i don't know who you think you are
but before the night is through
i wanna do bad things with you
-Chase Everett, Bad Things
I.
"Michonne, you ready yet?"
"Give me a minute!" Michonne called back in response to Rick's slightly impatient tone coming from the foot of the stairs. She was in her bedroom, trying to finish getting dressed for the...party? Gathering? Fancy meeting? Michonne had no idea what to call the evening Maggie had planned for the surviving residents of Alexandria. All she knew was that she'd been roped into "co-hosting" with Maggie, Glenn and Spencer at the Monroe house.
When they had finally managed to drive the massive walker herd away, they spent the last few weeks rebuilding and fortifying the walls and cleaning up the horrendous mess all of it had made. Their losses had been great, but they still had plenty to be thankful for. At least, that's how Maggie and Glenn saw it. But losing Deana meant they were leaderless, a subject that had everyone in "town" on edge over the last few weeks.
Fact was, there were a lot less original Alexandrians now, and that did little to quell their paranoia about Rick and the possibility that he'd step in and take over the place. By force, some feared. Maggie had taken it upon herself to try to pick up the pieces and put it all back together again. Michonne had been the first one she'd asked for help. Despite her lingering sadness over Deana (sadness she hadn't expected to run quite this deeply for a woman she barely knew), Michonne had agreed to help get everyone on board with this…thing. Whatever it was. A friendly coup?
Rick's attitude wasn't helping.
For his part, he treated it all as a bit of a show...something he didn't want to be directly a part of, because Michonne knew somewhere in the back of his mind he still considered it an "us and them" situation. Sometimes she thought he was biding his time as he concentrated on fortifying the perimeter, the guard posts, the gates, anything and everything that a walker or dangerous party like the Wolves could slip through. Sometimes she thought he was exasperated by her diplomatic mindset. She barely saw him physically these days, but she could always see his handiwork: he had 'our people' training 'their people' to fight, or use whatever skills they could to help fix the giant mess the herd had made of the place, and he spent all his down time with Carl and Judith.
Or...at the Anderson home, checking in on the woman who could now count her losses as one asshole husband and one troubled older son. Michonne felt bad for Jessie. Truly bad. Ron was a little shit, but she would have spared him the way he died if she could've. The pain of losing a child was not something she wished on anyone, not even her worst enemy. That shit is a hurt like no other. She knew what Jessie was going through.
So she felt bad. Michonne tried again to bring the zipper on the back of the dress up past the bottom of her shoulder blades. She felt bad for Jessie, but she was starting to wonder when the stoic blonde was going to start pulling her weight. And at the same time she felt bad about feeling that . Fuck.
All this while Michonne, Glenn, Daryl and Spencer delegated or went on runs, talked to people about what they wanted the future of the place to be, and planned this...party thing.
Michonne rolled her eyes at herself and dropped her hands from fiddling with her zipper, unable to get it to go all the way up to the nape of her neck. It irritated her no end that she'd managed to master unsheathing her katana from behind so that she could do it in her sleep, but she couldn't get a damn zipper on a too-small dress to go all the way up. She was anxious and irritated and she didn't understand exactly why.
Ever since Deanna's last words to her, Michonne had been feeling this way. Too many emotions. Not enough time to just think . What did she want…?
"Need some help?" A deep tenor voice, coated in a Southern twang, interrupted her tense thoughts. She turned to find Rick standing in her doorway, staring at her. She had been so lost in her anxiousness about tonight that she'd forgotten about him and Carl waiting for her downstairs with Judith. She was a hostess tonight, and she was the last one ready; the house was empty but for them. Everyone else had gone off to the party thing already.
Michonne was momentarily distracted by her annoyance with herself, but then her eyes took in the full picture of Rick, leaning against her door frame, dressed for the party. Her heart quickened just a bit and she felt tingly warmth spreading through her sex at the sight of him. Damn, he cleaned up nice. He was dressed in his tight black jeans and those same brown boots he always wore, but he had showered and combed his hair back. He was wearing a dark green and navy plaid button down shirt and a black tie she'd never seen on him before. His skin, still adorned with a thin layer of salt and pepper scruff, was clean and tinged with pink from the hot shower. His cerulean eyes glistened under her bedroom lights, and his lips were pink, plump. He was smirking at her, his eyes flickering up and down with thinly veiled appreciation, before he scratched his chin and gestured to her dress.
"Your zipper stuck?" He tried again, taking a step into the room. He had this way of sort of leaning on air, peering over at her, waiting for her to speak.
Michonne swallowed and straightened her posture under his perpetually intense gaze. Every look he ever gave her since the day they first clapped eyes on each other made her feel like she was being caught in moonstone tractor beams. She found her voice and nodded, trying not to glare at him. He looked good, but she was annoyed with him, too.
"Yeah. Sorry, I know we're late."
He shrugged and gave a half-hearted shake of his head, taking two long strides toward her, eyeing her back as he headed to help her with the zipper. She noticed his eyes flicker again to her ass, and she fought hard not to roll hers as she turned around fully to let him help her.
He always checked her out, and most of the time she didn't mind it (maybe even thought it was kinda cute) but these days it just kinda pissed her off.
He always checked her out, but he never did anything about it.
When his warm fingers touched her skin, tugging on the zipper to get it up, she fought off a shiver. That's just how it was with Rick. Without even realizing it, she had simply grown used to feeling some type of way whenever he looked at or touched her. She had adapted, though, learning to push her body's natural reaction to him aside. They always had bigger fish to fry, especially out there on the road with an infant, no food and no water. She had gotten so good at ignoring it that eventually it just became part of a collection of facts about Rick: He was a charismatic, attractive man. Just like he was also five-eleven, blue-eyed and bow-legged. And on occasion, when he had to be, he was a killer.
Only sometimes did his good looks, intense eyes, and slow drawl get to her enough to distract her.
She was an easy target tonight.
"Don't worry about it," he said now, so close to her that his breath caressed her skin. She could feel the ghost of the heat from his shower wafting off of him. "When they see you in this dress, they'll forgive you."
Michonne pushed out a bemused scoff, actually rolling her eyes now. "This dress is too damn small. I don't know what Maggie was thinking."
Rick smiled, focusing on the zipper, but wanting to move in even closer. She did look amazing in this dress. And she smelled divine. He thought maybe Maggie was being smart. He stopped fooling himself as he gave a firm but gentle tug and got the zipper to move slowly upward. He had been pushing an ever-growing attraction to Michonne to the back of his mind for months. He was mesmerized by her smooth, chocolate brown skin, tucked inside this jet black fabric, as he slowly closed it off from his view with the silver zipper. He felt himself twitch and stiffen against his snug jeans, so he finished the job and stepped back.
"You look good, Michonne." He offered, hoping she wouldn't hear the note of huskiness in his voice. She hadn't turned around to face him again, and he bit his lip, wondering if she'd heard him.
"Thanks..." she said softly over her shoulder, doing a little shimmy to get the dress to fit her better, tugging at the too-short A-line garment to get it as low on her legs as she could. Even under the skirt of the dress, he could make out the curve of her round bottom. Damn.
And she had long, shapely legs. They were bare tonight. Dark, smooth, rich brown, and she must have used that body butter stuff he'd watched her make once after her shower, because her skin had a gorgeous glow to it and it smelled like coconut oil. Rick swallowed hard, now not wishing for her to turn around, enjoying being able to let his eyes drink their fill of her without anyone looking.
The way she looked, she wasn't doing him any favors. He'd been feeling unenthusiastic about this get-together tonight, to put it gently, but all that went away as soon as he saw her in this dress.
He would take a couple of hours of uncomfortable small talk for the sight of Michonne gliding around in this thing. It was jet black and strappy, with a full skirt that still seemed to hug all her curves. It was so rare for them to be able to really get cleaned up, smell nice, and dress like they had somewhere to be. He loved the way Michonne looked when she was fighting-so powerful and focused. Her body was amazing, nimble, graceful and strong .
But he very much liked this slinky, sexy version of her, too.
Rick was looking forward to being close to her again, especially like this, and especially after what felt like forever of them being off on their own, taking care of shit that needed taking care of around Alexandria. Even when they were home, they seemed to be on opposite schedules, juggling taking care of Judith with Carol and Carl. Rick getting up at the crack of dawn to go to work on the walls or her coming home to sleep after her runs on the weekends with Glenn or Daryl. They barely seemed to have time to do anything more than a quick update on their comings and goings and maybe some light problem-solving every couple of days or so.
Rick pushed all that out of his mind, getting exhausted just thinking about it. Tonight he was clean, a lot had gotten done, and they were as safe as they could be. He felt maybe he could relax a little bit.
He just wished Michonne would do the same.
He leaned against the dresser near the door, crossing his arms and watching Michonne walk back and forth, gathering things to finish getting dressed. He couldn't help but notice that she was avoiding looking at him, instead casting her eyes downward as she collected her shoes and fixed her hair (she was wearing it loose tonight, hiding her face behind it...uncharacteristic of her, but also damned sexy).
He sat up straighter, caught off guard when she came towards him and held out her hand, dropping her shoes to the floor in front of her. She hadn't caught him staring because she refused to look at him. He took her hand and allowed her to use him to balance herself as she slipped on the shoes. Rick paused to enjoy the moment, feeling something faintly like deja vu come over him. He could picture Lori doing exactly the same thing. Hell, maybe she had once or twice. That life seemed too far off to tell what was real and what was his imagination anymore. He focused on the present.
When she was done, Michonne turned to leave the room, muttering "Okay, ready."
He didn't let her escape so easy, holding fast to her hand and forcing her to turn and face him finally. "Hey. Michonne." Rick tilted his head, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb, and she angled her eyes at him but didn't lift hers. Her depriving him of the full view of her face was starting to bother him. He had found it sexy a moment ago, but now it kinda hurt. He hadn't been able to talk to her, really talk to her like they used to, in a while. Maybe the last time was before the church tower fell and the walkers got in. "What is it?"
Michonne straightened up and let go of his hand to slip on her light jacket. "Nothing. We're late, Maggie's gonna kill me."
Rick nodded, standing up straight too and following her out into the hall without another word. He knew there was something else bothering her, but she was right. They were late, and even though that dress looked damned good on her, he also knew that they were holding things up. So he sighed as they descended the stairs and greeted Carl, who was holding Judith at the landing.
"About time," Carl muttered, patting a fidgeting Judith lightly on the back. "She's gettin' fussy. We should give her some juice or something when we get there."
Michonne smiled for the first time that night, Rick noticed, as she straightened Carl's tie and kissed Judith on the head. He never tired of seeing her with his kids. She was so good with them. It just seemed to come naturally to her, and he was grateful. Sometimes so grateful that he had to take a step back and swallow down a confession in his throat. Sometimes he wanted to tell her exactly what it meant to him, seeing her with them, but he opted to just show her by giving her his complete trust with them. Michonne was good at reading him. Or at least she used to be. He straightened his own tie and tore his eyes away from her to retrieve his jacket.
"You look great. I like that dress Maggie picked out for you." He heard his son say. He couldn't help smiling to himself before turning to face them again, tugging on his jacket to loosen it.
"It's too short, but thanks, kid." Michonne answered as Rick took Judith from Carl. She wasted no time leading them through the front door. "You boys clean up pretty nice yourselves," she added as she waited for Rick to lock the door.
"Glad you think so," he replied, rubbing the stubble on his chin as he turned back to face her. "I would've shaved but…"
"It's fine. This isn't so bad." Michonne reached up and touched his face before she could stop herself. She was supposed to be annoyed with him. She couldn't put her finger on why just yet. She dropped her hand as his eyes glinted behind the contact and turned away. Rick was determined to get her to look at him for longer than two seconds together before the night was over. Maybe even to talk to him beyond terse platitudes.
"So, I brought Maggie a present by the house earlier." Carl was saying as they walked down towards the Monroe home. "This is a baby shower, right? Maggie's gonna announce that she's...you know...pregnant?"
"That's the last time I let you bribe me into gossiping with you." Michonne said, letting Carl's endless curiosity put her somewhat at ease as they walked briskly through the quiet streets. "Keep it zipped until she decides to tell people, okay?"
Rick wanted to ask if it was chocolate that got her to tell Carl about Maggie, but kept quiet as he listened to his son and his best friend doing their thing.
"I know, I know. But...she's doing it tonight, right? Enid and I have a bet."
To anyone observing, they looked like a family. Michonne, dark dreads hanging down her back and the slight breeze rustling her skirt, leading the Grimes men through their neighborhood. Rick, holding his baby daughter with his son matching his stride behind her.
All that was missing was for her hand to be in his.
Maggie immediately put Michonne to work when they arrived, leaving Rick and Carl to fend for themselves.
Carl wasted no time finding Enid, and together they passed Judith on to Carol and went off to get up to...whatever it was they got up to these days. Rick chose not to think about it too much, or the fact that Carl's voice was getting deeper and deeper with each passing month, it seemed.
Though they'd had a couple of these town get-togethers by now, Rick still found them hard to get through. Every time seemed to get a bit easier, but this time there was no Deana or Reg. Spencer was moving through the crowd talking to people, but there was something lacking there. A certain warmth that both his parents had. Even Rick knew the difference. He felt kinda bad for Spencer. But at least he was trying. He was a good kid. Clumsy. But good.
Soon, it became apparent who sided with Rick in the 'uncomfortable making small talk' department. Daryl, Rick, Abraham and Sasha stood by in a corner of the big living room, taking periodic sips of beer and not talking to each other. They were all pretty comfortable with this set up.
For his part, Rick just watched the crowd. Nodding or smiling in greeting to whomever caught his eye. Noting the absence of those they'd lost. Most people wouldn't think it, but he knew each and every loss, and most of the names and faces of the Alexandrians they'd lost, not just his people. Among his people, though, were Father Gabriel...and Morgan. Rick's chest tightened and he swallowed, thinking about the loss of Morgan, until Daryl spotted Carol and excused himself.
So far, everyone was just talking. Catching up. Loosening up. Rick supposed this was Glenn's strategy, to get everyone to relax before whatever it was that was coming.
Michonne came into his view, finally, and he knew he didn't have to hide that he was staring at her, because she had been avoiding eye contact with him since they arrived forty five minutes ago. He was working on his beer, working on his nerve, because he wanted to confront her about her attitude towards him. He didn't like this. She was rarely annoyed with him and he preferred to keep it that way. The last time, sure he deserved it, but this time he had no idea what he'd done to piss her off. He didn't like not being on the same page with her. He needed that. Aside from Daryl and Glenn, there was no one else he trusted more than Michonne. Just being around her seemed to clear his head, especially these days. Her avoiding him like this was driving him up a damn wall.
And her looking so good tonight wasn't helping matters. Rick took a big gulp of his beer, finishing it off.
"You sure you don't know what's going on with those guys?" Sasha pried again for the upteenth time, and he turned to see her casting side-long looks at Maggie, Glenn, Michonne and Spencer, who were now huddled in the kitchen.
Rick shrugged. "We've all been too busy to catch up properly," he offered lamely.
It was the truth, but also an excuse. He didn't really want to know what they were up to. He hadn't been in the mood or mindset for politics. He already knew what his plan of action was: Get this place safe, train those people to hold their own, and go hunt those Wolves down to destroy them all before they came back for seconds.
"I guess we'll find out soon enough."
"Right." Sasha deadpanned, clearly not believing him. "Well the way you've been eyeballing Michonne all night, it seems pretty clear to me you're waiting for something . I guess we will find out, then."
He barely had time to react to her words before Jessie obscured Rick's view of Michonne. He straightened his posture as she found his eyes and began making her way through the crowd towards their group.
Sasha suddenly announced that she was getting more beer. Abraham followed after her, leaving Rick alone to talk to Jessie. She offered him a soft smile as she took Sasha's place leaning next to him against the windowsill. Michonne had been wrong-they weren't the last ones to arrive. This was the first time he'd seen Jessie since they got here. He had shamefully decided against stopping in again before heading home, to make sure she was okay and still coming. He was too exhausted at the time to exert the last of his energy doing the dance they were doing. Besides, he'd been pretty diligent up until this point.
Checking on her had gotten to be something he just folded into his schedule, no matter what the day held. He just felt...guilty. And he got annoyed with himself for feeling guilty. He didn't quite understand himself around this woman. He just knew that helping her felt like the right thing to do.
"Hey." She said, and he nodded his head in greeting.
"You made it. I was wonderin' if you'd feel like it."
Jessie returned his nod, her eyes looking a little less sad than they had the day before. "Maggie and I talked." She lowered her voice and leaned in closer. "She told me the good news. She's...really sweet."
Rick gave her a pleasantly surprised look and agreed with her. "She is. I'm glad you two talked."
"Don't worry, I won't spill. I have a feeling she wants to tell everyone tonight. You know? Get everyone excited about something."
Rick tilted his head at her, his eyes narrowing into hers. That was an interesting notion. He remembered when he found out Lori was pregnant. His instincts then had been to feel excitement, pride, even. But Lori had quickly soured that. Being pregnant in this world wasn't necessarily good news. But he wouldn't trade Judith for anything. Lori spared him from having to, anyway. He realized that now.
"Where's Sam?" He asked, pushing thoughts of Lori aside, wanting to change the subject.
Jessie looked embarrassed, then she simply shrugged sadly. "He refuses to come out of the back bedroom." He couldn't think of what to say as she laughed cheerlessly. "But at least I got him to leave the house."
Once again, Rick felt sympathy for her course through him. He placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a supportive squeeze. "He'll come around, Jessie. Just be patient with him."
It was all he could offer. He didn't like himself much for it, but he knew he had been purposefully avoiding having to talk about the kiss they shared before all hell broke loose. To this day, he had no idea why he'd done it. And he had regretted it as soon as it was over. He couldn't think of how to tell her that, so he just dumbly avoided it.
"Thanks, Rick. For everything." Jessie placed her hand on his and squeezed back, keeping his gaze. He could see the questions behind all the sadness in her eyes, clear as day. He knew she wanted to ask him about them, if there was such a thing. He knew there wasn't, but saying it out loud seemed like kind of a dick move right this moment.
Then suddenly, her eyes went wide and focused past him, and he turned to see Sam standing there, looking pale but at least a bit more lucid than the last time he'd seen him. Jessie let go of Rick's hand and knelt toward her son, her eyes sparkling with surprise. "Hey, bud. What's up?"
"I'm hungry, mom." Was all he said, not looking at Rick, but staring into his mother's eyes. Rick had to hand it to the kid. He was trying. Thinking about it, they were all trying. The Alexandrians. He knew Michonne wanted him to, and he'd been resisting it for reasons he couldn't examine properly, but he had to admit that she was right.
"Okay...well...let's go get you a snack." Jessie stood up and took his hand, turning to flash Rick a happy, hopeful look. He returned her smile, and patted Sam on the head. "See you in a bit?"
"Sure." He lifted his empty beer bottle in a 'see you later' gesture and watched her lead her son into the kitchen.
And then his eyes found Michonne again.
She was looking right at him. He shifted his jaw and felt his dick harden at the look in her eyes. She started moving toward him, having finished whatever talk she was having with Maggie and the others. He didn't take his eyes off of her as he watched her move those hips of hers across the room, headed straight for him.
"Is Rick on board?" Maggie had asked Michonne as they were laying out more mixers and plastic cups for people to make their own drinks.
Michonne sighed, avoiding Maggie's gaze as she set two stacks of cups up next to a bowl of punch on the big kitchen island. "We haven't exactly had a chance to discuss it," she admitted, bracing herself for Maggie's annoyance.
"Oh, come on ." Spencer's voice cut in; he'd been eavesdropping on the other side of the island, pretending to be making himself a drink. "Are you serious? You didn't tell him?"
"Oh shit." Now Glenn had appeared out of nowhere, standing next to Maggie, leaning over to look at Michonne in disbelief.
Michonne huffed out a breath, blowing a loose lock of hair out of her face, and stood up straight, gazing at them defiantly. "Look, he hasn't exactly been easy to talk to lately, okay? He's got other plans."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Spencer growled, leaning in closer, forgetting his pretense of a drink.
"Hey, calm down!" Michonne hissed, glaring at him. "I'll handle Rick. He's not going to fight us on this."
"You sure about that, Michonne?" Glenn uttered soberly, his gaze gentle but his meaning clear. He knew Rick better than any of them standing here. She swallowed, her gaze softening as well.
"Trust me. Please. This is going to work. We're this close to doing this shit the right way." She looked at them all in turn, now, her gaze hopeful and encouraging. "He'll get on board."
"She's got it." Maggie spoke resolutely, staring at Michonne. She nodded her agreement and turned to Glenn, reaching down to squeeze his hand. "Rick will do what she asks."
Michonne's eyes unwillingly rose to find the subject of their hushed conversation. Rick was standing all the way across the room, leaning against the window and talking to Jessie. The pretty blonde looked sad, but determined. Michonne saw Rick squeeze Jessie's shoulder, and turned her eyes away again.
When she was facing her co-conspirators again, Maggie was handing two beers out to her, a meaningful look in her eyes. In fact, all three of them were looking at her the same way. "We're gonna make the announcement in about ten or fifteen minutes."
Michonne took the beers and stood up straight, understanding completely.
"Just talk to him." Glenn said, his hand on Maggie's shoulder. "He trusts you, Michonne. We trust you. Maggie's right, you got this."
Her eyes flickered toward Spencer. He stood holding his empty cup, looking as though he'd been outvoted. He shrugged. "If you guys say it's cool, I believe you. I just don't wanna lose more people. We need this to work."
She nodded and sighed, turning to face the room. Carol sauntered over holding Judith, eyeing the tall, gorgeous black woman knowingly. "Is she going in?" She muttered, not quiet enough for Michonne to miss her words.
Michonne tuned them out and focused on Rick. He was patting Sam's head. She waited until Jessie was leading her son towards the kitchen and then she started making her way towards him. She paused to give Jessie and Sam a soft smile but otherwise kept her eyes on Rick.
He was standing there, staring at her, like usual. His beautiful eyes and those delicious looking lips making her sex tingle again. She didn't know exactly what she planned to do, but she also knew that she couldn't wait to be close to him. To breathe in his naturally musky scent, to hear his scratchy, southern drawl. She loved the way he was looking at her, she always did.
She couldn't help gazing back at him, giving him permission to look her up and down as she got closer and closer. She finally arrived at the back of the spacious living room and held out one of the beers to him.
"Thank you," he took it, leaning on air again, a smile on his scruffy face.
He opened their beers with his pocket knife, and both took long gulps at the same time.
"You're welcome." Michonne breathed, grinning at him as they came up for air.
"What the hell is tonight about, Michonne?" He asked her straight up, taking another sip of his beer, his eyes locked on hers.
Her smiled faltered, but she shrugged. "Maggie's with child. And we all needed a drink."
"Is that all?"
Michonne frowned. "Oh, are we accusing me of keeping secrets, now? Takes one to know one, right?"
Rick clenched his jaw. There was that attitude again. He straightened his posture rigidly, shaking his head at her but making an effort to restrain his frustration. "Did I do somethin' to piss you off?"
She blinked, taken off guard. She still hadn't figured out why exactly she was so annoyed with him, and he was already calling her out.
"What are you talking about?" She hedged, her pretty face soft and partially hidden by her gorgeous locks.
Rick sighed, glancing around at the crowded room full of Alexandria residents. Jessie was watching her son eat one of Carol's cookies. Maggie and Glenn were talking with Sasha and Abraham. Rosita and Tara were talking in a huddle in the corner. Spencer was an obvious third wheel amongst Aaron and Daryl. Everyone else was otherwise occupied, letting the low-playing music ease them into forgetting, momentarily, what lay in wait beyond the walls.
He suddenly just wanted to be alone with Michonne.
He turned his eyes back to her, and touched her arm, his fingers briefly caressing her soft skin.
"Let's go outside."
Michonne hesitated, but agreed, leading him through the room and out onto the landing that led down to the back patio. The warm glow of the lone patio light made her skin look beautiful as he followed her out there. The night air was cool and he was grateful for it, because he was feeling hot and tense just looking at her.
She turned around and took him in. He was staring at her with his lips slightly parted, his expression expectant. He looked damned good, his arms straining against his shirt and jacket, his stance rigid but graceful. His eyes glinting in the semi-darkness.
"What?" She demanded quietly.
"You tell me what." He answered, his drawl drawing out his low retort. "You've been actin' like you can't stand to be around me all night."
She faltered at the quiet tinge of hurt in his voice. Rick shifted on his feet, waiting. Michonne finally had enough of being standoffish with him. She had to be honest, now. She took a long swig of her beer and sighed. "Maggie and Spencer want to take over Alexandria." She confessed, watching his face for his reaction. He blinked rapidly but didn't speak yet. "And they want to start bringing in more people. They want you...they want us …to help them build a community. A real community." She beseeched him with her eyes.
"And you didn't think you could tell me?"
Michonne bit her lip, feeling her skin tingle under his intense blue stare. Now she remembered why she was so damned annoyed with him, and let loose. "Like you would've listened. All you care about lately is treating these people like-"
"Like what ?" He growled, stepping closer to her, his muscles tense. Michonne flinched but didn't move. He didn't scare her. "I'm protecting us. All of us. Like you asked."
She was just as annoyed as he was, and she wasn't going to let him get away with being an asshole for weeks, but she couldn't think of what to say just yet. There were a lot of things on her mind, not least of which was how damned attracted she was to him, and how much she hated him for it. No...she didn't hate him. She hated how he made her feel, and how unignorable it was becoming since they got to Alexandria.
Rick licked his lips, looking her up and down, annoyed with her yet so attracted to her that he couldn't stop himself from moving still closer. "You think I'm fuckin' around, Michonne?" He accused, squinting at her. "You think I'm out there working my ass off for shits and giggles?"
"No, Rick." She said defiantly, crossing her arms and glaring at him. "All I know is that you're not telling me something. You could've had a say in all this, but you're keeping your distance and biding your time. For what?"
Rick shook his head, his eyes flickering down to his beer bottle. "So we're both not telling each other things. What d'you suppose we do about that?"
Michonne continued to glare. "I'm serious. Tell me the truth."
"What do you wanna know?"
"Are you planning to take this place by force?"
Rick scoffed, rubbing his cheek and smirking off into the distance at her audacity. He finally turned back to her, and said simply: "No. My turn."
Michonne waited, the fire in his eyes making her uneasy.
"Is that why you've been actin' like this? You thought I was gonna go behind your back and take this place?"
She shifted her weight, her free hand on her hip. She couldn't lie to him. "I wasn't sure."
He advanced on her, stopping short of getting right in her face. "Tell me what to do, then." He breathed, clenching his jaw. He couldn't help himself. This woman had a hold on him, and he hated how it made him feel like he would do anything to please her. "I'm doing all this because you asked me to. Because you believe in it. But we gotta make this place safe first. I trust you more than anybody, and I thought you trusted me. I thought you were with me. If what I'm doin' now isn't enough, then what is ?"
"What…?" She whispered, her brow furrowed, her heart pounding. The way he was looking at her...she hated how easily he got her body going, with just the look in his eyes. God, he was sexy. He was standing close to her, but leaning away. She could tell, though, that he was poised to strike.
"I want what you want, Michonne." He rasped, his breath caressing her face. "Tell me what you want."
She remembered again, Deanna's last words to her. What did she want? When she thought of Judith and Carl and Rick...and a home, and a chance at a real life, and...love. She knew what she wanted. She had to get him on board with their plan, but she also wanted more than anything for Rick Grimes to want her . To want to be with her. She had forgotten what this felt like, loving a man. But she realized, right then and there in the cool evening breeze on the back patio, that she loved him. And she wanted him to fuck her. Hard. And then slow. Anywhere and any time he wanted to. In any position, on any surface.
And he wanted it too, she could see in his dark cerulean eyes as he gazed at her, waiting for her answer.
"You really wanna know?" She said breathily, her full, soft lips capturing his attention. He wanted her . He had wanted her for months. There was no denying it to himself anymore.
Rick nodded, swallowing hard, but held his ground. "Ask me."
Michonne stepped into him, pressing her breasts against his hard chest. She could hardly believe herself for what she was about to do, but she also didn't really care. What she wanted, in that moment, was to finally be able to satisfy this ever-intensifying ache that she felt whenever she thought of him, alone in the dark. She was sick of him stopping short of checking her out. She wanted action.
He tilted his head and his eyes fell to her lips again as she uttered: " Stop looking and just fuck me already, Rick. "
He huffed out a breath, his eyes widening at her words. Then he wasted zero seconds capturing her lips with his, reaching up to cup her beautiful face with his free hand as he kissed her eagerly. Her lips were full, pillow-soft, and slightly damp from the beer. They felt delicious against his, as he always fantasized that they would. He felt a surge of longing and lust course through his body as he pressed his lips to hers over and over again, grinding his rapidly hardening bulge into her each time he went in for another taste of her.
Heat skyrocketed through him, caressing his cock, and making him painfully hard as he let go of her face and eagerly reached under her dress to cup her full, round bottom in a possessive grip.
Michonne gasped and Rick immediately dipped his tongue into her mouth, lapping at hers slowly. She felt her pussy quiver and clench and her panties grow wet as Rick's hand groped her ass and he used his arm to press her body into his. She almost dropped her beer as she felt him, long and astoundingly hard, pressing into her like a hot pipe. Fuck , she was getting wetter and wetter as Rick tasted every inch of her mouth and circled his tongue with hers relentlessly.
They heard a high-pitched 'clink, clink, clink' sound coming out through the open windows from the house, and Michonne reluctantly broke off the kiss to look up through the windows. Shit, had it been ten minutes already? Someone was knocking a spoon or something against a glass. They were about to start the announcement.
She turned back to Rick, who was still holding her tightly against him, still leaning in for another kiss. His pupils had bloomed wide and intense with lust. "To be continued?" She breathed, and he followed the movement of her lips with his gaze.
Instead of answering, he took another kiss, squeezing her in his warm hand again. "Be quick."
"You on board?" She raised an eyebrow at him, knowing she she still had a mission.
Rick chuckled and bit his lip, squeezing her again. "I always am. Now, hurry up."
The huskiness in his voice sent a shiver through her and she felt her sex quiver with anticipation . Then he let go of her and stepped back, taking another swig of his beer, not taking his eyes from hers. Michonne gave him a slow smile as she straightened her dress and left him to follow her back up to the house.
Spencer was just telling everyone the good news about Maggie when they finally made it back inside. Rick hung back and let Michonne make her way into the crowd towards the front of the room, where Maggie and Glenn embraced her.
He was nursing a pretty intense hard on and he needed to get a handle on it before he went up there. But the thought of finally kissing Michonne, touching her in all the places he'd always secretly wanted to touch her, and then being inside her later. God , hearing that smooth voice of hers moan 'stop looking and fuck me' ...it was making his blood pump in a steady swell of arousal through his chest to his groin. He couldn't take his eyes off her as he stood rigidly by the back door, taking periodic sips of his beer for something to do. She was beautiful. Strong. A damned good fighter. A protector for his kids. His best friend. And she could sway him like the wind with just the look in her eyes.
He was in love with her, he realized. It hit him like a brick and created a thick knot in his throat. He loved her and he wanted her like nobody's business. He wanted to roll around with her in bed, he wanted to smell of her sex. He wanted her in his mouth, on his cock, anywhere and everywhere she would have him. Rick was burning up with anticipation, planning what he was going to do to her later. Just thinking about tasting her was making his mouth water.
"Rick?" Jessie was there, suddenly, and everyone was looking at him. Jessie squinted at him curiously, her sad eyes peering into his face. She blinked hard at the look in his eyes, dropping her own but gesturing to the front, where everyone was still staring at him. "You're up."
They had asked him to the front. Rick walked rigidly through the crowd, hoping no one would look down and notice that his black jeans were uncomfortably tight.
He congratulated Maggie with a loose hug, careful not to get too close, and shook Glenn's hand, giving him a brotherly squeeze on the head. He stood next to Michonne, her body heat and the sporadic touch of her skin against his making his heart thump in his chest. He only looked at her once, and couldn't keep his eyes from flickering to her lips, so he turned his head forward and tried to focus on his surroundings.
Everyone was looking at them, waiting. Jessie's eyes were glued to his, her blonde head peeking up in a part in the crowd at the back of the room. He suddenly felt a pang of regret, looking at her. He had handled his relationship with her clumsily, for a whole bunch of reasons he couldn't even begin to unravel yet. He'd make it up, somehow. Make it right. Balanced.
Then she tore her eyes away to focus on Spencer, who had started talking about the community. About Deanna's plans for expansion. About he and Maggie's decision to be joint leaders, with the community's blessing, to see her plans to fruition. They talked about Michonne and Rick continuing to arm them properly, and prepare them to stand against more Wolves, more walkers, or anything else that might threaten them.
Rick stood there and listened, and realized why Michonne had been so anxious about how he'd take all this. He didn't exactly have all that much confidence in Spencer's leadership abilities. But he also realized that he would go along. He trusted Maggie and he didn't want a fight. Not really. He would do it if he had to, but Michonne was right. There was no need to make something happen. They were all in this together now; that was the reality of the situation. He could let Maggie and Spencer handle the politics and do what he did best. Protect. Build. Provide for his kids. His family. With Michonne at his side, backing him up. He preferred things that way.
When it was over, they all took a vote. Rick didn't have to say much, just stand there and look as though he'd known all along and was on board. The community agreed to their plan, some albeit reluctantly. Rick didn't worry too much-that was Spencer and Maggie's job, now.
"Hey, thanks, man." Glenn muttered, cutting Rick's step towards Michonne off and grasping him by the shoulder. "This is gonna work. I know you have your reservations, but I'm glad you're giving this a shot."
Rick sighed and focused on Glenn, but kept Michonne in his peripheral. "I'm just glad you're back." Rick answered. "I'm happy for you both. I know you two have got this. All of it. Baby included."
They grinned at each other, and then it seemed like all 'his people' had converged, asking him questions and seeking reassurance. "You really gonna do this, man?" Daryl asked in a low, hopeful voice.
Rick nodded. "You were right. We need to start thinking beyond survival...I want a future for this place, too."
"Still can't believe you didn't tell us." Sasha stood with her arms crossed, looking defiant as always. Then she softened, loosening her stance. "But...I'm glad you came around. So let's do this."
They all hit him in a wave, it seemed. Carol bringing Judith to him and whispering her serious approval. Carl and Enid suddenly re-appearing and his son telling his dad he thought he was doing the right thing. Abraham giving him a fist bump and Rosita giving him a thumbs up from the punch bowl across the room. A few Alexandrians even came to tell him that they supported him, and they were fully on board with learning how to fight. And Jessie came. Rick had lost Michonne from the corner of his eye and suddenly Jessie was there with Sam clinging to her front, her arms around his shoulders.
The boy stared up at him, and Jessie had a curious look on her face. "What can I do?" She asked, causing him to blink at her rapidly. "To help? Give me a job. I'm ready, now. I won't let you down."
Rick sighed and stepped closer to her, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder. "Just stick close to Sam and let me think about it, alright?" He looked off, pretending to be thinking of it now, but really searching the room for Michonne. He finally spotted her, glancing back at him as she walked slowly through the hallway towards the back bedroom. Rick turned immediately back to Jessie to end the conversation. "And I think I know just the thing. But let's celebrate for now. Sam?" He knelt toward the young, traumatized boy and smiled. "Carl's on gift duty, there's a few piled up over there for Maggie and Glenn. Why don't you and your mom give him a hand?"
Sam looked up at his mom first, but eventually nodded. Jessie looked like she wanted to say more, but she let her son lead her away towards the baby shower gifts. Rick waited until he saw Maggie and Jessie embrace before turning and stepping quickly though the crowd towards where he'd seen Michonne.
He didn't look at anyone or even pretend to be focused on anything other than getting back to that bedroom.
He felt his dick jump to life as he strode into the dark hallway, thinking of her waiting for him, her long, lean body swathed in that sexy ass dress. He wanted to wrap his fingers in her dreadlocks and fuck her from behind; he wanted to watch that exquisite, dark brown ass of hers slam into his dick over and over again. He wanted to taste her. Rick licked his lips as he reached the door, and he forced himself to come to a stop and be still. He took a deep breath and reached up to deliver a soft knock.
The door breezed open and there she stood, staring at him with those big, gorgeous eyes of hers.
Rick looked back once to make sure everyone was still enjoying the party and that no one had followed or noticed he'd gone. Satisfied, he turned again to face Michonne, advancing on her heatedly as he stepped through the door and closed it behind him.
Michonne stood still, feeling his gaze burning her up from head to toe. She felt proud and grateful. She felt incredibly attracted to him. She felt like she felt the day she first saw him, glaring at her through a mesh fence around a big, stone prison. And her eyes dropped to his pants as he glared at her with unabashed lust now. She saw his dick through the black fabric, straining down his leg, making him lean slightly to the side. It looked big, and she felt her pussy throb when it twitched under her gaze in the dim lamp light in the room.
Rick turned and locked the door. Then he took a step towards her, taking off his jacket as he eyed her up and down. Those blue eyes of his shining.
"I'm gonna go after the Wolves…" he grunted, taking another step and throwing the jacket on the bed. She frowned, her brain catching up to his words too late as he advanced on her. "That's what I wasn't tellin' you. But I wanna do things your way first."
Michonne's lips parted as Rick was suddenly all up in her personal space, his hands gently trailing along her body to grasp her and pull her into his arms. And oh god, she felt it. That rock hard cock of his, straining through his pants, pushing into her pelvis and thigh.
"I want you with me on this." Rick nipped at her lips with his plump, pink mouth. Again and again. Then he turned her around in a flash, pressing her ass against his groin, grinding into her from behind. He cupped her breast through the fabric of the dress with one strong hand and reached under the skirt of the dress with his other. Her breath caught in her throat as his warm fingers trailed up her thigh, finding her opening. "I need you with me."
She whimpered as he slowly massaged her swollen, throbbing clit with his index finger through the soft fabric of her panties. He huffed out a harsh breath against her ear as he parted her legs with his foot and pushed the damp garment aside to dip his finger into her hot, wet folds.
" Jesus , Michonne…" he groaned, burying his face in her neck and thrusting futilely against her with his hard on. She was so wet. She was scorching inside. Her soft pubic hair was soaked, clinging to her flesh just at the top of her slit. He massaged her sex with his fingers, his erection so intense it was painful.
The echo of voices and low music hummed at them from outside the bedroom, but they were lost in each other. Michonne's hips moved in a steady grind against him, her ass rubbing sensuously against his erection as his fingers explored her slick folds. "Tell me." He whispered hoarsely, nipping at her earlobe, his thick index finger sliding into her. Her sex quaked around him and he cupped her possessively, causing her to push her ass into him again and nod slowly.
"Yes." Michonne hissed, biting her lip. "I'm with you, Rick."
He suddenly couldn't contain himself. He wanted to taste her so bad. He had been wanting her in his mouth since he'd nearly come in his sleep dreaming about it weeks ago. He let go of her breast and slipped his fingers from inside her to reach down with both hands and snatch her panties down her legs.
Michonne hurriedly stepped out of them and kicked off her shoes, her sex pulsing with anticipation as she heard Rick exhale roughly. She turned around to see him gliding to his feet, loosening his tie, staring her down.
"Get on the bed." He commanded in a hoarse grunt.
She felt a chill ripple through her, straight to her clit, and she complied.
Rick got his tie loose and undid two buttons on his shirt. He ran a hand through his hair and knelt before her as she lay on her back against a pile of jackets, staring at him. He was on his knees, and his eyes were hooded, predatory moonstones that caught her in their grip and wouldn't let her go.
He took hold of her by the thighs and settled down on his knees, pushing her legs up so that her knees rested almost at her shoulders-her sex fully exposed to him. The warm, tingly breeze from his breath caressed her pussy deliciously, making her breathless.
Rick dropped his eyes from hers to get a good, long look at her bare sex. Goddamn, she was sexy. Her dark lips were glistening with precum, her clit large and brown with a tinge of pink peeking out at him. He licked his own lips before leaning in and running his tongue along her flesh, folding his mouth over her sex and groaning with satisfaction.
Michonne gasped as Rick clutched at her thighs, holding her in place with a firm grip, sucking her pussy into his hot mouth. She felt every sensation so intensely that she had to grab at his head to keep from slipping off the bed in a quivering heap. But he held her firmly in place, his hot breath and his thick, slick tongue diving in and out of her, then up and down and circling her swollen bud firmly. She reveled in the feel of his scratchy stubble prickling at her smooth thighs as he lapped her up and down like she was an ice cream cone.
She wasn't going to last long if he kept this up, her whole body was becoming fine-tuned to his administrations. She arched her back to get her clit as deep in his mouth as possible, massaged his scalp whenever he drove his tongue into her forcefully, or widened her legs at his urging. The hum of voices and music lulled her as he sucked at her over and over, drawing an orgasm closer and closer, making her muscles tighten and a desperate moan escape her lips. "Fuck...Rick...yes! Ohhh god…"
Rick's ears perked up and his erection throbbed at the sound of her moaning his name. He made an eager, hungry noise in his throat and surged on, reveling in the feel of her slender fingers in his hair and her wet center in his mouth. He totally forgot about the world beyond this bedroom door; he only concentrated on losing himself between Michonne's thighs. He could hardly believe this was happening...just a day or so ago, he felt like she'd been slipping through his fingers. They were never together for longer than enough time to say 'hey', catch up with the kids, eat and sleep.
Now though, she was writhing around against his face, thrusting her hips into him, moaning for him. He was grateful that the party sounded like it was coming to life, judging by the laughter and loud talking wafting towards them through the locked door. But he felt so proud and so horny at the fact knowing that she could hardly keep her voice down that he now had to feel her come in his mouth. Determinedly, Rick massaged her clit with his tongue in firm, relentless circles. Then he dipped one thick finger inside her, pumping in and out steadily. He cured his finger as he pumped, causing her to buck against him. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, yes, yes, yes, yes… " she was humming as quietly as she could in a reverent mantra, and he continued until his tongue felt like it would break.
Finally, Michonne broke apart around him, shuddering violently with the force of her orgasm. He lapped up every drop and squeezed her thighs in his hands as she came. Rick stayed put as she rode it out with her fingers still entwined in his hair, undulating against him, her legs wide, her skin glistening.
She shook in his grasp sporadically for a moment, and then released him. Rick kissed her thighs indulgently before letting them slip from his hands and standing up slowly. They didn't have much time, but he couldn't help pausing just to take in the sight of her, her eyes hooded by her lashes and her gorgeous body exposed to him from the waist down.
"God, you're beautiful…" he whispered in awe as she stood gracefully to her feet and stepped into him. She grasped his belt to pull him closer, and he came willingly, staring her down.
Michonne's thighs were slick with the remnants of Rick's saliva and her cum. She felt tingly and sensitive after what he'd done to her, and more so because of the way the compliment fell from his thick lips. Like he'd been waiting for a long time to finally say it out loud. It made her wonder how long he'd thought so, how long he'd been biting his tongue, with every look he ever gave her. It made her ache for him.
She knew they didn't have much time-but they had sent her 'in' knowing what could happen (hell, she wouldn't be surprised if they'd all taken bets on it), so she didn't feel guilty about taking a moment to cop a feel of Rick's hard length through his jeans and staring into his eyes.
The look in his eyes as he tugged the strappy top of her dress down made her wet all over again. Finally, he was acting on all those looks he'd given her, all those times he shifted on his feet in her presence like he wanted to get his hands on her. Finally they could behave like two people monstrously attracted to one another, instead of hiding behind the tension of everything else they had to deal with. Michonne's eyes slipped shut as finally Rick dipped his tongue out and licked her right nipple into his mouth.
Fuck how long they were taking...he was swirling her nipple around and around his mouth with his hot tongue, grinding his erection into her. She knew she was going to leave a stain on his pants if he kept this up, so she backed them up to the bed. He didn't detach from her as they fell back amongst the piled of jackets, keeping her nipple trapped in his mouth, sending eddies of electric sensation shooting straight down to her clit.
She was throbbing for him again, and she bucked against his groin impatiently, even as she lost herself in the feel of his mouth going to work on her breast. Rick reached down with one hand to help her undo his belt and pants, switching to tongue the other breast without mercy. The one he left without the benefit of his mouth tingled and perked up in the cool air.
Michonne finally got his pants undone and reached down without hesitation to wrap her hand around his cock, her head swimming with lust. She wanted him in her mouth, desperately, but she also wanted him inside her with a fervor that would not be denied. Rick let go of her breast to grunt and grind himself into her exquisitely soft fingers. Precum pooled and dripped down into her grip, lubricating him for her. She stroked him while she pulled him free of his pants, and soon he was hot and hard, resting against her slick opening. They both moaned in husky whispers as Rick buried his face in her chest and rubbed himself against her. "Michonne...baby…" he couldn't help breathing out.
She bit her lip and wrapped her legs around him, wanting him closer, loving the feel of his weight on top of her. Not giving a damn about the party anymore.
They were lost in the feel of their naked flesh, slick and hot, rubbing against each other slowly...hell, he would come right now if he didn't need to feel himself inside of her so badly.
"Fuck me, Rick…please." She whispered, and he grabbed hold of her hips, lifting his head to crush his lips against hers before thrusting into her powerfully.
She could barely get a sound out before his tongue was inside, devouring her mouth as he pumped in and out of her. His cock was like a piston, stroking her without mercy. They kissed each other fervently as Rick settled down between her legs, grabbing hold of her luscious ass and stroking his hips downward into hers. She was so tight, and she felt so good, he was struggling to keep himself in check. He wanted to feel her come again, feel her walls quake around him, before he could let himself go. He needed to. But he was getting lost inside her. It was all he could do to keep from losing control.
He wanted this all the time. He knew it with certainty as he drove himself in and out of her hot canal, now kissing at her chocolate breasts. There was no turning back, now. She had to be his . They had to be together. He needed her, god he needed her...like this...and more...he wanted to do things to her that would scandalize the whole neighborhood every night, and then he wanted to wake up to the sight of her glowing in the sunlight every morning. God, he hoped she would let him. He didn't think he could stand to go back to pretending this wasn't what he'd wanted for a long time.
Michonne took hold of his face and lifted his gaze to hers. They stared into each other's eyes as he leaned in so close that their lips and noses touched. They kissed every now and then, his cock stroking into her with so much need and so much power that Michonne felt like she would crumble to pieces any second.
She wanted to say it. That she loved him. But she held back. She couldn't now. She didn't want to ruin this...it was so good...holy Christ it was too good…
"I'm coming…! Rick!" she felt herself breaking apart, her pussy quivering and pulsing, a wave of pure pleasure taking over her body. Rick closed his eyes and pumped harder, overwhelmed with the feel of her trembling around him. When he was coming, he reluctantly pulled out, only to have Michonne push him off of her and lithely slide between his legs to take him in her mouth.
He could do nothing but lay back into the pile of jackets and crush his eyes shut as she sucked him dry. The feel of her mouth on him made him come so hard he balled his hands into fists, not wishing them to find their way into her dreadlocks. Michonne licked him from his balls to his head, making sure to catch every drop of his cum. He recovered enough to lift his head and stare at her as she licked him. The very sight coaxed a few dry humps from his still paralyzed hips; if he'd had anything left to give her, though, she was ready for it. She took him in her mouth once more, lubricating him again and letting him go with a quiet 'pop' of her thick lips.
"Jesus fucking Christ…" he muttered hoarsely, running a hand through his hair and laying back again as Michonne crawled up to lay beside him.
"Yeah." She agreed, lifting her left hand up to play with one of her dreads. 'Wow' was also a word that sprang to mind. She had just fucked Rick Grimes. And it was every bit as mind blowing as she'd hoped. It had been so long since she'd done this... any of this...but she fancied she could do a lot more. A whole lot more.
They lay there, breathing, listening to a dance party happening without them, and after a while Rick turned his face to gaze at her. She noticed that he reached down to palm his sated penis, but said nothing, turning to gaze right back at him. She found his brutish little quirks cute.
He was looking at her with the air of a man who no longer had a damned thing to hide. At least, not from her. "I wanna do this again."
She raised an eyebrow at his forwardness, but had to admit that she was glad he was being honest with her. She could use it, after weeks of confusing tension between them. She nodded slowly. "Me too."
Rick exhaled, his breath streaming through his nostrils slowly as he leaned in closer. "Soon?"
Michonne smiled fully, unable to help herself. "Any time."
They kissed softly, their lips lightly touching and peeling away again.
They could no longer stay in this room. Their absence was surely a hot topic by now. They had no idea what they'd be walking out to. It sounded like a hell of a party, but both Rick and Michonne knew that the two of them being gone for at least half an hour would not go unnoticed.
They got dressed-Rick helping Michonne with her zipper again and she helping him with his tie-and straightened themselves up as best they could. Rick couldn't help staring at her happily as she slipped on her shoes, once again using his outstretched hand for balance.
He reached up and pulled a lock of her hair out of her face, leaning in for another kiss. She obliged, inhaling his scent (which was now unmistakably mixed with hers) as his scratchy chin brushed against hers. "So I guess we play it cool out there?"
He shrugged. "I'll follow your lead."
Michonne decided that she wanted to play it cool. This was hers and Rick's. Not anyone else's. Tonight was about Maggie and Glenn's good news, and the future for Alexandria. No matter how curious their friends and family could be, tonight was not the night for more announcements.
In silent agreement, as was their way (finally back in balance now), the two opened the door and walked back out into the party.
Like they predicted, no one missed that they had suddenly reappeared. Together. Most of the eyes in the room drifted their way, and those that didn't looked as though it was on purpose. Luckily Carl seemed to be extremely occupied talking to Enid in Rick's old spot at the back window.
Carol came and handed Judith to Rick. "Good, you're done. I need Michonne and this one needs changing. Diaper bag's in the…" she raised a knowing eyebrow at him. "Well you know."
Rick turned red and took Judith from Carol.
"I don't want to know details, just tell me he's on board and you two are finally done being martyrs."
Michonne had to laugh out loud as Carol wasted no time digging into her, leading her to the kitchen island again to fetch more drinks.
"He's on board." She supplied, gratefully accepting the beer Carol offered her. She was parched after all that delicious fucking...fucking she hoped they could resume as soon as possible. It had been almost two years since she'd felt anything close that good, and she still had a lot more to get out of her system. She fancied Carol was right-they had been fooling themselves. And everyone knew it. Carol was gazing at her with that same annoying, knowing gleam in her pale blue eyes. "And yes, we're done being idiots. That's all you're getting."
Carol smiled. "Fair enough. And good . Rick was getting to be kind of an asshole. He needed to get laid."
"There's more going on, though." Michonne added dutifully ignoring Carol's probing. Carol frowned but she quickly reassured her friend. "But it's not...bad news. Not yet. He's got a plan for the Wolves. But he's not going to act on it now. Not until we get this place up and running again."
The older woman nodded, taking a swig of her own beer.
The party went on some time longer. Everyone seemed to have been dosed with some kind of happy drug. Michonne hadn't seen any of them this carefree in a long, long time. She was happy, herself, just watching them. And watching Rick. He was on Judith duty for the rest of the night, so he didn't get as loose as the others...but he laughed. He smiled. He didn't hide that he was looking at her quite as successfully as usual.
At one point, he found his way to her, holding Judith, and simply stood next to her. They were watching Maggie and Glenn dance to a Nina Simone song. The party was winding down and Rick had a feeling this would be the last hurrah before everyone would disperse for home. They had all earned a good, peaceful, drunken night's sleep. And he couldn't wait to ask Michonne if he could join her for hers.
He turned to look at her in the darkened room, gazing at the graceful slope of her profile, half-hidden behind a veil of dreadlocks. He was in love with her. He didn't know what the future held, but he knew whatever happened, he was going to tell her that. The truth.
He leaned into her, trying to be discreet even with Judith putting his tie in her mouth. "Mind if I crash in your room tonight?"
Michonne lowered her chin towards him but kept her eyes on Glenn and Maggie. "You better."
Someone else had been keeping her eye on them as well. She was sitting on the couch, Sam asleep in her lap, pretending to be happy for Glenn and Maggie. But really she was watching Rick and Michonne every chance she got. She couldn't help it. She couldn't.
Jessie had noticed Rick's coldness, his distance, even when he was acting concerned for her loss and for Sam. He had kissed her before all these horrible things happened, but for all she knew he'd forgotten all about it. And tonight, when she saw the way he was looking at Michonne...all night he'd been staring at the tall, admittedly beautiful woman. All night. Jessie had so many questions, but she didn't have any about what that look was.
Rick wanted her. Jessie knew enough about men to know when a man wanted a woman. And it further saddened and embarrassed her to realize that she'd been hoping, and waiting, for Rick to look at her that way. She realized, sitting on the couch, watching him lean into Michonne with Judith in his arms, whispering into her hair, that he hadn't even looked at her like that when he'd kissed her. His face had been uncertain, and at first she thought it was because he wasn't sure that he had a right to advance on her that way. Something like chivalry, she'd thought.
Hoped. That he hadn't made a move because he was being respectful of all she'd lost. All she'd been through. She was trying for him, but he had only patted her on the shoulder and disappeared for forty minutes with Michonne.
And the Carol woman and Sasha and even Maggie looked at Jessie like they all knew. She was kidding herself. Rick Grimes didn't want her...he was standing with the woman he wanted. And it wasn't Jessie.
Overwhelmed, Jessie gently shook Sam awake and stood to leave.
She clumsily said goodbye to anyone whose path she crossed, hastily thanking Maggie and hugging Spencer before hurrying with Sam to the back bedroom to retrieve their things.
She instantly regretted it when she walked in. The room reeked of sex.
Hot tears stung her eyes when she realized that Michonne and Rick had fucked in this room, probably on this bed. She almost choked on the guilt and anger and embarrassment as she blindly searched for her bag and Sam's vest. She finally found them, unable to take the smell of lust and arousal coating the air a second longer.
She turned and rushed for the door, almost running bodily into Rick, who was still holding Judith.
"Hey, whoa...you okay? You're leaving?"
"What was the point of all this, Rick?' Jessie sobbed, unable to stop herself. He balked, bouncing Judith lightly in his arms, his blue eyes latched onto hers like a deer in headlights. "Why do you...keep stringing me along? Do you think I'm some dumb idiot who can't protect her children like Michonne protects yours, is that it?"
The memory of how Ron died flashed in both their heated gazes, and Rick faltered, lowering his eyes.
"Jessie, I'm…" he started, but she wiped her tears harshly away and shook her head.
"Don't you dare say you're sorry. Forget it." She growled, stepping up to him, her head down, waiting for him to move aside so she could leave. Judith reached out to play with her hair and he gently pulled his daughter's tiny hand back, stepping aside.
Jessie stormed down the hall, found her son without looking at anyone, and left.
Sam looked up at her, silent tears streaming down her face as they walked home. "What's wrong, Mom?"
"Nothing...mommy's just...tired." Jessie answered lamely, wiping her face. She his shoulder and mutely walking him back to their dark, silent, empty home.