A/N: Chapter 1 is brought to you by Thematsaidwelcome. Sit back and relax and enjoy the ride.

Be sure to check out her other stories on her FF page.

-We're The Ones Who Write

"So everything's ready to go then?"

"Yeah, we've got enough meat with the boars and deer Daryl brought in. The Hilltop is bringing all the veggies, Oceanside said they're bringing a few schools worth of fish and the Kingdom has all the desserts to give us all a teeth ache for a week."

"Good. So what we do now?" Rick sauntered over to Michonne wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her close and kissing her neck. They had been preparing for the Spring Festival and Banquet Night for almost a week. Cleaning out houses for all the extra guests, pruning hedges, searching for tables, chairs and games for the ever growing population. By the end of the day, they were both too worn out to do anything other than cuddle until they fell asleep. With all the preparations done, Rick was ready to get back to and into Michonne.

"Hmmm…. I'm sorry, I've got to meet Sasha at the house, she gonna do my hair."

"Chonne what's wrong with your hair?" He took a handful of her locs and pulled, giving him better access to her neck. "I like it just like this." He kissed and licked, trying to persuade her with his tongue.

"I just want it to look nice for tomorrow."

"Hey Rick!" Rick placed his forehead to Michonne's and turned his head with an exasperated sigh towards the voice who just called his name.

"What do you need Abe?"

"Sorry to interrupt boss."

"Don't call me boss." He raised his head, but kept Michonne close.

"We could use some extra hands with these tables."

"I thought all the tables had been moved already?"

"They were, but Dixianne got a wild hair and wants them more spaced out to give people room to walk and mingle. Some shit like that."

"Shit. Okay, I'll be there in a minute."

"Looks like duty calls." Michonne said to him after a quick kiss.

"This is calling." He pressed his bulge into her side and squeezed her ass.

"Trust me Rick, I know. You have work to do though and Sasha is waiting." She gave him another kiss on the lips and went to walk out of the pantry.

"Hold on." Rick stopped her by grabbing her wrist. "It's probably better if I don't have to watch you walk out."

"What is all this? I thought you were just gonna do my hair."

"I was. I am, but fashionista over here said we might as well get dressed up."

"We went on that run last month and got all these clothes, might as well use them."

"Really Rosita, dress up?"

"Look at this. How cute would you look in this skirt?" Rosita held up a red printed maxi skirt for Michonne to see.

"That is cute." Michonne was impressed that Rosita seemed to know her style even though she's never seen her in anything other than her trusted cargo pants.

"Right? It's not heavy so it'll flow in the wind. Your ass will look great in it too."

"Oh, you know what? Look, we can put these in your hair." Sasha pulled out a small bag filled with what looked to be jewelry. "I traded for these last time we took a group to Oceanside. Aren't they pretty?"

"They're making these at Oceanside?" Michonne took the bag from Sasha and saw the three pieces of loc jewelry. Coiled metal with cowrie shells hanging from the ends. "These are beautiful."

"And they're gonna look so good in your hair. Sit." Michonne sat in the chair and with a spray bottle in hand, Sasha got to work, parting and retwisting her locs.

The women talked and laughed and reminisced about times before the turn and things they missed the most. Rosita tried on clothes and found the perfect outfit for Sasha.

"Man, hoops used to be my go to back in the day." Rosita picked up a pair and put them to her ears. "I love these. What do y'all think?"

"Weren't you wearing hoops when I met you?" Sasha asked her.

"Like I said... back in the day."

"Those look great Rosita. Got anything that will go with that skirt?"

"You know I do. Dixianne will not allow us to walk around tomorrow looking basic." Rosita rummaged through a basket filled with jewelry, picking out a few pieces for Michonne to inspect..

"Where did y'all get all this stuff anyways? Where was I?"

"This is just a collection from a bunch of runs. I think the bulk of it we got last month. Demi and I found a women's clothing store and we took whatever the truck could hold. You were probably somewhere under Rick, so you didn't notice."

"Or he was under her, you never know with you two." Sasha added.

"Oh my god, we are not that bad." Sasha and Rosita laughed thinking about just how bad their leader and his katana wielding warrior were.

"You know that saying, it's a small world? Well, the ZA has made it even smaller and we all know when Rick hasn't gotten any, when he needs some and when he's had some. You my friend are the cure all for all that ails Rick Grimes." Sasha snickered as she finished talking.

"Yes, your papaya has magical powers over Señor Grimes. Please allow him to drink from your fountain whenever he wants. It makes it so much easier for us."

"He is not that bad." Sasha tapped on her shoulder to indicate that her hair was done. Michonne walked to the dresser mirror to inspect Sasha's handy work. She ran her fingers along her hair and smiled. "Uh, my hair hasn't looked this good in so long. Thanks Sasha."

"Now wait until Rick sees your hair and sees you in this." Rosita held the skirt in front of Michonne so she could see how it would look. "He won't be able to keep his hands off of you."

"Hey Michonne….what are y'all doing?"

"Hey Carl. What's up?" Sasha asked him through a smile.

"We're trying to convince Michonne to put away her cargo pants for tomorrow and wear this skirt. What do you think?"

"It's nice. Has my dad ever seen you in a skirt?"

"No. This is the type of thing I would have worn before. You don't think it would be weird do you?"

"No. You should wear it. I think my dad would really like it."

"Are you dressing up Carl? A certain Oceanside member will be here." Sasha teased.

"You're crushing on someone from Oceanside?" Rosita asked him. Carl blushed and looked down at the floor.

"Umm, I gotta go. Have fun with your skirts and stuff." Carl made a quick getaway, not wanting to be interrogated by the three women about his interest in anyone of the opposite sex.

"I've never seen him blush so much. He's growing up Michonne."

"Don't remind me. I'd rather just think of him as the sweet little boy who used to follow me around and wore a too big hat on his little head."

"Enough of that Michonne." Sasha could see the melancholy look on her friends face and tried to change the subject. "We've got sandals too, so you'll have to put away those boots."

"Yep. I've got this for you." Rosita handed her a razor.

"I shave my legs all the time."

"It's not for your legs." Michonne took the razor with curiosity and worry in her eyes while Rosita walked over to the bed rummaging through another bag before holding her hand up and extending it to Michonne so she could take the red lace thong.

"Why the hell is this so small? It's barely gonna cover my…"

"That's what the razor's for." Rosita cheekily answered Michonne's unspoken question. "You can do that later, right now lets do something we haven't done in ages." Rosita opened another bag and pulled out five different shades of nail polish. "Mani pedi."

It was just after one in the morning when Rick finally made it home. He kicked his boots off at the door and trudged upstairs. He was beat. The moving of tables turned into more of a production than he cared for. Dixianne changed her indecisive mind three times and then for some reason, everyone and their still living mama needed him for something or another. He tiptoed up the stairs, checking on Judith and Carl before entering his room to see Michonne fast asleep in the middle of the bed. He shook his head and them made his way to the shower to clean off the dirt and sweat of the day. Peeling off his clothes, he weighed the pros and cons of waking up Michonne when he finally got into the bed, but decided that the cons outweigh the pros especially when it came to Michonne scowling at him for the rest of the week.

Rick woke up to the sun pouring through the windows and an empty spot next to him where Michonne usually is. He picked up his watch from the night stand and saw that it was 9:45. He never slept in that late and wondered why Michonne didn't wake him up. Picking up the sheet that covered his lower half, he really wished that she had.

"Hey dad, about time you got up. I was gonna wake you hours ago, but Michonne said to let you sleep in. She made breakfast, you hungry?"

"Yeah, smells good." Rick went over and kissed Judith head and squeezed Carl's shoulder. "Morning."

"Pancakes with peanut butter. Judith already had four of them."

"I'm sure she did, she eats about as much as you do now." Rick poured himself a cup of coffee and stacked a few pancakes on a plate before sitting at the table across from Judith and Carl starting on his own breakfast. "Michonne left already?" Her absence noticeably evident in the kitchen that was a little too quiet and not as bright without her laughter filling the room.

"Olivia came by earlier and told her there was some crisis at the pantry. She said to let you sleep in since you got home late."

"Yeah, I did. I thought everything was ready to go when I came home... I guess not." Rick listened and could hear the sounds of the gate opening and the people filing in. "It's about to get really busy around here. You ready for everyone?"

"I can't wait. Abe and Morgan started the smoker earlier. Can you smell the smoke? I'm getting hungry just thinking about it."

"Of course you are." Rick walked the plates to the sink, washing them and placing them on the drying rack. "You ready for the big party sweetie?" Wiping his hands on his jeans, he picked up Judith from her high chair and they all walked to the door headed outside. When he opened it, he saw the streets of ASZ bustling with people. Every community was represented, people, food and festivities. That's the way King Ezekiel put it. Looking out towards the gates, he could see the silver grey of the kings thick locs as he entered.

"I'll take her dad." Carl reached out for Judith and placed her on his shoulders. "Looks like you've got people to greet oh fearless leader."

"Thanks Carl." Rick said to him as sarcastically as he could. He watched Carl descend the steps and head off to the left towards the smoking meat. "And it's just dad to you!"

"Hey Rick, you ready for all this?" Tobin asked him as he strolled by carrying a huge basket full of food storage containers.

"As ready as I'll ever be. Those Carol's famous cookies?"

"The ones and only. Care for some?" Tobin held out a container filled with beet acorn cookies, but Rick declined stating he had just had peanut butter pancakes and was stuffed. It wasn't a lie, but he didn't want to tell him that the cookies tasted like sweetened dirt and he'd rather just eat dirt. "Suit yourself. They'll be at the banquet hall when you want some." Rick nodded his head and watched Tobin head off towards the banquet hall which was just an empty house that they were using to house all the food and give the older residents a cool place to sit during the all day party. Every community was thriving and all threats had been dispatched, so they were celebrating their new found safety and commemorating it with a festival that they hoped to make an annual event.

"Rick!" Ezekiel exclaimed as he stood at the bottom of the steps at Rick's house. "This place looks magnificent." Looking around at all the people, Ezekiel continued to speak. "I have to show my gratitude to the lady of ASZ. Where is Michonne?" Looking out passed Ezekiel Rick didn't know where his wife was, but he needed to find her soon.

"She's around here somewhere. I'll make sure to pass on your message."

"Please do that. Let me find Jerry and make sure he doesn't eat all the pie. We'll talk later." Rick nodded his head and looked around again for Michonne. He finally made his way off the porch steps and headed towards the pantry to find her.

"Oh hey Rick. You need anything? All the food has been taken to the banquet hall already."

"I need my wife, Olivia. You seen her?"

"You just missed her. She was here not even 10 minutes ago. She looks great by the way."

"What?"

"Her outfit. You haven't seen it?"

"No. She left before I got up this morning."

"Well, when you see her, your eyes will probably fall out of your head." Rick took a deep breath and left the pantry, continuing his search for Michonne. Twenty minutes later and after having to stop and talk to seven people from the various communities, he finally spotted her crossing through the gazebo to talk to a few of the women from Oceanside. He noticed a sparkle in her hair as she showed something to the women and then she turned her head and he saw her beautiful smile. He headed towards her wanting to get the good morning kiss that he missed when she left before he was awake. He was halfway to her when he was stopped by Tara, who wanted a quick fistbump before she talked.

"What's going on Rick? This is great huh?"

"Yeah it is. How's everything been going?"

"Smooth as ever. We just closed the gate for the last time. Everyone's inside. The towers are being manned and smells like the meats cooking. I'm about to go check on Denise and see if she needs anything."

"Alright. Uh... Saddiq knows that he's taking over in the clinic at four right?"

"He knows... I'll drag him over there if he forgets." Rick looked out at the gazebo again, but didn't see Michonne. "You looking for Michonne?"

"Yeah, she was just over there." He looked around trying to find her again.

"She shouldn't be hard to miss today. She looks really good. Not that she doesn't everyday. But today she looks…." Tara stopped talking when Rick fixed her with a head tilt. "Umm...I'm gonna go and check on Denise. See ya later."

"Yeah." Rick responded. He looked around again and spotted her over by the kids area that Glenn was running. There was a water balloon toss and turtle races and face painting. Michonne was holding Judith and talking to Carl, moving his hair out of his face. His smile grew watching his family during such a tender moment. He took a step to get to them and was immediately stopped by Abe who was holding a beer in his hand.

"Fine day for a festival, Mr. Grimes."

"Little early for beer isn't it?" Rick huffed out.

"I'm sure it's beerthirty somewhere. I'm just trying it out." Abe shrugged his shoulders. "Eugene wanted a taste tester and I was all too happy to give him my opinion." Rick scratched the short hairs of his beard and tried to look around the large man to get his eyes on his family again. "You looking for someone?"

"Michonne. She was just over there in the kids area." He spotted Carl with Judith, but to his disappointment, Michonne wasn't with them.

"Oh yeah... Mrs. Grimes…. With all due respect I have to tell you that your wife is looking finer than frog's hair today. I've never seen her dressed like that. If she wasn't wifed up, I might have to….." Abe was silenced by Rick's glare and lethal eye squint. "I'm gonna go and make sure Daryl isn't burning up anything."

"You do that." Rick told him through clenched teeth. He took a deep breath and looked around for Michonne again. His eyes scanned the crowd from left to right and just when he was about to go check in the banquet hall, she came into his view, walking over to him carrying two cups of lemonade. She was a vision with the sparkles in her hair from the jewelry she wore and the long flowing red skirt that was almost see thru when the sun hit it just right. It sat low on her hips and as his eyes traveled up, her exposed belly was the next thing he saw. He blew out a breath seeing the white crochet crop halter top, cut low in the front showing off her delectable breasts that bounced slightly with every step she took.

"There you are." She smiled at him and gave him a chast kiss on the cheek. "Did you get enough sleep?"

"Michonne." He said her name sternly, to express how good she looked and how bad she was for wearing such a thing and him being the last to see her.

"Yes Rick." He leisurely scanned her body again, noticing the red polish on her toes all the way up to the red shade that glossed her lips. "I brought you some lemonade." She held the cup out to him and he saw the red on her nails.

"Damnit Michonne." He whispered her name under his breath as he thought of the way her hand would look wrapped around his thick cock with those red painted nails. "You didn't wake me up."

"I thought you needed the sleep."

"I needed you." He pulled her closer to him by her waist, his semi hard cock grazing her hip. "You look amazing." He dipped his head and kissed her neck.

"You like it?" She pushed out of his embrace and turned giving him the whole 360 degree view. He shook his head seeing the thin ties that held up her top at her neck and around her back. Then he noticed the slight jiggle of her ass as she started to turn again.

"Hell yeah, I like it. Fuck. I love it." He looked around to see if any eyes were on him, but decided he didn't care if everyone was looking, he needed to do something. He pulled her to him again and palmed her ass with one hand, only feeling the cool smooth fabric of the skirt against his hand, he moved it up until he felt the indentation of the thong she wore. "Are you wearing…"

"Yes." She quickly answered.

"Shit Michonne." His thumb moved into the waistband of her skirt and he felt the lace material of her thong and them the warmth of her skin that wasn't covered by anything. "Shit." They were right in front of the "Office" a house that they used for meetings and to go over plans about additions to the community or any time they needed to gather a large crowd together. He took the lemonade from her hand and led her into the Office, closing the door behind them. He tossed the cups in the sink and found the first empty room for them to occupy.

"Rick what are you doing." She was cut off from saying anything further when he pressed her against the door and pressed his lips to hers. She felt his tongue on her lips and granted him entry without hesitation. He took his time exploring her mouth, making up for what he missed that morning. His kisses traveled down to her jaw and behind her ear. "You're beautiful." He palmed her ass again and ran his hand down to the back of her knee. He brought her leg up and his hand found its way under her skirt. His large rough hands ran up her smooth skin, up her calf, over her knee and along her thick thighs until he reached her hip and the lace of the thong that sat on her hip. He growled into her neck feeling the material on his fingers. "You wore these for me?"

"Maybe." Michonne was breathless with his kisses, and her heart nearly stopped when she felt the pads of his fingers sweep across her now hairless mound.

"Fuck." He lifted up his head and looked into her eyes with a lustful stare. "Take your skirt off."

She knew that look and was well aware of what that tone meant. Rick wasn't playing any games. He backed away from her to give her some room and Michonne slipped off her sandals and slowly shimmied out of the skirt, never taking her eyes off of him. She handed him her skirt and walked around him to the desk that sat in the room. He turned to watch her walk, the red lace material formed a triangle at the top of her ass and then disappeared to the magical land in between her jiggling ass cheeks. When she turned around to face him she stopped and he zeroed in on the small triangle that covered what he wanted at that moment. She placed her hands on her hips and watched him as his eyes lingered on her center. She started to feel the wetness between her legs and she knew she might be in trouble.

"Yo Rick!" They both turned to the voice that came booming through the front doors. "Rick! I saw you come in here. We need you out here." Rick growled again, but this time it was laced with anger and frustration. Michonne walked over to him and gave him a sweet kiss on the lips while taking her skirt back from him. He watched her shimmy back into it, her breasts shaking as she pulled it up. Releasing a cleansing breath that he hoped would quell the raging hard on he had, he adjusted himself and then made his way to the door, making sure Michonne was decent before opening it.

"I'm here." Rick walked out into the common area but Michonne stayed behind following after a few minutes later. "What do you need?"

"We've got to move some more shit for Dixianne. She wants some tables set up for earrings or makeup or something. Hey Michonne." Daryl nodded his head at her. "I wasn't interrupting anything was I?"

"Hey Daryl. No you weren't interrupting, I need to check on Carl and Judith anyways, and be a good host." She hugged Rick from behind and Daryl took that as his que to leave.

"I'll meet you out there Rick." He stood on the porch, but kept the door opened so Rick wouldn't forget that he was waiting for him.

"Looks like duty calls." She gave him a quick squeeze and placed something in his pocket before walking passed him and out the door. Rick watched her walk out and looked up at the ceiling reining in his frustrations again. He fished out whatever she left him in his pocket and wanted to scream when he felt the lace in his hand. He pulled it out and looked at the thong that was just on her, up against all the places he craved to be right now. He brought the fabric to his face raking it over his nose and mouth inhaling the scent of her that lingered on the lace. "Fuck." He shook his head and stuffed the thong back in his pocket on a mission now to get back to his wife so he could show her just how much he liked her outfit and also punish her a little for not wearing any panties.