Part 18 - The Storm

                                    

                                          
A couple of months had passed since the events of the Kingdom's fair, and winter had well and truly taken over. Since then, the Kingdom had lost itself. Their power supply, which had been barely functioning well for a while, couldn't work passed the cold, and the entire town was no longer safe to live in. A group had headed over there a few days ago to help the Kingdom's people pack up and get them to the Hilltop.
A group in Alexandria were currently having to hide out in the church with the fireplaces burning, as they realised it was better for them all to be together in the event the storm got worse and any of the houses weren't safe to stay in overnight. The community had split into a few groups, meaning only a couple of the houses were occupied with as many people as could fit.
The winds howled outside as snow seemed to come crashing down from the blackened skies at such speed, you'd think it was never going to stop. The wooden walls and roof of the rebuilt church creaked with the weight of the snow that had been building up over the course of the day.
CJ sat on a wooden chair by the window, gazing out of the window and watching the thick snowflakes shoot through the air, the gale force never letting them reach the ground before whisking them away into the sky again. The sight sent a shiver through her body, the cool draft travelling through her many layers. 
Atop her head sat a grey beanie, her hair tied into a side braid that went passed her right shoulder. She wore a t-shirt, one of Daryl's shirts, an oversized hoodie, a thin jacket, and a larger puffer jacket over all of that. Around her neck rested a dark green and black checked woollen scarf. RJ sat on CJ's lap, and her arms wrapped around him and her chin rested on the top of his head. 
Judith was sat on a chair across from her aunt and brother, nervously peeking around to try and see if Dog was outside; she was worried about him after he had run off outside earlier on. The day Daryl left with Michonne and the rest of the group to help the Kingdom, he had pulled Judith aside and asked her to look after CJ for him and help her out whilst he was gone. She had taken that role in her stride, and from the moment Daryl left, she hardly left CJ's side.
"I swear to god, I have memorised every square inch of this room," Negan broke the silence with a laugh. "And it still feels like a party."
They had no choice but to let him out when the storm picked up. CJ and Gabriel had a talk earlier in the day and realised that Negan would have frozen to death if they left him down in his cell. Everyone in Alexandria had their own opinions on whether or not that was a good thing. Needless to say that having lived in a cement box for the best part of eight years, Negan was just happy to have a change of scenery.
"Hmm," Rosita hummed sarcastically as she finished tying him up with chains and walked away. "A never-ending party from hell."
"I mean, sure, alright," Negan shrugged, a smile still plastered on his face. "It smells like a goddamn barn, and you're all bored shitless, but-"
"Language!" Judith snapped.
"Sorry," Negan held his hand up. "Sorry, kiddo. But we've got ourselves this hot little love quadrangle here to entertain us. It's like Christmas to me!" he beamed away.
"You really need to learn to shut the hell up," CJ warned, a flatness to her tone as she blankly stared at Negan.
Even Negan had noticed a change in CJ's persona ever since what happened. He didn't know the full details of what went down, but he saw the coldness in her eyes whenever he saw her, or she had to go into his cell to bring food or clean up. He'd started making a lot less snarky comments toward her when he realised she wasn't biting back the way she always had done. 
He was almost worried about her the first time he saw her after she returned from the Kingdom when she went down to his cell with a tray of food. He asked her about what had gone down, and he saw a single tear escape her eye before she rushed out of the basement, hiding her face as she left without a word.