My Damaged Protector

Chapter Fifty-six ~ Service

It had been four days since we first met Negan and we had finally gotten to explain to the rest of Alexandria what happened. Jasper was still closed off and absolutely refused to speak to anyone other than Carl, so he had been doing all the checking in for me.

I had stayed in the house for the majority of the time, silently caring for Judith while Rick was out prepping for Negan's first visit. When I was not in the house, I was sat beside Merle's grave, replaying all the memories I had with him, and even the night we lost him. Merle had been a brother to me longer than when he became my brother-in-law officially. He had watched out for me at the prison, when it fell, and even until we got here. Merle even went the extra mile and became family to my little brother, the two of them sharing a special bond I would never even begin to understand.

All the while, Aaron and Rick had been taking shifts in making sure I was eating and keeping up with my own health as well as Jasper and Judith. The both of them were taking over the rolls in my life that Merle and Daryl filled.

About a day after we got back, I was seated in the kitchen picking at a bowl of noodles when Aaron silently took a seat beside me and held his hand out for me to see. In his palm sat the beautiful ring I had found to serve as Daryl's wedding band. Tears instantly pooled in my eyes and I did my hardest not to cry out by holding my hands over my mouth just as Aaron brought me into his arms to cry. My fingers clutched at the ring as sobs racked my body.

Now, the ring hung from the chain around my neck with the simple charms Maggie had gotten me years ago. Today marked the halfway point to when Negan would first come and visit our home and I was halfway out the front door when I heard loud trucks and bikes outside our gate. "Rick!" I shouted up the stairs. "Rick, he's here!" I stepped out onto the front porch and leaned over the banister.

Rick stepped out after and we walked down to the gate side by side silently. Spencer was stood by the gate with Rosita and Eugene, a parked car right behind them. "Well hello there." Negan greeted Rick and me. "Do not make me have to ask."

"You said a week, you're early." Rick said as he slid the gate open.

"I missed you." Negan chuckled as Rick stood in front of him. Walker growls echoed from between the trucks. "Rick, why don't you step on out here. Watch this. Calling it!" A walker stumbled its way between the countless trucks and growled loudly towards Negan. He swiftly swung his bat, that I simply refused to call by name, and tore off a large chunk of the walker's head, sending it to the ground. I flinched at the sound of the bat colliding with the flesh, reminding me all too much of the night we first met him. Negan laughed loudly. "Easy peasy lemon squeezy! Alright everybody, let's get started."

I took the time to look around at the number of Saviors surrounding our gate. Dozens of men stood, all wearing dull clothing and obviously packing weapons on their hips and probably hiding one or two weapons each. Then my eyes locked on a man with dirty brown hair hanging in his face, an ugly dark yellow sweat outfit on with an orange painted 'A' on it. Daryl stood staring at our group before his eyes flickered down to the ground sadly. My heart shattered at the sight of my husband. He had a small cut on his lower lip, and he stood in such a different way than he usually did. Daryl wasn't standing with pride or radiating protection, he was slightly slumped and showed just how tired he was, how beaten down.

The whole time I was watching Daryl, I had completely ignored Negan and the conversation he was having with Rick. That is until Negan walked through our gate and handed Lucille over to Rick. My eyes flashed to the man I had followed for years in this world, the man I trusted to keep our entire group safe, the man who looked so completely terrified.

"Hot diggity dog. This place is magnificent!" Negan exclaimed. "An embarrassment of riches, as they say. Yes, sir I do believe you are gonna have plenty to offer up."