Chapter 2:

"Mom? I'm home!"

Michonne strolled into the apartment, dropping her bag on the floor as she called out for her mother, "Mom?"

"We're coming! Just hold on a second!", her mother appeared from the bathroom, carrying her son in a towel, "I had to give him a bath because he decided that he'd put all of his yogurt in his hair, and not his mouth-"

"Go-Gurt!", Andre clapped his hands together excitedly.

Michonne grinned at the little boy as she walked over to him, "Hey, baby! Have you been a good boy for grandma?"

The toddler nodded, causing water to drop from his curls.

"Good boy. Go get ready for work mom, I got him from here", She insisted, bouncing the little toddler as she walked to their bedroom.

"I'm going to talk to Dale about hiring you today", Her mother announced as she began to move around the room, picking up toys.

"You don't have to mom-"

"Michonne-"

"It's fine, mom-"

"You got home at what time last night? Three in the morning? Then you have to go to class five hours later?"

"I know, but no other bar pays as well"

"I get that honey, but I don't like you in a strip club. Even if you are just a waitress. These poor women getting groped on by those nasty old men just to make ends meet… it ain't right"

She shamefully looked elsewhere, "I know,

mom"

"I don't like you in that kind of environment around those times, I want you safe-"

"I know!"

Michonne hated lying to her mother, but she was in a position to help her mother with the money she made. Dancing wouldn't be the only thing she hid, as she wasn't in a rush to tell her about Rick, either. Her mother wanted Michonne's focus to be on Andre and college, which it was, but she was curious about Rick. He wasn't like the type of guys she had usually came across, especially as none of them had ever paid her a large sum of money for doing next to nothing, and while she didn't consider it as hush money, she hadn't told anyone about what had happened. She definitely wasn't going to tell her paranoid mother either.

"Let's get you dressed", She muttered as she laid her son on the bed, "We need to cover that little tummy up before you catch a cold"

The little boy quickly sat up, "Juice!"

"In a little while, okay? First…", She held up his t-shirt, "Clothes"

Her son covered his face with his hands as he rolled back onto the bed, leading Michonne to chuckle at him. He was indeed her top priority, and she adored him with all her heart. Her mother had encouraged her to continue on with her education when she discovered she was pregnant, and the decision had left them worse off financially, but she couldn't dream of having it any other way.

Her thoughts travelled to the money Rick had gave her, and once she had dressed her son, she headed back to the living and kitchen area, "Are we all caught up with this month?"

Her mother glanced at her as she packed her lunch for work, "Yeah, just that damn light bill… might be a little late though-"

"I can give you some more money towards it. And the next one."

Her mother frowned, "You've already given me your share for the month so don't even worry about it-"

"I know but let me help with the next ones", She insisted, bouncing her son on her hip.

Her mother looked at her suspiciously, "Why? What's going on here?"

"I got a lot of tips last night… the bar was busy… some kind of bachelor party… so I can pay more"

"Then it should go to Andre. That was our arrangement, I take care of the bills and you pay for his upkeep-"

"I can still do both, okay? So I'll pay that off and then you can put that money to something else"

The older woman gave her a warm smile, "Thank you, honey"

"No problem"

Michonne wanted to do more than just help her mother with one or two bills, but she didn't want her mother to grow any more suspicious than she naturally was.

She usually spent her evenings studying, when she wasn't working. She didn't consider herself to have much of a social life, though it didn't bother her too much, as she had more important matters at hand.

Andre was fast asleep beside her in bed, when she heard her cell phone ring on the nightstand. She reached over and grabbed it, holding her books against her chest so she didn't lost the page, "Hello?"

"Michonne? What's going on?"

"Hey, Mike. Nothing. Just studying…", She switched the phone to her other ear as she got comfortable.

"Nothing new there. How's Andre doing?", Her friend queried.

"He's good. Fast asleep… my mom said he went a bit crazy with his yogurt earlier, so I guess that's been the highlight of his day…"

The man chuckled into the receiver, "I wish my life was that simple"

"Me too. How'd rehearsals go?"

"Pretty good. I've been working on my lines all week and it's paying off"

She slowly nodded as she flicked the page in her text book, "That's great to hear"

"I went by the library today, I didn't see you?"

"Nah, I had to leave early, my mom had work"

"Oh yeah… well, I can take Andre for an afternoon if you want? All my classes are in the morning, so I can take him... you can go study..."

"Yeah?", She quickly considered his offer, "How about tomorrow? I was going to ask Maggie but-"

"I can do it. I should be doing it, he's my son after all. I feel like we're not doing our equal share here…"

"Well… our setups pretty strange", She sighed, dropping back against the headboard of her bed.

"I know, but I want you to be able to call me more often… not just to talk about your major or things like that, about him too."

"Yeah… Well we'll try that out"

"Cool. So I'll come by tomorrow around one? Pick him up?"

"Yeah, you can. I'll let my mom know so she doesn't freak out on you"

Mike chuckled a second time, "I try not to take it personally"

"You should though because she hates you, just as much as your parents hate me", She responded dryly.

"My parents don't hate you-"

"Mike."

"They don't! They're just… you know how they are. You know how they've always saw things… just give them time."

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah. Sure."

"...How's work going?"

"...Great. Couldn't be better", She responded with an obviously sarcastic tone.

"It's still shit then?"

"You know it."

The next day began as usual for Michonne. She woke up, fed herself and her son, before dressing for the day. Her daytime attire always teetered on the verge of very casual and lounge wear. She purposely wore jerseys and shirts that were three sizes too big, or jeans that had to be held up by a belt. It was her way of being invisible during the day.

"Mom, Mike's coming by to take Andre this afternoon", Michonne announced to her mother when she walked into the kitchen area.

"What for?", her mother snorted, feeding Andre pieces of fruit as he sat on the kitchen counter.

"Because he's his son", Michonne informed flatly, "And he's allowed to take him sometimes?"

"Exactly. Sometimes. He doesn't take him more frequently because of those no good parents of his, thinking their precious son is too good for fatherhood at this age-"

"He tries, mom"

"Not enough. I do more for this little boy than he does. I'm the second set of hands that help you-"

"And he appreciates everything you do, and that's why he wants to help out more-"

"He wants to help out more?", Her mother raised a questioning eyebrow at her as she held out an orange slice for the toddler, "How about he get a job and buy a few things for Andre? Instead of waiting for his 'big break'? How about he sees his son more than once every two or three weeks? How about he says something to his stuffy, uptight parents?"

Michonne huffed as she put her hands on her hips, "Have you got it all out of your system now? Will you be civil when he gets here?"

Her mother scowled, "Yes."

"Good. Thank you", She left shortly after her mother's little rant.

Michonne always made sure to arrive to her classes early, so she could get a seat right at the front, as she always took more interest in learning than her peers. She didn't necessarily take her education as seriously before she had Andre, but once the infant arrived, she knew she had to adjust her attitude towards her studies, and she felt as if it was paying off when she made the Dean's list.

As afternoon approached and her classes were complete for the day, she headed to the parking lot to wait for Rick, while messaging Mike to see how her son was. She was in the middle of sending him a message when a phone call came through, leading her to smile, "Hey, Mags."

"Hey! Where are you? I just got out of class", Maggie sounded as if she were in a crowd of people.

"I'm in the parking lunch, I'm going out for lunch"

"Yeah? Well wait for me, I'll come with"

Michonne cringed, "With a guy."

Her friend was silent for a moment, "Who? Who is he?"

"I met him at the club"

"Oh god, no, Michonne don't-"

"He wasn't a customer, he was there for work"

"Yeah, right! Was there a tan line where his ring was meant to be?"

Michonne exhaled through her nose as she tried not laugh, "I'm being serious."

"Is he there yet?"

"No… not yet-"

"Good, I'm coming. I want to see him"

"Oh my god-"

Maggie hung up, and Michonne's head rolled back in exasperation. Maggie had become a good friend of hers since they started college, and one of the few people she could count on, but she knew her friend wouldn't hold back in the presence of someone new, especially a male.

A black truck pulled into the parking lot while Michonne was in the midst of thinking of a possible excuse, prior to Maggie's arrival, which explained her strange behaviour. To her dismay, Maggie appeared only seconds later, panting slightly.

"You ran here, didn't you?", Michonne growled.

"Of course I did", Maggie scoffed, resting her hand on Michonne's shoulder as she tried to catch her breath, "I've got a damn stitch"

"Go away, Maggie"

"No. I want to see his face and his car, in case he tried to kidnap you or somethan'. This is what good friends do"

Michonne couldn't help but giggle, "Thanks, but I don't think he's a-"

The truck pulled up in front of them, and both women quickly straightened up. Rick climbed out of his truck, and strolled around his vehicle, turning his baseball cap to the back as he smiled, "Y'all alright?"

"Hey. This is my friend Maggie", Michonne introduced, crossing her arms over her chest, "Maggie, this is Rick"

"Nice to meet you, Rick", The Brunette smiled as she gave as little wave.

"You too", Rick sent her a little nod, before stepping back to look at them both, "I'm not late, am I?"

"No, so let's go", Michonne answered quickly as she turned to Maggie, "Come by my house later, alright?"

"You know I will", Maggie snickered as she backed away, "Y'all have fun!"

"Bye!"

Rick eyed them both with narrowed eyes as he opened the passenger side door for Michonne, "Did I interrupt somethan'?"

"No. She just wanted to see my potential kidnapper", She joked, climbing in the vehicle.

He frowned at her, "Is that what I am?"

She shrugged, innocently, "If you are, then you're a pretty nice one for taking me to get something to eat first"

He smirked, shaking his head as he closed the door. She watched him walk back around the vehicle, wondering what she had let herself in for. The man was ruggedly handsome, with blue eyes that radiated warmth. She didn't need the distraction of a male when she was trying so hard to focus on her family, but she still found herself readily accepting his invite to lunch, and sitting in his vehicle twenty-four hours later.

"So, what are you in the mood for?", He glanced at her before turning out of the parking lot.

"I don't mind… breakfast food? Maybe?", She suggested, crossing her legs as she looked at him.

"That's fine by me. Do you have to get back to your son at a certain time?"

"Probably around five"

Rick scowled nodded as he peered out the windshield, "How old is he?"

"Two and a half", She answered proudly.

"That's a nice age. They adore you as much as you adore them"

"Not the same with an eleven year old?"

He sighed, "Depends on what side of the bed they wake up on. I think he just puts up with me now"

She sniggered at him, "Sorry to hear that"

"You'll know how it feels one day"

"I probably will. He's around my mom more so… I think he prefers her over me"

He snuck a glance at her again, "Yeah? That's great that he's close with her"

"It is…", She squinted out the window as they drove through the city, "So are you really kidnapping me? Because we just passed some really great diners?"

He chortled at her, "I'm taking you to my regular spot. I promise you, it's the best in Atlanta"

"That's a bold statement, especially to someone who eats as much as me"

"I can bet you that once you eat there, you won't want to go anywhere else", He insisted smoothly.

She side eyed him, "What are we betting then?"

He looked at her as he stopped at a red light, "If you like it then I get to take you there again"

She rose her eyebrows at him, "And if I don't?"

"Then… you get to take me to your favourite place"

She pursed her lips as she considered it, "Alright, fine"

"We have a deal then?"

"We do", She averted her gaze elsewhere, "Prepare to lose"

He chuckled as he began driving again, "We will see about that"

She rolled her eyes playfully, "So what made you want to get into bounty hunting?"

"I kinda fell into it. I always knew I wanted to be in law enforcement, so I started off as a deputy, but then I switched over after going with a friend a mine on a sting"

She leered at his mouth as he spoke, "It looks exciting"

"It is. I actually enjoy it", He peered out the rear view mirror for a moment, "So what about you? What… How'd you… how come you-"

"The money. I mean- I'm a good dancer too, which helps, but mainly the money", she responded flatly.

"How long have you been working there?"

"Eight months. They were looking for a waitress, but my boss told me I'd be better off dancing instead. I'd probably make even more if I actually stripped...", The car swerved slightly, causing Michonne to look at Rick with a raised brow.

"Sorry", He cleared his throat, "Some idiot… in the road"

She squinted at him.

"So it's a temporary thang then?"

"It is. As soon as I'm done with college", He turned into a small parking lot, next to an even smaller diner, leading Michonne to giggle, "This looks like a typical, 'movie-cop' hang out"

"Don't worry about how it looks on the outside, it's how the food makes you feel, that matters", He insisted with a crooked smile as he found a space.

"This should be interesting…"

They exited the vehicle once it was stationary, and Michonne followed Rick inside the compact establishment, angry at the fact that her mouth almost watered from the aroma.

They took a seat in the world's tiniest booth, and Michonne tried not to pay attention to the fact that her calf was pressed against his when she crossed her legs beneath the table.

"How are you, Rick?", A plump blonde woman asked, pulling a pen from behind her ear, "Who's this little button?"

"Hey Anna, this is Michonne. Michonne, this is Anna", Rick informed.

"Hey", Michonne smiled.

"Hey there. This is your first time here I take it?", The woman rested her hand on the table.

"It is, and she wants the breakfast special", Rick answered with a grin.

"Oh, is that right? Well we can cook that right up for you. What about you Grimes? Usual?"

"Yes, please"

"Alright then", The blonde turned around, "One big Mama's breakfast and one cop special sandwich!"

"Got it!", A man yelled from a little window behind the counter.

Michonne looked at Rick a furrowed brows, "A big Mama's breakfast, huh?"

"You'll thank me in a little while", He teased, resting his forearms on the table, "So what else is there to know about you?"

"...What else do you want to know?", She felt only a little nervous under his intense gaze.

"...Your son's father?"

She nodded, "He's around. We get a long"

"That's good. It's easy to get caught up with your problems with the other parent when you have a child…"

"That's true… but we were friends before my son… and after… we've always been friends"

Rick narrowed his eyes at her, "Oh?"

She rolled her eyes as she swiftly changed the subject from Mike, "So, uh, I take it you live around here?"

He perked up, "Yeah. A few blocks from here actually, but I'm originally from Kings County. You know it?"

"That's where Maggie grew up, I've been there a few times with her"

"Oh, yeah? What did you think of it?"

"It's nice. Really nice."

"Glad you liked it. Did she take you to Jenny's?"

She shook her head, "Nope"

"The best place to eat in Kings County"

She giggled at him, "Let me taste this first, then I'll know what your standards are like"

"Alright", He held his hands up, "That's fair"

Their meals arrived much sooner than Michonne expected, and she was only a little disappointed at the prospect of losing to Rick, as the food looked as delicious as it smelt. He watched her load up her first fork full, and she slowly slipped the pieces of sausage, bacon and eggs into her mouth.

She didn't mean to moan out loud, but there was an explosion of flavours in her mouth, "Oh my god-"

"What did I tell you?", He grinned at her.

"Fine, fine, I lost, you won. Let me enjoy this"

He laughed with glee as he called to the waitress, "I got you another regular, Anna!"

"Welcome to the club, button!", Anna raised a pot of coffee to Michonne.

Her lunch with Rick was an entertaining one, and she was pleased to learn that he was also a fan of satire, as well as her dry sense of humour. She tried to discreetly check her phone while they dined, not wanting to appear rude or uninterested, although she had noticed he did the same.

"So… did you have work today?", She asked before taking a sip of her water.

"This morning I did, and I will later", He replied, wiping his hands with a napkin, "I can't complain about me schedule. I get to sleep in 'cause I'm out all night"

"Sounds great. Your son must think you have a cool job?"

"I try not to tell him too much, I don't want him trying to copy me or somethan'...", Rick glanced out the window, "I'm trying to be more of a parent, less of a friend"

She tilted her head at him, "Really?"

"Yeah. I think me and his mother… we messed up when things started to go wrong in our marriage. We let him get away with a lot to compensate for our arguing. We're paying for it now though. He's only eleven but the boy talks like he's sixteen or somethan'..."

"I think a lot of parents have been in that position before. It's normal to spoil your kids to distract them from 'adult' problems…."

He smirked shyly, "Thanks for making me feel like less of an asshole"

"No problem", She snickered, "So you and your…. wife get along, too?"

His gaze hovered elsewhere for a moment, "Yeah. We do"

She noticed his strange reaction, "That's a good thing? Right?"

His steely blue gaze fell on her, "...It is… but… not always"

Her brows knitted together when she sensed a deeper meaning behind his words, so she chose to change the subject, "Alright… Well what else do you get up to? When you're not hiding out in strip clubs…"

He cringed, "I think my life's pretty boring otherwise. I spend too much time at the shooting range"

"So you shot the speaker out on purpose?", A smile spread across her lips as she teased him.

He bit back a chuckle, "That asshole jumped on me, and sadly the speaker caught the worst of our little scuffle"

"Is that something that happens often?"

"Half the time yeah. Sometimes they do what they're told without a problem… other times, they try to run"

"Every gone on a high speed chase?"

"I have, though that's somethan' we try to avoid. We don't like to draw too much attention to ourselves… it makes it easier to do our job when people don't know who's looking out for them"

She slowly nodded as she twirled her straw in her cup, "But you also hang out at a cop's diner?"

He chortled at her, "I'm not in uniform. I can just be a regular guy coming to get somethan' to eat with a beautiful girl?"

She was glad her dark skin hid the flow of blood that rushed to her cheeks, but she couldn't hide a bashful grin, "Smooth…"

"I'm just being honest", He gave her that crooked smile again, and she decided it was adorable.

She tore her gaze away from him, "I think I need to get back soon-"

"Oh, yeah, come on", He paid the bill, and they left the diner soon after.

Michonne was undeniably comfortable around him, and she enjoyed listening to the man talk. She had grown used to the southern accent, thanks to Maggie, but something about Rick's tone made the hairs stand up on the back of her neck. His eyes had the same effect. When his gaze fell on her, and stayed there, she didn't know if she wanted to run away or mount him.

"So do you live with your mom? You said before that your son sees her a lot so I figured…"

"Yeah", She nodded, staring out the windshield, "I moved back in when I was pregnant"

"Right…", Rick ran a finger back and forth over his lip, "She seems really supportive? If you don't mind me asking, but how does she feel about you dancing?"

Michonne sighed, "She doesn't know. She thinks I'm just a waitress, and even then she still hates me working there"

He glanced at her, "Oh."

"Yeah…"

"Have you thought about telling her?"

"I have… I want to… but I just don't want to disappoint her. And I know lying to her all this time would disappoint her too but-"

"I get it. You're in a tough position, but from what you've told me about your mother, she doesn't seem unreasonable? She seems quite the opposite, honestly…"

"You think you could tell your mom such a thing?"

He scoffed, "There wouldn't be anythan' to tell in the first place, no one would ever hire me to dance, because I can't"

A chuckle burst from her lips, "Oh god, don't tell me you dance like a dad?"

"I danced like a dad before I even had my son", He smirked as he shook his head.

"I'll probably have to give you some lessons then"

"You wouldn't even want to do that. Plenty of people have tried, and I'm a lost cause"

"You just haven't had the right teacher", She didn't intend for the words to leave her mouth like a purr, but they did, and she didn't miss the way he snuck a peek at her.

"Well, maybe you're right"

She bit her lip as she averted her gaze to the street, "Uh… Just here, on the left"

Rick pulled up outside her apartment complex, his eyes slowly looking over the building, as he unfastened his seat belt, "This is a nice place"

"Thanks. It's small but, it's nice", She huffed, mimicking his actions, "But thanks for lunch… I enjoyed it"

He turned back to look at her, "Me too…"

She stilled when she noticed how his sentence seemed to drift off, his eyes roaming her face.

"I like what's happening here, and I'd like to take you out again if you'd let me"

Michonne took a moment to think of her reply, "Well I did lose the bet so..."

A small smile graced his lips, "I wanna know what you're thinking about this? Honestly?"

She tried not to shift uneasily, "This was nice. I liked it, too"

"Would you wanna see me again?"

She shifted, "I would…"

"Really?", There was a look in his eyes that she could only describe as apprehensive, as if he was riddled with uncertainty.

She nodded, "Yeah. I mean it"

He seemed to accept her answer, "I'm pleased to hear that. I just wanna be sure that I'm not barking up the wrong tree… I've been in a situation like that and- my point is, I'm certain that I like you and I want to get to know you more"

Michonne found his admission sweet, although, she had her own reservations. She was being truthful when she said she would like to see him again, but she knew realistically, he had popped up in her life at a bad time, "Uh, how about we meet up on Thursday? Before I go to work?"

"Yeah? That's fine by me."

"Just come here around six"

"Alright… Let me walk you to your door-"

Her hand clumsily found the handle as she exited the vehicle, "That's a sweet gesture but you don't have to, it's fine. Just be here on Thursday"

He watched her closely, "Thursday it is"

"Bye, Rick"

"Bye Michonne".