Love Without Tragedy

Chapter 4

Rick fell into the huge comfortable suede couch in Daryl and Jesus' living room. That wasn't the only comfortable thing in there. They had huge pillows on the floor to sit on in case a person didn't want to sit on the couch for some reason. The walls were colored a very mellow and relaxing blue, as was the thick carpet Rick was currently squeezing his toes in since Jesus made him take his boots off as soon as he walked into their house. He didn't realize how tired he was as he closed his eyes and waited until he almost fell asleep thinking. What the fuck was he gonna do now, he thought to himself. He didn't want to attend a black tie dinner where he would have to watch Mike and Michonne together, and he certainly didn't want Michonne to have to see him and Lori. He desperately wanted, no needed, to talk to Michonne. Not just to let her know what was coming, but he wanted to make sure she was alright. She was crying when he last talked to her and it killed him that he couldn't go to her. He needed to try and make her feel better. He started to pull his phone out of his pocket when a low and rumbling chuckle disrupted his thoughts.

He looked over at the other end of the couch and saw Jesus sitting on the couch with Daryl sitting on the floor between his knees. Daryl had Rick's memo in his hand reading it and Jesus was reading it over his shoulder.

"I can't see how this is even remotely funny," Rick said indignantly.

"Well, that's because it's happenin' to you. But, believe me, this shit is funny as hell," Daryl assured him.

Jesus bumped his man lightly on the shoulder. "Daryl, don't laugh at him. Can't you see he's distraught over there?" Jesus asked, trying his best not to laugh himself.

"Excuse me, but didn't you tell me that if I came over that you and Jesus would pet me up and make me feel better? I don't feel better," Rick said.

"I'm sorry man. I'm just being an asshole. I'm actually kind of happy for you," Daryl told him seriously.

Rick looked at his friend with a puzzled face. "Really?"

"Rick, we've been friends since we were kids. I think we both gravitated to each other because of the lives we were forced to live at home. We recognized ourselves in each other. Two abused boys that were basically alone, trying to make ourselves small so no one would notice us because that's what we had to do at home. The only difference between us was that most of the time, not all of the time, but most of the time, I had Merle. When Merle was home, he took the brunt of our father and when Merle got bigger and meaner, he even gave a little back to him. You didn't have that and I always felt bad about it."

Jesus rubbed Daryl's shoulders to help him get through his declarations. He knew Daryl hated talking about his childhood, even with someone who was there and witnessed some of the worst of it as Rick had.

"When we first met, I thought you were the saddest person I'd ever seen," Daryl continued.

It was strange for Jesus to hear Daryl say this because he'd thought that exact same thing about Daryl when they first met.

"After all these years I can honestly say Rick, and I'm sorry for this, I've never seen you happy like you are right now."

Rick was startled to hear his friend say aloud what he'd been thinking for the last forty-eight hours. He opened his mouth to say...something, but there was nothing there. So he closed his mouth and listened.

"I'm not including when Carl and Judith were born. You were definitely happy those times. But, even with you all stressed out about you and Michonne, and how y'all are gonna handle all of the shit that's gonna hit the fan when you decide to let everyone know that you love each other; and even with you being so upset about the situation with her dad and how can't be there for her, I can see something different in you. I can still see your happiness trying to break through despite these shitty circumstances," Daryl said looking at his friend in wonder.

"I love her Daryl," Rick said softly.

"I know. I could tell when you were talking to her on the phone when we were in your hotel room today. I can actually see it this time and it makes me so happy for you man. I… I've never seen that in you with Lori. Never," Daryl said.

Jesus felt Daryl's shoulders tense as he waited for Rick's reaction, so he just kept up with the shoulder rub, trying to help his man relax.

"I don't think I've ever been happy with Lori," Rick said slowly, almost as if he was tasting the words as he spoke them. "I feel like a piece of shit even saying that out loud, but I feel like I've wasted seventeen years of my life. And hers. We have our children and I love them, but they have been my only source of happiness for as long as I can remember. Them and you guys," Rick said looking at his friends. "I learned to love Lori, mostly because she gave me Carl, but that's it and it's not enough."

"I know," Daryl said.

"I am a piece of shit," Rick said miserably, thinking of his kids.

"Don't say that Rick," Jesus said finally speaking up. "You can't help who you fall in love with," he said.

"No, but you can help how you handle it," Rick said.

"Do you regret meeting Michonne?" Daryl asked.

"Not even a little bit," Rick said immediately.

"Are you having doubts about you and her? About you two being together?"

"No, not about us. My doubts come only in the sense of how this whole thing is goin' to play out for our families. Other than that, no," Rick said.

"How would you feel if she called you right this minute and told you that she changed her mind and she could never see you again?" Jesus asked.

"Oh God. I wouldn't be able to handle that Jesus. I couldn't. I cannot be without her," Rick whispered.

"Then, whatever semblance of doubt you have, let it go," Jesus said simply.

"Just let it go man. That small grain of doubt will only grow bigger and bigger and destroy what you have with her. You know what you want?"

Rick nodded his head. "Yes."

"And you know who you want. The only thing you need to do is brace yourself for the impact. Just be there for each other. That's the only way you two will get through it still in tact at the other end. And of course, Jesus and I are here for you. For both of you, when you need us," Daryl finished.

Rick could feel the hot sting of unshed tears behind his eyes. "Thanks," he said roughly. "I love you two, you know that?" he asked as he stood up and pulled out his phone. "I'm gonna go give her a call and check on her," Rick said as he headed outside to sit on Daryl and Jesus' porch swing.

As Rick stepped outside to a cooling evening dominated by the setting sun, and before he closed the front door behind him, he heard the words, "And we love you too" come from the living room of his friends house. He didn't know which one said it, but it didn't really matter.

"You okay?" Jesus asked Daryl once their friend was on the other side of the front door.

Daryl shuddered, but nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm okay," Daryl said as he raised up on his knees and turned to face Jesus. Jesus brushed Daryl's hair back off of his forehead and kissed him softly on the lips.

"You wanna come in the kitchen with me while I finish dinner?"

Daryl nodded his head yes and they both stood. Before Jesus could walk away, Daryl grabbed him and hugged him tightly around his waist. Almost as if he thought Jesus would disappear if he wasn't holding on to him. Jesus didn't say anything, but he hugged Daryl back just as tight. Daryl was always like this after he talked about his childhood. It upset him so bad and Jesus wished Daryl's father was still alive so he could go and put his foot in his ass for hurting him.

"Come on baby," Jesus said, still hugging Daryl around his neck. He heard Daryl mumble "okay" into his neck and then they both headed into the kitchen, where Daryl could watch Jesus finish cooking, but certainly not help.

Outside on the porch, Rick was relieved that Michonne seemed to be doing better than the last time he'd spoken with her. He'd waited as long as he could to call her once he'd gotten to Daryl's house and it was now eight o'clock.

"I'm glad he's okay Michonne and everything is alright. You're alright aren't you?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm okay. I'm glad you called," Michonne said.

"Me too. I miss you." Rick said as he started the porch swing rocking slowly back and forth.

"I miss you too Rick," she said. "Are we ridiculous?" she asked laughing softly so as not to disturb her father who was currently dozing off in his La-Z Boy in front of the TV.

"Not in the least little bit," he replied as her laughter brought a huge smile to his face.

"Is your family home?" she asked.

"No, but I'm at my friends house right now. I want you to meet them," Rick said and instantly became nervous. He didn't want to push her to fast.

"Really? I mean, I'd love to, but is it a good idea?" she asked. She was thinking about how badly she wanted Rick to meet her father.

"Yes. This is a safe place for us." Rick winced after he said that, but let it go. They'd decided they weren't going to tell their spouses yet and if they wanted to see each other, they needed a safe place.

"Do you think you'd be up to meeting them?" Rick asked hopefully.

"Of course Rick. When?"

"Soon baby, very soon. Listen, I need to talk to you about something."

Michonne got nervous all of a sudden. She knew Rick wasn't about to tell her that he didn't want to see her again, but they were still very new and their "relationship" was seemingly up in the air.

"Do you want to come over?" she asked timidly.

"Really? Yes, I want to. Is that gonna be okay?"

"Yeah. My daddy is dozing off now. He'll be asleep for the night in about an hour."

"Okay sweetheart. Text me the address and I'll wait a couple of hours before I come."

"Can you tell me what you want to talk to me about?"

"Something has come up at work," he hedged, then sighed. "We need to talk about it. It'll be okay, but it does warrant a conversation. Okay?"

"Okay," Michonne complied. "I'll go ahead and text you the address and I'll give you a call when Daddy is down for the night."

"Alright baby. I love you."

"I love you too Rick," Michonne said before she hung up the phone.

"Rick," Jesus said from the front door. Rick didn't even hear it open. "Dinner's ready."

"Thanks. I'll be in in a second," Rick said staring at his phone. He wasn't moving until he got the text from Michonne.

Jesus went back into the house and Rick came in after a minute.

"She okay?" Daryl asked his friend.

"Yeah, she's fine. I'm going over to her dad's house a little later. I want to tell her about the black tie dinner so she won't be surprised when he tells her about it." Rick didn't even want to think about him but he knew he'd have to get his ass off of his shoulders sooner or later. Michonne was Mike's wife, no matter how much thinking about that made the acid in his stomach churn.

"Are you okay?" Daryl asked as he watched his friends face go dark.

"Yeah. I'm just starving and I'm excited that I can actually enjoy this meal since you had absolutely nothing to do with the preparation," Rick said, trying to make a joke to distract his perceptive friend.

"Just sit your skinny ass down and eat," Daryl said.

"Boys," Jesus said patiently, smiling slightly. They both seemed to be in better moods.

Daryl and Rick both sat down, elbowing each other under the table so that Jesus couldn't see them. Of course he could, but he let it go. It was the nature of their relationship. It was almost as if Daryl and Rick tried to relive or redo their childhood whenever they were together. Anything to pale the memories of the shitty one they actually had to endure.

After an hour and a half of pleasant ribbing from Daryl and giving it right back to him, Rick got the call he was waiting for. Michonne told him to come over.

"Guys, thanks for dinner. This may soon be a permanent situation," Rick said joking, but...not really.

"Your room is always ready, you know that," Jesus said smiling.

"Thanks," Rick said quietly giving his friends hugs. "I'll see you guys later."

He didn't speed, but he did hurry. He couldn't wait to see her. The GPS wasn't talking fast enough and he could feel himself getting pissed off at it.

"Calm down Rick," he told himself. "You'll get there when you get there."

When he heard the words, "Your destination is on the left," his heart started beating a little faster. He pulled his car up two houses past Michonne's father's house, just in case and called her to let her know he was there.

"I saw your car pass the house. Come on in. I'm unlocking the door so you don't have to knock."

"I'll be right there," Rick said and swiped the red button to disconnect the call. The neighborhood was dark and quiet and it was only 9:30 p.m. Michonne told him that a lot of older people lived in the neighborhood.

He opened the door quietly and was greeted with darkness. He squinted his eyes as he closed the door, and there she was. She was glorious to him, even with just a pair of jeans and a t-shirt on. He walked over to her and took her into his arms, hugging her tight and whispering in her ear.

"Hey sweetheart." He tipped her head back so that he could peer into her brown eyes. Brown eyes that were still slightly red from crying earlier. He kissed her lips and felt like a fucking King when she kissed him back. She placed her hands on his cheek and lightly scratched at his scruffy beard. Rick didn't want to stop kissing Michonne, but he did have something to tell her, so he pulled back slightly, moved back in to give her one more kiss and stopped. "How's your dad?"

"He's okay. He went to bed about an hour ago and I checked on him a few minutes before you got here. He's sound asleep now. He had to take a pain pill," she said, her voice cracking a little, "but it helped him sleep."

Rick led her over to the couch and sat down pulling Michonne into his lap. He tucked her head into the crook of his neck and rubbed her back. "It's okay. He's okay baby. I'm so sorry I couldn't be here for you earlier today," he whispered to her, kissing her forehead.

"You're here now," Michonne said breathing a sigh of relief. She wrapped her arms around Rick a little tighter. "What did you have to talk to me about?" she asked needing to get this part of the night over with.

Rick reached into his pants pocket without letting her go and gave her the memo from work.

"Let's go into the kitchen," she said as she pulled herself from Rick's lap. She didn't want to move, but Rick was clearly upset about whatever was going on at his job and it was too dark to read whatever Rick had just given her. She grabbed his hand and helped him up so that he could follow her.

When they got into the kitchen, Michonne turned on the light and offered Rick a seat at her father's breakfast table.

"You want something to drink?"

"No, I'm okay," he said, not able to take his eyes off of her in the light. 'God, she's beautiful' he said to himself. Michonne sat next to Rick and read the memo he presented to her.

"Shit," she whispered. She looked up at Rick and could see the distress in his eyes.

"What are we gonna do, Michonne?" he asked quietly so as not to wake her father. "I do not want to have to play nice in front of a bunch of people while having to watch you with him. Plus, I don't want you to have to watch me with her. I am not going to be able to get through that."

Michonne stood up and sat herself in Rick's lap. She liked it there. He immediately started rubbing her back as she rubbed the back of his neck and ran her fingers through his curls. "We'll be okay," she said looking him in his eyes. "It'll be hard, but it'll be alright. I love you and if that means I have to spend a night...watching you and your wife together, then that's what I'm gonna do. Do you think that you…?"

"Yes!" he whispered harshly, feeling a bit weak because she was being so strong. "I can do it. For you, I can. God knows I don't want to, but I will. I love you too."

Michonne kissed Rick this time, grinding her ass into his lap. Wasn't enough. She turned herself around so that she was facing him, straddling him and giving him better access to her middle. He moaned into her mouth as they kissed and while squeezing her hips as she trapped his hard-on with her body.

"You wanna go to my room?" she asked him softly.

Rick trapped her bottom lip into his mouth and sucked on it as he nodded his head. Hell yeah he wanted to go to her room. Wait.

"You have a room at your dad's house?" he asked smiling at her.

"It's my old room. My Dad never changed it after I moved out in case I ever decided to come back home for whatever reason," she said quietly, not wanting to get into her dad's reasons too much. But Rick, ever the cop, could tell that she was keeping something from him.

"Michonne?" he said looking at her face.

"You know how parents are. They never want to let their children go no matter what their age," she said trying to laugh his concern off.

She was still holding something back, but he didn't want to push her. No, that wasn't true. He absolutely wanted to push her, but he wouldn't. She wasn't a perp, or a suspect so he just told her…

"If you need me for anything or feel like you need to tell me anything - anything Michonne - you know you can right? I don't care if you need to tell me you have a massive foot fungus," he said and she laughed out loud slapping a hand over her mouth, making him smile at her, "you can tell me."

She took her hand from her mouth and placed it on his face. She kissed him sweetly. "I know," she said.

Michonne got up and again, grabbed Rick's hand so that he could follow her through the house. They passed her father's room, where they both looked in on him from his door. Michonne noticed Rick looking over her father with real concern and it made her smile. Her father was sound asleep. Michonne closed his door quietly and she and Rick continued down the hall to her room.

When they got to her room, Rick wanted to look around a bit instead of throwing her on the bed immediately, to his utter surprise. Michonne turned on the light and the first thing he noticed was her bookshelf that covered an entire wall. It was stuffed with so many books, the shelves were sagging. He walked over to read the titles and saw books written by Toni Morrison, Amy Tan, Leo Tolstoy, Stephen King, Octavia Butler, Tolkien, Koontz, Neil Gaiman, Lee Child, Ralph Ellison, Zora Neale Hurston, Harper Lee, George Orwell, James Baldwin, Fitzgerald, Fran Lebowitz...there were so many different authors and genres that he was amazed. The one thing he was surprisingly grateful for was that he didn't spot one book by Stephenie Meyer. The bottom shelf was nothing but National Geographic magazines. There was a small desk in the corner next to her closet and the stacks of papers were perilously close to tumbling down onto the floor so he didn't touch them.

He looked back at her and found that she was watching him as he was 'discovering' her. "Can I read something that you have written?" he asked her as he was bending over her desk looking at what was a mess to him, but surely not to her.

When he looked back at her again, she was beaming. "You really want to read something of mine?" she asked him genuinely surprised. Michonne's dad was the only other person that had actually asked to read anything she'd written. Mike had asked once, but he never read what she gave him. He was a busy guy, but it still hurt a little.

"Of course. I'd love to read your work sweetheart," he said to her. She was surprised that he'd asked and he was suddenly pissed again. He couldn't figure out why he was so mad, but he decided to let it go. He didn't want to ruin his time with her with an attitude.

"Okay," she said excitedly. "When?"

"When we go on our little vacation at The Cottage, so you'll have to keep your hands to yourself while I read. Do you think you'll be able to do that?" he asked her as he walked toward her.

"I don't know if I'll be able to resist, but I'll do my best," she said as she went into his open arms.

She was smiling again and that made Rick happy. She was so upset today after what happened with her father and he just wanted to make her happy. He held her tightly in his arms and kissed her neck softly. She ran her hand down his side to his hip and dipped to his front. He was hard again and she rubbed his cock through his jeans, letting him know what she wanted.

He walked her back towards the full sized bed that also had a hanging bookshelf over the head. He secretly hoped they wouldn't get pummeled with falling books later. Michonne lay on the bed and Rick unfastened her jeans and pulled them off. He left her little lace panties alone for now and helped her pull off her t-shirt. He then pulled off his own shirt and threw it aside. Michonne opened her arms and he went to her without hesitation. He loved kissing her. It was like drinking fresh water to him. He couldn't get enough. As they kissed, Michonne went after his pants. She wanted them gone. He helped her and removed the offending garment along with his underwear. He went after her panties as if they'd vexed him somehow, tearing them in the process of removal. She laughed.

"That's two pair of panties you owe me mister. Pretty soon, I won't have any left," she whispered.

"I can't find one thing wrong with that statement," Rick said as he moved down her body.

He opened her legs and settled himself between them, using his fingers to open her up, finding her glistening and wet for him. He licked at her gently, totally aware of the fact that they had been making love practically all day today, and he didn't want to hurt her if she was sore. When she started moving her hips, trying to get her pussy closer to his mouth, he figured she was just fine and started sucking at her clit like it was a piece of sticky sweet candy. She moaned in satisfaction.

"Baby, you have to be quiet. You don't want to wake your dad," he said trying not to laugh as she grabbed a pillow and shoved it into her face. He went back to his 'meal' and he could hear her muffled moans through the pillow. Good. He wanted her to feel good. He slid his finger into her tight opening, moving it in and out quickly as he sucked her clit into his mouth. When she was right on the edge, he gave her a little bite and she screamed as she came in his mouth, coating his chin and lips with her cum.

She threw the pillow off and grabbed his shoulders to pull him up. On his way up, he slipped his cock into her as if it was where he belonged. Hell, it was where he belonged. As he moved in and out of Michonne, she grabbed his face and sucked her juices off of his lips and chin. He almost came right then and there. Michonne wrapped her legs around his back, giving him better access to her pussy and they fucked hard and fast.

Michonne started moaning with pleasure. It felt so good to be with Rick. Someone she loved, truly loved, and not just with them because it was what was expected after enduring tragedy together. Someone that truly loved her.

"Are you okay? Are you sore?" he asked, not stopping but prepared to slow down if she was feeling any discomfort.

"I'm okay. Fuck me harder Rick. Harder," she whispered urgently into his ear.

Rick thought they were perfect together. She was so tight and wet, and his size made for the right amount of friction, creating the perfect sensation for the both of them.

"I'm not gonna last much longer baby. You feel so fucking good," he said. He snaked his hand between them and gave her clit a swipe. When he did that, her pussy tightened around him. He didn't think it was possible for her to be any tighter, but here he was, in a slippery vice grip. He swiped at her clit again, but this time, he didn't stop. He was gonna come, but he was determined to make her come first. It was working. She was so close that she was soon biting into his shoulder to keep from crying out and he relished the pain. It was a slight distraction from his pending climax. Very slight. He pounded into her, grunting with every aggressive entry. He couldn't hold on any longer so he gave her clit a pinch and that took her right over the edge which gave him permission to let go completely. He planted his face in her hair and came so hard he got dizzy.

When they were both finished and breathing hard, he looked at her. "You're beautiful," he said softly and kissed her lips.

She loved it when he told her that, and fortunately for her, he told her that often.

"So are you," she said smiling.

They were in bed, Rick still inside of her, smiling at each other when they heard the knock at the front door.

Mike hadn't seen Michonne all day long. When he went home, he found the breakfast he'd made her still in the microwave. He tossed it. He called her to tell her it was time for her to come home, but that was when she told him about her father and his little accident today. He didn't like that she'd decided to stay there with her dad, but he knew there was no sense in arguing about it, so he decided not to push. But now, it was after 11 and he missed her. He decided to pay her a visit.

He knocked on the door like he was the police and Michonne quickly pulled on her jeans and t-shirt and ran to the door. She already knew who it was as she threw the door open.

"Mike, my dad is asleep!" she whispered harshly. "You don't have to knock so hard. You're going to wake him."

"Oh, sorry," he said. He wasn't quiet. "Didn't he get some pain pills or something?"

"Yes," she said, still not moving so he could come in.

"Shit, then he probably can't hear anything anyway," Mike said laughing loudly.

Rick was up and pulling his pants on. He went to put on his t-shirt and realized, this wasn't his. This was Michonne's, which could only mean that she had thrown his on by mistake. That was upsetting, but it wasn't on the top of his list. Mike was being loud and belligerent in the living room and Rick was sure he was going to wake up Michonne's dad. He opened Michonne's bedroom door slightly and listened.

"That's not the point Mike. He may be out from the pain pills and he might not be. I'm going to need you to lower your voice."

"I missed you today baby," Mike said as he pushed his way past Michonne and into the house. "I haven't seen you all day. I know you want to spend the night, but let me stick around for a little bit. Your dad will never even know I was here," he said as he grabbed Michonne in a rough embrace.

"Have you been drinking?" Michonne asked him quietly as she pushed away from him.

"Just a little bit," he said as he tried to grab her again. She moved away from him, evading his attempt to pull her into his arms.

"You promised me that you wouldn't drink anymore Mike. You promised me!" she yelled, no longer trying to keep quiet. Also not connecting that she too had broken a promise to her husband. She'd promised to be faithful to him, but this. After the egregious, unspeakable thing that Mike had done the last time he was drunk, she didn't care anymore. She and Mike were officially over.

"Jesus Christ Michonne! It's been four years. Four fucking years since I had a drink. Four years that I've been apologizing. How long are you going to keep punishing me?" Mike yelled back.

By now, Rick had made his way into the hall, standing in front of Michonne's father's room.

"Get out Mike," Michonne said quietly.

"No. I want to be with you Michonne. You abandoned me tonight and now, I want to be with you," he said as he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him.

She snatched her arm away from him, and looked at him like he was something you scrape off the bottom of your shoe.

"You want to be with me? Are you out of your fucking mind? You come here, drunk, loud and demanding and you think that's gonna make me want to fall into your fucking arms. You're drunk Mike. After what you did, you dare come to me like that! I don't care how many fucking years it's been! You…" She couldn't finish. "Just get out Mike. Please, get out," she whispered. She was suddenly tired. She didn't want to look at Mike anymore. She just wanted him to leave. Mike however, had other plans.

"You told me that you forgave me. You told me that and I believed you. I fucking love you Michonne. I'm sorry about Andre. I'm fucking SORRY! I didn't mean to hurt him."

"Hurt him! Hurt him? You killed my baby, you didn't hurt him. He's dead because of you!" Michonne yelled.

Rick couldn't believe what he'd just heard. He was gonna kill Mike tonight.

"I didn't mean it, and you said you forgave me," Mike said. He grabbed Michonne by the throat. "You said you forgave me. Now, I want you to show me," he whispered, blowing his gin soaked breath into Michonne's face.

Michonne was choking. She couldn't catch her breath. She almost didn't want to. At least this way she could be with her little boy. Black spots were appearing in front of her eyes and she was about to black out when the hand that was around her throat, suddenly wasn't there anymore. She fell to the ground and pulled in the biggest breath she could even though her throat was burning and breathing hurt like hell. When she gathered her senses, she heard muffled popping noises. She looked around and saw Rick beating the shit out of Mike. Mike was trying to fight back, but soon all he could do was try and protect himself.

Rick stood and listened as Michonne and Mike argued, fuming that Mike had hurt her so completely. He wouldn't know how he would ever function again if anything ever happened to Carl or Judith. But suddenly, there was no more yelling in the living room. Mike was whispering and he couldn't hear Michonne at all. Rick hurried to the living room entrance and saw Mike's hand around Michonne's throat. Rick didn't remember running over to them. He didn't remember pulling Mike off of Michonne. He only remember seeing red.

Rick grabbed Mike by his throat and with strength he did not know he had, picked him up and slammed him to the ground. Rick sat on Mike, still squeezing his throat and started repeatedly hitting him in the face. Between punches, Rick gave Mike some sound advice.

"Don't you ever"…(punch)..."put your goddamned hands"…(punch)..."on her again"…(punch)..."or I'll fucking kill you!"...(punch, punch). "She's"…(punch)..."MINE!"...(punch).

He looked down at Mike and decided right then and there that he really was gonna kill him. But then, he heard his name coming from somewhere. It was a very quiet voice, but despite all of the white noise in his head, he could still hear it.

It was Michonne.

"Rick, stop. That's enough," she said. Her voice was hoarse because of the assault she'd just suffered and it made Rick even madder. He gave Mike one last, hard solid punch in the face, breaking his nose and knocking him unconscious for good measure.

Rick had to move away from Mike's prone body or else he was gonna beat him to death. He scooted away on his butt and hands and stopped when his back hit the wall. Michonne began to crawl, and Rick knew he'd gone too far. He'd scared Michonne and now she was trying her best to get as far away from him as possible. The only thing was, she was getting closer to him instead of further away. The next thing he knew, he had a lap and arm full of a crying, shaking Michonne. He didn't question it, he just hugged her to him and rocked her.

"Shhh," he whispered as he rubbed her hair and held on to her tightly. "It's okay baby. It's okay."

She turned her face into his neck and continued crying silently.

Rick looked over at Mike who was still out like a light and was glad he had Michonne in his lap. If she wasn't holding him down, literally, Mike would be well on his way towards death. He hugged Michonne tighter and rocked her back and forth.

"Come on baby. I'm going to need you to go check on your father to make sure he is still asleep. I know you don't want him to have to see this," Rick said gently. He wanted her refocused on her father for now and not Mike.

"It's too late," a soft voice came from above them.

Both Rick and Michonne looked up from their position on the floor to see Michonne's father standing in the doorway.

"Looks like there was a bit of trouble," Mr. Gardner said looking over at Mike, then back at his daughter and the man whose arms she was in.