Judith Grimes was always curious, a trait her mother loved up until it was used to challenge her parenting. She would bombard her with a barrage of questions: how did the solar panels work, why did the crows move in a wavy pattern, when would her teeth stop falling out? Once when she was at Hilltop, one of the few times Michonne took her there, she spent an entire afternoon in the smithy, interrogating the blacksmiths about the tools they were making. Her mother had to drag her away telling her she needed to let the men work.

"But they can work and talk, mom." she'd protested to everyone's amusement.

"I know that baby, but they need to concentrate. Plus, it's dangerous here. There is fire and sharp objects. You could get hurt."

Judith wanted to know everything about this world. But even more so, she wanted to know everything about the old world. She would read the books her mother brought her, awestruck by the pictures and descriptions of places and things she had never seen. Places and things she would probably never see or experience in her life. Michonne raised a rambunctious young lady. She would regale her daughter with lively stories about what life was like back then. She told her about huge stores with shelves full of food and electronics and furniture and clothes and plants all under one roof, amusement parks with thrilling rides that whirled and wound high up in the air and people known as astronauts going to the moon. It all sounded like a made up world to a young mind. Michonne also told her about the injustice that existed in that world, and how in some ways it still persisted in this one. She wasn't one to look at the past with rose colored glasses. She could be nostalgic but not naive, and she wouldn't raise her children to be any less. "There is so much good in the world," she'd say, "but there is also so much evil. And I want you and your brother to be people who add to the good."

Partly due to her mother's mantra, partly due to her own curiosity, Judith started hanging around the cell where Negan was locked up. Soon enough they started talking and sometimes Judith would work through her homework out loud with him. It was on one such occasion that she remembered him teasing her.

"Have you ever seen an airplane fly in any direction at any speed?"

"No"

"Do you think you ever will?"

"Probably not."

And up until that point she really believed that. But now not only had she seen five helicopters (she would come to learn that there are different types and that this one was a Chinook helicopter), but she was also about to ride in one. She secretly wished Negan could see her now. She stood by her mother's side, thinking about all this craziness, her brother on the other end. Their dad (it felt unreal to even think that) had moved a few steps forward and was talking to one of the men in black, what about, she could not be bothered. She felt like a character in one of her books. Her parents were back and she was about to board a helicopter. What a day!

She was shaken out of her reverie, when Michonne squeezed her tight to her side and placed a kiss on her head, turning to do the same to RJ.

"How did you guys get here? Don't tell me you came alone?" She asked.

"No, Uncle Ezekiel brought us." Judith replied, to her mother's relief. "We came on horseback, they are over there."

As she turned to point, so did Michonne. She immediately spotted the man in question, with a head full of gray locks standing a few feet away, hands on his hips, staring at them in shock. Michonne could not help but chuckle even as her eyes watered at the sight.

Ezekiel was stunned. They had received the message a day before, relayed by Aaron who had picked it up on their radio in Alexandria. He knew why they were out there, who they had come to meet. But that didn't make this feel any less like an episode of the Twilight Zone. After tying up the horses, he had slowly followed the kids when they took off running, but came to a halt. He was afraid the sight in front of him was a mirage, if he got any closer it would disappear. If it wasn't for the kids, who he knew without a doubt were real, he might have thought he was hallucinating. When he made eye contact with Michonne his legs started moving again and soon he had his arms around her.

"I don't believe this! I'm so happy you are back and safe, but how?"

Before Michonne could attempt to answer, he turned his attention to Rick, who was now standing behind her. Noticing him looking right through her, Michonne stood to the side and without a word, Ezekiel pulled Rick into a hug.

"Just when I thought the world couldn't get any crazier. I'm sure this will be a story for the history books!"

"It's good to see you too Ezekiel." Rick replied in a chuckle as he separated from the man. He never thought he would be so happy to see the King again. After a few pats on the shoulder, teary glances and nods all around, Rick introduced Major General Shaw to Ezekiel. When she briefly spoke to Aaron on the radio the previous day, Michonne told them that she had found a military force that would be bringing her back to Alexandria with some supplies. Aaron was quick to let her know that Judith and RJ were not in Alexandria but instead at a larger community known as the Commonwealth, in Ohio. Before she could panic, he clarified that they were staying with Ezekiel who was the Governor of the Commonwealth. She had a plethora of questions but chose to reserve them. All that mattered was the safety of her children. She requested that they meet somewhere outside the community in part because she wanted a private moment with her family, away from the gawking of strangers, and also because she wanted to assess this Commonwealth from a distance. Aaron suggested the open field 20 miles away from the community and promised to pass the message on to Ezekiel.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Ezekiel." Shaw greeted with a firm handshake. "Hope you don't mind, I sent the rest of my unit ahead. We brought a few supplies per Mrs. Grimes' suggestion. If you are not afraid of heights we can hop on and catch up with them." That last part was intended for the children who were now looking at the helicopter with both intrigue and trepidation. Rick looked over at RJ, still transfixed at his mother's side and smiled.

"Are you ready?"

RJ beamed at him, his eyes lighting up just like his mother's, and Rick took that as the closest to an enthusiastic yes he'd get from the excited boy. Together, they all boarded the helicopter.

The Grimes family sat in the back while Ezekiel took a seat next to Shaw up front. He had so many questions he wanted to ask Rick and Michone about their journey: how did they come across this military, could they be trusted, where had Rick been all these years? But now was not the time. He knew that Rick and Michonne would never put their children in danger. So if they brought these people back, they must trust them. That would have to be enough for now.

In the back, Rick, Judith, Michonne and RJ sat close together. Judith laid her head on her father's right shoulder, his arm wrapped around her. She was looking at his bandaged stump on the opposite side, where his hand used to be. She was fairly confident it had been there because she vaguely remembered him whisking her in the air with both hands. Or was that a dream? Sometimes, the few memories she still had of him got jumbled up with her imagination and she couldn't tell what was he get bit?She decided not to ask. It was a happy day, no need to bring up any unpleasantness. Contrary to what her mother thought, she knew when to stifle her curiosity, she had learnt that much.

Instead she said "I'm so happy you are back dad."

"I'm so happy to be back with you sweetheart" Rick returned, his hold on her tightening, his voice breaking. He could feel the stinging at the back of his eyes but was fighting hard to keep the tears away. He was a parent again, and parents have to be strong for their children. He was trying. He looked up to meet Michonnes' eyes, watching them, watching him. She had been doing a lot of that since they reunited, taking him in, reveling in his presence. Just like he reveled in hers. She too was holding on to RJ, occasionally peppering kisses on his forehead, whispering in his ear and making him giggle. Their own little secrets. Maybe one day he would also have secrets with his son. His son Rick Junior, his namesake, his lastborn. The one he didn't even know he was missing all this time. He had his mother's beautiful eyes and an equally beautiful smile. God he was big! It's a strange feeling, meeting your child for the first time when they are almost as tall as you. But it was one he wouldn't trade for anything in the world right now. To think that he almost gave up on this, on him. He remembered back at the beginning, when he was underneath that tank, surrounded by walkers and running out of bullets, how he whispered a regretful goodbye to Carl only to find an escape at the very last second. Then a few years later Carl is the one who left him, and his heart shattered into a million pieces. And even as he tried to put it back together, for Michonne, for Judith, it still felt like a mound of jagged glass in his chest, cutting him everytime he moved. When he told Michonne he wanted to try again, to build for the future, to nurture a love so pure despite what this world had already taken from him, he never shared his hope that this love would also smoothen his rough edges. Looking at the manifestation of that love, knowing he was even more broken now than he had been back then, he so desperately wanted to be whole for him. To be The Brave Man he deserved. And with that thought he lost the battle as a tear rolled down his cheek. He took a deep breath to calm himself as he felt Michonne's thumb delicately wiping it away.

Ten minutes later they were at the Commonwealth. General Mercer and his police force were standing between the CRM and the rest of the community. He had been given strict orders to not let them in until Ezekiel came back. He was back now, with a man Mercer could only assume was the famous Rick Grimes. The woman beside him with the sword strapped to her back, similar to the one Judith always carried around, must have been his wife, Michonne. Mercer had heard a lot about them over the years, about what they had done for their communities. He saw Judith walking around with that radio, religiously turning it on daily, hoping, praying she'd hear something. He didn't think there was anyone on the other end anymore, but he couldn't break a child's heart. It wasn't his place."Maybe one day one of her people will tell her.", he thought. But now here they were, in the flesh, real, not some made up figment of a child's overactive imagination. He was almost ashamed of his lack of faith. Almost. But he knew what the Grimes family had was a miracle. To have a second chance, in this world was unheard of.

After exchanging quick pleasantries and introductions, Ezekiel invited Mercer, Shaw, Rick and Michonne to his office. As much as she didn't want to separate from her children, Michonne asked Judith and RJ to wait outside while the grown ups talked.

"I can only imagine how exhausted you both must be," Ezekiel said, glancing at Rick and Michonne, "and I won't keep you away from your children any longer than I have to. I know there is a deeper story here and I can't wait to hear it." His eyes faltered downward to Rick's stump. As Rick fidgeted in his seat, feeling exposed, Michonne reached out to place a comforting hand on his knee. "But I am the leader of this community, I am responsible for all these people's lives. I'm sure you of all people, Rick would understand why I'd be hesitant to open our gates to what looks like a very formidable group I don't know, even if they come bearing gifts. That's actually howweended up here, but that's a story for another time. I know you two. I trust you, no matter how much time has passed. Can I trust them?"

Rick exhaled, rubbing his forehead, trying to figure out how to begin answering that question. He looked over at MG Shaw, who was standing by the window, silent. He then turned to Michonne who was seated in the chair next to him, gauging her thoughts.

"The Civic Republic Military is a military organization based out of Philadelphia." He decided to start with the facts. "They protect a larger city of about 250,000 people. That is where I was all these years." He paused. The thought of it still made his throat close up, like he couldn't breath. "Jadis…Anne, she took me there. And for a long time I couldn't find my way back. But I'm here now, I'm back." Michonne squeezed his knee when he couldn't say any more.

"We can work with them." She interjected, letting him know he didn't have to. "We can try and build something." That was as much of an endorsement as she could give them right now.
Staring pointedly at MG Shaw, Ezekiel challenged him to say otherwise.

"The CRM is looking to expand our reach, build relationships and help other communities survive. We must all work together if we are going to rebuild this world. I'll admit that we haven't always been good at that, but that is something we are trying to rectify." Shaw declared with a gravity that was meant to convey his commitment to that effort. "I understand this is a first meeting, and you are right to be wary of us. I had no expectation that we would make any agreements today. All I ask is that we keep the lines of communication open and the supplies we brough are simply a gesture of good faith, no strings attached."

Sharing a knowing look with Mercer, Ezekiel walked up to Shaw and shook his hand. "We can all use more allies instead of enemies nowadays. I'd like to talk more as they unload the crates but first, Rick, Michonne, I had a house cleared out for you. One of the officers can show you to it, and we can talk more tomorrow."

Rick and Michonne stood up to leave, expressing their deepest gratitude to Ezekiel which he fervently dismissed. "We are family." Before walking out of the room, Rick turned to Major General Shaw, offering a slight nod goodbye. Outside, they were reunited with their kids and a Commonwealth officer who Mercer instructed to escort them to what would be their home, at least for the foreseeable future. As they walked through the streets of the community, Michonne took in how much more developed this place was than Alexandria. They seemed to have commerce, governance, infrastructure and security. It reminded her of the CRM, of the old world. She wasn't sure if that was necessarily a good thing."There is nothing new under the sun", she thought to herself. The house was a one story bungalow on the far right side, secluded from what was the main town center. Again, Michonne murmured a thank you to Ezekiel under her breath.

"We already moved our stuff in this morning." Judith declared as the officer unlocked the door. The children rushed in immediately the door swung open, closely followed by Michonne. Rick stayed behind to get the keys from the officer who had a sly grin on his face.

"You might not know me, Sir but my name is Frank Hoel. I lived with my father at the Sanctuary back then, and I…I just wanted to say, thank you." Rick stared blankly at the boy. The Sanctuary, Negan, Saviors, it all felt like a lifetime ago. All he could think was"He looks about the same age Carl would have been."Getting no response, the officer continued, "We all thought you'd died on that bridge. We are glad you didn't." He handed over the keys and took his leave. Rick stood at the doorstep for another moment, fidgeting with the keyring, trying to calm himself before walking in and closing the door behind him. He was back.