Shit.

Five minutes ago they had just been enjoying a leisurely drive back to the Sanctuary and now here they were, with a man standing in the middle of the damn road holding a machine gun, which was now pointed directly at them through the windshield.

Blake swallowed hard, her green eyes flicking over to Negan who looked absolutely furious his jaw set and his brow furrowed darkly.

"GET OUT!" yelled the man pointing the gun towards them in a thick voice, gesturing with his gun. "BOTH OF YOU."

The man before them was tall and well-built, with a slicked back brown hair, and bright beady eyes full of something malicious.

"Negan-" Blake said in a quiet voice, barely moving her lips as she spoke.

She didn't want to move. For she knew what their fate may be if they got out of this truck.

But perhaps they didn't have a choice, because before Blake could utter another word, a loud scream escaped her lips as the man fired his gun three times into the windshield between the pair of them, showering the interior of the truck in glass.

"SHIT!" yelled Negan, shielding his face and turning one way as Blake turned the other, trying to hide her face from both the bullets and the shards of falling glass.

"I SAID, GET OUT," shouted the man again in cool voice. "NOW. OR I'LL MAKE SURE I WON'T MISS THIS TIME."

Blake sat up again, swallowing hard and chancing another look at Negan.

The dark haired Saviour looked livid, his eyes full of rage and anger, glare fixed on the man before them.

But Blake knew him well enough by now, seeing the cogs turning inside his head, already working out a plan.

"Do as he fuckin' says, Darlin'," Negan muttered under his breath, not moving his eyes, but obviously feeling her gaze on him now. "An' jus' follow my lead."

Blake breathed hard but did as Negan said, her hands fumbling for the door handle and giving the truck door a slow shove open, as Negan, over her shoulder, did the same.

But she stepped out to find the truck now surrounded.

People of all shapes and sizes, varying in age and sex, likely fifteen in all, stood all around, with clenched fists and wary stares. But Blake quickly noted that none of them seemed to be carrying weapons, save for the brown-haired man up front, who spoke once again.

"Thaaaat's it," he said in a harsh drawl, sounding smug. "That wasn't so hard now was it?"

Blake gave a scowl at the arrogance in the man's voice, turning and stepping around the truck, noticing the tall and looming form of Negan, on the truck's left hand side, do the same.

But Negan's visible anger, that had been there just a few seconds ago, seemed to be gone, replaced now by something else completely.

And Blake could only lower her chin, hand resting on her belt, just over the sheath that her blade was housed in, as Negan spoke suddenly.

"Well damn, Son," came the dark-haired Saviour's very recognisable voice, ringing out clear across the quiet dirt road, loud enough for all the listening group to hear. "Did you really have to go shootin' up my shit like that? I mean, fuck, that leather upholstery in there was damn-near antique. I mean it smelled like it at least."

The man, with his gun still held aloft, blinked suddenly, looking slightly taken aback by Negan.

For who wouldn't be?

Blake was instantly taken back to her first run in with the man himself. So arrogant, so cocky. All traits which the brown haired man in front of them was trying to act like he had.

But Blake wasn't stupid. She knew what this was.

Her eyes flickered around to the people stood all around her.

No weapons.

Just a single gun between all of them.

All this… well, this was a poor attempt at intimidation. Something which the Saviours were good at. Really good at in fact. And Blake knew that if she had noticed that all this was indeed a front, that Negan, as quick as he was, would have certainly had to noticed it too.

For Negan was stood there, grinning widely now, looking as cool as cucumber, Lucille swinging back at forth in his gloved hand menacingly.

But the man just ignored him, pointing the barrel of the large machine gun directly at Negan's chest. He raised his chin, plastering a smirk onto his cracked lips.

"My name is Charles," the man finally said curtly, narrowing his beady eyes at Negan. "And these are my people."

He gestured with his gun at the folks standing all around them, giving a sneering smile as he did so.

"And I'm sorry to have to tell you, but we're here to take your shit..."

A crisp silence hung in the air at the man's words. Everything around them falling utterly still for a moment as no one moved…

...no one spoke…

...no one even breathed.

A second seemed to pass, then another, then another all of the people there, including Charles, waiting for a reaction.

And they got one.

Because suddenly, there came the loud sound of laughter from Blake's left, breaking through the quiet and the tension like a knife…

And the blonde woman almost rolled her eyes, knowing of course who that laughed belonged to.

"Well, shit, Charlie!" said Negan in an obnoxious voice, leaning back on his heels and pointing to the brown haired man with the gun, with the barbed end of Lucille. "That takes some fuckin' balls, standin' up me like that, actin' like a big boy, tellin' me you're gonna take, my, shit."

Negan looked Blake's way, staring at her incredulously, eyebrows practically in his hairline. "I mean did you fuckin' hear that, Peaches?" he said loudly. "Now I know how it feels to be the recievin' end, don' I? I mean I know Charlie-boy here ain't quite got the same badass-ness I have when I say it, but goddamn it, I AM IMPRESSED! Cause' as far as catchphrases go, that shit has it all. Menace, arm-twistin', harassment..."

This time Blake did roll her eyes, tutting audibly.

"This really the time to be stroking your own ego?" she asked bluntly, tilting her head to the side and eyeing him, causing Negan to merely laugh, pointing at her with his free hand.

"Well I was lookin' forward to havin' somethin' stroked today, Darlin'," he said flashing her a arrogant wink, showing off his perfect line of white teeth as he did so. "An' if it ain't my damn cock, I guess my ego has gotta be the next best thing!"

But Blake pursed her lips, giving yet another roll of her eyes, looking away and shaking her head.

"Listen….Buddy," cut in Charles, taking what he obviously thought was an intimidating step towards Negan. "I don't think you understand the peril of your current situation-"

Blake at this, lowered her chin and gazed over at Negan, eyeing him with interest.

For she knew Negan well enough to predict what his reaction was about to be...

And she was right...

For at this, Negan turned back towards the man, his wolf-like smile freezing onto his face, looking fixed and all of a sudden very, very cold.

The two men were stood just a few feet from each other now. And despite Charles being tall, Negan was taller, or at least he seemed it, on his long legs, with his bearded chin lifted, and his eyes as black as a shark's.

"You know who I am?" Negan growled out slowly, his voice now dark and deadly sounding.

But the man before him merely laughed starkly, looking about at his group, before his eyes flicked lazily back to Negan.

"Should I?" he spat, shifting his weight onto one hip and making a face, laughing again.

Blake from her vantage point could only blink calmly, knowing full well what was about to happen, her hand covertly moving to the leather pouch at her hip.

Everyone was looking at the two men now, watching, waiting…

And Negan sucked on his teeth for brief and quiet moment, before he took a sudden and unpredictable step into the man, the barrel of the gun pressing further into his taut chest…

...as his lips curved up into a dangerous smile.

"Oh you're really gonna wish you did...friend" he uttered out in a deliciously dark tone.

"...'Cause I'm Negan."

Thanks so much to kagomesdance, jjputnam81, werdan, Guest, Sierra, Megshinkley, Guest and Elle Flanders for reviewing.

More to come soon if you want it? Thanks for reading.