Road Weary

Michonne lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling. It was a quiet night and would have been peaceful if not for the soft snores coming from Tara, who lay next to her. She was curled into a ball and looked impossibly young and innocent. Michonne suspected the girl had developed a crush on Maggie, and she wondered how, or if, they would ever address it.

Three weeks on the road and Michonne was weary of travel. It wasn't physical so much as it was emotional. She didn't believe Eugene's story about having a cure. She thought it more likely he'd been nothing more than a lonely man who'd lived with his mother rather than a scientist with high level security in the government.

She had her doubt's but the decision to go to DC wasn't hers to make. Rick had made the call and she was with him no matter what.

Unable to sleep, Michonne got up and lit the lantern, illuminating the bed and desk with golden light. She'd been exhausted when she came into the room and had decided not to explore. Now she quietly rummaged through the chest of drawers and found a pair of pajamas that she pulled out.

Michonne put herself into the task of filling a bucket with water and used shampoo to scrub her clothes. They were absolutely filthy and the job of getting them thoroughly clean took her mind off her fears that they were risking their lives for nothing. After that she took a cold shower and then changed into the warm sleep wear she'd found. They were a bit loose but they were clean.

After ringing everything out Michonne snuck downstairs and quietly made her way to the back yard where the clothesline was strung up, still in good shape.

"You couldn't sleep either?"

Michonne started. She had thought she was alone. “Rick.”

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you.”

“You’re taking first watch?”

He nodded. “Daryl wanted some alone time with Beth.”

“What do you think of that pairing?”

Rick shrugged and wrung some more water out of her jeans before starting to hang them. “They found a chance at love and happiness with each other. I wouldn’t stand in the way of that. Not with how the world is now.”

“Beth’s been a positive influence on him,” Michonne commented.

“I found something to drink in the basement. Want to join me?”

“Sure.”

They took a seat on some crates that had been stacked up beside the house. Rick handed her a can of beer that he’d put in a cooler filled with cold water.

“Thanks.”

Rick studied her. The sky was clear and the moon was full. He could see her plainly since his eyes had adjusted to the darkness. An owl hooted. A cold breeze picked up. Rick immediately took off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders. She knew better than to refuse. He wouldn’t have taken the jacket back so she smiled wanly at him.

“You’ve been very quiet the past two days. What’s the matter?”

Michonne shrugged and downed half the can of the beer he’d given her.

“You can tell me anything, you know that.”

“I don’t trust Eugene’s story. If DC had a method of fighting this plague they would have done it already. They would have at least sent someone for him if they needed him to work on it.”

Rick nodded.

“I think he was more likely some lonely man who lived with his mother and spent all his time on the Internet playing games and beating off to porn.”

That got a chuckle out of Rick. “Me too.”

“You don’t believe him?”

Rick shook his head. “Not a bit.”

“Then why are we risking our lives on a fool’s errand?”

“I don’t believe Eugene has the answers to this cure but I do believe that if there’s even a remote chance of some kind of civilization left it’ll be in the nation’s capital.”

She made a noncommittal noise.

“There’s nothing left here in Georgia. There’s nothing here to live for.”

“No, there’s not.”

Rick looked around the grounds of the house they were squatting in. The grass was high and the hedges had long gone out of control. Still, it was a nice place. It had an iron fence that had kept walkers out and it hadn’t been looted, probably since it was off the beaten path.

“We could stop here. We could let them go on and we could stay and try to make a life.”

Michonne shook her head. “There’s strength in numbers. I guess I’m just tired is all.”

Rick nodded in understanding. They spent quite a bit of time in silence, cracking open a couple of more beers from the cooler. Michonne could feel the alcohol in her system. It made her feel warm. It made her head a little light and she thought she would probably get some rest after all.

Then they heard it. The noises coming from somewhere in the back yard. Moaning, heavy breathing, whimpers born of lust and need. Rick studiously stared at his beer and Michonne felt a stirring in her loins. The heat she felt in her belly had nothing to do with the beer now. It had been almost two years since she’d been with a man. She missed sex. She missed the intimacy of it, the heady feeling that came with release.

Without over thinking it Michonne set her beer down and got up. She faced Rick now, who was looking up at her with wide eyes filled with alarm. Behind that, though, was his own need. She closed the gap between them, slipping her tongue into his mouth, tasting the beer on his lips. She expected Rick to push her away but he didn’t. His hands gripped her waist and pulled her close.

Soon they were clutching one another, kissing passionately, and clothes were being rearranged. Rick stood and pressed Michonne against the wall before he entered her, being caring and gentle with his actions. Michonne didn’t want gentle. She wanted passion. She wanted to feel something besides fear and worry and broken-heartedness.

Rick moving inside her was a surreal experience. He smelled good, like the sandalwood soap he’d showered in, and he felt good. He filled her, fitting perfectly with her body as though made for her. He displayed an intuitive understanding of her and what she needed from him. His hands gripped her, or stroked her, exactly where she needed it when she needed it. Soon their own low cries and grunts echoed in the night until they found the release they needed.

When it was over Michonne rearranged her clothes, as did Rick, both of them keeping silent.

“I’d better get inside,” she said, looking him in the eye.

Rick smiled. “You with me on this trip?”

Michonne nodded. “I’m with you wherever you go.”

She went back into the house and tiptoed up to the room she was sharing with Tara. The girl still lay curled up and snoring when Michonne climbed into bed. This time her mind wasn’t crowded with doubts. Her mind was calm and her body relaxed. It didn’t matter to her if there really was a cure or not. All she cared about was the man she’d shared her body with, his children, and finding somewhere they could live a life together.

Feeling at ease for the first time in weeks, Michonne slipped into deep and peaceful sleep.