A/N: Hello, all! So I'm back with a pretty short chapter today, which I thought would be a nice break after all the really long ones recently. The chapter song is "Time to Pretend" by MGMT and it's so great. Warning for Mason being a horny dumbass, and for shameless goofiness and fluff. Thank you as always to my readers and reviewers, you guys are awesome. Hope you enjoy!

22. Time to Pretend

A figure approached, face obscured as though through murky water. Mason rattled her chains, crying Eugene's name, pleading with the stranger to stop.

But the knife flashed as it ran him through.

The searing pain jarred him awake. He sat up, hands grasping at his stomach. The agony faded by the time he ascertained all was as it should be, but the memory glinted in his mind, like the strike of that knife…

"Eugene?"

He glanced to his left, where he could barely make out the shape of Mason sitting up beside him. On his other side, Daryl grunted and rolled over. Beth must've gone to check on the infirmary.

"Shit. My sincerest apologies, Miss Mason, I did not mean to wake you."

"I was already awake."

He could tell by her voice. She'd woken up crying again.

"Nightmares?" she went on. Her hand searched through the dark until it found his.

"Uh…" That wasn't entirely the case, but he supposed it was the easiest answer. "Something like that, yes."

"Need to talk about it?"

He hesitated. Part of him wanted to, but it probably wasn't the best idea.

In this dream, he and Mason had been with each other for some time. They'd met in Houston right after the Fall and stuck together like glue, all the way to Virginia. And though they'd met many familiar faces along the way, they never stayed in one place too long. Somehow, in the midst of everything, they'd been happy.

The clearest moment in the dream was of Mason kissing him, sitting together outside a night-dark Richmond.

This alone was reason enough to keep his mouth shut. No way in hell he had the guts to confess to that.

But that wasn't the only reason. This stranger, the only one wrapped in obscurity, who in the dream had crossed paths with them somewhere in Virginia, and chased and tormented them until finally…

A cool finger trailed down his spine. His fingers knotted in his shirt, reaffirming there was no wound.

"No, ma'am," he murmured. "I'd rather not, if it's all the same to you. It is nothing personal, I would just prefer to forget it."

"Yeah, I understand. Sometimes I—"

Growling, Daryl kicked at them in his sleep. Mason pulled Eugene back down to the floor, giggling softly.

"Don't wanna wake the beast," she whispered. Her face was very close to his; even in the dark, he could feel the warmth of her proximity.

He laughed under his breath, blood rushing in his veins. The dream felt simultaneously immediate and distant.

He was close enough to kiss her.

She gripped their hands between them, scooting closer until her knees touched his. He swallowed hard.

"Do you need to talk, Miss Reynolds?" he blurted.

"No." Her voice shook. She sighed as though to smooth it. "But…would you mind doing something for me?"

"Of course."

"Will you sing for me?"

He blinked. "Pardon?"

She fidgeted, pulling her knees up. They brushed his thighs and he tried not to squirm.

"I'm sorry if that sounds stupid, but…I just, I don't know if I can get back to sleep and…I like it when you sing."

Out of habit, his nose wrinkled. "I am a terrible singer, Miss Reynolds."

"No, you're not." She sounded genuinely surprised, which genuinely surprised him. Unless she'd learned how to lie in the span of a few hours, she really meant it.

"Oh, well…that is certainly very kind. I, um…"

He used to sing all the time as a kid. He'd wanted to play guitar and sing in smoky bars the way his grandpa did. But his mother…had been quick to shut that down.

"You don't have to if you don't want."

"No," he said, shaking off the memory. "I-I do actually. What would you like to hear?"

"Whatever you like to sing."

She settled in while he thought about it. He chose the first song that popped into his head, at first because he thought it was soothing. But as the verses progressed, he realized it was because it reminded him of Mason. Which made his voice shake halfway through, but she never commented on it.

When he finished, she hummed contentedly for another. He tried to choose one that didn't bring her to mind, but it was a wasted effort. They all did.

Eventually, she nodded off, her face nuzzled up against their joined hands. He sang a few more in case she wasn't fully asleep before pulling free of her grasp. A part of him wanted nothing more than to stay, but right now, caught between her and the dream, it was unbearable. He wouldn't be able to sleep, not until his pulse came down from a mile a minute.

He ended up in the infirmary, where Beth, Renee and Rosita were keeping watch. Gabriel and Tyreese were the only patients left; Noah, Eric, Olivia and Abraham had all been released, and Aaron's cast had been taken off.

Renee and Rosita were sitting in a corner, both of them far too engrossed in their conversation to look up. Beth's eyes widened when she saw him. She wheeled over from Tyreese's bedside in her swivel chair.

"Hey. Feelin' alright?"

He wondered how he looked. "Fine, ma'am. I am merely gripped in a contest of Rochambeau with a nemesis of persistent caliber, by which I mean my own brain and its refusal to engage in anything resembling a decent night's sleep."

"I could give you somethin' for it if you want."

"No, but I thank you for the offer. I just needed to walk about for a few ticks, hopefully allow the soul-crushing exhaustion I've become such good acquaintances with catch back up to me."

Humor glimmered in her eyes. "Why don't you sit with me a bit, till it shows up again?"

Eugene sat cross-legged on the bed Abraham had vacated while Beth scrounged through the board games they stashed to keep patients entertained. She smirked and held up a checkers box.

"Told you I was gonna beat you next time," she said, plopping down across from him. "So don't feel too sad when I do; I'm just keepin' my word."

"Your confidence is both inspiring and tragic."

She stuck her tongue out and arranged the pieces, some of which had been replaced by bottle caps and buttons painted red or black. Eugene let her go first.

"So where is Denise?"

"The three of us thought it'd be nice to give her a night off, since she's been workin' her tail off lately." Beth skipped a piece over his, smiling slightly. "I think Tara was tryin' to plan some big date night thing. She came in askin' what the most romantic canned food was. It was cute."

"I hope she chose beets. Everyone knows they are by far the most romantic root vegetable. King me."

"You sound like that guy from The Office. We told her artichoke hearts."

"You told her artichokes?"

"Artichoke hearts. Because hearts?"

"I am familiar with the organ. I will be the first to admit I am not as familiar with courtship, but by and large I do believe an artichoke does not a romantic gesture make."

"Well, we didn't have any canned hearts lyin' around, so we had to make do. Besides, who really decides what's romantic and what's not? Maybe she laid a trail of artichoke petals up to the bed or somethin'?"

He snorted. "Alright, fair play. That would sweep me off my feet, and you can take that to the bank."

She snickered and claimed two more of his pieces. "Speaking of sweeping you off your feet, how is Mason?"

Her casual tone threw him, but he merely rolled his eyes. She blinked hers innocently.

"What? I was workin' in here all day, I didn't see her much. King me."

"She is…much the same. That is to say, she has not changed her mind on the matter of therapy."

They had hoped she'd be more receptive to getting help after confessing about the Saviors, but she was as stubborn as ever. She insisted she would try it out after the Wolves had been taken care of, but he worried she would keep finding reasons to put it off.

"And I believe she is getting less sleep," he went on.

"Yeah, I've noticed that, too." Beth sighed. "Somethin's on her mind but I can't tell what. Do you think it's cuz she told us about…you know?"

He frowned. Mason had seemed genuinely relieved to get her story off her chest, but Beth was right. Something was on her mind. And perhaps it was just because he found himself thinking of her tale so often, but he couldn't help the feeling that it was something to do with that.

"Maybe." Even more reason for her to see Denise, he thought with frustration.

Beth stared at the board for a moment and then said, "We should distract her. I mean, just until after the Wolves." There was a strange edge to her voice he didn't understand. "I'm not talkin', like, the way she represses things, but somethin' to keep her here, now."

"Alright…" He skipped his game piece over three of hers. "How do you suggest?"

~m~

Gazing out from the watch post, sipping pensively on her coffee, Mason could almost pretend she was in a moody and dramatic music video. The almost came from the fact that she was not currently listening to music, even though she very much wanted to be. She was tired and unfocused and her heart felt overstrained, like it needed a good stretch.

Clouds obscured the sky, darkening her already dismal mood. Last night, after Eugene sang her to sleep, she'd dreamt she and him were running through a forest of ash, pursued by a wall of thrashing limbs and body parts. It gained and gained on them, scuttling like a giant millipede, until they were consumed. She'd jolted awake around dawn, and hadn't been able to get back to sleep, so she'd decided to relieve Michonne of the rest of her watch shift. She was only wishing now she'd chosen something more…distracting.

She tried to busy herself wrapping her stitches nice and tight. Denise hadn't been happy when she and Eugene said they wanted to start up training again, but Mason had promised they'd take it slow and keep an eye on their wounds. But though she bound and re-bound her arm, it did nothing to occupy her thoughts.

Tomorrow, she would return to the Kingdom, to make some last minute arrangements before Alexandria scoped out the Wolves' home turf. She was more than a little nervous about it; her stomach swirled with the same uneasiness she used to get on the first day of school.

It didn't really make sense. Over the past year, she'd acclimated to the Kingdom's tepid acceptance of her. She'd made that place home, carved out a relatively happy existence there.

She'd also tried not to think too hard about certain things, she supposed. Certain things she'd recently revealed to her new best friends. And with those things fresh like an open wound in her mind, she felt suddenly disconnected from that existence, as though she'd rolled out of bed in her sleep.

Daryl, Beth and Eugene would go back with her, along with most of the Misfits, and that made it better. Plus, it would likely only be a day, and then she and the reconnaissance group would depart for the Wolves' hideout. But when she wasn't worried about going home, she was agonizing over what to do to keep Alexandria safe from Negan. She could barely focus on the here and now, and she was well aware of how dangerous that was. They still had a war to win against the Wolves. She couldn't let her anxiety pull her out of the present.

The ladder creaked, announcing Rick as he climbed up to her.

"You're early," she said. "Your shift doesn't start for another half hour."

"Well, I was already up. Michonne says thanks again, by the way." He stood by her side, surveying the mist-shrouded woods before glaring at the sky. "Mornings like this, I feel hungover."

She blinked and he raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"I just…can't picture you hungover."

This amused him. "You can't?"

"Well, no. You seem too…responsible."

"Responsible," he chuckled. "Younger me would have a few choice things to say about that…"

She tried to picture him getting up to some of the dumb shit she and her Misfits had. The images it conjured were more than a little absurd.

"I see you doubting me," he said. "But I've been to a fair share of ragers in my time. Drank my weight after homecoming. Woke up in Tim Stooks' field surrounded by cows. Smoked a bit too much and tried to put pants on Felicity Winfield's chickens."

A shocked laugh escaped her. "Oh my god, really? That's so funny, because one time when me and Dave were stoned, we went around to all the mannequins in the mall and put pants on their arms. For some reason we thought that was the funniest shit."

"Excuse me?" Rick eyed her sternly, but there was a teasing glimmer in his eyes. "I hope you don't mean the kind of stoned I think you do. I don't want to hear about you smoking that Mary Jane, young lady, you understand me?"

She stifled her giggles and tried to look serious. "Oh no, sir, I would never do something like that."

"Good. Oh." He reached into his pocket and held out a Snickers bar. "I almost forgot. Took that from our stash this morning. Thought you deserved a pick-me-up."

"Oh. Thank you." The gesture touched her more than she expected it to. She put her coffee down so she could unwrap it.

He glanced back at the woods. "After tomorrow, we'll figure out everything we need to move forward. And then we are gonna finish this."

"Yeah." A rush of nerves returned, tingling up from her stomach and out through her fingertips.

"I know I said it before," he went on, "but thank you. After some of the people we've met on our way here, I had my doubts. But I'm grateful our paths crossed."

For a moment, she couldn't speak. She thought of the way she'd taken that same leap the day they'd met. She thought maybe sometimes the universe put the same pain in different people so that they could be drawn together like magnets.

"Thank you," she murmured. "I'm grateful, too."

He patted her shoulder. "Beth and Eugene'll probably be up soon. Go and get ready for your lessons. I'll take it from here. Just make sure to eat some real breakfast, alright?"

"No problem, Dad. Dude!" Heat rushed to her cheeks. "Er, no problem…doodad…"

Doodad? No problem, doodad?

She laughed awkwardly. "But, yeah, um, breakfast, I'll, uh…eat that."

Mortified, she scurried for the ladder to make her escape, but not before she saw the surprise melt into warmth on Rick's face.

~m~

Mason waited for Beth and Eugene in the training yard, drawing her toe back and forth over the wrestling mats she'd brought from the Kingdom. She smiled when she saw them, but the pinch around her eyes made it apparent her mind was elsewhere.

Beth brushed her fingers along the hem of her shorts. They were shorter than she was used to, and hugged her curves tighter than her usual pair did. She couldn't help a brief flutter of self-consciousness, but it evaporated when she saw Mason's eyes widen.

"Uh, morning." Mason cleared her throat. "Are those new?"

"Sorta. I scavenged 'em a while back but I've never worn 'em till now. You like them?"

"Yeah, they're—they're cute."

Beth beamed and Mason quickly turned away. Eugene sighed under his breath.

They started off as they usually did, stretches and laps around the neighborhood before diving into sparring. Mason had them practice attacking as a team, offsetting techniques for fighting with an ally with demonstrations for defending against multiple attackers.

"Remember, if you have the choice and you don't think you're going to win, don't try," she told them. "There's being a hero and there's being a dumbass. I've been the latter often enough to tell you with confidence that it was really mostly luck that got me out of those situations. But if you have to fight, strategize and prioritize. Try to figure out who is critical to take out first, and if you can, try to be fierce about it. I know that sounds like some alpha male bullshit, but honestly, if you can get your attackers as reluctant as possible to attack you, you've won half the battle."

Though Beth already knew how great a fighter she was, she couldn't help being amazed as Mason met their attacks again and again. Though she had to adjust to make allowances for her stitches as well as Eugene's, the grace and confidence she exuded was enviable. And…well, Beth would be lying if it wasn't a little sexy, too.

She and Eugene held their own fairly well, a testament to how their skills had grown. Mason still beat them in the end, but it took more time and effort.

"Alright," she said after a while. "Water break and then we'll switch back to one-on-ones."

Beth and Eugene relaxed gratefully, both of them covered in sweat. It didn't look as though the sun was coming out anytime soon, but humidity built below its thick blanket and hung on everything like dew.

"You know, you two are shaping up into some pretty serious warriors," Mason said. "Pretty soon, you'll be kicking my ass."

Something dark swept over the pride in her eyes. Her brow pinched again.

Beth spoke before she could allow the nerves to overcome her. "I…can't believe how muggy it is today."

It was an artless segue and she knew it. The words came out clumsy because she'd never done anything like this before. But she ignored the confused look Mason threw her and listened instead to the part of her that warmed under her gaze.

She pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it aside. "There. That's better."

Mason blinked, taking in the pink sports bra she'd carefully selected that morning before looking away.

"Uh, yeah, it's—it's super hot. The…today." She stood abruptly, staring intently at the sky. Her fingers tapped restlessly on her thighs. "Welp, I'm rested, let's get back to it."

Satisfaction flickered in Beth's belly. She smiled. "I'm ready when you are."

"Alright, Beth, I'll do you first. Have you first. I'll…you first." Mason coughed and busied herself with tightening her ponytail.

Eugene threw Beth a look of what she could only describe as good-natured disapproval. She grinned wider and pranced over to Mason.

New energy crackled under her skin as they jumped back into sparring. Every touch was a livening burn, sharpening her senses, and from the way Mason moved, it seemed to be having the same effect on her. Until finally, Beth hooked a leg around Mason's and they tumbled to the ground.

Laughter bubbled between them as Beth pressed Mason's arms into the grass.

"That's a point for me," she said.

Mason held her gaze a moment, smile lingering, before glancing over her shoulder at Eugene.

"Yep. Good pin. Nice…form."

Beth stifled another giggle and pulled Mason to her feet. Their hands stayed clasped a heartbeat longer than necessary.

"Alright, let's switch out." Mason cleared her throat, blushing deeply. "Eugene, you're up."

~m~

Beth brought Mason over as Eugene was finishing dinner.

"…go to any trouble, seriously," Mason was saying as they walked through the door.

Beth waved off her concern. "We didn't, don't worry."

"Evening, Miss Greene, Miss Reynolds. Your timing is impeccable, as I am about to sieve this sauce for the embellishment of our bread pudding."

"It smells really good," Mason said, coming over to peer into the saucepan. "What is it?"

"It is a dessert beet sauce," he replied, shooting Beth a wry smirk. Beth rolled her eyes.

Mason raised an eyebrow. "Beets?"

"Beets and raspberries, to be exact."

"Can I try?"

"Nothing would delight me more, ma'am."

He stirred the thick, red suffusion vigorously another moment, unable to help a flicker of self-consciousness. It wasn't logical for this to put such a quiver in his stomach; he cooked for his group quite often. Daryl had even dropped by earlier and given his seal of approval.

Well, to be more accurate, he had given the entire kitchen a suspicious glare, grunted "Fuck is this?", then stuck his finger into the sauce without giving Eugene a chance to answer.

Eugene had swatted him away with a scowl and said, "Could you at least act as though you have some semblance of manners? I am simply asking for bare bones minimum here."

But Daryl merely sucked the sauce from his finger with an obnoxious slurp, flipping him off as he backed out of the house.

Of course, he supposed it was only natural to feel a bit keyed up, given that this dinner not only served as a thank you to Mason for all she had done, but another distraction.

Mason giggled, pressing a hand to her lips like she hadn't meant to. He blinked.

"What is so funny?"

"I'm sorry, um, that's just…" She pointed at the sauce. "That's what good pussy sounds like."

He snorted and she leaned her head on his arm, laughing with him.

"Wow," Beth called teasingly from the living room. "That's really tasteless, Mason."

Eugene held the spoon out to Mason. She sipped a bit and her eyes lit up.

"Well, I may be tasteless but this pussy sure isn't."

She barely got the words out before cackling again, so hard she lost her grip on the spoon. She played hot potato with it for a moment, spattering sauce everywhere and laughing even harder at her own clumsiness, before it finally clattered to the ground.

"Aw, shit." She drooped in exaggerated defeat, hands and arms splotched with glaze. "Sorry."

Eugene's lips twitched. "Well, shit, Miss Champion, I was not aware that you could juggle."

"Shut up. Dude, I think there's some in my fucking ear." She reached up to check before remembering her hands were covered in sauce. "Okay, could you…?"

She craned her neck for him to check. There wasn't any in her ear, but there was a trail dripping from her earlobe to her collarbone. He reached out to wipe it away.

Her breath caught when he brushed her ear and he hesitated.

"I apologize, ma'am, that was thoughtless of me. I do not rightly know why I thought you meant I should… Here, let me—"

"I-it's okay," she said quickly. "I did mean that, actually, cuz my hands… I'm just sensitive there, that's all." A deep blush darkened her cheeks. "I mean, not…sensitive, just…I wasn't expecting it to…I-I don't know what I'm saying." She laughed feebly and gestured for him to continue.

He did so quickly, a new, not wholly unpleasant weakness in his fingertips. When he reached her collarbone, her eyes closed briefly and she exhaled a short, shaky breath.

"Thank you," she said.

"Uh, yes. Of course."

They held each others' gaze a moment before Beth walked in, bearing a towel. Her expression was half-amused, half-irritated.

"Here." She handed it to Mason.

"For what?"

"Your arms?"

"Oh! Oh, right, I forgot."

Mason rinsed off in the sink then dried herself with the towel, moving as though each action required her absolute attention. Then she glanced shyly in Eugene's direction.

"That was really nice, by the way."

He started. "To what…are you referring?"

"Oh, the, uh, the sauce. I meant the sauce."

Beth crossed her arms over her chest. "So, do y'all think we can eat now or are you gonna start jugglin' knives next?"

Mason ducked her head. "You're right, that's more closing act material, anyway."

Eugene stepped back to let them fix their plates first. They chattered and joked as they bustled about, spooning out their portions. Half of it ended up in their mouths before it could reach their plates.

He smiled watching them. Their laughter made the house feel much warmer and fuller.

Beth waved him over, eyes glowing. "Come make your plate while there's still some left."

So he took his place with them.

~m~

Mason sat squeezed between Beth and Eugene on the couch, and though the food was delicious, she found it incredibly hard to eat. Her stomach fluttered each time they brushed against her, and the warmth of their thighs pressed against hers was enough to make her a little light-headed.

They watched movies while they ate, scary ones they'd scavenged up just for her. The first was incredibly cheesy, and they ended up laughing and cracking jokes through most of it. The second was actually well-done. On more than one occasion, a creepy scene would have Beth or Eugene cuddling closer, and it would take a massive effort to refocus on the movie.

Through the whole thing, she felt simultaneously fuzzy and alert. They dozed off at some point during the third movie, and the feeling followed her into sleep. She dreamed the three of them were in the training yard together, and she was leading a typical training session, except that Beth and Eugene were…were naked.

Her consciousness twitched with shock, but not enough to wake her. Her dream-self kept up the session as though there was nothing strange about it. But after a blur of sparring, they managed to pin her.

And after that…after that the training melted to something else, something entirely heat and hands, lips and skin, so vigorous she awoke hot and flushed.

It took her a moment to remember where she was. Morning light illuminated the living room in the house Eugene shared with Abraham and Sasha. Beth was curled with her head in Mason's lap. Eugene slouched on Mason's right, snoring into her shoulder.

Instantly the contents of her dream flooded back and her skin prickled as though it were seconds from bursting into flames. Carefully, she squirmed out from under them and fled into the kitchen just as Sasha came down the stairs.

"Hey," Sasha said, reaching into the cupboard for some tea. "How was your night?"

"Uh. It was nice. It was great."

"Eugene and Beth were really excited to do it for you."

"It was really sweet of them." Mason rubbed the back of her neck. "Would, uh, would you mind waking them in a bit? We'll be leaving for the Kingdom soon. I'm just gonna…I'll be in the bathroom."

Sasha side-eyed her knowingly, which just made Mason rub her neck harder. "Of course."

Mason retreated to the upstairs bathroom, nearly slamming the door behind her. She went to sit on the edge of the tub, relishing the cool ceramic against her skin.

Okay. So…first wet dream in a while. No big deal. Just think of…not horny things…

She sat there for a while, trying her best. But all her brain would conjure up was Beth in her sports bra, and Eugene's thumb on her collarbone, and their bodies against hers on the couch and in the dream…

"Dammit," she hissed and reached for the bathtub faucet to splash water on her face.

The showerhead came on instead, soaking her in water so cold she might've shrieked if she'd had the breath to.

"Fuck!"

She scrambled out of the spray, nearly slipping on the tile floor. She stood there, dripping and stunned, before smacking the handle back to the off position.

Grumbling under her breath, she swung open the bathroom door and jumped when she saw Eugene with his hand raised, about to knock.

"Shit!"

"Apologies, Mason, it was not my intention to startle you. Sasha merely informed me that you might be in here. Renee is assembling the group to return to the Kingdom and what, may I ask, happened to you?"

She fumbled for an explanation, but the dominant portion of her rationality was struggling not to picture him the way he'd looked in her dream.

"I. Um. Accident."

He raised an eyebrow and she shrugged with a faint smile.

"I forgot clothes existed for a minute?"

Before Eugene could reply, Abraham walked past. He chuckled when he saw her.

"The hell happened to you, girlie? You fall in the toilet or something?"

"It was an accident," she snapped.

"You did fall in the toilet?"

She glared flatly. "You know what? Sure. C'mon, Eugene."

Downstairs, Sasha and Beth both laughed in surprise at her appearance, and before they could ask, she said, "I fell in the ocean."

It was too much to hope that others wouldn't notice on her way back to Beth's house for a change of clothes. Eugene and Beth snickered while she kept up a medley of increasingly sarcastic replies.

"I pissed off Aquarius."

"It started raining, but only above my head."

"I'm just sweating, like, a lot."

She changed quickly and they hurried to the gate, where Renee, Dave, Lily, Dray, Charlie and Daryl were waiting by the truck.

Despite her best efforts, a happy little shiver ran through her when she ended up in the backseat, squeezed between Beth and Eugene.

~m~

"Hey." Mason glanced around the kitchen as she addressed Renee and Dave. "Can I talk to you guys?"

"Sure. What's up?" Renee leaned against the counter, steeping a bag of Earl Grey. Dave gave a thumbs-up while he riffled through the fridge.

"Well. Okay, um." She twiddled her thumbs. Sat on the edge of the table. Kicked her legs. It was late in the evening, and she'd been busy all day making sure the Kingdom was prepared in the event the Wolves decided to attack here. But now, with most everything taken care of, her thoughts drifted back to Eugene and Beth.

"Yes…?" Renee prompted.

Mason sighed. "Last night, I had this dream…"

She explained about the dream and what had led up to it. Renee and Dave passed a sleeve of crackers back and forth while they listened. They didn't interrupt, though she saw them exchange several loaded glances before she'd finished.

"And…yeah, that's why I was all wet this morning," she concluded.

Dave choked on a cracker. Renee hid her laugh in her mug.

Mason scowled. "That's not what I meant."

Renee held her hands up. "Alright, alright. Look, Mason…you're clearly attracted to both of them, and they're clearly attracted to you."

"You don't know that. I mean, yeah, Beth, but…Eugene's never said anything…"

"Well, why don't you talk to him? You were going to before."

"You need to talk to both of them," Dave added. "That's the only way any of you are gonna come to any kind of, like, resolution."

"And what, what resolution could there possibly be that wouldn't hurt one of them?"

Renee and Dave shared another one of those looks before Renee replied, "You could date them both."

Mason stared. "At…at the same time? Like a threesome?"

"Technically I think it would be a vee," Dave said.

"I-I can't do that."

"You mean you wouldn't want that, or what?"

"I'm not saying…" She swallowed. It wasn't as though the thought was unappealing. But the thought of actually broaching the subject? "I just can't."

Renee sighed in exasperation. "Well, you're gonna have to talk to them sometime. Look, I'm not saying they'll want that, but you'll never know what they want or what might work out if you don't communicate. You can't just let things continue the way they are."

Dave elbowed her. "There's always the risk someone could get hurt. But they deserve your honesty."

She flinched. That was the exact reason she'd told them about the Saviors. If she could do that, she could talk to them about this. Right? Certainly she had the strength for that?

She didn't feel like she did. She rubbed her arm and hopped off the table.

"Thanks, guys. Really. I'm just not ready for that right now. Anyway, Jerry and Ezekiel wanted to discuss Alexandria's game plan, so I should get going."

Neither of them looked surprised. For some reason, that stung. She mumbled a goodbye and headed for the auditorium.

~m~

The next morning, as she was leaving the dining hall with Daryl, Beth and Eugene, she caught Selene staring darkly at her new wounds. Her eyes narrowed as Mason met her gaze, flashing her a look of deep suspicion.

Mason flushed and lowered her head. But as she did, it dawned on her that this was the first she'd felt uncomfortable since returning home. The realization almost took her breath away.

"You got somethin' you wanna say?" Daryl grunted. She glanced up to see him glaring openly at Selene. Beth and Eugene pressed closer to Mason.

Donovan appeared at Selene's side. "Why don't you people mind your business?" he said.

"Us mind our business?" Eugene said. "I believe you have that backwards, friend."

There was a tense beat of silence. Then Beth held up her middle finger, giggling a little when Mason let out an alarmed squeak.

Daryl and Eugene followed suit, eliciting an offended gasp from Selene.

"Guys!" Mason hissed, even as a smile teased the corners of her mouth. She tugged at their arms. "What are you doing?"

But Beth and Eugene grinned encouragingly at her. Daryl didn't tear his glare from Selene and Donovan, but he reached back to nudge her.

So after a moment of deliberation, she flashed her own middle finger, and it felt so good that she flashed the other one, too.

Furiously, Donovan waved them off. "Oh, get your disrespectful asses out of here! Go find something useful to do."

"C'mon," Mason giggled, nudging her friends away while keeping one finger in the air. It felt silly and immature and so, so freeing. "The recon group'll be here soon."

Once they were at the gate, Mason turned to them. "Thanks, guys."

Daryl shrugged gruffly. "Ain't nothin'."

"Nothing that their general discourtesy did not bring on themselves," Eugene agreed.

She met his gaze, and then Beth's, thinking of last night, the brightness and laughter it had brought her.

"Really," she said softly. "Thank you."

Just then, Richard called down from the watch post. "Truck approaching! Looks like the recon group."

Mason opened the gate to meet the truck as it pulled to a stop. Glenn, Abraham, Rosita and Tara stepped out to greet them.

She smiled. Maybe she was still riding the high from standing up for herself, but she felt a peculiar and sudden wave of affection for everyone standing there with her.

"I like this group," she said.

"Yeah, it's the dream team," Abraham grinned, and motioned for them to pile into the truck.

Mason sat in the bed with Daryl, Eugene and Beth. She couldn't help thinking of her discussion with Renee and Dave as she sandwiched herself once more between Eugene and Beth. She knew she would need to talk to them eventually.

But before that, before any resolution could be made or any healing could be had, they had a war to win.

The here and now was all that mattered.

A/N: As I said before, I know this was a shorter chapter, but I wanted to fit in the fluffy shenanigans before we get into some other stuff concerning the Wolves. Hopefully it was a fun little intermission from the heavier stuff. Thank you as always for reading, it really means the world to me! Hope you all are doing well and until next time, much love xoxo