It had been a blustery morning, and even with a fleece-lined jacket thrown on top of two other layers, Blake's teeth were chattering by the time the afternoon rolled around.

Today she had spent her time with just a couple of people out in the gardens moving the last of the buckets and planters inside the greenhouses.

She had kept a reluctant close eye on Lucille all the while, who was currently propped up on a bench nearby, feeling slightly irritated that Negan hadn't come back for the stupid thing yet.

She was happy though he was spending some time with Mia. The little girl always seemed thrilled when they did. And Negan, much to Mia's delight, had indeed taken a much more hands on role with the toddler of late.

Blake was glad, as lately, she had felt like she had had very little energy to be running after Mia all the time.

She put it down to all this work to get the Sanctuary ready for winter. For she had been hard at work almost every day from dawn until dusk these past few weeks, and always seemed to pretty much crash the moment she got back up to her and Negan's room, often not even feeling hungry for dinner.

Today, as one of the last few people out here in the now-sparse gardens, Blake was currently having trouble shifting a large rectangular planter that was far too heavy for her to try and drag across the lot alone.

And so, bent over, with her teeth gritted, Blake gave an appreciative sigh when she heard a pair of feet come to stop just over her shoulder.

"I can't move this by myself," she said, to what she assumed was John behind her. "Can you give me a hand?"

There was a brief pause, before, to her relief, she felt the planter being pushed from one side.

"Thanks," she said looking up, only to falter when she saw that it was not John at all.

"Uh, hey," came the sheepish voice of Brandon, who was bent over beside her.

Blake swallowed before replying. "Hey..."

She wasn't sure now what to say, especially after Negan's entrance this morning.

Blake was fully aware of how intimidating the dark-haired Saviour could be at the best of times, but when it came to her and Mia it was no exaggeration that Negan was like a wolf protecting his pack. Ready to rip the throat out of anyone who messed with them.

Brandon was silent for a moment as the pair of them shifted the planter across the empty lot, the tension between them thick. Before the blonde haired man finally spoke.

"Listen, Blake, you should have just told me about you and that Negan guy-" he blurted out.

" I know," said Blake quickly, feeling utterly flustered. "I just-"

But Brandon cut across her.

"Blake, it's ok. You shouldn't have to feel guilty that you moved on after David," he said with a shake of his head, stopping what he was doing and turning to her.

And with that, he placed a hand to her shoulder.

"You loved David, and that's all that matters," he said reassuringly, giving her a smile.

But at his words Blake felt her mouth go dry as everything seemed to slow.

Yes she had loved David, once. But David had taken advantage of that.

Using her, abusing her.

Manipulating her into thinking she needed him, into thinking that she didn't have anyone else.

And for a time Blake had been blinded by the love that Brandon was talking about, letting David hit her, bruise her..

...making her think that it was her fault and that she deserved his cruel words and his fists.

And so Blake, unable to take it anymore, stood up straight, her chest rising and falling quickly now, as she balled her fists together at her sides.

"I killed him," she said starkly, the words seeming to fill the quiet lot as they echoed off the walls surrounding them.

But Blake wasn't done.

Brandon needed to know the truth.

"I killed him. I killed David," she repeated, a serious frown appearing between her eyebrows.

For a moment she felt Brandon's grip on her shoulder tighten as he stared at her, but it soon softened again, as he tilted his head.

"We've all had to put people who've turned, down-" he began, but Blake took a step backwards, causing Brandon's hand to drop from her shoulder.

He needed the truth now.

"No," Blake said in a hard voice, her fingernails digging into her palms as she spoke. "I killed David because he deserved to die. Because I'd spent months letting him treat me like a fucking dog, and I was done. I with done with his lies, done with his abuse…"

She took a breath, determined tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.

"...so I did it, I killed him."

Brandon stared at Blake for a long moment before shaking his head.

"I-I don't understand," he muttered.

Blake gave a frustrated sigh, more for herself than Brandon, angry at herself for going through what she had for so long.

"David wasn't the man you thought he was. The things he did to me..." she shook her head. "Brandon, David abused me. For so long. H-He hit me, and hurt me, a-and talked to me like I was something he'd found on the bottom of his shoe. And when I tried to stand up to him-"

The blonde woman dropped her eyes to the ground, swallowing again, before staring back at Brandon.

"He pushed me down a flight of stairs. When I finally began to see the light, when I finally started to see that I could be more than this abused little woman, he tried to kill me, Brandon. So I'm sorry, I-I know that he was your brother and I know that you're gonna hate me. But David wasn't the man you once knew, after everything went to hell, he changed. And I did what I did because if I didn't, I'd be dead, one way or another. Either by his hand…"

Blake felt her stomach lurch as realisation flooded over her.

"...or my own."

And that was the truth.

How much would she had have bared living in that world for much longer? Feeling worthless, desperate, beaten down and broken?

She stared at Brandon now as tears streaked down her cheeks.

Blake couldn't have kept it from him any longer, but as Brandon stood there motionless, his face unreadable, her blood suddenly ran cold with a fear that Brandon would not take this news of his brothers death by her hand lightly.

What if he had the same temper as his David?

Blake glanced down at Brandon's fists that were clenched together tightly at his sides just like hers had been.

Shit. If he tried anything, Blake knew she would be helpless, with no one else out in the lot on such a cold day.

Panic began to set in.

She knew that Lucille was there on the bench just a few feet away, so if she could just get to her-

But Blake didn't get the chance to move, flinching suddenly as Brandon lifted his hand.

But to her surprise it was no longer shaped into a fist, his hand instead moving back to her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I am so sorry, Blake," he said in a sudden choked voice. "What he did...If I'd have known-"

At his words, Blake let out a sob, unable to stop herself.

Brandon's blue eyes were wide and sad-looking now.

"He was always just my baby brother, I mean , I knew he could be an asshole sometimes but," he gave a sniff. "For him to do those things to you..."

Brandon trailed off, facing the sky suddenly, as though trying to stop tears from falling from his eyes. He gave yet another sniff.

"I'm just… I'm just sorry you had to go through all that," he said his voice wavering again. "And I'm sorry I had to turn up here, making out like my brother was some kind of frikking hero and you had to just stand there and listen to all that crap."

Brandon looked back at her, dropping his hand from Blake's shoulder and wiping at his face.

"It's ok," said Blake, perhaps a little unconvincingly. "I just...you coming here like that...its like seeing his ghost again after all this time."

Blake let out a shaky breath.

It was good to get all this off her chest, to confess to Brandon what she had been so scared to say for so long.

Him coming here like that, that wasn't his fault. She knew Brandon was a good guy, and truthfully, it was good to see that he had survived.

"Listen," said Brandon after a second. "I can't do this to you. Me being here. After all you've been through I-"

But Blake quickly shook her head.

"No it's fine, Brando-"

"No, really, Blake," said the blonde man with a shake of his own head. And with that he lifted a hand to Blake's cheek gently. "I should go. I was on the road for long enough, a little longer wont kill me-"

Blake gave sudden loud scoff. "Uh, it might!" she said in an incredulous voice. "No, you should stay. The Sanctuary is a good place and-"

But Brandon merely smiled softly and lowered his hand from her face.

"I know it is, but I've made up my mind," he said in an earnest voice. "You said you see the ghost of David here...Well now I do too. The things you said that he did...everytime I see you...thats gonna be hard to forget, yknow. So I'm gonna grab my things and head out…"

He glanced up at the sky.

"...make a move while it's still light."

Blake also peered up at the cold and greying sky above, thinking for a moment.

Maybe Brandon was right, maybe him leaving was for the best.

Wasn't it?

Surely there had to be another solution….

Slowly her eyes travelled back down to his.

"What if you left, but technically you didn't…"she murmured, an idea suddenly forming in her mind.

Brandon frowned.

"Like I said, the Sanctuary a good place…." she began speaking slowly, her eyes flitting back and forth. "But we have outposts. Five of them. You could go to one of them. They all have generators, running water, beds…"

Brandon gave a smile.

"Better than what I'm used to out there," he said with a half excited-looking smile, gesturing with his head, as Blake smiled back at him.

Wow.

Maybe this was all going to work out ok after all.

Blake blinked a little feeling a flush of happiness pass over her face.

But wait..was this a flush?

Actually now it came to it, Blake felt hot all over.

And she also felt like she was swaying...

Looking quickly down at her feet to check, she dragged her gaze back to Brandon, but strangely he seemed very very far away now.

"Blake...a-are you ok?" came a distant voice.

But Blake could only murmur out the words…"No...I...I feel funny…'

….before everything went black.