Once again thanks for all the feedback!
To clear a few things up-
One reviewer mentioned Negan's wives and asked what would happen to them when Fiona moved in. He doesn't have wives in my story (they surely would have made an appearance by now if he did! Lol). I don't read the comics and in my disclaimer I mentioned
I would be taking liberties with Negan's character etc. I hope that doesn't disappoint anyone.
Secondly, someone said Negan is being unrealisticallynice and out of character. Again, I wrote him a little different than he supposedly is. This is my owninterpretation of him I guess, or a different angle of what his character COULD be.
(That's why it's called fiction). We haven't seen him on TV yet and since I don't read the comics I didn't have much to go by. I just knew I wanted him to have some humanity left inside himand I wanted my character to help draw it out.
Hope this explains my thought processes and reasons... :-)
Thanks again to all my followers and reviewers. Keep the questions and commentscoming!
The incessant ringing of the doorbell woke Negan out of a very comfortable sleep. He was warm and cozy spooning with Fiona and had been having the most wonderful dream. Cursing under his breath at whoever it was who not only pulled him out of that
dream but also out of Fiona's arms, he detangled his limbs from hers, threw back the covers and quietly got out of bed, careful not to wake her. She stirred slightly, rolled over, but remained asleep. He admired her for a second, her blond hair
splayed out over the pillow, long dark eyelashes against the ivory skin of her cheeks, and one slender leg peeking out from beneath the sheets.
She was a vision. And she was his.
He was still having trouble believing it.
He was being given a second chance, one he certainly didn't deserve.
Pulling on his pants, he made his way downstairs and opened the door to find a nervous looking Trevor standing there. "Sorry to wake you boss, but I think we have a problem. Dwight, Rocco and Dave never returned from Hilltop yesterday."
Negan's brow furrowed as he tried to process the news. "But they went..."
"Early afternoon."
Right. He had sent them alone because he had gone to meet Fiona. Then he had gotten so distracted and caught up with her that he had completely forgotten to follow up later that evening to see if they had returned safely and with adequate supplies.
"Fuckkk." He ran a hand through his hair, rubbing his eyes. He was still half asleep and wasn't thinking straight. "You sure they didn't come back and just went out again this morning?"
Trevor shook his head. "Their women came to me this morning, pretty worried that they never came home last night."
Negan cursed again. "Okay. Let me get dressed. I'll swing by to get you in fifteen minutes. Do you think we need to bring extra men along?"
"A part of me says yes but who the fuck knows. I just don't have a good feeling about this."
"I wish someone had come to me sooner."
"We didn't know."
"I should have checked last night... I completely forgot... I was..." He was going to say distracted but figured that wasn't a good thing for a leader with his caliber of responsibility to admit aloud.
Trevor knew he had brought the pretty doctor home with him last night. Peter had seen her getting out of his truck yesterday and word had spread like wildfire around the community. Most people were ambivalent because they knew she had worked hard
trying to save Bryson, a few women were green with simple jealousy, but there were still a small few of Zander's close friends who rankled at the news.
"Doesn't matter," Trevor said, letting him off the hook. "Let's just get over there and see if we can fix it."
"Fifteen minutes," Negan reminded him, then shut the door and went back upstairs. He took a quick shower, his mind racing with possible scenarios as to what could have detained them, none of them good. He wasn't in the mood for any trouble today and
hoped to hell he would be able to resolve the issue, whatever it was, quickly and easily.
He got dressed, brushed his teeth then went to wake Fiona.
He sat on the edge of the bed and watched her sleep, his mouth curving into a small smile.
She must have sensed him because she opened her eyes and smiled dreamily at him. But as she continued to fully awaken, she realized he was clean, dressed and had his jacket on, as if ready to go. Her eyes widened in panic. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." He smiled down at her and brushed her hair away from her face. "I just have to run to Hilltop with Trevor. There may be a slight situation and I need to go."
"Is everything okay?"
"Dwight and two other of my men never came home last night. They were supposed to do the pickup when I left to come and meet you at the gas station."
She cursed under her breath. "This is all my fault. You should have never-"
He placed a finger over her lips to silence her. "Shut up. Last night was incredible and I don't regret it for a second. My men are grown boys. They should be able to take care of themselves. I just need to go make sure Hilltop isn't acting out of
line, that's all."
Fiona didn't like the sound of that. Any confrontational situation that put him in danger was a possibility he could get hurt, or worse. No matter how much she reminded herself he was doing this long before she met him, and word was he was very good
at what he did, it still made her extremely nervous.
She got out of bed, dragging the sheet with her to keep it wrapped around her body. "How will I get back to Alexandria? I can't stay here another night."
"I'm going to leave a car out front for you, keys in the ignition. It's one of our extras." He stepped up to her, pulling her into his arms. "You can drive it back here the day you move all your stuff in."
Grinning at the thought, he gave her a sweet, thorough kiss which they both knew was unfortunately going to have to last them awhile. "Meet me at the gas station next Friday, gorgeous. We'll have one last treehouse rendezvous before the weather gets
too cold. I promise I wont be late this time."
"I'll be there."
"Take your time here, shower, eat something and head out when you're ready," he said, finally finding the strength to release her. "Do you know the way back?"
Fiona nodded then reached out for his hand, stopping him. "Be careful. Please."
Negan looked down at her small hand in his and smiled. "Now that I have a reason to be, I most certainly will." He touched his fingers to his lips and blew her a kiss when he got to the door.
She watched him go, hating the feeling of helplessness and worry that went along with caring so much for someone. She said a quick prayer that he would return safely and then set about getting herself ready to head back home.
Neganbanged on Hilltop's gate with Lucille. There were people milling about, doing their tasks and he knew they saw him but continued to ignore him. "Somebody better open this fucking gate before there's trouble!" he yelled, starting to get
pissed off.
A man herding a cow out to the pasture spoke to him as he passed. "Relax, asshole. Gregory knows you're here."
"Fuck you. I'd love to see if you have the balls to speak to me like that once this gate is opened."
The man didn't respond. He just calmly kept walking towards the field, murmuring sweetly to the cow while rubbing her side.
Negan's patience was wearing thin. He was about to call out again when he saw Hilltop's leader striding towards him from the big house. With his shock of gray hair combed neatly back off his forehead and his pressed navy suit, he looked more like
he belonged on Wall Street than on a farm. He smiled condescendingly as he stepped up to the gate. "Was expecting you last night. You getting sloppy, big guy? Or were you too busy fucking your whore of the week?"
Negan let the insults slide. "Where are my men and my supplies?"
"Your men are being held prisoner. Come take a walk with me and I'll explain." He motioned to Negan's bat and Trevor's pistol. "But leave those weapons in your truck."
"So you can ambush us? Fuck no. We aren't coming in unarmed."
"We're a peaceful people," Gregory said. "We won't attack unless forced to."
Negan hesitated, but did as Gregory asked only because he needed to get his men back, and Trevor followed suit.
The gate was opened, allowing them through, and then locked again behind them.
"What happened?" Negan pressed. Gregory's calm demeanor was irritating. From the day he first met him, he wanted more than anything to take Lucille and bash his brains out. Just so he'd never have to deal with him, his air of superiority and his fucking
bullshit ever again.
"I'm going to let them tell you."
They crossed the field and made their way uphill towards the outdoor stables. Sure enough, there were Dwight, Rocco and Billy, tied up with their hands bound around wooden columns.
Negan stormed over to them. "What the fuck happened? And you better fuckin' tell it to me straight."
Dwight, being the most senior of the three, bravely lifted his eyes to Negan and spoke up. "The deal was we were supposed to get some of that there pig." He motioned with his head to the few fat pigs rollicking in the mud pen across the way.
"The pig isn't ready for slaughter," Gregory stated calmly.
Dwight glared at him. "My boss told you it was, last time he was here."
"Your boss knows shit about livestock, and everything else for that matter," Gregory replied, flashing a smug smile at Negan. "We aren't going to slaughter an animal before it reaches its full capability. And especially not because HE says to."
Now Negan was starting to lose patience. "What the fuck happened?" he asked Dwight again, his tone low and menacing.
"Rocco took out his axe and tried to gut the pig himself."
Negan threw his head back and chuckled. "At least someone knows how to fucking follow orders." He took a step closer to Gregory, towering over him. "You don't tie up my men. I thought our deal was clear from the beginning. We take what we want in
exchange for your protection."
"I don't think I like that deal anymore."
Negan narrowed his eyes and stared Gregory down for the longest time. "You don't have a choice."
"I think we do. We have your men."
"Fuck them. They're expendable."
Dwight, Rocco and Billy exchanged nervous glances.
"We have protection from Rick and Alexandria now," Gregory continued. "And theyare teaching us to fight walkers. We don't need you or your goons anymore. Winter is coming and I have enough mouths to feed without catering to free-loaders like
yourself."
As if by magic, a group of ten people appeared, surrounding Negan and Trevor. They were all holding some form of farming tool, ready to use it as a weapon if necessary.
Gregory saw the brief flicker of panic that crossed Negan's face and smiled smugly. "I suggest you leave quietly and we won't have to start a war. And if you think about coming back with an army, we will be ready."
"We can overtake you and this community in a heartbeat." Negan motioned his hand to the group that had surrounded them. "These innocent people aren't fighters. Why would you subject them to such danger? Because your fucking ego takes precedence? What
a joke. And you call yourself a leader. They'd be better off with me."
Now it was Gregory's turn to laugh. "You're delusional if you think anyone wants to be a part of the mess you've created." He walked over to his prisoners. "I'm going to do the right thing and untie your men now. You have five minutes to do the right
thing in return and get off my property."
Negan stood there, jaw clenched, weighing his options. Amazingly, it was only Fiona's voice he heard telling him his style was outdated and that he needed to consider making compromises instead of enemies if he wanted to survive the winter.
Dwight, Rocco and Billy came to stand beside Trevor, and the four of them looked to him for guidance. He knew they would start attacking if he asked them to. But they didn't have weapons and were sorely outnumbered.
"Let's go boys," he said turning to leave and surprising them, because after suffering the humiliation of being tied up and held prisoner for almost twenty four hours, they were not only itching for a fight, but for revenge.
The sound of a gun being cocked beside his head made everyone freeze.
Jesus, who had quietly snuck up behind them, had a pistol aimed at Negan's temple and addressed Gregory angrily. "You can't let them leave! They will come back and destroy us and everything we've built here! Don't you see that!?"
Gregory held out his hands calmly. "Jesus, put the gun down."
" him gone, there will be no more threat! I'm so sick of living in fear day in and day out!"
"Killing him won't end anything," Gregory tried to reason. "His people will rally against us."
"No they won't. They are too stupid and disorganized. They are nothing without him. This is the perfect chance to kill this motherfucker. He deserves to die after all the hell he's put us and everyone else through!"
Jesus wasn't aware of Dwight inching closer and closer to him until Dwight's hand came up hard, pushing his arm away from Negan's head and towards Gregory instead. His finger had been on the trigger the whole time, ready to shoot, and the sudden movement
caused the gun to go off accidentally. It hit Gregory in the chest right over his heart.
A stunned silence fell over the crowd for the briefest of seconds before shouts and wails took over and chaos prevailed. Jesus fell to his knees beside the injured Gregory, whose chest wound was gushing blood. He was gasping for breath, trying to
talk, but Jesus kept silencing him, holding his hands against the wound and trying desperately to staunch the bleeding.
Negan approached them warily. "What can I do to help? Is your doctor around?"
Jesus looked at him murderously with wild, crazy eyes. "Get out of here now. Because I'm two seconds away from grabbing that gun and blowing your fucking brains out like I wanted to five minutes ago."
"This gun?" Rocco taunted, aiming it at Jesus and grinning.
"Enough!" Negan scolded him, grabbing the gun from his hand. "Stop with the fucking games!" Tossing one last look over his shoulder at Gregory bleeding out on the grass he said, "Let's get out of here. They obviously don't want our help."
Two people had come with a makeshift stretcher just as Negan turned to walk off. They loaded a bleeding and unconscious Gregory onto it and whisked him off. Jesus stood up, soaked with blood and watched the Saviors leave through the gate. He should
have killed Negan when he had the chance. He had the perfect shot. Gregory would have been mad at him for a few days but would have gotten over it eventually. Now Gregory was dead ( or pretty damn close to it) and Negan was leaving unscathed,
free to keep on terrorizing and taking food from their mouths.
He was not going to let it keep on happening.
He vowed right then and there that he was going to avenge Gregory's death.
And he was somehow, hopefully with the help of Alexandria, going to end Negan once and for all.
Negan had a bad feeling as he climbed into his truck with his men and drove off.
If Gregory was dead, and odds were he was, it was a pretty big deal. Even if he himself hadn't pulled the trigger, it had happened during an altercation with him and his men so they were most likely going to get blamed for it.
Which meant he needed to take action and try to come to terms with Alexandria sooner rather than later before they banded together with Hilltop and tried to start a war. Not that he didn't have confidence in his group's fighting ability, but once
again Fiona's voice was all he heard in his head, telling him things should and could be different.
He had a reason to want to live now. A reason to care about his own survival. And he couldn't keep putting himself in harms' way anymore. His days of being selfish were gone once he decided to open his heart again.
Which was why he was going to call a meeting with his people over the next day or so and tell them things were going to start changing.
And whoever didn't like itor refused to help make those changes would notbe asked ,but told,to pack their things andleave.