107 notes - 6 years ago

Baker’s Dozen - Traffic Stop AU Part 3

(Part 1 | Part 2 | Baker’s Dozen Prompt)

“Well, there they go,” Michonne laughed as Andre and Judith took off running for the playground the second their respective parents let go of their hands.

She and Rick sat down on a bench in the shade where they could keep an eye on the kids. Rick let out a sigh of relaxation, stretching his arms out along the back of the bench and tilting his head back to enjoy the clear blue sky.

“Long day at work?” Michonne asked, eyebrow raised.

Rick turned to her and said, “This guy hijacked a truck. He was like a ninja or something and it took all morning to catch him. And then the truck? After all that, it rolled into a lake.”

“Wow, that was definitely more exciting than my morning,” Michonne said.

“The chase was exciting, but oh man, the paperwork is going to be a nightmare,” Rick rubbed a hand over his face, “I just want to turn my brain off for a while.”

Michonne regarded him thoughtfully. She was trying to figure him out but every time she thought she had a read on him, he did something different.

He was undeniably handsome but he didn’t carry himself with the arrogance of a man who knew how good looking he was. He was comfortable talking to her but didn’t feel the need to fill every second with chatter. And, the other day, he had acted impervious to her obvious attempts at flirtation and yet handed her a warning when she rightly deserved a ticket.

Now, sitting beside her on a park bench watching their kids dig in the sandbox as if this was something they did all the time, he smiled at her.

“Thank you for suggesting this. Judith is usually a bit shy, but she’s really warmed up to Andre,” Rick said.

Michonne smiled back. She found herself telling him about how it’d been adjusting to small town life and before she knew it the shadows were growing long and the kids were back, grumbling about being hungry.

It was time to go home, but something told Michonne not to let this moment slip by.

“So,” she said, “same time, same place next week?”

“Absolutely,” Rick said.

****Next Week****

“Guess what day it is!” Andre bounded over to where Rick and Judith were unloading from their car, Michonne a few steps behind him.

“What day is it?” Rick asked and Judith looked on curiously.

“It’s my half-birthday!” Andre declared proudly, “I’m five and a half, ex-actly!”

“Congratulations,” Rick said, then straightened up to greet Michonne.

After getting to know her a little more, Rick had to admit to himself that she wasn’t quite what he’d expected. For one, he’d thought that a woman as beautiful as Michonne would show up wearing a perfectly styled dress, maybe carrying a designer handbag. In short, that she would be way out of his league.

Instead, she seemed to favor black boots and tight pants, usually with a tank top that showed off her perfectly toned arms. Her style was sporty and feminine and a little rebellious, and it all made Rick like her even more.

Before his glance could turn into a stare, Judith pulled on his arm.

“Daddy? When is my half-birthday?” Judith asked.

“Huh…” Rick stared into space as he calculated, then did the mental math one more time to check himself, “Actually…it’s today too!”

The two children gasped.

“Seriously? Her birthday is January 12^th too?” Michonne was surprised.

“Yeah,” Rick confirmed.

Judith and Andre were jumping up and down in excitement. “We have the same birthday!” “It’s my half-birthday too!” “We’re both five and a half!” “Ex-actly!”

Rick and Michonne laughed together. Then Judith seemed to realize something. She stood still and grabbed Andre’s hands.

“We’re twins!” Judith declared.

“I always wanted a twin!” Andre exclaimed, throwing his arms around Judith.

“Me too!” she hugged him back.

The whole scene was so hilariously adorable, Rick almost hated to break the truth, “Now, sweetheart, I’m afraid that’s not how it works. You two have the same birthday, but that doesn’t make you twins.”

He was met with twin looks of confusion, “But…but…”

Rick glanced at Michonne for help but she gave him an amused look that said ‘Go on, you’ve got this’. She was no help at all.

Rick took a deep breath and explained as gently as he could, “See, if you are brother and sister and you have the same birthday, then you would be twins. You two are friends who have the same birthday. Not twins. Understand?”

Andre and Judith were deflated, but not defeated. Judith frowned, thinking hard.

“But…Daddy, what if you and Miss Michonne get married? Then me and Andre will be brother and sister and have the same birthday and, and –”

“We’ll be twins!” Andre finished with her.

Rick was momentarily stunned by this leap in logic. Michonne knelt down to be on eye level with the little ones, apparently deciding that Rick needed reinforcements after all.

“Even if, in some hypothetical, possible future,” she glanced sideways at Rick, “Mr. Rick and I got married, you two would be step-siblings. Twins have the same birth mother.”

“But…but, if you got married…” Andre was growing frustrated, tears starting to well up in his eyes.

Wary that the conversation was taking a turn to something neither of them were prepared to handle, Rick decided to use one of his favorite parenting techniques, the diversion.

“Hey, why don’t you guys go play on the swing set?” Rick suggested.

Andre and Judith decided this was a great idea. They ran towards the playground, saying, “Come on, twin! Let’s go!” and “Okay, twin!”

Michonne sighed in defeat, “Well, I guess it doesn’t hurt to let them pretend.”

The two parents found what Rick was already thinking of as their spot on a bench by the playground.

Michonne told him about the calico cat at the local shelter that she was determined to adopt, despite her landlord’s rule against pets. She had an elaborate plan to sneak the cat into her apartment without detection. Rick hung on every word. He was transfixed.

During a brief lull in the conversation, before he had completely realized what he was doing, Rick asked, “Michonne, would you like to have dinner with me?”

#fanfic #Bakers Dozen #Richonne #Michonne #Rick Grimes #Traffic Stop AU continues! #now with Parent Trap AU feels! #TWD #The Walking Dead