Chapter 6

As always thanks for you reviews, you don't know how much they mean to me. I won't do the conversation with Rick and Lori, but I will include snippets of the conversation they had when they decided to split in this chapter in Rick's thoughts. If anyone is worried about the Anderson's they will only be mentioned briefly but with Ron and Carl something will happen. Lori will appear now and again for Judith's sake, Rick loves Judith and wants to be a part of her life even though she's not his. I will include Michonne and Andre more and more as the chapters progress. Shane will appear but not anytime soon, during this chapter I will have a time skip, forwarding the process of the divorce, Rick just being happy. Then the snails pace of the blossoming friendship then love in the next chapter.

Oh do you guys like the long chapters or should I shorten them? Let me know in your reviews.

I park the car and Carl hops out and starts heading into the pizza place, I lock the car and walk slowly behind him. His waiting for me at the entrance and his talking to someone, Michonne my next door neighbor is there with her son Andre they are chatting and smiling at each other.

"Hey dad look who's here." Carl says. "Hey Michonne and Andre, how are you?" I ask stopping in front of them. "We're good me and peanut here decide to eat out for once, how about you Rick?" She says with a smile on her face. "I'm alright thanks." I reply easily. That's when Carl's stomach starts to grumble again making Andre laugh out right at Carl. Michonne turns her head to Andre while grinning all the same. "Andre that's not nice, what if I laughed at you." She smiles and shakes her head. "I'm sorry Carl but your tummy is funny." He giggles at Carl who smiles back at him before replying. "It's alright Ms Lawrence, I am hungry after all."

"Momma ask if Carl and Mr Grimes can sit and eat with us please." Andre asks his mother. She turns her head to me and Carl and asks us if we wanna eat with her and her son, but before I can reply Carl speaks for the both of us. "Sure why not, if it's not any trouble Ms Lawrence."

"It's fine Carl and please call me Michonne we're not at school, we would love some company if your dad says its alright?" They all turn to me looking at me expectantly. I am about to refuse the offer not wanting to disturb Michonne and her time with her son, when Andre asks in a sweet voice that I can't say no to. "Please Mr Grimes." I melt as those big eyes stare at me, his really too cute when I nod my head to them and Andre jumps up in joy and runs off with Carl in tow looking for a booth. Michonne tells Andre to settle down as his making too much noise in excitement and settles down straight away. Michonne and I walk behind them as they find a booth in the middle. We all sit down in the booth, Carl and Andre are sitting next to each other already chatting away about comics and TV shows. I offer Michonne to slide in first, she nods and takes a seat, I then slip in beside her waiting for a waiter.

"So Rick how was your day?" Michonne asks, I frown at that and she must have seen it, she speaks first turning my attention away from the question she asked. "Not good huh? Well if it makes you any better mine was no better, some student was begging me for an extension on his homework the little slacker." I can see her eye turn to Carl, who had stopped talking at the mention of the student.

"Hey are you referring to me?" Carl questioned. "I don't know who else has shaggy hair and bright blue eyes hmm." Michonne says grinning wide, Andre snickering to the side. "Dad has shaggy hair and blue eyes as well." Carl replies. "But his not a student and his hair is curly not shaggy like yours." Michonne says and for a second they are quiet until all three of them are laughing, I chuckle at the laughter and for the first time it feels nice.

The waiter arrives with a smile and takes our orders, as we wait for our order to arrive the two kids are chatting away like old friends talking about anything to comics, the weather and TV shows that are recent. Michonne is sitting quietly texting away on her phone her smile lights up to what must have been a response. I frown at that but watch out the window seeing two elderly people are strolling walking their dog and I feel a twang in my heart thinking that could have been me and Lori. Without realizing it, tears are going down my face at the thought of the end of my marriage sinking in with reality. I feel someone wiping my tears away and I see that it's Andre standing on the chair with a napkin wiping tears away.

"Mr Grimes are you alright?" He asks and I just stare at him with nothing to say.

"Momma says if you are feeling sad a hug always helps. Can I give you one to make your sadness go away?" He says and wraps his little arms around my neck hugging as hard as he can. I wrap my arms around him and hug him back being careful of his little body. He lets go and I put a smile on my face happy for the gesture. "You know what Andre?"

"What Mr Grimes?" He says in a little voice looking at me with those big eyes. "Your momma is right hugs do help and I'm a lot happier now." He nods his head as if his right. "See hugs always helps." He nods with a big smile on his face, he jumps off the chair and moves to sit beside Carl who is smiling at me and Andre. I turn to Michonne as she's wiping a tear away smiling proudly at her son's kindness. We sit there for another half an hour waiting for food to arrive and Carl and Andre are still chatting away. The food finally arrives and we all dig into our meal. Andre tugs onto Carl's arm in the middle of his meal, Carl leans down to Andre and whispers to him. Carl nods to whatever he ask and takes Andre plate and starts cutting his meat into small bits for him. I smile at them it makes me think that these two acting like brothers. Michonne and I continue to eat our dinner in silence while Carl and Andre are chatting away quietly.

We finish our dinner around seven thirty and I split the bill with Michonne, we walk out to the parking lot to our cars. We make it over to her car first.

"Well goodnight Michonne , hopefully we'll see you around soon?" I say to her with my hands in my pocket.

"Actually I wanted to invite you, Carl and Lori to Andre's birthday party next month if your not busy? It's on the sixth of May" She asks leaning against her car. Looking at me with those big eyes staring at me.

"Uh... Sure I'll make sure to invite Lori along." I say with a forced smile. She smiles back and nods to me.

"Come on peanut time to go, say your farewells to Carl and Mr Grimes." She says to the little boy. "Yes momma, goodnight Carl goodnight Mr Grimes." Andre waves to us before walking to his mother side as she picks him up and straps him into the seat. Michonne says her farewells to Carl over the top of her car before jumping in her seat starting the car, backing out of the parking lot and driving towards home.

"Hey dad are you alright from before?" Carl asks as we get in our car. "Yeah son I'm alright, just the thought of your mom and I splitting up just hit me out of nowhere but Andre was something... sweet kid with a good heart." I say to him.

"Yeah he is, by the way what did Michonne want earlier?" Carl asks while winding his window down letting the cool breeze flow into the car. "Just wanted to invite you, me and your mother to Andre's birthday party next month. It's on the sixth of May." I say turning pulling into our home. We hop out of the car and head into the house. "Did you mention that you are getting divorced?" I turn my head to him as we head up the stairs. "No, I thought it is maybe too soon to talk about it with other people, no doubt your grandmother will be over here tomorrow trying to get us back together." I follow Carl into his room as he lays back on his bead looking at the ceiling. "Dad would you ever think about dating again after the divorce?" My eyebrows raise high at this question. "Why? and where is this coming from?"

"It's just that... I know that you loved mom and everything would you ever try again with someone else?" He sits up on his elbows looking at me. "I don't know Carl, it's too soon yet to think about this so suddenly and IF I did I would want your approval more than anything before I would start dating any women." My mind wanders to Michonne, her dark chocolate skin, her beautiful smile and her warm caring eyes. I shake my head from those thoughts and look back to Carl.

"OK then dad, I'll see you in the morning then." Carl says as his stands up and walks over to me and hugs me. I smile and hug him back. "You know I can get used to these hugs." I smile as he lets me go. "I'll hug you at home and nowhere else." He says smirking and walking into his room and shutting the door behind him. I smile before walking to my room. It's strange being in this room, stuff is missing from when Lori packed her stuff this morning. I sit on the edge of my bed and notice that photo's are gone, my closet door is slightly opened and I see that it's practically barren from the lack of clothes just a few shirts pants and jeans hang on hangers. The room feels empty, but I feel as if I'm not suffocating anymore. I lay back on the bed and relax, I feel relief and guilt that the pain is ebbing away slowly, I shouldn't be happy but I am.

May

A month has passed since Lori and I split. Carl is happier that I have ever seen him. Lori and I agreed on joint custody of Judith and Carl. Two weeks each at our respectable homes, Lori has moved across town in a three bedroom home. The divorce itself was easy as we sat down one afternoon with our own lawyers and discussed what we wanted to split and agreed to the joint custody of our kids. Signed a few papers and a few weeks later, Lori Grimes was now Lori Scott. Lori and I talk on good terms but still have that tense feeling between that is never gonna go away any time soon.

Judith's two weeks are with me now and we are making our way to Michonne's home to celebrate Andre's birthday.

Thanks for reading please leave me a review.

Next chapter Andre's birthday party. Maybe I'll add in a Richonne scene to forward us in the romance. Let me know if you want a chapter based on Carl and Andre and some cuteness.