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

3am

It must have been around 3am when Blake awoke with a grizzled groan, to the sound of a small commotion taking place close by....

She could hear voices, low and growling somewhere nearby, and it took her a moment to realise that one of them was Negan's.

"What the fuck do you fuckin' mean, theyre inside?"

"I d-don't know, Boss. They cut through the fence somehow, the lots are swarming with rotters..."

Blake gave a frown, nuzzling her face into the pillow before she eased open a bleary eye, the orange light of the hallway illuminating two figures stood behind the open bedroom door talking.

"N-Negan-" Blake asked in a croaky voice, propping herself up against her elbows and gazing about.

It was surely still the middle of the night. What the hell was going on?

Almost at once, with one hand on the door, it was pulled back to reveal Negan, standing there, shirtless, with grey pants now slung back over his bony hips, and a scowl etched across his dark features.

"It's ok," he huffed out darkly, his eyes flickering over to her. "Go back to sleep, Darlin'."

But Blake lifted her hand, wiping sleep from her eyes and trying hard to focus despite her sleepy state.

"W-What's going on?" she asked frowning.

But Negan pressed his tongue to his back molars looking mightily pissed at something.

"It's fine, jus' stay here, alright? Let me deal with this shit," he said with another huff, offering her one last look of concern before turning back to the person at the door. "Alright, I wan' everyone out there dealin' with these dead pricks. Leave those fuckers who did this to me. Round up the boys an' get them to meet me downstairs in five."

The person on the other side of the door obviously nodded and headed away, leaving Negan, as he marched back into the room, snatching up a t-shirt and his jacket from the sofa.

Blake blinked tiredly, staring at him, still a little confused as to what was going on. She ran a hand through her long messy hair and pouted.

"Negan, i-is there someone here? What's happened?" she asked in an anxious voice, watching as he pulled on his boots, his face fixed and stern.

The dark-haired man grasped up his baseball bat, re-adjusting his grip on it a couple of times before finally answering her.

"I dunno," he uttered, sounding angry. "Some fucker got inside somehow...made a gap in the fence where those dead assholes got in after them. Simon's already got the damn place on lockdown, but you gotta stay here until I give the all clear, you understandin' me, Peaches? I ain't fuckin' riskin' losin' you...again."

Even in the dim light of the bedroom Blake could see how serious he now was. Looking like a dangerous wolf protecting his pack.

The blonde woman gave a small nod, watching worriedly as Negan made for the door before stopping suddenly in his tracks. He moved quickly back over to her, and before Blake could stop him, he had pressed his lips firmly to hers.

It wasn't surprising that after all that had happened over the last few weeks, Negan was feeling wholly worried for her safety.

So Blake would respect his pleas for her to stay where she was, up in the relative safety of the third floor hallway, far away from the commotion downstairs.

She felt him tug his lips away from hers and slope off towards the door yet again, this time leaving and closing the door shut tight behind him.

Blake gave a gulp, her eyes drifting down to her lap, all feeling of tiredness seeping away.

The Sanctuary was usually such a safe place, and even at Alexandria, the only ones Rick and the residents had feared, had been the Saviours themselves.

So it worried her now that their defences had been breached, especially after what had happened to her outside in those lots, not even a week and a half ago.

Blake scratched at her arm, feeling restless and a little antsy now that she was alone.

And so, easing herself up off of the bed, she snatched up one of Negan's white t-shirts from the floor, quickly shoving it on, her thoughts immediately moving to the little girl asleep in the room next door.

All of Blake's mothering instincts went into overdrive, feeling the overwhelming need to make sure Mia was ok now. And after all that had happened, and with walkers and dangerous people on the loose, she needed to reassure herself of that fact at least.

And so, running her fingers back through her long blonde and mussed-up hair, Blake padded out of the room on bare feet.

The corridor outside was dark and quiet, and a fluorescent light flickered and buzzed over her head, drawing her attention there for a few seconds.

A chill crept down her spine, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, feeling almost like someone was stood in the shadows watching her.... but she quickly shook stupid thoughts such as these away.

Her priority was Mia now, and so, ignoring the creepy hallway, that was always going to be just that at three in the morning, Blake headed into Mia's room quietly, being careful not to make too much of a sound.

A floorboard beneath her feet creaked as she crossed the room, with her breathing a sigh of relief as her green eyes made out the still soundly sleeping Mia, lying on her back, thumb in her mouth, her little chest rising and falling gently as she snoozed.

Blake moved over to the bed, tucking her back into the blankets that had become tangled around her tiny body, before standing up straight and curling a strand of long hair behind her ear.

She gave a soft smile as she stared down at the toddler, the little girl who these days called her mommy, who she adored with all her heart.

But Blake's peaceful musing was suddenly halted by the creak of that same floorboard behind her and the sound of the door snapping closed....

Her eyes widened, her blood suddenly running cold.

And, with her stomach lurching and her heart skipping a beat, Blake span around on the spot, her face suddenly becoming a picture of shock and confusion as her eyes landed on a figure standing there, behind her, in the small, darkened bedroom

"W-Wh..." Blake managed to mumble out in utter disbelief.

"...W-What the hell are you doing here?!"