Michonne couldn't sleep.
Sitting in first class with access to luxuries designed to help you have a relaxing flight; Michonne felt uncomfortable. No matter how many times she twisted in her seat searching for the perfect spot, she couldn't shut her brain off. She only had a few hours before she landed in Atlanta and her body refused to let her take advantage of that time.
Michonne rubbed the back of her stiff neck, massaging the kinks that gathered from lying her head down at awkward angles. There were only a few people in first class with her, scattered about and doing what she couldn't; sleep. One of those people was Mike, who sat next to her, snoring lightly with his phone clutched in his hand. Michonne gazed at Mike's phone, his precious, Mike never left it out of his sights, and Michonne felt it was mostly because of what happened the last time he left his phone unintended. It ended up crashing against a wall despite the fact Michonne was aiming it towards Mike's head.
Rubbing her fingers together, she leaned close to him and reached for the phone, but then hesitated. She closed her eyes, shaking her head, grown women don't snoop through their boyfriend's phone especially a grown woman who is planning a wedding with said boyfriend. And as if the Lord or maybe the devil was sending her a sign, Mike's phone lit up, two flashes and then it went dark again. Mike remained mostly motionless with the exception of his eyes twitching under his closed lids and his chest moving up and down in a steady rhythm.
Michonne licked her lips and weighed her choices a final time. She could scroll through Netflix's catalog for a movie or she could put her mind at ease. She took a deep breath, letting it out she made up her mind. Reaching for the phone again, her eyes darted around her to see if anyone was watching. Michonne's fingers lightly gripped the phone and she tugged. Her lips tightened and her eyebrows drew in, she stopped breathing as she slowly wiggled Mike's phone from his grasp until it was dangling between her fingertips. Not daring to take a breath, Michonne eased slowly back in her seat and turned away from Mike.
You're being dumb.
But, her inner voice couldn't deter Michonne from sliding the lock screen to the left. To her amazement, Mike didn't have a password set, she looked behind her should check on Mike, satisfied that he was still asleep, she opened up the most pressing item on her mind; his messages.
Michonne received another shock, Mike only sent out two text messages and received three and those were between him and his best friend, Terry. Michonne frowned, none of the messages were incriminating, and so she clicked out of it and clicked on the email icon. Dozens of saved emails, too many for Michonne to feasibly go through in a timely manner, but one caught her eye. An email with the subject line titled King County Events. She opened the template and felt the urge to want to wake Mike. She wasn't just doing a simple hi and bye, Mike had interviews planned, a meeting with the Mayor of King County, and worse, a parade. Shaking her head, Michonne lied back against her seat and stared at the ceiling of the plane. The whole weekend was scheduled to celebrate the return of the town's prodigal citizen.
A loud snort emitted from Mike, Michonne jerked her head and saw that he was still asleep. She rolled her eyes, irritation swept quickly through her body, followed by anger. Her fingers clutched his phone and she stared a hole into him. I'm in love, right? Isn't that what I told my aunt and Sasha? Michonne carefully placed the phone on Mike's lap and turned away from him, she shuffled her pillow and put a sleeping mask over her and on her eyes, and made another attempt to sleep.
…
By the time, Michonne landed in Atlanta, went over security detail with her bodyguard, Tyreese, and made it passed paparazzi she was tired. And then after a two-hour ride down to King County, Michonne was downright exhausted and then some when Mike informed her of the impromptu dinner, the Mayor of King County invited her to.
Dressed in an Asian-inspired floral print Dries Van Noten dress, Michonne took one step out of the car and immediately wanted to turn back around.
"A small dinner, Mike?" She asked through clenched teeth. There were at least 10-15 people streaming in and out of the Mayor's home. All of them dressed as if tonight was a black-tie event and not a simple dinner.
"I thought this would be a great way for you to meet some of the elite here in King County." Elite? Michonne wanted to laugh, she may haven't set foot in King County in years, but she doubted there was anyone elite that lived here. Just wannabes who lucked out on making over $100,000 a year and thought they were someone. Mike linked his arm with hers and walked with Michonne towards the house until she stopped and yanked it away.
She sighed, "I am tired of you only telling me what you think I should know."
Incredulous, Mike scoffed, "I'm sorry, I didn't give you minute by minute details of your day. I told you we were having dinner with the mayor, here we are having dinner with the mayor."
Michonne crossed her arms, "Don't patronize me. This is a party, not a dinner. I want to sleep, not have people gawking at me for another two hours and then to do it again tomorrow."
Mike stepped closer to her, "Are you really about to throw a tantrum like a child?" He whispered harshly.
"I am not a child."
"Stop acting like one."
She glared, "Stop treating me like one."
"As your manager, I'm only doing what's best for your career, bogging you down with minuscule details is not what's best."
"And as my employee when I say give me the full story, you do exactly that."
Michonne turned on her heel and continued down the pathway towards the Mayor's home not bothering to look behind her to see if Mike was following. Turning up her mouth into a fake smile, unfamiliar faces greeted Michonne as she walked up the steps and finally through the house's door. The aroma of food hit her nostrils and made her stomach rumble. She smiled brightly as more and more people faced the guest of honor.
"My god, it is a delight to have you back, Michonne."
Michonne turned to an older petite woman, her light auburn hair swept her shoulders as she stepped towards Michonne. Michonne smile grew wider as if she recognized the woman when in reality that was far from the truth.
"Hi!" She hugged the woman and they gave each other air kisses.
"You probably don't remember me."
No, no I don't. Michonne laughed, "Of course I do. Mrs.—"
"Mrs. Monroe. Deanna Monroe. I taught you in fourth grade and then in seventh."
Michonne enthusiastically nodded her head giving off the appearance that she knew Deanna.
"You have grown even more beautiful, you're single?" Michonne held up her hand to show Deanna her engagement ring but quickly remembered that she left her engagement ring in another purse. "I want to introduce you to my son, Spencer, he's in his late twenties, but I assure you he's very—."
Michonne put her hand up, "Mrs. Monroe, thank you, but I'm not single," she said.
"Oh well, my apologies for assuming." Deanna smiled, but her eyes did not match.
"No, it's fine."
A hand graced Michonne's shoulder making her head turn in its direction. The hand belonged to a handsome man with a meticulously neat goatee, the chandelier directly above him in the foyer made his brown bald head shiny.
"Welcome to my home," he placed his hand over his heart and bowed his head.
"You're the mayor?"
"Mayor Gabriel Strokes. Thank you for accepting my last-second invitation." He took Michonne's hand and held it gently with both of his soft hands. "What you're doing for our town is truly a blessing."
Michonne eyed his attire, he wasn't wearing a suit and tie, but instead black pants, black shirt, and a clerical collar.
"You're a politician and a priest? Isn't that a bit of a contradiction?"
Gabriel smiled, he had a nice easy smile and a glint in his eye. "I don't think so. I like to think I'm breaking new ground by being not only the first black Mayor in King County but a truly honest politician."
"Forgive me, but I don't believe there is such a thing. Everyone has a price."
Still smiling, Gabriel led Michonne through the crowd, "Well I don't."
"You grew up here, right?"
"Yes, born and raise. I knew your father and mother, your father help my dad build the church a few blocks from here and your mother use to work at Mellie's diner."
Michonne nodded, remembering how often she would come home from school to an empty house, making dinner for herself and tucking herself into bed because her parents were both working two jobs to make ends meet.
"So you know how corrupt this town is. You really think you can be an honest politician in a town like this?"
Gabriel met Michonne's eyes, his forehead furrowed as if he was in deep thought. "The town has changed since you were a little girl. And I would like to think I'm proof of that change."
"Right. Because Obama being elected for President meant racism was over," Michonne scoffed. "These people," Michonne pointed around the room at the different party attendees, some staring at her and whispering in hush tones, others in their own little circle. "Are probably patting themselves on the back at how progressive they are, they did one good thing which in their mind is enough. How long will your 'honest politician' shtick hold when they start making demands on you when your idea of what's best for this town isn't their idea?"
Michonne watched the mayor's constant smile fall and she cursed herself. She was here to prove tabloids wrong and not even ten minutes in this town, she probably made an enemy. She opened her mouth to apologize when a hand touched the small of her back. She could smell Mike's signature cologne before she heard him apologize for her.
Gabriel smiled again and waved Mike off, "Michonne is not only beautiful but quite intelligent, no need to apologize she's done nothing wrong."
"She's very opinionated," Mike laughed. "Even more so with this whole black lives matter stuff and needing to be 'woke' or else face the wrath of a bunch of nobodies sitting behind their computer." He shook his head, Michonne bit her lip to keep quiet and tried to make eye contact with Mike, but he avoided her gaze.
Gabriel nodded and rested his hand on Michonne's shoulder, "Michonne, I would love to talk more politics with you, but you're probably starving."
Michonne smiled brightly, but inside, her annoyance grew. Gabriel continued to lead them towards a dining room. Lined up around it were 3 men and a woman dressed in police uniforms.
She stopped.
Michonne's veins ran cold and she thought her throat was tightening. I have to get out of here. She turned only to be stopped by Mike's hand clutching her arm.
"Where are you going?" He whispered. Michonne's eyes cut to him, she found herself having difficulty breathing and suddenly her clothing irritated her.
"I need to go outside."
Mike's eyes widen, "People are watching you act a fool. Stop with the antics."
Michonne yanked her arm from Mike for the second time that night and put her hand on her chest, checking to see if her heart was okay. Not giving Mike a second glance, she whispered her apologies and headed for the door. Walking quickly, bumping into people and not giving a damn because now her head was swimming.
"Michonne! Oh my God, Michonne, it's me, Maggie! You use to babysit me, Michonne!"
Michonne turned her head to the unfamiliar voice and at the same time, walked into something or someone hard. The force almost made her fall, but a hand grabbed her, steadying her to the ground.
"Michonne?" Now, she definitely couldn't breathe. Her eyes darted to the opened door and she moved towards it, she was practically running to it.
Cool air hit her face first, Michonne ran quickly down the porch stairs and to an area by the side of the house where luckily no one occupied. And as soon as Michonne realized that she finally had privacy, she collapsed to her knees and took deep breaths in and out.
Why did that happen? She touched her neck and felt the rashes forming, she knew she was going to look like she ran through a field of poison ivy butt naked, tomorrow. Her heart beat slowed down steadily and she swallowed her spit. She thought back to what made her have such a reaction and then her brain recalled the police officers lined up around the dining table.
I can't do this.
Tears streamed down her face as painful memories flooded back to her. Memories she thought she locked away a long time ago. I'm going to make the studio reconsider, I don't even care if I end up losing this dumbass role. I can't be here.
"Michonne?"
That same voice from before, a man's voice with a heavy Southern accent. Michonne rolled her eyes and wiped the tears from her face.
"I'm fine," she said to the man behind her. She could now feel his presence and she sensed that he was kneeling because she felt his breath on the back of her neck. "I had an allergic reaction to someone's cheap perfume."
The man didn't reply, but he didn't move to leave either. Michonne sat up on her knees and wiped her face some more. And then a handkerchief appeared to her side. She observed that the hand that was holding it was white, his fingers long and nails cut short and clean. "Here," he said.
Michonne took it from him, the material was soft between her fingertips, "Thank you." She held it up to her face and even in the dim lighting from the street lamps, she noticed the intricate color pattern on the corner of the kerchief. Her eyes widen and she swiftly turned around to see the person behind her.
"My mom made this," she said. The man behind her was dressed in a police uniform, but Michonne oddly didn't feel panicked. Part of his face was hidden due to the Sheriff's hat on his head, but she could see his chiseled jawline and his full bottom lip.
"I know." He reached up and removed the hat. Michonne's mouth dropped, the man before her no longer had acne, his hair was no longer a curly fro, but instead cut so short she couldn't tell if he still had curls, and he grew into his nose. But his eyes, his blue eyes that she used to love staring into, remained the same.
"Rick…"
"Welcome home, Michonne."
It was a Friday when Rick's quiet world was interrupted. He was eating breakfast when he heard a pounding on the door. He got up to answer it only to be propelled backwards by Shane who literally came barreling into the house with no preamble.
"Did you hear the news?" his friend asked excitedly.
Rick had barely woken up. He closed the door behind Shane. "No," he answered truthfully.
"Your girlfriend's comin' to town."
Before Rick could even make heads or tails of what Shane was telling him, his friend was pushing a printed out news article into his hands. Michonne Teale: Cast as Storm; Ready to Stir Things Up in King County. The title of the article jumped out at him.
'Michonne's coming back to King County?'
He hurriedly scanned through the article and saw that she would, indeed, be coming back to town. She was coming to King's County to film her next movie. 'So it wasn't a rumor that she was going to be playing Storm after all,' he thought – his mind going in one hundred different directions.
"What's wrong?" Shane asked, looking at Rick with genial amusement. "You excited? Maybe you two can start things up again."
Rick ignored Shane's teasing. He was still stuck on the news. Michonne was coming back to town. His Michonne. Or...the model Michonne. He wasn't sure what to expect. Watching her growing up on television screens and magazine spreads, she seemed so different from the girl he used to know. But then again maybe he never really knew her...He definitely never expected her to run off without so much as a goodbye.
"How long's she gonna be here?" Rick asked, his eyes unable to scan the article fast enough to catch dates or any other information he wanted.
"Don't know," Shane replied, still smirking teasingly at Rick. "But she's gonna be shacking up right here in town. Stayin' at the Holiday Inn right up the street." Shane perched himself on the arm of Rick's living room couch. "That's part of why I woke you up. This little visit o' hers is gonna have us on some new hours. Apparently, her people reached out to the Department Head and they want us to help with security detail. We gotta go get briefed on her personal schedule and whatnot. So come on!"
Still reeling from this unexpected news, Rick looked down at his white t-shirt with one or two syrup stains on it. He hadn't even gotten ready yet. "Alright," he said. "Let me just...get my uniform on."
"Alright," Shane said, settling in to wait. "But Rick?"
Rick stopped on his way to the stairs and looked back. "Yeah?"
He was met with a come-out-with-it stare from Shane. "You got anything you wanna tell me before she gets here?"
"Like what?" Rick asked, genuinely confused.
Shane sighed. "Come on, Rick," Shane pushed. "You ain't ready to 'fess up yet? About your little 'relationship' with Michonne? It'll be less embarrassing if you just tell me now."
Realizing what Shane was getting at, Rick rolled his eyes. Shane's arrogant demeanor fueled Rick's stubborn will to the point that he wouldn't have confessed in that moment even if God himself threatened to strike him down dead if he continued his lie. "I have nothin' to be embarrassed about," Rick postured. "My ex is comin' to town."
Rick rode on a wave of false confidence for a day or two, but when Michonne's arrival date came around, Rick became more and more ill at ease.
He was excited to see an old friend, but he was also nervous and wary. He didn't know what he was going to get. Not all of the stories he heard about Michonne were good ones, but he figured that was all tabloid fodder. As her arrival approached, he kept telling himself that she was probably gracious and professional. They would meet only briefly and greet each other as old friends. He didn't delude himself into thinking they would be as close as they used to be. She was a big star now and he was...well...nobody.
And now there was the whole added pressure of his lie. Shane had been right. He should've confessed when he had the chance.
Rick's leg bounced up and down with nervous energy underneath his desk and a knock at the door almost caused his heart to stop.
"Come in!" he called.
Shane came through the door with the same smirk on his face that he had been wearing for days. The smirk of knowing his best friend was getting closer and closer to having egg on his face. Rick wanted to knock the smirk off of his face.
"Big day today," Shane said. "She'll be arriving at the airport with her own personal security detail, then when she gets here, the grunts will escort her through town and to her hotel. Then we got that party to go to-"
"I know!" Rick cut in, his voice coming in short and with an edge. He wasn't really in the mood to apologize for it though. His entire body was on edge. "I'm the one who assigned the tasks."
Shane held up his hands, but Rick's mood didn't cause the smirk to fall off of his friend's face. In fact, it only grew bigger. "Okay," he said, holding his hands up in faux surrender. "Calm down. I'm just excited for you, man. Maybe that spark will...reignite. Whatchu think?"
Rick shot Shane a glare. There were times when Rick enjoyed Shane's relentless teasing. Now was not one of those times.
"Okay," Shane said again – genuinely this time. "I'll lay off." He propped himself against the closed door, making himself comfortable in Rick's office.
Rick was grateful. "...I'll be glad when this is all over," he said.
"Why?" Shane asked. "I think it's pretty exciting. King County hasn't been this alive since...Hell, King County ain't never been a lively city. This town is dead as hell. Glad something's happening to liven it up."
Unable to argue with that, Rick shrugged. "It's all just for publicity," he griped, his nerves causing him to be grumpy. "She doesn't care about this town." A tinge of sadness that Rick thought he no longer harbored hit him. Her sudden departure caused him to feel betrayed when they were teens. It seemed that feeling didn't easily go away.
Noticing his somber mood, Shane continued to reign in his antics. "I'm sorry, man," he said, not quite sure what he was apologizing for. Even though he didn't believe for a second that Rick used to date Michonne, he granted that they must have known each other somewhat. King County wasn't a big town, after all. "I don't know all of what happened between you two, but just think of it this way...at least since you'll be seeing her again, you have a chance to clear the air. You know?"
Rick nodded. But he didn't plan on bringing up the topic of why she left whenever they greeted each other again. He didn't need to hear her say, 'I was tired of King County and everyone who lived there. Including you.'
When she entered King County, Rick didn't see her. He made it a point not to. He wasn't ready yet. But there was no avoiding her at the mayor's party.
She looked like summer.
Rick felt silly to think such a thing – never before had he found himself thinking like a bad romance novel – but he couldn't help it. He was immediately jolted back to the first real memory he had of her.
They had both been about six years old and Rick's father had taken him to the playground. Michonne was there in a bright, pink dress. He wasn't sure what it had been about the vibrant color of her dress, but it had caught his attention and held it. He was drawn to it like a moth to flame and before he knew it, he had boldly begun to make his way over – deciding right then and there that this little girl with the pretty hair and cute dress was going to be his first friend. In his bravado, though, he hadn't realized Michonne had been staring in wonder at a yellow butterfly perched on the ground. Not until it was crushed beneath his feet. He wasn't even able to tell his new friend his name before he found himself knocked to his butt on the ground and they were both crying – Michonne because of the death of the butterfly and Rick because of his bruised bottom.
Rick smiled as he remembered that moment. He had spent their whole first school year giving her anything she wanted so that she would forgive him.
His eyes followed her as she made her way through the crowd.
She was even more beautiful in person than she was on television or in magazines. He had been right when he considered the possibility that she wouldn't be the same girl he used to know. She was no longer a girl. She was a woman.
Her hips swayed with each graceful step she took. Her long legs appeared even longer in the heels she wore and her toned muscles added to the air of confidence she already sent off in waves.
Even though the mayor himself was the host, it wasn't until now that Rick felt as if he was in the presence of someone special.
Her long, dreaded hair swept her back as she looked between the people who sought her attention.
'She may not even remember me,' Rick realized, really feeling the length of time and change distance them as he stood in the same vicinity as her.
He tried to pay attention to his fellow officers' chatter as they talked around him, but his eyes never strayed from Michonne for more than a second.
She talked to Deanna Monroe and then Mayor Stokes. And then her eyes trailed over to where he stood...
Rick's heart rate doubled...but her eyes barely reached him before she hastily looked away again.
At first Rick was confused; he wondered if she recognized him but didn't want to see him. But as he continued to watch her, he noticed her whole demeanor change. Her confidence turned to nervousness and it looked as if she was having difficulty breathing.
Growing concerned, Rick stepped away from his group of peers. "Excuse me," he muttered.
He stopped short when an African American man he recognized grabbed Michonne by her arm. This man was in the background of many of Michonne's televised events and there was barely an article that mentioned Michonne without mentioning her boyfriend/manager as well. Rick frowned as he watched them; Mike was obviously scolding her. And immediately, that protective first grader who never wanted Michonne to see anything akin to a crushed butterfly again resurrected inside of Rick. He started forward again, pushing his way through the crowd.
Michonne broke away from Mike just as he drew near and she bumped right into him.
"Michonne?" Rick said as he steadied her.
She didn't even seem to hear him. She stepped around him and rushed to the front door.
Even more concerned after seeing the distressed look on her face, Rick followed after her. It didn't take him long to find her outside crying. Rick didn't hesitate to go to her, deeply affected by her tears. "Michonne?" He gently called her name, not wanting to startle her.
"I'm fine," she answered without turning around. Her voice was muffled and he could barely understand her. She made some excuse about perfume and her defensiveness only made him want to comfort her more. He wanted to know why she was crying and fix whatever was causing the tears.
"Here," he said, unable to do anything more than offer her the handkerchief in his pocket. He had only brought the handkerchief at the last minute; he definitely hadn't planned on using it in this way. He knew she would recognize it.
And just as he expected, she swiftly turned around to face him.
"...My mom made this."
"I know." He took the hat off of his head so that she could better see his face. When her eyes widened with recognition, he felt a small swell of relief that she hadn't forgotten him.
"Rick..."
"Welcome home, Michonne."
A slow smile covered Rick's face. Above everything, he was happy to see his friend again. He slowly helped her to feet. He wanted to help to wipe her tears away, but he felt that would be overstepping a boundary.
He opened his mouth to re-introduce himself. To find out why she was crying and how she had been since she'd been gone. But before he could utter any words, a large body stepped between him and Michonne.
"I'm gonna need you to step back sir."
"It's okay, Tyreese," Michonne said, laying a hand on the large man's arm. Rick assumed he was her bodyguard.
He pulled his badge from his pocket. "Don't worry," he said, showing the badge to Tyreese and offering his hand for a handshake. "I'm Rick Grimes, sheriff of King County." He was conscious of Michonne's eyes on him as he introduced himself. "I and the rest of the King County police department will be working alongside you and everyone else to make sure Miss Teale's stay here is as safe and comfortable as possible." He nodded at Michonne to reaffirm his statement to her personally.
"If you ever need assistance in getting around King County-" he started.
"I think I know my way around King County," Michonne cut in.
"I don't know," Rick said. "Seeing as it's been over a decade since you were last here..." Rick stoppered his mouth. He didn't know where that came from. "A lot of things have changed," he finished simply.
Michonne looked down at the handkerchief in her hand before she held it out to him again. Rick hesitated, wondering if he should take it back. He didn't consider long. He reached out and took it, his fingers brushing hers.
"Not everything..." Michonne said.
She made her way past him. Rick had to stop himself from halting her. He felt like they had so much to discuss. The brief meeting he imagined wasn't enough. Which is why Rick was relieved to see Michonne stop before she rounded the corner and turn over her shoulder.
"I'll see you around, Rick."
"Yeah," Rick said. "See you around."
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