As Rae cornered the house she watched Mary toppling from her place on the wall, a line of blood chasing her like the jetstream of a plane. For a heartbeat it was like time ticked a little slower, the din faded and everything but Mary took pause, held breath, until her body hit the dirt and the clamour of bullets started again.

Rae gasped, her vision tunneling as she ran over, falling to her knees besides Mary. She remembered the first time she'd ever seen Mary. She'd been driving home from a supply run and there she was, alone, walking by the side of the road. One side of her face covered in dried blood, the other nothing but a vacant expression. Rae had stopped the truck and without a single word Mary had climbed in, wrapped her arms around her centre and sobbed the whole way home.

"I've got you," Rae pressed her hand against Mary's neck to try stem the blood that was pouring but it pooled relentlessly, flooding through her fingers, a viscous mess as Mary's terrified eyes locked with hers, accepting her fate.

Rae's other hand held Mary's, "I won't let go."

Mary gurgled, blood spluttering from her lips, her eyes staring blankly as her grip on Rae's hand fell away. It was quick, a matter of seconds and she was gone. This morning Rae had asked her to stand watch on the gate and now she was dead.

Rae turned her hand over, staring at her bloody palm before frantically rubbing it across the dirt and picking up Mary's fallen rifle.

Negan squeezing her shoulder gave her heart a start before she turned to look at him, he held his hand to pull her up and she accepted, letting him heave her from the floor like her limbs were leaden.

"She was..." Rae tried to think of something profound, Mary had been a wife and mother, a waitress in a some nameless diner, a friend, a woman. They didn't talk very often but "she was family."

"I'm sorry Red."

Rae turned, walked to the wall and the instant her foot touched the bottom rung of the ladder the shooting stopped. Someone shouted, "it's the Raiders," and her body tensed, taking pause before she forced herself up the ladder with Negan close behind.

A familiar truck was pulled up on the drive. Just as at the Orchard yesterday Raider's climbed out, 6 in total and none of them Jacob.

"He's not here," she muttered before Negan had chance to ask.

"Not this time," he said and she looked at him briefly before she focused back on the men who were here.

"You fucked with our people Rachy." The man that spoke she'd only met a couple of times in the months she had known Jacob, his name was Danny. "They were here yesterday and they never came home last night. That can't be a coincidence. Jacob is very unhappy with you. What you gonna do to make him happy?"

Rae held tight to Mary's rifle, her eyes filled with tears, "I didn't do anything."

"Don't lie to me Rachel, where are they?" He raised his weapon, "Jacob might want you alive but I'm not so generous. I don't give a shit about you or your people, I would shoot every last one of you and tear this house down brick by brick."

"She's not lying," Negan countered, she could hear the smile in his voice. "I can guaran-fucking-tee it." Negan laughed. "I fucked with your people. Cracked their skulls into the dirt. Gotta tell you it was a dirty fucking mess but you are most… welcome."

Rae's heart fell to her feet.

Danny stepped forward, his face twisted, "who the hell do you think you are?"

"Judge... Jury... hell... I'm the fucking executioner too," Negan baited as the front gate groaned open.

Rae glanced over the wall to see Mark strolling out followed by the rest of Negan's men and some of her own people too. Part of her wanted to squeeze her eyes shut and like Zuzu pretend that if she couldn't see it then it wasn't real. There was no way this was going to end without bloodshed, the only question was who's.

Danny's rifle changed direction, pointing to the people on the ground. He didn't seem to know how to react, to Negan's men who faced them down without flinching.

Negan flicked the safety on the 50 calibre. "This isn't normally my style Red but I made you a promise and I'm a man of my fucking word."

The Raiders had come here expecting to negotiate with Rae, terrorise her people and remind her who was really in charge. They hadn't expected Negan. Nobody expects a man like Negan. He was so unafraid, so controlled, her stomach was churning so hard she thought she might vomit and he was smiling.

Negan winked at Rae and the hail of metal that spat from the 50 cal was like a knife through butter. Bam, bam, bam, a rhythmic clunking of bullets flying home.

There was no cover, nowhere to hide and Negan showed no mercy until it was over.

Rae watched him the entire time, he even laughed until the shooting stopped and he turned to look at her his expression amused but not smiling.

What Negan had done yesterday had cost Mary's life, this could cost everything. She wasn't sure how many people Jacob had but she knew it was a lot and she knew his compound was not a place you could just walk up to, "he's going to kill us." Jacob had never wanted to outright kill Rae, but after this she was sure he would stop at nothing.

"You, your people, sure he could fucking do that. You're just a dot, Red. I'm a motherfucking mountain and I do the fucking killing."

/

Negan strolled out of Rae's wild west fort to make sure the job was finished. Usually he'd chop the fucking balls off a group and they'd be working for him but this was different, personal somehow. He wanted to cut off the balls, the head and then rip out the heart and hand them all to one leggy redhead.

Rae had been terrified by these men, hiding behind her fort with her tiny army of women and old men but Negan was afraid of nothing, intimidated by nothing, his strength was going to push all the way into Jacob's home to tear him the fuck apart.

He kicked over one of the dead bodies, and turned to one of his men, "you got a fucking twin you don't know about Gary?"

"Sir?" Gary raised his brows as he walked over to take a look. "Jesus," he gasped, "what a fuckin' trip."

It was almost uncanny, aside from the different shades of hair the resemblance was creepy as fuck. Negan scratched his beard, a plan formulating in his mind as he watched Rae pulling one of the dead mens rifles from the floor before passing it to Tim. They stood close, talking in hushed tones and sharing what looked like some bullshit sentimental heart to heart until Tim held her, his nose pressed into her hair enjoying himself a little bit too fucking much.

When Tim finally let Rae go she glanced at Negan, her eyes locking with his until she walked to stand in front of him. "Get rid of them, I don't want them outside my front door."

"Oh I'm gonna do much fucking better than that," he kicked the body with his foot. "You think you can get the blood off these clothes?"

Rae's eyes went wide before giving a sideways glance to the body, "send them to the house, I'm sure Grandma can sort something."

Then she walked away and of course Negan watched her, long legs, tight ass, big fucking gun. She might have been man hating and dragging a fort full of fucked up baggage but his dick didn't seem to care.

Negan gave Donnie and Gary a list of names. "Take your bikes, get back to Sanctuary and I want you back here tonight."

"But Sir, that might be-" Donnie started.

Negan gave him a look, "tonight means tonight and if that means you need devine fucking intervention then you better start praying."

Then he turned to Mark the fucking brain, "strip the bodies, then get rid of them. Store the truck out of fucking sight and no fucking shit up."

Himself, he took Rae's devoted lapdog Tim on a little field trip.

"You're one lucky motherfucker," he said to Tim as the truck ambled along the road, his companion sitting awkwardly. Things were about to get more awkward. "Bet you can't believe your fucking luck, the end of the world and you wind up in a farm full of pussy."

Tim looked horrified under his big wire glasses but he didn't say a word.

Negan chuckled, "bet you have the pick of the beds."

Tim pulled at his collar, his cheeks bright red.

"Or are you more of a one woman man Timmy?" Negan studied him, "long legs... red hair…"

"Rae's my friend."

Negan laughed, "your friend you'd like to fuck. No man kisses that much ass without wanting a piece of it."

"She's a nice person."

They pulled up outside Stricklands Orchard, and Negan jumped out of the cab. Tim followed. "Don't worry Timmy we're just talking, two men shooting the fucking shit, your dirty secrets are safe with me."

The Raider's yellow van was where it had been left yesterday. Useless to the owners who lay in the ditch right next to it.

Negan opened the driver's door, checking the ignition for keys before coming up empty handed. Of course that would have been too fucking easy. He jumped down, using Lucille to point to the ditch, "you best get looking Timmy, haven't got all fucking night."

Tim peered down, gritting his teeth with reluctance before he turned to Negan. "Rae wouldn't ask me to do something she wasn't willing to do herself and… she… she'll never go for someone like you."

Even as Tim said the words Negan could tell he was afraid of them and the possible repercussions. His words were all fight but his tone was all terror. Still, it was more than he had expected and he laughed at the show of force, "I don't want her to come easy Timmy… I'm not you... I want Rae to come hard."

/

The hole was halfway dug. Rae didn't know who was preparing Mary's body for burial or fixing the destruction caused by the bullets. All she knew was digging. Her shovel hit a large rock and she screamed in frustration but it was a half formed noise, too tired, too upset to really be more than a whimper. Instead she angrily jabbed at the soil around the rock trying to loosen it until a pair of boots came into vision. She looked along the legs to see Mark.

"You need a hand?" he asked.

Rae pushed her hair from her face with the back of her arm, "nope."

Mark crouched down to sit with his legs dangling into the hole, "I'm gonna help you anyway."

She huffed, pushing the same errant strand of hair off her face once more, "shouldn't you be kissing Negan's ass somewhere?"

Mark smiled, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket before dragging one out with his teeth, "should you?"

"I don't do that."

"Good," Mark lit the end of his cigarette and jumped into the hole, pulling a shovel behind him. "You seem like a nice girl."

"Is that an accusation?"

"I dunno…" he looked over his shoulder to where some of his men were standing, "I wouldn't wanna be with someone who wouldn't let me smoke a cigarette."

"His Grandma died of-" she stopped herself, why the hell was she defending that arrogant bastard anyway. "I'm not with Negan." Rae turned her back to Mark, jabbing her shovel back in the dirt, annoyed, upset. She wanted to be alone, all she wanted to think about was digging the hole. Shovel in, dirt out. Sometimes she couldn't stand the worries and the thoughts that ran ring after ring around her head, all loud and screaming for attention that she could never find time enough to give.

Mark seemed to understand, he started digging in silence, nothing but the rhythmic noise of the shovel and his cloud of smoke to tell her he was there. God she needed a cigarette.

/

Night fell and as requested Donnie returned with the Saviours Negan had sent for. He'd taken them all over to the farm across from Rae's before he briefed them on tomorrow's plan. Now everyone was settling down and Negan decided to make the journey back across the field.

When he approached the gate it opened and he couldn't help but smile as he strolled though. To these people he really was a fucking savior.

Miguel climbed down from the crow's nest, his face decidedly calmer as he walked towards Negan. They stared at each other like two stags about to strike fucking antlers before Miguel spoke, "you did good today… that don't mean I trust you, hombre. But whatever you got planned for tomorrow, I want in."

A smile twitched at his lips, "now that all depends…"

"On what?"

This fuck had a nasty habit of pushing out his chin and squaring up his chest than Negan didn't like, "say please."

"What?" Miguel snapped.

"You wanna play with the big boys… you say please like you fucking mean it or you can stay home and knit doilies with Grandma, comprende?

"Yo, fuck you man, I'm a United States Marine, I don't say please to some-"

Negan grinned, squaring up to Miguel, "I don't care if you're the fucking President. I'm not Rae, your shit doesn't slide with me. You saw what I did, those fuckers didn't piss me off half as much as you are right fucking now and every morsel of time I fucking spend with you."

Miguel backed away, his face like thunder, a vein in his forehead bulging like it might burst "talking to you was just a courtesy, you can go fuck yourself asshole."

Negan shook his head as Miguel fucked off back to the safety of his crows nest. He wondered how the fuck Rae dealt with that jumped up little prick. Jesus fuck, he twirled Lucille in his palm, she was thirsty, she wanted to shut Miguel's shit down but he resisted. He thought about bottle green eyes and run away freckles and suddenly his dick was doing the decision making as he wandered through the vegetable gardens to find Rae sitting on the ground, back against the potting shed a cigarette in hand.

"That shit'll kill you baby," he said.

She looked at him, her eyes ringed with red that didn't sit well on her face, "not if Jacob gets there first."

He smiled, lightening the mood, "you don't think I can perform?"

Rae laughed bitterly taking another drag of her cigarette as he took a seat on the floor next to her.

"How the fuck do you keep that prick Miguel in line?" he asked, genuinely curious.

Rae blew her smoke away from him before looking back, "he wanted control, I didn't want to give it to him, so we held a vote."

Negan grinned, "how fucking democratic of you Red."

"I rigged it," she said matter of factly, extinguishing her cigarette in the dirt and licking those soft lips.

Negan's head fell back as he laughed hard, "you really can't fucking trust anyone." Holding an election was for pussy's, rigging the election… fuck, stroke of genius. Another person might have been appalled but Negan knew he liked Red and it only added to her appeal.

Rae waited until his laughing subsided before she spoke again, "I'm coming with you tomorrow."

"Definitely fucking not."

"These are my people, it's my fight. You can't stop me!"

"I sure as fuck can. Did you forget the part where your ass is mine?" he smiled, looking down her body then back to her eyes. "Or do I have to show you."

Rae's jaw tightened, "I thought you'd lost all interest."

"We both know that isn't true baby doll. You might be a fucked up woman but hell… I'm a fucked up man. We can be fucked together."

Rae ran her hand through her hair, rage subsiding until she was all bitchface and business like, "your plan tomorrow relies on using Jacob's trucks right?"

Negan nodded. Jacob's trucks was the entire fucking crux of his plan.

"I've taken the spark plugs. Hidden them, you're going nowhere without me."

Negan could hardly keep the smile off his face when he was talking with Rae. Where the fuck had she been these past two years? "You're a sneaky little fucker Red, I'll give you that. But what's to stop me taking the plugs and locking you in the fucking broom closet? Besides which, your people rely on my plan to fucking kill Jacob. So unless you want me to change my mind you'll hand back the spark plugs like a good girl and nobody has to have a spanking. Because I gotta tell you Red when I get around you and you try to be smarter than me my palm gets itchy as fuck."

Her cheeks flushed, she sucked her bottom lip and he hoped she was thinking about it as much as he was. He wanted her to say 'do it', his mind was running away with ideas but her flush subsided and bitch face returned. "I think you want to kill Jacob for yourself… you don't wanna share the pissing spot with another dog."

He laughed, how very true. He didn't like sharing anything. If he took a woman she had to give herself to him in full but in return she only got part. Negan wondered if Rae liked sharing or if her people would leave this place and return to the Sanctuary with him. He decided the answer was probably no on both accounts and as much as he wanted Rae where he could see her he didn't want her in the Sanctuary anymore. He wanted Rae right here, a world of her own with her sharp tongue and long legs.

"Alright, you can come but I gotta tell you Red, if you get your ass killed I am going to be bitterly disa-fucking-pointed."

"I don't care what you think." She stood up, wiping the flecks of dirt of her ass and the backs of her legs, "see you in the morning."

"Not if I see you first."

Rae rolled her eyes, a smile almost forming on her lips as she backed away leaving him with the last word.

Thank you for reading. I was worried that nobody would want to read my story after Negan's (lets call it dramatic) debut but I've had more hits than ever and a bunch of new followers! I'd love to hear what you guys are thinking of my story so far.