Here we go...
6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42...
Michonne was trying to focus on counting packs of canned beans she and Olivia had sorted that day. Alexandria was well stocked on food for a while, considering they had their own grown food as well, but they were still pretty reliant on scavenged supplies. They would have to focus more on the suburbs as well. Michonne could not even imagine how Rick would react if they tried to go into D.C. again so soon after what happened with the raiders.
She sighed to herself, thinking of how he had embraced her during the raid a few days ago. Her stomach still fluttered thinking about it. That evening, they had curled up and fallen asleep together, although Rick had gotten up and started the day much earlier than she did. The fact that he had stayed with her that night, followed by his comments this morning regarding having a chat this evening, filled her with excitement. Things were finally progressing, it seemed.
Now that her side was pretty much healed, Michonne could get back to work, which took her mind off of fretting over her budding relationship with Rick. She would be helping out on the wall, but there were already too many people out there. Whenever she did venture out, there was little left to help out with. And she honestly preferred being inside with Olivia. In here, she was away from the bustle and noise just doing her nice, simple tasks and shooting the shit with Olivia. It was a nice change in pace.
"How many you got?" Olivia chirped from the other side of the table, pulling Michonne out of her thoughts.
"318," she replied, moving the boxes aside.
"Awesome! I had 306. So we should be pretty set for a while. Still should probably stock up more for winter."
"Should really get more canning supplies. We're runnin' low, and we've got a big crop co-"
Michonne stopped when she heard a loud crack. It did not sound like one of the usual construction sounds they had gotten accustomed to hearing over the past several days. It sounded something was breaking. Olivia froze too, her brown eyes huge.
"What was that?" she asked in a whisper.
Shaking her head, Michonne went over to the small, dirty window and looked out. The side of the street she could see looked empty. She could hear voices, but they were out of her line of sight. Just as she turned to mention this to Olivia, another crack sounded out, louder and more sustained. Without thinking, both women ran out of the storeroom and to the front of the building. They reached the window just in time to see one of the wall panels cave in and the walkers come pouring in.
"Fuck," Michonne muttered under her breath. She reached behind her back for her katana. Thank God Douglas was allowing them to carry their weapons at all times. No armory rush today. There was no time for it, anyway. She heard the staccato sounds of gunfire outside. At least everyone was already armed. It was a small consolation.
Olivia was panicking as she watched the scene unfold outside. "Oh God, what do we do?" she squealed, visibly shaking.
Michonne grasped both of her shoulders. "First, take a deep breath. Stay focused. Second, I need you to run and tell people to either come out and help or stay in their homes if they can't fight, away from windows and doors until this is over. Got it?"
Olivia nodded hesitantly. "How do I get past 'em? I'm not very fast."
"I'll cover you, at least until you get far enough away. I'll try to slow down any of 'em that head that direction. And you got your gun and your knife, right?"
"Yeah…" Olivia nodded hesitantly. She pointed to her belt where both were attached.
"Michonne!" She turned around and saw Carl hurrying down the steps. "Michonne, what's going on?"
"Wall's comin' down," she told him quickly. "Where's your sister?"
"Upstairs with Mrs. Neidermeyer and the other kids," Carl replied just as shortly. He pointed to the window. "Dad's out there, we have to help him!"
Michonne put a hand on his shoulder. "I know. And we will. But first I need you to help Olivia warn everyone else in town. Can you do that?"
For a moment Carl looked as though he wanted to protest, but he looked at Michonne and finally nodded. "Okay. But then I'm coming back here."
"Fine. But stay back and close to our people, okay? Do not let yourself get surrounded. Run if you have to."
Carl nodded, his face resolute.
Olivia looked between the two of them, biting her bottom lip nervously. Michonne grabbed her hand and led her to the door. "You ready?"
"No…" Olivia stated honestly, sighing. But she squeezed her hand and nodded. "But I'm as ready as I'm gonna be. Let's go."
Michonne gave her a grim smile and opened the door. It was already pandemonium outside. The living were fighting pretty well, but there were a substantial number of walkers. Through the hole in the wall she could only see more walkers. She was not sure how long they could keep this up. She led Olivia and Carl past the brunt of the walkers, only pausing to stop a few that were too close for her comfort. Once they were a safe distance away from the gates, Michonne slowed down to a stop and looked back at her two companions.
"Olivia, once you guys are done, go back to your house and hide. Lock the doors, stay away from the windows, keep the lights off. Got it?" Michonne told her.
Olivia nodded.
"Carl, you can come back toward the gates but stay back. Do not let yourself get surrounded, do you hear me?"
"Okay," Carl agreed. Now that he had seen the scene for himself he no longer put up much of a fight.
"What about you?" Olivia asked with a small sniffle.
"I've gotta help," Michonne answered, gesturing back to the gates. "But we'll let you know when it's all over, aright?"
"Okay." Olivia gave her a brief but strong hug. "Please be careful."
"I will. You too." Michonne pulled Carl into a tight hug as well, then watched them hurry off to the first house before turning and heading back to the gate. She had to keep them safe. The herd was growing, filtering in through the downed panel. She saw Beth, Maggie, and Glenn nearest to her, taking out any walkers that tried to make their way down the street to where the houses were. Beth still looked a bit awkward with her sword, but she was handling her own next to her sister and brother in law. Nearby, Tara, Rosita, Abe, and Tyrese were lined up, firing into the herd with rifles and pistols. Glancing up at one of the guard towers, she saw Spencer and Sasha shooting down on the walkers from above. Scattered around were groups of Alexandrians, putting up a decent fight. There were just so many walkers, more than she had seen in a long time.
Michonne hurried toward the fray, scanning the herd to try to find the rest of her family. Where were Carol, Daryl, Eugene, and Rick? She tried to listen out for one of their voices but it was damn near impossible. She did not even know where to start looking. Michonne hurried toward Glenn, who saw her coming during a break in the wave.
"Have you seen Rick? Carol? Daryl? Or Eugene?" she shouted to him, trying to be heard over the the clamor.
"Rick ran right in when it happened," he yelled back, reloading his gun. "I haven't seen the others since before...before…" It seemed to dawn on him that the worst may have happened, and she felt her stomach sink as well.
No. It couldn't be. Not after everything that had happened. Not after all they had survived. This couldn't be it.
Michonne blinked and tried to push her dread aside. "I have to find them," she told him flatly. "Try to keep them away from the houses. Carl and Olivia are warning everyone else, make sure they have enough time."
Glenn nodded. "Bring 'em out of there," he said firmly. He gave her a quick hug.
She gave him a small smile and pushed forward into the wave. On the ground she could see entrails, gore, body parts...but there was no time to investigate and determine whether they had belonged to a walker or a living person. As she slashed her way through, she heard someone shout her name. She cut her way to an opening near one of the guard posts, where the walkers seemed to be distracted by feeding. "Eugene?"
The man himself stood near the door leading into the post, a machete held in his hands much like a small child would have held an ice cream cone. In any other situation, Michonne would have giggled. At this moment, however, she was the happiest she had ever been to see him.
"Ma'am, I must say if they ever make another Star Wars movie, they would be doing a great disservice not to have you as a consultant for battle choreography," he told her in his flat tone.
"Thanks, Eugene, I'll keep that in mind," she replied. "Have you seen anyone else?"
"No, ma'am. Once that wall came down I turned to this here door and managed to pick the lock. I thought the others were behind me. Apparently not."
"Shit." Michonne searched the sea of walkers. She caught a glimpse of Aaron near the gate. She pointed him out to Eugene. "Come on!"
They pushed their way to Aaron, Michonne admittedly a bit more effectively than Eugene. As they drew closer they saw Eric and a few more Alexandrians there was well. They were holding their own, but Michonne could tell they would soon be overwhelmed if they stayed this close to the breach. Almost simultaneously from the other side of the herd, Carol and Daryl emerged, covered in walker guts. Camouflage. Michonne felt her heart sink at the realization that Rick was not with them.
"We need to get you guys out of here," Carol told the group. "Cover yourselves in guts, they won't know you're not one of 'em!"
Michonne looked at Daryl, who looked at her with a worried look. "Have you seen Rick?" she asked him as the others begrudgingly began covering themselves in remains.
He shook his head grimly. "Not for a while. Thought he'd 'a found you," he told her.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck." Michonne spun around, trying to keep her wits together. No, no, no. "I have to find him," she said simply.
"We'll find 'im," Daryl said.
"I have to find him," she repeated with urgency before moving into the herd again. She heard Daryl call after her but she paid him no mind. They would be fine. She had to know Rick was okay. She had to. All of the lingering and waiting they had done, thinking they had all the time in the world to figure out their shit. Michonne began slicing her way through walkers, sometimes two at a time, with newfound determination. This could not be it. This could not be the end of it.
When she saw him, she almost could not believe it. Rick was by himself, the brunt of the herd in front of him. Without thinking, she ran to his side. He looked over at her. His blue eyes popped amongst the crimson bloodsplatter on his face. For just a moment, they softened as he looked at her. He looked like he could not believe she was there. She stared back at him, her heart pumping. In that instance she gave in to what she already knew - that she loved this man. There was no way she could die without telling him.
Michonne gave him a small smile and nodded, raising her katana once more. He nodded back, his eyes still gleaming, raising his machete. Together they would make it through this. With no further hesitation they both ran forward into the herd.
She did not know how long they had been fighting - maybe 10 seconds, maybe a minute - before she heard the familiar whiz and plunk of a crossbow bolt. Michonne glanced behind her when she had a moment to breathe and saw Daryl running in and loading another bolt, Carol and Aaron right behind him, firing at the walkers. At some point Tyrese showed up on her right, hammer in hand. She helped Rosita take down a pair that were getting too close to Glenn while he was preoccupied with a third.
When thinking on it later, she could only remember glimpses of everyone. She was so focused on just getting the walkers out of their home. Away from their community. They had more than just basic survival to keep them motivated, and it carried them through the remainder of the day. They kept moving forward, stepping over the growing mass of downed corpses as they fought.
By the time the herd was decimated, the sun was gone from the sky. Michonne all but collapsed on the ground amidst the corpses, fatigued both mentally and physically. Letting the adrenaline finish speeding through her body, she looked around and took stock. Her family had made it okay, but she was not sure who else had even originally been out here. She could only pray everyone made it. Michonne closed her eyes. But it was over. It was over and they were alive. Alexandria was alive, even amongst so much death.
Michonne slowly staggered to her feet, sheathing her katana and putting it over her shoulder. She slowly made her way to where Rick was, kneeling and staring blankly at the carnage before him. He had a distant look she had rarely seen from him. It concerned her, but he was still here. If he was still here, he would pull through it, just as he always had. She gave him a once over and did not see any bites or cuts. He was fine. And she was fine.
Rick's eyes slowly shifted over to her, and she watched the light and focus slowly return. Rick held her eyes for what felt like an eternity. Michonne gazed back, feeling a surge of emotion. No more fighting it. No more dancing around it. She wrapped him in her embrace, letting tears of sheer relief and love stream down her soiled cheeks. He hugged her back, quivering slightly. There was no need for words. She knew he felt it too.
There was no telling how long they stayed like that. Michonne pulled back just enough to press her forehead against his, just as he had done the previous week. Just past Rick she could see others milling around, no doubt trying to figure out where to begin for cleanup and repairs. She looked back at Rick, who also seemed to be taking note of the people nearby. He was in no shape to help or offer guidance. Not at this moment, anyway.
"Dad! Michonne!"
She turned and saw Carl running toward them. He nearly knocked them both over as he dropped down and hugged both of them. "It's over," Carl sighed with relief.
Michonne gave him an exhausted smile and kissed the top of his head. "It's over." She glanced over at Rick, who still looked out of it. "Come on, we gotta get your father home."
Carl nodded. "Everyone is okay. From Georgia at least. Maggie and Beth went home already so Maggie can get some rest. Abraham twisted his ankle but that's it," he said, going to one side of Rick while Michonne positioned herself on the other.
"Abe's gonna be insufferable until it heals," she smirked. "What about anyone else?"
"I dunno. I know everyone who was in the community building is aright. Olivia's fine, too. But I dunno." Carl looked nervously around the crowd as Rick clamoured to his feet, using the two of them as support. "There's too many people to really tell. I think we all made it."
Michonne nodded. "We'll figure it out. But let's get Rick a break first. Maybe clean ourselves up, too."
They slowly made the trek toward their house, stepping over dead walkers and whatever else was in the street. She tried not to think too hard about what exactly was crunching underneath her boots. The carnage decreased the further they walked down the street. Closer to their home it was quiet and empty as though nothing had happened. Michonne sighed with relief. That meant that the majority of the community was safe and spared from danger.
"Oh shit!" Carl suddenly cried just a few houses down from their home.
"What?" Michonne asked urgently.
"Language," Rick muttered.
Carl gave his father a look, but continued. "Judy's still at the daycare. I'll go get her," he said.
"Okay. We'll be inside," Michonne told him as he ran back down the road. She adjusted her hold on Rick, who seemed to be coming back around. "You good?" she asked him.
Rick nodded. "Yeah. Just exhausted."
"Yeah. Come on, just a bit further." She loosened her hold on him but kept a hand on his arm. He kept his arm around her shoulder though he was not leaning on her as heavily as he was before. She examined his face as they climbed up the porch steps. He looked back at her.
"You okay?" he asked her.
"Yeah. You?"
"Yeah." Rick gave her a small smile and opened the door, letting her pass through first.
After getting upstairs and into the bright florescent lights of the master bathroom, Michonne filled the sink with warm soapy water and grabbed a small stack of washcloths. Rick stood near the door, watching her silently. She wet one of the cloths and began wiping the gore and grime from his face. Michonne looked anywhere but into his eyes, aware of the intensity of the stare he was giving her. She instead focused on quietly wiping off his skin, moving down to his neck. Rick eventually grabbed a cloth and wet it before beginning to dab at her as well. Despite the intensity of his stare and how aggressive she had seen him before, both today and in the past, he was incredibly gentle. She was embarrassed at how much his touch turned her on. They had just gotten as close to death as they had in months, and had maybe lost some people in the chaos, and she felt ready to jump his bones. Michonne closed her eyes briefly before rinsing the cloth in the sink and turning back around to wipe off Rick's left arm. She had barely pressed the cloth to his arm before he reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing her to look at him.
"'Chonne," he said huskily. His eyes were soft now, and she found herself lost in them. He hesitated for a moment. "It all happened so fast...I need...I should be back out there-"
Michonne sighed, shaking her head. "You at least need to wind down, Rick," she told him. "You won't be much good without a clear head. Just stay here for a few minutes. We'll go back out in a while."
Rick blinked at her before nodding. Michonne resumed cleaning him, and he cleaning her. They settled into silence and she idly thought back to the fight outside. She did not remember seeing Douglas in the aftermath. Michonne rinsed the cloth again and started cleaning Rick's right arm. He had to have made it, right? The older man was problematic in a lot of ways, sure, but he had knowledge regarding Alexandria that no one else did. That knowledge would be tremendous if Rick was really going to take over as Alexandria's leader. However, she still felt a hint of resentment toward Douglas that she could not shake even as she worried about his wellbeing. Had he given them the chance to start fortifying earlier, today may not have happened, or at least not the way it did.
She finished wiping off Rick and tossed her cloth back into the sink. He continued to slowly and gently dab at her skin, seemingly lost in thought. He reached for her hands and carefully wiped every nook and crease, turning her hands over repeatedly to ensure they were as clean as possible. Michonne was hyper aware of his every touch, not daring to move a muscle. Rick suddenly became still, his hands clasping hers. He stood looking down at their entwined fingers for a few moments.
"'Chonne, I thought I was gonna die today," Rick muttered so softly she almost did not hear. "I just kept goin' without thinkin'. I realized I was surrounded, and by myself and I felt fear for the first time in a long time. I prepared myself to die. I told myself, 'This is it. This is fuckin' it.'" He swallowed hard and then glanced up into Michonne's eyes. "And then...you were there. I was thinkin' I was alone, and then you were with me. You've always been with me, 'Chonne. Even at my worst. Even when you probably shouldn't have been."
Michonne held her breath, her heart racing. Words completely failed her at the moment. There was so much she wanted to say in reply, but she did not even know where to begin.
"I can't go another day without telling you how I feel. If somethin' had happened out there today and I never got a chance to say it, I'd never forgive myself. And there's no tellin' what tomorrow's gonna bring. My kids need you and I need you, 'Chonne. I need you beside me if I'm gonna lead this place. I want you beside me. I…" Rick stopped short, and took a deep breath as though pulling together his courage. "I love you."
She choked out a sob, pressing her face into his chest as he pulled her into his arms. "You've saved me in more ways than one. I love you too, Rick."
He held her close, resting his chin against the top of her head. Michonne felt a tear fall from his face onto her shoulder. "I was afraid. I should have told you sooner. I should have told you every day."
"I was scared, too." Michonne stepped back just enough to look into his eyes. "We can't hold back or be afraid anymore. Not of this, not of anything." She leaned up and captured his lips in a brief kiss. She pulled away after a few seconds, studying his face to gauge his reaction.
To her surprise, he grabbed her chin and pulled her back into another kiss. It was filled with all of the need and desire they had both been hiding for months. They were sweaty and fatigued, but it did not matter. At the moment, very little else could matter. When they finally broke apart they were breathing heavily, still eyeing each other's now swollen lips. Rick buried his face into her neck, planting small kisses across the soft skin there. Michonne shuddered, clutching his shoulders as he returned to her mouth and pulled her hips closer to his own.
"Dad? Michonne?" They heard the front door close downstairs as Carl's voice rang out. Michonne and Rick looked at each other and headed out to meet Carl downstairs. She hoped they looked inconspicuous enough. Just in case, she patted down her clothes as she followed Rick down the staircase.
Carl was standing near the front door with Judith in his arms. Judith was fast asleep, mostly likely unaware that anything out of the ordinary had happened today. Rick rushed to his children and wrapped them both in a big hug. Michonne stood back on the bottom step, watching the scene with a big smile. She loved seeing Rick in father mode. She loved seeing how much he cared for and would do for his kids. She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she nearly did not notice when Rick looked at her over his shoulder and beckoned her over with one hand.
"You too," he smiled at her, holding his arm out toward her. Under his arm, Carl smiled at her as well.
Michonne grinned, her eyes brimming with tears. She made her way over and let the two Grimes men pull her into their embrace. She ruffled Carl's hair and kissed Judith on the top of her head. When she glanced up at Rick, he was watching her with adoration. Michonne pulled them all closer to her, just wanting to be close to them for a while. Close to the people she loved most in the world.
They probably would have stayed there for half the night had a knock on the door not interrupted them. Rick looked at the door in annoyance and begrudgingly stepped away from the others. Michonne leaned back to see who had the audacity to ruin their moment. She felt less annoyed when she saw Heath and Glenn at the door.
"Rick, we hate to bother you, but...we need you," Glenn said, looking drained.
Rick sighed, dropping his head. "Anything wrong? Other than the hole in the wall and a shitload of corpses in the street?" he asked, glancing back up.
"We found Douglas," Heath mumbled sadly, his head bowed. "Or what was left of him."
Rick stepped back in disbelief. He exchanged identical looks of dismay with Michonne. "Wha...what about Regina?" Rick stammered, running a hand through his hair nervously.
Glenn just shook his head grimly.
"Fuck." Rick stood looking at the floor for a few moments, his hand on his belt. "Did...did we lose anyone else?"
"The Andersons. Daniel. Holly. Nicholas." Glenn paused. "That's who we know of so far."
"So far…" Rick repeated distantly, still staring at the floor.
"We're just tryin' to get everyone together to figure out what to do next. It's still pretty chaotic out there. And the wall is still wide open," Heath explained. "With Douglas gone...we just figured you should be there."
Rick looked back at Michonne. She would much rather that he stay and decompress for the evening, but she knew that even getting him back to the house was a miracle. He was the sole leader now, and if they needed him...She gave Rick a silent nod, and he nodded back.
"Michonne, come with us," he said.
She had not quite expected him to ask her to come along. She glanced at Carl pointedly before asking Rick, "Are you sure?" Michonne figured he would want her to look after the kids.
Rick simply nodded. "Carl, you too. Bring Judy along."
Carl's jaw dropped open in surprise, and Michonne stared at Rick with raised eyebrows. He almost always kept Carl out of situations like these. Rick looked between the two of them and shrugged.
"If everyone else is gonna be there...might as well make sure we're all there as well," Rick told them.
Without another word Michonne put an arm around Carl's shoulders and led him to the door. Rick held the door open for them and shut the door behind him. Michonne looked around. There were a few people still wandering, but most seemed to be heading to the community building. She looked back over at Rick, who reached out and grasped her hand free. She looked at him questioningly.
"No more holding back, right?" he asked her.
Michonne nodded and gave him a small weary smile. As she turned away she caught Carl's knowing smile and chose to ignore it. They would discuss it after they returned, she decided. But first things first - getting their home back into shape. She squeezed Rick's hand as they followed Glenn and Heath back to the gates.
"The hole in the wall...do we still have enough materials to fix it?" Rick asked.
Heath nodded over his shoulder. "Plenty. But it's gonna take a day or so just to clean up. Some of the supports got broke too, so we're gonna have to replace those too."
"Getting all the corpses out is gonna be the most work," Glenn added. He seemed to notice their clasped hands and paused, but said nothing. "And we should probably start on that soon."
Rick glanced at Michonne. She knew what he was thinking, that he wanted to get it all done tonight. She gave him a quick shake of her head. She did not know what time it was, but she knew it had to be pretty late. It was a bad idea to try to fix the wall and clean up around the gates when everyone was already exhausted and emotions were high. Rick tilted his head at her though, which meant he did not see things quite the same way she did.
"Is there someone keeping watch?" he asked instead, still looking at Michonne.
"Yeah, a bunch of people," replied Glenn. "More than we usually have, anyway."
"Mmm." Rick waited until Glenn and Heath had turned back around, then leaned down and to put his head next to Michonne's. "I know you don't wanna be out here. I really don't either. I'm sure no one does," he whispered. "I'll try to make this fast, okay?"
Michonne nodded at him with a smile. "Thank you," she whispered back.
They were nearing the community building. She noticed a lot more looks in their direction. Whether the increased attention was due to their hand holding or the fact that Rick was the defacto leader now, she could not tell. Michonne held Rick's hand more tightly and squeezed Carl's shoulders.
Rick nudged her to get her attention. "You ready?" he asked as he lead them to the front steps.
She took a deep breath. "Yes."
He nodded at her, pulling her to his side, and turned to the community before them.
Fluffiness and sunshine ahead, folks! Stay tuned!