As the RV drove through the gate, Michonne stood and moved toward Rick. She crouched beside him, placing her hand on his thigh "I'll go home and check on Carl and Judith. Meet you at the church?"

Rick placed his hand over hers and smiled "Yeah…can you bring me another t-shirt? I wanna clean up before."

Michonne nodded "Okay. Anything else?"

"Just you" Rick replied "I'll need the moral support. Hey, and don't worry about Carl. I talked to him yesterday morning…. about us"

Suddenly her heart was pounding, thinking to herself (so we're an us?) "What did he say?"

Rick tilted his head and smiled, caressing her hand with his thumb "He said…It's cool"

The RV slowed as Michonne stood, smiling, still holding Rick's hand. Their eyes locked briefly, both relieved that Carl was good with…. whatever was happening. They hadn't talked about what it was, but both knew it was nothing without Carl being okay with it. She squeezed his hand and turned to grab her katana.

Rick turned to the window, seeing Aaron and Sasha "Get Olivia, she should inventory what we have. We'll meet her at the pantry."

As Aaron took off to find Olivia, Sasha asked "You have food?"

Michonne stepped onto the sidewalk, seeing Rosita and Carol approaching "Yeah, enough for another month."

Rick looked at Sasha "I need everybody in the church in an hour"

Curious, Sasha replied "What is it?"

Rick assured her "We'll talk about it"

Michonne and Sasha fell into step as they walked away. Sasha turned to glance at Michonne "We'll talk about it? That's a really odd way to invite everyone to your wedding….."

Wide eyed, Michonne stopped to look a Sasha – who stared back with a smirk. Michonne smiled softly as she started walking again "Definitely not a wedding. How did you know?"

Sasha shook her head "Michonne…..everybody knows! Everybody been knew….except the two of you!"

Michonne was shocked "What are you talking about? It just happened 2 nights ago!"

"Girl that man stands up STRAIGHT when you walk into a room, he gets all fidgety with his gun belt, his eyes follow you around said room" Sasha snorted "and up and down…"

"Sasha…." Michonne's tone warned she was pushing it

"And you" Sasha continued "the way you watch him walk? Your eyes get all doughy and glaze over, mouth hangs open…..."

"Sasha!" Michonne gave her a playful shove

Laughing, Sasha bumped shoulders with Michonne "Everyone sees how you guys are together, we knew it wasn't if but when."

Before she could stop herself, Michonne was visualizing that walk….and pairing it with those hands….

Her guard down, she turned to Sasha "He's important to me, but what if I'm not good at this?"

Sasha linked arms with Michonne "You're good at everything, but you're especially good at Rick. Don't overthink it, follow your heart"

Michonne climbed the steps onto the porch where Carl sat rocking Judith. "Hey"

Carl smiled, always happy to see her "Hey, how'd it go?"

Michonne touched Judiths cheek and sat down next to Carl "A few bumps, but okay for the most part. It was just like Jesus said. We were able to make a trade arrangement, so we brought back enough food to last a month."

Confused, Carl replied "But we don't really have anything to trade"

"Once your dad's home we can talk through it" Michonne promised

Carl nodded "Where is he?"

Michonne stood "Unloading the food at the pantry, then heading to the church for a community meeting. I've got to meet him there. Let's get babygirl down for her nap"

Michonne held the door as Carl carried a sleeping Judith inside.

Michonne walked into Rick's bedroom and her mind wandered back to last night. His hands, his mouth…. there wasn't a part of her that was untouched. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, willing herself "Focus Michonne…."

Suddenly Carl was next to her

Startled, Michonne exclaimed "Oh my God Carl! We're sneaking up on people now?!"

"Not on purpose, but I might start cause that was hilarious" Carl replied, laughing

She smiled and shook her head as she moved toward his dresser "I need to grab a few things so your dad can clean up. T-Shirts?"

"2nd drawer" Carl moved forward and leaned against the dresser, noticing Rick's ring. Picking it up, he shared "This was my grandpa's, my grandma gave it to Dad when he passed." He ran his finger along the inside "The engraving here says Always"

Michonne met his eyes "I bet there's a beautiful story behind that"

"Are you guys gonna start sharing a room?" Carl asked

Taken aback by the question, Michonne took a moment to respond "We still have a lot to talk about, I don't know. Are you okay with this?" Michonne asked

Carl nodded "Yeah…. you're already family" Carl replied

Michonne grabbed his hand and squeezed "And I'll always be your family, no matter what"

He squeezed her hand back, wanting to reassure her "Michonne …...its cool. I trust you with my dad, and I trust him with you. I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner"

Shocked, she asked "Sooner?"

Carl laughed "Yeah…. the way he looks at you, listens to you. Who else could get away with knocking him out? That's when I knew…."

Michonne smiled, tempted to tell him to stay out of grown folks' business "Okay, I'm gonna stop you right there Dr. Phil! I need to grab some things from the bathroom and go meet your dad." She leaned over and kissed him on the head "Take care of your sister, we'll be home in a couple hours"

Rick set down a basket of vegetables "Aaron, Olivia, go ahead and start inventory – we'll get the rest"

Rick walked back out to the RV where Darryl and Glenn were unloading the food. As he reached down to grab another box, Glenn stopped him "You should go get cleaned up before the church meeting. We got this."

"Michonne is bringing me a clean shirt, I'll get cleaned up at the church." Rick replied, waving him off

"You really wasn't gonna say nothing about you and Michonne?" Darryl asked abruptly

Rick sighed and turned to face the men he considered brothers "Wasn't nothing to say before night before last. We were sitting on the couch and…it just happened. I'm as surprised as anyone. Happy, but surprised."

Glenn snorted "Who says we're surprised? Darryl, are you surprised?"

"Naw, I ain't surprised." Darryl replied "I shoulda known something was up the way you was so pissed about that damn toothpaste"

"She is pretty big on dental hygiene." Glenn added. "Look Rick, we're not surprised. All of us have had a moment of feeling invisible when the two of you lock in on each other"

Rick was silent, he hadn't told anyone how he felt. Was he that transparent?

Glenn smiled "Don't give us the squinting tilted head stare. We're happy for you man!"

Darryl nodded "Yeah, she knows who you are and calls you on your shit. She's good for you man"

Rick felt his chest tighten, not sure what to say, "Thank you…Y'all are my brothers…...I…."

Darryl interrupted "Enough jawing, let's finish this so you can meet your woman"

Rick greeted Gabriel as he approached his home next door to the church "Hey Gabriel"

"Afternoon Rick" Gabriel replied, closing his Bible

Rick leaned on the porch railing "We've got folks coming down in about 20 minutes to talk through some things. Mind if I use your office around back to clean up?"

Gabriel nodded "Not at all, help yourself. Sasha let me know as she walked by. And I hear congratulations in order for you and Michonne?"

Rick blushed, small town gossip survived the end of the world "It's real new, we're just trying to figure it out"

Gabriel nodded "The two of you are well matched, and you obviously care deeply for one another. I'm happy for you both, what a blessing."

Rick stood to leave "Thank you Gabriel. I better get moving"

Gabriel stood as well "Of course, folks will start arriving shortly. I'll see you there."

Rick sat on the steps leading to the office, keeping an eye on the walking trail for Michonne. It was the quickest way from home to the church.

Leaning back on his elbows, he let the sun hit his face and enjoyed a rare moment of quiet. His thoughts drifted back to that first kiss and the electricity it sent through his body. They moved to the shower next and just explored each other. He could feel her hands in his hair, on his back, his thighs…. he flexed his hands, feeling her curves….so many curves…somehow firm and soft at the same time….

Rick opened his eyes and looked down; his body was reacting to his memories. He sat up and shook his head, letting out a quiet giggle "I'm sitting on the church steps with a hard on". Not able to control it, he quickly went from quiet giggle to hearty chuckle to snorting laugh. He put his hand on his chest, trying to understand what he was feeling…. breathing deeply, he realized it was happiness and hope coming together. He was daydreaming about actually living, not just staying alive.

Closing his eyes, he brought his focus back to the coming task – making a case for Alexandria to go to war. This would test the faith these people, his people, put in him. People like the saviors – there's no doubt they would come for Alexandria. They had to strike first.

Hearing footsteps, Rick opened his eyes to see Michonne walking toward him. Sword across her back and a backpack hanging on one shoulder. He stood to meet her, whispering to himself "So beautiful…."

Michonne smiled "Hey"

Rick stepped down, smiling "Hey"

He gently tugged the backpack strap to pull her forward, wrapping his other arm around her waist and sliding his hand down to rest on his favorite curve.

Rick leaned in for a soft kiss, then met her eyes and asked, "Is this for me?"

One hand was still on her ass and the other was holding the backpack strap. Her answer applied to both "Yes, it is…." She gripped his curls to pull him in for another kiss.

Rick pulled her closer, deepening the kiss until they were both out of breath. Foreheads touching, eyes locked, they lingered in the first real moment of privacy since Jesus woke them up.

Michonne finally broke the silence "You need to get ready…."

"Yep…. c'mon…." Rick agreed with a heavy sigh. He took the backpack and grabbed her hand, leading her up the steps into Gabriel's office.

Michonne sat on a small couch outside the bathroom, watching Rick as he cleaned up. This man is so fine…. Muscle in every movement. He took her breath away, those arms, his back and chest…. lean muscle on a man had always been her kink.

When Rick emerged from the bathroom, he did a little twirl and asked, "How do I look?"

Michonne smiled "You clean up good….."

He sat down next to her on the couch "Is this the right thing?"

She moved a stray curl from his forehead "I think so, don't you?"

"I THINK so…..but my track record lately…." He smiled ruefully "almost not coming here - mistake, hiding the guns -mistake. The Pete thing – mistake. Excluding the community rather than embracing it – huge mistake. Any of these could've cost lives."

"We've all been through hell" Michonne grabbed his hand "and what we've been through informs how we move in the world. You're going to make mistakes"

Rick sighed "You sound like Denise"

She smiled "I'll take that as a compliment, she is one of my new favorites. We're lucky to have a psychiatrist here, its good you're talking to her."

Rick shook his head in frustration "How does all that help me lead? Dealing with PTSD is a luxury and those don't exist anymore. Understanding that I kissed Jessie because I felt like nobody needed me anymore doesn't help me lead. We don't have time for that shit in this world….."

"Seriously, we all needed to understand why you kissed Jesse" she replied dryly

"Michonne…" he admonished

She cupped Rick's face and held his gaze "In this world, we need that shit more than ever. Our lives are almost non-stop trauma. If we don't take time to work on ourselves when we can, especially those of us who lead, we won't be ready to meet moments like this."

Eyes still locked, he asked again "Is this the right thing?"

"Yes" she replied with certainty "They have to be doing this to other communities, it's not just Hilltop. Coming for us is a WHEN not an IF. They're fucking terrorists."

Rick nodded, relieved "Let's go"

Rick appeared in the doorway of Michonne's bedroom "knock knock…."

She smiled and put down her book, patting the bed next to her "Judith finally out?"

He joined her on the bed "Yeah, only had to read "If you give a Mouse a Cookie" four times tonight."

"It was long enough for me to take a hot shower." Michonne laughed "Bath time was fun. She's still throwing all of her bath toys on the floor and yelling until you give them back"

"And that lasted long enough for me to take a hot shower" Rick echoed, with a smile. "Carl gone?"

Michonne nodded "Movie night at the pantry, he promised to be home by midnight"

Rick reached for her hand "Thank you for getting me through today, I couldn't do this without you"

Michonne lifted his hand for a kiss "You don't have to thank me, we're a team"

"We're more than that" he replied, locking eyes with her "At least I'd like us to be."

"Rick, you don't have to….." Michonne began

"I do" he interrupted "We're going to war tomorrow Michonne. I don't want anything to be left unsaid. Hear me out?"

She nodded "Okay"

Rick took a deep breath "I remember the day you showed up at the prison. It was the first day I held Judith. I couldn't touch her…..after Lori died. I was in a bad place, seeing things, hearing things. We were really struggling….before. And after, we just fell apart. I loved her, she gave me my kids, we grew up together. But everything we had was broken, it was over, and then she was just gone. I started to pull myself out of it after I figured out a way to say some things to Lori, things that had been left unsaid. When I saw you at the fence, I wasn't sure if I was still seeing things. You want to know my first thought?"

"What?" Michonne asked gently

"I thought…is she real? I've never seen a walker with a body like that!" Rick smiled at the memory. "And I swore you were talking to me, in my head. I can still hear our conversation…. "Who are you – I'm a friend – Are you real – Yes, I'm real – how did you find us – I need your help – why are you here – I belong here"

Michonne gasped, feeling a sense of Deja Vu.

"And then they were on you, and we came out to get you." He continued "I still wasn't sure you were real until I grabbed your wound. I was an asshole those first few weeks"

She shrugged "I was kind of an asshole too."

Rick nodded "I watched you, at first because I didn't know you. And then because I did. I could tell right away you were smart, but pretty quick I could see that you're the smartest person in any room you're in. Brave I knew right away, then I saw you're really genuine, and caring, a leader, fierce too. You didn't flinch when I was questioning you about Glenn and Maggie."

Michonne inhaled, and her eyes shifted for a moment. "I was in a bad place too, and I really wanted to let myself out. Seeing you, with your good kind heart, work so hard to give Carl back his childhood and make a home for everyone. Andrea cracked the shell, but the prison - that's where I really got free of it. I was always afraid if I came out, if I came back to the world, I couldn't go back to that place if I needed to. And I was right…. after the prison fell, I tried to go back, and it nearly broke me. I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't found you and Carl in that house."

He touched her face, bringing her eyes back to him "In that house is where I knew we could be more. I knew I had feelings for you, back at the prison, but I wasn't ready. And after, when we were on the road, there was no room for it. But there were moments – big and small – that I felt my feelings getting stronger. You challenged me to make me think, not to get a reaction. You pushed me in an honest way, no bullshit. Without you we wouldn't be here. And by the time we got here, I was just spiraling. I couldn't see what was possible, I didn't think life could be more than the fight to stay alive."

Rick stopped, blinking away tears…. Michonne reached out to wipe them away.

He grabbed her hand and pulled it to his lips. "But I can see it now, there's so much more. After the walkers, when I knew we had this place again, I could finally see a new world and the life we could have. Everything Deanna talked about is possible, all of it – and I want it. I want it with you…. watching the kids grow up together, teaching them to survive and thrive together, building and protecting this community together, growing old together. I'm in love with you Michonne. I love you and I probably shouldn't be saying this so soon…."

Michonne stopped him with a kiss. Urgent, passionate…

Rick wrapped his arms around her and rolled on his back, matching her passion.

They lay entwined for a moment, breathless. Rick closed his eyes, hoping she would speak first….

She buried her head in his chest "Sorry, I didn't want you to finish that sentence. I didn't want you to say you shouldn't be saying the one thing I've wanted to hear…"

Rick took a deep breath and tilted her chin up until their eyes met "Yeah?"

Michonne nodded "Yeah. I believed in what Deanna was trying to do from the start. When I told her so, she asked me what I wanted for ME. I couldn't answer, but I promised I would figure it out. I know now that what I want for me is US. We're twin flames, and together we can do anything. I love you too Rick. I'm in love with you, I've known since….and this is weird…." she looked away for a moment "since you ripped that guy's throat out"

"I've known since we were on the railroad tracks the next day" he stroked her cheek "when you didn't ask me if I was okay."

She smiled "That's even weirder"

"You knew, you didn't need to ask." He smirked "and I'd rather be the Weird Couple than the Odd Couple"

Michonne ran her fingers thru his curls, pulling him in for another kiss "Me too, I'm good at weird"

He kissed her forehead "You're good at everything. So, is shacking up the next step after saying I love you?

She smiled "Oh totally, but aren't we already shacking up?"

"We live in the same house, but I'm pretty sure you have to share a bedroom to qualify as shacking up." Rick pulled back to look into her eyes "Michonne Hawthorne, will you shack up with me?"

Michonne put both hands on his face "Yes, Rick Grimes, I'll shack up with you"

Glenn started the RV and moved toward the gate "This'll be the last one we position. I really think the RV and 2 other vehicles will work. Once Richonne gets here, we can confirm with Rick"

Maggie looked confused "Richonne?"

"Like Bennifer or Brangelina" Glenn explained "It's their couple nickname, Rick and Michonne equals Richonne"

Maggie shook her head "No"

Glenn nodded "Yes, you know were Glaggie, right?"

"Nobody calls us that!" She exclaimed

"Not to our faces" he explained "but they totally do"

Maggie smiled "You are insane. Besides, they've been together for what – 3 days? Are they really at the nickname phase?"

Glenn opened the door and hopped down. He held out his hand for Maggie "Becoming Richonne has been a months long journey. All the glances and angst and longing stares. I promise you; they are as together as we are. Watch, when they walk up, they'll be holding hands"

They moved toward the back of the caravan where the others started to gather. In the distance, they could see the rest of the group approaching.

Glenn smirked "You seeing what I'm seeing?"

Maggie nodded "I see Richonne"