Chapter Ten:

"Is that a giraffe? A toy giraffe?"

Michonne smiled as she held the soft toy to her chest, "It's Carls. He must have put it in there when I wasn't looking"

Andrea eyed her, her pale green eyes examining every inch of her best friend suspiciously, "So I take it you're going back over there tonight then?"

Michonne didn't need to look up at the blonde to know that she was silently judging her. She could tell by her tone, "I hadn't thought about it…"

"Oh please! You've been at his house for week's now- I don't even see you anymore!", Andrea snapped, her hand raised as she motioned wildly, "Oh, wait, I do see you when you sneak home to get a change of clothes or something-"

"I know I haven't been around as much...", Michonne offered gently as she put the giraffe back in her purse, "But tonight's study night! Remember? We get to hang out and eat… and read"

Andrea snorted as she rolled her eyes, "Yeah, right… Until lover boy pops up with his adorable kid-"

"I already told Rick we're doing something. He knows", Michonne lied, watching her friend stalk back to her own desk, "He's fine perfectly fine with it"

Andrea made another snort when she sat down, "He better be fine with it"

Michonne sighed quietly as she turned back to her desk and began fussing with papers, realising that she did have to tell Rick that she planned to spend the upcoming weekend with her best friend, and hoping that he and Carl would take it well.

Ever since their first date at his home, she hadn't been able to stay away from either of them and Rick only made matters worse. She would head over to his house on a Friday night with the intention of staying for the evening but would often be there until the following Monday. He didn't want her to leave and most of the time she didn't want to leave either, and once Carl had caught sight of her she felt obligated to stay. It wasn't ideal, as she was falling behind in both her school work and her social life.

She knew that Andrea felt as if she was abandoning her. It was clear in the blonde's behaviour; while she often rolled her eyes and snorted when she wasn't impressed, Michonne had noticed that she was doing it more often than usual, and on the days she did finally return home the other women would often stay in her room without bothering to step out to see her. It was upsetting, but Michonne couldn't blame her. She couldn't blame anyone for how they viewed her new relationship.

As her mother had reminded her countless times, she was young and at a point in her life where she was exercising her independence, so having an older boyfriend with a child wasn't exactly something that matched her lifestyle, but she didn't care. Rick somehow managed to worm his way into her heart, and she was certain that she didn't like being away from him anymore than he did her. She knew felt even more strongly towards Carl, so while her best friend and her parents were rightfully wary about her choice in partner, she was confident that she was making the right decision. Not confident enough to tell her father as much as she had disclosed to her mother, but confident enough to acknowledge the fact that she was indeed dating someone.

"I know what will cheer you up", Michonne sang sweetly as she batted her eyelashes at Andrea from across the room, "Why don't we go shopping after work? Just the two of us…"

Andrea pursed her lips together as she tried not to smile, "...Well, maybe-"

"After I pick up Carl", Michonne hurriedly added, "...I get to pick him up today.. So straight after that"

Andrea no longer had to try not to smile, "Great."

"I just want to see him in his little class with his little chair and his little pen", She explained, "You know he's been getting so good at recognising numbers and letters- and Rick said it's because of me but I don't think so-"

"Alright already!", Andrea groaned, "You get the cute kid, we drop him with his dad and then we go. I need new shoes, anyway."

Michonne cringed as she realised that her friend hadn't completely understood what she meant, "...Well Rick doesn't get off until six so I'm going to have him for an hour… so…"

Andrea narrowed her eyes at her friend as let the news sink in, "You're babysitting his son, now?"

"I asked if I could pick him up one day", Michonne spoke diplomatically, "And he agreed so yes, technically I am, which I'm fine with because I want to do it…"

Her best friend through her hands up in the air before she started to rant something incomprehensible under her breath. In spite of what her friend thought, Michonne hadn't only asked Rick to collect the toddler from his day-care, but she pleaded with him to let her do so.

Naturally he had his reservations, as she hadn't even been left alone with Carl in his own home yet, but as it would only be for an hour, she wanted the chance to really lavish her attentions on him, so as soon as their work day came to an end she raced across town to collect the tyke.

Ignoring Andrea's huffs and tutt's, she climbed out of her car eagerly when they arrived outside the day-care. It was a small brightly coloured building with childlike doodles on all the windows and doors, which only made Michonne's heart flutter with excitement even more.

After passing a security check to get past the front desk, she was led by a very young girl towards one of the classrooms. The blonde haired, blue eyed girl didn't stop talking once she started, "He's been fine today, he even got to the bathroom on time all by himself. We gave him a gold star for that. He'll probably tell you all about it. And we got him to hold the pens properly- you know, so he has more control when he's trying to write"

"That's great because he loves to draw", Michonne chimed, eyeing the pictures that were plastered along the wall.

"He does. We're going to start on their names soon, so he'll be able to recognise it if he sees it- Here it is!", Beth chirped, stopping at a door that was covered in cut outs of the sun, "They probably just finished having snacks so he'll be washing up. You can go in and get him or I can-"

Michonne all but grabbed the door handle, "I'll get him"

Beth was right, as the first thing Michonne saw when she entered the room was a group of tiny tables with even smaller cutlery on them. Her heart swelled at the adorable scene; everything was like a miniature version of regular sized furniture. A few children mulled around the room while others raced towards the toys. She looked around excitedly, trying to catch sight of the toddler that had captured her heart, when a brunette appeared in front of her with a hand held out, "Hey, you must be Michonne?"

"I am", She replied as she shook the limb, "I'm here to get Carl?"

The woman quickly surveyed the room, "He is… right over there, washing his hands. You can get him, he knows where his stuff is"

"Okay", Michonne breathed as she found the boy in question. He was indeed washing his hands, rubbing them together furiously until he made a big lather of bubbles. She almost wept from adoration. Once she was able to snake her way around the miniature furniture and the equally miniature children, she snuck up behind him and grabbed hold of his torso as she questioned, "What are you doing?!"

Carl jumped more than she anticipated, "Ah!"

She giggled at his surprise as she crouched down, "Hey there! Are you okay?"

Carl finally began to smile, "Yeah… You scare-ded me"

"Did I? I'm sorry", She cooed, brushing his dark locks away from his face, "You know that daddy let me pick you up today? So we get to have some fun before I take you to Grandma and Grandpa's house- is that okay?"

Carl grinned at her as he clapped his hands together, "Okay!"

Michonne couldn't help but scoop him up in her arms, even with his still wet hands holding onto her very expensive jacket, "I'm happy to hear that"

She happily followed the little boy around the room as he collected his red jacket and blue backpack with a dinosaur embroidered on the front. Even though her heart sank when he insisted he could put the coat and bag on himself, but she jumped for joy when he let her adjust his straps so it sat on his shoulders properly.

Being able to tend to his needs on her own made her realise that she really did hope to be a mother someday. She always assumed that she would want children at some point in her life but something about Carl cemented that notion. She couldn't get over how sweet he was and almost everything he did made her heart sigh, so the idea of acting like some sort of motherly figure to him only felt natural.

"How's it going over there?", Rick rasped when she answered her phone, holding the device in one hand and Carl in the other as they stepped out of the building.

"Fine, I got him", She explained, stopping on the pavement when she realised something, "Hold on, I have to take my heels off"

"What?", Rick quizzed, "You're what off?"

"My heels", She huffed, tucking the phone between her head and shoulder as she pulled the stilettos off while able to balance Carl on her hip, "I don't want to fall when I'm carrying him"

"...Michonne, he can walk"

"I know that he can walk Rick, but he's been in there all day and he's probably exhausted", She rationed, hoping she wouldn't get a whole in her stockings in the short walk to the car, "His tiny little legs might be tired"

Rick didn't immediately respond to her claim, but she realised why when she heard him chuckle, "No wonder he loves you"

Michonne gasped as she turned her head away from Carl, "Do you think he loves me? Really? Don't just say that, Rick"

"I'm not just saying that. I'm sure that he does. He looks so unimpressed when it's just the two of us at home these days- You should see the way he runs to the door when the bell rings, and he only started doing that when you came around", Rick scoffed as he carried on, "He never used to care who was at the door. He wouldn't even look up when the doorbell rang"

Michonne peered adoringly at the toddler on her hip as she sighed, "Really? He does that?"

"Yeah, so I'm pretty sure that he loves you. And I'm sure he was happier to see you there than me", Rick smirked, and she could easily imagine him shaking his head and rolling his eyes as he did so.

Michonne had to compose herself, as she was sure she would cry out of sheer delight, "Well I'm going to take him with me to a few stores- I'm trying to get back in Andre's good books so we're going to do a little shopping before we study"

"That's one way to cheer someone up", He replied dryly.

Michonne rolled her eyes as she muttered, "It's the only way I can cheer her up"

"Well maybe I'll stop by and see how you're doing later? The graveyard shift if usually pretty quiet"

"What time do you finish?", She queried while she tried to reach for the handle to the back door.

"Around ten"

She finally caught the handle, "Alright, well just give me a call and-"

"I need to pee", Carl announced, his big blue eyes scanning Michonne's face with alert.

"Oh no", She breathed, her mind playing flashbacks of the times he previously said that to her, "Okay- um, let's take you back inside-"

"He's probably peeing right now", Rick informed flatly.

"I'm peeing!", Carl confirmed, raising his hands in the air as he smiled.

Michonne's shoulders slumped in defeat, "Yeah, you are"

Rick obviously tried to hide the fact that he found their situation amusing, but failed, "I'm sorry. Let me see if I can leave early-"

"No, it's fine. This isn't the first time he's done this to me", She sighed, feeling herself start to giggle too, "Probably won't be the last. I need to get him cleaned up"

"Yeah, go on. I'll call you when I'm my way out. Bye."

After she took the toddler back inside the Day-care to clean him and change his clothes, she was able to return to her car. She could of kicked herself when she realised that she didn't have a car seat for Carl, so instructed Andrea to sit in the back with the toddler while she drove as carefully as possible, "Is he okay?"

She peaked at Andrea in the backseat, who was eyeing Carl the same way that he was eyeing her; suspiciously. Her friend pursed her lips for a second, "I don't know what you want me to do with him. What am I meant to look out for? I mean- he's definitely breathing"

Michonne nearly groaned, "Just make sure he looks happy"

Andrea took a deep breath before addressing the toddler, "Are you happy?"

Carl furrowed his dark little brows at her.

Andrea stared at him blankly, "...Do you want a cookie or something?"

Carls eyebrows shot up in surprise, "Yes, peas"

Andrea gave him a crooked smile, "Alright. You get a cookie and I get a new dress, then we'll all be happy"

It dawned on Michonne that she would be effectively trying to keep two people happy instead of one.

Looking after Carl turned out to be easier than she would have anticipated. Once she had purchased him a cookie the same size of his head, he didn't make a peep. He nibbled on the treat while perched on her hip, allowing her to shop for an outfit. It was while she was browsing around that she caught sight of herself in the mirror; her heels had been replaced with a pair of old tennis shoes she kept in her car, and she's removed her jacket so she could hold Carl properly. She didn't look far from her usual immaculate self, but there was a difference. She couldn't help but wonder if she was getting a glimpse into her future if things continued the way they did.

"Andrea! Come on!", Once they had arrived back at their apartment, Michonne stripped off her clothes and slipped into a pair of old sweat pants and off-white tank top. She gathered her huge law books together and began setting up their study area; snacks were spread across the table and stationary was in easy reach. Neither girl enjoyed studying so to make sure they stuck to it, she had to come prepared with heaps of junk food, "Andrea! Let's get started!"

"Okay, okay- I'm going to ask her, hold on", She heard Andrea say as she stepped out of her bedroom, holding her cell phone to her chest, "Hey, um, we need to talk"

Michonne leered at her friend as she took a handful of popcorn, "No, we need to study"

"You remember my friend Christopher, right? Well he's coming to town so I thought that it would be a great Idea if we met up with him…", Andrea explained, jumping on the couch excitedly, "Can we go get a drink with them, please?"

Michonne nearly choked on a piece of popcorn as she waved her hand to signal the surrounding area, "Uh, do you not see what's going on here? We're meant to study-"

"And we will! But... how about… we go get a few drinks, hang out, have fun, then tomorrow we spend the day studying? That's reasonable, right?", Andrea insisted as she bounced eagerly on her knees, "We won't even stay out late- please? Come on? Please?"

"No!", Michonne hissed, "That's not what we agreed- and besides, I'm so comfortable and looking after Carl was actually pretty tiring-"

Andrea snorted in disbelief, "That little guy was a breeze! All he did was eat! So cut it out, let's just go have a drink or six, then tomorrow morning you can tie me to this chair and force feed me pages from that stupid law book."

Michonne shot her friend a nasty side eye.

Andrea began to pout, "We haven't done anything like this is so long! You're always at your stalkers house and I never see you anymore!"

"He's not my stalker", Michonne corrected dryly.

"Please!", Andrea argued, tilting her head at her friend, "One night? Like old times? Before you abandoned me?"

It was clear that the blonde had already made up her mind and while they could both be stubborn at times, Michonne did want to spend time with her friend like they had always previously done. Michonne huffed and puffed as she thought with herself, "...Just one drink-"

"Yes! Get up, get dressed- Let's go!", Andrea cheered, jumping in the air excitedly, "Tonight we are getting wasted!"

After reluctantly fixing herself up, she looked nothing like the girl she had seen in that reflection at the store. She curled her locks up into a messy bun, and used her most prized nude lipstick. The dress she wore was the shiniest thing she owned to date; it stayed on with thin straps and skimmed her thighs, a flowing little number she found by accident. She paired it with a pair of white stiletto heels that she hadn't broken in yet, so they hurt from the moment she put them on but she knew once she started drinking she would forget the pain.

It hadn't been that long since she went out with Andrea but the moment they left their apartment, she was filled with a newfound excitement that she'd missed. She was free to do as she pleased, and the feeling was intoxicating.

From the moment they arrived at the bar she wasn't without a drink in her hand. Shot glasses, wine glasses, any type of glass was sent her way. Her cut off point came and she drank it away. The duo laughed wildly and danced around the other attendees as if no one was watching, and like previous nights that they had spent together Andrea reached the stage where she'd spontaneously cry over seemingly nothing, and it was Michonne's job to care for her.

"Andrea, can you stop this please?", She offered gently as she clung to her friends arm. They were sat at a dimly lit booth, not far from where the Juke box blasted music to drunken ears, and even above all that noise, Christopher belted out the lyrics. He was an eccentric man with frosted tips and wearing a see-through shirt and the brightest pair of pants that the world had ever seen. Michonne squinted as she tried to concentrate on Andrea and not her equally drunk male companion, "Why do you always do this?!"

"...I just feel like he's taking you from me…", Andrea sobbed as she began to slide under the table, "I'm not stupid- I saw it. I saw it the s-second he looked at you- and you… you traitor, you were all googly-eyed… I just knew that was It and now look- you're always with him and that adorable kid of his- I can't stand how cute he is!"

"Okay, can you get back up here please?!", Michonne pleaded, trying to pull her friend up but she was weak and drunk, too, "He's not taking me from you"

"He is!", Andrea protested, sitting in the small space between the table leg and the booth, "I don't want to lose you! He's Mr… Mr fucking perfect and he's like… obsessed with you… and you get all weird when he's around and… I don't know where I fit in anymore- If you move in with him then-then where do I go? Y-you're not gonna' want me hanging around your house at Thanksgiving or Christmas while you guys have a bunch of k-kids..."

Michonne rested her head on the seat as she looked at the blonde, "Andrea, no one will ever take you… take you… take me from you, I wouldn't let that h-happen. And of course I want you hanging around at Christmas and Thanksgiving- you're my sister"

Andrea's face began to crumble, her pupils the size of dinner plates as she inspected her friends face for lies, "Really?"

"Really! I will always, always… always need you. And you'll need me and I'll be there. I'll make sure that I'm there and that will never change and- Oh my God, I'm gonna' throw up", Michonne slapped her hand over her mouth for a second as a nauseous feeling swept over her. She took several deep breaths before speaking again, "I'm o-okay"

"I threw up already", Andrea wept, her mascara streaking her cheeks, "In the men's bathroom"

Laughter burst from Michonne's lips as she reached out and petted her friends head, "I love you, okay?"

"And I love you!", Andrea also began petting her head, and even in Michonne's drunken haze she knew that they looked like complete fools, but luckily for them everyone's attentions were soon drawn to two burly men who started fighting near the juke box. Andrea screamed, "Oh my God!"

Michonne slipped under the table with her when she saw a glass fly through the air, "Oh my God!"

"Hold me!", Andrea demanded as she began sobbing again, "They're gonna' kill us!"

What started out as a fight between two men soon escalated into a full on bar fight, with patrons throwing punches at almost anyone. Michonne and Andrea screamed occasionally when something broke nearby, while simultaneously trying to look for the other two members of the group they came with. Michonne yelled over the noise, "Where's Christopher?! Christopher!"

"I'm here!", The brown male shouted back, his hand appearing from behind a tipped over table, "I tried to save my drink! Some ass-hole spilt it!"

It wasn't the time to laugh, but they all did heartily until the bar doors burst open and multiple voices yelled, "Everybody get down! Get down now! Stop!"

Andrea and Michonne dropped to the ground, covering their heads with their hands as they began crying again. She realised that she would regret letting the blonde talk her out of leaving their home in the morning, and she mostly hoped that she would have no recollection of the night either.

"You! Hands up, now! Get off of him!", One officer barked as he marched through the bar, "Get off, now!"

"I don't wanna' be on Cops", Andrea whimpered, "Look at my make-up!"

"Shhhh!", Michonne hushed, putting her hand on the frantic blonde's back, "Just be quiet-"

"Hey! Come out of there!", A man barked, knocking on the top of the table and causing the girls to yelp in surprise.

"No! Don't arrest us!", Andrea shot back, wiping her eyes with a napkin that she plucked from her cleavage, "We didn't do anything!"

"What the- hold on", A pair of black boots appeared by their heads and the person kneeled down, revealing himself to be Rick. His icy blue eyes darted back and forth as he frowned, "What are you-"

"They started fighting! We didn't do anything- you can't arrest us for this!", Andrea argued, waving her napkin around wildly, "We did nothing wrong so don't look at me like that!"

Rick snapped his eyes shut as he looked away from them, "Come on, both of you- get up"

Michonne's legs trembled as she crawled out from under the table. The confidence she had when she was sat down was long gone, and trying to stand in her drunken state felt like suicide mission. She clung to the seat, then the table, and finally she was able to rise up but on unsteady ankles.

Rick looked her from head to toe as he ran his tongue along his teeth, "Go wait outside"

"Oh, thank God", Andrea muttered, swaying side to side as she tried to reach for her friend, "Let's go"

"Wait", Michonne called softly to Rick. She was sure he was annoyed, something about his demeanour told her so, and she felt as if she needed to explain herself. He looked back at her, his hands on his sides as he waited for her to continue, and all she could think about was how handsome he looked in his uniform. She wasn't looking at her boyfriend, she was looking at Rick Grimes, one of the town's deputies, and it was oddly arousing and intimidating.

"Michonne?", He croaked a little sternly, snapping her out of her lucid thoughts.

Her lips parted, and what she thought were words that were racing up her throat since she was eager to plead her innocence, turned out to be vomit. Every drink she had ingested shot out of her with a vengeance and onto the tiled floor beneath them.

"Yeah...", Andrea sighed as she grabbed Michonne's locks and held them back from her face, "I guess you really do need me, huh?".