"Please let me in! Michonne! Let me in, please!"

Confusion momentarily gave Michonne pause, as she knew and recognized that voice, but last she knew, he was safely inside his office. Carl, on the other hand, had leapt into action and was running toward the front doors. He attempted to pull off the planks of wood that were barring the door shut, but she stopped him.

"What are you doing out there?" Michonne yelled through the door.

"I had to see it! But I see it now! Let me live with it! Please let me in!"

"How did you get out there?"

"I pulled up the floorboards in the office and got out from beneath."

Carl looked at her plaintively, and she felt a surge of pride at his desire to help, but she shook her head. She peered through a crack in the doorway, and saw Father Gabriel futilely swinging one of the posts they had stuck into the ground to keep the walkers out. Walkers had surrounded him, but he wasn't dead…yet.

"Okay, Gabriel, here's what I want you to do: I want you to take that post and drive it through the eye of the closest walker."

"I…I can't…"

"You can, and you will."

She watched him as he drew up his arms to stab, and plunged the post through the eye of one of the walkers on his left.

"Good. Now do it again, and again, and again."

She turned to Carl. "You stay here, and no matter what, do NOT open these doors. You stay safe, and you keep your sister safe."

Carl nodded and watched as she ran towards the back of the church and opened the door to Gabriel's office with a swift kick. When she saw the hole he had made in the floorboards, and the machete he had left sticking up straight, she felt a surge of rage race through her bloodstream. Who did this fool think he was? Putting her—Rick's children in danger like this? But she pushed those feelings aside. Anger made you stupid, and stupid got you killed. She picked up the machete and then jumped into the hole and shimmied underneath the church until she was outside. She made quick scan of the surrounding area and was relieved to note that there didn't seem to be anymore walkers. She could only hear the crowd that had gathered around the front.

Gabriel was still screaming and pleading for help when she approached the front of the building, but she could see that he had managed to kill four walkers, and three had impaled themselves on the traps. She unsheathed her sword and started swinging. She beheaded two in one go, then stabbed another through the eye socket with her katana. As she was pulling it out, another walker tried to get at her from the side, so she swiped at it with the machete. Then she took out two more using the katana and machete in tandem. She saw Father Gabriel try to stab another one in the eye and miss. As he was trying to pull it out to give it another try, she saw another walker try to get him so she drove her katana through both the one in front of her and the one going for Father Gabriel and with a mighty heave, managed to shove them away from them. The blade tore a hole in their sides, and they weren't completely incapacitated, so she quickly dispatched them with her machete. When she turned back to Gabriel, he had killed the walker he had originally missed and there were only three more to go. With three quick thrusts, they were dealt with, and they were left with a pile of bodies at the foot of the steps.

Father Gabriel collapsed against the door with relief. He was a sweaty, shaking mess and breathing heavily with exertion and tears.

Michonne turned on him and pointed her katana at his neck. "What the hell were you thinking?!" she hissed at him. "You put that baby in danger! You put Carl in danger! You could have brought back a whole herd of walkers on this church. You are lucky there weren't more. I should have let them eat you. That would have been poetic justice."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry! I just had to see. I had to see for myself and I see it now. I'm sorry!"

"What do you see?" Michonne asked, lowering her sword slightly.

But before he could answer, they both turned when they heard the sound of a large vehicle driving up. It was a big red fire truck, and through the front windshield she could see Abraham, Maggie, and Glenn. She would only have felt happier if it had been Rick who was driving.

When the truck stopped Maggie and Glenn hopped down. As soon as they met each other, Maggie wrapped her in a bear hug. As she stepped back, Glenn held out his hand, and Michonne grasped him around the arm in the embrace of comrades. Michonne nodded at Abraham, Tara, and Rosita in acknowledgement.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to see you, but why are you back?" she asked.

Glenn's smile disappeared. "Eugene was lying. There is no cure."

Michonne couldn't say she was surprised to hear that.

"What happened here?" Glenn asked, eying Gabriel curiously.

Michonne glanced at Gabriel and sighed. "We had some walkers try to attack the church, and Gabriel helped me get rid of them." Both Glenn and Father Gabriel seemed surprised by what she said, but they didn't contradict her.

"Where's everyone else?" Maggie asked.

Michonne turned away from Glenn and smiled at Maggie. "Beth's alive!" she exclaimed. "She's being held captive in a hospital in Atlanta and the rest of the group have gone to get her." She couldn't help but smile at her friend, who looked surprised beyond belief.

Overhearing them, Tara cheerfully piped in, "Let's blow this joint! Go save your sister."

When the truck stopped in front of the hospital and everyone had gotten out, Michonne handed baby Judith back to her brother. "You stay here with Judith, Eugene, and Gabriel. Keep the doors shut, and we'll be back before you know it." Michonne smiled reassuringly.

"I know," Carl replied. He set Judith down in her basket at his feet, and pulled out his gun, so it would be ready if he needed it. Michonne squeezed his shoulder in approval, and then turned to Gabriel. "I didn't tell the others what you did because I don't think they need to know what a coward you are. But I am going to tell Rick. So in the meantime, I would do everything I could to protect these two children so that Rick isn't going to want to put a machete through your head when he finds out."

Gabriel swallowed loudly, but nodded. He tightened his grip around the stake he had used back at the church and seemingly steeled himself for whatever might be coming.

Michonne hopped down from the truck cautiously and unsheathed her sword as she followed the others into the parking lot turned makeshift camp turned graveyard. There were a few walkers ambling by that they easily took care of and were approaching the door when Rick emerged. Michonne hadn't realized she'd had a knot of nerves in her stomach until she relaxed at the very sight of him, but she saw him catch Maggie's eye and almost imperceptibly shake his head, and she felt that knot immediately return. It continued to build as she saw Sasha step out behind him followed by Tyrese supporting Carol, and then Noah. And then she saw him, Daryl carrying Beth's lifeless body, and the utter devastation on his face completely broke her. She shook her head in disbelief, and her heart went out to Maggie, who had collapsed to the ground in her grief. She glanced briefly at Rick, but her own tears clouded her vision, and she couldn't think of anything to say to anyone. They all stood still in stunned silence as Daryl laid Beth at Maggie's feet. Maggie gingerly reached out a hand to touch Beth's face, and caress her hair, the tears falling on her face and mixing with the blood.

Michonne couldn't tell how long they had all stayed like that watching the tragic tableau, and only remembered that Rick's children were waiting for them in the truck when she heard Father Gabriel begin to recite a prayer over Beth's body as she lay with her head on Maggie's lap, and Daryl crouched at her feet. She felt an immediate surge of irritation that he had not remained in the truck like she had told him to, but then she pushed that thought aside. If he felt that he could contribute to the group in this small way, could she really fault him?

She quickly swiped at her own tears, and turned to Rick who was openly weeping. She reached out to grasp his hand and his eyes were beseeching. "Are Carl and Judith all right?"

She nodded. "They're in the truck."

"I want to see them."

Leading him by the hand they walked back to the truck, where Carl had vigilantly waited at the ready, even though he could clearly hear that something had gone terribly wrong.

"I'm so sorry, Carl, but Beth is dead," was the first thing Rick said to him.

Carl visibly flinched, but didn't say anything. Rick reached out to grab his shoulder and pulled him into a hug. Judith began to cry in her basket so Rick picked her up as well, and kissed the top of her head. Michonne watched them and felt the tears roll down her cheeks. It seemed like they were always losing somebody. And in that moment she knew deep in her heart that she would lose them, too. But she vowed that she would do everything in her power to keep that from happening.

She didn't bother to wipe away her tears. She allowed herself to cry, to feel the pain of their loss, not only of Beth and Bob, but Hershel, and their home. Today they would mourn, and tomorrow they would literally move on. They couldn't stay, they couldn't dwell. They had to move on.

They had been walking for days. After the threat of walkers had necessitated leaving the hospital, they'd found a farmhouse outside of the city and buried Beth. And after Glenn had told Rick that the cure was a lie, Eugene had pled his case and convinced them that going to Washington was still their best bet for finding some kind of sanctuary, and so they had decided to find their way to DC and hope for the best.

As they walked they talked in hushed whispers so as not to wake up the dead. At first no one really wanted to talk. What could be said about the loss of their comrades, and also their hope? But they were survivors, and as survivors they could never give up on the life they had. So they talked. Everyone made a point to say something to everyone else, to let them know that they were there, and to get to know the newer members of team family better. And Rick especially want to hear from his people, to see where they were at, and reassure himself that he could rely on all of them to protect themselves and each other.

Rick hadn't gotten a chance to speak to Father Gabriel yet, so one day he walked up to him. "I didn't get a chance to tell you earlier, so I'll do it now. I don't know if I really believe in this stuff anymore, but I want to thank you for what you said about Beth and Bob. I think it gave Maggie a little bit of comfort. And I want to believe there's a better place for us after death. Even now."

Gabriel looked at him in disbelief. "You have no reason to thank me. Michonne didn't tell you what I did, I take it?"

"Tell me what?"

"I escaped from the church after you left with the group. I went to the high school and the walkers got out and followed me back to the church. I put your children in danger, and for that I must confess my sin and ask for your forgiveness even though I know I don't deserve it."

Rick turned his head to search out Michonne who was walking near the back of the line with Tyrese and Sasha. When he saw her he stared until he could catch her eye, and when she returned his gaze he knew she had gotten the message: they would speak later.

He turned back to Gabriel. "You may not deserve it, but I've seen how you've made an effort to protect my children ever since we started on the road. And I feel that your guilt will make you continue to protect them, and as long as you do that, I don't have a problem with you."

"Thank you, Rick. If I can't have your forgiveness, I'll accept your tolerance of me. And I hope that I can be of service to you more than just to protect your children."

"Just that for now will do fine." Rick nodded his goodbye and then slowed his pace until Michonne caught up with him. Tyrese and Sasha seemed to realize that they wanted a little privacy, so they walked ahead a bit.

Michonne looked up sideways at Rick and waited for him to speak.

"Why didn't you tell me?" There was no accusation in his voice, only curiosity.

"I didn't think it was the right time. And I suppose I hoped Gabriel would tell you on his own, which he did. I figured if I kept threatening to tell you he would do it eventually, and I was right."

"Were you all right? Abraham told me that the church had been attacked, but that you and Gabriel fought them off. You shouldn't have risked it."

"Perhaps. But Carl wanted me to help, and I thought it might give Gabriel a chance to face his fears and start to come to terms with what has happened to this world. He's getting better, I think. He still doesn't think it's right to kill, and maybe he's right, we should never enjoy doing what we have to do to survive, even if it's just killing the walking dead. But he's getting better at it."

"It still wasn't worth it. If anything like that ever happens again, I don't want you to risk it."

"Why not, Rick? You know I can take care of myself. You trust me to take care of your children as well."

"I don't want you to risk it because I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you." He gazed at her with a quiet intensity that touched her to the core. She knew that he cared about her, but she was beginning to realize just how much. But she shook her head deprecatingly.

"You would keep fighting. You would keep surviving. And you would protect your children." Rick started to shake his head, feeling frustrated that she couldn't seem to accept what he was trying to say about his feelings for her, but Michonne stopped him by grabbing his hand and raising it to her chest, right above her heart. "But I appreciate you worrying about me."

When she smiled up at him he was helpless but to smile back.