A/N: I'm sorry for the delay on this chapter but for some reason I had a block on it. But here we are and I hope you guys like it! Thank you for all of the follows, favorites and reviews. Believe me when I say, they all make my day every time I read them. I am so grateful to all of you!

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Chapter Ten - House Hunters Atlanta

He couldn't stop himself from stealing glances at Michonne out of the corner of his eye as they drove downtown to his realtor's office. She was quietly sipping on her iced caramel mocha latte and flipping through real estate listings on his iPad. The dark sunglasses she was wearing and her hair hid most of her face from him, but it was still a beautiful view. Every now and then, he'd catch her biting her lip as her finger hovered over one of the pictures and his mind would race tying to figure out the reason for it. Equally often, he'd hear a little disgusted gasp as her finger would quickly swipe away whatever was on the screen. when he couldn't take it any more, he decided to be the one to start the conversation.

"See anything good?"

"Yeah…there are some good ones in here but some of them are awful", she sighed as she kept swiping past images on the iPad.

"I'd hoped she showed me most of the awful last week", he commented with a laugh which earned him a shrug.

"Sorry, there's more awful to be had. What exactly are you looking for?"

"I just want something that feels like home. It can be a condo, a house, a townhouse…whatever. No McMansions and no penthouses though. I hate moving so it would be nice it it's something I can be in for a while. You know…something I can grow into."

"New or old?" He nodded at her question but felt the need to clarify.

"Either. But if it's old, I don't want a lot of renovations. I just want to move in."

"That makes sense. What kind of places have you seen so far?"

"All Jadis showed me last week were these brand new, downtown condos. You know…nothing but white walls and glass. She kept saying I just needed to see it and then she'd talk about blank canvases and the inherent beauty of nothing." Michonne fell into a fit of laughter needing to take a few sips of her coffee to keep from choking and he had to laugh a little bit at his own misfortune too. It had been pretty miserable for him while going through it, but seeing how much it tickled her helped him to see the humor in it.

"Wow! I consider myself pretty arty but…wow!" He pulled into a parking space at the realtor's office and looked over at her fully for the first time since they were in the coffee shop. Her beautiful brown eyes were shining with mirth as a small smile graced her plump, red lips. He wanted to look away, but he couldn't. He was too busy being hypnotized by her face which may have been the most gorgeous face he'd ever laid eyes on.

Realizing that the silence was quickly becoming awkward, he learned his throat and dragged his eyes away from her as his fingers fumbled with his seatbelt.

"Yeah…It was an unproductive afternoon to say the ready to meet my arty realtor?" He cringed at the way his voice revealed how unsettled she made him but he also knew that there was no maintaining his cool exterior as long as he was in her presence. She did things to him with only a smile and a look that he couldn't explain and she didn't even know it.

"I guess. She sounds…interesting." She tugged off her seatbelt and soon they were both standing outside the car and he had to keep telling himself not to fully admire her legs in the short summer dress she was wearing that had nearly killed him when she stood in the door of her condo when he'd picked her up earlier.

The dress wasn't even that revealing, falling to just above her knee; but she looked so good in it that he couldn't help but stare. It was loose and flowed across her body, hugging and accenting her ample curves every time she moved. It was also sleeveless so more of her immaculately smooth looking skin was on display than he'd ever seen and he could only assume that it was as silky soft as her hands were.

He was getting carried away again so he looked away and started walking toward the building and she fell in step next to him.

"Interesting isn't even the word", he sighed. They had almost made it to the door when Michonne's phone started ringing with the theme song from Jaws. He stopped in his tracks and raised an eyebrow at her. She giggled as she fumbled around for her phone and he had to laugh too when she held it up so he could see "Mom" flashing across the screen.

"I know, I know. But you've never met my mom…if I don't answer this, she'll keep calling all day. I'll meet you inside?" Nodding, he watched as she brought the phone up to her ear and took a few steps away from the door. "Hi mom…"

He had to force himself to leave her on the sidewalk, but he eventually walked into the realtor's office, pausing in the foyer as he surveyed the room looking for Jadis who was nowhere to be found. He was just about to ask the receptionist about her when a perky blonde approached him with a smile that gave him chills with how much it reminded him of Lori.

"Rick? Rick Grimes?" His eyes widened when he realized that she sounded a little too much like Lori too and for a split second he thought he was cracking up.

"Yeah…" That smile remained firmly in place as she sidled up closer to him and extended her hand. He politely and briefly met her hand with his own.

"Good morning! I'm Jessie Anderson…I'm another realtor here. Jadis was struggling with finding something you would like. She thought I might be a better fit for you and I have to agree."

"Oh…" She flipped her hair over her shoulder and tilted her head to one side giving him a half smile.

"I'm so excited to be the one showing you houses today. I saw you in here last week and I think we're going to be able to connect in a really special way so I can help you find everything you've been looking for." When she took another step forward and placed a hand on his forearm, he realized that she wasn't just talking about houses. He stepped back and was trying to figure out what to say when he saw Michonne step through the doorway. He stepped around Jessie and determinedly walked toward Michonne hoping that he wasn't about to blow up everything.

"What took you so long, honey?" He noticed her eyes go wide but he just kept smiling at her as he nervously leaned in to kiss her cheek. As he stepped back he kept his eyes locked with hers and prayed that she heard the I'm sorry but please help me he was trying to silently communicate. Slowly, he turned around to face Jessie. "Jessie, this is Michonne…my girlfriend." The realtor's smile fell as her eyes drifted over to give Michonne the head to toe once over.

"Oh…I-I didn't know you were house hunting with someone…", she stuttered, extending her hand toward Michonne who accepted it with a little smile. "Hi, I'm Jessie…Rick's new realtor. I didn't see you here with him last week…"

"I was called into a last minute meeting at work", she began before releasing Jessie's hand and threading her arm through Rick's, "…and I knew that this one wouldn't make any important decisions without me." Rick released the breath he was holding as she looked up at him with a grin.

"I wouldn't even consider it.", he said with a grateful smile before turning back to Jessie. "So, what do you have to show us today?"

"Umm…I pulled a few new construction townhouses in up and coming neighborhoods and some single family homes near the Old Fourth Ward…" Jessie's perky flirtatiousness had faded behind a mask of cool professionalism and Rick couldn't hide his relief.

"Those sound good, right babe?" Michonne nodded and squeezed his arm a little tighter before turning her attention back to Jessie.

"We're ready to go take a look whenever you are." She answered them with a simple nod as she turned away.

"Let me go get my things and we'll be ready to go." He waited until she was clearly out of earshot before sighing and looking over at Michonne. There was an amused smile on her lips as she peered at him through the corner of her eye.

"Thank you…", he whispered but she only shook her head and laughed under her breath.

"Can't take you anywhere…", she teased and he'd never been so happy to be teased in his entire life. If she was teasing him, she couldn't be too mad at him and he took that to mean that he hadn't messed up any shot he had with her.

"I'm sorry. She was getting a little too familiar and I thought it would be easier to handle it this way… " She only narrowed her eyes at his explanation and nodded along with his words like she was enjoying watching him squirm.

"Uh-huh…why do I get the feeling this was all part of your plan?" He felt a blush creep across his cheeks.

"It wasn't, I swear!" He shook his head to vehemently support his denial but she twisted her lips and kept her skeptical look firmly in place.

"Riiiggghhht…you owe me a whole lot of doughnuts, Grimes." He groaned and lowered his shoulders in defeat which finally made her skepticism vanish with that laugh that he already liked so much.

"I'll make it up to you." As he he stared down at her face which was glowing with amusement, and oblivious to the fact that Jessie had returned and was ready to go, he knew he'd meant it. No matter how long it took, he'd be dammed if he didn't make it up to her.

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Three hours, 2 houses, and 2 townhouses later, Michonne was ready to leave Rick alone in his mission to put a roof over his head. Some of it was because of the houses themselves but most of it was a direct result of his overly attentive realtor. Rick had been under the assumption that introducing Michonne as his girlfriend would keep Jessie under control but he'd been so very wrong.

It all started with the first house; a mcmansion in the suburbs that went against everything Rick said he wanted. He hadn't even wanted to go inside but she'd convinced him to just look at it so he'd know exactly what he didn't want. He'd reluctantly given in, and Jessie had immediately started talking about the great neighborhood, fantastic schools, and the homeowner's association designed to maintain property values. Very quickly Jessie showed her that she didn't give a damn that Rick had a girlfriend or that said girlfriend was right there.

She'd spent a good 15 minutes watching disbelievingly as Jessie kept touching Rick's arm, or leaning over so the view down her shirt was more prominent, and flipping her hair and giggling like a goddamn teenager before she decided to take a more active approach in the girlfriend role she was supposed to be playing. She wasn't sure when she turned into a jealous fake girlfriend but she'd be damned if she let that perky little blond disrespect her and her fake boyfriend right in front of her.

Not helping matters at all was the fact that her fake boyfriend was looking especially good that day. He was wearing faded jeans that fit tight in his thighs and a thin navy blue t-shirt that molded to his chest like a second skin. He had a baseball cap covering his dark brown curls and day old growth on his cheeks and she found herself wondering how someone who made an expensive suit look as good as he did could look just as tasty in jeans and a t-shirt. She almost didn't blame Jessie for looking and trying to get some of his attention. But every time she saw her flaunt herself in front of Rick, Michonne felt herself become overcome with a feeling she hadn't felt in a very long time. Only being his fake girlfriend didn't stop some very real jealousy from rushing through her.

Jessie was showing Rick the huge walk-in shower in the master bedroom of the first house when it all became too much and forced her to walk over and thread her fingers through his. His eyes flicked from Jessie over to her almost immediately and she held his gaze as she moved to stand in the shower, tugging him along with her.

"Babe, this shower is big enough to share don't you think?" As soon as they were both inside, she pulled the door closed and slid her arms around his neck. His eyes were wide and she could almost see the wheels turning behind them. He stared at her silently for a moment, before a half grin crossed his lips and his hands found their way to her waist.

"I think the shower's fine but there's no way we'd both fit in that bathtub", he said and there was something about the way he was looking at her that was hitting her a little too hard in all the right places a little more than she expected. Those crystal blue eyes of his were so warm and she was being pulled into them with the force of a tractor beam.

She slowly slid her arms from around his neck and her palms landed on his chest and she paused when she realized how firm his pecs were under that thin, navy t-shirt.

Yep, touching him had been a terrible idea and as she kept asking herself if she took the act a little too far, she turned to look at Jessie who was glowering at them slack-jawed and steaming. She was opening her mouth to speak when she felt Rick's soft lips graze her temple confirming her fear that she had definitely taken it too far. She closed her eyes and took a shaky breath as an image of ways they could use that bathtub flitted through her mind.

"I'm sorry Jessie. This house just isn't going to work for us."

That incident set the tone for the rest of the tours. She tried not to look surprised when he'd entwine their fingers together or place his hand at the small of her back to guide her from room to room but those small interactions were building up and she was finding it more and more difficult to concentrate. So she tried to focus on her real purpose for being there which was helping Rick find a place to live.

The townhouses they looked at were a bit closer to what he seemed to want, but there was nothing special about them. She'd point out the few cool architectural features she saw but he'd just shrug and she really couldn't blame him. Everything they saw had one thing in common; they were all as basic as the realtor showing them.

"Well…I'm sorry but that's all we have for today. Just make another appointment and we'll try again…" Jessie was flipping through her tablet very quickly but not before Michonne caught a glimpse of another townhouse she hadn't showed them yet.

"What about that one?" she asked. Jessie looked up at her with

With a deep sigh, Jessie swiped back and a three story, end unit townhouse appeared on the screen. It was white brick with small, gray shuttered windows above the arched doorway. The showstopper though, was the the three floor to ceiling windows with rounded arches on what looked to be the second floor.

"That? It's been on the market for months. It's priced too high for the neighborhood and the owner hasn't been willing to deal." She heard Jessie's explanation but the image on the iPad had her full attention. she took it from Jessie's hand and moved closer to Rick so he could see it too.

"It's really interesting, don't you think? It's not as cookie cutter as the ones we already saw…" He nodded and touched the screen to reveal a few more pictures, pausing on one of the relatively large backyard. She immediately thought it would be perfect for a cookout because of its shade trees and spacious deck.

"Is that a fire pit…and a hammock?" Their eyes met over the iPad and she was happy to see that he was grinning about something house related for the first time all day. It lit up his entire face illuminating all of his best features and she couldn't help but smile back.

"We should take a look…", she prodded and he was just openings mouth to respond when Jessie decided to remind them of her presence.

"As your realtor, I have to say that townhouse is a waste of time. The owner isn't going to move on price and charm isn't worth the extra money…" Even though she was still talking, Jessie's voice was like a distant buzzing as they held each other's gaze and she came to the realization that three hours of pretending to be his girlfriend was way too long. The charade had taken its toll and she was beginning to have a hard time separating make believe from reality.

He licked his bottom lip and slightly nodded, his eyes never leaving hers as he absently handed the tablet back to Jessie.

"If Michonne says we should take a look, we should take a look", he stated, leaving no room for argument and that decisiveness coupled with the roughness of his voice making the hair on her arms stand on end.

She slowly took his hand in hers and threaded their fingers together knowing that she wasn't doing it as part of the act. When his lips curled into that sexy grin of his, she had a feeling that he knew it too.

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Jessie was droning on and on about other houses she could show him and the negative resale value of the townhouse they were currently standing in, but he wasn't listening. All of his attention was focused on Michonne. She was sitting on the window seat in the eat in kitchen bathed in sunlight staring out onto the back deck.

He was consumed by her beauty to the point of distraction and pretending to be a couple had completely exacerbated the situation. Slipping into the role of her boyfriend had come way too easy almost to the point that he forgot that they really weren't looking for a place for both of them. He found himself agreeing with her on everything but he also had to admit that she'd been right about everything.

Then, she'd found the house they were standing in. They were lucky there was an open house that day so Jessie had no choice but to take them to see it and pictures didn't do the place justice. It was modern just like all of the places he'd seen the week before but it had something the others had been missing. Dark wood, exposed brick and beams, and floor to ceiling windows that would let light in at any point of the day gave the place a warmth that made it feel like a home.

It was also a lot bigger than he'd expected; four bedrooms, three and a half baths with space for an office on the first floor. The backyard on the other hand, wasn't very big but it had a gorgeous deck that he could picture filled with friends and family for cookouts. There was also a hammock for two that he'd already tested out by pulling Michonne onto it with him.

He'd told himself that he'd done it as part of their act much like when she'd pulled him into the shower with her in the first house. She had no idea what that had done to him. It had taken every shred of restraint he had in him not to just kiss her. He hadn't been prepared to have her lush body in his arms like that but it felt just like he'd dreamed it would but it had ended too quickly. When he saw that hammock though, he saw a golden opportunity that he couldn't pass up.

She'd released a surprise scream when he'd grabbed her hand and pulled her into the hammock with him; her body landing almost in his lap before sliding into the space next to him. Her surprise faded into a beautiful laugh and she buried her face in his arm as he started laughing too.

They'd stayed there for a little while; their weight causing the hammock to gently sway from side to side. Feeling the warmth of her thigh against his and wanting to feel more of it, he'd slipped his arm around her trying to be as close to her as he possibly could.

As he absently rubbed his thumb along the soft skin of her bare shoulder, he was overwhelmed by how perfect that moment felt.

"This is good…" She'd only smiled and continued looking around the yard.

"Yeah! This backyard will be great for parties…" He had to laugh at the way she'd either completely missed or completely swerved the point he was trying to make. Undeterred, he continued rubbing small circles against her skin.

"It will be but that's not what I was talking about…", he paused as she turned her head to look at him, but he just took a deep breath and kept going. "I meant this...us. Being here like this with you is good." She smiled at him, shaking her head slightly before opening her mouth to speak and his heart sped up in anticipation of her next words.

"I…" He could've screamed when Jessie appeared out of nowhere to interrupt their conversation.

"So…the open house is ending soon. Are you ready to see the rest of the house?" His lips formed a thin line but he took Michonne's hand as they both rose from the hammock, hoping that maintaining contact would somehow keep them in that moment. As they explored the rest of the house, all he could think about was what she was going to say and as soon as he had a chance, he was going to find out.

That was a half-hour ago and he'd just found Michonne after she'd wandered away to look at the kitchen some more. When he found her sitting on the window seat, se laughed to himself when he realized that Jadis had been right, not about the blank canvas nonsense, but about him needing to see it.

Everywhere he looked, he could see himself having a life in that house. The unexpected part was that he saw himself having a life there with her. He saw himself sitting at the kitchen island watching her cook and he could picture them sitting in front of the fireplace with a couple glasses of wine. She was prominent in every vision he had of backyard parties and of late night conversations in the bedroom. He saw all of it and he wanted to make it real.

He glanced over to Jessie who was looking more sour faced than she had all day, and sighed. If he was going to do it, he'd better get the ball rolling before it was too late.

"I want to put an offer on this one." Jessie's mouth fell open and she openly glared at him.

"What?" Not interested in anything she could possibly say, he turned his attention back to Michonne.

"Make it a full price offer. I don't want to play games, I just want it."

"It's overpriced! I can't let you make a decision like this because your… girlfriend…likes exposed brick!" That comment called his attention back and he narrowed his eyes at her and by he way her eyes widened and her face turned red, he knew she was receiving his message loud and clear. Just in case that look wasn't clear, he decided to reinforce it with words.

"You can put my offer in on this townhouse or I can find a new realtor who will." Jessie scrambled for her phone and quickly started backing away from him.

"I'll put the offer in right now." He only responded with a short nod before leaving her to go stand next to Michonne. She must have sensed him because she turned her head and smiled as he approached. She was absolutely breathtaking and all of the bravado he'd just demonstrated with Jessie, disappeared leaving him a complete mess under Michonne's scrutiny.

"Time to go see more awful houses?" He had to laugh at the way the question was asked so sadly and she even punctuated it with a little pout. He couldn't believe that she could be so sexy and so cute all at the same time.

"No…this is the last one." She shook her head and sighed in disappointment.

"I'm sorry, Rick. Maybe the third time will be the charm." He frowned and sat next to her on the window seat.

"There isn't going to be a third time. I'm putting an offer on this one." Her face completely changed and her hand came to unexpectedly rest on his thigh.

"You are?"

"Yeah…", his voice caught in his throat as his brain was too focused on that hand on his leg. He forced his mind to clear so he could keep talking. "I think my other realtor was right about one thing. I just needed to see it and I guess I finally did."

"Are you sure?" He nodded and he looked so excited about his choice and even though it shouldn't have made any difference at all, it made all the difference. Making her happy was something he wanted to keep doing over and over again.

"It has everything I wanted plus a few things I didn't know I wanted until I saw them…"

"The hammock?" Her interruption came with a smile so he wasn't too upset about it especially since she was right.

"Yeah…that hammock is going to get a lot of use!"

"It is pretty great! Makes me want a hammock of my very own." He covered her hand with his and he noticed her slight gasp when she realized where her hand had been resting all that time. He refused to let her go inside of her own head about it though and he gave her the biggest smile he could muster.

"You're welcome to use mine anytime!" She nodded and looked away with what he could almost swear was a blush. "So…since you accomplished your task of helping me find a place to live…"

"If the offer is accepted…" She was trying to get him not to get too excited about it because it wasn't a done deal, but he was sure that Jessie got his message and would make sure he got the house.

"I have a good feeling it will be. How about you let me start making it up to you by going out to dinner with me tonight? And just so we're on the same page, I'm not asking you to a dinner between friends. I'm asking you on a real date." The only thing he read on her face was calmness and it gave him no indication of how she would answer. The only sign was when she turned her hand over in his and squeezed it tightly.

"Ok", she whispered, taking him by surprise at how easy that had been. Maybe he wasn't the only one that felt like something had shifted between them and that pretending they were a couple had given them a glimpse of what it could be like between them.

"Yeah?" She nodded and the corners of her lips turned up slightly.

"At this point, it had better be a date!"

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The knock on the door brought a huge smile to her face. He was a little early, but Michonne was so excited to see him even though he'd dropped her off only a few hours ago so they could both get ready for their date. Her smile grew wider at the fact that they were about to go out on their first real date. It could be argued that spending the day together house hunting could be considered a date, but with the act they had to put on all day, it wasn't exactly what she wanted their first date should be even though it had been pretty great. If anything, it showed her that taking things slow may not be possible because every time they were together, the air around them seemed to ignite.

She gave herself one last look in the mirror. Her skin was practically glowing from excitement and her favorite coconut oil and shea butter body cream and her hair was loose and framing her face. The dark red color on her lips matched her lacy, dark red dress which was much more date-worthy than what she'd been wearing earlier. It was sleeveless, hit her around her mid-thigh, and it had a sheer panel that gave a tease of her stomach. She felt sexy and she hoped it made Rick a little flustered because he was so cute when he was off balance.

Another knock signaled that he was becoming impatient and it drew her out of the bedroom and over to her front door. She braced herself for seeing him, knowing that he'd gone home to make himself just as sexy for her as she did for him. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and centered her thoughts as she swung open the door.

"You're early…" Her words trailed off as her smile faded and she felt a headache pricking at the edges of her brain. "Mike? What are you doing here?"

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A/N: Things are really going to get rolling in the next few chapters! As always, let me know what you think! :)