A/N: Hi all. This is going to be the final chapter of this fic. Thanks so much to those who took the time to read, favourite, follow and review. I appreciate it greatly. Let me know how you liked it! Enjoy!
The bedroom door creaked slightly as Michonne pulled it closed far enough so that it was still ajar, but most of the light from the living room was not spilling into the room and causing her son to awaken. She picked up the toys that were scattered randomly across the floor and tossed them into the small box that leaned against the wall. She grabbed her backpack, retrieved her textbooks and placed them down on the coffee table next to her laptop as she settled in to get some study done. Just as she positioned her pen between her teeth, out of habit, she heard a faint tapping at her front door. Instinctively she checked the time and then proceeded to answer the door; she was met by a smiling Rick Grimes.
"Hey," he said softly, knowing that it was past nine o'clock and that her young son was most likely in bed. "Sorry to bother you at this time of night."
"It's fine," Michonne replied with a smile of her own. "I was just getting started on some homework. Come on in. Is everything okay?"
Rick stepped inside her home and shifted his weight from his left foot to his right one.
"Yeah, everything's fine," he answered.
"Please, have a seat," Michonne offered as Rick sat on the sofa next to her.
He smiled at her once again and felt a fluttering in his stomach when she returned the gesture with a bright beam.
"Can I get you a coffee or anything?" she asked cordially.
"No, thank you. I wanted to drop by and thank you for everything you've done for Carl these past couple of weeks," he started. "I won't be workin' these crazy hours for much longer, but I do appreciate everything you've done."
"It's okay. I don't mind, Rick. He's a really great kid," said Michonne.
"I don't wanna put you out or anything like that," Rick said. "Feedin' him and helpin' with his homework? That's more than I could ask for."
"It's fine, really. We've loved havin' him here," she smiled.
"How can I repay you?" asked Rick with a charming grin.
"Well," said Michonne playfully. "I have this five thousand word paper due, so if you could take care of it I'd say we were even."
Both chortled and Rick got lost a moment in the sweet sound of her giggles.
"Oh, no. I ain't that smart," he said. "But maybe I could take you out on the weekend? Dinner or a movie or somethin' like that, as a thank you."
Michonne felt butterflies and could not hold back her bright smile.
"I'd like that," she replied.
"How does Saturday night sound? Just the two of us. Your choice, my treat?" asked a relieved Rick.
"Sounds great," she replied in earnest.
"Well, all right then," said Rick happily. "You give it some thought about what you want to do and let me know."
He stood and she did soon after.
"Okay," Michonne said as she walked Rick to the door. "I'll be in touch."
…..
"This was a great idea, Rick," Michonne offered as she whispered close to his ear; they rocked steadily to the soft music that was playing in the restaurant. "Do you know how long it's been since I've been out dancing?"
"Probably longer than me, but you're still a better dancer," he said, gently rubbing his thumb over her hand that was clasped in his as they twirled around the dimly lit floor once more. "And I agree, it's been fun and I've had a really nice time."
Michonne giggled and breathed in Rick's scent before pressing her swaying body ever closer to his.
"You think we've danced off dinner yet?" she asked. "You know, to make room for ice cream?"
Rick chortled.
"Yeah," he replied. "I think so, but I'm enjoying bein' this close to you, so you think we can stay a little while longer?"
She felt her heart rate speed up.
"Sure," Michonne replied. "Just a little while."
…..
"So," said Rick as he hooked his thumb into his belt.
"So," Michonne replied as she fumbled in her purse for her keys, trying to extend the moment a little longer.
"I had a great time," he said softly, aware that the walls were thin.
"Me too," Michonne replied, still searching for her keys.
"You know I think you're lovely," he offered, stepping closer to Michonne; she smiled a little coyly now and ceased her search. "And I wanted to know, before we finish up and go back to bein' parents, if it was okay for me to kiss you goodnight?"
Michonne looked into Rick's eyes and smiled wider.
"Yes," she said in hushed tones. "If you want to."
Rick inched closer still and cupped her face with his hand.
"Believe me," he whispered as he searched her deep brown eyes. "I've wanted to all night."
He then pressed his lips to hers gently; as they relished in the sensation, they deepened the kiss and found themselves in the other's embrace. Rick's and fell to Michonne's waist as she took a moment to thread her fingers through his lush curls. They were so enraptured in the slow, sensual kiss that they did not notice that the barking of his dog was coming from Michonne's apartment; the door swung open and startled the pair. Luckily their sons were trying to wrangle the small Jack Russell and did not see the private moment between the adults.
"Hey," said Rick, his hand still resting at Michonne's waist.
"Oh, hey," said Carl. "He must've heard you at the door."
The dog circled excitedly at Michonne's feet.
"He really likes you," Carl added.
"Yeah, I think so," she replied as she tried to step away from the hyperactive dog. "Rick, did you want to come in for some coffee?"
"Raincheck? Better get Bucky home and try to settle him down. Don't want him keepin' y'all up all night," he said thoughtfully as Michonne gave him a grateful grin; her head still spinning from their kiss.
"Okay. Thanks Carl," said Michonne. "Say goodnight, Peanut."
André bid Carl and Rick goodnight before retreating into the apartment before Rick sent Carl and Bucky home to their apartment. Rick and Michonne stared at one another and chuckled.
"Well, I better get André into bed," she offered as Rick nodded. "Thanks for everything. I had a lovely time. Goodnight."
He closed the small distance between them once more and gave her another soft kiss.
"Me too," said Rick, kissing her lips again. "Goodnight."
Three years later
The warm sun shone down on the small group of people gathered in the backyard of the three bedroom home that Rick and Michonne owned in his home town of King County. A few rows of white, wooden chairs faced an altar that was decorated with peach tree blossoms and white roses on a backdrop of white lace; every seat was taken by people wearing smiling faces and fancy attire. Rick, Shane, Carl and André stood up the front and were dressed in matching tuxedos with peach blossoms pinned to their lapels.
The sweet scents of springtime filled the air and assisted in calming Rick's nerves; he wiped his sweating palms discreetly against his pant legs and lifted his head when the musicians situated to the left side of the altar began to play Pachelbel's Canon. Feeling himself overcome with emotions, Rick looked up the aisle and saw Michonne with her arm linked to her father's.
She wore a strapless, floor-length wedding gown and a simple diamond necklace; her hair was up in a chignon and she had a few white rose buds and peach blossoms pinned to it. She gave a warm smile to André and then Carl, before beaming happily at Rick. Finally, on shaky legs, she came to stand before Rick as she handed her bouquet off to her sister Shiri; her father kissed her softly on the cheek, gave her soon-to-be husband a nod and then stepped away. As the music stopped, Rick and Michonne took hold of one another's hands. She chuckled when she felt how sweaty his were; reassuringly, she gave his hand a quick squeeze and stared into his eyes.
The ceremony was flying by as the words rushing around Rick seemed to be drowned out by the sound of his heart beating loudly in his chest. He could scarcely believe that he was standing at the altar with Michonne; that he had gotten a second chance at love and that he was happier than he had ever been. He was busy staring at Michonne's eyes when she turned her head to face the preacher, he realized that the next part of the proceedings needed his attention to be on the man who was presiding over them.
"Rick and Michonne wanted to write their own vows, and they wanted to do it in a special way," Father Gabriel explained. "As I am sure most of you are aware, when they first met, it was because they were neighbors who were having a little disagreement. Michonne, as we know, is a tenacious individual who always strives to get her point across; ever the diligent lawyer. Rick's dog Bucky, who's seated in the front row there, was keeping Michonne up at night. So she wrote an angry letter and posted on her neighbor Rick's door. That's when these two met each other, got to know one another and it all led us here today. So in that same spirit, they would like to share their vows in the form of a quick letter. This time around, I would have to say there will be much kinder words."
The crowd laughed happily and Rick reached in his pocket for his piece of paper; he looked to their loved ones and bit his bottom lip.
"I ain't really good at public speakin'," he offered nervously. "But Michonne knows I'll do anything for her, so here goes:
Dear Michonne, my heart and soul,
I never ever thought that I could be anymore happy than I was, then you and André came along and proved that it was possible. I thank my lucky stars every single day that we found each other. That we were able to find love again and bring our families together. I cannot wait to find out where this journey is going to take us, and I know that with you by my side, I can face anything. You're my strength, Michonne. When you look at me with that love and belief in your eyes, I feel I can do anything. I love you and I thank you for choosing me. I promise to spend every day of the rest of my life being someone you can put your faith in."
Rick looked up from the piece of paper and saw the tears welling in her beautiful brown eyes as she smiled at him so brightly and gave his hand another squeeze. She took a deep breath and began to recite her vows.
"Dear Rick, my love,
Everyone knows I am a letter writer so this should have come easy for me, but it didn't; and not because I can't find the words, but because I have so much to say. But I will keep it short because otherwise we'll be here all day. Thank you so much for everything you have done for me and André; for bringing Carl into our lives. For all of the late nights and early mornings when I needed someone to tell me that I could get through the tough times. For having the ability to make me laugh and smile. For being just who you are, a kind, strong and loving father and wonderful man. I still can't believe we lived next door to one another for months and our paths never crossed until I decided to write you an angry letter. It's funny how things turn out and I am so grateful every single day since that we were placed in each other's lives. I look at you and I see hope; I see our future. I promise to be by your side always. I love you."
The tears of overwhelming joy fell from Rick's eyes as Father Gabriel had them exchange their rings; when Rick's lips finally found Michonne's and the cheers from their friends and family wafted through the air, they both felt an indescribable sense of euphoria as their hearts that beat in unison swelled with so much love.
Thirty five years later
"Mama!" called Serenity Grimes as she pulled another shoebox down from the cupboard in her parents room.
"Hold on," said Michonne as she stepped out of the adjoining bathroom. "What is it now?"
"Another shoebox. I swear you and Daddy are hoarders," the young woman said. "Are you sure there's one here somewhere?"
"Yes," Michonne replied. "Rick keeps all of the family photos in these boxes."
"Well, his birthday is four days away and I wanna make sure we get the ones of you, him, Carl and Dre with Bucky. He loved that dog so much," the younger woman stated as she sat on the bed and opened one of the boxes that contained keepsakes Rick had not gotten rid of over the years.
She smiled and passed the photos over to her mother who looked at them happily.
"We had some good times," Michonne reminisced as she looked at the photos that contained many of their family's memories in them; her daughter lifted her head from her search and smiled at her mother before digging through another pile of photographs.
"Is that him?" Serenity asked as she pointed to a picture of Carl and André and their Jack Russell, Bucky.
Michonne's eyes glazed over as she smiled at the photograph, "Yeah. That's him. You know, if it wasn't for this dog I may not have even met your father. Well, I might've met him, but we probably wouldn't have had anything too interesting to talk about."
Nodding her head, Serenity grinned at Michonne.
"I know," she replied. "That was the bedtime story Daddy told me right up until I was fourteen years old."
Both women laughed and then Serenity reached into the box once more and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper; she gently unfolded it and began to read. She let out an amused chuckle before asking, "Mama, what in the world is this? Is this what I think it is?"
Michonne looked up from the picture and regarded at her daughter questioningly.
"I don't know," she offered, "What does it say?"
Serenity began to read:
Dear Asshole at No. 25,
The only dick around here is you! Please make sure your dog doesn't keep the rest of us awake tonight. As you can tell, I am a letter writer and I will make a formal complaint about you, the Master of assholes, and your asshole dog.
Regards,
No. 23.