~Rejuvenate~
Michonne greeted the morning to an ache she hadn't felt in a long time. She woke up slowly, reveling in her memories of the night before. The decision to stay with Rick had been made without second thought. There was no fit that would have been better than with Rick and his children. And since the detour to Noah's former home at Shirewilt Estates where they lost Tyreese, Michonne had begun to feel a kinship to Noah, too. But honestly, it was the draw to Rick that lulled her in. She had told herself it would never happen again, but there was something about the way he looked at her.
The noises on the other side of the wall brought a smile to her face. He was waking up, too. After making love on the floor and a long kissing session on the staircase, he walked her to her room. Sleeping together would have been ideal, but it was too soon. Rick would need to explain things to Carl. Then she would have to talk to him, too. Adjusting to the new place and new people were more than enough for the teen. Besides, she and Rick had to figure this out first.
An hour later, she was dressed in her new constable uniform and finishing the breakfast dishes. Carl and Noah had offered to clean the kitchen, but she sent them away with the understanding that they had dinner duty. Carl bundled Judith inside her stroller and off the three of them went. She poured another mug of tea and sipped, wondering why Rick hadn't joined them for breakfast.
As if on cue, he strode through the front door. Like her, he looked official with his badge and black pants and tie. His slicked back hair was far different from the untamed locks that had framed his face for the last few weeks. He took several steps across the hardwood floor, stopping at the counter. His blue eyes were confident as he stared at her. She recognized warmth, too. He smiled.
"G'mornin'."
"Morning," she said. "We ate."
He nodded. "Carl told me. I ran into them."
"I didn't hear you leave." The words sounded accusatory and that wasn't her way. She opted to change the subject instead of offering an explanation. "There's tea. Maybe we'll get coffee when Glenn goes on a run."
"Tea's good." He joined her in the kitchen. "I can do it. Maybe we could take a few minutes before we go in."
She sat at the table. Her fingers toyed with the handle of the mug. "What time are we expected to go in? Is there a time? If there's just the two of us, how are we doing this?"
He squeezed her shoulder. "We'll figure it out." Once his tea was done, he chose a chair next to her and sat. "About last night…"
She grimaced. Rick took her hand and drew it toward him. "Don't," she said. "I know what you're going to say."
"No, you don't."
"It's the wrong time," she said. "It's too soon. We need to figure out this place. Besides, it was just two people…with needs. After all that time on the road, we just needed a release."
Rick chuckled. Upon her stare, he coughed. "That's what I was going to say?"
"Sure." She shrugged and squared her shoulders. "Maybe not all of it, but you and I both know that there's nothing more to what we did last night than sex."
"Sex?" he repeated. He still held her hand. As his fingers caressed hers, she glanced down and noticed that his wedding band was gone from his left hand. His gold watch was his only accessory. She drew in a harsh, quick break.
"Michonne?"
Stunned, she took a long swallow of tea. The hot liquid was soothing. She had forgotten how pleasant the taste was and just the act of drinking tea. It struck her that she didn't want to do this now. Being with Rick had been everything she wanted but she hadn't been ready for the morning after. She could handle walkers and crazy, power hungry megalomaniacs, but this thing with him was something she didn't always understand.
"I wasn't going to say any of that," he said, gently. "It hadn't crossed my mind. Was it just a release for you?"
A lie would be so easy, but instead, she said, "No."
"It's been awhile for both of us. Not just sex," he said. "All of it. Do you trust me?"
"You know I do."
"I trust you," he said, "more than anyone. We can do this."
She nodded. The words lodged in her chest. She was done taking breaks. That was true. This step pushed them in a new, exciting direction. His enthusiasm rejuvenated her.
He leaned in. "Say something."
"We can do this, but… Maybe I should live somewhere else."
"No," Rick said. "You belong here. With us. You'll stay?"
"I'll stay."
To be continued…
[A/N: Thanks for checking out this story! It seems the pair is official now? Maybe? Yeah, but what about those sleeping arrangements? lol Thanks again! :-)]