Richonne (Short Love Stories) Question of My Heart Part III (Chapter 23)
"So, are you reporting for duty right now?" Michonne asks with a little gleam in her eyes.
Rick almost blushes. "I was hoping you'd let me make an honest woman out of you first."
She gasps. "With everything we've already done? Really Rick?"
"Since you put it like that, I guess I'm reporting for duty." He smiles as he takes her in his arms and moves toward the bed.
"Wait. Let me get the door." She steps away from him, but Rick pulls her back. She looks up with a question in her eyes.
"We're the only ones here, so leave the door open, take off all your clothes and let me find out how loud I can make you scream." He licks his lips as his eyes start to travel from her face to other interesting areas of her anatomy.
Michonne swallows hard with a slight shiver as she starts unbuttoning her uniform shirt.
[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[
No date has been set for the ceremony as Rick doesn't want Father Gabriel to marry them. He's still a little upset with him for saying what he said about the family to Deana, trying to get them kicked out of the Safe Zone.
Michonne understands Rick's animosity but has to remind him that Father Gabriel is the only one who can marry them. Of course, they won't have the luxury of legalities, but at least they can have the union traditionally performed and recognized.
She is on patrol as Rick is on a run with Daryl, Tyreese, and Glenn. She is expecting him to return later tonight, but there's a possibility they won't make it back until tomorrow as they keep going further out. She stops as Morgan flags her down. She almost misses the talks she used to have with him and makes a mental note to invite him to dinner with just her, Rick and the kids sometime soon.
"I haven't had a chance to congratulate you. I hear Rick is taking the big leap again….with you," Morgan states.
For some reason, talking about getting married again always makes Michonne blush. She's not sure if it's just being a little bit happy or if it's because of Rick. She tries to shake it off quickly. "Yep. We're getting married."
Morgan looks down at his hands for a moment, then back to her. "We're friends, right? I can talk to you if something was bothering me?"
"Of course, Morgan. What's going on?" Michonne asks.
"It's Carol. Honestly, I don't know what to believe and I didn't want to say anything, but…" He sighs. "She was the one spreading those rumors around about Rick and that other woman…the one whose husband killed her."
Michonne frowns as she recalls those rumors and how it made her feel to hear them. "How do you know that and why would Carol repeat things that aren't true?"
"I don't have all the answers, but she came to me a couple of days ago. She told me Rick would be gone today maybe tomorrow too and she wanted me to seek you out, invite myself over for dinner. She basically told me that I belonged with you, not Rick and that I should do something about it." He sighs. "I was going to Rick about it, but I know him. He'd be angry and there's no telling what he'd do or say to her because it really looks like she was trying to set it up to start some new rumors about me and you."
Michonne is honestly taken aback, hearing this about Carol. Gossip never hurt anyone, but to hear that one of their own spread those rumors and was planning to cause strife between her and Rick was truly hurtful. "Well, thanks for bringing this to me. I think I'll have a talk with Carol myself."
Minutes later, Carol is denying everything to Michonne, accusing Morgan of lying on her. Michonne shakes her head as she can see right through Carol's lies.
"Just explain to me why. Why would you deliberately try to cause a riff between me and Rick? You tried it before and here you are again. Don't deny it anymore. Just be honest," Michonne tells her.
Carol frowns. "Do you really think Rick would still be with you if she had lived? He only chose you because you were available, you're convenient. You know, he's the reason Sophia's dead. He's the reason Shane is dead, Lori…all because of Rick and I'm supposed to just stand by while he gets a do over. He gets a new wife, a mother for his kids and what do I get? I get to live with the guilt of my daughter turning into a walker, I get to live with the guilt I feel towards Lori. She was my friend, she took care of me. I'm not supposed to like you. I'm not supposed to appreciate how you've come in and taken care of those kids. She's their mother, not you."
It is apparent to Michonne that Carol is experiencing some sort of break down, so she chooses not to argue with her as that will only escalate the situation into something that could harm them both.
"Aren't you going to say anything? Ready to run me through with your sword? You can try it," Carol challenges.
"Carol, you're not the only one who has lost someone and you can't blame Rick for everything. What happened to Sophia, to Shane, to Lori…how could he control that?" Michonne sighs as Carol shakes her head.
"How would you know? You weren't there."
"So, what's the solution here? What is pulling me and Rick apart going to do for you?" Michonne asks.
Carol sighs as the tears start to roll down her cheeks. "Why should he get a happy ending with you when everyone else is miserable? I…I don't fit in anymore and all I want to do is run away, but where would I go?"
"I thought you were willing to give this place a chance. I thought you and Daryl were trying this out together," Michonne suggests.
"Yeah, I thought so too but looks like he has a new friend in Sasha, so….." She trails off as she swipes at her tears.
"Is that what this is really about? You and Daryl?" Michonne asks.
"No. It's about Rick and everything that he has done, but he keeps moving on like it's nothing. Sure, Lori died, he lost her, but look at what everyone else has lost. He hasn't suffered enough and I need him to suffer," Carol announces.
Michonne quells down her anger. "You need him to suffer? Carol, Rick is a good man. You know that. He's been fighting to keep all of us alive and you…."
"He didn't fight for me! He sent me to my death when he banished me! But I showed him. If it wasn't for me, none of you would be alive. You owe me." Carol pounds her fist against the countertop to emphasize her words.
"You're right. We owe you, but I'm not going to repay you by sacrificing my happiness. We're in a good place. Why can't we try to be happy?" Michonne asks.
"I just…..can't," Carol returns.
"Then I'm sorry because I can't help you…not while you're like this." Michonne gives Carol a look of pity before she turns away from her and walks toward the door.
She hears Carol unsheathe her knife and turns just in time to grasp the other woman's wrists and avoid an injury. She trips in her effort to keep the knife away from her and the two women go down, Carol on top, pushing the knife towards Michonne's face with all of her might.
Michonne tries to throw Carol off of her using the weight of her body, but the older woman holds on steady and relentlessly. "Stop this!"
"I know…how…to make…Rick suffer. If he….loses…you…he loses….everything." Carol screams as she uses all of her strength to drive the knife anywhere into Michonne's flesh.
Michonne turns her face to the side as Carol plunges the knife down, shallowly slicing her neck, driving the weapon into the floor. Anger rages through the younger woman as she turns to face Carol and head butts her.
Carol is temporarily dazed as Michonne plants a knee in her mid-section and shoves Carol away.
A knock sounds at the door and Michonne readily crawls over and opens it. Morgan stands on the threshold, taking in the scene and immediately drops down to Michonne's level as he sees blood staining her clothes.
Carol retrieves her knife from the floor. "Get out of my way, Morgan."
He turns around to see Carol standing with the knife raised, ready to strike. "Carol, don't do this. Put the knife away."
"Don't you see? If I get rid of her, Rick will suffer in the worse way," Carol offers, staring at Michonne with a deadly gleam in her eyes.
Before he can second guess himself, Morgan lands a punch to Carol's face, knocking her out cold.
[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[
"She is fucking gone!" Rick shouts as Michonne, Daryl, and Morgan look on. He keeps zeroing in on the glaring white bandage on Michonne's neck and gets angrier each time he sees it.
Daryl sighs. "Maybe part of this is my fault. I haven't exactly been spending time with her and looking back on some of the things she said when we first got here…..I just should've known something wasn't right. I never thought she'd try anything like this."
"I knew something was off, too, but I didn't say anything," Morgan adds.
Michonne braces for the fall out. "She needs help, not banishment. She…"
"…tried to fucking kill you to get to me and you think she's going to stay here with us?!" Rick is shouting again.
"Dr. Cloyd said she had some sort of mental breakdown. With everything we've all been through, it's a wonder we aren't all crazy. This was bound to happen to one of us, so maybe she can get some help," Michonne suggests.
Rick snatches his python from the holster. "I'm gonna help her alright." He moves toward the door but stops as Michonne shouts his name.
She moves away from the sofa to stand in front of him. "Hand me the gun now." She offers him her hand, her heart racing out of control as she is truly afraid of what Rick might do to Carol. They stare each other down, unaware of Morgan and Daryl at a stance to stop Rick if needed.
He holsters the gun and removes his gun belt, staring at her the entire time, then moves over to the coat rack in the corner and drapes the belt on it. "Happy now?" He abruptly walks away.
Michonne sighs as she watches him walk up the stairs. She turns to Morgan and Daryl. "I'll talk to him. He just needs to calm down first."
"I'll go talk to Carol. Maybe we can fix this somehow," Daryl says.
"She's sedated right now, so you may have to wait until tomorrow," Morgan suggests.
Later that night, Rick and Michonne are in bed, the silence from dinner continuing on.
She sighs as she realizes she is the one who will have to break the silence as Rick doesn't agree with her point of view at all. "I know you're angry and you have every right to be, but she really needs help and I think we can bring her back. We've already lost so much and if there's a chance to save her, don't you think we should try? She made a mistake, but we've both been where she is. We just handled it differently."
The silence between them grows again as Rick closes his eyes and struggles with his emotions.
"You're not going to say anything?" She asks.
Rick turns to face her, his hand moving to lightly touch the bandage at her neck. His voice is soft as he says, "All this time, I was worried about what could happen to you out there, not knowing there was a threat right under our noses. She tried to kill you and I don't know if I can just forgive and forget."
"Carol has been with you since the beginning. She's been through a lot as we all have, so you really need to take that into consideration before you send her out there again."
"I know how long I've known her, but right here, right now if I had to choose between you and her, I'm going to choose you. There's no question. I love you and to think that she tried to take you away from me….I just….she's a threat now and I always eliminate my threats." Rick leans over and kisses her on the forehead, ending the conversation.
Michonne stares up at the ceiling, extremely worried for Carol. "Just promise me you'll give it a couple of days before you do anything."
Silence.
"Rick?"
He sighs. "I promise, but something has to be done. She can't be here."
[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[
All is quiet at the Safe Zone. Carol is still at the infirmary under Dr. Cloyd's care and the family is back doing their routine duties. All except Michonne. Rick begged her to take it easy for the next couple of days, although the wound to her neck wasn't deep at all and she was feeling fine.
She is doing a little cleaning to keep busy when she hears a knock at the door. She walks over to answer it and is surprised to see Carol standing there.
Tears start to form in the older woman's eyes before she can say anything.
"Michonne, I'm so sorry. I'll understand if you can't forgive me, but I want you to know that I just…wasn't myself and….I was wrong to pull you into my mess. You didn't deserve any of it." Carol pauses and actually cringes as she waits for Michonne's reaction.
The reaction she was expecting isn't the one she receives as the younger woman steps to her and pulls her in for a hug.
"It's ok, Carol. I understand what you were going through," Michonne admits. She steps back and invites Carol in.
"Is Rick here? I know I need to face him, but I'm not ready yet," Carol offers.
"He's working."
During the next hour, Michonne shares her story with Carol, letting her know that she was in the same place once upon a time. The truth makes Carol even more weighed down with guilt which is why she is glad for the decision she had made that morning.
"You know you don't have to do that, right?" Michonne asks.
"I know, but I think it's for the best. Morgan's going to come with me," Carol returns.
"Morgan?"
Carol smiles. "I've been talking to him off and on since he got here, but he's been at the infirmary every day and he told me his story. We've kind of bonded and he's been helping me…cope. I appreciate him for that."
"So, when are you leaving?"
"I'm going to try to make things right with Rick first, then we'll leave," Carol informs.
"What about Daryl?"
"I think he's going to be ok now."
Twenty four hours later, the family gathers at the gates to say farewell to Carol. The decision is not what any of them want for her, save for Rick. He chose to forgive her for Michonne's sake, but a part of him will always be leery of Carol because of the things she has done. They all watch sadly as Carol and Morgan finish loading up their supplies in the small mini-van, preparing for their journey.
Hugs and kisses are exchanged amidst tears as everyone says their goodbyes. It's a sad time for Team Family as they watch two of their own separate from them and journey off together.
[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[
Eighteen months have passed and the Safe Zone has continued to flourish. Rick and Michonne are married, Maggie and Glenn are parents to a baby boy, Sasha and Daryl are together and the entire family continues to thrive.
Michonne is seated on the front porch, looking out over the community with a smile. It's her favorite time of day, twilight. Watching the sunset with scattered clouds in the sky always brings a sense of melancholy but lately, her feelings are anything but that. She smiles as she rests a hand on her protruding belly. Her husband kept his promise to her as they are expecting a child in two more months.
Speaking of her husband, her heart skips a beat when he walks into her line of vision, accompanied by Carl and Judith and a gentleman she hasn't seen before. Her smile falters just a bit as they will forever remain leery of strangers. He must be ok if he's with Rick and the latter is bringing him to their home.
The four of them walk up the stairs to the porch, her children making a beeline for her as Rick introduces the stranger.
"This is Dante. He's from another community about 75 miles from here. He has something for you," Rick informs.
Michonne looks from Rick to the stranger. "Nice to meet you, but I'm confused. You have something for me?"
"Yes, ma'am, I do. I was told to put it directly into your hands and everybody at the gate told me in order to get to you, I had to go through him." He points to Rick, then retrieves a letter from his bag. "This is what I was told to deliver."
Michonne accepts the letter, looking curiously up at Rick as she opens it. She scans it quickly and gasps loudly. "It's from Carol."
If there's a question of my heart, you've got it
It don't belong to anyone but you
A/N: I know. I know. I should continue this and maybe I will because I'm actually quite intrigued with this myself. And to think I didn't know where I was going with this at all. Anyway, any suggestions?