Chapter 1:

"Thanks for this mom, I really appreciate it"

"Don't you worry about it! I love watching my little grandbaby"

Rick waved to his son as walked down his parent's driveway, "Bye Carl!"

"Bye daddy!", Carl waved back, already eating one of the cookies Rick's mother had made especially for him.

He rarely ever left his son unless he was going to work, so he was grateful that his parents were taking him for the night so he could get some much needed adult time. He climbed into his truck and pulled out, heading back into town.

He realised one of the downfalls of rarely leaving his son was the fact that he would worry when they were apart. He knew Carl was fine and in good hands, but he couldn't help but fret. It was often just the two of them, and he had become accustomed to that, seeing his son as an extension of himself. Being a single parent was turning out to have its own unique pitfalls.

He arrived at the diner and checked his watch as soon as he stepped out his car, surprised to learn that he was early, as he usually found himself running a little late due to unforeseen circumstances centred around Carl.

"You're early", He smirked as he took a seat in the booth opposite his good friend.

"No, I'm on time. You're just always late", Maggie shook her head at him, "I already ordered for us. Got you a burger and cheese fries with a lemonade"

"Ugh, thanks. I'm starving", Rick yawned, covering his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Carl had you up past your bedtime?"

"He took a four hour nap in the day so…", Rick shook his head, "He was on night watch"

"You gotta' let me take him one of these days. You know I love little boys", Maggie beamed at him.

"Don't worry, you'll probably have a few of your own one day"

"I can definitely see that happening", She chuckled as the waitress slid their drinks on to the table, "Thank you"

"Thanks", Rick gave the woman at single nod as he took his lemonade, "How was your date with what's his name?"

Maggie rolled her eyes, "Glenn, and it was horrible. He barely spoke, just sat there staring at me the whole time"

Rick snickered, "He's probably nervous"

"Yeah well, I'm not seeing him again anytime soon… what about you?"

Rick nearly choked on his tongue, "What about me?"

"Lori's been gone for a while now, you can date you know-"

"I don't need to", Rick shook his head at the idea.

"It's not about whether you need to or not, it's just a bit if fun", Maggie shrugged, "You know I'll take that little boy of yours and you can go… have some adult time"

Rick's raised his eyebrows at her.

"Take your mind out the gutter", She frowned, but began to smile, "I mean, if that's what you want…"

"Stop it."

Maggie giggled as she threw her scrunched up napkin at him, "I mean it though. Don't let her taint it for the rest of the women out there"

"I'm not. I know they're not all like her…", Rick scratched his brow with his thumb, "It's just… having to get to know someone again seems like a chore"

"Well you and Lori were high school sweethearts, you grew up together. You can have that again. It's not impossible"

"It's not… I know, it's not", He sighed, looking out the window, "Wait, where's your truck?"

"Oh, Patricia let me use her car. My beat up old truck is dying a slow and painful death", Maggie shook her head sadly, "Gonna have to put her down soon"

Rick stared at her.

"Oh stop it"

He began to chuckle, "It's a truck"

"I know but I have emotional ties to it", She frowned, "It's like you and your trusty boots"

His smile fell, "What's wrong with my boots?"

"Nothing..", She shrugged, "It's just you seem to struggle to part with them too"

He rolled his eyes, "You know I'm not into dressing up-"

"Wearing a different pair of shoes isn't dressing up", She responded flatly.

"Well it is to me", He smirked.

"And here you go!", The waitress appeared again, "One cheeseburger with fries and one grilled cheese sandwich with a side salad"

Rick frowned as he shook his head, "Think there's a mistake"

The waitress's eyes darted from the plate to Rick's face, "Not what you ordered?"

"We ordered a regular burger with cheese fries", Maggie informed as she moved her own plate closer to herself.

"I think that's mine"

Rick looked past the waitress to the young women who stood by the next booth, and his throat immediately tightened.

"Oh! That's right! Oh I'm so sorry about that", The waitress shook her head in exasperation.

"Don't worry about it, we'll just switch them over", The woman smiled, picking up Rick's order from her table, "Go on we've got it"

"Thank you dear", The waitress patted her on the back as she stepped past her.

Rick considered himself to be a fairly confident man, and while he wasn't actively dating, he was still able to conduct himself around women, but this woman left him speechless. Her hair was in locks, and tied up in a ponytail, and she wore a tight black top that exposed her lean shoulders and her navel, and light blue jeans that clung to her. She stepped back over to the table with a smile that made Rick want to give her anything she asked for.

"So that's mine…", She took the plate from his hand and he didn't look anywhere else but her face, "And this is yours-"

The woman jolted forward as someone bumped into her, causing his order that she held to slip into his lap. The other person apologised profusely, while Rick didn't even care.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!", She apologised, putting her plate down and soon taking the food off his lap.

Rick snapped out of his daze when he realised a majority of the food was on his groin, "Oh don't worry about it-"

"Can he have the same thing again please? Put them both on our bill", The woman insisted as the waitress looked over at them from another table.

"What?!", A blonde woman with incredibly large, curly hair stuck her head up from behind Maggie, "No way! I'm not paying for that!"

"Stop it, Andrea, I spilt it on him", The woman hissed.

Andrea snorted, her bright pink top lip curling, "Fine, but you can pay then"

She tutted at her friend before turning back to Rick, "Once again, I'm so sorry-"

"What's your name?", Rick had finally caught up with himself.

She looked a little thrown off, but still answered, "Michonne".

"Michonne?", He repeated easily.

She nodded, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Can I take you out sometime, Michonne?"

Maggie's eyes bulged, a fry hovering by her mouth as she looked at him with nothing but shock.

Michonne began to smile, and Rick's heart fluttered, "Um…Sure, okay…"

"I can take your number?"

"Yeah. Okay"

He took out his phone from his back pocket and handed it to her, and she quickly hit the buttons as she added herself to his contacts. He couldn't take his eyes off her.

"His name's Rick by the way", Maggie hissed to Michonne, "He hasn't done this in a while so go easy on him"

Rick's eyes slid over to Maggie's as Michonne giggled, handing him back his phone, "Well there you go… Rick"

"I'll give you a call?", The smile was plastered on his face.

"Alright then, bye", She gave a little flutter of her fingers as she walked back to her booth.

Rick sighed as he watched her.

"Well. Your attitude changed almost instantly didn't it?", Maggie teased as she threw a fry at him.

"I… was not gonna' let her go", He wished her friends hair wasn't so big, so he could watch her for a little longer.

He truly didn't have any intentions of dating anytime soon as he felt as if he had only just got adjusted to raising Carl on his own, but he was overcome with great interest when he saw Michonne. She and her friend finished their meals sooner than he and Maggie, and he was nearly giddy when she looked back at him before she left.

"You're gonna call her tonight aren't you", Maggie joked as she searched in her purse.

He chuckled at his friend, though he knew she was right. He did plan to call her as soon as he got the chance.

They paid for their meals and soon left too, walking out the eatery together. Rick made his way over to his truck, which was coincidently parked next to Patricia's car.

"So what's the plan for the rest of the day?"

Rick gave a little shrug, "I'll probably just head over to Daryl's if he's available. Hang out there for a while"

"Sounds fun. Well it looks like you're gonna need a babysitter after all aren't you? Just give me a call. I know Beth would love to help me with Carl too", Maggie insisted, shielding her eyes from the sun.

Rick slowly nodded, "That'll be great. I appreciate it"

"No problem. Oh and don't forget, my birthday dinner-"

"I wouldn't miss it"

"Don't be late either!"

He climbed into truck, and waited for his friend to pull out of her parking space first before following her lead.

Having so much free time always left Rick feeling as if he should fill his day with activities that he didn't usually get to do if he had his son, and so he did just that.

He first stopped at the grocery store, then the hardware store to do some leisurely shopping, before heading home. He cleaned the house from top to bottom, even taking the opportunity to throw out a number of old items that he hadn't had the chance to. He made his afternoon a productive one, and by the time evening rolled around, he was back out of his home and ready to relax for the remainder of his day.

The apartments that his friend Daryl lived in where compact, but incredibly modern, especially for a small town that liked to hold on to historic buildings.

"What's going on?", Daryl greeted, stepping aside to let Rick in his home.

"Nothing. Just had lunch with Maggie", Rick strolled in, and immediately frowned, "What's that smell?"

"Sasha", Daryl rasped, "She bought about fifty of those smelly candles 'cause they were on sale"

"...So she's burning them all at once?"

"One in every room"

Rick shook his head in disbelief as he took a seat on the couch in the open plan room, "Well, I should smell great when I leave"

"Where's Lil' ass kicker?"

"With my mom for the night"

"Yeah? So what are you doing?", Daryl appeared beside him, holding out a cold bottle of beer.

"Sleeping", Rick scoffed, "Thanks"

"Nah man, you can do that anytime. Go out. Go to a bar or somethan'-"

"Did you just say I can sleep anytime? When? When can I sleep anytime?"

Daryl rolled his eyes are him as he took a seat in the arm chair, "You know what I mean"

The front door clicked open, and Sasha panted as she burst into view, "Forgot my damn water"

"Hey Sasha", Rick called.

"Oh hey Rick!", She smiled, shutting the door with her foot, "Where's lil' ass kicker?"

"I wish you would both use my son's name", Rick responded dryly.

"Sorry! Blame this one", She shrugged, pointing at Daryl as she walked over to the kitchen.

"Yeah yeah", Daryl responded in a mutter, too busy biting his thumb nail, "He's got the night off and he wants to sleep"

"He's probably tired. Kids are tiring you know?"

"He needs to go out, relax. Head to a bar or somethan'.."

"Not everyone wants to party on the weekend. Unlike some people…", Sasha tilted her head towards the wall, signalling that she mean the neighbouring home, "Every weekend like clockwork"

"The new neighbours I told you about", Daryl explained to Rick, finally allowing him back in the conversation.

"Oh. Yeah", He huffed, taking out his phone, "The party girls-"

"That girl, the blonde one, what's her name?", Sasha quizzed, heading to the front door again.

"Andrea", Daryl answered, reaching for the remote on the coffee table.

"That's the one, she's nuts, so keep away from her", Sasha warned, giving her boyfriend a no nonsense look.

"What are you talking about?', Daryl scowled, "We ain't friends"

"Good, keep it that way", Sasha yanked open the door, "See ya' Rick"

"Oh, bye", Rick tore his eyes from his screen when he heard his name, "Have… fun?"

The door slammed shut, and Daryl snorted in annoyance, "I can't even stand that girl"

"Who?"

"The neighbour"

"Oh", Rick looked towards the TV screen as his friend began to flick through the channels, "Maggie's birthday dinner by the way-"

"I know, she keeps going on and on"

"She's excited. Finally twenty-one…", Rick frowned as he thought about the event, "Don't know how I feel about seeing Patrick, though"

Daryl's eyes crept over to him, "Don't blame you. Son of a bitch liked to keep secrets"

"Still her brother", Rick pointed out flatly, "And it's still her birthday, I don't wanna' ruin it for her, but If I see him-"

"He's getting a good ol' fashioned beatin'. He deserves it for all he did"

Rick clenched his jaw, "He does"

The two men were able to spend an unhealthy amount of time staring at the television. Not watching anything in particular, just continuing to flick through channels until something caught their eye for the moment, occasionally taking a break to converse.

"How long does Sasha jog for?", Rick enquired, squinting at his watch when he lifted his wrist, using the light from the TV to see.

"Uh…", Daryl looked at him, "An hour?"

"It's been about… three?"

The man stared at him for a few moments, then hopped out his seat, "Where the hell is she then?"

Rick could have scoffed, "She might have stopped off somewhere-"

"She could have called…", Daryl shoved his boots on, making no attempt to tie his shoelaces. The man marched over to the front door and yanked it open, much like his girlfriend had did hours earlier, "I might go out looking for her…"

"Yeah?", Rick stretched as he stood up, "You want some help with that?"

"Nah, it's alright-"

The hallway filled with light as muffled laughter became clear, the neighbouring door swinging open to reveal Sasha, "...They always do that but it's fine, just make sure you open the-"

"You been here this whole time?", Daryl questioned angrily, "You couldn't have knocked on the door and told me?"

Sasha's wide eyes quickly narrowed as she focused on her boyfriend, "Why? What happened?"

"Nothing, but Rick was worried"

Rick was so used to his friend throwing him under the bus when it came to Sasha, that he just gave her a little nod as he stepped out the apartment, "It's getting late"

Sasha's narrowed eyes darted over to meet his for only a second, before looking back at Daryl, "I was right here, Rick didn't need to be worried-"

"Sorry Dixon! I saw her coming back and I pulled her into see something… we got carried away", Michonne stepped into view, her hair swinging freely as she peeked around the door frame.

Rick froze with delight, while Daryl gruffed, "Women"

Sasha rolled her eyes as she stepped across the hall, "I will speak to you later, girl"

"Bye…", Michonne called, straightening up when she noticed Rick, "Hi again…"

"Hey", He cleared his throat, hoping he didn't look too scruffy from sitting on the couch for the last few hours.

"You leaving?", Daryl quizzed roughly, obviously still annoyed.

"Uh, yeah go on. I'll stop by in the week", Rick hurried, wishing his friend would disappear back into the house.

"Alright... night 'Chonne", Daryl called, trudging back into his apartment.

"Night Dixon", Michonne called back, leaning on the door frame as she crossed her arms, wearing a friendly smile as Daryl closed the door, "So… you guys are friends?"

"Yeah, we are. Grew up together and work together… hang out together"

"Sweet", She chimed, "He's a great guy. He helped me fix this stupid light when we moved in"

"Yeah he's helpful like that"

She made tiny circles with her toe as she fidgeted, "Yeah..."

She was smiling at him as he smiled back at her, and for a moment he forgot about their whereabouts. Her lashes were curled perfect around her dark brown eyes, and her lips were full and appeared pillow soft, almost as if they were in a constant pout. Rick could barely tear his eyes away from her, "So… Uh, you heading out tonight or-"

"Oh no… having a quiet night in. Me and my roommate, slash best friend, always go out and… she has a date so I'm just going to watch a movie… relax"

"That doesn't sound too bad"

"Yeah, but it's a little boring", She giggled, and it was the sweetest sound Rick had ever heard, "But I don't want to go out to a bar by myself or anything…"

Not one to miss an opportunity, he quickly suggested, "...Do you wanna' go out? I'm not doing anythan' now so...I mean-"

She stood up straight, "Now?"

"Yeah, I mean if you're feeling up to it?"

Michonne glanced back in her home, "Um… I don't mind... I mean, yeah sure, uh, can you give me a minute? So I can just get changed-"

"Sure. Go head, take all the time you need", His heart raced in his chest, "My trucks just there so you can-"

She looked in the direction that he pointed, "Oh okay, well I'll be right out"

"Alright."

It was suffice to say that Rick was feeling both giddy and petrified. He had only met the girl earlier in the day, and he wasn't expecting to see her again that same night, but he was available and so was she. It would seem like a waste to let the night go amiss, and given the choice of going home to an empty house or spending the remainder of the night with Michonne, he would dive for the latter as he did wish to stare at her some more, but he couldn't help wonder if he was a little too eager to see her. She was a effectively a perfect stranger, and yet he had already decided that he needed to know everything about her, so he would have to throw caution to the wind on this occasion, and worry about his insecurities later.