Negan looked around Rick and Daryl's home, he vaguely remembered being there before having taken stuff from it. Carl came running down the corner and stopped dead in his tracks, Negan carefully put Daryl down on his feet, Rick handing his crutches over to him.

"He's here, in our house?"

"He is, he promised to be on his best behavior."

Carl looked Negan over and the alpha male opened his arms for the pup, Carl looked to his mother who smiled and nodded. Rick did the same, they were supposed to play nice. Negan pulled him close, holding him tight. "I'm sorry kid," Negan whispered against his hair, "real sorry."

Carl let him hold him for a moment longer before all four of them heard Judith screaming. Negan released Carl and rushed up the stairs, panic filling his chest. "Negan, she's just a toddler, you don't gotta run."

Negan looked back at him before rushing up the rest of the stairs, he didn't trust how safe this place was yet.

Rick looked to Daryl then to Carl, at least Negan cared about his kids, even if he had forced him to cut his son's arm off when they first met. "Surprised, he is used to his place being safe.. I don't think he trusts us."

"He doesn't trust us?" Rick muttered. "Should be the other way around."

Negan pushed the bedroom door open to find Judith sitting in her crib, bouncing on her heels screaming. Negan looked around ready to defend her life but instead found she was pointing at a stuffed rabbit that was halfway across the room from her. "Oh honey, did you drop your bunny?" Negan asked, he grabbed the bunny and brought it to her offering it to her with a smile.

"Daddy! Bunny..."

Negan sighed, picking her up and holding her close, he brought his face to the side of hers and began to openly weep. Rick slowly crept up the stairs, he leaned against the door and listened. "Oh sweetheart... I'm glad you're okay... I promise I won't leave you ever again, I'll be good for you and your brother, and whoever is growing in mommy's belly. Your brother or your sister, but I promise for you love, I promise I'll be better." He held her close, her small hand running over his stubble. Negan laughed through his tears as she made a kissing sound as she brought the stuffed rabbit to his lips.

Negan kissed the bunny back, before kissing her cheek.

Rick watched him for a bit longer before he made a noise to get Negan's attention and walked through the door. "See, I told you, she's a toddler, she gets upset about silly things. Like her stuffed rabbit, she screams sometimes..."

Negan did his best to wipe away the tears before turning towards him. He held her up a bit to look her over before handing her to Rick. "How did you all survive before you had walls?"

"We hardly did, we were lucky to have.... She was lucky, Daryl... Daryl was lucky once we found him again... I- Negan you've got to understand we need you to comply, we need you to stand by us and protect us too."

Negan reached for her again, she grabbed his finger. "I will, I promise. I know... I will protect your people as they are mine now.. As long as you promise to stand by me and keep me alive too."

Rick nodded and used Judith's hand to shake Negan's finger. "Deal, we will stand together and protect the kids and Daryl and our people together. Protect one another."

Negan smirked, his fangs exposed again, Rick flinched a bit and Negan stepped back. "I'm sorry."

"You're really apologizing, you're actually serious about making this work aren't you?"

"You thought I was lying to you, to do what?"

"Kill me, take over."

"I already tried that, and failed didn't I?"

Rick lowered his eyes a bit, Negan tipped his chin up a bit. Rick was shaking under Negan's gaze. "Ye-yes you failed...."

"Do you really want to be on top?" Negan asked with a grin. "Or, do you think you can handle all of this?"

Rick watched as Negan ran a hand down his chest and stopped just at his groin. "I- I uhm..."

"That's what I thought, like I said, I am always top dog." He smirked and turned around walking down the stairs back to Daryl and Carl.

Rick stood, breathing heavily, Negan was playing head games. That had to be all he was doing.

Wasn't it?

Rick looked over Judith, and realized they would soon have a crying baby and a toddler running around Alexandria. He took another breath and walked down the stairs to check on his mate, and son.

"So catch me up, how is Alexandria fairing?"

"Without the Saviors?"

"Sure, without the saviors, how are we fairing."

Rick smirked, We, that seemed so strange to hear coming out of Negan's mouth. "Without the saviors, we are far better, trade has been set up between Hill-Top, ourselves, and the Kingdom."

"Good, alright... Now, what about my old compounds? I'm sure there are lots of supplies in all of the outposts."

Rick looked to Daryl, and then to Negan. "Do you know where all of them are?"

"Coure, I set them up. I can take you Ricky, promise I can. Carl, you want to come along?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Are they going to be safe?"

"I'm sure they will be, but that's what the rest of our people are for."

"Alright, that sounds fine. I think we should recruit some people at HIll-Top and the Kingdom. Seems the best move."

"We could check on Maggie, she should be ready to pop anytime now."

Negan narrowed his eyes a bit trying to do the math. "The pregnant lady?"

"Yes, the one that you left a widow, she's supposed to be popping anytime soon, we are just glad we have our doctor back now."

"Which is why I have an appointment later, because she's supposed to be his first priority."

"She hasn't had it yet?"

"No, but she will be soon. Her pup is a boy."

"Ah, little rascal, will give our puppy someone to play with."

"You really think Maggie is going to let her son play with our pup? You killed her husband, the father of her pup and you think..."

Negan cleared his throat, that was fair. "Sorry I-."

"Let's do the clear outs, we can worry about that later."

Rick, Negan, Jesus, Eziekiel, Carol, Carl, and Dwight went out together to clear out different safe houses. Rick was honestly amazed by how much stuff Negan and his men had collected.

"All of this is ours now, though I suppose you want to mix it up between all the groups... Some of it is theirs after all."

"Glad to see you're finally sharing."

"I can share... when I like the people I am sharing with. Speaking of puppies, there is one safe house filled with nothing but diapers, bottles, formula, all that jazz. My people were planning on having families.. Speaking of my people..."

"Our people now, they're mixed between our communities, some stayed in the sanctuary, they're our people now too another group."

"Are we sharing with them too?"

"We are, as long as they keep their end of the bargain, seeing you standing beside us should be the way for all of us to move forward. Start something new. For all of us."

Negan smiled, he never knew how good it felt to be a part of something. A part of something that actually mattered like this. Carl wasn't sure about Negan, but he was clearly trying.

There was something in the air, something good that proved they would be safe for at least another little while.

"How is Maggie?" Rick asked Jesus and Ezekiel, the two knew the most about her as she had been going back and forth between their camps.

"She should be having her pup anytime now, she's back at Hill-Top for now, she wants to live there full time until she knows she will be safe, between her and Negan she isn't sure he is safe either.."

"Most of us don't... He is trying though, he wants to help if he keeps on this path we should be good."

"I'm glad, glad to see things are looking up, but you know a lot of us aren't going to just trust him point blank. He has killed a lot of us, injured our people."

"We know that very well... It is clear to all of us that it's not going to be easy... I know that. We all know that."

The groups continued to push supplies back and forth between all the groups, people were feeling safe, and secure.

They only hoped nothing would come along and ruin it for them.