For the first time since the beginning Negan's sleep wasn't haunted by nightmares. When he woke in the morning he found Aurora curled up in his arms. She slept in the same way she always did, with her arms across her chest. Only this time she wasn't clutching at her shirt, partly because she was naked, but instead she held tight to Negan's arm that was draped protectively across the top of her chest as he held her body close to him. He couldn't help but smile as he kissed her hair, deeply inhaling her scent as he nestled in closer to her.
Aurora began to stir and she gripped his arm tighter as she started to wake. "Morning Sweetheart" Negan cooed as he placed a gentle kiss to her bare shoulder.
"Hey you" she mumbled sleepily as she rolled over in his arms and snuggled in to his chest.
"How'd you sleep?" He asked.
"Better than I have in a long time" she smiled.
"Me too Babygirl" Negan grinned as he kissed her forehead.
"We should probably be getting up ready for work" she suggested.
"Probably... but I think we have time for a quickie" Negan grinned devilishly as he released her from his embraced and dove beneath the blankets laying gentle kisses all over her body as he crept lower and lower.
"You're bad!" She chuckled.
"You of all people should know I'm actually good... really fucking good" he countered as he decended his mouth upon her making her squeal in pleasure.
It had been almost eight months since Negan was released from his cell and true to his word he had been on his best behaviour. At first some people were hostile, Rosita especially, slapping him swiftly the first time she had seen him. She still hadn't gotten over the death of Abraham. Negan didn't blame her. He stood there and took his punishment, allowed her to call him every bad word under the sun, and when she was done he offered his sincerest apology.
Slowly he began to grow on people. Not many liked Negan, but they tolerated him, he was after all a self proclaimed asshole and had a tendency or rub people the wrong way.
Today Rick was allowing Negan to go on his first run. The team consisted of Rick, Michonne, Aurora, Aaron, Anne (Jadis), and Negan. They would be meeting up with Carol, Ezekial and Jerry from the Kingdom and Jesus and Alden from Hilltop. One of their scouts had spotted a landscape and gardening supply store that looked fairly untouched. Up until now most people were focused on finding food rather than growing it, which worked to their advantage. The run was going to be dangerous with a fair amount of walkers about, but if they could secure some seed and gardening tools it would help them immensely.
When they arrived at their destination, they cleared the area of walkers and made their way into the locked up carpark, cutting the chain with bolt cutters.
Rick told them all how they were going to approach the situation and assigned everyone groups. "Michonne, I want you to take Carol, Ezekial and Anne around to the back entrance. Jesus, I want you, Alden, and Jerry at the side entrance with the rolling bay door. "Me, Aaron, Aurora and Negan will take the front" Rick instructed. "Everyone be careful. Watch eachothers backs" he said and they all nodded and began to move to their positions.
"Be safe" Michonne said to Rick as she gave a Negan a sideways glance. She was still unsure about bringing him along, but she trusted Rick's judgement.
"I will. You too" he smiled as he gave her a quick kiss.
"Negan" Rick spoke up.
"Yeah?"
"You might need this" Rick said as he handed him a large metal pole and a hunting knife.
"Thank you Rick".
"Don't make me regret this".
"Have I done anything lately to make you not fucking trust me?" Negan questioned.
"No you haven't".
"Exactly. And I don't plan on starting now" he smiled.
"Good".
"You ready for this?" Aurora asked as they took their positions outside the main entrance.
"Babygirl... I was born for this shit" he grinned smugly.
The building consisted of two floors. On the lower level was all the landscaping supplies and heavy items. On the second level was all of the gardening tools, seeds and other equipment.
Rick, Aaron, Aurora and Negan made their way quietly into the building, snaking their way though the aisles, never too far from one another. They came across a few stray walkers that looked like they had died very early on. There wasn't much left of them, they had probably been stranded, surrounded by walkers at the gate and died of starvation, or killed themselves in desperation. Negan took out one of the walkers with his metal pipe and Rick took the other with a hatchet. They continued on until they met up with the others.
"Any trouble?" Rick asked.
"One walker, pretty weak" Michonne stated.
"Three walkers on our side" Jesus added.
"Okay. We have a list of what we need. Jesus, Alden Jerry, Ezekial, Aaron and Anne... I want you guys to bring the horses up to the rolling door and load up the carts with the heavy stuff. Fertilizer, propagating mixes, potting soil and irrigation hoses"
"Sure thing Rick" Jerry replied.
"The rest of us will go up to the second floor and get the rest of the supplies" Rick told them. "Carol and Michonne, you two take the left stair case, Negan, Aurora and I will take the right" their leader instructed.
Taking point Rick made his way up the stairs with the other two behind him. Everything was quiet apart from one lone walker who writhed about on the floor groaning and growling unable to walk. Aurora quickly dispatched it with her knife, wiping the blood on her pants. They met up with the other two and began scanning the shelves for what they wanted. Tossing seeds for every kind of vegetable and fruit into their backpacks, as well as herbs with any kind of cooking or medicinal value. They also grabbed gardening tools and gloves.
As they made their way back towards the stair case they began to hear a creaking noise. Everyone froze for a moment, listening for what it could be, hoping a herd hadn't rolled through while they were inside. Then they heard it again, louder than before and suddenly a section of the floor gave out sloping downwards, sending Rick sliding down on his ass hurtling towards a gaping hole in the floor.
"Rick!" Michonne screamed as she began to run toward him from the other side of the building.
Without a second thought Negan dropped his weapons and dove head first down the sloping floor, grabbing onto Rick with one hand and using his other to grab onto some shelving hoping it was sturdy enough to hold the both of them. He held on tight, dangerously close to the edge as Rick dangled helplessly below him. If either of them let go, Rick would surely break a few bones on impact, if he survived the fall at all with the metal bars protruding out of the shelving below. Negan began to haul Rick back up, as he inched closer Rick was able to grab onto a piece of timber frame in the flooring to help pull himself up.
Meanwhile Carol, Aurora and Michonne began tying off a couple of ropes to help pull the men back up, while the rest of the group were running for the other staircase to lend a hand.
Another loud creak could be heard making the floor lurch some more beneath them, Rick lost his grip and began to fall back down. Negan tightened his hold on Ricks wrist, the weight of his falling body dislocating Negan's shoulder with a sickening pop.
"Arghh mother fucker!" Negan cursed, still refusing to let go of Rick.
"Negan!" Aurora screamed in panic. Tying herself to one of the ropes she scrambled down the sloped floor as Aaron and Ezekial arrived to help lower her carefully. As she made it to them she stopped to check Negan.
"I'm fine Sweetheart" he said with a grimace. "Get Rick" he told her.
She signalled for the guys to lower her some more and she reached the edge where Rick was dangling, carefully she placed a rope around him and signalled for the others to pull him up. Negan let out a grunt of pain as he could finally release Rick from his grasp. Jerry, Alden and Michonne began pulling Rick back up to safety as Aurora scrambled up a little higher back to Negan.
"Hold on babe" she smiled. "They will toss the rope back down for you".
"I'll be fine Rori. Get back up to safety" he told her.
"No, not without you" she said watching on as he dangled precariously by one arm, not able to get a grip on the slanted floor with his boots.
"Aurora" Jerry called out before tossing the rope back to her. She quickly wrapped it around Negan and the group began to pull them both back up. After a few tense moments they were all back safely on solid ground.
"What the hell happened?" Michonne asked.
"One of the beams downstairs gave out by the looks" Aaron stated. "It must have been damaged.
"Negan" Rick spoke up as he approached him. Aurora had taken his jacket and shirt off and was examining his shoulder. "Thank you for what you did. Of everyone here, you were the last I'd have expected to save my ass" he stated seriously.
"Your welcome" Negan replied. "Can we get the fuck outta here so I can get my damn shoulder fixed".
"Let me take a look" Rick said.
"Thought you were a cop not a fucking doctor".
"I know a thing or two" Rick told him and Negan nodded.
"If you hurt me I can't guarantee I won't fucking hit you" Negan chuckled.