Author's Note: This is a long chapter, but hopefully satisfying.

Michonne didn't snatch her hand away or flinch after his words. Her eyes didn't display anger or shock, just curiosity, interest, and support: unconditional love. "Tell me what this is, Rick, and let it go," she said. "There's no cruelty in you. You and I, we do the hard, necessary, and unavoidable. You can't shock me. You can't lose me." She sealed her words with a kiss and pressed her forehead to his. Uplifting him, getting him like no one else could. "I am with you always."

Buoyed by her love and devotion, Rick drew a deep breath and continued. "Have you ever heard the term PADRE?" he asked.

"Rumblings. People in Eden mentioned a place. Like a haven of some kind. Nobody seemed to know where it was."

"That's the misconception. It's not a place, it's an idea. Persevering After Disaster Ravages Earth. It was conceptualized by the United Nations to aid after a devastating worldwide catastrophe. Georgia's key, the book she shared with us, was the PADRE guide. Somehow, she got an unofficial copy, and to her credit she shared it."

"Considering the book, PADRE was well thought out. What happened?"

"Very early on in the outbreak, before the people of the world really knew what was happening, some rogue members of the UN decided it wanted to revamp the PADRE structure and give more power to a new military force that would focus squarely on the undead in its rebuilding efforts, and that's what they did with the creation of the Civic Republic Military. The CRM is looking for a cure to this virus. They are the DC lie Eugene made up, but it's so much more than he could have imagined. This organization is vast, Michonne. They are located in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. They control all of what was government resources. All the secrets, all the reserves, all the weapons, everything. They don't just have helicopters; they have planes, ships, and so much more."

Michonne sat flush against the couch, her mouth agape. "How could they…"

"I don't know the specifics," Rick said, "but it involves Pride's family. His father, Hokori Makoto, was very high in the Japanese government."

"The CRM is experimenting?"

"Lots of experimenting. To sacrifice a few for the many is a creed they have no issue with, and they forced me to not to have an issue with it."

Michonne leaned forward, her hands gripping his hand and forearm. Her eyes, filled with concern and care, met his as she asked, "What did they make you do, Rick?"

"The business of the Republic," he answered simply. "I found and received shipments of people to help with the experiments. And then I found people to do the same. New soldiers and new subjects. Strength and numbers."

"Me?"

"That was Hatton's plan. He was very impressed with you. Those walkers you encountered in Eden, I made people that way. I didn't inject them with mysterious chemicals, but they were the guinea pigs I provided. I didn't want to, and I fought it for a long time. When I was fully healed from my injuries, and it took months, all I wanted was to get back to you. I tried and failed so many times. My first three and half years here were spent in torture chambers and isolation due to my many failed attempts."

"Torture chambers?" Michonne said as tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Electric shock. Maximum impact at a controlled setting with no scarring." Rick brushed away her tears. "Two days before isolation and two days after, to remind me of what would happen if I ran again."

"And, yet, you kept trying to run?"

"I had to get back to you. The electricity hurt like hell, but not as much as being without you and Judith. During my isolation, Danny would bring me food, and we would talk. For the first few years, that was the cycle. He'd given me the phone after my fourth failed attempt, and when I tried to escape the fifth time, I was finally able to get off this base. I knew it was because I had you and Judith with me." He smiled at the images on the phone. "I wrote the letter to you and placed it in the bottle, and soon after that the helicopter came. I had been gone overnight, just over half a day, but they found me. I threw the bottle into the ocean and tossed the bag with my boots and the phone on a nearby boat."

"You were never on the boat?"

"Uh-uh. It was just there. I was agonized when Pride told me to surrender. 'There's no escape for the living.' That's what he said to me. It's what they always said. But us, you and me, we're the ones who live, and we never give up."

She sniffled. "That's right. We don't."

"I saw Danny in the chopper and his face changed from pained worry to relief. This boy cared about me, and I remembered what he inscribed on that phone. 'Believe a little longer.' I knew I had to change my method if I was going to get back to you. Pride told me Danny's affection for me and the resources expended on my recovery is what had kept me alive, but he also saw the skill set I possessed, I'd killed a few guards and injured more in my attempts to escape, and apparently Jadis had detailed my leadership ability. I was too valuable to kill, but if I didn't shape up, he would make my life an endless hell. A hell he wouldn't allow death to bring an escape, and it would start with sending Jadis to Alexandria to kill you and Judith the next time I refused an order or tried to run." Michonne's shoulders slumped at that disclosure. "Yeah. She'd have a camera to bring back videos of you two as walkers."

"We were threatened to keep you in line."

"Yep. I had already decided to rethink my strategy, but that threat to you and Judith scared me." Rick gritted his teeth, remembering the fear and anger he felt in that moment. "But it also lit a stronger fire in me and made me even more determined. One way or another, I was getting out and destroying Pride's CRM on my way. But Pride didn't stop at the threat."

"What do you mean?"

"The next day, I was relocated to Europe. Flown to Alderney, a little island near the French side of the English Channel." Rick pointed to the three black circles stitched on his shirt. "You see these?"

"Yeah."

"These circles represent the CRM that's seen and unseen. Exterior, Interior, and Central. The three larger rings are the communities all over the world, the safe and thriving. That's Exterior. They have no clue about what's happening outside their bubbles. They represent what PADRE was suppose to be."

"So, those communities are like states running themselves?"

"Exactly. A part of the CRM, but independent. The three sections where two rings meet is Interior, the reconnaissance. They locate test subjects and arrange pickups, deliveries, and relocations. The guts of the organization."

"Is that what they had you doing?"

"Sometimes." Rick sighed, remembering some of the things he had to do. "Sometimes." He exhaled a breath and continued. "Right in the middle, there's a little curved triangle where all the circles meet. Central. That's the power, the danger. It's why you were blindfolded coming here and why I'm still here after eight years. I was determined to get back to you, Michonne, so after the last attempt and the threat, I got into role and played the game. I became the person they needed me to be."

"You did what was necessary."

"That and more, and it paid off. I moved up quickly in the ranks. From Consignee, a ridiculous rank that meant I was receiving people and things, to Commander, directing those who received. Who, what, how, and why. I got to see more, learn more, and I found people like me. People who knew this was wrong and crazy and wanted to find a way out. Heath was in Paris."

Michonne's eyes widened and jaw dropped. "What?"

"Yeah. When he and Tara got separated, the CRM found him and off to Paris he went. He's a regional supplier."

"Of people?"

"That's what it is," Rick said.

"Did he choose to go?"

"No. He was rescued from a horde and had to pay his debt."

"It wasn't paid after ten years?"

"It's never paid, Michonne."

"How long were you in Europe?"

"I spent two years going between France and England, another year and a half in Japan, and then it was back to the States and a very short stopover in Nebraska. Nebraska. That's where I found Morgan."

"Wait." Michonne held up her hand. "You found Morgan in Nebraska?"

"Yes. He has a wife named Grace, and their little girl, Mo. Mo had been taken by people in the Interior."

"They take children?"

"They call it saving them. Putting them behind walls and giving them security and structure. The logic was that children must be safe to make a future. It didn't matter if they screamed for their parents, it was necessary."

"You did that, too?"

More pieces of Rick's spirit fell away. "I did it all, Michonne," he sadly confessed. "You and Judith were threatened now. I couldn't say no and I couldn't run. Not yet. I had to bide my time until…"

"Shh." Michonne brushed her lips to his, always loving and supporting him. "I understand," she said, scratching her fingers through his beard. "Tell me about Morgan and his family."

"They were in Texas when a nuclear bomb detonated."

She blinked, taken aback. "Did you say nuclear bomb?"

"Like Hiroshima but on a smaller scale, yes."

Michonne stared at him in stunned disbelief. "How could they have possibly survived that?"

"They found gear on a submarine that washed ashore near where they were in Galveston. When Morgan and his people were trying to find a new place, Mo was taken. It took a while and some negotiating with Interior members, but they were all reunited and placed in Nebraska. They are in the biggest and most successful community in the Republic, and Morgan has worked his way into comms. That proved beneficial, because he helped me discover why I was always found when I tried to escape." Rick removed his tactical belt and opened the zipped lining to remove a tiny chip that he placed in Michonne's hand. "When they were saving my life, they embedded a tracker in me." He pointed to a spot just beyond the hairline in back of his head. "It was right there."

"I can't believe I'm seeing this."

"Tell me about it. My time with Morgan was enough for him to take it out. My hair kept the little wound hidden until it healed. The government had a lot of secrets, and CRM is taking advantage of them. The chip still works, but I'm in control now." He returned the chip to the belt pouch and zipped it up.

"This would explain the cryptic words from Jadis about how she would always find her way to you." Michonne grunted. "No number of miles was too great to keep her away." Rick and Michonne rolled their eyes. "She had fading bruises on her face when I found her, and she wasted no time telling me that you had inflicted the bruises, but before she owned up to the truth, she called it passion. Suggesting some perverted sex game. Pain and pleasure."

Rick's face blazed with anger. "She didn't know when to stop, Michonne. When I woke up in this place, I warned her to stay the hell away from me. And after that first day, I hadn't seen her again, until nearly six months ago when I returned from that one-day stopover in Nebraska. I got off the helicopter and she walked out of one of the buildings like she was waiting for me. She blew a kiss and smiled so sweetly, like she hadn't ruined my life. Like this was some joke. All the lost years with you, the threats to you and Judith, the things I was forced to do, learning about that damn tracker, and I see that smirk. I lost it." His body shook from the intensity of the memory. "I was so enraged, and I pummeled her," he said through gritted teeth. "I wanted to wipe that smile from her face forever."

"And what else?" said Michonne.

"I know it was wrong, but I'm not sorry I did it. I'm sorry about the people I've killed, about the lies I've told men and women that led them to becoming horrifying monsters in the name of science and salvation of society, and for the children I ripped away from the parents they loved. More than anything, I'm sorry I lost so many years with you and Judith and I missed everything with my little RJ. Maybe that's my punishment for what I had to become. But I am not sorry I hurt Jadis or that she's dead. I just wish it had been sooner."

"Rick." Sighing, Michonne pressed her hand to his cheek. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?"

"Because you're hurting, and for all you've gone through. You were kept away from your family, tortured, and compelled to do things that haunt and consume you with guilt. I see it in your eyes and feel it radiating from your body. You're repulsed by yourself, and you feel this shame." She closed her eyes, sighing deeply. "I understand that feeling, Rick. I told you I have done things, horrible things, but I did it for my family, and if it meant keeping Judith and RJ safe, I would do it again. You did the same thing, and it's not a cause for punishment. Having to do it was the punishment. I need to show you something." Michonne stood from the couch and untied the the strings that held her corset-looking warrior top and pulled it over her head, leaving only the tank top. "About eight months after you were gone, my friend Jocelyn showed up in Alexandria with a group of children."

"Jocelyn from college?" he said. "Your roommate?"

"Yeah. Scott and Rosita had found her and the children just outside the gates. I was so glad to see her, someone who knew me from before that I could talk to about you and my feelings, that I didn't realize she wasn't the same. After a few days with us, she had cleaned out the pantry and kidnapped Judith and all of the children. Daryl went out with me to help find them, and we didn't realize then that Joss had turned her kids into killers. I knew they could hunt, but they were savage killers. The oldest was about sixteen and youngest barely older than Judith was then." Tears pooled her eyes. "She'd made them violent. We found where they were hiding, but the kids shot Daryl with an arrow and knocked me out. When I came to, Daryl and I were hanging from an overhead pipe, our hands tied and mouths gagged, and that's when Joss had the children do this to us." Michonne raised her shirt and turned her back to him.

A whimpering sob squeezed from Rick's throat. Hot tears carrying equal portions of rage, horror, and sorrow burned his cheeks. His quaky fingers skimmed over the "X" scarring her back. "Oh, Michonne." He sniffled.

"No, no." She sat beside him and cupped his cheek, wiping his tears. "Don't be upset, Rick. I needed you to understand that while you were away for years being tortured, I was going through some torture of my own."

"You were nearly nine months pregnant and got branded." He shook his head. "Deranged children, urged by your friend, placed flaming iron on your back. I can't believe…" Rick sucked in a shaky breath. Now wasn't the time for questions about why Daryl was so ineffective or why more people didn't join in on this search. This was about his love. His Michonne. Clutching her hands, he held them to his lips. "I'm so sorry this happened to you." A tear seeped through the dam he had tried to fortify. "I would've taken all of the electricity in the world and done anything it took to keep this kind of pain and harm from you."

"I know, as I would take this branding and anything else for RJ and Judith. I was determined to get her and all the other children back. I managed to get down, but Joss had the children attack. One cut my stomach, and Joss hit me several times on the back with a two-by-four, but I kept fighting and protecting RJ with all I had."

Rick's heart wrenched as he listened to the brutal retelling. He wanted to beg her to stop to keep the horrible images of her being viciously assaulted so late in pregnancy out of his mind. But Michonne had gone through this, and he had to hear it. So he held her hand, fought his renewing tears, and let her finish.

"I managed to get a hold of my sword, and I killed Joss. Rick, all I wanted was to get to Judith and go. I begged those children to lower their weapons and stand down, but they wouldn't. They just wouldn't stop coming at me. It was twelve of them. I was left with no choice but to kill them." She drew a deep, shaky breath and blew it out of her mouth. "I killed those children, and I felt horrible, but I didn't have any regrets, because I was protecting my family. The next day, I gave birth to our healthy son, and I closed the community to newcomers. I would do anything to keep our family safe, and I know you did the same." Michonne held his hand to her chest. "Has hearing what I've done changed your feelings for me?"

"Yes." Rick kissed her with unabashed passion and adoration, leaving her breathless and him longing. "I love you even more."

"Then do that."

"Do what?" he murmured, aching to taste more than just the beautiful lips on her face.

Michonne touched her mouth to his. "Love me more," she said, trailing kisses along his neck. "I don't want you feeling any more guilt or shame, Rick." She combed her finger through the curls at the back of his neck. "I just want you to feel me."

Wordlessly, they stood and undressed one another. Reacquainting themselves, reverent touches and tender kisses skimmed the permanent reminders of the chapters of their story that unfolded when they were apart. Everything was familiar but at the same time brand new.

Rick's eyes darkened with need, his staring without shame. Michonne's feet were on the floor, but she felt like she was floating. She was so hot, so wet, so turned on from the all too brief feel of his hands and lips on her body. Rick's strong, proud erection left no question that they were of one mind. "You are more beautiful than ever," he said, drawing a lazy circle around the puckered tip of her right breast, and then answered its call for one more nice wet kiss.

"You always make me feel that way."

"Just wait."

Palming her backside, Rick escorted her the few steps to the bed and lowered her widthwise onto her stomach. Starting at her feet, he kissed his way up her body, paying extra attention to each side of her bottom as Rick was a total ass man. He continued onward to the scar, to her back, to her neck where he nipped and suckled. He left no part untouched before he flipped her over and started his travels anew. Beginning at her forehead, Rick journeyed his way down. Her tongue hungrily engaged his when he got to her lips, but only for a moment. She wined in disapproval, but he only smiled and continued. He was clearly a man on a quest. Cupping her breasts, he rolling distended nipples between his lips and nipped ever so slightly to make them hurt so good. His mouth skimmed her waist, his tongue swirled about her belly button and traced the scar on her left side, before skipping completely over her throbbing center and moving on to her thighs.

Michonne attempted to touch herself, but Rick caught her hand and pinned both above her head. "I got you," he said, before continuing his kissing travels.

When he finished with her feet, Rick released her hands, dropped to his knees, and draped her legs over his shoulders. Whimpering softly, Michonne spread her legs further and gripped the sheets, pulsating with anticipation. Rick flashed her a knowing smile and dragged his middle and forefinger between her slicks folds. Bringing them to his lips, he licked them clean, and then buried his mouth between her legs, lapping at her femininity like a starving cat. His tongue probed her insides, circling her walls, only to retreat to her aroused clit and return once more.

Michonne writhed on the bed, holding his head in place one moment and attempting to push him away the next. Wanting his pleasure to continue, but needing it to stop. After eight years, her tolerance level was at a low. It felt too good, and she didn't want it to end so soon. "Rick!"

Shaking his head, Rick drove his tongue deeper, lapping and sucking harder. His hands cupped her bottom, lifting her from the bed. Her legs dangled down his back, her feet on his calves, as he devoured her with abandon. Pressing her firmly against him, Rick pushed his tongue in and of her center with short, quick motions. Soon, the friction of his beard in tandem with the movements of his mouth and tongue became too much to take. Crying out, her legs seized and then trembled around him from her thunderous orgasm. Rick stayed with her, taking every drop she offered until her body stilled and nothing more was left.

Smiling brightly, Rick joined her on the bed, resting on his side. "You've aged like fine wine, Michonne." He place a soft kiss on her inner thigh. "That sweet pussy is sweeter than ever." He licked his lips and stroked her cheek. "How do you feel?"

"Beautiful." She kissed one of his nipples. "Cherished." She kissed the other, giving the hardened tip a little lick. "Loved." She kissed the center of his chest. "And reciprocal."

"Reciprocal?"

"Uh-huh." Michonne pushed Rick on his back, and took his straining erection in hand. "You have a big problem, and I'm dying to help you with it," she said, straddling his knees and taking him into her mouth.

His fingers twined in her locks. "Fuck yes." He grunted, urging her motions.

Michonne smiled, enjoying his approval. She loved the feel of him in her mouth. The taste of his skin, the pulse of his need against her tongue. She'd missed him so, and this always got her going, too. She could feel her juices coating his legs.

She lowered her mouth down his length, licking the veiny underside and returning to the tip to suckle the bulbous head. Rick's sighs became deeper groans as she moved up and down his shaft, taking in more of him with every return. He had the biggest dick, and she wanted it all.

Rick moaned. His knees lifted. "Michonne, baby, stop," he pleaded, trying to pull away.

Like him earlier, she shook her head and continued taking him.

"No, no," he said hurriedly, his voice strained. Michonne paused, her mouth full of his cock, but her eyes on his. "I'm eight years older, if you make me come now, I'll probably have to wait a while to go again, and I have to have you. I can't wait another minute, and you're killing me. Don't make me wait for that sweet pussy. Give it to me, Michonne. Give it all to me."

Loving when he talked dirty, Michonne released Rick and he readily clasped her by the booty and lowered her on top of his throbbing manhood, filling her to the hilt. Crying out in bliss, they immediately found their rhythm. Rick wrapped an arm around her, bringing her to his chest, holding fast to her waist and bottom. Their nipples brushed and tongues collided with the rocking of their pounding hips.

Tears burned Michonne's eyes. All the years, all the longing, all the pain of missing him seemed like a blink in time with this moment, this togetherness. Their bodies one and their mouths together, tasting each other in all ways. The familiar flutter in her center grew stronger. She arched her back, bringing him deeper still. Her fingers threading the curls she loved and missed so. Rick moaned, expanded inside her. He was getting closer, too.

Rick flipped her to her back, and drove inside her with long, deep thrusts, slowing down their pace. Her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his shoulders, luxuriating in his passionate lovemaking. Rick kissed her cheeks and neck before returning to her lips. Their tongues swirled, mimicking the slow, deliberate motions of their joined bodies. Rick's hand found hers, their fingers locked. His movements slowed to a snail's crawl: measured and purposeful. He broke the kiss and stopped his thrusts with her pelvis pressed to his.

Their teary gazes locked, speaking everything a million words wouldn't be enough to say, but finding three that encompassed it all. "I love you," they uttered, reaching a mutual release.

Michonne kissed Rick's chest, snuggling in his arms. "That was beautiful," she said when their breathing returned to normal.

"Just like you.." Rick kissed the top of her head. "I missed you so."

"I missed you, too."

Rick chuckled. "I could tell." He grinned.

"Yeah, me, too, buddy." She kissed him. "Serious time again. We need to get out of here."

"I'm way ahead of you." Rick sat up. "I have been working on a plan for the last four and a half years. I never gave up getting back to you, but after the threat, I knew getting back meant dealing with Pride. So, I…"

A knock on the door interrupted Rick's words. "Rick, are you in there?"

"Who is that?" Michonne mouthed.

"Danny," Rick whispered. "He mentioned a school project he wanted me to see."

Michonne was interested in meeting the young man who had come to mean so much to Rick, but now wasn't the time for many reasons. She pointed to a door near the right side corner, figuring it was the bathroom. "I'll wait in there." Rick shrugged. "It's fine." She gathered her clothes and tipped into the bathroom.

Rick pulled on his discarded pants and raced to the kitchen sink, splashing water on his face and through his hair. Grabbing a dishtowel, he made his way to the door, drying his face. "Hey, what's up?" he greeted.

"What took so long?" Danny asked.

"I was in bed, so I splashed some water on my face."

"In bed this early? It's barely after four o'clock. You don't nap."

"It's been a different kind of day." Rick motioned to the presentation book in Danny's hand. "That your project?"

"I just finished. It's due tomorrow."

"You never finish school projects this late."

"It took a little while to get right. It was more personal."

"Shared any of it with your dad?" Rick asked.

"No. Dad can be – No, I didn't." Danny handed over his presentation. "Tell me what you think, and don't be kind because you're my friend."

"You don't want me to be kind?"

"Just honest, Rick. I respect your opinion. I'm tutoring two new students in math, so I will be back around seven."

Rick nodded. "Good enough."

"You sure everything is okay." Danny's eyes squinted. :You seem off and didn't invite me in."

"You want to come in?"

Danny crossed his arms. "No," he said.

"It's been a different kind of day, but I'm great, really."

"All right, see you later."

Rick bolted the locks, and saw Michonne when he turned around. He hid his disappointment that she wasn't still naked. "You heard him leave?" he asked, kissing her forehead.

"Yeah." Michonne curled her arm around his waist. "You have a real fan in him."

"He's a good kid. Young man."

"And seems able to read you pretty well. What's this project?"

"Not sure. Some writing course I think. I can look at it later. He'll be back in a few hours."

"You should do it now. Once we start talking escape plans, getting in a little reading might be impossible. There are more things I need to share, and it just makes sense to discuss it all once."

"Yeah, you're right." Rick moved to the couch. "You want to see?"

"No, I'm going to take a shower. I boiled water to wash up, but nothing beats a hot shower."

"I could join you." Rick smiled.

"You need to look over Danny's project, Mr. I Don't Think I Can Go Again For a While."

"Point taken." Rick chuckled. "Take a look in the medicine cabinet. You might find one or two things you like," he said, opening the book.

"Spearmint and baking soda toothpaste?"

Rick laughed. "Among other things." He thought of the lotions he'd found in Europe and the cat figurines from Japan. "I like having reminders of you around. You'll find everything else you need in the cabinet under the sink."

"Oh." Michonne leaned over the back of the couch and kissed his cheek. "You're so…" Her words stopped with a loud gasp that went into full-blown hyperventilation.

"Michonne?" Rick leapt off the couch and raced to her side. "Hey, hey, take a breath," he instructed, rubbing her back, trying to calm her. "Come on now, slow and easy. Breathe, breathe." After about a minute, her breaths became more even, but she was shaking like a leaf and crying. It scared him. "What is it, Michonne? What's wrong?"

With tears streaming down her face, Michonne pointed a quaky finger at the upturned book on the sofa.

"That?" Rick held the book to the open pages. "It's a picture of Danny when he was a little boy."

Shaking her head, Michonne whimpered. Her tears flowed faster. "No. No. Rick, that – that is my Andre." Michonne buried her face in his chest, succumbing to anguished sobs. "That's my son."

A/N: I always thought Andre was still alive. We know Mike and Terry were bitten, but the show never truly went into detail about what happened to him. There was inference, but nothing concrete that I could see. I parallel it to when the prison fell and Rick and Carl found Judith's bloody baby seat. I didn't read the graphic novel, but I know Michonne discovered she had living children that she thought had died. So, that's what I did here. Danny is indeed Andre.

There is more to come.

~Thanks for reading!~