ELEANOR . NEGAN

069.

i just want to say a massive big fat thank you for 9k. all of the votes and comments and just the people who choose to read this story honestly make me motivated so thank you so much <3 im not really good with thank yous but diolch

without further ado, a very long emotional and... wink wink nudge nudge chapter

The Welsh woman was worried when she walked back through the gates of Alexandria, her hands dragging up and down her arms as a way to relieve any stress and worry she was feeling. Daryl didn't stay long, and neither did Maggie. They were gone before the rest even got to Alexandria to bring Maggie's people with us.

People took the end of the Whisperer's as a way to rest, and finally sit down without worrying someone is hidden under walker skin, but that wasn't the case whatsoever. The walls of Alexandria were broken down and muddled, only a sheet but still broken, and the insides were are all toppled like it was a snow globe that just got shook.

Automatically, it meant Eleanor wasn't resting until she was damn ready to.

People disagreed and tried to get her to sit down, but come on: she wasn't going to do that. Jesus was with Aaron in his house, other Hilltop members scattered in other houses, it was the lack of a presence which finally made Eleanor realise someone was missing.

Michonne.

People failed to tell her that the woman has left to look for Rick once more, and suddenly she felt small and uncomfortable when she looked around the people and they all looked back at her. They should focus on Gabriel, and Aaron, but they were looking at her.

So, naturally, she turned on her heel through the gates with a knife level to her eyes as she hunted the woods for walkers. Was it bad it calmed her? Probably. But she wanted to be calm and not out of it for when Maggie came back with Glenn and Hershel.

She let her thoughts run freely as she pushed through branches and crispy leaves and hopped over logs like it was nothing (they sent a burn to her ribs) and would not stop. She would swing her knife about and try not to moan at the pain running through her arm. Then she would throw it into the bark of a tree and frown when it would bounce off from the lack of strength in the throw.

Eleanor was many things, but she wasn't weak.

Yet here she was, frowning because no matter how hard she threw her knife it would not stick. Eleanor degraded herself for it, kicked herself over for it, and nothing was bringing a smile to her face.

Crunch.

The flattening of a leaf behind her body sent her straight into her fight mode. She swung on her heel and chucked the knife she had clenched in her hand straight to the sound, expecting a walker. Not Negan.

"Holy hell!" He yelled, the knife now in his hand. Elle gaped at how he effortlessly caught it, then she frowned that he caught it. Only meant one thing, she was losing her strength. "Going on a killing spree, doll?"

"Yeah... you would know all about that, wouldn't you?" She sneered, taking a step forward to snatch her weapon out of his hand. The way his smile fell said enough and suddenly she felt like a tit. "Sorry, I'm just..."

She let out an exasperated groan and threw her head forward, her forehead landing on his chest with a clothed thud while he chuckled at the contact and threw an arm around her back. "I'm in a pissy mood 'cause I feel weak."

"Carry on,"

Elle groaned again but pulled her head back to look at him. "Nothing else is wrong." That was a lie, and he knew it was a lie. "Fine. Michonne's gone, and suddenly people are looking at me like I'm important and I don't want that shit, okay? And- and what about Jude and RJ? They can't stay in that house alone, that's unsafe, they're still children! And I can't get Maya to look after them all the time because she has a life plus there's definitely not enough space for Hilltop and now Maggie's people so they're all gonna have to bunk up, which means I have to make space and I just-"