She really had every intention of killing him and becoming a widow. Maybe that had been her intention all along; murder him with her sweet infiltrating aura, her surprising virtues, her unavoidable charm, her unforced beauty and even her seductive stubbornness, play the grieving widow and take his money and leave.

Suddenly the cold tiled floor didn't seem like such a bad place to sleep.

"Rick! Are you ok?"

He rolled over on his back like a dog smelling a savory bone yet still contemplating the advantages of spending the night on the ground. When he saw her concerned face peeking out from the edge of the bed he knew his resolve to stay away from her would vanish into thin air.

"Your a virgin." He wasn't sure if he was asking her or reinforcing the fact to himself.

A part of him wished he'd heard wrong.

"I am." Shit!

"Dammit Michonne! You're talking about keepin' secrets and you're holdin' on to somethin' like that!" He sat up on his hands using his position to peruse her innocent face.

"I didn't know how to tell you." She sat up cross legged on the bed. "Now that you know, can we do it now? Can we just get it over with?" Just get it over with? He ran a frustrated hand over his face; it was going to be a long year. He stood up in slow fashion not trusting his legs to support him given the shock he'd been subjected to. "Sex isn't something you get over Michonne." Certainly not with him. He walked around to the other side of the bed intentionally avoiding her and her delicate chastities, his hands flirting with his messy curls in much need of a distraction.

Feeling the thick night heat coupled with the rest of the wine she drank she slipped her pants off underneath the covers and had started to take her tank top off too when Rick stopped her mid tug.

"What the hell are you doin'?" Somebody was playing a sick joke on him, she'd been shy when they met a mere twenty four hours ago and he held her against his body to inform Jessie he was unavailable to her gimmicks any longer, she was a blushing bride when he swooped her in his arms to share their first kiss before God and his close friends as man and wife but now she had a tipsy force of determination to strip in front of him.

He predicted lots of Excedrin migraine in his not so distant future.

"You said we had to consummate our marriage Rick. I want us to have sex. Please." She wasn't sure of the price of what she was requesting would cost her but while she had a little bit of liquid courage inside her she was going to run like the bulls with it.

At twenty six years old she didn't have much experience on the subject of sex and if she had to choose someone to take her V card away Rick Grimes may not be her worst choice. Despite his brash demeanor there was something about him that told her she could trust him, that he would keep her safe, that he would never hurt her.

He didn't like the sound of her begging him. He wanted her to know she would never have to ask for anything for the year she was going to be his wife. He would make sure she didn't lack for anything even if he had to go without.

"How um….virgin are we talkin' here sweetheart? You rounded third and missed the tag at home? Or you never been on base?"

She snickered at his analogy and frustrated him some more with her response, "Virgin as if God was looking for an unblemished maiden for his second coming I'm who he would pick."

"I need to sit down.". He knew he had seen a bottle of Excedrin around somewhere.

"You are sitting down." She clarified for him, amused by his sudden confusion.

He wanted to say she made him weak in the knees but if he was being honest she made him forget he had knees period. She crawled her way next to him and stroked his hair, "I'm ready Rick." As she continued with her monologue he was struggling with reconciling propriety with personal needs.

The feel of her naked legs next to his own brought his erection to life again and he knew as long as they were sharing his bed they'd both be in trouble. "Tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it." He groaned at her words, she had no idea how much of a turn on her inexperience was to him. There were so many things he could teach her about her body. He was certain the passion she exuded was nothing compared to what they could have together, but a virgin?

The last time he'd been with a virgin she was sixteen and so was he. Sheena was every horny teenage boy's dream and it was over in five minutes and she had cried because she thought she would end up pregnant. He had grown since then, in attitude and expectations.

He didn't want to develop feelings for Michonne she was already working her way under his skin. She was such an itty bitty thing, his stature dwarfed her, increasing his desire to protect and keep her safe to a dangerous level; at least for the year she would be under his care.

Not surprised by his gallantry or procrastination Michonne knew Rick was delaying the inevitable and she decided she would help him move things along.

"We have a deal. We both need the money from today's incentive. We have to at least try. Maybe we'll make a baby." Her use of the word we almost convinced him they were a normal couple planning a family; his heart filled with an intense longing for something that never existed before he met Michonne. Only there was nothing normal about their union. They were married because of a conniving codicil concocted by his late father and oddly enough there was only one reason for sharing his bed with Michonne.

"I don't think you know what you committed yourself to today Michonne. Let's think about it over the next few days."

"No Rick, we don't have that kinda time. We both need the money. At least we get the incentive from the marriage round." She sat next to him talking about marriage and babies like two friends tricked him into thinking everything was kosher. He had to snap out of it.

He informed her the initial winnings wasn't even close to covering his expenses, especially now that Shane had cut him off at the curb and the money was now divided into two. He named the figure he needed and it caused her virgin mouth to cuss like a drunken nun.

She moved from off the bed determination in her mind even if it wasn't in her wobbly legs. She pushed his shoulders back a bit as she straddled him. His hands like a magnet went straight to her thighs.

"You're really hell bent on doin' this tonight aren't you? Why are you so stubborn woman!?"

"We have to make a baby Rick. At least let's start off by kissing." He lifted her off his lap as though she was a child and set her down, this time softly on the bed.

He got up and began to pace the room. Codger and Bailey had fallen asleep on the floor and he had to remember to take them downstairs.

"Let's get something straight, kissing leads to touchin' and touchin' leads to other things. I don't know if you're ready for all that." He was stalling, what he was, was a nervous wreck at having to be the one to deflower his wife.

Sex never made him fearful before and he began to question his stance on his reluctance at making love to his new bride. He was a virile man. He wasn't shy about being with a woman, he prided himself on his skill and precision at making a woman reach the pinnacle of her pleasure under his touch.

He knew what it was; he was hesitant of the emotional entanglements that occurred after the experience and he wasn't just referring to Michonne alone. He wanted her first sexual experience to be something special and there was a pint size amount of guilt knowing she wouldn't have chosen him if she didn't have to.

"Geez! I'm not a doll! You can touch me! I told you let's start off by kissing!" She was trying to work intimacy like it involved mechanics. Sasha told her her first time didn't even hurt and it was over in a few minutes and after cuddling she fell asleep. Michonne didn't see what the big deal was anymore. She kept her virginity thus far because she thought it would be a special gift to the man she was going to marry.

Every guy she had ever been with, which weren't plenty, had either wanted something or the other from her and she never saw it fit to give them a piece of her she knew they were gonna take with them when they left. During her early twenties she may have been cheap with her heart but her body wasn't free.

No one ever stayed and she needed the stability of knowing the man she loved was going to be at her side. She came close to doing it with Mike once, he had been the love of her life or so she thought. He had respected her resolve to abstain from the get go promising they were gonna get married soon and that he would wait because she was worth it. Only Mike never waited, he was getting his on the side while he was taping her bank account. When her brother showed up dead with very alive debt Mike had bailed on her. Disappearing off the face of the earth and she was back to being alone again when all she wanted was somebody in her life who she ever meant anything to, to put her first.

At least she knew her virginity was intact and the thing she held dear to herself was still unbroken even if her heart wasn't. Rick was nothing like Mike and she could tell that from the first time they spoke on the phone. He worked her last nerve with his need for so much understandable control but he was also caring and kind and a fierce protector of the things he loved. It was why they had gotten married in the first place. She resolved to herself he was her husband now and she didn't mind parting with something that didn't need to define her anymore. She knew her inexperience would be delicately handled by Rick.

"Kissing huh? You any good at that?"

The pillow that she threw at him missed his head by an inch. "Why don't you come find out you jackass!"

"Oh I'm comin'" He took off his jeans and remained in his blue boxers. Her eyes looked surprised at his quick reconciliation and he tried to hold back a laugh. His wife had a mouth piece on her but it was time to backup all that talk with some action.

"Anybody ever tell you you're the cutest thing when you're nervous?" He said brushing her soft cheek with his hand. He knew he had to approach her like she was a nervous filly. He had to use a soft touch with Michonne to diminish the instant tremble in her hands.

"Hey look at me." He commandeered her attention. "We don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with. If I go gentle it won't hurt as much. I'll take care of you alright?" He was letting her know she was safe with him. She nodded her head realizing she could drown in the depths of his deep blue eyes.

"You trust me?" He asked in a final move to concrete what they were about to do.

Her yes was a whisper.

"Good now let's try this kissin' thing."

...

He was kissing her into sobriety, she was glad because come tomorrow she wanted to remember everything about the way Rick devoured her with his lips. They way his tongue parted them, giving him inevitable access to the wet heat of her mouth. Her hands had wandered into his lush curls, like woven silk under her fingers. She felt so cherished the way he relaxed her on the bed and even as he leaned on his side paying homage to her plush lips she felt treasured.

Michonne moaned into his mouth, damn he was good at kissing. Almost like he invented the affection and anything that came after was a cheap imitation of the real thing. She had never been kissed this thoroughly before.

His hand had been at her neck but now it roamed over the white camisole she still had on. She felt his erection pressing into her side and when she thought about what was going to happen next a chill worked its way up her spine.

"You alright?" Rick asked getting up for some air, given the chance he'd breathe Michonne for the rest of his life.

She nodded and began to unbutton his shirt, he felt the tremor in her fingers.

"Hey, we're gonna take things slow okay." His voice was so soft and soothing with enough southern drawl to make their night feel romantic and special.

"Can I touch you?" He was giving her some control over the pace they were about to set. She lifted off the bed and took off her top, remaining in her black bra and matching underwear.

Rick's hand brushed over her breasts then followed pattern over her flat stomach. "God you're beautiful Michonne. Anyone ever told you that?" He slipped both straps off her shoulders allowing her breasts to spill free.

He palmed them in his hands, her perky nipples peeking out to greet him. "You're breasts are beautiful." He kissed the round mounds of decadent sweetness and he felt her tremble again. His tongue licked her pebbled nipples and she squirmed at the sensation. He laid a hand on her belly to keep her still. His hand traversed the plains of her taut stomach and slipped beneath the cotton fabric of her black undies and she gasped on contact.

"Relax okay."

"I'm relaxed." She opened her legs wider as a flash of excitement shot through her. "Now please." She couldn't take the teasing any longer.

He slipped his middle finger inside her untouched valley trying to prepare her for the size and feel of him. She was tight, there was no denying it.

"Ooohh! What are you doing?" Whatever it was it wasn't as bad as she thought, matter of fact his ministrations was making her feel all tingly inside.

"Trying to get you ready darlin'."

If his slender, beautiful fingers could slip inside her so easily then this sex thing would be a walk in the park. She was tugging for his shirt to come off, desperate for some skin to skin contact to balance out the heady sensation of what he was doing to her core. He slipped from her heat to help her pull off her underwear. He caressed the silkiest legs he ever touched picturing them wrapped around his neck as he pleasured her into oblivion.

His touch was intimate, personal like he knew her all her life. It filled her with trepidation and she chided herself, she was a grown woman. She could do this.

He fitted his hands under her small frame and set her further up the large four poster bed.

He kissed her breasts, soft kisses dotting her perfect mounds then leaving a euphoric trail of more tender kisses on her belly. He stationed himself between her legs and parted her thighs slightly as he prepared to taste his virgin wife for the first time.

She clutched his hair like a lifeline.

Her body heaved as she felt his warm breath against her cool thighs. "Rick what...what.. are you doing? Where are you...where are you going?" This wasn't what she imagined they'd be doing. She sat up on her elbows waiting for him to speak. She was glad the green sheets were so cool against her body because her skin was burning up from being so turned on by him.

"Steady now." He said placing a calming hand on her belly. "You gonna open up for me sweetheart?" He asked so sweetly her legs responded for her, granting him access to her inner parts. His mouth watered when he gazed at her pretty pink pussy waiting for him to plunge into her nectar.

"Oh. My. God!" She plopped back against the pillows, nothing prepared her for the feel of his tongue inside her, outside her, flicking her clit, devouring her yet tenderly loving her like she was his whole life's worth.

"Rick….." If this was what sex entailed then she had plenty of time to make up for.

He slipped a finger inside her again, coupled with his tongue on her button the double stimulation sent her into a spiraling vibration that left her dizzy and clutching the sheets.

She panted heavily as she descended to the earth still feeling shattered but put together, maybe for the first time in her life.

"You enjoyed that?" He hovered over her, proud to know he had just given her her first taste of being with a man. "Yes I did. Can we, can we do that again?" She was grinning like a cheshire cat and he couldn't resist kissing her again. Even with the remaining taste of her on his lips she was wonton under his touch.

She was grinding against his dick. The heat from her core stiffening his erection to a dangerous level. He shed his boxers in one swoop although internally he was struggling with matching his manly urges with a gentle touch but just like life with his new wife he had to take it one step at a time.

"Rick I'm ready. I can't wait anymore." She felt like if he didn't take her soon she'd die. Her body was burning up, craving his touch like she'd found the good in all the bad that had lead her into Rick's arms and she didn't want to lose it.

He held his dick in his hands giving himself a few strokes before he entered her as gently as he could. The tip of his dick was barely inside her when she began to push against his chest. The tightening feeling scared her. "The more you fight it, the more it's gonna hurt. Just relax." She tried to listen to him, he was the one with the experience but she didn't think she could accommodate his size and girth even though he had only inserted the tip of his dripping dick in her essence.

Her greenlight was a nod, he kissed her nose then her lips knowing that things were gonna feel painful before pleasure could peek through. He began to move slowly, when she thought he was fully enveloped inside her he was still pushing against her. Her slit rubbed against him and she clenched him inside her walls. The feeling was amazing but as he moved again she felt it, a flash of pain quick but not so easily forgotten, she gripped him tighter by his shoulders.

"Just a little bit more okay." She was a bundle of overstimulated nerves which were battling with the discomfort of her broken barrier.

He stroked her cheek and she looked so angelic beneath his large frame he wasn't expecting her next words.

"What are you? An elephant!" Discomfort won. Her hands went to cover her face, Sasha was a liar! It hurt. It hurt bad.

"Ssshhhhh" he soothed "It'll feel better soon." At least he hoped it did because the feel of his dick inside her tight canal was pushing him to the brink of explosion. She felt incredible and he had to remind himself that he had to take this one slow even though the urge to plunge into her was there.

"Rick I don't think I can do this. It hurts. Maybe you should stop." All she felt was tightness and pain as he moved against her.

"Look at me Michonne." Their eyes locked on each other and with her silence she told him she trusted him.

He brushed her with a slow, light stroke and held her hand to let her know he wasn't going to leave her. She clutched his hand tightly knowing they would hopefully get to the good part soon enough. His finger reached down and flicker her bud and her breathing increased.

Her face morphed from discomfort to surprise as a pleasurable mewl escaped her mouth, she writhed beneath him. He retreated from her cove and was slipping outside when he felt her clutch his back.

"Oh. My. God! Where are you going? Don't go! Please….." He slipped back inside and eased out again, realizing her pain had begun to subside and she was already galloping towards her completion.

He receded and entered her pussy again, moans of pleasure erupted from them both.

"Aaagghh yess.! That feels so good Rick. Don't stop!" It was a far cry from her complaints a few seconds ago so he was taking it as a sign her pain didn't linger.

"I can't stop. Not even if I wanted to." She was a perfect fit for him. A tornado could come and swoop the house away, Shane and Andrea could announce they were having sextuplets, nobody could take away the feeling of home that was him buried deep inside Michonne.

She was wife on paper before but he had made her his wife with his body.

He let himself go a bit. His thrusting becoming a little more forceful than before and he was rewarded when she too started to move eagerly against him. His forehead dipped to the space between her neck and chest.

"Michonne. You feel amazing." Like nothing he had ever felt before.

"Yeah? So do you!" Their desperate breaths mingled with each other as they both battled to their completion. She felt a whirlpool of sensations prickling under her skin, strumming from her core all the way down to her legs and she knew whatever was coming was going to throw her in a tailspin. She was fire and ice and the simultaneous consumption propelled her to feel something she hadn't felt in a long time. Freedom.

"Michonne." He said her name with so much possession, it spurred her passion forward. "Come for me baby."

Rick's voice took her over and she cried out as she shuddered in his arms all the while knowing he would catch her and never let her go. It would be so easily to fall in love with her husband, it scared her immensely that she thought she was already halfway there.

He pumped into her pussy a few more times and spilled his seed into her womb wondering if he would ever recover from making love to his Michonne.

Fear and anxiety filled him at the swift consequences to his actions. The joining of their bodies had hopefully made a baby tonight but it was his solemn realization that he may have just made himself fall in love with his wife.


Feeling a strip of light kissing her face Michonne reluctantly opened her eyes. She stretched her body feeling the strains of muscles she never knew she had. Rick had seduced her entire being with his gentle lovemaking. The man had two extremes; he could be straight barbaric at times but there was a tenderness in the way he caressed her body that caused her to blush at the memory of him filling her last night. She was glad she gifted a man like Rick with her virginity. He wasn't sleeping next to her when she reached for him, the note she found on top of his pillow, scribbled in such an illegible handwriting made her smirk because she was glad he wasn't good at everything.

Wife, I'm up early getting breakfast started. Take the Excedrin on the table and get some more rest.

Rick.

He was so thoughtful, knowing she would have a headache from her wine drinking the night before and had placed a glass of water and pills next to the lamp besides the bed. Her headache was more like a light pulsating nagging pain and was nothing some breakfast wouldn't fix. Rick had awaken her senses in more ways than one and her hangover was almost non existent.

She desired his presence strongly and knew there were certain things a wife was expected to do on a ranch like making breakfast and lunch, so she brushed her teeth in his en suite bathroom. She made a mental note to add a few touches to Rick's room starting with replacing the ugly drapes that darkened the large window panes.

She dressed in a blue cut off shirt and a pair of denim cutoffs; yesterday the heat was thick and she thought she was going to sizzle like the bacon she was smelling all the way upstairs.

Just as she was putting her locks in a french braid she heard the generic ringtone of her new phone and knew only one person had the number. She searched all over the bed and the floor for the cheap purchase. She wasn't so drunk last night that she couldn't remember where she threw her phone. She found it in her handbag resting next to Rick's clothes like it belonged mixed in with his possessions.

"Sasha!" She greeted, excited to touch base with the one friend who knew her inside out.

"Bitch when were you gonna tell me you arrived in Kansas safely?"

"Girl I'm sorry everything has been a rush since I got here. And this isn't Kansas." Sasha was all hyperbole at times.

"So did everything work out as expected?" Sasha didn't know all of the minute details of Michonne's sudden departure from the city but Michonne promised once everything was settled she would update her accordingly. Now was a good a time as any.

"I'm married Sasha to a cowboy of sorts. Living on a farm or a ranch I think, I don't know the difference."

"Married! To a cowboy? Shut up!"

"Yeah I kid you not. Listen has umm.. anybody been asking for me?"

"No. No one and if they do ask I'm telling them I don't know. So when can I come out for a visit? We can be the black version of Mary and Laura from Little House on the Prairie."

"Ain't nothing little about this house." Michonne laughed, she wanted to add there was nothing little about Rick either but she kept the eighth wonder of the world to herself.

"Wait a minute! If you're married does that mean you cashed in your V card!? What's your husband's name?"

"Rick. And yes I'm no longer the last virgin in the world."

"Wont He do it! I need details Michonne! Spill it girl!" Sasha's voice raised an octave in excitement. "Rick huh? Sounds like he fits right in the middle of the Bonanza crew. He rides horses and chews tobacco too?"

"You want details or you wanna go off on a tangent on all the western TV shows you know?"

Silence was Sasha's response.

"I thought so. It was perfect Sasha, a little bit of pain but he was so attentive. I think..I think I saw God Sasha."

"Nah girl that was just Rick dressed in good sex." Sasha said knowing the feeling all too well.

"I think I might love him." After one day her libido was misleading her but it felt so good to say it.

"You're just dickmatized Chonne. It confuses the best of us." Sasha said as though she had the experience of a ninety nine year old. "On a serious note though, you sure you're not rushing things?"

Michonne knew her girl knew her well, she was always guilty of going too fast. She would run when she should've walked. Marrying Rick on a desperate whim was a good case in point but she had to believe there was a reason she ended up in Oakland, with Rick.

"What do I always say Sasha?" She was picking up the pieces of Rick's clothes that didn't quite make it into the dirty hamper.

"If it ain't half off it ain't a sale?"

"No Sash! Everything happens for a reason. I need to believe that. I'm a wife now and I'm going to try my best to be a good one." For a year. She remembered when Netflix was her biggest commitment now she was a wife and she might be a mother soon too but she would fill Sasha in on all of that when she came for a visit.

"I hear you. I think I need to come see this to believe it. You living on a farm? Married to a real life cowboy? I need proof." The thought was only remotely comprehensible and they both laughed at her current situation.

"I'm gonna talk to Rick about getting you out here."

"Are there other men on this farm? Do I need to bring my wifeye?" Sasha was ridiculous with the self branding of her gift of being able to identify if a man was available or not.

"There are lots of men here but I haven't met them all. Look I have to go help Rick.."

"Help him do what?" Farm life confused her, it looked so boring on TV. "Butch and Sundance are coming by and you're making them lunch and watering their horses?"

"I miss you so much Sasha." Especially her wit. "I promise I'll talk to you soon." She couldn't help but laugh although the sound of Sasha's voice made her nostalgic for her old life.

"Bye girl. I'm off to buy a cowgirl hat so I can look the part when I do come out." Sasha clicked off and after ensuring her face looked fresh Michonne ventured downstairs in search of her husband.

.

As she made her way down the wooden staircase ten pairs of eyes followed her in silence until she landed on the last step. She assumed they were all Rick's workers and she said a soft good morning and worked her way to the kitchen.

Rick was at the stove looking incredibly sexy in another denim jeans and blue shirt. His hair was still wet from his shower, flashbacks of their sensual lovemaking returning to her, adding to the heat that danced in the room.

"Hi." She said.

He turned around giving her an elevator look, his eyes scanning her in disapproval. The bacon fat cracked and shot up in the air hitting him on the arm. "Shit!" He said shoving his arm under the running faucet.

"Well good mornin' darlin' you slept well?" She tried to imitate his southern twang, unnerved by his not so pleased look.

"Michonne, what are ya wearin'?"

She now understood the root of his silent contention. He didn't like the way she was dressed.

"It's hot out here Rick. Does God send rain out here? Or does he forget?" The only place that had air-condition in the house were the bedrooms upstairs. He knew all too well the heat out here could be unbearable even on the good days but she was his wife now and he wasn't going to have his men ogling her sexy body while she innocently paraded around in shorts and shredded tops.

He was going to call Maggie, she and Michonne were going shopping today.

"I'm sorry. Mornin'. How are you today? Any...soreness?" He was as gentle as he could've been last night with her but he knew she wasn't used to anything they did last night. He hoped he didn't hurt her.

"I'm fine. Can I help?" She saw the basket of bacon, the eggs and the rolls looking like a breakfast commercial and her mouth watered. It also irritated her that on top of everything else her husband could cook too.

"You can grab the rolls. The guys are waiting."

"Rick I can um...I can do this from now on." She wanted to be a help to him, earn her keep in any way she could.

"You can cook?" He asked, it had never come up in any of their phone conversations. She nodded and surprised him.

"I didn't know that."

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me." She walked ahead of him, putting emphasis in the sway of her hips.

She heard him curse and then followed her into the dining room.

.

"Fellas this is my wife Michonne. Honey these are the guys, they all work for me. This is Daryl who you met. Then we have Eduardo, we call him Eddie." He was going down the line and she was trying to make eye contact with every introduction. "That's Tobin. This old geezer is Dale and the guy who couldn't wait to dive into his breakfast is Jerry."

His mouth was full but Jerry managed a funny greeting that had her laughing.

There were mumbled greetings all around as she set the rest of the food down and took a seat next to Rick on the long mahogany table.

She was oddly delighted knowing they all ate breakfast at the table, together.

"Congrats boss." Tobin said biting into a roll.

"Rick you never said a word! Welcome to Serenity honey." Dale said giving her a wink.

"Thank you Dale. I'm very happy to be here."

Eduardo was the only one who didn't speak directly to her and he still couldn't force his eyes away from her. Subconsciously she ran a hand over her hair and over her clothes. Maybe around these men she may have to dress differently. Rick would agree she was sure.

"Eddie you mind not watching my wife like she was your last meal?" He was perturbed by his employee's mutilated decorum.

"Sorry boss. She sure is pretty." The beard wearing Eddie said.

She smiled at his compliment and Rick frowned seeing her smile so sweetly at Eddie.

"Eat up, we've all got jobs to get to."

"Maggie was nice enough to agree to take me shopping for some clothes. Thank you."

They both worked as a team to clear the large kitchen of the lunch wares. As much as Rick looked the part of a man who spent most of his time outdoors he was very helpful indoors too.

"I wasn't angry this mornin' alright, it's just the guys are guys and if you're gonna be dressing like that all the time I don't know what I'll do if I catch one of them looking at you like Eddie was." He wasn't the jealous type but Michonne was bringing out a raw set of feelings in him and he wasn't prepared for it.

He didn't want to have these feelings for her but she was robust and earthy and strangely compelling, after last night she became a part of him. Their contract seemed like a distant agreement, a mirage making him question its validity.

"Well would it kill you to put some air in the place Rick!? You're lucky I'm not walking around in my bathing suit."

"Are you always this uncensored?" Last night he thought it was the wine but it was all her.

She was baiting him, he knew it but he acquiesced not so reluctantly. He wasn't going to be obstinate to her demands, quite the opposite as he allowed an impetuous idea to form in his mind.

"Admit it. You like me this way." He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her against him, greedy for the feel of her soft, feminine frame against his hardened chest. He kissed her lips and it wasn't soft and tender like last night, it was greedy and fast and a prelude to what they'd be doing later that evening.

"I do."

"Have a good day. I'll see you in a few hours." She kissed him one last time, they both had grins on their faces and as much as she was looking forward to spending time with Maggie she couldn't wait to be back in Rick's arms again.

When she left Rick contacted Aaron's Cool Air, contracting him to install units in the whole house at his earliest convenience. He needed his wife comfortable and fully dressed before he punched Eddie in the face.


Two Weeks Later

"Easy girl." Rick watched his latest foal try to gain some balance as she walked beside her mother. Her determined attitude and some tender loving care had cut her recuperation time in half and he was pleased with her improvement. It would help with the next phase of his plans.

His mother had requested his and Shane's presence at Sweethearts where they had received their earnings from being the first Grimes' boys to marry. He had shoved the check in his pocket, still unnerved by the fight for his birthright.

It was how he found himself in the stable, watching his horses always left him with a sense of rudimentary calm. Except now images of Michonne and the way she felt in his arms cluttered his thinking space. She had taken up space in his home and the vacancy in his heart in a short space of time.

She and Maggie had gone on another lunch date, they had become fast friends and he was glad she was putting down some roots, it was such a contrast to the ill timed upheaval she had wrecked on his lonely life.

He heard Bailey and Codger barking around front which seemed odd, he jogged out front to see what had caught his boys' attention.

A stranger was walking in his land and he wasn't too pleased about the unannounced, unexpected visit. He called off his dogs, the stranger looked unarmed but Rick kept his guard up.

"Those dogs do a good perimeter watch. Hi. I'm looking for Michonne." The brown haired man was a sneaky one and he berated himself for not noticing him sooner.

"Who the hell are you?" Rick grew even more irritated when he discovered his shotgun was in the house. He had never seen this man before but by the look of his dress pants and dress shirt he could tell he wasn't from these here parts. Even his wingtip boots looked misplaced on his small frame.

What business did he have with Michonne?

"I'm Gareth. I'm looking for Michonne. You know her?"

"She's my wife."

The intruder's face widened in surprise. "She's married!? Oh this just gets better and better. This big spread yours?"

"Can I help you?" Rick folded his arms and tilted his head, whoever this Gareth was he wanted him gone before Michonne got home. Nobody or nothing was going to scare her out of the home she found with him, even though it seemed her problems had finally found her.

"Michonne's got a debt to repay and imagine my surprise when I go looking for her and she isn't anywhere to be found."

Rick knew she was running from something, he just didn't think it was from anything illegal.

"What kinda debt? What business do you have with her?" His knuckles were clenched ready to knock the wicked smirk off the man's face. He eyed his ninety nine cents school boy haircut, it fit his douchebag appearance.

"Let's just say the kinda debt where people can come up missing, if you know what I mean. It'd be in her best interest to pay up or…." He left the sentence drop off, open to interpretation.

Rick took a step forward and Garrett retreated, "You threatenin' me and mine?"

"I'm not here to cause any problems. Just here to find solutions. I kept telling her brother 'you can't go back Bob' but Bob never listened to me. See where he ended up?"

Rick didn't know she had a brother, he realized she had left him in the lurch about quite a few things. He didn't even understand how Gareth found her all the way in Oakland Springs.

He caught Daryl in his peripherals at the side of the main barn. His friend had his crossbow locked on Gareth should he try anything and it gave him some solace. He was happy Daryl kept up with his hobby and was stealth as he was loyal.

The check from Rick's winnings sizzled through his back pocket burning his skin. His dreams didn't seem so important anymore if Michonne was in any kind of danger.

What bothered him the most was Michonne didn't trust him enough to tell him she was in trouble. Despite sharing their bodies every night and opening tiny crevices of their hearts to each other when the world grew quiet and it felt like they alone existed she didn't trust him. His wife was keeping more secrets from him after all.

His heart had betrayed him because he was hurt by her omission and angered by his ill preparedness at protecting her. He knew what had to be done.

He whistled for Daryl to follow him into the shed.

"Follow me. I'll make you a deal " he said to Gareth.