#twdromance

~Hey guys! Chapter 18 has just been released ❤️ This is a dark chapter, so I’m just forewarning everyone that if anyone is triggered by sexual assault/rape then avoid this chapter. As always, love you guys and stay safe ✌🏻~

Molly and Negan were unstoppable, inseparable. Or so they thought? With Molly being put into harms way because of Negan, will he ever be able to forgive himself?

A couple days had passed since Negan and I came out as a official couple.

He always joked that we were now the King and Queen of the Sanctuary but I just rolled my eyes every time.

I was nice though, seeing him this genuinely happy.

But, in my heart, I knew it wasn't meant to last. Things right now were too perfect.

I had officially moved into Negan's room and now my room was like an office.

I guess this was what he meant way back when, when he asked me to help him run this place one day.

Negan was still the leader of course but now people knelt when I walked by too.

It was a curious feeling, it felt dated and wrong but at the same time it was exhilarating.

I felt like I was worth something, like people depended on me, more so than people ever did back home.

Sure, some people talked, but I didn't care because the majority were happy for both of us and I think that a lot of people liked having me by his side to calm his moments of rage.

There were far less punishments after all.

But some would always blame me and call Negan weak, especially Simon.

This was made worse by Negan's decision to demote him.

'There's my girl' Negan said smirking and sauntering up to me in the main hall.

He wrapped an arm around my waist as I was taking inventory of the food stuffs.

'You don't have to do that' Negan said confusedly.

I sighed 'I know, but I want to. I can't just parade around here without pulling my weight' I said turning around to face him.

'Well, all I'm saying is that you won't have time to do that once you accept your new position' he said smiling excitedly.

I tilted my head in confusion, 'what position? I thought we talked about that' I said in a hushed tone so no one could hear, even though all eyes were on us.

'I know that you're my partner darlin, but I need someone by my side in all operations, and you'd be goddamn perfect for that' he said softly and still smiling eagerly.

I looked at him hesitantly.

'Are you asking me to become your right hand man...I mean woman?' I whispered, he just nodded while smirking.

I sighed, 'but I'm not a Saviour?' I said slowly.

'I know that doll and I get that this is a lot, but I can't trust anyone else' he said softly.

'Besides, I've already given Si his notice' he said nonchalantly.

My eyes widened at this.

'You did what?!' I yelled in a strained whisper which now people could hear.

'He already hates me enough' I said sternly.

'So what if the asshole's threatened by you, maybe it'll kick him up the ass enough to get back in line' he said scowling.

I sighed and asked 'can I at least think about it?'.

He nodded in response as I walked back out of the hall.

Negan stayed in the hall, people asking him questions as I left.

I thought we had agreed on my position, but apparently not.

I rubbed my neck in frustration as I walked down the hall which was dimly lit for some reason.

There was silence, you could hear a pin drop.

Only the sound of my footsteps echoing down the hallway, when suddenly a large arm grabbed me at the corner and pulled me against the wall.

It was darker now, but I could make out the face.

It was Simon.

He shoved me forcefully against the wall, I winced at his aggression.

'What the hell do you want?!' I shouted.

'You. It seems, that around here you have nine fucking lives honey, so I'm gonna teach you a lesson' he snarled as he pinned my arms by my sides.

He was far stronger than I was.

'Help!' I screamed as he put his hand over my mouth, he chuckled sinisterly.

'Don't worry, I've made sure that Negan is occupied. He won't hear you, no one will' he said grinning viciously at me.

Although he had my arms pinned down, my legs weren't.

With all my might I collided my knee with his balls.

He winced and weakened his grip immediately.

I tried to get away but he pulled me back by my hair and landed a punch straight to my face.

I crashed down to the concrete floor immediately, the impact of the surface colliding with my head knocked me almost unconscious.

He punched me over and over, in my stomach, my legs, my face he left relatively untouched.

I was weakened, floating in and out of consciousness, lying on the floor and blood gushing out of my nose and cheek.

The shock concealed my pain until after.

I heard him unbuckling his jeans and I knew what was coming.

He pinned down my arms, digging into my skin as his weight crushed me.

I was numb, frozen and unable to move. Tears rolled down my cheeks.

A short while later, he stood up and spat venomously 'now I get what Negan was talking about'.

He pulled up his jeans and said 'now, you tell Negan about any of this, I give the heads up to my guys to kill your sister Tara, might even let them rape her first. Depends how I'm feeling. Oh, and tell your boyfriend that you want me to get my position back'.

He chuckled as he walked back down the corridor, leaving me there in a pool of blood on the floor.

Even after he left, I still felt him on me like I was somehow infected.

I lay there, shaking as tears continued to roll down my face, mixing with my blood.

As soon as I heard footsteps getting louder and louder, I knew someone was coming and I remembered what Simon had said.

I couldn't tell anyone.

I tried to gather myself back up and scrambled at the ground to pull myself off of the floor when I figure stopped dead in front of me.

Sherry.

I quaked and shivered in front of her, my entire body revealing cuts and bruises.

Her eyes widened as she was stunned to silence, 'oh my god' she whispered.

'Oh my god, Molly. Molly are you okay? What the hell happened?' she asked rushing over to me frantically.

As soon as I saw her face, I broke down.

Tears rolled more ferociously down my face now, I stuttered and scrambled to make words come out of my mouth.

She hushed me as talking made me more nervous, instead she held me up and stroked my hair as she brought me to my room.

There was no one else down the corridor, just me and Sherry.

Her eyes were filled with tears like mine at my pain.

She held me up all the way to my door and laid me gently down onto my bed.

'Shhh, I'm here now. I'm here. You're okay. You're safe now' she repeated as she stroked my hair.

'I'm gonna get Dr Carson to check you out. I'll lock the door behind me, don't worry' she said calmly as she walked towards the door.

She knew exactly what had happened without even asking.

I didn't know whether that was comforting or worrying, thinking the same might have happened to her.

'No, please Sherry! No one can know!' I yelled in between tears.

'You could get an infection and I'm not losing you. I'll make sure no one is around okay? Trust me' she said calmly.

I just nodded slightly.

I lay there, still until the Doctor came.

When he saw the state of me, he was overwhelmed.

'Molly, Dr Carson is gonna take a look at you, okay?' Sherry said quietly as she guided the Doctor into my room.

He sat nervously on the edge of the bed as he scanned over my bruises and cuts.

'Molly, the Doctor will need to touch you, is that okay?' Sherry asked nervously, I just nodded while I closed my eyes tightly.

I hated the thought of anyone touching me after what I went through, but I just kept thinking that the quicker I healed, the sooner I could see Negan.

He checked for broken bones. There were none, just a sprained wrist.

He then disinfected and covered the cuts, stitched up the more open ones.

Finally, he slowly handed me a morning after pill. I looked at it for a second, so did Sherry.

That was when it hit me.

I took it with a sip of water and just lay there while the tears rolled down onto my cheeks which were burning from the bruises.

He left paracetamol for me, alongside some bandages and antiseptic.

I just nodded at him and he left.

Sherry could barely look at me, her eyes so full of sorrow.

'I-I am so sorry that this happened to you Molly' she said crying as she sat down next to me.

Her face now hardened with anger, 'who did this to you?' she asked sternly.

I looked away and took a deep breath.

'If I tell you, you have to promise me that you won't do anything about it' I said sternly as my voice was shaking.

'Molly...' she said softly.

'Promise me!' I yelled as tears continued to flow.

She just nodded softly, 'Simon' I said hesitantly.

She looked at me with wide eyes, in silence.

'But if you told Negan...' she said softly.

'No. If Negan finds out, Simon will kill my sister and I don't doubt that he has people ready to do it if he gives the word' I said softly.

'He has to pay for this' Sherry said, rage filling her body.

'He will, eventually. But not now and not soon' I said shaking my head.

'What about Negan? He'll want to see you?' she said worriedly.

I nodded, 'you'll think of something to tell him' I said seriously.

She looked at me with her eyes wider than before, 'what would I say?' she asked frantically.

'I don't know. But you have to promise me Sherry, that you won't let him see me. I need you to do this, for me and Tara' I begged.

She sighed and looked to the floor, 'The doctor won't tell and I'll tell Negan that you're ill, but you'll be fine' she said nodding at me in reassurance.

I smiled weakly at her and thanked her.

She then left me so I could rest.

I lay there, staring up at the ceiling for what felt like hours. I couldn't sleep, I didn't feel safe enough to do so.

Suddenly there was a gentle knock at the door, my eyes widened as a rush of anxiety came over me at the thought that it might be Negan.

'Darlin, let me in' he said calmly.

My eyes teared up at hearing his voice.

I shut my eyes tightly and prepared myself so I sounded like I wasn't in pain.

'I'm just about to go to sleep' I shouted from the other side of the door.

'Darlin just let me see you, please. Sherry said that you we're ill. I wanna take care of you' he said softly.

I could hear the pain in his voice. Tears flowed down my face.

All I wanted was to just open that door and have him hold me forever and tell me that everything would be okay.

But I couldn't.

I wiped my eyes and sniffled as I composed myself.

'I’m pretty tired, I just want to sleep and I've got the flu so I wouldn't want to make you ill too' I said, pressing myself against the door frame, trying to feel him through the wood.

'In sickness and in health darlin. Just let me in' he said now with worry in his voice.

'I’m fine, I promise' I said sternly.

'I thought you moved into my room? Why don't you sleep there? You'd be more comfortable and I could be there for you' he said as his voice was breaking revealing the hurt he was feeling, not knowing why I was being distant.

I clenched my eyes tightly shut in agony. Tears flooded my face at his pain and mine.

I took a deep breath, knowing what I needed to do.

'I just need some space.  The move was too soon and I don't want to be your right-hand guy. Please, just give me time' I said sternly.

He was silent on the other side for a few minutes.

'Do you love me?' he asked sternly as I heard him bang his head against the door.

I wiped away my tears.

'Of course I love you. I just need time to myself to think' I replied weakly.

'Goodnight' I said gently, which he didn't respond too.

I only knew he had left once I heard his footsteps get quieter and quieter.

I limped back into bed, scared because I knew full well that he couldn't give this up.

He would come to my door every night and beg me to let him in.

A week later...

After a week of trying he came once more.

'Darlin, you better move back from this door because I'm about to break it down' he said sternly.

I gasped as his men broke the lock and the door swung open to reveal Negan standing there in front of me with three of his guys.

My bruises had faded slightly but they were still visible.

He just stared at me, tears forming in his eyes at the pain I was in.

'Leave us' he said sternly to his guys who immediately nodded and walked away.

Negan shut the broken door somewhat behind him.

'What the fuck happened?' he said, rage filling his body as he walked slowly towards me.

I tried to hold back my tears and fear.

'Nothing, I was sparring with someone and got hit. I'm fine' I said cooly as I moved away from his gaze and pulled my boots on.

'You're not fucking fine. You have bruises all up your arms' he said as he tried to reach out to touch me gently.

I flinched and yelled 'don't touch me!'.

He looked at me in confusion and worry. 'Darlin...' he said worriedly, making me fight back my tears once again.

'I said I'm fine' I said sternly as I turned and walked out of the door.

He paced after me. 'I don't believe you. I know you, you are the love of my goddamn life so I know when you're not telling me something' he yelled after me.

'Did someone hurt you?' he said slowly as he stopped in front of me.

I looked into his eyes, trying hard not to cry.

'No one hurt me, it was an accident then I got ill okay?' I said as I kept on walking, trying not to look at him.

'I need you to leave me alone, please. I need space' I said as I walked faster.

He stopped dead and didn't respond.

~Hey Guys! Chapter 22 is out now ❤️ Molly encounters Saviours as Rick confronts Negan about Molly’s presence at the Sanctuary...I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and chapter 23 will be out on Sunday 🤟🏻~

It was better to be alone, than to hurt again.

There I was, lying wrapped tightly in his arms. He kissed my neck gently through my hair.

I could feel his warm breath against my ear, tingles rushing down my spine and a smile now plastered across my face as my eyes remained shut.

I awoke abruptly to hear a gunshot outside.

It had been a dream, a perfect dream. I was back in my surroundings, the abandoned damp house.

I darted towards the window, and peered outside, shielding the majority of my body from anyone's view.

There were a group of men standing close to the house, with a car that I recognised.

Shit. Saviours.

They were standing around pointing at the various houses. They meant to search them.

Negan sent these guys to bring me back? Or worse kill me?

He let me go. It didn't seem like something he would do.

I was amidst my thoughts as I still crouched by the window.

Suddenly, one of them looked in my direction, frowning as I shifted frantically out of view.

I could still hear them outside, 'check it out!' one shouted.

My eyes widened. Fuck.

I took out my gun and held a knife below it. I paced quietly to slide behind the bedroom door.

I heard the front door creak open as a couple of guys walked in slowly.

'Could've been a walker' he warned the other guy.

I smirked, oh boy you've got something worse coming for you. I would never let them kill me or take me back.

They walked up the stairs and went into separate rooms to check them out.

Seeing one guy walk into the adjacent room, I slipped round the side of the door and followed him in.

I made no sound as I crept up behind him.

'Hey Mike check this out' he said softly as he bent down to reach for an old Pac-Man game.

I wrapped my arm around his chest and slit his throat quietly.

Blood splattered against the wall and I set him down gently on the floor.

The other guy said 'what?' as he came round to enter the room.

I waited against the wall and had my gun aimed at the door ready.

He walked through the threshold and shouted 'you!' as I shot him in the head.

There were still three other guys out there and the gunshot had now alerted them to my position.

I crept round to the window and opened it slightly to position my gun.

They were arguing and shouted 'Mike, Robbie, what's going on?' from outside the house.

I managed to get a clear shot on one of them and killed him instantly. The other two ducked and ran into the house and up the stairs.

They fired on the room I was in repeatedly. They had far more ammo than me.

After firing for a few minutes, seeing all the bullet holes in the wall. I dragged one of the bodies over to the door so that the blood would spill through under the door.

They mumbled to each other, thinking I was dead.

I heard their footsteps slowly get closer to the door. I looked around the room to see if I could use anything.

I smiled when I saw an aerosol can of old deodorant. Fuck yeah.

I crawled to pick it up and counted a couple seconds until I knew they were close.

I opened the door suddenly, through the can out and shot at it.

They gasped as the can spluttered and exploded, sending a cloud of white powder through the hall.

They were disorientated and shouted to each other.

Seeing the back of one of the guys step backwards towards me, I grabbed the back of him and held him with a knife to his throat.

Once the mist had cleared, the other guy stood in front of us and aimed his gun at his friend.

'Put down your weapons' I shouted to him as his friend struggled in my arms.

The other guy started to lower his gun slightly as I said sternly 'tell me who sent you and I won't kill you'.

He looked at his friend and sighed saying 'Simon. He told us to kill you'.

'Really? I'm guessing that asshole will kill you if you don't kill me' I retorted, tightening my grip on his neck.

He winced, 'do what she says' he said shaking.

'Be smart, me or Simon' I said slowly.

He sighed before saying 'I'll take my chances' and raised his gun back up at his friend, willing to shoot us both.

Seeing his intent, I shot him in the heart immediately, his friend said 'please' as I slit his throat.

I dropped to my knees, weary and numb. I felt no remorse killing those men. It was me or them.

I was more like Negan than I thought, or even worse, I was already like him before we met.

I wiped my brow, pushing all thoughts of him out of my head.

I snapped back into action seeing walkers approaching the house. They must have heard the gunshots.

I grabbed my rucksack and swept supplies into it as I ran down the stairs and out the front door.

They were getting closer and started to clamber and snarl around the Saviour's car. I ran to it, shooting the walkers nearest the door.

They dropped as I pulled open the door and shut it just in time as more walkers now encircled it.

I started the engine and saw that there was a half tank of gas. Thank god.

I pushed my foot down and floored it sharply away from them. The ones in front of the car flung wildly over the bonnet.

I had no idea of where I was going but I just kept heading further and further away from the Sanctuary.

I drove for about half an hour as I began to see roads that I recognised. I was close. These were the old routes to Alexandria.

A smile grew across my face in relief which was quickly replaced by a scowl seconds later.

I stopped dead in the middle of the road.

I couldn't go back. I couldn't go home.

How would I even begin to explain? How could I even look at Maggie, Rosita or Sasha?

Rick would banish me like he did to Carol years ago.

I was better off out here.

I couldn't stay too close, given that Negan and the Saviours would come to collect each week, I couldn't risk anyone seeing me. Least of all, him.

Negan's POV//

Silence, complete silence.

I sat there, in my room with Lucille propped by my side. My hand slipped slightly as I poured myself another glass of bourbon.

I was almost through the entire bottle.

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. I missed hearing her voice.

I lifted the glass up to my lips as I heard a faint Negan echo around the room. I stopped dead and put the glass down.

It was her voice, Molly.

'Fuck, I'm going crazy' I whispered to myself. I stood up and smashed the glass against the wall and walked to the window.

I gripped the window ledge firmly as my eyebrows furrowed. I was trapped. I had lost the only thing that made life worthwhile.

After Lucille, I never thought I would find someone like that again. I fucking ruined it.

Suddenly, my thoughts were ripped from me by a slight knock and the door opening slowly.

'I thought you might like some company' a hesitant voice said.

I sighed, knowing it was Frankie. 'If I wanted your company, I would've asked for it. You're not my wife anymore' I snapped at her.

She was silent for a second before she closed the door again.

I bowed my head against the window pane. I needed news of her, anything.

I threw on my jacket and marched over to the door, I spun back around and picked up Lucille, almost forgetting her.

I strolled to Simon's room and knocked loudly on the door.

'Negan' he answered.

'Molly. Was there really nothing you found those first weeks?' I said exhaustedly.

He looked at me with surprise.

'No, nothing really. Except this' he said coldly as he handed me a necklace. It was her locket.

'We found it round the arm of a walker' he said with an amount of admiration.

I scowled in disbelief as my eyes began to water.

'She can handle herself' I said, smiling weakly with hope.

'It didn't look good sir, there were a hoard of them around it' he said looking down.

I gripped the locket in my hand and marched away back to my room.

I was full of guilt, rage, fear and regret. To think that I had put her in this situation. I might have killed her.

It was overwhelming me and I was drunk. At least that's what I told myself later on.

I found myself stumbling into the wives lounge. Ex-wives.

I leant against the doorframe and looked around. None of the other wives remained, only Frankie.

She sat there in her black dress and looked up at me. I just needed to forget her and feel like myself again.

'Frankie, baby. Come with me' I said smirking at her.

She grinned widely and jumped up, running over to me. I tried to seem interested but really I was using her.

The next morning...

I woke up the next morning, her arm wrapped around me.

My eyes opened as I felt her behind me. I sighed, she didn't feel like Molly.

I got up and looked over at her as I got dressed. I felt nothing.

As I picked up Lucille, I grabbed Molly's locket and pressed it against my lips before holding it in my pocket.

I was wrong. She didn't make me weak, she gave me strength. Holding that locket in my hand showed me that.

I was regenerated with a vengeance.

I ordered everyone into the meeting room, it was time Rick got what was coming to him.

At least there was a comfort in knowing Molly couldn't hate me more than she did.

At that, there were bullets fired against the walls, smashing in the windows.

I peered out of the window to see Rick's group shielded with metal barricades.

'What's the plan?' Simon said sternly as I simply scanned around for her.

'We talk. Otherwise we're just wasting metal on metal' I said as I walked out of the door.

Dwight, Simon, Arat, Gavin and Eugene following me.

'Well shit! I'm sorry, I was in a meeting' I said sarcastically, swinging Lucille over my shoulder.

I looked at all of them.

'I see you got your little mud flaps with ya. So I'm not exactly feeling a reason for us to try throwing lead at each other. I care about my people, I'm not just gonna throw them into the line of fire because I wanna play my dick is bigger than yours!' I yelled.

I smirked before softly saying 'it is, by the way. We both know it'.

I paced on the balcony, looking now at Rick.

'But, I'm also comfortable enough to accept the fact if it wasn't. But I'm certainly not gonna let my people die over that shit, like your about to' I said, pointing to him with Lucille.

'So Rick, what the hell can I do for ya?' I asked mockingly.

He paused before moving out into full vision.

'Give us Molly' he yelled. I froze at her name.

I looked down awkwardly, 'she's not here, she left' I said, choking slightly.

Rick just nodded in frustration, probably thinking I lied.

'Dwight, your name's Simon, you're Gavin and you?' Rick said pointing at my people.

'Arat' she replied.

I was now fed up with his bullshit.

'Rick I'd feel remiss-' Eugene spoke before he was interrupted by Rick.

''No! I know who you are...' he said now scowling at him.

'Listen you five, the Saviours inside, all of you have a chance to survive here, to survive this. Y'all can live if you surrender. Can't guarantee it anytime but now. Right now' he spoke, almost pleadingly.

I just smiled and a light chuckle escaped my lips.

'So they surrender, and you and your little piss patrol doesn't kill em. That sounds like a good deal!' I said sarcastically.

I now looked down at him, saying 'what about me Rick?'.

'I told you, twice. You know what's gonna happen' he yelled.

I nodded, 'I do, I do know what's gonna happen. You have no idea the shit that's about to go down. Lemme ask you something Rick, you think you have the numbers for this fight?' I said gesturing to the Sanctuary.

'You don't' I added.

'Let's find out shall we?' Rick stayed confidently.

I was silent.

'You're gonna make me count. Okay, okay, I'm counting. Ten, nine, eight, seven...' he yelled before he opened fired on all of us.

I ran down the stairs and round the back while my guys ran back inside.

Rick followed and fired on the scrap metal I was crouching behind.

'Rick! It's not about you' a voice said to Rick, making him ceasefire.

He went round the side and I ran towards the nearest base.

The old trailer.

Walkers encircled it and I was trapped inside.

'Fuck' I mumbled. 

~Hey guys! Chapter 28 is out now!! Negan finally gets what has been coming to him for a while...Will Molly be able to deal with his fate? I hope everyone is having a good week :) Love you all <3~

This was it. For both leaders, it was finally time to look death in the face and accept it. For most, this was the physical death of their enemy, whereas for Molly, this meant the emotional death of her loved one in her heart and her former self.

Rick and I led them across the field and towards the Sanctuary which we could now see in the distance.

Everyone was focussed and determined, no fear now just pure hatred, except me.

As we all moved stealthily as one we were halted by a loud blood curdling whistle.

It was them.

The noise surrounded us as it felt like it came from all directions.

I looked at Rick and Maggie who were turning around frantically trying to find out where the noise came from.

My heart felt like it was pounding in my mouth as my breathing became more rapid.

I squinted to try and see any Saviours over the hill, there were none yet that haunting sound ensued.

All of a sudden a voice on a megaphone tauntingly shouted 'well shit Rick! Would you look at that? I just ambushed your ambush with an even bigger ambush!'.

Shit it was Negan. He sounded vengeful, almost dark.

I pictured his eyes which wouldn't be that light shade of amber anymore.

He wanted us all dead, I knew that now.

Rick was getting pissed off now.

'How about you step out and face us?' he shouted.

We heard a loud chuckle then Negan said 'Oh Rick I am everywhere! Pick a direction to run, see how you do. Make it fun for all of us!'.

We couldn't escape even if we wanted to, Rick would never let this go.

'Guess what else I did...I brought some of your old friends' he said confidently.

If my ears could prick up, they would have now.

I knew he meant Eugene but the only other would have been Gabriel, but we all thought he had escaped.

'You remember your old buddy Eugene? Well, he is the one that made today possible. Same goes for Dwighty-boy here' Negan shouted.

I looked at Rosita who was scowling now at Eugene's betrayal.

I just hoped he would do the right thing, everything was riding on that.

He knew about Dwight's helping us.

Even though I never forgave him for Denise, neither would Tara, I still couldn't let him die.

I readied my gun when Negan said 'In case you were wondering, he didn't ream you on purpose. No, he's just a gutless fucker that sucks at life and now he gets to stand up here and watch you all die, he has to live with that'.

At this the Saviours stepped forward and formed a line in front of us so that they just peaked over the hill.

'Gabriel, well he's gotta go too. We are cleaning house today Rick' Negan added.

I looked through my binoculars to see Negan holding a gun up to Gabriel's head and Dwight standing beside them, wearing a prisoner uniform.

I scanned for Simon frantically, wanting to take a shot at him first, but he wasn't there.

At all.

Negan was there to show his full force and would've brought his right hand man, unless he was dead.

I smirked vengefully just thinking about it.

'And then there's you. It never had to be a fight, you just had to accept how things were. So here we go, congratulations Rick! This is all on you, you can blame yourself for Molly now as well' Negan said almost with a twinge of sadness in his voice.

Why would Rick blame himself for me?

I shot him a confused look, until the realisation hit me.

He had told him I was dead. What if Negan's anger towards 'mourning' me was gonna get us all killed.

Rick just looked at Negan, avoiding my gaze.

'Goddamn it Rick!' I whispered to him, even Michonne shot him a look of disappointment.

'Three, two, one...' Negan counted down until we heard a loud bang and Saviours dropping like flies.

He had done it! I smirked as I looked at Eugene.

'Now!' Rick shouted as we ran towards them.

Negan's gun had backfired and a casing had torn through his right hand.

'Eugene!' he yelled in pain.

Gabriel punched him in the face as Dwight tried to wrestle him against the bonnet of his car.

Negan managed to push him off with Lucille and ran towards the woods.

'He's running!' Maggie shouted as Rick went after him.

'Keep going! To the rendezvous point, the others should already be there' I shouted to everyone else as we gained on the Saviours who were falling to their knees.

'Don't shoot! Please. We're done. It's over' Laura said as they all put their hands up and surrendered their weapons.

I nodded to her, she had been kind to me at the Sanctuary and after all Rick only wanted Negan dead.

Once they had surrendered, I ran after Rick.

My heart pounding out of my chest and my breathing becoming more irregular when I saw Rick and Negan by a tree with stained glass hanging off its branches.

Negan's POV//

Rick came rushing around the tree as I knocked him to the ground with Lucille.

'Just so you know, the eeny meeny miny moe, that was bullshit. I made a choice, I just didn't wanna kill kid's dad right in front of him. Turns out, that would've been the best thing I could've done. Had I done it, that kid might've still been alive' I taunted.

At this Rick kicked my legs, knocking me off my feet as I fell on my back.

'You're beat. Your people are down' Rick said breathlessly.

I groaned as I stood up slowly, saying 'I'll get out of it, I always do'.

'It's just you and me Rick. You, you are torn open. I am bigger, I am badder  and I got a bat' I said smirking at him lying there on the grass.

Like hell I was gonna die.

'We can have...a future' Rick said, his voice straining on every word as he winced in pain.

I smiled, saying 'I know I will'.

He tried to stand up and pleaded, 'just give me ten seconds. I can tell you how'.

I scowled at him, thinking about Molly and how she might be dead because of both of us.

'No' I answered.

'Please just give me ten seconds for Carl' he begged, now standing.

I paused and nodded.

Now I started counting, 'ten...nine'.

'Carl said, it doesn't have to be...be a fight anymore' he said struggling to speak.

I held Lucille up and scowled saying 'he was wrong, eight...'.

Rick panted and said 'no, no he was right'.

My scowl hardened at his pleading for his life until I saw her.

Molly was standing there, behind Rick.

Tears fell down my face as I looked at her.

'M-Mol...' was all I managed as suddenly Rick ninja sliced open my jugular with a piece of glass he found on the grass.

I dropped to my knees, my gaze still firmly on hers.

I knew I would die and I wanted her to be the last thing I saw.

She gasped and covered her mouth as she lunged forward, Michonne stopping her from reaching me.

The others stood beside her, including the widow.

Rick waited for a minute and walked towards them, blood gushing from my neck as I tried to stop it with my hand.

'Save him' Rick said to some doctor.

Those words rang in my ears as I saw Molly's look of relief and the widow screaming 'No!'.

I wasn't relieved when I heard Rick's words.

I wanted to die, after what I did and who I hurt the most, I couldn't face her.

'No! He can't...he killed Glenn!' the widow shouted as Michonne held her back.

I was fading in and out of consciousness when I felt someone stitch up my neck and cover it with a bandage.

'We have to!' Rick shouted to her as she yelled 'we have to end it! Rick! We have to make it right. It's not over till he's dead!'.

When I stopped bleeding I saw Molly looking down now.

She was happy I was alive, but I knew that changed nothing between us.

I really felt like dying now.

'There's gotta be something after' Rick said to the widow as he now addressed my men.

They still had their hands up, they had surrendered.

'Everyone put your hands down, you're all gonna go home now' Rick shouted as they put their hands down slowly.

'Negan's alive. But his way of doing things is over! Anyone who can't live with that will pay the price, I promise you that. Any person here who would live in peace and fairness, who would find common ground, this world is yours by right' he shouted.

'We are life, that's death! It's coming for us, unless we stand together' he shouted pointing at the distant hoard of walkers.

'Go home, then the work begins. The new world begins. All this, all this is just what was. There's gotta be something after!' Rick yelled as some guys lifted me onto a stretcher and put me in the back of a van.

The fuckers were gonna take me to Alexandria, I knew it.

Molly's POV//

It was a curious feeling, the man I loved was alive and yet dead at the same time.

Tears flowed down my face as I watched them take him away.

I never wanted him dead, but seeing how much his presence affected my family made me feel even worse.

Michonne and I held Maggie as she curled up on the grass and sobbed for Glenn's memory.

I understood Rick and I agreed with him, but seeing Maggie like that broke my heart into a million tiny pieces.

Rosita stood next to us with Eugene who had now returned to us.

'What happened to the guns? That you?' she asked him.

Eugene turned to me as I stroked Maggie's hair and nodded.

'Us. We introduced the sabotage aspect to the manufacturing process unbeknownst to my colleagues which was inspired by Molly's purposeful determination and resilience. Plus a few things you imparted on me before I left. Ergo I created a modicum of phooey for kablooie' he said seriously.

Rosita smiled and turned to me and nodded a 'thank you'.

I smiled back, there was a change in the air after that.

I practically felt people warm to me again.

As I looked around, I saw Gabriel and Eugene but not Dwight.

A rush of panic washed over me as I couldn't see him.

The Saviours were now leaving but I saw Laura and I ran over to her to ask her what happened to him.

She smiled weakly and said that he had left but left a note in one of the cars.

I nodded a thank you and ran back to where the Saviour's cars were.

I checked each one before seeing a small folded piece of white paper stuck to the windscreen of presumably Negan's car.

I looked around me to check no one was there and opened it slowly, it read:

Molly,

I always knew you'd make it, thats just the type of person you are.

A while after you escaped, I helped Sherry get away too. I'm not sure where she is but I promise to always keep looking for her. I'm not coming back.

I don't know whether Negan will be dead by the time you read this, but if he isn't, be careful.

Dwight.

I folded it back up and sighed, the guy had practically predicted it.

Negan was like a cat with nine lives.

Just as I was about to walk back, I saw Negan's red scarf on the front seat in the car.

I hesitated but then grabbed a rock and smashed the window so I could grab it.

I held it between my fingers and pressed it against my cheek.

His smell was all over it and it reminded me of our time together.

I didn't know whether I would ever give it back to him, but I couldn't leave it there.

~Hey guys! Chapter 40 is out! 40 chapters of Save Me, I just can't believe it!! Thank you to everyone who has been supporting me with this story, I love you all <3~

Everyone seems to be struggling with finding a sense of belonging. Living in a community of course provides a sense of group feeling but actual purpose seems lost on people. Will Molly and Negan be able to envision a future whereby they both belong?

Negan's POV//

I stood by the window, taking in the smell of the sweet summer grass.

She still loved me, I thought to myself.

She kissed me and told me that she would be back soon.

God I missed her when she wasn't here and I hated sharing her with them.

The only people apart from Molly who actually talked to me were Gabe and Judith, sometimes Michonne but mostly just to yell at me.

I knew that Molly would've gone to the Sanctuary and I wanted her to, she had to see Simon for herself and do whatever she needed to do to move on.

But, a part of me feared for her safety.

I knew she could handle herself, hell did I ever, but I hadn't heard from her since she left.

I just hoped she was safe and sound at Hilltop now.

I was pulled from my deepest thoughts when Judith came bounding over, carrying her textbook she sat on the step where she always sat and started reading out her homework questions.

'If airplane A and airplane B are 1000 miles apart, if airplane A is flying east at 500 miles per hour and airplane B is flying west at 650 miles per hour, how ma-' she started to ask before I stopped her mid speech.

'You know what? I would definitely recommend booking a seat on airplane C because that shit is shaping up to be one hell of a mid air collision' I replied laughing to myself.

'You gonna help me or what?' she asked with annoyance.

I smiled and asked 'alright lemme ask you somethin'. You ever seen an airplane fly in any direction, at any speed?'.

She sighed and said 'no'.

'D'ya think you ever will?' I asked softly.

'Probably not' she replied sadly.

'So what the hell difference does it make? See, math problems are supposed to apply to the real world. If you want my help, give me a question or a problem from right here, right now' I said seriously.

She looked down and closed her book, picking up the figurine of Rick and asked softly, 'you know the strangers that were brought to Hilltop yesterday? My mom said that Molly's gonna make them leave'.

'Well no I didn't know that. But I'm guessing that you being you, you wanna help em?' I asked smiling.

I looked down, the smile slipping from my face as I said, 'lemme tell you somethin'. When I was about your age, I used to bring home stray dogs, my mom, she hated it. I never understood why, they always seemed so friendly and grateful. Till one day I brought home the wrong dog'.

'What happened? Did it bite you?' she asked, now turning around to look at me.

'Not me, that dog killed all the other strays, chewed off half my mom's ear when she tried to stop it' I said sternly, frowning in recollection.

'Thing is, that dog seemed just as friendly and grateful as the rest of em' I added.

'What about after that? You ever bring home another dog?' she asked.

'Hell no, I wised my ass up' I said smirking.

She sighed, stood up and grabbed her book.

'Yeah and look how great everything turned out for you' she said mockingly.

'Wait a minute, where you goin'? I thought you wanted my help?' I said hastily.

I needed to talk to someone so I wouldn't feel like I was going fucking insane.

'I do, but just with math' she said assuredly.

'Why just math?' I asked sadly.

'Because it doesn't matter if you're a good or bad person on the inside, the numbers don't care' she said sweetly as she walked away.

I chuckled to myself as she left. She was smart as hell.

I longed to be out there, I didn't even give a shit if it was some low labour work.

Fuck, they had changed me, back then, never would I have found myself doing this type of reflective grovelling shit and as much as I hated to admit it, Alexandria truly was magnificent.

It was now that I knew I wanted to be a part of it all.

Michonne's POV//

'How was practice?' I asked Judith as she came walking up the stairs.

I had watched her from the window and knew that she had been to speak to Negan instead of her katana training lessons.

'Fine' she replied nonchalantly.

'You must have gotten there late, seeing as you were standing on the stairs outside the jail half an hour ago' I said walking closer to her.

'Just a couple minutes' she replied smiling.

'Why were you at the cell?' I asked softly.

'I wasn't she replied hastily.

She sighed and nodded, then said 'I went there to see Negan'.

'Have you been talking to him?' I asked with a raised voice.

She avoided my gaze as she nodded slowly.

I scowled and asked 'why?!'.

'I feel sorry for him' she answered confidently.

I now crouched down to my knees and looked into her eyes.

'He is not your friend sweetheart' I said calmly.

'Well obviously...' she replied smiling.

'So if he's not your friend then why are you talking to him?' I asked trying to stay calm.

'He listens to me, not everybody does...that's why I let him out' she said sadly.

That broke my heart.

'What?' I asked in confusion.

'When I said I couldn't stop him from leaving, I could've, but I chose not to' she added.

'I don't want you to ever go near him again' I said sternly as I stood back up.

'Why not?' she asked sweetly.

'There is a reason that he's in a cage, Judith. He's a monster!' I said seriously.

'No he's not! He's a human being!' she yelled.

'But he has done monstrous things. He's killed people, people I cared about, people your dad cared about and if we ever let him out, it would start all over again' I said softly as tears rose to the surface.

'But he did get out and he's not like that anymore' she added.

I smiled at her optimism.

'I get why you want to believe that, but people don't really change' I said slowly.

You did' she said softly.

This stunned me to silence.

'Go to your room' I said seriously.

Judith looked at me confusedly and asked 'why?'.

I sighed as I said 'because I need a minute'.

Once she left I felt myself clinging to the bannister as the realisation hit me that I had changed.

I had grown cold after Rick and maybe Molly's perception of Negan had rubbed off on my daughter.

Molly's POV//

Everything at Hilltop was as it should be.

Jesus and I saw the place thrive and the new additions to our family here were settling in smoothly.

Magna had been a little harder to crack than the others, but I knew in my heart that she was a good person and I wanted all of them to stay with us.

Michonne had radioed Jesus and I to talk about them and how she didn't think it was wise to let them in.

I knew what she meant and I would've felt the same way, but seeing how many of us Rick brought in, even when he didn't fully trust us yet, made me realise that everyone should be given a chance.

I walked around the compound, admiring the new people's hard work they were putting in to guarding, building and help others in this place.

I smiled and waved to each one of them, it felt so good to save people from the world outside our doors.

Maybe that was my inner Saviour coming out, though I would never admit it to anyone.

My main priority right now was Michonne.

I just hoped to God that she didn't hate me for my decision.

I mean, even though we were technically leaders of two different communities, we were still together as a family, all of us were.

With the expansion of the house and the other cottages going well and everything was on track, I felt like I could step away for a day because I needed to speak to Mich in person.

I told Jesus and Tara, said goodbye to them both, essentially putting Tara in charge while I was away and I set off for Alexandria.

I had brought with me the bag that I packed at the Sanctuary for Negan, knowing that I would see him.

I thought it would feel strange to keep flitting from one home to the next but I had done that for years now, even when I was at the Sanctuary, my home was never just one place.

When driving, I tried to keep my focus on the task at hand which was Michonne, but I kept drifting uncontrollably to thoughts of seeing Negan again.

I was somewhat excited to tell him about the Sanctuary and how relieved I felt afterwards.

But, I knew how touchy Michonne was about me visiting him too often so I had to keep it a secret, as much as I possibly could.

When I reached the gates I got off my bike and handed it to someone to chain up, then walked straight through to Michonne's house.

I knocked on the door and was surprised when it was Judith who answered.

'Hi Auntie Molly!' she said excitedly.

'Hey sweetheart, do you know where your mom is?' I asked confusedly.

She sighed sadly.

'She's out in the fields, I'm not allowed to go with her because I'm grounded' she said rolling her eyes which made me chuckle.

I smiled and asked 'what for this time?'.

'She told me to stop talking to Negan, but you do? So I don't get it' she shouted.

I nodded and looked down sadly.

'Your mom just wants to keep you safe' I said softly.

'Negan would never hurt me' she said sternly.

I smiled weakly at her faith in him.

'I know that. But for your mom's sake just do as she asks. Do you promise?' I said crouching down and holding out my pinky for her to swear.

'I promise' she said hesitantly as she grabbed my pinky with hers and smiled.

I said goodbye to Judith and walked towards the fields when I realised that now would be the best time to sneak down and see Negan.

I squinted my eyes to see Michonne in the distance, her back faced away from me.

I hopped down the steps and Seth automatically opened the door for me.

I was surprised by this, thinking that Michonne would've cracked down on visitors by now.

I walked in, carrying the bag from the Sanctuary and smiled when I saw him faced away from me, looking out of the small window.

'Hey there' I said sweetly which made him turn around smiling when he heard my voice.

'Hey there yourself' he replied still smiling like a cheshire cat.

'Told ya I'd be back soon and here I am' I said propping the bag down by my feet.

'You seem good, better actually' he said happily.

I nodded and said 'yeah, you've probably guessed that I went to the Sanctuary'.

He smiled and looked down, hands in his pockets.

'Yep, you okay?' he asked seriously as the smile now turned to a straight lipped look of concern.

'I am. I won't say that it wasn't hard being back there, but, I feel more alive now in a way. I saw...him. He was chained to that fence and I just felt such relief knowing that he couldn't hurt me. Not anymore. I walked right up to him and I knew that it wouldn't hurt him being technically dead and all but I decapitated every inch of his body, leaving only his head. I wouldn't give him that mercy' I said, almost smiling with vengeance on my lips.

Negan seemed entranced by my attitude.

I could tell by his facial expression that he was both proud and also a little scared.

'Hot damn, Molly. God, I love you you know that' he said nonchalantly as he paced around his cell, stopping after a few seconds when he realised what he'd just said.

We both avoided each other's gaze and Negan hastily changed the conversation.

He walked closer to the bars and frowned.

'What's in the bag?' he asked with a quizzical brow raised.

'Oh, I uh brought you some of your things from the Sanctuary' I said as I crouched down and unzipped the bag, passing him the possessions one by one.

'My jacket' he said smiling as he lifted it up to the ray of sunlight to admire it in all its glory.

'I always loved that on you' I said softly as he smirked and placed it on his bed.

'My pillow', he said chuckling as he smooshed it around in his hands.

He smelled something and held it against his nose, closing his eyes and inhaling.

'It smells of you' he said smirking.

'I may or may not have lay on it a couple times' I revealed as I still avoided his gaze and blushed slightly.

'Now, these two are more for passing the time' I added, lifting out his book and the bottle of bourbon which made him gasp and chuckle.

'You know me so well' he said smiling.

'Uh huh' I answered as I bit my lip.

His smile now faded to seriousness again.

'Thank you, Molly. You always were the better half of me, far more compassionate than I ever was' he said sweetly.

I smirked and said 'well, I do remember you being pretty compassionate in other ways'.

He instantly caught my meaning and raised his eyebrows.

'I remember that too, hell I dream about that every damn night' he said.

I was so close to opening that damn door and kissing him again right then and there but Michonne came storming in and that stopped all sentiment.

'Hi, Mich' I said turning around to see her standing furiously by the door.

'Molly' she said and ushered me out.

I smiled at Negan before I left which I was certain Michonne had seen.

'What?' I asked as I folded my arms and stood on the grass in front of her.

'Did you talk to Judith about Negan?' she asked sternly.

'What? No. I-I told her to ask you first, but Michonne she's just as headstrong as Carl was' I answered softly.

'I know' she said sighing.

'Can I ask you something? Have I changed?' she asked sadly.

I sighed.

'We all have, Michonne' I said as I pulled her into a hug.

'I know you don't wanna trust the new people, but I believe in them' I said seriously.

She nodded, 'Rick would've done the same' she said smiling as she reminisced.

'Yeah, he did the same for me and Tara. You both did' I said as tears formed in my eyes as I smiled.

'Yeah. But what do I do about Judith?' she said defeatedly.

'I know you wanna protect her from all this, but she has to learn on her own. Make her feel like she's being heard and she'll listen' I said softly as I wiped the tears from her eyes.

'At the end of the day, we all just wanna feel like we belong, especially in this damn world' I said softly as she held my hands.

She nodded as she pulled herself back into my arms.

I felt Michonne physically releasing all that tension she had been carrying for so long and I was so glad she felt that she could confide in me.

But, as much as I tried to stay present in that moment, my mind couldn't help but wander to the thought that Negan was probably listening in on our conversation and maybe subconsciously I was talking about Negan belonging instead of Judith.

~Hey guys! Chapter 26 is out now :) Molly is in a dark place as she feels completely alone, little does she know that there is always light at the end of the tunnel...I hope everyone is having a good week and chapter 27 will be out on Sunday. Love y’all <3~

Molly is feeling isolated and out of place being back with her family. Will she be able to find peace within herself and the others?

I was home, straight back to cold, damp darkness.

It was silent for the most part, sometimes I heard footsteps on the grass outside.

But, the sun didn't shine on me now for a reason.

They all hated me.

Tara looked at me like she never had before, no anger, no sadness just shock, like I was a complete stranger.

I can't describe that feeling, it wasn't simple loneliness or guilt, I felt as though I had no place in world where my two feet on the ground were solid.

I had once thought that the Sanctuary was my home and by extension Negan but now thinking about that place, it just felt estranged to me.

Now, the exact same feeling was felt for this place.

I shivered when the cool breeze zipped through the bars, though I had always preferred the cold to the raging heat of  Virginia.

It was bad for me to be alone, as in darkness I tended to dwell on my deepest thoughts.

I couldn't cry anymore, a part of me thought that there were just no tears left.

I was numb.

I was numb to physical emotion, but that didn't mean that my emotions didn't still overwhelm me.

Memories of Negan flashed through my mind when I rubbed my neck, now sore from the hard floor.

His lips, his kisses, his warm hands, everything.

I clenched my fists and sighed in frustration.

How could I let myself become so naive, so stupid?!

When I touched my chest, where my locket had once sat, I thought of Tara and how losing the locket had actually predicted how I would lose her.

She had every right to hate me though, as did Maggie, as did Rosita, I had failed them all.

My own weak emotions had overwhelmed me, maybe that's what caused Simon to... I couldn't finish that thought.

I couldn't make myself go back there, to that space.

Suddenly, the main door squeaked open and I jumped up to my feet, squinting my eyes to see who it was.

Jesus.

He walked over to me and without a word he unlocked and opened the cell door.

I stood in front of him as he just looked me over as if I was unrecognisable.

He looked down as he said quietly, 'Rick wants you at Alexandria, it's probably best for you know...'.

I just nodded.

He held my arm gently as he guided me up the stairs and out into the sunlight.

It beamed down on my face, but this time that fresh grass smell had subsided and there was no Tara to embrace me.

Instead as we walked towards the gates, there she stood, next to Maggie and Rosita.

She had a hopeful look in her eye which was almost a smile as she tried to walk towards me.

She must have thought that I was being released, but the realisation hit when Rick and Michonne came to lead me to their car.

Everyone else just stared at me in awe and almost fear.

'Look at her!' they must have said.

'That's the girl that slept with Negan!' they must have whispered to each other.

Maggie looked at me once before walking back inside, she couldn't even stand the sight of me.

I looked around at everyone and only bowed my head down once Tara backed away.

Once I was in the car, it was silence again.

None of us knowing what to say to each other, although I could always tell when Rick wanted to say something.

He kept glancing at me through the mirror as he drove with a slight scowl as if he was both proud yet hurt by my actions.

I knew exactly what he wanted to ask, but none of them could ever understand because none of them knew him like I did.

That's how they hated him, they only saw the man who killed members of our family and not the man who cares for his people and does everything to keep them safe.

I looked away from his glance as I watched the endless forest zip past my window with the occasional walker stumbling through.

I hadn't been to Alexandria for a long time yet seeing those gates again and the beautiful sign that read:

                             Welcome to the Alexandria Safe Zone

                                           Mercy for the lost

                                   Vengeance for the plunderers

We pulled up as Aaron drew back the gates. 

It wasn't the place I remembered anymore. Hardly anyone had guns and there were very little supplies, all down to Negan I gathered.

Aaron didn't say a word to me but just scowled, Rick must have told them.

Michonne told Rick she was going to check on Carl and Judith while he put me in my new cell.

When we walked to the house with a basement cell, I looked over to my old house, right next to Tara and Denise's.

It looked untouched, perfect almost, I wondered if Negan and his Saviours had taken anything from it.

Rick told me to sit in the chair while he went to check on the others, little did I know that I would soon have company.

I waited for a while and when I got bored of sitting I stood up and paced around the small room.

There was a little window with bars across it which gave more light than at Hilltop.

I was thankful for it.

Hearing people walk past, children playing, it made me recall what I loved about this place.

A few weeks later...

I rested my arms against the window entranced by the outside when a figure bounded down the stairs and said 'How could you?'.

I turned around to see Aaron, a scowl across his face and his hands on his hips.

I sighed, saying 'Aaron, I don't know what Rick has told you, but either way please know that I'm sorry'.

He scoffed, 'did Rick tell you what your boyfriend did to mine, he got Eric killed' he said, his face reddening now with rage.

I looked down in shock.

'You didn't know? But you knew about Spencer and Olivia, yet you still fell for the bastard?!' he said sternly.

I looked at him and nodded.

'Yeah and that guilt will live with me for the rest of my life. I am sorry about Eric, if I had stayed at the Sanctuary longer, maybe I could've helped...' I said sadly.

He saw the guilt and self-hatred in my eyes and his scowl now turned to a frown of pity.

'I don't blame you nor do I hate you. You're family and Eric loved you like a sister. Rick's only told us your part in the matter, not what you went through' he said softly.

I gulped at knowing what I might tell him.

'Not all of it was dark, the lighter moments were with Negan. But, in that place, there were far worse people than him' I said quietly.

Aaron stepped forward and opened the cell door to sit with me.

'Molly, I-I don't know what you went through there, but you've gotta know that Negan is an evil person. Rick said you told him he 'saved' you. How?' he asked sternly.

I looked away from him, I had to tell someone, I couldn't let it control me anymore.

I had wanted Tara to be the first, but she wasn't here for me.

I inhaled as my focus shifted to his gaze.

'A man tried to rape me when I got to the Sanctuary and Negan killed him before he could. But the next time...he just wasn't fast enough' I said slowly.

Aaron was taken aback as he just stared at me, open mouthed and frowned.

'Molly, I-I am so sorry that happened to you' he said trying to reach forward.

I lept up and moved towards the window.

'Yeah well, no one else knows so just keep it to yourself. Please' I said warningly.

'But if you told Rick then-' he said pleadingly.

I spun around in anger.

'Then what Aaron? They would feel sorry for me? I'm not a fucking victim, I don't need to be coddled. I deserve to be in here because I am guilty, I'm guilty of making a bad decision. But you know what? By that fact, everyone else should be in here with me, especially Rick, because he's made some terrible fucking decisions over the years' I said sternly.

I scoffed at him as he just stood there, wide eyed and surprised.

'You all say that I'm in here because I slept with the enemy, but I know the truth...it's because I'm now a threat. I'm an 'unknown' and you all don't know what to do with me because I've been on both sides. Oh, and apparently even though I didn't commit Negan's crimes, I'm still guilty of them by association and you all were so quick to judge me even though you're supposed to be my family. So thank you by the way! Now fuck off Aaron' I shouted before I turned back around to look out of the window.

He was stunned into silence at my speech and just walked out and back up the stairs.

I sighed in relief as that was the first time I had expressed my true feelings without guilt.

It wasn't until sunset when Rick came back to visit me.

He brought some dinner with him, a plate made up of bread, tomatoes and mushed vegetables.

I was starving so I grabbed the food off him and ate it in two seconds flat.

He raised his eyebrows and almost smirked as he sat down in front of me.

'Aaron told me he visited you' he said quietly.

I just rolled my eyes in response as I wiped my mouth and sat down.

'Can we not do this, because you don't give a shit about what I have say nowadays' I said sternly.

He sighed and looked down as he removed his hatchet and guns from his holster and set them onto the floor so he was more comfortable.

'I'm sorry Molly. Aaron didn't tell me what happened to you but I know it was bad. I love you, you know that. You're my family, my sister' he started to say.

'I didn't think about what it must have been like for you, being there. Thank you for what you did for us, if it weren't for you then some of us wouldn't be here. But, Molly, you have to know that Negan has to die' he said softly.

I inhaled, saying 'yeah I know'.

'You're okay with that? Because I need you firmly on my side, our side' he said pleadingly.

'I have to be okay. But just know, that I would do anything for this family. It's true, I fell for Negan but family comes first, always' I said as I grabbed his hand and took it in mine.

He smiled and nodded.

'Alright, welcome back' he said as he stood and handed me my gun and knives.

I smirked in surprise as I took them and put them in my holster.

He walked up the stairs as I just stood there in awe. 'Well, you comin' or what?' he said smirking.

I chuckled and followed him up the stairs. It felt good to be back...

Carl's POV//

After seeing Michonne and handing her Judith, I told her I was going to help with the crops but really I was sneaking out.

I climbed the steel wall and hopped over, flinging my rucksack over as I went.

I just needed to be outside, kill something, anything.

I felt trapped and hopeless with Negan ruling our life.

No one noticed when I left, so I knew that I could just stay in the woods for a couple hours then go back.

Enid and I loved these woods, it reminded me of when she kissed me before she went away to live at Hilltop.

Maggie needed her to help her with the baby and being at Alexandria reminded her of Glenn.

I heard walkers snarling behind me so I readied my blade and managed to kill them, one by one.

It was easy enough so I got comfortable.

I wandered aimlessly, seeing some of the stakes my dad had put down to trap walkers.

A walker was staked through the middle as it growled and grunted when a man came up behind it and killed it.

He looked like he was alone.

'Hey' I said.

'My dad put those down' I continued as I slowly walked towards the man.

He looked startled and nervous.

'I'm Carl' I said as he pointed to himself and said 'Siddiq'.

I held out a bag containing a sandwich and a bottle of water and said 'food and water'.

He tilted his head and asked 'why?'.

'My mom told me that you always gotta do whats right, I wanna help you' I said smiling at him.

I chucked the bag over to him which he lunged for as he ripped it open and chugged the water down.

'Thanks' he managed as he sat on the ground.

'Glad I found you' I said smiling.

'Me and my dad, we're in a community' I said softly, he looked up once I mentioned it.

'I'm gonna ask you a few questions and I need you to answer honestly okay?' I said as I walked towards him further.

He stood up and nodded.

'How many walkers have you killed? I know it's hard to keep track bu-' I started to ask before he interrupted.

'237' he said hastily.

'How many people have you killed?' I asked sceptically.

'One' he answered sadly.

'Why?' I followed up with.

'The dead tried to kill him but...they didn't' he said sadly.

I just nodded.

'Come with me' I said as I walked in front.

He followed me as we walked back to Alexandria.

There were a group of walkers feasting on a deer carcass when we approached them.

'Okay, follow me' I said as we moved slowly around the trees towards them.

The walkers sensed us, got up and walked towards us.

I killed one, as did Siddiq but more came, more than we expected.

Siddiq struggled and said 'just go! you don't have to help me'.

I mumbled 'no' as a walker tackled me to the ground.

It's teeth gnashed against my face as Siddiq managed to kill his walker alongside one more.

The walker growled and gnashed inches from my flesh before sinking its teeth briefly into my stomach.

He got rid of one which was heading my way just as I managed to grab my gun from my pocket and kill it.

I was bit.

I climbed up to my feet, hiding my bite with my shirt and came over to Siddiq.

'Okay?' he asked.

'Yeah' I said breathlessly.

'You could've left...' he said quietly.

'I'm responsible for you now. That's how it works' I said now looking at him.

'I don't wanna make any trouble. Your dad won't want anything to do with me' he said nervously.

'Sometimes kids have to find their own way to show their parents the way' I said as I winced at the pain and kept walking.

Siddiq following me closely behind.

When we got back, my dad was out with a couple others but Michonne was still there with Judith.

I couldn't tell her or my dad, not yet.

I now had a timer on my life and I had to make memories for Judith so she would remember me.

I smiled ordinarily at Michonne when I walked in and played with Judith in her room.

We made shapes of our hands with paint and she drew pictures of us together.

Tears formed in my eyes as I realised I would never see her grow old.

While she played and laughed with her toys, I got out some paper and a pen from her toy box and wrote some letters.

I wrote one to my dad, Michonne, Judith, Enid and Negan.

With Negan's I asked him to stop the fight and with everyone else's I thanked them for being there for me.

Siddiq was taken in and being a doctor, my dad accepted him when I got back.

He lectured and scolded me but was proud of me when he learned what I did.

~Hey guys! Chapter 31 is out now :) Molly decides to return to Alexandria in the hope that both Alexandria and Negan have changed for the better... I hope everyone is good and enjoying Save Me so far <3~

After two years since Molly had arrived at Hilltop, it was time to ask for forgiveness from others and also from herself. She had beaten herself up so much for her relationship with Negan that it was changing her, but she just had to realise that she's only human and people make 'mistakes'. But...was Negan a mistake?

I could tell that Tara didn't believe me when I swore to her that I didn't love him anymore.

I don't think I believed me either.

But it wasn't about me anymore or him, it was about Maggie.

She needed to know that Glenn had justice and Negan's happiness could never happen, which meant neither could mine.

Maggie and I had talked since Negan was locked up but she hadn't forgiven me, and I needed her forgiveness now more than ever.

I had planned to return to Alexandria soon and I needed to know she trusted me before I left.

I wouldn't see Negan at all when I came home and I needed Maggie to believe me.

'Hey, Maggie can we talk?' I said as I saw her walking out of the house.

She smiled at me and replied, 'yeah of course, the crops are looking great!' as she shielded her eyes from the sun.

I smiled and chuckled lightly.

'Yeah, well that's thanks to your great leadership! Anyway, I wanted to let you know that I'll be going back to Alexandria tomorrow', I said.

Her smile faded slowly now.

'Promise you'll come back one day, I have a question to ask you when you do' she said mysteriously.

She nodded looking down and added 'I'll miss you, so will Herschel. Be careful'.

I pulled her in for a hug and said 'don't worry, I'll be fine'.

'It's not you i'm worried about...' she said warningly.

'I won't go near him, I promise' I said as I started to walk away.

She sighed sadly and not being able to hold it in any longer.

I spun back around and asked softly 'do you hate me for what happened with-'.

'I could never hate you, you're my sister, my family. I want him dead, you know that. But, between us, there's nothing to forgive' she said smiling weakly.

I just nodded, feeling a weight lifted off my shoulders.

'I'll see you soon' I said as I waved back at her and little Herschel who came running out of the house to say goodbye.

I was sad to leave, a wave of anxiety flooded my body as I imagined being back at Alexandria.

Tara was gonna stay at Hilltop, she was helping Jesus and Maggie lead and she was practically made for that sort of thing.

It ran in our family.

I said my goodbyes to everyone, including Tara and told her to be careful and tell Cindy how she felt.

'Do what you have to do, but remember who he is and who he's always been' Tara whispered in my ear as she hugged me.

She practically predicted my thoughts, before I had even acknowledged them myself.

I nodded into the crook of her neck and wiped her tears.

As I walked to the gates, where Tara had brought my motorcycle round, I turned back to her and held my locket in my hands as she did the same.

It gave me a sense of comfort to have her with me.

I hadn't opened it since I was at Alexandria.

I swung my legs over the bike and strapped on my helmet and leather jacket.

I opened the locket to reveal Tara and Negan in my heart.

I looked at his face, then shut it quickly trying to block him from my mind.

I started up the engine and then I was gone.

It only took a few hours to get there as I took the bridge route.

I zoomed straight across the wooden planks, it was looking good.

There were some workers on the bridge, I swerved around them as they shouted 'Molly!' in glee.

I raised my hand to say 'hi' as I passed them all.

Unfortunately, after the bridge there were walkers blocking the road, only four or five of them but I couldn't just jump them or mow them down.

I approached them, accelerating and pulled out my gun and shot each one, there was one left when I passed them.

I took one hand off the handle and twisted around and popped a bullet in the last one.

I chuckled at my badassery.

I was excited to surprise everyone so I didn't tell Rick or Michonne when I was coming home.

I pulled up at the gates to see Eugene, 'Molly!' he yelled as they pulled open the gates and I drove through.

Rosita and Michonne rushed over to me as I hopped off the bike.

They grinned and pulled me in for a hug, 'We've missed you' Michonne said as she rubbed my back.

Judith ran closely behind, she was walking now.

I gasped and placed a hand to my mouth, 'Judith?' I said looking at her then at Michonne.

Michonne lifted her up and kissed her on her forehead as I tickled her.

'She's missed her Auntie Molly' Michonne said as Judith giggled away.

Rick came round the corner and smiled as he saw us all laughing together.

'Hey Rick' I said as I hugged him.

'You didn't say you were coming home?' he said smiling.

'I know, I wanted to surprise y'all. Alexandria looks perfect!' I said to Rick as I spun around, admiring every inch of the compound.

It was like before, but better.

The windmill was constructed and the houses were rebuilt.

Rick nodded, agreeing as he said 'yeah'.

He held my hand as I said sincerely, 'Carl would be so proud'.

I could tell how much that meant to him, all of this was, after all, for Carl.

Negan's POV//

I was just having a nap as my eyes fell heavy when I heard the commotion outside.

A loud engine, sounding like a motorbike pulled up and people were running to the gates and screaming happily.

I stretched and walked over to the window to see Rick, Michonne and Rosita all smiling at someone.

I couldn't see who, but my heart pounded out of my chest when the realisation it.

She was home, she was near me again.

None of them told me whether she was okay, so I hadn't had any news of her for two years.

I sighed a long sigh when I felt a weight lift from my shoulders, she was safe.

Michonne had asked me to leave her be, let her move on and I had to make her hate me to do that.

It was better for her to hate me and to be safe than to love me and die.

Then I saw her.

She walked with Rick, hand in hand, as he showed her around the new builds.

Why the fuck were they holding hands?!

I gripped the bars and glared at them.

She looked happy, the sunlight lit up her face as a breeze made her hair dance in the wind.

God she was fucking beautiful.

She never looked my way.

My eyes smiled as I saw her smile but that quickly disappeared when I thought she might have forgotten about me.

I had spent two years thinking over every single fucking thing that I did.

It was exhausting.

But mostly I forced myself to remember what I did to Molly and what I put her through back then, if only she could see that I'd changed.

Losing the love of my life, my home, my people, it made me realise that all of that shit was on me.

If you don't protect what you love, sooner or later someone will take it from you.

I thought about the Sanctuary, how run down it must be now and probably full of walkers and shit.

I thought about my lovely Lucille which Michonne took from me when I was brought here.

Most of all, when I lost Molly it felt like I had died inside.

Like my first wife, Lucille, I hurt her and screwed around on her and now I had done the same to Molly.

I never thought that I could feel like that again but then in came Molly Chambler, bulldozing her way into my life and my mind.

She was the only one who knew me for me and actually loved me regardless and I fucked shit up.

After two years, enough was enough. I couldn't take it anymore.

I had to see her and I would do whatever it took to make that happen, even if it was just to apologise to her, I just wanted to hear her voice.

~Hey guys! Chapter 36 is out today :) I hope everyone is doing well and excited for this one! Love y’all~

This was a time of healing and growth for everyone, including Negan. Molly had always known him to be a good man inside, but would he be able to show the others?

Two months later...

'You were right...' Rick said softly as he held my hand.

'I should have listened to you, I guess I just couldn't until now' he continued.

I just nodded and smiled, 'are you sure about this?' I asked nervously.

He let go of my hand as he placed both on my shoulders.

'Yes and you will lead them' he said proudly.

He started to walk away, back across the streets of Alexandria when I shouted after him, 'me?'

'The Sanctuary needs a strong leader Molly, if we're gonna do this right' he replied as he smiled softly and went towards the gates.

I just stood stock still and watched him as he walked away.

Was I ready for this?

I felt honoured that he trusted me in that way, especially considering that the majority of those moving to the Sanctuary would be ex-Saviours.

Yet, I was unsure, I hadn't been back there in years and I had no idea how it would feel.

I had suppressed old memories, the bad ones, for so long but when I go to the Sanctuary, I know I will be forced to face them.

But, I had to do this, for Rick, for Carl and his dream, for myself and even for Negan.

I thought about how he would feel about all this.

I knew he would heartbroken, to see another leader in his former home but I hoped that he would find some solace in the fact that he trusted me and knows how much I valued that place.

I told Rick that I would consider it, which upset him slightly knowing that I might not give him the answer that he wanted and needed for enacting Carl's vision.

But I had to be honest with him and myself about who I was.

I had always thought myself brave and confident but after everything these past years, I'm not sure that I'm the same person anymore and as much as I wanted to lead that place.

I knew in my heart that I just wasn't ready.

It wasn't about Negan or the Saviours that made me decline Rick's offer, it was about me and what happened to me there.

Still to this day, only Negan, Aaron and Tara knew and I wanted to tell Rick but I knew in my heart that if he found out, he would go straight for Negan and blame him.

So, I couldn't tell him but I knew he would want an explanation so I told him I would lead eventually, but right now we needed to focus on what we already have, not what will eventually come in a few years time.

Now, looking back, I wish I had told Rick everything...

The day of reckoning came.

There was a hoard of walkers, larger and more vast than we'd ever seen before.

They were heading straight for Alexandria and their sheer force and numbers alone would wipe out us all, so we had to create a diversion.

We all split up and tried different tactics, blasted music from our trucks, set off explosions, set up reflective objects.

None of them worked well enough.

We killed many of them and were heading back towards the bridge to recuperate when we saw him.

Rick was stumbling across the bridge, his hand on his gun and his other on a deep wound to his stomach that seemed to stain his entire shirt red.

Daryl spotted him first, he was only a few paces in front of the hoard now.

Once Daryl had alerted the rest of us, we sprinted towards him to help, Michonne screamed out for him.

Daryl and I shot arrows at the closest walkers to Rick to buy some time, Rick just looked at us pleadingly, asking us not to waste our time.

He knew he was going to die.

We all grouped up, shooting walkers that came too close.

The bridge wouldn't hold, we all knew that now.

Once all of the walkers were on the bridge, Rick pointed his gun at an explosives box on the bridge and blew it up.

A loud bang and a large cloud of fire and ash surrounded the place where Rick once stood.

Michonne tried to run towards it but Maggie and I held her back.

'Rick!' she screamed in pain.

Tears rolled down my cheeks as the bridge was completely destroyed and rows upon rows of walkers lit by flames dropped into the river and floated down stream.

I whispered with deflation a soft 'no' as the smoke started to clear and Rick was gone.

Michonne couldn't bear to look and we just escorted her home while Daryl and I searched for Rick.

There was some comfort in not being able to find his body.

I don't know whether this was false hope but right now we needed any form of hope.

We searched for weeks on end, from dawn to dusk.

The only thing we found was Rick's gun, slightly buried in mud by the river.

We cleaned it off and brought it to Michonne to keep.

Some days were better than others but when the rest of us had to carry on, Daryl just couldn't.

'Daryl, we've looked, there's nothing out there' I said softly as I grabbed his arm.

'You don't know that' he growled as he walked towards the gates.

'No, I don't. But, what I do know is that Michonne needs both of us here right now' I replied sternly.

'Tell her I've gone out' he replied as he pulled open the gates and stormed out, crossbow slung over his shoulder.

I sighed and rubbed my forehead.

I chased after him, grabbing my bow from where it hung on the tree next to the gate and slung it over my shoulder.

'Daryl!' I shouted as he continued to storm out ahead.

I sighed as he didn't take any notice, 'Daryl!' I yelled again as I finally caught up to him and spun him around to face me.

We were now surrounded by trees, in the thick of the forest.

'What?' he retorted.

'I'm sorry, you were right. We can't give up, so I'm coming with you' I said softly, he just grunted.

I rolled my eyes.

'Don't do that okay? Talk to me, we've know each other for so long' I stated, he just stared at me.

'He ain't dead' he said hoarsely as he turned back around and marched through the grass.

'Daryl...' I said sadly.

'He ain't dead!' he yelled tearfully as he turned back around to face me.

His face now bunched up into a scowl as he marched back towards me, pointing and yelling, talking at me sideways like he used to.

'Why you even here, huh? You gave up! Just like the rest...not me! I mean, maybe I could've done somethin' he started yelling at me which turned into a soft cry.

There he stood in front of me, his tears flowed down his face as I just silently pulled my arms around him as he did the same.

Both of us, now holding each other just sobbed.

I didn't get it back then, but Daryl needed to keep looking for Rick for himself, he had to stay busy otherwise he would break down.

I stroked his hair away from his eyes, 'listen to me, we will find him...' I said softly as he wiped away my tears with his thumb.

I smiled weakly at his gesture and just held him once more.

I didn't know whether we would ever see Rick again, but I felt content in knowing that this was what he would've wanted, all of us together as a family, holding each other.

Six years later...

Alexandria was complete, or so it was in my eyes.

We had all come together to create Carl's dream and now it was also Rick's.

There were white washed houses with porches to match, a large armoury, fields of crops, hydroelectricity, watch towers for surveillance.

It was everything we desired, it was a self-sufficient dream land.

Michonne was doing well, she now led us at Alexandria, whether she knew that then or not.

She became pregnant after Rick's death and had her beautiful baby RJ (Rick Jr.) nine months later.

She was now a mother of two, Judith and RJ and I was their Auntie.

Daryl still went out searching for Rick, but a lot less frequently and I joined him on occasion.

Carol was still at the Kingdom where she also now had a family with Ezekiel and their adopted son Henry.

Gabriel, Aaron, Siddiq, Laura and Diane were all members of the council led by Michonne.

We were rebuilding civilisation and this would be a period of equality and fairness where our previous alignments didn't matter.

The Sanctuary remained a ruin. When Rick died, none of us felt like we could continue with that project, least of all me.

Tara was at Oceanside with Cindy where they now lived together, I was so proud of her.

In the past six years, Negan and I continued our talks in his cell as Michonne now allowed me to visit him whenever I liked.

I wasn't sure about it before but he had changed and for the better.

Every time I saw him, he seemed lighter than before like he was almost content with his situation.

I can't say that he was upset by Rick's death but he was saddened for our community and Michonne who he'd spoke to over the years.

Yet, even after these visits, Michonne still didn't believe he had changed and still pursued her opinion that I should keep my distance but also acknowledged that she couldn't stop me.

I wish I could say that we accidentally brushed hands on the bars of his cell or that he flirted with me endlessly but he didn't.

Every time we talked, it was deep and meaningful but nothing that screamed 'I love you'.

I know we had been getting to know each other again, so that we could start our relationship again but fuck it was hard just being in the same room as him and not doing anything.

I just wondered whether he still felt the same.

One night, once it was dark out and I was sufficiently drunk on homemade wine, I snuck across the street to the cell.

I tiptoed down the stairs and met Seth.

'Molly?' he asked tiredly.

'Hey Seth, I'm gonna need your keys' I said confidently and slightly stumbling on my words.

'I don't think I-' he started to say.

'Seth, Michonne granted me access at all times' I replied as I beckoned him to hand them over.

'A-Are you drunk?' he asked hesitantly.

'No' I said shaking my head for longer than necessary as I grabbed his keys and dismissed him.

I opened the door and locked it shut behind me, slightly stumbling over a brick that was concealed by the dark.

'Ooh' I shouted as I tripped which was followed by a alcohol infused giggle.

I heard Negan shift in his bed as he sat up suddenly and said, 'Molly?' as he stroked his beard.

God he looked so sexy when he did that.

I ignored his words and proceeded to his cell and fumbled through the keys to unlock the door.

He stood up and stretched.

'Molly?' he said hoarsely as he squinted in confusion.

It was only when he saw what I was doing that he said 'Wha?' which was all he managed before I swung open the door and pressed my lips to his.

I felt his hands drift to my waist as I pulled off my jacket and wrapped my hands around his neck.

At first he was taken aback by the kiss but within a split second I felt his lips move against mine hungrily like we'd been starved of each other for years.

His hands on my waist travelled up to cup my face in his hands as he deepened the kiss in between growls and moans.

He slipped his tongue between my lips to playfully graze my own as I pushed my body closer to his and ran my fingers through his hair.

He now pulled me in even closer till we were perfectly intertwined and wrapped his arms tightly around my waist, keeping me there.

I pushed us forward till his ankles hit the side of the bed, forcing him to sit on its edge.

I pulled myself down onto him till I was straddling his thighs.

I heard him audibly moan and felt his eyebrows furrow as I started to grind on top of him.

His kiss abruptly ended when he pulled his face away from mine and gazed at me with his hands still cupping my face.

I just stared back at him questioningly, while his eyes darted between my own.

'Are you drunk?' he asked half amused.

'A little' I answered as my hands still roamed through his hair.

He rubbed my cheek, drawing circles with his thumb.

'You're inebriated. I'm not gonna take advantage of you Molly' he whispered softly.

'Why not?' I whined as I started to press light kisses against his neck.

He exhaled and chuckled, 'Molly, when you're sober I will gladly sleep with you' he said smirking as his hands drifted to my ass.

I seemed to sober up at his words and found myself coming to my senses.

I jumped up before he could touch me and stood before him, admiring my effect on him as I saw his straining bulge.

'Well, you'll be waiting a long time because you won't get this chance again' I said tauntingly as I placed a hand on my hip.

He looked up and chuckled, saying 'you wanna bet?'.

I turned on my heels, locked his door behind me as he called after me, 'you'll be practically begging me darlin'.

I smirked at his calling me 'darlin' again as I walked out of the cell and handed the keys back to Seth.

The following morning, I awoke feeling like shit. I had drunk so much wine which left me with a banging headache.

I took some aspirin with water when I ate my breakfast as I recalled the night before.

Fuck.

I had kissed him.

No, it was worse than that, I was practically grinding on him and begging him to sleep with me.

I slapped my forehead.

'I'm such an idiot' I said out loud as I sat in just a t-shirt.

When I went upstairs to have a shower and get dressed for the day, I spotted Judith sitting outside Negan's cell, she was reading and laughing.

I squinted in confusion as I realised she was talking to Negan.

Michonne would have killed me if she was here but she had gone to visit Maggie at Hilltop for the day.

I flung on new clothes and marched downstairs and over to where she was sat.

'Hi Auntie Molly' she greeted smiling widely at me, I waved and smiled at her as I plunked myself down onto the step she was sitting on.

'Whatcha up to?' I asked as she passed me the book she was reading, it read: Advanced Mathematics.

'Wow, you are one smart cookie, huh?', I said admiring some of the equations which I used to know so well.

'Could you help me with my homework, Negan didn't know some of these' she said softly as she pointed to the questions on the page.

I looked to the side to see Negan's window which was wide open.

I looked up from the book and shut it, placing it to one side as I shifted to focus on her.

She took off her sheriff's hat that had once been Rick's and then Carl's and swept her long brown hair out of her face.

'Judith, are you sure that your mom would be okay with you talking to Negan?' I asked softly.

She just looked at me questioningly and said 'uh huh'.

'You go down there all the time, why can't I?' she replied.

I hesitated and exhaled, saying 'well, because...'.

She stood up and grabbed her book and hat, 'he's not the monster you all think he is!' she shouted.

'Just ask your mom next time okay?' I pleaded.

Judith sighed and said 'this is bullshit' as she walked back to their house.

I just sat there watching her walk away in complete surprise.

Shit, I really had to watch what I said around her.

Michonne would have killed me if she heard that.

I sat on the steps, feeling the wind whip through my hair as I heard a faint chuckle coming from inside the cell.

I sighed and shot up, glided past Seth who automatically opened the door for me now and I stood in front of the bars where Negan was.

'What?' I barked as I folded my arms.

He smirked when he saw me, obviously still thinking about last night.

He rose his eyebrows and shook his head.

'Nothing, it's just that sometimes I think she takes after you more than ol' Ricky or Michonne' he taunted.

I rolled my eyes as he continued, 'she swears like a damn sailor! I love it'.

'Yeah well, guess I'm not cut out for this whole parenting thing' I said chuckling weakly.

'I don't know, I think you'd be a great mom' he answered as he came closer to the bars and brushed his hands over mine.

I was mesmerised for a second, thinking about having children with him when I snapped myself back to reality.

I scoffed and pulled away, saying teasingly 'i'm not gonna sleep with you, Negan'.

He chuckled, saying 'if memory serves, I think you've said that one before'.

I shot him a stern look when I realised that he was right and I walked back out of the cell, hearing his knowing chuckle echo all around me.

Little did I know that soon my Negan problem would take care of itself.

Maggie had met with a woman named Georgie who wanted to invest in Hilltop and said that she believed in the future and wanted Maggie to come to their community to help them rebuild theirs.

It was called the Commonwealth.

Maggie was sceptical at first, as was everyone but they had been so kind in granting us supplies and equipment that she felt she had to go.

She planned to take Herschel with her and be gone for about six months while Jesus ran Hilltop.

Little did I know that she had a question to ask me.

I went to Hilltop for a week to see Maggie and Jesus but when I got there Maggie asked me to stay permanently.

She told me that she had planned to ask me years ago but knew that I wasn't ready back then.

She wanted Jesus and I to lead Hilltop together as we worked really well together.

Jesus was like a brother to me and so it was a complete honour.

I knew in my heart that I had to accept and this wasn't like when Rick had asked me to lead the Sanctuary all those years ago because now I had a clear vision.

Being at Hilltop would mean that I could be closer to Tara at Oceanside, I could continue the agricultural development I had started years ago and I could still go back to Alexandria now and then when I was needed there or when I needed someone else.