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

Pizza and a slow f*ck

Dusk had just begun to settle over the Sanctuary lots, sending pink and gold streaks across the dimming sky above.

Blake, with her flannel shirt tied around her waist, removed her gloves, standing up straight and wiping the perspiration from her brow with the back of her hand.

Her and the other Saviours had made a lot of progress today, repotting some tomato plants that had far outgrown their pots. As well as putting up yet another makeshift greenhouse, which some of the generals' had brought here on the way back from their run to the outpost this afternoon. The glass house had been in need of a lot of work in its disassembled state, with a few panes missing here and there. But with a couple of quick patch-ups later, in looked pretty good, and definitely functional.

For not having much experience with this kind of thing, Blake was proud of herself for what she had managed to do so far. It was indeed a far cry from admin work in an office, but perhaps this was something she could really get behind. Making this place, well, better...

A warm evening breeze seemed to dance over her shoulders now, causing Blake to shudder slightly, tossing her gloves down beside an empty wicker basket, before turning on her heel, and making to head inside.

She was the last one out here, as always, alone in the eerie quietness of the small walled garden.

But as she turned towards the door that led inside, Blake stopped suddenly. The smallest of smiles dancing its way slowly over her lips.

She cocked a slender eyebrow skyward.

"Can I help you?" she muttered out, her eyes coming to rest on the tall and looming figure of Negan, stood there, illuminated by the light of the doorway.

He had his arms folded across his chest, accompanying the smug grin he had plastered over his long features, as he stood there, leaning causally up against the doorframe.

The dark-haired Saviour marvelled at her for a moment, giving an impressed sort of chuckle, as his chocolate eyes studied her face carefully.

How long had he been standing there for, Blake wasn't quite sure...

She gave a small bemused frown, pushing a strand of loose caramel-hair away from her dust-strewn cheeks, as he finally spoke.

"What can fuckin' say, Darlin', I'm just keepin' a close on eye on my goddamn empire out here," Negan said in a low drawling voice, as Blake, shifting a large ceramic pot aide with her foot, smiled down at the ground.

"Ah, I see," she commented lightly, giving a knowing nod. "So does all this meet your approval then?"

But Negan just gave a grin.

"It certainly fuckin' does, Sweetheart," he said in an affectionate tone, causing Blake's heart to pound just a little bit faster out here in the quietness of this place.

Silence almost immediately fell between the pair of them for a brief moment, the light growing more and more strained out here as the seconds ticked by, as the first of the crickets began to chirp in the tall grass just beyond the garden walls.

"Well, if you ever wanted a change in vocation," said Blake in warm voice. "I do have some weeds that need tending to."

She cocked an eyebrow up in his direction once more, as Negan agave a laughing scoff.

"Hmmm, sounds fucking tempting, Sweetheart, but I think I'd prefer to stick to bashin' people's brains in," uttered the dark-haired Saviour in a enthused voice, arching his back as he spoke and raising the barbed-wire covered baseball bat in his gloved hand with zeal.