Negan sat on the cot in his cell, exhausted- both physically and emotionally- from a few rough days, (mostly the assholes around him whom just loved to complicate things, Negan was anything but stupid; he got why everyone hated him. Nobody owed him forgiveness, but this was NOT the goddamned time for the field mice let their feelings get the best of them.
After all, with all the skin freaks out there, nobody quite sure what to do about them, it seemed to Negan that the people around him should be pretty damn thankful to have him around. Better to have him as a friend than a foe, but alas, hurt feelings, fear and paranoia had apparently gotten the best of his peers.
At any rate, Negan was actually grateful to return to the cell, his home for what, the better part of a decade? Negan has come to loathe that cell, and what- or whom, in this case Negan himself, that it had come to represent.
Still, he wasn't so tired as to not be intrigued by his very unexpected guest who just arrived.
"Pardon my appearance, madame," Negan smiled widely and with an exaggerated tipping of his head and rolling forward of his arm, he suddenly felt a burst of energy. It had been some time since he'd been presented with such a challenge as the one standing before him.
" Sit down and save your energy. You're going to need it."
It took Negan a second or two to figure out who his guest was, as, unbelievably enough, they had yet to meet. But from his conversations with Judith, to overhearing the odd snippets of conversations, including the fact that over the years he'd heard people bringing up one certain name to Daryl, it was crystal clear who his visitor was. The only question remaining was why she was there.
Nodding his head and grinning, mostly out of respect for this authoritative female figure in front of him, Negan greeted his guest. "My, my, my.. if it's not the famous- or infamous, depending on who one asks- Carol. The Queen. I've never curtsied before, but then again, I've never before stood before royalty. Maybe a few rock stars back in the day; hell, I once shook hands with Sir Paul McCartney, but a queen— I gotta day that's a first for me."
As quickly as he started to curtesy, he was yanked back up by the back of his shirt.
" Knock that off... now. Do it again and I'll see to it you never get back up. You understand me?" Carol flares and stepped back. " It smells like piss in here."
Negan leaned back against the wall, and chuckled. "I do apologize for the accommodations, but as you are well aware this ain't the Hotel Hilton I'm living in."
"Does that mean I don't get a tip? I even brought you some cobbler and some beet cookies. And a mug of old instant coffee." With that, Carol tosses a knapsack at Negan, and to his delight, she was not lying.
Grabbing the thermos and gulping down the lukewarm coffee, Negan sighed. It had been too damn long since he'd had anything resembling a good cup of joe.
"I can't imagine Daryl is going to be thrilled once he finds out not only that you're here, but you come bearing gifts. Much appreciated, by the way."
"You breathe his name again," Carol glared, and this key to this cell will 'magically' disappear permanently. You got that?"
Negan set his thermos down, and looked at her. "Something's brought you here, and you must need me for something pretty badly. Otherwise, it makes no sense for us to meet now after all this time. If I were to guess, I'd say it has something to do with those skin freaks. Alpha, in particular."
And then, even Negan was surprised by Carol's reaction. Up until that point she'd seemed calm, confident, cool. But at the mention of the name Alpha, Carol's face, what he could make of it via the dim moonlight peeking in throw the windows, turned ashen, her lips pursing nervously. Her hands shook to the point he actually wondered if she was having a seizure.
He stood up, and he guided her to his cot. "Sit. Whatever battle you're fighting, and I can tell it's a doozy- you're going to need your strength."
She said nothing as she pressed down so hard on the couch her fingernail snapped off.
"Listen, about your kid, Let me tell you.. I truly am sorry. He didn't deserve what happened to him."
It stung just a little when she stood face to face and slapped him hard. "Don't you speak my son's name! Don't you ever dare speak of him. He was a good boy."
Negan was never one to back down easily. "Most people these days, yourself most likely included, think of me as an evil bastard. But from the sounds of things, this bitch Alpha makes me look like a real Mr. Rogers type of guy. There's a dated reference from days gone by," he chuckled. "Call me what you like, but I have a soft spot for young 'uns. Believe it or not, I miss Carl like the dickens. Go figure. His dad would probably roll over if he heard that. But that kid- he was the future. He was a badass like his parents and his sister."
Carol didn't say a word, but she stared at the floor. "I loved Carl. I was supposed to deliver Judith. I knew their biological mom."
Now Negan was truly invested in this conversation. "Did you know Rick before the world turned to shit?"
" No. But shortly after." She looked at Negan. "Carl played with my daughter. They were friends."
Even Negan knew better than to press on, as much as he wanted to. But as always, he was mentally taking note of every word, every bit of information Carol revealed about herself. " I'm truly sorry."
And as quickly as her guard briefly came down, she snapped back to business.
Carol stood up. "Come on. I'm busting you out of here."
Just like that? Because I'm not a totally heartless bastard?"
"Don't play dumb with me. We both know I came here for a reason. And now I'm going to tell you what's going to happen."
Carol looked around, looking for any witnesses. " As far as anyone, even Daryl, knows, someone let you out. No one's ever going to be able to figure out who it was. And Daryl's not the only tracker around here. I made sure the coast is clear."
"Something tells me this isn't entirely an act of charity" Negan chuckled.
" Enclosed in the knapsack I gave you just now is a map, one that will lead you to the vicinity of the skin freaks."
His eyes widened with anticipation. It had been a long, long time since his life had any real purpose, aside from being a thorne in everyone's sides. " You want me to take them all out or what? I gotta know what and how many I'm working with.."
She smiled." Just one. I want you to bring me the head of that bitch Alpha."
Their eyes met and she continued. "You bring it to me, and let's just say I'm in the position to put in a good word or two to Daryl."
"I kill her and I get to carry on here with the group?" He looked upwards and grinned. "Sounds like a damn wet dream to me!"
She opened the cell and pointed towards the entrance. "Don't come back without her head."
He looked back at her one last time and nodded in agreement.
Maybe it was the fact that he'd gotten to know Alpha's kid and heard about how fucked up Alpha was, had always been. Maybe it was the thoughts of Carl, how he always regretted not doing more for the kid. Maybe this was even about Rick, and how his death in the search for a brighter future for all wouldn't have to be in vain.
If there was one thing in life Negan was good at, it was at causing pain for others. He had been a shitty husband to his beloved Lucille. So this whole end of the world wasn't the root of his being an asshole.
But this time... his charms, his smarts, his ability to unite people either by fear or for a misguided greater cause—- they all led up to this next quest.
A quest for vengeance. A quest for peace. A personal quest for Negan to prove to himself that he wasn't a worthless asshole after all. This was turning about to be a real, honest to goodness goddamn spiritual awakening!
Yes. this was show time, and he got to play ball once more. If only he had his Lucille to give him much needed strength for the task at hand.
Alas, he no longer held Lucille. But that didn't mean he was out of play.
Far from it.
He closed his eyes, first envisioning his late wife, then his wife's baseball bat.
Lucille, give me strength...