Chapter 10

"So your Carl's daddy?" Andre asked Rick, looking up at him with big bleu eyes. "I like Carl. He helped mommy find me," he said swinging their hands back and forth and he skipped.

"I heard he did. It's good he found you because I bet your mom was worried sick." By this time they had reached the coffee shop, and Rick ushered Andre inside. Looking over his shoulder towards Andrea and Shane he asked," You coming in?"

"Course we are. Still gotta get the stuff for the office into the car," replied Shane.

Rick walked to the display counter with Andre. "Now we already said your mom would like a croissant and tea. You see anythang else we should get her?"

"I don't know. I can't see everything, " the little boy said matter of factly, standing on his tip toes.

Andrea and Shane watched as without a second thought, Rick swooped him into his arms and proceeded to point out the various items. When Andre said Michonne would like cookies, Rick asked if the cookies were his mother or him and tickled the little boy's tummy, causing him to shriek with laughter. Once Andre calmed down, he and Rick went back to looking at the food, saying how much they hated or loved something as they waited for their number to be called.

"Could you help me carry our things to the car?" Shane asked Andrea, pulling her from staring at the father and son. They grabbed the many boxes and bags, then walked out of the café. Once everything was loaded into the back seat, Shane turned to Andrea. "Rick is my best friend. I am 'Uncle' to his son just as you are Andre's 'aunt'. So give it to me straight. Is Andre my boy's son?"

"I don't want to do this here and now. I'll leave you with more questions than answers. Can we meet for drinks or dinner tonight? I have some questions for you as well," she replied, handing him her card.

"Sounds good. I will call you later this afternoon." Looking toward the store, Shane stared at his friend through the window. The only time Rick smiled the way he was doing currently was when he was with Carl. In less than five minutes, Rick had already bonded with a child he hadn't heard of 24 hours ago. Shane knew this wasn't just because he had always wanted another child and now he had one, but also because of who Andre's mother was. He still remembered her favorite breakfast and Shane hadn't been expecting that. "Bitch better have had a fucking great reason to break his heart and an even better one for not telling him he had a kid."

Andrea looked at Shane incredulously. "Did you just say bitch? Listen here asshole, maybe you don't know everything about your boy like you think you do. Michonne had her reasons and while I don't agree with all of them, they are justified." By this time, Andrea had moved to be face to face with Shane. "If you think you can disrespect my best friend like that then maybe we shouldn't bother talking at all."

"Look, I'm sorry. I'm just trying to protect my friend. I didn't mean to disrespect yours. We should still get together and talk this through. Believe me, Rick isn't going to go away now."

"I don't care about your best friend. All I care about is my nephew," she replied still glaring at Shane so intently, that she didn't notice Rick approaching with Andre.

"Everythang all right out here?" Rick had finally put the tot down but still had a firm grip on his hand. The other held a large box sure to contain half the pastries in the store. Andre looked like The Joker, sporting a wide smile covered in chocolate from the cookie he was currently eating. Andrea and Shane nodded looking at the sight in front of them; it was too cute for words. "Do you mind if I walk him back to your car?"

"That would be fine Rick." She watched the two walk in front of her, chatting like they had known each other for ages. "Yeah, talking tonight has to happen because I don't think I have ever seen something so cute In my life," she said quietly to Shane as they approached her car.

Rick buckled Andre into his car seat after receiving a chocolate covered hug; luckily he had an extra shirt at the station as a change of clothes would be necessary. Turning to Andrea, with tears once again threatening to fall, he shook his head. "Thank you. For allowing me to spend time with him. I… I can't believe it." He looked at the car, trying to see Andre through the tinted glass. "This means so much to me. I truly appreciate it."

"No problem. I'm just glad it finally happened. Bye."

Shane put his hand on Rick's shoulder before turning to walk back to the squad car. Rick followed for a few paces then stopped. "Andrea?" he called before she could take a seat in the Lexus. "Tell Michonne I…That I…. Just tell her he's perfect." Pinching the bridge if his nose, he tried to gain control of his emotions. Once he'd composed himself, he followed Shane around the corner.

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Andrea sat at the playground watching her nephew run and play with the other kids. He was so adorable with his brown curls bouncing all over the place as he raced up the slide again. That child NEVER ran out of energy, but she suspected some of this energy came from the chocolate cookie Rick had given him. Andrea laughed remembering the chocolate covered child holding hands with the sheriff. She wished she could've captured it with a picture but settled on taking a photo of Andre in the car, still munching on the cookie and covered in chocolate. She had promptly showed the photo to Michonne when they entered the hotel suite, after setting down the box and bag from the café. Rick had gone all out; there were chocolate croissants, cheese danish, bearclaws and a selection of herbal teas. Everything Michonne loved. It had not escaped her attention that when Rick was talking to Andre, he still knew her absolute favorite breakfast.

'Andrea you are the best friend a girl could ever have! First you drive here at the drop of a hat, then you get me Oolong tea and goo filled croissants? Thank you! Today is already better than yesterday," Michonne exclaimed as she threw her arms around her.

Andrea knew that if Michonne had know the real person that had supplied her breakfast and had been carrying their son around town, she would feel a little different. She felt horrible taking credit for a gift she had nothing to do with. However, she felt even worse knowing she had to bribe her nephew into staying quiet for the time being.

'Hey short stack. Did you have fun this morning?" she asked him on the way back to the hotel.

Andre nodded enthusiastically. 'So much fun. I got bunny pancakes and I got to see Officer Shane again. I like him. I like Carl's daddy too. He gave me cookies and he got mommy her most favorite breakfast!'

'Speaking of Carl's daddy and Officer Shane, let's not tell your mommy that we saw them.'

'Why not?'

'Because your mommy is still upset about almost losing you yesterday. We don't want to stress her out anymore do we?' she looked in the rear view mirror and saw Andre shake his head no. 'We will tell her in a few days okay? How about we go to the park and get ice cream later?'

'Yea the park! I want go down the big slide! Don't worry Aunt Andy. I won't tell mommy a thing."

Andrea rubbed her eyes at what she forced the little boy to do , but she also knew how stubborn Michonne could be. She had to come to the decision to allow Rick into their lives mostly on her own. She could tell that Rick still cared about, if not loved Michonne, and it made Andrea wonder why the events had unfolded the way they had years ago. As she pondered this, her phone rang with a number she didn't recognize. "Hello?"

"Hey Andrea it's Shane. Can we meet up tonight? I think this conversation needs to happen sooner rather than later."

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Rick sat on his front porch drinking a beer, listening to the owls and crickets; trying to relax. The past two days had done a number on him. He had gone from being completely happy that he had one wonderful son to finding out he had another fantastic son. At first it was hard to believe Shane when he had told him that he had fathered another child. He didn't want to believe that Michonne would keep that information from him. Of course he never expected her to vanish into thin air either after the wonderful week they had together.

When he saw the little boy outside the coffee shop, he knew right away who it was. It was Andre, his boy Shane had told him about yesterday. He recalled the way his heart had stopped and he struggled to breathe once he laid eyes on him. Michonne had taken great care of the child because he was perfect. He was healthy, beautiful and smart. That was a no brainer, considering who his mother was.

'Mommy likes chocolate madeleines. They remind her of Paris' said Andre, pronouncing the names of both the city and the cookie with a French accent.

'Is that so? Your mommy likes Paris?' Rick tried to imitate the way Andre had said Paris, totally butchering it.

'Noooooo. You said it wrong. It's Pari."

Rick laughed out loud remembering the conversation., shaking his head. And he had thought Carl was something else when he was little. Andre was definitely Michonne's child but he had that Grimes spirit completely.

"Oh Michonne. What are we going to do with him?" he asked out loud before he realized what he was saying. It was a question that he and Lori had asked each other every time Carl had done something they had deemed fascinating. He was faced with the realization that he hadn't even talked to the mother of his child because she wouldn't answer his calls.

Rick had missed Michonne more than he thought it was possible to miss anyone. In the years since his separation and subsequent divorce he had been on many dates, even trying to reconcile with Lori once. Actually that was her idea and it had surprised the hell out of him. He had thought about how happy Carl would be if they worked things out and decided to give it a try. However, soon after they had realized that they were beyond help and that their marriage couldn't be saved. To be honest his heart hadn't truly been in working it out when he still felt bound to Michonne.

He soon stopped speaking her name and forbid Shane to either. That never lessened the longing for her. The thoughts of where was she now and who was she with would creep into his mind occasionally. Only when he was drunk did he allow him self to utter her name, often crying in a mixture of confusion and longing.

Until recently. Now she was everywhere. In his head, in Kings County, at his job. He sighed wanting to call her again. To demand answers to all that had transpired. He opened his phone and scrolled down to her phone number, staring at it for some time before deciding against it. He didn't want to make it harder to see Andre in the future.

Instead he got up, put his phone in his pocket and went inside to his bedroom. He went to his safe and pulled out an envelope filled with items. He picked out the one he was looking for: a strip of 3 photos taken at one of those photo booths found in amusement parks. The photos were of Rick and Michonne five years ago in Washington. In the first they had simply smiled, the second they had both licked their tongues at the camera. It was the third that Rick focused on, the one where they were kissing. He stared at the photo for what seemed like hours.

"Michonne, what happened? Why did you disappear?" he asked the picture as his phone began to vibrate. Reaching into his pocket he opened it and saw a message from Shane. Clicking on it, the photo Andrea had taken of a chocolate covered Andre in the car popped up. All Rick could do was smile, glad he now had at least one picture of his child.

Placing the phone and pictures next to each other he gazed at them. Andre, Michonne and himself. He thought of Carl who had been the one to find his new son. It was somewhat fitting. Right then and there he made his decision. "Don't worry Andre. Daddy is here now. And we will be a family."

Next chapter we find out what caused Michonne to disappear from Washington and why she never contacted Rick. It will be a much longer chapter and will answer most of your questions. Thanks for reading!