FALLING - by Maria Love (a Negan fanfic)

Chapter 10

"Louise, get up. We have to go right now" said Negan waking me from a deep slumber.

"Why what's wrong??!" I asked in alarm.

"I went outside to hunt for some rabbits or squirrels , now I could be wrong but it sounded like I heard Aaron and Michonnes voices among other people. But if it is them, and we don't move our arses now we're in deep shit" he said as he shoved things back into the duffle bag. I immediately sprung up and put my clothes back on, once I tied my boots up I tossed the blankets we slept on into a nearby cupboard so that it didn't look like anyone had spent the night here.

"Negan, get the window" I said as I hauled the bag over my shoulder and placed my hunting knife in one of the front belt loops of my jeans.

"I can't, it won't open" he said as he continued to try and release the latch.

"What ?! So what do we do now ??" I asked in trepidation.

"We have to hide".

"Okay, you know this place. Where do we go?" I asked, urging him on.

"Follow me, and stay close behind" he commanded, and we delicately darted to the hiding spot.

We stopped in a room two floors up that looked like it had once been an office. Apart from a few book shelves, some chairs and a large rug it was virtually empty, "I thought you were finding us somewhere to hide??" I asked with anxiety.

"Okay, Louise do you trust me?" he asked.

"What are talking about?"

"Just answer the damn question, do you trust me??" he pressed on.

"With my life, Negan" I answered almost immediately.

And with that he threw the rug to one side which revealed a trapdoor, after he opened it up he took the bag off of my body and chucked it down.

"Get in" he demanded. After a small hesitation, I began climbing down, but before I went further than about knee deep I stopped and looked at him.

"You're coming with me right?"

"Someone has to be up here to put the rug back on to the door once it's closed" he responded.

"No, I am not going down there without you Negan!" I said as a surge of anxiety went through my body.

"Don't argue with me Louise, I'll find somewhere else to hide just get in" he responded in an assertive voice.

"I am not going anywhere where you won't be, we are doing this together and that's final!" I snapped back before climbing out of the hole.

"We don't have time for this, they're going to find us and I won't let them do anything to you!"

"And I'm not going to let them do anything to you either !!" I yelled back. The heated dispute had vanished at the sound of the door slamming open.

"Michonne.." I said quietly as she stood in front of us with her katana in hand. She started walking back as though she was going to call whoever else was out with her.

"Please don't !" I blurted out, "please, can we just talk. Just 2 minutes, I'll explain everything" I begged, and with clear apprehension she turned back to look at us. Quietly she shut the door, "two minutes" she said before pulling up a chair. I grabbed myself a chair too and placed it in front of her, and we sat face to face.

"Look, this was something Negan and I never expected to happen. This wasn't planned, it wasn't a coercion against Alexandria, we never intended for this to happen. The night me and Negan left, I was jumped by a group of people after they saw me leaving his cell. If it wasn't for Negan, I'd have been a goner. What happened to that woman was an accident, Negan never meant to kill her. He's the man who saved my life, and he's the man I love with all my heart" I poured out. She listened to every word, though her face never once changed.