"Life can be magnificent and overwhelming — that is the whole tragedy. Without beauty, love, or danger it would almost be easy to live."

— Albert Camus

~ Beauty ~

The flames of the small fire danced their ancient ritual like countless times before while Michonne warmed her slender hands. Though the evenings out on the road had not yet begun to grow cold, the rain outside had certainly caused the temperature to drop. She welcomed the warmth as well as the surprisingly comforting smell of the smoke drifting around them as they all sat feeling deflated and mournful.

Life on the road had become harsher by the day; the hunger and thirst and tiredness was ever present. It was always there reminding them that they were not safe; reminding them that they had no home. Rick studied the faces of his companions and saw despair in their expressions. After a moment, his gaze, like immeasurable times before, found its way to Michonne. He became distracted by her beauty; by the way that the soft tones of the flames' light caressed her skin and caused it to glow. The way that the light flickered in her profoundly beautiful and dark eyes.

Just to be around her caused Rick to feel an overwhelming sense of attraction which he played down very well; yet his eyes were all too telling. The look that he possessed when he stole glimpses of Michonne spoke of something else. This new life they lived was not easy at the best of times. Now, as Rick silently admitted to himself, it would become harder; for he had unwittingly succumb to the charms of Michonne's physical and inner beauty. He respected and admired the woman, yes; but the new feelings that had slowly crept up on him were different. He was absolutely captivated by her, and he knew that this type of distraction in an uncertain time and place could be detrimental.

xXx

Even when he was wearing the melancholic, distraught countenance, Michonne thought Rick was beautiful. He was the sad, plaintive and misunderstood type of beauty that those French writers spoke about in those books she used to read at college. The lone figure that fought an internal struggle that seemingly would always compound an outward one; the man who loved and lost and saw the world for what it truly was but still endured, for some unknown reason.

Michonne raised her head and glanced around the fire; her dark brown eyes met Rick's deep blue. His gaze always seemed so intense, she noted; it had been the same ever since their first meeting so very long ago. It was, however, as if he reserved certain stares for Michonne alone. She admitted to herself that she enjoyed his eyes; the way the slightly different hues of blue gleamed everlastingly. The way the tones became more and less prominent with his change in demeanour; his sadness reflected in a way that mirrored her own. Michonne sighed; she knew she could scarcely draw her gaze away from Rick's as it already was. There was nothing pragmatic at all about her being lost in his beautiful eyes.

~ Love ~

The recent events that had occurred as a result of the group being out on the road had taken its toll on the survivors. They had sustained a number of losses and were downtrodden and tired. Tired of the world as well as the cruelty and ugliness that surrounded them. No one was sure of where they needed to go, what they needed to do; but what they all agreed on was that the journey, regardless of where the destination was, needed to be travelled together. So when they had the opportunity to settle at the Alexandria Safe-Zone, the survivors found themselves relieved yet cautious. They knew exactly what people were capable of in this new world. The Safe-Zone also provided them with the opportunity to catch their breath; the opportunity to explore their personal relationships with one another. Within the walls of the sanctuary, the survivors could find intimacy with other people; intimacy at a level that they had previously been denied.

As far as denial went, Rick knew it was all over, his ploy; he knew he had fallen in love with Michonne. It had been a gradual realization for him, yet when she stood before him, after what had transpired between them, he knew she was the one and only woman for him.

His crazed actions had driven Michonne to have to resort to extreme measures to get him to cease and desist. Even though she had wounded Rick physically, it was in an effort to save him from being exiled or worse yet, killed. He knew he deserved what had befallen him; he did not blame Michonne. He was not angry with her, instead, he saw the depths of her loyalty and found relief as she so softly told him, "I'm still with you."

In that moment, Rick realized what he had been afraid of; why he had not told her of their plans. He was afraid that he would lose her for good. He had, after all, agreed to go to Alexandria for Michonne and the plan felt so much like a betrayal; betrayal that was rationalized misguidedly in his irrational state of mind. He feared that if he told her about the plan, she would look at him with such disappointment etched across her beautiful features that his heart would break in two. He feared that she would lose all faith in him and not even bother to talk him out of it; she would simply not trust his judgement anymore. She, plainly, would not trust him. If she did not trust Rick, he knew there was no way should could love him back and that is what frightened him most. He knew all too well how absolutely destroying it was to love someone who did not love you in return.

xXx

In his unconscious and bloody state, she helped to clean him up and stayed with him throughout the long and restless night. Michonne felt the tears threaten to spill from her heavy eyes as Rick groaned in pain while he slept. She despised seeing him in so much discomfort, but it was the price that needed to be paid to ensure she would get to see him again.

Michonne could not really say when it had happened; when she was certain that her heart was ready to love again. With Carl, it took no time at all. She adored the boy. He helped her on her journey of healing; he helped to bring her back from a place she never wanted to go to again. With Judith, it was like second nature. She did not even have to consider loving the small girl; it was as natural as breathing. And then there was their father.

It took a little longer for her to grow close to Rick. He was much like she was, a little reserved with his emotions and protective of his heart. But it was there in his eyes what he really felt. The passion, the craziness; the defeat and the hope. They did not have to exchange words for they both knew, in some uncanny way, what the other was already thinking. It was this same unspoken bond that had Michonne feeling no doubt for what she had finally admitted to herself, even if it was not the right time or place; she knew that it was Rick. That Rick was the one for her and she was ready to bet her heart that he felt the same as she did.

~ Danger ~

The horrible stench of decaying flesh permeated through what would have been the otherwise pleasant air of the Safe-Zone. A herd had overrun their camp and it seemed their only chance of escape would be to drench themselves in the entrails of corpses that had been put down. It was a bold move, but Rick knew the dangers of staying inside of the house ultimately outweighed those of trying to make their way to safety. The low and hideous moaning sounds that the walkers elicited were amplified as the survivors tried to slip undetected past them. They had all almost made it to safety when suddenly, there came a loud high pitched shriek that cut through the air like a rusted knife tearing through muscle and sinew.

Michonne and the others from his group were well equipped to deal with the walking dead, but some of the residents of Alexandria were not. It was this unfortunate fact that had caused their present dangerous predicament; the wife of the man he had killed some time before, Jessie, had been caught by several walkers. As her blood curdling cries garnered the attention of the dead, the ones that gripped her sunk rabid teeth into her shoulder just as Michonne went to assist. They all knew it was too late, as yet another rotted mouth descended on the woman's neck.

As if she had been stricken with feverish delusion instantaneously, the woman reached out and took hold of Michonne's arm. She held on tightly and would not release her. Michonne, in the scuffle, had lost her footing and looked like she would be dragged down and devoured by the herd as well. All of a sudden, Rick bound from where he had been securing the others and leapt to Michonne's aid. He ran toward the brutal and frightful scene with machete in hand. He glanced so briefly at the woman who wold not relinquish her hold on his love, uttered a low, almost unintelligible apology and then proceeded to strike at her arm with his blade. As the woman and limb separated, she was pulled into the sea of the dead; Rick took Michonne by the hand and led her swiftly to safety.

xXx

Later, after all of the immediate danger had passed and Rick and Michonne had a quiet moment alone, she searched his deep blue eyes, like many times before.

"What you did today, you saved my life," she said softly; gratefully.

Rick nodded.

"I had to," he offered, trying to tear his gaze away before his eyes told her too much.

"You don't feel bad about sacrificing someone else to save one of our group?" She asked, finding it difficult to get a read on Rick. He had done it before, but he seemed to be withholding something then.

"To save you," he corrected Michonne. "I did it for you, and I'd do it a thousand times over."

Michonne let the corner of her mouth turn up into a small, sad smile.

"I wish you didn't have to," she said knowingly. "But that's life now. It can be so…"

"Overwhelming?" Rick asked.

"Yes, and magnificent too sometimes," she said quietly as dark brown bore into blue.

Rick stepped closer to Michonne and ran his finger across her brow, before cupping her face.

"You're right, life's a lot of things, especially now; but things like what happened today, me havin' to throw some woman to the walkers to save you, I'd do it without blinking if it meant you were in my life a little longer. I'd do anything for you."

With that, Rick let his hand slide to Michonne's chin as he tilted it upwards and pressed his lips to hers.