A/N: You can all thank quarantine and COVID-19 for the second chapter in one day. Being holed up inside is incredibly conducive to this. In all seriousness, I hope all of my readers are staying safe, healthy and well during this historic, unprecedented period of time.
Best,
LEAJPEHP

Shane arrived later in the night than everyone else. He had brought his daughter along, unable to find a sitter. Michonne, who still wasn't Shane's biggest fan even after all these years, had a soft spot for Andrea's daughter and set her up to play Super Mario Brothers with Andre upstairs. He was under strict instructions to let her win sometimes and to help her if she needed it.

When she returned downstairs, she found Rick and Shane sipping beers in the corner of the living room. She joined them, letting Rick put an arm around her waist. She listened while the two of them talked about work, complaining about their commanding officers, laughing at the rookies, and speculating about who their new partners would be. Rick was hoping they would be one of the teams to not be split up. Michonne couldn't help but agree because while Shane wasn't her favorite person, she knew that Shane would always have Rick's back and never leave him in a vulnerable position.

Shane took a swig of his beer before he asked, "So how's your mom, Michonne? I heard she took a fall."
"Yeah, she broke her ankle. Fortunately, it wasn't too severe, but she's not particularly fond of that boot. Whenever I'm over there it's off and she tries to tell me that the doctor told her she doesn't need it on when she's not walking. She seems to have forgotten that I was there for that appointment. But thank you for asking."
Shane nodded, spotted Daryl and Tara goading Glenn into drinking again and headed in that direction. After he left, Michonne looked up at Rick, "I don't want to tell anyone about her mind just yet."
Rick nodded in understanding, "I wouldn't want to either."
Michonne's mother had begun to forget things. At first it was just little things like forgetting where she put her phone, but it slowly progressed into her forgetting to turn off the oven or leaving her keys in the ignition when she went to the supermarket. Visits to a neurologist confirmed what Michonne had feared; her mother was in the early stages of dementia. It was hard for her to watch, but after she had time to absorb the news, she made a decision that she was going to embrace the time she had left with her mother. She was going to spend more time with her, make sure her mother got to spend time with her grandkids, and she was going to make sure she was okay. Thus began regular visits to her mother's, a standing invitation for her mother to join Michonne and Rick for Sunday breakfast after Michonne went to church with her and encouraging Andre to call his grandmother and tell her about his day. It had been tough, but Rick and Michonne had adjusted. Rick was thankful that his parents were still healthy, happy and together. At times he felt guilty, like when he saw Michonne near tears trying to remind her mother that her father had in fact passed away before Andre was born at that no, he wasn't late coming home from the store. He felt a rock in the pit of his stomach when she argued with Andre insisting that he needed to call Grandma even though he whined that she was boring to talk to; he would intervene when he saw Michonne getting upset, handing the already ringing phone into Andre's reluctant fist. His breath caught in his throat every time Michonne answered a call from an unknown number, fearing that her mother had wandered off again. They were trying to move her into an assisted living facility before their daughter was born, but Michonne's mother was making that an arduous process, rendering their plan nearly impossible. Perhaps she would be more likely to make the move once she met her granddaughter and was reassured that she wouldn't be forgotten about. Either way, Rick and Michonne had decided to ease off for the time being.

The couple was pulled out of their reverie when Glenn slurred, from where he was seated on Maggie's lap, "Tara! When are you and what's her face going to have a baby?"
Maggie clapped her hand over Glenn's mouth, but it was too late. Tara was already blushing madly, looking anywhere except at her "friend," Laura. The look on Laura's face rapidly shifted from one of confusion, to embarrassment before settling on amusement.
"Tara, haven't you told them?" Laura grinned broadly at the group.
Tara stuttered out, "Guys! I told you she was just my friend!"
"That's what you said about Denise," Shane pointed out.
"Okay, that was because Denise didn't know she was gay yet!"
"And Alisha," Glenn added slowly.
"I didn't know I was gay yet! God, Glenn that was in like ninth grade!" Tara sputtered. "Why are you bringing that up? Oh my God!" Tara buried her head in her hands, grumbling, "I am so sorry Laura."
Laura laughed, eyeing up Shane, "Okay, so I'm going to clear this all up right now. Tara is seeing my roommate, but she thought I might like to meet Shane, so that's what I'm doing here."
Shane clearly wasn't sure what to think and with a nudge from Rick, he stumbled towards Laura and asked her if she wanted to grab another drink from the kitchen with him. The two of them left about an hour later, after Rick agreed to keep Ashley for the night, and Tara peeked out the window before exclaiming, "Ew! They're like a layer away from public indecency." She cranked open the window of Rick and Michonne's living room and wolf whistled. This caught Laura and Shane's attention and she followed up with, "Walsh! I will arrest you, and I swear I will not hesitate to tell everyone at work about this!"
Shane flipped her off before kissing Laura once more before they got into their separate cars, speeding off the road the same way, despite the fact that they had arrived from opposite directions.

Rick clapped Tara on the back, "I've got to hand it to you Chambler. That was a good call."
"I told you I'd find him someone."
Rick chuckled, "You still need some humility, rookie."
Tara responded indignantly, "I am not a rookie anymore and you know it!"

Any further retort between the two was interrupted as Beth answered a FaceTime call from Andrea and Amy. Beth told them to hold on a minute as she gathered everyone onto the sectional and projected the call onto the TV and set up the laptop on the coffee table.
Andrea squealed when she spotted Michonne and her pregnant belly situated next to Rick, crying out, "I can't believe you're having a baby without me, Mich!"
"You ran away to California," Michonne pointed out. "We've done a lot without you."
"Ugh, don't remind me," Andrea groaned. "It's not my fault that California suits me. Look at this tan!" Andre pulled out the collar of her shirt to emphasize her point before she continued, "Besides, the civil rights scene is fierce out here. And it's the way I get to be with Amy. She was always mad at me for leaving her at home while Shane and I played house. Now she can't get rid of me."
Amy rolled her eyes, but Andrea shoved her playfully.
"How's the hunting going, Amy?" Daryl asked, a smirk on his face as Carol punched him in the shoulder.
"For the nine thousandth time Daryl!" Amy exclaimed. "I am not hunting marine mammals! I am doing research to determine how the pollution of the ocean is impacting the mortality of different marine mammals, and there is an abundance of information given the recent mass strandings!"
Carol soothed, "You know he's just trying to push your buttons. Don't listen to him Amy."
Andrea said, "By the way Dixon, you'd do great out here. All the girls would love you."
"As if I need any of them," Daryl muttered, slinging an arm around Carol's shoulders without even a semblance of grace. Yet anyone looking at Carol could see exactly how much the clumsy gesture combined with his words meant to her.

Amy grabbed Beth's attention, "You will never guess who just moved here too Beth!"
"You're right, I probably won't, so you should just tell me."
"Ugh, you're no fun. But I'll tell you anyway even though you're being lame. I was just trying to come up with a fun game, because I never get to talk to you guys and I was just trying to make-"
Maggie cut her off, "We get it, Amy. You're too fun for us. It's why you moved to California. Who is it?"
"It's Jessie!" Amy exclaimed.
Tara laughed, "Looks like she caught wind that the man of her dreams married the greatest woman ever and she's having his kid. I'd have run across the country too."
Rick eyed Michonne cautiously as he asked, "And how's she doing?"
"Oh I have no idea," Amy answered. "I just saw it on Instagram, but apparently she's trying to become a singer or something. A little late in life if you ask me."
"And nobody did ask you," Andrea said, taking the opportunity to ask about Abraham and Rosita.
After Maggie told her they were in Germany she asked about Sasha, and Maggie said, "Yeah, after Abraham decided to go back to chasing Rosita she kind of fell off the grid. She moved to New York when Tyreese got drafted by the NFL and I think she became a firefighter or something. I saw pictures on Facebook a while back and I think she had a boyfriend at the time, but apparently, she has a type because he was in the Army too."

"You know who else is having a baby without you Andrea?" Glenn interjected with a drawl.
Andrea looked confused and asked, "Why's Glenn so slow on the uptake?"
Maggie laughed, "He let himself be bullied into drinking his bodyweight in whiskey."
"Gotcha. By the way, if he thinks anyone missed the eighty six announcements he made about it on social media, he really is stupid, but congratulations Maggie, that's really great news."

The group chatted for about another hour before everyone started getting ready to go, having caught up to their satisfaction. They promised to do it again soon, but they all knew it was a hollow lie. Life got in the way. It was a nice goal to strive towards, to see each other soon, but in reality it was just never truly possible.