Negan held her hand as she pressed on his neck wound. "Love you Melanie. I'm sorry took me this long to...realize..it." He groaned closing his eyes. "Sorry.. for being an ass.. all this time.."

"Negan! Don't you leave me!" Melanie pulled him closer and cried, leaned down and kissed him.

Negan groaned and kissed her, stroked her cheek. "I'm sorry.."

No more shots were fired, and everyone slowly stood up. Harlan came over and kneeled down next to them.

"Help him!" Melanie begged Harlan and then kissing him again.

Maggie had taken the kids inside the house.

"Melanie." He started looking Negan over. " He's been shot 5 times.. " He was pressing on his chest wounds.

Melanie broke the kiss, and cried kissing Negan's hand and pulling him into her lap.

Negan glanced up a Harlan. "Keep my kids safe.."

Harlan nodded, "Promise." He laid a hand on Melanie's shoulder, and rubbed it softly. "I'm sorry."

Negan smiled slightly. "Goodnight, Baby-doll..Love you." His eyes got teary and was looking beside Melanie. "Hey Lucille...Good..to see you.." He gave a slight smile, just looking beside Melanie and exhaled one final time..

Everyone was running around, trying to figure out who shot at the wedding, and what happened the guards left and went to investigate who shot at them.

"No..No..No.." Melanie cried and begged, stroking his face. "Negan.." She broke down completely, and started crying and screaming.

Harlan wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

Rick and the others came over, and circled around her. "Oh lord.." He muttered kneeling down.

Melanie was a complete mess. She refused to let Negan go.

Rick took his knife out and prevented him from reanimating, doing it quietly, and making it so Melanie wouldn't notice.

After a while, Melanie cried, and let go with Rick and Harlan talking her into letting him go. Harlan held her close, as she buried her face in his chest and silently sobbed.

They moved Negan's body, and took it to the infirmary to get him looking nice so the kids could say goodbye.

Melanie slowly stood up with Harlan's help, and walked inside the house. She went up to their bedroom, and undid the dress, getting out of it, and soaked in the bathtub.

Melanie stayed in the tub for a long time - she cried, and cursed everything, and cried some more. She slid down in the tub and went underwater for a few second, before coming up. She could hear the kids downstairs asking Maggie, and Harlan questions. She unplugged the tub, and got out. She dried off, and threw on some jeans, and one of Negan's t-shirts, and went downstairs. It was about 11PM.

She sat on the sofa, and gathered them all in her lap, and explained that daddy got hurt, and went home to heaven. They asked questions, a lot of them, and Melanie did her best to answer, and give them comfort.

She sighed as they cuddled with her. She felt numb.

She took the kids the following morning to go say goodbye to his body, before they closed the casket for the service.

They held a funeral the next day, Harlan did a good job making him look good, and like himself. Melanie tried holding it together, as the kids said goodbye and kissed his forehead. Sarah and Ford understood, Charity, Liam and Lucy were still too little to understand. Charity was 2 and a half and the twins were about 7 months old.

Father Gabriel said a few things about Negan, and his life in Alexandria, along with his family, and other things.

Melanie stood up to speak, and kept her hand on his casket. "I...Thank you for a great life, it was short, but it was a good one." She looked away. " Thank you for, everything. I'm just sorry, I couldn't have done something to keep you here." She bit her lip as the tears slid down her face. "The new you was wonderful, and kind. I loved the new you as much as I loved the old you.." She wasn't quite sure what to say, her head was aching from crying so much, her heart was racing along with feeling light headed. She inhailed sharply, and shook her head trying to toughen up..

She had Lucille in her hands, along with one of his red scarves, She couldn't find the rest of the scarves or his leather jacket.

"I love you Negan." She walked over opening it, and place his belongings beside him, along with a picture of them and the kids at the wedding, and then closed it, and walked back to her seat and sat down. She wiped her eyes and tried to not have a full break down.

Harlan and Rick got up and spoke, even Maggie, and Daryl. She was surprised by that one. She didn't expect them to come, or say anything, or for Rick even offering to build a casket, considering supplies were limited at the moment.

The service was quick, and sweet. Rick, Daryl and Harlan along with a few others lowered his casket, and started covering it.

Rick put a cross marker up, with his name on it.

Melanie broke down crying a lot that day..

They did the best to comfort her.

"I know I wasn't fond of him considering how we started.." Rick said holding her as she watched the last of the dirt placed on his grave site. "He did save you along with the kids, and owned up to being a halfway decent person.."

Melanie nodded. "Thanks uncle Rick." She muttered softly. "I never wanted it to end this way."

"Nobody does, Mel." Rick sighed, rubbing his beard. "You will be okay." He smiled slightly, walking her home.

The next few days were hard, very hard. She refused to leave the house or go outside.

She kept the kids close, and continued telling them stories about their dad, and tried being social with them.

It was hard though, she felt like she was dying on the inside, and trying hard to keep it together.

Melanie had put the kids to bed that night, and laid back in her bed, Charity and the twins stayed in her room, she glanced over at them, smiled slightly, and played with her wedding band in her hand, and sighed.

She pulled up his necklace she kept, it was his old dog-tags from the military.

She kept them close, she also had his wedding band on the necklace.

She kissed them before putting it back under her shirt.

"Goodnight, Negan." She whispered softly.

She laid back on the bed, and fell asleep.