A/N: Thanks to all of those who left reviews and also who contacted me on Tumblr about updates for this story. Enjoy!
"I can really keep these?" asked Andrea as she held the small silver hoop earring up to her ear and looked at herself in the handheld mirror.
Michonne glanced back at her friend and offered a quick yes, before turning back to her closet.
"And you're meant to be here helping me decide what to give away to Goodwill instead of seeing what you can score for yourself," Michonne said in a joking manner while Andrea rolled her eyes.
Michonne removed a sleek, black dress from her closet, held it up and examined it.
"Don't even think about donating that, bitch," said Andrea. "You might need it for your date with Rick on Saturday.
"Bitch, firstly it's not a date, secondly it's not that kind of non-date," Michonne explained. "We're just spending some time together, that's all."
"Counsellor, this prevaricating nature does not suit you," said Andrea. "Now tell me what's going on."
Michonne chuckled before saying, "Okay, but you promise you're not gonna laugh at me?"
"Just spit it out," said Andrea, not making any promises.
Michonne sighed and then took a deep breath.
"I'm going fishing with Rick and his kids," she said, taking up a seat on her bed.
Andrea's eyes were wide with surprise, about both the fishing and meeting Rick's children, though she remained silent.
"Say somethin'," Michonne urged.
"I'll get back to the whole you-goin'-fishin' thing in a minute, but Mich, you're meeting Rick's kids?" asked Andrea incredulously. "I thought the two of you were, I don't know, off again."
"It's not like that," said Michonne. "We're just spending time together, no pressure. Just getting to know one another outside of work and other things. He's got his kids on the weekend and they're going fishing, he asked me to tag along. It's no big deal, really."
"Maybe not to you," said Andrea.
"What does that even mean?" asked Michonne as she let out a sigh.
"Mich, that man is in love with you," Andrea explained. "We can all see it, maybe you just don't want to see it…"
"You're not helping…"
"Just hear me out," said Andrea. "His feelings for you aside, this is a big deal for him. His time with his kids is precious, right?"
"Right."
"Well, you must mean a lot to him for him to want to share that time with you," said Andrea. "I'm not saying you're obligated to do anything about it or rush whatever it is you've got goin' on, I'm just saying it's nice."
Michonne nodded before smiling.
"Yeah," she said softly. "I think it's nice too."
Andrea grabbed her friend's hand and gave it a squeeze before saying, "Now, about this fishing trip…"
xXxXx
The enticing aroma of ground beef and onions frying in the pan caused Rick's mouth to water. The day had been long and he was glad to finally be home preparing dinner with Judith and Carl. The little girl lay on her stomach in the living room with papers, markers and pencils spread out everywhere. She drew picture after picture and made sure to bring each one to her father for his critique; he adored each and every one of them.
Carl was sitting on the sofa playing a game on his phone as the television hummed quietly in the background. Rick smiled to himself and then poured the pasta sauce from the jar into the pan. He stirred the mixture and then turned the heat down on the stove. Just then, Judith appeared beside him holding up another drawing. Rick looked down at her, wiped his hands on a cloth and then spoke.
"What have you got there, darlin'?" he asked.
"I drawd it of me and you," replied Judith, causing her father to smile widely.
"I love it, honey. It's so great," he offered as he smiled to himself and let out a sigh; life always felt great when he was with his children.
…..
"Is that okay with you?" Rick asked as Carl scrubbed the last dish clean and handed it to his father; the teen shrugged.
"I guess so," Carl answered. "She's your friend, so it's up to you."
"Son," said Rick as he placed the dishcloth down on the bench. "I know that, but I wanna make sure you're okay with it."
Carl looked over at Rick.
"It's okay," replied the boy. "I just didn't realize you were seeing anyone."
"I'm not seein' Michonne," said Rick. "We're… we're just friends."
"That's what mom said about Gerry…"
"Carl…"
"Sorry, dad. It's fine," said the younger Grimes. "Really, it is. I'm glad you're making new friends."
Rick nodded his head as they fell quiet and focused on getting their tasks completed.
"You know what, dad? It wouldn't be so bad if you did decide to start dating," said Carl.
"Really?" asked his father.
"Yeah, really," replied the boy with a small grin. "I want you to be happy, for real."
"I know," said Rick.
"That's why I'm gonna try to be better," Carl offered. "I'm glad we're getting to spend more time together. I'll be better for mom. Better at school. I'll even be better with other people. Look at this."
Carl reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone and began to scroll. He held the screen up to his father so that Rick could see what he was referring to.
"I even friended Ron Anderson on Facebook. We're gonna hang out and play online games or whatever while I'm here," said Carl.
"That's good, son…"
"I just wanna show you that I can be good, and being here with you is where I wanna be. I don't wanna disappoint you all the time…"
"You are not a disappointment to me," said Rick quickly as he turned to face his son.
Carl shrugged, "Still, I'm gonna try to be better."
"Okay," said Rick with a smile. "Me too."
xXxXx
The midday sun was warm and made the cool, clear water of the stream seem all the more inviting. Michonne waited patiently as Rick baited his daughter's line and cast it out into the creek; Judith took the small rod from her father and sat in her small camping chair with her little legs dangling. She smiled up at her father and he patted her on the head in a loving manner before scooping up the bait.
"You ever done this before?" asked Rick as he approached Michonne.
"Nope," came her reply.
"Nothin' to it, really," said Rick as he held the tub full of worms out to Michonne. "You just start with these."
Michonne glanced into the container and then screwed her nose up.
"Uh, you want me to touch those?" she asked incredulously.
"Of course," he chuckled.
"They look kind of slimy, Rick," Michonne said, causing Rick to laugh louder.
"That's because they are slimy," he replied.
Michonne raised her eyebrows.
"Look, just roll one of 'em in the dirt, they'll be less slimy then," Rick explained.
"Grimes, you did not tell me this outing was going to be so gross," she said, half-jokingly.
"Well, I never thought you were the type of person who didn't get their hands dirty," he teased.
"Oh, I don't mind it, figuratively; but this right here, this is downright nasty," said Michonne as she squinted at the worms.
Rick shook his head and smiled.
"You want me to do it for you?" he asked, stepping closer to Michonne.
"Yes, please," she replied with a smile.
"Lucky you're cute," he said while offering her a wink; Carl, who sat close to his little sister, snorted upon listening to their exchange.
…..
"Had enough?" asked Michonne as she took up a seat next to Carl on the water's edge.
The teenager had put away his fishing rod and opted to sit on the bank and toss rocks into the stream.
"Yeah," he answered, glancing sideways at Michonne. "You too?"
"Oh, yeah," she replied. "Your dad and sister seem to be having fun, though."
Carl chuckled and nodded his head.
"They usually do," he offered. "What about you? Did you have a good time?"
"I did," she answered honestly. "Once I got used to putting the worms on the hook, it was fun."
"Really?" said Carl with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, young sir," said Michonne. "Really."
"You don't get out much, do you?" asked Carl, to Michonne's surprise.
"Why do you say that?" Michonne asked.
"My dad told me," he offered.
"Okay. So…What else did your dad say about me?" asked Michonne as they both glanced over at Rick and Judith; the small girl was now sitting on her father's lap as they continued to fish.
"I don't know," Carl shrugged. "That you're his friend and that you don't get out much."
Michonne nodded, "That's all true."
"So, how did you meet?" Carl questioned.
"Through work," Michonne replied. "He's a great guy."
Carl nodded, "He's all right."
The pair fell silent just before Rick looked in their direction and then called out.
"You two talkin' about me?" he asked, causing Carl to snort again and Michonne to chuckle.
"Yes," they both said in unison.
"Hope you're sayin' good things, son," Rick said to the teen who rolled his eyes.
"You know it'll cost you twenty bucks," Carl teased as Rick let out a laugh and then kissed Judith's head.
…..
"Fishing, it's quite meditative, isn't it?" said Michonne as they loaded the car up with the fishing gear.
"Yeah," Rick offered. "You could say that. It's not so much about catchin' anything, but more about learning to be patient. About waiting for the right moment for the fish to come to you."
She nodded and gave Rick a coy smile before they were interrupted by Carl.
"Dad, are we gonna watch Suicide Squad after you put Judy to bed tonight? I brought the Blu-ray and you promised," said Carl as Rick looked to Michonne, worried at what she might think about the title of the film; Carl noticed.
"It's like a superhero movie," the teen said in an effort to explain to his father's friend.
"More like supervillains," Michonne replied. "I am familiar with the Suicide Squad. I thought Will Smith was great as Deadshot. He was so badass."
"I know right!" said Carl excitedly. "He was so cool."
"And hot," said Michonne as Carl laughed and Rick rolled his eyes.
"So, you're gonna come and watch it again with us?" the teenager asked. "You can help me explain it to my dad."
Michonne laughed a little before she glanced at Rick who gave her a questioning look. Just then, her phone rang and she excused herself; Rick watched her walk back down to the water's edge before his eyes met Carl's.
"She's cool," said the son to his father. "I really like her."
Rick tilted his head and smiled; "Yeah," he said. "I like her too."
After a moment, Michonne returned to where they were packing the gear away.
"Raincheck on movie night?" she asked as Carl looked slightly disappointed.
"Sure," the boy answered in earnest. "It's cool. Some other time."
"A work thing came up," Michonne explained to Rick, who looked disappointed himself.
"Yeah," he offered.
"I've gotta go into the office," she said while Rick shrugged.
"Like Carl said," Rick replied. "Some other time."
xXxXx
Rick loved a good action sequence as much as the next person and was not disappointed by the film that his son and Michonne were gushing about that very afternoon. He poured some peanut M&Ms into his hand before passing them over to Carl, who was now staring at his phone screen. Rick shook his head and continued to marvel at the explosions and special effects until his phone vibrated on the coffee table. Picking it up, he beamed when he saw a message from Michonne that read: I had a nice time today. Your kids are so great. Sorry I couldn't stick around. Definitely want a raincheck :)
"Hey, dad," said Carl, finally drawing his eyes away from the screen of his mobile phone. "We're not doin' anything tomorrow night, are we?"
"Don't think so," Rick replied.
"Good, 'cause I told Ron Anderson we'd go to his place for a cookout. His mom invited us," said Carl as he put his phone away and started watching the movie again.
"Wait? What did you do?" asked Rick, pausing the DVD.
"Accepted a dinner invitation from Ron's mom," said Carl in a matter-of-fact manner.
"Carl, I wish you'd ask me first," said Rick as he leaned forward.
"It's just dinner, what's the big deal?" asked a confused Carl. "I'm trying to make friends and fit in here. Remember? You want me to just tell him and his mom thanks but no thanks? Come on, dad. It's not a huge deal. Other people will be there, too."
The teenager shook his head, dubiously. Rick was suddenly torn because his son wanted to make friends and feel like he was part of the community again instead of being angry all the time. Yet Rick was still feeling awkward about his odd non-relationship with Jessie and what had transpired between them.
"Dad, it'll be fine," said Carl. "Someone else will do the cooking, so you're off the hook, and I can check out Ron's gaming rig which is supposed to be badass. Win-win. So, we're goin'?"
After a short moment of contemplation, Rick answered with an unenthusiastic, "Okay."
"Cool," said Carl. "Now stop hogging the candy."
Rick tossed the bag of M&M's to his son and then glanced back at the message from Michonne.
"Leave it paused a sec, please," said Rick as he got up and pressed the call button on his phone; he walked into the kitchen and waited for Michonne to answer.
"Hi, Rick," she said sweetly. "What's up?"
"Hey, what are you doin' tomorrow night? Wanna come to a cookout?"