A/N: This is the first of a three (?) part piece that picks up immediately after the events of the season finale. It will feature interactions between Rick, Michonne, and Morgan that occur that night and into the next morning. I pictured it as a bottle episode introducing who Morgan is now and how it may start to affect Rick and Michonne. The first chapter is laying some ground work, so it may feel like a rehash-sorry for that. Also, fair warning, this is definitely a friendship and character piece, although Rick and Michonne's version of friendship is special to say the least and will be represented as such. :)

Chapter 1, Night 1

Rick carefully inserted his key in the lock of the front door trying to make as little noise as possible. He turned the handle and cracked the door ajar to quickly survey his living room before entering, unsure of who may be there and what to expect. He was surprised to see Michonne by herself standing in front of the fireplace. She slowly turned upon hearing the door open and looked at him, her expression neutral. He looked to the blank space above the mantle, then to the area just above her shoulder where the handle of her katana rested, and back to her face. He turned behind him to motion someone in, then opened the door fully and started walking into his house followed by the community's newest recruit.

"Carl and Judith are OK?" he asked as they walked into the living room toward her.

She nodded yes as she took them both in. Rick was mostly cleaned up since the last time she saw him, stripped down to his white undershirt with his bloodied jacket and button down shirt in hand. The majority of the blood on his face was wiped off, but streaks remained near his hairline and on his hands. It was a sight she had seen and experienced herself time and time again, but here in their nearly pristine home, after the events of the past few days, it was as unsettling as it was the first time she had seen it.

"How did he..." Rick trailed off motioning to the katana strapped to her back.

"He must have snuck in when nobody was in the house. Carl said he noticed it missing from the wall earlier this evening, but figured I had taken it with me," she said shaking her head with a mixture of relief and guilt.

Rick held her gaze for a moment, clenching his teeth in frustration. He let his mind briefly wander into darker thoughts of what could have happened if Pete had broken in while Carl and Judith were home. He had stolen the guns to protect his family and defend their new home, but he had lost his way and either directly or indirectly potentially put them in harm's way. Because of his actions, he had distracted himself and Michonne which left the children vulnerable. He'd warned Carl before to never let his guard down, that it only takes one moment for something to happen; and here he was almost living that nightmare.

Sensing his guilt, she softly spoke, "Rick, they're safe now."

He nodded and opened his stance toward his companion who had been at his side observing their exchange.

"Morgan, this is Michonne. I'm not sure if you remember, but you've met before."

He smiled and extended his hand to shake hers, "I do, but I wasn't really myself back then. I'm sorry."

"It's OK. I understand, I think we all do at this point," she said reassuringly as she withdrew her hand from his.

"Morgan's gonna stay with us tonight until we can get him settled in his own place tomorrow," Rick said to Michonne.

"Of course. Can I get you anything? Something to eat or drink?"

"Maybe some tea and a small snack, but only if it's no trouble. I haven't eaten since this morning."

"It's no trouble at all," she said as they walked toward the dining area. The two men seated themselves at the table, Rick at the head facing the kitchen and Morgan to his left. Michonne removed the katana and its holder from her back then leaned it against the table before proceeding into the kitchen where she put the tea kettle on the stove and started gathering items from the pantry.

She listened in on their conversation as they chatted quietly about Alexandria, Rick answering Morgan's questions about the community and how they came to find it. She looked up periodically at the two men and couldn't help but notice the disparity between their body language. Morgan sat with his back against the chair and his hands clasped together resting in front of him on the table. He smiled here and there and spoke in a quiet, measured tone. He never leaned in or moved his moved his hands, he just sat upright and still. Rick, on the other hand, was barely concealing the anxiety and tension that he was obviously feeling. When he spoke, his eyes darted anywhere but Morgan's direction; they instead went to the ceiling, straight ahead, or to her. He repeatedly cycled through cracking his knuckles one by one even though he had long since taken care of them, then eventually abandoned that tic for fiddling with his ring.

She came to the table with a small tray in one hand that carried 3 mugs, a box of assorted tea bags, a bottle of honey, and a bowl of cashews. She set the tray on the table, then tapped Rick's hand with her other hand which help a damp paper towel. He tentatively took it from her and looked up at her questioningly. She used her index finger to make a circular motion around her face and was met with a look of recognition as he then started dabbing his dirty face. She left and returned with a trivet and the kettle of boiling water which she placed in the center of the table. She finally joined the two men at the table and sat to Rick's right. Given the way she felt both eyes fall on her, she assumed she was a welcome addition to the stilted conversation they were carrying on.

"Morgan, how did you meet up with Daryl and Aaron?" she asked as she reached for the box of teas and started flipping through them to find one, her eyes going back and forth to Morgan as he answered her.

"I came across a large gated warehouse and saw a herd of walkers swarming around something. I went in to check it out because I was afraid someone was in trouble and I found them trapped in a car in the middle of the walkers."

"How many walkers were there?" she asked still dividing her attention between him and the tea.

She stopped on a chamomile tea bag and slid it over to Rick, then plucked out a decaf chai for herself. She quickly glanced to her side and saw Rick studying the bag in his hand. The description of the tea, "a calming and soothing blend of chamomile and herbs," made him smile to himself. Not the most subtle message on her part, but it was received loud and clear, though he doubted it would even touch him given the events of the past 24 hours.

"Thirty or so around the car? But there must have been hundreds overall. It looked like a trap set up by the men I had encountered earlier in the day," he said in the same even tone he'd been speaking in all night.

Michonne's eyes grew wide with surprise at the statement and she looked at Rick to see if he had heard this yet to which he nodded. "What men?"

"I was having my breakfast in the woods this morning when I was confronted by two men. Called themselves wolves. Said they wanted to kill me and take my things."

"How do you know that was their doing?" she asked her eyes still darting back and forth between Rick and Morgan. Rick was quietly listening to them, so she assumed he had already discussed this with Morgan, Daryl, and Aaron before coming home.

"One of them told me that they like to run through camps and set traps. They also had "W's" carved in their foreheads and so did the walkers at that warehouse," Morgan said.

Michonne was processing what he was telling her when Rick finally spoke up, looking directly at her, "I found a walker with the same marking on its forehead just outside the walls."

"When?" she asked.

"The morning after the party."

"Why didn't you say anything about it?"

He glanced at Morgan, then back at her. He thought he had come clean to her about everything that had been going on, but his heart sank as he realized he was about to disclose one more breach of trust. "I found it...when I was out with Daryl and Carol." He watched her as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. He leaned closer to her and said in a hushed voice, "I didn't think it meant anything. I would have told you if I did." He stayed leaned toward her until she opened her eyes, then finally sat back in his chair.

She looked straight ahead at Morgan and calmly asked, "How far out was this trap?"

"About 50 miles south of here."

She nodded her head and took a moment before she turned her attention to Rick and spoke, "We've seen this before. You don't remember?" He squinted his eyes as if he was scanning his memory, then shook his head no.

"The walkers in the car we crashed into outside of Noah's community had the markings on their heads. Morgan said they run through communities. They must have done that to Noah's community." He leaned forward in his chair and turned his attention to Morgan.

"How many of them are there?" he asked.

"I have no idea. I met two men. We didn't see any more at the warehouse," Morgan responded.

"There's no way only two men did that, there have to be more out there. Are you all sure you weren't followed?" Rick asked.

"As far as we know, no one did. But..." he trailed off looking between Rick and Michonne. "The two that I met are still alive."

The two of them exchanged an incredulous look. "You said they tried to kill you," Michonne said emphatically.

"Yes, they did. And I defended myself, but it's not my place to decide who lives or dies," he finished as he looked pointedly at Rick.