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

Villagers at the door

"Ok, Ok, I'm coming," said Blake in an irritable voice, as she hurried down the stairs, pulling her skimpy summer dress back over her head as she did so.

It was about 2.15 now and she had, of course, kept an impatient Rick waiting for at least ten minutes now, whilst she had hurriedly showered and Negan had gotten slowly dressed.

The tall, dark-haired Saviour came thudding down the stairs behind her now, chuckling to himself and running a hand down his scrubby salt and pepper beard, giving a hearty sigh.

"Jesus," Negan groaned as Rick bashed his fist against the outside of the front door yet again. "The fucker seriously doesn't give up does he?"

Blake, who tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, finally reaching the downstairs hallway, glanced at him over her shoulder and gave a brief smirk.

"You really have no idea," she sighed a little, shaking her head, before relaxing her shoulders, composing herself and turning back to the door.

Did she really want to do this? Try to confront Rick. Try to explain everything to him?

Not at all. But she knew she had to. All she wanted to do was to make these people, her friends, see just why she was going back with Negan.

Her plan was to stay here until the day after tomorrow, mainly to give herself the chance to make things right with the people here. And that of course would be easier without Negan's looming presence.

She understood completely why they didn't like him, of course she did. He was intimidating, unpredictable and menacing.

But there was a side of him now, that only Blake seemed to be privy to. A man who would do almost anything for her...who held her...who dried her tears...who brought her breakfast and let her walk all over him.

Blake knew for a fact this was a side he would never present to Rick and the people here, but she needed to explain to them just why she was making the decision to leave them. It wasn't because she had turned against them in any way, despite them having locked her in a house for a week, or even was conspiring against them. No. All Blake wanted, was to be happy. And that meant going back to the place she had never in a million years thought she would think of as home.

But the Sanctuary, well, it did feel like a home to her now....as dingy and as dank as certain parts of it could be...there she felt safe and cared for...there she felt likes he had a purpose...knowing exactly what that was now.

She hadn't realised it at first, but she had slotted into the position Negan had given to her so well....

For here Blake was just a person....a boring, lonely woman....who had been knocked around by her husband, who people here had actually liked, perhaps even preferred to her!

But there at the Sanctuary, she was a Queen. A force to be reckoned with in this world...revered by all. And that was all down to one person...

The man stood just a few feet away from her now.

"Here, let me, Darlin'" Negan muttered into her ear as he grasped up the long-abandoned Lucille from the sideboard in the hallway, reaching over Blake and grabbing for the door handle.

He had control of this situation, she knew that. But part of her feared his big and bolshy attitude would only make matters worse here on this stormy and already-turbulent night.

But before she could stop him, Negan had tugged open the white front door.... to be met, not only with Rick stood there, soaked to the skin and looking furious. But also a large group of both Saviours, and folks from Alexandria who had gathered there, on the street below, in the torrential downpour.