A/N: Based on an anonymous request on Tumblr for a story based on the S6 promo that featured a small Richonne scene. At the time of writing none of us have any idea what was happening, but it's nice to speculate! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead

Rick kicked the tyre of the rusted vehicle he had travelled in and then rested both arms on the roof of the car; he placed his forehead to his hands and cursed under his breath. He felt downtrodden and tired. He had ventured out much farther from the Safe-Zone than he had the previous day and still no luck. He still had not found Michonne and Glenn.

Make sure you get back.

The words rang in his ears. It was the last thing he said to her before they split up after the attack on their new home from the marauders who were known as the Wolves. They were forced from their community after a swift battle; the sound of gunfire lured a large herd of walkers and it was necessary for Rick's group, as well as a number of Alexandrians, to flee. They had defeated their enemies but then found themselves under threat from the dead. That was over a week ago when Michonne and Glenn had volunteered to check the chosen rendezvous point for other survivors before heading back to the Alexandria to begin the clean-up and refortification efforts.

When the first day had passed without their return, Rick sent Aaron and Daryl to look for them. They found the rendezvous point, a secluded cabin twenty-seven miles east of the Safe-Zone, with a four residents from their community; Michonne and Glenn were not among them.

Although there was no sign of them for days, Rick refused to believe that they had died; that she had died. He knew they were capable survivalists and found comfort in the words of the others that they would find their way back. After three days, he began to search on his own, despite the protests of a number of people.

"We need you here, Rick," one resident proffered.

"You're our leader, we can't afford to have anything happen to you," said another, shaken by the ordeal that they were not equipped to deal with until Rick and his group showed up.

It was true that they had suffered losses and needed every able bodied person to assist with rebuilding their home, but Rick could find no peace knowing two of his people were missing. Though he worried for Glenn as well, Michonne's absence affected him differently. He felt a deep melancholy not knowing her fate; he felt a strong longing within his chest. He could not rest and felt as if he were going out of his mind. Back at the prison, when Michonne would go for days and sometimes weeks in search of the Governor, Rick was filled with concern for her safety. Now that they had grown closer and formed a bond he had with no other in his group, without her presence he found his worry was almost stifling. He cared for Michonne, more than he was able to fully understand.

As he rolled up to the gates of Alexandria alone and deflated, Rick wondered if some of the others were right, that they had perished. It was the first time that doubt had set in his mind. Maggie rushed out to greet him, hopeful that he had found them. The despondent expression she wore when she realized he had not found them yet again mirrored Rick's downcast stare. He parked the car, got out and shook his head sadly at Maggie; she nodded in his direction, wiped the back of her hand over her mouth and then walked away.

…..

Make sure you get back.

Rick regretted agreeing to Michonne's request. He had initially told her no, that he did not want her to go on her own in search of the other residents; he told her it was too risky a task to undertake alone. Glenn offered to accompany her so Rick had to concede and say yes. Now, as he walked slowly into the home that he shared with the woman in question, he wished he had stuck to his first response.

Carl was quiet once again as he and Judith sat in their bedroom; the sadness etched across his young features was almost unbearable for Rick to witness.

"You didn't find them, did you?" he asked softly, his voice cracking.

Rick shook his head.

"No, son. Not today. I'm goin' back out tomorrow; gonna head west this time," he said sombrely.

Carl nodded and silence settled over them.

"Dad, what if something happened to them? What if they…what if they didn't make it?" the teen asked before casting his eyes to the floor.

Rick ran his hand over his beard that had returned.

"I won't believe that until I know for sure," replied Rick. "I need to know for sure."

Carl's eyes began to glisten as the tears welled therein.

"I miss her so much, Dad," the boy said.

Rick walked over and drew his son into an embrace before sharing his own declaration.

"I know," he offered. "I miss her so much too."

xXxXx

"Fuel reserves are low, Rick," said Deanna as she tried to tell him it was not a good idea to venture out in search of his group members once more.

"I know," he replied. "Which is why I'm headin' out on foot. I'll find another car, some gas."

Deanna sighed; though she had handed over leadership to Rick amidst the tumult, she was still vocal in how their community should operate.

"Rick, it's dangerous out there. Are you sure this is the right thing to be doing? We haven't seen anything to confirm that they even made it. Maybe you should focus your energies on taking care of your family," she said carefully.

"Michonne and Glenn are my family," said Rick with annoyance as he turned and left Deanna standing there.

xXxXx

"Here," said Michonne as she handed the pills and dwindling bottle of water to Glenn. "It's all I could find for the pain."

Glenn sat up straighter and thanked her as he swallowed the medication and took a small sip from the bottle. They had needed to make a detour to miss the approaching herd, but realized quickly that it was not going to be an easy feat, made all the more difficult by the injury Glenn had sustained. He had stepped his right foot into a large animal trap and when it clamped shut violently, his ankle was torn and broken. He and Michonne had travelled slowly until they found the abandoned farm. Glenn could not move freely because of the severe pain and soon a section of the large roaming herd of walkers had caught up to them.

"How's it looking outside?" he asked tiredly.

"They're still pressed up against the fence. I cut down as many as I could, but there's still too many. Still not safe to make a move," she offered referring to the build-up of walkers that were surrounding the barn that they were holed up in.

"Shit," Glenn said. "Did you find anything useful in the farmhouse?"

"A bunch of car keys but no cars but there're a few tractors. We could use one, but they're pretty slow and noisy. I doubt we'd get very far," said Michonne.

"You should've just left me and went back to Alexandria when you had the chance," Glenn said again for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"No, we stick together; that's how we survive," Michonne replied. "If something happened to me on the way you'd be stuck here; left for dead. I'm not letting that happen. We leave together when it's safe to do so."

Glenn shook his head and gave a small smile at her tenacity.

"I'm gonna go and get rid of a few more walkers and then go check a couple of the back fields. There has to be a car or something around here somewhere," said Michonne.

xXxXx

Michonne took hold of the rope that had the armless, toothless walker tethered to it and unsheathed her sword. She made her way through the other walking corpses and headed in the direction of the farmhouse. She had been wracking her brain for what she thought was the better part of a week to try figuring out how she and Glenn were going to get out of their current situation. He was in no way fit to travel on foot and the walkers that were amassed were going to make it difficult to move him to a safer location. After thinning the herd, Michonne went in search of food and medicine; she then went looking for a vehicle without much luck. She would venture out farther that day in hope of catching a break.

As she approached one of the far fields, a smile crossed Michonne's face as she finally felt like they had a real chance of making it home. Grazing the long grass of a small yard was a handsome looking mare, the same color as the clouds.

xXxXx

Sasha lifted her rifle and looked through the scope to see a dark colored pick-up truck approaching the Safe-Zone. The headlights flashed three times and an arm waved out of the window; she knew it was Rick before she could see his face clearly.

Alone once more, Rick exited the newly acquired vehicle and went to check Judith and Carl. As he walked in the direction of their home, he saw Carl carrying his little sister; he was wearing a bright smile as he rushed towards his father.

"Dad! They're back. Michonne and Glenn, they made it back!" he said excitedly.

Rick felt an overwhelming rush of relief wash over him and his legs almost gave out; he smiled and let out a chortle.

"Are they okay? Where were they? When did they come back?" he asked, unable to vocalize much else at that point.

"Not long ago. Glenn's got a broken ankle; Michonne's fine. They were stuck in a barn because of that herd. They came in on a horse, Dad! We're going to Glenn and Maggie's place now, everyone's over there," said Carl.

"Where's Michonne?" asked Rick.

"She's at home getting cleaned up," said Carl. "Are you coming with us?"

"I need to see her first. Tell Glenn I'll be over there shortly," Rick said as he already started walking towards their house.

…..

His heart was racing as he hastily made his way indoors and up the stairs. Michonne had just exited the bathroom and was headed to her bedroom; she looked up to see Rick walking towards her. Her face lit up in a bright smile that make Rick's heart flutter as he grew closer. Before she could greet him, Rick stepped right in front of her, wrapped one arm around her back and drew her body towards his. He pressed his mouth to hers in a longing kiss as his tongue sought to deepen it. Michonne threw her arms over his shoulders and opened her mouth to taste him.

Rick surged forward as Michonne's back leaned against the wall in hallway; his hands gripped her body tightly as if he needed to feel that she was real. Their swollen lips parted from the kiss as they stared one another in the eye, both fighting to catch their breath. Michonne ran her hand over his beard and smiled.

"Did you miss me?" she asked quietly.

"Yes," was all Rick said before he captured her lips with his again.

A/N: This will be a two-parter. More of their reunion to come in the next instalment.

Thanks for reading!