Work Text:
"Oh shit, shit!" Ella exclaimed, watching the black and white dog disappear into the storm. "Honey, Mel ran out into the storm!" Pulling her sweater tighter around her body, she rushed out onto the porch, trying to see through the thick sheets of snow as Melanie's bark echoed in the distance. She turned to see her husband slipping on his boots, a worried look in his eyes that she hadn't seen since the world rebuilt. He rushed down the steps with a quick "I love you!" before he too was swallowed by the blizzard.
"Goddammit, Negan," she muttered, heading back inside and gathering all of the blankets she could find and taking them into the spare room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fifteen minutes later, Ella was back on the porch, bundled tightly in her winter coat and looking for any sign of her husband and their dog. Just as she was about to wrap another scarf around her neck and brave the storm herself, a human shape with a very furry mass in its arms was steadily approaching the home. With a sigh of relief, she rushed out to them, gently coaxing Mel out of Negan's arms and wrapping one of his own around her shoulders. The moment they were inside, Mel wiggled out of her arms, shaking roughly before trotting over to the fireplace and plopping onto a pile of towels positioned in front of it. Ella kicked the door closed, holding up her husband as best as she could as they moved to the spare room. She guided him onto the bed, her chest tightening as her fingers brushed his icy skin. "Oh no, you are not dying on me today," she muttered, shifting him until he was fully on the bed and beginning to strip him of his now soggy clothes.
She began to layer blankets over him when icy fingers weakly closed around her wrist. She looked up with a soft, shaky gasp at Negan's lazy smile. "You know, if you wanted to get my clothes off, all ya had to do was ask, baby."
Ella fought off a smile as she finished draping the blankets over him, settling beside him and taking his face in her hands. "Negan Smith you are insufferable," she laughed quietly. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his forehead, her body relaxing as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Don't scare me like that again, alright?" She asked softly, pressing her forehead to his.
Negan slid his arms up to her face and pulled her back to look at him. A quiet sigh escaped from his upturned lips and he nodded. "I'll do my best, darlin', but I won't make any promises. Not as long as that damn dog keeps gettin' out." She laughed, brushing a stray tear from her face with the heel of her hand before kissing him deeply. Ella made a mental note to keep a hand on Mel's collar whenever the door was opened.