AN: Here we go, another little chapter.
I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!
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Michonne was almost amused at herself and the thoughts that flitted through her mind as she sat in the passenger side of the truck that Daryl was driving, another they'd gotten working following just behind them with Maggie and Tyreese occupying that space.
No one in their right mind these days would actually hope to see Walkers, but maybe Michonne wasn't entirely in her right mind since she hoped, as she saw some of the rambling strays in the streets, that when they reached their destination there would be at least enough to provide a little entertainment.
A trip to visit Jeremiah's group that involved Michonne and several others out of the community, and some discussion with Jackson about the plan they were putting into place to be ready to move shortly after the first thaw, had left everyone agreeing that there was a lot of merit in the idea of building a few wagons for moving supplies and progressing forward at a slower, but more guaranteed to be steady, pace.
And even though their community was in no hurry to have their wagons built immediately, since they had a year at least if Muh's predictions held any merit and were loaning out a good bit of their manpower to get the other two groups prepared to mobilize, they had decided that it would be a good idea to at least start stockpiling some tools and start preparing planks for the building that would take place. They were under no illusions, after all, that their first attempt would be their best attempt…and they doubted that they would even be successful at the start.
So when Daryl and Tyreese had announced they were driving several towns over to raid some of the stores for tools, Michonne hadn't wasted any time in insisting that she was going with them.
Daryl had, at first, protested the idea and recommended that she stay behind…after all it was a seemingly easy run and they had no idea if they'd even need more than a few hands…but eventually, while Michonne was topping off Zeb and preparing herself to leave, had given into her unwavering demand that she would go on the run.
Then Maggie had caught wind of the run, and she had very nearly fallen on her knees to beg for the day's release from the community for the excitement of going after the sought after saws and other instruments.
The community was safe…it was the safest they could hope to be, at least…and it was easy to get caught in the lull there. Michonne, for one, wasn't kicking that at all…she thought it was wonderful, and she felt thrilled that she had a safe place to leave her children where they could experience something of a normal life without the perils of constant Walker threats…but it had a way of causing you to go stir crazy after a while if you weren't the kind that was content with that life.
Michonne often thought back to her life before all of this had happened. She had been a lawyer…the kind that spends far more time at the office than they should. She'd been the kind of woman whose New Year's resolutions were always the same…I'm going to call my parents more…I'm going to spend less time at work…I'm not going to worry about work when I'm at home…I'm going to let things go and spend more time worrying about me and less time worrying about everyone else. And ultimately she was the kind of woman who broke those resolutions every year just to remake them again when the time rolled around.
Back then, even, Michonne couldn't handle "too much of a good thing" when it came to the quiet repetition of life. She loved her girls dearly, and she loved being with them, but she actually needed the chance to go into the office and work. She needed the getting out of the house and being reminded that the world went on outside those four walls and outside of Sesame Street, Mickey Mouse, and bath and bedtime routines.
Now things were different, of course, but in some ways they really weren't all that different. The community offered them challenges and they were almost always working to keep life going…to make it better…but there was a lot of the repetitious humdrum involved too. Michonne had become starkly aware of it through her pregnancy with Zeb, even more so than with Hope, and it had begun to make her feel like clawing at the walls.
Carol was different, and for that Michonne was grateful. The woman didn't seem to mind in the slightest that she was left behind to cook meals that would get eaten by a somewhat ungrateful crowd or to do laundry like she'd done the day before. She didn't even seem bothered at all that morning when Michonne had passed off her children and Maggie and had passed off her little bundle of joy for Carol to watch in between all the other domestic chores that kept her busy from sunup to sundown.
Domesticity fit some people like a glove, and it always had. Michonne assumed, though, that it was just another way that the world needed all kinds of people. At least having a friend like that on hand meant that she knew that she could leave the community, indulge her need to get out and engage in other activities, and do it without worrying about her children…because she knew when she got back, whatever hour that might be, they'd be happy to see her, but they'd be no worse for lacking anything during the day.
Michonne was caught up in a daydream when the stopping of the truck and the rocking forward, coupled with the squeaking sound of something that was likely past its prime in the vehicle, shook her out of it.
She looked around, almost as though she'd just woken up from a nap, and didn't try to hide her pleasure at finding that the small town they'd arrived at, one that looked very little like it had when she'd known it before all of this, was offering up at least thirty good Walkers within view…all of them seeming to notice, slowly, the noises that the trucks had produced.
Daryl chuckled next to Michonne.
"What?" She asked, turning her head, realizing that she was smiling…and so was he.
"Ya damn near 'bout ta piss ya pants ta get out there, ain't'cha?" Daryl teased.
Michonne chuckled.
"I haven't been out in a while…" she said.
"Just went ta Jeremiah's," Daryl offered.
"That's different," Michonne said. "We hardly saw anything on the way there…it was like going for water."
Daryl shook his head, his smile broadening, and he swept his hand toward her.
"Go on…get'cha ass out there, I'm comin'," he said.
Michonne kissed at him, offering him a smile, before she wrenched the door of the old truck open and slid out, her katana sheathed in her hand.
She didn't bother to put the scabbard on her back. She unsheathed the katana and walked toward the Walkers that were only now starting to become excited by her presence. It felt good, as she swung her arm and sliced through the first bunch she arrived at, to watch them slump to the ground. It was exhilarating, especially since it came without any of the drama of an unseen or unplanned attack.
Michonne worked her way around, almost chasing down the animated corpses that were moving far too slow for her tastes at the moment, and wiped most of them out in less time than she ever remembered clearing a small herd of that size.
She was caught up in her moment, unaware of where the others were or what they were doing. She could have very well stayed out there, in the center of town, ridding the entire place of Walkers while they got supplies…it didn't matter much to her to gather up handfuls of tools and other supplies in the moment. She was actually enjoying herself too much.
But eventually her fun ran out. As she was walking toward the final Walker that was readily available to her…one that was almost rotted to the point it couldn't proceed any farther, an arrow whistled through its head and dropped it by her before she had the chance to slice her katana through its skull.
She glanced back toward Daryl when she heard him chuckle.
"Too damn slow, old woman!" Daryl called out.
Michonne chuckled and wrenched the arrow free, knowing Daryl would want it back. She took it back to him, where he was standing only a few steps away from Tyreese and Maggie, and offered it to him. He took it, chewing his lip, his eyes narrowed.
Michonne hadn't forgotten that Daryl thought it was attractive to watch her kill Walkers…and she was sure that he'd gotten more than an eyeful with as much as she'd enjoyed the practice. Even now she was dripping sweat, but hardly noticed it because her excitement was still coursing through her veins.
Michonne leaned in, pecking Daryl quickly on the lips before she released the arrow entirely into his grasp.
"OK…that's enough," Maggie called out. "We've got a run to get to."
Michonne shook her head. Both Tyreese and Maggie were grinning…they hadn't missed her show either. She knew, though, that Maggie was as excited about the run itself as she had been about the Walker population, so she didn't fault the woman for wanting to get down to business. Maggie hadn't shown too much excitement in a while, so she certainly didn't want to put a damper on anything that might mean something to her now…even if it was just a quick run for any and everything they could grab.
"How ya wanna do this?" Daryl asked, turning toward Tyreese and shading his face with his hand.
Tyreese shrugged slightly and rubbed his hand on his face, looking around at what the town might have to offer.
"I'll take Maggie and the hardware store," Tyreese said, gesturing toward one of the slightly worn down buildings.
Daryl nodded his head slightly.
"I'ma take Michonne on down there a piece," Daryl said. "See if we can't find some other stuff ta haul back."
Tyreese nodded his acceptance of this idea and he Maggie started in silence toward the hardware store that was their chosen location. Daryl stood for a moment, looking at Michonne before he finally spoke.
"Hop back in the truck," he said. "I'ma drive down there…looks like there might be some kinda grocery store…could always do good to haul back whatever they got."
Michonne glanced in the direction that he was signaling and spotted the store easily enough that he likely had in mind. She smiled at him, slinging her scabbard over back and unsheathing her katana in case the walk from where she was until she arrived at the store might offer up something else for entertainment.
"You drive," she said. "I'm going to walk…"
Daryl chuckled but nodded, turning back toward the truck. Michonne watched him for a second and then stepped forward, starting toward the building they'd pick clean before they left.
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"You got all into them Walkers today," Daryl offered with a smirk, watching Michonne as she was smoothing on lotion. She was taking longer than necessary simply because she knew that he was enjoying the show.
"Mmm…" she hummed. "It was nice to get out…I love it here, I really do…but I'm not some Brady Bunch housewife…not like the wife of your dreams," she teased, remembering Daryl's description of the imaginary woman that he'd always used as a filler in his daydreams.
"Wouldn't trade ya for it neither," Daryl said.
"Do my back?" Michonne asked, stretching out her hand with the lotion bottle. Daryl smirked and took it, his face running red in the lamplight.
"Do more'n that…" he muttered.
Michonne snickered and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of it when he finally crawled behind her on the bed and applied the lotion. He spent more time on it than was absolutely necessary too, kneading her muscles in his hands.
They'd gotten everything they'd went for on the run, and they'd been satisfied with the promise that going a few more towns out would probably yield up an even better supply once they were sure what it was exactly they needed.
Beau, Jimmy, and Junior would get plenty of practice helping out the other two groups with their building…and eventually they'd be the masterminds behind their own projects. It was best to let those who knew what they were doing lead the pack when it came to something that no one else was entirely sure about.
There had also been mention by Glenn, over dinner, of going out in search of abandoned farms. He reasoned, and Michonne gave it credit for at least being a logical train of thought, whether or not he was correct, that they could probably find some livestock left alive if they spread out in the areas around where the animals would have been abandoned. Horses and mules would be good for travel, if realistically they could find any, and anything else could be brought in for food for the year…slaughtered for them to eat on the road before they left.
Glenn, feeling something like a cowboy from his earlier bull wrestling experiences, had thought it reasonable that they could break whatever they found and make it suitable for their travelling. Michonne wasn't sure how it would work out, but if nothing else, it would provide at least an afternoon's worth of entertainment to watch the man pretend to be some kind of master at breaking wild or half wild horses.
"Daryl…" Michonne asked, coming out of her daydream a little, Daryl still rubbing her back, though he'd long finished his initial task.
"Yeah, 'Chonne?" He asked, his voice softer than it had been before, indicating that he too had been daydreaming…and that he apparently found the action he was performing almost as relaxing as she did.
"Have you noticed that the farther ahead we get…the farther back we go for inspiration?" Michonne asked.
Daryl stopped rubbing for a moment and there was silence as he considered her words. Then he resumed his actions with a little more force behind his hands than before, causing Michonne to moan with the unexpected feeling for a moment.
"How so?" He asked.
"Well," Michonne said, chuckling slightly at the thought, "I mean we're building wagons to move forward…by hand, nonetheless…it's just…the more we move toward our future, the more we're looking back in time and figuring out that even the technology we still have gets in our way."
Daryl was quiet for a moment, but he didn't stop his rubbing. He chuckled lightly, apparently taking in everything she'd just said, and perhaps adding to it for himself.
"You're right," he said. "Reckon…hell…maybe that's why Muh's lived as long as she has…"
"What do you mean?" Michonne asked.
"Well…reckon her ass remembers when they ain't had all the shit we had 'fore this…an' now she done lived long enough ta see it up and gone again," Daryl said.
"Mmmm…" Michonne moaned her agreement. "You could be right…but she's also lived this long because it's not her death day yet."
Michonne raised her voice up in teasing at Daryl. He wasn't entirely sold on the old woman and her predictions, but he also didn't dare to mention to nearly anyone that he doubted her from time to time. The community had come to regard the woman as something more than simply a crazy old woman, even that's what she really was. Even Michonne, who didn't consider herself superstitious in the slightest or given to believing in silly things, had to admit that if the old woman told her it was snowing outside in July, she'd put a coat on before she ever opened the door.
Daryl didn't take the bait of the teasing, though, knowing that's really all it was. He rubbed her shoulders a few moments longer and then he stopped, cracking his knuckles behind her.
"Now it's your turn," Daryl declared.
Michonne turned, pulling her legs up onto the bed and wrestling the cover out from under with no intention of doing it the possibly easier way and standing up. She raised an eyebrow at Daryl.
"You want me to put lotion on you?" She asked.
Daryl smiled and shook his head.
"Nah…you do just fine smellin' like a daisy," Daryl said. "But…I could use a massage…"
Michonne tried to bite back her smile at the face Daryl was making, faking being serious for the moment.
"You think I'm interested in that…do you?" She asked.
"It's ya own damn fault…" Daryl responded. "Shouldn'ta run around after them Walkers an' then told me weren't nothin' happenin'…"
Michonne let the smile break through then.
"Tyreese and Maggie could have shown up any time," Michonne said. She leaned, though, inviting him to kiss her, and when he did, she wrapped her arms around him and deepened the kiss. "You better be glad you're cute…" Michonne teased when their lips broke apart for a second, allowing them to get more comfortable.