DarkWorld67: I totally agree with you. I have their initial meeting planned out and I'm definitely looking forward to everything that will go on between the two of them eventually.

"Ain't it glorious? Smellin' such a mother of a load first thing in the morning? Felt good droppin' it," Negan goaded as the Father emptied the man's bed pan. "Oh, come on, Gabby, lighten up, will ya? You're in my top three favorite visitors!"

"You only have three visitors," Gabriel replied as he finished up before he left the room, leaving the miserable man to his own sufferings.

Negan chuckled until the door was shut, when the smile on his face fell and the utter silence of the basement-cell retook the atmosphere. It had been nearly a year and a half since the war had ended and he'd been stuck in the cell the entire time. The only time he ever got to see the sun was when it came through the tiny little window he could barely see anything but the grass and sky from, and it wasn't even the land, just blades of grass. There was the porch from the house his cell was situated in and he could see people go in and out of it, but that was it. Sometimes, he would hear interesting little tidbits about what was going on in the world and his old home and those who fought against him. Aside from that, though, the only people he ever got to talk to were Gabriel, Michonne, and Rick. Anyone else that came to him just dropped off food without saying a word and left, at least those that came inside the basement. It was an exhaustingly boring existence that had nothing in the way of entertainment outside of an old, worn baseball he'd throw at the walls for hours on end. The only solace he had was that he had heard that the Sanctuary wasn't fully on board with Rick's vision just yet.

As it was, apparently, Ani and Daryl were no longer in charge of the Saviors and had turned tail and run off to the Hilltop. They'd celebrated their son's first birthday a few weeks ago and were expecting once again. Maggie was still at the Hilltop and rarely left, wanting to separate the settlement from Rick's happy-go-lucky vision of the future. The Kingdom had lost their tiger but gained one of Ani's bobcats after something happened between the two kittens. However, the Kingdom had also lost their newly appointed Queen thanks to Ani and Daryl's departure, as she had taken over for the pair's absence. On top of that, there was some big hullabaloo going on about a bridge and how it needed to be repaired. That had given an explanation to Rick and Michonne's sudden declines in visitations and had given him the opportunity to get under the good Father's skin some more. Much more than Rick and Michonne, he could admit that Gabriel was a man worthy of his respect, much like he respected a few of the other key players from the war. After all, some of them had lost more than the Prick-in-Charge and were still trying their hardest to get along with everyone else.

Honestly, ever since the war had ended and he'd been transferred from the Hilltop's medical trailer to this cell, it was like the world had stood still. Nothing ever happened in that cell aside from the daily visits from Gabriel to clean his shit bowl, daily visits from whoever brought him his food, and weekly visits from Michonne or Rick. Every great once in a while, though, he'd wake up in the middle of the night with Carl coming in to talk to him, too. Sometimes the boy would bring his little serial killer girlfriend, who regularly threatened to finish what her mom had started, but it was usually just him. He'd talk to him about his girlfriend, his father, the way the settlements were moving on and how little had changed. Carl was decidedly unhappy with how things had turned out and how no one had been able to heal from the damage that he, Negan, had caused everyone. It was mostly the Kingdom and Alexandria that had forgiven the Sanctuary, but no one liked that Negan was still alive. The Hilltop only sent food out of obligation and Oceanside completely boycotted the place as much as possible. Carl was angry with his dad for not giving everyone the closure that they needed, even if that meant killing Negan, and scared for the future that he envisioned. Both he and Sophia wanted more for the settlements than they were currently able to do, but it required all of them to work together. Rick's way of moving forward had drawn lines in the sand that no one was willing to cross for fear of what would happen.

It had been a surprise to him when he found out that both of the kids thought things would have been easier if he had died in the war during their first visit. But Sophia had wanted to find out if there was anything special about the Sanctuary that Negan knew and Carl wanted to complain about Rick. That first conversation had lead to nearly a dozen more secret midnight meet-ups between the two teens and new-world convict. It was eye-opening how much the kids wanted the same future he'd been trying to build, but they wanted to build it differently. He could see Ani's influence in them at times while, at others, it was clear that they didn't agree with the woman's anger. Sometimes, it was just Carl, asking for advice with his relationship with Sophia and continuing to complain about things his father was doing wrong in his eyes. Other times, it was Sophia, though she didn't stay nearly as long and only wanted him to know how things were going at the Sanctuary without his lead. The thing Sophia didn't realize, though, was that she was painting him a clearer picture than Rick did, which let him know that things weren't as close to sunshine and rainbows as the other man made it seem. All in all, he knew it would be difficult to get out of the cell, knew it would be even harder to get back to the Sanctuary, but once he did, by golly he still had his good soldiers.

He had been laying in his bed thinking about nothing at all for hours when the quiet thud of the screen door sounded, making him smile and call out, "Who's comin' to see me at this late hour?" Negan was smiling widely when Carl came into view and said, "Well, if it isn't little ol' Carl! To what do I owe this pleasure, Carl?"

"Sometimes I think you just want someone to beat you down," the teen said as he stepped closer and moved the stool from the wall to in front of the cell. "Gabriel's a patient man, but he's gonna break at some point."

"I know," he replied cockily. "And ain't that the fun of it? Hell, what else do I got to do in here, kid?"

"Think about how many people you murdered and how many lives you ruined or scarred forever."

"Oh, I do think about that. I think about that a lot. But you know what? I wasn't the one who got a lot of them killed. Sure, I killed a lot of them, sent people to kill 'em, but I didn't get them killed. Not until your daddy came along and ruined everything I was buildin'."

"You ruined it yourself. Even if it wasn't my dad, I would have ended you. You're only alive right now because my dad wants you to be."

"And doesn't that just eat you up inside? Yet, here you are, talkin' to me, helpin' me keep track of the time that goes by. I gotta ask, why?"

"You know why."

"I know what I think is why, but I wanna hear it from you. Why do you keep sneakin' down here to talk to me when you know your daddy doesn't want you anywhere near me? Why keep me company when you wanna kill me?"

Carl stared at him for a moment before folding his arms and scoffing, "My dad seems to think you being in here is going to change something. It doesn't matter whether you're in here or not. As long as your alive, no one's gonna move on, and we need to move on. Maggie and the Oceanside can't heal. Some of the Saviors won't give up on how things used to work. Ani thinks it's because you're still alive."

"And what do you think."

"I think it would have been easier if you had died in the war. I think it'd be easier now if you were dead. But it's not my call. Not my choice to make."

"Who's is it, then?"

"Maggie's, for one. Daryl. Oceanside. Jadis," he stated coldly, staring at the man who simply cracked a grin and sat back.

"I notice Ani's not on that list. What? Do I not make the cut for her?"

"Not anymore. She's still angry, but she thinks Maggie and Oceanside have more of a right than she does to decide whether or not you die. She'll follow their lead, not my dad's."

"Huh," Negan chuckled. "So, Little Orphan Ani has decided I'm not worth her time, huh? Well, now, that's a damn shame. I was hopin' I could convince you to get her to come talk to me. Spill all my secrets and what not."

"You know I won't do that."

"Oh, I don't think so. I know you, Carl. You'll tell your little girlfriend, who'll tell you not to think about it, but you won't stop," he goaded. "Eventually, you'll bring it up to your dad and he'll bring it up to Ani. One way or another, you're helpin' me get her here."

"Which is just another reason for me to stop talking to you," Carl surmised.

"And yet you won't, because you need somethin' from me, don't you?" Negan asked, smiling as the teen boy grew quiet and lowered his eyes. "What's goin' on?"

Carl thought for a moment about whether or not he really wanted to talk to Negan about the problems they were having at the bridge. Tensions were high after another walk off caused the Saviors to think that something else was going on. Only three people had walked off, yet it had made questions run amok throughout the Saviors that something else was happening. It didn't help matters any when the Dixon brothers and Abraham were openly hostile towards many of the Saviors. There were some they were at least cordial with, but overall, the three men barely said a word to the Saviors while working side by side unless it was to bark out orders. Oceanside was just as icy towards them and the Kingdom was trying to play peacekeeper most of the time. While the work was getting done at the lumber yard and they were clearing trees and creating boards rather easily, it wasn't an enticing atmosphere to work in. He wanted to know how Negan managed to reign in control of the Saviors so easily so that he could make things at the bridge work better. The last thing any of them needed at the moment was the Saviors deciding to leave the construction site and have the bridge remain broken.

"Hmm," Negan hummed. "Let me guess. Things aren't goin' as well as you'd like at the bridge and you want me to help you figure out why."

"I already know why. We all know why," Carl shot at him. "I'm not going to go into it again. We've already talked about what should have happened at the end of the war. How you should've died. But you didn't. You got lucky with my dad. But I'm not here for that. How do I keep the Saviors from walking away from the bridge?"

"They're walkin' out on you, huh?"

"No, not all. Only a few, but it has the others talking about it. Talking about how they might not really be leaving. I don't want something to happen at the bridge just because some of the Saviors can't accept that you're not in charge anymore."

"And ain't that just the shit of it," Negan chuckled. "It was fear. Plain and simple. I had the numbers. I had the guns. And I had a ballsack made of steel. I forced them to listen to me and made sure I put the fear of Negan in 'em if they didn't. And if it wasn't fear, it was admiration. Save a woman here and there from the walkers or worse men than me, give a man close to death some food and water. Fend off an attack of walkers or find shelter in a storm. Those kinds of things really add up when faced with the world today. Others, it was inspiration. Being a badass keepin' alive hundreds by killing only a dozen when the dead are everywhere and resources scarce? It ain't easy feeding numbers like that, as I'm sure you're aware."

"It's getting easier. Now that the communities are growing their food, the only one that's having problems is the Sanctuary."

"That's exactly right. And you know why?"

"Don't say because you're not there to run it."

"Nevertheless, that is why. Because Rick's way of doin' things just don't work in the grand scheme. Humans are too greedy, to selfish. No one wants to help out of the goodness of their hearts. Not even your dad, kid."

"He didn't spare you because he thought it was the kind thing to do. He did it because he didn't want to start the new world on the blood of the old leaders. He wanted to show me and my little sister that there's a better way."

"Hell, yes, there is a better way. Might not've been my way, but there is definitely a better way. All I've had in here is time to think and think I have. Did I make things harder on the other settlements to keep my people fed and safe? Hell yes I did. And I own that shit. I did what I had to do and it worked."

"Until it didn't."

"Until it didn't," Negan agreed. "And yet it hasn't worked since. You wanna know why that bridge is gonna fail? You wanna know why your dad can't keep any of the settlements going? It's because he's tryin' to keep all of them goin'. That ain't gonna fly. If you're gonna keep the Saviors there, workin' like they're all some kind of big, happy family, you're gonna have to prove you care about them. You have to prove that the Saviors are the ones you're lookin' out for. Otherwise, it's just a matter of time before it all falls apart."

~x~

"Naw."

"Daryl-"

"Hell naw!"

Daryl had been out at the bridge for two out of the three weeks since they'd celebrated Lou's birthday and she was beyond over it. Ani hadn't said it outright, but she wanted him to either let her come to the site or have him stay at the Hilltop more than anything else. She had told him that she wasn't far enough along in her pregnancy for it to be an issue and that there was no real reason other than fear to keep her home. She promised she wouldn't stay there for more than a few days, but she was sick of being stuck at the Hilltop while he was at the bridge. Daryl, though, wouldn't hear a word of it and was dead set on keeping her where Carson was just in case anything happened. He understood how she felt and how she didn't want to be left behind all the time, but things weren't going smoothly and he wasn't comfortable with her staying at the camp. Ani had tried to argue that she could help smooth things over only for Daryl to shut her down by saying it was too dangerous. He also reminded her that she had promised to take it easy during the pregnancy and not do anything that would cause her extra stress. No matter how much she swore that she wouldn't be stressed and she would only try to keep things peaceful, Daryl refused to even hear it. In all honesty, if he had his way, she wouldn't even come out with Maggie and Kal for food deliveries and definitely wouldn't stay the night when she did.

"I can' jus' sit 'round on my ass. Let me come and at least try ta smooth things ova."

"Your ass is stayin' here, where you belong."

"I belong where I can do some good! There ain' shite else for me ta do 'ere now that the herb garden is as good as it's goin' ta get at the moment. Sophia's got the entire thing unda control as far as harvestin' when it's right and keeps sendin' me away, too. Mags doesn' need any help. The women from Oceanside don' come 'round needin' ta talk nah more and everyone 'ere jus' treats me like a fuckin' baby factory that can' do shite on my own! D," she groaned, "I'm dyin' from boredom!"

"Good. Means you're safe. Don't need to do anythin' excitin' but cook them babies," Daryl stated as he turned around to go back to packing.

"Fuck ya!" she shouted, not wanting to deal with him anymore and leaving the room with a slam of the door.

She was starting to hate the idea of ever sleeping with the man again in case she got pregnant because he just couldn't stop himself from being an overprotective dick. Ani was trying not to blow up at him because she knew how much stress he was under with the bridge. She was trying her hardest to be understanding of what he wanted and how he felt, but he refused to listen to her in return. It wasn't quite as bad as when she had been pregnant with Lou and she had to recognize that he was leaving her to her own devices a lot more than he had back then. She knew that there were problems with the Saviors and how tense the situation at the bridge was, too, so she was trying not to blow up at him for not wanting her there. However, telling her that she belonged in the Hilltop, bored out of her mind, and being treated like porcelain was more than she could bear at that moment. They hadn't had any major fights this time around and she really didn't want to go into a rage and yell at him for thinking about her safety. There would be no winner in a fight about that because he wasn't wrong in wanting to ensure hers and the babies' health, nor was she in wanting to do more than sit around. Ani just couldn't stay in the same room with the man right that second without going off on him.

"Everything okay?" Sasha asked as Ani stormed out of the house.

"Peachy fuckin' keen!"

"Daryl doesn't want you to help figure things out at the bridge, huh?"

"That fuckin' obvious, huh?"

"You do tend to pout when you're angry at Daryl."

"I do not fuckin' pout!" Ani shouted indignantly.

"Yes, you do. You're doing it right now," Sasha laughed. "Wanna talk about it?"

"I'm so fuckin' bored! Ya know what it's like ta have people walkin' on eggshells 'round ya all the damn time?! How degradin' it starts feelin' afta a while?! It's bullshite! And D won' even let me think 'bout goin' ta the bridge even for a few days jus' ta get away! I'm half tempted ta go ta Alexandria jus' ta fuckin' spite 'im!"

"You know if you do that, he really will chain you to the bed."

"Yeah, I know. I'm halfway ta not fuckin' carin' anymore, though. It sucks bein' treated like a porcelain fuckin' doll."

"It could be worse," Sasha pointed out. "Merle could be here, too. At least he's staying away."

"Yeah, well, if 'e were 'ere and actin' like D is, I'd kill 'im! It's takin' everythin' in me not ta fuckin' go back in there ta yell at 'im. I know 'e's jus' tryin' ta look out for me, but it fuckin' sucks. Like, 'e can' keep me safe foreva and the best place for me ta be safe is with 'im! I know 'e knows that, too, but 'e's bein' too fuckin' stubborn!"

"The same could be said about you and your stubborn streak. I don't think either of you are thinking clearly about it, anyway. You're right that you're safer with Daryl, but right now, you're safest near Carson. Siddiq might be at the bridge, but he's not an OB/GYN and we don't have the tools we need in case you go into labor."

"I'm only twenny two weeks! I ain' goin' inta labor any time soon, knock on wood," Ani countered.

"Yet you look like you're about to pop. Just take it easy and relax. You've only got thirteen weeks left and then Merle is already setting up an area for you and the kids away from the larger group. It's pretty clear that it's just until the babies get here that they want you sticking around here."

"Ya think I don' know that?! But that don' mean I want ta be stuck 'ere 'til the babies are born. I don' want ta have ta wait jus' 'cause I'm pregnant."

"That's all you really can do, though. I know how hard it is, I really do."

"What're ya talkin' 'bout?"

Sasha looked down and Ani could tell that she looked a bit dejected and got nervous until she started talking, "Abraham and I decided to start trying for a baby, actually trying, after our last scare. I've always had irregular periods, so it's difficult. Carson said it'll happen when it happens and that the only problem is the timing. We have prenatal vitamins, but it hasn't happened yet."

"Red raspberry leaf, red clova, nettles. I think I saw some false unicorn out in the woods I can bring in. They say the roots are really good for fertility," Ani mused.

"False unicorn?"

"It's a type a lily. Like I said, the roots are said ta be good for fertility. Ya could make a tea with all a it. Might help boost ya chances," she suggested, looking at Sasha's face and realizing there was more to it than simply trying to get pregnant. "Have ya told 'im ya not sure 'bout it?"

"I am sure," Sasha immediately denied the allegations. "I do want to have a baby with Abraham, but I'm not sure how good of a mother I'd be. I mean, I don't have a lot of experience with them and I never looked after Judith like you and Maggie did. I never really thought about being a mother at all. And then Abraham asked me if I had and when I did..." she trailed off, obviously unable to put into words how she was feeling.

"It feels like life is goin' in a direction ya weren' expectin'?"

"I think we all feel that way. I mean, I doubt you thought you'd be living with the walking dead around every corner with a toddler and babies on the way," she pointed out. "I just never saw myself as a mom and now it's all I seem to think about. What would our babies look like? What if I have a boy and he's as big of an idiot at Abraham? What if it never happens? What if we have twins like you and Daryl? Or we get pregnant right after having a kid? There are so many questions and then I have so many dreams about having a family with Abe and what that would look like. I don't know if it'll happen, but I want it to happen, and it scares me."

"That's normal. Ya know how scared I was when I found out 'bout Lou?" Ani asked. "I think every woman gets scared 'bout havin' a family or gettin' pregnant, or wantin' ta get pregnant and not knowin' if they will. Honestly, I always wanted ta be a motha, but it was still terrifyin' ta find out I was goin' ta be. Even more so now. Ain' nothin' wrong with feelin' conflicted even though ya know what ya want out a life."

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Go from being so pissed off you're ready to explode to being level-headed and able to talk reason into others?"

"I'm autistic and ADHD. Ya distracted me by talkin' ta me and, well, now I'm not angry anymore," Ani laughed. "Sometimes it's a curse, sometimes it's a blessin'. Bein' able ta get change course as far as my emotions go is definitely a blessin' in this case."

"I still don't understand how your mind works," Sasha mused.

"Nah one does, not even me. It is what it is, though," she shrugged. "I really should try ta talk ta D again."

"You should. Thank you for talking, and understanding."

"Ya know I'm always 'ere for ya. Don' really got anywhere else ta be, anyway."