A/N: We can't think of a better person to close out this sweet tale. Sophiasown is the 'cherry on top,' with her knack for expertly mining the inner workings of these characters we know and love

Be sure to check out her other works on her fanfic page

-We're The Ones Who Write

Chapter 4

"Heard they were looking for us?" Michonne whispered to Maggie as she and Rick returned to the festivities satiated and pleased with themselves that their late afternoon tryst in the Kingdom's garden went off undetected. Michonne was hopeful now there would be more memories than ghosts growing among the orchids.

"Yeah where did you two go?" Maggie asked, her emerald eyes betraying her naivete on the reason for Rick and Michonne's abrupt disappearance. Their roles were too important to all three communities for the presence not to be missed.

"Umm we had some thangs to attend to," Rick said, a finger reaching up to rub his relaxed eyebrows.

"Well Ezekiel is looking for you. He wants you to be there for the ribbon cutting ceremony. Then there's the play and he wants dinner to start promptly after."

The leader of the Kingdom craved order and on a day like today; a day that was dedicated to jubilation he was leaving nothing up to chance.

"He's really goin' the whole nine years with this whole broadway production ain't he?"

Rick turned to Michonne and she saw the amusement for Ezekiel's theatrics oozing off his stubbled face. As much as the two leaders, who couldn't be more different than night and day were friends, Ezekiel's flare for the dramatics always left Rick more concerned than charmed.

She laid a calm hand on his forearm, the sunlight in the courtyard bounced off the brown hairs that dotted his muscled arms persuading her to remain distracted by the strength she knew he held.

She had seen Rick murder men with those hands and he was a brutal force to be reckoned with when he was making examples of men who dared to threaten those he loved. She had also seen those same arms lift Judith way up in the air and fly her as high as they could go making her giggle as loud as Rick's boisterous laughter. Those hands morphed him from ferocious to father and now that they had a chance to catch their breaths, she knew which side she wanted around more.

Rick earned the extended vacation peace had brought to their communities, to their lives. They had a chance to rebuild now with feasible measures of turning barely surviving to sustainable living.

Carl said he wanted to bring back lazy Saturdays, birthday parties, spaghetti Wednesdays on a Tuesday and Friday night pizza. Carl, like his father knew the future in front of them was a tangible one.

It was why the baby she carried was so paramount to their family. This child that grew under her heart was a part of a promising future and she looked forward to he or she becoming part of the Grimes' unit.

"You should go before he comes lookin' for you again," Maggie encouraged, admiring the way Rick couldn't take his eyes off his wife. He too had a glow and it wasn't from the sun.

"Maggie's right. Go. Be nice!" Michonne's tone held caution in it knowing that the king's taste for the theatrics easily agitated Rick as much as he genuinely liked Ezekiel. Rick's blood was always a little too close to his skin, even more so when he was inebriated.

"I will. You be um..be careful."

He kissed her cheek leaving her and Maggie in wake of his awkward departure.

"Be careful? What are you two up to?" Maggie's curiosity was getting the best of her.

"Oh great! There you two are. We're finally together!" Rosita, Tara, Enid and the new addition to their clan, Dianne, joined Maggie and Michonne under the constructed tent, relieving her from answering her best friend's question.

"What's going on here?" She was happy to see her friends all in one place. It was a welcome change seeing them in casual clothes and not the usual combat gear they lived in when everyday life had been a threat because of the saviors. Now her girls' wore dresses and jeans, giving them a taste of the old world, it was such a good feeling.

"We wanted to gather everyone before the real festivities started and we all got lost in the crowd."

"For…" Maggie prodded.

"To make a toast chica." Rosita lifted a bottle of wine for everyone to witness its sealed goodness. Enid had fetched the elaborate wine glasses from the lavish kitchen in the Kingdom.

She too was excited because drinking wine from a wine glass with the women who she had grown to love and respect surely made her one of them.

Before Maggie could protest her current no drinking dilemma, Tara lifted some crafted grape juice Nebilla had slipped her before boasting she had constructed the trellis herself as she trained the grapes to grow upwards ensuring their survival.

"Don't worry, I got you kid." They had begun to pour the wine in the fancy, long stemmed glasses and divided it among them. Michonne grew nervous thinking of another way to deflect the attention from herself when she refused the wine, again. She could take it and just pretend to sip but everyone would notice if the liquid stayed at the same level.

"You guys saw my intoxicated husband right? Somebody has to drive us home and I don't trust Carl's driving in the dark so unfortunately it's gotta be me."

She hoped the lie worked. She had used her most convincing voice as she scrutinized the faces of the women who knew her well enough.

"C'mon Mags I'll drink the grape juice with you." She took the bottle from Tara and filled a glass with the deep purple liquid for herself.

"Mmmmmm okay!" Tara shrugged and turned to wave Carol in their direction, she was the last to join the group.

"Could we do this quickly? Henry has to sing and he said he can't do it without me and I promised him I'd be there." Henry had been Carol's own reset button from her trip to solitude, having lost her child at the beginning of this hellish nightmare.

They had thought Henry dead and gone; collateral damage in an all out war between the Saviors and Alexandria, the Hilltop and the Kingdom. She and Morgan had gone on an active manhunt to find him, believing in her heart that the few pieces of advice she had given him had kept him alive and he wasn't unprotected in the elements.

When Henry had been found, Carol and Ezekiel were so grateful he was alive that their spontaneously formed surrogate family tightened all the more, helping to heal the hurting little boy and maybe a little of themselves too.

Everybody had lost someone or something important to them but everybody also had a reason to give thanks for someone or something they gained at the end of the world.

For her it was Rick; the love of her life. It was Carl and Judith; the children she bore in her heart. It was this baby that had already enriched their lives.

"What are we toasting to exactly?" Maggie asked, the smell of the rich grape juice was making her mouth water.

"Life and the fact that we survived," Dianne started the round robin speech.

"To bringing back a taste of the old world. Hopefully spa days can be a thing again," Rosita said, looking glamorous in her gold hoop earrings.

"Oh God, what I wouldn't give for a massage or a body scrub." Michonne moaned at the thought of the tranquil experience of being pampered by a professional. What she wouldn't give to have that again.

"Umm Chonne you have a masseuse! Don't tell me Rick Grimes - Mr. Perfect - doesn't rub your feet." Rosita's expressive face looking appalled at her contemplation. "I would give anything to have that again in my life!"

Michonne shrugged in surrender, he did rub her feet but he hadn't been Mr. Perfect an hour ago when he was teasing her to mere inches of her pleasurable life; bringing her to the brink of delirium and leaving her there to dangle in a most insatiable manner.

"You could have that if you gave Daryl a chance." Maggie's tone was soft but in it held so much conviction in what she released into the atmosphere.

"Daryl!?" Carol and Tara said in unison, their expressions of shock matching their intonation.

"Did I miss something here?"

"Cat got your tongue Rosita? Or should I tell the girls what you've been hiding?" Maggie's eyes were shining with mischievous deviousness.

"There isn't anything to tell, we had one drunk kiss a few weeks ago," Rosita confessed, in the spirit of sisterhood. Besides, she had long known things weren't kept a secret for long in this group.

"I think I need to lie down," Tara said with feigned dramatics. Rosita slapped her arm in play, laughing at the fact that she may be falling for the grungiest guy in the Apocalypse.

"Hey Chill alright! No one wants to be alone at the end of the world. My bed is cold at night." Rosita had also loved and lost, making her outlook on life bitter before allowing it to make her better.

"You are practically Zombie Apocalypse Barbie! You could have any man you want and you choose Daryl Dixon!?" Tara's cadence grew higher in pitch the more words left her tongue.

"We've been through a lot together, we grew close."

"Daryl is a good man and if I had to choose someone for him to be with, I'd pick you Rosita." Knowing she had Carol's blessing gave her peace with what she was feeling for the vest wearing, squirrel loving, arrow toting Daryl.

"So Maggie isn't the only one who's gonna be having babies?" Enid threw out.

Michonne swallowed greedily, afraid her facial expression would give away that she also had a bun in the oven, but she couldn't betray family business, even among confidants.

"Well, somebody has to repopulate the world if we're trying to have a future here."

"Let's drink to that before Henry comes to get me. To future babies, to life and love and peace to last us all another lifetime." Carol raised her glass first and the others followed.

The clinking of glasses were heard over their cheers and agreements in Carol's fitting toast. They couldn't have said it better themselves.

"We should grab seats while they're still available," Dianne said, walking off with Carol to assist in any last minute preparations. It would be dark soon and there were a few things still to be done.

Carl and Judith came in search of Michonne as everyone walked off on their own missions with promises to catch up later.

"Dad said you should take a seat, things are 'bout to start. You too Mags," Carl said, hearing his father grumble to himself that pregnant women shouldn't be on their feet for long periods of time.

"Mommy, Daddy said he's going to give a speech. Can I give a speech too? Like when I do it at home?" Judith's cute round face made it difficult to say no to her, but they couldn't risk any accidents today.

"No sweetie this one's for Daddy alone. okay?" Her sweet lips weren't to be trusted in public right now. As much as she knew she wasn't supposed to talk about the baby, excitement could over power secrecy and in under a minute, everybody would know the Grimes' family were expecting.

She would leave the speech giving to Rick and hope his loose lips wouldn't fail him when he took center stage. In a few weeks, they would find a fun way to announce to their family and friends they were going to have an addition to their clan.

Given the way her midsection had started to expand at a rapid rate, a few weeks could quickly turn into a few days. There were too many mothers and women around for people to not start questioning the obvious tightness of her clothes. She was grateful to Rick for selecting the beautiful dress she wore, red was one of her favorite colors and it hid her baby bump in a neat fashion. She was certain nobody suspected a thing. Not even Maggie.

The successful yet short play had been about a boy who conquered walkers with his bravery and his pet tiger, delivering a message of courage and hope that echoed in everyone's heart even after the play was over. They had dispersed to their own table settings for the feast that was dinner.

The lanterns were being lit around each table, setting a low light ambience that still didn't take away from the beauty of the changing evening sky. Daryl and Aaron were ferrying wood for the two large fires that were blazing in the background.

"You ready to give your speech Mr. President?" Michonne teased, knowing how much he hated the acclamations everyone gave him but there was a playfulness in his eyes and it had been there since their intense lovemaking in the garden.

He leaned into her, she was flanking his right side which was always the perfect spot for her to take. "You gonna hail the chief later darlin'?"

It was only his southern voice in her ear but her feminine juices had already dripped into her panties.

"Anything you want but let's get through dinner first."

Rick was captivated by her everytime words left her lips. How could he not love her?

He kept reminding her he was no speech giver and she always told him the same thing over and over; his empowering executions was what made them believe they could win a war in the first place and the motivation was always needed.

The other two neighboring tables were laughing and already in heavy conversation. He looked at the folks around his table, he was about to put together yet another string of words that came from his heart in front of those he considered his new family and their expectant expressions gave him confidence to believe he was a speech giver after all. Michonne, like with most things was right.

"Here we are. Another gathering. Another speech, but I'm not here today to rally troops for a war. I was right when I said it the first time; the world is ours by right. We took it back so now It's time we enjoy the fruits of our labor. We kept our faith in each other and now we have food and homes and so much more to come. Those things are important but I've learnt that it's not what I have in my life but who I have in my life that counts."

He looked at Michonne, Carl and Judith who were fully engaged in his articulation, for a minute he forgot to breathe from sheer, overwhelming happiness, from excitement as he counted his blessings and the blessings on the way.

"And what I have are four of the greatest gifts that I could've ever asked for and I give thanks for them every day."

Judith's head shot up like a mole popping up from the ground at her father's blunder.

Michonne's head caught in her hand after Rick inadvertently let loose their secret.

"Umm…"

"Mommy! Daddy spilled the beans about the baby!" If the entire table didn't know what had previously happened Judith's outburst cleared it all up for them.

Judith's arms were folded in a public display of her disappointment in her father. She really wanted to be the one to tell everybody she was getting a new baby brother or sister soon.

"So that's why you couldn't drink the wine!" Tara exclaimed from the end of the table.

"Daryl pay up. You owe us some deer meat from your next kill." Aaron rubbed his two hands together in triumph.

"Wait! You guys knew?" Michonne said brushing the long brown strands of Judith's hair in an effort to calm her.

"Course I knew!" Daryl shrugged, his demeanor nonchalant as though they were discussing the predictability of the weather.

"How?" Rick was still in disbelief he had been the unlucky one to out them. They were so concerned about Judith he didn't even consider his loose lips could be the real public enemy number one.

"You don't ever leave Chonne's side no mo'," Daryl grumbled, his voice raised only a tad even though he was seated at the opposite end of the rectangular table.

"That's nothing new!" Aaron responded allowing his inside thoughts to slip passed his pushy lips.

"He's taken almost all of her guard shifts with a silly ass grin on his face and when he couldn't he practically bargained with you to take it. I mean how many headaches Michonne is gonna have in a month?"

Daryl had stored all pertinent information to memory for the opportune time. He watched his brother who was certainly deserving of all the goodness that graced his life and Rick saw a gradual grin below his grumble.

"Not to mention she avoided wine like the plague tonight." Rosita chimed in, it was clear they had been in cahoots with their well decorated espionage.

Rick finally pulled together the courage to look at his wife who despite the slip of his tongue was smiling sweetly at him.

"I'm sorry babe." He shrugged, soberness repossessing his composure.

Michonne pointed at Judith who was sulking in her lap at Rick's baby slip. Her hands were crossed, her adorable cheeks were held tight in a determined scowl that let her parents know how upset she was over the untimely spillage over the debacle of the Grimes Family Business.

Rick took in his mini beauty Queen and allowed his thoughts free pass as they rushed down the highway of his mind for a fitting remuneration, one that would turn Judy's frown upside down and return her smile to its rightful place.

Among the busy chatter the advertisement of their baby not so surprise brought, Rick called Judith's name with enough of a delicate tone to pull her out of her pensive state.

"Yes Daddy." She looked up at him, her doe like eyes encouraging him to silently promise she'd never have to experience hurt or pain in this life but what she needed right now was leverage and he was about to give it to her.

"Not everyone heard me when I slipped about the baby, do you want to tell them now?"

He had already gotten subliminal approval from his pregnant wife. They never needed much words between them to speak, even right at the start and it was one of the things he would always cherish about their relationship. He grabbed the rest of the table's attention to be accommodating to Judith's pending announcement.

"Yesss! I wanted to all day! Carl I really tried." She said to her brother whose hair looked longer and darker without his hat. Rick gave her her moment with a sweep of his hand. Carl took her in his arms, she was too short to stand on the ground and too heavy to stand on Michonne's lap.

"Everybody! We're going to have a baby!" She was thrilled at the prospect of having a sibling and she rubbed her hands together in great emphasis. "The baby is in mommy's tummy!" She said pointing to Michonne in case anyone needed physical evidence of what was happening.

"I didn't know where babies come from but Carl said when Daddy -"

"Ok Judes! I think everybody heard the news! Give it up everybody!" Carl said starting the all around clapping, he would've been mortified if Judith continued her infomercial on the how-to-do about babies, especially the watered down version he gave and Judith's comprehension of it.

Rick was proud of his kid, she was back to her usual smiles, everyone was congratulating his baby girl and she was on top her throne again.

While Rick was basking in Judith's hearty smile Michonne was taking pleasure in Rick's smile and thinking she'd do anything to keep it there forever.

….

Yet another glass of wine was traveling around the table in celebration of the big news, Rick appreciated the bounty remembering at one point desperation for food and sustenance had forced them to kill and eat rabid dogs and if rain hadn't come that day they may have died of dehydration.

Seeing his people like this, overjoyed at the prospect of wine paired with warm garlic bread, a healthy serving of spaghetti and meatballs complete with a garden salad made from their very own vegetable gardens made the term eat, drink and be merry potent in its sentiment.

It was almost like he was watching those he loved in slow motion but when he got to the four best things in his life time stood still; Carl was becoming a man with every day that passed and he could only trust and hope that all the values he held so strongly to separated him from the rest and allowed him to grow exponentially in this world and become the leader he knew his son could be.

Judith, still wearing his old sheriff's hat was debating with her mother on the importance of tomatoes. It was no secret she wasn't a fan but they had a plethora of choice now in terms of food so he knew Michonne wouldn't give her much grief about it.

Under Michonne's tutelage he knew Judith would be a bright, well prepared girl for this life and he couldn't wait to see the many ways she was going to beat this world.

Michonne was where he always landed, even when he was crashing and burning she always had a comfortable hand or rock to save him with. He didn't know what he would do without her. She was the love of his love and he hoped this was the forever kind because he planned to love her in the after life too. She made the pieces of this crazy world snap together for him and there was no way he could diminish the flame that burned so brightly for her.

He discovered they were all waiting on him to give the go ahead to dive into their food, he shook himself out of his own reflections and paid attention to the grumbling and complaining at not being able to dive into their lavish meal.

They were a rowdy, disheveled crew but they were his family. They fought many times together side by side, keeping guard at each other's back and he would always be grateful that he didn't lose everything after all.

He held hands with Michonne who had grown even more beautiful in the ten seconds he took his eyes off of her and eyed the rest of his family, "Well what are you waiting on? Let's eat!"

….

It was well after ten o'clock when they pulled into the gates of the Safe Zone. The rhythmic chirps of the frogs and other insects came alive at night when everyone were preparing for bed and they gave an earthy musical accompaniment on their walk home.

Judith lay in Rick's arms as they walked down the darkened street to their yellow front door. She had surrendered her busy body frame to the sweet embrace of a peaceful night's rest after a fun but tiresome day.

"Today was fun dad. I miss how we all used to be in one space. Now we're all over the place."

Gone were the days where they would all share one big living room to sleep. He may have been a bit paranoid back then but he wasn't risking any separation. He and Michonne would meet under a moonlit window when sleep evaded them both. The moon illuminated Michonne's beauty for him even when he wasn't firing on all cylinders. He couldn't deny her light back then or how much it affected him.

"It makes our get togethers all the more sweeter." Michonne said unlocking their door with her key and making way for Rick to walk in with their sleeping daughter.

"Jason and Eddie are gonna show us a new video game their dad raided for them tomorrow, can I go?" Carl asked helping her with the few leftover food containers they brought from the kingdom.

Wiping away a ghost spill on the clean counter Michonne turned her head to face Carl. Jason and Eddie Ming were new recruits along with their parents Lee and Sara, they had been at the Safe Zone about a month.

"You asked your dad?" She asked not wanting to always be the parent making these types of win or lose decisions. Carl was an avid video gamer before the turn and now that things had settled he had return to his passion to the thing that occupied most of his time these days once he wasn't with Enid or hanging around her.

"He'd tell me to ask you." He shrugged, knowing she would already know how much his dad boomeranged her, mainly because he trusted her judgement.

"What game are we talking here?" She teased.

"Gran Turismo."

"Can I come too?" She laughed but Carl knew Michonne had a love for comics and video games and just his company in general. He respected her as the mother figure she was to him but they also bonded over the same things and he appreciated that no matter how hard things got in this life Michonne always tried her best to let him be a kid during the times he didn't have to be a man.

"You're my best friend Michonne." He said wholeheartedly.

That got all her attention and her heart fluttered as his sentiment echoed. She erased the distance between them with a slow walk. She touched his face, she loved him like she loved her own son and she would die to protect him or Judith and the baby growing inside her. Carl had always been her smile when she was barely getting by in a sea of sadness and she considered him her best friend too.

"You're mine." She said her tone soft enough to break.

"Don't cry." He said touching her hand, knowing first-hand the full gamut of what her pregnancy hormones were like on full display.

"I won't. Yes you can go but one minute after your curfew and you're not in this house I'm-"

"I know! I know! You're coming to get me and you're not afraid to let people hear you call me by all three of my names."

Rick returned from placing Judy down in her room, meeting his wife and son in a hearty laugh that grew quiet upon his entrance.

"What did I miss?"

"I'm going to bed. G'night Michonne." He said brushing his lips on her cheek. "Night Dad."

He patted his father on his back and rushed up the white staircase two steps at a time.

"Seriously when are you two not up to something?" Rick grew accustomed to Michonne and Carl's inside jokes, he was grateful that his kids had Michonne; she understood them better than anyone, himself included.

"I told him he can go over to the Ming's tomorrow to play video games." She lead the way to the living room and sat on their tan couch putting her feet up on the coffee table as she prepared to relax. Rick couldn't help but gape at the sway of her backside as she sauntered to the couch, sometimes he thought she walked that way on purpose.

She knew all too well how his body responded to her like a moth to a flame.

"You're not tired babe?" He sat next to her letting out a deep breath, the day catching up with him.

"Actually I'm not." It's was a far cry from how she'd been feeling most evenings since they discovered she was pregnant.

Tiredness seeped into her bones pulling her into bed earlier than everyone.

Experiencing the warmth and love of her family had energized her. They were smiling and laughing today, it took her back to a time where cool summer days and backyard barbecues were regular occurrences.

Today's party had set a precedence of things to come and what they could now consider normal. She snuggled into the sofa, immensely enjoying the sublime feeling of Rick's skillful hands caressing the calf he pulled into his lap. She soothed the slight mound that nestled their rapid growing baby, her peaceful contentment latching onto Rick too.

"Our secrets out." His baritone seemed to echo in the large downstairs.

"Maybe it's a good thing. I don't know how much longer things could've been kept under wraps."

She laughed as his large palm covered the hand she had over her belly.

"Me neither. Soon enough you'll be wearing my jeans."

"I'll never wear your jeans Rick." She knew how much he loved his jeans but she also knew if she needed it he would give her the clothes off his back or in this case off his legs.

"Suit yourself. Your daughter seemed happier on the drive home after her big announcement. Although can you really believe those guys were taking bets?" He still couldn't believe Daryl and Rosita knew and took it upon themselves to spread the word.

"I wonder whose fault is that? I told you no special treatment. They probably saw your overprotective behavior and put two and two together." To say Rick had been extra with her care over the past four months would be an understatement.

"You really think I'd let my pregnant wife take watch? C'mon." He took his role of husband and father very seriously. Michonne was going to have to get accustomed to his loving, overbearing ways during the duration of her pregnancy.

In a weird way she was looking forward to it.

With the kids now in bed she was looking forward to something else.

"I know something you could let your pregnant wife do?" She straddled him and her core grew slick watching his mouth open slightly as if he was debating on not if to kiss her but where

to.

She yanked her dress up to her waist and rubbed her wet mound on the thick bulge of his pants.

"C'mon baby." She urged in his ear, "Let's continue the celebrations."