Hi everyone,

Just a quick note of thank you for your continued support. I appreciate it.

In the last installment Michonne, Rick and her parents were trapped overnight by a storm, which resulted in the two couples having some rather candid conversations. Donna apologized to her daughter and Rick but will things change? That remains to be seen.

...

A Three Ring Circus

Michonnne had just read the proposed list of names to be invited to their engagement dinner and picked up the phone to call her mother. "Michonne? That was quick, you only had the list less than ten minutes. Did I forget someone?"

"Mother, I told you this thing is supposed to be intimate how's inviting all these people half of whom we don't even know considered intimate?"

"Dear, what do you consider intimate? Your father have his friends, you and Richard have yours and I might have added one or two myself. And then there's the family, granted Richard's side is pretty small but we have a pretty big one. This list is small in comparison to both of your siblings and by the way, it's not everyday one get's engaged; plus, y'all aren't exactly doing a dinner after the ceremony because you want to do a proper wedding. I mean, your father doesn't mind paying for one but he says we'll do whatever you want."

"Well, for me, it's my girls and their significant others, Peter and Anna, Grimes will have his mom, Shane and his plus one. No, Grimes and I don't want a dinner after. We're having lunch with the people who'll be at the courthouse to witness our vows. We don't want a circus. We'll say our vows a year later and everyone will be a part of it but even then, it won't be a big gaudy affair."

"Don't worry dear, I'll take your suggestions and make another cut."

"Thanks, mom."

…

Shortly after the Mayor left both Michonne and Peter were summoned to Jefferies office. "Have y'all read the papers this morning?" It was a rhetorical question. He knew full well they were acutely aware of the issue. Michonne had anticipated this meeting so she handed him a folder of the latest posts and the geotag results from the latest victims. "What am I looking at Ms. Williams?" There again was the formality he uses when he was not in sync with their views. Michonne only hoped the Mayor's visit would be enough to move him outside of his box.

"Sir, that would be the Cyber division's tracking of the latest postings since our meeting last Friday. Since that time, we've had a bloodbath which went down last night. Three dead, five wounded all in the space of eight hours. The postings correlate to the bodies which are now in the city morgue."

Peter added, "Sir, we're aware there's no precedent for what we're asking but it has to begin somewhere. These gangs are in clear violation of their cell service user agreements. I believe we have more than enough evidence for the court to take this matter seriously."

The evidence was undeniable so Jefferies reluctantly sanctioned their request to seek an injunction. "God help you if someone dies if one of those kids can't use his phone to make a phone call in the case of an emergency." He said as he dismissed them both. They both returned to Michonne's office and began drafting the motion.

…

Michonne was not looking forward to calling Walsh but she was running out of options. She'd rather walk into a lion's enclosure at feeding time than to have to deal with him on any level. She didn't respect him as a person nor as a professional which all went back to their college days. According to Grimes and her recent disclosure, it meant that her run-in with Walsh happened days after Grimes had seen her and Zeke together at the restaurant. Back then it made no sense but in recent days it did; Grimes had been avoiding her.

He had cut classes for several days after. Allegedly, he was sick at least that was the story. He submitted his portion of the work via Walsh. Ordinarily, Peter would be with her at the library but that night, he was late. She was sitting at their usual table in the back of the library working on her portion of the assignment when Walsh showed up. "Hey, Williams," he said as he approached her slowly looking around to ensure that she was indeed alone. "Grimes sent this…" he said dropping the binder on the table next to her. "He said you'd know what to do with it."

She looked up from her laptop and checked her watch it was eight o'clock and Peter was running late. "Is he okay? He's been off for several days now. I've sent him my notes but he hasn't responded. I guess he's really bad, huh? Just tell him that I'll handle his share of the next assignment? It'll give him a chance to get back on his feet."

"You're some piece of work aren't you? You walk all over his fuckin' heart and then pretend you don't know what's going on."

She looked at him her confusion registering on her face. She stood up to cut the height differential between them. She was affronted by Walsh's behaviour and his insinuation. "Pardon me?" She said waiting for Walsh to explain himself.

Unfortunately, instead of an explanation he stepped into her personal space and backed her against the wall. "You're just a cock tease, you know that? You lead him on with all this late night work alone… just the two of you, then you give it up to Zeke. That's your thing ain't? You like the bad boys don't yah? Grimes is too much of a fuckin' Boy Scout for you right?… You like a lil kink don't yah darlin'?" Walsh lowered his head and tried to kiss her. She quickly turned her head away, kneed him in the groin then she slipped from between him and the wall as he crumpled to the floor holding his privates sounding very much like a wounded animal. She quickly packed up her backpack and left practically running over Peter in her attempt to leave the section.

Walsh and her relationship since then have been like oil and water. Currently, things were more complicated because while the incident happened before her and Grimes were a thing. Walsh was the type to hold a grudge. He had always been Grimes' best friend but now they were also business partners. She didn't want to involve her fiancé in her fight with Walsh, her only dealings with him were strictly professional. The current matter, however, required Walsh to play along. As always the work would be done for him, if he played nicely, it would be a win-win opportunity for both parties involved. So she made the call which went directly to voicemail. So she left him a message, "Walsh, we need to talk about the Rovia case. I'm available to meet with you today if that's convenient for you."

Later that afternoon, Shane showed up at her office. There was a knock on her door causing Michonne to look up from the brief she was reading, seeing Walsh's profile she said, "Come in." Shane opened the door and entered. "Please be seated, Walsh." He did as she asked.

"Counselor, you wanna tell me what couldn't wait till we got to court on Monday." Shane was none too pleased to be summoned to Michonne's office, but given that his best friend just made it official that he was going to marry her, he had to be at least civil to her. Professionally, he had little choice because his clients paid him and it could mean the difference in the amount of time his client might serve.

"Basically, I wanted to give you a heads up that some new evidence has come to light which has some bearing on your client's case. The gun has surfaced and we're waiting for the completed reports. We intend to ask the court for an extension of time to complete an investigation in this matter. I'm hoping you will accommodate us. This can help both of us."

"Help us? Before you had no evidence and now you want me to play along so you can railroad my client?" He asked her with the most incredible look on his face. Isn't that rich, the great Michonne needs a favour, he thought.

"Walsh, what don't you get? Before we had your client present at the scene but now we can potentially put the murder weapon into his hand, without your cooperation your client is going down. However, if you grant me the time, I could help you free your client. Can I count on your cooperation?"

"I'm curious, do you think because you're Grimes' girl that'll go easy on you? That I'll just turn the other cheek?" He asked with disdain.

"Walsh, I'm a professional. I don't need Grimes to fight my battles. I would never put him in the middle of something so petty because I don't want to cause problems for you. What you did you was wrong and you know it. Just let it go. I'm asking you to set aside your personal feelings towards me and put your client first.

As you know, I could have asked Stone to call you but I didn't … I don't hide behind others. This is my case to plead and I'm asking you in the interest of justice will you be amenable when I present this motion to the court? I'm prepared for both scenarios. Just so you know… I was a Girl Scout.

In our profession, you and I are going to battle until one of us hangs up our gloves. I'm throwing you a lifesaver, you don't need to lose this case we can both win." She stated then waited for his reply.

Shane didn't reply, instead, he got up and left.

…

Rick was giving Michonne a foot massage as they sat on the couch together relaxing after a rather harrowing week at work and dealing with her mother. "Babe, please don't take this wrong way, I know your mother is trying but I hope meeting your friends won't be nearly as exhausting as dealing with her."

"Honestly, I don't know how a simple dinner turns into a three ring circus. Lucky for you, my friends aren't nearly as high maintenance. I promise you'll be fine," she added.

Rick looked at Michonne with a raised eyebrow, "Oh, is that so? Then, are you going to tell me why I got an SOS text from you the last time y'all got together?" He was curious to know the answer. In the short time, they had been together he recognized that his fiancé sometimes held things back. He hoped in time she would no longer feel the need to protect him from himself. However, after Savannah, he knew it would take some time.

"Sure, that's simple babe, Rosita flipped the script on me and you became the subject matter. She picked up on the fact that something was different with me and deflected the attention. I had to come clean about us. Then, they made the connection that you're the one Maggie had told them about when we were in college. Don't worry, tomorrow will be fine you're going to feed them and ply them with alcohol. Easy peasy"

…

"Come on in ladies," Michonne said greeting her friends. Tara, Rosita, and Maggie all walked past her while Jenny hung back and whispered to her like a giddy schoolgirl, "So where's he at?" Michonne closed the door behind her motioning to her friend that he was in the kitchen. The ladies then gathered in the living room where they each took turns checking out the bling on her finger.

"Oooh Chica, does he have a brother?" The women laughed at Rosita's ability to make light of the situation considering her current situation. She hadn't said much about her marriage since they rallied at Maggie's a week ago but her friends were still ready to support her whatever she decided.

"Chica you've already got a ring on that finger… you ain't free yet." Tara and Jenny added.

Rosita looked around the room at her friends, "Hey, a girl can always look to upgrade, can't she?"

After the laughter died down, Michonne gave them the latest update about their recent sleepover guests and the subsequent week she's had dealing with her mother. They were surprised by the latest developments with her mother and empathized with her. Turning to her friend, "Sweetie, we would have given y'all a pass if you eloped." Maggie said, deadpan. Her response was met with laughter.

At that moment, Rick cleared his throat to signal his presence. The women all grew quiet. "Ladies, I'd like y'all to meet my fiancé, Richard Grimes. Babe, you've met Maggie, these are my other girlfriends Rosita, Jenny and Tara." The women all looked him over, their eyes spoke volumes and they giggled like school girls.

The atmosphere caused Rick's complexion to darken. He quickly entered the room, "Baby, dinner is in the oven whenever y'all are ready, I'm heading out to meet Shane and Stone for a bit." Rick said, kissing Michonne's forehead. "Ladies, it's been a pleasure meeting y'all," he said as he made a quick getaway.

"And he cooks too. Is there anything he doesn't do?" Tara asked.

Rick was no sooner out the door when the women all started, Rosita was the ringleader, "Omg, Chica now I see why you ran out on us the other night. You've been keeping all his fineness under lock and key. Michonne, you ain't never held out on us before."

"Are you blushing, Michonne?" Jenny teased her friend.

Maggie roared at her friend's expense, she then urged her to talk about the first time she laid eyes on Grimes.

At first, Michonne argued, "You told them already, there's nothing left to say". The ladies chimed in arguing that Maggie's version was only hearsay, they wanted the real deal. Eventually, Michonne relented and narrated that faithful day, the women were hooked on her every word. After dinner, the girls drank and reveled in the moment. They each took turns sharing stories of their week and any gossip that was circulating. When it was Rosita's turn, however, she stated that Abe had proposed marriage counseling but she didn't know how she felt about it because it wasn't the first time he cheated. This tidbit shocked most of the woman except Michonne. Her friends once again empathized with her and told her they'd support her no matter what.

…

Upon receiving the invitation to their sister's engagement dinner, both Tyrese and Sasha immediately declined. That night, they were summoned to a family dinner. They were told that the engagement dinner was a family event. They both objected because the sibling being honoured had unilaterally removed herself from all family events for the past five months and suffered no consequences. At which point, something strange happened in the Williamses household, Clint spoke up and told his children their presence was mandatory; neither Ty nor Sasha were prepared for their father's support of their mother's venture, considering he said nothing the night Michonne walked out on her family. They both recognized something had changed in the dynamics of their family and conceded to their parents wish wondering what would be next.

…

A week later, the Williamses Estate was teeming with people both inside and out. Sasha was now seven months pregnant and looked as if she could deliver at any moment. Her husband Daryl took his brood directly into the house and let them out to the backyard with their caregiver. Tyreese and Karen arrived with their boys and they too joined their cousins in the backyard. Neither sibling nor their spouses wanted to be there but their presence was strong armed not only by the matriarch but also the patriarch of the family.

The grounds were tastefully decorated with tents over the long tables, which were covered in white tablecloths with gold or silver runners. There were bouquets of wildflowers as centerpieces, the only condition that Michonne wouldn't budge on having given her mother free reign on everything else because it was just easier that way. Donna, however, was horrified when Michonne told her the centerpieces had to be wildflowers but she did as her daughter requested.

Michonne arrived with her fiancé and his mom. The latter was introduced to Clint and Donna Williams who made small talk with Rick and his mom and posed for the photographer.

Eventually, Michonne introduced her fiancé and his mom to her siblings once they finally made an appearance. Rachael felt there was a strange vibe in the air which she would later confide to her son.

Shortly after Michonne friends and their significant others arrived they were also introduced to Rachael and Rick. The friends were shown to their table as the couple left to mingle with the other guests. Rachael eventually migrated towards the friend's table because she felt more comfortable hanging with them than with her son's future in-laws.

Donna soon found Sharon, Ben's wife and went off with her to find her other friends. Clint greeted his friends Ben, Jonathan and the latter's son, Officer Murphy and they remained in a huddle for some time. Clint looked back towards the celebrated couple but caught his daughter's eye instead so he thought better to leave Richard out of his meeting. He offered the others cigars and led them towards the house to his office where they could meet in private.

Both Sasha and Tyrese had been watching their father and his earlier interaction with their sister's beau, neither of them liked him, their father seemed absolutely fascinated by him so they longed to know that story. What was so special about him?

Michonne and Rick were busy people watching. They were standing together just off from the entrance to the festivities, Rick had his arm around his fiancé's waist and Michonne rested her head on his chest, "Are you having as much fun as I am?" She asked. Her sarcasm was evident.

Rick wished they could actually get to the meal so they could leave. If it wasn't for her father, he's certain Michonne would have left already. "Baby, this is your mother, we both knew this would happen. I must say though, this is an improvement over the last two encounters I've had with her."

"All she cares about is being in the society pages, I don't." Rick took her hand and walked her away from the crowd. Shortly after, the last of their friends showed up. Peter and Shane and their respective significant others. Three of whom did not want to be there. Shane because of his heated meeting with Michonne, Anna because of the presence of Peter's parents and Andrea because she tried to convince Shane to blow it off but he wouldn't citing that Grimes was his best friend and business partner but he did promise to make it up to her.

Michonne noticed Peter was surveying the grounds for his folks."Peter your folks are here, last I saw your dad went off with my dad and another of their Law School buddy, Jonathan Murphy and his son. Your mom went off with my mother and probably the ladies from her bridge club." He acknowledged her with a nod of his head. "Let me introduce you to my friends," effectively leaving Rick with Shane and Andrea.

At the table, Michonne introduced Peter and Anna to Rachael identifying her as her future mother-in-law, Maggie, Glenn, Jenny, Morgan, Rosita, Tara and Denise. They all greeted one another and then they moved on towards the house.

…

Later that evening, Ben and his wife met Michonne's friends who were seated next to their table. Ben seemed completely smitten by Rosita. He eventually invited her to join them at their table which caused an already tense situation to become awkward. Peter was not happy with his father for going out of his way to make his fiancé uncomfortable. As soon as dinner was over, Anna excused herself feigning illness and Peter followed her. The latter, quickly said their goodbyes to their hosts, Michonne and Rick then left.

…

While the three ring circus masquerading as an engagement dinner roared on downstairs and on the grounds, Michonne walked into her room followed closely by Rick. She had a raging headache and needed to lay down. Rick helped her to bed and sat by her side. "Baby, can you please get me a Tylenol?" she asked as she got comfortable. In his absence, the bedroom door flew open and her nephews Noah and Jonathan, barged through followed shortly after by the twins, Cody and Carl; they all ended up bouncing onto her bed. The children screamed, "Auntie Michonne! Auntie Michonne, are you gonna play with us?" They hadn't seen their Auntie since Christmas. She never missed their birthdays because she made a point of sending their gifts and called but she just never turned up to the parties.

Michonne was surprised by the commotion. "Noah and Jonathan, … what are you doing here? How did you get away from the Nanny? I can't play with y'all right now because I'm not feeling well."

The boys looked at her confused. "We don't have a Nanny… she's Cody and Carl's Nanny."

"Nah ah she ain't, Enid is our Nanny, not that woman; we don't even like her," Cody and Carl replied in unison. Tiny footsteps could be heard in the distance and seconds later, Carol entered the room with her little brother Merle on her heels.

"How did y'all get away from your caregiver?" At this point, Rick returned from the bathroom with a glass of water and a Tylenol in his hand. He was surprised with the new noise level and the amount little bodies bounding about the room. Michonne took the water and Tylenol from him which she slipped into her mouth and chased it with a mouthful of water. His facial expression, asked what the hell was going on?

"Kids y'all folks won't be happy that you came up to a bedroom other than the one designated for your families."

The door was immediately pushed open by a frustrated Lori who took in Michonne's semi-reclined figure in bed with Rick standing just next to her. She had seen Michonne's picture on the mantle downstairs but finding Rick here and in Michonne's room rendered her speechless; the shock registered on her face but her brain couldn't process what she was seeing.

"Lori?" they both responded in shock. "What are you doing here?" Rick asked rather infuriated.

"I'm sorry to have barged in like that. The little brats took off. I didn't know someone was in here. I'm doing a favour for my cousin; my niece was supposed to watch his kids but she has a gastro. Daryl called in a panic and asked me to watch the kids for him. I had no way of knowing y'all were related."