A/N: I have to give a huge shout out to CLTex, Sexy Vampire Girl, Raging Raven, and KEZZ 1 for reading and reviewing after my very long absence. You guys are amazing!

I never intended for this story to be so long. But creating Crimson, getting to know her character, building her relationship with Negan, writing all of that just turned into a monster. There were times I tried to jump ahead, but then it felt like something was really missing, like her relationship with Negan and how it formed was just too rushed and unrealistic. I've read a few fics that started out strong, I really loved them, then they rushed and it stopped being believable. I didn't want that to happen to this story.

We'll be heading straight into the action after this chapter. I really love reading reviews, so please review, follow, and favorite! Also, I still need a beta reader if anyone is interested. I'm a grammar freak but it's so easy to miss little things in your own writing. If anyone with very strong written English skills is interested, please let me know!

The following afternoon found Crimson perched on Negan's desk, surrounded by his lieutenants. This included the newly promoted Arat who had strutted into the office like a freshly preened peacock. Everyone had given Crimson a warm greeting, even Wade whom she only really knew in passing. Everyone except Arat. She grunted like a caveman when Crimson said 'hello.' Crimson thought the woman's years of deep black hair root growth with her frizzy, poorly bleached blonde ends piled on top of her head resembled a guinea pig. Except guinea pigs were adorable so maybe that was an insult to any of the furry little things still left.

Crimson knew the woman disliked her. Maybe it was jealousy because Negan had never shown her any interest in a sexual manner. He never asked her to marry him. Maybe she thought she should be Negan's right hand female military advisor. Maybe she thought she'd do a better job at watching his back outside of the safety of Sanctuary's walls. Whatever it was, Crimson didn't care why Arat disliked her. What she did care about was her unwavering loyalty to Negan. The small, dark skinned woman was like a pitbull; fierce, protective, and willing to lay her life on the line to keep her master safe. She was smart, fast, and resourceful. Arat would have Negan's back if the time ever came that Crimson couldn't. That was far more important than the woman liking her. Negan's lieutenants didn't need to like his wife, they needed to keep him and their people safe.

She spared a glance at Dwight. His face was as healed as it was ever going to be. The flesh on the left side of his face would be red, warped, and jagged for the rest of his life. At least Negan hadn't pressed the iron too close to his eye. Dwight could still open and close his eye even with the scarred flesh around it. It was difficult to look at. She'd let Carson handle all of his treatment.

She had to wonder how much her morality had warped along with Dwight's face when she had watched Negan scald the man's flesh with a twinkle in his eye. It might have been a lot considering how hard she came when he dismissed everyone to bend her over the railing overlooking the room and took her hard enough to leave light bruising on the bottom of her ass cheeks.

She excused herself to slip away from the group. Negan's rules of no one being allowed into their bedroom still held true so no one would bother her if she holed up in their private bathroom while she collected herself.

Mirrors weren't something she liked much anymore. The changes she could usually ignore were screaming at her through the mirror. Her hair was the same, her skin had regained most of its youthful glow with her now frequent showers and she was back to a healthy weight with the regular and often luxurious meals she had at Sanctuary. It was her eyes that she couldn't stand to see anymore. Maybe the others couldn't see it, but she could. The darkness, the emptiness that overtook what had once been strength and empathy.

Life hadn't been kind to her. The childhood experiences like bedtime stories, fresh baked cookies for passing a math test, a mother's kiss to dry away tears, those were things she never had. Learning to find the best place in the house to drown out her parent's drug induced screaming matches and which neighbors would provide a hot meal on the weekend because school lunches were the only food she had access to when mom and dad were on a bender were the things she remembered from her adolescence. Those kinds of memories left a dark mark on your soul. Becoming a vet, helping those that couldn't speak for themselves, that's what she'd done to bury away the darkest of those marks. But all of the good that she had done in the past mattered so little when in the end she'd done whatever had to be done to keep herself alive.

Negan saw the darkness. He was as consumed by hers as she was with his. He fed it. He loved it. Her soul was bending and molding to match his own. He was changing her. Maybe she was as much of a monster as he was now. In that moment, she had never been so glad there was no left alive from her past to see her now.

But now wasn't the time to dwell on things she couldn't change. There were other monsters out there that had hunted down her people and slaughtered them like cattle. They had to be stopped. She splashed some cool water on her face and returned to the group.

The meeting was a long one. It was an open floor, any idea anyone had was put out there and discussed. There were a few bad ideas, but these guys were not made lieutenants on a passing fancy. They were smart, strategic and most of the ideas presented were solid. Crimson kept notes as the plans came together. Simon hovered over Negan's shoulder making final notes on the map laying on the oversized desk.

Each lieutenant would take a scouting party through their designated area. Search areas were laid out based on the terrain and proximity to their home location. Gas was a precious commodity not to be wasted. That meant that wherever these people were, they couldn't be too far outside of Negan's territory. The most heavily searched areas would be closest to the currently unoccupied Satellite Station. These people had a large base somewhere and it was likely within 100 miles of Satellite Station. It wouldn't take long to locate them. And that was assuming this group wasn't going to come looking for more of the Savior's bases. Negan already had Simon amping up security at Sanctuary and all the outposts.

Crimson finished her notes and dropped the opened notebook on the desk. Negan's brow furrowed when he picked it up.

"How the hell do you read this shit? A fucking 5 year old's chicken scratch is more legible than this." He cracked a smile at her.

"You know, no one's perfect. I happen to be beautiful, smart, a skilled survivalist and I'm great in bed. So my notes look like they were written by a drunken toddler. Better that than be a dimwit who can write calligraphy."

"I guess I can live with that," he chuckled.

"Well boys, and Arat," Crimson said as she pushed herself away from the desk. "I think we're done here. Relax, eat, get some sleep and be ready to roll out in the morning."

Everyone mumbled their agreement as they filed out of the door.

"I'm hungry. Let's go downstairs and eat."

"You feeling like my company ain't enough for you? That might hurt a man's feelings, Doll."

"Things are changing. I just… I can feel it. I'd like to spend an hour with our people."

"Whatever you want." He slung an arm over her shoulders.

The trucks rolled out with the sunrise the next morning. Negan leaned against their truck with his fist gripping Lucille a little too tight as Crimson sent each of their lieutenants off with a hug. There was a tightness in her throat and a twist in her gut as she watched the crews split into their designated directions. Things were going to get worse before they got better. She hoped that she would see everyone again, but she didn't expect it. So much Savior blood had been spilled already and the people they were hunting wanted even more. She couldn't protect them all. They planned, they prepared and now all she could do was hope for the best.

Negan's truck took the lead. Jason, Grayson, Rob, and some other Savior whose name she couldn't recall were following behind. Negan had protested when she assigned Jason to their group. She pointed out that Jason could be trusted the most to keep her unharmed and she, in turn, could keep Negan's fine ass out of trouble. He grumbled about it, but agreed.

"With this short run we don't even need to pack dinner. Why aren't we heading out further?" she asked as she jumped in the truck.

"I kept us and Simon's crew close to home. It ain't likely these assholes know where home base is, but that's not a chance I want to take. Anywhere on our route can have us home in an hour or less."

"That makes sense. Smart decision. I knew there was a reason I hadn't killed you in your sleep and incited a hostile takeover."

"Hostile? You fucking kidding me? Most of my Saviors would lick your boots clean as long as you asked with that little smile of yours."

She laughed. "That's probably true."

"No probably about it. Jiro kept giving you that dreamy eyed, love sick puppy look when he thought I wasn't looking. He does it again next meeting and I'm gonna rip those eyes out of his head and skull fuck him."

"Don't be ridiculous. Your dick is too big to fit inside anyone's eye socket."

A deep laugh boomed from chest and his palm slapped the steering wheel. "Fucking right you are my darling wife."

"So you're not worried about death by wife and a coop d'etat?"

"Nah. Not even a little."

"Why not?" She was honestly curious.

"My too-big-to-skullfuck dick keeps you happy. And this face," he turned his head to grin at her. "You'd miss this face and all the charm that comes with it. But should I be worried? You actually thinking about killing me?"

"Not anymore. I was going to the first time we met. And I briefly considered it again that first night I was conscious in your bed after I was shot. Slit your throat, find my stuff, then disappear into the night."

"Why didn't you?" he wasn't angry, but the amusement his tone typically conveyed, like the whole world was one big circus for him, that was gone.

"I guess I already kind of liked you too much."

A nod with a smirk accepted her answer.

They drove for over an hour without any signs of the living or the dead. The overgrown dirt road they travelled down was not one she had seen before. It was so far off any main road she wouldn't have seen the turn off if Negan hadn't taken it.

A flash of pinkish flash caught her eye. Skin stood out against the muted greens and browns of the forest.

"Keep driving for a second and then pull over," she broke the comfortable silence. "I just saw someone. Either their alive or recently turned."

"There's a place to pull off the road up here. You see where they went?"

"I think so."

It didn't take long to find the tracks. They were fresh and they were human, made by the still living kind. She took the lead, Negan by her side and their men following quietly behind. Five minutes later, Grayson and Rob were dragging a man and a woman out of a pile of brush. The thin, dirt covered couple were forced to their knees for Negan's 'Hi, I'm Negan' introduction speech. She'd heard the speech a couple of times over the last month. He gave almost the same exact speech each time they found a new group, big or small. It was starting to get a little dull, hearing it each time, but the speech and Negan's delivery of it was nearly 100% effective. Why change what he knew worked? She knew he had fun with it.

She'd tuned out his words, but still enjoyed watching her man work. It didn't matter how many times or how many different ways he claimed her body, she still craved him. Watching him in all his dominating glory made her panties quite a bit damper than they should be.

Lucille was swinging wildly, emphasising his most important points when Crimson pulled her eyes away from Negan. She was inspecting the couple kneeling before them when she noticed the two distinct wet marks on the woman's shirt. She softly grabbed Negan's elbow and nodded for him to step back with her when he cocked a questioning eyebrow.

"What the fuck are you interrupting for?" Wife or not, he was not happy to be interrupted by anyone. "I was about to get to my favorite part."

"I think she has a baby," she said, straight to the point.

"She has a…" his head snapped around to stare at the stranger before his gaze returned to his wife. "What the hell would make you think that?"

"Look at her shirt." Negan took a closer look at the woman. "She's leaking breast milk. She either lost a baby very recently, or she still has one. Let me talk to her. You scaring the piss out of her isn't going to inspire the kind of trust that gets her to show us where that baby is. Unless you're okay with abandoning a baby somewhere out in these woods to become a snack for something or starve to death."

"'Course I ain't okay with that." He leaned in to look her in the eye. "You should know me better than that. Go talk to her, find that fucking baby."

Crimson crouched in front of the trembling woman. Her long, knotted hair was blonde underneath the filth, though what shade was impossible to tell. Her skin was loose on her tiny frame, the kind of sag that only came from rapid weight loss and malnutrition.

"Please forgive my husband," Crimson spoke softly. Soft and honest was the best route to establish trust in a hurry. "Sometimes his ego gets the best of him. We aren't going to hurt you. My name is Crimson. Can you tell me yours?"

The woman's brown eyes lifted from the ground. "Emily."

"Hi Emily. Is this your husband?" Crimson's hand gestured to the man at her side.

"No, just a friend. Craig. That's his name." Craig was remained silent.

"Where's the rest of your group?"

"It's just us."

"Emily, I don't think that's true." Her tone remained soft and reassuring. "Please don't lie to me. I want to trust you, so I need you to trust me. You had a baby recently, didn't you?"

Emily choked back a sob, her body nearly collapsing to the ground. She nodded.

"Is your baby still alive?"

The hysterical woman nodded again. "Please don't hurt her!" she cried out. "Please, I'll do anything you want!"

Crimson softly gripped her shoulder. "It's okay, just breath. We would never hurt your baby. A little girl, you said?" Another nod. "That's wonderful. Why don't you show me where she is? We will take you all back to our home. It's safe, strong fences, fresh food, and doctors. I'm one of them. Let me help you."

"You a doctor?" Emily's brown eyes were wide with wonder. Her hand reached out for Crimson. "A real doctor?"

"I was a veterinarian but I've learned how to apply my skills to people too."

"Bobby's sick. He's still real little." Emily grabbed Crimson's hand with both of hers. The bones in her fingers were so prominent that her grip was slight uncomfortable on Crimson's hand. Crimson only returned her grip with a reassuring squeeze. "And Jodie, my baby, she ain't gettin' enough to eat. We was out here tryin' to find some formula. You can help 'em?"

"You bring us to them and all of you will come back with us. Dr. Carson and I will see to your kids."

"Bobby ain't mine. We found 'im hidin' a while back. Maybe a year ago."

"That doesn't matter. We would never leave a child out here to fend for themselves. You and I will ride in the lead truck. Craig can ride in the bed, we'll open the back window so he's right there with you. Negan and our men will take the other truck to follow."

"Ok."

It was a short, bumpy drive. Emily and Craig didn't have a vehicle. They couldn't travel far on foot. The dilapidated cabin was hidden deep in the woods. Half of the roof had already collapsed and the rest was only one strong windstorm away from flying away.

Crimson had already told Negan and the Saviors to stay far away from the children. She'd radioed back to Sanctuary. Dr. Carson would have a quarantine area established before they arrived. Generally, children were far more susceptible to illness as were the elderly but the last thing they needed was a sickness sweeping through Sanctuary. So many people in one big building with a lot of crowded areas, a highly contagious disease could do some serious damage. People dying in their sleep wouldn't stay down for long. It would be a disaster. The kind of disaster that could wipe out Sanctuary. No, they wouldn't be taking any chances with two sick kids or the potentially sick adult that cared for them.

Emily practically ran into the cabin. She didn't even notice the dead guy stumbling towards her. Crimson released an arrow that made its way through the rotting skull. It had been dead for a while. The bone was so soft that the back of the skull blew out on impact, her arrow imbedding itself in the tree behind the deadhead. She retrieved her arrow as Emily disappeared into the barely standing structure.

The elder child, Bobby, removed the barricade from the door as the trucks approached. Less than a minute later Emily carried a bundle of blankets in one arm and a little boy, about three years old from the look of him, to the truck. She had agreed to ride in the bed of the truck with both children and Craig to limit the number of people exposed to the sick kids. The entire truck would be wiped down with bleach when they returned to Sanctuary.

"Slide on over, Doll, I'll drive us back home," Negan said as he opened the driver's side door.

"No, stay in the other truck," Crimson replied. "We don't know if she's carrying whatever those kids have and there's no sense in risking you catching it too."

"Don't think that'll matter much when I'm balls deep in you later tonight. You catch it then I'm catching it. So move the fuck over and let me drive you home. I got a feeling you and Carson are gonna be some busy bees when we get back."

She sighed but slid across the worn leather seat to the passenger side. He had a valid point and she knew there was no arguing with Negan when he'd already made up his mind. He was a man with determination.

The drive back home was relatively quick. She had a short conversation with Carson over the radio, gave him the approximate heights, weights, and ages of their newest patients. After the outbreak he'd made himself very familiar with quarantine procedures so she trusted that he'd be ready when they arrived.

Dr. Carson was true to his word. He was waiting at the gate to bring the new arrivals into the well set up quarantine room. They entered through a side door and hallway that had been blocked from the rest of Sanctuary's citizens. The truck along with Sanctuary's hallway and exterior doors were scrubbed down with bleach once Emily, Craig, and the kids were safely locked away in quarantine.

She and Carson worked side by side to take the vitals and medical histories of the four newcomers. Both children had relatively high fevers. Both adults had mild fevers that could easily attributed to malnutrition and over-exertion in the outdoor heat but they weren't taking any chances. They worked up a treatment plan with minimal argument between the two doctors and settled their patients into beds with food, water and antibiotics. A basinet was placed next to Emily's bed for baby Jodie.

Crimson had reluctantly agreed to self-quarantine herself and Negan in their quarters for 24 hours. That would give Carson enough time to determine the seriousness of the sickness, how contagious it was, and see if Sanctuary's leader and first lady had contracted said sickness.

"We need to stay in here for at least 24 hours," she said as she locked the door to Negan's office. "Food should be left outside and we bring it in ourselves after the delivery boy leaves. Whoever you post as guard should stay by the elevator, away from our door."

"You wanna make me a prisoner in my own god damn house?" Negan was clearly displeased.

"I know we both feel fine right now, but we can't risk spreading infection around in case we picked up that bug from Emily or the kids. None of them were completely healthy. Good regular meals and some antibiotics should have them cleared up in no time, but we won't know more until tomorrow night after they've been under observation and treatment for a day." She hooked her fingers in his belt, bringing him with her as she backed up towards the couch. "Besides, is it really so bad to spend an entire day naked with me?"

Negan didn't protest as she undressed him. The only sound that escaped his throat was the deep moan he always made when she wrapped her lips around his hardened cock.