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neganisking · 7 years

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They found her in the woods. Part 3.

Thanks for all the love for this fic it seriously makes a huge difference. I really appreciate it.

Previous parts

Tagging: @negans-network @i-am-negan-trash @grab-my-boner @leahhpine @lovepizza-cake11 @negans-lil-bitch @you-just-got-jacknifed @thefelinemedia78 @maniclittlethings @illysamorgan @groovinontheinside @negansoutpost @trashcansideblog @justcallmemrsbarnes Just lemme know if you want to be added or removed.

By the time the busted up old pickup rolled down the road towards the sanctuary gates Simon was ready.

He had swapped out the guards on duty for Negan's best shooters - most loyal ones too in case any of the other guards were in on whatever might be at play, the prisoners were back in their cells in case they took the chance to riot, Carson was prepped and ready behind closed doors for whatever might be thrown at him, he had doubled the guards on the wives and had a scout team keeping tabs on the truck so they could attack from behind if it all turned to shit. He hoped that he didn't need any of it.

He knew Travis. They had gone on runs together in the past and while he wasn't the most resourceful man Simon had ever met, he generally knew the score. Simon knew better than to underestimate people enough to take the risk, but he would be surprised if it really was foul play.

Just that morning in fact, he had spoken to the younger man about picking up the slack. He seemed pretty determined that he and his boys would work harder. Happening to find Negan's daughter the same day was a mighty coincidence to the point of suspicion, but picking up strays wasn't exactly rare. If anyone was going to stumble across the boss's daughter, he was glad it was him.

“Showtime people. Look alive.” Simon called to the saviours around him as the truck started passing by the wall of rotters. On his signal, the internal gates were pulled open and the truck came to a halt a few feet in front of him.

The men in the truck bed hopped onto the ground and started unloading a small amount of supplies, making themselves busy. Before he could get a good look in the back seat to see their supposed newcomer, Travis stepped onto the asphalt and made a beeline towards him.

“Hey Simon.”

Slapping a wide smile on his face Simon stepped forward to greet him. “Travis. Big day huh? Everything go okay I hope?”

“Uh yeah. Yeah she’s in the cab still.” He looked nervous, which wasn't unnatural but it still put the older man on edge. He hadn't ruled out foul play just yet.

He tried to take a glance over the other man's shoulder but the men busying themselves around the truck obscured the view. “She coming out?”

Travis glanced back over his shoulder too, scoffing lightly, he muttered under his breath. “Maybe with a crowbar.”

Simon raised his eyebrows at that, blinking at the other man's sarcasm. Maybe he could rule out a trap after all. As if suddenly realising what he had said, Travis sheepishly scratched the scruff of his neck and made some attempt to explain. “Uh. I wanted to have a word before trying to get her out. That okay?”

“Sure.”

Slipping his hands into the front pocket of his jeans, Travis rocked on his heels. It made Simon a little nervous that he was stalling for time but he gave the other man the benefit of the doubt. “Negan wanted me to give her what food and water we had. She took a drink but she wouldn’t take Alderman’s shitty fruit bar. It’s just to let you know really – we tried. She'll still need something.”

Simon nodded, slapping him on the shoulder. He was just nervous. That he could deal with. Negan had that affect on people and he was no stranger to seeing his influence not to mention he was well versed in inflicting it first hand himself. “That’s alright. You did good T. You and your boys should be proud of yourselves.”

Relief washing over his features, Travis nodded. “Thanks boss. Another thing – I don’t know what it is, but something’s wrong with her. She’s been through some shit or somethin’.”

Furrowing his brow, Simon didn’t really get why he would bother to mention that. At this point, everyone had been through something. Hell, he had even inflicted some of those something on someone – more than once. He supposed Travis was simply paranoid with it being Negan’s daughter. “We all have Travis, she’s no exception.”

Travis nodded. “Yeah I guess. Just didn't seem – I dunno. Figured I should mention it.”

Raising his voice so the other men could hear him, Simon clapped his hands together. “Negan will make sure you all get something for your loyalty when he gets back alright? But now I want to meet the lady of the hour.”

Simon watched as Travis pulled the truck door open, ducking his head inside. “Hey, you can come out now.”

Through the tint of the windows, Simon could see her wide doe eyes, flicking back and forth. He got Travis’ comment about the crowbar now, the kid was scared stiff. Huffing a sigh, he supposed he ought to take over. If she really was the boss's daughter then this needed to be done right.

Nudging Travis outta the way, Simon peered in through the door. The stench hit his senses first. She was filthy. Her hair was matted and her face and clothes were caked in layers of rotten blood, mud and god knows what else. Her whole body trembled as she tried her damndest to keep her eyes trained on the back of the seat in front of her.

“No one’s gonna bite you darlin’.” Simon frowned as the girl flinched at his words. This was going to be harder than he thought.

Leaning back, Simon shared a glance with Travis who was leaning back against the side of the truck, shaking his head flippantly. “What’d I tell ya?”

Simon frowned at the other man, getting annoyed with his shitty attitude. Travis seemed to take the hint and shut up. Pressing his lips together, he tried again. He was a little taken aback with how skittish she was given how she was being reunited with her old man, but then again he knew how being out there on your own for any great length of time messed with people's heads. “I’m Simon. It’s nice to meet ya.”

A hint of recognition crossed her face and her eyes flicked over his features, only for half a second but it was enough to tell him that the boss had told her his name. It was maybe the reminder she needed that he wasn’t the enemy.

“She doesn't talk much.”

Brushing Travis off, Simon directed his attention to the girl in the cab. “That’s just fine. I really hate small talk anyways. Now, get yourself up outta this truck and we can get you settled in.”

The saviours found waifs and strays all the time and if he had learned anything from having to deal with them, it was that they responded better to orders than requests. Sure enough, the girl came to life and started sliding across the seats.

“Attagirl.”

“Simon.” Diverting his attention, one of the men from the scavenge team called out. Walking across to him he handed Simon the paper in his hand. It was a photograph. In pretty good condition given the state of the young woman be his side. A little bent in a few places maybe. He realised that this must be the so called evidence that Travis had mentioned on the radio. Staring back at him from the page was a familiar sight. “Well that’s Negan alright.”

A younger, softer version of the man sat cross-legged on the green grass. The woman next to him which Simon could only presume to be Lucile was laughing at something. Negan had only mentioned his kids once in the entire time Simon had known the man but their resemblance to them both was striking. The older of the two had long dark hair and a mischievous glint in her eye as she laughed along with her mother. The younger was draped over Negan's back, wearing a pretty flowery dress. She looked more like Lucile though she had the man's dimpled smile.

He flicked his eyes between the picture and the grimy face standing nervously in front of him. It was impossible to tell if it really was her though he couldn't rule it out either. He supposed he would just have to trust Negan's word.

“She had these on her. No ammo, just a couple of butter knifes.”

Taking them from Tony, Simon nods to himself. He watches the way the girl's eyes fixate on them anxiously. He supposed she must feel at a loss without them, especially seeing as they've been the only thing stopping her from becoming chow for god knows how long. It made him wonder if a gesture of good faith was in order. It might make her calm the fuck down – at least a little.

Holding one of them on front of her, Simon choose his words carefully. “You understand that this is your dad's place right? He's the leader of this fine establishment, everything and everyone in it is his.”

He paused and waited until the silence had stretched on for an awkward amount of time. He was starting to think the kid had issues understanding him when she finally nodded, eyes flicking up to his briefly.

“So if I give you this back, you understand that you have to respect this place. No funny business. If you have a problem you tell me first - It's a last resort kind of deal only. Get it?”

He waited again expectantly this time for at least another nod now that he knew she could understand him. He got it. People who were out there too long just weren't used to talking. She'd be okay.

He wasn't expecting her to actually reply, her words short, irritable and full of fear. “I get it.”

Blinking in mock disbelief, Simon smiled. “Well alright then.”

He handed the blade over to her and she eagerly took it from his hand. He noticed how careful and gentle she was, as though he was the one easily startled.

“Thank you.” Simon nodded at her timid thanks, watching her tuck it into her belt with practiced ease. Her fingers lingered on the handle confirming his suspicions but thankfully, it seemed to comfort her.

“My bag – “ The girl blurted out of turn and when Simon followed her line of sight he saw Tony carrying an old duffel bag as dirty and ripped as she was.

Simon called out to the man. “Antonio. I want you to take her stuff straight to Negan’s room.”

“Got it.”

It was an easy fix though the kid still looked as though he was about to kick her dog. “We’ll be headed up there in a bit kiddo so it’ll be nice and safe alright?”

Swallowing thickly, the girl nodded again. He supposed that was as good as he was going to get. Clapping his hands together Simon grinned. “Alrighty then. Let's go.”

Crossing over the loading bay and through the threshold of one of the large truck ports, Simon gestured to the hubbub of people working at their stations on the factory floor. “This is –“

He stopped in his tracks when he realised that he was no longer being followed. Looking over his shoulder with a thoughtful frown, he saw that the girl had stopped a few feet from the opening. Her eyes were wide and fearful, one hand still on the handle of her knife and the other gripping the hem of the God awful jumper she had on her back for dear life.

Sighing, he calmly sauntered back over to her. “You okay kid? Y'know, I can't give you the grand tour if you don't step foot inside. I promise you get used to the smell.”

For a split second, her eyes met his before looking past him to the factory floor. She seemed to be having an internal debate of some sort. Hoping he could help her somehow he decided to ask. “What is it?”

At first she struggled to reply but Simon was patient and gave her time. She could talk that much he was sure of but something about the way she hesitated made him think there was more to it. She was still terrified clearly, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“It's loud.”

Simon grunted in response, running his hand over his moustache as he thought about it. He could call the shop floor a lot of things but he had never considered it to be loud. In fact, they insisted the noise be kept to a minimum so not to draw too much attention. Given the amount of people living in the sanctuary, calling in a herd was a very real possibility.

Putting himself in her shoes, he supposed that even one person talking was more noise than she was used to so the sound of so many people would be deafening. She was just going to have to suck it up though, it wasn't about to change anytime soon. But he didn't have to make things difficult for her, especially given that she was Negan's. The tough love could wait for now.

He decided some gentle coaxing was in order, like tempting in a stray with some food – literally in fact. Laying out all his cards on the table, Simon persisted. “Listen, I'm not going to make you do something you don't want to do. I know you don’t know me but your dad asked me to look after you until he gets back. That means that I'm gonna stick by your side and make sure you get what you need. Keep you safe and shit. It also means that if you have a problem - even if anyone looks at you the wrong way, you can tell me and I'll deal with it. Now we can sit out here and I'll bore your ass off all night or we can go inside and eat. Either way you're gonna be alright. I wont let anything bad happen to you. You struck gold coming here Grace, not a moment too soon by the look of ya.”

The girls eyebrows furrowed together as he said her name, her lips pressing together in a thin line. He wasn't sure how convinced she was about him, maybe she had simply realised there was no way to back out. It could even be that she had finally managed to pull herself together. Whatever the reason, the girl squared her shoulders and started walking.

Watching her limp towards him, Simon nodded and fell into step with her. “Good choice.”

Simon took his time. If he was honest, the longer it took to get Negan's kid settled in now, the less time they would have to sit around twiddling their thumbs later. He wasn't kidding when he had said he hated small talk and he knew Negan wouldn't be getting back anytime soon. He didn't exactly relish the thought of babysitting until then but it definitely wasn't the worst thing Negan had ever asked him to do.

“The plan of action, so that you're aware, is to get you some food and some clean clothes and shit. Then take you someplace you can get cleaned up. Then our doc Carson is gonna take a look at you make sure you're alright.”

“I’m fine.” Her response came a little too quickly and was a little too tense. He glanced over to see her wide eyed, looking around at all the different stations and the people mulling about, completely oblivious to her walking by.

Simon wasn't convinced in the slightest. She had a limp for starters and he was sure she would have some other cuts and scrapes under all the grime. That was before her obvious starvation, dehydration, the vaccinations Carson could give her and whatever mental shit she had going on. He nodded anyway. “Sure. First things first though.”

He led her over to one of the food stalls, rubbing his hands together eagerly. “Got any allergies?

At the shake of her head, Simon reached over for a loaf of bread. He nodded to the guy behind the table. “Put it on Negan's tab my friend.”

Peering around the table to see what other goodies he could gather up for her, he snagged himself an apple. The food was his favourite thing about this place. “Like pickles?”

At her silence he glanced over to see her brows furrowed again like he was the crazy one. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It wasn't exactly a trick question. “There's a guy here who makes em in house. Bet you love peanut butter though don't ya?”

Simon smirks as her eyes hone in on the jar. “Yeah you do. Negan loves that shit too. Oh and the ice cream. There’s a woman here who can make cardamom gelato, I shit you not. We'll get you some of that shit another time.”

Looking over to his guest, arms full with bread peanut butter and water, he found it hard to read her. One moment she looked to be on the brink of a breakdown and the next she seemed to have her shit together. He supposed she was tougher than she looked to still be alive after all this time. Hell maybe Travis was making a fair point saying she had been through some shit. Or maybe he was just being stupid. She probably didn't even know what cardamom gelato was for fuck’s sake. Simon sighed and shifted his grip on the items before moving onto the next station. He had never been good with kids. “C'mon Grace.”

Heading over to the racks of spare clothes, Simon spotted a familiar face. “Janet. Just the woman I want to see.”

An easy smile swept over his features. Simon was always glad for an excuse to see Janet. To say he had a soft spot for her was an understatement but he enjoyed whatever it was that was building between them and was content to let it play out at its own pace. Negan had called him a pussy for it but Simon couldn't bring himself to give a shit.

She smiled, her eyes crinkling at the edges. He fucking loved that smile. “Simon. What can I do you for?”

He could think of more than a few reasons for her to do him. With a knowing smirk playing at his lips he got back to the task at hand. “I need you to fix my friend here up with some new digs.”

Janet looked over to the girl who was holding herself rather awkwardly, eyes cast down to the floor again. If he was honest, he felt a little out of his depth with her. Normally he wouldn't give a shit about the ones the scavengers brought back and wound send the strays into the thick of it to figure out their new life on their own but he couldn't do that this time.

Looking at her carefully, concern etching into her features, Janet nodded. “Sure. What's her number?”

Stupid points system. He had helped to establish it in the first place but sometimes it just got in the way. “No – put it under Negan for me honey.”

Simon watched her inevitable reaction to the name. It happened every damn time without fail. Her eyes widened a little and she straightened herself up, as though the man could somehow see her. “Negan? Of course. What dress size?”

Realising what conclusion she must have come to, Simon rushed to correct her. The last thing he needed was to scare his kid even more. She could find out about that shit from someone else. “No. No – no dresses. Just y'know – clothes.”

“Oh. I'm sorry I thought- “

With a shake of his head he schooled his expression to hopefully tell her to drop it. “That's alright.”

She must have taken the hint because she shakes herself a little and turns back to the girl kindly. “You wanna come pick something sweetie?”

When the kid didn't respond Simon looked over to Grace to see her once again on the brink of some kinda breakdown. He fought the urge to roll his eyes mostly out of respect for Negan but he really was finding her difficult. After an awkward moment or two waiting for a response he simply shook his head at Janet and she disappeared behind a rack to rummage for some clothes.

Thankfully she didn't leave them to their awkward silence for long. Margaret returned with a modest pile of jeans and shirts topped with a pair of boots to replace the craptastic things on the kid's feet. “These should fit you. They okay?”

Grace’s wide eyes fixated on the bundle held out for her to take. Seeing the way she looked as though the boots were about to jump out and bite her face off, Simon couldn't help but roll his eyes. He took it upon himself to respond for her. “They're great. Thanks Margaret.”

As he stepped forward to take the bundle from her himself, he got caught up in Margaret’s reproachful look. She must have caught him damnit.

He shot her a look that clearly says ‘can you blame me?’ earning him another glare that said something more along the lines of ‘give the girl a damn break.’ With a roll of his eyes Simon nodded, conceding to the woman. He spared a glance over to the kid beside him to realise their whole silent conversation had gone blissfully unnoticed.

Realising how much of a pain in the ass it was going to be to carry the bundle of clothing along with the groceries in his arms, Simon looked for something he could put it all in. “You got a bag?”

With an amused smile Janet disappeared for another moment and returned with a woven wicker basket. Simon gratefully unloaded his arms and took the basket from her letting his fingers brush against hers softly. He didn't miss the way she warmed to him. “Thank you honey.”

Janet shook her head in good humour before motioning him to go get on with his job. He made a mental note to return the basket later, another good excuse to see her again. With a smirk Simon repositioned his grip on the basket, turning his attention back to the girl who was yet again glancing around the shop floor, carefully watching people come and go.

When he began to speak to her the kid flinched again but Simon kept at it. He figured it was high time he got her away from the crowds. Maybe she would calm the fuck down then.

“Okeydokey. I think we got every thing for now. Let's get you someplace you can get cleaned up.”

#Negan imagine #negan's thirst squad #the walking dead #twd negan #negan #mine #they found her in the woods

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