Rae slid her glock from its holster. She knew Negan wouldn't be in this barn just like she knew she wouldn't shoot him if he was but she liked the weight of it in her hand. So with a racing heart and a firstful of pistol Rae crept past the bales of hay, her eyes scanning any potential hiding spaces until she was certain, Negan was gone.
Gone. Bile rouse in her throat as she turned around on autopilot, one foot stretching out in front of the other until she was sprinting from the barn, calling Tim's name. She ran around the corner blind, colliding with Zuzu who was happily zipping around on a scooter that Tim had found before Jacob or Negan had ever existed.
"I told you to stay inside!" Rae scolded, her tone harsh with frustration that was trying to find an outlet.
One large tear rolled down Zuzu's cheek, paving the way for a waterfall of followers and Rae felt more than a pang of regret as she abandoned her little niece and ran towards the front gate. How could she have let Negan escape? How could she have been so careless? She couldn't even control a child so how had she expected to control a man like Negan?
"What's going on?" Carly called, shifting her baby from one hip to the other, her eyes searching out Zuzu like a good Mother would.
"Negan's gone!" Rae choked, any control she might have had now long lost. She was afraid. She'd been too harsh and now she didn't know what might come of it.
"Tim took him," Caryl replied quickly, her eyes darting around Rae's face while the words seemed to echo across every wall and weave between every blade of frosted grass.
"What?"
Carly's face fell, her words stuttering, "he said you knew. He said you'd asked him to take care of-"
"When?" Rae interrupted, already running to the red coupe that Negan had given her.
"He put Negan in one of the cars about fifteen minutes ago."
Rae slid into the soft leather seat, the idea of Tim's betrayal pounding her heart to a different tune as she reached into the glove box to find the keys gone from their usual spot. She wanted to think it was a coincidence as she yelled, "someone find me the keys for the goddamn car!" But when she ran into the house, upending the contents of her dresser drawer, to grab the map of Alexandria she realised that much like Tim and Negan, it was gone.
"Fuck!" Rae shouted, her hands shaking as the drawer clattered to the floor. A million different emotions were racing in competition and when her gaze landed on the bed, the comforter pulled over to one side, climbing under the covers seemed so tempting, letting the inevitable happen would be as easy as lying down and closing her eyes.
Grandma's voice brought her back from hopeless feelings but when Rae turned wanting to find comfort she realised Grandma sounded less frightened than she looked, her face was pale, her hand worrying an old dishcloth. "What's happening? What haven't you told us?"
Rae took a deep breath, a moment to gather her thoughts, "nothing. Everything is gonna be okay. I'm gonna make everything right." She smiled, she thought she almost sounded convincing and maybe that's all it took to be a leader, smoke and mirrors and the whatever it took to stop you crawling under the covers.
She kicked the drawer out of her way and as she walked through the door Grandma stopped her, "we're all counting on you and we're all here for you."
"I know." Rae jumped down the stairs, hurrying outside, she knew just how much everyone needed her to make the right decision. "Did you find the keys?" she asked, keeping her voice even as her people all gathered below the porch steps, their eyes wide like children. She supposed it was her own fault that Negan had escaped, she hadn't told anyone the real stakes and in trying to protect them she'd made them useless.
Carly held her baby in front of her like a safety net, her words a whisper almost masked by the breeze, "they're gone."
Rae knew they would be. She knew that she'd kept them in the glove box just like the map had been kept in her drawer, the only thing she didn't know was how long Tim had been planning this. "Okay," she held her chin up, her shoulders straight, "nobody comes in or out of these gates except for me, I want the children inside and everyone on guard duty, do you all understand?"
"What about Negan's men?"
"If they come here looking for Negan tell them he's with me and he wants them to wait for him at the other farm. Do not let them inside."
"What if you can't bring Negan back?"
It was probably what everyone was thinking and Rae didn't answer it. She grabbed a rifle from one of her people, walking to the gate with conviction, as if the question was a ridiculous one. When the gate opened wide enough she slipped through, running as fast as she possibly could and knowing the answer was 'I don't know.' If Tim took Negan to Rick then she had no idea what would happen next except that it would change everything.
There was another car, a spare she kept hidden across the fields for moments not unlike this one and as she ran towards it every passing moment felt like a lifetime. She worried she wouldn't know which way to go without a map, she worried she'd be too late but more than anything part of her worried that Negan would hate her for what she did to him today.
By the time Rae had made it to the car her lungs were burning, the taste of blood filling her throat and her worries had only intensified. She grabbed the keys from the glove box, her eyes filled with unshed tears as the engine spluttered to life on her fourth attempt.
It might have been stupid, it might even have been the wrong decision but Rae had planned on freeing Negan. She'd hoped that despite everything she didn't know about him she knew enough to know he would never truly hurt her, at least in the physical sense. Emotional was something else. If she thought about it then she'd been a fool to put even the smallest amount of stock into a man guarding her feelings, it had never worked out for her in the past so why would it be different now? Negan had made her feel special, he'd taken her away from the world for a brief snapshot of time and she was grateful for that even if it had all been a fabrication. He'd told her there would be no poetry in being with him and he'd been right.
/
Negan worked his wrists and ankles against his restraints and Timmy might have been a little dweeb but the fucker sure knew how to tie a knot leaving any attempt at brute force utterly useless. He had nothing more than brush burn where the rope was starting to slice through the tender skin of his wrists and as he lay on the backseat of the old sedan he wondered if it was Rae who had given little Timmy the go ahead to do her dirty work. He pictured the fire in her eyes when she'd shoved the taser in his chest and chuckled despite the sticky situation. Rae had been angry enough to chop off his balls, she wouldn't have sent him away without a farewell 'fuck you'. No, Timmy was working alone.
Negan watched the trees whizzing past the window, row after row as he decided not to accept his fate, "I need to go to the little boys room."
"Hold it," Tim spat with what sounded like sadistic satisfaction.
Negan held his tongue and with as much charm as a man hog tied like roadkill could muster he crooned, "I wish I could but I know how far we are from Alexandria, Timmy boy."
Tim ignored him, his hands at ten and two and his eyes glued to the road.
It occurred to Negan that Tim hadn't looked at him once, hadn't spoken unless spoken to. Perhaps he was scared, either scared of Negan or scared of what he might do if he got started. Negan knew the second feeling well, he also knew how to push the right buttons to get a reaction. "What kind of man lets another man piss himself? Unless you like that? Maybe you wanna sit in a car with the stench of my piss for the next couple of hours. Fuck, maybe I should shit myself too? How about it Timmy? You can admit it, we're just two men shooting the fucking..." Negan laughed, "shit."
The car slammed to a halt, Negan couldn't stop the way he fell into the footwell just as much as he couldn't hide the smile on his face.
"Maybe I should just kill you right now?" Timmy spluttered, "I don't think Rick cares if you're alive or dead when I bring you to him."
Shit. Negan hadn't planned on Timmy actually growing a pair of fucking balls here. He wanted him angry, not murderous. "You're gonna kill a man because he needs to take a piss. Now what would Rae think about that?"
Timmy smiled, "she'll probably be glad you're finally gone. Then she won't have to sleep with you in exchange for whatever it is she thinks you provide."
Negan gritted his teeth, his hands balling into tight fists, "either kill me or take me to the little boys room but let's not try to pretend she didn't wanna fuck me because we both know that she did."
Tim pulled a pistol from his belt, sliding the safety with his thumb before pressing the barrel to Negan's temple, "maybe she did but not anymore. You're nothing now, you're pathetic and when I give you to Rick he's gonna give us all the help we need."
"If you think you can trust that fucker Rick Grimes then you're an even bigger idiot than I thought. He's a liar and he wouldn't think twice about slitting your throat. Or Rae's. So do me a fucking favour and kill me now because I don't wanna see Rae, Grandma and Zuzu being killed in the middle of the night by that merry band of assholes."
Tim hesitated, weighing his options before his face creased back into a snarl, "I don't wanna hear your bullshit and if you try anything then I will kill you."
Negan didn't say anything. He held his tongue again and it worked. Tim pulled Negan from the car by the scruff of his neck before turning to lead the way into a clearing by the side of the road.
"You expect me to hop along like this?" Negan nodded to the rope that bound his legs. "Jesus Christ Timmy you are one inhumane motherfucker. You tie me up, shove a gun in my face and you can't even let me walk to the john like a fucking man?"
It must have struck a chord with Timmy because no matter how tough little Timmy tried to be he was still just the dweeb that followed Rae like a lost puppy. "Remember what I said," Tim warned, waving the pistol in Negan's face before he crouched on one knee, loosening the knot.
As soon as the rope was slack Negan did remember Timmy's threat he just couldn't care fucking less nor would he waste a golden opportunity to give little Timmy one swift knee to the face. Blood burst from his nose, his glasses hit the tarmac and it felt damned good. Negan laughed, even if he ended up being shot for his effort it was worth it to get one satisfying hit on the little prick.
Tim fell to the road, his nose pouring blood and Negan didn't even consider stopping his attack. He had a whole boat load of pent up rage that he'd been savoring for this fucker and now he had the perfect excuse. He kicked him in the stomach and Tim rolled over with a groan, drawing his pistol in a pathetic attempt to line up a shot. Negan kicked Tim's arm, the impact sounding out with a satisfying crunch followed by the bang of the gun, the bullet whizzing into the tree's.
As Timmy began to scramble to his feet Negan kicked the pistol from his hand like he was kicking the football in a field goal and it flew through the air, over a short rail separating the road from a long ditch, landing in places unknown.
"You're one dumb little fucker," Negan couldn't help but taunt, even with his hands literally tied behind his back he was about to kill this dweeb. He was going to stomp him down like an oversized roach and the blood lust was insatiable.
Timmy pulled a knife, it was a small thing made for gutting fish rather than men but he slashed it anyway, catching Negan's chest in the process.
"Motherfucker," Negan shouted as he noticed the slit that ran all the way across his leather jacket. Not deep enough to do any harm but deep enough to ruin the jacket. With his face twisted into an even angrier line Negan advanced on Timmy who's eyes were like two saucers, his knife suddenly shaking in his hand. Tim thought better of a second attack instead sprinting towards the trees where the pistol had disappeared.
Negan chased him, no knife in a knife fight was one thing, no gun was another. He charged after Tim as hard as he could, shoulder barging him over the railing, the momentum sending them both tumbling down the side of a steep hill.
If he'd have been a cartoon character he'd have had a ring of stars twinkling a halo around his head. Instead, Negan had spots clouding his vision and he couldn't tell if he'd been out cold or just momentarily stunned as he lay still, letting his body register a list of injuries. His head was throbbing and his arms were uncomfortable under his weight but other than that he was okay.
When he rolled to his side Timmy was just lying there, motionless amongst the undergrowth and whether dead or unconscious Negan didn't give a flying fuck.
He pulled himself to his feet, spotting a roamer clawing his way through the trees before he noticed Tim's knife lodged in the grass. The sound of the gun firing had no doubt lured the dead and there would surely be more so he wasted no time before attempting to saw through the rope that was binding his wrists. He had barely begun when he heard the rumble of an engine.
"Shit," he muttered, slowly standing and scanning the undergrowth for the pistol as he continued hacking away at the rope. He listened to the sound of a car door opening then slamming shut and what came next made his heart stop, the knife slipping from his fingers.
"Negan!"
It was Rae's voice and he stood motionless in the wake of it before pulling his shit together, grabbing the knife and ducking behind the nearest tree. He couldn't risk her capturing him again and he wasn't going to fight if he didn't have the advantage, if the end of the world had taught him one thing it had certainly been that. He peered around the trunk of the tree, scanning the road until he spotted her telltale red hair and the muzzle of a very large rifle.
She called his name again and he wondered for a moment why she wasn't calling for Timmy only to decide it was because maybe she didn't really give a crap about Timmy. The idea inched a smile across his face, maybe there really was still hope for him and Red.
One of the roamer's was gaining on him and his hiding place was up if he didn't want to get eaten alive so he only had one choice. "I'm here baby," he admitted, kicking away the dead man that dived for him and finishing it with his boot when it tumbled to the ground.
"Negan?" Rae gasped and when he turned he could see her slowly climbing down the side of the hill, her rifle slung over her shoulder and her voice wary as she asked, "where's Tim?"
Negan crept to a new hiding spot, making sure to keep Red in his line of sight "We had a fight, he's out cold," he said, he didn't say the part where he might be dead, it wasn't going to do him any favors. Instead he finished slicing through the rope, shaking it from his wrists as he watched Red finally make it to the forest floor. She crouched down, placing her fingers against Tim's neck before shaking his shoulder and whispering his name.
"You ask Timmy to take me to Rick?" Negan prayed the sound of his voice wouldn't give away his exact location. He was far enough away and there were enough trees to cause confusion.
Rae's eyes darted towards him but he remained hidden, crouched behind a fallen tree. "No," she called, standing, bringing her rifle in front of her. "I don't trust you Negan, but I don't trust Rick either. I know you might not believe me but I was gonna let you go, I don't wanna be part of a war that might get my people killed." She paused, her shoulders slumped and her voice had a broken edge, "I want you to leave and never come back, I don't wanna see you or your people again."
Negan wiped his hand over his face, his heart pounding, "you breaking up with me, Red?"
She held her rifle higher, her eyes searching down the scope like a trained riflewoman, "I'm not playing, Negan."
"Neither am I, baby doll." He rolled the knife in his hand and the snap of twigs catching his attention. He turned his head he could see more dead filtering through the trees, enough to be a problem and enough to cut a path right between himself and Rae. "You see that, Red?" he called, standing up and keeping cover away from prying green eyes.
She shifted her rifle towards the dead, her eyes darting everywhere else, "where are you?"
"It doesn't matter. We both know I'm not coming back with you right now so you better get your ass up on that road and into your car like a good girl before you get hurt."
She hesitated, taking several steps forward and he wanted to spank her ass for even thinking about putting it on the line, "you can try and catch me Red or you can get Timmy to safety. He's not gonna make it without you and you haven't got time to fuck around baby."
Rae glanced at Tim, huffing out a sigh before throwing her rifle back on her shoulder.
"I'll stay here while you get to safety and I want you to know, this shit ain't over between us Rachel Honey."
"Are you threatening me?" she demanded and he could just picture the look that would be resting on her face.
"I'm just saying, I'm not finished with you, not by a long fucking shot sweetheart."
A/N- Thank you for reading and especially thank you to those of you who left comments on the last chapter. You guys have no idea how much that means to me and how much that inspires me to keep pushing through the writers block!