Running From You I Negan x Maggie (ENGLISH VERSION)

Chapter 27: How many times will you let me change my mind and turn around?

"I never thought that you would be the one to hold my heart

But you came around and you knocked me off the ground from the start

I can't decide if I'll let you save my life or if I'll drown"

The metal beneath Maggie was cold and rough, even through the fabric of her pants. She was sitting on the rusted structure of the abandoned factory, legs crossed, fingers drumming against her knee in a restless rhythm. The dawn painted the sky in grayish tones, the humidity clinging to her skin like an annoying reminder that this place still reeked of blood. But what really bothered her wasn't the smell.

It was Negan's breath—warm and way too close.

He was there, right beside her, like a persistent shadow. Maggie didn't need to look to know—she felt his warmth, his presence, that fucking restless energy that always seemed to hover around him. Annoying. Persistent. Like a thorn buried deep in the flesh, impossible to pull out without hurting herself in the process.

Carol was speaking to the group, her voice firm and controlled. She talked about the deal with Pamela Milton, about what they had secured, about how this could save Alexandria. Maggie tried to listen, tried to focus on what really mattered, but everything around her felt muffled, distant, like a radio crackling in the background.

"So, that's it?" Aaron broke the silence, his voice laced with skepticism. "Everything's forgiven, just like that?"

"There are debts," Carol replied, steady. Her gaze swept over the gathered group, as if measuring each person's reaction. "We lost people, so did they. But we gained supplies, water, weapons. Pamela will give us everything we need to rebuild Alexandria. Free and clean."

"So, we're going home?" Gabriel asked, getting straight to the point.

"Each one has to decide for themselves," Carol responded.

Maggie felt Negan shift slightly beside her. The slightest movement, the subtle redistribution of his weight from one foot to the other, was enough to make her feel his presence even more intensely. She didn't want to look.

But she did.

His eyes were already on hers.

Negan held the corner of his mouth in that almost-smirk playing on his lips, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. As if he was waiting to see what she would do.

Maggie pressed her lips together and looked away, letting out a heavy sigh.

"What does Pamela get out of this?" Her voice came out sharper than she intended, but fuck it.

"Hornsby," Carol answered without hesitation. "He'll take the fall for the deaths out there. Those were soldiers under Sebastian's command on an unauthorized mission."

Daryl made an irritated noise with his tongue.

"So it's to save her son."

"Not our problem anymore."

Maggie felt a weight settle in her chest. Of course. It never was. They always found a way to clean up their own mess, to push the remains far away, as long as their comfortable lives remained intact. That's how the Commonwealth worked. That's how the world worked.

Annie crossed her arms.

"I'll talk to my people when they get here. We'll have to decide. They killed many from my group."

Carol nodded, making no attempt to persuade her.

"Anyone else?"

Silence hung over them, dense and heavy. And Maggie felt it again. The stare.