We Meet Again

Chapter 17

"Yahtzee!" Carl yipped, jumping from his chair to perform yet another victory dance.

"No fair," Michonne said. "That's your fifth Yahtzee tonight. Are those loaded dice?"

"Don't be a sore loser," Carl said.

"One loss and she's already complaining," Rick said. If there was one thing Rick had learned about Michonne over the past month, it was that she hated to lose.

This was their fifth game night since Carl's full recovery. Rick suspected Michonne had instituted them as a means to lift Carl's mood, which had been low since he'd woken to a life with one eye. But she seemed to enjoy them as much as Carl did.

"All or nothing," Michonne said. "If you roll higher than a 15, then I'll make fish sticks every night, for a week."

"And if I lose?" Carl asked.

"You do Judith's laundry for a week."

Carl looked to Rick for support.

Rick raised his hands in surrender. "Don't look at me, this is between you and Michonne."

Carl looked to be considering Michonne's deal. "You're on. But under one condition."

"What's that?" Michonne asked, crossing her arms.

"Instead of making me fish sticks, you'll go on a date with Dad," Carl said.

"How is that a prize for you?"

"Is it a deal or not?" His one blue eye watched her, grating on her sympathy. "Imagine not having to deal with Judith's dirty diapers for an entire week..." he prodded.

Michonne's eyes settled on Rick.

Does she need my help deciding? Rick wondered. In that case, he would make his desires clear.

"How about sweetening the deal? No diaper duty for two weeks," Rick offered.

Michonne raised her eyebrows, looking from him to Carl. "Fine."

She grabbed the dice and dropped them into the red cup. She covered the opening with her palm and shook the cup vigorously, the clacking of the dice the only sound in the room. Michonne handed the cup to Carl.

Carl smirked and blew on the dice. He shook the cup in the same fashion as Michonne and then tipped it, the dice tumbling onto the table.

"Five plus three plus two plus one plus...five. I win!" Carl shouted.

Judith's wail suddenly filled the baby monitor.

"Looks like your little outburst woke your sister," Michonne said, her expression more amused than angry.

"I'll get her," Carl said, zipping toward the stairs. "Hope you two have fun on your date!" he called, before disappearing into Judith's room.

Michonne sent Rick an awkward glance. "We could just tell him that we went on a date..."

Rick laughed. Last week, he'd caught Michonne's reflection, staring at him with interest, when she thought he wasn't looking. The thing that had broken between them was slowly starting to heal, and he planned on helping it along.

"A deal's a deal," Rick said. "Don't worry, I'll take care of everything. All you have to do is show up."

Michonne groaned. The hint of a smile on her lips, however, gave Rick the drive to make their date as memorable as possible.

#

Michonne and Sasha walked the perimeter of Alexandria, checking for any signs of walkers or human trespassers. Things had been quiet since the Wolves' attack, but they still patrolled the surrounding area on a regular basis.