Deception (Chapter 5)

A/N: Thank you so much for supporting this story. I truly appreciate each of you.

In a slight panic, Maggie retrieves her cell and dials Shane.

"What are you doing?" Michonne asks.

"Calling Shane. If it comes to blows in there…." Maggie gives a huff and trails off, not wanting to think of what Rick might do. "Shane?"

Michonne doesn't want to panic but feels this is her fault and she is not going to allow Rick to ruin his friendship over something as simple as a shopping trip. She moves toward the room she saw them disappear into but Maggie grabs her with a fierce shake of her head.

Meanwhile, Rick is keeping his temper in check as he questions T-Dog. Of course, T-Dog gives the same answer as before. He believes all is well simply because nothing happened and they returned safely.

"It doesn't matter that nothing went wrong. What matters is that I didn't know where she was. I've been tasked with keeping her safe. We all have and that means we work together as a team. This doesn't work unless we do it together and we're on the same accord."

"I sent Shane a text and I just thought he'd let you know," T-Dog informs.

"Ok. Why wouldn't you send me the same text? Is it because you knew I'd say no? Did she tell you that I'd say no?" Rick wants to know.

T-Dog sighs. "It was nothing like that. She said she was starting to feel too closed off and she just needed to get out. I didn't think it would hurt anything."

"Whoever's stalking her is still out there. The threat isn't over so we have to be even more cautious now. Did you even check ahead and map out the place where she went shopping? Did you have any planned escape routes in case something went wrong?"

T-Dog looks away in guilt knowing that he compromised Michonne's safety and Rick had every right to fire him or recommend termination. "I'm sorry, man. I….I didn't think. It was just a shopping trip."

"Nothing is that simple in this situation T. You have to remember that. Everything has to be planned out no matter what. I thought you understood that."

"I did. I do. I understand. This won't happen again, Rick. You can count on me," T-Dog assures him.

"I hope so. This put my competence on the line. If something happens to her, I've failed and I'm not gonna fail. Alright?" Rick gives him a stern look awaiting confirmation that he fully understands.

T-Dog nods with affirmation.

"Good coz I'm not having this conversation again."

The double doors suddenly burst open and Shane, Michonne, and Maggie rush in.

"What the hell's going on? Maggie's telling me you two are fighting and Michonne is saying it's all her fault. What happened?" Shane demands.

"I'll let T fill you in. I need to handle something else right now," Rick says as his eyes find and connect with Michonne's.

The others look between the two and know it is time for them to exit. T-Dog wants to stay and defend Michonne but realizes he has done enough damage and should just allow Rick to handle it. He leaves the room with Maggie and Shane.

Michonne lifts up to her full height with the click of the doors closing. She takes a deep breath and says, "You didn't have to take any of your anger out on T-Dog. I was the one who wanted to go shopping so it's all on me, not him."

"You're right. It is all on you. You've got him wrapped around your little finger and you knew he'd do whatever you wanted. I guess that reputation we discussed earlier comes in handy at times doesn't it?" He knew he'd draw a reaction from her with those words as her eyes narrow at him and her breathing increases.

"Are you insinuating that I used my feminine wiles to get him to do my bidding?" She asks quietly, too quietly.

"That's exactly what you did and how convenient that this all took place while I was sleeping."

She wants to shout at him but realizes, reluctantly, that he is right and maybe she should apologize.

Her silence urges him to continue. "All I'm trying to do is keep you safe and I can't do that if you're not going to cooperate with me. For some reason, I thought we went over this and you understood."

"I understand."

"Then why? Why would you do this knowing it was wrong? Knowing something could've happened and I wasn't there?" Rick asks.

She sighs slowly. "I just wanted to get out of here for a while. I wanted to feel normal again."

"You'll get that back eventually but right now I need you to cooperate. No more bullshit. Can you handle that?"

She swallows nervously as she gives him a nod, relieved that this didn't turn out as bad as it could have. She watches as he steps to her and looks directly into her eyes.

"Promise me."

She gives herself an inner shake. "Huh? What?"

"Right here. Right now. Promise me this won't happen again," he requests.

He is so close all she has to do is lean forward and they'd be touching.

"I promise," she whispers as her eyes zero in on his lips and she finds herself actually tilting towards him.

Rick panics as she leans in so he quickly steps back, looks down at the cell phone in his hand and pretends to be reading something, anything.

Michonne is mortified as she realizes she was practically about to kiss him and he moved away from her. She is screaming internally as she pivots and rushes out of the room, taking the stairs to her bedroom posthaste. Did I just try to kiss him? Why did I do that? Why didn't he reciprocate?

She makes it to her room and wants to cry desperately but refuses. She knows now that she won't be able to function around Rick Grimes any more. There is no way he can continue as her bodyguard. She walks over to the large mahogany desk, grabs the phone and dials Morgan.

Rick is still standing in the study like room that Michonne just vacated. He feels as if he made yet another mistake where she is concerned but there is no way he could've given in to her. A kiss? That can't happen no matter how much he wants it to. The job would be compromised as well as her safety and he could not….would not take that risk. Could I? Should I? He swallows nervously, wishing he could take it back somehow. Maybe he should try and talk with her. He rubs his head thoughtfully, wondering how he should handle this.

Meanwhile, Michonne is having a face to face with Morgan.

"Michonne, you can't be serious," Morgan gasps as he listens to her request. "What's the reasoning behind this?"

"What does reasoning have to do with anything? I'm telling you what I want done. Just do it," Michonne demands.

"Just like that. Fire Rick?"

"Yes!"

"Well, what did he do? How can I just fire him without provocation? He signed a contract you know," Morgan counters. "What is this really about?"

"That doesn't matter. I don't care what you have to do. You and Deanna find some kind of clause to terminate his contract. I mean it!"

Morgan can only nod as he takes his leave, wondering what could've happened between those two to beget this reaction from her. He surmises there is only one way to find out so he goes in search of Rick.

He finally finds him in the study behind a desk, almost like he is hiding out and asks if they can talk.

Rick frowns as Morgan tells him about Michonne's demands. He knows exactly what this is about but he only tells Morgan that he will handle it.

"I hope you do. She's never reacted like this before. What did you do?" Morgan asks.

"It's what I didn't do," Rick answers as the anger at her outrageousness rolls through him.

Morgan shakes his head in confusion, wondering if he should call Deanna about this. He surmises to wait and see what happens after Rick and Michonne actually talk to each other. "Well, do whatever you have to do to fix this."

Rick gives a nod as he makes his way up the stairs to Michonne's room.

Maggie steps in as she notices Rick's exit and wonders about the worried look on Morgan's face. "What's going on now?"

"Now? Is that an indication that I've missed something?" Morgan wants to know.

"You've missed plenty. Let's go get some cake so I can tell you all about it," Maggie suggests.

Michonne is trying to concentrate and read a book but can't stop wondering if Morgan will follow through with her demands. She glances at her phone, debating if she should call him and tell him not to fire Rick. Maybe she was too hasty and she asked herself if Shane and T-Dog would stay on without Rick. The three of them would probably leave together and they'd be in a tough situation thanks to her.

She sighs heavily, then jumps as there is a knock on her door. She exhales slowly, thinking it's probably Morgan letting her know that Rick has been taken care of. She gets up off her bed slowly and walks to the door. She braces herself for what Morgan is about to tell her, then opens the door only to find Rick Grimes on the other side. Her eyes pop with surprise and she tries to regain her composure quickly. "Yes?"

He splays his hand across the door and pushes it open wider, moving her with it as he steps inside and turns toward her. "You wanna tell me to my face why you've asked Morgan to fire me?"

She falters as she wasn't expecting this at all. "I…that's between me and Morgan."

He steps to her and closes the door with a sound thud. "I know what this is about and I….I need to be able to protect you no matter what. I can't compromise your safety. I won't."

"How is that compromising my safety?"

"It wouldn't be professional," Rick states.

"And you're the utmost professional, right?" Michonne asks.

"It's just better if we don't complicate things."

"Complicate things? Is that your way of telling me you know how things like this end up?" She inquires.

"No. I just…." He pinches the bridge of his nose, wondering how this woman has managed to get under his skin in such a short amount of time. "This is not a good idea."

Michonne can see his struggle as he contemplates. The transparency of his resistance alerts her to the fact that he had to be experiencing some of the same feelings she was. She realizes that he isn't immune to her at all. He's just trying to do the right thing. For some reason, that attracts her all the more. He's not star struck. He hadn't even seen her movies until she provided them for him. He didn't bow down to her because of her status. He spoke his mind and didn't care much if he hurt her feelings or not. All of this has culminated into an attraction that she cannot and will not deny any longer. Her heart is beating so fast she is almost convinced he can hear it.

The silence continues to grow as they stand by the door, staring each other down. His blue orbs move from her eyes, to her lips, to her neck, to her shoulders, to her breasts, to her stomach, to her hips, to her legs, to her feet and slowly back up again to her face. The look in her eyes makes him want to exit the room and kiss her all at the same time but he fights against the latter, reminding himself that she is his client and that's all she can ever be to him. He can't consider anything else.

The look of longing she detected in his eyes suddenly disappears but the fact that it was there is all Michonne needs. She's not sure what comes over her but she takes advantage of the moment and steps to him slowly. She presses a light kiss to his chin, waiting for him to bolt but he doesn't. She resists the urge to grab him to ensure that he doesn't pull away and leans further into him, kissing one corner of his mouth and then the other.

Everything in him is telling him to move away but he finds he can't. Her lips are the softest he has ever encountered and he wants more. He snakes an arm around her waist and pulls her against him, his other hand cupping her cheek as he searches her eyes. She stares right back before dropping her gaze to his lips, his hands on her emboldening her like she has never experienced. She captures his lips with her own, squealing internally when he tilts his head and deepens their kiss. He runs his tongue along her bottom lip before delving inside as she opens up to welcome him. He groans as he feels her fingers in his hair, her other hand dropping to his waist.

She is beyond elated as she pulls on his tongue, throwing caution to the wind and just doing what she wants. She feels light and heady and wishes this could last forever. She's not sure what this could mean and at this very moment she doesn't care. The kiss seems to go on and on and he finally lifts his head and hugs her to him tightly. She returns his hug eagerly, afraid any words will shatter the moment.

Rick sighs, wanting to beat himself up for this but realizing he wanted it just as much if not more than she did. "Your safety has to be my first priority. You know that right?"

She gives a small smile because all she can hear is you're my first priority. She nods slowly and murmurs, "That's a start." Realizing that he wants her just as much as she wants him and it wasn't all in her head creates some sort of inner peace and if she needs to take it slow with him then that is exactly what she would do.

The knock at the door startles them as they quickly attempt to gain some composure. Seconds later, Michonne opens the door with Rick standing closely behind her. It was Morgan. "Yes?"

Morgan looks from one to the other, noticing Michonne's smeared lipstick and darting eyes. He looks to Rick and takes in his flushed skin and swollen lips. He breathes in deeply as he wonders if he should comment at all. He clears his throat. "I….um….just wanted to check to be sure everything was ok. Did you two…talk?"

"We worked it out. Everything's fine now," Michonne answers.

"Are you sure?" Morgan asks.

Rick wants to yell "no" but he gives Morgan a reassuring nod and watches as he looks between them once again before bidding them a good night.

Michonne closes the door and turns to him with the most gorgeous smile he has ever witnessed. He drops his head, knowing that he has fallen deeper than he ever thought he could.

The next day, Rick calls a meeting for the group only to reiterate what he has been stressing all along. Michonne goes nowhere alone and there will be at least two bodyguards with her at all times. The latter only sighs as she realizes that he is back in professional mode and that she is going to have to accept that and allow him to do his job.

She won't complain as he stayed in her room well past midnight and they actually talked. She was so eager to find out more about him that she didn't factor in that he would want to know about her. She couldn't bring herself to share the dissension between herself and her parents. She felt it made her look selfish. She had pulled a few details about his marriage from T-Dog but noticed that he didn't mention that at all.

Rick tries his best to keep his eyes away from Michonne but finds that he can't. He enjoyed their talk last night more than he'd like to admit. He wanted to share everything with her, but decided to hold back especially about his marriage. He couldn't bring himself to tell her the details of his divorce. He felt it made him look too much like a failure. They chose topics like music, hobbies, travel, food, etc. and he can't recall the last time he had that much fun.

Morgan looks from one to the other again, asking himself if he should mention their new relationship status. The professional in him wants to pull Rick to the side and tell him he is making a mistake but the man who used to be a husband and father sees the potential and wants them to make this work despite the circumstances.

They continue to discuss matters such as Michonne's schedule which Maggie had cleared due to the move but shared that she was being bombarded with calls, emails, and texts for interviews, photos, fashion promotions, charity opportunities, etc.

Michonne sighs as she knows she will have to get back to work and soon. The announcement of her return to TV would hit the media outlets in two weeks and she knew her schedule would be filled to capacity afterwards. She'd better enjoy the time off while she could. She relays to Maggie that she'd like to wait until after the announcement before scheduling anything.

Business talk always gets her a little wound up so she decides to go for a swim afterwards. She is descending the stairs, wearing a two piece bikini, as she makes her way to the indoor pool. Rick, Shane, and T-Dog were standing by the study as she walks toward them. They are rendered speechless as she tosses her hair over her shoulder and smiles directly at Rick.

"Feel like swimming?" She asks him.

He gives a slight shake of his head and watches as she shrugs her shoulders and walks on. He shares a look with Shane and T-Dog, willing them to avert their eyes as he rolls his shoulders in agitation. He was about to tell them they should get back to business when he realizes his train of thought has left him. He exhales in frustration and attempts to step away.

T-Dog stops him and asks, "You ain't going swimming?"

"I've got other things to take care of," Rick answers roughly.

"Yeah you do. I've got duty. T's my relief so I'd say you've got a little free time," Shane reminds him with a smile.

"All I've got is….if it were me, I wouldn't be standing here talking to us," T-Dog states.

Rick works his jaw as he thinks, then he shakes his head as he finds himself walking towards the pool area.

T-Dog and Shane share a knowing look before they move off to handle their jobs.

Michonne had just finished her second lap when she sees Rick walk inside and plop down on one of the loungers. She smiles as she swims to the edge closest to him and asks, "Change your mind?"

"Was that your plan all along?"

"No. This is just our exercise for the day."

He gives a shy smile. "I'm not much of a swimmer."

"So let me teach you," Michonne offers.

He stands and walks over to the edge, looking down at her as she looks up at him. "Ok. I'll get changed."

"No need," she utters and before he knows it she reaches up, grabs his pants at the thighs and pulls him into the pool. She laughs at the huge splash he makes and wades over to him as he surfaces with a couple of sputters.

Before he can form one word, her hands are at his shoulders and her mouth is covering his.

XXXXXXXXXX

Several days have passed and Rick has finally convinced Michonne to start jogging with him. He knows she only gave in because he had started swimming with her even if he didn't consider swimming to be one of his strong points. She's not so keen on jogging but she's doing it because she knows it's what he'd like to do. Shane rides with them as they take one of Michonne's cars to a nearby trail at a park.

Two hours later they return to the apartment's covered parking garage and Rick is helping Michonne out of the car as she is complaining about sore muscles.

"Now it wasn't that bad Michonne," Shane states. "I kept up and I normally can't keep up at all."

"Don't flatter him any more than you already have. He was obviously taking it easy today because of me," she contributes.

Rick only smiles. "You'll get better with time."

She rolls her eyes heavenward. "We have to do this again?"

The other two laugh then look up with the sound of a car horn. Maggie is returning as well, pulling into a space two cars down, parking another of Michonne's vehicles. They wait for her as she appears to be dragging a huge mail bag out of the back seat.

"Need some help?" Shane offers.

"No, I think I've got…" BOOM! The bag explodes, its contents scattering into the air, the impact sending Maggie flying, several car alarms are triggered as well as the building's emergency/security alarms.

Rick, Michonne, and Shane are knocked to the ground, all of them dazed, their ears ringing as smoke, paper and other debris fills the air and litters the asphalt.

Rick moves over to Michonne quickly, checking her for injuries. She tries her best to regain some composure, looking Rick over to be sure he's ok. She gasps as she realizes Maggie was actually holding the bag. She looks around frantically and sees her friend sprawled on the ground several feet from them, her body lying at an odd angle.

"MAGGIE!" Michonne shouts as she tries to move towards her. "MAGGIE!"

Rick grabs her. "No, wait….we need to get out of here." He looks around cautiously and holds tight as Michonne struggles to get to her friend.

"Let me go! She's hurt!" Michonne shouts. "Maggie!" She starts to cry as Shane lifts himself up slowly and makes his way to Maggie's side. He drops his head with a harsh expletive as he pulls his cell phone from his pocket and dials 911.

A scream builds up in the pit of Michonne's stomach and she lets it out as several of the building's security guards come rushing to their aid. She can feel herself being lifted as the hysterical screams continue to rip through her body. She can't be dead. Not Maggie.

XXXXXXXXXX

Rick is pacing at the foot of the bed where Michonne is resting peacefully thanks to being heavily sedated. They were at Deanna's place as Michonne's entire apartment building is being cleaned, investigated, and swept for more explosive devices. They couldn't get her to calm down so Morgan called in a physician who immediately administered a sedative.

He closes his eyes in frustration as the images of Maggie lying on the ground, covered in blood keep fliting through his memory. This has to be the work of the stalker and this motherfucker is getting bolder and bolder. There has to be a break in this case soon. Otherwise, they're going to have to move again and this time, the location will be one of his choosing.

Michonne fights her way through the fog of grogginess, trying her best to open her eyes. Her mouth is dry and she can feel a slight headache attempting to make its presence known. She manages to get one eye open and looks around slowly. Rick? He's here….with me. She takes a deep breath, wondering why she feels so tired. She immediately tries to piece together the events of the day. She remembers breakfast and laughing with Maggie about something. Mail? Fanmail?

"Michonne?"

She opens both eyes, blinking slowly as she tries to wake up completely. The mailbag comes to mind and then…..She sits up as quickly as her body allows. "Maggie? Where's Maggie?" An image of Maggie on the concrete blares out at her and she feels sick. She covers her mouth and mutters, "Bathroom. I need…."

Rick snatches her up and gets her to the bathroom just in time. He watches helplessly as she heaves over the toilet. He grabs a towel and leans down to help wipe the tears from her face and the moisture from her mouth.

"Is she….." Her look is pained and desperate as she gazes at Rick.

"She's alive. Last report, she was in surgery. Morgan should let us know more soon."

The tears continue to pour down her cheeks as she says, "This is because of me isn't it? This all happened because of me."

All he can do is hold her as she collapses against him, her heart wrenching sobs reverberating through his body.