Part I is Chapter 6 Richonne Christmas Reunion of this fic. Though, this could be enjoyed with or without Part I. I hope you enjoy the Richonne fluff!


A decorated Douglas fir sparkled majestically in the middle of the town, lights and ornaments clinging to its every branch.

King County's holiday enthusiasts milled about, taking in the sounds of school choirs and the intoxicating smells of food sold by the local vendors. The breathtaking twinkling of multi-colored lights wrapped around every surface of the small town's shops lit up the town like a Christmas wonderland.

The absence of white powder dusting only put a slight damper on the enchantment. Yet, as fate would have it – and for the first time in years – a real chance of snow loomed overhead in the cloudy night sky.

Michonne rubbed her arms for warmth. The snap of a chilly wind stung at her cheeks, biting past her favorite purple knit headband to tickle her scalp. Although it was colder this year, it didn't seem to faze the families skating and admiring the lights.

It didn't faze her either as she blissfully closed her eyes, a soft smile pulling at the corner of her lips. Her thoughts drifted to exactly one year ago, the day her life changed.

But the memories were soon chased away by tiny billows of steam warming her face. The Styrofoam cup of hot chocolate she'd been craving appeared before her. She smiled wider, capturing it between her fingerless-gloved hands, inhaling the sweet chocolate smell.

The hand that offered it settled possessively over her rounded belly, his thumb gently stroking against her stretched out winter coat. He pulled her against his side as he tentatively sipped from his cup, gazing up at the same tree. She relaxed into his embrace.

Her swollen feet ached and the discomfort in her back reminded her she'd soon need to sit down. Though, that didn't stop her from taking in the beauty of the moment.

Never would she have predicted she'd be here with her former unrequited crush, Rick Grimes. Fate was rarely ever that kind to her. Yet, here they were, enjoying the small town's holiday festivities, basking in their last weeks of solitude before their Christmas gift arrived.

She let out a contented sigh. Though many things had changed in the past year, she'd adjusted to the changes gracefully. She'd welcomed the new path her life had taken and was enjoying every moment of it.

Yet, there was a sudden intangible feeling that pervaded her thoughts.

She couldn't quite put her finger on it, spurring her to ponder it aloud. "Something's different this year."

She peeked up at her husband. He looked more and more like a mountain man each day with his thick beard and longer curls.

She didn't mind. In fact, she appreciated the unexpected wild man look. His curls had grown thick, wild, and soft. She couldn't keep her fingers out of them, a habit they'd both quickly grown addicted to.

Unfortunately, tonight they were well hidden beneath her husband's gray knit beanie and patterned fleece scarf. My husband. Her heart fluttered at the thought as she awaited his response.

He finished a tentative sip from his steaming cup, his hand unable to resist stroking her stomach. "Mmm...what's different?"

She turned back toward the tree, her lips pursed in thought. "I don't know."

Her uncertainty drew his gaze. Her brow was knit in concentration, her lips pressed together in a tempting pout. His wife was adorable.

My wife.

The thought brought a joy to his heart he couldn't describe. He loved her more than she could ever imagine. To call himself a lucky man was an understatement.

Being the dutiful husband that he was, he decided to indulge her. He wasn't sure where she was going with the abstract topic of conversation but he was sure it was worth discussing.

He playfully massaged her protruding bump, reminding her of the most recent change in their lives. "Well, I can think of one thing that's different."

She lightly rolled her eyes, placing her hand atop his. "Besides that."

Rick gently rested his cheek on her head, careful not to spill their hot chocolate. He studied the tree in front of them, making an effort to guess what had captured her attention. "Different about the tree or different in general?"

She knit her brow, doing her best to put it into words. "I think…I think it's just the feeling, the Christmas vibe."

He bit the inside of his cheeks. As disciplined as she was academically, she was a firm believer in fate and destiny. She faithfully searched for vibes and signs, trusting the universe to guide her. He loved that about her. He was a probability man himself so her unwavering hope in a larger purpose was something he learned to fully embrace.

Yet, he couldn't help but rile her up every once in a while.

He did his best to give her a serious tone. "Mmm, the Christmas vibe," he murmured pensively, his acting skills quickly crumbling under the pressure.

She detected the goading smile straightaway. She nudged his side in annoyance. "You know what I mean."

Biting back a laugh, he couldn't help but agree. Things were different. It wasn't just the being happily married part or the chance to be a father again. It was a feeling. It was something in his gut.

He sighed in admission, "Yeah, I get it."

"You do?"

He took another sip with a hum of affirmation. "It's like a growing anticipation, builds up as Christmas gets closer. You feel it more when you're a kid."

That's exactly how she would describe it. She loved having Rick on the same wavelength as her, especially nowadays when words often seemed to escape her – another lovely side effect of the pregnancy.

She softly agreed, "Yeah, like that but it's more peaceful now. It's not that eager excitement. It's like this feeling that everything has worked out the way it should and we can handle whatever comes next."

He let her words roll around in his head for a moment. "Makes sense."

"Does it?"

Her uncertainty about his understanding amused him. She really wanted him to feel what she was feeling. Her questioning was her way of making sure they were on the same page. He decided to share what had gone through his mind exactly a year ago.

"Last year when we met, it almost didn't happen."

She blinked up at him in confusion, thrown off by his confession.

He nodded in confirmation. "It's true. I almost walked away. Nearly convinced myself that it wasn't a good idea." He raised his eyebrow coyly. "But I suppose fate had a hand in changing my mind. That and a sudden bout of nostalgia."

She looked down at her hot chocolate, amused by the thought that their fated reunion was brought about by a shared yearning for the past.

He bit his bottom lip before continuing, his stomach flip-flopping at the memory of seeing her for the first time in years. "I was standing right over there, watching you, waiting for the right moment. I thought to myself, what the hell am I gonna say to her? So I just stood there for a good ten minutes, wondering if I should say hi, wondering if you even remembered me."

Heat raised to her cheeks and ears at the thought of him watching her. She had no idea. She must have been that focused to not even feel that piercing gaze of his following her every move.

A small smile pulled at her lips, remembering the nerves she felt at seeing him again after so many years. She was glad she wasn't the only one with doubts that night.

He eyed her, mischievously adding, "Had I known you'd been carrying a torch for me all those years…"

Her smile fell slightly as she gave him an unimpressed look. She knew she would regret telling him about her unrequited crush on him. Leave it to Rick to ruin a perfectly romantic story with a smug remark.

Pleased by her annoyed look, he squeezed her closer and kissed her forehead, quickly salvaging the moment. "To be honest, I was so nervous that night. You looked so…," He couldn't find the word to describe just how beautiful she looked. Looking into her expectant eyes, he decided to illustrate it to her as best he could. "You were just standing there, a cup of hot chocolate in your hands, wrapped up in your fancy business clothes. You were taking it all in, lost in the moment. But it was your peace, that same peace that I'd always felt with you that poured out of you. With your eyes closed, smiling, happy with Christmas all around you, it was like…magic. You were magic. Perfect. Like you are, right now."

He gazed down at her upturned face, studying her as if he were memorizing this moment, his eyes full of a love like she'd never known.

Her face softened. He always had a way of saying and doing things that melted her into a pitiful puddle.

She blinked down at their entwined hands on her belly, the wedding ring she'd given him glinting, her own engraved ring hidden beneath her gloves. Her heart filled with an overwhelming emotion that stuck in her throat.

Sensing the tears brimming in her eyes, he continued cautiously, "And even though I was scared out of my mind, I didn't walk away. Something told me it was gonna be alright."

He turned her around in his arms until they were standing toe to toe. He gently pulled her as close as their unborn child would allow.

He caressed her cheek, his voice lowering just for her to hear. "Turned out it was. Fate, law of averages, whatever you want to call it, it worked out the way it should, the way it needed to. That's how I know it'll work out. We can handle whatever comes next. We will handle it."

He rubbed his thumb against her cool cheek before pulling her in for a deep kiss. She tasted like sweet chocolate and marshmallows. He moaned gratefully into her mouth.

After a few exquisite moments, he reluctantly pulled away with a few finishing pecks, slowly losing himself in her eyes. "Thank you."

Worried that her voice would crack with the emotions welling inside of her, she leaned her head against his and whispered, "You, too."

"I love you."

Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I love you."

He tenderly wiped his wife's tears away, replacing them with kisses, taking her cup of hot chocolate from her shaking hands, handing her an extra napkin. He needed to distract her from the well of emotions she was tumbling down before she drowned herself in tears.

He smiled at her as she dabbed under her eyes. "Good, can't change your mind now."

Damn pregnancy hormones, she cursed inwardly. The littlest things always set her off. She sniffled away the rest of her tears. "It's never too late to change my mind."

He considered her words with the tilt of his head. "True but I brought you your hot chocolate. That's gotta count for something."

She gave him a doubtful look, playfully snatching back her cup and sipping on the cooled down drink. "Mmm, you're lucky this is some dang good hot chocolate."

Her sense of humor always seemed to lighten any mood. "That mean you'll stick around for a little while?"

She drew closer to him, gripping his coat. She softly replied, fighting back tears, "For a little while."

He smiled as he wrapped his arm around her and reached down with the other to raise her hand up to his lips. He planted a sweet kiss against her fingers. They held each other as a calming sense of peace fell over them.

"Rick?"

"Hmm?"

She searched his eyes, wanting to communicate all the love she felt in her full heart.

"Merry Christmas."

His blue eyes crinkled happily, feeling the full impact of the long-awaited love fate had gifted him and he'd been fortunate enough to uncover.

"Merry Christmas, darlin'."

A light snow fell upon the loving couple, the completed holiday enchantment enveloping them in a blissful utopia fate had always intended.


Hello again!

Sorry about the long hiatus!

What a time for overwhelming job stress and depression to hit but I'm making my way out. And what a great way to do it by sharing some Richonne Christmas fluff with y'all.

I really hope you enjoyed it and hope to hear from you! I hope you have a happy holiday and wonderful new year! Love you all!

Your slowly recovering writer,

semul