I.

1998

"Well, I guess that's that." Craig said as he looked over at Michonne sitting in the passenger's seat of his Honda Accord."

"I guess so." Michonne said. She ran her hands down the full skirt of her dress. She wanted something a little sexier, but her mom had vetoed that idea quickly. Seventeen was still the princess phase according to the woman. She wasn't going to have a daughter of hers walking into Prom "looking like a street walker." She didn't get to be sexy until she was 21. If she knew what her daughter just did, Michonne wouldn't make it to 21.

"You don't, like, regret it do you, Chonney?" Craig looked at her with those big, brown puppy eyes she couldn't resist. She grabbed his hand.

"No, I don't regret it. It was good." She smiled at him. "It was real good."

He smiled back at her. "Yeah, it was."

"The Maxwell CD was a nice touch."

"I wanted to make it special for you, baby." He pulled her to him and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Maybe 'Whenever Wherever Whatever' can be our wedding song." She said.

"And our grandkids will sing a rendition of it at our 50th Anniversary Party."

Michonne laughed. "Sounds perfect."

"We have so much to look forward to, Chonney. I can't wait for us to get out in the world."

She snuggled closer to him. "I can't either."

II.

Present Day

"I remember when my mom called and told me about your mom. I wanted to go to the funeral, but I'd just started at my new law firm. I meant to call you but..." Michonne trailed off. "I guess none of that matters anymore." She said after awhile.

"No it doesn't, Chonney." Craig sat on the couch and watched her.

Michonne stood up from her chair. Her arms were crossed tightly around her as she paced around the room. "I was kinda a shitty friend before all of this started."

"Nothing has ever been shitty about you, Turtle Dove." He said with a wink.

Michonne let out a surprised laugh. "Oh my god. I can't believe you still remember that old nickname."

"It's hard to forget you winning that bet in 8th grade. I'm still in awe that you actually ate 50 of those turtle candies in less than a minute."

"It was my proudest moment at that point in my life. You had to give me your brand new LL Cool J CD. It was a good day for me." Michonne laughed again.

"It was good for me too. I think I fell in love with you on that day."

Michonne's face fell. She walked back over to the chair she'd just vacated. She sat on the edge of the cushion; her arms still crossed tightly. "And seven short years later I broke your heart. Like I said, I was shitty."

"We changed a lot after we graduated high school. I shouldn't have expected you to love me forever like we promised on prom night."

"Yeah...I suppose." Michonne said. "I did love you. I just..."

"You just weren't in love with me anymore. I get it. I used to think our breakup was the worst thing that ever happened to me. Then mom died. The world turned to shit." Craig threw his hands in the air. "Rotting bodies chasing after you has a way of putting things in perspective."

"You were always so level-headed." She looked towards to kitchen to see if anyone was in earshot. "You will probably get along well with Morgan."

"He seems nice. A little strange, but nice." They laughed together.

Michonne brought her hands to her lap and stared at the tiny scars that had accumulated over the years from nicking herself with the katana. "When was the last time we saw each other? Was it your Med School graduation?"

"I think that was it. I heard you and Mike got married and had a kid? Are they here?" He asked

Michonne shook her head. "No," Her voice came out hoarse and she cleared her throat, "No, we never got married." She stared at her hands. "They're not here."

Those words hung in the air a moment before it clicked for Craig what they meant "Oh, Chonney," He walked over to where Michonne was sitting and knelled in front of her, "I'm so sorry, baby." He brought her body to his in a tight hug. She laid her head on his shoulder and let a few silent tears escape her eyes before pulling away.

"You were always too good to me. I didn't deserve you." Michonne said while wiping her eyes.

"Yeah, that's what all the boys like to hear after the pretty girl dumps them." He reached up and smoothed back a dread that was trying to escape her braid. "Even in the end of the world you're still as beautiful as ever."

His face was only inches from hers. She could feel the warmth of his breath. Being this close to Craig felt both familiar and foreign. Her mind couldn't fathom her past and present colliding in this way. She was on the verge of rejecting the reality of Craig actually being there. She took both of his hands in hers and squeezed them tightly.

"I'm happy you're alive." She whispered and stood up. Craig did as well; towering over her. She felt a huge pressure on her chest and needed to leave the small room. "I was on my way to teach a combat class before I came here. I have to go do that now. Um you probably need to get settled. I'll talk to you later." Michonne rushed out of the house before Craig could say anything else.

III.

Michonne breathed in deeply as she exited the house. The cool air was a relief to her lungs. The pressure in her chest started to dissipate. She moved quickly down porch steps and turned the corner so fast she almost ran right into Rick.

"What are you doing here? I thought you left?" She looked back to the house to see if Craig followed her. The porch was empty.

Rick followed the path of her eyes. He was concerned by how fast she ran out of there. "I left the house, but I didn't want to go too far away in case you needed me." He tilted his head to the side and took in her wet eyes; her heaving chest. "What happened in there?"

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"Hey," He said. He stepped closer to her when she wouldn't look at him, and lifted her chin. He stared into her sad eyes. "Hey, you're not fine. What's wrong?" Rick had never seen her look so out of sorts.

Michonne sighed and wiped a shaky hand across her face. "I never thought I'd see anyone from before again, and then Craig walks down those stairs...it's a lot."

Rick nodded and squinted at her as if he was trying to see into her soul. "I can imagine." He thought about what he would do if he ever saw his brother or anyone else he used to know again. "Is he family?"

Michonne turned her face up to the sky. "He was a lot of things." She said quietly.

Rick was still looking intently at her. "You want to talk about it?"

Michonne shook her head. "I just want to go teach people to kill walkers."

Rick sighed. He didn't want to let her out of his sight just yet. "You want me to come with you? At least walk you over there?"

"No, it's fine." She said as she looked over her shoulder again.

"Are you sure?"

"Rick..."

"Okay. See you at home later?" He asked.

Michonne tried to smile at him, but the corners of her lips barely rose. "Yeah."

He felt a strong urge to pull her into a hug and tell her everything would be okay, but he hesitated a beat too long. She left him standing there and took off towards the Constable's house.

IV.

Rick stood on the sidewalk and watched Michonne until she disappeared around the corner. He wanted to go after her, but he knew she needed a few moments to herself. She'd been his rock for so long, it was bewildering to see her in such a state. He looked back over to the house Morgan and the newcomer shared. He was thinking about going back inside to grill the man when he heard a soft voice call his name. He turned and saw Jessie, with her two sons, walking towards him. He waved at them, but Ron ignored him and kept walking. Sam gave him a meek "Hi" before following his brother down the sidewalk.

"I'm sorry," Jessie said as she stopped and stood next to him, "Ron is still angry. He loved his father even after everything he put us through. And Sam goes with whatever mood his big brother is in."

Rick held up his hand. "No need to explain. I understand. How are you doing?" He asked

"I'm doing okay I think. I may be still in shock though. It's strange that I don't have to wake up in fear anymore."

"Well, there's still plenty to fear beyond those walls." Rick started walking and Jessie followed. "You really should think about taking one of Michonne's combat classes, or schedule a shooting session with Sasha. We all need to be prepared."

"I don't know about that, Rick. I was always more cheerleader than jock. I think my skills can be used elsewhere. Maybe I could cook for you, Carl, and little Judy. I'll bring my boys over and we can have a big dinner. We could invite Carol too. Sam seems to like her a lot."

Rick stopped walking and turned to her. "You do understand what's out there, right? Trust me, Reg and Pete dying is not the worst thing that can happen here." He didn't know what he was going to have to do to make everyone here see the seriousness of the situation.

Jessie was taken aback by the hardness of Rick's tone. "I get it. I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry." Rick said thinking about what Michonne said earlier about the community. He needed to take baby steps with them. "I didn't mean to be so aggressive. I just want to keep everyone safe."

"I know." She smiled shyly at him. "That's why I'm glad you're here." She put a hand on his forearm.

He looked down to where her hand slightly caressed the fabric of his coat. Her wedding band was still encased around her finger. The sun hit her hand at that moment, and he felt like the glint from the ring was going to blind him.

"...we might as well do it together." He looked up at her. He was lost in thought and missed what she was saying.

"Do what together?" He asked.

She laughed. "I must be boring you with my rambling. I said we all have to eat. We might as well do it together."

"Right. Sure. I guess that makes sense."

"Tomorrow then?" Jesse looked eager for him to say yes. He smiled at her.

"That could work. Just let me check with Michonne first."

"Oh? I mean, of course. She's invited too."

Rick raised an eyebrow. "I don't think she needs to be invited to her own home. I want to make sure she's okay with having a big group of people over."

"Yeah, yeah, of course. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. So you'll let me know?"

Rick nodded. "I'll let you know. I need to go check on the kids. I'll see you later."

"Hey before you go, what's your favorite meal?"

Rick forehead wrinkled as if the question confused him. "I haven't thought about a favorite anything in awhile. I'll pretty much eat anything other than dog."

It was Jessie's turn to look confused. "Dog?"

He laughed slightly to himself. "Never mind. You have a good evenin'." Rick took a right and walked down the street that lead home. He paused when he was halfway there and turned to look at the Constable house across from the pond. The light was shining through the downstairs window, but he didn't see Michonne. He took a step in that direction, but stopped quickly and spun back around. She'd talk when she was ready.

A/N: Thanks all for all of the feedback. I really appreciate it. More to come!