Loud pounding on my door woke me up. "Abby!" It sounded like Laura. "We got a situation!"

I jumped out of bed and ran to answer the door. "What's going on?" I asked wide-eyed. It must be something serious for her to wake me up like this.

"Negan wants to see you." She informed me. "Hurry up and get dressed. It's urgent."

Oh shit. I thought as I watched her leave. I must be in some trouble. I quickly used the bathroom, brushed my teeth and slightly fixed my hair. Then, I changed out of my sleep clothes and threw on my clothes from yesterday.

Nervously, I left my room and went down to the conference room. Taking a deep breath, I turned the handle and opened the door. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" The room yelled at me. I jumped, then quickly recovered realizing what this was. I started laughing.

"Twenty-one!" Laura yelled and handed me a shot.

I cringed a little looking at it because it was like still early morning, but I decided to just take it. Everyone cheered as I drank it. I laughed again. "Thanks everyone." I said awkwardly.

They all said Happy Birthday to me and talked with me briefly, then everyone slowly went about their business. We still had work to do.

"Abby." Negan stopped me. "Stay a minute." I stopped and turned to him curiously. He handed me a drink. "So twenty-one, huh?"

"Yeah." I let out a laugh.

"You're not a kid anymore." He smiled creepily.

I hesitated unsure of what to say. "…uh…yeah, I guess."

"To you." He held up his glass. I smiled a little and we both took a sip. "Have fun tonight." He shook my shoulder a little.

"Thanks." I said genuinely.

Later that night, the saviors had a little party for me. We were all drinking and partying pretty hard. Not everyone at The Sanctuary, just the ones around my age. I saw Jerid take a long puff from a joint, then blow it out. "You want some 'a this?" He asked me and held it out.

"Fuck yeah." I took it and hit it twice before handing it back. I coughed a little then laughed. "I haven't been stoned in forever."

"Good." Said Asher. "It's your night. Twenty-one is a big deal."

I laughed. We talked and drank some more. Some people were playing pool and some were playing cards. I had a pretty good card game going and was winning. We threw our cards down, I won again and laughed.

"So, Abby?" Laura asked me. "What do you want for your birthday?"

I was a little confused by her question. "Oh, I don't know." I waved her off. "This party is good enough."

"Aw isn't she sweet?" Mud teased me. I threw the deck of cards at him making them scatter all around.

"Oh come on." Said Laura again. "This is nothing. We always party." She threw back a shot, then grimaced. "Anything you want. Just say it." She shook her head.

I thought for a minute. My eyes landed on Laura's nose ring. "Well…there is one thing I've always wanted."

"Do it! Do it!" They all stood around and chanted as Eva held a needle to my nose. I was laying on the couch on my side. Apparently, Eva used to do piercings. "Do it!"

"Ready?" She asked me.

Feeling a little more nervous than before, I cringed a little. "Yeah." I kept my eyes closed as she put the needle in. It hurt but not too bad. Good thing I'm drunk and high.

"Yeah!" Everyone cheered.

Eva put the little stud in. "Okay." She said. "It's done."

"That was fast." I said with a laugh. I looked at it in the mirror and smiled. "It's fuckin' awesome."

"Yeah!" They all cheered again. Someone handed me a shot and I drank it.

"Be sure to keep it clean." Eva told me. "After a few weeks, you can switch it if you want."

"Okay." I nodded. I was happy about that because I like the little hoops and I'd rather have that instead of a stud.

The party went on, we continued to drink and smoke. Some people were blacking out and some were heading back to their rooms. I talked to Asher pretty much the whole night. He's cool and I liked him a lot. He reminds me of Leon.

"Do you like to read too?" I asked him.

He drank his shot before answering then shook his head. "Not really. I'm more of a movie person."

I nodded. "Movies are cool." I said stupidly. "Do you have a favorite?"

"Uh…I like the Transformer movies."

I smiled. "I like them too…but I've never seen the first one."

"What?" He yelled. "How haven't you seen the very first one?"

I laughed pretty hard at his reaction. "I don't know."

"We have to watch it one time then."

"Yeah, I'd like that." I smiled. We stared at each other for a moment.

Asher drank another shot, then looked around. "Looks like mostly everyone cut out." He pointed out the obvious. I just nodded. "We should probably go too."

I stared at him and smiled. "Wanna fool around?"

He let out a laugh and looked down. "For real?" He looked back up.

We threw my door open and stepped inside, then closed the door. Asher kissed me hard, we immediately started taking our clothes off like there was no tomorrow. I got in the bed and he crawled on top of me.

"I'm about to fuck my best friend's girlfriend in his bed." Asher said. "This feels wrong."

"It's okay." I touched his face, then kissed him.

It didn't take much to change his mind. He slammed into me making me cry out, then started moving fast. There wasn't anything romantic about it. It was just fucking. But I liked it.

I breathed out and moaned as Asher moved. I could tell I was getting close. Finally, it felt like everything stopped as I let go and climaxed. Not even a second after, Asher quickly pulled out of me and came on my stomach. I looked down at it.

"Sorry." He apologized. "I wasn't quick enough."

"It's okay." I reassured him. He got off me and sat on the edge of the bed for a moment. "You okay?" I touched his bare back.

Asher didn't answer right away. "…I should go." He quickly threw on his pants and walked out the door with his shirt in his hand.

I thought that was kind of weird, but I was also kind of glad because I didn't want him to sleep here. I didn't want him getting the wrong idea about this. So I was relieved that he left.

I cleaned Asher's baby gravy off me, then took a shower. I hope this isn't going to make things awkward between us now. The water cascaded over my face, I leaned against the shower wall while I thought.

I laid in my bed that night holding my pet snake, she's white. I named her Whitney because that was the name of the street I found her on. Looking down at the ring on my finger, I started thinking…I should take it off. I've been wearing it for over a year. It symbolizes a promise that would never happen, now it just represents a broken promise.

I slid the ring off my finger and looked it over. It really is a pretty ring. Leaning up a little, I sat it on my nightstand, then laid back down. There's no point in wearing it. Leon's gone, he's been gone for over a year and he's never coming back. I still miss him and I'll always love him, but I don't have to feel sad so much anymore.

While petting my snake, I thought about my dad and everyone back home. This is the longest I've ever been away from him. I haven't talked to him in forever either. I wonder how he's doing? How's my little sister and what's she look like now? Is everyone still together? And are they all okay? I miss them but…I also like it here.

I was so hungover the next day. My head was pounding and I had this nauseous feeling in my stomach. I got up and chugged a cold bottle of water. My body needed water after partying last night. I should probably eat something too even though I feel sick.

I made myself some eggs because they're good protein and protein helps hangovers. I ate my eggs and toast with some orange juice, then also had a cup of coffee after eating. I still wasn't feeling too great.

I took some Aleve and drank more water, then laid back in bed in the dark for a little longer. I really didn't feel like doing anything today. Maybe Negan would let me play hooky today since it was my birthday yesterday. One can only hope.

The next time I woke up I was feeling better than before, but I was still a little nauseous. But I still got up anyway, did my usual morning routine then went down to the main floor to see what was going on.

I saw Laura first. "Wow, Abby." She said sounding surprised. "I didn't think you'd be able to get out of bed today." She joked.

"Yeah, I definitely still feel it from yesterday." I said. "It's not the first time I've drank though."

She let out a laugh. "Well, it's your lucky day." She said. I gave her a questioning look. "Big guy sent one of the other run crews out. So we're off the hook."

"Uh." I said in relief. "Thank ya, Jesus." She laughed again. I walked over to a table where there was a coffee pot and poured myself a cup. A minute later, Asher walked in. We locked eyes. "Oh." I looked down at my cup. "Hey, Asher."

He nodded. "Hey, Ab." There was a pause as we just stared at each other. I awkwardly tapped my fingernails on my coffee mug. This is awkward. "So…did you…like your party?"

"Yeah." I said too quickly. "It was…fun." I nodded.

"That's good."

We were just standing there not talking. I bit my lip unsure of what to say. "Well, I still have a bit of a headache so I'm gonna go lay down."

"Okay." He said quickly. "Yeah, I'll see you later."

I turned and headed back to my room. That was super awkward. I was almost to my room when I heard a voice. "Abby." They stopped me. I turned around to see an unhappy Negan. "Could I see you for a moment?" He turned before I answered him.

"Sure." I said nervously. I followed him to his conference room.

"You have fun last night?" He asked me.

"Uh…yeah." I said. "Yeah, I did." I nodded. "Thanks for the party."

He grinned slightly but only for a moment. "Are you good and hungover?"

"I was." I decided not to lie. "Not so much now."

Negan swallowed hard, he didn't seem his normal humorous self. He seemed more serious. I mean…Negan could be serious when he had to be, but this didn't seem like a serious situation. "Listen, drinking's not so bad but you gotta be careful who's around, especially if you're gonna do what you did last night."

"What?" My face flushed. Does he know about me and Asher?

"I'm talking about how much you drank." He stated.

"O-oh." I said. "Yeah."

"What if one 'a those guys took advantage of you?" Negan said. I was confused by why he cares. "I promised your dad that I'd look after you." He seemed to answer my unasked question. For a brief moment I wondered if he could read minds. Maybe I was still feeling high from last night. "I don't wanna have to tell him that something happened to you. So you need to be more careful."

I nodded. "Got it." I'm not sure how much of what he said really stuck, but I just wanted to escape this conversation.

"One more thing." Negan sat up. "You came here almost a year ago. Your sentence was supposed to be a year." He said. We just stared at each other. I didn't get what he was saying. Then I did. "Your sentence is almost up. Soon, you'll be free to go anytime you want."

"I…I'm not ready." I said. "I'm not ready to go back yet."

He smiled his Negan smile. "So…you're saying you wanna stay?"

I swallowed before speaking. Think about this, Abby. I told myself. My dad and the others might get mad if they know it was my choice to stay. I shouldn't care what they think though. They were all so mad at me before. They acted like my opinion of what to do with Leon didn't even matter. Their opinions are the ones that don't matter. And so I made up my mind.

"Yes." I said with confidence. "I want to stay."

"Ha ha!" Negan said happily. "I knew you would." He got up and came over to me. "I just want you to know how thrilled it makes me that you're here…and that you wanna stay." He grinned. "I'll let your dad know next time I talk to him." We just looked at each other. "You're dismissed."

Instead of going back to my room, there was a nice little sitting area in the library so I went there to try and relax for a little. The quiet would do my head some good. I also wanted to pick out a few new books to read. I always come down here and exchange the books I've read and pick new ones. I only keep them if I really liked them, which is rare. The only book that I would never get rid of his Leon's copy of East of Eden.

There was a book that sounded pretty interesting. It was called Killing Fear and it was about a serial killer that escaped from prison and wanted revenge on all the people that got him locked up. It sounded like something I'd be into.

There was another one that sounded pretty interesting too. It was called Stranger on the Beach and it was about a couple that vacation on a beach house. They're having problems with their relationship so they thought getting away would help save their marriage. But a strange man shows up, he and the wife have an affair, then he starts stalking the couple. It sounded good so I put it with the other one to take back to my room.

I would like to find one more before going back up. I scanned the books and looked around. All of a sudden, quick footsteps walked in and sat down in one of the other chairs. It was a man, I've seen him around but I didn't know his name. There's still quite a lot of people here at The Sanctuary and we all don't know each other like at the other communities. He put his head in his hands and kind of slumped over.

Someone's having a not so good day. I thought while looking at him. I took one more glance before looking back at the books.

However, the man kept making noises like sighing and moaning. For a second, I thought he was crying. He was definitely upset though. I wondered what was wrong but didn't know if I should ask him.

After a while of him complaining, I decided to try and talk to him. "Hey." I said and walked over. "Are you okay?"

He looked up at me. His eyes were red as if he'd been crying. "Huh?" He said. "Oh yeah. I'm fine."

"Really?" I raised my eyebrows. "Because it doesn't seem like it." He paused and put his head down sadly. "I'm not very good with advice but…if you wanna talk, I'll listen." I said and sat down in front of him.

He looked like he was thinking. "It's my girlfriend." He finally spoke. "I've been wanting to propose for a long time now."

He paused after saying that. "Well…what's stopping you?" I asked when he didn't continue right away.

"I don't have a ring." He stated.

I scoffed. "That's it? That's what's bothering you?" I said with a laugh. "You don't need a ring. If you two really love each other, then that shouldn't matter."

"Yeah, but…she just means so much to me." He cried. "I wanted to do the whole normal thing and show her how much I care about her." He looked down. "I don't have much experience out there so…I'm afraid to go out…and I don't want to ask anyone else and have them risk their life for a ring." He looked back up. "Besides, it should be me."

I thought for a moment. "That's…noble of you."

"I took one off of the dead ones on the fence but…I lost it." He looked down.

I took notice to this man's state and how desperate he was. I felt bad for him and wanted to help him out somehow. "You must…really care about her." It was more of a statement than a question.

"She means everything to me." He said.

My eyes glazed over as I thought about my ring that Leon gave me. I didn't need it anymore, but…could I really give it up? The thought saddened me. Looking back at the man, I guess it's better if I could help someone. That's when I knew that this happened for a reason.

"Wait here." I said standing up and sighed. He looked up at me. "I'll be right back." I ran up to my room and grabbed the ring off my nightstand where I left it last night. I looked it over. It really was a beautiful ring. I sighed sadly. I hope it makes them happy.

I went back down to the library, he was right where I left him. Standing in front of him, he looked up at me. "Here." I said and handed him the ring.

He took it and his eyes widened. "This is nice." He said in surprise. "Where'd you get this?"

I hesitated. "…I found it…out there." I lied.

He stared at me with wide-eyes. "You're givin' this to me?"

"Yeah." I shrugged. "What use do I have for it?" I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Propose to your girlfriend." I nodded. "I hope it…makes her happy."

He hesitated looking over the ring, then at me. "Thank you." He said and stood up. He hugged me quickly. "I can never thank you enough for this." His whole demeanor changed from earlier. He didn't just look relieved, he looked happy.

I was able to force a small smile. "I'm happy to help."

He grinned. "My name's Ted." He held out his hand.

"Abby." We shook hands. "Listen, I don't mind helping you it's just…do me a favor and don't mention this to anyone."

He smiled. "You got it."

I laid in bed that night thinking about what I did. I'm glad I was able to help him, but…it also made me mad. That ring should be on my finger and Leon should be next to me. I should be with him, not here at The Sanctuary by myself. It's not fair.

Narrator's POV

"Negan." The man heard his name over the walkie.

"Rick." He said happily. "What do I owe the pleasure?"

"I think you know." Rick Grimes said smartly.

"Actually, no I don't." Negan said. "Please, do tell." He could practically hear Rick's stink eye. He enjoyed getting under the man's skin.

"My daughter." He snapped. "It's been a year."

"Yes, it has. Good for you for keeping track of time." Negan grinned.

There was a pause on the other end, he could tell that Rick was getting annoyed with him. "The sentence was a year. So my daughter can come home."

"Well…that's what I told her but the thing is…she wants to stay."

"That wasn't part of the deal." Rick snapped.

"The deal is done, Rick." Negan said. "Abby paid her time for the crime, but she doesn't wanna go home." He shrugged even though Rick couldn't see him. "She wants to stay here with us."

Rick Grimes hesitated. He never thought his daughter would want to stay at The Sanctuary. "I don't like this."

"Well, as much as you don't like it, it's her decision." Negan said. There was another pause. "Don't worry, Rick. I'll take good care of her." He glanced at the clock and saw that it was getting late. "Gotta go!" He turned off the walkie.

Rick stared down at the walkie angrily. He wanted to speak with his daughter and hear her say that she wanted to stay. For all he knew, Negan could've been lying. How could she want to stay there? Why doesn't she want to come home?

"Hey." Daryl said walking into the room. "What's goin' on?"

Rick slowly turned to his friend. "I was just talkin' to Negan." He stated. "About Abby comin' home."

"Oh yeah." Daryl seemed to perk up a little. "Her sentence is up, right? So she can come home now."

Rick licked his lips and looked away. He didn't know how to tell the others. "Yeah, but…she doesn't want to." He looked back at his friend, Daryl was looking at him differently. "She wants to stay at The Sanctuary."

"Did she say that?"

"Well, I only talked to Negan."

Daryl hesitated. "Why would she wanna do somethin' like that?"

Rick shrugged. "I guess she's…still workin' stuff out."

"It's been over a year." Daryl said roughly. "How much more time does she need to work stuff out?"

"They were engaged, Daryl." Rick looked at the man sideways. "Did you ever stop and think about how she felt about that?"

"Yeah, I know how she feels about it." He said quickly. "She hates me. She cain't stand to be in the same room as me." He looked down. "I thought maybe…she'd be over it by now though. I hoped."

Rick gave Daryl a sympathetic look without him noticing. He knew that Daryl was close with his daughter. "She will." He said. "She just needs some more time."

Daryl stared at his friend for a moment, then looked down. He wasn't sure time was what she needed. Time could heal wounds, but it couldn't fix relationships. It was up to him to do that.

Thank you all for the reviews! There's chapter 12! Hope you liked it! :D Please let me know what you think of this story so far and what you think will happen! Thanks! :)