I don't own the walking dead
Chapter V: Break-up and …more consequences
Despite the inappropriate nature of her reaction, Michonne does not feel apologetic. Mike's entitlement is beyond ludicrous. She did not expect such delusions from him. Michonne should have abided by Sasha's advice and squashed Mike's silly infatuation with brutal honesty.
Michonne exhales to remain calm.
"Explain yourself, Michonne." Mike orders. "You must have something to say to explain the vulgarity that I witness." He says with utter arrogance. "Your silence is not helping anyone."
Mike's haughty tone disturbs Michonne's attempt to calm herself.
"Vulgarity?" Michonne repeats. "I must have heard you wrong." She sighs.
Mike sucks his teeth. Michonne's reaction exasperates him. He cannot believe her lack of shame. He eyes her with disdain.
"He didn't pull the hem of your dress lower enough. I can still see your coochie." Mike's hand reaches for Michonne's dress.
Michonne loses her control. She swats his hand away, and she does not bother pulling on a dress, which lies over her knee.
"Well," Mike pursues his tirade. "Would you prefer to extend an apology if you can't explain yourself?"
Michonne laughs, and she stares at Mike, trying to establish his sanity. No reaction can be appropriate to the situation. She laughs more when he displays a serious frown.
"I wouldn't apologise to you over kissing my ex-husband." Michonne deadpans. "I think you aren't aware of your place in my life." She confusedly continues to speak. "Is that why you stood like a statue while I kissed another man? Did you need an explanation like a cheated boyfriend? Or an apology because I can't kiss my husband?"
"Michonne?" Mike warns her. "Maybe…"
Michonne sighs and interrupts him. She does not want to hear more about his fantasies.
"We're barely friends," She deadpans. "And I tried to explain it to you more than once," Michonne replies to Mike's accusation. "Now, I believe it's clear." Michonne sighs. "I'm sorry I didn't make myself clearer. That is an apology, which you deserve, Mike."
"I deserve more," Mike argues.
He refuses to settle for such a small apology. Mike walks closer to Michonne and tries to tower over the young woman. Michonne does not scare, and she stands her ground. She wonders what Mike might do now.
"Truly, I thought you were better than most females." He starts a tirade, which Michonne chooses to silence before the wrong words escape his lips. "Not the baby mama falling from the man who abandoned her."
"You should leave if you're going to talk about things that you know nothing about, Mike." Michonne calmly demands. "We both have no reasons to talk further tonight or any other days."
Michonne's disinterest infuriates Mike. He would prefer that she show some remorses. He is a good person, who is ready to put up with her situation. Now, she shows too much arrogance for his taste.
"You're a dumb bitch, who will let any man grope her in public." Voice filled with disdain, Mike spits his venom. "To think, I wanted more for you than yourself. You will rather stick to the failure of a man who wasn't there to raise his child."
The contrite expression disappears from Michonne's visage. She clenches her fist, and she closes the small distance between them. His comments on Rick fuels Michonne's anger.
"Excuse me?" Michonne dares him to repeat each word.
Michonne has no remaining patience to deal with disrespect. She repeatedly told him her lack of interest in him. By every way of communication, Mike begged her for a chance. Now, he wants to cry foul. Michonne regrets her lack of firmness.
"Oh, you heard me right. Where is the classy woman, who parades in the office and doesn't give the time of the day to anyone? The whore, who he pressed to the door a second before you met me for a date, isn't a woman that I want." He continues to expose his delusion.
Baffled, Michonne stares at Mike. He cannot be serious, but his firm expression confirms her fears. The young woman takes a step back, and she decides to end the conversation. Unfortunately, Mike stops her with a hand on her shoulder. Michonne sighs and rolls her eyes.
" I don't have to justify my relationship with any man. I blame myself for entertaining your delusion, but to make it clear. You can want me or not, and I will always feel the same about you." Michonne claims. "I'm not interested. Now, excuse me." After her verbal assault, she stares at his hand on her shoulder and waits for him to remove it.
Mike does not let go of Michonne, and he drags her toward his chest.
"You'll apologize and review your position. Why would you lose a man like me for a good for nothing like that man?" He insists.
Michonne loses her patience.
His attack on Rick is the stroll, which breaks the camel's back. In addition, she is tired of the hand on her shoulder. Why did she not listen to Sasha?
Michonne grabs Mike's hand and crushes it. She steps on his foot and grabs his arm. Michonne uses her precarious balance to project Mike across her calves.
"Stay away from me." She shouts over the loud sound, which the collision between the man's body and the ground creates
Rick slowly rocks Carl, and he hopes his son can remain quiet while he spies on Michonne.
"Well, I think your mother is about to kill that man," He jokes. "You don't have to worry when she goes to jail. I'm a stable single father, and I can take care of you." Joyously, Rick tells his son.
Rick continues to peep through the hole, and he observes the exchange between Mike and Michonne. It is an act of curiosity, but also a preventive measure. Rick does not know the man, but he assumes something must be wrong with him.
A minute before his mention of Mike's presence, Rick noticed Michonne's date. He immediately wondered why Mike did not leave. What man in his right mind would silently watch his date make out with another man in a very indecent manner and stand there? Rick does not want to presume, but a desperate psychopath may fit the description.
"The wrong move." He states when Mike places his hand on Michonne's shoulder.
Rick prepares himself to unlock the door in case Michonne needs his help. However, he knows her enough to know that she will handle it.
"He will discover your mother's violent side, and you will never believe the strength of her right hook. I don't know if my jaw recovered from the impact, but my heart never did." Rick continues to explain to his son, who doesn't care for the small talk. "Oh my god!" Rick says. "Now, I have you thinking that there was some violence between us. That was from her time as an escort… I will shut up, Carl." Rick declares. "And let you watch your mama beat a grown man."
Rick places Carl before the peeping hole, and Carl begins to whimper.
"Shush, Richard Carlton Grimes. You'll give us away, and I don't want to miss the result of my handy work." Rick recovers his son's mouth, and the infant continues to let escape excited coos.
Carl does not care for his father's indecent curiosity, but his excitement to meet the man is unmistakable. The infant giggles and rests his head on his father's shoulder. With absolute curiosity, Carl's fingers examine Rick as if he was a new toy. He places the collar of his father's shirt into his mouth.
"Carlton?" Rick tries to chastise the hyperactive creature, but the use of his full name is a mistake.
Almost a year later, the infant continues to hate his name. Carbon copy of his eyes starts to glisten, and tears pool into his son's big eyes. A soft sniff announces the tragedy. Suddenly, Rick feels guilty. Rick holds the little boy close to his heart.
"I'm sorry, Carl." He insists on the name and waits for his son's reaction. "Daddy is so sorry." He adds.
However, the tears continue to fall. Rick does not know what to do when Carl starts a tantrum.
"What do you want? money, a new crib, or your mommy?" Seriously, the young father inquires, and he turns Carl around to see if magic happens.
There must be a stop button. How does Michonne do it?
"Au clair de la lune, mon ami pierrot prête moi ta plume..." Rick starts to sing the French lullaby, which he used to sing to his son during the early days of his life.
For a second, Carl calms down, and he focuses on his father's voice. He picks Rick's shirt collar and puts it back into his mouth. If it means some silence and peace, Rick does not dare to chastise him. Half an hour into the parenting, he knows who will dominate their relationship.
Although, it does not matter because he intends to spoil his son. Rick continues to sing while Carl's saliva drenches half of his shirt. They are content until a loud sound outside disrupts the peaceful atmosphere between father and son. Panicked, Rick runs at the door and widely opens it. Carl starts to cry, but the infant suddenly stops. The scene of Mike on the ground steals his attention.
"Do you need my help?" Rick questions Michonne while she removes invisible specks of dust from her dress. "I…" Rick is speechless.
"He will need it to pick himself from the ground." Michonne answers and furiously walks inside her apartment.
" I guess no didn't sound like the right answer to you" Rick adds insults to injury, and he closes the door.
Rick observes Michonne with concern. After Michonne argues with Mike, he feels protective of his ex-wife. For the last hour, Rick has quietly observed Michonne, and he can speak on her humour.
He senses the melancholy around Michonne. Rick is unaware of the words said by Mike, but they must have been truly insulting. Michonne has not said a word since she returned. Rick draws a breath, and he knows what he must do.
Rick widely opens the door, and he enters her bubble. Michonne looks over her shoulder and does not say anything. Despite her absence of enthusiasm, Rick approaches Michonne.
"Carl is asleep." He says as an introduction.
"So easily," Michonne declares with envy.
"The excitement of the day must have exhausted him." Rick retorts.
"I can't say the same," Michonne laments.
Rick joins her under the blanket, and she flinches. Michonne's reaction is not a personal insult to her ex-husband. Rick understands why Michonne could be reluctant to share a small space with him.
Michonne and Rick's relationship has suffered from almost two years of separation. In many ways, their bond is thinner and weaker than at the worst peak of their marriage. Yet, Rick and Michonne have developed a new form of intimacy while co-parenting Carl.
Rick does not expect the return of every automatism, which they had during their marriage. He does not blame Michonne for being distant.
"It must be the first time that you lose sleep about him?" He tentatively tries to open a conversation. "Or?" Rick teases.
Michonne rolls her eyes at his question.
"Mike's antics are not keeping me awake at night. That works for today as well." Michonne argues.
Rick cocks an eyebrow, and he partially believes Michonne. He draws closer from Michonne, and she does not move away like he almost expected.
"I assume he called you everything but a child of God," Rick calmly states. "I will understand if that upset you enough to keep you awake. You could be dreaming of ways of ruining his life." Rick smiles. "Not truly helpful but it's therapeutic."
His fingers tangle around Michonne's locs. Michonne rolls on her back to face him, and she draws closer to Rick. Yet, she stops herself from seeking the embrace of his arm. Rick does not have her inhibition, and he crushes her petite body with a hug. They stay locked in that embrace for several minutes until Michonne can find her words.
"Everything is your fault." She swats his chest, and Rick chortles.
For his insensitive nature, she swats him another time. Rick tries to avoid her slender fingers, and he continues to annoy her with his chuckles.
"If it is a consolation, I feel guilty for destroying your promising relationship." He does not hide his warm smile.
Ultimately, Michonne hugs him back. They simultaneously sigh, and the silence falls in the room. The sound of her heartbeat increases the tension in the atmosphere. The silence reveals precious truths, and Michonne does not want to face them.
"I'm a hypocrite." Michonne breaks the silence and rests her head on Rick's chest. "He wasn't right about a single thing which he said. Yet, I wasn't too fair with him."
His fingers start to comb through Michonne's loose locs, which cover her pillow. Rick waits for her to expand on the subject, but Michonne becomes silent.
"You forgot to tell him that you were still in love with your ex- husband. and so what? That doesn't make you a hypocrite. It was none of his business as he knew where you stood when it came to him." Rick counters. "You're perfect, and he is a psycho."
Rick encircles Michonne in a suffocating embrace. He has no idea how much comfort she needs now. Michonne will take as much affection as Rick is willing to offer.
"Maybe I led him on." She continues her introspection. "I didn't tell him no but I made up reasons after reasons to ditch him." Michonne muses. "Rick?" She softly asks. "When did you understand that you needed to give up on me? When was the refusal that you knew was firm?"
Rick smirks with amusement, and his fingers brush her jaw. Michonne sighs and leans in Rick's caress.
"You never truly told me no," Rick points out. "You found creative ways to mention time. It wasn't the right time when we met. I was divorcing, and your mother was living her last days." He quietly reminisces. "I remember seeing those divorce papers and thinking I'll never sign. I knew I only had to wait."
Michonne stares at the ceiling, and she exhales.
"What if Mike thought the same? I only needed to survive our broken marriage and my love for you." Michonne argues.
Rick chuckles, and Michonne misses the ludicrous meaning of her question.
"You don't make up a love story like ours," Rick declares. "Those pieces of stars only collide once. You fell in love with me while I was unconscious and battling to survive an overdose." He presses a finger on Michonne's mouth as she wants to speak. "Shush!" He gently adds. "I know you swear it was during the honeymoon that you fell, but I know better. I opened the door, and you already had no choice but to be with me. From that moment to now, it has never been anything but a game of patience." He finishes.
"We divorced this time around," Michonne reminds Rick.
"To rewrite time," He softly declares. "I still love you," Rick confesses what Michonne has never doubted. "And you love me even if it's not as bright as it used to be. I'll wait."
Rick and Michonne have a silent conversation, which quickly turns into true silence. Michonne's head comfortably lies on Rick's shoulder. When the quietness lasts too long, it becomes disturbing even for the pair.
"Did you allow him to kiss you or snuggle in bed with the goodies?' The tone tries to hide the seriousness of his question, but Michonne knows him too well.
"We weren't an item or anything of some sort, but I agreed to multiple dates, which I never attended." She adds the last sentence without prior thought. "And I was trying to make up from vomiting on his shirt while pregnant with your son." Michonne laughs.
"A free meal ticket, a scammer who scammed him." Rick teases.
He pokes her ribs, and Michonne cannot prevent the laugh, which applauds his dry joke.
"Well, a girl needs to survive. Carl finishes all my money." She jokes.
"If you took my monthly allowance, it would be easier for you," Rick answers seriously, and Michonne rolls her eyes.
"Carl is your son, and the child support covers it all. I make five figures a month, and I know it sounds like very little money to you. I enjoy my newfound independence, and I can afford my luxury lifestyle." She points at her interior designer's heaven. "I don't have to be an escort for any of this. I hope you don't… Of course, you don't." Michonne corrects herself. "You never made it a big deal that you married an ex-escort."
"I was too busy making a big deal of marrying you, the woman of my life." Rick retorts.
Michonne smiles and knows the sincerity of his words.
"I miss the smile on your face when you open a present." He replies and caresses her cheek with his knuckle. "I would get you things just for that beaming smile. A monthly allowance is such a small price to pay for it. By the way, I bought you a dress. I hope it makes you smile."
Michonne smiles as an answer to his confession. Once again, silence retakes its rightful place.
The glowing warm yellowish almost orange light continues to play and cast the shadow on Michonne's luminous skin. Between the warmth of her body and the comfortable soft mattress wrapped in the silky bed sheet, the couple finds a sweet comfort.
Michonne stares at Rick's profile with the clarity of a sober woman plagued with the euphoria and the high of a drug, which long ago she ceased to consume.
His curls fall in every direction as he throws his head back to laugh at her jab at his new beard. The twinkle of joy in his eyes and the view entrapped her.
She looks at him with the same inquiring eyes, and she brings her hands to his face. Michonne places her nose against his nose, and she looks deeply into his eyes in search of the truth.
"I missed you." She confesses, and he understands how long she has languished to meet this side of him again.
Rick kisses the centre of her palm, and he kisses the tip of her nose. Her skin is magnificent up close, and he notices the cutest details. When his lips touch her skin, Michonne's pulse slows down while her pupils dilate. She is sober, but she can't fight the growing intoxication. Rick Grimes is a powerful drug, and she continues to be an addict.
Michonne can no longer resist it, but she can't extricate her mind from the situation. The scene lures her in a sort of familiar comfort. She wants to resist the call of her hormone, but the warmth of his body pressed to the side of her shivering arm promises comfort and haven. Michonne inhales and it is a mistake. She opens the path for further intoxication. It is a sensory assault. He smells like a man, her man.
Michonne knows how wrong it is, and worse she does not want to have the stupid moment end. He nonchalantly sighs, and a beautiful smile graces Rick's lips. The young woman abandons reason, and she presses her lips to Rick's one.
They continued passionately to kiss until the laws of nature commanded their bodies to ache for fresh air. Deflated lungs scream for a breath, and she wants more of her Rick. Michonne kisses her ex-husband between gulps of fresh air.
The couple quickly shed their clothes. Michonne steps out of her underwear, and she slides Rick's fingers between her inner thighs. Rick's fingers run between her thighs and tease the slit of her labia, which her feminine juice now drenches.
His thumb rubs her clitoris, but she aches for more of him. Michonne watches when he pushes a thick finger in her wall. When he burns her senses with every touch, her body continues to ache for more of him. Rick's finger fucks her until raw cries overtake her quiet moans.
The young woman slides down and stands on four. Michonne's mouth licks the precum from the tip of his dick, and she swallows part of his length. Her eyes lock with an entranced Ricks. Amber fire consumes a boiling ocean.
His moans are small praising sounds or loud begging prayers. Michonne continues to take his length up and down while his adoring eyes morph into an aflame ocean. Michonne experiences his adoration, and this is a new level of intoxication. She is his goddess on her knee and basks in his praise and prayers to her glory. Her mouth takes every inch of his dick, and her eyes imprison him in a trance state.
"Slower..." He stuttered when she sucked on a sensitive spot.
His voice resonates like a weak plea. Michonne loosens her jaws and sucks on his dick. Rick pulls her locs until sharp pain attacks Michonne's scalp. The sounds of her gagging throat fill the room, while she continues to swallow every inch of his manhood. He can't resist the impulse and moves his hips forward. She coughs, but she doesn't stop.
"Sorry, baby." He caresses her cheek with his knuckle and leans to recover her lips with his.
The kiss is passionate, and he pulls on her lower lips. His tongue caresses her upper lips after each bite. Their tongues circle each other like the fiercest matador circles the strongest bull. He steals her air until her pink lips are blue and bruised.
Once again, she wraps her free hand around his erected dick. She takes him all in and slowly releases every inch. He loses his eloquence, and Michonne is the only coherent word in his vocabulary.
Pleading blue irises continue to watch his beloved bestows fire upon his soul.
"Fuck." He curses when her tongue rolls on the tip of his dick.
Slowly at first and then faster, his dick slides on her tongue. Between a few choking sounds, she swallows more until her lips kiss his balls.
With their eyes locked into a spellbound embrace, the fall from the edge is overwhelming. His body collided with a wrecking wave of lust, and his groan intensified her pleasure. She starts to caress her erect nipples, and slowly, she drags her hand down to her aching core. Her finger runs faster on her pulsating clitoris, and she inserts a finger in her burning core.
The image of her in a brisk of an orgasm while she pleasures him drags Rick to the edges. He closes his eyes, and white lights flash behind his eyelids.
"Fuck" Rick tries to remove his dick from her mouth before he ejaculated.
"Feed me." She purrs between slow licks of the tip of his penis. Michonne continued to suck on his dick while he ejaculated. Her fingers fondle the sensitive balls, and he comes harder.
Her hand ran up and down to milk the last drop of his essence. With a salacious smile, she licks the remaining semen of his dick.
...
...
..
Eagerly, Rick grabs her hand, and he puts her lubricated fingers in his mouth. He lifts Michonne to change their position, and automatically, her legs frame his hip. His penis grazed her vagina. In symbiosis, they moan, and Michonne slides her hand between their bodies. The eager young woman grabs Rick's impressive manhood. Agilely, she twisted until she lined the head of his penis with the entrance of her vagina.
With the most care, he creates a path of open-mouth kisses from her lower abdomen to her perky breast. His lips covered her mounds, and he sucked on her nipple until the sound of her cry echoed inside each of their apartments. He grabbed her thighs and wrapped them tighter around his waist. Delicately, he sucks on her erected nipple and pinches it, and his free thumb grazes the sensitive bundle of nerves between her inner thighs.
Rick dedicatedly worships Michonne's body. Soft lips pressed against her nipple and fingers, which glistens due to her feminine juice, continues to sink in her warm wet core.
"I love you." The words leave Michonne's tongue before she conceives the thought.
She believes her confession, and in the heat of the moment, Michonne repeats herself.
"I still love you, Rick." Michonne whispers. "I haven't stopped despite what I wanted. I still love you."
Rick softly looks at Michonne. His hand tenderly brushes Michonne's jawline.
Devoted to her satisfaction, he pauses to look into her soul. Michonne's fiery eyes are on him. In the warmth of their brown, Rick can only assume what Michonne may feel. He had not heard her confession, and the words barely left her lips as she whispered them.
Michonne's legs tremble, and Rick continues to reach deeper into her with his fingers. He nipped on her stiff nipple, and the pleasure consumed Michonne. She cried his name until her voice became a broken hoarse sound.
When the powerful orgasm sends Michonne's body into a tonic tremor, Rick's dick replaces his finger at her entrance. His stroke is shallow and fuels the power of her orgasm. It sends her into a second one.
"Ride me, babe." He presses his lips on her earlobe.
He seizes a hand full of her ass and drags her ass over his hardened manhood. With a hand on her waist and another on her ass, he gives a new rhythm to her hip rotation. Her gyration become slow and matches the shallow thrust of his pelvis
Michonne presses her lips to his with endless passion, and suavely, her tongue massages his with a lazy stroke. Rick's warm fingers graze the shivering skin of his thighs. Slowly, he caresses an inch of bare skin. Rick pushes his dick deeper into her, and she is so tight.
His soft lips burn her clavicle, where he lays small open mouth kisses to soothe the ache between her legs. Rick's tongue darts for a taste of her glowing skin and runs along the curvature of her swan neck to the beautiful perky bouncing breast.
Rick curses and slows down for both their sake. Rick reverses the position and places her thighs around his shoulder. He allows her to adjust around him, and the ecstatic cries refill the room. Rick's strokes are slow and tortuous. He hammers her wall with every deep stroke.
Tender at a time and rough in the next second, Michonne's body sings praises of Rick's dick. Her moans are an ode to the glory of his stroke. Her legs tremble, and sheer coat sweat makes her body glisten.
"Oh fuck... oh... please." her mind isn't cohesive, and her body continues to seek more of her dick.
Legs tightly wrapped on his bare ass, she gyrated her hips to match his thrust. With his thumb and forefinger on her chin, he lifts her face and locks their eyes into a voodoo charm. So many words in the strong blue of his irises and she understands his love. His mouth assaults her erogenous zones until her pleas for more become soft whimpers of satisfaction.
His left hand starts to fondle her erected nipple while his right thumb presses and rubs her clitoris. Slowly, Rick picks up his pace. Her nails dig scars on his back, which he proudly acquires.
The undulation of their hips is a harmonious pasodoble to a tempo, which they perfected through the years. Sensual and suave movement of hips increased while Rick struck her pulsating core. He emphasizes the rotation of his hips. Each time, he grazes her G-spot and presses her clitoris. She cries his name, and her nails dig deeper into his back. He senses how close she is to the deep end.
"Come for me." He whispers while his hot breath caresses her feverish skin and cools it down.
She stared into his loving blue ones. Their emotional connection strengthens through their lovemaking. He hits her wall harder and deeper, and Michonne continues to lose herself in the adoration, which brightens the blue of his eyes.
She hung on the cliff, and the waves of pleasure reclaim her body. Rick intertwines their fingers and rests his forehead against her. With care and dedication, his dick continues to extinguish the fire of her passion. He kisses her tenderly and smiles against her lips.
His mouth burns a path of kiss along her neck and stops at her earlobes. She dangles above the abyss of pleasure.
"You're mine forever." He punctuates his sentence with an excruciating deep thrust.
"I'm yours, babe," she replies without a thought.
Rick pushes deeper inside her and recovers her mouth with passion. His manhood fills her core. He swallows her moans between every chaste peck on her lips.
His tongue duels hers in a fiery Andalusian corrida until they need air.
"I love you." He confesses.
Ultimately with his last stroke, she falls in a sweet petite mort.
Michonne caresses his cheek and falls asleep.
Rick stares at Michonne, and she looks away from him. Michonne haphazardly throws some clothes on the bed. Rick wishes that she could speak her mind instead of pretending that silence would resolve the issue.
"Look at me, Chonne." Rick orders. "We can at least go about this right away." He comments. "It's not our first morning after," Rick reminds Michonne.
She does not reply at first. Michonne focuses on an invisible task.
"Now, the lack of order doesn't bother you," Michonne says. "You can't stand a messy space. I'm trying to do this for you."
Rick sighs. The night was perfect. The morning is a different affair.
"Are you going to talk to me or I have to see myself out?" Rick decides to save some time on their argument.
Michonne does not word out a rebuttal, and so Rick knows the answer. He slides into his boxer brief.
"When you're ready to talk, I will be happy to have a conversation."
Rick leaves the room, and Michonne stops picking the clothes littering the floor. She silently climbs back in her bed, and every inch of the sheets smells like Rick Grimes
She hides in her room the entire day. Michonne cannot face Rick nor herself. She does not know how everything happened so fast. From a friendly conversation to passionate sex, Rick and Michonne only needed a few minutes. She is not ready for the change.
Michonne sighs and stares at the ceiling. She knows that she cannot hide forever from Rick, but she will try her luck. Michonne hears his steps, and she wonders when he would lose patience. Her answer comes with a gentle knock at the door.
"Chonne?" Rick softly calls. "I have broken a few bathroom doors to get to you once in a time, and I can still do that."
"That sounds abusive, Rick." Michonne retorts with false humour.
Rick sighs and leans on the door.
"You made it a habit to lock yourself accidentally in the bathroom while you were drunk." Rick responds. "No one will judge me for saving my wife."
"I'm not drunk right now," Michonne argues. "I'm cleaning the room."
"I'm tired of your excuse." He whispers but it is a loud shout to her guilty ears. "Open the door and tell me that long list you made to explain why we shouldn't have sex with each other."
Rick waits for a movement, but Michonne does not leave her comfort.
"Carl…" Michonne starts to speak without any luck to convince Rick.
"Our son isn't your shield nor your excuse to justify your cowardice. Michonne, you don't protect Carl from me. You trust me enough to hide an entire day in a room while I care for our son." Rick deadpans. "Carl is an excuse to keep your good resolution about me going."
Michonne cannot argue against the truth. Her silence is the confession, which Rick needed.
"You have it figured out," Michonne declares. "There isn't much left to say."
"Aren't you going to tell me that we made a mistake?" Rick pursues.
"Rick, leave me alone." Michonne urges. "Just leave me alone." She finds nothing sensible to say while being so angry.
Sex with Rick Grimes was a mistake. Michonne Barnes is a recovering addict, which fell for a familiar high. Although, this time it felt close to the epicurean pleasure.
It takes her two weeks to get over her discovery, and when she does, Michonne packs her suitcase and she leaves Rome. An ocean isn't a protection, and it only slows the withdrawal.
2 Weeks later
In about thirty minutes, we'll land. Reluctantly, Michonne texts Rick.
His words didn't leave the young woman's mind, and she may need to reevaluate her moral ground. Old resentments controlled Rick's tongue, but he told her no lies. Michonne chose immature behaviour over an open-hearted conversation, which could have advanced their relationship.
She knows it is a responsibility, which she must take. Michonne bound her young life to her relationship with Rick, and she used it as an excuse. Now, she uses motherhood as a shield against the same relationship. Although, she has fragile walls. When the opportunity presented itself, she fell in his arms with minimal resistance.
Michonne tries to organize her mind before any contact with Rick, and she knows he will try to pick up the conversation from where they stopped in Rome.
Admittedly, she is unfair to Rick. Conceivably, envy commands her sentiment toward him. During the last year, the young man evolved into a better version. A night of passionate sex sullied her growth, and she doesn't know who deserved her anger. She fears to probe the resentment of her failure. Certainly, her resentment accelerates the festering of their relationship.
Expectantly, she stares at her phone and waits for an answer. Michonne's heart palpitates, and she slowly inhales. The young woman leans to kiss the crown of her sleeping infant.
I'd pick you up. Rick answers with a firm statement.
He tries to hide his excitement. Rick learns from his previous mistake, and he knows a subtle approach will help him to break her shielding walls. Any brutal attempts will make Michonne shut down. Michonne is secretive about her pain, and he caused most of her hurt.
Hmm... He receives the text, which represents her hesitation.
I remember where home is. She texts him, and she notices her mistake.
Your house, I mean. Michonne corrects her statement to avoid a misunderstanding.
The young woman stares at the plane's lit roof, and she smacks her forehead. What is wrong with her? Home? Since she abruptly left the place, Michonne didn't return to Rick's apartment. Although, her Freudian slip is revelatory. Nothing feels more like home than a place, which she shares with Rick.
My house? Now, Rick couldn't hide his excitement.
A simple question carries so much pressure. Michonne doesn't know how to react. She doesn't want another remake of two weeks ago, but Carl and Rick need their time together. The young woman sighs, and Rick's words echo in her mind. Their son should not be an excuse for her weakness. The young woman needs some time to figure out her future with Rick. She needs some time to reestablish a relationship with him, but the type of relationship has little value.
You understand what I mean. Your house or the apartment. Michonne replies, and she wants the conversation to end. After a year, Michonne didn't lose those automatisms of her young life spent with Rick. She knows it is futile to hope for an end. Michonne sighs before Rick sends his answer.
My house is no longer uptown, and it is too loud for a baby. When your plane lands, I'll pick you up. Michonne snorts at the arrogance of his answer, and the passenger next to her looks at the young woman with slight confusion. She shakes her head to reassure her son, who emerges from his sleep.
Your mom can pick me up, and you can enjoy your day. Her answer is too fast for Rick's liking.
When he reads her rebuttal of his proposition, he frowns. For the past two weeks, she succeeded efficiently to avoid him. The closest contacts, which she allowed to have with her, were monosyllabic text messages. With their new situation as parents of a young infant, it is abnormal to maintain the radio silence, and so Michonne worked around restrictions. Nothing changed for Carl and Rick, but he missed Michonne's presence.
Are you trying to avoid me? Already aware of the answer, Rick asks the mother of his child.
Frankly, yes and you make it hard. Michonne chooses honesty.
After their previous conversation, she understands the importance of honesty with Rick. Michonne regrets her behaviour the morning after they had sex. A conversation could have saved them the heartache.
Chonne? He adds the shocked emoji to punctuate his feigned offence.
Do you expect me to go along with it? I made my intentions clear, and you can't continue to play the ostrich. Rick sends another text, which roars his frustration.
Rick sighs with exhaustion, and he looks at the clock. Fifteen minutes until Michonne's plane lands and Rick's heartbeat becomes irregular. To say that their situation worries him is a euphemism, and they have so much changed. Although, they are the same young couple in love. She complicates the situation, but he believes in their love.
I don't want to think about us. She answers, and she leaves him little space to force his wish on her. Or I don't want you to set the pace for whatever must happen between us.
In the last year, she learned firmness, and she maintains her position. However, Michonne continues to fear her lack of resolution. The night, which she spent with Rick, is not a moment of weakness. It is an informed decision, but the young woman lacks the bravery to admit it. Michonne believes Rick tested the strength of her resolution, and as a masochist, she jumped in bed with him.
How is he? Rick chooses to talk about the safest subject in their lives.
Bringing Carl up is not innocent on Rick's part, and she knows it.
Leave him out of this, and he isn't a weapon, which you can use to soothe me or worse. Michonne points out.
As he reads, a smirk falls on Rick's plump lips. She knows him too well.
If I remember correctly, it worked last time. The worst happened, and we're fine. A winking emoji closes his sentence.
How is he? After mocking Michonne, Rick inquires about his son.
Rick can picture the redness, which creeps under the rich skin of her cheek. He laughs at the thought of how so often she is a prude.
The alcohol worked just fine, and Carl is not a means to get into my pants. Didn't we have this conversation? The young woman chastises Rick, who sends her a series of laughing emotions as an answer to her rant.
Carl is a result of my success at it. He adds a sassy answer.
"Your father." She talks to her son and rolls her eyes.
Why does she continue to entertain him when she says everything she wants to say?
He is grumpy, and it's his first flight. I can deal with the grumpiness. Michonne turns to face their son, who decides to halt his agitated movements. Carl trades the giggle for cries. Michonne inhales, and apologetically, she looks at the closest passenger to her.
She checks on her watch, and she becomes impatient. Ten minutes before she lands in New York, her heart threatens to shatter their bony prison. The young woman missed her home, and she cannot stop twisting in her wide first-class sofa. She will be home, and she is happy that Carl will be able to call this beautiful city home too.
How long you plan to keep your lil ban going. Rick returns to the previous heated topic.
It's not a ban, or it ceased to be one. Michonne corrects him and questions herself on the exact stand, which she wants to take. I want to understand our new situation. The young woman answers. Instead of a pregnancy scare each time we have break-up sex.
Michonne tries to open up. After years of personal censorship, brushing out the sensitive topics in their lives is difficult. They have grown, but it isn't enough to grow out a flaming old love. Michonne is unsure of where her needs meet Rick's wishes.
A year-long, how much time do you need? We love each other. There isn't much understanding to do. Rick replies. I would have been there if this time you were pregnant too. Michonne, I will say it a thousand times if I must, but I want us to be together raising our children. Above all, I want you back as my wife. I'm going to love you forever, and I haven't thought beyond forever. Rick clarifies with a long message.
He deserves to reunite with his family. Rick made efforts toward this future. Consequently, when the object of his desire is the obstacle, Rick's frustration increases.
We loved each other a year ago, and it didn't stop anything from happening. Why is it wrong if I want to be sure? She questions him and matches his frustration.
A year ago, you didn't love me, Chonne. Rick replies, and Michonne eyes redden while she reads his bold statement.
Michonne stands from her seat and runs inside the toilet. Michonne wants his accusation to be verbal and not bright words on the screen. She calls him. When Rick answers, she does not waste any time.
"So what was I doing? Playing house with you and worrying sick for a man, I didn't love." Michonne tries to control the anger in her voice, but she hears her failure. "You can say everything you want, but when you deny how much I love you now and every day before, you're just lying to yourself."
"You spent the last years of our relationship in love with an old version of me, and what I was supposed to be. Both men weren't me, nor I'm the same man. Now, you're in love with me, but you refuse to let go of resentment. You don't want a better version of me or a past version of me. You're in love with me, Rick Grimes who is an addict in rehabilitation, father of your child, and flawed individual. The man who spent the entire night on a video call with you because you thought I got you pregnant again. You don't want another fantasist version of me." With matured knowledge of their relationship, he answers. "You want me. You love me, Michonne. You hated me a year ago, and I will never blame you for that."
For a second, Michonne allows his words to sink into her mind. She admits her truths. A chuckle, which sounds like a timid cry, escapes her lips. The air hostess' voice resonates inside the plane, and she has to cut their call.
The young woman returns to her seat and buckles up. The plane screen starts to show New York below them, or to be correct it shows the tarmac of the airport. Michonne's heart gallops faster. Her choice becomes a reality, which she is unsure of.
"A few more minutes, and you will be able to get off this plane." Michonne tries to convince Carl, who extends his arms.
From the moment Carl catches the sight of his father, he tries to escape his mother's arms. Michonne sighs and she starts to scan at the crowd for his face. Anxiously, her eyes wander around, and she looks for his curled mane.
Michonne anticipates strong heart palpitations, and her semi-nauseous state is a normal consequence of her sentiments. Michonne waits for her heart to spring out of her rib cage. However, she does not expect the stupid tears, which his thumbs clean away from her delicate skin. She mocks her ridiculous reaction, and a soft laugh replaces her tears.
Her body begs for his touch, and under his thumbs, goosebumps appear on her skin. A year later, she is in love with him, and the familiar pain has disappeared. The time apart did not dull their passionate love, and now, it burgeons into a healthy balance.
Michonne doesn't always have to be the wise one, and Rick has strong shoulders, which can support her. On her part, distance and time help to strengthen her maturity.
Michonne stares at Rick with a hint of wonder in her eyes, and physically he hasn't changed much. The same piercing blue eyes, which haunt a soul, though their warmth engulfs her soul. Entranced, she allows Rick to pick Carl from her arms. Now, with her free hands, she frames his face, and Michonne inhales. It can be the wrong choice, but her heart only knows how to beat for two men, Carl and Rick Grimes.
"You're a better version of any fantasy of you, which I can conjure." She punctuates her words with a soft kiss on his lips.
Rick does not question his luck, and he deepens the kiss.
"Everything is different," Rick whispers against her lips, and he enjoys her primal reaction to him.
From the shivering skin to the beating of her heart, which synchronizes with his heartbeat. Everything changed for the better in a year, but some things were the same. Rick continues to kiss her before Michonne attempts to counter with an intelligent answer. He has not done it in two weeks, and the last time when he kissed, he sensed her hesitation.
Today, only her love pours through each tongue stroke, and like the night two week ago, Michonne answers to his caresses with the same passion. Ultimately, she is home in his arms. She does right by the promise, which she silently made to him in this same airport. Michonne's fingers sneak below his collar and search for the familiar cold metal. She pulls out his necklace and retakes her engagement ring.
"I love you." Rick kisses the crown of Michonne's head and Carl's forehead.
"I love you too, Rick Grimes." She replies with a little taunt to his previous statement. "Maybe we could elope again. I think this time we will have a happy ending."
Coincidentally, Carl claps his hand after his mother answers. Rick laughs at his son's enthusiasm, which echoes his own. Michonne kisses Carl's button nose, and she caresses Rick's cheek.
"Let's go home."