Road to Ruin

Rating: T (M with later chapters)
Summary: "We have to get out of here. We have…We have to go." At the end of the world, it's hard to know what road is the right one to take when both lead into the unforgiving hands of fate. AU. Andrea leaves Woodbury with Michonne.

A/N: Like many other fans, I was devastated by the s3 finale. After picking up enough pieces of my muse I decided to take Andrea and Michonne down a different road. If I continue here I'll never stop talking, so I hope you guys enjoy!

Dedicated to Aimee. This wouldn't be possible without you.

Chapter 1: Speak Now

The street below the apartment complex was bustling with the coming and retreating of Woodbury civilians as they all went to their designated places of assignment for the day, their happy and contented voices drifting up from the main street through the settlement straight into the woman's ever-alert ears. The stoic woman sat perched on the ledge of the window, her right leg hanging over the edge while her left remained propped up onto the thin window sill to keep her form steady. Dark eyes drifted down to the street below, rapidly darting from person to person while she assumed her self- appointed position of watching over her and her companion's belongings carefully, her hardened expression starting to resemble more of a hawk searching vast fields for its next meal rather than a human gaze.

The statuesque woman's eyes caught sight of a familiar blonde head walking back to the refurbished apartment complex they were currently accommodated in, her freshly washed locks bobbing as she fought to keep up with the man walking next to her. Even from her high vantage point she could clearly see the extra spring in her companion's step, the needless swing of the woman's hips as she threw her head back to laugh at something the man had lowly whispered into her ear.

With a loud snort the dark skinned woman swung herself back into the small apartment, her dreads falling against her neck due to the sudden action. Loose-fitting boots began to thud against the floor as the silent woman started to pace the room, her gloved hands coming to her hips as another deep sigh made its way through her nose, her nostrils flaring in exasperation as she tried to collect her composure.

Full lips pressed together in a firm line as the woman reached behind her head to take hold of the katana nestled securely in its sheath slung over her shoulders. Sliding it out gently she turned over the glimmering blade several times, using the intense afternoon sunlight to inspect it for any damage it may have suffered in the un-skilled hands that were not her own. With a satisfied sigh Michonne's eyes darted around the room. When she was certain there was no one watching her she raised her arms high above her head, her body spinning with the swift and forceful motions as the blade of the sword cut through the heavy air in the room as if it were nothing.

The warrior swung her shoulders the opposite direction, the katana quickly following her direction as it artfully cut through another imagined walker the blade stopped its motion in mid-air, its handler's chest heaving in and out when her forceful movement came to a grinding halt.

Soft footsteps were making their way up the stairs.

Michonne angled her sword directly at the closed door to the room, her features hardened as the haunting footsteps got closer to the door. There was a moment of deadly tense silence before the door swung open gently to reveal the source of the quiet footsteps. Michonne's hardened expression and drawn sword caused the blonde to jump slightly, her palm coming to her chest to calm her heart that had taken off at the sight of her friend.

"Oh my god, Michonne. Don't do that!" she gasped, her fingers lightly placed on her chest "you nearly gave me a heart attack."

At the sight of the familiar face Michonne slowly lowered her sword, her palms still firmly grasped around the handle as she held it out in front of her. With a flick of her wrist her sword was back in the sheath slung around her shoulders and she was headed back over to her self-appointed guard tower. Andrea watched as her friend carefully angled her body onto the window sill, her shoulders tensing as her eyes drifted out the window to the crowded street below.

Andrea's eyes softened as she took in the tense form of her friend, her expression melting into one of concern as she studied the tense back that was turned away from her. Gently closing the door behind her Andrea walked over to the window, her head easily staring over Michonne's shoulder she silently stood behind the other woman, a few strands of her unruly locks fluttering around her face from the gentle summer breeze coming through the curtains.

Michonne could feel the steady breath on her exposed shoulder and had to swallow a choke when she realized how clean of illness the gentle breaths were on her warm skin. From the moment they had been taken in to this place, Michonne hadn't liked what she had seen. She knew her companion was a community oriented person, and the idea of once again actually belonging to a place that offered food, many of the comforts this new world had taken from them, and a relatively secure place to spend their nights would be tempting enough so that Andrea would never want to leave.

The warrior shivered before she gently closed her eyes, inhaling the sweet scent of the gentle air blowing in through the window.

She knew something was wrong with this place.

Beneath the silver lining Woodbury was painted to be, Michonne knew there was something sinister going on behind the scenes. Despite the fact they had captive walkers (which she herself had made sure she had taken care of, she had definitely needed to let off some steam), she had found all of the reassurance that she needed to confirm the feeling in her gut as more than just a suspicion near their vehicles.

The way the man had looked at her when she held her blade to his throat sealed it for her.

"Michonne, Phillip told me what happened."

Michonne's neck snapped towards the woman standing behind her, her nostrils flaring as she angled her body back into the room, her fists clenching into the gloves on her hands with a powerful force. Forcefully ejecting herself from her perch on the windowsill the dark skinned woman gave a snort and dismissed the blonde's statement with a flick of her wrist. Michonne made her way over to where their worn and tattered bags were sitting behind the door and tore open the top of one, her gloved fingers desperately looking for something to calm the swimming feeling in her stomach. When her fingers closed around the colourful wrapper of an energy bar the exasperated looking woman tore the wrapper off of it and began chewing loudly as she sat down in one of the old chairs in the room, her legs spreading slightly as her arms slumped on the sides of the chair.

Michonne raised her eyebrow at Andrea's annoyed expression and waved the half-eaten bar at her friend as she talked. "What." She continued to chew loudly "We're calling him by his name now?" Andrea's ears were met with the crunching of the food between the other woman's teeth "what 'appened to 'the governor'?" she mocked.

Andrea could feel the frustration beginning to boil inside her as she stared at Michonne's form slumped in the chair. Her posture and tone were enough to tell the blonde everything she needed to know about what she thought about the fact she had alluded to the leader of the little town by his name were, and it irritated her at how juvenile her companion was being. Narrowing her eyes slightly Andrea crossed her arms over her chest.

"Michonne…come on, you're being difficult." Andrea glared, her gaze on her friend intensifying.

By the time the blonde had finished speaking Michonne had shoved the last of the energy bar into her lips, her gloved hand crushing the colourful wrapper in her fingers. She chewed the remainder of the food before standing up to walk towards the other side of the small apartment "Oh, am I?" she started before swallowing the rest of the food in her mouth "I did not realize getting back what belongs to me is being 'difficult'." She muttered under her breath, but no likely loud enough for the other woman to hear. "He is the one that threatened me."

Andrea's palms came to her forehead, the growing headache she could feel beginning to make itself known in her temples. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Michonne make her way back over to the window, her tense shoulders tightening as she stared out at the people rushing on the street below. There were a few minutes of stark silence between the two women; the tension in the air beginning to form so thick the warrior's own sword probably couldn't even slice through it.

The only sounds came from the open window as after a few moments Andrea took a couple steps forward, her weight shifting to her opposite foot as her features hardened, her eyes focused on the woman standing in front of her. Andrea's lips opened and her soft voice broke through the painfully tense afternoon air, a hint of bitterness in her voice "You said you'd give this some time-" she started "-that you would try to make it work."

Michonne's lips hardened into a firm line as she stared at the people below. They rushed from building to building, place-to-place so busily it reminded her of ants trapped in an ant farm just waiting for someone to tap on the glass and stir them into frenzy. With a heavy sigh through her nose Michonne turned around to face the woman standing behind her, her dark eyes boring into hers as she spoke.

"I already did."

Andrea was frustrated. She threw up her hands in exasperation at the other woman's words and walked back towards their bags sitting on the other side of the small apartment. Leaning down on one knee she began to look through her ratty bag frantically, her hands tearing aside clothes and various other belongings in her search for nothing in particular. "I can't believe you. I just…I really can't believe you!" she shouted, angrily thrusting a shirt out of the bag before she took a step toward the warrior still standing with hands on her hips by the window. "I-!"

Michonne's hardened eyes dared Andrea to continue her frustrated rant, the unbridled emotion she could feel beginning to gnaw at the back of her mind burning as she carefully watched the other woman angrily crumple the light coloured shirt in her hands into a tight ball as she made her way into a more sheltered corner of the room to change her sweat drenched shirt. Before they had come to Woodbury Andrea would have never dreamed of changing her clothes more than once a week (give or take) due to the scarce places they could even safely wash their belongings. On a couple of occasions she could even remember leaving a pile or two deserted under some large pines that seemed to dot the landscape wherever her and Michonne made camp. At that desperate time she just couldn't be bothered to wash them when they would soak with the blood of the dead they faced on a daily basis but now that she was here she found herself changing more often for comfort than anything else.

From her relatively private corner Andrea heard the shuffling of boots on floorboards before she narrowed her eyes at the wall, her fingers coming around the hem of the shirt as she pulled it down over her shoulders "They explained it to us." She muttered to the wall, anger seeping into her raised voice "No one keeps weapons here. That's how they do things." Andrea explained again as if she were talking to a petulant child that wasn't getting his or her way.

The blonde's statement was answered with a loud snort from near the window, her eyes narrowing as she walked out from the more secluded corner she had changed in. She was about to continue her heated rant about how the other woman was seemingly trying to make this whole thing difficult but soon changed her eyes when she noticed how the other woman had returned to staring out the window. Her shoulders were tensed as her eyes took in the people and movement below the apartment complex and Andrea's features softened considerably when she noticed the dark rings under Michonne's weary looking brown eyes.

Receiving no answer from her companion Andrea took a deep breath in before making her way over to the other woman that was standing so still she looked more like a statue than a living being. Andrea's right hand hovered over her shoulder when she drew near, her fingers quivering for a second her hand dropped before it could make contact with the toned muscle. Deep down she knew it wouldn't be a wise idea to instigate any physical touch between them given the rising heat of their conversation only moments before. Sighing deeply Andrea leaned closer to the other woman, her lips turning down into a concerned frown at the woman's tired eyes.

"Mich..." Andrea whispered, her eyes soft as she stared at the other woman "…When was the last time you slept?"

The warrior's entire body tensed at the question and her stark silence told Andrea everything she needed to know. Michonne's eyes remained out the window before they slowly drifted over to look at Andrea, her lips pursing as she assessed the blonde's unblinking stare. Bringing a hand to her hip Andrea's brow furrowed at her companion.

"Well?"

Michonne sighed deeply through her nose before she brought her gloved hands to cover her tired eyes. They were burning in the dry afternoon air and closing them did little to relieve the heavy feeling beginning to wash over her. Dreads fell over her face as she bent herself forward into her hands. It had been a couple long nights since she had managed to allow her eyes to close, too determined to keep watch over the form under the mound of blankets to pay any real mind to the darkness that had settled around her, the only light from the torches the small town kept burning low throughout the night to aid those with night duties.

Andrea shook her head and sighed when she didn't receive an answer in response to her question. "You didn't sleep last night did you." She sighed, her words more of a statement than a question as she soon came to the realization that Michonne had been up all night, probably sitting on that damned window sill like she had been for the last week or so.

No longer hesitating to throw her arm around the other woman Andrea slung her arm around her shoulders, slowly beginning to guide her over to the bed she began to pull back the sheets and thick woolen blanket spread across the bed. "You're going to sleep now. I'm not going to take no for an answer, hear me?"

Michonne's eyes drifted up to look at the other woman almost as if they were silently fighting her on her request. A hardened stare from her friend later Michonne sighed deeply before sitting down on the bed, her arms crossing over her chest as she looked up at the blonde staring her down, daring to fight her on her demands. "If I sleep now, who will keep watch?" she asked, the frustration in her features growing more as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Who will keep a watch over our things?" She muttered.

Michonne didn't trust the people here farther than she could throw them. She was haunted by the concern that if she turned her back even for a second, allowed her guard down for any reason, their belongings would be taken (her hands coming around the sheath now in her hands securely) and both of them would be confined to this place forever, having no choice but to be at the mercy of the sinister leader and his men. Michonne took a shaky breath as her racing mind thought back to the blood splattered over their vehicles, her eyes drifting over the woman sitting on the bed next to her, bright eyes glinting in the intense light streaming in through the window.

Michonne's eyes closed as the room became dark, the smell of fresh summer air quickly being replaced with the sickening sharp smell of blood. She heard a door slam followed by the deafening sound of a single gunshot before it all went silent.

It was so quiet.

"-Michonne!" Andrea exclaimed, her delicate fingers shaking her friend's shoulders with an intensity that jilted the warrior to the core. Brown eyes snapped open and shot around the small room wildly, the dark skinned woman's breath catching in her throat in a gasp before she stared at the other woman, her shoulders tensing underneath the soft hands.

Andrea stared at her friend in concern, all anger she had previously felt for her completely fading when she saw the perturbed look in Michonne's usually calm and collected features. There was a moment of tense silence between the two women as Michonne's breath eventually slowed, her racing mind eventually falling into calm with her breathing. Andrea hesitantly brought her fingers to the other woman's shoulder more gently this time, her eyes shining with intense concern at Michonne's small daydream.

"You're not fine." She whispered "Please just rest your eyes for a while Mich, I promise that door will not open for anything."

Michonne stared at the woman sitting on the foot of the bed, her legs curling underneath her body as she supported herself with her left arm pressed gently on the mattress. Michonne studied her worrisome expression and sighed heavily, her dark eyes drifting towards the soft-looking white pillows propped up against the headboard. Lips pressing together Michonne sighed again; they did look inviting…and soft…

With another sigh Michonne gave Andrea a look as she angled her body to lie down on the soft bed "That door stays closed." She repeated the blonde's own words back to her, a stony look in her weary eyes. A small chuckle escaped Andrea's lips as she stood up off the bed before turning around to help the warrior get settled into the bed. The mattress was a little old, Michonne's body shifting on it uncomfortably causing some small squeaks as she flipped and rolled around to try and find a reasonably comfortable position. It had been so long since she had even slept in an actual bed, the feeling of the mattress pressing up against her spine foreign and slightly unpleasant as she shuffled into the creaky bed.

Her entire body stiffened when she felt the light brown blanket being pulled up over her shoulders, the material lightly being tucked in around her collarbone. Michonne's eyes were wide as she stared at Andrea, almost transfixed with what the other woman had just done as if she were a small child. Andrea retracted her hands when she saw the look reflected back at her from her friend and she gave the warrior a stern look in response before her hand gently brushed over the curve Michonne's body made under the thick woolen blanket.

"Get some sleep. I mean it."

The last thing Michonne saw before her eyelids fluttered shut was a hazy vision of the blonde still sitting on the foot of the bed, the intense afternoon sun soon fading into the darkness of slumber that had overtaken her. She slept soundly in the soft bed, would never be willing to admit how much she actually missed the feeling of deep rest you receive from a real bed, the comforting security of normalcy she felt envelop her as she remained huddled under the blankets. Michonne had never been a very deep sleeper (not even from what she could remember before) so as she lay wrapped in the warmth of the wool blanket she could hear the distant sounds of people talking as if they were some distant song playing in the very back corners of her mind.

xxx

It was only about an hour later that the warrior's eyelids opened slightly, the intense sunlight streaming in through the window in the corner of the small room shifted slightly so that it shone directly in Michonne's tired eyes. She could still hear the echoing voices that she thought were some sort of distant dream, only this time instead of sounding like they were muddled and far away they were closer now, so close that she could almost hear them as if they were in the same room-

Michonne's dark eyes snapped open to the sound of the hushed voices; she felt her chest constrict painfully when her heart kicked into overdrive as the sudden realization washed over her groggy conscious still blurred from slumber. While one of the voices sounded feminine and soft and so very familiar to her, the other one distinctly masculine with a deep suaveness that caused Michonne's entire body to shudder underneath the thick blanket at the underlying malice she could hear through the haze.

"…How long has she been asleep?" There was a small chuckle after the voice stopped speaking.

Michonne's eyes fought to adjust to the bright afternoon shining on her face and struggled to see the two figures standing on the other side of the small apartment. She heard the familiar sounding woman laugh, the blurry person's form letting out a small laugh as she turned her head to look at Michonne's body still spread underneath the sheets on the bed.

"About an hour. She was really tired."

As Michonne shook her head to fight away the groggy haze from her afternoon rest she could feel her heartbeat echo in her ears as the voices started to become more and more familiar to her as the clouds of haze faded away, her eyes adjusting to the intense afternoon sun still streaming on the side of her face. She slowly rose in the small double bed to sit up, her left arm supporting her body causing her to grunt from the effort of the movement. Rubbing at her eye with a couple of her fingers the sharp intake of breath was stopped short when the blurry figure faded into the image of the very last person she wanted to see, the person that with a mere gaze could cause her blood to run cold beneath her skin.

"It's about time you joined us." He smiled slightly, the corner of the man's lips turning up into a small grin.

She felt her chest clench so tightly in the invisible vice that squeezed it Michonne found it hard to breathe.

Dark eyes flitted back and forth between the familiar woman and the other ominous figure in the room, heartbeat now hammering in her ears as the man's eyes connected with her own. The intensity of his stare shook the warrior to the core and Michonne soon found it hard to actually think straight her mind was racing so fast. The Governor walked over to the same chair Michonne had been sitting in earlier and flopped down on it, his fingers coming to his chin as he glanced over at the woman still in the bed, the blankets coming up over her chest almost instinctively as if she were trying to shield herself from view.

Their eyes were caught in an intense gridlock; neither the woman in the bed or the man staring at her looked away from each other as the painfully thick tension in the room only got heavier in the humid air. Michonne didn't see Andrea's eyes studying her dumbfounded expression, the other woman carefully assessing her friend's reaction to the presence of the other person in the room with them. Andrea's brow furrowed as her face softened, her eyes widening when she saw the clear revulsion she could see reflected in Michonne's wide, glassy stare.

There were a few more moments of stark silence in the room before the man sitting in the chair spoke again, his one leg sitting casually on his other knee as he stared at Michonne "I have to say, we were getting pretty concerned."

Andrea saw the way Michonne's entire body stiffen and she averted her eyes back to the man sitting in the chair at the other side of the small apartment. When the leader of the quaint little town had shown up at their door a half hour ago, grin wide and eyes shining claiming it was urgent that he be let in to speak with them both, Andrea had been shoved into a metaphorical corner she could not find a way out of. On the one hand she had promised her sleeping companion the door would remain shut while she slept, and Andrea wanted nothing more than to prove to the woman now sitting up in the bed that she would- and could handle things for a change, but at that time she knew she had had no choice in the matter.

Her original mission had taken a different turn.

Andrea didn't quite know what it was about this little place, perhaps it was the way they were all so calm and organized, acting as if the world were not overrun with walking corpses that were tearing flesh off the living and that everything was just as it had been before, was more calming to her than she had felt in the entire time since everything had changed. It was something about the people here, from the way the Milton was working on attempting to understand the walkers to the way Phillip's collected demeanor was enough to calm down the citizens if there were a problem, it was a breath of fresh air in a world that smelled like death and anguish.

Andrea's eyes drifted back to Michonne to meet her alarmed, horrified stare meeting Andrea's for a few brief seconds and Andrea dropped her gaze, unable to look her friend in the eyes. It was killing her to see her companion so uneasy and tense about this place, the extra lines she could see under Michonne's eyes beginning to concern her deeply. Andrea had not felt the woman slip into the bed with her since the first night they had actually been in the town, so Andrea was more than positive she had not been even sleeping. Security for her was not the only reason Andrea had so desperately craved a place like this, she wanted so badly to see the other woman to let some of the tension in her features go and smile again. It had been during one warm afternoon over the winter Andrea had actually seen it. A small, ghost of a smile on Michonne's lips when they had found a fully-stocked basement cellar, the sheer elation she had seen on her friend's face so rare it was almost intoxicating to see.

She wanted nothing more than to see it again.

Andrea's reverie was interrupted when she saw the man's form rise from the rickety chair, his calming smile widening as he looked at Michonne's form still hidden under the blankets from his view "I suppose I'm interrupting something here, and I sincerely apologize for waking you, I just came by because I wanted to make you both an offer. I feel you and I-" he smiled, his gaze still directly on Michonne's glaring eyes "got off on the wrong foot and I wanted to invite you both to dinner at my place tonight." Phillip declared, palms clapping together as he feigned excitement about his idea "How does that sound? It'll be just the three of us; I even have some wine I've been saving for a special occasion like this."

Andrea smiled weakly at the leader of the small town's proposition for them and gave a small nod, unable to explain the new uneasy feeling starting to make itself known in the very bottom of her stomach. She made her way over to the small double bed on the other side of the room and sat down, her eyes afraid to look in Michonne's direction entirely as she kept her gaze focused on the Governor standing by the door.

"That's very kind of you Phillip. We'd love to."

The man standing by the door smirked, his bangs lightly fluttering in the breeze now blowing in through the open window "Wonderful! Just drop by anytime really, the door will be wide open."

As soon as the door closed behind him Michonne tore the covers off her legs and stomped over to where she and Andrea's bags had been pushed from the door being opened. The warrior muttered under her breath as she took hold of the bag's handles, tossing them onto the foot of the bed with a forceful grunt she hastily began gathering pieces of their clothing and miscellaneous belongings, not stopping to even look at Andrea's confused expression at her friend's puzzling behavior.

Andrea flushed when Michonne's fingers grabbed one of her lacy undergarments, shoving it in her bag with haste Andrea opened her lips to speak, astonished at the intense look in her eyes. "Michonne-"

"Get the rest of your things and help me." She hissed lowly, the icy tone sending a shiver down Andrea's entire body at the sheer frigid hatred she could hear in her tone. Andrea slowly rose from her seated position at the foot of the small double bed and slowly made her way over to where Michonne was still haphazardly shoving things in their bags.

"Michonne…I'm sorry we woke you-" she tried gently but was quickly silenced by a scathing look from the other woman.

"I told you! I told you to keep that door closed and not to open it for any reason! But you didn't listen to me did you?" the warrior hissed, her teeth bared as she tilted her head slightly to look at Andrea's dumbfounded expression at her harsh words. The air between the two women was thick with tension for a few moments as Andrea's eyes narrowed as soon as her companion's words had resonated with her.

"What is wrong with you!" Andrea snapped, her normally soft and understanding tone raising a few octaves as she fought the emotion starting to build in her tensing chest "I've tried Michonne! I've tried so hard to understand all of this, to understand you!" she shouted, her chest heaving as she fought hard to control the emotion cracking in her voice.

Michonne dismissed her with a wave of her gloved hand and she shoved Andrea's bag into her arms, her dark eyes narrowed into slits as she gathered her own pack, slinging it over her shoulder as she adjusted it to fit more comfortably on her back. "We're leaving now. Gather whatever you want from the room but we're leaving." She spat, tone deathly serious as she continued to fiddle with the strap on her pack "Now."

Andrea's shoulders tensed and dropped, allowing her bag to fall to the floor with a loud thump and she sat down on the foot of the bed, her head falling into her hands as she tried to calm the new pounding headache making itself known in her temples. She felt as if she were being torn in half and she didn't know what else she could do. She craved the safety, the sheer security this place offered them, and she didn't understand why Michonne was so eager to throw that all away just to venture back into a world where every moment was a fight for survival.

Before she could stop them the tears started then, leaking down her face as she listened to the thud of Michonne's boots against the floorboards, unable to look up to meet the other woman's eyes. Andrea cried silently into her hands and breathed, a shuddering gasp escaping her lips as she gazed at the floor "I'm tired, Michonne. I'm so tired of running and feeling like I'm alone, petrified that any moment it will all be over. I want this. I don't want to be alone anymore." She gasped in a whisper, more tears leaking down her pale face as Michonne watched her, her gloved fingers tightly clutching her bag's strap as she frowned deeply.

It wasn't as if she hadn't seen Andrea cry before, there were many nights over the past winter when they both would mourn the ones they had lost, fearful of the uncertainty tomorrow would bring them both.

But she had never seen her sob like this. Quiet, racking sobs shaking her body as she fought for each breath through the tears. Michonne decided she didn't like it.

Michonne's next words tumbled out before she could hold them back, her lips in a firm line as she tried to swallow the emotion building "We have each other."

When the other woman's muted words reached her ears, so low she barely heard them Andrea's face slowly rose from her hands to look at the warrior standing just a few feet over from the bed, her eyes focused intently on her own watering ones. When she saw the look in Michonne's eyes she instantly regretted her harsh tone and before she could even think about speaking again, Michonne had already started, her lips turned down into a deep frown as she spoke softly, an eerie calm about it despite the sheer bitter tension resonating between the two.

"I'm so frightened here, Andrea." She muttered lowly, her voice threatening to crack as her eyes stared into Andrea's, wide and glassy as she spoke. Andrea was unable to hide the surprised look that came next, she had only ever seen a glimpse of this side of Michonne a few times over the long winter, but even then she had never seen this level of pure, unadulterated terror in friend's quivering eyes.

Michonne stared at the woman still sitting on the foot of the bed, her gaze unblinking as Andrea's eyes darted over to look into hers. Michonne's fists clenched so tightly her palms turned a lighter colour, swallowing the ball of emotion she felt welling up in her throat. Waking up to The Governor in their room while she was in a state of vulnerability had been the last straw for the warrior, and the invitation for the private dinner had been enough to push her over the edge. She regretted yelling at Andrea, she knew she was confused and that she hadn't seen what she had. As Michonne stared at her friend she sighed deeply, broad nostrils flaring as she blinked a few times, the desperation she felt clear in her voice.

"You have to trust me."

Andrea bristled at the vague answer she had received from the dark skinned woman and stood up hastily, making her way over to the other woman Andrea pursed lips, trying to keep her composure from turning angry as she dried her eyes with the back of her hands.

"And you need to trust me. Why." She stated, her tone serious and hard. As sympathetic as Andrea was towards Michonne's uneasiness about Woodbury and its inhabitants, she needed to know here and now why.

Michonne swallowed, she really wished the blonde would just listen and listen to her without an explanation, but in that moment Michonne knew that was not going to happen. She couldn't lie to herself; the thought of leaving on her own had crossed her minds many a time while she had been staring down at the small town from her perch on the windowsill, but that thought had as quickly been dismissed. She knew she could never leave without the other woman, the knowledge that she had left her on her own in this sinister place would be enough to render her with enough guilt to haunt her for the rest of her life.

After a couple minutes of tense silence Michonne took a breath, her shoulders visually tensing as she began speaking "There is something wrong with this place. They are keeping captive walkers here."

Andrea's brow shot up at that questioningly. She felt herself getting defensive again and crossed her arms over her chest, shifting her weight to her other foot as she stared at Michonne's hardened gaze "…So did you. And if I remember correctly you carted them around with us for the entire eight months when it was just us." She sighed, throwing her hands up in frustration at the entire conversation "Even after I asked you numerous times if they were dangerous, they turned out to be protection out there!" Andrea bit back, her voice filled with all of the building frustration she had been feeling the past week they had been in Woodbury.

Turning away from the warrior Andrea sighed and walked over to where she had dropped her bag to the floor; beginning to unzip it she took hold of a couple shirts and placed them back on the bed. She was frustrated and was on her last nerve. She was tired of being told to sit down and listen, tired of being kept in the dark on so many things as if she weren't be able to handle things like the grown woman she is. When she heard Michonne's inhale to speak again Andrea whirled around, a shirt in her hands as she stepped forward, her light eyes narrowed angrily.

"There has to be a reason, Michonne! Give me one good reason we should just pack up and run from this when this is exactly what we were looking for! Don't you remember?" Andrea's voice broke off into a whisper, tears beginning to prick at the corners of her eyes burning her vision as she continued to shout "This place is what we talked about, the very idea of a place like this is what kept us going…" she whispered hoarsely, tears threatening to start falling again.

Andrea stopped when she saw the look on Michonne's face next. Her eyes softened considerably when she saw the woman's entire frame shaking, her face hardened into a stare that sent a powerful shudder up the blonde's spine. Michonne's eyes were unblinking and shimmering as she stared at Andrea, her fists clenched so tightly her arms were starting to shake from the effort.

"I found blood." She muttered; teeth grit together as she spoke. She didn't want to have to scare Andrea, but as far as Michonne she had run out of options.

At the other woman's words Andrea's light eyes widened in confusion, the unexplainable uneasy feeling she had been feeling growing stronger in her abdomen, bursting into an uncomfortable shiver that shook her to the core. She took a small step backward, eyes filled with immense confusion as she tried to process what her companion had just told her.

Michonne's expression had not changed as she continued speaking, unable to stop the words from pouring out of her as if some sort of dam within her had broken and there was no stopping it "-Bullet holes too. By their vehicles. It looked fresh…human. Was too bright to be that of a walker." She explained.

Andrea's soft lips fell open in shock at Michonne's words "…What?"

Michonne's lips pressed together into a firm line as she finished speaking, a small nod affirming everything she said "…a finger among it."

Andrea had heard enough. The uneasy feeling in her stomach had burst forth into full-fledged panic and she felt her heart beating against her chest like some trapped animal seeking escape, the beat echoing in her ears as she took a few steps back from Michonne, falling backwards onto the bed to steady herself she held her head, the headache pounding so loudly she could feel her own pulse in her sweaty forehead. Her breathing shallow as she looked up from her knees back up to the stoic woman that had not moved from where she was standing, a look of seriousness on her face that frightened Andrea so deeply she could barely think straight.

Aside from her quick breaths Andrea wordlessly walked over to the window on the other side of the small apartment, looking out of the small opening in the wall in a desperate attempt to get some fresh air as she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart.

As Andrea stared down at the people buzzing from building to building she no longer felt the sheer comfort that Woodbury had provided her with when Michonne and her had arrived here, the large walls around the small town resembling more of a pen rather than protection, the residents of this place reminding her more of herded animals awaiting the slaughter that was almost inevitable in this new world. Blue eyes darted around the street from person to person, her blonde locks fluttering in the afternoon breeze as the bright sunlight streamed on her face, the warmth she had felt no longer there, only to be replaced by a bitter cold she felt resonating beneath her pale skin.

Andrea swallowed when her eyes caught sight of The Governor standing with Milton and a couple of the other residents on the sidewalk below their apartment block, his laugh audible as he gazed up at the small apartment's window, his eyes catching Andrea's petrified gaze as she stared down at the street below. The moment his eyes fell on her she felt her heart still it's painful thudding in her chest, his charming smile sending forceful shudders through her entire body as she stared down at him, her lips hardened into a hard line. When he raised his hand to wave at her Andrea promptly tore the blinds shut with a loud swish of the material.

Andrea slowly turned to Michonne standing right behind her now, the terrified look in her companion's dark eyes now reflected in hers perfectly. She swallowed, her voice low and cracking as she fought to fight the tightening feeling in her chest.

"We have to get out of here. We have…We have to go."

A/N: Let me know what you think so far! :) Till next time!