Chapter Eighteen

Love The Hell Out Of You

My eyes fluttered open, blinking rapidly in the darkness. I felt Negan's naked body pressed tightly into mine, his arm locked around my waist and his face pressed into the back of my head. My eyes felt dry and my nose was a little stuffy, but I pressed back into Negan as memories of my full mental break replayed in my head.

"You awake, baby?" Negan mumbled into my hair, his arm flexing around me.

"Kinda," I responded quietly.

"How're you feeling?"

I let out a heavy breath before responding.

"Physically, sore. Mentally, also a little sore. Thank you for taking care of me."

His head moved as his lips pressed into my neck briefly.

"That's my job, wildflower."

I let out a small laugh as I weaved my fingers through his, pressing his hand harder into my stomach.

"I thought your job as a fearless leader was an around the clock thing. Are you sure you have time for a side gig right now?"

"I got all the time in the fucking world for you," he chuckled, pressing more gentle kisses into my neck, sending shivers down my spine.

I rolled onto my back, turning my head towards him. I could barely make out his features in the dark as I pressed my palm to his face. He tenderly nudged my nose with his and I closed the distance between our mouths, pressing my lips to his. His long fingers flexed against my bare stomach.

He pulled back, resting his forehead against mine and breathing in deep.

"You need to rest, Piper," he said, sounding more like he was reminding himself of this fact than he was me.

"I do, but I want you first. I need you inside me, Negan," I whispered.

He let out a groan as his fingers trailed from my stomach to dip between my legs, instantly making contact with my clit.

A breathy moan escaped my mouth and my hips lifted slightly. I fucking needed this right now.

"Always so fucking responsive," he growled, lifting his forehead from mine and kissing down my jaw to my neck before sucking the skin there.

My hand clamped down on his between my legs, forcing him to apply more pressure. He batted my hand away before returning his fingers to the bundle of nerves, pressing harder and swirling around it.

His hand dipped down, fingers slowly entering me and curling to hit that delicious spot inside me that he found easily every time. I couldn't hold back the moans that fell from my lips as I felt that familiar tension start in my abdomen. The palm of his hand rubbed at my clit as he fucked me with fingers and within minutes, I was on verge of coming completely undone for him.

"You gonna come on my fingers, wildflower?"

He bit down on my neck, causing me to cry out as he started licking the wound.

"Fuck, yes," I panted, chasing the high he was so good at giving me.

"Do it, baby. Be a good girl and come for me," he growled, licking up the column of neck.

I exploded at his words, my pussy clamping around his fingers as the orgasm rocked through me.

Within seconds Negan had rolled over the top of me and wedged his hips between my thighs, his arms holding him up as his hands clenched around the soft sheets under me. His mouth crashed down to mine in a desperate kiss. Our tongues danced against each other as I reached down and grabbed his base, lining him up with my entrance and wrapping my legs around him.

"Needy tonight, aren't you, baby?" He grunted into my mouth.

"Always for you," I managed to get out as he pushed into me.

A loud groan left his mouth as I struggled to get enough air into my lungs.

"Fuck, so tight for me. So fucking perfect."

His words set a fire in me as I bucked my hips, trying to get him to move. I needed to feel him. He pulled out and thrust back into me with a force that had me slide up the bed slightly and let out a gasp. My hands shot out to grab his waist, my fingers digging into his skin.

"Keep going, Negan. Please," I moaned.

He let out a grunt and set a steady pace, slamming into me hard enough for me to see stars. The red hot coil snaked through me again, preparing to snap as he fucked me into the bed.

"Oh, god. Negan, I'm - I'm going to - " I stuttered out, not able to hold a thought in my head.

"I know, baby, I know. You gonna come for me again, pretty girl? You can do it, Piper. I want to feel you come on my dick," he purred into my ear.

And for the second time in what felt like such a short amount of time, pleasure rocked through my body as his thrusts became harder and I clamped down on him.

"Oh, god damn it, baby. That's it. Fuck, I fucking love you, Piper," he murmured, his own orgasm rocking through him as he came inside me.

His head dropped onto my neck as the weight of his body fell on mine.

We both struggled for air as we came down from the high of each other. My fingers trailed up and down his spine.

Did he mean that? Or was that just a mid-orgasm thing that had slipped out?

As if reading my thoughts, Negan's voice filled the silence.

"I really do love the hell out of you, Piper," he whispered into my neck, "So goddamn much."

He pressed his lips to my shoulder and carefully rolled off of me, a small gasp leaving my throat when he slipped out of me. His hands were around me, pulling me over until my chest was pressed to his side.

"You do?" I asked quietly.

"Since the moment you called me a bat wielding psycho, baby," he chuckled, nuzzling his face into my hair.

"Even after what I did?" I questioned, needing some kind of validation that he didn't think of me differently after I had done in Purcellville.

"Even more so now."

I felt emotion well up in me as I buried my face in his chest. He turned his body slightly to wrap both arms around me.

"I got you, baby," he whispered, "Rest, Piper. Your body needs it right now."

I nodded my head against him and felt myself drifting off again as he murmured comforting words into my ear.

Negan had demanded I stay in bed for three days after Purcellville. I didn't leave our bedroom the entire time, not putting on real clothes or speaking to a single person outside of him. I'd heard people knock on the door and ask for me, only to be turned away by Negan quickly.

I didn't mind though. I needed to sort through what had happened, how I felt about it. It had taken everything out of my body, physically and emotionally. Everyday had become a little easier. My mind had started to wrap around the fact that I had done what I had spent so long planning. I'd gotten the justice my family deserved.

It was over. Brendan was dead. My parents were laid to rest. I didn't have Colt's body, but there wasn't anything I could do about that. I had his memory and that had to be enough for me.

During the time that I had spent laying around our room, Negan came and went. He handled Sanctuary business, but never burdened me with what was going on outside the four walls. He'd duck in the room, confirm I was okay, kiss me on the forehead, and disappear until he brought my next meal or was ready for bed.

My moms box sat on the table in the corner, taunting me. I hadn't been strong enough to open it, but by the afternoon of the third day, I forced myself to leave the nest I had made on the couch in front of the TV and grabbed the box. Lugging it back across the room and sitting it on the floor beside the couch, I sat on the floor and pulled it into my lap.

I took a deep breath and pulled the lid off. The large box was filled to the top with pictures and small things. A sad smile tugged at my lips as I remembered my mom carrying this box with her through everything. When we fled our home, when we walked through woods and cities, she kept a tight hold of it. Even when my dad had begged her to drop so we could run faster, she kept a death grip on it.

The picture on the top pulled a small sob from my throat. Colt and I on his first day of kindergarten. He was five and I was eleven, both with backpacks on and brand new first-day-of-school clothes, grinning into the camera in front of our house. My blonde pigtails were high on my head and Colt, having refused to let our parents cut his hair that summer, had shaggy brown strands falling in his eyes.

I picked the picture up and held it to my chest for a second, crying quietly. After I sat the picture to the side, I picked up the next one, which was all four of us outside a zoo in Saint Louis. Colt was on my dads shoulders, smiling brightly, and my mom had her arms wrapped around me as she leaned against dad. We looked so happy that it only made the tears fall a little faster.

I kept sifting through the photos in the box, each of them drawing soft cries and sometimes small, choked laughs. Colt at his high school graduation. Me outside my college dorm the day they dropped me off. Mom and dad getting married. Grandma and grandpa sitting on their porch, grandma holding a baby Colt and me sitting on grandpa's lap. Colt and I covered in mud, laughing at each other in a mud puddle.

Every picture brought with it a new memory that both hurt and brought happiness at the same time. I'd never understood why mom had kept the box with her while we were running for our lives, but now I was beyond grateful that she had.

My hand dove back into the box, grabbing at the small chain that glinted in the light. Pulling it out, I instantly realized that it was the locket my dad had given my mom as an anniversary gift the year before everything fell apart. I popped the locket open and smiled at the family picture on one side and the small engraved words on the other.

"Yesterday, today, tomorrow too. My heart and soul belong to you. - Peter"

My parents had been soulmates in every sense of the word. It had been nothing short of magical to witness.

I snapped the locket closed and set it carefully to the side as I looked back to the box. A thick notebook was nestled in the bottom, surrounded by more pictures and various other things. I grabbed the notebook, confusion sparking in me. I'd never seen it before and didn't know what it could possibly be.

Flipping it open to the first page, my mouth dropped open slightly as I scanned the familiar writing. It was a journal. I quickly closed it and sucked in a few deep breaths. This was not something I could handle right now.

"Piper?"

Negan's voice filtered through my shock and I whipped my head around.

He was standing in the doorway, an uncertain look pasted to his face.

"Hey," I said quietly, turning back to face the mess of pictures around me, "I opened it."

His footsteps thudded across the carpet as he made his way to me.

I picked up the picture of Colt and I in the mud and handed it to him, smiling slightly.

"I was fifteen and Colt was nine," I said, as he grabbed the picture and brought it to his face.

A low chuckle fell from his lips. I looked around again, grabbing another picture of me and Grandpa when I was thirteen, sitting in his kitchen. A Remington Spartan 100 was sitting on the table in front of us. He was so excited about his new shotgun that he demanded my parents bring me over immediately. A look of awe was on my young face as I looked down at the gun.

I handed him the photo.

"That's my grandpa," I explained.

"So, he's the reason, huh?" Negan asked, a grin falling on his face as he looked at the picture.

"He sure is," I laughed, the sadness in my chest easing.

Negan sat behind me on the couch, his legs placed on either side of my shoulders. I handed him pictures, explaining each of them. He stayed with me, laughing and rubbing my shoulders as I reminisced.

When I handed him a picture of me in my prom dress from high school, he chuckled.

"You were beautiful. You would have never given me the time of day if we had met when I was in high school."

I let out a bark of laughter.

"Well, considering I wasn't even born when you entered high school, it would've been a little hard to give you any of my time."

"Okay, smart ass. You knew what I meant," he laughed, leaning down to bite the lobe of my ear.

"What were you like back then?" I asked, looking up at him.

He tossed the picture he was still holding back into the pile and his hands reached for my sides. He pulled me up, sitting me in his lap sideways and wrapping his arms around my abdomen.

"I was a shithead," he laughed, "Very into sports, girls, and myself. I was fucking mean, if we're being honest."

"That does sound like someone I would try to avoid," I giggled, snuggling into his chest.

"I think I could've won you over, even if you were way out of my fucking league. You forget how convincing I can be, doll," he murmured, placing a kiss to my forehead.

"Oh, so you've always been a charming psychopath, have you?" I asked, a smile pulling my lips up.

"I have, though I've definitely perfected the charm now."

One of his fingers started rubbing circles above my belly button. I let out a sigh, realizing that being close to him had taken away the pain that had previously settled in my chest.

"I do know that teenage me would've followed you around like a lost puppy, similarly to how I do now. You'd have had me wrapped around your finger, wildflower."

I looked up at him and smiled, reaching my hand up to stroke his cheek. My eyes stayed locked on his deep brown ones.

"You're the best thing that ever happened to me. You know that right?" I asked him, suddenly feeling entirely too emotional about this gorgeous man who had me tucked into his arms.

His eyes flared at that and he sucked a deep breath in through his nose.

"Fuck. I don't know what I ever did to deserve you," he whispered, pressing his lips to mine.

He kissed me gently, his hands sliding down to my thighs roughly and his fingers started needing the muscles there. I could have sworn I felt him write 'mine' into my flesh with his pointer finger.

His head rested against mine as he pulled his mouth back.

"As much as I want to stay here with you, doll, I actually came in here for a purpose," he breathed, a small smile resting on his face as he looked into my eyes.

"Oh?"

"I have a meeting with the Saviors here in about," he pulled back to look at his watch, "Forty minutes, and I want you to come with me, if you're up to it."

"Why do you need me there?" I questioned, tilting my head slightly.

"Because you're one of us now. They respect the fuck out of you. And honestly, I could use your opinion on some things," he said, grinning at me.

I jumped off his lap, looking down at his t-shirt that I was wearing and my lack of pants.

"Then I guess I better get dressed," I stated.

I bent down and started putting everything back into mom's box. Except the locket.

"Are you sure? You're good to leave the room?" He asked.

"Of course. If you need my help with something, I'm coming. I just need clothes," I said, walking to the nightstand.

I grabbed my parents rings where I had left them, sliding them onto the locket's chain and quickly snatched grandpa's necklace too.

"Help me?" I asked, holding the necklaces out to Negan.

He held a hand out and I placed both necklaces into his palm. He stood from the couch and I turned around, putting my back to his chest and pulling my hair up. He carefully clasped both necklaces around my neck and placed a quick to my shoulder.

"What are these?" He asked.

I turned around and pointed to each necklace.

"This one with the shell casing is from my grandpa. He gave it to me when I was thirteen. And this one my dad gave my mom for their anniversary a few years ago. These rings are their wedding rings," I said, smiling at the two necklaces.

He nodded his head and kissed me on the cheek.

"They look good on you, wildflower. I'll wait for you in the office. Take your time," he said, walking around me and towards the door.

I made quick work of getting dressed, settling on a pair of baggy black cargo pants and tight, white long sleeve shirt. I brushed through my thick hair for the first time in days and even put on some mascara before spraying a little perfume on. It had been ages since I'd actually gotten dressed. I figured the better I felt about myself physically, the less nervous I would be to see everyone again.

Which was a bullshit theory, but I was going to hang on to it. I was damn near shaking at the thought of being around people again, but I wasn't going to tell Negan that. Fake it til you make it, right?

I made my way to the office, making sure I appeared calm and confident.

"Well, god damn," Negan muttered from the desk as I stepped into the room.

His dark amber eyes followed me, trailing up and down my body. He had his leather jacket over his t-shirt now.

"Stop it," I mumbled, all the fake confidence I had built up suddenly crumbled as heat rose to my cheeks.

"No can do, baby. You're fucking gorgeous," he said, grinning at me as he stood from the chair and walked towards me.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me into a quick kiss.

"You ready?" he asked, eyes searching mine.

"Yes, sir," I responded, stretching up to place another kiss on his lips.

He chuckled and pulled me out the door and into the hallway. We walked hand in hand and he led towards the training room.

"Wait, why are we here?" I asked, but Negan never responded.

He squared his shoulders and the smile morphed into a cocky grin. Leader Negan had come out to play.

He marched me through the doorway and my eyes widened. He wasn't kidding when he said 'the Saviors'. All of them were here, lining the walls and standing in groups. The chatter died when everyone noticed Negan had entered.

Or maybe it was both of us, because eyes widened when they landed on me.

Thuds sounded as everyone dropped to a knee.

"On your fucking feet," Negan boomed, keeping his hand locked around mine as he stood in the middle of the room.

My eyes caught on Dwight's. He sent me a grin and a wink that had me smiling back at him.

Something had definitely shifted between us after the ride home and him helping me dig the graves. I felt close to the man in an entirely different way than I had before.

"Alright, you fucking degenerates. We have a mighty big problem on our hands," Negan started, squeezing my hand once and dropping it, "Bud's crew was found quite literally in pieces. Someone attacked them and blew their shit up."

Shock colored everyone's features. I didn't know Bud or his crew. I thought I heard Negan and Simon talking about them being missing before Purcellville and I knew that they traveled around different roads, making sure no one was in the area and scouting for places with supplies.

"What do you mean, 'blew their shit up'?" I asked, looking at him.

"Just that. The only thing that was left on the road was blood splatter and pieces of their charred motorcycles," Negan responded, glancing over at me.

"Sounds like an RPG," I stated, nodding my head.

"That's what we're thinking. Does everyone know what this means?" Negan barked.

"High alert," everyone responded.

"You're damn right. You go out of these gates, you take every possible fucking precaution. You see anyone with a god damn rocket launcher, you let me know immediately. I've let all the outposts know what's going on. This could just be someone passing by. It could be one of the fucking communities who provide us with shit. Or it could be someone that we aren't fucking aware of yet. Regardless, it's a fucking problem," Negan bellowed.

I stood there thinking for a moment. I didn't know a lot about the other communities, but it wouldn't make sense for them to be the ones to make this kind of move on a random road. I knew those communities supplied goods to Negan for protection, so it would stand to reason that if they wanted to take a stand or attack, they would do it at one of the drops or just come right to the Sanctuary.

It would make more sense for it to be a group we weren't aware of yet, whether that be someone traveling through or a community that was already established that had gone under Negan's radar.

"What are you thinking?" Negan murmured to me.

"I doubt it's one of the other communities. That wouldn't make sense. If they were going to make a move, they wouldn't do it randomly in the middle of nowhere, having just stumbled into Bud's group. It would be a planned attack. I could be wrong, but I would be surprised if it was someone that already has ties to us," I responded, my voice firm.

"That's what I was thinking, too," I heard Simon say, and my eyes snapped to him.

"It's probably someone we don't know about yet. I think we need to expand our patrols, have smaller groups looking around for the threat a little further out," I said, looking between Negan and Simon.

Negan's head bobbed up and down.

"Alright, then. We'll be assigning some people to start going out to search. You find these motherfuckers, you do not engage. You come back and tell me what the fuck you saw. I'll handle it after that, am I clear?"

"Clear," everyone called back.

"Who's going to be going out?" Arat asked loudly.

"One of the lieutenants will pick a few people. You'll know by the end of the day," Negan responded, "Anymore questions?"

A throat cleared towards the back of the room.

All eyes turned to lock on Charles. A small smile formed on my face as I looked at the mountain of a man.

"I briefly talked to Piper about this, but I've been thinking that maybe Piper should start training all of us on different things, if she's up to it. If we have threats like this coming from an unknown source, I can't imagine it would be a bad idea to have us all training more," the man spoke slowly, looking at Negan.

Low murmurs of agreement swept through the room.

I had told Charles that DJ, Gary, and himself could join Arat and Laura with me in the mornings to train. The thought of doing that on a larger scale actually set a fire in my stomach. Most of these people were a pretty good shot and that was all fine and dandy, until there was a moment when they didn't have a gun. None of them really had any formal training. It couldn't hurt for me to show them some things.

Negan looked over at me, surprise flickering in his face for a brief moment, before he raised an eyebrow.

"I train at five every morning with Arat and Laura in this room. Anyone who is interested is more than welcome to attend. I can teach you what I know. I'm not an expert, but I do know some stuff," I said to the group.

"We all saw you in Purcellville," a voice called out, that I recognized as DJ's, "You're a fucking expert."

Heads nodded throughout the room and a soft smile pulled at my lips.

"I appreciate it. Anyone can join. I'm taking a couple days off, but I'll be back by the end of the week."

"I expect anyone that is trained by Piper to treat her with the same fucking respect you treat me. Now all of you can get on with your day. The Q&A portion of this shit has come to an end. I have shit to do," Negan growled.

The room immediately started to clear. I got a few smiles from random Saviors as they exited the room. Arat, Laura, Dwight, and Simon lingered, stepping closer to myself and Negan.

"How're you doing?" Laura asked, reaching out to grab my hand.

"I'm doing okay. A lot better," I said softly, squeezing her fingers.

"We've been worried about you," Arat whispered, her eyes searching my face.

"Thank you, guys. Really. I promise, I'm a lot better. I just needed a few days to myself."

"We figured. Negan's been guarding you like Gollum with the damn ring," Simon laughed.

"Facts. Like a damn bridge troll," Laura laughed.

"Okay, you fucks," Negan grumbled.

I couldn't help the small giggled that erupted from my mouth.

"We, uh, we kind of arranged something for you," Dwight mumbled, kicking at the concrete under his feet.

My eyes widened for a second.

"What do you mean?" I questioned, looking at him.

"Follow me, wildflower," Negan said, grabbing my hand from Laura's and tugging on me.

I followed him, still confused, as everyone trailed after us.

"Where are we going?" I asked, not getting a response.

I was dragged through the Sanctuary, to the front doors and outside into the sun.

"Anyone wanna tell me what is fucking happening? Anyone at all?" I tried again, looking around.

No one said anything. No one even made eye contact as we made our way outside. I let out a huff.

It took a minute as we walked away from the doors, but it started to sink in where we were headed and my heart started to grow heavy. I kept my eyes on the ground, until we came to a stop and Negan pulled me to his side.

I immediately spotted Eleanor, Emily, James, Jolene, and Harvey standing beside the tree my parents and Ben were buried under. All of them were looking at me with sad smiles on their faces. I glanced down beside them and my breath caught in my throat. Four wooden crosses stood proud, three marking each of the graves and one set off to the side, with words etched into them. Flower's were bundled together under each of the crosses.

I slowly stepped closer, squinting my eyes as my hand fell from Negan's.

Ben

Loyal Soldier and Friend

Peter

Loving Father and Husband

The Calm to Every Storm

Connie

Fearless Wife and Mother

The Storm

In Loving Memory

Colt

Best Friend, Brother, and Son

"We know that Colt's body isn't here, but we thought you might want somewhere that you could remember him, too," Dwight whispered to my left.

"Everyone pitched in. We wanted you to have somewhere to go when you missed them," Negan said quietly.

"Dwight carved the wood, with direction from Negan. Emily and James found the flowers. Simon and Harvey made the crosses. The rest of us wanted to be here for you. And for Ben," Laura said, placing her hand on my shoulder.

"We thought that maybe you'd want to have a service for them," Simon chimed in from behind me.

"But only if you want to, baby. If you're ready for that," Eleanor added, clasping her hands in front of her.

I stood there in shock. Gratitude, love, and grief fought for dominance in my body. I didn't know what to say, didn't know if I could ever convey how much this meant to me.

I stumbled forward another few steps, closing the distance between myself and the crosses. They were perfect. The etching, the words they chose, all of it. My heart clenched especially hard at mom and dad's crosses.

I turned to look at everyone, my eyes scanning across each of their faces.

"Thank you," I sobbed, my hand reaching up to rest across my heart, "It's perfect."

The group crowded around me and I turned back towards the small graveyard.

Simon stepped forward and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. His deep voice weaved through the space, reading a small sermon that pulled at my heartstrings. It was simple, basic even, but it was good. When he finished, he stepped back into the group.

"Ben was a good man. He was caring, loyal, funny, courageous," Dwight started, "He was always the first to volunteer a kind word or a funny story. I've watched him bring many people to the safety of the Sanctuary, not because he had to, but because he genuinely wanted to help anyone who crossed his path. His absence is felt by everyone who met him."

"Ben was the one who brought me here. He found me in an abandoned house, I was dirty, hungry, scared of everything, and I'd lost everyone. But he took my hand and walked me out of there, promising me he would make sure I was safe. He brought me home. He's the reason I have everything that I have now. I will be forever grateful to him," Emily said, tears sliding down her cheeks as she squeezed James hand.

"I know the next stop for Ben is a good one and I hope whoever greets him there has a box of poptarts and some fried chicken ready," Ms. Ellie said, smiling at Ben's cross with misty eyes.

Tears fell from my own eyes as I remembered Ben's constantly smiling face and kind smile. I knew he was a good man. I had felt it, but hearing the way everyone talked about him sent a spear through my chest, making the loss of him only greater. This world needed men like Ben.

"I met Connie, Peter, and Colt on my second trip to Purcellville," Simon said, his eyes closing for a moment, "I could tell immediately that they were my kind of people. They invited me into their home, fed me dinner every night, laughed at whatever bullshit came out of my mouth. The weeks I spent with them were some of the best I'd had in a very long time. Even when Piper wasn't around, they made me feel at home. It had been a long time since I'd met people who could do that. They didn't let the world now or the situation they were in harden them to new people, or dim the love they had for each other. And that alone is enough to celebrate them."

A sob fell from my mouth. Simon had fit in with my family so well. He'd made my dad laugh so hard whiskey had come out of his nose and my mother had almost choked on garlic bread.

I wiped the tears from my cheeks and squared my shoulders, breathing in deep.

"I don't think I have it in me to give a big speech right now. But my whole life, I always knew I was lucky to have the family that I did. A brother who was more like a best friend. A dad that was consistently my biggest supporter. A mom that rushed into everything with me, head first. They were everything to me and I don't think a day will go by that I won't feel the loss of them deep in my soul," I said, feeling Negan's hand grasp mine.

I looked around at everyone again, taking in each other their faces; their supportive smiles, their kind eyes.

"I cannot thank you guys enough for what you've given me today, and every day since I've been here. I'd never, in a million years, think I would be blessed enough to find an entire second family with people I would genuinely do anything for, but the universe had other ideas. So thank you guys. For everything," I said, feeling a tear slide down my cheek that I quickly swept away with my free hand.

"You know we love you, boss lady," Harvey said, grinning at me.

"The kids right, Piper," James agreed, matching Harvey's wide smile.

"I'm a man," Harvey and Jolene said at the same time.

Harvey sent a glare at Jolene for mocking him and everyone else started laughing. It was obvious that the sentence was spoken by Harvey on a regular basis.

I felt my heart swell. When I was in high school and then in college and having problems getting close to people, my mom used to tell me that I would find my people one day and everything before then would finally make sense. That I would realize then why no one else had stuck it out. Like always, she was right, because I had finally found them.