Negan and Michonne were summoned two hours later to the room that Negan used to use, to meet with everyone in. Heath was sitting at the head of the table. Dwight was oddly, in the same chair he used to sit in during their Savior meetings and Sherry stood by the window, looking out at the rain. Michonne got the sense that she could not look at her and Negan.

She would be right.

"Sit down. Both of you." Heath said calmly. Negan pulled out a chair for Michonne, before sitting down in one himself.

"So what is this?" Negan asked. Michonne's eyes were still on Sherry, who still would not look at them.

"Maggie is here." Heath began. "And her version of events with regards to the two of you, is very different. She doesn't believe you're even pregnant, Michonne. And she also said that you were trying to build something with Darryl."

Michonne started to say something but Negan placed a hand over hers and spoke.

"That's bullshit. Maggie hates me because I had a small disagreement with her husband. He and Rick's people, killed some of mine. While they slept. They also set fire to a few of my people. They didn't deserve that." Negan said. "You remember that shit, Dwight."

Michonne didn't like remembering that 'murder while they slept' event. She had been part of that too. As had Heath.

"I remember but it doesn't matter." Dwight said softly. He then looked at Michonne.

"I don't believe you'd ever let this piece of shit touch you. I wasn't around Rick and you for long, but I could tell what you had was very real. Maggie said you had Negan here locked up for years and I believe that. I also believe he's screwing with your head with regards to your son."

"What is this shit?" Negan asked. But he now squeezed Michonne's hand.

"Beta is here." Dwight said matter-of-factly. "And he's got quite the story. He says that he was never part of the Whisperers. He said that he was just trying to find his wife and daughter, Lydia, when you all constantly attacked him. He also said that you, Negan, raped his wife while wearing a Whisperer mask."

"Jesus!" Negan scoffed. "That fuck said that?! That is not what happened! And anything that did happen between Alpha and me, was HER idea."

"You slept with Alpha?" Michonne asked, pulling her hand from his.

"She practically forced herself on me! And it had been years since our encounter…I was kind of horny…" Negan trailed off, coughing. "The point is, Beta is a goddamned liar! Alpha was not his wife!"

"And you know that for sure, how?" Heath asked. "And Lydia? You know for sure that she isn't his daughter?"

"What does any of that matter?" Michonne asked. "What does that have to do with my pregnancy and letting us go back with you to Alexandria?"

Sherry now turned from the window. She could see Darryl sneaking around outside but said nothing.

"You're just going to back up his lie, aren't you?" she asked Michonne. "I thought you were better than that!"

"I wouldn't have to be better than anything, Sherry, if Dwight, Heath and yourself, would just come back with us to Alexandria, no strings attached. No one has to leave. We just all try and get along." Michonne told them.

"So you admit you lied about being married to Negan and being pregnant?" Heath asked.

"Yes. Okay, yes." Michonne said. Negan shook his head. Damnit, Michonne, he thought.

Heath stood up.

"Beta came up with a different idea. One that could work—if you all don't kill each other first."

"What is it?" Negan asked suspiciously.

"When Rick's group first came to us, you all stayed in the same house until we could see if you could be trusted. You all can stay in Alexandria as long as you all stay in ONE HOUSE." Heath emphasized. "And then, after a year or two, if there is no bullshit, maybe I might relent."

"You expect," Michonne almost snarled. "Negan, myself, my daughter and son, Darryl, Maggie, Herschel, Rosita, her baby, Carol and Father Gabriel…and BETA to live in one house? No!"

"Yes!" Negan overrode her. "And we're damned grateful for your kindness. Now can we head back home now?"

Sherry suddenly left the room in a hurry! Dwight got up and walked after her and Heath stayed seated, his eyes fixed on Negan and Michonne.

"This isn't what I want." Heath said, standing up. "And from what I've seen of Beta, he will kill all of you before the end of the week. We're going to head out with some of our people and make it clear to everyone in Alexandria, what is going to happen and who has to move. You two can begin to decide which house you all will live in."

Heath then walked out of the room. The door did not lock behind him. Michonne got up and walked over to the window. What an absolute nightmare! How had she not seen any of this coming?

She hadn't seen this coming, because she had been busy chasing down leads on Rick.

What no one knew, was that she had been waylaid at every turn. Just when Michonne had been about to head off in one direction, she ran across some lost soul, or souls, needing help. She never found her footing, in her quest to find Rick. She had no more idea where he could be now, than the day that bridge exploded, seven years ago.

And because she had been gone, she hadn't seen the possible return of Beta, or that people were plotting against them to have them thrown out of Alexandria! Dwight and Sherry were really angry at Negan. That Michonne could understand. She could even understand their assertion that they wanted a safe place to start over.

But Heath was just out of his damned mind! Something was off about this whole thing. But she could not think as to what…

Suddenly Negan's lips, pressed against the back of her neck, interrupted her thinking! Michonne slowly turned around and found that her back was against the window while his body was pressed against hers!

"Negan…" Michonne began, as she tried to push him away.

"Don't push me away, Warrior Princess. We're going to need each other during this terrible time here. Let's get the test on RJ done, confirm he is mine and then go about getting Alexandria back, okay?"

Michonne eased up on shoving him away.

"Negan…fine…but if he is not yours…"

"I leave. I know. And if he is…" Negan trailed off knowingly. He pulled her even closer, molding his body with hers.

"Yes, alright. I suppose." Michonne said, unable to believe she was giving in like this! She pushed him away.

"Nothing happens until we find out the results, okay?" she asked, ignoring his grinning, knowing look. He nodded.

"That door isn't locked, so I'm going to see if I can find Maggie and find out what's going on with Beta." she said and began to move to the door. It opened but Negan stayed put.

"Are you coming?" Michonne asked, glancing back at him.

"This room holds a lot of memories. I'll catch up." he said and Michonne walked out, leaving it open. Moments later, Heath slipped in and closed the door behind him.

Negan grinned!

"You really sold the HELL out of this plan!" Negan beamed. Yes, unfortunately, Negan and Heath had been in cahoots the whole time! Negan had run across Heath on a supply run and realized he was on his way back to Alexandria. And Negan actually hadn't recognized him when Heath revealed himself here. The times Negan had seen him he had a knit cap on and didn't wear glasses.

Heath was also genuinely pissed off with Rick.

Heath leaned against the table, glancing back at the closed door briefly, before speaking.

"Yeah but it kind of went ass backwards, didn't it? The plan was to have Michonne and yourself, come back to Alexandria and throw everyone else out. I didn't count on that shit with Ezekiel. Beta said he saw Darryl kill him."

Negan's grin faltered.

"Look, he was dying. I couldn't sell this to him myself. He hated me. It had to come from someone he didn't know. I let you know when he would be going on a solo run so you could bump into him. He went along with it so there's nothing to feel bad about."

"I think he thought that his last moments would be with Carol. Not getting killed by Darryl." Heath said.

"I can't help that. I can't help that anymore than you could help letting that Jolly Green Fuck into this place! He's fucking psycho mixed with some supernatural bullshit! He won't die and I can't live in a fucking house with him!"

"I know. I talked to him and he really hates your guts. You wouldn't make it one day. We have some food here. I'll poison his portion and then you won't have to worry about it."

"Thank fucking God!" Negan huffed. "What else?"

"Darryl is here. I think he's pissed off about Dwight, but Sherry is trying to play peacemaker. I have Aaron and Eugene locked up."

"Be careful of Aaron. You knew him before Grimes and company showed up. He might get suspicious." Negan warned.

"I know but there is nothing to be suspicious of. With Rick gone, all of that marauding bullshit he used to pull, ended." Heath said. "He is really dead, right?"

"His remains weren't found but he was blown to bits. That happens." Negan said without a trace of sympathy. "Once Beta is taken care of, we need to reverse that 'all in one' house shit."

"Negan, we can't. Otherwise I can't justify bringing you all back to Alexandria. Not after all of this."

"I want Michonne and my son, to myself! Those 'Rick Pricks' are always telling her what a shit I am. I don't need that kind of bullshit! We can all run Alexandria together…"

"Yeah," Heath interrupted, "that's another thing: Dwight, Sherry and I will run Alexandria. No offense but you have bastard ways. Ways that remind me of Grimes's shit."

Negan said nothing to that.

That was not their agreement but he would allow Heath to think that. He and Michonne would be running Alexandria. Heath would find that out soon enough. So would Dwight and Sherry.

The plan now was for all of them to return to Alexandria and for Negan to drive everyone from their 'Hell House', until only himself, Michonne, Judith and RJ were living there. And he fully anticipated that Darryl would be the hardest person to oust out of there. In fact, he was counting on it.

He smiled, thinking about how Michonne had responded when their bodies had been pressed together just now. She had been slow to resist and he strongly suspected that she remembered more about their time together, years ago, than she let on. Negan knew the more they were around one another, the more he could get her to forget going out and looking for Grimes. And once RJ was proven to be his, Michonne would not be able to go out to find Rick. She would never be able to tell Rick that she had given his enemy a child, but named him after Rick.

Never.

"Darryl!" Michonne exclaimed and ran to him, ignoring her injured leg! He was standing in front of Dwight and Sherry, glaring at them. He wrapped his arms around her.

"What is this shit? You kidnapped everyone? Heath helped you? Why?" Darryl demanded to know. He glanced down at Michonne.

"Are you alright?"

Michonne nodded but said nothing. Dwight spoke.

"I know you didn't want me coming back here. But Sherry and I ended up with Morgan. And we went through a hell of a time. The point being, we want to live someplace that we know is safe. Alexandria is safe. It always has been."

"Until people wanted to take it." Darryl reminded him.

"Negan." Sherry answered. "But you all have him under control. I still think you all need to live here."

Darryl looked from Sherry to Michonne.

"What is she talking about? Why would we live here?"

"Because that was the original plan," Michonne said coolly, "Heath is pissed off at every person that came into Alexandria with Rick. He wants us gone and they are 'offering' us the Sanctuary to live in."

Darryl looked back at Sherry and Dwight.

"That's not happening."

"No," Sherry replied, "it isn't. Because someone offered a different suggestion. One that I don't think stands a chance in hell of working."

Darryl looked from Dwight, to Sherry and then to Michonne.

"Someone want to fill me in?" Darryl asked, struggling to keep his patience. Michonne did the honors.

"Darryl, Heath and his 'new crew' here, want all of us that came in with Rick, to leave Alexandria. They are generously offering us this shithole to live in. Or at least they were. There is a second offer on the table. One that comes from Beta."

"Beta?!" Darryl snapped, now facing Dwight and Sherry. "I followed that sonofabitch here! Where is he? You talked to him?"

Michonne interrupted and pulled Darryl away from Dwight and Sherry a small distance.

"They have decided that we can all go back to Alexandria, but everyone that comes from 'Rick's Original Group' has to live in one house, along with Beta and Negan."

"No." Darryl said, his eyes turning hard. "Tell me you're not going along with this?"

"I don't want to. But I have to think of Judith and RJ. Aaron has to think of Gracie. There's something else: Heath was able to do all of this with help from some of our people."

"Ezekiel." Darryl said. "I had to kill him."

Michonne said nothing to that. But she did shake her head sadly.

"Ezekiel made his choice. But Heath hinted that Herschel helped as well. Somehow Heath got to at least two of our people and was able to pull this off. I don't know what we would be facing if we went back home." Michonne admitted.

"What would happen is that any traitors would have to cover their tracks. We can't bring Beta into Alexandria. And he can't be in a house with Carol."

"I know. Negan thinks we ought to just go along with this until we're back inside. Maybe once we're behind the gates, we can make some moves." Michonne said.

"No." Darryl responded. "We don't let Beta leave here alive. No sonofabitch that won't die, is coming into Alexandria ever again. He killed Laura and others the last time a traitor worked against us. No. I say we kill him now."

"How, Darryl? You tried drowning him, right?"

Darryl nodded.

"I don't know how he's still alive." he admitted.

"Exactly!"

"But Maggie could find out. She could find out or she knows something already. She was pissed off when we tried to drown him. But we don't go back to Alexandria with Beta. Agreed?" Darryl asked her.

"Agreed. I'm out of ideas about how to kill him though." Michonne admitted.

Darryl nodded over towards a corner. Sitting on a table there, was a chainsaw.

"We cut him up into little pieces. He can't come back from that." Darryl said.

Maggie had asked Sherry for a first aid kit for Beta. Sherry brought her one, but couldn't see that the hulking man needed it. But she kept her mouth shut and gave it to her, before closing the door to the room they were in. It had once belonged to Eugene, back when he lived with Saviors. The room was now just as dirty as Negan's was.

Maggie and Beta sat on an old couch that had mouse droppings on it. She had swept them off for her and Beta to sit down, then she carefully applied an old tube of Neosporin on the marks around Beta's neck. The chain that had been used to hold him under water had caused them.

"I begged them not to hurt you." Maggie sighed as she carefully applied the ointment. "If Negan can become an accepted part of Alexandria, you can too."

Beta said nothing to that. He did not want or care about being accepted by Maggie's people. But Negan had murdered Alpha and Maggie's people had killed many of their people. Not to mention they had trespassed. On Whisperer land and on the campgrounds that he considered to be his now.

He had come up with the idea of everyone living as one, once they did get to Alexandria, so he could slay everyone easily. All of them, minus Maggie and her son, would die slowly and painfully. Or maybe not, depending on his mood. Meaning maybe a person would be given a quick death, if they begged properly for one.

Maggie noticed he did not respond to her words and she set down the tube of Neosporin and looked into his eyes.

"Why did you tell Heath that? About it being better for us to all live in one house? I can't be in the same room with Negan for more than two seconds, without wanting to gouge out his eyes. And your people killed Carol's son. I can't have her in a house with you. She couldn't take looking at you anymore than I could take looking at Negan."

"You won't have to look at him for long." Beta told her, then suddenly, overcome by the sight of her round, pink lips, he covered them with his own, uncaring of Maggie's shock and surprise. It was as she began returning his kiss, their mouths blending and searing against one another's, that the sound of a chainsaw struggling to power up, ended their close moment and pulled them back into the here and now.