"...Bring them inside…" Negan growled over the line. "...up to our room."

There was a brief moments pause before Dwight's voice could be heard through a buzz of static. "Sure thing, Boss."

Negan lowered the device from his mouth, his eyes still on Blake.

"C'mon, Peaches," he said, reaching for her hand and entwining his fingers neatly with his own, before pocketing the radio with a hiss and grasping up Lucille with a flourish.

He tugged her now in the direction of the door, heading out into the cool hallway and turning the corner and heading into the space that housed the huge metal staircase that led up to the third floor.

Blake gazed around, memories of this place coming back to her. Memories of arriving here; of David; of Negan giving her a room…. All the way up to the feeling of wandering around here, just a few short weeks ago, being pregnant….feeling that life growing inside her.

And even though Blake felt different now to how she had back then.. She understood that this was no bad thing.

People grew, things changed and time was an ever-moving concept.

There was no point in dwelling on things that were done. She needed to look ahead to the future now. And even if that had been her last stab at her having children of her own, she knew she still needed to make, this place, this life, better for the baby girl she still had. For Mia.

Blake yearned to see the tiny girl that she knew was likely sitting upstairs in the wives quarters right now. But she understood that other things needed to come first, before that. Things with Carl, Tara and Negan needed to be dealt with first and foremost.

This was important. And she needed to be there to make sure Negan kept a level-head and listened to what Carl had to say. Just like she had.

She let out a shaky breath, that didn't go unnoticed by Negan, his dark eyes flickering her way.

"You alright, Darlin'?" he asked, obviously noting that coming back here, to the Sanctuary, had to be a lot for her to process.

But Blake offered him a comforting smile in return, as they headed up the long winding staircase.

"I-I'm fine," she said, giving his hand a small, reassuring squeeze.

And that was the truth. She was fine.

"Look I appreciate you agreeing to talk to them-" she said earnestly, but before she could finish Negan cut across her curtly.

"I'm doin' this for you, Darlin', not them."

Blake looked up at him now, her eyes searching his face.

God. What if all this went horribly wrong?

"I know," she replied quietly, fixing a small worried frown onto her face as they walked the rest of the way up the stairs in silence.

It wasn't a moment or two later, did the pair find themselves outside of Negan's room. Blake's room too. Although the last time she had been here, had been on much less welcome terms. And so she took in a deep breath as Negan pushed the door open.

The air was still and everything was silent in here.

The room, of course looked just as it had the last time Blake had seen it, save for the two empty bottles of whisky that sat now upon the low coffee table on the far side of the room.

But it was a hard thing, coming back from a tranquil place of healing, to this….to a place she had felt trapped and claustrophobic.

But things felt different here now, the place felt cleaner and memories of terrible things that had passed, were now fading.

This was her home. This room….this building... it was where she belonged. Maybe where she had always belonged.

And so she would leave that white house behind, knowing that it would always still be there That reassurance sticking in her mind.

Blake dropped her hand from Negan's gently, balling her fists at her sides, and paced over to the window, staring out at the lot below, steadying her breathing as she looked out upon the green trees and fields beyond the Sanctuary boundaries.

At this, she closed her eyes for a brief moment, a lump forming in her throat.

It was hard. To fight this feeling of anxiety she knew would appear again here.

But unlike the last time she had been here, Blake could see now that those dark thought and pains, that none of that was real. She was loved. She was free. And she didn't need to be scared or fretful anymore.

She was ok.

She really, really was.

Slowly the blonde woman unclenched her hands, letting out a long puff of air as she opened her eyes once more…

...just as a pair of strong leather-clad arms suddenly snaked their way around her middle, one still clutching a familiar barbed wire covered baseball bat. .

"You sure you're alright?" Negan suddenly murmured into her ear, his scratchy cheek sliding against hers from behind. "Cause' we can go somewhere else if you're not, Peaches. Hell, there's an entire fuckin' factory full of rooms we can choose from. It doesn't have to be this one."

But Blake lifted her hand to his cheek warmly, smiling sweetly, before turning in Negan's arms, her eyes searching his.

"I'm good, I really am," she said in honest voice. "I just...I might need a moment every now and again."

She gave a difficult gulp, hoping now that he would understand her reasoning behind it without her having to explain.

But Negan wasn't a stupid guy by any means, and with a nod, he pressed a lingering kiss to her temples.

"You need anythin', you know I'm here for you, Darlin'," he hummed against her skin as he pulled away, and once again, Blake lifted her hand stroking it over his cheek.

Here and now, alone, he was a far cry from the man that people feared and loathed. He was kind and caring and protective.

And Blake hoped that he knew how much all that meant to her.

But unfortunately the couple's moment was somewhat disturbed by a loud knock on the ajar wood-panelled door that led in their room.

And a second later Dwight appeared, his eyes searching for Negan, who at once dropped his hands from Blake's waist, glancing around with a deep-set frown..

"You...uh...you want me to send them in, Boss?" he asked in a dry and gravelly voice.

And of course the pair of them knew who he was talking about with a tick already visibly working its way through Negan's cheek, as he clenched his jaw, lifting his chin, and giving a single nod in the blonde-haired man's direction.

"Send 'em in," Negan growled, as Dwight disappeared for a second and reappeared just a moment later with Carl and Tara in tow.

Both looked calmer than Blake would have been in their current position, but she hoped that this was a good thing. For the less they did, or said, to rile Negan up, the better.

She was fully aware that he was a loose cannon, that very obvious now, as he stood there as long and tall as ever, re-adjusting his grip on Lucille, as he waved a gloved hand, beckoning them both over to the long leather couch opposite.

"Don' just stand there," he said in a voice filled with sarcastic contempt. "Take a fuckin' seat."

The pair looked at each other and then to Blake for a moment who was still stood by the window, arms clutched around herself nervously, before doing as they were asked.

A thick and heavy tension immediately filled the room.

Blake knew that one wrong move from either party and it could change their lives forever.

Shit. Was all this a mistake?

Had she done the right thing bringing them both here?

But the blonde woman shook herself almost at once.

Of course it was the right thing. This was their future. Mia's future.

But that still didn't calm her nerves, as her green eyes flitted up to Negan, who was licking his lips with distaste, watching Carl and Tara as they took a seat.

From his position on the sofa, Carl looked up almost immediately and opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off by Negan, pointing a finger at him and narrowing his eyes.

The dark haired, leather jacket-wearing, man, gave a loud tut.

"Now, now, Carl, be a fuckin' gentleman and allow us all to better acquaint ourselves with each other before we get into the nitty-fuckin' gritty, shall we?" Negan growled, arching his back as he spoke, his attention quickly turning to Tara, who stared up into Negan's eyes. "Now I think proper introductions are in order. Cause although we fuckin'; met when you strolled on in here, swingin' your big ol' lady nuts between your legs, cuttin' holes in my goddamn fences and lettin' in those dead fucks, just to...what?...say hi to Peaches over here?"

Negan gave a bemused frown and glanced back over his shoulder looking at Blake for a moment, before gazing back towards Tara.

"Negan, you know it wasn't like that-" Blake said with a sigh, stepping forwards.

But Negan was on a roll, gently ignoring Blake's comment and taking a looming step towards the Alexandrian.

"Dude….I-I really never meant for any of that stuff to happen," said Blake's friend with an earnest shake of her head. "I'd heard Blake had been hurt. And I-I just wanted to see if she was ok-"

But this only earned Tara a huge scoff from Negan, who leant back on his heels and gave a hollow laugh.

"Well, Fuck. Me," he said in a loud voice, pointing at her with the dull end of Lucille. "I am sure we're both touched by your goddamn concern, Darlin'. But what I find real fuckin' funny, is that you'll come runnin' almost the moment you hear on the fuckin' grapevine that Peaches here got shot. An' yet, all those hours she spent sittin' in that house next-door, with ol' Davey-boy knockin' seven bells outta her, an' what? You were too fuckin' busy to notice?"

Blake felt a lump in her throat form at the sound of David's name and she looked up to Negan who looked utterly livid right now, like a wolf, a head of the pack, protecting all that was his.

Tara shook her head, looking desperately like she wanted now to protest, but she was cut over once again by Negan.

"See the thing is, you people act so high an' fuckin' mighty all the time, think you're the only ones strivin' for good in this piece-of-shit world, when really you are nothin' but the fuckin' cause of all that pain and misery Peaches here has had to go through. And I mean it when I say that when I find out who was responsible for that damn bullet…" Negan said leaning in to Tara and baring his teeth at her intimidatingly. "...I will kill every one of ya'll without even a second thought."

A silence hung in the air for a lengthy moment, as Tara, her eyes fixed on the ground, kept her gaze firmly away from the dark-haired man, as he slowly backed off.

But from behind him, Blake at once gave a tut.

"Negan, please, stop," she scolded, taking a step towards the three figures, arms folded over herself, a frown line lingering between her brows. "You promised me you'd hear them out."

And at once Negan turned to look at her, his face softening slightly and his mouth fixing itself into a stiff line.

He was still for a long few seconds before finally he let out a carrying huff of air and lifted a free hand dragging it down his long face.

"Alright, fiiiine," he growled, digging his cheek with his tongue, before moving away from the two Alexandrians and instead, slumping down onto the leather couch opposite both of them with a groan.

Blake's bright green eyes surveyed him for a moment as he settled down relaxing slightly, before she moved over to join him, sitting down next to him delicately.

There was a small pause before Negan gave a wave of his hand. "So talk," he muttered bluntly.

And almost at once, Carl scooted forwards in his seat, lowering his chin and taking in a deep breath.

"Look, Negan," began the young teenager bravely. "We didn't come here to cause trouble, o-or to pit you and my Dad against each other. This isn't about either of isn't about sides anymore…. this is about making something good….changing things for the better-"

But Negan cut across him before he could say any more.

"An' ol' Papa Rick is cool with this, is he?" Negan said in a cold mocking tone, that made Blake gave an immediate gulp. "'Cause hell, I am presumin' you've run all this by him first….before coming all the way out here, tryin' to convince me of your plans for a damn idyllic fuckin' world."

But Carl's immediate silence said it all.

Negan gave a cold laugh in response.

"Well shit, don' I feel special," Negan hissed, grimacing slightly and leaning forwards in his chair, cupping his hands together between his spread knees. "So what? You get the coolest kid in school to sign up first, an' you think the rest of the senior class will follow, is that it?"

Blake winced at his tone. She had known this was not going to go well, but it was already off to a terrible start after not even five minutes.

"N-No, that's not what we were trying to do-" Carl began.

"No, that was exactly what you were trying to do, strollin' on in here with Peaches, knowin' you'd be safe as long as she's around, too fuckin' pussy to be a man and do the damn dirty work yourself. Tryin' to sign me up to whatever fairytale you've concocted in that messed up, daydreamin' head of yours."

"Nothing in this world is a fairy tale, Negan, you know that, and I know that," said Carl in return. "But we can make this world better. It doesn't have to be this cruel and hard. People shouldnt have to die."

But from under his breath Blake heard Negan give a growl.

"People only died under your old-man's regime, Carl, because time after fuckin' time he tested me. Defied me. Hell, he was the one to storm on into one of my outposts and kill my damn people while they slept," Negan said in a harsh whisper. "You tellin' me that I shouldn't've been angry about that? That I shouldn't have retaliated. Because no one, Kid, no one in their right fuckin' mind would just let that happen, to people who put their trust in you to keep them safe, without some sort of punishment. So don't make out that I'm the damn bad guy here, Carl, callin' all this bulshit about how I'm the one that needs to change, because until your Dad does too, there ain't nothin' to talk about."

Blake stared dead ahead, feeling defeated.

Perhaps Negan was right.

Wasn't all this just pointless without Rick being on side too?

For what did Carl want? Negan to call a truce just like that? Play into Rick's hand? For he had to know, that after all that had happened, that that would be impossible.

But Carl stared solemnly back at Negan.

"My dad wants you dead," he said simply. "And you know he's not going to stop until that happens. Unless something drastic changes."

"So, what? You expect me to jus' roll over and be the first one to lower my gun, 'cause hell, Kid, I do that an' Ol' Rick the Prick would shoot me between the eyes before you can say 'touche' an' you know that's the damn truth right there," said Negan with a tired sounding huff, dragging a hand over his bearded chin. "Ain't neither of us gonna stand down. And ain't neither of us gonna give up what we've fuckin' built."

Negan was about to continue when a voice, that was this time, not Carl, spoke first.

"So you'd give up Blake instead?!" said Tara loudly, stark and incredulous-sounding. "Because she's what your risking, you know that!"

Blake gazed up at her dark-haired friend, blinking hard as their eyes met across the coffee table.

But their moment lasted no longer than a pinprick of a moment before the blonde woman heard the dark-haired baseball bat wielding Saviour give a low and carrying growl of anger. And, wincing, she chanced another glance in his direction, seeing that his eyes were black now and his jaw clenched together hard.

"You seriously fucking questioning my loyalty...to the people I fuckin' love?" he said scowling angrily at the dark-haired woman before him, baring his white teeth.

Tara, at once, paled. "No, I-"

"You seriously fucking suggestin' that I would let anything' happen to Peaches here willingly? Huh?" he barked, shifting forward in his seat, his ass barely perched on the cushion any more. "Because I wanna make it real fuckin' clear to you that if anythin' fuckin' happens to her, or the kid, or to any of my people, I will bring an entire world of goddamn pain crashing down onto all of you."

Negan stood abruptly, his long, lean figure looming over the pair of Alexandria's intimidatingly.

"I will make you fuckin' wish to god you'd have been torn apart by biters instead of the fuckin' fate I will have in store for you, 'cause believe me when I say, it will not be fuckin' pretty," he continued. He leered over at Tara grimly. "'Oh, an' for the fuckin' record, you question my goddamn loyalties to her, or anyone again, an' me and Lucille will gladly give you a fucking taster of what you can be expectin'."

Tara's stared up at him, but this time kept her mouth closed.

But instead it was Blake's turn to speak.

"Negan, baby, Tara wasn't questioning anything," she said with an exasperated shake of her blonde head and letting out a hard sigh. "She was just trying to make you see that this war, it's not something that can be won. Because no matter who is on top, there will always be one of you willing to put up a fight to change that. And all this will just keep going on and on until one of you us is dead."

Blake noted that Negan's expression seemed to soften a little as she spoke, but a small frown line still sat there between his eyebrows.

"Peaches..." he sighed, dragging a hand over his mouth for a long moment or two. "I'm not giving up this place so that Rick the Prick can step the fuck in an' take charge-"

"But what if things were different and neither of you were in charge?" said Carl suddenly, causing both Saviours' eyes to travel back to him. "What if all of us just cooperated, lived together, helped each other?"

"An' what? You really expect us to turn into the dam Brady Bunch?" the dark-haired man scoffed at once. "Cause I've got news for you, kid. That shit is impossible. An' you wanna know why? Because the reality is, no matter how good things are, no matter how strong you think you are, there us always gonna be someone bigger and badder waitin' in the wings to take over. You know how I know that?"

He paused, giving a hard sniff.

"'Cause I was that bigger and badder asshole," he said with a lazy shrug of his shoulders, waving his gloved hand easily through the air. "How do you think I got all this, huh?"

There was a silence where no one spoke.

Even Blake pondered his statement, her eyes dropping the coffee table before her.

It was strange to think of this place without Negan. And although she had been aware that Negan had indeed taken over this place by force or otherwise, she wondered how different it was now, to what it once had been. Was it better? Or far, far worse?

But she could only imagine it was of course the former.

There was no rape, no excuses for violence, and there were rules put in place to keep people safe.

"Look, kid," said Negan again, looking at Carl with dark chocolate eyes. "I've heard you out, but until your damn Dad is on board with all this shit, well then we're fucking done here, we clear?"

Carl almost instantly frowned. "But-"

"Nope. Nuh-uh," barked Negan sternly. "We're done."

And with that, he got to feet, crossed the room to make to haul open the door. But before he could reach it on his long legs, Tara was all of sudden standing…

"No! Please, you have to listen! Please!" she said aloud, her shoulders rising and falling hard, her eyes wide and fearful. "This can't be over!"

Everyone turned to look at her, Blake for one, taken aback by her sudden outburst.

But Negan almost immediately scowled at her tone.

"It's over 'cause I say it's fuckin' over, Sweetheart," he growled.

But Tara, her eyes awash with tears, stared back at him hard. "No, you can't...you have to do something!"

And with that, her gaze moved at once to Blake.

"I told you, Blake, they're not going to stop, it's not just Rick with a vendetta….they missed last time but they won't miss again!" Tara said with a difficult shake of her head, tears slipping down both cheeks.

But Blake gave a sudden gulp, seeing the shadow of Negan crossing her vision almost immediately.

She knew what was coming now, dread washing over her.

"You fucking know who was fucking responsible for that bullet?" came Negan's harsh voice in a low and dangerous whisper.

And immediately the dark-haired woman's' eyes met with his, looking terrified as more tears poured down her face and neck.

"N-No, I-I-" Blake's friend said quickly, her chest rising and falling hard as panic filled her gaze.

"Negan-" began Blake getting to her feet too, her own green orbs sliding back and forth between Negan and Tara.

But his voice slashed over hers before she could say another word.

"Oh I am so fuckin' done with you people," muttered Negan in a cold voice, his jaw clenched and his stare icy. "Shit. Peaches, I'm fuckin' sorry, but-"

And before Blake could do or say anything more, Negan had bellowed Dwight's name over his shoulder, and in a split second the door was thrown open and Dwight and Danny entered the room, brows' furrowed, looking more than ready for business.

Negan, who right now, had his chin lowered dangerously, staring at the two Alexandrians with contempt in his gaze, spoke suddenly.

"Lock 'em in the cell's downstairs," he said gravely to his loyal lieutenants. "Now."

And with a nod from the two men, they moved forwards and grabbed both Carl and Tara.

"No, Negan, please, what are you doing?" said Blake in a incredulous voice, moving over to him.

But Negan kept his gaze fixed on the pair instead, as they were hauled from the room without another word.

Leaving Negan and Blake alone, as the door clattered shut behind them.

Fuck.

What had she had done?

Sorry about the long hiatus. I've been having hard time with my health lately. But hopefully back on the mend soon enough.

Thanks to werdan, TWD FAN, Green, CLTex, BlueBloodsSVUOrder, LJH, Dollfacex94, alliesmiley2, kagomesdance, lovethyneighbor, CrazyThinking, Guest and angelvoice15 for reviewing.