The panicked, early morning doorbell awoke everyone. Rick, who was sleeping between Lori and Michonne, rolled over Lori to find his clothes and quickly dress before grabbing his Colt and ran downstairs.
He grimaced when he looked out of the nearby window and saw two blondes standing in place, anxious for him to open the door.
Rick turned the doorknob slightly before both women, using their weight as leverage, pushed into the house. Although it was only six in the morning, they were clearly drunk.
"Morning, Ricky. Long time, eh? I heard you found Little Miss Muffet." Andrea slurred out.
"Time to go." He said, trying to grab Jessie's arm.
"No, I wanna see the lezzbos." The portly blonde yelled. "Christ, Rick…your neck. Both chicks fuck you last night…you got hickies all over."
"Out." Rick replied, sternly.
"There they are!" Andrea squealed.
Michonne and Lori had walked down the steps together, the former making eye contact with the one woman she never wanted to see again, and the latter seeing the infamous brat for the first time.
"Look at Olive Oil. This is who you cried over?" She chuckled and added "you could do so much better. But this is what you cried over?" Andrea said as she stumbled and landed on the couch.
"Hello, Andrea. Good to see you're alive." Michonne stated, flatly.
Rick immediately moved closer as Andrea quickly approached Michonne, waving her bony finger inches from the woman's face.
"You can't hold onto any man. Have you ever wondered why you have no friends? Because you are literally only fooling yourself. Everyone knows the truth. Not sure who raised you, I bet your family doesn't even know you eat pussy because you know it's shameful. There's a reason absolutely no one, and I mean NO ONE, likes you. You gotta share a man 'cuz he's too nice to dump your ass."
"Andrea, get out. Now." Rick used his rusty police skills to restrain the woman, but Michonne asked him to stop.
"That's alright, hon." She turned her attention to the unwelcome visitor. "What else? We weren't friends on the road, but we weren't enemies. What changed?"
"WHAT? Where did you come up with that? What reality are you existing in? We could've gotten along? Are you actually holding out hope that someday I'll be like 'yeah, let's bury the hatchet and become friends? You're COMPLETELY delusional. I truly, honestly, don't know what could make you think, for a SECOND, we would ever be able to get along. You have no idea the depths to which I hate you, loathe and utterly despise you. You fill me with disgust. You always will. So no. We'll never get along. Jesus Christ."
Michonne chuckled, which seemed to enrage the unreasonable woman.
"Oh, I like that. What else? There's gotta be more."
Andrea, who was red in the face with anger, continued her tirade.
"You're still a sad, desperate woman! You're a sick fucking troll who needs to be starved of the attention you're so desperate for. You're a dried up old ho. Nobody likes you. Everyone has to pretend. But nobody likes you."
Lori stepped forward. "Alright, Angela, is it?"
"Andrea!"
"Whatever, pumpkin. Listen. I think I know why you're such a bitch. You see, Angelica, you were popular in high school because you developed early and started putting out when you were thirteen. But now you can't stand to look at yourself in the mirror because all you see is a whore. So, you pick on Michonne to avoid the inevitable realization that your body's used up, you'll never find a man who loves you and you'll never have a child of your own….you're what, forty five…fifty? Never had a child? That biological clock is dead. I've heard about Ty, Bob, Abe and Rick. How everyone turned down your advances. It's because now you're a worn-out, chalky-skinned burlap sack that even the walkers won't want. How's that? Am I in the ballpark? See, Michonne and I have a special kind of friendship."
She turned her back on the robust and walked up to Michonne, and the two enveloped each other in their arms and kissed deeply.
"I love her, Rick loves her, and our children love her. Who do you have? Nobody. Your BFF is someone you've known for a few weeks, who is just as materialistic and stupid as you are. I know why you don't like Michonne. Because she's everything you're not. She has a smokin' hot body, and you have some love handles. She has a flat tummy despite having three children. But you…you don't love anyone, and nobody loves you. You sleep in an empty bed every night, you have nobody to call you 'mommy,' and nobody will mourn you when you die. You're nothing more than a horrible, mentally ill loser. I am, and will forever be, just seriously disgusted with you."
The first Missus Grimes turned her head and full attention back to the second and kissed again, running her hand up and down the woman's back and smiled as it slowly moved to her front, landing on her breast. She felt the woman's nipple harden under her touch
"Michonne is my family, Becky. Don't fuck with my family. I've killed the living before, and that was long before the world ended. Now, dumb and dumber, leave my house right now, because I have an itch that I need to scratch."
Rick, grateful for the fact that he was standing behind the kitchen island, just pointed at the door to let the blondes leave.
Jessie turned around and yelled "You for real need to go eat a bitch covered ice cream cone. Hope it tastes good."
"What was that?" Michonne asked, as Lori left a trail of kisses from her jawline to her collarbone. "Was that supposed to be an insult?"
The rotund blonde stuttered, than added, "Well….you are what you eat. Remember that."
Without a beat, Michonne added, "Than I must be a tall thin brunette."
xxxxx
By late morning, Beth and Maggie were pleading with their father to reconsider leaving. He wanted to continue with his plans to go to Fort McNair.
"It's less than an hour away, Bethie." Hershel reassured his daughter. "I'm trying to think ahead. You don't have enough crops here, the walls aren't sturdy, and they're secured by posts on the outside. We need the posts to be on the inside."
Glenn paced around the room and added, "Hershel, Beth's right. We don't even know if the base is still there. We can be happy here."
The old man nodded. "I sure we can. But I highly doubt a Military base would be taken over. Abe's coming with me and Aaron. I don't trust those walls, and I have three grandchildren to worry about." He stated firmly, pointing to Beth's protruding belly.
The red-haired man led his daughter, son and two nephews downstairs before reassuring them he'd be okay. Becca and AJ saw their mother get torn apart in front of them, and William and Benjamin were too young to remember their own mother die, but witnessed Allen, their father die. Ellen Ford raised them as her own, but the two lost her as well.
Maggie was silently whimpering on Glenn's shoulder and Daryl comforted Beth.
"Daddy…please stay." Beth begged.
Hershel walked over to his young daughter and enveloped her into a tight hug.
"I'll be fine, sweetheart."
xxxxx
"You killed someone?" Michonne asked with a chuckle. She had just finished eating and started washing the dishes.
"Oh yeah. Long ago. The guy…he was tweaked out on something." She swirled the remainder of her juice in her glass. "I went out after Rick's shift to pick up some groceries. We bought our minivan used and never thought about taking the political bumper sticker off. Well, apparently it was the unpopular guy. This guy comes running over and tried to pull me out of my seat. I mean, it was an old sticker! But he thought that since I had this politician's sticker on my car that I was a big fan. So when this guy runs over I reach into my purse and get my Glock 22. One of the benefits of being married to a cop."
"Gotta thin the heard." Rick stated, as he finished his scrambled eggs.
Michonne chuckled, and Rick smiled at the memory.
"Baby you gotta teach me how to shoot." She said to her wife.
"Deal. You show me how to swing that katana." She glanced over her shoulder and saw that the children were out of earshot, then walked over and ran her fingers along Rick's shoulder. "I know you can handle a sword."
Carl walked into the kitchen and smiled when he saw his parents and step-mom doubled over in laughter.
xxxxx
He still smiling at the events of that morning as he planned a supply run to a local hospital. He knew Lori would object, and tried to reassure her that he'd be in good company. Pete will go to determine the medical supplies, Reg, a retired cop and Tobin, a retired gunsmith, would be with him.
When the doctor knocked on the door to ask Rick if he was ready, He kissed both women in his life, and gave tight embraces to Carl and Andre. He had to get on his knees to hug Julia, Michael, Katie, Kelly and Shannon, and ran his fingers through Catherine's hair as she was being held by her step-mom, Lori.
xxxxx
Andre was having difficulty seeing the only man he knew of as a father share affection with his mother and another woman. In order to comfort her son, she offered to take him out for a walk around the neighborhood. Lori happily agreed to watch all the children, and the two women exchanged a quick kiss before the two left.
They were soon joined by Maggie, Beth, their men and daughters, as well as the Ford children.
xxxxx
The small group was enjoying the quiet serenity, and didn't hear the semi-truck speeding down the road until it crashed through the gates. The driver opened the back, allowing dozens of walkers to pour out.
xxxxx
Aaron carefully navigated the several dangerous roadblocks in order to get to Fort McNair, finally arriving at their destination just over an hour after they left. The two men were met by eight armed soldiers, all with assault rifles pointed at them.
"Raise your hands, son." Hershel told Aaron. Abe knew the drill and already had his hands in the air.
One soldier, Lieutenant John Porter, approached the vehicle. He noted it was just the three men in the car, and ordered them out and to the ground. He helped the older man to the ground as they were both searched for any weapons or anything that could be used as a weapon of terror.
"Stand up." Second Lieutenant Hugh Collinson demanded.
After Aaron and Abe got up and helped Hershel to his feet, the latter said he was a combat medic in Vietnam, and was with the one hundredth and ninety fourth Brigade.
"What do you want from us?" Porter snapped.
"We're with a larger group a day's drive away. We have several women, and over a dozen young children, including my two granddaughters. I'm a trauma surgeon, and we have one other doctor in our group, a few police officers, and Abe here is a Marine. We need help, and we can pull our weight."
Aaron watched as one of the officers used a walkie talkie to speak with someone, and the soldiers said that someone will be coming by.
Hershel smiled as he looked around the outside of the base. He could see twenty foot stone walls, and when there was a breeze he smelled manure from farm animals, not the stench of rotting bodies. There was a distinct smell he hadn't experienced in a long time…ocean water.
Soon two men, a soldier dressed in fatigues and another dressed in full formal uniform, pulled up to the front gate in a golf cart. A simple nod by the man in uniform allowed the three through the gate.
The passenger got out of the seat of the cart and approached Hershel.
The man looked closely at Hershel, before saying, "Sir. I heard you're good at reattaching left arms." The five star General stood with a slight smile.
After Hershel scanned the man's face for any familiarity before his eyes moved to the General's nametag. "McMurphy."
"Good to see you, Seamus." Hershel beamed.
General McMurphy smiled, saluted, and then embraced Hershel. Aaron and Abe were was introduced, and thanked the man for letting them in.