5.

Ana woke in the middle of the night, her head turned slightly towards the coffee table. Her eyes felt swollen from crying, but she heard a baby crying outside. Half-asleep she walked towards the front door, reminding herself to lock it next time she left. She flung it open a bit too hard, and for a moment the baby's cry became louder. Ana peered down the street, seeing no one for a minute. The crying was coming from the far left, so Ana trudged down the steps. She wasn't sure why she was worried about the baby, but something about earlier that night hurt her heart. So, despite her aching head and ruddy face, she searched for the baby.

She found it sitting in Rick's arms. He was sitting a few yards to the left of Ana, holding Judith in his arms and rocking her back and forth. Ana assumed she started crying and he didn't want to wake anyone. Seeing the baby was safe, she turned to go back inside when she heard Rick's whisper. Ana wiped at her eyes, half embarrassed that Rick would see how hard she had been crying. It was night, and Ana deduced he wouldn't be able to see her face that well.

She advanced towards him willingly, taking a seat on the pavement next to him.

"She's a beautiful baby," Ana commented. Rick smiled and held the baby out to Ana. Ana took it, holding it face up and rocking it back and forth. Her cries quieted when Ana began making silly faces at it. When she turned back towards Rick, he caught her eye and held it.

"You're good with kids."

Ana nodded.

"Did you have your own?"

Ana kept eye contact, biting the inside of her cheek as she forced out a small no.

"I can see why," Rick gestured towards Judith.

"They're troublesome," Ana said with a sad smile, remembering Lucille's smile. She figured if she mentioned Lucille she would start crying again, which was the last thing she needed. After Judith settled down, Ana turned towards Rick, ready to hand him the small baby. Rick understood the movement, and reached for Judith, leaning in close to make sure the baby didn't fall. His cheek brushed Ana's for a split second, his hands covering hers as he obtained a grip on the child. Ana didn't repel the touch, instead embracing it due to her need for comfort. She stared at Rick for a few moments while he settled Judith into his lap.

"Goodnight, Rick," she said, standing up before she said or did something she regretted. She quickly strode from the street to her house without waiting for a reply, scolding herself as she realized that she was becoming comfortable around him.

Rick was the first person at Ana's house that morning. She was still on the couch. The picture of her husband and Lucille was on the coffee table next to the duffel bag. She stood up after wiping the snot that was dried above her lip. Altogether, she wasn't a pretty sight.

She opened the door, surprising Rick by being in the same clothes as last night. He could tell her eyes were puffed from crying. Her nose was bright pink like her cheeks.

"We're leaving," he said instantly.

Ana raised an eyebrow. "Leaving?" she asked. "Where are we going?"

"A place called the Hilltop. I'll explain on the way. Get your shoes."

Ana followed his directions, sliding her feet into her shoes and then closing the door behind her. Though curious as to why he decided to take her along, she remained quiet while following him to the RV. She noticed Abraham already climbing in alongside Maggie, Glenn, and Michonne. Rick had separated from her to talk to Carl, so Ana helped herself on. Jesus was the first face that greeted her. She hadn't noticed him get on and figured he must've been the first to get on. It seemed as if the entire couch was occupied by Maggie, Glenn and Abraham, and the passenger seat was taken by Michonne. After a serious debate with herself, Ana retreated to the back of the camper, where she found a small bed. She sat on it and leaned against the wall.

Rick entered the vehicle, followed by Daryl. He sat in the driver's seat and got the vehicle going. There was a small window next to the bed that Ana looked out. She waved goodbye to the crew outside with a small hand before resting her eyes. They felt heavy from the night before. She knew they were puffed and agitated, and didn't want anyone to ask questions. However, it wasn't an hour later before she heard someone walking down the RV hallway to the bed. She opened her eyes and looked at Rick. She poked her head around the wall in front of the bed and saw that Daryl had taken the wheel.

"May I?" Rick asked. Ana moved her legs off the bed and allowed Rick to sit next to her.

"There's another group stationed at a place called the Hilltop," Rick informed Ana. "Jesus told us he'd take us there to meet his people. Said that there's other groups in the area he trades with. We meet with them, we could have our own economy growing and a way to feed the people at Alexandria."

"What if he's lying?" Ana asked.

"Guess we'll find out one way or another."

Both of them decided not to say another word. It seemed to be their thing, to sit in comfortable silence around each other. Ana assumed Rick would get up and leave to go sit and talk with the rest of the group. She knew that he most likely wanted to talk to Michonne, his current lover. But Rick surprised her. The only time he moved from his position was to lean against the wall, and turn his head to peek at her. She had brought her legs onto the bed, once again sat with them crossed. She dared look up at Rick, who had his head slightly turned towards her, his eyes closed. His expression was almost pained and uneasy. She zoned out, staring at his sculpted jaw when he opened his eyes again.

"What happened last night?" he asked after a while, clearing his throat.

"What do you mean?" Ana wasn't ready to talk to anyone about her daughter, about her husband. She preferred to keep it to herself.

"You were crying. Didn't even change into new clothes."

"It's a long story."

Rick sat up. His body moved closer to Ana's in the process, his leg touching the top of her shoe that poked out from under her knee.

"Alright," was Rick's quiet response. He moved his own hands into his lap, his eyes looking towards Ana as she nervously twirled a strand of her hair between her fingers. Her hair- it was a mess. The ponytail was loose and strands hung here and there. She didn't even bother to brush it away from her face anymore. She raised her eyes to meet his, and for a while, she actually looked into them. The terrifying eyes seemed more calm and mellow now. They didn't pierce her own anymore. She spent a long time looking at the design of them, knowing that her own brown eyes must seem boring to him. And so she looked away, afraid to bore him with herself. He wasn't bored, though. He was intrigued by the small black freckles in the midst of a brown desert that occupied her iris. When she looked away, he found himself reaching for her face against his will. His hand met her chin within a heartbeat, bringing her eyes to his again. Ana wanted to lean away from his touch, but she couldn't.

They stayed like that for a while, looking into each other's eyes. Ana's closed after a long time, but opened when she felt movement on the other side of the bed. Rick was sitting, leaning over the edge and looking down the hallway at the rest of the group. Talk was coming from the front of the RV as it's once fast speed slowed to a crawl. Without a word, Rick left Ana's side to discuss what was happening. Ana quickly left the bed to follow him, and was met with curious looks by everyone on the trailer as she did so.

She tensed at the looks, but remained calm. Her eyes traveled out the front with of the RV as she saw a car flipped on its side, blood dripping from every part of it. There were blood streaks in the road, and the entire site was completely disgusting. Her stomach flipped at the site of it.

Everyone hurried out the vehicle as Jesus mentioned the car was from his group. Ana was last.

A walker was pinned underneath the vehicle, another one hung out the window as Jesus ran around the side to see if anyone was still alive. Rick reached for his gun, and raised it to meet Jesus' head.

"This is a trick," Rick said, gesturing with his head towards the crash, "it won't end well for you."

"My people are in trouble," Jesus replied, frantically. "We don't have a lot of fighters."

Ana crossed her arms and turned her head away from the crash. They were near a series of stores and run down buildings.

"I know how it looks, but I'll play it out. Can I borrow a gun?"

Ana returned her attention to Jesus, focusing on his face instead of the crash he stood next to.

"No," Daryl said, "there are tracks right 'ere." His fingers were pointed at the ground a few feet away from the crash. The group turned their attention towards them, and began to follow Daryl's lead.

They ended up at one of the run down buildings. It seemed to be a company building, although deserted now.

"They have to be in there," Jesus told Rick. Ana turned her back to the conversation, ignoring their words. Her eyes landed on a strip mall across the way. A few walkers stood idle in a parking lot. The signs on most of the stores had weathered away or fallen to the ground. It was a depressing sight. When Ana turned back, she witnessed Rick handcuffing Jesus before entering the building with everyone but Maggie. Ana decided to stay with Maggie, instead of joining the rest. She only had her knife and wasn't in the mood for a fight. Maggie had her gun lifted to Jesus' head, intently watching him and listening for Rick's signal to kill him.

They exited the building ten minutes later with four people, one girl and three guys. The third guy seemed pretty badly injured and needed help getting onto the RV. As she had before, Ana walked to the back of the RV and sat down on the bed. She noticed that Rick hadn't come back to join her after ten minutes and decided to stretch out, placing her feet by back wall and ignoring conversation. Perhaps the reason she never knew what was going on was because she was constantly bored of conversation, and didn't listen. She heard something about a baby doctor, and got bored after that, twirling her fingers and thinking intently about her cabin.

Before the cabin, Ana lived in the wilderness for well over a couple months. She survived off squirrels and fish from streams in the woods. Every time she saw a couple of walkers, she made sure to go in the opposite direction. After a month, her gun was out of ammo and she was still lost in the thick forest.

Before she was forced into the words, Ana gave the name home to a two story house situated on a vast amount of land. She lived there amongst another female for a year before the house became home to a herd of walkers. Her friend was eaten alive in front of her eyes, and that was the only thing that allowed Ana to escape.

And before the house, she was caught in a house fire with her kid and her husband. She watched as Lucille burned to death in front of her, but her husband was a different story.

Ana was sitting on the couch of their townhouse, clicking through the news as she observed what seemed to be the end of the world. In a few days, she would be completely packed and on her way to a safe-zone with Lucille and her husband, Negan. The current TV program was giving directions for everyone in her immediate area, as well as tips to stay safe. The walking dead, Ana snorted as she felt a large hand clap down on her bare shoulder.

"Watching this bullshit again?"

Her eyes trailed up to meet Negan's light brown eyes. He stared down at her with a smirk plastered across his face. Why is he happy? Ana quickly looked back the TV, not providing a response. The hand on her shoulder started to massage it gently. She felt Negan lean down, place his head on her shoulder. His warm breath blew onto her cheek.

"C'mon baby, you're tense. Let's go to bed," Negan begged in a light hearted tone. For a second, Ana was surprised Negan was interested in her tonight. She supposed his mistresses were too busy hauling ass out of their own houses. She was his last choice. With disgust, she forced his head off her shoulder by leaning forward. In anger, he stomped towards the front of the couch and blocked her view of the TV.

"Now that's rude," he said, "world gone to absolute dog shit, you won't even give me the time of day."

Ana simply reached for the remote and pressed the off button. She sighed and crossed her arms. For three months she noticed the strange, cryptic texts that Negan had been sending other teachers at the school. She wasn't sure how to confront his infidelities, and wasn't exactly sure that she wanted to. Lucille needed her father around, and Ana still felt the same love she had when she first met him.

"I'll be upstairs in a minute," Ana replied quietly. She watched as Negan let loose his world famous smile.

"That's my girl," he replied, already reaching for the hem of his white shirt. He pulled it over his head, winking at Ana as he passed behind the couch and traveled up the stairs. A second later, she heard more delicate footsteps treading down the stairs. This time, Ana turned around and watched as her little girl held onto the railing in case she fell. Her brown hair trailed down her back, reaching the middle of her pink nightgown. Her eyes were wide, looking at all the boxes that surrounded the front door. When she reached the bottom, she ran to her mother, jumping over the back of the couch and landing on the front cushion.

"I told you not to do that Lucille," she said, stroking Lucille's brown hair. The girl smiled before opening her mouth.

"I won't get hurt mommy. But I'm hungry." She was soft spoken like her mother, her voice barely recognizing in Ana's ears.

"Sweetie it's very late," Ana said. "We'll make food in the morning."

"But mommy," Lucille whined, tugging on her mother's arm.

"Fine, what do you want?" Ana inquired. Lucille thought for a moment, the outermost corners of her lips perked up in happiness.

"I wantttt…" a small pause and then, "eggs."

"Eggs?"

"Yes mommy. Scrambled eggs!"

"Okay." Ana got up off the couch, stretching her knees as she did so. She walked towards the stove, which was barely working as is. It was an old gas stove that rarely lit when you wanted it to. Before she even turned it on, she furrowed her brow. The kitchen smelled like gas, though after quickly looking around, she saw no source of the smell.

"Lucille, we'll make eggs tomorrow," she told her daughter. "I need you to go upstairs quickly and grab daddy, okay?"

Lucille frowned. "I want eggs, mommy."

"Tomorrow," Ana pleaded. "Go get daddy and get him down here."

Lucille huffed and stomped her way towards the stairs. She heard her heavy feet on the steps, but was glad that Lucille was going to grab Negan. Quickly, Ana looked over the kitchen. She assumed a gas pipe had burst, and quickly ran to turn off all of the lights in the house. She stood in the living room, looking up the stairs as her daughter appeared again.

"Daddy's coming," Lucille said, still stomping her feet. She came to the bottom of the steps and walked into the kitchen. "Why is it so dark mommy?" Her hand reached for the light switch as Ana noticed where her daughter was going.

"Lucille!" she screamed at her daughter, as the girl flipped the light switch on.

It happened quickly, the loud explosion, her daughter being thrown across the room into a wall as flames instantly engulfed the kitchen. The second floor seemed to cave in after the explosion, falling down on top of the kitchen. Ana cried, running towards her daughter but finding the flames growing too high to get across. She saw her daughter, unconscious by the back door with fire already burning her legs. She cried out for her daughter, but was met with no response.

The fire pushed Ana towards the front door. Tears flew from her eyes as she looked towards the stairs.

"Negan!" she screamed. No response. "Negan!"

She yelled a few more times before the smell of smoke made her head dizzy. With no hope, Ana opened the front door to the neighborhood. Outside a couple of walkers had heard the explosion. They were advancing towards Ana's house. She moaned, realizing this is how she would die. She would be one of those things. Their eyes were dead, clouded over. Blood poured from their mouths as she saw some feeding on the street. The news said it wasn't this bad.

She sat down in front of her house, debating whether or not to go into the flames, or get eaten alive. The walkers grew closer as her cries grew louder. They were close enough to reach out towards her when a blue Honda came speeding in front of her.

"Get in," a girl, about twenty, yelled to her. Ana didn't ask questions, her flight response had kicked in and so she ripped open the car door and jumped into the seat. Before the door closed, the girl sped off. Ana closed the door and buckled herself, still trying to process all that was happening.

"Connie," the girl said, reaching a hand across the wheel. Ana couldn't reply. She couldn't even lift a hand to meet Connie's. Her eyes were frozen, staring dead ahead. Her body was paralyzed against the seat as she tried to understand what happened. They couldn't be dead.

A/N: School started and im so fucking busy so im glad ive written the next 5 chapters already. im still working on Negan and how i portray him...i know hes not ANYwhere near perfect, just bear with me. favorite, follow, and review to show me some love, it's always appreciated!

replies:

Guest: thanks, i'm glad you're enjoying the story

psychobeachgirl88: haha, i really hope she makes everything better as well, especially the group's future vis a vis Negan. thanks for the feedback!

jasper'scowgirl: here's more for you, i hope you like this chapter!