Chapter 47

After my shower, when my things were properly deposited in my room, I found myself stomping angrily down into the bowels of the Sanctuary toward the hideaway. Rachel said Negan might be there tonight, and I was fervently hoping that would be true as I didn't want to wait to give him a piece of my mind. Although it would probably be best if I let my fury die down a little before I confronted the physical embodiment of brutality, a whirlwind of boldness propelled me forward. I couldn't stop myself no matter how much my better judgment told me to, and I burst through the hideaway doors without a fuck to give.

I stopped short as multiple heads rotated in my direction. I paid every pair of eyes no mind, looking for a specific irritating face to bludgeon with my one working fist when I saw him with her. The shock literally pushed me back a step, the disgust I felt rising like bile in the back of my throat. Rachel was hanging off of one of Negan's leather clad arms while he held a drink and smoke in the other. He wasn't looking at her but clearly was aware of her presence. How could he not be with her smashed up against him like she was?

"Fucking bastard," I sneered to myself and walked forward.

I weaved in and out of tables and people, pushing past the ones who happened to block my way. A few curses were thrown at me, but I was on a mission and deadlocked on my target. As I got closer, Negan's joyous, smug face turned in my direction, his eyes lighting up at the sight of me.

"Everly!" He beamed, raising his glass to me. "What the fuck brings you down here?"

"Oh, wait! Let me guess." Simon stepped forward and swayed, a pensive look wrinkling his forehead. "You realized how dull and meaningless your life is and you want to drown your sorrows in my newest batch!"

He held up a mason jar filled with a grainy, yellow liquid.

"I call it Eight Ounces 'cause that's all it takes to royally fuck your shit up! Take a swig!" He held out the jar to me, sloshing some of the putrid liquid out of the side.

"Negan," I returned, ignoring the drink in Simon's outstretched hand but giving both men a steely glare. "I need to speak with you… Alone."

I spared a glance at Rachel who still clung to his arm and was casting me a rather nasty look.

"Ooooh, alone?" Negan's eyebrows rose as the dimples in his bearded cheeks deepened. "I like the sound of that."

He handed Simon his glass and cigarette, brushing Rachel's desperate fingers from his jacket.

"I thought you were going to play foosball with me and Laura," she protested as she shot daggers at me. When Negan looked down at her she rapidly gave him a doe-eyed look and bit her lower lip.

"Some other time," he said dismissively and grabbed my elbow to steer us to the hideaway doors.

"Don't talk for too long!" Simon called after us. "Wouldn't want your tongues…to get…tired…or whatever. I'm drunk!"

Negan chuckled and guided me back through the doors into the damp and frigid hallway. My hair was still wet as I hadn't taken the time to properly towel it dry before rushing down here. I was beginning to regret that now since my bravado was wearing down a bit and the cool air had me shivering.

"Where do you wanna talk?" Negan's warm breath next to my ear startled me and I jumped back a bit.

His hand still held my elbow, so I didn't get very far before he pulled me close to his side once more, a salacious grin on his face.

"Nowhere in particular," I replied, taking my arm from him and moving away. "This is fine, actually."

Negan frowned in disappointment. "Not exactly what I had in mind. I was thinkin' something a little more private."

He reached for me again, his fingers brushing the damp hair from my neck, and I smacked his hand away.

"You're a real fucking asshole. I don't get to tell you that enough."

"Oh, is that what you came all the way down here to say?" Negan lightly chided as the corners of his mouth curled up devilishly. "You can tell me that as much as you'd like if we can move this upstairs to my bedroom."

"What in the exact hell are you doing with her?" I demanded, avoiding his last comment.

"With who?" Negan instantly became confused.

"Rachel."

"Uh," Negan began, a look of bewildered amusement plastering his face. "I don't fucking know. I never fucking realized I was doing anything with her."

"Really?" I lowered my brows. "You had no idea what she was doing hugging all over you?"

Negan laughed in astonishment and licked his bottom lip. "You're fucking jealous."

"I am not. I'm concerned," I clarified, appalled. Of course he'd turn it around like this, the arrogant dickhead.

"Yes, you are," he argued and bent toward me, his face in mine. "It's kinda hot."

"She is seventeen years old, Negan."

I wanted to move further away from him. He was obviously a bit drunk and I remembered how brave he'd gotten with me the last time I had seen him this way. I didn't want to be the bearer of any unwanted advances, and I hoped he had enough sense in his inebriated state to notice my lack of enthusiasm as an answer.

"It's harmless." He waved a hand in the air. "She's smitten, and I can't blame her."

"It's disgusting is what it is. She is a child, and a damaged one at that. You should be showing her how a man should treat a woman, not perpetuating the fucked up views she already has." I shook my head. "You are the exact opposite of someone she should be looking up to."

"Listen," he sighed, seeming to take me somewhat seriously now, "I barely noticed she was there. Yeah, she was a tiny bit clingy, but I'm used to that shit. I didn't think twice about it. Don't be mad at me, baby."

He stepped forward and attempted to wrap his arms around me. I put my forearms against his chest to push him away, ready to give him the smack I'd come down here to bring him, when Daryl's enraged voice interrupted us.

"Hey!"

Aw, fuck. This was not good.

"Daryl!" Negan sang and squinted at him with a sarcastic smile as he slowly let his hands fall from me. "I didn't know my redneck buddy would be joining us. How the fuck are ya, man?"

Daryl stomped up to him, a heated glower in his eyes, and pushed his chest with everything he had. Negan stumbled back, barely catching himself on the wall before he fell on his ass.

"Daryl!" I yelled in a panic, grabbing his arm.

"Stay the fuck away from her!" He spat in a rage. "I'll fuckin' tear your ass apart!"

"Daryl, don't!"

"Oh, tough words comin' from such a tough guy," Negan mocked as a smirk tightly concealed his anger and he straightened himself.

Just then a few Saviors came through the door, alert. We must have created enough of a ruckus for someone of them to hear over the music.

"What's going on?" One Savior I recognized as David spoke and he gazed between the three of us. "You alright, boss?"

"Just goddamn dandy," Negan replied, his fingers twitching.

"The fuck you doing, country boy? Lookin' to get your ass whopped?" A long-haired Savior asked, stepping up to Daryl and me.

"Get the fuck outta my face, Jared. This don't concern you," Daryl shot back. The arm I held tensed and I tugged on it forcefully, trying to get him to back away.

"It's okay, Jared. I was just congratulating Daryl here on doing such a wonderful job bringing ol' Doctor Carson back to us, and he was feeling quite thankful for having the opportunity. Ain't that right, Daryl?" Negan gave him a wide smile but his eyes were burning dangerously.

Daryl huffed out an angry breath and turned to take hold of my shoulder, keeping his eyes on the men in front of us. "Let's go."

I nodded eagerly, wanting nothing more than to be far away from this situation. My conversation with Negan hadn't quite gone the way I wanted it to, and I probably would have gotten the answers I came for had Daryl not shown up. Negan wouldn't have pushed himself on me any further, I knew that, and I mostly blamed the alcohol in his system for him being heedless of my refusal. Still, I hadn't planned on this type of vehement interaction; at least not from Negan's end, and I saw that the altering effects of his buzzed state influenced more than his amorous side.

"Not so goddamn fast," his voice stopped us. "Everly and I weren't done with our very private conversation."

"Fuck your conversation!" Daryl roared with a graceful turn of his heel.

The Saviors rushed to intercept Daryl as he marched toward Negan, but I got to him first as I ran to block his path and obstruct anyone else's who wanted to come near.

"Enough!" I barked, trying to get through to him. "He isn't worth it."

"Aw, don't hurt my feelings now." I heard Negan remark and a few snickers escaped his men.

I cast a glare over my shoulder at the pompous ass which he returned with a wink and a quick lick of his lips. As I pushed Daryl's chest, he finally began to move down the hall away from them, and I tailed his heels closely.

"We're not done, you and me!" Negan informed my back. "I know you didn't seek me out for nothing, sweetheart! I wanna hear about what you want and how much you want me to give it to you!"

"Ow-ow!"

Lascivious cheers bounced off the bare walls and scraped against my scalp. I had the sudden urge to charge into Negan and drive my fist down his throat until I found the black, throbbing tumor where his heart was supposed to be and rip it out. My head stayed high, though, and my eyes locked on the side of Daryl's red and teeming face. The idea that if I put my hand to his cheek and I would be burned was a vapid thought, but it seemed likely with how utterly outraged he looked.

Once we hit the main floor and Daryl didn't seem to be letting up in his fast-walking marathon, I pulled on his bicep in an attempt to get him to stop. He started to yank out of my grasp, but his eyes softened when he looked at me. It was like he'd expected me to be someone else.

"Slow down." I tried to comfort him with a small smile.

"Sorry," he said as the anger on his face slackened a bit.

He pulled me into his side, his hand around my waist and flat on my belly as we continued at a slower pace to the stairwell. Going up the stairs, I could tell he was a bit tense and the air between us was thick with unvoiced accusations. Daryl had seen Negan and me at the worst moment, and I was afraid that he saw it differently from what had truly been happening, but I didn't know what to say. Different phrases and words filtered through my mind but they all seemed so trivial, so I kept my mouth shut until I could figure it out.

When we reached my door, I let us inside and closed it behind us softly, turning the lock. The small lamp at my bedside was on which dressed the room in a soft, yellow glow; it was soothing after the glaring headache of a confrontation we'd just had.

I shucked off my jacket and shoes as Daryl took a heavy seat at the small table near the door; his face was downcast and surly. "What were ya doin' down there?"

"I went to confront Negan," I explained vaguely. "What you saw, it wasn't what you think it was."

The burly man nodded his head and kept his gaze on the table in front of him. "What was it then?"

"It was Negan being a drunken asshole who, not shockingly, still has no concept of boundaries." I folded my arms and sat at the table across from him, taking in a long breath. "I'm sorry."

"'Bout what?" He asked, finally looking up at me.

"About…everything." I let the breath I held flow out and ran a finger against the grain of the old table. "Roxanne told me what really happened. How she lied about sleeping with you."

Daryl's shoulders stiffened, his whole body freezing as if he were a statue.

"She told you?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "She wasn't exactly pleasant about it. Things got a bit heated between us, but she came clean. I guess I'll give her some props for doing that much, the bitch."

Daryl snorted a short laugh as he relaxed into his chair.

"So, is that why you kicked her ass in the locker room?"

"Holy shit, you already know about that?" I asked astounded. News apparently travelled fast in this place. I wondered if Negan had already known by the time I'd shown up to accost him. No doubt he would by the time I had the chance to speak with him again.

"That's how I knew where to find ya." Daryl pushed his chair back from the table and turned it to the side so he could stretch his legs out. He rested his head against the wall. "You shouldn't be around him alone no more. I don't trust 'im no matter what he did."

I considered how to respond to that. I was still very afraid of Negan, but I found myself trusting him significantly more than I had a week ago.

"I won't if I can help it," I promised weakly.

Daryl locked eyes with me and we stared at one another in silence. He and I knew that if Negan wanted to be alone with me, he would. It was really beyond both of our control. But what Daryl didn't understand was that Negan wouldn't do anything to me against my will; not anymore. I tried to find confidence in that notion, and the memory of our one-sided conversation by the river, him crushing me to his chest as I wept, was a wonderful persuader.

A small, sympathetic smile crept up my face as I regarded the man in front of me. He looked tired and restless, and I saw him struggling with jealousy, too. It was possible he sensed that the dynamic between Negan and I had shifted, and it had. It was vital I showed him that the change wasn't a threat to our relationship. Roxanne's revelation was enough to prove that whatever else the Sanctuary leader had up his sleeve, it wouldn't work on me as long as Daryl and I stayed open and honest with each other.

"Why didn't you tell me before? That you never really slept with her?" I asked.

"I donno," he shrugged one shoulder. "I wasn't sure at first. Thought maybe I'd blacked out and done it, but something didn't seem right. So, I talked to her 'bout it and she admitted to lyin'. That was a week ago."

"Dammit," I mumbled under my breath, anger rallying in my stomach. "Why would she admit to it, though? Why would she come to me?"

My questions were met with silence as both of us tried to figure them out. Daryl tapped on the table agitatedly, and I placed my hand over his, squeezing it lightly in reassurance.

"She was probably feeling guilty, or maybe she felt cornered when her story wasn't holding up with the person she supposedly slept with," I offered. "Doesn't mean her intentions are bad."

"Naw," Daryl agreed. "Prob'ly not, but who fuckin' knows in this hellhole?"

His free hand ran down his face and he rubbed the bridge of his nose with two fingers.

"Hey," I said softly and held his hand more firmly to get his attention. "Only three more days and we're out of here."

He smirked. "Yeah… Ya ready?"

"No," I replied as my heart started to pound. "I'm terrified."

"I am too, but we'll make it out. I swear."

I nodded mutely, wanting to believe that I could sneak out of here with Daryl and go through with our plan before Negan discovered that I was gone. Dwight had already given the Sanctuary leader his request of men, Daryl being among them, and Negan had approved. It would have been stupid and suspicious to include me in the group, so the plan was for us to leave before the dawn. That way less people would be around to witness me with them and it would allow us more time to reach our destination before my absence was noted.

Their objective was to divert a growing walker herd along with delivering some prisoners to Somerset. That was where I would hide: in plain sight with the captives. At some point, Dwight would stop the convoy, allowing Daryl and I to take off under the guise of us somehow "overpowering" them with the detainees. Everyone would escape, no casualties, and Negan would hopefully hear of this anecdote with undoubting, albeit aggrieved, ears. The plan wasn't entirely foolproof, and I worried Dwight and his men would get caught in the lie, but it was all we had.

Daryl stood from his chair, my hand still in his, and the troublesome thoughts of our forthcoming journey dissipated as he took the short steps to stand in front of me. He pulled me to my feet, holding my waist with his other hand and pressed his forehead delicately to mine.

"We're goin' home, okay? You 'n me. Together," he promised.

"Okay," I whispered, believing him fully.

Daryl gathered me in his arms, locking me against him snuggly. I breathed him in and sighed, burying my face in the soft cotton of his shirt. I was content and relaxed; my previous anxieties not surfacing like they had every agonizing minute of this past week. And as he held me, I became hyperaware of how good he smelled and how solid and warm his body felt as it pressed against mine. My left hand ran up and down his chest of its own accord, liking the feel of the friction it made, and I swallowed, my heart pounding in my chest once more as the beat curled pulsing fingers down between my legs.

I moved my head under his jaw, my hand sliding up the side of his neck, and I placed a kiss in the hollow of his throat. Leaning back, he gazed down at me as he ran calloused fingers across my cheek, bypassing the stitches, and into my hair. On tiptoes, I pecked his lips, bracing myself against him as I watched his eyes dilate, and he grabbed a fistful of my shirt as he eagerly pressed his mouth on mine, backing me up until the backs of my thighs hit the small kitchen table.

Daryl was frantic, hungry, and it was beginning to overwhelm me, but I didn't want to stop. Before the panic could hit full force, I took control and shoved him back until he sat on the edge of my bed. I flung my shirt off, tossing it to the floor before grabbing his by the hem and discarding it in the same way. My jeans slipped down my legs with ease, and Daryl started to fight with the buckle of his belt, his fingers shaking with anticipation. I didn't give him the chance to finish as I grabbed the back of his neck and straddled his lap, sitting flush against him and fitting my lips to his in a passionate kiss.

His fingers dug into the skin of my thighs as he deepened it, his tongue running over mine, and I moaned desperately into his mouth. I rolled my hips over his, grinding into the bulge of his pants, and Daryl let out a growl, taking hold of my waist to flip me on my back. Laying on top of me, not breaking our kiss, he reached between us to undo his buckle as I lifted slightly to unclasp my bra. It wasn't easy multitasking, but I got it done just as Daryl completed unbuckling his pants.

He broke his lips from mine to sit on his knees and push the waist of his jeans down. I took the brief opportunity to remove my bra, throwing it over the side of the bed, and Daryl stopped mid motion as he caught sight of me. I sat up and reached out helping hands, and he curled encouraging fingers in my hair as I took hold of his pants, pushing them the rest of the way down his thighs. He briskly slipped off the bed to take off his boots, leaving the rest of his clothes puddled on top of them, and crawled back onto the bed, kneeling in front of me.

I moved back quietly as he advanced, and his eyes never left mine as I bumped into the headboard. He smoothed a hand over the top of my leg, stopping once his fingers reached my panties, and my hand shot out to cover his when his fingers entwined with the cotton and started to pull them down. I was gradually becoming nervous, and I needed to possess some self-control before this moment was completely ruined. I wasn't going to let what happened in those wood stop me from living my life, from being with the person I loved. Taking a deep breath, I released Daryl's hand and he waited until I nodded my head to slowly slip the cotton panties down my long limbs.

"You okay?" Daryl asked as he hovered over my body with a look of uncertainty, trying hard not to touch me.

I put my arms around him, my hands flat on his broad back as I pulled him down onto me, but I kept my legs closed; still feeling shy. "I'm fine."

"Are ya sure? Ya look-"

I smashed my mouth to his, cutting him off. The last thing I wanted was my anxiety to scare him away. So instead of reiterating that I was okay, that I wanted this, I figured showing him would be faster and more convincing.

Grabbing his hand, I put it on my breast, and once I had that situated, I reached between his legs and took hold of him, stroking his length with a firm but gentle hand. Along with sticking my tongue down his throat, my lewd actions seemed to thoroughly answer his question, and he returned them with vigor, kneading my breast as he grinded himself into my palm.

I couldn't say that my anxiety had disappeared completely, but I was so distracted by what I was doing to Daryl, and what he was doing to me, that it was easy to ignore it. It wasn't until he left my lips and ran his tongue under my jaw that my breath started to hitch with unadulterated desire. I felt alight between my thighs, and I arched my back with a moan, finally spreading my legs and releasing my hold on him as his teeth grazed the side of my neck.

Daryl abandoned my breast, trailing his fingers down my side and over my belly to the pulsing heat below. I jerked with the shock of his fingers against my sensitive skin, rolling my hips into them as they deftly moved back and forth. It had been a very long time since I'd been with someone and I felt the consequence of that deficiency already building up very quickly.

"Daryl," I gasped in warning, digging my nails into his shoulder.

Instead of slowing his pace, he picked it up, pushing two fingers into me as he moved down to circle his tongue around the peak of my left breast, and that was all it took. I shuddered, my eyes squeezing shut as I clamped down on his fingers, my voice a careless cry as I came.

His mouth was on mine instantly, his tongue exploring my mouth once more as the intensity inside of me decreased to a diming light. I held onto him tightly, running my hands anywhere they could touch, not wanting to lose the feel of him, and I bit his lower lip as he slipped his digits from me and replaced them with his enlarged member. Arching my back, he rubbed the head along my wet, oversensitive skin, soaking himself while teasing me. I impatiently rocked my hips against his, trying to catch him at the right spot, but he avoided me expertly.

I whined, pulling away from his lips to pout at him.

"We don't got a condom," he informed, and it only took me a second to consider this dilemma before I decided I didn't care.

I pushed on his shoulders as I sat up, driving him into the bed as I climbed on his lap.

"Tell me when you're getting close," I said before grabbing hold of him and guiding him to my center.

"Everly," Daryl groaned, pressing his lips together as he held my hips up firmly. I saw the struggle in his eyes, and I swayed over his tip in an attempt at conviction.

He grip faltered as he momentarily shut his eyes, letting out a deep sigh, and I sunk onto him a bit further. His hands tensed, holding me in place, but I brushed my fingers along his jaw and grabbed my breasts, my hips moving in a slow, undulating circle around him.

"Shit."

I smiled as Daryl let me go, allowing me to envelope him fully. I thought about assuaging his worries and telling him not to think about the risks, but dwelling on it wouldn't help either of us. Instead, I rode him with a reckless abandon, biting my lip with a smirk as I saw the pleasure forming on his face.

He sat up, placing his hands under my ass to help me move, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing his lips before moving over his cheek and to the smooth skin below his ear. I traced my tongue there, nipping his lobe slightly as I released a wanton sigh, and Daryl started to buck against me, his movements frantic and deep as I struggled to keep pace with him.

My legs began to tense and I felt myself nearing the edge once more. I leaned back on my good hand, the other sweeping across Daryl's glistening, muscled chest, and I thrust into him as the pressure between us built. My head tilted back, my hair still a bit damp against my skin, and I felt Daryl's panting breath on my sternum as he kissed my chest, moving from one breast to the other.

"Oh, fuck," Daryl grunted, and I knew he wouldn't last much longer.

I hooked my arm around his neck again, burying every inch of him inside of me as I rotated my hips. My orgasm hit me like a firework, exploding inside of me and surging down to my toes. I pressed my forehead to Daryl's, gasping in pleasure as he voiced his impending release. With lightening speed, he ripped out of my aching core and latched onto himself, working his hand up and down as he came on my stomach and breasts with a deep moan.

We sat stunned and exhausted, nose-to-nose, and tried to steady our breathing. I wrapped his sweat drenched hair around my fingers and kissed him, his lips swollen against mine. When I felt like I couldn't go on any longer, I pulled away, giving him one last peck and falling back on the mattress, my arms flung out wide and a satisfied smile on my face.

"We took way too long to do that," I remarked, and Daryl answered me with a rumbling laugh.

He gently moved one of my legs to the side and got up from the bed, finding a towel to clean himself with before he used it on me.

"Want a drink?" He asked, bending over me. I nodded my head languidly and he pushed his lips to mine with a smile.

As he went to my mini-fridge, I turned on my side and watched him, feeling more whole than I had since the turn. I'd only fallen in love once before, and it hadn't ended well for me. It left me shattered, barren, and I was most certain it would happen again. This time, however, I wouldn't be left for someone else. Instead, I had to dread losing my love to monsters that were both alive and dead, and it wasn't some asinine insecurity that lurked in the back of my mind. No, it was genuine and absolute, and it displayed itself in its entirety at the forefront of every fear I held.

When Daryl came back with the drinks, I took them both from him, setting them on my little nightstand. He gave me a skewed look as I rose to my knees, but I put my hands on either side of his face and gazed deeply into his eyes.

"I love you," I said. "Don't ever leave me."

"Never," he swore and crowded me in his arms with a kiss.

"Well, Gregory. What the fuck can I do for you?" Simon asked as he plopped down in a leather armchair of the Hilltop leader's office.

"I have some alarming information," Gregory replied. His hands were shaking as he took a seat behind his desk.

He figured that now was as good a time as any to make the Saviors aware of Rick and Maggie's plans for a coup d'état. He had mused over it since their last visit where Dr. Carson was brutally beaten by the lot of them and it was then that he came to his final decision to sell the Alexandrians. Negan had been nothing but a poisoned throne in Gregory's side since he'd "promised" the Hilltop protection for an uncompromised amount of supplies in return, but Gregory wasn't blind to the effort Negan put into keeping his area and his communities clean.

Sure, he was a bully that had threatened bodily harm, even murder, upon Gregory and his members, taking more than what was owed from them, but it was those threats and how fulfilled they were that kept him loyal to the Saviors. If Gregory believed that Alexandria and the Hilltop stood a chance against them, he might be willing to considering their position, but the truth was that they didn't stand much of a chance. They would be fighting a losing battle, and he'd be damned if they were going to take him or his people down with them in their suicide mission.

"What…alarming information?" Simon asked with a wave of his hand.

The older man inhaled. "A man named Rick and his posse of ingrates came over here a week ago. He was here when Gavin and his men came looking for Emmett. After witnessing Harlan Carson taking the brunt of a beating meant for his brother, Rick rallied my people and made a speech on war, trying to convince them to band with him…against Negan and his Saviors."

"Wait," Simon sat forward in his chair, his brows lowering, "are you telling me that Alexandria knows about this place?"

"Well, yes." Gregory nodded. He hadn't really considered that being an additional issue.

"For how long?"

"Uh," the traitorous leader muttered.

"For how long, Gregory?" Simon asked again, his patient wearing thin.

"I can't be sure." He shrugged with a nervous smile. "Only a couple of weeks. They met a group of my men who were out scavenging, cornered them and took what they found, then he made my men show him where they were from. He wanted to take us over, but when he realized we worked for you he backed off…until last week."

Simon squinted his eyes at the doughy sack of shit in front of him, not positive if he was lying through his teeth or not. It didn't seem uncharacteristic for Rick to do something like Gregory was claiming, but if this had happened, why not mention it much earlier?

"So, you're telling me," Simon began and stroked his mustache, "that this Rick fellow found your men, somehow demanded and obtained all of their supplies despite not having any weapons, forced them to lead him here, and was stupid enough to try to siege a place he's never stepped foot in, let alone heard of, before? Am I getting that right?"

"Yup," Gregory answered shortly with a curt nod, trying not to sweat.

Simon regarded him silently, his face screwed up in suspicion, before shrugging his shoulders. "Huh, okay. Any of them here now?"

"Hmm?" The leader tilted his head. He considered ratting out Maggie, and her name was on the tip of his tongue, but he shook his head. "Nope. They all left when no one here would join them. I think they realized their mistake when they saw how faithful we are to you."

"Ha!" Simon laughed, his head thrown back as he slapped his knee. "That was good."

Gregory adjusted himself uncomfortably in his seat as Negan's second-hand man wiped tears from his eyes and quieted his laughter, a slight smile keeping his bushy mustache raised.

"But seriously, Gregory, I'll fucking rip your stomach open and hang you with your innards if you're fucking lying to me."

"N-no! I swear!" He raised his hands in surrender. "I only just found out about this, and seeing as I don't know where the Sanctuary is, I couldn't exactly send anyone out to you. I had to wait until you guys came back. That is the truth."

"Alright, dough boy, keep your fucking pants on. I believe you…sort of. We'll get to the bottom of this eventually. In the meantime, thank you for the information. I'm sure Negan will be paying you a friendly visit within the week."

"Oh," Gregory gasped in fright. That was something else he hadn't considered.

"Until our next visit, ta-ta, old man. Don't let anymore strangers come through your walls or we'll send your ass out without a prayer," Simon warned and got up from his chair.

"No, certainly not. It won't happen again."

Simon didn't spare the self-important asshole a departing glance, throwing open the office doors and grabbing the walkie at his hip.

"You five, I need a full circle of the perimeter. Do not let one penny go unturned." Simon commanded a group of men and they moved away quickly. He turned to who remained. "You three, search the house and bring anyone you find into the yard. The rest of you, keep everyone who's gathered out front in line. No one does jack shit until I say so."

"Yes, sir." The Saviors marched to fulfill their orders as Simon brought the walkie up to his mouth.

"This is Simon to headquarters."

"Headquarters to Simon." A voice crackled back.

"Inform our leader that there's a situation at Hilltop. I'll need to meet with him as soon as we get back. Tell him to expect us within the hour. Over."

"Roger that."

Simon clipped the walkie back on his belt and heaved out a sigh.

"What shit are you stirring up now, Prick?"

Edited by lolasskicker.

Guys, you don't know how many times I facepalmed and laughed at myself while writing this love scene. It seriously took me forever to finish it, and I feel ridiculous, haha. I literally cringe reading it, but maybe it isn't as bad as I think it is... O.O I don't know how some authors can write smut so well while I'm over here clacking on my keyboard like, "His penis went into her vagina." *snort* Well, I'm a bit more eloquent than that, but yeah...

ANYWAY, I'm gonna go bury my face in a pillow until it stops burning.