The Silence
Disclaimer: I own nothing, except my mediocre ideas!
Summary: Rick asks the Psychologist survivor, Rose(OC) to talk to Negan.
Chapter Fifteen
This fucking woman never stopped fucking surprising him.
"I can't ask you to do that." Even though he felt his spirits lift higher than they had since he'd been locked up.
"Okay well don't ask." She shrugged. "I'm doing it either way."
"And just how are you plannin' to Shawshank me outta here, sweetheart?" He was leaning on the bars his hands high above his head making him feel very imposing to Rose.
"At night." She began.
"Yeah...?" He dragged the word on wanting her to elaborate.
"Don't you worry your pretty little head, big guy." She smirked leaving him shaking his head slowly, smirking right back as he watched her leave.
X X X X
Tonight was the night.
The luke warm water trickled over Rose's body and she cherished every last drop knowing this wouldn't be the norm any longer. She was well aware of everything she was giving up for this man who in the grand scheme she didn't know all that well. Knowing of the Negan before he was locked up didn't help, nobody could have been through what he had for the last two years and stay the same. She just had to figure out if it had been for the better or for the worse.
She was standing by her morals!
She couldn't let somebody die as a warning to the new world, not after everything!
That's what she continued to tell herself. When she tricked Scott into giving her the keys to Negan's cell, when she stole Lucille from the "secret" part of the weapons store that everybody knew about, even when she looked Tara in the eyes and lied about what she would be doing that night.
Feeling fully clean she wrapped herself in her scratchy towel and stared at the clothes she had laid out. Practical, warm, the clothes she had turned up to Alexandria in. Thick black jeans that were fraying but had no holes, a vest, a long sleeved stripy, burgundy and white top, a thick jacket and thick dark green coat. Her boots were new and so were the thick socks. Both of which were hard to come by out there.
Her bag was packed, hidden inside the wardrobe all she had to do was wait. Wait for 3am when in the silence of the night her new life would begin.
X X X X
Two sets of keys clinked together in her hand as she approached one of the only three cars remaining with fuel. This was what she felt most guilty about, she knew it was the very last fuel until they could perfect making it themselves.
She was only going to borrow it. The note she left in her room had told them so with co ordinates of where to find it.
He was sat up on his cot, his knee jittering nervously. He was nervous for different reasons to Rose. This was his last chance whereas she was worried about being caught, about living out on the road again but at least she wouldn't be alone this time. Negan could handle himself, that was a definite.
He didn't say a word as he stood up, there was nothing to say. The lock clicked loudly and the gate swung open. "You're sure about this?" He was still stood in the shadows.
"Don't make me regret this." She said the seriousness of the situation portrayed in her voice. "Please."
"I won't." He said. No jokes. He needed her to know that he knew the severity of the situation. He walked out of the shadows of his cell for what he hoped would be the last time and stopped right in front of her.
"We don't exactly have time for staring into each others eyes longingly..." She whispered.
He smirked and motioned towards the door. "You sure you've got this?" She had told him the plan but that didn't mean he was comfortable leaving his only chance in the hands of somebody else, even if it was her. He had no choice though.
Rose started walking to the door and he noticed her entire countenance had changed, she was stood taller, more on edge, aware and he hated that she had to be this way now. It was his turn to look after her, he owed her and he wanted to. He realised it was the first time since Lucille that he wasn't doing it as part of a deal. He just wanted her safe.
"You put this on." She handed him a baggy grey hoody which he pulled on and made sure the hood was covering his face. "If anybody comes, you hide. I'm sorry but the only way we're gonna get out of here is if I take advantage of the fact that they trust me." He nodded and noticed her take a deep breath as she walked out of the building and up the stairs beside him.
She peered over the last step and he found himself unable to stop watching her, this was the first clue of how she had been before Alexandria. She nodded her head to gesture that they were going to move and they both fell into step, Rose guiding them. They didn't hit any trouble until they turned the last corner before getting to the car.
Negan had been worried that he might have lost his touch having been in that damn cell for so long but when Rose shoulder barged him into a large bush without him so much as being prepared for it, well that confirmed it. His mind caught up quick and he realised there must have been somebody coming.
"...didn't feel too good." He heard Rose lie.
"You want some company?" That was Scott, he always fuckin' hated the big bear looking fuck.
"Oh no..." Rose said a little too quickly before recovering. "I mean, it's late you should get some sleep."
"Yeah I guess I will. See ya tomorrow, Rose."
"Yeah, bye." Negan heard the sadness in her voice and if Scott hadn't then he was a moron.
"Get out here... quick." She whisper shouted. If it had been any other situation she would have laughed seeing big bad Negan crawling out of a bush, holding his back with leaves in his hair. Unfortunately she couldn't enjoy the moment and dragged him the last little way to the car, popping the boot.
"This better fuckin' work." He grumbled, climbing in the boot.
"You're really not in the position to complain here, asshole."
"Yes, sir." He said with a laugh as she closed the boot on the scrunched up six foot something man.
The second she started the car she would have to be quick, the sound of an engine travelled far in what was now such a silent world. What used to be background noise was out of the ordinary these days.
The rumbling of the engine sent a flood of adrenaline through Rose and as she drove up to the gate her stomach sank further and further.
"Fuck. Shit. Fucking fuck." She chanted under her breath as she drove, right up until Aaron came up to the drivers window.
"What are you doing?" He looked worried and it made her guilt even worse if possible.
"You need to let me out. Right now." She demanded. "Quickly!"
"What the hell is going on, Rose?"
"I can't tell you. You just... you have to trust me." Her voice broke just like she knew it would no matter how hard she fought it.
"Are you okay?" He asked. There was nothing in his face but concern, no accusation, no anger.
I'm so sorry, Aaron.
"Nobodies gonna get hurt okay." Not anybody in Alexandria anyway, she did have a murderer in her boot after all. What the actual fuck am I doing?! "That's all you need to know okay. Just let me out right now."
"No." He said simply while feeling for his radio, she was afraid of this. "I'm so sorry Aaron." She whispered as she pointed the gun she had been holding by her side at him just as he had lifted the radio to his mouth. "Get them to open the gate."
He stared at her, so confused and the fact that he still wasn't angry almost made her put this plan to bed all together.
"You wouldn't." He said with conviction.
"Don't make me. Please don't make me." She never ever would but she just had to hope, as the tears rolled down her cheeks that he wouldn't call her bluff.
She didn't know if she was relieved or terrified when he gestured for them to open the gate. She heard someone yell, "what the hell" but Aaron just gave them a look. "Do it."
Then the gates opened. Simple as that, Negan was free and Rose was the reason. Her foot hit the gas and she heard the dull thud of Negan probably being thrown back in the boot.
Good. She thought, it served him right for making her feel something for him, for getting her into this situation. Looking into the rear view mirror she saw Aaron talking on his radio, someone would come after her, if not straight away then as soon as they noticed Negan was gone but she just had to hope they wouldn't use one of the cars. That was what she was counting on.
Rose's mind went back and forth as she drove until sun up, not stopping even to let him out of the boot as they needed to get as far as they could before stopping for even a second.
She had nearly turned around a ridiculous amount of times but it was too late, she knew that, there was nothing to go back for but had there ever really been anything for her to go back to?
XXXX
When the boot finally opened Negan sat up slowly.
"I felt like this was all a trick to get me in a smaller, much more fuckin' uncomfortable box to rot away in for a sec there, doll." Rose said nothing to him, just stared at him. "Are you okay?"
"No." She told him. "But I will be." She nodded at him and all he could do was admire this woman who had single handedly gotten him out of that hell hole more effectively than any of those shower of shits he had led for so long could have. "We need to keep moving." She said matter of factly, walking to the back of the car and opening the door before reaching inside and pulling out a bag. "Here."
"You really thought of everything." He chuckled as he climbed out of the boot and stretched his long limbs.
"You've no idea." She said quietly putting the bag on the floor this feet before reaching back in. When she came back out with his old leather jacket in one hand and Lucille in the other he honest to god nearly broke down crying. She really is a fucking angel.
"I thought...I..." He just shook his head, speechless. She had actually made him speechless. "Well shit, angel..." He approached her slowly and took both items in his hands like greeting an old lover. "I thought... Michonne said she was gone..." It took Rose a second to realise he was talking about the bat.
She remembered reading an article once named the psychology of stuff and things... it talked about how an object can become an extension of ones self, how it can be a way of someone displaying their status or power. That was what she used to think the bat was to him but now she knew it was so much more than that. It was a physical representation of the loss of somebody he hadn't dealt with losing, a way of tricking his mind into feeling the comfort of still having her by his side.
She didn't know where she stood in all of that and she hated that a bat was making her insecure but the way he so gently caressed the bat was almost uncomfortable to watch.
"Michonne probably said that to hurt you."
"Well she fuckin' hit me right where it hurt like fuck." He rasped.
"Come on." She got his attention back on her and he nodded before pulling his leather jacket on, it was a little baggy but it felt amazing.
"So what's the plan, doll?"
"Get the fuck outta dodge." She slammed the door and started to walk up the street, Negan, his bat on one shoulder and his bag on the other as he caught up to her.
"WOO!" He shouted. "This feels fuckin' good!" He was elated and that was only to be expected, Rose just hoped he wouldn't be so elated that he'd get them both killed.
"What the fuck have I done?" She groaned only for Negan to laugh loudly.
A/N
This took longer to upload than I thought it would because I wasn't too happy with it. I'm still not! If you think the same I promise every single chapter from now onwards will make up for it.
SHITS ABOUT TO GET REAL.
Chapter Sixteen