Spellbound (A Richonne Magical Moment)

A/N: For the Richonnefics October Word Table. Yes, I'm totally late but better late than never right? I hope you enjoy.

The cobbled street was busy with activity as excited shoppers moved from vendor to vendor, perusing the different and unique wares, crafts, arts, and designs. The newly organized trade market was off to a grand start and one particular shopper could not be prouder. She is the one who pushed her friends towards entrepreneurship, knowing that the items she usually received for free would be a huge draw for a lot of customers. She looks around with a knowing smile, imagining what the success could possibly lead to. Even the nearby bakery, diner, and bookstore were getting more business.

She steps to a vendor she doesn't recognize with an array of beautiful handmade scarves. She is a sucker for silky, smooth material to wrap herself in. She touches a sheer, teal colored scarf, allowing the material to slide over her open hand. She gasps as a tingling sensation starts from the top of her head and races down her body, leaving her slightly shaken. She blinks several times and places a hand to her stomach to calm herself. She looks to her left and then to her right, wondering what could have caused such a sudden and never before experienced reaction.

A spirited laugh rings out and the sensation returns eliciting another gasp as she swings around, searching for the source of the laughter. Her eyes roam the square and she hones in as the laugh sounds again. This time, lighter but drawing her in all the same. She spots a dark haired gentleman seated at a table on the cemented walk right outside the eatery. He is accompanied by three others and they are all dressed in law enforcement uniforms.

She tilts her head out of curiosity and focuses on the man who drew her attention. She searches the people around her, ensuring that no one is watching then draws a deep breath and attempts to delve into his mind to find out who he is. Her concentration falters as she encounters a wall of forbidding black. She scoffs and shakes her head, readjusting her focus. Her second attempt is a failure as well and now her heart begins to race. She swallows deeply as her nerves start to fray. What the hell? She has always been able to read people, young, old, male, female so why couldn't she divulge anything from this guy? He drew her attention for a reason and now there is some sort of block? She panics and wonders if her magic is starting to fade.

She quickly turns her attention to the guy seated next to him and offers an audible sigh of relief as he is an open book, full of color and laughter. For good measure, she delves into the mind of another gentleman at the table and quickly pushes his thoughts away. He was vividly recalling his passionate night before with a woman he'd met at a bar. She gives herself a shuddering shake to dispel the images she grasped.

She starts to relax, realizing that her gift is as prevalent as ever but can't help the worry that eases in as her eyes travel back to the guy with the nice laugh. She suddenly remembers her surroundings and tries to return to the scarves she was admiring moments before. Curiosity gets the best of her so she concentrates on the guy once again. She lets out a groan of frustration as the forbidding black wall reappears. This is a first for her and she doesn't understand what is happening. Who is he?

She grabs a couple of scarves and asks the vendor, "How much?" She pulls several bills from her wallet, utters, "Keep the change," and starts to make her way towards the parking area. She looks back at the table to see the gentlemen preparing to leave. She is tempted to try one last time but before she can even blink or think, a pair of bright blue eyes lock in on her worried brown ones and the world around her disappears. The tingling sensation envelopes her body once again and tiny flutters dance in her abdomen. He smiles and she turns her head, confused by her reaction. This guy is dangerous. She increases her pace, seeking out her car as a welcome place of refuge.

She struggles with what to do as part of her wants to return to the square and ask this guy who he is while the other part of her is saying to get as far away as possible. The latter wins out as she starts her vehicle and steers it toward the shelter of her home.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Rick you coming?"

The voice of his partner draws him back to the task at hand as he returns his attention to their table and his deputy's hat resting on it. He places the hat on his head and looks back at the spot the beautiful woman just vacated. His eyes instinctively search for her but he realizes she is gone and decides to forget about the hairs raising on his arms when his eyes connected with hers. It was a strange sensation, one he'd never quite experienced before but the feeling was gone and she was gone so he left his thoughts there at the eatery.

He laughs as Shane pats him on the back with a smile and the four of them move off to their squad cars.

Later that night, long after his shift ends, he is in bed tossing and turning and muttering in his sleep as the brown eyed beauty visits him in his dreams. She is a vision of pure perfection as she appears to float towards him, wearing a sheer flowing gown. He drops his eyes to her chest expecting to be pleasantly surprised by a pair of ample breasts. To his disappointment, he can't make anything out even as his eyes drop lower. She smiles when he meets her gaze again, almost as if she knows exactly what he is thinking. Who are you? Desperation rises in him as he awaits her answer. Instead she approaches him and he has to look up to see her face. She circles him, her hand stretching forward but there is no connection. His eyes follow her, afraid to miss a moment. Tell me please. She reaches for his face and leans in to kiss him. His anticipation and desire rush to the forefront and he lifts himself higher in an effort to reach her. Just when her lips were about to touch his, a blaring beeping noise sounds, pulling him from his slumber.

He slaps a hand onto the dismiss button of the annoying alarm clock and sighs heavily as he looks up to the ceiling, questioning his dreams. He has to know who this woman is. He won't rest until he has some answers.

Meanwhile, the woman in question is tossing and turning in her sleep. She sits up with a gasp and reaches for her bedside lamp. The light reveals the calmness and emptiness of her room and a frustrated groan escapes her as she recalls her dream. Those blue eyes and dark hair reappeared in her subconscious and now she can't help but worry even more. She thought she could forget what happened today but that is not the case. She realizes who she has to talk to and makes plans to leave first thing in the morning.

XXXXXXXXXX

Her grandmother opens the door with a tsk. "What's got you so spooked? Dark circles under your eyes…..not a good look Mimi."

"Something's happening," Michonne relays. "I just don't know what."

"Well come on in and tell Gma all about it," her grandmother offers.

Once they're inside and seated, Michonne starts to relay the event from yesterday. "I was at the market and I got this funny feeling." She realizes she has to downplay it as her grandmother loves to get dramatic. "There was….there was this guy and he looked at me and I got that feeling again so….."

"Well dang you ever heard of attraction?"

Michonne rolls her eyes then takes a deep breath and rushes out, "I couldn't read him."

The eyebrows on her grandmother's forehead lift with curiosity as she whispers, "What?"

"I said I couldn't read him. I tried more than once but it was like there was some sort of block or something." She looks directly into her grandmother's eyes. "I thought I had lost it but I could read the other men he was seated with. So it's just…..him."

Her grandmother nods her head thoughtfully. "Are you dreaming about him?"

The panic in her granddaughter's eyes answers that question.

"Does it mean something?" MIchonne asks anxiously.

"Well it could but this has never happened before." Gma answers. "Not in my lifetime."

"What hasn't?"

"The bonding. Our history tells of a man and woman connected throughout time, living in different worlds but always connecting. They somehow find each other and…."

"Let me stop you there. This is not a harlequin romance," Michonne interrupts.

Her grandmother gives her an exasperated look and says, "Do I look like I'm making this up?"

"No but….it just doesn't make sense. I wasn't able to read him and…."

"Maybe that's why. He's your soulmate and you won't be able to manipulate him like you can others," Gma relays.

"I don't manipulate people. I've never used my gift to harm anyone," Michonne states.

"I know but maybe this is the universe telling you this is what you need from the man you'll fall for."

Gma watches her granddaughter absorb that information then turn nervous eyes to her.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Beats me," Gma says as she shrugs her shoulders. "Was he cute?"

"That has nothing to do with it."

"I'll take that as a yes and seeing how spooked you are, I'd wager he's a fine specimen of a man." Her grandmother gives her a knowing look. "Girl, you are in trouble."

Michonne spends the remainder of the day with her grandmother, perusing through the giant books of lore about her family and others with special gifts. There was only a small paragraph about bonding and it was exactly what her grandmother had already told her. It was clear there hadn't been many occurrences of this so called bonding so Michonne decided she wasn't going to worry about it. At least, she was going to try not to. She knew there was hardly any chance of her seeing this gentleman again and she was obviously overreacting. Right?

She gives her grandmother a hug and a kiss and promises to visit again soon before she walks to her car and drives away.

The next week passes by in a blur but Michonne continues to dream of the dark haired guy. The dreams were like watching a new movie each night. It was him. Always him but the time era was different for each encounter. The one thing she can't brush off is that each and every time, she saw herself with him. They were deeply in love and no matter the time or place, it was him and it was her….together.

XXXXXXXXXX

Rick sat at his desk, images of the brown eyed woman bombarding his every waking moment. He can't stop thinking about her or dreaming about her. He has to know who she is and he has to know now. He realizes his only recourse is to return to the restaurant where he saw her before. He knows there is a slim chance he will see her again, but he has to try something. Otherwise, he might go crazy.

He was too preoccupied to invite Shane so he ventures to the restaurant alone. He seats himself at the same table, checks his watch to ensure that he was there at the precise time he saw her before, and settles in to wait patiently. He looks around and notices the same vendors as before and hopes fervently that she shows up. Surely there is an explanation as to why she has been appearing in his dreams each and every night since he saw her. He needs to know what's going on.

He is startled as a slight wind ruffles his hair and a soft gasp seems to caress his ear. He looks up and sees the woman from his dreams standing several feet away from him. She seems to be rooted to the spot she was standing in, staring at him as if she couldn't believe he was there.

He immediately realizes there was no way he could have heard her gasp from where she was standing but he can't deny what he heard. He lifts himself from his chair, carrying his sheriff's hat in his hand, and starts to walk towards her.

Michonne is telling herself to turn and walk away but finds she can't. The man she thought she'd never see again is making his way directly to her and she couldn't tear her eyes away. She takes him all in as he runs a hand through his hair before placing the wide brimmed hat on his head. He stops in front of her and gives her a shy smile.

He searches her soft brown eyes before greeting her quietly, "Hey."

"Hi."

His eyes drop to her lips. "Would you like to get a cup of coffee?"

She can't read him but she knows they almost kiss each and every night in her dreams. She hones in on her feelings of anticipation and desire, her heart racing like never before. On impulse, she steps to him and places her lips on his.

The shock of kissing a stranger or being kissed by one never registers for either of them. His hands go to her waist and he pulls her closer, deepening their connection. Suddenly, there is a burst of light behind their eyes and a merging of their deepest desires, their dreams, their wants, their needs. He opens up to her like a book waiting to be read and she drinks him in all the while pouring out what she knows and feels into him.

All too soon the kiss ends and they stand on the cobbled street, resting their foreheads together. He swallows nervously, trying his best not to be intimidated by everything that just happened. Her heart is near to bursting, she is so happy to know who he is. He is definitely her soulmate and Gma was right about the bonding. She can feel the questions bubbling up inside of him as he is unaware of any family history that involves magic.

She takes his hand in hers and tells him, "I will answer anything you ask but we can't do it here." She leads him to her car. "I can take you to my grandmother. She'll know more about this than I can tell you."

He searches her eyes again. "Tomorrow. Can we see your grandmother tomorrow? Right now, I just want to catch up with you. It's been centuries."

She smiles widely and leans in to kiss him once again.