Rick woke up with a gasp, his heart racing and sweat coating his chest. Sitting up, he stared out into the dimly lit room he had been sharing with Carl and Judith sincethey arrived in Alexandria just a few days earlier. Swallowing hard and willing his heart to slow down, Rick muttered to himself softly, so as not to wake his children,

"What the hell was that?"

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After a day of performing his constable duties alone in an effort to avoid Michonne, Rick was wound tighter than a drum and feeling miserable. He had snapped at everyone who had crossed his path, including his own son and ate lunch with the construction crew instead of at home like he had been doing. He just couldn't face her, not after...

"Rick, what is wrong with you?"

Rick looked up from the sidewalk to find Michonne standing on their front porch, changed out of her constable uniform, her slim body encased in snug black pants and a cream colored tank top that showed off her beautiful shoulders and arms...

Christ...how the hell was he supposed to...

Channeling his feelings into anger, Rick snapped at Michonne like he'd been snapping at everyone else.

"Nothing's wrong with me. I'm doing my job. You got a problem with that?"

Michonne raised her eyebrow, not buying what he was selling.

"I've got a problem with you avoiding me all day when we're supposed to be partners. Deanna wanted to meet with us and I had no way of reaching you."

"I've got the walkie..." Too late he realized he'd walked right into it.

"And Carol has the other one because she watches the kids and you wanted her to be able to reach you, us, if there was trouble. Because, as your partner, I'm always with you. But not today. Today you just took off and..."

Rick had had enough. Michonne was agitated which made her breathe heavier which, in turn, did crazy things to him. Turning right around, he headed back out.

"I missed inspecting some of the empty houses on Juniper Street. I'm going to go check them out and then I'll be back. Don't hold dinner..."

Michonne's eyes widened as she watched Rick's long stride take him quickly down the sidewalk.

Don't hold dinner? Really?

Michonne shouted over her shoulder into the house, "Carol! I'm going back out on patrol with Rick. We're going to be awhile." How long does it take to kill a wayward sheriff and bury him?

After hearing Carol's response and knowing the kids were in good hands, Michonne took off after Rick, anger swelling within her with each step. What the hell did she do to make him go to such lengths to avoid her? She had buried the new feelings of awareness and attraction she had towards him since they had had a moment to catch their breath after arriving a few days ago. There was no way Rick could have figured that out. No way.

Michonne had just caught up with Rick in time to see him enter one of the vacant houses and quickened her pace to catch up to him. He'd barely shut the door when she opened it again and entered behind him. She took satisfaction in seeing his eyes widen in surprise as it was rare to get the jump on him. He must have been deep in his thoughts.

Oh shit. No, no, no...Rick couldn't believe Michonne had followed him. He'd needed to get away, far away from her and now she was standing three feet away from him, chest heaving with exertion and anger. This was not good.

"Rick. We are going to talk. We're not leaving this house until you explain to me what's going on with you today." Each word spoken grew louder. Oh she was raising her voice now which was never a good thing. Especially when directed toward him. As Michonne walked toward him, Rick backed up and then just turned around and walked further into the house, desperate to avoid this conversation. He didn't even realize where he had stopped until he saw the bed in front of him. Oh shit. No. Feeling Michonne in the room behind him, Rick ran a nervous hand though his hair.

"Michonne, I really don't want to talk about it. I can't."

Michonne laid her hand on his arm, her touch stopping him in his tracks as easily as lightening would have. That was the impact this woman had over him. Dammit. Turning to her, Rick blurted, "I had a dream, okay? I had a dream and it's been on my mind all goddamned day. I can't get it out of my head and I really need to. That's why I need to be by myself."

Michonne's brows drew over her eyes in confusion, "Was it a bad dream?"

Rick swallowed and stared at her, "It was...I don't what it was but it shocked the hell out of me. I'm still trying to figure it out."

"Tell me about it so I can help you."

"NO, Michonne...I can't...you don't want to know..."

"I DO want to know! I want to know why my best friend is avoiding me and acting like he doesn't want to be..."

"Your best FRIEND?" Rick scoffed and looked up as if asking for help from a higher being. "You want to know what your best FRIEND dreamt about?" Giving up restraint as a lost cause, Rick stalked towards Michonne forcing her to back up. "What caused me to avoid you? Okay let me tell you." He was now inches from her face, eyes glittering with...something...Michonne had never seen before. Something wild.

"I dreamt that you and I were alone in a room, a bright room with a big white bed in the middle of it. Just you and me." Now his voice was a fierce whisper as he was almost on top of her, not touching but scorching her all the same.

"I dreamt that you wore a flimsy white dress that left nothing to the imagination. Like a nightgown and I ran my finger down your bare arm, making you shiver. I then ran that same finger over your breast and circled your nipple making it tighten." Michonne felt her knees weaken as she felt herself get wet with his whispered narration in her ear.

"You moaned and grabbed my neck and pulled me in for a kiss. We kissed forever...for so long that it seemed like we were breathing for each other. I pulled you close and grabbed your ass and squeezed it hard which made you moan again." Rick backed away, his smile almost feral as he circled her and stopped behind her to continue his narrative as she closed her eyes. "And then you rubbed my cock through my jeans until I almost came like a teenage boy. And I knew that was it. That's all I could take. I ripped the dress from you and threw you on the bed and watched your tits rise and fall with your excitement. You begged me to fuck you. You kept saying 'Please Rick...I want you inside of me.' You held your hands up to me and it was the most beautiful fucking thing I'd ever seen. I knew you were mine and once I had you you'd be mine forever. Just as I unbuttoned my jeans I woke up. I woke up realizing that the most fucking fantastic moment of my life was a goddamned dream. And, yeah, I've been messed up ever since."

Michonne's eyes were wide and her breathing rapid. Jesus Christ...She took a step forward and turned around, facing a wild eyed Rick and watched his chest rise and fall with his breathing. She needed to make sense of this. It was what she was good at.

Placing her hand over the heart beating through her chest, Michonne took a calming breath as she stared at Rick. "It was a dream. Just a dream." Rick's lips curved in a small smile as he shook his head.

"Just a dream? No it wasn't just a dream," Rick's words grew more alarming as he quickly closed the distance between them, lightly grasping her upper arm with his hand, "It was a goddamned revelation."

Michonne thought her heart would pound straight out of her chest as Rick suddenly became this masculine force surrounding and enveloping her. She was overwhelmed and her body thrummed with excitement.

Rick raised his other hand to caress her arm lightly, reverently, "When I woke up, I realized that I didn't want that dream to end because I wanted you with every cell in my body. I wanted you underneath me moaning my name and begging me to do things to you. Things I had never done before with anyone else but I knew I wanted to do them with you...to you."

Michonne's knees buckled and Rick drew her close, supporting her with his strong arms. Cupping the back of her head gently, Rick's gravelly whisper brushed her ear, "So Michonne...now you know. What are you going to do about it?"

Michonne's hands had come to rest on Rick's waist when he pulled her close and they clasped reflexively at his words. She could feel his heartbeat against her chest and closed her eyes as the meaning of his words sunk in.

Rick wanted her. The friend who had given her refuge and a home. The friend who had let her into his family wanted her. And judging by the hard length pressed against her, he wanted her very, very badly.

In that moment, Michonne knew what she was going to do. And she knew her life was never going to be the same. She opened her eyes, leaned back in Rick's arms and smiled softly at the man who was about to become her lover. A man who, if she was honest with herself, she had wanted for months now but hadn't allowed her thoughts to manifest into anything beyond daydreams because death was always at the door.

With the confidence born of being desired, Michonne slowly ran her hand up Rick's broad chest and cupped his stubble covered jaw, taking delight in its tightening as he reigned his body in, letting her set the pace. Staring into his beautiful eyes, Michonne rubbed her thumb over his full lips and let her smile widen at his quick intake of breath.

"What am I going to do about it?" Michonne stood on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear. "Let me show you."

Michonne took a step back to allow Rick to view her unencumbered and, her eyes never leaving his, crossed her arms at the waistband of her tight tank top and pulled it over head, dropping it to the floor. Rick's heated gaze ran over her half naked torso, covered by a flimsy bra. Michonne could feel her nipples pressing against the sheer fabric and took satisfaction from knowing that Rick could see her excitement. As Rick took a step towards her, Michonne backed up with a tsk. "No no...I'm not done showing." A growl hummed through Rick as his hands clenched at his sides.

Rick thought he was going to combust as he watched Michonne smile that sexy smile while her fingers lingered at her waistband, teasing him. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen and made him so hard he was about to break his zipper. His eyes dropped to her hands as she unbuttoned her tight black pants and slowly drew them down her long legs, revealing the flawless skin he'd dreamt about for longer than one night. After stepping out of her pants, Michonne stood before him in skimpy underwear that revealed more than it covered and he forgot how to breathe.

Michonne hadn't felt this feminine and in control for so long, she had forgotten how exhilarating it could be. She stepped up to Rick and laid a hand on his chest to soothe him but it only made his heart race faster. Leaning into him, Michonne placed her lips on his and ran her hands up into his curls, sighing when his tongue demanded entrance into her mouth and his mouth greedily moved over hers as a man starved. Rick cupped her ass, pulling her in close and moaned as he tilted his head to get better access to her lips. Feeling herself getting wetter, Michonne was consumed with the need to feel Rick's skin on hers. Her hands followed the commands of her mind and she pulled Rick's t-shirt over his head. Breaking their kiss, Michonne ran her eyes over Rick's sculpted chest and reveled in the contrast of her dark fingers against his fair skin. She slowly caressed the muscles there and ran her thumb over one his nipples, delighting at watching it immediately harden. Without hesitation she dipped her head to bathe his nipple with her tongue, circling it then suckling it with a languor she didn't know she had, considering how much she wanted this man.

With a groan Rick grabbed Michonne by her slender shoulders and set her back a few inches. "My turn," he growled, his voice unrecognizable to his lust-addled brain. Dropping to his knees before her, Rick gripped her slender hips in his hands and pressed his face to her flat stomach, breathing in the scent of her arousal. Opening his mouth on her skin, Rick kissed her navel, darting his tongue out to explore it's shallow depth. His hands tightened on her hips as he felt her tremble and he knew that she was as consumed with need as he was. As he peppered open mouthed kisses across her stomach, his hands moved from her hips to cup her ass cheeks and squeeze them, which was something else he had dreamed of doing for months.

Michonne ran her hands through Rick's curls and was amazed that she was still standing as this beautiful man kneeled before her, his mouth so close...Oh God! Michonne threw her head back with a moan as Rick's lips kissed her right through her damp panties as his hands squeezed and caressed her ass. His open mouth lovingly explored her through the fabric, wreaking havoc on her control. Gripping the sides of Rick's head, Michonne tugged him back into a standing position, her eyes widening at the possessive gleam in his eyes. She felt branded and owned in that moment and, for some reason, it empowered her even more. Taking his hand, she led him to the bed in the room, not stopping until the backs of her knees hit the mattress.

Sitting down, Michonne's eyes focused on the button of Rick's jeans right before her and bit her bottom lip in anticipation. She had never wanted anyone as much as she did Rick in this moment and she wanted more than anything else to please him and give him whatever he wanted.

However he wanted it.

Licking her lips slowly, Michonne unbuttoned Rick's jeans with a flick of her fingers and then stole a look up at his face, needing to see what he was feeling.

Rick had never seen anything as beautiful as Michonne sitting on a bed inches from his hardened cock looking like she was starved for him. He hardened more than he thought possible at the sight of her pink tongue licking her full moist lips and knew he had to be inside of her quickly or it would be over before it began.

Michonne's breath caught at the lust emanating from Rick's gorgeous eyes and knew that nothing was going to stop them from being together. Everything they had done and meant to each other before this moment was meant to happen. Just like this was meant to happen. Never breaking eye contact, Michonne slowly drew down the fly to Rick's jeans, taking care over his hard length, her excitement growing as the back of her hand caressed his cock. Taking pleasure from the quick intake of his breath, Michonne drew his jeans along with his boxers down his long legs which put her face right near...

"Enough. I need to fuck you now."

Rick growled the words as he grabbed Michonne under her arms and tossed her onto the bed, following immediately after to hover over her. "I'm going to do everything I've been thinking about doing to you for weeks, months. Hell, forever. Do you understand?"

Michonne's panties dampened even more as Rick's possessive demeanor excited her beyond bearing. She had been in control for so long, it was unbelievably satisfying to turn herself over to this man and allow him to do what he wanted. After all, she trusted him with her life. She could trust him with her body.

And her heart.

Gazing up at Rick's tense, dear face, watching his jaw flex with his tension, Michonne released her own tension in that moment and simply smiled.

"I want you inside of me Rick. Now."

Listening to Michonne quote the words from his dream back to him sent Rick over the edge and he fell on her in a frenzy of movements, fingers and hands tearing her panties and bra from her body, revealing her beautiful tits to his starving gaze and allowing him full access to her warm, wet pussy. Lowering his mouth to hers, Rick invaded it with his tongue, caressing the inside of her mouth while his fingers massaged and then slowly entered her wet warmth in a matched rhythm. His other hand caressed her breast and he drew her nipple into a tight bud.

Michonne had already been close to coming based on Rick's recitation of his dream. Now that she was naked under him and he was touching and kissing places that had long been denied pleasure, she was seeing stars behind her closed lids. Oh God...she was so close.

Rick lifted his head to look down at Michonne, reveling at her beautiful face lit up with passion. It wasn't enough. He wanted to see everything. Every thought.

"Open your eyes and look at me. I want to watch you while I fuck you. I want to see you when you come."

Rick's heart almost beat right through his chest as Michonne's big brown eyes opened slowly and he took in their glazed expression. An expression he had put there. This is why we fight to live. This is why we kill and survive. This is living. This is how we continue on. He was lost in those eyes and lost in this moment that he never wanted to end.

"Rick. I need you. Please."

Michonne's whispered plea jarred him out of his thoughts and he inserted a third finger into her pussy, thrusting in and out, caressing her clit in a rhythm that had her throwing her head back with a cry.

"That's it. Let go. Let it all go. Come on now..." Rick could feel Michonne's heat clamp around his fingers seconds before she let out a cry and her back arched. He watched as she took her pleasure and it made him happy that she was greedy about it, holding his hand where it was until she was completely done.

This is a woman that knows what she wants. I need her in my life. And she needs me.

Rick waited until Michonne's breathing settled until he rose above her. "My turn now."

Michonne smiled languorously up at Rick, having just come down off of the best climax of her life. She widened her legs to give Rick room to get into position, his cock prodding at her core and she wrapped her legs around his hips, drawing him in. Spearing her fingers through his damp curls, Michonne lifted her head and met his mouth with hers, darting her tongue out to dance with his, delighting in his moans filling the quiet bedroom.

With one thrust, Rick made Michonne his and knew that he would never appreciate his dreams again because there was no way they could be better than what he was feeling in this moment as his cock found her damp heat and together they set a rhythm that was so natural and so right, it was as if their bodies had been made to be one together.

And maybe they had.

Opening his eyes, Rick stared down at Michonne and was stunned to see that she was looking right back at him. She was his equal in every way so of course she wouldn't shy away from their intimacy. Of course she'd be taking him in like he was taking her in. Lifting off of her with his forearm as he continued to thrust inside of her, Rick looked down at where they were joined, reveling at the beauty of their bodies becoming one. Slowly drawing his eyes up her perfect body, he stared at her tits as they bounced with the rhythm of their fucking and wanted to weep with their beauty.

"You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. You're perfect."

Michonne's eyes filled with tears at Rick's words. It had been so long since she'd been intimate with someone and there had been so much ugliness in that time that she'd forgotten what it felt like.

And nothing in this world or the next could have prepared her for becoming Rick Grimes' lover. He made love with the same passion he did everything else and she was overcome with emotion at what it meant to be in this moment with him.

Clasping her legs tighter around his hips, Michonne cupped Rick's face, loving the slide of her hands along the sweat on his cheeks as he continued to move above her. Rubbing her thumbs on his lips, Michonne smiled as the pleasure grew inside her once again. "Come with me, Rick. Come with me..." Just then, Michonne threw her head back as another wave came over her and she felt Rick give one final thrust before he quickly withdrew and spent on her stomach, his face buried in her neck.

Michonne brushed her hand through Rick's hair, soothing him as his breaths slowed from his exertions. She loved the feeling of his weight on her. She felt protected and safe but also as strong as she'd ever felt in her entire life. She should have been exhausted but instead felt energized. Almost as if her batteries had been recharged.

Rick lifted his head from the curve of Michonne's neck and shifted so his weight was off of her. Looking down at her serene face, he still asked the question because he cared so very much about the answer.

"You okay?"

Michonne smiled as looked up at her dear, sweet friend who had just given her two orgasms in less than 20 minutes and who had been thoughtful enough to come outside of her body.

"I'm more than okay."

Rick matched her grin with one of his own as he drew a finger over her breast in a slow caress that had her heart racing once again.

"Good. Be right back." Bounding out of bed, Rick headed to the bathroom and returned with a towel that he used to gently wipe Michonne's stomach clean. Tossing the towel onto the floor next to the bed, Rick propped himself up next to the woman who was now his lover and indulged himself with a slow sweep of her naked form.

This woman was brilliant, brave, strong, courageous, nurturing. She was everything.

And she was his.

Wanting her all over again, Rick lowered his head to place open mouth kisses along her neck and then down her chest, smiling through his kisses at her laughter and her fingers through his hair as she told him it was too soon. He would fight a herd of walkers just to hear her laughter every day. He needed it like he needed air because it meant that she was happy and that maybe, just maybe, he made her happy.

Continuing down her body, Rick's kisses became slower and less teasing as he neared her belly. He could smell her arousal and the scent they had made together and it made him hard all over again. Kissing her navel, he murmured against it, "You're mine. Do you hear me, Michonne. You're mine."

Michonne looked down in time to see Rick turn his head to look back up at her, a possessive gleam in his eyes. Looking at this leader of men, this warrior claim her as his while his mouth was two inches from where she was wet for him once again filled her with excitement.

But she had to make things clear if this was going to work.

Raising an eyebrow, Michonne replied in a tone that brooked no argument.

"I'm yours and you're mine. That's how this works. Understood?"

The beautiful man who was now her lover laid his head on her belly and smiled the sexiest smile she'd ever seen in her life.

"Yes my queen. Understood." Rick then turned his head in the other direction and proceeded to show her just how they would carry on as his clever mouth turned to pleasing the woman he would worship for as long as he was able. And if he had it his way?

It would be forever.

I hope you enjoyed this story...it's much more 'mature content' than I usually write but I had fun doing it. In case you were interested, the 3 'ingredients' I chose from the contest list were: I had a dream last night, she raised her voice and forever. I'll always choose forever with Richonne!