Falling

talks

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Robyn sat silently eating her dinner. Although, she was reading more than she was eating. Her boredom was beginning to get the best of her and she was about to leave when Negan walked in.

"Do you know how to knock?" She asked jokingly, tossing her book to the side.

"Watch the attitude missy." Negan said. "I'm proud of you."

"That makes one of us." Robyn muttered looking down at her thumbs. "I hate putting on my mean face."

It was true. She didn't like being mean, Robyn wanted to be as nice as possible. That's what her mom would want. At least, she was pretty sure that's what her mom would want. But she knew she'd also want her to survive, and to fight back against the shit show of a world they were in.

"Sometimes you have to kid." Negan said with a shrug of his shoulders. The short conversation was getting awkward.

"I miss school." She said changing topics. Well, she didn't miss school as much as she missed the activities. Suddenly, running 400's around a track seemed like heaven, even if before the end it was hell. She missed taking pictures. Mostly of her parents, little candid shots had decorated their house and Negan's office at the high school.

"You just miss running." Negan chuckled. He missed watching her improve everyday though. Him being a track coach meant he had the opportunities other parents didn't. "If the world hadn't gone to shit, you would've gone to a fancy high class college. I always knew you would."

"Dad." Robyn groaned.

"It's fuckin true!" Negan patted his daughter on the back. "I knew it right from the moment you ran out the front door bare ass naked when you were two." He got quiet for a moment. "Almost gave your mom a damn heart attack."

Robyn stayed quiet. Getting Negan to talk about Lucille with out her first mentioning her mother wasn't easy. But when he did talk about Lucille, Robyn could listen for hours. She loved her parents love. Even if her dad had cheated. They still worked it out, that's just how they were. She loved how her mother never let her father get away with anything, and she loved how her father stayed strong with her mother when she was diagnosed.

"I wish she was with us." Robyn finally whispered. There was a lot of things she wished for, but her mother was what she wished for most.

"She would've been in pain." Her father tries to reconcile. "But I swear, you look just like her. I'm kind of disappointed I won't be able to chase boys down the street."

With a soft giggle Robyn wrapped her arms around Negan's torso. Negan tensed from the unexpected motion but relaxed and hugged his daughter back. They both cherished the quiet moments with each other the most. When everything was 'calm' and they could take a breather.

"You still can." Robyn says. "But they're already dead." 

"Very funny." Negan said with a monotone voice. Negan takes note of the weathered copy of To Kill a Mockingbird on the gray couch. "You ever get tired of reading the same book over and over?"

"Not really." Robyn shrugs. "It help's that it's one of my favorites." It was also one of Lucille's favorites. It was the first book read to Robyn when she old enough to read.  She felt as if she was closer to her mother and the good times before the end of the world. 

"You want to go out and get some books tomorrow?" Negan asks. 

"But no one owes you anything yet." She objected. She wouldn't take things unnecessarily. 

"Relax, from an actual bookstore." Negan said placing a hand on her shoulder. "Just the two of us, like the good ole days."  

Robyn smiled giving away her answer. One of her favorite things to do with her dad was go to the bookstore and spend an hour or so picking out books. After that they'd go have dinner at a little dinner where everyone knew everyone then go to a football game where Negan would coach and Robyn would stand by her fathers side. Obviously they couldn't go to a football game or diner but its the thought that counts.

"You sure you can leave the sanctuary for a day?" 

"I can do whatever I want Robbie."

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