I decided to post this short update to remind myself to keep going. Another LONGER chapter is on the way.

Michonne had taken to nuzzling Rick's neck despite his lazy demands for her to stop. She used her right hand to caress his beard and to hold his face in place while she annoyed the tough biker.

"Are you done yet?" He asked, mildly annoyed, but amused nonetheless. He could get used to this.

"Do you have somewhere to be?" She asked as she kissed his cheek for what felt like the millionth time that evening. He sighed and she laughed a throaty laugh. "You love this and you know it." They had been glued to one another for an hour. Michonne, kissing his face, and Rick, allowing her to do whatever she wanted to him. A drastic change from the first time they met.

"Yeah, yeah." He said as he sat himself up.

Michonne frowned at the sudden change of mood. She gently touched his back as he ran his hands through his hair. "Hey... Are you okay?" She asked.

He stayed quiet for a bit. The truth of the matter was, his nightmares were becoming worse. He didn't want to scare her by letting her know that Vietnam had fucked him up more than what she had seen, but he knew that she would soon be able to put the pieces together. "I better get goin' soon; I need to help out with the shop." He didn't look at her when he said it. He couldn't bring himself to lie to her again.

"It's almost eleven at night, can't it wait until morning?" She asked, practically begging him to stay. He sighed and she removed her hand from his back. Rick immediately felt cold. He turned around to see her covering herself up with the duvet.

"Don't do that, please." He said, finally turning to look at her. He knew that she was upset - it was like they were in tune with one another despite not having known each other or been around each other for that long. "I'll be back tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure, we can hang out." She said, trying to act unaffected.

"Micho-"

"It's fine, Rick, really it is." She dismissed him. She knew it: he had said all those things to get her to bed. She rolled her eyes, not wanting to be a crybaby but not being able to stop the lump from forming in her throat.

"No it's not." He started. "This ain't easy for me. I left Arizona and all the people I knew for you and..." He sighed again and she moved closer to him. She wanted him as much as he did her. Rick rested his head on Michonne's chest. "I get nightmares from my time in 'Nam. They were gettin' better, but then they got worse." He wouldn't admit that they had only gotten better because he thought of her. Michonne remained quiet. "They told us to shoot the enemy, but sometimes the enemy was a ten year old boy. Other times it was a mother trying to protect her home. Sometimes... it was just a lost civilian. The screams..." She caressed his curls as he gripped her tighter. "I still hear them and they scare me more than anythin'." He fell to his knees before her and held onto her for dear life.

She pulled the duvet over his body to give him a sense of comfort. "It's over now, Rick." She whispered.

"No... I-"

"How can I help you feel better?" She interrupted. In truth, she wanted to know more, but didn't want to rush him. He would tell her when he was ready.

"Stay with me."

"Okay." She whispered back. She brought him back to bed and wrapped them up in her duvet. She held his body close to hers, afraid of letting go. He in turn allowed himself to cry for the first time in years. He didn't know if she would embarrass him in the morning but for now it was nice to know that someone was on his side despite all the horrible and illegal things he had done overseas.