Relies heavily on Episode 8 of Season 3, "Made to Suffer." After which, it takes a major turn from what's canon, essentially leaving the show's plot behind. More or less. (Not my characters or show of course, just borrowing.)
Chaos flooded the moonlit streets of Woodbury quickly. Sounds of gunfire sent townsfolk in every direction.
When her attempts to lead the group to the Governor's flat failed, Michonne knew she had to splinter off. They'd suspect her, sure. But she had things to do and someone to find, herself. There was an odd twist of excitement in her stomach. She was looking forward to introducing the Governor's head to his shiny wood floor.
The warrior took her chance – as soon as Maggie and Glen were rescued and safely inside another building, she peeled off of the back of the group, shutting the door behind them and moving silently down the street.
"Shots came from up there. I'm gonna check it out." Andrea said. She was afraid of what was happening, but oddly exhilarated too. It was like the walker past the wall – it was a chance to prove herself. To prove to herself that she had worth. Philip grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"No, I'll handle it. Sometimes biters get in through the side fence. There's no need for anyone to panic." He said, tossing in one of his too-sly smiles.
Just as he finished speaking, a woman shouted from across the street.
"Someone help!"
"What happened?" Philip asked as they jogged over. A man was sitting on the ground, being comforted by a girl Andrea recognized: her momentary bow-instructor, Haley.
"Guys came through with guns." The man replied.
"How many?" Philip asked.
Andrea stood by as Philip questioned the man and managed the frightened villagers. She'd been with him long enough now that she could detect when he was lying. He was more afraid than he was letting on, and probably more aware of the strangers' identities too.
In the building next door, tactical arrangements were made. It wasn't until Philip turned to her that Andrea realized she was going to be sidelined. Again.
"You check on our people. Make sure they're safe, huh?" He said softly.
She hated when he referred to them as a unit. The dreaded "our" or "we" or "us." She wanted to rip his hand from her arm, push him away.
"You want me to do house calls? Make sure everyone's tucked in?" She asked bitterly.
"These guys could be holed up in one of our residences. They could be holdin' someone captive, or worse."
"Can't anyone else handle that? I've got a hell of a lot of experience that–"
He didn't wait for her to finish; her complacency was assumed.
"Thank you." He said, and continued giving out orders.
Her face burned. She hated this: being lorded over unwillingly, expected to submit just because someone else had more genitalia hanging between their legs. She didn't want to give up that easily.
"Don't you think Haley should handle the door-to-doors?" She asked.
"I need someone with some authority, to provide reassurance; I mean she's just a kid." He was trying to make her feel better, to make her feel "special." Like she was being done some favour. The only person he was doing a favour was himself. He wanted her out of the way. For what reason, she wasn't sure.
"These people have already killed one man, beaten another. I'm good with a gun, I–"
"Just do as I ask." He cut her off again.
"Sure," she said. She was a better liar than he was. Or maybe, he was just worse at paying attention.
Gunfire exploded around them as they left the building, flying forth from a cloud of smoke. Andrea fired blindly at the figures out in the cloud. Who the hell would be attacking the settlement? Michonne? She thought crazily. That was absurd of course. There were multiple attackers so unless Mich had found a way of joining up with a group of survivors within days of leaving, it was unlikely she was among the invading force.
She chided herself and took off down the street. She'd lost sight of Philip, which meant he'd also lost sight of her. She headed straight for his place. She needed to take this advantage now, while she had unrestricted access to his things.
When she arrived, she felt panicked, immobilized by her own indecisiveness. She had no idea where to start looking. Her eyes went to the small collection of journals and books on his desk. She'd only found one that puzzled her so far - a small book with the name Penny written over and over in its pages. Maybe there were some hidden away in the locked drawers, some that held more of an indication of what he'd been hiding.
She eyed the weapons on his trophy rack of sorts, then the few pictures he had around the apartment. She'd noticed how much she looked like his wife before. Maybe there was more to that story.
Then her eyes fell on the door. The door that was always locked. The one the Governor was careful to ignore at all times, until he thought she wasn't looking. She'd tried it several times but couldn't get in. Not unless she wanted to break it down, which would have drawn too much unwanted attention.
But tonight, the circumstances were perfect. She could play it off as a break-in by one of the invaders.
She slammed into the door with her body, killing her shoulder, but continuing relentlessly until she had bust it open. The exhilaration had made her stronger than she'd ever felt.
The first thing she saw were the aquariums. Walker heads bobbed and twitched in the eerie, blue water. Andrea stared at them disbelievingly, disgusted.
Then she spotted them – three heads she recognized. The first two, she recognized because they'd been two of her three companions for just under a year. Michonne's walkers; the two undead men she'd never revealed the identities of. Their eyes followed her.
The third was a little harder to place for a moment. But after a minute of study, she realized that it was Welles: the soldier that had been rescued from the helicopter a couple weeks before. He'd taken a turn for the worst, or so Philip had said. The way he was displayed now, Andrea thought maybe his condition had worsened on purpose rather than by accident.
As she was inspecting this third head, Andrea heard a shuffling sound from a vent shaft on the other wall, followed by a quiet moan. She readied her gun and went to the vent, opening it slowly.
Out of it ambled a small form, a child, chained inside and wearing a bag over her head.
From the sounds it was making, Andrea knew the girl was not alive. Which meant Philip had trapped her here, kept her here for sentimental reasons. It had to be Penny. It had to be the asshole's daughter.
Andrea guided Penny out of the vent. She laid her hand on the child's head, about to pull off the bag.
Before she had the chance, a voice interrupted her.
"Andrea?"
Andrea stopped breathing. Her attention snapped to the woman in the doorway as if she were a ghost. Surely she had to be. Surely the woman she'd slept beside, ate with, dreamt of, was not standing in front of her, brandishing that shining, familiar sword.
Michonne lowered her blade slightly.
Penny shifted in her chains but neither woman broke their locked gaze. Andrea's heart was thudding wildly in her chest.
"Walker?" Michonne said finally, nodding towards Penny. Andrea only nodded in response.
Michonne looked sad, touched by the loss of the child. A loss she couldn't have helped or changed, but one she wished hadn't occurred anyway. Andrea was overwhelmed with the urge to hold her.
"Do you want me to do it?" Michonne asked.
In the pause that followed, Andrea quirked an ear to the gunfire outside. She still couldn't believe Michonne had found other people so quickly. Or perhaps she'd simply used the invasion as cover for her private operation. Either way, these were questions that could be answered when they were safely out of Woodbury.
It was funny how quickly Andrea came to that decision to escape. As soon she knew Michonne was real, the resolution came without question.
"No," Andrea finally answered. "I'll do it."
Michonne may have been the more ruthless of the two of them, but when it came to children, the woman had an unmistakable sensitive spot. Andrea refused to add to it.
She turned to Penny and pushed the small form back a few steps closer to the wall, partially hidden from the doorway by the aquariums. She could spare Michonne the sight of this too.
Before her hands had left the small shoulders, Andrea heard the clash of Michonne's sword falling to the ground.
"You bitch," the Governor's tone dripped with fire.
Andrea whirled around and caught sight of Michonne being dragged out of the doorway by the Governor, who had not yet seen the child.
"Philip!" Andrea called out. But it was not in fear or surprise like he might have expected. She said it with rage.
He returned to the doorway, still holding Michonne, his hand clamped over her mouth and holding a gun against her head.
He looked at Andrea, then to the small, chained form she was holding to her. Penny had still not lashed out; Andrea thanked the gods for the walker's docility. She hoped it lasted.
"What–what are you doing?" Philip asked. He sounded suddenly like a kicked puppy, wounded and afraid.
"Let her go." Andrea said darkly.
"You'd kill my girl? For this bitch? She abandoned you!" He was shouting now, fear mixed with betrayal.
"I abandoned her." Andrea replied. "And as for your girl, Philip. She's dead already."
"Please, please don't hurt her..." The Governor was back to pleading.
"Let go of Michonne and step out of the room. I will push Penny to you." Andrea unclipped the walker's collar as a show of faith, a little wary of the danger of that action, but determined anyway.
"Fine, fine." Philip mumbled. He let go of Michonne and she vaulted towards Andrea, snatching up her sword as she went.
With Michonne at her side, Andrea pushed Penny towards the shaking man, out of the room, stepping back as Philip moved to take her.
As he was distracted, checking Penny for any injuries, Andrea leveled her gun at Philip's head.
Before she could take the shot, Merle burst through the front door, throwing Philip out of the way.
Michonne had thrown a window open and was dragging Andrea through it before she had time to process what was going on.
The pair quickly found an exit from the town, taking advantage of a stretch of abandoned wall. Andrea pushed Michonne over first. As the blonde put one leg over the wall, her left arm was struck. She toppled over gracelessly as her other arm rushed to the place the bullet had lodged. Michonne pulled her to her feet.
"Shit!" Michonne breathed as she assessed the wound.
"There's no time - let's get the hell out of here!" Andrea hissed.
The two of them ambled along with their respective injuries, Andrea getting paler by the second.
Michonne ripped off her headband as they jogged and wrapped it tightly around Andrea's arm.
"We need to stop the blood right now. We need to get you to Hershel. He can take the bullet out." Michonne said.
Andrea stopped dead in her tracks.
"To who?!" She wondered if she was hearing things and had completely lost her mind. Or if she'd heard correctly and Michonne had completely lost it, calling forth a name from stories Andrea had told her months ago.
Michonne didn't stop moving, but she slowed for a second and turned her head towards the blonde.
"Come on! Ask questions later. Trust me for now!" Michonne said. But Andrea didn't have time to react because Rick had appeared, another ghost from another time. He threw Michonne up against a train car, pinning her to the side with his arm.
"You! Where the hell did you disappear to? Were you just fucking with us the entire time?! Leading us into a trap?" Veins were bulging in his neck.
"No! You have your people, don't you? I wasn't tricking you!" Michonne didn't struggle beneath his arm but she protested viciously with her words. She would not have her honour questioned.
"We have Glenn and Maggie, but we lost two men - Oscar's dead and Daryl's gone!" Rick spat.
"Andrea?" Glenn had noticed the second figure standing a couple metres back, completely still. He thought he had to be seeing things. The woman was dead. Wasn't she?
Andrea ran forward suddenly, shaken out of her stupor, and grabbed Rick's arm, forcing it back from Michonne. She probably wouldn't have succeeded if he had not been so surprised by her appearance that he let up willingly.
"A-Andrea?!" Rick stammered in disbelief. He was afraid he was seeing another ghost, like Shane emerging from the smoke. "H-how?"
"Long story." She said. She winced and grabbed at her wound. "Can I tell you when we're somewhere safe?"
"I have to go back for Daryl; I have to be sure." Rick said vehemently.
Andrea shook her head.
"We will come back. I promise. But right now, we have injured people." Andrea motioned to Maggie and Glenn, who had both sustained various injuries in the assault. "And we won't be much good to Daryl this way."
"And they know about the prison, Rick. It isn't safe to leave them there alone too long." Maggie added.
"Besides, Merle's in there." Andrea continued. "And I doubt he'll let them kill his brother." She wasn't so sure it would happen that way, but she knew the Dixon brothers were resourceful. They'd figure something out.
"Merle?!" Rick could barely process the onslaught of new information. People he'd thought were dead were popping up all over the place. And this time not as mindless husks.
"Another long story." Andrea glanced over her shoulder. Rick followed her gaze. There were long shadows beginning to pop up over the town wall. It was a ways off, but not far enough.
"Can we run now?" Andrea asked.
"Yeah, we'd better." Rick said. "Come on."
Andrea grabbed Michonne's hand and the group fled into the night.
Michonne's tracking came in handy. Even in the dark, she was able to find the way they'd come in, leading them back to the road and to the car.
Rick drove them back to the prison at full speed. They sat in silence, trying to catch their breath and what was left of their energy. Maggie fell asleep first, then Glenn, both of them finally feeling safe enough to relax.
Andrea smiled at her old friends, glad that they'd been saved from whatever awful fate they'd neared. She turned to Michonne. The warrior was staring out of the window, dazed and clearly exhausted, but unwilling to sleep.
"Just close your eyes. I'll wake you when we get there." Andrea said softly by the woman's ear. Michonne turned her dark eyes to her pale partner. She shook her head.
"I can't."
"Yes you can. Please." Andrea took Michonne's hand and squeezed it. "Trust me."
Michonne stared at the blonde for a moment longer, searching those bright eyes. Finally she sighed and laid her head against Andrea's shoulder. Andrea's head following suit, leaning against Michonne's dreads.
The soft heaving of Andrea's chest soothed Michonne to an eventual rest.
It felt like she'd only been asleep for the span of a few seconds when Andrea stroked her cheek to wake her.
"Hey. We're here."
Michonne opened her eyes and took in the massive prison, stretched before her like a shadowy hell. She hoped they wouldn't trap her again. She hoped she could protect Andrea, that they could keep one another safe. She wanted to trust these people, Andrea's old friends, but it was out of her element. Civility was a language she couldn't always understand anymore. It had been hard enough figuring it out with one person. But with a whole group of people? She was afraid to find out.
Andrea pulled Michonne out of the car behind her and Rick came to her side.
"Is the bullet still lodged?" Rick asked.
"Yeah," Andrea replied.
"Then we'll ask Hershel to see you first. He's going to be very busy tonight."
Before they got all the way into their prison block, Carl bombarded them.
"You're back!" Carl said, then after a moment added, "Where are Oscar and Daryl?"
Rick was silent for a moment as he looked his son in the eye. Carol stepped out of one of the cells, Judith in her arms, tears already in her eyes. He locked eyes with her too.
"Oscar was shot. Daryl... we think he's captured." Rick replied, trying to maintain composure. Carol covered her mouth as she tried to unsuccessfully halt a sob.
"But as soon as we're tended, we're going back for him." Rick added firmly.
Hershel and Beth rose from their cells and Beth ran for Maggie, wrapping her fiercely into her arms.
"I was so scared," Beth sobbed into her sister's shoulder, shaking with relief.
"Me too, kid. It's okay. I'm here." Maggie soothed. Hershel caught up and joined the hug too, pulling Glen into the fold.
Carol finally registered the blonde stranger. She handed Judith to Rick and practically toppled Andrea with the force of her embrace.
"Oh my god..." She breathed between sobs. Carl was beaming in spite of the bad news. They'd lost someone dear to them – only for the time being, he firmly believed – but they'd found someone else. Someone else they thought they'd never see again. It was an overwhelming mix of emotions for everyone.
Andrea's eyes searched the rest of the hall, looking for the rest of them, eager to be fully reunited. She saw one man in a prisoner's garb exit a cell, a man she didn't recognize. She glanced worriedly at Rick.
"It's all right," Rick said, referring to the prisoner. He approached the man and quietly informed him of Oscar's passing. Axel's shoulders sank in despair.
"What happened to you? Where have you been all this time?" Carol gasped as she pulled back a bit, keeping her hold on Andrea's arms.
"I've been with a friend. Someone who found me after I lost you lot." Andrea turned to the quietest and most uncomfortable person in the room and smiled. Her warrior.
"You were-?" Carol began, trying to puzzle out how the mysterious woman who'd come to them only a day before could also have been Andrea's travel companion.
Andrea turned back to Carol.
"It's a long story. I'll save it for when we're all safely back here." Andrea said.
Carol's eyes turned dark and her face returned to its melancholy. Andrea lifted the woman's eyes to meet hers.
"Hey, we're going to get him back. I promise." Andrea said. Carol nodded.
Hershel had moved on to Michonne, offering a hand for her to shake.
"Thank you for bringing them back to us. Thank you." He was glowing through his bushy beard.
Michonne took the hand awkwardly, shaking and releasing it as soon as possible.
"Don't mention it." She said. She meant it.
Andrea finally registered the absences – there was a baby, but no Lori. And no T-Dog.
"No..." Andrea's voice was barely audible. Carol followed her gaze to the infant in Rick's arms.
Andrea looked at the baby, at Rick, at Carl. She sobbed.
Michonne watched on, paralyzed by her inability to help. She didn't know how to support Andrea's loss, not when so many could offer her more. She felt helpless.
Carl stepped away to speak privately with his father. It wasn't long before Rick's voice was raised.
"You what?!" Rick asked in disbelief.
"Dad! I had to! They needed help. I helped them and I kept ours safe. Isn't that what you would have done?" Carl fought back.
Rick stared at his son for a second, glanced down at the baby in his arms, then back to Carl.
"Yes. I mean, probably. Just, just take me to them and then look after your sister. I'll figure out what's next." Rick handed over the infant into Carl's arms. Before they continued down the block, Rick turned and called to Hershel. "Can you patch everyone up as best you can? We're headin' back out tomorrow. I need everyone at their best."
"Sure thing," Hershel called back. He turned to the returners. "Who's first?"
Each of the injured sat complacently as they were mended. Michonne gave her hand to Andrea to squeeze while Hershel pulled the bullet from her arm as delicately as possible.
Andrea tried to lift it when he was done, but Hershel stopped her.
"Don't go aggravatin' it too quickly, now. It's going to be sore for a little while."
"Guess I'm gonna have to learn to shoot one-handed," Andrea brooded.
Hershel moved on to Glen and Maggie's injuries.
Michonne was considerably undamaged for all her adventuring. Her leg was still sore, but Hershel had worked magic on it the day before. She was thankful she could walk properly at all. There was no infection either.
But she was getting more and more uncomfortable in this group of people. She suddenly felt like she didn't belong there. Like she was an outsider in their midst whilst Andrea settled in as if with family.
Besides which, she despised the dank air of the prison. Even if they'd cleared the bodies out, it still stank, the stale rot of death hanging all around them.
"I need some air." Michonne said suddenly, rising to her feet.
As she moved to leave, Rick returned, looking more at ease. When he saw Michonne turn to go, he couldn't help the suspicious expression that crossed his face.
"I'll come too," Andrea added, noting Rick's reaction. She rose to her feet. "Do you mind, Rick?"
He met her eyes and understood. Andrea trusted Michonne, and she wanted him to trust her too. It had been so long since Andrea had been with them, and yet she fell in easily, as if she'd never been lost.
"No, that's fine. Just be careful, okay? Don't go too far. And come back in and get some sleep as quick as you can. We're going back tomorrow." He paused, staring at the floor. "I just hope there's something left of 'em when we get there."
"There will be," Andrea said. She squeezed his arm comfortingly and then followed Michonne out to the fenced yard.
Michonne was seated on the pavement, looking up at the sky.
"One of the only things better about this world," Michonne said as Andrea sat down next to her. "You can finally see every last goddamned star."
Andrea looked up too, reveling in the light from the sky. She dropped her gaze to the ground.
"I'm sorry if it got a little, Brady Bunch in there. It's been a while, but they're a good group of people. You'll get more comfortable." Andrea said. She picked at the hem of her pants.
"Yeah, maybe. Long as they're good to you, that's all I care about." Michonne said.
Andrea looked hard at the warrior.
"Meesh, I am so sorry." Andrea said. She meant to say more, to explain all of the ways in which she was sorry, every detail of every mistake. But she didn't know where to start.
Michonne finally turned her head to meet Andrea's eyes.
"I know. So am I. I could've tried to convince you a little more calmly. It just felt so wrong there."
"And you were right," Andrea said. "That place was all kinds of wrong and I just didn't get it until you left. Maybe because having you there didn't make it so bad to bear."
Michonne smirked at her friend's little admission.
"I missed you." Michonne said, barely audibly.
"I missed you too. So much."
Michonne put her arm around Andrea's waist, pulling her closer, careful not to bump her injured wing.
Andrea dropped her head to Michonne's shoulder.
For a few minutes they sat in silence, enjoying the closeness. But something within Michonne stirred. It was jealousy.
"Did you... and the Governor..." Michonne didn't even want to put it into words.
"Yes. I can't take it back. I wish I could. I had some idea that it would help me find out more - about the town, about the outside world. That he would tell me things. I thought it would keep me safe. At least until I decided to leave. It was stupid." Andrea's stomach heaved a little. She was sick with herself, sick with the whole situation.
"It's okay." Michonne soothed.
"But it's not!" Andrea pulled herself from Michonne's arm. "It's not okay, because I did it and it was horrible and stupid, and all I could think about was how much I wanted it to be you. I wanted to be with you." Andrea's words tumbled out in a mess. She suddenly felt far too exposed, far too brash. She was risking their friendship, admitting how she felt. But she couldn't keep the words held in anymore.
All she could do was avert her eyes and pray she hadn't pushed Michonne away again with her admissions.
"It's about time you said something," Michonne said softly.
Andrea dared to lift her lids and took in the sight of big, brown eyes, inches from her own; of soft, plump lips so close she could feel Michonne's breath on her skin.
Michonne felt brave in that moment.
It was easy to be brave in the wilderness, battling for life against walkers and horrors and haunted humans. But she'd forgotten how to be brave in anything that didn't involve a blade. But Andrea's words, her eyes, her honesty, her strangeness - it made Michonne brave. It made her want them to be brave together.
It made her lean forward and kiss the pale pinks lips, timidly at first, then with more enthusiasm as she was met with warm acceptance.
Andrea curled a hand around Michonne's neck, pulling her closer, and Michonne slid a hand over Andrea's thighs, doing the same.
They parted only when they were out of breath. Andrea dragged a finger over Michonne's bottom lip, then grabbed her free hand and held it.
"We should probably-" Michonne began to speak when the silence of the night was disturbed. It was distant, barely audible, but they both turned in the direction of the gate. It was coming from the direction of the road. It was still far away, but closing in.
It was the sound of motors. The sound of the Governor's men come to exact revenge.
"No," Andrea breathed.
Michonne shot to her feet, sprinting back into the prison block. Andrea followed close behind.
"Rick!" Andrea shrieked. "They're coming!" She didn't elaborate. She didn't need to.
Rick bounded from his cot, stirred straight from sleep and corralled the rest of the group into the open space.
"I didn't think they'd be here this soon. I should've known." Rick began.
"Don't waste time blaming yourself." Andrea said. "None of us thought they'd be on their feet so fast. A third of them are probably still wounded. But they're coming. And quick."
"So what's the plan?" Glen prompted.
"We have to retreat. They have us outnumbered, outgunned. But we have to be smart about it. We know this prison better than they do. We know the terrain around here. We need a way to lure them in far enough so we can get to our vehicles. And theirs, hopefully. If we can lead enough of them away, we can attack whoever they've left behind to guard their vehicles and get the hell out of here." Rick said.
"We're coming too. We can help." The offer came from behind a locked cell door, from Tyreese. He was leaning into the bars, listening to their every word.
Rick only took a second to consider it. He'd spoken to Tyreese and his group. They were capable, they'd come far. And they seemed like decent enough folk. There wasn't much time to waste mulling it over.
"That's fine. I can't leave you here to die anyway. They'd tear you apart." Rick said. He nodded to Carl and the boy leapt into action, opening up the cell door and letting in the remaining survivors.
"But if you put one of my people in danger, I won't hesitate." Rick stared Tyreese straight in the eye. Tyreese nodded, hearing what was left unsaid.
"I understand." Tyreese said.
Axel stepped forward towards Rick.
"I want to volunteer." He said simply. He was a little pale, but his voice was firm.
"For what?" Rick asked.
"Well you said you needed to lure 'em. I can do that. Besides, I know this place the best. I used to deliver laundry all over the buildin'." I won't get lost." Axel added.
Rick nodded. He was impressed by the man. Up until now, he'd thought him cowardly.
"Are you sure?"
"Yessir. But you best figure out where you want me to take 'em. I don't think there's much time."