A/N: I know, I know, I know… it's been a few months since the last update. The good news is that I'm on vacation this week (yay!), so I'll be able to focus on the next chapter and get that uploaded much sooner. Enjoy! And as always, I love your feedback!

P.S. Can you believe we're down to less than a month before s8? CAN. NOT. WAIT!

10. Hey

I mindlessly drummed my fingers on my desk as I stared out my office window. The sun was shining brightly and the sky was a never ending sea of blue, but the beauty of the day was lost on me. It had been five days since I'd moved out of Rick's house, and while I still went through the necessary motions to function throughout each day, I felt like the walking dead.

I hadn't held Nugget in over a week. Rick and I still weren't speaking. I'd been avoiding Gleggie and Daryl.

Truth be told, my sense of normalcy had been uprooted, and I was struggling to find my footing on the foundation of my new normal—a new normal that didn't include Grimes-infused routines.

My weekday morning routine now started at 8AM, but for the past five months or so it had started two hours earlier. One of the first things I used to do after waking up was check on Nugget. He'd become such a sound sleeper that he rarely woke up before I did, so I loved taking a peek at his peaceful little face while he slept. After my heart was thoroughly warmed by the sight of him, I'd start brewing my hazelnut vanilla coffee, and then iron my clothes before taking a shower.

I'd wake Nugget up around seven and spend time cuddling him before giving him a bath. His breakfast followed his bath time, and once his belly was full and he was happily gurgling away, I'd make breakfast for myself and Rick, who normally walked through the front door by 7:45.

Rick would greet me with a hug and take Nugget from me for cuddles before we sat down to eat together. At times, Rick would be too tired from work to chat with me. At times, I'd be too cranky from spending a long night with a fussy Nugget to chat with him. Other times, we'd talk about whatever serious or silly thing crossed our minds. We once debated whether sporks should permanently replace all of the forks and spoons in the house. They would not, much to Rick's disappointment.

After we ate breakfast, Rick would take a quick shower and I'd wash the breakfast dishes. Nugget would keep me company until Rick was out of the shower. And by 8:45, I was heading off to work.

I always gave Nugget a kiss goodbye and Rick a low five on my way out.

Our evening routine worked similarly. After my work day ended, I'd normally make it to Rick's by 6PM. Rick and Nugget almost always greeted me at the front door unless Rick was feeling playful and they "hid" from me. It never took me long to find them because Rick hid in the most obvious places. When I did find them, I was always rewarded with the brightest smiles and the most infectious giggles from Nugget, who was as happy to see me as I was to see him.

I would change out of my work clothes into something more comfortable and then enjoy evening cuddling with Nugget while Rick cooked or warmed up dinner. When we were done eating, Rick would wash dishes and then give Nugget a bath. I spent that time unwinding from my day, usually by plopping on the couch to read a new comic book or by calling or texting Maggie.

Once bath time was over, Rick would bring a fresh and clean Nugget to me so that I could read a bedtime story to him. Rick would sit next to us with his legs stretched out on the coffee table, watching his son's reactions as I read about some make-believe world. Although the story was meant to put Nugget to sleep, the sound of my voice would often put Rick to sleep too. I'd let him snooze for about an hour before waking him up to get ready for his night shift.

He'd leave for work around 9PM, making sure to give his sleeping son a gentle kiss and to give me a kiss on my forehead on his way out.

I adored those routines. I desperately missed everything about them.

"Get it together," I whispered to myself, sniffling and wiping away a stray tear.

I grabbed a case folder sitting on my desk and started reading through it when my desk phone rang. Only a select few had my direct work number, and of that select few, only one person used it to call me regularly before he went silent on me.

I slowly exhaled before answering the phone.

"Michonne speaking," I answered in my no-nonsense work voice.

"Michonne, uh... hey," the voice on the other end said anxiously.

I couldn't help but to smile.

"Hi, Glenn," I said warmly.

After making myself unavailable to Gleggie and Daryl all week, I was genuinely delighted to hear from Glenn. I hadn't meant to shut them out, but I wasn't ready to articulate how broken I felt without Rick and Nugget.

With Nugget's first birthday only two days away, I was going to have to say something sooner rather than later. Rick apparently had not said anything to them either, and I had no idea if or when he planned on saying something.

Glenn cleared his throat before speaking again.

"Hey," he repeated.

I waited for him to continue. When he didn't, I knew that something was wrong. Glenn and Maggie were the talkers in our family, so if words weren't flowing freely, there was a problem.

"Glenn?"

"Yeah, so... um… well," he sputtered.

"Is it Hershel?" I whispered, gripping the receiver.

"No! No—Hershel's still recovering," he said before clearing his throat once more. "It's just that... well..."

"What is it, Glenn?" I asked, wondering what had him so tongue-tied.

"It's just that I know," he said. "Michonne, I know."

My jaw dropped.

Did Glenn finally know that Maggie was pregnant? That he was going to be a father? He didn't sound elated at all. Was the idea of fatherhood-

"I know you moved out of Rick's," he said, cutting off my thoughts.

I sat back in my chair and let out a defeated breath. If Glenn knew, then Maggie and Daryl knew too. If Glenn was upset, then Maggie and Daryl were upset too.

This wasn't good.

But, if I had to be confronted by one of them, it was best that Glenn was the one doing the confronting. When Daryl was upset, he tended to take things to a 10. When Maggie was upset, she tended to go off the charts completely. Glenn was the most level-headed and reasonable of the three. I could talk this through with him in a calm and rational way.

"What the shit, Michonne!" Daryl shouted.

Shit.

"You should have said somethin'!" Maggie shouted.

Shit!

I rubbed the bridge of my nose and cringed as all three started talking to me at once. I decided in that moment that three-way calling was the worst technological advancement to plague mankind.

When I heard a knock on my open door, I looked up to see Mika, my administrative assistant, standing in the doorway.

"Is everything ok?" she mouthed as she stepped into my office.

She looked genuinely concerned, but I could also see the anxiety on her face that I knew had nothing to do with me.

I glanced at the clock. 1:17PM.

I immediately felt terrible for delaying the start of her weekend.

One of the things I negotiated before I accepted my role at the firm was a work week that ended at 1PM on Fridays, which was to apply to my staff as well. I eventually planned to eliminate Mondays and Fridays from my work week altogether, but that would take a little more ladder climbing.

As it was, our day should have ended 17 minutes ago.

Unlike most 20-something year olds, Mika's Fridays were dedicated to her sister Lizzie once the work week ended. Lizzie suffered from severe emotional problems and lived in a group home outside of Atlanta, which was the closest facility Mika could find that was equipped to treat her.

Mika was normally in her car and headed to Atlanta by 1:05.

I pushed the mute button on my phone and held the receiver against my shoulder, although I could still clearly hear Maggie's high-pitched voice.

"Everything's fine," I told Mika.

She looked at me disbelievingly.

"Seriously. There's nothing for you to worry about," I said. "Go on and get out of here. I'm sorry for holding you up."

She still looked like she didn't quite believe that everything was fine, but she was also relieved that she was able to leave.

"Thanks, Miss Danvers! Give Carl a big hug and kiss for me on Sunday!"

I smiled as she all but ran out of my office, and then I rubbed the bridge of my nose again.

From what I'd been able to piece together from their ranting, Daryl found out that I'd moved out after he stopped by Rick's house earlier this morning. Rick wasn't home, but since Daryl had a key he let himself in. When he noticed that some of my things were missing, he checked my bedroom and realized that I'd moved out.

Naturally, Daryl called Glenn, who then called Maggie, who then insisted that the three of them conference call me.

I cringed again when Maggie's voice rose to an even higher pitch. Though I was hesitant to do it, I put the receiver back up to my ear and unmuted the call.

"Am I gonna have to choose?" Maggie asked. "I don't wanna have to choose between you and Rick! Glenn, I don't wanna have to pick!"

"Mag-" Glenn started to say before he was cut off.

"Daryl, tell them they can't make us pick!" Maggie demanded.

Daryl grunted.

"Oh my GOD! Did you and Rick already discuss this, Michonne?" she asked. "Is that why we haven't heard from you all week? Did Rick get custody of us?!"

And then she started sobbing.

"I love you both so much," she wailed. "This isn't fair. You... Are... My... Closest... Fr-fr-friends," she choked out.

After about a minute or so of listening to Maggie sniffle, I decided that a window of opportunity for me to speak was finally open.

"Maggie," I said in what I hoped was a calming tone of voice. "Please calm down. You-"

"You calm down!" she shouted.

And then she hung up.

Glenn sighed deeply.

"She's been a little all over the place lately," he said apologetically. "I think her," he paused and then whispered, "period is coming."

"Come on, man," Daryl groaned.

"It's a natural bodily function, Daryl," Glenn argued. "Anyways, I get it, Michonne. I know how hard leaving must have been, how hard not being there must be. But why are you and Rick keeping it a secret? I thought... I just thought we were all close enough to share things like this."

"We are," I quickly asserted. "I wasn't keeping it a secret. We weren't keeping it a secret. It's-"

"But you didn't tell us," he interrupted. "You're only saying something now because Daryl happened to stop by Rick's."

I couldn't refute that, so I didn't try.

"Things obviously aren't ok between you and Rick, and that's between you two. But what does that mean for all of us?" he asked. "What about our family game nights and dinners? What about our date nights? What about just hanging out?"

I wasn't sure how to answer those questions.

In a way, Nugget was who brought Gleggie into our lives. It made sense that they'd be concerned by the sudden and drastic change in the dynamics between me and Rick.

"Listen, I'll talk to Maggie," Glenn said. "Just know that we're here for you and Rick and Carl. Always. No matter what."

"I know, Glenn," I said softly. "Thank you."

And then he hung up.

Damn it! I'd pissed off a pregnant lady and disappointed Glenn. I felt awful.

I sat back and waited for Daryl to speak his mind.

"So you just up and left, Michonne?" he shouted.

"Rick obviously didn't tell you either," I said.

"We're not talkin' about Rick. We're talkin' about you," Daryl grumbled. "He'll get his later."

"You told me to take a step back, D. Remember? That's what I'm doing."

"I didn't tell you to disappear on us!" he shouted. "What happened?"

"Rick decided that he can't be what I need, so I decided that I can't be what he needs," I said.

"What the hell does that even mean, 'Chonne?"

"You'll have to talk to Rick about that," I said.

Daryl didn't say anything for a minute.

"Whatever is happenin' between you two, I don't like it," he said quietly.

"I don't like it either," I told him. "But maybe the reality of the situation is that Rick and I are growing apart. It happens."

"Nah. That ain't it," he said dismissively.

I wanted to believe him, but as the days passed without Rick reaching out to me, I wondered if our friendship was even truly salvageable.

"I visited Merle this mornin'," Daryl said with a shaky voice.

"What?!" I shouted, sitting up straight in my chair.

"That's why I stopped by Rick's. I..." his voice broke and he took a deep breath.

"Where are you?" I asked, jumping up.

Daryl rarely ever visited any of his blood relatives. Those visits almost always ended with him reliving the physical and emotional trauma he endured as a child.

"Michonne, sit down. I'm fine," he said. "I'm at my house. I'm ok."

"Daryl-"

"I'm fine. Sit down," he repeated firmly.

I slowly sat back down.

"You, Rick, Carl, Gleggie... you're my family, Michonne. You and Rick need to fix this. Bein' friends has never been hard for you two. It shouldn't be hard now."

"It is when he's being a stubborn jackass," I said. "It's not on me to fix this Daryl. That's on him."

"But you do want him to fix this?" he asked.

"Things will work out however they work out," I said noncommittally.

Of course I wanted Rick to fix things, but Daryl didn't need to know that. If Rick was going to make things right between us, I didn't want him to do it because Daryl told him that I wanted him to.

"And what about Carl?" Daryl asked. "When's the last time you saw him?"

I was ashamed to admit to Daryl how long it had been. Maggie brought him to my condo last week when my ankle was sprained, and I hadn't since him since then.

"So Rick's not the only one bein' a jackass," Daryl said testily.

This was another statement that I couldn't refute, so once again I didn't try.

"You know Rick would let you see Carl regardless of what's goin' on between you two," he said.

"I know, Daryl," I told him.

"If you know then why haven't you seen him?" he asked. "He doesn't need another Lori in his life."

"I'm not-" I started to argue.

"You've been a part of his life since before day one. Don't forget that. You have to be the bigger person for Lil Asskicker if Rick won't," he said. "I love you and Rick both, but I love that kid too, Michonne. You and Rick don't compare to him."

"I got it, D," I said, feeling even more ashamed by how I had neglected Nugget.

"Damn right I'm right," Daryl said.

After he grew quiet, I sensed that he wanted to ask something but was hesitant to do so.

"Spit it out," I said when it became clear that he wasn't going to ask.

"Did Rick tell you anythang that night at the hospital? When you went off to talk?" he finally asked.

"He told me all about how he couldn't-"

"I'm not talkin' about what he said he couldn't do, Michonne. He didn't mention anythang else?"

"What else would he have to say?" I asked, recalling the look Daryl and Rick exchanged in the hospital elevator.

Daryl answered with silence.

"What else would he have to say, Daryl?" I asked again.

"But when he called me that night to say he was stayin' at your place, it didn't seem like you two were arguin'," he pointed out.

"I was too exhausted to argue with him," I told him. "What else would Rick have to say to me, Daryl?"

He grunted, and I knew he wasn't going to give me an answer.

"You still comin' to Lil Asskicker's birthday party on Sunday?" he asked.

My jaw dropped.

"You don't have to get dramatic. I was just askin'," he grumbled.

"Of course I'll be there," I said crisply. After a few seconds, I added, "Mike and I will be there."

I waited for what I knew was coming.

"Fucking Panty Man," Daryl muttered under his breath.

Between Hershel's accident, my sprained ankle, and moving out of Rick's house, there hadn't been a good time to set up a meeting between Mike and Daryl and Gleggie. There was already a feeling of animosity towards Mike, and now I feared that Daryl and Gleggie would ice him out completely.

"I'm sure I can count on you to be on your best behavior with Mike? No Panty Man talk?" I asked.

I felt my chest tighten as I waited for his response. I didn't want to fight with him over Mike.

"Yeah, ok," he unhappily agreed. "I'll behave when I meet Mike. Unless he's an asshole first. And then all bets are off."

"Fair enough," I sighed out.

I was about to ask Daryl when he'd last seen Nugget when I heard a woman's voice call out his name. I tried to listen to their conversation, but Daryl must have covered the phone because their voices sounded muffled.

"Daryl, who was that?" I asked when it sounded like he returned to the phone.

I could hear the panic in his silence.

And then Daryl hung up on me.

Daryl Dixon, who had never had a serious girlfriend or a friend with benefits or a one-night stand, had a woman in his house who he was trying to keep a secret!

I smiled broadly as I called him back.

He sent me to voicemail after the first ring.

I rolled my eyes and called him again.

"What," he mumbled.

"Well?" I asked.

"Well what?" he mumbled back.

"Don't make me interrogate you," I told him. "Who is she?"

"Hold on, I gotta call comin' in," he said, sounding relieved.

He put me on hold before I could say anything.

"It's Gleggie," Daryl told me when he got back on the line. "Maggie wants to call Rick. Gotta go. I'm not pissin' off a pregnant lady, too," he said.

I had no idea how he knew Maggie was pregnant, but I wasn't confirming anything.

"Bring your mystery woman on Sunday, Daryl. We're meeting her," I said before hanging up.

I let out a soft sigh of relief and looked out the window.

Rick was about to deal with the wrath of Gleggie and Daryl; Daryl had a new friend; Maggie's pregnancy secret was no longer just mine to keep; and I didn't feel the need to avoid my family anymore.

Suddenly the day seemed just a little bit brighter.

Saturday Morning

I pulled my covers over my head and curled into a ball.

Since I'd moved back into my condo, I hadn't been sleeping. I'd get a few hours of sleep, but I spent most of the time tossing and turning.

Last night was no exception.

The idea that I had allowed my ego and my anger to become more of a priority than Nugget's well-being made me sick to my stomach.

"We got this."

Those were the words I'd used to comfort Rick in the hospital after Nugget was born. That was my promise. That was my commitment not just to Rick, but to Nugget.

I wasn't one to make empty promises. I wasn't one not to fulfill my commitments.

It was completely unacceptable that I had no idea who was helping Rick take care of Nugget. It was completely unacceptable that I hadn't told Nugget that I loved him at least once a day since I'd last seen him.

If I had to, I would come to terms with Rick and I failing each other as friends. But I would never be at peace with Rick and I failing Nugget as co-partners.

I needed to see him, to hold him, to apologize to him, to promise him that I'd never fail him in this way again.

My precious little Nugget turned one tomorrow; I had to set things right today.

I threw back my covers, jumped out of bed, and rushed into my bathroom. I quickly brushed my teeth and pulled my locs into a bun on top of my head. I looked at my pajamas in the mirror and then rushed to my closet. I grabbed a cardigan to put on over my pajamas and then grabbed the first pair of non-high heeled shoes that I saw, which ended up being a pair of shiny, black rain boots.

I had one boot on when my doorbell rang.

I had no idea what time it was, but it was too early for visitors. I glanced at my phone.

7:11am.

Anyone who knew me would have called or texted before coming by so early. Even my neighbors knew not to bother me before 10am on a Saturday or Sunday. I ignored the front door and put my other boot on.

When I stood up, the doorbell rang again.

"Coming!" I shouted, walking to the door.

I stopped myself from unlocking it when I had a thought.

Mike.

Mike was probably on the other side of the door. He'd been out of town on business since Tuesday and was scheduled to return this evening. He was probably trying to surprise me. While I appreciated the gesture, I did not appreciate his timing.

I swallowed a groan and plastered what I hoped was a pleasant smile on my face before opening the door.

My smile fell when my eyes locked on the man standing in front of me.

My breath caught in my throat when my eyes traveled down to the baby asleep in his arms.

"Hey," Rick whispered.

I looked back up into his blue eyes.

"Hey," I said.