Author's Note: Hi Beautiful! How are you doing? Are you safe, are you healthy? Wow so much has happened since I've last posted but I'm glad I have the time to post something for you guys. I'm currently staying home from work so it gives me a little bit of time to write. Low key I've had this done for weeks but for some reason never posted. Anyways this picks up about a week or so after Lori's death with some thoughts from Rick.
Rick expected Carl to isolate himself after Lori's death, he accommodated for it, he surrounded Carl with the best people he knew.
What he hadn't expected was Michonne's absence.
After being discharged from the hospital on the night of Lori's death Michonne surprisingly kept her distance from Rick and Carl. She went home with Andrea and hadn't attempted to see them.
God did he need her more now than ever but she just wasn't there.
He knew she went to work at her office- her receptionist confirmed that every time he called.
For the first week after Lori's death Rick was so consumed with making sure Carl was okay he neglected to see how his love was doing.
He knew grief manifested in all sorts of ways so he kept his distance and now he wasn't too sure why he did in the first place. They were in a relationship- a partnership. These major tragedies were the things that should bring them together, not push them apart.
He vaguely wondered if her way of coping was better than his, she was after all a degree-holding therapist who had helped many people deal with their own tragedies, including Carl.
What little Rick knew about Michonne's current whereabouts was that Deanna and Desmond had come down to stay with her but beyond that it was radio silence from her end.
At the beginning of the second week he finally decided to see her for himself.
He was driving to her apartment when a New York area code called.
"This is Rick Grimes." He answered by putting the call on speaker.
"Hi Rick it's Andrea. Are you busy?" The blonde greeted him and Rick pulled to a stop at a gas station.
"Andrea. What's going on?" Rick asked already in panic mode and Andrea let out a light laugh.
"Slow down Rick. I just wanted to check up on you. See how you and Carl are doing."
Rick let out a breath and shut his eyes tight.
"We're doing okay... I'm sorry." He apologized and he could almost see Andrea waving him off on the other end.
"Don't apologize. I understand. I uh- I wanted to tell you something. Not too sure it's my place but I think it may help you understand why Michonne has kinda gone within herself this last week."
Rick sat up straighter and waited on bated breath for whatever Andrea had to tell him.
"Andrea please. I just want to understand." Rick pleaded when Andrea took too long to talk.
"Did Michonne ever tell you about how her biological mother died?" Andrea asked and Rick frowned thoughtfully.
"I know she died when she was young... but no particulars, no."
"They got into a car accident. Her mother was pinned behind the wheel and Michonne had to leave her to go get help. She was so young... but I don't think she ever got over the guilt of leaving her mother. I think she thought If she had stayed…"
Rick hummed and felt tears stinging in his eyes. It all made sense now. Lori's death reminded Michonne of one of the worst days of her life.
"Go see her Rick. Don't let her slip any further. She loves you so much- I know it." Andrea promised and Rick nodded his heart determined.
"I love her too." He admitted to Andrea and it felt nice to say it for the first time out loud, although he wished it was to Michonne.
"Everything will be okay Rick. You and Michonne are what my bubbe would call Bashert."
"And what does that mean?" Rick asked as he pulled off in the direction of Michonne's apartment.
"Meant to be."
Rick made a quick stop at the donut shop and picked them up an array of treats. He walked up to Michonne's apartment with a box in hand ready to do whatever it took to help Michonne. If she wanted to talk until their voices went dry they would, if she wanted to cry until her tears ran out he would do it. Hell he'd even watch one of those cliche Christmas movies in the middle of July if she wanted to. He just knew he wasn't going to let her be alone anymore.
He knocked once and held his head down as he listened to someone come to the door.
"Can I help you?" A young man Rick didn't recognize asked as he looked down at Rick. He was only a few inches taller but he looked down at Rick like he stood feet above him.
"Uh. I'm here to see Michonne."
"And who the hell are you?" The man asked and Ricks hand itched to wipe that smug look off this guy's face.
Who the hell am I? Who the hell is this guy?
"Jesus Spencer who taught your manners- don't answer that," Deanna said as she pushed in front of Spencer to greet Rick. "Hi honey." She cooed as she stood up on her toes to press a kiss to Rick's forehead.
"Hi Deanna." Rick smiled warmly and Deanna patted his cheek. "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine honey. But how are you and Carl?" She asked and Rick shrugged. There was no use in lying to her. "Right. Well come on in." Deanna said as she not so gently shoved Spencer out of the doorway.
Rick hadn't been to Michonne's apartment since the group therapy dinner all those nights ago, they spent most of their time at his house. He certainly hadn't been since Mike left.
The apartment was almost bare now, boxes scattered everywhere and Rick wondered if Michonne had found a new place without him knowing.
He set the donuts on top of one of the stacks of boxes and Spencer moved forward to inspect the treats.
"There's like 5 plain cake donuts in here!" Spencer groaned as he shut the box.
"They aren't for you." Deanna chastised as she slapped Spencer on the hand roughly. He pulled away with a pout rubbing at his sore skin.
"The only person that likes plain donuts is Mimi." Spencer complained as he walked to the couch and fell back dramatically.
"That's because they're the superior donut," Desmond said as he came from the bathroom. He held his hand out for Rick and the two exchanged pleasantries.
"Nice to see you son. I was very sorry about Lori." Desmond offered sincerely and Rick gave him a tight-lipped smile. He tried to look beyond Desmond for just a glimpse of Michonne and almost pouted when he didn't see her.
"She's resting," Desmond answered his unspoken question and Rick nodded. "But how about you and I talk on the balcony?" Desmond said as he made his way outside Rick followed him outside. Desmond didn't seem like the man to say no to.
"How are you doing?" Desmond asked when they finally had some privacy.
Rick frowned as he tried to search for the words to describe how he was doing.
He settled for a long sigh and Desmond decided not to push any further.
"This can't be easy for your son," Desmond said quietly as he reached for a cigarette in his front pocket. "Do you mind?" Desmond asked as he fumbled with his lighter.
"Nah, not if I can have one too?" Rick replied and Desmond gave him a quick smile and handed him one.
"Nasty fucking habit. Quit back in the academy."
"Yeah me too," Desmond said with a wink. Sure they both had quit but hard times...
"But really how is Carl, right?" Desmond asked and Rick took a long drag of his cigarette.
"I don't know." And that was the God honest truth. It felt good to admit to someone that he had no idea what to do next.
"You know when Michonne's mom died," Desmond began as he took a breath of his cigarette, "I had no idea what to do. I was suddenly a single father with a young daughter. I felt paralyzed with this grief." Desmond hit his chest and closed his eyes, remembering his late wife.
"For a long time I forgot that I wasn't the only one who lost her. I forgot about my little girl." Desmond admitted with his head down and Rick extinguished his cigarette.
"How'd you two get through it?" Rick asks and Desmond shook his head and took another pull from the cigarette.
"For a long time we didn't. We just kinda hobbled along like we didn't have these gaping holes in our hearts. I think part of her has always resented me for how I neglected her feelings."
"Yeah I get that. I'm worried I'm not doing enough for Carl all the time." Rick rasped and Desmond put out his cigarette.
"Michonne thinks the world of you. Not just as a man she's- involved with but as a father too. I hope you don't mind but she told me a little bit about what's happened this last year to you."
Rick laughed and shook his head. "No I don't mind- you're probably the last person to know if I'm being honest."
The men were quiet for a moment before Rick cleared his throat.
"You know when we got the call that Lori was in the hospital… the first thing I thought about was Michonne?" Rick confessed and Desmond frowned but nodded, urging him to continue.
"I knew it wasn't good. The nurse didn't do a very good job of hiding that- but as we were driving to the hospital I realized all I could think about was her."
"So you and Lori had fallen out of love a while ago?" Desmond asked and Rick nodded once, then twice.
"Yeah I guess we did. I still feel bad about not feeling that bad. I mean Lori and I were in love at one point.. or at least I thought we were. We loved being Carl's parents that's for sure. But there was a time when it all just stopped. We went from being husband and wife to resentful roommates." Rick continued and Desmond watched him carefully.
"Even when I found out about her and Shane I wasn't angry so much as.. relieved? It was weird but it felt like this was a second chance for both of us. A second chance to be with who we were meant to be with." Rick explained to and he wondered if he was making any sense to this man he barely knew. "But then I met Michonne and I felt… hopeful?" Rick said with a dopey smile and Desmond smirked. Yeah this boy was smitten with his baby girl.
"She has that effect on people." Desmond agreed with a small smile of his own.
"At first I thought maybe she was just good at her job, maybe I was looking for kindness from anyone. But there was one moment.. we had all gone out for drinks- it was a group of us so it was far from a date, but we kept gravitating towards each other. We shared stories and dreams and it felt like I had known her for 1,000 years." Rick almost rolled his eyes at how cheesy he sounded but it was all true.
"And that's when you knew?" Desmond asked and Rick shook his head.
"That's when I finally signed the divorce papers. I'm not sure why I was still holding onto them if I'm being honest. Lori knew what she wanted, she made that abundantly clear- so I decided to choose what I wanted." Rick explained and Desmond hummed. "Even if she didn't want me back, it felt good to finally want something more ."
Desmond nodded and his brows pressed together as he frowned.
"I also heard what you did to Mike." Desmond said lowly and Rick nodded and squared his shoulders. Again, it was no use lying to Michonne parent's.
"Not my proudest moment but-."
"Thank you." Desmond said earnestly as he held his hand out for Rick to shake.
The two men shook hands and their bond was solidified.
"I promise to give your daughter everything I have. May not be a lot, but it's hers." Rick promised and Desmond gave him a genuine smile.
"She won't ask for the world but she deserves it."
Both men headed back into the house and Rick let out a breath when he finally laid eyes on Michonne.
She had her back turned to him but he could tell she was tired, maybe even thinner than when he last saw her but she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on.
"Dad have you seen Andre's backpack?" Michonne asked as she picked a donut for herself.
"He left it at my house," Rick answered and Michonne's eyes widened as she turned to see Rick standing in her living room.
God did she miss this man.
He smiled warmly at her and stepped forward instantly to wrap her in a hug.
She rested her head on his chest right above his heart and sighed. Rick's hands found their way inside her high ponytail and held her close.
"Oh this is Mimi's boyfriend." Spencer concluded with a snap and Deanna rolled her eyes.
"Good lord. Okay, we'll be out getting more boxes." Deanna announced as she pulled Desmond out of the apartment with one hand and Spencer with the other.
The door closed and Michonne finally pulled away to look at Rick.
"Hi." She smiled brilliantly through tears and Rick shook his head with a frown. "I'm sorry." Michonne cried and Rick immediately pulled her into another hug.
"No I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Rick whispered as he stroked her back and Michonne let out a light laugh.
She figured Andrea told him everything- bitch couldn't keep a secret for shit. But she supposed it was never a secret, to begin with.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Rick asked sadly and Michonne pulled him even closer to her.
"You have Carl to worry about right now. Oh my God Carl.." Michonne said as she fell into another fit of tears. "Where is he?"
"He's with my mom. But he needs you- I need you." Rick said as he pulled out of their embrace to wipe at Michonne's tears. She stared up at him and he knew he had to say it. "Michonne I love you." Rick said with so much conviction it almost made Michonne double over.
She held her hands over his and nodded as more tears flowed. He understood if she couldn't say it, he would wait for her fore-
"I love you too." Michonne breathed out and Rick felt his heart soar. "I love you so much. I want to be with you guys always." She said and Rick leaned forward to press a kiss to her lips. He kissed her like he could absorb all the pain she had, and she kissed him back like she believed it.
"No more hiding. I can't do this without you. Whatever it is- no matter how scary
we do it together."
"Together." Michonne agreed and Rick smiled down at her.
Carl couldn't remember the last time he wore a suit. He supposed it was at his uncle Aaron and Eric's wedding. He pulled at the sleeves of his button-up shirt and sighed.
It was a tight fit but his grandma insisted.
"You can roll up the sleeves if it's too short." Michonne suggested from the doorway. She looked nice in an a-line black dress, black heels and diamond stud earrings. She had her hair pulled into a low bun and had on minimal makeup.
"You look nice." Carl grumbled as he struggled to unbutton the sleeve on his shirt.
Michonne stepped into the room and helped him unbutton his sleeves before helping him roll them up.
"You need help with your tie?" Michonne asked and Carl shook his head as he reached for the black silk tie that laid next to him on his bed.
"I feel like I'm going to throw up," Carl mumbled and Michonne rested her hand on his back. "Would everyone hate me if I didn't go?"
"No. But I think it might be good if you do go." Michonne said quietly and Carl shook his head. "I know this is hard," Michonne said as she ran her fingers through Carl's new, shorter hair.
Carl shut his eyes and was soothed by Michonne touch. Carl and Rick were a lot alike in that way. Their hair being played with was an instant stress reliever.
"You know my mom died when I was young too," Michonne said with a sigh and Carl looked up at her. "We got in a car accident when I was coming back from one of my fencing tournaments."
Carl grabbed her hand sensing this story was a difficult one for her to tell.
"She told me to go get help.. she was hurt bad- pinned behind the wheel. God I was so scared." Michonne admitted and she smiled gratefully when Carl squeezed her hand.
"How do you get over it?" Carl asked and Michonne gave him a tearful smile as she shook her head.
"I don't think I ever did." She breathed and Carl rested his head on her shoulder as she quietly cried. He rubbed her back and Michonne pulled him closer to her.
"You are such an amazing kid Carl," Michonne said as she wiped at her tears and she felt Carl take a deep breath next to her. "Lori loved you so much. Never doubt that." Michonne insisted and Carl pulled away from her.
"I wasn't too nice to her towards the end.
I was so angry." Carl confessed with a frown and Michonne touched his cheek gently making him look at her.
"You were the last thing she talked about. You were her first love." Michonne repeated Lori's words and Carl closed his eyes.
"Does my dad know... about your mom?" Carl asked and Michonne sighed.
"He does."
Carl thought about this for a moment before he nodded.
"Good. He would want to know." Carl said and Michonne smiled.
"Mama!"
They looked up to see Rick and Andre standing in the doorway. Andre was resting his head on Rick's shoulder watching his mom and Carl quietly.
Andre wasn't quite sure what was going on but he was intuitive enough to know that everyone around him was sad, so that made him sad too.
"Carl?" Rick asked, looking his son over.
"Car?" Andre parroted and everyone laughed lightly at Andre's attempt to say Carl's name.
"Hey buddy." Carl sighed as he stood up and took Andre from his father's arms.
"Carl the car is here for you," Rick said quietly and Carl's shoulders visibly dropped. "It's just Shane and Louis. But I think he'd like for you to ride with them."
Carl shook his head and held Andre a little closer to him.
"I'm not going." Carl announced and Rick frowned as he shook his head.
"Carl you have to-."
"Rick…" Michonne interjected as she shook her head but Rick continued.
"Carl you should say goodbye- respect your mother's memory."
"I can't! Okay I just can't. Please don't make me." Carl pleaded to Michonne only and she stepped forward enveloping her boys in her arms. Carl cringed as he felt the beginning of a migraine and Andre whimpered sensing his beloved Carl was in distress.
"Please." Carl mumbled into Michonne's chest and Michonne looked over at Rick who looked torn.
She knew he would never push Carl beyond his limit but she knew how strongly he felt about Carl having closer.
"What if we all ride together? The church is what a fifteen-minute drive? That gives you enough time to decide- and if you don't want to? We don't go in." Michonne suggested and Rick frowned. He wasn't in love with the idea but he would take their lead on this.
"Okay." Carl agreed and Michonne pulled out of the hug to look him over.
"Okay?" Michonne confirmed and Carl nodded once.
She pressed a kiss to Carl's forehead then Andre's as she led them out of the bedroom.
Rick quickly took her hand and pressed a kiss of his own to the side of her forehead as they all headed towards the car.
Shane was quiet most of the car ride. He avoided eye contact with everyone and kept his attention on Louis who was staring up at him peacefully. His son was so blissfully unaware of what was happening around him and he couldn't be more grateful. Louis was already starting to favor Lori, and Shane was glad to have another little part of Lori to hold onto.
Shane glanced at Rick who rested his hand on Michonne's knee and had his arm around Carl and Andre.
He was reminded of the kindness that Michonne and Rick showed him the night Lori died, it was unexpected and undeserved.
Shane never felt the need to before, but looking at them now he felt like he should apologize to them with every breath he had in his body.
"He's a quiet baby?" Rick asked and Shane looked down at his joyful son.
"Yeah. Nothing like Carl when he was firstborn." Shane answered and both men smiled at the memory.
Carl was a very vocal baby in the first few months. Shane still remembered Rick coming into the station barely conscious after a night trying to calm Carl.
"You have all you need? I still have some things of Andre's you're welcome to." Michonne offered and Shane cleared his throat.
"Uh I might take you up on that." Shane said quietly with a weak smile and an awkward silence fell over everyone.
It was quiet until Andre crawled over Carl to get to Shane and Louis.
He did seem to have an odd fascination with babies as though he wasn't practically one himself.
He peered at Louis and began to make a series of silly faces (something he surely learned from Carl) when the baby gave him a jerky smile. It might have just been gas but it delighted Andre nonetheless.
"Baby." He squealed pointing at the rosy-cheeked boy in Shane's arms.
"Careful Dre." Rick said gently and Andre pulled back immediately.
Rick may have been envious of Michonne and Carl's quick bond but Michonne would always be a little jealous of how quickly Andre took to Rick.
Between Carl, Delilah and Rick, Michonne had some competition.
Silence fell upon the car again as they pulled into the church. It seemed that Lori's funeral had a modest turnout.
"Are Grandma Alice and Grandpa Mark going to be here?" Carl remembered to ask and Shane and Rick made eye contact.
Lori's parents weren't very active in her life. They didn't care too much for Rick and honestly probably didn't even know about Shane.
"I don't think so," Shane answered honestly and Carl shook his head. "Right, well I'll see you guys in there." Shane said sadly and the driver opened the door for him.
The rest of the family sat in the car quietly and Andre crawled across the seats until he reached his final destination of Michonne.
"We'll be inside too." Michonne said as she patted both Carl and Rick on the leg.
When the car door closed Rick's stomach dropped. As soon as they went inside the church they'd be forced to face reality.
Lori was dead and she was going to be buried today.
Rick would say goodbye to his ex. He'd say goodbye to the memories. All of them.
"Dad I don't think I can do this." Carl whispered and Rick nodded.
"You don't have to do this then." Rick said quietly and Carl buried his face in his hands.
"I said I hated her." He mumbled into his hands and Rick placed his hand on Carl's back. "I didn't mean it- not really but that was one of the last things I said to her."
Rick continued to rub Carl's back as he searched for the right words.
"She loved you Carl. Even if you didn't feel like you liked her- or even loved her towards the end she always loved you." Rick said adamantly and Carl shook his head.
"How can you still defend her? After everything?"
"I dunno. It never really felt right to hate her. She was still your mother after everything and that meant so much to me. You mean so much to me."
Carl took a long-suffering breath and shook his head.
"I just wish-..."
"You wish what son?"
"I wish I could tell her one more time that I did love her."
Rick nodded and he too wished he could have some last words with Lori.
"Well then go tell her. I'm sure she's listening." Rick encouraged him and Carl looked at his dad.
"Okay."
As far as funerals go Shane thought this one was pretty nice. Lori wasn't overly religious so he thought Pastor Gabriel did a good job keeping it pretty mild when it came to the prayers and scriptures. Shane sat at the front of the church with Louis and he constantly felt like he was being stared at. He was very self-conscious of the fact that he sat alone- aside from Louis of course.
His mother didn't come to the funeral, she had been against him and Lori from the start.
When she found out about everything she cursed him out in Italian with words that would have made his great grandmother blush.
You Bastardo. How could you do this to your Fratello?
She decided then she didn't want anything to do with Shane- especially nothing to do with Lori and Louis.
Shane swallowed hard and sat up straighter. He made his choices, now he must sit alone.
He did a pretty good job of keeping his composure through the funeral but it was the eulogy that got to him.
Very few people knew that Lori could sing and even fewer people had heard the one song she had recorded.
It was a song she wrote right after Carl was born, a lullaby to play if she ever wasn't there.
Shane hadn't heard this song in years and her voice instantly brought tears to his eyes.
He looked over to where Rick sat and gave him a nod. Rick was the only person that had access to this song so he knew Rick must have arranged for this to play. Rick nodded back and Shane was grateful.
Shane stared down at Louis and his tears intensified, he couldn't do this by himself. He would fail this beautiful boy, he knew it.
His shoulders began to shake as his tears racked through him. He could barely hear the sound of Lori's voice over his crying; he didn't even register the sound of Louis fussing.
"Shane." He heard his voice being called and he wiped at his eyes. He was surprised to see that Carl moved to sit next to him and was pulling Louis out of his arms. "It's okay." Carl promised although he had tears in his own eyes. Shane carefully transferred Louis to Carl's arms and he closed his eyes.
"You hear that Louis? That's our mom." Carl cooed quietly and the baby stared up at Carl expectantly. "She loved us so much." Carl whispered as he pressed a kiss to Louis' downy hair.
"She did," Shane confirmed as he cleared his throat and Carl looked at Shane with tears streaming down his face. "So much Carl."
The song ended and Pastor Gabriel dismissed everyone. As everyone began to file out of the church, a few people stopped to mumble some condolences to Carl.
And just like that, it was over.
"Wait!" Carl called out as he stood up abruptly and everyone that remained in the church turned to look at him. He gave Louis one last look before handing him off to Shane. "I- I haven't said goodbye yet." Carl stammered desperately. He couldn't say goodbye yet.
The pallbearers slowly inched away from the casket and Carl lurched forward. He placed his hands on the glossy dark wood and closed his eyes.
"Mom." He whispered as he pictured Lori's face.
She was the one who used to pick him up from school and the last face he saw when he went to bed. She was the one who sang to him when the monster's invaded his dreams and who played cops and robbers in the backyard with him on warm, summer days.
She was also the one who broke his dad's heart. She was the one who left.
Carl's conflicting emotions raged inside him as he squeezed his eye shut tight to ward off his migraine.
How was he supposed to say goodbye to her? He was still trying to forgive her for everything. He couldn't do this.
Carl fell to his knees and sobbed violently.
"Please I'm not ready!" Carl wailed as he pressed his forehead onto the ground. "I'm not ready." He whispered to no one in particular.
Carl felt a hand on his back as he continued to sob. They rubbed his back in small circles and Carl finally sat up and turned to see who was comforting him.
From behind him André continued to rub his back and when they made eye contact he gave Carl his best smile.
"Carl." He spoke perfectly and Carl couldn't help but smile back at the tot. "Don't cry." He pleaded as he patted Carl's cheek. It was something Michonne did when Andre cried.
"I'm okay Dre." Carl promised and Andre frowned unconvinced. He was a very precarious child.
Andre firmly planted himself in Carl's lap and pressed his head against Carl's chest.
"Don't cry." He repeated and Carl wrapped his arms around Andre. Carl rested his chin on top of Andre's curly hair and took a breath. Surprisingly Andre had made him feel a lot better and his tears were beginning to stall.
"Carl." Rick rasped as he kneeled on the floor next to Carl taking him into his arms. "It will be okay." Rick promised and he wasn't sure how or when but he knew it to be true.
Carl rested against his father and held Andre a little closer to him.
"Carl?" Michonne asked as she knelt next to them and ran a hand over Carl's hair. "It's okay… she knows."
Carl stared at the top of Andre's head scared that if he looked either at his father or Michonne in the eye he'd break down again.
"Do you think that maybe we could- maybe we could stay a little longer?" Carl requested quietly and Michonne rested her head against Rick's shoulder.
"Of course." Rick answered as he rubbed Carl's back.
So they sat in the church on the floor huddled together until the ache in Carl's heart dulled.
"Alright well I guess give me a call when you're all settled. Okay. Be safe." Rick mumbled mindful of his sleeping family as he disconnected the call.
"Your brother?" Michonne asked from the bed Carl cuddled into her right side and Andre on the left.
"Uh Shane actually," Rick answered as he fell onto the bed next to her. "He and Louis hit the road for Carolina a little after the repast."
Andre instantly shifted towards Rick in his sleep and Michonne huffed.
"I carried that boy for 9 long hard months- I was in labor for 17 hours. And then your white ass comes along.." Michonne mumbled bitterly and Rick let out a snort. Michonne shot him a look when he almost woke up the boys.
"I mean his mama is a fan of me too," Rick said with a wink and Michonne bit back a smile. "You love me."
Michonne tapped at her chin as if in thought and Rick smiled reaching across the bed to kiss her.
"Thank you." He whispered when they pulled apart. "I couldn't have done this without you."
Michonne reached over and brushed away a tear that escaped his eyes with a smile.
"I've got you." She promised and he grabbed her hand pressing a kiss into her palm like a secret.
"We should go on vacation." Rick proposed and Michonne fell back onto the pillow with a sigh.
"I wish."
"No seriously. Let's pack some clothes, collect the kids and get the hell out of here." Rick said as he sat up, carefully rearranging Andre on the bed.
"And go where?" Michonne asked not fully committed to leaving.
"Anywhere." Rick said with a dreamy smile and Michonne found his enthusiasm infectious. Getting away from it all did sound nice...
"Okay."
"Okay?" Rick confirmed and Michonne nodded as she stroked Carl's hair.
"But I get to choose where we go," Michonne demanded and Rick nodded easily giving her control. "I have a cousin who lives in Montana- up in the mountains. He owns some cabins and has always wanted me and Andre to come up." Michonne explained and Rick already began dialing work.
"I'm sure between the two of us we have enough PTO time to be gone the rest of the year," Rick said with a casual laugh and Michonne's eyes shot open. "Kidding." He assured her with a wink. He knew Michonne would never be away from her work for that long.
"How about three weeks?" Michonne suggested and Rick stopped his texting to look up at her.
"That sounds good. And by the time we get back it will be time for Andre to enroll in preschool right?" He asked casually unaware of Michonne gawking at him. His attentiveness to her son, his willingness to step in made her heart flutter. It also made other parts of her flutter.. but those thoughts were inappropriate. Especially after the day, they all had.
"Should we take your car or my car?" Michonne asked and Rick frowned. Neither of them had the best track record with cars. "Or we could rent one…" Michonne suggested and Rick nodded.
"You think we can be on the road in an hour?" Rick asked and if Michonne had any water in her mouth she would have comically spit it out at him right now.
"Rick.." Michonne said slowly and Rick smiled. "Rick! An hour?"
"You don't think we can do it?" He asked and Michonne fell back onto the bed dramatically. He laughed at her over the top nature.
"I just want to spend as much time as possible with you guys. Is that so bad?" Rick asked his blue eyes silently begging her brown and Michonne sighed.
This man played dirty.
"An hour and a half." Michonne conceded and Rick scooted off the bed in an excited hurry.
"I'll start packing!" He quickly shuffled out of the room with a childlike glee. He came back just as quickly and reached over to kiss Michonne soundly. "I love you."
She smiled and felt herself blush under his touch. She'd never get tired of hearing that.
"I love you too. Now get packing- I'll handle them." Michonne replied motioning to the two very tired boys on the bed. She hated to wake up the boys but they had a vacation to get ready for.
And so, that night with the sun at their backs, Andre, Carl, Michonne and Rick headed to Montana.
Author's Note: So no more Lori and no more Shane. So really things should be on the up and up! And yay declarations of love and yay vacation! The next chapter should be up today. Again I've had it ready just never posted ( Things are crazy in Michigan right now!)
Please stay safe this is an international pandemic! If you need to talk I am here and you are NOT alone.
