Chapter 17

Negan was warm against me, the softness of his lips a shock. The warmth from my belly began to spread up my chest and into my cheeks as he deepened the kiss, his tongue a wet dart on my bottom lip, and I quickly pulled away from him, a hand on his chest to push him back. I snapped my head in Daryl's direction, but he was busy getting a face full of swinging hair to see what had happened.

"Don't do that," I said as my heartbeat continued to race under my dully aching ribs.

"Why not?" He drawled out softly.

He brought a hand up to my neck and rubbed a thumb along my jaw. I could smell the liquor on him, and I didn't know how much he had drank before I arrived, but I could tell he was a bit buzzed now. He began to lean in close to me again, his pupils dilated and his lips slightly parted. I pushed against him again. It was clear he was feeling a certain type of way and I didn't want to be the subject of it.

"Because I told you not to," I sharply replied in an even tone. I hoped Daryl was still distracted because I could see an altercation happening if he saw what was going on, and he would lose big time.

"Don't make me beg for it, Everly," he said blithely.

"Why would I want you to?" I asked him sincerely, leaning back away from him. "You're a fucking monster. Why would I want to be anywhere near you after what you've done to me and those that I love?"

Negan lifted his eyes to the ceiling, a pensive look on his face as he pretended to think about it. He brought his gaze back to down to meet mine, his teeth a flash of white in the dim light.

"You don't have to like me to fuck me," his eyes intently held mine. "It's not like I'm asking you to be one of my wives. I've just got a bitch of an itch only you can scratch at the moment."

"No," I shook my head at him. "My answer will always be no, so you might as well get used to the frustration now."

I could feel the small laugh he let out vibrate under my restraining hand.

"If you fucking say so, sweetheart," and he sat back, loosening his arm around me with a sigh.

We all looked at Daryl who sat rigidly in the chair as Roxanne danced nimbly on him, her hips gyrating down his length. I felt suddenly very angry and wanted to snatch her by the hair to throw her across the room.

"That's enough," Negan barked, the timbre of his voice matching the annoyance I felt. "He doesn't fucking like you. Go away."

Roxanne stood up quickly, a hurt look on her face, and walked off dejectedly. Daryl straightened his vest, casting a good riddance glance her way and sat back down at the booth.

"Welp, it's gettin' late and I'm horny as hell," Negan smacked the table and sent me a playful grin. "I think I'll go visit one of my wives before hittin' the hay. You two should head to bed, too. We've got a long ass day ahead of us tomorrow, and I want you both bright eyed and bushy tailed come sunrise. So…"

Dwight stood up, and I slid out quickly after him, not having to be told twice to get the fuck out. Daryl came up close behind me as we made our exit after a clumsy Dwight. I was surprised he was walking as well as he was and managing to make it back up to the ground floor without incident. I also found it astonishing that Negan had let him take us back considering his inebriated state, but maybe he trusted us enough now to know that we wouldn't try anything. I wasn't sure if that was stupid of him or smart of us.

"Remind me to never go back there again," Daryl spoke softly behind my left shoulder.

"Do you consider Roxanne's dance the reach around or the fucking over?" I teased, trying to brighten our dampened moods.

"Mmph," Daryl gave me a slight smirk. "She wasn't so bad, I guess."

"You've had better?" I quirked an eyebrow at him, referencing his early comment to Simon.

"Eh," he replied, his lips curving up the sides of his face.

I faced forward again and closed my eyes briefly in relief. I knew by the lack of a reaction back at the hideaway that Daryl hadn't seen the exchange between Negan and me. The playful back and forth between us just now confirmed that.

"Do you think…?" I began to ask in a low murmur out of the corner of my mouth.

"No," Daryl muttered close to my ear, understanding what I meant. "We comply until we've got a solid plan. Or try to."

I nodded my head, filling my lungs up with air and heaving it back out. It did nothing to ease the tightness in my chest.

"I'll come get you guys in the morning," Dwight told us monotonously as he dropped us off at the common doors. He walked off without another word, not even giving us a "fuck you" glance over his shoulder.

Daryl and I stood in the deserted hallway for a moment, looking at each other in muted conversation. We would get one day of liberty tomorrow, but we were still bound by restrictions. I told myself that I would need to behave and not to do anything rash. We would be back around our family, and we can't do anything to endanger their lives while we were there, no matter what.

"Let's get some rest," he finally said, bringing his hand up to run over my arm to my shoulder. I nodded and he followed me inside.

"Goooood morning!" Negan beamed at Dwight, Daryl and me as we walked out into the frigid morning air.

"Morning. Gonna go get my ride," Dwight called to Negan with a small wave and walked off. He seemed to be in an okay state today, much to my surprise.

The day had barely broken, the sky just starting to turn pink behind the trees and buildings that were rooted around the Sanctuary. I gave Negan a grumpy look, annoyed by his boisterous greeting, but I was also excited. Elation was pumping through my veins, making me so high that I felt like I was on cloud nine, but I worked to calm myself down because I knew that bubble of euphoria could be popped at any second.

Negan took in a big, dramatic breath of the crisp air, throwing his head back and his arms out, Lucille dangling in his gloved right hand. He had his eyes closed and an exulted smile on his face as he exclaimed, "It's gonna be a beautiful fucking day!"

He opened his eyes to look at us, bringing his arms back down to his sides. Daryl let out a small groan next to me and I softly elbowed him in the side.

"You don't agree, Daryl?" Negan asked, creasing his brows. Daryl just grumbled again.

"He agrees," I said as I tugged on his wrist. "Right?"

Don't…ruin it! I yelled at him with my eyes. He sighed silently.

"Yeah, it's a, uh...beautiful fuckin' day," he conceded monotonously.

Negan gave him a warm smile, leaning back and snapping his fingers at him, "Damn fucking straight it is."

He leisurely walked up to us with Lucille propped up on his shoulder and the sunlight breaking out on the top of her spiked head. He stopped directly in front of us and fixed on Daryl with a serious look, his eyes holding his in a silent staring contest. He leaned closer to him.

"Now, here's what I'm expecting out of you and, seeing as you've already declared yourself mine, this shouldn't come as too much of a fucking shock. And sure, you don't exactly seem like the morning person type, so I'll chalk this piss poor attitude you're sulking around with up to that, but let me spread this shit out for you," he stopped to glance my way, letting me know this was for me too. "Right now, you aren't anything but fucking reminders. Those people, your family and friends, they're just barely hanging on by a fucking thread. You're going there to show them how goddamn easy it'll be for me to snag that last motherfucking strand," he snapped his fingers. "You won't talk to them, you won't hug them, you won't look at them. Hell, I don't want you to even acknowledge them if you can help it. Today is initiation day, so take a big fucking whiff and get used to the stink now. It'll go much more smoothly for you if you do it right away."

Negan stopped, calculating our reactions. My bubble was official popped and my shoulders slumped. This is not what I wanted and the subsequent disappointment I felt was just the downer I needed to turn this "beautiful fucking day" into shit.

"What?" He started back, a smile dimpling his bearded cheeks. "You didn't think this was it, did you? That I'd let you two assholes off this easy, huh? Give you some fucking freedom, let you make some damn decisions for yourself," he chuckled, biting his lower lip slightly and his gaze meeting Daryl's. "You might've said my name, hillbilly, but that don't mean shit until you prove it to me. So…prove it to me! So far, you're doing a shitty damn job and it's only the butt crack of dawn!"

He laughed, amused with himself. He looked directly at me now, jutting his jaw to one side and drawing in air from one corner of this mouth. He was considering something.

"When we get there, remember who you are. Remember who you belong to. I'm your family. I'm your friend," he brought a hand up to caress my jaw, his thumb running over my cheek. "Those people are just memories now, but I'm the real fucking deal and I'm all you have. Don't let me down."

He patted the side of my face gently and gave Daryl one last warning look and he topped it off with a Cheshire cat grin. He grabbed the sleeve of my jacket to pull me to him, snaking an arm around my waist and began to guide me away. He jerked his head at Daryl whose attitude had turned ten notches surlier, but he followed after us nonetheless.

Negan led us to a large burgundy pickup truck where some Saviors were getting several other vehicles ready. I noticed the box truck from the night Negan had me defend myself and Daryl from a gang of walkers and I shivered. Negan must've noticed because he began to run a hand up and down my waist.

"I can warm you up if you want," he murmured to me and I replied with a glare. He pinched my side and I looked away quickly.

We're hopeless, I mentally kicked myself. Even though Daryl and I had agreed to cooperate, it was hard to play along with someone that I hated with every fiber of my being. I didn't know how we were going to make it through the day or any other day hereafter. I had started the morning off in a good mood, but now it was permanently gone.

"I want to apologize," Negan said to me as we stopped by the truck. He gazed at Daryl briefly and opened the back door, motioning for him to get in. Daryl did so after a slight hesitation and Negan slammed the door shut after him.

"About last night," he continued softly, putting a hand at the top of the truck to lean against it. "I shouldn't have come onto you so strongly or kissed you when I know you didn't want it. Women normally respond pretty willingly when I come onto them, but I guess I got my signals mixed up drinking all that liquid fire," he gave me a small smile, "and I'm sorry."

"Oh, uh" I stammered, confused. Negan was apologizing to me? Negan was apologizing? "Usually I would say that's okay, but it's not."

Negan quirked an eyebrow up, a clear indication that he wasn't pleased with my response. This had to be a very unusual occurrence for him; to apologize so sincerely without a joke or a threat shoved behind it. I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, it's fine," I said, gritting my teeth together. "At least you stopped when I told you to."

"Well, don't think it won't be my last attempt, though," his arrogant smile was back. "I'm gonna get a kiss out of you one way or another. I can feel it!"

I gaped at him in disbelief. The apology had seemed sincere, but I should've known the jokes would come. He winked as he pushed off the truck and stepped backward to open the passenger side door. As he leaned into the cabin, I heard him softly say, "Here's me crossin' my fingers for more than just a kiss."

He set Lucille gingerly inside the truck and turned back to face me with a smile; he knew I had heard him. I crossed my arms over my chest, steeling myself for whatever he was going to say or do next. A chuckle escaped him as he eyed me.

"It's gonna be a few hours drive to the big A. You'll be in the back with Daryl and Theodore. Figured you guys needed to make up if we're gonna make this whole being-part-of-the-team-thing work. Make sure," Negan smacked the window where Daryl watched us intently from inside, "this one doesn't do anything fucking stupid. I'm trying hard to condition the man, but those country cousin genes he's got in him are strong."

"Will do," I consented unhappily.

"That's my girl," he smiled at me, bucking my chin softly with his knuckles. "Get in the truck."

I sat in the back with Daryl while Theodore lounged between us comfortably. An hour had already passed and I snarled silently, resting my head against the window to watch the trees pass by. I didn't remember too much of being transported to the Sanctuary, it seemed so long ago, but I did know that it was about halfway between Alexandria and Hilltop. This day was going to get worse, I could feel it.

"So," Negan chirped up and turned to look back at us, "this shit it getting boring as fuck. Let's play a little game to pass the time, shall we? It's called twenty questions. Now, I'm gonna bend the rules a bit because I've got a specific subject in mind that I want some answers to and that subject is your lives. I wanna know who you guys were before this cluster fuck happened," he gestured to a small group of walkers staggering off the side of the road. "I'm a curious fucking bunny and I thought this way might make the questioning more enjoyable."

I leaned forward and glanced past Theodore to check on Daryl. He stared sullenly out of the window, a hand to his mouth and not paying Negan any mind. Negan pointed back at him to get his attention, "You're going first, bud! Ya' ready?"

Daryl aimed his eyes at Negan before looking over at me. I raised my eyebrows at him to signal that he'd better play along. This day was already shitty and I didn't want him to make it any worse. Daryl dropped his hand down, positioning himself to face forward to give Negan his full attention. I sat back to see Negan grinning at me with a knowing smile and he winked.

"That's more fucking like it!" He expressed and rubbed his hands together in enthusiasm. "First question, where were you born?"

"Georgia," Daryl mumbled.

"Okay, okay," Negan nodded his head. "I was thinking more Alabama or maybe Mississippi considering that clodhopper look you got, but close enough. Boys, don't feel afraid to join in at any time."

Theodore and the chauffeuring Savior I was unfamiliar with smiled at Negan and he continued.

"Got any family still?"

"No," Daryl replied.

"Got a girlfriend?" The driving Savior asked. Negan shot me a quick look.

"No," Daryl said.

"Did you have a girlfriend before?" Theodore asked.

"No," Daryl sighed.

"Have you ever had a fucking girlfriend? Don't tell me you've never been laid," Negan asked incredulously.

"Yes..."

"It wasn't your fucking pet pig, was it?" The driver asked. Theodore laughed out.

"Holy shit, you fucked pigs?" Negan asked with a mocking smile.

Daryl sighed again through closed lips and his hand balled into a fist. I could tell he was about to lose it, so I quickly chimed in, "What did you do for work before?"

Everyone looked over at me like had I ruined the fun; everyone except Daryl.

"I was a-" Daryl started, but Negan stopped him with a reprimanding sound like one would do to a dog.

"You didn't answer the other two questions," he said with a humorous squint of his eyes.

"No and no," Daryl growled out. "And I took whatever jobs I could get. I never had anything too steady."

"Psh, figures. I'd be surprised if you didn't get into the drug game," Theodore said. "That shit can be pretty lucrative if you're smart about it. Did it for a while myself in college."

"You moron," the driver spoke to Theodore. "Hicks don't sell drugs, they do drugs. You did drugs, right?"

"No," Daryl answered, tapping his knee repetitively with a tight fist. The driver snorted and rolled his eyes, not believing him.

"Bullshit," he said. "If you didn't do drugs then what the hell did you do?"

"Whatever the fuck I felt like," Daryl replied and I smiled. The driver huffed out an indignant laugh and shook his head unbelievingly.

"Oh, it's okay there, Freddy. I'm sure Daryl's being honest with us. Besides, we haven't gotten to the real questions yet," Negan patted him on the shoulder and looked back to Daryl.

"How was your life growing up? Was it hard?" Negan asked, digging around for something juicy; for something he could maybe use to his advantage later.

"Lonely and at times," was all Daryl said. I wanted to hold his hand, but instead I had fuck face next to me. I crossed my arms.

"Oh, come on," Theodore threw his hands up. "You've gotta give us more than that. Why was it lonely? What made it hard?"

Daryl's leg was bobbing up and down. It was clear he was growing anxious and angrier. If he was anything like me, he was going to shut down soon and his temper would probably get the best of him.

"Just look at me," I leaned over so he could see me. "Just talk to me."

No one disagreed, and Daryl lifted his brooding blue eyes to look at me. He didn't speak for a moment, just stared, and we all waited patiently. Finally he said, "I mostly took care of myself, and sometimes my older brother was there to help when he wasn't in juvie. I didn't have a mother and my father was a worthless fuckin' drunk, so I guess you could say I learned my own way."

"What happened to your mother?" Negan asked, a curious and sympathetic look on his face.

Daryl kept his eyes on me and only said, "She died in a fire when I was young. Saw it all."

"Shit, Christ," Freddy whispered, looking at Daryl through the review mirror. "You've got one fucked up childhood."

I couldn't say anything but I felt my heart breaking for him. Daryl and I were friends, we got along very well and enjoyed each other's company, but I realized suddenly that we didn't know much about each other's histories. I stared into his sad, blue eyes, feeling at a complete loss.

Negan let out a sigh and slapped his leg, a small, awkward smile forming on his face, "Well that shit turned dark fucking quick."

Theodore let out a soft snort, chuckling to himself. Freddy didn't say a thing, keeping himself facing toward the road in front of him. I narrowed my eyes at Negan, but he only flashed me a smile and turned his head to look back at Daryl.

"I've got five more. Maybe we can lighten the mood back up a little," Negan said. Daryl looked away from me and back out the window. "That crossbow Dwight took from you…were you any good with it?"

Daryl nodded his head, still looking out the window. I placed a hand on the back of Freddy's seat, leaning slightly over Theodore. Look at me! I willed Daryl silently. I needed him to look at me so that he could see I was here. I was here for him.

"Stop acting like a child, Daryl, and use your words," Negan told him firmly. Daryl sat back against his seat, leaning his head against the rear window. His blank eyes found mine and he seemed to relax marginally.

"Yeah," he vocalized.

"You were a hunter?" Negan continued.

"And a tracker. I spent most of my time in the woods. I'm good at surviving on my own," Daryl added and dropped his gaze from mine to look at his lap.

"I bet you are," the corners of Negan's mouth began to lift up. "How far can you shoot? What's your accuracy?"

"Well, with a crossbow not too damn far. Maybe about 70 yards if I'm lucky enough. I use the bow more than a gun, but I'm good at it either."

"Last one and you're off the hook," Negan said with a broad smile, enjoying the game again. "You know that whatever I say goes. I know you know that. Are you prepared to do what I tell you to, no questions asked?"

Daryl lifted his eyes up to level them with Negan's. This was probably the most significant question he had asked him so far. This was a tell-all of how much Negan had a hold of Daryl; if he would do what was requested of him without thought. It was just another way of Negan asking Daryl who he was and expecting his name to come tumbling out of his complying mouth.

"Yeah," Daryl said and I closed my eyes, sitting back against my seat. Even though I knew he had to say it, it wasn't the answer I wanted to hear.

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Edited by lolasskicker