Dead Man Walking | Rick Grimes

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Judith happily painted on the easel, rambling about what she was painting and envisioned. She had turned three a few months ago, and her vast knowledge of vocabulary astonished me.

The turbines overhead creaked, and the wind brushed us by, carrying the scent of fresh soil. Thad cooed from his playpen beside us, sitting upright and watching as his older sister noticed how drippy the paint we had made was.

"It's dripping, but it's okay 'cause the heart's so full," Judith explained as she continued drawing her heart.

"Really?" I asked and propped my hand underneath the easel, smiling at the drippy heart Judith was painting.

"Some is dripping on you, mommy," Judith pointed out. I smiled at her and dabbed at some of the paint, coating the tip of my pointer finger. Judith's eyes widened when I gently poked at her cheek, smearing blue paint on her. She giggled and wiped at her cheek, streaking the beyond-watery paint.

"Why don't you tell me about the painting, Judy?" I asked, diverting my attention to the picture she was working so hard on. There was a house and several figures painted in front of it.

"That's our house," She explained, pointing her with the brush without making contact with the paper, "Aunt Maggie, Aunt Michonne, Uncle Daryl, Uncle Jacob, and the King." She smiled up at me. I noticed a particular face that didn't have a smile like all the others.

"Who is that grumpy face?" The familiar masculine voice asked from behind us. Together, Judith and I turned, our eyes landing on Rick. His hair had taken on more gray hairs and was kept in a tidy shortcut, and his beard was sprinkled with dashes of gray. He's still as sexy today as he was when I met him back at the quarry.

"You get a grumpy, little face, Daddy," Judith giggled, dipping her paintbrush in water.

"You're doing a grumpy face?" Rick asked with a wide smile. Thad started to fuss from beside us, his bright blue eyes—the same shade Rick and Carl have—on his father. Rick walked over and grabbed our eight-month-old, propping him on his hip.

"He has a happy face, too," I reminded Judith, fighting to keep my amusement out of my voice and failing epically. Judith turned her attention to her canvas and started drawing a big, round stomach on Rick's figure.

"There's going to be his big tummy," Judith said. I bit back my smile and tried my hardest not to laugh, but again, I failed. I had to cover my face as it flushed, and loud laughs escaped me.

"That's daddy's big tummy?" Rick asked with an amused smile.

"Yup!" Judith giggled. She turned towards Rick wide-eyed and smiled at him, "Can we go walk?" Rick looked at me and cocked his head, leaving the decision entirely up to me. Judith turned and flashed me her big puppy dog eyes, pleading with me.

"Okay," I gave in, "Go get your sister," Judith jumped down from her seat, her small legs pushing her as fast as they could inside. I stood up and approached Rick, wrapping my arms around his waist and kissing our son's head. "Mr. Grimes," I greeted formally.

"Mrs. Grimes," Rick smiled, leaning down to press a loving kiss against my lips.

"Oh, yuck," Rick and I pulled away and rolled our eyes at the sixteen-year-old who held Judith's tiny hand. Selena grew a few inches, officially becoming a single inch taller than me—something she likes to tease me about, but she's not that tall either—and her once long brown hair now reached her shoulders.

"Yuck?" Rick asked, a teasing smile on his face, "You know what, June? Come back here," Rick wrapped his free arm around my neck and pulled me in, pressing his lips onto mine.