Chapter 24

'What happened in Atlanta?' Ali asked her father as they drove back to the Sanctuary. They were seated in the back of the truck along with the other prisoners, Dwight was driving and another one of her men sat beside her.

'What do you mean what happened?' he asked her, looking down. It was clearly still a painful memory but Alice needed to know.

'I saw them dropping napalm.' she told him bluntly and he sighed but still didn't respond. 'What about mom and Jane?'

'I left them, just like you left your brother.' he snapped and she recoiled.

'You're not a sixteen year old kid.' she responded coolly before turning away to indicate the conversation was over. She was glad to have her dad back but that didn't mean that she didn't miss the rest of her family. He sighed but when he spoke neither of them could bear to look at the other.

'It was just before, your mom and I were worried about you and Josh. We'd seen what was going on, how the dead were... anyway, your mom wanted to come get you and bring you to Atlanta. We thought that would be safest. I made her and Jane stay and I came to get you. By the time I got there it was a ghost town, everyone was gone.'

To Ali his explanation was satisfactory, it made sense and was in keeping with how her parents would have reacted, it was how most of the population of Atlanta had reacted. She nodded her understanding but the ache in her chest didn't go away as she experienced the loss of her mother and siblings all over again.

The rest of the car journey was taken in complete silence but as they pulled towards the gates and the prisoners saw the walker's which were tied to the front as a defence mechanism Ali could see the panic in their eyes. One of the men turned to her quickly and clasped his hands in front of her as he pleaded.

'Listen, this has all been a misunderstanding. We're sorry we shot one of your guys, we panicked, we didn't know what to do. We're your dad's friends, you can't... please don't... please don't do that to us...' his voice devolved into a stammering mess and he began to grab at her knees and plead with her as he began to cry so she turned suddenly and slammed her fist into his nose. It hurt but it felt good and he retreated to his corner to blubber like a baby, the other two men looked on with grave expressions, they had all gone very pale.

When they came to a stop Ali was helped down by the man who had accompanied her and once again her father's eyes rested on her baby bump and his mouth set into a grim line. She noticed and sighed, guessing she would have to have the conversation sooner or later.

'I guess I should kind of fill you in on how things work around here.' she said as they waited for the men to be rounded up and everything to be sorted out. 'I'm kind of... married to the guy in charge. We run this place together.' she told him and he nodded but didn't comment. There was an awkward silence as he tried to frame his next question.

'I guess I should be proud of you, for running an operation this big.' he said and she knew he was really trying so she offered him a weak smile and they began to make their way inside. As they walked through the corridors she tried to think of other things she could tell her father and one glaringly obvious thought crossed her mind.

'I found Rick Grimes.' she smiled, 'He's still alive. I was with him for a little while before I came here. Lori and Carl are... gone, though. I had to survive, I had to keep moving... Now I guess I'm not so friendly with him anymore.' she explained.

'That's a shame, Rick is a good man. What this, uh... your, um, husband... what's he like?' he asked and she had to stop herself laughing at his awkwardness so she shrugged instead. Truth be told she was almost certain her father would not like Negan at all, what father would? She tried to find the right words to prepare him but kept coming up short.

'Negan has a very distinct style when it comes to leadership. I'm not going to lie to you, one of your friends is going to die today.' she told him bluntly and he blanched a little but she kept staring straight ahead. 'I believe he's a good man behind it all, I think he has the best intentions he just doesn't have the best way of going about things. He cares about his people, he cares about me and...' she trailed off, not ready to verbally acknowledge her baby to her father just yet but he seemed to understand.

Negan was meeting in the conference room with Simon and Ali and Dwight entered the room first to explain things lightly to him and prepare him for the situation. He gestured for the prisoners to be brought in and Nathaniel Reiss walked in slowly behind them, keeping to the shadows with his hands clasped in front of him.

Ali had always thought of her father as a big man, the kind of man who would have protected her at all costs, but now as she compared him to Negan she saw just how small and fragile he really was.

'Hey honey, you're home.' Negan crooned without leaving his chair, his feet were propped up on the table and Simon was slouching in the chair to his right, Dwight stood behind now, watching the scene nervously.

'We had an issue, I was going to deal with it but we thought that maybe it should be you.' she explained, knowing that Dwight had already told him everything. Negan considered the scene for a moment before slowly swinging his legs from the table and standing. He dragged Lucille across the table menacingly and the man whom Ali had punched in the nose began to shake with fear. When he reached Ali he leaned in close to her and the first real look of concern crossed his features.

'Are you alright?' he asked her in a quiet voice and she nodded firmly.

'I'm fine. I just didn't want to deal with it, not today.' she tried to avoid the subject of her father but Negan had noticed his separation from the rest of the group.

'What about this one?' he asked loudly, turning from Ali and resuming his usual swagger and air. Nathaniel held out his hand towards Negan and tilted his chin slightly into the air to try and appear bigger but there was a look of anger and shock in his eyes that Alice knew stemmed from the fact that he realised how much older Negan was. She knew her father was a smart man, he would work out what had happened and why Alice considered herself tied to him. He would know it was for protection and nothing else.

'My name is Nathaniel, I'm Alice's father.' he replied to Negan without any fear in his voice. Negan paused for a moment, completely dumbstruck at this knowledge and he tried to process it. After a second it clicked into place for him and he let out a whooping laugh and turned back to Ali, rushing back to her and pulling her close before turning back to her father and pulling her with him.

'Congrats honey!' he laughed, 'I thought you said daddy was dead?'

'I thought he was.' Alice replied softly, unsure yet whether she was enjoying the reunion as much as Negan was. He laughed for a few more moments before making a show of calming himself down without letting Alice go.

'But I hear that daddy or one of his friends killed one of our friends?' Negan asked in his dangerous tone and Alice knew what was coming.

'It wasn't him.' she justified, she didn't care about the other men but she wanted to protect her father. She didn't know if they would have a lot of time together, to get to know one another all over again in this messed up version of the world, but she wanted to have the choice to be able to.

'You can say that for certain?' Negan asked and anger bubbled up inside of Ali as she realised that this was exactly what Negan wanted, he wanted to get a rise out of her. She took a deep breath and forced a smile on her face, calming herself and refusing to give Negan the satisfaction. She didn't respond so Negan turned his attention elsewhere, realising that he wouldn't be able to get his fun there.

'Dwighty-boy, tell me what happened again.' he instructed and Dwight looked confused.

'We already told you, there ain't much to add.' he said and Negan sighed, looking between the two men and considering them for a long couple of minutes before nodding.

'Okay, let's get them kneeling.' he muttered and before any of them could react Dwight and Simon's hands were on the shoulders of the two men and forcing them to the ground. The one who Alice had punched in the face began to whimper again.

'Let's settle this the old fashioned way, shall we?' Negan asked, twirling Lucille over his shoulder with a grin as he turned back to his hostages. The others took a couple of steps back as they realised what he meant and the two kneeling men began to shake violently.

'Eenie... Meenie... Miney...' Negan crooned slowly, enjoying every second as he pointed his bat backwards and forwards between his two choices. As they realised what was going on the crying man began to shake more violently but the other man went completely still and raised his eyes to meet Negan's, Alice admired his dignity.

Suddenly Negan raised his bat and was pointing it directly at Alice who was confused.

'Mo.' Negan smiled and Alice's fingers edged for her knife, she didn't know what Negan was implying but she wouldn't go down without a fight.

'What?' she asked him and he lowered Lucille slowly to show he wasn't threatening her.

'Well I have this little dilemma you see.' he told her and she narrowed her eyes, 'You and I are supposed to run this place together, right? At least that's what you keep telling me, equal partnership. So why couldn't you deal with this out there? Why are you dragging this back to me when you're usually so good at dealing with these issues on your own?' he asked her and Ali's eyes involuntarily flashed to Dwight and he met her gaze with a steady look. They were both thinking back to that conversation they had had, how Dwight implored her to be better, to do better. She sighed and shrugged.

'Maybe I'm tired of killing people.' she replied calmly and she thought she saw Dwight smile a little.

'Well I don't want my co-leader to be someone who can't doll out the justice.' Negan held out a hand to Simon who wordlessly handed him his gun, Alice put herself on edge again and also shifted her weight slightly so she could dart towards her father if necessary, she knew about Negan's sick games and didn't trust him.

'You pick, you deal the justice. Prove to me that you have a right to be here.' he instructed her and she slowly took the gun, moving forward to take his place over the two men as he stepped back. She looked between them for a few moments, her eyes met the eyes of the man who turned his attention to staring her down now but the snivelling man kept his head bowed.

She raised the gun directly between them, still calculating the best choice she could make.

'No... I'm sorry... this is insane.' Ali jumped and almost pulled the trigger as she turned back. Her father was striding forward and apparently summoning all of his courage to talk back to Negan who was grinning and looking backwards and forwards between everyone in surprise as if he was unsure who to address.

'Ali, you don't have to do this. You're right, and you don't have to give into the likes of bullies. I don't know what this man did to you, what he's done to make you feel like you have to obey his every word, but he's nothing more than a bully and I'll be damned if I stand here and allow myself or my daughter be intimidated by a bully.' he spoke emphatically but Negan began to laugh. Ali looked to Dwight for help but he looked as lost as she felt.

'You're really not getting the situation right now are you?' he asked Nathaniel as he leaned back against the table, Simon stood on the other side of the table nearby, ready to jump in if needed.

'Ali, remember what kind of a person you are.' Nathaniel ignored Negan and turned to her. She turned slowly back to the two men and raised the gun half-heartedly, she knew who she needed to fear and whilst it might have been her father once upon a time, now it was most certainly Negan. Nathaniel hurried over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, holding his face close to hers. She didn't look at him but kept her eyes straight ahead at a point on the wall in between the two men. She raised the gun so it was level with the height of their heads but she didn't take a shot.

'Alice Reiss, you're still just a child. This man has brainwashed you into believing that you need him to survive, for protection. But Ali he's taken advantage of you, he's raped you and burdened you with a child you won't be able to support, a child that won't really have a chance in this world. What kind of a husband does that seem to you? What kind of a father do you think he will be? You are a better person than this. You don't have to become the murderer he wants you to be. I've seen the way people here regard you, you don't need him...' Nathaniel spoke quickly and Ali could hear movement all around the room but she kept her hand steady and her gaze fixed on that one spot.

'Sounds an awful lot like you're suggesting a coup there.' Simon said loudly but Nathaniel ignored him.

'Don't do this Ali, don't be this person. Find a different way to make a change.' he told her softly and Ali once again thought of the conversation with Dwight. She thought for a second, knowing she needed to go with her gut here. She had brought these men back to Negan because she didn't want to be this kind of person anymore. She wanted to be better than that. Her father was right, she couldn't let Negan win like this.

She lowered the gun to the floor but didn't shift her gaze, knowing that Negan would react unpleasantly to how she had chosen to protest. She didn't expect to immediately hear a gunshot and feel the spray of warm blood across the side of her face.

As the sound of the gunshot rang through her ears like an unpleasant tinnitus, she felt her father's hand grip for a second before it slipped and she was aware of him falling to the floor. There were a couple of seconds where she simply stood, unable to process the shock but painfully aware that her father was lying dead at her feet. Then her reality came crashing back down on her in an instant and she remembered why she was the way she was.

Setting her mouth in a hard line she raised her own gun and without hesitation shot the snivelling man clean through the head. The second shot seemed to clear the ringing in her eyes and she simply stood there with her arm still extended as the room was completely silent, even Negan didn't dare speak a word. Negan's anger was dangerous but they all knew that Ali's anger could be just as bad.

After a few seconds she put the gun down quickly on the table, slamming it slightly to make her point. She turned back to Negan and Simon and it was unclear who had been the one to kill her father, neither of their faces betrayed them but she chose to take her mixed emotions out on Negan all the same. She walked back to him, aware of the slipperiness of the floor which was pooling with blood, and she stood chest to chest with her husband, looking up into his eyes with an angry expression. He tried to keep an indifferent look about him but there was an element of panic in his eyes which made Ali think that he had not killed Nathaniel but had ordered Simon to do it to give himself slight accountability.

'Don't make me your lackey again. This... this was not equal.' she whispered, not trusting herself to raise her voice any louder. She stared him down for a moment, daring him to make a response, but he seemed to realise that responding to her would be futile so she turned on her heel and stormed out of the room, still covered in blood.

After she left there was a stillness in the room as every single one of them realised how much Negan had messed up. He tried to shake it and regain his usual confidence by flashing them all a smile but realising they all seemed unconvinced he sighed and dropped the act, sitting down heavily in his chair at the head of the table and putting his hand to his forehead.

'Clean this up...' he ordered quietly, 'and leave me alone.'

They obeyed him without a word and the other prisoner was taken to the holding cells, there was a small amount of bustle until, eventually, Negan was left alone with just the blood stains and the painful awareness of his own mistakes.