Advice – Part 3
Summary: Rick Grimes is in desperate need of some good advice. Fortunately, Alexandria's resident love expert is here to help!
A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed/followed me! You guys are the best! Next chapter will be Michonne's POV.
Warning: Again, there is a small mention of Jessie, but don't worry; she has only a very brief, indirect involvement in this story. (Last time for this warning, I promise!)
…..
"Do you mind if I sit?"
Rick looked up to see Aaron standing on the threshold of the gazebo. He sighed and looked back over the lake, which Aaron took as an invitation to come and sit down on the other end of Rick's bench.
"Did Tobin ask you to check on me?" Rick asked gruffly. It wouldn't be the first time that someone, afraid or unwilling to talk to Rick directly, had used Aaron as a go-between.
"No. Why? Did something happen?" Aaron responded, confused.
"No. Never mind," Rick said and, before Aaron could ask again, changed the topic, "How's Eric doing?"
"Good. Ankle's pretty much healed at this point," Aaron said.
Rick nodded, "That's good."
He let the conversation trail off. Rick was grateful to Aaron and Eric, but small talk was not particularly high on his list of priorities these days.
After a while, Aaron spoke again, "You know I'm here if you ever need anything, right? If something's wrong, you can tell me."
That's the thing about Aaron, Rick thought…nothing seems to faze him. Even in the face of blatant hostility, Aaron never stopped trying to help people. Eventually Rick had come to appreciate that quality.
"Nothing's wrong," Rick stated.
He almost left it at that, but a new thought made him speak again.
Aaron might actually be the only person who can help me.
"This morning I realized something. Something that's been right in front of me, but I didn't think it was possible, not really, so I never even considered it…until now."
It was a cryptic answer, but that was all Rick could summon at the moment.
"This realization," Aaron began cautiously, "what was it about?"
Rick rubbed a hand over his face, gradually resigning himself to what he had to do if he ever wanted an answer, "It's not what, so much as who."
"Okay, who was it about?" Aaron asked patiently, confusion evident on his features.
Rick looked at his companion then back out at the lake again before answering, "Michonne."
Aaron let out a breath of relief, "Rick, whatever it is, you should tell her. Michonne loves you. I'm sure she'll understand."
Startled, Rick looked directly at Aaron again.
"But that's just it," he finally admitted, "I think Michonne might be in love with me."
A slow smile filled Aaron's face.
"What does that mean? Do you know something I don't?" Rick pointed a finger at Aaron in annoyance.
"Hey, hey," Aaron put his hands up in mock defense, still grinning, "I don't know anything for sure, one way or another. If I did, I would tell you, promise!"
"But you have an opinion," it was a statement more than a question.
Aaron shook his head ambivalently, "I think it would make sense. The two of you together, it'd be…natural. You make a good team, to put it mildly."
Rick couldn't help but smile at that last part, "We do."
"You know there's only one way to find out for sure," Aaron was grinning like a kid about to blow out the candles on his birthday cake.
Rick pulled a loose thread from his well-worn jeans, "I have to ask her."
Aaron nodded.
"Then why do you look so dejected?" Aaron asked, becoming worried again.
Rick answered quietly, "If it's true, after how I've treated her ever since we stepped through these walls…I barely paused to see how she's feeling about all this. I've taken her for granted for so long…How do I deserve to…"
When he couldn't finish, Aaron put a hand on Rick's shoulder, "You've done the best you could since you got here. Anyone who knows you, knows that."
Perhaps hoping to get the conversation back on track, Aaron decided to go with a direct question, "Rick, if you get the chance, do you want to be with Michonne?"
For a half second, Rick thought that maybe this was a rhetorical question, before he realized that Aaron was serious.
"Yes," he answered honestly.
Aaron looked hesitant then evidently decided he might as well go ahead and ask, "Are you sure you're ready for that? After everything that's happened, I have to ask. Sorry."
The implication stung, but Rick had to be honest, "No. That's only fair."
Aaron didn't have to say her name for Rick to know he was referring to what happened with Jessie. By now the whole town was quite familiar with the story. Small town gossip took on a whole new meaning in Alexandria.
Rick and Jessie had been on a collision course since the first day they met. What happened between them had a feel of inevitability, like a ride that deep down he knew he should never have gotten on but, once he was on, he had to see it through to the end.
And that end came on their second night together, when Rick accidentally called Jessie by his dead wife's name. Needless to say, she did not appreciate being used as a salve to Rick's guilt-ridden heartache, however unintentionally.
A few days and many hours of reflection later, Rick swallowed his humiliation and managed to offer Jessie a stilted apology. They quickly reached a mutual understanding that it would be best for everyone involved if they left each other alone for the foreseeable future.
"I'm done with all that," Rick assured Aaron. I'm done chasing ghosts.
"Alright," Aaron smiled again, "I'll take you at your word on that."
Rick took a deep breath and let it out again, as if releasing all his past mistakes, determined to focus on the present.
"So," he began, "What would you do? If you were in my situation?"
Aaron stuffed his hands in the pockets of his flannel jacket and tried to look thoughtful, but he was clearly thrilled to have Rick Grimes, of all people, asking him for advice.
"Wait for the right moment, when the two of you are alone. Tell her how you feel. Don't lay it all on her at once, start by letting her know how much you appreciate her, how much she means to you, that kind of thing. Then, if she seems to be feeling the same way, just see where it goes from there. Trust your instincts."
"Okay," Rick nodded seriously, "Okay." That sounds simple enough. I can do that. Right?
Aaron smiled, pleased that his advice was well received.
"I'd better get back to work," Rick said, getting up.
He paused at the gazebo steps and told Aaron, "Thanks."
"No problem," the other man replied.
"And Rick?" Aaron stopped him, "Don't wait too long!"
"I know," Rick said. Trust me, I know.
Rick spent the rest of the day helping with the construction efforts. By dusk, the new lookout platform was mostly assembled. Sasha had marked out the locations that would give the best vantage points. Daryl and Abraham were put in charge of camouflage.
As he walked home, taking a circuitous route to check the wall one more time, Rick tried to imagine what his pending conversation with Michonne would look like.
When he climbed the stairs to his house, he found the whole group gathered together for dinner.
Tara was finally feeling well enough to join in so there was a celebratory atmosphere. Abraham told one of his colorful war stories and Michonne and Carl bickered playfully over the merits of powdered versus soy milk.
It felt good to have everyone together under one roof again, even if only for a little while. He had missed that.
Later, Rick decided to take a shower to wash off the day's dirt and grime. Hot water was a luxury and Rick was determined to enjoy it while he could.
Stepping out of the shower, Rick wrapped a towel around his waist and wiped a hand over the foggy mirror. Looking at his reflection was not something he normally spent a lot of time doing, but now he paused.
It'd been a few weeks since he bothered to shave and his beard was gradually returning.
He couldn't forget the look on Michonne's face the first time she saw him after he shaved that first day in Alexandria. In all the time they'd known each other, she had never seen his bare face before. Her appreciative smile was by far the best reaction he'd gotten that day, and there had been many.
Rick frowned, remembering something else.
'Your face is losing the war,' Michonne had said with a knowing smirk, handing him an electric razor, back from one of her runs.
Maybe that was a hint…
Rick found a can of shaving cream and a razor.
Aaron, you better be right about this.
…..
TBC!
Preview: Will Rick find his opportune moment to connect with a certain warrior woman? Will Michonne appreciate his attempts at improved personal hygiene? Will Aaron start charging people for love advice?