Winter did not let up even within the walls of Alexandria. The blizzard slammed against the sides of the houses as if it was trying to force its way inside, the wind howled between the buildings, and snow battered against the boarded-up windows, burying everything under a thick, heavy layer. The world outside had disappeared, reduced to white and noise that did not fade for even a moment.

Inside, there was dim light.

One of the houses had been secured as best as possible, windows boarded up, gaps stuffed with whatever could be found. The air was cold, but steady, shielding you from the worst of it. A few people had gathered together, because in weather like this no one should be alone.

Negan sat back, and you lay against him, curled into his side, quiet, drowsy, your eyelids heavy. His arm was wrapped around you, firm and steady, his hand resting somewhere at your side as if by instinct, keeping you close. He said nothing, but his presence was there in every tension of muscle, in the way he reacted to every sound coming from outside.

Across the room, Aaron sat alert, more upright than the others, his gaze shifting toward you from time to time. He did not trust him. It showed in every movement, in the tightness of his jaw, in the way his hand always stayed close to his weapon. To him, Negan was not part of this place, not truly.

Siddiq sat closer to the table, calmer, tired but attentive, as if trying to hold a balance between what had been and what was now. Rosita Espinosa leaned against the wall, arms crossed, silent, watching everything without a word, while Eugene Porter sat slightly aside, muttering something under his breath, as if trying to drown out the storm with his own thoughts.

But despite the tension, despite the looks and the unspoken words, everyone was here together.

Forced by the winter.

Forced by survival.

And you, curled into his arms, felt only the warmth that cut you off from the rest of the world, from the wind, from the snow, from everything waiting beyond the walls.

And for a brief moment, that was enough.