Chapter 8:

The Next Day

Rick woke up to the sun shining in his eyes and squinted, he attempted to move but quickly realized Michonne was still sleeping in the same position she was in when she fallen asleep. Since coming back home it was the first time that she was still sleeping when he awoke. He enjoyed the moment and attempted to go back asleep before quickly realizing he had to use the bathroom. He sighed and moved slightly towards the edge of the bed. As he moved so did Michonne attempting to get closer to him. He moved again and she followed again. For a second he wondered if she was still sleeping and instead doing it on purpose but that idea quickly escaped him when he heard a light snore escape her. Definitely sleeping he thought. He was almost off the bed and he managed to roll out of her grasp and subsequently onto her wooden floor with a loud thud and a groan.

After a minute or two of some movement from above him Michonne peaked her head off her bed to see Rick laying on the floor. "...what are you doing?" She asked, her voice groggy and her eyes still a bit closed.

Rick sighed, "I had to use the bathroom."

Michonne rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, "So...you decided to roll there?" She said still clearly confused as she was still in the process of waking up.

Rick sat up as he rubbed his lower back with his hand, "No I was trying not to wake you up but I didn't judge the roll good enough clearly….Why can't you have carpeted floors like everyone else?"

"You know how hard it is to clean carpets? And then people are trekking their germs all over my hard to clean carpet, no thanks."

"I'm literally the only person who's been here."

"You don't know that Rocky." She said as she sat up and leaned against her headboard.

"Who else has been here?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"...No one but that's beside the point!"

Rick chuckled as he got up, "I'm gonna go use the bathroom and then I'll make you some breakfast."

Michonne sighed, "I don't need you to take care of me."

Rick shrugged, "too bad." He said as he entered her bathroom.

Michonne sighed again but stayed in bed, her arms folded over her chest, as she waited for Rick to leave the bathroom. "Do you even know how to cook Rocky?" She asked once he came out.

"My kid says I make some mean scrambled eggs." Rick said with a smile.

Michonne pursed her lips together, "he's 7 he thinks everything is great."

"Do you want breakfast here or downstairs?" He asked, ignoring her comment not admitting that she was definitely right.

Michonne sighed and whipped the blanket off of her, "I'm not bedridden Rick I'll eat downstairs." She said as she exited her room.

Rick smiled a bit to himself and nodded as he followed after her, "whatever you say boss."

Michonne sat on her bar stool near her kitchen island as she watched Rick cook their breakfast. They both were silent as he cooked and when he was done he placed scrambled eggs, with slightly burnt toast, in front of her. He sat across from her with the same in front of him and they began to eat.

"Not bad Rocky…" Michonne said as she ate.

Rick smiled, "see? I told you."

Michonne smiled a bit, "yeah, yeah." She said waving him off as she ate.

They continued to eat in silence and when they were both done Rick took their plates and placed them in her sink. He sat back across from her and looked at her intently. "You wanna talk about yesterday?"

"No." Michonne responded as her eyes left him and moved around her kitchen.

Rick continued to look at her as they became silent again. "You shouldn't have to deal with this shit alone Michonne…" As he spoke her eyes continued to dance around the room but he could tell she was listening so he continued. "...You shouldn't have to be sobbing in my arms in order to speak about your child. Give me some of the shit you're holding onto."

Michonne sighed and placed her eyes back on him, "You have your own shit Rick…"

Rick nodded, "I do but it's getting better because of you. So let me help you." He said with a soft voice.

She sighed again, "I can't just give you all of it Rick. Not all at once."

"I don't need all at once. Just a little at a time."

After a few moments Michonne nodded, "okay." She finally agreed as she then slipped off of her stool and walked over to the sink to wash the dishes.

Rick watched her for a moment and then got up to stand beside her. "You should stay over at mines for the weekend...Maybe it'll help to not be here for a day or two."

"And your son?" Michonne asked as she finished and leaned against her sink.

"Won't be home till Sunday night."

Michonne paused for a moment and then nodded, "let me get a few things." She turned to leave the kitchen and Rick watched her, when she got to her stairs she paused and walked back to him. She could read the confusion on his face when she entered the kitchen again as she gently cupped his face in her hand and laid a kiss on his cheek. Her eyes were soft and a small smile showed on her face, "Thank you for last night." She kissed him on the cheek again and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you." She said again quietly. She stayed like this for a moment and then pulled away from him, exiting the kitchen and going up her stairs.

Rick watched her as he go, his cheeks a slight flush due to her small moment. Ten years ago when they had dated these "sappy" moments as she called it, was an often occurrence from Michonne. Now that they were different and a bit broken he wasn't sure if he would see a moment like that from her again but he smiled sheepishly to himself in realizing that her "sappy" moments still made him flush.

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Michonne was now in Rick's bed, she wore a similar large pajama shirt as the night before but this time with a pair of denim shorts underneath. She had a large book open in front of her and was bent over it as she read with her legs crossed.

Rick groaned as he entered the room and plopped down next to her, "You know you don't have to read here right?"

"Just because you don't get comics doesn't mean the rest of have to suffer Rocky." She said as she continued to read with her head down.

Rick sighed, "I thought when you went to New York you had grown out of them."

"You thought wrong."

"Which one are you reading now?"

"Watchmen." She responded.

Rick squinted at her, "haven't you read that before?"

"...your point?" She asked as she turned the page, yawning lightly as she did so.

"What's the point of reading these things if they always make you sleepy? How can they be exciting?"

Michonne sighed and looked up from her book, "first of all Rocky you know I get sleepy whenever I read anything so don't place that on comics. Secondly if you decided to open up your mind one day to things besides the sports section maybe you would understand why everyone reads comics."

"...Everyone doesn't read comics."

"The more I read the quicker I'll be napping and then the quicker you can do whatever you like Rocky." Michonne said as she went back to reading.

Rick nodded at her point and got up from bed, "I'll be downstairs watching the game."

"What game?"

"Literally any game." He said as he left the room.

Michonne chuckled a bit as he left and she continued reading, another yawn escaping her.

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After reading for a while Michonne had fallen asleep at some point. She was sleeping when she was woken up by a doorbell ringing from downstairs. She heard the door open and then murmurs and the door closing again.

"Dad, can we pleaseeeee get the new one that came out? Pleaseeee I will do my all my chores I promise!"

"We will see." Pause. "Uh, let me go check on something upstairs, okay son? I'll be right back."

"Okay!" Said a young voice in response.

Michonne sighed and her face was turned into a frown as she heard Rick come upstairs. She sighed as she got off the bed as Rick entered the room. "Your kid is here?" She asked to him.

Rick sighed and closed the door behind him, "He said he wasn't feeling well so his mom brought him back home but I think he just wanted to be here."

Silence.

"I'm going home Rick." She said with a sigh.

"You can stay." Rick responded.

"And do what Rick? Stay locked in your room?"

Rick sighed, "He'll stay downstairs and when he's sleeping you can leave if you really want."

Another silence.

"You're annoying."

"I know."

"Go downstairs with your kid." She said with a sigh as she got back in bed.

"...Thanks for staying."

"The longer you stay up here Rocky the more likely he is to come up here." Michonne said as she picked up her book and began reading where she left off.

"Alright, I'm going boss." Rick said as he then exited the room, closing the door behind him.

As time passed Michonne could hear the child's footsteps running around, laughter, talking, a television and then silence. She looked at the clock on the wall and the time read 4:30 and she sighed. She listened a bit more, attempting to figure out if the child was still downstairs since she had to use the bathroom. Should have just stayed home she thought to herself. She sighed as she got up once she heard footsteps downstairs, assuming the child was still downstairs. As she opened the door she peered out and heard his laughter again which she took as a sign that she will be able to go to the bathroom without running into him.

Once she was done she exited the bathroom stopping short when suddenly a smaller version of Rick was in front of her. His eyes were a similar shade of blue and his hair was a bit shaggy. He looked up at her and squinted, like his dad would, "Dad! There's a lady upstairs!"

They both continued to stare at each other until Rick was in front of them, slightly out of breath, since it seemed like he had ran up the stairs. "Uh, Carl...this is Michonne. I knew her when I was your age." Rick finally said.

"Why is she in our bathroom? Carl asked keeping his eyes on the woman before him.

"Uh…I guess she had to use the bathroom, right Michonne?" He asked glancing over at her.

She sighed and glanced at Carl, "Yup." She simply responded.

"Does she have her own bathroom?" Carl asked, clearly still confused.

"Uh, yes. She does but uh she wasn't feeling well today so she was here and was sleeping but I guess she had to use the bathroom so…"

Michonne sighed again and bent down so she was at eye level with Carl, "Do you mind if I go talk to your dad for a minute?"

Carl squinted at her but nodded.

"I'll be right down Carl." Rick said as his son proceeded to go back down stairs. He turned to Michonne as she began to walk back to the room and he sighed as he walked after her.

"Michonne…" Rick said as he entered the room.

"I should kill you Rocky." She dryly responded.

"I know."

"You're lucky I believe a child deserves a father in their life."

He sighed and sat next to her, "I know."

Silence.

"...I'm hungry."

"Dinner is pretty much done. It's spaghetti. Carl's favorite. Do you want to eat with us...or?"

Michonne let a large sigh and got up, "Might as well Rocky the kid already saw me." She said as she left his room and proceeded downstairs.

Rick rubbed his hands over his face but followed after her. "Carl! Dinner is ready!" He shouted as he came down the stairs. "You want to set up some plates and forks for our guest?" He asked as he met his son at the bottom of the stairs.

"Okay...is she gonna be staying with us?" Carl asked looking up at his dad.

Rick sighed, he should have known that his son would still have questions, "no she isn't gonna be staying with us."

Carl glanced back at Michonne who was sitting patiently at their kitchen table, "she doesn't look sick to me just...grumpy."

Rick glanced over at Michonne and then back at his son, "yeah well you didn't look sick either and someone still wanted to come home right?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and a smile.

Carl broke out into a shy smile, "Yeah, I guess…"

Rick chuckled and lightly ruffled his son's hair, "Go get those plates so we can eat."

Carl nodded and ran off of to the kitchen. As he entered the kitchen he and Michonne shared a brief glance. Michonne turned to Rick and glanced at him, sighing, and then pointing her head in the direction of the kitchen indicating for him to cover as Carl placed the plates on the table.

Rick walked over to the kitchen and placed the food on their plates as Carl sat. Rick sat down and they all began to eat in silence until Carl broke it. "Dad I really really really need the next issue of the avengers comics!"

"I just don't get those things Carl." Rick said as he shook his head.

"Neither does mom! But I really really need it. I heard the next one is even better than the last!"

Rick opened his mouth to say something but then Michonne spoke catching him off guard, "the next issue is good." She said quietly, seemingly to herself.

Rick and Carl both squinted at Michonne as she spoke. "What?" Carl asked wanting to make sure she was actually talking to them about the same topic.

"The next issue…" Michonne said glancing at Carl, pausing to eat, "...It is better. A lot of action. You should get it for him Rick."

Rick watched her, still confused. He wasn't expecting her to interact with his son since she was so adamant about not meeting him before. But now it seemed like she was...willing and making an effort even if she didn't openly express that to him.

"You read comics?" Carl asked.

Michonne nodded, "Mhm. A lot of them."

"I didn't know girls read comics!" Said Carl with genuine shock in his voice.

"Well your dad is a guy and he doesn't read comics." Michonne said with a shrug and slight smirk.

Carl thought for a minute and then nodded. "Dad how come you don't read comics and uh…" Carl stopped trying to recall Michonne's name.

"Michonne." She responded.

"And Michonne does?" Carl asked, finishing his sentence.

Rick opened his mouth but was interrupted by Michonne again before he can speak. "Cause your dad is definitely not cool." Michonne said with a bit of a smile.

Carl laughed a bit, "sorry dad."

Rick glanced between them and smiled, "I guess I can't be as cool as you guys then."

Michonne shrugged and got up from her seat, taking her now empty plate with her, "you got that right Rocky." She said with a smirk as she walked over to her sink.

Carl's brow furrowed, "Why are you calling my dad Rocky?"

Michonne chuckled a bit at his curiosity and turned to Carl, "uh well…"

"Let's save that story for another night." Rick said stopping her sentence as he also got up.

Michonne chuckled a bit, "Yeah, what Rocky said."

Carl squinted but moved on, "what was my dad like at my age?"

"Just a big old dork." Michonne responded as she smiled to herself, walking out of the kitchen with Carl soon following behind her in a similar way that Rick often did.

"I was not a dork!" Rick said in defense of himself as he entered the living room.

Carl laughed, "Dad you were a dork?"

Michonne smiled, "yep he was. And I was that dorks friend." She said as she sat on the couch.

Carl chuckled again, "how come I've never seen you here before?"

Michonne smiled a bit, "I moved to New York for a while but I decided to come back home."

"What was New York like?" Carl asked.

"The complete opposite of here. Loud and lots of lights and lots of people. And things actually stay open past ten." She said with a bit of a smile.

"Dad we should go to New York one day!" Carl said excitedly.

"Maybe one day son." Rick responded with a light smile.

Carl turned back to Michonne, "do you have a kid too?"

Michonne opened her mouth to speak but now it was Rick's time to interrupt. "Alright son I think Michonne should get some rest now."

"But dad!" Carl protested.

"You'll be able to ask her more questions later, now I think you have a room to clean. Or I can't get you that comic…"

Carl gasped excitedly and ran off to his room to clean.

"You have a good kid." Michonne said with a soft smile once Carl was out of his sight.

"Yeah...he asks a lot of questions." Rick said with an apologetic smile as he sat down next to her on the couch.

Michonne smiled a bit, "its okay...I like him actually."

Rick smiled and raised an eyebrow, "really?"

"Yeah he's way cooler than you." Michonne said with a smirk as she got up and began walking up the stairs.

Rick smiled and followed her, "I think he likes you too."

"Well clearly the poor kid is deprived of comic lovers in his life." Michonne said with a shrug as they entered the bedroom.

"And you plan on sticking around right?" Rick said with a grin, "To allow him to have some comic lovers in his life?"

Michonne rolled her eyes and smirked at him as she sat down, "Don't get too excited Rocky."

Rick grinned and sat next to her, pulling her close and giving her light kisses on her cheek. "You like my kid." He said happily.

"Yeah but not you so bring it down a few notches." Michonne said even though she wore a soft smile.

"Keep telling yourself that." He said with a smile as he trailed kisses down her jaw.

She pulled away from him and smiled a bit, "that kid of yours is just down the hall so calm your libido down."

Rick chuckled lightly and nodded, "alright...for now." He said with a smirk.

Michonne rolled her eyes and smirked a bit, "whatever."

Once nightfall had come Rick was in Carl's room doing their usual bedtime routine. That consisted of a chat of each other's day and some light reading. When they were done they both entered Rick's room where Michonne was reading again.

"Someone wanted to say goodnight to you." Rick said with Carl by his side.

Michonne smiled softly, "Goodnight Carl."

Carl smiled back, "Goodnight Michonne." There was a pause and he looked up at his dad who nodded down at him. "Um, I was wondering...if maybe I could read some of the comics you have. My dad said you brought some here so I was just wondering…" He asked a bit nervously.

Michonne chuckled a bit, noting how him and Rick both share the same nervous characteristics, "tell you what Carl if you do good at school next week you can come over and choose whichever ever comic you want."

Carl gasped excitedly, "really?!"

Michonne smiled and nodded, "really."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He said excitedly, "Okay, goodnight and thank you!" He repeated as he ran out the room.

Rick laughed lightly as his son left the room and he laid next to Michonne. "Keep up with this comic stuff and soon you'll be his favorite."

Michonne chuckled a bit, "you can read them too if you like."

"Yeah I'll pass." Rick said with a smirk.

A lull fell over them and Michonne turned to him, "I never asked you how your hand was." She said quietly.

Rick turned to her and smiled a bit, "You know I'll be fine."

"You know I don't like when you fight Rick." She said with a slight sigh.

"I would do it again in a heartbeat."

"I know but now you have to wait longer to get back to work."

"I'll be fine." Rick responded as he laced his fingers with hers. Another comfortable silence fell on them. "Do you want to talk about last night?"

Michonne sighed, "Not really."

Rick glanced at her, "but we should."

After a few minutes Michonne nodded, "we were together for my last 5 years in New York. And we got pregnant, it wasn't planned but we were happy." Michonne glanced at him and then continued, "And then my kid died and something like that it either makes you closer or can kill the relationship you know? It killed us." She paused "He died when I was home with him so I blamed myself for it and so did he. And he would come home drunk and we argued a lot. So I left."

"Did he ever touch you?" Rick asked squinting at her.

She turned to him and smiled a bit at his concern, "No Rick he didn't. We just argued every day. It wasn't a good environment."

There was another silence between them.

"What was his name?" Rick gently asked.

Silence again.

Rick was beginning to think that was the end of their conversation until Michonne spoke again.

"Andre Anthony." She glanced to him and smiled a bit, "I've told you how much I liked that name."

Rick smiled softly at her, "yeah I remember." He brought the back of her hand to his lips and gently kissed her, "thank you." He said softly.

Michonne smiled a bit and moved closer to him and she kissed him tenderly on the lips. "Thank you Rocky." She gently cupped his hand on his face and smiled "you're annoying but I guess I like you." She said with a smile.

Rick flushed a bit at her gentle touch, "I like you too."

Michonne smiled widely and kissed him again, "Oh I know. It's pretty obvious. Carl is going to notice your stares at some point, you know."

"I think he will be okay with us dating if you keep giving him comics…" Rick said as he leaned into her and gave her small kisses on her jaw.

Michonne smiled a bit and raised an eyebrow, "Oh so we're dating now? When did that happen?"

"I think it was confirmed when you rode my face in your car…" Rick whispered into her ear.

Michonne sighed and rolled her eyes, moving away from him, "Leave me alone Rocky."

Rick chuckled lightly and pulled her back over to him, lightly kissing her shoulder. "I like you…" Rick softly said again.

Michonne rolled her eyes but smiled as she ran one hand through his curls, "yeah, yeah."

A/N: I hope you guys liked these two chapters! This was originally gonna be one but I liked it better as two. Chapter 7 has been something I was thinking of since I got the idea for this story so i hope yall liked it and also enjoyed the way carl and michonne met. The next chapters should be happier haha. As always thank you for faves/follows/reviews. Gonna respond to you guys now! :)

Firefly-class: thank you!

Midnights-AM-Child: idk why but i got 0 notifications about your review but thank you for your kind words! I love find my way back so it means alot :)

Guest: thank you! I agree that they are healing eachother and while they are still in the process these chapters were a good turning point for them.

Selfyshhhluv: Lol! I am the same way when a fave story updates so I totally understand your pain haha. I agree just having one person in your life isn't good and she will be seeing sasha again so no worries! Lol I am a terrible skater so I'm glad you enjoyed that flashback!

Alexis: continue to leave reviews in whatever language is best for you! Google translate is here for a reason haha. Thanks for enjoying the flashback, rick is forever trying to look at the booty haha :)

Flacagonzales: yes for right now rick is the person she is opening too cause he is the most important person from her past! Also LOL at my guess at your username i was laughing at myself when i read that hahaha

Gdyoung59: no worries lori wont pop back up for a bit! I hope you liked the way carl was introduced to michonne! Thanks for your review :)