Happy Christmas Eve to all who celebrate and Happy Holidays!

Thanks to all who continue to support this story. I really appreciate you reading and expressing your thoughts. I hope you all have a great New Year! I will continue this story in 2017, next month.

Chapter Eighteen

Michonne sat alone, feeling tired and a little peaked, waiting for her client, whom she wasn't particularly excited to meet. It had been a tough three weeks, this one specifically had been the toughest she'd endured in a while. Work had become nearly unmanageable, due to additional layoffs being made and as a result, more responsibilities shifting to her. Moreover, she was having car trouble, which could easily and best resolved by purchasing a new one, but she'd had no time to even begin the process. Furthermore, her mom had called, worrying her over nonsense. After all this time, she'd finally learned that her relationship with Mike was over. Apparently she'd reached out to Mrs. Thompson to see how she'd been since the death of her husband and the woman had told her mother that Michonne had ended the relationship with Mike.

Her mother had concluded that the relationship had ended due to another man and called her to demand she tell her who he was, that she hoped he was someone in better financial standing than Michael Thompson. If it hadn't been her mother on the call, Michonne would've said something extremely derogatory and hung up, but she'd been as respectful as she could be, putting her mother in her place before promptly ending the call. The last thing she wanted to hear was more advice about her love life. She was getting enough of it from Angela and to a lesser degree Sasha who was always compassionate and understanding.

Michonne took a sip of the iced cold water before her, in an attempt to settle her turning stomach as her thoughts fell to Rick. His now anemic presence in her life was not helping the stresses she was feeling. She missed him so much. Their frequent texts and phone calls. Their Skype dates. She missed everything about them. They'd talked since their breakup, only briefly a few weeks ago, and now texted maybe twice a week just to check in and see how the other was doing, but nothing tangible, fulfilling.

Michonne closed her eyes, her heart aching at the thought of him, longing for his voice, wanting so much to feel his touch. She wondered what he was doing at this very moment? She remembered, he told her a few weeks ago, before everything happened that he would be doing a Deputy Training class that week in Hawkinsville. It was ridiculous, silly really, but maybe she could just call his phone, hear his voice. She knew with him teaching class, he'd have his phone off, and therefore, he wouldn't answer. Should she take a chance? Michonne questioned within, risk him picking up the phone. Michonne pulled out her phone, tapped on her favorites and scrolled to his name, her finger hovering over his number, still debating what she should do, when finally she lowered her hand to it and dialed the number. Shockingly, Rick picked up on the first ring and for a fleeting moment, she considered hanging up, but instead remained on the line, speechless and nervous, until Rick uttered her name, filling her with tenderness.

"I didn't expect you to pick up." She softly confessed as quickening the beats in his chest, heightening his excitement, nearly robbing him of breath.

"I was just thinking about you." He managed to utter, deepening the warmth in her heart.

"Are you not in Hawkinsville?" She asked without thought, not knowing what else to say.

"No. The class got cancelled." He replied. "Are you okay?" He then asked, hearing the disquiet in her tone.

"Yeah. It's just been, a rough week." She reluctantly admitted.

"You want to talk about it?" Rick carefully pressed, wanting so much for her to open up to him. He'd missed this so much, them just talking about life, the easy and the hard, the good and the bad. He'd missed her, desperately. Michonne hesitated to answer, her minding telling her she shouldn't do this, that to say more would take them back to what they were, what she said they couldn't be until his divorce was final, but her heart said different, yearning to connect with him, to fully share what she was thinking and feeling, like she had so many times before.

"There's been a lot of upheaval at work, and other stuff." She helplessly revealed, instantly feeling a relief and comfort in the moment, stirring Rick with happiness and hope.

"More layoffs?"

"Yeah, but my job is okay, for now. Just more work than I can handle." She sighed.

"It'll ease up." He assured. "And if it doesn't, you won't have any problem finding something else."

"That's if I can find time to look."

"You've been that busy huh?"

"Pretty much." She confirmed. "Hardly a moment to spare."

"But, you're sparing a moment for me." He quietly, lovingly pointed out. 'That's because I miss you, every day and I couldn't spend another moment fighting my thoughts of you and thus ignoring my need to hear you, to feel the peace and perspective you bring.' Her heart ached to reply, but her head stayed her tongue.

"So how have you been? How's Carl?" She asked instead with quiet strength.

"I'm okay." He replied, but wanted to tell her that life had been painful and lonely without her. "Carl is better." He then answered her second question, when the moment seemed to turn long and quiet with Michonne waiting and wondering, hoping that Rick would say more, that things had changed with him and Lori, that she was no longer sleeping under his roof, but he didn't say a word. For he was fighting his heart, trying to respect her request for them to remain apart, yet yearning to tell her that he missed her, but wanting more to say 'I love you' and that Lori was out of their lives forever, but he couldn't.

Though Carl was better, he wasn't having as many nightmares as before, he was still struggling with what had happened and still needed a lot of support from him and Lori, which worked best, for now, with them all under the same roof. But in spite of that, he needed his divorce from Lori to be final and he'd been looking into alternative ways to make that happen as soon as possible. In the meantime, he didn't want to go on this way, barely speaking with or even "seeing" Michonne. He understood her decision to step away from their relationship, but he wanted to try again. He wanted to ask her if they could just talk more, text more, do a Skype outing every once and a while until he could clean up this mess with Lori. He need that. He needed her and he knew that she needed him too. Rick made up his mind to speak, to tell her what was in his heart, but he didn't get a chance, because Michonne spoke first…

"I have to go." She faintly asserted.

"I miss you" He quietly responded, staying the pain within, with the truest words he could speak in that moment, surprising and deeply touching Michonne.

"Me too." She uttered, nearly inaudibly. "I have to go." She stated once more, nearly brokenly, then hung up the phone before Rick could say more, shattering his heart.

"Mike." Michonne said with normalcy, giving no indication of pain that was ripping her within, greeting her ex-fiancé who was the client she'd been waiting on with trepidation. "Where is Mr. Sterling?" She asked.

"Mr. Sterling won't be joining us." Mike replied. "He had an emergency at the office. It's just going to be me and you." Michonne took another sip of her iced water, trying to stay calm, but feeling duped and thus annoyed and a little nauseous at the thought of this likely not being business centric at all.

"What are you doing?" She then questioned, her tone and gaze making clear her testy mood, and therefore her intolerance for bullshit at this meeting.

"What do mean what I'm doing?" Mike seriously replied, seemingly offended by what she'd inferred without saying the words. "I'm here to talk business." He claimed, which Michonne didn't buy. She'd been curious when her supervisor had informed her that they had a new client that had specifically requested her as their account executive. However, she'd become suspicious when she learned that the client was the firm in which Mike worked and became even more alarmed when it was discovered that he, along with Mr. Sterling would be her liaisons on the project. As a result, she'd immediately wanted to turn it down, to hand it over to someone else, but with the instability of the company and thus her job, this was not the time to be giving projects away, but taking them on in an effort to ensure job security.

"Don't you think me as account executive to your firm is a conflict of interest?" Sheposed what she'd wanted to ask him since she'd learned of this account, but had chosen not to reach out to him due to how things were left the last time they'd spoken.

"It probably is." He admitted. "But, I wanted the opportunity to say I'm sorry for how I behaved, the last couple of times we talked." He sincerely stated, holding her gaze.

"You don't have to apologize." Michonne replied. "You were hurt, angry…"

"I was, but I took that anger too far." He contended.

"As I said, it was understandable. No need to keep dwelling on it."

"I agree. We should move on from the hurt that has happened." He suggested, with eyes that were expressing more, seeming to be quietly asking that they give their relationship another chance.

"I have moved on." Michonne stated, telling him without spelling it out that they were still finished, despite her ability to move on and what appeared to be his desire to start over. "And I'm glad that you can too…but, we should get back to business." Shesaid, then reached in her satchel for a hard copy of the presentation she had for him and what was supposed to be his colleague, about her proposed strategy for the product line they were looking to reinvigorate with a new marketing campaign.

"We should, but before we do, tell me how you've been?" He questioned causing Michonne to turn her gaze from her bag to him, her look bewildered. "You don't look well."

"I'm fine…."

"Chonne, we lived together for two years. I know when you're not okay…"

"Mike stop."

"I know that things are over with you and …him"

"I said stop!" Michonne nearly snapped, but forcefully kept her voice down as not to cause a scene. She was shocked by his comment and wondered how he knew of her breakup with Rick, then remembered that Angela had likely told her man, Reggie, who was good friends with Mike. "If you're not here to talk business then this lunch meeting is over." She firmly added, shutting down his planned response.

"Ok, business." He then nearly grudgingly conceded, while giving her a look that said anything but. However, Michonne ignored his ardent gaze, and handed him the preliminary proposal for revitalizing one of their old product lines then proceeded to direct him through the core of the presentation. Mike followed along, asking questions and making comments here and there then stated…

"I heard things are a little crazy at the Firm, lots of reorganization and turn over."

"We're going through a rough time right now, which begs the question, why your firm would choose us for this project?" Michonne questioned again.

"Despite the issues your firm is having, it's still one of the best in the business." Mike defended.

"And my history with you had nothing to do with it?" Sheskeptically asked.

"I won't lie. It did play a role…"

"And your boss didn't see this as a conflict of interest?"

"I have a new boss. And he knows nothing about us." Mike affirmed.

"He knows nothing about our past." Michonne corrected.

"He knows nothing about our past." Mike echoed her words, his response etched with discontent.

"Well I can assure you the work that we'll do for you on this project will be nothing less than outstanding." She then said, turning the conversation back to business, not liking this at all, considering her and Mike's history, but what could she do? She couldn't very well turn down an account this big. It meant money for the company and with her been specifically requested as the account executive, it meant job security, for now.

"I don't doubt that." Mike stated with certainty. "But I know this type of upheaval and uncertainty was never what you wanted….in your career." He added the last part, when his tone seemed to imply something else.

"It happens, but it'll work out." Michonne countered.

"What if it doesn't?" He asked, his question loaded with so much more than the business at hand.

"That's none of your concern." Michonne strongly declared.

"No it's not." He concurred. "But, I have a proposition…a business proposition that I don't think you'll be able to refuse."

Rick watched Carl in the distance as he ran with the crowd of other 10 year olds, chasing the soccer ball kicking it in the direction of the goal. The moment felt good, just watching his son enjoying himself, being normal, participating in the indoor soccer tryouts. Now that baseball season was over, which had not been what he'd wanted it to be, due to him missing a few games because of the sprained ankle and concussion he suffered earlier in the summer and again at the end of the season. Carl was determined to have a full season of something and soccer was it, and Rick was happy to help him achieve this goal.

He would do anything he could to get Carl's life back to normal, which in the three weeks that had passed, tremendous progress had been made. Though he, and Lori, had to start from scratch with clothes, shoes, underwear, everything, the community had been good to them. They'd made donations, monetary and otherwise to get Carl and Lori clothes, underwear, blankets etc. even food. Rick had done his part too, adding to what was donated to give Carl a full closet of clothes, shoes, and undergarments. He'd even bought him a few new comic books to replace the one's he'd lost in the fire, which had gone a long way in providing some form of comfort.

Thankfully all of their memories, specifically of Carl as a child had not been lost. Lori had uploaded the pictures to the Cloud a couple of years before along with many more photos she thought were valuable, and as a result they were recoverable. However, many other things had been lost, that had been invaluable, specifically to Lori, but at least they were both alive.

Thanks to Shane, which in the weeks that had gone by Rick had gotten an opportunity to investigate further. The Fire Marshall had concluded that the fire was arson, started by what appeared to be lighter fluid and a cigarette, underneath the deck on the backside of the house, but they had yet to find any evidence of who had started the fire. Neighbors had been questioned but no one had seen anything. Rick had asked Lori about her recollection of events and she claimed she had no idea what was going on until she awakened to the smoke alarm going off. She'd made it out of her bedroom planning to go find Carl, but Shane was already there and forced her out the house while he went to find Carl. In his search of the house he'd discovered that Carl was in the basement.

How, she didn't know, but he couldn't get to him due to the intensity of the fire and smoke driving him out of the house. In the end, he'd been successful in saving Carl by breaking the basement window from the outside and pulling him through the small space. Rick was glad that Shane was there to save Lori and Carl, but he thought there was more to the story that hadn't been said or perhaps known. Someone had to have seen more. However, when he'd done his own questioning of the neighbors, he'd not had any luck in learning more, learning who'd done this.

Now knowing that the fire was deliberate, the first question would be who would want to do this? The second question would be, why would someone do this? His mind kept going to Shane, what Morgan had told him about the man who'd once been his friend, telling him that something was not right there, but that made no sense to Rick. Shane might want Lori, but he would never do something so dangerous as to set the house on fire to endear himself to her. That was just crazy. Someone else must've set that fire, but who and why?

Rick continued to watch Carl laugh with his fellow teammates, playing so carefree and with spirit. Besides Shane, his son was the only person he'd not talked to about what happened that morning of the fire. He'd been reluctant to do so because despite being better, Carl still struggled with nightmares, waking at least three times a week screaming for him and Lori. Rick again contemplated his soon to be ex-wife, how in the short time she'd been in his home, she'd tried her damdest to seduce him back into their marriage.

She knew that he and Michonne had…broken things off and as a result had attempted to seize the moment. She'd done everything from fix his favorite meals and packed his daily lunch to coming out the shower skimpily clothed and showing up in his bedroom or bath unannounced, specifically when he was not properly dressed. He'd rejected every single one of her attempts, to her frustration, and had threatened to throw her out if she didn't back off, which she'd grudgingly complied but not before telling him that she didn't care about his "indiscretion" with Michonne or his "supposed love for her," that their marriage was worth saving and eventually he'd see that. He didn't even counter her that time because he was sick of saying what she wasn't hearing. He needed to make her see that they were over. He loved Michonne. He wanted Michonne. He missed her beyond words these past few weeks – their talks, deep and frivolous, their flirty texts, their love making.

Many of nights he'd awaken, heated and agog, desperately needing her, wanting her, so close to calling her just to talk, but he'd fiercely restrained himself and refrained from dialing her up, because it was what she'd asked of him. Nonetheless he'd not remained idle. In the time they'd been apart he'd consulted with his lawyer regarding his options with Lori refusing to grant him the divorce and the man had informed him that the only option would be to go to court, which unfortunately would delay the divorce further. Rick didn't want a delay. He wanted this over, yesterday. He couldn't spend another who knows how many more months away from Michonne. Her call earlier in the day had solidified this.

For it had been exhilarating, yet heartbreaking. Just talking to her about normal things was nothing short of wonderful, but it hurt so much not to be able to go where they'd been, to completely open up about everything that was going on their lives. There was so much he wanted to share with her about what had happened over the past few weeks. It was nothing life altering, just things, major things, minor things, that were going on with him every day, and he could sense that she wanted to share the same, but most of all he wanted to tell her that Lori was out of his life forever. That they could move forward with their relationship. Soon Rick. Soon. He told himself. He had to believe. No, he WOULD fix this mess, finalize his divorce from Lori and get Michonne back before he lost her. He would do this. Whatever it takes. He vowed to himself just as the tryout/practice wrapped up and Carl ran over to ask how he did, but before Rick could tell him he'd done well, someone beat him to the punch…

"You did great kid!" Shane asserted, interrupting the exchange, as he came on the scene seemingly out of nowhere, drawing an uneasy look from Carl. "But you still need to work on…"

"What the hell are you doing here?" Rick stiffly asked as he rose from the bleacher seating to face the man.

"Like everyone else, watching my so... Carl play ball." Shane boldly replied, inciting fury within Rick who calmly turned to his son and instructed him to go grab his coat and bag and told him that he'd meet him out front momentarily. Carl, at first, had been hesitant to go until Rick gave him an assuring look and directed him once more to "go on."

"You need to stop." Rick ordered after returning indignant eyes to Shane.

"Stop what?" Shane retorted, his gaze just as incensed as Rick's.

"Let me make it clear. You don't belong here." Rick seethed.

"This is a free country and I can be where ever I want to be." Shane resentfully countered "And I choose to be here."

"Don't push me Shane."

"And don't push me!" He harshly retorted. "I belong here just as much as you." He argued. "I am a father to him, more than you've ever been."

"Have you lost your mind?" Rick fiercely questioned as he walked up on the man, invading his space. "You are NOT his father. You'll never be his father. And you keep this up, I will take you down."

"Are you threatening me?" Shane fumed, holding his stance, showing no fear of Rick.

"Yeah I am." He harshly confirmed. "You stay away from my son, or you will regret it." He warned, then walked away leaving a livid and crazed Shane looking on.

15 minutes later

The drive home from the practice/tryout was quiet, save for the heavy rain that now pounded the windshield. Rick glanced over at Carl and noticed that his son's gaze was focused out the window, staring into the darkness, at nothing…

"You okay?" Rick asked his son, prompting Carl to turn his eyes from the window and on to him.

"I'm ready." Carl nervously stated into the quiet.

"Ready for what?" Rick questioned, perplexity in his tone.

"Ready to talk, about what happened, the morning of the fire." Carl answered in a small voice, turning his eyes back out the dark window.

"Are you sure?" Rick asked, wondering what could've prompted Carl to want to speak about something that had frightened him for weeks, but became faintly alarmed when he logically concluded that his need to talk about the fire was related to Shane showing up at the practice/tryout.

"Yes." Carl exhaled.

"Ok." Rick sighed, anticipation and curiosity growing within him. "Tell me what happened." He carefully directed. "Start with what you were doing before the fire."

"I woke…just as Uncle…just as Uncle Shane, was leaving the house." Carl revealed with difficulty.

"Shane was at the house that morning?" Rick queried, keeping his tone calm even as anger burned within him at his suspicion being confirmed that Lori had indeed been screwing Shane, which explained his increasing obsession with her and Carl.

"Yes." Carl admitted with forced courage. "He… was sneaking out, like he always does. So, I wouldn't see." He sadly, innocently stated. "He'd wanted to stay, but mom said no. She always says no."

"Then what happened?" Rick inquired after pulling into the driveway of their home and turning the car off.

"I went back to sleep."

"For how long?"

"I don't know. Not long." He said in a small voice that was etched with frustration.

"It's okay son." Rick encouraged. "What happened when you woke that time?"

"I…I got up to go to the bathroom…" Carl continued. "… and then, to get a bowl of cereal. I fixed a bowl… then I, went downstairs to watch TV... then…then, I smelled smoke." He stated with fear and unease, then stopped speaking.

"It's okay, just take your time." Rick softly uttered, comforting his son, who remained quiet for a few moments before continuing.

"When I smelled the smoke…I…I put down my bowl of cereal, and went up the stairs, to find where it was coming from, but… when I got to the top… and touched the handle of the door, it was hot." He shakily explained. "I remembered what you always told me about hot door handles…so I turned around. But then smoke, started coming under the door and making it hard to breathe." Carl conveyed with a hint of panic in his voice, then stopped his account once more, compelling Rick to reassure him again, not just with words, but gently squeezing his shoulder. "I got scared…really scared." He unevenly disclosed. "So I ran back down the stairs, and when I got to the bottom step I tripped…then I woke up in the hospital." He concluded, then heavily sighed as if a weight had been lifted from his mind.

"You did good." Rick stated as he held Carl's uncertain gaze. "Now, do you think you can answer a couple of more questions for me?" He then asked. Carl took another deep breath and nodded his head. "When you went into the kitchen to get the bowl of cereal, did you see, or hear anything strange?" Rick thoughtfully posed. Carl sat quiet for what seemed like ages, his eyes closed as if he was picturing that morning in his mind, then spoke…

"I smelled…cigarettes." He slowly declared. "Uncle Shane's cigarettes." He said with realization as he looked towards his father, but Rick gave nothing away, successfully keeping his poker face on, thinking how Shane didn't regularly smoke, but occasionally did light up when he was vexed or stressed.

"Did you see the cigarettes in the house that he smoked, on the counter? In the trash?"

"No sir." Carl answered. "Nothing." He said. Rick thought about the implication in what Carl had said, what had been found by the Fire Marshall during the investigation. The timing was right. Who else would've been standing at the back of the house near the deck at that hour to drop a lit cigarette on the dry grass and add an accelerant to ensure a flame would catch? Who else but Shane Walsh? But could he really do this? Rick quietly questioned in disbelief. Would he actually do this? Was he so insane and obsessed with Lori that he'd pull such a dangerous stunt?

"Dad, I'm scared." Carl suddenly, shakily confessed, drawing Rick's eyes back to him. "I'm scared of Uncle Shane."

"Don't be scared." Rick gently stated, again supportively squeezing his son's shoulder, while holding his anxious gaze. "I'm here. And I will protect you. I promise you. Everything is going to be alright." He vowed, inciting a relieved nod and sigh from his son. 'Because I'm going to fix this.' He determinedly pledged to himself. 'I'm going to fix this mess, once and for all.'