A/N: This story will explore the beginning of the Zombie outbreak with Rick and Michonne. We never got to see the outbreak from the beginning and I wanted to explore that. Enjoy!

I do not own these characters.

Chapter One: The Fresh Start

"So it's true, when all is said and done, grief is the price we pay for love." – E.A. Bucchianeri

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Michonne sighed in relief, as she pulled in front of her house. Her entire day at work had been hell and she was eager to salvage the remainder of the day by lying in bed and enjoying the comfort of her newly acquired home in a tiny rural town in King County, Georgia. A year ago, she would have been turned off by such a place, however it was now a welcome change.

As her stiletto clad feet hit the paved driveway, she took note of the Sheriff's car parked in front of the house next to hers and the bicycle left haphazardly on the lawn, a sure sign of neighboring children. She smiled, basking in the comfort she felt with living next door to the town's sheriff. Across the street, Carol Peletier was seated on her front porch quietly observing Michonne. She waved languidly at the inquisitive woman as she moved toward her front door.

Once inside, Michonne immediately kicked off her heels, wriggling her aching toes with a satisfied groan. She sauntered into her living room, turning on the lamps as she went and tossed her jacket on a nearby chair. She flopped onto her couch with a heavy sigh, attempting to clear her busy mind. She remained on the couch for come time soundlessly removing the hairpins that held her dreadlocks styled away from her face, before making her way to her upstairs in search of more comfortable clothing.

The shrill ringing of her cell phone filled her bedroom as she dug through and unpacked box attempting to find her fuzzy slippers.

"Hello?"

"Hey Mich."

A broad smile spread across her face at the sound of her sister's voice. "Hey Sasha. What's up?"

"We're thinking about coming down next weekend instead. Noah might be coming down with something." Michonne could hear the slight worry in her sister's voice.

Her eyes darted to a box marked Photos and she once again felt the clutches of grief creep up on her again. Her throat thickened and she lightly kicked the box away to hide the label. She attempted to clear her mind before the tears emerged.

"That's fine," Michonne assured her sister as she hastily exited her bedroom and descended the stairs, approached the kitchen. "I'm sorry my nephew isn't feeling well. Give him a kiss for me."

"I'm so sorry for canceling on you. I hate that you're alone and so far away from your family."

"I'm fine Sasha. I might have some plans for the weekend anyway," she lied, not wanting her sister to worry.

"I know you are. I just wish you were closer."

"I'm less than two hours away and I like it here," she said truthfully. "I needed the change after..." Michonne left the sentence there. It would have been too painful to finish. She opened the refrigerator in search of leftovers.

"I understand Mich. I'm just a worrier and I miss you."

"I've only been officially gone for a week Sasha." Michonne popped some food from the day before in the oven and poured herself a glass of wine.

"How was your first day back at work?"

"Shitty," she groaned, rolling her eyes at the memory as she took a sip of wine. "I might just quit. That would be another very welcome change."

Michonne heard her sister's sigh of disapproval on the other end of the phone. Sasha had difficulty hiding her disagreement with Michonne's new and spontaneous life changes. Especially due to grief being the major catalyst.

"Michonne are you sure you don't want to –"

"Sorry Sash I'm getting another call," Michonne lied, cutting Sasha off. She knew what her sister was going to say and she couldn't hear it again. She already made her choices about her new beginning and she refused to be swayed. "It looks like work. Talk to you later, okay? Tell Bob and Noah I said hi." She swiftly ended the call and retrieved her plate.

As Michonne jabbed at her food, the sound of her ringing doorbell filled the room. She groaned in mild irritation as she approached the door, deliberating on whether she should bother answering whoever it was. She swung open the door to find Carol Peletier along with her daughter Sophia and a familiar dark-haired little boy.

"Hi, we've met before," Carol said, in a slightly agitated tone. "I live across the street." Michonne observed that she was holding a covered ceramic container.

"Yes," Michonne offered a smile. "Carol, right?"

"That's right," she smiled tremulously. "This is my Sophia, as you already know, and this is Carl. He's Sheriff Grimes' son. He lives next door."

"Hi." Michonne gave a small wave, still trying to discern what it was that Carol wanted. She anxiously wanted to return to her meal and enjoy the evening of solace she desperately craved.

"I'm sorry for asking this, but could you possibly do me a massive favor?"

Oh please no, Michonne thought, dreading what the woman was about to ask. In that moment she realized that this would be something she would to miss about living in the city. There would be much more neighborly interaction here. She was in one of those towns where everybody knew everything about everybody and functioned like an extended family.

"What is it?" She asked, keeping a set expression, even though she already had an idea of what Carol's answer would be. She felt the familiar tightening in her throat.

"Keep a quick eye on Carl and Sophia for me? I won't be gone very long and they've already had dinner," she said in an unsteady voice. "Please? It's a bit of an emergency. It'll only be about a half hour."

Michonne took a small, inconspicuous step forward, gazing to her left in a swift and subtle search of the Sheriff's car that was parked out front close to an hour before. It was missing now. She saw the desperation in the woman's face and, against her better judgment, offered a small smile, ignoring the ache in her chest and answered, "Sure."

"Thank you so much. I would normally ask the Jones' but they're out of town," Carol said hastily. She handed Michonne the dish and Michonne took notice of her slightly unsteady hands. "This is for you. Welcome to the neighborhood again!"

With that, she spun around and virtually sprinted off the porch, leaving Michonne standing, mouth agape, with two somewhat confused eight-year olds.

"Um…well come inside." She stepped aside for them to enter. "I'm Michonne."

"You have a really nice house Miss Michonne," Carl commented, as they entered the kitchen.

"Thank you. It's just Michonne. No 'Miss' necessary." She smiled gently at the boy as she put the dish on her marble countertop. The kitchen and living room were two of the first rooms she unpacked.

Michonne was unsure of what to do with the two children. It had been some time since she interacted with children other than Noah.

"Do you have any kids?" Carl asked, almost sounding as if he were trying to make small talk. He glanced around the room as if he expected a child to emerge upon hearing his question.

Michonne shook her head. "No, I don't. You guys want to watch TV or something?" she asked, hoping that would keep them busy until Carol returned.

"Sure," they answered. Something about their voices made them sound almost low in spirit. She chalked it up to them probably being tired.

Michonne grabbed her deserted plate and ushered them to the living room, handing Carl the remote. "You can watch whatever." She silently watched the two children interact as she attempted to eat the remainder of her dinner.

Her mind flooded with painful memories of a scene similar to the one before her. It was at times like this it felt as if the grief was going to stifle her.

"You live here alone?" Carl asked, breaking her out of her reverie. His inquisitive eyes darted around her neat and spacious living room. The way it was decorated reminded him of pictures he saw in his mother's magazines about houses.

"Yes." She swallowed a mouthful of wine.

"Why?" he questioned. "Don't you get lonely?"

"You shouldn't ask adults personal questions Carl," Sophia interrupted apprehensively.

"Sorry." He smiled sheepishly. "It's just that, I know my Dad gets lonely sometimes and he even has me."

Michonne couldn't help but smile at the boy. "It does get lonely here sometimes, but I'm okay with it. I like it that way."

Carl gave her an incredulous look. "Well I don't like being lonely. That's why I have friends and my Dad. Oh and sometimes my Mom." It didn't escape Michonne's notice that he used the word sometimes.

"I have family and friends too," she chortled. "I have a sister named Sasha and a Nephew around your age. His name is Noah."

"Cool," he smiled as if he was happy to hear that she had people in her life. "Where are they?"

She was surprisingly unbothered by his curiosity. "They live in the city but they are coming to visit me next weekend."

"Okay," he grinned. "When your nephew comes, maybe he can come over and play with me and Sophia."

"Maybe," Michonne allowed. She had yet to meet the Sheriff or Carl's mother. The most she had seen of the family was the Sheriff's car and Carl's bicycle. Carl's attention returned to the TV as a new show started and Michonne was once again lost in the tangled web that was now her mind. She was completely unaware of how long they sat there until she glanced at the clock and noticed it was nearing nine forty-five.

Carol should have been back already.

Michonne stood, heading to the kitchen with her empty plate. Where on earth is Carol?

She peered out of the front door, looking for signs that anyone was home at Carol's. She noticed a light was on in one of the upstairs rooms, but everything was quiet otherwise. She glanced down the street to the Grimes house and the cruiser was still missing.

What is going on? It worried her that she had no contact information for Carol, who had now been gone for two and a half hours.

"Did your Mom say where she was going?" Michonne asked as she reentered the living room.

Sophia looked up before quickly glancing away and Carl just shrugged his shoulders.

"What about your Dad?" she asked Carl.

"He said there was an emergency so he left me with Mrs. P. He said he'd be back by bedtime. It's forty-five minutes past bedtime though."

Michonne nodded, heading to the entryway again. She felt Carl's presence not far behind her. "Michonne?" he whispered. She turned around wondering why he was whispering. She figured it had something to do with the little girl in the next room. Carl's brow furrowed as he looked up at her anxiously.

"I think something happened." His voice was still low. "At Sophia's house. There was a lot of noise and I think I saw blood."

"What are you –" Michonne was interrupted by a loud knock at the door behind her. "Hold on." She let out a weary sigh, opening the door without looking through the peephole.

A dark-haired man in a Sheriff's uniform stood on the other side, clutching a piece of paper in his hand. "Hi I'm Rick Grimes. I live next door. I think my son might be here." He spoke in a throaty southern drawl. She half expected him to tip his large Sheriff's hat at her. He held up the piece of paper. "Carol left a note on her door."

"Hi I'm Michonne." She reached out to shake his hand. "Your son is here, along with Carol's daughter." Carl's head popped out from behind her as she said this.

"Hey Dad!"

"Sophia's here too?" His blue eyes, which matched his son's, widened in surprise. He offered his son a small smile. "I wonder where Carol went. Did she say anything about where she was going?"

Michonne shook her head and gave a small shrug, leaning against the doorjamb. "She said something about an emergency, but that was it."

"Thank you so much for watching them Michonne." She smiled at the correct pronunciation of her name. People often pronounced it wrong on the first attempt. "I'm sorry if this inconvenienced you in any way."

"It's fine," she said, waving him off. "They're great kids." She smiled at Carl, who was now standing next to her. "I enjoyed the company." She was surprised at how true her statement was as the words left her lips.

"Michonne lives alone Dad," Carl interjected. "She also gets lonely like you."

Rick Grimes' face reddened in embarrassment as his eyes darted everywhere, except for at the woman in front of him. "Oh, wow," Rick laughed. "Okay Carl. Go get Sophia."

When the boy disappeared into the house he finally looked at Michonne apologetically. "I…I don't…kids," he chuckled, fixing his eyes on a spot near her head. "They just say whatever they're thinking."

"I get it," she laughed, feeling a little embarrassed as well. I should have invited him inside, she thought.

"Thanks again Michonne." Rick said once Carl reemerged with Sophia. "Welcome to the neighborhood. I'm sure I'll see you around."

Michonne waved as they descended her front steps. As she shut the front door behind her, she was reminded of her brief conversation with Carl before his father showed up. She quickly stood on her tiptoes peering at the now eerily silent house across the street. She let out an audible gasp at what she saw.

The light on the second floor was now off.

Thank you for reading! Please review and let me know what you think!