Hi, Back again. It took me forever to write this chapter but it is finally done. I'm getting through the 12 chapter and hopefully, it'll be posted soon. Pics of the Grimes' patio and the Greene's kitchen is on AO3 if you wanted to check it out.
Anyways, Enjoy this Chapter!
Encased around a mountain of pillows, Michonne laid in her bed. She woke up five minutes ago when she woke it was a little after 1:30. As she laid there, thinking about her existence and her relationship with Rick, Michonne began daydreaming about life with Rick. She looked over to Rick's suit jacket resting over her desk chair at the end of her bed. Michonne moved over to reach for it. Once she had the jacket in her hands, she placed the jacket under her nose to get the scent of Rick that still lingered and laid down at the end of the bed.
Michonne closes her eyes, imagining Rick in her room, pulling her to his chest. Imagine-Rick tightened his hold on Michonne rubbing his hand on her back. He gently moves his hand up her back and towards her face to pull her back from his chest. Looking up, Michonne noticed a single piece of curled hair fall on his face. He tried to whip it back by shaking his head, but it was a failed attempt causing Michonne to laugh at his antics. She moved her hands that were resting on Rick's waist, as they lay on their sides, to his face to still his movements. She reached up and pushed the curl behind his ear. She played with his ear, her eyes lighting up as she gave Rick a smile. He smiled back and looked at her lips. His eyes became hooded as he slowly leaned forward to connect their lips together.
A loud thud interrupted the imaginary make-out session, causing Michonne to jump a little. She sighed as she pulled the spice and woodsy scented jacket from her nose. She rubbed the collar of the jacket before she sat up to her knees and placed the jacket back on the desk chair.
The sound of her phone vibrating led her to her nightstand were her cell phone rested. Michonne grabbed her phone and scrolled through the notifications and messages. None of the notifications or messages were from Rick, so she didn't entirely care about them. Going to their messages, she sends him another message and a 'woke up like this' pic.
Michonne leaves from her bed and head to the hallway bathroom. Looking down the hall, Maggie's door is closed, indicating she's home since it's normally open if she isn't. She heads into the bathroom and completes her morning ritual.
The kitchen was empty once Michonne made her way downstairs. She was thankful Sasha was no longer in the kitchen. She doesn't know how she'd be able to handle Round 3 between them. She walks to the Samsung smart grey fridge. Just
before she opened it, there was a note left on the screen from Sasha.
Went to work. B back later, xo Sas.
Michonne shakes her head. Her sister hardly spends any time for herself and practically consumes her work. Michonne just hopes her sister isn't dealing with any Grimes family cases at work. Sasha coming home with an attitude about the Grimes family was the last thing Michonne needed right now. She must figure out how to prevent Sasha from telling their parents about her new relationship. She shakes the thoughts from her head and continues into the fridge to make herself some brunch.
While Michonne was halfway done with making chocolate chip pancakes, she heard footsteps coming down the staircase. She continued to cook until the half-naked Asian man entered the kitchen, scratching his flat belly.
"Good Morning, M," Glenn grumbled as he lazily walked further into the kitchen.
Michonne glances at Glenn, then focus on completing the pancakes. "Good Morning, Glenn. I didn't know that you stayed the night. There should be enough food. I'll start the eggs soon." She moved to the fridge to grab the eggs and began preparing the dish.
Glenn moved towards the dark brown cabinet and grabbed three plates. "I came over last night, after the party." He started filling up on with food. "You know I can never turn down your food, M." She smiled and thanked him in response. "So, how's school going," He asked when he sat down at the breakfast bar to eat and watch her cook. It's been a while since this pair has seen each other due to their busy schedules.
"School is School," Michonne shrugged. "I have another year and a half to suffer through pre-law. Even though, I hate it." She mumbled the last part under her breath. She plated the last pancake and began scrambling the eggs. "I don't want to talk about it anymore. Why weren't you at the party last night?"
Glenn had a mouth full of pancakes as he tried to stuff himself full. He responded after he swallowed the pancakes, "I had some things to deal with beforehand, but I came later as a surprise to Maggie. I saw you, but you seemed a little busy with an old friend of mine."
Michonne paused at the last part of Glenn's admission. Cutting off the stove and removing the eggs from the skillet, she turned to face him. "Who's your friend," she questioned. Surely, Glenn didn't know Rick. If so, she was sure that her family would have known about it.
"Rick." He looked directly into her eyes.
"Rick?" She paused again. "As in Rick Grimes?"
She moved in front of him, with the breakfast bar still separating them. "How do you know him? Why don't my parents know? Does Maggie know? Why would you even tell me this?" Michonne rattled off a series of questions, still confused by Glenn's confession. He was somehow able to still have ties to the Grimes family and be in a relationship with her sister. Michonne froze as another question pops into her mind. Her thoughts suddenly turned dark with a need to protect her sister from any person associated with the Grimes family. She understands that she's a little hypocritical considering she's dating the next leader, but Glenn entered their family years before. He could've been spying on the Greene family for the Grimes. Michonne doesn't want her sister to fall victim to a man who was only using her. "Are you spying on us," she asked with a dark glare.
"Whoa," Glenn objected as he raised his hands. "I'd never do that to you guys." He sighed. "I've known Rick since we were kids. I've known about the conflict for a long time. Once I found out Maggie was Hershel Greene's daughter, I made sure that no one, including Rick, never found out. I love Maggie. She's important to me and I wouldn't throw her away if I had a choice between the Grimes family and her."
Michonne listened intently to Glenn's little speech, never breaking eye contact. After he finished, the kitchen fell into a slightly awkward silence. She breaks the silence, "How long have you known about me and Rick?"
"He only told me last night."
Silence fell once again.
"Does Maggie know?"
"About me or about your relationship," Glenn asked with a head tilt.
"How about both?"
"I told Maggie a few weeks after started dating. She found out about Rick from Sas. She told her last night after you left."
Michonne scoffed and shake her head in response, "Of course she did." She began filling her plate as she continued, "I'm worried she'll tell my parents. I don't want them finding out too soon. Plus, it would be better if they found out from me."
"Well," as he finished remaining food. "we, Maggie and I, support the both of you. Any way we can help you guys, we will."
Michonne smiled shyly. It would be better to have Maggie in her corner. When her parents find out about the relationship, she needs someone in her corner when the arguments begin. "Thanks, G," she whispered, as she reached for a side hug once she made it to the other side of the kitchen.
"No problem, M."
The pair moved from the slightly tense conversation to something a little lighter, like DC comics and the new movie coming out in winter.
Maggie followed the muffled conversation and smell of breakfast food. As she entered the kitchen, she saw her boyfriend and little sister in a heat discussion about some battle between superheroes. She was freshly showered with regular home clothes, sweats, and a cotton t-shirt. Even though the family lives in the south, the weather does change seasonally as the world enters the beginning of October.
"Hi, baby," Maggie greeted Glenn as she came up behind him. The conversation stopped as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Glenn wraps an arm around her waist as he raised his head for a peck as a response. "Hi, Michie." Maggie picks up the remaining plate as she pulls away from Glenn rounds the breakfast bar. "You made breakfast?" She looked up at her younger sister.
Before Michonne was able to answer, Glenn interrupted, "What if I made breakfast?"
Maggie gave him an amused looked and rested her hand on her hip. "The last time you made breakfast, you almost burned down your own apartment."
"I was trying to give you breakfast in bed." He rubbed the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed.
"I appreciated it and I showed my appreciation later that night. But I'd rather not die from carbon monoxide poisoning," Glenn playfully glared at Maggie, "because my boyfriend wanted to be the most romantic person in the world."
"I'm gonna learn how to properly cook so I won't burn down our future house."
"I'm holding you to that, sir." Maggie earned a raised eyebrow response from Glenn. She knows what that last word does to him. But they were currently in front of her little sister. So, he'll wait until they make back to her room to make her pay for her teasing words.
Maggie smirked in response and turned her attention back to her sister. "How was your night, Michie?" She tried to be subtle about her questioning. She wanted to know more about last night.
"I went out with Rick," Michonne simply said. She didn't want to kiss and tell about what happened.
"Where," Maggie pushed.
"We met at the park and hung out there."
Maggie nodded. "As long as you were safe."
"I believe the son of a crime family is one of the few people who could protect me." Michonne paused for a few seconds. "How do you feel about us being together." She felt a little nervous asking her sister that. The initial response from Sasha was to be expected. But Michonne wasn't sure about Maggie's response. Although she got second-hand support from Glenn, it's important that Michonne hears directly from the source.
"Sasha told me last night after you left."
"You know she wants to tell Mom and Dad. I don't even know what to do."
Maggie moved to Michonne's side. "Don't worry too much about it. I'll be right by your side." She soothingly rubbed her sister's back. "It might take some time to convince her not tell them."
"Which would be like trying to cut your own foot off with a handsaw."
Laughter echoed the kitchen. "Hopefully it won't be that difficult."
Michonne sighed but nodded in response. She'll have to pull out all the stops to prevent her sister from telling their parents. She rises from the bar and heads to the sink to clean the dishes.
Glenn quickly rises as well, stopping Michonne before she made it to the sink. "Don't worry about the dishes, I'll clean it."
Michonne protests, "No, you're still a guest after all these years."
"Please Michonne. You made a wonderful breakfast. Let me repay you by cleaning up."
"Yeah, let Glenn help you. Since he can't cook for shit," Maggie joked. Glenn turned and gave her the stink eye.
Looking between the couple, Michonne finally nodded. "Fine. I'll see you guys later." She handed the plate over to Glenn and head upstairs. Since her phone was almost dead when she woke up, she left her phone charging.
She finally received a message from Rick, just a few minutes after she left for the kitchen.
Hey, Pretty Flower. You still look beautiful when you wake up. I can't wait to wake up to your face every day. I miss you too, baby. I'll see you later. Be ready at 4 for our date. Dress casually.
Michonne smiled at the message and quickly responded. She had a little time before she had to get ready. Looking at the clock, it was fifteen minutes after two. So, he could get some drawing in before she had to get ready.
Rick moved around in his room, cleaning up a few discarded clothes from the night before. When he got home, he practically stripped to his boxers and face planted in the bed. Despite having only a few hours of sleep, Rick still felt energized. According to the digital clock on his nightstand, he only had a few more hours until he can see Michonne again. This is the one time where he'd wished he had the power to control time. If so, he'd skip to every moment he'd be in Michonne's presence.
Once he finished tidying up his room, he grabbed his phone and made his way down to the kitchen. As he walked, he made sure the first message sent was to Michonne. He saw the message and picture she sent earlier, and he had time to respond. The next series of texts were two different 'employees' of his. He sent one to pick up Michonne's car from the park and leave it at her home.
The smell of melted cheese and chicken filled the air once he hit the final step. Following the smell, he walked to the kitchen and saw one of the maids gathering a pitcher of juice. She informed him that his parents and Daryl were having lunch on the back porch and walk out back.
Rick looks through the glass patio doors and saw them sitting together. Although his parents don't know anything about Michonne, it still made him nervous. Mrs. Deanna Grimes always knew when her boys were up to something. It was like she had a sixth sense. But Michonne had to stay a secret, for her own safety. He can't even imagine what his mother would do if she found out about Michonne, especially since she's a Greene.
He takes a deep breath and walks through the patio doors. The sun shined on his naked back, Rick was still dressed in boxers when he finally made it to the table.
"Still a late riser, I see," Reg Grimes greeted his son as he exited the doors.
"Just had a late night," Rick responded as kissed his mother's cheek before across the table to sit next Daryl. Daryl gave a nod in greeting as he continued to stuff his face with the bountiful Mexican inspired feast sitting in front of him.
"Oh yeah," Reg questioned. "How was last night?"
"The Greene's really know how to throw a party, but it was a little overdone. They were definitely showing off to the nearly thousand people invited to the party." That part was true. Rick believed the whole party must have cost a fortune. He swears he even saw goody bags being given out to departing guests. Rick began filling his plate as he continued, "Luckily the theme was "Masquerade" because they didn't even notice we were there. I didn't think I'd ever survived being in a room filled with law enforcement officials."
Reg and Rick chuckled at the small joke. It would be uncommon for a Grimes to be in the presence of so many officers.
However, Deanna Grimes wasn't entirely amused by the joke. She wiped her mouth with a cloth napkin before she spoke, "You came home late."
Rick tries to brush off the comment. His mother cannot know about Michonne. This mantra shouts in his head. "I didn't think it was that late."
"I believe it was a little after 6 in the morning," his mother coolly corrected.
Daryl glanced up Rick for a second before returning to his food. Rick kept his face neutral before he questioned how she knew.
She cannot know about Michonne.
"I saw you pull into the driveway while I was getting ready for my early morning yoga."
Rick never knew his mother to participate in yoga, so he wasn't entirely sure about that excuse. But he'll let it slide for now. Rick needs to keep a lower profile when he's out with Michonne.
"Your brothers and Daryl came home last night after the party, but not you," Deanna stated. She looks to her son and holds her hands in front of her. "Where were you?"
Rick could have mentioned he met a girl at the party and went to her place, but his mother wouldn't believe it. No one would. Although Rick wasn't a virgin, he doesn't go around sleeping with every other woman he meets. It would be very much out of character for him, so he needed a clever lie.
She cannot know about Michonne.
"I was dealing with the Blake family."
The family owned a butcher shop that was going to go out of business a few years prior but was saved by the Grimes family. After giving the loan of almost 1.5 million dollars, the Blake family was required to pay back the loan within 5 years plus interest. The family only paid $500,000 in 5 years and the family needed to start paying with blood. Luckily for Rick, he and his friends gave a warning to the Bake family the day before he met Michonne. He didn't tell his mother yet, simply because he didn't have the time and he was distracted.
"I had a little fun with the youngest son. Quite a fighter, I dropped him off in front of their home." Rick made sure to keep eye contact with his mother. He doesn't want her to doubt the story. If she had doubts, she'd go looking into what Rick did the night before.
She cannot know about Michonne.
Deanna looked at her son and nodded, seeming to believe his story. "Good work." She resumed eating. "Hopefully those hillbilly butchers are able to pay with money. If not, we'd need to start killing them off, one by one until they are able to come up with some money, if any."
The table fell into a short silence. Before Deanna turned her attention to her husband to discuss changing the wall color in their kitchen. It was a drastic change of topic, but no one at the table felt the need to bring it up.
The mantra continued in Rick's mind as he finished his lunch. Deanna was called in for a video conference with some donors to fund her campaign for congresswoman in the next election. Reg Grimes had to work on a big building project for some business venture in Shanghai. When the parents left the table, leaving Rick and Daryl behind, the table fell silent for a few seconds.
Daryl had finished eating before the parents left the table. Now he sat back as he sipped on his moonshine spiked lemonade. "So, you stayed out all night," he simply stated.
Rick looked to his friend/brother's eyes a little defiantly, "Yeah I did. You may be my brother, but I don't want any problems with me being with Michonne." He made sure to say Michonne's name low enough for the pair to hear. Although his parents were inside, he still didn't want to give his parents or anyone under the Grimes family employment to hear her name.
Daryl gave a slow nod in response. "I don't want to start any problems. I'm always by your side. But you gotta be careful," he cautioned. "If her family doesn't try to put you in jail for dating their daughter, your mom will torture you by hurting her if she finds out."
He wasn't for trying to warn his brother. Deanna Grimes is brutal when it comes to other women sniffing around the Grimes men. She personally broke a waitress' kneecaps for overtly flirting with her husband. The Grimes matriarch made sure to pay the broken knee woman for her silence and sent her far away from the state of Georgia. Deanna also kidnapped one of Shane's lovers when she suspected the woman to be a police officer. After several days of torture, Deanna was finally given information to exonerate the woman, but she still decided that the young woman had to die.
If Deanna Grimes would do those things to women who aren't her sworn enemy, Rick can't even imagine what she would do to Michonne. He is willing to anything to protect her. If his mother finds out that they're together, he'd leave the family and run somewhere she can't find them.
"I know," Rick stated. "I just need you to be by my side with this. If something happens, I need both you and Glenn by my side. I trust no one else."
"You know we'll be. We're the three musketeers." They laughed at the comparison. When they were younger, they would constantly play as the Musketeers in the Grimes backyard.
"Thanks." Rick rose from his seat, with Daryl following him. "Get dressed," he directed. "We have a meeting with the Cubans and I want you there."
"You are bringing G?'
"I'll call him when we're on the way."
Daryl nodded and made his way inside the Grimes household, leaving Rick still standing outside. After the week he had and the shift in loyalty, Rick had only one thought in his mind.
She cannot know about Michonne.