I think I liked you better when you didn't have a knife in your hand, Peaches

You truly are my f*ckin' dream girl, you know that?

It had been a cold and gloomy day at the Sanctuary, and even by the time late evening came around, the storm raging outside did not seem to be relenting.

A hard rain lashed at the high factory windows, and Saviours of all ages had huddled together in the large food-hall long after they had finished with what little dinner they had been able to earn. All of them wanting to keep warm and be with one another on a night like this.

It had been the same all afternoon too, with a strange sense of community filling the normally-bleak Sanctuary...

....also helped by Blake's presence.

The tall, blonde woman had spent the last few hours walking around, chatting and catching up with people, some she knew from the gardens, and some she only recognised in passing, all of which had been happy to stop and talk with her as she handed out inch-squares of chocolate brownie pieces to some of the children who had shyly thanked her.

Some of the younger girls and boys had even asked her to join in a game of duck-duck-goose they were playing, which she had happily obliged them for a little while as the kids ran around her shrieking, tiring her out completely.

The whole place really did feel like home to Blake these days, and even on a dark stormy evening the building felt far more of a place she could give her forever to, far more than Alexandria, or even her apartment back in the city with David, ever had.

The large canteen tonight, as the hours had ticked by, had been frequented by almost everyone....

...even Tanya and Frankie had come down here for a time, catching up with Blake a little, enquiring interestedly about her hurt foot and how much trouble she had gotten into after they had left her with Negan the other night...but even then, they had only lingered for a short while, Tanya eagerly taking a square of brownie, before heading upstairs once more...

She had seen almost everyone tonight...

...all apart from Negan and his higher up lieutenants that was, who seemed to be nowhere to be found this evening. Their often looming presence around the hall a grateful absence tonight, as everyone seemed a little more buzzing with excitement and spirit than they normally were.

Perhaps Blake would try and convince Negan and the others to loosen up on these people a little.

Once upon a time she would have doubted that she would have any influence on their regime at all. But now, after everything, these last couple of days, Blake well and truly felt like top of the pack.

She was liked around here by the majority of the Sanctuary residents, but she could hear in their voices a certain level of respect they seemed to hold for her...treating her like royalty.

But that definitely wasn't what she was. She was just a normal woman.

Back in reality...in her past life.... she had worked in an office doing admin work and had gone home each night to her crappy apartment in the bad side of town.

Back then she had been grey and hidden in the crowd. Nothing special. Just...no-one.

But here and now, she was more than that.

She was a golden light to Negan's pure darkness, shining through, bright and clear, for all to see.

Not that Blake would have ever have painted herself in that way. Her cheeks flushing a bright pink colour the moment anyone spoke to her with even the slightest amount of reverence in their voice.

All she wanted to do was to make this place good, and self-sufficient, so that she, and Negan, and all these people here, could live out whatever they had left of their days happy...well, happier than the last couple of years had been anyway.