A/N: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews of the last chapter. I'm glad so many of you were entertained by the dinner and rightfully upset with the family drama. There are lot of surprises and fun to come. I have another chapter for you now and I hope you all enjoy reading about a typical workday with Michonne.

Chapter Twelve: The Tenderhearted

Michonne touched her fingers to her cheek, taking in the sketches on her desk at MAW Events with a sigh. It was her first day back at her main job after a considerable amount of time away. Her restlessness had her attention scattered and she found it difficult to create an aesthetic suitable for the theme wedding her clients had in mind.

Her thoughts were everywhere at once.

When she wasn't thinking about Rick Grimes, she was thinking about the L-word. When she wasn't thinking about that, she was thinking about her impending meeting with André's father.

Michael had called her day before insisting that they meet to have a very frank discussion. Due to her mother's revelation weeks before, she already had a good idea of what the subject of their discussion would be.

"Maybe guardsmen?" she mumbled to herself as she flipped through the selected fabric swatches still feeling uninspired.

"Look who's back and hard at work. Vacation must be over."

Michonne smiled up at her best friend and business partner who stood in the doorway with her morning coffee in hand grinning back at her. "Trying."

"That for the Smith's?" She asked nodding to Michonne's overcrowded work desk.

"Yep," she sighed. "I'm meeting with them tomorrow morning to go over some designs for the wedding folder, potential vendors and a finalized head count and a rough timeline. There's so much to do and every time we meet there's drama."

"They seemed a little…"

"Like they wanted completely different things," she finished for her. "It happens. I just have to figure out how to create a perfect blend of fairytale wedding with a hint of NRA wedding without it being a tacky mess."

"We'll come up with something good. As long as they're not planning on a confederate theme to go along with all that confusion." She waved her hand at Michonne's desk to emphasize her point.

"Definitely not," Michonne replied. "I made myself super clear, so I doubt it'll even be a suggestion. It's definitely not one for the portfolio though."

Andrea stepped further into the room, plopping down on a chair in the far corner of the room. "So, what else is on that beautiful mind of yours, babe?"

"A lot."

Andrea snapped her fingers and nodded her head knowingly. "Sex."

"I don't share a mind with you anymore you know." She might have had a daydream, or several, about naked painting and late-night truck sexcapades, but she'd never admit that Andrea was right.

"Deny it all you want," she sang. "You ain't fooling nobody."

"Well besides thinking about sex, Michael wants to meet up with me this afternoon to discuss something important."

Andrea scrunched up her nose at the mention of his name. "The engagement?"

"Most likely. I guess that's what he's been trying to tell me this past few weeks. Thank God it's not another plea to get back together or I can't be held responsible for what I'll do to him."

"Don't worry, I'll help you hide the body," Andrea joked. "Can't he just call you up on the phone and tell you like a normal shitty ex? Why do you need to have a whole lunch? He's so dramatic," she complained stomping her foot. "We're supposed to have lunch and now I gotta eat alone today? You think there's more to it?"

"I don't know," she said. "And it's just coffee. There's probably more to it though. Nothing has ever been simple with him."

"But besides that disappointment, you're looking good," Andrea complimented. "I've barely seen you these last few weeks, but love is a good look on you."

"Thanks!" Michonne grinned. "Everything has been so…" She tried to find the words to explain the indescribable feeling she felt whenever she thought about Rick. It was like she would burst with happiness. "Wonderful."

"Has to be if you're playing disappearing act on me. I'll fight Rick if he steal you away from me. Don't forget I'm your first love."

"It's been a busy few weeks. I was working on my other stuff too." She threw a balled up sticky note paper at Andrea, joining in on her laughter when the weapon fell short of its point of target. "Speaking of love, I said it." She was eager to share some of what occupied her thoughts.

"You said the L-word?"

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Michonne asked feigning offense. "And he said it first, but I said it back. And I meant it. I really meant it. It came out without me even thinking too hard about it."

"Oh my God." Andrea slapped her palms against her thigh. "You're fucking sprung. I knew this was serious but just wow. I need to meet up with his ass again you're already at this point. You two should come out this Saturday. Stop holing up in that farmhouse."

"We just might." She liked the idea of getting out on the weekend and having a bit of fun with friends and her new love. "And what about you? How is Phillip?"

"Oh, I meant to call you to tell you about that mess." Andrea kicked off her heels, pulling her feet up. It was officially story time. When they got started to could go on for a while. "So, we've been seeing each other pretty often since that couples cooking thing we did and he was sweet at first but he started going into crazy town and I had to break things off with his obsessive psychotic ass. Now I'm single and ready to mingle." She picked at her manicured fingers. "Don't worry, I'll be on the lookout for a new boyfriend his weekend. I have to plan my own wedding eventually."

"Hold up. Go back a minute. Psychotic? What happened?"

Andrea sighed heavily, crossing her arms as if it wasn't something she particularly wanted to discuss. "Well, I found out Phillip Blake is a married man and has a family back in Alabama or wherever the fuck he's from."

"I'm so sorry."

"I confronted him about it and he said some crap about how they're going through a divorce and blah, blah, blah. What I don't get is why he would lie to me saying he's single and not even mention having a kid much less two. Why? So, I broke things off with him and I told him I can't be with a lying man. I can't trust him." She paused for effect, taking a sip of her coffee before continuing to the rest of the story. "Then this asshole had the nerve to start stalking me."

Michonne's eyes widened and her heart started hammering as her concern for her friend grew. "He's stalking you?"

"Was. He would park outside my building sometimes and he would even sit in the lobby until I alerted security and put a stop to it. He showed up here a few times too," she said. "I'm thinking about hiring somebody. He's been calling and I got a really creepy note this morning?"

"Are you serious?" she asked in a whisper as if he was nearby and could hear them. "And if you got a note, that's not a 'was', this is still very much happening. This is crazy. Can you maybe file a restraining order?"

Andrea shrugged. "I don't know, you're the lawyer."

Michonne rose from her chair crossing the short distance between herself and Andrea and pulled her into a warm embrace. "You can definitely get a temporary one, for now."

"I sure know how to pick 'em huh?" she asked with a wry laugh as they pulled away. Andrea curled her hands around her sides, her eyes casted downward. "Who would have guessed I bagged a psychopath? I should have taken your advice and not let new people I'm dating know where I live."

"This isn't your fault," said Michonne. She felt a pang of regret for being so lost in her own relationship in the past few months, that she was unaware of the dangers her best friend was facing. "Don't blame yourself for he's doing. I'll hook you up with an old friend of mine from Georgetown. She's basically an expert on these things now. Phillip, if that's even his real name, has got to go."

"Thanks." Andrea smiled gratefully. "Sorry for springing my mess on you like this. It's not what I came in here to do. It's just that I feel like I should have a better handle on things. I was too trusting. I wish I had your sixth sense for serial killers."

"It's an acquired skill. Lots of detective shows helps." The two women shared a laugh, the mood lightening considerably.

A soft knock at the door interrupted them and Bertie, their office assistant, stuck her head into the room. "Sasha's here to see you."

Michonne furrowed her brow, genuinely confused since she had barely spoken to her cousin lately. "Sasha?"

"Your cousin," Sasha replied emerging from behind Bertie.

"Hey Sash," Andrea called with a wave. The bright smile she was the polar opposite of the look of despair that marred her face minutes before. "Well I have a meeting with a potential vendor in twenty minutes. Talk to you later? You can tell me more about your friend," she added discreetly as she exited the room.

Michonne returned to der desk at a leisurely pace. "What's up Sash? Everything alright?"

Sasha fidgeted with her hands looking everywhere but at Michonne. Her all-black suit and wary expression contrasted almost comically with the room and its vibrant and scintillating aesthetic. Like standing in an extremely unsuitable multicolored funeral parlor. "I…uh wanted to talk to you."

"What about?"

"Well, Bob and I are still looking for a good planner for the wedding and I was wondering if you can take on another client." She moved to the seat Andrea vacated clasping her hands together in her lap. "I know you and Andrea are probably very busy, so it's okay if you can't. It's just a thought. We're keeping our options open in case."

Michonne sat back in her chair carefully surveying her cousin and her nervous body language. "Sasha, you know I'd love nothing more than to help you plan your wedding. Of course, we'll take you on."

"Great," she smiled. "I've been looking at your wedding portfolio on the website again and I really like what I see. You're clearly one of the best in the DMV."

Michonne remembered her mother's jibe at lunch about knowing great planners. It was also clear their meeting was about a bit more than wedding planning otherwise, why not bring the groom or even her mother? She knew Sasha.

"Okay." Michonne held up a hand. "Can we stop being so overly formal? It's really awkward."

Sasha chuckled softly feeling a little silly. "I just…I'm so sorry. For being a bad friend. For being a bad cousin. I don't want there to be a rift between us. I wasn't thinking when I said what I said. I was just worried about you and I really wanted Aunt Winnie's acceptance. She was saying all these nice things and it slipped out. I wasn't trying to be malicious or anything."

"Well there's nothing to worry about and your apology is still accepted. Just be careful what you say around her. Our relationship can be a little…tough at times," she said. Things were still not perfect between them, but it was a start. "You should know, were at dinner."

"Bob and I got an earful from Aunt Michelle on our way home," Sasha said with a laugh as she became less tense. "She had a lot to say and I never realized how colorful her vocabulary is. I almost wrote down some of her insults for me to use sometime because it was that genius. But she also opened my eyes to a few things I didn't notice about myself and even our family. I really am sorry."

"I can imagine," Michonne laughed, thinking back on the beautiful disaster of a dinner. She picked up a pen twirling it between her fingers. "Now, what did you have in mind? Summer wedding, right?"

"Late summer. I really liked the garden wedding you did, but I'm not set on anything yet. We just selected the final date and we have a rough count of guests," she said. "I just came from a meeting so, I didn't really come prepared with much, but we can set something up."

"Definitely. I have a lot of free time next week."

"Bob and I are moving by the way," she said. "He took the job and I have my own thing lined up as well."

"Wow. Does my Mom know?"

"Yes." Sasha nodded. "She was the first to know and she helped us with all the negotiations and everything so it was only made sense that she should. Plus, we're only an hour and a half away, so it's not like we're moving somewhere where we won't see everybody often enough."

"Well I'm happy for you guys."

"And how are things with you and the — and Rick? You two seem good together."

"Things are great."

"Hey, you want to have lunch today or…"

Michonne groaned throwing her head back, inadvertently causing Sasha to think she was annoyed at the suggestion or her presence in her office. "I can't. I'm having coffee with Michael in like," she glanced at the clock on her wall. "Too damn soon."

Sasha burst into a fit of giggles at her cousin's tortured expression. "Don't laugh at me. I just had to cancel on Andrea too. Maybe you can take my place with her. She hates eating alone in public and she really wants to go to this new place a few blocks away."

"Don't worry, we'll bring you back something."

"You'd better," Michonne said as she scribbled down a reminder to call her old friend from Georgetown on a fresh sticky note from her customized cat patterned sticky note cube. "I only have a little break when I get back before I have to meet Deanna and Spencer across town."

Michonne strolled down the familiar street, her eyes scanning her surroundings as she made her way to the building where Michael now worked. They agreed on a very informal chat in the coffee shop on the first floor of his building.

Her phone buzzed in her hand and she looked down to see a text message from Rick confirming she was on his mind as much as he was on hers. She found herself counting down the hours and minutes until they saw each other again.

She sent him a quick text letting him know he was all hers for the weekend and would be experiencing a Saturday night out in DC. His response was quick.

Looking forward to it. Empty house this wknd too.

As she stepped into the building she heard an all too familiar voice calling her name. "Michonne!"

"Michael," she said, politely as he approached her, walking briskly across the large lobby.

"Thanks for meeting me."

She pulled her bright orange jacket tighter around her body, crossing her arms. "Well you said it was extremely important. I might as well find out what that means."

"It is, but it's nothing bad I promise," he assured her. "You look really nice by the way. Colorful and dazzling as usual." She was never one to shift to darker colors in the winter, instead opting for bright neutrals.

"Thanks." She politely accepted the compliment. "So, coffee?"

"Oh yeah, this way." He gestured for her to walk with him. "How are things with André at home? Any trouble?"

"No," she answered, quietly wondering what his deal was. She didn't like how cryptic and unforthcoming he was. "André is exactly as he's always been. Is there something I should know? Did you have any problems last—"

"We had a blast last weekend by the way," he said as they joined the line for their orders. "He's smart like the two of us and he's got a hell of a sweet tooth. Gotta watch out for that. It's no surprise though, considering how much you like to bake and how good you are at it."

"Well I have a sweet tooth myself."

"Yeah," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Remember that time when we pulled an all-nighter and you ate an entire jar of Nutella by yourself?"

"It wasn't a full jar," she defended herself while laughing at the memory. "And I was stressed. Drinking all those Mountain Dews after wasn't a good idea though. To this day, I still won't touch Nutella."

"We had fun in college and law school. Those were the golden days, huh? It felt like nothing could touch us."

She could hear the nostalgia in his voice and quickly changed the subject, suddenly not in the mood for reminiscing. She didn't quite remember those days always being golden. "So how are things with you?"

He blew out a breath, shoving his hands in his pockets. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Make sure we're on the same page since we're raising a kid together. Our son deserves parents that get along instead of ones that avoid each other or gets mad when they see the other one."

They were next in line and Michael ordered his coffee and she got her hot chocolate, declining his offer to pay for her drink in addition to his. There were some boundaries she wanted to keep firmly in place.

"So, tell me," she said once they were seated, not wasting anytime. If this conversation ended quick and painlessly, she might be able to make lunch with Sasha and Andrea after all.

"I'm getting married."

She already knew this "news" of his due to her mother's inability to stay out of other people's business. "Congratulations. This is good news. I'm sure André would love being part of a wedding. Who is it by the way?"

"Yep, André's getting a stepmom," he said. "Her name's Julie Washington."

"Sounds familiar," she hummed, sipping from her cup. "Julie Washington. Was she at Georgetown with us?"

"No, she went to George Washington," he said. "I...I don't think you know her. You might know her Mom, she's a state representative. Tamela Washington."

"Oh, okay. I don't think I know her though." She hoped that was all, but she could tell there was more. She didn't like not knowing what would come next. In a way, it made her feel defenseless and vulnerable as if he had too much control.

"I'm also getting a promotion."

"Wow, it's good news all around then."

"Yeah," he said. "It's not exactly a promotion, but I'm leaving the job and I'll be doing something a little different outside DC. Baltimore actually. Pay is higher too."

"Oh wow. So, you're moving?"

"Yes." He shifted in his seat and his nervous energy was transferring to Michonne who was anxious about what else he was trying to say. "I'm going to run for office next year. In Maryland. Just between us, I'm trying to build things up right so I can run for senate, and win, in a few years."

"That's great. Good for you. Is that all you've been trying to tell me for so long?" she asked keeping her tone light. She knew there had to be more. "I flaked out on a lunch date with Andrea and Sasha for this and you had me extremely worried."

"I could buy you lunch to make it up," he said in a joking tone.

"That's alright." She waved him off. "They're bringing me back some takeout anyway."

"Well seeing as you're now in the wedding planning business, you have any suggestions for me? A soon to be married man at last."

Michonne found the question oddly troublesome. Not only because the two of them had planned a whole wedding together that ended disastrously and started a tense family feud, but also because their relationship was not at that level of comfort or friendliness where that would be a sensible question to pose. She attempted to remain neutral on the matter. "Do what you both love and I'm sure things will work out."

"We're looking for a planner. Well more of her and her mom than me. They want a huge wedding."

"Oh?"

"Julie has this shortlist," he chuckled. "She's so excited about the wedding. She can't wait to walk down the aisle and say I do."

She smiled politely despite her annoyance. She knew what Michael was trying to do and she wasn't going to let it get to her. She apologized enough for her past mistakes. She wondered what Andrea and Sasha were having for lunch. Hopefully they really did go to the Thai place since she was in the mood for that. "That's great Michael."

"Michael, huh?" He rested his elbows on the table leaning forward. "What'd I do now?"

"Nothing. I always call you that. I'm just wondering what this is about is all about though," she said gesturing between them. "We're here talking about planning your wedding of all things. I'm glad you let me know, but there's no need to discuss anything further than your getting married and moving. So, I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop like it always does."

"It's not. I promised I wouldn't bring no bad news." He held up his hand as if taking an oath. "I keep my promises. I'd like to take André a little earlier next week by the way. I'm taking a trip up to Vermont and I want him with me."

"How much earlier?"

"Thursday to Sunday."

"Easter holiday. My family usually has a thing." She tilted her head to the side regarding him carefully. "What's in Vermont?"

"Family," he said, his tone harder than before. "I figured it wouldn't be a problem since a few weeks ago you asked for him on a day during my time so he could go to a birthday party. If you can dip into my time, then I don't see anything wrong with this."

"I didn't say it was a problem and you were going out of town that day anyway, so you were probably going to ask me to keep him for the weekend." She lowered her gaze tracing over the design on the cup with her fingers. She didn't bring up the times when he cancelled on her altogether because unlike him she wasn't one for cheap guilt trips. "I'll have him ready next Thursday. You can email me the details. I'm sure he'll be excited about another plane ride."

"Thank you."

"What for?" Her brow furrowed as she looked up to meet his gaze again. "He's your son too. You're entitled to your time with him. That's what we agreed on."

"I hear you're dating again," he said, instead of addressing her question. "I wasn't informed."

Her expression gave nothing away. "Where'd you hear that?"

"Word spreads," he said simply. "Even though, I should have heard it from you, not somebody else. Who's the lucky guy? Somebody I know?"

"Oh, that word didn't spread too? Shame. I didn't take you for a gossip though."

He chortled at her quick response looking down at the table as he rapped his fingertips against the top. "You know, it's a shame things didn't work out between us. We could've had one hell of a wedding. If things don't work out with our planner, me and Julie should probably get Winnie to do it. She did such a good job last time."

"I'm gonna go now," she said, reaching for her bag. "Congratulations on your engagement and promotion. It's clear you have nothing else to say and I think I've given you enough of my time. See you Friday afternoon at the usual time."

"What are you so afraid of Michonne? Huh?" he asked as she stood. "Anytime things don't go your way you're just gonna run away. We can't even have a discussion as adults without you running off like a scared child. I hope this new guy knows what he's dealing with or he's gonna end up like me and get a rude awakening from the runaway bride."

"This is the last time I'm gonna say this," she said in a low voice, not wanting to cause a scene and draw attention to their table. "I'm sorry how things ended between us, I should have been clearer with you about how I felt, but I'm going to need you to stay in your fucking lane. Okay? We are over and you and I aren't friends. We're just raising a child together so from now on I'm setting some boundaries. We only discuss things that are directly related to André or that will affect him. Nothing else. You don't show up to my apartment unannounced anymore either."

She rose to her feet grabbing her cup while looking down at a steely-eyed Michael. "André and I will be in the lobby of my building on Friday at four-thirty. No need for you to come up."

Thanks for reading! I'm sure you're all wondering what's up with Michael. Please leave some more of your wonderful reviews with your hilarious and thoughtful words. I love reading your thoughts.