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NEGAN'S VISIT did not fail to put everyone at unrest. people looked at rick as if he had failed them. however, there was nothing he could do. that man was threatening him with their lives.
rosaline sighed leaning her head against the wall, listening to judith's steady breathing from her cot. luckily, the little girl was asleep. the sounds caused her to relax.
a shot rang throughout the area.
the young woman shot up as judith cried out, breaking into wails. quickly, rosa tried to hush her, worried that negan was going to hear, or one of the saviors.
she took the toddler out of the cot, bouncing her up and down trying to quieten the sound of her cries. carl shuffled from downstairs, knowing what was happening.
rosaline held the girl close, hand stroking the back of her head as she slid down the back of the wall. her eyes were falling shut but rick burst into the room.
"she okay?" he immediately asked, "you? he's out there but with olivia."
her hand clasped around her head as she slid the girl over into his arms, "god, dad. i can't look at daryl like that, not that he lets us but he looks so horrible. i have to go out there and bring him what he wants, i have to."
"you don't." the former sheriff insisted, kneeling down slightly, grabbing her hand in his, giving it a squeeze, "someone else can do that. you're not well."
she shook her head, "i can't make someone else do my punishment."
"you have that option - m-michonne can do it. or you can go together." rick told her, helping the girl up as she nodded, a stray tear rolling down her cheek, "i'm having a meeting at the chapel, can you make it or do you want to rest and stay here with judith?"
"i'll go." rosaline decided, making her way out of the room with him supporting her after placing judith back in the cot, "she can stay here on her own?"
"she'll be okay, just for ten minutes."
rhaegar slinked after them down the steps. he'd been a lot quieter than ever. no barking or whining. just like his owner - this behavior was reflecting on him, unfortunately.
eventually, the pair made it to the chapel. carl was already there, so she took a seat next to her brother.
rick got to the front, beginning his speech, "i thought about hiding the guns. i did it before. i figured i could bury some out there. maybe we don't touch them for years."
"years?" tobin repeated.
"yeah, that's right." he nodded, "but what if the saviors find those guns? what if we run into them when we have those guns on us? one of us dies. maybe more than that - maybe a lot more. doesn't matter how many billets we have. it isn't enough! they win; it's that black and white."
so we have no way out of this situation. rosaline thought to herself.
"hiding a couple of guns isn't the answer, not anymore. we don't have to like it, but we need to give them over. a glock nine and a twenty-two. that's what they're looking for. who has it?"
everyone looked around the room at each other. rosaline had no clue where those guns were, and she wasn't interested in that. the biggest thing playing on her mind was daryl.
rick looked at his feet, "someone knows where they are or they know who does. if we don't find them, they're gonna kill olivia. they'll do it."
a man stood up, "why do they care? two guns aren't a threat to them but those guns could help protect us from whatever else is out there."
"do you have 'em?"
"wish i did." he sat down.
the leader continued, "most of you weren't there. you didn't have to watch - but you can look away now when someone else dies, or you can help solve this. we give them what they want, and we live in peace."
behind her, rosaline could hear arron whisper something to eric beside him, "don't. now is not the time."
"it is." his boyfriend pushed, then stood up, "say we find the guns. how are we gonna get out of this, rick?
he paced up to him, "there is no way out of this. let me put this to all of you as clearly as i can. i'm not in charge anymore. negan is. now, who has the guns?"
all hope that rosaline had in her had been lost. this meant that there was no way that she was ever going to get daryl back. her heart sunk.
suddenly, eugene started to rotate around in his seat as if searching for something, "not everyone's here."
a realization came into rick's eyes. spencer and rosita were absent. that's where those guns were.
"great." rosaline spat, slapping her hand on the back of the bench before storming out. she'd had enough. rhaegar ran outside after her, tail low.
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as the young woman weakly made her way down the street and back into their home, she noticed negan sitting outside on the lawn chairs with his arm around olivia.
he was guarding her, from her friends.
the leader of the saviors spotted her, giving out an exaggerated sigh, "rosaline, rosaline. come join us!"
she glared at him but followed the instruction anyway, "what?"
"hot damn! you are a little firecracker, even for a woman that's looking the way you are right now. no offense." he stuck up his hand, "have a seat."
rosaline slumped down in the chair in front of him, arms crossed sassily as well as her legs, "what can i do to make this fine day even better for you, asshole?" she asked, venom lacing her tone.
negan chuckled, running his tongue over his top lip, "lighten up a little! frowning doesn't suit you."
"as if you'd know what suits me."
"i know being with daryl would." he nodded, a sly look on his features. it seemed like these things about him were permanently engraved into his face.
rosaline slammed her hand on the table, the sound of glass being slapped against creating a squeak, she leaned forward, "watch where you're treading! you won't kill daryl, you want him. so do not try that."
"don't worry, angel. there's a lot more amazing people from here to choose from." he taunted, "you're right, daryl is a mighty great find. not just for me."
rosaline nodded before feeling the minimal breakfast she'd been fed coming back up in her throat. she grasped her chest before rushing off to throw up in the grass, "great...my apologies for getting up without your permission, your majesty." the woman uttered mockingly, coming to sit back down.
rhaegar decided to lay on top of her feet, to give her a sense of comfort that he was there.
negan raised a brow, "they were for real. you are not doing too hot." a look of concern flashing in his eyes, suddenly ever so slightly regretting being such an ass, "look who's digging their own grave."
truthfully, negan did not kill women, children more so. in fact, he prohibited anything like that, and never went against it. something about this girl was so recognizable, it almost made him feel guilty.
"that's what they all say."
"tell you what, you bring me game, i let you keep some medicine and give daryl a warm meal that night." he bargained, a finger circling around in the air, "what do you need?"
rosaline scoffed detesting the fact she had to tolerate this man in her presence at that moment, "nobody knows what's wrong with me. dwight killed our doctor and i'm not trained enough to diagnose a several symptomatic illness because i don't have the equipment. isn't that convenient?"
negan blinked a few times, "oh-ho, dwighty boy killed your doctor? my deepest condolences, but i'll tell you what, darling, we have a doctor back where we are but that is a conversation for your daddy and i." he grinned, "you sure are productive. you're telling me you're a little badass who knows a bit about medicine too? isn't that cool as shit, olivia?"
the plump woman nodded frantically in panic, "yes."
"that's what i like to hear." he chortled, entertaining his hands and leaning forward intimidatingly towards rosaline, "i sure as hell like you, angel. you are just lucky."
she quirked a brow, her eyes flickering with irritation, "am i now?"
before negan could get another word, he watched rick approach, he stood up smiling like the devil, "what you got for me, rick?"
her adoptive father looked away whilst passing him what looked like a small bag of the two missing guns. were spencer and rosita back?
"obra de diablo." rosaline hissed, watching him take a peek inside the bag.
olivia spared her a glance, "what?"
"work of the devil." she repeated in english, "something my mother used to call... someone when they were an ass."
in front of them negan tittered, "well, would you look at that? they were here after all. funny how a little 'holy shit! somebody's gonna die!' lights a fire under everybody's ass!"
olivia whimpered causing them to turn their attentions to her.
rosaline leaned against the fencing off one of the houses, feeling her muscles ache. she was fatigued. negan's gaze briefly scanned over her, noticing the falter in her stance.
"so, tell me, rick- which one of your fine folks almost cost olivia her days?"
rick swayed his look from the road back to negan, "it doesn't matter anymore."
"no, it matters. see, you need to get everybody on board. everybody. or... we just go right back to square one." he threatened, "now i got a little suggestion for you. your fine daughter over there looks like she's about to drop right along with the flies. how about i take her to see a doctor and she can make herself at home with daryl?"
"no." rick immediately answered.
"really?" negan swung back and forth on his heels giggling like a little school girl, "you're really gonna let that pretty face suffer and probably die? your loss!"
rosaline stood up, "it's not like there's actually anything to benefit you from doing that apart from spiting him." she pointed out, walking straight up to negan's face.
he held her stare before grinning the same old stupid smile, "you're are just like daryl. you both do not scare easy."
"you better believe it."
rick wanted to ask her to stop making a stand against him, but it seemed like rosaline knew the limit. exchanging snarky remarks with him was nothing, negan loved pissing her off.
"well let's get going rick." he demanded, walking down to the gates, "hell of a place you got here. now let me see that dog."
rosaline sighed, grabbing his collar before bringing him over. negan took his glove off, giving him a big stroke and a few scratches behind the ears, even due to his displeasure.
"right." the brunette murmured pulling him away.
negan waved at her, just to piss her off then turned to rick again.
"just give me a second." the former sheriff requested.
the savior leader gave a backward look to where michonne had rushed away from the window, "no."
"please, can you just... give me a second?"
he held the same eerie smile, letting rick jog away to her. a moment of quietness began.
negan spun around, grinning at rosaline, humming a tune, "great day out here, angel, am i right?"
"amazing. i liked you better quiet." she seethed.
soon, michonne came a deer hanging at her back.
"look at this! rosaline, your friend here may have just earned you a bit of that medicine back. the next part of the deal is still there, but you need to bring me something personally."
"okay." she nodded, using the chance to look at her fiancé.
pain flashed in his eyes as he had to stand there and watch the condition she was left in. however, he was glad that negan was lenient with her for reasons unknown to them.
negan jerked his chin, "dwight, pick some stuff out with rosaline over here. let her take what she needs because rick does not want her coming with us to see a skilled doctor."
the long-haired ginger nodded, leading her over to the back of the truck where they had collected the medicine as negan spoke to rick and michonne.
"you're damn lucky. both of you," he commented, watching over her as she browsed.
she shot him a glare, "why is that?"
"he likes you both for some reason."
"oh yeah, he's a ray of sunshine." she muttered under her breath, taking vitamin supplements for things like deficiency and iron tablets. like jesus and denise had mentioned before. she could be anemic, have a deficiency, or not she's eating properly.
although, since they were low on food now it was easy not to eat and give everything up to her family. she was hoping that these supplements were going to do something for her.
worst-case scenario - they could make her become even worse.
"you got what you need, sunshine?" negan called, the same taunt in his tone.
she nodded coming out from the back of the van with a small box of pills.
rick looked at her before stopping negan from walking away, "now that you know that we can follow your rules..."
negan swiveled around, "yes?" he inquired unctuously, urging him to continue.
"i'd like to ask you if daryl can stay."
a glimmer of hope lit up within rosaline.
"not happenin'."
it was shattered again. she dropped her head as negan gazed at her, trying to keep him from seeing her disappointment and feeding off of the fact he was hurting them all.
"you know what? i don't know! maybe daryl can plead his case, maybe daryl can sway me. daryl?" he asked, flashing a smile at her.
rosaline looked at her fiancé hopefully, but he stayed silent and looking at the ground. if he answered, it had to be something forced out of him - daryl would never succumb to someone like him. she knew.
negan chuckled teasingly, pointing at rick, "well, you tried! now what you need to do, is get over that tall wall of yours and try harder out there. earn for me. because we're coming soon, and when we do, you better have something interesting for us, or lucille, she's gonna have her way."
rosaline sat down on the curb, feeling weak, holding her head in both palms of her hand. this was a disaster.
he just kept going, "i'm gonna let you hear that again. if you don't have something interesting for us... somebody's gonna die. and no more magic guns. arat, grab that deer it's getting late let's go home!"
crossly, michonne dropped the buck from her back, the carcass thudding against the pavement.
"man, i love a gal that buys me dinner and doesn't expect me to put out!" negan joked, walking off.
dwight took off on daryl's bike that rosita had to go out and retrieve for him. before he raced off she took note that daryl had to say something if he wanted to be treated like a person. she could guess it had something to do with working under negan.
"just say those two magical words," he demanded to daryl, bringing her back to reality.
rick nodded, "thank you."
"don't be ridiculous! thank you." he gestured to him. a walker growled in the distance, "another one! you need our help. davey, hand me that candlestick over there. you know what i think rick? i think we're both gonna come out of this winners. watch my form!"
he slammed the candlestick into the head of the wall, executing it as guts splattered over the ground, painting it red.
"you should clean that up for me for next time. let's move out!" he demanded starting to leave but stopped, "oh, wait. how careless of me. you didn't think i was going to leave lucille, did ya? i mean, after what she did, why would you want er'? thank you for being so accommodating, friend."
"just go." rosaline yelled, her back slamming on the grass with irritation.
"as you wish, angel." negan mocked, then turned to rick again, "in case you haven't caught on... i just slipped my dick down your throat, and you thanked me for it."
the engine started and the trucks drove off, one of them holding daryl in the back. rosaline watched him leave, sitting up, pain in her eyes.
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negan is stone cold, but perhaps not the most stone-cold to rosaline. poor daryl, it's hard seeing him like that.
don't forget to vote and comment to help the story grow!
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