A/N: Thanks to those who took the time to leave feedback. This occurs a week after Michonne said she would wait for Rick. They are on good terms. Please, if Rick can be patient with her, I know you, Dear Readers can too : )
"I appreciate you doing this, Rick," said Lori into the phone. "Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me for lookin' after my own kids," he evenly as he sat alone in his best friend's pick-up truck that was pulled to the side of the road; Lori sighed at the other end.
"I meant thank you for changing the weekend around and taking them sooner," she amended.
"Thanks for givin' me some notice," he said. "I've spoken to work and it's gonna be fine with my roster."
"Are you working this weekend?" asked Lori, being polite and taking in an interest in her ex-husband's life as much as she could stand to.
"No," he replied. "I spent a couple o' days away on a trip for work, so my weekend is free."
"You're at the home and garden place right now, aren't you?" she queried, wondering if his routine had changed much.
"No," said Rick as he chuckled. "I haven't pulled in to the parking lot yet."
Lori laughed, "Okay. I'll leave you to it. Thanks again, Rick. I know the kids can't wait to see you, especially Carl."
"Yeah," he answered with a sigh. "I can't wait to see them too."
After he ended the call, Rick placed his phone in his top pocket and shifted the car into drive. As he turned into the garden center, he spotted a familiar person who looked to be doing some weekend shopping of their own. Without giving it much thought, Rick drove in her direction slowly smiling to himself.
xXxXx
The putrid smell assaulted Michonne's senses as she pushed her shopping cart out of the garden center and into the parking lot. The two bags of manure overwhelmed the scent of the various sweet-smelling potted plants she had as well. It was not the best thing to be smelling on a Saturday morning, but she was determined to get some work done in her garden.
She had been so busy at work and with other things that she had not really had the chance to do much in the yard. Now that she had secured the interns and was finalizing a few things for the Program to proceed, she felt as if she could afford to have a little time to herself. Gardening was on her list of activities.
She walked to her car, popped her trunk and then stared into the compartment; she was probably going to need some plastic to spread out on the immaculate area to ensure that the plants did not make a mess. As she debated whether or not to make her way back into the store to grab some, a familiar vehicle pulled up alongside her; Rick Grimes greeted her after he rolled down his window.
"Hey," he said. "It's real good to see you. Need some help with that?"
"Hi, Rick," she said, a little eagerly. "Thanks, but I should be okay."
Rick nodded and then drove into a parking space near her. He got out of the car and strolled over to Michonne, before pointing at the items in her cart.
"This is probably gonna stink up your car," said Rick. "You keep your trunk area nice and tidy. I'd hate for you to have to put up with that lingering smell."
Michonne eyed him curiously.
"What do you suggest?" she asked, with her hand on her hip.
"I got Shane's truck," said Rick, glancing in the direction where he had parked. "I could drop it off at your place for you."
"I don't want to be a bother," she said quickly.
"It's fine," he said with a smile. "Really, no bother."
"Okay," she replied. "I'll see you over there then."
Rick grinned widely and started to walk away.
"Rick," she called out after him; he stopped and turned his head. "Thank you."
"No problem," he replied, unable to wipe the smile from his face.
…..
"Where'd you want it?" Rick asked as he had one bag slumped over his shoulder and the other under his arm.
"Around the back," Michonne answered as she held open the gate that led into her backyard.
Rick walked through and she followed along behind him.
"On that table is good," she said, pointing to her outdoor setting.
Rick set the bags down gently, dusted his hands on his jeans and then glanced at Michonne before looking around the small backyard are.
"I don't think I've ever been out here before," he offered as he took in the grass that was in need of mowing and the several potted plants that looked like they needed some attention.
"It needs some work, I know," she offered. "Hence the reason I've got you lugging those smelly bags around."
"So, you want my help with it, then?" he asked with a crooked smile.
"What? No, that's not what I was implying, I was…"
"I got some time to spare. I can go home and get my lawn mower and be back here in ten minutes," said Rick as he looked around the yard again. "Looks like you could do with the help."
"I couldn't ask you to do that," she answered.
"I insist," said Rick. "Really, it ain't any trouble at all.
"You sure?"
"I'm sure."
"Okay," said Michonne as she placed her hand into the back pockets of her jeans.
"All right then," Rick replied as he made to leave. "I won't be too long."
...
The air smelled of freshly cut grass mixed with the sweet aroma of blossoming flowers. Michonne stepped out onto her back porch just as Rick was emptying the last of the grass into the large plastic bin that was set against the high back fence. She watched as he removed his gloves and shoved them into the back pocket of his dark jeans before wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. After fixing the grass catcher back to the mower, Rick pushed it to the side, placed his hands on his hips and then examined his handiwork.
"Looks better now," Michonne called out, causing him to turn his head in her direction. "Thank you."
"I've just gotta turn the soil in your garden bed and we can plant those flowers you bought today, as well as the others you've been neglecting," he offered.
"Okay," she replied. "Did you want something to drink, or…"
"No, thank you," said Rick. "I um, I thought we could get this finished and then go grab somethin' to eat, if you wanted to."
Michonne gave his offer some thought, bit back a grin and then nodded her head, "Yeah, that'd be nice."
…..
The sun felt warm on Michonne's bare shoulders as she and Rick walked through the park with their lunch. They found a spot under the shade of a large oak tree and took up a seat on the grass. Rick sat down first and held Michonne's food and water until she sat next to him; the giggles of some children who were playing off in the distance permeated the area. Rick smiled and glanced over at the children wistfully; Michonne noticed.
"So," she said. "Your kids, will they be visiting soon?"
Rick undid the lid of his soda, "Yeah, next weekend, actually."
Michonne smiled, "That's nice."
"Lori, my ex-wife, she called me up this mornin' and asked if I could take 'em earlier than I usually do. I think her and the new husband are goin' away for the weekend or somethin' like that," said Rick, explaining more than he needed to.
"It's good that they can have a break and you get the kids sooner," she offered as Rick nodded. "You're not working next weekend?"
She knew his schedule could be as full as hers.
"Nah," said Rick. "My hours have been pretty flexible lately. The boss doesn't seem to mind if I move my shifts around. Guess I have you to thank for that."
Michonne looked up from her sandwich and gave Rick a questioning stare before asking, "How so?"
"Well," he said with a smirk. "You've been keepin' me busy with the Program."
"Ah, okay," she replied. "I see. But just you wait until we finally have our participants and make a real start; you won't have time to scratch yourself, Deputy."
"Is that a fact?" he asked in his slow drawl that made Michonne lose her focus for a brief second.
"Yes," she answered. "I'm gonna keep you so busy."
He could tell she was joking, but there was a certain glint in her eye; something a little flirty.
"Well," Rick replied. "I look forward to it then."
xXxXx
The sun was low in the sky and almost ready to retire for the day. Inside of her home, Michonne grabbed two wine glasses, a corkscrew and a bottle of red wine before walking out to the back yard. She found Rick opening the umbrella over her outdoor setting and wiping the table down with a cloth. Tossing the cloth to the side, he then lit a couple of citronella candles and placed them in the middle of the table. He smiled when his eyes met hers.
"Wow," Michonne offered. "The vibe out here is so different now. I could actually see myself spending more time out here now."
She took a seat across from Rick and handed the wine to him; the soft glow from the candles caressed his handsome face as their fingers touched slightly.
"It's like someone actually lives here now," he offered as he uncorked the bottle and poured the liquid into Michonne's glass and then his own. "What took so long to decide to make a start on it?"
Michonne shrugged.
"I don't know," she said. "I guess half of me was still finding my feet here, and the other half was too busy to settle in properly."
Rick nodded, swirling the wine in his glass as he took in her features; she was still dressed in her jeans and tank with her hair pulled back and looked as radiant as ever.
"You startin' to feel settled now?" he asked.
"Yeah," she answered with a smile. "I am."
"Good. I'll drink to that," he offered as he held his glass up to Michonne; she beamed at him and he felt his heart swell.
They sipped from their glasses before Michonne spoke again.
"I really do like it here," she admitted as Rick listened intently. "It's such a nice place. Good people. I just…I don't know."
"What is it?" asked Rick, happy to be in her presence and talking about something other than work or how their relationship was not going to work.
"It's hard to explain," said Michonne. "I came here looking for a new start. Looking for somewhere I could forget about the shit in my past and focus on the future. And I've found that here, I really have; but also, I've found so much more."
Rick smiled at her and continued to listen.
"My ultimate dream for the Program is right in my grasp," she said. "It's so close, Rick. I can't even describe it. I get to be around my best friend and see her be so happy. I've made new friends as well…and then there's you."
He felt his heart speed up and his stomach flutter.
"What about me?" he asked.
"You're great," she said. "I'm really glad to have met you."
"I feel the same," said Rick, knowing he most likely had stronger feelings for Michonne than she did for him.
"I had fun today just hangin' out around the house with you," said Michonne. "It was nice."
"It was," said Rick, feeling his palms begin to sweat for some reason.
"And thanks again for all of your help," she said with a chuckle. "I swear if I had been left to my own devices, I would've called Andrea around and we'd have gotten nothing done."
Rick chortled and then leaned back in his chair.
"It was my pleasure, really. I'm happy to help you out with whatever you need," he offered. "Anytime you need it."
Michonne felt her face grow warm as she drank more of her wine; she offered Rick another grin.
"You're too good to me," she said a little coyly.
"Well, you deserve the best," said Rick. "Don't you forget that."
Just then his phone began to buzz; Rick held the device up to see who was calling. He did well to hide his disdain when he saw Jessie's name on his screen. Rick ended the call and then placed his phone back in his pocket.
"You can take the call, Rick," she offered. "It's okay."
"Nah," he replied. "Not important. Say, can I ask you somethin'?"
"Sure. What is it?"
"Did you wanna come fishin' with me and my kids next weekend?" he asked.
"Meet your kids? I don't know, Rick, I…"
"It's not a date or anything like that," he offered when he realized how the invitation might have sounded. "It's just somethin' to get you out of the office or the house. I was takin' the kids and thought you might like to tag along."
Michonne was quiet a moment as she gave it some thought.
"No pressure," he added. "It's just I enjoyed spendin' time with you today bein' outdoors and all o' that. Thought we could keep it goin', you know, as just friends."
"Okay," she replied, a small smile playing on her features. "That sounds good. A day outdoors with you and your kids sounds great."
A wide grin spread across Rick's face as he felt relieved that Michonne did not turn him down. "Great," he said happily before he felt his phone vibrate once more while choosing to ignore it. "Trust me, you're gonna enjoy it."
A/N: Next time, Richonne non-date!