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idledreams4 · 12 days

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Unsweetened Lemonade- Chapter 2

Fandom: The Walking Dead (tv universe)

Pairing: Carl x Negan

Warning(s): none for this chapter

Summary: In this chapter Carl starts to see things in a new light and he begins to come to terms with things he's knows, but was not yet willing to accept. He begins to uncover parts of The Saviors' history that are known only to those who were there for it, and he also gets his first taste of life at The Sanctuary without Negan being right there beside him.

Word count: 4K

Read it on Ao3 here

Chapter: 1 | 2 | 3 [tba]

Despite a full night's sleep, Carl felt far from rested when the knock at his door roused him from slumber.

“Just a minute! …Please…” he could hear Negan’s low chuckle from the other side of the door

“No rush, kid. Do me a favor though and save me the trouble of having to ask you to take those bandages off once you open this door” Carl had a feeling that whatever grace period Negan was offering would have a limit, he just hoped it would have lasted a little longer than this. He ran his fingers through his hair, covering his missing eye as much as he could, and sheepishly opened the door. Negan wasn't alone. Carl recognized the woman from the last time he was in the sanctuary, one of Negan’s so-called wives.

“You weren't formally introduced before, but Carl this is Sherry. Sherry, Carl. I had her find you some clean clothes this morning, and a brush, since I doubt you're letting anyone cut that girlishly long hair.”

Sherry gave Carl a forced smile as she set the neatly folded clothes on his bed, and returned to Negan’s side.

“You can go, baby. But keep an eye on Amber for me.” he dictated in a low, gravelly voice.

“And you,” he turned his attention back to Carl, “have a choice. You can get changed now, have a shower if you haven't yet, we've got all the time in the world. Or we can skip that and get the day started now. Up to you, kid”

“No point prolonging anything. Let’s just get on with it.” he walked past Negan, headed to the door

“It was a genuine choice, y’know. Not a test. You sure you want that to be your final answer?” Negan was skeptical, but if Carl really did want to just jump right in, he wouldn’t complain.

“Yeah, I’m sure. You coming or not?” Negan shook his head but followed Carl out into the hall

“Alright, not so fast Carl. First of all, you have no idea where you’re supposed to be going, second: just cause the bandages are off doesn’t mean you get to hide behind your hair. Come here.” Carl did just the opposite, taking a step away from Negan. “Do not make this difficult. I’ve gone out of my way to make things easy for you, as you can see I don’t even have Lucille with me at the moment. Just come here.” Despite the look on his face being somewhere between fear and shame, Negan could see the look of resentment still lingering behind his eyes. That just wasn’t going to do. Once he was close enough Negan grabbed Carl’s chin, lifting it ever so slightly to brush the long hair away from the empty socket Carl’s right eye once occupied. “Much better…” He let his hand linger on the boy’s chin a few moments longer than necessary, but even after he dropped it he kept Carl from backing away. “In a few hours you’re going to be meeting the men and women I have deemed fit enough to take charge around here. Eugene you already know quite well, and I’m sure at this point you’re very familiar with Simon, but you’ll have a chance to properly meet him as well as the others. Until then, however, we have time to kill and I really didn’t get to know you all that well myself last time you were here. So we’re gonna take a little walk around the Sanctuary, start getting you eased into life as a Savior, and we’re gonna get to know each other.”

“We’re not friends, Negan. This is a means to an end, that’s all. Just because I want to put a stop to the fighting doesn't mean I’ve forgiven you for what you’ve done.” Negan let out a deep, mirthful laugh at this, but Carl was less than amused, “It’s not a joke. Once the war is sorted out we’re done here.”

“Come on, you don’t really believe that, do you? I mean I wasn’t gonna say this: but it's a long-shot that your dad even gives a shit what you have to say. And in the event that he does: you’re not going home. No sir. See cause that peace you want so badly is going to rely on you staying here, unless you somehow got the idea Alexandria can actually take in everyone that we have here. I have over 400 people I am responsible for: families with children, elderly folks, people who are sick and/or wounded. You know that, you saw them yourself. The ones Alexandria can’t take, what happens to them? They go to Hilltop? Where the widow is more likely to line them up and execute them, despite their innocence, for ever having been even remotely involved with the saviors? Or The Kingdom, where I don’t even really know what goes on behind their walls? Or do they stay here, trusted to govern themselves? Cause I already know Rick won’t be showing me any of the hospitality, mercy, or trust that I have so graciously shown to you. And at this point it’s too late for you to change your mind because he knows you’re here and has been told you want him to stand down. He was on the radio this morning making all kinds of nasty threats. He didn’t believe a word I had to say of course, so you’ll be getting a face-to-face chat with him, and it’ll probably be happening sooner than I’d like. So time to make peace with your choice cause the clock started ticking the minute you left Alexandria.”

Carl stood there silently for a moment, processing all the information that was just given to him. 400 people would definitely be too much for Alexandria, likely for all of the settlements, even with the supplies they’d be able to contribute from the sanctuary. He could also understand that they likely wouldn’t all be welcomed with open arms, especially in Alexandria. He didn’t know the details of the goings on in the other settlements, or what their relationships with The Saviors were like, but he did know Maggie, and he was sure she would want Negan’s head on a stick. There was definitely reason to what Negan was saying, but surely there had to be some other outcome. Unless maybe the one he’d been picturing: Negan integrated into Alexandria, living and working alongside the others…

“What if it didn’t have to be like that though? We could expand Alexandria, make more houses, have our own farms. If you got the saviors to help us, we could have you all moved in before winter. And we could prioritize the families with kids, or those who need medical attention. We have a number of empty houses as is, we can move the most vulnerable people right away. We can make it so nobody gets spit up, we can work it out.”

“Kid,” Negan sighed, “It’s a nice sentiment, but it’s not going to happen. I wouldn’t mind being proved wrong on that, but you have to be realistic. Your dad would open the gates for my people in a heartbeat, especially the ones who aren’t soldiers, but I don’t see this working out the way either of us want it to.” For the first time, Carl was seeing genuine remorse from Negan. He felt bad. Which gave Carl a little hope, he could hopefully use that to sway Rick’s view of Negan.

“You said you wanted to show me around, get to know each other? Let's go. My dad isn’t going to wait around if he thinks you kidnapped me. The more I know about the sanctuary, and the saviors, and you, the better I’ll be able to defend you. If I can just get him to see that you’re not a villain, I can convince him to stand down. I know I can.” Carl’s newfound enthusiasm was a welcome change from the moody teenager act he’d been carrying until now, and it was also difficult not to find his hope contagious. Negan couldn’t help the grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Alright, come on. If you want to see the good in this place then there’s someone I need to introduce you to. She’s one of the people who helped me start all this.” He pulled the radio off his belt and started leading Carl toward the nearest exit. “Her name’s Laura. She’s one of my lieutenants, you’d have met her at the meeting later, but I think she’s just the person you want to talk to.” He called for Laura to meet them by the front gate. “I think it's also best I explain what’s probably going to be one of the hardest things for you to justify”

Carl tilted his head slightly in confusion, trying to think of what he could be referring to. His question was answered as soon as Negan led him to a stairwell that trailed down the outside of the building and he had a clear view of the gates. There weren’t near as many of them this time, but Carl remembered seeing the people in the white shirts, each with a distinct yellow letter painted on it. He also remembered seeing Daryl dressed like that when he’d snuck in. He didn’t have to ask anything, as they made their way down the stairs Negan began to talk, explaining his system, and who the people were.

“Some of them are insurance from the communities we protect, but most are simply prisoners. All of them refuse to play by the rules. I give them all a chance to be part of the community, including insurance policies like your friend Daryl, it’s on them if they don’t take it. Some of them were part of the community but they broke a rule. Not one serious enough to warrant the iron, and capital punishment is saved for anything that endangers the life or well being of another person. After they spend some time working on the wall, I let them go back to working for points like everybody else. The system clearly works, cause so far we haven’t had to find out what I’d do with repeat offenders. It’s forced labour, yes, but it shows them that there is something worse than how they usually live, and I cannot stress enough that I do not enjoy killing, and it is something I do not do unless I absolutely have to.” Carl nodded along, listening to the explanation. He knew why Negan was always putting emphasis on the fact he didn't want to kill, or that he was a reasonable person. But thinking about that night brought up the burning question that had eaten away at him day after day. He knew the answer, he knew the whole time, but he hadn't quite accepted it.

“We forced your hand.” He didn't look at Negan, his step never faltered, he continued as though he'd said nothing at all. For a moment Negan thought maybe he'd imagined what Carl said, but before he got a chance to say anything himself, Carl continued to speak: “we killed a lot of your men. More than was ever necessary. Sure, the group that Daryl killed was responsible for the confrontation, but it could have ended there. You have a pretty easy to understand system here, and while I'm sure you still would have punished us, you also would have understood that your people were being assholes and the punishment wouldn't have been near as bad as what we got. All of this could have been avoided if my dad was willing to just talk”

“Well shit. Looks like you have been paying attention. Don't tell me it took you this long to figure that out, it's what I've tried to tell you all from the start.”

“No, I knew it. I just… didn't want to accept that I did. And uh… I'm sorry. Everything that's happened, and how I was acting…” he cut himself off when he felt Negan grab his shoulder

“Stop for a second, and turn around so I can look you in the eye. Yeah, there you go…” he crouched down a little so he was at eye level with Carl. “You do not have to apologize, you hear me? Especially not for things that were out of your control. I know you haven't really been allowed to just be a kid, but that's what you are. Nothing that's happened has been your fault, so you have nothing to apologize for. And your attitude towards me was completely understandable. I don't know how close you were with… what were their names?”

“Glenn. And Abraham.”

“Thank you. I don't know how close you were with Glenn and Abraham, but they were part of your group which makes them like family even if the only thing you know about them is their names. I know that. You still have every right to be furious with me. But you aren't letting those emotions control you. Most adults can't even manage that. I had a feeling about you from that very first night, I had a feeling you were gonna be something special. And you have just kept showing me more and more since then that I was right. You're doing something the average adult, let alone a kid your age, would have the balls to do. So don't you dare apologize to me again unless there is an actual reason to be apologizing.” Carl hesitated a moment, but then caught Negan off guard as, seemingly out of nowhere, he wrapped his arms around him in a hug. Although it took a moment to respond, Negan did return the embrace, holding the boy close

“Thank you.” they stayed like that a moment longer before Carl pulled away. Negan let him go and stood back up, straightening out his jacket.

They both finish walking down the stairs just as a woman, who Carl guesses is Laura, spots them and quickly makes her way over.

“you asked to see me, sir?” he couldn't help but notice the tattoo on her neck

“Yes I did. Laura I wanted to get you well acquainted with Carl here. He wants something of a history lesson, and I figured we may as well start with your story. Come, walk with us, and answer any questions he might have” she gave a quick nod to Negan and fell into line beside Carl.

“I saw you in Alexandria. You're pretty ballsy. Gotta say, I'm glad to finally have you with us rather than against us.” She offered her hand for him to shake, and wore a warm smile that conflicted with her usual rigid demeanor

“Uh… thank you.” Carl shook her hand “its nice to meet you”

“Relax kid, she may look intimidating but she's a real sweetheart on the inside” Negan wore his trademark grin as they walked past the gates, heading back towards the main area of the factory

“So… Negan said you were the one who helped him start the saviors. How did that happen?” Carl didn't want to waste time. He knew his dad was probably on his way to the sanctuary this very second. And as sure as he was that Negan would have put several obstacles in his path, he knew that wasn't really going to do much good.

“He saved my ass. Using my own baseball bat, I might add.” Carl's eyes widened in surprise “oh he didn't mention that? Guess you really didn't tell the kid anything, eh boss. Well, let's go from the beginning then. I was with this travelling clinic in the early days of the apocalypse. We went around offering medicine to those who needed it. One day, this one shows up delirious from dehydration and exhaustion, waving around an empty gun threatening to shoot us if we didn't cooperate. Now, in his state, I probably didn't need to knock him out, but one solid swing from that bat and you were out. Even before he added the barbed wire. What he was after I'll leave for him to tell you, that's not my place, but before we sent him on his way I gave him that bat. A few days later these thugs take a few of us hostage, and Negan comes in with Lucille to take them all out. He saved me, saved the others I was traveling with, and by proxy saved everyone that the clinic then went on to help. I left them, felt indebted to Negan and all that. And that's really all there is to our story. He's the one who started The Saviors and is responsible for all this, I was just the first to follow him. Depending on how you look at it, this is all here by complete accident. Or maybe it was fate.” she shrugged

“I couldn't help but notice your tattoo… was that from before? I haven't seen one like it before, I imagine it probably has some meaning?” Although he wanted to know more about the sanctuary, he figured one personal question couldn't hurt.

“Yeah, it was from before, and it's tribal. It does have a meaning but it's not one I want to share. How about your eye, how'd that happen?” So the tattoo was a touchy subject, he got that without the obvious attempt to make him uncomfortable in return.

“It's a story for another time.”

The trio entered the factory, and Carl was now getting a view of the people that he hadn't seen before. The factory floor was bustling with activity: people moving between tables which displayed various goods

“I have something I need to check on before our meeting. Carl, you can either come with me, get a formal introduction to my wives, hear their perspective. Or you can walk the floor with Laura and she'll teach you how things work around here, get you used to the system, and bring you up to the meeting room once it's time”

“I'll stay with Laura for now, thanks.” Carl responded sheepishly. It was a little intimidating to be without Negan, but he'd be able to get more helpful information here than he would from Negan’s “wives,” not to mention the fact a couple of them intimidated him more than he'd like to admit.

“No problem, figured you'd rather stay here anyway. Keep out of trouble, and don't be late you two, we are on the clock”

“Yessir” Laura watched as Negan walked away and disappeared upstairs, and turned to Carl “You like kettle chips?”

“Yeah. I guess. You have some here?” He probably sounded a little more surprised than he should have, but fresh chips of any kind were one thing he figured just wasn't around anymore.

“Yup. We got someone here that makes them, I'll show you.” She led him through the various stations, talking as they went, “Since money is useless, Negan developed a point system. The basic concept is: the more you produce, the more points you get, the better off you are. People like us: the lieutenants, his wives, and… whatever you are at the moment… we're a little above that system. Anyone working for points is assigned a number, makes accounting easier, and they all have a book. You write down their number, what you took, how much it's worth, and you sign your name. They can then use their points to buy extra food, medicine, clothing, anything they need. We have access to all that as we need it, but of course there aren't enough resources for everyone to live so comfortably, so the points were a solution to that problem as we got bigger. Another perk: we get to skip the lines.” As she finished speaking, Laura pulled Carl in front of a table, cutting off another woman. She didn't dare anything, knowing better than to insight the wrath of any of Negan's lieutenants “what do you have for us today 42? Not out of chips yet, I hope”

“No ma’am, there's plenty.” The young man behind the table quickly retrieves a container filled with chips, and places it on the table before her and Carl

“Try em kid, you can take em if they're good” Laura gestures toward the container, he nods and tries a few of the chips. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd had potato chips, they were definitely something he took for granted before the apocalypse. “Yeah, they're good.” He took the container and thanked the man, which earned an eye roll from Laura. She signed for them and started ushering Carl away from the table

“Let's get those to your apartment and then we need to get to that meeting. Negan was right, we're probably running real short on time.”

“What exactly is the meeting about? Negan made it sound like he was just going to introduce me to you, Simon, Dwight, and the other lieutenants, but surely there's going to be more than that?” He matched Laura’s brisk pace and she maneuvered through the busy floor. Luckily, for the most part, the workers stayed out of their way.

“We're going to be discussing the game plan for when your dad gets here. We can't be caught off guard if he shows up armed, especially if he brings friends. Better we be over prepared than under, you know?” Carl was hoping Rick wouldn't complicate this, but he knew that was unrealistic. He also knew Negan wouldn't fire the first shot. He'd make a big show of force as a deterrent, and if Carl's plan worked Rick would be standing down today.

“This way, I'm a little set apart from the others” Carl led Laura to where his apartment was. She waited outside as he slipped in and stowed the chips somewhere he'd remember them. He then joined her back in the hall and followed her to the meeting room in silence.

Negan, now with Lucille in hand, Simon, and Eugene were already present when Carl and Laura walked in. They were just waiting for Dwight, Regina, Arat, and Gavin. The other lieutenants arrived in the following minutes and Negan motioned for Carl to join him at the head of the table.

“Now that we're all here, this needs to be fast. For those who may not be familiar with him: this is Carl Grimes, the newest and youngest addition to our team. I already had Simon preparing things outside in case things go south, but Rick is on his way, and if Carl can't convince him to stand the fuck down, we are going to find ourselves in the middle of a shootout, and it will likely get very ugly. I need outpost heads on standby ready to mobilize their men if needed, and the rest of you need to be on standby with the forces inside the Sanctuary in case shit hits the fan. We do not fire unless we are fired upon, understand?” There was a collective “yessir” from all his lieutenants, and just as the room is blanketed in silence, Negan’s radio crackles to life

“Negan, come in” although distorted with static, the voice was audible to the whole room.

“I'm here, what's the situation?” He usually would have dismissed everyone before answering, but he was confident he knew what the message was, and the tension in the room was enough of an indicator that so did everyone else.

“It's Rick Grimes, sir. He's here. He appears to be alone, but he is armed. He's looking for you, Negan” he nodded to dismiss his lieutenants, with the exception of Simon.

“I'll be out in a minute. Tell him his gun needs to go away if he wants to see me or his son, and that the second he pulls it out the conversation will be over. It's non-negotiable.”

“Understood, will do, sir.” the air falls silent as Negan and Simon lead Carl to the exit. They don't have to wait long before the Savior outside lets them know that Rick has put away his gun and is open to a conversation, so Negan opens the door and the trio steps outside.

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