Newly Revised

Ani could feel her body tremor as the darkness subsided once again, a voice she didn't recognize saying, "She should be better in a day or so with the antibiotic drip. The infection isn't as bad as it seems. Her body's taxed, from stress and the baby. She's a bit dehydrated, but aside from that, the only reason I can think of for her having slept so long was merely shock. I'm not sure how long she's been sleeping, but Dwight said he killed someone in front of her and her parents said she doesn't have the most stable of minds. So I'm assuming since then, since she got shot."

"You shouldn't believe everythin' you hear," another voice sounded. "When do you think she will wake up?"

"Any time, to be honest," the other man said, Ani trying to open her eyes, the fire seemingly subsiding as she tried to groggily lift a hand to her stomach.

"And the baby in her belly?" the second man asked.

"As far as I can tell, growing on track. My son was the obstetrician, so he would know better. But, yeah, everything seems to be fine. Are you sure you don't want to-"

"No," Negan cut Dr. Carson off with a dirty look. "Like I said, don't believe everything you hear. She wants that baby, and if you do anything but help her get better, she looses that baby while in your care, it's on you," he threatened viciously. "And the price? The price will be your head."

"But I thought-"

"And I thought I was the one in charge?" Negan said threatened in a sarcastic way. "Simon."

"Yes, boss?"

"Go get Laura. I want her in this room at all times."

"She's, uh, she's out on a run, sir," Simon told him.

"Call her back. She's got some medical training on top of bein' one of my best soldiers. She'll keep our little—what'd he call her? 'Ania?' Well, she'll keep her safe and make sure those slimy assholes don't get near her. By the way, how're Tom and Ellie doin'? They likin' their new accommodations?"

"Not exactly. They've both been hollerin' away about how they want to see their daughter. Ellie's screamin' about being in the dark, Tom's actin' like he's being wrongfully accused, sayin' somethin' about an election all over again."

"There's one other thing, sir," the doctor said, interrupting the other two. "She is covered in scars. Many of them are old. Very old. During my examination," he told him, moving over to the sleeping girl, Ani feeling him move her hand off her stomach and groaning in protest, trying and failing again to open her eyes, "I noticed she had some very interesting scars you're gonna want to see."

When he began to flip her, Ani started struggling, causing Negan to put his hand out, stopping the doctor's movement, "You awake, hunny?"

Ani tried to open her eyes, but she could only manage to flutter them open before squinting them closed all over again with a groan. The room was too bright and fuzzy all at the same time as the fire she had felt had cooled and the pain had subsided. She could barely concentrate on the fact that someone was touching her, making her skin crawl, but her tongue lay thickly in her mouth. The place smelled of stale air and sweat and wasn't home from the little glimpse she had gotten when she opened her eyes. There were at least three people in the room with her and she knew they had been man-handling her body with the way they had talked. It made her skin crawl to think she'd been taken advantage of in her sleep or when she was ill. If they knew about her scars, though, they had at least taken some of her clothes off, and all it took was some. She could feel the hot tears burning down her cheeks as she tried to raise her hand again to shield her eyes. Whoever the second man told one of the others to get her some water, a straw being placed at her lips a moment or two later. Even if she knew there was potential danger in drinking what was proffered to her, she couldn't stop herself from sucking greedily. The liquid cooled her throat and took away the dryness in her mouth that had made it unable for her to speak or even make much noise.

"That's it," Negan told the girl, smiling down at her as she drank. "That's good. You okay there, sugar? Need the lights turned down?"

"Please," she managed to say, her voice hoarse. "The baby?"

"Oh, it's fine, it's fine," Negan told her soothingly, taking one of her hands up in his as he sat beside her, her eyes finally opening, the green in them reminiscent of Ellie's; at least they had been mostly honest about her appearance. "The baby's just fine. Nothin's gonna happen to it while you're here. Don't you worry. That baby is a precious gift. A mighty precious gift indeed."

"D-Daryl? Where's Daryl?"

"Oh, he's bein' taken care of, don't you worry about that."

"Nah, nah 'e was with me. He was with me," she repeated, her breathing getting heavy as everything came springing clearly into her mind; Daryl being snatched away from her, the ride in the dark van and his bloody form, the man who told her she was going back to her parents as well. "Wh-Where'd ya take 'im?!"

"Oh-ho, you are quick on the uptake, aren't you?" Negan smiled charmingly, though there was sarcasm dancing behind his eyes as he patted her hand. "But it don't matter much, now does it? He's where he is and you're too sick and weak right now to do anything about it. And even when you're strong enough to try, if you do, I'll take off little bits of him and bring them to you on a silver plate! Or I'll have Tom and Ellie do it for me," he said, watching as her face turned ashen and the same horrified expression back at the clearing graced it while she tried once again to pull her hand from his. "So you just lay here, keep those drugs pumpin' through your veins, keep that baby in your belly, just like you want it to be.

"You know, Tom and Ellie, they wanted to pull that thing out of you. But see, me? I'm generous! I'm treating you free of charge because, frankly, children are our future! See, we don't tend to make sick, pregnant women work. It doesn't bode well for the baby. I'm not heartless after all," he told her, his smile softening just a little. "Now, you rest up. I'll be back to talk to you in a while. Until then, there's gonna be someone in here with you," he told her, standing up. "We'll check out them scars a little later. Simon, stay with the little lady and keep her company until Laura gets here. Make sure no unsavory types get in. Give her the best hospitality we have to offer," Negan chuckled before he ushered the doctor out of the room and shut the door behind him.

Ani's body felt heavy as she fought the darkness from creeping back up on her, though this time it wasn't the room getting dark, but her mind. The doctor had left after helping prop the little girl up as Simon started talking, only realizing after ranting on for a bout five minutes that she was blankly staring at the wall. After a little time had passed, the man realized he wasn't going to get anything out of her and decided to try to get her to play a game with him instead. He offered everything from solitaire to checkers to chess to poker, but Ani just continued to stared at the wall. She was determined not to give into anything these people had to offer if she didn't need it until she knew how Daryl was doing. Even if it looked nicer than the safe house she'd been taken to after the satellite station, it was clearly the same kind of area the people of that cult would pick. Whoever Negan was, this was probably his base of operation, and if his people were taking her to her parents, that meant that he was not only in league with them, but enthralled by their tales of woe at her behest. It made her sick to her stomach to know that the Parkers still had an iron grip on her life and now that grip was squeezing Daryl's throat. She knew they would pop back up after Alexandria and was blaming herself for letting Daryl let her mind get the best of her and take care of her instead of tracking the bastards down. Daryl might not be wherever it was suffering who knew what right at that moment while she was sitting in a bed doing nothing.

"How about I get you something to eat?" Simon said, smacking his legs and thanking God that the girl's eyes snapped to him; it was creepy as all hell sitting in a room with someone who would stare at the wall for several minutes without blinking, even, slow breaths barely discernable, face and eyes devoid of any emotion. "Come on, you gotta be hungry. Haven't eaten anything since yesterday, at least. You got shot in the shoulder, hmm, three days ago now? When Dwight caught you guys on the tracks. Could be you haven't eaten since then. Gotta get something in that stomach if you're gonna keep the baby healthy."

"Three days?"

"Uh, yeah."

"I've been out for three days? Have...have Daryl and I been 'ere this whole time?! Was that clearin'-"

"Whoa, whoa, easy, easy," Simon told her. "Come on, take a couple deep breaths," he said, trying to calm her down. "You only got here this morning, and it's barely even noon. Had medicine in your veins since about eight for the mild infection you got from your shoulder. It's nothing we couldn't handle. Even got the doctor to give you a once over." Taking pity on the girl who had tears flowing from her defiant eyes as she glared, Simon sighed and said, "Look, I know things are hard, right now, but they'll get better. I mean, Daryl just needs a bit of re-education and Negan needs to look into a few things," he told her as if it was all just another day. "After that, who knows? Maybe this'll become yours and Daryl's room permanently. Now, how about I wrestle you up some grub?"

"Not hungry," she said darkly as her mind dwelt on the word 're-education' and what she knew of that word to mean; Daryl was going to be tortured and abused until he came around to Negan's way of thinking.

"Come on, you gotta eat. If you don't, the baby dies, if the baby dies, the doctor dies, if the doctor dies, well, you see where I'm going with this." He was caught off guard by the darkening look in her eyes, one he'd seen Negan get before he killed someone, before he looked away, saying, "Look, I can't promise anything, but I have a little leeway with the big boss. You eat, I'll talk to him about letting you at least see Daryl. How 'bout that? You eat, I talk to Negan. So, what do you want?"

Ani looked at the man and contemplated him and his friendly face, one that actually seemed genuine and reached his eyes. He actually thought he was being helpful, that she would trust his word that he would talk to his boss about seeing Daryl. All she really wanted to do was see her husband when she knew what they were doing to him wherever he was. The last thing she really remembered before waking up here was Denise dying in front of her and the fire fight, Eugene getting shot, blood all over Daryl's front while her shoulder exploded in pain. She remembered getting into the truck with Daryl as the world started going fuzzy, darkness surrounding her and only easing its grip during moments of pain or fear. She'd had so many nightmares that she thought she had dreamed Daryl and the apocalypse up just to escape from that place. It wasn't until she'd heard voices she didn't know much clearer than she'd heard at the quarry that she realized it wasn't. And now the reality was even worse than the dream; at least in the dream, there was no Daryl for her parents to torture. Ani had been terrified that they would come back and target him and that was exactly what they did. She decided right then and there that it didn't matter what it took, it didn't matter what she had to do, she was going to find a way to get Daryl out of there.

"Ya got squirrel?" she asked quietly.

Simon looked at her blankly, thinking that she was like a child in some ways, but the defiance in her eyes, the way they hardened, almost as if she'd become determined, was definitely something he hadn't seen before. Sure, there'd been the people who fought, the people who came in looking like Rick had, all big and badass. But each and every one of them either ended up dead or looking as terrified as Rick ended up being; there wasn't much in between for a man like Negan, not even for himself. Maybe it was because she hadn't fully realized what had transpired in that clearing or that she hadn't properly met Negan. Maybe it was because they were holding her apparent husband while also being in contact with her parents. Maybe it was a combination of it all and she was just as defiant and potentially crazy as her parents had said. It would certainly make sense after spending four hours just staring at a wall and barely taking a breath every ten seconds or so. He had never seen anything like that and when she had looked at him, it had sent a shiver down his spine. This little girl had a darker look in his eye than he'd seen in Negan's even after the only incident they'd ever had regarding rape. No one had believed Rick when he said that she could kill Negan, but if looks alone could kill, they'd all be six feet under.

"We've got a lot more than squirrel. Chicken, eggs, even some fish, and, yeah, we have squirrel," Simon told her.

"Jus' want some squirrel."

"Well, how 'bout I see what I can wrestle for you and see if we can't add more to that plate. We got fruit and vegetables, any of them meet your fancy?"

"Ya got any strawberries or peppers?" she asked, knowing she needed to get her nutrients up not just for the baby, but also so she could heal faster.

"Yeah, we got those," he said with a smile before leaving the room, Fat Joe coming around the corner. "Hey, Joey! Good boy, you stand right here and don't let anyone in this room but me or Laura. Boss man's newest soon-to-be wife's in there and already we're havin' problems with people," he told him, assuming Negan's game plan before heading down to the market.

~x~

Negan walked to the floor they kept the 'cells' on, the cells being rooms that had most likely a utility closets for the old steel factory. As far as defense went, it was one of the best places they could get, size too, as far as being able to house the workers and their families along with the soldiers and theirs. He knew it wasn't the most ideal as far as their ability to grow crops, but they had a few plots for a garden, some fresh vegetables that they could produce relatively easily enough in the confines of the concrete palace he'd built up. The rules were simple, too, and made sure that everyone got their fair share of whatever it was they needed or wanted. The workers did just that; they worked for points and were provided protection, food, and a roof over their heads. Then there was the grunt soldiers, the scavengers, the ones at the outposts and such. They got better treatment than the workers, but they still had their rules to follow, still slept on cots, still had to answer to Negan and his upper level force. The soldiers who did the fighting, the ones who helped keep the others in line, they were the ones granted their own rooms with proper beds and the best of the best of the best. On the opposite end, there were the fencers, the ones that worked the fence line hanging new walkers in their courtyard to keep people away. They were treated like shit, were fed shit, were shit for all intents and purposes to every single one of these Saviors, and every single one of the people underneath him were afraid of being demoted to the fences. It made it easy as pie to keep everyone in line and ensure that they did their jobs without question or fail to get their dues.

Rapping Lucille on one of the doors to the tune of 'A Haircut and a Shave', he sang, "Oh, Tommy-boy...You got a bit of answerin' to do." Opening the door, he saw Tom with a split lip and nursing his side. "Well, look at you."

"I don't know what happened that made you not trust us," Tom said while on his knees, "but you can't trust her."

"Oh, see, she didn't say much. Didn't say much at all," Negan said. "Actually, she only asked about three things. Do you want to know what they were?" he asked, bending at the knee to crouch to Tom's level, Tom kneeling their dumbfounded. "She asked about the baby. Then she asked about Daryl. And how quickly she was able to figure out that I'd taken him away from her and wanted to know what I did with him! Not once did she mention you, but she was scared shitless when I did. Yes surrey, she was terrified. So, tell me, why would she be so scared at the mere mention of you, yet you claim she was afraid of him?"

"I don't know. Maybe he did something to her. Maybe he convinced her it was us. Maybe...maybe he used some form of reverse psychology on her! I don't know!" Tom cried. "She's my baby girl, my last child. Her sister was killed by a bitch who was jealous of her. All we have left is Titania!"

"Is that so? Well, she's awake, but not in the mood to talk. As it is, the cost of her treatment? That's on you and Ellie," he told him. "I mean, someone's gotta pay for it and she is in no position to. And Daryl, well," Negan chuckled. "He's not a worker yet, not a soldier. Hell, he ain't even shit I'd scrape from my heel. So it's left to you and Ellie. How about the two of you go with Simon to Hilltop tomorrow night. He's got a little something he needs help setting up," Negan smiled as he watched Tom's face contort into anger. "And don't even think of going anywhere near Titania. Laura's gonna be standing guard, and you know how good she is with her aim. See, she's gonna be keeping our little mystery box safe until I get a chance to take a crack at solving it. So! You're left with stayin' in this cell like a little pussy-ass bitch who's lyin' through their teeth, or you keep bein' the soldier you signed up to be and go get my shit. Up to you," he told him before slamming the door and walking down the hall leaving the door open and to another, similar cell.

Once again tapping in the same way with Lucille, he called out, "How ya doin' Ellie?"

"Please, Negan, le' me out! You know I canno' stand the dark!" came the reply. "Why am I bein' treated like this? What did I do wrong? Please, I can make it right! I promise, I can make it right!"

"Oh you sure as shit can!" Negan said as he threw open the door. "You and Tom, you're goin' with Simon to Hilltop tomorrow. Got a little lesson planned for helpin' Rick with their little raid of the satellite station. So, you head out with them. I'll give you another assignment when you get back. You can even head back to your room for the night. But Titania is off limits. Stay away from her room, stay away from her if she's in the halls. Until I get to the bottom of the pile of shit you've left on my doorstep, you stay away from her. That is, unless you want to be locked in this room for the better part of your days and you want me to start taking bits off Tom and feedin' them to ya," he told her menacingly.

"No, I'll go! I'll go! As long as she's safe!" Ellie cried, tears of what seemed to be gratefulness pouring from her eyes as he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Well, alright then. You're free to go!" Negan said with a smile. "Go get your gear with Tom and head out."

"Thank you, Negan! Thank you!"

"Oh, just one last thing," Negan said, turning back to his bat to level with Ellie's face. "Why is she so scared of you but so worried about Daryl?"

"H-how should I know?" Ellie stuttered, no shock, only anger crossing her face for a split second under Negan's watchful gaze before it turned back to worry. "I-I jus' want me daughter ta be safe!"

"So you don't mind payin' for her treatment?"

He watched as her face soured for the blink of an eye before it returned to that pitiful look of despair he'd have missed if he'd have blinked, her voice a little harder than it had been a moment ago as she said, "O' course! The rules have ta be followed!"

"Atta girl. Go on now," he told her, watching her like a hawk as she started walking away.

He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was definitely something off with the two of them, something that they were trying very hard to hide. It was the way they looked at the girl initially and the way Ellie had taunted Daryl about the baby and smiled at his reaction. There was barely concealed anger held deep in their eyes after learning they were responsible for providing for her treatment even though they claimed to just want her to be safe. He'd seen looks like that on parents back in the day, back before he had become what he was. Back then, he'd had a soft spot for kids like Titania, if his suspicions were correct, kids who had shit for parents, though he hadn't done nearly enough for them before the world went to shit. There'd been one or two kids who'd come through that he'd protected since the turn, a couple husbands who were too rough towards their wives that were knocked down a peg or two, or who worked the fence as a dead man because the lesson just didn't sink in. After what Laura had been through thanks to his own actions and his desperate quest to save his wife, he'd made sure rapists got what they deserved, too. Abuse in any form just wasn't okay, unless he was the one behind it, and he considered it more training and breaking than abuse. After all, it only lasted until he got what he wanted, and then they just had to follow the rules and it'd never happen again!

Taking a stroll around his empire, he couldn't help the smirk that graced his face as he went from area to area watching people kneel. Whether they knelt out of fear, out of respect, or out of plain old acceptance that this was in fact how things were, he didn't really care. This was his domain and he ruled the roost with an iron fist but that iron fist was what kept things up and running. If he didn't keep this place going and keep things in check, every single person he was in charge of would suffer. That didn't change the fact that he kept on smiling as he walked his halls and saw his people thriving. He ended up in the back courtyard where Dwight was smoking a cigarette, making a few innuendos to him about Sherry and asking how their little prisoner was doing. Apparently Daryl was filthy as a dog and had a similar wound to Titania's, but they'd caught it quick enough that the antibiotics the doctor gave him should kick in before he caught any infection. All in all, both the newcomers would be right as rain by the end of the week if they just did as they were told. Coming back around to the west courtyard, where they parked all the vehicles, he watched Laura's convoy entering the gate. The woman hopped out of one of the vehicles and walked right over to him after tossing a walkie to one of the other soldiers.

"Simon said you wanted to see me?" she asked him.

"Yeah, the girl the Parkers wanted. We brought her in," he told her.

"So what?"

"So, I want you to keep a watch over her. She's sick, and something just doesn't quite smell right. Give her a few days, try to talk to her. Find out what you can for me. Biggest thing, try to get her on our side, 'cause once she is, we'll have the man eating out of our hand! So do me a solid, Laura," he told her with an honest smile. "Get her talkin', any way you can without stressing her out."

"So I'm babysitting now?"

"It's more complicated than that," he told her, giving her a look she'd grown to know very well, one that told her just to do what he said and he'd tell her what he thought later.

"Okay," she told him. "Anything I should know other than she's unstable and was raped?"

"Yeah, see, that's what I need you to figure out. Somethin' about that just doesn't add up. She's only asked about the guy and the baby-"

"She's pregnant?"

"Yeah, stay with me," he he told her before going right back into what he was saying. "She's only asked about the guy and the baby, hasn't even worried 'bout where she is. I don't know about you, but you'd think she'd want to make sure she was safe. Nope! The man and the baby. And she was damn near tremblin' in fear at the mere mention of her parents. As you know, that shit can't fly around here. I need to know what I can believe. The sleazy assholes who, albeit great at scavenging and gettin' shit done, are, in fact, sleazy assholes. Or, Dwight and what appears to be an honest to God man and wife! Hell, you should have seen the desperation in that guy as he tried to kick Tom's ass. I almost want to see who could win with that. But, back on task. I've got said sleazy assholes goin' out with Simon once you relieve him. They will definitely be comin' back wanting to see their daughter. Your job is to keep said sleazy assholes away from the sleepy little fox in our wolf den," he told her with a smile. "Just to be safe."

"Okay, you got it," Laura said. "Where is she now?"

"She's over in the living quarters, set up in one of the rooms at the end."

"The empty one with the fan?"

"That's the one."

"Alright," she said as she walked away.

~x~

"Here you go," Simon said as he walked back into the room carrying a tray of food and a cup of juice. "I got you some roasted squirrel, some strawberries, some red and green peppers, added a couple pickles, chips, and orange juice to round you off. You know, we've had a few pregnancies roll through here. You gotta keep your intake up for you and the, uh, little guy," he told her, a smile and mock friendliness, though Ani couldn't tell if it was mock because he just wasn't a friendly person or mock because he was told to be polite.

"Thank you," she said anyway once he set the tray in front of her.

To be honest, it did look good and it didn't smell off either, so there wasn't much chance that it was drugged. She didn't think these people would go quite that far, anyway, at least not with her and how they seemed to actually want to do the best they could for Little D. Ani was more worried about Daryl because there was no way in hell was he getting the same treatment as she was. Eating in silence, all she could think about was Daryl and how she wanted him in the room with her, not the weird guy with the mustache that stared too much for comfort. She cleaned her plate before she managed to get her emotions in check enough to speak to the man without crying. The squirrel tasted nothing like what Daryl and Merle cooked and she was upset about that on top of Daryl not being there. She would be upset on any normal day and here she was trying not to blubber like a baby all over the squirrel being wrong. Ani really tried her best not to let it get to her and to get herself under control, but she failed miserably as she stared at the empty tray.

"How's Daryl?" she asked him quietly.

"He's alive," the man said, as if that was supposed to be a comforting piece of information.

"Can I see 'im?"

"Oh, you'd have to ask Negan about that."

"And when will I meet him?"

"You-you just did," Simon said, mildly confused before realization hit him. "You were sleeping during career day, right. Well!" he said, slapping his knees and smiling. "The man who told me to keep you company is the Negan, but we're all Negan."

"Yeah, I know ya a cult," Ani said, rolling her eyes. "Ya know I'm goin' ta kill 'im, right? I know what 're-education' means. I know what ya doin' ta my husband. And I'm goin' ta kill every single last one a ya who eva even touched 'im for it," the conviction in her darkened expression scaring even Simon; not even Negan could pull off that dark of an expression.

"Wow," Simon told her. "You actually mean that."

"I neva make a promise I can' keep."

"Little lady, you might think you are tough, but you can't beat Negan."

"I've killed ova a hundred twenny people since this whole thing went down," Ani told him, her eyes dark as ever. "Fifteen a them have been Saviors. Do ya really think ya people scare me? I mean, how many has Negan himself killed? How many have ya?"

"You kept count?"

"I don' know the exact count 'cause some a the stunts I pulled I couldn' tell how many I ended up bein' the reason died. But I'm still human. I ain' a monsta who don' give two shites 'bout the people I killed, not even the assholes who tried ta shoot me up with my man. Not the assholes who were eatin' people and planned on eatin' my people out in Georgia. There's only one death I don' count, but I still rememba perfectly clear in me head. My sista, Chrystal, but I'll neva forget what happened."

"You were the jealous bitch who killed Chrystal?"

"Jealous bitch?" Ani laughed. "Oh gods, that's a good one!" She couldn't help but chuckle for a few minutes as Simon looked on in shock, "So they told ya a jealous bitch killed Chrystal, huh? Well, let me set it straight. Apparently, they'd been lookin' for me since all this shite started. My parents got separated from my sista on their trek down from Michigan, where they lived. Though, ta be fair, they might a already been in Georgia, who knows? I didn' keep track a where they were, bein' honest. But anyways, Chrys found my brotha in law, Merle, and found out I was still alive 'cause a that. We had ta rescue some a our people from 'er group and when we did, when we got out, she found 'er way back ta our base. Rick, 'e took 'er in believin' 'er sob story much like all a y'all believed Tom and Ellie's. Only difference was that 'e'd jus' lost 'is wife, so 'e wasn' all there in the head, unlike ya. Anyways, she corna'd me when I was on watch the next night. Threatened ta carve me up some more, like she did when I was a kid, like they all did," she said with a scoff. "I could a jus' let 'er walk away if she'd a left well 'nough alone and only threatened me, but she went and threatened Daryl. I ended up kickin' 'er off the side a the guard towa we were in, broke 'er neck when she hit the ground. That's how Chrys died. If anyone was a jealous bitch, it was Chrysie."

"Knock knock," came a feminine voice right after a couple raps on the door sounded. A blonde girl with a barcode tattoo walked and introducing herself, "I'm Laura, your new babysitter. You're free to go Simon. So, you're Titania, right?"

"Ani," she corrected.

"Just Ani? How'd you come to that? I would have thought, like, maybe Teeny, Tiny given your size. Ania if you wanna base it on your name."

"Only Daryl gets ta call me Ania," Ani spat out viciously.

"Hey, it's cool," Laura said, raising her eyebrow at the girl's reaction. "How old are you anyway?"

"Twenny three? Twenny four? I was twenny two when it all started, don' really know what month it is, but if two Augusts have past, I'm twenny four," she rambled, not really sure the month they were in.

"It's September."

"Twenny four!" Ani said joyously before getting a whimsical look on her face. "Makes Daryl thirdy six. Damn fine for a man nearin' 'is fordys," she laughed.

"He's thirty six, and you think he's hot?" Laura asked, this being her first real hint at what Negan had been saying.

"Well, when ya graduate early and start workin' early, ya kind a end up 'round olda guys all the time. I went on a date or two with guys my age, but they were jus', well, yuck," she said making a face. "When the world went ta hell and I met Daryl, didn' even know I'd already met 'im on my twenny first. Wanted ta kiss 'im that night but I was three sheets ta the wind and on my way out when 'e got called away."

"You didn't start out with your parents?"

"Hell nah! Been on my own since I was fourteen! Why in the hell would I want ta be with them assholes?"

Ani didn't talk for the rest of the day, only turning on her side away from the newcomer and going to sleep after that question until she was woken up to eat a couple times later in the day. It was obvious that Negan was at least honest in his desire for her to get better with how much she was given to eat and the IV still in her arm. Laura didn't seem to mind the fact that she kept silent, either, preferring to turn on a radio that began playing rock music to whittle the hours away. Ani was just trying to keep herself in check, to not show that she was being affected by everything that had happened or the loneliness she was feeling. The little flutters in her stomach combined with the almost unnatural cold she felt at the emptiness of the bed beside her was getting to her with every passing second, though. All she was left with was her thoughts, and the longer she dwelt on what could be happening to Daryl, the harder to control her emotions became. Closing her eyes, she forced herself to think about what she knew both was happening, what had happened thus far, and how she could get them out of it.

Tom and Ellie had lied through their teeth about who Daryl was to her and what she was herself, but what exactly was the lie? She had pieced enough together to know that they had turned Daryl into an abuser, most likely worse given their predisposition of flamboyancy. Ani also knew that they had claimed she was not of sound mind enough to know whether or not she wanted the baby and therefore wanted her to get an abortion. She was already winning on that front, though; her parents may have wanted the baby gone, but she was the mother and had the final say. If anything, she could admit that Negan had at least enough humanity in him to pick the mother's side over someone else's, at least for now. As far as being unstable, well, just being around her would prove that to be somewhere between true and false depending on the day. She had her moments, exacerbated by being away from Daryl and being in stressful situations, both of which she was in now. At the same time, she was mostly within her right mind and capable of proving herself in almost any way she needed to. Right now, though, she had to do her best to keep her spirits up and think positively to keep her stress levels down and not affect Little D. Rubbing her stomach as she thought about what she had to do, she couldn't help the tears that fell from her eyes as she fell asleep, cold and alone.

In the morning, she woke up to Laura bringing her breakfast and tossing her a bottle of prenatal vitamins, "Take those. You need them."

"I'm already out a the first trimesta, if I rememba right. 'Bout fourteen, fifteen weeks along," Ani tried to reason.

"And you've been sleeping for a while, right? You need the vitamins for both you and the baby. Trust me."

"Why should I? Ya a doctor? Ya been pregnant before?"

"My dad was one. And once. Didn't take, though I'm still not sure if I'm happy about that or not."

"How could ya say that? I mean, I get it, this day and age people don' want ta be makin' babies, but I mean, why?"

"I didn't choose the guy," was all Laura said on the matter, turning back towards the woman, knowing first hand that telling her own truth was the easiest way to get other women to talk.

"Oh. Ya prolly already heard 'sorry' 'nough ta last ya a life-time," Ani told her nonchalantly before becoming serious. "I'm jus' happy ya came out a saviva, not a victim, even if it took ya a while ta come out. Not many women manage ta do that, and the ones I've met that have, well, they weren' exactly savivas, ya know? Hard ta become a saviva afta bein' a victim. And it's okay that ya didn' want that baby. Nah one should have ta carry a child they don' want, let alone a rapist's."

"Huh," the blonde said as she turned back towards the small window in the room she was standing by. "Don't think anyone's ever actually told me that before. It's always the 'I'm sorry for your loss,' or 'Sorry you went through that.' It's all just bullshit. But then again, takes one to know one, right?"

"Huh?"

"Your baby," Laura said as if it was obvious. "It's your rapist's right?"

"Ra-rapist?" Ani scoffed in confusion before smiling and shaking her head. "I've been touched by the people Tom and Ellie tried ta sell my virginity ta, but I ain' neva been raped. Only been with one man eva, my husband. Daryl. This baby," she said rubbing her lower belly, "it's ours. We've been tryin' for 'em foreva and finally got 'em and didn' even know it 'til 'bout a week or so ago."

"Seriously? How could you not know?"

"Well, I was sick durin' what we think was the first couple weeks, then on the run for my life the next week. Spent a few days in a church and then a few weeks on the road. Been in Alexandria for a few months, but got my head banged pretty good a couple days in. Thought the smells, the cravin's, the emotional shite, thought it was all 'cause a this," Ani said while motioning to her scar. Tom and Ellie might be excellent liars, but nothing could hide the truth as she said, "Tom and Ellie, they were at Alexandria."

"We know. Daryl and someone else took you from them and got them exiled by telling lies."

"That's not what fuckin' happened!" Ani snarled at the woman. "They fuckin' ambushed me actin' like they'd neva done shite ta me! I was helpin' one a my people, Glenn. I was helpin' 'im with a conflict 'tween 'im and a couple a douches from Alexandria that are both dead now. I didn't kill 'em; one died on a run 'e turned bad and the otha realized 'e wasn't meant ta deal with walkas and blew 'is brains out. But anyways, soon as I managed ta help 'im, I'm bein' hugged by those bastards and they're puttin' on a show 'bout how much they missed me. Asked if I knew where their otha daughta was and then threw me inta a wall afta I told 'em I'd killed the bitch! Barely managed ta block the next swing 'fore I was checked again and my momma grabbed my head and raked it against a jagged piece a the wall! All them years growin' my hair out, and it took only a split second ta lose a part a it! Got this, though," she said, holding up her wrist to show the bracelet she still wore. "Darly's got one jus' like it. My best friend made 'em for me. One a ya men killed 'er. I'm goin' ta kill 'im when I get back. My man tried ta help 'im once upon a time and they fuckin' left 'im high and dry and then 'e came back and killed my friend. He's dead. I'm goin' ta snap his fuckin' neck."

"You can do that?"

"Yeah, it's actually pretty easy for someone like me. I don' exactly know my own strength, so breakin' bones has neva been difficult when I get in a fight. It's not breakin' 'em I have problems with," Ani stated, only rolling her eyes internally at her lack of restraint when it came to answering honestly but deciding it wouldn't be a bad thing; they'd either believe her or think she was lying, which she could use to her advantage. "But anyway, back ta Tom and Ellie and Daryl. They got exiled for attackin' me, not 'cause a Daryl. Daryl and Merle, my brotha in law, they did take me away from 'em. Afta Tom and Ellie beat me bloody. Afta Tom and Ellie went apeshite on me. Daryl took me ta the fuckin' infirmary ta get my head looked at! He's neva once touched me when I didn' wat ta. He always gives me the space I need 'less I'm pullin' away from 'im, and I haven' been doin' that for a while. Not since I realized I was tryin' ta run away from 'im all along."

"So you are afraid of him," Laura said flatly, her arms crossed as she observed Ani, trying to get more information seeing as the girl was willing to spill.

It was obvious enough to Laura that Tom and Ellie had lied about who the abuser was if the girl's actions and facial expressions were anything to go by. The woman in front of her would get a hard look on her face, her eyes almost looking through everything with a slight edge of both malice and terror to them every time she talked about the two. Yet when she talked about Daryl, when she talked about how he'd taken her away, she had this small smile and soft eyes. Her hand on her belly just rubbed away as she looked down, Laura could tell that Ani really did want the baby there. Until she'd said she'd been trying to run away from Daryl, Laura was pretty positive everything Tom and Ellie had said was a lie, but now that she'd said that things had changed. No one who loved their significant other would try to run from them let alone admit it. It made no sense to Laura that Ani would practically admit to being completely in love with the man only to turn around and say she was running from him. She was about ready to tell Negan that Tom and Ellie might have been right, at least that was until Ani began to laugh.

"I think that is the funniest thing I've eva heard in my life," she said, holding her stomach as she continued to laugh, Laura smiling along with her. "I ain' neva, neva eva, eva neva! Neva once have I been afraid a Daryl. He's my happy, safe, and dependable place all rolled inta one. I feel safest when I'm tucked up unda 'im, whetha it's walkin' unda 'is shouldas or sittin' unda 'is chin or when 'e's smotharin' me in bed 'cause we jus' can get close 'nough ta each otha at night." Laura watched as the tears formed in the woman's eyes as she spoke, "They turned 'im inta a rapist, didn' they? That he was the one who abused me, didn' they? They made 'emselves out ta be betta parents jus' lookin' out for their little girl and tryin' ta get 'er back from the monsta. Ain' nah bigga monsta in this whole place than me. Ain' a betta person than Daryl. When I say I was tryin' ta run, I mean I was tryin' ta find a way ta run from bein' with 'im 'cause I was so sure 'e'd jus' get sick a me one day. So sure 'e'd walk away that I was runnin' or pushin' 'im ta run. Took a big fight that lasted almost a month for me ta realize it," Ani said, bringing her knees up to her chest as her tears fell. "I jus' want 'im back."

Laura looked at her for a bit before sighing and saying, "Eat. You need to get as much in you as possible after the last few days. There'll be someone outside your door. I've got a meeting to go to."

"Ta tell Negan everythin' I said and whetha or not ya think I'm tellin' the truth," Ani said, sniffling and turning her head to watch Laura.

"You're pretty smart."

"I should hope so, I graduated high school at thirteen and got my first degree a year lata. Only reason why it was takin' so long ta get my PhD was 'cause I was in love with my work at the Atlanta Police Department."

"Wait, you worked with the police?" Laura laughed, leaning back against the doors. "Do you have any proof?"

"Back in Alexandria, Daryl hung 'em up on the wall when 'e found 'em in my pack. Didn' even know I had 'em 'cause I neva showed 'im. Thought 'e'd be angry since 'e neva even got ta finish high school," Ani said, her sad smile returning. "I want ta see Daryl."

"I'm not gonna make any promises," Laura told her. "But I'll see what I can do."

~x~

Simon, Laura, and Dwight were standing in a room a while later discussing the two newcomers to the Sanctuary. None of them could understand the way the two had gotten together, Laura mentioning the twelve year age gap while Simon commented on how Ani, after Laura's correction, reminded him of his niece. When Laura said that Ani was actually awake and talking, they were all pretty happy about that simply because they had yet to have a woman carry a child to term. Both Laura and Simon bitched Dwight out for shooting her, to which he defended that he was aiming for Daryl, not the pregnant lady. It didn't matter to the other two who he had been aiming at, he'd shot a pregnant woman in the shoulder and that could have cost her the baby. When Dwight mentioned that the baby wasn't supposed to be born anyway, both Laura and Simon started arguing with him. It wasn't until Negan came in that they quieted down from their debate and sat down at the table as they waited for him to speak.

"So, tell me what's goin' on with the super hot pregnant lady married to the super hung hunter guy. I mean, have you seen the tits on that girl? And that face! Man, she really is super hot. The only way I can see them bein' together is because he damn near puts my manhood to shame," he told them. "How's he doin' anyway?"

"Takin' longer than I thought, but he's gonna break. Been askin' about her, 'bout the baby," Dwight told him. "Do I answer him?"

"You know, that's funny," Laura said before Negan answered. "She keeps asking me about him, too. She really misses him. Like, crying mess when I left because she misses him."

"First thing she asked after you left yesterday, too," Simon agreed. "Promised to kill anyone who had a hand in his, uh, re-education, as I called it."

"She's pregnant, tears, threats, it's all to be expected," Negan said dully. "Now, what about her parents?"

"Well, here's the thing-" Simon said at the same time as Laura started saying, "They gave her the scar-"

"One at a time," Negan said. "Simon, go."

"Well, you know how we were told Chrystal was killed by some jealous bitch? Turns out, Ani's the one who killed her protectin' her home. Kicked her right off a damn tower," Simon chuckled.

"Ani?"

"Her preferred name," Laura informed him.

"Claims she's killed over a hundred and twenty people since this all started," Simon told the group. "She doesn't seem like she's lyin' either. I mean, she's a bit off, there's no doubt about that. Sat and stared at the wall for hours before I mentioned food. Had to promise I'd mention to you about lettin' her at least see Daryl to get her to eat, not that that's gonna happen as far as her seein' him. I mean, you are plannin' on marryin' her, right?"

"No, not her. Not yet anyway. Still need to get to the bottom of all this. What about you, Laura?"

"Dude, there's a lot," Laura told him. "She smiles when she talks about Daryl, rubs her stomach, and then when she's talking about Tom and Ellie, she's almost protective of it, holding it with both arms, this look on her face that just screams murder. That scar on her head, she said they did that, that they knocked her into a wall and scraped her head against a jagged piece. Cost her her hair. She actually has a bracelet like the one you've got on her wrist," she told Dwight. "It's made of her hair."

Dwight took the bracelet off his wrist and threw it with a disgusted look on his face, it landing in the middle of the table, "That thing's made of hair?! Why the hell keep it?! That was on Daryl's wrist!"

"Yeah, well, apparently her best friend, you know, the woman you killed, made them for her. She plans on breaking your neck for that," Laura told him bluntly.

"So she's really with that guy? Huh, I mean, with how big he is, I'm sure he's got ladies linin' up for miles around," Negan chuckled as he grabbed the bracelet and sat back.

"If he does, he doesn't know it," Dwight said. "Only thing he's said all day was 'how's Ania?' That's it. Any other time I go in, he's just starin' at me like a wild dog."

"That's what she was doin' to me yesterday, though without the wild dog part," Simon said. "Really creepy sitting in a room with a woman who's just starin' at a wall. Even her breathin' was slow, steady. Almost like she was sleepin' with her eyes open."

"Think giving that to her might help?" Laura asked, motioning towards the bracelet now in Negan's hand. "Or should we just keep a hold of it and use it against her?"

"Don't need her more emotional and stressed when we want her to recover. We can be nice and give it back. Has she said anythin' else about anything?"

"She hasn't been raped," Laura told him with a shrug of her shoulder. "She's been sexually assaulted when, get this, her parents tried to sell her virginity."

"What now?" Negan said with a smile, finally paying full attention and taking his feet off the table they were sitting at, turning to sit in the chair properly and leaning in.

"Yeah, apparently she's only ever been with Daryl and they got together after all this started," Laura told him. "Said she's been on her own since she was fourteen, too, and she worked with the Atlanta Police Department. Has a bunch of college degrees she first started getting when she was fourteen; said Daryl hung them on the wall in their home. I mean, I want to scoff at her, but she knew where I was going and what I was doing when I left the room. She also put together and pulled apart what Tom and Ellie told us pretty easily. Oh, she also said that they'd been trying for a child and only found out like a week ago even though she's already out of the first trimester."

"How'd you get her to talk? All she did was sit and stare at the wall when I was with her?" Simon asked.

"That's a woman's secret, Simon," she smiled back at him.

"Alright, here's what we're gonna do," Negan said after taking in all the information. "You and me," he said, motioning towards Laura, "are gonna go talk a little more to our little, most likely, soon-to-be orphan Ani. I wanna see those scars Carson found so interesting yesterday. After that, Dwight, you're gonna take Daryl to see the doctor. Get that wound checked in. We'll see where it goes from there."

They all left the room, Simon being told to get a move on with gathering supplies for the trap at Hilltop tonight. Dwight headed out to do whatever he had to before he went to get Daryl, which included getting the man some clothes to put on before they went to Carson's office. Laura and Negan headed towards the room Ani was in, Fat Joey trailing along behind them as one of the other grunts under Laura stood guard. When they got to Ani's room, he told the guard to get lost as because had been talking to Tom and Ellie while joking and laughing. The two knew they weren't supposed to be anywhere near that particular room considering they quickly moved along down the hall as soon as they caught sight of him coming around the corner. He did not appreciate their blatant lack of respect towards his orders but figured that they would get their dues soon enough. There wasn't much point in dealing with them right that second when they had Pandora's box to go crack open.

"Don't stand guard for this room again. I find you here, you'll catch the iron," he threatened as he knocked on the door before entering. "Hey there, darlin'. Feelin' any better?"

"Yeah, thanks," she said, even though she didn't want to and internally kicked herself for it.

Negan huffed a chuckle at her attempt at manners before saying, "You know, you're a mystery to me."

"Yeah, well, ya an open book ta me."

"Oh?" Negan outright laughed. "And what do you know about me?"

"Ya don' care 'bout killin', prolly 'cause what was keepin' ya in line ta begin with died. My guess is ya wife; jus' sayin', ya named a damn bat Lucille if I heard right. Things are a little fuzzy from that night. But still, that ain' normal behavia," Ani told him, watching as the smile fell from his face as her eyes hardened, watching for the next clue she was on the right track. "Ya prolly think a all a this as some kind a system where ya the king commandin' 'is army and 'is generals and nobles from on high while the workas below muck through the mud jus' ta get somethin' ta eat. Might seem like a fair system, but the more one needs, the more they fall behind, the worse they get treated 'til they eitha give up the fight or they try ta run. And then they die or ya chase 'em down and bring 'em back and punish 'em like ya did ta Dwight and 'is face. I know that ya do all this 're-education' bullshite 'cause ya think makin' people think and act like ya, listen ta ya, report ta ya. Ya think that's how ya keep in control and keep 'em safe. But it's goin' ta lose ya people. A lot a people."

"Hu-oh-oh, you really think you are smart, don't you?" Negan said, realizing firsthand that this woman wasn't unstable at all.

"I've got an IQ high 'nough ta rival Einstein, autism, ADHD, and damn near had my PhD in forensic psychology 'fore the world ended," Ani told him with a sneer of her own. "If ya think ya can turn me against Daryl, use me against Daryl, I promise ya, it ain' goin' ta work."

"I could always give you back to your parents rather than keep you protected from them," he said sinisterly.

Ani just chuckled at the thought about how she had been terrified at the thought of being sent back to her parents and how now it didn't matter. It didn't matter if she was scared because she had something she had to and would protect with her entire life. It didn't matter if they came around her when the only thing she needed to worry about how to get Daryl out of whatever hell he was in. She didn't care that they had terrified her once upon a time; she almost wanted them to come through the door just to get out the anger she had pent up. Everything, all of this, it was all their fault to begin with for being manipulative, narcissistic, abusive assholes that couldn't be bothered to leave a child they didn't even care about alone. They couldn't just back off after she'd retaliated with deadly force and had shown she was ready to kill them in the blink of an eye. They had to keep coming after her and now had done the one thing she had been the most worried about by going after Daryl and now their baby. She could deal with whatever they did to her, whatever they had done or had tried to do, all the times she had been beaten, bloodied, and bruised. Every last little thing they had done to her she could have written off for the rest of her life if they would have just left her husband and child alone. Now, she dared them to come within five feet of her so that she could give them the same treatment she'd given Chrystal for threatening Daryl and Little D.

"Go ahead. Bring 'em 'round me. Ya'll find 'em eatin' ya in ya sleep when I'm done with 'em," she snarled at him.

"Wow. You really do mean that, don't you?" Negan asked her with a smile. "What kind of heartless bitch threatens to kill their parents?"

"The kind that already killed 'er sista ta keep 'er family safe, ain' 'bout ta let them sick fucks hurt my man. Ain' lettin' 'em touch 'im."

"Yet they say he raped you, from as young as twelve. That he left all sorts of scars on you," Negan said. "What's that about?"

"They tried ta sell me ta a sick fuck when I was twelve. Friend a the family that had been pervin' on me for a couple years. Wanted me 'fore I 'grew inta a woman's body,'" she told him with air quotes to emphasize what she was saying. "Ended up in jail for three months while the cops determined it ta be self-defense. And ya know what my parents did the whole time? Cried and moaned 'bout how I'd neva kill anybody, yet they were the ones who told the cops ta take the 'murderous little bitch' away, claimin' I'd been chasin' 'im even though 'e was married and fat as fuck. My scars? Hell, the clustas were my birthday gifts from my sista. The lashes were my daddy; he loved usin' whips when 'e knew 'e could get away with me not havin' ta show my back. And then my momma, she was the wildcard. Sometimes it was whips, sometimes knives, sometimes worse knives. But all three loved chainin' me up and carvin' at me. Yeah, I got a few scars that were caused by Daryl, but they weren'..." Ani stopped in the middle of her sentence, "Well, I guess in a way they were on purpose, but it ain' jus' 'is fault when we both get carried away and fall off the bed or slam a little too hard inta somethin'. I mean, he's got some scars from me, too," she chuckled. "There's damn near a perfect impression a my bite mark on 'is hand from tryin' ta keep me quiet. And I wish I hadn' said that."

"So you do like a little freaky-deak," Negan chuckled. "Good to know if you ever wanna jump to my side and become one of my wives."

"Nah thank ya," Ani denied, looking like she was about to retch. "Only man I'm eva goin 'ta be with willin'ly is Daryl. Only man I'll eva give inta is Daryl. I can keep goin' with that, but I'm sure ya get the hint."

"So he's the only man for you, huh? Well, that's a damn shame. I'm not much of a one woman one man kinda guy myself."

"Well, I don' like sharin'. What's mine is mine. Daryl's mine. This baby is mine, but also ours, if that makes any sense. We're the only ones allowed ta be handsy with 'em and tell 'em what ta do without havin' ta get permission," Ani told him with venom dripping from her tongue. "Daryl is mine."

"Well, he can be, if he makes the right choices. I'm not tryin' to keep him from you, but he needs to learn his lesson."

Ani scoffed, "Only lesson 'e'll learn is why 'e's goin' ta fight ya."

Negan chuckled as he tried to get a better understanding of the girl's character, the only real thing being garnered was the fact that she was loyal to a fault. He could use that against her at some point while they were trying to get her and Daryl over to their side. It seemed pretty damn easy when she was an open book who hadn't even thought about what she'd said before she'd said it. The little over-sharer had confirmed, at the very least, that her parents were, in fact, the douche canoes he thought they were. He still had to wonder, though, whether or not the girl was really their daughter; the only thing he could see she had in common was her deep green eyes. And the stories the two had told him were wildly different than what 'Ani' was telling him, especially when it came to how she was treated. It was also blatantly obvious that she was way smarter than her parents had given her credit for and she was definitely sound of mind. Then again, Tom and Ellie did say she was very good at lying and manipulating people into believing what she wanted them to believe. Negan just couldn't believe that she was trying to make herself seem like the victim when she had made an honest to goodness threat against her parents. There was no lie on her face when she'd said she would kill them, only conviction and determination gracing it.

"Let's see these scars, shall we?" he asked, deciding to change the subject rather than keep going around in circles. "Don't worry, we don't rape here, number one rule. Too many women have dealt with that out there and, to be honest, I wouldn't want to live in a place where that wasn't a rule. So let's have a little looksie."

Ani just rolled her eyes before moving, albeit a little stiffly, to turn her back towards the man, lifting her shirt high enough to show her back and the numerous scars on it. She heard both Negan and Laura's sharp intakes of breath as her back was revealed and felt her skin crawl. She brought the shirt up over her head and held it over her chest even though she still had her comfort bra on as if that would help her feel better. Even though it was necessary to prove Daryl's innocence as an abuser, it was still completely demoralizing and objectifying to have people staring at her scars as if they meant anything more than what they did. Her body was hideous and had been since before she could remember and it had always been a sore spot when she'd gotten older. It had taken her years to be comfortable enough to walk around in crop tops, her scars on display for everyone to see. Her own therapist was a godsend in helping her gain confidence, first suggesting that she go to grow her hair out, then to go to self-defense classes. She had been the first one to make her see that the scars weren't something to be ashamed of and instead were a sign of how hard she had fought. Battle scars weren't always found on soldiers; sometimes they were found on children born in unfortunate circumstances. Now, here she was, right back to feeling like she was gross and wanting to hide away in a dark room with her baggie hoodies and pants. The only one who had never said anything about her scars, the only one who just kissed her skin as if it wasn't marred, the only one who touched her without reacting to the bumps and lines covering every inch, had been Daryl.

"Can I see Daryl?" she asked quietly.

"I'm thinkin' about it," Negan said. "What's this at the bottom? These letters?"

Taking a shuddering breath, Ani responded, "Thomas, Eileen, Chrystal Parker. They..." she scoffed. "They branded me. Marked me as theirs 'fore they tried sellin' me off. Ya know, they had the drugs ta knock me loopy 'nough not ta feel it when they were doin' it, but they didn' use 'em. They wanted me ta feel it as they carved their initials inta me. Two days lata, and I'm bein' drugged up so bad my body feels like its on fire and a fat guy's got 'is hand down my pants holdin' me against a desk. Freaked out so bad I grabbed the first thing I could and stabbed it through 'is eye."

"How old were you?" Laura asked.

"Twelve."

"This one line here," Negan said, gently poking a singular line on her shoulder. "What's that?"

"My first birthday."

"What?"

"It's the mark a my first year," Ani reiterated.

"So they did this, for fourteen years?" Negan asked after a moment, having a bit of a hard time navigating through the patchwork that was her back until he found the final bundle of obvious tallies.

"Uh-huh. And my daddy wanted ta rape me when I ran away. All 'cause somethin' flipped in my head and I'd jus' had 'nough. I was done with their shite and was headin' ta college anyway on a full ride complete with specialty housin'. Don' really think 'e was thinkin' straight with that one, though. None a the people on 'is side a the family could handle their liquor and 'e was pissed as fuck when all that went down. Sure my sista told some story ta my brotha in law when they were at the same camp, but that sick fuck didn' stand a chance, and neitha did she. They both had broken bones and bruises and all it cost me was my shirt. Oh, he eva tell ya the story a how I cost 'im an election?"

"Yeah," Negan said, still looking at her scars, taking note of a few spattering of bruises along her shoulders that were a few days old and smirking.

"Which version 'e tell ya? That I hurt myself and blamed 'im or that my gym teacha found my ribs wrapped and bruised and I blamed 'im even though it was bullies at school?"

"Damn, there's two versions of that story?"

"There's as many as 'e needs ta make it real," Ani said with a shrug of her shoulders, though Laura could see the tears streaming down her face and Negan could hear them in her voice. "Ya done lookin'? Or ya want me ta turn 'round so ya can look at my front, too?"

"No, no, you go ahead and put your shirt back down. I've got them on a mission right now, so they aren't gonna be anywhere near here. And when they come back, well, we'll make this right," Negan told her, taking her shirt and quickly lowering it as soon as it was over her head again. "I'm sorry to make you do that. Hell, I'm sorry you had to go through that. I have to ask, though, what is the true story to that election?"

"He'd broken three a my ribs on one side, two on anotha, and I was still goin' ta school with 'em jus' wrapped up," she told him, turning around to face him. "Well, I got jostled all ta hell on my way ta class and my favorite teacha in all the world, my Spanish teacha, Mr. Skinna, he saw how pale I was and how I was cryin' and tryin' ta catch my breath while holdin' my sides. I was only eleven at the time and 'e jus' scooped my up and took me ta the nurses office," she cried. "Ya know, Daryl's the only otha person who eva scooped me up ta take me ta get help, and the only one ta do so immediately afta it happened. Skinna was too late ta make it ta where I didn' have ta go through more pain when they made sure the bones were set propaly, 'cause they weren' and were already startin' ta mend, minus the one that'd been broken again by the jostlin'. A CPS case was opened up when they saw my scars, when they saw all the bruises. And my parents, they jus' acted like they had nah fuckin' clue. Like, somehow, they had this child they knew nothin' 'bout even though she was a prepubescent genius. Got off with that shite scott free like I neva had been injured in the first place. Fucka neva even ran for election that year, was jus' thinkin' 'bout when 'e wanted ta start 'is campaign ta run. I think 'e ran two years afta I left and got crushed by 'is opponent 'cause I refused ta support my daddy," Ani chuckled. "I actually was on record supportin' the otha guy."

"What happened to your teacher?" Laura asked.

"They ended up gettin' 'im fired," she huffed. "Used the same lie they're prolly usin' 'bout Daryl as far as usin' the 'olda guy lures innocent child' away trope. Said they had proof that the whole thing with CPS was actually 'is doin', that 'e'd beat me up and was tryin' ta get me inta 'is house ta start a sexual relationship with me. I was pretty fuckin' scarred by an extremely graphic sex ed course that showed full blown pictures a nasty ass infected genitalia! Ya be eleven and see that shite before ya even hit puberty and see if ya would want anythin' ta do with it! I didn' have sex 'til I was twenny fuckin' two partly 'cause a that! I wasn' willin' ta take the risk."

"And yet you're with a man like Daryl, who I must say is absolutely filthy," Negan said. "I mean, not even his junk is clean right now. It looks like he literally took his clothes off and rolled around like a little pig in mud."

Ani couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her as she pictured it in her mind, "I could totally see 'im doin' that! Though, ta be honest, I'd be right there beside 'im if 'e did. We're both pretty damn feral like that. I don' know why h'e's filthy right now, though, 'less 'e didn' take a showa afta we got back from the run with Denny. That's when I conked out 'fore I got here, so I doubt 'e botha'd with it."

"You know he left you there in Alexandria, right? Went off on his own tryin' to find the man who shot you."

"Well, he couldn' sit around jus' waitin' for me ta open my eyes and let the trail run cold, now could 'e?" Ani defended, barely upset at the fact because she wouldn't want to sit and wait anymore than he had. "For all 'e knew, I was goin 'ta die. I don' blame 'im for not wantin' ta see that."

"Would you sit around and wait for him?"

"If there was somethin' else I could do ta make it right, hell nah. If all I could do was sit 'round, if 'e asked me ta sit 'round, yeah, I would. And then I'd blow my brains out afta makin' sure 'e stayed dead. I'd neva let 'im turn," she said with conviction. "Is that what happened ta ya? With ya wife? Ya had ta try ta make somethin' right and found 'er when ya got back?"

"Yeah, somethin' like that. Stick around long enough, maybe I'll tell you the whole story," Negan told her, realizing he needed to be more careful about what he said around this girl; she was already closer to the truth than he wanted her to be.

"Or maybe I'll tell ya," she replied snarkily.

"Maybe," he said with a chuckle before handing her the bracelet and saying once again, "Here's this. Rest up. You need your strength for what's comin'. By the way, stay there for a few minutes. Laura, you know when to get the door."

Before she had a chance to ask, he stood up and walked out of the room, leaving her door open as he saw he was correct in his timing. Dwight was coming through with Daryl, the man in baggy clothes marked 'A' after being sent to the doctor's for a bandage change. Asshole, Negan chuckled to himself before calling for Dwight and telling him he wanted to talk to him, smiling to himself at his gift. As arranged, Dwight took the man around the corner to sit on a red chair just outside of Ani's room. He could only assume the man and Ani would be having a hard time sitting in their assigned spots now that he was playing nice. There was no point in stressing the pregnant woman out and it was the absolute least he could do just then to make up for forcing her to show him her back. At least he was being generous enough to let them see each other; there were a lot worse things he could do.

~x~

Ani was still reeling from Negan's visit and the command that she stay where she was, sitting at the foot of the bed, facing the doorway, staring at an empty chair. She looked over at Laura, who was standing by the door looking at her in pity and she absolutely hated seeing it. So many people pitied her when they found out about her past that it was just about as ridiculous as it had been for people to tell Laura sorry her pregnancy spontaneously ended. No one but her had been there to know what she had gone through and no one had been there to make it stop. What was the point of sorrow and compassion for things that had ended a decade ago that couldn't be changed even if she wished it? Even before the world went to hell, Ani had been over the past and moving forward with her life as best she could. While her parents had continued plaguing her life from time to time, she had been able to thwart every challenge, every ordeal, every trial they had thrown at her. Her scars had become a reminder of that and while she would never see herself as beautiful or think her skin was anything other than grotesque.

"Sit there and stay put," she heard Dwight's voice say, bringing her attention back to the outside and causing her to cry.

"Daryl," she said as she went to stand.

"Move and I close the door. No talking either," Laura said, a look of true apology on her face as Ani sobbed, and simply stared out the door.

He was only there for a few minutes before he was roughly taken away from her all over again and the door to her room was closed. Ani broke down in sobs clutching the bracelet Negan had given back to her as soon as she was shut in, unable to stop herself. She couldn't figure out what Negan's game was, allowing her to only see her husband but not even talk to him. She didn't know if it had been to torture the two of them, an answer to her request to see him, or the man simply feeling sorry for her. Laura had to leave after a few minutes of listening to her; it really had been cruel of Negan to do what he did to them. Ani could tell the woman truly felt apologetic for what was happening and the situation she was being forced into, but she couldn't tell why and wasn't sure she cared. Maybe it was the pregnancy Laura had lost, maybe she'd lost someone she'd loved due to Negan, too, or been ripped away from them while they were tortured because of him. And Negan; he didn't like talking about himself, didn't want to, but his facial expressions made him an open book. She wondered if he'd ever been able to lie when it came to matters that hit close to home with how he clammed up.

Ani wasn't sure she cared about anything at the moment, though, as all the questions in her head quieted down and the picture of Daryl in her mind took front and center. The only thing she knew for certain was that Daryl was alive and was going to be kept alive for the time being unless something major happened. She knew he would want her to rest and get better, which was something she knew she had to do herself if she was going to be able to get them out. Daryl would be working on a way to get them out and he had to know she was trying to figure one out as well; they'd get out together no matter what. Neither of them would leave the other unless it was a life or death situation in which she knew he would make her run for their kid. She was already feeling stronger than she had yesterday and knew she couldn't be emotional like she was being if she was going to be of any use to their escape. She needed to put her game face on and pull herself together rather than continuing to let her emotions get the better of her. Putting the bracelet on her right wrist, she held it close to her heart as she cried herself into a restless sleep with the promise that she wouldn't let anything get to her when she woke up.

Ani was startled awake a short time later when someone roughly pressed their hand to her mouth, making her grab the hand and try to break the hold. Another hand pressed to the back of her neck as the first covered her mouth once again while cutting off the yell she was about to let out. She was beginning to panic until the person holding her made her turn over to face them. Even though she'd sworn she wasn't going to let her emotions get the better of her, tears still erupted from her eyes as she looked into his eyes. She didn't know how he'd managed to get out of wherever they'd been holding him and felt bad about how hard a grip she'd had on his hand, but damn was she happy to see him. Daryl was still dressed in those crappy clothes she'd seen him in earlier that day as she grabbed his wrist and brought his hand down. She wished she could kiss him, but he was already pulling the IV out of her arm as he gave her a once over to make sure she hadn't been hurt. Ani wished she could have said the same for him, but he had obviously been roughed up even though he was more worried about her.

"You good, baby girl?" he asked.

"Yeah, me and Little D," she told him.

"Gotta go. Come on."