Negan beckoned Carson over, "have you got everything ready for our little plan?"

"I'm not sure this is a good idea boss."

Negan glanced over his shoulder to Rae, who was fitting the spark plugs back into place with one of her people, "it's a fucking excellent idea." He was full of them.

This morning Rae had helped Negan choose the four men who would best impersonate Jacob's Raiders. They would be the driver and passenger of the two stolen trucks, everyone else would ride in the back. Negan was taking inspiration from legend, two trojan horses and of course it would work. He had the element of surprise. After talking with Carly, the woman Rae had rescued from the Raiders, Negan's men had constructed a map of the compound. Now everyone had a good idea of what they would be facing when they got inside and everyone knew their job.

/

"Have you ever used one of these?" Mark said as Rae slammed the hood of the truck down.

Rae glanced at his hand, "is that a taser?"

"Just press this button on the side," he handed it to her so she could see what he was talking about, "it'll take a man out without actually killing him. Most of the time anyway."

Rae turned it over in her hand before frowning at Mark. "Why are you giving me this?"

"You're smart... but you're no killer." He laughed, "if you was, you probably would have killed Negan when you had the chance."

"You think I'm weak?"Just like Miguel, Jacob and probably Negan thought.

"No, killing is easy." Mark took the taser from her placing it into a leather pouch that she could clip on her belt. "I think it's a good thing."

He handed the taser back to her, he was right, she wasn't a killer, "thank you."

When Mark walked away in a cloud of cigarette smoke Rae's eyes sought Negan. He was talking to one of his men. His barbed wire bat sitting on his shoulder, his face serious like it almost never was when he talked to her. Should she have killed him when she had the chance?

He caught her eye and winked, the dimples in his cheeks creasing and the very idea of him being gone made her stomach sink. He was an arrogant bastard but he was also the only person in the world who she'd told about rigging Miguels election and the only person who hadn't judged her for having sex with Jacob.

Rae added the taser to her belt and took her place in the back of the truck. Negan sat next to her. If asked Rae would have said the journey was uncomfortable and it wasn't because she was sitting on the cargo hold of the truck floor next to Negan. It wasn't even because of the dark that had her pressing her shoulder closer to him like he was an anchor in the blackness. It was because she was in a truck full of men and they were silent. No banter, no talking, just quiet. She wondered if it was because she was here or perhaps because of Negan but then it occurred to her that these strangers were going to war for her, right now. They were on their way to fight, possibly die, for a strange woman who didn't even know their names.

Rae sank further into Negan, as if in the darkness he wouldn't know it was her. Like she could take comfort from the smell of his skin, the warmth of his body and he would just ignore it. Of course he didn't. She felt his arm snake around her waist, his nose nuzzling against her hair, his breath tickling her neck.

"You okay Red?" he breathed the words for her ears only.

Rae held her breath, her heart was pounding so hard she was certain everyone could hear it. She shifted her body so she wasn't as close to him and regretted it instantly, "I'm fine, I just... " she looked into the darkness, the faded outline of faces, the hidden ears all listening. "I'm fine."

The truck pulled up, the engine died and the back door rolled open, the last ray's of daylight burning her eyes for a moment. She was sure they couldn't be at Jacob's compound just yet.

"Everybody out," Negan commanded.

Rae like all the others did as she was told.

"Right children," Negan grinned, "time for potty, a cigarette, or even a quick fucking shifty. You got five minutes. I don't wanna catch any fucker with his pants down when we get inside, I don't care if you fucking shit yourself."

"Yes Daddy," Mark saluted and Rae bit back her laugh.

Negan grinned waggling his eyebrows as though he quite liked the moniker. Then he pointed to her with Lucille, "Red, this way…" he gestured to the treeline.

"I thought we discussed supervised toilet breaks."

Negan chuckled, "you trying to be smart doll?"

Rae bit her tongue, resigning herself to doing as she was told and walking to where he had pointed. As she walked past Negan he gave her one sharp slap on the behind, hard enough to make her yelp.

She spun on her heel to glare at him and of course he just grinned, "itchy palm baby doll."

"You're a…" she tightened her jaw, holding in anything that she wanted to say, convincing herself that he'd only enjoy it.

"What?" he shrugged his shoulders, his eyes dancing.

"You're such a… asshole!"

"I know, now get your ass moving and watch your damn language before Grandma Ellie gives you another spanking."

Urgh, she cursed herself for cursing and giving him exactly what he wanted. She was going to say he was 'unbelieveable' but he would just love that.

Negan led her through the trees to a clearing where they came across a stray halfer crawling through the undergrowth. He slammed Lucille down, one hard swoop that crushed the halfers skull like an egg.

Rae cringed, "are you gonna tell me what we're doing out here?"

"You were getting pretty fucking cosy in that truck Red. I thought you were gonna climb into my lap."

She blushed, she wanted to sink into the undergrowth and disappear. She couldn't even think of a good excuse.

Negan leaned Lucille against a tree, "I thought you might appreciate some alone time before we have to go fight. We could fucking die, you wanna go to your doom without one great fuck?"

Rae snorted, "you're deranged!"

Negan held his arms out, "because I wanna fuck you? You're too hard on yourself Red, you're a beautiful woman."

"How could I possibly resist? Where do you wanna do it? On that rock, by the tree? Next to that dead body? What about in front of all your men?"

"If that's what tickles your fucking fancy. Shit, I'd be giving my men a fucking education," he laughed.

Rae wondered why in the world she had thought bad about the idea of shooting him. She wanted to take the taser Mark had given her and plant it straight in his crotch. Instead she felt a prick of pain in the side of her neck followed by an ice cold whoosh flooding her body. She turned to see Carson, syringe in hand, his face cringing in uncertainty.

She pressed her palm to her neck, already feeling sluggish, "what have you done?"

"Its for your own good Red," Negan crooned, his smile as satisfied as ever.

Rae reached for her glock, fumbling with the leather strap that clipped it in her holster, her limbs were already heavy, her eyelids already drooping as she began to stumble.

"Woah Red, you don't need to fucking shoot me," she felt his fingers pulling her wrist away from her gun, his other hand on her lower back, "you're just gonna take a nice long nap sleeping beauty, if you're lucky I might even give you a kiss to wake you."

She wanted to shout at Negan but her mind was slow, her eyes closing for longer than she could keep them open.

Negan picked her up like a bride, her head hung limp.

"You fuck," she slurred and she could hear him laughing until the world went black.

/

Another perfect fucking plan executed. Negan could read people like a book and he loved pressing every last one of Rae's buttons. She'd been so mad that she hadn't even noticed Carson creeping like a fucking elephant with a bell on its head.

This morning he'd promised Grandma Ellie that he would keep her granddaughter safe. Last night he'd told Rae she could join him on the trip. Before both those things he'd already sent Gary to retrieve Carson and a syringe of tranquilizers. He knew Rae would want to come on this trip, he also knew there was no fucking way it would happen. Just like he had told her last night.

He placed Rae in the back of Carson's car, tucking the crook of her arm under her head and stroking the wisps of hair off her face. This was probably as close as he was going to get to her for a very fucking long time. Jesus, he almost couldn't wait to wake the sleeping lion back up. He took the time to look at her, longer than was necessary and longer than he was comfortable with doing in front of Carson. Her mouth was open, catching flies, and her hands curled into angry fists.

Negan almost reached out to touch her hair again before ordering himself to get a fucking grip and hitting his head on the doorframe as he stood from the car. He opened the passenger door and rested his other lady comfortably in the footwell. He didn't like to leave Lucille like this but a warzone was no place for his girls.

Negan shut the door softly, even though Rae was out for the count and turned to Carson, "take care of my girls," he stepped even closer to Carson, "no touching."

"I would never."

Of course he wouldn't. That's why Carson got the job of babysitting the girls and not some fuck like Mark. All Carson had to do now was drive to the safe place and wait until Negan swung by to collect them all later.

Negan began to walk back to the trucks. There was only two people that would question his plans or one missing red head; Miguel who was had been conveniently placed in the other truck and Mark who could go fuck himself.

"Where's Rae?" Mark said the moment Negan stepped into the back of the truck.

Negan laughed, how fucking perfect, "what did I tell you about growing a fucking brain? I'll worry about Red. You just worry about not fucking things up."