Pride

(a sequel to Sloth)

the excessive belief in one's own abilities; also known as vanity.

The gray clouds loomed above the small group of scavengers. The early morning air, already thick with humidity, signaled an approaching storm.

"Looks like we might run into bad weather." Glenn squinted up at the dark sky. He glanced at the dreadlocked woman stuffing their belongings into the trunk of their car.

Michonne briefly paused before continuing her mindless arranging, offering no reply.

He warily studied her, packing alongside her. Oblivious to the tension, Tara hummed as she packed the back seat. Michonne was quieter than usual. He would even say withdrawn. It probably had something to do with the fight she and Rick treated the entire community to yesterday.

They'd all heard bits of it, the parts they could make out at least. It appeared the pair were at odds on how to best run their community. One of those odds was precisely what they were preparing to do.

Rick wanted to focus on the expansion. Michonne wanted to cover all their bases.

Hence, the unsanctioned run.

She'd been the one to arrange it with him and Tara. She convinced them they couldn't cut themselves off from the world. They needed supplies, medicine, and clothes. Focusing on the expansion wasn't going to fix that. They agreed and now they were here, running off in the early morning hours like thieves in the night.

"You sure about this?" He asked again, closing the trunk of the car with a muted thump.

She nervously gripped the strap of the sheathed katana that laid securely against her back.

Was she sure?

It was the first time she'd ever gone against Rick's orders. It was the first time she'd made a decision without letting him know. It wasn't the cautious choice but she was done standing still.

She stared off into the direction of the expansion. In a few hours, it would be buzzing with people ready to resume their work without a hitch. She wanted to keep them protected. She wanted to keep them prepared. And though what they were about to do risked their own safety, solely focusing on the expansion would be far more dangerous.

Her gaze shifted in the direction of the house she once shared. She longed for the days when they were on the same page.

Right about now, Rick would be waking up. Whether it was alone or next to someone else was a question she'd rather not have answered. Instead, she ran through the routine she used to spend her mornings reveling in.

He would spend a few minutes using the bathroom, getting ready for the day. Then he'd head straight to Judith's bedroom. He'd bid her good morning and change her while giving her a full rundown of their plans for the day. Soon after, they'd stop by Carl's bedroom and knock on the door until he heard his son's sleepy grunt. Satisfied, father and daughter would walk downstairs to eat breakfast.

She knew their morning routine by heart. It was once her routine, too. Just thinking about it caused an emotion to well in the back of her throat.

She hated leaving without letting him know but it was what was best for the community. They needed supplies. They needed to prepare for the worst. Blindly obeying Rick would be their downfall.

It was up to her to convince herself that she was sure of her decision. Otherwise, they wouldn't make it past the gate.

Hardening her features, she declared, "I'm sure."

She strode to the driver's seat, ready to leave. Her companions bid their loved ones goodbye and loaded the car. They slowly made their way past the gates and into the darkened dawn.

Two Weeks Ago…

"I'm moving out."

Rick's eyes flew open.

He'd just come home from his long shift of working on the expansion. He was tired and his muscles ached. The first thing he did was flop down on the couch and rest his eyes. Eating and bathing would have to wait.

Now, he was fully awake, all thoughts of a relaxing evening flying out the window.

He groggily sat up, rubbing at his eye with the heel of his hand. He couldn't have heard right or maybe he'd imagined it. He croaked out, "What?"

"It's time I moved out," Michonne steadily repeated, her tone rehearsed.

Rick knit his brow, scratching at it with his thumb. This was all coming from nowhere. Things had been going good. Hell, he'd even say great.

They'd worked out a schedule between them to keep an eye on the kids. He'd arrange for them one day, she'd do it another. Then, whoever was working that day would come home to a family meal. Or on late nights, a warm plate and a reserved spot on the couch to share in how each other's days had gone.

It was a nice routine that had developed in the Grimes household. Even Daryl put in his part to maintain that routine. But it appeared that she was no longer on board.

He asked the only logical question his brain was capable of forming, "Why?"

"It'd be good to have our own spaces to grow."

He frowned, utterly confused. If she wanted more space, he'd give her as much space as she needed. It was a big house. They'd manage.

"It's what's best."

He highly doubted anything she was saying would be considered 'what's best'. He scrubbed at his face, the confusion tearing at his brain. "You leaving us is what's best?"

She steeled herself, her features hardened in determination.

He studied her for a moment before sighing in realization. He had a feeling he knew why. "If this is about the other night, I told you, it won't happen again."

She had accidently walked in on him and Jessie kissing in the kitchen. It wasn't his proudest moment. The second he sensed her presence, he stopped. Of course, she'd scurried away before he'd had a chance to explain.

It took him three whole days to finally catch up with her long enough to apologize and promise it would never happen again. She'd barely made eye contact with him and merely nodded to acknowledge his apology.

She shifted uncomfortably, quickly dismissing his assumption. "I know." She closed her eyes, refusing him the chance to dig deeper in to her assertion. "It's not that."

"Then what?"

She looked at him as if she was about to reveal something worthy of note. Then a pained expression twisted her features. She looked away and murmured, "Maggie needs me."

"Maggie needs you?"

"Glenn and Maggie, they're gonna need help now that she's expecting."

"Did they say that?"

"They didn't need to. I offered."

Rick took a moment to think through everything. She was leaving. She was leaving their home because she wanted to give each other space to grow. Not only that, she was leaving because she wanted to provide Glenn and Maggie with help they didn't request.

He'd heard of some pretty remarkable excuses in his time but this took the cake.

Still, he couldn't call her out on it. As painful as it was to accept, it was obvious she didn't want to share a home with him anymore. It clawed at his chest. He couldn't force her to stay nor did he have the right to ask her to stay for his kids. Though, he considered them theirs more than just his.

He nodded in consideration, giving her another chance to reconsider. "Is that what you want?"

She nodded, still avoiding his gaze. "Yeah, I do."

He hunched over and stared down at his clasped hands. He couldn't wrap his mind around it. His heart ached at the thought of things changing.

He couldn't imagine their home adjusting to her absence. To lose her companionship, to lose the evenings of her waiting for him when he stepped through the door, to lose her partnership in raising the kids, it was all too much. His insides twisted in anguish. He wasn't ready to let her go. He would never be ready.

It opened a floodgate to emotions he didn't realize he held. It was confusing, frustrating, and he was ill prepared to handle it.

He tried one last time to convince her to stay. "You don't have to leave. You can help Glenn and Maggie whenever they need it. You can take my bedroom, if you need more space. You can still live here. That doesn't have to change."

He looked up at her, his eyes almost pleading. He could see she wanted to take the offer. The hope inside him burned brightly.

He could already imagine her resignedly accepting with a small smile and a soft okay. He'd scoot over and they'd spend the rest of the night quietly talking and laughing about the idea of him running a household by himself. Things would stay the same. He wouldn't have to pick up the pieces she'd leave behind.

It was so real to him that he wasn't prepared for the shock of being wrong.

"I'll move my things out tomorrow."

She walked away before he could say anything, leaving him alone on the couch to wonder how the hell everything had gone so spectacularly wrong.

Well, well, well. At long last, I updated this series. Sorry about the wait!

I hope you enjoyed the bit of Glenn POV. I really, really miss him.

And I'm going to be honest here. I wrote more to this two-part story and it doesn't end so depressingly.

The fic was to be a response to the very unrealistic fact that no other man showed interest in Michonne on the show. I mean, if Rick got to date before hooking up with Michonne, why didn't she? So this fic goes into Michonne finding someone else before ending up with Rick.

Only an extremely partial rough draft is available and I'm fairly sure I don't have it in me to start another multi-chapter fic. Nonetheless, I decided to share a bit more of it with you rather than to just hoard it all away forever.

I'm going to try and finish the last two sins (lust and wrath) soon. The plan is to wrap up my fics before readers start to lose interest or leave the fandom because of the show's poor choices. I'm already feeling the impending lack of feedback that comes with a dwindling fandom on my other fic. So I'm expecting it to hit hard all around soon.

Let me take a moment to say, I've truly loved writing for the Richonne fandom. It's been an absolute privilege. I'll do my best to get things wrapped up and provide y'all with as much Richonne goodness as I can in the upcoming months.

I'd love to hear what you thought of this two-part series. Don't forget, your reviews give me life! Thank you for all your support!

Until the next time!

Your Richonne loving writer,

semul