A/N: This was written at the behest of musethedead on Tumblr; headcanon of what Michonne was thinking when she and Rick had their porch conversation.
Word count: 679
Michonne prided herself on being able to get a good read on others; it was one of the keen instincts that had kept her alive for so long. She could always discern whether or not an individual meant her harm, and more recently, if someone was not behaving much like themselves. Michonne could tell for some time that something seemed off with Rick; from early on, she had known him to be a fair man who did all he could to protect those he had sworn to. It was something that was innate for Rick, his sense of moral duty.
She had noticed the small change within him, even though he did not. It first happened out on the road, and she thought it was for the good; him being open to a different way of doing things since he had been charged with making many decisions for his group. Michonne stepped in when she disagreed with his judgement, not in a way that patronized him, but in a way that caused him to see the bigger picture.
The bigger picture had gotten them to Alexandria; had brought them to a safe place. A place where they could take a breath and try to find some semblance of a life that was more than just survival. Michonne could sense Rick's uneasiness; that fight they had spoken about that was within him was still prevalent. She knew it would take some time for him to be acclimated to what was to be their new home.
She was not certain when his paranoia gave way to something darker, but it had happened almost immediately. It came to a head with everything that had transpired between Rick and Pete Anderson. Michonne was unsure of the story there, but Rick admitted that he was at the end of his tether.
Still, she knew that distrust could breed other things; after all, she had felt the same at Woodbury. Everything seemed too good to be true, and it was revealed later that it was. But Michonne had figured out quickly that Alexandria was different in a number of ways. The people there were so untouched by the horrors that existed outside of their walls, unlike her family. There was very much a division between them and the residents of the Safe-Zone; Rick's frantic ravings and occasional tyranny did not help. But now that the terrors of the real world were at their doorstep, it was time to put the 'us' and 'them' mentality aside.
Rick, it seemed, only cared about the measures that his group could take; Michonne noticed this right away.
"Really?" she asked.
She thought back to the moment not too long ago when Rick had all but said leave the Alexandrians and protect yourself; they were going to die anyways. She figured that is what he meant now when he wanted to exclude them from their plans.
Rick gave her some excuse about not having time; he echoed her sentiments from the church some time ago about needing to breathe.
"Really?" she asked again.
Rick needed reminding that they were all in it together, regardless of if his people were strong and the Alexandrians were not. There needed to be a reciprocity with regard to what each group could bring to the table. Michonne knew that, Rick, it seemed, needed her to tell him. She held his gaze as she explained that they did indeed find time to breathe. She had actually wondered where Rick had found all of the time to be getting into brawls in the street, but that was another story; perhaps another excuse.
He seemed to be taking in the words that she was speaking, though when his own gaze penetrated her, it was as if he had come to some epiphany. When he looked deeply into her eyes in that moment, it was as if Rick had come to some realization; she hoped it was about the need to put differences aside and come together as a whole community, but she knew it was something else.