Chapter Five

Remember the Enemy

My head turned towards the gunfire, looking at the giant moving van near the fence line. My eyes locked on Negan, who was slightly to the right of the vehicle, watching the scene without a modicum of fear displayed on his face. Saviors, including Fat Joey and Dwight were standing in a half circle with raised hands.

I took off in a run, coming up around the front bumper. Negan's eyes caught on me for a brief moment before they returned to whatever was happening inside the truck.

"Stay back! Drop your weapons. I only want Negan. No one else needs to die," I heard a young voice call.

Recognition prickled in my brain. Why did I know that voice?

Negan's whistle floated through the air as I flattened my back to the side of the truck and slowly started creeping forward. He walked through the Saviors, addressing the voice I had heard.

"Damn. You are adorable. Did you pick that gun 'cause it looks cool?" Negan asked, stepping behind one of the Saviors with a smirk on his face, "You totally did, right? Kid, I ain't gonna lie, you scare the shit out of me."

I just reached the end of the truck and my eyes connected with Dwight's as one of the Savior's lunged and gunfire rang out. I moved quickly, rounding the truck and tackling the person with the gun.

Ah, fuck. It's Rick's kid. Of course it's Rick's kid.

My body landed on top of his in the dirt and I sprang up, grabbing his gun and pointing it at him. He moved slightly and I trained the gun on his face.

"Kid!" I yelled.

He stilled and looked up into my eyes. I snatched the knife off his belt and threw it to the side.

"Now why in the fuck would go and do something like that, man? I was having a good fucking day, too," I said with an exasperated sigh.

"Piper, that's no way to treat our guest!" Negan boomed, striding towards us.

He reached his hand out to the boy, who in turn just gave him one hell of a dirty look, causing me to laugh a little and drop the machine gun to my side.

Go you, man.

"Come on, kid. I'll show you around," Negan said, grinning down at him, "You know, you do the same damn stink-eye as your dad, except it's only half as good 'cause… well, you know, you're missing an eye."

The kid looked away. Obviously, that remark had hurt his feelings. I shot Negan a small glare that went unnoticed as he kept his eyes on the boy.

"Really? You're really not gonna take my hand? 'Cause you're lucky you even still have a hand. Same as your boy Daryl over there, now that I think about it," Negan said loudly, turning to look at the man on the other side of the fence, "How's the job going, Daryl? Hot enough for you? Yeah, it'd be tough with one arm."

He looked back to the boy, the shit-eating grin still present on his face, and presented his hand to him again. The kid just glared back at Negan.

My patience was wearing thin. This was a fucking kid, for godsake. Given, the kid had just shot two of our fucking people, but he'd also been subjected to a lot of shit recently. Shit he should've never had to see.

I knocked Negan's hand away, stepping forward to extend my own. The boy looked up at me with less hatred than he'd been tossing Negan's way and reached out for me. I pulled him upright.

"What's your name?" I asked, reaching down for his hat that had fallen in the dirt and handing it back to him.

"Carl," he said, looking over to Negan, who was watching me with an unreadable expression that quickly turned into a sadistic smile.

"Smart kid. She's a lot nicer and a hell of a lot prettier," Negan chuckled before turning back to Dwight.

I stepped closer to Carl.

"Does your dad know you're here?" I asked quietly, searching his eyes.

He shook his head quickly.

I sighed, running my hand over my face.

"Come on," Negan said to me and Carl after he finished with Dwight.

Carl turned towards Negan and I stayed directly behind him. He'd try to take Negan out given half of a chance, so I kept my eyes on him.

""What are you going to do to me?" Carl asked Negan.

Negan sighed, stepping entirely too close to the kid.

"Number one," Negan started, "do not shatter my image of you. You're a badass. You're not scared of shit, don't be scared of me. It's a disappointment. Number two, you really want me to ruin the surprise? Screw you, kid. Seriously. Screw. You."

Negan placed his hand on Carl's shoulder and directed him towards the steps, leading to the higher level of the Sanctuary. Negan shot me a look as I followed behind them. I rolled my eyes and kept up with the two of them.

We arrived inside and Negan whispered, "Check this out," to Carl, before walking to the railing that overlooked the common area of the Sanctuary.

Per usual, everyone dropped to their knees. For the second time in less than a minute, I felt my eyes roll back in my head. A whole production. Awesome.

"The Saviors have gone out into the world and fought the dead and come back with some really good stuff," he boomed to the workers below, "Some of that stuff can be yours if you work hard and play by the rules. Today, everybody gets fresh vegetables at dinner. No points needed."

Claps rang out and Negan spun towards Carl, who looked as annoyed as I felt.

"You see that?" Negan asked, "Respect. Cool, huh? They still on their knees?"

"Obviously," I muttered, earning another glare from Negan.

"As you were!" Negan yelled, before walking around Carl and I.

Carl's eyes connected with mine. I shrugged my shoulders and motioned for him to follow Negan. This was going to be a long fucking day.

"Negan?" I said, my voice hard.

He turned to look at me, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm going to eat with Eleanor. I'm hungry. Are you guys going to our room at some point?" I asked, giving him the same irritated face that he was currently displaying.

"We are," he nodded once.

"Super cool. I'll meet you there in a bit," I returned, spinning on my heel to the stairs until I felt a hand reach out and grab my wrist.

I turned my head slightly, looking at Carl who had grabbed me.

"Don't leave me alone with him," he stated, his eyes wide for a moment.

I was stunned for a moment. Did I not just have a gun pointed at the kid's face less than three minutes ago? And he was trying to ask me for help?

"Oh, uh, I'll meet up with you guys in a bit. You hungry?" I asked.

I knew Negan wasn't going to kill him. Probably not even hurt him physically.

He opened his mouth a couple times before nodding once and turning back towards Negan, who watched the interaction with annoyed eyes.

He'll get over it, I thought as I pulled my hand away from Carl's grip and started making my way to the kitchen.

A part of me felt terrible for the teenager. His age made me realize that he'd spent most of the important years of his childhood in the middle of a whole ass apocalypse, which made sense because the kid really was a fucking badass. He obviously knew his way around a gun and was smart enough to figure out how to sneak his little ass in here. But he was also fucking fearless. Who snuck into an armed, gated facility full of what he assumed was a bunch of crazies to take out one man?

And I knew that Negan had a reputation he was trying to uphold and most of the time, it really didn't bother me. It kept us safe for the most part, but this was a child and if he thought for a second that I was going to act like a psychopath in front of him, he was sorely mistaken. He could be pissed at me all he wanted, but that didn't mean I was going to start throwing hands with a teenager. Even if that teenager did try to take out the love of my life.

All of it swirled around in my head, making me wonder what was coming next. If this was how a teenager was reacting, what were the actual adults going to try to do to us? The bad feeling in my stomach intensified. Those people were going to be a problem and if we didn't get in front of this soon, it was going to end bad for everyone involved.

I slid through the kitchen doors, greeted instantly by Ms. Ellie's voice.

"Hey, sugar! You come to eat with me today?" She called from the stove as she stirred something furiously.

"Yes, ma'am!" I beamed at the woman as I slid onto a stool, "I needed some Ms. Ellie time ASAP."

"Well, then you came to the right place. What's going on out there? I heard some commotion," the older woman asked, looking back at me.

"Someone snuck in, tried to kill Negan. You know, a normal Tuesday around here," I replied, shrugging my shoulders and rolling my eyes.

"I'll assume from your calm demeanor that the person didn't succeed. I'm making beef and broccoli for lunch. That sound okay?"

"Ms. Ellie, you're making Chinese food? I'll die right now. Beef and broccoli is one of my favorites!"

The older woman laughed and kept stirring.

"My Ernie loved beef and broccoli. He made me make it for him every Sunday night. I got real good at it," she reminisced, a small smile tugging at her face.

"The more I hear about him, the smarter he sounds."

"Oh, baby. You two would have gotten along like two peas in a damn pod," she chuckled as she reached over to turn off a burner.

"Well, I already know he had good taste in food and better taste in women, so I bet you're right."

Eleanor dished us up some plates, prattling on about Savannah and all of the gossip on the workers floors. I listened, asking questions every so often. It was nice, talking about things that weren't important or life altering, but I think she knew that. She always seemed to know what I needed before I did.

"Do you think I could steal two plates of this before I leave?" I asked, shoveling a piece of broccoli in my mouth.

"You extra hungry today or are you taking it somewhere?" She questioned back, sliding her plate into the sink.

"Negan. And his guest. They need to eat."

Ms. Ellie side eyed me for a moment before starting to scoop food onto plates.

"You okay, baby?"

I glanced up at her as I stood to put my plate away.

"I don't know, Ms. Ellie," I told her honestly, "Everything is just a little backwards now, you know? It's overwhelming."

She nodded her head as she slid the plates towards me.

"I know it is, baby, but if anyone can figure out whatever it is that needs figuring out, it's you. And Negan, but mostly you," she said, whispering the last part as she winked at me.

"You're the best, you know that right?" I chuckled, as I wrapped the woman in a tight hug.

"Oh, don't I know it. It's rough being the smartest person here sometimes, you know?"

I laughed, grabbing the plates and thanking her as I made my way to the back hallway that led towards mine and Negan's rooms. I mentally crossed my fingers that the kid was relatively unscathed.

Pushing my way into the office, I came face to face with Negan and Carl. Negan was relaxed back on the leather couch in the office while Carl was standing in front of him, leaning towards him like he'd just said something threatening.

Jesus. The kid really was insane.

Negan looked my way, a large grin on his face and Carl straightened and took a step back. My eyes immediately fell on Carl's exposed face. He had taken his head wrap off and his eye socket was on full display. I averted my gaze quickly.

"Am I interrupting a heated discussion?" I asked, raising an eyebrow and walking towards the two, handing each of them a plate.

"Not at all, wildflower. Carl here was just telling me that he doesn't think I'm going to kill him, but if I was smart, I'd take out his whole group. Isn't that right, Carl?" Negan said, digging into his food.

Carl looked between the two of us, standing there with his plate in his hand.

"Sit down, kid. Eat. It's good, I promise," I said, motioning for him to take a seat.

I flopped down on the couch next to Negan, pulling my legs up to my chest and watching as Carl sat and stared down at the plate like he was trying to decide if I had slipped some rat poison in somewhere.

"Eat. No one's trying to kill you and from the looks of how skinny you are, you need the calories. Ms. Ellie is a damn fine cook and she'd be insulted if you let her food go to waste," I commanded, raising my eyebrow at him.

That's all it took for the kid to tentatively place a small piece of beef into his mouth. His eyebrows shot up to his hairline and he looked up at me for a moment before continuing to heap bites of the food into his mouth.

I let out a small laugh.

"Told you. That woman is a wizard in the kitchen."

Negan looked over at me with a small smile.

"Thanks for bringing this, doll. I was starving," he whispered.

I leaned across the couch, deciding I'd grill him about the glares he was giving me outside later, and placed a quick kiss on his cheek.

"You're welcome, boss man," I mumbled, leaning back to my earlier position, "So, Carl. How old are you?"

The kid snapped his eyes up to mine for a moment before looking back to his food, which was already halfway gone.

"Fifteen," he said around a piece of broccoli.

"Damn. And already storming castles with guns, huh? That's wild," I smiled at the kid.

I couldn't place why, but I really did admire his tenacity.

"You're twenty-seven, right? That's what Colt said," Carl got out around bites of food, "What's wild is that you're with someone old enough to be your grandpa."

I couldn't help the surprised snort that came out of me, as I looked over at Negan's bewildered face.

"Hey, now. Maybe old enough to be my dad, but not my grandpa," I laughed.

"I'm just trying to eat my damn food. How did I end up being the one to catch strays?" Negan said sternly, though I could see the humor behind his eyes.

"It's okay, babe. You'll live through this," I cooed at Negan, patting his leg quickly, "Did Negan show you around?"

Carl nodded his head and cleared the rest of his plate.

"Did he show you my lab?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at the kid.

Negan looked over at me briefly, a questioning look in his eye. I ignored him, my eyes falling back on Carl.

Carl shook his head, his eyebrows pulling together.

"Perfect. Let me show you. It's pretty fucking cool," I stood from the couch and looked at Negan, "We're going to take a little field trip. Are we taking him back home?"

My eyes stared into his, making it very clear that I wasn't actually giving him an option.

"We are. I'll get everyone ready to move out while you two fuck off," Negan said slowly.

"Perfect. We'll meet you outside. Let's go, kid," I said, gesturing for Carl to follow me as I started towards the door.

Carl quickly grabbed his hat and took off after me, staying close on my heels as we made our way downstairs. He didn't say anything, but stayed close to me as I descended the steps to the main floor.

Relief washed through me as we weaved our way through the Sanctuary. I was glad Negan trusted me like he did. I was only showing Carl the lab so he could pass the information along to his group. They might have a general idea of what I knew because of Colt, but Carl was going to go home with the fine details. I wasn't going to put on a production like Negan, or attempt to pump him full of fear. I was just going to explain to him what I could do and hope that was enough to deter the assholes from trying anymore stupid shit.

When we got to the doors, I pushed them open and strolled through.

"This is where the magic happens," I said with a smile, sticking my arms out to twirl around in a dramatic circle.

Carl's eyes were wide as he looked around at the tables and equipment, the boxes of supplies. I felt a pang as I realized he still hadn't put his wrap back on his face.

"What all can you do in here?" He asked quietly, meeting my gaze again.

"Everything. I can make ammo for most types of guns. I can make pretty high grade explosives, repair guns and clean them. My team produces a relatively high amount daily. We have enough ammo to last for a very long time. In the event we go through more than what's expected, I can always put out more quickly," I said in an even tone.

"Is that why Negan keeps you around? Because you can do all of this for him?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Maybe. Maybe not," I responded, shrugging my shoulders.

"Why do you stay here with him?"

"Because I want to. That's why."

Carl suddenly laughed. Genuinely laughed out loud, but quickly composed himself.

"Sorry, just reminded me of someone," he whispered, shaking his head.

I watched his face as a grim expression settled on his features. I recognized the look immediately. He was thinking about someone he'd lost.

"Hey, how come you wear the gauze wrap around your eye?" I asked, grasping at anything to change the subject.

Carl's head snapped up.

"I… I don't like looking at it. And I know it makes people uncomfortable," he mumbled, shaking his hair into his face.

"How did it happen?"

"I got shot. It was an accident," he wouldn't look up at me as he spoke about it.

"So why the gauze? I feel like you should have something a little cooler than just plain old medical gauze, right?"

Carl shrugged his shoulders, still looking down at the ground.

"Come here," I said, signaling for him to follow me.

Jesus Christ. I just wanted to bring him in here so he knew I could blow shit up if need be and now here I was, about to play Suzy Homemaker.

I plopped down at my desk and waved my arm toward the chair next to me, keeping my attention focused as I fished out a black leather gun holster, a knife, scissors, and a paperclip. Setting to work, I quickly started cutting the leather, making it pretty big to cover the portion of his face I noticed he preferred to keep hidden. I cut a strap for his head, making him lean forward as I wrapped it around his head so I could make sure it was the right length.

"What are you doing?" Carl asked, confusion etched into his face.

Choosing to ignore the question until it was done, I sharpened the end of the paperclip into a makeshift needle and pulled the stitching out of the bottom seam of the maroon t-shirt I was wearing. When I deemed the small project perfect, I motioned Carl forward and directed him to take off his hat before sliding the eye patch on and adjusting it to cover the eye socket.

"It's perfect," I stated, smiling at him.

It was actually kind of badass and I was pretty proud of myself at that moment.

"I don't know how long it'll last, but if someone in Alexandria is better with needle work, I'd suggest they maybe reinforce it a bit, since I was just working with what I had. But you do look cool as fuck. Like an apocalyptic pirate," I said, pulling a small hand mirror out of my desk and handing it to him.

The boy took his time looking at his new eye patch, turning the mirror around to see all the sides. He set his hat back on his head and looked up at me with a genuine smile on his face.

"Thank you. It actually is kind of cool, huh?"

"Very cool, man," I responded, happiness shooting through me at the kid's smile, "Come on. Let's get to the trucks before Negan comes to look for us."

He nodded his head and followed me out. We were silent for most of the walk, until a whisper fell out of Carl's mouth.

"You can live in Alexandria. With Colt. You know that, right?"

I glanced over at the kid. His face was set in hard lines, like he was thinking about something entirely too hard.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm good here. Colt loves you guys and I love that he has people who care about him, but this is my home."

"My dad used to tell me all the time, 'Don't speak, think.' You should think about it."

I laughed and kept walking. This kid really was just full throttle one hundred percent of the time. I loved it, because same.

When we made it outside, Negan turned towards us to say something snarky, I was sure, but stopped short.

"Where the hell did that come from?" He asked, tilting his head towards Carl's eye patch.

"Piper made it for me," Carl responded, raising an eyebrow.

Negan looked towards me and I shrugged my shoulders.

"The gauze was gross. The eyepatch looks cooler. Like Nick Fury in the apocalypse."

"Did you… did you just make a Marvel reference?" Carl asked, his eyes growing wide.

"Oh, good God, Piper. You're going to make the little future serial killer fall in love with you. Get in the truck, both of you," Negan sighed, using Lucille to gesture to the moving truck beside him.

"Hold on, big guy. I didn't think I was going anywhere. I'm not exactly dressed to be attending any outings," I said, eyes wide as I gestured towards my outfit.

Negan's eyes scanned my body. I was in black leggings and a maroon t-shirt with my white converse on. I looked more apt to be heading to get pizza than storm a compound and return a child.

"Still the most beautiful woman I've ever seen and I think you look just fine, wildflower. In the truck, now," Negan grinned at me, which instantly fell when he took in the look on my face, "Please."

"Oh, you do have manners. Who would have thought?" I grumbled, stalking towards the truck and getting in the passenger seat.

Negan had set my holsters with my new gun and dagger, as well as my machete, in the floorboard of the truck and I quickly strapped both holsters to my thighs as Carl opened the driver door and slid into the middle seat next to me. Negan got in behind the wheel and I crossed my arms across my chest. This was not supposed to be how my day went.

We started rolling forward before Negan stopped and said something snarky to Daryl. He ordered Dwight to put him back in his cell and then flipped Daryl off. I fought the urge to roll my eyes. If he was going to drag me out of the comfort of my home then I wasn't going to be in a good mood and he could just deal with that.

Fat Joey stood at the tower by the gates waving us through. I lifted my body through the window and called to the man. He looked down at me with a wide smile.

"Hey! Ms. Ellie has leftover beef and broccoli in the kitchen! It was super fucking good. Take lunch and go get some before it's gone," I yelled to him.

"Have I told you recently you're my favorite person here?" He yelled back, his smile only growing wider.

"I would hope it went without saying, Joey. There's not a lot of options, you know," I widened my eyes and subtly gestured my head towards Negan.

Fat Joey started laughing hysterically while Negan huffed and hit the gas.

I flopped back into my seat and grinned over at Negan.

"I'm not completely fucking sure why I put up with you," he grumbled, winking at me.

"Probably because she makes you bullets is what I'd guess," Carl quipped, keeping his eye forward.

I couldn't help but laugh. The kid always just let whatever popped into his head come directly out of his mouth.

"That and she's really good in - " Negan started.

"I swear to God, Negan Smith, one more word comes out of your mouth and the Sanctuary will be down a leader," I yelled towards him, my cheeks growing red.

"Your last name is Smith? I expected something… I don't know. Cooler, I guess? But also, you should say another word. Any word. Right now," Carl said, a smug grin falling across his features.

This time Negan laughed so hard he snorted.

"So, Nick Fury, huh?" Carl asked, looking over at me.

And the trip to Alexandria suddenly became less annoying.