A/N: A/U - Rick and Michonne are married with children, tonight they are having a tête-à-tête about their current career situation. A totally random piece of crack.

Rated - PG-13

"Still not finished..." Rick's voice was laced with annoyance as he reluctantly trod into the study that Friday evening.

Michonne could hear the frustration in his tone. She tore her eyes away from the computer screen for a moment to confirm her assumption and then resumed her work.

"Not yet." Michonne surrendered a reply. Unable to stop her fingers from languidly, swiftly typed on the keyboard. "On the final chapter."

He narrowed his eyes in irritation while letting out a long exaggerated sigh, "I'll believe that when I see it. Turning away from her desk and striding towards the door. "In the meantime, I'll be doing stuff... and things...alone... He cynically added. "Lemme knows if ya need me..."

Rick had seen enough, bitterness tore through him as he headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Like every night for several months, he'd eat dinner alone and fall asleep in an empty bed.

"As a matter of fact..." Michonne causally retorted, unaware of his sour attitude, she continued tapping on her laptop. Her eyes were unfaltering from the computer screen.

He wanted to walk away, but curiosity would not allow it. He stood, unmoving in the doorway. A cold silence fell upon the room. He tightly folded his arms across his chest, waiting as patiently as he could for his wife to respond. After a few long moments of typing on her keyboard, she lightly closed the notebook. Her warm brown eyes peered affectionately into his icy blue.

"I need help with a title."

"Really..." he curtly and then scoffed. "Now you need my help...Do you even realize, you've been working on this goddamn book for months and I don't even know what hell it's about?"

"You never asked." She said, noticing his attitude and taken aback by his cold demeanor. "You seem to have lost interest in the first novel." She couldn't deny that his lack of attentiveness saddened her. Now the realization hit her like a brick; his aloofness is actually contempt.

"Of course I was interested." He shouted, throwing his hands in the air in frustration. "You shut me out!" He paced the floor in an attempt to calm himself. "I've felt invisible for months," He murmured angrily, his head hung low.

"I'm sorry you feel that way." Michonne uttered between clenched jaws, "You know I want you a part of this second book, just as much as, if not more than you were for the first."

"I thought this writing stuff would be out of your system after the first book." Rick shook his head in disbelief.

"Really...that's what you thought" Michonne tersely sneered, unable to contain her dejection. "After working on my first book for almost a decade, finally getting published, selling a million copies, and making it to the best sellers list, I was just supposed to stop right there and return to being your housewife, fetching slippers and beers for you...hmmm?"

"Not fetching," Rick mumbled. "Just back to normal." Rick scratched his head, ruffling his dark waves out of place.

He loved it when his sexy Michonne brought him a beer after a succulent dinner. His mind recalled how natural and lovely she looked, barefoot, dressed in tiny little cut-off shorts and a barely-there tank top. The couple sat on their citronella candlelit porch, rocking in the swing for hours on a warm summer night. Soft music set the perfect mood while the couple exchanged about current events, laughing at things no one else would get. But what captivated Rick most was the fact he and his beautiful wife could sit without a word spoken. Yet somehow they both knew what the other was feeling.

Most people are never lucky enough to experience that kind of joy. Am I being selfish for wanting that back? Rick tediously pondered, striding more frantically back and forth in the small room.

"What has changed Rick?" Michonne forced her trembling legs to stand. "Please tell me?" She rounded the large Oakwood desk, leaning against it for support, waiting for Rick to stop pacing and just look at her. "Did my hard work and success lower your expectations of me?" she demanded, longing for her husband to tell her something, anything. "Did I ruin everything?" she pleaded, but he didn't answer, he continued to make a trail in the middle of the room, and with every step Rick took, Michonne felt her heart being stepped on.

Rick could hear the devastation in her voice. He halted, still unable to muster the strength to make eye contact with her, unable to face what he'd see in them.

"I enjoyed your successes with you." The lovely woman argued. "When you became Sherriff, that accomplishment was amazing. But it was also demanding. The achievement claimed lots of your time, physical and emotional. But it was what you wanted, it made you happy and so it made me happy too."

Michonne fought back the tears that threatened to emerge from her doe eyes. Flashes of all the sleepless, lonely nights, without him. Nights she prayed for the safety of her husband. On the nights he did make it home, it was late and he was too exhausted to spend time with the kids, physically he was there, but his mind was being assaulted by the horrors of the streets. Michonne helplessly watched while he tossed and turned as he slumbered. He'd snap awake and the haunted look in his cerulean eyes replaying the nonsensical violence like a movie. She thought about the car chases, the dangerous undercover drug bust, and the event she thought would end it all; the bank robbery. During the stand-off, the assailant shot Rick and killed his deputy. The nine millimeters shattered his collarbone and he spent three long months in the hospital, the first week of that unconscious in a coma. But after months of the hospital and physical therapy, Rick Grimes had fully recovered. He went right back to his duties as sheriff. Writing became her outflow from the dismays of reality. She had to force her lungs to breathe before she was able to continue speaking.

"Not once did I ever say to you, are you done yet." Stinging tears rolled down her cherub cheeks. "Never did I say give up what's in your heart." Michonne began to weep earnestly.

"Baby don't." Rick pleaded as he slowly lifted his head, his eyes took in the stunning woman he vowed to never make cry. Ashamed, Rick wanted to take his service pistol from the holster and shoot himself in the foot. "I just want what's best for you. I don't want you to get hurt." Rick admitted, warily sauntering towards her, closing the distance between them. A firm, yet gentle hand traced the outlines of her shoulder. Blinded by tears, Michonne could feel the warmness of his breath on her tear-stained cheeks.

"You could have fooled me." Michonne sniffled.

"I'm worried about you and this second book." The handsome man confessed, wrapping his arms around her petite waist, and pulling her even closer to him.

Michonne had been held by her man countless times, but it always had the same heavenly effect.

"Why..." Michonne tilted her head in curiosity.

"Well, I've heard it's hard to follow the same success as the first book." He dimly noted. "I couldn't stand if people didn't reckon it a success and the folks blast you with negativity and the criticism."

His words were like rain, washing away her tears. It pleased her to know he cared. An honest, pure smile radiated from her. Rick found himself smiling right back, wary but genuine just the same. Michonne felt a sense of assurance return, her husband was her rock and without him, her foundation would crumble. Rick no longer felt shut out, his woman needed him, just as much as he needed her.

"I can assure you, baby, this story will be just as good as the last. I have a crazy- cool fan base now and they practically told me what they wanted in the next installment."

"No shit." Rick raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Yeah," Michonne nodded. "Trust me the first novel was the hardest, now that I know what the fans want, I simply gave it to them."

"Yeah, you gave it to them alright." Rick snaked his hand down Michonne's back until he reached her heart-shaped ass and gave it a firm smack.

"Hey!" Michonne chuckled, she was happy he had read her book. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You practically described our lovemaking in that book."

"Well, my lead man is a tall, dark, and handsome vampire, and the readers love the sex and adventure. So I made him a vampire Sherriff and we're both Southerners, so why not make it all happen in the South."

"You're highly imaginative and simply brilliant." Rick leaned in and softly, pressed a tender kiss on her forehead.

"I know..." Michonne smirked.

"But I gotta ask, what's with all the heaving manhoods, wanton women, and seething loins..."

"Shut up Rick!" Michonne slapped at his chest, vigorously laughing at herself and her man's folly.

"No seriously, you write damn well-baby, the action and gore were excellent. I could picture it all."

"That means so much to me." Michonne beamed proudly. "Now are you gonna help me with a title or what."

"Sure thing baby." With his muscular arms, he effortlessly swept his petite wife off her feet. He earned a delightful gasp as she held on tight, hooking her arms across his neck and shoulders. He carried her to the recliner and plopped down with her pressed firmly to his chest.

"What's this wanton, heaving story all about?" He chuckled again. "I always thought wanton was something you ordered with shrimp fried rice."

Michonne giggled again. "It's the second installment to my Southern Vampire Mystery. Cookie Henson is the leading lady and Luscious Von Howard is the vampire trying to protect her from just about everything. This story, like the first, is full of cheeky, humor, action, and of course lots of hot supernatural sex. So I want the title to say just that."

Rick slanted his head to the side, giving her request deep thought. "Hmm, how about, Tall Dark and Hungry? That's what I am right now."

They both burst into laughter.

"Damn Rick that may actually work. She kissed his cheek. "Keep going and I'll buy you some 'wontons', with a seething crab-rangoon and a side of heaving eggrolls."

"Deal!" He scratched the stubble hairs on his chin and said. "Bite Me If You Can, I Only Have Fangs for You or Sex, Lies, and Vampires."

"My goodness baby, I should be writing this down." She chortled while unsuccessfully trying to wiggle out of his grip.

He tightens his hold, loving the way her soft body felt against his.

"No worries, baby, I got it all in my head." He grinned, the smile was so big it looked like he slept with a hangar in his mouth.

"I recall you have a vampire slayer character so how about Crouching Vampire Hidden Vein." He added.

Michonne doubles over in laughter, no one makes her laugh hard enough to pee her pants like her husband.

"Hmmm, Cookie got kidnapped on a Friday." Rick breathed in, "How bout 'Friday Night Bites."

The couple laughs so hard this time, their eyes watered.

"The vampire who kidnapped her is crazy, I'm thinking Vampire Interrupted."

Rick was thinking of another title when he noticed Michonne's smile slightly faded, she let out a weary sigh. He knew the jokes were over, she had something serious on her mind.

"What is it, baby?" He crooned, he was confident now, that whatever troubled his lover...he could fix it.

"I didn't realize I'd been ignoring you and I'm sorry."

Her deep sultry eyes scrutinized and sought into his cerulean sea for forgiveness.

"I know you didn't mean it." He pressed a tender kiss on her forehead. "It's your outlet, your very lucrative outlet and I'm totally fine with that. I'm sorry for barging in here acting like a selfish prick, I should have just told you how I felt. You've been so supportive of me, Thank you, baby..."

Michonne nodded. Her heart danced happily in her chest at his admission.

"I got a few more title ideas if ya wanna hear them..."

"Of course." Michonne smiled, she already loved the ideas he'd given her.

"Your hero is somewhat of a ladies' man, soooo..." He said barely able to contain his laughter. "You're So Vein or Love Bites, and of course A Bite to Remember." He wiggled his brow in a comical manner.

"Okay, Rick Grimes that is more than enough." She chuckled vigorously. "I'm sending the rough draft to the editor tomorrow, in the meantime, I will give those insanely funny titles some thought and let you know which one I'll go with."

"Glad I could help you baby."

Michonne shifted her body until she straddled Rick's lap. She placed her hands on his sides and leaned forward until their bodies met. She licked her lovely full lips, inviting him to kiss them. Rick did not hesitate. Urgently his mouth roved, kissing her cheek, her neck, and down to her chest. Their tongues danced in a sensual rhythm and when she had to come up for air he ripped open the white button-up blouse she wore. Growling at the sight of her perfect breast covered by the thin white lace of her bra, he pressed his eager mouth to one pert nipple, humming against it. Michonne threw her head back as pleasure coursed through her veins. His strong hands drifted down to her round butt, kneading, pressing her body closer to his. She was moving her taut body up and down his now, rubbing her moistening center on his hard stomach and then down to the bulge growing even harder in his jeans.

"Need you..." Rick moaned between kisses. "Need you now..."

"Yes!" Michonne breathes unable to make a fully coherent sentence.

Limbs entangled and hands roamed, and then nothing else existed apart from the exquisite world of pleasure they shared.

Hours passed as the couple explored their newfound passion, and it was close to dawn by the time they decided to stop to rest.

"Michonne," He kissed her temple and made sure the blanket was tucked all about her.

"Yeah, baby..."

"I'm really in wanton need of some breakfast..."