A/N: Was listening to A Home by the Dixie Chicks and thought how crushing it would be if the writers ruined an amazing chance for Rick and Michonne to be happy together on screen *sighs sadly* This is what I came up with…

Somehow I saw you as a weakness

I thought I had to be strong

I was…wrong

The stares; the gentle touches; the soft words that went unheard by all others in the dead of the night. The understanding; the knowing; the reassurance that the right choices had been made and that they would make it. That they would live. It had all seemed to be building up, and Michonne had thought that maybe, just maybe, when they reached the safe harbour of the Alexandria Safe-Zone, there would be time for her and Rick to explore the shift in their relationship properly. But amidst all of the games that Rick was playing, as a pre-emptive measure against any dangers that the residents whom they did not know presented them with, he had left Michonne out. He had not told her of the full plan that he had put into place.

He knew how desperately she wanted to find a home again; he knew how badly she wanted another chance at living, at really living. Rick's own paranoia and insecurity was something that he could not dispel. He had told her that they should use their positions as constables to get a more in depth assessment of the community and its people; what he did not tell her was that at the first sign of trouble, he and Carol were amassing weapons and intended on taking the safe-zone by force.

Rick actively chose not to tell Michonne because he knew she had the capacity to talk him out of it. He just could not find the will to tell her no as of late. He recalled his conversation with Carol where she had pointed this fact out to him. He could not explain why he always yielded to Michonne, but Carol had a fair idea of why:

"I get it. The two of you are close. You trust her opinion; but this needs to be done," said Carol, as she and Rick spoke initially of what they had to do to ensure their safety.

They had only been in the community for a short time, but they still did not trust the place or the people entirely. Rick nodded his head in agreement.

"I know. It just doesn't feel right keepin' her out o' the loop," he offered while folding his arms over his chest and looking to the ground.

"We need to be prepared and with the way she's been determined to find us somewhere to stay, I know she wouldn't want us doing anything that she thought would jeopardize that. It'll save all arguments, Rick. And you can't say no to her anyways. We don't need your focus split right now; you've gotten us this far. Don't forget, you're still our leader. Now's the time to be smart and strong," Carol said.

"You think Michonne makes me weak?" he asked, considering all that Carol had said.

"No. Not in a direct way," Carol offered immediately. "I think she makes you question your judgement, and right now, we need you to trust in your choices."

Deep down, Rick did see Michonne as a weakness; he knew he would follow her to the ends of the earth, and that made him feel vulnerable. Even though there were walls surrounding them, Rick knew he had to remain on guard. He could not afford to become distracted by the fact that Michonne was living in the same house as him; that he would pass her in their hallway of a morning wearing nothing but a towel; that she had become used to lulling his daughter to sleep at night as he watched on with his heart swelling with adoration.

That in a moment of levity, he had caught her by the waist and gently kissed her; that the very same night, in a restless state he had made his way to her bedroom to talk about the kiss and ended up in her bed. No, distractions made you weak; distractions were dangerous. And while he admitted to himself that he cared deeply for Michonne, she was a distraction to him. They had a task at hand and it needed Rick's focus.

"Alright. Well, Daryl knows what he has to do?" asked Rick.

"Yeah. He's got it covered at his end; you get in good with that busybody who wanted to cut your hair and get as much dirt on this place as you can and I'll take care of the weapons. We'll be fine if we stay smart, alert and patient."

xXx

Michonne felt her heart sink as she stood out on the porch and watched the party inside. She watched as Rick let that woman hold Judith. She watched as Rick pressed a kiss to that woman's cheek. When she would ask him later to explain his out of character behaviour to her, he said that he could not; at least, not just yet. He was hiding something and Michonne thought the worst. He had used her; to look after and protect his children. He had sweetened her with physical contact and sex to cement her in their life but he was a man; and like most men she figured, he wanted it all.

She ignored Rick as he called to her; she closed her door behind her and disregarded his gentle rapping and sombre pleading. The very next day, Michonne rounded up her meagre belongings and moved out of the house that might have been her home.

Guess I did what I did believing

That love is a dangerous thing

Oh but that couldn't hurt any more than never knowing…

They had settled into their life in Alexandria; they were survivors in every sense of the word. They had staved off attacks from adversaries who would try to take what they had. They had lived a decent life for around a year after they had arrived. Rick had become the leader in their community; Michonne had watched him grow in the role, as she knew he would. While she did not agree with his methods when they first arrived, in time she saw that it all came so naturally for Rick. His plan had become clear to her, but the damage was already done. They were still friends, but there existed a rift between them. She had not given Rick the opportunity to explain his actions fully, but came to see it was all part of his larger plan. That did not stop her from feeling something akin to betrayal. She felt as if Rick did not trust her enough with their plan; after all she had done for him, he kept it from her. She felt as if she had been pushed aside.

Then there was the other aspect to their complicated relationship. Though she knew he had not been using her; though she realized he had not set out to hurt her, Michonne had resigned herself to accepting that loving someone could be dangerous for her heart. While Rick did not mean to cause her pain, he had. While she did not mean to fall for him, she had.

She remained cordial but kept her distance when they were not working together. What Michonne did not fully realize was that Rick still cared for her deeply; he was regretful that he had left her feeling confused and cold-shouldered. In the year since they had their falling out, she still fought by his side and protected his children. She still treated him with respect; she just never let him in anymore. She never let him close enough to win her back, for she knew he could if she gave him the chance. Their bond was strong, but then again, so was their pride.

Rick's eyes still followed Michonne everywhere; he still listened to her wise counsel and never withheld information from her again. Although, there was one thing he still had not shared with her and that was the fact that he was in love withher. He was afraid of revealing his feelings to her because it made it real. It made it real that he had lost the woman he loved and still had to see her every day. He could not admit he loved her and face the reality that he may never have her again.

xXx

Not a night goes by I don't dream of wandering through the home that might have been…

Carl's sixteenth birthday party was in full swing; there was food and drink in abundance and music played at a level that allowed people to maintain conversations without yelling yet added to the festive ambiance. Michonne always felt weirdly sentimental when she returned to that house. She had big dreams for the house that she wanted to call home, but alas, both her pride and Rick's foolishness got in the way.

It was around ten thirty in the evening when Michonne decided to step outside on the front porch; she had to get out of the room. She could scarcely stand the way that Rick's gaze always found her; she wanted to keep her distance, she wanted to deny her feelings but his stare still unnerved her to her core. He had spoken to her when she first arrived; they chatted and made small talk as Carl watched them with hope in his eyes. Judith clung to Michonne and demanded her attention. Rick used Judith's clinginess to Michonne as an excuse to remain in her company. Now that Judith was in bed and most of the other guests had gone home, Michonne thought she might be able to slip away undetected.

She felt his presence immediately; she did not even have to turn around to know it was him.

"Leavin' already?" Rick asked slowly, a slight slur in his drawl from the whiskey he had been nursing.

Michonne sighed and crossed her arms over her chest, somehow subconsciously protecting herself from him; protecting her heart.

"I was thinkin' about it. Judy's asleep and Carl's havin' fun with his friends so I should probably get goin'," she said as Rick sidled up next to her.

"You know you can stay here…"

"Rick…"

"You know I want you to stay here. You know I want you…" he said softly, genuinely.

"Rick, don't," she offered sadly. "We had our chance and somehow we fucked it up."

Rick let his head fall, knowing she was right.

"But don't you ever think about what might've been?" he asked, sounding deflated.

Michonne let out a deep breath, turned to Rick and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Every day."

She said before moving away from Rick and walking down the steps. She got to the end of the path and turned back to look at him knowing he would watch after her until her could see her no longer.

xXx

I listened to my pride when my heart cried out for you

Now every day I wake again

In a house that might have been

A Home.

A/N: There's room for another chapter. What do you all think?