Blake appeared out in the garden again, eyes staring forward, as pale as a sheet.

What had happened up there in Negan's office. It had felt so good, so right, so needed…

But Blake's heart seemed to ache now. For this just couldn't be. It couldn't be that easy to just fall back into his arms. She was still angry, hurting…

She felt like she was drowning now, scrabbling for air….

How the hell could one stupid argument turn into, well, this. With so many hurtful things banded about, that now, could not be un-said.

Blake stepped out into the early afternoon air, placing a hand to a nearby wall to steady herself, swaying slightly as she stopped in her tracks.

But Steve, who Blake barely noticed nearby, glanced up almost instantly, spotting her from across the garden.

"Hey…..you ok?" she heard him utter in what seemed like a voice, oh-so far away, despite him strolling over to her.

The caramel-blonde woman blinked once, then twice, her eyes drifting up to his…trying as hard as she could to snap herself out of it.

"Uh…yeah. I'm…uh, I'm fine," she mumbled in response, shaking herself slightly, as she stared up at the brown haired Steve who came to a stop just in front of her, peering down into her face.

The garden was still busy with Saviours all hard at work going to and fro, but none of them seemed to care about Blake's reappearance in the garden. Only Steve, who suddenly reached a hand out to her cheek.

"Babe, you look like you've seen a ghost," he said, giving her a trying smile, as his digits met with her skin, but Blake flinched away from him suddenly, pulling back.

She blinked a couple of times, as Steve stared at her questioningly, before tearing her eyes away.

"I've got stuff need to finish is all," she said in a quiet voice, brushing swiftly past him and heading back over towards the tomato plants on the far side of the walled lot.

Right now she did not want to deal with Steve.

His arrival here at the Sanctuary had only sought to exacerbate things tenfold between her and Negan. And Blake was not in the mood for his affection right now. All she wanted to do was get on with her work, earn her points, eat, sleep and get up in the morning and do it all over again.

For that was what her life had become here now.

This was no fairy-tale. There was no happy ending for her.

Negan would go back to his old life and Blake would go back to creating what little life she could, in the looming factory building she now called her home.

But without Negan, it did not feel like a home.

Blake felt so conflicted.

Struggling to understand what she wanted right now.

All the things Negan had said to her…scornful…stabbing her through her chest like a knife.

But in that moment that they had kissed, everything had felt right again, all of Blake's troubles and pains washing away.

But maybe that was all she was to him. Maybe that's all she had been. Another conquest. Although thoughts like that, they hurt her. Tearing her apart from the inside.

Blake knew how she felt about the dark-haired Saviour. And feelings like that didn't just disappear overnight.

But she tried think about something else now, bending down and picking up a pair of gardening gloves and shoving them swiftly on, hoping to distract herself with work as best she could…from now until she made a decision on what she was going to do.

Perhaps leaving would be the best course of action now and the easiest thing to do.

Or perhaps it would make matters a hell of a lot worse.

The hours drifted by ever so slowly, and Blake, as much as she tried to think about other things, was struggling.

It wasn't until 5pm came and went, that Blake noticed the first few Saviours head inside, done with their days work. But she wasn't hungry, nor did she want to go inside and be alone right now…

At least out here in the warm golden evening sun, she could persevere with what she was doing, as Steve and a few others worked nearby.

Blake placed a hand to the small of her back as she eased herself up into a standing position, unscrewing the cap from a bottle of water sat up on the bench beside her, before taking a grateful sip.

She wondered whether Negan was watching still from his vantage point high above. But Blake didn't look up…not wanting to see him again. At least not for tonight.

She drew the bottle back from her lips, gentle wiping her mouth slowly, just as there came a sudden 'clack-clack-clack', of familiar high-heeled footsteps from behind her.

And Blake peered around, only to see Tanya and Frankie walking towards her, arms folded over their short black dresses, looking as perfectly poised and polished as ever.

Blake gave the tiniest of gulps.

The last time she had seen any of the wives had been the day before her birthday, and from the looks upon the two women's faces right now, they had obviously heard what had happened between her and Negan. News obviously travelling fast in a place like this.

The two girls offered Blake a sympathetic smile as they approached her.

"Hey," said Frankie, tilting her head to the side as she surveyed Blake. "You ok?"

Blake instantly felt her heart plummet into her stomach, wanting to cry.

"Yeah we heard about what happened…with those fuckers that tried to hurt you…a-and with…..him…" said Tanya, her brown eyes looking sad. And it didn't take a genius to work out exactly who the dark-haired woman was referring to.

"It's fine, really," lied Blake, chewing on her lip and giving a gentle shrug.

But Frankie pursed her own lips momentarily, before speaking again.

"If it's any consolation, he's in a terrible mood," said the red-head. "We heard him shouting at Dwight earlier. He seemed pretty pissed."

Tanya nodded in agreement.

"It's not your fault that you found someone else," she said suddenly, glancing over Blake's shoulder to where Steve was busy painting one of the trellises, chatting to an older, male Saviour with cropped blonde hair. "You were never one of us. One of his wives. You're free to date who you want, it's not any of his business who you choose."

But at this, Blake gave a frown, gazing around to look at the brown haired Alexandrian behind her, before turning back to the two wives.

"No, me and Steve, we aren't-" she said in an urgent voice, but Frankie cut across her, placing a hand to her forearm.

"Blake, it's fine, you don't have to answer to us-" murmured the woman, shaking her head.

But Blake pulled her arm back, shaking her head.

"No listen, Steve….he's a nice guy….but we aren't…." she said trailing off before she could finish, giving a gulp, tears of frustration pricking at her eyes. "…he's not who I want."

And with that Blake stopped. Listening to her own words.

She had never wanted Steve. But there was one person she had felt truly happy with. Who she had wanted to give her forever to, in this crappy world.

Tanya and Frankie gazed back at Blake, reading her sad and upset features.

"Sorry we just thought…" began Tanya, taking in a breath and glancing at the red-head at her side for a split second, before looking back at Blake. "…look….if its Negan you want, the you should just-"

But Blake cut across her hurriedly.

"Negan's made it clear what he thinks of me…" she said quickly and woefully, her voice wavering slightly as she spoke. But she caught herself finishing the end of her sentence off carefully. "I wasn't what he wanted…"

Her heart felt like it was broken in two, saying the words out loud now, as her green eyes drifted down to her feet.

And for a moment Frankie and Tanya were silent, all of them standing in the warm evening sunlight, as people milled to and fro all around them.

But a second or two later, Tanya opened her mouth to speak.

"Blake, I-"

But before she could even say another word, there came the sound of a metal door being thrown open behind the three of them, and pair of heavy footsteps stride into the walled garden.

Tanya and Frankie swung around before Blake did, and from the look upon their faces, for a moment, she thought it may have been Negan himself.

But the caramel-woman quickly glanced up, to see Simon, with thumbs hooked through his belt loops, come to stop at their side.

His moustachioed face was grim now, his lips pressed into a straight line.

He took in a sniff of air before speaking. But his attention as not on Blake on this occasion, but of Tanya instead.

"Tanya," he uttered bluntly. "Negan wants to see you in his quarters."

Both of the wives suddenly paled slightly at Simon's words, glancing at one another.

Blake saw a gulp slide its way down Tanya's throat before she spoke.

"What does he want?" she asked with the slightest hint of insolence to her voice, but Simon tutted, shifting his weight from foot-to-foot.

"What do you think he wants," he snapped a little heatedly. "Go freshen up. He wants to see you in ten minutes. Go."

At Simon's words, it was like all the light suddenly fell out of Blake's world.

She knew what he was talking about. She knew exactly what Negan wanted to see Tanya for. And why shouldn't he? She was one of his wives after all.

Things between Blake and him, well, they were done now.

For the slightest of seconds a frightened-looking Tanya looked like she was about to protest, but shooting one last desperate look towards Frankie, she suddenly turned on her heel, bowed her head and hurried off inside upon Simon's orders.

Simon lingered for a moment as Frankie shot him a scowling look. But Negan's right-hand man looked at her warningly.

"And before you say anything, Frank, you're up tomorrow night," he said sighing huffily and pointing a finger at her. "He wants you girls back on rotation, same as before."

At this Frankie clenched her jaw looking angry, as if she too wanted to say something to Simon, but at the last second refraining, turning abruptly and storming off after Tanya.

Silence fell across the garden now, as Simon and Blake stood there, with the moustachioed man's eyes finally drifting across to her…as if he had only just noticed she was there.

But the tall man, only offered Blake a hard lingering look, but didn't say a word, merely sighing internally and strolling past her, running a hand over his mouth as he did so.

Blake's whole body felt tense…feeling like if she tripped and fell, she would shatter into a million pieces.

That was it.

Whatever had happened between her and Negan…..well, it was over. By him going back to his wives, that was the last straw.

And so, feeling a tear slip silently down her cheek, Blake hurried off inside…wanting to run, to flee from here, to go somewhere…anywhere….just not here…

….barely even noticing Steve watching her carefully as she went.

Negan was sat on his plush leather couch, in his gloom-filled room, a large ledger propped open on his lap, pen in his gloved hand.

He had been here for the last hour or so…not having been able to face sitting in that office anymore after what had happened between him and Blake.

He was angry now….bitter that she would run out on him just like that.

He was a tough fucking guy of course, but even Negan, as hard as he made himself out to be. still felt stung by Blake's words.

After all they had been through together, she still. even after all this time. had such little faith in him… choosing that fucking asshole pretty-boy over him.

Well, if that was her decision, them so be it.

Negan knew where he stood now.

But that didn't stop it hurting any less.

He was supposed to be checking the Sanctuary accounts now, in the book propped open before him, as he tried to do every other day if he was lucky. But for the past fifteen minutes, Negan had been staring at the same four lines of text, his eyes still and unmoving.

He was distracted, irritable, pissed that she had made him feel like this….

One person who had tipped everything he had built up, on its head. Changed everything.

But Negan's thoughts were suddenly interrupted now, by a soft knock upon his door.

It was expected of course, but that didn't stop the dark-haired Saviour gritting his teeth together, and let out a low, growling- "Come in."

A second later, the door swung open and in stepped Tanya, her long dark-hair down now, swooping over the shoulders of her neat black dress.

She had her head bowed low to the ground, staring up at him through dark-lashes, but somehow her gaze never quite met with his.

"Close the door," Negan commanded darkly as his wife obediently did as she was told.

His wives were loyal like that. They had chosen this life that he had created for them…Negan himself never doing anything against their will. And that was a fact he reminded himself of each and every day.

But these women, as beautiful as they were, didn't have that same fire, that spark that Blake seemed to ignite in him. They were attractive of course and had helped him pass the time in this god-forsaken fucking world, but with Blake. Negan had felt different…human again…like everything in his life had been driving him to this point. Meeting her….sleeping beside her….feeling her skin against his….the warmth of her in his arms….

With the door now shut, Tanya took a couple of steps towards him, her hands cupped before her.

"D-Do you want me on the bed?" she asked in what was a hollow voice, with no hint of a smile on her face.

There was no flirty smirk here…no naughty words…

Tanya did not want him, and right now, Negan did not want her. He never had done, not tonight at least. This had all been one big ploy…one big game of his…arranging it with Simon…to call upon one of his wives at an opportune moment…a moment which would inflict the most pain upon Blake.

Fuck, she had been right, he was a fucking asshole, and this, well, this just proved it.

Negan gave an uncaring grimace and gestured the couch opposite.

"Sit," he muttered in a low voice.

Tanya looked at him a little warily, before doing as she was told and taking a seat upon the leather sofa directly opposite him, folding her arms across her chest a little defensively.

"You want a magazine?" Negan asked nodding towards the pile of glossy magazines he had made sure were stacked on the table before him.

Again Tanya looked up at him, parting her lips, as if looking for the trick here.

"Go ahead," said Negan with a sighing wave of his hand. "Take your fuckin' pick."

Tanya eyed him for a long second, but did not make a move.

"I-I don't understand," she murmured out.

But Negan gave a huff, clenching his jaw and staring up at her grumpily.

"Jeez, Tan', what's not to fuckin' get," he said in an incredulous voice. "I want you to sit there, shut up and read a goddamn magazine. Oh and if anyone asks, I screwed your goddamn brains, out, we clear?"

He stared at her seriously, and it was a long moment before his wife gave a gulp and a hurried nod before leaning eagerly over and picking out a magazine about home décor from the pile.

Negan gazed at her for a moment, before his eyes dropped back down his ledger.

He would try and distract himself with work, for now at least.

But his chocolate eyes had barely flickered to the next line of text, when Tanya suddenly spoke, loud and clear.

"You know that her and Steve aren't a thing, right?" said his dark-haired wife, as Negan glanced up, his eyes meeting with hers. "There's nothing going on between them."

Negan knew who she was talking about, and paused for a moment, before giving a dismissive scoff. "An' she told you that did she?" he said, his chest constricting slightly. But Tanya spoke again.

"It's not him she wants, Negan," she said softly, her brown eyes large and round and sad-looking.

But Negan just gave a huff, running a tired hand down his long, bearded face, before dropping his eyes away from Tanya's again.

"Just read your magazine, Tan', Sweetheart," he said in a softer voice now, as his eyes fell slowly to the book in his lap once more.

Was that ok? What did you think?

Thanks to Damrey, Guest, Hmc09, CLTex, chelseajowhite, alliesmiley2, Tiny Rocker, Emlchick, Guest, MsSharingIsFun, Xmidniteangel15X, josephweston58, dietrich2234, JasminJW, faithackles, Nedstark39, PandaBear, Mimi, moglefrog, blackcat711, l0velylexx, Guest, GUest and Jokerlover13 for commenting.

Please review if you get a chance to, I'd really appreciate it.