Domestic Partnership

Michonne was normally a very active participant in sex but this morning she was having a rough time of it. Not only was she not really in the mood, her stomach was rolling uncomfortably, she was tired, she had a headache, and she just wanted Rick to finish so she could get about the rest of the day. It was, she knew, going to be one of those days, where things were more likely to go wrong than right.

She glanced at the clock. It was almost eight o’clock on a rare Friday morning off. She’d overslept and then Rick had woken up in the mood. Maggie and Glenn were coming over at ten o’clock. She still had to get up, get Judy dressed (she was glad she’d bathed her the night before), get breakfast cooked and then had get herself showered and dressed.

Come on, Rick. I’ve got shit to do…

Rick was, thankfully, unaware of Michonne’s lukewarm response. He was completely absorbed in the task and she faked it well enough, lifting her hips to enthusiastically meet his. Finally she felt his body stiffen and he came, hotly, inside her on a deep moan. Just then a wave of nausea overcame her and just as he tried to kiss her she shoved him away, almost hard enough to r0ll him off the bed and onto the floor.

“Michonne?” he said in confusion.

He watched, bewildered, as she rushed to the bathroom, sank to her knees, and vomited into the toilet. He came in to check on her, holding her hair and patting her soothingly on the back.

“Not really the response I’d expect after I’ve made love to you,” he said, though she could sense he was more concerned than offended.

“Sorry,” she gasped. “It came on so suddenly.”

“It’s okay,” he said. “I just hope you’re all right.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“You take a shower in here. I’ll use the bathroom in the hall,” he said.

After making sure she was okay, Rick went to gather his clothes and then hop in the shower.

~*~*~*~*~

“Judy, baby, be a good girl and eat your oatmeal for Mommy,” Michonne sighed. “I’m running late.”

“No!” Judy yelled in response. It seemed that was her favorite, if not her only, word.

Michonne shook her head and took the bowl to the sink. They were all running late since she’d overslept and also spent fifteen minutes puking into the toilet. She had no energy and she blamed the early May heat wave that was rolling through in part. The only time she had access to air conditioning was in her cart, or on the rare occasions she volunteered to go on a supply run outside the walls of the sanctuary and she drove a car with air.

“Carl, share some of your eggs with her. I still have to get dressed.”

“Bobbie!” Judith yelled.

“Who in the world is Bobbie? She keeps asking for him,” Carl said.

“She means Barbie,” Michonne said, and handed the doll that had fallen to the floor to Judith, who tore its head off.

“Isn’t that a bad sign, tearing heads off dolls?” Carl asked. 

“Maybe if she was ten, but not at eighteen months.”

Judy promptly threw the doll at Carl before laughing as though it was the funniest thing in the world.

“Isn't violence a bad sign?” Carl wondered.

“Quit trying to turn your sister into a psychopath, Carl. She's perfectly normal,” Michonne said, a little testily, and dropped dry toast onto Rick's plate. Her stomach was still queasy and she just wanted to get outside into the fresh air, even if it was too warm.

“Why don’t we go swimming today?” Carl said, trying to keep Judith from beating him up with the doll.

“Because that’s tomorrow’s activity. Today you’re hanging out with Dad, Glenn, and Judy.”

“You just wanna go shopping with Maggie,” he said knowingly.

“No denials there,” she admitted.

Carl regarded her carefully for a moment with a frown on his face. “Mom, are you putting on weight?”

Rick came into the kitchen at just that moment and held up a hand calling for peace while Michonne looked sideways at Carl. “Honey, have mercy on the boy. He’s only fifteen.”

He sat down at his usual place at the head of the table and began buttering toast on the plate Michonne had prepared for him.

“Let me give you some advice, Carl,” said Rick. “There are three things you never ask a woman, and one thing you never say to her. You never ask a woman anything about her weight. Never ask a woman if she’s pregnant. Never ask a woman how old she is. For the love of sweet baby Jesus, never tell a woman sitting on your lap she’s heavy. It doesn’t matter if you’ve lost all feeling in your feet, she’s light as a feather.”

Michonne smirked at Rick.

“You look lovely this morning, Honey,” Rick said, standing and kissing her on the cheek.

“Suck-up.”

“Damn straight,” Rick agreed, and sat down.

“Glenn and Maggie are here,” Michonne said, seeing their cart pull up in the drive. “Tell her I’ll be right down.”

She hurried upstairs to get dressed.

~*~*~*~*~

Shopping was a pretense for the real reason for the trip. Sure, they planned to grab a bite to eat and maybe pick up some shoes. Michonne had an appointment to get her legs and bikini line waxed at Sweet’s Salon, but the real reason was a trip to the doctor.

Maggie suspected she was pregnant.

Truthfully, Michonne suspected the same thing about herself, which she told Maggie after they climbed into Maggie and Glenn’s cart and started on the four mile trip out of the more rural area and into town.

“I haven’t told Rick yet. I don’t want to get his hopes up,” Michonne said. “I mean, Carl is noticing things. I’m putting on weight, mood swings. Rick is either oblivious or…nah, he’s oblivious.”

This earned a chuckle from Maggie. “Glenn’s not. He’s the one who suggested this appointment. You got the sore breasts, too?”

“Mmm-hmm,” Michonne confirmed. “My period is two weeks late.”

“If we’re both pregnant we may have conceived at around the same time. I’m two weeks late, too.”

It was difficult to concentrate on shopping and passing time before their appointment. They both wanted to just get into the doctor’s office and see if Maggie was pregnant. Michonne wanted to see if the doctor could see them both.

“These are cute,” Maggie said, picking up a pair of red heels.

“How practical will they be, though, when your ankles are swollen and aching?”

“I forgot, you’ve been pregnant before,” Maggie said. “I’d be better off with a pair of sneakers.”

“We both will.”

They ate grilled chicken salads at the only restaurant in Sanctuary Three, a nice little place called The Briar Patch. The original owners had survived the Turn and had returned to open it when Sanctuary Three was established. Michonne and Maggie wound up binging on fudge cake after their salads.

“Finally. It’s time. Let’s go,” Maggie said, when three p.m. rolled around. They strolled over to the clinic, one of the only places in all of Sanctuary Three that had controlled climate in order to keep down on the propagation of germs since it was a public health facility that acted as the only medical center in S3.

The air was wonderfully cool when Maggie and Michonne entered. They approached the desk together.

“Maggie Rhee. I have a three o’clock with Dr. Eversen.”

“Hilda was called away a little while ago on an emergency in S2,” the receptionist said. “Dr. Fernandez is taking her patients today. Unless you’d like to reschedule?”

“No, that’s fine,” Maggie said. “I hope everything is okay.”

The woman behind the desk bit her lip. “I’m not allowed to talk about it. I wish I could. I’ll bet the Chief of Police will know something about it by now, though.”

The Chief of Police was Rick but he couldn’t contact her unless he knew specifically where she was. Michonne and Maggie shared a glance, wondering what was going on. Carol and Tyreese had settled down together in S2, and now both women were worried.

“Maybe I should get home,” Michonne thought.

“Rick can find us easily enough,” Maggie said. “If something really bad happens he’ll come for you.”

Michonne nodded in agreement but still worried.

They had to wait twenty minutes before the nurse called them back and got Maggie’s vitals.

“Is there any way Dr. Fernandez can see me too?” Michonne asked. “I know it’s short notice but I think I may be pregnant too.”

“I’ll ask,” the nurse said.

Michonne wasn’t one to take advantage of privilege, but her being the Chief of Police’s life partner sometimes brought perks. That, and she was the prosecuting attorney who put the bad guys away. Today, however, she was fully willing to accept special treatment. She needed her blood drawn and then she wanted to get home in case Rick had to leave Carl and Judith behind to care for an emergency situation. He would be expected to coordinate with the Ruling Council, after all.

“Ladies, good afternoon,” Dr. Fernandez said. “I’m sorry you had to wait so long. We’ll be as quick as possible.”

“Are you able to tell us anything about the situation in S2?” asked Maggie.

“No, I’m afraid not. I don’t know much. I figured you would have more information, actually,” Sylvia Fernandez said.

“I really need to contact Rick,” Michonne worried.

“The nurse says you think you may be pregnant too. Your vitals look good. I can draw blood and do panels on both of you and contact you with results later if you have to leave,” Dr. Fernandez suggested.

“That would be great.”

“Okay. We don’t have any out-of-the-box pregnancy tests that haven’t expired so we’ll have to determine pregnancy with a blood test. Judging by the symptoms you’ve written here you certainly sound like you’re probably pregnant, Maggie. You’re having similar symptoms?” she asked Michonne, who nodded.

Her blood had just been drawn and the puncture covered with gauze and tape when the door opened and Rick came in.

“Michonne, I need a word,” he said, without preamble. Then he noticed that blood had been drawn. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing. Just a routine checkup. Figured I’d get mine done while Maggie was doing the same. Let’s talk.”

They stepped into another exam room. At once Rick spilled what was going on.

“We’ve got a herd,” he said. “It breached the walls at S2 in the early morning hours and nine people were bitten and turned.”

“Oh, God. Has S2 fallen?”

“No, the breach has been secured. I spoke via telegram with Carol and Tyreese. They’re fine. So are Sasha and Bob.”

Michonne sagged in relief. “Thank God. I’m guessing you have to go?”

He shook his head. “No. The herd is moving our way. Michonne…it’s estimated there are about six hundred walkers.”

“Six hundred?” she choked out. “Our defenses are still being shored up. They could…”

“I know. We can’t evacuate and send all these people out there, not when that herd could chase them down.”

“Shelter in place?”

“That’s the protocol I came up with. S1 recently acquired two Black Hawk helicopters and there are eight soldiers that President Huber wants to send to me for command. Ernie was killed in S2.”

Ernie McGinnis had been the Secretary of Defense for all three of the sanctuaries. He was also a gifted farmer and had chosen life in sanctuary two.

“That makes you the acting Secretary of Defense,” Michonne said. “You'll have to be the one to deal with this, but not alone. I'm coming with you."

“Michonne, you have to stay for the kids.”

“Are you really gonna pull the kids card on me now, Rick? I need to be there. I’m a strong fighter. I’ve got experience with walkers. It’s the kids I’m fighting for, same as you. Not just our kids, but all of the children.”

“If something happens to me--”

“Glenn and Maggie will take them. I’m coming with you, even if I have to just show up at the battle on my own.”

She smothered his objections with a kiss. “We’re together in this.”

“You think you’re pregnant, don’t you? So do I,” Rick said, proving he wasn’t as oblivious as he seemed. “You may be pregnant and you want to go into a battle against these things?”

“I won’t let the possibility that I’m pregnant stop me from defending our home. The sanctuaries are the best thing that ever happened to us, Rick. I won’t give them up without putting up one hell of a fight.”

There was no point in arguing. Rick could see that. Short of locking her up in the local jail he couldn’t think of a way to keep her home. Truth be told, he could think of no one he trusted more to have his back.

“We’ll go home and get your katana. Then we have to ride out to the north-east portion of town. That’s where the danger lies.”

~*~*~*~*~

Michonne listened to Maggie lose an argument with Glenn about him staying with her and the kids. He was going to fight to keep her and the rest of the sanctuary safe.

“What if it turns out I’m pregnant? You could go out and get killed and never see the baby,” Maggie fretted.

“If those walkers flood this town I could lose you. We could lose everyone here. Maggie, I have to go. I’m fighting for you. For all of us.”

He kissed her and lovingly stroked an errant lock of hair from her forehead.

“Take care of the kids. Rick wants you to barricade at the jail. There’s food and water there, as well as bars to lock yourself behind should walkers breach the door. Not likely to happen but better safe than sorry.”

She nodded and then looked at Rick and Michonne. “Keep him safe.”

“We’ll do our best,” Rick promised. “You ready, Glenn?”

“Yeah.”

He kissed Maggie one more time and then headed out with Rick and Michonne. Waiting in front of the house was a Hummer and a man in military fatigues.

“Sir! My name is Taylor Stevens. I was Private 1^st class in the army before the Turn. I’ve been assigned to you from S1, directly from President Huber. I’m to be your second in command, sir, until permanent assignments are given.”

“Understood, Mr. Stevens. This is my partner, Michonne Kelly, and our friend, Glenn Rhee. They both lived and fought with me on the outside, before we were brought into the sanctuaries. They’re battle tested and have my absolute trust. You will obey their orders as though you would mine.”

“Understood, Sir.”

“Take us to the front line.”

~*~*~*~*~

The Northeast wall had been completed but it was still in the process of being reinforced. It, like most of the walls around S3 were vulnerable to large groups of walkers that may press against it and cause collapse.

Rick and Michonne stood atop the wall and watched two helicopters come to land in the field behind them. That field was the play area for the school that taught grades K-8, and where Maggie worked.

“Do we have a firm number of heads in this herd?” asked Rick.

He was surrounded by four men who were coordinating with S1 and President Huber. They had a militia of fifty men and women, most of them volunteers but with experience in surviving out in the wild. They knew guns and they knew how to take out a walker.

“The estimate is between five hundred fifty and six hundred, Sir,” said Christine Todd. Rick had trained her personally and she’d been a fine student. “That’s about as close as it could be narrowed down.”

Rick nodded. “Okay. We’ve got two tanks on tracks, fully fueled. I want them manned and I want them to roll out when we spot the herd. Mow them down. Crush as many walkers as possible while someone in the gun mount fires on them. We’ll fire from the walls. I want the birds in the air first, however. Take out as many as you can, using the rockets last. We’ll deal with the walkers that reach the wall despite the helicopters and the tanks.”

They mapped out a plan of attack while Rick sent orders to have the construction workers work double-time to finish reinforcements on the other walls surrounding S3. When everyone was clear on their duties and everyone was in position, Rick ordered the doors opened.

“Here they come!” a man further down the wall, with a pair of binoculars to his eyes, announced. “Let’s go! Roll out!”

The tanks started out. The helicopters lifted off and zoomed toward the herd.

Michonne stood back and watched Rick lead their people. She’d never been more proud of him.

“Chief! President Huber’s here, sir.”

Rick had only met Marshall Huber once, and he liked him. Still, this was not the place for him to be.

“Sir,” Rick said, shaking Huber’s hand. He saw another familiar face and smiled. “Will Swanson!”

He grabbed Will up in a tight hug. Will was the man who’d found them and brought them into the sanctuaries. They owed him their lives.

“Good to see you, Rick! Michonne, my lovely,” he said. Ever the gentleman, he kissed her hand. “I hear you’ve been dispensing justice for those who break the law.”

“I have. You still recruiting? You look like you’ve been pounding the pavement and losing weight.”

Will rubbed his much smaller middle.  “Had a heart attack a couple of months ago. Nate put me on a strict diet and exercise program. I’m working a less stressful job at the courthouse, now. Nate does all the recruiting.”

“I’m glad you’re doing all right. You sure this environment won’t be too stressful on you?” she asked.

“Oh, I’m sure it’s high stress enough, but I want to be here. I want to help.”

“We’re evacuating some people to the High School on the other end of town. I would appreciate it if you could work with Judge Dunn.”

“I’d be happy to.”

Rick gave him directions and then sent him on his way. Will had no sooner left than the first explosion shake the ground. Rick climbed atop the wall with Huber, Michonne, and Glenn and saw a column of fire and smoke rise high into the air. The two tanks trundled forward, shooting down walkers. Walkers fell under the tracks to be crushed into broken, flattened pieces that rose no more, but there were still hundreds that continued toward the wall.

“This is your command, Grimes,” Huber said. “I’m not here to boss but to watch and do what I can to help.”

“You shoot?” Rick asked.

Huber nodded.

“Then get a gun, Mr. President, and help us kill these things.”

~*~*~*~*~

It was a long, bloody battle. The doors set into the wall was breached by sheer force of pressure from the walkers that crushed against it. The men took shelter high on the wall and also atop the military transport vehicles, shooting at the walkers that flooded in.

“The wall is falling!” a man shouted.

“Get down!” Rick ordered. He helped Huber, a man in his early seventies, down off the wall, and ordered Taylor Stevens to get him to safety in one of the carts.

“Drive him to the High School, Stevens, then come back.”

“Yes, Sir!”

The cart took off, dodging walkers that swiped at it. Michonne moved forward and began cutting down walkers that lumbered toward her.

“Fall back! Everybody fall back!”

“Rick!”

Glenn was pinned down by five walkers. He was clinging to a section of the wall that was coming down and about to collapse atop him. Michonne rushed forward and took out two of the five. Glenn managed to shoot the others himself.

“Come on,” she said.

Glenn came up short, then collapsed.

“Glenn!” Rick shouted, and ran forward. He looked his friend over and saw he had a big gash on his side that was littered with splinters. He’d cut himself bad as the wall collapsed.

“We need a medic!”

Two women rushed forward. Rick was surprised to see one of them was Dr. Eversen. “I thought you were in S2.”

“I just got back,” she said. Hilda Eversen was in her mid-sixties but she was sturdy and brave. She also knew how to shoot. She put down a walker and then bent to examine Glenn’s wound.

She looked up at Rick.

“I need to get him to the clinic, now. He’s got to go into surgery or he’ll bleed to death. Let’s get pressure on this wound!”

Glenn cried out as Hilda’s companion pressed down to stop the bleeding. A second later he passed out from the pain.

“We need transport!” Rick shouted.

The rest of their men were getting further away, falling back as ordered and being swarmed by walkers. Thankfully a cart, modified for transport, rolled up. It had a red cross on the side and Michonne helped load Glenn into the back.

“Go,” she said, as soon as Glenn was stretched out, with Hilda and her nurse beside him. The cart took off, seeming to barely outrun the walkers that tried to swarm it.

“Rick, we’re cut off,” Michonne said.

“I see that,” he said. “We’ll have to run for it and circle around. Behind the school, now.”

Though it meant leaving a few men and women to be swarmed and eaten alive by walkers, Rick and Michonne had to flee.

~*~*~*~*~

Michonne had a stitch in her side by the time she and Rick were able to circle the school and rejoin the fight. Hours passed. She shot guns, she swung her katana, and she and Rick stuck together, back to back through most of it.

“This is one helluva domestic partnership we’ve got going,” Rick joked.

“What do you want to name the baby?” she asked.

“Do you know for sure?”

“Just in case I am,” she said, and sliced a walker’s head in half.

“Victory if it’s a girl,” he said. “We’re winning this things.”

“We’re not naming our daughter Victory.”

“Amelia? I’ve always liked that name.”

“Amelia…yeah, I can get behind that one,” Michonne agreed.

Rick shot two more and then realized--there were no more in sight. The gunshots had faded as well.

“If it’s a boy?” he asked.

“Rick Jr.,” she said.

“I was thinking Russell, after my father,” Rick said.

“Russell it is. Russell Andre,” she said. “After my son.”

“That’s a solid name. I’ve got this feeling we’re having a boy,” Rick said.

“You know what? So do I.”

He leaned in and kissed her. “Let’s go take a look at the damage.”

“We did it. We overcame the walkers,” Michonne said, wrapping an arm around him. “I once thought that this thing would wipe out humanity but it won’t. We’re going to make it, as a species.”

“Shit,” Rick whispered, and came to a stop.

“What?”

He looked at Michonne in a way that made her blood run cold.

“What? You’re scaring me.”

“I’ve got a scratch and I don’t know how I got it.”

~*~*~*~*~

Michonne sat outside the cell that Rick had locked himself in and waited. She was still covered in blood and gore but she wasn’t going to move until she knew for sure if the scratch on Rick’s hand was benign or not.

“It can’t be a walker scratch,” Michonne said. “It just can’t. I know I’m pregnant. I know we’re about to have our first child together. We’re building a life here.”

“Michonne,” he said, and took her hand. “It may be nothing.”

“What’s the gestation period again?”

“For a scratch, if it’s caused by a walker, I’ll start to display symptoms between one and sixteen hours, give or take.”

“How long has it been?”

“Twelve hours since I noticed it. I feel fine so far. We’ll wait twenty-four hours to be sure.”

They fell silent. Michonne had asked twice to come into the cell with him. He refused, afraid if he got sick or died he could turn on her. The door to the cellblock opened and Carl came in, pushing Judith in a stroller.

“News about Glenn?”

“Dr. Eversen says he’s in stable condition. He’ll be okay,” said Carl. “How are you?”

The fear in Carl’s eyes was almost like a tangible touch to the skin. Michonne tried to comfort him. “12 hours in and he’s fine. He’s gonna be fine.”

Carl nodded. “Oh, I almost forgot. Dr. Fernandez told me to give this to you.”

He handed her a piece of paper. She looked down at it and almost burst into tears, which only served to scare Carl even more.

“What’s wrong? Please don’t tell me he’s sick!”

“No, this is about me.”

“You don’t have cancer do you?”

“No, no. It’s good news. I’m pregnant.”

Carl’s mouth fell open. He looked between Michonne and his father and then laughed despite himself.

“I’m gonna have another baby sister? Or brother?”

“That’s right,” Rick said, smiling. He came to the bars and reached out to Michonne and Carl. They took his hands and squeezed.

“I’m gonna get through this. We’re gonna be a family,” he said. “I promise y’all that.”

~*~*~*~*~

Rick turned out to be right. He was released by Dr. Fernandez the next morning, symptom free, and spent the next week away from home helping to oversee the cleanup of the aftermath of the battle and the reconstruction of the wall. Glenn was released from the clinic and came over with Maggie for a celebratory dinner. Both women were expecting.

“Beth and Daryl are coming in next week,” Maggie said. “I can’t wait. God, I haven’t seen my baby sister in months.”

Maggie’s eyes suddenly watered up as she tried not to cry.

“You’re crying again?” Glenn said. She slapped him.

“You’re lovely, Maggie,” Rick said kindly.

“Suck up,” Maggie accused.

“Damn right,” Rick agreed.

Michonne sat back, watched her children, her man, and their friends laugh and talk and enjoy the food. When the meal was over she helped clean up dishes while Carl tucked Judith in upstairs. She rinsed the plate Rick washed and looked up at him, wondering if he was going to ask her to marry him. He hadn’t done so in a long time. Now she realized she wanted him to. Perhaps she’d turned him down so many times he figured she would never say yes.

“I love you,” he said.

“I love you too,” she answered, washing the plate off. She waited for him to say something along the lines of ‘We should get married’ but he didn’t.

“You know, I’ve had a long-time fantasy that I’d like to play out.”

Rick looked around to make sure Carl wasn’t within earshot. “Does it involve me in handcuffs and you with a whip and wearing leather panties? ‘Cause I’ve had that fantasy too.”

“No, you freak,” Michonne said, and slapped him with a wet washcloth. “I’ve always had this fantasy that you pull me over for speeding and I have to, uh…work off…my traffic ticket, if you know what I mean.”

Rick switched off the kitchen light and slapped her on her ass before following her up the stairs. “I can make that happen.”

~*~*~*~*~

A/N: This brings us up to the events in Traffic.