Innocence Lost (Negan x OC)

it's been a while, kitten

The constant sound of hammers against nails invaded my sleep, making me pry my tired eyes open. It took me a moment to remember where I was as I stared at the ceiling of the large tent. I blinked slowly, bringing my fists up to my eyes to rub the little bit of sleep I had gotten. A sigh left my chest as I laid there, deciding on if I wanted to get up yet or try to get a little bit more sleep. 

The little ounce of sunlight that was seeping through the flap of the tent let me know it was around 7 am, making me groan and put my head under my pillow and against the cot. 

It had been over a month since everything happened with Gregory and since Rick proposed the plans for the bridge. The plans were in full swing right now and the bridge was under construction. I took up Rick's offer on being his right hand in this project and hell, it was kicking my ass. I had been gone from Alexandria for about 3 days and I was missing El more than ever. Again. Before these last three days, I had been gone for 5 days. El was going to forget who I was. 

But this project meant a lot to Rick so it meant a lot to me, too. I wanted to help out in anyway that I could, even if it meant leaving Alexandria for days at a time. My job was to oversee the building and make sure things were going smoothly. I also had to keep an out on the Saviors as some of them were, well, being Saviors. I would never get use to the many eyes that followed me as I watched over them, their judging stares glaring me down. I could only imagine what they were thinking as they looked at me. 

My eyes flickered over to Rick's cot that was on the other side of the tent and the blankets had been pulled back, signaling he was up and around. A small table was in between the two cots, a map on top and a book with the bridge plans. The map had previous locations of large herds of walkers that we had to constantly keep an eye on since we were out and exposed. 

I swung my legs over the side of the cot and leaned my elbows on to my knees. Today was going to be challenging, probably even worse than yesterday, but I was dedicated and apart of this now. My hands blindly reached towards the ground as I grabbed some clothes and stood up. Once I was dressed, I clipped my gun on to my belt and stuck my machete into it's sheathe on my hip. 

The heat was going to be unbearable as usual and the humidity was going to be worse, so I gathered my hair and tied it into a low ponytail. 

Pulling back the flaps of the tent, I stepped out into the small campsite that we had built as we constructed the bridge. My eyes gazed over the many tents and people as everyone woke up for the day, ready to work and get this done. It was early enough that only a couple of people had started working on the bridge. The tensions were constantly high between the Saviors and the rest of the communities, but everyone was trying their best to ignore it. I looked over the camp, my eyes searching for Rick. 

He was over by the makeshift cafeteria we had set up, two cups of coffee in his hands. He was talking to Eugene, the conversation seeming very confusing even from here. Eugene had a certain way of talking that made you mull over his words for minutes after the conversation was over. I made my way over to them, the conversation ending before I got there. Rick's eyes met mine and they lit up, making a smile stretch across his face. 

"Mornin' kid." He smiled as he handed me a cup of coffee. I gladly took it from his hands, the aroma wafting up into my face instantly. 

"Morning ya old geezer." I teased and watched his eyebrow raise as he took a drink of the coffee in his hand. 

"It's only 7 am and you are already a handful." He teased back and I laughed lightly. It got quiet between us as we both sipped our coffee and looked over the small community. More and more people were appearing from their tents as the sun rose above the horizon line.