"I don' laik it," moaned Mia turning her face away from the spoon with a pout.

Blake sighed. "It's just chicken broth, baby," she said gently,. "You like chicken broth."

Mia who was sitting at one end of the the long table, on the bench beside Blake, made a face. Folding her arms across her little chest stubbornly.

"Noh, I don' laik noh mor," she huffed, craning her neck away from the spoon as though it were poisoned, causing Blake to sigh.

It was hard enough as it was to find good things to feed a toddler that she actually liked the taste of in this world. So this would definitely be a blow, to not only Blake, but the Saviours who worked the kitchens too.

"Oh Beansprout, I better not be listenin' to you talkin' to your damn Mom like that," came a sudden growl from just behind the two girls. "Cause if you carry on with a fuckin' attitude like that, Pipsqueak, you'll be goin' on the damn naughty step before the day is out."

Blake swung around smiling.

It was of course Negan, who was strutting across the room towards them, baseball bat drawn up onto his leather-clad shoulder, dark eyebrow raised in Mia's direction.

At once Mia's pout grew, but she wriggled in her seat a bit, obviously pondering her Daddy's threat carefully.

"Okway," she finally said after a moment or two. "Bat I onwy eat tha bit with tha chickin' in, okway?"

Blake smiled. "Okay, baby," she repeated, bringing the spoon to her lips again and letting Mia take an agreeable bite this time.

The blonde stared up at Negan, beaming. "So this how you've been running things since I've been gone, huh?" she commented teasingly. "Big, bad, Daddy-discipline?"

But Negan, who had come to stop just behind them, looking as tall and as intimidating as ever, chuckled loudly as he leaned back on both of his long legs.

"You've gotta be kiddin' me Peaches," Negan scoffed. "That damn kid's been givin' me the runaround for days. An' you know I'm a goddamn pushover when it comes to that sappy face she fuckin' pulls when she don' get her own way."

Both adults glanced at Mia who was now gnawing on a stale-looking crust of bread, gazing around interestedly at the room full of Saviours, seemingly without a care in the world.

Blake stared back to Negan smiling, but she faltered for a brief second, suddenly catching sight of two figures that had just entered the room, just over Negan's shoulder.

She blinked, her eyes travelling to the two people and back to Negan again, who glanced behind him momentarily, following her gaze.

"You let them out?" Blake breathed, a frown line dancing between her slender brows, searching Negan's face.

He looked back at her at once, offering Blake a look so full of meaning it made her heart pound inside her ribcage, filled with so much love for him right at this every second.

"Don' sound so surprised, Sweetheart," Negan said in a low drawling voice. "You asked, an' I fuckin' delivered. They put one fuckin' toe outta line though…"

Blake stared at him in awe.

He had done it. Kept his word and let Tara and Carl out of their cells.

For there they were, entering the room and staring around looking sheepish and most certainly a little nervous at the stares they were earning from the Saviours milling around in the vast dining hall.

Blake looked at the two once more before her shining eyes drifted slowly back to Negan.

"Thank you," she said in a sincere tone, eyes searching his face.

But was she really surprised? Negan had proved how much he loved her, tried to amend for his mistakes, with her at least.

And here he was, proving to Blake yet again, just how much he had grown since being with her.

He had gone from being a cold, callous monster, to something much more powerful. A man with a thawed heart, that was willing to do almost anything for his own.

Negan didn't reply, just presenting her with a familiar smug smirk, that made Blake's lips twitch up into her own smile, as if on cue.

The blonde eased herself from her seat, climbing over the bench carefully and pressed a kiss to Negan's stubbly cheek. "Thank you," she repeated, hurriedly sliding past him and leaving the tall man with Mia.

As Blake walked, eyes followed her, most of the Saviours obviously surprised to see her back. But her focus was not on them now. They could have their reunions with her later.

Instead she quickly crossed the room, coming to stop in front of the pair of Alexandrians as their worried eyes' found hers.

"H-He let us out..."Tara mumbled starkly, Blake unsure of whether it was a question or a statement, merely nodding and watching as the dark-haired woman's gaze flitted over Blake's shoulder to where the leader of the Saviours was obviously still stood.

Blake licked at her lips, fumbling for words. "Yeah...listen, I'm sorry he put you in those cells," she said wth a sighing shake of her head. "He's just doing what he thinks is best for his people. Our people. It's my fault anyway, I-I should never have brought you both here, it was a mistake. And at first light tomorrow I'll get someone to drop you back near to Alexandria-"

But Carl, before Blake could say anything else, took a sudden step towards her, frowning suddenly. "No, this isnt over yet," said the teeenager despaertely. "We still need to talk to him. Make him see that war isn't the answer-"

But this time it was Blake 's turn to cut across Carl.

"Don't you think he already knows that, " she snapped, green eyes flashing dangerously at him. "Negan isn't stupid and he doesn't want to see anyone else get hurt. But your Dad started this war. If Negan backs down now…"

She shook her head.

"Look this isn't me giving up on this cause," Blake sighed, changing tack. "I want this world to be better too. But if you're going to try and convince anyone to change….shouldn't you start with your own family first?"

Blake stared into Carl's dark eyes. She had come to see, today alone, how much of a good person Negan was deep down. A man who cared about his family. And that wasn't just them, her and Mia, but everyone who lived at the Sanctuary. The people he had saved.

So why did all the responsibility have to lie with Negan? Rick surely had to change too.

"Please," she said in a soft voice, taking a deep breath and gesturing around the room. "Sit, eat something, just for now."

Both Carl and Tara gazed back at Blake for a short moment before they gave in, allowing her to show them to the head of the line for dinner.

Blake was wholly aware now of the stares the two Alexandrians were earning. Bitter mutterings of 'goddamn murderers' and 'look at that kid, so fucking smug, walking around here after what his Dad did to Lennie' among others, all of which were loud enough for everyone to hear.

Blake reddened furiously at this, shooting glares at the culprits where she could. But she of course understood their frustration.

Both sides had died by the hands of the other. No one was innocent in all this and Blake knew that as much as she desperately wanted it to happen there would likely never be a time where everyone got on and cooperated completely.

Part of her wished she could go back to the days of it being simpler. The days were the Alexandrians and the Saviours didn't know of each other.

But she also knew that if they hadn't, she would never have met Negan. And although that fact didn't make up for all the bloodshed and the loss. It was still something she clung onto, even after all this time and after all that had happened.

Not five minutes later, with trays laden, Blake led the pair over to the far side of the room, where Negan was now perched on the scrubbed wooden table beside Mia, face fixed, brow furrowed.

A stark contrast to the baby girl sitting beside him, eating several blueberries from a dish in front of her, paws and face sticky and purple from the juice.

Unlike Negan who stood there intimidatingly, Mia greeted the pair (and Blake) with a smile and a wave, brandishing one of the little blue fruit up at them.

"I gots blooburrys!" she exclaimed proudly.

"Wow, that's great, baby," said Blake in a soothing voice, offering Mia a smile and stroking back her mousy hair. But her green eyes flickered almost nervously up to Negan.

The blonde woman offered him a pleading look and with a huff, the dark-haired man stepped aside, freeing up a couple of seats at the table. Space enough for Tara and Carl to sit.

"There," Negan muttered in a low voice, filled with annoyance which immediately caused Blake to wince. "An' you can tell your damn Pops that, hell, I've fed you, taken you outta that fuckin' cell, fuck, accordin' to Peaches here we're even givin' you a goddamn bed to sleep in tonight. So if that ain't hospitality then I jus' don' know what is?"

Carl shot Negan a reproachful look, but didn't say a word, merely sliding over the bench as Tara did the same.

But by the time Negan looked up at Blake she was scowling back at him, obviously pissed at his attitude.

He just had to antagonise didn't he, she mused, letting out a huff of annoyance, before turning back to the Alexandrians and Mia, who had taken a sudden shine to Carl's sheriff's hat, her little paw stretching up to touch the brim.

The gesture was enough to break the tension between the small group. And to both Blake and Negan's surprise, there was a short pause, before Carl reached suddenly beneath Mia's arms and hauled her onto his bony knee with a smile.

Mia gave an instant squeal of delight at this.

"You like my hat?" the teen boy asked the toddler. "So does my sister, Judith. She's about your age."

He jiggled Mia on his knee, holding her tightly, as Blake chanced a glance up to Negan at her side.

The tall and looming Saviour was, for once, still and almost eerily silent, his dark eyes staring curiously between Mia and Carl.

Blake's own gaze lingered on him only for a second more, before he suddenly let out a loud huff, frowning and tearing his eyes away.

"I need some fuckin' air," he growled, sloping off, shoulders hunched and free hand dug deep into his pocket as Blake and the others watched him retreat away.

Tara and Carl asked offered her a look, as if to say 'what was that all about?' but Blake just sighed deeply and turned back to Mia, lowering her gaze from the questioning pair…

….as she internally prayed all this wouldn't end badly.

…..

Rick gave a smirk as he pulled up to the familiar gates to the large community.

"You're not keeping the car," uttered Michonne who was sat at his side in the cab of the sleek red mustang.

They had found it about thirty miles out, hidden in a barn under a blue tarpaulin, obviously someone's pride and joy.

And although it was a fixer-upper, it HAD come with a tank of gas, two more in the trunk in plastic containers, and HAD been one of those cars that Rick had always had a soft spot for back in the old world.

He chuckled. "Well we'll see," he hummed confidently, fully intent on keeping this little baby for his own collection. Surely they had enough room in this place, right?

Michonne scoffed and folded her arms over herself, both eyebrows disappearing into her hairline.

"I'm starting to think you like this car more than me," she simpered, earning her a soothing pat on the thigh from Rick as the gates just ahead of them creaked slowly open.

Rick eased the car through into Alexandria, smiling all the while, but his grin faltered a little as Aaron approached the driver's side looking solemn. Not a sight anyone in this world relished seeing.

Rick leaned out of his window, a frown sliding onto his perspiration-covered brow, as Aaron stopped beside him, bending down to speak to both of them.

The brown haired man, brushed down his pants and licked at his lips before speaking.

"It's Carl…" he said starkly," Rick's blood running cold at the very mention of his son's name in this kind of grim context. "...he was seen this morning….w-with Tara…"

Rick tilted his head.

What was so wrong with that?

Carl was a responsible kid these days and was more than capable of going out on some short runs, especially with someone like Tara with him.

But as Aaron opened his mouth to speak once again, Rick's realised that this was far more than just a simple run out to get some supplies.

"...they were last seen heading towards the Sanctuary," finished Aaron grimly. "And no one had seen or heard from them since."

And Rick cold do nothing but grimace in both terror and anger, sweat beading at his collar as his grip tightened around the Mustang's steering wheel.

Shit.

Sorry I haven't been updating. I'm still pretty poorly so it's taken me a while to write this chapter, writing snippets as and when I feel well enough. Hope people are still interested in reading?

Thanks to werdan, Ellle Falnders, CLTex, Green, Cassandra, Runaway Fantasy Princess, TWDfan, Izzy Neko, Luna White, ohdontdoit, Sara and Guest for reviewing.