Deception (Chapter 11)
A/N: As always, thank you so very much for your support. I appreciate the reviews, the follows, the favorites, and the silent readers.
Previously: Rick and Michonne remain in Columbus, visiting her parents. Mike has been labeled as the stalker but there are missing pieces to the puzzle. Walter revealed that he had a sister and Michonne was appreciated by some young and enthusiastic fans.
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Caller #1: Have you seen the news? Looks like they caught the guy who was stalking her.
Caller #2: Yeah but he's some amateur who went to school with her. My guy's connections are more sophisticated than that.
Caller #1: Well maybe we should rethink this. They've got someone in custody so maybe we should just call it off. I can't afford for any of this to be traced back to me.
Caller #2: So you want to call if off after everything? I mean….you were the one who said she was worth more to you dead than alive. Besides I offered you a different alternative but that wasn't good enough.
Caller #1: (heavy sigh) I understand your attraction to her but she would still control the money whether you married her or not. The insurance policy I have would take care of everything but…..this isn't right. She doesn't deserve this. I made this mess so I should find another way out of it. One that doesn't involve her. She's been good to me, to all of us so…..call it off. CALL IT OFF NOW! (click)
Caller #2 immediately dials a number and hangs up after the first ring. A second call is made and answered promptly.
Negotiator: What's up?
Caller #2: I need the hit called off.
Negotiator: (laughs) Say what? You just ordered the hit. Is this about the thing in New York? Look. That wasn't us. Our guy is gonna get in close and personal like. Besides, once a hit has been ordered, it can't be revoked. That whole anonymity thing comes into play. Ever heard of it?
Caller #2: I need you to make this happen. I know you're working through your connections at the prison. There should be something you can do.
Negotiator: I'm telling you right now that's not how this works. I asked you more than once if this is what you wanted. You can't back out now. The money has exchanged hands and they will be expecting the other payment once the deed is done.
Caller #2: Well what the fuck am I supposed to do now?
Negotiator: Not my problem. (click)
Caller #2: (groans in frustration before throwing the phone to the ground, shattering its face)
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Michonne couldn't help it. Although she told herself it was better not to see Maggie, she needed to know that she was safe and doing well so they make a quick stop in her hometown outside Atlanta. She sees that Maggie is in good hands with her parents, Glenn, and Daryl. Her friend is healing rapidly and regaining her strength every day.
Maggie assures Michonne that the incident was not her fault but the latter refuses to talk about it. She never wants to remember that horrific day so her friend reluctantly agrees. "At least they caught the guy who's responsible. I never would've imagined Mike though. He was like family to you."
Michonne only nods sadly, not really wanting to discuss that either. She just wants to put it all behind her and try to live as normal as possible once again.
Rick hates to do it but tells Michonne they have to cut their visit short and travel on to the airport. She and Maggie promise to keep in touch, giving each other another hug before she and Rick depart.
Maggie watches as they exit her room, wondering what is different about them.
Daryl walks them out, shaking hands with Rick, thanking him for putting him in place to obtain this position as he was in between jobs and not sure of what his next step would be.
"It was nothing," Rick assures him. "Just stay diligent. Ok?"
Almost two hours later, they were on a private jet traveling to California.
They are welcomed by beautiful sunlight and a balmy, breezy day on the west coast. Morgan and T-Dog are there to retrieve them and the former's first item of business is to take her to Deanna's offices but Michonne refuses. She tells them she'd rather go home first and will meet with her manager later.
Morgan wants to argue but Rick gives him a negative shake of the head and he immediately obliges, offering to take her to an exclusive five star hotel nearby.
"I want to go home, Morgan. To my house," Michonne informs him.
"I don't think….." Morgan begins only to have her interrupt him.
"I'm not going to stay in a hotel room when I have a perfectly fine residence right here in the vicinity," she states.
"Once the news hits that you're here, the paparazzi will be in full force especially with a jailed stalker," Morgan reminds her.
Michonne sighs. "I would expect nothing less."
T-Dog can sense the tension in the vehicle and tries to dispel it quickly. "Take the lady home, man. We got this."
Michonne smiles at her friend, appreciating his support.
Rick sits by her side, watching the exchange quietly. A part of him wants to relax and believe that the nightmare is over for her but he would be remiss in accepting that. The fact that the police never retrieved any information regarding Mike traveling to New York lets him know that things are far from over. He decides to allow her a day or two before he shares his suspicions. In the meantime, he will appraise Morgan, T-Dog, and Shane about everything. They will go over it all again repeatedly if needed.
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The following week is a quiet one save for the meetings with Deanna, preparing for the network promotional event for the TV show, and acquiring one of Deanna's staff as her new PR person. She knows this has to be done but his presence is just a reminder that things are different and Maggie's absence is felt tremendously.
Even more frustrating is that she has not been successful in getting Rick to move into her bedroom with her. She wants to respect his wishes but at the same time would rather say 'to hell with convention' and have him next to her each night, all night. She misses their short time at home in Georgia and wonders if they will ever have that level of intimacy again.
Of course that feeling of melancholy dissipates when she is in his arms and his body is slamming into hers over and over again. It's the only time she feels completely free and content. Work used to feel rewarding but it doesn't feel that way lately. She has so much to be thankful for….her parents are in her life again and she speaks with them on a daily basis now. Rick is by her side, proving to be someone she never even dreamed she would find. Her career continues to be successful….yet the one person she thought she could trust next to her parents and Maggie betrayed her. She can't help dwelling on it and asking if her entire friendship with Mike was a lie. She tries to pinpoint when things changed and why she didn't detect it. She questions if she did something wrong to make him treat her this way, to drive him to steal from her father's church, to stalk her.
She looks over to her side where Rick had fallen asleep while reading a book, wanting to share her feelings with him but she contributed to the madness of it all by communicating with Mike the entire time. She can't help wondering if he blames her somehow. She stares off into space, her mind twirling with thoughts of Mike's punishment and how much involvement she'd have in the prosecution. They were in her office where she was supposed to be reading over scripts but she can't concentrate. She gasps when she feels his hand on her chin. He had awakened and she didn't even notice.
"What's with the long face? What's wrong?" He asks with concern.
"I….do you blame me for…..what happened with Mike? I thought he was my friend but now I just feel…..used. I have always been so sure about what I wanted and now…." She takes a deep breath and meets his gaze. "…..is this all worth it? Have I been going about things the wrong way?"
Rick can feel her indecision, her confusion and he absolutely hates what this experience has evoked in her. This only amplifies his determination to make it right. "Hey. I told you none of this is your fault. Mike is the culprit here, not you. All you did was be his friend and support him. Maybe he's got some mental issues that need to be dealt with. I don't know but you are not to blame for his behavior and he has to pay for this." He looks deeply into her eyes. "You understand that right?" With her nod, he takes a deep breath and reminds her, "You have something to be incredibly proud of so don't allow others to steal that from you. Concentrate on all those little people that look up to you."
He is relieved when she smiles and whispers, "Thank you."
He was hoping he'd be able to broach the subject of the stalker situation. The professional in him is pushing for just that but the man, the boyfriend, the lover can't bring himself to put her back in that place of doubt again. Shit.
He'd met with Morgan, Shane, and T-Dog and they knew to continue being on alert but he had to do his job no matter what. He pulls her into his arms, hugging her closely. He touches his lips to her ear and whispers her name. He can feel the shiver roll through her body before she turns her head and touches her lips to his neck, softly at first but then she presses in right before opening her mouth and putting her tongue directly on his skin.
"Wait….." He whispers then shudders as she draws his skin into her mouth, sucking on him with determination. "Ahh…." He gasps as she moves further down, unbuttoning his shirt as she goes. He gently covers her hands with his. "We're on the couch….in your office. Anybody could walk in."
"They won't."
He knows she's right. This home is triple the size of her New York residence and he is sure T-Dog and Shane are far away in some other part of the abode. Morgan was handling something with Deanna so their chances of being interrupted were next to nil.
Her gaze drops to his lips as she leans in to kiss him. One good taste of her and he is completely lost. The thoughts about the stalker, his job….all forgotten as she pushes him down and straddles him.
Later that night, Morgan returns at Rick's request and they spread out in the media room, going over the file they've been compiling since the incidences began. Morgan thought to hold back a couple of photos they'd received from the so called stalker after Maggie's accident. He knew the police would take them all as evidence but he wanted his team to have something for their own investigation.
Rick reminds them yet again that there were no reports of Mike ever traveling to New York. The only proof they had was his flights to California so they all agree that Mike was guilty of the notes and probably the flowers but there is no way he orchestrated that bomb in New York.
"We need to flush this fucker out somehow," Shane suggests. "I can't believe NYPD has nothing."
"They say they interviewed the building staff, security, even citizens in the vicinity that day but no one saw anything out of the ordinary," Morgan relays again.
"You say that like you don't believe them," T-Dog states.
Morgan sighs. "I guess that's my frustration talking. We can't continue like this. Something has to give."
They all agree then freeze as Michonne waltzes into the room with a glowing smile.
"I thought the aroma from the kitchen would bring y'all running but I guess you're too enthralled with whatever you're doing," she states. "Anybody hungry?"
Rick moves toward her, his instinct telling him to get her out of the room before she notices anything. "Yeah. We'll be there shortly."
"What are you doing? What's all that spread out on the table?" She steps around him and approaches the others, taking in the photos, the notes, the tabloids, etc. She frowns. "Why are you looking at this stuff again?"
The three men at the table remain silent, their eyes going to Rick. She looks to him as well. "Is there something I should know?"
Rick drops his head as this is not the way he wanted her to find out but now he has no choice. "We don't believe Mike is responsible for what happened to Maggie."
She shakes her head. "What are you saying? He did this and he's in jail. This is over. It has to be over."
Morgan clears his throat. "Mike is responsible for the notes, the threats but someone else planted that bomb and sent the photos."
"Someone else?" Her heart starts to race as she tries to rein in her emotions. "There's more than one person stalking me or trying to kill me or whatever the fuck they're doing?"
"Michonne…." Rick reaches for her but she keeps him at bay.
"What's the plan now?" She asks.
"That's what we're working on," T-Dog says.
"This guy has to make a mistake sooner or later and we'll be right there when he does," Shane assures.
Michonne gives them a nod, making the decision to not allow this to upset her any more than it has. "Just another day in my glorious life, right?" She scoffs. "Come on let's eat."
Dinner is good but the atmosphere is strife with tension. The four of them are in protection mode and want desperately to get back to their plans while she wants to talk about her upcoming show or shopping or cooking….anything but what was on their minds. For the first time in a long time, she wanted to burst out laughing as they struggle to listen to her conversation and contribute.
She finally ends their torture, telling them they could take their wine and get back to their planning. Her boyfriend leaves his glass untouched, gives her a kiss on the cheek, and promises to see her later. She busies herself by cleaning the kitchen and then retiring to her room to attempt to read the scripts she neglected before. She wanted to call her mom or Maggie but refuses to burden them and make them worry about her.
The early morning hours are restless ones for her. She turns over onto her back, looking up at the ceiling with a deep sigh. Rick came by before going to bed himself but he didn't stay long. He's back in bodyguard mode and she doesn't have the energy to protest. Thoughts of what she could possibly do to be more proactive in this situation flit through her mind preventing her from finding peace in slumber.
She finally grabs a robe and makes her way to his room. She slips inside quietly or so she thought. The bedside lamp is switched on and he is sitting up in bed with his hand clutching the gun on the night stand.
He breathes a sigh of relief. "What are you doing?"
"I can't sleep."
He tosses the bed linens aside and climbs out of bed, walking over to her with his arms wide open. She steps into him, content as his arms enfold her and her arms wrap his waist.
"I'm not going to let anythang happen to you," he promises as he kisses her forehead.
"I'm not going to let anything happen to me either," she returns.
He looks down at her, curious about the inflection of her voice. "Huh?"
"I want you to teach me how to protect myself. The training I've had has only been for movie or TV roles. I want the real deal and I want to learn more about guns. I can carry with a permit right?"
"Babe….wait slow down." He shakes his head, trying to rid himself of the remaining cloud of sleep.
"Don't try to talk me out of it. I know it's your job to protect me but I want to help you do your job. There's no reason why I can't improve my skills."
He can't help himself, his lips curve up into a smile and then he laughs. She continues to amaze him and he falls deeper and deeper every day. "We'll start after we've gotten a bit more sleep. Is that ok with you?"
She smiles. "Only if I'm sleeping in here with you."
His eyebrows shoot upward with surprise but he doesn't argue. He simply steps behind her, reaches around her waist to untie the belt of her robe, tosses it onto the foot of the bed, places his hands at her hips and guides her to the bed. They climb in and he reaches over to switch off the lamp, shrouding the room in darkness once again.
He pulls her into his arms. "We're going to sleep."
She snuggles in deep. "I know." She rubs her cheek against his chest, relishing in his warmth while simultaneously moving her leg upwards, her thigh coming into contact with his crotch. She smiles as she detects some rigidness and he calls her name softly as a warning. Her hand drops to his waist and she gasps as she finds herself facing away from him.
He pulls her onto her side, her back to his chest and groans as she wiggles her ass against him, his manhood jerking of its own volition. "Shit." He can feel her body shake as she giggles so he grabs a pillow and wedges it between them.
The room grows quiet as they both try to settle in to sleep. He closes his eyes only to open them again moments later. His body is still raging and he knows he won't get any sleep until he has tasted her. He tosses the pillow to the floor, turns her onto her back, and pulls her leg up to his waist, planting himself firmly against her core.
She smiles, bringing her arms up to circle his neck before meeting him in a passion filled kiss.
