Title: Moments Between Two Survivors

Author: Mina Robins

Fandom: Walking Dead

Pairing: Michonne/Andrea. Because, hey, give me two women together on a screen and I'll give you femslash.

Rating: G, cause there's going to be a piñata party. No, really, it's a zombie apocalypse, so M.

Summary: Two women facing the world of the undead. How hard can it be?

…..

The closing feral moans of the undead barely kept the blondes legs from giving out from under her.

Barely.

Andrea had been running, staggering, tripping for hours. The bullets in her gun ran out during the last couple agonizing miles, the ammo had managed take down the numbers of the zombie pack to only three. The sun had minutes left to set and thus submerging this nightmare into complete darkness. She knew she had to face the remaining three monsters now, her arms ached and her head spun, but there was no fucking way she was going out without a fight or going out at all.

Swinging her body around she let her shoulder pack thud onto the ground. Taking the muzzle of her gun she swung it into the approaching bald zombie's temple. Following through with her momentum she finished the dead thing by burying her weapon into its skull. Stumbling back, her legs shaking and her breath coming in grasps she flicked out her switchblade. Slamming the short edge into the nostril of the second zombie gave the thing a quick end but also lodged her blade into its nasal cavity. The dead weight dragged her forward and made her drop to the ground.

There was no way she was going to die. Her hands groped through the leaves for a rock while crawling backwards from the last thing keeping her from living. She refused to end this way. She pushed back, kicking desperately at the ground to create some distance. The erratic thumping of her heart covered by her infuriated and breathy screams. How can she die like this, with one stupid, decaying piece of fuck?

A shing of light flashed above her and decapitated the monster's head neatly onto the leafy cushioned ground.

Andrea glared up at her saviour.

…

Silence was now the routine. After asking for the blonde's name there had been hardly more than a handful of sentences between them.

You could hardly say the pair had a seamless partnership though. Michonne was used to being alone, no one was ever present to argue with her decisions; two brain-dead, jawless Z-heads weren't exactly capable of heatedly discussing with her the downside of just walking into a town.

"I'm tying them to this tree; stay here so I can survey the town." Michonne ordered.

That was the thing that irked Andrea most; Michonne had to, had to, bark out commands. Andrea was over being the submissive underling to another leader. "I'll come with you; it's dangerous to just go down the damn road."

"I know where to travel." Michonne hissed back. "Stay."

"No."

They glared at each other.

The only sounds emitted by the two chained things staring hungrily at the quelling morsels of meat.

For a moment Andrea was getting prepared to dodge the other woman's hands, ready if Michonne tried to incarcerate her in anyway. That had happened once only too quickly and Andrea had never quite gotten over how Michonne had bonded her hands so efficiently behind her back. In the end the blonde was freed since there was no point of leaving her defenceless. The only thing that excursion had managed to do was make them loose daylight.

Michonne flared her nostrils and wordlessly began the trek into the small deserted town, Andrea followed suit and made sure to walk on par with her companion. She knew she was capable enough to hold her own; she was going to prove herself to the other woman. Andrea rolled her eyes, if only Michonne had seen her before the last zombie had almost pined her down. Then she wouldn't have appeared like such a damsel in distress.

The last civilized place they had walked to was completely deserted. Without even an undead groan to liven it up. But this was a town, with food and water tucked away and filled with loitering zombies.

In the last farm Andrea had found a crowbar with one end of it sharpened to a point. Time to see if it was worth lugging the damn thing with her all this time.

…

"Why are you dragging those things with us?" Andrea finally asked.

Michonne glanced over at her companion, slightly startled. They had only been together for couple of weeks and it seemed that Michonne was still unused to living things, living people, which were capable of speech.

"Mules for gear." Was the simple response. Even though neither undead was carrying anything other than the tattered clothes on their backs and rattling chains around their necks.

Andrea raised an eyebrow.

Not to be bested, Michonne took the side pack from Andrea's shoulder and swung it over the closest mule's neck. The zombie tittered comically over and bumped into the other chained creature causing them both to topple to the floor.

Andrea spluttered out a laugh at Michonne's consternation which earned her a glared. The browned skin female pulled the undead things up from the ground. For a second it looked like the zombie shouldering the side pack was going to do a repeat performance but not before a light shove from Michonne helped it to regain its balance.

"That's really fucked up."

Michonne shrugged.

Andrea hadn't wanted to travel with the crazy ass maniac, but she knew she could only stay awake and on guard for so long. There was also the fact that Michonne had saved her life.

She hated owing her one. From the first time they had met Andrea felt obliged to the other woman. They had started traveling together immediately after Andrea picked herself up. And they were traveling together; Andrea refused to trail behind someone stronger like a puppy with its tail between its legs. Like how she was at the beginning of this hell.

She made sure to contribute when scavenging and to be a watch even during the nights up in the thin branches of the trees. The blonde knew she couldn't head back towards the farm but she had to get back to the Group. Even if they had abandoned her, they were all she had left in this forsaken world.

Michonne was morose on best days and quiet on every other. Which suited Andrea just fine since she found no reason to throw up her entire life story onto the stranger. The attitude she could take, considering how Michonne was with the sword. The two dead monstrosities, which her companion insisted to dragging along with them, that was an entirely different and twisted issue.

…

It was after the second month that Andrea noticed Michonne talking to the two zombies. She would murmur to them, not just as if a person was praying to an unanswering god but she was actually holding a conversation with them.

"The blonde is frustrating."

A pause.

"I don't know why you two would talk me into keeping her."

Michonne scoffs. "Yeah, cause I've always craved girl time."

Another pause.

"Fine, I'll try."

Andrea cracked open an eyelid wondering why the hell the other woman was more inclined to talk to brainless cannibals than to her. She huffs and rolled over so her back is facing the equally crazy trio.

The blonde sneered, how the hell she could free jealously towards two zombies was beyond ridiculous. Like they said, if you talked to god, it's call praying. If god talks to you, it's schizophrenia.

...

"Just get in, we smell worse than those things you have chained with you."

"I…"

"How often do we talk?"

"Thankfully never." Michonne replied a little too happily. Which wasn't true since they've been conversing with one another a lot more after Andrea started making an effort and Michonne encouraged it. Well encouraged it in her own way, instead of ignoring Andrea completely, she replied with words.

"Look, if I say we smell." Andrea motioned between the two of them. "We smell."

Michonne shrugged but sat cross legged at the edge of the metal tub, debating whether to get into the manmade swimming pool. The tarp that had covered the diminutive water supply had managed to keep out any wondering zombies. It was a salted pool so they wouldn't be able to consume it and it wasn't like they had soap or really any other places to bathe. The house next to the kid sized pool had been burnt to a cinder.

The two zombies had been chained to the rails a distance away, the open landscape ensuring a clear line of sight for any trouble.

Michonne slowly took off her robe and other garments. The weapon clenched in her hands, her grip lingered on her sword even after she had unfastened its scabbard from her back.

Andrea nodded and turned to give her companion some privacy, it's not like she hadn't seen the other women nude. Considering that they both strived to keep each other in their visual field at all times. It was just a courteous action to take part in, especially when they had the leisure to do so. After not hearing any movement Andrea revolved around and was splashed by a small wave of water as Michonne all but plunged into the pool.

"Michonne, what, are you four!"

"You look like a wet cat." The brunet snickered but before managing to move further into the pool Andrea had taken out a face cloth and started mercilessly scrubbing at the other woman's back.

"Since you have to be such a child, guess I'll have to make sure you actually get clean."

"Stop, woman, are you crazy?" Michonne growled out as she made a lame ass attempt at maneuvering further into the pool.

Somewhere along the months they had gotten use to manhandling each other to accomplish certain things, it was quicker to pull your companion away from the closing jaws of an undead than to give out a yell and alert more of them to your position.

Michonne spun and pranced out of the waist high pool and tackled the blonde down. "You're supposed to be keeping watch!"

"There isn't anything for fucking acres; you just had to get me wet me didn't you!" Andrea tried to dislodge the other woman to absolutely no avail. She tugged and kicked but every attempt she tried was easily counter.

"I don't have to try to get you wet." Michonne jibed back, missing the sudden change of emotions from the blonde.

Andrea was under that last fucking zombie from all those months ago, back after the zombie hordes overflowing Hersey's barn. The group trapped like roaches. Back to burying her sister because she couldn't protect her. She was seeing the others covering up the dead because they couldn't fight. It was freaking her out, being contained, restricted, being so weak. Andrea started wheezing for breath, her attempt to break free frantic and animalistic.

"Fuck." Michonne released her grip on both of Andrea's hands, the moment gone, and sat up. This was the first time she had ever seen the blonde loose it. She coped by talking to her… mules. The blonde coped by blocking everything out. Andrea had always had her back since the day they met. She was stubborn and infuriating but also real. Unlike her two dead friends that got tugged along with her.

The brunette got up and out of Andrea's way. The other woman scrambled up and latched onto the crowbar that lay only inches away. The cold metal centered her and acted as a primer for her control, aiding like a lid, resealing the abrupt crushing anxiety.

Andrea flushed red as she realized that Michonne had been completely naked against her. She had never been attracted to a woman that's for sure. But there was something about being the only two living members in a group of four that really bonded a pair. Shaking her head at the silly thoughts, Andrea coughed. "I never want to get held down again."

"Okay." Michonne reassured. A promise in her voice.

Andrea moved to face her companion. "No, no, I mean, teach me how to fight."

They started sparring every day after that.

...

Winter was not only nipping at their asses, it was gnawing through their bodies. It was nowhere near cold enough to freeze the muscles of the undead completely. But it was just enough to make them sluggish and aggravated.

They had found a cabin on the very outskirts of a small community of farms. Well Andrea had found it and brought the both of them up to it in time. Michonne for one reason or another absolutely refused to use a vehicle which made trudging through the shin high snow a dreary and draining affair. Michonne had gotten ill at some point, feverish but still insanely strong. Andrea had noticed the shivering and blue lips of her companion and insisted on breaking into and starting an old truck and all but pushed the resistant brunette into the cracked seats of the car.

"Can't leave them behind." Michonne intoned. "Not again."

Andrea looked at the hand beseechingly gripping her bicep and sighed. "Fucking great."

The zombies were herded onto the back of the truck and secured with ropes and a bucket of profanities. The fucking things never seemed as obedient or as compliant towards Andrea.

Clearing the small building of any undead infestation took a while since Andrea was going through it alone, forbidding the other woman from staggering up. "I like my arms; I don't trust you swinging anything around at this state."

The place was still teaming with supplies. It was a worthwhile venture so the two women decided to celebrate. Which boiled down to opening two cans of beans instead of sharing just one. They had no choice but to bunker down. The windstorm outside was getting deathly.

Michonne was burning up, but the shack of a home kept most of the cold out, they normally wouldn't dare light up a fire so near other settlements but Michonne hadn't stopped shaking and her can of beans were cracked open and yet hardly touched. Andrea had lugged in all the logs by the side of the house and tried her best to seal up the windows with the tarp she had found over the kindling outside.

The brunette normally would insist on a no fire policy, it brought not only zombies but others. Though at her current state she only stared listlessly into the flickering flames. After luckily, insanely luckily, finding some medicine in the washroom cabinet and making sure Michonne took it with a large sum of boiled water, Andrea started to remove the soaking jackets, pants and undergarment from her companion's heated body.

Andrea took out a basin and cloth and started methodically washing her partner's body. Michonne was sticky from sweat caused by her illness. Not sure what else she could do, the blonde stripped down and slid into Michonne's sleeping bag, pulling the woman's heated body against her cooler one.

Michonne hissed but gave no more argument.

...

When Andrea awoke in the middle of the night she realized Michonne had turned and curled closer into her and was crying silently. "Mike and Terry?"

"Shhhhh, they're outside but here."

"I'm sorry I left."

Andrea tighten her hold on her companion and started stroking Michonne's back like she had when her sister would have nightmares. "It's okay."

"Andrea."

"Yes?"

"I promise I won't leave."

"I know you'll try." Andrea knows better than to believe in promises in such a time, in a place such as this. "Sleep."

"No." Michonne replied flippantly. "No."

Andrea rolled her eyes and continued stroking the other woman's cooling body, at least the drugs were working. "Fine, stay awake then."

"No…"

...

Andrea twisted in Michonne's grip and rolled her body then turned them over so that she was straddling the other woman's hips. Slinking forward Andrea pressed her forearm onto Michonne's neck and increased the pressure until a jarring stab hit her stomach, right over her diaphragm.

The blonde breathlessly huffed a swear, silent even when in pain. "I thought I had your hand."

"You didn't." The brunet smirked and switched their positions, leaning close she whispered. "Do I get I prize."

"Fuck you." Andrea replied playfully as she reared back and swung her head forward.

"Maybe later." Michonne turned her head away at the last second and blinked. "You almost got me that time."

"Why is it always an almost?!" Andrea pushed up at the woman on top of her, how the hell she could protect Michonne if she couldn't even manage to beat the woman once in a scuffle. She lost Amy, she couldn't lose another member in her…

"Hey," Michone called softly, noticing the familiar self-loathing Andrea often got in her eyes when she failed. "You're better already."

"I don't want to be better." Andrea replied as her hands were free, she leaned up on her elbows.

"Again then?"

...

A hand connected soundly across Andrea's face making her vision blur horribly but not enough to send her into the safety of unconsciousness. After so many close calls she had trained herself to withstand just a little too much. Her hands were bound together or she would have made an attempt to rip out this jackass' throat, instead, she felt her body sway and almost gave into toppling onto the splintered wooden boards.

"You call that a fucking blow job?"

The blonde spat out the blood that collected within her mouth and answered by staring antagonistically back at the man that had struck her. Her glare earned her another swift clot against the head.

"Fucking do it right this time or we'll kill that nigga girl you had tagging along with you."

Andrea's eyes shot wide open even with the pain that came from the swelling that had started.

"That's right little woman, we kept her alive, do you want to make sure she gets fed?"

Andrea scowled but nodded.

"Then bob your perfect little skank mouth on my dick."

...

And as always, please inform me of any grammatical or spelling errors.