Hallowed Be Thy Name
Summary: Being a woman in the apocalyptic world was tough, being a woman under Negan's lead was tougher, especially with an agenda of her own… Negan/OC
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of The Walking Dead, Lex however is all mine.
Chapter 9:
By the time she laid her eyes on her good friend Sherry again, Lex was already preparing to head out with Negan. She knew that they had some new community to 'explore' and that she was invited to join him this time, hell, Negan had made sure to tell her personally that she'd be joining him, riding along with him in his very truck. Boy was Lex excited, and nothing was going to stop her from getting in the truck with Negan and driving to this new so-called 'promise land' that he had found out about the night he disappeared without her.
There was a look of worry on Sherry's face though, something that didn't sit well with Lex, but she wasn't going to press her, not right away at least. Her friend was generally concerned about things that were trivial to Lex, but nonetheless, she hated doing things that bothered Sherry without talking to her about them first.
While she worked away in her room at getting her shit together, as Negan had so eloquently phrased it, Lex stole a glance here and there at Sherry, who was hiding out in her room, desperately trying to avoid running into Negan, or Dwight apparently. She was planted on the edge of Lex's bed, a light sweater covering her arms and she hugged it against her, almost treating it like a shield of her very own.
"I don't like this." Sherry stated, her voice barely louder than a whisper, fidgeting with the ends of the sweater sleeves. Lex paused in folding her clean clothes and set them on the bed before dropping down to sit on the covers next to Sherry, even going as far as to lean against her, bumping her with her shoulder. "You're pregnant Lex, I don't think you should be going out there."
"I don't see why it matters." Lex offered up in response, shrugging her shoulders to play it off. "I don't want it, therefore, if something happens to it, then I'm not really at a loss, right?"
"I get it, honestly, I do but what…what if something happens to the baby, what if something goes horribly, and terribly wrong out there…you know that if something happens to it then that's just as dangerous for you. Don't you see that?" Sherry pressed but Lex didn't respond right away. She crossed her arms over her chest and let out a soft sigh, taking her friend's words into consideration.
Maybe Sherry had a point, maybe she was putting herself in more danger than she originally believed, but she couldn't back out now, no, Negan was expecting her, plus she had a reputation to uphold. If she chickened out at this point, what would the rest of the Saviors think and how drastically would she rip apart her reputation? She needed to go with them, she needed to concrete her position within the group, but most importantly, she needed to stand by Negan's side and prove, once again, that she deserved to be his right hand woman.
"I'll be fine." Lex countered with a scoff. "This is a typical run, we go check out this new place, we take some of their shit and we leave. Tell me Sher-bear, do you really see much harm in that?"
Sherry took in a deep breath and clenched her fists just inside the sweater. She turned her head and looked directly at Lex, meeting the woman's gaze and forcing a smile onto her face.
"You're the most stubborn person I've ever met. God, I know that there's nothing that I can say to you to get you to back out." Sherry said with a shake of her head. Lex slipped her arm around Sherry's back and hugged her awkwardly, dropping her forehead down and resting it against Sherry's shoulders. "Promise me that you'll be extra careful though, I don't want you coming back here in pieces."
"I promise you that I will be extra careful." Lex mimicked her words and straightened up beside her. "When have I ever come back from a run in pieces Sherry? Honestly, I'll be fine, it's all good."
"I will always worry about you Lex." Sherry murmured and dropped her gaze down to her feet, taking in the sight of her wedge sandals. She peered over at Lex's boots and shook her head again, knowing that there was a huge difference between them. Lex, it seemed, was made for this world.
She was tough, she was skilled and she could take care of herself. Sherry had heard the story of how Lex had gotten the scar on her neck, and when she had confessed that she had ended her boyfriend's life, Sherry hadn't been totally surprised. She had always believed that Lex was fully capable of taking care of herself, and part of her wished that she could be more like her.
But the safety and security of the walls around her, the fact that Negan looked out for her and the rest of his wives, that was enough for Sherry. She didn't need to do anything more than give in to Negan's every command, which were few and far between ever since Lex had shown up.
"Did I tell you that I talked to Dwight?" Lex questioned, deliberately changing the subject, ignoring Sherry's voiced concerns about her. "I wanted to check out that Daryl guy right, so I had to talk to Dwight in order to get to him."
"Okay?" Sherry sounded confused, not that Lex could blame her. She didn't usually associate with Dwight unless she had to, was this another one of those times? Was Lex going to confess that Dwight told her to 'fuck off' and that he wanted nothing to do with her? "Were you two civil?"
"Duh Sher-bear." Lex hauled herself up and off the bed, turning to face Sherry as she stood in front of her, her hands planted on her hips. "I can be nice when I need to be, but that's not the point, okay, I was talking to Dwight and he told me to tell you that he hasn't given up on you."
Lex's eyes widened with glee but Sherry shied away from her, looking all over the room and refusing to meet her gaze. Anyone in the Sanctuary knew how brutal Negan could be when doling out punishments, the evidence of how grotesque was on Dwight's face, which only served as a painful reminder to Sherry of what she had done in order to keep him alive. She had agreed to marry Negan, she had agreed to be his wife, in exchange for him sparring Dwight.
Sherry was always hesitant to get near the man and Lex knew it. The more distance she could put between her and her real husband, the better off Sherry was. But this was different, this was good news. Lex was slowly building Dwight up, and if she could just convince Negan that all he needed was her, then maybe Sherry and Dwight could wind up back together.
Hell, it was as close to a soap opera that Lex could get in the shit storm that was the world.
"You shouldn't talk to him about me." Sherry said softly and Lex furrowed her brows together in confusion. "I don't need him getting into any more trouble."
"What trouble? He didn't do anything, he just said to tell you that." Lex protested. "Negan's not going to do anything because he's not going to find out."
"You don't keep things from him." Sherry pointed out and Lex shook her head.
"That's what you think, plus, right now, I've got bigger things to worry about. If he finds out about what Dwight said, I can distract him. He may be the leader of the Saviors but he's still a man and I know how to work with men." Lex grinned.
"Yeah, you could start by telling him that you're pregnant, that'd be a huge shock to him." Sherry remarked, sarcasm lacing her tone. "He'd be so surprised that he'd probably be speechless."
"We will never know," Lex lifted her hands up in surrender, "because he will never find out. This baby isn't going to be around much longer, not if I have anything to do about it."
"I think you should tell him." Sherry said firmly. "And I think you should take a backseat on this run, maybe even stay behind and keep me company, we could have so much fun together; we could braid each other's hair, play truth or dare, have a nice girls' night..."
"Oh hell, as lovely as all that sounds, this is what I do Sher-bear, this is my job. I stand next to Negan, I stay by his side and make sure that things go smoothly." Lex pointed out. "You need to find something to keep you busy while I'm gone, that way you won't be sitting around sick with worry."
Sherry slowly made her way to her feet and stood in front of Lex with a concerned yet frustrated look in her eyes. Lex forced a smile onto her face, attempting to show Sherry that she wasn't worried and if she wasn't worried, then there was no need for Sherry to be worried, right? If she could just convince her friend that she'd be fine, then maybe Sherry would be able to relax while she was gone.
It wasn't that simple though and Lex knew it, but what more could she do for Sherry, what more could she say to her to help her realize that she'd be fine?
"You coming out to wave goodbye?" Lex asked in a whisper, Sherry's eyes slowly moving upwards to meet hers. "I think Dwight might like to see you before we go."
"I'm not going to say a word to him though." Sherry argued and Lex nodded her understanding. "I don't want to get him in trouble, hell, I don't want to get anyone in trouble."
"I know."
Lex reached a hand out and ran her palm down Sherry's arm, hoping that with such a simple gesture she could let her know that she was right there with her; she was on her side. Sherry was the closest friend she had and she'd never do anything to deliberately destroy what they had.
Taking a step back, Lex turned towards the door to her room and waited for Sherry to step out into the hall in front of her. Pulling the door shut behind her, Lex fell in stride next to Sherry and the two of them wandered down the hallway and to the exit together, a comfortable silence having fallen over them.
When they were outside, the bright sun blinding them as they moved, Lex fell away from her best friend and headed right for the main truck, her gaze falling on Negan as she closed in on him. She peered behind her and caught sight of Sherry mixing in with the small crowd waiting to see them all off but before Lex could lift her hand up to wave, another hand, a hand belonging to Negan, came down on her shoulder.
She felt the pressure of his fingers as they roughly squeezed her but she didn't make a sound, instead, she slowly turned her head sideways and tried to glance at him, hoping that she could tell just by looking at him what sort of mood he was in.
"I absolutely fucking love it when one of my wives and my best girl get along this good. Tickles me fucking pink Lex." He teased, his familiar smirk very present on his lips. "You're giving me fucking ideas here, fantasies about watching the two of you together, tell me you wouldn't just fucking love that idea."
She lifted a hand up and rested it over top of his, giving his fingers a gentle squeeze as she did so. Negan hesitated but removed his hand from her shoulder, Lex still clinging to it though and forcing her fingers to tangle with his all the while she turned to face him more head on. She took note that Lucille was clutched in his other hand, the bat dangling at his side and reminding her what sort of punishment awaited those that went against him.
"I'm not a big fan of sharing." She countered and stared into his eyes. "I'd much rather please you myself."
"Well shit! You keep talking like that and I might just have to postpone the fuck out of this trip." Negan grinned. "You know just what to fucking say to get my motor running."
"Hmm." She hummed and let go of his hand before lifting her palm up to run down the sleeve of his leather jacket. "Maybe we can have some fun in the truck…or is it going to be you and me and some else makes three?"
"Well, so long as you don't mind sharing me with my best girl Lucille-"
"I know she can't please you like I can." Lex said in a whisper and without warning, Negan pulled his hand away from hers, reaching across to wrap it around Lucille's handle instead. Lex took a step back and peered up at him, taking her bottom lip in between her teeth and watching him as he glanced around at the rest of the group waiting to go.
"Lex…" He trailed off and hesitantly looked back down at her. She cocked her head sideways, waiting for him to keep talking. "You know you're one of my favourites, right?"
"One of?" She shot back.
"What do you say we give someone else a fucking chance to shine today?"
"Uh…sure." She gave him a nod, confusion evident in her tone.
"I just don't want you getting all fucking jealous when we get to the gates and I leave you on guard. It's nothing personal Lex."
"What?" She took a step towards him and narrowed her eyes in on him. "You're replacing me?"
"Fuck no, I could never fucking replace you." Negan matched her step with one of his own, smiling all the while looking down on her. "I just thought maybe it's time to give Arat a chance to show me what she's fucking got."
Lex sucked in a breath and dared herself to look away, eventually managing to peel her eyes away from him. She peered over her shoulder and quickly located Sherry standing in the very spot that she had left her, yes, Sherry was her friend, Sherry believed in her, no matter what. Whatever Negan's play was, whatever the reason he had for wanting Lex to take a step back, well she could deal with it.
She'd show Negan that she could do exactly what she was told, even though she wanted nothing more than to stand by his side at every possible opportunity.
"Do we have a fucking understanding?" Negan's voice pulled her attention back to him and Lex kept her mouth shut, not wanting to poke the bear. "Lex?"
"She's not getting an invite to your bed, is she?" Lex asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper so that only he'd be able to hear her.
"Not unless you'd fucking want that." Negan chuckled and Lex shook her head no. "Trust me Lex, this is a good fucking thing."
She crossed her arms over her chest and blew out a soft sigh, "okay."
"Good. You'll always be my favourite lay, don't you worry your pretty little head."
Lex stepped away from him and carried on moving towards the truck. She climbed up into the cab and settled into the passenger seat, jumping when Dwight of all people joined her, only he took his place behind the steering wheel. Lex stiffened at the thought of spending the entirety of the drive with Dwight but she knew that she could keep her mouth shut, and she prayed that he could too.
When Negan finally hopped up to join them, making himself more than comfortable beside Lex, sandwiching her in the middle, she let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and set her sights on the scenery in front of the truck, flinching the slightest little bit when Negan's hand came to rest high up on her thigh.
Turning her head to look at him, she remained silent and noticed that he was looking out the side window, not even bothering to pay her any attention. She huffed quietly, wiggled her knee and settled in for a long, uncomfortable ride to wherever it was he was taking her.
XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX
Do you guys think Lex should tell Negan about the baby or just try to carry on with her plan on her own?
