Blake had woken bright and early that morning, feeling refreshed and ready to start the day. But it wasn't until she had gotten up, washed and dressed, had she realised that she didn't actually have anything to start.

It was an odd feeling- not to have a purpose.

It seemed like most people who lived around here had a job or a role of some sorts. Whether it was cooking, cleaning, intimidation….everyone had something to do with their day, even Negan.

But not Blake.

But it wasn't like this was her home….right? She didn't intend on staying here….and soon she would take Negan up on his offer of going back to Alexandria.

There she would have things she could get involved in, things she could help with.

Blake had spent the day wandering around the large looming Sanctuary. Passing through the canteen…the marketplace…the library….eating an apple with one hand, and running her fingers through her long damp hair with the other.

Blake was today wearing dark pants and a white blouse, and had stared long and hard at her ever-diminishing bruises in the mirror this morning as she had gotten dressed.

Soon they would be gone…leaving nothing but distant memories of her past life.

She wouldn't exactly say she was happy now.

But content was certainly a word that could easily be used to describe how she was feeling.

Bored….. but content.

Blake rounded the corner, as she made her way aimlessly down a long hallway during the late afternoon, making to go back to her room, but instead, looking for something more to do than to spend her evening reading, she headed out through a door she hadn't ventured through before.

Once through, Blake found herself outside, in a small loading area, where several burly Saviours with guns, some she recognised, some she didn't, were busy unloading sacks and crates of food, from the back of a large truck.

She slowly walked around the space, tossing her old apple core aside, and dodging out of the way, as one man with a beard headed past her, carrying a crate of fresh vegetables.

The area out here was vast, but most of the space seemed wasted, with various pointless fences-within-fences, lining the lot. Fences that even walkers couldn't even get close to.

Blake folded her arms across her chest, spotting the tall, moustachioed Simon, who hopped down from the truck ahead of her.

"There's a couple of sacks of flour back there, but one's got a rip in it, so be careful," he muttered to a short woman and a man with long blonde hair as they walked past him, nodding obediently. "Negan won't be happy if you waste that shit."

Blake gave a small roll of her eyes as she heard this.

"You know, if Negan got out there and actually found that food himself, maybe he'd have a reason to be so anal about losing a bit of flour," she said as she caught Simon's eye.

The brown-haired man gave a chuckle, and slowly approached her, his eyes looking up and down her tall, slender form.

"I'd be careful talking about him like that y'know," said Simon, raising his eyebrows at her. "People have gotten into trouble around here for much less."

But Blake pursed her lips, looking to her left as the two Saviours carefully manoeuvred the sacks of flour from the van.

She knew for a fact that around here she could get away with a lot more than most could.

And it was likely that Simon knew that too.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets, rocking back on his heels as he observed her.

It was a few moments before he finally spoke again.

"So, you …uhhh…you okay after what happened on Thursday?" he asked in a voice, that was absent of concern, but littered instead, with politeness. Something which Blake had long forgotten about in this society. "I mean that stuff with your boyfriend…that was all a huge shit-show…Negan didn't really let on what he'd actually done to you an' all…"

He trailed off, staring at her, as Blake let out a long breath of air, tearing her eyes away.

"I'm fine," said Blake nodding. "I just….can we not talk about it please?"

Her tone was firm and signalled that she was not in the mood to be discussing this with him right now.

The weight had been lifted from her shoulders. But all that…it was not a memory she wanted to re-live, not in the stark light of day at least.

Blake gave a sigh, staring out across the area, as people around them moved to and fro.

All of this stuff they were carrying, sacks full to the brim, were things scavenged by other people….perhaps Rick's group….perhaps someone else….

Ok, the Saviours did have a lot of mouths to feed, but other people were in need of this stuff. Starving people…..children.

There were plenty of men and women here that could go out an scavenge themselves for this kind of stuff….plenty of places they could go out and look.

But somehow, through Negan's rule, this had become their way of life.

But as if though on cue, Simon's eyes quickly raised above Blake's head, looking at someone approaching behind her.

And Blake pursed her lips, keeping her arms folded, as she guessed exactly who it was.

"No dress today, Doll-face?" came the sudden low drawl of Negan. His boots chinking as he appeared around her. "Hell, I'm disappointed."

He was today, stood in his black-leather jacket, dark pants, his red scarf wrapped around his neck again, with a shit-eating grin plastered across his long, tanned, bearded features.

Blake turned her head and shot him a look, unable to help the smirk that danced its way across her lips as she caught sight of him for the first time since their 'not a date' date the previous evening.

"Hmmmm, not really the right occasion for it," she murmured in a mild voice, lifting her had to her face and pretending to admire her nails disinterestedly.

Negan shifted his weight from foot-to-foot, lifting his chin and looking down at her grinning.

"Oh, Peaches," said the tall, dark-haired Saviour in husky tone, taking a small step towards her. "If this is you angling for another date with yours truly, then, I mean, shit, Sweetheart, I can set one up for tonight if that's what you want?"

But Blake eyed him, tutting.

"In your dreams," she bit back in a teasing voice, her eyes drifting up to his chocolate ones.

But Negan pouted, inching closer to her and arching his back as he spoke. He had Lucille held carelessly in one hand, but the other seemed to glide towards her hips.

"Oh, don't doubt that you aren't in every single one of my dreams, Darlin'," he said poking his tongue out through his pearly-white line of teeth. "Doin' all sorts of naughty fuckin' things."

Blake rolled her eyes yet again, peering up at him, feeling his fingers begin to skim lightly over her waist, travelling around to the small of her back, pulling her into him.

At this, Blake's breath caught in her throat and her cheeks flushed the slightest shade of pink, as Simon looked on nonplussed by Negan's flirting right in front of him.

"I hate you," she murmured in an unimpressed tone, shaking her head and offering him a simpering look. She blinked her eyes, titling her head to the side. "Ugh, don't you have better things to do, than follow me around all day like some sort of lovesick puppy?"

But Negan beamed down at her, admiring her fully at this close proximity.

Blake was used to this closeness by now. The tall bearded man's lack of awareness of other people's personal space.

But what she wasn't used to, was the way his fingers seemed to dance beneath her shirt playfully coming to stop at the small of her back.

"Oh I have all fuckin' day to be following you around, Doll-face," he said raising his eyebrows at her fiendishly.

But this only caused Blake to tut, lifting a hand up to his leather clad chest, as if making to push him away from her…

… but for the time being, she relented….instead fiddling with his jacket's zipper….her eyes locked onto his.

"Well maybe you should be focusing on other things instead of me," she said titling her head to the side and throwing him a poignant look. "Like trying to provide a life for your people yourself, instead of taking stuff from others."

Negan gave a hard sigh and was about to open his mouth to speak, but Blake cut across him once again.

"The Saviours can't survive like this this forever and you know it," she said matter-of-factly. "What if the group's you're taking from, all get themselves killed? What'll you then when you have no one to go out scavenging for you, and all of your people are too lazy and untrained to fend for themselves out there? When you have no one to provide for you?"

Negan looked down at her knowingly. "An' what are you suggesting' we do instead, Doll-face?" he replied to her in a slow voice, his brown eyes on her, and only her, right now.

Blake pulled on her lip with her teeth for a second, giving a small shrug.

"There's plenty of room out here for a garden," she offered, her green eyes gazing around. "You could grow crops…even if they're in planters. And you've got plenty of people here to help out with it too. And if that worst-case scenario ever happened, at least then you'd have a backup. You know I'm right on this one."

Negan stared at her for a long second, his face unreadable, as his thumb rubbed circles over the smooth bare skin of her waist.

And for a moment, Blake was almost sure that he was about to bark her down. Before-

"Anyone ever tell you, you'd make one hell of a convincing saleswoman, Peaches," uttered the bearded Saviour, as he leaned his face into hers, a grin sliding its way onto his face.

Blake let out a long breath, giving a relived sort of gulp, as her heart pounded inside her chest, hard and fast.

She wasn't quite sure why she was still feeling like this.

Last night had been strange….but Blake had just assumed it was the wine making her feel all woozy and warm…as Negan had backed her up against her door….his body close to hers….

And even when she had gotten into bed, her dreams had been filled with the tall, dark-haired leader of the Saviours…

But this was not something she was about to let him in on…that was for sure…

Blake smiled up at Negan, wrinkling her nose as she did so.

"I'm just looking out for your people in the long run, Negan," she uttered, tugging him forward with the zipper on his jacket just the slightest bit, as his eyes followed her lips. "Not you. Them."

The bearded man just smiled, glancing up at Simon for the briefest of moments, before turning back towards her.

"Like I said to you a long time ago, Darlin'," Negan muttered in a low voice. "It's shit like that, that makes you a Queen."

And at this comment, Blake couldn't help but smile up at him.

She hadn't even been her for two weeks, and yet in that time, despite losing everything in her life she thought she held dear, she felt now, filled with confidence….with a pride and willingness to hold her head up high.

She felt like a queen. And if Negan was able to elevate her to that status, then so be it.

She would use it to her advantage.

Blake gave a smile, suddenly lifting her hand and sliding it over Negan's leather-clad shoulder, pursing her lips.

She knew full well what kind of game she was playing here, and as dangerous as it was, she knew exactly how far it was going to get her in this world. And with the dark-haired Saviour…

The caramel-blonde woman teased herself gently from his grasp, and slid slowly past him.

"Cute scarf," she commented easily, throwing Negan a sudden a dark, grinning, teasing look, at she waltzed by him….

….bumping his hip with hers as she went.

A very dangerous game indeed.

Negan watched her go, grinning in awe as he surveyed her retreating form.

Fucking shit, he was besotted.

How the fuck was it possible for one person to have him so wrapped around her little finger? Someone who, a fortnight ago, didn't even exist in his peripherals.

And now, he had a hard time refusing her anything, and every sniping word that seemed to slip from her lips, just made him want her even more…

He was well and truly fucked, and he knew it. But right now, not in the way he'd preferably fucking want.

Simon beside him, glanced his way, smirking as the pair of the watched her go.

"You know you could just make her one of your wives," said Simon with a bemused look lingering over his features. "Wouldn't that just be easier?"

But Negan's eyes suddenly darkened as he tore them away from Blake, as she disappeared around the corner and out of sight, and looked instead back at Simon, his jaw tensed.

"Oh Simon, Simon, Simon," said the bearded Saviour with a dangerous chuckle, as he took an intimidating step towards the brown-haired, moustachioed man at his side, lifting Lucille suddenly to his face. "You say any more shit like that, or question me again, and I won't even think twice about getting myself a new right-hand fucking man. We clear 'bout that?"

If looks could kill, Simon at this very second would have been dead at least twenty seconds ago, as Negan glared at him furiously.

And Simon stared back at his notorious leader blankly for a few moments before finally, with a gulp, tearing his eyes away with a nod.

"Right, sorry Boss," he managed to utter in a genuine voice, as Negan shoved past him, instead, heading over towards the trucks, swinging Lucille from his hand as he went.

But what none of them noticed, not Negan, not Simon, not even Blake as she headed back inside….

….was a short woman with dark brown hair and heavy bangs, wearing a short black dress and small gold hoop earrings…

...a woman who had been watching the three of them from the shadows….

…a woman who quietly, and unnoticed by everyone, followed Blake silently inside…

…shutting the door behind her with a silent, watchful snap…

Sorry it was short one. Hopefully more soon?

Thanks to Booboo, Hmc09, FriendsWithTheMonster, leahscil, Xmidniteangel15X, Shan1994, Shadowlover1222, Dollfacex94, Guest, Cmarie1992, Mika, Guest, JudithMosalii, Guest, Lizzy0700 for reviewing the last chapter.

Let me know what you thought.

Please review! :)