BLOODLINES [twd]

{10}

It was silent as ever when Negan and Simon picked Bailey up from the outpost. She inhaled the afternoon breeze and rested in the backseat. She could tell that they had been through something, but she knew better than to ask what happened. The dead were scary and she didn't like to think about them much.

Once at the Sanctuary, Negan silently left the group and went to his room. Simon told Bailey to head to bed and he would send her dinner up when it was finished- apologizing for being behind.

The Saviors whispered about the encounter, but Bailey never fully caught onto what they were saying. When she looked their way, they bowed their heads and avoided her eyes. Some even knelt in the same fashion they do when Negan walked by. It was scary. Worse than usual.

Bailey walked upstairs to Negan's room. She passed by Sherry and Frankie who were whispering. When Bailey looked at them, Frankie pulled Sherry's attention to Bailey and they edged to the side and did a half bow at Bailey, apologizing for being in her way.

"Is he in here?" Bailey asked, pointing to Negan's bedroom door.

"Yes. But, he isn't answering to anyone," Frankie answered.

Bailey had a lot of feelings about the women Negan called his "wives".

Sherry didn't talk much. But.. Bailey knew better than to let Negan know just how friendly she was with Sherry, Dwight, and Sherry's sister Tina. That was a slippery road that would lead to more injuries and death than just Tina's life and Dwight's face if Negan knew the truth.

Tanya always seemed to be angry about something. Plus, she seemed sad about her predicament (thought most of the women did). Tanya never looked Bailey in the eyes, even on accident. She'd never dared mutter a word near Bailey, either. Truthfully, Bailey doesn't even know what the woman sounds like.

Mercedes was okay, Bailey guesses. She was one of the first wives and for awhile, Bailey thought that maybe it was true love between the woman and Negan. But, that came and passed. Mercedes didn't push herself to be in Bailey's life, but she was there if Bailey needed a woman to talk to. She appreciated that.

Amber wasn't much older than Bailey herself. That one grossed her out a lot. Amber was only four years older than Bailey.. Four years.. If Bailey thought about it too long, she had a habit of throwing up and not speaking to Negan for weeks at a time.

Camille kept to herself period. She treated her life as Negan's wife as a job. Just a chore. She didn't even talk to the wives that often.

Frankie was her favorite. She was the second wife that Negan brought in. It was another moment where Bailey thought, maybe, Negan was in love and healing from Lucille. Then, she decided that Frankie was too good of a woman for Negan and he only got the chance to be with her because he coerced her into it. No way she would have given him the time of day in any other situation. Frankie was usually the one to deal with Bailey's food. They talked over private dinners and aired out their emotions because no one else was allowed close to them.

Frankie wasn't much older than Bailey, either. There was only seven years between them. Frankie felt like a big sister that Bailey never had and she treasured te older woman.

"Do you know..?" Bailey wondered, trailing off.

Frankie's voice dropped to a whisper and she shook her head. "Just rumors right now."

Bailey rested a hand on Frankie's arm and nodded for them to leave. Frankie patted Bailey's hand and walked away with Sherry.

Without a care, Bailey walked into Negan's bedroom. It was empty, though she soon heard the bathtub running. The bathroom door was open and she could see his bloody boots from where he was knelt beside the tub.

Bailey crossed her arms and walked to the bathroom. She leaned on the doorframe and peered over his shoulder.

Negan muttered to himself under his breath, hands busy in the tub. The water was red. Confused, Bailey leaned further into the room.

"What I had to.. Not my fault.." Negan said.

He scrubbed at the baseball bat covered in barbed wire. Blood is what turned the water red. A lot of blood. Little bits of flesh.

"You know I have to, Lucille. It's how I keep her alive.."

An unsettling feeling rose up Bailey's shoulders. It was like someone was creeping up behind her, about to touch her shoulder.

"Dad?" she asked.

Negan slammed the water faucet off and looked at Bailey. She gasped in surprise and her back slammed against the wall at the fierce nature of Negan's eyes.

"Bug.." he whispered and reached a hand out to her.

He didn't look like himself. He looked estranged and eccentric. Mad in a crazy way.

Bailey's eyes widened more at the sight of blood staining Negan's hands from washing off the bat. She clumsily stumbled out of the bathroom and ran out of the bedroom before Negan could say anything.

It wasn't the first time Negan came back bloodied and tired.

But, there was something different about this one. The coldness in his eyes and the bushes tears. His talking to Lucille. The desperation in how he washed the blood and guts off the bat like he was washing away the evidence of something horrible.

Something happened out there. Bailey felt threatened and imprisoned in the deepest depth of her soul.

𝒶𝓊𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓇 𝓇𝒶𝓂𝒷𝓁𝑒𝓈--

me, the resident negan smith hater?
writing him out like a normal human being that has to do bad things to keep his loved ones safe?
making his actions have meaning?

amc could never

(still the resident negan slandering page tho fuck that ho)