The Manny (The Walking Dead Richonne)

Chapter 1

Michonne had her hands full. Quite literally. She held a fussy Andre in one arm and a much needed mug of coffee in the other hand.

She had several urgent work emails that she needed to respond to, a small mountain of laundry piled in the hallway along with other housework that had been neglected for too long, and on top of it all, Andre's favorite toy was AWOL. Michonne swore she'd seen it not an hour ago but now that little stuffed duck he loved so much was nowhere to be seen.

Then the doorbell rang.

Michonne set her mug on the table and Andre in his play-pin and went to the door.

This better be her, Michonne thought in frustration. She had fired her previous nanny over a week ago and the agency was supposed to finally be sending a new girl over.

Michonne opened the door to see a man standing on her front step.

"I'm sorry. I'm not interested. Have a nice day," Michonne said with cool civility and closed the door before he could open his mouth.

She had a lot to do today and she certainly did not have time to listen to spiel about another a tree trimming service, or driveway repaving, or checking for termites.

She was halfway back to her coffee when the doorbell rang again.

Persistent, isn't he? Michonne sighed and went back to open the door again, determined to get rid of him.

Michonne tried not to sound too impatient, "Yes?"

"Ma'am, my name is Rick Grimes. Alexandria Care Services sent me over," he paused, then, "I'm your new nanny."

Michonne blinked. She looked him up and down. He had brown hair, piercing blue eyes, and a neatly trimmed beard. He stood a few inches taller than her and wore dark jeans and a light brown shirt. Upon closer examination, Michonne realized that he was attractive. Damn attractive.

"You're the new...nanny?" she asked, not entirely sure she had heard him correctly.

He looked more suited to being a farmer or a firefighter or something like that.

"Yes," he repeated with a practiced patience, like he got this reaction a lot.

He handed her a paper that turned out to be his certification with the nanny service. The picture matched his face.

"You requested a replacement, right?" he asked.

"Uh, yes. I did. I...I'm sorry about earlier. I wasn't expecting..." Michonne trailed off, feeling like every word she said only made things more awkward.

"A man?" Rick supplied, his expression more bemused than offended.

"Honestly, yes," Michonne admitted.

"It's okay, I get that reaction a lot. Pretty much every time, actually," Rick said.

Rick handed her a list of references and explained that his goal for today was simply to meet her and spend a little time with her son, to let everyone get comfortable with each other before, pending Michonne's approval, he started full time the next week.

Michonne invited him in and apologized again for closing the door in his face.

"It's okay, really," Rick said politely.

Michonne picked Andre up, resting him on her hip. The little boy peered up at Rick curiously.

"This is Andre. He turned two last month," Michonne made introductions, "Andre, baby, this is Mr. Grimes. He's going to be looking after you while I'm at work."

"It's nice to meet you, Andre," Rick said with a smile. Michonne admired the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled.

"Hi!" Andre smiled back.

Michonne laughed, "He makes friends so easily."

Soon the three of them were settled on the living room couch, Andre sitting on Michonne's lap.

"I had to fire the last nanny. She set Andre in front of the TV and was on her phone. All day," Michonne explained, still a little angry about the whole thing.

Rick frowned in dismay, "That's not right. No wonder you wanted someone new."

They talked details for a while; her work schedule, if he could help tidy up the house during the day, Andre's nap times.

Finally, Michonne had to ask, "What made you decide to be a nanny?"

Rick told his story and Michonne was struck by how open and honest he was. He had been a Sherriff's Deputy and never thought of being anything else until one fateful day about five years ago changed everything.

"After my wife died, in those dark days, it was my infant daughter who saved me. Taking care of her, watching her grow, seeing her unconditional love whenever she looked at me, it saved me from the depression. Gave me the will to keep living. After a time I realized I couldn't go back to the force.

I'd always loved police work. Serving the community, fighting for what I believed in, it all came naturally to me. But after everything that happened to my family, that wasn't enough anymore. The constant pressure and stress, it was a lot. That job had strained all of my relationships, distanced me from everyone I cared about, and nearly cost me my life more than once. I had to make a change.

I realized that I was at peace when I was caring for Judith, my daughter. And people kept telling me I had a talent for it, for nurturing children. Who'd have thought? But they were right. I took a couple courses at the community college, signed up with Alexandria Care Services, and haven't looked back."

Listening to him talk, Michonne felt an immediate connection to him that she couldn't quite explain.

Before she could say anything, her phone started buzzing. It was her boss.

"I'm so sorry. I have to take this," Michonne said, feeling torn.

"It's fine, go ahead," Rick assured her.

"Andre, pumpkin, why don't you show Mr. Rick your toys?" she said, setting the restless boy on the carpet.

Michonne stepped into the kitchen where she still had a clear view of Rick, now sitting cross-legged on the floor, and Andre who was happily spilling the contents of this toy chest all over the floor.

Her new job came with some great benefits but there was also an unexpectedly steep learning curve. Despite the stress, Michonne was determined to make it work. And after all, you have to challenge yourself in order to grow.

She just needed a little help.

Michonne, leaning against the counter, hit send on a final email and glanced over to where Andre was playing with his new nanny. Who was a man. She'd never met a male nanny before. Michonne had a good feeling about Rick, but she was still a pragmatic person. She would call a few of his references before giving her okay.

She watched the scene in the living room. Andre toddled across the carpet and held out a plastic apple to Rick.

"Ah, thank you," Rick said.

Andre grinned, loving the attention. He crossed the room again and brought Rick a plastic banana. Then an orange. And a lemon.

"You really are a natural," Michonne said. She liked the easy camaraderie between the two of them.

Rick looked up at her and laughed, his arms full of plastic fruit.

"You were right, he does make friends easily," Rick said.

Soon it was time for Rick to leave. Michonne, with Andre by her side, stood on her front porch and waved goodbye, calling out, "I'll be in touch!" but she was already thinking, 'I'll see you on Monday!'