A New Home

Head or Heart?

You had both managed to slip past the guards around the perimeter with quite worrying ease, and had made your way into the woods. At first, you walked in silence, Negan sensing that you needed quiet to calm down, but it was a comfortable silence that both of you seemed to relish. It was chaos at the hospital, you understood why, but you both needed a break from it. It didn't help either that you were the two most hated people there. The silence was comforting, accompanied by a soft breeze and the gentle sound of rustling leaves; you were quite content to be breaking the rules.

Your footfalls crunched the dead leaves and twigs on the floor in unison, creating a unique rhythm. After about ten minutes of walking, Negan stopped and turned to you.

"I have something of yours."

You looked at him in confusion as his hand disappeared into his jean pocket, producing shiny steel that winked at you in the sun. He turned it over and offered the sturdy black handle to you, and you grinned in delight as your fingers cupped the grooves that they had so effectively worn into it over time. You had spent almost a week and a half without your only means of defense, and it felt great to have it in your grasp once again.

"You couldn't have gotten this to me any sooner could you?"

"I don't know what to say, but I think the others back there would if they saw that exchange. Any way, what would you have done with it, slice medical equipment?"

"Fair point. But hey! What about when I saved your ass in the woods with my bare hands? Could have used it then, thanks!"

"You see I didn't have it at that present moment because Rosita was keeping it pretty close at hand. I got it yesterday after our little reunion from her jacket pocket."

You smirked in surprise and awe, gasping loudly for dramatic effect. 

"You mean you stole it? Well I can't believe this."

"I prefer to call it returning it to its rightful owner."

You shook your head in gratitude, still smiling at the thought that he had meant to get it back to you.

"Well, thanks. It means a lot."

"Sure, any time."

Noticing he was smiling at you too, the air around you suddenly became thick with embarrassment. The situation appeared to be getting more awkward by the second, him scratching his neck and exposing his teeth in a grimace and you standing awkwardly looking at the floor, feeling yourself becoming red. Trying to break the ice and slipping your knife into your boot, you broke in with, "So, the spot you were talking about?"

"Uh, yeah this way."

He led the way and you followed a few steps behind him. What the hell is wrong with you? Get a fucking grip. Why are you suddenly being so awkward around him? You shook your head again, this time trying to shake the thought that something had felt different just then. Oh for God's sake, stop kidding yourself. Jesus.

You continued to walk in silence, weaving in and out of the trees that formed pools of golden light on the forest floor, illuminating the two of you as you passed through. A moment of calm washed over you- free from the chaos and the unknown back at the hospital, that seemed to weigh you down even simply thinking of it.

Eventually, you reached a small clearing, and you could see a vast expanse of water that rippled casually in the open air. The lake was surrounded by the forest, creating it's own little sanctuary that seemed cut off from the rest of the world. Bushes and shrubs encircled the banks, acting as another private screen for the seemingly surreal place. You walked over to the bank where the water was level with the ground, small waves lapping at the silt, pushing and pulling it in rhythm with the ripples in the water. Just in front of this was a dry patch of floor, and Negan gestured for you to sit down.