You remember when I used to write a lot? Yeah me neither :( lol But I'm going to try and do a lot more. I would like to post at least twice a week and I ideally see this story being at least twenty chapters so we've got a while to go. Richonne is end game let's not forget that. So let's get going! This chapter is going to pick up after we've learned Mike has been abusive towards Michonne and Michonne and Andre have left. We're going to have some Carl, Michonne, and Rick goodness next chapter so stay tuned!
Deanna Monroe was a patient woman.
She waited five years after her first husband died before even dating another man.
She waited another two years before accepting Desmond's proposal.
Desmond was a beautiful man who was still dealing with the grief of losing his wife and mother of his young daughter Michonne. They met in a super market one night while he pacing the feminine products isle mumbling something about the difference between pads with wings and pads without.
Deanna was amused by the man and touched when he explained to her that he was on a late night run for pads for his daughter who had just had her first period. He was just getting the swing of being a single father and was thrown the biggest curve ball when it came to raising a daughter. Periods.
She directed him on what to get and even suggested a bag of MM's for the young girl. They were quick friends after that night and even so she waited until he was ready for something more. She waited until he and his daughter were ready for a new woman in their life.
She waited for her sons to accept Desmond as a new father figure in their life, and she waited for Michonne to accept her as a mother.
She waited for her youngest son, Spencer, to get his shit together after a string of run ins with the law.
She waited for her oldest son, Aiden, to finish yet another year of a four year degree.
And she waited for her daughter Michonne.
She waited for the other shoe to drop and for the rose colored glasses to disappear when it came to Mike, Michonne's college boyfriend.
Mike was charming enough. He was a senior at Morehouse while Michonne was a Sophomore across the way at Spelman.
He was an architecture student with plans of building high rises in Atlanta and Buckhead. He came from money and spared no expense when it came to wooing Deanna's only daughter.
She didn't think they would last long. Michonne was smart and discerning when it came to boys- this was after all her first real relationship.
But Michael Freeman was persistent and soon Michonne's whole world was consumed with him.
But Deanna was patient. So she waited.
She didn't expect the relationship to go on for threeyears.
She certainly didn't expect for the young boy to invited both families out one night to an expensive dinner at a restaurant in Buckhead.
She remembered Michonne was frustrated with him that night. She had called Deanna the night before explaining through tears how Mike's drinking was becoming less recreational and more habitual.
But again Deanna just waited.
After the dessert was eaten and more wine was drank, Mike requested the table be cleared. He then rolled out a blueprint. Nobody but Mike and Michonne seemed to understand the significance.
Michonne burst into tears immediately before explaining to everyone at the table that these were the blueprints to her dream house. Mike smiled with that proud, toothy grin of his and lapped at the praise his parents gave him.
Deanna didn't understand the excitement. He drew.. a picture?
Still she smiled back at Michonne when she grinned at her mother excitedly.
While everyone crowded over the paper to look at the house Mike designed, Mike had slipped down onto one knee.
The ring could be seen from outer space and Deanna rolled her eyes at the extravagant rock. Not anything like Michonne's taste. The ring was more a testament to Mike's need to show off than his love for Michonne.
Mike's mother gasped and Desmond gripped Deanna's hand tighter as Michonne stared down at Mike.
"I'll build it for you baby. I'm willing to build a whole life with you, you just need to say yes." Mike said and Deanna scoffed.
She knew Michonne had to see through this boy. Three years was long enough- shit three weeks was long enough.
"Yes." Michonne and whispered Deanna whipped her head to look at her husband so quick she almost got whiplash.
Mike slipped the ring on Michonne's finger and then began the biggest wait.
They plan on getting married the year following but their plans were derailed with the news of their son Andre. They decided to wait another year until Michonne finished her masters. And then another year for Mike's Architecture company to take off.
The house was never built, and the life that Mike promised to build with Michonne was postponed.
Their life's only included each other when it came to Andre and beyond that they lead separate lives.
Still Deanna waited.
Michonne insisted the move was good for them, she was adamant that this meant they were moving towards being a family again- as if they ever were.
The calls from the Michonne late at night crying and anguishing over Mike's drug and alcohol use became less frequent but Deanna was not foolish enough to believe the problems no longer existed.
Still she waited.
So when Michonne finally came to her only a couple months after being in her new apartment. Deanna knew that her waiting was over.
Her daughter had finally come home.
Michonne had just tucked Andre into the small toddlers bed that her parents kept at her house when her phone rang.
She quickly exited the room and sighed when she saw it was yet another call from Mike.
She thought about blocking him but something kept her from doing it.
The messages ranged from, "baby please come home" to "bring my son back bitch"
"He's messaging you again?" Deanna asked as she emerged from the master bedroom and Michonne sighed as she stuffed her phone into her back pocket.
When she felt her phone ringing again she reached in and quickly silenced the call.
"Come downstairs, I'd like to talk with you." Deanna requested quietly before turning and walking down the stairs.
Michonne opened the door to make sure Andre was still asleep. After watching the rise and fall of his chest for a moment she followed her mother down the stairs.
She stopped short when she saw her childhood friend, Andrea, standing in the doorway. Michonne stared at her friend who she hadn't seen in a little over two years. She hated that her relationship with Mike had kept her from people that were so much a part of who she was.
"Hey babe." Andrea said with a sad smile and Michonne tried to smile back. But Michonne was tired of smiling when she felt like doing anything but. Andrea met her at the bottom of the stairs and the two friends held each other as Michonne cried into her shoulder.
After a while they moved onto the couch and sat quietly while Deanna stirred her tea.
"I called Andrea and asked if she could come into town because we needed someone to be on our side. Legally." Deanna explained and Michonne looked over at Andrea.
"Deanna kinda filled me in but," Andrea grabbed Michonne's hand, "I need you to tell me what happened." Andrea nodded encouragingly and Michonne drew a breath.
"He's been a violent drinker since college, you know that. Just never towards me." Michonne mumbled and Deanna dropped her tea onto her saucer loudly.
Michonne shot her mother a look before continuing.
"Never towards Andre. He never has done anything to Andre." Michonne insisted and Andrea rubbed at her head.
"I knew that asshole was no good the moment he left you alone at that frat party sophomore year." Andrea whispered angrily and Deanna's eyes widened.
"He did what?"
"Mom, this is hardly the issue at hand." Michonne laughed nervously and Deanna sipped from her tea to keep herself from interrupting.
"Have you filed a report against him?" Andrea asked and Michonne shook her head.
"No never. And I don't know why looking back." Michonne said a bit embarrassed and Andrea sighed.
"No don't you go feeling bad about what that asshole has done." Andrea said passionately and Michonne stared down at her feet.
"So I'm here for you Michonne. You and my godson- my namesake. While I'm not above killing the bastard I would much rather go about this much more legally." Michonne had to smile at the blonde's suggestion of killing Mike. She was sure that everyone in the room had considered it at some point.
"Will you make a report?" Deanna finally asked and Michonne closed her eyes.
"Mike is sick and-."
"And it is no longer your job to care about that. Mike lost any sympathy from me when he laid his hands on you. No more bullshit Michonne. It's time you choose to take care of yourself. We just want to make sure that there isn't any problem with custody of Andre or any assets." Deanna said and Michonne nodded as she stared up the stairs to where Andre was sleeping.
"I don't need money or anything from Mike. We hardly have anything that I would want from him, apart from Andre I don't want anything to do with him. In the morning I can drive back into town and make a report. Just give me tonight to get some things in place." Michonne said calmly and Deanna seemed pleased with her answer.
"Where's dad?" Michonne asked realizing the man of the house wasn't present for the conversation.
"He's handling some things." Deanna answered vaguely and Michonne sighed.
"Mom.."
"He's around. And I'm sure he'll be glad to know that you're going to be reporting Michael." Deanna said with a sugary smile and Michonne knew better than to ask about her father's whereabouts again.
"Are you going to be moving back to Atlanta then?" Andrea asked and Michonne shook her head no almost immediately.
"No of course not." She answered and Deanna dropped her cup again and Michonne almost laughed at her mother's dramatics.
"Of course not? What would keep you in that town? Away from family?" She asked and Michonne folded her arms over her chest defensively.
"My job? I still have work to do with the people of that town. I couldn't possibly leave now mom." Michonne explained and Andrea shook her head.
"But a new start for you and Andre could be exactly what you need right now."
"King County was a new start. I think we need a new start from Mike." Michonne replied defensively and Andrea stood up from the couch.
"Michonne I don't believe you're thinking clearly about this. You need to get far away from Mike, he's not the type of guy to let this go quietly. He's not the type of guy to give you up." Andrea yelled passionately and Michonne stood up as well. She was confused by her friend's sudden anger and wanted to calm her down before Andre woke up.
"Look Andy, I'm not leaving King County. I don't think I can just leave the kids there- I can't leave the people there." Michonne said and Andrea shook her head in disbelief. Michonne didn't understand why Andrea couldn't accept her wanting to stay and see her work through.
"I just- I can't let you go down like Amy did." Andrea said quietly and Michonne frowned at the mention of Andrea's younger sister.
She was murdered by her boyfriend five years ago. Andrea had tried to warn her sister of the young boy with a short temper and a mouth full of lies. Amy promised that one more incident and she would join her sister in New York. She was set to move in with her sister when she was murdered by her longtime boyfriend.
Andrea would never forget the day she got a call from the police department saying that Amy had been a victim of a murder suicide. Her boyfriend killed her and then turned the gun on himself. The pain of losing her only sister was something that Andrea never quiet got over and Michonne was quick to fly out to New York and spend time with Andrea as she healed from her great loss.
"I'm not Amy." Michonne reminded Andrea gently and the two stared at each other for a moment. Andrea would never forgive herself if something happened to Michonne or Andre.
"I know that Michonne I just-." Andrea began when Deanna's phone ringing caught everyone's attention.
Deanna looked down at her phone in confusion when an unknown number began to call. She knew it was a Georgia area code and answered for that reason alone.
"Hello?" She answered and Michonne and Andrea turned to look at her. Deanna frowned and nodded her head before ending the call.
And as calmly as only someone like Deanna could she stood up and began to pull on her coat which was hanging on the coat hook.
"Well looks like we can make that report a little sooner. Your father has been arrested and needs to be bailed out of King County jail."
You really think Mike was going to get away with hurting our Michonne without someone doing something about it? HA! Yeah Michonne's dad beat his ass don't worry. There's a little insight into Deanna and Michonne's relationship, She's been around since Michonne was about twelve and Michonne regards her as her mother. You can tell Deanna is quiet the mama bear and is ready to protect her baby.
I've got to get the motivation to start writing again. I really do like the concept of this story and have some great big plans for it!