Sorry, this is a long one, but hopefully worth it.
Within twenty minutes….with plenty of hungover grumbling later, Blake had managed to drag herself from her bed, down the aspirin that Negan had left for her, grabbed a quick shower, washed her hair, brushed her teeth and shucked on a fresh set of clothes.
Blake opened her closet door, now up and fully dressed, to find a long floor length mirror attached to the inside. She stared at herself as she did up the buttons of her fresh, loose, white blouse.
She didn't look as bad as she first thought. Perhaps still a little green around the gills but fairly ok. Her long damp caramel hair was pushed back over her shoulders and she had on a pair of tight fitting dark navy jeans and sneakers.
These had been the first pair of tennis shoes she had put on in a long time and they instantly felt far more comfortable to her than her usual hard-wearing walking boots did. But she certainly didn't want to get too used to this lifestyle. Just because Negan was trying to…charm her, for some reason…that did not mean she could trust him. This couldn't be just that easy. Could it?
She blinked a couple of time staring up into her large green eyes, reflected in the mirror. She was convinced she didn't look like the same person anymore. She had changed so much in such a short space of time and that had nothing to do with weight-loss or diet…..this was because of what she had seen out there….and what she could never forget.
She dragged her eyes away from the mirror, shutting the closet door with a clang, just as there came a brief knock at the door.
But this was not the loud bashing of Negan, she knew that for sure. This was softer, more tentative.
Blake strolled across the room, tucking her long hair behind her ear as she did so, before hauling open the door, her lips pursed.
Standing there was Dwight, looking back at her blankly, knife at his belt and that same old awful scar lingering across his cheek.
"Negan wants to see you downstairs," he uttered matter-of-factly, his gaze only meeting with hers for the slightest of seconds, before he tore his eyes away.
Blake knew she had no choice in the matter but to follow him, and so, shutting the door behind her, she headed out into the corridor following Dwight.
The pair walked in silence for a moment or two, before Blake suddenly chanced a glance up at Dwight.
"How long have you been here?" she asked a little cautiously, chewing on her lip.
For a long second Dwight didn't answer her, until-
"Ten months," he uttered in a hollow voice, his eyes never leaving the hallway ahead of him.
Blake's eyes travelled down to the floor before looking back up to him finally.
"You came here alone?" she asked in a quiet voice as they rounded a corner and headed through a door which came out on top of a long circular staircase Blake recognised from yesterday.
Again, Dwight didn't answer for a long moment before he finally let out a curt- "No."
And Blake could tell that that was the end of that conversation. Dwight's jaw was clenched and he looked angry discussing this with her. So she didn't push the matter any further as they ambled slowly down the long staircase, before finally reaching the bottom.
"Through here," Dwight muttered after a second later, as Blake led the way, making to go down the second staircase they approached, but instead Dwight held open a door on their right for her to pass through, leading them in a direction Blake had not been before.
She looked at Dwight a little unsurely before walking into a large spacious room.
The room was bright, surrounded by dusty stained glass window panes. It was alive with hustle and bustle of Saviours going about their business, decked out like some sort of huge marketplace, with lots of trestle tables set up with salvaged wares, as well as what looked like various food items and medical supplies.
This looked like a little community in itself and Blake spotted the same sort of faces here as she had done the previous day in the dinner hall. Many older people, who looked they were not able to fight, as well as a lot of younger kids that certainly were not old enough to handle themselves out there.
This indeed certainly looked like a safe haven for people like that.
Was it Negan who had really built all this?
But before Blake's thoughts could dwell so much on the annoying leader of the Saviours, she saw the man himself appear through the crowd of people.
He was taller than most, and so easily spottable in that leather jacket, biker boots and barbed-wire covered baseball-bat combo.
"Well don't you look like a million bucks all spruced up, like you're ready for a day out at the mall," he said flashing her a grin as the crowd of people before him parted, bowing their heads and staring down at the ground nervously.
Blake rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest as he approached her.
"Is this your mall?" she said in a mocking tone, offering him a simpering look. Behind them Dwight sauntered away obviously having work of his own to attend to.
But Negan merely eyed her, coming to stop just a foot away from her, swinging Lucille up and across his shoulder.
"I guess you could say that," he said flashing her an approving smile. "But at this mall, you don' need to pay for anythin'. Anythin' you want, Doll-face, is on me."
He placed his free hand to his chest graciously. But Blake wasn't so convinced.
She narrowed her eyes at the dark-haired man.
"Why?" she said pursing her lips, keeping her arms folded across herself a little defensively.
But Negan chuckled, arching his back and leaning in towards her.
"Soft spot, Peaches," he merely uttered with a chuckle, his hand coming to rest at her back.
He urged her forwards. "How 'bout we take a walk?"
Blake gave an audible huff, that only served to make Negan chuckle, and followed him, gazing around the room at the various vendors working behind each of the 'stalls'..
There was one for freshly baked bread, one for medicine, one for canned goods…amongst a lot of others Blake couldn't quite yet make out over the hustle and bustle of people.
"You've built up quite an empire for yourself," she said a little offishly, feeling slightly irritable. "Nice to see that you've built your success off the back of others."
"Now, now, sweetheart," said Negan, his hand never leaving her back. "Do not fuckin' start all that again."
Blake gave a grumble, stopping for a moment to admire a stall full of knives, guns and utensils from afar, before moving on to the next stall beside it, full of tattered old clothes, sock, pants, overcoats, thinking guiltily to the closet full of brand new clothes she had upstairs.
Negan stopped beside her, watching her carefully, but Blake didn't care.
To her left, a skinny looking woman with short greying hair, wearing a vest approached, picking up a large woolly sweater and turning it over in her hands.
"H-How much?" she stuttered nervously to the stall-holder, one eye on Negan.
The grumpy looking woman behind the stall, about Blake's age with tied back brown hair chewing gum, looked up from her ledger uninterestedly.
"48 points," she muttered lazily, popping her gum.
Almost immediately the skinny woman hurriedly placed down the sweater and turned away looking forlorn.
It was obvious that she did not have enough points.
Blake stared after her as she walked away. Was this the existence these people were really left to?
"Now you see, that is the way of my great-big-world unfortunately," came Negan's voice suddenly in her ear. "You either work hard enough for the points, or you get shit."
But Blake turned to him scowling. Angry at the injustice of this place.
"And how exactly are people expected to work for you, huh?" she said suddenly raising her voice, causing the skinny woman, the stall-holder and a couple of people nearby to look over at her suddenly. "What? You make the attractive women your wives and the rest end up starving? Fucking fantastic."
"Now you better watch your damn language around me, Doll," said Negan in a half- teasing, yet half- warning voice.
But Blake felt her blood boiling and she brought herself up to her full height, rounding on Negan, jabbing him in the chest with her finger.
"I know men like you," she uttering scowling. "You come with a system that works for you and only you. You make people think that they need you to survive. You use people."
Blake knew from first-hand experience what men like that were like.
She gave a gulp, her mind flitting to David. But she instantly pushed these thoughts from her head.
"But that doesn't make you a leader. That just makes you an asshole," she finished, teeth bared, as Negan's face became suddenly serious, his chocolate eyes boring into hers.
Blake had had it with him…with this place…this stupid points system. Had these people really survived….for this?
She turned on her heel suddenly, snatching up the sweater, as the Saviour behind the stall snapped her gum , getting to her feet.
"Hey!" she cried out in surprise, but Blake wasn't taking orders from her.
She held the sweater out towards the skinny older woman.
"Here take it," Blake said in a firm voice. "I'm giving it to you. Consider it a gift from Negan."
The woman looked hurriedly at Negan, looking frightened, as the stall holder did the same.
But Negan, his lips still fixed in a grim line, looked angry…
Was he about to use Lucille on Blake for her insolence? She wished he would. Just to see what would happen.
Negan was silent for what felt like the longest moment, as the stall holder matched up to Blake, pulling a knife from her belt obviously ready to haul her back and punish her-
"Let her have the fuckin' thing," said Negan suddenly with an irritable tone. And as Blake looked back at him over her shoulder, she saw that his jaw was clenched and his eyes were steely and fixed on her.
The stall-holder gave a huff of what seemed like disappointment, as the skinny woman took the sweater graciously from Blake's grasp. "T-Thank you," she said in a whisper. "I-It's for my daughter…s-she's just turned ten years old."
And with that, she took the sweater and disappeared off into the crowd, her head bowed, obviously frightened of Negan and his men and women's wrath.
But Blake turned back to Negan, looking serious.
"A leader needs compassion," she said bitterly, looking up at him, her gaze dark.
Negan had lavished gifts on her, probably his wives too…..but he had made these poor people work their fingers to the bone and for what…not even enough points to afford a sweater that the Saviours had looted anyway?
But Negan just stared back at Blake, running his tongue over his straight line of white teeth, looking deadpan.
"That what the great Rick told you before he killed a whole bunch of my fuckin' men?" he muttered in a low voice.
Now the entire room had stopped what they were doing and were turned to them, listening intently.
It was unlikely anyone ever survived talking to Negan like this, but Blake knew she was too far gone now.
She knew she had to do something. To make a stand.
"Rick didn't bludgeon two men to death just to prove a point!" said Blake furiously, suddenly moving swiftly over to her left and grabbing a large knife from the nearby table, laden with weapons of varying kinds.
At this, Dwight, the female stall-holder, and at least 3 other men suddenly, stepped forwards, raising their guns and their own knives, towards her.
Blake knew she was royally screwed now, but she still held the knife out towards Negan defiantly.
"Baby, baby, baby," uttered Negan, his voice low and growling, causing a sudden silence to fall over the room. "Y'know, I think I liked you better when you didn't have a knife in your hand."
His lips suddenly curved up into a wide grin, which Blake had not been expecting. He was such an imposing guy and that grin only served to make Blake feel even more nervous.
Was Negan just another David? Using her and everyone around him to get his own way? She already had one man in her life like that, she couldn't afford another. But surrounded by Negan and his men, she was trapped, like she had been since she had got here. Given the pretence of freedom, with a room and clean clothes, but in reality, she was as much trapped by the Sanctuary as she was by David.
Blake shifted her weight from foot to foot, feeling totally and utterly hopeless right now.
She gave a gulp and stared back at Negan, letting out a long tired sigh. No matter what she did he would always be the one with Lucille, and she would always be the one under his power….under the Saviours power.
"Well I liked you better when you didn't even know I existed," she said suddenly, dejectedly, dropping the knife to the floor with a clatter.
As soon as she had done so, she was hastily grabbed by her caramel-blonde hair, by the brown haired-stall holder, and forced to her knees, a knife suddenly cutting into her cheek.
None of this was as bad as the hurt she had felt by David's hand, and so Blake winced, but did not cry out.
She was stronger than that. She had to be.
This was obviously the point where Negan would finally be using Lucille on her. Blake was even on her knees ready for it…just like Glen and Abraham had been.
She closed her eyes, letting out a breath steadying herself…waiting for death to come to her.
"Oh you'll pay for all that," hissed the woman's voice in her ear. "You stupid bitch!"
But Blake merely breathed…in and out…..and opened her eyes once again, as the blade pressed hard and cold into her cheek.
She was ready.
But it was then, that Negan spoke.
"Ah, ah, ah, Becky, Sweetheart," came his sudden sign-song voice, arching his back as he strolled towards Blake and her captor, Becky. "You donot want to do that."
Blake noticed Becky stare up at Negan, looking a little confused as he approached her. And to Blake's surprise, he pointed Lucille at the brown-haired woman's face.
"If you fuckin' pull that knife back, and I see you've drawn blood on Blake here's, pretty-little-face," said Negan staring down at Becky and baring his teeth. "Then there is gonna be HELL to pay!"
With those words, he leant backwards, his words loud and carrying across the now-quiet room.
Blake looked up into his long, tanned face, frowning.
What the hell?
Why was he defending her? After all that she had said to him?
Becky immediately retracted the knife carefully from Blake's face and stumbled backwards scrambling to her feet, backing hurriedly away from Negan, back into the crowd.
It was then that Negan turned to Blake, his face unreadable and held out a hand towards her.
"Doll?" he offered, in that same old low drawl of his.
Blake's heart thudded in her chest…
And it took her a long moment or two, to even bring herself to move…
Before she slowly…tentatively…reached out and took his hand...allowing him to pull her to his feet. She didn't know why she did it…
She didn't understand why she wasn't already dead? Was this some sort of game?
She stood, as Negan kept her hand held tightly in his, his eyes still on her.
Even when he spoke loudly to the surrounding crowd, his eyes never left hers, not even for a moment.
"Now listen up all you pieces of utter shit," he said in a growling voice. "Any of you, even thinks about touching a hair on her head, you're gonna have to answer to me. No, exceptions. We clear?"
The crowd was silent.
It was then and only then, that Negan tore his eyes away from hers bringing himself up to his full height and placing Lucille up onto his shoulder.
"I said- ARE WE CLEAR?" he yelled in a loud, furious tone.
There was a sudden murmur as everyone around them bowed their heads in acceptance. Everyone in the room conforming to Negan's will.
Blake looked up at him, standing there….a leader…..like no one she had ever met before.
She had been wrong… he was not another David after all.
No….
For he was Negan.
There was no other way to describe him. All tall and looming ….causing her breath to catch slightly in her throat as she looked at him.…
He was so strange to her. Calling her a queen, defended her in front of his men, given her everything she had wanted. And why?
Her heart thudded in her chest, faster now that it had when she had had a knife to her cheek…
She had defied him and he'd let her. Him...Negan…he'd just let her walk all over him.
Blake pondered why.
A moment or two passed, where the crowd looking on thinned out, with everyone going about their business once again, a soft muttering passing through the room. But Blake could tell everyone looked cautious and frightened of what Negan was capable of doing next.
Blake looked down at the floor, before her eye caught Negan's chocolate ones once again.
Why her? Of everyone here…why her? She was no more attractive than any of his wives. She had yet to give him any information on Rick. And she had been anything but cooperative with him so far. And yet he had given her a room, a closet full of clothes, and told her that anything she wanted here was hers. Did he really have that soft spot for her he kept talking about? Or was all this some sort of game?
She had only been here two days….two long days. She wasn't special in any way. She barely even knew Negan, and yet….when he looked at her with those dark eyes of his, she saw something in them. Something she didn't get from David or any other men that had ever entered her life. Something warm and familiar…and sort of safe.
Which was the complete opposite of how she knew she should have been feeling around him.
But Negan turned to her, his lips curving up into a wide grin, as he leant in towards her ear, his hand shifting from hers, to the small of her back instead.
But Blake no longer flinched from his touch. She felt at ease around him. Stronger and more confident than she had felt in years. Maybe he was, what he had oh-so-aptly called himself and his people. Maybe he was her saviour.
"Y'know there was only one other person in my life I ever, ever let talk to me the way you just did, Peaches," Negan uttered in a husky voice into her ear.
Blake blinked a couple of times, turning her head to face him.
Negan's long face was now just a whisper away from hers…
She could feel his warm breath on her neck…sending shivers down her spine.
Blake saw him lick his lips, his chocolate eyes travelling down to hers….the crowd around them seeming like a blur….
Right now it felt like they were the only two people that mattered. The only two people in the world.
"…and I hope you know, that when you use that naughty-little badass tone of yours," continued Negan with a wicked smile. "...you become even hotter to me, if that. is. even. possible!"
He looked down at her admiringly, his eyes travelling over her features.
But Blake stopped, suddenly shaking herself from her daydream, pursing her lips in his direction and shooting him a disapproving frown.
The moment was obviously gone.
"…and y'know, the offer's still there if you did wanna go back to your room and have a lil' afternoon de-light with yours truly?" Negan finished, raising an eyebrow and staring at her suggestively.
But Blake just rolled her eyes.
She quickly pressed her hand to his taut chest, holding him at arm's length.
"Ugh, you're despicable, you know that?" she muttered, giving a tut, going back to her usual annoyance at him.
Her fingertips grasped lightly at the fabric of his grey t-shirt for a second, before she let go, turning on her heel and walking slowly away from him. Knowing for fact that he would follow her.
And he did, of course.
A moment later he felt him stride up behind her, falling into step at her side, and throwing his leather-clad arm haphazardly around her shoulders teasingly.
"Still not that worst thing you've called me today, Doll-face" he said in a low voice, giving a smile, revealing a row of perfect teeth. "So I'll take that."
Blake tutted at him once more, but couldn't help but feel her lips try to twitch up into a smirk, but instead she just shook her head as the pair walked across the room together, parting the apprehensive crowd before them as they went.
But what neither of them seemed to notice, was a single face in the crowd, at the far back of the room, staring at the pair of them, face twisted into a dark, seething frown.
David.
Blake may have finally found her feet in this place…finally finding a moment of confidence.….but David knew that he wasn't going to let her have that. This was his place…not hers….he had been the one that wanted to come here. Wanting to have something more for himself…because he deserved it….not Blake.
She had just been his way in. His pawn. He didn't need her. He didn't want her. But there was no way he was going to let her find even the slightest bit of happiness here. Just because she had somehow found an in with Negan, that didn't mean she wasn't still his fiancée after all. She belonged to him and only him. And he could do with her what he liked.
For at the end of all this, this was to be his home. And not hers. Never hers. That had always been the plan.
So David knew he only had one choice….a choice that he had made a long, long time ago…
He was going to have to get rid of Blake, so that he could get what he wanted…
….one way or another.
Sorry if I'm missing out on reviews. My notifications are not coming through at the moment. So sorry if I've missed anyone out.
Thanks to JudithMosalii, 'Guest', FriendsWithTheMonster and wheretheshadowplays for reviewing the last chapter.
Thanks for reading. Would you all like me to carry on? What do you think of Blake and Negan so far?
Please review! :)