"Attorney?"

Andrea grinned, watching the color drain from Shane's face with his utterance of the word. Hearing his secret when she had no idea of the other parties was bad enough, but with the full picture painted, Shane was right to feel so miserable in the bar. What he had to done to Rick and his assumption that he could wile Michonne with his charms was beyond the pale. Just like his face right now. His goose was cooked, and she was the chef.

"Yeah," Rick said with a nod. "She's the friend of Michonne's I told you about." He waved a finger between them. "How do you two know each other?"

Tilting her head, Andrea turned wide eyes to Shane, wondering if he would surprise her and answer Rick's question or keep hoping this was all just a nightmare. Rick deserved a better friend, but at least he had Michonne, and thanks to Shane's pang of conscience and loose lips, he'd have a divorce soon, too.

"We don't know each other." Shane fixed her with a look she figured was supposed to intimidate, but it did anything but. Andrea grunted. So pathetic, and his nerve! He'd gone from stunned to outraged in ten seconds flat. If he wanted to be angry with anyone, he need only look in a mirror. "I saw her someplace once."

"From your soggy shoes, I'm guessin' this meeting left an impression," Rick said with a sporting tap to Shane's shoulder.

"I'd say," Andrea replied, evoking a deeper frown from Shane. "Is there a room we can go to hammer out the specifics for your divorce, Rick?"

"Yeah, there's a break room in the back," he answered. "We can talk over coffee."

"Hold up, buddy. I need to talk to her first," Shane said.

"No, you don't," Andrea countered.

"Yes, I do."

"Don't mind me," Rick said, picking up the cup from the floor and slowing backing away, his face a mask of perplexity. "I'll grab a couple of paper towels for the spill and let you two handle…whatever this is." He tossed the cup into the nearby waste can and disappeared around the corner.

Shane grasped her arm and hustled her into a room a few feet away. Three deputies sat at one of several rectangular tables inside the room poring over some papers. "Leave!" Shane demanded, pointing at the door. Without a word, the officers gathered their things and hurried out. He turned to Andrea, his narrowed eyes full of fury. "What the fuck are you doing?"

Andrea jerked her arm away, cutting him with a death stare that prompted him to step back. "I'm not the one who did the fucking." She scoffed, lowering her briefcase and purse to the near table. "You really are a rotten piece of work."

"Never denied it. You can't be his lawyer."

"Somehow I missed the part where I need to ask your permission."

"There's a lawyer thing where you can't say what I told you."

"Privilege?" She grunted. "There's no privilege between you and me. I was sitting in a bar having a drink, you came in and confessed a whopper of secret, I got a phone call and left. I never thought I'd set eyes on you again, but life is full of surprises. The secret you shared is going to get my client the divorce he wants. I have privilege with and responsibility to Rick, not you."

"You can't tell him what I said."

"No, I can tell him. I don't want to, but I will if you force me." She crossed her arms, glaring up at him. "Michonne is a really good friend of mine, and I will do what I have to for her."

"Meaning what?"

"Meaning just what I said. Michonne loves Rick, she would never look twice at the likes of you, regardless of your moves," she hissed, her blood boiling with the memory of his words at the bar, "and Rick is totally in love with her. Two minutes with him made that truth clear. They are all about each other, and you could never touch that!"

Shane's eyes flashed and his hand shot out, motioning for silence. "Keep your voice down," he said through clenched teeth.

"This divorce is happening, whether you like it or not, but you can control how it happens with the options at your disposal. You could tell Rick what you've done, which is the best option; I could tell him; or you could just explain to his wife why she needs to sign the papers. You have until this time tomorrow to make a decision, or I will sit Rick and Michonne down and tell them myself."

"You wouldn't."

"Pfft. You don't know me."

"We can change that." Shane stepped up to her, fingering a wisp of hair that fell from her chignon. "You're a fine looking woman, Andrea Harrison. I think –"

Andrea bristled. "I think you need to stop," she said with a hard glare, wondering how such a handsome guy could be so smarmy and repulsive. "I'm not Rick's wife. Your weak game doesn't work on me. I've said all I need to say to you. You need to act."

"You don't wanna back me into a corner. You push this and I could lose my friendship with Rick. That's not happening."

"Something is going to happen. You made your bed when you put your best friend's wife in it. I don't feel sorry for you, I feel sorry for Rick. He seems like a really nice guy, and this will hurt him, but not more than not having Michonne. I see the big picture."

"I want him to be happy."

"Then let him be. His wife fighting this doesn't make him happy. Michonne does. That priest gave you some good advice. There seems to be something resembling a conscience in you, and you need to embrace it. Maybe Rick will forgive you, maybe he won't, the fallout you brought on yourself is of noconcern to me." She picked up her purse and briefcase. "My job is to get Rick a divorce, and I'm going to do that."

Andrea turned to leave just as the door pushed open and Rick stuck his head inside. "Everything okay in here?" he asked, looking from Shane to Andrea.

Shane exhaled a sharply, saying nothing.

"It's fine," Andrea answered. She lifted her briefcase. "We should get started."

"Shane?" Rick said.

Shane cleared his throat. "It's good, man. Go on," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"All right." Rick nudged his head. "This way."

Andrea glanced back into the room after stepping outside. Shane already had his cell phone in his hand. Their eyes met briefly and then he turned his back. She pulled the door closed, not needing three guesses to know who he was so desperate to reach.

Michonne closed her eyes and engaged in a silent count to five, drawing deep, cleansing breaths with every number. With the approach of five, she realized a year's journey of a count to infinity wouldn't calm her. She opened her eyes, staring back at the irate woman. Rick's wife.

She had wondered how meeting Lori would go. The optimist in her wanted polite tension, a grudging acceptance of the fact their lives would be forever intertwined. But those hopes had been dashed with Lori's response to Michonne's question to all unplanned visitors. A response that had made the bad turn her day had taken even worse.

"You can help me by staying the hell away from my husband."

The makings of a monster headache followed Michonne's intense eye roll. While Lori's ire was understandable, the excising of alone time with Rick into the foreseeable future left Michonne in no mood to entertain the scorned woman's saltiness. Not today. "You need to step back and walk out of here," she advised, the words measured and direct.

"Or what?" Lori's bitter, judgmental gaze raked over Michonne. "I don't see you getting your manicured nails and designer clothes dirty to get me to leave. And I'm not going until I have my say."

Michonne threw her head back in exaggerated laughter, tickled by Lori's gall. "You need to go, okay? I'm not doing this with you."

"Why? If you love Rick so much, why aren't you willing to fight for him and stand up for this great love you think you share?"

"Because I don't have to," she said, managing to bite back the 'duh' resting on the tip of her tongue. "That's why you're here, right? Demanding I stay away from what's yours." Michonne sat back in her chair and crossed her arms, studying her fuming visitor. Lori was pretty in that All-American girl next door way, her long brown hair, plaid shirt and blue jeans unremarkable, but she wasn't typical by any stretch of the imagination. Her presence in this office lent credence to that conclusion. "I find your possessiveness of Rick astounding, especially after the last five weeks and Saturday morning." Lori's face cracked. "Yeah, he told me. He told me everything. We share. It's the nature of our relationship."

"Relationship? You haven't known him a week, and you're ruining a family. Two families. How do you sleep at night?"

"The same way you do, by closing my eyes." Michonne demonstrated for effect. "It's as simple as that." Deep lines creased the center of Lori's forehead and her eyes narrowed to slits, but her slender body remained stiff as a board, hovering over the desk. The strap of her tan purse coiled around her wrist like a pet snake, an interesting complement to her hostile temperament. Michonne clutched the arms of her executive chair and drew another breath, searching for peace, but calm was so far in the distance, high-speed rail couldn't get her there. Enough was enough. Somebody had to be the adult and it clearly wasn't going to be Lori. "Rick has explained this to you, but if you're so determined to clear the air and hash this out woman-to-woman, fine, let's do it." Michonne motioned to the chairs in front of her desk. "Sit."

She buzzed Maggie's desk and instructed her to hold all calls as Lori seated herself, her handbag bunched on her lap. The woman's gaze darted about the room, a condescending grunt and pursed lips the response when her eyes fell on the Yale diploma. Lori muttered under her breath.

"Yes?" Michonne bit out, in no mood to play games. She wanted to talk, she needed to talk, and not in a sarcastic murmur.

"Do you seriously believe this will last?"

"I'm not the one sitting in that chair. If you doubted the veracity of this, you wouldn't be here warning me to stay away; you'd be at home biding your time." Michonne held out her hands, gesturing. "Well? Is that all you needed to say?"

"What are you trying to prove?"

"I don't have a thing to prove. You came here and said you wouldn't leave until you had your say. I'm giving you your opportunity. Then, I'll have mine, and then you can go."

Lori leaned forward, her icy gaze shooting daggers that Michonne deflected with an unflinching glare and assertive smile. Armed with her love for Rick and his for her, she was ready for whatever Lori brought. "If you think I'm gonna sit back and let you steal my husband, you'd better think again. Your fancy degrees, flashy clothes, and expensive perfume won't keep him. He's fascinated. You're beautiful and smart and you showed up when we were having problems, so he's caught up in your wonder – for now. But Rick is a family man, and I'm his family." She pressed a finger into her chest. "Me. We have years of history and a son, and no distraction is going to change that."

"Have you convinced yourself with that little speech? Because for all your posturing, you still haven't said anything new or worthwhile. I can't steal Rick from you. He's a person, not a possession. Say I follow your demand and stay away from him, how does that help you? Staying away won't change the fact that I love him and he loves me. That's the point of all of this."

"He's hurt and confused." Lori squared her jaw in defiance. "I'm the woman he loves. Always have been and always will be. Taking off his wedding ring won't change that." She displayed the ring dangling from a gold chain around her neck. "I'll keep it close to my heart until he wants it back." She returned the brass band to its new home between her breasts. "He'll want it back."

Answering the call of her throbbing temples, Michonne massaged the dull ache, exhaling deeply, loudly. How did Rick stay married to this woman for sixteen years when after a few minutes with Lori, she was ready to run screaming out of her own office? "Okay, look, I understand your desperation and need to believe what's happened isn't real. Rick returning that ring had to be painful, but you being here warning me away suggests you already know how real this is. We are committed to each other. Do you get that?" Lori stared wordlessly, crossing her arms. Michonne groaned. "Rick and I didn't plan to hurt anyone. Our love took us by surprise, and that's putting it mildly, but there is no denying it and we've done everything in our power to make this easier for everyone. As tough as things are right now, and it's not just hard for you, it's nowhere near as bad as it would be if we were to pretend nothing's changed when everything has."

"Because you and Rick think so? That's not reason enough for me!"

"What's driving your anger, Lori?"

"That's Mrs. Grimes to you, Michonne."

"Oh, for God's sake." Michonne scoffed. "Just answer the question." Lori remained quiet, but her flaring nostrils and the tight line where her lips used to be continued to speak her rage. "My ex should be furious with me, because unlike you and Rick, Mike and I weren't having any problems when our relationship had to end."

"It didn't have to end."

Michonne nodded. "Yes, it did. And he has every reason to believe I was stringing him along and should want to eviscerate me because of it, but he doesn't. He's feeling more hurt and shocked than angry. Like you, he thinks time will change things. Even as wrong as his thinking is, because our relationship was in a good place when I met Rick, I can understand him thinking that. But what's your excuse?"

"Are you telling me how I should feel?"

"I wouldn't presume to do that. I just want to know where you're coming from." Michonne dragged her hands down her face, groaning. "I'm going to be real with you. I feel terrible for how this affects you, Mike, and our children." She tapped her hands to her chest. "I own that. But feeling bad won't change what I feel for Rick, and I can't apologize because I'm not sorry we're together." Lori shifted in the chair, brooding, but Michonne kept going. "Rick is the love of my life."

"He's mine, too."

"The difference is I'm his. What I have with him, what we have with each other, is the kind of love you dream about, and we knew that instantly. We are connected in a way I can't begin to describe, and with every moment we spend together we fall deeper in love. There you have it. My truth. I want to know yours."

Lori rolled her eyes, silently seething and tightlipped. Michonne sighed and continued pressing.

"You and Rick were having problems before I got in the picture. I didn't create the tension between you two, you did that," Michonne said, pointing steepled fingers. "And you kept him at arm's length the whole time he's trying to figure out what went wrong. To this day, he doesn't know what that is, but he knows he loves me, and he came to you with that just when you decided to close this distance that you created." Michonne leaned forward and clasped her hands atop the desk. "It's just us ladies here. What was it, Lori? Hmm? What brought the distance? Make me understand how you could go five weeks without Rick when you proclaim to love him so much."

"I don't have to explain a damn thing to you!" A nerve twitched in Lori's cheek and something akin to guilt flashed in her eyes. It was just a flicker, but Michonne saw it, and it pointed in a direction she didn't want to look, but knew she had to. Lori huffed a breath and shot to her feet. "Just stay the hell away from Rick."

"Not so fast!" Michonne moved around her desk, blocking Lori's path to the door. "What?" She eyeballed Lori, and the woman quickly looked away, but not before it appeared again. Unmistakable guilt. The dots connected. "Damn." Michonne shook her head. "You cheated on him. That's it. You stopped having sex with him, because you were screwing someone else."

The wide O of Lori's mouth marked her outrage, but she couldn't disguise the alarm in her eyes. "You don't know what you're talking about, and I'm not about to explain myself to you! You're the homewrecker here, not me."

Lori stomped toward the door, but Michonne grabbed her arm, pulling her back. "No, you don't!" She glared at Lori, her heart racing and body shaking with the same rage Lori had displayed so freely. Michonne drew and released several breaths, desperate to find that elusive calm. But like before, it was an exercise in futility. The more she looked at Lori, the angrier she got, and the tighter her grip got on Lori's arm. She and Rick had gone out of their way to do right by Lori and Mike. To give their relationships the respect they deserved. Yet, Lori had been cheating and made them feel like the bad guys for being honest. "How could you?"

"You are way off base!" Lori snatched her arm away, wincing as she rubbed the area that was thisclose to be snapped like a twig. "I said what I needed to say. Now, you need to back the hell off from me and Rick."

"You, fine. Rick, never! In fact, I owe you a debt of thanks, because after this insightful visit, I'll be seeing even more of him. A lot more," Michonne said, leaving no room for confusion as to exactly what she meant. "Rick's spending time with Carl today, and when he brings him home, you'll tell him what you've been up to. If you don't, I will." Rick's ringtone sounded at the conclusion of her words. Michonne returned to her desk and picked up the phone, making a conscious choice to announce her caller. "Rick, hey." As expected, Lori turned around. Her widened eyes and ashen face further cementing the truth. "What's up?"

"A couple of things," Rick said. "I hear the tension in your voice, and you can let it go." Michonne glared at Lori. That request was easier said than done, but his soothing, reassuring voice helped. "We're back on for lunch and our plans for the boys later. I was never okay with the break idea, and got Andrea to see things my way. She's certain I'll get the divorce soon, too."

"That's great." She kept her eyes on Lori as the woman stepped closer. "I can't wait to see you."

"Me, too."

"So, you said a couple of things. What else?"

"Oh, yeah. Has Andrea ever mentioned Shane to you?"

"Shane? No." Lori's eyebrows shot up and she moved up to the desk, pushing her hair behind her ear as if she had supersonic hearing. Michonne turned her back. "Why?"

"Just, uh, it was some strangeness between them. He wanted a word alone with her before we talked about the divorce terms, so I stepped away. He might've slept with her or wanted to and she said no." Rick grunted. "I dunno. Something's goin' on with them. Heads up, he wants to treat us to dinner tomorrow. I told him yes. You game?"

"He's your best friend, of course."

"All right. I'd better get back to them before they kill each other," Rick said with a little chuckle that brought a smile to her lips. "I'll see you here at noon?"

"Definitely."

"Tell me you love me."

Michonne held the phone closer, her voice lowering intimately. "You know I do," she said.

"Nah. I wanna hear you say it." Rick sighed. "I love hearing you say it."

"I love you."

"Mmm. That's everything. I love you, too. See you soon."

"Bye." Michonne returned the phone to her desk, groaning at the feel of Lori's beady eyes burning through her, reminding her of her presence that she had managed to forget. "Yes?"

"What was that?" Lori propped her hands on her barely-there hips. "You wanted me to know you were talking to him. Why?"

Michonne brushed an invisible speck off her knee-length pencil skirt and settled into her chair. "To let you know how often and easily we talk to each other."

"And the mention of Shane?"

"That's my business. Yours is to talk to Rick, or I will do it for you, and you don't want that." Lori opened her mouth to speak, but Michonne stopped her with a grunt and shake of her head. "Save it. You can stand there and deny it all you want, but I've seen the truth on your face. Rick was honest with you. We didn't want to hurt anyone, but we're in love and had to be upfront about what it meant for all of us. But you, you stand in judgment, make us out to be plotters destroying the sanctity of your marriage, and you're the one fucking some side dude!" Michonne paused, her blinding anger nearly stealing her breath. "Whoever the hell he is, I hope he was worth it."

"Look, Michonne…"

"Stop!" She wagged a quaky finger. "Your days of being the selfish bitch are over. You will tell Rick you broke your marriage vows and grant him a divorce. Now, get the hell outta my office. I'm sick of looking at you!"

Lori's ringing cell serenaded her on the way out the office. Her irate but indistinct words the last thing Michonne heard as the door closed behind her. Whoever was on the other end of that call wasn't bringing Lori cheer, but being a duplicitous bitch rained torment. She only had herself to blame for the hell coming her way.

Michonne thought of Rick. This news would disappoint him, but very likely make him angry, too. She wanted to feel sorry for Lori, but couldn't muster an ounce of sympathy. All Lori had to do was say something, be honest, and she hadn't. That would be the thing to tick Rick off most. Regardless of how he heard the news and reacted, Michonne would be there, loving him through it.

Loving him.

In the hour and a half before lunch, there was one thing she had to take care of. She buzzed Maggie. "Reschedule my remaining appointments. I'll be out for the rest of the day."

"Is that it?" Rick asked, checking his watch. If Andrea wrapped this up in the next five minutes, he'd have a little more than an hour to get in more paperwork before Michonne arrived for their lunch date. When he got back, if he plowed through, and Shane didn't talk his ear off, he could be finished before three and have even more time with Michonne and the boys.

"I think so." Andrea jotted more notes on the sunshine yellow pad. "You're being very generous. Too generous."

"I'm ready to be with Michonne. If generosity makes Lori more likely to sign, it's worth it."

"You don't have to worry." Andrea flipped the legal pad to the first page and returned it and the pen to her carrier. "She's gonna sign the papers."

"How are you so sure?"

"It's my job to be. And I'm certain I can get her counsel to agree to a lesser settlement. You don't have to incentivize to get this divorce."

"I see it as being fair." Rick finished the last of the tepid coffee in the paper cup. "Lori doesn't work. I want her and Carl to have whatever they need."

"Your son will have everything he needs, and Lori will get everything she deserves." Rick blinked at Andrea's curious choice of words. She cleared her throat and fastened the satchel. "I'm saying it will be equitable."

"Okay," he said, having no real reason to question it. "Michonne trusts you, and that's good enough for me. I want the divorce."

"Then we're in agreement." Andrea stood and Rick followed suit. "I'll draw up the papers and have them ready for signing in a day or two."

"That soon?"

"That's the plan. Once you sign, the papers will be delivered to Lori, and I would expect to hear from her or her lawyer soon after. Come the first week of December, you'll be a single man."

"It's almost the end of October. Halloween's a week from today."

Andrea nodded. "It is." She pulled her purse on her shoulder and picked up her briefcase. "I'm certain of a swift resolution. Call it intuition. Just keep being happy with Michonne, and I'll take care of everything else." She motioned to her empty cup. "Thanks for the coffee."

"You're welcome." Rick tossed the cups and opened creamer and sugar packets into the trash. "It's the least I can do for all you're doing for me and Michonne."

"She's a dear friend and you make her happy. Keep making my friend happy."

Rick pressed his lips together, tasting the remnants of sugar that lingered from his coffee and bringing to the mind the even sweeter lips he anticipated tasting at lunch. "Happily," he said, grinning. "What's the deal with you and my friend?"

Andrea's face soured. "Pardon?"

"C'mon, it's something there. I've never seen Shane react to a woman like he did with you."

"I'm sure." She grunted. "I didn't fall at his feet. Had to be strange for him."

Rick laughed. "Shane can be a bit much sometimes, but he's my best friend, and I think you two just got off on the wrong foot. He's having dinner with Michonne and me tomorrow, meeting her for the first time, and I think you should come along with us."

"He hasn't met Michonne yet?"

"Huh-uh. They've heard a lot about each other, but the meeting happens tomorrow. You should come."

"I think you're right," Andrea said. "Tell me when and where, and I'll be there."

~Thanks for reading!~