Irresistible Danger

Sanctuary

Author's Note: Holy crap, I can't believe there's only one more chapter to go! So this one might feel less exciting compared to the last few, but it was me trying to show where all the characters are at (not just you and Negan, but also the side characters we've grown to love). It's wrapping things up while also setting the tone for the last chapter, which is a scene I've envisioned in my head so many times and am super excited and nervous to share with y'all. Enjoy! <3

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Three Weeks Later

Surveying the kitchen, you saw that all of the staff were hard at work as the smell of meatloaf and mashed potatoes hung in the air. There had been a bit of a setback, all of you having to scramble together to peel and chop the potatoes in time when the gardeners brought in the requested amount almost three hours later than planned, and therefore an entire hour after dinner prep was to have started. You'd all but had to hold Ben back from laying into the sweaty and obviously stressed men who had lugged in the crates of produce, apologizing and saying they had been short-handed and behind schedule. Despite that hiccup, everything had come together just in time, thanks to the dedication of your staff.

You watched as Maria pulled one of the last trays of rolls out of the ovens, the low sound of her cheerful humming filling up the space around her. Trixie was filling and arranging the rolls into baskets before sending out a couple of servers to distribute them, and you gave an amused shake of your head when you caught her giving Andrew a secretive grin and wink. He was across the kitchen helping to drain and mash the boiled potato chunks, and was somehow able to do so while barely taking his eyes off her.

Ben hustled by and out the swinging doors with a tray of ready-to-go plates. You'd technically started serving the meatloaf and potatoes at 5:06 instead of 5 on the dot, due to the potato delay. Convinced that this was a mini catastrophe, despite you telling him it was fine, he'd joined the servers with distributing the meals, in an effort to make up the six minute difference.

You thought back to a few weeks ago, when he had been worried about Simon acting cagey and hinting at some sort of surprise. Sure enough, you'd found out the following afternoon that Simon had somehow thrown together a tray of homemade fudge brownies. Ben had been kind enough to save you some, and it had been all you could do to hold in your knowing grin when he exclaimed, "I swear I never told him those were my favorite, so I don't know how he guessed!"

You were overjoyed at how things were progressing between your best friend and the mustachioed, lovestruck Savior who tried, and failed, not to obviously follow Ben around with adoration in his eyes. To your knowledge no one had been dumb enough to say anything snarky about their relationship, now that it was a bit more out in the open. You never even saw any judgmental side glances, something you were hyper aware of when you saw the two of them walking through the compound together. You hoped that any negative opinions would be kept quiet due to a combination of not wanting to piss off the tall, muscular Savior and knowing that Ben was friends with the woman who was now living in Negan's rooms.

Yep, that's right, your Miss Independent self had officially moved all of her belongings up to Negan's rooms. At first you had tried to act like it was important to still have your own room, but about two weeks ago Negan had finally convinced you to give up the farce, and your room was officially declared vacant. It was given to another community member who had put in a request for a single room months ago, due to having a roommate with a loud snoring problem. You felt a little better giving up the space when you knew that it would go to someone who was getting more use out of it and would find peace in sleeping alone.

The last weeks had felt almost surreal, with no major conflict or issues inside the Sanctuary or with the surrounding communities. Heck, even you and Negan hadn't done more than playfully argue, the two of you learning more and more each day how to effectively communicate and work through any frustrations.