Michonne sat up in bed, watching as Rick, shirtless, shorts riding low on his hips, lean against the window pane, the light of the moon giving him an ethereal, blue glow. She grabbed his button down from its place on the floor, putting her arms through, but leaving it unbuttoned. She walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around his torso, bare breasts pressed against his back, and gently kissed his shoulder.
"Couldn't sleep?" she asked quietly.
He put his hand on top of hers, leaning into her naked body, her slightly rounded belly pressing into his low back, the flaps of his shirt tickling his skin. "No, I couldn't. You?"
"Not really. Especially not with you. Whatever you're looking for…you won't find it out there. Not now, anyway."
"I know. I just…we didn't just lose…" He sighed, squeezing her hand. "Our family is fractured, and I don't know how to fix it. I don't know how to put it back together."
"The burden isn't just yours to bear, Rick. It wasn't your fault. We shouldn't have been out there. And even if we hadn't, we still would have. Maggie got sick."
"Maggie…I miss her. I miss them both," he whispered.
"She's not gone."
"She's not here," he said somberly. "Carl…he thinks I was weak. I knew a loss was coming before they found us that last time, I knew it. I could feel it. And Carl had just finished telling me we'd be okay, but…I knew then. It wasn't true. And now I–we can't retaliate. We're too vulnerable, right now. You're too vulnerable."
He turned in her arms then, cupping her face. She looked at him, threading her fingers through his curls. "I can't bear to lose anymore, Michonne. And we can't leave. I don't…"
Rick shut his eyes tightly, willing the tears away. Michonne pulled him to her, holding him close, wishing she could change it all.
They stood there, quietly in the moonlight, lost in each other's embrace, taking the only solace they could find in all of this–
Each other.
