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

Big bad Daddy discipline

"I don' laik it," moaned Mia turning her face away from the spoon with a pout.

Blake sighed. "It's just chicken broth, baby," she said gently,. "You like chicken broth."

Mia who was sitting at one end of the the long table, on the bench beside Blake, made a face. Folding her arms across her little chest stubbornly.

"Noh, I don' laik noh mor," she huffed, craning her neck away from the spoon as though it were poisoned, causing Blake to sigh.

It was hard enough as it was to find good things to feed a toddler that she actually liked the taste of in this world. So this would definitely be a blow, to not only Blake, but the Saviours who worked the kitchens too.

"Oh Beansprout, I better not be listenin' to you talkin' to your damn Mom like that," came a sudden growl from just behind the two girls. "Cause if you carry on with a fuckin' attitude like that, Pipsqueak, you'll be goin' on the damn naughty step before the day is out."

Blake swung around smiling.

It was of course Negan, who was strutting across the room towards them, baseball bat drawn up onto his leather-clad shoulder, dark eyebrow raised in Mia's direction.

At once Mia's pout grew, but she wriggled in her seat a bit, obviously pondering her Daddy's threat carefully.

"Okway," she finally said after a moment or two. "Bat I onwy eat tha bit with tha chickin' in, okway?"

Blake smiled. "Okay, baby," she repeated, bringing the spoon to her lips again and letting Mia take an agreeable bite this time.

The blonde stared up at Negan, beaming. "So this how you've been running things since I've been gone, huh?" she commented teasingly. "Big, bad, Daddy-discipline?"

But Negan, who had come to stop just behind them, looking as tall and as intimidating as ever, chuckled loudly as he leaned back on both of his long legs.

"You've gotta be kiddin' me Peaches," Negan scoffed. "That damn kid's been givin' me the runaround for days. An' you know I'm a goddamn pushover when it comes to that sappy face she fuckin' pulls when she don' get her own way."

Both adults glanced at Mia who was now gnawing on a stale-looking crust of bread, gazing around interestedly at the room full of Saviours, seemingly without a care in the world.

Blake stared back to Negan smiling, but she faltered for a brief second, suddenly catching sight of two figures that had just entered the room, just over Negan's shoulder.

She blinked, her eyes travelling to the two people and back to Negan again, who glanced behind him momentarily, following her gaze.

"You let them out?" Blake breathed, a frown line dancing between her slender brows, searching Negan's face.

He looked back at her at once, offering Blake a look so full of meaning it made her heart pound inside her ribcage, filled with so much love for him right at this every second.

"Don' sound so surprised, Sweetheart," Negan said in a low drawling voice. "You asked, an' I fuckin' delivered. They put one fuckin' toe outta line though..."

Blake stared at him in awe.

He had done it. Kept his word and let Tara and Carl out of their cells.

For there they were, entering the room and staring around looking sheepish and most certainly a little nervous at the stares they were earning from the Saviours milling around in the vast dining hall.

Blake looked at the two once more before her shining eyes drifted slowly back to Negan.

"Thank you," she said in a sincere tone, eyes searching his face.