Dejede: "When I heard Mike I didn't know which way it was going to go. Romantic connection with old boyfriend or something else. Loved the something else."
- thank you! glad to hear you liked that x
richie: "Merry got what they deserved. I hope R. gives them a good beat down. Shane should be next. At least R. is not trying to molest her in dark hallways. shane is just jealous and trying to make mess. [...]"
RBGzMom: "Rick Vader is on the loose. I can't wait for Shane to fall under the Ricktatorship. [...]"
courtgirl26: "What a bunch of douches, and I'm not mad at Rick at all. It's kind of hot, but then he's hot, so there's that, lol! [...]"
DramionEverlarkPeetatoRichonne: "Lorde lorde lorde Mike and Terry are about to be in shitsville now! Rick Grimes is a raging bull alright! Damn love me a violent savage as fuck dominant Rick, Shane's gonna get it one way or another too. [...]"
- hahah they are! Shane should definately keep an eye out! And yesss to both of you; i mean who doesn't love Rick when he's angry asdkjf
Luvfreakysyfy: "[...] I don't think Michonne is weak she is just not that confident, but because Rick has her back, she knows that someone is there for her, where as before she had no one, and when u don't have someone watching your back and you are isolated confidence is hard to come by. I see that changing for her through his company, he needs someone to care about him and he deserves it I think, Green wouldn't have put Rick there if he didn't trust him. [...]"
- thanks for your lovely comment! I agree!
Trinrichonnetrash: "This chapter was so damn good. So now Rick knows Michonne's secret but when will she know his? Were those things Shane said about Rick true or have some degree of truth? Is sexy ass Rick a government assasin? I'm putting Shane down as my prime suspect in Michonne's stalker case. I liked that Michonne heard Rick's words in her head and it propelled her to be brave and slap Shane's disgusting ass. Now Rick's about to phuck Mike and Terry up. Lard. Just don't kill 'em Rick. Dang this story is good. [...]"
- wow thank you! There's definately more to Rick's backstory. Hopefully this chapters answers some of your questions!
Richonne4Life: [...] The way you described a dressed up Michy and Rick made me all warm and fuzzy. I was thinking they were very Disney prince and princess-like until Rick made the comment about her dress being shorter than the tag. LMAO! So Bey and Jay-Z it is! [...]
- Haha l I love that!
Thank you all for your reviews! They make my day and I never thought there would be so many people interested in this story!
Hope you enjoy this chapter!
x
The drive home was silent and uncomfortable. Rick never glanced my way; his angry eyes were targeted on the road in front of us as we sped towards home. I could feel the moisture welling up in my eyes and I knew Rick would not be oblivious to this. There was nothing he didn't notice. My eyes slid over to him and my heart raced at the sight of him. He was the physical embodiment of raw power and he sent this message in subtle ways, barely moving at all. It was in the unwavering feirceness of his gaze, in the way he clenched his jaw when he was angry or stressted, in the confident smirk he wore. His right hand moved to grip the top of the steering wheel, and I saw the blood on his knuckles.
We finally pulled into the parking garage on my street and after finding a spot he powered down the engine and just stared at the wheel for a moment, seemingly engrossed in contemplation. The quiet tension continued to thicken. After several moments I glanced at him nervously, humiliated from the encounter and anxious to know what he was thinking.
"Say something?" I said quietly. He remained silent; never looking my way and angled himself out of the vehicle. Before I knew it my side door was opened and he looked away from me as I stood up. We walked back to my apartment and he opened the door, ushering me inside and thats when I whirled around.
"What the hell is your problem? I'm sorry I didn't tell you before but I never thought you'd react like this. Why are you so mad?"
"I'm processing." He corrected, closing the door behind him and tumbling the dead bolt into place. "All of this is supposed to be a myth."
"The military worked very hard for a very long time to turn the reality of my condition into a myth. They've worked secretly with the media for years drip-feeding the idea to the public so that when the truth comes out someday, hopefully the reaction will be different from before. More controlled, less chaotic for me. This was all over the news when I was a little girl, don't you remember it? It was huge worldwide when those rumours about the 'zombie virus', as they liked to call it, spread."
I had shrugged out of his blazer and he rolled his sleeves to his elbows, getting comfortable as he eyed me in speculation.
"When did this all happen?"
I thought back for a moment. "Well I was seven, so twenty years ago. Wow, I can't believe its been that long." I could see the gears turning in his mind as he did the math.
"If you were 7 that would have made me 9 when this happened..." His voice trailed off and his eyeline fell to look past me. "No, I don't recall anything about this in the news."
Silence slipped over us before his eyes fixated on me once again.
"Your arm." He started as he stepped closer to me. "Why is it bruised? Did those guys-"
"No. It wasn't them." I covered the yellowish blue spots fro my skin with my hand, shying away from Rick's analyzing gaze. "I... I ran into Shane back at the fundraiser. He was drunk. It's not a big deal, I'm fine.
My attempt at waving it off was wasted on Rick, who's look of irritation was back full-force.
"He and I don't exactly get along. What did he say to you?" Shane's dreadful words replayed in my mind like a broken record. The warning that I had easily shaken off earlier had reattached themselves to my psyche after witnessing Rick's reaction to the comments from the two druggies outside.
"Nothing," I lied. "Just a bunch of incoherant babbling. He was slurring his words."
"Don't lie to me. Shane was one of the soldiers Hershel sent me to question. If he said something to you I need to know."
I stared at him for a few seconds, contemplating if I should really be honest with him. Could I really trust him? The fact that I was hesitating baffled him.
"Michonne.. I'm on your side." He said, confused by my behaviour. He looked at me with such a pleading expression on his face. He felt my mistrust. My gaze fell to the floor. I knew I'd cave in if I kept looking into those eyes. When I still didn't say anything he continued,
"I'm here to keep you safe. You..." he paused for a moment, searching for the right words. It seemed like realizing what I felt towards him right now was crushing him. "You don't need to be afraid of me."
"Shouldn't I be?" I blurted out. I hated the way he had just read me like an open book. "I know nothing about you. You want me to be open with you, when you're the one keeping secrets from me. Shane.. He said that you're not supposed to be here. He said that someone over Hershel's head ordered you here against his wishes and that you're mentally unstable." I dug my nails into my clenched fists.
"What you did to those guys.. Shane said that you've murdered people..."
"Michonne, I..." he tried to explain himself, but when he took a step towards me and I backed away he paused.
"I shouldn't trust you." I said with sorrow in my voice.
We slipped into silence and I instantly regretted what I just said when I saw how hurt he looked.
Suddenly he took several steps towards me, taking my hand and pulling me towards him slowly. He wrapped his arm around my waist, keeping his touch so light. While his other hand snaked his way from my neck up to my jaw, he pressed his forehead against mine. I didn't back away this time. I found my hands rested on his chest and I hesitantly reached up and brushed my fingertips against his neck. I closed my eyes and he left me waiting for his lips to connect with mine for a couple of seconds before he said
"But you do."
He took a deep breath to collect himself before pulling away a bit to look at my face and brushing my hair behind my ear.
"It's true, I've killed a lot of people for the government. Believe me when I tell you they deserved it. But you're not the first person that I've been sent to save. I didn't seriously injure those guys; they'll need some stitches but they'll be fine. And I get why you didn't want to tell me why you're so important to the government, but you don't have to feel like this with me. You should know by now that you're not the only one with a troubled past... I don't mean to be such a miserable fuck, but if it'll help me keep you safe then that's how it has to be."
Cold reality splashed over me when I recalled the terrible things I'd just said to the man who was only trying to help. His hands fell away from me and he turned to head to his room and that's when my brain pushed me into action. I reached out and grabbed his hand and he stopped, looking back at me.
"Wait," I said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to- I shouldn't have-"
"It's okay." He said softly. "I know. And I meant it when I said you don't need to be afraid of me. I would never hurt you, Michonne."
I knew that he wasn't just talking about my physical state.
Our argument had sparked new found energy in me, and at nearly 6 am we were sitting in my darkened living room with a bottle of scotch and the gas fireplace serving as our light source. We sat there passing the bottle back and forth as I told him everything about my condition and the challenges it had brought me in the past, as well as the hopes that it held for the future. He'd speculated that whoever was stalking me must have ties with higher-ups in the military because of all the going-ons over Hershel's head. He reasoned that Hershel must've wanted someone else living with me not because he didn't trust Rick, but because he would've had him watching from the outside, making sure that no one even came close to the apartment, and using his sharp mind to weed out the traitors in the military. But Hershel's hands were tied by people outranking him who were either too far from the situation to truly understand what was going on, or were the very conspirators hoping to see me dissappear.
"We should turn in," He reasoned, taking a swig from the bottle before corking it. The sky outside had lifted from its blackness to an ombre of dark blue, and we knew the sun was on its way. He grinned at me. "You can barely keep your eyes open." He was right. I was beyond exhausted and would have fallen asleep on the living room rug had he let me. He stood and before I could protest he scooped me into his arms and carried me to my room. Sliding into bed was heavenly and my half-opened eyes found his as he sat on the edge of the bed.
"I'm sorry for what I said earlier." I murmured. He smiled at this and I felt his fingers brush my cheek. Without thinking I touched my hand to his and closed my eyes.
"I don't blame you." He started carefully. "I know I can be intimidating. And the scars..."
My eyes snapped open at this and I squeezed his hand. "No." I replied.
"Who am I to judge someone for being different? Or for having suffered? Lots of soldiers have wounds. Enduring pain and having scars doesn't make you a monster. It makes you human."
His eyes widened at hearing this and he pulled his hand away. His gaze fell to the floor.
"Get some sleep." He quietly demanded and as he went to shut my door behind him he paused.
"Thank you, by the way." He murmured.
"For what?" He smiled sadly at me over his shoulder.
"...For not asking me how I got them."
He shut the door.
.
I awoke several hours later to sunlight pouring in my room; it's bringtness amplified by the sheet of crisp white covering everything outside. I slipped out of my dress and shimmied into some black leggings and slouchy grey sweater after I showered. Walking out of the living room met me with the surprising sight of Rick passed out on the couch, still clad in his pants and dress shirt from the night before. I couldn't help giggling at how uncomfortable he looked, and I gently brushed an errant of hair from across his face. Seeing him so relaxed and peaceful made it hard to believe what Shane claimed; that he was capable of so much destruction. My tranquil moment of slumbering adonis was cut short when his hand suddenly lashed out, grasping my wrist tightly and snitching it away from his face as his fierce eyes bore into me. As quickly as he grabbed me he let me go and put his hand to his chest, breathing out slowly.
"Jesus woman, don't sneak up on me like that."
"Sorry." I exhaled. "I didn't mean to startle you."
He rolled himself off the couch and stretched, yawning loudly and scratching his disheveled-looking head as he headed to the guest shower. I brewed us some much needed coffee and ordered some chicken parm sandwiches for us, and made myself comfortable on the sofa just as Rick emerged from his room. His hair was still wet from the shower he just took and he grinned when I handed him his coffee.
"So," He started as he settled next to me on the sofa, "I think we need a fresh start. No more secrets, its open communication from now on."
I nodded in agreement before responding, "Well what about you? What will you share?"
His eyes fell away from mine in contemplation, it was plain to see he was weighing his options. I'll share what I can, but it's not much. There are some things about me that I can't explain to you, even though I want to. I need you to understand that."
I could feel myself brightening from within at this newfound opportunity, and I aquiested enthusiastically.
The next few hours became a blur of coffee, sandwiches, and him answering any of my questions that he could. He told me about some of his past missions, people he protected, countries he visited. I was dazzled by his vivid descriptions; the humidity and bright technicolor foliage of the amazon rainforest, the incredible sea life he encountered while scuba diving near the Great Barrier reef, the head-scratching mysteries surrounding Easter Island and Stonehenge. I found myself dreaming in the daytime as he spoke of the sun setting over the rolling hills of Tuscany, the magical light show of the aurora borealis dancing through the midnight sky above the snow-capped mountains of Alaska, the way the Grand Canyon seemed to stretch on forever. It seemed to me that heaven existed on earth, and a sudden pang of regret struck me which he noticed.
"What is it?" He questioned.
I drew in a shakey breath to sooth my aching soul.
"I.. I'm just so angry at myself. I don't have to stay here all the time. I really can go out and live. I'm just so tired of being recognized. All I can think about is what would happen if someone were to approach me... I can't have any more of these incidents. I can't subject myself to the possibility that I could be swarmed by people. I want to meet new people, see new places, have adventures-"
"Put your shoes on." He commanded with a smirk.
"...What?"
"You heard me."
"Right now? We can't go out now, Rick. That guy is still on the loose. Plus theres snow on the ground and it's cold."
"Stop with the excuses, Michy. You're conquering your fear tonight. We're going into town."
"Are you insane? Couldn't we go somewhere quieter? With security? How about an art museum?" He pushed me towards the closet where I kept my boots and jacket.
"You know what they say, 'the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.'." He said pulling on his black jacket. I didn't hide my lack of amusement.
"I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to you and I meant it." He said shutting the door behind me.
"I'll be with you every step on the way."
That was chapter 8!
I'll try to upload chapter 9 in a couple of hours, but I might fall asleep lol so I'm not making any promises.
Let me know what you thought of this chapter! Byeee x
