'Tis the season to be jolly! I decided to write a little fun holiday story. I've had it in my head to do something like this for a while and I think this will be a good December stress reliever for me. I don't plan on it being too long or anything. I'm planning on finishing before the New Year lol. I hope you guys enjoy!

Chapter 1

It had been over eleven years since he last saw her.

Rick Grimes watched in enraptured silence as the woman —who once captured the soul of his younger self— stood across the street chatting animatedly with a group of familiar faces. She was even more beautiful than the images his unreliable memories recreated.

She hadn't seen him yet. He didn't expect to see her here of all places and as far as he knew she likely didn't expect to see him.

When he first left home, he visited their hometown every year at Christmas time. He never had the good—or bad, depending on how he chose to see it— fortune of ever running into her. Although, in the past five years, his visits had come to an end.

An image of one of their final happy moments together, invaded his mind. They were in her bedroom—her parents had been away for the weekend. Her skin bathed in the moonlight streaming from her open window. They were happy.

They laughed.

They foolishly planned for a future that would never be.

They found comfort in each other's arms.

"Fancy seeing you here stranger."

Rick snapped out of his reverie, coming face to face with Maggie Rhee. "Oh hey." He held his arms open to embrace her. Growing up, she was like a little sister to him. Their families were close due to their mother's long friendship.

"I only just got in. Couldn't miss my favorite holiday celebrations," he said sarcastically.

The town held an annual month long Festival of Lights to celebrate the holidays.

These celebrations were— to put it mildly— excessive. The town transformed into a winter wonderland. An enormous 50 feet tall Christmas tree adorned with an inordinate amount of glistening ornaments and lights, stood in the large square on Market street. The eerily angelic voices of the local children's choir filled the air with songs of joy and peace. People swarmed in an out of the quaint bustling shops carrying saccharine baked goods and last minute gaudy trinkets. It felt like the setting of a cheesy Hallmark Christmas movie.

He despised it all with a passion.

"You've missed it plenty in the past few years." She rolled her eyes playfully, taking a step back and looking him over. "Lori here with you?"

"Uh...no."

"How's the wedding planning coming along?"

"We're taking a break," he said, dispassionately. "A permanent one."

"Oh, wow. You guys seemed serious last time I saw you," she said sympathetically. "How'd your Mother take it. She's been wanting to marry you off for years with absolutely no luck."

He shrugged. "She'll live. She's somewhere around here spreading the yuletide joy. I was just about to go find her so I can get out of here."

"Well, it's good to see you again." She crossed her arms. "You could have called and said you were coming home. Give me some kind of a heads up. "

He grinned apologetically. "Surprise?"

"Very funny."

"I try."

"So, I'm guessing you came back here to mope and torture yourself with your least favorite holiday before moving on to the next doomed relationship."

He chuckled. "How do you know me so well?"

"What was it this time? She got tired of you being too emotionally unavailable?"

"Ouch."

His eyes inadvertently shifted to where Michonne Dubois stood across the street. Maggie's eyes followed his gaze and he could almost feel her grow cold beside him.

"Oh yeah," she said dryly. "She's here."

"After all these years," he replied wistfully. "This is the first time, right?"

"Yeah. Well, when you stopped coming a few years ago, I assumed it was because of her," she said. "Everything you ever did seemed to lead back to her in some way."

"That's not true." His denial sounded weak even to his own ears. "And what happened with us is in the past. We've both moved on, so she's usually the last person on my mind."

"She waited for you, you know."

"I know," he replied softly. "How's Glenn and the kid?" he asked changing the subject.

Maggie saw right through him, but she allowed the subject change. "They're good. They're in line at the bakery. You know I can't resist my sweets."

"Oh I know."

"You should stop by later." Maggie gave him a parting hug. "And call me the next time you decide to show up unannounced."

"Alright, alright."

"I've gotta go make sure Glenn doesn't buy half the bakery."

He waved at Maggie as she retreated down the busy sidewalk, turning his attention back to Michonne. As if she could sense his gaze on her, her eyes drifted across the street mid-laugh and her smile faded as her eyes landed on him. She looked as if she's seen a ghost and in some ways she did. He was the unfortunate ghost from her past who likely conjured up some painful memories.

Rick watched as she attempted to compose herself. She leaned over to say something to the man beside her. Her eyes never left Rick.

He expected her to go on as if she hadn't noticed him or as if he were a stranger in her eyes, but she didn't. Instead, she crossed the pedestrian-only street, walking toward him. It was almost as if she didn't believe him to be real.

"Rick?"

That voice. He hadn't heard it in so long, but the sound was one he would never forget. When she spoke, her voice elicited a physical and emotional response that he couldn't quite put into words.

"Hey," he offered her a smile, still surprised that she bothered to acknowledge his presence. He wouldn't have held it against her if she didn't. They were different people now, and it was perfectly acceptable to move on from their teenaged puppy love.

"Michonne. I haven't seen you in —"

"Eleven years. Almost twelve," she finished for him. "To be exact."

While her cheeks had lost some of the fullness from her youth to mark her adulthood, her face remained almost unchanged. She had the same smooth dark brown skin, wide twinkling almond shaped eyes and full rounded lips.

Her hair was different. Instead of the blown out hair she wore in high school, she now had dreads, pulled up into a high ponytail.

Seeing her up close, the years that passed seemed to have only magnified her beauty.

"Uh yeah," he rubbed the back of his neck. "I come home every year around this time. Guess we never crossed each other's path. Seems like you just up and disappeared after..."

"Well I distinctly remember saying I never wanted to see you again," she reminded him of their last encounter.

"And you meant it."

"Maybe." Her mouth curved into a small wistful smile. "Yet, here we are." She pulled her trench coat tighter around her body, shivering in the chilly wind. "So, how have you been? Where did life take you?"

"Almost, everywhere." It wasn't an understatement. He never actually settled in one place. "What about you?"

"I didn't go too far," she said. "I live in Virginia now. Just outside D.C."

"This feels surreal. Seeing you here," he said, honestly. "I didn't think I would ever see you again. I used to come here every year. I heard that you were gone, but..."

"The world is small. I was sure we would have crossed paths again at some point or the other."

Now that she was so close, he wasn't sure that he was prepared to let her go quite yet. The memory of here haunted him for years, living like a ghost inside of him. "Wanna get a coffee or something?" he asked. "We could sit and talk. Catch up."

She bit her lip, eyeing him carefully as she took a small step back. It was barely noticeable. He was sure she didn't even realize she did it. "We're talking now."

"Why didn't you come back?" He asked the burning question, not even bothering to ease into it. A part of him knew why and he dreaded hearing the reason spoken out loud, but he needed to know.

"I guess I didn't have a good reason to."

He appreciated her honesty, but he couldn't deny that the words stung. "And you have a reason now?"

"Well, yeah. Sasha uh...She's getting married in the new year. My finacé and I are in town to celebrate with my family. It's a good time to introduce him to my family and show him where I grew up. Certainly didn't expect to run into you here. I didn't think you still came to this thing. At least, that's what I just heard."

"I stopped coming."

She nodded, breaking eye contact and suddenly finding her shoes more interesting.

"What about the lucky guy? What's he like?" He nodded toward her fiancé.

Holding a conversation with her was not nearly as awkward as he anticipated it to be. While it certainly wasn't too comfortable, it flowed naturally and Michonne seemed to hold no contempt for him. Their fallout was truly a thing of the past.

"Lucky?" She laughed humorlessly. "He's nice. Great. My parents love him."

"That him?" He nodded toward, the tall, dark-skinned man she was talking to earlier. He appeared to be in deep conversation with her sister.

She peered over her shoulder. "Yeah. That's him." A small smile formed on her lips as she watched the man. Without taking her eyes away, she said, "It's really good to see you again Rick."

"You too."

They did an awkward dance wherein they tried to figure out the appropriate parting gesture. She finally held out a hand for him to shake. "See you around?"

"See you." He shook her hand, wishing they didn't have to be so formal, but knowing he was partially to blame for the way things were.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, watching her drift away without as much as a backwards glance in his direction. She linked arms with the man she promised to marry, easing seamlessly back into the conversation as if the sight of an ex-boyfriend never interrupted her.

One of the familiar faces in her group —Sasha's— gave him a dirty look as Michonne rejoined them. Her sister wasn't his biggest fan.

As he started to walk away, to search for his melodramatic mother, he collided with a small form. He apologized to the short stature man before him who was dressed in a red and green elf costume and held a bamboo box in his arms.

"Sorry. I didn't see you there."

"It's alright, Rick."

He leaned forward, peering into the heavily lined face of the man whose silver hair fell just beneath her cheeks. He had an odd look in his eye. It was almost one of mischief.

"Do I know you?"

"I don't know." He shrugged his bony shoulders, wearing an amused smile. "Do you?"

Rick decided to ask a different question, which he supposed made more sense. "Do you know me?"

"Well, I know your name." His eyes were filled with mirth. "You don't remember me?"

Rick leaned in closer. "Oh! Mr. Horvath." He thought recognized the man who lived a few houses down the street from his childhood home. He didn't realize the man —who he hadn't seen in years— was still alive. Also, he could have sworn the man had moved away at some point during his high school years.

"Yes, yes. How are you?"

"Good. I was just trying to get away from all this noise, so if you'd excuse me."

Mr. Horvath extended a withered hand, holding out what looked like a gold coin inside a square-shaped covering. "Would you like to buy a commemorative novelty coin?"

Great. Now he's trying to get me to buy junk, he thought, with an audible chuckle. He was beginning to regret his decision to return home for the holidays. "That's alright. I'm not interested. I've got enough useless crap filling up my apartment. I shouldn't add more. "

"Here," he held it out further. "Take it."

"I don't really want a…" He sighed, taking the coin from him, hoping to end the awkward exchange. "How much?"

"Tell you what," he said, waving Rick off. "It's yours to take. I can barely give these damn things away. Commemorative coins," he scoffed. "Who's bright idea was that? Nobody buys them!"

"Yeah, well uhh...thanks?"

"Merry Christmas. I hope you enjoy the rest of your holidays." He winked at Rick, shifting the box in his arms as he prepared to go about the rest of his evening. "It's certainly the magical time of the year."

"Sure." He forced a smile, holding the coin between his thumb and index finger as he walked away from the elderly elf.

Rick slipped the shimmering gold coin out of its case, turning it over in his hand. He made out the name of the town and the words 'Festival of Lights' on the face. He dropped the case in a nearby trash bin, slipping the coin into his pocket.

He supposed it would serve as a piece of memorabilia of sorts for t that particular moment where he had a brush with his past.

He looked over his shoulder one last time, searching the place he last saw her.

As if she were a specter his mind conjured up, she was gone.

Thoughts? Let me know in the reviews!