Kara315: Good news... Negan is in this chapter! Glad you enjoyed the previous chapter, thank you for reviewing :):)

BlueBloodsSVUOrder: Thanks for the review :) no Daryl in this chapter, pretty sure, but there's plenty of Vickie and Negan!

Guest: Wow! Thanks for such a lengthy review! I get where you're coming from, and I sat on that scenario for literally over a year before I decided what Vickie will and will not do. Can't give anything away here, obviously, but whatever does happen, whether they do it or not, people aren't going to like it and will have plenty of questions/comments :P hopefully I do it justice, and explain my reasonings enough :)

Adagio C: I can't remember where I wrote Daryl finding out about Vic... but he is going to explode. We've only got 13 chapters left (not including this one) so Daryl should find out soon :):) thanks for reviewing!

karrie. conner. 1: Glad you're enjoying! Thanks for the review :):)

Bamby

VPOV

I sat in my room, on the couch, looking out the window. It was dark now, the sun well and truly set. I'd been alone for hours, but not completely alone. I could see shadows dance under my door. Someone was always outside, on guard.

There was no doubt in my mind that they were out there to keep me from hurting someone else, not the other way around. I was pretty sure no one would try to do anything, like Simon suggested. I wasn't sure if anyone here was stupid enough to go behind Negan's back like that.

Speaking of Negan, I hadn't seen him. You'd think he'd show up to at least welcome me or whatever. But, nope. So far, he's been a no show.

Part of me was grateful. I didn't want to see him. I hated him. I was happy to stay in here for the rest of my life if it meant he left my friends and family alone. But I knew that's not how things work.

Then there was the part of me that needed to see him. I had a hundred or so questions that demanded to be answered, and he was the guy to turn to. But I wasn't sure if he would even tell me everything I wanted to know. The main thing being where he was keeping Eugene.

Eugene was a friend. We were close, and he could be irritating at times, and then there's that thing where he lied about being able to save the world- which I was completely over, but I knew some people in our group weren't. Still, he's family. He's one of us. So his whereabouts were important to me.

I hoped he was okay. I hoped he was safe. I felt for him, knowing how easily he could be scared. He was a nervous guy, which gave people the impression that he was weak. But he wasn't. He had skills. Yet I still felt the need to know that he was intact.

Movement and mumbles from the other side of my door caught my attention again… I gripped the pillowcase I held in my hand, waiting for someone to knock on my door- which I'd locked.

After Simon had left I'd searched every nook and cranny of the room, trying to find anything I could use as a weapon. It's not that I was planning to hurt someone... I just wanted the security of having something dangerous in my hand.

I'd come up with practically nothing. Even in the small kitchen drawers I'd found not a single knife, fork or spoon. There was nothing glass or breakable. There was nothing heavy enough to use or light enough to lift. When I'd looked through the wardrobe and dresser, I was met with empty spaces. So, I grabbed the only thing I could find and use... a pillowcase.

Yep, I'd pulled the pillow case off the pillow in order to use it as a weapon. Trust me though, it wasn't useless. I could still do some pretty considerable damage with this thing. I could choke a person or tie them up... It wasn't much, but it was more than enough.

Sitting on the couch, watching the shadows on the other side of the door, I didn't move, I didn't speak. I stayed there, for hours, just waiting. Despite the fact I was sure no one would go behind Negan's back, I wasn't stupid enough to put my guard down. Being in foreign territory, with strangers mere feet away from me…

Yeah, I won't be getting any sleep tonight.

NPOV

I sat on the couch in my room, glass of scotch in hand as I looked up at Simon. Walking into my room, he came over to sit on the couch across from me, reaching over to grab the glass of gin I'd set on the coffee table for him.

"So, how'd it go?"

"Daryl wasn't there," he answered, taking a sip from his drink.

"And…?" I pressed.

"She's in the room you told me to put her in."

"Good." I nodded, taking a drink from my own glass.

"All their food was missing, by the way. Not a jar to be seen."

I raised an eyebrow at this information. "You think they're hiding it?"

"Maybe." He shrugged. "Rick… he seems like the kind of guy that'll try anything," he noted.

I gave a light chuckle, "Now that I have his daughter, I think he might change his ways."

Taking Daryl had been an in-the-moment kind of thing. Looking back on it now, I wondered why I even bothered. It was clear he was never going to bend. He wasn't like Dwight, or any of the other Saviours.

Victoria on the other hand? She's tougher than Daryl, in a way. There was no way I'd ever be able to break her. She'd never become one of my followers. But she could be something else. I could still use her.

The main difference between her and Daryl, though? She bounces back every time she's pushed down, but each time she gets harder. It'll get to the point where she won't care about anything. She'll be so numb she'll do literally everything and anything to get what she wants. That is something I could use. That's something I wanted.

VPOV

It was morning now. It had been for a few hours. All night I'd waited, seated on the couch with the pillowcase in hand, ready. All night I'd waited for someone to knock, or try to come in. It seemed my waiting was about to come to an end…

I watched as the shadows under the door came closer and stopped, I waited and listened as the person on the other side knocked a little beat on the wood.

Pulling myself up, I moved over to unlock and open the door, finding Simon on the other side.

He smiled widely, thumbs hooked through his belt loops. "Morning."

"Hi," I replied, voice flat and smile nonexistent.

"Hear you've been quiet in there," he noted, nodding behind me and to my room.

"Yeah." I shrugged. "Didn't think Negan would appreciate me disturbing the peace, so I thought I'd have an early night," I lied, not wanting him to know that I hadn't slept… or eaten.

Please, please, please, do not make a noise. I begged my empty and desperate stomach. There was no way in hell that I wanted these assholes to know I actually needed something from them. I didn't want to owe anyone anything.

He nodded. "Well, everyone needs to go to the Factory floor. The boss has an announcement to make."

Sighing, I stepped out of the room and closed the door before gesturing to the handle. "You mind?"

For a moment he just looked at me confused before he seemed to realise what I was asking. "Ah, right." Reaching into his pockets, he pulled out the keys which he then used to lock my door. Once we were all set and ready, he gave another short nod before turning to walk down the hall, knowing I was just a step or two behind.

…

Walking down the stairs of the Factory floor, I felt several sets of eyes following me and Simon. I wasn't sure if they were more interested in Negan's right-hand man, or if their attention was on me.

I wondered if any of them knew who I was, and what they thought about me. I wondered how many of them- rightfully- blamed me for the deaths of the people we'd killed at the Satellite outpost. I wondered how many of them wanted to kill me…

Simon led us to the front of the crowd. He didn't say anything as he came to stand by Negan's wives.

I knew who they were because they were the only women in the entire community that were dressed as if they were going to some fancy funeral. Dressed in black, each of them spotless, hair in perfect condition… a few even wore jewellery that included diamonds, pearls and different gems.

Coming to a stop at the end of the line of wives, Simon turned to me. "I'm gonna need you to stand here." He gestured to the spot next to him.

Without a word, I moved to do as he said. Face straight and unreadable, I moved to stand next to the wife at the end of the line- though there was some space between us. I just looked dead ahead, and waited.

None of the wives talked to me. They all looked in my direction, some curious while others were clearly pitying me. But none of them uttered a single word, not even to each other.

I knew when Negan walked in… it would be hard to miss considering everyone moved to kneel on the ground like they always seemed to do when he enters a room. Though I did notice the fact that none of his wives, Dwight- who was by the furnace- or Simon, knelt. I didn't either, and I was pretty damn sure I never would.

Negan walked in, head down as if he was in deep thought. Dressed in the leather jacket, dark jeans and boots that he always wore. Lucille rested on his shoulder, where she spent a large amount of her time it seemed. He didn't look at anyone as he stepped into the open space everyone surrounded. He circled the area for a moment, before he turned to face the furnace. One gesture with his arms and everyone stood again.

As soon as everyone stopped moving, Negan turned his attention to the walkway above us. Raising Lucille, he pointed to someone, but I didn't look. I didn't think turning away from him would be the best thing to do at that moment…

"You are gonna want to pay close attention to this," he said, directing the words to whoever was up on the walkway.

He turned quickly, his grip on Lucille changing before anyone could realise what he was doing. Then, just as suddenly, he slammed the barbed wire bat into the arm of a man in a white lab coat.

"Oh!" Lab-Coat Guy fell to his knees with a groan, but was pulled back up by two Saviours. He looked up at Negan, who was stepping towards him. "No, no, no, no! Why? I didn't do anything."

Reaching into one of the pockets of his jeans, Negan pulled out a small slip of paper. Whatever it was, he seemed to be pissed about it. "I found this little souvenir tucked away in your desk."

"I-I-I don't know what that is," Lab-Coat Guy tried to assure Negan.

But Negan didn't believe him. In fact, Lab-Coat Guy's response just seemed to piss Negan off more, causing him to hit the man again.

Clearing his throat and sighing, Negan handed Lucille over to one of the other Saviours. "You left the door open and let my puppy out. You knew Sherry hated Daryl being here, so you let him out for her, be the hero. Then you could move in. That is some weaselly shit right there."

I realise it is extremely selfish of me to think about Daryl in this situation, but hearing his name broke my heart. It just reminded me that I was going against his wishes by being here, and he didn't even know it. What's worse is that I'd given my ring over to dad knowing that I probably won't see any of them again. Some might say that was me breaking up with Daryl…

Lab-Coat Guy spoke up again, pulling my attention to the scene in front of me once more, "But I didn't. She's the one who ran-"

Negan cut him off, "Oh, she ran? You know why she ran?! Because she knew I would blame her, which I did," he admitted. "But, see, Sherry told Dwighty boy the whole story right before she was torn apart. A super-hot girl, horrifically killed because of your greedy, delusional, and tiny little prick."

"It's not true." Lab-Coat Guy looked to Dwight- who was still facing the furnace. "Dwight? He's lying about it. I would never do that."

"Why? Why? Why would he do that? Why would he intentionally try to hurt you? Sherry's gone. And if he's lying and she's out there, I will find her. And then I will burn the other side of his face off until he dies. So, what was he gonna get out of this? No. No. You see, I know my Dwighty boy. See, all he needed was one more night in the hole, get his head screwed on straight. It worked before, and it worked now. Ain't that right, Dwight?"

It took a second or two before Dwight nodded as he continued to face the furnace, his back to the rest of us. "Oh, yeah."

Walking over to Dwight, Negan slipped the heatproof gloves on before grabbed the red-hot iron out of the flames.

Great. Not this again.

"Oh, please," Lab-Coat Guy cried. "No, please. Please, please, please! Oh, Jesus, don't burn me. Please! Please!" He began to shift as if he was going to run, but the Saviours held him in place. "No. No, no, please!

I knew I should look away, that I should at least want to look away, especially after last time. But my eyes stayed trained on the scene. It actually scared me to think I could stand there and watch this… though it wouldn't be the worst thing I've ever been witness to…

Stopping in front of Lab-Coat Guy again, Negan sighed, "Now you know I hate this shit. Just tell me you did it and that you're sorry, and I don't have to do this."

Without missing a heartbeat, Lab-Coat Guy nodded. "Yes. Yes, I did it. All of it. Sorry. I'm so sorry. Please I'm sorry."

Groaning, Negan dropped the iron, it fell to the ground with a clang. "That's all you had to say." He smiled. "That is all you had to say." Turning, his eyes caught mine then, a grin tugging on the edges of his lips.

Then he moved. He moved so fast no one could register what he was doing, until it was done.

Turning again he grabbed Lab-Coat Guy, pulled him to the furnace, and threw him in. Lab-Coat Guy's screams filled the large, open room. But they only lasted a moment or so… I'm pretty sure he died rather quickly.

One of the wives turned and left the room, hand pressed to her mouth like she was going to be sick. Another one of the wives- the redhead- wrapped her arms around the blonde, who was trying to hold back the sobs that were clearly wanting to come out.

With a sigh, Negan let Lab-Coat Guy go as soon as the screams stopped, and then turned to Dwight- who had stepped away from the furnace once Lab-Coat Guy had been thrown in. "A good thing we got a spare Dr Carson," he chuckled, patting Dwight on the shoulder.

Carson? As in…?

Lab-Coat Guy wasn't just any random guy, he was the brother of the doctor at the Hilltop.

Oh my, God…

As Negan continued to talk my attention was pulled back to him. "I trust you Dwighty-boy. Never should have doubted you. Sherry was one of my favourites. I'm sorry."

"I'm not," Dwight responded bitterly.

"Ice-cold," Negan chuckled again. "I love it."

NPOV

I stepped up to Eugene's room, lifting Lucille to knock a beat on the door. A moment or so passed before the door opened with a creek, revealing the Doctor standing inside.

"May I come in?"

Without waiting for an answer, I stepped into the room. I moved to the middle of the space, looking around, noting that he'd done a decent job of making himself comfortable already. He closed the door and came over to stand in front of me, waiting.

"So, how you liking it here?" I asked "Are we doing right by Dr Smarty-pants? You know, Frankie and Tanya nothing but good things to say about you."

He just stayed silent, watching me carefully. He didn't look as afraid but I could see that it was an act.

"It's all right." I nodded. "I get it. I know how hard it can be to accept change, to get on the right team. But I need you to understand something. I do not make this invitation to everyone. And I sure as shit do not make it lightly," I told him, lowering Lucille from my shoulder.

His eyes watched her as he breathed in a shuddering and scared breath, backing away.

"Hey." I took a step towards him. "Hey. You do not need to be scared anymore. You don't need to be scared. You just have to answer me one question. And it's a big one. Who are-"

"I'm Negan," he answered before I could finish. "I'm utterly, completely, stone-cold Negan. I was Negan before I even met you. I just needed to meet you properly to know. I'm Negan."

I couldn't help but grin.

VPOV

After everything that happened with the doctor on the Factory floor, Simon had brought me back to my room, where I'd set myself on the couch again. I had no idea how long it had been since then, but I knew it had been a few hours. The sun was gone, and my stomach was growling angrily.

The last thing I wanted was to ask for food. I had a feeling this place was going to be like Grady. Work to earn what you take. The last thing I wanted was to be someone's bitch.

I shifted, my knees drawn to my chest, pillow case gripped tightly in my hand, back straight, body tense. If I saw a single sign of danger, I was ready to pounce and attack. I was not going down without a fight.

The sound of whistling outside my room caught my attention.

Shadows danced under the crack of my door as someone stood right outside my room. A key slid into the lock to unlock the door. Slowly, the handle jiggled before it turned as the person outside began to enter my room.

The first thing I saw was the tip of a black boot. Then the person stepped inside completely, revealing dark jeans, a white top peeking out from under a black leather jacket, with a red scarf and barbwire wrapped baseball pat sitting on a shoulder.

Negan took one look at me and shook his head. "You gonna use that?" he asked, gesturing to the pillow case.

"Do I have to?" I was not going to make this easy on him.

Sitting in a room, by yourself, for hours, with nothing to do... it made you think. Seeing someone get burned alive made it worse. All I could think about was the shitty situation I'd foolishly put myself in. But I didn't have to be a bigger fool than I already was, hence the pillow case.

Sighing, he lowered Lucille to his side. "Sweetheart, if someone wants to hurt you they have to go through me." He turned and closed the door before moving towards the couch. "I'm not going to bring you into my home just to have you tortured or some shit like that."

"Why not? You did it to Daryl," I noted before he had the chance to sit.

He stopped and looked at me again, thinking it over before giving a slight shrug with a short nod. "Yes, I did. But that's different."

"How?"

He dropped on to the couch and rested Lucille against the side as he answered, "Unlike Daryl, there's no fucking way I'll break you through force."

"There's no way you'll break me, period," I stated as I got off the couch and moved to lean against the bench in the kitchen, putting distance between us.

As I stood there and he sat on the couch, we both looked at each other. He seemed totally relaxed, while I was tense. But there was something we both had in common at that moment. There were a million questions we both wanted to ask. I could feel it. But neither of us were prepared to answer them just yet. So, I directed us to an easier topic.

"Can I have something to eat?" I asked. As much as I didn't want to owe them, I felt more confident asking Negan than anyone else. "I haven't eaten since I got here... yesterday"

Negan suddenly looked as if he hadn't realised this. He actually looked appalled at the thought of me going without food.

Getting to his feet, he moved to the door with a few long and determined strides. The moment he reached it, he grabbed the handle and threw the door open, looking out into the hall. "Go get Victoria some dinner. I don't care if you have to drag someone to the fucking kitchen to make it. I want a hot meal brought up here within half an hour," he barked, giving no space for discussion or question.

With orders giving, he turned back around, his grin planted on his lips once more. "Sorry about that, Sweetheart. Had I known you'd gone without food for this long, I would have brought some up with me," he noted, moving to the couch where he sat back down and patted the spot next to him. "While we wait, why don't we get to know each other a little better?"

Hesitating a moment, I looked at the spot next to him nervously as I thought about sitting there. The idea of being that close to him in a comfortable- or well, somewhat comfortable- setting, did not sit right with me. Just because he was nice and polite, and occasionally cared about me, did not change the fact that I hated him. He killed Glenn and Abraham. I'd never forgive him for that.

But as I flicked my eyes up to meet his, I could see he wasn't actually giving me an option. He expected me to sit, or he'd simply get up and move to me. Negan liked being in my personal space. Why? I didn't know. I just knew he did.

So, with a heavy sigh, I started towards the couch, dragging my feet as I did so. Though as I sat, I didn't sit right next to him, instead I placed myself against the armrest again, pressing my back to it as I faced him, lifting my legs up so I was sitting the same way I'd been when he first walked in. Willing to give me the compromise, Negan began to speak.

We talked for quite some time… I actually lost track of time. Nothing either of us said was important. I didn't feel comfortable enough to talk about myself so we ended up talking about the Sanctuary- which is what the factory was called- and the rules. It felt a lot like business talk to me.

"We work on a points system. You work for points you can spend on food, clothes, things you need. Certain jobs earn you different amounts of points. My lieutenants don't have points. They get anything they want, and they get first dibs. My wives as well. But they don't have to work at all."

"Okay." I slowly nodded, taking it all in. "So, what job am I getting?"

He just shook his head. "You're not getting a job. Not for a few days at least."

I frowned, confused. "Why?" Eating and living for free wasn't something I wanted. Not when there were strings more than likely attached to everything.

"I'm gonna give you some time to settle in. Need to figure out where you'll best be suited," he explained. "Until then, everything is free. I don't care if it's food, clothes, tooth paste, hell even some of that girlie hygiene crap. You need something, you get it."

I wasn't too sure how I was supposed to react to that. I didn't understand why I was getting treated so nicely. I mean, I was still a prisoner. It's not like I could just walk away whenever I wanted. I was here now. Until Negan decided otherwise, this was now my home.

There was a knock at my door before either of us could speak again.

"Come in!" Negan called before we both fell silent as we waited.

The door opened, revealing a Saviour I didn't know or recognise. He was carrying a tray with a covered plate on top.

"Ah, great." Negan smiled as he shifted slightly. "Just give that to Vickie."

"Yes sir." The Saviour nodded before moving to hand me the try. Once I held it, he lifted the lid off the plate.

I breathed in the smell of steamed vegetables, boiled potatoes and scrambled eggs. My eyes closed as my stomach grumbled. The food smelt so incredible, even my stomach was singing praise.

"You can leave now," Negan ordered, which the Saviour followed.

As I opened my eyes, I looked down at the plate and sighed, "No knife, and a plastic fork. You really don't trust me."

He just chuckled. "I'll trust you when you give me a reason to."

Rolling my eyes, I said no more as I grabbed the fork and began to eat. I was too hungry to argue or try to change his mind. Right now, food was enough to distract me and keep my mind off the idea of weapons.

As I ate, Negan watched in silence. Sometimes I would catch him looking around the room. At one point, he picked up Lucille and started fiddling with her. He never seemed bored, or annoyed, or impatient. He simply waited.

Swallowing my last mouth full, I placed the fork down on the tray. "Thank you."

"You're abso-fucking-lutely welcome, Sweetheart." Negan nodded as he reached over to grab the tray. "It's getting pretty late, so I'm gonna head off. In the morning, when you're ready, Gary will show you around, let you get a feel for the place." he told me as he got to his feet.

"You mean... I won't be stuck in here all day?" I asked, unable to hide the slight excitement that was bubbling inside me.

He gave a short nod as his grin fell into place. "That's exactly what I'm saying, Sweetheart. But until then, you should get some rest," he suggested before moving towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow," he called just before he knocked on the door.

The door opened and he left, carrying the tray in one hand and Lucille in the other.

But despite his words, I knew there was no way I'd be sleeping. Not here. Not when I didn't know who or what was around. Not when I didn't have a way of protecting myself.

So instead, I grabbed a few magazine's off one of the shelves and planted myself back on the couch. That's where I stayed all night. Not once did I drift off, or close my eyes. Letting my guard down, well that was not an option.

Bamby