A/N: This story came from a western AU response I gave for the "Richonne Baker's Dozen II Sentence Challenge" by richonnejustdesserts on Tumblr. I hope you enjoy!

For ten years, Rick Grimes was sheriff of Alexandria. He had planted roots there with his pregnant wife, Lori, and young son, Carl. They had become part of the small, unique community, nestled in the heart of a protected oasis in 19th century Virginia. He had enjoyed a wonderful life before tragedy and joy struck simultaneously when his wife died in childbirth, leaving him devastated and responsible for two young children. Help came in the form of Carol Peletier, a recent widow with a missing daughter, and Daryl Dixon, a hired gun turned deputy sheriff, both of whom saw Rick through the worst of his dark times.

Now Rick was in a good place, having a handle over his troublesome sixteen-year-old son and adventurous two-year-old daughter. He was able to make it day to day without thinking about his wife or the life they could have had. Alexandria, for the most part, was a safe, prosperous town with the odd traveler from neighboring towns.

That was until Michonne appeared, riding into town on a chestnut stallion, with five riders on matching black mustangs galloping in behind her as she made her way to the local bar. The two women in her party and one of the men, Tara, Rosita, and Jesus, followed her inside while the remaining men, Noah and Abraham, spread out and investigated the new town they found themselves in. The moment Michonne moved into the bar all eyes were on her, startled by the appearance of a leading black woman this far south.

"Good evening, sir," she murmured in greeting to the barkeeper, sitting down on a stool while the others in her party sat at a nearby table. "We're going to need some drinks."

The barkeeper, a young man named Spencer, eyed her hesitantly while another patron slipped out under Rosita's stern gaze. "Um... ma'am, you... I..." Her withering glare caused him to change his mind and he stood straighter. "Uh... what would you like?"

Michonne smirked. "Three whiskeys and some water," she ordered, looking the man up. "Thank you."

She moved away from the bar and sat down with her friends, removing her katana from her back and laying it across her lap as settled in to her seat. Jesus and Tara were engaged in a heated conversation about a recent job they'd pulled and the best way to spend the money. Michonne and Rosita exchanged amused glances but remained out of the conversation, opting to vaguely listen while observing their surroundings. The bar was quite full that night and the other patrons were nervously watching Michonne's group, but trying to avoid eye contact with them.

"This is an interesting area you picked, Mich'," Rosita muttered quietly. "You think we'll find something here?"

Catching her friend's curious gaze, Michonne sat up straighter in her chair. "We need to rest here for a while," she responded. "Noah's leg is still fucked up and we're all exhausted."

"We should have gone further north then."

Michonne understood the woman's counter, but something about this town made her feel safe. Or at least safer than she would have been if they had moved on to Pennsylvania or New York.

"I want to see what's here, Rosita," she admitted. "The neighboring towns are ripe for us, so we can camp here for now."

"You think that's a good idea? We're already attracting some attention," Rosita observed, motioning to the entrance where the escaped patron tentatively returned, followed by a tall, handsome man with a Colt Python. He looked around the bar before his eyes locked with Michonne's, widening slightly upon seeing this new stranger in his town. They stared at each other, frozen in a moment of shock, arousal, and suspicion, breath hitched and skin tingling.

"Sheriff," Spencer called out, breaking the momentary connection and forcing Rick back to reality. He waved at the barkeeper as he made his way over to the table where Michonne's posse sat.

"Good evening," he greeted with a tip of his hat. "My name's Rick Grimes."

Tara eyed him with amusement. "Hello Sheriff."

"May we help you?" Jesus inquired and the lawman offered a faint smile.

"Im just here to check in on Spencer, make sure everything is ok," he replied politely, his eyes once again drawn to the mysterious woman with dreadlocks and katana. He had never seen anyone like her before and he doubted he ever would again. "You alright, Spencer?"

"I'm fine, Sheriff, thanks for asking," the barkeeper responded quickly as he brought the newcomers their drinks. "Here you go."

"Thank you," Michonne uttered, unable to keep her eyes off of Rick as well.

"Are we going to have a problem, Sheriff Grimes?" Rosita questioned, instantly noticing the intense looks her friend and the man were sharing.

"No," he answered. "As long as you're not here to cause trouble."

"What makes you think we're here to cause trouble?" Tara piped in, also noticing the looks. Jesus watched the proceedings with mild interest.

Rick finally looked away from Michonne and eyed the three others at the table. "This town's pretty far out of the way." Michonne downed her drink and snorted, drawing his attention yet again. "It's not very often we get such a… Diverse group of visitors," he finished.

Michonne stood up, prompting the others to quickly finish their drinks and follow suit. "Don't worry, Sheriff," she cooed teasingly. "We're not going to mess up your little slice of heaven. We're just lowly travelers, in need of a place to rest our weary heads."

Rick watched them move to the door, his fingers curling around his gun tentatively. As they filed out, he felt compelled to question the enigmatic woman one last time.

"What's your name, miss?" Michonne arched a brow and he cocked his head to the side, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "If you plan on staying here a while, I'm gonna find out one way or another."

A genuine smile graced her face and nearly knocked the wind out of him, his heart skipping at how beautiful she looked in that moment. At how dangerous she suddenly became in that moment.

"Michonne," she informed him, catching the flash of desire in his eyes before he managed to squash it. She looked him up and down once more, gratefully taking in his dark curls, fierce blue eyes, trim build, and bow legs before she turned to leave. "Have a good night sheriff. We'll talk again soon, I'm sure."

With a flourish of her katana, she was gone, along with her comrades, leaving Rick intrigued and breathless.

"Michonne," another patron mused. "I've heard that name before… Where have I heard that name before?"

Rick snorted at their ignorance and turned to face the excited group of Alexandrians left behind in the bar. "Because she's famous."

"For what?"

A new arrival to the bar caught Rick's attention and he turned to see Sasha Williams, one of his deputies, walk over to him. "Daryl and Glenn are following them," she informed so only he could hear. "Staying at the hotel down the way. Maggie gave them three room keys."

Rick nodded in thanks and was about to give her instructions for the rest of the night when another patron interrupted him.

"Who's Michonne?!"

Sasha exchanged a surprised look with Rick. "Michonne? That's who that is?"

Sighing, Rick gave her a curt nod and asked her to wait outside. "I'll meet you in a minute." He waited until she was gone before he turned to his anxious audience. Despite being a relatively progressive town, one that allowed him to hire a black woman and a Korean man, there were still certain people who feared the arrival of outsiders. "She's wanted in connection with some thefts further south. Some very violent thefts. They call her the Black Samurai."

"You ain't worried?" Spencer asked and Rick shrugged.

"Not for us," he told them honestly. "At least up here. I don't have any interest in arresting someone for freeing slaves, even for a high reward." He caught sight of a few widened eyes and knew he had piqued the interest of a couple of men in the bar. It was the nature of any town to have a few opportunists. Hopefully, for the sake of peace, these interested parties would keep their distance, as he was going to advise his deputies to do. If Michonne was in town and if her reputation was anything to go off of, she was not here to cause trouble. He would find her reason for being in Alexandria, but he also did not need anyone instigating problems where for now there were none. "Y'all have a good night. And I suggest you use your heads," he warned before leaving. Sasha fell into step beside him as they headed back to the station.

"You really think that's the Michonne?" She inquired and he exhaled deeply.

"Possibly," he answered truthfully. "Either way, I want to know what she's doing in my town."

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this! Please let me know what you think and thank you for dropping by!