A/N: I did a rewatch of S6 and I always feel like writing jealous Rick when I do. I hope you enjoy this little two-parter.
The autumn days were steadily growing cooler as the residents of the Alexandria Safe-Zone busied themselves in preparation for the winter months. The community was a bustling hive of activity in the aftermath of the destruction and turmoil they had endured recently. Life was as calm as could be given the circumstances surrounding their current existence. Rick and Michonne fell into a domesticity that was almost routine, but to Rick, anything but mundane.
The best part of his day was often any and all things that involved Michonne. The playful banter he shared with her; the small, incidental touches that occurred because of their close living quarters; coming home to find her reading to Judith; the way her smile lit up her entire face; how she would wait up for him after a long day; the solace and friendship he found in her. To Rick, just being near Michonne brought him great happiness and he had been aware of it for some time.
Like most days, if Rick was working away inside of the Safe-Zone, he would end up at the house they shared so that he, Michonne, and Judith could partake in lunch together. It was more likely than not a simple meal due to the fact that their rations were low and Michonne was not the best cook, though Rick would never actually say anything about her lack of culinary skill. He thought she walked on water and everything she did was brilliant either way.
As usual around noon, Rick came home to take a quick break and eat. He entered the front door to find Michonne and Carol eating cookies and drinking coffee while Judith took a nap.
"Hey," he greeted jovially as the women responded in kind. "I'm just gonna wash up and I'll be right back."
"Okay," said Michonne. "Soup's almost ready."
Rick went upstairs to his bathroom and washed the soil from his hardened hands. He had not forgotten all he had learned about growing and nurturing plants. He smiled when he thought about the lessons in farming that Hershel had given him; the line about needing a bigger ass always caused Rick to chuckle to himself.
He splashed his face with the cool water, towelled himself dry, and then checked his reflection in the mirror. Using his fingers, he fixed his hair before smoothing down his shirt. He found that he was paying extra attention to his own appearance lately, wanting to present well to Michonne. His tresses were growing and his beard was neat. Pleased with how he looked, Rick made his way back down stairs.
Making his descent, he could hear Michonne laughing with their friend; a grin played on his features at the melodic sound. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he caught a morsel of their conversation.
"He's so gorgeous," said Michonne.
Rick stopped in his tracks; he listened more intently.
"He is pretty cute," replied Carol; Rick knitted his brow and wondered who they were speaking about.
"I know I shouldn't be shirking off my responsibilities to see him, but I can't help it," Michonne offered, "Ugh. I think I'm in love."
Rick felt his stomach drop and a pang stab at his chest; his smile was gone. She was definitely not talking about him. He wondered how it could have happened; how she could have fallen for some other man. They spent all of their spare time together. When she was not out on runs or on watch duty; when he was not busy with community infrastructure and being the leader, they were together. Obviously, she had been spending her time with someone else as well. Rick could not fault her for it; perhaps he had just taken too long in telling her how he really felt.
He stepped down and alerted the two women to his presence. Michonne smiled at Rick and stood, making her way towards the stove top. She retrieved a bowl and began to serve up the warm, steaming potage. Holding the dish out towards Rick, Michonne said, "Here."
"No, thank you," said Rick. "I'm not feelin' that hungry anymore."
Michonne raised her eyebrows and set the bowl down on the counter.
"Oh, okay," she replied, crossing her arms. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah," he offered, untruthfully. "I'm gonna get back to it."
"You sure?"
"Yeah," he remarked. "The land ain't gonna clear itself."
"Well, at least take a cookie," said Michonne as she took two from the container that Carol had brought them in. She handed them over to Rick, their fingers lightly touching as he accepted the food.
"Thank you," said Rick, avoiding Michonne's gaze.
"See you later," she offered.
"Yeah," Rick replied, before leaving the two women confounded by his odd behavior.
xXxXx
The afternoon was pleasant; a light breeze, crisp and fresh, swept across the quiet community as the warm sun shone down. Rick removed his jacket, tossing it over the handle of a nearby wheelbarrow. He wiped his brow, reached for the wire cutter, and continued to fasten the trellises together. Soon they would be able to begin growing crops to sustain their increasing population.
Searching for his water bottle, Rick took a break from his toiling. He glanced over and saw Carl working away diligently not too far from where he was, turning the soil. Just off in the distance, something familiar caught his eye; it was Michonne. Rick watched her a moment as she walked with determination in her stride. He checked his wristwatch and wondered where she was going; she was meant to be taking sentry duty at one of the watch-points.
Maybe she's sneaking off to see that guy, thought Rick sourly. His better judgement told him to leave it alone; that it was none of his business what Michonne was doing, yet somewhere inside of him, he needed to know.
"Carl," he called out, getting the teen's attention. "I'll be back in a minute."
"Okay," replied Carl as Rick dusted his hands on his jeans and followed Michonne.
While Rick had taken some time to get to know most of the residents of Alexandria, some at least by name, he still was not sure of where they all lived. Watching as Michonne approached one of the houses and knocked on the door, he questioned who lived in the large home. The occupant answered and Michonne stepped inside; Rick could not see who it was from where he was standing. He exhaled loudly, bit his bottom lip, and then cursed himself under his breath for how he was acting. He cracked his knuckles, turned, and then walked away; his annoyance at an all-time high.
xXxXx
Later that same day…
"Thank you, Rick," said Gabriel before he turned to leave. He and the leader of the community had been discussing plans for the new parapets. Rick took a moment to take in the immediate area inside of the walls of Alexandria. Work on the fortifications was progressing nicely. Teams were heading out on runs regularly to collect materials at least thrice a week while others tended to planting and nurturing fruit and vegetables; Rick went where he was needed. No task was too small or large. He really did want their new home to succeed despite all of the odds that were stacked against them.
She really was stunning, Rick mused as his gaze inevitably found Michonne by the main gate. He watched her whole face light up when a smile played on her features. The way her head tilted backwards slightly and her eyes rolled shut confirmed that she was laughing, though he was not close enough to have heard her. Rick felt annoyed by her reason for laughing: One of the residents, a man whose name escaped Rick's memory at present, was speaking with Michonne. Whatever it was that the man was telling her was amusing enough for her to laugh rowdily.
Rick narrowed his eyes and knitted his brow. He glared at the man and cared very little about the fact that he was staring openly. As if by instinct, Michonne caught Rick's gaze. She offered him a grin, which he did not return. Suddenly, after bidding her handsome companion goodbye, she made her way over to where Rick was stood looking woefully unimpressed. When she reached him, he hooked his thumb into his belt and tilted his head to the side; his eyes were glued to Michonne.
"Hey," she started. "You okay."
Rick nodded, "Yeah. You?"
"Sure," she replied, curious as to why his temperament seemed acrid.
"What was so funny?" he blurted out before he could stop himself.
"Huh?" asked Michonne.
"Just before," Rick said flatly. "When you were laughing your ass off with What's-His-Name, what was so funny?"
"Who? Casey?" she rolled her eyes nonchalantly. "It was nothing…"
"Right."
"Rick," she said, stepping closer to him and taking in his surly expressing with her deep, brown eyes; a tenderness enveloping her demeanour. "You sure everything's all right?"
The softness in her gaze set his heart a flutter.
"Yeah," he lied, searching her eyes before looking away and stepping backwards. "I gotta go."
"Okay, I'll see you later," said Michonne as she watched him walk away.
xXxXx
Night had fallen and the Safe-Zone was shrouded in darkness, save for the soft glowing of light from the windows of the houses that were occupied. Rick's sour mood had remained with him for the entirety of the afternoon and well into the evening. As he stepped into the house he shared with Michonne, he sighed heavily and relished in the fact that he was about to have time alone to relax. Rick had purposely worked an extra shift at the main gate so that he would not have to interact with Michonne at home. He was upset, and not with her, but with the whole situation; Michonne had feelings for someone, and that someone was not him. He did not think he could stand to be near her knowing that her heart belonged to another man.
He entered the scarcely lit common area and flopped his weary form down on the sofa. As he went to remove his boots, he heard the familiar footfalls that belonged to Michonne. She flicked her hair away from her face and took up a seat beside Rick; soon thereafter, she threw him a sideways glance. He placed his boots to the side and leaned back into the couch.
"We missed you at dinner," she offered, studying his profile. His beard had come back. It was neatly trimmed. Even though she liked having an unobstructed view of his handsome face, she thought the beard suited him very much.
"Sorry," he said earnestly. "Took another watch shift."
Michonne said nothing in response; Rick often doubled up on his duties, so that was not bothering her. What was troubling her presently was his foul mood. She settled back into the sofa; her bare arm brushed lightly against Rick's.
"How was your day?" she finally asked. Rick sighed.
"Look, Michonne," he proffered before standing. "I'm not up for talkin' about our days. I'm just gonna go to bed."
Concerned, she stood and took hold of his arm.
"Rick, are you certain you're all right?" she pressed.
He found the worry on her beautiful face to be somewhat endearing; he covered her hand with his own.
"Yes," he supplied. "Just tired."
With that, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze, wished her goodnight, and traipsed upstairs to his bedroom. Not too long later, when he had washed up and readied himself for bed, he lay on top of his covers in the dark. All alone, thinking about what a completely wonderful woman Michonne was, a sense of adoration overwhelmed him. This was something that had become a nightly occurrence for Rick. He would think of what a good leader she was; how she had helped to lead him in his own decision making. How she made everything easier for him by simply gracing him with her presence. He would then think about her beauty.
A small grin crept over his lips as he visualized her lovely smile from earlier that day. Seeing her happy put wind in his sails. Then, just as swiftly as the exultant feeling came to him, a small aching settled somewhere deep inside his chest as he realized that he, Rick Grimes, was not the reason for her current joy.
A/N: Damn it! This turned out to be sadder than I planned LOL
Will Rick own up to his feelings for Michonne? Who is this guy Michonne thinks is gorgeous? Does Rick have to cut a bitch? These questions will be answered in the next instalment. Thank you for reading.