Peaches - Part 2

Truth

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.