Mending Fences - Chapter 5: "Everything"

Sophia, Andre, Judith and Logan was all fast asleep when Rick and Michonne came home. It was late...around 11:30pm. Carl wasn't. He was laying down on his bed watching a movie when he heard the door opened and closed. Picking up his baseball bat he went to his door and cracked it open slightly. When he heard laughter he realized that it was his parents. He closed his door..a smile appeared on his lips.

He's glad his family is whole again..that Judith and Logan get to have their father back at the most critical stage in their lives. Most importantly, he was glad his mom was happy. She held them down and kept them together and she deserves to be happy again but there are things she needs to tell dad and he hopes she does it soon.*************

Rick looked at Michonne as she cuddled next to him. It was early Sunday morning and the time they spent at the La Florence Decante Restaurant was perfect. They both cried and got past hurt, regrets and feelings out of the way. It is time now to begin anew. When they came home late last night..all they did was cuddled...and soon they fell fast asleep. He kissed her on her shoulders as he spooned her.

"Good morning."

"Hmmm. Good morning." Michonne replied sleepily.

Rick was hearing a lot of commotion downstairs. He wanted to go check.

"The kids are up."

"Hmmm."

"Going to see what they are up to and make us some breakfast."

"No...don't go downstairs. It's their day today."

"What?"

Michonne turned to face him. She put her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, her eyes still closed.

"I don't do anything on Sundays. The kids do everything."

"Really?"

"Yes really. It's something of a tradition that we accidentally started. We just never stopped.

"Since when?"

"Two years ago."

"Oh."

Rick couldn't help but feel a pang of hurt in his heart. He wasn't here to share the start of this new family tradition with them.

"Who's idea was it?"

He got no reply.

"Michonne?"

Michonne had nodded off to sleep. After fifteen minutes, he gently pulled himself out from under her and headed downstairs.**************

"You put too much salt Carl!"

"No I did not! The recipe calls for 1 tsp salt!"

"That's not a tsp...you have a tbsp in your hand! Look!"

When Sophia put a piece of pancake in her mouth, she spat it out almost immediately.

"Jesus! Are you trying to kill our parents? They can't eat this!"

Carl took a taste.

"We can still eat this!"

Sophia shook her head and took the blueberry batter that Logan was mixing in a bowl. She poured it in the pan and minutes later she offered a piece for her big brother to taste. Without a word, he threw out his salty batch of pancakes and gave Logan the ingredients to start whipping up another batch.

Nearby, while Andre was mixing eggs in a bowl to make scrambled eggs, Judith was adding seasoning as per his instructions. Rick stood in the dining room unnoticed by the mini chefs for about ten minutes. He walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning."

Judith and Logan immediately stopped what they were doing and began pushing him out of the kitchen.

"No daddy! You can't come in!"

"Why not?" Rick asked chuckling

"House rules dad. No parents allowed."

"But I need a cup of water. I'm thirsty!" He playfully protested.

Sophia handed him a large bottle of water.

"Nice try."

The two youngest Grimes resumed pulling and pushing him out of the kitchen towards the stairs. They watched him as he slowly ascended till he disappeared from their sight. At the top of the stairs, Rick could hear the commotion resuming. He walked into their bedroom and found that Michonne had re-adjusted her position on the bed. He was quietly slipping in behind her when he saw something he wasn't familiar with. Michonne's night vest was partially hiked up and it revealed several jagged scars on her right side of her back.

"What's this?" He asked.

When he touched it Michonne flinched so violently that it alarmed him.

"It's nothing." Her back was still turned to him.

"It doesn't look like nothing."

Michonne said nothing.

"Look at me."

She slowly turned to face him.

"What happened?"

"Look..It's no big deal."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. We are starting off fresh. Leave the past right where it is…..in the past."

"Ok." Rick said reluctantly.***********

The breakfast they had was a hearty one….scrambled eggs on super buttered toast made by Andre and Judith, blueberry pancakes with orange juice and coffee made by Carl, Sophia and Logan. There was joy and laughter at the table. It was good.

While the children cleared the table, it was Sophia who noticed how her father was looking at her mother...looking at her body like he was searching for something. Then it suddenly hit her. The scars on her mother's back. He must have seen it...he knows what happened to her.

Slipping away from her kitchen duties briefly Sophia caught her mother alone for a couple minutes.

"So you told dad."

"Told him about what?"

"About what happened to you...at the supermarket."

"No."

"Why not?"

"That is in the past Sophia. I want it to stay there."

"But dad needs to know!" She protested.

"I know what your dad needs and what he does not need is any information that will make him do something he will regret."

"You don't trust him to keep cool."

"I trust him...I am just not going to tempt him."

Sophia looked at her mother for awhile.

"You never keep secrets from each other. Why start now?"**********

Later that morning while Andre and Judith try to put together the menu for lunch and Carl cleaned out the living room, Sophia caught her father outside in the yard playing with Logan in the back.

"Dad, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Yeah."

Sophia looked back at the house to make sure her mother didn't see her.

"You saw the scars on mom's back right?"

"Yeah."

"Did she tell you where she got them?"

Rick's eyes now narrowed at his daughter.

"Is there something you want to tell me?'

Sophia was beginning to regret bring this up with her father, now that she is seeing the scowl on his face. Maybe mom was right.

"It's not important anymore dad." Sophia turned to leave.

"Sophia…."

She decided to just come clean.

"Mom was attacked at the supermarket!"

"What?! How do you know this?"

Sophia's eyes were now wet.

"Because I was there."***********

Upstairs, Rick heard the shower in their bedroom was on. Michonne was in there. Stripping quickly, he entered the bathroom. He snaked his hand around her waist and pulled her into him. Then he put his other hand on the scars.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" He whispered in her ear. Then he looked at her and held her gaze. She knew that Rick had come to know the truth.***********

Two and a half years ago…

Michonne and Sophia was grocery shopping in Northview Shopping mall. They were there buying decorations and presents for Logan's birthday and was in the dairy section bantering over which of Logan's favourite ice dream to get when a woman approached them.

'Do you know me?'

'What?'

'Do you know me?!'

Michonne looked at the woman for a couple seconds as she moved impatiently from one foot to the other.

'I don't think I do.'

The woman chuckled sarcastically.

'Of course you don't! I'm the sister of the police officer your husband murdered!'

Michonne looked over at Sophia who had this terrified look on her face.

'Excuse me.' Michonne said politely to the woman and looked back at Sophia who now had moved closer to her. 'Sophia...let's go.'

Michonne tried to push off her cart but the woman grabbed it and held it firmly in place.

'It must nice huh? Walking around with your head held high as if you are so perfect...you and your five children. We've been watching you and your family. You get your husband back after three measly years. Do you think it is fair that your kids still have two parents while my nephew only has one?!'

'My husband is innocent.'

'Oh really?! Why did he take the plea deal?'

Michonne said nothing.

'I was in the gallery when your attorney asked for the jury to be polled. He would have gotten 25 years for what he did. He should have gotten the needle!'

Michonne had had enough. She pushed the cart forward hard, pushing the woman to the floor. She looked around and saw that two people in the isle was looking on. She grabbed Sophia's hand.

'Let's go.' They rushed out of the supermarket *********

They were in the empty parking lot by the car when Sophia suddenly screamed out.

'Mom!'

Michonne felt someone grabbed her from behind and pushed her up against the car. Then she saw the same woman run up and grabbed Sophia, preventing her from reaching to her. A man whispered in Michonne's ear.

'This is for Anthony!'

Michonne felt a sharp pain in her back as the man stabbed her twice quickly. He pulled out the knife and Michonne felt the warm liquid running down her side. Sophia began screaming.

'Stop!'

The man stabbed her again and he held the knife in the wound.

'Now you and your siblings will know what it feels like to lose a parent!' The woman whispered to her.

'Stop! Mom! Somebody please help us!'

The man had covered Michonne's mouth so she couldn't scream as she struggled against him.

'Hey!' A man shouted from a distance behind them. He was running towards them.

In one defiant move, Michonne pushed herself back against the man and they fell backwards. Unfortunately, the knife sank deeper into her. The man roughly rolled Michonne off of him.

The woman let go of Sophia as she shouted to the man.

'Derek! Let's go!'

Derek fled..leaving the knife stuck in her back and Sophia hysterical.

'Mom!' Sophia screamed as she ran over to her. She was about to pull out the knife in a panic when the man shouted .

'No! Don't pull it out!'

The man who shouted at their attackers was of their side. Michonne's eyes was closed and she was wheezing. She knew that her lungs were punctured. Tears came to her eyes as she was beginning to think that she would die in front of her daughter.

The man took the keys from her hand and Michonne felt herself being gathered up and placed in the back seat of her car. The man told Sophia to get in the back with her which she did. The man started the car and began driving to the nearest hospital.

Sophia cried all the way. Michonne spent almost three weeks in the hospital. The man who helped them, Shane Walsh visited her almost everyday to check on her. Carol, Rick's sister came to stay with her children while she was in the hospital and then an additional two weeks when she came home.

Michonne made the children swear that they will never tell Rick anything about this. Carl and Sophia argued but in the end they didn't have a choice. Now Sophia is breaking that promise by telling her father.***********

"Why didn't you tell me Michonne? That you were attacked?"

Michonne turned her face away from Rick's as the water cascades over them.

"Hey.."

He gave her a gentle shake.

"Look at me...please."

She did.

"I know why you didn't tell me. You didn't want me to blame myself for what happened to you but I need to know these things...everything. What if these people come after you again? Or after the kids? You can't shield me from the consequences of my incarceration...ok."

Michonne nodded and Rick kissed her.

"Is there anything else you need to tell me."

"No."

"Good."************

Andre and Judith couldn't agree on the lunch menu but one thing that everyone loved was pizza..which they ordered. Forty five minutes later three large pizzas was at their front door. Ten minutes after that, they were sitting in front of the tv, watching a movie.

Judith was propped up against Rick and Logan against Michonne on the sofa with the three oldest on the floor. Slices of pizza was being handed back and forth..eyes glued to the tv. Rick looked over at Michonne and suddenly he pulled her in for a kiss, causing Logan to fall off of her.

"Daddy!" He cried out.

Rick threw his hands in the air.

"Sorry!"

Then he winked at Michonne who giggled like an school girl. Logan went on the ground to sit among Andre, Carl and Sophia and Judith followed suit almost immediately after. With no children between them Michonne scooted over to Rick's side of the sofa and he pulled her close to cuddle. He kissed her again, a little longer this time.

"Ewwww."

It was Logan watching them..disapprovingly. Carl gently turned his baby brother's head forward.

"Eyes front!"

As Rick's family continued to watch TV..his mind was elsewhere. He was planning the most romantic, passion filled, earth shattering night of Michonne's life...a night she will never forget.***********