All Nightmare Long

Chapter 495

Author's Note: I'm loving the new season, even though I know that Rick is leaving. I am torn. But I have a LONG time till I face that in the story. I promise I'll show Carol and the others sooner or later. This is just flowing. Negan and Jewel bantering gives me feels. Nothing romantic. It's just so easy! Please review.

Jewel kicked a walker in the face, knocking another one out. She quickly moved to the side of the RV. "RICK!" she called as she quickly reached into her boot and grabbed the knife she had hidden and stabbed the walker in the head. She grabbed the ladder, and used her knife while holding onto the ladder with one hand as she stabbed the knife in the walker who was trying to grab her. She climbed the ladder and pulled herself up to the top of RV. She quickly crawled over to Rick. "Rick, are you bit?" she asked as she put both hands on his cheeks. "Mr. Grimes, answer me!"

Rick looked at her. "Jewel? What are you doing?"

"We do this together, always have, and we always will. This isn't going to stop that, he isn't going to stop it," Jewel told him as she kissed him. "Understand?"

Rick nodded as he kissed her. "Yes…" he said as he kissed her again.

"You've got one hell of a woman there, Rick, she was willing to be killed to help you out rather than stay in here with me. People died Rick, it's what happens, doesn't mean the rest of them have too. It doesn't mean Jewel up there has too, or your kids have too. Get me my ax," Negan demanded. "Get me my ax!" he repeated. "You Rick, not Jewel. Jewel is just there for moral support. You're bringing me that ax Rick, or Jewel is going to be the next person to meet Lucille. I'd hate to do it, I think she's the only one who can keep you from doing something stupid, well anything else stupid," he informed them.

Jewel stood up and reached for Rick's hand. "Together," she said as she looked down at him.

Rick turned over on his side and looked at the ax then at Jewel's hand.

"Thought you were the guy, Rick, maybe you're not," Negan told him as Rick took Jewel's hand and started to get up. "We'll give it one more go. Now, I really want you to try this time. I mean, I was nice enough to let that hot wife of yours be there with you," he said.

Jewel rolled her eyes and helped him get up. She could feel him shaking. "I'm right here Rick. We do this, we get back to the family alright?" she said as she wiped a tear away from her face.

"Last chance. Bring me my ax!" Negan demanded as he started to shoot the roof of the RV.

"Shit!" Jewel yelled as her and Rick started running. "GO!" she yelled at Rick nodding toward the walker hung on the bridge. "Both of us aren't going to be able to hold, you go, I'll be right behind you," she told him as she took the ax. "GO!" she ordered as she saw Rick jump. She took a step on the ladder and whistled. "HEY! Over here!" she yelled at the walkers to distract them from Rick. A few turned in her direction, she took a breath as she jumped off the ladder and took a few of them out with the ax and stuck one in the head with her knife. She looked in Rick's direction, and knew that she'd never make it to him. She watched in horror as the neck of the walker Rick was holding on to started to give away. Rick looked down as they were pulling him down. Jewel took a chance and whistled again, only distracting a few more. "RICK!" she yelled as he fell lower into the midst of the walkers.

Suddenly, gun fire came out of the RV, taking down walkers. Jewel used the ax on the ones that were close to her. She watched as Rick fell and the gun fire stopped.

"Clock is tickin' Rick," Negan said from the window with a grin, as he pounded on the blind and it closed. "Think about what could still happen!" he told him.

"Rick!" Jewel yelled as Rick started to get up and crawl over walkers. "Here!" she said as she threw him the ax and he grabbed it. Jewel took a breath as they both started to fight walkers.

Negan beeped the horn, as a warning.

"Jewel! Here with me!" Rick yelled as flashes of everyone else getting hit with Lucille flashed through his head.

"Always!" Jewel said as they got into fighting stance and started moving as a team killing walkers.

Rick got to the RV door first and tried it, it being locked as he looked at Jewel.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Jewel asked as she kicked a walker in the stomach and sticking the knife in the head of another.

Rick picked up the ax that he had dropped and took it to the knee of one of the walkers, as the door to the RV swung open and Negan fired at the walkers, leaving the door open.

"GO!" Rick yelled at Jewel, who ran into the RV, Rick right behind her. Jewel quickly turned and wrapped her arms around Rick as he came into the RV, and quickly hid the knife up her sleeve. Rick hugged her then released her as he walked up to Negan who held out his hand. He placed the ax in Negan's hand with a look of anger on his face and sat down. Jewel stood by the door with her arms crossed, not wanting to be anywhere near Negan at the moment.

"That a boy," Negan said with a grin.

Jewel watched Rick as Negan slammed the ax in the table and went back to the driver's seat. She went and sat beside Rick and took his hand and squeezed it, leaning against him, as she felt him shake. She let her eyes close as she laid against his shoulder, keeping their hands intertwined.

Rick felt himself let his eyes close, only to be open them again as the RV stopped, he squeezed Jewel's hand as she started to sit up.

"We're here prick. And beauty," Negan said as he laughed. "Maybe that should be beauty and the prick."

Jewel looked at him. "Whoever told you that you were funny, lied."

Negan laughed. "I really am funny, I mean when I'm not threatening to kill you," he assured her.

Rick squeezed Jewel's hand as he looked up at Negan with a look of anger.

Negan gave a small laugh. "This must be hard for you right?" he asked as he opened cabinet drawers and cabinets. "I mean you have been king shit for so long. Losing two of your own, like," he said as he snapped his fingers. "Getting' em clipped like that, one nut, then the other, and in front of your kids. That is some screwed up shit!"

Jewel took a breath resisting taking out the knife and trying to stab him.

Negan found the first aid kit and took it out, getting out the rubbing alcohol. "Oh goody."

Jewel glanced to the door, wanting to rush out and check on everyone, including the kids.

"We'll be out of here soon, momma bear. Damn, I can't seem to stick to a nickname for you. I mean momma bear fits, beauty fits, shit, that's just going to bug the shit out of me, until I can decide on one," he told her as he walked next to Rick. "You were in charge," he said as he picked up the ax, "excuse me sweetheart, could you get up for a minute?" he asked Jewel.

Jewel glared at him before doing what he asked.

"See I find you're glare sexy. So tempted to take you back home, show you what you could have, but hell, I'm attached to my balls," Negan told her as he wiped the ax off on Rick's jacket. "You were probably addicted to it, the power, and now, well clip, clip," he said as he used the rubbing alcohol on the ax. "That's over."

Jewel took a breath as she rubbed the sleeve of her shit, Rick looking at her meeting her eyes, her taking a breath.

"But," Negan said as he cleaned the ax and sat down across from Rick. "You can still lead a nice productive life producing for me," he said as he held out the now clean ax.

Jewel took a breath. "Can we please just get out of the RV now? My daughter was almost past out the last time I saw her. One of us is sick and you left her out there with the remains of her husband. My brother is bleeding. You want us to work for you? We can't do that if you kill us, or leave our injuries unattended."

Negan glanced at her. "You a doctor?"

"No, I'm a mother, I'm a sister, I'm a friend," Jewel said.

Negan gave a grin. "She's a good one to have on your side. Keep her close Rick, she'll keep you from doing something stupid," he said as he held out the ax. "I think you're gonna need it, I just got a feeling," he said with a grin. He let his grin fall. "So take it."

Rick reached for the ax and took it.

"Jewel, be so kind to open the door and go out and join the rest of your group, Rick will be right behind you," Negan told her. He looked at her when she hesitated. "That wasn't a request sweetheart."

Jewel took a look at Rick before opening the door and went out of the RV. She noticed everyone in the same positions but off their knees. Daryl, Maggie and Summer all looking ill. She took a breath as she took her spot next to Summer and Carl.

"Mom?" Carl asked.

"I'm OK, we're OK," Jewel answered as Rick was thrown out of the RV by Negan. She took a breath as she saw Negan grab him by the collar and pull him and threw him.

"Here we are," Negan told them. "Let me ask you something Rick, you even know what that little trip was about?" he asked. "Momma bear, she does, she gets it. But I'm wondering if you do."

Summer leaned on Aaron as the group watched.

Jewel meet Rick's eyes as he looked at her.

"Speak when you're spoken too," Negan told Rick.

"Ok," Rick said. "OK."

"That trip was about the way you looked at me," Negan told him. "I wanted to change that, I wanted you to understand. I brought Jewel along so you you'd understand, I could take another person away from you. But that wouldn't have been fair to your boy there, he probably already lost one mother in this shit of a world. And Summer there, well she's hurt, and needs her mom. But you're still looking at me the same damn way. Like I shit in your scrambled eggs and that's not going to work. So, do I give you another chance?"

Rick shaking looking at the bat. "Yeah, yes," he managed to say.

Negan laughed as he patted Rick on the back. "OK. Alright. Here it is, the grand prize game. What you do next will decide whether your crap day becomes everyone else's last crap day or just another crap day. Get some guns to the back of their heads. "

Rick looked up as the men did what they were told. Jewel and Michonne both looked over there shoulder's then Jewel looked at Rick.

"You're going to have to sit up sweetheart, otherwise this isn't going to work," Negan told Summer. "Help her," he told one of his guys.

Jewel moved toward her. "Don't touch her! Come on baby. Aaron can hold your good hand, OK?" she asked softly.

Aaron nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I got you," he said more to Jewel then to Summer as he took her hand still helping her sit up.

Jewel and Michonne both looked at Rick and nodded at him.

"Good now, level with their noses, so if you have to fire," Negan said as he put up his hand to his nose and made a sound like a bomb. "It'll be a real mess. Sampson, hold momma bear shoulder and keep her seated. She's not going to like me here in a minute and she's going to want to attack."

Jewel looked up at him. "No, whatever you're going to do, not one of them. Do it to me! Not one of the kids!" she exclaimed as Sampson took hold of her shoulder. She tried to knock it off as it got tighter.

"Kid," Negan said as he looked at Carl motioning him forward with his finger. "Right here."

"NO!" Jewel yelled.

"Hey, calm down, you're only going to make it worse, for you and your kid," Sampson said as he bent down. "Don't make me have to tie you up."

"Kid now," Negan said.

Carl looked at him as he started to get up. "I'll be OK Mom. It's OK," he said as he walked over.

Negan took off his belt. "You a southpaw?" he asked.

"Am I a what?" Carl asked.

"You a lefty?" Negan asked.

"No," Carl answered.

"Good," Negan said as he put the belt around his arm.

"Please, don't do this to him, do it to me!" Jewel begged.

"Damn, I don't think my mother would have ever offered to have her arm cut off for me. And, a step mom at that," Negan said.

"Mom, I'm OK," Carl told her.

"That hurt?" Negan asked.

"No," Carl answered.

"It should, it's supposed too," Negan said with a grin. "I'd tell you to put your hand over her mouth Sampson, but she'd probably bite you," he said with a laugh. "Alright, get down on the ground kid next to daddy. Spread those wings," he instructed as he knocked his hat off. Negan pushed him down on the ground as both Summer and Lexi started to cry. "Simon, you got a pen?"

"Yeah," Simon answered as he patted his pants and shirt. He threw the sharpie at him and he caught it.

Negan used his mouth to take off the cap and bent down next to Carl and rolled up his sleeve. "Sorry kid, this is going to be cold as a warlock's ballsack, just like he was hanging his ballsack above you and dragging it across the forearm. There you go gives you a little leverage," Negan told him.

Summer released Aaron's hand. "Please, do it to me. You want to punish one of his kids to teach him a lesson, do it to me," she begged.

Jewel glared at her daughter.

Negan laughed. "You definitely are her kid, but no, your brother here is on the ground."

"Please, please don't. Please don't," Rick begged.

Negan grinned. "Me?" he asked as he laughed. "I aint doing shit. Rick I want you to take your ax, cut your son's left arm off, right on that line. Now I know that you're going to have to process that for a second that makes sense. Still though, I'm going to need you to do it, or all these people are going to die, then Carl dies, then the people back home die, and then you. Eventually. I'll keep you breathing just so you can stew on it for a few years."

"You don't have to do this, we understand," Michonne said with tears in her eyes. "We understand," she told him.

"You understand, yeah. I'm not sure that Rick does. I'm going to need a clean cut, right there on that line. I know this is a screwed up thing to ask, but it's going to have to be like a salami slice, nothing messy, clean 45 degrees, gives us something to fold over. We got a great doctor. Kid will be fine. Probably," Negan said.

"Don't do this! Please, he's just a teen….he already lived through one injury…please, you can have Rick kill me, but please don't, not him," Jewel begged through tears.

"See what you're making your wife do, Rick? Begging for me to let you kill her so the kid doesn't have to suffer any more pain," Negan told him.

TBC