"A guy and a girl can be just friends, but at one point or another, they will fall for each other...Maybe temporarily, maybe at the wrong time, maybe too late, or maybe forever"
― Dave Matthews Band

XXXXX

Lori had Carl. Mike had Andre. Michonne wanted me to come to her place. We had it planned and it was all I thought about. Alone with Michonne. In bed with Michonne. I was excited and nervous as I stood outside her apartment door with a bouquet of flowers.

She opened the door. For the life of me I have no idea what Michonne wore because I had it off of her in two seconds flat. The flowers hit the floor as I had her in my arms around her, kicking my shoes off. French kissing was way better than ' :p ' any day.

We made way to her bedroom. She tackled me and I fell on to my back on to her bed. Michonne sucked on my earlobe after she kissed along my jawline. Her warm breath and tongue caused me to suck in air. I exhaled as she moved along my neck with kisses that were led by her tongue to my chest as she unbuttoned my shirt . One button at a time. She was straddling me and I wanted to help her but she moved my hands away. She did let me help her with my belt buckle and I lifted my hips as she climbed off to pull my jeans and boxer's off.

My hands were everywhere at first. I wanted to touch Michonne in all places to know what she felt like and to please her. The first place happened to be her hair. It was soft. Softer than I imagined as I had her beneath me.

I knew exactly what to do with her nipples. I knew exactly what to do if she wanted me to finger her. I knew what to anticipate from her but I didn't know what to expect from myself as I slid the condom on and entered her. I felt everything all at once. I was overwhelmed as she matched her rhythm to mine . She felt good. This felt good. If I hadn't lost my heart before, I did right then and there...to her. We made love for what seemed hours. I told her, where I was in my head and in my soul. I showed her.

"Mmmm, Breakfast in bed?" I watched Michonne sit up finally roused from her sleep. She looked sexy to me. I lost my appetite just a little because I wanted to devour her some more.

XXXXX

I got to the point where I couldn't hide my pregnancy any longer. Shane had some bullshit line about how does he know if he is the father and that he would want another paternity test.

I limited my interaction with the outside world.

My parents were not happy with the state of my life. I could hear them talking about me and when I would appear they were silent. I had to find a place of my own. I knew they only tolerated me and Judith because I was taking care of their utility bills and groceries.

"Only a tramp would do what she did. Sleep around on her husband and have a baby by another man. Twice by the other man with the look of things." I heard my dad say to my mother. I don't blame Rick one bit for putting her and Judith out of his house. I don't blame him one bit, I say."

"We can only pray that it is Rick's baby." My mother responded back. "A child can bring people together. Back together. Let us pray on it."

Yes, the whispers were saying that it may be Rick's baby. I didn't correct the whispers. I went to visit Jessie when Judith was with Shane.

"I couldn't believe my ears. Your husband said he and Michonne are together. I mean, I knew they were friendly but I didn't know it was that friendly."

"He said that to you?"

"In no uncertain terms."

"What did she say?"

" 'The man has spoken'. That was all she said. She was grinning from ear to ear."

"I wonder why he told you..."

"Because I was hitting on his ass, that's why." Jessie looked at me like I was crazy to not know that she had the hots for my husband.

"Really, what kind of friend are you Jessie?"

"Probably the same kind that Shane was to Rick but the only difference being, I don't just want to fuck your husband. I want your husband in all ways a woman needs a good man in her life. The supply of good men is low. Very low. I finally kicked Pete's ass out once and for all. I can't raise two boys by myself regardless of the amount of child support he provides. It had to been good to have a man you could count on at least. He didn't beat you Lori. I would say you had a good thing."

I had no response for Jessie.

"I guess, Michonne swept him right on up while you weren't even paying attention. If I had known there was a window of opportunity."

In that moment I realized that Jessie and I could no longer be friends. I would need to treat her with a round spoon as much as possible. I still had no response to her as I sat on her porch.

"I really hope it is Rick's baby you are carrying though. I do hope it is Rick's..." I knew Jessie was fishing for information. I wasn't sure who she was planning on supplying it to, so I did not respond. "I hope it is, because anything by Shane you should have had aborted." I got up and left Jessie on the porch without another word between us.

XXXXX

"I am only going to ask you this once Rick..."

My heart was pounding in my chest. I had no earthly idea what had changed between Michonne and me. It was thick whatever it was and I had to get to the bottom of it. We were going pretty strong the last three weeks since we were sleeping with each other every chance we could get. It was obvious the brakes were on and she was pulling away from me by not answering her calls or texting me back.

"What's going on Michonne?" I was parked in her apartment complex parking lot talking to her inside my truck.

"When's the last time you had sex with Lori?"

"I don't know Michonne." I shrugged my shoulders not understanding the relevancy of Lori in my current relationship with her.

"Okay. I'm done." Michonne said simply.

"What!? Wait..."

"I'm done." Michonne was opening the door to the truck to get out of the passenger side when I grabbed her arm. Reflex.

"What is this about Michonne?"

"You answered my question." Her eyes were filled with unshed tears.

"How so?"

"If you don't know when the last time you and Lori had sex then that means the baby could potentially be yours. Which means you made a fool out of me for what I said to Jessie."

"Jessie!? What the fuck are we discussing here?" Michonne had been around me long enough to know when I was thoroughly confused. She knew when I was at a loss and she spoke plain.

"Lori is pregnant and Jessie says it is yours possibly. Lori never denied that you were the father.

I was outraged. "The hell it is. I haven't fucked around with Lori since she began fucking around on me. Two years just about and..."

"Why didn't you answer my question when I asked you that?"

"I had no idea why you were asking me about Lori. I had no idea why we would discuss Lori unless she gave you the signed divorced papers so we could celebrate."

"I told Jessie the only person that would be having your baby would be me."

"You're damn right!" The moment I said it I looked at Michonne who was tickled at my response as she wiped a way her tears.

"No, I am not pregnant but I would be the only person walking around pregnant by you."

"You said that?"

"I did." Michonne held my gaze.

I was completely aroused. I had a burgeoning hard on. "Damn woman. I am so turned on right now." I pulled her to me and we made out in the front seat of my pickup.

XXXXX

I hadn't seen Rick in what seemed like months. I would pull up to what use to be our house and Carl would be standing outside waiting for me to pick him up. Rick didn't want to see me. I was surprised the day that I did come by and Rick was outside instead of Carl.

"I didn't know you were pregnant." Rick peered in at me sitting with the window rolled down as he stood outside the car. I don't know if he could tell but the fullness in my face was a dead giveaway.

"I am surprised Carl didn't tell you."

"I don't discuss you with Carl. I don't ask Carl anything about you."

"I should have told you."

"And, you should have told people that it wasn't mine." Rick said quickly back to me.

"I never told people that this was your baby."

"You never told them it wasn't either or the whispers would have been about you foolishly having Shane's baby again. I don't appreciate Jessie spreading rumors about me to Michonne. You and I haven't had sex in a very long time, Lori. You know Jessie gossips and yet you didn't say shit about me NOT being the father."

"I am embarrassed." I looked away from Rick and stared at the steering wheel that I was still holding on to as we talked.

"You should be. Shane meant you no good and I can't figure out how you didn't know that, Lori."

"He has Judith. He takes her for two weeks at a time. When he brings her back I don't even recognize Judith as my daughter. They always have her in these fancy dresses and stockings that look so uncomfortable. Shane says he is embarrassed sometimes because I never give Judith to him looking presentable. Andrea is concerned about Judith's welfare because she has a runny nose and is in PJs." Rick listened. He wasn't responding, just listening. "Shane comes like clockwork to pick Judith up and bring her back to me. He's always reminding me that he is Judith's father and if he is the father of this..."

"IF? Who else you sleeping with Lori?" Rick hands were on his hip, his steely blue eyes staring at me with most incredulous look of disbelief.

I confirmed what Rick assumed to be true, "Shane is the father but he says he will want a paternity test. He's only doing it because his fiancée, Andrea can't have children."

"So you wanted to supply them for her? Damn, Lori...Damn it, Lori." The frustration he had with me was evident on his face and in his tone.

I hate that I would cry so easily. My tears still didn't affect him even though I like to think they did or would.

"Our divorce will be final tomorrow." I broached the topic.

"Yes. Finally."

"Do you love her?"

"With every fiber of my being. I do."

"Did you ever love me like that?"

"Not for a very long time Lori."

I was surprised at his straightforwardness.

"You plan to marry her?"

"Yes. I have Carl's blessing and Andre's."

"You've already proposed?"

"Not yet. The boys and I are trying to find a way to surprise her. To make it real special."

"Jessie says Michonne is pregnant."

"If you haven't heard it from Me or Michonne then it isn't true. If it is something we want you or Jessie to know you don't have to go fishing for it. No guessing. We will tell you plain if it is any of your business. But I do want to get this straight. Out in the open. I want to marry Michonne because I want to marry Michonne. I would marry her in a heart beat and it would not have to be prompted because of a pregnancy. I can count on her to consider me in everything she does and I her. I love everything about Michonne."

"I really messed up with those sandwiches. I don't even make them any more. I can't believe that was all I was capable of providing when you needed me the most."

"Bologna, cheese, mayonnaise on white bread. Not much to get thrilled about Lori."

"You don't even like mayo."

"But, you did it anyway."

"Look where it got me."

"Well, it got me in a pretty good spot."

XXXXXX

Lori's life was a fucking mess. Lori and I were in a much better place after the divorce. She was in her own apartment and Carl spent most his time with me in our house that we shared with Michonne and Andre.

Lori called a lot. She had another daughter. She wanted me at the hospital for the delivery and I thought it was the craziest request. I told Michonne who looked at me and walked out the room. I didn't spend a lot of time with Lori due to that act right there, Michonne had a very low tolerance for bullshit.

There was no reason to hear about Shane this and Shane that. If it wasn't about Carl we didn't have shit to talk about. It was the bed she made for herself. I just couldn't be sucked into Lori's chaos. I knew what she was doing and I wasn't about to rescue her. I had no solutions for the disorder she brought into her life. I didn't answer her calls if I had Carl. I wasn't about to fuck anything up with Michonne over a misunderstanding.

I had a good thing right where I was and to move things along with Michonne, I had to buy a new bed and a new sofa before she would officially call my home hers, ours. I felt like I was the luckiest man alive when I came home to a good meal and great sex. Carl and I found ourselves lucky to have a nice breakfast and more than a decent lunch. When things couldn't be provided it was plenty in the freezer to pull out as desired. Cakes, cookies, brownies, Carl had absolutely no complaints. Andre found us to be amusing as did, Michonne.

Michonne wasn't keen on a big ceremony so we were married by the justice of the peace. Mike didn't take too kindly to news that Michonne and I were married but Michonne didn't give a care.

"You think I give a shit what Mike thinks? You are sadly mistaken Mr. Grimes. I'm in love with you. I am concerned about what you think."

Mike still didn't hold to his promise of keeping up with his arrangement of picking up Andre every other weekend and Andre seemed unbothered by it. He preferred to be home as did Carl. We were a family.

Michonne stopped working at Herschel's Market but she maintained the job at Daryl's Automotive until the job at the courthouse came through and she officially was meeting the goal of one good job. She mentioned she may want to pursue law all together and I was 100% supportive in whatever endeavor she chose.

I asked Michonne about her ability to memorize things and she told me to pick up any book that was on the bookshelf she had installed in the living-room. I picked a random book.

"Open to any page and chapter and begin reading..." Michonne instructed me.

"Elizabeth took up some needlework, and was sufficiently amused in attending to what passed between Darcy and his companion. The perpetual commendation of the lady," Michonne was speaking in unison with me. Word for word what I was reading aloud, "either on his handwriting, or on the evenness of his lines, or on the length of his letter, with the perfect unconcern with which her praises were received, formed a curious dialogue and was exactly in unison with her opinion of each." I stopped reading. She continued on as I followed a long in awe.

She eventually stopped, "You just now asking me about this?"

"I am amazed, Michonne."

"You ever read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen?"

"Can't say I have or that I ever would want to." I love when Michonne laughed. I love everything about her."

"You read anything?" She asked me.

"Only directions and that is if I have too." She was so tickled with me.

"Andre can do the same?"

"No. He can read quickly and get the gist. He formulates and sometimes it surpasses expectations and other times it's the usage of words that stump him. He's a math wiz and the wrong usage of words perplex him."

"Like lady-friend versus girlfriend?"

"Well now that I am wife I say he's moved on to step-brother, half brother, brother."

"Well, I can explain it to him."

"How would you do it." Michonne was amused as she snuggled up against me on the couch.

"Well, Carl is his step-brother. If we were to have a baby together it would be his and Carl's half brother and if we were to have another baby together they would be brothers."

"Andre and Carl was hoping that a difference wouldn't be felt with a sister."

"Well, same applies with a sister. I would like to raise them with no difference. I can't see that being a problem with us and how we do things."

"Good."

"Why was this even a conversation?"

"Because I am pregnant."

THE END