A/N: Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter. I'm sorry for the wait. I have more time to dedicate to this story now that Red Dirt Road is finished. We are picking up where we left off. Enjoy!

"No way," said Rick as he placed both hands at his hips. "That's not gonna happen."

Michonne shot him a dubious look, and then said. "We can't just let her waltz back in there on her own."

"I don't think it'll be like waltzing in…" Shiri started, before Michonne interjected.

"What if Negan found out about your capture?" asked Michonne, ignoring what her husband's response.

"I wasn't captured…"

"Exactly," said Michonne. "You weren't captured; you were brought here. What if he knows about it? He could have spies all over the place. We don't know. It's safer to stay here, and keep giving us information about their weaknesses."

"I can be of more use if I'm there sabotaging their plans."

"And what happens if they discover that you're sabotaging their plans, uh?" asked Michonne. "How do you explain returning to the Sanctuary alone? Can't you see that staying here is what's best? You haven't given much thought to this…"

"Michonne, please don't say that," said Shiri. "I'm just as capable as you are of having an intelligent thought."

"I didn't say that you weren't," Michonne replied as she pinched her nose. "I'm just saying you need to give it some more thought. We need to formulate a well-thought plan, Shiri. Not rush into anything. Just give it another day or two. Just until we figure out what our next move is, please?"

Shiri looked at Michonne, then at Rick, and then brought her gaze back to her sister's pleading eyes.

"Okay," she said. "I'll give it a couple of days. But I don't like sitting her twiddling my thumbs."

"You won't be," said Michonne. "Now let's get back inside and enjoy this time together as a family. There's always going to be war. So, let's enjoy a quiet moment when we can."

\m/o.o\m/

The soft glow of the candlelight filled the room. Michonne lay with her head resting on Rick's bare chest, and her arm draped lazily over his abdomen. He absentmindedly stroked her arm with his thumb. It was a domestic scene; a scene that appeared to be leisurely and carefree. Yet, deep down, worry had settled in and caught hold of the lovers. There was still so much that needed to be done before they could actually have a life that bore some semblance to normality. Their time spent together was a gift; they would need to continue to fight for it. And things were complicated: Shiri's appearance was another reminder of how complicated.

Michonne sighed loudly, and then shifted so that she was leaning on her elbow and looking down at her husband.

"What's on your mind?" he asked, knowing the answer already.

"Shiri," she replied. "I know she'll take some time to think about what comes next, but what if the Council suggests that she return to the Sanctuary to take Negan out? What if they agree with her half-cocked idea?"

"Michonne," he said softly. "I'm gonna say this, and I don't want you to be mad at me."

"Oh, Christ," she said, before sitting up in bed; Rick mirrored the action and sat beside her. "When you say don't be mad, it usually means you're going to say something that will definitely make me mad."

"I know," he offered, as he reached his hand over and placed it at the small of her back. "I don't mean to upset you, but please hear me out."

"Okay," she conceded. "Say what you're thinking."

"What if Shiri's idea just might work?"

"Rick? You can't be serious right now?" asked Michonne, as she stared into his eyes.

"I know it ain't ideal," he replied. "But we had a plan in place that we've started to execute, but findin' her out there changed the plan a little."

"Not for me," said Michonne.

"You're not thinking strategically about this."

"My sister isn't here to be strategic, Rick," she said, as she climbed from the bed and stood up; Rick sighed as he watched her pace the floor.

"That's not what I meant," he offered.

"Then what do you mean?" she questioned sternly.

"Shiri has unique information about the Saviors," he said. "About their defences; about the ways they operate. As far as they know, she hasn't been compromised. She could walk back in there, say that the guy she was with got bit, or that they were attacked and she got away. There's so much that she could do. Her idea about sabotaging them from the inside is a good one. Hell, she could even get close enough to Negan to take him out. It's all a possibility, and she is the only person here who is in the position to get it done. You know that, I know that, and Shiri knows that. Soon enough, the Council will figure it out, too, if they haven't already."

"I'm not just gonna hand her back over to those people," said Michonne.

"It's her choice if she goes," said Rick.

"And you support this choice?"

"I do," he admitted.

"If it helps us win the war, right?" said Michonne as she walked to the bedroom door.

"Michonne, wait," he said, as he got up and walked towards her. "Where are you goin'?"

"To see my sister before she's sent to her death."

"Please don't be like that," he begged. "I support the choice because it's Shiri's choice."

"Or was it your friends at the Council who planted this idea?"

"What? Don't be silly."

"Don't call me silly, Rick."

"I'm sorry," he offered sincerely. "I just need you to see this opportunity for what it could be. We all put our lives on the line, every single day. We all do our part. Shiri being here, on our side, could tip the scales of this war in our favor. Don't you see that?"

Michonne placed her hands on her hips and then stared at her husband.

"I see all of us doing what we need to do," she said. "We're fighting this war, so that we can be free. So that we can live free and really start to rebuild the world. I get that; I see it. That isn't lost on me, Rick. But what no one else seems to see, Shiri included, is that no one, not any of us, can survive this world on our own. And that extends to fighting this war. I agree, she is in a unique situation here; she can help to turn the tide of this war. But I don't want her going in there on her own. I won't have her go in there on her own. So, if your Council wants to agree with my impulsive little sister and send her on this mission, then I'm going with her."

"Michonne, please, I just got you back."

"And I just got my sister back," she replied. "You above all people know what we went through when we were kids. I'll always be there for her. I won't let her walk into danger alone."

"What about our kids?"

"They have you, Rick," she said. "And I do plan on coming back."

"I don't like this."

"I don't like it, either," she said. "But I've made up my mind. If she goes, I'm going with her."

\m/o.o\m/

Two days had passed since Rick and Michonne had their disagreement. The tension was still thick in their home, though they hid it well from the children. Shiri had given further thought to her plan, and still wanted to go ahead with it. The Council had been called together because they recognized that they had an opportunity to strike at the heart of the Saviors. Michonne, her sister, and her husband, sat quietly as they waited for all of the Council members to bring the meeting to order.

"So, our first item on the agenda is a change in our attack strategy," said one of the Councillors.

"No one informed me," said Rick.

"It was just an idea."

"What is it?" he asked.

"Shiri could be valuable to our efforts if she went back to the Sanctuary…"

"You just decided she could stay," said Michonne, as she stood from her seat.

"Please, Michonne, hear us out. We've already spoken with your sister, she came to us."

Michonne shot Shiri an incredulous look.

"…And we've come to the consensus that she should return to the Sanctuary to sabotage their efforts."

"Shiri," said Michonne, ignoring the Councillor's words. "Don't do this. We can find another way."

"It'll be okay," she replied, taking hold of her older sister's hand. "I want to do this."

"This vote wasn't unanimous," said Rick, as he stood. "No one asked me."

"You present a conflict of interest, Rick. We can willingly exclude you from the decision-making process if such a case arises, you know that."

"Well, I move to make a motion…"

"The decision is final should she want to go ahead with it, and it is her choice."

"Fine," said Rick, as he glanced back at his wife and sister-in-law. "But just so everyone knows, I'm going with her."

"What?" said Michonne and Shiri at the same time.

"If she's gonna be sent on a suicide mission, I'm going with her," he said. "And since everyone is so adamant that it's going to be a cake-walk, why don't I make it easier by handing myself over? They'll treat her like a hero if she brings Rick Grimes to Negan. We'll get close to him, and I'll end it by slitting his throat. Easy. All in a day's work."

A/N: Is Rick serious? Or, is he trying to show the Council, and Shiri, that their new plan might be too dangerous? We'll find out soon. Thanks!