Okay, so I know I JUST updated and I was going to hang on to this one, but I was too excited to hear what you guys thought of it!

Happy Reading!

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Jo

I stomped through the forest. The leaves crunched under my boots and I tightened my leather jacket around me. Winter was coming and there was a chill in the air. I hadn't considered that though when I had made the decision to go out on the run. All I had known was that I needed to get out from behind the fence.

Two weeks had passed since the night Martinez died. I had been at The Sanctuary almost a month now and felt like I had been settling into the routine. I stayed in my dorm, trained in the morning by myself and then ran two classes each day. One before lunch and one after. In theory everything was going great.

Kate spent most of her time with Tommy so I saw her less than I would like to, but I found he was growing on me. Saving my life, his continued dedication to his training, and how well he treated her had earned him a lot of grace. Most days I was more accepting of him than Merle was. Kate hadn't attended another training session, but then I wasn't overly surprised. The Sancutuary was safe. She wouldn't see personal defense as a high priority when she had people to take care of her.

Merle still came and ate dinner with me every night. He was done with third shift and on to a more normal schedule. Though lately more and more of his work seemed to include jobs normally reserved for Negan's soldiers. It seemed he had earned Negan's trust or at least proven himself trustworthy. I didn't ask much about it. I hadn't spoken with Negan since that night.

I slapped a low hanging branch out of my way as my irritation grew. I had wanted to get out from behind the fence to distract me from the frustrating situation, but no matter what I did I couldn't get it off my mind. Couldn't get him off my mind.

Negan hadn't spoken to me in two weeks. The memory of him standing in the middle of my room, holding my backpack in one hand with a look of absolute betrayal on his face was forever burned into my mind.

"Were you even going to tell me you were leaving?" Hurt had warred with the simmering rage I could see building in his eyes. When I hadn't been able to answer him he had thrown the bag at my feet. "You know where the door is, no one is standing in your way," he growled and he had stomped away.

Two weeks since Negan had stormed out of my room. It was made all the worse because I couldn't just get mad too. I had hurt him. Not on purpose, but my actions had hurt him nonetheless.

"Were you even going to tell me you were leaving?" His question had chased itself around and around in my mind.

I hadn't been sleeping well since and it was getting progressively worse. I had a lot of time to think about it over the last two weeks, a lot of time alone to obsess. I had seen him yesterday in the market talking to one of his wives and I had fled, too much of a coward to risk seeing that look on his face once more. Last night I had tossed and turned in my bed for only an hour before I gave up to sit on the cat walk all night. It was then I decided I needed to get out from behind the fence.

Despite my regular schedule I had cancelled training for the day. I had tried going out on runs with the group a couple times the week before, but that didn't work out so well. I was still too close to the edge and without Negan around there really wasn't anyone to pull me back if things went south. So with no other option I had decided to go out by myself.

When I logged the run with Simon I had told him I was going out for a supply run. He had looked like he was going to argue about me going out alone but the look in my eye had made him think better of it. He had sent me to the supply room and I was given an empty back pack, a machete and a handgun. Simon had looked at me with a sort of cautious authority. "Make sure you're back before dark," he warned. "We aren't going to send anyone out to look for you."

I snorted humorlessly, as though I had needed another reminder that I had screwed things up with Negan. "I didn't think you would," I assured him.

Simon just nodded. He stood at the gate and watched me leave. Once I was far enough down the road I had stepped into the trees and not looked back. I stowed the machete and gun in the bag in favor of having my hands free to reach my knives if I ran into trouble. I wandered the woods for hours, trying to forget.

The forest started to thin and I slowed my angry marching. The still mostly empty backpack slapped against my back despite the hours I had been out here. I hadn't actively sought out anything to scavenge. I had just been walking for hours, trying to gain some semblance of balance in my life. Things were good. The people I cared about were safe and happy. I had a purpose, I was contributing to the community I lived in. So why wasn't that enough?

"Were you even going to tell me you were leaving?"

I hesitated as I spotted a road in front of me. About half a mile down was an abandoned van. The cover of the trees felt safer, but I also refused to go back empty handed. I headed down the road towards the van, hoping I would get lucky. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing I was affected by his distance. I was sure he was getting along just famously with his wives and I was equally as capable of getting along by myself.

I had just walked around the side of a van when a gravelly voice called to me. "Well now, what is a pretty girl like you doing out here all by her lonesome?"

I froze and turned to see a man in his mid to late sixties standing not three feet away from me. I had been so caught up in my thoughts I hadn't considered this might be a trap. A bad feeling went through me as he ran his eyes over my body. He had a hip cocked and his hand rested on a gun in a holster at his waist.

He didn't look too impressed by me. I didn't blame him. I had stupidly zipped my jacket because I was cold and I was half turned away from him, making it impossible to see the knives strapped to my thigh.

He smirked as though he had already won. I tensed my muscles. Maybe a fight was exactly what I needed.

"Hand over the backpack darling," he ordered. "And I'll take everything you have," he said with a slimy smile that made my skin crawl.

Yep, a fight was just the thing.

I didn't hesitate. I went for the knife at my low back. It was one of my slower draws and I paid for it. He saw me move and grabbed my arm from behind. He was stronger and faster than I expected. He ripped the backpack away from me and slung me around like I weighed nothing.

My back slammed into the side of the van, knocking the wind out of me. I dropped to the ground, stunned. I lay on the pavement, gasping for breath as I fought my body's insistence that I was starving for oxygen. He came at me, kicking me in the stomach. There was so much force behind the kick it rolled me onto my back.

I took advantage and rolled the rest of the way under the van. He swore behind me and I heard him pulling his gun. I caught something under the van and a line of fire tore across my left shoulder.

I didn't stop, I rolled the rest of the way out the other side. Rocks and gravel dug into the wound, but I gritted my teeth and pushed on. As soon as I was clear I took off for the treeline. I ran in an erratic zig zag pattern and prayed he wouldn't want to waste ammo on me.

No such luck. He fired off five or six shots. I lost count how many. That was a huge investment in killing me. I just kept running. If I stopped, I was dead. I dodged and darted through the trees trying to lose myself enough he would never be able to find me.

I succeeded. Once I was convinced I couldn't run anymore, I pushed myself on for at least another half and hour before I let myself stop. I was gasping for air and trembling but I was alive. That had been a very close call.

Blood was dripping from the tips of my fingers, but not enough I was seriously worried about it. I wouldn't bleed out in the time it would take me to get back, but it hurt like hell.

Whatever I had cut myself on had been sharp enough to slice through my leather jacket like it was nothing. I moved my left arm and grunted as pain radiated from the tips of my fingers all the way through my shoulder and back. As much as I hated it I was going to have to go see Doctor Carson. I wouldn't be able to reach the wound and I couldn't risk infection.

The walk back to Sanctuary took the better part of a couple hours. It was full dark when I stumbled up to the gate. The biters in the moat snarled at the smell of fresh blood, leaning against the fence trying to get at me. I exhaled and my good hand touched the handles of my knives just to reassure myself I could reach them if I had to. The growls were starting to echo in my head in response to the pain when someone called out through the darkness.

"Who's there?" I recognized Joey's voice from the other side of the fence.

"It's me Joey," I called, my voice was hoarse and I was desperate for some water. I had only expected to be gone a couple hours and hadn't packed supplies. That combined with the lack of sleep and blood loss was starting to catch up to me.

"Oh shit, Jo, is that you?" he asked coming forward and opening the gate. He looked me up and down and let out a whistle. "You look like hell. Everyone is real worried," he confided.

I frowned, not understanding who would have worried. Neither Kate nor Merle would have known I was gone. The only one to see me leave had been Simon.

"The boss is on the war path." Joey warned.

Something in my chest tightened and I shifted my weight nervously "The run was by the book," I said defensively.

Joey just lifted his eyebrows at me and he shrugged.

Sighing, I shook my head. It was just my luck that the only contact in the two weeks since I had pissed him off so badly he didn't want to even look at me was for me to piss him off again. I trudged the rest of the way through the gates and towards the door feeling like an utter failure.

The guards I passed called a greeting to me and I waved at them a little awkwardly. I still wasn't used to people knowing and recognizing me. It made me feel uncomfortable.

I didn't bother heading towards my room, instead I went straight to Carson. I knocked on the door and entered when I heard Carson's quiet call through the door. He was sitting at his desk when I walked in. He turned in his chair, pulling his glasses off his face.

"As I live and breathe, Miss Dixon," he greeted. "And what can I do for you today?" he teased lightly.

I sighed. I wasn't here that often.

He cocked his head, his keen eyes narrowing as he studied the way I was carrying my injured arm. "Hop up on the table, let's see what we've got this time."

Okay, maybe I was becoming one of his frequent fliers, but it wasn't always my fault. I grimaced as he helped me out of my tattered jacket.

He looked down at the bullet hole from Martinez and new slice across the back. "You might want to put in for a new one of these," he said cheerfully, setting it aside. His face sobered when he got a look at my shoulder.

"How bad is it?" I asked. The pain was still bothering me, which spoke to how bad it must be.

"Well, let's get your shirt off, clean it up and see what we've got," he said briskly, the humor gone from his voice. Instead of trying to get my shirt off over my head Carson pulled out a pair of scissors and cut me out of it. Thankfully my bra had survived, but I had to shift my bra strap down my arm to completely clear the shoulder blade.

Carson used a small squirt bottle and tweezers to dig the sand and gravel out of the wound. He offered twice to give me something for the pain but I refused. I could live with the pain, we needed to save meds for people who really needed it.

"Well, this was thorough," he commented once it was cleaned up. "Down to the bone. You'll need stitches."

I just nodded and gritted my teeth.

"Are you sure-?" he started to ask but I just shook my head.

"Just get it over with please," I said, closing my eyes.

He was halfway through stitching my shoulder when the door was thrown open. I flinched and then cursed when it caused Carson to miss with the needle, stabbing deeper than necessary.

"What the shit were you thinking?" Negan roared.

Two weeks. 

Having him stand there felt like getting punched in the gut. 

"Were you even going to tell me you were leaving?"

I stared up at his face and his eyes were blazing with anger. There was a part of me that recognized that I had been in the wrong before, but he hadn't looked at me in two weeks and all of a sudden he thought he could come in here and start yelling at me?

My own temper rose to match his, but I gritted my teeth and forced my voice to remain dead calm. "I was out on a run," I told him simply. "I logged it," I said as though that were the end of it. And it was the end of it. We weren't together. He was just the boss around here and I had done everything by the book.

"You logged it," he responded in disbelief. He glanced at Carson who had resumed my stitches. "How many stitches?" he growled.

"That's none of your-" I started to say, but Carson interrupted me.

"Twelve, six of which are subdermal," he said as he tied off the last one. He pulled the knot tight and I grimaced. "She insisted on no pain medication, not even a local," he reported covering the stitches with a bandage and tape.

I scowled at the little snitch. "So much for HIPAA," I grumbled.

Doctor Carson flashed me a full smile his eyes sparkling as though I had been unexpectedly clever. "Doesn't really apply anymore," he said. "And it doesn't change the fact that you are going to have to take some medication."

"I don't need it wasted on me," I argued. "It was my own stupid fault, save it for someone who really needs it."

"What did you say you cut yourself on?" the Doctor asked rhetorically. He pulled a small bottle of antibiotics out of the cabinet and set them on the tray between us. "Twice a day for five days."

I tightened my jaw stubbornly. I was strong and healthy, chances were good I wouldn't get an infection if I was careful. We shouldn't waste the antibiotics unless they were absolutely needed. There was a finite supply and who knew if or when we would find more. 

I was doing my best to ignore Negan, giving my full attention to Doctor Carson, but I could practically feel him staring at me. When I refused to acknowledge him long enough he finally grunted in annoyance. "Give us the room Doc," he ordered and without hesitation Carson left.

I exhaled, shifting my weight. I wished I had something to cover up with. It was hard enough facing him after being completely shut out for two weeks, but I didn't want to do it sitting in front of him in my bra.

Negan waited until the door clicked shut before spinning around towards me, he moved faster than usual. "What in the hell were you doing out there by yourself?!" He growled.

I shifted away from him subconsciously. I ground my teeth, hating the muscle memory it seemed I would never be able to escape. I wrapped my arms around myself, crossing them over my chest. I drew in a grounding breath and stared Negan in the eyes. Everyone in the place was frightened of him. I wouldn't be one of the masses. 

"A run," I told him.

"A run?" He asked incredulously.

"I logged it," I snapped defensively. "It was by the book, it just went wrong. Some asshole took a shot at me."

"I hope he's very dead," Negan growled.

I looked down in shame. It was a fair question. In fact it was almost laughable I hadn't been able to kill him. The truth of the matter was that I had been distracted and he got the drop on me. Simple, tiny mistakes that could get you killed in this world. 

"No," I said swallowing. "I ran."

Negan's hand snapped out and sent a tray of Caron's tools flying. I flinched, scrambling to the other side of the exam table to put as much distance between us as possible. He was too close and too angry and I was hurt and exhausted. My mind could only handle so much and I could feel my control starting to skip.

Stop, reset. I chanted to myself. Negan had never hurt me. Not physically anyway. He had in fact put himself between me and the danger every chance he got. Negan wasn't a physical threat to me, no matter how much my instincts warned me that he could be dangerous. 

Stop, reset. 

He must have realized what was happening because he froze, his hands clenched into fists as he worked to rein in his anger.

I stared at my shoes, my shoulders hunched forward. "I screwed up, I know I did, but- he doesn't know anything about us, just some jerk. I promise. There won't be any blowback that will endanger The Sanctuary," I hated how small and weak my voice sounded. I felt like a kid who had been sent to the principles office.

It was hard to imagine just two short weeks ago I had felt like this man's equal. That we had fought together and laughed and joked and-

And now nothing felt right. When I finally looked up Negan was staring at me in disbelief. My anger surged then, all fear and uncertainty burning away in the wake of my temper. "Look, the guy had a gun and was shooting at me, what was I-?"

Negan cut me off, practically yelling in my face. "Why the hell didn't you have backup?! Why weren't you on one of the goddamn scheduled runs?! Why the shit do you always insist on going at it by your damn self?!"

My temper had finally reached it's max and while it may not have been the best idea to yell at Negan I was done feeling afraid and vulnerable and self conscious. I was exhausted and I just wanted to got to sleep and have him leave me alone. "Because that's the way it is!" I yelled. "I am by myself!" I bellowed back at him.

He pulled back. His eyes were a storm of anger and hurt and worry. So many emotions I couldn't even begin to understand or process. He finally settled on being angry. I can't say I was entirely surprised.

"You don't have to fight anymore," he motioned behind him. "You don't have to go out there."

"Yes I do," I responded without hesitation. "I can't stay hiding behind this fence pretending the world out there didn't exist! I won't!" 

Another tray went sailing across the room and Negan began pacing angrily back and forth in front of me.

"Look, I know I messed up but next time-"

Negan whirled towards me his eyes snapping, "You think that's why I'm mad? You think I give a damn about some piece of shit out there?!" Negan's eyes flashed dangerously and he stepped towards me placing a hand on either side of me, caging me to the table. His voice was a low, angry growl that was all the more terrifying. "He's as good as dead. I'll send out a crew right now to take care of it. He doesn't mean shit!" He yelled and he spun away from me. Negan's eyes were snapping and his muscles had a fine tremble to them as he balled his hands into fists in a desperate attempt to contain his fury.

"Why are you even here!" I yelled back in his face.

He pulled back like I had slapped him. He opened his mouth to respond but he snapped it closed and looked away.

I jutted out my chin, feeling for once like I had the power. "I have done nothing to violate the rules of The Sanctuary," my words were calm but forceful as I stared straight into his dark eyes. "I haven't used any resources to be healed aside from the thread holding my shoulder together. And you have made it perfectly clear where we stand. So you don't have any reas-"

"I've made it perfectly clear?" Negan bellowed incredulously. "I've made it clear?!" He stabbed a finger towards my chest. "You were leaving Jo! You're right! I had made it clear how I felt about you and-" 

I interrupted him, unable to rehash the fight. Guilt tore through me and instead of allowing myself to feel it, I wrapped myself in righteous anger. "Yeah, it looked pretty clear last week when you were talking to one of your wives," I snarled. Too angry to be thinking straight. To angry to realize I had just admitted not only to seeing him in the market and fleeing, but also admitting to the ugly jealousy swirling through me at just the memory of him being with one of them.  

"My wives?" Negan asked, arching his brows. "You mean the wives I gave up, for you! Because that's what it would take to get you! I did everything to show you how I felt, I made it perfectly fucking clear and how did you repay me? You were going to leave without saying a goddamn word."

Tears burned the backs of my eyes as I stood in the face of his anger. Because I deserved it. I knew how he felt, I had known there was something between us, and I had planned on just leaving all the same. I hid behind the fact that I was doing it for my family, but over the last two weeks I had come to realize I was just afraid. I was afraid to let myself feel something for this powerful and maddeningly mercurial man. I sniffled and fought to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall.

Negan shook his head. "Did you even think of what that would be like for me? Did you even care? Because I sure as shit care about you sweetheart." Negan was staring into my eyes with such raw emotion there was no where for me to hide. There it was. He had laid it all out for me, as unrelenting and unapologetic as ever. "But I won't keep doing this sweetheart, I can't. I want you. I have made that perfectly fucking clear."

I closed my eyes and hung my head. I didn't know what to say. A warm, gentle finger lifted my chin and when I opened my eyes he was standing only inches from me. 

"Yesterday-" I started to say. He had said he got rid of his wives, and he had alluded to it weeks ago before we stepped into Martinez's cell, but I had seen him. 

He made a strangled noise in the back of his throat. "Just checking in with Frankie, making sure their new apartment was okay and no one was bothering them. Like I promised them. I won't go back on my word, but Jo believe me when I tell you. They mean nothing." He cocked his head to the side as he studied my face. "You however," his hand came up painfully slowly as he glided the tips of his fingers along my cheek bone. "You mean-" he shook his head as he stared down at me in wonder. Emotions I couldn't name chased themselves across his face. "Everything," his lips were only inches from mine, his breath fanned across my skin and I shivered. 

I hadn't realized he had backed me up until my back hit the wall, my heart was pounding in my chest. I wanted to touch him. He was so close I could feel the heat coming off his body. I didn't realize I was moving until my hand touched his chest. We both stilled, waiting for the other one to react. I lifted my eyes to meet his. His eyes were dark with desire and when he took another step towards me, forcing my palm flat against his chest I felt like I had forgotten how to breathe.

I licked my lips intending to say something, but his eyes dropped to my mouth and all memories of why this might still be a bad idea fled.

"I missed you so goddamn much," his voice was a low rumbled in his chest. He shook his head. "Tell me to leave sweetheart," he ordered. He reached up and brushed a loose strand of hair back from my face. The tips of his fingers glided over my skin and I shivered. He made a noise in the back of his throat. "Jo," his voice was a low, throaty growl. 

I let my hand skim over his chest. Feeling the planes of muscle beneath the white t-shirt. I realized in that moment that the piece I had been missing for those two weeks had been him. Now he was the one shivering beneath my touch and a please smile twisted my lips.

"I-" I started to say, lifting my eyes back to his. He was so close all I could see and smell and feel was Negan. I wanted him so badly I couldn't think straight. But he was Negan and even without his wives as an obstacle if I was smart I would head for the door and not look back. I needed to think about this. We needed to talk so I could make a deliberate decision after weighing all the pros and cons. 

Instead, I grabbed the back of his neck, dragging his mouth down towards mine. A pleased chuckle rumbled in his chest. His hands were suddenly on my waist, then my hips. His fingers were digging in, dragging me closer to him. Our chests slammed together and he made a satisfied grunt in the back of his throat.

His palm spread across my low back, dragging my hips against his. He deepened the kiss, taking control and his tongue slid along mine, teasing, testing, challenging, everything Negan was. He pressed me back against the wall harder, though he kept a hand on my low back, keeping the pressure off my injured shoulder. He moved his hips in a seductive twist that had me moaning into his mouth. His grip on me tightened a second before he ripped his mouth away from mine.

"This isn't what you want," he gasped. 

I looked up at him, my mind hazy with desire. "Yes it is," I told him with certainty. I was too far gone to feel anything but the desire his touch brought surging through my body. It had been so long. I leaned towards him to kiss him again but he pulled back, his hands holding me in place.

He made a strangled noise in his throat and I could see it was taking everything in him to stop. He swallowed and his eyes were blazing with intensity. "No," he said harshly and his hands still on my hips tightened. "You're hurt, and I won't be a mistake Jo," he told me earnestly. "This can't be something you regret. Because I won't regret it, not ever," he snarled the sweet words at me.

I moved my hands slowly, so he would know I was doing so deliberately and thoughtfully. I raised them up so I could cup both his face between my hands. His eyes was so wide and earnest as he stared at me it made my breath catch in my chest. How this incredibly strong, closed off man could be here, looking at me like this was just beyond me. His chest was heaving and his jaw was tight as he fought for control. He wanted this, I had no doubt he wanted this as badly as I did, and Negan wasn't the type to deny himself anything. But he was, he was holding himself back for me. He was protecting me again.

But at the same time he was also protecting himself. This wasn't just a casual thing for him and he looked terribly vulnerable as he stared down at me waiting for me to make a decision. I felt like my entire world had upended. He didn't just want this, he wasn't interested in a casual fling, he actually wanted me. I licked my lips, my eyes feeling too wide as my brain truly struggled with this new information.

"But I'm-" I started to say. I couldn't bring myself to say the word broken. But it was on the tip of my tongue, it was in my eyes and in the fine tremble that started in my arms and ran through my entire body. I had shown that just moments before when I had nearly lost control. 

Anger flickered in his eyes and I knew it was on my behalf. He knew what I had stopped myself from saying and it made him mad. "No you're not," he growled, but then he stopped. He drew in a breath and I could see by the look in his eyes and the way his body sagged that he thought I had made my decision, that I was still holding myself back from him, separate, protecting myself because I didn't trust anyone else with the task. But I did trust him. 

I took that step towards him so we were close again, so I could feel the heat coming off of his body. He felt like a furnace. He was hot blooded, all strength and corded muscles and where I always seemed to feel chilled he was like a fire I wanted to use to warm myself. I had always felt this way, but in the past I had been terrified of getting burned or worse, being consumed by him. Negan was a force of nature, his personality was larger than life. I had nearly lost myself once before and I was terrified of it happening again. And this time, if I let myself I would welcome it.

All of those things that had held me back in the past were swirling through my mind, but they didn't seem to apply to the man standing in front of me. I had waited too long and he let out a long sigh.

"You should go," he said and he turned away from me, leaving me standing there like I had been cut adrift. I swayed on my feet staring after him. I had screwed it up again, it was my fault, that thing that couldn't let me go still had it's claws in me and he had seen it. "You need to get some rest sweetheart." 

He glanced around the room and when he saw the pile of torn cloth that used to be my shirt he shrugged out of his coat. He held it for me and I slipped into it. It was far too big, but it smelled like Negan and it was still warm. 

He moved to step away from me but I snatched his hand, lacing our fingers together. "I care about you too." I told him earnestly. "And-" I hesitated, because I didn't know how to do this, didn't know how to say the next words. 

Negan pulled me into him and his lips brushed across my forehead. He nodded against me so I could feel it. "I know," he promised me and he tugged me towards the door. "Let's find you a bed sweetheart." And he led me out of the infirmary. 

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Negan stayed with me that night, holding me all night while I slept. I would like to say it was sweet and romantic, but the truth was I was hurt and hadn't been sleeping well for days. When the opportunity for relief presented itself and I was finally able to sleep I passed out. Snoring away and drooling all over. I was sleeping so soundly not even the nightmares found me. 

When I woke next the clock told me it was nearly three in the afternoon. I looked around my dorm with bleary eyes wondering if last nights talk with Negan had all been a dream. But when I sat up the spot on the bed next to me was still rumpled. He wasn't in the apt but there was a note sitting on my night stand with the bottle of antibiotics from the doctor.  

Had some business to take care of. Take your meds. 

It had really happened. Negan and I...well we hadn't exactly come to any decisions, but it was a start. A chance. 

I changed and wet my hair in the sink, trying to tame it. I didn't want to shower and get my stitches wet. I had missed both training sessions today but I hadn't felt this refreshed in weeks. I pulled on my boots and headed towards the door. I wanted to get down to the market before it closed to find a new jacket, and I wanted to find Negan. Maybe we could have dinner together

I flinched when I opened it and there was someone there. Dwight was standing outside my door, leaning against the wall with his eyes on the hallway, a gun strapped to his hip. 

"Oh, I see you're back. That was fast," I commented, wondering if reassigning Dwight to follow me around had been the business Negan had alluded to in his note. 

Dwight turned to face me and instead of looking annoyed with me like he usually did his face was grave. "Negan didn't want you alone when they were here." 

I frowned not understanding. "When who was here?" I asked. 

Dwight arched his brows. "Have you been sleeping all day or what? Another settlement showed up knocking at our doors this morning. We got company." 

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So...big developments...what did you think? Too much?