I wrote this fic for my bud Starkchemistry101 with a specific plot she had in mind. This story takes place shortly after team family arrives at Alexandria where Rick and Michonne find themselves in a sticky situation. I hope you enjoy it! Oh and I don't know what I did to get those squiggly lines and I can't seem to get rid of them, sorry. Just try to ignore them.

"Hearts of Steel"

Chapter 1

Rick watched the rusty gates of Alexandria close behind them from the side view mirror of the Ford Truck. He looked up at the blue sky and saw a few low clouds off in the distance. The intel for this run seemed iffy at best but Deanna asked Rick to check this new place out. He had to admit it was probably a good thing he got out of Alexandria for a while and he was glad Michonne offered to go with him. He looked over at her as she riffled through one of the backpack in the rear seat of the truck.

She had that signature no nonsense look on her face that somehow put him a little more at ease whenever they were out on a run. She finally pulled a water bottle from the bag, opened it, and took a swig. He watched as her lips pressed against the cylindrical edge and crystal-clear water flowed into her mouth. She used the back of her hand to wipe the remaining moisture away.

Rick focused his attention back on the road. Heath said this place was about three hours away and had little to no walkers from what he saw. Rick had never been to this area before and wondered if he should've waited for Daryl and Aaron to get back from whatever the hell they were doing. Glenn and Daryl were better at navigating around new places but Heath was insistent that someone get out there as quick as possible. Rick assured Deanna that, at the very least, he and Michonne could get a better look and maybe recover a few supplies. Heath offered to go along but his broken leg would've slowed them down and Glenn wanted to hang back with Maggie who wasn't feeling well.

Again, he looked at the side view mirror and saw the gates become smaller as they continued down the dusty street. He didn't know why but he got a strange feeling. He didn't know if it was the mistrust he had in the pit of his stomach for the Alexandrians or if it was this run he agreed to go on but something was causing his guard to go up. Just then he felt Michonne's elbow nudge him in the arm and he looked over to see her offering him the bottled water.

"Thanks." He said upending the bottle and drinking the remaining half.

"What time do you think we'll get there?" Michonne asked.

"Around noon maybe. We have to stretch the gas out but I think we'll make pretty good time."

"Let me know when you need a break." He heard her say as she turned towards the window and relaxed her head on the head rest.

Rick furrowed his brow.

"You're still tired?" He asked.

Michonne sighed.

"Yeah, didn't get much sleep last night." She admitted and closed her eyes.

Rick shifted back against his seat.

"Why's that?" He inquired looking over at her.

Michonne let out a little laugh. Apparently, she wasn't going to get this nap in either, she smiled to herself.

"I don't know. I had a lot of things on my mind." She said sitting back up and rubbing her eyes.

Rick nodded guessing what she meant. They'd been there for a little over a week and had spread into four separate houses. It was a big change and although some of their family appeared excited to get their own space, Rick was still uneasy about them being apart. He suspected Michonne felt the same way, maybe even more so. She never said it in so many words but he knew she felt just as responsible as he did for the safety of their group. Still, it didn't make sense for both of them to have sleepless nights.

"It's going to take a while to get used to this." He sighed and nodded.

"We were out there for a while but we'll be okay."

Michonne nodded in agreement and stretched her arms as the nagging questions from the night before flooded her thoughts again.

"After I saw the doctor yesterday his wife, Jessie, asked if I was with Daryl." Michonne casually mentioned while looking out the window.

He looked at her in confusion.

"What did she mean with Daryl?"

"As in are we together… a couple?"

Her answer confused him more.

"Why does she think you're with Daryl?

"I think she was trying to understand our living situation. I don't know if Deanna wanted her to ask about it or not. I don't think she did. Deanna seems like the type that would ask me herself." Michonne surmised as she cocked on of her legs up and tapped her finger on her knee.

"When I told her no she asked if we were together." She said with a slight shake of the head.

"What you and me?" Rick's eyes went back and forth from the road to Michonne.

"Yep."

"What'd you say?"

Michonne turned and gave him a weird look.

"I said no." She answered still staring at him wondering what other answer he thought she'd give.

Rick turned to look at her and they stared at each other for a moment before Rick looked away.

There was a long silence as they continued down the road. He wondered why they were asking Michonne these questions. He never got questioned about the nature of their relationship by anyone.

"Did she ask you anything else?"

"Well, she offered to take me around Alexandria and show me some of the lovely vacant homes that she thought I'd like." Michonne let out a sarcastic laugh.

She looked at Rick and saw him twitch his head in agitation.

"I think she was trying to be nice and make sure everyone is comfortable. She suggested that Sasha, Tara, and I could share a house."

"What'd you tell her?" He asked wondering what Mrs. Anderson was up to.

"I told her I'd think about it. That's why I couldn't sleep last night. I wanted to talk to you when we had some time." She said scratching her knee.

Rick looked out his side window. He felt a knot tightening in his stomach. He assumed Michonne wanted to stay there with him, the kids, and Daryl. She picked out her room in the house when everyone else was deciding which house they'd stay in. It just felt natural for her to stay with them but maybe she changed her mind, he thought to himself. He wanted to be supportive of what she wanted but the thought of her leaving was upsetting.

He began to think of something she told him a long time ago. She said she was done taking breaks. In the back of his mind he thought she meant that she would stop leaving them.

Rick got very quiet and she could see his jaw clinching as he focused intently on the road. She wished that she could read his thoughts because she wasn't sure how to continue this conversation.

"Well, I…" She started to say.

"You're not comfortable staying with us?"

"Of course I am."

"Well what's there to think about?" He threw a confused look at her.

Michonne turned in her seat towards him.

"Are you comfortable with me staying with you?" She asked earnestly.

"Of course." He replied with his southern accent. He gave her a stern look but Michonne saw a hint of hurt behind his fiery blue eyes.

Again, they stared at each other for a moment. She wanted to stay with them but after it was brought up she wondered if Rick preferred his own place there with the kids. His reaction made the whole thing seem kind of silly. Still, Michonne thought they should at least talk about it. Who knows what the future held if everything worked out for them at Alexandria, she thought to herself.

He finally looked away and she sighed and shook her head.

"I just thought we should talk about it."

"She should mind her own damn business." Rick contended in a low voice.

Michonne, seeing that he was growing increasingly irritated by the conversation, decided to leave it alone for now.

Three hours of silence passed when Rick saw the sign for the ship yard. Ten more miles to go, he thought to himself. He looked over at Michonne whose head was turned and tilted against the passenger window. He couldn't see her eyes but suspected she was sleeping. He sighed wishing he hadn't been so short with her. Usually they could talk about anything, even when they disagreed.

He could've at least heard what she thought about the whole thing, it would've been better than the hours of awkward silence. Besides, she said she wanted to stay or at least that's what he thought she was leading up to before he interrupted her. He decided he'd apologize when they got to the yard, it was better to let her rest for now.

The smell of cool salt water pervaded the air. Rick couldn't help the small sense of excitement he felt looking out the passenger window at the endless drift of Atlantic Ocean. When he was younger his grandpa would take him out on his fishing boat. Sometimes, they'd be out there for days. Rick chuckled to himself and wished Carl could be there to see it. One day… he promised himself.

He slowed down and cautiously pulled up to the gates. His eyes scanned the perimeter as they approached. Puddles of water littered the ground from a recent rain. The area looked to be free of walkers but Rick had a feeling that something was off as he came to a stop in front of the place.

Michonne felt the truck stop and opened her eyes. She sat up and stretched her arms in front of her as she took in the unfamiliar view.

The yard was a lot bigger than she thought it would be. There were a lot of boats, most of which were in the water and tied to the docks. On the other side were countless metal containers, the very prize they'd come for. They could be empty or contain a veritable smorgasbord of supplies. A score this size would definitely solidify their place in Alexandria, Michonne thought to herself.

"Walkers?" She asked Rick as she grabbed her katana from the back while scanning the area.

"No…but." Rick started to say.

"What?"

"I got a weird feeling about this place. We have to keep our eyes open for more than walkers." He asserted and turned to look at her.

Michonne nodded in agreement.

"They locked it up pretty good." He said gesturing at the chains on the gates. "Gonna need the bolt cutters."

He opened the door, stepped out, and was greeted by a cool breeze of ocean air. He reached into the bed of the truck and retrieved the tool.

Michonne opened her door and stepped out carrying her sword. His eyes cut back at her as he walked toward the gates. She nodded to let him know she was ready as she swung her katana across her back and pulled two assault rifles from the backseat.

Rick cut the chains and slid the gates open and waited. He knelt down to pick up a few small rocks to throw at the metal crates near the entrance. The clanging sound echoed through the yard.

They waited and listened but there were no stirring moans or distant growls. No movement at all in fact save for the waves splashing against the stone wall barring the ocean from the yard.

"Let's just check this place out. Grab what we can and get back." Rick insisted closing the door to the truck.

"Sounds like a plan." Michonne said walking passed him into the yard.

Water sprinkled from the clouds above as Rick watched her walk away.

"Michonne." He called to her.

She stopped and turned to look at him.

Rick walked up to her and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry for being an ass back there. I just don't understand why she's trying to separate everyone." Rick said looking up from the wet ground into her almond shaped brown eyes.

"It's fine." Michonne nodded appreciating his apology.

She started to walk away when he reached out and touched her arm.

"I'll support whatever you decide to do but I hope you'll stay with us. You know, for as long as you want." Rick gave her a sincere nod.

Michonne couldn't help but give a little smile. Staying mad at him was next to impossible for her and she could see where Carl got that cute I'm really sorry look from.

"Let's just get this over with and we'll talk about it some more on the way back." She smiled and turned to walk toward the maze of large metal containers.

He clenched his jaws after hearing her words. She still wanted to talk about it, he thought to himself and followed her towards the stacks of containers.

As they came to the first rusty green receptacle, Michonne stepped to the side to keep guard while Rick cut the rusty metal lock. They both stepped back as he swung the screeching doors open.

There were fifty to a hundred boxes stacked at the far end of the dark container. Rick went in first, Michonne took another look around outside and followed him in. He pulled his knife out and slit the box open. Michonne watched as he pulled out a black plastic package. She glanced at the doors again and then focused on Rick as he ripped it open. A pair of red lacy panties and a garter fell to the floor.

Rick bent down and picked them up as sorted thoughts ran through his mind. He sucked his teeth and looked up at her.

"Size six." He said extending them to Michonne. "I'm sure someone can use them."

Michonne laughed at the nerve of his bold assertion. She took them and began to inspect them.

"Yeah well red is not my color."

"You sure about that?" Rick said side-eyeing her with a sly expression she hadn't seen in a long time.

She jerked her head back.

"Mr. Grimes, are you flirting with me?" She asked sarcastically smiling down at him.

Rick laughed, stood up, and began pulling out the rest of the black packets.

Michonne tilted her head as she looked at the panties. She liked the pattern and it was her size. She shrugged and stuffed them in her back pocket.

All the packages were the same. He'd opened four boxes and every one of them contained different sizes of lingerie.

"Try those over there." Michonne suggested gesturing at the boxes on the other side.

Rick grabbed one of the box and put it on the ground. He knelt to slit it open. To their delight, the packages were different. He pulled out the smaller boxes wrapped in black plastic. He ripped the plastic away from the box and examined it. There was a picture of an alluring half-naked woman on the front of the box and a long silver shinny object snuggly packed on the inside of the plastic window. Rick raised his eyebrows realizing what it was.

"Is that a…?"

"…Yep." Michonne answered knowing full well what it was.

"Yeah, we're not going to find anything useful in here." Rick said as he tossed the packaged toy and started outside.

Michonne laughed at the obvious discomfort of Rick as he walked passed her. She playfully kicked one of the boxes.

"You sure about that?" Michonne jested getting Rick's attention.

"Yeah, I'm sure. If they want that stuff they can come get it themselves. Let's get outta here." He said walking out and picking up the bolt cutters.

Rick and Michonne went to the next container. Rick put down his rifle and started to cut the lock when he heard heavy footsteps coming from the side of the of the container. He went to grab his colt and saw Michonne aim her rifle as a strange man came around the corner aiming his large assault rifle at Rick's head before he could draw his colt.

He was a burly man with a thick black mustache and a long beard with old tattoos on his sunburned face. He wore a heavy black coat with wool lining the collar. The ends of his baggy brown pants were tucked into his worn combat boots.

"Drop it!" Michonne ordered, her deadly eyes trained on the man as she took a step toward him.

The tall man's hazel eyes shot from Rick to Michonne.

"Largue sua arma!" The man yelled.

He put the barrow of the rifle on the back of Rick's head. Rick held his breath and his heart pounded.

"We're just looking around, we didn't know this place was taken." Rick replied looking at Michonne whose eyes were trained on the man.

Her eyes went from the man's face to the finger fastened on the trigger.

"Vou mata-lo!" The large man yelled again.

"'Shoot him." Rick told Michonne.

"I wouldn't advise that." They heard man say with a thick accent as he walked from behind her and cocked his gun.

"Both of you, put your hands up or my comaradas will shoot you." Rick looked at the man in the long brown leather coat that aimed his 9mm gun at the back of Michonne's head and the six armed men behind him.

Rick looked at Michonne and shook his head. Michonne took a breath and lowered her weapon. She let the rifle fall to the ground and turned to face the man with the heavy accent.

The men were all tall and gritty in appearance. The one holding a gun to Michonne smiled at her as his eyes ran down the length of her body.

"Very smart, my dear." The man said putting his foot on her rifle and sliding it back toward his men.

He took another step toward Michonne reached down and pulled off her sword. The man had long black wavy hair and a thinner build than the others.

"We didn't know this area was already claimed." Rick said looking around at the group of men.

"We don't want any trouble, we can leave and never come back." He reasoned, watching the man walk closer to Michonne.

The man shot an eye over at Rick.

"Leave? But you are precious commodities." He smiled at Rick.

"There is nothing more precious than the living now." The man said turning his attention back to Michonne.

He quickly grabbed her ass pulling her toward him and tried to kiss her. Enraged, Michonne balled her fist drove a hard elbow into the man's chin causing him to release her and stumble backward. The other men lifted their guns to her, a few of them laughed as the man grabbed his chin.

"Don't touch her!" Rick yelled lunging at the man and catching the butt of the rifle to the back of his head, knocking him out.

Michonne started to go for the man that hit Rick when she felt her head being jerked back sharply. The man that assaulted her had a fist full of her hair. He pulled her back towards him and tightened his arm around her waist.

"Whew… you are a fighter! That I like." The man said rocking back and forth holding Michonne as he stretched his sore jaw.

"What is your name?" He said leaning in pressing his scruffy cheek against hers.

"Get off me!" She demanded and shook away from him.

"Mateus!" One of the other men yelled.

Mateus looked at the older man, Vitor.

"Get them up, let's go." He ordered limping passed them.

Mateus smiled at Michonne for a moment and then motioned for the other men to take both her and Rick away.