FIRESTARTER
Rating: M
Summary: A routine run for Rick and Michonne turns into a fight for survival. (ZA story)
Warning: Violence.
Rick and Michonne sprinted furiously down an alley, trying to outrun whoever was trying to run them down. The alley gave them some cover and some breathing room, but with only a few feet left before it spit them out to another street and left them exposed again, they needed to figure something out fast.
"Across the street! Into the garage!" Rick shouted from behind Michonne.
He knew that running blindly into the parking garage was risky, but they didn't have time to weigh the pros and cons of the risk. They needed to hide.
Michonne followed Rick's instruction and steered herself in the direction of the closest garage entrance, quickly assessing the multi-level structure. The obvious erosion and a wild overgrowth of vines triggered concerns about structural soundness, but what concerned her more was the garage's layered levels of darkness. She and Rick had no idea who or what was lurking in the garage, and they had no weapons on hand to defend themselves. The katana and the Colt were in the backseat of the vehicle they were forced to flee from after being t-boned moments ago.
Things were too dire for Michonne to let her concerns slow her down. She ran past the rusted-out ticket booth and into the garage, come what may.
"Up! Up! Up!" Rick shouted, hot on Michonne's heels.
Fortunately, the midday sun brightened the garage enough for them to locate the ramp to the second level. When Rick passed Michonne halfway up the incline, he grabbed her hand to make sure she kept up as they ran up to the third level and then ran up to the roof.
"Shit!" Rick panted in frustration as he looked around.
He knew it was a long shot, but he'd hoped to find abandoned cars on the roof that they could hide in or hide under or weaponize. There were none. There was nothing but the sun beating down on asphalt.
"We gotta go back down a level," he panted.
Michonne's labored breathing rang loudly in his ears, but they had to keep moving until they found a safe place to hide. With his hand still wrapped around hers, he hustled down to the third level and surveyed the area. The empty rows of parking spaces stretched the length of half a football field and there were identical elevator banks and stairwells on both the right and left sides of the level. He also noted the thick concrete columns spaced out about every three parking spaces.
He ran to the elevators on the left side, towing Michonne behind him. He feared if he let go of her hand, she would collapse from exhaustion. He just needed her to hang on a few more minutes. Rick mashed the elevator buttons to confirm the elevators weren't working and ran over to the stairwell to open the door a crack. The stairwell was pitch black and emitted the recognizably foul stench of walkers. He quickly closed the door and led Michonne to the column closest to the elevator.
It wasn't the most ideal place to hide, but it would have to do. The location would shield them from the view of anyone coming up the ramp, and they'd also be alerted if anyone dared to come up the stairwell.
Michonne grunted in pain when her back slammed into the column.
"Shit. Sorry, 'Chonne," Rick whispered, horrified that he may have hurt her. "Are you ok?"
Michonne could only manage a slight nod. Her lungs burned, craving something more than the quick gasps of air she was taking. Her body felt drained and welcomed the support of the column; she doubted she'd still be upright without it. After spending the last year in a stagnant state of mourning, her physical endurance had deteriorated significantly.
"We should be alri—"
The sound of screeching tires cut off Rick's reassurance. He instinctively pressed the front of his body into the front of Michonne's to shield her from danger and cautiously peeked around the right side of the column. When lights flooded the level below them, he ducked his head back behind the column. A few seconds later, vehicles were zooming up the ramp. A truck continued to the roof, and from the sound of things, two vehicles had skidded to a stop on their level. Rick peeked around the left side of the column and saw two trucks full of people sitting idle about 25-yards away. He quickly peeked around the right side of the column again and saw that the second level was still illuminated.
"Fuck," he grumbled under his breath. "This ain't lookin' good," he whispered, looking into Michonne's concerned eyes.
"How bad?" she silently asked, still struggling to catch her breath.
"Bad," he whispered.
They listened to the sound of doors being opened and slammed shut. Michonne sifted through the chatter, the laughter, and the click of weapons to home in on the sounds of feet hitting the ground.
"At least fifteen people," she whispered.
"And heavily armed," Rick added.
They exchanged tense looks when all the chatter and laughter ended as if being turned off by a switch. Michonne gripped Rick's shirt at his chest with both her hands to steady his rattled nerves and hers.
"Rick the Prick and Lady with the Sword… come out, come out wherever you are!"
That nauseatingly familiar voice set Rick's eyes ablaze with a hatred so intense it would've chilled Michonne to the bone if the same level of hatred wasn't already burning through her veins.
"No need to be shy," Negan's voice boomed, amplified by his use of a megaphone. "I know you're in here somewhere, and my people are itchin' to hunt you down! And when I say itchin', I mean itchin'… like the star player in double overtime who's all outta powder for his strap."
Rowdy laughter erupted from around, above, and below Rick and Michonne.
"So, come on out, you two! Just put one foot in front of the other," Negan smirked.
Michonne gripped Rick's shirt tighter as they stared into each other eyes, trying to keep each calm enough to not blow their cover.
"No? Not gonna come out?" Negan asked when there was no sign of his prey materializing. "Well, ok then… But don't say I didn't try to play nice," he growled. "Ground level, can you hear me?" he barked into the megaphone.
The honking of car horns and a shout of "I am Negan!" exploded from the first level.
"I'm sendin' Arat down to keep an eye on you. If you find what I'm lookin' for, you go straight to Arat and let her know!" Negan ordered when the ruckus died down. "Second level, can you hear me?"
There was another explosion of horns honking with a unified shout of "I am Negan!" from the second level.
"I'm sendin' Simon down to the second. You boys tend to get a little unruly, so you do exactly what Simon says. If he says to hop three times on one leg with your thumb up your butt, then goddamnit that's what you better do!" Negan shouted. "Rooftop, can you hear me?"
A roar of "I am Negan!" exploded from above.
"I'm sendin' Gavin up to monitor you. And Gav," Negan said, looking at Gavin, "this is a seek and destroy mission. No breaks allowed. That means no smoke breaks, no meal breaks, no rest breaks. No dillydallyin' around. I want you seekin', so I can destroy. You got it?"
Gavin simply sighed in resignation.
"Everyone else on the third, you fan out, you sweep this level, and you come to me directly if you find my prize!" Negan ordered.
"Yes, Negan!" the Saviors on the third level shouted.
"Except for you, Eugene. We all know you're a lover not a fighter, and I want that big, thick, veiny brain of yours keepin' me company. And you," Negan pointed to Dwight, "you make sure Fat Joey and his crew are in place and then join the search on this level. Everybody got that? Everybody know their role?"
"Yes, Negan!" the Saviors on all levels of the garage shouted.
"Before I set you loose, keep this one very important rule in mind," Negan growled into the megaphone. "When you find my little piggies, you can punch 'em, you can stab 'em, hell… you can beat 'em to a squishy pulp for all I care, but they are property of Negan," he said in a steely voice. "And I want my property returned to me in a livin', breathin', one hundred percent au natural, human state. You bring them back to me alive. No exceptions."
"Yes, Negan!" the Saviors on all levels of the garage shouted.
"And if you break my rule, if you disobey me…"
Negan looked around at the Saviors in front of him and randomly aimed his gun at one of them. Rick and Michonne jumped at the sound of a gun being fired.
"In case anyone needs a visual to go along with that audio, that was the sound of a bullet embeddin' itself in the cranium of… what's this asshole's name?"
"Deacon!" a Savior shouted.
"That was the sound of a bullet embeddin' itself in Deacon's cranium. When you bring me my property, they best be alive! Do I need to repeat myself?"
"No, Negan!"
"Tell me who are you!" Negan shouted into the megaphone.
"I am Negan!" the Saviors on all levels of the garage shouted.
"Who are you?" Negan shouted.
"I am Negan!"
"Who are you?"
"I AM NEGAN!"
"Damn skippy, folks!" Negan grinned. "Now, go find me my piggies!"
At the sound of scattering footsteps, Rick pivoted into a fighting stance with his back pressed into Michonne and his fists raised and ready. By the grace of God or the dumbest of luck, the footsteps never advanced in their direction. Gavin headed to the roof, Arat and Simon headed to the lower levels, and the rest of the Saviors started searching the right side of the level.
Not one to squander an advantage, Michonne began to think through possible escape plans.
Rick wasn't wasting a second of time either, but he'd already worked out a plan and was going to spend these last precious moments in adoration of the woman before him. His beautiful wife. The loving and nurturing mother of their children. A fierce warrior. His everything. He cradled Michonne's face, focusing on the sensation of her soft, smooth skin under his rough, calloused hands. Before Michonne could question his touch, he pressed his lips to hers, savoring the perfect fit of her lips and pouring his soul into his kiss.
Always and forever weak for Rick's kisses, Michonne parted her lips and welcomed it.
"Rick," she breathlessly whispered when he pulled his lips away. "What are you doing?"
She'd asked the question with her eyes closed and her mouth curled up in the softest of smiles. It was a dreamy expression that Rick had already locked away deep in his heart to keep him warm on the dark, cold days to come. He'd locked away all the best parts of the day, including the silly song Michonne sang about breakfast being yummy for your tummy to get a cranky Judith to eat her sorghum porridge. The absolute best part of the day was how he and Michonne had made love in a field of wildflowers after he convinced her to pull over about thirty minutes into their drive out here.
"I love you, Michonne."
Those four words normally made Michonne's heart soar, but she frowned when she heard them. There was a goodbye in those words, which she now recognized was also in that kiss.
"What are you doing?" she whispered harshly when she opened her eyes, pulling her face from his hands.
Rick knew Michonne wouldn't agree with the decision he made to give himself up, but there was no changing his mind. And before they ran out of time, there were things that needed to be said. Things that he had already told her but that he wanted her to cling to when she got past her anger over the choice he was making.
"You are the greatest love of my life," he whispered, cupping her face again.
"Rick, stop," Michonne protested, her vision blurring from tears.
"I'm sorry for shuttin' down the way I did after Carl died," he said, his voice breaking from the agony of a wound that would never heal, "but you brought me back, Michonne."
"Rick," she whispered weakly. "No."
"I'm sorry for not realizin' sooner that we needed to fight against Negan. I'm sorry for never gettin' you that deer I owed you."
"Rick, stop!" she whispered as her anger started to bubble and tears rolled down her cheeks.
Losing Rick was not an option for her. It never would be. They'd been through this already. They weren't losing each other. She wouldn't allow him to just give himself up. They'd fought off the Claimers, they'd fought their way out of Terminus, they'd fought hundreds and hundreds of walkers in Alexandria. Finding their way out of no way out situations was what they did. They would find their way out of this.
"And I'm sorry I don't have a ring for you yet," Rick said softly. "I've been lookin'. I just haven't found the right one that's as beautiful and as special as you are."
"We just need a plan!" Michonne whispered fiercely.
"Michonne," Rick sighed, wiping her tears away, "we're surrounded, we're outnumbered—"
"Stop! I need to think!"
"—we have no weapons, we have no backup—"
"Rick! Stop!" Michonne whispered again, now focused on the sound of footsteps moving in their direction. "Someone's coming!"
Rick stopped talking and heard the footsteps, too. He kicked himself for not being more aware of the danger around them.
"Fat Joey, how's that perimeter looking?" Dwight asked, speaking into his walkie talkie as he headed toward the elevators.
"We got it locked down, D," Joey answered. "If they try to run, they're fucked."
"Yeah, well Negan wants them alive," Dwight replied. "If you see them, you get in touch with me. Only get in touch with me, Joey. You understand?"
"You got it, D!"
Michonne let out a quiet sigh of relief and smiled triumphantly at Rick. They had just found their way out.
Dwight clipped his walkie to his belt and walked right past Rick and Michonne, too deep in his thoughts about finding them to notice them. The situation had him stressed out. He needed a cigarette. Smoking wasn't a habit he enjoyed, but it was one of the few ways he coped with how things were now, and he really hated how things were now. He would give anything to go back to life before the deadheads… before Negan. Just him and Sherry living a good life with good vibes.
"Dwight!" Negan's voice boomed through the megaphone. "How's my perimeter lookin'?"
When Dwight turned to shout an update to Negan, he was startled to see Rick and Michonne staring unflinchingly at him. He recovered quickly.
"Fat Joey says they're in position!" he shouted. "The perimeter's secure!"
Negan sucked his teeth in delight. "You tell Fat Joey he gets extra pickles and extra tomatoes on his sandwich tonight!"
"Yes, Negan!" Dwight shouted.
Dwight pulled his gun out as if he was about to start searching for Rick and Michonne. He waited for Negan's attention to shift away from him before walking over to the column they were hiding behind.
"How'd he know we were here?" Rick demanded to know.
"Why didn't you warn us?" Michonne asked at the same time.
The three had formed an alliance over a year ago that no one in any of the communities knew about. Their alliance had been sidelined by Carl's untimely death, though Dwight periodically checked in on the couple. He hadn't lost a child like they had, but he understood the pain of losing a loved one in this world.
A few weeks ago, they'd started strategizing again.
"There wasn't time," Dwight whispered, answering Michonne's question. "Things are complicated."
"Thangs were already complicated!" Rick heatedly whispered back.
"Well, now they're more complicated," Dwight replied calmly, glancing around to make sure no other Savior's were nearby. "Daryl's with Negan."
"What?!" Rick and Michonne gasped in disbelief.
Daryl was safe in Alexandria when they left this morning. He'd seen them off with Judith in his arms waving goodbye.
"How? What happened? Is Daryl ok?" Michonne asked, worried not just for Daryl but for Judith and Alexandria as well.
"You're not understanding me," Dwight said. "Daryl's with Negan. He took a knee. He's Negan now."
"No!" Michonne whispered. "That's not true!"
"It is. Daryl's the one who led us here to prove his loyalty to Negan. I didn't know until we got here that you were the reason we were here," Dwight explained. "He's not with you anymore."
Michonne wanted to call Dwight a liar, accuse him of setting them up, make him bleed for the accusation. Daryl was family. He was Judith's uncle. They lived together. They survived together. They leaned on each other through the sorrow and pain of existence. They'd saved each other's lives. Negan was their common enemy. But obvious truths couldn't be denied. Daryl was the only person who knew exactly where they were because he was the only person they'd told. She looked at Rick and saw that he was having that same realization by the way his jaw had tensed.
Although Rick was too emotionally numb from Carl's death to feel the full burn of Daryl's knife in his back, he still felt the sting of it. And when the opportunity presented itself, he would deal with the man he'd thought of as a brother.
"We have a bigger problem than Daryl right now," Dwight said. "We don't just have everyone in the garage to worry about. There are at least ten truckloads of Saviors set up outside."
"Dwight! How's it lookin' over there?" a Savior called out, casually walking in their direction. "Negan needs you."
"No sign of them over here," Dwight answered, walking away from Rick and Michonne toward the stairwell. "I need to take a piss. Gimme a second
"Hurry up, man. The lights are on their way. Negan wants them set up in every corner."
"Yep," Dwight replied, stopping a few feet past the stairwell. He put his gun in his holster and unzipped his pants. "You gonna stand there and watch?" he asked over his shoulder.
"You wish," the Savior sneered as he backed away. "He's takin' a piss!" he shouted loudly.
Rick gently gripped Michonne's waist and rested his forehead against hers, and Michonne knew he hadn't changed his mind about anything.
"Rick, if you do this, we do it together. You and me. You give yourself up, I give myself up," Michonne whispered.
Rick closed his eyes and shook his head, lightly strumming his thumbs up and down her stomach. "It has to just be me."
"Rick—"
"Judith," Rick whispered, silencing her. "She needs you."
"Guys, what's the plan?" Dwight asked with urgency after he walked back over to them.
"And you're the only one I trust to find me, Michonne. Knowin' you're out there lookin' for me, tryin' to save me, that's what's gonna keep me goin'."
Michonne felt her heart fully breaking and her mind slightly cracking, but she fought through that anguish and wrapped her arms around her husband, hugging him tight. She'd lost two children to this world; she wouldn't leave their daughter alone. She also couldn't trust that anyone would try to rescue them if they both surrendered to Negan since Daryl would've been the one to lead that charge.
She did believe there was a better option than Rick giving himself up, but he was too determined, and now they were out of time.
"I'll find you, Rick," she promised.
"I know it."
"Guys! The plan! What is it?" Dwight stressed, starting to get antsy.
"We're the ones who live," Rick whispered, brushing his lips against Michonne's as he spoke.
"We are," she whispered, brushing her lips against his before giving him a slow, passionate kiss straight from her heart.
"Promise me you'll stay right here," Rick said when they separated. "No matter what."
Michonne closed her eyes and nodded once.
Rick gave her a quick peck on the lips and slid his hand across her stomach as he turned away from her.
"Dwight, I'm gonna have to punch you," he said.
Without waiting for Dwight's response, Rick punched him in the face. The force of the blow made Dwight stagger back, but Rick held him up before he fell. He also removed Dwight's gun from his holster.
"Negan!" Rick shouted, walking Dwight to Negan while holding the gun to Dwight's head. "You lookin' for me?"
The sight of Negan sitting in a chair in the bed of a truck as if he didn't have a care in the world disgusted Rick.
"Somebody pinch me, I must be dreamin'! Is that Rick the Prick?" Negan asked, rising from his chair. "And is he holdin' one of my best men hostage?"
The Saviors that were searching the level rushed over with their guns drawn.
"And damn, Dwight! You were caught with your dick out takin' a piss? Not cool. Not cool at all," Negan said with an angry suck of his teeth. "But you best believe it'll make for some titillatin' pillow talk with Sherry tonight. I promise you that, Dwight."
Rick felt Dwight stiffen, and while he understood the reaction, he hoped Dwight wasn't about to do something stupid that would jeopardize Michonne's safety. Rick respected Dwight—he even considered him to be a friend, but Michonne always came first. He would have no problem harming Dwight to save his wife.
"Women," Negan sighed, "they get so emotional over things like dead husbands, and it is a maaaaajor boner killer," he said, leaning back. "You know what I'm sayin'?"
"Enough!" Rick shouted.
He pushed Dwight out of the way, aimed his gun at Negan, and pulled the trigger. If not for a Savior tackling him in the split second before he fired, the bullet would've left a hole perfectly centered between Negan's eyes.
"JESUS, RICK!" Negan bellowed, hiding in a ducked down position behind his chair.
His fright from his near-death experience was quickly overshadowed by his fury. He stood tall on his shaky legs and jumped down off the truck.
"You just tried to murder me!" he shouted.
Rick groaned in pain from the impact of his shoulder being slammed into the pavement. Though a Savior was pinning him facedown on the ground, Rick tried to reach for the gun that he'd dropped when he was tackled.
"And you're still tryin' to murder me!" Negan shouted, watching Rick struggle to get the gun.
He kicked it away from Rick towards Dwight, who picked it up and aimed it at the pavement about half a foot from Rick.
"I heard the goddamn whoosh of that goddamn bullet above my goddamn head, goddamnit!" Negan scoffed, squatting next to Rick as the Savior pushed his face into the pavement. "You've got some Donkey Kong-sized stones of steel, Rick! And if it wasn't me you just tried to murder in cold blood like a stone-cold badass—if it had been that guy or that guy or that guy, you could color me impressed. But it was me you just tried to murder, and I can't go around throwin' you a goddamn ticker tape parade, now can I? No, I cannot!" he said as he stood. "Get off this prick!" he told the Savior who'd saved his life.
Rick roll onto his back and grabbed his shoulder, fearing it was separated from the way it throbbed.
"You're gonna wish you hadn't missed that shot," Negan said with a sadistic smile.
Rick cried out in pain when Negan kicked him hard in the ribs… and kicked him again… and kicked him again. As Rick's screams continued, Michonne covered her mouth to hold in her own screams and slid down the column as her legs gave out. She hated herself for keeping her promise to Rick.
"Eugene, bring me Lucille!" Negan ordered, staring down at his nemesis curled into a ball on his side.
He nudged Rick onto his back with the tip of boot and then placed his foot on Rick's neck.
"M-me?" Eugene stuttered, cowering in the corner of the truck bed.
"Yes, Eugene. You!" Negan shouted.
"I… I don't want to," Eugene cried, squeezing his eyes shut.
"Bring me Lucille, Eugene. Now," Negan growled.
Eugene whimpered as he scooted to the end of the truck and carefully stepped down. He walked to the front passenger door to unbuckle Lucille from the seat, sobbing the entire time.
"Hurry up, Eugene!"
Eugene rushed over to Negan with Lucille, ignoring the choking sounds coming from the man who had overlooked his lies and allowed him to remain in the company of Team Family. As soon as Eugene handed Lucille over, he scurried back to the truck, got in the backseat, and covered his ears, continuing to sob.
"Hiya, beautiful. It's so good to see you," Negan grinned at Lucille. "Hey, Rick?" he asked, applying more pressure to Rick's neck. "Where's the missus?"
Rick's response was gurgled as he fought to lift Negan's boot from his throat.
"I can't quite understand you," Negan said, resting Lucille on his shoulder. "Care to repeat that?"
Rick gurgled again, kicking his legs out as fought for air.
"Oh, shit, Rick," Negan laughed, lifting his foot. "I guess I had my foot on your neck."
He watched in delight as a red-faced Rick gasped for air.
"Where is she, Rick?"
"She's gone," Rick wheezed out, holding his burning throat.
"Try again. That gal wouldn't up and leave without you, not the way you follow her around like a lovesick puppy and not the way she makes those big brown heart eyes at you. So, where is she, Rick?"
"She's gone!" Rick wheezed out again.
Negan sighed and looked at Rick in genuine disappointment. He thought their relationship was better than this.
"You ever really wrap your mind around how we live now, Rick? I mean, do you ever take a minute and really think about how the dead have risen and inherited the earth? It's fuckin' bananas! But it's not the skin munchin' deadheads that bother me the most. It's the smell, Rick. It's the nonstop smell of death and rot twenty-four-fuckin'-seven. You know what smells worse than the goddamn deadheads? Bullshit does. And the smell of it comin' off you right now is strong, Rick. And that really pisses me off! Why? I'll tell you. Number one, I am and have always been a straight shooter. You produce for me, you live. Simple, straightforward, honest. That's me. Number two, my Lucille is a real lady. I do my best to shield her from the bullshit. And when my delicate lady is exposed to it, it's my job to protect her from it. So, I'm askin' you one last time, Rick. No bullshit. Where's your gal?"
"She's not my gal!" Rick wheezed out, furiously. "She's my wife! And she's gone!"
Negan stared at Rick long and hard. "Ok. Ok, Rick," he sighed. "Two Saviors right now! Somebody hold down his arms, and somebody hold down his legs!"
Two Saviors rushed forward to restrain Rick.
"There's only one way to find out if she's hidin' in the shadows with that sword of hers ready to chop, chop, chop our heads off," Negan said once Rick was being held down. "Are you out there, Lady with the Sword? Because if you are, Lucille's about to take a big chunk outta your man. She's not gonna kill him, but she is gonna make him suffer. Oh, yes, she is."
He held Lucille over his head, more than ready to let her do her damage, but one of the newest in his ranks had arrived on the scene and said in a low, mumbly voice, "Hold up. She ain't got her sword."
Rick's head shot up at the sound of Daryl's voice and watched in revulsion as Daryl walked over. When Rick saw his Colt holstered at Daryl's side, he struggled ferociously to get up, but the Saviors had too strong of a hold on him.
"Guess the bromance is over," Negan smirked. "You sure his gal doesn't have her sword?"
"Yeah, we're sure," another voice answered.
Rick's head snapped up. He watched in absolute shock as Maggie walked over with Michonne's katana strapped across her back.
"He murdered Glenn!" Rick shouted hoarsely as tears fell from the corners of his eyes.
He wasn't prepared for the magnitude of this betrayal. Seeing his family aligned with Negan broke his heart.
"We found their weapons in their car," Maggie reported, ignoring Rick and avoiding looking at him.
Negan chuckled at that bewildered look on Rick's face. He lived for that look. Snot nose Rick and bewildered Rick were his favorites.
"That's right, Rick," Negan beamed, "I got me a Daryl and a Widow! Ain't life grand!"
Rick immediately started to panic because he knew his Michonne inside and out. He could feel the steam of her rage from so far away, but he needed his baby to be smart right now. Their future, in every sense of the word, depended on her staying put.
"She's pregnant!" Rick shouted as loudly as he could with his hoarse voice.
It hurt his throat like hell, but he needed Michonne to hear him loud and clear.
Michonne, who was seconds away from springing out from behind the column and attacking, did hear Rick. She froze, confused by his lie.
Negan looked at Daryl and Maggie for confirmation of the pregnancy. "Is there a little Rick the Prick, Jr. on the way?" he asked.
"Never mentioned it to me," Daryl mumbled.
"Me either," Maggie said.
Rick swallowed the bile that rose from hearing Daryl and Maggie discuss Michonne as if they had any right to do so after proving themselves to be liars and traitors. But he had to focus on Michonne right now.
"She didn't know!" he said loudly, speaking directly to Michonne. "She just found out today! She's been missin' the signs these past few months. Nausea, exhaustion, cravin' all kinds of foods."
Michonne looked down at her stomach and shook her head. The nausea and all the rest of it were manifestations of grief and stress. She wasn't pregnant. Rick was wrong for telling that lie after what they had lost. She placed a hand on her stomach and shook her head again. She would know if she was pregnant.
"And now that she knows, she's not gonna pop up here. Our children need their mother right now more than I need her. She understands that. So like I said… she's gone!"
His throat was on fire from all the words he'd spoken, but he didn't care. Michonne had heard him. He just hoped she believed him. He didn't want this to be how she realized she was pregnant, but he had to keep her, their baby, and Judith safe. When they were reunited, he would tell her exactly when he knew she was pregnant and tease her because her knew before she did.
"I'll take a look to make sure she's not hiding back there," Dwight offered.
Negan stared Dwight down with narrowed eyes. "You do that," he replied coldly. "Mike, go with Dwight in case he needs to stop and take a shit. We wouldn't want him to get caught with his pants down again."
Dwight nodded and walked with Mike towards Michonne.
"Get him up!" Negan ordered, pointing Lucille at Rick. "Daryl, until we know if his gal pulled a Houdini, come on over here and reacquaint yourself with your old buddy. Let him know who you are now."
Daryl followed Negan's orders and stood in front of Rick, who was now being held up by two Saviors and glaring at Daryl with murder in his eyes.
"Who are you, Daryl?" Negan asked.
"I am—"
Rick spit in Daryl's face.
"Yeah, I deserve that," Daryl mumbled, wiping the spit from his cheek and his eye.
"No, Daryl! You are a Savior! You don't deserve it! You don't take shit!" Negan said, grabbing Daryl by his vest and pulling him close. "Who are you?"
"I am Negan!" Daryl shouted.
"You tell him that! And you make him pay!" Negan ordered, pushing Daryl backwards.
"I am Negan!" Daryl shouted as he threw a punch that connected with Rick's jaw.
"Again!" Negan shouted.
Daryl threw another punch, though it did nothing to clear the look of murder in Rick's eyes.
"That look right there… that look is unacceptable! Punch him again! Break him, Daryl!" Negan shouted.
As Daryl threw another punch, Mike looked at Dwight and laughed. "Can't believe you let that prick get the jump on you."
"Yeah, well, shit happens," Dwight shrugged.
"More like piss happens," Mike retorted, laughing at his own joke. "D, I'll take point, you cover my back," he said. "She's my catch. You had your chance."
"Fair enough," Dwight agreed. "Rick came at me when I was by the elevator. If she's still here, that's probably where we'll find her."
Dwight looked over his shoulder to make sure no eyes were on them.
"You think that bitch is really pregnant?" Mike asked.
Dwight quietly ran up on Mike and snapped his neck in one swift motion. He quickly dragged Mike's body to the closest column and propped him against it, and then he took Mike's knife off of him and used it to stab him in the head.
"You're the bitch," Dwight muttered.
Michonne sat in a daze against her column, unaware of what had just happened a few feet away. Dwight noticed how out of it she looked, but he wasn't about to touch on the subject of pregnancy. Things were too fucked up right now. He pulled the knife from Mike's head and wiped the blood off it using Mike's shirt. He took Mike's walkie and picked up the gun the Savior had dropped when his neck was snapped.
"Michonne," Dwight whispered, kneeling in front of her.
Her dazed look morphed into something much more venomous as Dwight came into focus.
"I didn't know about Maggie," he insisted.
He had no time to convince her that he was telling the truth, but it was the truth. He set Mike's, gun, knife, and walkie down next to her.
"There's jerky, pretzels, water, and bullets in the backpack," he whispered, glancing at the backpack Mike was wearing.
There was most likely also beer in it, but Dwight didn't think that was worth mentioning.
"I'll leave at least one other backpack for you on the first level near one of the entrances," he whispered. "When I get back over there, I'll tell Negan we didn't find you. He won't like that, but he'll be ok with it now that he has Rick. He probably won't let Joey and his crew head back to the Sanctuary for a couple days, though. He'll want them to tear this town apart looking for you. Once they think you're gone, they'll stick around for awhile hoping you come back for Rick."
Michonne listened to Dwight but flinched at the sound of another one of Daryl's punches landing.
"You have Mike's walkie. I'll be in touch with you as soon as it's safe. Our code names are Daito and Naruto. You're Daito, I'm Naruto. I'll get you a car as soon as I can, it just might be a few days."
A tear slowly trailed down Michonne's cheek when another punch landed because there was nothing she could do to make Rick's pain stop.
"I'll protect him as much as I can, Michonne. I can't stop Negan from hurting him, but I'm not the only at the Sanctuary who wants to be free. We'll get Rick medicine, food, and water. I promise you that. We'll make sure he stays alive."
Dwight gave her shoulder a compassionate squeeze.
"We'll figure it out," he whispered.
Those four words brought a little bit of peace and a lot of hope to Michonne. It's what she and Rick always said to each other when the odds were against them.
They would figure this out.
"Thank you," she whispered to Dwight, covering his hand with hers.
"You'll get your future, Michonne. We all will get our future," he said. "I'll be in touch soon."
He stood and rushed back over to Negan, making sure he didn't react to Rick's crumpled body on the ground or to how swollen and bloody his face was.
"All clear! She's not here," he announced.
"Where's your man?" Maggie questioned, noticing that the Savior who left with him had not returned.
"He took the stairs up to the roof to check for her up there," Dwight lied. "He said he'd ride down with Gavin."
Negan's frustration over Rick's gal being MIA was minor. Rick was always the whole enchilada. She would've just been the guacamole on top. He poked Rick in the stomach with the toe of his boot and relished the way it made Rick groan.
"Guess that wasn't bullshit I smelled," he smiled. "I hope your gal makes it home safe, Rick. Because a woman like that... with a body like that..." Negan inhaled slowly. "She'd make a mighty nice addition to my wives. I'm talkin' tier 1 material! If I find her, I might even let her keep that baby of yours! And if I do, that kid's gonna need a daddy! I think Daddy Negan has a real nice ring to it!" he grinned. "What do you think, guys?"
Negan looked around at the Saviors who cheered wildly.
"Can't be any worse at being one than you are, Rick. You're what... 0 for 2 in that department? First Carl, now this kid… I would say you were 0 for 3, but I heard Judith has her daddy Shane's eyes."
The Saviors howled with laughter.
"But raisin' another man's baby is kind of inspirin', Rick! Personally, I never understood that shit before. But I think I might understand it now. Daddy Negan!" he shouted. "And between me and you, I bet I'll have your gal callin' me Daddy Negan in no time at all!"
Rick tried to sit up, but he coughed up blood from the effort.
"Awwwww, Rick. Is this where you 'not today, not tomorrow' me? Heard it before, and guess what? I'm still standin'! I do appreciate your gusto, though. But Lucille? Not so much. And she is still thirsty!"
Negan swiftly swung Lucille into Rick's thigh. Rick couldn't stop the screams of pain as barbed wire tore into his leg, taking bits of flesh with it when Negan pulled the bat out.
"I got me a Rick!" he proudly proclaimed. "Tie him up and load him up in the back of the truck! Dwight, let Simon, Arat, and Gavin know we're shakin' a tailfeather and headin' home! We got some celebratin' to do!"
Maggie didn't care for how excessive the violence was, but she said nothing. Daryl thought back to how he'd been tortured by Negan, and he said nothing. They walked to Negan's truck and sat in the back with Eugene, who also said nothing. They all sat in silence, thinking of their next moves, while Negan buckled Lucille up in the front seat.
A symphony of screeching tires blared around Michonne as the vehicles exited the garage. She hugged her stomach and openly wept. Rick's screams, Negan's kicks, and Daryl's punches played on a loop in her mind, as did every word that came out of Daryl, Maggie, and Eugene's mouths. She let it all soak into her bones. It would be what fueled her to push on when she started to feel defeated or beat down.
Because the day would come when she properly introduced herself to Negan. He would learn that her name was Michonne Grimes. She would make him say it, and then she would cut his head off. Her name would be the last thing he heard and said in his au natural, human state.
She sniffled, wiped her tears away, and rubbed her flat stomach. She knew Rick wouldn't lie about something as miraculous as them creating a new life. She would steal a pregnancy test from Siddiq to confirm it, but she did believe she was pregnant.
"We're the ones who live," she whispered to their baby.
She would burn down anyone or anything who got in the way of that. Daryl, Maggie and Eugene were already on that list. Nothing was going to change that. Nothing was going to stop her from saving Rick.
Nothing.
A/N: Please take the time to leave a review.
(This was a one-shot I'd written awhile ago. I'm sure it was after Daryl and Maggie had that ridiculous conversation with Jesus in the s8 finale about Rick and Michonne, although it may have also been written because of Daryl and Maggie's general stupidity the day Rick was taken by the helicopter people.)
Thank you!
Stay safe.