Quinn and Negan, Safehouse

2 months later

I had only one month left till the baby arrives. I tried to distract myself with everything just to stop thinking about my friends. These two months felt like years. My nightmares came back. I was watching all of my friends die in various ways. Always woke up crying. Negan was so patient with me, but I could see how tired he was. I suggested he should sleep on the couch till my nightmares go away because this way he won't be able to get any sleep. He didn't like the idea, but eventually gave in and moved downstairs. When I was awake every time I caught myself thinking about them I clapped a few times to snap myself out of it.

No. No. Not them.

Everything is fine.

I have to be calm for my baby.

Everything is fine.

"Everything is fine…" I said under my breath. Negan came inside, his hands were covered in mud. He was planting some seeds. He let out a sigh and without touching me with his dirty hands he just kissed my cheek and put his forehead against mine.

"I know you're worried, but this will pass too," he said. "You are strong and we always get through everything. We survive. Whatever shit happens."

I let out another sigh as I backed away to look him in the eyes.

"I don't know, Negan… The more time passes the worse I feel. The nightmares are the worst. What the hell is happening over there? Two months? It's like an eternity!"

"I know, Quinnie… I also know that you made me promise to stay… but… Would you like me to go to Alexandria and find out what's going on?"

"NO! Absolutely NOT!" I stated.

He let out a sigh.

"Your nightmares are getting worse every night. This can't go on forever. You should know what happened, so you would calm down and move on with your life, you know?"

"I know… But I don't want to lose you going out there alone. No. You stay here. Please?"

"Alright. Whatever you want," he said and left to finally wash his muddy hands.

I exhaled sharply again and looked through the window. I was always staring out, waiting. Waiting for Carol or Daryl or whoever to show up. Anyone, please… just let me know what happened. I need to know…

I burst into tears. I was trying so hard for the baby, but I couldn't suppress all the worry. Sometimes it just burst out of me. It took me a couple of minutes to get my shit together. I quickly wiped my eyes and headed to the kitchen to get a snack. It was Negan's favorite cardboard, but we had to save food. It was some kind of military food Daryl stole for us from the Commonwealth. Negan joined me, glanced at me, then frowned his eyebrows with disgust.

"Still tastes like cardboard…" he said as he took one for himself.

"Yeah," I smiled slightly at his childish pickiness.

"Finally…" he said.

"What?"

"Finally the first tiny little smile in weeks. I miss it," he said.

"I know… but there isn't much to smile about these days."

He took my hand and caressed it with his thumb.

Just as we finished the snack, Negan stood up to clear things when suddenly we heard the noises of a horse.

My heart stopped and it felt like it stopped for minutes before it started racing. Who was it? With what news? I exchanged glances with Negan.

"Stay here," he said and hurried to the hall. He glanced through the window carefully.

"Who is it?" I asked anxiously.

"It's Carol," he said smiling. "She looks okay."

He grabbed the keys and hurried outside to the gates and let her in. I gathered myself up slowly which was harder each day with a belly this big. I entered the hall just when Carol and Negan stepped through the front door. We embraced each other strongly for a couple of seconds.

"Carol… I'm so happy you're here. Are you okay? Tell me everything!"

"It's good to see you, honey," she smiled at me as we backed away. "Wow, the baby is due next month, right?" she asked as she glanced at my huge belly.

"Yes, but please don't make me wait anymore! Tell me what happened! Is everyone okay?" I asked. Her smile faded away. "I knew something happened. I knew it. Tell me, please!"

"Maybe we should sit down…" Negan suggested seeing Carol's expression. She nodded in agreement and we took a seat in the living room, Negan and I facing Carol.

"Carol, please say something," I said.

"We lost Rosita," she said. I gasped. Negan lowered his head.

"No…" I breathed. Carol was struggling with her tears as she continued.

"We lost Rosita… but the good news is everyone else made it out alive. However…"

"However?!" I asked. Negan raised his head looking at her, waiting.

"Judith was shot and Lydia lost an arm," she said quietly. My entire body was trembling. Negan must have felt it as he took my hand gently.

"What happened?" he asked as I was speechless.

"They are fine. They are going to live."

Now that she told us the worst part, she recounted everything that happened since we left. How Hornsby tried to kill ours, how Daryl killed Leah, the Miltons' fate, Eugene's trial, the labur camp and how they got out with the help of Jesus, the variant walkers, how Lydia lost her arm while saving Henry, the fall of the Commonwealth, people who died that I didn't really know but still she told us. She was talking for hours and we were listening in complete silence while my tears were pouring endlessly. Negan was completely speechless.

When Carol finished, we were just sitting there in silence for a couple of minutes. Negan stood up without saying anything and brought a glass of water to both of me and Carol, then he sat back while we were drinking. I was wiping my red eyes trying to get rid of the endless tears. When I finally got my shit together I managed to ask a question with a raspy voice.

"When did all this happen? How long ago?"

"About three weeks ago. It all ended when Rosita… Everything else ended a couple of days earlier. We just… needed some time. And we had to rebuild the Commonwealth and Alexandria."

"The Commonwealth? Why?" Negan asked.

"The walls are still manageable, and most of the houses are intact. We saw an opportunity, so we decided to save it. Ezekiel is in charge now."

"Is he a king again?" asked Negan with a half-smile, trying to lighten up the mood.

"No," Carol scoffed. "But Jerry likes to still call him that."

"How is Judith and Lydia?" I asked.

"They are both in pain, but they get better by every day. Aaron is spending a lot of time with Lydia, helping her."

"Who… who did it?" I continued the interrogation, but I needed to know everything.

"Aaron and Jerry. They are very protective of her now. Actually, Lydia spends more time with Aaron and Jesus nowadays. Kind of moved to their house."

"Really?" Negan asked surprised.

"Henry didn't like the idea, but I think it's better this way. They are still together. It's just easier for Aaron to help Lydia live with one arm."

"I see… How is Eugene?" I asked.

"He is… he is not good now. He is devastated because of Rosita. But Max is by his side, he will be fine," Carol reassured me.

"Jesus?"

"He is okay, he doesn't even have a scratch. Of course, Rosita and the girls shook all of us… Everything that happened. But we will live."

I hesitated for a second.

"Daryl?" I asked finally.

"Well… he has seen better days, but he is okay. He will be," she said. I nodded understandingly.

"Why didn't he come with you?" I asked.

"He's watching the kids. Judith needs him now. You know… Judith said something. She thought she was going to die and she told Daryl that Michonne left to search for Rick. She said she had solid proof that he is alive."

Negan jerked his head up.

"I mean… it's logical, I had a feeling she left because of this in the first place but I didn't know she had proof," I said.

"She found something. Judith didn't tell anyone because she was scared Daryl will leave too," Carol said.

"Poor little thing," I said heartbroken. After a couple of minutes of silence, Negan spoke.

"So the war is over, the Commonwealth is a happy place now and everyone is happy."

"Well, not really happy, but there is peace now," Carol said. "You can stay here if you want but you can move back to the Commonwealth or even Alexandria, whichever you prefer."

"In her state? Maybe we should wait with that," said Negan concerned.

"If you can get me a carriage or something maybe I could…" I suggested.

"Where would you like to go?" she asked.

"Maggie is in Hilltop and you are in Alexandria, right?" I asked, she nodded. I glanced at Negan.

"Alexandria it is then," he said. "But if you want this, we should hurry, before the baby arrives."

"I think you should give birth at the Commonwealth. The hospital is working again," said Carol.

"I was waiting for this, for news, for you, to know what happened and yet now it just feels like it's happening too soon, too fast," I said.

"I know, honey," she said as she took my hand. "But if you want to go, then we should. The sooner the better."

"Can you give us a moment please?" I asked. She nodded and headed to the other room to let us discuss. I turned to face Negan.

"Maggie is at Hilltop," I said. "And she kind of moved on, so even if we stumbled upon her it would be okay. Is there any other reason you wouldn't want to go back?"

Negan was thinking for a moment.

"Well… I worked a lot to make this house livable and now we should just abandon it? And I should work on the house at Alexandria too. Starting all over again from scratch."

"I'm sorry… You will have help at Alexandria. I'm sure Carol would help us."

"And Dixon."

"Not the jealousy again."

"No. No more of that. I was just saying that probably you are right," he admitted.

"We should go?"

"We should go. I would be happier if you gave birth at a hospital with proper doctors around, not Carol or Dixon or whoever pulling the kid out."

I scoffed. He smiled.

"I would be a little bit calmer too, if doctors did it."

"Then that's decided," he said.

"Carol?" I raised my voice to address her and she came right back. "We would like to go back."

"Okay. I'll get a carriage for you."

"First, to the Commonwealth, to give birth safely in the hospital, and then back to Alexandria," I explained.

"Whatever you like, honey," she said and hugged me again. "How are you doing?"

"Not well," Negan answered instead of me. I shook my head to stop him but he kept talking. "She is having nightmares every night because of worrying."

Carol frowned her eyebrows at me.

"I know, I tried to calm down for the baby's sake, but I just couldn't… and I was right…" I said sadly, referring to Rosita and everything that happened.

"It's over. We are moving on. Everything will be completely fine with you and the baby. Your friends are all good. Just keep breathing and move on. Okay? I know it sounds harsh, take your time, but you really need to be calm now. For the baby," she said.

I nodded understandingly. She kissed my cheek in a friendly way and left. Negan escorted her outside and locked the gates behind her. She said she will be back with a carriage to take us back. I waved goodbye to her as she rode away. Negan stared at his garden.

"Her horse ate the carrots…" he said disappointed.

"We would have to leave them behind anyway," I tried to lighten up the mood.

"Yeah… all the hard work for nothing," he said grumpily as he came back to the porch with his hands in his pockets. I went back inside and sat back down on the couch, he joined me.

"I'm sorry… You really worked a lot. But it would be better to give birth at the hospital."

"Yeah, I know," he said, giving in. He put his arm around me and I leaned my head against his shoulder.

"The baby is more important than anything else. Fuck those carrots," he said. I giggled for the first time in two months. He smiled and kissed my cheek. After I became serious again I was replaying everything in my head that Carol told us.

Rosita… tears filled my eyes again. I started crying, burying my face in Negan's shoulder as he embraced me without either of us saying a word…

…

Carol arrived back to Alexandria late. She led the horse to the stall, then returned home. She found Daryl on his feet, trying to hurry back to the couch before he gets busted.

"I knew it!" Carol said. "I swear I'm going to glue your butt to that couch! Stop getting up!" she scolded him. Daryl's ankle was twisted during the last fight, at least everyone thought so, but then turned out that it was actually broken. Yumiko's brother, Tomi, fixed it and Daryl was supposed to rest till it completely healed, but Carol found him all the time limping around the house.

"Come on, I just checked on Judith. I'm back, okay? I'm sitting," said Daryl. Carol put her bag down, hurried to Daryl's side, grabbed his leg and placed it on the pillow. Daryl leaned his head back, rolling his eyes. Carol stepped to him and kissed him.

"I hate you when you do this," she said.

"I hate you when you do this, too," he said.

"What? Helping you?" she snapped playfully.

"I don't need help," he said.

"You need to stay on the couch till your ankle heals and then you can do whatever you want. And I'm not helping," she said as she got rid of her shoes. "How's Judith?"

"She's fine, she just fell asleep," said Daryl.

"RJ?"

"Sleepin' too."

"Alright…" she said letting out a sigh. She pushed the armchair closer to the couch and sat next to Daryl.

"How is she?" he asked.

"She is fine. She just worried insanely. She has nightmares. I hope she calms down now that she knows what happened."

"You didn't tell her?" he asked nodding towards his leg.

"As you wished. She was asking about you, though. I told her you stayed to watch the kids. With Judith's injury, she didn't doubt it."

Daryl nodded understandingly.

"Thanks… After all what happened, I don't want her to worry about me too."

"I told her you're okay," she said. "And you will be, if you stay on your butt and heal properly!"

"Ahh come on… Gimme a break…"

"At least you would use the crutch!"

"No way."

"Daryl, please… don't be a child. It is not embarrassing."

"Uh-uh, nope," he said simply. Carol let out a sigh. They looked each other in the eyes and giggled.

"You are terrible, Dixon," Carol said as she gathered herself up to go and check on the kids. Daryl grabbed her hand and pulled her closer. Carol leaned above him.

"What?" she asked.

"Come 'ere," he said smiling. Carol smiled and did as he asked. She kissed his lips gently.

"You didn't deserve it. Not after ruining your ankle and walking around without the crutch… unbelievable," she said grumpily, playfully as she kissed Daryl's forehead too, and then disappeared upstairs, leaving Daryl smiling to himself.

…

Author's notes:

No music this time again, but now it's because of Rosita. ❤

Thank You for reading! ❤