A/N: I took a break from my longer Richonne piece to write this A/U one-shot. This story is complete (though I may rewrite it from Rick's POV in the near future after I finish my All In story). Hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead. I just love Richonne!
Give me a reason
Michonne looked at her watch and frowned. He was late. Twenty-three minutes behind schedule to be exact. She found her eyes drifting toward the door whenever someone walked into the restaurant, wondering if that person was him. The small shred of anticipation she had about the evening dwindled away with every minute he kept her waiting. She hated waiting.
Strike One.
Michonne shot Sasha an impatient glance and sighed. Before she opened up her mouth to speak, Sasha held up her finger and shook her head. "Don't give me that look Chonne. You agreed to do this without complaining."
Okay. Sasha had a point. Michonne promised to refrain from complaining, but the thought of being stood up after fighting through rush hour traffic changed things, especially since she cut her work day short to arrive on time.
"Fine. Then tell me he's still coming."
"He's still coming." Sasha turned her attention to Abraham and placed her hand on his arm. "Babe, tell her he's coming." The uncertainty in Sasha's voice wasn't lost on Michonne.
Abraham's eyes traveled from Sasha to Michonne, the look on his face a mixture of both amusement and annoyance, most likely on Michonne's behalf. She hadn't stopped fidgeting or grumbling about their evening plans since she met up with them downtown after work.
"Ladies, don't get your panties twisted up in a bunch. If my buddy says he'll be here, he'll be here. So I'm gonna need you both to chillax," he said, with his eyes focused only on Michonne.
"Well I hope so. I didn't get dressed up for nothing," Michonne mumbled, attempting to adjust the length of her white strapless dress—a perfect choice for a warm Chicago summer night. The dress fit a lot tighter and shorter than what she remembered, barely reaching her knee now. Should have gone with the black pantsuit, she thought, observing the crowd. She felt slightly overdressed in comparison to everyone else's business casual attire.
"Because it's so uncomfortable for you to dress up," Sasha said, her voice oozing with sarcasm. "Did you forget I used to work for you? I saw your wardrobe every day. I've been in your closet plenty of times. Dressing up is what you do."
"Yes Sasha, but not like this. Not in a long time," she reminded her. "Especially not for a date."
Michonne took a break from the dating game after she broke off her engagement with Mike—that was almost a year ago. Dating felt like a chore to her now. Too much work. She changed her outfit and hairstyle three times before she left her house. After thirty minutes of frustration, she gathered her long locks over her shoulder and defaulted to her go-to outfit. And she was still second-guessing her decision to wear her favorite date night dress. She had put too much effort into impressing some guy she never met before. One who may never show up.
Abraham's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Geesh Michonne, how long has it been?" Michonne shot him a menacing stare, one that he had become accustomed to when he started dating her best friend over a year ago.
He held up the flashing pager, alerting them their table was finally ready. "How about we go get seated? And get our girl Michonne a very strong drink." Abe placed his arm around Sasha and followed the hostess to their table with Michonne a few steps behind them. "Now why did we agree to do this in the first place?" he whispered to Sasha, purposely loud enough for Michonne to hear.
"I can still hear you, Abe."
He turned around and winked at her. "I know."
Michonne decided she would have a good time with her friends tonight whether her Mystery Man showed his face or not. Ever since Sasha quit her assistant job at Michonne's law firm six months ago to pursue her career as a paramedic, she went from seeing Sasha every day to once a week at the most. She wasn't about to let a stranger ruin a much needed night out with her friend. She barely knew anything about him anyway. Sasha only divulged basic information: Single. Recently moved to Chicago from Atlanta. Attractive (although Sasha claimed she had no pictures of him). And he was a cop. Michonne hated dating cops.
Strike number two.
Michonne still couldn't believe she agreed to go out on a last-minute blind date, especially without seeing a picture first, but after almost a year of fighting off Sasha's matchmaking obsession to pair her with every single straight male in the city, she finally gave in.
She just hoped she wouldn't regret it.
#######
The seat across from Michonne was still empty when the appetizers arrived. Abraham kept her up-to-date on his text messages, assuring her his friend was caught in traffic and still on his way. Michonne no longer cared. Even without a date, she didn't feel like a third wheel with Sasha and Abraham.
She rarely had the opportunity to take a breather, so she intended to enjoy her evening away from work. She relaxed the moment they sat down, taking in the vibrant yet mellow atmosphere of the Caribbean restaurant and lounge, remembering all of the things she missed about having a social life. Live music. Great food. Stimulating conversation. And tonight she had lots of laughter from Abraham's crazy stories.
Her eyes wandered to the front of the restaurant. A man standing at the hostess station caught her attention. His side profile looked vaguely familiar to her from a distance.
She continued to watch him out of the corner of her eye, her curiosity to see his entire face getting the best of her. She took in the rest of his appearance while she waited for him to turn around. Medium height. Nice build. In shape but not too buff. Her heartbeat sped up a little when she saw the hostess motion toward the right side of the restaurant, in the same direction as their table location. He gave the server a slight nod and proceeded down the center aisle, moving closer in their direction. She noticed he was bow-legged, a quality she always found sexy.
Could this be him?
He was almost in their section when he stopped to let an elderly couple walk in front of him, giving Michonne a clear view of his entire face. She watched him for a few seconds before the realization kicked in. She had seen his face before. Her stomach dropped as she remembered their previous encounter.
No. Please don't be the Mystery Man.
To her dismay, he continued walking toward their section. Abraham suddenly turned around and waved, motioning the man with the bow-legged walk over to their table, dissolving her hope that he was at the restaurant by coincidence and not as her date.
Michonne groaned. "You've got to be kidding me," she mumbled to Sasha. "Please tell me this is not your guy."
"Yup, that's him." Sasha's grin faded when she saw Michonne's face. "Could you look anymore horrified?"
Officer Grimes was her blind date?
Definitely strike number three.
Michonne's face frowned up as she shook her head in disgust. "He's the jerk who pulled me over a couple weeks ago and gave me that unnecessary speeding ticket." She didn't need to elaborate on the incident. Sasha heard an earful about the insensitive, rude cop who singled her out on the highway and almost caused her to miss court.
"You're joking, right? The cop you accused of being a racist? Are you sure it's him?"
Michonne continued to watch him as he walked over to their table. She was more than sure. Those piercing blue eyes. She could spot them anywhere, even from a distance. She'd never forget them.
Sasha patted her on the hand. "Well you got him all wrong. Be nice and don't embarrass me," she whispered through clenched teeth.
Before she could respond, Sasha and Abe stood up to give him a hug, blocking Michonne's view.
"I'm so sorry I'm late. Man, I thought Atlanta traffic was bad. This traffic is…" his voice trailed off when Sasha returned to her seat, giving him a full view of their table. His eyes landed on Michonne. She watched his friendly smile fade as a look of realization flashed across his face.
Abraham returned to his seat across from Sasha. "Rick, this is our lovely friend, Chonne. Well her real name is Michonne but she's the one I told you about…"
Rick held up his hand to cut him off. "Oh we've met before." He peered at Michonne as he took a seat across from her, his intense stare and slight scowl revealing an irritation that reflected her own.
Abe looked back and forth between Michonne and Rick as they continued to stare each other down in silence. "Wait, you two know each other? How in the hell is that possible?"
"Well Abe, your good friend here, Officer Crimes, is the one who gave me a ticket a few weeks ago."
"It's Grimes."
She rolled her eyes at his attempt to correct her. Of course she knew his name. She wrote it down along with his badge number with every intention to report him. She never got around to doing it, but seeing him tonight reminded her to add the complaint to the top of her to-do list.
"Trust me, I know. I just thought Officer Crimes was more fitting since you apparently like to pass out tickets like it's Halloween candy. For no reason."
He scoffed at her remark. "Not for no reason. You were doing 75 in a 45 zone."
"I told you I had to be in court for my client. It's not my fault you chose not to believe me." Michonne recalled how he eyed her tank top and yoga pants and raised his eyebrow in disbelief when she told him she was a lawyer and she needed to meet her client at court.
"Look Chonne…"
"Michonne," she corrected him. "Only my friends call me Chonne. You don't know me like that."
"Okay, Michonne," he said, exaggerating her name with his Southern drawl. "I was just doing my job. You speed, you get a ticket. It's plain and simple. That's how things work. I didn't racially profile you, and I didn't appreciate you saying that when I was just doing my job."
Abe chuckled. "Well I'll be damned." He pointed to Rick. "So let me get this straight. He's the racist prick that pulled you over? And," Abe laughed even harder as he pointed his finger at Michonne, "this is the crazy chick who basically cursed you out?"
Abe let out a hearty laugh, barely attempting to control it when he realized he was laughing alone. "Come on y'all. I need everyone to pull the sticks out of their cracks and let it rip because this is funny. I mean Michonne talked about that incident for almost a week. I thought she was about to call the Rainbow Coalition on Rick. And Rick almost arrested you for that mouth of yours. He regretted letting you off the hook with just a ticket. I had to hear about it from the both of you. And now y'all are across the table from each other." Michonne felt Sasha kick Abraham underneath the table.
Rick leaned forward and narrowed his eyes at her. "Racist prick?"
She folded her arms across her chest, challenging his defiant stare. "Crazy chick?"
He shrugged. "Not my exact choice of words. Abe's being far too kind."
Michonne's scowl deepened. "Well I have a few choice-"
"How about we order a round of drinks and dinner? Sasha suggested, casting a nervous glance to Abe.
Rick reached for the drink menu. "Looks like I'll be needing one or five of 'em."
"Wait, so you're actually staying?" Michonne ignored the nudge in her side from Sasha. She had finally relaxed and found herself having a great time. Not only did Rick decide to stroll in extra late, but he had managed to ruin her mood in less than five minutes of his grand entrance. Returning back to the office to work sounded like more fun at the moment. There was no reason for her to stay around. But she had no intention of leaving.
"I've been stuck in traffic for two hours and I'm hungry, so yes Michonne. I'll be staying." He looked around the table. "I'm sure it's okay with everyone else. Sasha? Abe? Any objections?"
"You can stay as long as you like, Rick. We're happy to see you," Sasha said, ignoring Michonne's stare.
Abraham nodded. "Yea what she said." He waved their waiter over to the table. "We need a couple more drinks. You might want to keep 'em coming."
Michonne let out a sigh. Two against one. Her friends had turned on her. She grabbed her fork and took a bite of her salad.
It was going to be a long night indeed.
#####
Michonne ate her dinner in silence as everyone else chatted about work and life in general. She tried to appear uninterested even though a couple of comments caught her attention. Rick had a 10-year-old son. Carl. He lived with his mom. Sounded like she had primary custody.
Abe looked at Michonne. "You're quiet for once. Normally we can't get this one to take a breath."
Sasha glared at Abe. "Rick, what Abe is trying to say is Michonne is a brilliant lawyer with a gift of gab. She can talk herself out of anything. I've never seen anything like it."
The corner of Rick's mouth turned up slightly, an amused smirk dancing on his lips. "Well," he said looking up from the drink menu. His eyes lingered on Michonne for a few seconds before returning his attention back to Abe and Sasha. "Not everything apparently."
Michonne rolled her eyes but continued to ignore him. She turned her attention to Sasha and the two caught up on work, TV shows and other topics. Rick was now the silent one, but unlike her, he appeared to be interested in her conversation. Whenever Michonne glanced across the table, she found his eyes watching her. It made her uncomfortable.
Sasha turned her attention back to the Rick. "So Michonne actually lives downtown. She is an official city girl. I told her she should show you around since you're so new here."
Michonne cleared her throat and took a sip of water, refraining herself from pinching Sasha for volunteering her services as a tour guide. There was no way she would ever show this "prick" around town.
"Well I don't think that can happen with my crazy work schedule and um, I'm just busy. I'm sure Officer Grimes here does a lot of sightseeing already on patrol in the suburbs when he's not pulling people over."
"Yea, and I'd hate to pull Michonne away from all of her court cases. Her being a big-time lawyer and all. Shame she can't talk herself out of a $75 speeding ticket."
The scowl on Michonne's face returned against her own will to play it cool. His eyes mocked her. He purposely enjoyed toying with her. And it showed.
Sasha pointed overhead and smiled across the table at Abe. She nodded her head toward the band located on the other side of the restaurant, a lounge area for live music. "This is our song," she announced. She was already standing up before Abe could respond. Michonne knew Sasha's request was more of an attempt to leave her alone with Rick than the couple's actual love song. She shot Abe and Sasha a pleading look, but they both ignored her.
As usual, Abe was already in a trance as he watched Sasha slowly sway to the beat.
"You know I'll dance with you to whatever." He looked back at Michonne and Rick. "Try not to kill each other please."
And then they were gone.
Michonne and Rick both watched Sasha and Abe make their way over to the lounge area.
Rick looked at the couple in awe. "I still don't know how Abe pulled that off. I've been hearing about her long before they even hooked up. And then when I finally moved up here and met her…I was blown."
Michonne nodded her head in agreement. She used to wonder what Sasha saw in Abe. He could be tactless. Loud. Brutish. But Abe proved himself over time. The way he looked at Sasha, as if she was the most beautiful woman in the world. As if no one else existed. Michonne finally understood. She loved the way he treated her friend and eventually also grew fond of him, despite how often they bumped heads. She only hoped to find that type of love one day.
"Yea tell me about it. He gets on my nerves. But he treats my girl right so I approve. He's a good guy."
Rick nodded. "Yea, that he is."
The two settled back into their chairs in a comfortable silence. "Wait Officer Grimes did we just agree on something?"
"I think we did. And when are you just going to call me Rick?"
"Does hearing me call you Officer Grimes bring up bad memories?"
Rick looked over at the table across from them, obviously avoiding eye contact. "Well the last time you called me Officer Grimes, you were accusing me of racially profiling you."
She sighed. "Okay so maybe I was having a bad day."
"You don't really believe that do you? That I did that to you?"
She made direct eye contact with him, surprised that he actually sounded concerned about what she thought of him. She did think he was rude and arrogant, but she knew he wasn't a racist. "No. I don't. You just picked the wrong time to pull me over. You were a jerk to me though."
He nodded his head, seeming relieved by her answer. "I can accept that. Guess we both just let our emotions get the best of us, Chonne. Can I call you that now?"
She honestly didn't mind him calling her Chonne. She just really liked the way he said her full name in his Southern accent.
"No Rick, you cannot. You haven't earned that yet."
He flashed her a genuine smile for the first time, revealing pearly whites behind his full pink lips. She took in the rest of his face. Now that her contempt for him was slowly dissolving, she saw him clearly. She understood why women in the restaurant were eyeing him when he walked through the front door. He was pretty—but he still had a ruggedness to him. His baby blue eyes contrasted against his dark brown curly hair. The neatly trimmed goatee on his face accentuated his jaw line and framed his mouth perfectly. Her eyes traveled to his lips again. They looked soft.
"Michonne?"
She suddenly realized his mouth had stopped moving. She was so focused on his lips that she hadn't heard his question.
"Huh?" She looked away from him, hoping he didn't catch her checking him out.
"I said we can make a run for it. We don't have to pretend. We can sneak out while they're dancing."
She nodded. "Yea we could. Is that what you want to do?"
"Isn't it what you want?"
"Sure. But first," she nodded her head toward the bar, "our server is MIA and you owe me a drink. Seventy-five dollars worth."
He smirked at her. "Guess I could have been easy on you that morning. I was having a helluva day too. But I do owe you, so I'll be right back."
As soon as Rick went to the bar, Michonne took a moment to run to the restroom. She examined herself in the mirror before she left, fully satisfied that she wore the white dress tonight. Rick was already back at the table after her bathroom break. His eyes scanned the room, probably wondering where she disappeared to. He eventually spotted her. Their eyes locked as she made her way through the crowd. He settled back in his chair and sipped on his beer as he watched her walk back to the table. He never took his eyes off of her, eyeing her carefully with every step. As much as she wanted to look away from him, she held his gaze until she made it to the table. The look in his eyes confirmed how she looked tonight.
He cleared his throat, giving her the once-over before she took her seat. "That's some…dress."
Michonne was thankful her dark skin hid the blush forming on her cheeks. The last thing she needed was for Rick to think he was having an effect on her.
Wait, was he?
She looked down at the table. A glass of Sangria awaited her. Her favorite drink. She smirked.
"Did I get the right drink? You seemed like a Sangria lady."
"Yea, you did okay."
He held his beer in the air. "Here's to no more tickets by non-racist cops. And no more 100 miles per hour, fast and furious chases to represent your clients in workout clothes."
They both laughed as they clinked their glasses together.
"So you were all up in my car."
"Yea I checked you out."
Michonne felt her cheeks grow warm again.
What the hell is wrong with me? I literally hated this man five minutes ago.
Michonne needed to change the subject and fast. She had an idea.
"There's a game I like to play to get to know people. We both have to ask and answer three questions in three words. Serious responses only." She took a sip of her drink, pausing for his reaction before playing her favorite game.
He sat up straight with an intrigued look on his face. "Well I'm ready when you are."
"I'll start," she told him. "Ever been married?"
"Yes. Happily divorced. My turn." He took another sip of his beer. "Were you married?"
"Never. Engaged once. Question number two: Why'd you move?"
"Carl lives here. He's my son," he clarified. "Got any kids?"
"Nope. Proud auntie." Michonne paused to think about her final question. She liked playing this game with him. "Last question. Your biggest regret?"
"Not arresting you," he said with a smirk. His face turned serious after giving the question some thought. "Okay…getting married young."
She sensed a hesitancy from him, so she nodded her head for him to proceed to ask her his final question. He put his beer on the table and leaned forward, giving her his full attention.
"Why are you still single?"
Okay, so she wasn't expecting that question. She grabbed her water to bide time. She didn't know how to give him a serious response.
"That's more than three words Officer Grimes. So I'm not going to answer."
"Well, I'd like to know. You said serious answers only. I want a serious answer."
"Well, are you going to force it up out of me? Handcuff me? Arrest me?" She gave him an innocent, playful look. He stared at her in silence for a few moments, the intensity in his eyes returned, causing her to look away. He almost looked bothered or upset.
"Are you going to answer my question, Michonne?"
Damn. There it was again. The way he said her name. It soothed and excited her at the same time.
"I haven't found anyone I enjoy more than my work." She let out a quiet exhale. People asked her that question constantly and she always gave them the same reply. Her half-version of the truth—she was too busy for romance. She couldn't believe she finally admitted the full truth out loud to someone she barely knew.
"What about you, Rick?"
He shrugged. "Haven't found a reason to get back out there. To want to try again."
They finished their drinks in silence.
No further words were necessary.
########
The night was finally winding down. Michonne and Rick conversation hopped from favorite movies to politics and everything else in between. Sasha and Abraham made it back to the table just as Michonne announced she had to leave. She had a client meeting at the crack of dawn for a court case next week. The couple shared a pleased glance when Rick offered to walk Michonne to her car. They said their goodbyes to Sasha and Abraham and headed outside. Michonne was barely out the door when Sasha sent her a text, reminding her to call with details.
Rick shoved his hands in his pockets as they walked across the street to Michonne's convertible.
"You know Abe just told me about this date a few days ago. He didn't even give me your full name. He just kept saying Chonne. No pictures. No information. Nothing."
She shook her head. "Same here. I knew absolutely nothing about you."
"Had you known it was me you wouldn't have shown up."
Michonne remained silent. No need to dispute that fact. "The same goes for you too."
They reached her car. For once she wished she had parked further down the street. "Well here we are."
"Here we are."
Michonne dug around in her purse until she found her car keys. She caught Rick watching her with a tender gaze, a drastic difference from his hostile look a few hours ago.
"What made you stick around tonight? I mean, once you realized who I was."
He shrugged. "Like I told you guys, I was hungry. Hadn't eaten anything all day. If it hadn't been for my appetite…"
She pursed her lips in disbelief. "You could have just taken the food to go."
"Well," he said, his eyes lingered on her face before he eyed her up and down, "must've been something else."
Her body suddenly felt warm, despite the cool breeze in the air.
He tilted his head to the side with a curious look on his face. "I could ask you the same question."
"That's easy. I was there first and-"
Before Michonne finished her answer, Rick reached out and rubbed his thumb across her cheek. She stepped back in surprise, completely caught off guard.
"I'm sorry. You had something…there was an eyelash or something…I shouldn't…"
She enjoyed watching the flustered, stammering version of Rick. It was cute.
"It's okay," she told him. "Thanks."
He looked at her, his mesmerizing eyes drawing her in again. "You're beautiful. I-I just wanted to tell you that."
So are you, she wanted to tell him. But she just shrugged instead. "You're not so bad yourself, especially for a cop."
He laughed. "So can I see you again?"
She paused, contemplating his question. Did she really want to go out with him again after such a bad start?
Maybe…
"I'll take you out to dinner and then you can show me around Chicago. It'll definitely be more fun than tonight. And you won't miss being at work." He searched her face, his eyes willing her to say yes. He lowered his voice. "I'll be sure to give you a reason."
Michonne's heartbeat sped up. The way he looked at her. His voice. His words. She could no longer hide her attraction to him behind a scowl or anger now that their hostility toward each other had dissolved. Completely. It was hard for her to focus with the undeniable electricity sizzling between them. One she didn't see coming. She didn't even know how to deal with it. For all the wrongs about tonight, something about this moment felt right.
He held her car door open for her as she slid into the driver's seat.
"I'm willing to show you around the city. But more fun than work? That's a big promise to fill. I'm going to hold you to it."
He closed the door and looked down into the open driver's window. "I'm good for it."
Michonne nodded her head, already anticipating the next time she would see Rick again.
"Goodnight Officer Grimes."
"Goodnight Chonne."