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

As the weeks drift by

The warm and humid Fall days began to pass slowly by. And at the Sanctuary, for the first time in a long time, things felt like they were progressing well.

The workers were happier than they had been probably since they had arrived here. The lieutenants spent their days feeling much less harassed and pressured than they had been before.

And all of this was likely down to two people.

Negan had been in a much improved mood these past few weeks. Barely seen barking orders at his higher-up generals or threatening anyone with Lucille as everyone was so used to seeing him doing.

Not that he wasn't still just as intimidating as before. But nowadays, the dark-haired man's attention was fully turned upon a pregnant Blake....who seemed these days to be on a cloud-nine of her own.

But it wasn't just these things that had changed the general atmosphere of the normally gloomy and subdued community.

In the day that followed Negan's revelation to Blake about his long deceased wife, the bearded leader had gathered everyone, including the wives, together for a meeting, and there he had told everyone that the women in question were free to go and do as they pleased from that point onwards. A quiet muttering had soon filled the large hall, but Negan from high up on the walkway above, had just lazily waved his hand, grinned, and informed everyone that there was a new queen in town. And then if anyone had any issue with that, they could come and tell him directly. And that they were under no circumstances going to bother said-queen who was currently approaching her second month of her pregnancy.

Blake of course had only heard about this meeting from varying sources, Negan wanting to keep her out of it, although upon his return to their room later that morning, Blake had thanked him for the gesture in her own very special way....

This act from Negan, freed up Amber to leave the wives quarters, return to Mark and take up a position down in the laundry room. As did Layla who, confident by herself, had taken up residence downstairs with the rest of the workers too. Whereas the other three women, Tanya, Frankie and Michelle, obviously feeling a little nervous about what was ahead of them from now on, went to Blake for a advice a little later that day, who had nudged them and reassured the three women that they were free to stay upstairs and that Mia, upon Negan's suggestion, did still need childminders.

And so the three of them had stayed, retaining little of their status of wives and earning their keep along with everyone else in this place. And strangely that made these women as happy as everyone else. To be free at last. Yet still here, under the protection and care of not only Negan now, but Blake too.

It was no secret that Blake was truly loved here.

She had come as a well-needed contrast to Negan. And, without realising, had ended his harsh regime and made the place a better one for everyone living in it.

Mainly due to that soft-spot Negan had had, and still had for her.

Over the long couple of weeks that followed since Negan's announcement about Blake's pregnancy, the caramel blonde woman had received no end of well-wishes, hugs and even gifts from the workers and lieutenants that shared her home.

Feeling utterly hormonal, only yesterday for example, Blake had burst into happy tears down in the large cavernous dining hall at breakfast as one of the older workers had given her a beautiful white baby blanket, hand-embroidered with tiny flowers all along the edges.

It had been strange to Blake to feel these first stages of pregnancy all over again, after so many years.

But as much as she wanted to say she was having it easy, it had been early one morning that she had felt the first wave of nausea hit her.