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Writer's Notes: Hello everyone! I hope everyone is having a fantastic year so far. I have been working a lot and my classes just ended this semester for my PhD, so I have some reprieve. I am traveling out of town this coming weekend and the following weekend, and I have some major house renovations, so I have been in and out of my writing, so I apologize. I also have been working on my book, Solarborne, so that has been time-consuming as well. I have several stories planned this year and I can't wait for everyone to read them all. As always, I appreciate all of you! Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review!

[Day 145]

Ten days passed and Bella made it to Woodbury and back to take Martinez home. She didn't stay long, and she left Martinez with a message for the Governor from Negan that this part of the river belonged to the Saviors and if he wanted to agree, there should be a meeting, otherwise, he and his people would be treated as hostiles. Making it back towards Glencoe and the compound left Bella pretty tired. Fighting the dead for ten straight days was time-consuming and it burned a lot of resources. The drive itself wasn't the issue. It was all the cars piled up along the way, that made it harder to maneuver. They spent more time moving cars and other obstacles than the trip itself. Coming back from Woodbury, was way quicker considering. There were also the herds of the dead moving through that made everything so much slower. Bella's idea was to create roads between the communities to establish an easier travel time and faster. It would take time of course, and manpower.

Negan looked up at Bella when she walked into the office at the compound. She just got done washing up, so her hair was still damp. "How'd it go?"

"Martinez has been delivered to the Governor. Any word from Alexandria?"

"Briefly. Jasper said something about Rick tracking me. He knows Abe is missing and he blames the Saviors. His message was short. On paper, hidden in the rendezvous house in Glencoe." Negan said and leaned back in the dark leather chair. "The good news is that Rick isn't in Alexandria and Jasper, Glenn, and Daryl are with him. We're waiting for the perfect moment to take him out."

Bella ran a hand over her damp hair. "Daryl is okay?"

"I'm assuming so. Jasper didn't say much of anything regarding Daryl. Are you worried?"

"Yeah, I sent him to Alexandria…I didn't know if it was the right move or not."

"Well sweetheart, Daryl is strong and knows what he's doing. Jasper and Glenn are with him, so he'll be just fine. Gotta trust the boys to get things done. Can't always fall on you, or me."

"I get that, but me and Daryl weren't in a great place before he left. I just…I feel like I hurt him, and I don't know what to do with all of these…feelings."

Negan nodded. He understood that more than anyone. "It's okay to be confused, or a little upset with yourself sweetheart, but you can't beat yourself up over everything. Daryl is a big boy." He got up then and walked over to her. He reached for her grabbed her hips and pulled her closer to him, bringing one hand up to cup her face. "You are a force of nature. You're intoxicating down to the way you walk into a room. These feelings and emotions…they're all true and real. I can't escape them, but I'm not going to force them onto you. I love you, I told you I did, and I meant it. I don't expect you to love me back. I'm too old to wallow in self-pity or doubt. I'm content with whatever you want to give to me. If Daryl isn't…then that is his issue and if it bothers you, then that is your issue. Fix it. Don't fix it, either way, you need to take responsibility for that. Not him. Ask yourself sweetheart…how do you feel when you're with him?" He asked and kissed her neck a little, adding some distraction. "Does it feel like this?" He murmured as he lightly drew his fingers over her skin under her shirt on her hip. It made her skin feel like it was electrifying under his touch.

"Mmm. I care about him a lot," Bella murmured, shutting her eyes, as Negan's mouth nibbled at her throat, and his hands danced over her skin.

"Do you love him?" Negan whispered in her ear as his hands moved up, groping her gently over her bra.

Bella opened her eyes and then looked up at Negan, his dark eyes meeting her blue ones. "I…" She felt the tears come to the surface and she shook her head to make them fly away. "Negan…it hurts to think that I can't…I can't have you both." She admitted.

"Who said you couldn't?" Negan said and then kissed her neck again. "Take your shirt off." He commanded gently.

Bella took a step back, pulling her shirt off and letting it fall to the floor.

"Bra too," Negan said and then he was taking his shirt off, his eyes not leaving hers as they undressed. "On your knees." He commanded and she dropped her knees, and then he was guiding his cock to her lips. She parted her lips and sucked him in, his hand tangling in her hair as he shifted his hips a little, as she bobbed her head. A moan sounded in her throat as she started enjoying the blow job and the dominance that Negan exuded. "Stop." He commanded and she did, pulling back to look up at him. He drew her up to her feet, pushing her onto the desk, knocking everything over. "You're not going to cum until I tell you to. Understand?" He said and she nodded, her eyes focused on him as he lowered his head between her legs, his tongue sliding up her slit. She quivered, her body instantly igniting and wanting him to make her cum so bad. She purred, moaning a little as she shifted her hips slightly. His hand came up and forced her hips to stop, while his tongue danced over her clit, his other hand stroking her from the inside, making her quake inside. When she felt close, he backed off. "Not yet," he said and leaned up her body, his mouth sucking in her left nipple, his hand still stroking over her clit, dipping inside her every so often to get a moan out of her. When he moved his hand, shoving his cock inside her she moaned loudly, her body welcoming the roughness of Negan. Negan pounded inside her hard and deep, making her slide against the metal of the desk with each thrust. "Cum for me sweetheart." He commanded and right on cue, she came, gushing out around his cock as he thrust faster and faster, jarring her with each push until he was cumming deep inside her.

They took a few moments to redress and clean up the mess that they made in the office.

Negan smiled at her as she straightened her shirt, dusting off a little. "So, tell me. Do you love him?"

"I do," Bella admitted out loud and she looked at Negan. "But I love you too." She said out loud. It was the first time she said the words out loud to Negan and it made his breath catch in his throat. "I'm selfish and crazy. I don't want to give up either one of you and I…don't know what to do with that."

Negan swallowed and nodded. "Then you don't have to choose. I won't make you choose." He said and then the walkie-talkie crackled to life.

"Negan. We got him." Jasper's voice sounded, breaking into the intimate moment that Negan and Bella were having.

Bella grabbed the walkie up fast. "Jazz, you got Rick?"

"Bells, it's good to hear your voice," Jasper said. "I've got Rick handcuffed and shackled at the feet. It took us a little longer than expected, but we got him. We're heading to the compound now."

"Good. I'll see you when you get here." Bella said and looked at Negan. "Finally."

Negan smiled. "See, told you to trust in the boys. They handled him."

"Yeah, and now I'm about to end it. Rick won't be able to hurt anyone else after today." Bella said, smiling a little at Negan. Things were working out. Despite everything that ad happened with Jim and with Frank and Hanson and the others. Vengeance was about to be had with Rick's death. Bella wouldn't hesitate. She didn't have tolerance for people like Rick.

Bella crossed her arms as she stared at Rick. He had a black eye and he was a little worse for wear, but that was what surviving the dead did to you. "So. You're the one terrorizing my people."

"You're Negan?" Rick asked, a little shocked to see that it was a woman.

"Surprised?" Bella asked. She leaned against the wall. "You killed my people, blew up supplies in my compounds, and spread some pretty nasty rumors about me and my people."

Rick narrowed his eyes at her. "You killed my wife and son and took my daughter."

Bella laughed a little. "Come now Rick, we both know that isn't true. Your wife, Lorie was it? Carl? Your son right? They died back in the safe zone. I've talked to pretty much everyone in your little posse outside of Carol and maybe a handful of others. But Lorie and Carl died before you even made it to Alexandria. As for your daughter, Judith, right? She's still in Alexandria."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Rick spat out.

"Sure, don't believe me. It's not going to matter anyway, because you're not walking out of here alive. So you might as well drop the act." Bella said, pushing away from the wall. "I'm a fair person Rick. I've already talked to Jesus over at the Hilltop. I don't know where Greg has gone, according to Jesus, he's missing, which happened soon after one of your little visits."

"Greg wasn't understanding. He was working for you and the Saviors. I had to stop him." Rick growled a little.

Bella nodded. That explained Greg's disappearance. "Right, and what about the Alexandrians and Deanna Monroe? Deanna knows me. We helped her and Reg get those walls up. We have a blockade set up at the quarry so the dead don't get too close to those walls. Did she talk to you about that?"

"She was also working with you." Rick spat out again, anger and rage clear in his eyes.

"That's a shame. Deanna was a good woman." Bella said. "Aside from your delusions, the Saviors haven't done anything but help people. Hence the name Saviors." She said and nodded to Daryl and he brought her a notebook.

"You're a fucking traitor!" Rick yelled at Daryl.

Daryl raised a brow. "No, not a traitor. I've always been a Savior." He said and leaned against the wall, while Bella flipped through the notebook.

"Hmm. Crazed writings of a madman. All your plans to take down the Saviors. All the bombs you placed…your plan to burn Alexandria to the ground and the Hilltop. It seems to me Rick, that you just don't want to live. So I'm going to grant you that." She said and then the door opened and Negan walked in.

"Who the fuck are you?" Rick barked.

Negan raised a brow and leaned the barbed wire bat against his shoulder as he shut the door behind him. "Well, I'm Negan." He said and looked at Bella. "Sweetheart, has he been giving you a hard time?"

"Not really. His notebook was enough to tell me where everything was bomb-wise. Plans for Hilltop and Alexandria. Even Woodbury. I bet your buddy the Governor would love to see those plans. Too bad Abraham won't make it to Woodbury."

"You fucking took him. I knew it."

"Of course I took him." Bella scoffed. "He was going to kill me otherwise. Or my people. Self-defense."

Negan chuckled a little. "Well, he's no longer with us anymore. I took care of that." He said and twirled the bat around. "Listen, Rick, you've upset a lot of people. Took things that belonged to me, and terrorized me and my people."

"You both can't be Negan."

"We're all Negan." Bella snapped out. "If you would have acted like a sane person and just…I don't know, talking to us like a rational adult, then we wouldn't be here would we?"

"Fuck you," Rick said and spit in Bella's direction which prompted Negan to swing the bat down on Rick's leg. Rick screamed out in pain as the pain radiated through his leg and blood started to pour.

"Mind your manners. She's a lady." Negan said, his voice stern.

Daryl sighed. "Do you have to drag it out? Kill him, get it over with."

Negan glanced over at Daryl and then back at Bella. "Sweetheart, what do you say? Want the honors?" He said, handing her the bat.

Bella pushed the bat away and took her gun from her hip. "I don't relish in beating someone to death. He's not worth any more of my time." She said and she fired five times, the last time going through the skull. He slumped forward, dead.

Daryl pushed away from the wall. "I'll get the burn pile ready for him and Abraham." He said and left the room.

Bella blew out a breath, the silence of the room surrounding her now. "It's over."

"For now," Negan said and then reached for Bella, and brought her closer, leaning down and kissing her. "We have to worry about Carol maybe and then there's the Governor."

"Rick was a menace and the worst one. He's dead now. We can focus on restocking our compound getting supplies to the Hilltop and creating a balance with Alexandria. With Deanna dead…we need someone to lead Alexandria."

Negan nodded. "Which is why I already talked to Glenn about it, and he's going to take over there with Maggie."

"Really?"

"Really," Negan said. "Come on. Let's get cleaned up." He said and they left the room, going out into the sunlight of what they referred to as the courtyard. Jasper was standing, talking to Maggie and Beth with Glenn when Bella and Negan emerged.

Jasper looked at Bella, and saw the tired look on her face. He could tell that she was relieved too that this thing with Rick was over. "You good?" He asked as she came to a stop.

"Yeah, Daryl is getting the fire started to burn Rick and Abraham's remains. Do you mind helping him out?"

Jasper nodded. "Sure. I'll go help." He said and then slapped Glenn's shoulder and walked away towards where Daryl had disappeared.

Bella looked at Glenn. "Thank you and I'm sorry for the loss of your friend. I know that Rick probably wasn't always like this."

Glenn nodded. "He wasn't always like this no…but he wasn't the best leader. We've struggled."

"Well, Deanna is dead. I kind of figured she was when he wouldn't let anyone inside the main house according to the last message." Bella said. "We'll work on getting a trade route set up. Cleared streets and a wall that will keep the roads clear between the communities. We've got a lot of scavenging to do since Rick toasted most of our supplies. Winter will be here before we know it, and we need to kick it into gear."

Maggie spoke up. "We'll scavenge too, pool resources."

"Of course."

"You can come and stay at Alexandria," Glenn said, looking between Negan and Bella. "There's room."

Bella smiled. "That's a great offer. There's two hundred of us stretched out across DC and Virginia." She said. "We have plenty of men to help rebuild and defend. I'm putting a dozen men up at Hilltop and Negan, you're sending some to Alexandria right?"

Negan gave a nod. "Yeah, Marianna is going to be going to Alexandria with the baby. The other women. We don't have children at the compound. I've got about two dozen men out of state right now. We don't have check-ins because we have no long-range communications. But they should be checking in at the end of the week coming back to the compound. If they don't then something has happened to them."

"Does that Eugene guy know how to work on Sat phones?" Bella asked Glenn.

"He's pretty smart," Glenn said. "We can work on long-range communications. If you guys focus on gathering the materials."

Bella nodded. "We can do that. I'll run some teams over into Pennsylvania. Hit up some military installations. We can gather some resources for the communications."

Negan thought that was a great idea. "Well damn sweetheart, I didn't think about that."

"See, what would you do without me?"

"Perish," Negan said with a grin.

Bella smiled and looked at Maggie. "Is Judith going to be okay?"

"She's only a couple of months old. She's not going to remember him." Maggie said. "We'll take care of her. Glenn and me." She reassured Bella.

"Good." Bella hated to take her father away, but they didn't have a choice. "Well, now that we have plans in place, we'll keep our weekly check-ins. Figure out Carol, what she'll do."

Glenn gave a nod. "I got to her. She's not stupid. I thought maybe she would choose Rick's side, but she's siding with the people who are rational and not spouting nonsense. She's on our side and she's a good friend to have."

"Good. That clears up that worry. Now we just worry about the Governor." Bella said and looked at Negan. "We should know something in a couple of weeks maybe. The four-hour drive there turned into ten days there and back because of the big herds moving through. That area is unstable for a feasible trade route. Not without structure support at least. I don't see Woodbury lasting. But I told Martinez if they start to get overrun, to book it back towards here."

Negan nodded. "Yeah, we'll absorb whoever wants to leave the Governor."

"Let's just hope that Martinez can figure it out before they are overrun. From what he said, there are women and children there." Bella explained.

Negan frowned. "That's not good."

"We should get the women and children out," Glenn said. "Herds those sizes never bode well."

"They don't." Negan agreed. "Alright. We'll get some men together. Make contact with Martinez. See if their walls are strong enough."

Bella shook her head. "They're not." She said. "I saw the walls. They're not very tall, and there seems to be weak spots and there's a lack of stability."

Negan made a hmm sound and then nodded. "Alright. We'll get the buses. We'll take a trip to Woodbury. Get the innocents out. Contact Martinez. Let him know we're on our way."

Jasper and Daryl returned at the tail end of the conversation. "Where are we going?"

Bella looked at Jasper. "You're going nowhere. The Saviors are going to Woodbury."

Jasper frowned. "Why? Didn't you just get back from there?"

"The herd activity has increased in that area. They have women and children there. Their community isn't going to withstand herds that size." Negan explained.

Daryl frowned. "That's not good. Did Martinez say how many people are there?"

"Like eighty people," Bella said. "They have plenty of women and children there though. It's a pretty unassuming community. They're being led by a crazy person. The Governor. Or at least Martinez said that the Governor is very controlling. People aren't allowed to oppose him. He likes to conquer other communities. He has the there can only be one mentality." She explained further.

"Count me in. I'm coming along." Jasper said.

Bella frowned. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" Jasper challenged. "I'm not pinned down to any community. Mags and Glenn can handle Alexandria. I can float around wherever. I want to help."

"Let him help sweetheart," Negan said. "It'll be fun. Road trip." He smirked a little.

Bella sighed, looking away from Jasper. How was she going to survive being on a trip with three men in her life that she loved? She admitted she loved Daryl and Negan, more than just a friendship, and wanted them both, but Jasper and their past crept inside her mind. Her love for him was still there and she didn't know what to do about those feelings either. "Fine. Let's get packed and ready. The faster we get there the faster we can get to Woodbury and hopefully save them from being eaten alive by the dead." She said and then walked off to gather her things. She didn't have any downtime to rest since she had been back. That was the life now. There wasn't time for rest. Not anymore.