"Half Way"

Chapter 1

Michonne forced herself to sit up. Her eyes were still heavy, and as she stretched, an uncontrollable yawn escape. She looked over at the window and could see the sun was barely starting to rise. She balled her fist and cracked her knuckles as she slid her legs from beneath the warm blankets and pressed them to the cold floor. "Mmmm…" Michonne moaned feeling the sharp sting of the cold wooden floor which helped to rouse her. She stood up and looked around the dark empty room before wiping her eyes. Yawning once more, she started towards the bathroom. She wanted to get a shower before Carl and Judith got up.

The hot water was like soft ballads of liquid blessing spilling on to her skin. She had taken many showers since arriving at Alexandria, but could never get over how good it felt to have steaming water pouring all over her body. It almost felt like a normal Tuesday morning save for the nagging possibility of a walker strolling in and attacking her while her guard was down. Despite the ever present warnings in her gut, she fully immersed herself head-first into the steady flow of warm water and reveled in the stream that covered and caressed her curves.

Rick put on a white t shirt, his black jeans, socks, and boots. He sighed putting his gun belt on thinking about the way he should approach Michonne on this Deanna situation. He felt like enough time had passed, but he didn't know if they would feel the same way. Still, it didn't make sense to keep wasting time while everyone's feelings were mending. It was time for him to get out and help secure this place. Hurt feelings be damned, Rick thought to himself as he stepped out of his room and started towards Michonne's room.

Rick leaned against the wall and lightly knocked on the door. He leaned in a little closer to listen for a response.

"Yeah?" Michonne's muffled voice inquired.

"Um, are you decent? Can I come in?" Rick asked grabbing the door knob as he waited for an answer.

"Yeah Sure."

Rick opened the door and was immediately greeted by the smell of soap and a sweet fragrance that could only belong to Michonne. There was a light mist that lurked in the air from the steam of her recent shower. Rick discretely inhaled getting a good whiff of the different scents as he looked over at her standing next to the neatly made queen sized bed.

Michonne had a maroon towel wrapped around her wet hair. She quickly turned towards the wall and zipped the front of her black pants.

Rick rubbed his forehead. "I could have waited outside, I didn't know you were still getting dressed."

"I'm dressed." Michonne asserted turning to look at him.

Rick noticed Michonne was wearing a new white tank-top shirt that loosely clung to her chest. She hadn't quite dried off completely and small streams of water slowly prowled down her moist skin. The delicate notch at the bottom of her neck collected a small pool of water that glinted in the rays of the morning sun.

Rick averted his eyes and looked down to her socks which were a unique mixture of neon god-awful colors.

"You've been shopping?" Rick asked sarcastically with a raised eyebrow and a smirk on his face.

Michonne looked down at her socks. "Yeah, Deanna said me and Maggie should go through some of the boxes in storage."

Michonne rubbed the towel around her head to dry her hair.

"And you picked those?" Rick asked with both eyebrows raised.

Michonne stopped rubbing her hair and tilted her head looking at him.

"Why?" Michonne asked.

Rick looked up at the irksome expression on Michonne's face.

"Nothing, they're… bright." Rick remarked with a polite smile.

"Yes, well they're thin but warm and they don't have holes." She said as she bent over to release her hair from the towel.

She sat down on the bed and began to pat her damp hair. Rick watched as the tiny muscles along her shoulders and neck flinched with every movement.

"So what's up?" Michonne asked as she sighed knowing that it would take a while before she could completely dry her hair. Rick turned and walked towards the window on the other side of the room.

"I was thinking about doing patrols today." Rick said looking down at Michonne's sheriff's uniform neatly draped on the chair next to the window.

"You sure you're ready for that?" Michonne asked sitting up and looking over at Rick. Rick turned and glanced back at her before looking out of the window.

"Well, whether I am or not, it needs to be done." Michonne considered his words and then quietly nodded her head.

A few quiet seconds passed when Rick looked back down at her uniform again. "Are you going to put that back on?" He asked.

Michonne glanced at the uniform and shook her head. "I don't need a uniform to do the job. I think they know who we are now." Rick nodded looking back towards the window.

"When are you leaving?" Michonne asked pulling her hair into a large bun and using the towel to dry excess water off her neck and face.

"Soon." He quietly responded.

"Okay, I'll come with you." Michonne slipped her feet into her boots.

Rick eyes wondered down to the fence outside the widow. He watched a humming bird eagerly dancing around the flowers on a bush.

"We need to talk to Deanna before we leave." He added glancing over at her.

Rick was surprised at how Michonne looked with her hair up and out of her face. He stared at her as she used both hands to secure all of her hair.

Michonne sighed, "Yeah, I don't think it's necessary, but I suppose it's a good gesture." She decided looking over at Rick and noticed him staring at her.

"What?" She asked shaking him from his thoughts.

"I've never seen you with your hair back." He said as he looked into her eyes.

Michonne was at a loss for words. She had caught him staring at her before, but it had become more frequent in the past week. At first she didn't mind. She'd often found herself staring at him when he wasn't paying attention. But something had changed between them after the events of last week. Michonne had come to the realization that it would be best if she regarded Rick in a more professional manner. She stared back at Rick trying to read his expression. There was a knock at the door which caused them both to look away. "Yeah." Michonne answered as she took a deep breath and looked back at Rick.

Carl peaked his head in the door. His eyes quickly found Michonne sitting on the bed. As he opened the door wider he looked across the room and saw Rick standing near the window.

"I'm taking Judith to see Tara for a bit, then we're going over to Jakes."

Rick still wasn't comfortable with his children roaming around Alexandria, but he had promised that he would start trusting Carl more.

"Okay, just check in Rosita and Maggie when you're done at Jakes okay. Let's say in two hours." Rick nodded at Carl who returned a stern disappointed look.

"Two hours…Dad?" Carl repeated with a queried expression.

"Two hours, Carl." Michonne remarked, supporting Rick's position. "We're going to be out on patrols and we need you to help keep an eye on the houses." Michonne smiled looking over at Carl.

Carl's eyes darted from Michonne's to Rick's. "Yeah, okay." He said solemnly nodding his head and looking over at Rick who smiled and nodded.

"We'll be back here around two. Be careful, Carl."

Carl nodded as he turned for the door.

As soon as Carl closed the door behind him Michonne's eyes darted over to Rick again. Rick looked down at his hands trying to push the thought of something bad happening to his children out of his head.

"Rick?" Michonne called.

Rick raised his head and looked over at her.

"Hmm?"

"Are you going to tell me what's up with you and Jessie?"

Rick furrowed his brow. He was taken off guard by the question. He had to play it back in his head to be sure he heard her right.

"What?" Rick asked squinting his eyes.

Michonne looked at the floor and gave a deep sigh. "What is up with you and that woman, Jessie?" She asked a little slower making sure her words were clear.

"Well, what about her?" Rick asked, unable to disguise the surprised look on his face.

For the past week and since he had shot Pete in the head, Michonne hadn't uttered one word about it. Rick noticed that she seemed short and a little distant with him after the incident. He'd wondered for a while if it was because of what he'd done, but she never said anything about. Now this.

"You killed her husband?" Michonne calmly asked as she glared at him.

Again Rick was stunned by her bluntness. There was conviction in her eyes, and he could see that she was coldly judging him.

"Yeah, I killed him…after he killed Reg." Rick countered leaning forward and growing increasingly irritated with Michonne's antagonizing questions.

"After he killed Reg?" Michonne pressed.

"Yeah…you were there. You saw it." Rick shot back.

"And after you kissed 'her' at the party?" Michonne asked.

Rick's face flinched and he jerked his head back. He had no idea she knew about that. Rick thought about the question, thought about how she knew, and why she was asking. He straightened his stance and tilted his head.

"Yeah… after I kissed her, Michonne." He said as they shot eye daggers at each other.

The tension grew as the silence between them seemed to last an eternity.

Michonne closed her eyes and shook her head. This seemed to anger Rick even more. He marched over and stopped in front of her.

"So you think I killed Pete so I could what…fuck his wife?" He said in a low and almost wrathful voice.

Michonne's eyes widened as she was taken back by his words. She had never heard him use that tone with her before. And although she had heard far worse, she didn't appreciate him using that language.

She quickly rose to her feet and moved closer to face him. Rick stood his ground as they glowered menacingly at each other.

He could see the anger in her eyes but didn't care. "Is that what you wanted to do…fuck her?" Michonne retorted, her tone matching his. Rick looked down at Michonne's lips as the word fuck seemed to linger in his head. The cold stares that they challenged each other with suddenly turned into something else. Michonne looked down at Rick's mouth. She zeroed in on the tiny lines of his wet lip and quickly turned away. She put her hands on her hips as she walked toward the dresser on the side of her bed.

Rick watched her as she turned away from him. He sighed and looked at the floor. Rick didn't like fighting with Michonne. And he couldn't believe that she thought he would kill Pete to be with Jessie. Rick looked over at Michonne who was still staring at the wall.

"I did not kill that man so that I could have his wife. That ain't me, I wouldn't do that." Rick said looking down at the floor and shaking his head.

"And yes, I kissed her. It was on the cheek…" Michonne rolled her eyes but continued to listen.

"I don't know why I kissed her, but…" Rick shook his head. "I didn't kill him so I could have her." Rick affirmed as stared at the back of Michonne's head.

Rick waited, but there was no response from Michonne. She kept her back to him and he could tell from the way her shoulders moved up and down from every breath she took that she was pissed at him. He started to stay something, but thought better of it.

"I'll be downstairs." Rick said as he turned to go out the door.

Michonne turn to watch him leave. She wanted to press him more on why he had kissed Jessie, but knew that she would get the same answer. She knew Rick had struggled when it came to expressing his interests for the opposite sex, but she wanted to get things straight between the two of them. Unfortunately, Michonne had become angry. She'd learned long ago to take a step back when her temper got the best of her. So, she watched as he opened the door and cringed a little as he looked back at her before shutting it behind him.

Rick walked down the stairs still reeling from the heated conversation with Michonne. He wondered why she was trying to pick a fight with him. He closed his eyes and rubbed his fingers over the bridge of his nose. When he finally got to the bottom of the stairs he noticed a figure in the corner of his eye. Rick turned to see Jessie standing in the living room looking at him. She fidget with her fingers and smiled at him nervously.

Rick was surprised and completely unprepared to see her. He looked around before walking closer to her. Her eyes stayed locked on him as she waited for him to speak. Rick searched for words and finally spoke.

"How are you?" He regretted asking the question as soon as the words left his mouth.

She looked to the side and nodded her head.

"I'm fine…we're fine." She said looking at him again.

"I haven't seen you around lately. It's almost like you're avoiding me." She said with a small laugh.

Rick bit his top lip and nodded his head.

"Yeah well, I didn't know if I should come around after…" Rick stopped and looked down remembering how good it felt to end Pete. He remembered how he wanted to smile at Pete's frantic face and the skulking shame he felt afterwards.

"Rick, he was out of control, you did what you had to do. And after he… I can't believe he murdered Reg." She said and covered her mouth with her hand. Tears pooled in her eyes and she bowed her head.

Rick walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her in a tight embrace. Rick was surprised at her actions, but wrapped his arms around her waist and held her.

She buried her face in his shoulder near his neck and began to sob.

"I hated him for so long, for what he had done to me…to the boys. I hated him, but I couldn't leave him."

Rick could feel her body begin to tremble against his. Her arms tightened around his neck as she pressed closer against him. He began to gently pat her on the back trying to console her.

"You saved me." She cried as she pressed her cheek to his.

Rick closed his eyes and began to shake his head.

"No…" He started to say when she moved her head to look at him with tears flowing from her eyes.

"Yes…" she said nodding her head. "You saved us, you saved me and my sons."

Rick looked into her watery saddened eyes and again was at a loss for words. She didn't know how much he enjoyed putting that bullet in Pete's head, she didn't know how the last look on Pete's face almost made Rick hard.

She looked into his eyes and then at his mouth. Rick watched as she moved closer and kissed him on his lips. He didn't pull away, and as the kiss deepened he opened his eyes and looked down at her.

Feeling her kisses not being returned she stopped and pulled back. They stared at each other for a moment. She was confused and seem to show that in her expression. Rick thought about what to say as he caught a figure in the corner of his eyes.

His heart stopped as he turned to see Michonne standing at the bottom of the stairs watching them. Rick turns to face Michonne and tensed his shoulders. He steps away from Jessie which causes Jessie to look at him curiously. Her eyes move from him to Michonne, and then back to him. There was a brief silence before Michonne forced a smile on her face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." Michonne said as she turned to walk towards the kitchen.

"You didn't interrupt, we were just talking." Rick offered as Michonne looked back at him and then at Jessie's seemingly bewildered face.

"Are you okay?" Michonne asked Jessie politely as she turned towards them again. Jessie looked at the floor noting the strange looks that Rick gave Michonne.

"Jessie?" Rick asked looking back at Jessie. She took a deep breath and smiled at Michonne.

"Yes, I'm…we're fine." She said nodding. Michonne nodded back.

Michonne's eyes relunctantly found Ricks again.

"I'm going to head out." She said turning to leave again.

"I thought we were going to go to Deana's." Rick inquired as he watched Michonne swing her katana onto her back.

"I have something to do first, I'll meet you there in half an hour." Rick could hear the anger in her voice. He could see the muted fuck you in her eyes as she flashed a quick smile and turned to leave.

He watched as the light flooded the room as she opened the door and closed it. He finally turned to see Jessie staring at him. Her mood seemed deflated and her eyes were void of tears. She looked down at the floor and considered whether or not she should ask, but eventually thought better of it.

Rick walked towards the stairs and began to run his fingers through his hair. Jessie took a deep breath, smiled, and followed him towards the stairs as he sat down.

"I want to ask you something, but I'm not sure if I should now." Rick blinked his eyes a couple of times and then looked up at her.

"What did you want to ask?" He inquired in his low southern drawl.

"Well, I wanted to know if you and your children would like to join us for dinner…tonight at my house?"

Rick looked up at Jessie's friendly smile that still seemed to be hiding her sadness. He shook his head and raised his hand.

"I can't, Michonne and I have to…" Rick started when he heard Jessie sigh.

"Michonne." She repeated as she dropped her chin to her chest with a small but noticeable annoyed look upon her face.

"What?" Rick asked wondering why she suddenly seemed to be put off.

"Nothing." She shook her head

"Is there something going on between you and her?" Jessie wanted to be clear, but was afraid of the answer. Rick was taken back by the question.

"She's my friend…and my partner." He said defensively.

"Your partner?" Jessie said looking at Rick.

"…Yes!"

"In every way?" Rick tilted his head and glared up at Jessie. She could see the agitation in his face.

"I'm sorry, it's none of my business." She said closing her eyes.

"It's just that I thought you and I…" Jessie bit her bottom lip and inhaled deeply.

"You seem so distant towards me and I'm just trying to figure out why." She admitted.

Rick hung his head down, he knew what she was talking about. He'd pursued her before he killed her husband, and afterward he had done all but leave Alexandria to avoid her.

"Listen, I don't know how to feel about… well, about what I did." Rick said and watched her kneel beside him.

"Rick, you had no choice. He lost it, who knows what he would have done if you hadn't stopped him." Rick nodded as he looked at the wall.

"Yeah, but I could have stopped him without killing him. He was a threat, and he killed Reg, but, I just don't know if…" Rick hung his head again.

"If what?" Jessie asked as she placed her hand on his arm. Rick shook his head.

"I have to go." He finally said as he stood up and grabbed his jacket.

"I - we would love to have dinner with you sometime, maybe next week." Rick said walking towards the door and opening it for her.

Jessie stood up and was confused but followed him towards the door.

"Sure." She said smiling as she moved past Rick who stepped outside and closed the door behind him.

Rick smiled at her as he reached down and locked the door. As he turned Jessie put both of his hands on his shoulders and moved up to kiss him on his lips. Again, he didn't pull away, but she noted he didn't return her kiss. She stepped back pulling out of the one sided kiss and smiled. Rick returned the smile and looked around cautiously.

"Well, I'll see you later." Jessie said as she turned to leave.

"Yeah." Rick said as he shoved his keys into his back pocket and walked behind her for a while before turning to walk in the other direction.