Another Wife

A/N: So I absolutely hated Negan when he killed Glenn. However, he is a very interesting character. So, I ended up writing this, to add to the countless pile of Negan/OC fanfiction out there.

Disclaimer: I don't own TWD, just a fan of the show.

It was miserable living on the points system. I had only been with the Saviours for a few weeks. I was one of only a few survivors from a small community Negan had destroyed because our leader dared to stand up to him. I worked every day as a cleaner. My one day off was Sunday. I could choose to take Saturday off as well, but that meant a lot of points would be deducted from my week total. The points I earned for my work was the difference between me eating paltry portions of terrible food and having a bed with a hard, thin mattress or being left outside to take care of the walkers and risk getting bitten. It was really not much of a life, but I was still grateful to be alive and healthy. I was also happy to be in the Sanctuary and away from my community, as it meant my stepdad could not beat me anymore. I was only 18, and lucky to be alive with the way the world was now. I was in the middle of cleaning one of the nicest bedrooms, which belonged to Negan's wife Sherry. I liked cleaning his wives bedrooms, as I never had a lot of work to do in them. Sherry had a fruit bowl and some snacks in the kitchenette area of her bedroom. I had been tempted many times by the food the Saviours carelessly left lying around their bedrooms, but I knew better than to touch anything that was not mine. The last cleaner who had been caught stealing food, had ended up with her hands mangled beyond recognition. Negan had then had her driven out and a group of Saviours had watched as she because a feast for the Walkers.

It was a horrible way to end a life, and she had not been much older than me. After I replaced the sheets on Sherry's bed, I sat down for a few minutes to enjoy the softness of her mattress and also to rest my tired legs. It had been an extremely long shift, especially since Dwight had decided to knock over the huge tureen of hot cabbage soup that had been meant for lunch. He had scalded one of our cooks. Of course, Dwight never got the blame. Since food was tightly rationed, we could not take more food for our lunch and everyone on the point system had to skip a meal. I was given the task of cleaning up the mess, and Dwight had not allowed any of the other cleaners to help me. He disliked me a lot, although I did not understand why he did. I was always friendly to him, despite the fact that Dwight was rude to practically everyone on the points system.

"What the hell are you doing, missy?" I heard a gruff, familiar voice ask.

I immediately jumped up from the bed, turning to see Negan standing in the doorway, his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. Then I quickly kneeled. It was one of the main rules of being a Saviour. We all had to kneel to Negan, to constantly remind us who was in charge. As if we could ever forget. "I'm sorry, I'll leave, sir."

He laughed suddenly, his sudden switch from annoyance to amusement startling me. "It's fine, sweetheart," He beckoned for me to stand up again. "I was only joking, relax alright? I wanted to talk to you anyway, so it's a good thing I caught you here."

"Why, sir?" I asked, feeling surprised as I slowly rose to my feet. It made no sense to me that Negan would make the effort to talk to me, just a lowly cleaner. Then again, nobody ever knew what sort of wicked ideas were running through his warped mind. "I-I mean, what would we have to talk about?"

Negan advanced upon me slowly, his dark eyes fixed on my own brown ones as he smirked at me. "First of all, stop calling me sir. I know I look old to you, but I sure as hell don't feel it."

I shook my head quickly, denying what he had said. "No. You don't look old to me." It was true, although I was partly saying it so as not to irritate him. Yes, his beard was interspersed with grey and he had some creases on his face but it did not matter to me. I still thought he had attractive features plus he kept himself fit and healthy. Besides age was not just about looks but your personality. Negan just had a charismatic energy that not many people had.

"Who are you?" He asked, wiping all trace of a smile off his face as he rested his hands on my shoulders.

I knew what he wanted me to tell him. So I complied. "I'm Negan. We're all Negan here."

"Good, that's very good, Charlotte." His smile returned. "Let's sit down and talk."

I hesitated, and he grew impatient with me.

"I hate asking people to do things twice, sweetheart," Negan remarked in a singsong tone of voice. He went to sit down on the bed.

I sat down on the bed too, leaving a ruler's width length of space between us. "Alright, so what do you want to talk about?"

"Tell me Charlotte, do I smell bad?"

"No, of course not!" I exclaimed hurriedly. This was actually the first time I was close enough to Negan to notice his scent. It was strong and distinctive, musky almost to the point of being overpowering but stopping just short of that. "It's just...what if Sherry were to come in. I wouldn't want her to get the wrong idea, although I know that's not very likely. Because she's beautiful, and I'm just – me."

"Look, I know I haven't talked to you since the day I first met you," Negan sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. Then he stared straight at me with an intense gaze. "And you don't know I've been watching you. Hell, I've even been getting my men to watch over you and report back to me. Now, I'm a very busy man. It's hard work to lead the Saviours, so do you really think I would waste time checking up on you if I hadn't thought you were beautiful? If I didn't think it was worth it to find out more about you?" He moved closer to me on the bed. "Forget about Sherry. I'm just talking about you and me now, sweetheart."

I was unsure of how to take the news. It made me feel uneasy but also I felt strangely warm inside. "You've really been watching me? You're...I mean, you're not serious are you?" That a man like Negan would be attracted to someone like me did not make sense. His wives, despite their different looks, were all stunning. I was just plain and ordinary, having a face you would miss in a crowd. "You can't be serious..."

Negan quickly leaned towards me and before I could even protest, had pressed his lips against mine briefly. "Did that show you how serious I am, or do you need more proof?" He held my face in his hands, kissing me again, but this time with more pressure yet still keeping it a closed mouth kiss.

I felt a red flush creep up onto my face, as I raised a trembling hand to touch my lips, where I felt an odd tingly sensation. "That was my first kiss..."

"I hope it's not our last kiss," He replied, giving me a playful smirk as he took hold of my hands. "I'm gonna ask you a question now, and don't be afraid to tell me no. Nothing will change, I won't be mad at you. This has got to be your choice. Will you marry me?"

It was a very surreal moment for me. So many thoughts were swimming around in my mind. I could say no, keep my dignity and not have to share my 'husband' – it wouldn't even be a legal marriage - with other women. I would not be married to a cruel man who thought it was perfectly acceptable to bash stranger's heads in with his own baseball bat, or to mess with their minds psychologically and torment them. If I said yes, I would no longer be trapped in the daily drudgery of life on the points system. Negan took good care of his wives, despite his many, many flaws. I knew he had a kind side to him, it was just that people rarely got to see it. And there was mutual attraction between us, although I was still in shock that he liked me and wanted me to be his wife. I stared into his eyes, which seemed like a warm brown right now, but I knew how easily his eyes could switch to dark pools of coldness. He had lost his conscience, but yet still I had some sympathy for him. Everyone had changed after the world we knew was destroyed. I knew it was hard for him to be the leader for so many people. To make sure that we all survived and prospered. It was a big burden he constantly bore on his shoulders. He ruled over us with an iron fist, but if he did not it would be impossible to maintain control over us all. It wouldn't make a difference to him if I said no, apart from his pride which might be dented. I did not want to be a cleaner for the rest of my life, however long it lasted with the way the world was now. Weighing everything up, I decided my answer to his question. I nodded.

He gave me an odd look. "I'm gonna need verbal confirmation, sweetheart."

I took a deep breath and gave him a tentative smile. "Yes. I'll...marry you."

"Well, that's fan-fuckin-tastic!" He exclaimed, giving me a big grin. "You had me a bit worried there for a moment, you were so silent. You know, usually when I propose I get a yes straight away. Apart from Tina. And Sherry, because of that whole situation with Dwight. I gotta get him another wife. He's earned it. Poor Tina, huh? She could have stayed with me and had everything..."

"Can we get married in Alexandria?" I asked, not wanting to enter a discussion about Dwight and Sherry or the twisted mess he had made of their lives. Today I could be a little selfish, I thought. I had not gotten what I wanted in a long time, and I hoped Negan would fulfil what I wanted for our wedding day. "And could I get a white dress and a wedding ring? I don't care what type of ring it is, as long as it fits my finger. I just...always had this idea that when I got married it would be a small affair. I heard they have a priest there, and a small makeshift church. It sounds perfect to me."

"I can tell you're gonna get along great with the other girls. They love making demands too," He laughed, and then his expression turned solemn. "I don't know, sweetheart. I'd be worried for your safety there. Besides, you're gonna hurt the Reverend's feelings..."

"He isn't even a real Reverend though. And I can defend myself if I need to, but I don't think they would want to make you angry. Especially after..." I paused. Everyone had heard what had happened when Negan had gone back to Alexandria with the leader's son, Carl, in tow. "What happened the last time you were there. Maybe you can even give them a bit more time to get supplies together. Seeing as our wedding day would be a celebration, right? And since they would be hosting our wedding, it would be nice to give them something in return."

"I'm gonna pretend you didn't say we should give them something. I don't owe them shit." Negan dropped my hands like they burned him, and he stood up from the bed. He glared at me. "We're getting married here, today, with the Reverend. That's my final decision."

I knew I had messed up. I should never have said anything about doing something for the Alexandrians, but I had gotten carried away by thoughts of a nice wedding. My hope was crushed, and I was upset but tried not to let it show on my face. I knew I was failing as hot tears sprang into my eyes. "I'm sorry, you're right, Negan. You didn't get to be our leader with leniency. You always say, show no mercy, right? I was being silly anyway. It's not like it would even be a real wedding, so it doesn't matter where it's held." I stood up too, averting my gaze away from his face. "Can I go now, please?"

Negan sighed heavily. "Don't cry, sweetheart. I know you didn't mean any harm, you're just too soft. So that's why it's a good thing we're getting hitched. I can toughen you up a little, and maybe you can smooth out some of my hard edges, huh?" He pulled me into a hug, enveloping me in his arms and his scent. He was taller than me, which meant my face was pressed against his chest. I felt safe and comforted; despite the fact that he was so dangerous I knew he would not hurt me. If anyone else apart from his wives had dared to say that he should go easy on the Alexandrians, they would either have a burn mark disfiguring their face or they would be dead. I wrapped my arms around his waist, returning the hug. He slowly pulled away from me. "Alright, damn it. You want a wedding in Alexandria, then that's what you're gonna get. But don't you ever let me hear you say our wedding isn't real again. I love you, Charlotte. I love you and all my wives. I know that's hard for you to believe right now, but in time you'll realize how much I love you." He gently wiped the tear tracks from my face. "Now tell me you love me."

I knew that he knew I did not love him. Not yet. It was too soon. I might never love him, but I still told him what he wanted to hear. "I love you, Negan."

Thanks for reading :)