"…Steve?!"

Blake breathed hard, looking down at the broad, tall and handsome man she had last seen back in Alexandria just a few days ago.

What the hell was he doing here?

Steve was on his knees, wearing a slightly rumpled blue tshirt and jeans, surrounded by five Saviours all holding guns pointed towards his head.

But he looked anything but scared, his lips pressed together firmly, his arms held aloft, staring up at Negan as well as at Blake, who stood now at the dark-haired Saviour's side, her chest rising and falling hard.

This was not good. Oh this was not good at all.

By the looks of it, Steve had stowed away on one of the Saviour's trucks to come here. But why?

But whatever the reason may be, Blake knew that Negan would not be happy.

The leader of the Saviours wasn't stupid…and it barely took a nervous glance from Blake to see that he looked furious now…obviously recognising the brown haired thirty-something before him…

…and Blake of course remembered the last time that Negan had laid eyes of Steve…back in her kitchen at Alexandria just over a week ago….

…she remembered too what Negan had almost seen Steve doing…moving his mouth towards hers…wanting more than what he had initially suggested he was coming over for…

But the leather clad man glanced back and forth between the back of the truck and Steve for a second or two, before finally speaking.

"Now, what, brings you here, huh, pretty boy?" said Negan in a sudden deadly voice, taking an intimidating step forwards and lifting Lucille to Steve's face momentarily.

There was a short pause, until the brown-haired man on his knees finally found his voice.

"I just wanted to come here and see you...to talk to you-" he began shortly, but before he could finish his sentence, he was cut off, by Dwight hitting him sharply across the face.

Blake clutched at her mouth, and took in a short intake of breath, staring wide-eyed at the situation.

No, no, no this couldn't be happening… why the hell had Steve done this to himself?

But the brown-haired man just panted, before peering back up at Negan…seemingly ok.

But the looming Negan just smirked arrogantly, taking another step towards the kneeling man before him.

"You really fuckin' stow away, like some sort of goddamn rat?" uttered the dark-haired Saviour, narrowing his eyes and lowering his chin dangerously, as he readjusted his grip on the baseball bat in his hand threateningly. "Because, I mean, I thought you looked fuckin' stupid….but I didn't think you'd be fuckin' dumb enough to pull shit like that and come all the way here…to do….what exactly…..kill me? Bring my head back to Rick on a platter?"

His chocolate eyes were on Steve now, a dark frown plastered between his brows. But that dangerous smile was still there, dancing its way across his lips….waiting….

But Steve looked calm, shaking his head and opening his mouth to answer.

But again, before he could do so, he was cut off my another punch from Dwight.

Blake winced, shifting her weight from foot-to-foot, but again, Steve, spitting out a little blood onto the floor in front of him, took in a breath, and continued steadily.

"I just wanted to come here, to see if I can be of any help…" he began with a dry looking gulp. "….I want to come work for you….to become….Negan…."

Blake blinked?

What?

Negan licked at his lips, any hint of a smile dropping from his face.

"So…what? I let you in here…make you one of my men…begin to trust the fuck out of you….only to have you fuckin' double cross me?" said Negan, with a dark-grimace. "Why the fuck should I trust you when less than a week ago, you didn't even know who the fuck I was?"

But Steve blinked, shaking his head…his eyes suddenly drifting over to Blake...

Her breath hitched in her throat now, her heart beginning to pound hard inside her ribcage.

"I heard what Blake said about you…" Steve muttered honestly, his eyes lingering on hers for a long moment, before finally dragging his gaze back to Negan. "…and if what she said about you is true, it's your side I want to be on, and not Rick's."

Fuck. Was Steve being serious here? Valuing Blake's opinion that much?

But Blake almost immediately, from her side, heard Negan let out a low angry growl as his chocolate orbs flickered to Blake suddenly, before travelling back over to Steve.

"Well ain't this all very fuckin' romantic," snapped Negan, arching his back as he spoke, staring between the pair of them, his chocolate eyes finding Blake's for a moment before swiftly looking away again. "I mean you musta' really fucking fallen for her pretty fuckin' bad, back in that quaint-ass village of yours, for you to trust her opinion of me that fuckin' much!?"

There was a bitterness to his voice now that Blake picked up on straight away.

"What? Were the pair of you goin' fuckin' steady or somethin' while I was gone, Peaches?" continued Negan, eyeing her again, and cocking his dark haired to the side. "Makin' out?Screwin'? Because if you weren't, that is a big fuckin' leap for pretty-boy here to make, to start trustin' you that fuckin' much…"

Blake parted her lips, giving the slightest frown now as she stared back at Negan…hurt.

Was that really how little he thought of her? That she would just jump into bed with Steve…

But Negan immediately clenched his jaw taking Blake's stunned silence as proof, as he nodded knowingly, looking wounded now, as he turned back towards the brown haired man, letting out a puff of air and dragging his hand down his chin.

"It don' fuckin' matter anyway," Negan said in a dark low voice. "I got myself plenty of fuckin' men I can trust the shit out of, one hundred percent….but sayin' that, I can't really let you go, now can I? So….-"

And with that Negan took a step forwards. And so , looking furious, the dark-haired Saviour raised Lucille aloft above Steve's head.

No, no, no….

Suddenly before she could stop herself, Blake had stepped forwards.

"Don't!" she cried aloud, drawing the attention of everyone in the lot right now. "Please don't!"

And in that moment, Blake remembered the time where she had defended another man from Negan's wrath….a man who had turned on her almost immediately afterwards…a man who she once had loved.

Within a second, Negan's eyes were on hers, his jaw clenched furiously… and Blake almost half expected him to carry on, he looked that mad…

…but instead he slowly lowered Lucille, his eyes never leaving hers. And in that moment all Blake could see was utter disappointment and hatred in the dark-haired Saviour's eyes.

She gave a gulp, her hands trembling now…as Negan turned on her instead, marching over to her and closing the gap between the pair of them.

But instead of a kiss or a dirty word whispered into her ear, as was usually the case between the pair of them at such close proximity, she saw a Negan's lips curve up into a dark grimace as he leaned into her now.

Closer than he had been to her in days, but now, there was no warmth between them…..only hurt…and anger and frustration….as Negan pressed his lips to her ear.

"If he screws up...if he tries anythin'...if he even breathes the wrong fuckin' way….on your head be it, Sweetheart," he murmured, his voice thick with contempt…before pushing himself from her and tearing his brown eyes away.

And Blake could only gulp, as Negan swivelled on his heel and stalked silently away, looking furious and far more uncompromising than he had looked just a few days ago when the pair of them had argued in the woods.

Now Negan, looked like his blood was boiling….but in all honesty Blake's wasn't far behind either.

Had Negan really thought so little of her to think that she had slept with Steve the moment she had gone back to Alexandria…?

Just because Negan slept around and had a harem of woman bowing to his every whim, did not mean that Blake was the same! There had only been one man she had been interested in. But now even he had let her down…

Her stomach convulsed now, and any hope she had had just a few moment ago in the garden, of any sort of conversation or reconciliation, was gone.

She watched Negan's retreating, leather-clad form, disappear off inside, out of the darkening lot…as the Saviours surrounding them, including Dwight, all lowered their weapons a little unsurely, backing away from Steve.

The brown haired man, merely knelt there for a few long seconds before pushing himself unsteadily to his own feet and wiping at his face.

Why the hell had he come here?

Why now?

Negan had been right….Steve hadn't even known who he was, just a few short days ago….so what had changed now?

Steve couldn't value her opinion that much, couldn't he? She barely knew him for god's sake.

But as the brown-haired man brushed himself down, he looked at Blake, still standing there. a few feet away from him. looking shell-shocked.

"Well that was-" he began, giving her a small encouraging smile.

But Blake cut across him suddenly, turning to him and frowning hard.

"What are you doing here, Steve?" she uttered imploringly, tilting her caramel-blonde head at him.

She needed answers now…feeling upset…pained…

But Steve eyed Dwight, who was passing nearby them holding a crate full of vegetables, before looking back to Blake once again…

"I just….I wanted out of there…." uttered the brown haired man, blinking slowly down at her. "And I…well, I wanted to come here….I wanted to become a Saviour...to do something with my life"

Blake studied his face carefully…

Where was the lie here? Surely this couldn't be that simple?

But Steve just lifted his hand and rubbed at the back of his tanned neck, gazing back at Blake with imploring eyes.

"So…you uh…you wanna show me around…." he muttered in a kindly voice, again eyeing a nearby Saviour as she passed close to Blake. "….after crouching in that truck for the past couple of hours I could sure go for stretching my legs a bit."

But the tiniest of frown lines appeared between Blake's brows at his words.

Was that it? Did he really think everything was a-ok here? Just like that?

Did he even realise just what he had done?

Blake right now, just did not understand how seemed so cool with all this. As if this was normal for him.

Did Steve even actually realise just how close he had just been to being clubbed to death by Lucille just then?

He offered her another smile, but Blake couldn't do this….not right now…

And so, rather than help him, the caramel-blonde woman merely grabbed the sleeve of Dwight's arm as he passed close by her, holding a large tub of chocolate pudding.

"Uh, Dwight," she asked seriously, hoping she still had some swing over the Saviours, despite her and Negan not being on good terms. "Can you show Steve to a room and let him how things work around here…please…"

Blake's voice was slightly cold now, and she waited until the scarred, blonde haired man looked her way, throwing her a slightly bemused look, and gave a complaint nod...before she turned on her heel and made to walk away…

But before she could do so, Steve called out to her again.

"Hey," he said, lightly touching her hand. "Thanks…Blake….I meant what I said y'know…I listened to everything you had to say…back there in Alexandria…"

And in that moment, his eyes met with Blake's, with something in them that Blake certainly did not want to read too much into right now…

But Blake just gave a curt nod, obviously less of a reaction than the brown haired man had been expecting, as he looked slightly disappointed now, as Blake turned away once again and walked hastily away…heading back over into her walled garden, making sure she was out of sight of Steve, or Dwight, or anyone else in fact…

…and it was only when she was here…out of earshot and alone, did Blake press her back to the high, stone wall behind her…

…before finally clutching a trembling hand to her mouth and bursting into streams of muffled sobs…

What the hell had she done?

A.N.G.S.T. I have a feeling Negan *might* be a little jealous…

Thanks to alliesmiley2, EJM87, bookworm125, BeOurGuest, Guest, ElysiumPhoenix, CLTex, Xmidniteangel15X, Guest, Guest, and NerdSwag4Life for commenting on the last chapter.

Sorry just a short one today. I've not been feeling too good these last few days. But more to come soon if you'd like some?

Please review! :)