Michonne roused violently in the abandoned car. She was no longer seeing Mike and Andre but oddly they both invaded her dreams the previous night. When she had met Andrea, the visions suddenly ceased. The nurturing Michonne received from her set her on the path of making her whole again. It was a narrow path. She could have easily fallen off and abandoned Andrea after she saved her from the walkers. When Andrea pleaded with her to leave her when she fell ill, Michonne could have fled.

If only she could have saved Andrea again.

Michonne sighed.

If only…

Michonne ran through scores of scenarios: If only Mike and Andre had lived. If only she had killed the Governor. If only she had saved Andrea. If only she and Hershel had stayed in the prison.

If only.

Suddenly the gravity of her words collided with the present. "If only." would not help her live. In fact it would only stagnate her. She would always love Mike and Andre. Her little boy would always have her heart…until her last breath, but now he and his father couldn't love her in the way that she needed. She thought again to her chance meeting with Andrea and quickly reconciled that it wasn't chance. Andrea was a forerunner, a beautiful bridge that led her to her new family. She missed her family and wondered if they were still out there. When she ran for the truck to help Rick and Carl, she found that all of the vehicles had been damaged beyond repair by the gunfire. By the time she had made her way back to where she had left Rick and Carl, they had vanished. There was also no sign of Judith or anyone else.

Michonne swiftly moved back into survival mode. She took a quick survey of her surroundings and stepped outside of the car. Drawing her katana she summoned fury once again. She moved so swiftly it was as if she were detached from her body, watching her blade on its own shred her pet walkers and their accompanying horde. She ran for the tracks she had ignored earlier. In those last moments she chose life. She yearned to live but following the tracks meant that she also yearned to love. Michonne wished she could have pushed down that last revelation with the butt of her katana.

Rick sat up in the bed in the master bedroom. The past few days were filled with extremes. He had lost everything, including his daughter. Today Michonne found her way back to him.

"It's for you." He said to Carl like a giddy little school boy when he saw Michonne on the other side of the door. It soothed his aching world when he saw her and Carl swallow each up in a deep embrace. Afterwards things quickly got awkward. Rick and Michonne exchanged pleasantries but did not embrace. In fact they didn't touch at all. Rick saw the baffled look on Carl's face.

As if things weren't already a giant mess.

Michonne came into the room with a basin full of water. She sat it down on the nightstand beside a first aid kit she retrieved from the connecting bathroom. Ever since she had arrived she had said very little to him. Rick had also noticed she went out of her way to avoid eye contact. He let his mind wonder. They had all been through a lot. After losing Hershel and the prison that would be enough to make anyone withdraw however he knew that Michonne's silence was aimed directly at him.

She blamed him.

Rick looked out of a window, attempting to ignore the energy in the room. He thought about what he revealed to her before they were separated. He grew ashamed.

He was such a weak man.

"Get up and take your clothes off." Michonne commanded, still avoiding eye contact.

Startled, Rick cleared his throat. "I can do this myself."

Michonne tugged at Rick's battered shirt and pulled at the old bandages underneath. He let out a howl and snatched away from her.

"If this is any indication that 'I can do this myself' then that concussion is worse than I thought. We don't have any time for pride, Rick. Get up and take your clothes off so I can get started."

Rick gulped. He was set afire over what Michonne had just said to him. It was so hard to keep in control, in fact it was going to be his greatest feat yet. Rick rose from the bed and began to disrobe. Michonne turned her back although she cursed at herself for wanting to watch him take off his clothes. She spread a large towel on the bed before Rick sat back down. He immediately covered up the lower part of his body although the evidence was clear. The situation was extremely charged and Michonne felt her skin pulsate. Her hand shook as she peeled the old dressing from Rick's back and torso. She retrieved a sponge from the basin and squeezed out the excess water longer than she needed. Michonne fumbled with the sponge and dropped it into Rick's lap. She scooped it up brushing up against him. He jumped and inadvertently let out low sensual grunt. Michonne did her best to ignore what had happened and cleaned Rick's head wound. She ran her fingers through his curly hair checking for other wounds but also out of wild fascination. Michonne wrapped his dark locks around her fingers and slowly straightened out the curls from his scalp.

"I can't thank you enough for what you did for me back at the prison." Rick said to Michonne as she moved the sponge down to his face to clear away dried up blood. He gripped the comforter for dear life and squeezed the hell out of his eyes. Michonne's touch made him feel as if he were on rollercoaster being pulled to its zenith. He wanted nothing more than for her to take his hand so that they could leap off of that beautiful summit together.

"Well if you didn't save me the day I had the formula, we'd both be dead now anyway." Michonne said blankly, hiding her great concern over the purplish discoloration on one side of Rick's ribcage. She gingerly examined the area forcing Rick to explode into obscenities. His mouth ran foul equally from pain and the agonizing arousal besieging his body.

"I'm sorry." Michonne blankly responded again after a painful stretch of silence.

"You're sorry?" Rick questioned.

Michonne rang the sponge out again and wiped his torso. From his tone she knew immediately that Rick was alluding to his decision to give her up to the Governor although he never went through with the plan. He had apologized once and she knew he was sincere. Rick was one of the few men she ever knew who had selfless heart. He was so good that at times it became sickening.

But that was why she loved-

"Yes I am sorry for hurting you just now." Michonne blurted out disturbed by what she was about to admit to herself. At this point she was scrubbing Rick's chest so vigorously that she left red spots all over his skin.

"Damn it Michonne!"

"I'm sorry!"

Rick took the sponge from her hand and hurled it across the room. Finally she made eye contact with him. He captured her hands and intertwined his fingers with hers. The stunning contrast of her ebony skin breathing as one with his fair complexion was mesmerizing. Their glances flowed back and forth between their interlaced fingers and the parts of Rick's chest that Michonne had nursed with the sponge.

"I'm not in love with you, Rick."

Stunned, he let her hands go and lowered his head. Michonne felt like a creep. She thought she had the courage to cross the threshold into a life with Rick but what she felt for this man made her pause. Michonne convinced herself that she could best love Rick at a distance.

"I know that's not what you have wanted to hear ever since you told me that you were in love with me back at the prison. Rick I just think that you were so caught up in the moment after I saved you. It's understandable. You were about to die."

"Don't be so fucking patronizing!" Rick shot back with blue ice jetting from his eyes. He wanted to let Michonne have it but then he noticed a concerned Carl standing at the bedroom door.

"Christ Dad. I heard you shouting from downstairs. Is everything ok?"

"Yes, everything is alright." Michonne interjected as she leered at Rick. She grabbed a roll of medical tape from the nightstand and tossed it at Carl. "See that your father gets bandaged up."

Rick watched Michonne storm from the room. He could feel Carl's eyes burning through him.

"What did you do now, Dad?"

Rick sighed lightly. "What did I do? Probably the stupidest thing I've ever done in my life."

Carl smirked. "I guess some things never change."

Rick dipped his hand into the basin that Michonne used to wash him up and torpedoed water at Carl.