Richonne (Short Love Stories) In Name Only (Chapter 33)
A/N: So, Carolina-bleus and I were conversing one night and this idea was formed between the two of us. Hope you enjoy.
Michonne and Rick stare at each other in disbelief. After six months of marriage, they thought they would finally reap the rewards of their union. Rick would get his inheritance and Michonne would get the money to pay off her student loans and her personal loans and put more funds into her private practice. They were in the family attorney's office under the presumption of signing paperwork to have the first installment deposited into a joint account. What the attorney just relayed to them throws everything out of sync. Not only did Rick's grandfather require him to get married, but he had to produce an heir within eighteen months of said marriage.
"You have got to be kidding me? You didn't say anything about this six months ago!" Rick exclaims.
"It's in the conditions of the inheritance and I was legally bound not to reveal this stipulation until now. You'll still get an installment, it just won't be as substantial. Without an heir, you forfeit the remainder of the inheritance," the attorney tells them. "You signed in agreement."
Rick jumps up out of his chair and snatches the paperwork out of the attorney's hands. "Let me see this."
Michonne looks on silently, still not able to comprehend what she just heard. Any other time, she'd be by Rick's side reading the documents with him as they are both licensed attorneys but she can't seem to focus at the moment. She watches as he plops back down in his chair, clearly deflated.
"Shit," he responds as his eyes continue to scan the documents. He has been freaking bamboozled by his own family.
Michonne looks over to him, inaudibly seeking his attention. When he turns to face her, what she sees in his eyes terrifies her. It's all true. She has to have a baby with one of her closest friends in order for him to receive his full inheritance. She grabs her purse, rises to a stand, and exits the room quietly. She can hear Rick call her name, so she increases her pace practically running to the elevator in hopes he doesn't catch her.
The doors open as soon as she presses the down button. She races in and presses the first floor, praying she can get away from her husband. He dashes inside just as the doors are closing. Breathlessly, he asks, "What are you doing?"
"I can't do this anymore, Rick. We can't bring a baby into this," she explains desperately.
"Let's just talk about it. We…."
Michonne shakes her head as she cuts him off. "I don't want to talk about it. I'm not agreeing to this."
"So you're just gonna walk away from me, from the marriage…..the money?"
She looks him straight in the eye. "Yes."
Eight months earlier
Rick Grimes is seated at the bar of a popular restaurant, nursing his fourth straight shot of bourbon, trying his best to get drunk. He just left his family's attorney's office and he is not too happy with what he discovered. He celebrated another birthday the week before and was all set to receive his full inheritance once and for all. He wasn't expecting to hear what he heard. Apparently, the only way he can receive his inheritance according to dear old Granddaddy James is to marry.
Marriage is the last thing on his mind. He loves being single as he can date whoever he wants, he doesn't have to answer to anybody, he has all the freedom in the world and he likes having his king sized bed all to himself.
He sighs heavily as he can't believe this is happening to him. He went through law school just like his parents and grandparents wanted. He took the bar exam and passed. He is a licensed attorney albeit not a practicing one yet they're still unhappy. His entire being is screaming fuck the inheritance but he already knows he won't be able to walk away. This is a challenge of sorts and he never backs down from a challenge. He snorts knowing his mom was the one to convince her father to do this before he passed away. She has been on him about settling down for the last three and a half years. She also knows he loves a challenge.
The only problem is he is currently not in a relationship and hasn't dated anyone seriously for the last year. Honestly, he just didn't want to put in the work of getting to know someone all over again, adhering to their likes and dislikes. He knew he would get around to it eventually but he was enjoying himself right now. He's been enjoying himself for the past several years, so why change now?
He pinches the bridge of his nose before staring down into the contents of his glass, his mind turning with the possibilities of the new development in his life. How to get married without really being married? Does that even make sense? He knows reaching out to any of his old girlfriends is a no go. They'd try to throw in love and affection and that is not what he needs right now.
He starts when he feels a pair of hands grab his shoulders. He looks back and recognizes Glenn, a first year law student he has gotten to know as Rick is currently employed by a local law school, lecturing on criminal law.
"What's up dude?" Glenn asks, taking a seat next to his friend.
"Some pretty heavy shit. That's what," Rick details.
"You wanna talk about it?"
"More like forget about it if I can," Rick returns.
Glenn shrugs as he orders a drink and starts to tell Rick about the girl he met earlier that day. Soon they are joined by Daryl, Sasha, and Michonne. The latter hones in on Rick's mood immediately. She decides to wait and ask him what's going on when they're away from the others. They grab a table and order entrees, sharing stories about what is currently going on in their lives. The friends get together at least once every other week and truly enjoy each other's company.
At least two hours later, they are saying their goodbyes and promising to make plans for their next outing.
Rick walks Michonne to her car and when she is sure no one else is around she asks if he's ok. He opens her car door for her and asks if they can talk. When she nods, he walks over to the passenger side and climbs in.
Several minutes later, Michonne lets out an exhausted breath. "Wow, Grimes. You have had a bad day. So, what are you going to do?"
Rick sighs as he allows his head to drop back to the headrest. "I have no idea. I don't want to get married but I don't want to lose my inheritance either."
"And here I was ready to complain about my life," Michonne supplies.
"Well, let's forget about me. What's going on with you?"
"The usual. I'm working over 50 hours a week which leaves me little time to get my private practice off the ground, my student loans are kicking my ass and I can't see my way out of not getting a personal loan to get my practice started." She sighs heavily. "Everything is telling me to just give it up, but I feel like if I let it go even for a little while I won't be able to pick it back up again."
"Well, things just aren't going our way, huh?" He laughs lightly. "Tomorrow's gonna be a better day for both of us, right?"
Despite everything, Michonne can always count on Rick to bring some positivity to any situation. She smiles at him. "Right. Tomorrow will be better." She noticed his intake of libations earlier and wonders about his inebriation level. "Do I need to drive you home?"
He scoffs. "How is that you know me so well? Can I just crash at your place? I've been ignoring my mom's calls to my cell, so I can imagine she's calling the house back to back."
Michonne starts the car. "My place it is then."
They arrive at her complex and go inside to prepare for bed as the hour is late. Rick bids her good night and goes straight to the guest room, knowing he has at least two sets of clothes already folded neatly in one of the dresser drawers. He changes clothes quickly and crashes, not even bothering to pull the comforter and linens back on the bed.
At exactly four am, Rick's eyes pop open and the conversation he had with Michonne earlier replays in his head. She needs money. I need a wife who won't really be a wife to get enough money to take care of both of us for the rest of our lives. He gets excited at the thought of having a solution to her problem and his.
He hops up off the bed and races to her room. He barges in without knocking, knowing she is asleep but this revelation can't wait. He moves over to the side of the bed where she's sleeping peacefully and kneels down to the floor.
"Michonne, I know what we have to do to make things better. You have to marry me. If we get married, all of our problems are solved," Rick says.
She stirs slightly, but remains oblivious.
He shakes her shoulder lightly. "Will you marry me?"
"Rick? What are you doing?" Michonne frowns as she does not appreciate the interruption of her sleep.
"Just say you'll marry me and you can go back to sleep," Rick requests.
"I'll marry you. Go to bed please." She grabs a pillow and puts it over her head, ignoring him.
He smiles and slowly gets to his feet and walks out of the room. He knows he won't be able to go back to sleep with his adrenaline racing like it is so he moves into the living room and turns on the TV. He also knows it won't be so simple to convince her but she heard him. He can't wait to see her reaction in the full light of day.
Michonne is awakened by the delicious aroma of freshly brewed coffee and bacon. Today is already better. Rick is cooking breakfast. Yes! She tosses the comforter back and moves out of bed and to her bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth.
She walks into the kitchen. "Good morning." She takes in the already set table as he returns her greeting and walks over to hand her a cup of coffee. She takes a seat at the table and takes a sip of her brew just as he delivers a plate of fresh fruit, bacon, eggs, and toast.
"This looks great, Grimes. I see you're already feeling better this morning," she tells him with a smile.
"I feel great. How about you?"
"I'm ok. I know everything's going to work out."
He frowns as he notes that she obviously doesn't recall their short conversation earlier. He was sure she'd remember but if he has to remind her then so be it. He walks back into the kitchen to retrieve his plate and then joins her at the table.
"So, I ummm….have a solution to both of our problems," he relays.
"You do? Well, let's hear it," she suggests.
"We kinda talked about this earlier. You don't remember?"
Michonne looks up from her plate. "In the car you mean?"
"Nope. After that." He hesitates before he plunges on. "I came to your room and told you all about it."
Michonne sits back, trying to recall the memory. "All I know is you tried to wake me up, I didn't like it, so I said whatever you wanted me to say to get you to leave."
"In other words, you don't remember what you agreed to?" Rick inquires.
She nods as she continues to enjoy her breakfast. "What did I agree to?"
Rick contemplates his answer. "You agreed to marry me."
[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[
Two weeks pass and Michonne ponders over Rick's proposal the entire time. It truly is the simple solution to both of their situations. He gets his inheritance without any tangible entanglements and she gets her student loans paid off and the money needed for her private practice thus the end of her state government career and the beginning of the career she had always planned for. It was a win win for both of them, so why the hesitation? She would much rather focus on the matter at hand than to explore any reason behind her hesitation.
She supposes she could put some questions before him to find out what this arrangement would entail precisely. She scoffs as she remembers their first encounter. She made up her mind immediately that she was going to hate him.
They were first year law students and he was part of her study group for the entire semester. The professor assigned both of them as leads for the group. She had his contact information and had been trying to reach him days before the group was scheduled to meet for the first time. He never returned her calls and he was 20 minutes late for the meeting. She took one look at him and surmised that he wasn't bad on the eyes, but she was still unbelievably annoyed with him.
Surprisingly, he came prepared and the study group meeting went smoothly from that point on. Everyone received their assignments for the upcoming presentation and agreed to meet next week to ensure their preparedness.
He invited her for coffee after the meeting and she reluctantly agreed. It became routine for them whether or not she was perturbed with him for the way he handled their assignments. She was used to organization and promptness whereas Rick exhibited neither of those, but he always came through with flying colors.
Michonne is still unsure how he managed to ride her coattails throughout law school with his partying and dating a new girl every other month. He was what she described as the typical rich boy who had everything delivered to him on a silver platter. She believes the only reason he was drawn to her is because she stood up to him unlike others. If he was late or lagging behind, she brought it to his attention. Instead of being annoyed with her, he thought her "concern" was cute and she honestly made him want to do better. For some odd reason, he also didn't like to see her upset with him, so he toed her line for the most part and made sure he pulled his weight. They were both concentrated in criminal law, so they were in each other's orbit for most of law school.
Now, he is one of her closest friends and she was actually closer to accepting his proposal than refusing it. She picks up her cell phone and sends him a text. Only seconds later, she receives a response and makes plans to go straight to his place after work.
Hours later, she and Rick are at his place and he is patiently answering any questions she has about their assumed marriage.
"So, what are we going to tell people? Our families? Our friends?" Michonne asks. "Is your mom going to believe us? She knows we've been friends for years….just friends, Rick."
"Well, friends love each other, right? That love can develop into something more."
"Ok, friends to lovers to husband and wife. Can we really convince people?" Michonne inquires.
"I don't see why not. Actors and actresses do it all the time. We'd just be playacting, putting on a show so to speak."
She sighs heavily. Putting on a show. Easier said than done. "Well, as long as we're on the same page, I guess we can do this."
He smiles. "Really? You're gonna marry me?"
She returns his smile as she swallows nervously. "Yes, I'm really gonna marry you."
He slides over, getting closer to her as they are sitting side by side on the living room sofa. He pulls her into a hug and says, "Thank you."
"You're welcome. I'm thinking we won't need an official document between us. I trust you and you trust me, right?"
Rick smiles even wider. "With my life."
"Are we planning a ceremony or…" she trails off as Rick shakes his head.
"We're going to Vegas, my friend. Let's live it up before we put the shackles on." He laughs at his own joke.
Michonne laughs with him but can't help replaying the word shackles over in her head.
Three weeks later, they board a plane on a Thursday night, traveling to Las Vegas, NV. They both put in leave for Friday and Monday to ensure a long weekend. Daryl and Sasha travel with them to serve as witnesses in addition to taking a mini vacation. They arrive at the hotel, the guys occupying one double room while the ladies occupy the other. They all shower and change and meet up for a late night dinner.
The next day, Rick and Michonne take care of obtaining a marriage license and schedule their nuptials at a local chapel for 5 o'clock that evening. She purchased an off white knee length dress for the occasion while Rick rented a tuxedo and purchased their wedding bands.
At exactly 5:37 pm, Rick and Michonne were married. The officiator smiles at them and tells Rick he can salute his bride. Michonne is not sure how she forgot about this part of the ceremony. Rick smiles down at her and places a hand at her waist. He leans in and kisses her chastely. Michonne returns his smile and was just about to pull away when he tightens his grip at her waist and brings his other hand up to cup her face.
She looks into his eyes, wondering what he is about. She can't help but gasp as Rick leans in once more and places his lips to hers yet again. He opens his mouth just a fraction and traces her lips with his tongue.
Putting on a show so to speak. Rick's words come back to her full force. She convinces herself that is exactly what Rick is doing, so she decides to oblige him and counter his play. She brings a hand up and gently grabs a lapel, pulling him even closer. She opens her mouth and the two of them share a short but meaningful and tasteful kiss.
"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Grimes," the officiator announces jovially before moving off to prepare for the next ceremony.
Sasha and Daryl share a look before moving forward to congratulate their friends.
"Y'all ready to gamble?" Daryl asks.
Rick can't help thinking that he just rolled the proverbial dice.
A/N: Please tell me what you think. I'm ready to start on Part II if you really want another installment.