A/N: I didn't plan to update today, but I was so moved by you guys' feedback from the last chapter that I said, Why the hell not? Y'all left me speechless, seriously! I did not mean to make anyone's heart stop, however, so I'm sorry, and I apologize in advance for these next few chapters too, lol. Yari (that's a lovely name, btw), I so appreciate your essay! And I think you got literally everything I was trying to say through Michonne. Probably even more, because you guys are so much more awesome than I am. And thank you for making me cackle at the idea of you bitch slapping Rick for his shenanigans. Funny enough, I already had some version of your suggestion planned for this chapter, so I'm just gonna tell you to get out of my head, okay?

Also, thank you to the guest that suggested Michonne's dress be red, because I was going with purple, but… yeah, red is clearly better.

And lastly, Volos, this one is from Rick's POV!

Thank you guys so much, as always. –Ashley

fireworks

I glanced at my watch, noting that it was just about 8:30 as Carl, Judith, and I stood at Rachael's front door, patiently waiting for someone to answer. Carl looked on in a mixture of what seemed to be nervousness and annoyance, which made me chuckle. He was so clearly my kid, a walking contradiction.

"You all right?" I asked him quietly.

"Is this a date?" he frowned back at me. "I didn't think it was, but it feels like one all of a sudden."

"No," I laughed as I straightened Judith's dress over her legs. "Did you even ask Olivia to come?"

"You know I didn't. You're the one that told me this was happening."

"So then why would you think it's a date?"

"I dunno," she shrugged, looking down at his button-down. "You made me tuck in my shirt. And we're picking them up like it's a date…"

"Don't confuse being a gentleman with romance," I advised, seeing shadows of figures moving past the windows. "Unless you want it to be a date."

"Dad."

The door opened slowly and Rachael's daughter, Olivia, came into view, wearing a light blue sundress, the color of Carl's eyes and both our shirts. The way he looked back at her, it was obvious he wanted it to be a date. I've been there before, buddy.

"Mom! Grandma!" she called back into the house. "Carl and Mr. Grimes are here!"

"Hey," I greeted her once I realized my son would continue to stand there speechless. "Are they ready?"

"Yeah, I think so," she shrugged stepping onto her porch. "Hey," she grinned at Carl.

"You look nice," he replied awkwardly.

"I haven't worn a dress in like a year," she rolled her eyes. "My mom made me put this on."

"I like it."

"You're just being nice."

"I swear I'm not." He bit at his bottom lip as he looked down, staring at her sandaled feet. "You wanna go on ahead?"

"Sure," she shrugged again. "I haven't eaten all day, so I'm kind of starving."

He offered her his arm and she instantly took hold as they headed down the steps towards the party. It amused me that he completely forgot I was standing there, but I wasn't about to let him just leave without saying anything. "So y'all are just gonna leave, I guess."

Carl glanced back at me like an afterthought. "Sorry, Dad. Is it okay if we go?"

"Straight there," I agreed. "Go on."

"Thank you, Mr. Grimes," Olivia called back.

I could hear the two of them giggling before they even got to the end of the block, and I leaned against the frame of their door, watching with Judy as the other Alexandrians headed towards the front of the subdivision. It was weird to hear the click-clack of high heels against the pavement. Music filling the summer night. Laughter. If I hadn't been on the outside a number of times since arriving, I would've forgotten walkers were on the other side of those walls. I could see how these people had become so sheltered.

Finally, Rachael came down the steps in her own heels and a fancy yellow dress with a smile to match. Her hair was pulled into a bun on one side, and her bangs were swept the same way. She was very pretty in a fun sort of way. She reminded me of a summer day.

"Hey," she grinned, meeting me at the door. "I'm sorry, I lost the back to my earring and I finally just said, Fuck it."

"No problem," I waved dismissively. "I let the kids go on to the party."

She nodded, before yelling to her mom, "Are you ready, ma?"

"Go on ahead," Mrs. Landers called back.

"What are you doing!"

"Minding my damn business!" she shouted. "I'll be there soon!"

"She's so weird," she commented, joining me outside. She took a look at Judith in her beige dress and sweater combination and smiled brightly. "Well don't you look fantastic, little lady?"

"She picked it out herself," I joked, the two of us making our way down the steps. "I think I might have a diva on my hands."

"Which means she'll probably be a tomboy by the time she's ten," she prophesized. "Don't put too much stock in any of it."

"Your daughter was just sayin' you made her put on a dress tonight."

"It was a literal fight," she laughed. "Like, I was practically holding her down. She's ridiculous."

"Oh, is that what I have to look forward to?"

"I think it's more of a mother-daughter thing," she shook her head. "Not that teenaged girls are fun to raise either way, but… girls love their fathers in a very different way."

I hated imagining Judith as a teenager. It was hard enough accepting that Carl was one. "I vote for a change of subject," I said as we moved closer to Deanna's house.

"Well, we're going to a party," she offered, waving to a couple passing by on the opposite side of the street. "Here's to drinking so much, we forget we have kids tonight."

"Ha," I laugh, looking down at Judy, who probably wouldn't appreciate such a thing. But there's no reason not to have a little fun tonight. "I'll drink to that."

It was an absolutely gorgeous evening at Alexandria. The weather was the perfect mixture of warm and arid. The moon was nearly full and the stars were bright. And Deanna's backyard had been decorated in its own sparkling lights – typically ones you'd use for Christmas decorations – giving a romantic feel to the entire night.

Carl and I were enjoying grape juice and whiskey, respectively, as we chatted with Reg and one of his sons, Aiden, about the walls outside. We weren't exactly supposed be talking about work, but I didn't know what else to discuss with these people. I already knew most of their mundane stories.

I was thankful when the door opened and Michonne walked in. We hadn't seen much of each other all week, and I found myself actively looking forward to this party, just to see her in a casual setting again. But the way she was looking in her dress had me feeling anything but relaxed. She looked fucking flawless. Granted, I always thought she was gorgeous, but something about seeing her dressed up was very surreal.

She wore a form-fitting red dress about as bright as her smile. It was a simple dress, strapless and knee length, but her body brought it to life. All I could see were her elegant muscular arms as she accepted a drink from Deanna. And as she turned to give one of our neighbors a hug… that ass. I could not tear my eyes away. I quickly downed what was left of my drink and went in for another one.

"It's damn near hypnotic, ain't it?" Abraham stood beside me, taking in the same view I'd been shamelessly enjoying. "Shouldn't even be legal."

I could feel my grip tighten on my glass, so I knew it best not to say anything in response. I didn't want to interrupt her while she was doing her social butterfly thing, but I also didn't want to stand there ogling her with Abraham, so I headed towards the patio. Outside, I could see Carol with Rachael and Maggie, laughing over drinks. On the other side of the yard, Noah and Judith were hanging out in the grass with some of the other neighborhood kids. I imagined Carl would be joining them before long.

I decided to stay put, right near the door for a view of both worlds. I could see everything outside and hear everything inside. Chatter about needing a pasta maker, and reruns of Days of Our Lives. Someone mentioned putting together a sports team at Alexandria, which I couldn't help but roll my eyes at, even if I was eavesdropping. There were some people discussing my group and how much they couldn't stand us, which I found amusing. We hadn't done anything since being there, aside from bring back a bunch of food from one of our runs. But it was when I heard Michonne's name mentioned that my ears perked up to really listen. I couldn't see the two, but it sounded like Deanna's older son, Spencer, was talking to Nick.

"She is so fucking hot."

"There's no fuckin' way you can pull that, dude."

"I bet I could."

"I bet she'd cut your dick off with that sword before you got near her."

"Gimme one good reason why you think she wouldn't go for me."

"Just one? But there are so many."

"Like…"

"Like, she's the leader of a group of badasses, so what could she possibly need or want from you?"

"She's not the leader; Rick's the leader."

"All right, well let's say that's true. If she doesn't go for him, what the hell makes you think you have a chance?"

Utterly amused by their conversation, I poured myself another glass of Jack, and then purposely rounded the corner to pass the two on my way back to where the main party was happening. She and Rosita were surrounded by a group of guys that I didn't quite recognize. I walked over to her side of the semi-circle and indiscreetly took a place beside her. "Hey," I greeted the group.

Michonne sent a smile my way as she replied, "Hey. We were just talking about you."

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear," I joked. As the rest of the group laughed, I carefully placed my hand at the small of her back and leaned in to whisper, "You look fantastic."

It was obvious she was holding back another smile, but her eyes flirtatiously took me in. "So do you."

"You wanna go outside?"

She looked me up and down again, and I wondered if she'd had nearly as much to drink as I had. She was clutching an empty wine glass, so she was probably on her way. She nodded slightly in response and then we separated. "Excuse us," she told the small group.

Since I knew the backyard was full, the two of us opted for the front of the house, where the porch was clear of other guests. It was then that I realized I couldn't remember the last time Michonne and I were alone. "Just the two of us," I commented with a sigh, leaning over the deck railing with my drink in hand.

She chuckled as she leaned against it the opposite way, facing back towards the house. "That never happens, huh."

"Somehow, it happened more back when we were always running for our lives."

"Maybe because we didn't have to make an effort. We were always just… right there."

I nodded, recognizing that that was exactly why. We had become close, mostly out of necessity. "Well then." I stood up straight and raised my glass to her. "Let's make an effort."

"I'd drink to that," she grinned, "but I have no wine left."

I held my tumbler in the palm of my hand, offering it to her as if on a platter. "Drink up."

With a flirtatious smile, she accepted my contribution to her inebriation. "Rick Grimes, are you trying to get me drunk?"

It was my turn to look her up and down again. "You got a problem with that?"

"Nope." She quickly consumed what was left of my whiskey and then handed the glass back to me. "We're all out."

"You took that like a champ," I marveled.

"Don't look so surprised. I can drink with the best of 'em."

That was actually quite surprising. She seemed so sophisticated, even when she was fighting for her life. "Is that right?"

"That is right." With an exhale, she ungracefully hopped up on the railing, using it as a seat, and kicked her heels off. They each made loud thuds as they hit the wooden paneling.

"Please don't fall," I begged, moving in closer to her. "I'm too drunk to catch you."

"Nobody's gonna fall, Constable."

She reached out to hold my shoulder, so I moved again, standing directly in front of her. "Very funny."

"It actually is funny," she laughed. "Someone asked you to restore order and balance to this place. They have no idea how reckless you are."

"I'm not reckless."

"Oh, so you didn't punch Aaron in the face within three minutes of meeting him. Okay."

I chuckled back, defeated. I could be reckless when I wanted to be, I guess. "Well hey. You keep me safe, I'll keep you wild."

"Is that the point of me?" Her eyes closed for a moment, as she released her grip on my shoulders. Instead, her fingers tugged at my collar and then moved down my chest as she sighed again. "Where did you find this shirt?"

"Same place you found that dress," I retorted, eyeing her. I held my hands at either side of her, just in case she did start to fall, while her knees dug into my ribcage. We were about as close as two people could get to one another. "Where did you find this dress anyway?"

"That event at the church the other night? We did a clothing swap," she chuckled. "It was silly, but… I made out like a bandit."

"So there's more of where this came from?"

"So you're saying you don't like my constable uniform that I have to wear every single day?"

"Well," I started, looking to my left to avoid her gaze. What I was about to say was probably inappropriate, but I was too gone to care. "I've never necessarily wanted to peel that uniform off of you…" I looked back at her once the words came out of my mouth, finding her smirking back at me.

"Who knew all it would take is a little red dress to get you to notice me."

"Oh, don't tell that lie. I've been 'noticing' you since the day you arrived at the prison."

"That's true," she admitted. I could feel her foot running along my leg. "Not even subtly."

"Not even a little bit," I agreed, licking my lips.

"But you did start ignoring me once we got here," she went on. "And suddenly, you've got time in your schedule for me. Maybe I should've worn this dress a week ago."

I couldn't help but frown at her in the moment. Maybe my drunkenness was skewing her words, but it felt like things were going sideways all of a sudden. "I haven't been ignoring you, Michonne. You've been just as unavailable as I have."

"And yet, I always manage to see you hanging out with your buddy, Rachael."

I pulled back so that we weren't so close anymore, but continued to stare up at her, dumfounded. "What's happening right now?"

She shrugged nonchalantly, as if she wasn't in the middle of instigating a fight. "I'm just stating the obvious."

"Well while we're doing that, can I just ask you… what did you think was gonna happen when you said you wanted to live with Daryl? How was that supposed to make me feel? Good?"

"I told you to tell me if you had a problem with it."

"So I was supposed to beg you to stay?"

"You were supposed to be honest with me," she shot back. "You and I are nothing if we're not honest with each other."

"You want honesty?" I shook my head as I wiped my face with the back of my arm. It had gotten hot out there all of a sudden. "I thought we were starting something here, Michonne. I thought… I don't know what I thought," I admitted. "But you completely shut it down when you randomly decided to leave, for reasons you didn't care to express to me, so… yeah, I didn't feel like telling you my feelings were hurt. Sue me."

She nodded slowly, as if she wanted to say something, but didn't want to be argumentative. But it was too late for that, and she knew it too. "So… your feelings were hurt, and your solution is to go and date the first new chick you can find? Sounds like you were really broken up about it."

"You passed on me, Michonne." I looked back into the party, where I desperately wished I had stayed at that point. "What did you want me to do?"

"I don't know," she replied, hopping down from the railing. "But I'll be honest with you. I guess I just thought it would take you more than a week to start fucking someone you just met."

"Who…" I shook my head in confusion, completely taken aback by her assertion, but I really wasn't equipped to deal with it in that moment. I could easily see us starting to yell at each other if we kept at the rate we were going. "Let's not do this," I said softly.

"Yeah, let's ignore the problem some more," she nodded sarcastically.

"I'm gonna go," I insisted with a nod. I walked towards her slowly, and held her elbow gently as I placed a kiss on her left cheek. "Good night, Michonne."