BROKEN TRUST

A/N: This is my first Walking Dead fanfic. This is also my rendition of what occurred right after the season 5 ep 16 finale. I was late to the bandwagon for Walking Dead, but rest assured I am totally hooked! Let me know what you guys think! I may make this into a chapter or just keep it as a one shot. But of course it's all up to you guys!

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS

It was chaos everywhere. After he had shot Pete in the head, he vaguely remembers seeing Morgan again. He was ambushed by some of the residents that were at the meeting after the shock had worn off as to what he did. He tried to struggle against what seemed like five men as they were trying to hold him down, he could see his family trying to fight back to free him. Deanna was holding Reg's lifeless body in her hands as he glimpsed Carl looking at him with fear in his eyes. Carl isn't supposed to be here. "No! Carl get out of here!"

The last thing he remembers is Michonne's foot coming towards his face. His head was filled with the chaos all over again constantly going back and from between still darkness and chaos. Then there was pain. Pain and nausea that he couldn't force down causing him to blindly turn on his side to puke the few contents that were still in his stomach.

"I see you're awake sunshine."

"What?" he groaned out.

"You really made a mess of things didn't you?"

He blinked his eyes trying to clear the blurriness from them as he tried to face the familiar voice. Carol. His whole body hurt as if he was a giant ugly purple bruise, but not as bad as his nose. He tried to sit up to touch his nose.

"Be still, you'll hurt yourself."

"Why does my face hurt?" he was able to say hoarsely, his throat was so dry. "How long have I been out?"

"You're face hurts because you gotcha face smashed in by Michonne and you've been out for two days."

"What? Why would she do that…Carl and Judith where…"

"You're children are fine. Maggie and Sasha have been watching over them," she cut him off before he could finish his questions, "and as for why Michonne had to knock you out yet again, was to actually save you. The good ol' folks of Alexandria were trying to beat you."

"What are you talking about?" His patience was wearing thin, he was having a hard time comprehending what she was saying.

"Oh boy, you really don't remember much do ya sunshine?" He looked at her with a confused face, trying hard to remember what happened. "You may be having a hard time because of the concussion you received."

And then it hit him… everything that had happened that night. The nightmares weren't nightmares, they were real. He shot Pete after he killed Reg.

"Ah… looks like you're sharper than I thought. Now you remember what happened?"

"Why was Carl there?"

"Beats me. That's something that you have to ask him yourself."

They could hear in the distance a door opening and closing. At that moment he took the time to look at his surroundings. Carol was sitting on a chair from the kitchen in the corner of his bedroom. Wait, why am I in my room?

"He's awake."

He looked to see who it was that came in and saw that it was Michonne. She wouldn't look at him though. From what he could see, she was expressionless, stoic.

"You can get some rest, I got it Carol."

"You sure?"

"Yes." With that Carol got up from the chair resting her hand on Michonne's shoulder with concern in her eyes.

Before she closed the door Carol turned around, "Let me know if you need anything."

Michonne only nodded and with that Carol quietly shut the door. He looked back at her now, her face still void of any emotion. Uh-oh. He knew that this wasn't good, the last time at least she was pissed at him. He tried looking at her eyes because they always gave her away but she refused to look at him directly. Focusing her stare everywhere but his face.

"Well… are you gonna say something?" He drawled out.

She looked down at the floor and took a deep breath and slowly let it out. She's having a hard time controlling herself.

"What do you want me to say Rick?" Her voice was monotone. "Once again and within a span of 24 hours, we, you're family, have to fix this disaster that you caused." The last part was said with a bit of emphasis.

"I'm sorry Michonne. I really am, but you have to know that I'm trying here."

"You're trying by killing someone because you have a vendetta against them?"

"What are you talking about Michonne? He needed to die! He was beating her and possibly the kids too. He came to that meeting with the intention of killing me with your katana! Or do you seem to forget that important detail?"

She was looking straight at him now, she was seething with anger. Her hands were balled up into fists in her lap.

"How did he get the katana anyways? Michonne, why don't you understand that I had to do it?"

"You had to kill him because he was not only a threat to the rest of Alexandria but also to our safety as well, so that I do understand but what I don't understand is the reason why you two got into a fight in the first place which in the end is also another reason why you had to kill him."

He was exhausted at this point trying to stay awake he scooted up and rested his head against the headboard. "I already told you why. He was beating Jessie it wouldn't be long until he would start beating the kids."

"You've said that already. What you haven't said was the real reason why."

"I told you…"

"No you haven't Rick," her tone was becoming agitated, "You're involved with her."

He froze for a second, what did she mean by that? "Michonne, of course I was involved. Do you expect me to just sit back and do nothing?"

"So you're form of action is to kiss her even though you already knew she was married?" She couldn't keep the anger from her voice now and she didn't care at this point. He lied to me. He led me on when he had no intentions of starting anything with me now that there are other options.

He couldn't meet her gaze because he couldn't see the hurt in her eyes. He opened his mouth only to close it several times trying to think of something that he could say to make things better… but there was nothing that he could say. I fucked up. Tears were starting to prick his eyes and he tried to swallow them down with a whimper. Clearing his throat he asked, "How did you find out?"

"Out of everything that you could say, that's what you ask?"

"What do you want me to say Michonne? Yea I kissed even though I knew she was married."

"Do you realize that she is the reason why you're, no we are in this mess that you caused? Do you even realize that she is the real reason why you killed Pete without hesitation? It has nothing to do with protecting us, protecting Carl, Judith, or me… you did it for her." He could hear the hurt in her voice and for a second he thought that he lost her. He lost the most important person to him other than his own kids.

The tears came back but this time he wasn't able to stop a tear from spilling over. He picked up his head to look at her with his voice full of emotion, "I'm sorry."

He could see all of the walls that he was able to bring down within the past year or so that she was a part of his family be built right back up. I lost her.

"It doesn't matter Rick. What's done is done now. Since you were out for the last two days, Daryl and I have been working non-stop to figure out how Pete was able to get a hold of my katana."

"You were used Rick."

"What?" Confusion was clouding his facial features and in doing so was causing him more pain.

Her voice transformed into cool ice. "Jessie used you to kill Pete. After you shot him, she disappeared. So while we are searching for her, we spoke to Ron and Sam. Ron was the one who saw you two kiss at the party. He told his father which is why you two were fighting in the first place."

"Sam overheard you promise her that you wouldn't help anyone else like you would her. After you left she told him that it wouldn't be much longer before they wouldn't have to worry about his father. He said that he asked her what that meant and all she would say is that his father would no longer be here."

All he could do was to shut his eyes and lean his head back against the headboard trying to understand everything that she was telling him.

"As to how Pete had my katana is because Jessie had a change of heart. She snuck into the house and stole it from above the mantle. She had Ron take the katana over to his father so he could get to you first."

With barely a whisper, "she set me up…"

"She set you up."

"Why if she wanted me to kill him in the first place? It doesn't make sense."

"No, you're right about that but someone who is abused like the way Jessie was, is emotionally scared. In a sense, for a moment she may have wanted him dead, but then she can't seem to live without him either. People like her keep going back because they don't know of anything else."

"But Carol went through the same thing, how could she walk away from that and Jessie couldn't."

She leaned back on the chair resting her head against the wall, "She didn't have much choice. After Ed was killed by the walkers she had two choices: move on and live or die. She chose to live."

All he could do was nod his head once, processing everything she was saying.

It was silent for what seemed like hours but was only a few minutes. Then she spoke, "You chose her over us Rick." The hurt was back in her voice. "For now the kids and I are staying over at Carol's." She shot up out of the seat and practically sprinted to the door.

"Wait, what do you mean?" He was trying to get out of the bed but with the pain and nausea coming back, it prevented him from being able to get his legs over the side of the bed.

"For now it's best to have some space." With that she bolted out of the room.

"Michonne! Wait!"

The door opened again and Carol came in, "Hold your horses sunshine. You need to lay back down." She gave him the look that he knew not to disobey, so he huffed his way to lay back down.

With a half smile she states matter-of-factly "You really made a mess of things this time Rick."