Glenn sipped his sex on the beach drink and enjoyed the busy atmosphere around him. Negan was still wasting the little money he had at the blackjack table with Sasha. He knew Lucille was going to flip out when she found out what her husband was up to. Daryl was too busy with Connie, so go figure, he ended up alone with his colorful drink and the tiny sparkly umbrella it had. He didn't even know where Rick was. He seemed to have a bad habit of disappearing during this trip

He looked at his phone and was startled to see two missed phonecalls from his wife. He tried to call back, but she didn't answer. She would have texted if it was something urgent. So he knew he didn't have to panic. Though he also knew that his darling wife hated it when he didn't pick up his phone and he was going to be scolded at later. He scrolled further on his phone and noticed the update from Ricks account.

"What the hell." He muttered to himself and decided to walk up to Daryl and Connie.

They both greeted him with smiles, "What's up?" Daryl asked him.

"Did you see this?" Glenn handed him his phone and looked nervous as he drank his drink with a shaky hand.

Daryl looked at the photo, but didn't know how to react. On the other hand he wanted to laugh because it was a stupid ass picture in his opinion, but on the other hand it made him worried. This was not like him. Rick was very reserved, had been for the longest time. He wasn't the type to go behind the bar and drink hard liquor like this for a photo.

Connie blushed at the photo and held a hand over her mouth.

"Where the hell is he?" Daryl asked Glenn, feeling even more guilty about the talk they had earlier and suspected that it was the reason why he decided to get so blasted.

"I don't know, a bar?" Glenn took his phone back and looked at the photo more closely, "Wait a second."

"What?"

He was staring hard at the photo and then showed the picture again to Connie, "Isn't that your friend?"

Connie raised her eyebrows in confusion at him, but then nodded. She wrote down something and then handed the notepad to Daryl.

"He is with Michonne." Daryl read Connies message out loud and tried his best to keep his composure. Now he was definitely worried. He had a gut feeling about what was going on inside his mind. He was clearly drawn to her and it didn't surprise him that he was again spending time with her.

"I'll try to text him," Glenn smiled, still nervous, "I'm glad he is out there having fun, but what's up with ditching his friends."

"We will look for them. " Daryl looked at Connie for approval, and she nodded immidately.

Maggie was deep in thought as Lucille and Lori chatted away. Carol had left and she felt guilty for not sharing the truth behind her quick visit. She made up a quick lie and hoped they didn't become suspicious.

Maggie had known Rick Grimes for a long time. Lori was one of the closest people in her life. She knew this was probably just an innocent photo and he had asked a complete stranger to take the shot. There was nothing wrong with that. He was probably also very drunk, since he never used any social media.

But,

She also saw the look on her face. She looked like she was in on the joke. So there had to be more than few words exchanged between them. Sure, there was nothing wrong with having a conversation or even having some fun with strangers in Las Vegas. It just made her feel uneasy because this was Rick. The man who avoided new people like the plague. He and Daryl were the same in that way. They didn't like new people in their circle. She also knew he was not the type to cheat or even look at a another woman inappropriately. Not after what they went through with Shane.

"Maggie?"

She tore her eyes from her wine glass and looked at Lori, "Yeah?"

"I asked if you could cover me next month on the fourth since Judith has her first play and she has a big part in it."

"Sure." Maggie smiled warmly.

"Thank you," She smiled gratefully as she gathered her dress into a garment bag,"I'm gonna take my dress upstairs and check on the kids, I'll be right back." Lori seemed to be in good spirits. She was probably happy to see her husband having fun and enjoying this little vacation since he worked so much and never had time to relax.

She left the living room and Lucille finally was able to approach Maggie, "Okay, spit it out."

She crinkled her nose and faked confusion, "What?"

"Carol told you something. Spit it out."

God she hated how intuitive her friend was. Carol was not going to be happy, but she knew keeping this from Lucille was impossible when she had a hunch she was like a bloodhound.

"The picture Rick took," Maggie covered her face with her hands tiredly, "Did you zoom in?"

Lucille quickly grabbed her phone and scrolled towards the picture in question. She looked at it and shrugged, "So there is a woman taking his picture, what's the issue?"

Lucille was a bit taken aback how Maggie and Carol would assume the worst. It was simply a photo.

"Don't you think that's odd?" She tried to keep her voice quiet so that Lori wouldn't hear, "I just got a weird feeling."

"Well he seems drunk and we all do things we don't normally do when we are a bit intoxicated," Lucille reasoned and tried her best to make sense of the situation, "She was probably somebody random he ran into and he asked for a picture. No big deal."

Maggie felt embarrassed, "You're right."

"Carol needs to chill and get a hobby outside of her home." Lucille snickered and drank from her glass.

"She is just looking out for them. I know she meant no harm," Maggie defended their friend who was fiercely loyal, "I mean this is a small town, this type of thing can cause rumors."

"Well let me call Negan and he can ask Rick to take the photo down or make his account private." She agreed, it may have been an innocent party picture, but for the town Sheriff it was maybe a bit too much.

Lucille called his husband and waited for him to pick up, "This shithead never picks up when I call."

Maggie smiled back, "Yeah mine didn't answer either. Though he isn't a shithead."

"Hey baby!" Negan finally answered, "You missing me? You know when I get home I'm going to-"

"Babe you're on speaker." Lucille stopped him just in time, "Save that for later."

Maggie blushed and shook her head at them. She got up and checked that Lori was still upstairs.

"The picture Rick posted was funny, but did you guys realize his account is for everybody to see. Assholes are gonna talk about how the sheriff is wasted out of his mind in Las Vegas. Carl is gonna flip out when his schoolmates see this." Lucille explained to her husband as she heard the Casino commotion from the background, "Wait, you are not wasting our money there are you?"

"Rick?" Negan ignored her last question and sounded confused, "What picture?"

"You aren't with him?" Maggie asked this time from the background.

"Nah, I don't know where he is." Negan answered unbothered, clearly not upto speed with what was going on, "He went to the bar. Glenn and Daryl are standing there with Sashas friend Connie, you know the girl Daryl wants to bang."

Lucille quickly took him off speaker and paced around the living room, "So where is Rick?"

"I don't know. I've been playing for a couple of hours with my buddy Sasha who happens to be a very smart lady," He laughed, "Don't worry, her fiance is like a big ass GI Joe doll so I ain't messing with that."

"Negan I swear to God if you have emptied our bank account I'm gonna skin you alive and cook your balls for dinner." She spewed venomously, "Now focus and explain to me what happened with Rick."

"Watch the attitude, jeez." He wasn't happy with the third degree questioning.

"Just look at the photo he posted."

Negan groaned and wanted to go back to having fun, "Wait a sec. I'll check."

"Don't hang up!" Lucille sounded firm.

Maggie waited anxiously and tried to keep a look out for Lori who was probably stuck upstairs with moody Carl.

She could hear Negan laughing loudly on the other end of the phonecall now.

"Holy shit! Won't you look at that! My man is drunk as a skunk!" He was laughing loudly.

"Negan," Lucille snapped at him, "The woman in the picture, you know him?"

He turned quiet suddenly.

"Negan?"

"No, I don't." He answered back, his voice was a bit more serious and speech turned quicker, "Probably one of the workers from the bar or something. I think I know where that is. I'll go get him and sort this out so Carl and Judith don't need to hear shit about their dad at school."

"Thanks," Lucille nodded and sat down with a huff, "We all thought it was funny, but someone made a comment about how it might look to outsiders I think it's better to keep him from doing shit like this."

"You're absolutely right like always," Negan agreed surprisingly easily, "I'll get it done. Love you, baby."

"Love you too. Stop wasting our money!" Lucille ended the phone call and looked at Maggie. She looked at her friend and let out a long suffering sigh.

"What's wrong?" Maggie asked softly.

"He lied. Something is going on."

"Who lied?" Lori suddenly walked into the living room, interrupting their conversation.

"Fuck." Negan looked at the photo once again, clearly recognizing the woman from the picture.

"We have a problem." He announced as he walked up to Daryl.

"I know." Daryl grunted back, knowing exactly what he was talking about.

"Where did the girls go?"

"They went to check her hotel room and then they are coming back."

Negan looked puzzled. They all knew Rick wasn't capable of cheating, but something about the way he let his guard down with her made him feel certain type of way. He noticed it straight away. He knew this man better than himself and he was beyond pissed off that this was snowballing into a huge mess on his expense. He was the one who came up with this trip in the first place.

"I told him to stay away." Daryl admitted to his friend, "I noticed the way he looked at her earlier, I knew it could be trouble."

"Then why the fuck did you ask all of us to join? Man, I don't care if you're crushing on this chick right now," Negan wasn't beating around the bush, "You could've went by yourself and made sure he wasn't tempted."

"Rick is a grown ass man." He shot back.,"I ain't his babysitter."

"Yeah because you never think. We all don't have the luxury to do that and live carefree with a fucking dog." Negan was patronizing him.

"Keep Dog out of this." Daryl puffed his chest up and meant business.

"Or what?" Negan stood tall, unbudging and not one bit intimidated by him.

"Stop it!" Glenn rushed between them suddenly, "I can't even go to the bathroom without one of you losing it? Seriously?"

"This asshole is starting problems because he is jealous of my friendship with Rick. Always has been." Daryls knuckles were white as he held his hands in tight fists. Negan was very judgemental and it infuriated him, but he knew what the spesific reason behind this confrontation was. Whenever there was an fight he would try to spin it, so he looked like the better friend in everybody elses eyes.

Negan just laughed at the things he said and leaned back, "Really? That's the best you got?"

"I don't even understand why you two are fighting. Nobody is responsible for Ricks actions and it doesn't matter who is best friends with who!" Glenn was so tired of these two stubborn bulls and sighed, "Get over yourselves."

The two men looked at him and went silent. The whole moment coming to a halt as someone finally was a voice of reason. Glenn knew his place in this group of friends. He was the glue, not the loudest or the one who was the first to voice his opinion, but he always listened. So he knew the weaknesses of each one in a way nobody else knew. He knew Negan was insecure with himself, Daryl was the one who couldn't express himself and then there was Rick, the one who had a bad habit of being so stubborn that he got stuck whenever he had a thought that consumed his mind.

"I'm gonna find him," Negan exhaled, the anger and frustration finally disappiering from his voice, "This is probably a big misunderstanding. Everybody is losing their shit over nothing. "

"Yeah." Daryl agreed with him, grunting silently.

Glenn nodded, relieved that the situation between them was resolved, but deep inside he knew this was something that could be something more than they ever imagined. Life might have tossed Rick a curveball he couldn't resolve this time around.

He wasn't exactly sure what just happened. A weird collision of events led him to a moment that was very out of character for him. He had stepped into the unknown and bursted the bubble around his world which led to whole new world. It didn't make him feel fear, on the opposite this was like a tight noose around his neck had loosened up. This anxious voice that he had and followed him everywhere was silent. The pressure to be someone everyone looked up to and provided something for everyone around him was gone. He was going with the flow.

"You know that's breaking the law right?" He didn't look at her, but could smell that stinging familiar scent. It wasn't like he was born yesterday.

"You know you broke the law just like me when you followed me here?" Michonne took a hit from her blunt as she leaned against the railing.

"Followed?" He was clearly playing dumb, "You basically bullied me here because you called me a pussy."

"Fine." She sighed as she looked at the lights and big buildings, "Am I the only person in this world who doesn't think this is anything special."

"Probably," He finally looked at her, "I can admit this is quite a view and something I've never experienced, but hey I'm a grandpa so my opinion isn't that valid."

Michonne rolled her eyes at him, "Has anyone told you how obnoxious you can be?"

"My son reminds me every single day." Rick laughed dryly as he stared at the blinding lights. They stood on top of the hotel. He decided to keep his gaze from looking down because after downing a good amount of hard liquor it wasn't the smartest move to look down at the people and cars that were size of an ant from up there.

He didn't understand how she convinced him to do things that were so reckless or how she even came up with the things she did. It was odd for someone who was so matter of fact and almost cold, to be so adventurous and free spirited. Maybe it was all a facade and underneath that uptight person was someone very lost.

He furrowed his eyebrows as he realized he didn't know if he was talking about himself or her. Or maybe it was the liquor talking. He definitely didn't plan on going to the roof, but she claimed it was no big deal and he just followed her even though he knew this was not allowed.

"My son still thinks I'm the coolest person on this planet," She smiled in a way that he hadn't seen before, but her expression changed quickly into sadness, "Does your son remember, every single disappointment he experienced from childhood?"

Rick swallowed nervously and avoided the question, "Your son will be fine as long as he has you."

"I don't want him to be just fine," She smoked the last of her joint before tossing it over the railing, "I want him to be great. I want him to thrive and have a dad who doesn't make him feel like shit."

He could see the deep cuts this had caused her and the way her heart ached for her child. He could understand the pain because there was nothing he wouldn't do for his kids.

"So, what's the story behind you two?" He was genuinely curious.

She gripped the railing tightly, breathing a deep sigh, "I met him when I was twenty six and I was studying in New York. He was different than the guys I normally dated, he was a drop out with big dreams. I was just drawn to him, but deep down I knew it wouldn't last. I saw the signs, but I decided give him a chance time after time."

He allowed her to have her moment and listened. She avoided his piercing blue eyes and kept her gaze towards her feet, "My momma always said he would never be enough for me and he would figure it out. That he would never shape up to be the kind of man that I wanted and I fucking hate that she was right."

"But you had a son together. It can't be all bad." Rick wondered.

"I never said it was," Michonne snapped back quickly, "There was a lot of good. There was a lot of love, but it wasn't enough. Now my son is the one who suffers because he is a selfish piece of shit who can't even sacrifice thirty minutes out of his day for him. Just to spite me."

"I'm sorry," Rick answered because he didn't have better words to offer, "You can't blame yourself though."

She shook her head in frustration, "I chose him. I have nobody else to blame, but me."

"You didn't make him cheat and do all that crazy stuff ," He turned towards her and the words came out confident and firm, "If he chooses to lose time with his son that's on him. I've known you for two days and I see you checking your phone constantly because I know you are making sure that you are available for your son. And that tells me he has everything and more. One day your ex husband will come around and feel like crap for doing this. He won't sleep because of that. You will sleep just fine because you did everything and more."

His reassuring words made her feel a bit better and the sadness melted away for a moment. Silence took over, the city of sin seemed a little quieter from up there.

"Or I could always go to his door." He broke the silence with his humor.

"Yeah you're still obnoxious," She smiled and kept looking at the view, "You know if someone told me ten years ago I would end up in Las Vegas on top of the Hilton hotel with a strange cowboy I would probably just accept that."

"Cowboy?" He smirked innocently, "I'll take that over grandpa any day. "

"I called you grandpa once, get over it already." Michonne rolled her eyes.

"Now that's a lie," He argued back, "You did it twice on the way up here."

"Well you move like you busted your hip and need a walker."

"Hey now, I drank straight up booze from a bottle like minutes earlier," He playfully answered and positioned himself closer to her, "which was your idea to begin with."

She shrugged innocently, looking at him with her big brown eyes and playing along, "You could have just said no."

Then there was a strange moment. A second in his hazy mind that shocked himself badly. His gaze landed on her in a way that he hoped that she didn't see because it wasn't entirely innocent. Just for a second he thought about pressing her against the railing. Just for that tiny little moment his brain seemed to malfunction.

He gathered his thoughts and scoffed, "We better get going before we get caught and they kick us out."

She noticed instantly the change in his demeanor. His whole face tightened. It was like a light switch, suddenly he didn't feel so easy to talk to.

"Yeah, I need to get back to my friends." She bit her lip nervously as she realized this was going to be hard to explain to the girls.

"Same." He stated simply and walked towards the door they came out of earlier, "Thanks for the company."

She walked beside him, hugging herself as the cold wind blew around them, "No problem." She said, sensing the tension that was suddenly between them.

Rick watched her open the door and swore to himself that soon as they stepped back inside, this adventure was over.

He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He read the caller ID and guilt consumed him.

"Lori."

This one took a bit longer to write because I've been exhausted. I usually write when my baby goes to sleep, or naps. He is teething so you can imagine. Anyway hope you enjoyed this and thank you all for the reviews they make my day!! This is my only hobby currently as a single mom who can't afford much, but at least writing is free!! Cheers. Have a nice day!