Things got bad very quickly. Though, technically, there were pretty bad already.

Hannah was given a truck to drive to Alexandria, with a tied up Rosita in the passenger seat beside her. In the back of the truck was a water barrel for the people of Alexandria. It was supposedly a peace offering but when they opened it, they would find Nick Clark's body inside of it.

Meanwhile, the pilot that was flying the helicopter, was a man named Victor Strand. Negan knew that he was somewhat close to Nick and Alicia, so it was imperative that he not know that Nick was dead. Negan didn't trust him worth shit, but oddly, he was very good at finding things outside of the walls of Mount Falls. Many of the people that lived here, had not been out in the wild. They were soft. Victor and Madison had been close at one time and they had all come here together to live under Evil Rick.

Deke didn't trust him either, but he was the main pilot around here, so he told him the Rick Child Perv story and noted that Victor helped spread it around a little. Negan assured many of the riled up townspeople, that when they returned, they would come up with a plan to get Michonne back. Negan had also stressed Michonne's pregnancy and he could see the nervousness in some of the women, and what they were thinking about Chonnie and his unborn child being a possible victim of a perv!

Victor had no idea that Michonne wasn't at the place he was flying them to, this Alexandria, nor did he know that they would be taking one of the residents back with them, as a hostage…

"So Vic," Negan said loudly, over the roar of the engine, "how'd you end up in Madison's group?"

"I didn't know you knew that much about me." was Victor's reply.

"Oh I make it a point to get to know everything about everyone in Mount Falls. Or I will eventually." Negan said, holding on to a machine gun he had brought along. Deke had one as well, but was busy looking down at the ground below. He had never been one to make small talk.

"You remember those first days." Victor said. "When it became clear that no one was really running anything. You met up with people and stuck with them."

"So is that what happened? You met up with Madison and her kids and 'stuck with them'?" Negan asked, not liking the lack of detail in Victor's answer.

"Yeah. Isn't that how you ended up with Michonne?" Victor dared to ask. Deke looked at the back of his head, then looked at Negan, who especially didn't like THAT answer.

"It's none of your fucking business, how Governor Negan ended up with his wife!" Deke snapped. But Victor wasn't fazed. And he was the one flying so these two thugs were at his mercy now. And he knew they were up to no damned good. He just couldn't figure out what, exactly. Victor figured he would just have to go along to get answers.

"No, no," Negan said as he realized what a cagey bastard Victor Strand was, "it's okay. People should know how Michonne and I came to be. The REAL story. There's a lot of bullshit rumors out there about us. About me. You've heard them, haven't you, Vic?"

"If you're talking about that bat and how you use it, then yes, I've heard." Victor said.

"Bat?" Negan asked in a fake sounding voice, "the only bat I use is the one I practice baseball with. I'm teaching my young son, RJ, to play. Do you have any kids, Vic?"

"No." Victor replied shortly, wishing Negan would shut up.

"Why is that?" Deke now asked. "You look like you could get plenty of ass. There's a rumor that you were doing Madison behind Evil Rick's back."

Victor's hands tightened on the helicopter controls. He had his own feelings about what happened to Madison. He had his own feelings about their coming to Virginia and finding this goddamned place called Mount Falls. He had his own feelings about how fucked up Madison's falling for 'Evil Rick' had been. He watched Travis's heartbreak over it. Victor had known something was wrong with that mofo the minute he laid eyes on him. And he had been angry that Madison couldn't see it. Their group—Alicia, Nick, Travis, himself and Madison, was once larger than four. And with each new place, or some new person they trusted, their numbers dropped.

Victor had watched Mount Falls change Nick, and not for the better. Things got worse once Madison was killed…

"Well?" Deke asked, interrupting Victor's thoughts. "Is it true?"

"Now, now," Negan said soothingly, "Deke you know it ain't polite to ask some shit like that."

Deke grunted but did not apologize. Instead he looked out of the helicopter window again. They were over Alexandria now and Negan tried to hide his surprise at how decrepit the stronghold looked now! Hannah, of course, was still on the road with Rosita, which was fine with Negan. He needed to 'explain' how things were going to go to his former 'neighbors'. He began by sliding open the door, and pointing the machine gun at the plants that were struggling to grow. He fired off a few rounds and watched people scamper for the hills! He was careful not to hit any children and he saw a dog that seemed cute. Negan made sure nothing hit it.

Aaron stared up at him with hatred and Negan grinned, then took out a megaphone!

"Good morning, Alexandrians! Your leader took Chonnie from me! One of you is coming with me! And then I'm coming for someone else, and someone else, until I get her back! You tell Rick Grimes that!"

Victor hadn't expected this shit and didn't like it! He landed the helicopter inside the stronghold just as Hannah pulled up outside of the gate. They were outnumbered here, Victor thought, feeling panic well up! What the hell was Negan thinking?

Deke answered that by lobbying a grenade over by the gate! It exploded and more than a few walkers ambled in. Hannah drove around them, through the smoke and parked by the helicopter. She got out, then went over to the passenger side and hauled Rosita out! Eugene came out of hiding, as did some of the others, Laura, a former Savior, being one of them.

"Michonne is not here!" she snapped.

"Oh I know that! But Rick runs this place. Real Rick. And you can tell him that if he doesn't want another war, he will return Chonnie back to Mount Falls tomorrow. But I'm taking someone back with me and I think I have the perfect person." Negan said, as he walked up to Herschel Rhee, who was glaring at him.

"Ass in the helicopter kid or…"

Negan didn't get to say much more, as a tiny molotov cocktail, that did not explode, was hurled at him from an upper floor window of a house! He hauled ass towards the helicopter and Hannah recognized Harrison Morgan as the assailant and nodded approvingly! Harrison eyed her as well, and she knew he remembered her. Hannah undid Rosita's binds and pushed her towards her people! She ran to Eugene and he put his arms around her.

"Negan killed Nick with that bat!" she snapped. Meanwhile, Negan hid the fact that he had been scared shitless by what Harrison, and probably Herschel together, pulled! Jesus, when had any of these people grown balls? Victor, who was still in the pilot's seat, turned to look at him.

"We're outnumbered here! Can we just get out of here?!"

Negan was about to say something not too kind, when he spotted Maggie driving in, looking confused. Negan grinned! The loose walkers were between her car and an actual way into Alexandria! He looked at Victor.

"Fly over that car!" Negan snapped. "We have our hostage!"

"What about Hannah?" Victor asked.

"She'll be just fine here." Negan told him. He didn't want that crazy bitch setting foot back in Mount Falls anyway. Victor did what he was told. He got the helicopter into the air and flew low until he was over Maggie's car! She had gotten out to fight off walkers and glanced up to give Negan a hateful glance, before resuming beating off walkers. It was clear she didn't think she was in any danger from him.

Negan blew off the heads of three walkers she was dealing with, then reached down and grabbed the top of Maggie's hair! She began screaming and Deke reached out to help Negan drag her up into the helicopter, before flying off. Negan was well satisfied that the people down below, would let Rick know that he had taken Maggie.

Maggie wriggled out of their grips and slid herself back against Victor's pilot seat, glaring at both Negan and Deke!

"I'm going to kill you both!" she snapped.

Deke rolled his eyes and decided to let Negan handle this one. Negan smiled at her.

"Maggie, I think we need to have some 'alone time'. We've always needed that. Just to clear the air. And now we're going to have time to do that. All the time in the world, until Rick returns Michonne and before he dies."

Maggie smiled back. Coldly.

"I just saw the two of them. Michonne's not coming back to you. And in all likelihood, Rick will raise your child. So you might as well kill me now." was her response.

Negan didn't like her words. But then again, he didn't like Maggie. And with their history, she was capable of saying anything to hurt him and Michonne.

"I noticed you haven't asked about Rosita? That's damned selfish of you." Negan answered. He noticed Maggie's smug look falter.

"What did you do?" Maggie asked.

"Oh you just missed her. She's back in Alexandria. A woman brought her back by truck. A woman that says that she and Dexter were close. I got the feeling she wasn't too happy with you and wanted to give you a piece of her mind about it. You should be thanking me, Maggie, because I'm pretty damned sure that she is back in Alexandria, looking to kill you." Negan said, grinning at her. It gave him real satisfaction to see Maggie's expression go from smug, to slightly horrified.

RED RIVER CREEK PRISON-

Rick returned to the house and found Michonne coming down the stairs, ready to go riding. He stood in front of her on the bottom stair, blocking her descent down. She could see from the look on his face, that something was wrong.

"What is it?" Michonne asked. "Is Negan here? Because if he is, I don't want you to hurt him."

Those words annoyed Rick, but he swallowed his displeasure and spoke. He reached out to touch her arm.

"There's a man here that says he's Negan's 'twin'. At first I thought it was Negan playing a game but he said you know him."

"Father John is here?"

"You're kidding, right? Tell me you're kidding!"

"He followed me here?" Michonne asked and tried to move around Rick, but he placed his hands on her hips to keep her still.

"Yes and Alpha found him. We've got him in the stables and from all that he's saying, he sounds more like another mouth to feed than a hostage." Rick said, his eyes searching hers.

"Rick," Michonne said, gently moving out of his grip, "let him leave. I will talk to him and tell him whatever you want me to tell him."

"Michonne," Rick said, his eyes more intense than before, "I don't want you to tell him something that 'I told you to say'. I want you to be here because you want to be. And I know you want to be. It's Negan, Judith and RJ that are stopping you. Once I get our children back, we can get back to the life we should have had from the very beginning."

Rick could see that Michonne didn't believe that. And he told himself that was okay. He caressed her arm.

"I know you don't believe that. That's why I wanted us to stay here. You need time away from everything that was between us, so that you can see I'm right. Michonne, Negan in a way, has turned you into a 'Savior'. You can't get him or his ways out of your head."

"So I'm brain washed? Is that what you're telling me?" Michonne asked skeptically.

"I'd be willing to bet that you're not the only woman in his life. He had a whole stable of wives at the Sanctuary…"

Michonne cut Rick off by slapping him!

"You have no idea what I have been through the last six years you've been gone. I know that none of this was your fault and I know you didn't choose to leave us. But life went on and I HATED wanting Negan in my life. I HATED liking him or wanting his company or how the kids responded to him. I hated how everyone that knew what he did, looked at me. And then, suddenly, I didn't have time to care about any of that. I don't know how to explain Negan nor am I going to defend what he's done. I am saying that I'm not willing to throw away what I have with him. And I for DAMNED sure, would know if there were any other 'wives'. That would not be happening with me. That IS NOT happening now."

"You're overly defensive about that possibility though?" Rick asked, somehow sensing a weak spot in her relationship with Negan. Oddly, he understood Michonne's resistance to him. He understood her resistance to all that he was offering and suggesting. He even understood about Negan, in his own way. And there was a part of him that blamed himself. Because he had no doubts whatsoever, that Negan saw this day coming. Saw his return and wanted to have some kind of protection against it. Basically, Rick believed Negan took up with Michonne and became a father to his children, not because he cared anything for them. But because he wanted to get to him.

"Just take me to Father John." Michonne said softly and Rick reached for her hand and squeezed it, before escorting her from the house. He held it the whole way to the stables.

Father John was not tied up. He sat on a stool in the barn and watched Alpha, watch him. She was back to wearing the 'Michonne Dreads'.

"May I ask why your hair looks like that?"

"Like what?" Alpha asked. But she knew what he was really asking. She knew a lot of things just by looking at this so called priest. And it was clear to her, that he would not have taken this dangerous path, if Michonne didn't mean more to him than just being his brother's woman.

"I think you know what." Father John gently chided. "Would you like to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" Alpha asked, slowly taking off the wig. She set it on a bale of hay.

"Why you feel the need to look like Michonne?"

"Do you think I look like Michonne, Father?"

"Well, not now, no."

"But with the hair I did?"

"No." Father John admitted.

"Well that's a pity." was all Alpha said to that.

"Why? Because maybe Rick would like you more?"

Alpha's expression suddenly turned hard! No one understood her feelings for Rick! Not really. And there were more than a few of her people, that she sensed thought she was 'soft', for ceding power to him, just because she had become slightly enamored with the man. But Rick…Rick genuinely cared. And he wanted to take back what was taken from him and in order to do that, he needed strength by his side.

Michonne was not strong. At least, Alpha didn't think she was strong enough. For Michonne was in bed with the enemy. That was weakness. And worse yet, it was very likely she was in bed with the enemy and his twin brother! Though just from looking at Father John, she could see that this 'Negan', was not bad looking. Not that she had expected him to be.

"You know," Alpha said, not answering Father John's question, "I don't think you came here to free Michonne. I think you came here to run off with her, 'Father'."

Father John folded his arms and Alpha was a bit surprised that he didn't try and deny it. He didn't admit it but he wasn't saying she was wrong. He wasn't saying much of anything really. He walked over to the wig and picked it up, looking it over.

"You scalped some poor woman for this? Or was it a walker that had hair such as this?"

"Do you really care, Father?"

"I care about your soul, yes."

"Well that is mighty kind of you, Father. And you know something else? I think we could be of an enormous help to one another." Alpha said, just as Rick and Michonne walked in, holding hands. Michonne broke away from Rick and hurried over to Father Negan, who was holding that ridiculous wig! Father Negan dropped it and met Michonne with a brief hug that he wished would last longer. But he let go of her and set her away from him.

"Are you alright?" he whispered.

Michonne nodded and Rick joined them, having overheard the question. He pulled Michonne away from Father John and placed a hand on the small of her back.

"Of course she is. Michonne confirmed your identity. You can see she's alright so tell your brother she's fine. You can also tell him that I want to make arrangements to pick up Judith and RJ from Mount Falls."

Father John smiled at him, and for a moment, Rick was taken back to a time long ago, when Negan had smiled at him that way. It was during one of his 'raids' of Alexandria. Rick suddenly felt very aware that the good 'Father' could be just as dangerous as his brother.

"I don't think my brother is going to be agreeable to that. I am also on my way elsewhere. I stopped by just to see that Michonne was alright and being looked after properly. Then I plan to be on my way."

Michonne frowned.

"You're really going to look for your family? Now?"

Father John pulled Michonne away from Rick and Alpha a small distance into the stables.

"I thought it was time. Until I met that woman. The one with the hair she clearly murdered some woman for. I have no problem with Rick, except with how he kidnapped you. But that woman…she will kill you at the first opportunity. And Rick clearly doesn't see it." Father John told her.

Michonne half glanced at Alpha.

"Believe me, I know. I'm dealing with it. How is Negan? Rick wants to make a deal with him."

"I think you know, that my brother makes no deals. I followed these people when I saw them take you, so I don't know how Negan is taking any of this. I would suspect not well."

Michonne took a deep breath.

"Okay." was all she said.

"Okay? I don't get the impression that my brother, nor this Rick here, is willing to compromise. And we both know what Negan is like when it comes to you. He will hurt anyone he has to to find out where you are."

"I know that too. You need to go. Go and find your sons. There is nothing you can do for me here." Michonne told him. But Father John did not agree.

"I can't leave you here. I won't. We'll wait together here for whatever Negan has planned."

"Father," Michonne said, whispering, "we need to escape. I have no intention of allowing Rick or Negan to harm one another. We have to think of a way out of here." Michonne said urgently, just as Rick made his way over. There was something about the way 'Priest Negan' was looking at Michonne, that didn't look like a 'man of the cloth' to him!

"Father, as you can see, Michonne is fine. Is there anything we can get for you for your trip?" Rick asked in a tone that brooked barely strained patience.

"May I speak to you in private, Mr. Grimes?"

"It's Rick." Rick said and gestured for the two of them to leave the stables. That left Michonne alone with Alpha. Michonne picked up the wig and looked at Alpha.

"Who did you kill to get this hair?"

"You know," Alpha said, running a hand over her own stubbly, bald head, "the priest is in love with you. But somehow I think you know that. What do you plan to do about it?"

Michonne tossed the wig across the room and faced Alpha.

"Do?"

"Yes. 'Do'. I mean if you want to be an honest wife to Rick, then you will slay him and his brother called Negan."

"Slay? Look, I don't know where you came from…" Michonne began, but Alpha closed the distance between them.

"I come from a place of honest love for Rick and all that he wants. He needs a strong woman by his side. Prove that to him by killing his enemies."

Michonne eyed her for a short while before answering.

"Somehow, I don't think you'd back off if I 'killed' Negan and his brother. Somehow I don't think I could do enough killing or anything else, to be worthy of Rick. I also think that the only woman you feel Rick belongs with, is yourself. So how about a compromise? I will be perfectly happy to kill Negan and Father John, if you do some killing yourself. Starting with yourself, okay?" Michonne asked, rolling her eyes. She began to move around Alpha, when Alpha suddenly took out a knife and stabbed herself in the chest! Michonne gasped loudly enough for Rick and Father John to come running back in! Rick ran to Alpha as she slowly slid to the ground.

"Alpha? Alpha, stay with me! What happened?" Rick asked her.

"Michonne stabbed me. She stabbed me to prove how much she loves you." Alpha whispered. A truck pulled up outside of the stables and suddenly Siddiq appeared. He blinked when he saw Michonne hurry over to him!

"Hurry! She stabbed herself!" Michonne yelled. Rick moved out of the way and let Siddiq work on Alpha, before grabbing Michonne's arm!

"Alpha said you stabbed her? Why?"

"Rick. She stabbed herself. Clearly she wanted to frame me."

"Michonne, if you felt threatened, you should have told me. Father John said that he sensed that she was a threat to you. I should have sensed it."

"Rick, I did not stab that woman, okay? She stabbed herself! Just like she slaughtered some woman that had hair like mine!"

"Listen to me: once Siddiq is finished with Alpha, we're going to have him check you out, okay? Then we'll skip the ride and you just rest." Rick said, clasping her face between his palms.

"Rick, I did not stab Alpha!"

"Honey, I just…"

Michonne suddenly slapped his hands off of her!

"Negan would have believed me!" she snapped and walked out of the stables. Father John followed after her wordlessly. He believed Michonne, of course. He also believed that Alpha could be the way to get Michonne out of here and on the road with him.

MOUNT FALLS-

Alicia sensed something was wrong with every fiber of her being. She watched Negan and Deke return with a dark haired woman, whom they took to Negan's house and not the local jail. She tried not to think about the fact that she had not seen neither Nick, or Rosita, in hours, but she could not. The plan had backfired. That terrible reality was beginning to set in. She waited until Victor was alone and ran over to him, as he got out of the helicopter.

"Tell me what's going on? Where is Nick?"

Victor looked around carefully before answering.

"I have not seen him. I don't know if that's good or bad. Rosita is back at Alexandria. That blonde woman that showed up here recently, was involved with the husband of the woman Negan and Deke brought back."

"What?" Alicia asked in frustration. "Okay, never mind about that! Why was that woman brought here?"

"Negan seems to think that the people that kidnapped Michonne will come for this woman. They're planning an exchange of some sort." Victor told her.

Travis made his way over, still wearing his Sheriff's uniform. His face had taken on a hard edge in the last year. He hated Negan probably more than Evil Rick. And that was because neither Evil Rick, nor Madison, came back alive to this town. But somehow, this Negan bastard, who only visited this town once, ends up running it. Something was not right.

He had been forced to watch Negan, force a young woman to get a pregnancy test, against her will. He had seen quite a lot since the fucker had shown up here. And it was galling that his twin, priest brother, had zero influence over him.

"Travis, tell me you've seen Nick?" Alicia asked, not even bothering to keep the fear out of her voice.

"No. I haven't but I'm sure he's around here someplace." Travis said soothingly. Victor gave him a skeptical look.

"Nick and Rosita were thick as thieves. And he wouldn't just hide while she was taken away." Victor said, trying to keep the worry out of his voice. But damnit, in the back of his mind, he blamed Madison for this! He knew they should've just taken their chances elsewhere!

Meanwhile, Negan rolled up his shirt sleeves and stared down at Maggie, who was tied to a chair in the basement. Maggie could see that something vicious had happened down here. The scene reminded her of the night Glenn and Abraham were murdered, which is what she suspected, was Negan's reason for bringing her down here. Negan looked at Deke.

"You'd better handle Alicia." he told him.

"What should I tell her?"

"Tell her that we took Nick and Rosita back to Alexandria. That will do for now." Negan said. Maggie shook her head in utter disgust!

"I take it that this is Nick's blood all over the floor here, you sick sonofabitch!"

Negan nodded to Deke and he left the basement. Maggie heard the door close and it was never more clear that she was alone with Negan, murderer of two of her husbands and a man that she had loved desperately. Negan pulled up a chair and looked at her.

"Maggie, you've always been a problem when it came to Chonnie and myself. You just wouldn't let her be. You were always throwing that night in her face and making her feel bad about it."

Maggie said nothing to that and Negan decided to continue.

"You knew damned well, that Rick would have done the same thing if he had been in my shoes."

Now Maggie couldn't keep quiet!

"The hell he would have!"

"Oh if you all had had a good operation going and I came along and fucked things up, you wouldn't have stopped me?"

"Rick would never have went around to communities and robbed them! He wouldn't have had their people beaten and killed just to 'teach' a lesson! And stop blaming me for Michonne's being ashamed of being with you, which she should be! You had plans to move in on her from the first day Rick was stupid enough to lock you up in Alexandria. But you just waited and waited and finally there was a flood! And you were let out of that prison and somehow, someway, you managed to never go back into it. You know something else?"

"What?" Negan asked with amusement.

"I never believed that that other Michonne killed King Ezekiel and Angel. I think you did it and tried to frame Carol for it. Once Ezekiel was gone, Michonne was yours free and clear."

Negan grinned!

"Michonne was mine before King Ass Face was killed. She just didn't know it yet. And you don't know or understand what Chonnie and I have, so you can keep your fucking mouth shut about it!"

"I know what Rick and Michonne have. He married her. He also made love to her in front of all of us. I have no doubt whatsoever, that Michonne has never responded to you in that way, ever."

Negan stood up.

"I think you'd be wrong about that. Here is what's going to happen: you're going to begin working for me. Deke is going to take you out on a few runs until you are well trained to be a 'Mount Falls Savior'. If you don't, I'm going back to Alexandria and teach those sons of yours, lessons in respect. Dexter's psycho kid threw an explosive at me. You act right, and I won't go back there and pay him back for it. Are we clear?"

Maggie spit upward at him and a good amount caught his jacket! Negan knew better than to lay a hand on her. When he returned her to Rick, she had to look pristine with not one mark on her.

"And I'm not 'working' for you! What's the matter, Negan? Are the supplies Evil Rick stole from his own world beginning to run out? Wait until this community realizes just what you are. What you and Michonne both are." Maggie said coldly.

Negan took off his jacket, then wiped it off on her face and hair! Maggie squeaked but said no more when Negan took his jacket away and put it back on.

"Judith and RJ will be coming home soon and I don't want them hearing you down here. You make one sound, and your boys will end up in this basement alongside you." he told her, before slowly walking up the steps. He whistled his familiar, creepy tune, before turning off the light and closing and locking the basement door. Now it was Rick's turn.

His face hardened as he thought about what Maggie had said about Rick's 'wedding' to Michonne. He fucked Michonne in front of other people? That shit was sick! He had to get her out of there! His throat tightened when he thought of his unborn son or daughter, sleeping in her belly while Rick's dick interfered! That muther…

Negan got ahold of himself just as the door opened and Judith and RJ came running in. He pulled himself together and smiled.

"Hey you two! Listen, your Momma went to check on things at Alexandria. They have no food so she took them some." he lied, wondering how long he could keep that half assed story up to the kids. Especially Judith.

Meanwhile, Rick drove a small Honda to the portal spot where he had placed the walkers, just to check his trap. He needed time alone to clear his head and decide just what he was going to do about Alpha. He stopped the car suddenly and stared before slowly getting out.

All of the walkers had been slain. That meant someone had come through the portal. But who?