(A/N: Thank you for all of the nice reviews! I mean, wow! You guys are awesome! Just taking the extra time out to leave me some feedback means the world to me! :D Soooo, thank you to umbrella0326, Blueberry, Savannah's Angels, AnnieMouse, FinsandFlippers, and PrincessAnime8!

To umbrella: Thank you! I'm blushin' over here! :) I try to put as much effort as I can into my writing when I have the time! I was thinking the same thing about Negan and the Governor! I can't decide which one is more crazy, though... :o

To Blueberry: Yep, Bree is being a little too trusting of strangers. She's been alone for so long that she's willing to overlook his craziness for now but she won't be blind for much longer! Aww, I'm glad you think she's sweet!

Merle: Hot dang, girl, this isn't the Academy Awards. Continue on with the story!

Cerulean: Ahem. *dabs away tears with a handkerchief* Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

CH. 4: Negan - Claimed

I think I'm in love.

What's this—the third, fourth, maybe seventh time I've fallen in love with one of the Sanctuary girls? Who can keep count with all of the beautiful women that keep pouring into my home? I love 'em all, all nine of the women that were lucky enough for me to put a ring on it. They always come to me on their own accord, desperate for a piece of the Negan, which is the way I like it. I've got one for every flavor of the week—brunettes, redheads, and blondes. My favorites are the blondes, always the blondes. There's something about their flirtatious girliness and vapid giggling that gets me every time. My favorite wife is Amber—oh, she's a killer, that one. Blonde bombshell with the figure of a supermodel and the face of an angel. She chose me and I couldn't be any happier. I show her what a life with me is like—I get her new clothes, more food than anyone else in the camp, and me, of course. I'm the gold-freakin'-trophy at the top of the trophy case.

Then there's this new girl…Bree. Cute as a button. She kind of reminds me of a teddy bear, with that cute, round face and pretty, dimpled smile. She's got that kind of innocence that's not typical of a woman in this type of world. She can barely meet my eye if I get too close to her and I find that a-freakin'-dorable. Never been with a black chick, that's for sure, but there's a first time for everything, right? Yeah, I'd have some fun with that one.

I rub at the stubble on my chin and fight against a yawn that's tugging at my lips. My hands go over my dark hair and I lean back in the wooden chair to take in the beautiful form of my favorite wife, Amber, who is currently modeling a few outfits I bought for her. We're in our room (best room in the leftmost factory) and I just had to see Amber try on some outfits I found back in the city.

"You look great, Am," I tell the beautiful woman. "Like a model."

Amber gives a small smile, but it's not a real one. I can tell when my Amber's smiles are real or not and this one is as shallow as a stream. I sit up in my chair and cock my head at her.

"Alright, what's the problem?" I question her. "You don't like 'em? I'll get you some more."

Amber fingers the silky material that ends right above her knees. She drops it and shakes her head. "It's…. It's not that," she admits. She raises her blue eyes to meet mine and tries again for a smile. "I'm just kind of tired, I guess."

I nod. I'm really trying my best to be the understanding husband that I am, but the girl can really push someone's buttons sometimes. I heave up and out of my chair and walk over to my wife. I capture her small frame in my arms and draw her to me. I pull one hand down her soft face, hoping to get a real smile out of her.

"You look beautiful," I whisper in her ear before planting a few kisses down her jawline. I can feel her body stiffen a little more with every kiss. I heave a sigh and release her. Amber offers another false smile up at me and journeys over to our bed.

She falls upon it and yawns. "Maybe a couple hours of sleep will make me feel a little better," she suggests, already pulling the covers over her body. The halo of light blonde hair that pools around her head makes her look just like the angel that she is. I walk over and brush a few stray hairs out of her face.

"Sure, babe. I'm going out. You get some sleep." I place a kiss on her forehead and she finally gives me a real smile. It sends my heart on a hayride, man.

I practically have to force my feet to take me out of the room. After grabbing Lucille (who could be considered wifey material herself), I shut the door behind me and head out to explore the rest of the Sanctuary. Sometimes I even find myself shocked at what a masterpiece this place has become. People here are the happiest type of folks you'll find in a post-apocalyptical world, such as ours. Families stay together, people fall in love; it's almost got a kind of Disney-feel about the place.

It's not long before I spot the little teddy bear roaming around. I see that she's pulled her wet hair back into a floppy ponytail. Adorable. She's really trying to kill me, isn't she?

Bree is talking to a guy known for handling electronics and the like, and he looks like he's giving her a hard time. She's holding up some device and trying to explain something to the man, but he won't listen. It looks as if he's about to end the conversation. Well, we can't have that, can we?

I wander over, casually swinging little Lucille around like the princess that she is. "Alrighty, children. What seems to be the problem?"

Both people look up at my approach. I can smell the fear radiating off of the electronics dude, but little Bree looks relieved to see me. I'll admit, it's been a while since someone looked at me like that. It brings a smile to my face.

Even so, it's the electronics dude who decides to speak first. "This little n****r girl doesn't seem to understand that things don't come free in life," he hisses while looking her up and down like she's less than dirt.

Bree's eyes widen and she lurches towards the man like a pro boxer that's just been given the bell.

"Excuse me, sir, but I never said I wanted any of your stuff for free. I have money. I'm willing to pay. But if you ever call me something like that again, I'll gladly give you something for free—"

I quickly grab onto Bree's shoulder with my free hand so that she can't take another step towards the man. She stops walking but I can see her jaw clicking from side to side as she grits her teeth together. She looks up at me with a confused expression carrying her features.

"I don't understand why he won't give me what I want…" she admits. "I've got money!" Her eyes narrow and she gives the electronics guy a venomous glare. "Unless it's because of another reason!" she shouts.

I can barely contain the hearty laughter that comes out of my mouth. Who would have guessed that the little teddy bear had a set of claws on her? Not me, that's for sure.

"Alright, Harry. Just give the girl what she asked for," I order with a lazy grin in his direction. "Something tells me that kitty will bite."

Harry looks distraught. "B-B-But…. She isn't…"

If there's one thing I don't like, it's someone questioning my authority. Racism is a close second, so Harry really has it coming to him. The smile disappears from my face as I yank up the scrawny geek by his collar and bring him close to my face. Beads of sweat pour down his pale skin. His Adam's apple bobs with nervousness as our eyes lock.

"Give the girl what she freaking asked for, Harry!" I roar.

The little man nearly wets himself when I drop him back to the ground. He fumbles around in his pockets before he retrieves some dangly cords and hands them to Bree. Bree looks shocked as she takes the object from his shaking hands. Harry runs away in the next second, a dark stain apparent on the back of his trousers.

I bellow out a laugh at the wet-seated geek. Man, I can't remember the last time I made a guy wet himself. High school, maybe?

I get the feeling that someone is watching me. I turn my head down and find Bree looking at me. I guess it's time to fill her in.

"Your money isn't any good here, Little Miss College," I inform the wide-eyed girl. "Name one store that hasn't been overrun with the undead and I'll take you to spend your money there."

Bree frowns at the ground.

I tap my head with my fingers. "Duh. Right, you've been freakin' George of the Jungle for the past three weeks, right? Well, let me fill you in…" I casually drape my arm over the young woman's shoulders and begin leading her around the Sanctuary. It' bustling as usual, what with the hordes of people milling about, trying their hardest to secure a meal for today by trading.

"Money's not good enough anymore. Yeah, it might have ruled the world before all this crap went down, but now it's total crap. You might find a few suckers who will accept it because they think all of this will end one day." I pause to shake my head. "They're idiots. No, we do something better around here. We barter. We sell stuff for more stuff."

"Barter," Bree murmurs at the ground, seeming lost in thought. She looks up again. "That's the exchange of goods or services without money, right?"

"Bingo!" I say. "College does teach you a little something, doesn't it?"

Bree smiles. "You never went?"

"For a few months," I admit with a half-hearted shrug. "Dropped out after I figured out it wasn't all booze and partying."

I smirk at the younger girl. "Suppose I wouldn't have gotten mixed up in those things if I hung around you, right? You look like the type to not have too much fun."

"Hey, I consider reading and listening to music a lot of fun!" Bree retorts with a slightly embarrassed snort. She looks down at the item in her hands that she got from Harry. I realize that she's holding a pair of earphones.

"Earphones?" I ask incredulously. "You were gonna bite his ears off for those?"

Bree laughs and pulls out a slightly dated cerulean-colored MP3 player. She turns on the device and plugs in her new earphones. She pops the buds in her ears and shuts her eyes. A moment later, a pleased smile seeps over her entire face.

"I haven't heard music in so long," she sighs while slightly swaying to whatever song she's listening to. I cock up one eyebrow when she takes out one of the earbuds and holds it out to me with a shy smile. I take it and put it in one of my own ears. I don't know what I'm expecting to hear flow out of the little bud, but I certainly don't expect to hear classical music. Beethoven? Really? This little girl is something else.

We listen to the piano music in silence. Man, this music really hits your soul. Kinda brings a tear to my eye. I glance over at Bree and find her eyes fighting against sleep. It's kinda funny to watch; the woman can barely stand up straight. Her hands are stuffed into the pockets of the black jacket I got her. Every so often she yawns and her chin starts to dip towards her chest.

After getting a good laugh, I nudge the battling woman. Her eyes snap wide open and she sputters out a laugh.

"I-I guess it's past my bedtime," she jokes with a series of blinks. She shakes her head and gives me a wide grin. "Thank you, Negan. For everything. You've really helped me out."

I go to answer, but the sensation of two arms wrapping around my midsection pretty much clamps my mouth shut. I look down. I'm shocked to find Bree hugging me. It's a quick hug, kind of like a girl would give to a guy friend, but it does the trick. I'm smitten with the college girl. I'm normally the person to initiate the touching, but this girl just hugged me like it was nothing.

She pulls away and immediately looks embarrassed. She looks around for something to focus on. Her hands brush at her long bangs and her brown eyes flitter about. Finding nothing to transfer her attention to, she decides to mutter out a quick, "Thanks again!" before she darts away. I watch her for a moment and then turn around. I hum the first few notes to Beethoven's Fur Elise, the smile still spread wide across my lips.

I'm pretty much sure of it now. Bree Evans can and will be wife number 10.

Well, hot dang. Can't a girl listen to music with a guy without him assuming she wants to be his tenth wife?! Thanks for reading, everyone! See you with another chapter soon! Oh, and we'll be meeting the actual Walking Dead cast real soon! I just wanted Bree to have her own backstory developed before she dove right into the fray with the big guys! :) Hang with me, guys!