Chapter 26
Lexi sat outside watching Daryl do his daily chores, he had recently been trusted to come out of his cell and since he and Lexi had started some sort of friendship based on a general hatred for Negan.
"Missed a spot." Lexi teased lightly motioning at a patch of mud and leaves he'd missed in his raking and brooming. It had been two weeks since the fiasco at Alexandria and in the small time that had passed Lexi didn't seem to have a moment to herself. Negan had her watched every moment of the day by one of his goons, it didn't matter what she was doing they were there making sure she wasn't doing a runner or hurting her unborn child.
"They're watching over there 'ya know." Daryl said in his gruff voice tilting his head in the direction of two of Negan's men. "Really don't trust you."
If only he knew the real depths of Negan's messed up mind. Lexi was forced to live in his room because he didn't want a single moment with her on her own. It didn't sound to bad on paper but the reality of it was she slept on a cot in the corner of his bedroom and most days she wasn't allowed to leave the room, except for toilet breaks. The only reason she was out today was because she had pleaded with him that she was going insane staring at the same four walls twenty-four hours a day and the stress wouldn't be good for the baby. "You have no idea." She sighed deeply twirling a dead leaf between her fingers. "Hatched a plan yet?"
Daryl shook his head no the last thing he needed was someone over hearing that he was actively looking for an escape. He'd taken enough beatings in his time at Sanctuary to know that would not end well.
"Do you miss them?" She asked, already knowing the answer but he never spoke about Rick or anyone at Alexandria. "I'm sorry it was a stupid question really I know."
Daryl remained silent and continued with his sweeping. It was extrememly cold and all he wanted to do was finish up and get inside, the thin clothes he had been given to wear didn't stop any of the cold from biting at his skin. Truthfully he wasn't entirely sure he trusted Lexi, she seemed nice enough but she was close to Negan and he was not getting taken for a fool. She had her own agenda, she had a baby on the way and he understood she wanted out from this hell but she always went running back to Negan, it all confused Daryl to the point where he thought she was bringing it all on herself. Not only that she wasn't ever entirely truthful it seemed; Negan had come proud as a peacock to tell Daryl how Rick had made all the effort to get Lexi safe but done nothing to retrieve him and on top of that he'd slept with the girl. Daryl was sure that his instincts were right and this girl was bad news. "Do you love him?" He grumbled just loud enough for Lexi to hear him.
"No!" She protested instantly. "I care about him...well I did at one point, but not now." Her brow furrowed as she thought about the question more. "He's going to take my baby off of me, that's not something someone who is lovable does. He doesn't care about me."
Daryl grunted in way of a reply, it was exactly the answer he'd been expecting. The silly girl did love him but didn't want to admit it to herself because then she'd have to face the fact that she was in love with a sadistic killer.
"Lexi, times up. Time to go in." The taller of Lexi's two keepers spoke taking large strides towards where she sat. "Come on."
"See you later Daryl." Lexi waved dragging her feet behind the two other men. She took in the trees, and the last of the days winter sun knowing that she wouldn't see it again properly for a few days atleast. It was back to her prison, back to the four walls which were slowly chipping away at her sanity. If she wasn't held hostage in the room it would seem beautiful, it was decorated nicely and the furniture was the best Lexi had seen in a long time but in her current predicament she may aswell be back in her tiny concrete cell. They were one in the same now. "When will Negan be back?" She asked sitting down on one of the leather couches in Negan's room, the warmth and comfort was a welcome relief from the bitter cold.
"He's not in today, a troope went out this morning and they're still not back. Probably found another settlement." The smaller one explained taking his post by the door.
That wasn't uncommon knowledge, Negan was forever conquering some other poor person who was trying their best just to survive. Lexi winced as a short stabbing pain hit her abdomen suddenly, it wasn't the first time it had happened but when she spoke to Dr Carson about it he'd assured her that it was stress and aslong as she ate properly and rested nothing would go wrong. She racked her brain for hours trying to remember if she'd had any stomach pain from her miscarrage back on the ranch but her heroin muddled brain had either forgotten it or not processed it at all.
"Is there something wrong?" The man asked, a tinge of fear in his voice. The last thing he wanted was something happening to Ngean's child when he was on babysitting duty. "Shall I get the doctor?"
"No," Lexi reassured, shifting to a more comfortable position on the couch. "He's already told me I just need to relax and eat well-"
"I'm gunna get food brought to you." He announced, disappearing out of the door in a flash then returning moments later. "It'll be here soon."
oOoOoOoOoOo
Lexi wasn't sure what time it was when the loud shouts and bangs of the convoy returning woke her. It was still pitch black outside and propped up against the door on a chair her watcher slept, snoring every now and then. The cold floor stung the soles of her bare feet as she padded over to the window to watch what was happening in the forecourt down below. It was extremely rare that Negan and his troops would arrive back this late, or was it early? Usually they arrived around eight or they didn't come back till the morning. Rain was trickling down the glass pain distorting what little Lexi could see, but she could make out the silhouettes of men pulling people from the back of trucks. Gripping the bottomg of the window Lexi pushed it up as quietly as she could wanting to get a better look at what was really going on.
"D! Would you fucking get her out of here! And try not to let her fucking kill someone else, for fuck sake!" Negan's voice yelled, it was unclear to Lexi who he was referring to but the woman was obviously mental. "Toby get those men to the fucking infirmary! You! Get the old woman into a cell!" The men ran around obediently following command and this time she managed to catch a look at the old woman. She was a small woman but still she had two large men holding both her arms. From the window Lexi was almost positive she wasn't a citizen of Alexandria so these people were more than likely from a new settlement that Negan had discovered.
"Get in from the window!" Her bodyguard admonished yanking her back abruptly. "If he sees you I'm dead." He shut the window with a slam and directed her back to her cot. "He expects you to be sleeping in bed when he returns, so do us both a favour and be doing that!"
Lexi crawled back under her blankets and rolled her eyes, since when was looking out a window a crime? It wasn't like she was going anywhere they weren't on ground level so it'd be quite a fall and she was pregnant for god sake!
"Thank you." The man mumbled taking his seat back at the door.
There was no way she would get any sleep now it was just a long wait till Negan returned to his room.
"Lex get up." Negan's deep voice demanded startling her awake, she'd obviously been wrong about not being able to sleep. "I have had one shit storm of a fucking night, I've got four men in the infirmary with their fucking insides on the fucking outside!"
It was very unlike Negan to share all this information with Lexi, usually she got a vague idea about what was going on but she guessed with her whole existance being the room they currently resided in what harm was it telling her really.
"I swear this one is a fucking live wire." He chuckled to himself before swallowing a large gulp of whiskey straight from the bottle.
"What time is it?" Lexi enquired unsure how long she'd slept for.
"Around eight," He spoke from behind the glass bottle. "You can stop with those judgemental fucking looks Lex. Unless you want me to tear those big eyes from your fucking skull."
Lexi raised her hands in submission, the last thing she wanted was to fight with him. "Sorry, it just a little early isn't it?"
A laugh rumbled out of Negan's chest. "Sweetheart I haven't even been to fucking bed, it's not early for me." His eyes were tired and right now the quick hit of alcohol was the only thing keeping him awake. "Help me undress."
Another way to exert his dominance over her. Lexi knew he wasn't looking for anything to happen between them, he just liked to continually remind her how they ranked in his world. She was in essence his live in maid. "So," She began tentatively as she slipped his leather jacket off his broad shoulders. "Who was that you were bringing in last night?"
Negan pulled his white tee shirt over his head and groaned. "Some women from a now all female camp." Only in his jeans he moved over to his large bed and lay down on it letting the soft duvet ease the aching in his body. "One of those bitches," He whistled. "Fuck me, she's unlike any woman I've come across for awhile. A born soldier."
Lexi stared at his recline body dumbly, trying to analyse how a woman could cause that much drama not that there wasn't dangerous women at Sanctuary, there were a few in fact but they were like a little army not a lone force. "She did all that alone?"
"Those four men are since we got back. When we fucking took her out the van...shit, she was like a little fucking tornado!" He smiled slightly. "I've had to lock her up seperate from the others, can't have her letting them all fucking lose. I don't particularly enjoy killing women."
Lexi understood the message in that, he'd kill her too if he had to. "So why haven't you killed her? She killed your men."
Negan gave a throaty laugh. "Because she has the kind of balls I look for, with her and D, oh boy would the top players be heavy hitters." Capturing her slim wrist he tugged Lexi to sit on his bed. "Your hero Rick is planning something. He thinks I'm fucking stupid, I can read people and those people are plotting." His hand moved to her thigh where he gently stroked her jean clad leg. "If you're thinking he's going to save you Lex, even if he fucking suceeds and I find you with him. I'll fucking kill you where you stand. And then his fucking kids. You hear me?"
"Does it look like I'm going anywhere?" Lexi wailed in frustration. "You keep me locked up like a fucking animal or have your men watch me twenty-four seven, unless I have the power of invisability how the hell could I get anywhere?"
The tone of her voice made the blood rush to Negan's cock, god he loved it when she got feisty. Leaning up closer to her face he felt a swell of self pride when he notice the hitch in her breathing. "Wanna fuck quick before I have to get back to the grind?"
Negan's proposition struck Lexi dumb. Since finding out that she was pregnant and everything to do with Rick he hadn't even slightly made any romantic moves on her, instead he'd chosen to flaunt his newest wife infront of her at any oppurtunity he could. Her body was leaning closer to him of it's own accord and she wanted nothing more than to press her lips to his but the slither of sanity within her was stopping her from doing so. But before she could answer Negan spoke again.
"Why won't you become my wife? I've asked you so many fucking times and everytime the answers the same, you're carrying my fucking baby Lex."
Lexi snorted lightly and blinked back tears that were threatening to spill down her cheeks. "Negan I never wanted to be a wife, I wanted to be the wife. I cared about you, alot and you knew that and you used that and my addiction in your favour. I can't be your wife because it'd be worse knowing I'm officially just some tits and ass that exerts your status over everyone else. That's worse than not being with you at all."
Negan's face softened as he listened to Lexi speak. Never had she ever been open with him, they had the little games they played and there was nothing more to it and now she'd said all this they couldn't go back from it. "Well shit Lex, you didn't have to get all teenage girl about it," He joked pulling back from her and removing the hand he'd had on her thigh. "No wonder you fucked Rick, I bet he cried after didn't he?"
"Fuck you."
He laughed again but the humour didn't reach his eyes, his blood still boiled eveytime he thought about Lexi with Rick. "I've got to go see the crazy bitch who's butchered my me, want to come for the ride sugar tits?"
Lexi paused for a moment still realing from how he'd just trampled all over her feelings, she should have known better than to expect anything less but that didn't stop the stabbing pain in her chest. "Okay," She mumbled. "Beats being stuck in here...again."
Swinging his long legs off of his bed and pushing Lexi aside in the process, Negan quickly redressed in a clean tee shirt and his jacket before snatching Lucille up from where she was propped against one of the leather couches. Not waiting to see if Lexi was following he marched out of his quarters and out to the old building where the back up genertator was housed, it was the only place far enough from the holding cells in Sanctuary, he could not have her and her little friends conspiring and escaping. He'd had Dwight driving a small group of men around half the night looking for some form of cage to keep her in because there was no where secure in the generator building, luckily they had found a large one in the ashy remains of Frank's settlement and brought it back to Sanctuary before the rest of the convoy arrived.
"What is this building?" Lexi asked as Negan pulled the keys from his jean pocket and turned them in lock. "I didn't even know this building was here."
"We don't use it, store shit here and the back up generator is here but that's it." He explained leading Lexi inside the cold building.
As they walked further inside Lexi took in her surroundings. There were a few old crates and boxes and some other odds and bobs but other than that there was nothing in the building, no wonder it was so cold. Going past the large generator the large cage which housed the woman came into view. It wasn't till they reached the front of it that Lexi could actually she her though. Sat in the back corner of the cage a blonde woman, who Lexi guessed to be in her mid to late twenties, sat with her legs up against her chest. Her sunkissed skin was scattered with dried blood and her lip was split and swelling. Standing to her feet she fearlessly went up to the front of the cage and dangled her arms through the gap leaning on the bars. A small smile curved up her battered lips making Lexi shiver, this woman was certifiable.
"Well good morning hotness," Negan boomed commanding the situation. "Four of my men are not very fucking happy with you." He chuckled pulling a tattered stool over and sitting on it before the cage. "You made my life very fucking difficult last night, and that does not make me fucking happy."
The cold smile held firmly on her face as she spoke for the first time. "Have you ever been in a shark cage?"
Lexi watched Negan for a reaction, this was not at all what she had anticipated this woman would say and if Negan was as confused as Lexi felt he was hiding it well.
"Can't say I have sweetheart."
The woman leaned further into the bars looking like she was getting herself more comfortable before she continued. "It's very common in Australia, people seem to think they're at the top of the food chain. We're the most intelligent so we're untouchable. Swimming in a cage with a two thousand pound killing machine the other side. The truth is that man is only top of the food chain while he remains in the cage, the shark enters the cage and he realises how wrong he was. It's all a self delusional view on power." She paused wiping the trickled of blood that had started dripping from her lip. "You are the man in the cage."
Negan let out a long loud whistle. "Darling I knew I would enjoy breaking you but I did not realise just how much."
She snorted in derision. "Do you think you scare me Negan?"
"Oh I fucking will." He laughed heartily, he hadn't had someone with balls this big in a long time and never had it been a woman. "So little Miss Australia, one of the hottest accents by the way, seems a bit unfair you know my name but I don't know yours. So do me the fucking curtosy of telling me."
"Alison."
A/N/ Another chapter and longer this time as I promised. Soon there will be so much drama as you can imagine. Let me know what you think of the new character Alison, I know we don't know much about her soon but all will be revealed soon :)