Best Friend

A/N: Just a little something to show how Rick and Michonne take care of each other.

Michonne rushes into the house, desperately trying to get out of the cold. She knew winter time in Virginia would be harsher than in Georgia, but the snow came early and it came in hard. She has just finished her shift as community constable and cannot wait to bask in the warmth of the house.

She is pleasantly surprised to see Rick on his haunches in front of the fireplace, tossing another log in to keep the fire going. She smiles as she makes a beeline for the warmth, already rubbing her hands together in anticipation.

Rick looks up with a smile as she plants herself in front of the fire, still wearing her coat and gloves. "Well, you're too cold to even greet me?"

"Oh, sorry. Hi, but it's really freezing out there. All of that shoveling and clearing the sidewalks and streets did no good as everything's white again. My boots got wet just on the walk home," she informs.

"I think you'd warm up faster if you got out of those boots." He moves over to her. "Here, let me help you." He quickly unlaces both boots and pulls them from her feet along with her socks, tossing them aside to dry. "I see you're taking to the coat just fine."

"This coat is heavenly, Grimes. I don't know where you found it, but thank you…again," she returns.

Rick takes a moment to appreciate how well the coat hangs on her frame. He took one look at it in that deserted department store and immediately thought of her. He wasn't sure if she'd like it or not, but he grabbed it anyway as well as procuring coats for Carl, Judith, and himself. He recalls when he pulled it out of the bag and how big her eyes grew. It was cashmere she said. He wasn't sure what all of that meant, but it made her happy so he was glad he grabbed the matching gloves.

"I knew you'd be home a little late, so I saved you a plate. As soon as you're ready to eat, I'll get it for you," Rick relays.

Michonne looks out of the corner of her eyes at Rick, wondering what his angle is. He does nice things for her, but lately it has been more frequent and he has been more than helpful around the house. She can't help but smile as he stands and slowly begins to remove her coat, offering a hand for her gloves. She pulls them off and watches as he stuffs them into a coat pocket and walks over to the rack to place her coat among the others.

"You warm enough yet?" He asks.

"Just waiting on my feet to catch up with the rest of my body," she offers.

"Come here." He suggests as he takes a seat on the sofa.

Michonne pads over to him quietly and takes a seat. She observes as Rick hooks an arm beneath her knees and props her feet into his lap. "What are you doing?"

He takes the purple afghan throw and covers her with it before placing both of his hands over one of her feet to massage and rub it.

"You have got to be kidding me? A foot massage? What gives? You need me to work your shift tomorrow or something?" Michonne asks, almost closing her eyes as his hands feel so good.

Rick laughs. "I am honestly trying to warm your feet. That's all. Besides, I've taken notice of a few things around here and it made me realize how thankful I am for you."

"What things have you taken notice of?"

"I don't know how you do it, but the house is kept clean, you take care of the laundry, you cook for us, plus you hold down a job just like I do. You've made this place into a real home and I just…I just want to say thank you." He sighs as he continues to massage her foot. "That's why I've been helping out a little bit more. You shouldn't have to do all of this on your own and Carl is going to start helping out, too."

She smiles genuinely, completely taken aback by his thoughtfulness. The fact that she didn't have to ask made it all the more special. "It's all about team work, right? We're best friends. We're a team."

"Best friends. Right," he returns softly.

"Something wrong?" Michonne inquires.

"No, of course not. You are my best friend. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. You've seen me at my lowest, you've seen me do things I never even knew I was capable of doing, and not once have you judged me or looked at me any different. You're always here for me and I feel like I can tell you anything," Rick confesses. "I'm not sure why you've chosen to stick around, but I'm glad you did."

The sentimentality in Rick's voice is very apparent and Michonne feels the need to reciprocate. "I'm glad I did too. I wasn't in the nicest place when you met me and even though we got off to a rocky start, you chose to let me stay." She smiles at him. "Thank you for that."

Rick feels the need to lighten the moment. "So, answer a question for me."

"Sure."

"Are you ticklish?" He doesn't give her a chance to answer as he softly traces his fingers from the heel of her foot to her toes.

Michonne tries to jerk her feet away but Rick holds her steady and fast. "Rick…don't do that. I swear I will piss my pants if you tickle me."

"Talk about dramatic. That sounds like a cop out if I ever heard one." He holds tight to her feet and starts tickling her.

She yells out and throws the afghan at him, trying to pull her feet away but he won't allow it. "Stop…stop it…..right now."

"Or what?" Rick challenges, shaking the afghan to his side.

Michonne scrambles up, pulling her feet beneath her as she comes up on her knees and dives at Rick, straddling him as she tickles his waist. "How does that feel, huh?" She laughs with him as she looks into his eyes which are a light sky blue.

He grabs her wrists and flips them over, his body hovering over hers. "I am not going to piss my pants."

She laughs out loud at that and continues to try to break free. "Let me go you big bully."

"Oh poor baby can't break free so now I'm a bully?" Rick fakes a pout as he continues to smile down at her.

Michonne lifts her hips in an attempt to push him off the sofa only to have parts of their anatomy come into contact with each other, interrupting their laughter quickly as a light charge passes between them.

Rick lifts himself farther away from her as he releases her wrists, watching her cautiously.

She slowly places a hand on his chest, noticing that his heartbeat matches hers. "Rick?"

"What's all the yelling about?" Carl asks as he descends the stairs, holding his baby sister in his arms.

Rick sits down quickly and faces his son. "Nothing, Carl. It was nothing."