if i believe you | negan

epilogue

I STOOD in front of the stove, scrambling what was left of the eggs as Liam squealed in his highchair, throwing his teething ring to the floor. He looked at me and started giggling and I smiled back at him as I returned his toy.

I gathered the eggs onto a plate and added some canned peaches to the dish before pulling Liam from his chair. I made my way to Negan's cell, carrying a plate of breakfast in one hand and holding Liam steady on my waist with the other.

Rick joined me as he did every morning and I did the same thing I do every morning with him. "Rick, it's been a year since you put him away and he hasn't done anything remotely hostile." I started, and I knew that Rick knew this was coming.

"Liam needs his father, Rick. Just seeing him for an hour each morning is not enough, he needs his father at home." I continued and Rick kept quiet. Rick unlocked the door for me before I walked down the stairs and still didn't say a word.

My eyes trained on Negan and I could see him smile as I came closer to the cell door with Liam at my hip. Negan reached through the bars and took his hand in his. "Hey, buddy." Liam smiled and pushed his head into the crook of my neck.

"Rick, are you gonna let me in?" I asked him, impatiently waiting for him to unlock the cell door as well. I walked into the cell, handing Negan his plate of breakfast as Rick closed the cell door on us.

This was a routine for us now; seeing Negan for an hour in the morning, locked in the cell with him as Rick or Daryl watched us from the corner of the room to make sure we weren't planning anything.

But today was different. Rick had locked us in the cell as usual, but then he left the building. I looked over to Negan with a bit of confusion and my heart started to beat at a faster rate.

What if we're now locked in here with him? But we didn't do anything, so why did Rick leave?

The hour with Negan was coming to an end, but Rick still hadn't walked back through the door and now I was really scared. I stood at the door of the cell, watching the door for Rick to come through while Negan played with Liam.

"y/n, I'm sure he just lost track of time. He wouldn't lock you and our one-year-old son up." Negan said and I hoped he was right. I sat back down next to him and rested my head on his shoulder, watching Liam enjoy the time he spent with Negan.

Rick came back down almost an hour later and unlocked the cell door, letting Liam and I out. When I turned to say goodbye to Negan, Rick hadn't closed the door and locked him in. "Rick?" I asked, confused and Negan had the same confused look on his face.

"We're giving you a trial run, Negan. One week out of the cell and if things get out of hand, you're back in here until you die." I smiled at Negan as he slowly walked out of the cell and pulled me into an embrace.

"Don't fuck this up," I told him and he chuckled, but I glared at him, making it clear that I was being serious.

"I won't, I promise." I pulled him into another hug and we walked outside. Some of the people of Alexandria who spotted Negan started to quickly walk away while others stood in complete confusion.

I showed Negan around the house and left Liam with Tara before showing Negan the rest of the community. I ended the tour in the garden, wanting to show him the most beautiful place last.

"This is the garden, it's where I work and it's where you'll be joining me since I'm pretty sure I'm the only one that trusts you." I nervously chuckled but Negan agreed with me.

Even though I had been with Negan every morning for the past year, he somehow made me extremely nervous at this moment. He moved a strand of my hair behind my ear and lifted my chin before kissing me and I felt the butterflies return, almost as if they had never left.

"I've been waiting a year to do that." He told me and I smiled at him again.

"Me too," I confessed, playing with my hands and I watched as he started to fiddle with his pockets.

"I've been meaning to give you something." He told me, pulling something from his pockets, and I looked down at the shiny object. "It was Lucille's, but now it's yours. If you'll take it."

I looked up at him, tears starting to form in my eyes but he just smiled at me and I saw the love in his eyes. I nodded my head and watched as he slid the ring onto my left hand and then slid a ring just like it onto his own.

I stood on my toes and kissed him again, his forehead resting on mine as I pulled away. "I love you, y/n."

"I love you, too, Negan." 

-

and that is the end of 'if i believe you'. it feels so amazing to actually complete a book and i'm so grateful for all of you that voted and continued to read my story

i really hope you guys enjoyed this last bit. i just wanted to give you guys a little glimpse into the future with it and also show a more fluffy side of negan but i really hope you guys enjoyed this story 

i love all the support i've gotten from you guys and i hope that any stories i write after this spark your interests as well

i love you guys, thanks for reading until the end ! xoxo