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

Two inches

Everything seemed to still around Negan now.

It was as though the world was moving in slow motion, swirling in colours and shapes around him. But his dark, pained eyes remained ever-fixed to Blake's green ones.

She was staring back at him, her mouth moving without any sound coming out, and Negan was only brought back to reality by her eyes tearing away from his, drifting instead down to the blood that seemed to be spreading across her otherwise pristine white t-shirt, in horror.

"We need to get her inside," came Dwight's voice, at Negan's shoulder.

But the dark haired man's attention was only on Blake, as he reached out for her, his calloused fingers moving to Blake's cheek, as his other hovered over the wound at her side.

She stared back at him again, looking wholly confused.

"Negan...I-" she began to utter, just as the sudden sound of wails filled the air.

It was Mia, who was stood there now, gazing up at Blake, with fear etched upon her face, still clinging to her hand.

"Negan, we needed to get her inside," Dwight repeated, obviously stepping up far better than Negan was right now.

The dark-haired Saviour was usually so calm, so collected, but now, it was as though everything was falling apart around him. His entire fucking world.

Negan nodded, as Blake's eyes slipped away from his, but a stroke of his thumb across her cheek brought his eyes back up to his again.

"Peaches, you fuckin' stay with me, you hear?" he breathed, his chest restricting, as he held onto her cheek roughly.

Mia gave another loud wail amidst the commotion, causing Negan to glance her way finally, wavering for a long moment, before-

"Can someone-" he began, just as Arat appeared from nowhere, scooping Mia up into her arms.

But the teeny little girl, sobbing hard now, screamed loudly as her hand was torn from Blake's.

"Noh, I wann mai Bwakey!" she cried, as she was tugged swiftly away.

Beneath his grasp Negan could feel Blake suddenly begin to shake, her face becoming a picture of sheer pain.

"I-I..." she began again, but trailed off, her mouth opening and closing like a fish.

Fuck, was this shock?

Negan frowned down at her now, his eyes roving across her face. A face that was so fucking perfect to him in every way.

"Negan," came Dwight's voice, louder now, as he felt a sudden hand clamp down onto his leather-clad shoulder. "She needs to go to Carson. Now."

But before Negan could do or say anything, Blake swayed unsteadily on the spot.

Blood was now dripping down onto the dusty ground below, creating a dark ominous pool at her feet.

Shit.

Negan knew that Dwight was right.

She needed to get inside.... indoors.

Carson could help.

He had to help right?

Negan had never felt so distant, so far away from the world around him.

Not since Lucille had he felt like this. His whole world falling away and leaving just a gaping abyss below.

And so Negan, doing the only thing he could think to do, suddenly dropped Lucille to the ground with a thud.....