A/N: I've been fighting a cold for the last few days. On one hand, it has given me time to write, on the other, it's made my brain foggy. Apologies if there are more typos than usual. Thank you as always for your support. Your outpouring of positive words warm my heart.
The sound of glass shattering in Michonne's kitchen caused Rick to bolt awake instantly. For a moment, he was groggy, sure that it was just another nightmare. He listened intently in the dark while Michonne stirred next to him, lifting her head in panic.
"Rick," she breathed, fear plain in her tone.
"Shh," he held a finger to his lips, already exiting the bed. He found his gun without problem and thumbed the safety off. Beside him, Michonne leaped into action, crossing quietly but urgently to her closet. She emerged with the katana that Rick recognized from her Halloween costume, unsheathing it and holding it in front of her. Rick resisted the urge to smile. Michonne was a decent shot, but still did not take to guns with much enthusiasm. Their lessons had been more out of necessity than her desire to learn. She looked formidable wielding the sword.
Satisfied that she had protection, Rick headed for the door. He listened out into the hallway, holding his breath. Faint footsteps sounded from just outside.
"The kids," Michonne whispered urgently. Rick threw the door open, stepping out first.
"Go," he instructed. Michonne did not waste time. She rushed down the hall, bursting into their bedroom.
"Carl's gone," her head became visible from beside the doorframe, her voice calm but her expression suggesting panic.
"Stay with Andre," Rick was already rushing towards the kitchen, gun raised. He flicked on the light, hugging the corners, python cocked.
"Dad!" Carl's startled cry nearly bowled him over. His son was clutching a broom, clearly in the middle of cleaning up a shattered drinking glass.
"Carl," Rick lowered his gun exhaling in relief. "He's out here, Michonne!" he called back down the hallway.
"I was just thirsty," his son was nearly in tears.
"It's ok," Rick set his gun down, kneeling to comfort him. "You just startled us is all."
Michonne appeared, holding a bleary Andre. He blinked curiously at them all. "Why are we awake?" he asked, his voice heavy with sleep.
"Why do you have your gun?" Carl was still panicked. "And why do you have a sword, Michonne?"
"We heard the glass break," Michonne leaned her weapon down against the counter. "I guess we weren't thinking clearly."
"We should go back to bed," Rick caught Michonne's eye over his son's head. He appreciated her trying to downplay the situation. Carl, however, was not fooled.
"I'll finish this," Michonne took the broom from Carl's hands, handing Dre off to Rick. She kissed both boys on the top of the head. Carl gave her a hug before leaving the kitchen.
"Why are you so worried, dad?" he asked him quietly as Rick escorted him back to his bedroom. Andre was asleep already in Rick's arms. "Did Shane say something?"
"Go on back to sleep," Rick instructed, depositing Dre back in bed. "I promise we'll talk about it in the morning."
Carl climbed back into bed reluctantly, his eyes staring morosely back at his dad. "You promise?" he asked.
"I promise," Rick repeated, drawing the blankets over both boys and dropping a kiss on Carl's forehead. He made his way to the kitchen to retrieve his gun, then back down the hallway to Michonne's bedroom.
"Is Carl all right?" she asked. She placed her sword back into the closet.
"He knows it has something to do with Shane," Rick flopped back on the bed, exhausted. He set his gun back on the nightstand. Michonne joined him, stretching out beside him. "I told him I'd talk to him about it tomorrow."
"Carl's too smart," she said fondly, brushing the curls back from Rick's forehead. "What are you going to tell him?"
Rick shrugged. "I'm not sure." Shane was his stepdad. Rick didn't want him afraid or worried for his mom. "Do you think we're getting paranoid?" he asked Michonne. "It's been weeks and nothing's happened." They had been nothing if not vigilant, switching homes at random so that Shane couldn't catch them off guard and staying together during the nights.
"Have you heard anything from Lori?" Michonne questioned quietly, her long fingers still plying at his hair. Despite her outward calm, Rick knew that her fear had not completely abated. It was part of the reason he hadn't let his guard down, despite Shane's lack of appearances lately.
Rick sighed, leaning into her touch. "I saw her the other day at the park. She wanted to see Carl. She mentioned something about couple's therapy."
"Maybe it's working," Michonne speculated.
"Maybe," Rick rolled his body to face hers. "Maybe we should take that vacation." Michonne laughed. "I'm serious," he continued. "I'm starting to get jumpy. I think we need some time away from all this mess. Let's take the kids."
"And go where?" Michonne paused in her ministrations.
Rick pulled her against him. "Let's go to the beach."
"It'll still be pretty cold," she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Not in Florida," he brushed his fingers through her hair, playing with the new length.
"You want to go to Florida?" she asked, twisting her legs around his.
"Carl's never been to Disney World. Has Dre?" Rick could feel his body responding to hers, waking up despite the lateness of the hour.
"No," Michonne looked thoughtful. "Carl's spring break is next week. Can you get off work?"
"Shouldn't be a problem. You?" Rick watched as Michonne reached over him for her phone, thumbing through her calendar.
"No hearings next week," she announced.
"Sounds like it's meant to be," he guided her back into his arms, his hands snaking under her over-large pajama shirt.
"On one condition," she straddled him, her expression serious. Rick glanced up at her curiously. "We go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter."
Rick's snort of laughter shook them both. "My girlfriend is a huge nerd." She slapped at him, but he deflected her hands. "Fine, we can go to Harry Potter Land—"
"The Wizarding World of Harry Potter," she corrected.
"Sure," he nodded, still unable to contain his laughter. "When we come back, I'll talk to Lori. See how Shane is actually doing."
Michonne nodded, settling down on top of him. "Maybe we were overreacting," she said hopefully.
"We'll find out, especially if the baby is mine," Rick brought his hands to his girlfriend's waist. The idea of having a daughter was an enticing one, but he imagined her with brown skin and curls like her mother's.
"Time will tell," Michonne sighed and relaxed into him.
"I always wanted more kids," he admitted. "But not like this."
"Maybe you'll have the chance to have them on your own terms," Michonne rolled her hip against him suggestively.
"Yeah?" Rick's blood pressure immediately spiked, both at her words and her actions.
"Not right away," she amended, "But one day. If things go well."
"How are they going now?" he asked her flirtatiously, kissing her beneath her chin.
"Well enough for me to want to take a vacation with you," she joked, her fingers finding his hair again.
"We should get an adjoining hotel room for the kids," he suggested, lifting her shirt off slowly. He dropped kisses along the smooth planes of her stomach, allowing his imagination to conjure up an image of what it would be like if their baby was between them.
"You're eager to get me knocked up, aren't you?" she laughed against him. Rick remained silent, instead choosing to kiss her deeply. The one benefit to their situation with Shane is that he had gone to bed every night with Michonne in his arms. In some ways, it felt like they were already married. Their kids had breakfast with them every morning and dinner every night; they carpooled to pick their sons up after school. They had a rhythm now, a steady way of working through their days. Dre had no reservations about hanging out with Rick and Carl when Michonne wasn't there, and Rick had caught his girlfriend and Carl gabbing away on multiple occasions. It was natural, this thing growing between them, easier than it had ever been with Lori.
He rolled Michonne beneath him, shrugging off his shirt as her hands made quick work of his boxers. She pressed her forehead against his, gasping quietly as he brushed against her. He tangled one hand low around her waist and brought the other to the back of her neck, holding her against him. Her legs wrapped around him, her hand pressing insistently on his lower back. He happily obliged her, relishing in every breathy moan he coaxed from her lips. Rick set a pace that would normally infuriate him, moving slowly, deliberately.
"I love you," Michonne's voice broke against him, her hips rolling against his.
"We should get married," Rick felt the suggestion slide past his lips before he could think of the consequences. Michonne froze against him.
"Is this you asking me?" her mouth fell open.
Rick shook his head, speeding up the pace, drawing a surprised groan from her. "Trust me, you'll know when I ask you." He bent down to kiss her. "I just wanted to run the idea by you first."
"Are you always going to bring up important things while you're inside of me?" she laughed, burying her face in his neck, her fingers digging into his shoulders.
"Can't think of a better time," he seized her legs, laying her back against the mattress and bringing them over his shoulders. Michonne immediately reached for a pillow to smother her cries of pleasure.
"We probably should get two rooms," she sighed a moment later, once Rick collapsed on top of her. He rolled onto his side, content and utterly exhausted. "I'm not the biggest fan of diamonds," she told him. "and purple's my favorite color."
"Good to know," he kissed the back of her head, smiling.
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"He brought up marriage?" Andrea's blonde eyebrows leapt upwards at Michonne's statement.
"What's weird about that?" Glenn asked, looking skeptical.
"Don't you think that's a little bit soon?" Andre questioned them all.
Sasha shrugged but Glenn looked affronted. "I think when you know, you know," he said pointedly.
"How would you know?" Andrea laughed. "You're just a baby."
Sasha came to his defense. "Glenn's a grown ass man in a grown ass relationship," she smiled at him. "And Michonne is a grown ass woman." Michonne laughed, forking a bit of potato salad into her mouth. Carl and Andre had been eager to help her make it this morning, resulting in Michonne doubling the amount to account for the absolute mountain of mayonnaise they had dumped in. Luckily, there were plenty of people to help consume it.
"Exactly," Glenn nodded emphatically, reaching for a chicken wing off the picnic table in front of them. It was the first truly warm day of spring and they were taking full advantage. Hershel had been kind enough to host a BBQ and both Rick and Michonne's friends had come prepared, laden with food and drink enough to feed an army. Daryl was chatting away amicably with Maggie and Beth, Rick was conversing at the grill with Hershel and Abe. Eugene hung around, bouncing from group to group. Michonne and her coworkers were seated around a picnic table, sipping beer from frosty bottles and watching Carl and Dre run around the yard.
"These are so good," Andrea took a break from examining her friends to compliment the food. "You definitely should hang on to Abraham. He can cook."
"Maybe one day you'll be grilling me about our plans," Sasha teased.
"I'm sorry," Andrea swallowed, looking between Michonne and Glenn. "It just all seems like it's happening fast. First, Michonne is stopping a fight in the street, next thing I know you're taking a family vacation and talking about marriage." She took a pull from her bottle. "And this one," she nodded at Glenn, "Our baby is in love."
Glenn's cheeks flushed scarlet. "I'm not a baby."
"No," Michonne assured him, ruffling his hair, "But you're our baby." All three women burst out laughing.
"I'm going to go stand at the grill. With the men," Glenn stood up, seizing another chicken wing and his half-empty bottle of beer.
"My therapist friend says Shane and Lori have been coming in regularly," Andrea informed them once Glenn was out of earshot. "She can't tell me anymore than that."
"Michonne said he hasn't been around in weeks," Sasha picked at her food.
"It's been quiet," Michonne nodded, turning her eyes back to the kids. Carl and Dre seemed intent on digging a hole for some unknown reason. Rick walked over to them, observing their labor from above. She could see him asking them questions. Dre held up a handful of red dirt for Rick to inspect. Andrea turned her head, watching what had so captivated Michonne.
"Shit," she whistled lowly. "Maybe you should get married. You've got it bad."
Even Sasha laughed, causing Michonne's cheeks to flush. "Has Shane contacted you?" she turned the subject back.
"No," Andrea shook her head. "If he's cheating on his blushing bride, it's not with me." She smirked at Michonne. "So, do Sasha and I get to be bridesmaids? You had such a little wedding last time. You're going to have to do it up this time around."
"I look good in blue," Sasha informed her, grinning.
"Blue works for me too," Andrea added.
"Settle down, ladies," Michonne took a drink, "He hasn't even asked yet."
"Can't be too long now," Sasha glanced backwards, waving. Rick's eyes were on them. He waved back, smiling. "That man is so damn in love with you."
"I'm going to join Glenn," Michonne stood up, her face flushed. He friends continued laughing. Rick met her halfway between the table and the grill.
"Our sons are over there trying to dig a hole to China," he informed her, stopping her momentum with a hand around her waist. "What were you ladies laughing about over there?" he turned his face towards Sasha and Andrea who promptly burst into peals of giggles.
Michonne rolled her eyes. "They love to tease me," she told Rick, taking his hand.
"Do they know you're going to be gone next week?" he asked her.
"That's why they're laughing. Our family vacation is apparently hilarious." Michonne bent down to the cooler, handing Rick another beer before grabbing one for herself.
"Daryl was teasing about it too. Apparently, we're an old married couple." He gratefully accepted, using his belt buckle to pop both caps. Michonne kissed him on the cheek.
"I'm all right with that," she brushed her fingers through his stubble. Rick grinned at her.
"I figure we can leave early tomorrow. Maybe the boys will sleep for most of the ride."
Michonne laughed. "I doubt it. They've been buzzing since we mentioned 'Disney World'."
"It's worth a shot," Rick glanced over at the mud fight that was now erupting between Carl and Dre in the yard. "They're going to end up riding home in the back of the truck," he mused, releasing her.
"Just spray them with the hose," Michonne told him, laughing.
"Not a bad idea," Rick moved off, rushing for the side of the building. Sensing shenanigans, Daryl quickly joined him. In no time at all, a full water fight broke out, soaking not only Carl and Dre but Beth and Maggie as well. The latter did not take it lying down, seizing ice from the cooler and pelting the two men with it. Glenn got involved, assisting his girlfriend in her assault.
"Mom!" Carl called out to Michonne. "Come help!"
For a moment, the world seemed to freeze. Rick caught her eye from across the yard, an expression of surprise clear on his face. In one smooth motion, he turned the hose, spraying her full force. Michonne screamed, covering her face. Rick laughed back at her.
"That's how you want to play?" she asked, already rushing towards him. Carl and Dre cheered their approval as she wrestled the hose from his hand, drenching him as he yelped. Hershel appeared in the doorway of his house.
"I leave for ten minutes, and you all wreck my yard," he lamented without venom. Abe appeared by his side with a beer and a plate.
"I'll make sure they clean it up," the redhead told him with a nod. Hershel accepted.
"I have to have you around more often," he informed him with a smile.
Carl and Dre were exhausted when they returned to Rick's house that night. "Maybe they will sleep tomorrow," Michonne whispered to Rick as they carried the boys inside. They laid them down together in the top bunk, not bothering to change them into pajamas. They could shower in a few hours.
"Michonne?" Carl's voice stopped her in her tracks as she went to leave the room. Rick paused near the door.
"Her Carl," she came back to stroke his hair.
"I called you 'mom'," he told her, his blue eyes almost glowing in the dark. "Is that ok?"
Michonne felt her heart skip a beat. She bent down to kiss his head. "That's ok with me."
"Oh good," he sighed, already drifting back off to sleep. "Dre calls Dad 'dad' too, when it's just us. I'll tell him that it's fine. He was asking."
Michonne smiled, feeling tears pushing at the back of her eyes. "It's definitely fine," she assured him.
Rick reached for her as she shut the door behind her, pulling her into his chest. "Apparently, Dre calls you 'dad' when we aren't listening," she informed him.
Rick chuckled. "Now I for sure have to ask you to marry me."
She shoved him. "I thought that was already the plan."
He grinned, kissing her. "I didn't want to seem too overeager. But now…can't argue with kids." Michonne remained silent, unable to speak. "We should pack the car," Rick gave her one more squeeze. She nodded, following him outside.
Rick fell asleep almost without preamble when they retired to bed, one arm draped around her waist, breathing gently. Michonne lay away, her mind racing. It had been difficult over the last few weeks to focus on anything besides her fear. Now that Shane had seemingly slipped away, it was all that consumed her thoughts. She wanted this, Rick beside her night after night, planning vacations and having picnics. She wanted to grow their family. Rick had made it clear that he was on the same page.
Her last relationship, the proposal had been a surprise. Mike had gotten on one knee after she passed the bar, proposing in front of their family and friends. Dre has been similarly unplanned, making his appearance just ten months after the wedding. She hadn't given much thought to her relationship, just going with the flow. Mike's death had changed that part of her, removing some of the spontaneity from her life. Rick had brought a bit of it back.
"I love you," she whispered quietly, rolling closer to him.
"Love you too," his murmur startled her. Rick popped his eyes open, grinning. "Go to sleep, beautiful," he tightened his grip around her. Michonne closed her eyes, happy to oblige.
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"When are you coming back?" Lori's question crackled against Rick's ear in the early hours of the morning.
"We'll be back Friday. I'm just letting you know, so you don't worry." Rick loaded the last of the bags into the trunk of Michonne's car.
"Tell Carl to have fun," Lori sounded surprisingly pleasant.
"I will," Rick glanced back at the house. Michonne was coming out of the front door, shuttling the boys outside. "When I get back, we need to talk," he told her. "About Shane." Rick had put off discussing the situation with his on. Talk of their vacation had successfully distracted him. There was no reason to worry Carl, not until there was something real to tell him.
Lori exhaled. "Fine," she sounded resigned.
"I'm going to hand the phone to Carl," Rick smiled as Michonne finally reached the car. "Take care of yourself."
Carl groggily accepted the cellphone as he climbed into the car. The sun was not quite up yet. They had a 7-hour drive ahead of them. Rick kissed Michonne. "Ready to go?" he asked, content to no longer be speaking to Lori.
"Almost," she grinned playfully, reaching into her purse. She came out with a pair of round, black-rimmed glasses. Her smile widened as she pushed them onto her face.
Rick laughed. "Nerd," he kissed her affectionately.
"I have one for each of us," she informed him. "You're going to look great." With a smile, she slid into the passenger seat. Rick smiled after her.
"You guys ready?" he glanced in the rearview mirror. Carl was off the phone and Dre was already asleep in his booster seat.
"We're ready," Michonne answered for all of them.
"All right then," Rick started the car and backed out of the driveway. Across the seats, Michonne reached for his hand. He grasped it tightly, starting off down the road.