Here We Are Now

31

Ann's POV:
"They definitely came through here." Daryl walked amongst the dead who had been put down. Some with single knife wounds, others with missing scalps and faces. They made a trail from the backdoor of the torn and burnt cottage. "Maybe they are held up somewhere." Maggie looked up at Daryl. Rick and Glenn stood close behind her. "Or are still running if they couldn't shake the herd." Glenn chimed in. Stepping beside Maggie. "Wherever they are, we'll find them." Rick gave a reassuring nod towards Maggie.

At the station...
"Just why?" Ann asked through the near complete darkness. Only a sliver of light coming from the cracks in the door. "Why what?" Negan lifted his head from against the wall, staring at what he could make out of her figure.

"Why did you have to challenge him? I had a plan." She heard him scoff by the end of her sentence. "Oh, and what plan did I ruin?"

"I was going to accept his offer. We both were. And when we had a chance, we would have left. But you couldn't miss an opportunity to be in control." Ann began to grow even more frustrated. Feeling like an animal trapped in a cage. "Oh, this is my fault? I was the one who went running out of the hotel?" Negan snapped back. She could tell he was as upset as her. But, there was something more.

"I'll admit, it was stupid of me to run out. But it was stupid of you to automatically decline his offer." She crossed her leg over the other, taking a deep breath. "It wouldn't have mattered if you had accepted." Ann crunched her brow, giving a "how?" To his confusing statement.

"Because, I know men like that asshole. Joining would have been worse than what we are doing right now. And besides, I bought us more time."

"More time for?"

"More time for your family to come save you." He continued before she could speak. "Maggie knows you are alive. From what I know, she won't give up looking for you. None of them will."

She remained silent. "Us." She corrected him. "Us?" Negan repeated the word back. "They will come and save us. And if they can't, we will save ourselves." She scooted over towards him. "I'll make him believe me. And when I do, we will get out of here." She placed her hands on either side of his cheeks. "Trust me, Negan." She leaned in, giving him a slow and soft kiss.

She didn't give him time to reply. Ann stood, turning around and he heard her footsteps stand in front of the door. Ann began to bang on the steel door. Yelling as she did. "Hey! I wanna talk to Jaime, now!"

"Ann, what the hell are you doing?" Negan yelled, getting up, he walked over, trying to pull her from the door. But before he could, he was pushed to the floor when the door swung up. Ann being pulled out of the room. Negan had been left alone, in the darknesses of the room. "Fuck, Ann!" He screamed and kicked at the door. But it remained locked.

"Hi." I smiled. Meeting the blank stare of the man I knew went by Ben. "What do you want?" His voice was clear and his eyes gray and dead. It left me uneasy, but I kept contact and didn't want to show fear. "I'd like to talk to Jaime, please. I've reconsidered where I'd like my place here to be."

Ben only nodded. Tightening his grip on my forearm as he began to lead me through the halls. We passed more rooms than I'd remember the first time. The people here seemed off. The whole place seemed off for that matter. But what else could be done? Wait for Rick to come and save us? They might not have been able to save themselves. I have to do this.

Before I knew it, I was being roughly pushed into his office. And I met with the same gleeful green eyes of Jaime's. "Ann! What may I owe this pleasure?" He sprung from his leather chair, gliding from behind this desk to stand in front of me.

Get right to it. Be strong.

I swallowed back. "Negan and I have reconsidered your offer. We would love to join your community." I kept my breath steady and my eyes on him.

"Is that so?" He beard his grin, leaning back against the wooden desk. "What changed your mind?" His tone was cheerful. It made me sick. "You're right. In today's world we have to be part of the solution. You want a future for your people, I respect that. And I believe you can really make something of this world." Every line stung at my throat, but I kept going. "We were wrong to be so rude and decline, after such a generous offer. But Negan and I talked it over. If you'll have us." He remained silent. Looking behind me and then back. He nodded, leaning up to straighten his back. He had to have stood 5 feet taller than me.

"I'm happy to hear that. Now, promise me, you mean that? You aren't lying?" He stared down at me, and for just a moment, I felt like a child who's parents were trying to make them come clean from a lie.

I only nodded. Giving him an asserted "I mean that." I smiled up at him. "Good." He took my arm, linking it with his. "Let's find your place here."

"Wait," I stopped moving. Jaime turning back to me. "What about Negan? Can he come out now?" He grinned, looking down at the ground and then back up. "I'd prefer we do this without him. It'll get down a lot quicker and when it's over, he can come out."He kept his smile, but I remained still. "You want us to pick our place here, I'm sure Negan will want to do that as soon as possible." 

"Ann, may I call you Ann?" I nodded. "Ann, I know Negan isn't going to be as eager as you about this. But, I'm sure he will learn to swallow it once he sees you already settling in comfortably."

His white teeth beard brightly. I knew there was more to why he wouldn't let Negan out. He already was suspicious of Negan. But I can still lie, I can be like Carol. I can convince him. "You're right. Well, what do you have in mind for me to do?"