A/N

Hiya! So this chapter is a lot more mellow than most but I fancied a nice chapter with Negan and Wren becoming friends. I have ideas planned but I need to fill in the gaps with other chapters first lol which is becoming challenging but I don't want to rush things.

Let me know what you think!


"Are you sure this is how you want to spend your evening?" Wren asked, glancing at the playing cards she held out in front of her.

"You asking that because you're losing, Birdie?" Negan smirked, "got any sevens?"

Wren frowned and handed three cards over. "You've got to be cheating."

"Nope. I'm playing an honest game here." Negan was right about this in more than one respect. He'd been playing an honest game since he rescued Wren from her ex-husband a couple of days earlier. Since their talk in the courtyard, Negan hadn't seen his wives since. He hadn't wanted to; being with Wren – just being with her – was enough entertainment for him.

Wren had been opening up to him more; talking about her childhood and family in some detail, although she hadn't shared anything about the child Negan had seen in the photograph. With every story she told him, Negan found himself wanting to know more about her. Wren Waring was a rare breed indeed and he didn't want her to leave his quarters anytime soon. She made him smile, and was perhaps making him a better person by filling a void that none of his wives had been able to. The thought of sleeping with Wren hadn't really crossed his mind over the last few days; Wren didn't need to be on her knees to please him, she just had to be herself.

It had only been a few days, but Negan hadn't laughed so much during that time.

"Hey! Earth to Negan!" Wren snapped him out of his thoughts. "Got any queens?"

"No, but you could be one…" Negan muttered without thinking, wishing he could retract that statement as soon as he said it, noticing the disgusted look on Wren's face.

"So all this has been just a bid to get in my pants? I should've known…" Wren stood up quickly, her fiery stare practically burning Negan's skin.

"I'm not tryin' to get your fucking clothes off!" Negan exclaimed. "I mean, I wouldn't complain in the fucking slightest but this has only been about making sure you're alright after what that fucking asshole did!" He paused, his voice softening. "I've liked us hanging out."

Wren carefully lowered herself back onto the chair, cautiously watching Negan as though he were a predator, about to pounce at the first sight of sharp movement. "You're serious?"

"Fuck yeah! I wouldn't have spent all this fucking time just playing games and chatting with you if I didn't fucking enjoy your company, Wren." Despite the fucks, Negan was being completely sincere in what he was saying – and Wren could tell that was the case.

A small smile spread from cheek to cheek as she heard Negan's honest words. "I've had an alright time myself."

Negan smiled too. He liked this side of Wren; the softer, less angry woman who was finally letting her guard down around him.

"Can I ask you something?" Wren had been avoiding the question after Negan stormed out of the room the other night, but she could no longer help herself. "Who was she? The woman you were in love with?"

Negan felt his heart stop momentarily. It happened every time his late wife crossed his mind; the very thought of her was enough to make him fall apart, which was why he had rebirthed her in the form of the bat – it made her a physical thing which he could cling to – instead of just a painful memory. Negan found himself clutching the baseball bat in question at Wren's enquiry; an action which Wren immediately picked up on.

Wren had already guessed that Lucille was more than just Negan's weapon of choice from the way he never let the bat out of his sight. She'd never seen him without it and he seemed to treat the thing with more respect than he did people; always setting it down gently and speaking to it like it could hear and understand every gentle word of adoration. She was intelligent enough to figure it out just from the way in which Negan's breathing trembled and his fingers wrapped around the handle.

"Lucille…you named the bat after her…" Wren paused, waiting for an indication from Negan that her guess was right. He nodded quietly after a moment and Wren was unsure whether or not to continue with her probing; she could tell this was a sensitive subject. But Negan volunteered an explanation.

"My wife. She died right before all this happened. Cancer." Negan bowed his head, still clutching Lucille tightly. "She turned when the shit hit the fan."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Wren whispered, watching how Negan was suddenly unrecognisable; so small and broken, just at the mention of his wife. "You must've loved her very much."

"I did. But I didn't deserve her." Negan's voice was shaky. "I couldn't even kill her when she turned. I didn't have the fucking balls to; I just let her turn into a monster. What kind of a husband – what kind of a man – does that to his wife?"

"You were scared, that's to be expected – none of this is normal." Wren carefully reached out to touch Negan's knee. Truthfully, she'd never been someone who knew how to react during another person's emotional display. Sure, she could pick up on when someone was hurting, but actually knowing what to do was beyond her. Maybe it's because she'd spent much of her life bottling in her emotions.

But for Negan, just having Wren there to listen was more than enough. He hardly talked about his wife with anyone; especially now that he was the iron-fisted leader of the Sanctuary. Lucille – the real Lucille – made him weak, and he hated that.

"My mom died of cancer too." Wren mumbled, glancing at Negan as his eyes met hers. "But hell, she fought it hard until the end."

"Shit, I'm sorry Wren." He thought for a moment, "Is that where you get it from then?"

"What?"

"Your constant need to fight everything and everyone – me included." Negan's face now bore the hint of a smile and Wren couldn't help but do the same. "You're one tough fucking cookie, Wren Waring."

"I know." Wren smile bore a hint of sadness. "I've had to be."

This was the first real connection Negan had made with Wren since their first encounter and he just couldn't stop looking at her. He was truly in awe of her strength; she'd lost both her parents – potentially a child – and had endured years of suffering at the hands of a man who had recently come back into her life and almost hurt her once again.

Wren was looking at Negan too; at his muscular frame that his white t-shirt only highlighted, his strong jaw that was almost hidden behind that attractive salt and pepper beard…his deep hazel eyes. She'd never noticed the colour of his eyes before.

Then a knock on the door brought them back down to Earth, snapping Wren out of her trance. But Negan didn't move to answer it.

"Aren't you going to get that?" She asked as the second knock echoed through the room.

Negan shrugged, "it's probably nobody important."

"Negan!" A shrill female voice called from the other side of the door. "Baby, you in there?"

"You know she's not going to go away…" Wren smirked, instantly recognising that voice as belonging to Sophie, one of Negan's wives.

Negan rolled his eyes and pulled a face which made Wren laugh, before walking over to answer the door.

"What is it Sophie?" Negan asked, his tone annoyed.

"When are you coming to see us?" Sophie asked, her voice a mix of sultry and whiny. "I miss you baby…"

"I've been busy." Negan replied curtly.

"Too busy for your wives?" She pouted, her desperate tone making Wren's skin crawl. She couldn't imagine why Sophie felt the need to throw herself at Negan's feet in the middle of the night. She almost expected Negan to let her in and take her to bed, guessing that his carnal instincts were flaring because of his recent dry spell. But Negan surprised her.

"Yeah, I'm even too fucking busy for you, princess." Negan normally used that nickname as a term of endearment, but now it came from a place of annoyance not flirtation. His rebuttal of Sophie's advances confused him; normally he loved it when a gorgeous young woman threw herself at him, but right now he couldn't stand it. In fact, he was almost embarrassed, because Wren was in the room.

"Nobody's seen you around lately. Maybe I could…keep you company?" She drawled, trying to make her shrill voice flow like soft silk. Wren could hardly contain her snigger at how pathetic the young girl sounded.

Negan heard Wren's stifled laughter and grew even more irritated. "I'm losing my fucking patience with you, Sophie. Just go the fuck to bed, it's late."

When Negan slammed the door shut, Wren couldn't help but smile to herself; it was a smug look that was almost triumphant. Negan had passed up the chance to have sex with Sophie – a young woman who was by no means unattractive – who was practically begging him to sleep with her, just to spend some time with her. Even after she'd made it clear that she'd never take her clothes off for him. Maybe Negan wasn't a total womanizer like she thought.

"What's that smile for?"

Wren broke herself away from her thoughts. "What?"

"I've never seen you fucking smile like that." Negan strolled back over to where Wren sat, grinning widely.

"Like what?" Wren could feel her cheeks growing warm.

"Like you're fucking pleased that I chose you over her." Negan didn't beat around the bush with that statement; he knew exactly what Wren was thinking. "You're a smug little birdie, aren't you."

Wren rolled her eyes, "you didn't choose me, you just chose not to have sex with the oldest child in this place. I don't think I've even heard any of the kids here whine like that."

She expected Negan to get angry and defend Sophie, preaching some bullshit about her kind heart or 'talents'…but he didn't.

"No, you're right. I never realised how fucking annoying her voice is before today. That shit goes through you like a fucking knife."

"How do you choose your wives?" Wren thought aloud, mentally cursing herself as soon as she realised that her subconscious had vocalised itself.

"Why you asking, Birdie? You having a change of heart?" Negan threw her a mischievous wink.

Wren shook her head, "no way. I'm just curious, wondering how you decide which women are 'special' enough."

Negan shrugged, "I extend the offer to almost every woman who walks through those gates. I'm a deep admirer of the female form in all her glory. Size or shape don't matter to me one iota." He couldn't help but stare at Wren's curvaceous hips as he said that last part.

"And personality?" Wren raised her brow. "Because yeah, Sophie's gorgeous but I haven't seen her do anything besides preen or beg to please you."

"I admit I've been known to be distracted by a pretty face…" Negan chuckled, "but some of my wives are smart as shit. They-"

"What about your real wife? What about Lucille?" Wren asked, curiosity taking over her once more. She wanted to know more about his wife – his real wife – and his life before the chaos had engulfed the world. "What was she like?"

"She was…" Negan paused, his wife's gentle features appearing in the centre of his mind. "She was an angel; she had such a kind heart, always willing to do anything for anybody. Her smile could light up a room it was that beautiful. She was more than I ever fucking deserved."

Wren smiled sadly at Negan's description of his late wife. It surprised her to hear that he'd once settled down and loved someone so deeply, especially now that he was living with around a dozen women whom he called his wives. It was like he was living a whole other life now, but so was Wren.

"I'm sure David wouldn't have described me like that." Wren said sarcastically, sensing that Negan needed a change of subject before he grew emotional. She knew he wouldn't have wanted to break down in front of her and Wren didn't want to imagine Negan becoming so soft before her eyes. "We were never good for one another."

"Then why'd you marry him? I'm sure you could've done so much fucking better, Birdie."

Negan's question really got under Wren's skin. It had been a question she'd asked herself so many times over the years, not just after their divorce, but even when they had been married. Even on their wedding night.

It had been a disastrous match from the start, Wren had known as much, but David had a way of getting under her skin and making her addicted to him. In that sense he really was a dangerous drug, one which she had found herself willing to do anything for. But Wren had never been truly happy in his arms so why had she jumped at the chance to be his wife?

There was only one real answer: their daughter.

"I guess love is blind sometimes." Wren eventually replied with a wry smile, before picking up the hand of playing cards she'd left on the table. "Can we please finish this damn card game now?"

It was obvious that Wren was avoiding the question, but Negan wasn't going to push her for an honest answer; he'd already learnt not to do that again. Instead he decided to continue their game of cards, happy that he and Wren were finally in an amicable place.