Negan continued to frown hard as he gazed at Blake, standing there in front of him, behind the two Alexandrians.

He didn't fucking get it. He had only seen her a couple of hours ago at that damn house. And yet now she was here? With them?

What the hell was all this? Some kind of plan, conconted between the three of them? Maybe between Rick too?

But this was Blake he was talking about. HIS Blake.

Surely she would never do anything like this? Betray him…

And as if reading his mind, the tall, blonde woman stepped forward.

She was gazing back at him now, her head gently tilted to the side, eyes imploring.

"Negan-"

But Negan couldn't help but feel defensive in this moment, standing here in front of his men, being made a fool out of. His frown almost instantly deepening, fixing his face into an uncaring scowl once more.

"So….what...?" he said in a cold voice, lifting his bat and pointing between Blake and the two Alexandrians. "They jus' turned up to offer you a damn ride home, Sweetheart?"

But Negan immediately saw Blake scowl in reply to this, opening her mouth to speak, raising both her hands and taking another step forwards, until she was level with Carl and the dark-haired woman.

But before she could say anything, the teenage boy she was standing beside, cut across her.

"Negan, please...we need to talk-" he said in serious voice.

Shit, this kid really did have balls didn't he? Standing there with his Sheriff's hat hanging down low over his bandaged eye, hand hovering over the gun at his belt.

But is words only caused Negan's blood to boil further.

He didn't want to hear from these fucking people.

These people who, despite having no evidence to put any of them there, were blatantly responsible for putting a bullet into Blake. Putting the damn people he loved in danger.

"We don' need to fuckin' do anything, Kid!" snapped Negan suddenly in a booming voice that carried across the lot, cutting over Carl as he spoke. "Cause', hell, I am fuckin' done with you assholes and your goddamn high an' mighty fuckin' attitudes, walking the hell around like you own all this shit. Cause' I thought I'd made it perefctly fuckin' clear, to you, your dad, an' your damn people, when I killed carrot-top, or eyeball, back in that line up. I'm the one in charge here... I make the rules. And' you strollin' on in here, actin' like you've strapped on a damn pair, ain't gonna change my mind. "

Negan sucked on his teeth,before baring them like a dog.

He looked at once to Dwight.

"Lock 'em the fuck up until I decide what to do with them," he said with a wave of his hand, tensing his jaw hard.

But Blake suddenly spoke before Dwight could even make a move.

"No. Stop!" she shouted, her hair flying wildy behind her as she marched up to Negan now, closing the gap between them. "Negan, please!"

Dwight hovered ,a little confused now as to what to do, as did everyone around, who stilled in what they were doing, all eyes on their leader and the blonde woman.

But Negan just stared back at her incredulously.

What the fuck was she playing at?

"What, Darlin', huh? You gonna start defendin' them again? That it?" he snapped, blinking at her hard.

Negan half expected her to shout back at him at this.

Maybe he wanted an argument now. Pissed off at her for bringing these people here.

But to his surprise Blake remained quiet, instead, taking a small step into him and reaching up, her fingers grazing across his stubbly jawline, pulling his hard gaze instantly to hers.

"Baby... I'm not here to defend them," she said with an earnest shake of her head. "When they showed up at my door...I turned them away, I didn't want to hear it. Not again."

And with that, Blake glanced back at the two figures stood behind her, watching on nervously, before she turned back to Negan.

"But I was wrong," she said licking at her lips. "And all of us...we've been turning our backs on each other for too long now. And you know as well as I do that that's all gonna end in tragedy some day."

Blake's green eyes searched his, and Negan all of a sudden felt his anger ebb away.

Blake was home.

With him.

Negan frowned slightly at her, but this was no longer a look of fury, but now a look of sheer disbelief instead.

"Please, Negan...hear them out…" she said in a soft, pleading voice, her thumb grazing over his cheekbone. "I did…"

And perhaps if this was three weeks ago, Negan would have shoved her aside, ignored her pleas…

...but so much had happened, and Negan knew that for Blake to come back here…..now.….well this had to be important.

"Let's go inside and talk…" she continued gently, her words like birdsong to him now in the quietness of the lot.

And the dark-haired man merely chewed on the corner of his lip for a long moment, his honied eyes darting over Blake's gorgeous face, taking in every inch of her, before he let out a stark huff, covering his face with his hand for a moment .

"Alright, but jus' you an' me, Peaches...they stay out here…" Negan said starkly, his lips curling slightly, as his eyes flickered over her shoulder and landed on Carl and the dark-haired gal.

He didnt fucking want to listen to a damn word they had to say, but knew that for Blake's sake, he had to hear her out at least.

And so, with a small nod of her own, and one last poignant glance back to the two nervous looking Alexandrians, Blake linked her fingers with Negan's, and walked with him into the cool and oppressive Sanctuary.

Finally returning home at long last.

It was an odd feeling to be back here, after so much time away.

Blake had, of course, grown to love the Sanctuary over time. And it wasn't until she had stepped back inside the expansive old factory building now, did she realise just how much she had missed it.

She had missed the feeling of being safe inside these four walls and not jumping every time there was a knock on the door or a noise in the distance.

She had missed being here with those she considered her family. Not just Negan and Mia but everyone here.

For it was here that she had grown into a different person, without the shackles of David around her neck, weighing heavy on her. Here she had found freedom and love, in a world where she had never thought it possible.

And it was now, that despite her fears and anxiousness about returning to this place, Blake realised that at the end of the day, that the Sanctuary was her home.

This was where she truly belonged.

Although the circumstances of her return were not now as she had hoped they would have been.

They were half way down down the gloomy hallway, walking in silence, side-by-side.

Blake knew that Negan was furious. And she understood that. Of course she did.

Blake wasn't stupid, and knew that bringing Carl and Tara here had been a bad plan, but at the end of the day it was still a hell of a lot better than if the two Alexandrians' had walked in here alone, without her, demanding an audience with Negan.

At least with Blake here, she knew he would listen to her reasoning.

He loved her. He had to.

But the blonde woman was still aware of how hot-headed he was. And although she didn't often get to see that side of him, she knew of course that it was still there, bubbling away on the inside.

He was fearsome and proud and didn't tolerate fools gladly. And Blake had understood that from the monnet she had met him.

But with her and Mia, the caramel-blonde woman had seen a different side to him…. gentle, protective, caring.

And these, often hidden, elements of this strong leader, had the potential to change all of their futures for the better.

If he could just see that there was another way. Not just for him this time. Not just for the Saviours.

But for everyone…

Blake chanced a glance up at him now, as he opened the door to a room on their right, and, checking it was empty, gestured for her to follow him inside.

Blake did, slowly closing the painted door behind her with a small snap, leaning her back against it a little forlornly, as she watched the man she loved pace across the empty room, running a hand over his mouth frustratedly.

She could see he was mad at her, but knew that he was obviously conflicted,not wanting to cause et another argument between the pair of them.

Eventually, through, half way across the room, standing by a lone table in the centre of the expansive space, he turned to her.

"You wanna explain to me what this shit is all about, Peaches," he finally said in a tired-sounding voice. "I asked you….hell, I fuckin' begged you to come back here with me earlier, an' you refuse. And yet those goddamn pricks show up, and you're back here soon as they snap their damn fingers?!"

But Blake closed her eyes for a moment, face turned towards the floor.

"It's not like that…" she murmured in a quiet voice. "You know I wanted to come home..."

But Negan turned to her, staring over at her imploringly.

"Did you, Blake? Did you?" he growled, a frown flitting between his dark eyebrows, as his name slipped from his tongue like a knife slashing through linen. "Cause from where I'm standin' those assholes snap their fingers and you come runnin'."

But Blake wasn't having any of this shit. Not from him.

Her eyes flashed darkly as she crossed the room towards him now, scowling hard.

"No, no way. After all that's happened don't you dare think that I would choose them over you, Negan," she said coming to stand in front of him and jabbing a finger into his chest hard. "I love you you stupid asshole."

And with a hard frown, Blake stood up on her tiptoes, placed her hand to the back of Negan's head…

….and pulled his lips to hers.

She felt him stay frozen for a short moment, before she heard Lucille being tossed down on the scrubbed wooden table beside them, and feeling both his hands swiftly snake around her waist.

She felt him at once groan into her mouth, flicking his hot tongue against hers hungrily.

But knowing he was enjoying himself, maybe a little too much, Blake pulled away with a knowing smirk, peeing up at him coyly.

"You gonna listen to me now?" she remarked, raising an eyebrow sternly.

And it was obvious that Negan couldn't help but grin, his lips curving up and showing off his set of straight white teeth.

"Might do," he hummed, attempting to snatch another kiss from her lips.

But Blake held him at arm's' length.

"Negan," she said softly, her voice now a little more serious. "Listen, first things first. We need to talk about what just happened out there, about Tara and Carl…"

But before Blake could continue she saw Negan's eyes instantly darken and his brow furrow deeply.

But she ran her hand down from the back of his neck, pressing her palm flat to his chest instead, giving him the smallest shove of frustration.

"Look this isn't about sides, because you know I'll always be on yours, and you know I wouldn't have brought them here without good reason," she said tilting her head to the side, causing her long blonde hair to trickle down her shoulder.

"Peaches, you really fuckin' expect me to believe that the kid came here all by himself an' that isnt some fukcing plan concocted by ol' Rick the Prick? Sendin' his son here to talk to me, forcin' me to let me guard down, so that he can swoop the fuck in to take back what's his?" asked the dark-haired Saviour with a huff of irritation.

But Blake just pursed her lips, shooting him a look.

"Carl and Tara came here to help, Negan," she said staring up into Negan's hazel eyes. "Rick doesn't know they're here-"

But Negan gave a scoff at her words, which only earned him another scowl in return from Blake.

"He doesn't!" she said firmly. "Look, Carl told me that his dad and the others are out, every day gathering guns. They're gonna try and fight back-"

But the dark-haired Saviour at once gave a wave of his hand.

"S'fine, I'll jus' take a quick trip to Pleasant as-shitsville over there and get him to hand over what he's got. Call it a damn amnesty-" he began.

But Blake shook her head.

"And what, just wait for Rick to try again?" the blonde woman said in voice of sheer desperation. "Because you know no matter what you do to him, he's never gonna stop. We'll always be fighting. And eventually someone you care about is gonna get hurt."

Negan lowered his chin at her words, gazing back at her, his chest rising and falling hard.

"I ain't gonna let you get hurt again. The pipsqueak neither-" he began, but Blake cut across him.

"But what if it's not us who gets hurt...o-or killed. What if it's you? You really think after you're gone, after your dead, Rick or anyone else is just going to take us all in after what we've helped you do? No. He's gonna make us suffer. Just like you were about to do to Carl and Tara outside, just now."

Blake felt her voice wavering and tears well in the bottom rim of her eyes.

For she new that what she was saying was true. All of them would suffer if they didnt stop this soon.

She took a breath before continuing, as Negan looked on. Lips pressed together, his face unreadable.

"Look, I got shot and I survived, but after that happened you went there with an army, all set to kill Rick and everyone else that got in your way. All for revenge. You know how that felt. How much it hurt. And Rick's only doing the same. You killed his people, Negan. And this is going to keep going back and forth, forever, until it's' over for one of us. And just because right now, we're the strong ones, that doesn't mean that in a few months time, Rick isn't stronger," Blake said her fingers curling around the fabric of Negan's white t-shirt between his unzipped black jacket. "And more people are going to end up dying. And I don't want that. Carl doesnt want that. And neither do you, baby."

Negan frowned hard, visible digging at his back molars with his tongue for a long few moments, contemplating Blake's words.

"So what, you're really tellin' me that kid and that gal are here for what? A damn peace offerin'?" he asked in a low voice.

But she shook her head once more.

"No," Blake whispered, her green eyes searching his. "He just wants to talk. That's all both of them want. That's why they're here. To try and show you that there might be better way. A future for all of us. Because one day you, and me, and Rick, we aren't gonna be here anymore. But hopefully Carl, a-and Mia, and Judith...they are. And we've got to at least try...for them..."

Negan stared at her for a long second, and for a moment Blake was sure he was gonna try and argue with her again. But instead she felt him lift his hand up and cup her cheek gently, his thumb grazing over her jawline.

"Peaches…" he began, before letting out a hard sigh. "... if I fuckin' do this...if I hear the lil' One-Eyed Shit out….you gonna stick around here again….for good this time?"

And for a second, Blake felt her heart almost stop at the words.

Was she ready to come back for good? Ready to be here?

But Blake's eyes left Negan's for a moment, staring instead around the empty room.

The Sanctuary could be a cold and lonely place and times. But at others, it was a place filled with life and warmth and joy.

And in her haze of depression and loss, Blake hadn't been able to see that.

But yet here and now, standing with Negan, this dangerous, and often frightening man, willing now to give Carl and Tara a chance, Blake knew that she was home.

For good this time.

And so, with a small smile and a nod, Blake looked back to Negan.

"I'm not going anywhere," she said pressing herself close to him, as Negan's face filled with an expression of utter relief.

And leaning forwards, Blake closed hers eyed contently as she felt him press a kiss to her temples before fumbling at his side and hauling his radio from his belt.

She took a deep breath, opened her eyes once more, peering up at him, steadying herself.

For she feared now that the most nail-biting moments of their conversation were yet to come, with Tara and Carl joining them this time.

And as though on cue, with his eyes still locked on hers., Negan brought the radio up to his mouth, letting out another lengthy sigh as he pressed his thumb down on the hold button.

"Dwight….." Negan growled, as Blake gave one final veiled gulp. "...Bring them inside…"

Ahhhhhhhh.

Thanks to all who reviewed: Kathiena, werdan, stacey40, Dollfacex94, Kara315, Moonwolf27, Rasiel Hasu, Megshinkley, Elizabeth, LJH, Crazythinking, kagomesdance and AsToldByNi.

And thank you for all the love. I'm excited to see if the new trailer, coming out later today, inspires me to continue writing, for the time being anyway.

Have a good weekend everyone! :)