The CROWN ☁︎ Negan

PART 31

Xavier stared at Sally's handwriting. He was trying to make sense of all the mess she got herself into. One thing was clear. She put Negan's life in front of her own. While she was around, he was untouchable.

I hardly ever slept at night while at Sanctuary. I watched over Negan's sleep.

And through it all her diary also read:

I stayed up to the early light. They held Daryl captive and woke him up by a song every morning. I enjoyed the tune, it meant he made it through another night, meant they did not give up on him. Only then I could fall asleep.

Xavier circled the testimony. As well as another one.

Glenn was my compass. One look at him and I could tell wrong from right. Without him... I don't know anymore.

I don't know anymore. I don't know anymore. I don't know anymore. The words echoed in Xavier's mind. Sally always had hard time with obedience. If she channeled Negan they were in real trouble. Nico decided to sustain Xavier's worries and as he made it a habit these days, he stormed into the room without knocking.

"I told you it wouldn't work. We never should've let her wander off to him. We should've gone after her."

"First of all," Xavier replied patiently, "I had no saying in this matter. I was not there. I could hardly grab her hand and make her stay. You could do that, but you didn't and here we are. And then... we're trying to stay low profile. We've got families living here, kids... Sally knew she would end up alone and she acted according to that."

"She dragged him here and made it our problem, too. He's the head of the Saviors, for god's sake! And we've got him right here. We are treating him. It's like healing a prisoner before his death penalty."

"She's with him, now."

"We're in big trouble, man. Nobody can know he's here and we can't just let him go. He'll know how to find us."

"He can't leave his bed for now, there's no way for him to contact his people. We'll figure everything as we go. We'll consult with Sally. How is she?"

"Restless," Nico sighed. "She's staying in her old room. Dottie's heading there, now."

"Sally can't lose another person she cares about. That would be the end of her, do you understand? We have to bring Negan to trust her again."

___

Sally stood on her own two feet again. She had to use all her power to keep herself up, but she managed. She stumbled to the bathroom on her floor of the main treehouse.

After Negan killed Glenn, she didn't shed a tear. But after holding back for so long, grief overwhelmed her once she saw a familiar face. She broke down in front of Xavier when they brought her back to him. She couldn't pretend in front of Nico, either. She caught up on all the tears that welled up in her for all that time and then they dried off once again.

She stood in front of the mirror supporting herself on the sink. Fractions of her face were still covered under a gauze that was damp from her crying. But she didn't need it anymore.

She yanked the plaster from her skin and studied the cliffs Lucille left in her skin. She felt like jumping from every single one of them. If Negan jumps, she jumps. If she jumps, Negan jumps.

She loosened her grip on the sink and opened the cabinet next to it. Tools rumbled as she searched the drawer. Spare combs, hairbrushes, toothbrushes, tubes full of toothpaste, razorblades and finally what she was fishing for... scissors.

She leaned on the sink and started cutting.

Her hair fell to the ground, some got caught up in the sink. There was no help for the blood dried up in her hair. They recalled dreadlocks. All frizzled and tangled up, she cut them with vengeance, angry at nothing but herself.

She whimpered as the blunt metal refused to collaborate.

"Sally?" Loud knocking at the door interrupted her. "Are you in there?"

The watch got her. Dottie.

Sally breathed in and out.

"Yes," she said as clearly as she could. "Come in."

"Oh god, Sally, you scared the daylights out of me! How did you even get here? What are you... doing?" Dottie's mouth fell open.

She had to tilt her head back to see into Sally's eyes, but she had enough courage to rock a fringe in an apocalyptic world and that said an awful lot about her. Sally looked for sympathy in her big eyes and she successfully called it in.

"Oh, love," Dottie slowed her pace. "You missed some here, let me help you." That was just a nice way to say her hair looked like a willow tree in the wind. And Sally appreciated her euphemism.

Dottie sat her down on the edge of a bathtub and started to even her ragged hair.

"He'll come to his senses, you'll see," Dottie sang the nice lullaby. "He's just confused. Xavier said chunks of his memory may be missing. He'll remember what you went through to get him here, to save his life."

"You're too good to me. He won't be. It's not who he is."

"So fatal, like you always are. He's just a guy."

A shiver run down Sally's spine at Dottie's words. She, of course, noticed.

"I'm sorry, Sally. I didn't mean it like that. I'm trying to understand but after what he did how can you... Nevermind. It's not up to me. You know how you feel and I'll do everything to help you. Nico and Xavier will do, too."

"I want to talk to him," Sally said.

"It does not have to be pretty."

"I'm done playing nice."

___

Author's Note:

You, my lovely readers, make me so happy! This book got some nice reads from you that I could only dream of. 10K, 11K... and still counting! 💜

As a thank you, you can now see not only Xavier's but Nico's face in The CLOUDS, too! 💋

Your votes and comments are much appreciated, my days wouldn't be the same without them, so be sure to leave some for me to thrive on. 🌸

Love,

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