After Michonne leaves Woodbury and is shot by Merle, she meets Negan who saves her life. The companions find a new home in Alexandria. When another group led by the mysterious Rick Grimes becomes a threat to Alexandria, Michonne must make some hard decisions to protect her home, but certain circumstances have her second guessing who's good and who's bad.
"So once Carl gets better, what are your plans?"
Rick's head snapped to Michonne. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, are you going back to the factory?"
Rick looked like a deer in headlights. He blinked rapidly as if the thought of going home had never crossed his mind.
"I really haven't thought about that yet. I've spent most of my time focused on Carl and what he needs, I just honestly never thought of when I'd come back. I mean, Carl needs to be here for now for his check ups with Dr. Denise, but if she gives him a clean bill of health then I guess that is where we're headed."
"You guess?" Michonne asked, tilting her head. "Isn't the factory your home?"
"I wouldn't call it a home. It's more like a shelter. A safe place for us to rest our heads. We've made it livable, but I've always been a supporter of home is where the heart is."
"And your heart's not there?" Michonne asked hopefully, looking briefly at Rick's nose and then dragging her eyes up to meet his.
"Not right now," Rick replied.
Michonne's eyes slowly moved to his pink lips, almost hidden beneath his beard. They looked juicy, welcoming, but then she remembered something.
"Why do you still wear your ring?" She inquired before lying down on the blanket and propping her head on her hand, watching him intently.
"What?" Rick asked, taken completely off guard. He had been silently hyping himself up to move in and kiss her and he didn't expect that question at all.
"Your wedding ring," Michonne said, gesturing with her chin at the shiny gold band.
"Oh," Rick said, looking down at the band as if surprised to see it there.
"Most days I forget it's even there" he admitted. "Putting it on is a habit that I've done for so long I don't think about it."
He began to twirl the ring around his finger absentmindedly.
"Does it bother you?" He asked, leaning in closer to read her every expression.
"Well, rings usually mean you're unavailable. Isn't that the point?" She asked.
He studied the ring that had been something of a safety net for so long. Lori had been dead for over a year, and even before her death their marriage was barely hanging on. He was using its presence as a shield for his heart, to keep even the prospect of another woman away. But he'd already found another woman without even looking for her. The final step was to get rid of the physical barrier.
"You're right," he agreed. He looked down at the ring, twirled it to loosen it, and then removed it from his finger.
Michonne looked at his finger that had a permanent indent from the ring being there so long.
Rick looked back at Michonne with a smirk. "I'm available."
