A/N: So, I've been sitting on this one for awhile and finally got the courage to post it. I still don't really know how I feel about it, to be honest, lol. If you guys enjoy it, please let me know and I will certainly continue. I just want to thank you all for reading, reviewing, and following everything else that I've written. You certainly know how to make a girl feel special! - Brittany
One.
Maggie taps her manicured fingers against the counter, her chin in her palm as she watches her friend scurry around behind the bar. Michonne counts the till quickly with her brow furrowed as she takes a sip of her coffee. She jots down the numbers on a scrap piece of paper before shoving the cash in the deposit bag and sealing it up. She glances up, linking eyes with her oldest friend before smirking quickly and returning to wiping down the bar.
"I said I'd think about it Mags."
"Uh huh." Maggie says dully, bringing the large coffee cup to her red lips to take a long sip.
"I mean it, I will." Michonne shrugs, throwing the towel underneath the bar and grabbing a stack of comic books.
She moves out from behind the bar and heads to the south wall covered from floor to ceiling with comics. She begins returning each one to its rightful place while bumping one of the chairs back into place at the table with her hip. Michonne takes a deep breath as she feels Maggie's eyes burning a hole into the back of her head. She said she'd think about it and she will. Why is she harping on this?
"Maggie." Michonne warns, not turning around.
"You always say you'll think about it and that always means no."
"That is not true." Michonne defends as she finally turns back to her friend.
Maggie has since turned in her seat to face Michonne, her elbows resting slightly behind her on the bar. She cocks her head and purses her lips, calling bullshit on her friends' tall tale. Michonne shakes her head before sending her eyes toward the ceiling and returning to the task at hand.
"It's been three years Michonne." Maggie says quietly, dropping her eyes to her black pumps when she sees Michonne tense.
Michonne drops her head a little as Maggie's words wash over her. Three years. Three long, unbearable years. Sometimes, she swears she still hears his little laugh throughout her apartment. She still has a pair of his favorite pair of black Chucks. They sit by the front door, unmoving, untouched, like they are waiting for him to just burst through the door at any moment. Her wedding ring still sits perched on her nightstand in a small, crystal bowl that Maggie got them as a wedding gift all those years ago. She still has one of Mike's jackets; keeps it deep in her closet. She drags it out on occasion and wraps herself in it when the memories become too much to bare. Even after everything he's done, everything that he had put her through. She still wraps up in his old jacket.
How pathetic.
"I know that. I don't need a reminder." Michonne says lowly.
Maggie sighs as the air around them fills with tightness. She glances out the glass door of the Flashpoint Paradox, Michonne's coffee/comic book shop. Dusk is overtaking the city, the sky full of pinks and oranges. She glances back at Michonne, her back still to her as she pushes the comics back into place. She's dressed simply, in a purple tank top and tight jeans, her feet covered with a pair of old Chucks. Her long dreads fall over her shoulders as they hang loose, accentuating her broad shoulders and back as it flexes and then relaxes. She hates to see her friend in such pain, after three years no less. She doesn't even seem like the same Michonne. She's just a shell of the woman that Maggie used to know and love.
"I know it's been hard Michonne, but you can't keep going on like this. You still have a life that's worth living." When Michonne doesn't answer, Maggie continues, "It's just a party. One night is all I'm asking for."
"It's not just a party Mags." Michonne finally speaks up, shoving the last comic book in the shelf before starting to straighten up the rest of the tables, "It's your kind of party. You know that shit makes me uncomfortable."
Maggie rolls her eyes, "You're making up excuses. You know I would never let anyone make you uncomfortable at one of these things. I respect you and I'd make them respect you."
"Then why do you want me to go?"
"Because I want you to get out of your apartment. I want you to get all gussied up and drink and laugh and be careless for the first time in years. I want you to have some fun, like we used to. I want to get drunk and cry as we listen to Celine Dion until six in the morning and then pig out on donuts and eclairs."
Michonne drops her head again, trying to let Maggie's words sink in, "I can't. I just, can't right now Maggie. Come on. " She says softly.
"You have to try Michonne. You can't just let the world keep moving around you." Maggie answers back just as softly, "I miss you. I want to see you happy again, smiling again, that's all." The southern belle shrugs her shoulders in defeat, repeating, "I miss you."
Michonne nods her head slowly, smiling sadly as memories of their past begin to play back, "Remember when I found out I was pregnant?"
"We danced out in the rain." Maggie smiles as her eyes water, "Your mom was so pissed at me, you were sick for weeks."
"To be fair, she was never a big fan of you. You always got me into trouble."
"Oh please," Maggie dismisses, "We're soulmates you and I. Hey, you remember Andre's second birthday party? When we got drunk on that wine and ate half of his birthday cake while watching the Lion King after everybody left?"
"Oh hell," Michonne laughs, "My poor baby crawled out of his little bed to come tell us to quiet down so he could sleep."
"That was a good night."
"You were a good aunt." The words leave Michonne's mouth before she can even process them. Both woman shift uncomfortably. There's that past tense again. Were. Was. Had. She hates using those terms when talking about him. It still feels so unnatural.
"I miss being Auntie Maggie. I miss him so much." Maggie says softly, dabbing at her eyes with her finger, not wanting to smear her makeup.
"I miss him too." Michonne admits, "I'm just stuck Maggie, I can't- it's not as easy as you're making it."
Maggie crosses her arms over her chest, shielding herself slightly as the conversation grows uncomfortable, "I know it's not. I'm not asking you to run out and get married. I just want you to have a little fun."
Michonne scoffs, "Why can't we just go to dinner and then see a movie?"
"Because that's boring and we always do that." Michonne turns toward the slightly younger woman as she exhales loudly again. Maggie is beautiful, always has been. Her short, dark hair is curled and coifed up to perfection. Her diamond earrings glint as the sun dies away in the sky and match the teardrop shaped necklace nestled in her cleavage. Her tight red, strapless dress hugs her slim body and curves, looking almost as if it's painted on. Sure it's Friday night and Maggie has absolutely no where to go, but, the rich, southern belle in her would never let her step out of the house dressed in anything less, "You need to get out, meet some new people, broaden your horizons a bit."
"And I can all of that with your freak friends?" Michonne asks, a small smile playing on her plump lips.
Maggie squints her eyes and points a long finger at her, "Hey, my friends are very cultured, very refined people."
"That just happen to be deviants, right?" Michonne laughs.
"Right!" Maggie agrees, smiling for the first time since she walked in the door, "I mean it Michonne, I won't let anyone make you uncomfortable. My parties are fun!"
"It's a hook up party Maggie!"
"It's a social mixer. It's hard finding a partner in the lifestyle with the group of people I mix with. This is not Fifty Shades of Grey, we just can't trust every virgin that walks through the door." Michonne laughs again, shaking her head as Maggie jumps to her feet and scurries over to her, "You could meet a doctor or a lawyer." She says as she wraps Michonne up in a hug, resting her head on Michonne's shoulder.
"I still don't understand you." Michonne scolds slightly, changing the subject, "You are the daughter of the most well-known pastor in the country. You went to all-girl schools your entire life and graduated from the most prestigious college in Atlanta and you let some man tie you up and make you call him daddy?"
Maggie scoffs loudly and rolls her eyes as she leans against one of the tables, "It is not even like that, and it was all those girls' schools I went to that turned me into the sexual goddess I am today."
"Oh god." Michonne laughs loudly.
"Plus, I don't get tied up anymore. I'm making all of the calls now a days."
"What exactly does that mean?"
"I'm a Domme now. I'm in control and let me tell you, these boys love it and so do I."
"I thought you and Glenn broke up?"
"We did, that's why I'm throwing this party. Stop changing the subject, damn it. Being a submissive is not what you think. It is an incredibly powerful role for a woman to be in. You come to learn to embrace your sexuality and explore your limits. You have complete control over your body, mind, and not to mention, your Dominant. It's exhilarating."
Michonne's eyes widen in response, "If you say so." She laughs nervously.
"Listen, I was controlled my entire life by my father and his overly critical, fascist ass. I was always told good girls keep their feet on the floor, good girls don't cuss, good girl don't wear jeans, blah, blah, blah. It's bullshit. I learned my true worth and power as a woman through this lifestyle. I am more than just somebody's little house wife like my father wanted me to be. It's not all about the kinky sex, although, that makes it all worth while." Michonne laughs again as Maggie grabs both of her hands in hers.
"You really learned all of that through sex?"
"Yes!" Maggie bellows, "Women have been oppressed sexually since the dawning of the earth. We've always been told to act a certain way, look a certain way, to behave a certain way. Fuck that. If you find the right man, a man who wants you to find your power, who encourages you to test your limits freely and safely, it is the best kind of liberation you can get."
Michonne shifts slightly at the thought. She never looked at sex quite that way before. It wasn't about female liberation and finding your power, it was just… sex. Something to make you feel good for a few minutes, or at least to get Mike to shut up for the night. Hearing Maggie speak about it made her a little jealous. Michonne was the good girl that Maggie spoke of. She was always the level headed, calm, agreeable, dependable Michonne. Michonne never rocks the boat. Michonne is never late. Michonne has never had a man give her an orgasm, but, that's just between her and her vibrator.
"But, I'm not trying to recruit you. I just want you to get out and have some fun, some real fun."
Michonne sighs again, glancing around her little shop before landing her large, dark eyes on Maggie's green orbs, "You promise you'll tell them I'm off limits?"
"I promise! Preachers' daughter honor." She answers, raising two fingers in the air like a scouts' honor, "So is that a yes?"
Michonne rolls her eyes again but knows the only way she's going to get Maggie to back off is to just go to the damn party, "I guess." Michonne finally relents, causing Maggie to jump and squeal as she throws her arms around Michonne's neck, "I don't have any fancy ass clothes to wear though."
"Oh, don't you worry about that darling! There is only one thing I love more than you and that is shopping! I'm so excited!" She hugs Michonne tightly before twirling her around and around in the middle of the floor, "Take next Friday off, spa day and shopping before the party."
"Whoa. I can't close the shop for an entire day. I'll just close up a little early and come over after."
Maggie places her hands on her hips, "You are closing the shop next Friday and you are going to let me pamper you. No ifs, ands, or buts about it."
"Maggie-" Michonne starts.
"Michonne, you've only been open for a year and you paid me back in full two months ago! One day won't kill you!"
"I didn't like taking that money from you."
"I insisted, and you know better than anyone that I always get what I want."
"I have bills to pay! You know, rent, utilities, things you can't be bothered with apparently."
Maggie swats Michonne's shoulder before clicking her way to the back office. After a few minutes, she returns with a black marker, a piece of paper, and a roll of scotch tape. She scribbles something on the paper then sashays to the front door, taping the note to the door.
"What on earth are you doing?" Michonne asks after a moment, placing her hands on her hips.
"Putting up a sign so everyone knows that you'll be closed next Friday and that you'll be reopening bright and early Sunday morning." Maggie replies, turning and greeting Michonne with a bright, toothy smile.
"Sunday morning?" Michonne asks, her eyebrows raised, "I think you mean I'll be reopening bright and early Saturday morning."
Maggie purses her lips and sends her eyes toward the ceiling before shaking her head quickly, "No, I think you need to take Saturday off too. You'll be too hungover to come in."
Michonne scoffs loudly, "You said one day."
Maggie shrugs, "I changed my mind."
"Maggie, that is just-"
The southern woman throws up her hands, letting out an irritated huff, "Fine, fine, fine. Why don't you let Beth take over on Saturday? She's more than capable of holding down the fort for a day or two. If she needs help, she can call in Noah, he's proven to be very responsible as well."
"Beth has class on Friday's."
Maggie places her hands on her hips, "We've already discussed Friday, you're closed, end of discussion. We are now talking about Saturday."
It's not a bad idea. Beth has only been working for Michonne for a couple of months but she's been working in coffee shops since she was a teenager, even worked her way up to manager at one. The thought of the shop being open and Michonne not being there made her uneasy. She should just be here. Her entire life for the past year has been the Flashpoint Paradox, she can't just not show up, "I can't do that to her. She'll need help and-" She stops talking as she takes notice of the death glare that Maggie is throwing her way. Michonne sighs again, shaking her head, "Okay, okay, I'll talk to Beth and have her open back up on Saturday and I'll let Noah know that she might be calling." Maggie grins widely, knowing that she's won the battle and the war. Michonne shakes her head again, in awe of her friend's tenacity, "You are incredibly spoiled, you know that?"
"Of course I do! That's what being an only child will do to ya. Now, let's get something to eat, I'm starving."
"Ten more minutes, I have to enter some stuff into my spreadsheets and order some more comics. Do me a favor? Will you count the Batman comics please? And then I need you to tell me the counts on the coffee in the back so I can put in a reorder. Thanks babe."
Maggie grunts loudly, sticking out her tongue at Michonne as she jogs by and disappears into her office, "Shouldn't you hire people to do this stuff for you?" Maggie calls, running her fingers over the bookshelves lined with comics.
"I should but for now, I'll settle with you. You ready?" Michonne shouts back, logging into her computer and opening one of the many spreadsheets she keeps. She laughs to herself as she's met with another scoff and loud groan from Maggie before she starts calling out the titles and recording the number she has on hand. Oh, what a fun Friday night.