Summary: Maria Lomax has a new job. She's a warden on the Green Mile, and as she works there she learns so much more than she ever imagined, but goes through so many other emotions in the process. Please R&R!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with The Green Mile. I only own my OC.

A/N: Okay, I'm nervous about this one because I've never touched on anything like this, but I love the movie, and I wanted to write a fic!

Hope you enjoy!

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Working the Green Mile

~Chapter One: Welcome to the Mile~

Maria's dark curls glistened in the sunlight as the golden orb beat down on her, the curls gently brushing against her face as she walked along side Brutus Howell, the guy so tall she'd been terrified of him at first. The year was 1935 and the pair made their way towards E Block, or death row. They called it the Green Mile. It seemed so much nicer, and Maria had no idea what to expect. She'd trained for this though, to expect the unexpected, how to handle out of control prisoners, how to handle paperwork and other things, but the executions were something she'd couldn't be prepared for until she saw them. That, she wasn't looking forward to.

"You're nervous aren't you?" Brutus asked, Maria letting out a soft chuckle as they neared the building.

"Somewhat." She replied, "You can have all the training in the world, but my God, the nerves they can't ever prepare you for."

"Yeah, but you'll be fine." He assured her, "We'll look after you in here."

Maria smiled weakly and followed him up the steps, knowing that a lot of the prisoners who could see her in other blocks were watching her, leering at her. It made her feel sick. At least she'd be away from their prying eyes soon.

"Paul?" Brutus asked, another man making his way over to him, "This is our new warden, Maria Lomax, Maria, this is Paul Edgecomb."

Paul held his hand out and Maria took it firmly, shaking his hand and smiling.

"Nice to have you with us, Maria. Let me take you through." Paul said, "You can meet Harry and Dean while we're at it...and Percy."

Oh, God...Percy. He was enough to make people not want to work on the Mile, because simply the guy was just so vile.

"Harry?" Paul began, an older man standing from the desk in the office Paul had led her to, "This is Maria Lomax, she's our new warden."

Harry smiled and held out his hand, Maria taking it and greeting him.

"Maria, this is Harry Terwilliger." Paul finished.

"Nice strong handshake." Harry said with a smile, "That's what I like."

"Good." Maria replied with a grin, putting her bag where she was told to in the office before being stopped by a man an inch taller than her with dark hair and a face she couldn't help but want to slap.

"Ah, Percy...this is Maria Lomax, our new warden." Paul said, "Maria, this is Percy Wetmore."

"She's a woman." Percy stated, Maria fighting back a laugh.

Paul smirked and raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, you noticed?" He asked, Maria finding herself being studied carefully by Percy, not liking the way he was looking at her, "She may be a woman, Percy, but it doesn't mean she won't be good at this job."

"Ah, well, she can't be cryin' in the executions or nothin' like that." Percy said, Paul rolling his eyes at how stupid and pathetic the man sounded.

"And she won't be." He assured the younger man, "She'll be just fine, Percy, don't you worry about that. Now, if you'll excuse us, there's someone else for Maria to meet."

Percy glared as Paul pushed past him, Maria following to the back room.

"This is Ol' Sparky." Paul said, "Where we...well..."

Maria nodded, spotting a young blonde man who was cleaning the chair itself. She felt for anyone who had to sit in that chair, even if they'd comitted crimes that were enough to make you sick. It was awful for them to die in front of people. Death, however, particularly for murderers perhaps was the ultimate punishment, yet their deaths could be dignified and not require a goddamn audience.

"Dean," Paul began, the young man looking up, "This is Maria Lomax, our new warden. Maria, this is Dean Stanton."

Dean and Maria shook hands, eyes meeting in a gentle gaze before Paul chuckled to himself.

"We got a prisoner coming in tomorrow so could we get that end cell cleaned?" He asked, "Dean, do you wanna take Maria down and you can both get started there?"

"Sure." Dean replied, "But do our resident inmates know she's here?"

"Good God, they don't!" Paul exclaimed, "Come on, Maria, I'd best introduce you...so they don't get a shock and you don't either."

They walked to the cells, Paul turning to Maria and stopping her for a second.

"Now, Del and Arlen are good mannered men, however you get the occasional few who aren't," Paul told her, "Plus they're all dangerous, so if you ever have to step in a cell with them, just keep your distance, even if you have to get them something, okay? That rule applies to everyone, but you need to be careful...well..."

"Because I'm a woman." Maria finished, smiling at the soft blush that spread across Paul's cheeks, "That's fine. Better safe than sorry, huh?"

Paul smiled and they headed towards the first cell.

"This is Arlen Bitterbuck," He began, the man looking over at her from his bed, "Arlen, this is Miss Lomax. She's a new warden here."

Arlen nodded at Maria who smiled and nodded back, Paul smiling proudly at Arlen before taking Maria to the next cell.

"And this is Eduard Delacroix, or as we call him, Del." Paul said, the small man smiling and moving towards the cell door, "Del, this is Miss Lomax."

"She's beautiful, Boss Edgecomb." He breathed, Maria unsure of what to make of the remark, "Hello, Boss Lomax."

"Hey, Del." Maria replied, seeing Dean coming around the corner in his shirt and tie, sleeves rolled up with two buckets of water and a sponge in each.

"Right, I'll let you two get started." Paul sighed, leaving Maria to follow Dean who chuckled at her.

"I'd take your hat and jacket off," He said, "It's hot work in here."

Maria had a tie like the others and within ten minutes, she was rolling up her sleeves and loosening it.

"Told you." Dean laughed softly, "So, what's a girl like you working here in a prison for, huh? Especially on the Mile..."

"The pay's good and the job's interesting." Maria replied, "I've gotta pay for special medicines for my mother, and also pay for the home we live in, and the pay's good enough so..."

"I'm sorry to hear your mother's sick." Dean said, Maria smiling softly in response.

"Thank you." Maria said, "But, hopefully the condition will clear up soon. It's nothing major but it requires special medication."

"You'll need special medication after working with Percy for a week." Dean whispered, Maria giggling in response as they continued to clean the cell.

She liked Dean. He was nice and didn't judge her for her gender (unlike Percy) and he was really welcoming. The others were too, and she was sure that she'd have a wonderful experience on the Mile. Maria had no idea though that she would meet someone the next day who would change her life forever.

-TBC-

Thanks for reading so far! Hope you enjoyed!

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