Beauty and the Beast. (Negan.)

14

"Where were you?"

"What did you see?"

"Could you tell us where their bases are?"

She hadn't even had two minutes with her kids before she was dragged into the house, sat down at the table and interrogated, bombarded with questions so quick that even if she had wanted to answer them, she couldn't what with the amount being directed at her.

Blake looked at everyone who was in the room with her, seeing them looking at her expectantly and when Michonne asked yet another question, she'd had enough and stood up, "Enough! Listen, I know and understand that you guys want to know everything I saw but guys...it's too much. It's just too much."

Everyone fell silent as she stood up from the table, quickly heading for her bathroom, where she slammed the door shut and slid down it to the ground. Sighing, she ran her hands through her hair and leant her head back against the wood. She knew that she was going to have to tell them something but honestly, she didn't want to. She didn't want to be dragged into this and what was worse? The worst thing she was worried about, was Negan getting hurt. How messed up is that?

Her time at the Sanctuary had showed her what Negan had been trying to tell Rick and the others. He was trying to build something. Just maybe, he wasn't going about it the right way.

"Blake?" she sighed when Rick knocked on the door. 

"I'll be out in a minute."

"Blake, I'm sorry about that," he said quietly, "But we need to start putting this plan in action. Can you please come out and talk to us?" 

She pushed herself up from the floor and opened the door again, "Fine."

She followed him back through to the table, taking a seat. 

"Okay," Rick began again, "First things first. Blake, did you see Daryl?"

Ah. Now this question, this one she could answer. She shook her head, "No. Negan said that he's gone. He got out."

"What?" Michonne asked, "Then where is he?"

"I don't know," she said quietly, "He might have gone to the Hilltop." 

"Did you tell Negan that?" 

"What? No! Why would I?" she asked, looking at Rosita, who had asked the question. 

"Because he can get to you," she mumbled, "In fact, no. I bet he's already got to you. Something happened, didn't it? While you were there." 

Blake clenched her teeth together, her face betraying her as she thought about the kiss that they had shared. 

"Rosita," Rick sighed, "Stop."

"No, Rick. Look at her face!" Rosita spat, standing up, "Tell us. Tell us nothing happened and I'll back off." 

"You want the truth?" Blake asked, "Fine. Yes. I have kissed Negan. Okay? But that's all it was. One kiss."

"No," Rosita shook her head, "How are we supposed to believe you? You could be gathering information on us for him right now!"

"Gathering information?" Blake repeated, "Rosita, do you even hear yourself? I would never do that! I could have told him that you guys were planning something against him. He asked me. But I said no. I told him nothing because I wouldn't do that. And I'm a little insulted that you would think I would."

Rosita said nothing, instead, turning to look out of the window while the others looked at Blake in shock. 

"You kissed him?" Rick muttered, "After everything he's done?"

Blake rest her head in her hands, pushing some hair back from her face, "Okay, listen. It was a spur of the moment thing. It's not going to happen again." 

"How can we believe you?" Carl asked and she sighed, leaning back on her chair.
That wasn't going to be the last of it. 

++

Over the next few days, it quickly became clear that no one in the community trusted her anymore; they'd stop talking as soon as she walked into the room, glared at her as she passed them in the street and some, including Rosita, they just flat out glared at her or ignored her when she tried to speak to them. 

The last straw however, was when they started taking their problems with Blake, to her kids. Jenn was confused when Carl refused to look at her, upset when Rosita refused to play hide and seek with her. 

So Blake made the decision to pack up their stuff and go.

It was a difficult decision but it was becoming very clear that she wasn't wanted here. She wasn't trusted anymore and while she could see where they were coming from, it still hurt. 

So, after grabbing what little they had left, Blake brought the girls down to where Danny was buried, watching as Jenn eagerly ran over to the wooden cross with his name on it and immediately launched into a conversation, telling her father what she had been up to recently.

She wiped away a tear as she heard Jenn tell Danny that she loved him, crossing the small space to kneel in front of the cross, pulling out some of the weeds that were surrounding the plot. She didn't say anything, just silently thought her love for him, kissed her fingertips and then pressed her hand against the cross and stood up. 

"Come on," she whispered, pulling Emily back into her arms, "Let's go." 

Rick caught her by the gate, eyebrows furrowing at the sight of the bags she had on her back and in her arms, "Where are you going?" 

"We're going," she said softly, giving him a weak smile, "It's okay. People around here, they can't even look at me, Rick."

"Where will you go?" 

She shrugged, "I'm sure I'll find somewhere."

"Your kids," he said quietly, "It's not safe." 

"I know," she whispered, closing her eyes, "But I have no other choice. I can't stay here." 

Rick looked over his shoulder to see that there was a few folks watching and he sighed and handed her a set of keys, "At least take a car. I wouldn't live with myself sending you out there with nothing." 

Blake gave him a smile and took them from him. Even though he was probably mad like everyone else, at least he was going to be giving her and the kids a chance. "Thank you, Rick." she said earnestly, "For everything."