Alexandria

Chapter 14

Negan stares up at the ceiling as he lies on his cot. He plays over how he ended up here over and over in his mind. He'd only been locked up for two weeks, yet it had been hard. Staring at the same four walls, that same stupid ceiling with the crack in it, that one solitary window through which he can hear the residents of Alexandria living their lives.

At first he'd been angry. How dare they continue on as if nothing had happened. As if he'd never existed. But then he'd quickly moved from anger to hate, and the hate had been directed at himself. He could have killed her, and how bitter it would have been to have ended her life with Lucille.

Negan rolls onto his side, going through his daily routine of counting the bricks in the wall.

He frowns at the sound of footsteps. "Fuck off, prick. I don't need my damn piss bucket emptying yet. I'll let you know next time i do a big steaming turd. I've got one cooking especially for you," he grumbles.

"I see your sense of humour hasn't changed a bit."

Negan whips his head round so fast his neck cracks. "Rachel.. what are you doing here?"

She shrugs her shoulders, her head turned slightly to the right as she hides her scars. "Thought you could do with some company. Must be boring in here, staring at those same four walls."

Negan shrugs. "It's not so bad. I've got Rick waiting on me hand and foot like a little bitch," he smiles awkwardly.

"I'll bet."

"Rachel, i told you not to come here."

"Since when have i ever done what i'm told?" She smiles.

Negan shakes his head. "I don't want you here."

"I gross you out or something?" She jokes, and yet he can see there's an ounce of seriousness in it behind her smile.

"Hey," Negan gets up from his cot, making his way over to the cell door. "Don't you ever fucking think that, okay. You're fucking beautiful, and i won't hear otherwise. So cut that shit out."

"Okay," she smiles, sitting down on the floor. "I brought you something, thought it might help you pass the time."

Negan looks down as she hands him a book through the bars. He holds it in his hands with a frown. "No porn?" He smirks.

"Alexandria has a pretty basic selection of books at best, porn might be a little hard to find. I'm not sure Rick would allow it either," she giggles.

That one giggle warms him up inside, the smile on her face sending an ache straight to his heart. An ache which he fights hard to push straight back down to his stomach. "Well thanks.. i guess."

"God you're so ungrateful," she frowns.

"I'll fucking read it, nothing ungrateful about that," Negan says.

They talk for hours. Negan beginning to wonder how he managed the last two weeks without her.

As the sun becomes low in the sky, Rachel glances at her watch. "I have to go. I'm on guard duty. I can come back tomorrow though.. if that's okay?"