Thank you so much for all of your support and comments. You guys are fab. Another person who is fab is Catherine Morgenstern. She is not only the star of this fic, but also the person who offers endless support and advice. Her eagle eyes picked out mistakes, offered suggestions and provided insight into the lovely Negan. Thanks, dear.

The Sanctuary was little more than a prison as far as Catherine was concerned. It was as tightly regimented as a military base. Negan had rules for everything and a points system that made her roll her eyes so hard they almost fell out of her head. More points meant more privileges and Catherine had a big fat zero. Which irritated her on an hourly basis because it meant she had nothing to exchange for a mug of coffee. Hell, she'd settle for a mouthful. Negan also had a harem. Catherine had laughed until tears leaked out of her eyes when she'd heard that. It was just so ridiculous.

Everywhere she went, she felt eyes watching her. Negan might have let her leave easy street, but he'd merely exchanged one locked room for another and this one was just as torturous. She wandered into the yard area, making note of the number of vehicles and who was allowed to drive them.

Stealing one of the vans would be preferable, but she knew in reality she wouldn't make it more than a few feet before they shot out the tires and probably her brain as well. What she needed was to disappear into the night and put as many miles as possible between herself and the Saviors. Unfortunately, she was watched at night as well. She'd discovered that little annoyance on her first night out of easy street. She'd woken at about 4:05am to the kind of stillness that only happened when the world was asleep. Catherine had pulled on her boots and crept out of the room. The hallway had been thick with shadows and silence with only the occasional snore from one of the other rooms breaking the quiet.

She'd walked slowly to the end of the corridor and come face to face with Dwight. He'd been leaning against the wall and picking his teeth with a toothpick. The moment Catherine had seen him, she'd spun around and returned to her room, instantly understanding that Negan had ordered him to keep an eye on her. And she knew in that moment that she wasn't as free as they'd led her to believe. Dwight was watching her all the time. She could feel his eyes on her this second and the sound of his footsteps creeping nearer were almost as familiar as her own by now.

"You lost, little girl?" Dwight's voice called from behind.

Catherine tensed, her hands clenching into fists. "No. I'm just stretching my legs."

"And you thought you'd do that by the exit and the only working vehicles in sight?"

She turned to face him and forced a fake smile onto her face. "It's merely a coincidence that I ended up here." She cocked an eyebrow and dared him to call her a liar. "Just as it's a coincidence that every time I turn around, I see your rat-like face staring back at me."

The smirk faded from his lips. "You want to be careful what you say to me. Accidents can happen real easy around here." He stepped forward and tucked his hands in his jeans. "You might find yourself tripping down the stairs or trapped in a room with a walker."

"Where's Negan?" Catherine demanded, ignoring his threat. If she ever did trip or find herself in a room with a walker, she'd make damn sure he was right next to her.

"Negan don't want to see you," Dwight said.

Catherine bared her teeth. "Then he can tell me that himself," she spat before turning and marching back into the building in search of Negan.

The compound still confused her. There were so many rooms and corridors that she was never quite certain exactly where she was. She knew he had rooms on the top floor. Both for himself and his 'wives', but she'd yet to visit them herself. Well, that was about to change. If Negan thought for one second that she was going to sit on her hands for the remainder of her life then he was mistaken. She would force herself into his ranks and gain his trust. And then, when he least expected it, she would disappear and take his guns with her.

She came to a set of stairs that she was sure would lead her to Negan and began to climb. Dwight was directly behind her, so close she could feel his rancid breath on the back of her neck. Catherine barely resisted the urge to kick back at him. She looked up and spotted Fat Joe at the top of the stairs. His nose was bulbous and purple, the colour spilling down onto his cheeks and beneath his eyes. He squeaked when he saw her and flinched.

"Move your fucking arse," she snarled.

He scrambled back, almost tripping over his own feet in his haste to get away from her. She heard Dwight mutter something behind her, but it was too low for her to hear what he'd said. Increasing her speed, she reached the top of the steps and shoved her way past Fat Joe.

"Fucking pathetic!" she hissed.

The area at the top of the stairs was less industrial than the rest. The floor was covered with mats and paintings peppered the walls. Several doors were set at intervals; all of them were closed. Catherine could hear the low murmur of conversation from the door that was nearest to her. Without pausing, she pushed it open and saw a large, square room with several couches dotted about. In the far corner, next to a window, was a bar. There were five women sitting inside and chatting. They all looked up at her as the door banged into the wall from the force of her push.

"Looking for something?" a dark-haired woman asked.

Dwight moved Catherine aside and entered the room. "She's looking for Negan."

The woman cocked an eyebrow. "Well, as you can see, he isn't here."

"Then I'll wait until he is," Catherine said, walking forward to sit on the nearest chair. It was soft and comfy and she could have quite happily fallen asleep in it. "You don't mind, do you?"

The woman exchanged a glance with Dwight before shaking her head and coming to sit opposite her. "I'm Sherry."

"Of course you are," Catherine said, allowing her eyes to drop contemptuously over Sherry's skimpy dress.

"Watch your mouth," Dwight warned from beside her. "Negan don't take kindly to his wives being insulted."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Catherine asked, glancing at each of them in turn. Sherry and Dwight were the only two who would meet her eyes.

It was Sherry who answered. "You don't know what he's capable of." She lifted her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "If you want to survive here, then you'll do as he says and follow every rule he gives you."

"And if I don't?"

Dwight cocked his head to the side. "Then you'll end up wearing a scar on that pretty face of yours."

Catherine settled more comfortably into the chair and let her eyes trace over the side of his face. "Like you?" She watched as Dwight and Sherry shared a furtive look. "Awww, did Negan take your girl? That sucks."

"Watch your fucking mouth! What we are ain't any of your fucking business," Dwight snapped.

Catherine grinned. She'd just found a weak spot and now all she needed to do was jam her foot inside and kick it apart. She was about to open her mouth and do just that when Negan walked in with Lucille swinging at his side. His eyebrows crawled up his forehead when he saw Catherine and Dwight.

"What the fuck is this? Are you guys having a party?" He strolled over to the bar and placed Lucille down on top. "Because I think you forgot to invite the main fuckin' man." He turned to face Catherine and winked. "That's me, in case you didn't already know it. Shit. I'm almost hurt. Yes. I. Am. Now, what are you going to do to make it up to me? Huh, babygirl?"

"I'm going to let you take me on a raid with you and then I'm going to let you tell rat-face here to stop following me around," Catherine said so sweetly that it could only be fake.

Negan let loose a throaty chuckle and lifted his hands to make quotation marks in the air. "'Let me.' Fuck. You hear that people? Kittycat is gonna 'let me.' What the fuck?" He turned to Dwight and grinned. "Rat-face?" he mouthed. "Damn," he said dipping down as he drew the word out.

Catherine had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing at Dwight's thunderous expression. "I think it suits him."

"Shut your fucking mouth!" the disgruntled blond spat at her.

"Make me, rat-face!" Catherine hissed back at him.

Negan stepped forward. "Children. Children. Can't we all just get along? Fuck. This is the kind of discord that gives me indigestion. Why, pretty soon I'm gonna need one of my wives to rub my stomach and make it all better." He looked at Catherine once more. "Unless you would like to volunteer for that much sought after position?"

"I'd rather not," she replied.

"You sure about that? I happen to be very fucking generous with my attention." He flicked his fingers at the other women in the room. "Tell my little kittycat how good I am at fuckin'."

Catherine maintained eye contact with him as each of the women mumbled a response.

"You see? Not one fuckin' complaint to be heard." He pointed his finger in a parody of a gun. "You, too, could be satisfied with what I have to offer. All you have to do is say; yes, Negan, let me rub your stomach."

She allowed a smile to curve her lips. "Ich würde eher Glas essen."

Absolute silence fell. Negan looked at her without his signature grin. "Now, I could be mistaken, it's been known to fuckin' happen, but I have a feeling that the gobbledygook that just crawled out of your mouth was less than complimentary to my offer."

"Well, at least you're not stupid," Catherine said. "I won't be one of your wives, but I will make one of the best raiders you have on your team."

Negan puckered his lips as he regarded her. "Shit. I'm going to have to give you a shot, cause quite frankly, doll, you have more balls than most of my men put together." He let out an aggravated sigh. "I do have to insist that you let rat-face follow you about for just a little bit longer, though. That I cannot budge on."

"Make it someone else and we have a deal," she said.

"A deal? We have a fuckin' deal? Are you for real? Jesus. You've been here for five fucking minutes and you're making deals? Fuck me. Well, your Majesty, your wish is my fuckin' command. Simon can watch you. Anything else that you'd like to request?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. I want a cup of coffee every morning and I want my blades. I distinctly remember you promising that you would give them back to me once I've complied with your ridiculous rules." She swept a hand to the side. "As you can see, I've done my part."

Negan shook his head in apparent disbelief. "Are you fuckin' serious? Shit. Don't answer that. I can see that you are. You'll get the blades when we raid, if you're a good girl. The coffee you have to earn. Now, I'm gonna ask you one more fuckin' time. Is that all?"

"That's all for now, yes" Catherine said dismissively and stood up. "Now, if you don't mind, I need some air."

She didn't give any of them time to speak, merely walked out of the room and shut the door behind her. It was the most control she'd had in days and she wasn't about to give Negan a chance to take it away. She would seek out Simon and follow him before he could start following her. The smile that graced her lips was genuine. It was time to start doing things her way.

And if Negan thought she had balls before, then he hadn't seen just how big she could make them.

But he would.

They all would.

Thanks for reading guys! Don''t forget to leave your thoughts. Catherine and I love reading them.

Ich würde eher Glas essen = I'd rather eat glass