Chapter 2

"What else was in your dream?" Rick asked scooting down to lie on his back.

"We had a fight."

"You didn't beat me down in front of the kids did you?"

She smirked and then smiled recalling that night.

"No, not that. We had an argument. It was something that I never thought would surface."

"You're holding back on me now?"

"Not really, but it had to do with Carol."

"Carol?"

"I never really trusted her mental stability."

"M-mm." Rick said thinking back.

"I know how you feel about Carol. I'm grateful to her too, but her motives are questionable to me. In my dream, somehow, Judith found out about Lori and Shane, and she asked you about them."

"Dad, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"You won't get mad?"

"I won't get mad Judith. What is it?"

"I was talking to Aunt Carol about love, and she said that sometimes a person can be in love with 2 people at the same time. Is that true?"

"I don't see why not." Rick said suspiciously.

"She said that your best friend Shane was in love with my birth mother."

Rick got angry, but remembered he told his daughter he wouldn't get mad, but everything he had been through protecting her and how he felt about her, seemed a futile effort if she felt differently about him once she knew the truth about her questionable paternity.

"Sweetheart, I'll answer that for you, but I need to talk to your mom about something I've been putting off, could you get her for me please?" Rick was fighting the urge to scream and cry at the same time.

"Sure Dad." The now 12-year-old hurried upstairs to get Michonne.

A short time later, Michonne came downstairs. Rick was waiting for her at the bottom. She took one look in his face and slowed her decent.

"What's wrong?"

He took her hand and pulled her into the downstairs bedroom and closed the door.

"Carol told Judith that Shane had been in love with Lori."

"Why would Carol do that?" Michonne asked angrily.

"She must have had a reason."

"What reason could she have for telling a 12-year-old something like that?"

"Michonne."

"Stop Rick, just stop."

She suddenly made him nervous, and he looked down at the ground holding in what he wanted to say.

"You always defend Carol. I know she saved your life, mine, the kids, and most of Alexandria. We're all grateful, but she's always saying one thing, doing the opposite, and doing things without talking to anyone about it."

"I owe her."

"Why, because you feel guilty?"

He looked at her which answered her question. Yes he felt guilty.

"Rick she killed 2 people."

"That would have ended up…"

"No Rick, people were already infected."

"Do you think she killed them just to kill?" He said raising his voice.

"No, I don't." Michonne said calmly. "But I'm saying that she did that without bringing her concern to anyone."

"What if Judith had have been sick or Carl?"

"You think she would have killed them?"

Michonne swallowed hard and looked him in the eyes. They never lied to each other no matter how difficult what had to be said.

"Yes, I do." Michonne said harshly. She had to resist the urge to look away from his hurt expression.

He was so angry he chewed on his bottom lip.

"I brought that up to her when I sent her away. I told her I didn't want her around Judith and Carl."

"She's damaged Rick. You told me about her husband. He terrorized her. You and I both know that no body walks away from that clean. Her PTSD is worse than yours by years."

"What do I do?"

"Stop giving Carol so much leverage over you, and tell Judith the truth. If you can avoid telling her that Shane might be her father, avoid it."

He looked at the ground again and nodded.

"I have to avoid it. I put too much into her to have all that swept away by one conversation."

"You always made sure she was safe and loved."

"So did you."

"I'm her father Michonne, even if I'm not."

"You are, and she loves you. You're the only father she has, the only one she's ever known."

He nodded and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"You need to talk to Carol too. Tell her to stop stirring up a can of worms."

He looked into her eyes again. His silence and his eyes always told her everything he was thinking.

"If you don't Rick, I will. She's messing with my daughter."

"Okay." He said practically under his breath.

Rick and Michonne walked out of the bedroom.

"Judith!" Rick called upstairs.

"Yeah Dad."

"Come down here please."

"Do you want me to stay here with you?" Michonne asked.

"Yes, please." He said squeezing her hand.

"Sit down on the couch Judith."

Rick looked at her and noticed how much she looked like her mother. Her hair was light brown and curly like his, but her eyes were brown, like Lori's and like Shane's.

Michonne sat down next to her and Rick stood opposite them.

"Judy, what Carol told you was true. Remember when I told you the world was different for Carl?"

Judith nodded.

"When it all started, I was shot in the line of duty and was in a coma in the hospital. My best friend Shane was also my partner. When the outbreak happened, he tried to get me out of the hospital, but he thought I was dead. He took your mother and Carl to safety."

"Because of the walkers?"

"Yes. When I woke up, I was alone. No one was in the hospital. I found my way to our old house, and met Morgan. He helped me, and then Maggie's husband Glenn helped me too, and I found your mother and Carl again. During that time, your mother and Shane became friends."

Rick looked at Michonne and she saw that he was drowning.

"At that time, it was hard to be alone, and your mother needed Shane. He could protect her and Carl."

"They fell in love?"

"Yes they did." Rick said looking as if he would be sick. "Your mother thought I was dead."

"That must have sucked for Shane when you found them." Judith said bluntly.

Rick scoffed turning away at the understatement.

"Shane had to respect the fact that your parents were still married."

"Did you and Shane stay friends after that?"

"We did, but life was hard then. We stayed on Maggie's father's farm. Shane and I disagreed over leadership, and other things. He thought I was too soft and wouldn't survive."

"Were you there Mom?"

"No baby, I wasn't. I didn't meet your dad until after your mother died."

"Okay Dad. I know this was hard for you to talk about. Mom told me about your journey to Alexandria. Thank you for telling me about my mother."

She stood up and walked over to her father.

"Clearly Shane was wrong about you because you're still here."

Rick smiled sadly at Judith and reached up and gently squeezed one of her earlobes.

"I love you Daddy."

"I love you too baby."

Judith reached up and wiped the tears from her father's cheeks.

"Judy, come here baby." Michonne said looking at Rick. "Your dad needs a little time alone."

Rick had already started up the stairs to their room. He closed the door and sat down on the bed and cried. He missed Shane, the way he was before the outbreak. He believed him when he said he hadn't looked at Lori before they thought he was dead. He didn't blame Lori for falling in love with Shane, but he did believe she loved Shane more than she loved him.

Michonne came up and sat with him. She put her arms around him and let him cry. She knew he kept that pain inside a long time. Whenever they would talk about that time it was always brief, and Rick would brush over it, leaving out how he really felt, until now. It hurt him deeply.

"All that was in your dream?"

"There's more. I've been having this dream for a while now." She said looking in his eyes. "How do you feel about it?"

"About how you said, but I don't want to have that conversation with Judith."

"I don't blame you."

"Do you think Carol would actually tell that to Judith?"

"Actually I don't, but I wouldn't put it past her or be surprised if she did."

Rick nodded.

"I understand what your dream showed you about my feeling guilty for kicking Carol out of the prison. I know I shouldn't. Looking back, I think she was wrong for be so hasty. She should have talked to the counsel instead of taking that matter into her own hands."

Michonne looked at him and smiled.

"What?"

"You can teach and old dog new tricks."