Summary: Underneath the covers the weight of the world is replaced by two hearts beating in tandem.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.

It's all over
And it's only beginning
We're beginning to finally see one another
We grow stronger
We grow stronger for breaking
We grow stronger for breaking apart together

The exact date was never known anymore. It was a guess based on the feel of the weather. With the windows open the mid-morning sun drew bright paths across the beige carpet. The light breeze was cooler than it had been a few weeks ago. The reign of summer would soon be over. Rick wasn't keen on the soon to be ushering in of autumn. A Georgia boy through and through, he wanted to enjoy the warmth a little longer. That enjoyment didn't have him leaving the house, however. Usually when he showed his face in the streets of Alexandria he had to contend with being pulled in multiple directions. Not today though. Today was just about him.

And her.

He looked over to the bed admiring the contrast of her dark skin wrapped in the white sheets that left nothing to the imagination. As if the mind could conjure up anything as delectable as what was live and in the flesh before him. Waking her wasn't going to be in his immediate plans, the luxury of sleeping in was foreign to the both of them, but he craved her touch. Sliding his naked body back into the bed, he wrapped himself around her. The roughness of his calloused hands making circles down her thigh and the feel of his lips on the back of her neck roused Michonne from her deep sleep. She immediately turned her body to face him.

"Why aren't you sleeping," she asked, "I thought that's why we sent the kids to spend the night and day with Daryl and Carol." Her eyes were still closed. She rested her head in the crook of his neck. Dreads were piled on top of her head in a messy bun. With every breath Rick inhaled the scent of her lavender shampoo.

"I felt lonely."

Michonne laughed. Her voice still a little rough from slumber. "Grimes you really woke me up because you were lonely?"

"Well I needed someone to play with."

Michonne opened one eye and looked up to see Rick smirking at her. "Didn't we play enough last night?"

"What can I say? I'm an insatiable man." He said matter-of-factly with a wink that caused Michonne to laugh again.

"Please never wink at me again. It makes you look like a shifty used car salesmen."

Rick shook his head in mock-hurt. "You sting me. You really sting me."

"Aw. I'm sorry, baby." Michonne slid out of his embrace and in one quick motion, straddled his waist. "What was it that you wanted to play? Gin rummy? Dungeons and dragons?"

Rick gripped her waist. Looking up at her he still couldn't fully comprehend she was his. He licked his lips as his eyes focused on her small but perfect breasts as his hands traveled further down to cup her ass. "How about I'll be the chauffeur and you'll be the rich heiress who needs to let off some steam."

"Or," Michonne moaned slightly as Rick's hands dipped lower, "I'll be Xena and you'll be Hercules."

He quickly changed their positions; tossing her onto her back. Feeling completely turned on by the way he took charge she laid there looking up at him waiting to be completely devoured. He hovered just above her. "Does that mean you get to play with my bow?"

Feeling spent, but relaxed Michonne laid horizontal with her head on Rick's stomach. Legs bent and crossed at the knee. Her whole body glistened from the sheen of sweat and the now afternoon sun pouring through the windows.

Rick let out a deep exhale and smiled. He couldn't remember the last night he stayed in bed all day sleeping and making love. It may had been before Carl was born. Michonne suddenly flipped around from her position to her stomach lying parallel to him. He always thought the heart skipping a beat was a stupid love cliché, but he swore he could feel his stutter when she smiled so sweetly at him.

"I needed this. I don't remember the last time I was afforded this luxury. It's nice just to be man and woman for a time, and not anyone's saviors."

He traced her lips with his thumb and smiled back at her. "I was just thinking the same thing." The breeze outside was getting stronger. Rick felt her shiver next to him. Neither one wanted to leave the bed for the five seconds it would take to close the windows so he pulled the thick, white comforter around them instead. Snuggling together both felt more content than they had since the world changed for the worst.

Lover, find me underneath the covers
We will stay here until we discover
All that we have to give to each other
Til forever

"My favorite thing to do when I was stressed was to hide underneath my blanket," Michonne said, "I think it had to do with that old adage from childhood. If you were under the covers the monsters couldn't get you." She ran her foot up and down his leg.

"I wished that worked on walkers." He said with a laugh. "What stressed you out before?" Rick lightly tapped his fingers on her hip. He smiled to himself when he realized he was unconsciously tapping out Morse code for "I love you."

She sighed. "You know. The usual. Worried I wouldn't get into a good law school. When I did, I worried that I wouldn't make it through those three years. A good firm wouldn't hire me. That I wasn't a good mother because sometimes I worked 60 hours a week." She shook her head. "I was the classic Type A personality. Sometimes I just want to slap the old me and tell her to just live. Enjoy your life because well you know."

Rick pulled her closer to him. Her voice began to sound sadder and further away as she divulged into the past. Their bodies laid intertwined in silence. The only sound was their breathing and the occasional voices of passersby on the street below their open windows.

"I used to want to hide away from the mornings," Rick said eventually, "I was scared to look over to Lori each morning and wonder if that was the day we decided to stop loving each other."

Michonne raised up balancing herself on one elbow. Rick's eyes were on the ceiling. She watched as his past played out in his unfocused eyes. Staying silent she stared at him closely knowing he had more to say.

"Sometimes I wonder if I'm going to wake up one morning and you decide dealing with me and all my shit is just too much. You decide not to love me anymore."

Still saying nothing, with one swift motion Michonne pulled the comforter above their heads; encasing them in a cocoon. He turned his head to face her. Her hand caressed his cheek while his eyes simultaneously looked at her with love, sadness, and regret.

"It's safe under here," she said, "Nothing can stop our love as long as we have this." Her voice came out in a whisper. Loud voices weren't needed.

He smiled sadly at her before responding in an equally soft voice. "What happens when we have to leave our sanctuary?"

She kissed him softly on the lips. "As long we make it back here each night everything will be okay. As long as we wake up in each other's arms nothing can tear us apart."

"Can it really be that simple?" His hands found her stomach; his fingers continuing tapping out his feelings for her. "I fear losing your love more than I do getting bit by a walker." He said.

Michonne playfully bit his chest then kissed it. "I'm the only one allowed to leave bite marks on you."

Rick laughed before turning serious again. "I've failed so much. I still don't know why you want to be with me, but I promise to try everyday to be someone you can be proud to love."

"I think my heart chose you from the first moment we locked eyes at the prison. I ignored it for so long. But me without you is no longer an option." She intertwined their fingers. "You're everything I didn't know I wanted."

Grimes men don't cry was a mantra his father instilled in him from an early age. For a split second he wondered what his dad would think of the tears he felt rolling down his cheeks at the words of the woman hiding under the covers with him. The thought soon left and his whole focus was the beautiful being in front of him.

"You're everything I didn't think I deserved to have." He kissed her softly on the cheek as she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her hands found his unruly curls.

"It just took the end of the world for us to find each other. We were given a second chance. It wouldn't be fair to sacrifices of Lori, of Mike, of Andre for us to continue to second guess what we have. I'm not letting you go. This is forever."

How you move me
How you move me to love you
I keep choosing to love you again every morning

The light of the afternoon soon gave way to the twilight of evening. The curtains flapped in the wind, the breeze coming in harder. Morning was just around the corner. Underneath the covers laid two hearts basking in becoming one. Their bodies close together. No words had been spoken in the last few hours. None were needed at the moment. All that was needed were their breaths rising and falling in sync, the heat of their bodies reminding each other that neither was going anywhere, and tick of his watch on the nightstand counting down forever.

Song inspiration: Till Forever by Joy Williams