Quinn, Negan, Maggie, and Elijah, in the forest

Maggie glanced at us as Negan and I approached her.

"What do you think?" asked Maggie turning her gaze back at the pen full of walkers.

"Sweet. We can walk with them," said Negan examining the walkers with his eyes. "Yeah. If you're all ready, we can let them out and keep going."

Maggie glanced at Elijah who nodded yes to her.

"Let them out," said Maggie, then she took a deep breath. Negan kept his eyes for one more minute on Maggie, then glanced at me, then at Elijah, making sure we were all ready for this. But I wasn't and he saw it. He turned to face me. He took his mask off quickly so I could see his face.

"You can do this Quinn. They won't tear you apart. Trust me," he said gently, quietly. I got lost in his brown eyes.

"I trust you," I said letting out a tiny sigh. He nodded, then put his mask back on. He fixed my mask to fit my face better, his hand was warm and gentle. He looked me in the eye, nodded once more to ensure me, then turned to Maggie and Elijah, they both put their masks on as well. Negan glanced at us one more time, then he started talking slowly and very seriously.

"Now, do not say another word till we get there. You hear me? No talking. Not even in a whisper. No talking," said Negan pressing every word. Maggie, Elijah, and I nodded understandingly. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Negan lifted the rope and let the walkers out. They started to walk away, we waited for some of them to come out, then Negan started walking and the walkers followed him. I stayed close to Negan as we previously agreed. I tried to relax my muscles as much as I could. I glanced at Negan, I knew he was only imitating walkers, but I hated to see him like this. I wanted to grab him and tear that freakin' mask off of his face and yell at him to stop this, but I couldn't. I gulped silently. I had to shake it off, I needed to focus. Negan is alive, he's just imitating walkers. He glanced at me, and our eyes met. He smiled slightly to encourage me. It worked. I smiled slightly, then I turned my eyes back to the road ahead. I hope I will never have to see Negan as a walker. I broke my own heart with this thought. The growling behind our backs became louder. I didn't realize just how many walkers we had and while we were walking more of them joined in. I didn't dare to look behind, I was just guessing by the noises. I had adrenalin going on the maximum level. I was scared but I tried not to think about it. I think my entire body was trembling. Negan noticed it and took my hand. He squeezed it gently and caressed it with his thumb. I glanced at him. He nodded slowly. He seemed completely calm. After walking for hours like this, I saw a building in the distance, behind the trees.

We were almost there. I tried to breathe as gently and calmly as I could. Negan let go of my hand, so we won't get noticed by the living.

Soon we saw the walls of Maggie's previous home. I saw some people up on the walls, watching the horde. I quickly turned my eyes away, I didn't dare to look at them. I didn't want to get noticed. So I lowered my head, avoiding eye contact. Maybe Daryl is still with them undercover. Maybe he is up on that wall watching us right now. If he is, he will recognize what's happening. He will know that it's us. But the enemy is there too and they don't know.

Negan slightly turned to the left, I followed him. Seems like we confused the walkers about the direction because they started to go in rounds. Soon enough one of the enemies came outside and tried to herd away the walkers. He had no idea that there were living people among them. I just realized how big the herd became while we got here. It was frightening.

We surrounded the enemy guy with the herd. He started killing walkers. He still had no idea we were there. When Negan and I walked up to him pretending to be walkers, Negan easily dodged his knife and stabbed him with the one Jesus gave him earlier. Soon enough the walkers got closer to the guy and started tearing him apart. The guy dropped his walkie, Negan picked it up quickly. I just kept walking, like nothing happened. Negan walking by my side. We glanced at each other, he was panting slightly. He didn't have to fake limping so much, because his thigh still hurt. At least it wasn't bleeding anymore and it had the bandage over it, so walkers didn't get the scent of his blood. I had to focus on thinking about this because I couldn't stand hearing the random guy's death screams. I kept walking. We joined Maggie and Elijah, Negan slowly handed the walkie to Maggie. She turned it off and put it in her pocket.

We were walking in circles with the horde, among the trees for hours. Maggie and Elijah seemed tired and frustrated too. My adrenalin level got lower, but this means I got tired too. My hand was still slightly trembling. The sun was about to go down. I softly touched Negan's hand, he glanced at me, then I looked at him questioningly, communicating without words. He was about to answer something when suddenly we got startled by an explosion. Walkers got close to the fence and got blown up. Seems like they had mines around the community. Negan and Maggie glanced at each other too, Maggie nodded her head to show us where to go. We started walking slowly in the direction where Maggie indicated when suddenly someone touched my shoulder. I got scared like hell, I almost let out a startled sound, but I managed to keep quiet. I turned around and saw Jesus and Gabriel, both of them wearing their masks. I smiled at them, they smiled back at us. I grabbed Jesus' hand and squeezed it a bit strongly, communicating without words that he scared the shit out of me. He chuckled without a sound. Negan glanced at us and put his finger on his lips, to keep us quiet. We kept walking in the direction Maggie showed us. It was getting darker by the minute.

When we finally got out of the horde and got around the community, Maggie whispered to us:

"There aren't any mines on this side."

There was concrete on the ground on that side, so they couldn't dig and plant anything. We all nodded understandingly. She took the lead and indicated to Gabriel and Jesus to follow her. They went ahead. I glanced at Negan, he nodded in the other direction. We stayed to keep herding. I was hoping I can take off this disgusting mask, but we still needed to herd. Right after Maggie left we walked back in front of the gates. But… I couldn't see as well as it was getting dark and I didn't realize we went too close to the gates. When I realized and wanted to warn Negan, it was too late. A walker right next to us exploded and both Negan and Elijah got shot by the flying pieces of metal from the mine. I gasped for air without a sound. Both of them were bleeding. Negan on his arm and Elijah on his thigh. Negan grabbed Elijah as he was almost falling. And I grabbed Negan's other arm because I was scared. The walkers are going to smell their blood. I was glancing around nervously. We turned around and headed in the opposite direction. The walkers didn't notice us. Elijah was limping even more, and Negan was holding his arm. I was walking beside him. I wanted to hug him so badly, I wanted to take away his pain, I wanted to comfort him, I wanted to take a look at the wound. But I couldn't. I was so worried and nervous. At least the walkers didn't smell their blood, I hope they won't. We were literally walking on the minefield. I was so scared, I have never been so scared in my entire life. I wanted to live, I had something… someone to live for. I didn't want to lose Negan in any way. We were walking behind some walkers so if there were a mine, they would explode first. I just hoped that the mine would explode immediately not with a couple of minutes delay. My heart was pounding heavily.

We kept walking, walkers exploding around us. Suddenly I got startled again by a car crashing the wall from the inside out. That means Maggie, Jesus and Gabriel got in. I still didn't dare to look anywhere, not to make eye contact with the enemy, so we just kept walking. Blood was pumping inside my ears. An adrenalin rush got over me once again. It was already late at night, but the community had lights on and the moon was almost full, so we could see. I had no idea what was going on inside. I heard explosions, gunshots, and screams. The three of us just kept walking. Negan nodded towards the gate. We should lead the walkers in. So we headed there.

As soon as we stepped through the gates I saw Maggie fighting the enemy without her mask on. Negan pulled off his mask too and joined in the fight without a second thought or question. I got rid of my mask too and grabbed my knife and helped him with the guy he was fighting with.

And then I saw in the distance two angel wings... Daryl. My heart skipped a beat but not in a romantic sense. I was so relieved that he was okay. I turned back to Negan, he started talking for the first time after hours. He was surprised that the enemy was retreating, Maggie was instantly suspicious and asked why. We were all looking around nervously, then I saw it. The enemy lit up something on top of a building. Maybe a rocket?

"Go! Run!" I yelled. I grabbed Negan's hand instantly and we started running. Missiles were shooting around us, exploding walkers. We ran as fast as we could to look for cover. Negan grabbed Elijah and dragged him with us, he was barely able to walk.

"To the building! Quick!" I said as we hurried towards a door. Luckily it was open. As I locked it behind us we all tried to catch our breaths. Everything happened so fast. My eyes met with Negan's. I just noticed he had blood on one side of his face. I couldn't tell if it was someone else's or if he had tiny wounds there. We were all panting, we were exhausted. Yet, once again, I got lost in Negan's eyes as he was still looking at me.

"Oh, please, don't start sucking face…" said Elijah, he was very tired and his leg was bleeding, so he was impatient. I got distracted, so I glanced at him and his wound. Suddenly, Maggie turned in on the corner of the corridor. We all gasped, for a second, we thought it was the enemy. She said someone's following her, then she led us inside the infirmary. Negan and I helped Elijah, while Maggie took gauze from the shelves, then she showed us the way inside a secret room, behind one of the shelves. Negan asked her what now, and she said we wait. Elijah quickly put gauze on his wound while Negan suggested we grab the food and go, but Maggie wanted to kill them all and she said she won't leave Gabriel, Jesus, and Daryl behind. I kept quiet, as for once, I agreed with her. I won't leave them behind either. I glanced at Negan, he was grumpy. He knew what I was thinking. But we got startled once again when one of the enemies entered the infirmary and we heard him talking through the walkie. Maggie was watching him through a hole in the wall. I took Negan's hand, I was scared. He glanced at me and I eased up a bit. Suddenly, I got an idea.

"Hey, Maggie," I said in a whisper, she glanced at me. "One guy?" I asked showing one of my fingers. Maggie nodded. "Someone should go out and lure him away, then we surprise him from another room, from behind," I said as quietly as I could. Maggie nodded immediately. I glanced at Negan, he didn't like it.

"I'll go," said Maggie, then she told us where to go to get behind the guy. She then left and started luring him away. We quickly got out and went to the other room without a word. I glanced at Negan, he seemed determined once again. Elijah and Maggie got in front of the guy, while Negan and I got behind him. Negan didn't think much, he attacked the guy but got defeated quickly. These guys in this community were all trained soldiers. Negan was a gym teacher. I tried to hit the guy's head, but he pushed Negan away with one hand then turned around in an instant and grabbed my arm in midair. Elijah and Maggie attacked him too, so he pushed me to the ground and hit them both, then punched Negan in the face.

"Negan!" I yelled desperately. He got so many wounds during this one journey. My heart was aching, but also, something broke inside me seeing that guy punching Negan. He pushed Elijah to the ground, then beat up Maggie, while he punched Negan in the stomach this time. It all happened in 5 minutes or less. I tried again but he hit me in the stomach too, so I instantly fell to the ground. Then he kicked Elijah's knee and hit Maggie pretty badly as I was trying to gather myself up. Negan was gasping for air, he was in pain. I got myself together, stood up, and attacked the guy once again. He grabbed my arm, I was scared he is going to break it, but then I locked eyes with him for a moment. I didn't think twice. I headbutted his nose with all the strength I had. He released me immediately, and I fell to the ground from dizziness. In the meantime, Negan got a bell from somewhere, stepped to the guy, and hit him with the heavy item, rendering him unconscious.

"Well, ding-ding," said Negan, then he leaned against the wall behind him gasping for air.

"You're such an idiot," I said painfully, as I chuckled at his bad joke, lying on the ground. I tried to gather myself up.

"Shit, you're okay?" asked Negan as he dropped the bell and stepped to me to help me get up. I managed to sit up, while Negan was mumbling.

"Shit, shit, shit… I really damn hope that's not your blood…" he said as he started wiping off my forehead with the sleeve of his jacket. When he kind of finished he let out a huge sigh. "Oh, thank god… it's not your blood. You broke his nose," he said as he glanced at the guy lying on the ground. I was quite dizzy I almost fell as I was trying to stand up, but Negan caught me. "Hey, hey, you okay?"

"I… dunno… never headbutted anyone before," I mumbled.

"Alright… You'll be okay in a minute, sit down a bit," said Negan and helped me sit back down by the wall, he sat next to me. I continued wiping off blood from my forehead. "Thanks, kid, by the way," said Negan to Elijah, who nodded to him. As my vision started to clear and the dizziness got better I glanced at Negan. I took his chin as he was looking at Elijah and turned his face towards me.

"You okay?" I asked.

"More or less," he said while I examined the side of his face and his lips, where he got punched. Maggie gathered herself up, nodded thanks to Negan, then helped Elijah. As far as I understood, this guy killed his sister and he wanted to kill him. But since Elijah couldn't stand up, Maggie took his weapon and stepped to the guy. She was about to kill him when suddenly Daryl showed up.

"Stop!" he said. We all glanced at him. The guy started to wake up. Maggie stopped and sat down on the ground, trusting Daryl completely, leaving him to do whatever he wanted. Daryl hit the guy unconscious once again. Negan chuckled, I was watching questioningly. Daryl told us that he hated that guy too but we could use him. But somehow his voice was different. I didn't like it. Then Maggie asked if Daryl was doing this for Leah. She noticed the change in his voice too. Was Daryl lying to us?

"Good question. Daryl?" I asked very seriously.

"No," he stated. Then he explained why we have to keep him, which didn't make much sense, so I decided that I'm angry with Daryl once again. If he is doing this for Leah, I'm gonna be super mad at him. Negan opposed it too. Elijah went all out, but eventually, we did what Daryl said. Then suddenly Daryl grabbed the guy's walkie and called Leah saying they had to talk, but no answer came. Then he put it down and came to check us. He put Elijah's knee back while he was screaming from pain, then Maggie brought a crutch for him from the infirmary. I glanced at Negan, he was grumpy. He didn't like it that Daryl showed up and played the hero again. Daryl then stepped to Maggie to check her wounds, she waved it off.

"You okay?" asked Daryl locking eyes with Maggie.

"Yeah… I will be," she said as she wiped off some blood from her face. It was all hers, she got pretty beaten up. Then Daryl stepped to me.

"What the hell happened to your face?" he asked trying to joke.

"Fuck off, Daryl…" I said grumpily as I wiped my forehead once more. He got surprised by my wording, while Negan started chuckling.

"What? Why's that?" asked Daryl, not understanding the situation.

"I headbutted that guy… and if I find out that you're cheating on Carol, you're gonna be next. I'm a professional headbutter now," I stated as I was trying to get the dizziness out of my head by closing my eyes for a moment. Then I glanced at Negan, he was smiling widely, he was so entertained. Daryl was frowning his eyebrows.

"The hell? You think I would cheat on her?" asked Daryl. I turned my eyes back at him.

"So you're a couple finally?" asked Maggie in a tired manner as she sat back down on the ground.

"Yeah, whatever…" said Daryl grumpily as he locked eyes with me, not even glancing at Maggie. He crouched in front of me. "I would never and you know it," he said, he was getting angry.

"We were in that house. I heard what you said to her… You're gonna be headbutted," I said grumpily standing his gaze.

"I was lying," he stated simply. "I was messing with her head, so I could stay with their group and help you out."

I eased up a bit. There was a time when I could have got lost in his blue eyes, but not anymore.

"I'm glad you're okay,'" I said, changing my tone. He eased up instantly and slightly smiled.

"Whatever this is, I don't like it," stated Negan, he was sitting right next to me closely witnessing the exchange from the front row.

"Yeah? How do you like this?" asked Daryl and hugged me tightly. I was so mad at him but relieved that he was okay. I wanted to slap his face and hug him at the same time. Now that I thought about it, Daryl made me feel like this a lot of times. But I gave up and just hugged him back. Tears started to build up in my eyes, I had no idea why, probably from relief. He was stroking my back, it felt so good.

"I'm glad you're okay, too," he murmured in my ear.

"You have to tell me everything once we get back to Alexandria," I stated.

"Will do," he said as he backed away and smiled at me.

"Alright now…" said Negan trying to put his arm between me and Daryl. His smile vanished entirely.

"What's your problem, dude?" asked Daryl offended. "I can't say hi to my sister?"

"Negan, this is nothing like that…" I said gently.

"I adopted her as my little sister, so I hug her and kiss her and do whatever the hell I want and whenever I want, it has nothing to do with you!" stated Daryl staring at Negan seriously. Somehow it felt so good hearing it from him, that I'm his sister. He never said it like this before. I didn't like the way he was talking to Negan though. And he kept on going: "The only reason I'm patient with you is that she wants to be with you. But the moment she decides that she doesn't want you around anymore…That's the end," he stated piercing Negan right through with his eyes.

"Daryl," I said scoldingly.

Negan stood his gaze. I took Negan's hand and gently caressed it. Then Maggie distracted us.

"Are you always this cheesy?" asked Maggie in an even more tired way. "What did you do to Daryl to make him this soft?" she asked while she was still wiping blood off of her face.

"Nothing," I said embarrassed. Daryl was still crouching in front of me. Negan leaned his back against the wall and closed his eyes, didn't say another word. Daryl glanced at him, shook his head disapprovingly, then glanced back at me, smiled slightly, then gathered himself up and grabbed the walkie again.

"Leah, we need to talk," he said again. This time, she answered. I jerked up my head.

"Why do we have to talk to her?" I asked Daryl when they finished.

"We can blackmail her with this asshole," said Daryl pointing at the guy lying still unconscious.

"I still don't get it why we don't kill them all and go. Why blackmail and negotiate?" I insisted.

Daryl didn't answer, I didn't like it. He turned his back on me and helped Maggie up from the ground, then stepped to the guy to tie his hands. He still had a soft spot for Leah. Maybe he got confused.

I glanced at Negan's beautiful face and pecked his cheek while he was resting with his eyes closed. He opened his eyes surprised. I smiled at him. He was grumpy but still, I got a half smile back.

"Jealous idiot," I said quietly, then I leaned my head on his shoulder. He leaned his head on my head and took my hand again. I even forgot for some long minutes that we were at the enemy's community. But then Daryl stepped in front of me and held his hand out to help me up. I grabbed it and he pulled me up. I got a little dizzy for a second again.

"Hey… easy," he growled. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I guess," I said. I wasn't sure, but I was hoping I haven't got a concussion. Then Daryl turned to Negan. He hesitated for a second, but he held his hand towards him too. Negan grabbed his hand chuckling sarcastically while he pulled him up. When Negan was on his feet Daryl turned his back on him instantly. He went back to our hostage. Maggie helped Elijah up. Negan slipped one of his hands on my waist to keep me steady.

"How's your head?" he asked gently.

"Dizzy, but a little bit better," I said as I looked him in the eye. He nodded. Daryl woke the guy up and got him on his feet, then we headed outside, following him. Maggie helped Elijah walk and Negan helped me while he was still limping too. When we got outside Daryl passed the hostage to Negan and walked ahead. I shot a killer glance at the guy. Negan grabbed him and dragged the hostage with him. Maggie and Elijah whispered something to each other, then Elijah sat down and Maggie stepped to Daryl. He asked her if she was ready. She nodded yes and Daryl handed her a pistol. Then he glanced at me above his shoulder, then turned back and called Leah through the walkie. Suddenly the adrenalin came back and I didn't feel dizzy anymore. Daryl instructed Leah to come out and put their weapons down. She demanded to see the hostage guy. Daryl handed the walkie to Negan and dragged the guy with him to show him to Leah, but held a knife at his throat just to make sure. I don't know what they did to Daryl, but he was fierce. He seemed pissed off. He was pretty convincing as he was talking. I peeked out from our hiding spot, to see Leah. I was curious. Okay, it's an old story, but it was my pride making me do this. I knew Carol was perfect and in many ways better than me, but I wanted to see what was this woman like, that Daryl took her as a girlfriend but rejected me. She was wearing black soldier clothes, she was blonde. I didn't like her at all. She wasn't better than Carol in any way though. Not to mention she was our enemy, she murdered Maggie's people. I fell back into hiding. I was a little grumpy, this woman's existence hurt my ego. I quickly shook these thoughts out of my head. Negan glanced at me. I looked at his arm, at his newest wound. I softly touched his arm's inner side, not anywhere near the wound. He glanced at me and shrugged his shoulder slightly, saying without words that the wound wasn't a big deal. Then we turned our attention back to Daryl and Leah. Suddenly, Leah's men shot on the ground behind Daryl. I got startled and my heart skipped a beat. I peeked out once again, Daryl was alright. I let out a sigh. Negan was searching for the guy with his eyes on the roof.

"That was a warning!" yelled Leah. She ordered us to come out. I exchanged glances with Negan, he nodded to ensure me. He and Maggie helped Elijah walk, I came out walking half next and half behind Negan, almost like hiding behind him but not entirely. Leah said she will have her shooter kill Maggie if Daryl won't let go of the guy who beat us all up. Daryl let him go. Where were Gabriel and Jesus at a time like this? We would need some backup. I hope they were okay…

When the guy got free, he wiped the blood off of his nose, blew a kiss to Maggie and Elijah, then walked up to Leah. Elijah couldn't take it and he tried to attack the guy, but he fell. My eyes filled with tears. He wanted to avenge his sister and he couldn't… And that asshole was about to kick into him when his leg got shot. I jerked my head up, we were all looking around curiously at what happened. Leah was yelling into the walkie when suddenly Jesus answered her.

"You got the wrong name. Sorry. Now, take a step back," Jesus ordered her. Leah was glancing around nervously.

"The others take a step back too, or they're next," said Gabriel this time through the walkie. Negan was smiling widely, I let out a huge sigh I didn't realize I was holding. Leah was defeated. She wanted to make a deal but Maggie was way too angry. Then she eventually thought about it. Leah threatened us that while Jesus and Gabriel shoot, they will kill some of us anyway. My stomach shrank. I was standing next to Negan, still halfway behind him. Daryl tried to make peace. And then Maggie asked Negan's opinion. I could not believe my own ears. Negan said she knows what he thinks. He already told her what to do. By the campfire… Negan would kill them all to stop this. And he was right. That's the only way to end it. Then Maggie told them to drop their weapons, leave and never come back. They did as she said. But then… Maggie walked after them, pulled her pistol out, and shot them down one by one while Daryl yelled at her to stop. Of course, he still had some kind of feelings for Leah, now I was sure. Unfortunately, Maggie only shot her on her shoulder. Daryl ran after Leah. Maggie killed all of them except for Leah. Elijah and Maggie got their revenge. I gasped as I exchanged stunned glances with Negan. He looked so calm like this was all natural and common to happen. Seems like I was the only one who was surprised and confused. Maggie sat down on the ground next to Elijah, exhausted. She was catching her breath. Elijah took her hand and squeezed it. My eyes met with Negan's.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said a little bit confused. But there was no time to be confused or lost. I took a few breaths to calm myself down, then I looked in the direction where Daryl disappeared from our eyes. "I have to go after him," I said very seriously. Maybe I can stop him from getting all emotional and cheating on Carol?

"Do what you gotta do," said Negan. He tried to be neutral about it, but I could see he was disappointed. I took his hand and squeezed it gently while making eye contact, then I let go of his hand and followed Daryl. I didn't run or anything, I was just walking with long steps. As soon as I turned around the corner I saw Daryl coming back toward us. I stopped and let out a sigh. I was scared he would leave and go with Leah, but in such a few minutes, he couldn't even kiss her. Maybe he just said something to her or didn't even find her. He got distracted from his thoughts when he saw me and stopped about two meters afar from me.

"If you start that bullshit about cheating on Carol I swear…" he said but didn't end the sentence. He started pacing avoiding my eyes. He was very angry and emotional. For a couple of seconds, I didn't say anything. Somehow seeing him in a state like this… I just knew he didn't cheat on Carol.

"Are you alright?" I asked finally. I didn't want to teach him a lesson or make a speech about Carol. I just wanted to calm him down. I just wanted him to be his old self. But then I didn't expect him to suddenly stop pacing and burst into tears. He turned away and covered his eyes with one arm. My heart fell out of my chest once again seeing him like this. I hurried to him and embraced him tightly from behind. He was sobbing quietly. I didn't say anything, just hugged him. He was so tired and confronted. I hope we will never see Leah ever again. She ruined him. I was hugging Daryl even stronger, leaning my head against his back. We stayed like that for a couple of minutes or half an hour, god knows, I couldn't sense time. He cried it all out, wiped his face, then turned around, looked me in the eye, and hugged me. He buried his face into my shoulder. I was almost about to cry too, seeing him like this. I started caressing the back of his neck slowly. We stayed like that for some more endless minutes. I was there as long as he needed me. After a while, he let go of me slowly, still avoiding my eyes.

"Sorry…" he mumbled.

"There's nothing you have to be sorry about," I stated.

"I feel responsible… Leah did all this…" he said staring at the ground.

"You didn't know. She wasn't with this group when you met her. It's not your fault, you hear me?" I said very seriously taking his arms and shaking him a little bit to snap him out of it. I let out a sigh, then I brushed away a stray hair from his eyes, but not like Carol usually does, I did it more like in a mother's manner. He looked at me finally. "It's not your fault," I said slowly, pressing every word. He nodded. I took a step back and waited for a couple of minutes to see if he feels better. I had no idea what else I could do. He wiped his eyes once more and let out a huge sigh.

"Come on, let's get that food," I suggested gently. He glanced at me and nodded again. I knew he is going to feel responsible for all this, no matter what I say to him. I gently patted his back as we walked back to the others. Jesus and Gabriel joined the rest and they were already loading all the food on carriages. Daryl walked past Maggie without looking at her. She was staring at his back, she knew she made him angry. I stepped next to Negan.

"Wow, is this all food?" I asked surprised. Negan smiled at me.

"Yeah, and there's more inside," he said nodding towards the door.

"Before you think about anything, I just hugged him. Nothing happened and nothing will ever happen. I want to take him back to Carol," I stated quietly so only Negan would hear. He nodded understandingly.

"I have never felt like this ever, so it's hard to get it, but… somehow seeing you two I kind of get it. It's like… family," he tried to explain to himself.

"Yeah," I said. "It is," I said as I glanced at Daryl while he was putting crates of food on the carriage. "And he still needs me. That woman ruined him and I think they did something to him. He is so weary. He won't say it, but I can see it. It's like he's in pain. He is exhausted physically and mentally, even emotionally. He needs someone to talk to. And I don't know if he would tell Carol everything about Leah. I have to be there for him," I explained to Negan. He nodded understandingly.

"Wish I had a built-in psychologist like you when I need one," he said jokingly with a half-smile.

"You do," I said smiling. "You got me too. You can talk to me about anything you want."

"About Alpha?" he asked with an impish smile, joking.

"Don't you dare," I said offended but still chuckling. "You can talk to me about Alpha too," I said now seriously.

I saw Maggie saying goodbye to all the others, then locked eyes with me, nodded, and left to go somewhere. I glanced at Jesus questioningly.

"Alden," he said. My eyes widened.

"Oh shit, I completely forgot about him," I told Negan very quietly, in a shocked manner. He smiled at my reaction, but then our expressions vanished. "Probably you should go with her," I suggested to Jesus now with a normal volume. He seemed to be already thinking about it.

"Yeah, you're right," he said watching Maggie walking away.

"Be careful," I said.

"Always am," he said smiling at me, then saluted a goodbye and hurried after Maggie. Negan and I watched them walk away.

"His wounds were pretty bad…" said Negan gently, frowning his eyebrows. "He's probably gone."

Suddenly, I felt sorry for Maggie. She did lose a lot of her people on this journey. But she got revenge and we got all this food. Anyway, I was sure she was really devastated. I glanced at Negan.

"Are those things on your face wounds or just some blood?" I asked as I grabbed a crate of food and put it on the carriage, then I locked eyes with Negan again.

"Nothing serious," he said. So they were wounds. I stepped closer to take a look at them. "Oh, come on… we don't have time for this now," he said rolling his eyes and then looking back at me again. I gently touched his other cheek and looked at the wounds.

"You do realize there are tiny metal pieces in there, right?" I asked. "We have to get them out as soon as we can. We need tweezers for this."

"Okay, but we have to put this food on the carriage first so we can head back to Alexandria, so help me please," he said smiling. I didn't like his tone, he was trying to be nice, but I could see he was grumpy. He was still jealous of Daryl.

I let out a sigh, then I grabbed another crate without saying anything else. The events were flashing inside my head rapidly. This was one hell of a long night. And once again, we didn't get to sleep. I glanced at everyone one by one. Gabriel was limping and seemed like he went through hell too. Though I didn't know what happened to him, I could see in his moves that he was in pain. Daryl seemed very, very exhausted and weary, yet I didn't see any wounds on him. He was wounded in his heart and in his soul. And then I glanced at Negan. He was limping, and one of his arms was stained with blood from his wound. His face had those tiny wounds too. And he got punched in the face several times, though nothing was visible. Not his nose, not his lips. Probably the guy couldn't hit so hard because he was quick and tried to attack all of us at the same time. He punched Negan in the stomach too. I felt sorry for everyone. I just wanted to give them all a big hug. But then again, we didn't have time for that.

We grabbed the last crates and put them on the carriages without anyone saying anything.

…

Author's notes: Listen to "On my own" by Ashes Remain.

Depicts the feelings of Negan, Quinn, and Daryl. I'm in love with this song. ❤

Thank You for reading! ❤

(Also there's a video of Daryl with this song on Youtube by Mate Gamez, check it out if you like. I love it so much. ❤)