It was a warm evening, and the last of the sun's few rays danced across the parking lot, where the fences filled with walkers, shimmered in the late-summer haze.

Negan tugged Blake out here by the hand, dragging her over towards the high chain link fences, where several men in dirty clothes wrangled the dead, trying to goad them, as best they could, into position, while the blonde figure of Dwight stood by the gate watching them.

He glanced up as Negan and Blake approached.

Blake's heart pounded.

Negan hadn't stopped since they had left his hallway, coming all the way out here, never halting, not uttered a word to her. She could tell he was seething. But was he angry enough to feed her to the walkers up ahead?

She gave a worried frown suddenly tugging at his arm once again.

"Stop!" she uttered demandingly, in a loud, yelling voice of utter frustration, pulling her hand quickly away from his. "Stop…"

Negan suddenly paused on the dusty asphalt, and rounded on her, his already dark eyes blackening.

From here Blake could make out every line that seemed to litter his tanned and bearded face.

Her breath suddenly hitched in her throat.

"Please…just let him go," she uttered in a desperate tone, feeling almost ashamed of herself as the words slipped out of her mouth. "I'll stay here….I'll be one of your wives….i-if that's what you want…"

She trembled, her green eyes filling with tears, as they dropped from Negan's face, instead staring down at the ground beneath her feet.

"…just let him go back to Alexandria if that's what it takes…please. Please just let him go…."

It took her a long moment or two to finally stare back up at Negan….feeling so small and pathetic right now.

Because that was what she was. Practically selling herself to save him.

For what other person would try and defend someone who had done so much damage to them?

But Negan's tongue reached his line of straight white teeth irritably, and he looked down at her hard.

"You know what, Peaches," Negan suddenly muttered, his voice warmer than Blake had expected. But there was no hint of a smile. "If you were anyone else I wouldn't have thought twice about feedin' you to those dead pricks over there."

He gestured with his head over to the fences, almost sparkling in the warm sunlight.

Right now it felt like it was just the two of them alone in this world…everyone else around them seeming like a hazy blur to Blake, as her heart thudded inside her painful ribcage.

Blake breathed hard and Negan let out a hard puff of air, running a hand down his bearded face tiredly.

"Doll-face I'm gonna ask you this once, and only once," continued the dark-haired Saviour suddenly, his lips fixed into a grim line. "You sure he's what you want? What you really want? Some fucking asshole who shoved you down a flight of fuckin' stairs and treats you like shit?"

His words were stark and hit Blake hard, like a blow to the stomach.

"Because if you do this. If you want me to let. him. go," Negan quickly continued, pointing a finger at her. "Then you've got to go too….you understand that? You gotta make a decision."

Blake stared up at Negan with wide staring eyes.

There was no way she had expected that, ever.

She could go back to Alexandria. Both of them. They could just go….if that was what she wanted….

But was that Blake wanted?

Right now she felt torn….physically sick to her stomach.

Her body felt like it was trembling from head to toe. And to any outsider right at that second, Blake would have looked utterly visibly upset by Negan's words.

But before she could even open her mouth to give an answer, there came a sudden noise, as a door was thrown open behind them, and out walked David, led by Simon and another hard-faced Saviour…as well as at least fifteen other people who followed behind.

Blake gave a gulp as she saw her blonde-haired, blue-eyed fiancé for the first time, being dragged across the asphalt with a black eye and bloody nose, obviously both given to him before he was placed in that cell.

But Blake knew that she had to make a decision.

She could leave here with David…with the man who had given her her own bruises…her own broken ribs…her own complex about her appearance…

Or she could stay…without him…be the queen Negan thought she was…

But her stomach jolted violently…aching…so scared of being without David.

He loved her…he had told her that just a few minutes ago….

He did love her…didn't he?

Blake took a step backward, trembling. Feeling so apart from her usual strong-self right now…the events of the past week almost destroying her completely.

She was a monstrous bruised shell of woman right now….

It was a moment before Negan glanced her way initially, before his eyes shifted to David as he was dragged before the tall, bearded Saviour and forced to his knees.

David was silent, as tears streamed down his face.

This was the man she had fallen in love with…

Who she had shared an apartment above a coffee shop with for four years….

Who had proposed to her….who had wanted to marry her…

But this was also the man who had hurt her…

Blake saw him stare up at the looing figure of Negan, mouthing at the air.

"Now I think we have only briefly been introduced," came the low voice of Negan, giving a menacing grin as he gazed down at David, holding Lucille tight within his grip. "You're David, right? Peaches' fi-an-ce?"

Negan almost sang the words like a tune, arching his back as he did so.

At this David almost immediately nodded shakily. "Y-Yes," he uttered, but he didn't look at Blake who was standing there beside them, just a few feet away.

A crowd of Saviours had gathered around them now, standing near to the factory walls, some faces she recognised some she didn't, all of their faces fixed.

She was in trouble here, she knew that.

Blake gave a gulp as Negan continued.

"Now David," said Negan, suddenly dropping Lucille gently onto David's shoulder- although it was enough to make her fiancé tremble giving a pathetic whimper. "When you came to us…came to Simon over there….asking if you could defect from Rick's group…hell, I thought, well, what a stand-up guy…wanting to be one of us just like that…makin' no bones about the fuckin' fact that you would sell out your people for us. But, and I speak on behalf of most of us here, what we did not expect, is for you to bring your hot-as-fuck, fuckin' fiancée along for the ride. I mean, she was never fuckin' part of the deal, was she?"

Negan gave a faux-grimace, as David visibly shook.

"But, we're nice people, so we took her in, hell, I'm not gonna be the guy to break up a perfect couple like that. I mean, maybe it was true fucking love," Negan continued, suddenly lifting Lucille up to David's cheek. "But I gotta say from the minute I saw those fuckin' bruises on her arm, that look in her eyes that said 'I've been dragged through shit an' not willingly', I knew we were never gonna be best fuckin' buddies, you an' me."

Blake looked up at Negan worriedly, as he stood there seething and so, so very angry right now.

He was baring his teeth, a hint of contempt plastered across his long, bearded face.

"But I, again, bein' the awesome guy I am, gave you the benefit of the fuckin' doubt… maybe thought that Peaches here would see sense and ditch your fuckin' ass before it was too late," Negan uttered in a loud voice, leaning back and cocking his head to the side, surveying the trembling David. "But then, and now Davey-boy this is where your mistake lies-"

Negan at once, leaned down, looming over David and leaning his face into his.

"-you fuckin' pushed it. No, wait, let me rephrase that," said Negan angrily, pressing his barbed-wire covered baseball bat closer to David's cheek. "you fuckin' pushed HER! Down the fuckin' stairs. Now if that doesn't say cowardly fuckin' piece-of-shit, then I don't fuckin' know what does! An' that is something I just do not stand for here."

David gave a whimper, as Negan suddenly stood up straight, removing Lucille from David's shoulder and running a hand down his stubbly face irritably.

Negan looked at Blake with dark chocolate eyes, titling his head as he did so, and the caramel-blonde woman almost immediately felt her breath hitch in the back of her throat, her heart pounding.

"You got anythin' to say on the matter, Doll-face?" asked Negan, his tone slightly softer now, as he looked at her, his eyes searching her exhausted face.

But Blake was lost.

Oh-so lost.

David had tried to kill her. He had made her life a misery for so long…

Blake remained silent…her breath escaping her lips shakily…trapped like a rabbit in the headlights.

But Negan gave a nod, as if satisfied with her response.

"Good," Negan uttered in a final voice, suddenly standing up tall.

And before Blake could stop him he had gritted his teeth raising Lucille above his head, as David gave a whimpering cry, wincing…

Blake's eyes widened into orbs, as he swung his baseball bat upward, ready for it to collide squarely with David's skull.

But before Blake even knew what she was doing, she had leapt forwards.

"No!" she cried loudly, scrabbling in front of Negan, coming to stand between David and the tall, dark-haired Saviour. "No…please! Don't!"

Negan suddenly stopped, Lucille stopping just an inch or two from Blake's own head, as she stared, wide-eyed, back at Negan.

"Please…" she suddenly uttered in just a whisper, staring up at the bearded man. "I'll go…..we'll go."

She knew she assigning her own fate here…

Locking herself with David for all eternity. Because he was hers. And she loved him….with all her heart….despite how much it broke hers to admit that.

Negan stared back at her, his bearded jaw tensing, and his dark eyes never leaving hers.

And it was then that Blake truly saw the disappointment in his angry eyes.

"As you fuckin' wish, Sweetheart," he muttered, his voice suddenly sounding livid.

As though that was not the answer he wanted to hear.

And with that, Negan lowered his barbed-wire covered baseball bat, giving her one last look, before turning away from her darkly.

Letting her go...

Blake's lips trembled as she watched him walking away, striding lazily back over towards his men, standing there, surrounding them.

And it was then, that in the crowd, did she see the faces of Eugene and Simon and Arat…..all people Blake had had little to do with…all staring back at her blankly…squinting through the low, setting sunshine.

She gave a gulp….her heart pounding, watching Negan's retreating back, sloping away.

Had she made a mistake?

Her heart pounded inside her sore ribs.

No…this was good…wasn't it….?

Then why, right now, did it not really feel like a victory?

But as the caramel-blonde woman turned back to her fiancé, kneeling there just a foot or two away from her, she knew that all this….it was for him.

Because he loved her…

And that was the most important thing now.

It had to be.

Blake turned her face away from the crowd of Saviours, reddening and giving a worried sob as she moved over to her sandy-haired fiancé.

But standing there looking at him, it was, right now, as if everything in the world might be ok again….

It could be just the two of them together from now on.

Maybe they didn't need anyone else?

She had saved his life…proved to him that he was the one she had chosen…

But before Blake could even reach a hand out to gently touch David's bruised face….wanting nothing more than to hold him right now…her blue-eyed fiancé had suddenly scrambled to his feet hastily.

He shoved Blake hurriedly aside with his shoulder…not even looking at her….

….instead staring up towards Negan as he walked away, with wide, hollow eyes….

"Please," David suddenly cried in a weak, desperate and raised voice, moving quickly over to the head of the Saviours.

Negan slowly spun around on his heel, cocking a dark eyebrow towards the blonde man, as Blake just stood there in disbelief.

"Please," David repeated, begging. "I-It was her…."

With that, David pointed back at Blake with a shaking hand.

"It was her! S-She was the one who wanted to come here….s-she wanted to kill you…..I-I tried to stop her….but coming here…it was her decision."

Blake gaped suddenly, taking a step back, her hands shaking as they balled at her sides, into fists.

What?

"T-That's why I pushed her….I mean, I had to…" David uttered loudly, continuing to point at Blake with desperation in his voice. "I had to stop her from trying to kill you...her and Rick...they thought this whole thing up...the two of them...but I couldn't stand for it...…..please, Negan….Sir….I did it for you…t-to become one of your people…to become Negan….I-If you want to punish anyone…kill anyone….then…then…..i-it should be her!"

And with that, David glanced around at Blake…

And that was the moment it hit her.

There was no love in his eyes.

There never had been.

There was only manipulation and cowardice.

He was a mere monster of a man….pathetic and cruel….

And that was when Blake realised, that she was not the insect ready to be squished beneath someone's boot…..it was him.

He was the insect…the cockroach….who had beaten her…bruised her…threatened her…..ruined her life, oh-so much more than the apocalypse ever had.

Tears pricked at her tear-ducts but Blake was past crying now, as she stared back at David, shaking with anger and fury.

This was the man she had convinced herself she loved.

This spineless piece of shit who had sold her out, not once but twice!

And this time, he was standing there with all the gall he possessed, asking Negan to kill her….too pathetic and weak-willed to do the job himself.

But Blake now realised, after all those days of Negan trying to convince her of it, that she was a queen.

Negan had been right all along about that.

And a queen was not going to take shit like that from anyone. Not now. Not ever. Not anymore…

Blake's eyes suddenly drifted away from David's…

….instead, at that exact moment, meeting with Negan's chocolate ones.

He knew.

Of course he knew.

He always knew.

Blake, breathing hard, his fists balled at her sides, lifted her chin….marching quickly past David and over to Negan.

She broke her gaze away and stopped at his side…facing away from David, her eyes on Negan's people….watching silently from their vantage point near the wall.….

She wanted them to see this.

And with that, Blake reached out her hand, looking once again at Negan as they stood shoulder to shoulder.

She didn't even have to say anything, before Negan's lips twitched up into wide grin, revealing a line of pearly white teeth.

He leaned in towards her suddenly, as Blake felt the weight of Lucille drop into her hand.

"Be my fuckin' guest, Sweetheart," he uttered with a low growl.

Blake gritted her teeth, her green eyes blackening darkly as she gripped the baseball bat in her hand tightly.

It felt heavier than she was expecting, the smooth wood of the handle, cool against her fingers.

And it wasn't a moment later, that Blake suddenly turned around, and, raising the bat aloft, swung it sharply into David's ribs.

Everyone around them fell deadly silent at the sound of the loud crack that seemed to reverberate across the lot.

David almost immediately doubled over, letting out a pathetic cry, as he clutched at his middle, staggering backwards.

Blake felt anger building inside her as she remembered each and every bruise and mark he had left on her skin…every vile word that had spilled from his lips.

This weak, cowardly man.

"I loved you," she uttered as David lifted his eyes up to her, scrambling back towards the fence, away from Blake.

"P-Please…" he tried to mouth…but Blake stalked towards him, readjusting her grip on the bat, and cutting across him.

"But you just…you tortured me….made me believe I was worth nothing….." she continued, swinging the baseball bat back once again. "And I convinced myself that I needed you….when I don't….I never actually did, did I?"

With that, the baseball bat collided squarely with David's stomach, tearing his blue shirt apart as it did so.

David doubled over again, this time coughing blood suddenly onto the asphalt before him.

He hurriedly turned away from Blake and limped over towards the high metal fencing, near to where Dwight was still stood beside the gate.

"P-Please…" spluttered David in a weak voice. "B-Blakey…"

But Blake wrinkled her nose, baring her teeth at him.

She hated him.

With every fibre in her body she hated him.

Hated what he had done to her.

Ground her down….made her feel like she was nothing…

Blake knew that Negan and all the Saviours were watching her from at least ten paces behind , but right now she didn't care….fury washing over her…..focused on only one thing.

"Don't you dare even fucking utter my name…" she growled in a low voice, rounding on David and grabbing him suddenly by the throat, pointing Lucille into his chest with her other hand.

She was shorter than him, yes, but right now, as David stood stooped on bended knees, clutching at his bleeding middle, Blake knew she was in control.

She had the power now, to do whatever she wanted.

She breathed hard…

Staring down at the pathetic man before her, before her eyes suddenly travelled over to Dwight standing there, one hand on the gate.

And it was in that moment Blake knew what she needed to do, bringing herself up to her full height, sneering down at David.

She leaned her face suddenly into his, grimacing as her grip tightened against his neck….

Just like his hand done just three days earlier.

Blake blinked….feeling nothing but disgust for the person she had told herself that she had once loved….as he stood here whimpering in her grasp….

For what she had felt for him had never been love….it had been fear and hurt and pain….endless….endless pain.

Blake parted her lips as David stared up at her wide eyed, mouthing at the air like a large overgrown insect.

But the caramel-blonde woman merely bared her teeth once again and moved her mouth to his ear….

"You're. not. anyone…" she uttered in a cold voice, repeating the words David had uttered to her just before he had pushed her down the stairs.

And with that, before David could move or even mumble another word, Blake had given him a sharp shove backwards, just as Dwight opened the large looming gate with a deafeningly loud creak….

…. David stumbled backwards, crying out….tumbling suddenly into the fenced-off lot….looking at Blake in horror…

…..just as a large crowd of four or five walkers descended on him….before he could do anything to stop them.

Blake stared straight ahead, as the dead tore at David's flesh….sinking their broken teeth into his skin…as he screamed in uttered pain….

…and yet, despite seeing this horror unfold before her very eyes….

…Blake felt nothing…

Nothing….

Not even a single shred of remorse.

For any love she had felt for him had died when he had sold her out to Negan….

Blake lifted her chin defiantly and turned around, as David's pained cries rang out behind her….and began to walk….

She strode back over towards the building…looking forwards flatly…walking past Negan once more…

But she didn't look at him.

Not even when she handed the bloody bat back to him soundlessly…

The tall, bearded man took it from her almost immediately….opening his mouth as if to speak…

But Blake didn't allow him to say anything more…merely walking off…parting the crowd of Saviours as she did so…

…heading back inside…out of the warm evening sunlight….

Sorry that was a long one! Phew! I'd love to know what you thought of this chapter? I really would!

Thanks to xmidniteangel15x, FriendsWithTheMonster, Steph, JeremyL, elljayde, Dollfacex94, leahscil, Charlotte Minter, rawbsten, bhanna, Guest, Keward2592, whereshadowplays and Guest for reviewing.

Listen lovely readers, truth time- earlier today, I wasn't really sure whether I should carry on with this fic. I received a pretty horrible review on my last chapter, where someone told me, that for all my reader's benefit I should stop writing, as it's just so 'cringeworthy'. I never want to drag out my story if it's getting that sort of negative feedback from people. I read every single review I get and get so excited when you all take the time out of your lives to read and leave me such lovely, thoughtful comments each and every time. I was so close to quitting, I really was. But then I realised for every terrible review I get, I'm still receiving plenty of lovely ones. So as long as all you lovely, wonderful readers still want me to carry on I will. Because I write for you. :)

So thank you all for your constant support. I really does mean the world to me.

Please review! :)