A/N: This next one is a response to courtgirl26's request: Rick, Carl, Michonne, and Andre meet in the principal's office after Carl defends Andre against a bully and sparks fly with Rick and Michonne.
Thanks for the awesome request and I hope you all enjoy!
"Carl," Rick burst into the principal's office, eyes roving for his son.
He found him, seated across the desk from the principal, looking completely at ease with the exception of his clearly bruised knuckles.
"Hi dad," Carl greeted, grinning up at him.
Rick held in his sigh. "Again?" he asked. He wished he had a dollar for every time they'd ended up here. After Carl's mother had passed, his son's behavior had spiraled, taking out his anger at the unfairness of the world on the faces of other students.
Carl shrugged. "It's for a good reason this time, I swear." He tilted his head, the long hair flopping over his eyes as he gestured. Rick blinked in surprise, finally noticing the boy seated beside Carl. He was small for his age, slight and wiry, with dark skin and black rimmed glasses.
"Who's this?" Rick asked curiously. He knew most, if not all, of Carl's friends. He didn't recognize this boy at all.
"I'm Dre, sir. Andre." He spoke up, his voice surprisingly deep despite its softness.
"Nice to meet you, Dre," Rick wondered what would possess Carl to fight this nondescript schoolmate. Carl read his mind.
"They were bullying him, dad," Carl spoke up. "He told them to stop, they wouldn't. I told them to stop and they wouldn't. And there were no teachers around to help." Carl cut his eyes accusingly at the administration.
The principal spoke up for the first time, clearing his throat. "I think we better save the boys' version of events for when Dre's mother arrives."
"It's not our version. It's the truth." Carl clapped back immediately. Beside him, Dre's lips pulled up in the hint of a smile.
Rick held in another sigh. Almost without trying, he'd managed to raise a son who took it upon himself to punch injustice out of existence. He didn't mind that about Carl in the slightest, but it had landed them here, in the principal's office of this expensive private school on more than one occasion.
"She'll be here soon," Dre piped up. "She was in court."
"His mom's a lawyer," Carl announced proudly. "My dad's a cop."
"Nice," Dre nodded, his eyes flicking nervously to Rick for just a moment.
"Sheriff Grimes," the principal began again. "We take these allegations very seriously. Unfortunately fighting is against the rules…"
"Dre, were you being bullied?" Rick asked the other boy forcefully.
"Yes," Dre nodded again, seeming to fold in on himself.
"Did Carl defend you?" Rick continued his line of questioning.
"Yes," Dre answered, slightly louder.
"So where are the bullies then?" Rick turned back to the principal, eyebrows raised.
"My question exactly," a new voice joined the fray. All eyes on the room turned at once to the door. Rick felt the air get sucked out of his lungs.
Dre's mother was gorgeous. No sugar-coating that. Tall, wrapped in a navy blue peacoat with long dreads pulled up into a bun, she painted an enticing picture. Her face, however, betrayed her immediate irritation.
"Well?" she prompted, sweeping into the chair beside Rick. "Where are the boys who were bullying my son?"
Rick hid his grin, catching his son's eyes over the new arrival's head. Carl smirked.
"They are being dealt with separately." The principal straightened up, attempting to recover.
"And why is that?" Rick could picture this woman in court immediately. He had a sudden desire to watch her in action.
"That's what I'm wondering," he found his voice again. "Why are our sons in here like delinquents and the actual perpetrators are running free?"
"As I said, we will deal with the issue of bullying separately…"
"It seems like the actual issue is the bullying," Dre's mother did not allow the principal much room to speak. "Young man," she turned to Carl, "Would you have hit those boys had they not been bullying Dre?"
"Nope." Carl smiled widely at Dre's mother.
"Then why are we here?" she swiveled back to look at the principal.
"Carl has been in fights before…" the principal tried again.
"What do his priors have to do with this?" Rick spoke up, his voice sharp.
"Agreed, Sheriff Grimes," Dre's mother leaned forward. "Are we punishing the boy again?"
"No…" the principal stammered.
"So you wish to persecute him for defending another student?" Dre's mother sat up. "Dre, what were the boys taunting you about?"
"My glasses," Dre spoke up. "And my advanced classes," he continued. "And they were saying I'm not really black, and a sissy since dad died-"
"What?" his mother's question snapped across the office. Rick felt a surge of anger flow through him. He understood Carl's actions all at once.
"Carl told them to shut their mouth. They wouldn't. One of them pushed me," Dre gained steam. "Carl punched him."
"Good," Rick resolved at that moment to take Carl out for ice cream. "I hope you hit him hard," he told his son.
"I did," Carl brandished his bruised knuckles like a badge of honor.
"Sheriff Grimes, honestly, I don't think we should encourage this type of behavior."
"I'll encourage my son to punch racist bullies as often as possible," Rick felt his temper flare.
To his right, Dre's mother smiled saccharinely, "I would think that the school would want to defend one of its students. Especially one who's both a model student and promising track star."
"Looks like they don't care," Rick was building up steam now, bolstered by her energy. "Maybe this isn't the kind of school I want my son in."
"Now, Sheriff Grimes," the principal began.
"Nor my son," Dre's mother straightened up, reaching for her purse. "In fact, I think other parents ought to know this school's real values, don't you?"
"Agreed," Rick reached for his hat, preparing to put it back on.
"There's no need for that," the principal interjected quickly.
"I think there's a very great need," Dre's mother disagreed serenely. "After all, a boy who defended another from a bully is being punished while the bullies run free. Odd, no?" she fixed her wide brown eyes on Rick.
"Wrong, more like it." He stood up, seizing Carl gently by the elbow. "C'mon Carl."
Carl quickly got to his feet. Dre imitated him.
"We haven't discussed the situation," the principal protested weakly.
"I think it's best we go the legal route with this issue," Dre's mother said. "Sheriff Grimes, could we confer later?"
"I'm free when you are," Rick would make time for her.
"I don't think that's necessary," the principal was on his feet in a heartbeat. "I will talk to the students responsible. I'm sorry for wasting your time Ms. DuBois, Sheriff Grimes."
"Mmm," the dark-skinned woman tilted her chin, sweeping towards the door. Rick rushed to open it for her.
Carl and Dre hurried out after their parents. Rick paused in the hall, his eyes on the posh woman standing across from him.
"Maybe we can go have that talk now," he offered, conscious of his son smirking at his elbow.
"I think the boys earned an afternoon off," Ms. DuBois agreed, smiling at Carl and Dre. "Thank you, for defending Dre."
"No problem," Carl bounced on the balls of his feet. "Dre helps me out in math. Least I could do."
Rick patted his son on the back encouragingly. "I'm in the mood for ice cream." He looked questioning at Dre's mother.
"I could use some dessert," she smiled back. "My treat?"
"I asked, I'll pay," Rick protested. Carl scoffed knowingly beside him. He shot Dre a pointed look.
"We'll be by your truck, dad," he lead Dre off, the boys whispering conspiratorially. Dre threw a look over his shoulder, giving Rick a thumbs up before disappearing through the school doors.
Rick turned back to the stunning woman in front of him. She was regarding him coolly, as though she was making her mind up about him.
"I'll pay this time," she began, "And you can pay for dinner next time."
"Dinner?" it took Rick a moment to catch on. She grinned in amusement, her eyes dancing to his naked ring finger. His eyes whipped to her own bare left hand. "Right, dinner," he straightened up, willing the blush to creep out of his cheeks. "What time should I pick you up, Ms. DuBois?"
"Michonne," she corrected, shaking his hand. "And Friday at 7, Sheriff Grimes?"
"Rick," he gripped her slender fingers, unable to stop the smile on his face. "And that sounds perfect to me."
"It's a date then," she smiled, then swept off after their children, Rick hot on her heels.
