BACKSTORY: Michonne returns from wherever without having found Rick. She makes it clear that she will not be leaving to search for him again and is home to raise Judith and RJ, amidst the chaos of their world.
She is not thrilled to find that Virgil made his way back to the area, and is the new doctor. He has also settled in and made a life with Connie. Michonne is aware that Darryl had feelings for the young woman, but he is not expressing his unhappiness, one way or the other. Michonne has also been brought up to speed about Alpha, how she died, Carol's shenanigans and the understandable tension between Maggie and Negan.
Darryl, for his part, has decided that he has missed Michonne more than he realized and would like something more with her, though he doesn't quite know how to declare himself to her. He had confided this to Maggie, unaware that Negan was listening in at the time…
But there are bigger problems at hand as Michonne wakes up in her own bed, in Alexandria for the first time in months. Aaron and Gabriel have returned from scavenging and ran into trouble at an old camp site nearby. A site where the people who were living there are dead and Beta is the only one on the premises. And then there is Negan himself. He killed Alpha, has his own place to stay in Alexandria and now has wants and needs. And he plans to confront Michonne about something he has kept quiet about for years. Something that is going to have real life consequences for Michonne and her children…
Darryl actually lived in Michonne's house while she had been gone, taking care of Judith and RJ. So out of habit, he set out their breakfast and listened to the kids chatter about a frog that Aaron would not allow Gracie to keep in her bed. He only glanced up from his task when the front door opened and Maggie entered the kitchen. The kids greeted her enthusiastically while eating toast. Maggie nodded to Darryl and they both left the kitchen, but Judith's eyes followed them.
"What's going on?" Darryl asked.
"Aaron and Gabriel are back. Gabriel was stabbed. Virgil is seeing to him now." Maggie said in a low tone of voice.
"By who?" Darryl asked.
Maggie folded her arms.
"Aaron said that they stopped off at some campsite to look for supplies and found everyone freshly dead. When they went inside to look around, they were attacked—by Beta." she said quietly.
Darryl stared at her with confusion.
"Beta? Negan and I watched him get ripped apart. Whoever this was, wasn't him."
"You saw walkers finish him off?"
"Yeah! They overpowered him." Darryl insisted.
"And you saw his body afterwards?" Maggie asked.
"Come on, Maggie! He didn't survive! This is probably a Whisperer we missed. Let's get some people together, go over to this camp and finish him off."
Maggie nodded but said something else.
"Aaron said that he didn't see how we missed this camp before."
Darryl shrugged as he began to head upstairs to wake Michonne.
"A campsite in the woods…" he began but Maggie stopped him.
"No, this was an actual facility. It looked like it had been a training center for counselors or something. There was a large house and cabins. Bathrooms like you used to see at rest stops. I don't remember anything like that being around here before." Maggie told him. Darryl stopped walking up and turned to stare down at her.
"Neither do I." he admitted. "I'm going to get Michonne. You get Carol and Aaron. How is Gabriel doing?"
"Not well. Beta threw an axe into his leg."
Darryl squinted down at Maggie!
"It couldn't have been Beta! Let's just take care of this fuck so that the others don't panic. He killed a lot of our people here before. If anyone found out…"
"I know. Especially Lydia." Maggie said. "I'll make sure Judith and RJ finish their breakfast."
Carol suddenly opened the front door, entered and closed it behind her. She looked as if she was raring to go!
"Aaron is ready to leave. Virgil gave Gabriel something for the pain and he's asleep. I think we need to take Negan with us." she said, knowing what her announcement meant to Maggie.
Maggie eyed Carol.
"Well, if it is Beta, maybe he can finish Negan off. Finally." Maggie replied before walking towards the kitchen. Carol stared after her and sighed.
"Okay. Negan stays here." she said. "Are you going up to get Michonne? She looked tired last night."
"She didn't find Rick. She'll want to come with us." was all Darryl said as he walked up the remaining stairs and headed to Michonne's door. But he found it was open. Michonne was dressed and Judith was filling her mother in on all that was happening.
"I thought I left you in the kitchen with your brother?" Darryl asked. But his eyes were on Michonne as she looked around for the last piece of her ensemble for the day— her sword. She put it in the pouch on her back and looked at Darryl.
"This is a Whisperer we missed probably. Let's get this taken care of. Judith, I want you to stay and watch your brother."
"I want to come." Judith insisted. "You're going to need help since Negan can't come."
Michonne didn't bother to even ask why.
"I want you to stay and make sure that Negan behaves himself then, okay?" Michonne asked, trying to use child psychology on her daughter.
"Darryl said I can't be around him when he's naked." Judith said casually. Michonne's eyes widened!
"Honey, what are you taking about? Darryl?" she asked, looking to him for clarification.
Darryl rolled his eyes!
"That fuck, excuse my language, Judith, goes up on the roof across from here, on top of the house Olivia used to live in and sunbathes nude. He knows it pisses people off but…well…he does his chores and for the most part keeps out of everyone's way." Darryl said.
Michonne looked down at Judith.
"Take RJ and play with Gracie and Hershel today, okay? This is too dangerous."
"I've faced Beta before." Judith insisted.
"And you shouldn't have had to." Michonne replied, trying to swallow her guilt at leaving her babies even within an inch of such a monster. Darryl put his hands on Michonne's shoulders.
"She was good. You trained her well. We've trained her well. But your mama's right, Judith. Just for today, stay here." Darryl said.
Judith nodded reluctantly and left the room. Michonne could not help but take notice that Darryl had an easier time getting her to mind than she had. She had a lot to make up for for the months she was gone.
Michonne turned and faced Darryl.
"I don't want Maggie to have to deal with Negan. Can you convince her to stay here?"
"You're going to talk to Negan, aren't you?" Darryl asked.
"If this is Beta, and we die, we're not leaving Negan behind here!" Michonne huffed and pulled out of Darryl's hold. She walked to a drawer, opened it and pulled out a pair of sunglasses.
"I'll wear these so I don't go blind looking at him." Michonne snickered. Darryl smiled. Maybe once Beta was dealt with, he and Michonne could have a talk about how he felt about her. Maybe he could find out if she felt anything for him. Anything more than friendship.
Michonne gingerly stepped out onto the roof where Negan lay naked on a plastic chaise. His eyes were closed but he knew someone was there. He smiled.
"If I had to guess, I would say the Warrior Princess has come to visit me! Welcome home! I take it you don't have Mr. Grimes with you?"
Michonne ignored that and moved so that she was standing in front of him. She took great pains not to take him all in.
"Do you have a robe or something you can put on?"
"Under the chair here. I'll put on a robe if you take off those sunglasses." Negan said in his usual annoying drawl. Michonne removed her sunglasses and then waited for Negan to keep up his end of the bargain.
"Well?"
"Well, what? Oh…yeah…my robe is inside. In my house where I now fucking live." Negan said, standing up and facing her.
"There is no need to get an attitude…"
"I have an attitude? Shit, Michonne, you have attitude up the ying yang! Now you come up here, wearing sunglasses so you don't have to look at me and be reminded that Grimes and Dixon Dipshit, don't have what I have, and then you insist I put on clothes! I live here!"
Michonne ignored all of that.
"Beta was seen at a campsite. Darryl, Carol, Aaron and myself are going to kill him and we could really use some help." Michonne said quietly.
"Beta is dead, darlin'! I watched him get torn apart! So did Darryl."
"We figure a Whisperer was missed. Are you coming or not?"
"I don't like your tone! You haven't thanked me for killing Alpha and saving everyone's hides here!"
Michonne said nothing.
"Oh, okay. I get it. I suppose my 'thank you' will come when you get over being salty over Rick. Who in the hell told you he was still alive anyway?That's who you should be pissed at!" Negan groused.
"Are you coming or not?" Michonne asked. She would never consider discussing Rick with this lowlife, ever! And she was beyond caring whether Judith liked him or not!
"I can't. Not if Maggie is coming." he said in a low voice. Michonne eyed him, sensing his regret over a past no one could change. It threw her slightly.
"No. Maggie is going to stay here."
"Then hell, I'm all in! I'll just get dressed and meet you by the gate. But I think just the two of us could handle this Whisperer, don't you think?"
"Not if it's Beta."
"It's not. He's gone. It won't take five of us to take out one Whisperer." Negan told her.
"There could be more." Michonne replied, not getting where he was coming from, thinking only the two of them should take on a Whisperer.
Where Negan was coming from, was that he had some things he needed to say to her. Specifically about a certain incident seven years ago. And for the life of him, he could not gauge whether Michonne only pretended to not remember it, or if she truly didn't? He had never been in a position to ask, being behind bars, but things were different now.
Very different.
Negan told Michonne he would get dressed and meet all of them down by the gate, then forced his eyes not to linger on her retreating form. Not finding Grimes looked good on her! Negan smiled once Michonne left the roof as his mind now wandered to Beta. That fuck didn't somehow survive, did he? Darryl and himself had watched the hoard overpower the giant killer but truth be told, they then moved away from the feeding frenzy. They had assumed he'd been eaten.
Was it possible he hadn't?
Negan left the roof, re-entered his home and began to dress, eyeing his telltale leather jacket. Alexandria was his home now, and the sooner he began forcing the people here to truly recognize that…
No. The sooner he AND Michonne began pulling people in line, the easier it would be on everyone around here. Including Maggie.
Negan glanced out of the window and watched Michonne hop on top of a horse. Aaron and Carol sat in the buggy/car and Darryl was on his motorcycle.
Negan's eyes fell on Michonne again.
"Mrs. Negan. Negan and Michonne. Nechonne…" he almost chanted before he began whistling an old, familiar tune as he walked out of his bedroom, down the stairs and towards the front door. He would not be sitting in the buggy car with Aaron and Carol.
No.
Negan would be riding a horse. Michonne's. With her. If he could manage it.