Chapter 1:

'She's a star'

Rick stood at the bar watching the party going on around him. All his family and friends together in one place. He enjoyed moments like this, as work as the town's Sheriff often kept him busy, sometimes too busy to socialise.

His eyes scanned the people nearest to him, Jessie, his recent girlfriend, smiled at him. She was the one who planned this and initially he wasn't too fond of the idea as they had only been in a relationship for four months and she hadn't even formally met his kids yet. It seemed like too much too soon, but he figured it would help to prove himself on the pathway to being a stable man, since he had been in and out of relationships like one couldn't believe.

"Same again birthday boy?", Dale, the new owner of the Bar asked as he walked over to Rick.

"Yeah sure, why not", Rick shrugged.

"Where are those precious kids of yours?"

Rick glanced at his phone, checking the time on the screen, "Should be here any minute now"

As if he had predicted the future, in walked Carl through the large heavy door holding Judith's hand, making Rick's face lit up. They were greeted by the door by Rick's friends, delaying his own greeting with the kids.

"Is that your son?"

"That's my son and daughter"

Rick didn't need to look at Dale to know he was probably confused. Anyone could look at Carl and see he was his, the dark brown hair, piercing blue eyes, long gangly stature. He was almost a carbon copy, but that was because his children had different mothers.

Judith, only had her father's eyes. She had dark caramel skin tone, lots of jet black curly hair and almond shaped eyes. Besides those who knew that she was his, most people wouldn't think they were related at all, but Rick was never really one to care what others thought.

He watched them with pure love and admiration, as they were the one thing in this world that kept him level headed. Everything else knocked him off base.

He had a low tolerance for things he considered as nonsensical. Some called him bad tempered, dangerous, unpredictable and even violent, while he preferred to refer to himself as ready, since he was always ready for anything. His closest knew that he was a good man at heart and while others often questioned him, he believed everyone was entitled to their own opinion, but unless for he asked for it, he didn't need to hear it.

"So is that who I think it is?"

Rick tore his eyes away from his kids to see who Dale was talking about. The woman who had just entered the bar. She wore a black knee length, long sleeved dress that stuck to her slender but curvy figure like it was made just for her. Her impeccably neat dreads hung free, brushing her lower back as she walked in and greeted people. Her eyes sparkled as she smiled. The gold from her jewellery and the clips in her hair bounced off the light, making it look as if she was actually glowing.

Rick's upper lip curled in annoyance, "My ex Wife".

"Hey dad!"

"Daddy!"

Carl and Judith headed over to their father, and Rick stood up to hug his children, picking Judith up in his hands after hugging Carl.

"Happy birthday! Mama has your present", Judith beamed.

"Why, thank you! Y'all didn't have to get me anythan'...", Rick grinned, smoothing her hair back from her face.

"That's what Mama said"

Rick tried his best to keep his smile on his face while Carl had to stifle a chuckle.

"Y'all head over to the back, your cousin is waiting on you... I'll be over in a minute" Rick instructed as he put Judith's little frame down.

He turned to see the woman in question sauntering over to him with a small gift bag in her hand.

"Hello Rick", She only half smiled, her eyes studying him intensely.

"Michonne"

"Here. From the kids"

She raised her well-manicured hands to give him the bag. He took it, brushing away the thought that her hands were colder than usual.

He opened the bag and took out the sizable red gift box, surprised to see silver cuff links.

"From the kids?"

"They get their taste from me", She raised an eyebrow, pleased he walked in to the insult.

"I'll be sure to thank them. Why don't you get a drink or somethan'?"

"No, I'm fine. Not everyone enjoys drinking before five in the afternoon"

Rick rolled his eyes at her, "You were so close to being almost bearable"

"Being almost bearable wouldn't piss you off though, would it?"

The beginnings of scowl appeared on Rick's face, "Surprised you made it, no work collecting souls today?"

Michonne flashed that smile he knew all too well; the smile she'd give when she's was amused by one of his insults. She stepped closer to him, her perfume invading his airspace, eyes flashing and simply said, "It's my day off".

She turned on her heel and headed over to his parents, heels tapping and hips swaying, leaving him to scowl after her.

His relationship with Michonne was a complicated one on the surface. Both stubborn, dominant characters. They met when Carl was three years old and Rick had just gotten the swing of being a single dad, while Michonne was studying law in the city but as her father had cut her off financially, she was looking for affordable housing as well as working in the town's only law firm as a secretary.

Rick couldn't believe how beautiful she was when he first saw her, and truth be told, he still couldn't quite believe it. She was also nicer then and so was he.

"You hanging in there", Daryl, his best friend and partner at the police department was soon stood next to him.

"Yeah", Rick sighed, glass of whiskey in one hand and his gift from the kids in the other.

"Just saw 'Chonne. Y'all playin' nice?"

"As nice as we can"

"You got the kids after this?"

"Nah, it's her week still. She just brought them over for this"

"Weren't that nice of her?"

Rick fought the urge to roll his eyes a second time since his wife's arrival, "Yeah, she's a star"

"Hey Rick", Jessie appeared. "I heard your ex Wife is here with the kids, can you introduce me?"

Rick didn't know what his face expressed for Jessie to look at him pleadingly but he imagined it showed her how uninterested he was in the idea, all the while Daryl snorted and walked away.

After a brief moment of soul searching, he sighed and walked with Jessie to the back room, where a children's area was set up with a few arcade games and music. Carl was sat with his cousin Gerald, playing on their phones while Judith was jumping up and down with Rick's friends daughters.

"Carl, Judith!", Rick called.

They both stopped and looked at him before coming over, both sets of blue eyes darting from him to the blonde at his side.

"Carl, Judith, I'd like to you to meet Jessie"

Carl was used to the routine, "Nice to meet you ma'am"

"Aren't you adorable! Nice to meet you too! And what about this little princess?"

Judith stared at the woman, as if she was trying to figure out something, "What flavour are you?"

Jessie looked up at Rick with a slightly confused expression but still continued to smile at the girl, "I don't know sweetie, vanilla maybe?"

Judith looked over the woman's face, "So you are my daddy's new flavour of the month?"

Jessie's smile went from warm to tight as she took in what his daughter had said, leaving Carl to look down at Judith in shock.

"Judith! Don't let daddy hear you talk like that ever again, you hear me?", Rick scolded

Judith looked at her father, confused at why she was being scolded, then defiantly for being scolded, before crossing her arms and lowering her glare to the floor.

"Hey! Cut that attitude out right now", Rick warned.

"I'll go get her something to eat, she's probably hungry or something", Carl suggested as he took his sister's hand, taking the opportunity to snicker at her antics away from his father's gaze.

Rick exhaled tiredly as they walked off, taking in Jessie's disheartened look, "Sorry about that, that wasn't her talking".

"It's okay. I get it", She nodded, "I've been there with my boys so, it takes them a while to get used to new people"

Rick smiled at her briefly as he turned her back to the main area, making a mental note to talk to his daughter later.

The party had went on well with no other hiccups; he spent some time catching up with Carl, making plans for the week he had them, and hearing about his latest adventures on his video games. Judith however, stuck to her mother, as she often did when she was upset with him.

The evening gave him a chance to laugh, catching up with his friends while enduring the occasional insult from his ex-wife hurled at him when they crossed paths. As someone who usually avoided any kind of social event, he found himself left feeling pleased with the occasion.

"We should plan something with all our kids! You know, when you next have yours?", Jessie looked at him with nothing but hope in her eyes.

Rick tried not to sigh or exhale for a countless time, leaning against the bar, "Yeah, we'll have to see if we can"

Jessie opened her mouth to say something when she stopped, looking past Rick.

Rick turned to see what had daughter her eye, and his gaze fell on Michonne, who was walking over to him holding Judith's hand.

"We're leaving", She said to him dryly, not even attempting to look at the woman beside him.

Rick ignored her, "Michonne this is Jessie. Jessie, this is Michonne".

Michonne's eyes slowly slid to the left of him, and while her mouth shaped into a smile, her eyes and brow didn't move, "Nice to meet you"

"You too, it's a shame we didn't get a chance to talk properly", Jessie offered.

"Such a shame. Hopefully we will", To anyone else, Michonne seemed genuine, but Rick knew better.

"I'll walk you to your car", He moved away the bar, following his ex-wife and daughter to the entrance, where his son stood waiting.

They all walked outside and across the parking lot to her black Range Rover, and once there Rick helped Judith into her booster seat so he could speak to her.

"You still mad at daddy?"

"You were mad at me", She pouted.

"What you said wasn't nice, Judy"

"I'm sorry. I heard Aunt Drea say it"

Rick always tried not to scowl at the mention of his daughter's godmother, "It's alright. Daddy's not mad at you okay? But I don't want you to repeat anythan' your Aunt Drea says okay? Daddy still loves you, sweetheart"

"Okay. I love you too", He gave her a hug and a kiss on her forehead, always pleased when they could make amends.

"Good girl, I'll see you guys on Monday, alright? Be good for your mama"

He shut the door and looked at Michonne who was stood close by watching the exchange.

She rolled her eyes at him, "I'm sure your girlfriend will get over it".

"Her name's Jessie"

"Whatever. Different name, same game"

"Isn't it that time of the day where you shed your human form and go back to being the heartless Devil you are?"

"Isn't it that time of the day where you take your girlfriend home to fuck her and pretend it was me?"

He clenched his jaw in annoyance, before his eyes trailed down the length of her body and then back up again, "It's Jessie"

"It's irrelevant", She slowly walked past him, the scent of her perfume no longer invading his air space, but almost choking him because she was so close.

He grabbed her slender wrist and gently pulled her back to him, leading her to look at him with an unimpressed expression. He still leaned in and kissed her on her jaw, just below her ear.

"Thank you for bringing them. And for the gift"

She looked down at the floor, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, "You better not let your girlfriend see you"

She slipped away from his hold and opened the car door.

"She has a name", He stood with his hands on his sides.

"I know", She shut the car door and began to pull out of the parking space, and Rick waved at his kids, who eagerly waved back from their mothers departing car. In spite of how well the day went, he still felt a familiar pang of sadness as he watched his family leave.