The throbbing pain in the side of Cecelia's head woke her from whatever sort of trance she'd been in for the past few hours. Shivering, she tried her best to orient herself in the pitch-black dark room. Groaning, she squeezed her temples between her thumb and forefinger in an effort to quell the pain. The events leading up to her current state were foggy in her head, she was having trouble remembering who had brought her here.

Her effort to recall the circumstances only served to exacerbate her headache, so she instead took her time flexing each and every body part to assess any damage done. Besides the throbbing headache and a growling stomach, nothing else caused her any pain. Cecelia righted herself, sitting up. Her head spun and she leaned back against the cement wall. Gradually, her eyes were adjusting to the darkness in the room, and she could make out a faint sliver of light coming from the crack underneath the door. She appeared to be in some sort of utility closet, with a few brooms and some cleaning supplies, and a various assortment of other items.

Standing up, she jiggled the handle on the door only to find it was locked from the outside. Cecelia leaned against the door, placing her ear to it's cold metal surface. She listened for any signs of life in the hallway but found none. There was nothing that hinted at where she may be, how she might get out.

"Damn!" she growled under her breath, kicking the door in frustration. She pounded on it with her fists. No such luck, no noise. Her head throbbed again, intensifying, and she lowered herself to the ground again. In front of her was a water bottle, and she reached out, parched, only to realize it was empty. She tossed it unceremoniously across the room. Glancing up, her eyes paused when she saw an air vent above the shelf of miscellaneous items. She stared back at the empty bottle, frowning, before standing up.

Cecelia used what little strength she had to push the shelf towards the middle of the room, then scaled it to get a closer look at the air vent. One of the screws was loose, so she used her fingers to twist it out. The three other screws were still tightly holding the vent in place, but she was able to get her fingers underneath the loose corner and bend the metal back.

She took a deep breath and jumped off the shelf, her hands still gripping the corner of the vent. Another screw stripped out of place and Cecelia hissed as the sharp metal sliced her palm. The blood ran down her arm, warm and sticky, and she sighed, grabbing a large bottle of rubbing alcohol that sat on the shelf and dousing it on her palm. She grabbed a cleaning rag and wrapped it around her hand. That would probably cause an infection, but she had bigger worries at the moment. With the one side of the vent completely disconnected from the wall, she was able to bend it back pretty quickly to get a better look inside. It was too small for her to fit in, but the duct sloped downwards, and she could see light pouring in through the openings of other vents.

If she couldn't get someone to hear her in here, she'd get someone to hear her out there. She had a few options, she just had to make sure all the materials were available. A small trash can sat in the opposite corner of the room, and Cecelia dumped it on the floor, choking back bile as the smell of rotting food hit her. Hell, this garbage was probably two years old. Balled up at the bottom of the trash was a sheet of aluminum foil. Perfect. She unrolled the discarded metal and removed a piece of moldy bread and some black, slimy substance that may have been meat at some point. She dropped it next to the water bottle and then began searching the shelves.

"Hydrochloric acid..." she murmured to herself, struggling to read the labels in the dark room. Each product she had to bring back to the door where the small bit of light flooded in. She found a large bottle of masonry cleaner that would do the trick.

Grabbing one of the brooms, Cecelia held the handle firmly, and twisted off the broom head. Now all she needed was a sharp surface. The metal shelving units weren't ideal; but they were all she had, so she used their sharp corners to begin whittling the blunt end of the broom. She worked for what felt like hours, but managed to create a point that gave her a decent makeshift weapon.

After she was finished, Cecelia turned back to her home science experiment. She ripped apart the aluminum foil and begin to roll them into tiny spheres, inserting them into the empty water bottle until there was nothing left to the scrap. It wasn't much, but hopefully it would be able to attract some attention. Taking a deep breath, she walked back towards the vent with the supplies in tow. Then she unscrewed the jug of masonry cleaner, pouring a generous amount in the water bottle before screwing on it's plastic cap. She quickly scaled the shelving unit, shaking the bottle firmly a few times before sliding it down the air duct. Quickly, she hopped down from the shelving unit and crouched in the opposite corner, plugging her ears.

Only a few moments later did she hear the explosion echo throughout the building.

As Negan sat in the passenger's seat while Simon drove their caravan to Alexandria, he was hoping this check-in wouldn't end in a clusterfuck like it had the last time. He hoped they'd have his shit so he could be in and out as fast as possible. He usually wasn't one to go on the runs, he would just let one of his men take charge - someone like Simon, or Dwight.

However, he felt his presence was needed for the next few visits, just to drive the events of their last meeting home for Rick, who still didn't seem to understand the arrangement they currently had. Although he did feel a slight bit of pity for the man, there was something really entertaining about watching Rick Grimes slowly fall apart. Based on his actions, Negan guessed it was one of the first times shit didn't go his way, and he couldn't seem to handle it.

Negan couldn't say, however, he wasn't completely unhappy to be visiting Alexandria, since he'd see Cecelia again. She was definitely a spitfire, and for sure a pain in his ass sometimes, but he enjoyed the little game of cat and mouse they had going on. Since they were clearly attracted to each other, it was only a matter of time before she gave in and let him fuck her, but right now the chase intrigued him. Sure, he could get sex from any of his wives at any time, but this was a different endeavor he was sure would eventually pay off, and waiting was almost as good as the eventual act.

Beyond that, she was becoming an imperative part of The Saviors well-being as an organization, they clearly were better off having access to medications and antibiotics. Of all the people at Alexandria, she was probably the least of his worries. Cecelia gave him a lot of shit, but it was more amusing than an actual threat. He'd never had a relationship like that with anyone that worked for him, though he still hadn't figured out whether or not she respected his authority. All that mattered to him at the moment was that she got her shit done without fucking up.

As they pulled through the gates to Alexandria, Negan recognized one of the men on duty as Francis, the copper-haired bitch that Cecelia seemed to have latched onto for whatever reason. She'd nearly killed Negan that first day in his office trying to get him back from The Saviors, and he had to respect that nearly nothing intimidated that woman. In time he knew she'd come around, and she'd be a valuable member of The Saviors. She just needed some convincing, perhaps more than usual.

Rick wasn't around, probably off trying to scrape together some items for The Saviors, which didn't seem to be working so well, since their possessions were whittling down quickly. Negan strolled around with Simon and a few other men, keeping his face straight, firm. He watched the way people cowered as he walked by in amusement. Though most of Rick's group were strong, many of the residents here had some learning to do.

Dwight approached Simon and Negan with a worried look on his face, his cheeks red, out of breath from running. "Your cook doesn't have our stuff."

Negan frowned. "What do you mean?"

Dwight shook his head. "We tore apart the house. We couldn't find anything."

Negan's eyes swiveled to Cecelia's house. From a distance, Negan saw Francis walk up his front porch steps and into the house he shared with Cecelia, giving double-takes to The Saviors that stood on his front porch, saying nothing as he brushed past them.

"Come with me, we're taking care of this," Negan growled, patting Dwight on the shoulder firmly. It wasn't like Cecelia to blatantly skip out on an order. She always had everything organized and packaged neatly with dosage instructions, set out on her counter for The Saviors to take without any altercations. "Where the fuck is she?" he growled at Dwight, swinging Lucille over his shoulder.

"We couldn't find her in the house," Dwight sighed. "She might be somewhere else in the town."

"We can ask loverboy where she is," Negan said as he barreled up the front porch steps, his men following him in. Francis sat at the dining room table, arms crossed, leaning back, waiting, with a glass of water in front of him.

"Where the hell is Cecelia?" Negan asked, crossing the room to tower over the man who was sitting.

Francis shook his head, looking exasperated. "I have no idea. That's why we don't have anything for you."

"Well no shit, Sherlock," Negan hissed back. "Where the hell is she?" he repeated his question again, hoping he'd manage to get the right answer.

"She's been gone a week. I wish I could tell you," Francis explained, standing up to face Negan head on. Negan hadn't ever spoken to the man at such length, so he couldn't tell if he was being bullshitted.

"Yeah fucking right," Negan shot back. "Now, I'd love to sit here all day and argue with you about this, but I've got other fucking shit to do. And I'm not a man who fucking enjoys it when my time gets wasted. So I am going to asked you one more time, give you one more chance, because I'm a reasonable man...before Lucille here takes over. And she's not as understanding as I am." Negan growled, before pausing a moment to look into Francis' eyes. "Where is Cecelia?"

Francis closed his eyes. "You think I'm lying?" He asked, leaning inwards and puffing out his chest. Negan was surprised at his sudden confidence that seemed to have been created overnight. Francis shook his head, turning to walk towards the kitchen. He opened a drawer and took out a folded piece of notebook paper. "Read this."

Negan lowered Lucille off his shoulder, grabbing the scrap paper from Francis' outstretched arm. He recognized Cecelia's writing that he normally saw on the labeled medications, however, it appeared to be written hastily and sloppier than what he was used to seeing.

Francis,

When I quit cooking for my professor, I had unfinished business with a man named Sergio Esposito. My professor Collins told me I could quit whenever I wanted, but that's not the case. I managed to avoid them before the world went to shit, especially after Collins told me Sergio died.

When I originally went to get supplies with The Saviors a few months ago, we were attacked. I recognized one of the men as someone who used to work for Sergio. They figured out where I lived, and I have reason to believe that they're interested in finally putting an end to all this, to finish what I should have years ago.

If you're reading this, I've been taken. I can't promise whether or not I'll ever be back, or where I am. I'll try my best to fight, but this will probably be too big for me to take on alone.

If you never see me again, I wanted to let you know that if it weren't for you, I don't think I'd still be alive. You gave my life purpose, and although I know things have been tense between us these past few weeks, I want you to know how important you are to me.

Don't waste your time looking for me, I have a feeling it's a lost cause.

Thanks again,

Cecelia

Negan felt his hand tighten it's grip around the letter, clasping it until the paper crumpled and ripped in his hands. He dropped it on the floor and turned to Francis. "What the FUCK?" He hissed. "Why the HELL didn't we know about this sooner?"

"You read the letter, what could you have done?" Francis asked, his voice raised, his hands held up defensively. "Believe me, I wish I could have done something about it but...she never told me she was in trouble. Maybe I coulda helped..." he trailed off, seeming to realize that none of this information was relevant to Negan. "She never told me she was in trouble," he repeated again, shaking his head in frustration.

As much as Negan wanted to take his anger out on the man, he knew Francis was right. And although he'd seen and done some awful things himself, he hadn't been a drug distributor at any point in his life, so he wasn't exactly sure what Cecelia meant by 'unfinished business.'

"You were with her...the day you were attacked...and she didn't say anything?" Francis asked. "I can't think of anything else that might be useful...figuring out where she is."

"I'm pretty fucking sure she'd be more likely to say something to you than me," Negan grumbled, running a hand over the stubble that was growing in after he'd shaved it a few weeks earlier.

"She's not exactly the sharing type," Francis said, laughing bitterly, his fingers pushing his long strawberry-blonde hair out of his eyes. He bent down to pick up the crumpled letter, placing it on the countertop. "Fuck."

Negan shook his head, snatching the letter off the counter and turning on his heel to leave the house without a goodbye. His men followed suit, stepping down off the porch and onto the walkway to the road. He'd just lost his cook, and he only had one idea of where to find her.

So...I haven't seen ya'll in awhile. As I mentioned before, life has been pretty hectic this semester, so I took a little break to let the season finale happen so I could decide where I wanted to take this story. I've got a lot of inspiration now, so I'm hoping to be updating more frequently. I'd also like to thank glittergasm for the great review this past week that put some fire under my ass to revisit this story again. I honestly was feeling like it was a lost cause but you definitely gave me a much-needed confidence boost!

If you haven't already, please check out my Poe x OC fic Something To Believe In. I also have a Tumblr "from-the-clouds"! I take requests for imagines and have mostly done Star Wars content but I would definitely excepted Walking Dead related ones as well! Give me a follow and send in a request if possible!

Finally, let me know what you think about this chapter! I love feedback, and am excited for this story arc. Give me your thoughts!