A/N: Thank you so much for everyone who continues to follow, favorite and review! Special shout out goes to Dreamwritten for your lovely comment! Please keep them coming! I hope you like this chapter and please review!

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Chapter Three

All Mia wanted to do was head upstairs and change in her pajamas and go to bed. Her hands were still pruned from washing the dishes and she could use a nice bath. But she changed into a pair of black pants and a black shirt and then went to head back downstairs where she met Daryl, Rick, Michonne and Carol huddled together in the family room. She almost felt suspicious until Jim made his way into the room with some written descriptions of jobs that Jan had written down in case they needed further explanation.

"Jan's taking your shift tonight, Mia."

"She can't," Mia started, but immediately shut her mouth when Jan entered the room. She was dressed in all black, her hair tied up under a black cap that Mia wore sometimes during watch. They looked identical.

"This is weird…" Jan cocked her head skeptically at Mia and Mia mirrored her action humorously.

"Okay, you two look the same. We get it. Now Mia go take a bath, you smell like shit." Jim sat down on the end table in front of the other group members.

"Okay, rude." Mia smiled though, thanked Jan, and said goodnight to the others before heading upstairs to draw a bath. Over time, Jim had come up with a system that collected rainwater in chutes that could be used for washing. The water was never hot, but during the spring and summer time, would at least be lukewarm, and Mia could handle that over smelling terribly. Mia grabbed her shampoo, conditioner, and body wash she had stolen from a raid in a nearby neighborhood with Jim and Jan. She also felt the need to grab a razor, knowing now that she wasn't just sharing the house with two people who she had known for quite a while.

She took her time in the bath, making sure to scrub and rinse, taking special care to check for ticks that would sometimes cling to her from out in the barn. She was bug-free tonight, and for a while, sat soapy and pruned in the bathtub, her knees bent in front of her. She thought about the day's events. She thought about the new people. She thought about Jan and Jim. She thought about Rick. She thought about Michael. She thought about the way he grabbed her chin. She thought about Rick. She thought about Michael slamming his fist on the table. She thought about Rick.

Before long, she was not thinking about anything at all. Her soft breaths gently turned to deep breathing, and her head fell back against the wall, her eyes shut tight. She was sleeping. Every so often a finger twitched as her brain dreamt sweet dreams of her life before the outbreak. Her illusions remained uninterrupted when another figure entered the room, much later. He was holding a lit candle in one hand, and a loaded pistol in the other, but he did not see her in the dim light. He used the facilities, totally unaware of the other body in the room. And then her hand slipped off the bath siding, and made a soft splash into the now chilled water.

Rick started, immediately grabbing for the pistol on the counter. He walked slowly to the tub where he could just make out the outline of a head. His footsteps were silent, and his breathing steady. His right hand lifted the pistol up, his left reached for the shower curtain.

It was Mia. Rick felt his tense muscles relax somewhat, and then tense right up again. It was Mia. She was there, right in front of him. Her arms floated gently atop the water, her eyelids fluttered slightly in her sleep. She was beautiful.

Rick had not thought of another woman since Lori had passed. Or rather, he never had time to think of another women since Lori had passed. But Mia had caught his eye from the moment she stepped out of that Hummer. She was strong, and she was undeniably beautiful. He had even heard Abraham mutter about how gorgeous she was, earning him a slap in the wrist by Rosita. He couldn't deny the attraction he felt for her.

But he also couldn't deny that she was twenty-seven years old. She was young. He was not. Not anymore. And he saw the way that Michael looked at her. And the way that Michael looked at him when he caught Rick looking at her. He knew something wasn't right. Carol had noticed him taking an interest in their relationship. She advised Rick to leave their business to them, if they wanted to stay. And he would try. For his group's sake. But seeing her now, purely angelic, as her figure lay still and suspended in the water, it was almost too much to bear. He looked around the dark room. He figured he ought to go find Jan and tell her to wake her up. But he also figured that would be a waste of time. They were both adults.

He grabbed her towel that lay on the bathroom sink and then cleared his throat. Almost no sound came out, and he tried again, this time, louder. But Mia was already awake, and she was looking at him.

"I'm so sorry," he struggled for words, looking away and pushing the towel in her direction. "You fell asleep…"

"I wasn't asleep." Her voice was different. It was deeper.

Rick turned to look at her. She was the same Mia.

"I was waiting for you Rick," she smiled. "I'm still waiting for you, Rick."

Rick's blood ran cold when heard her voice. And Mia opened her mouth and laughed. It was Lori. The voice. It was Lori. He fell to his knees, the towel slipping from his fingers. "Lori," he breathed.

"Come to me," Mia leaned forward, her damp forehead barely touching Rick's. He longed for her to kiss him. To wrap him in her arms. He wanted to be with her. "Who do you want, Rick?"

Lori.

But Lori was gone.

He wanted Mia.

He had to let go. He had to let go of her, once and for all.

He slowly opened his eyes. He told her what he wanted.

And she bit a hole into his neck.

Rick woke up abruptly, the blankets thrashed around him. He was in a large bed. He was in his bed. His bed at Michael's house. His shirt was damp with sweat and his head hurt from the nightmare he had just succumbed too. He quickly ran a hand over his neck to check for a bite mark. Of course, it was not there. He was being ridiculous. But he knew, even now, that it would be even more ridiculous to try and go back to sleep. He sat on the edge of his bed, rubbing his temples and hoping his headache would go away.

There was a makeshift crib across from Rick's bed and he got up to check on Judith. She was asleep now, and would stay asleep until morning. He was lucky for that. He quietly walked from his room, not daring to relive his dream in the bathroom, and made his way downstairs.

The kitchen was different at night. In the daytime, it was inviting and friendly. Now, it was dark and sent chills down the older man's spine. He wondered if he should check on Carl, but he knew his son would be sleeping just fine, sharing the room with Noah. He grabbed a small water bottle from the cupboard and sat down at the table. He lit a candle in the center.

"You know it's the middle of the night, right?"

The voice almost made him jump in fear. He whipped around, reaching for his pistol, until he realized it was still upstairs in his room. But he heard a small laugh and realized it was Jan. Her dark outfit blended in with the darkness of the room.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." She reached into the same cupboard he had reached into and grabbed a bottle of water for herself. "How are you guys liking it here?"

Rick took a deep breath and hoped his voice didn't shake when he talked. "It's different," he replied. "We've never felt safe like this before."

"Yeah, judging by your looks, Mia and I had guessed you'd been through it all. It is different here," she confirmed.

"You always feel safe here?" Rick tried to play safe. He wanted more information on the houses' owner.

"Yeah, pretty much. She took a huge gulp of water and shrugged. "There was one time we spotted a hoard. I know Mia was freaking out. We just lay quiet for a few days, took all the animals inside. It was stinky, but it got the job done. The hoard went right past us."

"Was Michael worried?" He couldn't help himself.

Jan smiled. "There it is."

"What?" he asked, clearing his throat.

"You're playing with fire, you know that?" she leaned against the counter, the same smile spread across her face. "There was a time I thought Jim had a crush on Mia. Hell, even I had a crush on Mia. That was college, but whatever," she shook her head and moved on quickly. "Anyway, Michael will set you straight every time."

"She said they weren't together. 'Nd I don't have a crush." He wasn't some high school boy.

"Okay, lust, desire, whatever you wanna call it. And," She paused for a moment as if to choose her words carefully. "Mia and Michael's relationship is… complicated. Michael was born into a very wealthy family, and when he has things, he considers them his."

"Are you his?"

Jan narrowed her eyes playfully. "I'm nobody's. And neither is Mia."

"But you just said-"

"Think about what I said, Cowboy. You'll figure it out eventually." She finished her water in another gulp, crushed the bottle and threw it into the can in the corner of the room. "Hey, if it makes any difference, I've always thought southern accents were cute. I'm on your side," she winked, and then headed back out the sliding door to her post on the watcher's hut.

Rick sat at the countertop feeling more confused then he had when he had first come downstairs. So there was a relationship between the two of them, but it was complicated. And he wanted her, but she didn't want him? His head throbbed. He finished his water. He threw it in the can. And then he headed back upstairs, avoiding the bathroom all the while.