A/N: Thanks for checking out the previous chappie. I wanted to give a sincere thanks to the following for leaving me a review: member00; austenpotter; Firefly-class; robinxstarfire44; atm0000; mattismommy; flacagonzales; Sophiasown; Richonnelover1941; Trista 3; literaturechick; wereworldsurvivor; GizaSousa; grimes1970; Ricola44; ChinaPia; and Guests.
Here is a small look into their lives at this point. Enjoy!
Michonne could scarcely contain her excitement as she waited. When Deidre showed up, knocking on their front door, her daughter answered it and practically leapt into her mother's arms. The two women shared a long embrace; their bodies shaking slightly from the laughter that erupted at the pure joy of seeing one another.
"I've missed you so much," Deidre said, as she kissed her daughter's cheek.
"Oh my goodness, look at your hair," Michonne squealed as she took in her mother's short, natural hair. "You look amazing, Ma."
The older of the two, though in her late fifties, could easily be mistaken for someone in their early forties. She was dressed casually, but smart. Her high-waisted, mustard-yellow culottes matched perfectly with a black blouse and camisole.
"Thank you, baby," Deidre replied. "You look good, too."
They stood holding hands, staring at one another, wearing large grins. Deidre brushed one of Michonne's stray locs away from her face. They remained silent, almost forgetting that they were not alone in the living room, until Rick hesitantly shifted closer from the spot where he was waiting. He smoothed down his uniform and discreetly fixed his hair; he wanted to make a good impression.
"Rick," said Michonne, as she waved him over. "Come and meet my Mama."
Rick approached, and then held his hand out in greeting.
"Nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Harris," he smiled.
"Nice to meet you, too, Rick," Deidre replied. The three of them stood grinning at one another.
"I'm so happy two of my favorite people are finally meeting one another," said Michonne; her eyes were bright, and her smile was wide. "Mom, did you want to freshen up?"
"I think I will," Deidre answered. "Rick, will you be sticking around?"
"No, ma'am," he offered. "I have to go to work, but I just wanted to hang back to meet you."
"I'm glad you did," she smiled. "Will you be home for dinner?"
"Yes, ma'am, I will," he responded.
"Great," Deidre said, while clapping her hands together. "Because I'm cooking."
"I can't wait," Rick replied, before offering Michonne a chaste kiss and bidding the ladies farewell.
xXxXx
Not long after Rick had left for work, Michonne and her mother had settled into the sofa, each sipping from cups of coffee. They had the same beautiful smile that softened their features, though Michonne's countenance was usually much sterner than her mother's.
"Your place is nice," Deidre offered, as she glanced around the small, comfortable common area. "Those pictures you sent don't do it justice."
"Thanks," Michonne replied. "It's got a nice blend of both of our personalities, I think."
"I agree," said Deidre in response. "Are you still glad that you didn't take the promotion?"
The younger woman let out a relieved sigh before her lips turned up at the corners.
"I am," she said in earnest. "I have everything I need and want right here. I've achieved my goals with the Program. It's going well, and the youth we've been working with are making real strides. I couldn't've done that if I took the promotion. Sometimes, after all the hard work, you end up just where you need to be."
Deidre nodded her head, and Michonne added, "And then there's Rick, of course."
The older woman gave her daughter a knowing grin.
"He's seems like such a good man," Deidre offered.
"He is, Ma," Michonne replied, as she beamed brightly. "He's kind and fair and he's good to me."
"That's good," Deidre said. "And I can't even remember the last time I saw you this happy."
"I am so happy, Mama," said Michonne sincerely, as she hugged the couch cushion close to her heart. "I honestly never thought I would be able to find this kind of happiness, but I have. And I'm just thankful he was patient with me, even though I was..."
Deidre raised an eyebrow, "Difficult?"
"Yeah," Michonne laughed. "Difficult, to say the least. He let me find my way, and was there when I needed him. And he didn't give up on me, ya know?"
"He's definitely a keeper," Deidre said, taking hold of her daughter's hand. "And you're worth it, baby."
"Yeah," Michonne smiled. "So is he."
xXxXx
The aroma of peppers, onion, and chicken frying wafted from the skillet that sat atop Rick and Michonne's stove. Deidre was busy making sure the brown rice was cooked to perfection as the owners of the home waited for their meal. Her 'stay out of my kitchen while I'm cooking' outlook extended to when she was cooking elsewhere, as well. Therefore, Michonne left her mother to do what she intended to, and shared a glass of white wine with Rick while they waited for her to be done.
Their coffee table was covered by a number of photo albums; some large, others small, but all filled with photographs from Michonne's childhood up until more recent times. She and Rick were currently giggling at a picture of six-year-old Michonne looking very upset while sitting on Santa's lap.
"I thought all kids loved meeting Santa," Rick said, staring at the picture. Michonne wore a red, white, and green knitted sweater, two braids on top of her head, and a mournful scowl. "Why were you so upset?"
She shrugged, wiping her eye where the tears of laughter had formed, before saying, "I don't really remember exactly what happened, but I think it's safe to say it had something to do with being separated from my Dad."
"Yeah?" Rick asked, as he glanced over at the family Christmas photo that sat opposite the mall Santa one. A four-year-old Michonne sat with her parents; she was smiling, clad in a red and white dress. She had reindeer antlers sitting on top of her head.
"Yeah," she replied. "As you can see, there are no parents in the Santa pictures. So, I would bet it was my turn to get the snap taken, and an elf or other such helper would've taken me away from my Dad, hence eliciting a tantrum from me."
Rick glanced over at Michonne; she had her father's eyes. He placed his hand to her leg and gave it a squeeze before saying, "Daddy's girl, eh?"
"Totally," Michonne replied. Though she smiled, there was a glint of sadness to her gaze.
"What was he like?" Rick asked, placing the album down on his lap, and giving his beloved his attention. He had asked this question before, but loved hearing her reminisce.
"He was everything," she answered, before taking a deep breath. "So kind and gentle. Even when I was being bratty, he was always patient with me. I mean, my mom, she was quick to chastise me, no questions asked…"
"Hey, now!" Deidre called out from the kitchen. "Don't go slandering my name."
"Sorry, Ma!" Michonne called back. "It's only true, but I love you just the same."
"Love you, too, baby," Deidre replied. "I'll stop listenin' in, now."
Rick and Michonne both chuckled, as she shook her head, and then leaned into the sofa.
"What was I sayin', now?" she asked.
"About how patient your daddy was," said Rick, mirroring Michonne.
"Yeah," she continued. "He always had time for me. I remember work was busy for him, but when he was home, when he was with us, he was with us. Focussed. Committed. Just a great person. A great dad."
"I wish I could've met him," said Rick sincerely.
Michonne placed her glass down, and then took hold of Rick's hand.
"So do I," she said, before bringing his hand to her lips and kissing his knuckles.
"What else?" Rick urged, not wanting her to focus on her sadness that was still present, but rather, the happy times.
"He was the best," Michonne smiled warmly. "He was kind and sweet. Hardworking. He loved his job. He loved helping people."
"Like you," Rick offered, as he gently stroked her thumb with his. She smiled lovingly at him.
"This one time, when I was in the second grade, he came to my school to do a road safety talk," she explained. "We all loved it. He made it so much fun. Afterwards, all of my classmates thought I was the coolest because he was my Dad. Everyone wanted to play with me, and sit by me at recess. I was so popular after that."
She and Rick shared a little laugh at her memory.
"And then," she said. "In third grade, when the Neal twins thought it'd be funny to tease me and pull my hair, he showed me how to stand up for myself."
"What're their first names, the twins?" asked Rick, half-jokingly. "I can do a check for them now. See how they like it if I rolled up and pulled their hair…"
Michonne nudged his shoulder and laughed.
"It's okay, babe," she said. "I put 'em in their place."
Rick smiled and kissed her temple before saying, "That's my girl."
They fell silent a moment, as Rick glanced at the photograph of Michonne and Santa once more.
"I bet you were happy when the photoshoot was over and done with," he stated, while staring at the color image set securely behind the clear plastic.
"I was ecstatic," she replied. "I don't even think I asked for anything for Christmas. I was just relieved to be back with my Dad."
Rick nodded his head, and stayed quiet a moment.
"I don't get why they just don't pull the pin on it if the kid is upset," he pondered aloud. "Or let the parent get in the shot. Carl was always happy to get his picture taken, so I never had to worry about him makin' a fuss. Same with Judy."
"I'm high maintenance," she joked.
"Nah, you're perfect," he retorted seriously. "But, ya know, you'd think they'd just stop it, and refund the money."
"Yeah," said Michonne. "I mean, it's not that difficult to just hand the cash back over."
"Or let the parent in the photo…"
"I don't know, Rick," she said with an amused look. "Santa's a rotund gentleman. I don't think there'd be much room left in that little wooden sleigh."
"Yeah, maybe you're right," Rick answered, still examining the photo. "But I tell you what, if our future kid is crying, Santa better move his rotund ass over."
Michonne examined his profile, and could not help but smile at his offhand remark. She felt a warmth spread all through her chest, as her heart swelled with adoration for the man who was sitting beside her. Shifting closer, she rested her head on Rick's shoulder. She sighed with blithe satisfaction, and whispered, "I love you."