AN: oh my god, I am so freaking evil. :D Such a sadist I am. And I also have no idea why I'm talking like Yoda. Probably because I was watching Star Wars in my Sci-Fi class today. Ah, good times, good times. XD


"Oh my god, Shi, you will never ever guess what happened!" Mia gushed, waving her hands about excitedly, a wide stupid grin plastered across her face.

Shilo raised an eyebrow, it going right up to her very fake-looking hairline. "What happened?"

"Y-your dad! He kissed me!" She waved her hands around to emphasize how exciting and important that was. "Twice!"

The kid paid no mind to the sudden usage of her nickname, that, frankly, only Nathan used. Instead she threw her arms around Mia and laughed. "I knew it! I told you he liked you!"

Mia laughed right back, though her giggles were mocking. "Actually, what you told me was that your dad hated my guts."

Shilo laughed again, quietly this time, wringing her hands, almost nervously, as she noticed the jeering way Mia laughed before. "How was I supposed to know that he was just pretending to hate you all along?"

Mia pointed a finger at Shilo, pretending to threaten her. "Hey. Kid. Don't even think about jinxing this."

Shilo put her hands up as if Mia was about to shoot her. "Okay, okay." She mumbled, sounding surprisingly afraid even though it was pretty much obvious that Mia was joking around.

"Now.. Oh my god.. " Mia muttered, actually thinking about it now, pressing the tips of her fingers to her mouth, her words muffled. "Oh my god.. He kissed me."

Shilo shifted awkwardly next to her. "Soo what are you two going to do now?" Becoming more enthusiastic by the second, she asked, grabbing Mia by the shoulders and forcibly shaking her "Are you guys gonna get married! Am I gonna have siblings!"

Mia waved her hands for the kid to stop. "Hey, hey, wait a second, you're getting ahead of yourself here. Just because he kissed me.. Well.. twice, doesn't mean he's going to fall in love with me and we're going to live happily ever after. Listen, kid. The world doesn't work like that. Your dad," She pointed towards Shilo's bedroom door, outside of which, Nathan was most likely lurking, "is still obsessed with your mom," she jerked a thumb towards that creepy almost-holographic image of Marni. "And I don't think either of us will be able to bring him 'round."

That one fact rang true to Shilo and it shut her up rather quickly. In a quiet voice, she replied, "But that's not how it works in tv."

Mia felt so guilty because of the girl's face, how downtrodden she looked. "Don't worry about it, kid. It'll all turn out okay some way or another." She put a hand under her chin and lifted her face to peer at her sympathetically.

Shilo smiled weakly at her, blinking slowly. "Do you really mean that?"

"Hey, I'm mostly sticking here for you now. It I didn't need to keep my job and help you, I'd be long gone. Your father's enough to drive a girl up the wall."

Shilo's smile evaporated. "You don't like my dad?"

Mia looked alarmed, as if she was shocked the girl would even think such ideas. "No, don't get me wrong, I think your dad's a pretty cool guy and all, but, y'know," She shuffled uncomfortably where she sat. "He's just kind of.." She made a sort of wishy-washy hand movement. "Out there, I guess.."

Shilo sat back, legs hanging over the side of her bed. "What do you mean by that?"

The older girl shrugged. "He's just.." She cocked her head to the side. "I can't really think of anything to describe him as." Nothing she'd understand anyway, that goddamned thin voice in the back of her mind added.

Mia shook her head, pretending to flick her hair over her shoulders and off her face, to get those words out of her mind.

Shilo looked down at her hands. "Oh. " there was a long pause before she murmured, "…You know, I think maybe you two have a little chance.."

"Whoa hey whoa whoa! You're starting to sound like you're trying to get us together.." Then she stopped, fixing the girl with a cool searching look. "Y-you're not.. A-are you?"

Shilo waved her suspicions away dismissively and scoffed. "Psh, I wouldn't do that, are you kidding? My dad's crazy when it comes to the ladies."

"W-wait, what? You've seen him around other women?" Mia looked confused.

"No." Shilo answered a little bit too quickly.

Mia fixed her with a suspicious look. "Y-you sound like you know from experience.."

Shilo just gave her a devious smirk that made M grin inwardly in glee. "I'm not. Trust me."

That smile alone gave Mia chills, both the good and bad kind. There was a little bit of Nathan in that smile. "Great, kid, you're turning into your old man more and more each day."

Shilo stopped laughing and suddenly went serious. "I-is that a good or bad thing?"

"Pfft, kid." Mia shifted again, putting her arm back around the girl's shoulder. "I have no idea, is it? You tell me, Shi."

Shilo's worried expression broke to show a bright smile. "Yeah, I guess it is. Dad's a good guy. He's a doctor, he helps people/."

Mia laughed and nodded. "Yeah, he helps people, you could say that.." But Shilo didn't catch the irony of that statement or the sarcasm with which she spoke.

"Mia, you're so cool." Shilo hugged her and the woman hesitantly put another arm around her, hugging her back.

She pulled away a little too quickly, to hide the fact that she was almost on the verge of tears. She was shaking and she had no idea why the girl affected her like this.

It was like something was wrong and she couldn't handle this.

Se sniffled and blinked away the weepy feeling, clenching her hands into fists in front of her to keep them from shaking. Shilo didn't seem to notice, still hugging her close, eyes shut tight.

"Th-thanks, Shi." She had to fight to keep the tremor out of her voice. What the hell was wrong with her?

Shilo made a soft little groan when Mia tried to move, like she didn't her to leave her embrace. Seemingly lost in the moment, eyes closed still, her voice taking on a dreamy quality, sounding almost child-like. "Don't go, Mom.."

Mia visibly stiffened at those words. Shilo felt it and immediately realized what she had just said. She didn't relinquish her grip but looked up at her, almost horror-stricken. "I-I'm sorry.. I-I…" She buried her face in Mia's shoulder, embarrassed, her words muffled. "I didn't mean to call you that. I just- it was wishful thinking..!"

Mia forced out the words caught in her throat. "No.. No. It's fine.. Really." She stiffly lifted a hand and smoothed down Shilo's hair, swallowing the lump that rose in her throat with some effort. After a moment's silence, she replied in a soft voice. It's all too possible Shilo didn't hear her. "I.. wouldn't mind being your mom.."

Mia, all of a sudden, slid off the bed and stepped out of the room, leaning against the doorway as she spoke. "You stay here, I'm gonna go see what's up with your dad." There was something up with her voice, it sounded like she had a cold or something.

When she left, Shilo glanced around, shifty-eyed-ly, and turned on her tv, flipping to the Pay-Per-View channels. Getting up, she slowly, and carefully shut and locked her door with a devious grin, unaware of what was wrong.


Nathan (or was it Repo?) was sitting in the kitchen, head in his hands. She stepped softly towards him, trying not to make any noise just in case he was asleep or something, because that's what it looked like.

"You'll never guess what Shilo called me." Mia went to Nathan, arms crossed over her chest, that still doing nothing to quell the shaking her body was doing, the shaking that Nathan didn't seem to notice until he stepped closer.

"Yo-you're shaking. Did something happen? Is Shilo all right?" It wasn't likely he was listening before, when she first walked in, judging by how he reacted.

"No.. She's fine. A little embarrassed but she's okay.." Mia replied, looking away, still clutching at herself, the tremors still plaguing her.

"Then what happened?" He asked, slowly, comprehending that whatever it was, it must have been completely awful to rattle Mia so badly.

"It… she…" She couldn't say it, couldn't force the words out, no matter how hard she tried.

Nathan demanded. "She what? What Happened-!"

Mia spoke up, interrupting him. "Sh-she called me 'mom', Nathan!" Even her voice wavered. "I'm not her mom, Nate. I-I'm not cut out for that." Her voice sounded thick with emotion. "I don't want to replace her.. Real mom."

This was what had her so startled? It did seem like it bothered her though, since she looked like she was about to cry.

Not prepared for sudden tears like this-hell, it'd been years since Shilo really cried-Nathan quietly studied her. "Yo-you're not replacing her.." He murmured to her, arms outstretched like he was trying to calm down a wild animal.

She stepped toward him, almost teetered on one foot, and then very nearly fell against him, grabbing his shirt.

Concerned by this sudden out of character moment and-though he was loathe to admit it-by the fact she almost fell, he put a hand on her shoulder, slowly, hesitating, like he didn't want to touch her, or make any contact with her in any way.

Something about this situation made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Something was off, yet he didn't know exactly what. He had a nagging suspicion that Mia was keeping something from him; not that he cared if she lied to him-which is what he kept telling himself.

But this.. Something about it just struck a wrong chord with him.

He was hesitating, he wanted to ask her why exactly she was so rattled by that. But he knew he shouldn't, it wasn't his business. But then again she was staying in his house, sleeping in his bed-No! Not his bed!-And it was his daughter who.. Who had called her Mom.

And then it hit him.

She called her Mom.

'Oh." That's it. That's all he said. Just a short monosyllabic "oh".

"I-it's okay…" His hand found it's way to her back, stroking her hair like she was a little kid or something.

Did.. Did that mean that she.. He started to think; his entire train of thought derailing when she looked up at him. "Nate. You may be her dad.. B-but.." Her lip trembled as she tried to speak. "I-I'll never be her mother.."

Or your wife, that god-awful reedy voice of hers added mentally, her body going tense just at the sound of it, her trembling increasing tenfold when she heard and understood the words it said.


AN: ANNNNYYYWAAAAY~ Um, Nate and Mia are getting slightly closer! -insert evil anime villain laugh here- Also, there is a poll on my page. Go vote on it if you want to see some hot steamy action between our repossessing couple! XD Yes, i did just say that.. XD Yes, i know how cheesy it sounded.

Cheers!

TFFLM