Chapter 9 : Ima Make a Deal With The Bad Wolf
(so the bad wolf don't bite no more...)
After her not answering Negan just walked in, Lilly was just stepping out of the bathroom. He smiled big and was quick to grab her hips and put her back on the counter, his hands on either side of her.
"Where were we?" he asked, his lips going right for her neck. As he continued to kiss her he noticed she was not responding. "What's wrong?" he asked looking to her.
"You murdered that kid," she said quietly, her gaze dropping from his.
"No, I got revenge for 3 of my men ending up dead due to his incompetence," he explained tucking her hair behind her ear softly.
She shook her head and hopped off the counter, moving to lay on her bed facing away from him again. Negan frowned and moved over to her, pulling her to lay on her back as he laid next to her, his upper body looming over hers.
"What is wrong with you? A few minutes ago you were raring to go?" he asked as if they had just paused for a break.
"Watching someone get their head bashed into nothing tends to take me out of the mood," she told him.
He grinned and nuzzled her ear, "Oh not me girlie," he whispered into her ear.
Lilly sat up quickly, pushing him away so he sat on his knees.
"Of course it doesn't because you're a disgusting evil piece of shit that it has taken me waaaaaaay too long to realize," she told him.
Negan frowned and got up off her bed, he grabbed Lucille just in case.
"I've never changed who I was," he told her matter of factly.
"Yeah? But I did. I dumbed myself down for you," she said standing up and got very close to him. "Walkers have more humanity than you Negan! At least they kill to feed because their brains don't tell them any better. You kill to show dominance because you're too weak to do any better!" she snarled.
"You know, I'm really beginning not to like how you talk to me," he growled lifting the head of Lucille to her chin. "Watch your mouth girlie," he told her darkly.
"Or what Negan? You'll kill me where I stand? No, you'd drag me out in front of everyone then kill me to prove a point," she said knowing just how he worked now. "Go on Negan, right now, kill me. If you're man enough to do so right here...then do it!" she yelled grabbing his bat, not caring that the barbed wire cut into her hand some and placed it to rest on top of her head. "Do it right now because if you think I'm just going to shut up about the horrid things you do, then you 'cared' for the wrong person," she growled, breathing heavily.
There was a tense silence for a minute or two until Negan placed his bat down on her bed and pulled her close for a sudden and tight hug. Lilly's eyes opened wide as she felt herself being squeezed to him, her head resting on his chest...she closed her eyes as she heard his heart about to thump out of his chest.
He nuzzled his face into the top of her head, "Christ girlie, I couldn't do that. I don't think I could ever hurt you..no matter what you've done," he admitted softly.
She sighed, "Negan, we don't mesh well. We're on opposite ends here. Just...let me go, let me leave and you won't have to bother with me nor hear from me ever again," she said lifting her head up to look up at him.
He looked down to her as a hand came up so his thumb could caress over her high cheek bone. "No, no way. I have an even better plan," he said looking to the clock. "Everyone should be at dinner, come on," he said grabbing her hand and Lucille as he pulled her out of the room. He literally dragged her to the canteen, letting go of her hand as they stepped in.
"Everyone, shut the fuck up!" he announced raising his hands and Lucille for silence. "Now as far as I'm concerned our friend Lilly has passed the bar so I want everyone...fuckin' everyone...to do their best to truly welcome her. Matter of fact, she says jump, you don't even wait to ask how high, you start fuckin hoppin' until she's happy...feel me? She is now my Second In Command," he declared, looking around at everyone to see if there would be any challenges but saw nothing but silence and small nods of consent. Negan looked to her and motioned for her to follow him out of the canteen...they headed back to her room.
"What the hell did you do that for?" she asked in awe. "I suggest we separate and you make me your number two?" she asked incredulously.
They stepped into her room so they could talk privately, sitting next to each other on her bed.
"I did one better girlie. I want you at my side at all times. I want you to be my eyes, ears, and my conscience," he told her seriously.
She shook her head, "You said it yourself, you are who you are...Im not super woman. I'm not going to be able to change you," she said shaking her head with her palm on her forehead.
"True...but I know for a fact you won't bullshit me. I like Simon, he's damn good at his work, but even he is scared of me enough to not tell me everything that's going on," he explained. "I need someone...you...to tell me what's really going on. To tell me when Im acting the fool, give me your point of view. You may not want to admit it, but you care about me," he said, that last part a bit teasingly with a smirk on his face. His face got soft and he took her hand into his, "Okay? Will you do that?" he asked gently.
Lilly opened her mouth for a moment but no words came out, she then shook her head and finally spoke. "Yeah Negan, sure," she said giving in.
"Im glad, Im damn fuckin glad," he grinned and kissed her forehead. "Okay, first things first, you're moving into waaaay better digs. No second-in-command of mine is going to live like this," he said getting up to open her door and waved Simon in who knew to be there somehow.
"Yeah Boss?" he asked, "Everything...okay?" he asked again curiously.
Negan smirked, "Yes sir. I meant everything I said, but don't worry, you're still my right hand man, she's just..my left hand woman," he laughed.
Simon nodded with a smile then looked over to Lilly, "Good to have you on the team," he said kindly.
"Thanks Simon," she said gently.
"Okay, I want you to grab some men, get her things packed, dishes washed and all that, and move her into the apartment below mine," he told him.
"Gotcha," Simon said and headed off to get going.
"You," Negan said to Lilly and waved her over to him. Once she was besides him he put an arm over her shoulder. "We need to talk about a few things and I want to show you something," he said as they headed to the front and into a jeep. "We're gonna take a ride," he grinned, starting the jeep up and drove off.
