A/N: Wow! Your reviews are phenomenal! I'm pleased everyone is loving this; there's still so much more to come.

focusedOnProsperity: OMG. I loved your mention of sex ed and one night stands lol

Beautiful77: I hope you didn't pull all of your hair out!

cherokeeRose: Thank you! I'm pleased to hear that!

KK: You are so right; even though it sucked and it hurt, they probably were better apart at that time because there was so much working against them (family issues, work etc.).

HeartoSteel: Yes, poor, rash decisions and meddlesome family members *sighs*; how were things ever going to work out?

Jedi Aurora: Hey, I've missed your reviews. I know how much you like this story so I'm pleased to hear you enjoyed the updates.

Severelybabykryptonite: Your review gives me life!

Thanks Babe Malf; BlkPunk311; Vivvy1; Guest; birdnmouse; ssaamm23; megs27; mobettasway; Oddkatout; and Guest for leaving me a review.

Okay, I have a sneaking suspicion that you all are going to like this…

Rick and Michonne had agreed to meet at nine o'clock in the morning at the station where Rick worked; he was holding on to Mr Toomey's keys as his next of kin had yet to arrive in King County to claim his body and handle other necessary arrangements. Michonne needed to get said keys from Rick, and it was the perfect initial reason for their meeting.

It actually seemed fitting that they had organized to meet at the very same place that they first encountered each other, all those years ago. Michonne flicked through her text messages on her screen and opened the message that Rick had sent:

We should talk & clear the air.

That is exactly what Michonne was waiting to do now; meet with Rick and clear the air. There was no animosity between them, but they did owe each other some clarity on both of their behalf; they each had some explaining to do. She sat in the familiar reception area of the station that she used to visit Rick at frequently in the past. She recalled the first time she had seen him, it was the back of his head, actually; but when he turned to face her, she was quite taken by the kindness in his expression.

Presently, she almost did not recognize Rick as he made his way from behind the reception desk and greeted her with a somewhat restrained smile; his expression was still one of kindness. He wore dark jeans and a grey button down shirt; he still had his loose curls, though his hair was a little longer than she remembered and was turning grey at his temples.

Michonne noted that his face had appeared to be leaner; gone was the round boyish face that she found so incredibly adorable. He now had a more defined and chiselled jawline that was covered with lightly sprinkled salt and pepper stubble. Rick looked quite handsome she thought; he exuded a ruggedness and sex appeal that Michonne could not deny. Maturity looked good on him. When Michonne finally looked into Rick's piercing blue eyes, they were still the same. Although they were now veiled with a deep sadness, they were still as bright and beautiful as she remembered them to be.

Rick felt all of the air rush forcefully from his lungs when he saw Michonne waiting for him. She stood when he approached and Rick was absolutely certain she had not aged at all. Her face was still as perfect as he recalled it; she was still as lovely as the image Rick would see in his dreams night after night. She retained that ethereal glow that drew in all of Rick's attention and made his heart swell. Her eyes were still large and beautiful and capable of staring deep within his soul. When she smiled at Rick, he was sure that his swelling heart had ceased beating for a moment.

She was the most immaculate and stunning vision standing before him and Rick suddenly felt his knees grow weak.

"Hello, Rick," Michonne said softly and sweetly.

He greeted her in kind, hoping that his voice was not going to betray how utterly nervous he was. He extended his hand towards her and Michonne did not shake it, instead she tentatively drew Rick into a small, quick embrace; their arms loosely enveloping their upper body respectively. Michonne then stepped back and gave Rick the once over.

"Wow, Rick. You look good," she said warmly, causing him to grin.

"Thanks for lying," he said laughingly. "You look great though; you haven't changed a bit."

Michonne smiled coyly at him, unable to look away.

"Thanks. So, no uniform today?" she asked, taking in his casual attire; he let out a small chuckle and wiped the back of his hand over his mouth before speaking.

"No, well actually; I'm takin' some time off on account of my boy Carl bein' with me for a little while," Rick explained.

"Oh, okay," Michonne replied, feeling slightly awkward. "Hopefully I'll get to meet him at some point."

"You sure will. He's just gone over to get some pastries and coffee; he'll be back in a minute," said Rick.

Michonne suddenly felt strange; the child that had no say in whether or not he was to be brought into the world had been part of the reason why Rick and Michonne had parted. She knew it was not his fault, what had happened was on her and Rick; she did hope, however, that their meeting would not cause any painful feelings to resurface on her part. Suddenly Michonne felt her face grow warm.

"Great!" she offered raising her eyebrows. "Should we wait outside for him or…"

"Oh, here he is now," said Rick, who was beginning to feel quite flustered himself.

Carl walked through the front door of the station and handed a brown paper bag and two coffees to Rick.

"They didn't have any Danishes left, Dad; so I got those croissant thingies instead," he said taking a bite out of a glazed donut and smiling at his father.

"Thanks, son," Rick said before looking back at Michonne.

She took in the scene before her and could not explain what she was feeling. It was certainly something she never thought she would see; Rick Grimes and his teenaged son. She continued to look from father to son until Rick cleared his throat.

"Carl, this is my old friend Michonne, who I was tellin' you about," he offered.

"Hi," the boy said with a crooked smile.

"Hey there, Carl. It's nice to meet you," Michonne said, finding that she could not help but smile back at him.

"Nice to meet you too," he replied politely; his voice on the cusp of becoming deeper but lacking Rick's slow drawl.

"Wow, Deputy. You really branded him. Look at those baby blues!" she said causing Rick to blush and chortle slightly; he then went on to ruffle Carl's hair. Rick and Michonne shared a small but somewhat sad smile as they both briefly thought about what could have been.

Rick, Michonne and Carl walked a short distance; Michonne's heels tapped loudly as she strode alongside Rick and took in the scenery. The town looked the same as she remembered; she felt sadness wash over her as she spotted Gerard Toomey's offices. Rick heard her sigh and his gaze followed hers. He lightly and cautiously touched her covered arm; she turned to him.

"Hey. I am sorry about Mr Toomey. I know y'all were close," Rick said softly; Michonne offered him a grateful smile.

"Thanks, Rick."

They kept walking until they reached a park; Carl headed straight for the swing set, sat down, put his headphones on and resumed the game he had been playing on his PSP. Michonne and Rick took up a seat on a wooden bench; she sipped from her coffee which tasted just how she remembered it and was prepared just how she liked it. Rick, it seemed, still knew what she liked after all the time that had passed.

She glanced sideways at Rick who was staring down at his hands.

"Your boy, he seems like a good kid," She offered.

Rick peered at Carl with a smile and then over to Michonne.

"He is; he's a great kid. Best thing I ever did," Rick responded before looking at her and feeling insensitive.

"Sorry, I didn't mean…"

"It's fine. I get it," she smiled weakly.

They fell silent as a few cars drove by in the background and they heard the distant laughter of some children.

"So, this is strange, uh?" Michonne offered, chuckling a little.

"Yeah, it is," Rick replied. "I just have to say straight up that I'm sorry for everything that happened."

"You don't have to apologize. It's okay…"

"Nah, I kinda do and it ain't okay, Michonne. I never got the chance to say this to your face. You deserve that much."

She sighed and let Rick continue.

"I'm sorry for hurtin' you; I wouldn't trade my boy for the world, but I am sorry about how I handled it all. No excuses; I was a dumbass. Things should've been better; I should've been better."

They held each other's gaze and Michonne wanted to look away as she felt her eyes growing misty.

"Thank you, Rick. That means a lot to me, hearing you say it. I've waited…" she then faltered. "I uh, yeah; it means a lot."

They shared a pained smile between them and Michonne continued.

"I'm sorry too, for lettin' my pride and anger get in the way of giving you the chance to explain yourself. I know I should have contacted you, but what I didn't understand was why you never tried to come for me; I forgave you, I just never understood why you never called or anything, after our emotions settled down. I guess I just wanted to know, ya know? Yeah, I told you not to contact me, but I never thought you'd listen to me."

Rick ran his hand though his hair and sighed.

"I didn't listen to you; I drove over to see you as soon as I could. You weren't takin' my calls so I left to find you. I didn't even have your actual address, only where you worked. I showed up at your father's firm and he somehow got wind that I was there and had his security team throw me out on my ass; the second time they had to throw me out, they kicked the shit outta me. The third time, I was arrested and he must've called in some favors that day to have a restraining order put on me. Your phone number was disconnected after that. I was at a loss."

Rick raised his eyebrows and then squinted as he recalled that very long day and the many long days and nights that followed as he pined for her.

"Sorry 'bout that. My father can be domineering," Michonne offered, not really knowing what to say at the revelation.

She had spent so much time thinking Rick had just given up on her.

"You knew where I was, though. Why didn't you ever try to contact me?" Rick asked as he had always wondered why.

Now it was her time to sigh.

"I was so pissed at you for such a long time. I had my friends surrounding me, tryin' to protect me from more heartache. Whenever I felt weak and wanted to pick up the phone, one of them was always there tellin' me not to; tellin' me to let you go. I was a mess, Rick."

He looked at her sadly; "I'm sorry."

Michonne shook her head.

"They were always around me reminding me that you didn't care for me…"

"That's not true…"

"That you'd been using me…"

"I never used you…"

"I know that now, maybe deep down I knew it then too, but I was heartbroken and so hurt. I took a year off and my father paid for a 'round the world trip for me; I actually ended up spending three years on planes and boats and roaming foreign lands trying to forget about you."

Rick felt terrible but remained silent and continued to listen to Michonne.

"When I finally got back to the States; when I was finally able to think about you without wanting to break down and cry, I got one of my Daddy's investigators to find you; do some digging, I don't know. I don't know what I wanted or was expecting. Anyways, seems by then you were tryin' to make a life with the mother of your baby and I was too late."

"I'm not with her," Rick offered quickly. "It didn't work out."

"I know. Gerard told me," she said with a small smile.

"I honestly think I didn't want it to work out. She wasn't you; she wasn't what I wanted…"

"Rick…"

"Sorry," he said as he sighed loudly.

Silence

"You know Gerard would phone me every once in a while and call me a silly girl for not givin' you another chance…"

"He was a smart man," Rick said with a wide smile which Michonne could not help but return.

"I can't believe he's gone," she said sadly.

"Me too," offered Rick. "Ya know I used to pester him for your number, but he wouldn't budge; even when Shane butted in and threatened to book him on trumped up speeding charges, he still wouldn't. That's after he threatened to drag Shane's hick ass into court and take his badge."

Both Rick and Michonne laughed now.

"Yeah, he told me about that then called me silly again. He had integrity," she added.

They fell quiet again before Rick spoke up.

"What did you do with yourself after you got back from overseas?"

"Well, after I was crushed to find you unavailable," she offered half-jokingly. "I buried myself in work."

Rick nodded; "You do realize I'm single now."

"Rick…"

"Sorry, go on," he smiled.

"I worked and worked and made junior partner, then partner, and I eventually took over after my Daddy retired."

"I knew you'd go far," said Rick happily.

"Yeah, just kept my head down and my nose clean," Michonne replied.

"You didn't settle down or anything?" Rick then queried, silently hoping that she did not have some househusband tucked away somewhere.

"I tried it for a little while and it didn't work out, but that's a story for another day. It wasn't all bad though. I have my baby boy André."

Rick's eyes grew wide.

"You have a son?" he asked, beaming brightly at her.

Now Michonne's face lit up as she grinned happily.

"Yeah, he'll be turning ten next week."

"That's great! I'm so happy for you," Rick offered in earnest.

She showed him a picture of André on her phone.

"He's beautiful. Looks like you," Rick said coyly causing Michonne's stomach to do little flips.

"It's the best, isn't it? Being a parent?" she asked of him.

Rick nodded in agreement.

"Sure is."

"So Carl's not with you all the time?" she queried.

"Nah," Rick replied. "Me and his mama, Lori, we tried it for a little while, ya know, bein' together. But I guess I ain't gonna save that story for another day, so here goes."

They both chortled at that.

"It just always felt wrong. I didn't care about her enough; like she needed me to. I couldn't get past…" he faltered. "I, I just couldn't."

Michonne listened intently.

"So we parted and she wanted money. Took a whole lotta court shit and she finally took a settlement. I actually couldn't sell my shares in my father's company to my brother like I planned to because of how much money she wanted. So, I get Carl on holidays and every other weekend and she gets to spend Gene Grimes' money like she always planned to. Things could've been worse, but me and the kid are okay."

"Shit, should've called me Rick, I would have gotten you a better deal," Michonne offered lightly.

Rick laughed.

"Nah, I can't afford you."

Michonne finished off the last of her coffee and stared at Rick; just for a split second he looked so sad and beautiful.

"I should get going," she said as she glanced at the time on her watch.

Rick nodded.

"So, we're okay?" he asked, needing clarification and looking serious.

"Yes, we're okay," she offered.

"We can start again, as friends?" Rick queried.

"Sure; friends," Michonne said with a smile.

"It was great catching up with you," she added.

"Yeah, it was," Rick said not hiding his disappointment that their time had come to an end.

They both stood and Carl looked over at them; Michonne waved and he waved back at her with a grin. She then turned to face Rick and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"See you later, Rick."

He smiled and relished in her touch.

"Yeah, I hope so."

A/N: Is there hope for them, or should they just leave the past in the past and try to be friends?