ELEANOR . NEGAN

113.

Eleanor was stood carefully besides Daryl with her arms crossed. After Hornsby got convicted for the 'crimes' he did (which were also Pamela's son's crime) Eleanor and the rest of the group got granted security and support. She was wary to give in, so she kept her feelings and thoughts at bay.

"Yur right." Daryl admitted into the air, eyes looking over at Maggie who was talking to Aaron while Elle looked at Negan speaking to Maya. "It's gonna go to shit."

"I know." She bit cautiously at her nails. "It's a fight we'll win, but a fight that will lose a lot of people."

Daryl just grunted and pulled open their weapons bags. It was filled to the brim of guns, knives, melee weapons — anything intricate that will leave pain in its midst. Elle peered through the zip and smiled like a little girl on Christmas when she saw a familiar shine; carbon metal reflecting off the sun.

"Hello, baby..." Elle smirked and pulled out her knife with her signature initials carved on the smoothed and delicate wooden handle. "How I've missed you."

Daryl blinked. "Yur psychotic."

"Didn't know you had that word in your Dixon Dictionary."

He scoffed and nudged her in the shoulder. "Dickhead." He then rubbed his nose in an almost shy manner and nudged his head towards the knife. "Grabbed it for ya after... y' know."

Elle smiled softly, "Cheers, Daryl." Then she let it slip between her fingers and allow the coolness of the metal singe her skin, and really it was disturbing how it brought her so much calmness. "Felt empty without one of these fuckers on me."

"Figures." He snorted. "Jus' don't lose it."

Elle rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out, mumbling: "I'm not a child." Before turning on her heel to join Maya and Negan. In the corner of her eye, she could see the kids jump away from Jerry and sprint to those they missed the most — Jude and RJ running straight into Daryl. Elle wondered how long it'd take them to realise who else is here.

"Doll," Negan greeted with a signature grin, chucking his arm around her shoulders to press a sweet kiss to the high bone of her cheek. "How you feelin' now, sunshine?"

"I feel—"

"I haven't missed this." Maya gagged, her tongue poking out in fake-vomit. "How'd you manage to get worse?"

"Shut up." Negan drawled before looking back at Eleanor. There was a glimmer in her eye and the corners of her lips were tightened, gorgeous as ever. "Ellie." He praised.

"I feel better." She admitted, eyes dancing around everyone reuniting. "But not safe — none of this shit is safe."

Maya huffed and followed her eyes onto Lydia and Elijah, the pair cuddled up on the back of a carriage as Aaron bid goodbye to his daughter. "They shouldn't be going."

"They have to." Elle answered. "While we focus on the people in the Commonwealth."

Negan huffed. "I say we should just do a runner—" Maya and Eleanor rolled their eyes in unison because they both knew that was definitely not how he felt. "But I am pretty damn excited to get my hands on some old-world shit."

Maya giggled. She could see Negan trying every single flavour of ice cream at the town centres truck while Elle flicked through all and every vinyl records at the music shop Princess worked at. "You'll like it; both of you. Until... you know."

"Its goes to shit? Per fucking usual." Elle rubbed her nose and let out a deep-rooted huff. "As soon as Annie and Frank are done, and everyone is ready, we're up and fucking gone."