Maggie groans softly as she jostled as they doge the body of the walker Carl had just killed.
"Aaron, please." She insists
"Just let me walk it." She says feeling like a burden and the unstable movement not helping her. she hears Arron's reply as they continue on ignoring her.
"Relax, it's just a few more miles."
She just groans her gaze traveling along the wooded forest she can barley make out in the darkness, wondering why they are doing this in the first place, they aren't the police-
It's easy to forget Rick was a cop, and thinks he has a right to monitor everyone's actions.
She catches Carl speaking her headache pulsing as she catches what he says, she hears a ringing in her ears that sounds like a whistling, the noise isn't helping her fevered mind.
"What happened to Denise, I'm not gonna let anybody die like that again." She barely catches his voice, the chirping getting louder as she attempts to turn her head into the blanket trying to block out the noise.
She feels a wave of tension spread throughout her as she notices the noise starting to echo around, she feels herself being jostled as her group suddenly pushes forward with Rick shouting in a panic, making her realize the noise wasn't in her head.
"Go!" She hasn't heard him this unnerved since the terminus, "Go!"
The faster they run the worse her aches get as they forget trying to make it smooth for her, curling around her stomach instinctively she ignores everything as they are bombarded with constant whistling echoing one after another in a way that is disorienting, it's like they're surrounded, like they are being herded to a place.
"Ah!" She hears Rick shout in surprise as a bright light breaks through the veil of the blanket, she can feel her group slow to a stop as the whistling intensified causing her to feel it vibrating in her chest.
"Good, very good." She already wants to punch the voice speaking, rubbing her stomach for comfort as he continues, "You made it."
"Welcome to the party!"
"We'll take your weapons." She hears the man shout and speak, making the guys holding her shift as they tense further but don't move.
"Now." The man doesn't shout, but she can hear his threat clearly and the click of a pistol being drawn.
She peeks out as she hears Rick try to negotiate
feeling dread when he is cut off.
"We can talk about it-" Rick tries but is cut off.
"We've already tried that buddy!"he says with a sympathetic face that is full of fake sugar, cynical mirth swimming throughout his eyes. The playfulness leaves his face as he finishes seriously, "We're done talking, it's time to listen."
"But first let's get the lady set down, and then get you all on your knees." She groans feeling her spine tense in pain as her group shifts as the saviors start to crowd them
"We've got lots to cover, and if you all behave Harry might even take pity on your sick dog." She feels a snarl pull on her lip when the piece of shit insults her, though she files the name in her head for later, if there is a later.
"Hold up" Rick growls out as they come closer.
"We got it." She feels her eyes close as her people make this more difficult than if it already is.
'Just cooperate until we can strike,' she thinks bitterly as the man placates them.
"Sure, sure." The man with the stache says.
She tries to keep the contents of her stomach in as the guys help her down she gratefully take the offered hand not wanting to be laying in this situation, but not having the strength to pull herself up as Abraham and Rick walk her towards the area they are being lead.she catches the beat up and crying form of Eugene as he is lifted and shoved in line like the rest of them.
She gives Rosita and Sasha a reassuring look when they silently inquire if she is okay.
she isn't.
They all aren't, but she needs to hold her strength for her little Hershel or Beth depending on their gender. Glenn's idea to honor her family, stating he didn't have any until her.
"Dwight!" The man with the mustache shouts after her family is set up like an execution center.
"Yeah." Following the shout she sees a blonde man with an old looking burn scar on his face, she wonders how he got that. The savior with the mustache claps his hands when the newly named Dwight seems to stall, telling him to Chop-chop.
She follows him with her eyes feeling a foreboding feeling as he heads to the back of a black van.
"Come on, You got people to meet." She hears the man mock as he pulls a person out of the vehicle.
Her heart stops as the roughed up form of Glenn is thrown into the circle, she feels tears welled up as he looks at her with such a lost, scared expression.
"Maggie…?" She hears him whisper in disbelief.
She tries to give him reassurance in a small smile, but her attention is dragged as the man speaks.
"Why don't we meet the man himself!?" The one with the mustache speaks his voice grating on her nerves, the loudness not helping her headache.
She watches as he walks up to the Rv then proceeds to beat on the door before shouting at their leader.
"Negan, I know you can hear us all out here, it's showtime!" Simon says, turning to the crowd his grin leery.
"He must have gotten distracted, it's common when he's locked in close quarters with his love, and I'm not talking about Lucille." This causes a laugh to rumble throughout the people who have them at gunpoint.
'Must be an inside joke' Maggie can't help but deduce despite the tense situation.
She looks at Glenn who is looking wary, she catches his gaze and mouths 'I love you' watching as his face contorts into a pained grimace filled with desperation.
They all watch as the door swings open with a slam, the sight of a man dressed in a black leather jacket. He seems to be holding something as he steps down off the Rv, he seems to look behind him for a second before a face of white teeth breaks through the darkness.
"So, 'you pissing your pants yet?" His voice is almost musical in the mocking tone he wears.
She can't believe what she's hearing, are they seriously cracking jokes.
The click of the gun against her head reminds her that even if they appear lighthearted they are still dangerous.
Watching as the man steps into the light she sees what could be a charming face if not for the fact that they were currently on their knees at gunpoint.
"Oh boy," he says as he prowls closer to them looking at them she keeps his gaze as they meet only relaxing when he moves on to the next person, he meets her eyes again as he speaks.
"Pissing your pants, yet?" The man asks before looking purposely towards Eugene with a quirk of his brow.
The man shakes his head while swinging his bat off his shoulder to have it propped like a cane as he continues,"Boy, do I have a feeling we're getting close."
"Yeah, it's gonna be PP pants city here real soon." He says his tone full of arrogance as he sweeps his gaze across her group looking at them like they're rodents infesting his home.
"So, which one of you' pricks is the leader?" He asks but stares straight at Rick.
"It's this one." The mustache fucker says uselessly.
"He's the guy." She wants to shut his annoying ass up, piping up like a teacher's pet.
She focuses on the Rv as she catches movement and the faint sound of creaking. She watches while listening to the conversation before her as a slim figure steps out of the camper.
"Hi." She hears Negan speak but is too focused on the figure trailing along the shadows transfixed by the reverence she sees enter everyone's eyes besides Negan who is currently talking to her leader.
She can see the way the people holding them captive seem to bow their head as the person walks along hidden in the shadow just enough to where their face isn't visible but she is able to see the physique of a lithe male, whose eyes seem to shine despite the darkness encasing them.
She feels a pressure build in her head as she catches their gaze, causing her to clutch her head as the heachache worsens.
When she opens her eyes again she sees the figure has vanished and as she looks to her groups she can tell they haven't left Negan out of their sights, wrongly deducing the real threat, not that they would know.
"You're Rick, right?" The causal tone brings her back to the man who has their life in his hands.
——
"I'm Negan," Harry listens standing behind Regina just out of sight from anyone letting his presence known to her, something their inner circle. The name, again at Negan's insistence.
He sure loves his irony.
"and I do not appreciate you killing my men."
"Only because you like to kill them yourself," Harry can't help, but mutter earning a laugh from Regina as she catches his words. He gives her a small smile fond of her, the woman reminds her of Tonks with her wild aesthetic and brazen personality.
"Also, when I sent my people to kill your people for killing my people," his husband intones onto them.
"you killed more of my people." Negan exclaims making him smile, the man's theatrics have always reminded him of Sirius and he can admit that it's a comfort to be able to have a little bit of Sirius.
"Was it really so easy?" He whispers to Regina, knowing it was, but likes to hear her thoughts. He doesn't trust Simon despite the loyal front the man portrays.
"pathetically easy, I mean why would they haul a sick person." Regina quips as they watch Negan do his thing.
"Yeah, I don't understand that either," Harry says absently keeping an eye on the woman who was able to see past his cloak, which was bothersome, only those dying or on the verge of death are able to look past the veil he shrouds himself in. The woman's health is waning and he can see the little bean she is carrying as well, further along than his own trying to say alive.
He can't let an innocent die because his parents were idiots.
"You think he is gonna kill them all?" Regina asks, looking towards Harry, just a causal question as negan leans into ricks face to speak quietly.
"He doesn't want to," Harry says, knowing the man doesn't like senseless death despite his violent tendencies, you can't leave chances in a life like this.
"You are so gonna regret crossing me in a few minutes." Harry looks at the group, their faces not believing Negan, and that just makes him shake his head knowing his husband will be irked by the lack of disrespect given to him.
"Yes, you are." He states stepping away from Rick to step back to address Rick, and his group by default.
"You see, Rick, whatever you do, no matter what, you don't mess with the new world order." Harry watches as the man he loves lifts his bat towards the face of the man who was a Sheriff, from the uniform he saw in the woman 's.
"And the new world order is this, and it's really very simple. So, even if you're stupid, which you very may well be, you can understand it." Harry keeps to the shadows as he steps behind the group never giving them a chance to see his person, he is just observing for now.
"Are you ready?" Negan asks them rhetorically, not giving them a chance they wouldn't have taken to speak, "Here goes, pay attention now." Negan says.
"Give me your shit… or I will kill you." Harry feels a laugh build up by the bluntness of his husbands, who gives him a cocky grin from behind as he subtly steps behind the woman to heal her potential miscarriage, wondering if he should prevent the flickering death linked to the child's father who just wants his family safe.
———
"Today was career day." Negan says, dropping his eyes from Harry's, the gentleness freezing out as he stares at the man who invaded their territory and killed their people.
Negan can admit his group isn't the most moral about some things, but what gave them the right to police his fucking people.
"We invested a lot, so you would know who I am and what I can do," Negan presses on ignoring Harry who is stalking their prey like a panther waiting for the right time to pounce.
"You work for me now." He says, like saying the sky is blue.
"You have shit, you give it to me. That's your job."
At their disbelief he consults them, "Now, I know that is a mighty big,nasty pill to swallow, but swallow it you most certainly will." Giving Harry a sultry wink, watching as the man hovers over the sickly bitch, making him feel resigned as he knows his baby has a soft spoken for the sick.
"You ruled the roost, you all built something." Sympathy eludes him as he stares into his loves eyes wondering what his precious Angel is plotting as he stays in the shadows.
"You thought you were safe, I get it." Pulling his attention from Harry with great effort.
"But the word is out!" He exclaims, spreading his arms showing the obvious.
"You are not safe, not even close."
"In fact, you are pegged, more pegged if you don't do what I want and what I want is half your shit." Which he thinks is pretty reasonable for the protection he and
Harry can offer.
These naive people don't even know the half of what's truly out there, if Harry wasn't with them he knows the saviors would be scraps compared to the real threat that is out there culling civilizations that try and survive.
It was before he and Harry started all this when they foolishly let themselves get too comfortable and then woke up to screaming as masses of soldiers started to massacre their small community they had found early on when he was still reeling of his wife's suicide.
He had just gotten back having managed to find chemo for her too.
"And if that's too much, you can make, find, or steal more, and it'll even out sooner or later." He continues pushing the thoughts of Lucille away, giving them a fake grin.
"This is your way of life now, the more you fight back, the harder it will be." He intones on them trying to give them some sense of stability by having a routine, and if it makes getting supplies easier that's a plus.
"So, if someone knocks on your door…" He says with no hint of joking.
"...you let us in, cause we own that fucking door." He finishes, relishing in the whimper of the fat one who looks like a certain rat that Harry loathes to this day.
"You try to stop us and we will knock it down."
"Huffing and puffing, you understand?" He asks, his friendly expression blanking a little when he receives no answer.
"What, no answer?" He taunts cupping his ear.
He continues pacing before all of them, measuring them all up, the only real threats are the scruffy redneck, Ricky boy, and ginger giant..
"Now that that's settled it's time for your punishment," mockingly widening his eyes as they tense anc he watches as fear enters some of their eyes.
"What?" He asks.
"You don't really think that you were gonna get through this without being punished, now, did you?" He looks at Rick with a shit eating grin before sombering.
"I don't want to kill you people, I just want to make that clear from the get-go." He says sincerely being honest, but is willing to go there to protect what's his.
"I want you to work for me, and you definitely can't do that if you're dead, now, can you?" He inquires, staring at Rick like he's a child getting lectured.
"I'm not growing a garden, but you killed my people,
a whole damn lot of them."
"More than we're comfortable with and for that, for that you're gonna pay." Looking towards Harry as the man inspects sicky, who seems to shiver making him quirk a brow.
It's rare for someone to notice his beloved's presence when shrouded in the cloak's magic.
He only sees Harry because the man is his bond, and Harry can't hide from someone who shares his soul and vice versa.
"So, now…" Negan states, in the silence the wind picking up causes an eerie whistling to echo throughout the forest reminiscent of their taunts from earlier.
"….I'm gonna beat the holy hell outta one of you." The grin on his face isn't friendly anymore.
"This–" indicating to his barbed bat, "this is Lucille, and she is awesome." His mind flashing to Lucille buying him the dumb thing as a joke.
"All this, all this is just so we can pick out which one of you gets the honor."
Scratching his beard he lets out a groan, "Ugh, I gotta shave this shit."
Letting a lopsided grin form as he sees Harry shaking his head in denial, the man says he looks good with it. He turns to the sound coming from the sick bitch hacking, with a leer he stalks over ignoring the aisan man's look of death as he approaches.
"Jesus, You look shitty." He speaks, getting an exasperated eye roll from his Angel.
"I should just put you out of your misery right now." With no heat, not one to kick a man, or in this case a woman while they're already down, usually.
Stepping back nonchalantly as the asian snarls and lunges at him like a crazed animal protecting their kin.
"NO!" The man repeats attempts to get between them before he's pinned down by Dwight and Simon. He watches as the man struggles in their grip, his squirming making Negan feel amused before instructing them to get him back in line.
"All right, listen up!" Speaking to all of them.
"Don't any of you do that again." He says with total seriousness.
"I will shut that shit down, no exceptions." Not lying when he says this, while he wants them to work for him he doesn't and won't deal with disobedience.
"First one's free." He allowed it even though the man never touched him.
"It's an emotional moment…I get it."
"Sucks, doesn't it? "
"The moment you realize you don't know shit Jon snow," he grins at the joke, one of his favorite lines from the book.
"This is your kid, right?" Indicating to the murderous eyes of the boy letting a chuckle excape as the boy scowls at him drawing attention to his eye patch, putting it aside he continues.
" This is definitely your kid." He says, giving Rick a as he lowers the bat infront of the boys face, respecting the fact that he doesn't flinch.
"Just stop this!" Rick cries out making his lip twitch, like he'd kill the kid.
Harry would have his ass.
———
"Hey!" Rick cried with desperation as he sees the weapon aimed at his boy, he doesn't understand how this has come to be? Mentally flinching when the man with his sons head within range of his bat, gives him an irritated look that is concealed by a placating voice.
"Do not make me kill the little future serial killer." Rick hasn't felt this much uselessness since Terminus, shaking his head not able to say anything as the situation starts to comprehend, he's scared.
"Don't make it easy on me." That makes him shake his head a little more noticeably.
He watches as Negan steps back making him sigh in relief only to tense as the man continues on his strut speaking to them again like children, "I gotta pick somebody."
"Everybody's at the table waiting for me to order." Rick hears Negan say as he starts to whistle his fellows following his note.
"I simply cannot decide." He says his voice breaking through the whistling causing them all the stop the sudden silence making the forest even more quiet, like nature knows they need to listen.
——-
Michonne shivers at the laugh Negan lets out as he seems to brighten up, she looks towards Rick who is shaking subtly, she knows the situation is just dawning on the man, but knows he won't submit so easily making her worry for their people.
"I got an idea," he tells them, making the hairs on her arms raise up at the foreboding feeling that creeps up when he starts to aim his bat towards their heads before speaking a childish nursery rhyme.
"Eenie…" he continues on with the stupid game walking to each of their group before continuing on, as he reaches Eugene he seems to slow down making her feel a sick.
"and you…" she watches has he aimed it at Daryl before moving on, his tone getting more sinister.
"Are…" she holds her breath as he seems to pause on Sasha making her want to puke, only to move on to Abraham causing her to reach for her mouth in disbelief as the man seems to gin.
"it." Negan says with finality she watches as he changes making her muffle a cry as he lifts his bat..
"Anybody moves," she wishes she could close her eyes, but something tells her to watch.
"If anybody does anything, go ahead and cut the boy's other eye out and feed it to his father and then we'll start." She instinctively looks to Carl in fear.
"You can breathe,"
" you can blink."
"you can cry…Hell, you're all gonna be doing that." He quips with a smug grin causing them all to scream out as he swings his deadly bat down onto their friends head.
———
Maggie holds in her scream as the bat swings down on to Abraham's head, she is startled when she feels someone pass by her quickly only to see the very same figure that had been creeping around the camp.
She watches in silent horror as the now defined male swiftly grabs the barbed end of the bat, stalling it before it can damage their friend's head.
There is a silence as the blood from the mysterious man drops onto Abrahams forehead, the man holding onto the spiked bat like it's not shredding his hand as he addresses Negan.
"Negan, we shouldn't be so hasty." She shivers at the way Negan's whole demeanor changes when he sees the man's bloody hand.
"Harry, baby?"
"Angel, Just why the fuck did you do that?" Negan growls out causing a shiver as she sees the true anger this man has kept hidden seep out of him.
His hands cradling the hand of this Harry, inspecting the wound with such care that makes her look towards Glenn.
"Because I don't feel like spending hours soaking the blood out of Lucille." She balls at the flimsy reason, just how crazy are these people?
A/n:
So, I will be honest I used a lot of the original dialogue, but I think I made it work, don't worry for those that think it's a simple fix it.
No Harry isn't saving Abraham out of the goodness of his heart, he is playing the good cop to Negan's batshit crazed cop, no pun intended.
Besides Daryl still has his punch he needs to deliver.
Harry is only sympathetic to Maggie because he is also preggers and feels inclined to help the poor woman, and I just love her character.
I'm thinking of using that connection with the baby to make Harry save Glenn, since he never had parents he's not one to wish a child to lose a parent and l it's good for manipulation if he makes them think he's a good person who can be bent by morality.
Don't worry I have something planned that will give them the same shock value, I hope.
Thank and please throw some ideas I will try to credit you if I do use them, I just like hearing other's opinions it helps cog my brain.
