Too Far Gone // D. Dixon

chapter thirty-five

"Dad?"

The silence that followed was deafening, the tension palpable as Negan and Maren locked eyes, a turbulent history unfolding between them. Maren felt as if the world had suddenly tilted on its axis, her carefully constructed reality crumbling around her.

Here he was. It didn't seem real, none of it did. The fact that he'd been so close to her since being at Alexandria; he'd been there the whole time, right under her nose. But here he was.

Daryl remained steadfast at her side, his presence a steadying force in the face of this overwhelming revelation. He reached out, his hand carefully and subtly finding hers, offering a silent show of support as they confronted this unexpected and unsettling truth. He was in a state of shock, realizing that the man that stood feet before him was her father. The man they'd ventured out to find, was right in front of them. This man, the man they'd learned to be a cold-hearted son of a bitch...he was Maren's father. Daryl had no idea how to feel.

The group held their collective breath, their expressions a mix of confusion and trepidation, unsure of how this unexpected reunion would unfold and the consequences it might bring. Rick looked at Maren with an unreadable expression on his face. He didn't know if this would save them or get them killed. He didn't know what to do, and that scared him shitless.

"Maren..." He spoke, his voice much quieter now, he let the bat fall from his shoulder as he looked at his daughter. His men looked confused, but he paid no mind. Right now, it was just him and his little girl. Like it should be, as it always should have been.

Maren's gaze remained fixed on Negan, her eyes searching his face for any glimmer of recognition, any hint of the father she had once known. But the man who stood before her was a stranger, his features hardened by the harsh realities of this new world, his very existence a testament to the depths of her own personal tragedy. She was torn, in a state of shock.

Maren's emotions swirled within her, a tumultuous mix of anger, hurt, and a flicker of longing for the father she had lost. She watched as Negan approached her, extending a hand to help her to her feet. Reluctantly, she accepted his assistance, feeling a strange blend of vulnerability and resentment.

"Nobody's going fucking anywhere..." Negan speaks to his men, ordering them, "I need some time with my daughter." Maren followed him into the confines of the RV. The small space felt suffocating, the weight of their fractured relationship pressing upon them. She looked back at her group, her friends she had made...Daryl. She couldn't tell if they were just as shocked as she was, if they hated her for being related to him, or if they were feeling sorry for her. She wasn't sure. She simply watched them, wondering about all of it, until Negan closed the door.

Negan's arms were quick to envelope Maren, but she unknowingly flinched upon the contact of his arms. Not them, not them, not them...she repeated like a mantra to herself. She had hoped he hadn't noticed her apprehension but as he gave her a weird look she hadn't seen before, she quickly hugged him back, hopeful to avoid that conversation for as long as possible.

And for a moment, she allowed herself to be held, her defenses momentarily softened by the familiarity of his touch.

"Let me look at you," he murmured, his voice laced with a mix of relief and regret, "I'm so fucking glad you're okay. You're...you're alive."

Maren's body tensed as his words sank in. The rage that had been simmering within her could no longer be contained, "No thanks to you," she spat, her voice filled with a potent mix of bitterness and pain. Negan sighed, releasing her from his grasp as he moved to another part of the RV, the weight of his mistakes heavy upon him.

"You didn't come for me, did you? Did you even try?" Maren demanded, her voice laced with accusation. When he remained silent, her anger intensified, "Fucking answer me!" she demanded, her voice laced with desperation.

Negan looked up, his gaze filled with guilt, "I...I couldn't," he admitted, his voice tinged with regret.

Maren's anger surged forward, propelling her towards him with an angry determination, "You couldn't? Or you just didn't want to?" she challenged, her voice laced with anguish.

"It wasn't that, you know that-" Negan began, but Maren cut him off, her voice trembling with raw emotion.

"I waited for you...for weeks. I looked out that window every goddamn day hoping you'd be there," she choked up, tears welling in her eyes, "But you weren't there. You were never fucking there!"

Negan's own guilt threatened to consume him as he listened to Maren's words. He knew he had failed her, that he had let her down when she needed him the most. He remained silent, allowing her pain and anger to pour out, understanding that she needed to express her feelings, to lay bare the wounds that had festered within her. He was the same way; he had been someone who need to vent out their frustrations with fury, after having hidden and bottled up everything for far too long.

"I needed you..." Finally, when Maren's tears began to flow, Negan moved to hold her, providing a momentary solace in the midst of their shared turmoil, "But you were here...doing this?" They remained locked in a tearful embrace, finding a small measure of comfort in each other's presence. Negan's body went stiff as he understood her meaning. But eventually, Negan pulled away, his voice tinged with a mix of regret and determination.

"Listen, we're gonna continue this talk, I fucking promise you that," he assured her, his eyes filled with a newfound sincerity, "But I have some things I need to finish up here. I can take you back to the Sanctuary, we can talk things over there."

Maren stood in shock, her mind reeling from the weight of his proposition, "What?" she whispered, her voice filled with a mix of disbelief and uncertainty, "No! These people...they're my family. I can't leave them-"

Negan's expression hardened, a steely resolve settling upon his features, "I'm your family, Maren. And I can't just let your murderous asshole of a leader...Rick, I think his fucking name is? I can't just let him think murdering my people is okay," he declared, his voice laced with an unyielding determination, "He's gonna have some lessons to learn. Him and the rest of his fucked up group of murderers." The gravity of Negan's words hung heavily in the air, the future of their strained relationship and the path they would tread together suddenly uncertain and fraught with challenges.

"You mean me?" Maren spat, not liking the way he was talking about them....about her, "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"I have to kill one of them," He spoke, his voice certain and hard, "It's the only way they'll learn."