Redemption - The Walking Dead

Help me make it through the night

Carol leaned on the cold stone wall of Negan's cell and watched as he packed.

"You're really going?"

Negan didn't look up. He was stuffing his clothes into a bag. "Yeah."

"I could talk to Maggie you know? You don't have to go."

"I do. They need the extra muscle."

"Negan."

"Carol." Negan mocked her tone.

They'd had a bit of an argument after Rosita left about why he hadn't told Carol about his trip earlier and Negan was feeling a bit butthurt about the whole thing. He was still convinced he done right by not telling her straight away, and he didn't know it was coming up so soon. He thought he had time.

Carol snapped back at him. "Oh, don't be petty. I'm just trying to look out for you."

Negan sighed and stopped what he was doing. "I know. Look, I'm sorry, I know you're pissed. But I have to do this. You remember the other day with me and Daryl, right? Well, I don't know what he told you but you should know what really happened."

Carol sat down on his bed beside him. She couldn't hide the concern in her voice. "Why? What really happened?"

He continued. "There was this kid talking shit about you, about us. I tried to ignore him but he wouldn't stop. The things that prick was saying..." Negan shook his head. "I got so fucking mad."

Carol squeezed his knee. "Negan, did you–"

"Daryl stopped me." Negan cut in. "I'm lucky he did, 'cos I don't know what I would've done to him. I had a hammer in my hand, Carol."

His fist became clenched as he remembered.

"Then, Daryl told me to leave you alone, that I was no good for you. And you know what? A part of me thought he was right."

"Negan, stop talking like that."

"No. If I even laid a finger on that kid, that would have been it. Carol, I have to do this. I need everyone to trust me so that I can be with you, you know that right? You wanna be together properly? This is how that will work. You gotta let me do this, baby."

Negan moved his hand to cover hers on his knee, he squeezed her fingers. His eyes were pleading with her.

"I need to prove it to them, I need to prove it to myself. I can't change the past but I can sure as shit shape the future."

Carol had a lump in her throat, but she nodded her head. Negan really did see this as an opportunity. She understood it was important to him. "Okay."

"Thank you." He lifted her hand and kissed it. "Now go on home, I'll come over soon."

•••

Daryl was out on the porch smoking when Negan returned. Negan almost walked right past, but he didn't. He stopped right in front of Daryl and looked him dead in the eye.

"So you took me off the fence, huh?"

Daryl shrugged and breathed out a puff of smoke. "Thought that's what you wanted."

Negan stepped closer to him. He leaned down so their foreheads were almost touching. Their eyes locked.

He spoke quietly but his words came out as hard as steel. "Don't be home tonight, Daryl. Give her that at least, since you're taking me away from her in the morning."