Lori stood in the shadows of Rick's cell, watching him as he dressed. Adorned in the long white gown she'd worn at their wedding, her bare feet floated inches above the floor.

Lori's ghost had made her first appearance the day Maggie and Glenn went missing; the day Michonne arrived. After Rick and Carl rescued Michonne, Hershel disinfected and stitched up her thigh wound. She remained unconscious throughout the entire process.

After locking her in an empty cell, Rick had stayed behind. He listened to her snore softly in her sleep, drool trickling from the corner of her mouth. She felt oddly familiar to him.

At that moment, Lori's apparition appeared in the cell, blocking his view of Michonne. Rick backed away from her stare, full of disapproval and resentment. Rick turned and hurried away, knowing very well that he couldn't outrun a ghost.

That had been almost three weeks ago and Lori's ghost made regular appearances since then, usually when Michonne lingered in the vicinity. Rick had kept his distance from Michonne for that reason; though, he sometimes found himself watching her from afar.

Rick wrapped his duty belt around his waist, his holstered gun resting at his hip. He exited the cell, ignoring Lori, and headed for the prison yard to meet Daryl. They planned to search the sheriff's station in Rick's former hometown for weapons. If they were going to make a stand against the Governor, they needed more weapons and the station was their best bet.

Rick had also invited Merle to tag along, only because he didn't trust him enough to leave him behind without a chaperone. Or alone with Michonne.

Michonne fell into step alongside Rick. "I want to come on the run. I need some fresh air and exercise." Michonne eyed Merle as they walked into the prison yard. "Plus you could use the extra backup." Daryl loaded the last few backpacks of ammo into the minivan, while Merle cleaned the knife covering his stub.

Rick stopped and turned to face her. "I'm sure we can handle this on our own." He had to be focused for this trip and Michonne's presence could prove problematic, with Lori's ghost showing up usually when the woman was near.

Michonne widened her stance. "I'm good at getting in and out of places unseen. I also have a nose for trouble and with Daryl by your side, you'll need someone to keep an eye on his brother."

"And what makes you think I trust you more than Merle?" Rick asked, half-joking.

Michonne lifted her chin. "I guess you'll just have to take a chance on me, Rick."

Rick moved to close the distance between them, those dusky brown eyes luring him in.

Lori appeared on the walkway above them. Her hard, dead eyes watched their every movement.

Rick halted and cleared his throat. "It's too dangerous," he said, avoiding Michonne's gaze.

"We could use her," Daryl said from behind him. Rick pivoted to face his friend. "She knows how to handle herself when things go to shit."

Rick was not surprised by Daryl's allegiance to Michonne. The two had been on several runs together in the last couple of weeks and Daryl never let anyone tag along with him unless they had the skills to back him up. Michonne had definitely proven herself to be fighter - smart and quick and lethal. He also suspected Daryl thought of her as more than just a run buddy.

Rick agreed with Daryl, but was still reluctant to bring her along. However, he could not ignore Daryl's request; it was his ass on the line out there as well. He had no right but to find the best people for the job and Michonne had proven to be one of those people, at least to Daryl. "I trust you Daryl. If you're vouching for her, then I can give her a chance." Rick caught Michonne roll her eyes.

"And she ain't too bad on the eyes neither." Merle joined in on the conversation.

"Nobody asked you." The bite in Rick's voice surprised even him. Merle chuckled knowingly to himself.

"No need to bark at me, Officer Friendly. A guy can look, can't he?" Rick picked up on the amusement in Merle's voice. "Plus, it's not me you have to worry about. She's more Daryl's type than mine."

Rick looked between Daryl and Michonne. Daryl glared at Merle and a smile crept across Michonne's lips. The two were similar in a lot of ways – capable, confident, collected – and Rick sensed a burgeoning friendship between them. But romance? Nah, I don't see it.

"You can come, but don't even think about ditching us again," Rick said to Michonne.

Michonne nodded curtly, her brown eyes twinkling. "I'll grab my things," she said, walking toward the cell block.

"This is gonna be good," Merle said, rubbing his hands together.

Rick looked up to the walkway to find Lori gone. "Yeah," he muttered under his breath.

Rick and Michonne sat up front while Daryl and Merle occupied the back seats of the minivan. Merle snored loudly and Daryl gazed out of the window, lost in his thoughts as usual.

Rick's hometown was less than an hour away. The sheriff's station in town was obscure enough to go unnoticed by any survivors passing through the town in search of supplies. There was a good chance the weapons in the modest arsenal remained untouched.

Rick threw Michonne a side glance. She bit away at her fingernails; what was left of them. She remained silent, not having spoken a word the entire trip. And yet, Rick could tell there was something on her mind. For him, she was easier to read than a picture book.

"You don't agree with the plan, do you?" Rick asked, his eyes glued to the road. She shifted in his peripheral vision and he felt her thoughtful brown eyes on him.

"You're just more optimistic than I am," Michonne said. "It's a sound plan."

"The sheriff's station is far enough from the main road to avoid attention from newcomers. It's high unlikely anyone not familiar with the town would think to search it. And the last time I was there, the residents were either long gone, or walkers."

Rick's thoughts shifted to Morgan and his son Duane. He would've died without their intervention. He hoped they were both still alive; his walkie talkie had died before he ever heard from Morgan. Rick bit his lower lip at the thought of Morgan sitting on a rooftop at dawn listening to nothing but static.

"Andrea mentioned you were in a coma when this all started. What put you there?" Michonne asked. Rick suspected she wanted to distract him from his gloomy thoughts.

"A lunatic with a shotgun came rolling through town and I tried to play hero. Got my ass handed to me instead and spent 6 months or so in a coma, as far as Lori could tell."

"And Lori was your wife, right?" Rick noticed a slight tremor in Michonne's voice. "She must have been pretty amazing to get your son out of there alive."

"She had help. My partner - former partner - helped get them out of there before everything went to hell. I'll always be grateful to him for that, regardless of how things eventually ended with us." Rick's stomach twisted into a solid knot and he sighed. This conversation was definitely not improving his mood.

"You were reunited in the end. You must have loved each other very much," Michonne said, barely above a whisper.

Rick turned his head in her direction. She gazed out of the window, biting her very full lower lip.

"We tried hard to put things back together, but a lot had changed by that time," Rick said.

Michonne threw him a questioning gaze, her eyebrows raised. He turned his eyes back to the road, his heart beating rapidly.

Rick yanked the wheel to the right, swerving to avoid Lori's apparition, which had abruptly appeared in the road. He gritted his teeth as he whipped the wheel back to the left, straightening out. His armpits tingled and beads of sweat dotted his forehead.

"What the hell, Officer Friendly?" Merle yelled from the backseat. Rick detested that nickname.

"A walker in the road," Michonne responded in a nonchalant tone, though her hand clutched the handle on the side of the car door.

Rick watched Merle through the rearview mirror as he turned in his seat to check the road behind them.

"I don't see no damn walkers," Merle said.

"Give it a rest, Merle," Daryl said. Rick's watched Daryl's eyes flit to Michonne; then he returned to gazing out of the window

"Just watch where you're goin', I'm tryna get some some sleep back here," Merle said.

Rick straightened in his seat, his thoughts on Michonne. Had she really seen something in the road or was she just humoring him?

For the remainder of the drive, Rick kept his eyes on the road and off of the mysterious woman whose random acts of kindness unsettled him.

Rick parked a few blocks from the sheriff's station. The group unloaded from the vehicle, checking out the surroundings.

Rick addressed his small entourage. "Keep your eyes open and your heads down. If we get separated, meet back here after sunset. Got it?"

Daryl and Michonne nodded. Merle hurled a wad of spit onto the ground, just barely missing his own shoe.

Rick led the group across the deserted street and through an alleyway leading to the back door of the station. Fortunately, security at the station had been mediocre at best. The sheriff never felt the need to spend money on an alarm system when there were at least two sheriff's deputies present at all times.

Together the group lifted and aimed a heavy metal battering ram Rick had found in the prison.

"1...2...3!" Rick shouted and they rushed the back door, smashing through on the first try.

Michonne let out a whoop of joy and the guys paused to stare at her. "What? It's not every day I get to smash a door to smithereens." Daryl snorted and Rick curled his upper lip.

Rick led the way through the back of the station, aiming his gun ahead and listening for any signs of the living or otherwise. He heard only the footsteps of his crew.

"Looks clear to me," Merle said. He was already in the process of looting personal desks.

"Michonne, keep an eye on him," Rick said, nodding in Merle's direction. "Daryl, you're with me."

Rick continued toward the arsenal, not waiting for Michonne's response. He wanted to get in, out and back to the prison before dark. He said a silent prayer for his plan to come to fruition as they stopped at the arsenal door.

Rick and Daryl opened the door to the arsenal. Daryl let out a low whistle. Everything from AK-47s to tear gas canisters covered the walls. One thing the sheriff had not skimped on was military-grade weapons.

"Let's get to work," Rick said.

The group had the minivan loaded within an hour. There were so many weapons that Daryl needed to hotwire a sheriff's car to transport the overload. He and Merle would take the car back, while Rick and Michonne would be responsible for the minivan.

Rick grabbed a spare uniform for himself and a few sheriff's hats for Carl. The one the boy wore now would soon disintegrate, as he insisted on wearing it every day. Rick headed for the minivan, to join the others.

"Looks like we'll make it back long before the sun sets," Daryl said. He ripped a chunk out of a piece of mystery jerky and chewed it leisurely. He offered some to Michonne but she shook her head in refusal.

"These weapons should make a difference if the Governor ever decides to come our way," Rick said to Daryl, smiling.

"Killing him before he could make a move," Merle said. "That would end this thing altogether."

"Kill him how?" Rick's good mood bid him adieu. "We wouldn't get within 5 yards of Woodbury before someone spotted us."

Merle nodded to Michonne. "She could. The Governor would welcome her with open arms."

"Shut up, Merle," Michonne said, clenching her jaw.

Rick held up his hand. "Wait. What are you saying exactly?"

"I'm sayin' the Governor got it bad for our Nubian queen over there. He's been tryin' to get some of that since day one-"

Rick sucker punched Merle in the jaw, sending the man's head whipping to the side like taffy. The ground broke Merle's fall. Both Daryl and Michonne averted their eyes.

Merle gripped his jaw, opening and closing his mouth. "Not bad, Officer Friendly. Didn't think you had it in you."

"Shut up, Merle!" Daryl yelled. Merle went back to nursing his jaw and his pride.

"You need to explain this – now," Rick said to Michonne. Her gaze stayed glued to the floor.

"I told you the Governor was delusional. Unfortunately, his delusion...extended to me," Michonne said, still refusing to met his eyes.

"He's…in love with you?" Rick asked. He ran his palm roughly across his face.

"Like a lovesick puppy," Merle said, chuckling. Daryl kicked him in the thigh. Merle grunted.

Rick threw up his hands. "I can't believe you didn't tell me! How could you keep something like this a secret and not think it was important?" He paced back and forth. He felt seized with conflicting emotions – anger, mistrust…jealousy.

Lori's ghost appeared behind Michonne's, hovering at her right shoulder, watching all of this unfold.

"Leave! I can't look at your face right now!" Rick bellowed, looking directly into the cold, lifeless eyes of Lori's ghost.

Michonne took off running in the opposite direction. Rick resisted the urge to go after her.

"It's not her fault that psychopath is in love with her," Daryl said, before following after Michonne.

Merle rose to his feet. Rick glared at him.

Merle held up his hands in surrender. "Don't kill the messenger, man," he said with a snort.

Rick stormed off. He needed to put as much distance between himself and her as possible.

He kept his hand on the handle of the gun as he strode through the dry brush, the fallen plants crunching underneath his boots. Why am I so pissed off? It's not like knowing this sooner would have changed anything. And she clearly has no feelings for the Governor, or else she would not have stayed with them at the prison.

Rick slowed to a stop. He recalled Michonne's bruises from the night they rescued Maggie and Glenn. He had wondered, but never asked, about the source of her injuries. Michonne had disappeared into her cell for a week after that, emerging only after Carl's relentless visits and Rick's gentle prodding.

"Mother fucker!" Rick yelled. Horrific thoughts of what the Governor had done to her sent him into a blinding rage. No wonder she didn't want to tell him about the Governor!

He made the decision then and there – he would kill the Governor with his own bare hands; regardless of the fact that had had no idea what the guy even looked like. Rick strode off in search of Michonne, determined to apologize.

Rick heard low voices ahead. "Come here," Daryl whispered.

Rick stopped short as he watched a weeping Michonne fall into Daryl's arms. He rubbed his palm in small circles on Michonne's back, comforting her as she cried. Rick had never seen him be this gentle with anyone, except Carol and Judith.

"Shh," Daryl said, patting her back. Michonne wept harder.

Rick walked away to keep himself from charging up to them and ripping Michonne from Daryl's embrace. His breathing came in short, quick breaths and he clenched his fists tightly.

What has this woman done to me? I barely know her, yet I have this primal urge to claim her as my own. The walls of his reality were quickly crumbling and he wanted to scream in frustration.

Lori's ghost hovered before him, radiant in a halo of sunlight. She spoke for the first time since her initial appearance, "It's not your fault, Rick."

Rick dropped to his knees, his face in his hands. And he wept for what seemed like hours. He wept for not keeping Carl's mother alive; for not fighting harder to love her.

"I'm sorry," Rick said through his tears. "I'm sorry I couldn't put us back together."

"I couldn't put us back together either, as hard as I tried. We loved each other long enough to make two beautiful children. I think that's more than anyone could ever ask for," Lori said in words only he could hear. She knelt down to face him. "Do me one last thing. Promise..."

"I promise." Rick's tears ebbed to trickles.

"Find my children a mother who can teach them to survive in this world. Promise me, Rick."

"I promise. I love you, Lori."

"I love you too, Rick." And with that, Lori disappeared for good.

The Governor made his first appearance four days later. Rick and the other council members were meeting in the library when shots rang out and a truck blasted through the outer set of fences.

Rick and Daryl geared into action. Rick unholstered his Colt Python and Daryl grabbed his crossbow. They exited the library, Rick in search of his family.

Rick found Beth, Judith and Carol hiding out in Rick's cell.

"Axel's dead," Beth said, tears streaming down her cheeks. "They just shot him for no reason." She cried quietly, cradling Judith a little tighter.

Rick closed his eyes and lowered his head, cursing under his breath.

"What's happening, Dad?" Carl asked, gripping his gun.

"I don't know son, but I'm going to find out. You gather with the others in Cell Block A. If things get bad, you stick with Carol and her group until I find you," Rick said.

"But I want to come with you," Carl said, not breaking his father's gaze.

"You're Judith's older brother. You need to stay here and protect her." Rick kissed Carl on the temple. "I need you to do this, Carl, I can't trust anyone else with the responsibility. Got it?"

Carl nodded and hugged Rick tightly. "Be careful."

"I will, promise." Rick nodded to Beth and headed for the courtyard, where the shots had been fired. A beige pickup truck had barreled through the outermost fence.

Just beyond the courtyard, in the grassy area outside of the innermost fence, he found Michonne taking cover behind an overturned bus. He ducked behind the bus to join her.

Michonne nodded to Rick, gripping an AK-47 against her chest, her katana strapped across her back. Rick and Michonne peeked around the corner of the bus. The tickle of her breath on the side of his neck sent more adrenaline coursing through his veins.

A lanky man wearing an eye patch emerged from the driver's side of the pickup. "That's him," Michonne said, "that's the Governor." She gripped the automatic rifle tighter.

Rick examined the man he planned to kill. He had at least 6 inches on Rick, but as a sheriff's deputy, he had been trained to debilitate guys twice his size. I could definitely take him.

"Rick! It's rude to not come out and greet your neighbors!" the Governor yelled.

Rick rushed to reveal himself and Michonne grabbed his arm.

"Don't," she said, pleading with her warm brown eyes.

"It'll be alright. I promise, Michonne," he said as he patted her hand.

Rick walked out from behind the bus and out into the open, his Colt Python lowered at his side.

"I finally get to meet the infamous sheriff's deputy," the Governor said in a booming voice. "Let me get a good look at you."

The Governor moved away from the pickup and strode in Rick's direction. The two met at the middle set of fences, facing each other from opposite sides.

The Governor looked Rick up and down. "So you're the man Michonne chose over me. I thought you'd be bigger."

Rick straightened his back. "Hell of a way to ring the doorbell, Governor. It's too bad you're on the other side of this fence; otherwise, I would give you a proper greeting." He bared his teeth in a wide grin.

"I'll make this easy for you, Rick," the Governor said with disdain. "Give me Michonne and no more of your people have to die."

"Michonne is my people."

"Your people?" The Governor laughed. "Michonne belongs to me and I will take out anyone who stands in my way. That includes women…and children."

Rick seethed with anger. "Michonne decides where she does or does not go. No one is going to force her to do anything. I thought losing that eye would have taught you as much."

The Governor slammed his palm against the metal fence, shaking it furiously. "Understand this. I always get what I want in the end. The only thing you need to decide is how many of your people - your family members - will die in the process."

The Governor backed away from the fence. He yelled loud enough for the folks in the prison yard to hear. "You have two days. Give me Michonne or we kill every last one of you. Two days!"

The Governor hopped into the pickup truck and sped away, spewing a dust of rocks and dirt behind him.

Rick's head throbbed. He had a decision to make; maybe the toughest decision he'd ever made in his life. Either way he lost.

Rick met Michonne's terrified gaze and saw something he never thought he'd see on her face again – resignation.

Again?

The thought struck Rick like lightning. Michonne. All soft words, soft eyes, soft curves - soft lips. The woman he fell in love with five years ago; after one night of the most intense, earth-shattering lovemaking of his life.

Michonne. His heart exploded into a starburst of elation and anxiety, as he stared into the eyes of the woman he was only now recognizing.

In a matter of seconds, Rick's decision had just become twice as unbearable. What was he willing to sacrifice to keep this woman safe; the only woman he had ever loved?

Everything. The answer made his blood run cold.

A/N: Thank you all for sticking with this story, I'm having a blast writing it! Your reviews are awesome as always. I'm a fan fiction newbie and haven't really responded to questions in reviews, but feel free to send me a PM if there is anything you want to ask me. Hope you enjoy!