Chapter Text
Author's Note: Underneath Our Bad Blood is a direct sequel to my main story Goodnight Love and continues as a mixture of the comic books and TV series, but can be read purely as a stand-alone. It follows the basic premise of Dead City but with various changes.
CONTEXT:
My OC, Imogen Alford, was Negan's mistress before the world ended and they had a daughter, Teresa (Tess). Imogen has an older brother called Kit whom she and Tess lived with at this time. They were close friends and neighbors of Carol Peletier, only to end up becoming separated during the evacuation. Later, they found Carol again, becoming part of her group led by Rick Grimes, whom Imogen eventually married and they had a daughter, Daisy. After Rick's 'death', Imogen gave birth to their second daughter, Cassidy, and raised Tess, Judith, Daisy and Cassidy with the help of her family.
Rick Grimes's canon disappearance has been changed so that his personal effects were found in the aftermath of Pamela Milton's arrest, confirming a direct link between the Commonwealth and the CRM, leading to Imogen setting out to find him.
Carl Grimes and Sophia Peletier are married with two children. They are currently spearheading the rebuilding of the Kingdom and lead the small growing settlement there. Ezekiel, Carol and Mercer have assumed control of the Commonwealth, with help from Eugene and the others. Michonne is married to Imogen's brother, Kit, and they have three children whilst leading Alexandria, chairing the Council. Imogen and her children live in Alexandria alongside Daryl Dixon (platonically). Maggie is now the leader of the Bricks, where she lives with Hershel, along with Beth and Alden, Elijah and Lydia and the rest of their growing community. Negan lives with his wife, Annie, and their son, Joshua, just outside New Babylon.
'I have this dream that I am hitting my dad with a baseball bat
And he is screaming and crying for help
And maybe halfway through it has more to do with me killing him
Than it ever did protecting myself.'
Brian Sella
'All daughters turn into bloodthirsty hounds – after years of licking their wounds and biting their tongues.'
S.R.M
Under The Windmill
Before
Tess Smith stood under the creaking sails of the old windmill, shading her eyes with the back of her hand as she watched Lydia deliver an array of letters and packages to her little sisters. She couldn't help but note how the other girl still gave her a wide berth even after all this time. Not that Tess was so anxious for Lydia's company either. Lydia had been many things during the time Tess had known her, but it was mostly as Tess's rival which rankled the most. Despite differences in temperament, they were otherwise superficially alike in appearance, both being tall and slim, although Tess still possessed an awkward coltishness she'd never outgrown that Lydia lacked; the two girls sharing the same dark hair, tanned complexions and nervous air that punctuated their presences.
As a young teen, Tess had been severely bullied for being Negan's daughter until Lydia had arrived and was attacked instead for being Alpha's child, Tess taking advantage of it in order to escape her tormentors' attentions. Even as she'd felt guilty for throwing Lydia to the wolves, she had still done so regardless. What was Lydia to her anyways but the enemy, a Whisperer who'd brought war to her mother's doorstep. But then Negan had taken Lydia under his wing, treating her like she was his daughter, like she was Tess. And so it had continued, Lydia worming her way into the affections of those Tess held dear, edging Tess out of theirs. Or so it had felt at the time, with Tess having no idea Lydia was just as envious as Tess was jealous.
As the years passed, Tess had matured and gained some much needed perspective, finally finding her footing without feeling threatened by Lydia. Whilst not exactly friends, they weren't enemies either, existing in an awkward inbetween. But that was until Elijah's arrival, the older boy clearly taken with Tess, who in her inexperience had been flattered by his enthusiastic admiration. Meanwhile, Lydia had watched them with uneasy eyes, still mourning Henry whilst fighting her own reluctant attraction towards Elijah. Unaware of Lydia's conflicted interest in him, Elijah had continued to court Tess for a time, before breaking up, leaving him to later turn to Lydia for consolation instead.
Elijah and Lydia now lived together over at the Bricks, for all appearances happy and thriving. But despite everything, deep down, Tess took a savage satisfaction in the knowledge that if things had been different, and if not for Maggie's presence there, it could have been her living with Elijah at the Bricks. Lydia now knew what it was like to be second-best, the runner-up. It felt good to give the girl a taste of her own medicine. Tess knew it was petty and childish, but old scars ran deep and thus Lydia now always took care never to be near Tess if it could be helped, sensing nothing had changed after all.
As Lydia then left, Tess watched her sisters peruse their post, their fingers frantically flicking through missives and labels. But from their subsequently disappointed facial expressions, she could tell that there was still as yet no further word from their mother, not that Tess would have expected any. Imogen Grimes had been gone for six months now, leaving no indication of her recent whereabouts, nobody knowing whether she had come to harm or not. All her hastily scrawled messages had slowed to a stop, even as Imogen had warned them she might eventually find herself out of range. She was believed to be abroad the frontier on an extended mission due to concerns relating to the Commonwealth, but this was merely a cover story orchestrated by Ezekiel to hide the truth.
Whilst Tess constantly stressed to her sisters that no news was good news, she was slowly but surely succumbing to the strain of the situation. She often woke up feeling overwhelmed with apprehension, all her old demons coming to claim her. Tess couldn't even remember the last time she'd had a good night's sleep. But with Daryl departing soon to search for her mother, Tess would have to learn to maintain the uneasy domestic balance they'd established, on her own instead. Yet without Daryl sitting there at the head of the table, keeping order, Dog draped across his boots, it would be difficult. Her Aunt Michonne and Uncle Kit helped out, but they tended to treat Tess like a child. Daryl talked to Tess as an equal even as he put his foot down from time to time. Otherwise he was easygoing, content to let the dishes pile up and Cassidy's wild curls run rampant.
Imogen's absence was a consequence of the changes that had had come to pass since that fateful night the flames had consumed the heart of the Commonwealth. After assuming leadership, Ezekiel, Carol and Mercer had launched an initial investigation into the darker side of the Commonwealth, focusing on its practices of people trafficking, using as a starting point the pair of lists Connie and Kelly had in their possession of citizens who had mysteriously disappeared. One list was entitled 'CONSIGNEES', the other 'DEFECTIVES'. Both had been slipped under Connie's door at different times. The trio had then swiftly turned their attention to the archive of files in Lance Hornsby's former quarters. There Carol had then uncovered a large secret safe where they had found even more files, this time connecting the Commonwealth to a mysterious organization only known as the CRM, indicating a profitable relationship between them where people were traded for weaponry and supplies, reducing them to the level of livestock. This had then sparked a secondary investigation to run concurrent against the main inquiry into the Commonwealth's unsavoury practices.
Alongside the files had been a few boxes of personal effects, inexplicably including Rick Grimes's cowboy boots and wallet, which still held an old water-damaged photo of Imogen tucked inside. It was supposed Lance Hornsby had either hoarded the boxes as a sick trophy or more likely as a form of insurance against the CRM in case their deal went south. The Commonwealth was a significant force to be reckoned with after all. The only question was how Rick's belongings had ended up at the Commonwealth in the first place since there was no apparent connection between them.
Yet unexpectedly, and most importantly, there had also been an old poetry book. It had been amongst the boxes of personal artefacts, almost overlooked until Mercer had absentmindedly flicked through it without thinking. On the inside back page, a brief note had been written from a man to his wife, explaining he was in Walton; that he had been transferred into the custody of the CRM and to know he loved her. On the opposite page, other names and initials had been scribbled. One had been Richard Grimes, accompanied by toujours la votre, echoing the line of French engraved on the underside of Imogen's wedding ring, proving the poetry book's provenance.
It looked like the man had penned the note in the vain hope of the poetry book somehow reaching his wife, the man passing it around in turn for his fellow prisoners to write in. Instead it had ended up in Lance Hornsby's hands, overlooked until now. The man's name had been checked against the two lists and he had been recorded on both, noting he was also an amputee. Some of the other names in the poetry book had been identified in the same way, the rest remaining unknown. Somebody had also asterisked 'engineer' in red ink against the man's name, specifically on the consignee list. After tracking the man's family down, it was only for Ezekiel to find out the man's wife had passed away the year before, without ever finding out what had happened to her husband. It had been the same for the other few names they'd managed to identify. Their families and friends either dead or nowhere to be found. But Ezekiel suspected the two lists only offered a limited explanation for those missing, that there were still many more dead or unaccounted for, either shipped out en masse as slave labour for the Commonwealth's empire-building or vanishing after challenging the status quo.
Learning Rick had survived the explosion at the bridge after all this time had sent Imogen spiralling, forcing Tess to briefly take up the family reins, Imogen too intent on uncovering what had happened to her husband. After Imogen had then brutally attacked Pamela Milton whilst crossexamining her, Pamela pleading complete ignorance, Ezekiel had formally withdrawn Imogen from their secondary investigation, telling her to be with her daughters instead during this difficult time. Whether Pamela Milton's assertions of ignorance were true or not, Ezekiel didn't know. But they now had a basic frame of geographical reference of where to start their search for Rick, even as it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack at this point. Whether Rick was still alive was another matter altogether. By now though, Imogen had recovered herself enough to realize the recriminations of what this revelation would mean.
From the early days of their relationship, Rick and Imogen had both promised to put their family first before anything else, even each other, and now she would have to choose between looking for the man she loved or staying with their children. Ezekiel had offered to send out a search party in her stead, with Daryl also determined to disappear into the blue to find the man he called brother. But to the men's' mutual frustration, Imogen had asked them to give her time before making a final decision, even as she now knew she had wasted enough already as it was.
For years, Daryl had hinted at the possibility of Rick perhaps being alive, after finding no body during his long searches of the river. But Imogen had always refused to countenance it, knowing she couldn't leave her children without concrete evidence, and even then, she felt she would still be breaking the promise she had made Rick. Now confronted with the knowledge Rick could still be alive, guilt had warred with grief, tearing Imogen in two. She had stood on that riverbank and watched him die. That was what she tried to remind herself. She had refused to hold onto false hope. But in doing so, she had failed to find him, abandoning Rick to an uncertain fate. Yet when faced with a second chance of saving him, Imogen still hesitated, even when she knew deep down it had to be her, and nobody else. But in the end, her daughters had decided for her, coming together to give their permission for Imogen to go and finally find their father.
Before embarking on her journey, Imogen had written to Carl, not having the guts to speak to him face to face. They had been estranged for so long she didn't think there was any point in making the effort. She had unfairly demanded him to come home straight away, refusing to consider his responsibilities to his own family and the Kingdom. He had swiftly written back, his words emotional and full of invective, before finishing stating his stepmother was chasing ghosts, and he wanted no part of her madness. She should just let Rick rest in peace. He had long since painfully come to terms with Rick's death, accepting it with his characteristically stoic air that always brooked no opposition. His relationship with Imogen had always been strained, but he was no longer the boy he'd been, being a young man with a wife and children of his own, and he felt he owed Imogen nothing now.
After Enid's death, Carl had remained at the Hilltop, slowly drawing closer to Sophia, whom he'd eventually married. He'd initially wanted Judith to live with them, but Imogen had put up a fierce fight, Carl arguing she no longer had any claim on Judith. She was Lori's daughter, not Imogen's. He would have also taken his half sisters too if he could, just to upset Imogen further. In the end, Judith had decided to stay with Imogen and her siblings, forcing Carl to concede defeat. Carl and a pregnant Sophia had then moved back to the Kingdom, Sophia intent on resurrecting her former home to its full glory. They had soon swiftly assumed unofficial leadership of the small settlement that had sprung up around them, everyone looking to Carl in particular for guidance, like they had looked to his father.
But Carol thought rebuilding the Kingdom was an exercise in folly, creating an unexpected rift between mother and daughter. During this time, Sophia had suffered a bad miscarriage between her first and third pregnancies. The birth of her most recent child had left her in a weakened state, furthering Carol's concerns. However, Sophia had asked Carol to stay away, unable to deal with the stress, Ezekiel acting as an intermediary between them instead. He was supplying Carl and Sophia with all they needed to rebuild the Kingdom, his interest in the project purely personal, and progress was slow but sure. But Sophia remained quietly convinced she would achieve all she intended. Carl refused to leave her side and his responsibilities to search for a father he firmly believed to be dead, and so Imogen had torn his letter up, before breaking down in tears for the family they had once been so briefly.
Rousing herself from her reverie, Tess then leaned a calloused palm against the closest panel of brightly colored wood, its once rough surface now smooth and polished. The windmill had been brightly decorated with a medley of rainbows and far horizons painstakingly painted by hand. It had been Michonne's idea to commemorate the community's new beginning, the windmill embodying Alexandria, now and then. The project had served as a welcome distraction for her sisters, but Tess had taken no part, throwing herself into her work instead at the infirmary and learning how to run a house. Carl couldn't be relied upon, and so as the next eldest child, she'd felt she had to step up to the mark. Tess consequently no longer had time for childish pursuits, and with Daryl now leaving to try and discover what had happened to Imogen, she would have to resume the responsibilities he had shifted onto his shoulders.
Lacking Carl's co-operation, Imogen had all but forced Daryl to promise to stay with the children in her stead. Alexandria had long since been under Michonne and Kit's command, the couple co-chairing the Council, Michonne taking centre-stage whilst Kit worked behind the scenes. With no desire to lead, Imogen had been content to hand over control, Michonne and Kit soon making swift progress to establish Alexandria on a firmer footing with the wider world. With this in mind, Imogen knew whilst they would watch over her daughters in her absence, through no fault of their own, she felt they just wouldn't be able to give her children their full time and attention.
With no other dependants but Dog, Daryl could though, and in the end, he had given his word with gritted teeth. He would always be there for the girls; Imogen didn't even need to ask, but he firmly believed Imogen should be the one to stay behind and he would go and find Rick. He'd argued Rick wouldn't want her to go haring off out there on her own, but Imogen had been implacable in her decision. The only concession she had allowed Daryl was she wouldn't go out there alone, Imogen leading the search party Ezekiel had originally offered, as long as Daryl promised to remain with her daughters.
But a few weeks ago, in light of the loss of contact between Alexandria and Imogen, Tess had reluctantly taken the matter into her own hands by sitting down and discussing the situation with Daryl. She had confided her fears to him, Daryl hesitating before admitting to sharing them. After further consultation with Michonne and Kit, preparations had then been made for Daryl to leave and find out what had happened to Rick and Imogen; if there were any answers to be had at all. During her darkest moments, Tess still quietly believed the worst had happened, but Daryl was adamant he would bring them both back alive.
Daryl himself had no qualms about leaving the girls and Dog in Kit and Michonne's care. The community was now thriving; Michonne bringing her vision for Alexandria to life, making sure it was what it should have always been. Alexandria was now a place for their futures to unfold, providing a home for their families and the generations to come. Kit and Michonne's daughter, Elodie, had just started school, whilst RJ was taking his first steps, Michonne expecting their third child any day now. The girls would still have family around them despite Carl acting like a little prick. Even with Daryl gone, they weren't and wouldn't ever be alone.
Yet Tess didn't share the same certainty, feeling isolated even when surrounded by her sisters. It was not a new sensation though. Since the war with the Saviors, a deep seated paranoia had taken root within her at being Negan's daughter, with people having not been shy to show their prejudice over the ensuing years. Now Tess was always on edge, convinced everyone around her was still secretly judging and condemning her for the sins of the father. Imogen had always been her buffer, softening the blows, but with her mother now missing, Tess was struggling to control the darkness of her deepest feelings.
Those she was closest to, where the furthest from her, Tess having to draw strength from their talks over the radio or by letter. With Ezekiel acting as the new Governor of the Commonwealth, and Mercer as his Lieutenant Governor, Carol had remained there by his side. She had undertook the role of Director of Operations which Lance Hornsby had once filled, Carol working alongside Eugene and his wife to restore order. Her latest letters to Tess had intimated she and Ezekiel were rekindling their romance, Carol acting surprisingly coy on the subject. Another visit from them was in the works but Tess didn't see it taking place any time soon, knowing Ezekiel and Carol had their hands full.
As well as dealing with the standard issues that came with his role, Ezekiel's main priorities were to improve the living conditions of the lower wards, as well as slowly reviewing the applications for emancipation from the various colonies and territories that originally came into existence under the Commonwealth's former rule. Some had surprisingly changed their mind after their representatives had met with Ezekiel and Mercer, whilst others remained undecided, conflicted or unconvinced; with the New Babylon Federation in particular aggressively pushing for their own autonomy.
Ezekiel had once offered Imogen a leading role in the new administration, but she had declined the offer, only wanting to live quietly with her children. Without Rick, it felt there was no future for her, only their family. She had no ambitions of her own beyond seeing her daughters safe. Sometimes Tess believed it would have been easier for them to just cut their ties with Alexandria altogether and return to the Commonwealth. There, Tess would have had Carol's full support and Ezekiel's authority to rely upon. But when recently voicing this to Daryl, Tess suggesting they could still go back to the Commonwealth, he had been against the idea of uprooting her sisters, as well as disrupting Tess's internship at the infirmary.
Yet there were also her sisters' futures to consider too, with Judith having already begun her apprenticeship in security, something that could see her perhaps move to the Commonwealth after all a few years hence, wherein she would have the chance to further her skills and future in their military force. Then there was Daisy and Cassidy who had expressed interests working with horses and in farming respectively. Imogen had long arranged for Maggie to oversee trialling the two girls if they had an affinity for their chosen fields, before making a permanent commitment. But this prospect threatened to disturb what little remained of Tess's precarious sense of peace.
Maggie had never shown any kind of resentment towards Tess for what Negan had done, but after Glenn's death, Tess had drawn away from Maggie regardless. Upon the occasions Maggie had snapped and tried to kill Negan, Tess had undergone extreme mental anguish to the point of being physically ill, much to Imogen's concern. But Tess didn't hold Maggie to blame for her actions. What Negan had done had been reprehensible. Yet at the same time, despite everything, Tess didn't want to lose her father. It was an endlessly vicious circle. So when Maggie had been forced to move further afield, rebuilding her community elsewhere after the Hilltop had been burnt down by Negan during the Whisperer War, Tess had been able to finally find some breathing space.
As for Negan himself, Tess hadn't seen him since the Commonwealth had burned, her father and stepmother, Annie, discreetly leaving the day afterwards. He had written to Tess during their journey on the road, a one-sided correspondence until they'd moved into a small cabin just outside New Babylon, where Annie had given birth to a little boy named Joshua. Tess hadn't been to visit her brother yet, using her medical studies as an excuse not to. Her relationship with Negan felt too raw right now to risk the uneasy middle ground they had reached.
For the time being, Tess felt it was better to rebuild their bond from afar, and thus she wrote to Negan every week, always enclosing a note for Annie along with a message for her baby brother or a small gift. Negan's letters in return were deliberately cheerful and charming as ever, but Tess remained unswayed by what she'd always considered his bluster. Annie's responses were always warm, and she sometimes sent blurred photos of Joshua, Tess seeing a strong resemblance to herself in him. But as long as Annie and Joshua were safe and happy, and Negan was keeping his nose clean, that was all Tess could wish for. Negan knew nothing of the possibility of Rick's return from the dead, and Tess had made sure it stayed so, with only her family's inner circle aware of the real reason behind Imogen's absence.
For a time Tess had wanted her parents back together, and there had once seemed a chance of it. But she had come to see Imogen had been out of her mind with grief over Rick and was trying to go back to a time before the pain, Negan manipulating her mother for his own ends, with love only being a small part of it. Or whatever had constituted love for Negan. He had loved his first wife, Lucille - that had been blindingly clear to Tess. Yet when it came to her mother, it seemed more about twisted passion and possession than anything else. He had treated Imogen as if he owned her, a piece of property. As for Imogen, Negan had been her first love, but love had become hate, Tess caught in its crossfire.
Shading her eyes again, Tess watched as Judith came running over to her, brandishing a small box. Small for her age, fierce and forthright, Judith was the only one of her sisters not biologically related to Tess, not that it made any difference. It had always struck Tess as curious how Judith bore such a marked physical resemblance to Imogen despite not being her actual daughter, making strangers do a double-take when finding out otherwise. If Imogen loved Judith that little bit more than her own flesh and blood, Tess couldn't find it in her heart to resent Judith for it. Only Daryl knew that Tess had long been aware of the secret of Judith's parentage, having accidentally overheard Rick and Imogen discussing it one day when she was small. She had recently told Daryl who had merely shrugged and told her to forget it. Shane was long gone, whilst Rick remained a mere memory, and nobody had the right to take even that from Judith.
"Look what your dad sent me, Tess!" Judith declared, ramming the box into Tess's hands as she drew level with her sister, startling Tess.
"What, Negan?" Tess said stupidly, glancing down at Judith in confusion.
"Who else?" Judith exclaimed impatiently. "I'd forgotten all about it and now he's sent it back!" Her small freckled face suddenly fell. "I'm glad he sent it back," she admitted in a small voice, wringing her hands together. "Now Mom's gone."
Frowning, Tess opened the small box, carefully sliding off the lid. Inside lay Judith's compass, its long brown cord curled into a coil. For a long moment, Tess stared down at the monogrammed piece, remembering Imogen gifting her old compass to Judith on her eighth birthday so long ago. It had originally been a present from Rick to Imogen from the early days of their relationship, holding deep sentimental value. Daryl had etched Judith's initials on the back in large swooping letters, striving to keep the initials even, but not quite achieving it. It had become one of Judith's prized processions and Tess had been taken aback at her little sister giving it to Negan of all people.
But what the four girls had always treasured most of all was the relics left to them of Rick. Judith now possessed Rick's Colt Python, carefully restored to its former glory. Cassidy had come to inherit Rick's old battered Stetson from Carl, the other three girls having each worn it in their time, whilst Daisy owned his watch which had been washed up by the river, rusted but still recognizable. Carl had his father's old wedding ring from his first marriage, which Rick had given to him before marrying Imogen, and it now served as his own sign of commitment to Sophia.
As for Tess, Rick had given her his old red machete one Christmas, cleaned up and with her name scored on the hilt in jagged letters. It had been recovered from the Saviors' stores, after it been taken along with their other weapons as tribute. He had sat Tess down and shown her the opposite side of the hilt, where another girl's name had been crudely etched, MANDY. Upon cleaning the machete, he had unwound the ragged red tape and been surprised by the sight of the name, paternal instinct leading him to suspect it had perhaps been a father's gift to his daughter long ago. He had told Tess all this, before quietly saying no matter what, it was now once more a gift from a father to his daughter. It had then gone on to save her life on many an occasion, the only weapon she ever felt comfortable wielding, palpable proof of a father's protection.
Biting her lip, Tess opened the compass's accompanying note, the sight of Negan's slanting handwriting hurting her as always. Rick had become her father to all intents and purposes, being there for her when Negan hadn't. Even though Imogen had fled from Negan for good reason, Tess had resented her mother for it until Negan had unexpectedly returned, ripping Tess from her family. She still remembered that day when Dwight had dragged her out of the family home, removing her to the Sanctuary upon Negan's orders. She'd lost her voice, her throat red raw with screaming for her parents, followed by the echo of Judith's wails following in her wake as she was taken away. But Negan had only cared about owning Imogen once again, and it had taken years for Negan to finally apologize for what he had done, Tess never sure even now if he really meant it.
With narrowed eyes, Tess glanced over Negan's brief letter, all too aware of Judith intently watching. Her little sister still firmly believed Negan had it in him to be a better man, something Imogen had always found grimly amusing, having once naively believed that herself. Tess had also once held such faith in her father, but not now, not anymore. As she perused his pretty words - Judith, this has always helped me find my way. I'm returning it to you now in the hope that it will guide you to your dreams. Thank you for letting me use it, Negan – she couldn't help but reluctantly remember what had led to these words, those distant dark days that followed the collapse of the bridge after Rick had blown it up.
Negan had been in jail, undergoing a rehabilitation programme after yet another suicide attempt, a pregnant Imogen reluctantly attending to his welfare alongside Father Gabriel. During this period, still reeling from Rick's death, Tess had unexpectedly turned to Negan, trying to find in him what she had lost. She'd started spending time with him during supervised visits, with Imogen sitting in on them on occasion, Father Gabriel on others. Despite Imogen's obvious disgust, Negan was surprisingly sympathetic and supportive as Imogen struggled to lead Alexandria in the midst of her grief. As time passed, Negan quietly broke down Imogen's defences, offering Imogen advice and listening to her problems, Imogen always inexplicably finding herself confiding in him after another long day trying to keep everything on track. That's when Tess had started to dream of her parents getting back together. Negan appeared to have changed, becoming once again the father she remembered from before.
As the years went by, time had further broken down the barriers between Negan and Imogen, despite Imogen's best efforts to keep her distance. It had started from the moment Negan had held Cassidy in his large hands after she'd been born, resurrecting old painful memories. Imogen had gone into labor one morning during a cell spotcheck, and he'd helped deliver Cassidy, the daughter of the man who'd destroyed Negan's empire. But for one brief moment, it had been like going back in time to when they'd been happy, Imogen remembering how Negan had cradled Tess in his hands with the tears rolling down his face.
Lonely and lost, Imogen had then drawn closer to Negan without ever crossing that final line, even as she'd veered dangerously near it too many times. Her daughters had also drawn close to him, all but barring Daisy, who openly despised him. But whilst Tess had continued to visit Negan on a daily basis, Judith had started sneaking over to his cell window to speak to him, at first out of curiosity, and then for the paternal camaraderie he provided. Meanwhile, Cassidy had long since formed an attachment to Negan, having accompanied Imogen and Tess since she was a baby during Tess's supervised visits with Negan. For a time, they had formed a strange family unit until it had all unravelled. But right up to meeting Annie and even perhaps afterwards, Negan had never really stopped trying to get Imogen back, his motives never as pure as he presented them.
"Tess?"
Tess shook her head, recovering herself. "Sorry, I was miles away," she tried to smile, hurriedly folding the note up and closing the box again. "Here," she then said, handing it back to Judith, "look after it, OK?"
Judith nodded solemnly, cradling the box in the crux of her elbow. "Maybe a letter from Mom will come tomorrow," she said firmly, big hazel eyes defiant, "and Uncle Daryl can stay."
Tess didn't say anything, finding she couldn't, merely drawing Judith into her arms instead, holding onto what she still had left.
I come back to the places
Where we found us…