Tears: chapter one

They both had felt it. Something strange between them that sparked and suggested that they could be something other than friends. It came all of a sudden for both of them, and at first, neither one knew what to do with this new feeling. They kept it hidden from everyone and for a while, no one expected anything. But then, there were signs. Slight touches, caring words, it may have seemed just friendly to others, but coupled with the way they looked at each other hinted at some other desire.

Michonne had been at the prison for months now, and the only real friends she had made were the original prison group. She rarely ever interacted with anyone who came from Woodbury, and knew none of their names. It was for the best, though. Those people knew nothing about survival, and if worst came to worse, she didn't want to care about someone who couldn't fend for themself.

Even with her friends at the prison, Michonne didn't allow herself to get too close. She could joke around with them, hold a conversation, but she never told them anything personal. She didn't pry into their pasts either. What happened before, the person you were, none of that mattered. All that was important was whether or not you could survive this world.

It was almost fall. Some of the leaves on the trees were just starting to change colors. Michonne usually loved this time of year, but now it meant frequent runs to get as much as they could before winter came. She was always up to volunteer for these runs. Had to keep busy somehow.
When Rick asked her to go with him on a run, just the two of them, she accepted it without question. She'd found that they worked well together, seeming to understand what the other wanted to do without words. They were so different, but somehow, it worked out.

Michonne woke up the morning of the run to a flashlight shining in her eyes. It was still dark out, but she knew Rick would want to get an early start. They were going pretty far out. She groaned slightly, which made him let out a soft chuckle.

"Come on, 'Chonne," Rick said softly, his voice bouncing off the walls of the small cell. "We got thangs to do."

...

Michonne watched out the window as Rick drove. She was comfortable in silence, seeing no need for small talk. However, Rick wouldn't stop talking. He kept going on about everything that was happening back at the prison, or what he'd be doing at this time if the world hadn't ended. Michonne was only half paying attention.

Rick was trying almost desperately to get Michonne's attention. It bothered him that she seemed almost uninterested in what he had to say. He wanted to be the one to make her eyes light up our make her smile during a conversation. This was something he didn't understand. Sure, he loved to crack a joke and make people laugh every once in a while, but to get himself one of Michonne's smiles, that was a prize. And he wanted it all to himself.

Getting slightly frustrated, Rick stopped talking and stared at the road. "Are you even listening to me?" He asked quietly, almost in a whisper.

"Yeah, I am," Michonne said. He looked at her just in time to catch a glimpse of a smirk. That would do for now.

A while later, they arrived at their destination, a small town on the outskirts of the county. She looked around at the stores. Most of them had broken windows, but from a quick glance, it looked like only electronics and things of old value were taken. This town must have fallen quickly.

Getting out of the car, Michonne went over to the pharmacy and looked in. She didn't see anything, but still kept the katana out in case she missed something. She looked down all the aisles, then hopped the counter, looking inside for anything useful. A lot of painkillers and allergy medicine had been taken, but she managed to find some useful things.

Rick went through the aisles and grabbed everything he thought would be useful. Cough drops, kid vitamins, cold medicine, batteries, tampons, first aid kits and whatever else caught his eye. After a while, they were both finished, so they made their way over to the grocery store.

By this time, the smell of rotting meat, milk, and eggs was gone, but they still avoided that area. Michonne went down the aisles, checking for any walkers. There were only two, who seemed to have wandered in. She dispatched them easily with a swing of her blade.

The two survivors grabbed canned food, pasta, and jars of anything they could find. They were about to leave when Michonne came across a giant bag of m&m's. Rick just laughed slightly as she stuffed it into her bag.

"What?" Michonne asked, giving him a mock glare. "I'll share if you want."

"I think I'll pass on that," Rick said. "Just don't eat them all at once. The last thing we need from you is a sugar high."

"Don't worry. I'm just stocking up. These will go into my stash."

Rick looked at her and found that he couldn't tell whether she was being serious or joking. He found that frustrating. He could never tell what went on in her head and it seemed like she knew how it made him feel and made it into a game. The only things that anyone knew about her was what she chose to tell, or what Andrea had told them.

And there was that. Since Andrea died, she seemed even more reluctant to tell them about anything from her past. It was like those were her memories and telling them would give them to others. She kept her past a secret, and like most things, Rick couldn't figure anything out about her. No inferences about who she was, what she did, the was just nothing. She seemed to have separated herself from whoever she was in the past and adapted to this new world, more so than the rest of them. Having strength and skills was the new judgement of beauty in this world.

And speaking of beauty...

Michonne had turned away and started walking towards the door. Rick watched as she moved, studying the fluid, graceful movements and then, of course, her ass. It seemed like everyone stared at her when she moved and he could see why. She was perfect, just the right proportion of muscles and curves and she wasn't modest about it. Her tight jeans and shirts didn't hide her shape and it made Rick's mind wander to places it hadn't in so long.

A few times, he'd caught others staring after her. Tyreese did before he got serious with Karen and had picked up the habit again recently. Bob had as well. And a few times, he even saw Daryl watching after her. This all made him feel slightly jealous, and he had only accepted the reason a few weeks ago. He liked her, everything about her. Her personality, her body, the small smiles she gave him when they talked. But, like everything else, he couldn't see what she felt.

And she shouldn't feel anything for him. He'd tried to give her up to the Governor, tried to kill her. He'd hurt her when she first came here, needing help, and had never been particularly nice to her until they went on that run with Carl. She couldn't feel anything for him.

Yet, unknown to him, she did.

Michonne stopped at the door and looked back at him. "Come on, Grimes," she said with a smirk. "Let's go home."

He'd ripped his gaze away from her rear as fast as he could, but he didn't know if she'd seen. The smirk on her face told him she had, and the blush rising in his cheeks told her he knew he'd been caught. Not that she hadn't noticed before.