Negan watched from the second floor window of Aaron's house, as Rick, Darryl and Carol walked out of Rick's house and headed towards Aaron's home! Negan knew that the trio were probably on their way over to tell Aaron, that he had been living up in the Grimes attic.
Negan looked back at Hershel and RJ, who both still looked uneasy at his very appearance in the room.
"Rick, Darryl and Carol are on their way over here now. I'm going back over to the attic. Try and put in a good word for me, okay?" Negan asked in a casual tone, as he opened the window and climbed out! Hershel just shook his head as Negan began climbing down Aaron's trellis! RJ joined Hershel by the window and watched as Negan made it to the ground, then looked around so that Rick, Darryl and Carol would not see him on the side of Aaron's home. Negan then proceeded to walk the short distance over to the Grimes home. The boys watched as Negan began climbing the trellis across the way, to get to the attic.
"We have to go tell Aaron and your father that we saw Negan!" Hershel exclaimed. RJ nodded, taking note that Negan had not mentioned seeing his mother down below. Was she still in their house?
"I think Mom's still in the house. That means she'll be alone with him." RJ said calmly. He still felt as if Negan would be the one in danger, if he was left alone with his mother, but he also knew that neither his father, nor Judith, would appreciate it if they waited to tell anyone about this. Both boys hurried away from the window and left the room.
Meanwhile, down below, Rick, Darryl and Carol, had just knocked on Aaron's door, when Rick caught sight of Ezekiel's vehicle outside of the gate, waiting to be let in. He looked over at Carol and Darryl.
"Tell Aaron what's going on. I'm going to see why Ezekiel is here." Rick told them but Carol offered an alternate solution.
"I'll talk to Ezekiel. You two tell Aaron about Negan." Carol suggested. Darryl nodded while Rick glanced back at his home. Michonne stayed behind because Maggie's voice came through on one of the walkie talkie's. Michonne told them that she would talk to Maggie while the they told Aaron and the other inhabitants of Alexandria, what was happening with Negan.
"Alright." Rick replied and forced himself not to look over at his house again. Michonne's conversation with Maggie was running a bit long. That couldn't be good. Just as Rick and Darryl turned back towards Aaron's front door, Annie got out of the car Ezekiel and herself had been in and called out his name!
Rick slowly turned around and stared at Annie for a brief moment, before looking at Darryl and telling him he'd join him in a minute. Darryl nodded and turned just as Aaron opened the door. Rick took a deep breath and made his way over to Carol, Ezekiel and now, Annie.
"Annie." Rick simply said. And that was because he did not know what to say, really. He did not think since the world had changed years ago, he had ever just happened upon someone he had known in Georgia, before the undead populated Earth. And yet looking at Annie made Rick remember Shane, and he was the last person, other than Negan, that Rick wanted to be thinking about.
Ezekiel walked over to Carol, but kept an eye on Annie and Rick's interaction. Carol did as well, as she looked at the two of them, while keeping an eye on Rick and Michonne's house. Whatever Maggie had to say had to be important. Carol now began to wonder, if Maggie was telling Michonne that she had seen Negan or something?
Annie thought that Rick looked especially handsome, even after the world had went to hell. She sensed his discomfort and knew it was because of her connection to Negan.
"It's good to see you again, Rick. It's good to see someone from our old life again." Annie breathed.
Rick didn't necessarily agree, but he nodded, while feeling vastly uncomfortable. He had never had anything against Annie personally, when she had been under his supervision as a sheriff's deputy. But her affair with Shane had been a bit low rent, even for Rick. He had met Annie's husband a couple of times and thought he had been a stand up guy(it was bothering Rick that he couldn't remember the man's first name). And Rick would have thought, that Shane would have had better sense than to get himself involved in a scandal like that. But in retrospect, maybe Rick should have taken Shane's behavior as a clue. How long had Shane been eyeing Lorie behind his back?
What Rick didn't like thinking about, was what if the world hadn't suddenly ended? Would Shane and Lorie had had an affair anyway?
It wasn't Annie's fault that her presence brought up such unpleasant thoughts, but it didn't help Rick's mood. Throw in that Annie had went from Shane to Negan, and Rick found himself struggling not to growl!
Rick's lack of enthusiasm to Annie's sudden reappearance was obvious to Ezekiel, Carol and Annie herself. Annie looked around Alexandria and wondered just what Rick and Michonne had had to do, to take over this stronghold? Ezekiel did not seem to know where Rick's group had come from, before they landed here in this gated suburb, but Annie was willing to bet that other people inhabited this community before Rick ever arrived here. People that were probably no longer alive.
"Zeke here told us about your boy." Rick said. "How's he holding up?"
"He's hanging in there. But we're here because we need help finding Negan. I am not a match for Joshua, for some ungodly reason. I need to find Negan. And if I don't find him, maybe someone at the Commonwealth or even Darryl or Michonne, might be a match." Annie said softly.
Rick blinked!
"Michonne? Why would you think my wife could be a match?" he asked. But God help him, he knew.
Annie tilted her head.
"Her and Darryl both tested to see if they could be a match. I have to say, Rick, I was disappointed that you weren't there. My son is not Negan."
Rick clenched his jaw.
"I know that, Annie. But I have a position here too. I was kept against my will for years and missed out on my children's, and my wife's, life here. I don't want to take a chance with any of their lives. I'm sorry for Joshua. But once you find Negan, everything will be fine. And you will find him. We have reason to believe he's been squatting here in Alexandria." Rick told her.
If Annie and Ezekiel had found the news that Negan had been inside of the Commonwealth, jarring, this bit of news was just outright appalling! Ezekiel looked at Carol!
"You knew this?" he asked his ex-wife in a tone that was slightly accusatory.
"We just found out." Carol told him. "Rick found out that Negan's been living in his attic."
"What?!" Ezekiel yelled. But before he could get another word out, Darryl, Aaron, Hershel, Judith, Gracie and RJ ran over to them!
"RJ and Hershel just saw Negan in an upstairs room in Aaron's house!" Darryl snapped as he began to ready his archery weapon!
"He climbed up the trellis of your house and back up into the attic." Aaron said.
"Michonne is still in there." Rick said quietly before his eyes fell on Hershel and RJ.
"You should have let Aaron know that Negan was in his house, before letting him climb out and come to ours!"
Rick was especially looking at RJ now. RJ stared back!
"Mom will stop him just like Mom stops everyone!" RJ huffed. It wasn't that he wasn't glad to have his father back in his life, but there was a part of him that became annoyed when he acted like this. RJ felt like his mother had taught him and Judith, what they needed to know to survive. So his father didn't need to freak out every time any little thing happened!
Then again, RJ was very aware that to his father, Negan was not a 'little thing'.
"Stay out here!" Rick ordered the kids, as he, Darryl, Aaron, Carol, Ezekiel and Annie, headed towards the Grimes house to face off with Negan.
GRIMES HOUSE-MOMENTS BEFORE
Michonne was conversing with Maggie via a walkie-talkie about seeing Negan at the Commonwealth…
"Yes, he was down in a cell with Pamela Milton. I don't know what else to say except that Negan has a plan to help Joshua, and keep them all out of danger." Michonne told her.
"Michonne, I didn't say anything to Annie about this, because she was assaulted and with all that is going on with Joshua…well…I just didn't want to bring up a lot about New Babylon to her. But I don't think Negan is in any danger from them at all." Maggie revealed.
"What do you mean?" Michonne asked.
"Shortly after Hershel and I returned to the Hilltop, I received a visit from a man named Perlie Armstrong. He's a bounty hunter of sorts, from New Babylon. And he was looking for Negan while we were in New York, trying to rescue Hershel. Negan saved Perlie at one point, and when we all parted ways, Perlie stopped by here and said he had told the top people at New Babylon that Negan had been killed." Maggie said.
"Okay…but when Negan returned here, he clearly still thought his and his family's lives were still in danger. And Pamela Milton is not his type. He would not have went near her if he hadn't felt he had to. I think the New Babylon people probably know he's alive." Michonne countered.
Maggie said nothing to that. If that were true, it meant that Perlie, in all likelihood, would have been killed for lying about Negan's 'death'.
"Maggie," Michonne said, as she walked towards the window with the walkie-talkie to look out, "Rick found evidence that Negan has been squatting in our attic."
"What?" Maggie asked dully, feeling as if the breath had been sucked out of her.
"Yes. I know. Hershel admitted that Negan gave him a ride here last night, so he had to have hidden his car someplace. He then climbed up into our attic. Hershel saw him do it."
"Hershel saw Negan break into your house and he said nothing?!" Maggie snapped. "I'm on my way there!"
Before Michonne could say another word, the sound of a haunting tune could be heard from above. One that was being whistled. It was loud enough for even Maggie to hear over the walkie-talkie.
"He's there, isn't he?" Maggie asked in a strangled tone. "Where are Rick and Darryl?"
"I'll get in touch after I deal with this. Don't worry." Michonne said and signed off, knowing full well that her words would not pacify Maggie. In all likelihood, she would leave the Hilltop and come here, so she could see for herself that everything was alright.
Michonne set the walkie talkie down on a counter and turned to face Negan, who had her sword in his hand and was pointing it towards her, while grinning!
"Well hello, Michonne! Fancy meeting you here! Your attic is mighty comfortable!"
Michonne folded her arms.
"I see you're here instead of by your son's side. Tell me you finally got tested?" Michonne asked coldly. What in the living hell was wrong with this man? How did he even get back to Alexandria without her or Darryl seeing him on the road?
Negan lowered the sword and then handed it back to Michonne. Michonne reluctantly took it but did not point it at him.
"I'm here because there's something I need to tell you. And either you're going to believe me or you won't. But in any case, I thought you should know." Negan said in a tone that put Michonne on alert. Maybe it was because he actually sounded sincere. Negan had those moments, every once in a while.
Michonne did something she ordinarily would not have done, when facing someone she considered to be an enemy. She set her sword down. On the couch.
"Alright, Negan. Tell me what it is you have to tell me, before Rick and Darryl realize you're in this house right now." Michonne said wryly.
"It's about the real reason I went to see Pamela Milton." Negan said.
He was silent after those words. Considering the fact that this man rarely, if ever, shut-up, Michonne began to feel unsettled. Whatever this was all about, Negan was having a hard time forming the words to explain himself.
Michonne decided to prompt him…
"You told me that she knew some people over at New Babylon that could stop them from looking for you, right?" Michonne asked. Her conversation with Maggie came to mind, along with Maggie's suspicion that no one from that community was hunting Negan at all, because they had been told he was dead.
"Pamela Milton was married to Major General Johnathan Beale. I know I don't have to tell you who he was…" Negan began but he watched as Michonne's eyes registered recognition at his words.
And fury.
"You're telling me that the bitch that shot my daughter, was married to the man responsible for keeping Rick from me for years?!" Michonne asked in a tight voice of outrage.
"It's worse than that," Negan said quietly, "Pamela and Beale had two sons. One that was biological and the other they adopted. The bio one was killed by walkers. He was a real creep. The adopted one was younger. He was found as a baby at one of the military relief camps they set up in the beginning…back when we thought the government would swoop in and make everything alright again."
Michonne suddenly walked away from Negan and over to the window! She could see Rick talking to Ezekiel and Annie, and she turned back to look at Negan again!
"Your wife is here. She is looking for you so you can help Joshua." Michonne told him. So there was no more time to wait to hear whatever Negan planned to tell her.
Negan slowly walked over to her.
"The adopted child was a three year old kid they found in Georgia, at one of the last government run, refugee camps. His mother had left him with his father, and his father's friend, while she went out to help look for supplies."
Michonne felt something knaw in the pit of her stomach at Negan's words. And yet she could not make herself interrupt him. She just stared at him. Negan sensed Michonne knew where he was going with this, and kept on telling the story.
"A hoard of walkers overran the camp and when the mother of the three year old came back, she saw a walker eating a child…the father and his friend were high on something…but…this woman did not realize that the baby she saw being eaten, was not hers." Negan finished.
Michonne slowly backed away from him and turned to look out of the window again! Darryl, Aaron, Judith, Hershel, Gracie and RJ, had come running out of Aaron's home, and over to Rick, Annie, Ezekiel and Carol! Michonne knew they were about to tell Rick that Negan was in this house with her.
She tried to blot out what Negan was trying to tell her.
No. What he had told her.
She turned back to face him.
"You're telling me this bullshit because Pamela told you to? What is this, Negan? Pamela is pissed off that her husband is dead and she made up this shit? How does she even know about Andre?" Michonne asked in a calm tone. She was calm because thanks to Negan, they now knew that there was a connection between the CRM and the Commonwealth.
Which meant the the Commonwealth needed to be destroyed.
"Do you remember going to that refugee camp and taking Andre's birth certificate and other ID with you? Hell, you couldn't get into those camps unless you had paperwork! The thinking was that this undead shit would just take a couple of weeks, then everything would go back to normal! When you left your husband…boyfriend, whoever he was to you, they got high and Andre wandered out of the room. Another woman came in to partake in what was going on, and she had a baby as well. A baby that toddled in looking for his mother at the wrong time." Negan told Michonne.
Michonne's jaw tightened.
"And you know all of this because Pamela told you this? I never saw her at that camp."
"The government was running that place, Michonne! They had cameras. What happened was on video and what you did to…Mike, was it? What you did to Mike and his friend, is on video as well. Michonne, Andre has seen that footage of you killing his father." Negan said quietly.
"Rick is on his way over here. Get out. Get yourself and your bullshit story, out of here! And you can take that rape drug that you brought here, to use on God knows who, with you." Michonne said firmly.
"I've met him, Michonne. Your boy. He's about fifteen or sixteen and…"
"Get out!" Michonne now yelled and she tried to go around him to make a grab for her katana, which was still on the couch! But Negan got to it first and picked it up!
"You'll get this back when you're ready to really listen. And meet your son. Beale and Pamela were his parents all of these years, in case you were wondering." Negan told her, before turning to leave with the sword. Only he didn't go out of the side door in the kitchen.
Negan headed back up the stairs and towards the attic! Michonne gaped at his goddamned gall, just as the front door burst open and Rick came in, followed by the others!
"Negan is in this house, Michonne! Hershel and RJ saw him climbing up the side of the house and…MICHONNE!" Rick yelled.
Michonne had not heard a word Rick or anyone else in the room had said just now. The weight of Negan's revelation was to heavy to bear or think about in that moment. She found herself slipping off into nowhere land, as she puddled to the floor in a dead faint.
