Beauty and Her Beast (Daryl Dixon Fanfic)

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"It can-it can-it can be me." Rick stuttered. "W-w...you can do it to me. I c-I can go with-with you."

"No." Negan stood. "This is the only way. Rick...pick up the ax. Not making a decision is a big decision. You really want to see all these people die?! You will. You will see every ugly thing. Oh, my god. Are you gonna make me count? Ok, Rick, you win. I am counting. 3!"

Rick started sobbing. "Please! Please! It can be me! Please!"

Negan crouched in front of him. "2!"

"Please, don't do-"

Negan slapped him and grabbed his face. "This is it." He stood up. "1!"

Rick was wailing, he grabbed the axe and held onto Carl's arm. All we could do was watch while Rick was forced to cut his sons arm off. Rick looked at Carl, then raised the axe above his head. Negan crouched next to him again. "Rick..." He lowered his axe. "You answer to me. You provide for me." Rick nodded. "You belong to me, right?" Rick kept nodding frantically.

Negan grabbed his face. Rick looked terrified. "Speak when you're spoken to! You answer to me! Provide for me!"

"Provide for you."

"You belong to me, right?!"

"Right..."

"Right." Negan repeated. He let go of his face, pointing at him. "That...is the look I wanted to see." He stood up, taking Rick's axe. "We did it, all of us, together. Even the dead guys on the ground. Hell, they get the spirit award for sure! Today was a productive damn day! Now, I hope, for all your sake...that you get it now...that you understand how things work. Things have changed. Whatever you had going for you...that is over now." He chuckled. "Ah, Dwight, load him up." He pointed at Daryl.

I sat there, watching with tearful eyes as they loaded a struggling Daryl back into the van. "Daryl..." I whimpered, struggling not to get up and go after him.

"He's got guts...not a little bitch like someone I know. I like him. He's mine now. But you still wanna try something? 'Not today, not tomorrow. Not today, not tomorrow.' I will cut pieces off of..." he trailed off, looking away. "Hell's his name?"

"Daryl." Simon reminded him.

"Wow. That actually sounds right. I will cut pieces off of Daryl and put them on your doorstep, or, better yet, I will bring him to you and have you do it for me." I put my head in my hands and sobbed, resting my forehead on the ground. When I heard footsteps getting closer, I didn't want to look up, but I did. Negan was smiling down at me. "You're Daryl's, ain't ya?" He crouched in front of me, smile disappearing. "Speak when you are spoken to."

"Yes." I breathed. "Yes, I am."

He nodded and turned to look at Rick. "Or maybe I'll make her do it." He stood up again, walking away. "Welcome to a brand new beginning, you sorry shits! I'm gonna leave you a truck. Keep it. Use it to cart all the crap you're gonna find me. We'll be back for our first offering in one week. Until then, ta-ta." He walked away, tossing Ricks ax over his shoulder.

We didn't move until they were all gone. One of the men took a picture of Glenn. Maggie was the first to stand after they left. "Maggie. Maggie." Rick called. "Maggie...you need to sit down. Maggie." He stood up.

"No." She was walking towards Glenn's body, hunched over in pain.

"We need to get you to the Hilltop."

"You need to go get ready."

"For what?"

"To fight them."

"They have Daryl. They have an army. We would die, all of us."

Maggie was breathing heavily, struggling to look at Glenn's body, or stand. Probably both. "Go home. Take everybody with you." Her voice broke. "I can get there by myself."

Ricks eyes filled with tears. "You can barely stand up."

He touches her arm and she flinched away. "I need to go. You need to go to Alexandria. You were out-out here for me."

"We still are."

She let out a strangled sob. "I can make it now. I need you to go back. I can't have you out here. I can't have you all out here anymore. I need you to go back."

"Maggie..." Michonne walked forward. "we're not letting you go. Okay?"

"You have to."

"It's not gonna happen." Rick shook his head.

Sasha stood up, walking over to Maggie. "I'm taking her. I'm gonna get her there. I'm gonna keep her safe. I'm not giving you a choice."

Maggie leaned towards Sasha. "I'm taking him with me." Maggie crouched next to Glenn's body and I finally stood up, walking over with everyone else to help her. "I need to do this. Please."

"We need to help you." Aaron whispered.

Carl rest a hand on her shoulder. "I got it. I got it."

She didn't move. "No."

"Pl-pl-Please let us. He's our family t- He's our family, too." Rick stuttered out.

Maggie let out a sob and slowly stood, hugging Carl. We picked up his body, bringing it to the RV. I could barely see through the tears clouding my vision. I could barely walk, the weight of what happened almost too much to bare.