Riley had been at Hilltop for almost a week now, and it had been better than she had expected. The people were very kind, asking her about her life and her group. Life there was very similar to that of the Firehouse. Everyone had a role and a daily routine. The appearance of Sofia and herself had shaken the daily flow of the compound initially but after a few hours no one seemed concerned by them. The brunette assumed it had something to do with the effect Jesus had on his people and their trust in his judgement. If they had shown up with any other member she doubted the situation would be the same. She assumed he must have passed some sort of verbal memo around their first night there. Yes, Riley could see the Firehouse and Hilltop having a fruitful partnership. The only bump so far, other than Sofia getting shot, was Gregory. That man was insufferable. He was unbelievably egotistical and controlling. Luckily Jesus seemed to know how to work the older man and was able to convince him of the Firehouse's value to them. All they had to do was wait for Ryan and the others to arrive so they could discuss the idea as a group, a simply task which Gregory was making impossible. Riley had explained to him the distance of their home and how long it would take the others to reach Hilltop, yet it had been barely 6 days and the man was growing impatient. He was constantly bringing Riley and Jesus into his office to complain about how long it was taking. If Riley ever needed to discribe this man to an outsider, she would simply show them the office and they would have all they needed to know

Gregory's office was exactly what one would imagined a man like him would have. It was overly lavish with deeps coloured walls and pale crown molding, plants of different sizes scattered around. There were large paintings on the walls with various nick knacks on all the unnecessary tables. Most of the room's contents held no value or necessity, they were just there so show a high status. It was the type of room a person would have to impress others post Apocalypse, although Riley had no idea who Gregory was trying to impress now. Every time the woman would walk into the office it was the same thing. The balding man would sit in the plush chair behind the desk with his hands folded in his lap and his brows deeply furrowed. He would complain, not necessarily to or at them more so just for the sake of complaining. After an hour or so they would be given 'permission' to leave. It always left a bad taste in the woman's mouth, like she was a child being reprimanded by a school principle. That wasn't the worst part though. Riley could handle the man's self-righteousness, but it was Gregory's condescension towards her that she couldn't take. He spoke to her like she was small, inferior, and worthless. Like she owed him something. Riley noticed Gregory spoke that way with many of the Hilltops residents. She had taken to doing breathing exercises during her moments with the balding man to stop herself from strangling him where he stood.

Despite the annoyance of Gregory, Riley's time at the Hilltop had been quite enjoyable. She spent most of her time with Jesus, who had been sharing his quarters with her. She learned his real name was Paul Rovia but went by Jesus since before the apocalypse started. He explained to her that he was born in California in a white panel house near a beach she hadn't heard of. He was vague about his relationships with his parents and siblings, only saying that it was what drove him to run away to Vegas on his seventeenth birthday. There, Jesus got into the art of escapology and became a street performing on the strip. Living in a house with a group of performers drove his off duty life to consisted of drugs, sex, theft, and all kinds of unsavory antics. For 3 years that was all he knew, his street act earning him the name Jesus due to his talent and appearance. When he was 23 he met the love of his life, Nathan. As soon as Jesus started talking about the man, his eyes grew distant and his voice more passionate. Nathan had been a firefighter in New York and had come to Vegas for a friend's bachelor weekend. He had been tanned with blonde hair, which was apparently never Jesus' type before. He had seen Jesus performing on the street then later at a restaurant with some friends. He introduced himself as a fan and the two got to talking.

"We exchanged numbers and kept in electronic contact for about a year" he had said. There was such love in the brown haired man's voice as he spoke that Riley could almost feel it. "The next year consisted of travelling back and forth to visit each-other until it became apparent we both wanted to be more than long distance friends."

In the 2 years of friendship Nathan had worked to get Jesus off drugs and lifestyle that accompanied it. He eventually asked Jesus to move in with him in New York which the man accepted. "After that was the best 3 years of my life" he had said in a low tone. "Nathan and I talked about getting married, maybe adopting a baby. It was just after my twenty fifth birthday that we found out he had cancer. A year and a half later he was gone. My whole world came crashing down that day."

The woman's heart broke for the man in that moment. A long silence had followed, Riley unsure of what to say and Jesus lost in his memories. After a while he ended the conversation by saying how his life was in a haze for a year after that before the world all went to hell. It was a feeling Riley knew too well. The aimlessness and the emptiness. While her past was filled with less love and devotion than Jesus's she felt a bond with the man. It was nice meeting someone else hadn't been living the dream before the walking dead took over the earth.

The pair now sat on the roof of Jesus's trailer, staring across the compound as people began to start their daily tasks. They were enjoying each others company and silence, having grown quite fond of one another in the time they'd spent together so far.

"I don't think I've properly thanked you yet" Jesus said as he stared out into the vast sky.

Riley blinked at him, "for what?"

"For offering to help. I really think we can aid each other in surviving this world." The man turned and smiled at her.

She chuckled. "Well, thanks for not blowing our heads off in that house."

"You're welcome" he replied, laughed as well. "You know, I think it was a bit of fate we ran into you guys when and how we did. We don't normally socialize outside our walls. Just take what we can when there's a blind eye and leave. We were all kinda off that day. The Saviors had been by that day and... well you know. We weren't on our 'A' games and didn't want to see any more death."

Riley gave Jesus' shoulder a small squeeze. "We'll figure this out. You won't be short the next time they come."

Before Jesus could reply they heard shouting.

"Visitors at the gate!"

Riley's heart sped up as she climbed off the roof. She was sure it was her people, although she could see the trepidation in Jesus' eyes that it could be the Saviors. The pair climbed up to where the member watching the gate stood guard. The brunette woman recognized the black pickup trunk and the male behind the wheel. She nodded to Jesus, who then gave the order to let the visitors in. Riley and Jesus were back on the ground by the time the car pulled through. The engine was cut and a tall brunette man climbed out of the drivers side. Riley smiled as she appoached him, walking into his outstreched arms which he wrapped around her

"Thank god you're okay" Kyle mumbled into her hair. Riley hugged him back as she replied, "you didn't need to worry. They're good people here."

The twins broke apart and the woman turned to face the other two men that had arrived. She smiled at Jeremy, who smiled in return, but tensed up at the frown that covered Ryan's face. Silence hung in the air for a moment. Suddenly Ryan reached forward and pulled Riley into a hug as well.

"Dangerous move, kid" he grumbled. "Luckily it turned out well."

Riley smiled as they pulled apart. "Sorry boss."

The older man rolled his eyes at her before turning towards Jesus. "I'm Ryan" he said with his hand in front of him, "thanks for your hospitality for our two ladies here."

Jesus offered a soft smile in return and shook Ryan's outstretched hand. "It was our pleasure."

Riley introduced the rest of the boys. "Jesus, this is my brother Kyle and you remember Jeremy form the house in the country." He nodded. "Boys, this is Jesus."

She turned now to Ryan, knowing there was no use in beating around the bush with her idea. "Jesus and I got to talking, and I think we could really benefit from forming a partnership with them. It's tough out there for everyone, and they're good people here."

Ryan raised and eyebrow at Riley. She opened her mouth to speak again but was cut off by the guard at the gate.

"Saviors at the gate!"