Setting: No zombie AU where Rick, Michonne, Carl, Judith, and Andre are living together happily.

***

Rick Grimes opened the front door and, hanging his Sherriff's hat up on its peg, yelled, "Honey! I'm home!"

It was cheesy but he didn't care. He loved coming home to a full house.

Michonne came out of the kitchen to give him a smile and a kiss.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked her, concern in his voice.

"What? Oh. Yeah, I'm feeling better," she replied, sounding a little distracted.

"I tried to call you at lunch," Rick said.

"Sorry," Michonne apologized, absently adjusting her headband, "I decided to stay home from work after all."

Rick frowned but before he could say anything else, a loud commotion came barreling down the hall.

"Daddy! Daddy!" Andre, followed closely by a toddling Judith, ran headlong towards Rick.

He bent down and wrapped them both in a big hug, kissing them each on the head. Carl wandered out of his room and tolerated a shoulder pat before following the little ones into the kitchen.

"I'm starving!" Carl announced and started getting cups out of the cabinet without being asked.

"Andre, help your brother set the table," Rick instructed.

He picked Judith up and settled her into her high chair.

Michonne stood at the stove, stirring a pot of mac and cheese. Grimes family dinners were typically a loud, chaotic affair and Michonne was usually right in the middle of it all, laughing and teasing the kids. Today, however, Rick could see that that something was weighing her down.

"If you're not feeling well, you should go lie down," Rick said, rubbing her shoulder affectionately, "It's alright. I can take care of dinner."

"Rick, I'm not sick. I'm fine," Michonne tried to reassure him, but was not wholly convincing.

She tried to move past him but he blocked her, insisting, "Michonne, I can tell something's wrong. What's going on?"

Michonne sighed before finally answering, "Nothing's wrong. There's something I need to tell you, but it can wait. Let's just eat."

"What is it?" Rick asked, unable to let it go.

"Rick, I said it can wait," she tried to say it firmly but her expression betrayed her.

By now the kids had gotten quiet, sensing that something was wrong. Rick looked at their worried faces and back at his wife. For maybe the first time he could remember, she looked nervous and uncertain.

"No." Rick stated, squaring his stance in a refusal to move until he had an answer, "I think you should tell me now."

Michonne glared at him, frustrated and conflicted, before relenting, "Fine."

"Carl, will you serve your brother and sister some mac and cheese?" she ordered, her body language making it clear that Rick should follow her out of the room.

Once inside their bedroom, Michonne closed the door and turned to face Rick.

"I have to tell you something," she repeated, clearly stalling.

"You said that," Rick pointed out, his already worried thoughts jumping straight to the worst case scenarios.

She's dying. She has some disease and she's only got weeks to live. She doesn't love me anymore. She met someone else and she's taking Andre and leaving me. Rick knew it was crazy but he couldn't stop himself from jumping to the most horrible conclusions.

After what felt to Rick like eons, Michonne took a deep breath to steady her heart and made her declaration.

"I'm pregnant."

Rick's thoughts ground to a screeching halt and he was frozen in an interminable silence.

"Rick, say something," Michonne urged, her voice quiet and vulnerable.

Rick released a breath that he hadn't known he was holding.

"You really had me scared for a moment there," Rick finally found his voice, rubbing a hand over his face in relief.

Michonne was less relieved, "This is scary. What are we going to do, Rick?"

"Are you sure? Are you a hundred percent sure?" he held her shoulders and looked into her face, searching.

"Yeah," Michonne nodded, "I'm very late and I took the test three times. I'm pregnant."

As she said the words a second time, Rick's shocked expression slowly changed, his lips pulling into a big, goofy grin.

"We're having a baby?" he asked again, scarcely able to believe it.

"Yep," Michonne nodded again, and the hint of a smile finally began to tug at her features.

Unable to contain himself, Rick wrapped his arms around her and picked her up off her feet, exclaiming, "Oh my God!"

Michonne laughed, "Put me down!" and he returned her to the ground, a huge smile on his face.

"You're really happy?" she asked, her brown eyes shining with so much love and relief that it made Rick's chest feel tight.

"Yes. This is a good thing. A great thing! Michonne, our family is going to grow and I couldn't be happier! I love you more than anything, you know I do," he confessed, tears of joy welling in his eyes.

Michonne wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him forcefully.

"I love you too," she whispered, emotion choking her words.

Rick brushed her locks out of her face so he could see her clearly and asked, "Were you scared of how I would react?"

"No..." she said, "I don't know. I didn't know what to think, really. I never planned on having another baby. We never talked about having a baby. I had no idea you would even want one."

"Well, I do. Even if it's a bit of a surprise, we can handle it," he assured her, adding, "I've always wanted a big family."

"Why didn't you say anything?" now Michonne was surprised, "You've never said anything about wanting more kids."

Rick shrugged, "It seemed selfish to even bring it up. And besides, we already have three kids between the two of us."

"Well, we're about to have four," Michonne declared, beginning to feel some of Rick's excitement.

Rick shared her smile. He kissed her tenderly and then got on his knees and, pushing up the edge of her shirt, placed a soft kiss on her toned, flat stomach. At that moment he wanted nothing more than to stay right there and cover her with kisses until there wasn't even the smallest sliver of doubt in her mind that she was fully, completely loved.

But the sound of clattering silverware and crying in the kitchen brought them back to the present. Rick sighed and stood up again.

"Don't say anything yet. I want to decide how to tell them," Michonne said.

"Okay," he agreed.

"And Rick?"

He paused at the bedroom door.

"I'm happy too," Michonne said sincerely and leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek before they returned to the rest of their family.