Chapter Five:

"...So that's good news right? You can have kids- that's what you wanted! Now we just have to find you Mr Right, which won't be impossible because you're smart and gorgeous"

Michonne began to smile at the steady stream of compliments Andrea fed her, "Thank you, but it's not that easy and you know it's not"

Andrea groaned as she stopped in the middle of the aisle, "You know what should be easy? Finding a toy for a kid! Can you just pick something up? He probably likes dirt, so just get him something that allows him to dig up dirt-"

"I want to get him something thoughtful, Andrea", Michonne countered, "And a little something for Judith… She's so sweet-"

"What about their piece of shit grandfather? I hope you give him a piece of your mind if he does turn up", Andrea snapped, her manicured nails glistening in the light as she slapped a hand on her waist.

Michonne groaned as she rolled her eyes, "Andrea, I am not going to have an attitude with anyone, okay? Richard and I had a few dates and they were fun but obviously we just weren't on the same page- and that's okay. It happens-"

"He could have at least got back to you. He was like, ninety years old! Aren't old people supposed to have more manners than the rest of us?"

Michonne ignored her friend as she eyed an action figure on the shelf. She didn't want to talk about Richard, nor did she want to remember how he disappeared after their last date. The truth of the matter was that she was embarrassed, and feeling somewhat regretful for even giving the older man any of her time. She sighed to herself as she picked up the box, "This will do."

"Great, pick it up. Now just get something for the girl and we'll go", Andrea instructed as she began marching ahead in her heels, leaving Michonne to roll her eyes a second time. If ever she got the chance to become a mother, she would hope that her friend would soften up towards children, or at the very least pretend to soften up.

Her desire to be a parent was probably why she jumped at the chance to attend Carl's birthday party. She adored the little boy and his sister, and unfortunately she didn't get many opportunities to be around kids, so she was more than happy to receive the invite. Finding the perfect gifts for both children was crucial, and as much as Andrea tried to hurry her, she was going to take the task seriously.

"You think she'll like this?", She quizzed, her hand running along the side of a dollhouse box, "I don't know if she's into dolls?"

Andrea sighed dramatically from her seated position. She had made use of a children's dining set after knocking a teddy bear off the seat, "Get it. It's perfect."

"She's such a shy little thing…", Michonne continued as she looked for the price tag, "Carl said she gets it from her dad but I don't think that's the case. He was a jerk."

"Jealousy", Andrea replied with a snort as she eyed the doll in the seat beside her, "Hey, can you seriously hurry up? I think this doll just moved…"

"He did let me keep his hat", Michonne declared, her brows furrowing as she remembered her last encounter with the children's father, "I guess it was some kind of weird peace offering. I might give it back"

"I don't get why anyone would buy their kids this stuff", Andre narrowed her eyes as she looked at the toys sat around the table, "They're all creepy…"

It was Michonne's turn to groan dramatically as she listened to her friends running commentary, though her mind was partly wondering about her next encounter with Rick.

The corrections officer had left a bad taste in her mouth the first time they met, and she was still quite sceptical of him. While she could admit that he didn't come across as smug, but rather very genuine, she still felt as if he was judging her. She didn't expect him to be over the moon at the fact that his father was spending time with a woman that was even younger than himself, but she imagined that he would probably be pleased to hear his father cut off contact with her. Embarrassment struck her again as she thought about it.

When she was finally satisfied with the gifts she'd found, and she had successfully began to suppress any memory she had of Richard, she was able to elevate her friends mood by leaving the store with her new purchases.

Her week had been a relatively good one. All of her clients were happy and she was delighted to learn that all her fertility worries were wiped away after her last check up, so by the time the day of Carl's birthday came, she was in high spirits. She wore a new black blouse with bellowing sleeves, and her least favourite pair of fitted jeans because she knew there was a chance they wouldn't survive a kids party, and a pair black and gold flat sandals, as she knew it wouldn't have been wise of her to wear heels. The people of Kings County were all about the outdoors, and she was not.

The drive into the town was smooth sailing, although it was an early Sunday afternoon. She didn't want to arrive too early, thinking that it would be strange for a woman in her position, so she aimed to arrive at least 2 hours after everything had begun, that way everyone would be too interested in the occasion to notice her entrance.

The little boy's party was being held in a park on one of the most beautiful days. There wasn't a cloud in sight; just a crystal blue sky and gentle breeze that kissed her skin occasionally. She didn't think she could miss a place that she had only visited a handful of times, but she did. The town was a complete contrast to what she was used to and she always felt able to slip into pace with the other residents. It was the kind of place that she could easily picture herself settling in, raising a family and running her business from afar, but sadly none of that was something she could see that happening in the near future.

"You made it!", Lori cheered when she spotted Michonne from over a male's shoulder. She excused herself from her conversation and began making her way towards her.

Kids were running wild from one place to another, chasing the grinning birthday boy around the benches that were covered with drinks and treats. Streamers hung from the trees, a bounce house was set up nearby that was shaped like a pirate ship, and to Michonne's horror there was a clown performing for the younger children. She shuddered to herself before smiling at Lori, "Hey!"

"What is all this?", Lori frowned, eyeing the pile of boxes Michonne carried, "You did not-"

"I did", She insisted, tilting her head as she sniggered, "Where should I put them?"

"God", Lori sighed, "Brian! Can you come and take these please?!"

"How's it going so far? Stressful?", Michonne queried as she watch Carl run straight into the bounce house, "He's having a blast"

"Of course he is, he's eaten his weight in sugar", Lori scoffed, "I haven't even seen him properly, he's running around so much that he's just a blur"

Michonne chuckled at the woman's joke, "So he is having a blast"

"Hey there, Michonne", Brian greeted cheerfully as he sauntered over, holding a drink in his hand.

Michonne did her best to give the man a friendly smile in return, even though he most recent client did make her giggle. He was a flamboyant character who dressed impeccably well, and had an air about him, like he would be offended if someone asked if he worked. Knowing what she did about Lori, she and Brian didn't seem suited at all, but Michonne wasn't one to judge. She greeted him just how he greeted her as he took the presents from her arms, "How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you. And yourself? You look stunning", Brian took a step back and looked her from head to toe, "Very nice"

Michonne's smile tightened, "Thank you"

"I'll get you ladies a drink", Brian declared, sauntering off in the opposite direction.

Lori inspected the drink that she had taken from her partner so that he could help Michonne, and soon enough her face crumbled from displeasure, "I don't even know what this is? Come on, can I get you a lemonade or something?"

"Yeah, sure. Thanks", Michonne replied, trying to scope to the small crowd of parents discreetly. She felt hugely self-conscious, wondering if everyone knew about her and Richard. He had introduced her to plenty of people and she couldn't bear the thought of being recognised, "So… what's been going on down here?"

"Nothing", Lori responded flatly as they strolled across the grass, "Well, people here are getting ready for the county fair but it's the same thing every year; you take the kids on a few rides, we watch the cake show and one of the animals get loose. Last year it was a pig."

Michonne chortled quietly as she thought about it, "Sounds like fun"

"It can be. The kids love it.", Lori admitted with a little shrug, her attention falling on the younger children who were being entertained by the clown, "Oh- where's Judith?"

Michonne's gaze skimmed across the children, sure she had seen the little girl sat there only moments before, "She was just there"

Lori's dark brows formed a straight line as she began looking around them, "Where on earth- Oh! You have her"

"She came and got me from the grill…", Michonne didn't immediately turn around when she heard Rick's voice but she knew that she had to, in order to be polite. Rick held his daughter in his arms as he approached them, his focus only on Judith. She wore a green and white dress with her hair pulled back with a white headband. She couldn't look any sweeter, but her expression told a different story. Rick adjusted the strap of her dress on her shoulder as he spoke, "I don't think she likes the clown…"

"Oh no, ain't that a shame", Lori shook her head as she ran a hand down her daughter's back.

Michonne couldn't recall what she was doing when Rick finally looked at her, but all of a sudden she felt the need to stand up a little straighter. He gave her a small nod, "Nice of you to come."

"No problem", She tried to reply coolly, although she was sure she failed.

"I'm going to take her over to the bounce house", Lori began peeling the little girl away from him, "So can you get Michonne a drink, please?"

Rick gave his wife a strange look, one that Michonne couldn't understand, but he weakly agreed, "Yeah. Sure."

"Thank you", His ex-wife replied in a sing song tone as she bounced her daughter playfully on her hip.

There were more than a dozen adults there and possibly even more kids, but for reasons unbeknownst to Michonne she felt as if there suddenly wasn't enough people there. She hadn't liked being left alone with Rick in the past and she still didn't, Their conversations had always been awkward and she never knew what to expect from him, so she decided the best thing would be for her to remain quiet.

"You get up here alright?", He asked, squinting in her direction as the sun's beams lit up his face.

"Fine. No problem at all", She glanced in his direction but kept her gaze on just about anything else.

"Good.", He nodded, beginning to fuss with the rolled up sleeve of his denim shirt, "It's usually quiet on a Sunday… not much traffic or anythan'..."

"...I noticed…"

A silent moment passed between them as they began to walk towards a bench which was edge to edge with beverages. Rick cleared his throat, "So Lori told me that you're working with Brian on somethan'?"

"Yeah, that's true. His mother's house…", She crossed her arms over her chest, "It's going well"

He nodded a second time as he looked ahead of them, giving Michonne the chance to steal a good look at him. She couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was that was different about him, but she could see that something about him had changed. Before she could work out what it was he looked back at her as he spoke, causing her quickly drop her gaze to the grass. He questioned her again, "I've met his mother. She's a kind woman."

"Yeah, she definitely is…", She agreed, refusing to look at him again, "So how's work at the uh, prison?"

"The same. Mostly quiet…", He responded dryly, before adding, "Which is a good thang, given the circumstances"

"I guess that's true."

She was expecting him to get busy with the drinks when they finally reached the bench, but instead he sighed and began rubbing the back of his neck harshly, "I feel like I have to say somethan' about¬"

"Don't.", She ejected quickly, "I know. It's fine, so don't."

He stilled, his eyes boring into hers. It came as no surprise to her that he'd speak want to speak about his father, but she was done with the subject. He relented, "Alright."

"Thanks", She huffed, looking at the bottles in front of her, "So anything for adults?"

"Um yeah, but I should warn you that Brian was in charge of the drinks and I really don't know what any of these thangs are… I was hoping he'd just get a couple of beers but obviously I was wrong...", Rick explained sourly as he picked up an exceptionally long glass bottle, his lip curling in disgust as he read the label, "I think you're meant to mix this with somethan' else?"

Michonne sucked air between her teeth as she reached for another bottle, "Yeah, you are. You mix these two together"

He looked at the other beverage, then the one he held, and he gave a defeated shrug, "Right… I'm sorry I'm not much of a drinks connoisseur… It's all a little too fancy for me"

A smile broke free on her face, "A little too fancy?"

Much to her amazement, his neck and cheeks grew crimson as he put the bottle down, "Well, yeah…"

Michonne couldn't remember the last time she saw something so endearing. The hard corrections officer was blushing about his simplicity. She almost snickered, "I think everyone can appreciate a good beer or two, but there's nothing wrong with trying something new… Even if it is a little fancy. You might like it."

He rubbed his hand over his beard, "Yeah. Maybe. I don't know I'm just… Just not good with¬"

"Grab a cup", She instructed, beginning to crack open the bottle. He looked at her curiously for a second or two before doing as he was told. He held the cup steady while she poured a little of the spirit inside. When she was comfortable with the amount she grabbed another bottle and checked the label before pouring that in, too. She popped in a few cubes of ice from a nearby bucket, then stirred it with a straw, "Go on, take a sip"

Rick began to shake his head, "I don't want to waste it¬"

"Sip. Now.", She titled her head towards the cup, "Go on."

In spite of the face that she was the one that encouraged him to drink, she felt a little perverted watching his lips curve around the cup, however she didn't look away. His light brows furrowed furiously at first, before springing to life in either surprise or horror. He lowered the cup as his tongue ran along his bottom lip, "It's… It's not terrible"

She placed a hand on her hip as she cocked her head to the side. She sat the tiniest hint of a smirk on his face.

"I mean it, it's not terrible ", He held the drink out to her, "It's quite alright actually"

Michonne took the cup from him, trying to avoid touching his hand but she failed. She didn't know what her problem was; she had encountered him before and back then she couldn't wait to get away from him, but in that moment she felt so nervous and awkward that she was sure she looked a fool in front of him.

"Dad! Did you see what the clown just did?!", Carl came barrelling over to his father, pointing excitedly towards the entertainer, "Come see!"

"Alright, hold on though, look who's here", Rick placed a hand on his son's shoulder to slow him down, "Tell her, thank you for coming"

"Thank you for coming", Carl repeated robotically before reaching for her hand, "Come on! You have to come see!"

"Oh, uh…", She looked in Rick's direction, even though she let the little boy take her hand, "I thought you wanted¬"

"He found someone better", Rick gave her a playful parting wave, "Have fun"

Carl tugged her over to a space where the other children were sat in front of the Clown, all watching with amazement while the man argued with a sock puppet. She was forced to sit down too, and regretting the decision to wear such a tight pair of jeans. Luckily there was a blanket, so she perched on the edge beside Carl, and did her best to appear animated throughout the performer's routine.

"Did you see that?!", Carl exclaimed excitedly when the man made a Ferris wheel out of balloons, "I want one!"

"You should get one since you're the birthday boy", Michonne agreed as she adjusted the strap on her sandals, not noticing that there was someone stood nearby until she looked up, "Hey there, Judith"

The girl was stood with her hands in front of her, fidgeting with her dress as she looked at the Clown with great uncertainty.

Michonne remembered what her father had said earlier, and she couldn't stand clowns herself, so she called the girl over, "Come on, you can sit with us"

Judith looked at her with a little less uncertainty, and it took so long for her to finally budge that Michonne didn't think the girl would move. She did a little sprint over, and instead of trying to squeeze into the tiny space between Michonne and Carl, she plopped herself down on Michonne's lap. Michonne was sure her heart would implode. Though she didn't say anything at all, she did begin to smile at times, if even for a second or two.

"Alright kids! Time to get some food in those stomachs!", A dark-skinned woman called as she approached the children, clapping her hands together, "Why don't we give Mr Snuggles a round of applause?"

Michonne felt her heart grow when she saw Judith join in with the others to clap, "So you liked it? It wasn't that bad, huh?"

Judith set her big brown eyes on her as she nodded, "It was okay…"

Michonne beamed at her, "Why don't we go get you something to eat?"

"Okay…"

There was a table set up nearby with an array of children-sized snacks for them to tuck into, and soon enough all the kids swarmed, rushing to get a good seat next to the birthday boy. Michonne found herself blessed once again as Judith held her hand as they joined the others.

"She's a darling, isn't she?", Brian commented, standing beside Michonne when she was free to leave Judith to eat, "Carl's a great kid, too."

"You're right about that", She agreed, sighing with content as the children picked at the food like vultures.

"Before Lori came along I was sure that I hated kids", Brian divulged in a pathetic attempt to whisper, "But those two changed my mind"

Michonne raised an eyebrow as she looked at him from the corner of her eye, "...And now you love kids?"

Brian scoffed at her, "God no, I just like those two. The rest are all demons"

Her mouth fell agape as she watched the man swan off once again, truly beginning to wonder how he and Lori found themselves in a relationship.

"I don' like this one", Judith declared, holding up a triangular shaped sandwich. Michonne wasn't sure who she was talking to, and it looked as if she were just making an announcement, but soon enough Rick appeared behind her and took the offending food away.

"...She hates cheese like this…", He explained, setting the sandwich down on another plate, "But she'll gladly eat pizza"

Michonne giggled at the fact, "Clearly, there's a difference."

"Yeah. Clearly", He agreed, standing beside her as they looked out over the table.

Being around him a second time wasn't as nerve wrecking. Maybe it was because she had downed her drink during the clown's performance, she wasn't sure, but the atmosphere was much more relaxed when neither of them were speaking.

"...I found a beer", He declared, motioning towards the brown bottle that he held, "Morgan… He was hiding some in his trunk… I can get you one?"

"Oh no, it's fine", She declined politely, "It doesn't take that much to make me see double,"

He snickered at her joke, "Lori's the same, actually"

Michonne eyed the beer bottle, questioning how many he'd had, "I can't see it as a bad thing. Makes for a cheap date"

"Really?...", His bright blue eyes stayed downward for some time, as if he was thinking about something completely off topic, and Michonne found out soon enough why, "...Well, how about we test that out?"

She blinked at him, "Huh?"

"...I mean we- we test that theory… By going out… On a.. On a date", Fear was written all over his face as he elaborated on his previous remark, "If you'd want that?"

It was because he had taken so long to repeat himself that he had her full attention, and even though she heard his request loud and clear, she was still dumbfounded by it at first, but that was quickly replaced with anger and confusion. She almost spat the words from her mouth as she hissed through gritted teeth, "Are you kidding me?"

Rick was as white as a sheet in a matter of seconds and he began to splutter, "Uh.. wait- no, I just meant¬"

"I know exactly what you meant!", She raised her finger to poke him but was struck with a reminder that they were at his son's birthday party, so dropped her hand at her side and spun around. She wanted to react wildly but couldn't, so settled for stomping away instead.

Getting to her car was her main objective and giving Andrea a call was the second, but she hadn't counted on having Rick follow her out to the parking lot. "Michonne, wait! Look, I'm sorry I didn't ask you that to piss you off-"

"Then why?", She threw her hands up in the air to signal her exasperation as she slowed down, "Why would you possibly think that it's okay to ask me out on a date?"

Rick came to a stop, holding his own hands up in surrender, "I… I thought that I could- I wanted to so… I just did"

She gave him the most incredulous look that she could, "Why?!"

"...Because I…", He hesitated, his hands falling to his sides, "I… I think that I like you."

Michonne's expression was frozen in place.

"I said 'I think' because… I didn't know- I'm no good with these thangs, either", His shoulders slumped in defeat, "Look, I'll admit that I didn't like how I met you and… I was mad about the way my dad treated you because I don't think anyone deserves that but… I didn't realise that it could be because I… I actually liked you…"

Her brain was finally able to process what was happening, "...Did you even take a minute to think about how much of a bad idea this is?"

He blew out an unsteady breath, "I took more than just a minute… Weeks, I think? I thought about it over and over and before Lori told me that you'd be here today, I just thought I'd never see you again and whatever I was feeling would just disappear but when I learned that wouldn't be the case… I just had to accept it. I was going to you see you again and I needed to figure out what that meant, so I decided that I'd say somethan'... I didn't know how or what- just somethan'..."

Michonne narrowed her eyes at him, "So you thought you'd ask me out on a date?"

"...I thought it would be a good start?", He looked so overtaxed that she almost felt sorry for him, "I… I've only ever dated one woman, Michonne, and that was a long time ago so I'm… I'm rusty, I thought that's what you do when you like someone- You take them out and you get to know them, that's how you start thangs off-"

"You're rambling", She ejected dryly.

"Yeah, because I'm sweating bricks over here", Rick ran both hands over his face, "I thought the worst that could happen was you'd say 'No'. Not get upset and storm off."

Michonne had to calm down. She was so tense that her neck was beginning to hurt. She unclenched her fists and started to look around the parking lot, as if she could find a solution somewhere nearby.

"...My kids really like you… You get on well with my ex-wife… I have a feeling that you're probably way smarter than me and you're jokes aren't like the ones that I'm used to hearing. I've seen you sit around with my family and… you were going out of your way to do thangs for someone that really wasn't even worth the hassle ", His tone became a little bitter towards the end of his speech.

"And you are?", She countered, chuckling deliriously.

"I'd want you to decide that", He replied diplomatically, "If you'd want to find out."

Her brain was frazzled again. She raked her fingers through her hair as she looked everywhere else but at him, "I can't believe this."

"...I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to make you mad or confuse you."

Michonne found herself focusing one sole pebble on the ground between them. It was darker than the rest around it, but it had a shiny surface, which was what caught her eye in the first place. She wouldn't consider herself a spiritual person but for some reason or the other, she felt as if it was symbolic for something. It must have been, as she couldn't think of another reason as to why she'd notice it at all. She had reached a strange stage in her life where she knew what she wanted but doubted she'd be lucky enough to have those achievements, yet here she was, presented with a chance to start something new with the most unlikely of people. She let her arms fall by her side as she exhaled tiredly, "...I can't give you an answer right now. I'm sorry".