The last thing Sally needed after the torment was being thrown back into her dark dungeon. But once they were leading her up the stairs and to the higher stories, she knew she was meeting Negan and that was all she could ever ask for.

Not preventing the two Saviors from doing their job, Sally let them see her into Negan's room. They locked her inside like she would run after the man. And most probably she would. The separation was too much to bear. So she expected him to barge in right away, but the longer she stood near the door the less certain she was about his intentions.

The wait was endless and she could hardly stand straight, exhausted she took off her shoes and turned to the bed when the door unlocked. Her senses on high alert, she spun right back. But Sally's anticipation was still not met with satisfaction. Again, it was one of Negan's men rolling in a utility cart with a washbasin filled with clear water and with some towels on the side. After that, Sally was left alone again to the insufferable linger.

She climbed on the bed and nestled herself on the grey sheets. The next time the door opened, Negan made his appearance.

___

Negan entered his room and as much as Sally wanted to run after him just moments before, she sat up on the bed but did not move. They were both waiting for the right impulse because after that there was no way back. In the meantime, their communication channel remained silent.

Lucille ended up leaning against the nightstand and Negan then proceeded to take off his jacket and left it nearby his bat. Sally wouldn't let her eyes wander off him as he moved the cart closer to the bed where he finally sat down only arms length away from her. He reached out and wrapped his fingers around her wrist and pulled her closer to him. She obeyed and moved to the edge of the bed.

Never letting go of her forearm, he took one of the towels ready on the cart and soaked it in the basin. The water was lukewarm against her skin as he washed the dry walker blood off.

"I... Daryl... It wasn't me," Sally said quietly watching Negan's hands trace her skin.

"I know that now," he replied in the same low voice. "But you were running from me. I had to be sure."

The justification of such a torment he put her through came easy to him and Sally had to give it to him, he found the glitch in her unshaken devotion. However she tired to persuade herself and change the way she saw things, deep down she still couldn't help it. Lucille ruled there, the iron was just an abomination. Negan used it against her without any flaw.

"I understand," she nodded subtly and with that the issue was settled. No bad blood remained between them.

"Do you want to tell me where you headed?"

She shifted uncomfortably. "I had to go get him."

Negan figured she was talking about Daryl. She even tried to get him back. He could not take anymore how mistaken he was about her and rather changed the subject. They still had her Hilltop visit to talk about.

"Simon told me about Hilltop. Is there anything else you want to add?"

Hilltop and Alexandria are allies, Maggie is alive in there. The words were circling in Sally's brain. Hilltop, Alexandria, allies, Jesus, Daryl, Maggie, alive...

Sally shook her head. "No, I've got nothing, just ..."

"What is it?" Negan asked, moving the towel to her legs. While he was on it, Sally noticed there was a hairbrush on the cart as well so she used it.

"It was fun," she shrugged untangling wilted flowers from her hair, "let me go next time Simon goes."

"We'll see about that. I might need you here, instead."

"I'm thirsty," she turned her head to the cabinet.

"Let me," he said and stood up.

"What did you do to your beard?" She furrowed her brow. "I liked it," she let him know as he handed her a glass of water.

"We wouldn't want it scratching you, would we?" He reminded her of their former plans. Not just talking.

She quickly put the glass to her lips and drained it to the dregs before she put it away.

Negan, amused, reclaimed his spot on the bed and took another towel from the cart, dipping it once again in the water. But this time he brought Sally closer than before. Sally's face was hiding behind a layer of smudged make-up, her mascara copying the streams of her tears, her lipstick was smudged in series of her fits.

Negan pierced the veil hiding her face. He was so captivated by the woman behind all that. Sally kept searching his preoccupied face.

"You don't need this," he wiped the smeared lipstick with his thumb. "You so don't need this."

"Negan," Sally groaned, finally letting out all her hoarded feelings for him. She grabbed him be the nape of his neck and dragged him to her, sealing their lips together in their first kiss.

Sally's feet lifted her up in an attempt to erase any space setting them apart. Negan's palm on the small of her back kept pushing her towards his body. Tasting his lips wasn't enough for such strong devotion. Sally worshiped the man and soon enough her kisses left the borders of Negan's lips and showered his face, anywhere they landed.

The moment Negan surfaced from under her suffocating lips, he inhaled deeply. It was hopeless to keep his head above the water. Sally was pulling him down with her. One of his hands kept holding him up as he begin to weigh in on her. The other rode up and up her thigh, until it ended up squeezing her hip tight. Sally kept luring him deeper and deeper. The abyss was infinite, the pressure crushed them into one another.

Sally wrapped her arms and legs around him, locking him in a death trap. Negan sank his face into her neck and his mouth kept falling on her delicate skin. Sally pulled herself up into him and this time it was her who surfaced for a second. Her eyes flew open and she breathed in a mouthful of fresh air.

"Negan," she drew out hardly catching her breath, she gripped his t-shirt fast.

"Right here," he said returning to her face but not noticing she deliberately turned her head so he would miss her mouth.

"Negan," she repeated, her voice stronger. It took him a sec before his drowning brain realized she was clenching his white t-shirt, but she was no longer pulling him in, she was pushing him away with all she got. "Negan, stop, stop, I can't ... I can't ..."

He immediately drew back, his hands up in the air.

"I can't do this," she fished herself from under him and clumsily slipped from the bed, her feet kept failing her, like it was her first time standing on the cold hard ground. "I mean... I can but I can't... I want to but I shouldn't... I... No, I just can't," there was no filtering, her words just came out. She kept backing up to the door. She was babbling something about having to leave.

"Sally," Negan kept repeating into her baffled speech. "Sally," he finally caught her attention. "Don't leave. We don't have to do anything. I would never make you do anything you don't want. Just don't run." He held out his hand sitting on the bed.

"Stay, I'll leave in a bit, I have some things to take care of anyway." He undid the bed for her to slip in.

She came back, joined him on the bed, holding his hand, then tracking her palms up his forearms. "Please stay with me until I fall asleep?" Their foreheads touched, they kissed gently one more time.

"Sure thing, love," he stroked her hair.

"I'm so sorry for losing control," she murmured before she drifted away.

"Oh, I'm not sorry at all, sweetheart." Negan whispered back, not entirely sure she still heard him. "Not one bit," he added, because at that moment when Sally let go like that, Negan knew that was what he was living for. Sally holding onto him and losing herself at the same time. Sally going mad about him... Sally going insane.

___

Author's Note:

Lovely readers,

I MISSED YOU SO MUCH IT'S INSANE!!!  💜

But how is this for a treat? 😏

I'm so sorry you were in the craziness of the part 19 for so long, but I haven't had much time for writing lately, and I didn't want to start something and left it unfinished. The pressure is still not over, but we'll get through, and get our updates, promise.

Thank you so much for reading and sticking around. I see we're still getting new readers. Welcome and don't be afraid to show yourself, I will most certainly love you because you're reading this and I love writing thank you notes. 💌

Stay stormy,

🌩