Newly Revised
"Hey, what the fuck ya doin'?" Merle called out in a whisper as the man with the long locks came into view a little too close to where a patrol would be heading in a few minutes.
"What?" Jesus asked as he whipped around, hands raised when he saw Merle's rifle pointed at him even as he stayed in his crouched position.
"I asked what the fuck ya doin'? You ain't one of 'em with how you're spyin' on the place and if you're here tryin' to fight against 'em, you gonna have to move, and quick. We got a patrol comin' this way soon."
"Alright," the man said as he followed Merle up into the building behind them, straight to the top floor.
"What the hell you doin' sneakin' around like that? Plannin' on gettin' yourself caught?"
"Trying to find a way in. You know of one?"
"Why?"
"I was asked to scope it out, by Sasha and Abraham."
"How's Maggie?" Merle asked, wondering if he could actually trust this man.
"Depends on who's asking?"
"Daryl and Ani's brother."
"Merle?"
"The one and only," Merle said with a smile. "Now how's Maggie?"
"She's fine. The baby's fine."
"And Bethy? How's that little lady doin'? Bet she's one twitch of the trigger finger away from comin' out here herself."
"Yeah, she's not the happiest of people right now. She, uh, she decked Gregory. Split his lip."
Merle shook his head and sighed, "Seems like everyone Ani trains one on one thinks they can do what she does."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothin' much. How's Abe and Sasha doin'?"
"They're the reason I'm here. They wanted to know where the Sanctuary was, what the layout inside is like. They want to go after Negan, and they want to keep it from Maggie and Beth."
"Smart play. But for now, you ain't gettin' in. The guard on the fence is one of the diligent ones. Won't even be able to get close. In an hour or so, another truck will come in 'fore another goes out. There's a spot not too far from here, low enough, they always pass by. Should be easy enough for a fella like you to get on the top. After all, ain't you the guy that pulled one over on Rick? Lost our truck of food fightin' 'im for it?"
"Yeah," Jesus said with a chuckled sigh. "That was...an unfortunate misunderstanding. So you've already got a plan, huh?"
"Yeah, we wait for that truck, get you on top of it. Then you get in there, you get the kids out and then meet up with me. Come on, the patrol should be past this point by now. We got somewhere we need to be."
"Wait, you said 'kids.' You mean Carl's not the only one who made it inside?"
"How'd you know about Carl?"
"I'm not too proud to admit he pulled one over on me. Here I thought I was smart as a teen," Jesus laughed. "How long have you been watching this place?"
"This is the third day. I know their ins and outs from the outdoors," Merle told him as they left the building and headed back to the mechanic's shop. "The girly's supposed to meet us up here, but I'm thinkin' we need a faster getaway. Got Ani's ATV close by, the Savior's own car. Won't be much trouble to get a little closer."
"What 'girly'?" Jesus asked him.
"Phia, the fourth Dixon," Merle said with a smile.
"The little girl who gave Ani and Daryl a hug before they left with me?"
"One and the same."
"Why is she in there?"
"'Cause Carl is, and we gotta make sure he gets out since he killed a couple of Negan's men. That man ain't gonna be too kind to the boy for doin' that."
"What do you need from me?"
"That car, the building you were at when I caught ya, take it there," Merle told him. "I'm gonna bring the four wheeler that way, too, park it behind the building. You're gonna wait on the second floor for the truck I was talkin' about. I'll wait on the upper levels, keep an eye on that gate. Second you get through, I'll make sure to keep it clear. We get those kids out, maybe even my siblings. But the priority is the kids."
"You sound like you know what you're doing," Jesus commented before getting into the car.
"That's 'cause I do. Ani ain't the only one with any know how in military tactics and strategy. Hell, I dare say I've taught the little thing a few tricks of my own here and there. Now, let's get a move on. I reckon we got about thirty minutes to get back to the buildings and get everythin' set up 'fore that truck gets here."
They managed to get everything ready relatively quickly, Merle explaining that he'd stay in the building for as long as he could to make sure no one followed the man in or out. He needed to make sure to get to the kids and get them out if they weren't already making for the exits before he did anything else. While they all had separate missions they were on, the safety of the children was to be the priority, a standpoint Jesus completely agreed with. He even went so far as to promise Merle that no matter what he would get the kids out, even if it cost him his own life. They moved swiftly and waited for the truck to come by before Merle took his position as Jesus jumped. From his vantage point, the inside of the courtyard was mostly cut off from view, but the gate and the way in was perfectly in line. The red building was just too far away to be of any help now that Sophia was inside. Merle was happy to have met up with Jesus and gotten the man inside since it had helped him get everything set up for when the man brought the kids back out. With any luck, Ani and Daryl would be with them, but luck wasn't something they'd had very much of lately; the most luck they'd had honestly was Jesus showing up when he did. Merle wasn't sure how well it would go as he sat and waited with the kittens pestering him every once in a while to throw the stupid toy Sophia had brought with her for them. He'd check the other windows every once in a while, making sure the patrols hadn't changed, until the truck Jesus was on finally pulled all the way into the Sanctuary and he realized he was going to have to move quickly.
"Fuckin' hell!" he yelled, watching as Jesus got off the same truck Carl was being loaded into, Daryl being dragged backwards. "Dammit all to hell and back!"
Watching as the parade of trucks and motorcycles left the compound, Merle called for the kittens, who came bounding back to him from where they were play fighting. He made his way out of the building and got the kittens to lead some roamers away so he could start heading towards the mechanic garage. He'd promised the girl they would go in and get Ani and Daryl if the big boss left and took most of the riff-raff in the compound with him. It a was less than ideal situation and not at all what he wanted to have to fall back on, but it was now or never, even as he cussed his way down the road. He'd been surprised by two Saviors along the way, taking one out quite quickly while Bobby and Catty attacked the other one. One had the guy's ankle in her teeth with her claws wrapped around his leg while the other tearing at the guy's arm, both hind and front claws ripping into anything they could reach. It didn't take long to dispatch the men, but Merle booked it as fast as he could from the area since their screaming might have attracted some attention.
~x~
Negan had to admit, he was impressed as hell with Carl when the young man didn't say a word all the way to Alexandria as they traveled. Even when Negan tried to start up a conversation about Ani and Daryl, Carl had just sat and stared out the window which only made Negan chuckle and smile before falling silent himself. It was a rare find for a kid his age, however old he was, who was ready to kill at the drop of a hat. Hell, all the kids they'd found they'd either trained if one of the soldiers took a liking to them or sent them to live with one of the workers, whether at a colony or an outpost. They weren't hardened little shits like Carl but tended to be frightened little fucks instead, especially the orphans. Those children had a tough time adjusting to what the world had become and sometimes had a hard time adjusting to the rules of the Sanctuary. Kids were granted more privileges than adults, but the rules still had to be followed and points still had to be earned, even if it was by doing just the most basic of chores. It made Negan wonder just what this boy had been through to be so hard at such a young age and whether or not it had something to do with his missing eye.
"How old are you?" Negan asked, his curiosity getting the best of him even though Carl just gave him a stink eye. "Come on, kid. All this time talkin' and I never once found out how old you are. I mean, you're a teenager, right? But how old?"
"Thirteen," Carl said in a humph.
"Well, I'll be. Damn, kid, you really are Bad-ass with a capital B," Negan told him, elbowing him just a little. "Bet you're at that age where girls are startin' to peak your interest. We got a few your age back at the Sanctuary. I'm sure they'd just love you and your badass eye socket just all over them. Not like you got any options back home, right?"
Carl just gave him the stare Negan was starting to think ran in the family that made him chuckle at the audacity of it and the tenacity of the kid. As it was, it was so much fun playing with the people of Alexandria; they weren't like the other colonies. The other colonies, well, they'd set up camp practically right from the beginning and didn't have to worry so much about food and supplies. Those colonies fell in line; they met their quotas and were such pussies they never once even thought of fighting back. But the people of Alexandria, Rick and his group, they were fighters out for blood and resisting the new pecking order. They'd been out in the big wide world doing nothing but fighting since everything happened and were a close knit group that traveled together and treated each other like family. There'd been only one other group like that before Negan came and took over the Saviors from Simon as his eccentric attitude had regularly made him make bad calls. One bad call in particular had lost them an entire community as he'd killed all the men and the women that remained disappeared in the middle of the night. Negan couldn't help but understand Simon's decision as that group had chosen to fight back against them, but he didn't agree with it in the slightest. People were a resource, and the more resources one had, the more chance of survival. Simon's choice had cost them quite a bit in resources, which was why Negan pushed his way to the top.
In fact, it was quite humorous to know that he had not just one previous leader, but two under his belt. Dwight and his company had been the ones originally holed in what was now the Sanctuary, Negan and Simon finding the place together just before winter started. He'd made them see the light like he had everyone that tried resisting or running away, which made messing with Rick so much better. Hell, even Ani and Daryl back at the Sanctuary were just about ready to be his good soldiers by the time he got back. Ani, in particular, wouldn't be asked to do much more than make medicine and treat patients who needed her psychology degrees, maybe train a new generation of soldiers after the kid popped out. With her in his army, by his side as second in command, they could really carve out a place in this new world and bring back some semblance of what it used to be. A girl like her backing someone like him who could get things done, he might not even have to kill people after a while. He thought about all the ways he was going to have her help him shape the new world right up once she stopped being so damn stubborn. Honestly, both she and Daryl were tougher than he'd given them credit for and were lasting longer than anyone else had given the form of treatment they were getting. Using the two against each other and then the two against Alexandria made it too easy, though, and he knew they'd be his soon enough as they made their way through the gates.
"Now, Carl," Negan said loudly once he got out of his truck and pulled the boy under his arm. "Where's your house at again?"
He couldn't help but chuckle as the boy begrudgingly led him up to his house, knocking on the door and waiting for it to open. It was the big woman from before, the one who almost got in trouble for someone else making her mess up her job, that opened the door for him. Whistling, he sauntered in hoping to find Rick, but instead he found a relatively empty house that barely looked like anyone used it. Every surface was clean and Negan half expected every cupboard and room to look like it was coming out of some sort of home décor catalogue. He'd thought the place was opulent before, but hadn't bothered actually going into anyone's house other than Daryl and Ani's, and that one had been different altogether. Negan could tell people lived in that house, what with the clean dishes still on the counter, clothes and blankets in the living room, and an end table that was just full of odds and ends. It was still nicer than anything back at the Sanctuary, though, with the exception of his own bedroom, but where he screwed his wives had to be the best place in the factory. After all, there was nothing more fun than that, except perhaps breaking people and watching them suffer just a little, just enough to make sure they would break. Still, as he rounded on the woman after admiring the grand interior of the house, he couldn't help but give her a charming smile.
"Where's Rick?" he asked, only for her to stutter. "Don't care. Where's Rick?"
"Umm...Out, scavenging for you."
"Cool," Negan said, impressed as hell that the man was already working his ass off to bring him some cool stuff. "I'll wait."
"Umm, h-h-he went out pretty far," she informed him. "They might not be back today. We're running really low on everything. We're practically starving here."
If his eyebrows could have gone any further up, they would have disappeared into his hairline as he looked at her, leaned back before pitching forward while asking, just to make sure he'd heard her right. She was such a plump girl that she had more than a few pounds she could lose before she would actually starve. Hell, he'd seen children skinnier than her go for a few days without food before and yet here was this woman telling him they were starving when there was more than enough of her to go around. It was almost an affront to his humanity hearing that the woman was starving, especially when there were hardly any people in the Sanctuary quite as big as her, the only one coming to mind being Fat Joey, and that son of a bitch had a mind that gave him a pass at being on the lazier side. He contributed, he made things happen, made sure the Sanctuary stayed standing; hell, he was the one who came up with the walker fence. There was a reason he got a pass at eating his fill every day and it was because he actually mattered in the grand scheme of things. He wasn't sitting away in some fancy schmancy house playing like a manager in a grocery store taking in inventory unlike someone standing in front of him. Negan wondered just what the hell this woman had contributed to the settlement other than something anyone with half a brain cell could do.
"Starving? You? By 'practically,' you mean 'not really.'"
"She has a health condition, asshole," Carl said, standing up for Olivia the way Ani would have if she was there, especially as the woman had to hide her face due to breaking down.
Negan turned around to look at Carl as she turned her back to them and asked, "Really? You people seriously don't have a sense of humor." He sighed and ran a hand over his face as the woman tried to calm herself before turning to her and saying, "Excuse me. What's your name again?"
"Olivia," she ground out without facing him.
"Right. Olivia," he said, reaching out and taking her hand as he stepped forward, making her turn around, "I am so sorry for having been so rude to you just now. And it looks like I'm gonna be here awhile, awaiting your fearless leader's return. And if you'd like..." he said, having been completely sincere in his apology and figuring maybe he could get something out of it, "I think it would be enjoyable to screw your brains out. I mean, only if you're agreeable to it." He stared at her in shock for a moment when she slapped him before getting close enough to whisper in her ear, "I am about fifty percent more into you now. Just sayin'." He chuckled before turning around, "Alright, well, I'm just gonna put my feet up and wait for my stuff to get here. Olivia, would you be a little lamb and make us up some lemonade? Now, I know I left you all some of that good powdered stuff."
"Well, I'm supposed to be with-" she started saying.
"Make it!" he cut her off with a shout. "Make it. Take your time. Make it good." He watched her leave with a smile as he slowly turned to Carl, "Alright, kid. Take me on the grand tour!"
It was hard for Carl to look at Negan in fear when the man had the same stupid smile and reaction Ani had gotten the first time they'd walked into the other house and she'd seen the carpet. Negan was absolutely thrilled to be standing in a carpeted room with his boots and socks off, his toes digging into the soft fabric on the floor. It had been quite some time since he'd felt carpet, let alone been able to take his boots off and not have cold tile greet him. The look on Carl's face said it all as Negan smiled back at the boy before leaving the living room and heading back into the kitchen. Of course, his look of mild confusion became one of abject annoyance as Negan began to turn the water faucet on and off; aside from the shower room, the Sanctuary didn't have any running water. Being shown the boy's bedroom, he couldn't help but throw a few darts, hitting the bullseye every time and somewhat bragging about it in his smile. It had been pretty obvious by the pock marks on the door frame that the kid had been trying to adjust to having only one eye, which was probably the real reason he took the gun he had. Negan was starting to understand Carl while the boy really didn't know what to think of him at the moment, which had him all kinds of tickled pink.
"How about this one?" Negan asked as they passed yet another door upstairs.
"Oh, i-it's just a water heater," Carl tried to tell him, not wanting Negan to go anywhere near his sister's room.
"Are you serious, kid? Come on," he told the boy, opening the door only to pause in his tracks.
Ani had mentioned a bunch of kids, but she'd never mentioned a baby in the entire time she had been at the Sanctuary, none but the one in her belly. Her 'kids' had been mentioned, Carl being one of them, but not a baby; he would have remembered if she had told him that. It took a moment before he recalled that she had said that one of them couldn't start training while the others could and would fight back, and damn if Carl hadn't proven her right. So this beautiful baby with the curly blonde hair and big blue eyes had to be the one that couldn't fight back yet. Ani must have deliberately left that little factoid out of her little speech about her kids so that he didn't do anything to the baby. Negan was actually a bit heartbroken that they would think he would harm such an adorable, helpless, precious little girl. Hell, he was offended that anyone at all would think he could hurt a little kid but, then again, he had been the direct cause of some not so adult deaths in the past. He could understand Carl's trepidation as he handed the boy his bat and walked up to the little thing in her playpen so he could pick her up.
"Oh-ho, my," he said. "Look at this little angel! Oh, she is just darling! This your sister? What's her name?"
"Judith," Carl said tightly as he watched his sister looking to him and back at the man holding her in fear.
"Come on, you don't actually think I'd hurt this little thing of beauty, do you? I might be cruel, but I certainly am not heartless. If I was, you'd be pulp on the floor right now. Come on, let's take little Judith outside. It's too nice a day to wait around in here."
They ended up on the front porch in Rick's wicker chairs watching members of the community who cautiously walked by, obviously trying to keep an eye on the kids and make sure they were safe. Negan couldn't even be bothered to pretend to be annoyed as he took his coat off and sat holding the baby in his arms. There had been a baby born at one of the outposts that Negan knew of, but only the one; most of the rest refused to even try nowadays and the few that had either died or lost the pregnancy. He hadn't been out to see the little girl yet, though he had made sure to send out all the necessities for her that she would need when word had reached him at the Sanctuary of her arrival. He'd also sent a few items for the father as condolences for the loss of his wife during childbirth and had sent one of their artists to make a room up nice for the pair. The father had been beside himself at first and blamed himself for her death; even before the world went to hell, women were screwed to gamble with their lives just to bring in new life. It was part of the reason he was so determined to keep Ani at the Sanctuary where they had a doctor that could help assist her in the delivery and keep both her and the baby alive.
"Oh, this little girl is precious. Hey, neighbor," he said after a few minutes of humming to Judith. "Why don't you come by later? We might grill out," he chuckled as someone passed by. "Oh, I like it here. Mm-hmm. I might just have to stay here. You know, I was thinking about what you said earlier Carl," he told the boy as he adjusted Judith in his arms to look at her angelic little face. "Maybe it is stupid keeping you and your dad alive. I mean, why am I trying so hard? Maybe I should bury you both down in one of those flowerbeds. Huh?" he asked as he cooed at Judith. "Then I could move right into the suburbs. What do you think about that?" he asked the little girl before kissing her on her forehead and bouncing her on his knee.
Carl remained silent, not wanting to anger the man who had his little sister in his arms; the babe was so tired she fell asleep in Negan's lap as he hummed and rocked her. He really had always wanted a kid and he truly believed that they were the most precious beings in the world. There were rules in the Sanctuary regarding kids and how they were treated, especially the little orphans that they ran into on the road. Each one was either put under one of the soldiers as a ward to be trained, sent to an outpost to help with the odds and ends there, or sent to a colony to be given a home and, eventually, work finding stuff for him. They were each taken care of and raised to the best of the abilities of those around them, though the really little ones were adopted out to families. If the workers adopted the child, they got everything the kid needed for a year for free, plus one free meal a day for the rest of the family, whatever they wanted, so long as it was within supply limits. In truth, it was his belief that children were the greatest treasure that had given Carl a pass even though he knew the boy was just going to be trouble.
"Well, let's get this little angel back to her crib. Poor thing's all tuckered out," Negan told him, smirking all the way to the girl's room while Carl kept giving him that same damn stink eye. "Hey, kid," he said after laying Judith down and covering with her blanket. "Where's your dad keep his razor? I gotta shave this shit off."
"In the bathroom," Carl said, Negan scoffing at the all but said 'duh' that came with the boy's tone.
"Well, no shit. He ever teach you how to shave?"
"I don't really need to yet."
"Aw, come on, kid! Never too young to learn," Negan said, pulling Carl into the bathroom with him before grabbing the shaving cream and lathering up. "Against the grain, kid. Always against the grain," he told him, cleaning up the mess that had started growing on his face. "You seriously haven't even been shown this? Man, what has your dad been teaching you?"
"I know how to shoot. How to hunt walkers. How to skin and process animals. I know what I need to know to survive," Carl told him defensively.
"Oh, there is so much more to do in this life than just survive. I mean, damn. Did you never get to take a home economics course in school? That shit alone can help you make a name for yourself with the ladies. And trust me, with that socket just staring at them all wide open like that, you're gonna need all the help you can get. Why don't we go down and see what you got in? Maybe I'll teach you how to make some five star food that'll make 'em forget all about what you keep hidden under that mane."
"You?"
"Me what?"
"You cook?" Carl asked incredulously as they made their way downstairs.
He could believe the Dixons knew how because they'd been taking care of themselves their whole lives and their food almost always involved something they'd killed, but Negan? Carl just couldn't see the man as someone who would bother doing something like cooking when he had all those women at the Sanctuary that could do it for him. There was also the question of how good his cooking was for him to boast that he could teach him how to make five star cuisine. Carol knew how to make a lot of things from scratch like pasta, bread, cookies, casseroles; she didn't even need normal ingredients to make some of it. Merle and Daryl had known how to make stew from various animals and wild vegetables and were surprisingly good in the kitchen with spices and everything, too. Ani had never once shown that she didn't know how to cook, though that was to be expected when she'd been on her own for so long. Heck, he could see anyone else, everyone else, cooking aside from the man who took pleasure in killing and torturing people.
"Hell, yes, I can, kid," Negan said as he opened the fridge and smiled. "And today is your lucky day. Got all the fixin's to make some marinara sauce right here. Where are your spices at? Pots? Pans? Let's get your hands a little dirty."
"What are you gonna have me do?"
"You, my boy, are gonna be helpin' me make spaghetti," Negan said happily. "It is one of the easiest things to make from scratch, although, I am glad you've got boxed pasta. I can't imagine the hassle it would be to make spaghetti noodles from scratch nowadays. Now, wash your hands and start makin' the rolls."
"How do I do that?"
"Oh, kid, you seriously know nothin' about cooking? That is sad," Negan sighed.
"I can cook. I just...I've never made rolls. I can cook vegetables and meat and stew like Daryl, Merle, and Ani showed us. I learned how to make casseroles from Carol. But...well..."
"Spit it out," Negan encouraged as Carl became flustered.
"It's not like we've needed bread. We haven't had anything like that in a long time," Carl admitted, looking at the ingredients with annoyance. "So, no, I don't know how to make rolls."
"Oh, that's easy enough. We'll take it one step at a time. You got a recipe book?"
"No."
"Well then, it's your lucky day, ain't it champ. Move over, I'll show ya how." Negan proceeded to show Carl how to make homemade rolls without yeast, melting butter and mixing it with milk, a little bit of sugar, a pinch of salt, and some baking powder until it was all incorporated together. "The trick here is to add the flour slowly, stir it in nice and slow as the dough forms."
"How do you know this?" Carl asked, curiosity winning him over considering not even his dad knew how to make rolls from scratch.
"I was teacher, kid. Every year I had to teach a segment of health class for gym. Part of that included teachin' the kids how to make somethin'," Negan informed him, smiling as the dough started coming together. "Now, I'm sure you know how to use a rolling pin and how to cut out the rolls, right?"
"Yeah. I helped my mom a few times."
"Alright, get to work. I'm gonna get started on the marinara."
He grabbed several tomatoes after putting the cutting board on the counter and cut them into large pieces he then squeezed and put in a bowl. He pulled out a sauce pot and put it on the stove, adding some oil before returning to the cutting board to chop up some onion and fresh garlic. He cooked the onions until they were just starting to turn tender before tossing in the garlic and stirring it until it had just gotten fragrant. It was enough to make his mouth water before he added the tomatoes, juices and all and some seasoning from the cupboard, salt, and pepper, looking back at Carl smiling. The boy was actually watching what he was doing, learning something, and that just made Negan as happy as a clam. He hadn't had a lot of opportunities to just be a teacher and it felt nice to be doing something that he had loved to do again, and not just one of his wives. Carl had been such a stubborn little shit all this time, too, so it was nice to have him actually listening to him for once.
"See? Easy peasy," he told Carl as he stirred the pot. "How we doin' on them rolls?"
"There's twenty with a little dough left."
"Good. Pop 'em in the oven. They should be ready in about twenty minutes. Plenty of time for this sauce to finish up," he said as he started the pasta, stirring the sauce once again. "Damn that smells good." Tasting it, he was quite impressed with himself, "Mmm. You want a taste?" he asked Carl, the boy staring at him causing him to shrug his shoulders. "Okay." Twenty minutes later, Negan was sitting at the table rubbing his hands together as Carl placed the settings. "We're gonna need another setting," he told the boy with a smile after he'd gotten Judith's high chair along with his, Olivia's and Negan's done.
Olivia had finally come back with the powdered lemonade and started making it, finishing the task just before heading upstairs to get Judith for dinner. The poor thing must've been going through a growth spurt or something with how tired she was since she was still half asleep in the woman's arms. Carl's surly attitude did little to curb Negan's excitement at having made a homemade dinner ready for Rick when he got back. There was a little extra pep to his step at having taught his kid something he hadn't even bothered to try to teach him, too. When Olivia brought the lemonade over and put the pitcher down, he smiled charmingly at her while picking up his glass, making her sigh and roll her eyes before filling it. They all sat around in an awkward silence while the steaming bowl of spaghetti and rolls remained untouched in the middle of the table. Negan was more than annoyed considering he had spent a good chunk of his afternoon in Alexandria, enjoying all it's wonders, but time wasted was time wasted. It didn't help that there was a pile of absolutely delicious food ready and waiting to be eaten and it didn't take long for Negan to say screw it.
"I'm not waiting for your dad anymore. I don't know where the hell he is, but Lucille," he said as he put the bat in the place made for Rick before tucking his napkin into his shirt. "Carl, pass the rolls. Please."
Carl handed him the rolls in an anger filled movement and Negan couldn't help but chuckle as he took a couple and put them on his plate before putting one on the plate in front of Lucille. He then passed the rolls onto Olivia, who still refused to fully face him. It was quite the uneventful dinner as the others in the room finally dug in only after Negan had given himself a generous serving and once again added a modest amount to the plate in front of Lucille. He knew how weird it looked, but, come on, even if the prick wasn't here, Negan wanted Rick to have some of his awesome spaghetti, one more thing to rub his face in. The looks of general shock on both Olivia and Carl's faces when they took the first bites were entertaining and gosh was watching the baby slurp up and play with the spaghetti. She kept getting her cute little face all messed up and it was just the most adorable thing he had ever seen, Negan himself helping to clean Judith up when they were done.
He watched from the living room as a smartly dressed man walked up to Arat, who had been given orders to guard the house while he was having his little playtime. It was so much fun setting everyone in the house on edge, and now some asshole was trying to get Arat to move out of the way because he 'just wanted to talk to the big man.' That was quite out of character for most of the people of Alexandria, who all wore matching expressions of disgust, fear and anger towards the Saviors, Negan in particular. After all, it was he, himself, who had brought this entire community to its knees and made it thank him for fucking their throats. He couldn't blame them for their anger and contempt, yet here this little yuppity yup was, trying like hell to get his attention. Well, if he wanted it, he could have it, and with that thought in mind, he opened the door just as Arat told the man no again.
"Don't be an asshole, Arat," he told her with a smirk. "Let the man pass." Negan's smirk became a charming smile as he said when the guy walked up with a bottle of liquor. "Oh, crap! Is that for me?"
"We haven't officially met," the man said. "I'm Spencer Monroe. Hi."
"Well, hello. And what brings you here today?"
"I just thought that we could discuss a few things. Make sure we're at the same conclusion, as it were."
"Alright," Negan said, looking slightly impressed. "Why don't you pull up a seat? I'll go get a couple glasses. Pour you a drink." Negan went back into the house and grabbed a couple of the glasses that had gone unused at the dinner table as Carl was taking care of what was left of the food. "Told you it'd be good, didn't I?"
"Carol's is better," was all Carl had to say, even though in reality he had liked Negan's sauce better; no way was he going to tell Negan that, though.
Negan chuckled, "Ho-oh. Kid, I gotta hand it to you. You've got balls bigger than your daddy's. Hell, they might even be bigger than mine once they drop! Now, why don't you stay in here for a little bit. I'm just gonna be out on the porch." With the glasses in hand, he sat back down on Rick's lawn chair and poured 'Spencer Monroe' a drink like he said he would, enjoying the cold drink himself, "Running water, air conditioning, a house warmin' gift? That settles it. I am gettin' myself a vacation home here."
"Cheers to that," Spencer agreed, tapping his glass with Negan's when the man offered it up.
"Mmm," Negan said after taking a sip of the dark amber liquid and rolling it around on his tongue for a moment. "Oh, that is good. You know, the only thing missin' is a pool table," he lamented. "Nothin' better than a good game of eight ball."
"The house across the street has a pool table in the garage," Spencer commented.
"Oh, Spencer, you may just be my new best friend," he told the man, not knowing how his men had missed a pool table during their initial sweep here. "It's too nice a day to be cooped up inside some garage, don't you think. Yeah. Oh, I got a better idea!" Negan stood up and grabbed his jacket before putting it on, walking down the steps, "Arat, get a couple of guys. Pull that pool table out here in the street. We'll play some ball under the sun!"
He watched with glee as his men brought out the pool table, clapping his hands and laughing the entire time while several Alexandrians watched on. Arat grabbed the cues and chalk while Spencer himself made sure to grab the triangle, setting it on the table and fishing out all the balls as soon as the table was in position. Negan kept smiling as the man began setting up the game while he went over to the cues and picked out the one he liked the most. It had been a long time since he'd played a good game of ball and there had rarely ever been a chance to just shoot the shit with someone at the colonies. In fact, most of the people they'd helped to save were so scared shitless they didn't even see him as someone they could just chill and have a conversation with. The ones that could were his soldiers and saw him as a leader and not a friend minus a very limited number that had come to gain his trust from the very beginning.
"You know, I could never do this with Rick," Negan told Spencer as the man finished setting up the balls. "He would just be standin' there, scowlin' at me. Giving me that annoying side eye he gives me."
"That's actually what I came to see you about," Spencer admitted, finally getting the chance to give his speech as Negan chalked his cue and lined up a shot. "I want to talk to you about Rick."
"Alright. Talk to me, Spencer," before breaking. "Talk to me about Rick."
"I get what you're trying to do here," Spencer said as he watched Negan line up another shot. "What you're trying to build. I'm not saying I agree with your methods, but I get it. You're building a network. You're making people contribute for the greater good. It makes sense. But you should know that Rick Grimes has a history of not working well with others," he informed Negan.
"Is that so?" Negan asked as he finally missed his shot, letting Spencer have his turn.
"Rick wasn't the original leader here. My mom was. She was doing a really good job of it. Then she started listening to Ani not long after Rick showed up, then Rick. And then she died. Same with my brother. Same with my dad. We had a doctor, a good surgeon. Ani killed him. My mom said it was an accident, but how do you accidentally kill someone? And supposedly with one kick. There's no way that was what happened. They're not good people."
"So, everything was peachy here for, what? Years?" Negan asked, even though it hadn't even been a full two years since the world had gone to hell. "And then Rick and Ani, who, by the way, is capable of killing with a kick, I've seen it. But they show up and suddenly you're an orphan. That is the saddest story I've ever heard," he said lazily, taking a sip of his drink before lowering himself to take his next shot. "Good thing for you he's not in charge anymore."
"Doesn't matter," Spencer countered. "His ego's out of control. He'll find a way to screw things up, to try and do things his way to take over. Him and Ani both. That's what they did with my mom. That's what he'll do again," he informed Negan as he bent to take his shot while Negan came to stand next to him.
"So, what exactly are you proposing be done about that?" he asked the man, realizing exactly why he had actually decided to talk to him.
"I am my mother's son," Spencer said confidently. "I can be the leader she was. That's what this place needs. That's what you need."
"So I should put you in charge, that's what you're saying?" Negan asked with his own charming smile as the man smiled at him.
"We'd be much better off."
"You know, I'm thinkin', Spencer. I'm thinkin' how Rick threatened to kill me, how he clearly hates my guts," Negan said, thoroughly disgusted by this waste of space that couldn't even be bothered to do the dirty work himself. "But he is out there, right now, gatherin' shit for me to make sure that I don't hurt any of the fine people that live here. He is swallowing his hate and getting shit done," he said slowly while taking another shot. "That takes guts. And then there's you. The guy who waited for Rick to be gone so he could come get me to do his dirty work so he could take Rick's place. So I gotta ask—if you wanna take over. Why not just kill Rick yourself and just take over?"
"What? No, no. I didn't—I don't," Spencer tried to defend.
Clearly, he had not expected Negan to catch onto what he was saying or simply thinking Negan would tell Rick he was no longer in charge. Negan himself didn't know if the man was stupid enough to think that there could be a change of leadership without death or if he was just the dumbest man on earth. On top of that, why in the world would this jackass think that Negan would do his dirty work for him and kill Rick when the man was clearly doing his part. What had this pompous, dressed up, whiney, punk-ass little jerk done to contribute to the Sanctuary, let alone Alexandria? His mother had been a leader and had done good keeping the town safe and, what? That meant that her son, a spineless sack of shit that couldn't even hold his dick long enough to take a piss should be let to lead? It sounded as if the smartest thing his mother had done was to listen to Rick and Ani if this asshole was anything to show for what the town had to offer during her reign.
"You know what I'm thinking? 'Cause I have a guess. It's because you got no guts," Negan said, right before he gutted the man with his buck knife, both of them watching Spencer's guts pouring into his hands. "Oh, how embarrassing! There they are. They were inside you the whole time. You did have guts," he started in on a sarcastic tirade. "I've never been so wrong in my whole life! Now, someone oughta get up here and clean this mess up!" When no one moved, he raised Lucille and pointed it at the crowd watching what had happened and smiled, "Oh! Anyone wanna finish the game? C'mon. Anybody? Anybody? C'mon! I was winning!"
The last thing he expected was for the woman closest to him, the one who had stared at Daryl for just a little longer than he should've let her, to pull a fucking gun out! She'd had it aimed and fired before he could even react, honestly before he'd even noticed what she was doing or that she had a weapon in her hand. It had been pure, simple, unadulterated luck that had allowed him to escape unscathed, but looking down at Lucille, his precious bat, all he felt was rage. While it was such a twisted thing to have a bat standing in for the only person he'd ever loved, that was exactly what it was to him. He'd carried it since the beginning and had gotten a sick sort of attachment to it almost as much as he had his leather jacket. It had been wrapped in barbed wire and used in hundreds of fights, bashed countless brains in, and had never once had so much as a splinter out of place. Now there was a bullet lodged halfway through the barbed wire and a chance the precious thing would break all because some bitch thought she could make a stand. Arat had moved at the same time as Negan started on his rampage, tackling the woman and putting a knife to her throat while the woman just looked on in anger herself.
"Shit!" Negan shouted, almost bashing the woman's head in right then and there in his anger. "What the shit?! Shit! You just—You tried to kill me? You shot Lucille!"
"She got in the way!" the woman countered, causing Negan's blood to boil all the more.
He took several steps back and a couple calming breaths as something caught his eye. "What is this?" he asked as he held up a shell casing. "What is this? This little bad boy made from scratch? Look at those crimps. This was homemade. You may be stupid, darlin', but you showed some real ingenuity here. Arat, move that knife up, out on that girl's face. Lucille's beautiful, smooth surface is never gonna look the same, so why should yours?!" he hollered. "Unless," he paused. "Unless you tell me who made this."
"It was me," the woman said. "I made it."
"You see, now I just think you're lyin'," Negan told her with a smile, running his tongue along the inside of his teeth. "And you lyin' to me? Now?! Such a shame. Arat's gonna have to cut up that pretty face. One more try."
"It was me," she told him, leaning up right into the knife and cutting herself in the process.
Negan couldn't help the chuckle that came out of him as he smiled down at her, "Oh! You are such a badass! Fine. Have it your way. Arat...Kill somebody."
"No, no!" the woman screamed as Arat put her knife away and pulled her gun. "No! It was me! No!"
It didn't matter though, Arat had her gun pulled and aimed, the bullet firing right into poor Olivia's skull, not even wasting a second between pulling and firing. Negan sighed and thought about how Carl had been standing right there and this woman just had to make a scene in front of the poor kid. It was bad enough the poor kid had been watching as that Spencer cat had tried to throw Rick under the proverbial bus and got what was coming to him. Now, his babysitter was killed right next to him while his precious baby sister was sleeping in the room just upstairs. Poor kid just could not catch a break in Negan's eyes, and it was all the fault of the people around him. He was half tempted to take Carl back to the Sanctuary and keep him there just to keep him safe from these people's piss poor decisions; him and Judith both. Instead, he just stood there and smiled as several of his men pointed their guns at the citizens of Alexandria who had made to move, noticing Rick walking up through the crowd.
"We had an agreement!" Rick accused as he stormed up to Negan.
"Rick!" he said quite joyous and hoarse all at the same time. "Look, everybody, it's Rick. Ah, you're people are making me lose my voice doin' all this yellin'. Now, Rick," he whispered. "How about a 'thank you'?" Rick looked like he was closer to decking Negan than thanking him, prompting the man to say, "I mean, look, I know we started this relationship with me beating the holy shit out of one of your friends, and because of that we're never gonna sit around and braid each other's hair or share our deepest, darkest secrets, but how about a little credit? I just bent over backwards to show you how reasonable I am. Your kid?" Negan informed Rick, who looked like he was constipated upon hearing the news. "He hid in one of my trucks and machine-gunned a bunch of my men down, and I brought him home, safe and sound, and I fed him spaghetti. Taught him how to make it. And then another one of your people-" he said, pointing down to Spencer's body. "Well, he wanted me to kill you and put him in charge. I took him out! For you! And another one, here," he said pointing to the woman sitting on the ground. "She shot Lucille just now tryin' to kill me, so I gave you one less mouth to feed. And by lookin' at her, that mouth did some major damage. Now, personally, I wouldn't have picked her to be the one to go, but Arat, psshh," Negan said while shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know—didn't trust her or somethin'."
Negan waited with a smile as Rick tried to form the words thank you, only to surprise Negan by instead saying, "Your shit's waiting for you at the gate. Just go."
"Sure thing, Rick...right after I find the guy or gal who made this bullet," he told Rick, holding up the casing. "Arat..."
His suggestion had Arat aiming at a man in the crowd, another one trying to shield him before yet another woman stepped up in an attempt to lie, "It was me."
"No," a terrified and almost childish voice rang out, almost childish in the fact that it was much too deep to be an actual child. "It wasn't." Negan watched as a man with a mullet, crying like a baby and obvious so scared he was almost pissing himself, removed his hands from his face and said, "It was me. It was only me."
"You?"
"It required one spent casing, one four-holed turret reloader, powder, one funnel for the powder-"
"Shut up," Negan said, stopping the man's explanation. "I believe you," he whispered in his ear before walking back over to his people and raising his bat while closing his eyes. "Lucille, give me strength," he prayed, picturing his wife in his mind as he tried to calm down some more before sighing. "I'm gonna be relieving you of your bullet maker, Rick. That and whatever you left for me at the front gate. And however much you scavenged, it's not good enough. 'Cause you're still in a serious, serious hole after today. Let's move out!" he shouted to his men, the woman on the ground screaming for him to just take her instead of Mullet. "Rick, I ain't gonna lie. Your kitchen, is a goddamn mess," he chuckled. "I'll see you next time."
