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Late Mornings And Even Later Nights

The jostling of my bed woke me up the next morning, my tired eyes squinting in confusion.

"What the hell?" I flipped over to find Heather jumping up and down, quiet giggles spilling from her lips and the familiar hat wobbling on her head. "Baby, go back to sleep, it's-"

10:34 read the clock in clear numbers, the hands definite in their positions. I sat up with a start, gathering some clothes and quickly pulling them on.

"Shit!" I muttered, searching around for my left boot. Heather stood on my bed, watching me rummage through the mess.

"You can't say that, mom." She complained at my language, shuffling from the blankets and sliding under the frame, her hand grasping a stranded shoe.

"Sorry." I apologised, gripping her hand as we raced downstairs. I was supposed to be up hours ago to check on Rosita in the infirmary but I guess Enid never woke me.

"You're awake?" I smiled at Rosita, who sat against the headboard.

"I could say the same thing." She weakly replied, the amusement hardly in her voice despite the joking words.

I glanced at Enid as she made the beds, a sheepish gleam in her eyes. "Well, someone forgot to tell me it was my shift. What else did I miss?"

Rosita quirked her eyebrows up, exasperation clear in her features. "The walkers are talking, Jesus hasn't come back with Eugene, and Michonne's here with a new group." She rambled.

My lips parted in surprise at all the news, my mind wrapping around it all. I wasn't exactly sure how to respond to any of that.

"Is she still here?" I finally got out, shaking off my baffled expression. I hadn't seen the woman for so long the idea of speaking with her seemed unreal.

"Last I saw, she was in the mansion. They're not leaving yet." Enid gestured for me to go, reassuring me that she could handle things in here.

I could see the familiar dreadlocks on my way to Barrington house, conversing with Tara as she held a serious expression. She was slightly taken aback when I embraced her in a loving hug, shaking off the initial surprise and returning it.

"I missed you." I mumbled, taking in her full appearance. She didn't look any older despite the years, the only different thing being her hair style. "You look great."

"I missed you, too." She solemnly agreed, her hands holding mine gently.

"What're you doing here?" It was the only question on my mind right now. What had brought her here after all these years?

She sighed heavily, her gaze drifting over my shoulder. I followed her line of sight, spotting a few faces I had never seen before. "They're new people who have earned our trust. I told them Hilltop would consider giving them a home."

My eyes met Tara's as she silently shook her head but I ignored her, a grin gracing my lips. "I'll check them out, but there's more than enough room." I nodded, wandering over to the new group.

I could hear their hushed conversation as they unloaded the wagon.

"So, the guy running things here calls himself 'Jesus'? Sounds like a cult to me." A woman with reddish brown hair complained, a scowl permanently on her face.

"'Jesus' is a nickname. You'll see why when he gets here." I announced my presence, squinting against the sun as they turned to face me. I gave them a pointed look, waiting for them to introduce themselves.