He woke from deep slumber abruptly. She was standing on the edge of the bed, nudging his back with her small delicate feet.

"You could have just tapped my shoulder like normal people." He groaned against the fluffy pillow, still groggy from sleep.

She chuckled softly, "I tried that ten minutes ago." She looked too good for someone who had barely slept last night, "You need to go, Sasha is coming with Andre in an hour."

"Hour? as in sixty minutes?" He lifted his head to getter a better look at her, he didn't know how she managed to be so attractive in a baggy t-shirt. She could tell by his lazy smile that there was something on his mind. He dug his fingers into the hem of her shirt, "You know a lot can be done in an hour."

Michonne raised her brows at him, he had clearly lost the plot, "How are you even functioning right now?"

Rick snorted, "Is that another old man joke?"

"Don't worry, you proved yourself last night," Her face flushed as she thought about the night before, "But I really can't risk it with Andre."

Half of her words went unheard as he focused on caressing the side of her body, his fingers going up and down slowly, causing goosebumps to rise on her beautiful dark skin.

"Rick."

Her warning was no use as he quickly grabbed on to her hand and pulled her down on the bed. The bed, which was in a state of disarray over the countless hours of rolling around in it. He hadn't felt this alive in a long time. It wasn't just her body. It was everything about her that filled him with this deep animalistic need. Her smooth skin, her scent, it all made him crazy. She wasn't fighting back as his urge to have her once more swept her along, a small giggle escaped her lips as he hovered over her. It was almost too good to be true, just the two of them and this bed. He did not want to go back to reality or the miserable aftermath that this decision caused.

His hand was quickly traveling under her shirt and grabbing at her backside roughly. For once her thoughts weren't all over the place. With him, it was complete focus and tunnel vision. She enjoyed his primal need for her. In the early hours of the morning when she was covered with slick sweat, she had watched him closely. It was the first time she fully understood how life would never be the same again.

Michonne wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him closer, "You know this is not what i had in mind when I woke you up."

"Liar." He grinned and kissed her with everything he had in him, his tongue slipping into her mouth. She responded eagerly, hating the fact that he was this good. His scruff scratched her skin as they fused together once again. She whimpered in need and it was the most intoxicating thing for Rick. The way she grabbed the bunched up sheets made him even more determined to pleasure her. He continued towards her neck, biting her neck and marking her as his own. She shivered under his touch. She had never experienced anything remotely similar. The way he touched her brought her to the brink and beyond. Over and over again. She lost count over how many times he went down on her. She lost count how many times he buried himself deep within her. This was a man who couldn't get enough.

"We really don't have the time for this." Her voice came out strained as he peeled off her shirt and threw it in the other corner of the room.

"Well we better get started then." Rick whispered huskily as he lost himself in her again.

As he was buttoning up his dress shirt in the kitchen an after thought came to him, "Uh, do we have to be worried about..."He didn't know why, but it got him flustered, "Any surprises in nine months?"

Michonne was pouring herself tea and turned around to look at him, "It's not exactly a surprise if you decide to fuck without asking about birthcontrol or making sure you do your part in that department."

Rick gulped, "It's fine, I mean I should have-"

"I'm on the pill," She looked at him pointedly, "I'd rather slit my wrists than have a baby."

He was already used to her bold words and chuckled, "Yeah, we wouldn't want that to happen right now."

She drank from her tea and shook her head quickly, "No, I mean ever. I'm done with that phase in my life. This shop is closed for good."

He didn't know how the conversation took a turn to this, but he was glad she could openly tell him how she wanted the future to look like.

"Well I'm a grandpa with a busted hip so you're safe with me."

It made Michonne smile that he would remember all the playful things she had said to him in Las Vegas.

"I have to tell you something." He suddenly shifted nervously and changed the subject.

She leaned her back against the kitchen counter and waited for him to continue.

Rick felt defeated, after an amazing night and morning he had to break this moment and come back to reality.

"I might have promised Lori that I would keep my distance until we figured out what to do with the house and all that," He knew it sounded worse when he said it aloud, "I know, it was stupid and I shouldn't have promised something I knew I couldn't keep."

He could tell from her face it wasn't easy to hear.

"How much is in your name?" She asked seriously.

"Half."

"What about savings? Your bank account?"

"Everything is half and half," He sighed, "Everything we got is both of ours."

Michonne set her tea aside, "You do realize she has the grounds to take everything she wants from you?"

He walked closer to her, she was like a magnet pulling him in, "I know Lori doesn't want a war."

"Rick, you clearly don't understand the consept of a woman scorned," She knew what she was talking about, "If Lori was my client I would easily take more than half. I could make your life a living hell because in here the judge has the power to award the bigger slice to the spouse who was the victim of adultery. The law here is simple, everything is divided equitably, not equally."

He was mesmerized by her as she spoke.

"What?" She noticed the look on his face.

"I like it when you talk all lawyer," He was now closer, his body pressing against hers, "You know, you're beautiful Michonne. I don't remember if I said it last night."

Michonne looked up at him and laughed how scrambled his thought process was, "That's all I heard you say," She had to seriously muster up some self control because the way he looked at her was trouble, "You need to go before-"

He was a bad listener when all he wanted was her and he couldn't get enough. With a swift movement he grabbed on to her tightly and lifted her on the counter. She squealed in surprise and slapped him playfully on the chest as he settled between her legs.

"You are everything." His voice got even lower as he locked eyes with her.

His words caught her off guard. For a second there the world stopped and nothing else mattered. Those words carried weight in this madness. Rick could tell from her gaze she took the words to heart, but she wasn't ready to say it aloud herself. One little fragment at a time he was chipping away the cold exterior she had.

She didn't hesitate to lock her feet around his waist. They were playing with fire as the clock ticked away. Every second and minute was savored since he barged in. Her world was spinning in a different rhythm and it felt like she had waited this for her whole life. He dropped his mouth on her neck, kissing it slowly as she grabbed on to his hair for dear life, he made her feel so desperate and out of touch with everything else.

"Don't go home today." He whispered against her skin and pulled back to look her in the eyes, "stay."

It had been the elephant in the room. She was supposed to go home today. She didn't want to think about it. Michonne took his face between her hands and answered him by hungrily pulling his mouth to hers. She couldn't help, but to moan as their kisses grew desperate. It was like they both went into autopilot when the lust took over. The way she breathed his name and dug her nails on his back was like a fever dream. He couldn't help himself and his long fingers slid under her shirt again, both their chests heaved when he cupped her breast softly.

She moaned again with her eyes closed, unable to contain herself. Even his light feathery touches could make her feel like she was on fire.

"Beep!"

Her eyes snapped open and she groaned out, "Shit. It's Sasha." Her friend had given her a heads up which right now saved them from a lot of trouble.

Rick could sense her body tightening up anxiously and pulled away, giving her space to hop off the counter, "Why don't we just tell Andre I was visiting? He is a kid. He won't realize anything."

Michonne took his hand with urgency and opened the backdoor quickly, she did feel bad about it, "I can't risk it. Andre comes first. Always."

He understood her point and kissed her once more, "Just promise me you won't leave without seeing me first."

"I promise." She said quickly and tossed his suit jacket to him which he grabbed swiftly from air, "Don't start trouble with Lori. We need to make a plan before you go making any declarations."

Michonne didn't think she would ever be on the other end of things and plan against a woman who was the type she usually helped.

He nodded. This woman had him on a choke hold. He grabbed on to her once more and stole the last heated kiss. She didn't understand the stamina this man posessed and laughed as she pushed him out.

Rick didn't want to go, but for her, he quietly left the house and waited around the corner for Sasha and Andre to enter the home. He could hear son scream for mommy and he smiled. He felt pretty ridiculous in his tux as he sneaked around on the edge of the property. Thankfully he was smart enough to walk there last night. He didn't want to feel like a teenager sneaking out, but he reminded himself this wasn't just about them. Michonne was right, they had to talk and figure out what were the next steps. He had been nervous over her reaction after they had their night together. He expected the worst which was the complete opposite to what really happened. She wasn't reluctant after all. He would chase her until she gave in and gave them a chance. Right now it looked he didn't have to do that.

"Rick?"

He raised his gaze from the dirt road and noticed Hershel looking at him from the field across from him.

He waved back awkwardly and continued walking, quickening his pace.

The old man just shook his head and laughed as he went back to work.

Andre told her all about her fun sleepover with Sasha as he cuddled next to her on the sofa. She tried her best to keep her mind in check, but flashes from the night before and the morning intruded her thoughts. She could feel Sashas curious eyes on her.

"I want to read my comics now." Andre announced.

Michonne kissed his forehead before he took off upstairs.

Soon as he was out of earshot, Sasha cornered her, "You look like you had fun last night."

She bit her lip and flushed, "I did."

"So?" She poked for more information, "How was it?"

Michonne escaped the situation and walked over to the kitchen to retrieve her lukewarm tea, "It was... amazing."

Sasha went after her and signaled for her to continue, "And?"

"And-" The words got suddenly stuck in her throat as her eyes fixated on the teal colored tie that was left behind the open stairs.

Her closest friend was confused as to what caught her attention and looked over at the same direction. Sasha walked over to the stairs and still didn't know what she was seeing. She bent down to pick up the blue fabric.

"Yeah about that..."

Sasha dropped the tie like it was something disgusting and gasped comically, "Ew! You fucked him? "

Michonne buried her face in her hands, it wasn't that she was embarrassed, but mostly saying it aloud made it more real, "I, I didn't exactly plan for it Sasha. He showed up, and it just happened."

Sasha tried her best to keep her voice down, "What about Lori?"

"They are separated." She knew how naive she sounded to her and wanted to explain what happened, "I left with Marcus and he asked me if we could come here. It just didn't feel right. I know, I told you I'm not getting myself into this fucking mess with Rick. I was planning on keeping my distance. I didn't ask him to come here. I wanted to go home, lick my wounds, forget, move on and all that."

Sasha didn't judge her, she had a hunch with these two, but she didn't expect them to actually go through with it, "Now what? You got that pent up energy out of the way and that's it?"

"No," She stopped for a second before answering directly, "I think I need to see where this goes."

She was surprised over her answer and chuckled, "Was it really that good?"

"Oh, you have no idea." Michonne surpressed the giggle that was threatening to burst out.

Sasha didn't know how to take in this version of her friend and pointed out, "Well you did have a thing for white guys in college. I get it."

"What? I did not!"

"Yes you did!" She laughed, "Every other bearded white professor got you going. The amount of flirting during class was hard to miss. Don't play me, come on now."

Michonne laughed with her, "Jesus, I hate you for bringing that up."

The moment died down and Sasha sat on the edge of the sofa again, turning more serious, "What's the plan then? We have to go back home tonight."

"I was thinking," She didn't know how to say it without sounding like a desperate teenager, "I could come a few days later."

"Michonne, no."

"I need just a few days to figure this out with him," She explained as she approached her friend, "It's going to be bad if he doesn't get on top of the situation with Lori. We both know how these things go if the divorce turns ugly."

Sasha was not buying it, "The only thing he will be on top of is you. Besides it's already ugly, he is fucking around with another woman after a hot minute. These kind of guys we go after."

"Take Andre with you."

"Girl it's not cute to be this thirsty."

"No, I would never leave Andre like that, you know it. He misses his friends and I don't want him here if shit hits the fan. I need to deal with this without him. You know he is the only thing that matters."

Deep down Sasha understood the reason for her request. This was a woman who had been running around like a headless chicken since her mom died. If she wasn't with Andre, she was at work. She had prayed for her countless times because of how scattered their lives were after Mike did them dirty. She had been through the wringer.

Sasha hated how much she cared for her sometimes, "Well Coco is with us for the week and she misses Andre. I guess we could do that. Only on one condition."

"What?"

She took her hand, "You think, you really think about what you want and how to make that happen without losing yourself."

Michonne nodded and squeezed her hand back, "You are a gem Sasha. What would I do without you?"

"Fuck white guys apparently."

She slapped her hand and laughed.

Lori was looking at her finger, it was bare. She took off her wedding ring soon as the word divorce had been brought up. She put it away and hoped the feelings for Rick died down soon as she did it. For her disappointment it didn't work like that.

"I hope you two figure it out." Maggie had finally gotten the courage to see Lori. When she knocked on the door and she opened, they hugged like they hadn't seen each other in years.

Lucille walked into the kitchen interrupting them and holding her head, "Shit. I need to be at work in a couple of hours."

"It's the champagne," Lori got up from the kitchen table, poured her some water and handed it with aspirin, "You'll be good as new in a few hours."

Lucille took a seat next to Maggie who was running a hand over her stomach, "Thankfully I don't have to drink in a long time."

Sadness filled Lori as memories came to mind. Maggie saw it on her face.

"You really think divorce is the only route?"

It was a tough question.

Lucille had a strong opinion over it, "Maggie, knock it off."

Maggie wasn't the type who would sit back quietly, she defended her stance, "I don't think they should give up. I really don't."

"Rick cheated and doesn't give a shit about it," her temper got the best of her, "You want Lori to stay with someone who doesn't want to be with her?"

As the words rolled out of her mouth she realized how bad it sounded. Lori stood there with her heartache. Someone finally said how it was. Since Rick confessed the kiss, he had been making decisions based on his new feelings towards another person. He went out of his way to talk to her, to seek solace from her. It was simple, like Lucille said it he didn't want her anymore.

"I'm just saying," Lucille clarified, "when Negan cheated and I found out he did everything in his power to fix us. Rick has done nothing."

Maggie could see her point, but still strontly felt like they were being too fast with a big decisions like this, she looked over at Lori, "What do you think?"

She sighed and took a seat in the table, "Rick could have done something about this if he wanted to. I'm just trying to keep it civil and I hope he does the same."

"It's just sad." Maggie thought aloud and Lucille rolled her eyes.

"I know," Lori said quietly, "I love Rick. I think I will always love him, but right now I hope we can at least have respect for each other and slowly move on from this."

"You talk to the kids?"

Lori looked at Maggie and her growing belly, "Carl knows. Judith doesn't, but I think she has an idea over what's going on."

Lucille smiled at her, "You'll be fine. I promise."

As much as she wanted to be fine and understand this new phase in their lives it was hard. When she left she had felt empowered and strong. She would look out of the window and think about the sacrifices she made for him. Anger was present as she thought about her husband and his selfishness. Then again, she had done the same exact thing and it had felt justified. Shane came by to see her and it sparked hope. They had something between them, but he had moved on. He consoled her as a friend. It was a big disappointment for her. When he left, she felt empty and numb. It was hard to understand her own feelings. Yesterday she felt fine as she drank the champagne and wondered about the future with Lucille. She felt fine being mean to Rick. Today as she woke and he wasn't there it felt like the world was ending. She wanted to apologize and talk to him.

As they chit chatted the front door opened.

Lucille peaked towards the hallway, and noticed how Rick had walked in. He was about to take off upstairs. She didn't know why, but it felt like he was in a hurry.

"Rick," Lucille raised her voice, "Were you with Negan? Is he awake?"

He walked towards the kitchen and stopped by the opening. He didn't want to raise any questions, so he just played it off like he wasn't freaking out right now as the three women looked at him.

"Yeah, um, yeah," He stumbled over his words and cleared his throat, "I fell asleep before he came. I guess he is still asleep."

"Was he in the garage then?" Lucille asked frowning, "You didn't see him?"

"Um-" Rick mumbled, but thankfully he was interrupted as Negan walked in and patted his shoulder.

"I woke when this one got up," Negan looked at him knowingly, "We tossed a few back and slept like a couple of newborns."

The women went back to their own converstation. Rick looked at his friend and nodded as a thank you. Negan took him by the shoulder and they walked into the hallway.

"Next time you go and get yourself ass make sure you have your story straight." He whispered and winked at him.

Michonne had felt conflicted when she packed her sons bag later in the evening. Of course she felt like a shitty mom for doing this, but at the same time she knew Andre was more than happy to be around Sasha, Coco, and Abe. He was a kid who was used to having a lot of people around. It was only a couple of days after all. Goodbyes were never easy though, not for her.

She looked at the address on her phone and wondered where the hell was he taking her. The sun was starting to set and light was replaced with darkness. She drove along the sandy road and cursed at the small path that felt endless.

When she finally arrived, the end of the road opened up and there was a clearing with a lake in the middle of the forest. He was there already. Tossing stones into the water. He noticed her headlights and smiled.

"Is this the part where we get murdered?" She hopped off her car which she parked next to his and joked, "You know I would go first or is that your plan?"

Rick tossed the last remaining stone from his hand and walked up to her. He had changed into his uniform, "Luckily for you I know the sheriff."

"Hey." She said softly as they finally reached each other.

"Hey." His eyes slowly scanned her head to toe. She was wearing her favorite sport leggings and a black top while her jean jacket hang around her waist. It was mind boggling how she managed to look so put together in everything.

As he took the details in she looked around, "What is this place?"

"Me and Daryl would come here all the time when we were kids," He stared at her as she took in their surroundings, "I like to come here and think. If I have a rough day, I come here. Not a lot of people even know about this place."

She could see what he meant. It was peaceful.

"Are you on duty?" She could feel her body flushing at the sight of him. The uniform just made him even more tempting.

"Yeah." He pointed at the walkie that hang from his waist belt. So far it had been a quiet evening.

She didn't know how to start the conversation. There was so much to uncover.

"Andre left with Sasha and I'm gonna go home a few days later."

Her announcement took him by surprise.

With a heavy sigh she continued, "We need to talk," She turned her gaze back on him, "I need to go back home with a clear head and last night...well that made everything even more unclear."

"I hope you don't regret anything." He felt anxious. He hoped she hadn't suddenly changed her mind.

"It's the only thing I don't regret." Michonne said firmly.

She was full of surprises tonight. His eyes never left hers as he pulled her small body into his arms. It was an comforting hug she needed. She allowed herself to have a little moment there, just enjoying the feel of being in his arms.

Rick kissed her hair and hoped this would never end. She looked up at him. It was like lighting a match, the whole atmosphere changed. She didn't hesitate to capture his lips with hers. He grinned against her mouth as he kissed back with the same intensity. Somehow it all escalated into backing into hood of his car as the kisses deepened.

"I came here to.." She breathed heavily into his ear as his hands desperately grabbed on to her, "talk."

"Yeah, me too." He mumbled against her lips as her hands daringly worked on his belt. His lips moved now along her jawline and neck while his hand moved to the waistband of her pants.

"We can talk..." She gasped as he slipped his hand inside her leggings, "After this."

Rick groaned against her mouth and claimed her once more.

The new richonne sneak peak for next year came me liiiife. So happy!!

Yeah, and I know these two are a hot mess right now. Bear with me.

Welcome new followers and thank you for all the reviews each week.

Xx