Thank you so much for returning to my little story after I abandoned it, I promise it won't happen again.

Chapter Twenty Two

Six Months Later

Negan had learned a lot about Rose in their six months on the road. One was that she had some kind of weird relationship with books, so much so that every single one he matter of factly burned for heat made her wince.

"I was always more of a kindle guy myself." He said out loud, as though to distract her from the betrayal of throwing a classic onto the fire. She was curled in the corner on the makeshift bed they had made from cushions and beanbags from the kids section hugging two books to her chest.

One was Tess of the D'urbervilles, her favourite book and the other was Psychology for beginners, way below her knowledge but she insisted that she might forget.

"You know what? That doesn't surprise me." Rose told him in a bored tone.

"I'll try not to be offended by that, beautiful."

"Oh no... please, be offended." She shot back with a smirk.

"You know where those smart ass remarks get you, Rosie." His sing song tone would be playful to anyone else but Rose knew exactly what he meant. They had been hauled up in the library they were still in a month after the shop. Once they found the stockpile of cans in the cellar for what they assumed was once a food bank for the poor, Negan made the decision they would see out the winter there. It had become a perfect base for them once they secured the medium sized building and added security measures to the outside. The thing was, that there was little more to do than the daily chores of perimeter checks, deciding which cans to eat, read and of course, as Negan put it "christen" every inch of the library.

They had gotten to know each other very well in that respect.

"We're gonna have to leave soon. You know that?" Negan said softly, barely audible over the crackling of the fire.

Rose just sighed, curling into an even smaller ball. Negan stood, making his way over to what Rose liked to call their den. He sat himself beside her and wrapped his long legs around her as he pried the books from her arms, laughing at the face she gave him when he finally took them.

"It's been nice here, huh?" He nuzzled her ear and she smiled thinking about how they had spent most of the last five months in this exact position. Hidden away. But the food was running out and it may have been safe in winter when the walkers were slower but it wasn't going toe safe enough now.

"Too nice. Back to reality though, I guess." She intwined her hand with his and turned to face him slowly.

Negan had come to know when Rose needed him and exactly what she needed from him. The way her lips softly brushed his before taking his bottom lip between her own in a sensual kiss told him all he needed to know as he pulled her legs out from under her and gently lowered her backwards.

He took his time in kissing her and letting his hands caress every part he could get to, Rose doing the same thing thinking back to the first time in the clothes shop. Rushed and needy but perfect in every way, every time since had been perfect too, whether slow and loving, desperate and rough or Negan surprising her up against the bookshelves.

Their clothes seemed to disappear one item at a time in an instinctual way that had happened gradually. He gave her that dark look as he began kissing his way down her body, it still made her breath hitch. Now that she knew that look in such a personal way, they could both be fully clothed and metres apart put it would make her ache thinking about all the times that powerful gaze met hers whilst he was inside her.

"I better make our last days really count then, huh." He rasped before lightly scratching her thighs as he pushed her legs wider apart.

Just as he was about to lower his head a loud bang came from the other side of the room. Rose stiffened as Negan jumped up without hesitation, naked as the day he was born with Lucille grasped in his hand. From the muscles of his back Rose could tell he was priming himself for whatever situation he could be faced with, his body coiled for attack looking every bit the caveman. She jumped up with the heavy duvet covering her, not wanting to make too much noise fumbling to get dressed.

Negan's free hand reached behind him and she knew it was because he liked to know she was close in those situations and so she quietly shuffled over to him.

"Just like old times hey, boss?" A confident voice called from the shadows causing Rose to let out an embarrassing squeak she couldn't stop.

"Who the fuck are you?!" Negan barked out, his mind working so quickly hearing the word boss once again. He speedily grabbed his pants, pulling them on.

The man in the shadows chuckled as he walked up to them, from the sound of their shoes Negan guessed there was two of them. He pulled Rose forward only happy once she was flush with his back, one hand touching it.

He was right, two men emerged into the orange, flickering light that the fire gave off. One was taller than the other and had a baseball cap on making it hard to see his face in the dim light and the other, had a mess of auburn hair that covered most of his face too. Negan knew exactly who he was.

"Good to see you, boss." He smiled proudly before kneeling, the man he was with doing the same. Rose noticed the way his eyes closed as he looked to be in pure bliss at having gotten to kneel in front of his leader once again. It made her physically shiver, he really gave her the creeps.

"Reece?!" Negan said incredulously. "You have got to be shittin' me!" He laughed loudly and Rose knew that deep down he would be enjoying this, the power of having somebody kneel in front of him again would feel good. She was reminded of just how fascinating this mans mind could be.

"I am glad to see you too, fellas but you literally caught me with my pants down here. Turn around would ya, give my lady friend some privacy."

They were more than happy to comply and turned around, eyes to on the floor.

When Negan turned around his face was very serious and there was a look in his eyes that told her they weren't out of danger, something was off. Maybe he wasn't slipping back into his old role quite as easily as it had seemed.

"Get dressed." He told her as he took the duvet from her, holding it up in front of him to make sure she was definitely out of view. He only threw it back onto their bed once she was fully dressed, weapons and all. He got himself dressed then before standing in front of her and gently holding her face in his hands in a reassuring way. "Stay behind me at all times." He whispered so quietly into her hair that even she barely heard it. She nodded, trusting him completely.

"Good girl." He smiled but she could see the nervous edge to it.

There was no way of knowing what these men wanted from him, his past was well and truly coming to bite him in the ass.

There were nowhere near enough swear words in the world to cover this situation.