Yes. The baby's yours.

Rick weighed Michonne's sentence with a steady caution, contemplating the irreversible effects of four simple words. He had too much whiskey to drink, but he knew he was sober enough to understand Michonne was standing in the flesh in front of him, telling him she was having his child. She was beautiful, even more beautiful than he remembered, and she was pregnant. Her radiance didn't keep him from being irritated beyond all rationalities given she had kept her pregnancy a secret from him after all this time.

He had every right to be as angry as he felt.

The earth had shifted for him when he realized he was going to be a father. Still in disbelief at her admission, he tried not to be swayed by the tears that slipped down Michonne's cheek. He felt like all the s'mores and alcohol he had eaten was climbing up his throat. Raking a frustrated hands through his hair, he pinned the very pregnant woman with his gaze, "How far along are you?" His voice was raspy, he couldn't believe the question he was asking.

"Seven months." It came out like a whisper, the clog of emotions in Michonne's throat was making the simple task of inhaling and exhaling uncomfortable.

"Jesus Michonne!" Rick's voice was shaky now, from the shock of it all maybe.

He watched the woman he'd dream about for weeks in all her roundness press a hand to her temple. She had kept her pregnancy from him for seven months and he didn't know if he should be angry at what she'd hidden or be relieved she was present now, finally facing him.

"Can you just give me a second..." Feeling her equilibrium being threatened Michonne turned around on the wooden porch, grabbing the white railing like a lifeline, waiting for the topsy turvy upheaval she was experiencing in droves to subside. Sasha set her up by not advising her the party was at Rick's house. It was difficult to think clearly when images of her spread eagle on Rick's couch waiting not so patiently for him to taste her, danced naughtily in her head.

"You alright?" Rick thought Michonne was looking a bit distressed, he wanted to go to her but the news he was going to be someone's father nailed his worn cowboy boots to the ground. Michonne was going to have his baby.

Their baby.

He was going to be a father. He was nauseous at the thought, fearful of the finality of what a baby on the way meant for the both of them. His feelings were at war; he felt like fatherhood was something he was destined to fail at. Knowing his baby was resting in Michonne's belly gave him something to hold onto. He wasn't sure if it was faith or fear. Seven months had come and gone. She would've been alone during the early months of her pregnancy. Did she think he would've shirked his responsibility if she had let him know sooner?

He was conflicted, feeling robbed of the knowledge that they'd created life, not getting the chance to be where he needed to be.

"I just need a minute." Michonne waved Rick off, keeping her head in the direction of the ground because the position felt a little more stable than being upright.

"I thought we were careful."

He had driven to the drug store to grab a box of condoms after they'd use the only one he had in his house. The memory of their rapture that weekend hit him hard and fast. Saturday night specifically was etched in his mind forever, he had never desired a woman the way he craved Michonne. She'd been drunk off wine and he'd been drunk off her. He could pin point in full recollection where passion outweighed protection and desire overruled proper judgement.

"The kitchen…"

She said it the same time he did. All he could do was nod his head in agreement. They were in sync with their thoughts, just like before. He was staring at her again, this time with a subliminal inquiry to her actions. Rick's inquisitive gaze left her feeling subpoenaed. She was in the courtroom of one Rick Grimes; despite whatever she said at this point her verdict already read as guilty. His stand offness felt like a punishment fit for her crime. She was the lawyer between them, but she knew her defense was weak.

Rick crossed his muscled arms in anticipation.

She did the same, her stance defiant, but not for long. On second thought Michonne dropped her arms; she owed Rick an explanation of sorts.

"It was just time to go." She had no right feeling comfortable in Rick's arms the way she did that weekend. She didn't deserve to pretend she belonged there. It would be foolish of her to think four days could turn into eternity.

"You mean when you left me?" His ego had suffered a blow, but the brunt of Michonne's rejection rested in his heart.

To his satisfaction the glimpse of guilt he saw in her eyes appeased him a bit. Guilt meant there was an iota of care somewhere inside her. That's what he hoped for.

"Why didn't you at least call? I didn't know if you were okay out there." It burdened him for weeks that she didn't think he had the proper credentials to know things like that.

The softness of Rick's tone pulled her back a bit, giving her call backs of their time together. As much as Rick was all hubris, there was a gentleness in the way he touched and spoke to her during those few days that left her wanting, even now.

"I wanted to call but..." She was afraid the sound of his voice would fully convince her heart that she was already halfway in love with him. Leaving him had been the right thing to do. Only now she was back where she started, but she had someone else to think about.

"This why you're back? You here to tell me we're having a baby?" He surmised she was on his doorstep out of a sense of obligation. They were bound to run into each other sooner or later.

"I'm back because I wanted to be. And because I thought it was time to let you know I was pregnant."

Rick rubbed his eyebrows with his thumb and forefinger, "Good thing you're aunt left you the house then." The careless shrugged in his shoulders betrayed the look of indignation on his face. "Would you have come back? Would I have ever known you were pregnant?" The words still felt foreign on his lips, but he needed to know her answer.

"I needed you to know. I'm sorry I kept it from you for so long." She made a decision everyday to call Rick to let him know she was pregnant, but she never got the bravado. After their conversation in the bed of his truck she wasn't sure what kind of reception she would've gotten from Rick. She was taking away his agency in the matter by showing up and announcing her pregnant status. She wanted to believe at his core was a man who would never turn away the woman carrying his child, despite having no say in the matter. On the other hand she didn't want him to feel obligated to them. The last thing she wanted to be to Rick was a burden.

Eventually trying turned into not trying and guilt turned into something she convinced herself she could live with. Everything that kept happening pointed to returning to King County, it was as if the universe was working against her well laid plans. She didn't have much close friends in the City, when she thought of people she could truly rely on if anything happened to her or the baby all roads lead back to home. When the letter came that Yvette left her the house she knew it wasn't happenstance. She submitted her two weeks notice to the firm she had been working at for the past three years and surrendered her lease. Telling Rick about the baby was inevitable, but with her return to King County she knew she had to let him know right away.

She didn't know how he was going to feel about her being pregnant, she still didn't. All she knew was he was angry and upset as he rightfully should be. Anger was good, anger meant he cared in someway.

"This is something a man should know don't you think?."

"I remember what you said that night Rick. A wife and kids isn't in the cards for you. I was trying to respect that."

He felt like she'd cut him with a razor. "You decided to base a decision over one conversation we had over seven months ago? Who gave you the right?"

"Am I wrong? Did you change your mind on that?"

Her cadence was sharp, he took a step back. "At this point my answer is irrelevant don't you think?" He pointed at her belly for an obvious reference.

"I don't have any expectations of you Rick," she said in a rush, lifting her head, trying to catch his gaze. No expectations meant she wasn't going to be let down.

He tilted his head, invading her personal space, "You don't expect anythin' of me? You wanna run that by me again?"

She took an incognito whiff of his scent, feeling content with knowing he wore the same cologne. The scowl on his face however, was new.

"Do you even want this baby?" He wasn't sure why he asked, but his brain was muddled.

"I'm seven months pregnant, don't you think it's a little too late to ask that question?" She was being sarcastic, but the thought of not having this baby never crossed her mind. His question made her feel defensive. The surge of abject awareness he pulled out of her was one of the reasons she had slipped out without saying goodbye; Rick brought to the surface a series of emotions she didn't know existed. For an emotional hoarder like herself, she was running scared. She had grown accustomed to ignoring her feelings, pretending they didn't exist.

"Well forgive me for not being able to ask you that sooner."

She forgot his sarcasm game was strong too, but this wasn't the sarcasm Olympics.

"I'm here now Rick. We're going to be parents. It's okay if you're not ready for that. It's a big change."

He was going to ignore the subtle hints of her having no expectations of him. He figured Michonne was a woman who needed actions and not words to show her when someone was serious and he was more than up for the challenge. Two horny teenagers at the back of a Cracker Barrell could make a baby, but that didn't make them parents. It took a man to step up and be a father. Dammit he was going to try.

"Do you know what we're havin'?"

Michonne cringed at the word we, hating that it made her feel so hopeful and so sad at the same time. They weren't a we. They were two people who had spent an electrifying weekend together, getting careless in the exhilaration.

"I don't know yet, I kinda wanted it to be a surprise." The more advanced she got in her pregnancy the more excited she became. She wanted her baby and every uncertain decision that came with it. Even if she had to do it all alone.

"Why did you leave without sayin' goodbye?" She had left him like a thief in the night, similar to his father. It was increasingly onerous trying to not draw the comparison.

Her shoulders dipped, everything she had come up with sounded like excuses. Rick deserved better than some half assed cop out.

It was hard to stay mad at her when he thought about the bigger picture. A baby was on the way, there wouldn't be any turning back for him, even if he was scared shitless.

Michonne thought the stress of the reveal was giving her a headache, her legs felt weak from the constant tormenting pain in her lower back. The music seemed louder, the laughter and noise coming from inside reminding her she had pulled him away from a get together she wasn't really invited to. The crisp night air was now thick and hot, making her want to cut her debut short.

"Rick let's not make this any harder than it needs to be."

"Funny you say that when you're the one that left."

"That's not fair." She was curious if what Sasha said about Rick pining away for her was true. It couldn't have been for long if he was dating Jessie.

"Life isn't fair sometimes."

Things were too heated between them for rationale to step in. They needed to talk things over when both their heads were clear. She knew she had delivered a blow to Rick and he needed time to think everything over.

She already had her adjustment period, he deserved his.

"I should go." She rubbed her large belly without thought, soothing the restless baby on the inside. Her stomach felt tight to the touch and she was beginning to worry that whatever she was feeling wasn't going to pass over with one of her aunt's famous mood teas.

"Can we meet up, maybe tomorrow? Discuss how we're gonna work this out?" She had no plan in place, but the worst was over.

Rick shrugged his shoulder in response. She was asking for a meeting like they were working out the schedule for a cat they co-owned.

He couldn't take his eyes off her belly at times, but there was a dullness in her eyes and an exhaustion in her stance that he took full note of.

"We can. I'll take you home."

"You don't have to do that." She tried to straighten her back, wondering where the need to prove to Rick she could take care of herself was coming from.

"How did you get here?" He folded his arms, concern lacing his eyebrows. Even her voice sounded tired.

Desire flickered inside her, shocking her seven months pregnant state. Rick had that country strong appeal, he wore it like a suit of armor. The city muscle she had lived with for seven years paled in comparison.

"I called a taxi." Michonne looked up at the guarded porch lights catching a glimpse of the bioluminescence of the fireflies. The light carrying creatures were a nice distraction from the heated conversation going on between her and Rick.

"I'll take you home Michonne. It's late." His tone didn't mask the severity of non compliance very well.

She conceded. "Fine." She didn't have the energy to fight with Rick about methods of safe transportation.

"And in future If you need a ride to anywhere around here you call me. Okay?"

"Okay." As much as she wasn't pleased about shifting some control to Rick, she felt lightened knowing that she could depend on him despite what she'd done. She was hoping they could be friends from here on out. Rick had been a reprieve from her grief, and a distraction from the Damascus road she found herself on. She said it enough times that she convinced herself that it was true. Whatever they shared had dissipated as the months rolled into each other. The neutral manner Rick was looking at her now, reinforced her thoughts. What they had was all gone now. She hoped a friendship could be salvaged at least.

"Okay."

Along with her migraine, the laughter inside had increased since they'd been outside. Assuming everybody inside were having a good time wasn't a far leap. She was nostalgic for the laughter, for a place she held among her friends without care or concern it would ever be taken away from her.

"Can I sit for a minute? I don't feel so -" She tried grabbing onto the railing as she felt her vision blur and her knees buckle. She was no competition for Rick's swift action.

Without hesitation he scooped her in his arms, rushing inside the house.

"Clear the couch! Now!" he shouted.

"Sasha!" Rick called for his friend who was a certified paramedic after placing Michonne on his couch. He felt for a pulse. His police training was failing him. He was too worried about Michonne and the baby to be useful. Her pulse was strong but her face was pale and she was sweating.

"Party's over guys! Everybody out!" Shane said, already swift in action. They had been roused from the back porch with all the commotion in the living room.

Shane ushered the stragglers and acquaintances out. Andrea ran into the kitchen to grab a towel and Maggie had already grabbed her phone to call the paramedics.

"Michonne. Talk to me? What happened?" Sasha was trying to stay calm, allowing her experience to reside over her concern for her friend. She wasn't even aware she had arrived.

Michonne was mumbling, her eyes were barely open. She had one hand stuck to her belly like glue.

"I think she fainted. One minute we were talking and the next she said she wasn't feeling well, and she just sorta collapsed." Rick was right by her side, holding her hand. He wanted her to know he was here now and she didn't have to go through anything by herself.

He whispered a prayer that their baby was okay.

"Michonne, have you been experiencing any problems during your pregnancy?"

Daryl brought a glass of tap water, advising Sasha that she should take a sip. Rick helped her get upright, seeing her reach out for the glass in desperation. Dehydration was something that can be easily addressed if it was the reason for her sudden weakness.

"No problems," she said, coherent enough to realise she was leaning on Rick.

"Who's your doctor?" Rick asked, thinking it was something he needed to know.

"I haven't found one yet." Speaking to Hershel about a good obstetrician was on her agenda for later down in the week.

"We'll get you one. A good one."

"Her pulse is kinda high," Sasha observed on her second check.

"Guys I'm fine." Michonne couldn't remember Rick feeling so warm, she snuggled into him some more, much to her surprise and Rick's interest.

"Daddy said to get her over to the hospital," Maggie said in a rush. Hershel had been King County's head surgeon for most of their lives. He was skilled in his field and dealt with his patients with compassion. Maggie trusted his judgement.

"Ambulance is on its way. Should be here in two minutes," Sasha said.

Michonne was feeling overwhelmed and claustrophobic. The guys were standing around like guards securing a building, Sasha, Maggie and Andrea looked like three headless chickens fussing over her. It was comforting and disconcerting when she thought about it. It wasn't the greeting she expected to give them, it was just like her to make an entrance. It didn't sit right with her that she still felt like a lego trying to fit into a puzzle, not when she used to be the finishing piece of this squad. It made her even more grateful for their willing presence, she knew things weren't perfect between them. She wanted to be worthy of them again.

She handed Daryl the half full glass of water, taking her optimism as a good sign.

She noticed the blonde sitting on the bar stool by the kitchen counter and assumed she was the Jessie Sasha told her about. For a minute she forgot Rick was seeing someone. She looked confused and alone in the corner by herself.

Michonne felt a kind of way that all focus was on her, Rick hadn't even glanced in Jessie's direction or made an attempt to explain the situation to her. She didn't know how serious or not serious they were, all she knew was she wasn't here to complicate Rick's life. She needed to remember she wasn't just affecting his life alone with her news. If she and Rick could stay amicable, finding a clear way forward maybe things would turn out better than she expected. She had to try for their baby's sake. She had to find a way to avoid thinking about how handsome Rick had become now that his curls were thicker and longer, or how his marked beard made him more striking, appealing to the dormant places inside her.

She wanted him to still have Jessie in the end. Jessie didn't look like Rick's type, but it was none of her business. She wasn't going to bring Jessie up just yet. What she wanted right now was his forgiveness, she didn't deserve much of anything else from him.

"I think we should go. Get you checked out. Make sure everything's okay." Rick tightened his hold on her, almost like if he was afraid once loose she would slip out from under him again.

Michonne let go a deep sigh, there was that we again. It was emboldening. When Rick said it, it sounded wholesome, promising even, but she wasn't sure she could put trust in it.

She nodded, too tired to speak. She hoped it wasn't going to be a long night. She already had enough on her plate. Above everything else she prayed her baby, their baby was alright.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

The sound of the baby's heartbeat was a humbling experience for him. He didn't know when he reached for Michonne's hand but the sound of his baby's beating heart made everything more real to him. He and Michonne had created something special.

He looked at Michonne, their faces mirrored the same revere. Despite the external dilemmas they were faced with everything seemed to be okay on the inside with the child they had made together.

He couldn't fail this kid, not in the way his dad failed him. He wouldn't abandon Michonne or their baby. He wasn't sure what he had to do, but he knew what it felt like when his father walked out. His no kids rule may have been a protective measurement. Michonne was teaching him that life couldn't be as controlled as he thought.

"Is it supposed to be that fast?" Rick questioned.

Michonne observed Rick from the corner of her eyes, she knew hearing the baby's heartbeat for the first time would affect him deeply but she wasn't expecting the softness in his face or the fragile way he held her hand.

The sound had changed her life, his too.

"It's normal considering…"

"Considering what?" Michonne asked, trying to ease her hand out of Rick's. It was too easy to get comfortable with him.

Siddiq was the last person she was expecting to be the main doctor on call. Having her old boyfriend attend to her while the father of her child stood by her side unmoving was enough for her to either laugh or cry at the irony of it all.

"Has your BP been okay the last few months?" The doctor asked holding her chart to his chest.

Michonne sat up on the bed, the small hospital room was small and uncomfortable. She was ready to go home. Her headache was a lingering pain, faint enough that it was no longer a discomfort but the pain in her back was still present.

"It was normal two weeks ago." She had gone to her doctor in the city to ensure she was okay to fly.

"It's high enough now that I think I wanna keep you for observation," he said slowly, knowing she'd be reluctant to agree with his suggestion.

"What? No Siddiq! I'm not staying here."

"What's the reading now?" Rick said, taking note of the familiarity between Siddiq and Michonne. Feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket, he checked his messages and sent a simple Thank you once Daryl told him he had dropped Jessie safely home. He knew he couldn't delay his talk with Jessie now. He focused on Michonne again, who was busy chatting up a storm with the doctor who seemed to know her well. It had been awkward enough when Michonne revealed he was the father of her child. The bulletin explained why Rick refused to leave the room while she was being checked out.

He showed Rick the reading on the chart and watched his eyebrows shoot up in concern.

Siddiq approached the other side of Michonne's bed, catching her gaze as he spoke. "You've been dizzy, you've been having headaches -"

"She has one right now," Rick said as though he had just discovered the tombs.

"Thank you Doctor Grimes!" Michonne threw out, her sarcasm earned her a head tilt from Rick, she struggled to keep the amusement out of her tone.

"I'm just saying the headaches, nausea and dizziness aren't such a good sign. I need you off your feet for a bit."

Being off her feet was the last thing Michonne needed right now. Everything was coming to a head. She had to get the house ready for the baby. She didn't have much time to play with. She had put her plan to paper, all it needed now was execution.

"Kermit -" Michonne said, using Siddiq's nickname as a way to appeal to some leniency, "I promise I'm going to take it easy. Minimal activities and we can have scheduled weekly visits."

"That's Doctor Kermit to you." Siddiq laughed, remembering how a few jokes in high school gave him that horrible moniker. Nobody had referred to him as Kermit in years.

"I see she's still stubborn." He turned to Rick, unsure of the full extent of their relationship.

"I won't do anything to jeopardize this baby," Michonne said.

"That's good because I'm putting you on complete bed rest."

"Screw you Kermit!"

"I remember the last time you said that to me," he teased, bringing a reluctant smile to Michonne's face.

"Am I missin' somethin' here?" Rick was feeling agitated, the good doctor was flirting with Michonne right in front of him, if he wasn't in charge of her care he probably would have punched him in his face.

"We used to date." Michonne informed.

"A very long time ago."

"Until he left me for that tramp, umm what was her name?" She tapped her chin, jogging her memory, "Michelle Towazinski! Whatever happened to the skank?" she asked.

"I married her," Siddiq said proudly, gaining a decade long sense of satisfaction from the surprised look on Michonne's face.

"Oh," Michonne was ashamed of her loose mouth. It was a gift she gained when she hit her sixth month.

Rick wasn't entertained by the conversation before him in the least, but he liked the tongue tied version of Michonne. It reminded him of the first time he tasted her essence, she had clutched his hair and didn't speak for a full five minutes. He was certain she wasn't that way with Siddiq or anyone else she'd been with.

"Who's available to stay with you?" Siddiq adjusted one of the beeping machines behind her and checked the drip bag one more time. On top of her high blood pressure Michonne had also been dehydrated. She felt like she had been careless with her health and the health of her baby despite taking every precaution, but was having a baby sitter really necessary?

"No one."

"Sasha? Andrea?"

She weighed Siddiq's suggestion, but there was no way she could impose on Andrea and Sasha like that.

"She'll stay with me." Rick said, breaking his silence.

"What? No!" she exclaimed.

"Michonne Daryl told me about the repairs to be done on the house. It's not safe for you over there. It makes sense to stay with me. I have the room." Rick had already decided he would go over to the house tomorrow and make a proper assessment.

"Oh right. Yvette left you the house. If construction is going to take place then I'm going to have to side with Rick here."

"Good Lord! Is anything private around here?" Michonne threw her hands in the air, exasperated from her adventurous night.

"Rick has a point."

"I haven't found anyone to do the work on the house yet. It's going to be delayed." She was trying to build a convincing case. "There's no need to be so extreme. I'll be okay by myself." She was doing okay so far, tonight not included.

"Michonne I didn't want to scare you before, but at this stage of your pregnancy high blood pressure can be a serious risk. We want to rule out preeclampsia at this point. You should take every precaution."

She froze at the mention of the word preeclampsia, she heard a few stories about the severity of the diagnosis. She needed to be smart about her circumstances. She looked at Rick who was staring back at her with determination in his eyes. He was right, so was Siddiq.

Rick wanted to believe they had reached an impasse of sorts, he felt the surrender in the both of them.

Michonne had to put pride away. "Okay."

"I'll leave you two to discuss the details." Siddiq walked out with a promise he'd be back after making his rounds.

"You and I living under the same roof might not be a good idea." She wondered what were Rick's thoughts on their latest developments.

"We're not having this discussion Michonne. It's the only way I can take care of you." He needed to ensure they were both safe. Having her stubborn ass in his eyesight would give him peace of mind.

It wasn't so much what Rick said, but the way he said it that made her heart pound. He wanted to take care of her. She was exhausted from convincing herself she was one of those women that didn't need to be taken care of. It was doing her more harm than good being strong when she didn't have to be. She was having Rick's baby, she gathered for some men there was a sense of responsibility attached to the notion; a certain duty of care that Rick would not take lightly.

"I appreciate your generosity Rick, but I didn't want to disrupt your life."

It was too late for him, she had disrupted his life that evening when they had spent half the night gazing at stars.

"I have a big house. You don't have to see me unless you want to." He wanted her to want to see him as much as he did her.

"That's not the reason and you know it."

"Then what is it Michonne? You come here after seven months, tell me I'm going to be a father and expect me to not feel anything? What exactly do you want from me?"

"For one I don't want you to be angry at me anymore."

"Forgive me if that takes a while." He scratched his chin and sat next to her on the bed.

He took her hand and arrested her with the bluest gaze she had seen in a long time." I want to be here for you. You gonna let me?"

She nodded, thinking that forgiveness came in different forms, she wasn't going to be stupid and reject his help. She would stay at Rick's and get some much needed rest. It would be a temporary arrangement. Enough that they could repair the bridge in their relationship and fine a way to make things work when the baby came. Becoming friends made sense. Soon enough she would be back in the house she grew up in preparing for her baby's arrival. She laughed to herself, the one place she was running from seemed to be a safe haven now.

The baby chose that moment to kick. As if he or she knew his parents had decided to try for him. She reached for Rick's hand, pressing his palm over the thin sheet that covered her. His touch still burned her, even through a barrier. Rick grinned for the first time in a very long time feeling the baby kick against his hand. His palm was pressed firmly against Michonne's stomach, he thought he felt the formation of a foot. Pride covered him, knowing there was a little person growing on the inside.

"He's really in there huh?" It hadn't been confirmed, but Rick wanted this baby to be a boy.

"Sometimes it's still very surreal for me. Now you get to feel the kicks too." Michonne's smile lit up the entire room, he was blinded by the brightness of it.

They were united in something bigger than them. Rick felt the tug then, the aching desire to be a permanent part of his son's life. Everything had to have happened for a reason. Michonne was back for personal reasons, but he'd like to think she wanted to raise the baby in a place she considered home, even if she felt out of place in King County, the desire to be home was strong. Now that the house was going to be unavailable and her health had taken a small blow she needed him. His child deserved better than a part time father.

The answer was right in front of him, he didn't see it until now. He wanted to do right by her, by the both of them. Having a normal life was too important for him not to try. He wanted his kid to have a different life than the one he experienced, one where he understands he was always wanted.

"Rick?"

"Mmm?" Her soft voice took him out of his pensive thoughts. He gave her his full attention.

"I'm going to need some stuff from the house."

"Yeah. Already on it. Andrea and Sasha are gonna drop your stuff at my house."

He had been proactive, his consideration left her a little speechless.

"Thank you." Her friends had more than shown up for her.

"It's nothin'."

"No. It's everything." She touched his hand again. Memories didn't do the feeling justice. Touching him, being this close to Rick again made her feel joyous and off balanced. "I do want to make this work between us. Not just for the baby."

He nodded in approval. "That's good. I do too." They were on the right track.

"Good to know we're on the same page." She sat back against the pillow, feeling relaxed for the first time that evening.

"Now that it's been decided you're gonna be living with me for the next couple weeks I have something else to ask you." He had been plagued for a solution to their situation since their conversation on the porch. He still wasn't sure he had the right answer, but he wanted his child to have a chance at a good life. He was going to be a full time father. He wasn't going to accept for anything less.

"What is it?" Michonne covered her hand with his, ready to meet him halfway.

"I think you should marry me." Rick wasn't being sarcastic this time.

She could tell he was as serious as the migraine that had begun to throb at her temples.