Break Free

Chapter 17 - Self Defense

Negan and Jack lay on his bed holding onto each other like they were always meant to be. Jack falls asleep into his chest, and he just watches her as she lets out small little breaths, and he strokes her long hair. Jack leans up before she is completely asleep to kiss him, and she lays her head down on her pillow.

"I love you too" she mumbles and Negan smiles and rolls over to pull her against him and they both fall asleep peacefully. Later on in the night Jack wakes up, but not from a nightmare, she rolls around out of Negan's arms, just laying there staring off into space.

She had fallen asleep after hearing Negan say he loves her, Jack knew for sure he said it. Her intuition has told her now for a while, that she loves him also and now that they have finally admitted their feelings, she can't help but cry. In the middle of the night too she lays on her back wiping her tears away. Earlier she had told Negan about her mom, and that was really hard to get through, it is the first time she has talked about it to anyone.

But that's in the past and now she has to live in the future, and she lives everyday in her mom's name, and her last words repeat over and over in Jack's mind, which keep her wide awake right now. "You will find your purpose" her mom had said to her and now that Jack has found Negan or he has found her those words turn out to be true. Jack tries to go back to sleep curling away from Negan, but she keeps thinking about everything, it's keeping her awake and her tears keep flowing. Negan slowly shifts on the bed and she can feel his arm reaching for her, so she moves over to him slightly, causing him to wake up.

"What's wrong baby, why are you crying..did you have another nightmare?"

"No, i just can't get things out of my head" she sniffles and tries to talk through her tears "What i told you earlier, i have never talked about it before and now i can't get my mom's face out of my head"

"I'm sorry baby, it's not your fault you know, don't ever blame yourself for what happened, just know that your mom loved you so much and she is always with you, i mean hell maybe she's the one who brought us together, this is all meant to be Jack i know it"

"I know, i still miss her but i have you now and you're really all i need"

"You are so right, now what do you say we go back to sleep?"

"Yeah, that sounds good" Negan leans over and they embrace in a kiss and curl together before falling asleep once again. The early morning sunrise glares through the small windows in Negan's room, waking Jack up almost instantly. It's pretty early yet and he is still asleep, so Jack decides to get up and start her day.

Last night really happened, Negan said "I love you" i almost thought it was a dream but when i woke up just now, and i look down to the man next to me, i know it is true. I replay the words over and over in my head, and it sounds so beautiful to me. I have no doubts in my mind about the way i feel, i love him so fuckin' much, i loved him back then when we first met and now i love him even more.

Jack is so happy when she wakes up that she has to grab her journal write down what has happened. She has to write down about those three words she has been dying to hear, and he finally said them. Jack finishes her journal entry, right as her stomach growls horribly, so she walks back across the hall to put her journal under her mattress and she walks back over to Negan's room.

Jack hasn't been in her room lately, she keeps all of things in there, but she always sleeps with Negan in his bed. They both prefer to sleep that way, mostly because Jack wakes up and screams from nightmares and Negan doesn't want her to be alone at night. Opening the door back up quietly, Jack looks over to see Negan sleeping away and she admires how peaceful he looks to her. She walks over to his dresser to pick out a pair of his baggy shorts and with her stomach growling she heads out the door, straight down to the kitchen in search of something to eat.