I think I liked you better when you didn't have a knife in your hand, Peaches

Heading Out

It had turned out to be a hot and humid day, and Blake could not help the sheen of perspiration that beaded at her collarbone at this very moment in time.

She had been sat in the front of the truck for the past hour, beside Negan in the driver's seat and Arat who was leant up against the far right passenger side window, keeping herself to herself.

All of them silent...all of them seemingly holding their breath, as the vehicle raced down the empty and eerie road.

Blake, even now, could not quite believe any of this was happening.

They were going to see Mia.

She was alive.

After all this time of Blake thinking otherwise...desperately wishing they could turn back the clock..

And yet she was there...Blake having questioned Negan over and over again asking whether it was definitely her...so frightened that they would get there and Negan had just been mistaken and her dreams and hopes would come crashing down once more.

But Negan had reassured her, pressing his lips into her hair that it was certainly her, retelling the story of how she had called out to him at least three times before Blake would believe it was true, finally looking to Arat for confirmation. And the curly-haired woman had nodded kindly, and looked away, sparing Blake's embarrassment, as she had burst into tears right there and then back in that hallway, with Negan tugging her into his arms gently.

For it was all almost too much for her to compute.

After weeks of agony....of thinking that Mia was dead....

Blake was factually going to get to see her again...

The blonde woman chanced a glance up towards Negan now beside her, who almost at once felt her gaze on his face, his chocolate eyes flickering immediately over to her.

"So did she seem ok...Mia?" asked Blake a little tentatively now, giving a small gulp. They had been over and over this same conversation now for the past hour, and yet Blake still needed to hear the words confirmed to her yet again. "How did she look?"

But Negan gave a sighing smile, keeping his eyes trained on the road ahead.

"She seemed as fuckin' cool as anythin', Peaches," he scoffed. "Hell, she didn' even have a fuckin' scratch on her."

But Blake chewed on her bottom lip, a frown appearing between her brows.

"And Rick just refused to let you take her?" she enquired.

She didn't want to annoy Negan with this line of questioning yet again, but she was still utterly confused as to why Negan, as cock-sure as he normally was, didn't just stroll on out of there with Mia under his leather-clad arm.

But the dark-haired Saviour shot Blake a serious look.

"Shit, Doll-face, I might be a fuckin' bad guy, but I ain't a monster, an' I wasn't about to fuckin' snatch her outta their arms while she was cryin' her goddamn heart out," the leader of the Saviours said tiredly "Look, me they can fuckin; argue with...but hell, I know that when that kid sees you, there won't be any force in the fuckin' world that will keep the two of you apart. So that's why I needed to come an' get you."

Blake licked at her lips peering over at the man sitting beside her. This man that some considered malevolent and cruel....but here he was, not only thinking of Blake, but Mia too.

Her heart swelled now, as she tilted her head to the side, surveying him.

He truly was everything to her.

And she hoped that with Mia with them Blake could finally have the chance of creating a real family back there at the Sanctuary...a life for themselves, that didn't involve bloodshed and tears.

"Thank you," she managed to whisper out, causing Negan's eyes to flicker her way warmly once more.

God she wanted to kiss him, desperate to press herself close to him, as he stared back at her. To just feel his warmth and the feeling of being safe in his arms right now.

But she relented, more for Arat's sake than anything else, just as Negan spoke.

"Well don't fuckin' thank me until she's in this van on the way back to the Sanctuary with us...." he murmured poignantly. "I wouldn't put it past Rick the fuckin' Prick to try somethin'. An' havin' you in the line of fire ain't somethin' I want happenin' today. So if I give the fuckin word, you get yourself an' the kid back to the trucks. We fuckin' clear on that one, Princess?"

But Blake pursed her lips together, not answering him now, as her fingers drifted down to the gun at her belt.

She didn't want to make that promise, for she knew just what lengths she wold go to for Mia...and for Negan.

This was the very same gun she had had on her at the Hilltop, and the one she was willing to use today, on anyone who got in her way.

She had no alliances with those people now...only the Saviours, and if any of them tried to stop her taking what was hers...she wouldn't think twice about putting a bullet in anyone...even those who had once been her closest friends.

And so Blake, feeling stronger and more confident than ever before, kept her green eyes fixed on a point on the road just ahead of her as the truck sped down the empty dirt track towards Alexandria.

Wowee, what a day Mia had had so far!

First, she had got to have an apple for breakfast (Apples were her favourite!).

And then she had gotten to see Eggy!

She liked Eggy, he was funny and she remembered how the scratchy fluff on his face tickled her cheeks when he got near her.

And best of all, Mia knew that if Eggy was here, then that meant that Blake wasn't too far away!

And she was the nicest of all. Nicer than the brown-haired lady who took care of her now. Nicer than Amy and Bry-yan who had tried to get all bitey with her too!

Blake smelled nice and had pretty hair, and Mia missed her. Every day.

And so because Blake hadn't come to see her yet...Mia would go and find Blake...

Yes, that was what she would do.

So, dragging her favourite toy snake behind her, the teeny girl waddled on sock-covered feet, ambling carefully down the huuuge staircase, easing herself down one step at a time....not paying any attention to the shouty voices coming from the front room.

All she cared about was seeing Blake again, as she reached the bottom and made for the door, standing on her tippy toes to turn the big gold handle...

She had done this before and so knew of course where she wanted to go...stumbling back a little on pudgy legs, as the door swung wide open...

...before toddling off outside...

...too small and insignificant to be noticed by anyone, in the confusion of people moving back and forth on the big street, yelling at each other...

...the tiny girl heading off in the direction of the looming front gates...

....going off to find Blake and Eggy...