A/N: Hello all! I'm both happy and sad to say that we've made it to the end of Rick and Michonne's supernatural journey. I'm so grateful to everyone who stuck around for months while I completed this story. It was so much fun to write and I'm going to miss these two in this AU world, but I think this is the right place to end it. I hope you enjoy this final chapter and again thank you for all of the comments, reviews, likes, and follows. They're greatly appreciated.

4 Months Later

The weather gods had given Georgia a reprieve from the usual stifling summer heat. The high noon temperature was a satisfying seventy-five degrees and the skies were a clear blue as far as the eye could see. A light breeze tossed Michonne's ponytail from left to right as she took in the surroundings. She inhaled a grateful breath at not having to breathe in humidity filled air.

Her eyes scanned the yellow grass and the falling apart house before her. A bulldozer was off to the side ready to destroy the property come Monday morning. Carl - with his hands deep in his pockets - slipped past her and maneuvered his slim body through the half-opened gate. She looked behind her at the sound of the beep of Rick locking his truck. He came to stand beside her and scanned the property as she had moments before.

"So this is it," she said.

Rick nodded. "Yeah this is my family's farm. Spent most of my summers here as a kid." He sighed. "I can't believe it finally sold."

She looked up to study his profile. There was sadness in his eyes. The sun shined down right on top of him making the gray hairs in his beard and on his head glow; almost giving him an ethereal quality. She took hold of his hand. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

He squeezed her hand back. "I have to be okay with it. Nothing else can be done. I knew it would never be in the family again." His eyes squinted as he took in the dilapidated property once more. "I just wanted to see it one last time before the contractors flatten everythang. I wanted you to see it too. It's not much to look at now, but it used to be beautiful."

She leaned into him. "I could tell from the pictures you showed me."

"I still have the memories. No use dwelling on what coulda been if I had the money to save the place. Besides," he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to his body to hug her from behind, "I have so much to be grateful for."

She turned her head to give him a peck on the lips. "Yes, you do."

He looked at his watch. "We don't have to be in Athens until 2:00. Then we should still make it to Kingsland by nightfall. I think I'll walk around one last time. Wanna come with?"

Michonne spied Carl moving towards the pond. "I think I'll hang with Carl."

He looked over to where his son was picking up rocks to throw into the small pond. He nodded then kissed Michonne on the temple. "I won't be long."

Michonne watched Rick walk in the opposite direction for a few moments before joining Carl.

"Check it out, Michonne. Somebody left a soccer ball over here." He kicked it over to her.

She picked the ball up with her hands and tossed it in the air a few times. "I played soccer for about a half a day when I was eight. Both me and my mom soon realized it wasn't for me. I did score one goal though." She tossed the ball back over to him. "But it was for the other team."

Carl laughed. "I played as a kid too. Was pretty good at it. Watch." He did a couple of impressive kicks with his foot and knee.

Michonne gave a golf clap. "Very nice."

"It's one of the few things I'm actually good at."

She waved a hand in the air. "None of that. You and your Dad have this bad habit of putting yourselves down. I'm not going allow that on my watch."

Carl looked down and tucked his long hair behind his ear. He had a sweet grin on his face. "Enid tells me the same thing."

Michonne loved how happy and shy he became when he talked of the teen girl. "So how are things with Enid?"

Carl blushed and ducked his head down even further. "She's cool."

She tilted her head the side and noticed his reddening cheeks "Ah, it seems like you're like her a lot."

He shrugged. "I like hanging out with her. She listens to cool music and reads comics."

"Sounds like girlfriend material to me. I liked her a lot when we all had dinner at you and your dad's place. She's a sweet girl. We should do that again soon."

"Enid likes you too. She said she never knew someone as old as you who knew so much about current pop culture."

Michonne put her hand over her heart. "Oh, that wounds. I'll have you kids know that I'm not that old."

"Dad is. He doesn't even really know how to use his smartphone."

She nodded in agreement. "True but he shines in many other ways."

Carl laughed. "Yeah, you're right." His mood then did a sudden u-turn and he looked contemplative.

Michonne laid a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"I've just been wondering. Are you and Dad planning on moving in together or getting married anytime soon?"

Michonne's brows creased; surprised at the abrupt change of their conversation. "Carl, me and your dad have only been officially together a few months. I think it's a little soon to think about that."

"I know but I see how you guys are together. Dad always has a smile on his face and starts whistling and humming for no reason. I may be young but I understand things. I know you two will probably be together for a long time so I was wondering what's next."

Michonne watched him closely. She couldn't argue with his logic. She and Rick had gone full steam ahead to coupledom since their first night together. There was no denying that they were in it for the long haul. "And how do you feel about that? If me and your Dad were to move in together or get married?"

"It's cool."

Michonne shook her head as her lips lifted in small smile. "Its cool is your response to everything."

He shrugged. "Because things are cool."

"You're okay with me and your Dad taking those next steps?"

"You make Dad happy, Michonne. And he makes you happy too. Why wouldn't I want that?"

"Sometimes kids have a hard time when a parent starts a romantic relationship."

"It's not like Dad met you yesterday at Applebee's. You're family. It'll be weird if you weren't around."

Michonne stepped closer to him and crossed her arms over her chest. "It's important to me that you don't think I'm trying to replace your mom in any way."

"I know you're not." He looked out into the pond and started to skip the rocks across the dirty water. "I still miss her a lot." He looked over to Michonne. "Does that ever go away?"

She sighed and shook her head. "Unfortunately, it doesn't. It gets easier to live with but there's always a piece of your heart missing."

He nodded. "Sometimes I go days without thinking about her. Then a memory will hit me and I spend a while feeling guilty that I'd been living my life without a thought to her. I don't ever what to forget her."

Michonne's heart broke for the emotional pain he had to endure at not just losing a parent at a young age, but also the circumstances that led to her death. "I don't think you have to worry about that, Carl."

"Do you still think about your mom?"

She nodded. "I do."

"What's your favorite memory of her?

Michonne closed her eyes. "On Saturday mornings she would get up early to clean the house from top to bottom. She'd wake me and my brothers up to help. We were always grumpy about it of course. But then she'd open all of the windows to let the sunshine in and turn up the radio. All of us would spend the morning singing and dancing as we did our chores. We even had our own Soul Train line going." She bumped his shoulder with hers. "That's a reference way before your time." She put her hands into the pockets of her sundress. A distant smile was on her face. "That was her way. She could make any task so much fun."

Carl smiled at her memory. "Does it hurt to think about her?"

"Sometimes, but mostly those memories make me happy. The good she brought to my life outweigh all of the bad from her illness. What about your mom? What's your favorite memory?"

Carl started laughing. "No question, Sunday morning pancakes."

"Did she make good pancakes?"

He laughed harder "Nope. They were awful."

Michonne was confused, but his laugh was infectious. She couldn't help but to join him. "Why is it your favorite memory then?"

"Because it was the one time a week, especially those last couple of years, where we truly felt like a family. During the week I was always doing after school activities and Dad worked a lot. So we didn't see much of each other. On Sundays we were together. It was nice. We laughed and talked. Dad and I gave each other looks behind Mom's back because of how bad the pancakes tasted, but we ate them anyway because it made her happy. I miss seeing her happy. Do you think she's happy now?"

"I think she's at peace now. I think her soul can rest knowing you and your Dad are doing well. And I think the fact you're growing up into this wonderful young man makes her so proud."

"Maybe they're together."

Michonne raised an eyebrow at him.

"My mom and your mom," he clarified. "Maybe they're together looking down on us. Happy that we found each other."

She put an arm around him for a side hug. "Yeah your mom is definitely brimming over with pride for you. You're a great kid, Carl."

His cheeks turned even redder this time as he hugged her back. "Thanks, Michonne."

She looked over her shoulder and saw Rick walking back towards the gate. "I think your dad is ready to go."

Carl tossed the rest of the rocks into the pond and picked up the soccer ball.

"It'll be cool if you and Dad had a baby too," he said as they started walking.

Michonne stopped and put her hands on her hips. "Okay now you're really thinking too far ahead."

He ignored her words and kept talking. "A girl would be cool. I know Dad really wanted a daughter. A little sister would be fun. I could teach her how to play soccer and fish and what to do to get anything she wanted from Dad."

Michonne caught up to him and grabbed his arm. "Carl have you heard the phrase 'slow your roll'?"

He looked at her with that crooked smile he had when he was amused. "I don't think so."

She put her arm around his shoulders again. "Well my friend I'm going to need you to learn it, live it, and stop all of this baby talk madness right now."

The two were laughing when they met back up with Rick at the gate. He beamed at the most important people in his life; always grateful for their easy and heartfelt bond.

He clapped Carl on the shoulder then put his arm around Michonne's waist. "What's so funny?" He asked.

Michonne beamed back at him. "I'll tell you later. Lets go. We need to pick up Gran."

The beach in Kingsland was full of people enjoying another atypical beautiful day. Kids ran around with their shouts of glee creating a soundtrack of summertime joy. Carl had coaxed Michonne into playing a pick-up soccer game with a couple of college coeds which they were losing.

A few feet away Rick unfolded a beach chair and sat it in the sand in front of the blanket. Gran watched him with a smile on her face as he worked to position it just right. Once he was done he took her hand and helped her sit.

"I may be an old woman, Richard, but I ain't decrepit yet. I can sit down myself."

"I know Mrs.," she gives him a look. "I mean Gran. I just want to make sure you're comfortable."

Gran settled into the chair and sighed in contentment while sinking her bare feet into the warm sand. She adjusted her straw hat and smirked at Rick. "You remind me of my third husband Curtis."

Rick had started taking the food out of the picnic basket, but stopped to look up at Gran. "How so?"

"He was a southern gentleman too. Nicest man you could ever meet. Always more worried about how he could help others before helping himself. I think I loved him the most out of all of my husbands."

He settled down on the blanket. "Sounds like a good man. Honored I remind you of him."

Gran took out a mini, portable fan from her matching straw bag. "You're a good man too, Richard. A very good man."

Rick nodded and blushed under his tanned skin. "Thank you, Gran." He went back to emptying the picnic basket. "So why did you marry so many times?"

"I unfortunately outlived each of my husbands. When one died there was always many other suitors begging for my hand in marriage."

"I bet you were a heartbreaker."

"Oh, no doubt, Richard." Gran stretched her arms out wide. "As I'm sure you can see I'm very irresistible. You should have seen me back in the day though. Just fine for no reason."

Rick chuckled and shook his head. "Love you, Gran. You're one in a million."

"Love you too, Richard. And I especially love how happy you make my granddaughter. Michonne is the light of my life. I'm glad she finally has someone to love her in the way she deserves."

Rick looked over to where Michonne and Carl were laughing and high fiving each other after scoring a goal. "She's the light of my life too."

"She's been hurt a lot. Can I trust you not to bring her anymore undue pain?" Her tone and body language had become strictly no nonsense.

Rick rose to his knees in front of Gran. He took her hand in his. "The only thang I want to do from now on is bring joy and happiness to Michonne and Carl. I'll do everythang I can not to ever see either of them hurt again."

Gran patted his hand. "That's what I want to hear. Now just a warning. If you ever do hurt her you gon' have to answer to the ancestors, and they can be a vengeful lot."

Rick grinned at her. "I'll take that warning very seriously."

"You better. Now talk to me, Richard. Has anything else other worldly happened to you lately?"

Rick shook his head and handed her a bottle of water. "No, ma'am. Just been living my earthly life."

Gran settled back in her chair and took a sip of water. "That's good. Most people don't constantly have supernatural things happen to them. You've learned the lessons you needed to learn."

"Does that mean life is going to be smooth sailing from now on?"

"One can only hope, Richard. I can always do a tarot reading on you again. See what the cards say about your future."

He shielded his eyes from the sun as he looked at her. "I think I'll pass on that, Gran. I like just living in the present these days."

"Not a bad way to live. I respect you for that." She looked at him up and down. "You really are a changed man. Your brokenness radiated off of you the first time we met. Now I see a strong and happy man."

His eyes followed the woman he loved as she ran across the sand. He never could go too long without watching her if she was in his presence. "Michonne changed my life."

"No question Michonne did a lot for you, but you had to want it and do the work. And you did. I'm proud of you."

Rick scratched at his eyebrow and looked down trying to come up with the words that could express what he was feeling. "That means a lot coming from you. I don't have much family anymore, and the way you've welcomed me and Carl into yours means much more than you could ever know."

Gran tilted her head to the side and smirked at him. "Oh, Richard I know. Trust me, I know."

Rick laughed. "Of course you do. You know everythang."

"Not everything, but enough."

Michonne and Carl walked up to them then; both sweaty and slightly out of breath.

"I don't know what you two were talking about, but it is true that Gran knows everything." Michonne bent down to kiss her grandmother on the cheek. "You're not too hot are you, Gran?"

"I'm fine, sweet girl. Just having a pleasant time talking to Richard."

Michonne sat down on the blanket between Rick's legs. He handed her a bottle of water and kissed her cheek.

"Did you guys win?" Rick asked.

Michonne leaned back into his chest. "Nope. Lost horribly, 6-1. And these knees of mine are not used to running on sand. They're yelling at me."

Rick rubbed her arm and whispered into her ear. "We can soak in a hot bath tonight."

She looked at him and felt a chill of anticipation run through her at the look in his eyes. "Looking forward to it," she whispered back.

Gran cleared her throat to break the spell. Their whispered words couldn't be heard over the sounds around the beach, but the look in their eyes said it all. She chuckled at the sheepish expressions on their faces. "The beginning stages of love is beautiful to behold."

Rick held Michonne closer and kissed her shoulder. "It certainly is."

Carl looked over at Gran. "They're always like this." He shook his head in mock reproach.

Michonne untangled herself from Rick. "Says the guy who's young and in love."

"Michonne," he groaned. His teenage whine carried above the noise.

She laughed and tossed him a sandwich then started handing out food to everyone. They settled into comfortable conversation as they ate their lunch.

Carl gulped down a can of Coke and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Gran have you ever been to a haunted house? Like a real live one. Not a fake Halloween one."

She paused in eating her fruit salad and looked curiously at him. "I've been to a couple. Why do you ask, child?"

He tossed the Coke can in the trash bin next to them. "I want to go to one."

Rick was surprised. "Where did that come from, Carl?"

"I've been reading about them online. Thought it would be cool to see one in person."

Gran beckoned the teen to come sit next to her. "Fact is I don't like haunted houses much. A spirit knows when they want to contact you. No need to go looking for them where they dwell. It's only opening yourself to a spirit that may get mad at you for disturbing him."

"It's just that I'm becoming really into all of this supernatural stuff. I want to learn more. What about an Ouija board? Are those good to use?" He asked.

Michonne waved her hands in the air in the "abort mission" gesture. "Oh, no don't say Ouija board, Carl. Trust me you don't want those problems."

"Michonne knows what she speaks," Gran said. "My cousin Sherman tried to contact spirits before with that board. Bad things happened to him for years. Some mean spirit latched on and wouldn't let go."

"What happened to him?" Carl asked

"We had to do a few rituals, but we finally got it out of there. He's fine now. Scared of his own shadow though."

Carl looked resigned to the fact that a haunted house wouldn't be in his future. "Okay I'll stay away."

Gran nodded. "Good boy. What you can do is come to my house and I can teach you about spirits and other things the right way. Nothing wrong with having an interest in them but you must be respectful. Bring your girlfriend if you want."

"Cool. Thanks, Gran. She'd love that."

"Now speaking of Sherman," She turned towards Michonne, "He called me the other day. Said he was going to be at the family reunion."

Michonne sat her straighter; excited. "Oh, yes! I forgot that was coming up." She turned towards Rick. "You and Carl have to be there. I can't wait for you to finally meet my brothers and the rest of the family. A couple of my nephews are the same age as Carl. I know they'll all get along so well."

Rick smiled at her enthusiasm. "I can't wait."

The chatter of Michonne, Gran, and Carl talking about the reunion faded to the background as he looked up into the sky and gave thanks for all he'd gained in life.

"Lean forward." Rick took the warm, soapy washcloth and squeezed the excess water down Michonne's back.

She hugged her knees and moaned as the heat hit her skin. "That feels so good."

Rick repeated the gesture once more then rinsed the towel to squeeze clear water down her back. He tossed the towel back into the tub then ran his hands up and down her back, massaging the muscles.

"How does your skin always feel like silk," he muttered.

"That's one of those secrets a woman will never tell." She sighed when he hit a particular sore spot. "God, yes, Rick."

He kissed her earlobe. "I like hearing you say that no matter the context."

She chuckled. "You do like making me feel good."

His hands moved to massaging her shoulders."Love making you feel good," he corrected. He moved the fingers on his left hand deep into her muscles. "All of this tightness didn't just come from you playing soccer this afternoon. You've been stressed lately?"

She turned her head to the side to let him properly work on the right portion of her neck. "Work has been a lot these past few weeks. Between the new contract at the VA Hospital and working on the book I've been on overdrive."

"Yeah, I noticed. You should slow down a bit, baby."

Michonne smiled. He'd recently out of the blue started calling her baby. She couldn't say she didn't like it. "That's why I wanted to take this mini family vacation. I needed a breather."

"Then why were you hard at work on your laptop before our bath?"

"I didn't think you saw that." She shrugged. "I'm a workaholic. One of my flaws."

"I know, but I love you anyway."

She turned her head to grin at him. "I love you too."

Rick pulled her body back so she was against his chest again. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing those words from you."

"Took you long enough to let me say them."

"Thinking this was all too good to be true is one of my flaws."

She kissed the corner of his mouth. "I'll still take you. Flaws and all."

He ran his hands down her slick arms and breathed in the sweet smell of her dreads that were piled on top of her head in a loose bun.

She took his right hand and kissed the scar on the palm as she was wont to do. "I think if we could stay in this tub the rest of the night I'd be a happy woman."

"That would be nice, but the water is going to turn cold soon and we'd look like prunes."

"You didn't have to ruin my fantasy, Rick."

He chuckled. "Sorry, baby."

She sat her leg on the edge of the tub and he took the washcloth to wash the smooth skin. Her head rested at the crook of his neck.

"It's a full moon tonight, you know," she said.

"So we should beware of werewolves?"

She laughed softly and playfully tapped his knee. "No. It means that we're all at the height of power, clarity, and obtainment of desire. It's the end of a cycle and it's time to celebrate."

He wiped the washcloth down her thigh. "Obtainment of desire sounds like a good way to celebrate to me," he whispered in her ear.

"Mmhm." She lifted herself up and climbed out of the tub.

"Hey, where are you going," he protested. "The water's not cold yet."

She stood on the tiled bathroom floor with water dripping down her naked body. Rick bit his lip as he gazed upon her. The sun had kissed her body beautifully making her look like an incredible piece of artwork worthy of display at the Louvre.

"Since my bath fantasy won't be happening I figure we can try for new ones in bed." Without waiting for his response she spun gracefully and walked into the connecting bedroom of their rental house.

Rick wasted no time climbing out of the tub and meeting her by the bed. She let out a shriek when he picked her up and tossed her on the mattress before covering her body with his.

"Rick, you're going to hurt yourself." She listened for any sounds out in the hall hoping neither Carl nor Gran heard her.

"You don't weigh that much and the physical therapy made me stronger than I look." He started kissing her neck.

Her hands soon found their way to his hair. "We need to be quiet though. Gran's and Carl's rooms are just down the hall."

"They can't hear us." He moved down to kiss her breasts

A moan escaped her mouth before she had time to clamp it down. "You don't know that," She managed to get out.

"I'm sure they're sleeping." She moaned again when he slipped his hand down to the middle of her thighs to feel her slick wetness. She was about to give up trying to be quiet when they heard a door open and hard footsteps walking towards the kitchen.

"I told you so," she whispered to him. It was obvious the footsteps belonged to Carl.

He just winked at her as they waited for the boy to go back to his room. A cabinet opened and closed. The faucet turned on and off. Then footsteps could be heard going back down the hall. Finally, the close of his bedroom door.

Michonne exhaled the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "Okay, we have to be quiet."

"I'm not the one who's been making all of the noise."

She giggled. "That's not the point." She opened her legs wider. "Now where were we?"

He grinned at her then moved down her body kissing every part he could along the way. "I think just about here."

xxx

"Rick, Rick. Wake up." He felt his body shake. He looked up - groggy and laying on his stomach - at Michonne standing above him dressed in a tank top and shorts.

He sat up and looked at the clock. It was 12:36 am. A slight panic set in. "Is something wrong? Why are you dressed?"

She shook her head and smiled. "Everything's fine. I just need you to get up and get dressed. We're going on a road trip."

"Road trip?" He scratched at his head full of messy curls, confused. "We're already on vacation, baby."

"Not a road trip in the traditional sense. More like a walk down the block."

Rick was still confused. "At midnight? What's going on?"

Michonne put her hands on her hips. "Just trust me, Rick." She slung her beach bag over her shoulder.

Rick threw the covers back and got out of bed. "Okay, okay. You know I trust you."

Twenty minutes later they walked down the sidewalk with the light of the full moon helping guide their way. Rick finally recognized where they were headed when they stepped onto one of the many piers littered around Kingsland. It was the pier where they connected on a level higher than friendship for the first time all of those months ago. He let Michonne lead him to the end, and they sat with their feet hanging off the edge.

"Why did you want to come out here now?" He asked her.

"Do you what today is?"

He grabbed her hand. "One year to the date of the first time we met."

She smiled and tucked a loc behind her ear. "I should have known you would remember."

"How could I forget the day that changed my life?"

"It changed mine too. I didn't know I'd find my perfectly flawed man when I agreed to take over Dr. Franklin's patients."

"And I didn't know I would find my soul mate, my salvation when I walked into your office."

Michonne felt her eyes tear up and she tried to fan them away. "This is supposed to be a celebration and you're making me cry."

He kissed her on the forehead. "It's the truth. I may have survived that night, but a part of me died in that ditch. I was a shell of a person until you helped put me back together. There's no doubt in my mind I'm going to love you forever."

The tears ran down her cheeks as she clutched his face. "Forever sounds wonderful." They leaned in to each other and kissed deeply.

Michonne wiped her eyes after they pulled away. "Okay enough with the tears. Lets celebrate. I wanted to come here now so it could just be me, you and the moon without any distractions."

Rick held up his hand. "Before we start I did get you something for our anniversary. I'd planned to give it to you over breakfast, but since we're out here…" He pulled out a small, purple box from his pocket.

Michonne held the box in the palm of her hand for a moment before pulling off the white ribbon. Inside was a beautiful, handcrafted replica of a bridge.

"It's for your dream," he explained. "You couldn't cross the bridge to your destiny because you were afraid. Now we're here and there's nothing to fear anymore."

She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. "I love it and I love you."

He held on to her just as tight. "I love you so much, Michonne."

She pulled back and laughed. "I wasn't expecting to get this emotional."

He grinned. "My fault." He rubbed her back. "Lets get to the celebrating."

"I have a treat." She pulled out a bottle of pink champagne from her beach bag and two plastic cups.

Rick chuckled and shook his head as took the bottle from her hands. "I thought we swore off this."

"I know, but it seemed appropriate for tonight. I think it's our anniversary drink now."

Rick popped the cork and a stream of champagne dripped down the bottle. He filled both cups and handed one to Michonne. Each held up theirs in a toast.

"Here's to meant to be," Rick said.

"Here's to finding your destiny," Michonne said.

They clinked the cups together; sealing themselves to each other for a lifetime and beyond.