Alexandra had been up and down all night, whether tending to the children or her own anxious thoughts. Several times she thought she saw the glow of the fire in the distance but she was sure it was her mind playing tricks on her.

Between her bed, Lucy's room, standing rocking Joseph and heading to the couch in an attempt to read when her mind refused to let her sleep, Alexandra didn't know where she had ended up until her eyes flickered open and the first rays of sun made way to a new day.

"Alexandra." Negan leaned his knee against the couch and his hand was placed gently on her shoulder. She hadn't realized she'd fallen asleep half sitting up until she was pulled away from dreamland into reality.

When Alexandra recognized that she wasn't dreaming she stood up abruptly and threw her arms around Negan, pulling him into a kiss that appeared to leave him a bit surprised as it took an extra second for his eyes to close shut when his mind caught up.

"Am I dreaming?" she asked him.

He snickered. "Not anymore."

"You're okay?"

"Yeah. We're back."

"The fire?"

"Most of the undead fell right into it. I didn't see a live one when we left."

Alexandra took in a deep breath and hugged him harder. "Thank God."

Negan held her close for a moment. "You need to rest honey." He pulled back and looked into her tired eyes, running his thumb across the bags beneath them, "Been up all night?"

"I tried to sleep," she confessed, running a hand through hair and taking a deep breath as she collapsed back into the couch, "Joseph was up half the night. I slept in Lucy's room until she fell asleep, then I laid awake in ours and finally came down here to read." She motioned to a book off to the side that was face down and open, "I don't know when I fell asleep."

"Why do I always do this to you?" Negan sat down beside her and kicked off his boots before draping an arm around her and closing his eyes when she leaned up against him.

"You do nothing but good to me."

"That's not what you said the other day," he said with a laugh, but pulled her closer when she gave him a look. "I love you. I really do. You put up with my shit better than most."

Alexandra smiled and nuzzled herself into the warmth of his chest. She let out a quiet yawn and closed her eyes.

"I'm tired," Negan told her in a voice just above a whisper.

"What time is it?"

"Just after five." He returned the yawn, "Back before breakfast as promised to Lucy."

"She'll be happy when she wakes up."

"Mmm..." Negan let his eyes close for a moment and reopened them slowly and then looked over when he felt Alexandra looking at him.

"Sleep with me before they wake up," she requested with a smile.

He smiled, looking like he was about to chuckle but he didn't. "In what sense of the word?"

Alexandra smiled and then tugged on a blanket that hung on the back of the couch. "Both."

Negan continued to grin as she slipped out of her sweatpants and laid back flat on the couch.

"Everyone's asleep," she assured him. "We were all up half the night."

"I guess I owe you one then."

Alexandra crinkled her nose with a nod and smiled and then laughed lightly when he leaned down and kissed her. She placed a hand on the side of his face and ran it up the side of his head. When he winced just slightly she stopped for a moment. "What happened?"

Negan raised his eyebrows and took in a deep breath through his nose. "Motherfucker stopped short, sent me flying in the bed of the truck."

"Are you alright? Do you need stitches?"

"You're the doc, doc." He grinned, "You can evaluate me when we wake up."

"I hope you don't have a concussion or anything. You're not to supposed to sleep for longer than a few hours at a time with a concussion."

Negan peeled off his shirt and pants before tossing the blanket over the top of both of them. "I'll have you get me an ice pack in a couple hours for old time's sake, how about that?"

"Like the Sanctuary days?" Alexandra smiled as he ran his hands up her arms and locked his fingers with hers above her head. Her eyes closed when he kissed her again.

"How did I not get to know you sooner?"

"Too busy being a big shot," she teased, making him laugh.

"You're right." Negan let his nose touch hers and then accepted another kiss when Alexandra lifted her head just slightly to connect her lips to his. "What a fuckin' idiot I was."

Alexandra couldn't help but smile. "I think we did just fine."

"Mmm-hmm." He kissed her again and felt as if the ring of fire mission with the walkers was far away after their brief reminiscent discussion about the Sanctuary. Negan brought his lips to ear. "I love you Alex."

She hugged his body to hers as he trailed kisses down the center of her neck toward her collar bone. "I love you too." Alexandra had no idea how long the intimate moment between them lasted because only a few minutes after it was over Negan laid snoring on top of her, cuddled against her chest. For several minutes she laid awake hold him beneath the blanket and ran a hand through his hair. The medic in her wanted to investigate the wound on his head but she was sure he would wake up if she put too much pressure on it and so she decided she would look at it later in the morning when they both had had a few solid hours of sleep.

Alexandra sighed and kissed his forehead before hugging him a little closer and finally drifting off into a deep, content slumber.

...

The last amber bits glowed in the ashes on the field from the fire that had spread throughout the night. Bodies of walkers were unrecognizable and a smell of the undead and burning filled the air so heavily that it would have drawn the attention of anyone passing through - or those that resided nearby.

"How could this have happened?" one woman asked as she stood on the outskirts of the woods overlooking the field.

"They've caused somewhat of a mess for us," another said.

"Somewhat? Half of our homes are gone; burned to the ground." She shook her head and took in the remnants of what was.

"We'll just have to take back what we've lost, that's all." She glared as she stared at the small city in ruins. "That and much more."