When they all awoke, the first thing John and Michonne saw were each other. With Andrea as their buffer, they simply stared at each other. Unreadable expressions on their faces, but completely known feelings in their hearts, they both realized that their arms were no longer around Andrea. And Andrea started to wake up.

John and Michonne immediately turned away from each other. Andrea stretched her long, thin arms into the air and then abruptly brought them down. She looked to her left and smiled at Michonne. She just stared at her. Then, she turned to the right and smiled at John. And he too just stared at her. But in the haze of waking up, she was none the wiser about what happened the previous night.

Andrea sat up and immediately reached for her water. A brief epithet escaped her lips when she realized a few twigs or something had gotten in her water bottle. She took a drink anyway. Without saying a word, Andrea got up and left them to urinate.

John and Michonne turned to each other, still not saying a word. But their expressions weren't hostile. Instead, they maddeningly just…looked at each other, like they were playing poker. What could be said in this odd situation?

Canned food breakfast was consumed in silence. Water was done the same way. A final check of their bundles and supplies had Andrea playing a game of pinball with her head.

"Did," Andrea carefully began, "something happen that I'm not aware of?"

"No." John said, not looking at her.

"No." Michonne quietly said, adjusting Her Girl on her back.

"OooooK! Just checking…"

And with that, they went on their merry way. East. Always, always heading east. Led by John, of course.

.

By mid-morning, they had to take a break. It was an unusually hot summer morning in eastern Georgia and, even though they were on the run, they had to be careful with the heat and water consumption. By silent agreement, they all took a break. Michonne and John went completely separate ways – one to a nearby tree, and the other resting on a dilapidated log. Andrea was in the middle, hands on her hips, looking at the both of them. She knew something was wrong or something, but she didn't inquire any further.

"We'll need water." John said. "I think there's a creek over this way." He pointed to the right. "I'll go check. Gimme your water bottles." The girls complied. "I'll be back." John left.

Andrea all but collapsed on the forest floor, stretching her long legs straight, resting on her hands. Michonne just looked at her, a blank expression on her face. She noticed that Andrea seemed a little out of breath.

"You should take an antihistamine."

Andrea looked up and saw a proffered pill in Michonne's hand. Smiling, Andrea took the pill.

"Thank you." Andrea gratefully said. But then, her eyebrows furrowed as Michonne sat down beside her.

"But…there's no wat-"

Suddenly, a small, Army flask was shoved in her face. Andrea laughed out loud.

"You sneaky little devil!"

For the first time in quite a while, Michonne chuckled. She actually laughed a little at Andrea's dumb little joke. And as Andrea popped the pill in her mouth, she took the flask from Michonne's hand, her fingers gliding along Michonne's.

"Be careful with it." Michonne warned.

Andrea looked at her suspiciously. "Is this…water?"

Michonne just grinned. "Just try it."

With narrowed, ornery eyes, Andrea took a swig and nearly coughed the pill out of her mouth. But, she caught herself, tipped her head back, and swallowed the pill.

"Thank you, Michonne. I really appreciate it."

"Anytime."

Andrea appreciatively smiled. She handed the flask back to Michonne, who put it in her backpack. Once that was done, she turned back to the blonde, staring at her face. Andrea looked at her with a perplexed expression.

"What?" Andrea asked.

"I just…" Michonne scratched her eyebrow once or twice before adding, "I just can't get over…" And then, her voice dropped to a whisper, "how beautiful you really are."

Andrea was at a loss for words. Embarrassed, she dropped her head, loving the admiration but completely unprepared for it. A few seconds passed before Andrea felt a strong finger on her chin, lifting her head back up.

Passion. Longing, passionate eyes met in the forest clearing as woman stared at woman. A little confused, Andrea looked at her as Michonne's finger traced Andrea's so, so soft lips, cheek and chin. Andrea fell into Michonne's touch, eyes closing, and mouth opening.

Soon, Andrea's eyes completely closed as she reached for her friend's elbow, gently stroking. Michonne shifted her fingers to Andrea's delicate neck, finding a sensitive area that elicited a delicious moan from Andrea's lips. Andrea tightened her grip on Michonne's arm, gracefully rising to her shoulder. And that's when lips met.

Soft. Such a soft, short, sweet kiss and Michonne and Andrea continued to touch, feel, explore… Andrea opened her eyes only to see Michonne's eyes open as well. They were drugged with their passion as they kissed again, but this time, it lingered and grew in intensity. Michonne shifted her head and glided her hand along Andrea's shoulder, squeezing and so urgently massaging. More moans, more kisses, more touching….

"I love you." Michonne whispered. Andrea's eyes slightly widened.

Snap!

The girls instantly separated. But not before Andrea reached for the katana and Michonne reached for Andrea's knife. Stunned, they looked at each other for an instant before they realized John was returning.

"I'm back!" John announced. The girls' hearts were still pounding as they looked at each other, sheepishly returning each other's weapons. They wondered why it got so much hotter all of a sudden. Well, not really.

John busied himself with ordinary tasks while the girls looked like they were busy. He was oblivious to their tension. The sun slightly rose higher in the sky (it was going to be another hot day that day!) and a distant moan or two could be heard in the woods. Michonne stomped the campfire out and Andrea tossed empty cans into some brush. John had just finished wrapping up his bundle and Michonne quietly approached him.

"Let's go hunt." Michonne quietly said to John, much to Andrea's surprise.

John studied her for a second before complying. Andrea, a half-smile on her face, secretly loved how they seemed to be getting along. Smile intact, she too tied her bundle together, annoyed with the sudden clanging noise from their frying pans. She thought they were ready to leave. But apparently, Michonne had other plans.

Silently, John and Michonne left. Andrea was mildly surprised that John and Michonne headed south instead of east. She watched them swiftly move through more brush and hop over dilapidated tree trunks until, a few seconds later, they were out of her sight.

The two hunters walked in silence. No words were needed. Basically side-by-side, Michonne and John were looking for signs of life – animal and walker foot prints, damaged leaves, chewed tree bark, animal droppings, etc. Eyes scanned, ears perked, and mouths stayed shut. One looked to the left while the other looked to the right as they methodically pushed through the woods.

And every time they felt the need to make eye contact, it was simultaneous and appropriate. Communicative even. Head nods said to go this way. Subtle hand waves said to do that. They worked together well in the woods.

In the woods.

The pair was slowly leaping across a log. John looked up at all the seemingly endless trees in wonder and Michonne steadied Her Girl.

"Back off." Michonne whispered.

John came to a stop. "Huh?"

"You heard me." She responded, slowing her pace a little. She scanned to the right and nodded to him. With understanding, he began walking that way, Michonne in tow.

"Did it ever occur-?" John began asking, but quickly stopped talking. Michonne's instincts kicked in too. They looked to the right simultaneously and saw the threat.

"I'll-" She started.

"I know."

She glanced at him with a mixture of surprise and annoyance before watching him casually stroll towards the walker. Michonne crept forward and slightly left, flanking the rotting corpse.

"Hey idiot!" John yelled.

The walker turned its torso towards him and its eyes widened. They would've opened even further if it wasn't for the sword that suddenly emerged from its left eyesocket. She swiftly removed the blade and the threat was vanquished. Shaking her sword with one harsh stroke, she resheathed it and started walking. John, by that time, had already been approaching her.

"We should check-" John began.

"I got it." She interrupted.

He eyed her curiously, keeping pace until she came to a stop right beside the walker. Kneeling down, she inspected its feet and let a soft curse word out.

"What?" John asked.

"Barefoot."

He sighed. "Well, we can find Andrea better shoes on some other-"

"I'll find them for her."

John put his hands on his hips as Michonne rose to full height. She looked at him with clear hostility while he looked at her with anticipation. A soft breeze tousled some of his brown hair and harsh odors from their fresh kill invaded their nostrils. They didn't seem to care. It looked like Michonne had more to say. And never a truer statement was said.

"Talk." John simply said.

"I am." She replied, STILL glaring katanas into his eyes.

John let his head roll a little before returning to her. "And stop glaring at me! We're on the same side, you know?"

"Are we?" She accusingly asked.

He narrowed his eyes a bit. "Yeah. We are. Got a problem with-"

"I don't got a problem."

They stared at each other as the Georgia sun burned down on them. And quite suddenly, he chuckled. "It's 'I don't have a problem.'"

This time, it was Michonne who rolled her eyes. After that, she merely stared at him, but did, in fact, stop glaring at him. Then, she simply turned to the left and started walking. John watched her take a couple of steps.

"I mean you no harm." He said.

Michonne came to a dead stop but didn't turn around. "Do you know how many sci-fi movies have used that statement as a harbinger of doom?"

John's eyes widened in surprise as he took a few steps towards her. "Well, you, Ms. Anthony, have quite an educated mind there!"

"I know," Michonne calmly said, "that you meant that as a compliment," she slowly turned and faced him just as he came to a stop a few feet away, "but that was rude."

John noncommittally turned away. "Sorry."

"If you're gonna say 'sorry', say it like you mean it."

Now, John was getting angry. "Look, Michonne. I've been helpful and useful. And it's pretty obvious you and I are a perfect fit out here in the woods." He extended his arms out towards the thick forest. After a moment, he let his hands drop to his sides. "But you have got to relax about-"

"I don't gotta do anything!"

"There you go again!"

"With what?"

"It's 'I don't have to do any-!'"

"Oh shut up!"

"You shut up!"

"Why should I?"

"Because you're being an immature brat!"

Michonne's eyes narrowed and she took a bullying step closer to him. "I fucking dare you…" And if it were any more possible, she took yet another step towards him until she was inches away from his face. She slowly said, "I fucking dare you to say that again…"

"Michonne," John softly began, "what are we doing?"

Stunned, she rapidly blinked several times, backed up, and turned to walk away. She would've gotten further away until she felt a soft hand on her wrist.

"Please, Michonne." John pleaded. "What's going on?"

Hand still on her wrist, she gradually turned around and faced him. Hurt eyes met confused eyes and a long, impassioned moment passed between them. A walker moan could be heard far in the distance. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. He let go of her wrist and turned his whole body slightly to face her. John patiently waited.

Michonne tried again. Silence. So, John took the bull by the horns.

"I swear that all I want," John quietly yet confidently said, "is to find a safe place and live the rest of my life." Michonne's eyes were glued to his as he continued, "After the Governor…" he cleared his throat, "k-killed my wife and son, I didn't feel like I had a reason to live." Her eyes widened for the briefest of moments and then were forced back to neutrality. "That doesn't mean I wanted to kill myself."

John turned towards a dead tree trunk and laboriously sat down. Michonne stayed rooted to her spot.

"That just means," he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, "I had nothing to look forward to. I had no…absolutely no reason to get up in the morning." And then, he darkly chuckled. "Well, there's one thing the Governor did for me." Her eyes narrowed in confusion. "He started ordering me around. He ordered me to get him fresh kill for his dinner. Every single fucking night… I figured there was no harm in it and I basically had no choice. So, for a long time…a long time indeed, I just hunted. I was a hunter. I was…lost…"

Michonne watched the little flickers in his eyebrows, his mouth, his eyes, his…everything. Finally, she turned and squatted down on the heels of her feet, staring at him. When he looked over, he could've sworn he saw something akin to sympathy in her eyes, but he wasn't sure. She nodded for him to continue. So, he did.

"And then I met Andrea." John said, purposefully looking her in the eye. "And…I don't know how to put this, but…a small piece of me started coming back. And as the days went on, even more came back. And then…" his eyes intensified, "I met you. And even more came-"

"Stop." Michonne painfully whispered.

Confused, John asked, "What?"

"Just stop. I get it now. I get it…more than you know…"

John nodded and looked down. They could feel the sun of course, but this time, the light and heat beat down on different locations on their bodies. Time had passed. And Andrea had been left alone.

And, as true hunters, they had the same thought at the same time.

"She's…" John began, lifting his head towards her. He was mildly surprised that she too was staring at the forest floor. "She's too…important to us…to lose." His features hardened, "And if we lose her to the Governor…"

Michonne's head flipped towards him and she harshly stated, "That's not going to happen."

And without another word uttered, they both rose at the same time and practically ran north. Back to Andrea. Back to their lives.

.

She was surprised at how careless they were. Branches were cracking, brush was being pushed aside in all directions, and even their labored breathing was heard. Their return wasn't as hectic as the last time they came back from hunting, but she did pick up on the sense of urgency. When she finally saw them, she could easily see their eyes, locked on hers.

"Hey!" Andrea said, just as they neared her and came to a stop.

"Hey." Michonne said back, just a little breathlessly.

"Hey." John humorously mimicked.

Andrea opened her mouth, potentially to ask a question, but was cut off.

"We should get going." Michonne announced, and was that a bare trace of a relieved smile on her face?

"I'll get the bundles." John announced, reaching behind Andrea.

"I can get my-"

"No, I've got it."

Andrea couldn't help but smile at him. She turned to her other side to see Michonne reaching for Andrea's second bundle.

"I'll grab this one." Michonne said.

Andrea, eyes narrowed, slowly stood up and was surprised when neither of them offered her a hand up. They were busy grabbing things she normally carried. She realized they were being…nice, suddenly. Protective, even.

"You know," Andrea said, brushing dust off her jeans, "I'm not a damsel in distress. I can-"

"You've been carrying," Michonne said, hoisting the second bundle over her other shoulder, "both bundles for a while now. I'll take it now."

"And I've got the other one." John proudly said, snatching the second one from Michonne's hands.

"But that means I'm not going to carry-"

"So you deserve a break." John happily asked. "So what?"

And before Andrea could answer, Michonne said, "Let's go!" And, again, was that a small smile, or…?

Shrugging, Andrea followed Michonne as John took the rear. And it didn't take a rocket scientist to see they were walking east. Again.

Several hours passed. It was obvious it was either mid-afternoon or in the early stages of late afternoon. The sun was just now beginning to cast their long, narrow shadows in front of them. The narrow path along State Route 29, long since established by bicycles from before (from before…), hugged the highway, sometimes right beside it. But they avoided the close proximity as much as possible. They were still on the run. And they knew it. And very soon, they would become very aware of it.

Sometimes, Andrea turned to look behind her. A couple of occasions, John was right behind her, smiling that salesman grin that amused her. Other times, John was a good ten yards behind her, scanning left and right. And Michonne? Well, when she was in front of her, Michonne was always only ten steps ahead of her. Andrea felt cocooned by two very protective…friends. The thought made her smile.

Friends. She was surrounded by friends.

Her smile widened even further. It stayed on her face even when she heard the sound. Lost in her thoughts, she thought of her friends and almost bumped into Michonne, who had come to a stop.

The sound.

Andrea snapped out of her reverie and listened. John did the same.

The sound got louder.

Michonne grabbed Andrea's left arm and John grabbed the other. And before Andrea could say a word, all three were whisking away from the highway into the woods. Once they broke the tree-line, they advanced a little further, hiding behind some scrawny bushes. The sound got louder and sounded like…like…a whirring. No, that wasn't quite right. Andrea cocked her head a little to the right before she looked over at John. His eyes were focused, determined. He kept his sights on the highway. Andrea felt Michonne's hand fall off her arm but John held firm.

And still, the sound got louder. Andrea's intuition was correct – it was a whirring sound. With some rumbles. More whirring. Even more rumbling. And then, recognition rocked her senses.

A car. And not just one. It must've been more. And she was correct.

In the far distance, at least five cars could be seen. John's grip on her arm tightened to the point of being painful. But then, her only concern was the convoy, advancing on their location.

The convoy got closer. So much closer in fact that their faces could be seen!

Pfffffft!

John and Andrea whirled around to see Michonne had decapitated a walker. And that's when their gaze shifted a little to the right to reveal at least a dozen walkers approaching them!

John and Andrea immediately leaped into action! The air was cut by Michonne's katana as it practically flew through the air. Two more walker heads were removed from their bodies. The sounds of walker moans filled the air. A walking corpse grabbed Andrea and she screamed. The other two turned and ran to her. But Andrea held the hungry walker at bay until she grabbed her Bowie knife and stabbed it in the mouth! Blood poured out on her hand as she kicked its lifeless body to the ground.

John slit the throat of one walker just to shut it up before he effectively killed it. Andrea slammed a walker into a tree and before it could get its bearings, she slammed her knife into its rotting skull, letting it slump to the ground.

Michonne twirled in the air, slicing off two walker heads in the process.

John broke the kneecap of a corpse, letting it fall on its side before a knife penetrated its head.

Andrea cut. Michonne carved. John stabbed. Over and over and over…

Finally, all of the dozen or fifteen walkers were wiped out. Panting, all three looked at each other, exhausted but happy that they'd get to see another day again.

"Well!"

John, Michonne, and Andrea all turned around to see that all five vehicles had stopped. At least seven men with RPGs and machine guns, all trained on John, Michonne, and Andrea, were standing at the ready. And in the center, stood a tall, dark-blonde man, hoisting an enormous and very long assault rifle over his shoulder. He was looking at Andrea.

"You must be Andrea!" The man said. He chuckled, looking up and down at her body, licking his lips. "My God, Merle was right. You are fucking hot!"

.