Chapter 9:

"...He's going to be in town, at the mayor's annual ball. Bold, right? He's rented out one of those houses on the edge of town, he'll be with his girlfriend, which I don't think his wife will like very much…"

Rick knew he should have been listening to the important information that Glenn was feeding them, but his mind was elsewhere.

"...I booked one room at two different motels, both on the other sides of town, and the police department there is right in the middle, so if we need to…"

All Rick could think about was Michonne. He wish their night together would have ended the next morning, but she had to keep up appearances with her mother. He could barely keep his hands off her when she did leave, and he smiled to himself when he remembered when they almost got carried away in his truck outside her home.

"...He's never alone, he usually has four or five guys with him, so we're going to need back up no matter what…"

Rick wondered if she was thinking about him too. He wanted to call her right there and then, but he didn't trust himself. He knew once he heard her voice, he'd be hungry for her all over again. He kept replaying the sounds of breathy moans in his mind, remembering what it felt like to have her beneath him while he drove into her again and again.

"Rick?"

He remembered the way she clung to him, her nails nearly piercing his skin as she cried out.

"Rick!"

He jumped, looking up at Glenn, "Huh? What- what's wrong? What happened?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?", Shane frowned, his cup of coffee hovering by his lips.

"Nothing. Just tired"

"Well you better pay attention to this"

Rick couldn't pay attention to anything, and the more he thought of Michonne, the happier he felt. He just wanted her, and knowing she told her mother about them brought him great relief, because that meant she truly wanted him to. It also made him realise that he had to clear the air with Lori. He couldn't allow her to think he was seriously considering giving their marriage a second chance, as he had left that idea alone. Even if, heavens forbid, things didn't work out with Michonne, he had seen his wife in a whole new light, and it wasn't a flattering one.

When they arrived in Kings County, Rick forced himself to concentrate, not only for work, but because he hoped he wouldn't bump into anyone he didn't wish to see, specifically his father. He loathed the man, and he knew if anyone knew he was back in town, his father would soon find out too.

"Ain't this romantic"

Rick rolled his eyes at Shane as he threw himself down on the motels bed, "It's three nights"

"I don't care how long we've been friends, if I feel you pushing up against me, I'm kicking you right where it hurts", Shane warned as he dropped his duffle bag on the floor.

Rick hated the fact that he laughed, "I shouldn't even be talking to you after that stunt you pulled at the hospital"

Shane scoffed, "What stunt?"

"Sending Michonne up when you knew I was up there with Carl and his mother?", Rick squinted at his friend with disbelief.

The other man shrugged, "Yeah, so what? It's about time Lori knew that you ain't always gonna' be sitting there, twiddling your thumbs, waiting on her-"

Rick groaned, pulling his baseball cap off his head, "Here we go"

"I wish she did see Michonne. I do. I really do. I would have chopped off my left nut just to see the look on her face"

"That's Carl's mother-"

"And I love Carl more than anythan', but his mother's a piece of work, and I hope you realise that now"

"I do, alright?", Rick offered, raising his hands up, "I do. I need to… fix that"

"Get rid of that, you mean. Try to be happy for once"

Rick would have told Shane that he had chosen to be happy, but he knew his best friend well enough to know that he would pry, and Rick was not about to discuss his romantic life with Shane.

Much to his dismay, they spent the better part of the day stuck indoors, eating pizza they ordered and watching TV as they waited for any news from Glenn. Rick was beside himself with boredom, and the only highlight of his day was using too few minutes he had alone to call Michonne, while Shane went out to buy beer.

"Hey", She chimed when she answered the phone.

"You okay?", He asked, sitting back on the headboard of the bed.

"Yeah, just got home. Are you in town now?"

"Yeah, been here since the morning"

"I hope you're not going around shooting out anybody else's speakers"

He smirked, "Very funny"

She giggled, and he could easily picture her covering her face with her hand as she did, "I think I'm hilarious"

"Yeah, of course you are", He bit his lip for a moment, "Where's Andre?"

"He's taking a nap. It was his first day at day care, and he loved it, which is great because my mom won't have to watch him when I'm at school or when I get a job"

"How's the search going?"

"Good. I have a few interviews lined up this week so… we'll see how they go"

Rick squinted at the wall in front of him, "...What do you put down for experience?"

"...Entertainer"

His mouth snapped shut, and he wouldn't have known what to say next, if Michonne hadn't burst into a fit of giggles, "I was curious"

"Well I was entertaining, right?"

"I don't know if that's the word I'd use to describe it but, yeah, you… you definitely entertained somethan'-"

"Stop!", She chuckled, "You're going to make me blush"

Rick grinned like a simple man, "I think we established that I can do more than just that"

"You've been thinking about last night?"

"I've been trying not to but it's near enough impossible"

"I know the feeling"

"Maybe when I get back we can-", Rick stopped himself when Shane burst into the room, "So how's that essay going?"

Michonne cackled wickedly, "I take it you're not alone anymore?"

"Hey Michonne!", Shane called, smirking as he threw a can of beer to Rick.

"Tell him I said hey"

"She said 'go away, Shane'", Rick lied, throwing his legs off the bed, "How about I give you a call tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure. When do you get back?"

"Thursday"

"Okay, well we can set something up if you-"

"Yeah, of course. I'll let you know what time we should be heading back"

"Alright. Bye, Rick"

"Bye, Michonne"

Shane could barely wait until he got off the phone to mimicking him, "Bye, Michonne"

"You need to get a life"

Despite his phone call being interrupted, Rick's mood was elevated further, and he decided to throw himself into their latest case, hoping it would make the time fly by.

Unfortunately for him, it didn't. Their second day in Kings County was spent mostly indoors once again. It was one of the pitfalls of such a job, as why he enjoyed how much free time he had, there were times where they were sat around descending into boredom. He probably wouldn't have minded so much if he wasn't in such close proximity to a grumpy Shane. Whenever his friend didn't have a chance to throw his weight around, he would become irritable, so he'd have to pace or fidget with something to keep his mind busy, which drove Rick insane.

When Wednesday rolled around, they finally had a chance to jump into action. Rick and Shane left for the Mayor's annual ball, dressed in their tuxedos to blend in, and Rick would have preferred to hide in his usual attire, but sadly he didn't have that option.

"We got three exits here gentleman", Glenn announced in Rick's ear piece, "You need to cover them all'

Rick took the main entrance, stood around with a tight, false smile as people wandered around him, excited for the evening's festivities.

"No sign over here", Daryl rasped, and Rick tried his best to look over at the other man, but the crowd was growing thick.

"All I see is a bunch of assholes", Shane snickered.

Rick watched every man that passed him carefully, trying to spot the man in person, when his line of vision was blocked. His eyes darted to the obstruction, and he quickly grew tense, "Mr Grimes"

The man raised a white eyebrow at him, "Mr Grimes, huh?"

Rick looked the older man from head to toe, "I thought you'd prefer that"

"What are you doing here?", He squinted at him with his dark blue eyes.

"Work"

"Work? That's why you're back down here?"

"Yep", Rick all but bit his words out, "Work"

He scoffed mockingly, "Well, I'm glad to hear that you're finally doing somethan' with your life"

"I've always done somethan' with my life"

"Getting a girl pregnant at eighteen don't count-"

"And there's that old argument", Rick rolled his eyes, "Don't you have somethan' to do here? A job, maybe?"

The man's lip curled as he snarled at him, as if he were about to say something else, but he swiftly turned on his heel and stalked away.

"Your dad?", Glenn quizzed in Rick's ear piece.

"Grandfather", He replied dryly, "My father's probably around here somewhere"

"Aye, I think I see him", Shane informed, leading Rick to move from his spot.

"Where?"

"By that big girl, you see her? She got a pink dress"

Rick snaked his way through the room, discreetly looking for the woman Shane described. It wasn't a difficult task, as the woman had on the brightest dress Rick had ever seen. Nearby where a group of men stood near a table, laughing loudly, swigging their drinks, drawing attention to themselves.

"Police are on their way", Glenn announced, just as Rick made his way up to the man they had been waiting for, with Daryl and Shane on either side of him.

He slapped his hand on the man's shoulder, keeping a smile on his face as he whispered, "Hey there Simon, you mind stepping outside for a moment?"

Simon frowned at him, "Who the hell-"

"I really don't think you want all these nice people to know that you skipped bail, do you? Or that you're a wanted man?"

Simons face smoothed, but only for a second, as he soon turned back to his friends, "Excuse me for a moment, gentleman"

Rick wasn't expecting Simon to comply so easily, and he almost felt bad for frog marching the man out the building, but when he caught sight of the police cars waiting, Simon bolted.

"Son of a bitch!"

"Freeze!"

Rick and Daryl ran after the man, who hopped over the wall and ran across the huge lawn, making no attempt to heed their warnings. The tuxedos that they all wore were the most uncomfortable pieces of clothing to run in, and so Rick tugged the jacket off so he didn't feel as restricted, throwing it over his shoulder when he was free.

"Stop, asshole!"

"No!"

Rick was wondering how long the man intended to run for, as there was nothing but grass around the mayor's grand home, when he heard the sound of a engine approaching.

Shane appeared on a motorcycle, driving directly into Simon and knocking him down, "Gotcha!"

Rick slowed, "Where'd you get that?!"

"It was parked up. I asked the valley for the keys", His friend shrugged, "Y'all would have chased him into the sunset if I didn't"

"Ah shit", Daryl winced as he grabbed his side, "I got a damn stitch. Grab that asshole before he runs off again"

"We got him boys!", Glenn cheered, "This is our biggest job yet!"

Rick and Shane held onto Simon as they walked back to the front of the home, and Rick was only a little annoyed that the police did nothing to help catch the perpetrator.

It was only when they had Simon in the back of the police car that Rick noticed his father stood in front of the tall doors of the mayor's mansion, watching on with stern eyes. He didn't pay him too much attention. He had come you terms with that fact that his father and his grandfather were the type of men that he didn't want to aspire to, and he only had to interact with one of them to remind himself how much he hated both of them.

When it was time for the gang to leave Kings County, Rick all but jumped in Shane's truck, desperate to return to his home. He was also desperate to see Michonne again, and he had intended to retrieve his phone to send her a message, when he saw an incoming call from Lori. His eyes nearly bulged, as he had completely forgotten about his situation with her over the last few days, and he realised he needed to speak to her sooner, rather than later.

"Where are you?"

"I'm about to head out, I need to get to the grocery store", Lori informed, sounding as if she was moving around her home.

"I'll be back in town in a hour, you think you can meet me at the diner?"

"Uh, yeah, sure"

"Alright, see you then"

Rick knew that he had to be crystal clear with Lori. He couldn't back down or give into her requests, nor could he let her believe that he even saw a reconciliation as an option.

"We going to the diner, then?", Shane raised an eyebrow at him.

"No. I'm going to the diner, you are going somewhere else-"

"I am pretty hungry", Glenn added from the back seat.

"Me too", Daryl grunted.

Rick groaned, pinching his nose bridge between his thumb and index finger, "Great. Just great"

Shane snickered, "This is gonna' be fun"

Once they were back in the city, Rick was able to force Shane to stop at his home so he could get his own vehicle, and so that Glenn could relieve himself after such a long car ride. He was also able to call Michonne in the comfort, and privacy of his own vehicle.

"Hey!", She chirped, "You're back?"

"Yeah, I'm back. You okay?"

"Yeah, just left class. I have a ton of work to do"

Rick turned into the diner parking lot, immediately noticing Lori's car already there, "You still up for later?"

"Yeah, uh, actually I was going to ask if you didn't mind coming over? My mom's going out to eat with her friends, so it will just be me and Andre…"

His eyebrows sprung up, "Yeah sure. I don't mind that at all"

"Great. Say around seven?"

"Seven is fine by me"

"Alright"

Having parked his truck, Rick strolled into the eatery, ignoring the fact that his friends had taken a booth that gave them full view of where Lori was sat.

She smiled when she saw him, tucking her of hair behind her ear, "Hey"

"Hey", He breathed, taking a seat in front of her, "How are you?"

"I'm good. How was the trip?"

"It was good. It went well"

"Carl told me you gave him a call. I hope you didn't tell him too much..."

"I didn't. How's he been today?"

"He's been fine. Still getting used to his cast, but he's fine"

"He'll get the hang of it"

She rested her forearms on the table, "Is this about what I think it's about?"

He slowly nodded, "It is"

"...Well?"

His blue eyes locked onto her brown ones, "I should have never given you the impression that I'd even think about salvaging things between us Lori"

Her mouth fell agape.

"I'm sorry. I should have been upfront with you but it wasn't easy, and you know it isn't. I think you know the right thangs to say to me, and I can't allow that to happen anymore", He exhaled tiredly, "This whole thing has made me realise that I'm ready to move on. And not just because I've met someone, but because you only wanted to hold on to me when you knew I was wanted elsewhere, and that's not somethan' I want. I'd rather be alone than be on reserve to anyone"

Lori shook her head, "You have to understand, Rick-"

"You know what you meant to me, Lori. You did. And you've always used that in your favour"

"I wasn't ready to get back with you", She insisted, leaning forward as she lowered her voice, "But I didn't realise you were out looking for someone else-"

"I wasn't out looking for anythan'. That was the last thing I was doing, but I wasn't going to let her go. I should have handled thangs differently, and I have no problem admitting that because I know where I went wrong. But you're not innocent in this. You've never been innocent in this"

"I never said I was, okay? It's just…", She smoothed her hair back, "I don't know, I just didn't picture you moving on. I always thought you were going to be there"

"I know. And it's not entirely your fault for believing that because I've always allowed you to think that. I never stopped acting like your husband", He shook his head a little, annoyed with himself, "I was sitting there hoping… wishing thangs would go back to the way they were, and all that did was tire me out. Sitting there wondering if today would be the day you realise that we still had somethan special, then you'd call and I went running… I weren't happy, not even in the slightest, and I refuse to go back to that"

Lori looked away with wet eyes, "...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"Don't."

"No. I am", She insisted, reaching over and placing her hand on his, "I'm sorry. I was… I was wrong for that. I was selfish. You've always been willing to do anything for me and… and I took advantage of that"

His gaze dropped to her hands, "Yeah"

"...I want you to be happy. I do want you to. I don't want to be the reason you're not", She gave him a gentle squeeze, "But I just don't… I feel like I've lost you. Not just you as my husband but you as my friend, as my protector-"

"I'm not going anywhere. I'll still be there for Carl as his father, and I'll always be there for you as his father", He ejected with a firmness, "That's all"

Some time passed before she nodded weakly, "I understand"

He sighed whilst pretending to reach in his jeans pocket for his phone, so he could remove his hand from beneath hers, when his eyes landed on a figure stood not far from their table.

Michonne slowly crossed her arms, her head tilting to the side as she stared him down. Rick almost frowned at her, wondering what she was doing there, and why she looked at him as if she wanted to put him in a chokehold, when it dawned on him that he appeared to be in quite a compromising position.

He was in his feet in the blink of an eye, "He-"

"That's your wife, isn't it?", Her tone was so cold that Rick would have sworn he saw frost around her lips.

He nodded, "It is, but…"

Rick only stopped talking because Michonne had stepped over the table, and in spite of the fact that he watched her snatch Lori's glass of water up, he still wasn't expecting to be doused in the liquid.