Instantaneous (Chapter 20)
A/N: Another request from Oreganofox. This chronicles Rick and Michonne's first meeting.
Rick is almost mesmerized as he witnesses the dark beauty take on the walkers outside the prison. She frees herself of any restraints and cuts down the walking corpses with precision. He can hear Carl call out to him, asking him a question but he can't take his eyes off of her. All sorts of questions flit through his mind and are abruptly interrupted as he sees her drop to the ground. Did she faint? Did she get hurt somehow? She's got blood everywhere and seemed to favor one of her legs.
He moves on shaky uncertain limbs as he makes his way to the main gate, snatching the keys out of the air as Carl tosses them his way. Two shots ring out as his son takes out the two walkers about to drop down on her. He gets the gate unlocked and immediately emerges to take down the threat in front of them. He looks back to check on Carl, nodding as his son grabs the basket of baby formula and the woman's backpack.
Rick looks at her prone figure on the ground, kicking her weapon out of reach. He goes down on one knee, careful to keep an eye on the remaining walkers. He pulls her hair out of her face, taking in her sweat glistened skin. He checks her arms for bites, lifting her shirt to ensure she is free of any life threatening marks. He places one hand against her stomach and the other at her thigh, noticing a gunshot wound festering on the latter. He shudders as he wasn't expecting her skin to feel so soft and supple. His eyes rove upward, taking in her heaving chest, her cleavage beckoning him.
"Is she bit?"
Herschel's voice jars Rick out of his reverie as he becomes a little irritated, wondering why he is taking notice of these things about her.
"Gun shot," he answers as he grabs her arm and pulls it over his neck. He lifts her up, her mid-section resting on his shoulder as he pushes a hand in between her legs for balance. He moves inside the prison with her. Beth, Herschel, and Carl following behind after securing the gate.
Aggravation is an understatement to describe Rick's emotions after attempting to talk to the woman after she was revived. She knew that Maggie and Glenn had been taken but was a little tight lipped about the people who had taken them. He had reached out and grabbed her wound before he knew what he was doing. He just wanted her to start talking, but he soon learned that she was not one to be intimidated. If anything his aggression only resulted in her shutting down a little more. After they both calmed down a bit and he asked Daryl to lower his crossbow, he was able to get more information from her.
He couldn't help but notice how shapely she was. He shook his head several times to clear it and concentrate on her words. What the fuck is wrong with me? He walked away abruptly just to get out of her presence.
Moments later, he relieves Carl who is keeping watch while Herschel tends to the woman's wound. He just left Beth, Daryl, Axel, and Oscar, all of them wondering if they can trust this woman to lead them to Maggie and Glenn. The only answer that he had for them is that they had no choice. It was determined that he, Daryl, and Oscar would go with her to this place and try to rescue their family members. He did want to attempt to talk with her again. Hell. I still don't know her name.
He watches her as she watches him. He can't help but be curious about her, wanting to know her story, what has happened to her since the turn. He surmises that she is even tougher than he first realized as she doesn't even flinch while Herschel stitches her wound. She looks away from him as Herschel completes his work.
"Thank you," she offers to the older man quietly.
Herschel gives her a nod, then shares a look with Rick before exiting the area, leaving the two alone.
"Are you feeling up to this?" He asks.
She nods slowly, her eyes never leaving his.
"You wanna tell me what happened to you out there? What these people in Woodbury did to you?"
"They tried to kill me, but they didn't succeed," she answers. "I did." She waits for the shock to cross his face, the judgment, the apprehension, the distrust.
Rick's expression remains stoic as he recognizes himself in her. "Well, that's why you're still here, right? You've done things you didn't wanna do, seen things you didn't wanna see…..lost things….people you didn't wanna lose."
For a split second, her eyes change but she puts the mask right back in place, refusing to give.
"I'm ready whenever you are." She lifts herself to a sitting position on the table. "I will be a lot more help to you if I have access to my weapon."
Rick gives a slight smile before standing and slowly extending his hand to her. "I'm Rick."
Her eyes leave his face to focus on his hand. She slowly places a hand in his, completing a short handshake. "Michonne."
The aggravation is back and raging full blast as Rick wonders where Michonne got off to. She abandoned them as soon as Maggie and Glenn were rescued. Oscar was killed during the crossfire. Now Daryl is missing as well and he is beyond frustrated.
A slight rustling noise from behind them draws their attention as they pull their weapons, ready to face the threat.
Rick is not sure if he feels relief or more anger when he sees Michonne pulling herself from underneath the train cars. Anger rules him as he leads with his gun drawn, pointing it at her head.
"Put your hands up," he orders in a harsh whisper.
She reluctantly does as she is told, turning her back to him as he orders her to turn around. The sound of him unsheathing her weapon is distinct in the silence of the night. She rests her back against the train car, looking exhausted and downtrodden.
He leans down into her face, his eyes boring into hers. "You get what you came for?" He can tell she has been in some sort of fight as the cuts and scrapes on her face, arms, and hands are evident.
"Where are the rest of your people?" She asks.
"They got Oscar," Rick says as Maggie follows with, "Daryl's missing. You didn't see him?"
Michonne looks to Maggie and shakes her head no only to have Rick back in her face again, threatening her.
"If something happens to Daryl, I will kill…"
She cuts him off. "I brought you here to save them."
"Thanks for the help." He backs away but never takes his eyes off of her.
"You'll need help getting them back to the prison or going in there for Daryl. Either way, you need me," she states.
Rick wants to hold on to his anger for some reason. It seems to protect him somehow when it comes to her but he looks into her eyes as they soften, almost pleading with him. He can't voice it, but deep down he knows he won't be able to turn her away.