Prologue

So a few weeks back I discovered this poem online. I'm not sure who the author is to credit, but the moment I saw it, it reminded me so much of Blake I wanted to cry. So here it is:

Sometimes

You'll just be too much woman.

Too smart,

Too strong,

Too much of something

That makes a man feel like less of a man,

Which will start making you feel like you have to be less of a woman.

The biggest mistake you can make

Is removing jewels from your crown

To make it easier for a man to carry.

When this happens, I need you to understand,

You do not need a smaller crown-

You need a man with bigger hands.

Fuck.

There he was. Steve, looking dishevelled, with hollow, staring eyes, looking a far cry from the man she had seen a day or so ago, lurching towards the pair of them now, weapon raised aloft.

Almost immediately, before she could even take a breath, Blake's eyes widened in sheer fright as the blade swept across her vision. But she staggered backwards, as the hand holding hers, tugged her violently out of the knife's reach.

The blade sliced past her, narrowly missing her leather-clad sleeve by a mere fraction of an inch.

At this, Blake stumbled slightly, toppling backwards into Negan's strong and taut body behind her as he pulled her roughly around to stand behind him, blocking her body from Steve sight.

But Steve was unrelenting, taking three or four big strides over towards them, as both Negan and Blake backed away slightly, with Negan standing protectively in front of the caramel blonde woman now.

Shit.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

This was all Blake's fault. She had let him go.

After what he had threatened to do, she had still let him leave the Sanctuary, despite knowing what lengths he had been willing to go to.

And right now, he was truly proving just what these lengths were, as he stood before the pair of them, chest heaving, in a ripped shirt, muddy jeans and boots, with what looked like stolen bread knife in his hand.

Steve hair was wild, and his eyes even wilder, as he panted, jabbing the blade at them, looking deranged.

"Steve, w-what the hell are you doing?!" Blake asked quickly, tugging her hand from Negan's grasp and staring hard at the tall, brown haired-man in front of her.

But Steve was unrelenting now, advancing on the pair of them before they had a chance to barely say a word to him.

Positioned close in front of her, Blake heard Negan let out a low and angry growl under his breath.

She could tell he was seething now, his t-shirt clad shoulder's tensed and bearded chin lowered darkly. He was currently being set upon, in his own goddamn home, so Blake could definitely understand why.

"Oh, well, aren't you a clever fuckin' pretty-boy," remarked the dark-haired Saviour. "Sneakin' up here, past my men, to come find me."

Steve shook his head, jabbing the knife towards them again. But he ignored Negan's words, instead addressing the caramel-blonde woman alone.

"I-I have to do this, Blake!" he said thickly, his voice wavering slightly as he spoke, sounding almost distraught….at his wits end…

But Blake moved around Negan, coming to stand at the dark-haired Saviour's side, gazing desperately up at her fellow Alexandrian.

"No, you don't Steve," she cried in a voice of sheer frustration. "I let you go…you didn't have to come back here!"

Blake knew what was likely to happen now. All Negan needed to do was lift that familiar old baseball-bat in his hand and take a swing, and that would be the end of Steve. Completely and utterly.

"Yes I did," Steve replied with malice in his voice, his eyes moved now from Blake to Negan instead. "I'm doing this for everyone hurt by this asshole and his people. And I'm just disappointed that you didn't want to be a part of it. You could have helped me, Blake!"

But Blake frowned, shooting Steve an incredulous look.

"Why the fuck would I do that?" she barked back angrily, as Steve brandished the knife before him, his eyes flickering almost at once back to her. "You don't have a clue about any of this stuff, Steve. Rosita's obviously filled your head with all of this-"

But Steve stepped forwards suddenly, looking mighty threatening right now.

"Shut up. Just shut the fuck up," Steve yelled suddenly, cutting across Blake before she had finished her sentence. "This is my decision….and if you're not here to help me, Blake, you're just in my way."

And once again, Steve jabbed the knife at the pair of them, holding it just a foot or two away from them now.

But Negan, at this, merely gave a cocky scoff, readjusting his grip of Lucille, another growl escaping his throat.

"Believe me," he said in a low voice. "I've had a lot bigger and scarier fuckin' guys try to kill me. And guess what, shit-for-brains? None of them have fuckin' succeeded."

Steve pressed his lips together for a moment, staring up at Negan definitely.

"Well I will!" he shouted back, acting like a petulant child.

Blake bristled slightly, as Negan gave a short whining laugh, leaning back against his knees and arching his back, pointing at Steve with the end of his trusty barbed-wire covered baseball bat.

"So, what? You're here to kill me? That it?" he chuckled in an arrogant voice. "Coz' I think Lucille here, is gonna' have something' to say about that."

Blake saw a gulp suddenly slide its way down Steve's throat, as his eyes took in the ominous weapon before him.

But that moment only lasted less than a second or two, as Steve visibly steadied himself.

"I-I have to do this," he reiterated, his eyes looking slightly watery now, as he looked at Blake, almost justifying himself to her. "I have to."

But Blake took a step forwards, raising her hands aloft almost pleading with him now.

"No you don't," she uttered shaking her head, her green eyes filled with sadness. "You can just turn around and leave…right now."

But Negan interrupted her, glancing her way, his eyebrows disappearing up into his hairline.

"Uh…no he fuckin' can't," scoffed the dark-haired Saviour.

But Blake, with her heart pounding, was desperate for Steve to do as she said. Just turn around, leave this place….before Negan could do anything to stop him.

"I can't…" breathed Steve, tears pricking at his eyes now…looking like a confused puppy, with arms too big for his body, waving the knife in front of him, looking upset. "This is what I'm supposed to do…."

But Blake shook her head, frowning.

God, he really was an idiot.

But an idiot that was going to get himself killed here this morning.

Although before Blake could say another word, Negan spoke again, looking severely pissed-off right now, his jaw clenched tightly and his chocolate eyes dark.

"Then fuckin' do it," goaded the leader of the Saviour's in a loud voice, urging Steve on. "Come on, motherfucker."

But Steve, with tears trickling down his cheeks, looking severely lost right now, just shook his head, and wiping hurriedly at his face with his free hand.

"N-No…" he said with a hard sniff. "I'm not going to kill you. Y-you're going to kill yourself."

He sounded pretty certain about that, as both Blake and Negan gaped at the air, a little confused.

And it was just a long, drawn-out second later that Negan suddenly burst into peals of obnoxious laughter.

He looked indeed mightily bemused by Steve's words, as Blake shook her head incredulously, taking a short step towards the brown haired Alexandrian….not really believing that one person could be so stupid.

As Negan behind her now, ran his hand down his long, tanned and bearded face, letting out a heavy sigh of amusement.

"Wow, you really are a stupid piece of shit aren't you," Negan murmured, shaking his head. "I mean, I had to give you some credit for coming all the way up here with a goddamn knife and shoving it front of mine and Peaches' faces here….but jeez…I mean…..really?!"

But Steve gave another sniff now, his hand that was holding the knife trembling slightly as he took a stride towards the pair of them.

"You're going to kill yourself," Steve reiterated however, in a voice of utter sternness, now, almost finding his feet again.

But Negan grinned, eyeing the man before him with such merry distain, it was visible across every inch of his bearded face.

"Huh," Negan commented sceptically, his eyes fixed and unblinking on Steve now. "That so?"

But Steve paused for a long moment, pursing his lips tightly together, looking very much as if he was about to burst into tears at any second.

But he didn't.

Instead, to Blake's utter horror, as quick as a flash, Steve suddenly pulled a gun from the back of his pants and pointed it at Blake.

"I-If you don't," he said sounding far more confident now than he had just a second ago. "Then I'll kill her."

Blake paled, all the colour draining almost immediately from her face, as she looked down the barrel of the gun in Steve's hand.

It was a small revolver, ancient and dusty-looking, but that didn't mean it couldn't put a bullet in her skull at any moment.

And at this close range, it was very unlikely that Steve would miss.

Negan was silent for a long moment now and Blake prayed he would stay that way, as her breathing became erratic in her throat.

Don't panic.

Please don't panic.

But Blake wasn't quite sure if she was talking to herself now, or perhaps one of the men before her.

Negan gave a large snarl, breaking Blake suddenly from her thoughts.

"Oh you should not have fuckin' done that, you stupid fuckin' prick," Negan said in a voice louder than Blake would have liked, and she winced as Steve shifted his weight from foot-to-foot at Negan's words, bristling. "Coz' I am definitely gonna' be painting this rooftop with your fuckin brains in goddamn minute, you cock-suckin'-mothfuckin'-asshole."

Blake gulped.

Steve could pull the trigger at any second and that would be the end for Blake, so she prayed that Negan didn't try anything silly now.

Steve looked blankly at the dark-haired Saviour, before gesturing with his head over towards the roof edge.

"Jump…o-or I'll shoot her," uttered the brown haired man bluntly, as Blake parted her lips staring up in disbelief that Steve would do this to her.

After everything she had done for him.

She had saved his life for god's sake. And yet here he was…with a gun to her head, asking Negan to kill himself.

Why the hell would Negan even do that anyway? Yes they had history, but was the bond between the pair of them that obvious, that people expected Negan to sacrifice himself for her? They weren't married…. This wasn't some great love story….

Negan was no knight in shining armour here. And actually, Blake didn't want him to be either!

She could handle her own shit and did not need someone throwing themselves under a bus for her.

God…

Negan had been right. Steve was spineless. And he was a piece of shit.

"You stupid fucking dick," Blake spat out before she could stop herself, glaring at the brown haired man, as both Steve AND Negan turned towards her.

And for a long moment Steve gaped, as though not expecting her to be addressing him like this, even after everything he had done today.

"You really are that fucking idiotic, aren't you?" she continued, shaking her head in true disbelief.

Again, Steve, blinked at her, a little taken aback by her words for a moment, a gulp sliding its way down his thick throat.

Negan, his chin lowered to his collar, stared up between Steve and Blake, his jaw clenched and his grip so tight around Lucille, his knuckles were white. But even so, he let Blake finish.

"I thought you were just a stupid fucking puppy-dog that just wanted to get into my pants…." Blake carried on, sneering at Steve, her eyes looking him up and down judgementally. "And fuck me! I really wasn't wrong was it?!"

She pulled a face now, sickened by Steve's idiocy.

"Because that's literally all you are aren't you? A stupid fucking puppy dog," Blake carried on. "You're pathetic, Steve. Fucking pathetic-"

But Steve, suddenly and without any warning, dropped the serrated knife in one of his hands with a clang and an angry roar, before suddenly storming over towards Blake, looking thoroughly enraged, and pressing the barrel of the gun to her temple.

"No, you're the pathetic one, Blake!" he yelled into her face, spittle flying everywhere at his words, as Blake screwed her eyes tightly shut, holding her breath. "Maybe your fiancé had a point. You deserve to have the shit beaten out of you on a daily basis you stupid fucking bitc-!"

Blake winced at both the words, and the contact of the barrel, hard against her forehead…waiting for the end…..

For this had to be it….

But her eyes opened suddenly, as she heard a sudden choked noise come from the space right in front of her.

A gulp slowly slid its way down Blake's throat, watching now, as Steve stood there, mouthing at the air, his eyes widened in horror.

For there he was, with the large serrated knife sticking out of his back, with the tall, looming form of Negan stood directly behind him, looking furious right now.

And it want even a second later that Steve gave Blake one last lost-looking gaze, before falling suddenly forwards onto his face, the gun skidding out of his grasp as he did so.

Blake's lip trembled for a brief instant, before she hung head hurriedly forwards catching her breath, taking air in to her lungs, for what felt like the first time in minutes.

She could feel her while body trembling now…with adrenaline and hurt and sorrow and relief…

Barely even noticing Negan stride forwards and pick up the fallen revolver with a swipe, checking the rounds.

"Fuckin' empty," he murmured, tossing the gun down onto Steve's lifeless body with a small 'whump'.

Blake lifted her head, looking up, as Negan approached her slowly.

No bullets?

So Steve was never going to kill her after all?

It was only Negan he had really come here for. Just him.

And yet….Blake could not forget just what Steve had said to her….just a mere moment ago.

For in the stark light of day that big puppy-dog, had really, been no better than David.

Neither man having the balls to kill Negan….but both finding it perfectly ok to take their anger and frustrations out on her instaed.

Well Blake wasn't standing for it anymore.

For in this world, she was a queen.

And a queen was not about to take jewels out of her crown for any man to be able to hold her up.

For at the end of the day, all she needed was a man with bigger hands…and the strength to put that crown onto her head and have it stay there.

A man who was now standing right in front of her, with his chocolate gaze fixed upon her face…taking in her pained and distant-looking features.

And it was in that moment, that Blake's eyes finally found his….

The dark-haired Saviour looked at her for a long moment, suddenly lifting his rough hand to her face, cupping her cheek gently.

"You alright, Peaches?" he asked earnestly.

And Blake blinked for a second, before nodding slowly up at him…knowing what she wanted now.

"Lets' go," she murmured out, pulling his hand suddenly down from her cheek and, instead, interlacing her fingers with his tightly. Just as they had been before.

Negan stared at her solemnly for a instant , before nodding himself and taking the lead, pulling Blake gently in the direction of the door that led down to the staircase.

But he paused monetarily, as the pair of them stepped past Steve's body. With the knife still grotesquely sticking out of his t-shirt-clad back.

Negan bent slightly, obviously making to pull the blade out and most likely impale it into the man's skull.

But Blake suddenly tugged at Negan's arm, stopping him in his tracks. And a fraction of a second later, the Saviour turned around, gazing at her questioningly.

"No…..I want him tied up on the fences….just like the others," Blake said in a cold voice.

For she could not forget Steve's last words.

Actually she didn't want to anymore…his words, as well as David's, still haunting her like a ghost.

For that person…..that woman, who 'deserved' to be beaten and bruised and hurt by men, was but a shadow now…gone.

For a queen was stood here now. Tall and strong and not willing to take anymore bullshit from anyone.

And so, with Negan nodding understandingly, his chocolate eyes on hers, Blake gave him a short tug, leading him from the rooftop…

….leaving Steve's deceased body there, slowly stirring in the pale, early light of morning….

Was that ok? Do you want me to carry on?

Thanks to ElysiumPhoenix, xojade, GinDixon, CLTex, chelseajowhite, nfarrell95, moglefrog, LJH, rissbenzo, Hmc09, angelvoice15, alliesmiley2, MisterMoth, guest12354, Jam86, Guest, l0velylexx, Hannnah, Son's Angel, Guest and dominantdemonbutler22 foor commenting.

I have a feeling Negan and Blake are gonna have a *little* catching up to do in the next chapter ;) . Do you want more?

Please review if you get a chance to! I'd really appreciate it. :)