She woke the next morning to a cold, empty bed. She squinted against the morning sun streaming through the window of Negan's bedroom, and was surprised that Gabriel hadn't woken her yet. She propped herself up on an elbow and glanced over at the crib, and felt her heart stop when the infant was nowhere to be found. She was up on her feet and running to the bedroom door so quickly that her vision momentarily went fuzzy, and it took a second of her stabilizing herself on the dresser near the entrance to the room until she was confident she could continue. When she reached for the doorknob, however, she found that it would not turn and immediately slammed her other hand open-palmed on the door, releasing a grunt of frustration.
"Negan!" her voice was hoarse from sleep. "Negan, let me out! You sonofabitch where's Gabriel?" she continued to pound her hand on the large wooden door. What the hell was she going to do with herself if something happened to Gabriel? Sure, sometimes the baby drove her crazy sometimes, but she was responsible for him now. His mother had died for Alexandria, and Charlotte had promised herself that no matter what, she wouldn't let anything happen to him. Would Negan actually hurt a baby?
"Jesus, woman. What the hell is all this fucking racket about?" Negan's voice scolded from behind her. She whirled around to see the man emerging from a side door of the room with a towel wrapped around his waist. To her great relief, Gabriel was squeaking happily in his arms, and she rushed over to take him from Negan's arms.
"Easy there, missy. You think I'd ever hurt a sweet little guy like our Gabe here?" Negan's voice made her feel like a child as she snatched the baby from his arms. "Little fucker wouldn't stop crying this morning, so being the gentleman I am, I decided to take him out of the room for a little bath. The least you could say is 'thank you'"
She brought the infant to the bed, where she lay him down to snap a cloth diaper on him. She was suddenly very aware of the half-naked man on the opposite side of the bed from her and the droplets of water slowly trailing down his torso. The baby fussed and Charlotte muttered her thanks as she hoisted him back off of the bed.
"Some of the guys brought your stuff up earlier" he gestured to a couple of boxes in the corner, "and even managed to rustle up some toys for the little bundle of joy here, figured it'd stop him from crying so much. Now hand him over and you go get yourself cleaned up, and we'll be right here when you're all set." He approached her and held his arms out to take the baby.
Charlotte hesitantly gave the child back and dug through the boxes to find something to wear before retreating into the side door that lead to the bathroom. She turned the knob in the shower and water sprung from the head, making her smile with delight. She hadn't showered since her last night in Alexandria and she was overdue for one, to say the least. She let the water cascade over her, her smile ever present, and quickly washed up, eager to get back to Gabriel. She cut the shower water off and grabbed for her towel, which was a surprising white, but cursed herself when she realized what she had forgotten. She wrapped the cloth around her and shuffled out to the bedroom, back to the boxes. Negan had now donned a pair of pants and Gabriel was on the floor, surrounded by toys.
Negan raised an eyebrow at her, to which she responded with "Forgot underwear" and a sly smile grew on his lips. She squatted and rifled through a box until she found what she was looking for and stood, surprised that Negan was now inches behind her. She turned to face him and looked him dead in the eye, crossing her arms and challenging him. His eyes roamed down her length, and a small frown appeared on his face at the presence of the towel. His right hand slowly moved to guide her arms from her torso, taking the plain black panties in her hand and letting them fall to the floor. Her eyes widened as his body came closer to hers, his left hand coming to rest at the base of her neck. His touch was surprisingly gentle as he tilted her face up to his. Charlotte didn't notice as his other hand approached the top of her towel and tugged, and gasped when it fell to the floor, leaving her completely exposed. His lips quickly captured hers, silencing her gasp, and he pulled her body flush against his. Her right hand found its way to his bare chest as her left came to rest at the base of his neck, and she melted into him.
Her body stiffened, however, when she felt a hand roughly squeeze her ass, and she broke the kiss. She attempted to withdraw from the man, but his arm snaked around her waist to hold her there with him, not quite ready to give up the feeling of her body on his. She glanced downward and managed to separate herself slightly from him, and when he frowned and let go, she quickly gathered up her towel and underwear and returned to the bathroom. She dressed swiftly and emerged once more, sitting on the floor with Gabriel and his toys.
"Has he eaten yet?" her voice was flat, struggling to hide her emotions concerning the previous events and making eye contact with Negan, who was now seated on the bed pulling his boots on.
He shook his head, "Don't know how to make his food."
Charlotte couldn't help but roll her eyes as she picked the infant up and went to the dresser next to the crib, on which the formula and a bottle were now resting. "It's pretty easy, all you have to do is mix the water with the powder."
"Don't get shitty with me, it ain't like I've ever had to take care of a kid." He was standing now, and pulled a white t-shirt over his head.
"I wasn't being shitty, I was just saying that it's really easy if you ever wanted to help out." Charlotte had finished making the bottle and moved to sit on the bed, cradling him in her arm and sticking the bottle in his mouth.
"So me giving the little bastard a bath and letting you sleep for a little longer wasn't helping out?" his temper was quick to rise, and Charlotte chose her next words carefully.
"No, I didn't say that. Of course I appreciate that." She leaned against the headboard and pulled her legs up on the bed as well, crossing her ankles.
A tense silence fell between them, and before anything else could be said, Negan snatched up his leather jacket and Lucille and was slamming the door behind him. Charlotte's momentary shock quickly turned to frustration and she began muttering to the baby.
"I just don't understand why he has to take everything as a personal attack. It's not like I meant to insult him, I was just saying that feeding you isn't really hard at all." She cooed at the infant. Gabriel smiled at her, oblivious to the meaning of her words, and gurgled happily.
Hours passed as Charlotte struggled to find ways to entertain both herself and the child in Negan's bedroom. They napped, she sang, they tinkered with the wide array of toys, and around early afternoon, she had had enough. She quickly dressed Gabriel and tried the door, which she was less than surprised to find locked. She searched the room for anything she could use to jimmy open the door, rifling through drawers until she reached the nightstand on the left side of his bed, where she thanked whatever higher power there was that she found a screwdriver. She yanked it out of the drawer, but paused when a small piece of paper slid to the front. Unable to tame her curiosity, she gingerly picked it up and soon realized that it was a photograph of a young couple. The woman was beautiful and smiling, and the man- Oh God, that's Negan. He's smiling, like an actual genuine smile.
Slightly taken aback at this, Charlotte slipped the picture into her pocket, closed the drawer, and headed back to the door. Five minutes later, she was walking through the halls of the Sanctuary with the baby on her hip, earning all sorts of looks from the people she passed. She was headed to where she thought the main concentration of activity was when she saw a vaguely familiar face coming her way.
"Dwight, right?" she stopped the man before he could pass her. He seemed surprised to see her outside of the confines of Negan's room.
"Yeah, that's me. Listen, you're supposed to stay in that room, and I'm not sure what'll happen if he finds out you've left."
She held up a hand to stop him, "I'm sure I can deal with anything he has to dish out. I was actually wondering though if you'd be able to help me with something."
The man looked hesitant, "Depends on what you're asking there."
Charlotte shifted her hold on the child, earning a dissatisfied squeak from him. "I need someone to train with. Back in Alexandria I was training and sparring every day, and I think the exercise is really good for me, especially if I'm not allowed to go anywhere outside. It could also help with my, um, situation with the other wives."
Dwight's hesitation only grew, "I'm not sure about that. I'll have to run the idea by a couple of people first, then find someone who's actually willing to help you out, which may be tough. A lot of the folks here don't take too kindly to new people, but I'll see what I can do."
Charlotte managed a small smile and placed a hand on Dwight's arm. "Thank you, Dwight. I really appreciate it."
Her hand was quickly and politely shrugged off, and Dwight nodded his head and continued on his way. Charlotte spent the next few hours down in the marketplace until Gabriel grew fussy and she knew it was time for him to eat. When she opened the door to the parlor that lead to Negan's room, she nearly jumped out of her skin to find him standing near the door, looking large and imposing. She dipped her head and headed quickly to make the baby a bottle, hoping he would say nothing and leave her be.
"Where the hell did you go?"
She was not so lucky.
"We needed some entertainment. Something beyond staring at the walls for hours." Her response was short, bordering on rude, and she stuck the bottle into the infant's mouth.
"Were you not specifically instructed to stay in this room?" his voice was low and deadly, and sent a shiver through Charlotte.
"Can we please not do this right now?" she pleaded, her eyes closing in exasperation.
Negan approached her and placed large hands on her shoulders. "I want you to stay in here so you can be kept safe, you understand that, don't you?" he was visibly more calm, and she nodded.
He softened and gazed down at the child in her arms, brushing a hand lightly over the baby's head. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but changed his mind and walked through the double doors leading to his bedroom. Gabriel ate fast and passed out soon after, and after laying him down in his crib, she followed Negan into his bedroom. She found him standing in the center of the room next to his bed, facing the window and not moving a muscle.
"Hey," her voice was soft and quiet as she moved to stand in front of him. Her brow furrowed when she caught a strange look on his face, a mixture of shock and anger. His eyes were cast down and unfocused and his mouth hung slightly open, and Charlotte bent her knees so her face would be forced into his line of vision. His eyes quickly focused on hers and he stood up straight, rubbing his face and running his hand through his hair while his left clutched Lucille.
"What happened today?" concern laced Charlotte's voice as she came closer to Negan, putting her hand over the one that held the bat and gently taking it from him to place on the dresser.
"An outpost was attacked today." He stated bluntly, attempting to keep his emotions from his voice, "Every single man and woman killed."
Charlotte knew who was responsible for the attack, and she knew Negan was aware as well, but she said nothing, instead gently starting to unzip his leather jacket. She pulled it from off of his shoulders and tossed it to the armchair in the corner next to the window, turning her attention now to the white t-shirt and tugging it up over his head. When his face was revealed once more to her, it held a look of confusion. She placed a hand on his chest, covered in black hair and a tattoo, and gave him a gentle push.
"Go get yourself cleaned up; you've had a long day."
He nodded slightly and disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Charlotte alone in the room to change into her slip. It was a tiny, black strip of silk that barely covered her ass, and she sighed as she lifted it by one strap off of the bed. She heard the sound of something connecting with the wall and a frustrated grunt from the bathroom and dropped the slip, quietly shuffling to the bathroom door. She pressed her ear to the door and heard the shower door close, and fought with herself for a moment, unsure of whether she should comfort him further or not.
Cursing herself for being such a bleeding heart, she slid the door open and stepped into the steamy bathroom. The glass of the shower was completely fogged, but Charlotte could just make out Negan's form hunched over under the water, his shoulder resting on the wall so his back was to her. She slowly began to peel off the few layers of clothes she wore and pulled on the handle of the glass shower door. As it clicked open, Negan's head turned slightly toward her before letting it rest again on the cool tile of the wall. She pulled the door shut behind her and closed the distance between them, letting her palms come to rest on his shoulder blades. He exhaled heavily as Charlotte began to knead her fingers into his muscles, trying her best to relax him. She continued for a minute until his hand wrapped around and came to rest on one of hers, stopping her motions, and he turned around to face her, his imposing form towering over her. Her palms now rested on his pecs and his arms snaked around her waist, gently pulling her body against his and letting his cheek rest on the top of her head. She could feel his exhaustion and desperately wished she knew what to say to make him feel better, but instead she pulled her arms around his neck and carded her fingers through the hair at the base of his neck. The water ran over the both of them and they stood still for a few moments before Negan pulled back and tilted her chin up to meet his eyes with two calloused fingers.
"I don't know what the hell has gotten into me when I'm with you, woman." His voice was low and gruff. "First I'm lettin' you and that baby take over my room, now I'm breaking my own no kissing rule."
Charlotte offered a shy smile, "So either you're becoming a real pussy, or I'm just one hell of a wife" she teased, a playful glint in her eyes.
He gave a small grin back, surprised by her banter, and growled, "Don't push me, woman." The hand that held her chin pulled her face roughly to his, pressing his lips firmly against hers and tightening his grip around her waist. His tongue swiped at her lower lip and she parted her lips, allowing him access to her mouth. Their tongues swirled together and Negan's hands drifted down over her ass, gently kneading his rough fingers into her flesh and pulling her hips even closer, to where she could feel his hardening member pressed to her lower stomach. Her lips fell open apart from his and she glanced up into his dark eyes, and he smirked before she grabbed his lower lip between her teeth and gently pulled. At this, Negan let out a low growl and hoisted her up so her legs were around his waist and her back was pressed to the tile wall, kissing her deeply and cupping a breast in one hand. He nuzzled her face to the side, exposing her neck, and focused his attention there, nipping and kissing and sucking at her skin and no doubt leaving marks. Her hand made its way down his chest toward his groin, but before it could reach its destination there was a loud banging on the door.
Simon's voice called out from the other side "Negan, sorry to interrupt you, but there's some important shit going on that we need to talk about."
Negan pulled his head back, and Charlotte saw his face set in aggravation. "This had better be good." Poison laced his voice, but as his eyes met hers, he softened slightly. "You, don't think we're even close to being done here." He added as he let her legs fall gently to the ground, kissing her once more and slapping her ass as he opened the shower door, wrapped a towel around his waist, and exited the bathroom.
Charlotte finished her shower quickly, admittedly a bit flustered at Negan's quick departure, and came back out to the dark bedroom, where she could hear Gabriel snoring softly. She smiled as she thought of Negan's return and slipped under the silk sheets without dressing, hoping he would be back before she fell asleep. She lay in the dark for a while, thinking about the consequences of her actions with the man responsible for so much death. She wondered what Rick would say if he saw her now, or what Carl or Michonne would think. After what felt like hours, Charlotte slipped into a very uneasy sleep.
OH MY GOD excuse me for being such a piece of shit it's been so long since I've updated. I was stuck on a particular part of this for forever and was really blocked for a while, but I moved through it finally, so here's an extra long chapter filled with a little lovey-dovey stuff because I can. Also, I think I might do a little overhaul of this at some point in the future because I'm not really liking how Negan's character has progressed, but that's a lot of work so I think I'll just finish this and then rewrite later after I have everything out there.
Thank you all for being awesome and patient, and I hope you liiiiiike it!