32 Chapter 32: Moving On

Negan:

Days have passed since my last encounter with that dick-head Nate. He's the luckiest man in the world to still be breathing. His life only has importance because of the value in keeping him alive for Carmen's sake, otherwise, I would have killed him where he stood. Though after many hours of reflection, I've come to realize that the time wasn't right then but maybe it is now. Carmen is always on the edge, walking the line of her past and her present. He's the last obstacle.

Stealthily I creep to the door, without making an ounce of sound. I didn't have to wait long for her to finally fall asleep. Putting her in that cell was the best thing I could've done. She's exhausted and out of the way. I don't have to worry about her meddling.

I gradually shut the door behind me and lock it so if she does wake up, she won't get herself caught up in what's about to happen.

I travel the length of the long hallway, then down the familiar staircase. The smell of vengeance flows through my nostrils and I stand unmoved to fully breathe in the atmosphere. Today is the day that things change, I'll have my girl all to myself. She'll learn to love me, as she does him.

"Stand," I order him with an emotionless expression on my face.  He stares back at me with half his face covered with a bandage. The iron did a great deal of damage nevertheless I allowed him to get some medical attention, it's the least I could do.

"You want to ignore me, boy?" I antagonize him from above.

He scowls and struggles to his feet, "go to hell" he says when he's able to stand up firmly.

Interesting to see that his arrogance is still alive and well. Unfortunately for him, he'll find that it won't do him any good, "whew, that's not very nice. You should be begging me for mercy"

"Just tell me why you're here", he talks back without any fear of retaliation. I can respect that.

"That's cool with me, let's skip the small talk" I reach into my back pocket and discreetly grip onto my large hunter's knife.

I step further into the cell, keeping my hand out of sight. I want to see the shock on his face when the time comes.

Nate doesn't back down, he sizes me up. "You want to finish me now? Hmm, let me guess Carmen doesn't know your here" he grins as if Carmen is some type of checkmate.

"What she does or doesn't know has no relevance to you. Now tell me, how foolish do you think I am to keep you alive?" my fingers begin to get antsy around the handle of the weapon. Blood lust is what my mind has become consumed with.

"If you think I'm going to validate that statement with a response, you're grossly mistaken," he asserts himself but little does he know these will be his last words.

"You should've had your shiting pants on the moment I walked in here" I plunge the knife through the side of his neck swiftly. There's no time for him to put up a fight.

Nate's eyes widen from the quickness of the attack. His body is stiff but still standing until I rip the blade out. His lifeless body falls limply onto the ground and blood gushes from the gaping hole poked through him.

"No one gets away with trying to take down the King" I wipe off the murder tool and stick it back in the pocket of my jeans.

I bask in the blood gurgling sounds that are coming from him. The thorn in my side has finally been plucked. No more will I have to deal with traitors. It's time to get this place back in order like it used to be the only difference is now I'll have a pretty little lady to rule by my side.

I call through my walkie-talkie for Simon. It doesn't take long to reach him, "I got a body I need you to take care of," I say without fully disclosing certain details.

He'll be down for the task being that he's loyal as hell, and wouldn't dare to speak of this to anyone. it's paramount that Carmen never finds out about this, what she doesn't know won't hurt her. I'll keep feeding her sweet little head with lies and she'll believe that Nate is still being held as a prisoner.

____________________________________

Carmen:

Two months later

It's been only a little while since the assassination attempt. Negan And I's relationship has evolved a lot in the short time frame. We've been getting so close since Nate isn't in the picture. He still in that cell, and I regret allowing him to get himself in this much trouble.

I wish I would've come to terms with the fact that we weren't going to be together sooner. It would've saved so much heartache and misery for both of us but I can't change the past. I can only move forward, and right now the only way forward seems to be to live my own life and through this, I hope that he will be able to live his eventually.

One day Negan will let the whole situation be over with. He'll either kick Nate out of the Sanctuary or maybe even let him stay. Nonetheless, my life with him has ended, it was doomed the first day we arrived here.

"I got a surprise for you, baby!" Negan announces his presence, holding a big brown box.

I can't help but smile, "You know I hate surprises, what is it?" I playfully ask him. I have absolutely no patience, the anticipation is already eating at me. Last time he got me a puppy, who knows what he has up his sleeve this time.

I prance over to him, examining the box closely. It's pretty big, it's hard to guess what it might be.

He chuckles at the pure excitement written all over my face then slowly opens the gift. My breath catches in my throat and my palms sweat. I feel intense nervousness and happiness at the same time.

"Perfect timing isn't it? I told the scouters to keep an eye out", he says pulling out an infant onesie.

The gift that has been awaiting me is something I surely don't expect. The box contains a whole gallery of baby stuff, everything from clothes to bottles. All the essentials we will need.

My eyes wander across the wide selection until they meet a small pink tutu, "Oh my God, these are so adorable. This one is my favorite" I swoon. If I have a girl I'll put her in this straight away.

"I'm glad you like it, I know you've been stressed thinking about how this is gonna work out" He kisses me on the neck and wraps his arms around me from behind.

His lips are like pillows with how soft and warm they are. Just what I need right now, "It's the labor part that's freaking me out. People die giving birth all the time"

Labor has always been pregnancies biggest downfall. I'm already imagining the pain and I'm not even pregnant yet.

"Doll don't worry about that. Dr. Carson says you're healthy and low risk. Everything's gonna be fine." Negan talks me down and out of my fear. The odds are on my side that I'll be okay but it doesn't always feel that way.

I sigh and continue shuffling through our new possessions, "I know, I still can't help but be worried about it though"

He is quiet for a second, he's thinking about what he's going to say. He comes over in front of me and digs through the box until he finds a pair of baby shoes and hands them to me, "That's exactly what you shouldn't be doing right now. Stress is a killer. Take your mind off of the negative"

Holding the baby shoe puts me back in an optimistic mood, it reminds me of what the true reward for pregnancy is, "You're right, the positive is more important"

He pushes his chest out pompously, "I always am, let me go get the rest of the stuff. There's way more where that came from".

At that moment I am left alone to contemplate my current predicament.

I'm not pregnant yet but it can happen any day now. Negan has done an impressive job in convincing me. I was adamantly against it at first but thinking about it has pushed me towards it. I'll have someone that I can love forever and that will love me unconditionally. It's what's lacking in my life. It's all I ever wanted. I thought I found that in Nate but the universe had other plans. We are star crossed lovers destined to wonder what might've been if things panned out differently but that's over and done. We're on new journeys now.