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

Tears and Resignation

By the time Negan had returned to his room later that night, he had found it be to be void of any trace of Blake, and the following morning, despite waking early by his standards, Negan had gone to the blonde's room down on the second floor, to find it empty, despite the bed having looked like it had been slept in.

Today, on this gloomy grey and misty morning, dressed in his usual leather jacket, black boots and grey pants, with a belt slung around his hips, Negan, with Lucille swinging from his hand as he went, had entered into the large dining hall. Only to see Blake sitting on a bench at the far end of the chaotic and busy room, with Mia sat up next to her, stuffing a piece of toast into her tiny, yet already full, mouth.

Negan dragged a hand down his bearded chin almost instantly, his heart dropping into his stomach.

He fucking hated arguing with Blake like this, and almost immediately after the blonde woman had walked out of the kitchens last night, Negan had regretted his words. Although he certainly did not think he was in the wrong here.

Like he had told her. He wasn't fucking blind, and he could see that she hadn't been herself lately.

And as gorgeous as she was, heavy bags lay under her eyes and her normally sparking orbs looked duller that normal.

But it wasn't just that.

To Negan, she seemed like she was holding herself differently. Looking like a porcelain doll, that if knocked over, would shatter into a million pieces.

He watched her now run a hand through her long tousled blonde hair, her elbow on the table as she smiled down at Mia who was, as always, babbling away at a million miles a second about nothing and everything all at the same time.

Fuck, he loved her. Blake.

But perhaps him showing his concern for her in that way last night was the wrong way to go about things.

But this needed to be addressed, one way or another. He needed her to be well....to be safe...

Because he knew that, after losing Lucille, he would not be able to take another loss in his life like that.

For after years of feeling like a man, broken, full of anger and hurt.....

...Blake had fixed him, healed his heart and made it whole again.

"You enjoy your lie-in, boss?" came a sudden voice just over his shoulder, causing him to blink, swinging his shoulders around to cock an eye at the questioner.

Simon was stood there now, blue shirt on and thumbs threaded through his belt loops, coming to stand at Negan's shoulder, surveying the room with him.

But Negan gave a scoff.

"Now what the fuck makes you think I have time for shit like that?" said Negan in a very unamused voice.

But his right-hand man paid no mind to Negan's tone, giving a sniff and nodding over towards the table at the far end of the room where Blake was sat.

"Just thought you were takin' it easy this mornin' seein' as your gals were up and out without you," the mustachioed man said in an easy voice. "Seven-foot Pete said she was up with the larks, cleaning up the kitchen floor before dawn. Said he got down there, to find her finishin' up. Said somethin' about makin' a mess last night."

Simon gave a grin, side-eying Negan.

"You two have some fun down there after hours, boss?" he said waggling his eyebrows.

But Negan gave a growl, suddenly rounding on his friend and lifting Lucille to Simon's chin intimidatingly.

"Did I ask you to stick your nose where it doesn't belong, Si?" he snarled.