Glenn's with Jada and Natania locked herself in her cabin... we need to bury Cyndie, but neither of them is ready."
"Let's give them the night."
"Okay."
He let go of Michonne and left her at the door taking her shoes off. At the basin next to his bed, Rick splashed water on his face, before wiping it off with a cloth. And when he climbed under the covers, Michonne was on the other side, crawling in too.
She scooted onto his side of the bed and snuggled against his chest. Rick swaddled her with his arms and kissed her forehead, then settled back against the pillows. His eyes were heavy, the day catching up to him, and he breathed in deeply letting them close. They were both quiet for a while and Rick felt himself dozing off.
"Rick," he heard Michonne say.
"Hmm..." he replied, but kept his eyes shut, staying in the drowsy place that was right on the precipice of sleep.
"I was talking to Jesus today..." He focused on her voice, the thoughtful tone of it indicating that what she had to say was weighing heavy on her heart. "I don't think the Hilltop can survive on its own anymore."
"Yeah. Daryl told me about what was going on over there. He's got me worried about things too. And the Kingdom's falling apart. Ezekiel's not hopeful."
"I've been thinking..." She leaned up, propping her arm on his chest.
Rick opened his eyes and looked down at her.
"What if we convince them to join us? Not just for the meantime, but actually join us. One community. Building toward something bigger than any one of us can do on our own. It'll be a tight squeeze for a few years, but imagine one day our three communities becoming its own civilization."
Yeah. It was good. Each of the communities, they all had something the others didn't. It's why one was always struggling. But pulling together all the resources and people, it was an opportunity to really build something impenetrable. He imagined Abe and Earl working side by side. Or Eugene and Nabila. Yeah... together they'd be unbreakable.
"I think we've proven that none of us can do it all on our own," Michonne said.
"No it's smart, building something up like that... what about Oceanside?"
"We can try, but considering how much it took to get Natania to sign the charter and after Cyndie..."
Oceanside had really only been a part of the charter in name only. Had it not been for Jada coming to train Aoki, they would have at this point contributed nothing to the other communities. "I don't know if Ezekial will go for it though," Rick mused. "He's still holding on."
"I'll talk to Jesus, I don't think it'll be a hard sell. Maybe we can work on Ezekial together. Take a trip down to the Kingdom after we get home."
"Okay. That there's the plan... let's leave the rest for tomorrow."
Banging on their door woke them the next morning; Rick peeled himself off of Michonne and threw his shirt over his head, on his way to open it. Laura stood on the other side, out of breath. "What is it?"
"Arat's missing."
"Come in." He moved aside.
Michonne made her way over to stand next to Rick. "How do you know that?" she asked.
"She and I were supposed to meet up and get the horses ready to go back to Alexandria this morning. I went to her cabin and she wasn't there. I thought maybe she went out for a swim…" she rambled. "So I waited and after half an hour I went looking. She wasn't there either."
"That still doesn't mean–"
"I know. But then I went into her cabin. The blanket from her bed was on the floor and the bowl of water from her nightstand was spilled on the ground."
"Signs of a struggle," Rick said automatically.
Jessie ran through the open door in a complete tizzy. "No one can find Natania. Some others are missing too."
Jada led Daryl, both with their weapons held up as they proceeded with caution, through the pine tree forest. They heard a rustling of grass behind and turned, aiming, only to find a squirrel scurrying along. Jada dropped her tense shoulders and turned back around, toward the path.
Daryl fell into step next to her. "You in on it? Whatever this is? That how you know where to go?" he asked.
"No. But I know Natania." As soon as Rick had filled them in on what was going on, Jada knew where to look. When Rick had ordered everyone to pair off and search the vicinity, she declined Glenn's offer and instead had chosen Daryl. She was only half sure of what she thought she might find, but one hundred percent certain that she needed someone with her whose bitterness ran just as deep as hers did. While the others were fruitlessly searching within the perimeter of Oceanside, she'd asked Daryl to drive the fifteen minutes to where she figured Natania had taken Arat. "Can you blame her for not being able to let it go?"
"Nah…" he said. "I get it. I haven't."
"Me neither. What Rick and Michonne did, bringing the Saviors into the fold, I get it. It's better, for the future. But every time I look at Arat all I see is... what they did to my husband."
"She's the one who killed him?"
"No. It was Simon who pulled the trigger. But she was there. She did her part…"
"Sorry... 'bout what you lost that night, and yesterday."
Cyndie. She'd managed to go a whole ten minutes without thinking about her niece. The night before, she'd emptied the entire contents of water from her body onto Glenn's t-shirt. She'd woken dried up with puffy, swollen eyes and a splitting headache.
She spotted the fence around the perimeter of the building and paused, images of the final night she'd spent there flashing through her mind. The screams and pleas were ever present in her head, as if no time had passed and she was still there watching and waiting for what was to come.
"This is where y'all used to live, ain't it?" she heard Daryl ask.
Jada nodded.
"I can check it out alone."
"No. I'm fine." She trudged ahead, ducking under the broken open fence and walking toward the front entrance of the building.
When she reached the front door she heard, "Beg!" It was Natania's voice and it sounded like it was coming from the front of the building. Jada took off running and heard Daryl not far behind her. They stopped short at the sight of Arat kneeling with Natania standing behind her, pointing a gun at her head. And behind Natania, she saw Kathy and the others who'd been missing.
Cautiously, Jada advanced toward them alongside Daryl, who aimed his crossbow at Natania. "Drop it," he growled.
Startled, Natania turned but kept the gun to Arat's head. "You first."
Staring directly into Arat's eyes, Jada reached over and placed a hand on Daryl's forearm guiding it down. He hesitated, but acquiesced, dropping his crossbow at his side.
"Daryl, please," Arat cried.
"They got a reason?"
"We've all done things."
Jada caught Natania's gaze. "People will find out," she said, playing angel's advocate. "Your opening Oceanside up to retaliation."
"She's the last one that was there that night. After this, it's over. We're even."
"Maybe for you. But it won't be. With something like this, it keeps going." The world was smaller than ever and even as disconnected as they were now, news still traveled between the communities and there were Saviors living among them.
"How can you defend her after what they did to you? To Marcus. This was our home. My Elizabeth and I found this place for our group." Natania looked at Daryl. "There were so many of us then. Men and women… kids. Cyndie and I built a garden." She turned her steely eyes back to Jada. "Remember? She and Kyle used to play right here in this yard." Natania placed the gun on Arat's head again. "But then the Saviors came. And Simon wanted what we had. They murdered... my daughter. Arat shot my grandson right here. And they took everything because they could–"
"Please! It's not like that anymore, okay? I'm... I'm one of you now."
"Did you do it?" Daryl asked, his accusatory tone surprising Jada.
"Simon would've killed me, too!"
"Bullshit," Natania spat, her voice shaking with rage. "You asked my grandson to beg for his life! He was crying, and you smiled! Cyndie told you she loved him. That she needed him! He was only eleven years old. And what did you say?"
Arat stared at the ground and shook her head. "I– I don't remember."
Natania cocked the gun. "Say it?!" she shouted.
"Please!"
"What did you say?!"
"No... ex– exceptions," she stuttered.
Jada looked at Daryl. She would never seek vengeance in this way, and she wasn't sure what kind of person it made her, but she couldn't bring herself to step in. "Do what you want," she said to him. "I'm going." She turned and walked in the direction of the fence. Moments later, she heard Daryl's footsteps crunching behind her.
"Oh, no!" Arat cried in the distance. "Daryl! Daryl, you can't do this! I've changed!"
They kept walking and Jada flinched when she heard a single gunshot followed by the thud of Arat's body falling to the ground.
After hours of searching, Michonne and Rick had arrived back at Oceanside with no leads on where Natania had taken Arat. Notwithstanding the mess in Arat's cabin, Natania had covered her tracks pretty well. They'd waited for the other pairings to return in hopes that someone got lucky. Then, only minutes ago, Daryl and Jada had arrived back, shattering that hope when they informed the group of what they'd found.
"You just let her do it?!" Laura yelled, standing in front of Daryl and Jada. "What the fuck Daryl?!"
"It wasn't our place to stop her," Jada answered. "Arat made her bed."
"You bitch! She was my friend." Laura rushed Jada and clocked her in the jaw, sending her stumbling back. Jada caught herself and ran for Laura, smacking her in the face. Glenn grabbed Jada by the waist at the same time Michonne got hold of Laura.
Rick stepped in between them. "Stop this! Natania did this! Not Daryl or Jada." To Laura, he said, "You all are one of us now and we're gonna make sure this never happens again." He scanned the crowd of Oceanside residents standing around watching. "This is over."
"You're right..." Michonne heard Natania, before she saw her and the others who'd been missing, walking toward them.
She let go of Laura but stayed close to her.
"This is over." Natania made her way to stand in front of Rick. "As of this minute, the charter is null and void. Oceanside is done with Alexandria, Kingdom, and Hilltop."
Jessie stepped up. "Natania please don't–"
She held her hand up, silencing Jessie, but kept her eyes on Rick. "Ever since your people stepped foot in our community all we've done is lost more of us. My granddaughter– she's dead because of you..."
"That's not true," Jada interjected. "And you know it."
"Any of your people step foot on our land, we will kill you on sight. No exceptions." She raised her voice and addressed her people. "If any of you feel different, feel free to leave with them."
None of the Oceanside women moved. Natania looked at Jada, who didn't hesitate to interlace her fingers with Glenn's.
Natania nodded, not looking too surprised, then turned her attention to Jessie.
Jessie hugged herself and stared at the ground, before looking up at Michonne. "I'm sorry," she said. "I can't go back there." She turned around and walked over to stand next to the other women.
Natania's eyes settled back on Rick. "It doesn't have to be this way," he said. "This is not what Cyndie wanted."
"You're right. But if my granddaughter knew better, she would still be here." Natania walked away and her people followed.
Late summer
Michonne, sitting crisscross on her bed, heard two succinct knocks on the door before it opened. Rick stepped into the room, back from his early morning perimeter check. "How'd you sleep?" he asked, walking to the bed.
Michonne sighed. "My mind wouldn't shut off..." she replied, not taking her eyes off the Site Planning and Design book open in front of her, from which she was taking notes. The past few weeks, every spare piece of real estate in her brain had been allocated to the expansion, which was in full swing now that the Hilltop and the Kingdom had merged with them. They'd renamed the community and the sign that was out front, which once read Alexandria Safe Zone, now read Alexandria Union. "You?"
Rick sat down on the edge of the bed and yanked his boots off. "Ah, not bad." He shifted to lie on his side and his eyes went to the books and notebook laid out in front of her. "You're gonna have these plans squared by supper."
Michonne laughed. She'd been working for weeks alongside Abraham, Eugene, and Ronnie from the Kingdom—who'd been an architect before. Ronnie was the guy who took all of Michonne's big ideas and turned them into actual designs. What they were planning would take years to fully construct and she wanted to be certain that it was right. "Yeah... no."
"And you're leading this place too..."
"With you."
"Nah..." He waved his hand. "I've been in and out with Abe and Ronnie... getting things prepped for the build." For what they were trying to do, they needed copious amounts of materials and building equipment. So, over the past few weeks, Rick and Abe had put a team together and they'd gone out on days-long trips searching for untapped construction sites and material supply yards. "Here it's you, keeping this place safe, figuring out how to make it better."
"Speaking of... Taj has a cough. I heard her through the monitor. I went to check a couple of times in the middle of the night, she didn't have a fever then, but–"
"Yeah, I heard her too. I checked on my way out. Still no fever. So probably just a cough."
"I'm gonna take her to Jada just in case."
"Want me to stay back? Go with you?"
"No. Abe really thinks Fort Meyer is promising. The materials supplier there could be untouched."
"Yeah. Could be everything we need and more."
The baby monitor rattled next to them. It started with Taj and then RJ joined in. Michonne closed her books. "You have time for breakfast with us before you go?"
"Of course."
She gave him a chaste peck on the lips, before moving off the bed and when she reached the door, it opened before her hand hit the knob. Andre stood there, looking up at her, his face scrunched into a scowl. "They're crying again."
"Morning, sweetheart." Michonne set her hands on either side of his face, tilting it up to give her better access to his cheek, which she leaned down to kiss. "They're babies, that's how they communicate with us. You know that. No need to get annoyed."
Andre huffed out an exasperated breath and sidestepped Michonne. She turned and leaned against the door, watching her son walk the few steps to stand in front of Rick, who was slipping his boots back on. "Hey, Dad? Can we toss the football around before school? I've been practicing my throw. I wanna show you."
"Ah, I'm sorry... I'm going on a run, right after breakfast. I won't be back for a few days." Rick stood and ran a hand over Andre's head, before kissing his forehead. "But I wanna see it when I get home. Okay?" He patted Andre's shoulder and moved past him. "I'll get the twins ready," he said to Michonne, on his way out.
"Okay," she replied, but her gaze was fixed on her son, who was watching Rick walk away.
The next morning, Michonne was sitting at the table on the back porch upper deck of her house, with books scattered all over the surface. She squinted, against the harsh rays of the afternoon sun, at the words on the open page in front of her and jotted down a few notes.
RJ squealed and Michonne looked down at where he and his sister were jumping, each in their own bouncer. She smiled at them, watching as they spoke baby babble to each other.
Taj's cough had tapered off during the night after the medicine Jada had given her had taken effect. Michonne was thankful. A cold was a dangerous thing to contend with nowadays, she more than anyone knew that.
When Michonne heard rapping on the wooden gate below, she stood. "Mommy will be right back," she said to the babies, who were paying her absolutely no mind.
Michonne hustled down the stairs and opened the gate. "Morning Nora," she said to the woman, who'd been a transplant from the Hilltop and was now the unofficial Secretary of the Alexandria Union. "It's that time already?"
"Don't sound so excited," she said sarcastically. "It's not always all bad news."
"I'm sorry. What kind of day is it gonna be?"
Nora chuckled. "Mostly bad... we've given up about a fourth of our tomato crops to the crows."
"We need to plant more stakes and flags."
"We could, but there's just too many of 'em. Seems like one of those things where the world's starting to have an edge over us."
"Once we get the windmill up and running, it'll help. And I'll talk to Eugene when he gets back from the run."
"All right."
"What else?"
"Jed and Xavier. They missed another shift. They refuse to listen to me. I can try again but–"
"That's okay. I'll handle it."
"You sure? 'Cause I don't mi–"
"No, no. It's my responsibility. I'm sure. But thank you, Nora."
"Just doing my job."
Michonne banged her fist on the door after the third time knocking and five minutes of waiting on the stoop of the townhouse that was tucked in between two others, which were all situated at the back of the community. The house belonged to Jed and Xavier—former soldiers for the Saviors.
Jed and Xavier had narrowly escaped their deaths in the war as they had been called in from one of the outposts, in the aftermath of Jesus and Aoki's stealth ambush on the Sanctuary.
Michonned had been surprised when the two men and four other soldiers and Lieutenants who'd surrendered—Laura, Arat, DJ, and Gavin—had decided to live within the three communities, as most of Negan's loyal men and women chose to reside at the Sanctuary after his death.
The majority of the Saviors that now lived in the Union were former workers who'd assimilated into one of the three communities after the group's surrender; most of them became productive members.
Jed cracked the door open and stuck his head out. "What?" he groused.
Michonne groaned inwardly when she clocked his dilated pupils, head ticing, and his eyes darting all over the place, unable to focus on her face. She knew the signs. He was high, but on what, she had no clue. "You're supposed to be on redirect duty right now. You and Xavier, both."
"And?"
"You can't just not show up. We all have jobs around here. If you're going to eat, you have to contribute."
"Then I'll go and find my own food. See how easy that was?"
"Look. This is not the Sanctuary. Everyone here does their part. If you can't get with that, then you can go back. I'm giving you and Xavier a pass today. But you better show up tomorrow."
"Yeah, whatever." He slammed the door shut.
"So, how was everyone's day," Michonne asked, dishing mashed potatoes onto Andre's plate, before dropping a dollop onto her own, and then passing the bowl to Aoki.
The twins were already bathed and sleeping soundly—according to the quiet baby monitor that sat on the table next to her plate.
"Today was my first day as Earl's apprentice at the Smithy," Carl said.
"Oh, yeah! How'd it go?"
"Good. Earl was giving me an overview of things. I mostly just watched him work. But with the expansion, he's got a lot of projects on deck that I'll get to be part of."
"That's so cool," Aoki mumbled, through her bite of food. "You're gonna be so great at it."
Michonne watched his cheeks color that special shade of red. The way they always did when he received any kind of praise from the girl he harbored some serious feelings for. "Thanks... what about you?"
Aoki swallowed her food and took a nice long gulp of water. "My day was good. Had a shift in the infirmary, and... Benjamin came in today."
"Oh? Is he okay?" Michonne asked.
"Yeah, he cut himself with a potato peeler. He and Ezekial were tryna make shepherd's pie– whatever that is." Aoki waved away the minor details. "Anyways, we got to talking and he asked me out."
Woah. That kid moves quickly, Michonne thought. The Kingdom and Hilltop residents had only been living with them for a short time.
"Wow," she heard Carl say and her heart squeezed when she saw his ashen, fallen face. "What'd you say?" he asked, but looked like he didn't really wanna know the answer.
"I told him I'd think about it, but I just wanted to make him sweat a little... I'm gonna say yes," she gushed.
As much as Michonne wanted to shield Carl from what she knew he was feeling at that moment and what he would most likely go on to feel as Aoki started dating other guys, she knew better. Heartbreak was a part of life and once he found the right girl, what he had to go through to get there would be all the more worth it.
"That– uh... that's great," Carl said.
Michonne was damn proud of him, for being the type of guy who cheered on his friend even in his own disappointment. She stared across the table at Carl and waited for him to catch her gaze. When he did, she shot him what she hoped was a knowing and supportive smile, before looking over at Andre, who was shuffling his food back and forth on his plate. His head was propped in his hand. "How about you, baby? How was school?"
"Fine," he grumbled at his plate.
"Dre, eat. Don't poke."
Andre threw his fork onto his plate, the metal against metal striking an ominous cord through the dining room. "I don't like it."
Michonne pushed past the shock of his out-of-left-field behavior and with a stern voice said, "Andre Anthony Grimes–"
"That's not my name!" he declared, then pushed off the table and stormed to the stairs.
Michonne stared at his empty chair, trying to process what the hell had just happened. She looked at Carl and Aoki whose faces, she presumed, were a reflection of her own.
Michonne found Andre buried underneath his blankets. She padded the short distance from his door to the bed and sat down on her heels in front of it. "Sweetheart, can you look at me?"
She waited a moment before Andre lowered the bed sheets. His face was stained from what she could only guess were the tears he'd just cried. "You want to tell me what that was about down there?"
Andre shook his head.
"With words, please–"
"No ma'am."
She nodded and decided to take an indirect route she figured would help get to the bottom of the outburst she'd just witnessed. Walking to his room, she'd put two and two together, but she wasn't sure Andre was aware of the root cause of his anger. "Things are a whole lot different since the babies were born, huh?"
"Yeah," he said absently, staring at the ceiling.
"It's been kind of hard for me too."
Andre looked over at her. "Really?"
"Yeah. For the longest, I just had one baby to love and care for." She reached out and pinched his cheek. "And now I have four. It's kind of scary sometimes knowing I can't be there to watch over all of you every second of the day."
Andre thought for a moment. "I didn't mean what I said downstairs."
"It's okay if you did. If it's how you felt..."
"I like being a Grimes... but Carl and RJ and Taj, they're dad's real kids... I'm not..."
Michonne kept quiet, sensing there was more he needed to get out.
A fresh tear rolled from the corner of his eye. "What if he likes them more than me?" he finally asked.
"Is that how you feel? That dad likes your brothers and sister more than you?"
Andre nodded. "Ever since the babies came, Dad doesn't do stuff with me as much anymore. He doesn't tuck me in and he's always with the babies... when he's not out on a run."
"Hmmm... I understand why you would feel that way. But, RJ and Taj can't do anything for themselves. They need just a little more attention from Dad and me right now. That doesn't mean he likes you any less... do you know the other day he was telling me how proud he was of you, the way that you've stepped up. The way you're helping out with your brother and sister. Sweetheart, I wish you could have seen his face. He loves you so much, Andre... you wanna know another way I know how much he loves you?"
"How?"
"Because of the way I feel about Carl. Your dad and I are a lot alike. We think the same about a lot of things. And just because I didn't give birth to Carl, it in no way changes the fact that I love him just as much as I love you. And the babies being born didn't change that, one bit... do you understand?"
He used the end of the blanket to wipe his face. "Yeah."
"You know, I think Dad would want to know how you feel. So when he gets back, what do you say you and I sit down and we all talk about it together."
"Sure."
She lifted off her heels and held her arms out. "Come here." Andre fell into them and she held him tight. "And I love you so much, Dre Bear."
"I know, Mom," he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Michonne was lotioning her arms, about to step into her bed when Carl poked his head in through the cracked open door. "Hey, wanted to say goodnight... is Andre alright?"
"Yeah. He will be."
"Good. Well... night." He moved to shut the door.
"Hey, Carl," she called, walking over to stand in front of him.
"Yeah?"
"You know I love you, right?"
He smiled. "Yeah, I do... love you too."
Michonne hugged him and Carl returned the embrace. "And I know it may seem like it now, but Aoki isn't the last great girl left in the world." She pulled back, keeping her hands on his shoulders. "When the time is right, you'll find her... you'll see."
"You really think so?" He looked down. "Even with the eyepatch?"
She tilted his chin up. "You are the most handsome guy... any girl that gets a chance with you would be lucky."
He shook his head and sniggered. "You have to say that, 'cause you're my mom."
Had she heard that right? Did he just say... a single word, spoken by the last person she thought she'd hear utter it, rendered her breathless.
Carl stared at her, unsure.
She shook off the shock and ran the hands on Carl's shoulders down his arms, before clasping his hands. "No. It's because I'm your mom that I know how beautiful you are, both outside and in."
Michonne was discussing guard shifts with Laura, her Security Assistant, when Nora marched over to them.
"Hold on a second, Laura," she said, turning to the other woman. "They didn't show up, did they?"
"No, they did," Nora replied. "They're out on redirect duty right now. It's something else. Their neighbors brought me a complaint this morning of a strange smell coming from their house last night. I went by to check it out and... I didn't even have to step foot in there. You can smell it from the street. Something's going on in that house."
"You know anything," Michonne questioned Laura.
"I never cared for Jed or Xavier. I haven't talked to them since we got here unless it has something to do with their duty..."
"Nora, I'll check on it," Michonne said, and then to Laura she asked, "Come with me?"
"Yeah."
Michonne smelled the distinct odor of ammonia as soon as she hit the first step of the townhouse. She stuck her master key in the slot and covered her nose once she shoved the door open. Entering the house first she said, "Leave the door open," to Laura, who walked in after her.
When Michonne drifted past the stairs and rounded the corner into the living room, she stopped, taking in the shit scattered all over: beer bottles, stale plates of food, mounds of cigarette butts, and Playboy magazines.
In the adjoining kitchen, the sink was filled with moldy dishes piled high.
Jeeze, she thought. They didn't have an HOA or anything, but this was just... beyond disgusting.
"I guess now we know they're pigs," Laura said. "But that smell isn't coming from anywhere in here."
"Yeah. Let's check upstairs." They hustled up the steps and Michonne followed her nose, down the hallway to the room at the end. And when she opened the door Michonne gasped at what she saw. "Oh–"
"Shit!" Laura exclaimed. "Michonne, I had no idea."
She slammed the door shut. "We need to get out of here."
Laura, Dianne, and Jerry were by Michonne's side at the gate, when Glenn walked back through it with the rest of the redirect crew, Xavier and Jed among them. "What's going on?" Glenn asked her.
"Keep the gate open!" Michonne yelled when someone tried to close it. "Jed and Xavier are leaving," she replied to Glenn but looked at the two men. She lifted the trash bags at her feet and threw one at each of them.
Unaware of the details, but presumably discerning where Michonne was going with this, Glenn came to stand next to her facing Jed and Xavier.
"There's food for a few days in there and other supplies and some of your clothes," she told them.
Jed and Xavier exchanged a look, panic apparent on their faces. Jed turned back to Michonne and squared up to her. "You went into our house."
Jerry stepped in between them. "Dude. I suggest you back up."
Jed gave him an elevator once over and she supposed he thought better of inciting a fight with the man twice his size. He retreated and Jerry stepped back too.
"You had no right to go inside our house," Jed accused.
"Really?" Michonne questioned. "How dare you get up on your high horse, when you were cooking meth in that house. Inside our community. You put all of us in danger. There are children living here. Rosita's newborn was one house down."
"What about the children you people killed at the Sanctuary, huh? No one gives a shit about them... and no one ever talks about what happened to Arat. What you let happen to her. You people didn't do shit about that. So why would you expect us to care about you?"
"What we did at the Sanctuary has nothing to do with what's going on here. And Arat... you can't stand there and tell me that you thought, after everything you did under Negan, that no one would try and get justice for their loved ones... I've given you plenty of chances to prove yourselves here. But that's over... It's time for you to go."
"You gonna let her kick us out?" Jed asked Laura. "After all the shit we've been through together... you're supposed to be one of us."
"Not anymore. You heard her. Get the hell out."
When both men stayed rooted in their spots, Michonne reached back and touched the handle of her Katana. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be."
Xavier moved first, picking up the trash bag in front of him. "Come on. Let's just go." He elbowed Jed, who was staring Michonne down.
After a moment, he too, snatched up his trash bag. "This isn't over, bitch," he spat, before walking away.
The townhouse was sectioned off with yellow police tape. Orange cones were lined up in front of it, to keep passersby at a safe distance. Michonne and Jerry stood beside each other in front of the house, later that night.
"I don't know much about meth labs," Jerry said. "Besides what I used to see on TV, you know, police raiding them and stuff. But I'm pretty sure we need to clear it out."
"That stuff in there is dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. Rick gets back tomorrow. He's gonna know how to dispose of all that safely." She'd seen the news too and knew that if Jed and Xavier were manufacturing meth inside of their house, there was a strong likelihood they weren't the only ones partaking in it.
In retrospect, she realized there had been signs that Jed and Xavier were using; they were always looking over their shoulders, they barely left their house for anything other than their duty, and of course, the fact that they were always missing shifts.
Laying in her bed, she thought through each of the community members—new and old—and tried to call to mind any suspicious behavior. Michonne fell asleep doing a deep inventory of each person in the community.
Taj and RJ's cries rang through the baby monitor, waking her. Michonne tossed her covers back and walked out of her bedroom. She was tired, too tired to initially notice, when stumbling into the nursery, that the cries weren't coming from inside there. It was only when she reached into the crib, that her sleepy eyes pushed wide open when all she felt was air.
She sprinted out of the nursery and down the hall, barging into Carl's room. "Taj! RJ! Are they in here?!" she asked, looking around.
Carl jumped out of his bed. "No! What?! You can't find them?"
She ran out of his room and down the hall to Andre's and did a quick sweep, but it came up short. Back in the hallway she nearly rammed right into Carl. "Stay with Andre," she ordered, her hackles rising and blood pumping so fast she was starting to feel dizzy.
Michonne went into her bedroom, grabbed her katana, then ran to the stairs, descending two by two. She paused at the bottom when she found the front door ajar and on the ground, a line of blood leading outside.
No! No! No! her brain screamed.
Michonne unsheathed her katana and raised it, followed the blood down the front porch stairs and around to the side of the house. When she rounded the corner to the back, she saw her babies sitting on their hands and knees bawling their eyes out, and the baby monitor in between them.
"Taj! R—"
Hands, from out of nowhere, slammed her body into the side of the house. Her katana fell from her grasp.
Suspended in the air, Michonne struggled against the hooded figure's fingers tightening around her neck.
She brought her knee up and jutted it into their groin.
They loosened their grip around her neck and Michonne used the leeway to turn her head and bit into their hand. She dug her teeth in until they let go and reeled back.
Michonne dropped like a ragdoll onto her knees, coughing and wheezing for air, as she crawled to her katana.
She felt a hand grab her ankle and it yanked her back, but not before she seized her sword. The hooded figure flipped her onto her back. She kicked at their knee and they stumbled but recovered instantly, charging for her.
When they were right above her, about to drop on top of her, Michonne propelled off the ground and speared her sword into the center of their chest. They froze. She slid her knife out and they fell on top of her.
"Michonne!" She heard Aoki's voice. Then saw her grabbing the hooded figure's shoulder and tossing them off her.
Michonne grabbed Aoki's extended hand and stood. She ran for Taj and RJ, scooping them off the ground. "It's okay." She did a quick once over. No cuts. Or scrapes. Thank God. "It's okay," she whispered, holding them against her chest as she tried to soothe their wailing.
Glenn came running around the corner. "Michonne?!" Followed by Laura.
"I'm fine! We're fine."
Glenn dropped down to the lifeless figure and removed the hood. He looked up at her, dumbfounded. "It's Gavin."
"I talked to DJ," Laura explained, sitting at the head of the Grime's dining room table, with Rick and Michonne on either side, the following evening. "He and Gavin were coming back from their supply run at the same time Jed and Xavier were walking back to the Sanctuary. They ran into each other. Jed put Gavin up to it, tried to get DJ in on it too, but he wasn't having it…"
"So DJ knew?" Rick asked, incredulously.
"No. Gavin told DJ he wasn't gonna do it either, but I guess he just didn't want DJ tipping me off... Gavin lost his daughter when the walkers invaded the Sanctuary, I know he was still dealing with it, but I don't think he would have done it without Jed hyping him up though. And... I found some meth in his bedroom. I think he was high on it last night." Laura shook her head. "This is some shit... it really is. I'm sorry Michonne. If anything had happened to you or the babies–"
"What are you doing about Jed?" Rick asked shortly, his mouth drawn in a tight line.
"I sent DJ and some others after him. They're gonna take care of it. I promise. You don't have to worry–"
"Let me know when it's done," Rick interrupted, his tone making it clear she was dismissed.
Laura nodded and stood, leaving the room.
Rick and Michonne stayed in their spots. He stared at the table and she stared at him. He was seething and she knew nothing she could say would assuage his fury. The only thing that would make him feel better was being the one to pull the trigger on Jed.
Michonne stood and walked around the table. She climbed into his lap. One of his arms went around her waist and the other settled on her thigh, but he averted his gaze.
"Hey." Michonne set her hand on his beard and steered his face in her direction. "We're fine."
"He had them..." Rick said, his voice strained. "He tried to..." His jaw clenched. "We should have just killed them all."
"And what about Laura? DJ? All the workers who've become part of this place. Letting them surrender was the right move. And this doesn't change that..."
He lifted the hand resting on her thigh and trailed it over her arm. "You sure you're okay?"
"Mm-hmm." She smiled, despite the fact that her insides were still quivering. "God help anyone who tries to hurt our babies, any of them."
She was satisfied when the tension in his face eased and he smiled a little. "They don't stand a chance."
"Oh. Speaking of our babies..."
Standing in front of the twins' crib, Michonne moved the back of her finger over each of their cheeks and stood there an extra few moments, watching their little chests rise and fall.
She flipped the light off and walked into the hallway.
"Did it hurt?" She heard Andre's voice, coming from inside his room.
"Honestly, I don't really remember," Rick replied. "I'm sure it did." She tiptoed to Andre's cracked-open bedroom door and peeked in. Rick lay on his side in Andre's bed, propped up on his elbow. Andre faced him, mirroring his position.
"So what happened next?"
"Well, I woke up and everyone was gone. All the nurses and doctors. Everyone had just vanished. And there was a walker on the ground. First one I ever saw. I thought it was a nightmare or something. I went outside to see... and no one was there either."
"I bet that was scary."
"Oh, it was. But all I knew was I had to go home."
"To find Carl?"
"Yeah. I found a bike on the sidewalk and I rode it all the way home. It took me two hours. And when I got there, they were gone. But I found a man named Morgan and his son Duane– actually, they found me." Rick laughed. "Duane thought I was a walker. He hit me in the head with a shovel."
"Na ah?!"
"Yeah. But they ended up helping me though." A sadness slipped into Rick's voice. "They told me about the world and what was going on. They taught me about the walkers and how to kill them…"
Late at night, laying in the dark intertwined with each other, was when Rick had opened up to her most about his deepest regrets. Morgan was one of them, or rather, not convincing him and Duane to come along with him to Atlanta. "I'm not sure what happened to them."
"Oh... but then you found Carl, right?"
"Yup. And Glenn. And Daryl. And then you and your mom…"
"You found us?"
Oh. She hadn't taken into account Andre not remembering what happened that day in the little house. But it had been nearly three years ago now and they'd moved around so much.
"I did. You were only three back then... and when I saw you sitting in that crib– ya know, you're the reason I convinced your mom to come with me that day."
"Me?"
"Yeah. Your mom with that sword was pretty scary."
Andre laughed and Michonne rolled her eyes.
"But then I saw you and I knew she had to be okay... and you wanna know something else?"
Andre nodded.
"If I had a magic wand and I could go back to the start... to make all this go away– the walkers and everything else... If I got the choice to get that life back or keep this one, I'd choose this life every time. Because now that I have you, I would never pick a life without you in it."
Andre stared at Rick. "Really?"
"Yeah."
"Cool," Andre said. "What else would you do with a magic wand?"
"Well…" Rick chuckled. "Let me think for a minute..."
Michonne moved away from the door and walked back to her room. On the way, she thought about it and concluded that despite everything they'd had to endure thus far, she'd choose this life too.