It was quiet and peaceful. Just about as peaceful as it could be for Hellen. Walking the streets of Alexandria knowing that Rick Grimes was gone was just as much of a shock to her as Negan being spared by a single vote. She didn't believe in a higher power, but she also couldn't admit saying that there wasn't something at work weather it be magic or what -- things were changing and rather oddly.

Making her way to Negan's cell that very next morning she took her decent with the stairs leading down to his home. When she rounded the small walkway she closed the door behind her and walked down more steps till she was standing before him.

There he was sitting on his bed enhanced in the darkness of the early morning.

"You're awake already?"

He questioned knowing that it was rare that she was awake and here before noon. But she had her reasons.

"Rick is missing. Nobody knows if he's alive or dead."

She said not beating around the bush. She couldn't not after last night.

"Well shit... What happened?"

She explained what Gabe had told her. Going over every detail that she knew.

"Daryl and Michone are out looking for his body, but they've yet to find anything."

"Well I'll be damned. Shit."

He said shaking his head as he rose from his bed and walked toward her. She watched him closely. Watching as Negan wrapped his hands around the bars of the cell and leaned toward her as much as his cage would allow.

"A little birdie told me that you also begged the council last night to spare me. Saying how if they were to kill me they might as well kill you too. Cause something about without me you're already dead."

Her eyes darted to the ground looking away from Negan. She couldn't handle what might have been going through his mind right now.

"It helped them make their choice. Figured if one good person found something good in you that others might come to find the same."

"Pipe dream kiddo."

"Yeah... I know."

She bit her lower lip before her eyes came back up to look at Negan.

Negan was pissed. Suddenly at his door there was Rick. Rick and some people from Hilltop and the Kingdom. Apparently they had all band together to come to the Sanctuary and try to make Negan step down.

Hellen had just barely managed to get outside when she seen Daryl from a roof top with a gun on Negan. She didn't know if any of the others had seen this or not, but she had and without hesitation Hellen moved between Negan and Daryl's sight.

"Rick? You out there?"

Hellen called out. Negan placed his hand around Hellen's waist as his commanders watched and listened.

"Yeah! I'm here!"

"It's Hellen, Rick. I just joined the party. Mind telling me why you're doing this?"

There was a short pause between replies when Rick went to speak up again.

"Our deal isn't with you, Hellen! You should leave while you have the chance!"

"Not gonna happen Rick."

She replied causing Negan to smile and give squeeze to her hip.

"You see Rick! My girl ain't going anywhere! She knows what loyalty is unlike some people!"

"There's no loyalty from us, Negan! You killed my friends and forced us to work for you! You killed innocent people!"

"As did you Rick!"

Hellen called out.

"People at our Outpost! Those people had families just like yours! Only difference was our people didn't start killing your people until you had killed dozens of ours! Two wrongs don't make a right, I know that, but it's how it is weather you wanna admit it or not!"

"Last warning Hellen! Please I'm begging you... for Carl!"

Rick said causing her to scoff. She liked the kid and Judith as well, but there was somethings that she wasn't willing to let happen over children.

"I think I'll let you explain to Carl why it was you had to kill me, Rick!"

She called out having Negan shift and press his front side to her back.

"You ain't dying today baby."

Negan whispered into her hair before he looked back out at the people surrounding the building.

"You heard my girl, Rick! We didn't start this -- but we'll damn well finish it if we gotta! But hell all I wanna do is talk! It ain't gotta be this way!"

"You're wrong Negan! It does!"

And within the next few moments it seemed like the longest seconds of her life. A shot had been fired from somewhere as a truck rammed into the fence of the compound. People scattered with the gun fire and Negan and shoved Hellen to the door that lead back inside.

She screamed finding herself alone as bullets flew over their heads. Everything went blank before she found herself face to face with Simon as the man was dragging her along with Arat through the halls of the Sanctuary.

"Hellen! Hellen can you hear me!"

Arat questioned as the younger woman's head lulled back and fourth. It was only when she realised what was happening did she struggle against Simon and the other.

"Easy kid! We're tryna help!"

Simon yelled trying to keep his hold on her arms.

"Negan!"

She called out looking around for him still hearing gun fire outside their doors.

"Where is he! Simon!"

The man didn't say anything as he and Arat dragged her back to the conference room. Once inside the others that had managed to get away joined them. Moving away from Simon and having her heart racing she felt as if her head was ringing loudly. She didn't feel as if she was in control of her own body and was fading in and out of it.

"And how do you suspect we do that Hellen!?"

Simon's question pulled her from her trance.

"What?"

She asked not even knowing what it was she had said in the first place. Her lips were moving but she didn't hear a damn word that came out of them. With their meeting room full everyone was looking at her. She threaded her fingers through her hair.

"Fuck this -- fuck this I have to go get him!"

She said her hands flying to her baton as she pulled it free. Simon was quick to his feet to move against the door. He blocked her path.

"Now just hold on there! We don't even know if he's -- "

"If he's what, Simon!"

She was like a cornered dog who was ready to attack. That's how her PTSD worked that's how it always worked. She became infused into a trance where her body would be in one place but her mind another. She would be angry and ready to fight or flight.

Simon had seen her like this several times and knew better than to cause her fight rather than her flight to appear.

"If he's still alive. Hellen if something happens to you -- that's it! We're completely gone if anything happens to you."

"Fuck you Simon!"

She said reaching for the door handle and nearly ripping the door open only for Simon to slam it back shut.

"I'm in charge now, and I'm saying stay put!"

He barked trying to get her away from the door. Hellen yelled out as several men went and tried to contain her. But the matters only became worse when a pounding came to the door.

Rolling his eyes and sign deeply Simon open to the door saying a group of people standing there. They were panicking as they were questioning as to Negan's whereabouts. When Simon so calmly stepped forward and told them that everything was under control and that he was in charge now nobody wanted to take what he was saying into consideration.

"I am Negan! You are Negan! Don't you forget that -- "

Suddenly Hellen managed to break free of the groups hold and dash right out the door. She pushed past the angry mob of people that kept Simon blocked from grabbing her. In a hurry she went to round the corner with her ears still ringing she ran right smack dab into something hard.

Hands came out and grabbed her from falling and then the stench reached her nose making her want to puke from the fowl smell of the dead.

"Damn kid! Where's the fire?"

Negan questioned looking at her with a sly smile and crooked brow. Breath catching in her throat she felt the ringing in her ears calm along with her heart rate. It didn't even register to her that someone else was standing with Negan, her eyes were sorely for him and him alone.

"N-Negan?"

"In the flesh baby girl."

He teased having it cut short when she went and wrapped her arms around him not caring in the slightest that he was covered from head to toe in walker entrails.

"Damn, wish you always missed me this much!"

He joked poorly, his arm wrapping around her before he addresses the kneeling people in the hallway. Her mind didn't register his Negan speech as her body was pressed against his. She could have figured it was something along the lines of how he was unstoppable and how he couldn't believe they thought he would be killed so easily.

"-- And now I'm gonna go take a shower with my baby girl here, because she was so happy to see me unlike some of you unfreatful fucks, that she's covered in guts uncaringly!"

He said before motioning toward the man with him.

"Clean him up and put him in a cell and I'll deal with him later. Don't hurt him."

He added as two men came up and took hold of the dark skinned male and walked him away while Negan and Hellen over in the other direction toward Negan's private chambers.