That Boy Is A Monster

tw: swearing; tw: death/murder

Days passed from the initial dinner - uneventful but excruciatingly boring days. The life of being a prison in a jail house had appealed more to Arielle than staying locked in the room where she had only a small workout room and a television with a vast collection of movies to keep her entertained. Arielle wanted nothing more than a book to read or papers to write on with the idea of writing her own autobiography and hiding it for the next person to be imprisoned in the room.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner were spent with Negan in the dining room, escorted by either Dwight or his other bodyguard, who she came to learn was named Simon. Each meal was prepared by Negan who rather enjoyed occupying his time in the kitchen - a little trait of information Arielle had learned in the few meetings she had had with the man. Besides that tidbit of information, Arielle still didn't know too much about Negan and he refused to speak about what he did; the kind of business he was in.

Linda's heads up about his activities frightened Arielle; doing her best to ensure Negan was kept happy at all times whenever her presence was requested.

She was more than surprised to hearing about a small gathering Negan was holding at the house where he requested Arielle to join.

Blue hues stared back at her, her eyes scanning over her face. This wasn't her – it wasn't who she was. Arielle wasn't this high-end and expensive looking woman with fake lashes, red stained lips and rosy cheeks. But it was who Negan wanted and what Negan wanted, Negan got. With this thought repeating in her head, Arielle sighed. Her nightmare wasn't ending and it pained her to know there was no escaping the demons.

Before her grandparents had passed away Arielle would accompany them to church. The sermons hollered by the pastor was where she learned about the Almighty and how His love brought peace and joy in anyone's life who accepted Him into their lives. Once her grandparents passed away, the young girl questioned the existence of a Higher power; if there was one, why did they allow her mother to leave her so young? Why was she raised at the hands of an irresponsible piece of shit father? And why, if there was a God, wasn't she getting her break in life yet?

Personally Arielle believed she was a good person; didn't lie, didn't steal. Sure she was a sinner when it came to matters of the heart, but what was a little yearning to be loved?

Hearing the faint knocking against her bedroom door brought her thoughts back to reality. Another sigh rushed passed her lips as she smoothed the red mini sundress against her thighs. Moving her curled blonde hair behind her ear, the woman made her way to the bedroom door, opening it to find Dwight waiting to escort her down to the party.

"Boss man couldn't escort me himself?" Arielle questioned with a scuff, arms folding across her chest.

"He's entertaining guests," Dwight answered monotoned but obviously affected by her made-up appearance. Rolling her eyes at the man, Arielle closed the door behind her and beckoned for him lead the way. With it being only a few days into her capture, Arielle was still unfamiliar with the large mansion. She scanned the hallways they walked through, admiring the works of art on the walls, the décor placed meticulously at each corner. Though, sure Negan had nothing to do with the décor, she still applauded his taste.

As they approached the doors to the backyard, Arielle spotted Negan almost immediately. There was something in the way he told a story; animated, like a marionette. His arms spread wide then fell to his sides; his body bounced and swayed as if giving a demonstration of some kind. His audience was intrigued – laughing at all the right places, nodding and even gasping. The closer she walked toward him, the clearer she was able to see her surroundings. The entire backyard was filled with guests; men wearing jeans matched with suit jackets and women wearing decorative sundresses. Caterers swam through the crowd, providing drinks and hor d'oeuvres with impatient smiles on their faces.

"Ah, here she is," Negan announced with a smile. Arm extended, he beckoned for the blonde to join him; reluctantly she did. Plastering a friendly smile on her face, Arielle greeted the small group of people standing around Negan. "Meet my lovely fiance, Arielle."

Almost immediately her face fell; Arielle's head snapping toward Negan. Fiance? This was the first she was hearing about an engagement, let alone a marriage between the two. When Negan came to the house after her father informed her of the confidential arrangement, no one had mentioned an arranged marriage.

"Isn't she gorgeous?" Negan's laugh shook his chest, his arm snaking its way around her waist to pull her close. Everything in her wanted to push him away, slap him for implying she would marry such a monster and stomp away – however, Arielle knew better than to cause a scene in front of party guests. Consequences weren't worth the few moments of satisfaction in arguing. Instead, Arielle put on another fake smile as the group agreed with the man, showing their obvious attraction to the girl.

"Honey," Arielle choked. "May I speak with you in private, please?" Excusing herself from the crowd, Arielle slipped her arm with Negan's and lightly pulled him in the opposite direction.

"I'll be back y'all; gonna be a bit busy - next time you see me I'll have the biggest goddamn smile on my face -" His words were stopped when Arielle's elbow collided with his side. "What the shit!" he yelled at her as the door slammed shut behind them.

"Don't give me that," Arielle spoke, her voice raised. "When were you planning on telling me about the fine print that says I have to marry my captor?"

"You were right fucking there - I just announced it." Negan shrugged, his eyes traveling over her body. Outside he hadn't been able to get a good look but now, alone in the sun room, Negan was able to admire her slender but toned, long legs and the way her cleavage popped out from her low-cut dress. A low growl gurgled in his throat. "Goddamn you look good."

"Well get a good look, cause this." Arielle paused to point at herself. "Is all you are ever going to be seeing." She saw it - the exact moment Negan's mind switched from fun with a hint of sarcasm to complete sociopath. The fire behind his stare burned her skin, making her face fall from the sudden rush of fear washing over her. With one foot in front of the other, Negan slowly made his way forward, his eyes darkening with each step.

Suddenly, Negan's hand wrapped around her throat while his other slid around her torso as he moved her up against the wall. She could feel him and the sick, twisted way he got off on scaring her; his apparent bulge rubbed against her thigh. "You feel that?" His voice was deep and thick with hostility. "Get a good fucking feel 'cause that is your future." Tightening his hold around her throat, Negan lowered himself to where his lips were centimeters from her ear. "You seem to forget who you belong to." Tilting his head to get a better look at her, he watched as her blue hues widened and her face reddened from the lack of oxygen. "Now you're gonna go back out there and put on that pretty little smile and make nice with my guests."

Letting go of her throat, Negan took a step back as Arielle gasped for air, her hands instinctively holding her neck. "Find me when you recompose yourself and I'll let you make this up to me." With a slight wiggle of his arm, Negan turned on his heel and joined his guests.

Still standing against the wall, Arielle's chest heaved up and down, her chest aching from the sudden rush of air within them. Anyone else would have been petrified by the way Negan had treated her and seen a monster; anyone else, but Arielle. As she laid her back straight against the cool wall, her gaze moved toward the ceiling as she silently asked herself why she felt a sudden heat begin to travel down to her core. She could still smell the powerful cologne he wore as if his touch branded her skin, and the scent of stale cigarettes from his breath tickled her sense of smell.

At the doorway, Dwight peeked in trying not to disturb Arielle as she composed herself. But the woman saw the sudden movement and her body buckled. Realizing it was Dwight, her muscles relaxed as she slumped against the wall. "It's all about survival." Though he spoke quietly, the blonde heard him well enough to offer a nod in agreement. "What he's doing is distasteful, but if you wanna live you gotta do what you have to." Gaze falling on him, Arielle pushed herself from the wall, walking closer to him. But Dwight moved away, knowing if he were to be seen talking to the prisoner out of line, he would be punished. "We can't be seen together, Arielle. But take my words to heart. Go out there and make nice with his guests." Turning on his heel, Dwight disappeared into the house as Arielle stood where she was, dumbfounded.

Letting out a sigh, the woman moved toward the doors to the backyard, placing a forced smile on her face before stepping down onto the stoned patio. Negan stood a ways from the entrance, playing his role as host. Reluctantly her legs moved closer to Negan, keeping the smile on her face as she approached him and the guests he was entertaining. "I thought you got lost, sweetheart." Arielle flinched at the feel of his arm wrapping around her shoulders, a rough kiss placed against her cheek.

The rest of the day went along smoothly with Arielle nodding at all the right places, giving her false input when asked and seeing Negan in another light. She realized, when in front of guests, Negan was a completely different person; fun and sarcastic but also genuinely cared about his guests and their satisfaction. This little trait caught her off guard; mentally she decided to name him Dr. Jekyll, and his split personality, Mr. Hyde.

There was a moment where Arielle excused herself, moving to the open bar to request a gin and tonic. There was where she was met with a man who seemed overly interested in her. A little touchy with her, the man stroked her cheek as a hesitant smile formed along her lips, thanking him for the illicit compliment he made about her legs. From the corner of her eye she could see Negan watching closely, his body language changing almost immediately. However, he continued to entertain his guests and finished his story about his time meeting the Bono from the band U2 and how he simply wasn't a fan of the band after meeting the lead singer.

Once his story was finished, Negan motioned with two fingers for Simon to join him. Obeying, Simon approached Negan, handing him his most prized possession. "Now as many of you know I am a true fan of America's greatest fucking pastime." Holding up his baseball bat, Negan's grin grew wider. "And why wouldn't you be? It's a great fucking game!" Guests took this as a sign to laugh at his remark, the atmosphere quickly changing; Arielle could feel it. Slumping against the bar counter, she sipped on her gin and tonic, focusing on her breathing.

"This bat right here, I'm sure you've all learned, is very dear to me. Signed by the great Babe Ruth, it hits home-runs with every goddamn use." As he spoke, Negan sauntered his way toward the open bar, his darkening eyes falling upon the man standing next to Arielle. Seeing this, the blonde took a few steps back, her grip tighter on her glass. "Everyone here should know when you touch what's mine without permission, there are consequences." Suddenly, as if on cue, those around Negan moved from their spots, following Arielle in taking a few steps away. Negan's glare never fell from his target and his bat, once resting on his shoulder, was dropped toward the ground, his fist flexing against the grip.

"That woman right there." Using his bat to point at Arielle, Negan scuffed. "That's mine. And you sir." He moved the bat to point at the man. "Just touched what's mine." Without a moment's hesitation, Negan swung the bat, hard, onto the man's head. The sound of bone cracking underneath the bat echoed through the crowd as they watched the man fall to his knees; Negan swinging the bat onto his head one last time before the man's lifeless body fell onto the ground.

The crowd stayed silent, almost unfazed by the action but Arielle flinched, her eyes watering in fear. Negan's heavy breathing turned into a low chuckle, shaking his head at the man while Simon collected the bat. Blood spatter covered Negan's attire as high as his face; he wiped the blood from his cheek with the offered handkerchief. "And that, ladies and gentleman, concludes the engagement party. Get the fuck outta here." Like cockroaches scurrying when the lights flip on, the guests moved toward the exits of the estate, leaving as fast as they possibly could.

Dwight and Simon, along with a few other men dressed in black suits, attended to the deceased man. Grabbing a bottle of whiskey from behind the bar, Negan poured himself a drink and beckoned for the woman to join him. With her eyes blued on the bloodied mess on the grass, Arielle's legs slowly took her closer to him, her hand hesitantly placed against the counter.

"I apologize about him, sweetheart. I won't let any man touch you like that again. I'm sorry I wasn't there to prevent it." And just like that, Mr. Hyde was buried within and Dr. Jekyll reached his arm out, caressing her cheek lightly. "Jensen will be the last man to ever treat you less than what you deserve."

Something told her his words were a lie.

Author's Note: A little more action in this one! I'm also going to give a heads-up, I will more than likely be changing the way this is written and move it to first person. I am undecided, however. Please review! xoxo