I think I liked you better when you didn't have a knife in your hand, Peaches

Endless questions & hand holding

Bonus chapter because I love you all for sticking with this story.

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"Wat tha?" asked Mia for the fourth time in less that a minute, as Negan strolled across the sunny parking lot with her in tow.

Despite it only being mid-morning, it was already turning out to be a mild and sunny day for this time of year... the perfect day for checking up on the fenced off lots that surrounded the large looming factory building.

Negan gave a long sigh as they walked over to where six of the dead were strung up against the chain-link fence.

The dark-haired Saviour looked over to where Mia was pointing.

"That's a tire," he said in a heavy voice, angling an eyebrow at the large tractor tire laying on it's side just a few feet away from them.

"Wha it doin' ther?" the little girl immediately asked, causing Negan to huff loudly, pursing his lips in her direction.

"Jesus kid, you ever put a sock in it?" he asked.

But Mia, staring up at him, did not understand the question, merely wavering for brief second, before pointing at her own sock-covered foot helpfully.

Negan shook his head, strolling off a little way up the lot, reaching a section that was far busier, and full of people going about their business.

Most of them fell to their knees or nodded reverently as he passed them by, but he noticed that their eyes did seem to linger a little longer upon him this morning.

But this really was no surprise due to the sight that befell them.

For the tall Saviour, right now, had Lucille swinging loosely from one hand, but his other hand he had clasped around Mia's butt, as he held the child to his bony hip.

It truly was sight to behold

And despite this fact that there was no way any of the Saviours could indeed say that Negan was going soft, by the way he growled at almost everyone as he passed, looking like a killer if ever anyone had ever seen him. At the same time, there was certainly something far more human and pleasant about the sight of this rough-around the edgesleader of theirs. holding this little girl tightly in his arms. A huge contrast to the weapon he clutched tightly in the other.

But it wasn't even a second later, at the sight of a new part of the Sanctuary Mia had never been before, the toddler gave a small, whining wriggle within Negan's grasp.

"I wan down," she said in a tiny voice, pushing at his leather clad arm that was holding her securely in place.

Negan gave a small frown, but glad to be rid of the small girl's weight, he slowly lowered her to the grown with a "Fine...but mind you don' walk on that damn gravel."

For like Blake, Mia had a tendency to walk around this place with no shoes on. Not that that was her decision of course. For as much as they had searched, no one had yet come across a pair of Mia sized shoes on any of their runs.

He noticed the toddler crouch down for a moment, testing the ground with her pudgy fingers before walking across the asphalt a few paces, on bendy little legs.

Negan grinned, before he too stood up straight once more and strutted forward.

But he only only gone a few feet when he noticed the kid wasn't at his side anymore.

The dark-haired man turned back to look at her, in annoyance.

But Mia was just stood there with an indignant look etched upon her tiny face.