Hey guys! I know it's been a while, and I'm really sorry.

I've had a rough couple of days.. or weeks.. and it's been hard to get myself to do anything.

But I saw that I got a couple of new reviews yesterday (BLESS those people who leave a review for every single chapter) and I thought I should try and finish this chapter for you.

Writing this actually made me feel a bit better and distracted me for a while, so thank you for your messages!

I hope you enjoy this one!

x

Told you my secrets, you told me your flaws

So when you listened I accepted them too
Told me you loved me, put my heart on pause
So why don't you talk to me, talk to me?
Say anything
'Cause I know once you talk to me, talk to me
We'll be okay

I felt myself sag against him immediately, reveling in the feeling of his lips on mine for the first time in weeks as my eyelids became heavy. Strong arms curled around me to pull me flush against him and when I let out a soft moan my mind snapped to. I broke away and pushed myself back to look at him.

"Wait a minute." I panted, suddenly feeling as shy as I did when we first met and I was almost unable to meet his gaze. My hands rested on his shoulders as I breathed deep, trying to calm myself. "It's been a rough few days, and I'm still so confused about everything. I want to talk, just not right now. It's late, we should talk about this tomorrow when we're both in our right frame of mind." I said, trying to reason with him. I turned my eyes up to his and was met with a piercing molten gaze that shot straight to my core. He looked gorgeous.

"I never said anything about talking."

In the span of half a second he hoisted me up from the ground to wrap my legs around his waist, taking advantage of my shocked gasp to crash his mouth over mine and pour his velvety tongue into me. I raked my fingers through his hair as we devoured each other. Strong hands squeezed my thighs as he moved us toward the empty bedroom, and my body sang as he turned his attention from my mouth to my neck and we descended to the mattress on the floor.

He ground his hips into mine, letting me feel his growing intention and it earned a throaty moan from me before he sat up on his knees to pull his shirt over his head. I savored the way the pale moonlight washed over his scarred skin, and I felt my mouth water at the sight of his sculpted frame. His hair was so messy and some strands tumbled over his face; shaggy and boyishly charming while he smirked at me as if he knew something I didn't. Those blue eyes, sharp as daggers, suddenly melted into molten softness casting over me. God, I loved him so much. I regretted the way I left him the day before. He didn't deserve that, and I knew it. He must've noticed me lost in thought because he crawled over me again and hovered above me with his weight on one arm to softly run his fingers through my hair, and I died of happiness under the warmth of his touch. He leaned close.

"How can you think you're not right for me? You saved my life." He rested his forehead against mine. "No one else could ever be better for me, and even if they were I wouldn't want them. I love you. I love our baby. You're all I want."

He kissed me again and my heart soared as we made quick work of the rest of our clothes and savored the delicious taste of each other's skin. His hands were marvel in more ways than one; every touch and every stroke made my body scream with want while simultaneously sighing in delight at the warmth of his palm and the roughness of his fingers. Sweet euphoria seemed to sweat from my every pore as he readied himself at my entrance.

He wasted no time and slid himself home, eliciting breathy sighs from each of us as he pressed a hand under my knee to gain a deeper angle and kept moving. I clung to him desperately as my long legs wrapped around him and I kissed him, feeling his drive even deeper as his hand tangled into my hair again.

The heat from his body would eventually warm me up. I was turned on by how strong he was despite his circumstances. How he'd risen above what Negan's scientists had built him for to find a purpose, and had created a life for himself that protected humanity from so much evil. Despite the awful destruction his body was built for, he'd mastered to use it to a point where he would never hurt me weather we were fucking each other hard enough to break furniture or he was loving me so carefully as though I were made of glass.

Tonight was somewhere between the two, where the high points would come with bursts of speed and hot, sweaty skin slipping each other with hair pulling and name calling and neck biting before cascading into soft valleys of sweet whispers and treasured gazes; warm caresses with hushed 'I love you's' and passionate, toe-curling kisses. When he finally sent me sky-rocketing into the heavens the force was strong enough to reduce all feeling in my limbs to pins and needles and wetness sprang to my eyes as I lay heaving underneath him, waiting for my mind to clear and my muscles to unclench. I opened my tired, half-lidded eyes to find glowing blue pouring over me before he squeezed his eyes shut and took his final thrusts.

"Fuck… Oh, fuck, Michonne…"

He groaned as he finished and we collapsed in a heap of tangled limbs and twisted bed sheets.

My eyes fluttered open to sunlight pouring in the windows, illuminating a sight I rarely got to see: Rick sleeping in. Rick usually woke up by 6 am like a clockwork to go for a run before heading to the gym to lift weights with Daryl and Abraham. He was always up before me and rarely let himself sleep past 7 at the latest. I took the opportunity to let my eyes wash over his features and I marveled at the way the sunlight gleamed off his tousled, long strands of hair. He would've looked so serene and ethereal if it weren't for shadows that still curved under his eyes from the lack of rest, and I was sure all the drama wasn't helping. My moment of peaceful admiration came to a halt when his eyes slowly opened. He gazed at me softly before the corner of his sculpted mouth curled up into a devilish smirk.

"Good morning." I whispered to him as I pulled the blankets up around my shoulders to shield myself from the chilled air. He took notice of my movements and slid himself over my body, encasing me in his natural warmth as his head dipped and I felt soft, warm kisses being pressed into my neck and jawline.

"Rick?" I said curiously, wondering what was happening in his mind and wishing we could get breakfast to talk about things. He seemed to read my mind as he slid a warm hand up my side and pressed a soft kiss to my lips, gave a small shake of his head and with eyes closed murmured,

"Still not talking." He moved his attention back to my neck, where he knew I'd be reduced to putty in his hands, and softly nipped at my skin as I exhaled and parted my legs to pull him closer. The familiar feeling of blooming warmth unfurled in my chest as my arms slid around him, and he kissed me deeply, fully invading me with his dominance as he craned my head back and loomed over me for deeper access while my arms slid around him. I felt his hand run down a path from my breasts downwards over my belly, where he suddenly stopped. He broke the kiss and pulled away, and it scared me for a second. He looked down and I couldn't see his expression.

After a few beats he finally let out a soft chuckle.

"You're starting to show."

Relief floated into the forefront of my mind, and I realized Rick wouldn't have come after me if he no longer wanted me or the baby in his life. I had missed him so much, and now, here he was and I had him all to myself again. All thought process was immediately snuffed out when Rick kissed me again and groaned as he dragged his hips hard against me, silently dictating exactly how our day would begin before we had to face all of what had happened in the last month.

We collapsed together side by side and fought to catch our breath before blinking our eyes open a few moments later to look at each other. My gaze fell to the juncture of his neck and shoulder and my mouth fell open a little as I reached up and ran my fingers over the small purple bruise. He hooked a finger over the sheets I held across me and pulled the edge down a bit to survey my chest, and as my gaze cast down I was met with two equally dark spots on the top of my right breast. As our eyes locked again we broke into grins, which quickly turned into us laughing like teenagers at the sophomoric hickeys we'd left on each other.

It felt so good to laugh with him again, and he pulled me to prop myself over him as he lied back and supported me loosely with a warm hand smoothed over my back. His right arm craned back to support his head as he gave me a warm smile and asked,

"How do you feel?"

I traced little circles on his smooth chest in contemplation before responding,

"Unwound. Good job, Grimes." I said with a grin, throwing back to the time when I still referred to him by his last name. He sent me a meaningful look and held my gaze as his hand moved to take mine, and he pressed my knuckles to his mouth.

"Only the best, Michy." It was so like him to be a smart-ass while simultaneously being sweet and romantic. We lived in the quiet happiness for a moment longer before he tucked a lock of hair behind my ear and quietly said,

"I never slept with her."

I paused, letting his words wash over me recalling the moment I brought the topic up the day before. I made him believe I lost all faith in him. I could see the intensity in his smoldering expression and his concern for not just protecting my physical well-being, but for being the savior of my souring heart, with its mold grown on the inside from the absence of him and the tortuous suspicions that picked away at my soul like vultures on a carcass.

"I know." I said as I ran my hand through his hair lovingly.

"I trust you more than anyone else, Rick. I- I'm sorry for how I reacted yesterday, I know I should have let you explain everything. I was just so… angry… and frustrated. When I heard you say those things to Glenn on the phone.. I knew they weren't true. It hurt me, but I knew something was going on and that it wasn't your fault. Eventually there was all this anger build up inside me because… it seems like there's always something or someone trying to tear us apart. I shouldn't have let that out on you. All I want is to be with you."

Tears sprang to my eyes and he pulled me even closer, planting kisses all over me to console my aching heart.

"I know. I know, baby, me too. Some of it was my fault. I made some mistakes.. But no matter what comes between us, you need to know that I'll fight against it. I love you. No matter what happens, you'll always have me." I felt myself melt right there in his arms.

"Me too. You'll always have me too."

Eventually I told him to start at the beginning. We'd pulled on some clothes and ordered breakfast while he told me about his mission and how he didn't call because Jessie got a picture of me leaked. He pulled his black jeans back on – sans underwear or shirt – and stuck his gun in his waistband not caring that it was showing when the delivery arrived and he made the delivery guy very nervous upon accepting our food.

I took in the lovely view of lean muscles and low-riding tight pants and stayed in bed with the sheets pooled around my waist, wearing Rick's shirt. He descended back onto the mattress with me and we dug into the bag of food as he told me about what lead Jessie to her betrayal stopping once to kiss me chastely when I felt my face burn red with anger at his mention of Jessie coming on to him. He explained the threat Alpha made against me and why he sent Jessie packing early as well as the many grueling hours he'd spent infiltrating Alpha's compound before learning about and destroying the missiles.

"That's when I called." He said, setting down his mug. "I didn't know if I was going to be successful, and I needed to hear your voice just in case I wasn't." I sat in awe of his story, and needed to blink back prickling moisture. I slid my focus to his pretty eyes and saw the way they'd glazed over suddenly. I'd seen that look on him before, it was a telltale sign of stress forcing the memories of his difficult life and dangerous work to the forefront of his thoughts, and I placed a hand on his cheek as I waited for him to rejoin me in the present. He was sitting next to me on the mattress with his back pressed against the wall and when he blinked back to reality he turned to me.

"I was so terrified that I'd lose you. Now I feel like despite the mission's success, I've still failed you."

I shook my head.

"No, you haven't." I implored, trying to lift him up. But he was beating himself up.

"I should have spoken to you about what could happen before I left. I just.. never expected all of this to happen. I can only imagine what you had to go through since then. You were all on your own.. pregnant.. I should have done it differently. Michonne, I'm so sorry-"

"Stop apologizing." I interrupted and he looked at me surprised.

"You saved us. You risk your life everyday to protect the people you love. There's just things that you can't have any control over, Rick. I know you were hurting just as much as I was."

He paused. I knew it was still hard for him to accept that sometimes he wasn't the one to blame.

"I shouldn't have reacted the way I did when you told me about the baby… All of this wouldn't have been so hard on you if I hadn't left you the way I did."

"Rick, I get why you did it. The second you turned around and kissed me I forgot everything that happened before. It didn't matter. You needed time, and I didn't expect you to come to terms with it immediately. I.. I know you never wanted kids-" He placed his hand over my cheek and I turned my gaze up towards him.

"It's.. not that I never wanted them. I've always thought I shouldn't have them. When you told me, my heart stopped. That feeling that I got, it felt just like the time I first met you. It scared me. I've never had a family, and the thought of becoming a father is so unreal to me. The first thing that came to my mind was that I'm gonna lose it all again. That I shouldn't become too attached because it's not meant for me. I thought it would be easier to just leave than to deal with the possibility of losing it. But I couldn't. I never realized how much I really wanted this until it happened. I don't wanna keep living my life like I don't deserve anything good in the world. You've taught me that I'm worth something and that there's more to life than just surviving. You've shown me that I can have a family, and that I'm allowed to love. I know I freak out a lot and my first instinct is to run away. But you always come running after me, you never let me go. You've become my link back to the humanity I'd lost. I can't survive without you. I promise I'll never make you believe that I could turn my back on all of this ever again."

I smiled up at him and ran my hand through his curls while listening to his every word. He ran his hand up and down my thigh. When he draped it over him I needed to be closer to him and straddled his lap.

"I could never believe that, Rick. You've always shown me how much you care about me. I get why this is so scary for you. But you're the one who came after me last night. I know you'll go to the ends of the earth for the people you love, and that's why I know you'll be a amazing father."

I smoothed my palm over his cheek and softly stroked his beard. He looked at me lovingly before capturing my lips in a deep kiss. His lips slipped over my own in soft strokes, sending my mind far away from coherent thought. He left me breathless when he pulled away and rested forehead on mine. I held his face in my hands, softly stroking my thumbs across his skin. We stayed like that for a few moments, revelling in the peaceful moment we were finally able to share together.

"You know.." He began. "I shouldn't keep saying I've never had a family. Hershel's really been like a father to me, it just took me a few years to realize it. I think I'll be fine if I just try to be like him."

I pulled away a bit to look at him and smiled. It felt so good to be with him again.

"Does he know?" He asked.

"Does he know what?"

"That we'll start calling him grandpa soon." He seemed quite proud with himself when he earned a hearty laugh from me for that comment. I draped both of my arms around his neck and shook my head.

"No.. I haven't told anyone."

He furrowed his brow.

"Why not?"

"I don't know.. Part of me didn't want to tell them without having really talked to you about it. I was sure they'd ask me what you thought about it and I didn't wanna tell them that I didn't know yet. And I knew Maggie and the others would insist on taking care of me, and would want to come to the doctor with me so I wouldn't have to go alone, and convince me to go shopping for baby-stuff together and.. It just didn't feel right. I wanted it to be you."

He seemed to be touched by my answer and tugged a loc of my hair behind my ear as he smiled.

"Well, I'm here now. We can tell everyone together. And I can't wait to do all those things with you."

Once again, I smiled at him as his warm hand kept running up and down my back. It really seemed like we couldn't touch each other enough after being apart for so long. Another comfortable silence fell over us and I buried my face in the crook of his neck and breathed him in.

"I love you." He whispered into my ear after a while.

I smiled sheepishly and he grinned seeing how he still had that effect on me.

The sound of his phone ringing suddenly filled the room, and he sighed.

"I gotta get back to the base, Hershel's already blowing up my phone." He said.

"Do you have another shirt? I'll need that one back." I got off of him and smiled, feeling a bit saucy as I grabbed the hem and pulled the shirt up and off. His eyes glazed over like a happy dog laying on a heated blanket after a steak dinner.

"Do you really have to go right now?" I asked coyly, and he instantly knew I was teasing him. His head lilted to the side as he basked in my nakedness with a wistful look.

"Unfortunately." He said shaking his head as he took his black shirt and pulled it on. Before he got off the mattress he reached out for me and pulled me close to him one more time.

"So you're okay? We're okay? Are you coming home tonight?"

I nodded and he kissed me again. His mouth started travelling and he placed kisses on my cheeks, my jaw, my neck, my collarbone, my breasts, before carefully taking my face in his hands and giving the same attention to my lips once again.

"Wow," I said after he broke away.

"Making up for lost time." He responded warmly. "Come home now."

"I've got some things to take care of. I'll be back tonight around 6 or 7."

He squeezed my hand.

"I'll be waiting."

I rolled into the parking garage and powered down after parking next to Rick's Aston Martin. Just looking at the car reminded me of the charming smart-ass waiting for me upstairs, and I rubbed my exhausted eyes and yawned as I angled out of my car.

I'd spend the rest of the day with my grandma. I realized I haven't payed her a visit in quite a while, and I figured it was mostly because I knew she would figure out I was pregnant in the first 5 minutes of spending with me. I still haven't told her, and she didn't say anything, but I was sure she knew.

Strangely enough, I have been feeling kind of weird after leaving my apartment this morning. It was odd, and I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was.

I walked into the elevator and my heart began to flutter. I always felt myself light up like a Christmas tree whenever I was about to see Rick. I watched the numbers climb as the elevator bypassed every floor before stopping at seven and the door opened with a resounding ping. The light were low when I walked in, and I set down my keys and messenger bag on the kitchen island as I caught Rick from the corner of my eye sauntering towards me. My face flushed a bit when I turned to find him wearing those grey sweats and a fitted black tee, looking amazing as ever as he grinned at me.

"Hey you." He said devilishly as he pulled me close and kissed me. I felt my insides turning to mush, but then that weird feeling suddenly returned.

"Rick, I'm kind of tired. No messing around tonight." I laughed. His face softened but his gaze held on me, and he rendered me completely speechless as he took my hand, stepped back and sank to one knee.

"I know." he said. "I'm not messing around either."

He dug in his pocket, and pulled out a ring.

That's it for chapter 10!

Thank you for reading & please let me know what you thought x