Thank you, thank you, thank you! I wish i could have quickly replied to all your wonderful reviews individually. However, I'm super busy at the moment and I really wanted to post this chapter up quickly and get started on the next.
So hopefully you like the direction I've taken with this new chapter update. *Fingers crossed*
Sweat trickled down Rick's neck. The intense summer heat made him feel lethargic and heavy. He shifted his weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other; anxious that the sun was setting a little too quickly for his liking. He glanced at the sky and knew they only had about thirty minutes of sunlight left. Concerned, he picked up his axe and walked over to Abraham.
"Hey, how many more logs do we need?" Rick asked.
"For now, about five more. We can place the logs to brace the wall. But eventually we'll need to get some sorta welding equipment."
Rick scanned the wall and agreed with a nod after a moment of silence. "I'll let Glenn know. Anything else we might need?"
Abraham thought for a few seconds before replying, "No. That's 'bout it."
Rick pat Abraham on the back and walked swiftly towards his backpack to retrieve a bottle of water. He consumed half the bottle and emptied the rest over his head. He looked at his watch and realized it was much later than he thought. "Abraham, tell the guys to pack up soon and head in. We've got a party to attend. Looking forward to going home first, though. Haven't eaten all day."
"You going home to eat? Or, you more excited 'bout spending some alone time with your lady friend? Didn't she move in?" Abraham smirked.
Rick chuckled at how swiftly news spread in their little community. "Uh, yeah. She will, probably tomorrow or the day after." He grinned. "But truthfully, I'm excited 'bout getting me some food. It's Sunday, so I'm looking forward to Mich's vegetable roast. I don't know how she does it. I'm drooling just thinkin' 'bout it."
"Michonne? She gonna be there?" Abraham asked, bewildered. He could have sworn that Maggie had told him of Michonne moving out of Rick's house and in with Daryl. The thought of Michonne still going over to cook for Rick and the kids didn't make any sense to him.
"Yeah. Why?" Rick asked suspiciously. He felt it was odd that Abraham would ask about Michonne.
"Oh, no reason." Abraham tried to quickly brush it off. He figured that he might have misheard Maggie. "You go on, I'll take it from here. By the way, congratulations on making it official."
"Thanks. See you at Deanna's!" Rick grabbed his bag, waved and walked off. He smiled, thankful that his shift was over and that he would be able to unwind. Spending sometime with Michonne and the kids was high on his to-do list. While he walked back to the gates of Alexandria, Rick thought of Michonne and Carl. He knew that they had a very close relationship; and if anybody could coax Carl into accepting their new living arrangements, it would be her.
Daryl tossed and turned in bed quietly, careful not to make a sound. He could hear soft sobs coming from the bed across the room. He opened his eyes to the soft golden light of Michonne's bedside lamp. He lifted his head slightly and looked over to her. Michonne lay on top of her comforter in the fetal position - her back to him and her face to the wall. Her body shook slightly as she sobbed. Daryl sat up, and swung his feet to the floor. He stood and gingerly walked towards her. The floor boards creaked under his weight. Startled, Michonne began to apologize immediately through her tears and hiccups.
"Daryl I'm...so sorry... I promise...to be a better...room mate in...in the future." She chokes a little, trying frantically to control her breathing to abate her hiccups.
Daryl sat down beside her. He looked down at her thinking how fragile she appeared in that moment. Gone was the warrior who single-handily blinded and killed the Governor. This new, vulnerable person was like a stranger to him.
"Mich?" He asked softly. Fearing that if he even so much as touched her shoulder, she would completely come undone.
She brought her hands up to cover her face, not wanting Daryl to see her tears. "Yeah?" She said, in a soft muffled whimper.
Daryl rubbed the back of his neck and took a deep breath. "You're my family. I love you too, ya'know?" He paused momentarily for her response but got none. "And if Rick can't see you for what you are, a bad-ass chick that's in love with him. Someone that would do anything for his kids. Then he's a fuckin' asshole. I can't stand to see you like this Mich."
"Thank you." She manages as she her hiccups subside. "Daryl?"
"Yeah?"
"Could you...could you lay down and hold me?" She asked weakly, bringing her hands to her chest.
Daryl hesitated. He looked around the room, wanting to refuse her request, but he just didn't have the heart to. "Um... Sure." He felt awkward and tried to act as normal as he could. He raked his brain for an ice breaker. For something, anything, that he could say that would hopefully make this situation a little less uncomfortable. As he cautiously slid down beside her, he draped his arm loosely over her waist. His body was stiff and straight. He was almost scared to brush up against her. She wore a tight grey crop top and plaid shorts. His eyes ran over her frame; he realized that he had never seen so much of her bare skin before. He cleared his throat and swallowed hard trying to keep his nerves at bay. "Um.." He spoke before he knew what else to say. "Uh. Cry. Or whatever you need to do. I'll lie here and hold you...and imagine you were Carol." They both laughed as Michonne playfully slapped Daryl's hand on her waist.
She could sense that he was jittery and uncomfortable being so close to her. She smiled knowing that he was only doing this, because she had asked him in her time of need. "OK. Deal." Michonne said as she grabbed his forearm and pulled him in closer. "But no funny stuff, I'm not Carol. PG rated, ok?"She joked in an attempt to put him at ease. She looked over her shoulder with a small smile.
Daryl grunted in acknowledgement feeling somewhat sheepish that he wasn't able to hold her gaze. "Of course, idiot." He mumbled, look up at the ceiling.
It took a few minutes for both parties to relax and drift off to sleep. Neither one caring to admit that after years of being alone, it felt good having someone to fall asleep next to.
Rick ascended the steps to his house two at a time. On the porch he found four large boxes blocking the front door. He picked up two boxes and clumsily shuffled the other two into the house with his feet. Rick placed the boxes down and noticed the house smelled of tuna casserole. He left out a long-suffering sigh as disappointment washed over him.
"Tuna casserole, two nights in a row? Mich, you're killing me. What about our Sunday special?" Rick called out to the kitchen and waited for a response but got none. "Mich?" He called out once more, waiting for Michonne to walk out of the kitchen. Upon hearing approaching footsteps, he continued to talk. "Hey, did you get around to talking to..." He stopped mid sentence, when Jessie appeared.
"Hey!" Jessie said cheerfully and rushed over from the kitchen threshold to greet him. "Oh, sorry. I was going to get around to doing that." Jessie said just as she noticed all her boxes neatly stack to the side of the front door.
"Oh, uh...that's OK, I did it." He smiled and kissed her forehead. "Is Michonne in the kitchen?"
She smiled back at him and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you, you're such a sweetheart." She turned on her heels and walked back into the kitchen, ignoring his question. Just the mention of that woman's name irked her.
Rick followed close behind. He entered the kitchen and made a beeline for a large bowl of peas on the counter. He picked at them for a few seconds watching Jessie closely as she washed dishes. He noticed that she seemed slightly on edge. "Hey, you ok?" Rick asked.
"Packing was a nightmare. And Judith was a close second. She cried for almost an hour. And I'm not even exaggerating."
"Really?" Rick said trying to mask his annoyance. It disturbed him, that Jessie would compare his daughter to a nightmare. However, he was in no mood for an argument and decided to let it go. "Um...was Michonne not here to put her down for her nap?" He said, eating a few peas before continuing. "You know, Judith adores her. She's putty in Michonne's hands."
With her back faced to Rick, Jessie rolled her eyes and took in a sharp deep breath to suppress the anger rising in her. She hated that Rick put Michonne on such a high pedestal. There was nothing that woman couldn't do in his eyes She turned and smiled lovingly at him. "No. I haven't seen her all day." Jessie said sweetly.
"Oh, OK." Rick replied, puzzled. "Where could she be?"
"I might know where she is." She said coyly and sauntered over to Rick, wrapping her arms around his waist. "You know Mrs Neudermyer? Well, she stopped by today to drop off some fruit. She said she saw them through Daryl's kitchen window, hugging. Possibly kissing. She suspects that Michonne and Daryl are a couple. Can you believe that?" She paused when she felt Ricks body tense, but decided to resume the conversation. "And apparently Bruce, you know the guy that works down at construction with Abe; he saw them kissing two nights back! I know you can't rely on gossip. But i just thought it was interesting. So, she's probably still at Daryl's."
"Yeah, interesting." Rick said, suddenly feeling uneasy. He pulled away from her and leaned heavily against the counter. Deep in thought.
"What?" she asked baffled by his stand-offish demeanor towards her.
"None of what you said makes any sense." He furrowed his brows, looking at her seriously.
"Really? Cause I think they'd make a great couple." Jessie retorted.
Rick rolled his eyes. He shifted weight from on foot the other and cocked his head. He was clearly irritated by the subject of Daryl and Michonne. "No, they wouldn't. They're too much alike. And Michonne would've told me."
Jessie scoffed, unwilling to accept his reasoning. "She's not a child. She's a woman. All women have secrets. Even from you."
Rick stood thinking for a few seconds before he spoke. "Besides, Daryl's been out recruiting for over two weeks and just got back today. So Bruce's story is shit." Even as he uttered those word, Rick felt some relief in knowing Bruce's accounts could not be true.
Jessie sighed and moved to stand in front of Rick. "All I'm saying is, she's obviously preoccupied with something or someone else. Which is good for me" She said sweetly, veiling the contempt she held for Michonne. "Cause it means we have more time together." She leaned in for a kiss and waited. Rick was too preoccupied with his thoughts that he did not pick up on her cue. He shrugged and walked to the window, leaving her flustered and embarrassed. Rick struggled with his emotions. He rubbed the back of his neck in frustration; uncertain as to why this topic evoked such strong feelings.
The sound of the front door opening and closing broke Rick from his thoughts. Slow foot steps approached the kitchen. Rick turned from the window to see a distraught Carl come into view.
"Hi, Carl. You hungry?" Jessie asked happily.
Carl ignored her and retrieved a bottle of water from the fridge. He gave his father a look of loathing and left for his room.
"Carl!" Rick yelled and followed after him.
Carl was already on the fifth step before Rick called out to him again. He stopped in his tracks and turned slowly to face his father."What?!" He said aggressively. "I'm done for today. I can't deal with anything else. What do you want?!"
Not wanting to exacerbate things any further, Rick inhaled deeply before replying in a calm even tone. "Please get dressed and head over to Deanna's."
"Fine." Carl answered coldly.
"Have you seen Mich?" Rick asked hopping that his son would open up a little if he asked about Michonne.
Carl eyes hardened. Without saying a thing, he turned to walk away.
"Carl!" Rick yelled, angry at his son's blatant disrespect.
Without turning to face his father, Carl looked to the floor. "Ask Daryl." He said bitterly and continued on his way.
Rick watched Carl walk up the stairs feeling sick to his stomach. Were they really a couple? I gotta talk to Daryl. He thought begrudgingly.
"Jessie, I'm going over to Daryl's" Rick called out to her. He didn't bother to wait for a response, Rick was already halfway out the back door and out of earshot.
Rick opened the back door of Daryl's house and stepped over the threshold. He stopped briefly looking around. The house was eerily quiet. He noticed that only a few lights were left on, leaving the rest of house in darkness. He walked further into the house and searched the communal areas. Rick noted that the there were several dirty dishes left in the kitchen and realized that the household had already left for Deanna's. Rick decided leave. He strode towards the back door, but came to a halt in front of the staircase.
"Might as well give it a try" he said out loud to himself; ascending the staircase rapidly.
He walked straight to Daryl's room as it was the only door that was left ajar. Soft light permeated out into the corridor. Surely he's in there. Rick thought to himself. He pushed the door open and found an empty unmade bed.
Just as Rick was about to leave, he heard soft breathing. He stood at the threshold and decided to go in. Upon entering, he saw Daryl's plaid covered back. Relieved to have found him, he walked further into the room. He stopped abruptly. His fists begin to ball up involuntarily. He heart rate quickened as anger enveloped him. His feet propelled him forward in the direction of Daryl. Before he could think rationally and stop himself, he had Darly by the collar, throwing him out of the bed.
With a big thud, Daryl's back hit the hard wooden floor. The force was so great that it winded him. Dazed and gasping for air, Daryl's arms flailed frantically to grab for anything to use as a weapon. Before his eyes could adjust to the low light of the room, he was pinned to the floor as punch after punch landed on his face.
Startled, Michonne sprang out of bed and reached for her concealed knife that she had taped to the side of her bedside table. Unsheathing it, she tackled the assailant to the ground. Pinning him on his back. Her full weight, sitting on top him. One hand on his chest as the other held her knife to his neck.
"Rick?" Michonne said confused and breathless as her eyes adapted to the light.
"What the fuck!" Daryl yelled out in pain and frustration as he held his throbbing face. He slowly inched backward till he could lean against the base of his bed.
Michonne slid off Rick and crawled over to Daryl, she cupped his face and worriedly looked him over. She glanced back at Rick baffled by his actions.
"Rick. What the are you doing?" She asked, stunned.
"I could ask you the same of you." He retorted and scrambled to his feet.
"What?" Not fully understanding what he was implying. She remained seated by Daryl's side with one hand on his shoulder. "I'm not the asshole going around beating people while they're asleep." She said incredulously, in utter disbelief that Rick would intentionally hurt Daryl.
"So, I tell you that Jessie's moving in and this is what you do?! Sleep with Daryl?!" Rick's voice thundered in the small room. He took a few steps towards them, his stance aggressive and threatening.
"What?! Is that what you think this is?!" Michonne screamed back. She rose and quickly moved to put herself between Daryl and Rick. Her arms outstretched pushing against Ricks chest to keep him at a safe distance.
"What else could this be?" His questioned, intensely holding her gaze.
Michonne's blood began to boil. Her eyes grew fierce and her hands clenched into fists. "So what if I did?" She sneered with disdain.
"Mich, stop! Rick..." Daryl shocked by her false admission, tried to interject. But was met with Michonne's furry.
"Be quiet Daryl!" She yelled, not breaking her gaze from Rick's. She dropped her hands from his chest; stood a little taller, and squared her shoulders ready for anything Rick would say or do next.
Rick cocked his head; his piercing blue eyes filled with rage. He was barely holding himself in check. "You know what, fuck you Michonne." He said in a low hoarse tone. His words dripped with venom.
Michonne took a step forward. She was so close that her body softly brushed up against his. She leaned in and whispered, "Well, Daryl's already done that."
Rick faltered and took a step back. Her words cut straight through him. Pain washed over him as his heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. He looked around the room, unable to stand anymore of their back and forth. Rick felt physically sick. He looked at her once more before he walked out with his head hung low.
Michonne and Daryl remained silent as they waited for the sound of a door opening and shutting to signify that Rick had vacated the house.
"Mich, why'd you say that for?" Daryl asked, still sitting on the floor and wincing in pain.
"I wanted him to hurt." She said and sat heavily on her bed.
"Trust me. You've hurt him good. You feel good bout this? How it all played out?" Daryl slowly stood and crawled onto his bed.
She shook her head and averted her eyes. "No. But he's the one that came in here accusing me of shit I didn't do."
"Ya'know you could've just told him the truth. It's plain as day light Mich, he cares 'bout you." He gave her a small smile from across the room.
Michonne smiled back and let out a sad laugh. "Well I don't think her cares much for me anymore." She leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. She fidgeted with her hands and contemplated the mess she had created for them. She sighed heavily and met Daryl's eyes. "You saw how mad he was. Do you really believe he would have bought the truth? That we really were, just sleeping?"
Daryl lay still, letting her words register. "No... So what now?"
"Well... We're going to have to play nice when we see him again tonight." She sat up straight and rolled her shoulders.
"No. I'm not going. Are you crazy?!" Daryl said and watched her closely. He figured time apart from Rick, would be best for the both of them in this situation. But he had a feeling that she would not see it from his point of view.
She stood and walked over to him. "Yeah you are. You're going to be my date." She said and placed her hands confidently on her hips.
"Date?" Daryl looked up at her with horror written on his face. "Michoooooonne! Pleeeeeeeeeeease! You tryin' to get me killed?!" He said in a long-suffering tone.
"No. But he thinks we're together. So w..."
"No, Michonne. This is goin' to turn to shit." He cut her off, hoping that it would be the end of it.
She bit her lip and continued to work on her plan internally. "Daryl you're coming!" She said finally and looked down and him with a big smile.
Unable to listen to any more, he groaned and pulled the pillow out from under his head to cover his face.
"I'll take that as a yes." She said triumphantly. "But first where's the first-aid kit. We have to put some arnica cream on those bruises."
"Box under my bed." He replied flatly from beneath his pillow.
Michonne knelt down to retrieve the box. But noticed there were actually two boxes. A regular cardboard box and a smaller beautiful ornate wooden box. She pulled the wooden box from under the bed and sat momentarily in awe. She reverently ran her finger tips across the wood. It was made of dark mahogany with gold embellishments. She had never seen anything quite so intricate and beautiful. Michonne gently undid the clasp and looked in. Her eyes grew wide as she surveyed the contents. Inside were: several small bottles of perfume, scented soaps, nail lacquers, jewelry and other wonderful trinkets. Shocked, she nudged Daryl's shoulder roughly with her hand. He groaned and lifted the pillow slightly so he could see her out from the corner of his eye.
"Did you know this was back there?" She lifted the box to his eye level.
Daryl brought the pillow to his chest and stared up at the ceiling. "Uh, yeah." He managed after a long exhale.
"All this...it's for Carol?" She asked softly.
"Yeah."
Michonne gently closed the wooden box and returned it to its place. She retrieved the cardboard box and rummaged through it. She glanced sporadically at her friend as she looked for the cream. Her heart wept for him. She wanted to reach out to him; comfort him. She struggled to find the words but decided against saying anything. She reached the bottom of the box and pulled out the tube she'd been looking for.
"Here. Rub that on your pretty face. We've got plans tonight." She said with a mischievous grin still kneeling by his bedside.
Daryl inhaled and exhaled heavily. "Michonne, this isn't a good idea." He said worriedly while holding her gaze.
She smiled and placed her hand on his arm. "Trust me. All I ask, is that you trust me." She stood and walked to her side of the room.
Daryl returned her smile and nodded. He wanted to reason with her. Tell her that she was going to get hurt. But he knew it was pointless. She was just as stubborn as Rick. He knew, he would have to sit back and watch this train-wreck of a plan play itself out. Daryl lay there silently, weighing out the possibility of her plan working out in their favor.
The loud click-clacking of Michonne's stilettos brought Daryl out of his thoughts. He sat up to try and reason with her once more. Stunned. His jaw dropped wide opened. Michonne stood before him in a figure hugging white dress and white and gold heels. Her dress was knee high in length with long sleeves and a tiny gold belt - somewhat conservative. She turned to pick up her earrings that she had left on her pillow. Real panic began to set in. Her dress was backless - the drop of her dress only stopping just above her shapely behind. He swallowed hard as apprehension filled him. "Oh god, I hope Rick doesn't put a bullet in my head tonight." He mumbled nervously to himself.