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to-pick-ourselves-up-7 · 1 year

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The Marks of Running Ink pt.90

The Walking Dead [Soulmate AU]

Pairing: Negan x Tory Miller (ofc)

Summary: Peace had a way to be boring and exciting at once, for Tory Miller, it was lonely until it was not. Her life was about taking it slow, one day at a time.

Warnings: SLOW BURN, angst, swearing, death, violence, fluff, hurt/comfort, child endangerment, general trauma, drama, mentions of infidelity and polygamy, general lack or morals, mentions of nudity, graphic sexual scenes (nsfw), mentions of blood, apocalyptic world. As always, I don’t want to give the story away in the tags, read at your own risk.

Author’s note: This is the epilogue forThe Marks of Running Ink. It contains a major character death, a sixteen-year time-skip and it's sad. And when I say SAD, I really do mean business. If you prefer the happy ending, stay back in chapter 89. Heed my warning. If you prefer the gritty stuff, do go on and read under your own risk.

••• ••• ••• ••• ••• •••

She Chose to Love

Alexandria, VA.

Ella sighed softly and deposited the flowers over the grave, she liked coming here on her own.

Tommy was always a weeping mess and her Dad was too sad to even go around to the grave, but Ella could forgive that. They missed her. She missed her too but...she'd had her for a lot longer than they did.

“They miss you, Mama, but I promise they love you,” she told to no one in particular. The graveyard was empty, except for her and her voice speaking to her mom.

With another sigh, she stood straight and read the inscription on the headstone.

Victoria J.M. Smith

She chose to love every day

Her mother had been so many things.

Of all things it could have been, it was what her Dad had picked. Her mom had been part of the Council of Communities, she was one of the surviving members of Alexandria, she’d become a doctor without real training, she was a mother and a wife and a friend.

Yet, the words stared back at Ella with stark clarity.

She chose to love every day .

She wanted to ask her Dad what they meant, but she feared he’d go into an early –or late grave – himself.

Ella walked back home to find Tommy working on the front garden. Her little brother had inherited their father’s green thumb, so Ella could focus on her carpentry work.

“Hey, Tommy, all good?” she asked, checking on him before going to the garage-slash-workshop. Her little brother turned his head to her with a little smile. Fuck, he looked so much like their mom.

“All good, Ells,” he said. “Just de-weeding some of the basil plants, you know how Pa’ gets about it.”

She chuckled. “Give him a break, he is old.”

“I heard that, young lady!”

They both turned to see their dad. He was getting out of the workshop and Ella wondered what disaster she’d find in her wake. Their father walked firmly and with energy, if a bit lopsided at times, he was still their old man, but his hair had turned almost completely white since their mother had died.

“You know I have permission to call you old, you’re my dad,” she said, echoing old words and making Tommy chuckle behind a cough.

Her father kissed her forehead and went inside grumbling and saying there would be spaghetti for dinner.

Once she couldn’t hear him anymore, Ella turned to Tommy. “How is he really?”

“He didn’t cry this morning, but he’s acting a bit weird,” her little brother said, his frown was just like Grandpa Roy’s. “You’ve come to keep an eye on him?”

“Yeah, it’s her birthday today.”

••• ••• •••

By all means, it was a life well lived.

Tory held onto Negan’s hand as the diagnosis she already suspected was given to them.

It was so fucking cruel.

She could see Negan crumple inside because they knew what would come would be terrible.

“I don’t have enough tools to tell you exactly how much longer, Victoria, but…”

“It’s bad, I get it. Thank you, Henry, really.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

She’d pulled Negan away from the little office and to the horses that would take them to Alexandria. He was numb, but she could understand. It felt like a joke, a sick joke from destiny.

Tory knew there were many things they hadn’t done just yet. Many things that they would need to do yet. So many things they should have done.

They rode to Alexandria in silence.

They arrived late enough for Ella to be gone and Tommy to be already in bed. They showered the grime from the road and went to bed in silence.

Negan’s arms surrounded her and held her closely.

Her voice was stuck under a knot in her throat, but the darkness was the only thing that would keep them from shattering completely. Tomorrow, they would have to be strong, they would be parents and figures of authority and all the reassurances would have to be for their children.

Ella was twenty-four, but Tommy was only sixteen.

“Can you believe my father will outlive me? The old bastard.” Of all things, it was the first that came to mind. Negan kissed the back of her neck, warming her body and making her forget the ever-present ache that –she now knew – would never go away.

“What am I supposed to do without you?” he whispered, finally bringing up the topic she was dreading.

“You choose to live, every day, you choose to be better for them, every single day, until it’s over for you too,” she whispered back. Tory knew she didn’t need to say their children’s names.

“It should be me, fuck,” he choked out.

“But it’s not, Negan. We have to accept it,” her voice trembled in the end and she didn’t sound so sure anymore.

“I can’t put you down,” he said, his voice breaking as he sobbed against her back. It shattered her heart, splintering it into oblivion.

“We’ll tell Henry. He’ll help us and I’ll be with you and the kiddos, Negan.”

“Why is it always you?” he asked, demanding an answer she didn’t have. “Lucille, Elle, you… It’s not fucking fair.” She turned into his arms, inhaling deeply his fresh scent. Pine and mint and fresh water, with a bit of the orange soap they had at home.

“No, it’s not fair,” she confessed, tears rolling to the tip of her nose and the side of her head. “But it’s what we have, the shit hand we’ve been dealt with. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. It’ll never be your fault.”

••• ••• •••

Tommy had been a surprise. They were happy with Ella, despite the time Negan had been put away in a cell. Tory had never expected to have another child, they were definitely not looking to get pregnant. It just happened.

Ella had been over the moon at the idea of being a big sister and Negan was happy with another child, whatever came their way.

When the baby boy had been put in her arms, Tory fell in love.

They had toyed with names for months, but her baby boy demanded a good name.

“Thomas Nathan Jones-Smith,” she’d told Negan, who’d rolled his eyes at her insistence on hyphenating their names, but not contradicting her.

“Tommy for short,” was all he said.

Tommy had come to complete their family and fulfil their lives with his smiles and antics. He was a calm baby in a way Ella hadn’t been. But the bond Tory shared with Ella was akin to the one Tommy shared with Negan. She would never begrudge her son or husband for that relationship.

They had sixteen blissful years.

••• ••• •••

Tory did not regret a single day.

She wrote letters to them. For all of them.

Even for Carl, who was now the leader of the Hilltop and had a family of his own. Tory wrote to him about how grateful she was for the bond that had become a friendship and how she admired him for doing what was needed.

She wrote to Ella about being a mother and how she had changed her life for the better, how she had filled her days with love and smiles. How she had taught her to forgive.

She wrote to Tommy about all the things she still wanted to teach him, how much she’d loved him from the moment she knew he would come into the world.

To Negan, Tory couldn’t write a letter.

She told him every day, every morning. Something that hadn’t changed in sixteen years was unlikely to change now.

“I’m choosing to love you today as well,” she’d say every morning as they woke up. And she continued to say it until she couldn’t leave their bed anymore. “But it’s time.”

Negan held her hand until it cooled between his, as tears rolled, silent and inevitable down his face.

••• ••• •••

She was as peaceful as Elle had been. She looked so young, despite the few grey hairs he could see.

It was all rather silent and anticlimactic.

Negan always imagined Tory would go out of their world with a bang, yet, she left with a smile, her pretty eyes closed. Her last words seared on his skin forever. An indelible ink-like mark that would never let him forget.

Today, he was reading those words again.

I’ll never stop choosing you .

He couldn’t explain how every choice Tory had made for more than half her life had been a choice made out of love. It hadn’t always been for love of him, fuck no , he couldn’t claim such an honor. But Tory had loved her mother and chosen her over her father, she had loved her step-dad and her first lovers so much, she’d chosen them above her own safety. She’d loved Maggie enough to save her and that child of hers. She’d loved him enough to keep secrets that others would have aired for sympathy.

Ella had asked him why he’d picked the words of her mother’s gravestone to be that. He had never fought with his daughter, but he fought for those words nail and tooth.

And how fiercely she’d loved Ella and Tommy? He couldn’t even describe it.

She’d chosen to die in a way that would not torment him too.

He wanted to make that choice too, but he knew it wasn’t his time yet.

But when the time came, he hoped his good choices would outweigh the bad ones, because the road was still long ahead of him.

#negan #negan angst #negan x ofc #negan soulmate #soulmate fic #the marks of running ink #epilogue #my writing #angst

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captsharonstark · 10 months

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"The end of episode six we've got this split screen kind of image where Maggie Negan are almost like sharing a face. To me that is the larger metaphor for what's happened in this season is these two people who started out so far apart & in coming together they’ve started to understand one another & they’re starting to see that there is this way out, probably a long way off, but it has to be through each other.” - Eli Jorne.

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runraerun · 10 months

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Negan x Rick fic idea that I haven’t seen yet (or have I missed it?) and i feel strongly that it should exist:

Soulmate AU where the first words your soulmate says to you is etched into your skin and Rick’s gone his entire life hating his words because they’re so fucking dumb but then when he finally hears them after years and years of waiting— it’s on the worst day of his life and out of the mouth of a maniac.

‘Pissin’ our pants yet?’ Is on Rick’s arm.

‘Just stop this!’ Is on Negan’s.

#regan #I just love this trope #and it’s extra fucked upness given the circumstances #Rick x Negan #Negan x Rick #Rick grimes #Negan smith #Negan #walking dead #the walking dead #twd #dead city #twd:dc #twd: dead city #soulmates #soulmate AU #husbands

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neganxgrimes · 2 years

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#Rick x negan #regan #soulmates never die

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alyssaswrld999 · 8 months

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Why Me? Chapter 1: Why Did This Happen To Us?

I never expected this to happen to us...

I never wanted this to happen to us...

Why did this happen to us?

___________________________________________

"Sky" I heard a voice say. I look up to see Rick walking towards me. "Hey I need you to do me a favor" Rick asked. I nodded my head yes while my mind said no.

I really didn't want to do anything for anyone at the moment. Then again I'm sure the group including Rick have done plenty of things for me that they didn't want to do.

"Whats the favor Rick" I asked. Rick sighed and then began to speak again. "I need you to do a supply run up North. It's two hours away and I was gonna send someone with you" Rick said.

"Who's the person" I asked curiously. "It's Spencer" Rick said. I nodded my head and then Rick handed me the map for the location. "Alright so I'm gonna go tell Spencer that your going with him and that you will meet him at the gate in thirty minutes" Rick said.

I nodded my head and then Rick walked forward to me a little more. Rick then kissed my temple and patted my shoulder. Rick understood that I was hurting because I lost Glenn. I am hurting and I'm really numb because he was my brother ya know?

The only thing I don't get is Why Me? Why do I out of all the people here get picked? The only reason I'm even alive is cause of Glenn. I ain't special and never have been. Heck I'm even surprised Daryl likes me.

As Rick walks away I decided to ask him one simple question. "Hey Rick I have a question" I said. Rick stopped and turned around to look at me. "Yeah Sky" Rick asked.

I sighed and then moved my shoulders a bit. "Why Me?" I asked. Rick then took a moment to think about what I just asked him. "Cause your one of the people I can trust going on this run especially with Spencer" Rick said.

"Yeah but why do you trust me" I asked. "Cause you don't take any bullshit from anyone. You also know how to plan out things if something goes wrong and your already a step ahead of everything we do" Rick said.

I then took a moment to think of what he just told me. I nodded my head again and then began to walk to my and Daryls shared house.

___________________________________________

Part 2 Link

Full Masterlist Link

#twd negan #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixion imagine #daryl dixon smut #daryl dixon #the walking dead fanfiction #rick grimes #rosita espinosa #abraham ford #eugene porter #friends to lovers #soulmates #self worth #self respect #sad thoughts

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hoss-bonaventure · 1 year

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up until this very moment i was not aware people shipped rick and negan unironically

#i thought it was all a joke #like ‘rick and negan soulmates’#YOU WERE BEING SERIOUS?#idk sorry if you’re a regan shipper #but i all thought we were in on a big joke #no you want them together fr #twd #the walking dead #regan #negan #rick grimes

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thereadersmuse · 1 year

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"I hope you got your shitting pants on."

*Also posted on ff.net.

#maggie x negan #maggie greene #negan twd #maggie rhee #twd fanfiction #twd #the walking dead #maggie doesn't deserve this #megan #soulmates #soul mates #soulmate au #soul bond #read all the warnings #neggie #not my image

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canary58143 · 7 months

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So this is what I got so far for my soulmate twd story.

Just a little conversation snippets of my Oc interacting with two people.

Soulmate mark/quote:

Oc: "You can arrest me anytime officer~

Shane: "That an invitation Sweetheart?"

Oc: *Smiles* "Take it as you will."

Meeting Negan:

Negan: "well damn, Princess. You sure got a mouth on you."

Oc: *Smirks* "So that means I call you prince. And you already got the peasants part down on lock!"

Don't copy or repost anywhere that I do not know about please and thank you. Please comment and reblog. Share what you think and spread it all around. I appreciate it!

#fanfic #soulmate au #fanfic writing #the walking dead #rick grimes #shane walsh #negan smith #carl grimes #carol peletier #lori grimes #the walking dead daryl #merle dixon

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kittenofdoomage · 7 months

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In case you missed it...

I'm currently posting a fic a day over on Ao3 for my Tropetober A-Z event on Patreon last year. It's a different character every day from different fandoms, mostly smutty (you know me). All red underlined links lead to AO3, please read the warnings on individual stories 😘

The fics:

A: Alpha/Beta/Omega - Winter Nights

(Geralt Of Rivia x fem!reader) You’re an Omega who lives at Kaer Morhen, unmated but belonging, almost like a pack Omega to the Alpha Witchers; Geralt, Coen, Lambert and Vesemir, though the elder Witcher is long past any need for you. Geralt is close to rut when he returns, and seeks you out.

B: Bodyswap - Worth The Wait

(John Winchester x fem!reader) Some supernatural beings don’t want to hurt anyone, they just want to prove a point.

C: Character Death - The One Good Thing

(Negan x fem!reader) You waited so long to have him back, and he’s waited so long to get back to you, now you can be happy again… right?

D: Dark fic - On Our Terms

(Geralt Of Rivia x fem!reader) A sorcerer out for revenge leaves you in a dangerous position, and you’re not sure you’re going to make it out of this one.

E: Enemies To Lovers - Trapped

(Bucky Barnes x fem!reader) An incident on a mission leaves you and Bucky trapped in a vault. Being sealed in a relatively small space is a problem on its own, but you’re faced with another dilemma; you absolutely hate Bucky Barnes.

F: Fake Dating - Keeping Up Appearances

(John Winchester x fem!reader) You haven’t heard from John in three months, after he abandoned you, but now he needs your help on a case. Are you willing to ignore your feelings to help him?

G: Glad To Be Alive - All Is Not Lost

(Negan x fem!reader) A sequel to "The One Good Thing" which was letter C of Tropetober.

H: High School Sweethearts - Bittersweet

(Steve Rogers x fem!reader) In any time or place, she'd love him.

I: I Don't Want To Ruin Our Friendship - Mistakes

(Bucky Barnes x fem!reader) She took a chance and it broke her heart - can Bucky fix the mistake he made?

J: Just Friends - Nightcap

(John Winchester x fem!reader) She’s sick of correcting everyone, and alcohol loosens the tongue.

K: Kiss Of Life - Near Miss

(Geralt Of Rivia x fem!reader) Geralt saves your life, then reminds you to never nearly die again.

L: Love Potion - A Wee Favor

(Dean Winchester x fem!reader x Sam Winchester) Dreams can come true.

M: Mates - Crossed Paths

(Alpha!Geralt Of Rivia x Omega!fem!reader) Destiny put them in each other's way for a reason.

N: New Old Flame - Always Yes

(John Winchester x fem!reader) They came so close to something special, only to have it torn away; is there any hope left for them now?

O: One True Love - Backseat Lover

(Dean Winchester x fem!reader) He's been keeping a secret from her, and when they're stranded alone for hours, he finally has to come clean.

P: Please Don't Leave Me - Vigil

(Bucky Barnes x fem!reader) He's halfway through a mission when something he can't fight happens.

Q: Queen Size Bed - Never Have I Ever

(John Winchester x fem!reader x Dean Winchester) Drinking can lead to all sorts of decisions, luckily, these are good ones.

R: Roommates - Sleepless

(Bucky Barnes x fem!reader) Turns out, the solution to the problem was there all along.

S: Soulmates - Runaway

(Geralt Of Rivia x fem!reader) You run away from the life your parents want for you, and finally find your soulmate in the most unlikely of places.

T: Time Travel - Time Breaks All Things

(John Winchester x fem!reader) - A misstep on a case puts them somewhere they didn't expect to be, and they're not sure if there's a way home again.

U: Unresolved Sexual Tension - Seize The Sam

(Sam Winchester x fem!reader) Dean "Matchmaker" Winchester strikes again.

V: Virgin - Life Lessons

(Geralt Of Rivia x fem!reader) The night that Geralt learned his most valuable life lessons…

W: Werewolf - The Wolf Moon

(Henry Cavill x fem!reader) A night of camping leads her right into the arms of fate.

X: Xenafication - Rough

(Geralt Of Rivia x fem!reader) Something changes you, and Geralt isn't sure it's a good thing.

Y: You Can't Fight Fate - Ships In The Night

(Dean Winchester x fem!reader) She keeps running to avoid heartbreak but she's breaking all the same.

Z: Zombies - Full

(Negan Smith x fem!reader) She knows she shouldn't, but the problem is, she wants to, real bad.

If you do check any of the fics out, please let me know what you think 😊

#tropetober #fanfiction #ao3 links

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whateverisbeautiful · 2 months

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♥️ Ranking Richonne

#4: We're The Ones Who Live (S7E08)

Now this right here is a love scene and it's solid gold. It was gold from the moment I first watched it and it is just as much today. I adore what this powerful moment establishes for Richonne. It speaks so strongly to their love, their interconnection, and their commitment to each other. And in this incredible performance, Danai and Andy again demonstrate that they are powerhouse talents. 👏🏽 This scene also sets up Richonne's mantra, which years later, those special words between them have now evolved into a bigger blessing than I could have ever predicted. #TheOnesWhoLive 😍🙌🏾...

I love that when speaking about this scene, Danai so beautifully described Michonne as coming to this conclusion that she is in this partnership fully with Rick - and so whether she could figure out how to fight back on her own or not, she decides she will only proceed if it’s with him. It has to be the two of them. It always has. 🥹

And I love that in this outstandingly acted scene from Danai and Andy, Michonne and Rick get to establish how much they know they are meant to be together and that they are the ones who can fight together and win, and it’s the only way they want it to be.

It’s great how a scene that began with Rick alone and stooped down defeated in a cell, ends with Rick on his feet and enwrapped in the abundance of love and strength that only his soulmate could give him.

The significance of the scene starting with Rick having his hatchet on one side and the “congrats on winning, but you still lose” paper on the other - The two items clearly symbolize his two choices. He can continue to live under Negan’s oppression and “win” another day at life but still ultimately lose so much (the paper), or he can fight back (the hatchet) - and the choice is made very clear when the exact person he needs walks in the door. 😊

I appreciate this scene taking place in a cell because one; Rick and Michonne first met in a prison and it just reminds me how far they’ve come two; in this moment, Rick feels like he’s in a mental prison as well, and when Michonne walks up she truly will be the one to help break him out. She’s key, as Andy said. 👌🏽

I love that when Michonne got the update on where Rick was from Carl she went to go see him - to both check on him as she's the most capable of taking care of him and also to really pour her heart out with what she’s come to believe about the two of them and how they can overcome.

Michonne seems a little hesitant when she first arrives, especially cuz she knows what she’s about to share, but I will forever adore that Rick walks closer to her and lets her know just how relieved he is to see her when he embraces her. And it’s the sweetest hug. 🤗

They both needed that, and I love it so much. I appreciate how even tho Rick probably knows Michonne continued to go outside the walls and try things her way, what matters most to him is that she’s safe and back here with him now.

You can just feel how connected they want to be after being so weighed down by this Negan era and seeing things differently. And this hug just movingly closes that gap between them.

And then Michonne breaks away from the hug and again it’s sad to see Rick have a moment of wondering if there might be some bad news coming or if she is pulling away. But just like the hug closes the gap, Michonne does just that with a beautiful monologue delivered perfectly by Danai. 👏🏽

Also Andy is such a revelation too cuz Rick literally doesn’t say anything until the very end of the scene, and yet still his performance is so impactful as he hangs on her every word. The talent. 👏🏽

I like that Michonne starts by saying, "I found what I was looking for," cuz you think it might mean she found the savior outpost or whatever, but most of all she found the very important realization that she only wants to go forward if it’s with Rick by her side.

Then I love that she tells Rick she wanted to go with him on that run with Aaron. Of course that’s the case - cuz magnets. But she says she couldn’t since she had to go her way, as that independent warrior side was still tugging at her to find a way to fight back for her family, even if it meant doing it alone.

And y’all, Rick‘s reaction when she says, "I had to go my way." 😭 His teary-eyed look low-key makes me tear up a bit. He really looks worried she might be pulling away for real.

Michonne says when she found what she was looking for she realized she didn’t want it to be her way. And I LOVE the delivery of her saying “I wanted it to be ours. Me and you.” 🥹

It is genuinely moving and meaningful that Michonne, this woman so capable and competent on her own, realized she didn’t want to do it on her own because she found someone who she is so one with. Now, she only wants to fight the fight if it's with him. #They'reMarriedMarriedY'all 😊

And I love the 'me and you,' to clarify that this isn’t about a general “our” or ASZ as a whole. She wants it to be her and Rick, the love of her life.

And Rick’s reaction is so touching as he seems sincerely moved by her wanting it to be the "me and you" way. He also looks like he knows he wants exactly that too.

(Also this scene just makes me think this is how he’d react if he were hearing her vows - just touched to his core.)

It’s nice that Michonne acknowledged Rick is right about the saviors’ numbers and that they’re even more outnumbered than they thought but then it’s powerful for her to say that even despite the odds her feelings haven’t changed because so long as things are this way they have to try and fight it. Determined queen. 👑

The way Michonne says, "We’re still alive, Rick" with tears in her eyes makes me emotional. And I love that she’s here reminding him of this, and also I just love any time they say each other's name. 😋

It’s deep to hear Michonne acknowledge how much she and Rick have been through that could have been their undoing. Michonne has been present to experience so many things with Rick, and while they are warriors, they also know that some of those experiences could have taken them out for good. But yet they’re still standing, and they did make it out to the other side like the resilient fighters they are.

I also LOVE when she tells him, “We’re still here, the two of us. We’re still standing and we’re gonna keep standing.” Empowering. And again, Rick’s emotional reaction as he listens to this and truly lets it resonate, especially when she says 'the two of us.' My soul sheds tears seeing this whole scene, I must admit.

And it's nice knowing that, a few eps later, Rick will also tell Michonne he wants it to be the “two of us” when he proposes reordering the world with her. 😊

It’s powerful that after the hellish lineup, Michonne can focus on one of the glimmers of light in their situation, and that’s that they are both still here against all odds. Then Michonne passionately asks what they do with that and how they make that mean something.

Michonne tells him, "We’re the ones who get things done." #TheGetThingsDoneGrimes. And she let’s Rick know he was the one who said that. And Michonne saying this with a finger on his chest is great.

And then she emphasizes this next part with a phrase that will become very important to them and us and the whole dang TWD franchise.

“We’re the ones who live.” ♥️

Ain’t it the gospel truth forever. 🙌🏽 And Rick knows it’s gospel as he nods in agreement.

I'll always love that Michonne heard this line from Rick's wild (and excellently acted) rant in season 5, and instead of just dismissing Rick as being crazy, she remembered the line and saw its truth and power, respecting it enough to turn it into an uplifting mantra between her and him.

Like Rick was straight losing it in that 5.15 scene, but Michonne, who is always able to find the value in him and his words, heard Rick say, "We're the ones who live," and was like...

So then, in this cell, Michonne takes a vulnerable step that shows her trust with her man when she tells him, "that’s why we have to fight." Michonne knows the last time she and Rick talked about fighting back, he wasn’t on board with it - but she knows it has to be done, so she trusts that she can tell him again here.

She says they have to fight not for them but for others, and I adore that the first people she says they have to fight for are Judith and Carl. They have to fight for their kids. 😭

For a mother and father to say this is so special because they know how risky this fight will be, but it’s what they're willing to do for their children.

Michonne mentions fighting for the communities, and then she says, "for all of us." It makes me think about how in 9.05 when Rick is closest to death he will envision Michonne again reminding him what he fights for - for her and "for all of us."

The way Michonne speaks to Rick in this cell scene is so sweet, passionate, vulnerable, and empowering. Then, in a call-to-arms, she tells him confidently that they can fight the saviors and find a way to beat them, saying with conviction, "We can do this."

Rick had this confidence when they first came to Hilltop in s6, but it was understandably shaken after the lineup losses. But now it's refreshing seeing Michonne so elegantly and invigoratingly remind him they are still nothing to play with, and they can win.

And then my absolute favorite part of the scene is after she tells him we can do this. She completes her speech to Rick by softly saying, "But...but only if we do this," with emphasis on it being her and Rick specifically. Perfection. 🥹

And the acting Danai does with her eyes, my goodness it just so powerfully communicates Michonne’s vulnerability and love for him.

This moment is such a big profession of love. It's her saying that everything in her feels they have to fight, but even then she only thinks the fight can be won if it’s the two of them, and she’ll only go forward if it’s with her husband by her side. It’s just beautiful.

And Rick thinks that whole speech was beautiful and powerful too, y'all. Cuz he looks at her mesmerized (you know, the usual) and then he lets her know he’s on the same page and has come to the same conclusion.

I love that those magnets kick in, as he starts stepping even closer to her to repeat assuredly, "I know that now." What can I say? It gives me life. And I love the way Michonne's words always give Rick life too. There's a reason the actors referred to this scene as a love scene.

With all these Richonne scenes I've analyzed, some could think I must be describing them more lovey-dovey and intimate than they are - but no Richonne's love story really is just that epic of a love story. I'm just writing out what I see on my screen. 😌👌🏽

Then there is something so so precious about the way Michonne’s eyes fill with tears when Rick lets her know he is fully with her on this and ready to fight back together. It’s such a confirmation that she found the right one, the one who really will fight for her and with her.

It also really shows this is a woman who trusts she can be her barest self with her man. And whenever Michonne is vulnerable with him like this, Rick has always always handled being handed this part of her heart with so much care.

I love that they can always get on the same page and this is Rick saying he knows they have to fight but also he knows that he has to go forward with her. He’s co-signing that he also wants it to be the 'Rick and Michonne way' from here on out. And they really do honor operating the 'Rick and Michonne way' moving forward the rest of this series.

Michonne's influence is a major reason why Rick got active again and agreed to get this war started with Negan. She was paramount in getting him to this space because she built him back up like only she could. Again, to reiterate Andy's words - Michonne is key.

I also love that Rick has proven time and time again that he'll go to war for Michonne. I don't care if you're the governor, negan, or the biggest military left in the world, it's like TWD said...

...Rick and Michonne would "set the world on fire for each other."🔥

(side note: I'm willing to bet that if Michonne somehow gets to meet any of the friends Rick's made while he was away in TOWL, those friends are going to immediately understand why this man kept risking it all to get back to his beautiful wife lol. Like even from Michonne's walk alone, they're going to know Rick was pining over the baddest chick in the game. 💁🏽‍♀️ Oh and same for anyone who traveled with Michonne and gets to meet Rick. They gon' get why she was searching far and wide for her fine husband and the devoted father of her children. I'm just saying.😋)

Upon hearing Rick, her true love, agree with her and say he now knows they have to fight back together, Michonne has this second of seeming almost surprised that he’s so fully on board now, and then she seems so relieved and so moved. So she beautifully smiles with tears in her eyes as she embraces him.

It moves me to no end that Michonne knows she'll be held in this relationship, both literally and figuratively by this man who truly views her as more valuable than gold and will always fight for her.

And it also eternally warms my heart that Rick knows he will never have to go it alone because he has this woman who is always by his side to love and uplift him no matter what. 🙌🏽🥹

And then this leads to my other favorite part of the scene...you already know. 😏 I adore that they complete the moment with such a passionate kiss.

The way they just magnetically gravitate toward each other and again get lost in each other, with him tightly wrapping his arms around her and her hands in his hair, and just every part of it is great. 👏🏽. I wish the lighting was a bit brighter cuz like I can see it but...

However, even with the dimmer lighting, you can still see and feel the passion between them shining through. 🌟

What an absolutely gorgeous scene that speaks to the power of Richonne. For two characters who had been operating like a package deal for seasons, I love that this gave them a moment to vocalize that that’s the only way they want it to be. Me and you.

In this scene, a huge decision was made for the whole group and the whole series because Richonne agreed it was time to fight back, and I love that they have each other to instill this type of love, strength, and call to arms. 🙌🏽

When I think of why Richonne is perfection, this is one of the first scenes that comes to mind because what Michonne and Rick both convey in this scene is that they are really and truly soulmates meant to love, fight, and take on every part of life together.

Richonne really is the embodiment of "us against the world," and I love that they know it too. 😌

#richonne #top 30 #top 5 #number 4 #rick x michonne #reveling in richonne #twd towl #the ones who live

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desiderio-dixon · 3 months

Text

❀desiderio-dixon's masterlist❀

❀~~__~~❀~~__~~❀

Requests are : open!

Thinking about sending in a request? Visit my FAQ for more information!

series :

❀ Darkest Before the Dawn ❀

⤿ Pairing : Daryl Dixon x f!reader (endgame), Glenn Rhee x f!reader (unrequited)

⤿ Genre : fluff, angst, eventual smut

⤿ Series warnings (see each chapter for individual warnings) : general gore, violence, twd typical dialogue and situations, language, eventual sexual situations (more to be added)

⤿ Series synopsis : When Glenn Rhee comes into your life, you become convinced he's a guardian angel sent by your late best friend. You think he's your soulmate. But then he falls for the farmer's daughter, and you find that your own angel may be a little more blatant than expected; wings and all.

drabbles :

❀ Bite the Hand That Feeds ❀

⤿ Pairing : Daryl Dixon x f!reader

⤿ Genre : pure smut with a sprinkle of fluff

❀ Busy ❀

⤿ Pairing : Daryl Dixon x f!reader

⤿ Genre : absolute fluff

requests :

❀ Seesaws and Stray Dogs ❀

⤿ Pairing : Daryl Dixon x Negan's sister!reader

⤿ Genre : angst and fluff

❀ Pretty ❀

⤿ Pairing : Daryl Dixon x f!dancer!reader

⤿ Genre : pure fluff

#daryl x y/n #daryl x female reader #daryl dixion imagine #daryl x you #daryl x reader #daryl imagines #daryl fanfiction #twd daryl #the walking dead daryl #daryl dixon #twd imagine #twd fanfiction

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to-pick-ourselves-up-7 · 1 year

Text

The Marks of Running Ink pt.89

The Walking Dead [Soulmate AU]

Pairing: Negan x Tory Miller (ofc)

Summary: Peace had a way to be boring and exciting at once, for Tory Miller, it was lonely until it was not. Her life was about taking it slow, one day at a time.

Author’s note: If you haven't read chapter 88, you should, I'm updating the last three chapters at once. This is the official ending of The Marks of Running Ink, but a short epilogue comes after with major warnings. Thank you so much for being here.

••• ••• •••

Peace

Alexandria, VA.

She was waiting for him outside the cell.

A little, wry smile on her lips as she set her eyes on him.

"Hey, old man," she greeted him.

"I'm your father's age, Tory."

"And I call him old too."

He chuckled and she did too.

"What now?"

She made a gesture for him to follow.

"We go home."

Negan had not been or felt at home in so many years. He'd lost the people he considered home, over and over, but now he was being offered another chance, probably the last one. The summer breeze was kind, fall would come soon enough, considering the color of the leaves.

"There will be rules, Negan, important rules to follow," Victoria told him as they walked. He was in no hurry, and she didn't seem to be in a hurry either. "I have a child."

He stopped, frozen, right in the middle of the street, his feet glued to the dusty asphalt.

"A child?"

Tory looked at him and nodded.

"You said that you and the good doc–"

"She isn't Rhodes' kid," his soulmate interrupted.

He blinked, feeling like a fool as he did, watching Victoria as she looked at him.

"Her name is Ella," his soulmate said. "Ella Henry Jones."

"You gave a girl a boy's name?" He asked, not hating it.

"I thought I would die, you know? No epidurals at the end of the world, Negan. Lots of blood, I was stupidly scared."

He laughed and was finally able to move again.

"Am I meeting this kid of yours?"

"Tomorrow, she is visiting Roy."

They got to a house near the end of a street. It seemed to be well taken care of and maintained. He remembered that house. Victoria let him in and gave him a tour of everything, showed him what would be his room and then had him come down to eat.

She had made him spaghetti.

Like a fucking saint.

Once he had his fill, she told him to wait and came with a book in her hands. It seemed bound by hand, and the lettering on the cover had her daughter's name. She sat by his side and cracked the book open, but stopped before showing him anything.

"I have to ask for your forgiveness," she said softly, her eyes avoiding him. "I kept something monumental from you, not because I wanted to, but because I was made to do it." Dread started to gather in his gut as she gripped the book and spoke to him as if he were some sort of wounded beast. "Please, don't judge me too harshly."

Finally, she cracked the book open and showed him the first pictures.

It was a picture of her, not incredibly focused but clear enough. She was holding a bundle in her arms with what seemed to be a shaky smile.

"This is you what? Six months after the whole thing?" He asked softly, avoiding the enormity of what he meant.

"Thereabouts," she answered vaguely.

Under that, in neat writing was her daughter's name, the date and a tiny, inky footprint.

He turned the page and the pictures were better.

"I took all of the next ones," she said. "Roy took the first one when I was fine enough to hold Ellie."

The name stabbed at his heart. The first pictures were of a baby with big, dark eyes.

Her hair was just a bit curly and she had a big smile.

Ella's first month.

Then came other photos of Victoria holding the little girl, giving her a bottle, bathing her.

He kept going.

Ella's learned to turn.

Ella's first crawl.

Ella's first tantrum.

Ella's first steps.

"Whose is she?" He asked. "That twat I killed in front of your house? Lucas'?"

She shook her head and cleared her throat. Her lips parted more than once, and finally…

"She is yours," she whispered.

Negan closed his eyes as he caressed the pictures.

"I've been put away all of her life. You never—"

"Rick said I couldn't tell you."

"And now that he is dead…" understanding dawned on him.

"We have a chance to be there for her, to be her parents, even if we are not a couple. She knows about you, she will love you."

"I'm a bad man."

"You are no hero, but you are not evil," she contradicted. "And even if you never came to love me, I know you'll love her, I have since I knew."

"You never told me." He had vague memories of her seeing him in the cell those first months, her face always withdrawn and worried. She wore very baggy clothes and then stopped going completely.

"Rick gave me conditions and I have always been good with secrets."

An understatement in his mind. She had faced him more than once, had seen his worst side and kept it quiet that she knew who he was to her. What they were to each other.

After what he had done to her, it did not surprise him that she would keep it a secret that he’d become a dad.

He had a kid.

“What is she like?” he asked, like a coward, he preferred not to face how his hand was in all of it too.

“She is a tornado, but she also loves cuddling and being told she is the greatest kid who ever existed, and for me, she is.” Tory bit her lip with a smile, looking at the picture he too was looking at. Ella was in front of a plate of food and her hands were all messy with tomato sauce. “She loves spaghetti and it’s a harsh judge when she does not like the sauce.”

“She’s the judgy roommate?” he asked with his own chuckle. His heart constricted inside his chest, because he wanted to rage and cry and fucking shoot someone, but not Tory.

Not Tory who'd been alone, who had faced death to bring their child into the world, who'd kept away so she and Ella could stay close.

“She is.”

He kept turning the pages, seeing the pictures and some stuff. Locks of hair, drawings, a leaf or flower here and there.

"What do I have to do?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Be her friend first, then her dad. I can protect her, but I can't be her dad. Nor can my… Roy can't either."

Negan closed his eyes and the book, he leaned back on the chair.

"I'm not ready to forgive," he whispered.

"I wasn't expecting you to. I would be mad if you did," she whispered back. It was getting dark outside and the noises of the day were fading.

"I want to be her dad."

"Then we play by the rules."

••• ••• •••

The next day dawned humid but not too hot, early fall weather could actually be good and Tory was grateful for it. Sometimes, weather like this made her miss the old days in San Diego, the view into the sea, the bustling port and the noise of the planes as they arrived at the airport.

She regretted having stayed up most of the night, talking to Negan about how they were supposed to manage living with Ella and themselves.

For her, it felt as if she'd gotten back an old friend. Losing so many people in such a short amount of time had once been traumatic and Tory felt the impact of it keenly, almost a decade later. She'd lost so many people and done so many things.

She could do this one little thing for Ella and Negan.

Her father approached alone, looking relaxed as she stood from her step on the front porch. He certainly had an explanation of why her child was not with him.

"She stopped with the Owens'," he said, as soon as they encountered each other. He passed her the little basket that he always used to bring her goat cheese with a smile.

"Morning, Roy," Tory said, relief making her voice sound softer. "You want to have breakfast? I got some pesto and I still have pasta."

"What happened to a good American breakfast, kid?" He asked with a mocking glare.

"I'm not going down to ask for another pound of bacon so you can get a heart attack. Charlotte will have my hide."

He laughed and Tory rolled her eyes as they went inside.

Negan was in the kitchen, he did have a more local idea of breakfast and she sighed.

"Well, if it isn't my old boss," Roy said warily. "Are you two shacking up again…" he trailed off, he seemed displeased.

"First, don't be crass, second, none of your business, Miller. If you don't like it, you know the way out," Victoria growled. He made a placating gesture right away.

Negan simply shrugged. "I was invited."

Roy turned to her. "The Owens will come and see him."

"Chase and Vera knew of my intentions."

"They knew and I didn't?"

"They live here!"

"I'm your father, Victoria."

"We don't have a choice about that, but please, do make your unwelcome opinion known." Good Lord, she was being harsh, she didn’t want to be harsh. Not now.

She was sure worse words would have come between them if Ella hadn't come bounding through the backdoor of the house, making the french doors rattle.

"Mama!" Her little girl exclaimed. "I wanna be a fisherman!"

Tory sighed and smiled as she went to greet her little tornado.

"Okay, Peanut , and how will we get you a degree in fishing?" She always made that sort of question because they put Ella up to the task of creating some new idea about her education that Tory usually took advantage off to teach her some lessons. Carpentry had been a success so far.

Ella pouted and looked at her booted feet.

"We ask the fish?"

"I don't think they speak."

"Nonsense!"

All of them turned to see Vera arrive, carrying a big basket with her, Chase following close behind with their twins.

"Fish definitely speak, you just have to listen carefully, Ellie."

Chaos.

Her life was an utter, lovely chaos.

••• ••• •••

Negan noticed the reaction of his once subordinates and felt incredibly self-conscious. He wished to make amends, to apologize, but breakfast seemed hardly the right time to do such a thing.

Breakfast was made, lots of eggs, some ham and a bit of bacon, freshly pressed juice, a bit of milk and tea that had come from a bush the Owens had been curating for a long while now.

"I hear that the Kingdom has some coffee plants," Roy mentioned. "They expect a good harvest soon."

Everyone started talking shop about it.

This felt like home.

Negan had few homes, but he was being invited to one now.

"Kiddos, why don't you go upstairs and set that wooden brick city to rights?" Miller suggested it to the twins and his granddaughter.

Soon, the kids were gone and Negan noticed this was the moment he'd been dreading.

Tory seemed to be calm, looking into her cup without a care in the world.

"Boss," Chase Owens spoke first.

"Not your boss anymore," he said.

The blond man nodded and held his wife's hand lovingly.

"Not anymore, but you were once and I respect some of the things you did, Boss."

Miller chuckled.

"Let the boy call you boss, it's far better than what you will get. Than what Victoria and Ella will do too."

"Roy—"

"No, have you thought this through, Victoria?"

"I had seven years to think about it, I have quite a good grasp on it. I'm a luxury Alexandria cannot afford to lose."

"Tory, please," Vera said, her hand reaching for the other.

"I know people have long memories, but many of these people are not the ones who occupied Alexandria. We all used to know each other here, it was different before Rick, but we can't go back, we can only go on."

"Whose support do you even have, kid?" Roy insisted.

"Carl's."

Not even the very driven-by-logic Roy Miller could argue against that. The kid, now in his mid-twenties, would be an unbelievable asset to Tory's endgame.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Victoria."

"I do, Roy."

Vera approached him as they cleaned up the kitchen.

Victoria had been called for some urgent thing or other, Chase had taken Miller so he could retrieve his horse and go back to The Hilltop, and so, Negan and Vera had stayed with the kids.

"You want to say something," he encouraged, knowing that her eyes had been on him for a while now. "Spit it."

She giggled but then her face became hard.

"Don't hurt Tory, please."

Oh .

"It's not my intention to do that."

"Oh, I don't know. I'm just speaking of what I know. It took her years of self-work to pick up the pieces of her soul after everything that happened, Negan. She did it for Ellie, and isn't she worth it?"

He nodded, unable to speak.

"Well, that's what I ask. Tory wants this to work. Help her. Help yourself."

••• ••• •••

It was well into the afternoon by the time she was able to get out of the Ramos' home.

They had an ugly case of flu and Tory could understand the worry. It was hard to grow penicillin and not everyone agreed with it.

Patrols would have to take the house in consideration for the next few days, in case that the remedies and limited medicine didn't cover them and one of them died.

It was the reason why Tory was taking a shower in the garage of the house, instead of inside. No germs for her daughter or their new roommate.

Once she was done, she grabbed a towel and went inside.

Vera was sitting with Negan, apparently, they were working on some of the former's knitting.

"Great! Just in time, Tory. I got to go. Chase came by for our babies earlier, we were waiting for you. Ellie went for a nap, but she will be up at any moment now."

Tory smiled.

"Make sure to tell Chase that the Ramos' will need patrols. They got the flu."

Vera grimaced.

"Okay, I'll see myself out."

While her friend left, Tory tried not to feel self-conscious about wearing only a towel in front of Negan, even if she usually did this when treating illnesses.

"What can I get you?"

"Not really a lot, help me set dinner? I'll be back shortly and we will get a chance to speak to Ella."

“Got it.”

She was back not ten minutes later and found Ella glaring daggers at Negan from the kitchen island while he prepared tomato sauce. It was as if she’d gone years into the past at the scene. It almost tempted her to take a picture as he prattled on to her child, who was pouting and then:

“My mama makes the best sauce.”

Negan scoffed, the bastard.

“Who do you think she learned from?”

That made Ella hesitate.

“Her mama?”

He tutted and shook his head with a cheeky grin.

“This was my wife’s recipe,” he told Ella, his smile conspiratory, as if he were sharing a big secret with Ellie. In a way, he was, because Tory had been too much of a coward to tell her own child about the past. “Wanna taste?”

She watched as Negan gave Ella the wooden spoon to taste and then took it back while her little girl savored the sauce like some tiny connoisseur. Tory had to recognize that Negan was not a bad cook and she arrived in the kitchen as Ella went back to glaring at him.

“It’s good, but my mama’s is better.”

He frowned. “You’re one hard to please judge, kiddo.”

“I don’t want to say I told you so, but I did,” Tory chimed in, kissing her daughter’s temple and hugging her to reward her loyalty. “Are you ready for dinner, Peanut ?”

“Yes, mama. Who is the man?” her daughter just knew how to put things, didn’t she?

They exchanged a look.

“A friend, gorgeous . He’s going to be staying here a while.”

••• ••• •••

Adapting was not easy.

At first, Tory received some dirty looks, but she couldn’t care less. People did end up calling her over for one medical emergency or another.

Ella was treated the same, if only because she was a child, and for that, she could say both Negan and herself were grateful. They were taking things one step at a time, with Negan being more of a babysitter until Tory decided they could tell Ella a bit of the truth.

One great upside of having Negan in their home was the advent of the vegetable garden Tory had tried to start at least once a year since Ella had come into her life. Not even Vera’s green thumb had been able to spruce up a decent garden, but Negan had somehow -and she was not completely sure how - charmed the cursed soil of her backyard into yielding something.

It was radishes first.

Then green beans and spinach and carrots.

Winter came in with unbelievable speed, making everyone cold, sickly and irritable. Negan and Ella kept to the garden, which was taking a little bit more space every day. Tory was just happy that snow hadn’t come so far this winter. Vera and Chase were happy to let their boys play with her daughter, even if Negan was there.

"They follow him like he is a duck mama," Vera said one afternoon, as Ella and the twins followed behind Negan, each one carrying a tool or pot or watering can. "Three little ducklings."

Tory chuckled as she tossed some mushrooms on the blender and grabbed some oil.

"They are happy. They don't have to worry so much," she looked at her hands. "They will know better." Her friend's face turned serious, almost somber.

"They will know better."

••• ••• •••

Negan liked the peace.

He liked the calm and the feeling of being safe, despite some people spitting his way.

Tory had been a bit passive-aggressive about that and the incidents had been less aggravating since. Whatever her faults, he did not fault her for being vindictive, it was something he'd always liked about her, well before now.

He refused to define what they had as something other than friendship and a very good co-parenting relationship. Things between them were easy, there was a camaraderie that hadn't existed between them before.

And Ella.

Ella was the light of his days.

Wilful, funny, sharp as a whip, with a wicked sense of humor for a six-year-old and she was the sweetest child he'd ever met.

At least to him.

Negan couldn't stop himself from trying to be the cool parent. He was more like a cool uncle and he was really trying, promise! But Ella had a way to convince him to let her do stuff.

One more cookie.

One more story.

One more picture.

Five more minutes.

Tory wasn't thrilled all the time, but he was.

It took a while for them to finally agree that Ella should know who he was.

They made her favorite spaghetti -and Negan knew Tory hadn't forgiven him for making the sauce that Ella liked most in their last contest- and made a big jug of sweet tea with the honey Tory had traded for their surplus green beans. She also made honey cakes and a tiny chocolate cake that Tory had a hell of a time gathering the ingredients for.

“All of it looks amazing,” Negan commented, grabbing a glass to serve himself a bit of cool tea. “I never thought I’d feel proud of making some honest-to-God dinner rolls.”

Tory snickered. “No one ever knows where they are going to end.”

“I really want this to work,” he said.

They were silent for a few more minutes as they served the food. If they let Ella serve herself, there would be none for them.

Their daughter came in making the doors rattle, a habit they simply couldn’t instruct out of her.

“Mama! Negan! Aunt Vera has baby chicks!”

Tory smiled and picked their little girl up. "Does she now? Should I search you for forbidden poultry?"

Ella frowned. "What's pultry?"

Negan chuckled. "Poultry, Ellie. It means bird in pretentious californian."

"I've lived in Virginia much longer than I ever lived in California, can y'all stop with that," Tory laughed and kissed Ella's cheek.

"You made spaghetti, Mama?!" Their daughter exclaimed, wiggling out of her arms. "Did Negan make the sauce?" She asked with even more enthusiasm.

"I did," he confirmed smugly.

Tory muttered something very similar to asshole but he chuckled again as they sat down at the table.

Ella was singing to herself, a tune that sounded suspiciously like Eleanor Rigby . He needed to refine that taste of hers.

The food was gone soon, as were the honey cakes.

"Ella Henry, we need to speak to you about something very important," Tory started as she got the chocolate cake out, exchanging a look with him, who could only swallow nervously in return.

Their little girl frowned. "You never call me that, Mama," Ella said, her voice serious and worried.

"I call you your whole name when things are serious, Ella Henry," Tory said softly, serving them each a piece of cake.

"Okay, Mama."

"Remember how I told you you had a Dad?" Tory asked, wringing her hands in a nervous gesture he'd never seen. Ella nodded.

"You said he's the biggest jerk you've met, Mama."

He should have been offended, instead, he laughed. "Your Mama wasn't wrong."

Ella giggled and Tory smiled while tucking a stray lock of hair behind her tiny ear.

"Well, that jerk was away for a while and he became less of a jerk," Tory explained. "So I invited him to come home."

Oh, Ella's eyes shone. "Really, Mama?!"

"Yes."

"When is my Papa coming?!" She asked, standing up on her chair, jumping haphazardly, making him jump too, despite his frayed nerves.

"Calm down, kiddo, you're gonna break that pretty nogging," he chuckled.

“Negan, my dad is coming!”

Tory gave him an apologetic look, he wanted to tell her not to worry. “Ella Henry, your dad is here.”

Ella’s enthusiastic jumping stopped and the girl frowned, deeper than he’d ever seen her.

“You made him hide?” she asked.

“No, Peanut , Negan is your Dad.”

There, the cat was out of the bag. Ella looked at her mother and then at him, and then at her mother again.

“But he is old!”

A booming laugh escaped Negan at the sincere words, the laugh contained his nerves, his anger and his uncertainty too.

“I know, Peanut , but we don’t tell people they are old to their face,” Tory scolded with her own contagious smile.

“You tell Grandpa Roy he is old, all the time, Mama!” Ella complained.

“Yes, but he is my dad, I have the right,” Tory countered, then cursed as Ella’s eyes widened.

“Negan is my Dad, Ican call him old.”

Negan understood then why Tory cursed at her own words, yet he laughed again, happy that she had just taken the truth in stride.

“You like Negan as your dad, Ella?” Tory asked, once their laugh had slowed and calmed.

“Yes, Mama, he is the best,” their daughter squeezed his hand and Negan’s heart twisted. “But he is not the biggest jerk ever, Mama.”

“Not anymore, Peanut ,” Tory smiled and then her smile went to him. “He’s changed.”

Ella smiled, proud. “I have a Dad, Mama!”

“You do, Ella, and he loves you very much,” Tory said, stealing the words from his chest. Ella’s eyes –his own eyes – fell on him, doubtful, the eyes of a child unsure.

“Really?” she whispered.

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her hair as they rocked into the hug. “Of course, Ellie, you’re my best girl.”

Peace was something precious.

It was something to be protected and kept at all costs. It was the reason so many were gone. People like Elle and Rick and so many others had died for what they had now. For the unity and cooperation they now enjoyed.

Negan cherished every moment of it.

Ella and Tory were his family, and thanks to them, he was received in a bigger unit. Vera and Chase, their kids, even Miller kind of liked him.

But Ella and Tory were the light of his days. Every damn day.

His daughter’s love knew no bounds. Ella followed behind him like a puppy, asking so many questions. He never got tired of the questions, though. He answered all the ones he knew, but if he didn’t, he went around looking for an answer, and where he went, Ella followed.

It became a new normal in Alexandria, seeing Negan and Ella at his side, asking all the questions she could think of, or talking his ear off about what she wanted to be next, who she wanted to be.

“What were you, Papa? Before?”

He rarely spoke about before with anyone, Elle, Tory, Rick, they knew. Carl, of course.

“I was a teacher, a good damn one too,” he said.

“Damn is a bad word, papa.”

“So is jerk and that’s what your Mama calls me.”

“Mama can call anyone anything,” Ella defended.

“Is that something she told you?” he asked.

“Duh, of course, Papa.”

He laughed, of course Tory would give herself free reign to curse anything to the high heavens in front of their kid.

“I was a teacher, P.E., you know, sports,” he told Ella. “I helped kids.”

Ella smiled. “You were cool!”

“Those kiddos would disagree,” he countered in good humor.

“Jerks,” Ella muttered.

Negan chuckled and kissed his daughter’s cheek, while she shrieked that his beard tickled.

His life felt full.

Tory smiled as Negan came to sit at her side on the back porch steps.

“It’s fucking freezing, Tory,” he complained, holding onto a cup of milky tea.

“I know, I like that. We’ll have a white Christmas,” she said with a light smile.

“Do you believe in that?” he groused, not quite believing her.

“No, but Ella does, so I do too, at least until she grows out of it,” she thought of the cooling eggnog she’d left in their kitchen. “The rest I can cover with a bit of rum.”

Negan frowned. “I thought you were sober.”

“I am,” she confirmed. “I stopped the moment I knew about Ella, never quite had the urge to go back to it.”

They both looked at the snow, silent and pensive for a while.

“Tory, what I did to you at the Sanctuary—”

“It’s the past.”

“You said you loved me and I treated you like shit,” he continued, tormented by his actions, no doubt.

“You did and I do,” she replied silently. Yes, she got her rocks off with Rhodes and he was a very skilled, generous lover, but he was not Negan. No one had been Negan, Henry, Peyton, Spencer, Lucas… none were him. it wasn’t the intense love making either, even if she liked how Negan had been in bed. No, it was a deeper connection that she couldn’t explain.

Then again, there were so many things between them that couldn’t be explained.

“You do?” He cleared his throat. “Still.”

Tory nodded. “Yeah. Unfortunately for human kind, we don’t get to choose who we love.”

“That’s not true,” he said. “Love is a choice, every day is a choice, you choose to wake up and be the best you can so the other person stays.”

“I think this is the wisest thing I’ve ever heard you say,” Tory whispered as snowflakes fell slowly in front of them. “Yet, I don’t think I agree.”

“Maybe it is a little bit of both, Gorgeous .”

“Maybe it is,” she leaned onto his shoulder. This was nice, being at his side, unimpeded, unburdened. Negan turned his head and kissed her forehead. She straightened a bit and brought his lips into a kiss. It was brief, it was sweet like the tea he was drinking, it didn’t taste of ashes and bitterness as it once had. “I think I’ll choose to believe. I’ll choose to love you every day.”

He sighed onto her lips. “I’ll choose that too, Victoria.”

#negan #negan angst #negan x ofc #negan soulmate #soulmate fic #the marks of running ink #my writing #angst

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