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

Your guess is as good as mine

The morning flitted by fairly quickly with Mia keeping Negan busy with question after question, and whine after whine after whine.

And eventually, after hearing the kid complain for the third time in ten minutes that she was hungry and realising he really wasn't going to get much fucking done this morning with her in tow, he had given a huff of irritation before hauling her up and taking her into the busy dining hall.

But it wasn't until he had reached the spacious room, full of Sanctuary residents enjoying a well-earned (and well paid for) lunch, did he finally realise just how long he had spent outside.

And just how long Blake had been gone for...

Surely a trip to the docs couldn't take that fucking long, could it?

She had probably been gone at least a couple of hours by now....and Negan would have presumed she'd have at least come to find them.

Unless...

Well, she hadn't looked that fucking great this morning. And if it WAS something more serious...

Negan felt his blood run cold at the prospect.

And so, sucking at his teeth, he hauled Mia, who was currently sat eating some goldfish crackers and a couple of sticky strawberries, back up into his arms.

The little girl gave an instant whine of annoyance at this disturbance.

"Noh Eggy, I is eatin'!" she wailed, but Negan, with a grunt, scooped up the remaining box of crackers, hastily shoving them in her tiny hands.

"Come on Beansprout," he said in a gruff voice. "I ain't fuckin' arguin' with you."

He heard Mia give the tiniest of grumbles, before pouting and dipping her hand into the box of goldfish one more....glaring at him woefully.

But Negan wasn't too fussed about how much the toddler despised him right now. All he cared about was that she as safe and well, along with Blake.

It took him only a couple of minutes on long legs to reach Carson's door on the far side of the dark factory building.

It was quiet here, with most of the Saviours at lunch. And the only sound Negan could hear in this drafty hallway, was the near-constant munch-munch-munch of Mia devouring crackers in his ear.

Negan lifted Lucille a little awkwardly, bashing her against the door in front of them a couple of times, before glancing over at the toddler in his arms, who seemed to be shoving goldfish into her mouth at quite a rate, causing her to splutter and cough.

Shit, he couldn't cope with the kid choking right now.

But a split second later she seemed fine, although Negan wasn't really in the mood to be taking risks right now, as he snatched the crackers away from her.

"I think you've had more than fuckin' enough," he said prising the box from her grasp, like a bottle of whisky from a drunk.

But unsurprisingly, Mia who was tired and cranky, looking like she thoroughly needed a post- lunchtime nap, gave a sudden sniff, her tiny face crumpling and turning red.

And before Negan could do a thing to stop her, she had thrown her head back and began to cry.

The dark-haired Saviour winced at the sound.

Fuck, looking after a kid really was fucking hard work!

So it was no wonder Blake had been so tired this week. Negan hoping that that was all it was, as the door before them was suddenly pulled open.