- This is a collaboration fic between Misty Knight and I. We each are responsible for certain characters' POVs. I hope you guys have as much fun reading as we have writing. Enjoy the AU! -

Chapter 1:

Johnny Cash's "Solitary Man" started suddenly and the gentle strums of the guitar sounded throughout the empty room that had previously only been filled with the incoming sunlight.

Rick's eyelids fluttered before parting and he was fully awake.

For a moment he just lay there, letting the song continue to play.

Rick Grimes' room was much like the man himself. Neat, orderly, and very one-note. The tones of the room were varying shades of brown and white. His white walls were clear of clutter and so were the surfaces of his dresser and the surface of his wooden floor. The only things that hung on the wall next to his door were awards and plaques he had received at work.

He sighed and hit the snooze button on his radio alarm, causing Johnny Cash's voice to stop warbling out of the speakers. Then he threw back his white comforter with brown trim and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. His bare feet touched the floor and he yawned.

Time to get dressed.

He stood up in his blue pinstriped boxers, went over to his closet, and took down his sheriff's uniform that was already hanging on the door – ready to be worn. He carried it into the bathroom and started on his daily routine.

He brushed his teeth, shaved just enough so that he didn't look unkempt, and stepped into the shower. The lyrics of the song that he had just heard tumbled carelessly from his lips in a tuneless pattern as he stood under the warm spray of the water. When he could no longer remember the lyrics, the song turned into a hum and he stepped out of the rectangular cubicle.

As he pulled on his sheriff's uniform, he gave himself one more lookover in the mirror and then headed to the kitchen where he made himself his usual turkey and lettuce sandwich. He packed it into a brown paper bag and then headed out for the day.

Time to go to work.

When he walked into the police department, he immediately felt at home. The bustle of fellow coworkers moving around at their desks and the rustle of papers gave him a deep sense of comfort and belonging.

"Good morning, Rick." "Good morning." "How's it going, man?"

Many officers greeted Rick on his way in and he returned the nicety.

He smiled when he saw his best friend, Shane Walsh, sitting on the desk of Leon Basset. Shane was good-naturedly teasing the other man and Rick shook his head. "Leave Leon alone, will you, Shane?" he greeted.

Shane turned to Rick and stood up. "Hey~! He knows I'm just jokin' with him, don't you, Leon?"

"Yeah, yeah," Leon said, obviously annoyed.

Shane followed Rick back to his office and closed the door behind the two of them. The chair in front of Rick's desk quickly got occupied and his desk was next when Shane kicked his feet up onto the surface. "Whoo~" Shane whistled. "When am I gonna get an office like this?"

Rick sat down in his plush, swivel chair behind the desk and pushed Shane's feet to the ground. "When you stop goofing off so much and focus on doing your job," Rick responded jovially.

"Hey," Shane retorted. "Raisin' two hellions, now that's a job. They suck me dry. When I come to work, that's my time to play."

Rick's smile fell for a moment, but he quickly picked it up. "That doesn't even make sense," he said, leaning back in his chair. "Did you come in here for somethin'?"

"Oh, is that what it's like between us?" Shane teased. "All business?"

"Yeah, that's what it's like," Rick said, a friendly smile still on his face.

"Fine," Shane said. "I'll get to the point then. Lori and I wanna take a lil' week-long vacation up to the lake next month. We were wonderin' if you could watch the kids."

Rick tilted his head. "Didn't y'all take a trip up to the lake last month?" he asked.

"Yeah, but what can I say?" Shane tried to hold back a smirk – unsuccessfully. "The lake does somethin' for Lori if you know what I mean." Rick forcefully kept a smile pasted on his face. He knew what Shane meant and he wished he didn't. "If Lori wouldn't have gotten her tubes tied, I'm sure we'd be on our third one by now." Shane slapped Rick's desk, proud and in good spirits.

For a moment, Rick wished he could deny Shane's request. He wished he had some huge event planned that he wouldn't be able to get out of. And then he felt guilty for entertaining that train of thought. For feeling envy towards his best friend. "Of course," Rick said. "You know I can watch the kids."

Shane leaned back in his seat, victorious. "Thanks, man. Knew I could count on you."

"But after next month, you'll have used up your vacation days," Rick warned.

"I know," Shane answered. "But it'll be worth it." Shane stood up from his seat to get back to work. "Oh, and come over for dinner tonight," Shane said over his shoulder. "Lori and I'll fix you somethin' to show our 'ppreciation."

"It's not necessary," Rick said with a shake of his head.

"No, come on," Shane insisted. "You ain't gon' be doin' nothin' but sittin' in front of your TV anyway. I swear, man, we gotta find you a wife." Shane rapped his knuckles against Rick's office door as he opened it to leave. "8 o' clock, man. Be there." He closed the door behind him, giving Rick no chance to refuse.

Rick shook his head. Shane was a handful, and the man he loved the most in this world.

Rick and Shane had been best friends ever since Shane had moved to King's County in the ninth grade. Rick wasn't the most popular boy in school, but he was someone that everyone knew. And the teachers loved him. So the principal, who was close with Rick's father, appointed Rick as Shane's welcoming guide for the first week of school. It was Rick's job to educate Shane about all of the club activities available, tell him where his classes were, and introduce him to other students but it was clear from the first day that Shane didn't need any help.

He wasn't interested in any clubs unless girls were involved and he quickly gained friends on his own. Before long, he was the one leading Rick around to parties and people Rick had never talked to before. Shane was a fun guy. Rick enjoyed his company and Shane enjoyed his. Their common interests kept them bonded. The year that Shane arrived was the year that Rick finally felt truly connected to one of his peers again.

He had other friends, yes, but he hadn't felt like anyone truly understood him ever since the first friend he had ever known had moved away with no explanation in the seventh grade.

So soon enough, Shane and Rick were always together. Wherever one was seen, the other was sure to be close behind.

Rick enjoyed the fact that, though they differed on a lot of things, they were also quite similar. That is, he enjoyed this facet of their relationship until Lori Stevenson stepped into the picture. She was tall, willowy, and had long, brown hair. She moved to King's County when both he and Shane were juniors in high school. And that's when Rick found out that one of the similarities they shared stemmed to even their taste in women.

Rick stopped reminiscing about his high school days and groaned as he stretched some of his sore muscles. 'I need to start working out more,' he thought.

The papers stacked on his desk beckoned to him and he knew he couldn't ignore them for much longer. He was not looking forward to dealing with it. Sometimes he wished his job was more exciting, but being sheriff in a small town like King's County – where hardly anything ever happened – left him feeling more like a secretary than a police officer, and that was only par for the course.

He sighed, clicked on the radio sitting on the corner of his desk, and pulled the papers over.

Time to do paperwork.

"-C.J, so we've heard about that new X-Men movie being produced-" A female's voice projected from the radio's speakers.

"Not a new X-Men movie, Wanda. This movie is only about Storm."

"Oh, Storm? I don't keep up with all this superhero stuff."

"Yes, Storm, Wanda. And let me tell you, the comic book fans are EXCITED!"

"Yes-"

The two entertainer show hosts shot their responses back and forth like they were playing a game of Ping Pong. Rick reached over to turn the knob on the radio in order to try to find a country music station. "-and that's why we're talking about it. I've heard that there are talks of Michonne Tealle being cast AS Storm in the movie. Do you think that's true?" Rick paused and then drew his arm back to leave the radio on the talk show.

He started in on his paperwork as he listened to the two hosts rattle on. "I don't know if it's true, Wanda. Right now it's only rumors and Michonne's reps aren't saying ANYTHING. But if it IS true, let me tell you...there are gonna be some mixed feelings."

"Mixed feelings? Why? Everyone loves Michonne."

"Not everyone. You've heard the rumors like I have-"

"Yes I have, C.J."

"Being difficult, being a diva..."

"Mmhmm. But sources say those are just rumors."

"They may be, but this Storm stuff is sounding LEGIT. As you know, they've been trying to cast this movie for some time. And I think, personally, that Michonne would be a GREAT Storm."

"Mmhmm. Is that just 'cause you think she's hot?"

"Well, she is hot. The woman is FIRE!" Rick smiled to himself. He shuffled through the papers and tried to concentrate on both his work and the entertainment news.

"Well, she may be hot but can she lead a major film? That's what people are asking."

"Look, I don't care if she can act or not, Wanda. She can just stand there and my butt is gonna be in those movie seats."

"I believe you, C.J."

"And I know comic fans are excited. Michonne is gonna have to bone up on her research if she's really playing Storm. 'Cause some people have been waiting on this film a long time and she's gon' have to do it right. I just hope the movie can live up to the hype-" Rick scoffed. "I doubt she has to bone up on anything," he muttered to himself. He finally reached to turn the talk show off when his office door opened.

He looked up to see Leon standing in the doorway looking apologetic and slightly panicked.

"Yeah, Leon?" Rick asked.

"There's a fight outside the station right now."

Rick pushed his chair back from his desk and stood up. A fight provided the spark of relief and excitement he needed. At least it was a brief respite from the paperwork he was leaving behind on his desk. "Where?" he asked as he followed Leon out of the station.

Rick found Merle and Jim right outside the police station, in the middle of the street. A few officers had beat him there and they were keeping the two men away from each other. Shane held Merle from behind while the brawlers still glared at each other.

It was obvious who had landed the most punches by the lack of damage to Merle's face and the myriad of discoloration already forming on Jim's. Jim also had a bloody nose.

'Great,' Rick thought. 'Shoulda known it was Merle...' He approached them and held his hands up between them. "What's going on here?" he asked. He turned his head to Merle.

"Ask him!" Merle exclaimed, trying to jerk free from Shane's grip, but he was held steady.

"I'm askin' you," Rick growled.

"This prick almost ran into me, man!" Merle yelled. Spittle spewed from his lips.

"But I didn't!" Jim exclaimed. "I stopped before I hit him!"

Rick looked at the two cars parked on the street. The driver's side door of Jim's vehicle was still thrown open and there was still about an inch of space between the hood of his car and Merle's rear bumper. It was clear that the two vehicles hadn't collided. "He didn't hit you," Rick said. "So what's the problem?"

"He almost hit me!" Merle said. "You know how much this cost?!" He gestured to his old beat up car. "Then he had the audacity to start yelling at me to get outta of the middle of the street. This is a public area! I can be where I damn well please!"

"You were parked in the middle of the street!" Jim yelled, holding his bloody nose. "You don't park in the middle of the street!"

"Is this true?" Rick asked Merle.

"Hell yeah!" Merle said. "There're too many damn potholes! I was tired of driving over 'em."

"So you stopped in the middle of the street?!" Rick asked, dumbfounded.

"Yeah. I was gon' stop in to see you fine gentleman and tell you to write a letter to the governor or somebody – to get this shit cleared up!"

Rick shook his head and some of the other officers who had come out to watch the show chuckled at the spectacle.

Rick took note of Merle's reddened eyes and his slightly slurred speech. "Merle, you been drinkin' anything today?"

"Nothin' hard!" Merle said. "Just whiskey!"

Rick rolled his eyes. "Merle, give Shane your keys and come with me."

"Why?"

Shane started to put Merle's hands behind his back and he started to protest. "Hey hey hey! What's goin' on?! Fine! I don't care about the potholes! I'll just keep goin' down the street."

"Too late. We're gonna hold you 'till you sober up. Shane, get his keys."

Shane fished in Merle's pockets and found his keys after he finished handcuffing him. He threw the keys to Leon, who was standing just beside Rick. "Bring his car into the parking lot," Rick instructed Leon. To Merle he said, "You're gonna come with us."

Shane started pushing the handcuffed Merle toward the station. "Aw, this is some bullshit," Merle lamented.

"Jim, you need to be taken to the hospital?" Rick asked, ignoring Merle's protests.

"Nah," Jim said. "Don't want the medical bill. I'll just take care of this at home."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

They carted Merle into the station and once he was placed into a cell, Rick went back into his office and settled into his seat. He felt a little better after actually doing something. He turned the radio back on and found that the radio hosts had moved on to talking about the Kardashians. He turned the dial, no longer interested.

~ Don't know that I will

But until I can find me

A girl who'll stay

And won't play games behind me ~

Johnny Cash's lyrics came over the air waves once again.

A satisfied smile touched Rick's lips and turned back to his paperwork.

Time to focus.


Two weeks ago ~ Los Angeles, California

"Michonne Adanya Tealle, if you move one more time, this dress will be getting stitched to your behind."

Jacqui Tealle, Michonne's aunt, and part-time seamstress stitched the last Swarovski beading on the back of Michonne's white gown. Her elfish features contorted concentrating on not ruining the delicate fabric.

Standing for three going on four hours straight was not the original plan Michonne had in mind to spend her 35th birthday. Every year for the past eight years, her fiancé Mike Holloway always had something planned whether it was a huge bash or a trip overseas. This time, Mike had been dodging her phone calls all day and didn't bother to wish her a happy birthday that morning. It took every ounce of willpower on Michonne's behalf to not snoop around. Thus, standing around being poked with needles was a nice distraction.

"Adanya," Michonne said, turning up her nose. "I hate that name," she moved to scratch her scalp, but remembered her aunt's warning and promptly stopped.

"It's a beautiful name, you'll grow to love it." Jacqui carefully cut the last thread and leaned back to observe her handiwork.

"You've been saying that since I was five." Michonne mused. Deciding to risk a sore ass, she looked behind her, the beading design woven into the flared skirt was flawless. She expected nothing less from her aunt, her work rivaling those who ran fashion houses.

"What's wrong?" Jacqui tilted her head to the side, catching Michonne's eye and the frown she had on her face.

Michonne shook her head and smiled, "Thank you, Auntie."

"You're welcome," she said standing up. Michonne ran her hands down the side of the mermaid silhouette enjoying the way the cool silk fabric felt underneath her fingertips. She rested her hands on her tiny waist and sighed.

"It's coming together nicely."

Her aunt, putting away her sewing kit, stopped and gave Michonne a once-over. "Well it should, you've been putting this dress together for how long, five years?"

"Seven."

"Too long," Jacqui scoffed.

Michonne rolled her eyes, the subject needed to be changed before her aunt started giving Michonne the same tired ole lecture.

"Unbutton me please." Michonne stepped off the platform and turned her back to her aunt. She brushed her locs to the side as her aunt helped free her from the constricting dress. "I need to give veganism another chance."

"Vegan what?"

It's like being a vegetarian except, no dairy or fish," she handed her dress to her disbelieving aunt. "And switching will help me get rid of the extra five pounds I've been carrying around."

"You are a toothpick, girl," Jacqui huffed, waving off Michonne's desire, "You need to gain weight."

Michonne slid into her black jeggings and pulled her NYU sweater over her head. Grabbing her phone, she plopped down on the couch, resting her long legs on the armrest. Michonne scrolled through text messages from numerous friends and associates, not a single text or missing call from Mike. While her aunt put away her supplies, she sent return messages to them, trying her damnest to not call Mike.

Heavy footsteps climbed up the stairs to where the two women were, alerting Michonne. About time Mike.

"Ms. Tealle?" Damn. The voice was definitely not Mike, but instead Michonne's newest assistant, Glenn Rhee.

He made it to the top of the stairs and nervously glanced at Michonne. Walking towards her, Michonne received a better look at his appearance. He wore tailored maroon pants, black boots, checkered shirt, and a maroon bow tie. He flicked a stray strand of black hair that fell into his face back to his perfectly coifed hair and opened his Mac book.

"What is it, Glenn?" Michonne didn't move, even though Glenn was looking at all the free space she was currently hogging on the couch. He instead sat down on the floor, crisscrossing his legs.

"Jonathan and Kiera are downstairs to do your hair and makeup."

Michonne repressed her glee and watched inquisitively as Glenn sat his laptop on the ottoman facing her and clicked on a video. Mike's handsome face popped on the screen frozen in place, his smooth ebony brown skin glowed, and he proudly showed off his best feature; his grin. Glenn clicked the play button and sat back on his behind.

"Baby girl, did you really think I would forget about you on your birthday?" Mike chuckled. "Come on now, you're going to have the best time of your life tonight. Imma makes sure of that if Glenn wasn't late getting there then…" He looked at his watch. "I need you dressed and ready to go by ten tonight. Aye, don't bother asking Glenn where you're going because it's a surprise and the man can't keep a secret even if his job depended on it." Michonne glanced over at Glenn who looked like he wanted to argue in his defense. "Don't fret, I'll see you later. Happy birthday and I love you."

Michonne couldn't keep her grin from forming on her mouth, she silently reprimanded herself for doubting that Mike wouldn't pull all the stops to make her birthday an even bigger celebration than last year.

"Stella McCartney's people dropped off your outfit for the night and Tyreese should be here soon with the car that will get you to your destination," said Glenn. He closed the video and shut the laptop's lid.

Michonne nodded and bit her lip, she was eager to be pamper for the next few hours.

Aunt Jacqui sighed loudly enough for the other two to hear her, Michonne turned to her aunt who had her things packed and a scowl on her face. "Are you forgetting something?"

Michonne cringed, she made plans with her mother and Jacqui when it seemed as if Mike wasn't going to do anything for her birthday. "You and mom are more than welcome to come as well."

Aunt Jacqui folded her arms across her chest, "Michonne, you're always doing this."

"Doing what?" Glenn closed his laptop and tiptoed to Jacqui, taking her case and walking quickly back down the stairs.

"If Mike says jump, you say how high."

A snort of dismissive laughter escaped Michonne's mouth, "Auntie you're being so dramatic, it's not that serious."

"I'm not! I'm just tired of watching him jerk you around."

"Mm okay," she said, dismissing her aunt's accusation. Michonne headed towards the stairs not wanting this conversation to continue.

"Mm okay nothing," Jacqui yelled after her.

Michonne's birthday party was being held at a private mansion in Beverly Hills. After showing up fashionably late, in her couture Stella McCartney rose-colored crop top with matching draped long skirt and train. Michonne's dreads were piled on top of her head in a messy updo and her statement piece was a diamond choker necklace. She looked damn good and Michonne was actually enjoying herself. Despite wanting a small celebration, she didn't mind greeting the packed mansion filled with some of the hottest celebs and fashion elite in entertainment.

"Happy birthday, beautiful," the silky smooth voice with an English accent whispered in Michonne's ear. Michonne turned around and threw her arms around her friend and sometimes co-worker.

"Naomi, thank you," Michonne beamed. Naomi Campbell was just one of the long list of current and former models Michonne had the good fortune of working with, she dreamed about sharing the pages with women such as her, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford and others, and that dream was fulfilled. Since she was sixteen years old, Michonne became a force in the fashion world and earned the title 'Supermodel' where she too can make a bold claim that she wouldn't get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day.

After catching up with Naomi, Michonne made her rounds through the open living and dining area, soft purple lighting bounced off the all-white interior and decorations. All the typical furniture that usually occupied a mansion were replaced with over a dozen round tables with silk white coverings and fine china plates and silver cutlery. Music blared from the surround systems around the house, its source a DJ booth where Snoop Dogg spun her favorite tracks. Mike really outdid himself, but where was he?

Glenn appeared at her side, he gently put his hand on her lower back and guided her towards the center table where behind it was a movie theater size projection screen. Michonne yelped with happiness when she saw that Aunt Jacqui came after all and her mother Lulu.

Michonne's father used to say that she was a splitting image of her mother and a lie he did not tell. Lulu was a statuesque former beauty queen. She used to joke that she brought classiness into the marriage between her and Michonne's father which was true. She greeted Michonne with a warm smile, bending down Michonne gave her mother a kiss on the cheek.

"My baby's all grown up," Lulu said, cupping Michonne's chin.

"Thank you for coming mommy… and auntie Jacqui," she winked at her aunt who gave a half-shrug. Michonne took in how regal her mother looked, wearing a knee-length black dress with a V-shape neckline, and a Cartier diamond necklace with matching earrings. Her brown eyes twinkled as she leaned forward and gave Michonne a kiss.

"I don't know how your father was able to afford all of this," she said. Michonne squinted her eyes and gave her mother's hand a gentle squeeze. "I told him not to spoil you… a sweet sixteen doesn't have to be this fancy."

Michonne's smile faltered, but she picked it back up and gave her mother a hug. She and Jacqui made eye contact both acknowledging that tonight was one of her mother's better nights and Michonne was eternally grateful for that.

A sharp sting on her ass made Michonne jump, turning around to see her best friend from high school.

"Sasha!" The two women greeted each other with a huge bear hug.

"HEY! I freaking miss you!" Sasha exclaimed, she took Michonne by the hand and pulled her away. "Come, let's go to the bathroom."

It took a while for them to find an empty bathroom, but they found one in the master bedroom. Michonne touched up on her makeup while Sasha wandered aimlessly around the room.

"Sooo, Mike went all out this year," said Sasha.

Michonne viewed Sasha in the mirror who briefly made eye contact giving Michonne an innocent smile. "Mike has always gone above and beyond," said Michonne.

"Well… not in everything."

Michonne put her hand on her hip, "Seriously? We haven't seen each other in three months and now you want to start stuff."

Sasha held her arms up, "I'm not… okay, sorry, how's life?"

"It's going."

"Oh yeah, so your career hangups have disappeared?"

Michonne sighed heavily and turned to face Sasha who sat down on the edge of the bathtub. "I keep getting offered these dumb roles where I play the dumb hot chick or worse a stereotypical angry black woman. My modeling career is far from over, but I want to branch out. I want an Oscar."

"Michonne, best friend to best friend, can I tell you something?"

Michonne eyes widened, "What?"

"You ain't no Viola Davis."

Michonne shot daggers towards Sasha causing Sasha to get up, she tried to give Michonne another hug only for Michonne to evade her.

"I'm kidding. I'm kidding. I think you will get that Oscar, all it takes is one movie."

Michonne slowly nodded, putting her lipstick down, "And how's the life of a firefighter?"

Sasha frowned, playing with her curly hair, "It's over."

"Sasha!"

"Aye, being a New York firefighter wasn't for me which is why I need a favor from you," she said.

Michonne eyed Sasha, being friends for so long, it didn't take much thinking to know what that favor was. "You can stay at my place until you get on your feet here."

Sasha threw up her hands in excitement and refused to let Michonne dodge her hug, "Thank you! Ugh, I need this, a fresh start."

A knock on the door broke the women's mini celebration. The door then opened and Glenn popped his head in. "Michonne," Glenn whispered for no reason considering the bathroom was probably the quietest place in the mansion. "Mike needs you downstairs for your big surprise."

"I'll be down there," she replied. Glenn nodded and quickly closed the door behind him.

"Glenn is so afraid of you," Sasha said, chuckling.

"No, he's not."

"Michonne, yeah he is, he probably thinks any minute you're going to throw a phone at his head."

"Not funny. Glenn is a great assistant."

"I'm sorry Naomi Jr, but—."

Michonne slapped Sasha on the arm. "Stop, you know what happened."

"You know if you would've just leaked the truth, people would have been very sympathetic towards your anger."

"Sasha," Michonne whined. "It's my birthday and you're killing my mood."

"Ok, ok, ok. I'm sorry. Hey, you look beautiful tonight," she rubbed Michonne's arms and grinned.

"Thank you, shall we go before people start thinking we're snorting coke up in here."

"Now that the birthday girl has graced our presence, the cake will be brought out, but first my surprise gift." Mike took center stage, it was the first time Michonne had seen him all night, and he was more handsome than ever. His boyish grin shined brightly, he wore dark slacks, white button down shirt with royal blue checkered vest and solid blue tie. His sleeves were rolled up and his biceps flexed as he held the mic to his mouth. He blew Michonne a kiss causing her to blush.

"I had to really work my magic for this gift because my beautiful fiancée is a hard woman to please." Michonne shook her head and waved dismissively at his comment. "But, I am proud to say, Michonne you're going to love this."

Mike pointed to the projection screen as the room darkened. Pictures of Michonne as a child shown on the screen with Morgan Freeman commenting. Michonne almost laughed loudly at how pretentious the whole production was, but she swallowed that laugh when her and her very first friend popped on the screen and just as quickly left. She felt a presence by her side and looked to her left, Mike gave her a quick kiss on the mouth and grabbed her hand.

"Mike, this is a little embarrassing," she whispered.

"Shh," he wrapped an arm around her as they continued to watch the mini-documentary go through Michonne's modeling career and then suddenly Marvel creator, Stan Lee showed on screen.

"Michonne, my apologies for not being there in person to celebrate your birthday. I'm sure it's a dull one without me there." Laughter from the guests echoed through the room. "But, I would like to make it up to you. I've heard a lot about you and I've seen your work, you are a strong, powerful woman. A woman that myself, the execs at Marvel, the casting director Chris Loy, and the director Andrea Harrison believes will make the perfect Storm."

Michonne's eyes widen, a chill ran down her spine as she realized what was happening. She stood up for no reason except to make sure there was still feeling in her legs.

"You have the talent and the fortitude to start in Storm's first feature film and I for one cannot wait to see you light up the screen. Happy Birthday."

The screen went dark and a thunderous applause surrounded Michonne as her guests stood up. Tears formed in her eyes, this may not have been the Oscar material she wanted, but it was a huge step in the right direction. She turned to hug Mike only to see him leaping back on stage.

"Y'all heard it from the man himself, Michonne will be the lead actress in Marvel's Storm and that's not all."

Michonne touched her chest, shocked that she was being bestowed even more blessings. She looked behind her and was glad to see the happiness etched on her mother's face and even her Aunt Jacqui grinned widely.

"The movie will mostly be shot in Georgia, but in about two weeks from now, I was able to team with director Andrea Harrison and have parts of the movie shot in Michonne's hometown."

What! Michonne's head swiveled back to Mike who seemed oblivious to the frown that was growing on his fiancée's face.

"King's County has struggled for years and I, I mean Michonne and I, have always talked about giving back. You should never forget where you came from."

Michonne shook her head at the non-existing conversation she supposedly had with Mike. She tried to smile as she felt eyes on her, but she couldn't.

"So my next gift to you, Michonne," Mike pulled out what looked to be envelopes. "I have two plane tickets for us to fly to your hometown in two weeks."

No. Is what she wanted to shout, but instead she bit her cheek. King's County was the last place on Earth she ever wanted to step foot in again.