A/N: This is the final chapter of this story.

For a few days, Jude had been in a weakened state, sleeping twelve hours at a time, and only opening his eyes when his family forced him to eat or drink. Michonne feared he had some sort of brain damage or internal injury from the high fever, but still, it was days since the bite and he was still alive.

A few days away from Alexandria, Jude felt well enough to sit up, and his appetite returned. Rick and Michonne were ecstatic about their son's progress, but the others on the road were equally amazed. To them, Jude was a miracle child. A hope that even if they weren't immune, one day there'd be a world where walkers no longer existed. Rick and his family were the start.

The others began checking in on Jude. Some to see if he was ok, others to just watch him in wonder.

"Soon he'll need a bodyguard," Michonne joked.

"Yea, and it'll be me," Rick chuckled back.

But after the parents noticed that their fellow Alexandrians began congregating around Jude's wagon as if he were some sort of miracle child, they became concerned.

"I'll take care of it," Rick said, stepping out of the wagon. After a few minutes, Rick returned and Michonne noticed that the others were somewhat keeping their distance from the family.

"What did you say to them?" Michonne asked curiously.

Rick simply shrugged and stroked Jude's hand.

Eventually, they approached the familiar steel panels of Alexandria's gates. Rick could hear the excited yells of the lookouts, and smell the animals.

"We're home," he softly announced to Jude. "We made it son."

Michonne kissed Judith's forehead in pure relief. As soon as the wagon stopped, Siddiq and Father Gabriel approached with grim faces. They both looked exhausted, and slightly terrified.

Rick hopped out of the wagon with a relieved smile, but it quickly dissolved from the somber mood.

"What happened?" Rick asked, and Michonne quickly stepped down behind him to hear the situation as well.

Siddiq glanced at Gabriel before stepping forward.

"A few hours after you left we realized… we realized we couldn't find Judith… or Jude. We looked for them, we searched for them for days, up and down the roads, the forests, abandoned houses, everywhere we could think of…"

Michonne opened her mouth to speak, but Siddiq unexpectedly grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"I am so, so, sorry, but we don't know where your children are. This is my fault, you asked me to watch them and I failed. And now they're just gone."

"Siddiq…" Rick began, but he wouldn't hear it. "I've spent days out there looking for them but it's like they just disappeared. No tracks, no trace. Their clothes are missing from their rooms so I think they left on their own, but I don't know why or how…"

"Siddiq!" Michonne said, trying to break his steady stream of explaining. "They're with…"

Just then, Judith stuck her head out the back of the wagon and both Siddiq and Gabriel almost collapsed in a mixture of disbelief, relief, and shock.

"They're with us," Michonne tried again, glancing back at Judith's guilty face. "They were hiding in the back of our wagon."

"I'm sorry they put you through all that worry," Rick said. "They wasted your time and resources, and stressed you out. They'll both be making it up to you with their time and youthful enthusiasm by volunteering at the hospital for a month. Isn't that right?" Rick asked Judith.

She nodded slowly, keeping her eyes on her shoes and not the adults who were glaring at her. "Sorry Siddiq," she mumbled.

Rick's voice lowered to a whisper meant only for Siddiq.

"But first, I need you to look at Jude."

***can08writer***

"This is amazing!" Siddiq said, holding up Jude's arm to study the healing bite. "And this happened how long ago?"

"Days. Maybe a week," Michonne said, hovering near her son.

"And this doesn't hurt?" Siddiq asked Jude, gently pressing on the healing bite.

"Ouch!" Jude said. "It didn't hurt until you just did that."

"Sorry," Siddiq said, letting go of Jude's arm to grab a thermometer and then pointing it towards the boy's mouth.

"Again?" Jude asked, staring at the instrument. "You just took my temperature."

"I want to take it every half hour, just to make sure it's going down. It was 101 when you got here, still dangerously high for a week after the bite."

Jude looked at his father, and Rick gave him a wink and an encouraging nod. The boy nodded back and opened his mouth so Siddiq could put the thermometer in.

"So besides the temperature he's healthy?" Michonne asked, soothingly rubbing her fingers across Jude's knuckles.

"I don't know how, but it seems that way. The bite has healthy healing tissue around it, and I see no signs of a spreading infection. I… I can't believe this. You're sure it was a walker that bit him?"

Rick glanced at his son and then Michonne. Many thoughts were running through his head. Relief that Jude seemed okay, relief that they'd effectively destroyed their enemy's means of getting to them, but also reluctance to share all the details of how his son was able to survive a bite that would kill anyone else.

Michonne could see the seriousness that was creeping across Rick's face, and she knew why.

"Siddiq, there's something we have to tell you. Something that we explained to the others who saw what happened to Jude and they promised to keep quiet."

Siddiq's eyes scanned the family and then returned to Rick. He nodded curiously. "Doctor-patient confidentiality. I get it," he nodded.

"I have a mutation that makes me immune to the virus. It's genetic. That's why they kept me so long in that aircraft carrier. That's why I have a continuous fever. It's from exposure to the virus. Jude has it too. His fever probably won't go down, it didn't for me."

Rick held Jude's hand and squeezed, gaining the strength to continue divulging this information. "They were using my tissue to create a vaccine for children against the virus. The children born around the time Jude was, they don't have the walker virus anymore."

Siddiq's eyes popped open and his mouth dropped. "Are you sure? How… how could you know that? Is that true for all of them? What is it that..." Siddiq asked, questions being formed in his mind too fast for him to get the all out.

"Siddiq," Rick interrupted, drawing his attention again. "They told me this, and they had no reason to lie. Everything they told me so far has been true."

"Okay," Siddiq said, getting hold of his curiosity.

"I would appreciate it if the whole town didn't hear the story of Jude's bite. I don't want this to be common knowledge, for his safety."

"Okay, um, yes I understand that. But… but… the ability to not be infected by the virus… that's something that needs to be explored. Something that needs to be tested. We could use that for good…"

"Siddiq," Rick said, stopping the man again. "You sound just like them."

The thermometer in Jude's mouth beeped, and Rick removed it and handed it to Siddiq. It read 101.

"The fever isn't going down."

"And it won't," Rick said, stroking his son's hair. "And I won't allow my son to be a lab rat like I was. That's mine and Michonne's decision, and we've decided on that. No tests, no lab work. Not until he's 16 and able to make decisions for himself."

Rick's eyes met Michonne's and then Jude's. Rick cupped his son's chin.

"He's gonna live his life like a normal kid. Even though we know he's special."

Siddiq nodded and placed the thermometer in alcohol to sterilize it.

"I understand. And of course, I'll respect your wishes."

"Thanks Siddiq," Michonne said. She stood up. "So, can we go home now?"

Siddiq rubbed the back of his head, still reeling from what he'd been told. "If it were anyone else I'd make them stay for a few more days at least. But… I mean, if what you say is true Rick then there's nothing more I can do. Jude seems pretty healthy except for that fever."

"Good, I can't wait to sleep in my bed," Jude said, climbing off the bed.

"W-wait. Maybe you should take some Aspirin, or… come in tomorrow for another temperature check. Or something…" Siddiq stuttered.

"If he's not feeling well or there's some kind of change, we'll bring him right back," Rick said, putting his arm around Jude. Michonne nodded to Judith who was sitting in a chair next to her, and the family left the infirmary.

***can08writer***

Rick gingerly climbed into bed next to Michonne, and she laughed at how carefully he was moving.

He gave her a playful look.

"Something funny?" He asked.

"No," Michonne said, shaking her head. "No, I'm just happy. I'm just grateful that we still have our family. I got you and Jude back. I'm the luckiest woman in the world."

Rick smiled and leaned in, kissing his wife gently as he cradled her face.

"Don't think I forgot what I promised before we left."

"Oh really? What was that?" Michonne asked coyly.

Rick reached around Michonne with both hands and cupped her butt, pulling her up against him with surprising strength.

"I said we'd make love when we got back, and I told you it'd be worth the wait."

Michonne smiled sweetly and Rick couldn't help but kiss her lips slowly. Taking his time with her, savoring the feel of her lips in his mouth.

Michonne allowed him to lead, following his pace as the kiss got more heated. Their tongues rubbed against each other and it just felt so good.

Michonne moaned softly and allowed Rick to push her down on the bed as he climbed on top of her, continuously kissing her.

"Mmmm," he grunted, moving his kisses down her neck. Michonne arched her back and let out a sharp giggle that made Rick pause.

"What?" He asked.

"Oh God, you're tickling me with your beard," she laughed, gripping his shoulders.

"That tickles?" He asked, amusedly staring down at her.

"Well it's been a while since anyone's touched me like this. I guess now I'm ticklish."

"Well I guess we'll have to get you used to this again," Rick said, pressing kisses to the area that made Michonne laugh.

She giggled again, her soft laughter lightening Rick's heart. He wanted to make her happy forever. He playfully nibbled on her earlobe and pressed a kiss to her cheek, cupping her face so they were eye to eye.

"Thank you, for being there for me for eleven years. Thank you for being loyal. Faithful. No one would've blamed you for moving on. I wouldn't have blamed you. Especially after what I…"

"Shhh," Michonne said, pressing a finger to Rick's mouth. "I was faithful because I didn't want anyone else. I never will. You're it for me. You're my all. You're my fairytale. I love you Rick Grimes, and I will always be yours only."

Rick's eyes welled up with tears, but Michonne stopped where this was going. "This is a night to celebrate, not cry," she stated.

Rick laughed and sniffled, trying to clear his face. "I'm yours only," he responded. "Never doubt that."

"Good. Now get back to kissing me," Michonne commanded, running her fingers up the back of Rick's shirt and impatiently removing the offending material.

Free from his shirt, Rick straddled Michonne's hips topless, and surveyed his eager partner before unbuttoning her shirt and quickly removing it as well. He continued his kissing up and down her abdomen, while his fingers wandered around the hem of her pants.

Michonne was getting impatient, but she knew what Rick was doing. It had been so long for her, and getting back into the saddle, as it were, was something that couldn't be rushed. He wanted to make sure she was ready, and she appreciated it, but the sight of his topless body undulating down her abdomen pressing sloppy kisses as he licked and nibbled at her was enough to make anyone ready.

She opened her mouth to say so, but he placed his finger at her lips to quiet her, and he painstakingly unzipped her pants and pulled them and her panties off in one fluid motion.

The room's cool air was shocking on her lower regions, but Rick wasted no time grabbing her thighs and hoisting them to his shoulders before burying his face between them.

Michonne's eyes slammed shut and her back arched once again.

"Mmmmmmm" she groaned, trying her best not to let out the string of profanities that were on the tip of her tongue.

Rick was too busy to respond, as his lips, tongue, and the heat of his mouth sent Michonne into a downward spiral. He sucked her clit into his mouth, and then used his tongue to stroke the tip over and over again.

"Uhhhahhhhh" Michonne released as her body began to clench in response.

"Fuck!" she whispered, conscious enough to keep her tone down. The last thing she needed was for the kids to overhear her cursing in the bedroom, or worse.

Her hands flailed for Rick, she wanted to hold on to some part of him. She wanted him to be right next to her as she flew over the edge. Realizing that she was searching for him, Rick clasped both of her hands, stroking them gently as her whole body began to tremble on the wave of her orgasm.

He wanted to speak to her, but he didn't dare stop the important work his tongue was doing, so he squeezed her hands as her lower body came up off the bed in a move straight out of the exorcist.

"Ahhhhhhhh" Michonne moaned, releasing one of Rick's hands so she could cover her own mouth. Her toes were curled and her body contorted abnormally as she rode out wave after wave.

Rick happily licked at her while he watched her squirm in ecstasy. After more orgasms in a row than he could count, Michonne's body slowly relaxed back into the bed, and she lay there, unable to move an inch.

Rick crawled back up her body and kissed his love, enjoying making her satisfied more than anything else in the world.

He plopped down and watched her as she caught her breath.

"Holy shit," she said, her eyes still closed.

"Holy shit is right," Rick said with a laugh. "I can do that all day."

Michonne pried one of her closed eyes open as her chest heaved in exhaustion.

"So can I. That was just a warm up. Give me two minutes and we can start round one. We have eleven years to make up for."

Rick laughed and pressed another kiss to Michonne's lips.

***can08writer***

The kids had been diligent in making up for the grief and stress they'd caused Siddiq and the rest of the community that went out looking for them.

After school, the pair headed straight to the infirmary for two hours of community service. Cleaning bedpans, sweeping floors, and doing laundry kept them busy, and once they got home they had dinner and then were off to bed.

Michonne and Rick were proud of how seriously their children took paying off their debt. Especially Judith, who still felt guilty for everything that happened with Jude. She'd even taken initiative and had crocheted a hat for Karina, an elderly woman who'd been in the infirmary for two weeks with moderate flu symptoms.

As she was the only long term patient at the infirmary, she made a bond with the two children, and would tell them funny stories about life before the turn.

"I used to own a gym," she explained to them one day.

"Like… gymnastics?" Judith asked as she mopped the floor. She knew that sport had something to do with people launching themselves off of poles and doing flips.

"No honey, a gym was a building that had workout equipment like treadmills, weights, stationary bikes, rowing machines… people would go there to burn calories and lose weight, or just to stay in shape."

"That makes no sense," Jude said, as he collected garbage to be burned. "They could've just gone outside and run around right? Or do work to keep healthy?"

"Well, that wasn't so easy back then. The food wasn't natural like it is now, and it had much more fat and sugar. And with electricity, people did much less manual work. It was easy to be both fat and lazy then. Those were the good old days."

Both children laughed.

"Oh what I wouldn't give for a slice of New York style pizza. With pepperoni and sausage. My, you children haven't really lived without it."

The kids laughed again.

"Hey Ms. Karina, you have some good stories. Can I write about you for my history project? I have to interview someone who remembers life before," Jude proposed.

"Oh me? Sorry hon, but another child from your class asked me first. I don't think you'd want to interview the same person twice."

"Oh. No ma'am," Jude said, crestfallen.

"But I am just tickled that so many young folks think I'm that interesting," the woman confided. "I still got it."

***can08writer***

On their way home from community service, Judith noticed Jude absentmindedly kicking at rocks in his path as they walked Alexandria's quiet streets.

"What's up?" She asked, nudging his shoulder.

"Nothing. I just still haven't thought of who to interview for my project and it's due soon. I don't think the teacher is gonna give me a break because I almost died."

"Hey, you never know," Judith said with a shrug. "I'd try the sympathy path, see where it takes you."

"You are not nearly as afraid of mom and dad as you need to be," Jude joked, and the two of them chuckled.

"But seriously, you said you were gonna interview King Ezekiel at the kingdom."

"You think you're still gonna get to go to the kingdom?" Jude asked.

"Maybe not, but dad would take you. He was good friends with the king, and I'm sure Ezekiel would throw a royal feast in dad's honor if he showed up there. You should at least ask. Mom and dad are less mad at you then they are at me."

"Should I ask them to let you go too?" Jude asked, always looking out for his sister.

"No it's okay. I'll stay here," Judith replied solemnly.

The two were completely taken aback when Michonne and Rick were waiting for them on the couch when they came home. They stopped and stared until their parents gestured for the kids to join them.

"Now what did we do?" Judith asked under her breath.

Michonne clasped her hands on her lap and assessed her children for a few seconds before she cleared her throat.

"So, your dad and I have been talking, and we've noticed how good you've both been at the infirmary. We haven't said much, but we've been watching you, and we're proud."

Rick nodded to support his wife.

"So on the weekend, we're gonna head over to the kingdom, and Judith, we'll go check out that apprenticeshi-"

Judith's gasp cut off the remainder of Michonne's word. Her face turned a bright red, and she pressed her hands to her mouth and began to cry. Michonne jumped up and wrapped her arms around her daughter, and Rick and Jude watched, concerned.

Judith sobbed into Michonne's shirt, and although Michonne knew the apprenticeship meant a lot to Judith, she didn't expect this reaction. Michonne gently stroked her daughter's back.

"It's okay baby."

"No. I don't deserve to go," Judith sniffled out.

"What?" Michonne asked.

"Everything that happened was my fault. I didn't listen to what you asked, I took Jude, and he almost died because of me. He would've if it wasn't for his mutation. I don't deserve to go."

Michonne's heart broke. She pushed her daughter's face away from her chest, and pressed her hands to her cheek, wiping away the tears that were trickling down.

"Your brother is okay, and you took responsibility for what you did, and you accepted the consequences. You deserve this because you worked hard for it, and you've proven that you can be the responsible, trustworthy girl that I raised. And I am so proud of you, Judith."

"Cheer up, I'm alive," Jude called from the couch, and they all laughed.

"Okay, thank you mom, thank you dad," Judith said, wiping away her tears.

Rick stood and patted Judith on the shoulder soothingly. "Well on that note, let's eat dinner," he said, rubbing his stomach.

The family headed to the dinner table.

***can08writer***

On Saturday morning, the Grimes family made their way to the Kingdom to drop off Judith. Both Rick and Michonne were vigilant about vetting the home that Judith would be residing in. Mr. Pasley, the man she'd be staying with was very kind, and hosted Rick, Michonne, Jude, and Judith for three days. He had two daughters and a young son who all took to Judith immediately. Still, Rick was sure to meet up with King Ezekiel and get his recommendation on the man's character, before deciding to allow Judith to stay indefinitely.

Judith was ecstatic to be in the kingdom and spent the time getting a tour of the place. King Ezekiel threw a huge party in Rick's honor and the entirety of the Kingdom showed up to show respect to the living hero who had disappeared so many years ago. Even people who were new to the communities knew Rick's story, and had seen the remnants of the burned out bridge. They didn't know about how Rick saved them from the threat of the Helicopter people, but that was okay. Rick and Michonne were only concerned that their entire family was safe and happy.

During the feast, Rick saw Jude sitting at the family's table, and after excusing himself from a group of curious Kingdommers, he sat next to his son.

"Not in the mood for dancing?" Rick asked.

"No, it's not that, Dad," Jude said, picking at the table.

"What is it?" Rick asked. "Oh, you wanted to interview King Ezekiel right? I can call him over right now so you can ask some questions."

"No, I don't wanna interview him anymore."

"You don't? Why not?" Rick asked.

Jude smiled and patted his father's hand.

"I have a better idea."

After their brief stay, the family headed home, saying goodbye to Judith who promised to send letters every week. And she was true to her word. They received letters from her, and sent letters back to her, every time the post rider headed to that community. She seemed to be enjoying her stay, giving her parents details of how she'd learned to trim horse's hooves, and float their teeth.

Michonne could see how much her little girl had blossomed at the Kingdom, and she was proud of what she was doing.

***can08writer***

Jude stood in front of his classmates, teacher, and various people from the community. It was his turn to present his project, and he was terrified. This was his first public speaking experience, and the eyes of 35 children and adults staring at him was making him sweat.

He swallowed down a bitter taste in his mouth and glanced briefly over at his parents who were seated in the front row, nodding proudly.

Jude rolled his shoulders and held up his paper, but for some reason he couldn't focus on the letters. It took him a few seconds to realize his hands were shaking, to his embarrassment.

He put his hand down and sighed, and was close to sitting back in his chair and asking someone else to go, but Rick began to clap for Jude encouragingly, followed by Michonne and the teacher, and then everyone else in the room.

Jude took another breath, tucked his paper into his jeans, and began to speak.

"My project is on a man who I think is very interesting and cool. That man is Rick Grimes, and he helped create the town that we live in. And oh yea, he's also my dad."

The kids laughed at Jude's assertion, and Rick had a beaming smile on his face.

"I didn't really know him until a few months ago, because my whole family and the whole town thought he was dead. But, surprise! He's not."

His classmates laughed again, and so did Jude.

"I know that we were supposed to talk about someone who knew the world before, and what that world was like, but I did my research and my dad was way more interesting after the world before. When the world was different, my dad was a Sheriff in Atlanta. But now, he's a freakin' legend!"

The kids laughed again as did the adults. Jude looked over at Michonne who nodded at him. She could see Jude's nervousness was melting away as he talked about his dad. She grabbed Rick's hand, proud of the little nugget they'd created together.

"I picked my dad to talk about because he saved this whole town lots of times. I interviewed people who knew him from long ago and they had a lot of good things to say about him. Mr. Aaron told me about how my dad was the one who made us keep people on the walls to keep watch and keep us safe. He also said my dad brought all the communities together during the Savior War. And my mom told me about how dad died… or, well we thought he did, blowing up the old bridge to keep walkers from reaching Hilltop and the rest of us."

"Father Gabriel told me that my dad saved his life, and rescued him in the woods before he knew how to defend himself. Uncle Daryl told me about how Dad's decisions protected our whole group when they were out on the road, and so did Aunt Carol. King Ezekiel told me that my dad was the bravest man he'd ever known and he'd lay down his life for him. Ms. Arrendale," Jude said, pointing at his teacher, "told me that dad let her into the gates when she needed help. Even though she was a stranger and they had no reason to trust her. She told me that my dad has affected the lives of countless people around him, and she owes him her life."

Ms. Arrendale nodded and wiped a tear from her eye. The room was silent as Jude continued.

"And I interviewed myself…" Jude confessed, to the amusement of the room. "I think that my father, Rick Grimes, is my hero. And I'm glad that he came back to us, so I could get to know him, and I hope that I can learn to be a good man like him."

Rick wiped at tears that were pouring down his face, and Michonne pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"So, I think we should give Rick Grimes a round of applause," Jude said, ending his presentation.

Ms. Arrendale was first to her feet with her claps, followed by the rest of the congregation, and then Michonne, as they gave Rick the respect he deserved.

Jude, relieved that he'd finished, stepped down from the podium and Rick enveloped his son in his arms. Proud that he'd fought through his stage fright, but also proud to have this young man as his son.

"I'm so proud of you, Jude," Rick whispered in his ear. "My greatest accomplishment so far is having you as my son."

Author's Note: I'm done with this story! Thank you for sticking around until the end. Like I said years ago, I do intend to finish all of the stories I've started, even if its years later. I hope you enjoyed this final chapter of After the Bridge. PLEASE write me a review and let me know what you think, and how this story made you feel. Hearing your feedback truly makes my day. Happy Holidays to you all, and a Happy New Year as well!