Chapter 78: Unbowed


KPOV

~Back at the Prison~

Sitting up, I had been arguing with Daryl a little, he hated that I had put myself in danger the way I had to protect the ones I loved. Little did he know, I would of done it over and over again if it meant my family lived.

My whole body was turned to look at him. "If I have to do something like that again, if I could do it over, I would do it all differently this time," I told him. "I'd be smart about it," I thought this would be the answer to this.

"No," Daryl shook his head and spoke firmly. "There's no way of being smart about doing something as stupid as getting yourself killed," Daryl was positive that I was with a death wish if I decided to turn myself over to the Governor the way I had done.

Anger shook my body slightly. "There is," I wanted to prove him wrong, there and then.

Leaning off the wall, Daryl then approached me in my cell. "Then how would you do it?" he questioned me.

Taking a second to think, I came up with a brief plan. "I'd think over my options, I'd learn more," were some of the things I came up with. "I wouldn't confront my enemy, not until I was sure I could beat him," I knew enough to hope this would work.

Chewing the inside of his cheek, Daryl stared me directly in the eyes. "You're wrong," Daryl declared at me. "Want some advice?" he asked me.

Knowing there was nothing to lose if I let him talk, I shrugged a shoulder. "Sure," I agreed to it but I didn't let my gaze leave his, not for a second as he stared me down.

It was like he tried to intimidate me. "Don't do anything like that again," was Daryl's piece of advice. "Ever," his voice softened only slightly. "He's going to pay for everything he ever did."

The last part, Daryl had grumbled mostly to himself as he looked away and didn't meet my gaze. "Who?..." I asked up at him, curious to find out what was going on. Little did I know, he was talking about the Governor.


PRESENT DAY...MPOV

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. The repetitive sound woke me, brought me back from my deep sleep. Lately, our nights were either long, or far too short. Depraved from sleep, due to the problems with Kat, the nightmares Rick had and the struggles we'd worked through by ourselves.

No longer were myself and Rick cuddled up to each other, happy, naked and free. We were chained, broken and alone. Sleeping beside him, I never felt so far away from him. No one hardly slept anymore, when we did, it was strictly that as we had no energy for anything else after what happened with Glenn, with Abraham and Daryl.

Gradually, my vision became better adjusted and I turned to see Rick with his back to me. Resting my head back to stare at the ceiling, I let out a slow sigh, feeling my heart weigh me down. Glancing at the time, it was early, far too early for Judith to be awake already.

Slipping out of bed, I put the rest of my clothes on and grabbed my sword. Taking a bag, I had a few things in there, things such as ammo, water, a bit of food. Going to the living room, I quietly took the gun we hid in the fireplace and stuffed it into the bag.

I had hoped no one heard me in the house, that no one had heard the shift of the rifle being taken from the fireplace. Heading out, I needed to be ready and my plan, was to practice.

I need to be ready. A fight is coming and I need to be ready for it.


RPOV

Feeling Michonne leave the bed, I slipped my boxers on and my pants. Following Michonne at a safe distance, I had watched her leave the room and walk out the door, a huge bag in her grasp. She didn't look back while she closed the door behind her.

My pants held on by the tip of my belt about to be buckled. Looking away as Michonne left, I heard quick footsteps run across from upstairs. A door slammed open quickly, loudly, I was sure it would of woken the rest of the people in the house.

Rushing to see who it was, I had heard the faintest sounds of someone puking their guts out. Heading to the bathroom when I realised who it was, I went in and got to my knees beside them.

Bringing their hair back, I held onto it and rubbed their back slowly. "Hey," I soothed them. "Shh," I tried to calm them down from their incessant vomiting. "Hey, it's okay," I tried to calm them. "You're alright," I reassured them they would be well.

As their soft blue eyes met mine, they leaned away from the bowl they'd been spewing into. "Thanks," they panted, wiping at their eyes from the tears that fell from the force of their stomach retaliating on them.

"I think my nerves are shot to shit," Kat told me, apologising for her sickness and suggesting this was the cause to it.

Chuckling, I took the hand towel off the rail and gave it to her, so she could wipe away the remains around her mouth. "No kidding," I agreed with her, a small smile threatened to appear on my features.

Nevertheless, I had always been concerned for my daughter. "When was the last time you ate, you slept?" I asked her, curious to know just how well she was actually taking care of herself.

Kat's sad eyes glanced to the towel in her grasp, finished wiping the remains of her sick from her lips, she sat back and rest the back of her head against the wall. Her back pressed to the cool surface as she tried to steady her breathing.

Her small burps were only natural from the amount she just spilled into the toilet. "I eat, just not a whole lot and sleep is...rare," she was being honest with me.

Suddenly, she lurched forward and began spilling all the contents that was left in her stomach, out and into the toilet bowl. Taking hold of her long hair again, I would sit up and comfort her. "Shhh. Let it out," I tried to support her.

As she let out everything she had, she panted and tried to clear her throat. "There you go," I was thankful it was over, at least, for now. Getting up, I took a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water.

Offering it to her, I knew she would be feeling dry and dehydrated after puking so much. "Here," I encouraged her to take it.

Slowly, her hand reached up and took the glass from me. "Thanks, again," she appreciated my help and support again. Being the good father I was, I held her, stroked her back in circles and soothed her while holding her hair back.

Chuckling, I sat back down on the ground beside her, waiting for her to need my help with anything else. In case she was sick again. "No problem," I reassured her that all was good between us. "You should take it easy today," I encouraged for her.

"I'm fine," Kat told me but the look in my eyes told her I didn't believe her. "I'll be fine," she corrected herself. Taking a large few sips of the water, I sensed her appreciation more the moment she continued drinking.

Sat there, in the silence, it had been so far the longest period of time we talked, without her having to be sick again. "Thanks, for being here, comforting me," Kat smiled at me, her eyes staring into mine.

Staring at her, even sick and sweaty from the amount she had come up, she still looked relaxed, happy and beautiful. "I'm your dad, its what I'm here for," I reminded her of the hard truth.

Chuckling whilst I glanced to the ground, the memory of Lori came to me quickly just by looking at Kat. Just at the mention of me helping her while she was sick right now. "Not the first time I held your hair back while you were sick," I told her.

Meeting her gaze, my eyes squinted slightly at her cheekily. "It was mostly your mom but, I know what I'm doing," I teased her. Kat grinned, a little laugh leaving her while we sat there a few minutes more.


KPOV

Once dad and I relaxed in the bathroom and I was no longer feeling sick, he took the cup from me and went to finish getting dressed. Following his example, I got up, washed my face, brushed my teeth and went to get dressed.

Going to check in on Judith first, I was pleasantly surprised to find dad and Judith together. "Hey..." I alerted him that I was here. "She's up early," I commented as I walked over, seeing Judith happy to see me, she waved at me her little hand and would hit my dad at the same time.

Taking her hand, I waved it and pretended to eat her arm, making her giggle and my father chuckle. "Did you wake her?" I asked him, curious to see my sister awake and alert so early in the morning.

"No, she woke herself up," dad answered as he turned with her in his arms, bouncing her gently. "You should be in bed," he was trying to give me orders but they were lightly spoken, almost like he told me this to suggest I do as he said.

Rolling my eyes, I shook my head at him and smiled. "And you, should stop worrying," I thought, that as long as we were throwing out what we should be doing, I'd throw this one back at him. "I'm fine," I reassured him that there was nothing to be worried about.

"Can't say I didn't warn you," dad began bouncing Judith, propping her onto his hip gently with a shift of her body to wriggle her up higher.

Dad glanced to Judith before looking back at me. "I'm going to try and find spots we can scavenge, maybe do a run to see what we can bring back, store for when Negan arrives," dad informed me of his plans today.

Something in his words hinted he was going to do this alone. "Is Michonne going with you?" I asked him.

"No," he answered quite abruptly.

The fact he planned to go alone, worried me. "Is anyone going with you?" I wondered if there was anyone roped in on this plan.

Having him out there, alone, wasn't safe. "No," he answered. "Not yet," he was trying to be hopeful that maybe, someone who wasn't me or Carl would go with him.

"I'll go," I signed up instantly to go with him.

Dad's eyes became a little stern. "No," dad rejected my offer instantly. "I told you to rest and to drink plenty of water," he reminded me of my orders but he should of known better.

I told him, I'm fine. Faint footsteps approached us. "I'll go with you instead," Carl spoke up, shocking both of us a little as dad's eyes raised to meet Carl's.

Turning briefly, I saw Carl leaning against the door frame, looking into the room and seeing me and dad exchange words. "You're better off being here, looking after Judith while we're gone," I denied him going with dad either.

"No, you're both staying here," dad was denying both of us going with him on the trip.

Standing strong in front of him, I wasn't going to let him leave without back up. With Negan out there, dad going out there alone, wasn't going to happen. "No, either I go with you or Carl goes with you," I gave him my proposal firmly.

"And I sure as hell am not letting Carl go out there after everything he's seen," I made sure he knew the only option was to take me with him. "That's the deal," I spoke firm.

His eyes looked into mine, studying me, to see if I really was determined enough to go with him. It was as though he was trying to catch me and call on my bluff but I wasn't bluffing.

"Fine. You win," dad accepted my deal. "10 minutes," was the only time he was giving me to get prepared. "I'll meet you by the gate," dad said as he handed Judith over to Carl.

Kissing the tops of both Carl and Judith's heads, I left to get ready and meet dad by the gates as he instructed. Maybe we can finally talk over his plan.


RPOV

Meeting with Kat, as we reached for one of the cars, we had seen that Spencer had pulled the gate open. Approaching the gates, I slowly could finally figure out the one behind the gate, wanting entry, was none other than Negan.

Kat had been not far behind me as Rosita stood by the car. "Oh, you better be jokin'," I heard Negan before I saw him. "Negan, Lucille. I know I had to make a pretty strong first impression," he had introduced himself to Spencer.

Suddenly, Negan's eyes landed on me. "Well, hello, there," Negan directed his words to me, my footfalls slowing when I finally saw him and glared at him. He's early. "Do not make me have to ask," he warned me sternly.

Nodding, I knew I couldn't fight him. Not now, possibly not ever or yet. "You said a week," I reminded him of our arrangement. "You're early," I pointed out as I unlocked the gate and pulled it open.

Instead of coming straight in, Negan just stood there. "I missed you," Negan teased me. The sound of a walker growling as it approached pulled Negan's attention away from me, away from Kat that I saw him briefly glance over to.

Chuckling, Negan then glanced back to me. "Oh, Rick, come on out here," Negan ordered of me. "Watch this," he encouraged and began taking a few steps back. "Calling it!" he yelled as he began approaching the walker.

Everything in me wished the walker would eat his face off but my footfalls did as he asked. I followed him up until the point of the gate, blocking Kat from his sight the best I could. Grunting as he swung the bat, knocking the walker flat on its back.

"Ha ha ha!" Negan laughed out his victory. "Easy peasy lemon squeezy!" Negan bragged about how easy it was to kill the lone walker that followed him. "Alright, everybody. Let's get started," Negan announced but my eyes drifted to all the people that had climbed out and stood close to our walls.

Negan had been speaking to all of us. "Big day," Negan continued to announce. My eyes landed on Daryl, he was dressed in a suit, one used for patients for a mental health institute. A huge 'A' written over it.

"Hey, Rick, you see that, what I just did?" Negan asked me but my eyes were glued to Daryl. He looks beaten, bruised, afraid. What have they done to him? "That is some service!" Negan had answered his own question. "I mean, we almost get turned away at the gate."

Negan then pointed to Spencer. "Who is that guy, anyway?" Negan asked me. "Do I get mad? Do I throw a fit? Do I bash some ginger's dome in?" Negan began questioning me with a rope of questions I couldn't and wouldn't answer for him.

"Nope. I just take care of one of these dead pricks that could've killed one of y'all," Negan declared as he answered another one of his questions. "Service," he bowed at me before he said this word. With a chuckle, he approached me and handed me his bat. "Hold this," he ordered.


KPOV

Watching my dad take Negan's bat, I felt my heart sink. This is horrible. "Hot diggity dog!" Negan shouted into the air as he entered our gates. "This place is magnificent!" he complimented our home. "An embarrassment of riches, as they say," his eyes briefly met mine.

Passing my father, meant he had easy access to seeing me, even if he did pass me too in the process. Turning slowly to look back at all of us, I had glanced to Daryl.

He looked awful, bruised, beaten, a cut on his lip and he looked like he hadn't had a shower in a few days. He looked like he didn't see sunlight either. What have they done to him? Briefly, Daryl's eyes met mine but he kept them down.

It was as though he feared looking at us too long, in case we just disappeared. My love. My fearless love, what have they done to you?

"Yes, sir, I do believe you are gonna have plenty to offer up," Negan announced but I wasn't looking at him. Hearing his all too familiar little chuckle, I knew he was up to no good the second he approached the gate.

Dad turned slightly, to look over at Daryl and began taking a few steps towards him. "Daryl, hey-" dad was just as concerned for Daryl's well-being as I was.

"No," sternly, Negan cut my dad off. "Nope," Negan turned around and stopped my father from talking to Daryl.

Getting between them, Negan's eyes briefly went to look at me as I stared at Daryl. What are they doing to him?

"He's the help," Negan announced to us. "You don't look at him, you don't talk to him, and I don't make you chop anything off of him," he laid out the rules this time.

My eyes were glued to Daryl, to the man I loved more than I could of ever imagined. So many nights, I wondered if he was well and all my predictions were possibly true. He has a bruise under his eye, his lip is busted and he looks the same way I feel.

Footsteps approached him but I kept my eyes on Daryl the best I could, even if Negan tried to block him from my line of sight. "Same goes for everyone," Negan warned me in a sing song voice.

Negan had threatened me, that if I kept looking at Daryl, something else would happen to him. This man is torturing all of us now. "Right?" Negan quizzed me. Possibly insinuating that if I kept looking at Daryl, I'd have to cut something off of him too.

My gaze on Daryl, hardened and my eyes gradually glanced back up to meet Negan's gaze. I can't risk hurting Daryl that way. As I glared up at him, I wanted to challenge him, to show him I didn't fear him.

But I worried for Daryl, as I had no way of getting him back to us and with how Negan was acting, I was sure Negan would never let him come back to us. Asshole. I glared up at him as he smirked down, an amused gaze in his eyes as he flicked his tongue along the bottom of his top teeth.

Brushing past him, I rolled my eyes up at Negan and glanced over to my father, who was trembling at the sight of Negan so close to me. Who had been threatening me, telling me that I would be the one to force Daryl to suffer if I kept staring at him.


RPOV

Seeing Kat and Negan stand off each other, Kat wasn't going to stop staring at her boyfriend, not without a fight. Even if it was a staring contest. Eventually, Kat had lost, both of us knew she couldn't cause that kind of pain to Daryl.

Having to swallow her pride, her worry, she gazed up at Negan, rolled her eyes and looked to me. I want Daryl safe too. But I don't like how close Negan keeps getting to you.

The second Kat walked away, brushing past him to go back home, back to Judith and Carl, I knew our plans were ruined for the day. Negan, was far too amused to see how Kat and him were so close, staring each other down.

Feeling powerful or content with what happened, he celebrated it with a kind of dance. "A lot of suspense there. I don't think she even knew how much," Negan commented with joy when it came to the stand off with my daughter.

Wanting to break his teeth for finding joy in spending that kind of time with my daughter, intimidating her, I hated he was getting off on it. "Alright, let's get this show on the road. See what kind of goodies you got in the cupboard," Negan announced, as he stepped away from me.

"We put aside half the supplies," I told Negan what we'd done for him already.

Negan was lazily scraping his feet over the floor, like he was welcoming himself back home in our community. "No, Rick. No," Negan disagreed with me as he turned to face me. "You don't decide what we take. I do," he told me confidently whilst he approached me.

Glancing behind me, he then spoke to one of his people. "Arat," Negan told me.

"You heard the man. Move out!" I heard his female soldier call out to the others.

Seeing all his men move in, going wherever they wished, I saw people from my town wonder what was going on. "They're just gonna search the houses a bit, keep the process movin'," Negan explained to me what was happening now.

With a soft sigh, he watched his men leave. "Alright," Negan said with a content tone. "You gonna show me around or not?" Negan asked me.

Hearing no answer from me, was clearly not a good sign to Negan. "Well?" he was waiting on me to give him a grand tour of the place. After much deliberation, I decided to just do as I was told and hoped he'd not go against his word.

I should break his jaw for what he's done to Kat alone. For Glenn, for Abraham, for Daryl...he should get a whole lot worse.


MPOV

Taking my bag, with the sniper rifle inside, I went to a clearing and sat atop a rusted, broken down car, waiting for something to show up. The rifle sat on my lap, ready to be used. I needed the practice and until something I could kill showed up, I wouldn't be able to start.

I needed distance, I needed enough to practice be able to shoot from both distance and a close range. Sitting around, waiting, for what felt like hours, I eventually saw one. A walker. Standing up on-top of the car, I aimed up and saw it coming.

Bang. Nothing. Bang. Miss. Bang. Miss. Bang. Nothing. Shot after shot, I kept missing it. "Damn it," I grumbled as it finally approached. Getting off the car, I sliced the walker's head into two. Leaving to return home, I had wasted enough time.

Reaching the woods, I stumbled across something I would of never imagined. A deer. A shot straight through it's throat. Dead. I did that. Finding joy out of my failure, it was a sign. A strange but decent sign.

Taking my gun off my shoulder, I crouched down by the animal and shook my head. The bad things, don't die. The good are the ones that perish. Like Glenn. Like Abraham. Good things, gone. The bad, Negan, still breathed.

A funny, awful thought as it was, I knew we at least had something to eat, other than vegetables and apples. Or canned food. We have meat.


DPOV

Following as Rick lead Negan around the place, people were taking things, taking whatever made lives comfortable here, or whatever they liked and left with it. Loading everything up in moving trucks, they hauled whatever they liked and left Rick without beds, without seats, without anything to have them comfortable for a living.

Savages. They'd take anything to make sure Rick stayed in line or fuelled him to hate them more. "You see this? This is the kind of thing that just tickles my balls," Negan declared when saw a couple of guys carrying an arm chair down the stairs.

"A little cooperation and everything is pleasant as punch. You see, we really are reasonable people once you get to know us," Negan would mumble some words as he waved his arms around and strutted down streets.

Acting like a false king of the hill. "Honest," Negan reassured Rick. "Ohh. Man," Negan had leaned over, popping open a can of soda. I noticed it was the same one Denise had saved for Tara.

Prick. As he slurped down only half of the can, he then removed it from his lips. "Ahh!" Negan sighed out his pleasure before dumping the can onto the floor with a hard thud.

Watching the can roll and spill all the remains of the drink, I wanted to rip him apart. Denise died trying to get Tara that damn drink. "Damn, I love this place!" Negan commented on our home.

"Negan," one of the guys called over to his boss. "Somethin' you might wanna see," the man said as he strolled over to Negan, handing over a camera to him.

I recognised the camera instantly. That's the one Deanna used to record us before we were accepted into the community. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Negan was amused to take the camera from the guy.

"I got my fingers crossed for a little freaky-deaky," Negan teased, raising two fingers to cross them over each other and when he started the video, his huge smile only grew larger. I could hear Rick's voice through the recording.

It must be Rick's interview playing. "Jee-hee-sus!" Negan was amused to see a dishevelled, rough looking Rick through the small screen. "Is that you, Rick, underneath all that man-bush?" Negan asked him.

"They're dead so my family, all those people out there, can be alive," Rick's voice loudly said through the recording.

Rick on the other hand, stayed perfectly still, not looking anywhere, not even at Negan. "Shee-ot," Negan continued to cuss. "I would not have messed with that guy," Negan mocked Rick.

Turning off the playback, he switched the camera onto record mode. "But that's not you anymore..." Negan began to record the new version of Rick. A clean shaven, lost and broken leader. "Is it?" Negan asked, raising the camera up to get a good look at Rick.

"Nope," Negan announced to the camera as he pointed it to himself, only to turn it off. "I really gotta shave this shit," Negan had then brushed his fingers over his own facial hair.

Glaring at him from the corner of my eyes, I was thankful my long hair was blocking the death glares I was giving him. Talking to Rick like that. He really is a piece of shit. "Whatever happened to that sick girl?" Negan asked out of the blue.

"That seemed like a hell of a stressful night for her. The way she was carrying on, she was married to number two, right?" Negan remembered what happened.

This, must of caused Rick's blood to boil, as I saw his body tense from the sight I had of him from behind. "Careful. Careful how you're lookin' at me, Rick," Negan warned Rick, who possibly was glaring up at Negan.

"Widows, especially ones that look like that..." Negan exhaled sharply. "...they...are special," he commented on what he knew about a pretty widow. Although, Maggie was a widow that was pregnant.

"I love 'em. Right after their husbands go, they are just...empty side," Negan commented enthusiastically. "But usually not for long," Negan said in a sing song voice.

His suggestive chuckle made me sick. Asshole. Maggie would rather kill him than screw him. "Ahh," Negan soon realised none of us found his joke funny. "Where is she?" Negan asked. "I would love to see her."

Gabriel in that second, quickly approached Negan from behind. "Do you care to pay your respects?" the polite priest asked the merciless leader.

The second Gabriel spoke, Negan spun around to look at the all too friendly priest. "Ho-ly crap!" Negan said, startled by the priest behind him. "You are creepy as shit, sneaking up on me, wearin' that collar with that freaky-ass smile," Negan joked with the way Gabriel would sometimes appear out of thin air.

I could see sweat on Gabriel's forehead. He looks nervous. "My apologies. I'm Father Gabriel," Gabriel introduced himself to the tyrant.

Letting out a soft scoff, it was as though Negan was waiting for something. Slowly, he turned around and took a step back to look at Rick from his side profile. "She didn't make it?" Negan asked Rick.

Waiting to see what Rick would say, what he'd do, slowly Rick lowered his head and shook it from side to side. If she died, I hate Negan even more. If Maggie lived, she must be at the Hilltop, but maybe Negan doesn't know of the old arrangement that happened. I had to hope the second option was the truth.


RPOV

Father Gabriel lead us to the graves, two new graves were made, one for Maggie and the other was for Sasha. Stood over them, Negan stared at it from its side, while Daryl kept a bit of distance between himself and the grave.

"Damn tragedy. That's what this is," Negan feigned sympathy. "Well, this must really suck for you guys," Negan mused over his thoughts. "Number one? That was on me," he announced. "No choice there," Negan forced himself to believe.

"Lessons had to be learned," was Negan's excuse to Abraham's death. "But number two? That didn't need to happen. Daryl, there, he forced my hand," Negan then referred to Glenn's death, putting the blame on Daryl.

This isn't on Daryl. Is this what he's been feeding him? Lies? "Probably put her right on her back, huh?" Negan wondered if this was why and how Maggie died.

"Damn. I was gonna ask her to come back with me," Negan revealed to us. "Oh, I know what you're thinkin'. How could I have a shot, guy that just bashed her husband's head in?" Negan asked a rhetorical question.

Maggie would of never gone back with him, all of us that knew Maggie, knew as much. Maggie would of slit his throat the first chance she had.

Negan chuckled, amused with his own thoughts and my slight glare to him. "You'd be surprised," Negan at this point, simply loved the sound of his own voice.

Slowly, Negan's eyes met mine and a smirk began to grow. Don't. I saw in the glimmer of his eyes just what he was going to say before he said it. "Guess I'll just have to ask your pretty daughter to come with me instead," Negan suggested.

My eyes glared at him but looked away quickly as I felt my face twitch with anger. No, you won't. Glancing over to Daryl, he too stiffened at the thought of Kat with Negan, more than likely.

A soft chuckle left Negan as he noted my reaction. "Was going to ask her anyway. Always did like her a little more than the-" Negan went to carry on discussing my daughter with me but a gunshot in the distance, stopped Negan.

It made Negan's smile falter, which then forced Negan to look at me sternly, a cold, dead look in his eyes. He is out for blood...


CPOV

While in the infirmary, I went to go fetch some cleaning products to help disinfect my healing eye, Kat, had gone to get some bandages and when I saw a guy take more than the half we put out for them, I rose my gun.

Firing a warning shot beside his head, the next time, I knew I wouldn't miss. Hearing loud, fast footsteps come towards me, Kat gazed at me with worry stricken eyes. "Carl!" Kat yelled as she came to my side.

"Put the gun down," Kat pleaded. "Think about this, please," her hand went to touch my wrist, to guide it down but I kept my arm raised, the pressure against her palm proved to her I wasn't going to back down.

"Yeah boy, listen to your mommy, think about what you're doing," one of the Saviors, the one that took what he wanted from us said to me.

Kat's head whipped to look at the guy who insinuated she was my mother and mocking me when she was the one trying to stop him from dying. Kat was the one saving him. "Fuck you," Kat snarled at him.

The guy shuffled a step closer, a murderous look in his eyes. "What did you say to me?" he asked her, a threatening tone in his voice.

Bringing the hammer back, I wasn't going to let him take another step towards my sister. "Hey, asshole!" I yelled at him. "Leave my sister alone," I warned him to leave Kat be. "I'll say it again, but only once," I was hoping he was paying attention this time.

"Put some back or the next one goes in you," I promised him that the next time, I wouldn't be aiming for the window.

Chuckling the guy's eyes met mine. "Kid...what do you think happens next?" the Savior asked me.

I'm not afraid of you. I'm not afraid of any of you. "You die," I answered him bluntly.

In that moment, my dad came up behind Kat, as he saw what was going on in the infirmary. "Carl, Carl, put it down," dad encouraged me next.

Kat had stepped back a little whens she realised I wasn't going to back down, she moved a little closer to dad but kept close to me too. "No," I told dad. "He's taking all of our medicine. They said only half our stuff," I gave my valid reason.

Negan had appeared from behind me, brushing past Kat who had stepped back a little, almost bumping into dad in the process. My eye glued to the guy who was taking everything from us. "Of course," Negan agreed with me.

"Oh-ho. Really, kid?" Negan was amused by this whole scene.

Negan came up beside Kat, blocking my dad in the back and stared at me. My head turned to look at him, glaring at him through my one eye. "And you should go," I suggested to him. "Before you find out how dangerous we all are," I warned him.

This though, didn't seem to frighten Negan, only amuse him further. "Well, pardon me, young man. Excuse the shit out of my goddamn French, but...did you just threaten me?" Negan apologised and questioned me all in a fluid couple of sentences, almost joined together as he spoke.

Kat's feet shuffled closer to me, getting between me and Negan protectively. "Please, we were just here to change his bandages, let us do that and then we'll leave," Kat begged for his mercy. "We'll forget this ever happened," she suggested to him.

Negan's eyes flickered to my sister. "Don't be rude, Katherine," Negan lightly mocked her. "We're having a conversation here," he gestured between me and himself.

Moving closer to me, this made Kat move back to where she was, as Kat wished to be nowhere near this psychopath. "Look, I get threatening Davey here, but I can't have it. Not him, not me," Negan was now addressing to me.

"Carl, just put it down," dad butted into the conversation, pleading me to lower my weapon.

Negan was no longer amused. "What is wrong with you Grimes people and conversations!" Negan spoke a little louder than before. "Let me and the boy talk," he encouraged for Kat and dad to keep quiet.

"Now, boy, where were we?" Negan mocked me for my age. "Oh, yeah. Your giant, man-sized balls," Negan continued to tease me because of my age. "No threatening us," he shook his head and held my gaze.

"Listen, I like you, so I don't want to go hard proving a point here," Negan gave me his opinion about me. "You don't want that," he was giving me a forewarning. "I said half your shit, and half is what I say it is. I'm serious," Negan was calling the shots on what half was to him.

His eyes, his smirk, all of it was there to just mock us. "Do you want me to prove how serious? Again?" Negan questioned me. But I knew the threat, I saw it.

Sighing, I lowered my gaze and my gun before I handed the gun over to Kat, who I trusted more than my own father now. He is bending over backwards for him. Kat, she's only trying to keep control of the situation. My dad is no longer a leader but he is trying to keep us safe.

"I'll take that, thank you darlin'," Negan then took the gun from my sister. Their hands gently brushed against one another as he removed the weapon from her grasp.

Negan then stepped over to my father, to pull him to one side, their conversation was supposed to be private but it was far too loud. "You know, Rick, this whole thing reminds me that you have a lot of guns," Negan mused.

"There's all the guns you took from my outpost when you wasted all my people with a shit-ton of your own guns, and I'm bettin' there's even more, which adds up to an absolute...ass-load of guns, and as this little emotional outburst just made crystal clear...I can't allow that," Negan had been referring to what happened with me and Davey.

Negan stood over my father, proud of himself. "They're all mine now," Negan claimed the guns as his. "So tell me, Rick...where are my guns?" Negan asked him.


RPOV

The garage door motor was whirring as the shutters rose higher and higher. Olivia, stood behind it, pen and clip board at the ready, she appeared to be stunned to see us here so soon. "I...figured you were coming," Olivia said shyly.

"Show him where the guns are, Olivia," I encouraged her to lead the way.

Olivia glanced between me and Negan a little timidly. "The armoury's inside," Olivia told him as the others began following closely behind us.

Stepping in, this lead to me and Negan alone in the middle of the pantry. "You run the show in here?" Negan asked her, making Olivia stop in her tracks and glance over to him shyly.

"I...I just keep track of it all, the rations, the guns," Olivia answered him, stuttering because of her nerves getting the best of her.

Negan's eyebrows rose with a stunned look in his eyes. "Good. Smart," Negan seemed pleased by this but there was something behind it all. "Don't let me stop you. Take her out, boys. Show 'em the goods."

Just as we went to follow them, Negan stopped me and stood in front of me, blocking me from following them into the armoury. "Wait, wait, wait," Negan said as he stopped me. "While they're at it, I just want to point out to you that I'm not taking a scrap of your food," he informed me.

"Slim pickin's in here," Negan commented on how low we were on food. "And I can't be the only one to notice that you got a fat lady in charge of keeping track of rations, can I?" he was insinuating that she must have been eating some of it.

I didn't appreciate the joke. "Either way, you starve to death, I don't get shit, so for now, you get to keep all the food," Negan mapped out his thought process. "How 'bout that?" he reckoned I'd be happy with this news.

Regardless, it didn't make me happy either way. "What do you want me to say?" I asked him, wondering just what he was getting at.

Squinting at him, he stared back into my eyes. "I don't know, Rick. How about a thank you. You think that might be in order?" Negan suggested. "Or is that too much to ask?!" he questioned me as he got far too close to my face.

Staring him down, I didn't flinch, I didn't look away and I didn't move away. You don't scare me. Your actions do. But you don't. He could tell by my eyes.

Chuckling, his eyes on mine as he would glance between me and the things around us. "Ohh. I know we started off on the wrong foot, but what can I say? You forced my hand, Rick," Negan repeated the same thing he said before.

"But it's like I've been tryin' to tell you. I'm a very reasonable man as long as you cooperate, so let me ask you a question, Rick," Negan stopped, before he rose on his feet. He tried to get more height, to intimidate me further.

When I met his gaze, I held it. "Are you cooperating?" Negan asked me, all before his tongue traced the parting of his lips and slid back behind his teeth. He thinks he's so smooth, doesn't he?

Shaking my head, I lowered my gaze for a moment. "What's it look like?" I questioned him in return as I met his gaze.

"Oh-ho-ho," Negan snickered out. "I know what it looks like," he said as he got up close again. "But what I really want to know is if we're gonna find all the guns back there or if maybe you got a few just waitin' for their moment...just like my Lucille."

Keeping my eyes locked on his, he wanted to toy with me, to throw around his threats. I'm not going to break. "They're all in there, to the best of my knowledge," I tried to reassure him.

"Mm," Negan hummed as he shook his head once. "I am countin' on that, Rick," he said before returning to join the others from his group.


KPOV

Using the little bit of disinfectant, I was using it to clean his wound, as the hole wasn't yet covered over by skin but it was healing pretty nicely. Carl usually did complain but this time, I had done it a little too hard on him.

"What the hell was that?" I asked him, angry with how he'd reacted around the group of guys who were now waiting on us to finish up in the infirmary.

Carl had been whining, panting and gripping tightly onto the side of the chair he sat on. "Ow!" Carl hissed. "Ow!" he yelled. "Careful Kat! Jesus," he complained at the pain I was giving him as I cleaned his wound.

Glaring down at him, I hated when he got too brave, made him reckless and put him in danger I didn't want him in. Not in the first place. "I would be, if you hadn't already wished for pain, or a death sentence when you pulled that move back there," I referred to him aiming the gun at one of the Saviors.

Carl's one eye looked up at me. "He was taking it all, I couldn't stand back and let it happen," Carl gave me his reason but it wasn't good enough.

"Yes," I corrected him firmly. "Yes you can," I wanted him to understand there was a difference between being capable of doing it and when he shouldn't sit back and let something like that happen.

If it hadn't been a group as big as this, then he had every reason but this, it was an army compared to us. "What did you think was going to happen if he didn't listen?" I quizzed him.

Wiping at his eye, dabbing, I was making sure it was dry before I would wrap his head up. "I would of killed him," Carl answered me, holding his hair up so I could bandage him up.

"Maybe...but there were more of them. And Negan's men are everywhere," I informed him. "They have our guns. They have our ammo. We're surrounded Carl," I gave him the facts. "They would of killed more of us," this was the hard truth. "Did you want to die?" I asked him.

Carl let out a soft sigh. "No, I don't," he would continue to answer me with the replies I looked for.

Silence had enveloped us for a few short moments. "Look, I'm sorry but I just...I hate that they can come in here, take whatever they want and leave," Carl explained what was making his blood boil. "They're leaving us with the scraps."

Sighing, I was almost done with wrapping him up. "I don't like it either," I agreed with him. "But we need to tolerate them, especially if we hope to get Daryl back," I tried to let him in on the plan, even if it had been briefly.

Glancing down at him as I finished up, his eye was glued to me the whole time. "Hopefully, your little outburst didn't ruin the plan dad had to get him back," I had hoped. Leaving Carl behind, I went to go look for dad and the others.


RPOV

Meeting with Negan outside, as people were taking our guns and loading them up into their trucks, Negan would glance around a little as the others all worked for him. "You know what today is, Rick? Today is a banner day. Yes, it is," Negan announced to me.

"I think this little arrangement we have is gonna work out just fine," Negan was confident about this.

Just as Daryl was going to pass by him with guns, Negan held his arm up to stop him. "Hold up," Negan stopped him and took a gun from the pile. "Let's see if you've been taking care of my guns," Negan suggested.

Cocking the gun, he aimed at Daryl as he walked back and fourth between the truck but Negan watched me. In case I did, said or tried anything. Possibly waiting to see if I did something to protect Daryl. Don't give in to him.

The sound of the gunshot, echoed as glass shattered above Daryl, who ran back down the stairs with a little bit more of a hurry. Chuckling while I checked to see what he shot, who he shot, it was only a hole in the window.

"Feels good. Sounds good!" Negan was pleased with the outcome. "Oh, I do believe Lucille's gettin' a little jealous," Negan continued to speak of his bat fondly.

Suddenly, loud footsteps were heard and our RPG was soon in sight to Negan. "Well, ho-ly smokes! Look at this!" Negan was amused as he took the gun from one of his guys.

Negan smiled at me. "It was you guys that took out Little Timmy and the Dick Brigade?" Negan asked me. "Wow, Rick. Gettin' in your last licks," I was shocked to see that Negan sounded a little bit impressed. "Ooh, man, I'm gonna have some fun with this," Negan was giddy over it.

"Please, I-I don't know for-" I suddenly heard Olivia's little voice plead with someone.

Arat, one of Negan's men, was dragging Olivia out and up the steps before shoving her harshly. "Arat, we don't do that unless they do somethin' to deserve it," Negan warned one of his soldiers.

Arat's eyes instantly met with Negan's. "Yeah, we went through the inventory. Guns in the armory, guns they had around the walls, they're short," Arat informed Negan. "Glock 9 and A22 Bobcat," she specified what was missing.

"Is that true?" Negan then turned to look at Olivia.

Not knowing where those guns were, I couldn't be sure where exactly they were but I knew someone knew where the guns were. "We had some people leave town. Those guns probably went with them," I tried to vouch for Olivia.

Negan's attention then turned back to me. "So Olivia sucks at her job. Is that what you're sayin'?" Negan implied for me.

"No. No, I'm not sayin' that," I argued back, trying to defend Olivia.

Negan took a step closer to me, a smile on his face. "There should be a full accounting here, right? Top to bottom," Negan asked and gestured to the book in his hands that he'd taken from Arat. "Am I right?" he then questioned Olivia.

"No," Olivia quickly answered without thinking. "I mean, yes. The inventory is correct," Olivia assured Negan all of it was accounted for.

Negan was fairly pleased with her answer. "Good," Negan praised her. "But not so good, too," he gave her a half happy, half angry response. "You see, what's in here...isn't in there," he gestured to the armoury. "You're two handguns short. Do you know where they are?" he asked her.

"No. I..." Olivia fumbled for words and Negan let out a hefty sigh.

Glancing at me, he was amused and entertained by this. "That's disappointing, Rick," Negan then turned his attention back over to me. "I thought that we had an understanding. But this, well, this shows that someone's not on board, and I can't have that," he informed me.

His attention quickly turned back to Olivia. "I don't enjoy killing women," Negan told her bluntly. "Men, I can waste them all the live long," he stated. "But at the end of the day, Olivia, my dear, this was your responsibility," he put the blame on her.

Feeling my heart pounding, I couldn't risk another life lost because of me. "Look, we can work this out," I pleaded for Negan to show her mercy.

"Oh, yes, we can. And I'm going to, right now," Negan agreed. Olivia was whimpering as tears took over. "This was your job, and you screwed up," he returned to discussing the issue with Olivia. "Keeping track of guns?" he questioned.

Poor Olivia was whimpering, crying and trembling at the thought of Negan killing her. "That shit...is life and death," Negan threatened her.


KPOV

Dad had called us all to go the Church, because we needed to discuss what had happened today. Dad discussed that there were guns missing from the inventory. Who's life is it going to cost for this mistake?

He had put Lucille by the window, his fingers rubbing as he'd stare at the bat. I could tell this was weighing on him. "I thought about hiding some of the guns. I did it before," dad told us. "I figured I could bury some out there. Maybe we don't touch them for years," dad suggested.

But this plan wasn't for us anymore. Or so, I believed it so. "Years?" Tobin was confused as to why it would be for so long.

"Yeah. That's right," dad reassured them he didn't stutter.

"But what if the Saviors find those guns? What if we run into them when we have those guns on us?" dad questioned us the kind of questions no one wanted to answer. "One of us dies. Maybe more than that. Maybe a lot more," dad answered for us.

Dad glanced to me, like he looked for strength as I sat beside my brother. "Doesn't matter how many bullets we have. It isn't enough. They win. It's that black-and-white," dad was stating what he believed to be facts.

I couldn't believe that to be true. I wouldn't allow it to be so. "Hiding a couple of guns isn't the answer, not anymore. We don't have to like it, but we need to give them over," dad tried to keep this as peaceful as possible.

"A Glock 9 and A22. That's what they're looking for," dad informed us of the guns that were missing specifically. "Who has it?" he asked.

No one said a word. "Someone knows where they are or they know who does," dad was confident about this. "If we don't find them, they're gonna kill Olivia. They'll do it," dad didn't need to doubt it.

We all knew Negan was capable of killing. "Why do they care?" Scott asked as he rose to his feet. "Two guns aren't a threat to them. But those guns could help protect us from whatever else is out there," he argued.

"Do you have 'em?" that was all dad wanted to know.

"Wish I did," I heard Scott say from behind me.

The way dad talked, paced, I knew this was stressing him out. "Most of you weren't there. You didn't have to watch," dad referred to Glenn, to Abraham. Bowing my head, sometimes, I still saw them. Before. And after.

The sight couldn't happen again. I couldn't let it. "But you can look away now when someone else dies, or you can help solve this. We give them what they want, and we live in peace," dad encouraged us to find these guns.

I heard Eric and Aaron briefly talk to one another in whispers behind us. "Say we find the guns. How are we gonna get out of this, Rick?" Eric questioned my dad.

Dad was stunned by this question but kept calm. "There is no way out of this," dad told them honestly. Or so he believed. "Let me put this to all of you as clearly as I can. I'm not in charge anymore. Negan is," dad spoke loud and clearly.

"Now, who has the guns?" dad asked all of us.

"Not everyone's here," it was Eugene's little voice to speak up.

Getting up from my seat, I glanced around at each individual face. "We have to find those guns," I encouraged them all to help. "When you find them, give them back to my dad and he will give them to Negan," I gave them instructions.

Dad looked at me, proud that I stood beside him. Even now. "Check their houses, any spot, is a hiding spot," dad encouraged the others to help us look.

Glancing to others, everyone looked at me with a calm look in their eyes, a sad look but they appreciated me standing up too. "Let's go," I encouraged them to join us in looking for the guns. "Olivia's life depends on us," I tried to give them the extra push they would need.


RPOV

Entering Spencer's house, I went to check the lounge, the same lounge we all would gather in for decisions to be made, or where Deanna interviewed us. Hearing Negan's familiar chuckle, I approached the window.

Glancing between the thin curtains, I saw Negan, an arm around the back of the seat as he sat with Olivia and Olivia sat up, afraid and ashamed. Possibly, Olivia was praying we would save her.

Trembling, I stepped back and began hunting the guns down with a need. I have to find those guns. Olivia is counting on me. Turning chairs upside down, tossing books, checking under tables, I did all I could to find the guns but found...

"Nothing," Gabriel said exactly what I was thinking. Making me stop, I looked over to him. "Still," he went to say. "I just..." Gabriel was looking for the right words to say.

A little smile appeared on his lips. What is he happy about? "I feel like..." Gabriel continued to fumble for the right words. "I know this is going to work out," Gabriel was confident as he continued his approach towards me.

Stopping my search, I had crouched down to look for anything in the bottom shelves. "How?" I asked while turning to look at him from my lowered position.

"We'll find the guns. We'll get through today," Gabriel was trying to stay strong, confident in us as he spoke to me. "Then we'll find a way to go forward, how to beat this," he encouraged us to fight.

I can't risk that. "There is no beating this," I growled, wanting him to get that message loud and clear.

Getting to my feet, I went to check the other shelves but glanced at Gabriel every so often. "Yes, there is, somehow," Gabriel continued to argue. "I have faith in us," Gabriel said words that I once believed in.

But that was a time when more of us were alive too, or not captured. Crouching down again, I continued to frantically look through the books, needing to find the guns.

"I have faith in you," this made me stop. He believes in me. "Things change. You're my friend," Gabriel said confidently. "It...wasn't always that way," Gabriel said but it was a little bit of an understatement.

Stopping, I wiped at my face and gradually got back to my feet. "Where's Michonne?" Gabriel asked while I looked behind a picture on the wall. "Could she possibly have-" I stopped Gabriel from suggesting anything else.

"She doesn't have anything they're lookin' for," I knew this already. She has one of their snipers. "What you did with the graves, it was quick thinkin'. Thank you," I appreciated him for his quick plan that actually saved us.

Taking down another picture, nothing was behind it. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing is what I keep finding. "It was nice digging a grave I knew would stay empty," Gabriel was content with my appreciation.

Suddenly hurried footsteps came rushing towards me. Kat's face appeared first, then Aaron's. "Any luck?" Kat asked but I couldn't give her an answer. Luckily, she knew me and understood what my lack of a response meant.

"We searched the house, Rosita's," Kat informed me of where Aaron and herself had looked top to bottom.

"There's nothing," Aaron reported back to me.

Looking anywhere but at either of them, I was failing them all again and I was hating myself for that. We need those guns. "So what do we do now?" Kat seeked my guidance.

Meeting her gaze, her eyes showed me that she was counting on me. "If they were anywhere, they'd be here," I was confident in this. Rosita wouldn't steal. Spencer, he would.

Remembering a conversation myself and Deanna had a while back, about our children, I remembered what she was carrying back to the pantry. "Spencer's done this kind of thing before," I knew this for a fact.

Returning my gaze to Kat, she stayed strong. "We keep looking," I encouraged them all. "Maybe today works out," I tried to be hopeful.

Kat's little smile appeared and I knew what I said, what I did, was right to her. "I'll check the garage," Aaron announced before he dashed off.

"I'll look in Deanna's office again," Gabriel declared where he'd be.

As each of them went off, it left me and Kat alone. "I'll look in Spencer's room," Kat assigned herself a spot, stepping closer to her, I gently held her arm, thanking her for her belief in me using my eyes and gesture.

Nodding once to me, she pursed a small smile before she disappeared and went to look for the guns.

Alone, I brought my hands up to lace behind my head with frustration. Moving towards the window again, I sighed and went to inspect Negan with Olivia. Another step I took, caused a creak to sound beneath me.

Moving back, I saw that a vent was left unscrewed. Dropping down, I removed the vent and found Spencer had been storing things in there. Alcohol, food and a black bag. Searching deeper, I tried to reach as far as I could and took hold of a black bag.

Opening the little bag by its laces, I found two guns tucked into it. The two exact guns Negan was looking for. Son of a b-


KPOV

Hearing that my father found the guns, I was the first to climb down the stairs and out of the place. I didn't enjoy lingering around in Spencer's room. When I got to the bottom of the steps, I saw Carl waiting for us.

His arms were crossed and he appeared to be angry. "Carl?" I called to him. "What are you looking at?" I asked, he didn't turn or look at us as we began rushing down the steps.

"Shh," Carl shushed me.

Looking in his line of vision, I noticed the same guy Carl had threatened was stood in front of Enid, balloons in his grasp as he more than likely taunted her. "Balloons? You going to a party, little girl?" Davey mocked Enid.

Dad slowed his step behind me as we all inspected the scene. "Can I keep them, please?" Enid asked him. Seeing just what he had, I realised what it was. Green balloons. Glenn. It's her most fond memory of Glenn.

The thought made my breath shake, as I remembered that day like it had been yesterday. "It's just..." Enid wanted to explain herself but I knew she didn't have to. "Let me keep them," she pleaded with the guy.

"Say please again, little girl," the guy growled and took another couple of steps closer, clutching the balloons tighter.

I should kill him for being a sick asshole. "Please," Enid repeated the word.

The guy nodded, taking another couple of steps closer and brushed a finger along Enid's face. I should break his finger. What a pervert. "One more time," Davey ordered again, chuckling lasciviously as he stared her down.

Enid's eyes were firm and she wasn't liking how he treated her. When he reached to touch her, Enid was pulling away from him, disgusted by his touch. "Please," Enid said again more sharply this time.

Raising his hand, the guy dumped the balloons, letting Enid watch them fall from his hands. "Be careful, little girl," Davey warned her.

Beside me, Carl trembled with anger, his jaw clenched and I could tell he wanted to rip this guy limb from limb. When he turned to look at dad, I felt him stop beside me, getting between myself and Carl.

"Pig," I growled. "I wish I could grab my knife and jam it through his throat," my voice was as deadly as my thoughts.

Dad looked at me with worry, concern in his eyes as he knew I was disgusted by him. And after everything, I needed to be careful. "What? I said 'I wish' not 'I will' but boy do I wish I could," I didn't need my dad making a huge deal out of it.

When he returned his gaze to Davey and Enid, who was now picking up the balloons that the guy had littered over the floor. "Yeah," dad gumbled with a nod as I could see he was agreeing with me when it came to Davey.

"They'll be gone soon," dad reassured us the torture was almost over.


DPOV

Leaving Carl and Kat where they stood, Rick approached Negan, who was waiting by his truck. "What you got for me, Rick?" Negan asked Rick as he glanced to the black bag in Rick's grasp.

Handing him the bag, he inspected what was inside and chuckled. "Well, would you look at that? They were here after all," Negan was amused by everything that had occurred. "Funny how a little 'Holy shit! Somebody's gonna die!' lights a fire under everybody's ass!" Negan commented.

Olivia was still whimpering, afraid that she was so close to dying if Rick hadn't found those guns that went missing. "So, tell me, Rick...which one of your fine folks almost cost Olivia the rest of her days?" Negan questioned him, wanting to find out who betrayed them.

Looking over to Kat, to Carl, to Aaron and Gabriel, they all waited on what Rick would say. "It doesn't matter anymore," Rick answered Negan curtly as he returned his gaze to Negan.

"No, it matters," Negan disagreed with him instantly. "See, you need to get everybody on board. Everybody," Negan's glance then shifted to Kat and Carl, to which I could tell because Rick then glanced to them too.

He has always been protective of them. Always. "Or...we just go right back to square one," Negan warned Rick as Negan handed one of his people the guns he had found and added it to the pile.


RPOV

Most of his men, with the trucks of things had drove off, leaving Alexandria for good. For now. Now it was only Negan and the rest that needed to disappear. "Hell of a place you got here, Rick," Negan complimented my home as Rosita pulled up into our home.

Seeing something move from the corner of my eye, I glanced to one of the houses outside and noticed it was Michonne, holding the bag and something on her shoulders. "Give me a second," I asked of Negan.

He had turned to see Michonne disappear, hiding behind a wall. "No," Negan answered me firmly.

"Please, can you just..." I struggled to convince him to let me have a moment alone with her. "Give me a second?" I pleaded with him again and when his eyes met with mine, he held my gaze, a smirk fighting to appear on his features.

Nodding, I then ran off to get to Michonne. Entering the house, I almost forgot that I had been holding his bat this whole time. Looking at it once Michonne spotted it, I then remembered just how much it weighed again.

"He had me hold it," I hated having to admit this to her. "I need the rifle," I informed her.

Michonne's eyes were stern, like she was betrayed. "What?" she asked me, like she wanted me to repeat that again to her. Like she knew nothing of what I already knew.

I saw her get that gun. I know she has it. "I know it's in the bag," I wasn't in the mood for games. "I know what you're doing out there," I stated to her that I wasn't as clueless as she might have thought.

"What am I doing out there?" Michonne quizzed me.

I know she was out there, practising for a fight. "You're practising," I answered her bluntly. "We have to give up our guns, all of them," I said after a few seconds of silence had passed us by.

This startled Michonne more than I could have imagined. "We can't," Michonne argued softly as she approached me.

I can't risk losing anyone if they find it. "If you keep it, and they find it, someone dies," I tried to make her see the gravity of this. "I'm not losing you, or Carl, or Kat, or anyone else," I cried. I can't bare to lose anyone else.

The tears kept building at the memory of Glenn, of Abraham and what could still happen. "I'm not losing anyone else!" I cried to her. "Now I'm giving it to them. Are you gonna let me?" I begged her once I finally caught my breath, steadying my heart.

Once Michonne gave me the gun, I thanked her and soon after, we both left the house and returned to Negan. "Look at this!" Negan spoke proudly as he saw me approach him with a spare gun.

Michonne took the lead, seeing Michonne with the doe and me with the gun. "I thought she was scavenging. She was hunting," I lied to him. "This one never came inside. We kept it near the line," I lied again but it was close enough to the truth as it could be.

Handing the gun to Negan, he took it with a huge smile on his face. "Look at this," Negan got giddy with me obliging to his stupid rules.

"This is something to build a relationship on. Good for you, Rick. This is readin' the room and gettin' the message," Negan praised me. "I've said it before, I'm gonna say it again. You, sir...are special," Negan complimented me.

Trying hard not to glance at Daryl, I couldn't risk having to hurt him if I dared myself to. "Now that you know we can follow your rules-" I went to request Negan something.

Having his back to me, wasn't for long. "Yes?" Negan encouraged me to speak up after cutting me off and turning to face me.

"...I'd like to ask you if Daryl can stay," I gave Negan my request.

This had been my plan, since the beginning. It was my plan, so I could keep Daryl safe and Kat happy. Since Daryl had been gone, Kat was lost and seemed so alone. It was heartbreaking and I couldn't sit around and watch it anymore.

"Not happenin'," Negan denied my request instantly. "You know what? I don't know," Negan mused as he thought about it.

He took a few steps back. "Maybe Daryl can plead his case. Maybe Daryl can sway me," Negan falsely encouraged Daryl to plea to stay. "Daryl?" Negan asked Daryl if he was wanting to come back to us.

I know he does. He has to. Kat is just as much his home as this place is.

Chuckling as Daryl gave him no request or even looked at him, I knew Daryl was going to fight it. He has to. "Well, you tried," Negan praised me for effort. "Now what you got to do is get over that tall wall of yours and try harder out there. Earn for me."

Negan was giving out instructions. "Because we're coming back soon, and when we do, you better have something interesting for us, or Lucille, she's gonna have her way," Negan warned me of what would happen if I didn't please him.

"I want you to hear that again. If you don't have something interesting for us...somebody's gonna die," Negan repeated the sentence he just rephrased to make it very clear to us all. "And no more magic guns," Negan stopped right in front of me.

The closer he got, the more he was forcing me out of my own home. "Arat, grab that deer. It's getting late. Let's go home," Negan ordered one of his soldiers. Michonne dumped the doe onto the ground with a loud thud.

Moving past Negan, I saw how Michonne glared at me, glared at Negan and it was as though our conversation before meant nothing to her. "Man, I love a gal that buys me dinner and doesn't expect me to put out," Negan joked and approached me.

Getting so close as to whisper into my ear, he then stepped back and chuckled to himself. Looking over my shoulder only briefly, I felt my jaw go slack before I tensed.

Feeling my grip on the bat tighten, I wanted to break his jaw using his own bat. First he talks about my daughter, now he's sexualising my girlfriend? Does he want want me to kill him? That was when I realised he was testing me.


DPOV

Everything was chaos. They took everything. They left my home with nothing. They taunted Rick. Negan spoke things about Kat that made me want to break every bone in his body. Rick too was reaching a breaking point with Negan.

When Rick requested I come back, I wanted to come back but I didn't deserve it. After all I had done...Rick still wanted me home. By how Kat had reacted when seeing me, I knew she wanted me home too.

We never could stay mad at each other. When I heard the familiar sound of the engine, I had glanced to Kat, who's heart rate was going faster just by my gaze. I wish she could just look at me. I wish my eyes could tell her how sorry I was.

The sound of my bike coming closer to me, Dwight was sat atop it and stopped beside me. "You can have it back. Just say the word," Dwight encouraged me to claim myself to be Negan. I'll never be Negan. I'd die before I become that.

After hearing no response from me, Dwight shrugged his shoulders and raced off with my bike. I will never be him.


KPOV

Itching to look at Daryl, to run to him, to hold him, to protect him and bring him back to somewhere that loved him, Negan wouldn't let us. He had flat out refused my father. My heart was pounding. Each second that passed, I knew Negan was getting ready to leave, taking the one who held my heart with him.

Hard was the beating in my chest, it felt as though it was rising to my throat and suffocating me before it would jump out of my throat. Shaking, I knew I needed to speak up. I needed to do something.

"Negan?" I spoke up, his back to my father as they both had their backs to each other.

Stopping on the spot, Negan didn't turn around yet to look at me. "Boy oh boy, is that a Miss Katherine Grimes callin' me? Or am I dreamin' again?" Negan joked before he slowly turned around.

"Oh, no, it is a certain brown haired, blue eyed girl callin' to yours truely," Negan was amused that I called to him. Approaching me slowly, his hefty boots fell loudly with each stomp towards me.

When he stopped in front of me, he was leaning far too close for comfort. "What can I do for you, darlin'?" Negan's signature smirk appeared as he inclined his head closer to mine.

His eyes searching mine. Trying to gather my strength, my eyes flashed to meet his. "I want to make a deal," I announced to him.

Glancing around, to the others, I looked behind him and saw my dad look up at us, confused. "You want to negotiate, with me?" Negan asked me as he looked around to the others. "Oh darlin', that's now how this thing works," Negan then returned his gaze to me.

"I-" Negan went to continue speaking but I had enough of him toying with us.

"I'll be your wife," I cut him off, my voice firm and loud enough so he could hear me. So everyone could hear me. Negan was left stunned by my proposal. "If you promise to leave my family alone. Let them live," I gave him my terms and conditions to this deal.

A huge smile on his lips as he looked down at me through hooded eyes. "That's my deal," I didn't stutter, I didn't quiver. I was strong in my negotiation. "Regardless what they find..." I added, knowing his threat from before would have to be illuminated.

Negan shuffled closer to me, it was far too close to believe it comfortable. "Now who do you consider family, Katherine?" Negan asked me. "Other than the bloodline, of course," he added quickly as he glanced around to the others.

I could feel Carl behind me, I could feel Daryl's eyes on me and I could see my dad's jaw clenching at the deal I was offering him. "Because well, family can be a long list, a list than can consist of all of these lovely people and I-..." Negan drifted.

I know family wasn't just blood, it was the bonds we made with people. "Well, I can't accept that," Negan sighed out as he interrogated me subtly.

"I would say everyone, but..." I wanted to make it clear to everyone here, that they were all family to me. "Just my blood, Michonne and Daryl," I listed the ones closest to me. "Michonne got me through a hard time and Daryl..." I gave him reasons.

Noticing Negan's eyes drift to the second one on my list, I had felt Daryl's eyes move away from either me or Daryl. "I've known him a long time, he's family to me," I continued to give Negan reasons why to spare them on my list.

Taking a few steps back, it was as though he was assessing the situation. "Hmm..." Negan hummed as I looked to dad, I swore I could see him trembling on the spot. His hold on the bat, was tight.

"In return, you'll be my wife?" Negan pointed at me. Unable to look at him, I held my head high but shut my eyes. Nodding, I knew what this meant and what rules he'd give me, that, I didn't know.

Negan took a few seconds to consider it. "Well holy moley!" Negan boomed with excitement. "I'm glad you said it yourself because I didn't want to ask you to come back," he told me as he gradually approached me.

Stopping in front of me, he squinted his eyes at me with mischief glimmering in his eyes. "Although, I really, really, really did want to," Negan admitted to me. "Because you, are...somethin'," he complimented me strangely.

"And dear old daddy here," Negan gestured to my father behind him. "I didn't think he'd be too happy with me asking if I could take away his little princess from him," Negan said as he took a few steps back, to get himself between us.

Facing us so he could see either of us at the sides of him, I hated that I was doing this but there was no other option. "Not after everything he's already lost, am I right?" Negan asked my father and myself at the same time.

My dad was shaking, Negan had his eyes glued to the trembling man I saw as my hero. "Having me, means everyone will stay in line," I reassured Negan as I tried to get his attention back to me.

I didn't want another fight to happen and be the result of one my father would lose. "My dad will make sure of that," I told Negan as his eyes met mine again. "As long as I'm safe, he'll provide you more than you ever could have anticipated."

"Kat, don't-" dad spoke up, trying to stop this deal from becoming a reality.

I knew he didn't want to lose me but he gave me no other option. Negan ruined any other option. "Rick!-," Negan yelled, cutting my father off.

But I cut Negan off before an argument could rise. "Dad," I made both of them fall silent. "I know what I want," I stated coolly.

That much, was true. I do know what I want. "Oh-ho-ho!" Negan's head whipped to me, amused by my outburst. "You heard the lady!" he declared to everyone, especially my dad.

Negan took a few steps to my father. "She knows what she wants," Negan tried to bait my father into doing something. Noticing my father was looking down, trembling and fighting his own internal war.

It amused Negan more. Leaving my father, Negan looked around at everyone, including myself and my father, along with his men. "Well, today has been an eventful day," Negan announced boisterously.

Heavy footfalls landed closer to me as Negan approached me. My eyes hard but glued to him. "Your deal..." Negan pointed to me, his eyes hard, cold and stern. "Has just been accepted," he announced as his features changed completely.

A huge, wide smile grew on Negan's face as he leaned back, doing a kind of dance that only meant this was a victory for him.

"No..." I heard my father shake his head, his head bowed as he realised just what was happening now. I'm going back with them. I'm leaving my family behind.

But I have to. I have to save Daryl. I'm the only one who can. Even if it does cost me a part of my soul. I made a deal with the devil and it's going to cost me something big.


RPOV

Once Negan left Kat to approach me, everyone began loading the rest of the stuff up and climbed into their trucks and cars. "So, nobody died," Negan stated this proudly. "And you know what I think?" he asked me.

"I think you and I, we've refined our understanding and our relationship," Negan declared confidently. "Right, dad?" he mocked me, throwing his arm over my shoulder.

My body was tense under his hold on me. "Can I call you dad? Oh, forget that, I'll call you whatever I want because not only do I have half your shit, I'm going home with your daughter as my new wife!" Negan asked and answered his own question.

The more he spoke about my daughter, about what she proposed to him, the tighter my grip on the bat was. My daughter was under his false protection now. She was going to be sleeping with the devil and I couldn't do anything about it.

I had tried to stop it but she stopped me before I could. "Let me ask you something, Rick," Negan pulled my attention back to him as my angry gaze was on the floor. "Do you want me to go?" he questioned me.

Not wanting him here any longer, I feared if he stayed, I'd attack him. "I think that'd be good," I agreed with his suggestion.

He leaned in closer to me, his face hovering close to mine. "Then just say those two magical words," Negan encouraged me to thank him.

Not wanting him to stick around any longer, I would do anything to get him out of my sight. Out of my home. "Thank you," I obeyed his request.

This amused Negan as he chuckled and clapped my back. "Don't be ridiculous. Thank you," Negan replied, mocking me after all that happened today.

Suddenly, another walker growling in distance could be heard as it approached the gate. The slap on my back had pushed me away from him. Turning to look at the walker approaching, Negan licked his lips and bit down on it straight after.

Cocky piece of shit. "Another one," Negan declared as the walker continued to approach us. "You need our help," Negan joked with us. After they took their guns, we did need their help but one walker was nothing.

"Davey, hand me that candlestick over there," Negan ordered of one of his men. "You know what I think, Rick? I think we're both gonna come out of this winners," Negan told me as he guessed the outcome of this fight.

Taking the weapon, Negan was trying to make a stupid point. "Watch my form!" Negan yelled and bashed the walker with the candle stick they took. All the while, my hand on the bat would grip tighter. And tighter.

I wanted to bash his brains in. Just for what happened to Glenn, to Abraham, for how he was treating Daryl. And now, he was willing to take my daughter back with him, to make her his wife.

I wanted him dead.

Breaking out of it as the walker died, Negan grunted out a soft 'Ahh,' after he killed it. "Yep. Win-win," Negan reported back to me. The candlestick clattered as Negan dropped it onto the ground. "You should clean that up for me for next time," Negan suggested.

"Let's move out!" Negan ordered of everyone who was still stood around, waiting for his orders. "Oh, wait," Negan stopped, his back to me as he rubbed his forehead.

Turning slowly, Negan chuckled to himself. "How careless of me," Negan was amused by something. "You didn't think I was gonna leave Lucille, did ya?" Negan asked me, realising that he was about to leave without his weapon.

"I mean, after what she did, why would you want 'er?" Negan questioned me. I don't want it. The only reason I would, would be to use it on him. "Thank you for being so accommodating, dad," Negan thanked me.

Taking the bat from me, he glanced at his weapon and inspected it briefly. Not turning to look at him, I stayed in my spot, processing everything that happened, that would happen and could still happen.

Leaning in closely, he lowered his voice so only I would hear him. "In case you haven't caught on..." Negan began to explain. "I just slipped my dick down your throat, and you thanked me for it," Negan summarised everything that happened proudly.

Quivering, I just had to stand back, watch as my daughter and Daryl left with Negan. Daryl, as a prisoner. Kat, as a wife. Watching them pack up, climb into their trucks, I heard Negan's brief conversation with Kat happen behind me and I hated myself.

I hated that I was letting my daughter leave with him. What is he going to do to her?


KPOV

Once Negan finished whispering to my father, Negan went to climb into the truck parked at the front of the line. "Oh!" Negan stopped himself from climbing in. "Wife..." he said as he turned his head to look at me.

A sly smirk appearing on his face. "Climb on up. You're sittin' next to me," Negan announced as I gradually approached him. "We need to...get to know each other a little better," he chuckled at the end as I climbed in.

Hearing Negan bang on the side of the truck, Negan climbed up after me, chuckling as he watched me climb in. Asshole.


RPOV

Deliberately, they rolled over one of the walkers that Negan killed as they drove off. Making me move away and watch the truck that held my daughter drive away with Negan sat beside her. Daryl at the back of one of the trucks they held people in, I watched as he left too.

Our eyes meeting as he was taken away from us. Daryl...I hope you stay strong. And Kat...I hope you know what you're doing. Something in me, had hope in them. I knew Kat's plan must have involved Daryl. It had to.

Following the trucks that held both my daughter and my best friend, I looked up and remembered the sign we had up. Alexandria Safezone. Mercy for the lost. Vengeance for the plunderers. Shutting the gates once I returned to my home, I sighed and approached Spencer.

Wiping my eye, I felt a tear in it that threatened to fall. Fear for my daughter's safety and well-being was starting to settle deep into my soul. "Spencer," I called to Spencer as I approached him.

He had been shutting the back of the van they had brought Daryl's bike in. "We took the guns you had in your house," I revealed to him as I stopped in front of him. "The Saviors wanted ours, all of them," I informed him.

"There were two missing from the inventory," I made this crystal clear to him. "They were gonna kill Olivia," Spencer had just been ignoring me, looking away from me and not apologising for his actions.

Squinting, breathing sadly, it was like he was slowly realising his mistake almost cost us a life. "Spencer," I called out to him again because he wasn't saying or doing anything.

"You went into my house?" Spencer asked, more concerned about this than admitting his faults.

And now, to keep us all safe, Kat decided to let him take her. "They were gonna kill Olivia," I repeated to him sternly. "Look, I'm not faulting you for having the guns. I did it myself," I tried to give him the sympathy of the doubt.

There was more than just guns though. "But the food and liquor?" I was interrogating him, pointing out his true faults. Sighing, he kept his gaze on me. "That's 'cause you're small, Spencer," I told him what I thought of him.

"You're weak," I told him what I knew about him. "You got lucky with the walls. You got lucky with us," I was hinting that he should be counting his blessings we got here when we did.

Turning around, I went to return home, back to my family. "We should've made a deal with them when we could've," Spencer called out to me. "Oh, yeah, we're so lucky. You've led us all to the Promised Land! Isn't that right, Rick?! Here we are!" he continued to talk of me spitefully.

Mocking me as I left, I didn't care what he thought. I knew what I knew and he was only offended that I was taking charge of the situation and not him. "I guess Glenn and Abraham were lucky, too?" Spencer called out to me.

Frozen in my tracks, I glared at the distance and wanted to beat the living shit out of him for saying that. I couldn't have stopped that. Even if I tried. He's blaming me for their deaths. I wasn't going to let him talk to me like that.

Even if I made a promise to Deanna, Spencer had to stay in line. "You say anything like that again to me, I'll break your jaw, knock your teeth out," I threatened him, growling at him over my shoulder. "You understand?" I questioned him, intimidating him without even needing to look at him.

"Say yes," I ordered.

Waiting for his response, it didn't take him long. "Yes," Spencer answered. Continuing my journey back home, I went to pick up the pieces the Saviors left us in.


MPOV

Watching Rick set up a makeshift bed out of blankets and pillows, I didn't know this was the home I'd be returning to. The rooms were mostly bare. Even Kat's room no longer had a bed. But Kat had left with them.

No one knew what her plan was with this decision but I only hoped she'd be smart about it. "They took our mattresses, most of them," Rick told me.

Feeling betrayed by him, I didn't know what to say, or do. "That rifle was one of theirs from the outpost," I reminded him of the fact that the gun wasn't registered in our list. "They didn't have a list?" I asked him.

Rick shook his head, a soft 'Unh-unh' left him. "Could've hidden more," I stated bluntly.

"Did you?" Rick asked me pointedly, a look of doubt was directed at me.

Sighing, I couldn't lie to him and I couldn't be mad at him. "No," I answered him, even if I wanted to be mad with him. Going to leave him, I turned back and leaned against the wall. "Everything we have, we got from fighting," I reminded him of how we got here.

There had been so much we achieved and with far less than what we had. "I made the choice," Rick excused himself from the fact we now had nothing but four walls and a roof. "There aren't enough of us. It's about numbers," Rick tried to make me see his side of things.

"There's the Hilltop," I reminded him that we still had allies.

Rick though, he was not having it. "They'd still have the numbers," Rick argued. "We play by their rules, and we get some kind of life," he tried to convince me this was a life we could live.

My emotions ran wild. Living under a dictator's rule like this. One that takes and takes whatever he pleases...it's not a life. "What kind of a life?" I cried to him, my voice shaking from the anger and sadness this whole situation put me in.

Sighing, Rick stopped making the bed to look at me. "You know, I had a friend. I don't talk about him. He was my partner," Rick began to tell me a story.

Remembering briefly what Kat told me of him, I assumed Rick was talking about Shane. "He got Lori, Kat and Carl to safety right after it all started," Rick told me what Shane had done for him and his family. "I couldn't. I was in the hospital. I-I didn't know...what was happenin'."

"My friend...his name was Shane," Rick finally revealed to me what I already had assumed. "Well, him and Lori...they were together. They thought I was dead," Rick told me that his wife had cheated on him with his partner.

There was a sadness in his eyes at the memory of it all. "I know Judith isn't mine. I know it," Rick accepted it as he breathed deeply. "I love her. She's my daughter. But she isn't mine," Rick referred to Judith.

"I had to accept that. I did," Rick's eyes met mine with tears building in his eyes. "So I could keep her alive. I'll die before she does, and I hope that's a long time from now so I can..." he drifted as he spoke of what he hoped for.

The fact he was tearing up, made me forget my anger and just listen to him. "Raise her and protect her and teach her how to survive," Rick told me everything he hoped for when it came to his youngest daughter.

His voice shook slightly but only because of the raw emotion he was showing me. "This is how we live now. I had to accept that, too, so I could keep everyone else alive," Rick tried to make me see, to make me understand.

I understood that he felt he was to blame for what happened to Glenn, to Abraham. "It's not your fault when people die," I whispered to him, needing him to stop blaming himself for it all.

Rick shook his head and slowly bowed his head. "Not always," Rick agreed with me. "But sometimes-sometimes it is," Rick rubbed his eye before he met my gaze. "You have to accept this-all of us do, or it won't work," Rick begged of me, of all of us.

His voice was breaking. He lost his friends. Daryl is held prisoner and now Kat willingly left with them. He's breaking. He's holding onto the last people he has left.

After listening to him, I understood him and I was going to do my best to accept it, the same way he had. We have to protect each other. We have to protect Carl and Judith now.

Picking up an extra blanket, I began to help Rick set up our bed for the night. Crouching opposite him, we both worked in fixing up the mess left for us, together. "I'm gonna try," I whispered. I'm going to try and accept this. I have to...


KPOV

The drive to their home, was a good distance away and as myself and Negan 'talked', he eventually fell silence, which was a surprise as it was to me. The man proved to love the sound of his own voice.

Reaching the huge, building, one that reminded me of a factory, one that was abandoned long before Negan showed up. I stared at it, trying to see how many doors and windows it had. It was a big building.

And me inspecting it, only humoured Negan more. Climbing out first, he offered me his hand as I would climb out. He's trying to be a gentleman but I don't believe it for a second. Deciding to ignore him, he chuckled and let out a breath that proved he really did enjoy my cold shoulder sometimes.

This, had been one of those times. I won't let him think he has won me yet. I am not easy. It had been me who offered to come, which was what I was trying to prove to him. "Welcome to your new home," Negan slid his arm over my shoulders, bringing me to his side.

"Now, let me give you a grand tour," Negan chuckled, leading me inside and up the stairs. Taking the lead, Negan began to stroll up in front of me and waited at the top so I could join him. Home, sweet home...


MPOV

Trying to do as Rick had asked, I had been going out to the clearing again, sat atop the roof of the broken down car. Hearing something behind me, I looked back to see what had caught my attention. What is that?

Getting up, I eventually climbed down and took the bag with me. Whatever was out there, I needed to know. Approaching the sound, of crackling, I came across smoke and a pile of stacked up beds.

All of them, burned and instantly, I knew it had been ours. They had taken them and set them on fire at the side of the road. Giving us a sign. Panting, I hated these people, for everything. For the deaths, the robbery, their kidnappings. All of it.

I needed to find a way to stop them. I have to find Negan.


A/N: Damn. What a plot twist, huh? Kat is now Negan's wife...or is she? I guess you'll have to keep reading to find out what happens next.

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Questions to answer in the 5 reviews...

1) What did you think of this chapter?

2) Favourite scene in this chapter?

3) What do you think about the changes I made to some of the interactions between Kat/Carl/Negan and Rick? An example is the medicine, the balloons and the final farewell between Rick and Negan?

4) What did you think about the scene of Kat scolding Carl?

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HeroJustInTime90