Nico held Sally as she cried. Refraining from any wise words, he let her get it all out. Just as he expected, it was about all emotion she was willing to reveal.

She left his t-shirt drenched but the second she could grip herself together, she pulled away from him, sat straight again and wiped all tears from her swollen face.

He tried to talk to her after that, but she was just sitting there, motionless, staring at Negan.

Nico spent as much time by her side as he saw fit and he would hardly leave her but he needed to talk to Xavier. In fact, he felt like calling a "town meeting" because he gathered this time getting Sally better would really take a village.

As he was getting up with a promise to be back soon, Sally tried to do the same, but her body moved heavily, anchored to the sofa. She looked at Negan on the bed like there was the deepest trench between the two of them.

"You want to go lie down?" Nico asked without expecting an answer. "Let me help you."

They tried to get her to her feet but it hurt too much to carry on everytime she used her muscles.

"Let me..." He said finally and lifted her into his arms and laid her carefully next to Negan. She slid closer to her man, took him by his hand and hadn't moved since.

___

Sally's meetings with Xavier were always the same. He sit down on the sofa next to her, talked to her, sometimes just at her. But sooner or later he figured a way to stir her mind. After that her reluctancy wasn't in the lack of words. She wanted to tell him everything but her injuries wouldn't let her talk.

It wouldn't be Xavier if he wouldn't come up with a solution so Sally was not surprised when he walked in with a pile of papers. He put them into her lap and handed her two pencils sharpened with a knife.

Day after day, he kept asking, she kept writing and in no time they had enough material to publish a book and they still weren't done.

But it was only the Nico's visit that seemed to move them some place else.

Xavier handed Sally a bunch of blank pages. She took her writing position and started writing even without him asking. She had never done that before.

The graphite scratching on the paper took words out of Xavier's mouth. He fell into the cushions and for the first time in forever let Sally lead the way.

He watched her tilting her head while she wove the thread of thoughts through her hand to the paper. Her writing was more linear now that her other eye was uncovered, too.

Once she was done, she handed him the sheet of paper and analysed his face as he was reading her paragraph.

He held the writing close to his face. If he didn't he had to scrunch up his eyes. He was in need of glasses, but they still couldn't come up with ones that would fit his prescription and ease his constant headaches. His myopia kept him out of terrain, but he was better help in the tree houses anyway.

His full lips parted for a second as his thought almost burst out of him, but he always knew how to contain himself. Sally had never seen him in a rage. On the outside, he was an embodiment of calm and order.

Since he mostly stayed up in the treehouse, his appearance was always neat. He made sure to be clean shaven but even then the dark shadow of sprouting beard lined his mouth.

His face fell.

"No, Sally, no..." He sighed heavily. "We've been over this before, over and over again. You moved on from that. Remember how that felt?"

She looked down at the paper.

"Tell me one more time what went down at the farm... the night of the fire..."

She took the pencil and started to write as detailed as Xavier taught her to.

"We lost the farm that night. It was overrun with walkers. There was no way to get it back. We had to leave. Him and I we got into the car. It wouldn't start. I tried several times but all it got us was that the car got swamped with the dead and we got stuck in the middle. I held his hand as he whimpered. It was all he could do. He was so scared. Terrified. My side was not as bad so I got my door and kicked them open with all my force. It shoved the bodies back long enough for me to get out. But my foot got stuck and before I could pick myself up and turn to get him out the corpses blocked my way and the driver door didn't close after me. I tried to pry them off the car but there were too many, they were getting inside. I couldn't get them all but I tried anyway. He did everything I told him to, he huddled up under the dashboard and it was the last time I saw him. Carol must've seen me, she came to my rescue, but she didn't help me save him. She dragged me away from the car, I tried to find a weapon, we got separated and then I met Rick... Left the farm in the car with him, Carl and Hershel."

"See?" Xavier said once he read what she had to say. "It couldn't have been him because..."

He was interrupted and stayed speechless. Sally did something she hadn't done since she came back. She touched him. She put her hand on his and squeezed. The desperation in Xavier's words was obvious and she needed to calm him down.

"Xavi," she whispered. Only her lips moved as she formed the words. "It was him. My brother."

"You saw him die," he shook his head.

But that was the thing, she never did.

She inhaled ready to let Xavier in on the whole truth but she wasn't allowed. Her voice summoned Negan.

He began to come to his senses.

Sally dropped the papers and peeked on the bed. Her stitches held her from jumping over in one long stride.

Xavier did what Sally couldn't and bent over his patient.

"Negan?" He said in normal voice. "Negan, can you hear me?"

It took Negan few moments before he fully opened his eyes.

"Where..." Negan struggled to get the words out.

"It's okay," Xavier stopped him from straining himself. "You had an accident. We are taking care of you. You don't need to worry."

"Where is she?" Negan finally got his real concern out.

"Here... Negan..." Sally spoke from the sofa denying the pain from her injuries. She tried to get up.

"You got in my way," Negan said.

"Negan, I..." She objected.

"You tried to stop me." The words were materializing like thoughts on his mind.

She had nothing to say to defend herself. She did stood in Lucille's way for Carl.

"You're on their side," he concluded.

"What?" Sally's eyes went wide at the accusation.

"All the time... you worked against me."

"Negan, no, let me..." Sally got her defence on the tip of her tongue but Negan wouldn't let her speak poor justifications of her actions.

"Get out. GET OUT!" He tried to lift himself from the bed but Xavier held the yelling man down.

"Sally, you're disturbing him. It's better if you step out for a second," the caretaker said.

Sally was paralysed. Negan wouldn't even look at her. His trust was corrupted.

Xavier went to the shaking woman and helped her out of the room. Once he got outside with her, he shouted at the patrol to get Nico. He waited with Sally until Nico took over and then he returned to Negan.

Sally kept moving her lips, but no words came out. She kept shaking her head. That couldn't be happening. The verge of another breakdown was just one step ahead. She couldn't keep losing people like this.

She couldn't lose Negan. He was the only thing that made sense in what was left of her life.

"What the hell happened?" Nico carried Sally's limp body away from the charges being raised against her.

"He knows," she whispered.

___

Author's Note:

THIRTY PARTS! This is insaaane! Thank you so much for your support and patience. This story wouldn't be the same without you! 💜 🌸

I'm heading to The CLOUDS right away and putting Xavier's face and whatnot up for you to see if you like to peek inside my mind. You're very much welcome over there as well.

Next part of The CROWN is already in the making so the wait won't be that long this time.

Love you, my Negans 💋

🌩