It's killing me to write them so tragically... ahh, what did I get myself into! I want them to live happily ever after!

The world that Negan and Lucille knew had suddenly been taking out from under them, like a sick joke the universe had dealt. The closure of each day reminded Negan of the little time he would have left with his wife. Soon he would be alone in their house as the sun set, leaving him in darkness.

Lucille sat in a chair at their kitchen table as Negan set down a plate of spaghetti in front of her. He sat beside her rather than across the table. "Hey, the one perk to this illness is that I can have as many carbs as I want." She smiled at him and took a bite of a piece of garlic bread.

Negan tried to smile back at her but his eyes betrayed the non-genuine grin. "How is it?"

"Delicious." Lucille twirled her fork around and took a big bite. She then looked at him more seriously. "You have to go back to work, Negan."

He lifted his eyes to meet hers. "I have sick days wracked up for years."

"You could get in trouble."

"Fuck 'em." He cut a meatball in half with his fork and shoved it in his mouth.

Lucille put a hand on his wrist and looked at him. "You're going to have to go on when... when I'm not here."

"Yup." Negan stabbed the other half of the meatball and filled his mouth so he couldn't possibly speak of it with her.

She rubbed his forearm gently. "And spring football-"

"I resigned," he mumbled with his mouth full.

"You what?" Lucille raised her eyebrows.

Negan looked over at her. "I'm done with that shit, Lucille. It took up too much of my time."

"But you love-"

"I love you," he said, swallowing the bite and stared at her, "I fucking love you. I don't want to spend the only time I have with you on a fucking football field." Negan looked away, feeling his eyes begin to water. It was completely foreign for him to feel so low; so defeated.

Lucille leaned over and put her forehead against the side of his face, pressing her lips to his cheek. "This sucks," she admitted, "But you can't drop it all because of this."

Negan kept his eyes away from her and felt a tear slide down his face. "I'm spending every fucking second of time I have left with you." When he looked back to her he could see the tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"You can't fall apart on me." Lucille shook her head. "That's not you, Negan."

"Without you..." He nodded, "It is... I'm fucking terrified to go on without here. I tell you all the time. I'm..." Negan shook his head and began to sob, "Why is this fucking happening?"

"Death is a part of life." Lucille pulled him to her and hugged his head against her chest as he cried. "It's a little earlier than planned, but... I've come to terms with it. You have to do the same."

Negan didn't answer. He kept his arms around her and continued to cry into the front of her shirt. When he finally got himself together he pulled back and looked at her. "Tell me what you want. Where do you want to go? Where do you want me to take you? We can go to Hawaii if you want... or-"

Lucille put a hand gently on his face and then kissed him once. "I want to be here... in our house... with you. That's all I want." She hugged him hard. "I want this for as long as I can." She felt his fingers digging into her back and it made her want to burst out in tears with him. For what felt like the first time, however, she knew she had to be strong for him. Seeing her husband so breakable was almost more than she could stand.

"You don't deserve this," he whispered into her ear.

"God has a plan," she whispered back.

Negan pulled back and then leaned in to kiss her again.

"You're a survivor," Lucille told him, "Whatever happens next... you do what you have to do to be happy... to survive... to go on." She ran a hand through his hair. "You will. Trust me you will."

He closed his eyes and felt her lips connect with his again. "If I could trade places with you I would."

"I know." She spoke against his lips and kept a hand on the side of his face. When she pulled back against she refocused on her dinner. "You're a good cook."

Negan managed a smile. "It's pasta."

"Still good." Lucille took another big bite and looked at him. "I feel good right now." She smiled. "Let's enjoy tonight."

He nodded and placed a hand over hers. "I'm sorry for acting like this."

She shook her head at him and ran a hand through his hair. "You're a good man, Negan."

Her words almost put him back into the state he was just in, but he followed her lead and took a big bite from his dinner. When they finished he cleaned everything up, despite Lucille's claims that she would contribute. She snuck in and dried the dishes as he washed them and tried to keep the mood playful, by nudging his arm and sticking her tongue out at him.

"Go sit down," he urged.

"I'm not going to break." Lucille grinned and put away the glasses they had been drinking from, followed by their plates. She then made her way over to the station where her IPhone was set and began to thumb through a list of songs until she got to the one that they danced to at their wedding. When the song began to play Negan looked over at her from the sink and began to dry his hands.

"Why do you have to do this shit to me, Lucille?" he asked, shaking his head. "I'm a fucking mess already."

She grinned and held out a hand. "Come on."

He tossed the towel down and slipped his hand into hers, pulling her against his body as the song played.

"This was a good day," she remembered, "I think my favorite part was slamming the cake in your face."

Negan grinned but felt his chest and throat tighten. He never would have imagined that Lucille wouldn't be around to celebrate their second wedding anniversary. "I wish we could go back," he said quietly, swaying her slowly to the music, "Relive that day over and over... never move forward."

Lucille pulled herself tighter against him and watched as Negan closed his eyes. "We're reliving it now," she whispered, resting a head against his chest.

There was no use in fighting it. Negan felt silent tears stream down his face and kept her against him so tight he thought she might not be able to breath. He sighed and kissed her forehead before Lucille looked up at him. She pulled his face down to hers and kissed him with a gentle enthusiasm that would have typically led him to sweeping her up into his arms and carrying her down the hall. Instead he kissed her back, never missing a beat as the song went on. "I love you, Lucille," he said as he broke the kiss before kissing her again.

"I love you too."

Negan began to sing the lyrics to the song quietly in her ear and this time Lucille broke down, hiding it from him as she rested her head against his chest again. She felt she had the better deal in not having to live a day without her husband. The thought of him being alone in the kitchen at night made her stomach turn in knots. As much as she could never envision him being with another woman without feeling hurt, she equally prayed that he would find someone one day that could fill that void in his life. For the time being she remained secure in his arms, reliving their wedding day and pretending that things were alright. She knew it wouldn't be long until that, too, would be gone forever.