ELEANOR . NEGAN

103.

"What we need to do now is stick together."

There was no coming back from the brutal deaths moments prior. Even if everyone was shaken up, hands clenched, angry, there was no coming back. "You can forget about giving up or begging for forgiveness. Ian's dead, but he wasn't our first leader. He wasn't what maker us together this long — we did." Elle turned to face Negan, he was already looking back at her. "And we did it by working together as a family. And right now our family's scattered all over this building. But you know what?" Annie smiled. "We know this place better than the assholes in our house do... we're coming out of this on top."

As soon as her words finished, she turned around to meet with Frank, Negan and Eleanor. Her eyes were stricken in annoyance and anger yet she never portrayed them. "That was amazing, Ann." Frank praised with that typical smile of his, his hands reaching out to grip hers. She smiled back and relished in the comfort.

But there was something else wrong.

"We've lost our best fighters." Elle admitted, melancholy in her words.

Annie sighed. "They needed to hear it." Then she pointed at Eleanor, fucksake. "Plus, we have you."

Elle could still remember when her and Negan left Alexandria after the Reapers were finished with. A chance of some sort of twisted peace that she thought maybe she could have. Well, that's flown out the fucking window, hasn't it?

Whatever.

The woman clicked her neck and secured her utility belt; counting each blade, knife, weapon — feeling empty without the pressure of a gun between her belt but she'll get that back in no time. Her laces were done up, double knotted and tight and her shorts plus tank top had plenty of mobility.

"Okay, so what do you want to do?" She asked, crossing her arms over each other.

Frank looked at Annie, Annie looked back at him, and Negan chuckled. "I don't know where to start... we just need to get our people back."

Elle nibbled on her lip before sighing. "Alright, you all stay here and I'm gonna get that fucking gun-"

"What in the shit, doll?!" Negan barked. "You're not going now. We have to stay together-"

Eleanor couldn't be bothered today, and maybe that was a bad thing but there was a buzzing in her brain and she was a bit cold in the dark flats. She wrapped her arms tighter. "I need to go back either way, Nelly. I'm freezing my tits off—"

"Eleanor! Gosh," Frankie scowled.

She ignored him. "Then I'll get my gun and get anyone who is hiding around me."

"Not a chance, Sunshine."

"Are you taking the piss?" She groaned. Patience really does grow thin the older you get. "I won't put myself in trouble, I'll be quick, no messing around... I promise."

Negan sounded exasperated when he let out a sigh. "The shit do I do then? Sit about with my dick in my hands?"

"Negan!" Frankie scowled, again.

He ignored him, again.

Elle just laid her hand flat against his cheek, skin against skin that already radiated warmth to her cold fingers. "No," she started, patting him like he was a dog. "You'll look around for survivors on this floor. With Frank-"

"And me." Annie barked. Yeah, she didn't want to be treated differently just because she was pregnant, which was fair. "How long will you be?"

"Umm," She sighed. "Not too long."