A/N: Hi everybody! It's been a little while. The last chapter was pretty intense, yeah? Thanks for the reviews! I'm pleased a few of you mentioned feeling sorry for Brett; I always felt sorry him, even liked him, and I wanted him to be redeemed before I killed him off. I'm glad the scene of a dead Brett came across as sad, because that's what I was aiming for.

Let's talk about Carl: don't worry about my little mate. He was just angry at his father; he's worried about Michonne and he has a penchant for blaming Rick, but it's not going to come between them.

Now Rick: Good old Rick Grimes, eh? Hehehe I think Rick has learned to compartmentalise really effectively in the ZA (he's gotten better at it on the show as well). He will quite easily think about smashing in someone's head with a chair and not let it cause him any mental or emotional stress because he thinks it has to be done. It's like he's in a war zone and doesn't entirely feel safe, even though they are in a purportedly safe place. I wanted to show him thinking strategically about how he could get out of the room with the Council because that's how a soldier would assess a dangerous situation. Make no mistake, when it comes to Rick, they really have no idea who they are messing with!

Okay, this is a filler because I miss Richonne and they need to make up before I can move on with this story!

Michonne felt the sharp twinge in her abdomen as she tried to move; her pain medication slowly wearing off. She found that she was fine if she limited her movements. She had spent two days in the Infirmary and was making a fast recovery; her wounds had not become infected and she was given the all clear.

Carl waited eagerly outside of the main quarters of the hospice for her; he felt a great sense of relief knowing that she was well enough to be discharged. Michonne stepped out of the door to find a smiling Carl Grimes leaning against the wall.

"Hey you."

She said happily as he approached and offered his shoulder for her to put her weight on; he too moved with difficulty from his own injuries.

"Hey." Was Carl's response.

"Where's your dad?"

Michonne asked, expecting Rick to be the one to greet her. She had hoped that they could get some time alone to talk about everything that had happened. They had a few issues that needed sorting through and she thought the stroll back to their tent would be right time to do it.

"He's helpin' to make some parts of the fence stronger with Daryl. I'm not too sure how much longer they're gonna be. They'll have to come and eat soon anyways." Said Carl.

Michonne shrugged; while she would have preferred that Rick be there to meet her, she understood his duty and the need he felt to protect people.

They slowly made their way out into the twilight and Carl helped Michonne down the steps before they began to amble in the direction of their living area.

"Oh well, looks like it's just me and my favourite guy for a while then." Said a smiling Michonne; Carl looked at her and grinned as they walked along arm-in-arm.

The warm light from the kerosene and solar camping lanterns provided just enough light for Michonne to see the smiling faces of her friends and family. The group sat around the picnic tables eating and talking softly; Carl sat beside Michonne while Tyreese entertained Judith.

She was so pleased and thankful that she could once again share a meal and conversation with the people she cared about, although she stayed quiet and did not exchange many words with those around her; Carl noticed, but understood she had been through a lot in the past few days so he did not try to engage with her more than was necessary. He kept the banter to a minimum and tried to wait on her as much as he could, given his own discomfort; either way, Michonne appreciated his efforts.

The truth was that Michonne was sad. Despite all of Brett's faults and deplorable actions, he was still her friend; someone she had cared about. On one hand she was angry at him for trying to hurt Rick in the way that he had intended and for accidently putting their unborn child in danger; but then she was thankful that, in his sacrifice, he had made it so that any suspicions were deflected from her and Carl. And finally, she felt sad because he was dead. She felt sad because she did not want to lose any more friends. She felt that way because, in spite of appearances and reputation, Michonne was a caring and emotional person.

Daryl returned to the group's common area before Rick had; he grabbed a handful of food and made his way over to where Michonne and Carl were sitting. He took up a spot opposite Michonne and studied her a moment before beginning to speak.

"Good to see you up and about." Daryl offered with a tiny grin.

Michonne returned his smile and nodded.

"Just glad to be back with you all." She replied quietly.

While Daryl Dixon was not the type of person to actively seek out conversations, he was happy that his friend was, at the very least, willing and capable of engaging in small talk; most people who had been through the sort of ordeal that Michonne had would not be so forthcoming, he reasoned. It took a lot for her to open up to others, and Daryl was not going to force the issue and make Michonne feel in any way obligated to speak about what she had recently experienced.

Daryl had already listen to Rick's fears and concerns and was ready to lend an ear to Michonne as well; when he realized that she was not feeling as chatty as her other half, he silently, but not at all selfishly, felt relief. It was difficult to be the emotional support for friends in these troubled times; somehow, he knew Michonne did not want to burden others. She was, after all, a very private person.

"Rick's just washin' up." Said Daryl, answering Michonne's unspoken query. "He'll be along shortly."

She smiled and regarded Daryl, thankful that they had the type of friendship that did not warrant too much dialogue; he knew she was concerned, and he tried his best to appease her worries.

Carl offered to split half of his fruit with Daryl and they all fell into a comfortable silence shortly thereafter.

Rick Grimes, after a brief while, made his way to where his group was gathered; the conversations were still flowing and the atmosphere was surprisingly easy-going. Rick first sought to find where his children were; when he saw that Tyreese was lulling Judith into sleep and Carl was with Daryl and Michonne, he felt relieved. It did not matter how safe you thought you were, Rick knew that being protective of your family was of the utmost importance. Finally, his gaze fell upon Michonne; she seemed comfortable, he thought, as he approached her in silence. When Daryl noticed Rick, he offered a slight nod and vacated his seat adjacent to Michonne; Rick took up the seat and glanced at his family. Michonne looked at him and grinned; it was a small gesture, but it showed Rick she was willing to talk.

"Hey. How're you feelin'?" he asked in a genuinely concerned manner.

"I'm okay." Was her reply. "Just glad to be out of that boring, stuffy room."

Rick smiled a little and looked down at the table.

"Sorry I wasn't there to meet ya; had to fortify part of the fence; seems like it's gettin' more weathered as the days go by." He explained; feeling bad about being absent at her homecoming.

"It's fine; I understand." Was all she said before falling silent once more.

Carl looked at his father, then back to Michonne; he felt as if he was intruding on a private moment between the two people he cared for.

"Dad, I'm gonna take Judith to bed." The teenager said as he stood and turned in the direction of where Ty was pacing with his sister.

"Alright." Said Rick. "Bring her here so I can say goodnight."

Carl went and got Judith from Tyreese before bringing her back to Rick; he handed the small child over to their father and waited while Rick peppered her chubby face with kisses.

"Goodnight my beautiful girl." Said Rick as he passed his daughter back to her older brother.

Carl then took Judith to Michonne; the little girl leaned over to the woman as they both shared a loving embrace. Michonne kissed Judith's forehead and ran her hand over her hair. Rick and Carl both smiled at the exchange before the teenager took his baby sister to his tent.

"That's my boy." Michonne said quietly as she made her way into their tent; Rick did not hear her clearly.

"Sorry? What was that?" He asked.

"Oh it's just that Carl said he was gonna round up every spare pillow he could find, and he really did it."

She offered amusedly when she saw how her sleeping area was now adorned with many different pillows and cushions; one of which belonged to Rick, who chuckled when he noticed.

"Yeah, he wanted to give you all of his, but he ain't in the best shape either; so I said you could have mine. He was pleased with that." Said Rick.

They both smiled and got ready for bed. Rick helped Michonne down into a reclined position inside of their tent; he placed a bottle of water near enough to her so that she could reach it with ease. Their camping lantern lit the area and illuminated Rick's features as Michonne looked on. He seemed to be focussed on making sure she had everything she needed in order to be comfortable during the night. Busying himself meant that Rick was delaying the inevitable conversation that they both needed to have. Michonne decided it would be best if she spoke up first; she watched Rick remove his boots and shirt before she went to say something. Suddenly, Rick interjected before she could speak.

"I know we both hated each other, but I'm sorry about your friend." He said sincerely.

Michonne was somewhat shocked at his statement; just when she though Rick Grimes could not surprise her any more than he already had, he went and said something like that. It proved just how in tune they were with one another; he realized that, all else aside, she would be suffering the loss of her friend.

"Thank you." Michonne replied softly as Rick shifted to his side and took in her appearance.

"I didn't want any of this to happen and I'm sorry. I'm sorry I let things get out of hand with my temper and I really am sorry for accusing you of…ya know, sleeping around." Rick said in an ashamed manner.

"Why'd you say that, Rick? It was hurtful and that's not like you at all. You sounded like my damned mother." Michonne said sounding a little deflated; averting her gaze.

"I know and I feel like shit for it. I didn't mean to hurt you. I don't know why I said it. Probably 'cause I'm a stupid fuckin' asshole, that's why. I'm a jealous fuckin' asshole." He said quietly, as they both lay facing each other.

"I shouldn't take my insecurities out on you. I was way outta line for talkin' to you like that, Michonne. I'm sorry and it won't happen again."

"You know what it took for me to be with you, Rick; you don't ever have to doubt my loyalty." She offered quickly.

"I know, I just let my anger and frustration get the best of me. You're the most loyal person I know, and I love you for it. And I realize how hard it was for you to be with me in the first place, so I dunno why I'd even think you'd be with someone else. Do you forgive me?" He asked pleadingly.

"Of course I forgive you, Rick. Just don't be an asshole in the future." Michonne offered.

"Thank you, and yes. You have my word; no more bein' an asshole." He said solemnly.

They both went quiet for a moment as the mood between them became lighter.

"Anyways, I'd never be with anyone else after you. How could I? You've ruined me for other men."

"How's that?" He asked curiously.

"Well, no one else is ever gonna be good enough for me and that's that. You're the best man I know, Rick."

He smiled at what she had said.

"And you're the best woman I know; you're it for me."

He said with such candor that it made Michonne choke up a little; she knew he had not meant to hurt her and that he was trying to protect her. He was a passionate man, and sometimes that passion led his emotions to an extreme place. All things aside, Michonne was not angry at Rick, she just needed to say what was in her heart and on her mind; she also needed him to do the same.

"And to think I didn't like you at all when we first met." She added thoughtfully.

"Really? Not at all? Well, yeah; I guess I could see why." He offered as he thought back to their first encounter at the prison.

Michonne shook her head.

"No, not at all. You were pretty much an asshole then too." She said jokingly at first before becoming serious. "But I know why."

Silence pervaded as they both looked into each other's eyes. Rick then spoke.

"I didn't like you much either." He admitted.

"Now that's an understatement if ever I heard one! Pretty sure you hated my guts." She laughed.

"No, I didn't hate you." He replied quickly. "Honestly, I was kickin' myself all the time for being such a prick to you. I was tryin' to keep my head on straight, and I dunno, you just came along and twisted everything up again."

"How?" She asked, now curious as to what he was saying.

"I dunno; when I saw you standin' near those walkers at the fence, I thought you weren't even real. Then I thought you were dangerous…then crazy; and I didn't wanna trust you, but I couldn't help it. It's like every time I'd worked up to tellin' you that ya had to leave, I just couldn't do it. There really was somethin' else about you…"

"Admit it." She interrupted. "You got used to checkin' out my ass."

"Yeah that's true too." Rick chuckled slightly before continuing.

"You get under my skin, Michonne. I thought I'd have to walk the rest of this life alone, I did walk alone, for a long time, even when I was with Lori. Then you came along and everything changed. In this shit storm, you made everything better."

Michonne smiled now.

"So did you. You make it ten times as scary because I love you so much and don't want anything to happen to you or the kids, but it's so much better. Just when I thought I was happy to be alone, along you come wearing me down with your charms."

"I'm just happy you forgive me for how shitty I've been actin' lately." He offered, not wanting to appear too emotional after what Michonne had just said.

"We're on borrowed time, Rick. Just gotta love as hard as we can, forgive each other's mistakes and get on with it."

Rick liked how open and honest she was being with him now; maybe it was the scare they had recently suffered, maybe it was because of their arguments and misunderstandings. Maybe Michonne had just changed. Whatever it was, he was glad they could speak to each other about their worries, joys and fears; about their past, present and future. Rick moved towards her slowly and cautiously; smiling slightly as he became lost in the depths of her dark brown eyes. She returned his smile with a small one of her own and ran her hand over his face. Rick felt his worry and guilt fade away under the softness of Michonne's lips.