#i swear the right music goes a LONGGGG way

[itsgrimeytime]

@imaginemyfavoritefics

Magnolia in May (Part Six) || Rick Grimes (TWD) x Greene!f!reader Regency AU

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...

Taglist: @loliakeoghan23

Inspiration (in honor of Speak Now Taylor's Version): Enchanted by Taylor Swift.

Summary: Your town was small, not the smallest you knew, but anyone of high fortune was the gossip of the week. Predictably, Richard Grimes was a thing of whispers -rumors of a search for marriage among the grassy hills. You weren't one to buy into town gossip, but something about him... just seemed a little too intriguing.

TWS: kinda anti-Lori, angsty as hell (sorry), misunderstandings, hopelessness, settling, and crying.

[[A/N: Actually so fucked up over this. I thank What Was I Made For by Billie Eilish for this sudden sprint of new inspiration. Thanks for reading :)) ]]

"Lori," she added in, a wonderfully beautiful smile smoothing across her face, "-Mrs. Lori Grimes."

Suddenly, it wasn't raining around you. Or at least you couldn't feel it, despite the visual onslaught of the rain around you. You couldn't feel it-

"Mrs-" you cleared your throat -voice unsteady and scary, "-Mrs. Grimes?"

"Right, yes," she hummed, "-do you want to come inside? The rain is dreadful, I'd hate for you to get a cold. He should be down soon-"

"No," you answered, quickly -almost too quickly, "-no, I... It's not urgent enough to bother him."

"But it's urgent enough to walk in the rain?" She laughed -slightly, tilting her head, "-Really, he'll only be a few moments-"

"That's..." you paused, trying to keep your heart which was searing in your chest at bay, "-That's very kind of you, but I must be going."

"May I fetch you an umbrella, at least?"

You pursed your lips, squeezing your eyes shut and letting out a heavy breath -trying to will the urge of your heart, and be rational, "Yes, if it's not a bother."

"None at all," she spoke, holding the door open for you to enter, "-should only take a moment."

You flinched, but stepped forward, entering the entryway -the beauty of the paintings as stunning as when you first saw them. Paint rather layered and color varied, as you took a few timid steps -leading down the entry hall, and you would've gone back. Truly, not eager to spend more time here, but your eyes caught on something.

The shine of gold glimmered in the corner of your eye, and you'd only wanted to see a glance-

It was a family portrait, intricately painted with beautiful smiling faces. Lori was rather still, a rather practiced smile across her face, something rather off in it. Mr. Grimes was just to her right -face rather solemn, it didn't seem to fit him. You were so used to his smile, the crinkle by his eyes, seeing him happy -it didn't seem so in the painting. And in the middle stood a young boy, dark brown hair styled and blue eyes familiar -they were the same as his father's.

Your eyes skimmed over his figure, eyes as blue as the day you met him and curls pushed back rather harshly. His suit is a dark gray, a delicate thing with many layers -more sort of formal business look that you hadn't seen of the man yet. Still quite handsome, despite it all.

Something slipped down your cheek, unrestrained, vulnerable-

"Ms. Greene?"

You cleared your throat, scrubbing away at your eyes -the harsh red there surely leaving a mark. Even despite that, you tried to school your face into a more gentle expression -something to hide the pain. It was rather ungraceful.

"I seemed to be able to find one in the closet nearby," she continued, toying with the umbrella in her hand -until her eyes splashed up, resting startlingly still on your form.

Her eyes flickered to the painting, and back to you with a thoughtful sort of glance, "If you don't mind me asking, how do you know him?"

"Mr. Grimes?" you composed yourself, certainly wishing the tears away or the shake of your voice. Anything that gave you away.

"Well," you started, eyes unwillingly settling on him in the portrait (despite your better judgment) as you fidgeted with your skirt -mud caked upon it so thoroughly that you found it rather stiff, "-I met him in the market, really- more acquaintances than anything. Helped him find-"

"Judith," she answered -a little clipped, but you couldn't tell if it was because of you or mentioning Judith, "-I know. He's spoke of you."

You swallowed the cry in your throat -something stirring in you that he talked of you, but it felt numb. It felt so far than it had just the other day -tracing the inked letters repeatedly, hopeful. You knew you shouldn't have been hopeful, you told yourself-

"You danced," she added, approaching you with hesitant steps, eyes locked onto the portrait -detailing the figures in her own head, you assumed, "-all night at the ball, did you not?"

"Oh," you hugged your coat to your arms, the fabric growing stiff as it dried, "-that wasn't... Mrs. Grimes, you have nothing to-"

"It was," she interrupted, "-I know it was, Ms. Greene. I could see it in him."

"See it?"

She laughed, a little bittersweet -hand moving to rest upon your shoulder, "Richard Grimes is an easy man to read, I'm sure you've learned. As I showed up on his doorstep, his feelings for me had changed. I knew it, just didn't know who."

"And yet, he let you in?"

Lori didn't respond, a sort of silence developed in the entryway as you peered upon the painting -eyes caught on every curve of his face, everything you could recognize. He was rather solemn in the painting, sure, but it was still him. And a part of you wished to commit him to memory if you never saw him again, you wanted to remember.

"Could you," she paused, clearing her throat and dabbing at her eyes, "-Could you fall in love with him?"

"Mrs. Grimes-" you urged -you didn't want to come in between them, it was truly the last thing you'd want on your conscience.

"Ms. Greene, it is of no offense to me. Answer freely."

"You're his wife-" you echoed -tone in a sort of disbelief, "-how will another woman admitting she could love your husband not offend you?"

"I'm a wife who loves another man," she answered -voice shaky and echoing through the air, "-I can hardly judge."

You paused, eyes surfing over him in the painting -eyes lighting up with the familiar memories of crinkle smiles and berry baskets. You weren't there yet, sure, but could you be?

"I could," you answered with finality, tears rising up from your throat, "-I am. I am falling in love with him, isn't that just dreadful?"

Mrs. Grimes smiled lightly -a bittersweet feeling smoothing over his lips, "No, it truly isn't. But-"

You spun to her attention, heart heavy in your chest -a sort of dread clawing up your throat. It could never end well, could it?

"He loves his children," she started, hand moving from your shoulder down to the two of your clasped hands, "-and if my reconciling with him makes their lives easier, I know he will try to do it. And I..."

"You can't promise to say no," you finished, eyes a little bleary and heart cracked open, "-I wouldn't wish you to."

Lori flattened her mouth into a thin line, a deep sort of sorrow setting in her eyes -heartbroken, just like you, "It's a comfortable life, I'd be incompetent to turn it down, and for that, I'm... sorry."

You swallowed, tears washing down your face -steadfast, as your eyes settled on hers (a sort of mutual pain suffered there), "I'm sorry for you too, Mrs. Grimes."

She smiled a tight one that was barely upon her features -yet, you appreciated the little warmth that it garnered. It helped, that a family could be rebuilt from your broken heart, but it hadn't healed it.

You wondered briefly if it ever would.

And then, you heard it -the heavy fall of footsteps, tapping on the tile, and the voice. A voice you thought may stay in your head, despite the hurt that twisted in your gut.

"Lori?" he echoed down the hallways -tone rather straightforward, "-I finally got them to sleep if-"

You locked eyes with her, desperate, pleading as you took the umbrella from her hands, "Don't tell him I was ever here. You must understand this-"

She stared at you -a bit incredulously, "I mustn't lie, and he deserves to know-"

"I will not," you started, but the crack in your voice stopped you, "-I will not break up a family for something so... so trivial."

"It's not trivial," she spoke on instinct, "-I know that you know that-"

"Don't-" you echoed, faltering in place -heart only sinking lower, further, "-please, Mrs. Grimes. I can't- I can't hold onto this. I must, I must move on. You have to understand that-"

She looked at you, heavy and you could almost find solace in her pain -even just for a moment. A moment too long.

"Ms. Greene?" he spoke into the entryway, bouncing around the tiles and you couldn't find it in yourself to respond, to even turn around, "-Did you... Did ya travel 'ere in the rain?"

You coached yourself -years of practiced poise made it somewhat easy but in this moment, it was rather difficult. As your eyes matched his blue ones, a sort of wilt filtered through his face (he'd probably seen your crying, despite your work to hide it, it was always obvious), and almost on instinct, you saw his hand extend to you. To soothe.

"I... I was just going, Mr. Grimes," you spoke, lifeless compared to your previous words to the man, "-don't trouble yourself for me, I only wished for some shelter from the rain."

He paused, before flickering to the window -where the rain still held heavy, "It's still quite bad, Ms. Greene, I'm not sure-"

"Mr. Grimes, don't... don't make this harder than it has to be."

"Make what harder?" he asked -a flash between concern and confusion rippling across his face (You couldn't focus on it, it only hurt. All it could do was hurt.), "-I seem to be confused."

His eyes laid gently onto Lori then, as you felt your heart crush in your stomach -puzzle pieces falling to the floor with no match. And you willed yourself to step towards him, straightening his vest ever so slightly. Fingertips yearning for something so harshly, you couldn't help it.

"Mr. Grimes, you're a wonderful man-" you spoke -watery and bittersweet, "-but you're not mine."