Michonne was alone again. She thought she'd gotten used to it. The silence, the emptiness, the void. At one point in her life, it was comforting. After she'd lost her family she'd welcomed the lack of other living beings. She didn't have anyone to ask questions that she didn't want to answer, bring up memories she wanted to forget, or bother her, quite frankly. She thought she was content with the loneliness, until she'd saved Andrea. Andrea had gotten her used to being around people again. Andrea had given her someone to care about, someone to watch out for, someone to live for besides herself. She'd never admitted it to Andrea, but she was her best friend, if not her sister. Although it was hard for the two of them surviving alone, they'd held their own, and Michonne was proud of that. But everything had changed once they got to Woodbury and Andrea became enthralled by the Governor.
Michonne could tell from the beginning that the man was evil. She couldn't explain it. She couldn't put it into words, but she just knew. She still wasn't used to talking to people again, she had been a lawyer before, but her months of solitude took a toll on her social skills. She'd tried to warn Andrea in the best way that she could, but it wasn't enough. Michonne knew that it was partly on her, but Andrea didn't understand what Michonne was telling her, and she wouldn't leave. Andrea had chosen the Governor over her, and although Michonne understood why, it hurt her deeply. She had left her friend in Woodbury, but she hoped Andrea would discover the truth before it was too late.
Michonne realized she had underestimated the Governor's evil a few miles from Woodbury, when Merle and his goons had found her. She'd taken all of them out except for Merle who managed to shoot her in the thigh before assuming she was dead. Michonne got away, but her gunshot wound was extreme. The bullet had fractured on impact and left dozens of bullet fragments in her thigh. She'd limped forward on pure stubbornness and resilience for another mile before collapsing under a tree. The pain and bleeding was intense, and not only couldn't she walk, she couldn't stand on that leg.
She thought it was the end for her. Finally. Acceptance washed over her, and she removed her katana from her back, and laid it across her body, almost as a mini memorial for herself. Her thigh was throbbing and the pain was agonizing. She could feel the blood seeping from her wounds. She hadn't slept in 4 days, not since she and Andrea had arrived at Woodbury. Her heart, her soul, and her body was exhausted. She was ready to rest. She lay flat on the ground, wondering if Andrea would even miss her. She wondered if Andrea would ever learn the truth about what happened to her. She then exhaled deeply, and lost consciousness.
Michonne startled awake to the smell of something cooking. She was confused and had no idea where she was. She sat up and tried to leap to her feet when agonizing pain stopped her in her tracks. She'd forgotten she'd been shot. Her eyes flitted around the darkness that surrounded her, looking for her katana that she knew she'd laid across her chest.
"It's over here sweetheart" a southern voice drawled. Her eyes focused in on a man a few feet away, who was cooking beans over a small fire. Alarm bells went off in Michonne's head. She could see that she was still under the same tree she'd passed out underneath, but it was now night time and she was completely helpless against this strange man.
"Don't worry, I'm just keeping it safe for you. I figured a woman who carries a four foot sword around must know how to fucking use it. And if you know how to use that thing I wanted it far away from you when you woke up". The man turned towards her and she could see he had dark brown hair with a mustache and beard that was going gray. He had deep dimples in his cheeks, and probably had looked charming at one point, but his hair was now long and wild, and he looked like he hadn't washed in weeks. He had the look of a man who was barely surviving in the wilderness. Probably exactly how she'd looked before Andrea found her.
"Sorry 'bout your pants" the man said with a shrug, and Michonne looked down and realized she had no pants on, but there was a blanket that lay over her legs. It was a slight comfort to see that she had underwear on, but that was besides the point. Her eyes narrowed and she gave the man an evil stare.
"Hey, don't get your panties in a bunch" the man replied, seeing her face. "I had to treat that wound you had. Couldn't do that with your pants on now could I? I mean, I have to admit I appreciate a woman with a grade A ass, and you have one for sure, but I behaved. I prefer my women conscious if you know what I mean."
"Where are my pants?" Michonne asked angrily.
"So you do speak! I was wondering. Your pants are in your bag, but I wouldn't suggest trying to put them back on any time soon. That wound must hurt like a motherfucker, and I imagine putting fabric on top of it won't help."
Michonne sighed deeply when she realized the man was right. She reached for her bag anyway, just to make sure her jeans were in there, and also to search for her knife that she had hidden inside. It was gone.
"Uh… you looking for this?" the man asked, holding up her knife. Michonne almost groaned in frustration. "Yea, I wasn't giving you access to this either. Relax, I saved you. If it wasn't for me you probably would've bled out. You lost a lot of blood already, you won't be up and around for a while. I gotta admit, when I found you I was considering if I should help you or just let you die, but when I saw you were smoking hot, that just helped your case. Plus, I have to know the story behind Samurai Woman. You basically laid your sword across your chest like you were giving yourself a fucking viking funeral. That was dramatic as fuck! You were just too fucking intriguing for me to pass by."
Michonne continued to stare at the man, her face unreadable.
"What's your name?" the man asked, stirring the beans that had begun to boil. When silence continued, he glanced back at Michonne.
"Damn, you always this quiet? Or are you dying on me?"
Michonne tried to shift the position she was sitting in, but it sent a sharp jab of pain through her leg and up her spine, causing her to suck in a breath.
"Be careful, I don't want you to start pouring blood again like you were when I found you. Look, it seems like we're gonna be together for a little while at least. You'll need help if you wanna survive, and I'm willing to give you that help. If you don't want my assistance I have no problem packing up in the morning and going about my miserable way. I was hoping to help you in exchange for some companionship, seeing as though I'm fucking lonely as fuck out here by myself, but if your intention was to die, who am I to fucking stop you? Just know that'd be a goddamn hell of a waste."
There was another long silence.
"Michonne" Michonne muttered.
"Michelle?" the man asked.
"Michonne!" she said louder, "my name is Michonne."
The man smirked and Michonne realized that he'd heard her the first time, he just wanted her to speak louder. She rolled her eyes in frustration. "Well nice to meet you Michonne" the man said as he poured beans into a bowl and brought it over. Handing the bowl to her he said "I'm Negan."
***can08writer***
After that day, Michonne and Negan had spent months together surviving, just the two of them. The first few days she couldn't walk at all, and he all but carried her to a house that they held up in until she could limp. After a few weeks her limp went away and they could travel faster. She figured he would want to leave once he saw that she was healed and she didn't need him anymore, but she was dismayed to realize she didn't want him to leave.
No one had really looked out for Michonne her entire life. Everyone from her family to her friends, to Andrea, assumed she was strong and didn't need any help. Because of this, it'd never occurred to her to ask for help from anyone, but the week she couldn't walk, Negan took care of her with nothing in return but her silence. He never complained, which made her think he couldn't be all that bad. He'd helped her get out of bed, get dressed, walk, but she never felt that he thought she was helpless, or a damsel in distress, and she appreciated that.
When it came down to it, if he hadn't found her, or if he'd decided to keep walking, she would've died. Either a walker would've found her, or she would've bled to death. She owed him companionship at the very least.
As annoying as he could be, he was also charming and funny. After everything that happened with Andrea, after being helpless and shot, she finally realized that she needed people. She knew she could survive alone if she had to, but she didn't want to. The revelation was scary. Life was easier when she didn't need people, when she didn't rely on people. Luckily, he didn't want to be alone either, and they resigned to stick together.
They had grown closer through the months, sharing everything they had, protecting each other, helping the other when they were sick, tired, or hungry. They'd spoken about shallow things, nothing too deep. The weather, where they were heading before they met, and theories about the walkers and what caused the virus. She knew he'd wanted to know who'd shot her, but she didn't want to bring up those painful memories. She just wanted to forget.
They didn't have a particular direction that they were going in, but somehow they found themselves in Virginia, and then they found the town of Alexandria, a virtual paradise. When they'd arrived, both of them were dirty, practically starving, and vicious. The Alexandrians let them in because they knew that the town needed people who were knowledgeable about handling walkers, and other people, but they still looked down on the pair as if they were wild animals. The reaction of the Alexandrians caused Negan and Michonne to bond together even more closely when they made it to the confines of the town. The first few weeks it was unspoken that they'd live in the same house, seeing as though they only knew each other. They were so used to sleeping in the same room if not the same bed, they didn't think twice of their shared housing arrangements.
Once they got their jobs and settled in somewhat, Michonne noticed the women of Alexandria looking at Negan thirstily. It didn't bother her at first, it was more annoying than anything. Once Negan had shaved she realized he was a handsome man, so who wouldn't look at him like that? But the looks of adoration towards Negan from the women was mirrored with looks of adoration towards Michonne from the men. Negan wasn't as accepting of the men's advances towards her, and although Michonne assured him the looks were harmless, Negan was still in the same beast mode he was in when they were out on the road. He didn't want other men looking at Michonne, and he would defend her to the death.
They'd never spoken of any kind of relationship between them. Michonne never had reason to think there was one besides companionship while they were on the road. The basic necessities trumped any other need. It was hard to think about relationship labels and romance when you hadn't had a drink of water in two days. But the semblance of society in Alexandria forced them to evaluate what they were, and where they stood. And it all came to a head when an already married man, Pete, wanted Michonne's attention.
Michonne, who was a co-constable of the town with Negan, was on patrol when Pete, the town's doctor called her over. The urgency in which he called her made her concerned that something was wrong, but as soon as she got close enough, he'd cornered her against the side of a house. His large body blocked any exits, although he hadn't touched her. He'd asked her for a date, and appalled, she'd reminded him that he was married with two sons. He then lost his temper, telling Michonne she was ungrateful because the town had taken her in, and she owed them. He called her unreasonable for not accepting his advances, and a flirt, saying that she constantly wore tight clothing that grabbed the attention of all the men, not just him.
Although Pete's words and accusations pissed Michonne off, he hadn't touched her, and so she tried to end the argument peacefully. For some reason Pete, seeing that Michonne was trying to calm him down and be reasonable with him got more angry, eventually grabbing her wrist to drag her somewhere. Michonne had stomped on his foot and elbowed Pete in the nose, causing him to let go, but Negan had heard the scuffle. He'd raced over and tackled Pete, beating him to a bloody pulp. Everyone, including Michonne, had screamed at Negan to stop, but he continued pummeling an unconscious Pete until Michonne hit him in the head, knocking him unconscious.
***can08writer***
"Next time just do me a favor and cut my whole fucking head off. That would be more humane", Negan groaned after he regained consciousness in his cell.
"Well, you left me no choice" Michonne said from her seat across the room from where Negan lay on a mattress on the floor.
"Some would say I was doing the right thing. Defending you and all" Negan said as he pushed himself upright. The sudden change in position made his head spin.
"I didn't need your defending" Michonne replied, pushing her chair closer to Negan's mattress.
"Yea, I kinda see that now" Negan said with a smirk. "But that asshole got what he deserved. He really had some nerve putting his hands on you."
"Does that warrant a death sentence?" Michonne asked, tilting her head to the side and widening her eyes. Negan could tell she was amused.
"If he's putting his hands on you, hell yea. I would've killed that bastard, Michonne. If he touches you again for any reason it's over for him. No one touches you-"
"Why?" Michonne asked, cutting off Negan's train of thought.
"What?"
"Why don't you want anyone to touch me?"
"Pete is a fucking married man Michonne! And I heard he beats the shit out of-"
"I'm not talking about Pete" Michonne said, leaning towards Negan. "I'm talking about you. Why don't you want anyone to touch me?"
Negan looked at Michonne's eyes, but then his eyes moved down to her lips, then her breasts, and then back up to her eyes. He had been staring at her like that for a while, almost since she'd met him, but they'd never acted upon anything. Not that she thought he would hesitate for a second if she'd initiated any kind of contact, but their lives had always been about survival day in and day out. Michonne had never allowed any thoughts of romance to distract her, but she could tell from the way Negan looked at her, that he wanted her.
"I shouldn't've said anyone" Negan said with a smirk. "I don't want him touching you. Or any other of these loser men. Do you see how they stare at you Michonne? It's fucking disgusting."
"It's disgusting because they're interested in me?"
"No, it's disgusting because they're not worthy of you."
Michonne stared at Negan with amusement. "What about the women who follow you around like puppy dogs. Are they worthy of you?"
"Jealous?" Negan asked with a wink.
"Not really" Michonne said dismissively. Negan's face dropped.
"Why the fuck not?" Negan asked like an impetuous child.
"Because I know you don't want them. Even if you sleep with them, you won't really be satisfied."
"You think you know me?" Negan asked with an amused smirk.
"Yea I know I do"
"Then tell me, who do I really want?" Negan asked, his eyes testing Michonne.
Just then, a knock on the door from Aaron ended their conversation, and Michonne found a reason to leave the room, to Negan's dismay.
Days later, the fight between Negan and Pete had died down. Pete had been put on house arrest, and Negan had been suspended from constable duties for an undetermined amount of time. One day, as Michonne was doing rounds, she heard the sound of pots crashing to the floor in the Anderson house, and a scream that was cut off suddenly. Michonne took off running towards the house, leaping on to the porch and banging on the door. No one answered, but she could hear more crashes and then Ron, Pete's son yelled "dad, stop it!"
Michonne kicked at the locked door, realizing something serious was happening, but the door wouldn't budge. As a last resort, she unsheathed her katana and slammed it down on the door handle, knocking it off and allowing the door to swing open. She ran into the house and was shocked to see Jessie, Pete's wife, lying unconscious on the kitchen floor with a wound to her head. Ron, Pete's son, was trying to hold his father back as the man angrily stormed around the kitchen, knocking pots and pans off the shelves like a wild animal. Sam, Pete's youngest son, was desperately trying to shake his bleeding mother awake.
"Stop! Stop right there!" Michonne yelled, raising her katana at the man.
Pete swung around and faced her with fury in his eyes.
"What the hell are you doing in my house? Get the fuck out of here!" he screamed, directing his drunken fury at Michonne.
"I'll get out of here when you come with me out on the porch" Michonne said calmly. Her eyes quickly flitted down to Jessie and to her relief she saw the unconscious woman take a breath. At least she was still alive.
"I'm not going fucking anywhere with you. You put me on house arrest and I'm in my fucking house. I'm dealing with my own fucking family. Mind your business, bitch. Go home before I make you sorry you came in here." Pete's speech was slurred badly and he was obviously drunk. Ron was still holding on to his father, trying to keep him from going on another tirade and hurting someone else.
"Pete, come outside with me please. Your children are scared, and your wife needs help. You need to calm down."
"Don't tell me to fucking calm down!" Pete screamed, advancing towards Michonne. "Get out of here! You don't belong here, this is you! This is your fault!"
Michonne took a few steps back to give herself enough room to swing her katana if she had to. "Pete-" she began, but in an impressive act of coordination for a drunk he launched himself at her, running full speed. Ron was still holding on to his father's back as he barreled into Michonne, knocking her to the ground and her katana out of her hand.
"Dad stop it!" Ron yelled, but Pete threw the boy off of himself. Michonne quickly scrambled to her feet and ran for her katana, but Pete knocked it out of her hands once she was finally able to grab it.
Pete yanked the back of her hair in an effort to control her head, but Michonne grabbed both of his arms, and using every inch of body weight and leverage that she could on this larger man, she flipped him over her shoulder so that he crashed onto the ground. Michonne heard a loud pop when her shoulder popped out of the socket.
Pete was dazed for a few moments, and holding her injured shoulder, Michonne asked Ron if he had any rope to tie Pete's hands. Thinking fast, Ron ran into the living room to get the rope that held the curtains back. Michonne sat on Pete's chest, holding his arms down with her knees, but Pete recovered from his daze. He pushed Michonne's knees off of his arms and grabbed her neck, choking her. Pete was squeezing her so hard Michonne's oxygen was cut off instantly and within seconds she could see black spots in front of her eyes. Her hands instinctively went for Pete's but once she realized she wouldn't be able to pry his fingers off of her neck, she jammed her fingers into his eyes.
Pete screamed in pain and let her go, and Michonne rolled off of him, sputtering and struggling for air. She crawled a few feet away, searching for her katana or even a knife as a weapon in case he came at her again. Pete was still screaming and rolling on the floor clutching his face when footsteps tore through the house and into the kitchen. Michonne looked up fast enough to catch a blur before Pete was lifted off the floor and dragged into the living room.
"Negan-" Michonne gasped, but she couldn't say much more due to a coughing fit caused by her near asphyxiation. From the living room she heard a few more thuds, Ron scream "Dad!", and then the shattering of glass as something large was thrown through the living room window.
In a few moments Negan was back in the kitchen, kneeling next to Michonne. "Are you okay? What the fuck did he do to you? Michonne? Michonne what happened!" Negan was saying, cradling her face in his hands.
"Check Jessie, see if she's okay" Michonne said.
"Fuck Jessie, are you alright?" Negan asked, looking Michonne up and down. He put his hand on her shoulder and she screamed in pain. Startled, Negan snatched his hand back.
"What the fuck did he do!" Negan yelled.
"It's just dislocated" Michonne said angrily, "now go check on Jessie!"
Negan reluctantly got up to check the woman who was still lying unconscious on the ground, Sam looked up at Negan terrified as he checked the pulse in Jessie's neck. "She's breathin', she needs to go to the infirmary though."
"Where's Pete?" Michonne asked, struggling to her feet. She still felt a little dizzy, and her neck was in pain.
"He won't be beating anybody anymore" Negan said. "I threw his ass through the window."
***can08writer***
That night after Denise the doctor who had unwittingly taken Pete's place, had set Michonne's shoulder and taken care of Jessie, Negan escorted Michonne back to their home and helped her into bed. Her arm was in a sling, and her throat was still sore, but besides that, she was fine.
"You ain't working for a week at least, they're just gonna have to give me my job back until you're better" Negan said, as he removed Michonne's feet from her boots.
"Not gonna happen" Michonne said, her voice still raspy and hoarse.
"The fuck it's not. You're not patrolling with a slinged up arm and a neck with some motherfucker's hand prints on it."
"You telling me what I can and can't do now?" Michonne asked angrily.
"No, I'm telling you what makes goddamn sense! You got fucking beat up by a prick twice your size. You need to rest", Negan countered.
"I need to do my job" Michonne said. "You don't have to babysit me. I don't want you to, I don't need you to."
"Obviously you do, 'cuz I keep having to fucking save you!" Negan shot back.
"Fuck you Negan. I never asked you to save me, the first time or this time."
"What, you expect me to just let you die?" Negan shouted, in disbelief of how stubborn Michonne was being.
"Yes. I don't need a babysitter!" Michonne shouted back. "I don't need anyone. I survived by myself long before you, and I…"
"Stop trying to die!"
"Why?" Michonne hollered back, indignant that he was trying to boss her around. "Why do you even ca-"
Her sentence was cut off when Negan pressed his lips against hers, shocking her into silence. Her eyebrows shot up, and she was caught off guard. Seeing that Michonne didn't immediately punch him, Negan took advantage of her shock to kiss her more deeply, using his lips to part her lips wider. His kiss was tender and surprisingly soft, and he lightly nipped her upper and lower lips, and then ended with a kiss to the corner of her mouth. He moved backwards slowly, not knowing what to expect when he opened his eyes.
When he finally looked at her, Michonne was staring with her mouth parted and her eyes wide.
"I fucking care about you" Negan said. "Stop trying to die. We're in this together. You're not a lone wolf. You were before, but now you have a pack. I don't want to be a lone wolf anymore, and I know you don't either. Just rest for a fucking week Michonne. Please?"
After staring at Negan for a few tense moments, Michonne slowly tilted her head. "Did you just try to shut me up with a kiss?"
Negan gave a relieved laugh that she wasn't mad. "Did it work?" he asked, giving his most charming smiles.
"I'll stay in the house for one day. That's it" Michonne negotiated seriously.
"Fine" Negan said. There was a pause, and they looked at each other waiting for the other to speak.
"So. Was that good?" Negan asked, talking about the kiss. Michonne rolled her eyes and rested her head back against her pillow. She couldn't help but smirk at her endearing companion.
"Negan, next time you try to shut-up kiss me, I will run my katana through your chest" Michonne said jokingly.
"Must've been good if you're already thinking about next time" Negan chuckled, and he ducked out of the room before Michonne threw a pillow at him.
Author's Note: I thought it would be interesting to explore what might've happened if Michonne had never gone to the prison, and she met Negan before she met Rick. This is more of an alternate reality, and it's so much fun playing around with the characters. I think you will enjoy some of the upcoming chapters. Negchonne has a lot of interesting details and possibilities, but I am a die hard Richonne fan, so that is my end goal. I hope you liked the first chapter. Please leave me a review!
