Surviving The New World (Book Six in the Surviving The Walking Dead Series)

Dancing Through Unwanted Dreams

"Michaela?" Negan called out.

"Yeah?" I answered back.

"Where the hell are you?" Negan chuckled.

"I'm in the bathroom." I forced my pants over my hips and sighed as I looked myself over in the mirror. Once satisfied on how I looked, I walked out and faced Negan, who was standing at the stove looking into the large pot.

"Shit smells good, baby."

"It better be. Venison stew isn't that hard to make."

"Everythin' you make is good."

"Even my chocolate pickles and sticky noodles?"

"Okay, half the shit you make." I playfully smacked his arm and let out a soft sigh. "What?"

"You. You just lost a guy out there and you're...happy."

"Well, I wasn't thrilled we lost a guy, but I didn't really know him too well to get upset about it."

"Negan!"

"What? He was new, been here a week."

"I did all this to cheer you up." I motioned to the entire room.

"Cheer me up?"

"Last time we lost someone, you barely spoke for a few days."

"Because I knew that guy guy, baby. That guy, Hans, he had been here since the start...just comes to show that anythin' can happen to anyone." Negan held out his hand to me, flashing a small bouquet of flowers. "I got these for you."

"Thanks." I mumbled.

"Hey, why the long face? I personally picked these for you, baby."

"I know, and they're beautiful. Really, thank you."

"If I pretend to be sad, will that make you happy?"

"Actually, yes, it would."

"Okay." Negan looked down to the ground and took a deep breath before looking at me with somber eyes. "Baby...I..." Negan instantly began to laugh.

"Negan!"

"I'm sorry, baby, I'm tryin', but it's just hard. I can't fake my feelin's."

"Ya did at Terminus."

"Actually...I really was scared. I just didn't want you to think that I really was a fuckin' pussy that day."

"Aww." I wrapped my arms around him and smiled.

"Jesus Christ, that's what it took to make you happy?"

"Yes."

"Well, I can't argue with a happy wife." Negan set the bouquet down and wrapped his arms around me, slowly dancing with me to a nonexistent tune. "I love you so much, baby."

"I love you, too."

"You know there's nothin' I wouldn't ever do for you, right?" I gently nodded. "You're my wife—"

"But I'm not your only wife."

"No, but you're the only on that matters to me. I love them, but not like I love you. Michaela, I'm in love with you. There ain't any other woman out there in the world for me. You're mine."

"And you're mine."

~END DREAM~

"Babe, you gettin' up?" Daryl asked

"Yeah." I looked over at Daryl as he began to dig some clothes out of the dresser. Slowly, I climbed out of bed and made my way over to him. "Rick said we're makin' great progress on the bridge, soon we won't have to wake up so early." Daryl turned to me and held out a stack of clothes. "Here, get dressed."