A/N: I had a little trouble publishing the last chapter and had to do it several times. I feel like it's possible that some people didn't get an email notifying them of my previous chapter. Anyway, I just want to make sure that everyone reads "Chapter 23: David and Goliath" before you read this one.

Chapter 24: After the Storm

The commotion of the battle had slowed considerably when Carol finally thought it was safe enough to look for Negan. She searched everywhere but was having no luck. She rolled over a few bodies that she thought might be him but they weren't. Maybe he wasn't as injured as they thought he was and he ran away. Maybe he had decided that he didn't want to go back into his cell and would take his chances elsewhere.

Carol continued her search in the dark and finally spotted him. He had crawled from where Beta had stabbed him towards a large oak. His body was slumped against the trunk and his eyes were closed. She ran towards him and fell to the ground beside his body.

"Negan!" Carol shouted. "Negan! Negan wake up, right now!" she shouted again, this time slapping his face gently.

Negan finally opened his eyes. When they focused on Carol, a dopey grin spread across his face. "Did I die and go to heaven because I think I see an angel in front of me?"

Carol shook her head in exasperation. Even as he was bleeding to death, he couldn't keep from doling out his slick and flirtatious quips. "Where are you bleeding?"

"In my gut," Negan said, the smile quickly fading from his face as he cringed in agony. "I ain't never been in this kind of pain. I'm dyin'."

Carol pulled Negan's shirt up and watched the slow but steady ooze of blood from where he was stabbed. She pulled her scarf from around her neck and pressed it into his bleeding wound. "Just hold on...we'll get you back to Alexandria."

"I ain't makin' it back to Alexandria."

"Yes you are!" Carol stated adamantly. "We're going to stitch you up and you'll be okay. Siddiq will be here in a couple of minutes. We have a truck and we'll have you in Alexandria in an hour."

"I don't have an hour," Negan said as his eyes grew heavy.

"Hey, hey...stay with me! Okay? Stay with me!" Carol lifted Negan's head and pulled him into her arms. "Negan, wake up! You're gonna be back to picking cucumbers and tomatoes in that garden of yours. And don't you want to know how your book ends?"

"Aww that's sweet. You were payin' attention."

"Yeah, I was. And you gotta stay with me or you won't find out how it ends!"

"I don't think that's gonna happen," Negan replied groggily.

"Jack Ryan...he uh, he..." Carol stammered, "he's gonna stop the bomb, I know it. He'll stop the bomb from exploding at the Super Bowl and he's gonna save everybody."

"Yeah that's what's gonna happen" Negan said quietly.

"Of course he will but you gotta find out how he does it? The how will be the twist so stay with me!"

"I don't really care anymore. What can I say? Dying puts things into perspective." Negan's eyes fluttered open again and he looked up into Carol's soft face. "You know what I would like?" Negan lifted his hand up and touched his fingertips to Carol's face. He looked deeply into her eyes as he spoke again. "Could you give a dying man his one last wish?"

"I told you you're not going to die."

"Damn you're stubborn."

"What?" Carol asked. "What's your dying wish?"

"A kiss," Negan said smiling. "Just one little kiss."

Carol scoffed and shook her head at first. But then, as she looked down into Negan's pale, heavy face, she was moved with compassion. She smiled tenderly at him, then leaned over slowly before pressing her lips gently to his forehead.

"Damn. That was even better than a roll in the hay," Negan exclaimed as his eyes widened momentarily. "It felt like..." but Negan didn't finish.

"Like what?"

"It felt like...like maybe you like me."

"I do like you," Carol replied, her voice cracking slightly. "I really tried not to but it was harder than I thought it would be." She couldn't believe that she cared about Negan. If someone had told her a week ago that she would have made an ally from this enemy, she wouldn't have believed them.

"Since I'm on a roll, there's one more thing I gotta ask you for."

"Don't push it. I told you I'm a married woman," Carol said chuckling.

"I ain't gonna make it back, and I just want to say something," Negan stated in a clear and sober tone.

"Say what?"

Negan took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I spewed out a lot of bullshit in my life but I want you to know that I'm being truthful right now...sincere."

"Okay, I believe you," Carol said nodding. "What do you want to tell me?"

Negan sighed listlessly before speaking."I'm sorry about your friends. I'm sorry about Glenn and Abraham."

"You knew their names?" Carol asked in disbelief.

"I did. And I'm sorry for what I did to them. I mean it. I'm sorry for a lot of shit I did. Some of it I could blame on the fact the world is a living hell and we were at war but that...what I did to your friends...there's no way to slice it. It was cruel. It was evil. I can't take it back but I'm so sorry for it. And I ain't even askin' for forgiveness. I ain't gonna put that on you. That'd be too much. I'm just...I'm just sorry."

Carol stared down into Negan's face. She was speechless.

She hadn't been there on the night her friends...her family, had met Negan and his men on the road to Hilltop. She hadn't witnessed her loved ones cowering on their knees. She hadn't seen what Negan had done to Glenn and Abraham. She had run away from them, chasing after a life of solitude for what now felt like selfish reasons.

Even when Daryl finally found her just outside the Kingdom and she asked if everything was okay, he spared her the truth. He told her that things were fine so that she wouldn't worry – so she could keep her solitude. But she found out. Morgan finally told her.

When Carol heard exactly what had happened, that Glenn and Abraham's heads were beaten to a literal pulp, that Maggie had watched the father of her unborn child be murdered in such a cruel and depraved manner, she was sick. She ran outside and threw up her breakfast when she found out what Negan, a man she'd never met, had done to her friends.

But now, Negan was dying. He was dying and Carol didn't hate him anymore. She could have but she just didn't. She wasn't glad or feeling like he was getting what he deserved. She was sorry. He had helped her when even her own friends weren't willing.

Maybe if she had been there to witness Glenn and Abe's death she would feel differently. Or maybe seven years had given her a different perspective. Maybe those seven years had made her softer. Maybe she'd changed or maybe the world had. But Carol didn't think that was it. Plain and simple, Negan had made her trust him...made her appreciate what he was willing to sacrifice...made her like him.

Carol continued to hold him in her arms as he finally closed his eyes again. She held on to the side of his face as she spoke to him. "I forgive you."

…..

Once Michonne and the others had charged into the camp, the battle was bloody but brief. The allies were a well-trained army and it didn't take long to end the war with the Whisperers. The combined forces of the four communities took down less than two dozen of the Whisperer fighters.

Only those who resisted were killed while those who surrendered were shown mercy. When Michonne and the other leaders walked through the Whisperer camp, it was obvious what was really happening.

Alpha and Beta had their followers under a vicious spell. They were just normal people trying to survive any way they could. They were controlled with domination and fear, subjected to the twisted and tyrannical will of their rescuers. Most of the people who had surrendered were shell-shocked. Many of them were mothers and fathers with helpless children.

While the leaders of the four communities would have to be wise in how the survivors were handled, they wouldn't just turn their backs on them. They would help them. They would treat them with a dignity and normalcy they hadn't experienced in a long time.

They would have considered the entire war a success if not for the casualties the allies had sustained themselves. There were a number of serious injuries including Jerry who was shot badly and had lost his right arm. But Jerry knew how close he came to death and was just grateful that he would be able to return to his wife and children. He knew what a blessing it would be to go home since so many others never would.

Magna, Earl and Laura had been killed along with four others. It was an enormous loss but no side ever comes out unscathed in a war. The very nature of war is death and loss for those cursed by it's bloodthirsty behavior.

But it was over. The violence had seceded and the war was over for both sides. They would try to rebuild their lives and move on from the nightmare they'd all lived through.

…..

It was 4 in the morning when Daryl awoke the next day in Alexandria's infirmary. He didn't remember how he'd gotten there but was glad to be off the battlefield and out of danger. The last week had been one of the most exhausting of his entire life.

Daryl inhaled and exhaled slowly, relieved to be safe and in one piece. Although he was well accustomed to a life on the road, he could appreciate the warmth of a bed. Since he was a boy, he'd slept with his head on the ground a thousand times over. But the comfort of a pillow under his head was something even the brawny roughneck could relish.

But Daryl's peace was short-lived. He looked around the pitch black room, trying to adjust his eyes to the darkness. He hadn't been awake for more than a few seconds before a panic set into his mind and body. Where was Connie? Had she made it back from the Whisperer camp? Was she even alive?

He sat up quickly and reached over with his hands to climb out of bed. He felt an arm resting on the mattress. He felt with his hands where the arm led. His fingers touched her soft curls and he immediately sighed in relief. His eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness as he watched her sit up.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Daryl said. He rolled his eyes, immediately feeling foolish for talking to her in the dark room. She obviously couldn't hear him or even see his mouth but he still wasn't quite used to all of this yet.

Connie reached over and found Daryl's hand with hers. She laced her fingers through his holding onto his his rough hand. Daryl listened to her let out her own sigh of relief as they sat there in the dark.

Connie appreciated the calm and quiet just as much as Daryl did. The last week had been a storm of powerful emotions for her.

The storm started with losing Kelly. It was a heartbreak she hadn't felt since the beginning of the end, ten long years ago. Ten years ago, when she lost her fiance, her mother, and her precious newborn baby. Losing Kelly had torn her heart from her chest. It had been the two of them for so long and not having her baby sister had made Connie question whether she even wanted to live.

Then in the midst of her grief she fell in love. It wasn't something she was looking for. It came out of nowhere when she found him. Even when she did find him, love seemed impossible with such a hard and wounded soul. Daryl had tried so hard to push her away but the two of them were like magnets and a force more powerful than either of their wills pulled them together. It was surreal to have those feelings for him. Like the feelings of grief and heartache, the love was another emotion she hadn't felt in over a decade.

The emotional storm continued to build to a cyclone for Connie when she was thrust into enemy territory. She was filled with fear at first, knowing what kind of monsters she was dealing with. Monsters that had ripped her sister from her life and now wanted something from her. The fear quickly turned back into hatred as she looked for a way to avenge her sister and escape. She did that. And although killing Alpha didn't do anything to assuage the pain of losing Kelly, it did at least give her closure on this dark chapter.

Grief, love, hatred, fear, and finally vindication had been storming through her head and heart over the last seven days. It was almost more than she could bear. It overwhelmed her but she had come out on the other side, battered but whole.

And now, the storm had subsided completely. It was over. The battle with the enemy was already in the past and the future was the only thing ahead. A future together. They both rested in the quiet calm, as they took in the rare moment of peace they'd never fully experienced with one another.

Daryl and Connie held hands in the peaceful and thoughtful silence for nearly ten minutes when Daryl finally pulled his hand out of hers.

Connie's shoulders sunk when she felt his hand leave hers. Did he want her to leave? She wasn't ready to say goodbye to him, not even for the night. They'd been apart for what seemed like an eternity and her heart sank at the thought of going away from him. She wished that the room wasn't so dark so that she could see his face and know his intentions.

Connie finally stood to leave. Daryl needed his rest and in truth, so did she. She began to turn away when she felt his hand close around her wrist sending a tingle up her arm. He pulled her back to himself as he moved his body to the opposite side of the bed. Daryl took his other hand and wrapped it quickly around her waist, pulling her towards the bed.

He didn't want her to leave. On the contrary, he wanted her even closer. Connie nervously slid into the bed and inched her body closer to Daryl's.

Daryl pulled her as close to himself as possible then drew the blanket over them both. Connie nestled herself against the warmth of his body. She could feel the rise and fall of his chest next to her own chest. She felt the beat of his heart, steady and rhythmic against her face. Connie couldn't remember ever feeling so content. She'd never felt this consumed in a moment or this close to another human. She'd never felt this loved.

Daryl reached under the blanket and searched for her hand again. Once he found it, he moved his fingers against her palm.

I W-O-N-T E-V-E-R L-E-A-V-E Y-O-U A-G-A-I-N, Daryl spelled out slowly inside her hand. I L-O-V-E Y-O-U.

Feelings of bliss surged through her entire body as she quickly moved her fingers into his hand. I L-O-V-E Y-O-U.

Daryl's hand released Connie's and trailed up the side of her body. It moved slowly across her hip and rib cage then over her shoulder and onto her neck. It finally stopped once it found her face as he cupped her cheek with the palm of his hand. He brushed his lips softly against hers before pulling her mouth completely onto his eager lips.

To Daryl, nothing had ever felt better. Their mouths moved in sync as they kissed slowly. The intensity grew as Connie moved her hand up Daryl's chest and wrapped her fingers around his sinewy neck. She pulled his head closer as the kiss deepened. The passion intensified through both their bodies as Daryl gently moved her lips apart with his tongue. Connie's tongue slid across his as the moment grew frantically. Their hands moved excitedly over each other as the blissful and electric kissing continued.

The wild exchange lasted several minutes before they finally pulled their mouths from one another. Daryl felt completely exhilarated as he leaned his forehead against hers feeling the warmth of her hurried breaths on his face. His hand still held onto her cheek as he kissed her quickly one last time. Connie nestled her head comfortably against his chest again. Daryl held her protectively in his arms as she fell asleep.

A/N: Whew! Well that was crazy! I hope nobody minded the PG-13 ending to this chapter! Pretty mellow actually compared to a lot of the FF out there but it was pretty intense for me. LOL! Drop me a comment and tell me what you thought. God bless y'all!