A/N: So I've been thinking about exploring this concept since the mid-season break, and I think this is the start of a longer story. But I have no idea when I'll actually get to it, so... I guess just enjoy this one shot for now? Haha. I hope you enjoy it, anyway. -Ash

Chapter 1: The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

Michonne's entire body relaxed in sated bliss as she felt Rick pull out of her, quickly followed by the warm but decidedly icky sensation of his seed spilling onto her skin. Breathless, she stared at their bedroom ceiling, willing her vagina to recover as he left her with a soft and hot kiss to her neck before rolling out of bed. Their version of a bed, anyway, which was just a lone mattress situated on the floor. "God," she whispered to herself, her sweaty chest still heaving. It had been weeks, but she still hadn't gotten used to the idea of sex with Rick. Good sex. Mind-blowing, toe-curling, sweat-your-hair-out, dents-in-the-new-mattress sex. The kind of sex that got her up at 5:00 in the morning when she didn't have to be up until 7:00. The kind of sex that made her forget the sick feeling that had settled in the pit of her stomach for the past few days.

Within the minute, Rick returned to the scene with a warm towel and a smile, relishing in the gorgeousness of his girlfriend with the sun's morning rays shining across her face, giving her ebony skin stripes of gold. He took the open space beside her to assist in cleaning up, but the look on her face gave him pause. Instead of the usual smirk she liked to wear after sex, she looked pensive. Troubled, even. "What is it?" he asked.

She smiled warmly at him, appreciating the way he wrapped his hand around her waist, caressing her skin. He was so affectionate. "Be honest with me," she whispered, her expression turning serious. "How do you feel about our chances with Dwight?"

He let out a deep sigh, the subject being one that kept him awake that night. Along with all the other things that kept him awake. "I don't know," he admitted, shaking his head. "I don't think it's a trick, but… you don't know until you know."

"Until it's too late," Michonne agreed, resting her hand over his. She distractedly rubbed her thumb along his hand, concentrating on the rough skin between his fingers as she pondered whether to tell Rick what else was on her mind. She didn't want to alarm him, but there wasn't exactly a way to ease him into the next thought. "I think I'm pregnant," she declared, her big brown eyes locking on his face, apprehensively awaiting his reaction.

Rick's gaze immediately lifted to meet hers, and his mouth opened, but his joy at the very prospect overtook his ability to form words.

"I think," she emphasized, noticing his smile forming. "I don't know."

"Why… why do you think so?" he stammered in a hoarse whisper, having to force himself to maintain his composure.

"I've woken up nauseated for the past three days," she shrugged, that being the clearest, most obvious sign for her. "And when you were…" She tenderly palmed her breast, accompanying it with a raised eyebrow in reference to him sucking the hell out of her nipples just around half an hour prior. "It was… a little painful."

Rick grimaced at the thought, especially knowing how hungry he'd been. "I'm sorry."

Michonne only shook her head as she carefully sat herself up, attempting to not upset her stomach any further. Resting her head against the bottom of their headboard, she gazed at Rick thoughtfully. "I'm scared to find out for sure."

He nodded, understanding why she would've been. They hadn't been together very long; the very idea of having babies wasn't something they'd discussed seriously yet. And being on the brink of war with The Saviors, the timing couldn't have been worse. "Maybe it's not that," he offered. "I mean, we've been more careful lately."

She gave him a knowing look – one to acknowledge that their 'more careful' was only in comparison to not being careful at all at the start, so it wasn't saying much. "It could've been that first night…"

A small, smug smile started to tug at Rick's lips at the thought of getting her pregnant their first time together. But it was instantly knocked away by reality; by the prospect that they'd made a baby that night. Shit. "So," he cleared his throat, his eyes darting around the bright room. "Where do we get a test?"

Michonne sighed softly, trying to think of someone in their community that'd have one readily available. As far as she knew, no one had needed one since Maggie, more than three months back. She could only hope that there were some tests left over. "I guess if we have any here, they'd be at the infirmary."

Before she could say another word, Rick was already standing from the bed, grabbing his jeans from atop one of their dressers. "I'll ask Tara." He noticed when she cocked her head in protest, presumably not wanting others to know what might've been going on, so he sat back down beside her as he slipped on his jeans. "I'll be discreet," he promised, tenderly cupping her cheek and allaying her unspoken fears. "Hell, we already know she can keep a secret."

"This is true," she chuckled tiredly. She nodded for him to go, and quickly, as she was eager to know the answer, one way or another. She watched him throw on a shirt and disappear out of the room before retreating from the sheets herself. With Judith being at Hilltop, it had been such a nice change of pace to just hang out in bed for an extra few minutes. Or more like an hour, she realized, catching a glance of the clock on their bookshelf. The Saviors would be at their doorstep in a few hours, and for all they knew, this was their last chance to enjoy some time together.

Michonne couldn't help but think of the last time they had that chance and she didn't take it, going off to help Maggie and Glenn, then running after Daryl. Being kidnapped by the very man she was forcing herself to trust now. It could've been her last day on earth. Thank god it wasn't, but it could've been. And she'd learned since then not to take these little moments for granted. Smile when you're happy with someone; hold hands when everyone is looking; have fun at a carnival when you should be searching for guns; have messy morning sex. Or van sex. Or anytime, anyplace sex, so long as you're together. No wonder we made a baby, she thought to herself.

As she continued into the bathroom for a quick shower, she began to seriously consider what it would be like to have said baby, and concluded that it wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world. She even smiled as she imagined Judith having someone close to her age to play with. She'd have Maggie and Glenn's little one, which had been such a relief to find out. It always made her a little bit sad to think about Judith growing up alone. Carl was so much older, he'd probably be out of the house before any of them knew it. She loved the idea of Judith having a little brother or sister to walk through life with.

Michonne thought of all this as she stared down at her naked body, trying to detect changes that she knew wouldn't be there, one way or another. Maggie was close to four months and was barely showing, so she knew it was a useless endeavor for herself. That didn't stop her from studying her full breasts or feeling her flat stomach for differences. Clues. Thinking about what she'd look like in six months' time. It took that long for her to show with Andre, but her body had changed a lot since then, so maybe it would be sooner. She could only hope this war would be long over by then.

"I'm here," Rick announced, stepping into the bathroom to avoid yelling over the running water. "We found three of 'em, so I just took 'em all."

With a shaky sigh, Michonne stepped out of the shower, gratefully accepting her robe as Rick handed it to her. She smiled when she'd noticed the lineup of pregnancy tests on the sink, as if it were a display at the drugstore. "Are any of them expired?"

"Not yet," he answered, proud of himself for knowing to check. "Of course if we need 'em again in another six to ten months, we might have an issue."

She settled on the third test, a different brand from the first two – the one she remembered taking when she found out she was pregnant the first time. "First Response, it is," she chuckled awkwardly.

Rick nervously nodded, watching as she opened the package without bothering to read the instructions. "Do you know what to do?"

"I know peeing on a stick may sound complicated, but it's not my first time," she joked.

"Sorry." His exhale was tense and so was the grin that followed, but he wasn't going to be calm until they had an answer. And then, depending on that answer, he would likely never be calm again. "I wasn't there for this part with Judith," he revealed, reminded of how exactly he found out Lori was pregnant the second time. "It's been a while."

"I'm nervous too," Michonne admitted. She noticed his fidgeting hands and took one of them, quickly but sweetly kissing the knuckles of his index and middle fingers.

Rick closed his eyes, instantly pacified by her touch, and he nodded for her to go on. He rested against the bathroom counter while she moved to the commode to do her thing. And then a lot of sighing and nervous tapping ensued while they waited, all the sounds in the small bathroom seemingly amplified. Michonne sat on the ledge of the bathtub, amusedly eyeing Rick as he glanced at his watch approximately every eight seconds, as if he could will the three minutes to pass faster.

"No matter what," Rick started to say, although more for himself than for her, he realized, "we're okay."

"I know," Michonne nodded, glancing at the test in her hand for what had to be the tenth time since capping the stick. She immediately popped up from her seat when she noted the two pink lines that had materialized. A wide, bright smile claimed her face, while tears formed in her eyes as she laughed at the result.

Rick didn't have to see the test or ask any questions to know that they were having a baby. He only tried and failed to blink back his own tears as he pulled his girlfriend into his arms. He never imagined that a moment like this would exist for him this far into the apocalypse. He and Michonne had spoken of reorganizing the world, but they both seemed satisfied with the family they had. For now, at least. And the timing still wasn't ideal, but who's to say it would ever be? When they found out Lori was pregnant, it was under the worst circumstances, marred by the inconvenient truth that the baby was likely Shane's. And still, Judith became one of the best things that ever happened to him. Michonne was another. This baby, whoever he or she turned out to be, would be the another.

For minutes on end, they stood there holding each other, basking in the scary, beautiful news. And she squeezed him and he squeezed back as he buried his face in her neck, kissing her damp skin, their muffled laughter filling the room. The last bit of calm before the storm they were starting.

For all we know
We may never meet again
Before you go, make this moment sweet again
We won't say good night until the last minute
I'll hold out my hand and my heart will be in it

Rick's entire body clenched when he heard the blood-curdling scream that echoed throughout Alexandria, originating in the area he knew Michonne was posted. His mind registered it as hers, because she was likely in the same position as him – at the mercy of some Savior. He felt like he'd died himself when he saw through the trees, someone's body plummet to an agonizing end after being thrown over a balcony. He went numb immediately; thinking – seeing – the love of his life and the eight-hour-old news of their baby had just died. He'd spent the entire day thinking about that news, energized by it. Maybe distracted by it. And just like that, it had been snatched away. His heart and his stomach sank, and he would've dropped to his knees if he weren't already on them. Just days ago, he was able to pragmatically tell Michonne that he could lose her, but he was quickly coming to realize that he never actually believed she would be the one to go. And it felt like she'd taken his soul with her.

He stared back at Negan as he taunted him, all of his bullying and pontificating sounding like white noise to him. His cognizance was blurred by anger and sadness, barely registering that he was on the precipice of losing his son, too. In dark moments, before Michonne, he occasionally fell into Lori's way of thinking – that maybe it would be better if Carl died. Wondering whether all the pain was worth the few fleeting moments of joy. He found himself inwardly asking those same questions now as he listened to Negan try to intimidate him. The words that came out of his mouth next were born of that same dark place, but he meant them. This man would pay for taking his family from him. Not only Michonne and Carl, but Abraham and Glenn, too.

For all we know
This may be only be a dream
We come and we go like the ripples of a stream

Back at the high-rise, after quite literally fighting for her life, Michonne had just managed to crawl her way back inside for cover. With the double-cross and all the gunfire that followed, she desperately wanted to find Rick and Carl, but knew she wouldn't make it outside. After all the hits she took to her face, she could barely even see straight. But took them she did, and didn't push back nearly as hard as she could've, all in hopes of protecting her baby. She was willing to take an elbow to the face if it saved her a body blow. Likely a futile endeavor, in the end, given how badly she'd been beaten, but she had to try. She knew she had to try.

"Michonne."

She had no idea how long she had been there – it could've been two hours or two days, for all she knew. Her body and her heart ached in a way it hadn't in years now, and she wasn't entirely sure death wasn't slowly claiming her. But she heard Rick's voice scraping at her conscious, and she felt herself come back to life.

"Michonne," Rick called out to her again, frantically taking her hand, searching for some sign she was still with him. He could taste the relief on his tongue when she slowly turned her head in his direction. "You're alive," he whispered, his breaths heavy like his heartbeat. She was so battered he didn't know what to do, what to touch, scared to hurt anything else, so he only gently kissed her fingertips. But god, he was glad she was all right.

Michonne started to cry, comforted by Rick's touch; thankful that he and Carl were okay, too. Her lips quivered as she thought about the baby that she'd probably lose, but it wasn't the end. They still had each other, and so it was still a win. "W-w-we…" It was only then, as she tried and failed to speak out loud, that she recognized just how weak she was from the fight. "We're… we're-"

"I know," he nodded, caressing her bruised face. "I know." He gazed at her and all her strength having experienced so much loss; her beauty, not in spite of, but because of the scars she bore. "We are," he professed, knowing exactly how her sentence would end. Knowing, finally, after weeks of brokenness and crushing defeats and her being the one to bring him back to the fight; for showing him that they're the ones who live, it was a statement of fact. He nodded, understanding as well as she did that the chance of them still having their baby was tenuous, but it didn't change that fact for him. "We will."

Michonne had been watching Rick for what felt like hours, but was probably closer to half of one, as he sat just beside her. Slumped over, using the edge of her bed as a pillow, she rested her hand on his head, her fingers entwined in his curls, where she could feel his pulse. Sign of life. She smiled to herself as she listened to him breathe, watching his shoulders rise and fall every other second. He seemed to be at peace, finally, but she knew he wasn't sleeping. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

Rick opened his eyes at the sound of his girlfriend's scratchy whisper, lifting his head from the edge of the bed. "Shh," he replied, discouraging her attempts to talk as he stroked her arm. "I'm all right."

"I wanna be able to talk to you," she returned with a weak smile, ignoring his instruction. "It's bad enough I feel like shit."

"You should," he smirked, rubbing his tired eyes. "You got your ass kicked."

"Yeah, well, you saw the other girl." She closed her eyes, the smile still on her face as she tried to swallow, with a painful result. Farron came alarmingly close to strangling her to death, and she could feel it. "Maybe you're right about not talking," she submitted, touching her sore throat.

"Uh huh," he quietly chuckled back at her with a knowing nod. He glanced across the room to where Rosita was fast asleep after her second round of painkillers. They'd been lucky enough to have a doctor ride in from The Kingdom to examine everyone, and she'd brought enough medication to make up for what they lacked. Michonne, of course, didn't want to take anything until they knew their baby's fate. But at least he knew no one else was suffering. "The doctor is optimistic," he revealed, his eyes scanning her face in the midnight darkness. Her bruises seemed much less scary without all the blood. "I have a good feeling about it," he nodded gently. "We'll know more as soon as they get the ultrasound machine here." Before she could speak out in protest, he made sure to add, "We're pretendin' it's for Maggie." Now, more than ever, he knew they had to be careful about revealing their possible pregnancy to anyone. They were officially at war, and it would be the first thing their enemies would use against them. He couldn't even trust their friends with good intentions not to accidentally show their hand. "Carl, Tara, and Dr. Leslie. That's it."

"That's it," she whispered back faintly, taking his hand into hers. The day was catching up to her, her swollen eyes closing tiredly as she listened to him talk. His voice was like a lullaby to her, warm and familiar. How sweet it was to wake up next to him every day, then fall asleep beside him every night. Something else she had learned not to take for granted. Another memory she'd keep locked away for the bad days. Today was another day that could've been her last. They all were, she was realizing. Because you don't know until you know. Until it's too late. So she would cherish every moment they had in the meantime. Maybe with a baby on the way. "And for now, we wait."

So love me, love me tonight
Tomorrow was made for some
Tomorrow may never come
For all we know

Lyrics: "For All We Know" - Donny Hathaway (Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway)