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

The Weak Link

Blake paled a little at the tone of Simon's voice.

For there was the mustachioed man, standing in amongst a small group of men, looking as cool and as collected as ever.

But there was something about his demeanour that was different today. Something that reminded her a little of David.

Simon stood there, arms folded, a smile on his face as he peered up at her and Negan.

Beside her, Blake heard the leader of the Saviours let out a harsh growl beneath his breath. But Negan was clever. And so kept a calm resolve as he pushed back from the railing a little, a wide and deadly grin flicking up onto his lips.

"So," hissed Negan easily, although his voice still echoed through the large expansive dining hall. "This some kind of welcome home party?"

He looked to Blake for a second.

"'Cause as flattered as I am, I would've thought some of my best men would have had better things to be fuckin' doin' at past-midnight on a Friday evenin'."

His tone was playful, but Blake knew that behind it, there was something else bubbling. Something furious and irritated.

There was silence for a short moment or two where nobody spoke.

But it was predictably Simon who finally did, raising his chin, and moving his hands to both his hips, keeping his shark-like eyes fixed on Negan all the while.

"You know, Boss," said Simon in an oily voice.. "We were actually all just waiting up to speak to you...."

Almost at once Blake felt Negan bristle beside her, his jaw tensing and his eyes becoming dark.

"Y'see there's been somethin' buggin' us for a while-" continued Negan's right hand man, pacing his way methodically across the concrete floor below.

But Negan didn't let him finish.

"When you say us, does that mean all of you, or jus' you, Si?" growled the dark-haired man, blackened eyes narrowed.

But Simon gave an easy laugh, pointing up at Negan. "I see what you're doing," he said nodding, before coming to stand still again, in the centre of the circle of men. "But we're all in agreement here, I can assure you."

At this Negan licked at his lips, blinking hard.

"About what?" he merely uttered in a dark voice, taking a step forward, his fingers tensing around the yellow railing in front of him, looking like he was trying to stave off his pure fury at being spoken to like this.

Blake didn't want to speak, feeling the thick and ugly tension that filled the room, as she held on, standing just a little behind Negan, watching Simon as he opened his mouth to speak again.

"Rick," said Simon coolly, the smile sliding from his lips as he spoke the name. "And how, yet again, we let him, his son, and those....people-"

For the briefest of seconds, Blake noticed Simon's eyes flick to her.

"-walk out of here alive and well."

Simon looked back to his men grimacing.

"Do you realise how weak that makes us all look?" he finished finally, with a shake of his head.

So that was what all this was about.

Negan letting Rick go?

Blake gave a gulp realising suddenly that all of this, it was because of her.

If she hadn't been here, none of this would be an issue. A cold sense of dread washing over her at the thought that this is what Simon and these men had been ruminating on.