A/N: Thank you so much for reading the first three chapters and for your feedback! And patience! My time has been limited lately but I finally had a chance to update the story. I won't take this long for the next chapter (currently working on it now). You'll notice this chapter is longer and involves the other TWD characters but there is still a little Richonne. Still building so I hope you'll stay with the story. Your feedback keeps me motivated so feel free to leave comments. Thank you!
Chapter 4
Michonne took a deep breath, attempting to eat the last piece of food on her plate. Unable to take another bite, she placed her fork down and settled back in her chair. The sounds of chewing and silverware clinking against ceramic plates surrounded her as everyone delved into their second helping in silence. Laughter and conversation stopped the minute she brought out her second casserole fresh from the oven and placed it on the table. As much as Michonne loathed cooking in her old life, she really enjoyed spending time in the kitchen nowadays. Cooking was a normalcy she had taken for granted back then. One she never thought she missed until now.
Morgan patted his stomach and pushed his plate to the side. "Job well done ladies. Well done."
Daryl nodded his head in agreement, licking his fingers after scraping the remaining food from his plate. "Got any left?"
Sasha rolled her eyes at him. "You ate up the first one. Now you're scraping your plate. What's next? Licking?"
Daryl flicked Sasha off and garnered a unison "ewww" from the ladies when he picked up his plate and licked it. "Now I'm done," he said with a loud belch.
Sasha threw a napkin at him from across the table. "You're disgusting."
"Thanks."
The jokes and conversation resumed, and Michonne found herself engaged in three different discussions at the same time: cooking, favorite movies and Heath's schoolboy crush on Sasha— the hottest topic at the table despite Sasha's menacing glance at Rosita to change the subject.
After all of the prepping, cooking, cleaning and rearranging the furniture to accommodate an extra table and chairs, they all finally had a chance to relax. Michonne felt energized and like a new person after her much needed nap. Her conversation with Rick had also lifted her spirits. She felt relieved they had come to an understanding. She didn't want to be angry with him anymore.
As if reading her thoughts, Rick looked in her direction and pointed at the two empty casserole dishes in the middle of the table. He gave her a thumbs up, a small smile on his lips. She smirked back at him and stood up to clear off the table.
"Want some help?"
"No, I got it. Thanks."
Rick ignored her and started gathering everyone's empty plates. "You, Carol and Maggie have done enough. Some of us can clean up. Daryl, Abe, Sasha, care to help?" Before she could protest, they finished cleaning off the table and disappeared into the kitchen.
As soon as Michonne returned to her seat, her mind drifted back to her conversation with Rick. She was surprised at how guarded Rick was about the Jessie situation. The two had been through so much yet he continued to keep her at arm's length here in Alexandria. Of course he liked Jessie. Maybe he just wasn't ready to admit this truth to himself yet. But when he realized how he felt—and Michonne knew it was only a matter of time—she had an inkling things would just become more complicated.
She was beginning to miss their friendship pre-Alexandria. Though everything around them was turbulent and unstable out there, things between them seemed easier. Effortless. Now they struggled. As if normalcy complicated things. She wondered if Rick had picked up on the shift in their friendship and if living here would continue to drive them apart. She wasn't even sure how their living situation would work out if things continued to head in this direction. Of course she had options and would be fine with moving in with Sasha or Carol if it came down to that. But living here in this house with Carl, Judith and Rick…it felt like home to her.
Stop it Michonne.
She let out a quiet sigh in frustration. Maybe she was getting ahead of herself.
"Michonne?" Glenn called her name, interrupting her thoughts, "We wanted to make the group toast now."
Right. The group toast. Maggie mentioned that she wanted to have one tonight. Michonne nodded, remembering she found a bottle of grape juice in the pantry earlier.
"Okay, I'll grab some extra glasses. We only have juice here." Michonne pointed to the bottle of gin in Rosita's hand. "And unfortunately, I don't think they're sharing." Apparently Rosita, Tara and Sasha found the bottle earlier that afternoon and started drinking before they arrived.
Maggie and Glenn shared a glance. "Juice would work fine," Maggie told her.
Michonne walked into the kitchen and noticed Sasha, Daryl, Rick and Abraham huddled together in a circle engaged in a hushed conversation. No one heard her walk in.
"We don't tell anyone," she overheard Rick tell them.
Her stomach dropped at Rick's comment. Keeping her at arm's length about his personal life was one thing—and she respected his decision to do so—but she was done with being left in the dark about matters that involved the group. And Rick's intense whisper and their serious faces told her something was going on. She didn't need to hear specifics to know that.
Michonne cleared her throat, trying not to look as annoyed or suspicious as she felt. She wanted to give Rick the benefit of the doubt. They all turned around and looked at her. No one spoke.
"Maggie and Glenn want to make a toast," she told them in a flat tone.
The others dispersed from the kitchen, leaving Michonne alone with Rick.
He walked toward her. "How long you been standing there?" he asked, still keeping his voice low.
"Long enough to hear you tell them to keep whatever you're talking about a secret."
"It's not a secret."
"Then why are we whispering?" She let out a frustrated sigh. "Look Rick, I thought we were done with secret plans and missions. Your last one almost got you kicked out of here. What part of I'm still with you did you not understand? Or did you forget?"
As she stepped around him to grab the grape juice out of the refrigerator, he reached out and grazed her wrist with his finger. The soft look on his face told her he still remembered her words.
"Hey, when I told them not to tell anyone I meant anyone outside of this house. I was going to tell you before I told the whole group. It just kinda came up and I wanted to get the full story before I brought it to you or anyone else."
Michonne took a step back and searched his face, deciding she believed him. "Rick, what's going on?"
He sighed. "Sasha told Daryl she spotted someone watching this place on her overnight shift. That's why he stopped by this morning."
Michonne frowned as the tension resurfaced in her stomach. "What? Are you serious?"
"Sasha says she's sure about what she saw. Even though it was just one person she saw something. And then they were gone."
The thought of someone out there watching them made Michonne uneasy. If Sasha caught one person watching them, then others could soon follow. How many were there? One? Twenty? Fifty? She hoped Sasha was wrong but knew that was unlikely. Sasha was the best person on lookout duty. She never missed anything. So if she saw someone, then that person was out there.
"Michonne," Rick said, his face showing concern, "we'll figure this out. Could be nothing."
"Or it could be the start of something."
"True. But either way, it's better Sasha saw what she did now. No matter what, no one's taking this place from us."
"No, they're not," she agreed. She trusted Rick to do whatever he felt was best to protect them. She planned to do the same.
He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze and helped her carry the extra glasses and Carol's dessert—her infamous chocolate chip cookies—back to the dining room.
She took a moment to collect her thoughts before rejoining the group. The rest of the group needed to know about the situation but she left that part up to Rick. He would tell them at the right time. She helped Maggie pour juice into everyone's cup.
Maggie raised her glass in the air. "It's our first official dinner together...with actual real food and a little peace we never had before."
Glenn nodded. "Yea and without danger or threats of being attacked by a herd of walkers or other groups…at least for now."
Michonne shared an uneasy glance with Rick and looked away. She hoped Glenn was right.
Maggie continued with the toast. "Right. So let's enjoy the moment. I'm glad everyone made it tonight. We always say how we're so lucky and blessed that we found each other. People normally can't choose family. But we did. Here's to making it through. To always being here for each other. To family."
"To family," they all repeated, clinking their glasses with each other.
Maggie held up her hand. "We also have something else to tell you guys. I figured tonight would be the perfect time to do it." She reached for Glenn's hand. "We're expecting a new addition to the family."
The room fell silent but only for a moment. Once the shock of Maggie's news wore off, everyone gathered around them. Squeals and laughter echoed throughout the room, the joy the couple exuded was contagious. Michonne gave them both a big hug, feeling truly happy for Glenn and Maggie. The happiness also came from knowing the couple could build a life somewhere safe and raise a family. Pregnancy out there beyond the walls was no way to live or a place to raise a family. Nothing was guaranteed even behind the walls, but Alexandria was a start. At least they had hope here.
Michonne excused herself to the bathroom to brush her teeth after dessert, a habit—or borderline obsession as her friends called it— she developed in college. She was halfway down the hall when she heard a knock at the front door. Daryl probably went out for a smoke and locked himself out. Again. She shook her head with a smile, determined to tease him and make him wait. Her smile disappeared when she peeked through the keyhole.
What's she doing here?
Michonne paused before she opened the front door to face the unexpected visitor.
"Hi, Michonne." Jessie stood on the porch with a pie in her hand. "I wanted to bring by some dessert. Is Rick here?"
Michonne widened the door and stepped to the side, hoping her usual poker face masked her true emotions—she didn't want to invite Jessie inside. She wasn't even sure why she showed up with a baked pie in her hand tonight of all nights. She hoped Jessie just wanted to drop off dessert and head back home, especially since Sam wasn't with her. "Come on in. I'll go get Rick," she told Jessie.
Jessie smiled and walked into the house. She peered down the hall in the direction of the noise and laughter that spilled into the hallway. "Thanks. Hope I'm not intruding."
But you are.
Michonne managed to give her a small smile, despite her irritation from her surprise visit. Their intimate family moment interrupted by an outsider.
"I'll go get Rick for you."
Michonne spotted Rick coming out of the hallway bathroom out of the corner of her eye. She walked down the hall and nodded her head toward the front door. "You got company."
He checked his watch. "Jessie and Sam are here? I assumed they weren't coming. Thought she changed her mind."
"Yea well Jessie's here solo. Not Sam." Michonne paused, suddenly noting Rick's reaction. No look of surprise on his face. He expected them tonight. "Wait, you invited them? I thought you said tonight was just family."
"I know. But she wanted me to have dinner with them tonight and I told her I couldn't because of our dinner. I just felt bad for them so I told her to come by with Sam tonight."
Michonne felt like she was losing her poker face. She lowered her voice. Even though Jessie waited in the foyer at the other end of the hallway, she still didn't want her to hear them. "Yea but Rosita and Tara wanted to bring Heath and Denise. Carl asked to invite Enid. But then we all decide collectively as a group to let tonight be just about us. It's not fair to create double standards."
Rick shrugged. His nonchalant attitude irritated her even more than Jessie showing up unannounced. "Well I'd hope they'd understand her situation right now."
"Well it would be nice to have a heads up. We don't even have any food left to feed her."
He scrunched his brows in confusion. "Wait, why are you so surprised? It's not like you didn't know they were coming. I told you I invited them."
"No…you didn't. I'd remember that."
"I left you a note on your dresser."
Michonne raised her eyebrow. "Well I never got it. You should've just told me."
"Well…you were sleeping. I was trying to be considerate. Didn't want to disturb you."
"You could've woke me up or told me when we were out on the porch. None of us has seen her since that night….it would've been nice to give everyone a heads up that she'd be here tonight. Make things less awkward."
There it was. Again. The deflated tension from the morning resurfaced, filling the air between them with friction.
Rick let out a frustrated sigh, his Southern accent thickening, which only indicated his growing irritation. "Well I forgot. And she's here now. So we'll make do with whatever we have left." He turned to walk away and paused before facing her again.
Michonne raised her eyebrow, urging him to continue.
"I honestly didn't think y'all would mind her being here tonight. I mean she just lost her son. So I'm trying to help. Isn't this what we do? You of all people constantly told me to help them. Get rid of my us versus them mentality. You remember that?"
"Yea, I remember. And you know exactly why I told you that. It has nothing to do with tonight. I was trying not to get you killed or kicked out. And furthermore..."
Michonne paused and bit her bottom lip to stop herself from saying something she'd regret. Who the hell did Rick think he was talking down to her in a condescending tone and constantly throwing Jessie's loss in her face like she was incapable of understanding it? She had to turn her back on him earlier when he talked about the tragedy of losing a child. She didn't want him to see the tears forming in her eyes, ones that were hard to control whenever she thought about Andre. She wanted to yell out she suffered the same loss of a child. She knew the heartbreak of a mother's grief. She knew Rick didn't understand her frustration because she never told him about Andre but it bothered her how he automatically assumed that none of them could relate or understand what Jessie was going through. Father. Sister. Brother. Mother. Significant other. They had all lost something.
He sighed. "Look Michonne, I'm just trying to-"
Before Rick could continue, Michonne whirled around and walked back into the living room before her reply sparked another argument. She was tired of fighting with him.
The group was now spread out. Sasha, Rosita and Tara on the floor laughing, all officially tipsy from their drink. Eugene, Abraham, Morgan and Father Gabriel engrossed in a game of Bid Whisk at the table while Carl and Daryl watched them. Carol held Judith and chatted with Maggie and Glenn about parenthood.
Michonne took a seat on the other end of the table, the chatter and laughter helping her to relax. But the moment was short lived. She didn't have to turn around to know when Rick and Jessie had entered the room. All conversation came to an immediate halt.
Everyone's eyes looked toward the front of the room, curious glances darted between Jessie and Rick.
"I invited Jessie to join us this evening," Rick announced in a firm tone as he looked around the room, "She's staying." Michonne took note of the defensive tone in his voice, most likely a result of their heated conversation.
Eugene was the first one to speak. "Let me be the first to welcome you. Glad you can join our family dinner. Well technically you're not family but any friend of Rick is a friend of ours."
For once Michonne appreciated Eugene's inability to think before speaking. And for pointing out the obvious. Jessie wasn't family.
Tara cleared her throat. "Ditto. I think we ran out of food though."
Rosita giggled and nudged her in the stomach. The rest of the group said their hellos, none of them appearing too eager to speak. The moment felt awkward. None of them had spoken to Jessie in length since Ron's death and had the opportunity to offer their condolences.
Jessie shuffled her feet appearing to be just as uncomfortable as everyone else as she waved an awkward hello. A thick silence hung in the air. Michonne shot Rick an "I-told-you-so" glance.
Carol leaned across the table and gave Jessie a tiny smile. "Did you get the pie? I left it on your front porch."
Jessie nodded. "I wasn't sure if that was you. Thank you."
"Well that was from all of us." Carol's eyes did a quick sweep around the room. "I can speak on behalf of everyone when I say we're all real sorry for your loss."
Jessie's eyes casted down on the floor as she took a seat across from the table. "I appreciate that. Thank you everyone."
Rick appeared from the kitchen with a small plate of food. He was able to scrounge up leftovers from the side dishes. He placed the food down on the table. "Shame you missed Michonne's casserole, but we got some leftovers."
Carol winked at Michonne. "Yea because everything else taste like rubber."
They laughed, the uneasiness is the air dissolving as everyone returned to their current activities.
Jessie surveyed the table as she nibbled on her food. She pointed to the empty champagne glasses gathered at the end of the table. "Are you all celebrating something?"
Michonne looked across the table at the expecting couple and remained silent. The pregnancy wasn't her news to share. Maggie appeared hesitant until Glenn reached over and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. Michonne understood Maggie's reluctance to share their pregnancy news with Jessie.
"Yes, we're expecting," Maggie told her.
Jessie coughed, almost choking on her water in surprise. "Wow. That's…that's great. Congrats. I mean…" She took another sip of water and paused.
"Go on." Maggie urged her to continue.
"I'm just wondering if the thought of having a baby out here scares you."
Maggie shook her head. "Not anymore. Out there trying to make it every day is another story. But here is different. Nothing's 100 percent safe as we all just witnessed, but when it comes to raising a child, this is about as good as we've had it since this whole mess began. If we want to raise and protect a child, it would be here. It could work."
Michonne noticed the sadness in Jessie's eyes, and eventually her eyes filled with tears.
Maggie's eyes widened. "I'm so sorry, Jessie. I didn't mean to…"
Jessie held up her hand. "No, it's not you at all. And I am really happy for you two. It's just that I always thought I could keep my boys safe too. Especially behind these walls. I thought they stood a chance."
The room fell eerily silent. Their joyous moment now overshadowed with sadness. Michonne looked down the table at Rick, who was now eating a slice of Jessie's pie and either oblivious to the mood change in the room or purposely choosing to ignore it.
As soon as Jessie excused herself to go to the bathroom, Michonne left the table and stepped into the kitchen to escape the tension for a moment. She was soon followed by Sasha and Maggie. Eventually Carol, Rosita and Tara joined them.
Maggie looked at Michonne. "Did you know she was coming tonight?"
"Nope I'm just surprised as you are. Rick invited her."
"What?" Tara rolled her eyes. "That's bogus. We could have invited-"
"I know," Michonne held up her hand, "But it is what it is for now."
Carol nodded in agreement. "Look, I'm not exactly thrilled how the night is going too but Michonne's right. And we have to cut her some slack. We all know Ron had his issues, but there is nothing worse than losing a child so she's going through it."
"Don't I know it." Michonne mumbled the words without even realizing she said them out loud until Carol placed a hand on her shoulder. She gave Michonne a light squeeze before pulling away. The two shared a look. An unspoken understanding passed between them. No words were necessary. Michonne felt grateful that everyone else remained oblivious to their private moment.
"I do feel bad for her. But talk about a Debbie downer moment." Tara flashed Maggie a sympathetic look. "Sorry it ruined your moment, Mags."
Maggie shrugged appearing to be unbothered, although her eyes showed a slight disappointment. "Well I guess if Jessie and Rick are going to be a thing then we'd better get used to it."
Sasha held up her hand. "Wait, they're a thing now?"
All heads and eyes turned toward Michonne's direction, waiting in silence for an answer. She stared at them blankly. "Why is everyone looking at me? I know just as much as you do."
Rosita shrugged. "Okay, not expected but I guess it's cool that he found someone here." She looked at Michonne. "It's just when I first met the group, I almost thought you and him…" Rosita hesitated.
"You thought, me and Rick what?"
"We're together but then I realized you were just good friends."
Tara squealed. "OMG, me too. I thought it was just me."
Michonne snorted at their assumption. "Well that's crazy. I don't know why you two would think that." She waited for the others to validate their craziness, especially Maggie and Carol who had been around her and Rick since the prison and could attest to how they almost hated each other initially, but they remained silent. No one came to her defense.
She shrugged their remarks off. "I can assure you we've always just been friends. No one has time for romance anyway when you're trying to survive."
Sasha shook her head. "Um…look around Michonne. All of us has had some version of romance here at one point." The pained expression on Sasha's face wasn't lost on any of them. Sasha really cared about Bob.
Carol cleared her throat. "I'll have to agree with Michonne on this one. We've got too many other things on our plates. No one has time for that, Sasha. Well most of us don't."
Sasha shook her head at Carol. "Says the one who takes evening strolls with Tobin almost every day. Yea Carol, this doesn't apply to you either." Carol rolled her eyes at Sasha and looked away.
"I'm just saying girl," Sasha continued, "I saw you talking to Keith the other day. I'm not saying let your guard down. I'm just saying…going for a run with Mr. Keith or taking an evening stroll, like Ms. Carol here, won't hurt. Could be a fresh start."
Michonne couldn't help but to laugh at Sasha's observation. "You saw us talking? Is that part of your lookout duty?"
"Hey it's my job to watch all activity. I don't know much about him but he's very attractive and seems nice. He asked me about you too a few days ago."
"Ooohh" Rosita, Maggie and Tara replied in unison.
A smile reappeared on Maggie's face. "Well that has to be a good sign, right? If he's asking about her that has to mean he's interested."
"Girl, of course he is," Rosita chimed in. "I know a thing or two about relationships and men only ask questions when they're interested."
Michonne tuned them out as they continued talking about her as if she wasn't standing right in front of them. She regretted not going to her bedroom for some alone time. She came to the kitchen to escape an awkward moment but now she felt even more uncomfortable as the others speculated about Rick's possible relationship and her lack of a love life. Especially because the girls did have a point. She just never had a chance to think about the situation until now. Everyone was moving on, including Rick.
They heard footsteps in the doorway. She turned around and saw Rick with an amused smile on his face. She wondered how much he heard, if anything.
"I'd hate to break up this tea party but there's something you all might want to hear."
Everyone gathered around Rick in the living room, the majority of them waiting anxiously for his announcement. Michonne wasn't certain he would tell them tonight after Maggie's announcement—she figured he didn't want to ruin the happy occasion—but she felt relieved that he decided to share the news. The sooner they all knew, the better. They could prepare and stay on guard if needed.
Michonne noticed Jessie lingering in the entryway, as if she didn't want to interrupt.
"Look, I didn't want to talk to all you tonight but I don't have a choice. Not sure when we'll all have the chance to be together like this with our schedules and all. And I want you to hear this from me."
Carol frowned. "Rick, what is it?"
"Sasha says she saw someone watching us last night. Now it could be nothing. But there's a chance it could be something so that's the only reason why I'm telling you all. Not to get anyone nervous or riled up. I'm gonna need everyone to be on guard for any and everything that looks suspicious. And if it you see something out of place, you report it immediately to me, Michonne, Daryl or Glenn. Is that understood?"
"Did you tell Deanna?" Maggie asked.
"No because there's nothing to tell. And let's not have this information leave this room." Rick looked around the room, his eyes lingering a little longer on Gabriel before he continued."We don't need this situation to escalate. There's no need to get anyone else involved or cause a panic attack. Everyone's still trying to come back from the herd attack. This stays here between us for now. If it needs to go any further, you all will be the first to know."
Michonne agreed with Rick on this one. Telling the others could create unnecessary chaos. They couldn't risk it right now.
Jessie had taken a seat at the table and watched them in silence, her face tight and grim. Michonne studied her, unsure if they should trust her with this information, but Rick had already decided for them. He may have trusted Jessie, but Michonne had her guard up with anyone who wasn't a part of her family. Everyone else had to earn her trust. And only time would tell if they deserved it.
Things began to wind down a little after midnight. The men kept their word and cleaned up the kitchen. Most of their company said their goodbyes and headed home. Abe carried home a tipsy Rosita, while Sasha and Tara fell asleep on the floor.
Daryl dozed off in the recliner, but not before confessing that he intended on telling her about the intruder when he stopped by that morning, but changed his mind when she opened up the door. "I thought you was gonna chop my head off with your sword. You look pissed."
She laughed. "Yea, well you're not the one I wanted to chop."
"Figured that much." He closed his eyes and drifted off into sleep before she could respond.
Other than Tara's snoring, the house was quiet. Michonne turned off the light before she sat on the couch and closed her eyes. She wanted to catch her breath before she went upstairs and got into her own bed.
Michonne suddenly felt someone on the couch next to her, jarring her from her sleep. She hadn't even heard the front door open and close. She opened her eyes and found Rick next to her. He had walked Jessie home. She had her doubts that he would return but he promised he would come back home tonight. A part of her wanted to stay up to make sure he kept his word.
He nodded his head toward Sasha and Tara sprawled out on the floor. "For once, I'm glad Tara snores. I almost stepped on the back of Sasha's head.
"Sorry, I should have kept on the light for you…I just wasn't sure if you'd be home right away or…"
"Well, I said I would. I'm here."
Was that disappointment in his voice? Maybe she imagined it. Or maybe he really didn't want to be home tonight. It was hard to tell since she couldn't see his face in the dark. She regretted not keeping the light on.
They settled back on the couch in silence. It reminded her of how they used to sit on the couch and chat at the end of the day—but it had been awhile since they engaged in that nightly routine.
She was almost asleep again when Rick spoke.
"Long day. I'm sure you're really tired. You stilll working out in the morning?"
His question reminded her of the conversation she had with Sasha and the ladies in the kitchen earlier and how they alluded to Keith's interest in her.
"Yup. I plan on going running."
"So you have a new running buddy?"
So he was eavesdropping.
"Possibly. We'll see."
"Do…Do I know him?"
Even in the dark, she could feel Rick looking at her, waiting for an answer. He usually never inquired about her morning workout routine.
"You've seen him. His name is Keith."
"Keith…hmmm…not ringing a bell." He paused. "Do we know his last name?"
Michonne grunted. "No, we don't. And you picked a hell of a time," she paused to stretch out her arms and yawn, "to inquire about my workout routine."
"I just want to know for safety reasons. We've got some weird things happening around here if you haven't noticed. And you brought up someone I never heard or noticed before."
"Well you can sleep easy tonight Columbo. I'm positive you've seen him before. And he's not the intruder Sasha saw on lookout."
"Didn't say he was. I just wanted to know…"
"Okay, now you know. Am I free to go to bed?"
He laughed. "Yea, but don't go too far in case I have follow up questions."
Michonne stretched. "You know where to find me."
As she stood up from the couch, Rick reached out and wrapped his fingers tenderly around her wrist, his sudden gesture causing her drowsiness to immediately disappear. Now that he had her full attention she expected him to release his grip but it remained there. Soft. Gentle.
"I just wanted to thank you again for everything today. And you were right about Jessie. I shouldn't have invited her…at least not tonight. If I knew about Maggie and Glenn's big news I would have just had family here and…"
Michonne rested her free hand on top of his and gave it a squeeze. "It's okay, Rick. You didn't know. And you know I hate to say this…but I told you so."
He laughed. "No need to lie, Michonne. You never hate to say it."
"You're right. I don't."
They shared another laugh before they let go of each other's hand.
"I'm going to sit here for a little bit. Goodnight Michonne."
"Goodnight Rick."
And just like that they were back to normal. Again.
But for how long?
Michonne walked down the stairs at daybreak and found Rick still asleep on the sofa. Sometime in the night Sasha and Daryl had switched. She was curled up in the recliner while Daryl laid on the floor in the corner opposite of Tara.
She stretched out her calf muscles outside and sprinted down the steps, anticipating how the morning would turn out. She didn't have to wonder for long. She found Keith waiting in his running attire at the end of the block with a huge grin on his face.
"I told you I'd be out here waiting for you."
She suppressed a laugh. "I see. I'm impressed."
"Good. But I'm sure that will change once we start." He looked over at her, another smile spreading across his handsome face. "Just let me know when you're ready to start."
Michonne returned his smile and gave him a slight nod toward the street.
"Ready when you are."