| safe and sound | negan (#Wattys2017)

Chapter 13

Immediately Rick, Michonne got up from their seats. "What do we do?" Michonne asked Rick.

Rick glanced over at Eugene, "is he alone?"

"He's with a group go his men, but not as many as there were last time," Eugene replied.

Rick nodded, assuring himself that everything would be fine. "We all act like we don't know anything about Cathy escaping. Y'all hear me?" Everyone except Cathy nodded.

"Rick-" I tried to talk to him, but he was already out the door looking calm as ever.

Michonne turned towards me, "Carl bring her upstairs into your room. If anything happens, find your gun and hide her," she ordered.

Carl helped me up the stairs towards his room. He helped me down onto the bed where I sat up straight ready for anything, as Rick and the others dealt with Negan.

"What do you think will happen if he finds you here?" Carl asked me.

I breathed out, it came in short rattles. I couldn't help being afraid. "He'll take me back to his compound."

"And kill one of us." Carl muttered under his breath.

"No, Carl. I won't let that happen. If he does, I'll...I'll..." I couldn't find any words. what would I do to him if he did murder anyone. What if Michonne was next?. Or Rick? That would make Carl and Judith an orphan. I couldn't let that happen.

"What will you do?" Carl asked, a little harshly.

I cocked my head up so my eyes were directly looking at him. "I'll kill him myself."

*

Negan stood and did nothing as Cathy walked out. He heard multiple doors slam shut and open.

He knew this was hard for her. After everything she's been through, she has been so strong.

Negan eventually pulled up his pants and sat down on the couch. She was a survivor. She has always been an survivor.

Negan recalled the day he lost her, before all this happened. When life wasn't filled with death. All the things Cathy had said were true. At first he did use her, for his own selfish needs, but then he actually did fall in love with her. It wasn't planned or scripted.

Negan closed his eyes and remembered:

"Fuck, Negan, answer me!" Cathy yelled at him again, "who the fuck is Joey?"

Negan sighed and sat down on the couch, his hand went through his hair; a habit of his he did whenever he was stressed. "Cathy, what happened?"

Cathy immediately burst out in anger, like a matchstick igniting. "Well I kept getting phone calls from random people. One being Joey and the other being my fucking father. Now, how does the father who kicked me out my own home know exactly how to ring us when he doesn't even know where I am anymore...oh and also, he knows you. How the fuck does he know who you are, Negan?! And then suddenly I heard a gunshot on the other line of the phone and then I heard Joey speak. How the fuck, Negan does that happen? Huh?!"

Negan sighed deeply. "Please sit down, Cathy. Please," he beckoned her over to the other couch near the single one he was sitting on. Reluctantly she sat down. "Before I tell you...everything. I need you to realise that I love you. So, so much. More than I ever thought I could love someone ever." Negan watched as Cathy's eyes squinted a little.