When Michonne's lips touched his, Rick was temporarily caught by surprise. He quickly recovered, her head nestled in his palm as he deepened the kiss. This wasn't his plan when he came over. All he wanted was to see and spend time with her instead of staring blankly at the four walls in his apartment. But with the heat of her so close, he knew now there was nothing else he wanted more.

To grant himself better access, he tilted his head to fully savor her sweet taste. The second their tongues met, he heard her moan and the sultry sound went straight to his groin.

"Rick," she whimpered but was powerless to stop it. She didn't want to stop it. It was hard to tell where he ended and she began.

Michonne came up for air, gently nudging him back into the corner of the sofa, her side and hips cozy between his legs. His hands roamed to cup her breasts. When he flicked her nipple she bucked and her knee rubbed his substantial erection.

"Shit." Hissing at the contact, he jerked upright reversing their positions. Michonne didn't want to relinquish control. As long as she was in the driver's seat she could regulate how far this would go but the truth was it was already too late. She was out of control the second they kissed.

She lifted his shirt and tossed it to the floor, eager to get her hands on his bare, well defined back. Rick was busy at work too, his mouth traveling from lips to her cheek and then neck. Her skin tingled and she opened her legs to fit him in between. His groin connected with her core sending a burst of liquid heat through her and she gasped.

The sound was so sexy and sent Rick into overdrive. His hands were on the button of her pants and he held her gaze silently asking for permission.

"Please." Writhing beneath him she was desperate for him to touch her. Her skin was like fire. Red, flushed and scorching.

She needed him on her.

Inside her.

Just as eager, he fumbled to get her pants down. Once the garment hit the floor, he cupped her intimately over her panties. Judging by his sharp intake of air she knew that he could tell how ready she was.

Her brain was short-circuiting. She was still trying to process that this was happening with Rick. Her body and mind were battling with each other. Every time she had a somewhat rational thought he would touch her and it would vanish. His knuckle grazed her clit and felt so good that it was almost painful.

"Ri-"

It was supposed to be a plea for them to come to their senses but it sounded more like a plea to make her come. She needed to get his pants off. The slow torture was killing her and she was afraid she would have an orgasm before he got inside of her.

Michonne intended to unbuckle his belt, but there wasn't enough time. She needed to feel him. Immediately. She unzipped his jeans and took his hard cock in her hands. Rick growled against her neck as she gently squeezed him. And that's when she felt it.

His cell phone was vibrating in his pocket.

Michonne tore her lips away from his. "Rick your pho-"

"Yeah," he sighed in frustration pulling away from her. "Fuck."

She rested her head in her hands while he jerked the phone out of his pocket obviously annoyed.

"Grimes," he snapped. "Yeah….ok….I will be there in twenty minutes…bye."

Rick threw the phone down and scrubbed his hand down his face trying to regain control. He was pissed. He wanted her so much and she felt so good in his arms. Now the moment was lost. Over the years he had sacrificed a lot for his job but this was downright unbearable.

Michonne watched him fighting with himself and was suddenly a little bashful at her lack of clothes. "I guess that was Hershel," she said grabbing her pants off the floor.

"Yeah," he gruffed. "Shane just texted too. He's gonna meet me at the scene."

Awkward, she began to get dressed. Her panties were wet to the point of discomfort. The silence between them was deafening but once she turned around, he was staring at her.

"We have to get ready and go," she clarified and tried to read his expression.

"I know." He hadn't moved since the phone rang.

His eyes were wide and he hoped she could see how much he hated that their moment was ruined. Eventually, he got dressed, excusing himself to the bathroom to calm himself down.

Michonne paced back and forth in her living room, almost tripping on her black bra. "Shit." The reality of what just happened was staring her in the face. Literally.

It was in her hands when she heard her bathroom door open and an uncomfortable looking Rick emerged.

"I guess I'll be going then." He grabbed his jacket and waited for her to say something.

Just as she mustered the courage to say something, his phone rang again.

"Shit," he cursed. "Shane, I'm on the way." He slammed the phone shut and turned towards the door.

It was hard not to sense his disappointment at having to leave abruptly. Truthfully, she was too. Although the phone was a distraction, it gave her a moment to think of what to say. A million thoughts raced through her mind but eventually she settled on, "It's ok. I know you have to go."

He leaned in to kiss her cheek. "We will talk soon. Ok?"

"Ok."

The need bubbled over to smooth out the tension between them sooner rather than later but his wish was not granted. Two complicated back to back murder cases kept them apart for almost a week. They exchanged texts here and there but there was an edge to their interactions that knocked him off center. At best his personal life was a complete mess thanks to his contentious divorce. He didn't want to ruin the friendship that had come to mean so much to him over the last few years.

Michonne was wrapping up a conversation with one of the new deputies Glenn Rhee when she felt Rick's stare. Glenn excused himself to go talk to Shane and she was left near their desk trying to organize some case notes she needed to bring with her. The nervousness set in. Not just because she was seeing him but because there would be no more delaying their conversation. Rick was never the biggest talker, according to Lori it was a large reason for their divorce, but his need to speak with her was radiating off him in waves. She was never one to back down from any type of confrontation, good or bad. But this thing with Rick was different and they hadn't even slept together—yet. Damn Maggie.

"Do you want to grab some lunch?" She jumped at the sound of his voice so close to her ear.

"Umm, I really have to finish this paperwork." Good job Michonne. Ugh.

Rick looked around to see who was near and leaned in further. Shane was giving Glenn a hard time in one of the interview rooms and Hershel was on the phone in his office. He sat on the corner of the desk for a few beats willing her to talk. "We need to talk Mich."

Mich? Now he was calling her by the nickname her parents gave her.

"Fine." She stuffed the rest of the files into her bag. "Something quick though I need to get back to the DA office."

At their favorite deli, they sat across from each other picking at their sandwiches. Rick wasn't quite sure where to begin and Michonne was not making it easy. After all, he was the one who wanted to talk so she let him take the lead.

"So…" He wiped off his hands on his napkin and leveled her with his gaze. "We haven't really talked since that night. Are we ok?"

"We're fine Rick. I promise," she tried to assure him. "It's just been a long week. I mean you know. You were there." She chuckled at her desperate attempt at a joke.

He gave her a small smile and began to open his chips. "I don't regret it. I hope you don't either." Her hand stilled on her sandwich and she was truly at a loss for words. "Just say something. I'm worried that—"

"It's fine I told you. We're fine. We are normal like we've always been," she tried to convince herself. He was clearly not buying it.

"Do you regret it?"

It was the only question he needed the answer to. He needed to know they were not permanently broken. It was all supposed to be a joke. Their innocent flirtation had turned into something more and now he felt like he was suffering the consequences without actually having had the reward of having sex.

She played with her napkin trying to search for the right answer.

"Do you regret it?" he asked again. The vulnerability in his voice nearly broke her.

"No." And it was the truth.

Rick breathed a sigh of relief and his shoulders relaxed. Despite herself she smiled and his confidence slowly seeped back into his posture. "So...you don't regret it. Does that mean you liked it?"

"Check please," she signaled to the waitress.

They laughed but it was cut short when he put his hand in hers. Goosebumps formed on her skin.

"Come on Mich I'm serious," he whispered. "Before we got interrupted…I was enjoying myself."

There was that voice. The one that had her sprawled out on her sofa in practically nothing.

"Yeah I think it was pretty obvious you were enjoying yourself." Oh god she was actually flirting back with him. The grin that he gave her in response sent those feelings rushing back and she adjusted in her seat.

He leaned in, his voice even lower. "I seem to recall you were enjoying yourself as well. At least from what I could feel when I had my hand on your—"

"Rick? I thought that was you," the voice interrupted and Michonne quickly pulled her hand back. "Oh hey. It's Michonne right?"

It took her a moment to regain her composure and place who it was that approached the table. It was Jessie Anderson, the secretary in the Burglary division. They ran into her every now and then passing through the building, apparently him more so than her.

"Hi Miss Anderson." She spoke back to blonde but noticed that she was completely ignoring her, instead focused completely on Rick.

"Hey Jessie how are you?" He was going for nonchalant but it didn't quite work.

It took Michonne half a second to realize they were on a first name basis while Jessie barely knew who she was.

"I'm good," she answered cheerfully.

"Good."

"So.." she started and shot a quick glance at Michonne, "Are we still on for Friday?"

He cleared his throat and she tried her best to seem unaffected but shifted uncomfortably.

"Friday…Friday," he repeated trying to jog his memory. "Oh yeah that. I actually had something come up with the kids and I'll have them this weekend so…"

Michonne squirmed. She needed air. And she needed to get out of there as soon as possible. Rick watched her looking for a way out and needing to talk to her, not Jessie. He had completely forgotten about the date. They had gone out twice over the past month and although she was nice and it was an okay time, he didn't feel like they had chemistry. They had agreed two weeks ago to see a movie she liked. Now that there was something sparking with Michonne, even if they agreed for only one night, he wasn't interested in seeing Jessie again.

Michonne's phone rang and even though she didn't know who it was, she took it as an opportunity to get the hell out of dodge. "Sorry I have to take this." She rushed to the restroom and was both thrilled and dejected to see it was Maggie calling.

After convincing Maggie to lie to anyone who asked that they had a meeting scheduled on a case, she took a few minutes to get herself together in the bathroom. Seeing Rick with Jessie shook her. She knew he probably dated but witnessing it up close and seeing that he had plans with someone else in a few days was unsettling.

As she exited the bathroom the first thing she noticed was that Jessie was now sitting in the booth next to Rick and he looked uncomfortable. She charged towards them and grabbed her belongings.

Rick instantly jumped up in a panic when she grabbed her jacket. "Hey where are you going? Who was that on the phone?"

"That was Maggie she needs me to meet her about the Meyers case." Much like Rick earlier, she was trying to seem nonchalant but knew that she failed.

Her lack of eye contact was all the confirmation he needed that she was not okay. "Ok Jessie it was nice to see you," he started to stand and grab his jacket.

"Oh no you stay here. I'm going to catch a cab." She put her hand on his chest to stop him.

He leaned in to whisper so Jessie couldn't hear. "Michonne it's not what you think. She's—"

"Ok I'll see you back at the station," she interrupted noticing Jessie's prying eyes when they talked.

In a flash she was out the door.

She was at Maggie's office within thirty minutes after walking a few blocks and then catching a cab. She was wrapping up a phone call but gestured for her to close the door and sit down.

"Sorry about that. That was Meyer's attorney."

Michonne rolled her eyes, "What did he want?"

"Same ole posturing but don't worry its all good."

"Good."

"Soooooo you going to tell me what's going on?" Maggie asked noticing her defensive posture.

Michonne sighed and slumped in her chair.

"Uh oh." She put her phone on do not disturb and opening her bottom drawer to pull out of a bottle of scotch.

"I'm in the middle of working Maggie I can't drink that right now."

"If I know you, we are both going to need this to get through this conversation. Plus no one will know. I won't tell if you won't."

Reluctantly she agreed and they both took a sip. Her fingers circled the rim of her glass trying to figure out where to start. Much like Rick, Michonne wasn't one to discuss her feelings easily but she was in unchartered territory and needed advice. After all, Maggie was the one who got her in this mess. Well, sort of.

"I kissed Rick," she admitted. "Actually I kissed Rick and we ended up half naked on his sofa and were about to have sex when he was called out on a case. We haven't talked about it and it's been weird so we decided to talk today."

Maggie watched her in shock but managed to string a few words together. "And what happened?"

"Well we talked about it and we got back on solid ground for about 2.4 seconds and then Jessie Anderson walked up to remind Rick about their date on Friday."

"Shut the fuck up!" She gasped, never one to mince words.

"Yep." She put her glass next to the scotch bottle and her friend poured her some more.

"So they've been dating?"

"Guess so."

"Is it serious?"

"Well I have no idea, shit I didn't even know they had gone out before. He never said anything."

Maggie poured herself another drink, waiting to see if Michonne had more to say before she began.

"So anything else?"

Michonne blinked several times and sat back in her seat.

"It wasn't a crack against you Mich, I just wanted to make sure you said everything before I give my two cents. Well in this case it may be more like a nickel."

She rolled her eyes and braced herself for what Maggie had to say.

"Yes I'm done."

"Ok a few questions first. Who initiated the makeout session?"

Michonne blushed.

"I'm so proud," she teased holding her heart. "Ok how was it?"

"Oh god," Michonne rolled her eyes. "This isn't the time to for your usual antics and being nosey."

"Humor me here. It's not what you think."

She reluctantly acquiesced. "Ok fine. It was—It was—I expected it to be weird. I mean it's Rick. But it wasn't. I kissed him and the next thing I knew we were all over each other," she explained suddenly wishing she could take another sip of scotch. "It felt good. Too good." She looked down feeling embarrassed at having said it out loud. The truth was over the past week whenever she had a free moment she couldn't stop thinking about how his hands felt on her, his soft, demanding lips and how her body instantly reacted to his touch.

Her body language didn't go unnoticed by Maggie.

"This Jessie thing bothers you. Why?"

Michonne scoffed and started pacing. "Because I was about to sleep with someone who I don't even know what the hell he's doing or who he's doing. I had no idea that he was dating someone that we work with."

"And you feel like he should've shared that with you," Maggie surmised.

"I know he doesn't owe me an explanation."

"Exactly".

"But I was blindsided and it bothers me and I don't know why."

"Can I say my piece now?"

"Am I going to need another drink?"

"Probably but you can't have a lot because you have to go back to work and so do I," she replied and nudged the glass back in Michonne's direction. "It bothers you because the thing with you and Rick has always been gray. It's evident there are feelings there but the two of you won't go there for whatever reason."

She was about to interrupt but Maggie held up her hand to stop her.

"I know I know. You are friends and colleagues. I get it. I don't want to get it but I do. Anyway, you knew he was dating. You even mentioned it to me when we were at the bar that night. It bothers you now because maybe that kiss opened up something within you that you finally have to face. I'm not naïve enough to believe that you don't know you have feelings for him. You are just in denial and won't admit it to anyone else and I'm cool with that. Just please don't punish him. Just because your feelings are hurt it doesn't mean he did anything wrong. He is single and he's dating. His hot friend kissed him and he wasn't going to turn that down. If anything I think I just developed a whole new respect for the man," she joked. Against her better judgment, Michonne couldn't help but smile.

"I hate you sometimes," was the only response she could come up with.

"I know I know. But honestly what are best friends for?"

Michonne pulled out her phone and began to scroll through her missed calls.

"I still hold firm to my original thought," Maggie said. "You need to get laid or maybe go out on a date. So maybe you need to pick up where you guys left off."

Before she could finish Michonne pressed the call button. "Maggie you are half right. I do need to go out and get laid." A second later the person on the other end of the phone picked up. "Hey Ezekiel, it's me Michonne. I wanted to take you up on that offer to go out if you are still interested."

The next day after some short and to the point text messages, Rick let her know that he would be out of pocket this weekend since he was taking Carl and Judith camping. Even though they hadn't seen each other, she knew he was excited to spend some extended time away with his kids. Since the separation, he only had them at his apartment a day or two at time with Lori FaceTiming every night. Her presence was always looming.

Michonne couldn't imagine that level of frustration, feeling like someone was watching you take care of your own kids. But as always, she was there for him. Even if it meant sitting with him in silence while he brooded over a beer. They never needed to say much. She would just fit her hand over his and say, "I'm with you." It was important for him to know that someone was on his side.

Although there was a twinge of disappointment that he would probably be without a cell signal all weekend, she pushed past it. Instead, she focused on her date with Ezekiel. She spent the late afternoon shopping for a simple but sexy dress that was Maggie approved. By the time she arrived at her apartment building later that evening, she was mentally and physically exhausted. When the elevator doors opened, she glanced down the hall and recognized the silhouette instantly. Standing at her door was none other than Rick Grimes.

She took a deep breath and almost stopped in her tracks but he made eye contact and she continued towards him.

"Hey." She sounded like she was out of breath so she cleared her throat and spoke again. "What are you doing here? I thought you were leaving tonight."

His hands were in his pocket and he was shuffling nervously back and forth. "I am. I'm on my way to get the kids I just wanted to talk to you first."

He waited for her to open the door and invite him in but when she didn't budge he continued. "I'm going to be late so I have to be quick. That whole thing with Jessie at the diner—"

"You don't have to explain anything to me Rick. What you do with your time is your business," she cut him off.

"I know I don't have to but I want to. She and I went out a couple of times before anything with—this," he explained gesturing between the two of them. "I just wanted you to know I'm not seeing her again and I wasn't trying to keep anything from you."

She shook her head and chuckled uncomfortably. "Like I said, you don't have to explain what you do on your own time. We were just having fun, right? One night, that's what we agreed to."

"Yeah. About that." He paused and moved just the slightest bit closer to her. "I hope it's still on the table."

Their eyes met and she saw the same look of sincerity mixed with desire that catapulted her into action the last time. This time her feet stayed planted firmly on the ground and she fought with herself not to move.

She didn't want it to be off the table. She wanted him. Against her better judgment and all things that made sense in the world, she wanted to fuck her friend.

"Rick—"

He gently placed two fingers to her lips, effectively silencing her. "Don't answer me right now. Just think about it," he whispered against her lips. Her knees began to shake and she vaguely registered her shopping bags hitting the ground.

Rick's lips ghosted hers and she moaned when he finally connected them. The kiss was languid and the most erotic kiss she ever had in her life.

"Think about how it felt when my hands were on your breasts," he whispered between kisses. "How hard I was for you. How my cock felt in your hands."

Michonne moaned at the memory of how warm and thick he felt around her finger. She pressed her thighs together and felt him grinning against her lips.

"You remember it don't you?"

She shook her head not even attempting to form a coherent sentence.

"It won't be just a memory for long." He ended their kiss. "I'll be back Monday night. I'll see you soon."

Michonne's head was fuzzy, and she leaned against the wall feeling hungover, completely drunk from his kiss. He took the keys from her hand, opened the door and ushered her in.

"Have a good weekend."

And with that, he was gone and she took a cold shower.

A/N: Coming up, Rick arrives back from his camping trip with only one thing on is mind. Hope you guys enjoyed and please leave a review and tell me what you think ;)