A/N: Here's some more drama. Enjoy!
Chapter One:
"...I'm pleased to tell you both that you are having a little girl! And from the looks of things she's doing just fine in there, so congratulations!"
Michonne couldn't tear her teary eyes away from the monitor, even if she wanted to. She was, after all, looking at an image of her baby girl. She believed that she had already accepted that she was carrying a child, but it all became so real in that moment. She would have lain there all day if she wasn't forced to leave the ultrasound facility. She was in pure bliss.
"...Are you okay?"
The deep southern voice pulled her attentions away from the sonogram picture she held, and she was quickly reminded that she wasn't the only one affected by the news.
"Fine", She nodded hurriedly, tucking the picture into her purse as the strolled out the building and into the parking lot. She glanced up at him, "What about you?"
"I'm feeling good", His piercing blue eyes were cast downward, watching his boots as they walked. Michonne was quickly learning that the man beside her always knew the right thing to say, but he never appeared false or disingenuous. His replies were usually short and sweet, but still managed to tell her exactly what he was feeling, "I thought it might be a girl… I wasn't sure why, I just did"
She slowly nodded as she looked at his truck, smoothing the white sundress she wore over her stomach, "Well, you were right"
He stopped, eyes squinting at her as his bit his lip for a second, "I guess we can start thinking about names? Maybe go shopping again… pick up a few more thangs…"
Michonne stopped by the bed of his truck and turned to face him, "...Yeah. Sure."
He nodded enthusiastically, his dark brown curls at his nape bouncing in agreement, "Alright… so uh, how did that job interview go?"
"Good. I got the job. I can start as soon as the next semester"
His eyebrows sprung up in surprise, pushing the sleeves of his denim shirt further up his forearm, "Oh?... how's that going to work-"
"I'll figure it out.", She replied easily.
Ricks eyebrows remained up high in his forehead as he pretended to understand, "...Right."
She only stared at him for a moment more before beginning to step away, "So I'll call You when-"
"Uh, hold on", He called eagerly, placing a hand out to stop her, "I wanted to ask you about somethan'..."
Michonne did stop, but with narrowed eyes, "What is it?"
He hesitated, "...My parents. They'd like to meet you. You and your family. Maybe have you over for dinner or somethan'?"
She raised a neatly plucked eyebrow at him, "Is that so?"
"Yeah", He pursed his lips together as he watched her closely.
"...Well, that sounds nice but I don't think-"
"This hasn't been easy for them, Michonne. I don't think it's been easy for anyone around us to accept… or understand", He announced with a hint of firmness to his tone, "They're about to be grandparents again and they would like to be just as involved as they are with Carl-"
"They will be. I'm sure that you'll make sure of that", She pointed out, crossing her lean arms over her chest.
"They would like to meet the mother of their grandchild before she's born", He used one of his hands to motion towards her rounded stomach, "I know we didn't start things off on the right foot, but it doesn't mean we can't make this work-"
"We are making it work", She ejected dryly, "We agreed that we'd talk at least once a week, and that you'd be the first person I called if anything happens-"
"Michonne.", He breathed out her name as he pinched his nose bridge between his thumb and index finger, obviously growing irritated but trying to remain calm.
She continued as if she didn't hear him, "We've done the prenatal classes, the shopping trips, what else is there-"
"You still haven't moved out here", He dropped his hand from his face, "You said you would?"
"And I will, but I haven't seen anything that I've liked yet"
"You know my offer still stands? You could move in with me", He stressed with a frown as he stepped closer to her, "At least until you find a place of your own. Thangs will get a little harder to do towards the end and when the baby gets here"
She internally recoiled, "The baby isn't here yet. I have at least a month left before things will start get a little difficult to manage, but I will figure it out before then"
He exhaled through his nose as he looked away from her, "I get what you're doing, and I get why you're doing it but it doesn't have to be this way Michonne"
She eyed him for a few moments before sighing, feeling compelled to speak up, "I don't want us to complicate things any more than we already have, Rick. This whole thing is just… one big mess, but we agreed we'd figure it out. And we will"
His gaze fell to his boots again as he gave a half-hearted nod of his head, "Yeah. Got it."
Michonne huffed quietly as she began to take pigeon steps away, "...I'll talk to my parents… but I'm not promising anything"
He lifted his head to look at her, "Yeah?"
"I said I'm not promising anything", She repeated as she set her sights on her own vehicle, "I'll call if anything changes"
"Alright… Well let me know if you find a place around here. I can check it out… save you the drive"
"Okay".
In spite of being an adult woman, the thought of meeting Rick's parents made Michonne feel like a teenager entertaining the idea of meeting her high school sweetheart's parents. Accept, he wasn't her high school sweetheart, and far from being her boyfriend.
The night she met Rick was a wild one to say the least. She had set out to party the night away, while he was out with his friends for some special occasion that she didn't care to remember. She was a drink away from seeing double when he caught her eye, and she was grateful that he did.
She thought of him as unfairly handsome, and after watching him for a short time she could see that he wasn't the type of man that frequented to bars in Atlanta often. That could have been the reason that she pounced on him, or it could have been the way he looked at her with lust filled eyes that awakened every nerve in her body, she wasn't sure. All she did know was that she woke up the next morning in a hotel room, naked, sore from the waist down and with a crippling headache.
She left in haste before he woke up, not wishing to endure the awkward moment that would have proceeded if she stayed. She was certain that their night together had been a magical one, and she would have kept in contact with him if she felt she had the time to entertain a man at that point in her life, but she didn't feel as if she could. Between her role as a high school counsellor and her volunteering, she barely had time for herself, let alone anyone else. Helping others was all she cared about, and though she would often face teasing from her friends and family, she wouldn't have it any other way. Until she discovered that she was pregnant, of course.
"He said his parents would like to meet me", Michonne groaned as she spoke at her phone while in her car, driving along the highway back to Atlanta, "I said I'd think about it…"
Her friend snorted in response, "Well of course they want to meet you! What did you expect?"
"I don't know, Sasha… I haven't been thinking straight lately", She admitted, "I mean of course they'd want to meet me, it makes perfect sense but I guess I was hoping they would be completely laid back about it like my mom and dad"
"Sadly we don't all have hippy parents like yours", Sasha sniggered, "I'm a grown woman but I know for a fact that my dad and Ty' would freak out if I got pregnant from a one night-"
Michonne released another, more dramatic groan, "I know, I know"
"Especially if I was still married to someone else-"
"Okay, Sasha!", Michonne called out in a flat tone, "I'm very aware of the unfortunate details surrounding my daughter's conception"
"Aww", Sasha cooed, "I need to get used to hearing you say that. 'Your daughter'. My little niece… how was Rick when he found out?"
"I don't know, fine? I guess", Michonne blew out a breath, "He said he knew it was a girl or something"
"You need to start paying attention to him…"
"I do pay attention to him. We're on the same page about everything but it's like we're on two separate paragraphs"
"Well he's a good ol' country boy, that's probably why"
"Sure", Michonne broke her attention from the road ahead of her to roll her eyes, "Anyway, are you coming over for dinner later?"
"I can't, I haven't finished this dress yet. I still have to fix the lining"
"Oh yeah, how's that going?"
"Its… it's a nightmare, but I won't give up"
"That's the spirit", She huffed, "Alright. I'll let you get on with it. Call me if you need anything- I still have that sewing kit that no one bought from the cake sale. And don't forget to come by next Friday! The kids have been working really hard on this fair so I need a lot of people to turn up-"
"I know, I know. I'll be there", Her friend began to snicker, "By the way, it's never too late for me to make you a dress for a shotgun wedding-"
"Goodbye, Sasha!".
One thing Michonne was grateful for while starting this new chapter in her life was her parents. While she wouldn't necessarily call them 'hippies', they did have a very blasé approach to just about anything. Her father had always encouraged her to focus on the positives, while her stepmother would drive the message home with a short tale about how best to overcome life's obstacles with a smile.
If was probably why she wasn't completely flawed to learn the news of her pregnancy. She had hoped to become a mother at one stage in her life, and while it was sooner that she had planned, and it was with a man she barely knew, she couldn't see herself not going through with the pregnancy.
Luckily for her, Rick appeared to feel the same way too, once she had managed to find him. It only took a small sum of cash and some heavy persuasion in order for her to retrieve his details from a young man that worked in the hotel office, and with that she tracked him down to the small town of Kings County.
It was unlike anywhere else she had ever been. Every building was well kept with red brick sidewalks paved throughout, with white picket fences and immaculate lawns and gardens wherever she turned. In hindsight, she could see why Rick was the man that he was; King's County was a family oriented, tight knit community with strict morals and values that had well and truly rubbed off on him. It could explain why she felt the way she did towards the thought of meeting his parents.
When she arrived back to her tiny apartment in the city, she immediately kicked off her boots and yanked off her bra from beneath her dress, then headed for her couch. Having decided to move to Kings County to be closer to Rick, she was glad to leave the place she had called a home for the last year. After splitting up with the man she thought was the love of her life, she wanted to get as far away from him as possible so took the first thing she could afford, and even though she tried her best to make it feel more homely, it was never the case, nor did it match up to the home she left behind.
Which is why she was willing to move. Not only would she be able to co-parent with Rick more efficiently, but she'd be even further away from her soon to be ex-husband, and she could have a fresh start elsewhere. She knew she would miss her friends and family, as well as the people she worked with, but she was certain that the move was vital.
Not surprisingly, some the students she worked with didn't see it that way, "Are you gonna' come back and visit me at least? How will I see the baby? You're not on Facebook or anything!"
Michonne tilted her head at the teenager say across from her. It was a Monday afternoon, and she was back in her office at the local high school, being quizzed relentlessly by one of her regular visitors, "Sadly I do not have Facebook Enid, but I will come back and visit you as often as I can. I won't be that faraway"
"Are you gonna' be working at a school there, too?"
"I will do, after the baby gets here"
"Is it a boy or a girl?", The girl sat forward eagerly, her long dark hair flowing with every move she made, "Do you know yet? Are you going to have a gender reveal party?"
Michonne frowned at her, "A what party?"
"A gender reveal party! It's when you tell everyone what you're having!"
"Oh… I don't think I'll be doing that Enid-"
"Can we have one for you? Please? And a leaving party, too! We can have it in the park-"
"Enid", Michonne held up a hand to stop her, "That's not-"
"It is necessary! Besides, you're always doing things for other people and we will miss you when you go so can we please? Please?", The girls eyes pleaded with her as she edged even further off her seat, "You won't have to do a thing- my aunt's a party planner- remember?"
Michonne's heart began to melt as she saw the excitement bubbling within the girl, "I do remember and that Is really sweet of you, but I-"
"I'll tell my mom!", Enid hopped out of her seat and bolted towards the door, "She'll give my aunt a call!"
"Enid! You knew I was going to say no!", Michonne yelled after her, "Get back here!"
"No!", Enid snatched the door open and slipped out the room with lightning speed.
Michonne growled as placed both arms on her desk and dropped her head onto her forearms. Her dreadlocks fell around her, the silver clips strategically placed in her hair making little clicking sounds as they hit the wood. She was feeling uncharacteristically tired when the day was barely over, but she put it down to the pregnancy. A little power nap would help her combat the remaining work hours, but unfortunately for her she was usually a very busy woman.
"Mrs Robinson speaking", She answered cheerfully as she sat up off her desk and placed her phone by her ear, "How can I help?"
"Well I've got good news and I've got bad news"
Michonne's eyes widened, "What's the good news, Andrea?"
Her attorney and friend sighed, "Well… there isn't actually any good news… in fact, I don't even know why I said that? Anyway- Mike is requesting for you both to go through mediation-"
Michonne's face contorted in horror, "What?"
"I know, I know. He's pulling out all the stops to slow this down- which is why I think we need to file for a default. It's obvious what he's doing, but if we let the judge know that you're pregnant and eager to start your life with someone new…"
"That's not true, Andrea-"
"I know it's not", Andrea hurriedly added, "But it could speed things up if it appears that way, and it might even get him to back off"
Michonne rolled her eyes shut as she sat back in her seat, "Or make things worse"
"He'll get the message", Andrea sighed, "So I'll go ahead and tell them that we're declining mediation, and then I'll get started on the request for default?"
"Yeah...Seems like that's our only option here", Michonne looked up at the ceiling with contempt.
"Alright, leave it to me...How are things, anyway? Is the pregnancy kicking your ass yet?"
"It's starting to", She smirked, rolling her head down to look at her bump, "Rick booked me a 3D ultrasound over the weekend. We found out what we're having"
Andrea squealed with delight, "Tell me! It's a boy, isn't it?"
"It's a…", Michonne stopped herself, then sighed, "I don't think I can tell you yet"
"What? Why?"
She cringed, "One of the students wants to throw me a gender reveal and leaving party…"
"A gender reveal party? What the hell even is that?"
"I guess it's like a baby shower, but instead I reveal to everyone what I'm having…"
Andrea remained silent for a short moment, before admitting in a strange tone, "...I actually like the sound of that? It's… kind of cute… Am I going crazy?"
"No. You've been crazy for some time now.", Michonne answered easily, leading the two woman to cackle heartily together, "It's not a terrible idea, it's just I don't want to have to explain to everyone that Mike isn't the father"
"You should be screaming that from the rooftops! Mike was an unfaithful liar, and you've moved on with your life", Andrea protested fiercely, "I mean you've really moved on with your life-"
"How subtle of you", Michonne chilled sarcastically, "But I'd still have to explain who the father is"
"Well if you really are going ahead with it then just invite Mr Kings County along. I'm sure he'd love to be there"
Something within Michonne twisted and turned in discomfort, "I don't think so. We're trying not to-"
"Complicate things", Andrea finished her sentence for her, "Yeah, in case you haven't noticed things are already complicated so save that excuse for someone who doesn't know you. He's obviously not going anywhere so you need to get used to having him around"
Michonne sighed quietly, "I know…"
She did know that she needed to get used to the thought of having Rick around, but for reasons she couldn't explain, she felt uncomfortable with the idea. She wondered if it was down to the slight shame she felt for their thoughtless behaviour that led to her pregnancy, or if it was because she didn't want him to feel obligated to be with her because she was carrying his child. Whatever the reason was, she felt it were best to keep him at arm's length.
Rick had made it clear to her that he saw things differently, and even though they both agreed that they would speak at least once a week, he would call her mostly every night, and that night would be no different, "How's thangs?"
"Fine", She huffed, lying in her bed with her favourite novel beside her, "Not much is happening over here… what about you? How are things?"
"I can't complain. I've got Carl for the week and he's keeping me on my toes"
She smirked, "That's great"
"Yeah…", She heard Rick slowly inhale, "I plan to talk to him about everythan' soon"
Michonne's eyebrows sprung up, "Really?"
"Yeah. I don't wanna' just spring it up on him when she gets here… I want him to meet you, so it doesn't seem strange that he all of a sudden has a little sister"
Her heart began to beat wildly in her chest, but she did her best to reply coolly, "I understand. It makes sense…But what about his mother?"
"Well I still have to talk to her too, but it shouldn't be a problem"
"...Okay. Sounds like you have everything planned out on your side"
"Yeah, I'm trying… You won't have anythan' to worry about when you get here, if that's somethan' that's on your mind?"
"No? What makes you think that?", She insisted weakly, tucking a long black dress behind her ear.
"I'm just saying… It's not easy moving somewhere new, especially when you're pregnant. That's a lot of change to get used to but I'll be there… and I wouldn't have you around anyone that I didn't trust"
Michonne felt her cheeks warm, "Uh… thanks, but I'm sure it will be fine"
"Yeah, I'll make sure of that"
She crossed her legs beneath her jet black, silk sheets, quickly trying to think of something else to say, "Okay, well, I just have a few things left to tie up here-'
"How about your… divorce? You haven't really said anythan' about that for a while..."
She involuntarily groaned at the thought of her husband, "Yeah, that. I'm still in the middle of that… not much has changed."
"...Well If you ever wanna' talk about it then… you know where to find me"
"...Thanks, but it's okay… I've got it", She glanced at the alarm clock on her nightstand, "Um, I need to get some rest… I all of a sudden can't stay awake for too long"
"Alright, I'll call you tomorrow"
She wouldn't have expected anything else, "Okay. Goodnight"
"Night, Michonne".
