A/N: Dedicated to the lovely IsisNicole x

Chapter One:

"Son? Hey, you alright there?"

Rick could see his father's lips moving, and he could faintly hear the words that followed, but the information just wasn't registering with him.

It was a warm, bright evening in Kings County, the type of days Rick preferred to spend sitting on his balcony with a bear in hand, watching other residents tending to their yards and the kids play in the street. Instead, he was in his father's back yard at a last minute family cookout, staring at the man and his new girlfriend.

When his mother died years ago, Rick had hoped that his father would move on when he felt the time was right, and he initially was glad to learn that he was dating again, but when the steady stream of short term girlfriends kept rolling in, Rick began to dread meeting his father's temporary affairs.

The Grimes patriarch wasn't like most men in town his age, as the man was incredibly active, working on his farm day after day, helping others when they needed it, often out with friends late in the evenings, and Rick liked to think that he knew his father well enough to say that he was looking for a likeminded mate, but looking at the lean, impeccably groomed, dark skinned woman opposite him, he was questioning if he even knew his father at all.

"Rick, do you need to sit down or somethan'-"

"No", He finally replied, shaking his head to clear his mind, "I'm sorry, I've just had a lot on my plate...uh, Michonne, was it?"

"Yes, nice to meet you", She beamed, holding out her hand donned in dainty pieces of elegant jewellery.

Rick shook it, "You, too"

"You know, I told Michonne that you had just moved", His father announced, resting his hand on the small of her back, "She's an interior designer you know, she could give you some tips-"

"Free of charge", Michonne added, flipping her long, black dreadlocks behind her as she grinned at Rick.

He hesitated to respond, "Uh, that's great, but I'm not much of a… I'm not a fancy guy"

A quick and light chuckle left her, "I can work with just about everyone and everything, I could give you my card-"

"Richard! I can't find those beers!", Rick's aunt called from the kitchen, causing Rick and his father to turn towards her.

"Alright! Coming!", His father called back, moving away from them, "Excuse me for just a moment"

"Sure", Michonne nodded her head, stepping aside as he strolled back towards the house.

Rick eyed the woman suspiciously, from behind his bottle of beer as he prepared to take a swig. It was evident that she was younger than him, and that she didn't live locally, as she was far too over dressed in her white, figure hugging sundress and heels. She was the complete opposite of everything Kings County stood for, and he wondered what brought her and his father together.

"So, Richard told me that you're a correctional officer?", She wore a friendly, almost contagious smile as she spoke to him.

"Yeah, that's right", He lowered his beer as he turned to face her.

"So do you work at that prison just outside of town?"

"That's the one"

"Oh, okay… That must be interesting?"

He smirked, "It can be, but not as much as people believe. It can pretty quiet most of the time"

Her eyes darted around his face for a moment, "Was that something you always wanted to do?"

His brows furrowed as he thought about her question, "You could say that it was"

Her gaze dropped as she nodded her head a second time, "It's different"

"Yeah", He huffed, swirling his beverage around in the bottle, "So how did you and my dad... meet?"

She shifted her weight from one foot to another, setting her hand on her hip, "I came out here to see a client and got a flat tyre. Richard was kind enough to stop and help me… and things just started from there"

"I see…", Rick really could see his father doing such a thing, "So you're from the city then?"

"I am"

He rolled his tongue along his teeth as he prepared to ask the next question, "So do you like fishing? Farming? Stuff like that?"

She raised a neatly plucked eyebrow at him, "Isn't it obvious?"

He shook his head, "You don't look like you do-"

"Should I have a fishing net in one hand and a bale of hay in the other to prove to you that I am?", She countered, tilting her head at him.

He slowly inhaled, "I apologise, I meant you don't appear to be the kind of woman-"

"You're foot's still in your mouth", She issued dryly, before giving him another of her light chuckles, "Richard actually plans on teaching me how to fish, and I've seen the farm, it's great actually"

He exhaled even slower, "Right. That's… yeah, it is great-"

"Dad!", Rick spun around when he heard his son's voice, and he was delighted to see his children barrelling towards him.

"Hey!", He glowed, crouching down to catch them in his arms.

"Grandpa said he had a surprise for me", Carl grinned excitedly.

Rick hoped it wasn't the same surprise his father had for him, "Yeah?"

"Toys!", Judith exclaimed trying to climb her father.

Rick chortled at her, "You wish"

"Sorry we're late, the queue at the grocery store was almost a mile long and then Judith spilt some juice on her dress…", Lori stopped herself when she noticed Michonne stood nearby, "Oh, hello"

"Hey", She smiled back, holding her hand out once again, "Michonne"

"Lori", Lori shook her hand, "Rick's ex-wife"

"So nice to meet you"

"Michonne is a… my dad's new girlfriend", Rick explained, standing up with Judith on his side.

Lori's smile tightened, "Oh! Well, it's great to meet you too, Michonne"

Rick's ex-wife's reaction was no better than his, and he cringed when he realised how awkward that must have been to witness, "This is Judith, and Carl"

Michonne cooed over the children, while Rick and Lori both shared a quick, knowing look, and he was glad he wasn't the only one surprised at the pairing.

He could understand his father's attraction to Michonne, as she was quite literally stunning, and from the few minutes of conversation he shared with her, he could tell that she had substance to her, quick witted and confident. Richard Senior wasn't a bad looking man at all, and he had a boyish charm that Rick refused to witness in action, but it still wasn't enough for him to see the two of them together, so when he managed to corner his father in the kitchen later that afternoon, he didn't waste any time touching on the subject.

"How old is she, dad?"

Richard Sr frowned at him, "Age is just a matter of-"

"Dad", Rick deadpanned, leaning on the counter, "How old is she?"

His father rolled his eyes as he poured a bag of ice into the cooler, "Twenty-nine"

His mouth fell agape at first, but then Rick's lip curled in horror, "Are you kidding me?"

"She turns thirty next month-"

"She was probably a baby when you was almost thirty!", Rick pointed out, his face crumbling as he did the math, "She was ten years old when you were thirty six!"

His father's side as he threw the empty bag aside, "Anythan' else?"

"She could very well be your granddaughter-"

"She's only a few years younger than you, so cut that out-"

"That doesn't make it any better"

"I'm a grown man, Rick"

"Exactly! So what the hell are you doing with a woman her age? Huh?"

His father shrugged, "Enjoying myself? Having fun? Getting to know her? Ain't that what dating is all about?"

Rick stared at his father with the most incredulous look that he could muster, "Could you imagine me with a woman your age?"

"If I knew you'd be happy, then yes"

"No. No. No. No", Rick shook his head before he pinched his nose bridge, "You… She… just, no, dad. No. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should"

"So you're not happy for me?", His father sat his hands at his sides as he looked at him.

He peered up at the man that raised him with a mortified expression, "Are you serious about this?"

His father tipped his head to the side, "We're having fun"

Rick nearly gagged at how suggestive that sounded, "So you're not serious about this?"

"Son, I was married for thirty-three years", His father began, slapping one hand down on the counter, "With your mother since I was sixteen years old-"

"I know, dad-"

"I had been nothing but serious for my entire adult life, but now I'm almost sixty years old and on my own. I didn't think I'd be out meeting women at this time of my life, I thought I'd have my Anne with me for years to come…", His father shook his head regretfully as his eyes trailed away from Rick's, "But that ain't the case, so now I'm… I'm just living whatever time I have left doing things differently, so If I wasn't to wake up tomorrow, I'd be happy today knowing that I've walked all kinds of paths"

Rick ran his hands over his face as he shook his head once again, "I want you to have fun, and I want you to be happy, but I don't want you to be stupid either"

"What's stupid about getting to know a young woman like Michonne? She's smart, she's funny, she's a hard worker, and she doesn't mind spending time with an ancient old man like me. And I'm not even rich!", The man chuckled at his own joke as he picked up the cooler.

Rick watched his father make his way back out into the yard, knowing that his words probably had no bearing on him. His father was content with the new direction of his life, and while Rick truly wanted his father to be happy, he just wished it was with a more age appropriate partner.

"So I take it you talked to him?", Lori stepped into the kitchen, carrying a sleeping Judith on her shoulder.

"I had to", Rick sighed, turning around to look out the window into the yard.

"Well, they're two consenting adults-"

"She's your age"

Lori stiffened as she joined him by the counter, "Oh"

Rick shook his head as he took Judith from her arms, "I just don't understand it"

Lori tilted her head as she peered out the window, "She seems nice. She's getting along great with Carl. Maybe this one might be the-"

"No. She's not"

Lori raised a questioning eyebrow at him, "How do you know?"

He tipped his head towards the window, "Just look, she's running around with the kids while he's stood over there drinking with his friends"

"...And what does that mean?"

"They are at two very different stages in their lives", Rick stroked Judith's brown curls away from her face, "He wants to run around, have fun, do thangs he didn't get a chance to when he was a young man"

"...And her?"

Rick's gaze fell on Michonne, who had hiked her dress up so she could crawl on the grass with Carl on her back, her heels thrown to the side. He smirked, "She's had her fun. She's looking for somethan' else now"

Lori squinted at him, "That's quite the analysis you have there, having only seen them together for a few hours-"

"You can't see anythan' I just said?"

Lori blew out a breath, "No because I haven't been studying them since I got here"

He shook his head as he looked back out the window, "It's as clear as day"

"Well I wish I could stick around and examine them with you, but we need to get going soon-"

"Yeah, I'll get Carl, you can go on your 'Goodbye tour'-"

"Hilarious", Lori rolled her eyes at him as they both began to make their way back out into the yard.

Most people couldn't believe that he and Lori got along so well since their divorce, but the truth was, neither of them could stand each other towards the end of their marriage, and it was better for their family that they went their separate ways, before things became acrimonious. The pressure was relieved when they did finally divorce, and they were able to behave better when they came to the conclusion that they weren't happy together.

Lori disappeared to say her goodbyes, while Rick made his way over to Michonne, who was still giving Carl a ride on her back.

"Hey...Sorry to break up the fun, but it's time to get you home, buddy", Rick gave his son an apologetic look.

Carl's shoulders fell, "Do I have to?"

"You do"

"Are you going home, too?", He quizzed, slowly climbing off of Michonne.

"No, not yet-"

"Then can't I stay with you?"

Rick tried not to sigh for a countless time that day, "You've got football practice tomorrow morning, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Exactly. You need your rest", Rick adjusted his hold on his daughter, "So what do you say to Michonne?"

"Thank you", Carl huffed, bowing his head as he stepped closer to his father.

"You are more than welcome", She smiled, standing up from her crouched position, "We'll continue this another day, okay?"

"Okay", Carl nodded his head, his dark locks bouncing, "Bye!"

"Bye!"

He led his son back over to Lori, and he continued to help put his children in her car before waving to them as they disappeared down the street quiet.

Rick had originally decided that he would stay behind to help his father clean up at the end of the day, but when he discovered that Michonne and several other family members had planned to do the same, he thought he'd take that as his cue to leave, which was easier said than done.

"Now I know that Lori is dating that man… what's his name… oh, uh-"

"Brian."

"Brian! That's it, now don't you think it's time you got out there yourself? Look at your father, he's having the time of his life! And I think it's time you do the same-"

"Uh…"

"I know a lovely young girl, oh she is just a sweetheart, I'll give you her number, she's a great cook and a great dancer-"

"Aunt Riley, I'm really not-"

"She's blonde, tiny little thang but she can eat a cow if you took the hooves off-"

"Sorry to interrupt", Michonne called gently as she stepped into the kitchen, "But Richard needs you to move your car, Riley?"

"Oh! Alright then, doll", Rick's aunt placed the dishcloth on the counter, "Don't you go anywhere, Rick. I'll be right back to give you her number"

Rick didn't respond as he watched the woman hurry out of the room, hoping she would become distracted and forget all about it.

Michonne hovered by the doorway for a moment, "I think you're free to plan your escape"

He straightened up, pushing away from the fridge, "Yeah. You're right..."

"Well It was great meeting you and your family. Richard speaks so highly of you all"

"Yeah, it was nice meeting you too. Maybe if you're still around for the next...", Rick stilled when he realised what he had said to the woman, "I mean, I didn't mean it like that-"

If Michonne was offended by his slip up, she did a fantastic job hiding it, as her smile didn't falter, "Don't worry, I got it"

"I just meant that it would be great to see you again"

She gave him a slow, understanding nod of her head as she crossed her arms over her chest, turning as if she was about to leave, but she stopped, and turned back to face him, "You know, I've only been seeing your dad for a few weeks, but I already know that he's quite the gentleman, he's always polite, he's very… traditional, and very gracious, but ever since I first spoke to you earlier, I've just been wondering how a man like that could produce such a tactless, judgmental, socially inept, narrow-minded son like you"

Rick was stunned to say the least, his head reeling back as he absorbed the last few insults she threw his way, "Excuse me?"

"All day you've been making these little snide comments here and there, and it's clear to me that you don't understand what's going on between your father I, and I don't blame you for that because it's a strange scenario to walk into, but the least you could do out of respect for your father is keep your opinions to yourself or save them for someone who actually gives a damn"

His eyes widened in shock, completely unaware that whatever he had said had offended her that much, "Now hold on a minute, anythan' I've said wasn't meant to upset you, I just… I misspoke a few times and that's it. There wasn't any malice behind it-"

"I thought that might be the case the first or second time, but after the third time, I got the message-"

"There is no message, you and my dad are adults and you can do whatever you please", He stated firmly, "But I need you to see that my father dating a girl younger than me isn't somethan' I'm used to, so I'm trying my best to wrap my head around it all while I'm in your presence-"

"That doesn't give you the right to say whatever you want", She issued sternly, her eyes almost glaring at him, "And it's ridiculous that I even have to say something like this to a grown man-"

"You don't, because I know that, and I told you that anythan' I've said wasn't meant to cause offence, so I'm sorry if It came across that way, it wasn't my intention"

Michonne looked him from head to toe as she spun around, her locks flowing behind her as she left the kitchen, leaving Rick to watch her stalk away as he felt slightly ashamed for his behaviour.

He was being truthful, as he honestly didn't intend to offend her in the slightest, but he was reduced to a bumbling fool in her presence, unable to completely accept the role she was playing in his father's life. The more he thought about it, the more the idea mortified him, but he was sensible enough to know that he had to learn to put his feelings aside, not only for his father, but because he was almost certain that he didn't want to be on the receiving end of Michonne's sharp tongue again..