Rick let out a sigh as he walked into the house. Today he was on construction crew for the wall and his body literally hurt all over. After the impromptu picnic, he walked Michonne and Judith home then went right back to work. All he wanted at the moment was to see his children, to take a shower, to hold Michonne and sleep.

"Hey dad." Carl called from the kitchen table with his head buried in a comic.

"How did you know it was me?" Rick asked, making his way into the room.

"The boots."

"Huh," He was always impressed by his son's new heightened sense. "How was training with Sasha?"

Carl finally looked at his dad as he sat in the seat directly in front of him. "It was awesome. I didn't know I could be so excited to learn." He admitted. "The scope makes everything easier for me and I'm glad that's the weapon she chose. She knows what she's doing." Rick chuckled lowly. "I always knew she was our best shot but seeing it up close and getting all of her secrets is a whole new experience."

It had been a long time since Carl had been this excited and Rick was glad that they made the right choice by letting their son take the lessons. "Glad to hear it." He cleared his throat and sat back in his seat. "So I wanted to talk to you bout something."

A wide smirk appeared on the young boy's face as he leaned his arms on the table and focused fully on his dad. "Is this about you and Michonne?"

Everyone in the community was aware of their union at this point but he wanted to talk to his son as soon as possible. Michonne wanted to be there but Rick assured her he would handle it. This wasn't the only thing the Grimes' boys needed to discuss. "Some of it." Carl didn't respond so Rick continued. "This is different. It just happened and I wanted to speak with you about it. I didn't want you to find out the way you did."

The corner's of the young man's face turned up even more into a full blown smile. "It's cool. I honestly thought y'all would have gotten together a while ago."

"Yeah?"

"Mhm but you weren't ready and I think she tried to understand that."

Damn did everyone notice the things that went on between him and Michonne? Was he the only clueless one? "I didn't intentionally hurt her. By the time I realized I was actually in love with her, the herd was here and everything was happening so fast." The end had to be staring him in the face once again for things to shift into perspective. "But I had already messed up."

"With Jessie." Carl finished. "You liked her. There's no shame in that, dad, but we can't just act like it didn't happen. I lost a damn eye."

"Carl!" Rick tilted his head and stared at his son, waiting for an explanation for the language.

"I'm sorry for cursing but I mean that. It's like we walk on eggshells about what happened. Maybe you really were clueless and didn't realize you were hurting Michonne. Maybe you didn't know she was really into you and maybe you didn't grasp the fact that you were into her. But Jessie happened. She was real. Her sons were real. Her husband was real."

"I was wrong for all of that." His southern drawl was strong as he pled with his son for understanding. "I've made a lot of mistakes. I'm not perfect and that's not an excuse. It just took some time for me to get it together and if I could do it all over again, I would." His eyes teared up as he stared at his son. "You wouldn't be missing.."

"Dad stop." Carl's tone softened. "That's not on you. Ron was angry. That's what almost happened in the garage. Even if they would have survived, that would have been a problem." A silence soon consumed them as the younger man let out a low sigh. "Were you trying to be his dad?"

Rick's head jumped back. "No. Why would you think that?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "You were trying to teach him to shoot and-"

He cut his son off. "They needed to know how to survive. He was your age and I automatically put him in your category. You've bounced back time and time again but everyone isn't that resilient. Hell, you've lost your way a few times and I totally disregarded that. But I had left that family weak. I doubt if Pete could actually protect them but they were even more vulnerable without him and I felt bad." Carl gave his dad a pointed look. "And yes, I was attracted to Jessie."

They sat in silence, lost in their thoughts for a while. "I'm glad we had this talk."

"Me too." Rick admitted, honestly. He liked being open and honest with his son. They didn't have the luxury of secrets. Things could be over within the blink of an eye. "I'm sorry you felt like you couldn't come to me about Ron."

"It was just," Carl furrowed his brows, trying to collect his thoughts. "You were off during that time." He used his best friend's words to describe his dad. "If I had told you, part of me believed you would have killed him without a second thought and I didn't want anyone else to die. We came here to live and it felt like we were constantly losing people."

Rick knew that feeling well. That was running through his mind while he was on his rampage.

"But his anger was something that I should have taken into consideration. Then maybe I would not have such a messed up face."

"Don't." Rick tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "That is not your fault. He was angry and nothing would have been able to change that. I realized that too late. I overlooked so much, too much. Don't carry that burden, Carl."

"And you shouldn't either. You did what you thought was right. Pete was beating her. You may have been selfish in your reasoning but it was still right. He put everyone in danger with that katana. He broke into this house." There was a dark look on his face before it disappeared. "Don't regret that. He killed an innocent man. A man that created this place. It is what it is."

The front door opened and the voices of the women of the house flowed throughout as Michonne talked to Judith, who babbled back trying to participate in the conversation. She stopped at the entry into the kitchen, seeing the two men at the table. The weight of the conversation was plastered on both of their faces.

"Dadada," Judith called out, reaching for Rick. He met Michonne half way and pecked her lips before grabbing his daughter. Her eyes widened a little as she avoided looking at Carl.

"Is, um, is everything okay?"

"It's fine." Carl answered, waiting on her to look at him. "How was your day, Michonne?"

"Good." She replied, moving around the kitchen, finding ingredients for dinner. "How was training?"

"Great." The excitement that flowed from him finally got her to turn around and meet his eye. "I actually had fun."

"I'm happy for you." She flashed a wide smile as someone knocked on their front door. "I'll get it."

Carol stood in front of her, holding a pan. The women stared at each other without a word. Michonne placed her hand on her hip as she waited for the older woman to speak. "I brought dinner. I hoped we could talk. Me, you, and Rick."

Michonne moved back, allowing her to enter. She didn't know what to make of this visit. The last time they spoke, there was a lot that was said and left unsaid. She wanted to clear the air because at the end of the day, they were family but she was going to speak her mind no matter what. Her mama always told her it wasn't what was said but how it was said. And she was aware of the way she came at Carol but she didn't regret it. The woman needed to hear it.

The family ate dinner, letting Carl go into detail about his training. He was so animated, making everyone smile at the fact that he still had some of his optimism. Daryl walked in during the story but became engrossed once he washed his hands and joined everyone at the table.

The hunter had a red blotch on his neck and Michonne chuckled. It was obvious Sasha had been keeping him busy but that was a story for another time.

An hour later the adults were seated around the living room with glasses of wine. Michonne was ready to get this over with. She was tired and needed a shower. After Judy woke up from her nap, she dropped the baby off with Gabriel and helped with clean up. All of the dead walkers were almost cleared from the community. It had been months and they were still cleaning up that mess.

"I heard the good news." Carol spoke staring between the new couple. "I am happy for you too." Rick searched her face, seeing the sincerity. He nodded his thanks and waited for her to finish. "I don't want any tension between us." Her eyes focused on the woman of the house. "I don't know if you know my story but I have been where Jessie was and I wanted to help out. Maybe I did project my fears onto her and used Rick's attraction."

"Maybe?"

Carol let out a deep breath. It was clear the samurai was not going to let her off that easy. "I definitely used it to my advantage and I take responsibility for my part in it."

"Hm," Michonne shrugged, remembering how Carol straight up lied to her face in that cell. How was this little speech different that the community play she had been putting on for the other residents? She wasn't sure but she was done being angry. It was pointless. "I'm not upset anymore and I shouldn't have thrown that burden at you. But the truth is you could have talked some sense into him. You didn't want to. You wanted control too and you used manipulation to get over. You tried that on me too and we're supposed to be family. Your co-conspirer here," She patted Rick's leg. "Spilled the news about the guns before Pete even killed Reg. So I knew and still let him keep it." That news took the white-haired woman by surprise. "I'm on your side." Michonne let out a small sigh. "But don't ever lie to me again. If you feel like you need to tell me a bold face lie, don't talk to me."

"That's fair." She agreed with a slight shrug of her shoulders. "So we're good?"

"We're good." She confirmed, taking another sip of her wine.

Daryl was quiet before he spoke up, apologizing for his hand in the situation but Michonne was over it. It had happened and no one could change it. She just wanted everyone to do better moving forward. That was all she needed from the people seated around her.

Rick walked out of the bathroom into his room not seeing Michonne. They had agreed that his room would become theirs since it was bigger with a bathroom attached, it made the most sense.

He quickly dried off and put on a pair of sweatpants before emerging from the room and making his way to hers. She was walking out when they nearly bumped into each other. "I thought you changed your mind." Rick spoke, staring down at her.

"No. I didn't." She flashed a small smile before breaking their eye contact.

"What is it?" He could still read her. There was obviously something on her mind. He closed the remaining distance between them, placing his hands on her hips.

"I don't want to drag this out. I want to speak with Spencer. Carol actually inspired me. I want to be free from any guilt." She finally looked back at his face. "I don't want him to think I dragged him along. That is not a good feeling."

The slight shade was not missed by Rick but he opted out of acknowledging it. "You want to do this right now?" It had to be after 10 o'clock. "It can't wait until tomorrow?"

"Rick." She simply stated, smiling. "It can't. I want to get this over with so I can come back home to you and the kids."

Reluctantly he nodded his head and took a step back. "Don't take too long. I've been anticipating holdin' you all day."

Michonne's face heated up at the confession because she had been thinking about his hands flowing over her skin all day. She promised she would make it as quick as possible before she headed out of their house and down the block. Spencer was already out there, sitting on the porch swing, startling her before she had the chance to knock.

"Hi," She said after catching her breath. "Watching the stars again tonight?"

"Yeah. It helps me clear my mind." He broke their eye contact and stared back into the sky. "Why are you here, Michonne? You and Rick made your relationship very clear today."

The bite in his tone didn't bother her. Hell, she lived with Rick Grimes. Spencer Monroe's attitude was a nice stroll around the park.

She let out a low sigh and sat next to him, making sure to keep the distance. "I'm sorry for hurting you. I didn't expect things with Rick to actually get somewhere after everything that happened."

He didn't reply right away as he continued to stare at the moon. "There was something there this entire time and I ignored it because it felt you were picking me just like he picked Jessie."

Ouch.

"I thought that you knew that I could treat you how you deserved. I may have been behind these walls for two years but I can protect you too. I'm not weak. Sheltered, sure. But the same way this world has changed you and your people, it changed me and mine. If losing my family wasn't the thing that helped me get my shit together, almost losing this place definitely showed me what we took for granted." He paused and faced her. "I know we can't bond over surviving on the outside together or children but Michonne, we do have a connection."

"I'm not denying that. We did have a connection. You were fresh and new. You helped me realize that I could have a life here and I want that."

"With Rick." He finished the statement.

"I just wanted to speak with you in person. You deserved more than a little PDA." She reached over and patted his hand. "You deserve someone that is all in with you and sadly, I wasn't. My heart ached for someone else and that wasn't fair. I hurt you and that wasn't in my intentions."

Spencer shrugged before running his hand through his hair. "I shouldn't have ignored the signs but I get it. No need to settle just because it's the end of the world."

"Being with you would not have been settling." She reasoned. "You're a good catch. You've proved yourself over and over again. Some woman is going to be very lucky."

"Maybe." He shrugged. "Rick is lucky."

"He is." In more ways than one. "There are other woman here that want you. Take a shot but don't settle."

He chuckled before breaking their gaze. Any woman that wasn't her would be settling but he had accepted defeat. Rick Grimes had won again. It was such a pattern that he was getting used to. "Thanks for being there for me. It was hard after my mom and you helped me."

"I know the feeling too well." The confession was unexpected but it didn't hurt to talk about who she had lost. Keeping their memory alive was special. "I'm always here for you."

A low chuckle left Spencer's lips. "Let's not pretend we can be friends. I can't be just your friend but I will respect your relationship. Thanks for coming over." With that he leaned over and kissed her cheek before he stood and walked to his front door. "Bye Michonne."

"Bye Spence."

By the time she made it back to the house, it had to be after midnight. She had left the Monroe house and decided to walk around to clear her mind before heading back to Rick.

The door swung open as soon as she stepped onto the porch.

Rick looked surprised to see her. He placed his trusty python in its holster before he swept her into his arms. "I was coming to look for you." He informed. "It's been two hours. It doesn't take that long to say, I love Rick and you don't compare."

Michonne chuckled against his chest before she leaned up and kissed his plump lips. "I was walking around thinking." She admitted, smiling at the protective grip he had on her. "Thank you for your concern."

"I'm always concerned for you."

She nodded and grabbed his hand, leading the way into the house and to their bedroom. After stripping down to her undergarments, she grabbed one of his t-shirts and placed it over her body before laying down. She hadn't noticed Rick's lustful stare as he stood watching her, eyes traveling her entire frame.

"Rick," she spoke lowly. "What is something you miss from the old world?" That spurred him into action as he finally got ready to lay down with his girlfriend.

"Um," He pulled his shirt over his head and kicked off his boots before finally climbing in, pulling her to him. "ESPN."

"Yeah? What were you favorite sports?"

"Baseball." He spoke, placing his hand in her hair. "I did enjoy Football too. I had season passes for the Falcons."

"Me too." She smiled into his chest. "Wonder if we would have ran into each other one game."

"Maybe." He whispered, considering the possibility. "What's something you miss?"

"My hairdresser." A low chuckle left her lips. "I got my hair retwisted once a month."

Rick twirled one of the locs between his fingers. "You could teach me and we can keep that tradition alive."

"That's sweet but I'll let Sasha do the honor." She let out a low sigh. "I might take you up on that, though. You're very attentive. So I'll let you know."

"Good." He smiled not even realizing this was something he wanted to do for her. "I also miss the internet."

"And cable. I would love to watch an episode of Real Housewives."

"Really?" Rick was surprised. "I didn't peg you as a reality tv person."

Michonne scoffed. "Flavor of Love got me hooked. Reality tv shows were my guilty pleasure. I loved trashy television shows."

Rick hummed and smiled, imagining Michonne on her couch with a glass of wine watching the things Lori and her friends looked down on.

"But once I really got into my career, I saw it unfold in front of my eyes in real time. All of the custody battles and infidelity cases should have been enough entertainment for me but they weren't." She giggled under her breath.

"Family lawyer, huh?"

"Yes," She smiled. "And I loved it."

"If the world hadn't gone to shit, I probably could have used your assistance. I would have needed the best and I know it was you."

Michonne sat up and stared at his face. He had never spoken freely about Lori or their life before. So this had taken her by surprise. "Was it really that bad?" He arched his brow, questioningly. "Andrea gave me all of the information I needed about the starting line up. That was part of the reason I grabbed the milk. If Merle recognized Maggie and Glenn, I knew you were the people that Andrea was with. And if she cared about you, I had to help you."

Rick leaned down and kissed her forehead. "You don't know how you changed my life that day at the fence. I almost thought I imagined you."

A low chuckle left both of them. "Yeah, you were out of your damn mind, Grimes." She sat up completely and crossed her legs facing him. "But I understood. Hell, up until then I still talked to Mike. It was not as often due to Andrea but it happened."

He nodded before his tongue swiped across his bottom lip. "Things with Lori weren't perfect. They weren't even good most days. They were barely tolerable but I had pushed that to the back of my mind not wanting to taint her memory." He let out a deep breath. "I started picking up as many shifts as I could to stay out of the toxic environment we had created." His eyes stared into hers before he closed them and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Carl kept us together and I think he was the only reason we didn't call it quits. She thought I had been dead for a month before she slept with my best friend. I doubt she even grieved." Michonne didn't know what to say, so she let him finish. "I grieved her for damn near a year and she barely took two weeks before she was bangin' Shane." He hadn't thought about this in a while. The pain wasn't fresh any longer but he was still hurt. Not at Lori or Shane but at himself for not ending it before it had even got to that point. "But all of that prepared me for you. It helped me to become a better man. I won't make the same mistakes."

"I know." Michonne offered him a small smile. "You're a good man, Rick. You carry a lot on your back and I just want you to know that you are appreciated. No one is perfect but you try and that's all I can ask for. Your best is enough. Look at how far you've gotten us."

He leaned over and kissed her lips, resting his forehead against hers. He appreciated her too. She was everything he wanted and needed. "I love you, Michonne."

"I love you too, Rick."

The End.

A/N: Thanks for sticking with me through my thoughts and interpretations. It's been a fun ride. Hope y'all enjoyed this story.