It was late evening and after a long sleep, getting herself back to rights, Blake was now wandering alone down one of the long corridors of the Sanctuary, heading towards the canteen, following the request of her rumbling stomach.

It was good to be back.

And as gloomy and dank as the place sometimes could be, it felt so much more like home to her than being back at Alexandria ever had.

Blake, despite her throbbing head and aching body, had today, managed to take a shower, getting changed afterwards into a pair of comfortable sweatpants and a tight black sweater. Her hair now hung loosely over her shoulders, her cheeks finally having regained a little colour.

She felt ok. A little groggy but ok.

Better at least than when she had been pushed down a flight of stairs, that was for sure.

After another lazy make out session with Negan this morning after her mark remarks about spanking, the dark-haired Saviour had muttered some bullshit excuse about having some business to attend to, which Blake most likely assumed either ironing someone's face….or threatening someone.

She wasn't particularly happy with the way Negan conducted himself of course, but she knew that she had very little choice about changing his mind about being so gun-ho in situations.

That was just…well, him. And no, Blake was not defending it. But the side of Negan, Blake was privy to, was far from the monster he was usually painted as.

She was pretty enamoured with him now…feeling her heart pounding faster when he came into a room…

Perhaps he had worn her down…but Blake had a sneaking suspicion that she had always felt that way about him…even that first time she had laid eyes on him standing there imposing and cocky.

Him, even back then, being one of the only men to ever challenge her in a constructive way…to make her feel better, and not worse about herself…

Building her up, instead of stamping her down, like David always had.

Blake gave a sigh, her thoughts somewhere else completely now, as she wandered the winding hallways of the third floor.

But, turning a corner, before she could do a thing to stop herself, she had barrelled straight into someone, giving a short 'oof'…..as she stumbled backwards, wobbling slightly and trying to catch her balance.

But before she could topple over, a swift hand grabbed her waist , pulling her upright and flush into his lean, familiar body.

"I mean, I know you like me, Peaches," said the snarky, growling voice of Negan, as he peered down at her, his mouth set into a wide grin. "But you have got to stop tryin' to run into me like this. People are gonna start talkin'."

The dark-haired Saviour was stood before her now, in a clean grey t-shirt, grey pants and boots, with his trusty baseball bat hanging loosely from one hand.

Blake immediately rolled her eyes, giving him a gentle shove away from her and tutting, brushing herself down.

"I highly doubt anyone would be talking about us, Negan," she said a little scoldingly. "After all, you've got five wives sitting upstairs. Why would anyone bat an eyelid at another woman in your life?"

She was teasing him, she knew that, but she had to admit that with all that had happened between the pair of the over the last twenty-four hours, it did hurt thinking about the weeks Negan had spent back here with his wives.

Negan, cocked an eyebrow at her, smirking down at the caramel-haired woman bemusedly. "You jealous, Doll-face?" he asked, eyeing her. "Because it kinda sounds like you are."

But Blake shoved swiftly past him, bumping his hip with hers as she sauntered by.

"I'm not jealous," she said shrugging lightly, as Negan swivelled on his booted heel and stared after her as she went, raising his chin playfully. "I'm just saying that no-one's going to talk… I mean, especially when there's not really anything going on between us…"

She knew that this would get a rise of out of him.

And as predicted, it was only a second later that a familiar barbed-wire covered baseball bat, was shoved between her and the wall, stopping Blake in her tracks.

She pursed her lips, giving a small faux-huff of irritation, and turned to glance over her shoulder to face the dark-haired Saviour.

But Negan strutted around her, coming to stand in front of Blake now, and cocking his long tanned face to the side.

"You could've fooled me, Darlin'," he uttered in a yearning voice, tugging on his lips with his teeth and staring down at the caramel-blond woman before him. "Especially after you were just beggin' me to fuck you, only last night….so fuckin' desperate to take those soaked lil' panties of yours off of you…"

But Blake gave a coy grin as he leant in, but she was not going to let him see how much he was getting to her.

And so, she brushed him aside yet again, placing her fingers to the smooth end of Lucille and pushing the weapon away from her.

"It was just sex, Negan," she murmured with a short, airy sigh and she walked away from the bearded man once more, a smile twitching its way across her pink lips.

Knowing she had him.

For what else did she have to do with her day, if she couldn't wind the leader of the Saviours' up?

From behind her, she heard Negan utter a slow chuckle.

"Oh, so that's how we're gonna fuckin' play it?" he remarked, after a short moment. "That mean I can invite Frankie to join us tonight, Sweetheart?"

But at that, the smile instantly dropped from Blake's features.

She bristled, stopping in her tracks in the middle of the long gloomy corridor.

He could be such an asshole sometimes.

But Blake gritted her teeth, before turning back to him (it taking all her effort to look cool, at this very minute) and gave a nonchalant shrug.

"You can invite Frankie, by all means," she uttered in a simpering tone. "But I won't be there…..I've got my own room….remember?"

And with that she turned on the spot again, and headed off, feeling sulky and a little put out, rounding the corner and disappearing from sight of the bearded Saviour.

He stomach was already twisted into knots that she knew likely had nothing to do with her hunger.

As much as her smart remarks were meant to be a joke, Blake knew that having a relationship with Negan. Well, it was a fairy-tale.

He had a reputation to uphold. And that involved a certain level of control over his wives, and not a normal relationship with just one person. Blake was well-are of that.

But she couldn't help the feeling of utter hurt that seemed to course through her veins.

But Blake needed to remember, that this was a different world. A different life.

She would not be able to have kids…she would not get married (unless it was part of a bigger harem of women of course)…and she would never have a big house in the suburbs, where she could spend Christmas with a family all drinking egg nog around a Christmas tree.

Blake had come to realise a long time ago, that dreams like that didn't exist

She needed to be grateful for the fact that she was alive. And that alone should have been good enough.

But before the caramel-blonde woman could dwell on miserable thoughts any longer…..she felt a strong hand grasp at her upper arm and pull her back around.

It was of course Negan, who gave a long sigh, his face looking tired now, and without that hint of cockiness he usually exuded from every pore.

"Peaches…" he began, staring down hard at her now, as his hand slipped from her arm, sliding instead, down her side coming to a stop on the small of her waist. "…if you've got it into your fuckin' head that somehow you are just another notch on my fuckin' bedpost, then I think you're goddamn underestimatin' how much fuckin' shit I went through just to get you back…."

Negan gave another huff, suddenly lifting his hand from her middle, and dragging it down his beaded face, looking exhausted. And Blake, for the first time, realised that the dark-haired Saviour, unlike her, was likely running off zero sleep right now. And why? All because she had raced off in a car and almost gotten herself killed.

"...I mean, not only have I had to deal with Rick-the-Prick givin' me THE most 'homo-erotic side-eye' every time I came to visit you in that place….but I also had to fight off a goddamn swarm of dead-dicks to save your ass from a car wreck…" he continued in a carrying tone, placing a hand to his chest. "So forgive me for trying to make a fuckin joke at your expense, sweetheart. But only this morning you were sat in that bed back there, tryin' to convince me you had fucking amnesia. And yet you still think I'm the one out to just screw around with you, Doll-face?!"

Blake stared up at him now, her chest rising and falling hard.

Just say it, she thought…

Just say it….

Blake gazed deeply into Negan's eyes willing him to say the words….

…..but he instead, gave another hard sigh, rocking back on his heels.

"You eaten anythin' yet?" he asked her after a drawn-out few seconds had passed.

Blake shook herself now, giving a gulp, before dragging her eyes away from his and staring down at the floor.

The moment was gone.

"Uh…no," she said matter-of-factly, her voice warmer than it had been a few moments ago. "…I was just on my way down to the canteen."

Negan chewed on his lips momentarily, his hand moving back around to Blake's body and plucking at the tight black sweater she was wearing absent-mindedly.

"Want me to get someone to bring somethin' up to you?" he asked in a low voice, full of a thoughtfulness Blake had never heard from him before.

But at this she smiled and shook her head.

"No, its fine," she replied, her heart beating fast, as her stomach lurched happily. "I could do with the walk…"

And it was in that moment that something passed between the pair of them….something bright…that seemed to full the whole corridor with a light that hadn't been there before….causing the gloom and the dankness to dissipate….leaving only a warmth…

Negan blinked slowly, his face earnest now, as he dragged his teeth from his bottom lip.

"Well, in that case, I'll escort you down there," he said with nod, leaning into her ear as the pair of them turned around and made to head back down the long hallway. "I could do with showing my face, remind my people who's boss, that kind of thing."

But Blake smiled, and nodded knowingly.

"That would be….me, right?" she teased, nudging him.

But Negan just scoffed in return.

"Pfft," he said throwing her a wink. "Well correct me if I'm fuckin' wrong, Peaches, but if I remember rightly, you were the one on your knees for me last night, and not the other way around."

At his words, Blake just laughed and shook her head, bumping him with her shoulder this time.

"Asshole," she muttered under her breath, tutting.

But Negan, at her side, merely grinned, reaching out his free hand and holding it in front of her.

Blake paused and glanced down at it a little unsurely, before giving the smallest of bemused frowns.

"What?" she quirked back at him questioningly, cocking an eyebrow it his direction.

But it wasn't a second later than Negan let out the most enormous huff Blake had ever heard in her life.

"Jesus, Doll-face," he said in an incredulous tone. " Let me just hold your fuckin' hand."

And with that, Blake couldn't help but let out a laughing smile as she gave in…

…slipping her hand into Negan's, down between them…

….entwining her fingers neatly with his…

…as if that was where they had always belonged….

F. L. U. F. F...

*sigh* I think he might like her y'know?

Thanks to alliesmiley2, ElysiumPhoenix, sreid045, JudithMosalii, MissIndependent101, CLTex, Nerdswag4life, Hmc09, l0velylexx, LJH, MsSharingisFun, Heavenly Condemned, Guest, and Fried Rice. I have read and re-read all your comments today, so thank you all.

Is this all ok? Just a few fillers for now if that's alright with you all? Hope you don't mind. I mean I could finish it there, but I'd like to write her birthday at least...then ponder where I'll go from that point.

Please review