Like Clockwork, Vegas Style

by megands

Friends are the family we choose. They fuel the good times, mediate the challenging times and masterfully clean-up the remnants of chaos. Kate and Ana head to Vegas for their yearly getaway trip to refuel with their best friend Rhi. Strong adult language & mature content. Fifty Shades characters belong to EL James. 2023 Megan Schmidt (megands). All rights reserved.

Chapter 147

Koalas

Rhi POV

Waking up a few hours later, I feel more refreshed than I have in a long time. Looking at the clock, I see that it's 9 am already and I'm surprised the girls have let me sleep this late. We have to leave soon and I'm not even packed. Stretching, I look down and see that I'm still in Slade's shirt and notice that my bed covers haven't been disturbed. I don't think I even moved in my sleep. That hasn't happened in a long time.

Forcing myself out of bed, I do my thing in the bathroom, brush my teeth and wash my face. Deciding to keep it simple, I forgo the makeup because there's no reason to do it today so I only moisturize. Looking at my hair I roll my eyes. Good grief I have a lot of it and it's everywhere! "I'm definitely going to need some help brushing this mess. Ha! Good luck with that, ladies and gentlemen!" I laugh at the thought of needing a crew of people to handle this. This is going to suck when I'm back home before and after surgery.

Opening the music player on my phone, I wait to hear what it's decided to play for the day. I'm greeted by the distinct guitar riffs of one of my favorite songs. Grinning at myself in the mirror, "Looks like it's a heavy metal and headbanging kind of day today." I giggle and start headbanging as I finish getting ready.

I'm more comfortable in my Adidas so I opt for a pair of jean shorts and a magenta cami. I have a matching jacket in case I need it but I'm not ready for that yet. Continuing to headbang, I pack everything I can, literally shoving things into my bag but I take care with my dress and shoes. I love this dress and plan on wearing it again back home. That ought to throw people for a loop. The only things I have left are my brush and my socks and shoes. I was surprised I was able to find some magenta Adidas so I bought them the minute I found them. They're super cute.

I feel great today and seem to have an abundance of energy this morning for some reason and the music just seems to fuel it. I bounce around the room, swinging my hair around, playing air drums and guitar. After a few minutes, I turn off my music and head into the main room, leaving my bag behind.

Headbanging as I walk, I see Kate and Ana sitting at the breakfast bar drinking coffee quietly. I'm way too amped up to be quiet, let alone sit, so I continue to the kitchen to make some coffee for myself. A laugh escapes me when I turn around to see them staring at me, wide-eyed.

"What?" I ask, cheerfully.

"Someone woke up in a good mood today." Kate responds with a grin.

"What the hell were you listening to?" Ana asks, her eyebrows raised.

I grin, "Heavy metal. You know, headbanging music. The proper headbanging music." Turning my music back on, I demonstrate, whipping my hair and bouncing around the kitchen. I'm so into it that I don't hear a knock at the door or see Ana getting up to open it. I'm not sure how long they let me go on but as I'm singing the lyrics, I look over and see Lurch and Retro standing in the doorway, frozen in place, staring. "Good morning!" I chirp with a grin, mid-swing, then continue my dancing.

The music stops suddenly and look to see Kate grinning, holding my phone in her hand. "Good god Rhi, how the hell do you have so much energy?"

Resigned, I stop, for now and giggle. "I slept."

"You slept. THAT's your answer?" Ana asks. "You slept for maybe four hours."

Shrugging, I grin, "That's plenty to get my blood flowing." Bouncing over to her and Kate, I give them both a hug and kiss their cheeks. I'm so tempted to lick them, you know like a big Golden Retriever would, but I'm sure that would freak them out.

"Come on, turn it back on. Let's see what the next song is. It'll be a surprise to both of us because it's on a mix." I urge. "Besides, you guys need to get some juices flowing." I grin and glance at Lurch, wiggling my eyebrows. Shaking his head, he grins and winks back.

Groaning, Kate does and country comes on. "What the hell? From Heavy Metal to Country?"

Shrugging, I reply, "I listen to pretty much everything. My playlist surprises me on a daily basis." Nodding to my phone, "Go ahead, see what the next song is." She does and Hip Hop comes on. "See?"

"OK. Well, let's just put a hold on the music for right now and figure out what our plan is." She turns off my music again and I keep bopping to the music in my head.

Running toward the kitchen, I slide across the floor to the coffee maker. Pulling out a cup, I turn to the guys and ask, "Do you want a cup?"

Lurch nods, "Sure."

Retro nods too, "Yes, please."

OK, so, I totally can't stop myself from grabbing two cups and walking over to them. "Here you go! Two cups coming right up!" The looks they're giving me are priceless and I start laughing so hard I fall over, smacking my head on the edge of the breakfast bar.

"Fuck, Rhi. You're going to knock yourself out." Lurch mutters, "Come on, get up."

Squatting down, he starts to lift me up like I'm a child and I take this opportunity to wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck, clinging to him like a koala. He tries to set me down but I won't let go. Retro steps out of the way so he doesn't get hit while Lurch overcompensates his weight balance and he falls backwards, landing on his back with a grunt. Luckily, he wasn't standing up completely otherwise he would have been hurt. Maybe. Then again, the man's a tank and is probably indestructible. We're on the floor and I'm still wrapped around him, laughing hysterically and hear Retro cracking up behind me.

Leaning back, I grin, "Well good morning, handsome! Fancy meeting you here!" I'm not positive but I don't think he's too thrilled about falling over because of me. He looks a little flustered.

"Tink, let go." He growls at me. I know he's not really mad because I can see the glint in his eyes.

Shaking my head, I refuse. "No. Make me."

Grabbing me by the waist, he tickles me until I'm laughing so hard I can't breathe and I'm forced to let go. "That's cheating." I pout.

He laughs, "Turn around is fair play, missy."

Looking somewhere behind me, he says, "Ryan, get her off me so I can get up."

The next thing I know, arms wrap around me and I'm lifted up and dangling in the air, watching as Lurch gets up.

"Dude, what's that on your shirt?" Retro asks.

Looking down, Lurch touches his shirt and looks at his finger. "It looks like blood but I'm not bleeding." Glancing up at me, he says quietly, "Rhi, you're bleeding."

Frowning, I disagree. "No I'm not. I'm not hurt." I shake my head and little drops of blood splatter against the wall. "Well, would you look at that." I say, surprised. "Maybe I am bleeding."

Stepping closer, he moves my hair from my face and his eyes widen. "Kate or Ana go look for a first aid kit. Ryan, set Rhi on the counter by the sink." He disappears into my room and comes back a minute or so later with soap, a washcloth and a towel.

I frown at him. "What's wrong?"

He scowls, "Rhi, you're bleeding from hitting your head on the table." I move to jump off the counter but Retro stops me.

"Rhi, don't move. You're going to make a mess." He has a smile on his face and is shaking his head at me. "This is why we don't roughhouse." He laughs and Lurch scowls at him too. "What? It's just a little cut. She'll be fine."

Holding out my fist to him, "That's what I'm talking about. You tell 'em." He bumps my fist with his.

Rolling his eyes, Lurch glares at me for laughing and growls, "Just sit still and let me clean you up so I can see how much damage you've done."

"Fine." Crossing my arms over my chest, I pout. "Party pooper."

Getting the washcloth wet, he wipes the side of my head and the cloth turns bright red. "See? It's worse than you think." He stares daggers at Ryan who is chuckling.

"It's a flesh wound on the head. The head bleeds a lot. I'm fine." I point out the obvious.

"Have fun, Reynolds. You've got your hands full with her." He laughs when Lurch growls at him. Literally.

Kate and Ana come back in with a first aid kit and their eyes widen in surprise when they see the washcloth. "Rhi, didn't the Captain ever tell you not to roughhouse?" Kate chastises with a smirk.

Shrugging, "Probably, but apparently I wasn't really listening." I grin, "I was too busy roughhousing." Lurch sighs heavily.

Ana slaps my arm but she's smirking too. "I'm pretty sure you were yelled at a lot for doing it too." She laughs.

"I can hear Dad now," Dropping my voice to imitate Dad, "'Rhi, it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt.' It IS all fun and games, even when someone gets hurt." Laughing, I add, "Then it's hilarious."

"Rhi, you're making this next to impossible." Lurch lets out a breath of frustration. "Stop. Moving."

"Yes, Daddy." I mutter. Retro busts out laughing and almost spills the coffee that he's pouring into his cup.

Lurch curses under his breath and I swear he's about to throttle me right about now. I know I should stop but I can't. He's just so fun to fuck with. Ignoring me, he continues to clean me up, glowering at me every once in a while. It appears he's the only one who doesn't find this as funny as we do.

Kate and Ana go back to their seats and Retro joins them. Drinking their coffee, they sit and watch. "Look! Instead of dinner and a movie, it's coffee and a show!" I giggle, "I expect a good tip for this type of entertainment." I'm rewarded with laughter from them and another scowl from Lurch.

Swinging my legs side to side, I start singing the Jeopardy tune and Kate, Ana and Retro join in. We're getting into it when Lurch stops, places his hands on either side of me and glares. "Rhi. Sit. Still." Turning his gaze to the others, he grumbles, "You three," He points to them, "Stop encouraging her."

Retro smirks, "Yes, Dad." Kate and Ana cover their mouths and start laughing.

"Oh my fucking god." Lurch's voice is thick with annoyance and I wonder how much longer it will be before he throws in the towel. "I can't with you four right now. It's too early for this." We all bust out laughing, except for Lurch. Glaring at Retro, he points at him, "You're supposed to be on my side."

Retro shrugs, "Sorry, Bro. It's hilarious. I can't stop seeing her take you down." Chuckling, he adds, "She's hilarious. I can't wait to see her and Elliot together."

"Oh god." Lurch groans. "If she's this bad by herself, and we both know how Elliot is, I don't even want to imagine the two of them together." I laugh when he turns to me, "You're killing me here."

"Smalls." I can't help but giggle when he looks at me confused.

"What?" He asks.

"You're killing me, Smalls." I answer with a grin, "You have to say it right."

He rolls his eyes and mutters, "Whatever." We all bust out laughing at how frustrated he is and how hard he's trying to ignore us.

I'm silently staring at him and I can tell it's getting to him. "Quit staring, Tink." He says, without looking at me.

Saying nothing for a minute, I keep a straight face, "You're hot when you're mad." Waiting until he makes eye contact with me, I bat my eyes at him. "You have such pretty eyes too, even when they're glaring at me." I lick my lips slowly and bite my bottom lip. Retro is laughing and I can see, out of the corner of my eye, Kate and Ana shaking their heads, grinning.

Glancing down at my mouth, he slowly lifts his eyes to mine and keeps his face blank when he responds, "Nice try, Tink. Just let me clean you up so you don't get blood everywhere. Then you can get off the counter."

"Dude, she's fine. It's not like you can see her brain." Retro rolls his eyes. "Give her some gauze or a paper towel to hold on it until it stops bleeding and she'll be good as new."

"I'm just trying to get the blood out of her hair and it's still bleeding a little." He glances at me. "It's taking longer because she has so much hair."

"Come onnnn, let me down." I whine, poking him in the stomach. "I'll go into the bathroom and clean myself up." Looking up at him through my eyelashes, pouting. "Pleeease?"

Shaking his head, he finally concedes. "Fine. Go get cleaned up." Handing me the washcloth, he sighs, "Here. Take this in case you start bleeding again."

YES! There's the white surrender towel! I knew it wouldn't take long.

I start to jump off the counter but he stops me. "Never mind. I'll take you. I don't know if you'll be able to do everything with one hand." I nod and when he picks me up off the counter to set me down I wrap myself around him again. He sighs in defeat and shakes his head. "You're a pain in the ass this morning." He grumbles, as he carries me out of the kitchen.

As we're passing everyone, I glance at them and grin, "Oops." They chuckle and shake their heads.

"I heard that, Tink." He says without turning his head.

I giggle as we make our way through the bedroom and stop in front of the mirror in the bathroom. Turning my head to the side, I look where I hit my head. There's a little blood still in my hair but it's not as bad as he made it out to be. Men are such big babies when it comes to injuries.

He's still holding me so I lean back to look at him. "I'm sorry if I made you mad. It really isn't a big deal though, at least not to me."

Sighing, he replies, "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have made a big deal out of it. It's really not that bad, as you said, but I don't like to see you hurt. Seeing the blood, well, it kind of freaked me out a little." He looks down at me, "I didn't mean to smother you or make you feel like a child if I did."

"Nah. We're good. No need to apologize. It just added fuel to the fire and I ran with it. Sorry for knocking you over." Touching his cheek, "Are you OK?"

He chuckles, "It takes a lot more than that to hurt me. You just caught me off guard, that's all." He grins, "I didn't expect to walk into chaos this early."

"Well, there's more where this came from. I slept, pretty well I might add, and I'm raring to go." I'm still wrapped around him and try to pull away so he can put me down but he holds on tighter. "Am I heavy?" I ask.

"Yes, Tink, you're so heavy I can barely hold you." Acting, like he's going to drop me, I squeal and tighten my grip on his neck. He laughs and shakes his head. "That was a joke, right? I can bench press you with one arm. No, you're not heavy." I make a face and he asks, "Am I crushing you?"

Shaking my head, "No. I'm OK." Snuggling in closer, I inhale deeply. "You smell good."

"Thank you." He grins, "I try."

"I like the color of your shirt." Giving him my best smile, "It brings out your eyes."

"Thanks. It's tainted now though. Yet another shirt you can have, AFTER it's cleaned." His voice drops, "Only if I get to see you in it, though. Some day."

Leaning back so I can look up at him, I smirk. "We can have a contest to see who wears it best." I giggle when he squeezes my ass, which he's had his hands on since we left the kitchen.

"You'll win that contest, hands down." He chuckles.

"Oh, I don't know about all that. It looks pretty good on you." Licking my lips, I wink at him.

Shrugging, he grins, "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

A thought hits me and I realize I should have asked it yesterday before I kissed him but I was focused on enjoying my fun. Hesitantly, I ask, "Can I ask you something?" I'm not sure if I want to hear this answer but I need to know.

He doesn't have a puzzled look and he doesn't give off an 'I'm hiding something' vibe when he answers before I can ask the question. "No, Rhi. There's no one back home. I'm as single as they come. I told you before that my job got in the way of me having a social life and that I only focused on my job. I didn't have a reason to take time off. That changed recently and I want to start taking time off and go on vacations instead of working twenty-four-seven. That recent change, Rhi, is YOU. YOU made me want to spend time away from work. I want to spend time with YOU. ONLY you. I want to experience and enjoy life and have fun like we have been. TOGETHER. I don't want to see anyone else." He looks at me intensely, "I don't want you to see anyone else, either. Are you OK with that because if not, just let me know and I'll back off. I'll understand, especially after all the bullshit you've had to deal with, if you don't. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

"Scott, stop. Breathe. Relax." Ending his slew of words, I place my finger on his lips. "I was hoping you would say that. I didn't want to feel like I kissed a taken man." I grin, "Unless he's taken by me. If you're OK with it, we can both be taken. By each other. You're mine and I'm yours."

He nods and gives me his amazing smile. We're both quiet as we look at each other and after a minute, he glances at my lips briefly and when he looks back up, his eyes are full of intensity. Slowly, he leans down, hesitating slightly, asking a silent question. I answer by tilting my head up and when I feel his minty breath on my face I close my eyes and a second later I feel his lips on mine. It's sweet, soft and gentle, and slowly becomes deeper. Drawing me closer, if that's possible, my toes curl and I feel my insides turning to Jello as I melt into him.

I sigh deeply as he pulls away and exhales, resting his forehead on mine. "OK then. It's a done deal and sealed with a kiss. I've wanted to do that since you kissed me last night." He chuckles, "Well, technically, this morning."

I giggle. "I did it because I knew you wouldn't."

"You're right. I wouldn't have. I didn't want to give you the wrong impression that that's all I wanted. I'm not the type to make someone do something they don't want to do. You've had enough bullshit thrown at you the past few days and I didn't want to add to it. It was your choice then and still is. You are at the wheel and I'm just along for the ride." He smiles an amazing smile, and adds, "Besides, the rest of this vacation is all about you. Not me or anyone else. Your happiness is what matters."

Squeezing him with my arms and legs, I smile up at him. "Thank you.

He furrows his brows, "For what?"

"For thinking of me and giving me the choice." I shrug. "You have no idea how much that means to me."

"Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea." He smiles, "That's the way it should be."

After a minute, he sighs, "While I'd love to stay here, with you in my arms and my hands on your ass, I suppose we should get you cleaned up and get back out there."

I nod in agreement, "Yeah. I suppose so. They're probably waiting impatiently for us." I snicker, "They're always waiting on me."

Setting me on the counter, he rinses out the washcloth and hands it to me so I can clean the blood out my hair. After a few minutes, it appears all the blood is washed away so I rinse out the washcloth and throw it in the trash. "Can you tie that trash bag in a knot for me, please?"

He looks confused about the request but nods. "What did you do that for?" He asks, looking at the trash can with the tied-off trash bag in it.

"It's a biohazard. I don't want anyone to touch it." I wink at him. "Safety first. Besides, it's gross to touch someone else's body fluids." Nudging him with my elbow, "Unless you know them." His expression makes me bust out laughing so hard I almost fall off the counter.

With cat-like reflexes, he reaches out and snatches me out of the waiting arms of disaster. "God dammit, Tink. Would you be careful?" He chastises, securing me back on the counter. "Not to mention BEHAVE."

I smile and bat my eyes and say in a Southern accent, "My hero."

Chuckling, he steps closer. "You're a pain in the ass when you're injured, you know that?"

Shrugging, I nod. "I've been told that a few times. Dad used to get so mad at me because I did the same thing to him." I laugh, "My extended family does the same thing you did, short of tying me down and gagging me to keep me from talking. It doesn't stop me from humming though." I grin. "Gotta keep them on their toes, ya know?"

Shaking his head, "Come on, let's go out and see what everyone wants to eat."

Stepping back to let me get off the counter, he stops when I stay still and stare up at him silently. "What's wrong?" He asks, concerned.

Shaking my head, I answer, "Nothing. Nothing at all. You're just amazing and you make me happy. Come on, let's go." Jumping off the counter, the second my feet hit the ground I bolt and run through the room heading toward where everyone is sitting. No one is paying attention so I take the opportunity to pounce on Retro from behind. Luckily, he's sitting on a stool that doesn't have a back otherwise I'd really hurt myself.

Jumping up on his back, I wrap my arms around his neck and hold on for dear life. He grunts when I hit him and laughs, "Hi, Tink." Turning his head slightly, he acknowledges me with a grin. "You know, you're lucky my cup was empty when you did that."

I squeal when he leans forward and my feet lift off the ground. "You missed me, didn't you?" He's still bent forward so I climb up his back and shoulders, I lean in and plant a wet and noisy kiss on his cheek. Well, what I can reach of his cheek, which isn't much, so maybe it was more like his jaw.

"Oh, immensely. You're entertaining and the life of the party." Looking at Kate and Ana, he says, "Not that you guys aren't fun but…" He laughs.

Kate laughs, "No, we get it. No offense taken." Glancing at me, she rolls her eyes. "She's always been the girl with the lampshade on her head at any type of social gathering." As an afterthought, she adds, "It doesn't even have to be a social gathering, serious business meetings or with anyone of importance. She does this with anyone for any reason."

"Yeah, Hurricane Rhi. She goes a hundred miles per hour, never in a straight path, wreaking havoc wherever she goes but the only destruction is your sanity." Ana laughs, looking at me. "You should see what she does back home to everyone." Looking at the guys, she adds, "She frustrates everyone, not just you guys."

Thinking for a minute, I shrug and reply, "Accurate."

"So, where does everyone want to eat?" Lurch asks, "Any suggestions or requests?"

I shrug, "Wherever you want to eat is fine with me. I'm not really hungry." Kate and Ana side-eye me so I continue quickly, "I could eat a little something, though." Lurch and Retro watch the exchange but don't say anything. Smart move. I'm not going to fight them on this. I'm the Queen of making my plate look like I've eaten.

"Why don't we try Eggslut? I've heard good things about their food." Kate offers.

"I guess that will work. Either that or the Hash House?" I snicker, "We need to make sure the guys have enough food to eat. Otherwise, we'll be eating every hour."

Retro laughs, "That's true. I'm starving too. What do you guys think?"

"Eggslut sounds good. I've never been there." Lurch replies.

After a minute of silence, I cave. "Go invite Taylor and Luke."

"Are you sure?" Lurch asks concerned. "I mean, I'm sure they're hungry and would appreciate the offer but it's up to you."

I don't miss the looks shared by all four of them. I totally understand but I'm in a good mood and I'm not going to let them get to me. I'm going to do what I'm going to do and enjoy myself. I'm not going to censor myself and I'm still going to joke around with Retro and Lurch. I'll probably flirt some more with Lurch too because, well, I want to. I just hope he doesn't act differently around Luke or Taylor because that WILL piss me off.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'll be OK as long as they don't start with their shit. I promise I won't do anything but I'm not going to be overly social. I'll be polite and civil but that's it." Looking at Lurch and Retro, I add, "What I've been doing today isn't going to stop just because they're around." I hope they get my message, especially Lurch.

Nodding, Retro gets up with me still attached to him so I'm dangling a couple of feet off the ground. "I think you have a little hitchhiker there, Ryan." Lurch laughs and Kate and Ana join in.

"I wondered why it felt like I was being tickled with a feather." He laughs when I squeeze him with my arms. "Can you remove it for me? I wouldn't want anyone to think I'm sprouting wings after touching a Fairy."

"Hey! That's not very nice." Smacking him on the shoulder, I almost slip and fall again but Lurch catches me before I can hit the ground, holding me like a sack of potatoes again. ignoring it, I continue, "Though I think you'd look cute with wings."

I laugh hysterically at the vision I have, not to mention the face he's making. "Um, no." He laughs, "You're the one the size of a Fairy, Tink. I'm more Hulk size." He strikes a bodybuilder pose for emphasis and laughs.

"Nah, you're Hawkeye, Kate can be Captain Marvel, Ana is Black Widow and Lurch…" I grin, "He's Iron Man. Though I think it should actually be Titanium Man in his case."

He shakes his head, "Whatever you say, Tink."

"Hey! There's a Halloween costume idea! We could go as a group!" I wiggle excitedly in Lurch's arm, yes, singular, and he almost drops me. Grinning devilishly, I look up at him, "Lurch and I will be Lurch and Cousin It first though."

I laugh when he groans, "You insist on that, don't you?"

"Hey, don't get upset with me. It was Kate's idea." I point to her with a cheeky grin, "It's a brilliant one too."

Glancing at her, "Thanks Kate. She'll never drop it, will she?" He asks, though I'm pretty sure he already knows the answer.

"Yeah, sorry about that." She laughs, "To answer your question, no, she will never drop it. Good luck convincing her otherwise."

Retro laughs, "Like I said earlier, you've got your hands full with her. Good luck." Stepping toward the door, he says over his shoulder, "I'll be right back."

Looking up, I ask Lurch, "Can you put me down, please? I need to get some coffee and water."

Setting me down, I bounce toward the kitchen, pour a cup of coffee and grab a bottle of water. When I turn around, I see the three of them watching me. "What?" I ask.

"You're awful bouncy this morning. What are you doing, sucking the energy out of us?" Kate laughs.

"Nah, I just have a lot of energy and I'm in a fantastic mood!" Pretending to think, I tap my finger on my lips. "I know what we should do!"

Groaning, Kate pleads, "I hope I don't regret asking this but what 'brilliant' idea have you come up with now?"

Running over to the counter, I pick up my phone and search for a specific playlist and press play. After turning up the volume, I set down the phone, grab both hers and Ana's hands and pull them into the kitchen. "Let's dance!" Twist and Shout, the Chaka Demus & the Pliers version, starts and I start dancing. It's not just the twist, it has a Caribbean vibe to it so more moves can be added. It takes a minute before they join in and soon we're all having an impromptu dance party.

A few minutes later, I see Lurch head toward the door and open it. Retro dances in followed by Luke and Taylor who look a bit reserved and nervous. I roll my eyes. Oh please. I'm not going to do anything. I'm over letting people get to me. Fuck them if they don't like what I do.

Sweat by Inner Circle comes on and I dance my way over to Retro, I take his hand and pull him into the kitchen to dance with us. "Come on guys let's dance!" I can tell Lurch is a little nervous, for obvious reasons, but he needs to let it go and just have fun. Who cares what those two think? Obviously, Retro doesn't.

So far, it's just Kate, Ana, Retro and I dancing but after a while, Lurch joins in and we just feel the vibes and let the music move us. "Is this better Kate?"

I laugh and she nods. "Yes, much better. That headbanging is a little…obnoxious."

"Yeah, but it's a fantastic stress reliever!" I grin, "This is so much more relaxing and fun. One more song, please! We need to get into the mood to enjoy the last few hours here."

Nodding in agreement, we dance to the last song, laughing and having a great time. "All we need is sand and the ocean and this would be perfect." Ana grins, "I think that's the next trip we should take, a cruise to the Caribbean."

"That's not a bad idea!" I snicker, "The next time I disappear…"

"Don't you dare go without us!" The girls exclaim at the same time.

"I can't make any promises but I'll send a postcard in the form of a selfie as a hint." I grin, "It'll be a massive Hide-N-Seek game! Instead of Where's Waldo it'll be Where's Rhi?"

When the song ends, Ana turns off the music and we laugh. Well, most of us do. "Now that everyone's here, shall we go eat?" I ask, looking around at everyone.

Luke and Taylor have yet to really say anything, in my presence anyway, so I don't know what they're thinking. Do I care? Not really, but I'm not completely cold-hearted. That's why I invited them. I'm sure it's awkward for them but I'm in too good of a mood to let them rain on my parade.

Finally, Luke replies hesitantly, glancing in my direction, "Sounds like a good idea to me."

Taylor nods in agreement but doesn't say anything. He's the one pissing me off more and more as time goes on.

Ana smirks, "Are you sure you're ready, Rhi?"

Kate laughs, "Um, I can answer that for her. No, she's not ready. She has to do something with her hair. It's a mess!"

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that." Shrugging, "I'll be right back." I start to dance my way out of the kitchen when Kate stops me.

"Are you sure you want to try that by yourself again?" Kate laughs. "Or did you forget the fiasco that happened last time?"

Rolling my eyes, "No, I didn't forget but I have to figure out how to do things myself so I can be independent when I get home. Remember? There's still a surgery that needs to happen and I live so far away from you that I can't ask you to come help." Thinking for a minute, "I'll ask Joe to see if he can help me figure something out."

"You have plenty of people there that can come help you." Ana laughs, "They're always watching you anyway so put them to use and have them do it."

Laughing at the image that forms in my mind I respond, "Yeah, one of the perks of living on base. I'm sure they'll love to get that assignment. 'LT Drake, report to Captain Chaos' residence 0600. Cousin It needs her daily grooming.'" Another image pops into my head and I add, "Can you imagine the Admiral brushing my hair?" I nearly fall over I'm laughing so hard. Kate and Ana join in and it doesn't take long for us to be laying on the floor in tears and unable to breathe. It feels good to laugh with the girls.

After catching our breath, but still giggling, Retro cuts in, "Come on girls, get up and get whatever you need so we can go." Retro holds out his hands and helps them up. As they make their way out of the kitchen, I'm still on the floor, trying to catch my breath. It doesn't take them long to return and when they do, they stop at the edge of the kitchen and watch. I can see them laughing and shaking their heads.

Lurch is standing next to me, looking down with his arms crossed over his chest. "Tink, come on, get up. You need to brush your mane."

Grinning, I cross my arms in the same way, not even attempting to move. "You know you don't look very intimidating, right?"

"Tink, come on, we need to get going. Don't make me pick you up." He warns, playfully.

Raising my arms in a gesture for him to pick me up, he rolls his eyes and groans, "Fuck. You're a pain in the ass today, you know that?" Stooping down, he scoops me up and before I can wrap myself around him like before, he throws me over his shoulder. Turning toward my bedroom, we walk past everyone, leaving a wake of laughter behind.

"Bye, Tink!" Retro laughs. "If you're not careful, he's going to start charging a travel fee."

Without looking back, Lurch comments, "You know, that's not a bad idea." Smacking my ass, he adds, "Especially the way this morning has started." He chuckles when I try to smack him back but I can't reach that far. "Aww… What's wrong, Tink? Can't reach?" He laughs when I start wiggling trying to get out of his grasp. Tightening his hold on me, he chuckles, "You might as well give up because it's not happening."

Disappearing through the doorway, he stops in front of the mirror and releases me from his shoulder, sliding me down his body to set me in front of the counter. "So, is there a process that needs to be done to do your hair or is it just a 'wing it' kind of thing?" He asks.

"Well, I learned the past couple of days that it's in my best interest to detangle it as much as I can with my fingers before using the brush." I reply, looking at him through the mirror. "I learned that the hard way the first couple of times."

"OK, well, let's get started then. Two extra hands will hopefully make it easier and faster for you." He starts working on the back of my hair being gentle, which is definitely not going to be quick.

"Um…." I start to say something but he cuts me off.

"Let me stop you right there, Tink." Looking down at me, he drops his tone a few octaves, "I told you to behave earlier."

"What?" I pout, putting on an innocent face. At least I hope it's innocent. "I was just going to say that you're never going to get the tangles out being that gentle." I grin, "What did you think I was going to say?"

Shaking his head, he grins, "I'm not going to answer that, it'll just give you ideas."

Raising my eyebrows, I ask, "You thought I was going to say that you have to pull my hair sometimes to get the job done?" I giggle, "It's true though. Sometimes those knots can be stubborn and don't want to come…" I pause and smirk before finishing that sentence. "Out."

Shaking his head, he smirks. "That is NOT what you were going to say and you know it."

"You're a pervert." I accuse him, laughing and elbowing him in the stomach. "Although, now that you mention it…"

"Tink, I'm warning you." He growls.

"What are you going to do? Spank me?" I laugh, "You never know, I might enjoy that." I squeal when he tries to grab me and duck under his arms before he can. "Being tiny has its benefits. I've been telling you guys this all along." Laughing like a lunatic, I bolt out the door to escape him and run to hide behind Retro.

"That was fast." Kate says, surprised.

Lurch rounds the corner, "That was fast because we never got started." He growls, "She bolted before we could even begin." Glaring at me, he says to Retro, "Ryan, grab the little Fairy. We're going to clip her wings."

My eyes widen as I look up at Retro who has the biggest grin on his face. "Oooh, you're in trouble now." He laughs and faster than I can register, he grabs me, trapping my arms so I can't move and lifts me up with my feet dangling and starts to carry me back to the bathroom.

Looking for help from Kate and Ana, I plead, "Uh, girls? A little help?"

They're laughing too hard, in my opinion, and Kate shakes her head. "You're on your own, Rhi."

"Just go do something with your hair so we can leave." Ana shakes her head and mutters to Kate, "God I hope she's not going to be like this all day."

Leaning back as far as I can, I grin, "You can bet your boots on it." Looking around, "You have to admit, this is a fantastic day!"

No one says anything, except Kate. "Yes, Rhi, you're right. It IS a fantastic day." Kate agrees, "It's also a fantastic day for us to eat because we're starving. We need to get moving so we can eat and walk around a little. We leave today, remember?"

Groaning, "No I didn't forget we were leaving today." Maybe I can convince them to stay longer? Sighing heavily, it's my turn to throw in the towel. "OK, OK, OK. Let's get this over with."

Hanging limply, I let Retro cart my ass into the bathroom to commence the daunting task of detangling this mess called my hair. Lurch doesn't look too happy about what I did but he doesn't look completely mad either. He has a look of angry amusement on his face. Oh wait! I know that look! I've been on the receiving end of it quite often, it's called exasperation. Dad, Nana, Papa, Grammie and Grampie had it all the time, now Joe does. Hell, you might as well add everyone back home to that list too because it's true.

Retro is enjoying this WAY too much and laughing WAY too hard. Narrowing my eyes at him, "Are you going to let me go?" I ask, hoping the answer is yes.

Unfortunately, that hope is dashed when Retro answers, "Absolutely not, Tink."

"Do we really have to do this?" I don't think they understand how much I am not looking forward to this task. It sucked the first two times so how is this time going to be any different?

"Tink, you really have to brush your hair otherwise it will just get worse. You already know this." Lurch says, trying to make me understand.

"I get it, I do, but you have no idea how much of a pain in the ass this going to be." I deflate a little, resigned to my fate. "Maybe I should just cut my hair off so I don't have to worry about it anymore." I mutter.

"No. Absolutely not. It's too pretty and you'll regret it." Lurch says, quietly. "We'll get this over and done with as fast as we can. Just tell me what to do and I'll take care of it." He grins before adding, "Besides, Ryan won't let you go until it's done."

Retro smirks, "Yeah, you're stuck now."

"Rhi, come on. Let's get this over with." Lurch smiles, "I promise it won't take that long."

Sighing, I nod. "Fine. We have to start at the back and underneath. That's the worst part, for some reason. The top can be done with the brush after that is done." A thought suddenly strikes me like lightning. "I have an idea… I can just put it up in a ponytail instead and worry about brushing it later."

"No, Rhi. It needs to be brushed or it will get worse." Lurch says as he starts running his fingers through the mess on my head. "You know, if you weren't headbanging earlier it wouldn't be this bad, right?"

"Probably not, but it was fun and totally worth it." Grinning, I add, "You should try it sometime. We can get you guys wigs so you can have the total experience." I laugh at their expressions. "I'm thinking pink and purple would look good on both of you."

"No." They both say at the same time, causing me to laugh so hard that Retro's grip loosens and I slip to the floor.

Taking advantage of this golden opportunity, I pretend I'm going to run again and Lurch reaches out and grabs me faster than I ever imagined, hauling me into his chest and holding me tight, my back to his front. "Where do you think you're going, missy?" He purrs in my ear causing chills to run up and down my spine and goosebumps to travel across my body.

Shaking my head to clear it and focus, I stutter out, "Uh, nowhere. I was just…" My mouth is so dry I can't even swallow. My brain short circuits and I go completely blank, all words disappear from my mind.

"What's wrong, Tink?" He chuckles. "Cat got your tongue?"

"N…n…nothing." I stutter out. Clearing my throat, "Let's just get this over with." Looking from Lurch to Retro, "Please be gentle."

Walking me over to the bed, he sits down and pulls me between his legs. Taking my face in his hands, he quietly says, "Rhi. Relax. It's going to be fine. What happened the last time?"

Sighing, I explain what happened, getting the brush stuck and the frustration from needing help. "Rhi, don't think of it as needing help brushing your hair." Lurch pauses, "Think of it as getting a massage that just happens to be getting the knots out of your hair at the same time."

Retro speaks up, "Yeah. That sounds amazing to me." He grins when I look up at him. "Do you think I can get one of those to get the tangles out of my hair?"

Rolling my eyes, "You don't have enough hair to get tangled." Looking at Lurch, "Neither do you."

"Come on, turn around and let's start taming this mane of yours." Placing his hands on my shoulders, he turns me around and starts to run his hands through my hair. It actually feels pretty good.

"Where's your brush at?" Retro asks. "While he's doing that I'll start brushing."

I point to the bathroom counter as Lurch gently tugs on the back of my hair, pulling me back into him. "Close your eyes, take a deep breath and relax." Before I close my eyes, I see Retro turn to walk into the bathroom to get my brush. While he's gone, Lurch turns my head to the side and kisses me. "Relax. Let's get this done so we can go eat and have some more fun. OK?" Still combing through my hair with his fingers, I turn in front of him and kiss him again. Just before it starts to get deeper, he pulls away and Retro strolls back into the room.

Smirking, he asks, "Are you guys done yet?"

Clearing his throat, Lurch replies. "No, we're not done with her hair. She wasn't joking when she said it was a mess."

Shaking his head, Retro laughs, "That's not what I meant. I meant are you done kissing?"

My eyes widen and I can feel my face heat. "W…What do you mean?"

Shaking his head, still laughing, he replies, "You guys look so guilty, like kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar." He grins, "Besides, I saw you."

"Oh god." I mumble and want to crawl under the bed and hide. How embarrassing.

Lurch laughs, "Yeah, we're done with that." He glances at me, "For now." Grinning at my reaction.

"Come on, let's get this done and get going." Chuckling, Retro adds, "I promise I won't say anything about it. In front of anyone, that is."

A few minutes later, my hair is detangled and brushed and we get ready to leave. "Uh, Tink? You need shoes." Retro points to my feet.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that too." I giggle. "Hang on." I've figured out how to put my socks on and luckily my shoes are already tied so I can just slip them on.

Retro leads the way out of the room and we join the others. "Finally! Let's get going." Kate says, "Rhi, you've got to figure out a way to keep your hair from getting that tangled. It'll make things easier after you have surgery."

"I'll see if I can think of anything." Walking into the kitchen, I grab my phone and on my way out I bump into Retro, who laughs. "Wait, just one more thing." Looking up at Lurch, I ask, "Can you tie my shoes tighter?" I ask Lurch, who nods. When he's done, before he stands up, I climb onto his back. "OK, let's go! Mush!"

Grumbling, "What the fuck, Tink?" Standing up, he lifts me up to get more situated and sighs. "OK, I've got her and, whether she's ready or not, we're leaving."

Retro's laughing and Kate and Ana join in. Luke and Taylor just watch the antics with eyebrows raised. Kate explains, "She's been like this all morning so be prepared for anything."

Opening the door, the group of us leave and head down the hallway to the elevator. I giggle and Ana asks, "What's so funny, Rhi?"

"I just realized something. This is the first time I've ever had to duck to pass through a doorway!"

Rolling her eyes, she shakes her head, "Only you would think about something like that."

"Well, being short, I've never had that experience." I shrug, "I can't wait to see what other exciting things are to come from this perspective."

As the elevator descends, we're silent so I pull out my phone and find a song and start singing 'I Can See Clearly Now' and bopping to the music. It fits my mood. "Fuck, Tink, will you please sit still? You're going to make me drop you." Lurch warns. When I don't stop he lets me slip a little and I squeal. "I warned you." Boosting me back up, I stop bouncing but keep singing.

Exiting the elevator, Mark is there and looks surprised when he sees where I am. "Now THAT's the way to travel around Vegas! Your own personal chariot." He grins, "Good morning, Rhi." Looking at everyone, he adds, "Ladies and gentlemen."

"Good morning!" I reply happily, "Yeah, this is perfect! I can see clearly now from up here." I laugh, "We're off to breakfast. See you later!" I continue singing as we make our way through the casino to find the exit onto the strip. "Wow. So THIS is what I've been missing? I can see everything so much better from up here!" It really is amazing and I feel like a little kid seeing something for the first time.

We're attracting quite a bit of attention, between the music, my lovely singing and the fact that I'm on Lurch's back. Ignoring the phones, I continue with a goofy grin on my face. This is going to be a fun day, I can feel it now. Turning off my music, I turn to Retro, "Will you hold this for me, please?" Nodding, he takes it and puts it in his pocket.

Making our way down the Strip, we find the restaurant and I reluctantly dismount my Noble Steed to enter and wait for a table. Once we're seated, we order our food, conversation is light, for the most part, and we have a nice meal.

"So, what do you want to do now? We've got a couple of hours before we have to be at the airport." Kate asks. "We really haven't done much shopping or anything like that. We can maybe spend the rest of our time doing that?"

"I'm down with that." I agree, looking at Ana, "What do you think? Is there anything you want to do?"

"That works for me. Is there anywhere you want to go specifically?" She asks us, already knowing the answer she'll get from me. "Other than the Adidas store?" She laughs.

"Rhi, don't you have enough Adidas gear?" Kate asks, rolling her eyes.

I laugh, "I can never have enough gear. Let's ride the rollercoaster too while we're down there and I could use some chocolate." Grinning, I add, "However, first things first, I feel the need for a frozen margarita."

Smiling, Kate agrees. "Now that's something I could have." Ana nods in agreement.

"Are we ready to go?" Everyone nods and we pay the bill and head out. Once we're on the sidewalk, I tap Lurch's shoulder and grin. Sighing, he squats down and I climb onto his back, I kiss his cheek. "Thank you."

Giving me his amazing smile, "You're welcome, Tink. It's my pleasure."

Once I'm situated, I lean forward and purr in his ear, "I like riding you…" I giggle when he groans, "I can see a lot more this way."

"Tink, what did I tell you earlier? Behave." He pretends to almost drop me again and I squeak.

Making our way to the closest daiquiri bar, I notice there are people around laughing and pointing their phones our way. I haven't had any ideas pop in my head, yet, but the day is only beginning. Once the girls and I have gotten our drinks, we continue down and hit the Hershey store. Walking in, I inhale deeply. "Mmmm that smells so good!" Squirming, Lurch lets me down and I search out what I'm looking for. Reece's Shapes. Those are the best kind. I find the one I want and head to the Kit Kat display for a bar of the Chocolate Covered Donut flavor as well as a Pink Lemonade one. They sound gross but taste amazing! Strawberry Twizzlers are a must have so I get some of those too. "I feel like a kid in a candy store!" I laugh at Kate and Ana's expressions.

"Rhi, you ARE a kid in a candy store! I swear, we come here every trip and you act like you've never been here before." She laughs, "I'm surprised you don't get sick."

Shrugging, "Yeah, but at least this time I'm not dragging you to the Coke store. THAT's one of my weaknesses. There are so many cool things there."

"True," She points out, "However, you're so picky about certain things that you always leave empty handed, unless it's a hoodie or something to drink."

Nodding in agreement, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Still, it's fun to look at things though."

Paying for my items, we head up to the rollercoaster and we put our things in a locker then wait for our turn. We finally get to the front of the line so we're next. "So… where does everyone want to sit? Any preference?" Kate asks, looking at me with an eyebrow raised.

"The back! It's the best place to sit." I exclaim. "Who wants to sit with me?" Looking around at everyone, no one jumps at the chance and I roll my eyes. "Oh come on you big babies."

"Rhi, you know Ana and I don't like the front or the back." Kate replies.

"Fine," I grumble. Before I can finish my pout, I get an idea and start to climb up on the fence.

Before I can get up, Lurch grabs me, "What are you doing, Tink?"

"I'm finding someone to ride with me." I grin. "It'll make someone happy and will be a blast."

He hesitates before nodding. "I'll hold you steady."

With Lurch holding onto me, I stand up on the fence that keeps the line straight and shout, "Does anyone like to sit in the very back of the rollercoaster?" Hands pop up and a lot of 'Heck no's' echo back. Scanning the crowd, I see a teenage girl with her hand up. Pointing at her, I grin, "Well come on! Let's do this!" Slowly, she makes her way up to the front of the line and stops beside me. "Hi! I'm Rhi. What's your name?"

Smiling shyly, she answers, "Amber."

"Well, Amber, it's nice to meet you." Turning to look at the guys, I wink before turning back to her. Pointing my thumb to everyone, "These guys were all too chicken to ride in the back. It's the best place to sit. Wouldn't you agree?" I ask her, grinning.

"Yeah. I like the back the best. It's more thrilling." She answers quietly.

Aww… She's shy. "How old are you?" I'm curious because she looks like she's about thirteen.

"I'm 15. Well, sixteen." She giggles. "Today is my birthday."

"Really?! How exciting!" I reply excitedly, clapping my hands, and get an idea. "I LOVE birthdays! I celebrate everyone's whenever I can. Did you get anything exciting?"

Nodding, she answers, "I got my own cow, well calf." I'm surprised and I'm sure my expression shows that. She giggles, "We live on a farm and I love cows and have always wanted one." Glancing back at her parents, she grins, "This year, they got one for me!"

"No freaking way! I love cows too! Seriously. I bought a pair of socks last night that has the black and white pattern and the toes are the udders. They're so cute!" I laugh, "I might just have to visit you sometime and meet your cow. Boy? Girl?"

"Girl. Her name is Scarlet. She's a Jersey calf and her big brown eyes are so beautiful. She's so gentle and LOVES cuddles!"

"Well, you've just become one of my favorite people. I love all cows but Jerseys are my favorite, along with the Scottish Highland. I love her name too!" I get another idea but I have to wait to reveal it. "How long are you in Vegas for?"

"We just got here this morning. We leave Wednesday." She replies.

"Have you been here before? I come here at least once a year. Sometimes more often, depending on my mood. My Dad started this tradition years ago and it's my favorite place to visit." Seriously, out of all the places I've been, Vegas is still at the top of my list.

"This is my first time." She smiles. "I'm having a great time so far."

Leaning in, I whisper in her ear and she nods excitedly. When it's our turn to ride, Amber gets in and I wait for the attendant to come over. Whispering to him, he nods and I kiss him on the cheek causing him to blush. Totally worth it. Getting into the car, Amber and I buckle up giggling like a couple of schoolgirls. As the ride starts, excitement builds and we're off.

Raising our hands, we laugh and rock back and forth as the car moves quickly along the track. Approaching the loop-de-loop, we look at each other and grin. Letting loose of all tension and stress, we laugh and scream and wave our hands in the air. There are cameras scattered throughout the track, usually right at the large drops, loops and fast turns. I made sure to tell her to make faces the whole time to ensure some funny photos. I mean, how can you not make faces on a rollercoaster?

When the ride is over, as the coaster approaches the platform, slowing to a stop, the operator starts talking on the speaker. "Ladies and gentlemen, we're going to send this group on another run." He pauses looking at our car and grins, "However, before we do that, we need to wish Miss Amber a Happy Birthday! So, everyone please join me in singing to her!"

I start it off and the crowd sings along, celebrating her birthday with her. When we've finished, she shouts out a thank you and covers her face. Turning to look at Amber, she's pink-faced but has the biggest smile and her eyes are shining. "OMG. You didn't just do that. Did you?" She asks, surprised.

"Oh yes, I certainly did! Birthdays are a huge deal and need to be celebrated." I side hug her and squeeze. "Happy Birthday, Amber."

"Thank you, Rhi. This is the best one and I'll never forget what you've done." She hugs me back.

Grinning at her, "Sorry if I embarrassed you but I had to do it. Your sixteenth birthday is a milestone and I wanted you to feel special because you are."

"OK everyone! Let's send her off for another run!" The attendant announces and we head off into another mind-spinning, hair-flying, giggle-inducing ride.

Once we're done, we all disembark and head to the exit. I grin as I watch Amber rush to her family excitedly, bouncing up and down as she tells them about the ride.

Walking over to them, I stick out my hand. "Hi. I'm Rhi. She's an amazing young lady." Smiling at her, I wink. "Amber, do you have a cell phone?" Time to put my plan into motion.

Nodding, she pulls it out. "You have to promise not to give this to anyone." She nods again and I give her my phone number. "Text me so I have your number." I watch as she does and continue, "If you need anything, no matter what it is or whenever, don't hesitate to call or text, day or night. Besides, I need to know where I can visit you and Scarlet." I don't think she realizes how serious I am about visiting her.

"Come on. I'll walk out with you." Amber nods and we make our way out. Before stopping at the desk that has the photos, I run over to Retro to get my phone. On my way back to the desk, I check to make sure I got her text. Can't move forward with my plan if I don't have her number. "We'll take a copy of all of them."

Amber's eyes widen and she turns to me. "No. I can't accept this."

Putting up my hand, "Sure you can. I want to do this for you. They're good memories. You can have the originals and I'll take photos of them for myself. Every time I see them I'll remember how amazing and fun it was."

Slowly she nods. "Thank you, Rhi. Thank you for everything."

"One more thing…" I whisper in her ear, "I'll text you in a little while, maybe two or three hours. I have to keep it a secret but keep your phone on you." Pulling back, "I have to go, my friends are waiting, but I'll talk to you soon, OK?"

Nodding, she gives me a hug, "Thank you again, Rhi." I watch as she runs over to her parents and shows them the photos. Her parent's look up and wave. Smiling, I wave back and turn to join everyone.

"That was sweet of you to do that for her." Ana says as I approach them. "She seemed truly happy."

"Yeah, she really seemed happy." Kate adds, "What made you do it?"

Shrugging, "I just wanted to. Today is her sixteenth birthday and that's a big deal. It needed to be recognized."

"Well… It was certainly recognized, by millions of people." Kate says. "It's all over the internet so you accomplished what you set out to do."

Holding her phone out to me, I see a bunch of videos and photos of us at the rollercoaster. The smile on her face looks amazing and made everything worth it. Sometimes, all it takes is one gesture to shape the future of someone. Teenagers really are at an age where one wrong move can send them down the wrong path.

"Fuck. I forgot about that stupid treasure hunt. That's not exactly what I intended. I just wanted to have it locally recognized. I hope this doesn't cause her and her family any problems." Shaking my head, I really hope I didn't fuck things up for her. I'll talk to them later about it.

"Uh…Rhi? I don't think you'll have to worry about that." Kate interrupts. "There's a post from the girl about the whole thing."

I cringe, "Is it bad?"

"No. She loved it. She had the best time and it meant the world to her." Kate reads what is said in the post. "'This was the first time I've ever had someone make a big deal out of my birthday. There's no way I can express how much it meant to me just hearing her say 'Happy Birthday.' #FairyPrincess is truly an amazing person.'"

Showing me her phone, there's a photo of Amber and me in the car on the platform before we're taking off for the second ride. We're laughing, her smile is amazing, and she looks truly happy. "She should always have moments like this that make her that happy." I say quietly. "Everyone should."

Placing her hand on my arm, Ana says, "Rhi, don't. I already know what you're thinking and you don't know if that's the case. Just enjoy knowing that you made her happy."

Sighing, she's right. There's nothing I can do, right now anyway, but I'll find out later. I hope.

"Come on, let's go to the Adidas store. We're running out of time." Kate says, wrapping her arm around my shoulders, leading me toward the catwalk that crosses to the MGM Grand.

Pushing away the thoughts that are trying to invade my mind, I focus on having fun again. It lingers in the back of my mind but I'll deal with that later. I stop just in time to avoid running into Lurch who has stepped in front of me. Squatting down, he looks back at me and grins, "Come on, Tink. Hop on."

Grinning, I hand my phone back to Retro and climb on his back. When he stands up, I wrap my arms around his neck and squeeze, whispering in his ear, "Thank you. You're the best."

Turning his head, he smiles, "You're welcome." I take this opportunity to kiss him on the cheek and nuzzle into his neck, inhaling his scent.

We make our way across the catwalk and down the escalator. "Fuck." I say, burying my face in Lurch's back and hold on to him tighter.

"What's wrong?" Kate asks.

"Please don't drop me… please don't drop me… please don't drop me." I plead, squeezing my eyes shut.

Squeezing my ass, Lurch says over his shoulder, "What's wrong Rhi? I'm not going to drop you. I promise."

"This is a lot higher than I thought it would be." I reply into his back.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of falling?" He chuckles, "You were just on a rollercoaster and you weren't afraid then. Why are you afraid now?"

"There's more of a chance of you slipping or losing your balance and dropping me on an escalator than a car coming off a rollercoaster." I reply. "I'm not afraid of falling. I'm afraid of landing." I mutter.

Squeezing my ass again, "Tink, we're almost down. Just a few more seconds."

"Please tell me when it's safe to look." I squeeze him tighter. Stepping on and off the escalator freaks me out enough when it's just me. Being higher up and not in control? That's a different story.

"You can look now." He pats my ass gently. "Do you want me to put you down?"

"Yes, please." I reply, holding on to him until he squats down and lets me slide off his back. "I need my own feet on the ground for a few minutes."

"You OK, Rhi?" Kate asks.

Nodding my head, "Yeah, I'm OK. It kinda freaked me out. Between being higher up and on the escalator messed with my head." I need another drink. My nerves are shot. Turning to walk up the Strip, we make our way to the Adidas store. As we're approaching, there's a Daiquiri Bar on the right. "Hang on a minute guys." Ordering my drink, I get a small one this time. I just need something small for right now but I still add an extra shot. Personally, I think I've done pretty well considering I haven't drank anything since playing pool. "Shit."

"Rhi? What's wrong?" Ana asks.

"Retro? Can I have my phone please?" I ask and he nods, handing it to me. "Can you hold this for me? I need to send a text really quick." He takes my drink from me and I send a message to Ice and the guys.

R: Hey. I'm alive.

Handing my phone back to Retro, he gives my drink back. "Thank you."

"Who'd you text?" Kate asks, curiously.

I hesitate, trying to decide if I should tell them or not. "Rhi?" Ana asks.

"Ice." I shrug. "I promised them I'd text them today so they knew I was OK."

"Who's Ice?" Kate asks.

"One of the guys from last night. You remember me telling you about them?" I reply, not even caring about the looks I'm getting from Luke and Taylor when I say that. Right on cue my phone goes off. Taking my phone from Retro again, I see the message.

I: Morning Princess

I: Just alive? Was hoping you were better than that.

R: I feel great actually. It's been an amazing day already.

I: Yeah we've seen you on social media.

I laugh at that. It's definitely not something I would imagine bikers doing.

R: I can't imagine you guys on social media

I: Not a lot but we do when something catches our eye.

R: Tell Slade I slept very well in his shirt ;)

I: No he'll never let us forget it.

R: LOL For someone so rough he's awfully soft :D

I giggle as I hit send and laugh at the response I get. It's from an unknown number but I already know who it is. Slade.

U: SOFT?! I'm not soft.

U: I'll show you SOFT

R: Soft is good for snuggling just ask Bear ;)

The next message, again from an unknown number, makes me laugh so hard I nearly double over laughing.

U: GRR… NOT A TEDDY BEAR!

Hmm… that must be from Bear. I'm laughing so hard tears are streaming down my face.

"What's so funny, Rhi?" Kate asks.

"Nothing. Just giving them a hard time for being bikers on social media. They've been watching everything that's happened today." Wiping my face, I add, "If you had seen these guys you would understand how funny it is."

Rolling his eyes, Lurch mutters, "Yeah, that's an experience I don't want to have again."

"Oh come on. They're harmless." I elbow him in the side.

"If they were harmless you wouldn't have had a panic attack." He reminds me. "Weren't they the cause of it?" Confusion and concern crosses Luke and Taylor's faces. They have no idea what happened and I'd prefer to keep it that way.

Shrugging, I blow it off. "Technically, I was the cause of it." I grin, "I'm the one that yelled at them."

Shaking his head, "Whatever. Come on, let's get going. We're running out of time."

Finishing my drink and throwing my cup away my phone goes off one more time and he rolls his eyes. "Oh stop. Let me respond and we'll go on our way." Bumping him with my hip, I check my phone again.

B: Where are you now?

R: Shopping. Then heading back to the hotel to pack. I'll text you guys later OK?

B: OK be safe and have fun.

Handing my phone to Lurch, we continue to the store which isn't too far away. I'm getting more excited with every step, bouncing as I walk.

"Rhi, you've been here a million times. Do you really think you'll find something new to add to your collection?" Ana asks.

"You never know." Pulling the door open before anyone else can, I rush in and inhale. I love the smell in here. It's like Adidas has its own trademarked scent. It's probably just in my head but, then again, a lot of things are in my head.

After looking around, I'm disappointed because I don't see anything new or anything that screams 'Buy Me.' For the first time, I think I'm going to leave empty-handed. Almost. As we're walking toward the door, I completely forget there's a kids section upstairs. Starting up the stairs, Lurch asks, confused, "Where are you going?"

"Upstairs." I grin. "The kids section is there. Maybe I'll find something."

"Tink, you're not a kid." Retro points out.

Grinning again, I wink. "There are benefits to being 'tiny.'"

"Now THIS I have to see." He laughs, as they follow me up the stairs.

Laughing, Kate teases, "Aww… It's OK. You'll find something another time, I'm sure. Besides, you just bought the shoes on your feet recently."

"It's not the same. I always find something." I pout.

"If you would quit buying things every time you saw something you'd have more of a chance to find something here." She points out.

"I'm not throwing the towel in just yet. This wouldn't be the first time I bought something in a kids size." I laugh at her expression. "What? I've bought men's sizes too." I wink, "It depends on what you're looking for." Grinning at Lurch, I wiggle my eyebrows. "I have a thing for men's shirts."

"That's an understatement." Lurch mutters behind me causing me to laugh.

We finally reach the top floor and I turn around and look at him. "Hey, it's not my fault men's shirts are attractive and comfortable. Yes, they're like dresses on me, sometimes, but I'm sure I could do SOMETHING with one. It's too bad I couldn't find one I really liked in the store that I could buy." Winking at him, "I saw a few I liked but they were on someone and I don't think they would appreciate me taking their shirt off of them." I whisper, "In public, anyway."

Rolling his eyes, he grins, "Yeah, that might not go over well with store management."

Turning around, I head over to the girls' section and start perusing through the items. I'm surprised that I find swimwear. "I totally forgot this was up here!"

Catching Kate and Ana's attention, they join me and we spend a little time looking at bathing suits. I actually find a really cute string bikini that has the left side is bright yellow and the right side is half red. The bottoms match. I have to have this! Searching a little longer I find a bright yellow mini-dress that has the three-stripes and spaghetti straps. Picking them up, I head to the fitting rooms to try them on. Trying on the dress first, I look at myself in the mirror and turn around. Hmm…

Opening the door, I call for Kate and Ana to get their opinion. "Wow. That looks amazing on you!"

"What size is that?" Ana asks.

Shrugging, I turn around so she can look. "Rhi! This is a kids size! What the hell?"

Grinning, "I TOLD you so!" Looking at Retro, "See? Benefits of being tiny!"

He laughs and shakes his head. "Touche."

"Hang on, I've got one more. I just hope this one fits because I REALLY love it." Closing the door again, I put on the bikini. "Hmm… not too bad"

"Come on, show us." Kate says loudly, getting impatient. She loves clothes shopping, just not with me sometimes.

"OK, OK, OK." Opening the door, I step out and grin. "I think it's my new favorite bikini!"

"Rhi! I love it!" Ana says excitedly. "It's too bad we're not the same size because I could totally wear that!"

"Yeah, it looks great on you with your tan and blonde hair." Kate grins, "You could be on the cover of Sports Illustrated or something."

"SOLD!" I shout and giggle. "I'll go change and we can leave. I've got shoes that will match back home too. It was meant to be!"

"We'll wait outside for you while you pay." Retro says and the six of them walk out, leaving me inside to pay. Once that's done, I join them and we start walking.

"Thank you guys. I was going to cry if I couldn't find something." I laugh, "I know, it's silly but it's tradition. For me, anyway." Looking at everyone, I add, "I appreciate you letting me do the rollercoaster and shopping a little this morning."

Looking at her phone, Kate sighs, "We should probably start making our way back to the hotel. We need to finish packing and we'll have some time to relax before heading to the airport."

Ana nods, "Yeah, I'm not looking forward to the trip but I'll be glad to get home. This has been an exhausting vacation."

A thought suddenly hits me. "How are you guys getting home?" Glancing at Lurch and the guys.

"The plane's arriving at the airport in about an hour." Retro says. "Do you guys want to come with? There's plenty of room and I'm sure it won't be too hard to convince Grey to let you."

Kate and Ana look excited about it but I'm not. "No thank you. I'm going to stick with my original plan." I smile. "Thank you for the thought though." I'm not about to sit for over an hour on the same plane as Luke and Taylor. That's too much stress for me to handle and there's not enough alcohol in this world that would make me sit on a plane with them. I didn't even want to see them but I did it for Lurch, Retro and the girls.

Luke and Taylor visibly tense up and Lurch deflates a little. I feel bad but this is the way it has to be. I hope he understands. I make a mental note to explain things to him when I can. "Kate? Ana? You guys can go with them if you want. I won't be upset."

They look at each other and back at me. Shaking her head, Ana says, "No. We came together and we'll leave together. That's the way it should be."

"Come on. Let's head back so we can get things situated." Lurch says, as Retro takes my bags from me. Squatting down, he looks over his shoulder at me. "Get on, Tink." The look in his eyes is intense and I nod, unable to refuse.

Climbing up on his back, I wrap my arms around his neck, and inhale. "It'll be OK. I promise." I say quietly.

Squeezing my ass, he nods. "I know. We'll talk about it later. Come on. Let's get back so we can relax a little before it's time to leave."

"I don't have a choice, do I?" I giggle, trying to lighten the mood.

"Nope. You're stuck where you are." He grins. "It's easier to keep track of you."

Retro laughs, "You know, we could always get one of those harness leash things that parents sometimes use on their kids to keep track of them."

Kate and Ana start laughing, "I can see it now, Rhi getting wrapped around someone's legs or a signpost."

"Hey! That's fucked up." I grin, "If I'm going to have any kind of harness or leash on me it better be for something kinky and not being treated like someone out for a walk with their dog." Various reactions scatter across everyone. Kate's eyes wide, Ana and Retro laugh, Lurch squeezes my ass and Luke and Taylor actually break into smiles. "It's about fucking time you guys show some sort of enjoyment today." I chuckle. "I was beginning to think you were statues like the ones in Caesar's Palace.

"Tink, behave." Lurch growls, with another squeeze of my ass. "You're trouble. You know that?"

"She's definitely trouble." Kate laughs. "You're just now figuring that out?"

Retro laughs, "I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again and again, and again… you've got your hands full with her."

There's live music coming from one of the restaurants nearby and I can't resist moving to the beat. However, it's a little awkward on Lurch's back. I feel him tense up and a rumble in his chest. Glancing at Retro, he's chuckling and I grin devilishly at him and wiggle my eyebrows. Raising his eyebrows, he shakes his head and laughs.

"What?" I ask, innocently.

Still laughing, he replies, "Oh, nothing. Just thinking about something that was said earlier." He winks.

"Hey, I love music and dancing. You guys need to loosen up and feel the rhythm of life." I giggle. "I'll teach you how. Trust me."

Reaching the crosswalk to get back to the hotel, we wait with the other people. I hear my phone go off and wonder who it is. I'll look at it when I get back to the suite. As we make our way through the casino, an odd feeling washes over me. It's similar to how I felt the first day when the guys were watching us. It's nothing. They're all right here so I don't understand why I'm feeling like this. Shaking my head, I blow it off.

"Kate? Ana? You know I love you, right?" I ask out of the blue.

They look at me, eyebrows raised and concern on their faces. "Yes, Rhi. We know." Ana replies. "Why?"

Shrugging, "No reason. I just wanted to make sure you know." Smiling, I add, "It's been a weird few days and I don't think I've told you enough. I appreciate you guys and everything you've put up with."

"We're always here for you, Rhi. You know that." Ana replies, glancing at Kate.

Nodding, "I know."

Approaching the elevators, Mark is still there. "How was breakfast, Rhi?"

"It was delicious. I even have dessert for later." I grin.

"Dessert for breakfast?" He asks.

"When isn't a good time for dessert?" Still grinning, "Sometimes you have to satisfy a sweet tooth." Squeezing my legs, I add, "Especially when the urge comes out of nowhere." Lurch groans and squeezes my ass slightly. "I try to have something sweet with me at all times. Chocolate is messy if it melts but Twizzlers do great in a pinch."

He laughs, "Yeah, I know the feeling. My weakness are Jellybeans. I always have some nearby."

"I love Jellybeans!" The elevator pings, "Oops! Gotta go. Have a good day! See you later, Mark!" The elevator pings and we all step in and wait for the ascent to stop.

Making our way down the hall, we all head to our suite and set our stuff down. Lurch squats down and I squeeze him before sliding off his back. "Who all needs to pack still." Ana asks and they all look at me.

"Why is everyone looking at me?" I gasp, placing my hand on my chest.

"You're the queen of doing things at the last minute." She laughs, grinning. "You know that."

Shrugging, I laugh too. "True, but it makes life more interesting. You can't deny that."

Rolling her eyes, she points out, "What it does is make life more frustrating."

"Nah. It just means people need to get a sense of humor and not live by a clock or calendar." Glancing at Luke and Taylor. "Life will pass you by if you don't enjoy it once in a while."

Luke has a look of regret in his eyes and nods in acknowledgement. Taylor doesn't say anything, as usual. Shocker, I know. Well, at least Luke has shown SOME emotion. Too little too late though.

"So, are you packed or not?" Ana asks.

"For your information, I packed before I busted my head open this morning." I respond smugly.

"What happened?" Luke looks concerned. "How'd you hit your head."

Ana laughs, "She was roughhousing and hit her head on the table." Glaring at her, she shrugs. "It's not like is classified information, Rhi. He was just concerned."

"Speaking of which, let's go check and see how it's looking." Lurch says, putting an end to that conversation. "We need to see how it's healing to make sure you don't need any ointment on it."

"Ugh. I don't want that stuff in my hair. It's gross." I complain.

He growls, "Blood is gross too." Now, his intent look has turned into a glare. Yeesh. Moody, much?

Sighing, I grumble, "Fine." Stepping through the bedroom door, I mutter as I pass him, "Yes, Dad." Sighing, he follows behind me.

Retro laughs along with Ana and Kate. "Fuck she's difficult." He chuckles.

"You have no idea." Kate laughs. "Imagine everything we've put up with all these years. I don't think she'll ever outgrow the rebellious stage."

Ana adds, "Yeah, she needs people in her life that will give her freedom to express herself and not try to change or control her." She glances at Luke and Taylor. "We're all just along for the ride with her and just try to keep her from getting hurt or in too much trouble."

"Well, sometimes she gets hurt but we try to keep it at a minimum." Kate adds.

"I heard that!" I shout from the bedroom.

Standing in front of the mirror, I turn on the water to heat it up. "OK. Do your thing, Papa Rooster." I giggle.

"What?" Lurch asks, confused.

"Kate and Ana are Mother Hen's. You're Papa Rooster." I laugh at his expression. "Male/female difference."

Rolling his eyes, he replies, "Only you would come up with something like that." Moving my hair out of the way, he turns my head to look at it. "You have a bruise starting but your head looks fine otherwise. I mainly just wanted to get away from everyone." He says quietly as he steps forward.

"Why?" I'm confused.

"So I could do this." Turning off the water, he leans down, picks me up and walks me back to the bed. Laying me down, he traps me in a cage of his arms. Glancing at my mouth, he looks back at me and I lean up, kissing him. This time, we're not interrupted by anyone and it quickly becomes heated.

Breaking the kiss, he leans back and I ask, "What was that for?"

"I told you to behave and you didn't listen. I can't just kiss you in front of everyone, not yet anyway, so I was forced to wait to get you alone." He pouts and it's adorable. "It was pure torture."

Placing my hand on his cheek, "Aww… I'm sorry. If it's any consolation, it was for me too."

"Do you really not want to come with us on our plane?" He questions, "Luke and Taylor were good today. I don't think they'll do or say anything."

"Yeah. I'm sure. It's not because of you guys. It's something I have to do. Kate, Ana and I came here together and we should leave together." Looking down, "It's something I need to do. For me." I hope he understands.

Sighing, he nods. "I understand. I wish you would but I'm not going to force you." He smiles, "It's your vacation after all and you should do what makes you happy." Nuzzling my neck, his words are muffled, "I'll miss you and your antics though."

Giggling, I wrap my legs around him and squeeze. "You'll see me again. I promise." Pulling his face up to me, "I'm not going anywhere, remember?" OK, so that's a double entendre but at least I'm not lying.

The intensity in his eyes is captivating and I can't look away. "Good because I don't want you to." Kissing me quickly, he adds, "I like you right where you are."

"Well, you've got me. I'm right where I want to be." Wrapping myself around him, I pull him to me and kiss him deeply so he knows for sure.

Sighing, he pulls away and starts to get up. "Come on, let's get back out there. They'll wonder what's going on."

Getting off the bed, he pulls me up and starts to walk out to join the others. Bouncing out, I locate Retro and jump on his back and he lets out an 'Oof' on impact and turns his head so he can look at me. "Admit it. You'll miss me."

Chuckling, he nods in agreement. "Of course I will. We all will. I hope you don't disappear completely." He grins, "I mean, who else is going to make us laugh?" Pointing his thumb toward Luke and Taylor. "It certainly won't be those two. Maybe Kate and Ana but not as much as you do." He winks at the girls.

"You'll see me again. I guarantee it." Glancing toward Lurch, he nods in understanding. "I'm sure Elliot will make sure of it." If I know him like I think I do, he'll want to give these guys a hard time about this whole fiasco. After he kicks their asses.

Standing up, with me dangling again, he turns his back to Lurch, who removes me from him and holds me in the air. "Group hug!" Stepping closer, he squishes me between the two of them.

"Aww… you're def…" I'm cut off as my face gets smashed into Retro's chest. Kate and Ana join us and I'm the one stuck in the middle of all of them. I have no idea who I hit but I have to tap out. "Can't… breathe..." I wheeze out.

Laughing everyone pulls apart and I drop to the floor, trying to catch my breath. Retro grins down at me. "You OK Tink?"

"Yeah, just had the wind knocked out of me, that's all." Smiling up at everyone. "It's been fun, both yesterday and today. Thank you for making it happen and putting up with my antics."

Helping me up, Kate asks, "Have you really packed?"

Nodding, I look at Lurch. "Yes. Ask him. I'm sure he'd tell on me or make me if I didn't."

"Yes, she did. I saw her room empty and her suitcase sitting by the chair." Smirking at me, he nods, "You're right. I would have made you do it AND I would have told them as well. I'm not going to let you get off that easily." I open my mouth to say something but he cuts me off. "Not. A. Fucking. Word. Tink." He growls, glaring at me.

"What?" I ask innocently. "I was just going to say I told you so." I smirk and stick my tongue out at him.

Retro laughs hard, "She's going to be so much fun to have around." He slaps Lurch on the back. "Good luck with her. You'll be bald in no time."

"You're enjoying this way too much." Lurch scowls. "If you remember, you're not immune to her antics, Mr. Fairy Wings." He laughs, "I bet you $50 she'll find you a set and make you wear them."

"Hey! That's a great idea!" I exclaim. "I'm sure I can find something on Amazon." I tap my chin with my finger. "I'll look as soon as I get home! This will be so much fun! You can be a Fairy for Halloween, while Lurch and I are Lurch and Cousin It." Grinning at him, "You know, before we're all superheroes."

Everyone groans and Luke and Taylor look confused. "Oh, come on. Life is too short not to enjoy it." Shaking my head. "It's the little things that count."

A cell phone goes off and I see Taylor look at his phone. "The plane is here. We should get going."

There's an awkward silence as the magnitude of the situation settles in. This goes in the books as one of the strangest vacations I've ever had. What do you say to the people that have both ruined and made a vacation better? See you around? It's not like I want to see them again, except for Lurch and Retro. It's been fun? It hasn't been fun until yesterday and today, and that was mainly with Lurch and Retro. Nice meeting you? It was nice meeting only two of them. Safe travels? Seems kind of cold, although I'd like to see a couple of them get food poisoning. I mean, seriously, what do you say?

"I guess we'll see you guys later when we get back." Kate says. "I'm sure Elliot will be waiting for us to come home." Glancing at Ana, "I'm sure Christian will want to see Ana too."

Ana nods. "Yeah, though I might make him wait until I'm ready to see him." She frowns, "Kate? It seems you're the only one with nothing apprehensive to go home to."

"Yeah, Elliot and I are fine. You and Christian are the ones with huge issues that need to be ironed out. If you want to, that is." Kate replies. Her hint is heard loud and clear when the guys inhale sharply and they freeze.

Ana looks at me and I can see the indecision all over her face. "Ana, you do what you need to do. Your happiness is all I want." Wrapping my arm around her, I continue. "I can guarantee that I won't be civil to him until I cool off though. Especially if I saw him today or tomorrow or this week. I can't say when it will happen either. That's something between him and me. I'm not going to be upset with you, whatever your decision is."

Nodding, she replies, "Rhi, I have a lot of anger, hurt and resentment toward him and I need some time to figure things out." She wraps her arms around me. "You're more important to me than any man and that's how it will always be. He can wait until I'm ready to deal with him. Until then, we focus on getting you settled back home and get your surgery taken care of. That's priority number one."

"I guess we'll figure things out as they happen then." I smile and add, "Life is never black and white. Forgiveness takes time and a lot of effort for it to be successful. People need time to process and come to terms with everything. Don't worry about me. I'll be OK."

Hugging Kate and Ana, I kiss them both on the cheek. "Really, I'm OK with whatever you decide. Only you can make the choice for what and who are in your lives." Stepping back, I smile, "I've been through hell, spent a little time there and escaped and here I am, a survivor. I think I can handle a couple of assholes on a power trip. I love you guys and I'll do whatever I can to make you happy. I won't make you choose."

I forgot the guys were still here so I'm startled when I hear the clearing of a throat. Looking around, I see Luke and Taylor watching me. Cutting off any chance of a conversation, I say to both of them. "Have a safe trip home." I decided to keep it short because there's nothing else I want to say right now.

Taylor nods, "You too."

Luke looks at me intently. "Rhi…"

Putting my hand up, I stop him. "No. Not now. Maybe somewhere down the road but not now. Have a safe trip." He nods but doesn't say anything else.

Taylor looks at Retro and Lurch. "We'll meet you back in the room." I watch as they head to the door and leave.

"Ryan? Reynolds? It was fun hanging out with you guys. You made the end of this vacation a lot better than expected. Ana and I will see you when we all get home." Glancing at me, Kate adds, "I can't answer for Rhi but I'm sure you'll see her. Elliot will make sure she's around." Nodding to me, she pushes Ana's shoulder. "Come on Ana. Let's go make sure we don't forget anything and get our stuff."

I watch as the two of them leave Retro, Lurch and I alone. "This is weird. I got used to you guys being around all the time. Who am I going to joke around with? You know, Kate and Ana always said that I'm the one that disappears after vacations. It's not me. It's them. I do my thing and they're not there. You guys did things with me, no questions asked and still had fun. Unless you're really good actors and pretended to have fun." I grin.

"Tink, we truly had fun with you. You're different and a lot of fun. You're honest, trustworthy, and real, not fake. With you, what you see is what you get." Retro smiles, "You're a special person and we were gifted the privilege of spending time with you." Hugging me, he says, "By the way, we're still going to be around. I'm not letting my Fairy Princess Tink get away. You're needed to complete the Three Amigo's. Remember?"

"OK, OK, OK. Stop. You're going to make me cry." Pulling him over to the couch, I climb up on it so we're close to eye level and hug him. "I promise, I'll be around. You'll see me more than you'd like and you'll get sick of me. I didn't want to say anything in front of Luke or Taylor, for obvious reasons, but I'll be spending a lot of time with the two of you." Grinning, I add, "Whether you like it or not." Kissing him on the cheek, I pull away and he laughs.

"You're always welcome and we will love having you around as much as possible." Glancing at Lurch, he laughs, "Someone has to even out the odds."

Looking at Lurch, who's been watching us quietly, I confirm his suspicions, again. "Yeah. I'm definitely going to be around."

Hugging me again, Retro kisses my cheek. "I'll see you later. Let us know when you land, please?"

"Of course. I expect you guys to let me know the same." I grin, "Deal?"

"Deal." Looking over at Lurch, he says, "I'll meet you back in the room." As he's walking past Lurch, he claps him on the shoulder. "Don't take too long." Waving to me, he says, "Bye Tink! See you tonight, maybe?"

Lurch looks at me, and I back at him, "I'll let you know, one way or another."

"OK. Just let us know. See you later!" He exits the room and closes the door behind him, leaving Lurch and I alone.

Lurch looks at me intently, searching my face for something, before he says, "Whatever it is you're planning, promise me you'll stay safe."

Confused, I question, "What do you mean?"

He shrugs. "Just a hunch." His answer leaves me to wonder if he suspects something.

Stepping closer, I reach up and cradle his face. "I promise I'll be safe." I don't want to hide anything from him but I need to do things on my terms.

Pulling him toward the bedroom in case Ana and Kate come out, I sit down on the bed and he sits next to me. "It's only a couple of hours until you get home. We leave shortly after you do. I'll text you and keep you updated and you can read the messages when you land."

Pulling me onto his lap, I straddle him and lay my head on his chest. Resting his head on mine, he rumbles, "I'll worry. I know you can take care of yourself but still, you never know what will happen. Things that you can't control."

"I understand, I promise I'll be OK. I have people watching out for me everywhere. I'm safer than most people know." Pulling back, I grin, "I've made friends everywhere I go so that should give you some comfort."

He scowls, "No, that does not give me comfort, that makes me uneasy. You attract more attention than anyone I've ever known and not everyone has good intentions. So far you've been surrounded by friends, other than those bikers, and things have worked out. That doesn't mean it will always be that way."

"I need you to understand something. I've been doing things myself for years, even before Dad died. Yeah, I have Kate and Ana but they're not around all the time." I wish I could tell him everything but now is not the time. "I'll tell you what I can later. You and Retro. You're the only two I trust to talk to, other than Kate and Ana. Unfortunately, we don't have time right now. I need you to trust me. I'll make sure to let you know where I'm at."

Sighing, he leans his forehead on mine. "OK. I'll trust you. You have to promise me you will keep me informed of where you are. Please." Kissing my nose, "I'm not trying to smother you or control you or anything, I just want you safe." Leaning back, he grins, "I don't want anything to happen to my TINY Fairy Princess Tink."

Slapping him on the shoulder, I growl playfully, "I'm not tiny." I giggle, "I'm pocket-sized, remember?"

Chuckling, he smirks, "Snack-sized and fun-sized too, if I recall."

Poking him in the stomach, "Good enough to eat." I giggle, "Remember, sugar melts and you have to lick your fingers if you make a mess."

His eyes widen and he groans. Without warning, he flips us around and has me pinned to the bed. "You don't know the meaning of the word BEHAVE do you?" He growls with a wolfish grin.

Giggling again, I try the innocent approach and pout. "What do you mean? I was just talking about eating chocolate. You know, I have those KitKat's and Reece's still." Grinning, I continue, "You can have some if you want. I was brought up right, my Dad taught me how to share."

Groaning, he leans forward and kisses me and, just as before, it quickly turns heated. After I don't know how long, we hear a knock on the door and hear Kate, "Rhi, Ryan and the guys are waiting for Reynolds. They have to leave." She laughs, "Ryan thinks it's funny and is laughing. However, I think Luke and Taylor are a little upset with the whole situation."

Lurch and I look at each other and frown. "Yeah, this ought to be a fun plane ride." He groans. "We've got to get this settled so I don't feel like a teenager hiding a girl from his parents." He rolls his eyes and I laugh.

"I should start sneaking in your window and hiding under the covers when they are around." I laugh, "Retro will get a kick out of that. Elliot too. In fact, maybe they can help sort things out."

"Yeah, we'll see what happens when I leave." Looking down at me, he reminds me, "Don't forget to keep me in the loop about everything. Please?"

"I will. I promise. You do the same, OK? Especially with the situation between you and the guys. I'll worry." I scowl, "If anything happens, I'll kick their asses. Luke and Taylor for doing anything and Retro and Elliot for not stopping it."

Laughing, he leans down and kisses me again. Pulling back, all too soon, he replies, "I'll make sure to tell them you said that. Come on. Let's go."

Pulling me up with him, we head out the door and see Kate and Ana grinning. "You," She points to Lurch, "Are in trouble. You," She points at me, "ARE trouble." She laughs and continues, "Ryan said to tell you he's got your back." She shoots a warning look at Lurch, "You hurt her, Ana and I will kill you and your body will never be found."

It's true. She and Ana will do that and it's possible. Just ask Hoffa.

He nods in acknowledgement. "Thanks, Kate. Thanks, Ana. You don't have to worry about that. Ryan won't allow it to happen." Looking down at me, placing his hand on my cheek and I lean into it, he adds, "I'd never do it anyway though."

"Oh, do you still have my phone?" I ask, almost forgetting he had it. "I'll need it if you want me to text you." I grin.

Pulling it out of his pocket, he hands it to me. "You better text me. Call if you want, too."

Nodding, I reply, "Tell Retro I'll text him too. He needs to be aware of the threats made."

"Bye, Tink. I'll see you later." He winks and kisses me again, this time in front of Kate and Ana, and leaves.

"So, you and Reynolds, huh?" Kate asks, though it's more of a statement as soon as the door closes.

Turning around when I don't respond, they're met with me and a stupid grin on my face. "Yeah. Me and Lurch. He's amazing and we just 'clicked.' He doesn't try to change me, control me, or treat me like I'm a doll. He accepts me as I am and we can actually have fun and enjoy life."

I need to text Ice and the guys to let them I'm getting ready to go to the airport and I see the message that came in earlier today. When I see who it's from my stomach drops. Oh fuck. I forgot all about him.

A: Were you even planning on talking to me before you left?

I guess I better text him back.

R: Hey. Sorry. I got busy enjoying the last few hours of my vacation.

A: Do you have time to talk?

R: No. We're getting things ready to leave.

A: I thought we were going to talk today? About maybe trying to have a relationship? I know you don't live here but I think we could work something out.

What part of 'I don't have time' does he not understand?

R: Alex, I don't have time to talk. I have to go. I'm sorry.

OK, so that was kind of cold and a fucked up way to blow him off but I really don't have time to talk. Not to mention the uneasy feeling I have about the whole thing. I've learned that when I get that feeling I need to listen to it. I learned the hard way with Jace.

Silencing my phone, I hear a door close and Retro laughing. I don't want that to be the only goodbye, or maybe it has something to do with the situation with Alex, so I fling the door open and bolt down the hallway after them. They don't hear me until our door slams shut and just as they turn around, I jump onto Lurch and wrap my legs around him. Luckily, he has enough time to drop his bag and catches me before I fall.

He lets out a grunt as I hit him and lifts me up higher so he can hold me better. "What's wrong?" He asks, a concern look on his face, his eyes searching my face.

Squeezing him tighter, I nuzzle into his neck just below his chin. Remaining silent, I hear Retro, "Come on. We've got to go. Bring her with us downstairs." He chuckles, "Obviously she's not ready to say goodbye. I'll grab your bag."

I hear the rumble in his chest as he says, "Text the girls and let them know where she is. I don't want them to worry." Holding on tighter, I feel him kiss the top of my head. "Hey." Pulling back to see me, I look up and he grins. "Already miss me, huh?" Chuckling, he squeezes me a little.

Luke and Taylor are walking in front of us in silence and my face is turned so I can see Retro walking along side of us. He has a goofy grin and winks at me. "That's one way to make a statement."

Grinning, I shrug. He's right. I wanted to make a statement. I'm not hiding anything and I'll be damned if I'm going to be a dirty little secret. It's my life, they don't get to control it or have a say about anything. I don't care what they think about what's going on between Lurch and me. They're not involved in this. It's none of their business what goes on in my life. The only part they can be involved in is if it involves Lurch, work wise, and they better not interfere.

"It's cool." Glancing at Luke and Taylor, he confirms. Then he laughs, "I swear, you're part monkey."

"Koala. I hate monkeys. Koala's are cuter." I grin. "Unless they're wet, then they're frightening." The image gives me the heebie-jeebies. "I mean, have you seen one wet? Google it and see for yourself."

He laughs, "They're mean though. You're not mean."

"Uh, have you met me?" I raise my eyebrows at him. "Ask Ana and Kate. You might want to rethink your statement."

"You're not mean, Tink. You're just honest, straightforward and don't take shit from anyone." Lurch says. "Most people these days get their feelings hurt too easily. They need to toughen up and grow some thicker skin."

"100% agree with you on that. My Dad was Gen-X, hence all the eye-rolling, and the only thing that bothered him was when someone messed with his family or friends. If that happened, watch out. My mother learned that the hard way." The bitch deserved everything she got.

We step into the elevator and as we descend, I'm snuggled in Lurch's arms, my face tucked under his chin, inhaling his scent to commit it to memory. I wonder if I could swipe one of his shirts…

"Hey." His chest rumbles as he pulls back to look down at me again. "If you keep sniffing me like that there won't be anything left."

Shrugging, I make a face, "I can't help it. You smell good. I'm trying to commit it to memory."

"Please, we have to sit in a small plane with him. Spare us and save some for the flight home." Retro groans with a laugh.

I stop sniffing him and change tactics, rubbing my face on his neck and chest. "Is this better?"

"What are you, part cat too?" Retro laughs. "Are you rubbing your scent on him or his on you?"

Before I can say anything, Lurch stops me, squeezing my ass harder in a silent warning. However, the next warning definitely isn't silent. "Don't even think about it, Tink." He glares down at me and I laugh.

Grinning, I look up, challenging him with a look, and reply, "No, I'm not part cat but I have…"

To silence my words, he holds me with one arm, covers my mouth with his hand and glares at me. "Don't you DARE finish that sentence." Retro is laughing so hard he has to lean on the wall of the elevator to keep from falling over. Out of the corner of my eye I see the shoulders of Luke and Taylor actually shaking and I think it's from laughing but I'm not positive. "Ryan, stop encouraging her!" He grumbles at him. I can tell he's frustrated with me but like I said before, he's just too easy to fuck with and I can't seem to control myself.

"Mmmfffm." My words are muffled and unintelligible. All I can do is look at him and blink, hoping he uncovers my mouth soon.

"Are you going to behave?" He asks, staring daggers at me.

I laugh but it comes out as a snort and after a minute I finally nod. He uncovers my mouth slowly and I can tell he doesn't fully trust me which, to be honest, he shouldn't but I will 'behave' like he asked me to. Raising my hand to touch his cheek, I apologize. "I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself."

Shaking his head, he squints his eyes at me. "Mmm Hmm. You have a sick and twisted sense of humor, you know that, right?"

Retro laughs, "She has an awesome sense of humor." Still laughing, he continues, "She's going to make life so much more interesting and it will be awesome to have her around."

"Just wait until Elliot and I get together. It's so much more fun!" Looking up at Lurch, I smile wickedly, "When it's just me, I have to go to more extremes to amuse myself. When he and I are together, it's a whole different ballgame."

"Oh god." He groans.

Retro laughs, "You better be prepared to get a toupee, bro. Something tells me it's not going to take long before you're going to need it." He chuckles. "I can tell already that life is never going to be the same with you around, Tink."

"Fuck." Lurch mutters.

I'm not sure if everyone else heard him but I certainly did. Unable to keep my mouth shut, and wanting to see his reaction, I respond, "Yes."

He nearly drops me from shock, causing me to squeal, and stares at me with eyebrows raised. Straight-faced, I look up at him through my eyelashes, holding his gaze. After a minute, I wiggle in his arms for emphasis.

The elevator pings and the doors open and I hear Lurch sigh with relief. As we're following behind Luke and Taylor, Retro grins and steps between us and them. I swear, they can communicate by telepathy because the next thing I know, he's hoisting me up higher, squeezing my ass again in the process and rumbles in my ear, "You know, you really need to learn the definition of 'behave.'" That act alone causes goosebumps to scatter across my skin, just like last night, and my nipples harden. "Am I going to have to teach you, Tink?" He nibbles on my earlobe, then starts kissing my neck, just below my jaw.

My body answers for me as I raise my head and angle it, baring it to him. He immediately attaches his lips to it, kissing and sucking down to my shoulder. I start to moan but before I can he covers my mouth with his in a deep kiss that curls my toes again. The things this man does to me. Wrapping my arms around his neck tighter I kiss him back, our tongues intertwining in a sensual dance. How the hell he's able to walk and not bump into something is beyond me but I'm thankful.

"Tink." I hear Retro's voice, effectively stopping our mobile make out session. "You probably should text the girls when you're on your way back upstairs."

I turn to look at him and see we're approaching the taxi stand. From the look of it, Taylor and Luke are getting ready to turn around. He's grinning and nods his head in their direction. Giggling, I grin back at him, "Thanks for reminding me." Reaching for my back pocket, I find my phone not there. "Ugh." I groan, "I left my phone in my suite."

Chuckling, "I've got your back." Pulling out his phone, he sends a message to one of the girls.

"You've got to get down now." Lurch sighs. "We're almost there."

"NO. I'm not ready to let you leave me yet." I pout.

Setting me down, he smiles that amazing smile I love and gives me a kiss. Pulling back, he grins and winks, probably at the shocked look on my face because it's right in front of Taylor and Luke, and they're watching. "I'm not leaving you. I'm leaving Vegas. I'll be waiting for you to come home. Let me know when you get back and I'll pick you up. OK?"

Nodding, "OK." I give him another kiss but he makes sure to keep it simple. Yeah, probably a smart thing to do because I don't seem to have any self-control when I'm around him.

"I need to smell you again before you go." I'm dead serious too. He's soothing and I'm trying to make sure his scent is around me. Stepping closer to him, he stops me.

"Here." Taking off his shirt, I see he has another one on underneath it. Fuck he's hot. "Take this. Wear it when you need to and sleep in it." Squealing, I grab it from him and immediately put it to my face and inhale. "Yay! Thank you!" Jumping up and down like a little kid, I wrap my arms around him and squeeze.

He laughs deep in his chest at my reaction. "Didn't think you'd actually get one, did you?" He grins and leans down, purring in my ear, "The real thing will be waiting for you when you get home."

I physically can't stop the shiver that runs through my body or the huge smile that spreads across my face.

The taxi arrives and they're ready to get in. "Airport please." I hear Taylor say. He and Luke go in one car and they drive off. A second one is called for Lurch and Retro. My heart drops when it pulls up and the door opens for them.

Turning to me, Retro picks me up to give me a hug and kisses me on the cheek. "Bye Tink. I'll miss you but will see you when you get home. OK?"

Nodding, I hug him back and kiss him on his cheek. "I'll miss you too. I'll let you guys know when I'm home. Stay safe and stay out of trouble."

He laughs hard, "You're the one who needs to be told to stay out of trouble. You'd better let us know when you get back too. Otherwise, we'll just have to come hunt you down."

This just proves that I'm going to be in trouble when I get home. BIG TIME.

Pulling me off him, he hands me to Lurch like I'm a little kid being passed around. It's only then that I notice all the phones pointed my way. Shit. Oh well, it's too late to worry about anything now.

"Kate and Ana will be waiting for you so make sure you go up. I'm sending a message as soon as I get in the taxi." His message is loud and clear. "Say goodbye. You'll see each other in no time." He laughs, shaking his head, "You two are adorable but nauseating at times. Just FYI."

Slapping his arm, I smirk, "I know, but I'm adorable all the time." I laugh, "I promise. I'll go straight upstairs and I'll let you know when I'm there." As an afterthought, I add, "Bye, Marshall." The look on his face makes me nearly fall from laughing. "Yeah, I know your name now. So, if I call you that you'll know you're in big trouble." I laugh so hard my eyes start to water.

Turning around in Lurch's arms, I hug him one last time and give him a kiss, inhaling once again. "Text me. Please."

Placing his hand on my cheek, he leans in and kisses me again. "I will. You keep me in the loop, OK? I'll worry if I don't hear from you."

"I promise. I'll be safe and I'll let you know what's going on." Kissing him again, "I'll miss you. Now I have your shirt and it'll help calm me and sleep." Smiling wickedly, "You never know, I might do more than sleep in it."

Setting me down on my own feet, he appears shocked at my words. "BEHAVE, Tink." After one more kiss, he says, "I've got to go. I'll talk to you soon."

I watch as he climbs into the taxi alongside Retro and the door shuts behind him. He waves as the taxi pulls away and out of sight. It's the strangest feeling, watching them driving away from the hotel. I feel like my best friends have left. Well, next to Kate and Ana.

Sighing, I clutch Lurch's shirt to my chest and make my way back to the elevators. Mark is there and smiles, "Hi, Rhi. Where are your friends?" He asks, looking around.

"They went home. Can you do something for me?" He nods and I continue, "First, I forgot my phone and key card upstairs. Can you start the elevator for me?" He nods again and I continue, again, "Kate and Ana are up there and will let me in."

"Sure thing. It happens all the time." Smiling, he calls the elevator, uses his key card and sends me up.

It's too quiet walking down the door. As I pass the guys' suite, a weird feeling wraps around me. Sighing, I continue to our suite and knock on the door. Kate lets me in. "Forget something?" She laughs, shaking her head. "You bolted out of here before we even knew what was happening."

"Yeah, I needed to say another goodbye to the guys." Shrugging my shoulders, "I'll miss them. They were so much fun." As an afterthought, I say, "Well, TWO of them were."

"Rhi, Luke and Taylor aren't bad guys. You just started off on the wrong foot." She replies, "I understand how you're feeling but give it some time and maybe things will be different down the road."

"We'll see." I'm not too thrilled about the fact that I'll see them sometimes when I'm with Lurch but if I have to do that so I can be with him then I will. "I'm sure we'll be around each other because of Lurch. I promise to remain civil but the cast on my hand is a stark reminder of what happened. Until that's gone, I don't know how things will go." It's an honest answer and the most logical, right now anyway.

"I understand. Which is why we need to get you on the mend as soon as we get home. The sooner you get your surgery done the sooner you can heal and your life will get back to as normal as it is for you." Ana laughs. "We will be there to help you as much as possible. When we can't get over to help you we'll make sure someone is there. I'm sure Joe will help coordinate things."

"Have you told anyone back home about it yet?" Kate asks but I'm pretty sure she already knows the answer.

"No. I'm waiting until I get home to do it. I didn't need the cavalry riding in and hauling my ass back home before my vacation ends." They look at me funny and I continue, "You guys already know that's exactly what would happen."

Ana responds, "What?! Rhi, do you realize how upset people are going to be with you? Especially five specific people?"

"Oh. Uh, yeah. I forgot about that." I cringe just thinking about how that's going to go over. "I'll just explain everything to them. Certainly, they'll understand. Right?"

Ana smirks, "Apparently you don't remember who your grandparents are. Especially Grandma Ellie and Grandpa Wick." Then she laughs, "Did you forget Brad too?"

"You're going to get your ass handed to you when they find out." Kate grins. "That cute little ass you have? You might as well kiss it goodbye." She laughs, enjoying this way too much, and says, "Reynolds won't even get the chance to see it because it will be gone before you see him again."

"You really think I have a cute ass?" Turning around in a circle to look at it.

"Rhi!" She hisses. "This is serious! When do you plan on telling anyone?"

Rolling my eyes, "It's not that big of a deal. I was on vacation and wanted to enjoy it without worrying anyone. They would have made me go home immediately or have the surgery here." I hope they understand my perspective. "I wanted to enjoy the time that I had left having fun, not sitting in a hospital bed, in pain and unable to do anything. You and I both know there would be guards around the clock just waiting for me to try and escape."

Kate laughs, "Yeah, you're right, that would definitely happen. Do you know why?" She looks at me expectantly but when I don't answer she continues. "You know why. Because you would try to escape or get out of it somehow."

Ana smirks, "Like you tried to do with Reynolds and brushing your hair."

I can't help the smile that breaks out on my face. "Yeah, that was hilarious. He wasn't too thrilled with me doing that either. However, he played dirty and got Retro to gang upon me." Laughing, I add, "It was fun though. He's so much fun to tease."

"You really like him, huh?" Ana asks, and I can see the curiosity in her eyes.

"I do. I really do. I don't know when or how it happened but we just kind of 'clicked' and it went from there." Thinking about it for a minute, "I think it was the fact that he lets me do what I want to do, doesn't expect me to be or become something or someone else and doesn't treat me like I'm some china doll that could break at any moment under any stress. He gets my sense of humor, though he may not understand it, but he goes along with my antics. I feel like I can be ME and not be judged for it." Grinning, I wiggle my eyebrows, "Not to mention he's fucking hot."

Rolling her eyes, she shakes her head. "Rhi, we're happy if you're happy. We just don't want to see you get hurt. The threat we made to him earlier is 100% real. If he hurts you, we'll kill him and he'll disappear. Just like Jace."

"I'll be OK. I promise. I'm not going into anything blind and I'm not jumping in with both feet. Baby steps before running." Reaching for her and Ana, I pull them into a hug. "Thank you for being here with me and for sticking through everything over the past couple of decades. It's been a lot and I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you guys."

"Just know that we'll always be here for you. No matter what. We're just a little more protective of you considering everything and won't let someone hurt you." Ana grins, "No matter how 'hot' they are."

"What about Alex?" Kate asks quietly.

"What about him? There's nothing between us. Did you forget what I said last night? Before I left to play pool? He wanted me to be some 'damsel in distress' that needed him. Someone that couldn't do things for herself. I felt like I was just a doll that was on display. There is something about him that doesn't feel right. I just can't put my finger on it. He's hiding something and it's unsettling. He was too good to be true." I shrug. "I didn't like the person I was when I was with him. He turned me into some helpless and dependent person who felt like she needed permission to do something. Whenever I did something that was 'normal' for me, he frowned upon it and made a big deal about it until I gave in and did it his way."

"So what's the difference between him and Reynolds?" Ana asks.

"Lurch is the opposite and seems to enjoy the real me. He's not possessive and jealous like Alex was. Luke acted exactly like Alex, to a point. Lurch, he's accepted me as I am. Retro too." I laugh. "You heard him. He loves me, just like Elliot does." I smile mischievously.

Kate snickers, "Yeah, Elliot's just as bad as Ryan. They seem to fuel your fire when you get ideas. Reynolds is always yelling, 'Behave' and 'Don't encourage her!' The poor guy, he has no idea what he's in for."

I grin, "Yeah, that's another reason I like him. He has a sense of humor. If you recall, Alex never thought anything I did was funny. He didn't 'get' me. He was too serious. Like I said before, there's something about him that doesn't sit right."

"So, what are you going to do? Aren't you supposed to talk to him today?" Ana asks, and I can see the concern on her face. "You know Kate and I are sorry about pushing you to let him in. We thought we were doing the right thing. We thought he was good for you but our judgement appears to have been wrong." She sighs, "It looks like your judgement was better than ours. We thought he was different, not like Jace."

"It's OK. Really, it is. Had it not been for him we wouldn't have had the fun we did yesterday and today with the guys. I wouldn't have met Lurch and bonded with him. Things would be so different." I haven't said anything to anyone yet about the text from Alex about a relationship but I suppose I should. Taking a deep breath, I tell them and the last message I sent. "Besides all of that, when I was saying goodbye to the guys, Lurch and I may or may not have been kissing and there may or may not have been photos or videos being taken. I haven't looked at social media yet."

With their eyes wide, they both say simultaneously, "Rhi! What?" Pulling out their phones, they quickly search and the answer is quite clear when the images I described are all over. "What if Alex saw it or one of his friends, like Jack?"

"Then he's seen it and I don't have to hide it." Shrugging my shoulders, I blow it off like it's no big deal.

"Rhi, you don't know enough about him to know how he'd react. If he's as bad as you said he was he could do anything at any time." Kate sounds serious when she says, "You could be in danger."

"I don't think he'd do anything because it would affect his job and reputation. That in itself would ruin him." I point out.

"Just keep an eye out for anything that seems 'off' and report it to someone. Please. You don't want to go through something like that again." Ana adds, "While he may not go to the extremes Jace did, he might do something else."

"I'll be fine. I'll be on the lookout for anything odd but we're going home so it shouldn't be a big deal." Rolling my eyes, I need to change the subject. I hate talking about anything that relates to Jace. "What time is it?"

Checking the time, Kate announces, "We need to get going and head to the airport. Security sucks here and it could take forever to get through. We don't want to miss our plane."

"Ugh. I hate security." I mutter. "OK. Let's check the place to see if we got everything.

Wandering room to room, nothing is missing or left behind so we pick up our stuff and head out. It's so weird leaving after everything that's happened and the people we've met. After exiting the elevator, we head to the taxi stand and quite a few phones are pointed in our direction. Whatever. Things are going to end here, I'm sure, and I won't have to worry about people tracking my movements, which will be nice back home. I'll have to worry less about my activities and more on the things that matter.

We're able to leave without incident and as we stand waiting for our taxi we're talking about the fun things we did. "Rhi, I really enjoyed the sock hop. That was so much fun, we should do that more often."

Ana adds, "Yeah, I agree with Kate. I haven't danced like that in a long time and it felt good to let loose. You're a better dancer than I thought. You should teach us so we can go out more."

"I'm always down for dancing. We have plenty of room at our houses for teaching. We can figure something out and I can teach you the basics." I grin, "Maybe Elliot can join in and we can have our own dance party."

"Ha. That's funny, for two reasons. First, you already know Elliot supports whatever crazy ideas you come up with so that's a given. Second, I'd love to see you teach him to dance like that. He knows the basic moves but he doesn't have the best rhythm. He's nothing compared to Reynolds. He has some smooth moves and you guys looked great together."

Smiling at the memory, I agree, we DID look great together. "Thank you. All the more reason we're together. We complement each other and move in sync. How else would he be able to tell when I'm going to say something 'inappropriate'."

They both laugh and Ana says, "When do you NOT say inappropriate things? You throw them into a normal and innocent conversation just for shits and giggles."

"So, you and Reynolds are together, together?" Kate asks. I guess she just wants confirmation that's what the situation is.

"Yes. We're together, together. As of this morning." I grin. "He makes me happy. We enjoy life and have had such a fun time together. He reels me in, kind of, when I get a little too crazy and he makes me feel safe. You know how my anxiety goes off the charts with too much stress." I can't help the giggle that escapes when I say, "Which is why I sniff him all the time and why he gave me one of his shirts."

"Oh god. You're like a schoolgirl wearing her boyfriend's letter jacket." Ana laughs.

"Exactly. There's something about him that just…neutralizes the shit in my head. He doesn't make me anxious or want to escape. I can't explain it." Shrugging, I add, "I guess that's the best way to explain it. Not to mention, he lives in the same state and almost the same city." He's the complete opposite of Alex. "Alex created shit in my head. He made me anxious and want to escape."

The taxi arrives and we climb in to go to the airport. It's a quiet ride, each of us caught in our own thoughts, possibly tired from all the things that have happened. I know I'm ready for things to settle down and just 'be.'

Stepping into the airport, we head to security and Kate mutters, "You have got to be joking."

"Uh, no. It looks like it's going to take forever to get through security." Looking at her phone, Ana says, "We don't have much time to get to our gate."

Glaring at me, "This is your fault, Rhi." Kate chastises.

"How is this my fault?" I'm not that surprised she would blame me. After all, a lot of things are my fault, but this? I can't control security delays.

"If you hadn't run off suddenly we would have been through the line already." She groans, "Now we're going to have to run to the gate. Literally."

"Kate, it wasn't my fault. We had already decided on the time to leave to give us enough time to get through security. I can't control how many people are leaving Vegas." I point out the obvious, "My running off had nothing to do with the security lines."

"You're right. I'm sorry. I'm just frustrated with waiting in this stupid line." She apologizes. "I just want to get home."

"You didn't have to fly with me. You could have gone with the guys." Looking from Kate to Ana. "You would've been halfway home by now if you had."

"We came together, we leave together." Kate says, "Besides, we didn't want to leave you on your own."

"Kate, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself." I roll my eyes, "I don't need supervision all the time. I've done things alone for a long time, even before Dad died. You guys aren't around all the time and I don't just sit home and twiddle my thumbs."

"That's obvious, considering everything we learned about you while we were here." Ana mutters.

I have to laugh at that. "Well, like I said earlier, when we get home you guys are going to experience some of my life. It'll be a culture shock but you'll be safe. I promise."

We're moving up through the security line pretty quickly by now, which is good because we're really going to be pushing the time limit. There's about fifteen minutes before boarding is set to start and we haven't even reached the checkpoint. We're already prepared so we just have to dump our stuff in the bins and go through the scanner.

Finally, we're through security, quickly grabbing our bags and making a run for the gate. When we're almost there, we slow down to catch our breath. "Uh, Rhi? Where are your shoes?" Kate points to my feet.

Looking down I have to laugh. They're not on my feet or in my hand. "Fuck. I left them at security! What the fuck? I thought something felt off!"

"Rhi! Only you would do that! We don't have time to go back to get them!" Kate shrieks. I break out in a fit of giggles and can't stop laughing. "Rhi, this isn't funny! We're going to miss the flight!"

"No. You're not. I'm NOT leaving here without my shoes. It's not that far. I'll run back and get my shoes. You guys go to the gate and board whenever they start. I'll be right behind you." I'm saying this as I'm walking back toward security so they can't stop me. "I have my phone. I'll text you when I get them and I'm heading back."

"Rhi…" Ana starts to say something but I cut her off.

"Just go you guys or you'll miss the flight. There's no reason all three of us should go. It will be faster this way." Making a face at them to go, I turn and start running back the way we came. Fuck. I can't believe I left my shoes!

After a few minutes, I glance behind me and see that they have gone the other way to get to the gate. Well, isn't this just perfect? Ugh. I refuse to leave my shoes in Vegas. They're my new purple ones! Hustling faster, I get to security and see my shoes sitting on the other side of the partition.

"Um, excuse me? Sir?" I as the TSA attendant.

Turning to look at me, he grins. "Forget something, did you?"

I can't help the laugh that escapes. "Uh, yeah. We were in such a hurry not to miss our flight that I totally forgot to grab my shoes!"

Handing them to me, he chuckles, "Should I tie them for you, nice and tight so they don't come off?" When he says that, the line of people watching the interaction start laughing.

Rolling my eyes, I grin. "I probably should have them superglued to my feet after this!" Shrugging, I add, "Welcome to my world. That's what my friends get for rushing me!" Nodding to the man, I smile, "Thank you for keeping them safe. Have a great rest of your day!"

"My pleasure. Safe travels!" He smiles and goes back to his job, laughing.

Once I have my shoes, I try to slip them on but they're too tight. Cursing, I growl, "God dammit Lurch! You tied these too tight! Ugh!"

Foregoing the shoes, I take off running to the gate and see that it's closed already and Kate and Ana are nowhere in sight. Sitting down, I untie my shoes and put them on, loosely tying them as best as I can. I better text the girls to let them know what happened.

R: Uh, guys?

K: The gate is closed and the jetway is being pulled away. We're getting ready to taxi to the runway. We barely made it in time to board. Where are you?

R: I'm watching plane preparing to leave.

K: What are you going to do?

Laughing at that, I can't help my response.

R: I'm going to start walking. LOL

K: This isn't funny Rhi!

R: It's not the end of the world either. I'll just take a later flight.

K: Are you going to be OK?

R: I'll be fine. I'll see what flight I can find next and I'll text you. Don't worry about me.

K: Only you, Rhi, only you

R: LOL It makes life an adventure. Relax. It'll be fine. If I have to I'll stay another night.

K: Fuck, Rhi. You're a hot mess, did you know that?

R: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I own it though!

K: We have to turn off our phones now. We won't know what's going on until we land. Just keep texting so we know, OK?

R: OK. I'll let you know what the plan is. I have to tell Lurch what happened too. Love you guys!

K: Stay safe, Rhi. We love you too!

Well, that's that.

Turning around, I walk back toward security and out the door to take a taxi back to the hotel.