A/N: Hello, Dear Readers. I am sorry for the extended wait. I know this story is coming to an end, so I am still trying to prolong it. How great was the Richonne goodness in 9x03? Ugh! I just couldn't shut up about it. They are so beautiful! Anyhoos, please accept this offering. It is short, but sweet.
"I love you," crooned Michonne as she lifted her hips from the bed and met Rick's eager thrusts. He kept his lips close to hers as he dipped in and out of her center. Sweat beaded at his brow; whimpers escaped her lips. The pair of lovers were so enraptured with one another and their lovemaking that they almost forgot they were not alone in the house.
"Hmm, yes," Rick breathed. "I love you, too."
He hastened his movements, striking at her core. His breathing became more labored, ragged, as her moans spurred him on. Michonne closed her eyes as the familiar feeling swirled around in her stomach. She clenched her walls tightly around his manhood, and Rick pumped into her with more fervor. They pressed their lips together in a heated, albeit messy kiss as their desire and intimacy culminated in intense orgasms. She called out his name and he silenced her with another kiss.
As their pleasure encompassed them, and rolled through their bodies, they clung to each other. Rick's seed filled Michonne's womb as he held her close to him. He peppered loving kisses all over her damp skin as she fought to catch her breath. When they each regained some composure, he planted a chaste peck to her lips, removed himself from between her folds, and fell to the bed beside her.
She reached her hand over and stroked his face, before saying, "I never get tired of that."
Rick smiled, and then said, "Yeah. Me, too."
He took hold of her slender hand in his rough one, and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. They both lay basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking; happy and sated. Michonne shifted so that her head was resting on Rick's chest. Their skin was still warm and glistening. She loved being that close to him. She loved being that enamoured and happy.
Her mind drifted back to their conversation before dinner, where Rick had mentioned, quite absently, the prospect of their future children. How he said it as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Her heart swelled once more with love for him.
"Rick?" she asked.
"Hmn?" he replied, while rubbing her back with his thumb.
"Remember when we were looking at my old family photos?"
"Yeah," he answered. "Of course."
"Did you realize what you said? You know, when we were talking about the ones with Santa?"
"About him moving his big ass over?"
She laughed and then said, "Yeah."
"What about it?" he queried.
"You said something about our future kid."
"I did, didn't I?"
"Yes."
"Was it okay that I said that?" he asked, careful not to make any assumptions, or have her feeling in any way pressured by his remark.
"Yeah, I mean, I was just wondering if you thought about it."
"About havin' a baby with you?"
"Yes," she said quietly, before shifting so that she was looking at Rick. "You just blurted it out like you've thought about it before, and I was curious."
Now Rick shifted so that he was leaning on his elbow and he and Michonne were facing one another.
"I have," he admitted, using his free hand to stroke her hair. "A lot, actually. Sometimes when I'm daydreaming at work. Or when I lie awake and watch you sleep."
"Really?" she asked with a small smile.
"Yeah," he answered sincerely. "I've thought about how excited we'd be to find out that we were havin' a baby. How I'd get to wait on you, hand and foot, and look after you while our baby grows inside o' you. I've imagined being there for you when you're tired and cranky. Or when you cry for no reason."
She laughed a little and he smiled, before continuing.
"I pictured what our baby would look like," he said dreamily. "Beautiful like you. With your big, brown eyes and that smile. I imagine how I'd get to say, just like his or her mama when someone mentions how beautiful our child is. That's what I see when I look at you; I see a future for us. I see kids. I see us growing old together."
Michonne felt her eyes begin to well with tears as she listened to Rick's words. She offered him a smile and then said, "You see all of that with me?"
"All o' that and more," he whispered. "You're it for me, Michonne. My here and now; my future. You're my everything."
The tears fell at the sound of his admission.
"Hey," said Rick gently, as he wiped them from her cheek. "Shhh."
"I'm okay," she said with a little chuckle. "I'm just so happy. You make me so happy, Rick."
He returned the gesture with a beam of his own, before leaning in to kiss her lips.
"You make me happy, too," he murmured as he shifted closer and drew Michonne into an embrace; her back was pressed to his chest and his arm draped over her waist. They held hands as he breathed in her scent and she massaged her thumb over his.
"How'd I get so lucky finding you?" she whispered.
Rick placed a gentle kiss to her shoulder, and then replied, "I ask myself the same thing every single day."
xXxXx
The small suitcase was filled to capacity. It contained a number of items that belonged to Michonne that her mother had been meaning to send, but decided to drop off while she visited. There were things from her old life that just did not seem to hold the same weight in importance as they did back then. There were things she did not even recall having owned. Michonne examined each of the closely; some brought back happy memories, others, not so much. The things she wanted to keep were piled to her right on her and Rick's bed; the things she wanted to get rid of ended up on the floor in her trash pile.
"Ugh, I can't believe I ever liked this," she said, referring to a green satin scarf. She scrunched up her nose and tossed the item on the growing pile.
"I'm keepin' this," she mentioned as she held up a small pencil sharpener shaped like a cat; Deidre shook her head and smiled.
Next, she picked up a large, unsealed envelope. She reached inside and removed a stack of papers. They seemed to be mostly account statements from a number of utilities; nothing really worth keeping. In amongst the papers, she found a bunch of photographs. As she sorted through them, she sighed loudly.
"What is it?" asked Deidre from where she sat at the end of the bed.
Michonne turned them around for her mother to see and then pulled a face, before saying, "More junk for the trash pile."
"Hold up," said Deidre, looking at the picture of Michonne and her ex. "Can't we just cut him out of the photos and keep you?"
The younger woman glanced down at the photographs, looked at the seemingly happy couple, and then shook her head.
"Nah," she offered, before tearing the stack in half and throwing it away. "I don't want to because I'm not that person anymore."
Deidre offered her daughter a gentle smile and then reached for her hand.
"Okay," she offered. "I'm proud of you, Baby."
Michonne nodded her head and beamed brightly, before the two of them let the comfortable silence permeate the air.
"Oh, I almost forgot," said daughter to mother. "Did you bring Daddy's stuff?"
"I did," Deidre answered. "I haven't unpacked it all for you yet. Maybe after we do this?"
"Alright," she answered. "After this."
"But," said Deidre as she reached behind her neck and started to undo her gold chain. "I didn't pack this. Thought you'd want it right away."
She removed the necklace, and then held it out to her daughter. Michonne gave her mother a grateful, but plaintive look as she held her palm upwards to receive the shiny piece of jewelry. Slowly, Deidre lowered it into Michonne's hand. The younger of the two then clutched it tightly, before exhaling loudly and closing her eyes a moment.
"You sure I can have it?" she said softly, before opening her eyes and holding her mother's gaze. "Really sure?"
"I'm sure," Deidre replied. "He'd want you to have it, Baby."
The pair shared a sweet, silent moment as they each fought back the tears; some from small sadness, most of joy. Michonne then took the chain and fastened it to her neck. She ran her slender fingers down the stream of gold until they fell on the beautiful, shimmering wedding band that belonged to her late father.
She offered Deidre an endearing smile and then said, "Thank you for bringing it, Mommy. It means a lot to me. I love you."