5. The Beginning of the end

1

Michonne woke up covered in sweat and tangled in sheets, her stomach was knotted, a wave a nausea rolled over her, she almost screamed out loud before she remembered she was having a nightmare. The hardest part about nightmares she thought, was convincing yourself that they weren't real. She rubbed her face with trembling hands and took a few deep breaths to will her racing heart back to it's normal pace. She could not have a panic attack, not in Rick's house, she did not want him to see her that way.

After Michonne called Rick over about Alley he stayed with her for most of the day. Rick had helped her pack up all of Allegory's things and took them to the local thrift store for her. He checked every square inch of her house inside and out, and over apple pie listened to her ramble on incessantly about Allegory. Not once had he rolled his eyes while she talked about her cat. She was pretty sure Rick would have stayed eating pie with her all day if she hadn't pushed him to go back to work.

"You getting sick of me?"

"No, I don't want you getting fired because of me."

"I won't get fired I'm the sheriff."

"You've stayed with me long enough, I'll be fine." Michonne lied.

"Don't try to tough it out on your own, stay with me this weekend, you should be surrounded by people who care about you. "

"What about Carl? I'm his teacher all of this could get pretty awkward."

"I'll explain to him what's happened he'll understand. I know you're his teacher, but you're still human and that should come first."

"OK." Michonne said. Staying over at Rick's house for a weekend seemed like a bad idea, but staying in her house by herself seemed even worse.

"I'll drop you off at my house on my way back to work, but don't worry you won't be alone Carl and Judith will be there to keep you company."

Michonne packed a small suitcase of all the things she would need, but it felt odd not having to worry about Allegory. The only reminder she had of her cat were pictures and her collar.

Rick drove Michonne back to his house and called Carl on the way explaining the situation to him. When his cruiser pulled into the driveway neither of them got out of the car.

"I'm glad you decided to stay, I just realized there's only one week of school left, and when summer vacation starts I won't have an excuse to come see you." He looked up at her through his eyelashes and Michonne wondered if Rick was always this shy or just around her?

"You don't need an excuse."

"Does that mean I can take you out to dinner?" Rick leaned over and unfastened her seat belt.

Michonne looked down at Rick's hands, if she looked up she'd be looking into his eyes, and if she looked into his eyes she would kiss him, but it wasn't only Rick she had to think about.

"You never said if I could take you out to dinner."

"I'd like that."

Rick unbuckled his seat belt and Michonne felt him move closer. She was still looking at Rick's hands noticing that he wasn't wearing his wedding ring, he must have just recently removed it though, because the skin was still pale where the ring had once been.

"Michonne?"

"Yes?" She looked up into his eyes damming herself, if he kissed her now he would send her too far down the rabbit hole to stop any feelings she had for him.

Rick leaned over and nudged her lips with his, parting Michonne's mouth, his warm mouth still tasted like the sweet remnant of apple pie they'd been eating earlier. His mouth completely captured hers working it open so that he could kiss her even deeper. Michonne felt herself melting.

The windows of the cruiser fogged up as they made out Michonne's fingers curled into his hair ,she let out a soft moan as the weight of his body pressed her into the door ,and she'd thought she'd die from the feeling of Rick's hard chest pressing into her's. Rick's kisses were slow, soft and lingering. He took his time as if he wanted to remember the exact shape and feel of her mouth. Michonne's arm trailed down from Rick's hair to his forearm holding on to it as leverage to lean up and kiss him harder. In that small space and being that close it felt timeless, like a million years could pass and they'd still be kissing. Rick's hand stroked the side of her face and then trailed through her locs. He pulled on the end playfully and she gave his lip a nip.

Rick broke their kiss and gave her an amorous look over. "I shouldn't have done that, but I've wanted to for a while now."

"Why shouldn't you have?"

"It was even better than I thought it would be"

Rick had thought about kissing her. Too far down the rabbit hole indeed.

"We'd better get inside."

Michonne nodded the feeling of Rick's kisses still lingering on her lips. She wanted to follow Rick to his room and take off his clothes, she spent so much time checking him out in his uniform she knew he wouldn't disappoint, but there was a whole set of extenuating circumstances that needed to be addressed before sex. Rick was a widower, and she was Carl's teacher.

Rick carried Michonne's suitcase into the guest bedroom for her. Michonne sat down on the four-poster bed and smoothed out an invisible wrinkle on the patchwork quilt.

"Are you OK?"

"I'm wasn't expecting you to kiss me."

"I'm sorry."

"I not upset, I'm just surprised."

"I didn't know that I was going to kiss you either, it's been so long since I could even think about kissing someone."

"Are you OK?"

"I don't know, I'm an older widower with two kids trying to get with a beautiful woman half my age."

"I'm not half your age."

"Feels like it, I've got baggage Michonne."

"I've got baggage too Rick, everyone does."

"I don't want to ruin what we have, I mean what are the odds of finding a woman who not only likes me, but likes my children as well?"

"If you want to take things slow I understand, in fact I think we should take things slow."

Rick tilted Michonne's chin upward and dropped a slow deep kiss on her lips. "Slow it is."

There was a knock on the door. "Michonne are you decent?"

Michonne got out of bed pulled on her robe. "Come in."

"Hi, did you sleep well?" Rick asked.

"Yes." She lied.

"I made coffee if you'd like some."

"Thanks, just let me get showered and dressed and I'll meet you in the kitchen"

After her shower Michonne joined Rick in the kitchen. "What would you like for breakfast?"

"I can't let you cook you're my guest."

"Why don't we both cook then?"

"Well all right." Rick said and slipped his He who cooks is king, apron over Michonne's head and tied it around her waist. "It looks cuter on you."

Rick was close enough that Michonne could smell his cologne, Acqua di Gio. He smelled so damn good Michonne wanted to bury her face in his chest and sniff him, but instead she asked. "Does this mean I'm the king?"

"I believe it does."

"Well as your king I'm ordering you to start frying up the bacon."

"Yes your majesty."

Michonne found out where the frying pans were kept and put one on the stove top. "Do you like Spanish omelettes?"

"Si."

Michonne laughed. "You're pretty damn cute sometimes."

Rick blushed.

"Mimi!"

Michonne spun around in the middle of whisking eggs. Carl and Judith had come into the kitchen both were still in their pajamas.

"Hi there Judith."

The two-year old toddled over to Michonne, and she bent down to Judith's height and gave her a hug.

"We play zoo in my room Mimi."

Rick laughed. "Let her eat first Jude."

"Hey Ms. Mitchell." Carl said looking at Michonne as if she didn't quite belong.

She couldn't blame him it must be off putting to have your teacher sleeping in your house. It would be like having the superintendent sleeping over at her house.

"I'm sorry about your cat."

"Thank you."

"Do you think maybe Nick Hayden killed your cat? He killed a turtle in science lab in eighth grade."

"Carl." Rick warned.

"Well he did! He just took his head and-"

"Talk about something else Carl."

Michonne plucked three oranges from the fruit bowl on the counter and began to juggle. Misdirection was a good way to stop an impending argument.

Judith laughed and clapped. "Again Mimi again!"

Michonne took up Judith's request and juggled one more time.

"Where did you learn how to juggle?" Rick asked.

"I used to work at one of those medieval restaurant as a serving wench, and I was dating one of the court jesters, he taught me how to juggle."

"Sounds cool" Carl said.

"It wasn't but it helped pay for college, but once they learned I could speak Shakespearean and fence they gave me a broadsword, and promoted me to knight."

"Did you joust?"

"No I just acted in staged sword fights."

"Maybe you'll show me sometime." Rick said.

"If you're lucky."

2

Rick looked at himself in the mirror before he started his morning shave. He hoped that he didn't appear as old as he felt to Michonne. It had been a long time since he was as attracted to a woman as he was to Michonne. This summer would be the third year anniversary of Lori's death, three years both felt too long and not long enough. Rick did not want his feelings for Michonne do be developed as they were, or least the part of him that missed Lori and still felt guilty over her death didn't, but the rest of him, the bigger part of him wanted to get to know Michonne. He was sure she wanted to get to know him too, or else she wouldn't have kissed him, and what a kiss it had been. Rick wondered what Michonne saw when she looked at him. Did she see an attractive man? Or did she just see an old tired white cop ten years her senior?

When he looked at Michonne he saw someone young, vivacious, and beautiful. He saw a woman so selfless that she was willing to risk her life for her students. Rick had remembered watching CNN coverage about the school shooting, Michonne's name had been among the name of teacher's that had stayed inside the school to protect their students. Rick had been amazed the lengths she'd gone through for her students, and last night he had kissed her.

Even when Rick was sixteen years old he didn't make out in his car with girls. The girls at his school had always liked Rick, but he felt too gangly, goofy and too shy to ask girls out. His best friend Shane Walsh had gotten all the girls.

"You gotta loosen up man, no chick wants to date Julius Kelp." Shane had always said. It was easy for someone like Shane to say that, Shane was handsome, athletically gifted, and always knew the right thing to say. Rick had played on the baseball team with Shane, and while Rick was good Shane was a phenomenon, and everyone was sure he'd turn pro, but he chosen the police academy instead, and convinced Rick to join him. Now Shane was a homicide detective in Atlanta with no shortage of female friends.

Rick thought about Shane's advice. He needed to loosen up with Michonne the trouble was he got nervous around her and it made him shy, but she seemed to like that. He liked that she was not like the other women in town who only seem to want to date him for the status it would give them. In Possum Holler ,where everyone liked to keep up their white picket fence illusions, marrying the right kind of man meant everything to these women. Michonne was able to see past him being a sheriff, a father, and a widower, and see him. Rick finished shaving and washed his face. He gave him self one last glance in the mirror. Perhaps he didn't look that old after all and suddenly he didn't feel so tired.

"I got some good news." Rick said as he entered the kitchen.

Michonne looked up from the picture she was drawing with Judith.

"We caught Nick, the little shit was using a katana to chop up your fence, Rick sighed, the katana is what he used to kill your cat. We thought it might be the weapon he used to umh assault your cat so we had it tested"

"So I guess criminals really do return to the scene of the crime hun?"

"The really dumb ones do."

"That's a relief of some sort, so what's going to happen to Nick?"

"Well he's been charged with menacing and aggravated cruelty."

"Do you think he'll actually do any time?"

"He's in jail now and will be going to court where they'll try him as an adult. Plus there's the note"

"Note what note?" Michonne narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"I didn't want to tell you that day I thought it might upset you, but that note Nick left said you're next bitch."

"What!"

"I know I should have told you I just-I'm really sorry."

"No, it's all right I know you were just trying to look out for me."

"So what are the two of you drawing?" Rick ask coming over to the table to have a look.

Judith had drawn a picture of him, Carl and Michonne at the zoo, next to going to the park, going to the zoo was her favorite thing to do.

"I draw you daddy."

"I see, you even drew my hat."

Rick poured himself a bowl of Cheerios , sliced a banana into it, and then turned on the TV and sat at the table with Michonne and Judith. The morning news program that was on was interrupted by breaking news.

"We can now confirm there is one confirmed case of the Cadere virus in Albany, we are getting reports that there maybe several more cases of the Cadere virus, but those reports are unconfirmed at this time, however I would like to repeat that there is at least one confirmed case of the Cadere virus in Albany. The virus, which is believed to be passed though saliva, causes rapid decomposition in it's victims and is highly contagious. Little else is known about the Cadere virus at this time"

"Albany that's closer than I'd like it to be." Rick said.

"What would we do if that virus reached here?" Michonne asked. "Is this town even prepared to handle any sort of disaster, natural or otherwise?"

"Well I've been trained for what to do in case of a tornado, flood, fire or mass evacuation due to any of those three things, but a pandemic not so much."

"Maybe I should head to Atlanta with you this summer Rick, and you could drop me off at the CDC along the way."

"We could all go and pick up some Hazmat suits , Rick said, you think they have toddler sized ones for Jude?"

The news continued and the reporters voice suddenly became solemn as they announced that the confirmed case was now a confirmed death.

3

Carl was looking outside of his living room window, waiting for Roy Wayne Paul to show up when a police cruiser pulled up outside of his house. He figured his dad was probably sending a patrol by to check on everyone, especially Michonne. When he saw his dad's old partner, officer Gary Stevenson , get out of his cruiser and walk up to his door his heart fell to his feet. He knew from the way officer Stevenson walked, and from the look on his face that something had happened to his father, something bad. Something very bad. Carl ran to his front door and wrenched it open before officer Stevenson even had time to knock.

"Is something wrong? Did something happen to my dad?" Carl cried

Officer Stevenson reached for Carl "I think we should go inside"

Carl backed out of his reach. He did not wanted to be comforted he wanted the truth. "No tell me now!'

"I'm sorry, but he's been shoot son."

In that moment everything stopped, he felt like his heart and lungs stopped too. He didn't want Gary to say anything else, he did not want to hear that his father was dead, he wasn't strong enough live through another death. "Is my dad- is he dead?" Just saying the word made Carl's whole body go weak, and his knees gave in and he dropped to the ground, gripping the grass to keep himself from falling on his face.

"He's not dead Carl he's been shot, and they had to fly him over to a trauma center in Atlanta.

Carl looked up feeling dizzy and nauseous. His father wasn't dead. "Is h-he all right?"

"It's pretty serious Carl I'm not going to lie to you."

Carl was still kneeling in the grass, when office Stevenson helped him to his feet, as he stood up felt numb like he wasn't in his body and none of this was happening to him. The day did not even feel real to him anymore. He didn't know how he was going to be able to be able to make it though if his father died he didn't think he could.

Carl didn't even notice the surrounding of his own home he still felt like he was in the middle of a living nightmare.

"Carl is that you?" Michonne called. She came down the hallway holding his sister and stopped short when she saw Officer Stevenson.

"Ms. Mitchell is it?" Officer Stevenson asked.

Michonne nodded. "I'm sorry to have to tell you that Rick's been shot."

"Oh my god! Is he all right?"

"I don't have all the details, but he's been flown to Atlanta."

"What do I need to do?" Michonne asked.

"Why don't we talk about that in the kitchen. Carl why don't you take your sister."

Carl watched the two of them go. He wanted to follow them, he knew that Officer Stevenson was telling Ms. Mitchell what condition his father was really in. He wouldn't tell Carl because he thought he was too young and too fragile. It wasn't fair it was his father. He had a right to know more than his English teacher did. He sat on the couch with his sister what if the only things she ever knew about either of their parents were the things he could tell her? How would she feel only having to see their parents through pictures? He was already trying to remember every single detail he could about his mother so that he could tell Jude one day. If his dad died would he be strong enough to tell his sister about him too? Or would the memories be too painful to hold to?

When Ms. Mitchell came out of the kitchen she was hugging her arms around herself, Carl could tell that she'd been crying but tried to fix her face so that he wouldn't notice. He remembered that she had been shot too, and wonder if she was going to be OK.

"So there are a few things I need to take care of first, but after I'll dive you and your sister down to Atlanta to see your father."

"What about Officer Stevenson?"

"He left already, he was on duty but wanted to be one who broke the news. He said that he and Rick went way back"

Carl was glad Ms. Mitchell was there, she took over all the things he would have never thought to do in a thousand years, while he sat with his sister. Judith had no ideal what was happening with their father, and Carl didn't plan on telling her she wouldn't understand even if he did. He couldn't even wrap his head around it not really. He knew people got murdered, but it was hard to believe that someone had pointed a gun at his dad knowing they might kill him, and pulled the trigger anyway. His mother had killed herself and someone tried to kill his father.

"I packed a bag for you and your sister Carl but you might want to go through them both and make sure I didn't leave anything out." Ms. Mitchell said. "I've canceled your paper, and your neighbor Mrs. Ferguson will be getting your mail for you, I'm not sure how long your dad will be in the hospital."

Carl nodded and then his cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey Carl it's Shane, how are you doing?"

"Not so good."

"Well don't worry, I was down at the hospital with yo daddy."

"How is he doing?"

"He got shot the chest, mighta hit a lung or something cuz they got him on ventilators."

"You don't think he's going to die do you?"

"Rick? Hell no they don't make em like yo daddy any more."

"I hope so."

"I know so, listen is Ms. Mitchell there? I need to talk to her."

"How do you know her?"

"I don't. Rick, when he could talk, told the cops and nurses that she was your baby-sitter, he wants her to bring ya'll down here"

"Why?"

"Yer grandparents are stuck over at Charlotte Douglas, and Lori's parents won't be getting home anytime soon, the CDC suspended all flights in and out of Atlanta, cuz of sum kinda emergency situation down in Albany, So yo daddy wants Michonne to watch ya'll while he's in the hospital. Guess Rick forgot I'm yo godfather.

"Oh." Carl said and handed Ms. Mitchell the phone. Judith squirmed in Carl's arms but he didn't put her down he wanted to keep his sister close by for now. He hugged her tight. Carl wasn't sure if God existed or not, but he decided to pray any way because it couldn't hurt, and maybe God would even show his family a little mercy.

"Change of plans Carl." Michonne said and handed Carl back his phone.

"What's going on?"

"Gary headed off to Atlanta , and Shane is driving here to get us, actually he's more than already halfway here. He said we could stay with him while your dad is in the hospital."

"Good."

"Good, so this Shane is a nice guy?"

"Yeah Shane is cool, he was like my dad's best friend in school, but now he's a homicide detective in Atlanta. When my parents would spend their anniversaries in Branson I would stay with Shane."

"That sounds nice"

"He says my dad is going to be OK."

"He's probably right he's a homicide detective he's seen a lot of gunshots in his time."

Carl wished that he could have as much faith as Shane and Ms. Mitchell, but he'd grown a lot more cynical since his mother had died. Once something devastated your life it was a free for all for every other kind of shit storm to rain down upon you.

Michonne was still walking around the house checking on things when Shane arrived. He gave Carl a huge hug as soon as he saw him.

"He's gonna pull through because you and yo sister are the most important things in the world to him." Shane said when he released him from the hug.

"Will they let me see him when I get there?"

"Don't know, but I'll try pullin some strings if they don't."

The sound of Shane's voice brought Ms. Mitchell into the living room.

"Hi you must be Shane, I'm Michonne Mitchell, Carl's English teacher."

"Well hello there." Shane said giving Michonne a wide grin. "Nice to finally meet you."

" Nice to meet you too. I've got a few more things to wrap up, Carl why don't you start taking things out to Shane's car I'm sure he'd like to get on the road soon."

"She seems to have things in control." Shane said once Ms. Mitchell left the room.

" Yeah she helps dad out a lot."

"Is that right?"

"Dad likes her, I mean he likes her likes her."

"How do you feel about it?"

"It's cool I guess I just never thought about them actually dating and stuff."

"Just another thing for Rick to get well for. I'm telling you give him a few days he'll be right as rain."

Michonne came back into the room. "Well everything that could be taken care of is taken care of."

"Let's hit the road then." Shane said.

Carl ran to the car. They couldn't drive to Atlanta fast enough. He was terrified of his father dying before they could even reach Atlanta. He wished that he could have flown in the helicopter with his dad. He needed to see his father, he wanted to tell him all of the things that he wished he could have said to his mother. Just in case he never got the chance again.