#don’t bring his Uncle Andre into this mess either

[ameliathefatcat]

Teddy’s favorite Quidditch team is a controversial issue

[lady-charinette]

Don't Mess with a Parent - Dad Noir & MamaBug Drabble

Hugo would say his father was a very nice person, he usually seemed calmer than mom, but had many moments where he was goofy and teasing and fun. He worked hard but he always had time for him, Emma and Louis.

Hugo always loved his puns, except the dad ones, his sister liked those more. He thought his father was the kindest person he knew, that nothing could ever get him angry.

Hugo learned that day, that even his dad could lose his temper.

Very, very badly.

He was in the park playing with mom and Emma while Louis and dad went to get them ice-cream from uncle Andre. He was chasing after his little sister when it happened.

Something big with wings suddenly crashed into him and before he knew it, he was flying over Paris, hanging from some creature's mouth.

It looked like a lion but it had wings. "H-Hey! Lemme go! I want to go back to mom! Hey! Ow!" The lion tightened his grip around him, releasing a snarl before it swooped down into the city, flying through the traffic until it crashed into a building.

Hugo only ever saw those kinds of buildings in movies, where the bad guys had their hideouts.

When he was finally set down and Hugo saw a woman standing before him dressed in purple, he knew.

Those were the bad guys.

-----------------------

Paris was used to the akuma attacks by now, they'd even taken safety measures against them. But nobody could predict what akuma Hawkmoth would send next and they weren't equipped to protect against all of them.

However, when an enraged Ladybug had landed on stage, disrupting Clara Nightingale's concert for a moment, the citizens of Paris knew something must've went horribly wrong as the whole room quietened down.

"My fellow citizens of Paris! There's been an akuma attack and a child was kidnapped! If any of you have seen Hugo Agreste, please report to me or Chat Noir as soon as possible! A child has been kidnapped, it's an emergency!" Ladybug has been their hero for years but the anger and distress in her voice was unmistakable, something that every mother in the crowd could resonate with. It was as if Ladybug herself had lost her child.

Chat Noir was nowhere to be seen, only Ladybug was patrolling the streets, swinging through the city with Rena Rouge and Pegase in search of the kidnapped boy.

It was only a handful of citizens that had caught it.

The black blur zipping passed rooftops, jumping over buildings like lightning.

Nobody dared question the distressed Ladybug where her partner was, they had a feeling if Ladybug was this distressed, Chat Noir would be worse. The feline hero was known to have a soft spot for children.

Paris had no idea just how much.

--------------------

"Thanks Luka." Chat Noir kissed Emma and Louis' foreheads, rubbing their heads affectionately, tail flicking anxiously behind him.

Viperion watched the way the tail swished back and forth, like a snake ready to strike. He could feel the distress rolling off him in waves and he squeezed his friend's shoulder in sympathy. He was a dad too, he would be livid if Hawkmoth attempted something like this with his kids.

The serpentine hero nodded, cradling both children in his arms. "It's fine, go and save your kid. Kagami and I will make sure nothing happens to them." he smiled down fatherly at his friend's children, squeezing their shoulders when they stared sadly at their father.

"Papa, where's Hugo?" Emma's bottom lip wobbled and Chat bowed down and nuzzled her cheek with his, a low purr rumbling in his throat that almost instantly calmed her down.

"Don't worry princess, papa will bring Hugo back. Just wait until mommy comes. Stay with uncle Lu and auntie Kagami until then." he rubbed his daughter's cheek, squeezing the miniature hand of his other infant son as Louis rested constantly in Viperion's arm.

"Don't worry kitty cat, call on us if you need help." Chat Noir smiled slightly at the dragon heroine, whose belly was slowly beginning to show as her eldest daughter clutched at her arm worriedly. A soft hiss made him turn his head to look back at the older snake hero.

Call on me. Viperion's unspoken plea was immediately understood by Chat, of course he wouldn't endanger the pregnant woman. No matter how fierce and capable Ryuuko was on the battlefield, a pregnant Ryuuko was the perfect target for Hawkmoth. Chat Noir hadn't let Ladybug transform during her pregnancy either, Mister Bug had saved the day with Viperion, Carapace and Rena Rouge with Queen Bee as backup at those times.

With that, Chat Noir quickly left the Couffaine-Tsurugi houseboat, entrusting the duo with his remaining kittens, while going on the hunt for his kidnapped one.

Chat Noir growled, claws extending from within the sheath of his gloves, eyes narrowed into slits as his legs worked harder and harder, jumps higher, runs faster.

Nobody hurt his loved ones, not his wife, not his friends but especially not his children.

I'm coming for you Hawkmoth.

----

The chimera akuma had been standing vigilant on the roof, eyes scanning the area for the heroes, mind echoing with the soothing voice of his mistress as it commanded him to grab the siblings of the boy.

He'd prepared to take flight again, spreading its wings, before its tail was suddenly grabbed from behind and a violent force pulled it back.

A surprised growl was all it released before its back collided against the solid brick of the rooftop, shattering it in thousand pieces. It released a screeching yowl, before jumping onto its feet, teeth fletched at its enemy.

A silver staff struck the creature's face and it snarled until another powerful blow landed on it's stomach, claws digging into the concrete from pain that caused it to curl in on itself and whimper pathetically.

The air was still, a shiver racing down the akuma's spine when claw-tipped footsteps echoed closer to its cowering form. Black boots nearly crushing its trembling paws beneath their might.

The whimper it released brought a dark grin to curl the man's lips, staff twirling threateningly in his hand before it slammed in front of the akuma's nose, nearly striking it again. "Tell me where your mistress is, little cub."

The little whimper the creature gave with a submissive bow of its head told Chat Noir he wouldn't need to wait long to find out.

--------------

"Now little boy, why don't you tell me where mama and papa are? I'm their good friend!" the weird woman had a sweet smile on her face but Hugo shied away from her touch, fear screaming at him to move away from her. She played with her thick chestnut brown hair, smiling kindly at him, holding a cane in her hand.

She couldn't be dad and mom's friend, why would she take him away from them?

"If you're their friend, why did you take me away?" his green eyes were full of distrust and the woman laughed.

The woman laughed, olive green eyes twinkling in mirth. "Oh little kitty, don't worry. Marinette and Adrien know that, I just wanted to surprise them." Hugo moved away from her arms, pushing himself hard against the wall.

"I-I don't trust you! I-I wanna go to mom and dad!" She knew his parents' names, but this wouldn't be a nice surprise at all, it certainly wasn't to him. Bottom lip trembling, Hugo's eyes filled with tears, his whole body shaking from fear as he wailed loudly.

The wooden door was flung off its hinges suddenly, splinters and wooden pieces flying everywhere as a pained cry from her akuma landing roughly on the floor beside her made the woman stand up on high alert, shielding her face from the flying wood.

Her akumatized chimera groaned pathetically, standing on wobbly feet as it cowered behind her form. "You stupid akuma! What are you doing?!" The butterfly mask glowed over its feline face, but the lion didn't budge, muscles locked in place in fear as a shadowy figure entered through the torn down doors.

When Hawkmoth attempted to grab Hugo, something silver flashed a hair's breath away from her face, embedding itself into the cement wall behind her. It was a staff with a green paw print.

A warning.

Shadowy tendrils of darkness enveloped the man as he stalked forward like a predator, steps slow but firm, every muscle tightened in preparation for a fight, clawed hand pulsing with highly destructive power at his side.

Glowing feline eyes were dead set on her face, black cat ears pulled back and perfectly white teeth bared into a vicious snarl. His tall form towered over her but Hawkmoth had her staff at the ready, a poor attempt to shield herself.

Menacing feline eyes briefly looked down at the wailing boy whose eyes were tightly shut in fear, the sleek purple staff aiming at high speed towards the blond man's face.

Chat Noir effortlessly grabbed the end of Hawkmoth's cane, fist tightly wrapped around the metal with his normal clawed hand.

The other one, pulsing with destructive power, neared Hawkmoth's face, a breath away from disintegrating her throat. When Chat Noir spoke, it was a threatening hiss that resonated within her very soul. "Tell me why I shouldn't turn you to dust right now, Hawkmoth."

As if realizing her dire situation just now, ice settled in her veins and turned her body to stone. The unsteady step back nearly made her fall if the killing intent reflected in the toxic green eyes glaring at her didn't. "Y-You can't! You're a superhero, don't forget who you are Chat Noir!"

Her staff was ripped from her grip to the side, his other hand coming to wrap around her throat, his activated Chataclysm still surging violently in his other one. "I think you're forgetting who you are and who you're dealing with. You're lucky my lady isn't here, she isn't quite as merciful as I am." Sharp claws pricked her neck and Chat Noir could feel her pulse racing in blatant fear. "You think kidnapping my kitten will get you in my good books? I may be a superhero, but I'm also a parent and you never anger a parent."

The woman struggled in his hold, her feet now cleanly off the floor as her fingers fought to pry the strong arm off holding her captive. "P-P-Please Ch-Cha-Chat Noir-"

A dark grin curled the hero's lips. "You're begging now? You should've thought twice before daring to come near my family." his grip tightened and he felt her thrashing even more until a quiet whimper made his ears stand and his head whip around.

Hugo was sniffling on the ground, voice small and low as he mumbled. "Dad....d-dad....dad...."

As if a spell was broken, Chat Noir's grip loosened and the butterfly Miraculous holder fell unceremoniously to the floor, coughing violently from the harsh grip around her neck.

A warm, familiar hand suddenly rested gently on Hugo's head and a soothing, calm voice entered his ears. "Shhh, it's alright now Hugo, I'm here. Papa's here."

When misty green eyes opened to look up at the familiar equally kind green eyes of his father, Hugo immediately threw himself into his arms, sobbing into his chest uncontrollably. "Dad, you- you- you're f-finally he- he-here." Hugo's small arms were clutching at Chat Noir's shoulders tightly as his father gently rocked him in his arms, soft purrs helping to calm down his distressed son.

He hiccupped a few times, his small body trembling violently in his father's protective grip. Hugo's head was gently pressed against his chest, shielding his gaze away.

Chat Noir turned his head to look down at the woman, reaching pathetically for her cane.

A booted leg firmly slammed down on the metal, toxic green eyes boring into her soul. "Touch my kittens again and the staff won't be the only thing that's broken." the hiss was the final warning she would get before he chose to summon Chataclysm again.

With that, the father walked off, akuma disintegrating back into the lion from the zoo with its collar destroyed by Chataclysm, as the dark butterfly began flying towards the roof slowly.

Chat Noir rubbed soothing circles on his son's back, kissing his forehead affectionately as his wife waited at the entrance, lips pulled into a tense frown.

"Show some mercy, bugaboo."

"Take Hugo home. I'm right behind you." her tone suggested 'mercy' didn't exist in her vocabulary right now, if the furiously spinning yoyo in her hand and her icy glare were any indication.

Chat smirked, bouncing his son gently in his arms, whispering soothingly in his ear to drown out the noises behind him as he vaulted from roof to roof back home.

-----------------

For the next week, there had been no akumas and that was fine by Paris.

The media had praised their heroes for saving the Agreste son, an exclusive, privately filmed meeting showed Chat Noir handing the worried Marinette and Adrien Agreste their child, with Adrien profusely thanking the hero while Marinette kissed his cheek in gratitude.

Marinette smiled at the TV, watching the documented exchange with a chuckle and glancing at Alya. "You know, your illusions really do come in handy from time to time." the doubles she created of her and her husband as civilians were flawless and strikingly true to their personalities.

Alya smiled proudly. "Of course, Rena Rouge is a master illusionist after all." she winked and both women giggled. Alya's expression turned sheepish when she looked at Marinette, who sipped at her coffee. "Girl, just what did you do to her? Hawkmoth didn't attack for like a week and a half."

The glint in her friend's eye told her Hawkmoth wouldn't be attacking for at least another few weeks. "Nothing much. Just politely showed her her boundaries. Kidnapping children isn't a light matter you know."

Alya snorted, taking a big gulp of the dark concoction in her mug. "You're telling me, I would've bashed her head in with Nino's shield had that been my little girl."

Marinette giggled at her friend's tempting suggestion, gazing fondly at her sleeping children after a full day of playing with their father, buried under all of his three kids, his arms curled protectively around them in his sleep. Adrien's sleeping face was peaceful now, squashed by a sleeping Emma and Hugo, with Louis sleeping on his father's chest.

"He's such a dork." Alya followed her friend's line of sight and snorted.

"Yeah, didn't look like a dork when he went on the hunt for Hugo. Even I got scared. Luka said he was tempted to go with him so he didn't destroy the whole city."

Marinette shook her head, smiling. "You're one to talk, fox hero who wants to bash someone's head in with a shield."

Alya wiggled her finger in the air. "Ah, ah, ah. That's taken out of context. I said I would bash in Lila's head, not just anyone's."

Both women chuckled amongst themselves, Plagg and Tikki lost in their own conversation.

"You should've seen him Tikki. I was so proud! He's still too much of a softy though..." Plagg crossed his little arms, while Tikki sighed.

"Plagg, he's still a superhero. Adrien's responsible enough to control himself, even if it is her."

A shiver raced down the cat god's spine, shaking his head. "Ohh no, sugarcube, that last Chataclysm would've went to her face if little kitten hadn't been there crying."

The kwami of creation sighed, settling in next to her lounging partner. "Well, Marinette wasn't much of a softie when she was done with Lila." an identical shiver raced down her own spine and Plagg smiled.

"See? I still think Kittenette is made for the Black Cat Miraculous."

"Oh shut up, stinky sock."

Thanks for reading! Just a silly little piece I made up on the spot. :3 I'm weak for parental Love Square / Dad!Noir fics.

[carolina-bleus]

Change of Heart: Carolina-Bleus

“Lisa, Mr. Johnson just received his right-to-sue letter and has decided to go forward with his Title VII claim. I need you to get a courier over to his home today and pick up the letter and some other documents he forgot to bring to our last meeting. I want to start working on his complaint today.”

“Sure thing, Ms. Richardson. Do you need anything else?”

“No, I-“ Michonne was interrupted by buzzing coming from her desk. She smiled at the caller id. “Lisa, could you hold all of my calls until further notice?”

“Absolutely.”

Michonne disconnected from Lisa and picked up her cell. “Hey, sweetie. How was your day?”

“Hey, Mama! It was good. I got an ‘A’ on my math test.”

“That’s excellent, Andre! We’ll have to celebrate with a scoop of Big Cat ice cream when we get home.”

“When are you coming home?”

Michonne sighed, knowing that her son wouldn’t be happy with her answer. “I have something I really need to work on for a client, so it will probably be after dinner.”

“So I have to stay with Aunt Jacqui and Uncle Tyreese until then?”

“I thought you liked spending time there with your cousins?”

“I do, but it’s not the same as being home with you.”

“I know, Peanut, and I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you this weekend. We can spend Saturday doing whatever you like.”

“That’s fine, Mama. I know you can’t help it. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Okay, sweetie. Bye. I love you.”

“I love you, too, Mama. Bye.”

Michonne waited for Andre to end the call and then sat back in her chair and closed her eyes. Opening my own firm was supposed to give me more time with Andre, not less.

A light tapping on her office door interrupted Michonne’s thoughts. She opened her eyes and sat up. “Come in, Lisa.”

“Guess again.” Sasha popped her head in with a big smile before walking into Michonne’s office.

“Oh, hey. Sorry, I thought you were Lisa bringing me something.”

“She just stepped away from her desk as I was walking up so that’s the only reason I could get in here unannounced. She guards this place like Fort Knox.”

“Yeah, Lisa doesn’t play,” Michonne said with a laugh. “So what brings you by?”

“I was in the area and thought I’d stop in to see my sister-friend. How are you doing?”

Michonne’s older sister, Jacqui, was married to Sasha’s older brother, Tyreese. The couple had been married for years and dated many years before that. Sasha and Michonne had become like sisters themselves as a result.

“I’m fine.”

Sasha squinted at her friend before taking a seat in front of Michonne’s desk. “That wasn’t very convincing. What’s going on Chonnie?”

“It’s Dre.”

“Is he okay?” Sasha asked in concern.

“He’s fine. I just talked to him and had to tell him I’d be home late...again. He doesn’t like always having to go to Jacqui and Tyreese’s after school.”

“I can understand that. There’s nothing like your own home.”

“Rub salt in the wound there, friend.”

“I’m not trying to do that. I’m just saying I get it.”

“I’d love to be able to pick him up and be home with him after school but I can’t do that. Hell, I can’t even have dinner with him some days.” Michonne shook her head in frustration. “I left my other firm and started this one so I would have more say over my schedule and the cases I took so that I could have more time with Dre.”

“And that’s not happening.”

“I definitely have more say over my cases but I’m getting so many that they are cutting into my time with Dre. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful because I wanted and needed the firm to be a success, but it’s growing faster than I’d ever hoped or expected.”

“Why don’t you hire on more people here?” Sasha suggested.

“I plan to but I don’t want to expand too quickly. More people means more salaries, more office supplies, more computers, more office space...more everything. The firm is still fairly new. I have to be smart about the moves I make. I am going start with hiring a new associate and maybe get an intern to do some basic research and document drafting. That should help ease things some at work. But---”

“That doesn’t solve the issue with Dre.”

“Exactly.”

“Well, there is one more person you could hire.”

“Sasha, I already told you—”

“Not for your firm...for your home.”

“What are you talking about? A babysitter?”

“I was thinking someone a little more permanent like a nanny.”

“A nanny?”

“Yeah. They can pick Dre up from school, take him to his different activities, make him dinner when you can’t and just be there with him at home.”

“I don’t know, Sasha,” Michonne said warily. “It feels like hiring someone to raise my child.”

“They wouldn’t be taking your place or raising your child, Michonne. It’s just someone to help out. And Dre will get to spend more time in his own home.”

Michonne thought it over. “I guess it’s not a bad idea, but I’d have to vet the hell out of this person. Not just anyone is going to be around my little peanut.”

“I didn’t expect anything less, Mama Bear. And since it was my suggestion, I want to help. I know you have your resources, but I can also get Abe to run a background check on any candidates down at the police station.”

“That would be great. Well, I’ll start looking at agencies and go from there.” 

Feeling a little better now that she had a plan in place, Michonne decided to tease her friend some. “Abe, huh? I noticed his name has been coming up a lot more lately. Are you two...?”

Sasha sighed and rolled her eyes. “No. We are just friends. I’m not dating any more guys with civil service jobs.”

“So I shouldn’t try to hook you up with Shaun the mailman? He fills those walking shorts out like nobody’s business.”

Sasha picked up a paper clip from the desk and threw it at Michonne. “You got jokes I see. You know what I mean.”

Michonne sobered. “I do. I was just trying to keep your mind from going there. You can’t shut yourself off because of what happened to Bob.”

“I don’t want to talk about it, Michonne.”

“Okay. I’ll let it go for now.”

“Thank you.” Sasha stood up to leave.” I have to get to work. When you get some names together, just give them to me and I’ll pass them along to Abe. I’ll talk to you later.”

Michonne watched Sasha make her way to the door. “Sasha.”

Sasha paused without turning around. “Yeah?”

“Thanks for the suggestion and looking out for Dre.”

“No problem. And Michonne?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for looking out for me.”

“No problem.”

Sasha turned and shared a smile with Michonne before heading out of the office.

Michonne buzzed Lisa at her desk. She hoped she was back. “Lisa?”

“Yes, Ms. Richardson?”

“Could you look up some staffing agencies that specialize in nannies?”

“Sure. How soon do you need the list?”

“As soon as possible. Oh and you can resume my calls. Thanks.” 

Michonne turned her seat to face the city view. A nanny...I hope I’m making the right decision.

“NERD ALERT! NERD ALERT! Fellas, we got a Poindexter on the premises!” Shane shouted out to the table full of police officers, firefighters, and EMTs.

Rick smiled good-naturedly as his friends laughed at Shane’s antics. He took a seat and waited for them to quiet down.

“I’m glad I can be a source of amusement for y’all.”

Shane clapped his best friend on the back. “And I certainly do appreciate it, Rick. You’ve been providing me with solid material since kindergarten.”

“Don’t act like we don’t have dirt on you, Shane. I seem to remember a certain incident where they brought in that lady in a witch costume for Halloween when we were in first grade and you got so scared that you hid behind Miss Pierson’s skirts and peed all over the floor.”

“Shut up, T-Dog. My mama said I had a condition back then that I had to grow out of,” Shane defended.

“Yeah, it was called Pissy-itis. Didn’t you have a flare-up at summer camp when we were in the sixth grade?”

While the others turned their laughter on Shane, Teddy shot Rick a quick wink. Rick nodded his thanks for Teddy setting Shane straight.

Teddy “T-Dog” Douglas, Rick Grimes, and Shane Walsh had been best friends since childhood. While Shane thought himself the group leader, it was Teddy who kept their group together and served as the balance between boisterous Shane and the more laid-back Rick.

“Whatever, man.” Shane dismissed Teddy and turned to Rick. “I’m surprised you could make it. Lately, you’ve either been too busy studying or working to hang out with us. What’s the special occasion?”

“I needed a drink tonight. I just found out that I’m out of a job.”

Shane immediately turned serious. While he had his obnoxious moments, he genuinely cared about his friends. “That’s messed up, man. What happened?”

“Well, since it’s a nonprofit, they rely a lot on grants and donations. They told me today that they were shifting the focus of the program and the grant for my position won’t be renewed. I have six weeks to find another job.”

“Can’t you just live off of the money your grandmama left you?” Shane asked.

“She left me good money and it’s helping me pay for school without taking out loans, but I don’t want to just rely on that. I still need to supplement my other expenses. Working part-time with the foundation helped with that.”

Rick was a former police officer, turned graduate student. He was pursuing his master’s degree in psychology. He eventually wanted to get his doctorate in clinical psychology and counsel children, particularly those whose lives had been disrupted by crime...be they crimes perpetrated against them or crimes committed by a parent against others. His years as a cop had left him keenly aware of the fact that the impact of crime on children was long-lasting and not always given the attention it deserved. He wanted to do what he could to help the smallest voices be heard.

Going back to school wouldn’t have been fathomable if not for Rick’s late maternal grandmother. Before she passed, she had encouraged Rick to pursue his career passion and left him with the means to do so in her will.

“So what are you going to do, Rick? We’d always be glad to have you back at the station. You say the word and I’ll get things moving for you,” Abe Ford offered.

“Thanks, but there’s no way I could do that and go to school full-time. I’m really looking for something like I’m doing now that offers me experience working with kids and has flexible hours that allow me to get my schoolwork and studying done.”

“We’ll all keep an ear out for you, Rick.”

“I appreciate that, Abe.”

Shane clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention. “Okay, now if we are done with the career counseling, can we take advantage of the fact that Rick has decided to rejoin the living tonight? I say we celebrate. And to show what a good friend I am, I will buy the first round of drinks—”

A shout of approval went up over the table.

“Y’all’s cheap asses didn’t let me finish. I’m buying the first round for Rick’s soon-to-be unemployed ass. The rest of y’all have jobs so buy your own damn drinks,” Shane said as he walked off to the bar.

“Here you go.”

Rick looked up from scrolling through a job site and grabbed the Jack and Coke from Shane. He immediately took a sip. “Thanks, Shane.”

“No problem, man,” Shane said as he plopped back into his seat. “I just want you to know that everything is going to work out...with your job and everything. You’ve worked too hard for it not to.”

“Shane Walsh being supportive? I’m pleasantly surprised.”

“Shut up and finish your drink. I know you have to drink away your sorrows since your no game having ass doesn’t have a woman to suck them away.”

“And regular Shane is back,” Rick added with a laugh.

“Look, I know I give you a lot of shit, but I’m proud of you and what you’re doing.”

Rick nodded his thanks before asking, “Why do you give me so much shit about school and pretty much everything else?”

“Hey, man, what can I say? I’m an asshole, but my heart’s in the right place.”

“I’ll make sure they put that on your tombstone because that is Shane Walsh in a nutshell.”

“Fuck you, man.”

Rick laughed. “I love you, too, brother.”

“Wow, Michonne, you actually beat me to dinner for once? Let me look outside and make sure there aren’t any pigs flying around.” Sasha pretended to peer through one of the restaurant’s large windows facing the water.

“Sasha, you act as if I’m always late.”

“Eh, not always but your track record of tardiness is pretty good.”

“I’m a busy woman. Now sit down so we can order. I’m starving.”

“That’s because you don’t eat like you should at work.”

“Sasha, I’ll leave your love life alone if you’ll let me handle my work life.”

“Fine...let’s talk about your love life...or lack thereof.”

“My love life is fine. I don’t have time for much else besides taking care of Dre and making sure my firm is a success.”

“And you’re doing great on both counts, Michonne,” Sasha assured her friend.

“I’m doing great with work. But if I was doing a great job with Dre, I wouldn’t be handing you this list right now.” Michonne reached into her bag and pulled out a large manila envelope. “Here are the names and information of the final candidates for the nanny position.”

Sasha took the envelope and secured it in her bag before continuing. “Those must be some A plus candidates you settled on because it’s taken three weeks to get my hands on those names.”

“I just wanted to make sure I have the best options. I’m not just going to have any and everyone around my son for hours on end.”

“Oh, I’m totally with you on that. I’ll get these down to Abe before my shift starts at the firehouse tomorrow.”

“I still don’t see how you do those twenty-four hour shifts.”

Sasha shrugged. “I’ve been doing them for a while now, so I’ve gotten used to it. And I’ll have the next two days off after that so I can’t complain too much. Plus, I just really love what I do.” She smiled sadly. “My job has brought a lot of good things and good people into my life.”

Michonne knew Sasha was thinking about her fiancé, Bob Stookes. Bob was an EMT that Sasha met while responding to call. Bob’s quick wit and positive outlook on all things quickly won Sasha over and the two began dating soon after they met. They’d been engaged to be married when Bob was killed while aiding a victim during a domestic disturbance call. It had been nearly two years and Sasha hadn’t been able to move forward. She’d tried. She’d even moved closer to family and started work at a new fire department after Bob’s death, but she hadn’t been able to leave behind those emotions from the night she received that life changing phone call.

Michonne placed a hand over Sasha’s. “Sasha when I talk to you about moving on with your life, being happy and dating again, I hope you know that I’m not trying to tell you to forget Bob and all that he means to you. I’m just saying that he wouldn’t want you to spend the rest of your life mourning him. That’s not how Bob lived and he wouldn’t want you to do that either. He’d want you to be happy.”

Sasha moved her hand to wipe at a stray tear. “I know you mean well, Michonne. But it’s a little hard for me to take advice from you when you don’t even follow it yourself. Mike walked out years ago and you still haven’t moved on. Are you waiting for him to walk back into your and Dre’s life?”

Michonne sat back angrily. “If he wants to be part of his son’s life, then that could perhaps be arranged...if he’s changed. But our life together as a couple and a family is over. I could forgive and forget if he had just walked out on me. But he left our son and has never looked back. I can’t forgive that.”

“Mike was the one who did wrong, so why are you punishing yourself?”

“What are you talking about?”

“He left because his fragile ego couldn’t handle that your career was progressing faster than his. He couldn’t handle that you were the breadwinner and he was the stay-at-home dad. That was all on him. But you’ve locked yourself off from pursuing anything that doesn’t directly benefit Dre or your career because of Mike’s shortcomings. How is that fair to you?”

“I think a part of Mike thought I would fail if he left me trying to juggle my career and a toddler, but I made it. My career flourished. Andre has flourished. And---”

“And you have made yourself your last priority. Your happiness counts for something, too, Michonne. And I think Dre cares more about having a happy mother than a successful one.”

“I can be both.”

“But are you both?”

“Sasha, I don’t need a man to be happy.”  

“Michonne I never said anything about a man. You just did. All I’m saying is that you need to focus on yourself more and find some happiness outside of being a successful lawyer and amazing mother. You need to stop neglecting yourself, Michonne.”

That threw Michonne for a loop. She was extremely happy with how her career was going. And aside from not being able to spend as much time as she would like with Andre, she was happy with the young man her son was becoming. But, personally, she did miss having someone to share everything with...the triumphs and the tragedies. She thought she’d had that with Mike and had been sorely mistaken.

Michonne mentally shook off the conversation because she just wasn’t ready to deal with any of it yet and grabbed her menu. “I don’t think either of us came here for a therapy session. How about we save this for another day, get some good food, gossip about Andrea’s scandalous love life and call it a night?”

“That’s the best idea you’ve had in a while,” Sasha agreed as she picked up her own menu.

“All of my ideas are amazing, Sasha.”

Sasha scoffed. “Uh, what about your idea to do our own eyebrows when we were in high school?”

Michonne laughed at the memory. “I did a great job on mine. I didn’t tell you to go ham on your brows with the tweezers.”

“I ended up looking like a Vulcan!”

“But you were a cute Vulcan. All the guys in Science Club wanted to date you.”

Sasha flipped Michonne the bird before looking at her menu.

Bright and early the next day, Sasha walked into the police station hoping to catch Abe before his shift ended. She spotted him standing at the front desk.

“Abe!”

Abe turned and greeted Sasha with a big, tired smile on his face. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence this early in the morning?”

“What? No inappropriate comment?”

“It’s too early and I’m too tired. But I promise to give it to you good the next time I see you to make up for lost time.” Abe winked.

Sasha shook her head with a smile. “Before you head out, I have a favor to ask.”

“Anything for you, darlin’.”

Sasha handed Abe the envelope full of candidate info. “My best friend is looking for a nanny for her son. He’s very special to me and I was hoping you could run a deep background check on the candidates for the job. I have to make sure he’s in good hands.”

“Of course.” Abe opened the envelope and began flipping through the pages. “Well, not a looker to be found. They certainly won’t inspire any good source material when I get home.”

“Abe.”

“Just a little joke,” Abe murmured before closing the envelope and looking at Sasha. “How soon does your friend need it?”

“As soon as possible would be great. Michonne wants a nanny in place sooner rather than later.”

“Mee-shawn? That sounds exotic.”

“Say that to her and it won’t end well.”

“She sounds feisty. I like that in a woman.” Abe looked at Sasha pointedly before continuing. “Why is she looking for a nanny? What is she, some rich woman who needs more time to improve her tennis strokes?”

“Hardly. She’s a single mother and successful lawyer. It’s getting harder to do everything on her own so she’s looking for someone to pick Dre up from school and be at home with him until she can get there.”

That got Abe thinking. “Hmmm. How old is Dre?”

“He turns eight in a few months? Why?”

“I thought you were talking about a baby, but I think Rick can handle a soon-to-be eight-year-old.”

“Abe, what are you talking about?”

“I have a friend, a former cop, named Rick Grimes. He left the force about a year ago to go back to school full-time and get a graduate degree in psychology. He was working with kids at a nonprofit, but his position is up in a couple of weeks. If the nanny would just be needed in the afternoons and evenings, I think this would be right up Rick’s ally.”

Sasha thought for a moment. “Rick Grimes? I remember running into him a couple of times during calls my first year at the firehouse here. He was always nice and helpful. You know him pretty well?”

“He’s a real good friend of mine and one of the best guys I know. This would be a win-win for him and your friend. I mean she doesn’t have to worry about anybody messing with Dre with Rick around.”

“I’d have to talk to Michonne. I don’t know if male nannies were even on her radar.”

“Well, that’s mighty sexist of her.”

Sasha eyed Abe. “You would know.”

“I think you’re confusing sexist with sexy.”

“Yeah, Abe, that’s exactly it,” Sasha said dryly.  “Look, could you get Rick’s information for me and have it ready ASAP? I’m going to try and smooth the way for him with Michonne.”

“Will do.” Abe offered Sasha an arm. “Now, let me walk you down to the firehouse and show those guys what a real specimen looks like.”

Sasha ignored Abe’s arm and started walking out of the station. “Your body might be tired but your mouth is working overtime. Bye, Abe. And thanks.”

“You are mighty welcome, Miss Sasha Williams.”

Before heading home, Abe decided to stop over at Rick’s apartment.

“Hey, Abe. What’s going on?”

“I’m just gonna cut to the chase because I’m more worn out than a mattress at a swingers’ club. I think I found you a job.”

“Come on in.” Rick stepped back to let Abe enter. “You want anything to drink?”

“No, I’m good.” Abe took a seat on the couch while Rick sat in his recliner. “Do you remember Sasha Williams? She’s a firefighter over at the Libby Street Station. She said she met you a couple of years ago?”

“Yeah. We worked a few of the same calls.”

“Well her best friend is looking for a nanny.”

“A nanny!” Rick started shaking his head. “Abe, I don’t think—”

“Just hear me out. This isn’t for a little baby. The kid is eight years old. His mother is a single parent looking for someone to pick him up after school and stay with him until she gets home in the evenings. She’s a lawyer so she’ll probably pay pretty good. And you can’t beat the schedule.”

“When I said I wanted to work with kids, being a babysitter wasn’t on the list of jobs.”

“I’m sure she’ll have you doing other stuff, I’m just giving you a rough rundown. It’s perfect, Rick. And it starts soon. All I need you to do is give me your information so I can pass it on along.”

“Well, I am running out of options and maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. Let me print out a copy of my resume.”

Abe leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes. “Alright. Put that printer on lightning speed so I can get out of here before I fall asleep or else you’ll have a redheaded roommate for the next few hours.”  

Rick stood in his office waiting for his resume to finishing printing. I hope this is the right move.

“Good job, Peanut!” Michonne turned to Andrea in the stands. “Did you see that? Dre just scored a goal!”

Andrea looked up from her phone. “Oh shit! I missed it? He didn’t even have the ball when I glanced down to check a message. These kids move fast.”

“If you put your phone away and paid attention, you wouldn’t miss anything.”

“Michonne, I am here for Dre and Dre only. If he’s not kicking the ball, I’m not paying attention.”

“I’m surprised you even made it. You and Saturday mornings don’t usually mix.”

“Dre begged me to come and you know how hard it is to say ‘no’ to him. I’d do anything for that little guy.”

“I definitely know the feeling. That’s the only reason why I agreed to this whole nanny thing.”

“How is that going?”

“Sasha is supposed to bring me the information on the finalists today. Then I’ll start setting up interviews for next week.”

“Have you told Dre about this yet?”

“Yeah. I want him to be there for part of the interviews. I need to see who Dre feels most comfortable with and how they interact with him.”

“That makes sense. Because I’d really hate to have to hurt somebody for not treating him right.”

Michonne laughed. “You sound like Jacqui. She said she’d catch a case if somebody laid hands on Dre.”

“For once, Jacqui and I agree on something.”

After the game, Michonne pulled into her driveway to find Sasha sitting in the swing on her front porch.

“Hey, Sasha,” Michonne greeted while getting out the car. “Why didn’t you use your key?”

“I just got here a little while ago. I decided to enjoy the nice morning while I wait. Hey Andrea.”

“Hey Sasha.”

Dre jumped out of the car and ran up to Sasha. “Hey Aunt Sasha! Guess what?”

“What?”

“We won and I scored a goal!”

“Great job, Dre! Gimme a hug.”

“I’m kind of sweaty though.”

“I don’t mind.” Sasha grabbed her nephew up in a big hug that had him giggling before she set him back on the ground. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be there this morning.”

“That’s okay. I know you can’t be there when you have to save people.”

Michonne opened the front door and motioned everyone in. “Dre, sweetie. Go on and wash up and then we’ll go out to lunch.”

“Okay, Mama. See ya in a little bit.” Dre yelled as he ran up the stairs.

“Sasha, do you have the information for me?”

“I do. Let’s go into the kitchen. I need some coffee this morning.”

Once they were seated around the island, Sasha slid the packet over to Michonne. “Everyone checked out so you should be good to go with setting up interviews. But there is one additional candidate I think you should look at.”

Michonne looked up from the papers. “Who is that?”

“A man named Rick Grimes. He used to be a cop. He’s going to grad school now to become a child psychologist. I worked with him a few times and he’s nice. His resume is at the end in the pile.”

Michonne took a moment to read over the document. “He looks great on paper, but why would he want to work as a nanny?”

“I don’t know all of the details but apparently his other job is ending soon and he’s looking for something similar that allows him to work with kids and has hours that work with his school schedule.”

Andrea reached over and grabbed the paper from Michonne. “Where is his picture? All the other applicants provided a photo. I need to see if this dude passes the weirdo test and to see if he’s worth putting in my dating pool.”

“It doesn’t matter what he looks like, Andrea.” Michonne took the resume back. “I’m not sure if I even want a male nanny. It’s just not something I’m used to.”

Sasha scoffed. “Are you serious right now, Michonne?”

“I’m completely serious.”

“You make a living out of helping people fight against employment discrimination and you are going to discriminate against someone because of their sex. That’s very hypocritical of you.”

“She’s got you there, Michonne.” Andrea chimed in. “Besides, maybe Dre would prefer to have a male nanny as opposed to some of those Mrs. Doubtfire stand-ins the agency suggested. You should at least let the man interview.”

“Fine, I’ll have Lisa set up an interview. But it will probably be a waste of both of our time. I doubt he’ll even want the job.”

Three interviews down and Michonne was ready to throw in the towel. Thus far, none of the candidates had lived up to their resumes.

Michonne sighed and rubbed her temples. “I feel like we are being catfished nanny style.”

“You seriously need to call the Better Business Bureau on that agency. Those nannies they recommended have been horrible. Did they even read your requirements? I thought the first lady was going to explode when she found out this wasn’t a live-in position. Why was she so upset about not being able to live here? That’s a thief in the making right there. You’d have to break out the nanny cam on her ass.”

“Jacqui, this agency was supposed to be the best one in the area. I told them exactly what I needed. I don’t know how it got so screwed up.”

“Well, screwed up is putting it mildly. The blonde chick gave me Single White Female vibes. She was just a little too attentive to you and Dre. If you’d hired her, it would only be a matter of time before she came in here wearing a dreadlock wig, too much bronzer, and asking Dre to call her ‘mama.’”

“She wasn’t that bad, Jacqui. But Dre didn’t seem to like her so she’s out anyway. What about Mrs. Addams that just left? What did you think of her?”

“I think the last kids she probably cared for are collecting social security checks as we speak. Mrs. Addams was 82 if she was a day. That crooked jet-black wig wasn’t fooling anybody. Coming in here looking like a black Betty Boop with them drawn on eyebrows. There is no way she can keep up with Dre. He’d end up taking care of her and that wig.”

“Calm down, Jacqui.”

“Michonne, you know I can’t abide by messiness, especially when it comes to my family.”

“We have two last interviews. One more person from the agency and that Grimes man Sasha recommended. Hopefully, one of them will be the right fit.”

“They better be the right fit. If not, I’m going to make sure my size six shoe fits right upside somebody’s head down at that agency.”

Michonne stared at her sister in amusement. “Why did I ever ask you to join me for these interviews?”

“Cause you know I don’t play.”

“Could you just go get the next candidate please?”

“Sarah, I see you have an undergraduate degree in child development.”

“Yes, I graduated with honors. The course of study was interdisciplinary and focused on child development from birth through adolescence. We delved into child psychology, education, sociology and so much more. I have great insight as to not only how children develop physiologically but also the psychological and sociological influences that impact their development along the way.”

“Are you planning on furthering your education or is being a nanny a lifelong career path for you?”

“I plan to keep up with the latest developments in the field and eventually have my own agency full of well-qualified and educated nannies such as myself. But, at this point in my life, I’m focused on providing the best care to the children under my charge.”

“You’re aware that this position is not live-in?”

“Yes, that’s one of the things that drew me to the position. I just got married, so I kind of want to live with my husband,” Sarah said with a laugh.

“There may be some evenings where you have to stay quite late if I have a business engagement or even some overnights, if I have a trial or seminar out of town. Will that be a problem?”

“Absolutely not. That is all expected when one chooses to become a nanny.”

“Are you fine with the rate of pay for this position?”

“Yes. It is in line with the other positions I’ve held.”

“Okay. Well, do you have any questions for me?”

“Well, I was wondering if I would be able to meet Andre? It’s great if the parents like me, but if the child doesn’t, then this will not work. He is the client in a very large sense.”

Michonne smiled at Sarah’s words. “Actually, that was the next part of the interview. Come on, Andre is in his playroom.”

 After showing Sarah out, Michonne turned to Jacqui. “Well, what do you think?”

“I don’t have anything bad to say. She was pretty damn good. She has the background and experience. Plus, and most importantly, Dre seemed to really like her. She might be it.”

“I think so, too.” Michonne looked at her watch. “Rick Grimes should be here in thirty minutes. He’s going to have to be just about perfect to beat out Sarah.”

Michonne was on her way to freshen up when the doorbell rang. “Jacqui, I need to run to the bathroom. That’s probably Mr. Grimes. Could you answer that for me?”

“No problem, Chonnie.”

Jacqui walked into the foyer and opened the door. What she saw standing on the other side left her in a rare condition...speechless.

“Hi, Miss Richardson? I’m Rick Grimes. I’m here for the nanny interview.”

“...”

“Miss Richardson, are you okay? Did something happen?” Rick’s cop instincts kicked in and he started surveying the area for any issues.

Jacqui finally found her voice. “Uh...everything is fine...very fine. I’m Jacqueline Renee Williams but you can call me Jacqui.” Miss Jacqui if you nasty. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”. 

Rick held out his hand to Jacqui. “I’m Richard Sutton Grimes and it’s a pleasure to meet you, too, Miss Jacqui.”

Oooh, he nasty! 

Jacqui shook Rick’s hand while giving him a discrete once-over. Lawd, Tyreese better be glad I love his wonderful and cuddly thick ass. 

“You’ll be interviewing with my sister, Michonne. Come on in and I’ll take you to her.” Jacqui watched Rick walk past her before she closed the door. Oooh, and he’s bowlegged, too.

“Right this way, Mr. Grimes.”

“You can call me Rick.”

If I were single, I’d call you Daddy. 

“Okay...Rick.”

Walking down the hallway, Rick wondered if Miss Richardson was anything like her sister, Jacqui. If so, he was in for a handful.

Michonne glanced at her watch once again, wondering what was taking Jacqui so long to bring Mr. Grimes back. She looked up when she heard them finally enter the room and immediately knew what the holdup was. It was Rick Grimes.

From the top of his curly head to the bottom of his cowboy boot clad feet, Rick Grimes was the most handsome man Michonne had ever seen. He looked like he belonged on a television or movie screen, not applying to be her son’s nanny.

When he walked into a study and Michonne Richardson looked up, Rick knew he was in trouble. He was staring at the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

Rick and Michonne locked eyes and neither could tear themselves away. Jacqui sat back and looked between the two with a knowing smirk on her face.

“Michonne? Rick? Are y’all ready to start the interview or do you need more time to memorize each other’s faces?”

Michonne was the first to snap out of it. “What did you say, Jacqui?”

“I asked if y’all were ready to start the interview?”

“Oh, yes. Mr. Grimes, I’m Michonne Richardson. Thank you for coming in today.” Michonne smiled, reached for Rick Grimes’ hand and tried to ignore the feeling that ran through her at the contact. Michonne released Rick’s hand and motioned to a chair. “If you’ll have a seat, Mr. Grimes, we can begin.”

Rick reluctantly released Michonne’s hand and had a seat. “Please, call me Rick.”

“Sure. Why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself, Rick.”

Rick chuckled. “Well, I’m afraid I’m not much more interesting than what you see on paper. But, here we go. I’m a small-town guy...Georgia born and bred. I guess I always had a desire to help those most in need from the time I was little. My family has a farm and I would always adopt the smallest little guy in any litter. I hated seeing anyone or anything being taken advantage of or mistreated. That’s a big reason why I became a police officer and why I want to become a psychologist and work with children impacted by crime. Everyone should have a person in their corner that makes them feel cared about and protected. I imagine that’s what drew you to the law.”

“How did you know I was an attorney?”

“My friend, Abe, mentioned it to me when he told me about the job.”

“Oh. Well, yeah, that’s exactly why I went into law. Most people assume lawyers go into law strictly for the money. But, that was never my motivation. Now, I mostly represent individuals who have suffered discrimination in employment. Most of those cases don’t even go to court and those that do rarely get a huge payout. The big money is in what I used to do, which was defending employers, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do that anymore. They have more than enough people willing to do their dirty work. But for plaintiffs, oftentimes, I’m their last hope. It’s a lot of pressure but-“

“But it’s worth it and means more than any dollar amount,” Rick finished.

“Exactly.”

Rick and Michonne shared a smile before Jacqui discretely cleared her throat.

“Um, Rick,” Michonne continued “Do you have a lot of experience working with children?”

“I was a counselor at the Boys and Girls Club throughout high school and college. I started an after-school program at the department for local kids while I was a policeman. I still volunteer with it. Most recently, I worked with a nonprofit that focuses on children who are direct and indirect victims of abuse.”

“That’s the position that’s being phased out?” At the question in Rick’s eyes, Michonne explained, “My best friend, Sasha, gave me a little background information on you.”

“We have some talkative friends.”

“So it would seem,” Michonne agreed with a chuckle.

“But, unfortunately, yes my position and several others are no longer going to be funded. But that’s my professional background. On the personal side, I have lots of experience with kids as well.”

Michonne braced herself.

“I come from a very large family and have nieces and nephews that are younger, older, and the same age as I am. That’s country living for you.”

Michonne heard Jacqui, who’d been uncharacteristically quiet, let out a breath at Rick’s words. She glanced at her sister who just shrugged.

“Rick, why exactly are you interested in this position?”

“Well, as you know, my current job is going to end soon. This job seemed like the perfect opportunity to step into. I get to continue working with kids but it’s not on a live-in basis, so I could craft my school schedule around your son’s.”

“Did you have any specific questions about the position?”

“Aside from picking Andre up from school and being with him at home in the evenings, what else would the job entail? I can help with homework. Shuttle him to after-school activities. And I’m a pretty good cook if you needed me to make him dinner sometimes.”

“That’s actually exactly what I had in mind except the cooking...that’s just an unexpected bonus. So how good are you at math? Like most attorneys, math is my nemesis.”

Rick laughed. “I’m great at math. Creative writing was my downfall in school.”

“Well, writing is obviously a strong suit of mine. I think between the two of us, Dre should be okay.”

“Yeah, I think we’d make a great team...if I get the job, of course.”

“Yes, if you get the job.” Michonne looked up and saw a small figure peeking into the study. “Andre Anthony, you can come in now.”

Rick watched as a four-foot ball of energy ran into the room and stopped right in front of him.

“Hi, my name is Andre.”

“Hello, Andre. My name is Rick. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Do you like comic books?”

“I do.”

“Candy?”

“Yep. Big Cats are my favorite.”

Andre’s eyes lit up. “That’s my favorite. Mama’s, too. We have the ice cream. Do you want some?”

Rick chuckled. “Maybe later. Tell me some other things that you like.”

“I like comics, and candy, and soccer, and baseball, and basketball, and trains, and books.”

“Well what do you know, I love all of those things as well. And I coach a kids’ baseball team in the spring.” Rick turned to Michonne. “I forgot to mention that but it’s on my resume.”

Michonne smiled. “No problem. I saw it.”

Rick turned back to Andre. “You ever been to the train museum downtown?”

“Yes, Mama took me last year for my birthday. Have you been?”

“Mmhmm. The model trains were my favorite.”

“Yeah, they were the best! I have a model train and track in my playroom. One of the tracks in messed up. Can you fix it for me?”

“How about we try to fix it together and that way you’ll know how to fix it if I’m not here.”

“Okay.” Andre tugged on Rick’s hand.  “Mama are you done talking to Mister Rick?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. We’re going to my playroom now.” Andre pulled Rick out of the door.

When Rick and Andre were settled in the playroom, Michonne and Jacqui stood outside the door observing.

“What do you think, Jacqui?” Michonne asked lowly.

“Do you really need me to answer that question? Look at the two of them laughing in there. They are fast friends. Plus, Rick has a great background.”

“Sarah was really good, too. And Andre liked her as well.”

“That’s true, but Andre didn’t take to her like this. Plus, Sarah doesn’t fill out a pair of jeans the way Rick does.”

“Jacqui! That is so wrong, not to mention discriminatory.” Michonne whispered harshly. “Besides, if I hire Rick, it will be so he can take care of Andre, not so you can ogle him.”

“Oh, I wasn’t the one ogling him when he first came in. That would be you, little sister.”

“I was not!”

“If y’all had stared at each other any harder, your clothes would have melted off. I saw something between you.”

“Jacqui, you are just mesmerized by a good-looking man. Keep it up and I’ll tell Tyreese.”

“Oh, Tyreese knows I only have eyes for his thick ass. This is about you and the cowboy in there.”

“Jacqui, if you keep talking that way, I won’t hire him. I’m not trying to have there be any messiness.”

“You’re going to hire him because that’s what’s best for Dre,” Jacqui said confidently. “Just don’t be surprised if it also works out pretty well for you.”

Michonne turned back to the door and watched as Rick and Andre laughed while working on the toy train tracks. It was the most animated Michonne had seen her son in a while. Jacqui was right that Michonne would hire Rick because it was best for Andre.

The way he makes me feel doesn’t matter.

Rick has just made it in from the interview when his cell phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Rick. This is Michonne Richardson.”

He knew exactly who it was. “Hey. I was going to email you when I got home, but I can just tell you now. Thanks again for the interview. It was the most enjoyable one I’ve ever had.”

“Well, thank you for applying. I spoke with Andre and weighed all the pros and cons of all of the applicants. And, if you’re still interested, I’d like to offer you the position.”

“I am very much interested! Thank you so much.”

Michonne smiled at the genuine happiness she could hear in Rick’s voice. “It was Andre who was the deciding factor. He said you were the one.”

“Well, I’ll have to thank the little guy next time I see him.”

“Speaking of, when would you be able to start?”

“I’m ready whenever you need me.”

“Umm,” Michonne cleared her throat. “Uh, I’ll email Dre’s schedule right now along with some other details and contact information and you can start on Monday. That will give me time to get you added to his official pickup list at school and his other activities.”

“Sounds like a plan. Thanks, again Miss Richardson.”

“Please, call me Michonne. And the number I’m calling you from now is my personal cell, so this will be the best way to get into direct contact with me.”

“Okay. I’ll see you on Monday. You have a nice evening, Michonne.

“You have a nice evening as well, Rick.”

Two Months Later

Michonne perused the restaurant menu. She was having a late lunch with Sasha and Jacqui.

“How is everything going with Rick?” Sasha asked.

“It’s going well.”

That wasn’t good enough for Jacqui. “Michonne, put your menu down and give us the dirt.”

Sighing, Michonne put her menu aside and looked at Jacqui and Sasha. “There is no dirt to give. It’s going really well. Dre is happy. He absolutely adores Rick.”

“And how do you feel about him?”

“Jacqui, we aren’t going to start that again. Despite what you think you saw at the interview, Rick and I are nothing more than employer and employee. He’s there for my son and that’s it.”

Sasha leaned forward in her seat. “Wait a minute? What did Jacqui see at Rick’s interview? Michonne, you only said it went well. Y’all been holding out on me?”

Jacqui was all too eager to share the details. “Girl, let me tell you. There was so much eye sex going between those two when they first met, a proper lady would have been embarrassed and looked away.”

“So that means you kept watching and got an eyeful.”

“You damn right.”

Jacqui and Sasha burst into laughter and gave each other a high five.

Michonne was not amused. “There was no eye sex at the interview.”

Jacqui raised a brow. “Come on now, Chonnie.”

“Okay, there was but nothing has come of it and nothing will. Again, we are employer and employee and that is all we will ever be. I—”

Michonne broke off when her phone rang. She smiled at the picture that popped up. “Hey. How is everything?”

“Hey yourself. Everything is fine. I just wanted to let you know Dre and I are home. He wanted to talk to you for a minute.” Rick handed his cell over to Andre.

“Hey, Mama.”

“Hey, Peanut. You glad school let out early?”

“Yep. Rick is going to help me with my homework and then take me to the park. He said we can make pizza for dinner. I can’t wait! Are you going to be able to eat with us tonight?”

Since hiring Rick, Michonne’s practice had gotten even busier. She was glad that he was there to be at home with Andre, but she still felt guilty about missing so much time with her son.

“I’ll try my best, Peanut. Your Aunt Jacqui and Aunt Sasha are here.”

“Tell them I said hey!”

“I will, sweetie.”

“I have to go start my homework, Mama. Rick said we can’t go to the park until I finish it. Bye!”

“Bye, Peanut.” Michonne waited for Rick to get back on the line.

“Hey. I promise neither Dre nor the kitchen will be a disaster when you get home.”

“Oh, I know. You always leave the kitchen cleaner than when you found it,” Michonne said with a laugh. She ignored Jacqui and Sasha focusing on her every word. “Thanks for picking Dre up early today. I hope it didn’t mess up your schedule.”

“No, it’s fine. I brought my stuff over so I can study after we get back from the park.”

“That’s good.”

“So how has your day been so far?”

“It’s been really good.”

“Glad to hear it. What time do you think you’ll be home? Hopefully, I can keep Dre from devouring all of the pizza.”

“I’m not sure. But I’ll try to get home a little earlier so you can get going.”

“Michonne, it’s really not a problem. Hanging with Dre is one of the best parts of my day.”

“Oh really? What are the others...studying?” Michonne joked.

“Hey, studying can be fun! But I was thinking about the talks we have before I go home. The adult conversation is nice.”

“Oh,” Michonne said softly. “I enjoy those, too.”

“Well, I’ll let you go. Have a good rest of the day.”

“You, too.” Michonne held the phone a moment after Rick ended the call. She was dreading looking up at her sisters.

“Girl, you might as well put that phone down and start talking. We heard every word. You should really turn your phone volume down so nosy asses can’t listen in,” Jacqui suggested.

Michonne put her phone away. “Nosy asses like you, Jacqui?”

“Anyway, what’s this about y’all having talks at night?”

“It’s nothing. We talk about what happened during our day and then Rick goes home. End of story. Now can we eat? I need to get back to the office.”

Sasha spoke up before Jacqui could. “We’ll let it go, Michonne. But, for what it’s worth, Dre isn’t the only one who’s been looking happier lately.”

Michonne thought about Sasha’s words on her drive home later that evening. Rick had only been in their lives for a couple of months but it felt like he’d always been there. Despite Jacqui’s insinuations, Michonne and Rick really were just friends. But it was nice to have someone to come home to and share her day with...even if only for a few moments.

“Hey, where are you guys?” Michonne called out as she entered her home.

“We’re in the kitchen!” Rick yelled back.

Michonne kicked off her heels and padded down the hallway to the kitchen. She walked in to find Rick, Andre, and the kitchen island and floor surrounding it covered in flour.

“Okay, this isn’t what you think.” Rick began to explain.

“I think you two started out making pizza and ended up in a flour fight.”

“Okay, it’s exactly what you think.”

Michonne chuckled. “Do I need to hire someone to look after Dre and you, Rick?”

“No, we got it. Right, Dre?”

“Yep. We got it, Mama.”

“Mmhmm. What y’all need to get is a broom and a mop. Let me go change. I’ll handle the counters while you two get the floors.”

“Michonne, you don’t have to do that,” Rick protested.

“Yeah, I do. I don’t trust you two alone with dry goods at the moment,” Michonne said as she walked out of the kitchen. “I’ll be back in a few.”

When she came back downstairs, Rick and Dre were both making fast work of cleaning the floors.

“Hey, look up you two.”

When they looked up, Michonne snapped a photo of the pair on her phone. She took a couple more of them posing before putting her phone away.

“I think those photos will be good blackmail material for Dre when he’s a teenager. I haven’t decided how I’m going to use them against you yet.”

“You’re a cold woman, Michonne,” Rick joked.

The easy smile Michonne had been wearing, faded. “So I’ve been told.”

“Michonne?” Rick was concerned at her sudden mood change.

“It’s nothing.” Michonne clapped her hands and smiled at her son. “Let’s finish cleaning so we can actually make pizza.”

When kitchen was once again spotless, Michonne sent Dre up to his bathroom to shower and change. “Rick you can shower in the guest bath upstairs and I’ll see if I can find something for you to wear.”

Rick eyed Michonne’s leggings and tank top. “I think that look works a whole lot better on you than it would on me,” he joked.

“I have some things to fit you. Let me show you where everything is.”

Rick followed Michonne out of the kitchen and up the stairs, appreciating the view from behind. Michonne stopped at the hallway linen closet upstairs.

“We don’t use loophas in this house.” Michonne stated when she handed Rick the towel and washcloth.

Rick noticed the glint in her eye and knew exactly what she was getting at. “Very funny. I use washcloths, too.”

Michonne tried to look innocent. “What?”

She could barely contain her laughter as Rick closed the bathroom door behind him. But the joke was about to be on her.

Twenty minutes later, Michonne had just sent a freshly showered and pajamas wearing Andre back downstairs when she heard the door to the guest bath open. Rick stood in the doorway holding his dirty clothes and wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.

Michonne swallowed at the sight.

“Hey, Michonne, do you have something I can put these clothes in? I don’t want to get flour all over my car when I drive home.”

“Uh, y-yeah. I mean, don’t worry about it. I was going to throw your clothes in the wash with Dre’s. They’ll be dry before you leave. Um, I found some sweats and a t-shirt for you.” Michonne held her breath as Rick walked towards her to take the clothing.

“Thanks.” Rick offered her a smile before he turned and headed back to the bathroom.

Michonne didn’t blink or let her breath out until the bathroom door closed behind him. She rushed downstairs after Andre.

Rick walked into the kitchen wearing the borrowed clothes. “I put my clothes in the washing machine with Dre’s and started the load.”

“I was going to do that, Rick.”

“It was no problem.” Rick rubbed his hands together. “Now, are we going to make pizza or what?”

“Pizza!” Andre yelled.

“Okay, but we are going to take the easy route this time,” Michonne warned. “I got the pizza crust and sauce out of the pantry. All we have to do is decide on toppings. Andre, what do you want on the pizza?”

“I want ham.”

“Rick?”

“Pepperoni.”

Michonne gave an exaggerated sigh of relief. “I’m glad you didn’t say pineapple or I’d have to fire you.”

“If you’d wanted pineapple, I would have been forced to quit.”

“Funny. I’m adding mushrooms. Is that acceptable for your sensitive palate, Rick?”

“Extremely.”

The trio set about assembling and baking their pizzas. When they were ready, Michonne and Rick carried the pizzas and the rest of their meal outside so they could enjoy dinner by the pool.

“Mmm. I’m going to have to get a pizza stone. My pizza crusts never get this crispy when I use a baking sheet.”

“You make your own pizza dough and then use a baking sheet? That’s like taking the time to do your makeup flawlessly and then putting a mask on. It’s just wasted effort.”

“Calm down there, Chef Gordon. My pizza stone got lost when I moved and I just haven’t had time to replace it.”

“I take my food very seriously.”

“I’ll make sure to remember that.” Rick looked over to Andre. “You enjoying your pizza, Dre?”

“Yep. It’s so good. Can we do this every week?”

“Have pizza?” Michonne questioned.

“Yeah, you, me, and Rick.”

“Sweetie, I’m sure Rick has other things---”

“I actually think that’s a great idea, Dre.” Rick caught Michonne’s eye. “And maybe we could watch a movie after. I mean, if you think you’ll have time.”

“Will you have time, Mama?” a hopeful Andre asked.

“I’ll make the time.” Michonne promised.

Rick smiled. “Okay. But I’m making the crusts from scratch next week.”

The group ate and talked until Andre’s eyes started drooping at the table.  

“Okay, Dre. Time for bed.” Michonne pulled Andre’s chair back and tried to rouse the little boy so he could go upstairs but he was out. “Goodness, now I’m going to have to carry him upstairs.”

“That will be like carrying a load of bricks at this point. Why don’t you let me carry him up and get him tucked in bed?”

“Yes, please. My back thanks you,” Michonne said gratefully. “I’ll clear the table and put the food away.”

“Alright, I’ll meet you in the den.”

Rick was already in the den by the time Michonne finished putting away the food. He was stretched out on the couch with one arm covering his eyes and the other hanging down by his side.

Michonne walked over and bumped the arm that was hanging off of the couch. “Move.”

Rick uncovered his eyes and sat up. “Is that any way to treat a guest in your home?”

Michonne plopped down beside Rick. “No, but you aren’t a guest.”

“Really, what am I?” Rick stared at Michonne intently while waiting for her answer.

“Um, you’re tired and obviously had a really long day. You can head out now if you like.”

Rick let out a little laugh at Michonne’s avoidance. “I need to wait for my clothes to dry. I really don’t want to wear another man’s clothes home.” He pulled at the t-shirt. “Your ex?”

“Yeah. I was looking for something my little brother, Noah, left behind, but I found this and it looked like it would fit.” Michonne sighed. “I thought I’d thrown everything away after he left.”

“Bad breakup?”

“That’s putting it mildly. It was life altering.”

“You wanna talk about it?”

“No...yes. I’ve held it in for so long that I’m afraid if I start talking about it I’ll never stop talking...or crying.”

“Well, I’m here with a listening ear and a shoulder for you to cry on and an old shirt for you to blow your nose into.”

Michonne smiled. “Don’t you have work to do? You’ve spent just about all day here.”

“I got Dre to read while I studied when we came home from the park. That’s why we were trying to make pizza when you got home. I’m here if you want to talk.”

Michonne laid her head and Rick’s shoulder. “Where do I start?”

Rick wrapped an arm around Michonne and settled into the couch. “Start wherever you want.”

“I first met Mike when I was fifteen. His family moved down here from New York.  All the girls were in love with him from the start. He was tall, dark, handsome and his accent made everything sound so smooth coming out of his mouth.”

“Is that why you liked him?”

“Partly. I mean it didn’t hurt. I was curious about him because he was so unlike any of the guys I’d known.”

“What were those guys like?”

“Sweet country boys...like you.”

“Oh.”

“But I also liked that Mike was an artist,” Michonne continued. “And he was an artist in every way...extremely talented and extremely brooding. I found the combination heady when I was young. But...”

“But you got older and what you wanted in a partner changed.”

“Yeah...but Mike didn’t. But I let it slide when we were together. He was never one to be tied down, so we didn’t actually start dating until senior year of high school. We dated through college. I went to UGA while Mike attended art school back in New York.”

“You didn’t tell me you went to UGA, too.”

“Yeah, when I saw it on your resume, I realized we were there around the same time.”

“Small world.”

“Especially in Georgia.” Michonne laughed before sobering and continuing her story. “I think we made it in the early years because we went to separate schools and didn’t see each other much. Because of the time apart, whenever we did see each other, we didn’t spend too much time talking...if you know what I mean.”

Rick shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah, I get it.”

“Hey, you’re the one who wanted to hear this story.”

“Ignore me and continue.”

“It wasn’t until we started living together while I was in law school that I noticed Mike hadn’t changed, he’d only gotten worse. He was trying to make a go of it in art and success was slow coming for him. The longer it took, the more sullen and bitter he got. I tried to love him through it but there comes a point where love isn’t enough. I was just about to end it when I got a little surprise my final year of law school.”

“Andre?”

“Yep. In hindsight, I had enough family support to do it on my own, but I guess I took my pregnancy as a sign that I couldn’t give up on Mike or our relationship, so I stayed. And he ended up being the one who left.”

“While you were pregnant?”

“No, I had Andre in my third year and still graduated on time and got several offers from great firms. I chose one and started my career.”

“What was Mike doing?”

“He stayed home with Dre and worked on his art and kept trying to make it big. But nothing clicked for him and everything was falling into place for me career wise.”

“I’m sure that didn’t help your situation any.”

“No, it didn’t. Mike tried to make an effort in the beginning. He’d show up at firm functions and try to smile, but I knew he resented being there as my significant other. He hated when any of the wives of the other lawyers tried to commiserate with him over being a stay-at-home parent and tried to arrange play-dates. Soon, he just stopped going to the functions altogether and we stopped talking about our days and pretty much anything else.” Michonne wiped at her eyes. “One Friday when Andre was two, I got a call from my sister that Mike had dropped him off at her house along with a note. I picked up my son, came home, and read my ‘Dear Michonne’ letter. I allowed myself the weekend to cry and then I started making plans. I finally felt free. I didn’t have to hold myself back and smother my ambitions to make Mike feel better. I decided right then to work at my firm a few more years to save money and then I was going to do what I’d always wanted and open my own firm and focus on my son, my career, my family, and my friends.”

“What about you, Michonne?” Rick asked softly.

“What about me?”

“You didn’t name yourself on the list of things you decided to focus on. You’ve spent the last five years not only not focusing on yourself but not even making yourself a priority.”

“I had other things to take care of first.”

“But who was taking care of you?”

“I can take care of myself.”

“You can, but that doesn’t mean you should always have to. You don’t have to do everything by yourself.”

Michonne pulled out of Rick’s embrace. “If I don’t do it, who will?”

The couple stared at each other in silence before Rick glanced down at Michonne’s lips and started slowing moving forward. Right before their lips touched, Michonne pulled back and stood up.

“I think your clothes are dry by now. I’ll go get them for you.” She rushed out of the room.

“Michonne. Michonne!” Rick slumped back against the couch. “Shit.”

“She couldn’t even look at me as she handed me my clothes and some leftover pizza. Just told me to drive safely. We’ve barely talked since unless it’s about Dre.” Rick took a drink of beer after relaying what happened last week to his friends.

“Maybe you scared her off trying to read her mind and shit.”

“I wasn’t trying to read her mind, Shane. I was just trying to help.”

Shane scoffed. “Were you trying to help her or you?”

“What do mean?”

“I’m just saying. Ain’t no way you’d get with a woman who was still hung up on her ex. You’re too much of a gentleman and considerate and all that shit. If you helped her to get over her ex, then you could slide right on in there.”

“It wasn’t like that, Shane. I do like, Michonne. I’ve liked her since I met her. And getting to know her has only made my feelings stronger but I would never try to manipulate the situation.”

“You gonna stop working for her?” Abe asked.

“No, why would I do that?”

Abe shrugged. “It’s gonna get mighty awkward if y’all continue to ignore the elephant in the room.”

“I can’t force her to talk about it.  And I wouldn’t leave Dre just because things are awkward between me and his mom. That’s what her ex did and I’m not going to do that.”

“How deep are your feelings for her, man?”

Rick smiled at Teddy’s question. “I’ve never felt this way before. I can’t explain it, but having Michonne and Dre in my life just feels natural and like it’s supposed to be that way. I want to move forward to see where things go with Michonne, but I think she’s afraid to trust again.”

“Well, you are going to have to love her through it.”

Rick thought about Michonne’s words to him. “Michonne said that sometimes that isn’t enough.”

“If you aren’t with the right person or in the right situation, nothing is ever going to be enough. You just have to know when it’s right.” Teddy paused. “Do you think Michonne’s the right person for you?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you think you’re the right person for her?”

“Yeah.”

“Then you be there for her in whatever way she needs until she’s ready.”

“Thanks, Teddy.” Rick chuckled at his friend. “I think you are in the wrong profession.”

“Damn straight he is,” Abe chimed in. “I think you just helped Rick...and me.”

“For real, man?”

“Yeah. I got a little lady that I’ve been wantin to get serious with--”

“You’re talking about Sasha, right?” Teddy asked.

Abe drew up his eyebrows. “How did you know?”

Shane laughed. “Everybody knows that. You look at her like she walks on cotton candy and shits out rainbows. You got it bad, man.”

“I thought I was playing it cool.”

“You play it cool around Sasha about as well as you play poker.”

“I played well enough to take your ass to the cleaners in the last round, Shane.”

“And I’m about to win my money and yours back. You’ll have to find some other way to pay for your hair dye. If Dr. T-Dog and his love lessons are over for the night, let’s get back to playing cards.”

“Maybe you should listen to T-Dog’s advice and let somebody love you through whatever the hell has got you so messed up,” Abe quipped.

Shane shuffled the cards. “If you would have suggested that I let somebody fuck me through it, then I might have listened.”

Rick kept Teddy’s advice in mind when he saw Michonne the next day. Dre was playing in his first basketball game and Rick had promised he’d be there. He pulled up to Michonne’s house right as she and Dre were walking to the car.

Dre ran over and gave Rick a hug. “You made it!”

“I wouldn’t miss this for anything, Dre.” Rick stood up and nodded to Michonne. “Hey. How are you.”

“I’m good, Rick. And you?”

“I’ve been better.”

Michonne looked away and cleared her throat. “Are you riding with us?”

“If you don’t mind.”

“I don’t.”

The ride over would have been silent if not for Andre’s excited chatter from the backseat. Rick and Michonne spent the short trip responding to the little boy in between taking surreptitious glances at each other.

After Michonne walked Dre over to his team, she found Rick in the stands.

“I saved a seat for you.”

“Thanks.” Michonne took a deep breath. “Rick, I—”

“Rick Grimes! I thought that was you. What are you doing here?”

Rick and Michonne turned to see three women standing over them.

“Hey, Whitney. I’m here to watch Dre.”

“That is so sweet! Isn’t that sweet ladies?” Whitney’s backup crew nodded in agreement.

“Michonne, this is Whitney, Bailey, and Jenna.”

“Yeah, we are all good friends from carpool. You must be Andre’s mother. It’s nice to finally see you. The way Rick gushes over you, if I didn’t know he was the nanny, I would have thought he was your husband.”

Michonne glanced over to see Rick blushing.

"According to Rick, you’re a hardworking woman. I guess that’s why you hired him. And the carpool crew would like to thank you for that. He is just a sight for sore eyes.” Whitney turned her attention back to Rick. “I just hate the kids didn’t have school yesterday. We missed talking to you. We really have to arrange an after-school play-date for all of the kids.”

Michonne’s head snapped up at those words.

“I think Dre would enjoy it, but you’d have to clear that with Michonne first.”

“Oh, of course. Well, looks like the game is about to start. We need to get back to our seats. We’ll see you on Monday, Rick. And don’t forget to bring your dip recipe.”

After the ladies moved on, Michonne just stared at Rick.

“What?” he finally asked.

“Is that what you deal with every day?”

“The ladies? They mean well and they don’t hit on me near as much as they used to in the beginning. I really think they see me as one of the girls now.”

Michonne shot Rick a look.

“Okay, maybe the last part is a stretch.”

“No, I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about arranging play-dates and swapping recipes. That doesn’t bother you?”

“Not really. Now it took some getting used to, but I guess they are sort of my friends now. And we talk about other stuff like television shows and some of them are into sports. It’s just a nice way to pass the time while we’re waiting to pick up the kids.”

“That would have been Mike’s worst nightmare come true.”

“It really doesn’t bother me Michonne. It’s not a threat to who I am in the least.” Rick sighed. “I’m not Mike, Michonne.”

“I know that. I do. He’s all I knew for so long. I just have to let it go.”

“You will eventually.”

Michonne nodded. “Do you really gush over me and my career with your crew?”

“Yeah.”

That’s something Mike had never done. He’d seen her career as a hindrance. 

“Thank you.”

Rick clasped Michonne’s hand with a smile. They were taking baby steps, but they’d get to where they needed to be.

“I’m not Mike.”

Michonne thought back on Rick’s words as she waited for Sasha to arrive. Intellectually, she knew Mike and Rick were nothing alike, but, emotionally, it was hard to grasp that fact. Michonne’s thoughts were interrupted by Sasha walking into her den.

“Hey, girl.”

“Hey, Sasha.”

“I rang the doorbell but you didn’t answer, so I used my key.”

“Yeah, I’ve been distracted lately.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“It’s Rick. I told him about Mike and then we almost kissed and I freaked out and started being distant.”

“Oh, I need to be seated for this.” Sasha took a seat on the couch beside Michonne. “Did you not want him to kiss you?”

“I did want it. I still do. I’m just...I don’t know. It’s so hard for me to let go and trust my heart with someone else. I thought I’d dealt with everything but I guess not.”

“Michonne you can’t punish Rick for what Mike did. He’s not Mike.”

“That’s what he said.”

“He’s right. Mike is off somewhere living the life of his choosing and you are letting him choose how you live yours as well. You have to let it go. That doesn’t mean you have to forget what he did, but it does mean you have to come to terms with and resolve your feelings about what he did so you can start fresh with Rick.”

“How do I do that?”

Sasha laughed. “I don’t know. I’m trying to learn how to do that myself. But I’ve decided that I’m going to try. Bob is gone and I’m never going to forget him and he will always hold a piece of my heart, but I have to move on. You were right when you said he wouldn’t want me to stop living just because he had no choice but to. He always wanted me to be happy. And I’m going to do that for him and for myself.”

Michonne pulled Sasha into a hug. “I’m so happy for you, Sasha. And I’m glad you came to this in your own time and on your terms.”

Sasha smiled as she sat back. “I actually feel lighter. I didn’t realize how much I was letting grief weigh me down.”

“I understand about letting things weigh you down.”

“Michonne, you said it’s hard for you to trust your heart with Rick.”

“In a way, yeah.”

“What means more to you than anything in this world?”

Michonne answered without a moment’s thought. “Andre.”

“Do you trust Rick with him?”

“Without question.”

“So if you can trust him with the person you love most in this world, doesn’t that show you that you can trust him with your heart?”

At work the next morning, Michonne scrolled through the pictures on her phone until she found the one she was looking for. She smiled at Dre and Rick covered in flour and hamming it up for the camera. Her conversation with Sasha had given Michonne a lot to think about last night.

Michonne did trust Rick implicitly with Andre. She just wondered when she was going to be ready to move forward with him in all aspects of her life. What was it going to take?

The phone buzzed in Michonne’s hand. Her breath caught when she looked down and saw Dre’s school on the caller id.

“Hello?”

“Ms. Richardson?”

“Yes.”

“This is Principal Nelson from Richmond Country Day. Andre fell ill in class. He complained of severe stomach pains. We’ve called an ambulance. Hold on a minute, please...they just arrived.  Let me find out where they are taking him.”

Michonne was up and grabbing her purse and coat as fast as she could. She heard the principal talking to the paramedics.

“Ms. Richardson?”

“Yes.” Michonne had tears in her voice and eyes.

“They are taking Andre to Tompkins Memorial.”

“Thank you. I’m on my way.”

“We’ll keep Andre in our thoughts and prayers. Please let us know how he’s doing.”

“I will.” Michonne ended the call and rushed out of her office. “Lisa, I have an emergency with Dre. Reassign what meetings you can to my associates and cancel the rest.” Michonne ran to the elevators without a backwards glance at her shocked assistant.

By the time Michonne made it to the hospital, she was on the verge of a panic attack. She ran in and found the service desk.

“They just brought my son in! He’s seven-years old. His name is Andre Anthony.”

The front desk clerk checked her computer. “Yes, he’s in the children’s wing on the fifth floor. He doesn’t have a room yet. It looks like they are prepping him for emergency surgery.”

Michonne clutched the desk to stay upright. “Thank you.” She took the elevator to the fifth floor and spoke with a floor nurse.

“Miss Richardson, I’m glad you’re here. Let me page a doctor.”

An older gentleman with kind eyes came out to greet Michonne. “Miss Richardson? Hello. My name is Dr. Greene. Your son is stable. But his appendix was close to rupturing when he was brought in, so we had to prep him for surgery right away. Now that you’re here, are there any objections to the procedure?”

“Of course not. Just make my baby better.”

“We will. You just have a seat and Nurse Rhee will give you some forms to fill out. We’ll make sure to keep you updated.”

“Can I see him before he goes back?”

“I’m sorry but he’s already in the operating room. Time was of the essence. But we’ll take you back as soon as he’s in recovery.”

Michonne swallowed and tried to hold her tears at bay. “Okay.” She wandered over to the waiting area and sat, unsure of what else to do.

Nurse Rhee brought Michonne a stack of forms to fill out. “Dr. Greene is the best doctor around and he’ll take good care of your son.”

“You’ve worked with him a lot?”

Nurse Rhee smiled. “You could say that. He’s my father and he treats all the patients here like they’re his own.”

Michonne just nodded.

Seeing that the young mother was barely holding it together, Nurse Rhee asked, “Is there anyone you want me to call? You shouldn’t have to do this by yourself.”

“Yes, could you call this number, please? I don’t think I can get through the conversation without crying.” Michonne wrote down the name and number of the one person she needed.

Twenty-five minutes later, Rick raced through the door. Michonne jumped up and ran into his arms.

“I got here as fast as I could! What happened? Where’s Dre?” Rick rubbed him hands up and down Michonne’s back. “Michonne, I need you to talk to me. You’re scaring right now.”

Michonne pulled back and led Rick over the waiting room. “He’s in surgery. His appendix almost ruptured. He was fine last night, Rick. He didn’t have a fever. He didn’t complain about a stomach ache. How could this have happened? How could I not have realized he was sick?”

“Michonne, you can’t blame yourself. We just have to be thankful that the doctors caught it in time. How long has he been in surgery?”

“I’m not sure. I lost track of time. They were prepping him when I arrived.”

“I would have been here sooner, but I had a seminar in the city today. I don’t know how many traffic laws I broke speeding over here. My heart was in my throat the whole time.”

“Rick, I wouldn’t have called if I knew you were in class. I’m sorry.”

“What are you talking about? I could have been in the middle of an exam and I would have left. There is no way I wasn’t going to be here for you and Dre. You’re both too important to me.”

It was at that moment, that everything fell into place for Michonne. “I’m sorry.”

“Michonne, I told you it’s not a problem.”

“No, I’m sorry for dragging my feet about us. I’m sorry for not trusting you with my heart.”

“Hey, it’s okay. We can talk about this later.”

“But—”

“Really, we can do this later. I know your emotions are all over the place right now.”

“They are, but I need to say this. When they told me that Dre was being taken to the hospital, I couldn’t think straight. All I wanted was to see my son...and you. I wanted you with me. I needed you. And that’s how I’ve felt for a while. I realized it’s not that I didn’t trust you with my heart, I didn’t trust myself and what I was feeling. I didn’t trust myself with happiness...or love. Rick and I want you in my life as well as Dre’s.”

Rick smiled at Michonne’s words. “That’s what I want, too. It’s what I’ve wanted for a while now.”

“Miss Richardson?”

Michonne and Rick stood as the doctor approached.

“Yes.”

“Andre is out of surgery. Everything went well and he’s fine.”

“Thank God he’s okay. I was worried he’d be back there for a long time.”

“If there aren’t any complications, appendectomies are usually relatively quick surgeries. Andre’s procedure went very smoothly. We were able to remove his appendix before it ruptured. He’s on his way to recovery right now. He’ll be there for about an hour and then he’ll be moved to his room. You should be able to take him home in a couple of days.”

“Can we see him now?” Michonne was anxious to hold her son.

“You sure can. I’ll have Nurse Rhee come get you when he’s settled in recovery.”

“Thank you, Dr. Greene.”

“Not a problem, young lady.”

Rick embraced Michonne. “He’s going to be alright.”

“Excuse me.”  

Rick and Michonne pulled apart to find Nurse Rhee waiting.  

“Sorry to interrupt. I’m here to take you to your son. Are you ready?”

Michonne entwined her fingers with Rick's and looked into his eyes as she answered. “Yes, I’m ready.”

 Six weeks later

“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Andre! Happy birthday to you!”

The song ended with loud cheers and applause for the birthday boy.

“Make a wish Dre and blow out your candles,” Michonne instructed.

Eight-year-old Andre closed his eyes hard and concentrated on his wish. After a few moments, his eyes popped opened and his blew out the candles on his train-shaped cake.

“Great job, Dre! Now, let’s cut the cake. Michonne, babe, can you hand me the knife?”

Michonne and Rick worked together to cut the cake and pass out slices to Andre’s party guests, which included classmates, family, and family friends.

When everyone was fed, Rick and Michonne grabbed a slice for themselves to share and headed over to sit with Jacqui and Tyreese.

“You two did a great job on this party. I think I want you to plan my next one,” Tyreese joked.

“Rick and Dre did most of the planning. I just reined them in when they started going overboard.”

Rick scoffed at Michonne’s words. “You didn’t go overboard, huh? So why I was up all night putting together the massive model train set that you bought Dre? It’s a nicer train than some of the ones at the train museum.”

“He wanted a new train so I bought him one,” Michonne stated innocently. “And you weren’t up all night just laying down train tracks.”

“I sure wasn’t, was I?” Rick pulled Michonne to him for a kiss.

“Oh, so you were laying down the tracks and the pipe? Get it!” Jacqui cackled.

Tyreese nudged his wife. “Jacqui!”

“Oh, Ty, unclench. Part of the reason you love me is for this mouth of mine. Try to deny it,” Jacqui challenged.

Tyreese smiled and didn’t say anything.

“Mmmhmm, that’s what I thought.” Jacqui winked at her husband before turning back to Rick and Michonne. “Y’all really did do a great job though.”

“Well, Michonne and I knew we wanted it to be something big. We wanted it to be a celebration of Dre’s birthday and him recovering from surgery.”

It had been six weeks since Andre’s emergency appendectomy. Just as Dr. Greene had promised, Andre was out of the hospital two days later.  He returned to school a week and a half after that. The little boy was back to his energetic and active self.

“I also think you could call it a celebration of you two finally getting your act together.”

“Jacqui, you mean a celebration of me finally getting my act together. Rick knew what he wanted, I just had to let some things go that were holding me back so I could catch up to where he was.”

Michonne and Rick had been inseparable since Andre’s surgery. Michonne let go of all of the baggage of the past on that day and hadn’t looked back since. Her relationship with Rick had flourished to the point that he’d essentially moved in considering how often he was at the house. And his nanny role with Andre had morphed into something of a surrogate father role. Michonne, Rick, and Andre were beyond happy with all the changes that had taken place in their lives.

Jacqui motioned to the other side of the yard. “It looks like you aren’t the only one who is ready to let the pain go and move forward.”

Across the way, Sasha and Abe sat talking and laughing by the pool. They weren’t dating, but they were growing closer every day. The light was back in Sasha’s eyes and her smile.

Sasha wasn’t the only one with happiness shining in their eyes. Andre was taking a small break from playing to enjoy his cake with some friends. His birthday was better than he ever imagined it would be.

One little boy, who was on his third slice of cake, smiled at Andre. “This is the best birthday party I’ve ever been to!”

“Thanks, Carter. My mom and da-...uh Rick...are the best.”

“What did you wish for, Dre?” Sheena, one of Dre’s classmates who had a crush on him, asked.

“Don’t tell her, Dre. You can’t tell anyone!” Carter exclaimed.

“Why can’t he tell me?”

“Because if he tells anyone, it won’t come true.”

“You think your wish is gonna come true, Dre?” Sheena asked.

Andre thought about what he’d wished for as he blew out his birthday candles and looked over to his mother and Rick. Andre smiled as he witnessed the couple feed each other pieces of cake before leaning in for a lingering kiss.

“I know it is.”

Andre’s wish came true when Michonne and Rick got married one year later. Rick officially adopted Andre on his tenth birthday. That was the same day Andre found out he was going to be a big brother.

 @richonnefics

[danrdarrenc]

From the Ashes

anonymous asked: WilSon fic where Will is alive, and knows how everyone reacted when he died. Will sees Paul/Sonny in a relationship, gets confirmation that he was right, leading him to feeling even more insecure. He shuts himself off from everyone, and either moves in the dimera mansion with Chad, or own apartment, and will only see Ari. It will end with Sonny and Will talking and Sonny confirming that he came back to Salem for him, and they get back together. Will/Sonny/Paul are all on good terms.

A lot had changed in the two years that he had been dead. His cousin Abby had faked her death; Hope had murdered Stefano, only for them to find him alive in Prague; his uncle Eric had drunkenly killed Daniel Jonas in a car accident and gone to prison and been subsequently pardoned and released; his father Lucas and his mother-in-law Adrienne were engaged (that was the shock of a lifetime); and that was only a few of the crazy things that had happened while he was gone. 

Most importantly, though, Sonny had returned to Salem from Paris, a year after he had walked out on Will and their marriage. Sonny was now CEO of Titan Industries also dating Paul. 

Will was sitting on the couch in Horton Town Square reading a book, a week after his somewhat shocking and unexpected return to the living and to Salem. He hadn’t seen Sonny yet, didn’t even know if Sonny had been aware of Sami and Lucas’s plot to bring him back to life; if he was being honest with himself, he was a little terrified to see Sonny again. He’d been warned by Lucas that Sonny and Paul were together, but it didn’t really register with him until he glimpsed them walking into the Square hand-in-hand.

Will swallowed thickly at the confirmation. Heart thumping painfully in his chest, all Will could do was stare. From what he had gathered from Lucas and Adrienne, Sonny and Paul had started dating around New Year’s, ten months ago. That would have been not even a year and half since his own death. He didn’t begrudge Sonny moving on and loving again - he thought he was dead, after all - but seeing Sonny with Paul so openly left him feeling justified in his actions those last few months. Will knew Sonny had always harbored a burning torch for Paul and he had refused to be with him out of an obligation to Will and Ari; all it took was an appropriate amount of time of grieving before he felt comfortable giving in to those feelings.

A loud shout of “Sonny!” pulled Will from his thoughts. It had come from Paul who had caught Sonny before he collapsed to the ground. Sonny had spotted him sitting on the couch and nearly fainted. 

Taking a deep breath, Will made his way across the Square to where Sonny and Paul were standing. 

“Will?” Sonny croaked.

“Uh, yeah. I guess your mom didn’t warn you. Can we go somewhere to talk?”

“I’m gonna go,” Paul said.

“No,” Will said firmly. “It’s okay. You can come too. Better to explain it all once anyway.”

“I have a room at the Martin House,” Paul offered. “We won’t be interrupted.”

Will nodded, and followed Sonny and Paul to the B&B. 

When they were all settled in Paul’s room, Sonny with a bottle of water to calm his still shaking hands, Will filled them in.

“So from what I know about what went on, my parents were tired of having a dead son. So they heard about this doctor in Tennessee who could bring people back to life. When they tracked him down, it turned out he was Dr. Rolf, who used to work for Stefano and had done some crap to John and Grandpa Roman and stuff. Anyway, they were there and they asked him if they could resurrect me. And he did,” Will finished rather lamely. “I don’t really have much more to say about it. That’s the story I got.” Will shrugged. 

No spoke for a minute or two. Then Paul said, “So you’re here now.”

Will nodded.

“And you remember everything?”

Will eyes drifted to Sonny, who still hadn’t said anything, “Yeah. I remember everything. I don’t appear to have any lasting effects from having been dead for two years.” He chuckled. “I’ve just got a lot of town gossip to catch up on.”

Paul’s lips twitched up into a tiny smile just as his phone buzzed. “Damn. It’s Steve. I have to go. Will you be alright, Sonny?” Sonny nodded, his eyes wide. “Don’t be a stranger, Will.” He grabbed his jacket off the bed and left Will and Sonny alone. 

With Paul gone, the air in the room became stifling. After a beat, Will said quietly, “Are you okay, Sonny? You haven’t said anything.”

“You’re alive.”

“And you’re with Paul. So I was right.”

“What?”

Will sighed and ran his hand over his face. “About you being with me only because Paul had said no to you. I’m sorry you felt like our marriage was an obligation you couldn’t get out of. You should have just told me you wanted to be with Paul. It would have made things a lot easier.”

Without giving Sonny a chance to respond, Will left.

Chad (and Gabi, who was apparently still living with Chad even after Abby and Dario’s plot with regards to her blew up in his face) had graciously allowed him to crash at the Mansion. He’d been away from Arianna Grace for so long, that he could barely stand to leave when she was there. 

Following his encounter with Sonny and Paul, Will holed himself up in the DiMera Mansion, seeing no one but Lucas and Marlena (and Kate who was also living in the Mansion as Mrs. Andre DiMera). Adjusting to life back in Salem had not been as difficult as he had imagined. The town was essentially the same as when he had died. What he was struggling with was his feelings about Sonny. 

He had died still in love with Sonny and with a stupid fantasy that maybe Sonny would come back to him one day. But he had known even then that that he’d been foolish to believe Sonny wanted to be with him when he could be with Paul. Sonny and Paul’s current relationship was proof of that. In all honesty, he didn’t think he’d ever be good enough for anyone’s love. He had Sami to thank for that. 

Sonny had moved on, and now it was his turn to do the same. He would try to find someone who was maybe just as messed up as he was. Maybe then he could have a lasting relationship. 

About a month after the talk at the Martin House, Will was sitting in the DiMera’s garden enjoying the last remnants of fall before it turned into winter when Harold announced that Sonny was at the front door.

“He’s looking for me?” Will asked. 

“Yes, sir.”

Blinking, confused, Will followed Harold into the house. “Sonny?” 

“Hi. Can we talk?” Sonny asked.

“Okay.” Will led him into the living room and sat stiffly on the blue couch.

“I haven’t seen you around,” Sonny said.

“Yeah. I’ve kind of holed up here with Ari.”

“Are you really okay? You’re not like a zombie or a vampire or something?”

Will actually laughed. “No. I’m fine. I still have some nightmares sometimes,” Will admitted. “But other than that, I’m okay.”

“I’m sorry, Will.”

“For what?” 

“For everything in those last few months. I was pretty terrible to you.”

Caught off guard, Will said, “I deserved it.”

“No. No, you didn’t. I could have handled it better.” 

“But you couldn’t deal with your feelings for Paul, I get it, Sonny. You never really loved me.”

“Why do you keep saying that?” Sonny shook his head a little as he spoke.

“Because it’s true.”  

Sonny frowned. “I was destroyed when you died. I cried non-stop for a week. I was literally about to make a flight back to Salem when Uncle Vic called me to tell me what happened.”

“You were coming back?” Will asked, shocked.

Sonny took a deep breath and sighed. He looked away when he said, “I was coming home to tell you I loved you.” 

Will’s heart jumped into his throat. 

“I buried a piece of my soul when I buried you,” Sonny said shakily, turning his gaze back on Will. “You funeral was the worst day of my life. So don’t you dare tell me I never loved you.”

“But you’re with Paul now,” Will said slowly. 

“I know.”

“And you love him.”

“I know.”

“So where does that leave us?”

“I don’t know.”

Will lay awake for a long time after Sonny’s visit and confession. In fact, he didn’t get much sleep at all over the next couple of weeks. His mind was plagued with thoughts of Sonny and the last eight months of their marriage, and the what ifs: if he had not been in Ben and Abby’s apartment that day; if he had left a half hour or ten minutes earlier; if Sonny had caught an earlier flight back to Salem.

Could they have fixed their marriage? Would Sonny have been better able to deal with his feelings for Paul? Would he himself have been better able to deal with his insecurities? Or would Sonny have continued to drift towards Paul? Would Sonny have ended up sleeping with Paul too?

Days turned into weeks and weeks into months, and Will and Sonny had not broached the subject of their relationship again since that day in the DiMera Mansion. Will no longer secluded himself in the Mansion, however, and the three of them had bumped into each other around town, sometimes Sonny and Paul together, sometimes individually. They were always civil to each other but they never passed beyond pleasantries; if Paul knew about the conversation between Sonny and Will, he gave no indication. 

On Christmas Eve, Will intentionally sought out Sonny for the first time since being back. He found him at the Kiriakis Mansion. 

Shaking away memories of their wedding, Will announced himself. “Hey.”

“Will! Hi.” Sonny smiled at him. “What brings you here?”

“I was wondering if you had plans for tomorrow.”

“I think we might be having dinner here but that’s it. Why?”

“I thought you might like to come to the Horton tree trimming. See Ari put her ornament on the tree. And maybe hang yours,” Will added tentatively. 

“Oh. I, uh, yeah, I’d like that.” 

Will frowned for a second at Sonny seeming to be flustered but said, “You can bring Paul. Aunt Jen said it’s okay.”

“Oh. Okay. Thanks.” 

“Great. I’ll see you tomorrow then.” He left.

Christmas at the Horton House was the same as it had been for as long as Will could remember participating. Aunt Jen had made Gran’s famous cookies and doughnuts and Abigail had made eggnog. There were a few new additions since the last time Will had been there: Thomas, of course; Eli Grant, Julie’s grandson; Valerie, his mother and Abe’s girlfriend; Gabi had brought Chad, who was also there as Thomas’ father; Lani Carver, JJ’s girlfriend and Abe’s daughter; and John and Marlena had been invited to be with Paul, Will, and Eric who was dating Jennifer. 

It was a little bittersweet hanging his ornament next to Sonny’s when they weren’t together anymore, but he nearly cried when Arianna Grace tenderly placed her ornament on a low-hanging branch. She’d grown up so much in the two years he’d been dead, and he wondered if this was how Lucas had felt when he’d first found out he was his son. He’d have to remember to ask how Lucas has coped with knowing he’d missed out on two years of his child’s life through no fault of his own. 

Throughout the day, Will caught glimpses of Sonny and Paul talking quietly with each other and generally seeming to really be in love. His heart ached, but the ache was softened by the knowledge that even though Sonny had loved him, he had always loved Paul more. In a way, it made it easier for him to try to stop loving Sonny.

Towards the end of the evening, Will found himself alone with Paul in the kitchen cleaning up. Will’s eyes searched Paul; he looked the same as before, if maybe a bit more confident in himself. It was that confidence that Will had found so attractive so long ago in that hotel room. Will felt its pull even now. 

“Thank you for taking care of Sonny,” Will said, as he dumped dishes into the sink.

“What?” Paul paused in his cleaning of the dishes in the sink to look at Will.

“While I was...away. Thank you for taking care of him.”

“I love him.” 

Will knew it wasn’t meant to hurt him - he didn’t think Paul had a mean bone is his body - but it stung anyway. “I know. He deserves someone like you to love him.”

Paul blinked at him and his brow furrowed. “Will?”

Will looked away, blinked away tears that were suddenly burning his eyes. “I knew I was never good enough for Sonny. I almost - I did - chicken out of our first date because of it. We wouldn’t have gotten together if Sonny hadn’t tracked me down and insisted.” 

“I didn’t know that,” Paul said quietly. Then, “He can be very persuasive,” Paul said with a grin.

Will smiled at that. “Yeah. He can be when he wants.” 

“Anyway, I wanted to apologize for the way I behaved to you after...” Will trailed off, the implication clear. “None of it was your fault. Of all of us, you were the innocent party.”

“I maybe could have backed off Sonny a bit,” Paul conceded. After a beat, Paul said, “He really loved you, Will. I saw him when he came back for your funeral. It really cut him up.”

“Thanks,” Will said. He leaned his back against the cabinets as Paul finished cleaning the last of the dishes. “Promise me you won’t screw it up like I did? You got a second chance. I know from experience how rare that is.”

Paul dried his hands on a dishtowel before answering. “I promise.”

Will nodded. “I should get back to Ari. It’s getting late. See you around?”

“Yeah.”

Will gave Paul another little awkward nod of his head and went off to find his daughter.

January and February passed uneventfully for Will. He remained living in the DiMera Mansion, mostly because he wanted to be where Arianna was and because he didn’t have enough of his own money yet to get his own place. Lucas had graciously offered him the second bedroom in his apartment but he felt less like an intruder in the Mansion than with Lucas and Adrienne who were preparing for their Valentine’s Day wedding. 

Chad had offered Will a spot on the Sonixx staff but Will declined, having gotten into so much trouble there the first time. Instead, he asked Jennifer and Adrienne if there was a spot for him at the Spectator. He didn’t want any favors, but they wouldn’t hear of his concerns and promptly made him a section editor. (The staff was running low anyway). 

Grateful, and feeling like a real reporter, Will buried himself in his work. He spent time catching up with Gabi, Chad, and Abby (separately, of course), when he wasn’t working or playing with Ari, and he even volunteered for Eric at the Horton Center on the weekends sometimes. Overall, he was adjusting quite nicely to life back in Salem. It almost felt like he had never left. 

Once a week, Sonny had dinner at the Mansion with him, Gabi, Chad, Thomas, and Arianna. It was strange in the beginning, their attempts to fall back into the tri-parenting routine they had had so briefly before Gabi had gone to prison. It was like riding a bicycle, though, and Gabi seemed grateful that she now had another built-in babysitter. Will never passed up an opportunity to take Ari off of Gabi’s hands. Sometimes Sonny even joined them, and Paul. 

It crossed his mind occasionally that maybe he should hit The Spot, have some fun with people outside his family, but the idea of picking up guys still didn’t feel right. His love for Sonny still burned in him, and after the fiasco with Paul, it would feel too much like infidelity.

The day before their parents’ wedding, Sonny caught Will leaving the Spectator office.

“What’s up?” Will asked, falling into step beside Sonny as they headed to the Square.

“All ready for the wedding?”

“I still can’t believe we’re going to be stepbrothers,” Will chuckled. “My parents were stepsiblings for like a split second when Grandma Kate and Grandpa Roman married. They never talked about it.”

Sonny grinned. “Are you...are you bringing anyone?” Sonny fished.

Will looked at him curiously. “Does Arianna count?”

Sonny smiled wider. “No!” Sonny laughed. 

“Why? You’re going with Paul, right?”

Sonny’s smile faded slightly. “He’s actually away on a mission with John. Steve came back for the wedding, but Paul stayed.”

Will stopped walking and grabbed Sonny’s arm. “Is everything okay between you guys?”

“Yeah. Yeah. Why would you ask that?” Sonny asked, not looking at Will.

“I don’t know,” Will said, as they started walking again. “He hasn’t been with you the last couple times you visited with Ari and now he’s missing your mom’s wedding.” 

“Life with a private detective.” Sonny smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. 

Will let the subject drop.

Lucas and Adrienne’s wedding went off better than the last one had. Justin did not interrupt and Adrienne didn’t faint. Surprisingly, Kate made no effort to derail the ceremony, and she was uncharacteristically calm at the reception.

The ceremony was a small affair at Chez Rouge, Maggie having gone full out for her nephew. The place looked incredible and the food was delicious.

“Dance with me?” Sonny asked, holding his hand out to Will as a slow dance started to play. 

It was getting late and Gabi and Chad had already taken Arianna and Thomas home. 

Will blinked up at his former husband. “Okay.”

Will followed Sonny onto the dance floor. Heart thumping wildly in his chest, Will wrapped his arms around Sonny’s neck while Sonny gripped him tight around the waist. It was an old pose between them, borne out of lazy nights in their apartment, music tinkling softly out of the radio, Ari asleep in the other room. Will swallowed his heart and didn’t dare pull his arms any tighter for fear of getting to close to Sonny. 

They swayed silently to the music for a minute or two. Then Sonny said, “How’s work at the paper?” 

“It’s been great. I’m not destroying any lives so I’m already off to a good start.”

Sonny grinned. “Are you...are you seeing anyone?” 

Will cocked his head in curiosity. “That’s the second time you’ve asked me that in twenty-four hours. Are you sure everything is okay between you and Paul?”

Sonny didn’t answer right away. The song changed over to a slightly faster one, but Will and Sonny remained swaying where they stood. Eventually, Sonny answered, “We’ve just been fighting a lot recently. That’s all. Nothing major.”

Will searched Sonny’s eyes. He knew Sonny still wasn’t being completely honest with him. “You know you can talk to me, right? I mean, we used to be best friends. Talk about anything. We’re still those people, Sonny. At least I hope we are.”

This time, Sonny didn’t respond at all. Instead, he leaned forward and brushed his lips against Will’s. It was an echo of the kiss Sonny had given him all those years ago in the alcove off Horton Town Square, the kiss that had sent him spiraling into Gabi’s bed. 

“I can’t,” Will whispered, breaking the kiss but leaning his forehead against Sonny’s. “We broke because I cheated on you. I won’t do that to you and Paul too.”

Will dropped his arms from Sonny’s neck and pulled away completely. “You need to figure what - who - you want. You have for awhile now, I think you know that. And if it’s me you still want, you know where to find me.”

Will bowed his head, as he always did when it was too difficult to look at Sonny, sighed, and walked away.

Will didn’t see much of Sonny following their parents’ wedding; they hardly ever bumped into each in town anymore. Will had a sneaking suspicion that, apart from their weekly dinners with Ari, Sonny was avoiding him. 

Will ran into Paul at John and Marlena’s loft around the middle of March. Will arrived to visit Marlena, as Paul was getting ready to leave with John to go to the Black Patch office. 

“Oh, hey,” Will greeted when Paul opened the door.

“Will, hi.” Will didn’t miss the way Paul’s smile faltered for a second. “You here to see Marlena?”

“Yeah. Is she here?”

Paul nodded and stepped out of the doorway to let Will into the apartment. 

“Everything go okay with your mission?” Will asked.

“What?”

“Sonny had said you were on a mission with John. That’s why you weren’t at the wedding.”

“Oh, yeah. Everything went great.” Paul smiled but Will could tell it wasn’t sincere. 

Will’s brow furrowed. “Everything okay? You don’t seem like yourself.” It was so unlike Paul to be anything other than sincere and chipper. In all of the time that Will had known him - before, in the hotel room, in the time since he’d been back - Paul had always been kind and true. 

Paul blinked at him and frowned. “I probably shouldn’t be saying this but Sonny still loves you and wants to be with you. I don’t think he realizes it yet.”

Will’s lips twitched into a tiny smile. “That’s a thing he does. He loves someone he won’t admit to loving and pretends he doesn’t realize it yet.”

Paul smiled sadly. “He’s been pulling away from me. It’s why we’ve been fighting so much. He won’t talk to me.”

Will smiled wryly. “How did we end up here? With me and you reversed?”

“You died,” Paul said, and they both laughed. 

Before either of them could say anything more, John and Marlena emerged from the kitchen. Paul waved goodbye and followed his father out of the loft.

“Will? Is everything okay?” Marlena asked.

“I think it will be.”

As the first week of April dawned bright through the curtains in Will’s new apartment near the DiMera Mansion (he had finally gathered enough money to put a deposit down on a place without help from Lucas), Will did his very best not think about the fact that his and Sonny’s anniversary was in a few days. It was the first anniversary he was spending separated from Sonny.

He occupied himself with extra shifts of work at the Spectator and extra dad duty with Arianna. For the most part, he succeeded in passing the first couple of days without remembering his wedding.

But on the morning of April 3rd, he woke with a heavy weight in his chest and a knot in his stomach. Sighing and running his hand over his face, Will forced himself to get out of bed. It was only 6:30 in the morning. He wasn’t expected at the paper for over an hour, but going in early would take his mind off being without Sonny. 

He showered, washed, and dressed quickly, and left his apartment, too anxious to eat. Ten minutes later, he was unlocking the Spectator office. 

He’d been focused on an article he was writing for a half and hour when there was a knock on the door. Frowning in confusion - Jennifer and Adrienne were the only ones who came in early and they both had keys - Will cautiously made his way to the front door.

Sonny was standing outside. He smiled and waved when Will approached.

“Sonny?” Will asked, surprised, when he opened the door.

“Can I come in?”

Will hurried to let him inside.

“Are you alone?”

“Yeah.”

The words was barely out of his mouth before Sonny had stepped into his personal space and pulled him into a hard kiss. Will gasped against Sonny’s mouth, instinctively grabbing Sonny’s waist and pulling him closer. Sonny went willingly, his fingers finding their way into Will’s hair. 

It was a long time before they broke apart. 

“I broke up with Paul,” Sonny said when he’d caught his breath. “I love you.”

“So what does this mean?” Will asked. 

Vaguely, he thought his (their) aunt and stepmother (Sonny’s mother) would be arriving at work soon, and they should move out of the doorway to one of the back rooms, but Will couldn’t find it in him to care, not when Sonny was in his arms again after so long.

“I want to be with you.”

“What about everything that happened?” Will searched Sonny’s eyes. “Me cheating on you hasn’t gone away.”

“I reacted badly. I’m sorry. You were right about me not dealing well with my unresolved feelings for Paul.”

“And now? You’ve been in a relationship with him for over a year.”

Sonny pulled away and sat down on the couch that was in front of the window by the door. Will sat down next to him, 

“I’ll always love Paul. He was my first love,” Sonny admitted. “And I definitely had to resolve the feelings I left in San Francisco when I left him. But - I loved you so much, Will, that a part of me died when you did, and I changed. I...hardened. Paul noticed. My dad noticed. I think Uncle Vic even noticed. I’d felt the change in me for awhile but I didn’t realize how much different I was until I was sitting in a jail cell waiting to be charged with my uncle’s murder. I guess after your funeral, I didn’t really want to be me anymore, so I turned myself into something completely different. I’ve tried the last few months to get myself back to that place before I lost you, but I haven’t quite managed to get there yet.” 

Sonny laced their fingers together where they rested on top of Will’s knee. 

“I haven’t been right since I went back to Paris after your funeral. I’ve been carrying around the pain of your death for so long. It’s affected every aspect of my life. I haven’t been fully committed to Paul since we got back together. Paul knows it. He wasn’t surprised when I told him I still love you, that I want to be with you.”

“I know. He told me a few weeks ago he knew.”

Sonny gaped at him and then had the grace to look ashamed. 

“Can I ask you something?” Will asked.

“Yeah, of course.”

“What happens now?”

“I don’t think we should get remarried right away,” Sonny said almost immediately. “I think we should date again. Start over. Abby and Chad jumped back into their marriage when she came back and, well, you know how well that worked out.”

“Okay. Good. I was going to say the same thing,” Will said with a soft smile.

“Have you eaten breakfast?”

“No. I wasn’t very hungry this morning.” Will didn’t elaborate as to why.

“Well, it doesn’t look like there’s anything going on here yet. So, you want to head to the Square to get something to eat?”

“Is this our first date?” Will smirked.

“Maybe,” Sonny teased, standing up and holding out his hand for Will.

Will’s lips stretched into a smile, as he slid his hand into Sonny’s. He locked the door behind them and let Sonny lead him away from the office.

“Hey, Will.”

“Yeah?”

“Happy anniversary.”

It was strange to be dating his husband. To be fair, their marriage had been invalidated by his death, but in his heart Sonny would always be his husband. They continued their weekly dinners with Chad, Gabi, Thomas, and Arianna Grace, but in between they found themselves going to movies, going to The Spot, and hanging out on a regular basis.

It was an echo of the last time they were boyfriends, except neither of them had illusions of perfection anymore and neither lost sight of the fact that forever might not be attainable. They also learned to carefully and painstakingly re-build a relationship founded on trust and honesty. They told each other everything, even painful things, even when they knew it would brew into a fight.

The morning after Sonny’s visit to the Spectator Will had asked Marlena for a recommendation for a marriage counselor or couples’ therapist. Things were good between them but Will wanted the number so they could forestall any issues that might blow up into something big. 

He also began talking to Marlena regularly, and steering clear of asking Kate for any personal advice. Marlena had been his saving grace during his coming out and Kate had been his downfall in keeping the Paul fiasco from Sonny. Marlena never complained about being Will’s personal therapist; she was simply too overjoyed to have her favorite grandson back to care that he had essentially become her patient. 

In deference to Will and their new relationship, Sonny eased off things at Titan. He remained CEO of the conglomerate but he dragged Philip out of hiding to be his second-in-command and he gave Brady the responsibility of handling international affairs. After the shock of being arrested for Deimos’s murder, Sonny had already begun to question his decision to be involved so heavily with the company; the reestablishment of his relationship with Will only solidified the matter.

* * * * * * * * 

Falling back into their relationship had been relatively easy, picking up each other’s habits again like riding a bicycle. Despite a desire on both their parts to not rush into things, they found themselves reigniting their sex life rather quickly. A simple touch of the hands lit their skin on fire, or a soft, chaste kiss turned heated hastily. They relearned and reclaimed each other’s bodies, even as they discovered new ways to push each other to their limits, drive them over the edge of pleasure-pain. 

Will found himself happy in all aspects of his life: he was alive, he had his daughter with him regularly, he had a good, secure reporting job with a reputable newspaper, and he could freely give his heart to Sonny again.

Sonny, too, found himself happier than he had been in three and half years, if he was being honest. Will was alive, he was succeeding in overseeing Titan Industries, he no longer feared his lingering feelings for Paul, he had his daughter as regularly as Will did, and he could feel himself becoming once again the person he had been before Will had died, before Will had cheated, before Will had left for Los Angeles so long ago. 

They were both in good places individually, and it made their relationship easier, less pressured. 

Will and Sonny didn’t interact with Paul too much until a month after they started seeing each other again. Rafe and Gabi were hosting Arianna’s fifth birthday party at TBD, and Paul had been invited. 

“Are you nervous to see him?” Will asked, fixing Sonny’s tie.

“A little.” A shadow crossed Sonny’s face. “I just...I feel like I should have treated him better.”

Will looked at Sonny curiously. 

“With the whole Titan thing. I was pretty wrapped up in Deimos and Titan for most of the time we were together. I was kind of one-track minded.” 

Will’s face softened. “He’s always loved you, Sonny. He was probably just glad to have the chance to be with you again.” It didn’t hurt Will to admit it, not the way it would have once.

Before Sonny could respond, Ari pulled their attention away by attacking Will’s legs. Will grinned and picked her up. She was almost getting too old and heavy to be carried, but he still couldn’t quite stop holding his daughter.

Just then, John and Marlena walked into the club, Paul right behind them. Will felt Sonny tense beside him as Paul made a beeline for them.

“Hey,” Paul said. He didn’t seem any worse for wear for the break up with Sonny. In fact, he seemed like his usual chipper self.

“Hi,” Will said.

“Hi,” Sonny said softly. 

“How’ve you guys been?” Paul asked.

“How are you?” Sonny asked, deflecting Paul’s question.

Paul’s eyes flickered between Will and Sonny for a brief second. Then he said, “I’m okay. Working a lot with my dad and Steve.” His smile didn’t appear to be anything but sincere.

There was a crash in the kitchen. “Excuse me,” Sonny said and left Will and Paul alone.

They stood in silence for a minute. Will broke first. “How are you really doing, Paul?”

Paul’s smile faltered. “I won’t lie and say I’m not hurting. But if I’m being honest with myself, I knew from the moment Sonny told me he was married that I’d never get him back.”

“But you did.”

Paul huffed out a laugh. “Not really. You were always a cloud hanging over us.”

“I’m sorry,” Will said kindly.

Paul waved him off. “I can’t blame Sonny for falling in love with someone else. It’s my own fault. And I can’t blame you for being the one Sonny fell in love with.”

Will was silent, overwhelmed by Paul’s generosity. He knew he couldn’t have been so kind if the roles were reversed, as much as he had stayed away from Sonny in the time since he had been back. 

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Will asked, “So what are you going to do now?”

“Work. Maybe coach a little league team this summer. Thought I might hit up The Spot. I think it’s time I tried to move on.”

“Paul...”

Paul cleared his throat to forestall whatever it was Will was going to say. “I, uh, I think I’m going to go find my dad.”

With a tight smile, Paul walked away just as Sonny appeared beside Will.

“Everything okay?”

“I hope so,” Will answered, his eyes on Paul’s back. “We should probably bring out the cake. Ari’s getting antsy.”

Sonny agreed with a grin.

A week into June, Will said rather randomly, “I think we should set Paul up on a date.”

Sonny’s hand stalled where he was stirring pasta in a pot on the stove. “You what?”

“I think we should set Paul up on a date,” Will said again, coming to stand next to Sonny in the kitchen. 

(After Ari’s birthday party, when they had been standing outside Will’s apartment kissing lazily, Will asked, “Move in with me?” It hadn’t been planned, like Sonny had once planned it, with a key wrapped in a box, but it felt right.

Sonny’s face lit up. He nodded and crashed their lips together. Will laughed into the kiss and somehow managed to unlock the door and fumble them both inside.)

“Why?”

Will made a face and sighed with mock annoyance. “Because he’s lonely and nursing a broken heart? And I feel bad for being the cause of it?”

“I don’t think we should get involved,” Sonny said, not looking at Will.

Will frowned for real. “Are you getting jealous on me?”

“No. I’m not,” Sonny insisted. “I just don’t think Paul would appreciate it.” He dumped the finished pasta into a colander to drain the steaming water. 

“I do,” Will responded, handing Sonny their bowls. “Paul’s famous and it can be hard for famous people to know who’s after their fame or them as a person.”

Sonny huffed. “Who would we even set him up with? Neil and Brian aren’t in town anymore. And all of my old friends have boyfriends.”

“I was thinking about Derek,” Will suggested, following Sonny to the table. “They dated a little bit. They seemed to like each other. They just never really got a chance to try things for real.”

“Because I was hanging around Paul like a puppy, right? That’s what you’re implying.” Sonny was smiling, so Will knew he wasn’t offended.

“You said it, not me,” Will said, grinning back around a mouthful of pasta.

“Okay. You win. We’ll set Paul and Derek up on a date.”

Will’s eyes twinkled with glee and Sonny’s heart swelled.

Since their anniversary, Will and Sonny found themselves often at The Spot on Friday nights. Gabi and Chad had agreed that they would watch Ari and Will and Sonny would take her on Saturday, to allow Chad and Gabi their date night. 

During those Fridays, Will had seen Derek at the club almost every week, so it was a safe bet that he would be there that night. 

“Do you see him?” Will said loudly into Sonny’s ear so he could be heard over the music.

Sonny shook his head. “I still don’t know how you convinced Paul to come out with us,” Sonny said.

Will grinned sheepishly. “Don’t hate me. But I kind of roped Grandma Marlena into convincing Paul it might do him some good to get out. He said he might come here when I spoke to him at Ari’s party but we’ve never seen him here so I thought he might not have followed through.”

“You’re evil, Will Horton.”

Will shrugged. 

Sure enough, they spotted Paul walking into the club. He saw them first and made a beeline for them. 

“Hey,” Will said, forestalling any awkwardness.

The three of them hadn’t seen each other too much since Arianna’s birthday party. Will thought he looked a little paler than usual, but it could have been the flashing lights of the club. 

“How are you?” Sonny asked. 

Paul put on a smile that seemed genuine, and said, “Working a lot. Keeping myself busy. I’m starting a little league coaching job next week.”

“Paul, I -” Sonny started but Paul cut him off.

“Don’t, Sonny. It’s okay. I’m fine. Really.” 

The three of them stood in a thick silence despite the music for a minute. Then Sonny said, “Hey, isn’t that that bellhop from the Inn?” Sonny pointed to a place across the dance floor.

“Oh, yeah. It is,” Paul said, following Sonny’s gaze. “Derek.” 

“You liked him when you dated, didn’t you?” Will asked.

Paul turned his attention back to Will. “Yeah, I did.” Paul’s face split into a real smile, seemingly almost involuntarily.

“Go talk to him,” Sonny encouraged. “If he’s here, he probably doesn’t have a boyfriend,”

“You’re here,” Paul pointed out.

“We’re here together,” Sonny countered. “It looks like he’s alone. What harm is there in trying?”

Paul studied Will and Sonny. They had such earnest and friendly looks on their faces that Paul gave in. “Alright, alright. I’ll go talk to him,” Paul mumbled and walked away.

“I saw Paul this morning,” Sonny said, his fingers running lazily through Will’s blonde hair.

They were curled up in bed, Will’s head pillowed on Sonny’s chest. A fan was blowing air on them, the apartment stifling in the Midwestern mid-July heat. They were both naked and a thin sheet was the only thing covering them, their legs criss-crossed underneath. 

“Mmmm,” Will hummed, halfway to sleep.

“He was having breakfast with Derek.”

Will shifted his head at that, so he could look at Sonny. “Really?” 

Sonny smiled and nodded. “I didn’t talk to them, but they looked happy. Paul was laughing at something Derek said.”

Will��s face lit up. “See.” Will poked Sonny’s chest. “I told you it was a good idea.”

“We’ll see,” Sonny joked. 

Will stuck his tongue out at Sonny.

“Wanna get some brunch at the Pub?” Will asked Sonny one Saturday towards the end of September. “Ari’s staying with our parents, so we don’t have dad duty today. Let’s go out.”

“Alright,” Sonny agreed with a smile.

* * * * * * * * * *

“This was a good idea,” Sonny said, lacing their fingers as they left the pub an hour and a half later. “You might be a Brady but you don’t cook like one.”

Will threw his head back laughing. “Yeah, well, my mom once almost blew up our apartment trying to microwave popcorn so you know where I get it from.”

Sonny shook with laughter but stopped abruptly when he realized Will had stopped walking and was staring at him. “What?” Sonny asked, alarmed.

“We’re good, right, Sonny? You and me?”

“Yeah, of course.” When Will didn’t say anything, Sonny asked, “You okay?” His face was all concern.

“Yeah, I just - I love you,” Will said, gathering his thoughts. 

“I love you, too.” Will smiled. “I want us to work this time, Sonny. I want us to last.” He ran his free hand over his eyes and laughed nervously. “This isn’t coming out like I wanted it to,” Will mumbled to himself. Then, louder, to Sonny, “When you left for Paris, I really, I really didn’t know what to do with myself. All I knew how to do was love you. And then when I came back after...you know...You were with Paul and it felt like I was vindicated in everything I’d felt and done with regards to you and Paul.”

“Will, I know all this.”

“Sonny, please let me finish,” Will begged. “So I tried. I tried so hard to move on, I did, but I guess that hope that you would love me again never really went away. And then you were kissing me on our anniversary and telling me you still loved me and wanted to be with me again and it felt like a dream.” Will was rambling now, his thoughts moving faster than his mind could create coherent sentences. “And we’re both in better places than we were back then, with our jobs, and you with Paul, and Paul has a boyfriend, and we’re all friends and everything is just so good. I’m so scared, Sonny. I’m so scared that the other shoe is going to drop.” 

It wasn’t at all what he had planned to say this morning when he asked for brunch at the Pub. 

“Hey,” Sonny soothed, taking Will’s free hand in his own. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere this time, I promise. I mean it, Will. No more running away.”

Will searched Sonny’s face. It was open and honest and earnest in a way it had never been since Will had followed Sami to LA. 

Letting go of Sonny’s hands, Will reached into his pocket and pulled out a little box. With a deep breath, Will fell onto his knee and flipped open the box to reveal a silver band. Looking up at Sonny, Will asked, “Marry me?”

“God yes,” Sonny breathed and leaned to down to kiss Will’s lips, his hands on Will’s face.

Will grinned into the kiss, standing up and circling his arms around Sonny’s waist. It was a new beginning, same as their first kiss in that spot had been so many years ago, Will’s heart beating a steady drum against his chest same as it had then too. 

Sonny broke away first, a smile tugging at his lips, his arms draping around Will’s neck. “You got a new ring.”

“To be honest, I don’t know what happened to my ring,” Will replied. “And I didn’t have yours. Besides, I want this to be a new beginning for us, one that we don’t mess up. I thought the best way to do that was with new rings.”

To emphasize his point, Will pried himself away from Sonny so he could take the ring out of the box. Sonny held his left hand out for Will. Will obliged and slid the ring onto Sonny’s finger, where it sat snug like it had always belonged there.

Before Sonny knew what happened, Will had produced another ring box from inside his jacket. “Do you want to -?” Will started to ask, but Sonny was already taking the box from him.

Will laughed and held his own hand out for Sonny. Like Sonny’s, the ring fit snug on his finger as if it should have always been there. He never planned for his finger to be empty ever again.

Sonny grinned at him. “I love you, husband.”

“We’re not married yet.”

“You were always my husband, even when you weren’t.”

Will blinked back sudden tears. To hear Sonny say that was overwhelming. “Me too.”

Sonny’s arms found their way around Will’s waist; Will’s found their familiar place draped around Sonny’s neck.

“I love you,” Sonny said.

“I love you, too.”

[carey-pricemas]

Pancakes- Morgan Rielly

Ok! Morgan with children! It's kind of adorable, but I don't know if this was what you wanted anon so let me know! But Enjoy guys!

Warning: none

Anon Request: Could you please do a cute Morgan Rielly one with kids. Maybe where he shows the little ones how to cook for a Leafs TV home life segment.

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              You loved you husband, you really did. And Morgan was good at a lot of things...

��             ...but cooking was definitely not one of them.

              The Leafs had started a video segment on the home lives of the players, starting with the Captain.

              You were fine with that. Your house was a mess, but you had 2 kids and Mo, so it was as good as it was going to get and fans would get over it eventually.

              It was when Morgan offered to make pancakes for breakfast, his two minions at his side, the worry set in.

              Morgan didn't make pancakes.

              You weren't even sure if Mo knew HOW to make pancakes!

              "Daddy" your youngest daughter squealed, holding her arms up. "Chocwate chip?"

              "Yes, daddy! PLEASE?" the older of the two squealed, pushing her step stool next to Morgan. Morgan picked the youngest up, depositing her on the counter.

              "I don't know. Do we even have chocolate chips?" he asked, turning to you. You sighed.

              "I don't even know if we have ingredients for pancakes, Mo." You pushed off the counter you were leaning against and started rummaging through your pantry. "Olivia, come here please." You oldest daughter hopped down and ran to the opening. "Can you take these to daddy?" She nodded. You handed her the sugar and baking powder, opting to carry the flour yourself.

              "Here you go daddy!" she said, handing the ingredients to him. She ran back to you and waited.

              "Ok I'm going to have to dig for chocolate chips." You set the flour on the counter before moving to the fridge. "Here baby girl. Be very careful with these." You handed her the carton of eggs, watching as she carefully balanced them over to Morgan. She came back and got the milk and butter from your hands. "Start with the basic batter and I'll look for the chocolate."

              "Wait" Morgan said, wide eyed. "You're not going to help us?" he asked. You snickered.

              "No, Mo. You wanted to make the pancakes. Surely you have a recipe" you said innocently. "I need to find the chocolate."

              "(Y/N)" he hissed. You ignored him and turned back to the pantry.

              "What are you doing daddy?" Olivia asked.

              "Just uhhhh... Calling Uncle Auston!"

              "Why?" Maddie asked. "IS HE COMING OVER FOR PANCAKES?" she squealed. Maddie LOVED her Uncle Auston.

              "'Sup?"

              "You're on speaker phone" Morgan warned. It was a standard precaution after the first time you called Mo after a particularly nasty game and the girls learned some new words.

              "Ok. What's up? Why are you calling me?"

              "Want to come over for pancakes?"

              "....What do you want?" You giggled. Auston knew Morgan well.

              "I need you to pick something up on the way in" Morgan said. You peaked out of the closet and saw Morgan looking around helplessly while the girls watched him, cameras catching every moment.

              "Oooookay?"

              "Can you bring a recipe?"

              "For what?"

              "....Pancakes." You almost lost it then and there.

              Captain Morgan Rielly, defenseman for the Toronto Maple Leafs, just admitted he had no idea how to make pancakes to the entirety of the Leafs Nation.

              You couldn't wait to see how it played out.

              "Isn't (Y/N) there?" Auston asked. "She knows how to make pancakes."

              "Ok smarta- Auston" Mo caught himself in time. "I opened my mouth. Can you just bring a recipe?"

              "I'll be there in ten." Morgan hung up the phone and turned to his girls.

              "This can't be that hard right?"

              "Right!" Maddie cheered. She was the eternal optimist, just like her daddy. Olivia on the other hand gave Morgan an 'I don't trust this' look.

              Smart girl.

              "Here you go guys." You set the bag of chocolate chips on the counter. "If you don't eat them all, maybe you can have daddy help you make cookies later!"

              "YAY!" Maddie cheered. Morgan shot you a panicked look.

              "I'm going to go grab a shower." You walked away, feeling Morgan's glare on your back.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/

              You walked down the stairs and stopped.

              Your house smelt like pancakes, and not burnt ones either.

              "MOMMY!" Maddie squealed, sitting on Auston's lap, chocolate smeared all over her face. "Daddy and Uncle Aussie made pancakes!"

              "I see that. Are they good?"

              "Once you get past the eggshells" Olivia muttered as she stirred the batter.

              "Eggshells?" you questioned, looking in the bowl.

              "Uncle Auston cracked the egg too hard" Maddie said.

              "Uh huh." You looked at Morgan who flipped a pancake perfectly. "And you're letting them eat the shell?"

              "Calcium" Morgan responded.

              "MORGAN FREDERICK RIELLY!" you yelled. Mo looked at you wide eyed.

              "What?"

              "YOU'RE LETTING OUR DAUGHTERS EAT EGGSHELLS!"

              "Told you" Auston muttered.

              "It's fine." Mo waved your concerns away. "Aren't they good, Mads?"

              "CHOCWATE!"

              "This is not going online" you said, wheeling to the cameraman, who was snickering.

              "Oh yeah! This is too good not to share!" You groaned.

              "You're explaining this to your mother." You said, pointing at an opened mouthed Morgan. You moved over to the table and swept your daughter into your arms to go get her cleaned up. "Might want to call her BEFORE it airs."

              "Wait. Babe! Babe?!"

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Ok so I feel like these two cooking would be terrible and you know... men. So let me know what you thought! Up next: Andre Burakovsky!