A/N: Hi all! So glad you enjoyed Michonne's adventures at Grady. I had fun writing that one, and I think, as some of you mentioned, she's just so much better to follow than Beth. (No offense to Doodlebug, but man, she was lost.) So I'm really looking forward to writing the next chapter as well. I like getting inside her head. Makes me wish Michonne could have a bottle episode on the show. Or half an episode. Hell, I'll take anything. You hear me, Gimple?

Speaking of which, there was some lovely Richonne action in the mid-season premiere this week. It was so wonderfully unexpected, I'm not quite sure what to do with myself. I have like 80 ideas swirling around in my head right now, so don't be surprised when I just start inundating you with Richonne stories! Haha. In the meantime, I hope you guys like this one! -Ashley

12 – FourFive Seconds

I never knew
I never knew that everything was falling through
That everyone I knew was waiting on a cue
To turn and run when all I needed was the truth

"So what you wanna do?"

Rick's blue eyes flashed up at Daryl, conveying his ambivalence. "You don't have a dog in this fight?"

Daryl shrugged and shook his head. "I dunno the answer, man. You know her better than me."

"Do I?" he wondered out loud. He knew the answer to that - of course he did. But he felt like he didn't know anything in that moment.

"What's the last thing she said to you?"

"She wanted to be alone," he nodded, recalling how awful he felt hearing those words. She also said he couldn't save her anymore, but he decided against mentioning that part. "Did she mean for a few minutes? A few hours? A day?"

"And you were bein' too much of an asshole to look out for her." He caught Rick immediately glare back at him, so he added, "I'm sayin', I know exactly how that feels. That's what happened when they took Sasha and Beth. So busy tryin' to drink shit away..."

His eyes narrowed at Daryl's words. The idea of her being taken had been at the back of his mind, but he hadn't entertained it too seriously. She had been gone a matter of hours. But of course, it only takes a second. One wrong move, one bad decision, and it can be over. His jaw tightened and his hands began to quiver as he looked to the ground for clues. "These are her footprints, right?" he asked Daryl, having found a set that led to the right, towards the road.

"Yeah," the tracker confirmed, taking the lead on following them. He walked slowly and deliberately beside them, looking for any sign of where she could be.

Rick trailed closely, his breath caught in his throat as he watched the patterns in the leaves as well. He wasn't as good as Daryl at tracking, but he would be able to tell if she came across a walker, at least. Suddenly, his biggest fear was the idea that she'd been bitten, turned, and wandering aimlessly. His mind was racing, immediately sick to his stomach.

Daryl could hear Rick's stuttered breathing over the crunch of the leaves under their feet. He looked back to his friend, worried. "You all right?"

"I'm fine," he lied, still studying the ground. They continued for another half mile or so, until the arrangement in the leaves changed a bit. "Does it look like she started running?"

"It does," Daryl agreed, squinting at the surrounding area. Still no other footprints, just hers. "I can't figure out why."

"She probably heard a walker."

"Maybe so. Maybe it was far away."

"She didn't have a weapon," he sighed shakily. "Probably thought running was her best option."

"You mean she didn't have anything?" Daryl frowned. "No knife?"

"Not unless she found one..."

He immediately began to walk again, faster now, so they could get to the road, and maybe figure out what her next move was. He wasn't fond of mysteries, and really wanted to solve this one as soon as possible. He reached the asphalt, but the leaves were so scattered, it was hard to tell anything. "She could've gone either way," he declared in defeat and frustration. "Seems like she would've gone left, back towards the church but..."

"But maybe she was looking for a car," Rick suggested distractedly. His eyes zoomed in on something shiny amongst the leaves, and he stooped to the ground to examine it. A fine gold chain laid in the ground, broken, with the letter 'M' attached to its center. He held the necklace close to him, and tears streamed down his face as he confirmed for himself that Michonne was in danger. This wasn't Lori taking the picture albums from their home. Or Carl taking all his clothes from the prison. Michonne hadn't left on her own terms. He swallowed hard, wiped his tears, and stood to face his friend. "How did you know Sasha was taken?"

"I saw it," Daryl admitted gruffly. "They called for me. I was guessin' they needed help with some walkers so I grabbed my bow. By the time I got out there, just saw a car drivin' off."

"What kind of car?"

"Some kinda Dodge. Magnum, maybe. Dark color, black… maybe blue or gray. Had a white cross on it," he revealed finally, triggering Rick to look at him wide-eyed. "I ran after it for a couple miles, but I lost it..."

Rick had already begun walking back towards the church, silently willing Daryl to follow him. "Did Sasha tell you anything about it? Where it was going? How they got out?"

"Yeah," Daryl confirmed, having to run to catch up to his friend. "They told her they were headed to Atlanta. She said it was two people dressed as cops."

"I saw a car go by last night with a white cross on it," Rick told him, beginning to run faster, needing to get back to the church as quickly as possible. "I'm goin' to Atlanta."

But that's how it's gotta be
It's coming down to nothing more than apathy
I'd rather run the other way than stay and see the smoke
And who's still standing when it clears

When he made it inside the church, everyone was still in the same positions he'd left them in, sitting in pews, waiting for him to return with Michonne. Or at the very least, an update. He took a deep breath, knowing Carl would hate hearing what he had to say, but he didn't have any time to waste.

"All right, listen up," he heralded, walking nervously towards the front of the church. Carl had a front row view, sitting solitarily with his baby sister. Rick took a deep breath, blinked back tears, and called his son over. "Carl, come here for a second."

He did as told, but those big blue eyes couldn't help but convey his confusion and inquisitiveness. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything's gonna be fine," he promised, needing to believe it was true for himself. He held his son close, and by extension, his daughter, as he made his announcement. "From what I can tell, it looks like Michonne has been taken." He nodded nervously at the gasps and frowns he received in reply. "I know. I know." He pulled Carl closer as he went on. "We have reason to believe she's been taken to Atlanta. By the same people that tried to get you," he directed towards Beth and then Sasha. "So I'm gonna need you to tell me everything you know about these people, and we're gonna find her." He hadn't stopped nodding since he began talking. He felt like a bobble head, trying to convince himself that this was possible. "We're gonna find her."

Carl took a deep breath, ingesting all of the information he'd just heard. Michonne was gone. She was really gone. "It'll be all right, Dad," he stated matter-of-factly, staring up at him. He could tell Rick was scared, which he wasn't used to seeing. Not since he and Maggie walked out of the prison with a newborn Judith and without his mom. He looked just as lost then as he did now. "We're gonna find her."

Everyone knows I'm in over my head

He squeezed his son's shoulder, proud of him for always being so fearless. "Sasha, Beth, can I talk to you two in private?" The two ladies quickly hopped up from their seats, following Rick to a spot behind the altar where they could have a relatively isolated conversation. Daryl stood close by with Carl. "I didn't want to put you on the spot in front of everyone," Rick explained, speaking softly, "but I need to know everything that happened when you were abducted."

Sasha nodded vehemently, and began to think of all the details, big and small, about their kidnappers. "It was the same night the prison fell," she started. "Extremely dark, and Beth and I were fighting a few walkers that had come up to the funeral home we were staying at."

"And out of nowhere, this car comes up, knocks Sasha off her feet," Beth added, remembering how horrified she was to see it happen. "This really tall guy comes out, grabs her and pulls her into the backseat. I tried to scream for Daryl, but a woman came after me, put her hand over my mouth, and everything went black."

Over my head

Rick scratched at his eyebrow, trying to keep his thoughts from running rampant. Hit by a car. Probably drugged. "What time do you think it was?" he asked.

"Had to be past midnight. We'd been at that funeral home for hours. Were about to go inside when the walkers came up," Sasha frowned.

"Go on."

They went on to explain how they woke up to two officers, casually driving them towards Atlanta. They never got the chance to specifically find out where they were headed, but their best guess was some police or fire station. "We killed them, left them on the side of the road, and drove right back here," Sasha finished, tracing back through her story to make sure she told him everything he could possibly use. "There wasn't much gas left in the car. I imagine wherever we stopped couldn't have been too far from their final destination."

"Where did you stop?"

"We were near the airport," Beth inserted positively. She could remember the signs for Hartsfield as they drove back towards the funeral home.

"Then they were probably taking you towards the city."

"I think so," Sasha confirmed. "Said they had lots of resources. I don't know where else that could be."

"All right. Thank you," he nodded sincerely, already moving towards Daryl to confer with him. "Downtown," was all he said.

With eight seconds left in overtime, she's on your mind

Daryl gave a slight gesture of understanding. "We need a car."

"We can take the bus," Rick returned offhandedly. "But we don't need the whole group. Just you and me, maybe Bob."

"And Sasha," he suggested with a nod. In part, because he didn't want to leave her, but mostly, he knew how much of an asset she was. "We'll need her."

"And Sasha," he agreed.

Carl stood beside the two men, having put Judith in her makeshift bassinet. "And me," he declared assertively.

Rick looked at his son with a big sigh. "Carl…"

"I'm going," he added, before his father could truly protest. "There's nothing you can say that can stop me."

"I can just say, 'No.'"

"Why not?"

"It's not safe," he answered simply. "Atlanta is still full of walkers; not to mention, we have no idea who these people are, or how dangerous they can be."

"Yeah, but nowhere is safe. Michonne was taken from here," he reminded his dad. "And they have no idea who we are, or how dangerous we can be either."

"Carl…"

"I respect you, Dad, and if it were anyone else, I would listen to you. But it's Michonne. I have to go.

Rick looked at Daryl, not getting anything from him besides indifference, and then back at his son. He couldn't bear the thought of taking a chance with his son's life.

"There's no way you can look at all the things we've been through, all the things I've done, and still think I can't handle this," Carl implored him. "I've made it through all the same stuff you have, Dad, and I'm still here."

"I can't let you risk your life."

"That's all we do, every single day. And you know what? Michonne would do it for me in a heartbeat." He propped his hat over his head and looked his father in the eye. "I'm not gonna let her down."

She's on your mind

Rick had to admire his gumption, but he still had no plans on letting his kid head into the belly of the beast that was Atlanta. "Give me a minute," he offered, seeing Abraham's quick approach to the three of them. He cut him off at the pass. "Can I help you?"

"No disrespect to you or your people, but I'm not sittin' around here waiting for the other shoe to drop," he announced seriously to Rick and the rest of the group. "I'm leavin' in exactly one hour."

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that," Rick shook his head, already knowing that this wouldn't go over well. Abraham was being an asshole about this mission before he knew people were being snatched left and right. "I need that bus now."

"And I can't let you do that, sir. I have to get Eugene's ass outta here before the kidnapping cavalry decides to come back this way."

"I don't think you understand," Rick returned. His eyes were both pleading and threatening the man before him. "I need that bus."

"I understand this is an important mission for you, but me getting Eugene to Washington is the only thing that matters to me. The only thing."

Rick swallowed hard. If he was irritated before, he was going to be irate soon. He didn't have time to look for another car. He didn't have time to stand around arguing with this man either. Michonne needed him. "Please," he quietly submitted, attempting to appeal to his heart. "If Eugene was out there, you'd do anything to get to him, wouldn't you?"

"I wouldn't have let him out of my sight," Abraham shot back, eyeing Rick frigidly.

Recognizing that this man was unwilling to compromise, Rick took a step back and did a quick calculation of how far he wanted to take this. It didn't take long for him to decide he was done playing games. "Gimme the keys, Abraham."

He immediately chuckled at the demand, as if he were joking. "I suppose you think you can take me."

"My dad isn't scared of you," Carl inserted, taking a couple of steps forward.

"Stay back," Rick instructed, quickly moving to stand in front of his son to keep him out of the way, just in case. His eyes darted around the room, looking for Judith. She would be the only reason he didn't punch this guy in the face. "Give me the keys," he repeated in a low growl.

"No."

A semi-circle seemed to have formed, everyone's eyes on the two of them. Rick's right hand rested on his .357, his fingers tapping at the grip as he stared Abraham down. Carol must have read his body language, because she pulled Judith from her basket and immediately headed outside with Tara. "Keys," he ordered for the third and final time.

"You can ask as many times as you want," he laughed again.

Rick immediately threw a fist his way, watching the big man stumble backward, and then pulled out his gun, aiming it at Abraham's forehead. "I'll do this," he promised. The timbre of his voice was so calm that it was creepy.

"Rick," Tyreese called after him, feeling like he'd gone a bridge too far.

"Don't make me do this."

If looks could kill, Abraham's certainly would've murdered Rick in that moment. His eyes were burning through the man holding him at gunpoint. But he didn't make any moves – he knew Rick was serious when he said he would do it.

"Rick," Daryl was attempting to interrupt now. "We don't need the keys. We don't even need the bus."

"We don't have time for anything else," he insisted. He had already wasted enough time as it was. He couldn't use any more to go look for a car and then find gas. He needed to go. "I need to save her," he told Abraham sincerely. His hands were shaking again. They did that whenever he entertained the thought of where she could possibly be. "I need that bus."

Abraham belligerently pulled the keys from his pocket, still glaring at Rick. "You better love this woman," he said, handing over the keys. "You're obviously willin' to die for her."

Rick still stood there, ignoring Abraham's overt threat on his life.

"Rick, you gotta put the gun down," Daryl inserted nervously when his friend hadn't moved. "He gave you the keys."

"Dad?" Carl frowned, seeing his father seemingly frozen in place.

"Rick!"

And everyone knows I'm in over my head
Eight seconds left in overtime
She's on your mind, she's on your mind

Rick felt paralyzed as he stood there, with a gun to this man's head, over a bus. Of course, it was more than the bus. It was Michonne. It was the mistakes he'd made. It was the fact that he had no idea how he was going to fix this, and this guy only wanted to make it harder. But at the end of the day, he absolutely would've killed him for her. He nodded absently as he came to all of these conclusions. As he came back to life. "I do," he confirmed, much to everyone's surprise. "I'm sorry I had to do that. But I do love her." He exhaled sharply as he returned his gun to its holster. "And I need to save her."

Everyone knows she's on your mind
Everyone knows I'm in over my head
I'm in over my head
I'm over my…

Lyrics: "Over My Head (Cable Car) – The Fray (How to Save a Life)