A/N: This fic is part of the Richonne Writing Network 2018 Holiday Series. Hope you enjoy!
It was snowing.
Again.
The fourth time that week. Michonne was over it. They've been in Virginia almost eight years, and she still was surprised every year by the magnitude of the winter snow. She guessed she was still a southern girl at heart.
Alexandria looked like the inside of a snow globe. The bright white snow blanketed every inch of the community. The only specs of color were the red bows tied around all the trees and the golden garland around the gazebo. While the temperature outside teetered somewhere along the teens, the temperature inside was warm and toasty from the fireplace. The sounds of a joyful family made it even warmer. Laughter and music were all around her.
Michonne smiled from the kitchen as the record started over. The sounds of a young Michael Jackson and his brothers singing about Santa Claus filled the air again. The kids couldn't get enough of that song. Months ago she and Rick found a box full of old Christmas 45s and a record player. All the kids wanted to do for the past couple weeks was listen to the classic Motown Christmas songs. Much to her beloved's chagrin. He wasn't as much of a fan of Christmas music as his family. But it made the kids happy and he'd do anything to put a smile on their faces. It put a smile of her face too. It made her think of a time past. A time before the world had turned on its head.
She stopped stirring the ingredients together in the clear mixing bowl to add more milk. She was almost positive she had all the right ingredients for her grandmother's famous chocolate cake. Her Granny Pearl made it for the family every holiday. The sweet woman never wrote any of her recipes down. But Michonne had watched her enough times to have the process ingrained in her mind. She shook her head to keep her eyes from welling up. She missed her family. Especially when the Holidays came around. On rare nights when she couldn't sleep she would fantasize all her loved ones made it through the initial chaos of the outbreak. They were all somewhere in Georgia - or maybe they traveled to Texas or Florida - living in a community just like Alexandria, thriving and happy. Other times she would wonder if none of them survived and they were all up in heaven with her Andre. They'd look down at her, happy she was able to build a new life and find love and family again.
Her mind was so focused on the past and getting the cake perfect she hadn't heard anyone enter the kitchen. Her smiled stretched across her face when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist. Warm breath inched up her neck as lips brushed against her ear.
"Guess who," a deep and graveled voice whispered.
She dropped the wooden spoon into the bowl and leaned back against his solid body. "How many guesses do I get?"
His arms tightened around her. "How ever many as you want."
Michonne turned around and locked onto the dancing eyes of her beloved. The smirk on his face was both naughty and nice. She wiped her hands on the apron around her waist and cupped his face, feeling the softness of his beard.
"I think I know what you want, my love."
His smirk turned even more naughty. "Is that right?" His ran down her backside to pull closer to his body.
"That's right. I think you want one of your Christmas presents early."
"Well, I have been a good boy."
She reached down and gave him a firm smack on his ass. "I'll be the judge of that." She giggled as his eyes widened and he bit his lip.
"I love when you're aggressive when they sun's still out." He bent down to kiss her lips. Then again and again.
She pulled away still laughing. "Slow down, boy. We have kids in the next room."
Rick looked at his watch. "Isn't it their nap time?"
"You know Judith doesn't nap anymore, and RJ is bouncing around with too much energy. There's no way he's going down anytime soon."
The first notes of Santa Claus Is Coming To Town started again. Rick hung his head and sighed. "I guess this isn't really romantic music."
Michonne untangled herself from Rick so she could slide the cake batter into the oven.
"Let the kids have their fun," she said over her shoulder to him.
"Oh, I am. No way I'd make them stop."
She gave him another quick kiss on the lips. "You're such a good daddy. I promise you'll get your present tonight."
Rick raised an eyebrow. "Promise?"
"I promise, baby."
He ran his hands down the sleeve of the denim shirt she wore. It was too big for her small frame. It hung loosely over her tight jeans and fitted long sleeved t-shirt.
"I was looking for this shirt when I got dressed this morning," he said. "Figured a little Christmas elf stole it."
"Did you just call me an elf?" She laughed. "You know I love this shirt." She brought the sleeve to her nose and breath in. "It smells like you."
He reached for her waist to pull her closer. "Gotta say it's sexy when you wear my clothes."
Little feet paddled against the floor and interrupted their moment as RJ ran into the kitchen. "Mama, I'm hungry." He jumped into Michonne's arms. "Cake ready yet?"
She held him tight. "Not yet, lovebug. It needs to bake for an hour." She wiped some crumbs off his mouth. "What have you been eating?"
RJ pointed at his father. "Daddy gave us cookies."
Michonne turned towards Rick. "Is that so?"
Rick chuckled and scratched at his eyebrow with his thumb. "That was supposed to be a secret, son."
RJ clapped his hands over his mouth. "Uh oh."
Michonne tried to give her boys a stern look, but couldn't help breaking out in laughter when they did too.
"I don't think our baby boy can keep a secret," Michonne said to Rick.
Rick took RJ from her arms. "Not even a little bit."
"I didn't tell Mama we ate cookies last night too," RJ tried to whisper to Rick, but it came out in his normal speaking voice.
Rick kissed RJ on the cheek and chuckled again. "No you didn't, son." He cut his eyes over to Michonne. "Mama never suspected a thing."
Michonne took off her apron and through it on the counter with a smirk. "Oh, Mama knew. There's not anything you can keep from Mama."
The loud rang of the doorbell echoed through the downstairs.
Michonne furrowed her brow at Rick. "Who could that be?"
He and RJ led her out of the kitchen. "There just might be a thang or two that I can keep from Mama." He gestured towards the door with his head. "I think it's for you."
"Mom, Dad, someone's at the door." Judith yelled from the living room.
"Your Mom's got it," Rick yelled back.
Michonne put her hands on her hips. "What's going on Rick?" She asked as the bell rang again.
"Whoever's out there is getting impatient. You better go answer it."
Michonne gave him a look that was a mixture of curiosity and humor before going to the front door. She swung it open and her breath caught in her throat.
It was a face she hadn't seen in so long. She swore he'd grown a few inches since the last time he visited. His hair was shorter. The eyepatch was gone, replaced by a pair of glasses with one darkened lens. His voice was almost as deep as his father's when he spoke.
"Aren't you going to say hello, Michonne?"
"Carl!" Michonne threw her arms around him, the tears that had been threatening to fall all afternoon finally escaped. She hugged him tight as he towered over her. "What are you doing here? I thought you weren't going to be able to make it from Hilltop until after the new year."
"Plans changed. I sent word to Dad a few days ago. He wanted to surprise you."
Michonne whipped her head around to Rick. "You kept this from me for days?"
He shrugged and put RJ down on the floor. "Merry Christmas, baby."
Judith and RJ made a beeline to their big brother. "Carl! Carl!" Their excitement was palpable as they clung to each of his legs.
Rick and Michonne stood there - with their arms around each other's waists - as they watched their kids love each other.
"How were you able to travel on these snow covered roads?" Michonne asked Carl
"I fixed one of the Hilltop's wagons with snow tires. It looks funny, but it works," he said.
Rick clapped his hands together. "OK. Let's give your brother some time wash up from his trip then your Mom has us on Christmas decorating duty after lunch."
Carl laughed as RJ and Judith pulled him upstairs.
"We'll help you wash up," Judith said. Neither kid wanted to let their big brother out of their sight for a moment.
The community had collected and made a plethora of decorations in the last few years. Rick had taken a group into the woods days ago to cut down Christmas trees for all who wanted one in their homes. The Grimes' tree stood almost seven feet tall in the middle of their living room. The kids had swapped out the Jackson 5 for The Temptations as they hung bulbs and strung popcorn connected to fish wire around the tree. There was a bag full of presents hidden in their bedroom closet for the kids. Rick and Michonne planned to put the gifts under tree on Christmas Eve in a couple days. Some homemade. Some scavenged. By the time the nighttime rolled in, Michonne and Carl had retired to the kitchen table for tea and talking while Rick played hide and go seek with the kids.
It felt like old times as they talked about any and everything. It brought her back to the Prison days when he was the only person she allowed to get close to her heart. She almost couldn't believe how much things have changed. Though she was grateful for where life had led her.
Michonne shook her head and smiled at Carl. "I'm so glad you're home."
"So am I," Carl said. "I missed you all so much."
"So maybe you shouldn't ever leave again."
Carl chuckled as Rick walked by looking for a hiding space as Judith and RJ counted loudly from the living room. "She's going to try to convince me to stay again the whole time I'm here isn't she?"
Rick laughed along with his son. "You know she will."
"I would appreciate if you two would stop talking about me like I'm not here," Michonne said.
"Well - ," Rick started, but just then Judith and RJ counted down to one and Rick took off to figure out his hiding spot before they could find him.
Two pairs of socked feet slid into the kitchen. "Where's Daddy?" Judith asked.
Michonne shrugged. "I don't know, baby girl. You gotta find him."
"Come on, RJ!" Judith yelled as they took off down the hall.
Carl smiled as he watched them disappear around the corner. "I never thought I'd see Dad this happy again. He's like how he was before. Better even. He hasn't stopped smiling all day."
"That's because all his kids are under one roof," Michonne said. "That's why I'm smiling too. "Well..." She looked down and wiped at her eyes. "Not all."
Carl nodded. "Yeah. Not all." He reached over the table to put his hand over Michonne's. "I still think Andre's here in some way though."
"Yeah. I do too."
Just then Rick ran through the kitchen whispering, "You never saw me," as he headed up the stairs.
Minutes later two giggling kids were hot on his trail.
Michonne listened to the three of them run through the upstairs for a few moments before focusing back on Carl.
"So tell me about life at Hilltop. How are things with you and Enid? Why didn't she come too? You know she's always welcomed here."
Carl started picking at his fingernails. "We aren't together anymore."
"Oh, Carl. I'm so sorry."
"Don't be, Michonne. We decided we work better as friends. No hard feelings between us."
"Well, that's good." Michonne cocked her head to the side. "There's something you're not telling me."
"What? No, Michonne."
She leaned back in her chair. "Yes. Yes, there is. Spill it, kid."
"How do you do that? Ok, so there's another girl."
"Carl Grimes, please tell me you didn't cheat on Enid."
"Of course not, Michonne." He shook his head. "No, no. Nothing like that. I met Sharon after me and Enid broke up."
"Sharon, huh? And where did she meet Ms. Sharon?"
"She lives at The Kingdom. She's nice and funny."
"And pretty?" Michonne asked.
Carl laughed and scratched at his eyebrow, his gestures so much like his father's. "Yeah, she's pretty."
"You know I'm going to have to go to The Kingdom and stalk her now."
"Michonne please don't. And don't tell Dad. I know you're kidding, but he might really do it."
"That is true."
"We found Daddy." They heard RJ yell from upstairs followed by a lot of cheering and laughter.
"It's after nine o'clock so you and your sister need to find your butts in those beds now," Michonne yelled back at them. "I'll be up to tuck you in soon."
Carl stood up. "Let me handle the tuck in tonight, Michonne. You and Dad can rest. I'm going to head to bed early myself. I promised Judith and RJ I'll take them sledding in the morning. I'm gonna need all my strength to handle those two."
"Uh uh. You'll need more than your strength to handle those two rugrats." Michonne stood too and pulled him into another hug. "I'm so, so happy you're home."
"Me too."
She kissed his cheek and sent him upstairs. "Make sure your brother doesn't have any cake or cookie crumbs in his hair. I don't know how he manages to not keep all his food in his mouth."
Carl laughed. "Sure thing." He met Rick as he was going up the stairs. Rick gave his son a kiss on top of the head like he used to do when the boy was little.
"Night, son," he rubbed Carl's hair. "Can't believe you're as tall as me now."
"Don't worry, Dad. You're still the Sheriff for now."
Rick squeezed his son's shoulder. "I'm ready to pass you the torch anytime. Me and Michonne can retire to Oceanside and you can have it all."
Carl chuckled and gave his dad a hug. "I'm gonna hold you to that. Night."
Rick watched as his oldest went upstairs, a proud smile on his face.
He found Michonne in the kitchen again, and pulled her into his arms.
"Did the kids tire you out too much or are you up for spending some quality time with me?" Michonne asked.
"Always time for you, baby," Rick said and punctured it with a long kiss. Michonne moaned then whimpered in protest when he pulled away. "Hold on. I have a surprise for you." He walked over to the pantry and pulled out a bottle of red wine. "I've been saving this to make us my father's mulled wine recipe."
"Oooh," Michonne rubbed her hands together. "It's the perfect night for it."
Rick puttered around the kitchen and Michonne watched as he heated up the wine on the stove and added the homemade apple cider, honey, oranges, and cinnamon sticks. She closed her eyes and breath in. The smell alone brought comfort to her. Rick poured the drink into two mugs before they sat cuddled on the couch, her head on his shoulder. Silent contentment washed over them as they sipped the wine while appreciating their Christmas decor.
"This was the perfect day," she said.
"It was," he said. "We really are fortunate. To have all this," he gestured around them, "in this crazy world we live in now," he shook his head, "I still don't know how we got this lucky."
She pointed to the sky. "Maybe we have some friendly faces up there orchestrating a little luck for us."
He smiled down at her and kissed her on the forehead. "Maybe so." He took her mug from her. "C'mon let's go to bed."
It was quiet upstairs. All three kids had fell fast asleep as soon as their heads hit their pillows.
Rick sat on their bed unbuttoning his shirt as he watched Michonne strip down. He let out a low moan and bit his lip when he saw she was wearing the matching red bra and panties he loved so much on her.
"Is that a part of my early Christmas present?" He placed soft kisses on her stomach after she walked over to stand between his legs.
"Mmhm. You like?"
"Oh, I like." He smacked her ass like she did his earlier.
She squealed then climbed onto his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I think you're being very naughty now."
"You know I'm good even when I'm bad."
She crawled off him and laid on her back onto the bed.
He stared down at her. "I'm so gotdamn lucky." He looked down at her for a few more moments with a dreamy smile on his face.
"What?" She asked.
"I have an early Christmas present for you too."
She reached for his belt. "So I see."
He chuckled and gently moved her hand away. "Not that. At least not yet." He took a deep breath. "I've loved you for a long time, Michonne. I loved you even before my brain caught up with my heart. We always said we didn't need a formal wedding or anything like that to prove our commitment to each other. We showed it everyday. But I still always wanted to give something as a physical manifestation of our love."
Michonne smirked at him. "I believe we already have that. We named him RJ."
He chuckled. "I don't mean RJ." He pulled a small velvet bag out of his jeans pocket. "Carl is becoming an expert blacksmith. When we were visiting Hilltop a few months ago I asked him to make something special for you."
Michonne sat up as he handed to bag to her. She gave him a curious look.
"Go ahead and open it," he said.
"You're so full of surprises today, Grimes." Inside the bag was a silver ring. "Oh, Rick! It's beautiful."
He all of a sudden looked like a young man asking out his first crush. His heart sunk to his stomach as he anticipated her reaction. "You like it? You're just not trying to spare my feelings."
She caressed his beard. "Rick I love it. It's perfect."
His whole body relaxed as he smiled at her. "Ok. Good. Look inside the band. I had him engrave it too."
Michonne held up the ring as she read the cursive writing: We'll Live On Forever.
"Perfect," she said again. "It's just perfect, Rick." She started to cry for the second time that day.
He wiped her tears with his thumb. "You don't have to cry, baby. I just wanted to give you something special. Not a ring we scavenged or found on a walker. I wanted it to only be yours. To show you how much I love you."
"You show me everyday." She kissed him. "I love you too." She pulled him down until he laid on top of her.
"Life is good right now," he said as he trailed kisses down her neck. "So good."
She ran her hands through his short hair. "Life is wonderful."