Mothers Know Best (Chapter 7)

The house is quiet as Michonne prepares for bed. Her mind is turning furiously as she plans out her strategy to deal with Lori. She will have to enlist her father's help as he is more familiar with family court than she is. Of course, she can't be too involved as she is the stepmom and may have to testify, but she knows her father will put them in touch with the best attorney for the job.

Rick walks in after checking on Carl for the second time that night. His presence jars her from her thoughts as she takes in his slightly defeated demeanor. He sits down heavily at the foot of the bed and sighs.

"You ok?" She asks.

"I can't help being a little worried about this. The courts normally award custody to the mother, right? Women just seem to have more rights when it comes to the kids. The only reason I got joint custody in the divorce is because she agreed to it." He swallows visibly, indicating how worried he is.

Michonne walks over to him and wraps her arms around him, positioning herself between his legs. "Babe, don't worry about this. Carl isn't going anywhere. I'll make sure of it. I'm going to talk with my dad and he'll recommend the best attorney for us. We'll probably have to hire an investigator as well."

"An investigator? For what?" Rick wants to know.

"Well, you did tell me that Lori cheated on you with Phillip, right? We're going to go back in time, so to speak, and get proof of what she was doing while she was married to you," Michonne informs.

"No. No, that won't work. I don't want Carl hearing those type things about his mother," Rick states. He notices her frown as she processes his words. He realizes that she's thinking like an attorney now, not like a parent and she has to win. That's the bottom line.

"You do understand that will most likely ensure Carl stays with us? He won't have to be involved. I'm hoping it doesn't even go to court," she relays.

"How's that?"

Michonne sits next to him, taking one of his hands in hers. "I'm going to ask Daddy about mediation. If we can get that into place and settle things that way, we won't have to go to court."

"Well, I'd much rather do that if it's possible. Above all though, I don't want to fight dirty. I want to do this the right way." He looks directly at her to get his point across.

"We will be doing this the right way. Do you think she's worried about fighting dirty? She's going to do anything and everything to get Carl and I bet her number one defense mechanism is going to be neglect. You told me how she complained about your work schedule, how she said you never spent any time with her or Carl. She's going to use that against you, so you better come with something." Michonne is adamant.

Rick continues to stare at her, realizing that she is right. He just wants this to be handled with as little conflict as possible. He doesn't want things to get dirty or ugly.

Michonne watches as he contemplates what she just said. "Our purpose here is to protect Carl. I can't imagine only seeing him once a month or just on holidays. He won't be 30 minutes away, he'll be 9 or 10 hours away. We can't let that happen. I won't let that happen."

Rick nods, knowing she is right.

She kisses him softly and says, "If it makes you feel better, we won't use that information unless it's absolutely necessary. It'll be our ace in the hole."

Hours later, Michonne is fast asleep while Rick is lying flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling. He looks over at the digital display on the clock. 2:03 A.M. He sighs, then looks over at the curvy outline of his wife's form beneath the covers. He turns onto his side to face her back, sidling up to her slowly. He places a light kiss on her shoulder as he splays a hand on her hip.

"Babe, I need you," he whispers in her ear. He moves his hand from her hip, skimming over her waist and lightly cups one of her breasts.

She moans as he kisses her shoulder again, making his way to her neck. "Rick?" She says his name lightly, groggily as she opens her eyes slowly.

He wraps an arm around her waist and positions her onto her back as he slides his body atop hers in one fluid movement.

Michonne gradually arrives at full awareness as she meets his eyes and cradles him between her thighs. Her body is flooded with passion as she can feel Rick's rock hard manhood straining against her. She brings her hands to his shoulders, snaking up his neck and into his hair to pull him in for a kiss. She lifts her hips to press against him and smiles against his mouth when he responds with a tilt of his hips.

Rick groans into her mouth as he grabs her ass to grind into her even more. Her gasp of delight is music to his ears as he grazes his lips from her mouth down to her neck, biting and sucking softly. Her short spaghetti strap nightie leaves little to the imagination as he can detect through its flimsy material that she is not wearing any panties.

That fact alone drives him crazy as he reels back onto his knees and quickly removes his underwear. Michonne sits up and lifts her nightie over her head. Their lips connect again as she pulls him into her arms, his body atop hers as they return to their missionary position.

She opens her legs wider as she feels him seeking entrance. He grabs one of her thighs, bringing it up to his waist as he slowly slides into her welcoming warmth. They both groan with the sensation their connection originates.

Rick lifts his upper body, supporting himself with his hands on either side of her. He moves extremely slow, wanting to savor the feeling of her tightness surrounding him, enveloping him.

Michonne closes her eyes, reveling in how good he feels, moving in and out so slowly. She meets his thrusts and hooks her hands onto his bulging biceps to lift her upper body to meet his, wanting to be closer to him. Her nipples graze his chest as their bodies rock against each other in a sensuous rhythm.

"I love you so much," she gasps as they continue to move.

Her declaration seems to embolden Rick as he plunges into her with a little more force behind his thrusts, eliciting a gasp followed by an audible groan.

"Hey, look at me." He waits until their eyes lock, continuing to push into her. "I love you" and with that admission, he increases his pace, enhancing the experience for them both.

Michonne drops back to the pillows, her spine bowing up into an arch as tiny sparks seem to be shooting all through her body. She covers her mouth to stifle a scream as Rick lowers his body to hers and angles his head to pull a nipple into his mouth.

Her body seems to explode with vibrations as the orgasm washes over her in huge waves. The more Rick continues to thrust, the harder her body shudders.

He takes her hand away from her mouth and kisses her as he strives for his climax, knowing he has satisfied her. He rests his forehead in the crook of her neck as he glides into her over and over again.

Michonne breathes heavily as she feels Rick's seed pumping into her, his member pulsating with his release. She wraps her arms around him and kisses his shoulder as he slowly rocks to a stop. "I don't know how I'm going to make it to work after this."

Rick's body shakes with laughter. "Well, I'm not sorry for waking you up. That was incredible." He pushes into her again as they are still joined. "You wanna go again?"

[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[

Michonne makes it a priority to contact her dad about the custody petition. He offers his advice and lets her know that he will be in contact with some colleagues to ensure that they get the best representation. She is somewhat relieved, knowing that her dad is helping out.

After lunch, she was summoned to Judge Martinez's office. She was sure to drag Brian with her despite her guilt at taking him away from his workload. She just couldn't trust Martinez, so had to protect herself at all costs.

She and Brian arrive at the Judge's office in good spirits, laughing and talking as they wait in his assistant's area. Ten minutes later, the assistant tells Michonne she can go in, but Brian has to remain seated. It is the Judge's order.

Shit! Now what?

Brian looks at her sympathetically and can only watch as she moves into the Judge's office.

Judge Martinez comes from behind his desk to greet Michonne at the door. He closes it as she fully enters the office. "Have a seat, darling. I just have a few things I need to discuss with you and I wanted to keep it between us if you don't mind."

"Of course, Your Honor." She takes a seat and watches cautiously as he reclaims his chair behind his desk.

"I'll get right to the point. I want you as our new DA. I realize that Frazier has a few more years until retirement, but I have enough push on my side to get him on out of there and make way for you. Does that sound like something you'd be interested in?" Judge Martinez eyes her up and down slowly.

"Why push Frazier out now?"

"Well, here's the thing, sugar, you've got something I want and I realize with you I'm not working with any ordinary female. I've got to make this right for you and I'm willing to do whatever it takes. You want the DA's position? You are next in line. I'd just be helping you along. Just so long as I get what I want in return." He smiles widely.

"And just what is that?"

"Why, you, of course. You understand where I'm coming from?" He asks.

"Yes, Your Honor, I understand and I respectfully decline your offer. It's been nice talking with you. Have a nice day." She hurriedly walks out of his office despite his protests. She gives Brian a tilt of her head and the both of them high tail it out of there.

Of course he coaxes her for details as to why they were rushing out of the Judge's office and she desperately wants to tell Brian, but she knows she has to tread carefully. The Judge has put his cards on the table so to speak and because she didn't play his game, she is more than sure she just made an enemy. It was better to not involve anyone from her office right now.

"We just got a new assignment with a deadline, so I really need to get back to the office," she replies.

Thankfully, he seems to accept her explanation and broaches a new subject.

Thirty minutes later, she was in her car on her cell phone, relaying everything to Rick.

"Leave. Right now. I don't want you there anymore," Rick says.

Michonne scoffs as that was not what she was expecting from him. "Rick, this is my job. How can I just leave?"

"This is only going to get worse for you. He's telling you what he wants, you refused. What do you think he's going to do now?"

"Move on to a new conquest?" Her voice is hopeful as she wants Rick to agree with her as it will provide a little assurance.

"Don't fool yourself, ok? He offered you your boss' job. You already said he's crooked, taking bribes for his decisions, so he's not above making things hard for you to get what he wants. I guess now we know why he wanted those cases of yours reassigned. He was letting you know what he could do and I'm assuming that's just the icing on the cake. I don't like this, babe."

Michonne sighs heavily. "So I'm supposed to give up and walk away? Let this jerk strong arm me into throwing away my career? I can't let him have that kind of power over me."

Rick doesn't like it, but a part of him realizes that she's right. After a long pause, he answers with "Ok. I guess you should stay for now, but next time and there will be a next time, you better play it smart and record this asshole."

"Right. Thanks, babe. I love you. See you tonight."

"Love you, too." Rick tells her as they disconnect.

[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[

Rick and Michonne arrive at the offices of Dale Horvath. Mr. Horvath is a colleague of her dad's and they are meeting with him to discuss legal representation for the custody petition. Michonne is impressed with him as he displays extensive knowledge of the family court system and she didn't have to suggest to him about hiring a private investigator to obtain proof of Lori's infidelity.

Of course, she told her dad about it and he more than likely conveyed that to Mr. Horvath, but if it wasn't a good idea, they wouldn't be discussing it. She knows Rick doesn't like it, but maybe hearing it from someone who has experience with these type cases will make him see things differently.

"So, we're hiring this investigator and we're going to use this information as leverage before we even hear what her terms are?" Rick wants to know.

"No. We're just gathering information at this point. Who knows? We may not find anything, but it's better to be prepared. We should also lay out what your terms will be," Mr. Horvath suggests. "You have just as much right to full custody as she does."

Rick nods in agreement as they lay out a plan for his and Michonne's terms for Lori should they be granted full custody of Carl.

"What's the likelihood of obtaining mediation and possibly avoiding court? Can we request that the mediation be held here in Georgia?" Michonne asks.

"I can certainly make those requests. I'll get on that as soon as possible," Mr. Horvath informs them.

The meeting concludes thirty or forty minutes later with Rick and Michonne retaining Mr. Horvath's representation. They will meet with him again in a week for any updates and strategy discussion.

Rick's parents are taking care of Carl as they are in Atlanta and will stay the night at the apartment. Rick will just drive back to King's County in the morning.

Michonne picks up on his quietness as soon as they're in the car, heading home. "Spit it out. Are you that upset we've hired an investigator?"

"Honestly, I think I'm afraid of what they'll find out. I don't know if I want to know. Does that make sense?" He looks to her before turning his attention back to the road.

Michonne caresses his upper arm, trying to comfort him. "I understand, but like Mr. Horvath said we may not find anything. If we do, just remember it's only to help us keep custody of Carl. All of this is for him."

[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[

Michonne sits in her boss's office in total disbelief of the information he just provided her with. Apparently, Judge Martinez has requested that she accompany him on a business trip to Las Vegas. He specifically asked for her and her boss approved her for the trip. This is getting ridiculous.

"Excuse me? A business trip with Judge Martinez? Well someone else will have to go. I'm not available."

Her boss gets up to slowly make his way over to his office door. He closes it and looks directly at Michonne. "You and I both know what this is about. This man is after you and it appears he's willing to do whatever it takes to get you, including getting rid of me."

Michonne opens her mouth to protest, but her boss cuts her off.

"I know his reputation just like everyone else around here and he hasn't been that subtle when it comes to you. All I can tell you is to be careful. My hands are tied as I really need to work until retirement. If I start stirring things up, that's only going to give him the ammo to push me out of here that much quicker," Frazier relays. "Unless you give him what he wants, your days here are numbered."

She realizes that she is all alone in this fight against Martinez. No one, especially her boss it appears, is going to help her. She has to make this right for herself. "Well, thank you for your support." She exits her boss's office, grabs her things, and leaves, going home to Rick and Carl.

[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[

Three weeks later, they're meeting in Mr. Horvath's office again. He has managed to get a mediation date scheduled during the first week in December in Atlanta and the investigator has a report. It appears Lori had been seeing Phillip for the entire last year of her marriage to Rick, meeting him at least twice a month in the town they resided in before moving to Virginia.

Michonne looks to Rick with concern. The investigator uncovered their meeting place as some seedy hotel and they even took a week-long vacation together right before Lori filed for divorce. No photos could be obtained, of course, but they had dates, credit card information, an airline itinerary that listed Phillip and Lori as passengers and at least two hotel employees who described Lori exactly. Mr. Horvath isn't sure if this will hold up, but maintains that he will only use the information if necessary.

Rick pinches the bridge of his nose as all of the excuses Lori gave him over that time frame came flooding back to his memory. He can't believe how big a fool he had been. He feels the comforting warmth of Michonne's hand on his and looks to her before escaping into his thoughts again. Her touch offers some solace, but he really feels like punching something in that moment.