Author's note: The always adorable Lara decided she wanted to host a Valentine's challenge and I'm all on board! This piece came up with some real life experience and I hope you like it, and yeah, it is inside the universe of The Marks of Running Ink, it can't be read as stand alone, because context.

My prompt was: I'm so sorry I forgot. I hope this does it justice and suggest you listen to "Can't help Falling in Love" the Elvis one, of course.

So It Goes

Now

The Sanctuary, VA

Negan sat on his couch a generous drink in his hand, watching the snow fall as music played from the gramophone that Eugene had made work. The leader of the Saviors was admiring the soft looking tops of the trees and the frosted look of the fence and ground. White Valentine's had become a lot more common after the end of the world had messed up the weather. He could remember only one other Valentine's day like this one…

Before

Valentine's Day, 2005

Negan was exhausted, it was the only way to justify his forgetfulness for the day's celebration.

Fucking! Fuckity fuck!

He realized his horrible mistake when he entered the school in the morning to find everyone wearing some stupid shade of red, pink or lavender and preaching on love and soulmates and merchandizing shit like chocolates and balloons.

Negan had received some valentine's cards, chocolates, one student -to whom he gave detention- gave him an envelope with a thong inside. The gall!

And now, here he was, the day of their thirteenth anniversary! Outside of a packed flower shop. But it was packed everywhere with young and old idiots, holding hands like it was the last thing they'd do in the world.

You're bitter because you ruined it. His inner voice scolded. Lucille always prepares spectacular surprises.

Lucille loved their anniversary, she had picked the date for their marriage. God help him, had Negan decided, they would have married in Vegas, the weekend he proposed, fourteen years ago.

After trying another two shops, that were also packed, Negan went home, admitting defeat.

Lucille was home when he arrived.

There was no surprise this year. No spaghetti, or expensive gifts or Lucille laying in the table, naked and decorated with expensive chocolate -that was a special one-. No, his lovely wife was lying in bed, wearing her work clothes and her shoes, snoring lightly from lying face down over her fluffy pillow. Negan couldn't deny his instant relief.

"Doll? Lucille?" Negan called softly.

His wife groaned lowly and the man could swear she curse him as she turned to him, lazy brown eyes narrowed.

"Yeah?"

"Everything okay today?" he asked, trying not to smile at her irritated expression.

"Sure." She snapped back, ready to turn her head away and go back to sleep.

"Forgetting something, Mrs. Negan?" he teased maliciously as he rubbed her back in circular movements.

"No, why d-…" Lucille's hiss died mid-sentence. "Oh, God! No!" she whimpered, horrified, looking at Negan in disbelief.

"Yeah." He said smugly, not that he hadn't too.

"Fuck." His wife swore, her voice low and roughish.

Negan smiled, having decided that he'd teased enough. "I thought the same thing."

"You too?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah. So, I was thinking we can still fix this day."

The chinese take-out was tasty, they had their most expensive bottle of wine out and Negan had lit the fireplace. They were watching some really cheesy movie called The Notebook. Lucille was sucking it in.

"We're going to be like that." She said, watching as the old couple went to sleep in the old lady's hospital bed.

"Old and gray and sharing a too tiny bed?" Negan asked, teasing her again.

"No, silly. Still in love." She said firmly.

Negan smiled wide. "Hell, yeah, we are." He conceded. "'till death do us part, doll."

"'Till death do us part."

Lucille had set the music player.

"We danced to this one in our wedding." His beautiful girl said, sashaying to him in her black slacks and rumpled button-down blouse. "I still remember how you sang to me that day, Negan."

The notes of I can't help falling in love filled their living room and Negan hugged Lucille close to him.

"You liked it, didn't you?" He asked smugly.

"I love you, dear, but your singing voice was atrocious." She admitted shyly.

Negan burst out laughing. "I'll never sing to you again if you say that, Lu!"

"Oh, please don't!" Lucille exclaimed, laughing as Negan cleared his throat and started singing, off key.

"Like the river flows, surely to the sea…"

Lucille laughed hard, making Negan laugh as well. Once they were sated with laugh and wine and love, Negan finally said what he had meant since the moment he had seen the stupid date.

"I'm so sorry I forgot, doll."

Lucille smiled up at him and gave Negan a peck on his beardy cheek.

"I'm sorry I forgot too."

Now

Negan's day dream ended abruptly when he heard the door to his room click shut.

He turned to see who had come into his room and found Tory leaning against the door with an expression of heavy relief in her face.

"What are you doing here?" he asked snappishly.

"Your wives." She answered disdainfully.

"So, what is it, Gorgeous?" he sneered. "You too good for 'em?"

"I didn't mean it like that," Tory huffed. "Your wives are doing some Valentine's day planning, I'm getting sick of that."

Negan felt himself stiffen and the flash in Tory's eyes told him she caught on it.

"Wanna waste Valentine's day…night here, doing nothing?" she asked, gray eyes shining with understanding.

"I could do you." He suggested flatly.

"Yeah, I think I'll pass, old man." Tory's grey eyes fell on the window, looking at the snowy, white landscape. "I hadn't seen snow this white in a long time." She commented. "only grey, sluggish stuff."

"How long?" Negan found himself asking.

"I was still a kid. Dad took me and mom to Aspen." Tory said wistfully.

The song on the gramophone changed.

"You took that one from Rick's." Tory accused. Negan was about to defend himself when Tory exclaimed. "I love this song! Dad sang this for Mom on their wedding."

Negan paid attention to the notes and felt his heart clench painfully, as Tory stood in front of him.

"Get up. We're dancing." She ordered, sounding a lot surer of how she looked.

"No." Negan deadpanned.

"Please? Pretty please? I'll even shut up." She offered.

Negan's eyes glared at her grey ones.

"Come on, the song's going to end." Tory whined, rightly so, as the song ended not long before he finally stood up, towering over her. "Damn it." She muttered.

The record stopped running with a jolting sound and Tory was still standing in front of him, with her hand reaching for his.

"Wise men say, only fools rush in…" she started low. "Only fools, rush in." Her voice was a bit hoarse, like she hadn't sung in a long time. "Shall I stay?" Tory continued, waiting for his real answer, her eyes earnest, she seemed a lot younger then.

So, Negan took her hand and held her waist.

"Would it be a sin. If I can't help…falling in love with you." Tory continued, her voice was still a bit hoarse, but she was a decent singer. At least a lot better than him. "Like a River flows, surely to the sea. Darling, so it goes…"

"Some things are meant to be…" Negan completed.

Tory looked up at him with a smile.

"You're…" she made a long pause. "Awful, leave the singing to me." Tory laughed.

"Of course you'd insult me, gorgeous." Negan whined as Tory sang, trying to muffle his voice.

"Take my hand. Take my whole life too..."

Negan felt his throat become a lump and he finally shut up, letting his little soulmate to her singing, barely moving in the same spot.

"We're going to be like that." She said, watching as the old couple went to sleep in the old lady's hospital bed.

"Old and gray and sharing a too tiny bed?" Negan asked, teasing her again.

"No, silly. Still in love." She said firmly.

"For I can't help, falling in love with you." Tory had finished the song and they were still hugging, her head on his chest, his chin on her head. It felt easy. Calm. "Happy anniversary." She whispered.

Negan shut his eyes hard, the lie he told himself every year shattered.

How he wished he could forget now.