In this second installment of my 'What If' series, I explore how different things may have turned out if only Rick had accompanied Michonne on one of her trips hunting the Governor way back when...

Prison - 8 months after Andrea's death

He was still out there somewhere. Breathing air. Walking. Living. And it was up to her to hunt him down and end him. To rid this world of a mass murderer and a psychopath.

As Michonne sheathed her newly sharpened sword, she surveyed her dark cell with one more glance and then, with a resolute nod, walked through the door, closing it behind her with a soft clank.

Walking through the cell block, she smiled at the people she passed, taking a couple of minutes to chat with Carol and accepting the wrapped package of jerky that had just finished curing last week. Seeing Beth approach with Judith in her arms, Michonne bid Carol a quick goodbye and continued her way towards the exit, still not comfortable with spending time with the baby.

She didn't know if she ever would be able to look at those smooth, downy baby cheeks and not think of the son she had lost at the beginning. Her pain was still raw and the emotional scarring still a jagged edge across her heart. Maybe someday but not today.

As Michonne approached Flame's paddock, she looked toward the outside gates, surprised not to see Daryl's bike as he usually beat her there when he joined her for her hunts. With a shrug, Michonne continued walking, reviewing in her head the route they were going to take for the two day trip.

Walking up to Flame, she had her second surprise of the morning as she saw that her horse had already been saddled and was ready to go.

"I hope you don't mind but I took the liberty since I knew you'd be out soon."

Michonne looked over her shoulder at the sound of Rick's voice and then looked...up...to meet his gaze as he sat astride Ares, the second horse in their stable.

"I don't mind at all, thank you. Are you going out to check your traps?"

Rick grinned down at her and in that moment, the sun glinted off the gleaming metal of the revolver belted at his hip. The revolver he hadn't worn in months. What the...?

"I've decided to exercise my hunting muscles again so I don't lose my skills. Farming's been great but you never know when you've got to do more so I told Daryl I'd be taking his place."

Michonne's eyes widened in surprise as she hadn't been expecting to travel with Rick and wasn't sure how she felt about him taking Daryl's place.

Daryl was a known entity while Rick was not because they had never traveled alone before. Not one to shy away from the unknown, however, Michonne gave Rick a resolute nod, small smile and an 'Okay then, let's go' before loading her supplies onto Flame and pulling herself onto the saddle.

As Rick waited for Michonne, he looked over his shoulder and waved to Carl, who returned his wave with a grin. When he had asked Carl if he was okay with him going away for a couple of days, his son was completely supportive, telling him it was a good idea and that he would be fine in his absence.

Following Michonne out of the front gate, Rick welcomed the hum of anticipation that traveled through his veins. He hadn't gone on a run since giving up the gun months ago and felt good about going out again. It was time.

He'd also be lying if he said he wasn't curious as hell about the too-frequent hunting trips Michonne took. He and Carl had gotten to know Michonne much better since she joined their group but there was a part of herself she withheld from everyone and he hoped these next couple of days would give him the opportunity to inch his way past the walls she put up.

After thirty minutes of carefully making their way through wooded trails and staying off the road as much as possible, Rick broke the silence between them.

"So what do you and Daryl usually talk about to pass the time?" he asked, curious about how his loner friend got along with Michonne.

An amused chuckle preceded Michonne's response. "Talk? This is Daryl we're talking about right?" At Rick's answering smile and nod, she continued in a dry tone while patting Flame's neck. "Well there was this one incredibly scintillating conversation where I stated that the town we were looking for should be up ahead by about two miles and he slowed his bike down, shot me a glance and replied 'yeah'."

As Michonne proceeded to do a spot on imitation of Daryl, Rick laughed, both amused and grateful. While Michonne was personable at the prison and often joked around with Carl, he very rarely had the opportunity to be her audience and found that he enjoyed it a great deal.

Relaxing in the saddle, Michonne slid a glance over at Rick. "I joke but you know what? I actually enjoy the quiet on my trips with him. It gives me space to think."

Rick turned to face her, his brows furrowed in concern. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"No, no...It's okay. It's..." Michonne tilted her head as she searched for words that didn't come so she simply said what was on her mind. "It's different with you. I don't know what it is but it's nice to be talking."

Rick nodded, completely understanding what she was saying. Channeling the taciturn Daryl, Rick did his own impression with a brusque nod and 'yeah', grinning at the laughter he pulled from his traveling companion.

The rest of the morning was spent alternating between comfortable silence and bouts of conversation where Rick and Michonne learned more about each other. They learned that they were both shy as kids until their involvement in sports pulled them out of their shells. They both loved to read non-fiction books and crime thrillers, hated reality TV and thought the concept of fruity beer was positively un-American.

As they traveled the last mile or two to their destination, it was Michonne's turn to break the silence.

"Favorite music?"

Rick's lips curved inward as if trying to hold back a laugh and Michonne was intrigued.

"Guess," he responded as he casually adjusted his seat on the saddle.

Michonne smiled, enjoying this side of Rick she'd seen come out on this trip. A playful side she'd only caught too brief glimpses of at the prison as he was a man who took his roles as leader and father to heart and worked hard to fulfill them.

Emitting an exaggerated 'hmmmm' as she played up being deep in thought, Michonne surveyed the quiet landscape in front of them, catching Rick stealing glances her way.

"George Strait?"

"Nope."

"Kenny Chesney?"

"Not even close."

Michonne's smile grew in the face of Rick's smug expression. She was so happy he had decided to come with her on this run. Relaxing her grip on reigns, she threw her head back to search the sky for answers.

"Okay so the country boy ain't a country fan. Let me think...I know! Rolling Stones!"

Rick nodded his head slightly. "Great band and my father's favorite but not mine. Next?"

Michonne chuckled at the gentle rebuke.

"I give up, man of mysterious musical tastes. Spill."

Rick pulled on the reigns, slowing his horse to a stop and waited until Michonne pulled up beside him. Turning to face her completely so as to not miss one second of her reaction, Rick gave her his answer.

"Prince."

Michonne almost fell off of her horse.

"Prince? As in Prince...Little Red Corvette, Prince?"

Rick smiled and nodded, sitting up slightly taller in the saddle, happy that he had shocked his friend.

"I had to wait a couple of years until my parents said I was old enough to buy 'Purple Rain' but that's exactly what I did with my birthday money when I was 12. Even saw him in concert in college."

Michonne shook her head and laughed, "What I would have given to see your small town self at a Prince concert."

Rick let out a self deprecating chuckle. "I was the skinny kid proudly wearing my brand new concert t-shirt surrounded by screaming women who occasionally glanced at me as I sang along to every word. Let's just say I didn't blend."

Michonne grinned. "I feel like I need to one up you and tell you my favorite was Metallica but I just can't go there."

"Who is your favorite?" Rick asked, curious to learn more about the woman who was so very much more than the weapon she wore on her back.

Michonne leaned forward and patted Flame's neck once again as the heat of the day made her grateful for the horse.

"Lauryn Hill. I was obsessed and saw her in concert five times."

Rick nodded his approval over her choice and, wanting to continue their banter as they signaled their horses to walk, threw out the next question. "Baseball or Football?"

Michonne shot him an 'oh please' look as she stretched to work the kinks out of her back.

"Georgia Dome season ticket holder right up till the end, my friend."

Rick grinned in response to this sassy, relaxed side of Michonne. "I'll keep my eyes open for Falcon merchandise on our travels then."

And as they turned their horses onto the wider street leading them into town, Michonne kicked Flame into a trot, calling back over her shoulder, "And I'm going to hunt down a Prince poster for you!"

After spending the rest of the day quietly inspecting each building in the small town, Rick and Michonne picked an empty drugstore at the end of the main street to settle in for the night as it had secure doors and was cleared of walkers.

Rick surveyed the dim drugstore and then turned to Michonne who had already started to unroll her sleeping bag in the back corner.

As he shifted his backpack onto a better position on his shoulders, Rick asked, "So where does Daryl usually sleep on these runs?"

"Daryl always sleeps by the door, usually on the opposite side from where I am."

Rick tilted his head in curiosity. "In case of an attack?"

Michonne chuckled as she continued to set up for the night. "It's not very strategic to lay across the point of entry as you'll be the first to get hurt if there's a breach. Nah...I think he just didn't want to sleep too close."

Rick matched her light tone as he walked towards her. "Why not? Do you snore?"

As Rick dropped his sleeping bag a few feet from hers, Michonne replied with a smile and chiding look. "No, I don't snore, thank you very much. I just think Daryl looks at women like a necessary evil sometimes...cool to put up with during the day but scary as hell at night."

A bark of laughter escaped Rick at Michonne's summation of Daryl's skittishness around most women. Chuckling as he shook his head, he glanced over to see her sitting on top of her bag and leaning against the wall behind her. "Well, if you don't mind, I like to sleep with my back against the wall and a clear sight line to the door so you're stuck with me for the night."

Finding an ease in Rick's company way more than she anticipated at the beginning of this trip, Michonne grinned as she sipped from her water bottle. "I'll survive...as long as you don't snore."

Mirroring Michonne's position, Rick leaned his head against the wall then turned to face her. "That's a negative so I think we're good."

After a few minutes of easy conversation around their plans for the next day, darkness descended into the store as the sun fully set for the night. As if on cue, Michonne and Rick both slid into their sleeping bags, no longer able to see each other but attuned to the sounds they each made.

Staring in the direction of the ceiling, Rick thought about the question he'd wanted to ask all day but could never find the right moment to do so. Figuring now was better than never, he dove in.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"You've been hunting him for months and haven't found a trace. Why do you keep doing it?"

As silence was his answer for a minute too long, Rick was about to apologize for stepping out of line when Michonne responded in a hesitant, hushed tone that made him turn towards her, hoping for the glimpse of her expression he knew the darkness wouldn't provide.

"My head knows he's long gone. Either dead or a hundred miles away. But my heart..."

More silence as he heard a quiet sigh whisper across the few feet that separated them.

"My heart won't let me stop. Andrea deserves justice. I couldn't save her when I needed to and I'll be damned if I stop searching for her killer just because it's hard."

Propping his head up with his hand, Rick rolled over to fully face Michonne, grasping onto something she revealed. Something that spoke to the chaos in his own heart.

"Do you really think you could have saved her?"

That was the million dollar question, wasn't it? Michonne thought about the numerous times she had tried to convince her friend to leave Woodbury, not trusting the oily charm of its leader. But she had run out of chances to sway Andrea when her dealings with the Governor and his men forced her to run.

After considering her answer carefully, she finally spoke.

"I've asked myself 'What if' a hundred times since Andrea died. What if we'd traveled left instead of right when Andrea was sick? Would we have avoided Woodbury altogether and found the prison instead? What if I hadn't aggravated things with the Governor and laid low? Could I have eventually opened Andrea's eyes? What if..."

"Michonne..." Rick's gruff voice cut into her confession with a razor edge, stopping her as she fought the emotions that always bubbled up when she let her regrets have their head.

Regrets that went all the way back to the beginning.

Sitting up, Rick turned on the lantern between them to allow for just enough light so he could see instead of just hear Michonne. He didn't question why it was suddenly so important to understand what drove her but knew he wouldn't be able to sleep until he knew it all.

Waiting until Michonne also sat up, and suppressing an apology as he watched her swipe at her damp cheeks, Rick made his case. "You can't put place Andrea's death on your shoulders. You just can't. The only one who can do that is most likely dead or worse which is the justice he deserves."

Michonne nodded. "I know what you're saying is true. Logically I get it. But I still wish I could have done more, you know? She was my friend, someone who had saved me as much as I had saved her out on the road. She shouldn't have died like that."

Rick nodded, unable to argue against that last statement. Leaning towards Michonne, he dipped his head to meet her lowered gaze. "You never talk about your time on the road with her. Now that I think about it, you never really talk about yourself at all and I've been so caught up in my own troubles, I haven't asked. I know you saved Andrea near the farm but how did you get there from Atlanta?"

Tell him you're tired and want to go to sleep. Tell him you can't...

Michonne sucked in a deep breath and lifted her gaze to meet Rick's eyes, eyes filled with compassion and...understanding? Her journey was never meant to be a secret but over these long months, it had become just that, something so painful, she wasn't sure she could ever talk about it.

Until now.

Holding Rick's gaze for a long minute, Michonne saw nothing but safety and acceptance and somehow she knew that she could lay her soul bare and this man would be understand.

"When I met Andrea, I was...I don't know what I was but it definitely wasn't living. I had been wandering around for almost two months by myself...avoiding people, avoiding connections. Just..." Michonne looked off in the distance as memories took over.

Rick leaned forward again with a reassuring whisper. "You don't need to keep going if it's too painful. I shouldn't have pried."

Michonne shook her head. "No, I'm fine. It's just that I've never talked about it. Never said the words out loud to a living person before."

Rick remembered Michonne's referencing talking to her dead boyfriend as that was the day both he and his son started to truly trust her. He gave her the silence and space she needed to continue.

Michonne closed her eyes tight as images from before her world had ended flashed before her. Happy images that she knew someday would bring her comfort but, for now, were so very painful. Opening her eyes once again, she met Rick's gaze head on.

"I had a young son. Andre."

Rick nodded and his complete lack of surprise aroused her curiosity. "You knew?"

"I suspected. I saw how you looked at Judith. And how you always seemed to walk away right before someone handed her over to you. I knew there was pain there but didn't know for sure you had a child. I'm sorry."

Michonne nodded, a calm stealing over her at Rick's quiet acknowledgement of her 'not-secret.' "He was three years old, bright, happy and full of life. So full of life..." Her words drifted back to a whisper as Rick's face went out of focus with her tears. With a quick swipe across her eyes, she continued, looking off into the distance once again.

"We were at a camp just outside of Atlanta. It was chaos but there was military there so we thought we were safe. My boyfriend, Mike, and our friend Terry...they were not adjusting well. They were...defeated, I guess. I tried to keep them focused on getting through each day but it drained me after awhile, you know? Having to be the strong one for your people while you're scared out of your mind?"

Rick nodded as his own dark memories made their presence known.

"We were very low on food and water so I asked Mike and Terry if one of them could scavenge around the neighborhood. I wanted to stay with Andre to try to shield him from all the craziness the best I could." Clenching her fists as anger reared its ugly head, Michonne continued.

"They both refused to go, told me we shouldn't bother, that it was all over. The dead were closing in and it was only a matter of time before we were killed or eaten." Michonne swiveled her gaze towards Rick, her anger dissipating when she saw the empathy there. He understood what I went through because he's been there too. Nodding her head in acknowledgment of his support, she continued.

"I was so angry that they were giving up. Furious actually. I laid into them both. Called them fools...weak. Oh I laid into them good. But not good enough to shame either into going out on that run. Oh no, they left that for me." Clenched fists hitting against her crossed legs, Michonne remembered each second as if it were yesterday.

"They didn't stop me when I grabbed the backpack and the machete we had found. They didn't stop me when I hugged my son and told him to please stop crying because his mama would be right back. They didn't stop me when I looked them both in the eye and told them to keep their shit together for one damn hour. They...didn't...stop...me." As the emotions of that terrible day came barreling back into her heart, Michonne closed her eyes as she finished her story, knowing that the sympathy in Rick's would make her lose it completely.

"And in the longest hour of my life, I fought my way through the misery outside of our camp. I fought my way to stealing supplies from other groups, fought my way through the dead. And in an hour, I came back to our camp overrun, my son dead and Mike and Terry bit just a couple feet from his body.

And I had nothing left to fight for."

Jesus Christ. No wonder Michonne had been so closed off when he met her, Rick thought. She had been betrayed by those closest to her. The worst betrayal ever. What could he possibly say in response to that kind of loss? That kind of devastation? So he let his heart speak for him.

"But you did fight Michonne. You suffered the worst loss anyone can suffer, the loss of a child, and for that I am truly sorry. Truly. I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't found Carl and Lori in the beginning. If I would have had the strength to keep going. But you did and that's amazing. You're amazing. One of the strongest people I've ever known."

Although touched by Rick's unconditional support, Michonne shook her head, needing to kick all of her buried secrets to the curb once and for all. "Those two walkers I kept in chains that Merle talked about? They were Mike and Terry. I dragged them around behind me for months, Rick. Months."

Rick wanted so badly to grab Michonne's hand in comfort but wasn't sure how she'd take it so he resisted. "And I talked to Lori on the phone after she died and followed her ghost out into the damn woods. It happens."

Michonne jerked her gaze back to Rick's as he threw the words she had told him outside his hometown all those months ago back at her. Curving her lips in a small, grateful smile, she nodded and replied, "It happens."

Feeling a kinship in that moment, a new closeness that seemed completely right, Rick took a deep breath and looked first to the ceiling, then his hands and then finally into Michonne's patient gaze. It was as if she read his mind and was simply waiting for him to come forward with some hard truths of his own.

Looking down at his clasped hands, Rick began. "You've felt guilty about leaving to go on that run that day. I know how that feels. A little bit too much."

Michonne nodded, "Lori." It was a statement not a question because she had heard about Lori's death from Carol and Maggie shortly after she had joined the prison for good. She knew Rick's wife had died tragically while delivering Judith through a brutal cesarean forced upon her by circumstance. And she knew Carl insisted on putting his mother down afterward.

Rick nodded in response. "We had Hershel and he was fully prepared to deliver the baby. We had means to sterilize the equipment and we were behind a secure fence. It was all supposed to be okay."

A long silent moment as Michonne's weary heart found room to shelter another's pain.

"You had found a safe home for your family Rick. You did that."

Rick nodded but refused to let himself off the hook. "Yeah, I also allowed a prisoner who tried to kill me escape and that prisoner came back and let walkers breach our secure fence. It was my fault those walkers got in and my fault that Lori had to make a choice between her life and our baby's. It's all on me."

Oh Rick. Even after all these months, Michonne could see the pain on his face as he wore his guilt like a tight collar around his neck, allowing it to squeeze and squeeze until he couldn't breathe. She had worn that same collar for many months.

Until a young boy and his gruff father allowed her to remove it after welcoming her into their lives.

Leaning forward, Michonne tried to find the words that would help her friend. "That's what I told myself with every step I took after Andre died. It was my fault I left him with unreliable care. My fault I wasn't more aware of the impending threat. I get it, Rick, I truly do."

Rick's gaze caught hers in a moment of shared pain that urged Michonne to continue.

"But after a while, I realized something. None of us knew we were going to be thrown into this world. None of us knew that we'd be fighting the dead for shelter in abandoned homes and scavenging for cans of beans to make it through winter. There was no history lesson for us to reference to figure it out. We had to figure things out, life and death things, every single day. Still do."

Rick nodded, memories of his time on the road with his family flashing before him at Michonne's words.

"We're not perfect Rick, you and I. We've made mistakes, a whole lot of them, but every decision we've made has been with one goal in mind, one very important goal." Michonne's lips curved into the smallest of smiles as she spoke out loud the words that had finally stopped her self-hate.

"Survival. Not only for ourselves but for the people we love. The people who need us. I did everything within my power to keep my son alive and you did everything you could to keep Lori alive. But in this crazy world, terrible things happen that we just cannot predict, that we can't anticipate. Sometimes, we have time to react and change course but sometimes…." Michonne took in a deep breath as she briefly closed her eyes.

"….Sometimes we run out of time. We run out of chances and luck and good fortune and we lose. And when that happens, we have to figure out a way to keep going. To grieve our loss, yes, but to also survive and keep those we love alive for as long as we can. I've tried to do that and I know you will too."

Michonne's words, spoken so softly, but devastating in their truth, made Rick catch his breath. Everything she said, everything she had experienced rang true, was genuine and real, and Rick felt, for the first time since Lori's death, that he wasn't alone with his burdens.

That maybe, just maybe, he had paid his penance for that awful day and that finding some happiness in his life wouldn't be a betrayal to Lori's memory. Meeting Michonne's steady gaze in the dim light of the lantern, Rick felt a rush of gratitude, affection and an energy course through him that was brand new and….promising. Nodding his head, Rick whispered the few words he could form over his emotions.

"Thank you for that. I needed to hear it and I….well I agree with everything you said. I can't change what happened that day but I can choose to move forward. Like you're trying to do. I can try at least."

Michonne smiled as she nodded, so very happy to have shared this moment with Rick. And as she considered making tomorrow her last day seeking the justice that would always evade her, she responded with certainty in her voice.

"We'll both try. Together."

Rick returned her smile.

"Together."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

During the following month, Rick worked hard to find balance in his life as he slowly figured out what his future looked like. He now kept his gun holstered on his hip and occasionally went out on supply runs with Daryl but continued to spend most of his days farming with his son. A couple of weeks ago, he had given Carl his gun back with no words spoken between them, Rick's faith and Carl's gratitude conveyed in the nods they shared with one another.

And, as promised, Michonne was a constant in his life. Having given up the hunt for the Governor, she slowly integrated herself into the community and its routines and Rick often found himself hurrying back inside after his early morning chores in order to join her for breakfast. There was always a seat saved for her next to him or Carl at dinner and, without even realizing it, he looked forward to hearing her laughter or even just her voice across the courtyard as he came back from checking his traps.

Rick knew that Michonne played a big part in his newfound sense of peace and he hoped that he and Carl had helped her find hers. She still went out on many of the supply runs and worked more hours than she relaxed and socialized but she was trying. They both were.

After cleaning up from his afternoon tending the crops, Rick greeted Maggie as she headed towards the door between cellblocks with a plate of food in her hands.

"Hey there, I thought you had tower duty till 11 tonight."

Maggie nodded, "I did but Michonne offered to cover for me since Glenn was working overtime on repairs next door and she thought I'd like to spend time with him. I told her I'd cover her next shift."

As Rick returned Maggie's nod and waved her through, he felt a surge of frustration over what Michonne was doing as he believed he knew why she was doing it.

While Michonne had been spending more time at the prison than she had before, she had also developed this habit of covering tower shifts and taking runs above and beyond what was expected of her. When Rick had asked her about it, she had brushed it off, saying she liked to keep busy, and then always found a reason to walk away, not letting him dig deeper. As he stalked towards the guard tower, Rick was determined to settle this once and for all and convince Michonne to take the downtime she earned.

After a thorough scan of the prison's perimeter through the rifle scope revealed that all was clear, Michonne took a moment to admire the colors of the setting sun through the tree tops. She enjoyed this time alone in the tower as her thoughts could just settle on one thing. Keeping the prison safe. That was it.

As Michonne set the rifle against the wall next to her, she leaned against the window frame with a sigh. Her thoughts had been all over the place lately as she spent more and more time with the prison's residents. And way too much time with one particular resident.

Its leader.

Michonne had found comfort in the easy friendship she and Rick had shared before but ever since he joined her on that trip, things were different. She found herself gravitating more and more towards him and Carl and, lately, even started interacting with Judith. When she went on runs, she looked for items that she knew would make Rick happy and she always smiled when he met her at the gate upon her return.

In order to come to terms with the confusing feelings that were making themselves known way too often, Michonne looked for ways to reduce her time with Rick and his family so she found herself up in this tower every chance she could get.

Even if those moments of peace were interrupted by thoughts of possibilities and what if's…..

"Why are you up here?"

Rick's gruff rasp interrupted her musings and Michonne hid her surprise as she turned from the window with what she hoped was a composed smile.

"I thought I would give Maggie a break and allow her to spend some time with her husband."

Rick nodded, seeming to agree with her response, but his next words quickly dissuaded Michonne of that notion.

"What about David? Jimmy? Beth? And everyone else you've covered for weeks. What about them? I'd really like to know."

Michonne's eyes widened slightly at Rick's tone as well as the impatient hand he ran through his hair. Where was this coming from all of a sudden? She thought they were getting along just fine.

Maybe a bit too much for her comfort but still….

"I covered for them so they could spend time with their families."

"You have a family!" Rick nearly shouted before he could even think about how it sounded. He didn't care, dammit, it was how he felt and it was high time he opened her eyes to it.

Michonne swallowed as Rick's words sank in. This sweet, dear man. What was she going to do with him?

"I have you and the kids and I'm so grateful, Rick, but it's not the same. We're…"

Rick ate up the distance between them in three strides, not stopping until Michonne was less than a foot from him and in a softer but insistent tone continued his appeal.

"It is the same. You have people who care about you and want to spend time with you, Michonne. People who see you beyond your sword, beyond your ability to fight. People who see that you're more than just another soldier. That you're also a provider, a nurturer and a leader. That you're funny, smart amazing and beautiful…"

And with that word, the room suddenly become very quiet and very, very small. It became only the mere foot that separated the two of them and the whisper of that word echoing in their minds.

His heart racing, Rick realized why Michonne's absence bothered him so much, why he always looked for her after they spent time apart. Why he couldn't stop smiling as he watched her laugh with Carl or slowly open herself up to Judith.

He saw it all as clearly as he saw the beauty of her big brown eyes and the parting of her lips as she quietly gasped her surprise.

He saw it all and he was never going to close his eyes to it again.

Oh my, oh my, oh my. Michonne could do nothing but stare at Rick as the silence lingered. She watched his expression change from frustration to confusion and then…something else entirely. Something that made his eyes fill with warmth and then…heat. Raising her hand to cover her rapidly beating heart, Michonne tried sanity on for size.

"Thank you for those compliments, Rick. I truly appreciate…"

"No."

So much for sanity, Michonne mused as Rick closed the distance between them even more. One more step and her nose would be pressed against his shoulder.

Which wouldn't necessarily be a hardship. Shaking her head, Michonne once again looked Rick in the eye.

"No?"

"They weren't compliments Michonne. They were the God's honest truth and you need to hear those words every damn day of your life. From me. To you."

Michonne forgot how to breathe as Rick followed that pronouncement with a grasp of her elbows. A touch that was devastating for its gentleness.

"I hope like hell what I'm about to say doesn't ruin our friendship but now that I've figured things out, you gotta know too, okay?"

Michonne nodded silently, anticipation rendering her mute.

"I love you Michonne. I think I have for quite some time but I buried it deep because I didn't know how to be happy. I know how to do that now. You showed me."

Michonne's eyes welled with tears as her heart almost ached with fullness.

"You showed me too, Rick."

Rick smiled wide, relief evident in his eyes. "Does that mean you….."

Michonne couldn't nod quickly enough as her lips trembled with emotion. "I love you too Rick. I love you too."

"Oh thank God," Rick muttered as wrapped his arms around Michonne and dipped his mouth to meet hers, finally moving over the beautiful lips he'd been stealing glances at for months and then moaning as Michonne parted them to allow his tongue entry. As they pressed up against each other and let their hands roam and explore, Michonne let out a soft moan that made Rick immediately harden and prompt his hands to cup the glorious ass that had been his favorite view since forever.

Was this really happening? Did her quiet evening turn into a lit powder keg in mere minutes? As Michonne brushed her fingers over Rick's stubble and then threaded them through his curls, she tilted her head and continued to meet his tongue with her own in a dance that needed no music except the beating of their hearts, their heavy breaths and the soft slide of their clothes as they rubbed against each other.

After several glorious minutes, Michonne felt Rick slowly pull his mouth away from hers but kept her pressed up against him, her warmth cradling his hardness and making her wish there was no clothing separating them. As she looked from his parted mouth to his eyes, she caught her breath at the unadulterated lust simmering in them. Without a word, Michonne let her wishes known by tugging gently on his hair and sliding very purposefully against him.

A second after that move, she felt Rick's fingers on her hip as he removed the walkie clipped to her belt. Without breaking eye contact or moving even an inch from her, Rick pressed the talk button and, in his raspy drawl, told Carol to let Carl know he was helping out with tower watch and not to wait up for him. After Carol confirmed she'd convey the message, Rick lowered his hand and placed the walkie on the table next to them.

Michonne had no idea until that moment that she was attracted to assertive men but the sight of Rick taking charge of what was going to happen next sent a rush of heat straight down to her core and she barely stopped herself from licking her lips in anticipation.

But assertive or no, Rick was still a southern gentleman at heart so, as he gently gripped Michonne's waist, he lowered his eyes to her level and asked, "You sure?" in a soft whisper that made her already full heart start to melt. Before this night ended, she had a feeling she'd be a puddle on the floor one way or another.

Cupping his face and rubbing her thumb over his bottom lip that was moist from their kisses, Michonne smiled and nodded.

"I'm sure."

"There's no going back to where we were you know. Once we're together, it's forever."

Michonne's gentle smile grew wider at Rick's declaration. Oh she did love her an alpha male.

An alpha male who adored her of course.

Standing on her toes, Michonne brushed a quick, firm kiss on his mouth and cupped his face so he would look her right in the eyes.

"We promised each other we'd try living, right? That night in the store? Well, this is it, Rick Grimes. This is us living. Together."

Rick grinned as he led Michonne to the cot in the corner of the room where he turned, touched his forehead to hers and whispered...

"Together."

And with each piece of clothing removed, with each caress and intimate touch, they showed each other how they would live. As they stood in that dim room, bare to each other's gaze, they showed each other the person who allowed them to not only love once again but to want, to hope and to dream.

And as they became one with none of the awkwardness or hesitation that a first time should bring, they began their lives together in the same manner they would live them for many years to come.

Two people with warrior hearts and kindness in their souls who, through each other, found a way to not just survive in a brutal world but to thrive and feel joy with each other and with their family.

Together. Forever.

A/N: I truly believe that Rick and Michonne were in love with each other way back in season 4 but their trauma and grief kept that love unknown to even themselves. If only they had the opportunity to really talk! They could have helped each other with their pasts and their eyes would have been opened to all of those delicious possibilities. I hope you enjoyed this version of their love story! As always, feedback is appreciated. The next chapter will tackle 'What if' Michonne and Rick had hugged when they reunited after the fall of the prison? Hmmmm...