» Time In A Bottle «

» THE RUBBER BALL «

Heather Meets Negan (915-916, canon)

Heather had never been to Alexandria before, and she couldn't understand why. It was an amazing place, full of new people and exciting jobs, as well as most of her family. She realised it must've had something to do with her mother's experiences here, definitely something about her late father.

Being here now, without Belle, made it feel like a school trip or something like that. Siddiq's stern "you can take a look, but don't wander too far" only made it more like the experience (not that she had ever been on a school trip before, of course).

It was difficult to picture the life she could've had here, if both her parents remained alive. She would have a whole different group of friends, a whole different house and bedroom. She probably would've already met Negan a long, long time ago.

She could see him now from where she sat on the stone steps, her eyes squinting through the metal bars to his cell. He hadn't seen her, not yet, as he bounced a rubber ball absentmindedly. It must've been pretty boring down there, all alone with no one to talk to.

"You new here, kid?" His voice suddenly bellowed, catching her off guard as she tumbled from her crouching position. "You must be, otherwise you'd know not to come around this neck of the woods."

His words were smooth and sly, a silhouette of the man he used to be. He stood slowly, wandering over to the bars as she leaned forward. She couldn't help her curiosity.

"I know who you are." Heather replied, scanning the man from head to toe. "And I'm not scared of you. You look different than my mom said." She observed with a frown, taking note of his sunken eyes and dusty jumpsuit.

"Your mom, huh?" Negan pressed, his fingers gripping the metal bars that separated him from the blonde haired girl. "What does your mom say about me?"

Heather picked at a thread on her jeans, shrugging thoughtfully. "She says you're an asshole when she thinks I'm not listening. She said you killed her brother and that's why Aunt Maggie left." She met his eyes, missing the sudden change in their emotion.

Because of course, Negan should've recognised this girl immediately. Her hair and features could've belonged to anybody, but those eyes, they would only ever be a symbol of the Grimes family. He had seen those eyes so many times- the horrified ones of Rick, the defiant ones of Carl. Now they were filled with a curious rebellion as they stared right at him.

"No shit." He muttered, his mouth agape with wonder. He deduced who the 'mom' was in this situation, the surprise almost knocking him off his feet. In all these years he had no idea little Annie Oakley had a child. "Is your mom here?"

The little girl shook her head, blonde hair brushing her shoulders softly. "She's at Hilltop. She's got a lot to do now that Tara is-" She cut herself off sadly, her eyes falling to her tangled fingers. She didn't really understand the Skin people, what they did and why they did it. Her mother had tried to avoid the topic so all she really knew was that her friends and family were dead. Something about a border, maybe. But asking about it made her mom sad and quiet, so she usually avoided it.

Heather didn't like crying in front of her mom. It wasn't a pride thing, or a need to appear strong, it was the fact that it made it so much harder for her to handle. It must've been a painful thing, seeing your daughter taken by such horrific grief.

"Yeah, I heard about that. But your mom is strong, I've seen it." Negan told her, a sincere tone in his words. He had seen the fire in her eyes from the moment she showed up, on her knees in front of Lucille. He could almost see it now, in the pale irises of the girl before him. Icy fire that pinched when you touched it, that made you shiver just by looking at it. "You lose someone, too?"

Heather met his eyes sorrowfully, wiping at her sniffling nose before any tears could fall. "My Auntie Enid. And Henry. I miss them." She shrugged, her lips tugging down uncontrollably. Just saying their names hurt in an unimaginable way.

Negan sighed as he leaned against the window sill, his head resting on the bars. "Shit, kid. That's rough. Here, something to take your mind off it." He reached a hand through the metal rungs, the rubber ball circling his palm as he held it out.

Heather's eyebrows raised in suspicion as she shuffled closer, her fingers cautiously grasping it. She analysed it once, checking for anything out of the ordinary- you never knew what to expect from this kind of man- before bouncing it on the lower step. It sprung back up immediately, the suddenness of the action making a short giggle rise from her lips. She could still feel it, the sharp aching between her chest and stomach, but it was still a nice thought.

"Thanks." She smiled lightly, meeting Negan's gleaming eyes. Somehow, it made him happy seeing her happy.

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And that's only the beginning

I'm gonna find a way to develop their relationship, whether it's in this book or Time Is Dancing (if you're reading this and haven't read that, then I recommend you do because this is directly connected to it)

What else do you want to see? Which characters, which seasons, which relationships?