Instantly Negan blinked believing he was dreaming.
No, he couldn't be... There, the woman standing beside the man with the dark hair was Lucy. His Lucy. She looked exactly as she did the last time he laid eyes on her earlier this year. Speechless, he nearly pushed Neil out of the way and stumbled down the three metal steps before locking sights with her as she nervously looked around. Approaching, he couldn't believe it. If anyone at this exact moment tried getting in the way he was certain he would kill them. "Lucy?" The woman looked over and locked eyes with him.
Earlier that day...
"You're name is Lucille ain't it? Holy shit woman we all thought you were dead!"
Lucy eyed Joe before looking back at the men inside the truck.
"I'm sorry, do I know you?"
The men all exchanged a look before the door opened and they spilled out in front of them. Joe took a step further back, still holding onto Lucy's arm. The man in the middle grinned before looking her up and down.
"What happened to you woman? Last I heard you fucking fell on a cliff...we all thought you were dead."
Lucy looked, now feeling annoyed.
"I don't know what you're talking about..."
The driver shook his head, holding his rifle out.
"She's playing dumb..." Lucy shot a look up at him before shaking her head.
"No really, I have no idea what you're talking about..."
"Jesus is Negan going to have a fit seeing you."
Suddenly Lucy froze.
"Negan?"
The middle man chuckled.
"Yeah don't you remember you're own husband?"
Lucy shifted from one foot to the other, trying to keep the look of unease off her face. Instead, the driver waved his rifle around.
"Get into the back with Larry, hand over the gun...any funny moves and I'll shoot."
Lucy and Joe exchanged a look before the man's eyebrows went down as he snapped...
"LET'S GO!"
Joe jumped slightly before handing the gun over. The man named Larry snatched it before looking both of them up and down.
"Anything else on you?"
Both shook their heads.
"Drop you're packs and move real slow..."
Slowly he followed Lucy and Joe into the back of the truck while Neil watched.
"Jesus...I can't believe it..."
"It's her isn't it?"
"Of course it was..."
"You think she's messing around playing dumb?"
"I don't know, from what Negan said she fell...could have fucked her up a little bit...but if she is she'll be taught a lesson real fast."
The men lowered their voices as they watched Joe and Lucy climb into the back of the truck by gunpoint. Both men watched before Neil shook his head.
"No babies..."
"Do you think?" Neil cut him off shaking his head and reaching down to grab one of the packs.
"I don't know what to think, let's just get her back to camp fast..."
Nodding, the packs were loaded up and they began heading back to camp.
Present.
"Let me look at you..."
Negan said grabbing Lucy's head as if she were a mere rag doll. Lucy stiffened up, her large doe eyes looking scared and confused. Besides the length and choppy cut of her hair, it was still her. She seemed a little thin, circled beneath her eyes, but it was still Lucy. His Lucy. Negan stared into her face like a madman. His chest heaved, as he stared at her with complete and utter disbelief. For nearly three months now he had truly believed she was dead. The last time he saw her she stood on the ledge of the rock quarry, glaring at him and letting him know she would rather die than to ever be his again. With one simple leap herself along with his two unborn children disappeared from his life. He knew he had suffered a nervous breakdown in doing so, and had convinced himself it was merely an accident. That she hadn't escaped and tried to kill herself to be rid of him. That they had been in love, and this tragic accident had taken her away from him. When they didn't find a body he was driven on the slight possibility she could still be alive...
Now here she was. Negan roughly held the sides of her head, pressing too hard as he stared at her. His eyes were huge. Lucy liked a frightened child stared up at him before he felt his heartbeat pound so hard it pulsed in his temples. Lucy stared at him before uttering one single word...
"Negan?"
Negan rammed his lips against hers in a violent smothering kiss. Instantly his entire mouth seemed to swallow up hers. Opening and closing his mouth worked on hers, sucking deeply as he plunged his tongue down her throat and seemed to be tasting her rather than kissing her. Holding tight, he moaned as his eyes shut as his hands traveled up and down her sides. From a distance Joe stood at gunpoint looking uneasy as the others watched. The kiss continued on as his hands gripped tightly against her sides, hard enough to crush her. When the kiss finally broke, spit trailed between their lips, both breathless. Staring down at her, Negan stared before Lucy blinked. "Are you...my husband?" She asked in a soft whisper, half shaken and uneven. Negan stared at her confused before slowly nodding. Lucy stared up before suddenly her eyes rolled back into her head and she slumped completely limp in his arms. Standing up straight, Negan clutched onto her, nearly dropping her. Instantly he looked scared to death. Shaking her, he stared down.
"LUCY?!"
He pressed his ear against her chest before a few of the men came hurrying over.
"She fainted..."
He carefully laid her down, as the men circled about. Joe tried to step forward but a gun was pressed against his side. Negan laid Lucy out carefully as if she were made of glass. The men all squatted around before Negan snarled at them, raising his voice to become loud and horsed.
"DON'T TOUCH HER!"
Instantly he lifted his eyes and looked straight at Joe.
Later...
They were currently fetching the doctor as Lucy laid inside Negan's trailer, asleep and being watched. Just outside beneath one of the main tents, Joe sat at a fold out table as Negan sat across from him. His bat laying beside him.
"You better explain fast and quick before I fucking kill you."'
Joe sighed, looking around and seeing all the men on watch with guns. Taking a deep breath he began.
"Almost four months ago I was up on Route 79, about ten miles or so in the North woods. I came upon one of the many cabins that line hills where I found Darling...I mean..."
Negan glared.
"Lucy..."
"Yeah, she was in real bad shape. She had been left by some people who recovered her. They were gone but she had just delivered two babies. One died during birth, the other they took with them. I found her on the floor, God knows how long with the dead infant. She explained to me she had to destroy it herself..."
Negan instantly looked a mixture of disgust and anger as he roughly rubbed his beard. Joe went on.
"She had suffered a seizure, had really bad injuries, suffering from exposure, and had a really bad fever. I helped her, got her back on her feet and we started to travel. We've been circling the surrounding states, planning on heading further down South but her fever keeps getting worse. I'm no doctor but I had a bad feeling she wasn't going to make it come spring."
"How come to doesn't remember anything...she acted like she had never seen me before..."
Joe shrugged. "I don't know how she originally hurt herself but she could have injured her head pretty bad, or the fevers. She doesn't know her name, how old she is, where she's from...I take it you were the father of the babies..."
Negan stared and continued on.
"She never mentioned me..."
"Well that's the funny thing. You're name seems to be the only thing she really did remember. She wasn't sure who Negan was. I figured you were her husband but she's been trying real hard to remember anything before she came to the cabin and she can't. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before it comes to her but with the fevers the way they are, I don't know..."
"Who were these people who took the baby?"
"I don't know. She said it was a man and a woman, she can't remember the name. They left her for dead figuring she wasn't going to make it. They helped her deliver but that's it. I tried tracking them but nothing..."
Negan sat back, crossing his arms. Joe stared at her.
"Listen, we...we were just friends. I tried to help her, we traveled together but that's it. She seems young and..."
"You wouldn't fuck a married woman?" Joe held up his hands in defense.
"Hey take it easy...like I said I never once..."
"But you wanted to..."
Joe ignored this comment.
"Listen, I don't know what happened but she's ben through Hell, I'm just glad she's back with you..."
"Yeah, Lucy went off for a walk in the woods near one of our camps, she always insisted on going alone, she was stubborn like that. I didn't think it was a good idea seeing she was nine months pregnant with twins no less but she went anyways. When she didn't return an hour later I sent a search party...we've been looking ever since."
Joe listened, not saying a word. Negan cocked his head to the side before nodding. Neil who was standing nearby came over before Negan motioned to him and handed him a small notebook and pen. Negan slammed them down.
"Directions to that cabin where you found her..."
Joe sighed sitting up straight and began to write.
"Not that sure how good these are..."
He finished and pushed the notepad across to him.
"But tell me something...do you think that little story you just spun me...do you think Lucy will buy it?"
Negan broke into a grin. Lightly chuckling he lifted himself up, taking his bat and holding it by his side. "I owe you Joe...you're one Hell of a man taking care of my Lucille like you did..."
He circled around the table before turning and standing directly behind Joe. Slowly he rose he baseball bat.
"But I'm afraid I won't be needing you anymore..."
With one single swing, he slammed the bat down onto Joe's skull.
Later...
Lucy's eyes slowly fluttered open as her vision cleared. There staring down at her was the same warm, handsome, and welcoming face she had often tried to find in this thick fog of her memories. He was the only thing she seemed to be able to firmly take grasp onto, and now in just a few seconds here he was in the flesh staring down at her. Instantly he smiled, causing the lines around his eyes to show more clearly. When he smiled his entire face changed and lit up with it. His grin showed teeth as he squinted and reached down with his large rough warm hand and stroked back her hair gently.
"Hey good looking..."
For a mere moment panic leaped into her heart. She had the strangest urge to sit up and run right out of wherever she was. Instead she simply laid there, staring up at him.
"Where...am I?"
She asked in a croaked broken voice. Negan continued smiling.
"You're in one of our camps...don't you remember be baby?"
Feeling scared and overwhelmed Lucy slowly shook her head as tears spilled down her cheeks.
"No..."
She softly whispered. Still smiling, Negan continued stroking her head.
"That's all right...my name is Negan, we're from Tampa Florida. You're daddy ran a construction company with me and my brother...we were just married a month before everything went to shit. We rounded up men, supplies, guns, and made our own society...baby girl don't you remember our boys?"
She saw tears glimmer his hazel eyes. Gulping, she felt her own begin to form. Never before did she feel so confused.
"I..."
She thought of the baby dying in her arms back at the cabin and how she had to kill it before it returned. Feeling her heart ache at this horrible loss, the only thing that seemed to make sense in this dense fog she was trapped in was that he understood. That he had made something with her, and a horrible tragedy happened, causing this numbing empty hole inside of her. For the first time in months she saw someone that could understand how devastating this was. Negan continued stroking back her hair before Lucy broke down completely. Snapping her eyes shut she began to sob not only for how completely alone she felt. but for the fact she as so relieved that something finally made sense that reminded her of what had happened. How she wondered could she mourn a baby she had no idea even existed until a few hours after coming to with everything wiped clear in her memory.
Her muscles ached as she kept crying. Gently Negan rolled her over, wrapping his arm tightly around her and let her cry. She cried for everything, but mostly for her children. Negan didn't say a word, instead he held onto her as tight as he could, unable to believe she was really there in his arms. Soothing her the best he could, he allowed her to cry, petting her hair as her entire body shook. For a mere instant, he had the sudden urge to wrap his large hands around her throat and squeeze. She had ran away from him, lied to him, and tried to kill herself only to end up having her be most likely the main reason why one of his babies was dead. He had listened to the man who had came in with her, about how some couple had taken the other child. He was a realistic man, and knew the changes of him ever seeing the baby again, or having it still be alive were slim to none.
He wanted to beat her, kill her, strangle her, make her pay for what she had done. Nobody ever escaped him. Nobody ever made him grieve the way he had grieved for her and the children. His children, the ones he had made, trying so hard to convince her that he would protect her, keep her safe...all she had to do was accept the fact she belonged to him...
That rage boiled for a mere moment before fading away. Just a half an hour ago after he had killed the man she had traveled with and Neil and the others carried away his smashed up corpse, he had called a meeting. His men broadcasted it over the radios for the other surrounding camps. Lucy was back, but injured. She suffered some major head trauma and this was the story he was sticking with in order not to confuse her. Anyone, and he stressed anyone try to talk to her about anything else would be murdered. He stated the facts simple, repeating the story he would later tell her. A story he was beginning to make himself believe, wanting it to be true instead of knowing she had rather wanted to kill herself than to be with him. He repeated the story several times and said if the camps stuck with this story no problem...if they tried to fuck with him he would cut them up into pieces. He knew the men understood he meant business so when he did go back into the trailer where she was resting he prepared the first of many lies to come. All of that rage broke apart when she looked up at him with her bloodshot eyes which were filling with tears.
"I can't remember anything..."
He smiled down at her, cupping the side of her smooth soft face.
"It's okay baby, you're back with me...that's all that matters. I never gave up hope...I knew you were alive..."
"The...babies...I..."
Her voice broke up again before he gently, in fact maybe one of his first ever signs of kindness as he kissed her softly on the forehead.
"It's my own fault. I wasn't there to protect you and keep you safe..."
"That couple, they..."
"We'll keep looking...I don't care if it takes years we'll keep looking...shhhh now..."
"Where's Joe?"
She asked, blinking through tears. Instantly Negan frowned.
"He left camp about an hour or so ago. Said he was glad you were back with you're family and he wanted to get a jump start...offered for him to stay as long as he wanted but he took some supplies and another rifle and left...told me to tell you goodbye."
Instantly Lucy looked confused. "He left?" Negan nodded. Sitting there Lucy sat there, silent tears still trailing down her face. She looked so young at that exact moment, so lost.
"He...left..."
"I'm sure he'll be okay. He was just glad you're back with all of us...I promise I'll never let anything happen to you again Lucille..."
"That's my name?" Negan nodded, still brushing away her hair. Looking frustrated Lucy rubbed her temples.
"God I just wish I could remember!"
"It will come back, one day at a time baby..."
This was something he knew he would never wish for. Instead he looked at her with so much love it seemed dangerous. Perhaps this was his second chance. He would finally make things right.
"Joe gave me directions roughly of where that cabin was...I'm thinking in the morning we'll head out."
Lucy wiped her eyes.
"What for?"
"Our boy is buried there...I wanna pay my respects..."
Lucy cast her eyes downward and sniffled again.
"I'm...so confused..."
Negan turned her to look at him. Holding her down by the shoulders he gave a faint smile.
"You're my wife, and I don't care if it takes the rest of my life...I'll make up for what happened. You're safe now baby..."
Lucy stared at him, tears still coming before she nodded.
"Okay...I'm sorry, this is all happening so fast..."
"That's okay, we got all the time in the world now..."
He gently picked up one of her hands and kissed the top of her, causing her to make a small yet sad smile.
"Thank you..."
She softly whispered. Sitting beside her on the bed, Negan wrapped his arm tightly around her and kissed the top of her head.
"Come on, let's lay down for a bit...you must be still exhausted..."
Nodding, Lucy wiped her eyes again before turning her head upward towards him. Staring, she seemed so confused. With that she softly kissed his scruffy cheek before he smiled. Together the two laid down on the bed in the back of the trailer. The same bed he had raped her night after night. Instead, he allowed her to snuggle up close to him, her back facing him. Putting his arm over her, he told her to be still and listen to the sound of her softly breathing. In no time, from pure exhaustion she fell asleep. He knew he had a lot of work to do to gain her trust, but at this exact moment she was a blank slate. With lots of work, he would make her his wife, no strings attached. He would rule, and she would be his queen. She would be exactly as he had always wanted her. All he needed to do was make her fall in love with him. Smiling in the dim darkness of the trailer, he knew that wouldn't be a problem at all. She was here, and she was his. In the morning they would go visit the grave of their boy, and he would start looking for the other one. If they couldn't, he knew it was only a matter of time before he got her pregnant with another one. The beginning of the rest of their life's was starting now, and he would be damned if he ever lost her again...
Seven months ago...
Lucy was struggling again, which made it all so much better. Negan was sitting on the same exact bed they would be laying on months from now reunited. Today he had his jeans un-zipped and he was currently forcing her to give him a blowjob. Lucy was crying, and trying to fight. Instead Negan had a huge handful of her hair and was pushing the back of her head down on his erect cock that he currently had forced down her throat. Lucy was crying and gagging, Her hands were flapping about. She was pregnant, and was taken by surprises when he came marching into the trailer with that same look of hunger in his eyes. He was enjoying the fact she was fighting back so much. He had warned her if she used any teeth he would break her arm, something he wasn't against doing. Thrusting his lips upward, he snapped at her to use her tongue, that he knew she could have done better than that. He kept pushing down her head as she began to choke. Last time he did this she had thrown up all over the place. Laughing, he tilted his head back.
"Come on baby, suck it...suck it good..."
He muttered before suddenly he felt the climax building. Deciding to have a little fun, he roughly yanked her head up as she coughed, spit and drool trailing from her lips as she gasped for hair. Smiling, he pushed her back, and threw up the skirt she was wearing. Ripping yet another pair of panties that belonged to her, he positioned himself, his penis standing straight up. Shoving his legs apart, he pushed himself into her causing her to only gently cry out one. Staring down, he smiled and with three hard thrusts he climaxed deeply into her. Panting, he stared down at her lifeless expression and smiled.
"Good girl Lucile, good girl..."
With that, he licked the side of her face.
Present.
He wanted her badly, he felt himself becoming rock hard but knew he had to wait. Staring at the back of her head he smiled and continued stroking her hair before knowing instantly what her punishment would be for leaving him. He would as soon as he gained her trust get her pregnant again. In fact, he would try to have as many children as possible with her, and this time...this time she would never leave his sight again.