Blake paled, clutching Mia tighter to her hip, as she stood up straight, moving quickly over to where Negan stood.
Their generator was broken and by the looks of it, the rest of their winter was going to be hard. Without power, heat or hot water the survival of the Sanctuary residents was going to be difficult, Blake knew that.
Since Eugene's stark announcement a murmur of voices was already steadily growing around them as lieutenants all shuffled about exchanging anxious look with one another.
And Blake knew that once this got out to the other Saviours, the workers, the families, there was going to be nothing that could stop the ugly rumours and the worrying.
Blake knew she needed to help. Her position of power here at the Sanctuary had to mean something.
"We'll be fine," she said suddenly in a loud voice, gazing around, not at Negan, but at everyone else standing in the bleak room. "It's gonna be hard, but we'll make it all work."
Everyone fell silent looking to Blake now, Negan included, staring at her like she was the most precious thing to him, before giving a hard sniff and leaning back on his long legs, addressing the crowd too.
"Peaches here is right," he barked. "This shit is gonna be hard, but we are the Saviours. And we need to keep doin' what we've always done. We man the fuck up, we deal, and we come out the strong motherfuckers we always come out as."
Blake was almost certain she'd heard this speech before, but it of course was enough to sate the murmurs of the crowd all around them
"So, Eugene," Negan uttered again, taking a looming step into the portly man who was still stood before them in his long black coat. "You up for sharing exactly what it is we're lookin' for out there with Simon, Arat an' the boys?"
"I am," replied Eugene with a prompt nod.
"Alright then," said Negan gruffly. "The rest of you I want out there fetchin' supplies, blankets, coats, all of that shit. Oh an' some of you need to start boardin' up soma' those broken windows. Get this place sealed up."
The crowd al shuffled, nodding again at the dark-haired man.
"Well then alright, lets get the fuck to it before we all start freezin' our balls off in here," he commanded, gesturing with his hand for them to go.
And go they did, the rest of the room clearing away before their eyes
Blake remained by Negan's side, peering up at him as the last couple of people filtered out of the room.
"People are gonna get sick," Blake said in a worried voice.
Negan gave a sigh, dragging a hand down his tired-looking face. "I know, Darlin'."
He didn't say anything further and neither did Blake, for right now both adults knew just how all this was going to go down. Winter was harsh and even with Carson here, the likelihood of sickness was bound to rise. And with the Saviours living in such close proximity to one another, something like that was bound to spread quickly.
Mia in Blake's arms gave a whine, as the blonde shushed her gently again, pressing her lips to the tops of the toddler's dusty hair.
"I cowld," the baby girl murmured, turning her face towards Negan and chewing on her little fist.
Negan gave another huff at this, reaching over and smoothing his large hand over Mia's soft hair.
"You an' her need to get somewhere warm, Peaches," he said seriously. "It's gonna be dark before we know it an' I don' wan' the pair of you traipsin' up an' down those stairs after sundown."
"I need to go see the workers first. They're going to be panicking-" began Blake, but Negan cut her off sternly.
"No, Peaches. An' I mean it this time," said Negan standing up straight and glaring down at her, his dark eyes burning with love and concern for her. "You can go see them an' settle their damn nerves tomorrow, but tonight I need you to go back to our room an' stay warm. We clear?"
Blake knew that she would normally have scoffed at Negan's commands, but right now, maybe it was to do with the small life she had growing inside her, but she didn't really feel like arguing.
So much to Negan's obvious surprise, Blake closed her mouth, giving a nod in return and replying.
"Ok. Just for tonight."
By the time Negan strolled in through the door to his and Blake's room a few hours later, looking harassed, the temperature had dropped at least four or five degrees.
Normally, Blake suspected that she wouldn't have noticed the slight drop in temperature as darkness fell.
But now, she could feel the icy wind that seemed to blast out from beneath the doors, creeping into the bones of likely every person in the Sanctuary.
Mia was already tucked up in their king size bed asleep, with an extra fleecy blanket thrown over the covers just in case.
Blake knew that she was lucky. Being with Negan meant that they had an abundance of everything up here. A gas lamp, extra blankets, winter clothes in her and Mia's closet…
Blake knew that she and the toddler would be safe and looked after no matter what, but it was the others at the Sanctuary she was concerned about. Those who worked for points. Those who toiled hard to earn just a small portion of what she had had given to her.
The blonde woman, who was sat on one of Negan's large leather couches, legs tucked up beneath her staring out at the darkened sky though the window, turned to look at the dark-haired man as he entered their room.
"How is everyone?" she asked in a quiet voice, as Negan tossed Lucille down onto the sideboard and glanced over at Mia sleeping soundly in their bed.
"Cold….and pretty goddamn nervous," he sighed, running hand down his exhausted-looking features.
Blake chewed on her lip as Negan moved over and slumped down into the seat beside her on the couch.
"It's only gonna get worse," Blake mused in a quiet tone as Negan looked her way.
He was silent for a long moment, sighing again.
"C'mere," he finally murmured placing an arm around Blake's shoulders and tugging her body close to his.
The blonde cuddled herself into him, tucking her face into Negan's tanned neck.
She didn't want to think about what would happen if a part for the generator wasn't found. Could they survive the winter? Longer even than that?
What would happen if the place eventually became uninhabitable?
There were now hundreds of Saviours. Where would they find a place with heat and power big enough to house them all?
But that wasn't the only thing worrying Blake and she knew it had likely crossed Negan's mind too.
What if the other camps- Alexandria, the Hilltop and the Kingdom, found out about this? It would certainly mean that the Sanctuary's defences would be down and it could be seen as an easy target.
All Blake knew now was that they all needed to stick together.
They all needed to survive, to stay strong, just like Negan had said.
For if they didn't, Blake knew that this could be the end to the Sanctuary as they knew it.