BLOODLINES [twd]

{14}

Bailey stormed right past her father as they met in the hallway. Behind her, Dwight and the others knelt to the ground upon seeing Negan.

"Bailey," Negan called.

Bailey continued walking. Negan cleared his throat and turned around the catch up with her.

"Did that man say something to you?" Negan asked her.

Bailey looked up at her father with cold eyes.

"Did he?"

"No. In fact he won't talk to anyone," Bailey said. "Can I go now?"

Negan nodded, though he was ready to discipline whoever was at fault for Bailey seeing Daryl to begin with.

Bailey was at the end of the hall when she turned around to face her father again. He was still watching her leave, remembering how easily Glenn called Lucas off just last night.

"I want to go back to Gavin's outpost," she said.

"Already?" Negan wondered.

"It's stuffy here. Boring. I like it over there. I want to stay for more than a few hours."

Negan nodded slowly. "I'll prepare you a ride there. Pack lightly."

Bailey turned on her heel and walked away without another word. Negan sighed to himself and straightened his body, snapping back into the 'Negan' that the Saviors feared.

--

If Lucas was honest, he felt lost.

He was used to the normal routine he'd gotten back home.

Wake up. Cook breakfast for himself, Glenn, and Maggie. Work. Banter with his friends and family. Go home. Have dinner served by Glenn. Go to bed.

His job was different each day. Sometimes he was on watch, other times he was helping teach kids, and other times he was training adults. He liked the breathing room Rick allowed him to have and do different things every day. It never got boring or repetitive.

Here at Hilltop, he felt like an outsider.

He wasn't friends with the leader. Gregory was more of a parasite than a companion.

Maggie and Sasha relied on each other. Lucas was glad that they had one another and they could relate just like before. But, he couldn't deny that he felt like a third wheel most of the time.

"Working hard?" Jesus asked as he approached Lucas at the picnic table he was sat at.

"Hardly working" Lucas denied. 

Jesus sat on the table part of the picnic table and looked down at Lucas who was sharpening his knife.

"I don't remember seeing you at that outpost," Jesus recalled.

Lucas paused his motions.

"I was outside with Tara and Gabriel. Then, inside. I saw your brother for a bit. Never saw you, though."

"My brother.. he wouldn't let me go," Lucas revealed.

"Inside?"

"At all," Lucas clarified. "I was at Alexandria guarding when that was going on. Glenn.. he didn't want me to be near it."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty two," Lucas said and laughed a little. "A litle too old to be bossed around like a four year old, huh?"

"No.. No, I think it's good to have someone like that. Someone that keeps your innocence alive even when you're an adult."

"Yeah.. It was."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way."

"No, I know. I was just being honest," Lucas assured. "It was nice. And now I don't know what to do without it. Without him."

"I lived in a boy's home for a long time. I never had someone to trust. Still think it's kinda hard to do that. Maybe more so than before. I guess I'm used to being alone. I can't imagine having that bond and then losing it."

"I didn't lose it," Lucas defended. "It was taken from me."

Jesus frowned, sympathetic and sad for the younger man.

"Why did he not let you go?"

"I never killed a person. Still haven't," Lucas said. "Glenn hadn't either until then. He knew that a piece of him was changing that day. He wasn't ready for me to change. He knew that I wasn't ready."

"Are you ready now?"

Lucas thought about Negan's face.

If Negan were in front of Lucas right now, what would Lucas do?

Would he charge? Slit Negan's throat? Would he fall to the ground at Negan's feet? Cry?

"I don't know," Lucas admitted. "I really don't."

Jesus patted Lucas' shoulder and Lucas sighed. Despite that things were really bad, it was nice to not feel totally alone. Lucas decided that at least he had friends. And with Jesus, he was making new friends.