Hide Away

Chapter 2 - Here Without You

A small bit of light comes through the window in Negan's cell. He has been so lost without Jack, he begs to see her every day when Rick sees him or Michonne. He knows that she is alive, and it has been weeks or months since the fight he lost against Rick. The only thing he knows is she is alive, but he has been in the dark about where she is, but he knows that she has to be showing, and maybe the baby is kicking by now. Negan wants so badly to be there with her, but he's in here for the rest of his life and he hopes she's okay and happy.

The lonely man has grown his beard a little longer, and he looks broken, and beat down. Everything that happened he regrets, he should have listened to Jack if he did he could be cuddled up with her in his comfy bed holding onto her and rubbing her belly talking to his baby. The chilly night air comes through the window as Negan lays on his back not being able to sleep at all. When he does he sees Jack and it's too hard to see her his world is gone and now he has this.

After two months of being in this cell, Negan has had lots of time to think about the past and his life with Jack. Although he doesn't regret what he did, he feels bad for other things mostly for leaving Jack that day even though she was there and she had to see that. The days go by and he rots away in here while Rick Grimes builds a new future. A lot of things have changed in a short amount of time as Alexandria has become a stronger community with solar panels and new things being built.

Rick visits Negan on occasions and he has explained that the sanctuary is struggling mostly with crops not growing so a lot of the ex saviors have moved on from there and have gone to Alexandria and Kingdom. At Hilltop, Maggie has executed Gregory while Rick explains that there is a bridge down the way that is being repaired with the help of the saviors, and the other communities had agreed to help, with Hilltop providing food in return. Negan is more than curious to know where Jack is, as he stares at Rick through his set of bars, as he talks to him.

"Its been a while since we had one of these talks, i know i'm the one who does most of the talking. I will try to keep it short. But you're up late and it's about time i get you up to speed. Today was day 35, things are really taking shape. It wasn't that long ago that we were fighting to stay alive, but it's not like that anymore. We're building and thriving and we are ready to to deal with this world on our own terms. And we're not letting it define us anymore and we are getting back what we used to be before, so we're making a new beginning"

Negan listens, and he really doesn't care about all that he just wants to know about Jack, but Rick keeps all of that secret from him, for a specific reason. "It was a hard day today, a man lost his arm and people were at each others throats. Now the project's behind schedule,
and the thing is as bad as it was...when the day was done they came together and it was enough. They chose to be together. See what i'm getting at, it's human nature to come together. That is just what we do"

Negan shuffles on his bed, after hearing the man talk he is even more frustrated. "That's a real pretty picture you paint there Rick. When do i get to see it, when do i get to see my wife and my child, you say that you are building this new world. I just want to know where Jack is"

"Never" Rick says right back to him, stating the obvious facts. "You're gonna die behind these bars, and Jack well she is moving on without you. Your child will be fine without knowing you and the monster that you are, that is how it's gonna be. You know that by now, but still everytime i see you, i'm asked the same question. So i would suggest you suck it up in this 10 by 10 and forget about the past, forget about her"

Negan can feel his blood burning, as Rick tells him exactly what he doesn't want to hear, the inevitable fact that he will die in here, and Jack will live without him and his baby will never know him. "Well, then i should be entitled to a final request, why don't you tell me where she is, i just need to know that she is okay?"