A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.

Grabbing the plastic lever, she squeezed the water out from the mop, which needed to be replaced, but she didn't want to have an argument with Ms. Zacerson. The woman wasn't a cruel employer, but she did have a temper and a constant desire to save every penny, so suggesting replacing a mop which still was working would be out of the question. Ms. Zacerson probably would discuss the importance of saving money where it could be saved while her voice slowly raised itself to a louder volume. At least, the rolling bucket for the water was in decent condition.

Once the mop was wrung out, (f/n) set it aside in its corner before she tipped the bucket and dumped the soapy water down the drain in the floor. When it was empty, she rolled it beside the mop and gave out a relieved sigh. All of the non-rented apartments had been cleaned as well as the inner courtyard and walkways. (F/n) washed her hands in the sink with hand soap before she dried them off with some paper towels, which she tossed in the nearby trashcan.

"Done," she muttered to herself with a smile. Cleaning an apartment complex hadn't exactly been her idea of staying away from the creature, but it was better than being constantly on the run from him. And, Ms. Zacerson, despite her drawbacks, was a kind enough woman to let her stay in her own apartment with rent, internet and all utilities covered. Ms. Zacerson even gave her a hundred dollars each week that was under-the-table since the older woman did know that she was in hiding. Thankfully, she hadn't asked too many questions about that, and she even had given her a ground-level apartment in case she needed to escape.

The hundred dollars, though, wasn't enough to buy furniture on its own, but it provided for her food, toiletries, some new clothes and other simple household items, which Nick and the others would purchase for her so that she didn't have to leave the complex. There was extra each week, which she was saving for when she needed to move again. Hopefully, though, that wouldn't happen soon or at all. Nick and his team, however, had been nice enough to provide her with some dishes and some basic furniture even though she had insisted that it wasn't necessary, but Nick had argued back that he wasn't going to have her sleeping on the floor with a blanket and pillow.

To pay him back for everything, though, she did have him over for dinner once a week. She had invited Deidre, Chris and Ren too the first week, but Nick hadn't wanted to risk them coming over to the apartment since none of them had an idea of when the creature would show up again, and Nick, understandably, didn't want the creature to spot them. Besides dinner, however, Nick also came over simply to check on her and make sure that she was doing alright, which was appreciated since it gave her time to be away from her own thoughts. Those thoughts easily could turn towards what the creature was doing and if he was killing anymore people.

A knock on the janitorial door, though, caught her attention. "Finished for the day?" (F/n) looked over and smiled before she nodded. Nick leaned against the doorframe, wearing a grey coat since he had disposed of his black one. "I take it that it took longer than expected."

"Yeah, sorry." She rubbed the back of her neck. "You don't mind waiting for me to get a shower and such, right?"

"Not at all. I'll make some hot chocolate for us in the meantime." He pushed himself off of the frame. "We can relax a little before dinner." A light chuckle came from him. "You probably could use that too."

"Do I look that exhausted?" she asked, scanning over herself quickly.

"A little. It's only been a little over three weeks since you moved in. It's fine if it takes you time to adjust." Her (e/c) optics looked back to his brown ones, and she nodded. "Anyway, are you fine with relaxing?" he asked, a kind smile on his lips.

"You don't need to ask her," an older woman spoke from behind him. Nick glanced over his right shoulder to Ms. Zacerson, who was stepping up beside the taller male. Still, she only was a couple of inches shorter than his height of five feet and eleven inches. Her blue eyes fell on (f/n), who averted her attention over to the woman. "You worked hard today like always. Take a break with your boyfriend." Both (f/n) and Nick's cheeks warmed up slightly, but neither argued against her claim since they had found that it would serve them no use. Rather, it probably only would have the landlady claim that they were together all the more.

"Are you off then to spend time with your boyfriend?" Nick teased as he glanced down to her slightly.

Smirking, the forty-year-old woman crossed her arms and nodded as a few more strands of loose brown hair fell down from her hairclip. "I am. I have my date night with my favorite galactic traveler." Her smirk grew. "He's got quite the fight ahead of him with how season one left off. I got to give him my full support." (F/n) couldn't help but laugh a little, and a quiet chuckle left Nick too. The older woman turned her back to them and waved some. "You better have bought ingredients for your dinner with coupons," she shouted a little as she went off to her own apartment.

(F/n) shook her head before she left the janitorial room and locked the door behind her. As she glanced up to Nick, he sighed and mumbled, "It's like she's trying to get the creature to hate me more."

Despite the grimness of that statement, she did laugh a little. "Don't worry; he's not invited to dinner." He gave her an amused smile, and both tried to rid their minds of him so that their evening wouldn't be ruined.

Reaching her apartment, she unlocked the door and headed inside with him before she locked it behind them. As usual, the blinds were closed on all of the windows so that the creature wouldn't be able to see in if he was in the area. (F/n) placed her keys on the kitchen counter before she stretched a little. Her shoulders popped, and she gave out a relieved sigh.

"Do you need a massage too with your hot chocolate," Nick joked as he walked into the kitchen as he set down a bag he had with him. He removed a container of cocoa from the bag as well as a few other items, like whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles.

"Now, you're just asking for the creature to become enraged," she joked back before she headed towards her bedroom, hearing a chuckle from him in the process. "I'll be about thirty minutes." A hum greeted her ears, and she entered her room soon after.

Sliding open one of her closet doors, she glanced over her clothes. She had gotten rid of most of her old clothes and replaced them. Even her jacket had been switched for one from a thrift store in town. Surprisingly, Deidre had found her a navy blue one that still was in exceptional condition. (F/n) selected a comfortable olive green long-sleeved shirt and some grey lounge pants before she picked out some undergarments.

Leaving her bedroom, she walked into her bathroom, and she could hear Nick moving around in the kitchen. He had shaved his face since he had figured that the creature had put two and two together back at the amusement park. Otherwise, the creature wouldn't have been chasing their car down. Nick had told her that the creature had gotten hit by a truck before they had lost him. Both of them knew, though, that the creature wasn't dead unless by some luck his heart or brain had been smashed.

Closing the door behind her, she locked it and removed her clothes after she set the clean ones on the small beige sink counter. She stepped into the shower and allowed the warm water to soothe her muscles. A light smile touched her lips. The past three weeks, she had been able to enjoy simple things like showers and sleep again since the creature wasn't around to bother and torment her. There remained the threat of him finding her, but until then, she had quite a bit of peace to enjoy.

Sure, it was hard having to stay in the apartment complex all of the time, but it had been an improvement from remaining in her home at all hours. And, the fact that she was working gave her a sense of normalcy along with Nick's visits. It gave her hope that she could return to a life without the creature. Even the voices and hallucinations weren't bothering her too much. Sometimes, they would come back, but they weren't anywhere near the level they had been when they had been exiting the amusement park.

Resting her head against the tiled wall some, she permitted the water to soothe her more. She closed her eyes and listened to the droplets hit the porcelain tub below. When her thoughts traveled back to Nick, a slight amount of heat touched her cheeks. After the three weeks and Ms. Zacerson's comments, she did wonder if she liked him a little bit more than a friend. (F/n) did enjoy his company, and he was there for her when she really needed the help, but she didn't want to become dependent on him either. At any time, the present situation could fall apart, and she was beyond certain that she didn't want to see him die.

If the time came and she had to run, she had to be able to leave him. They had to go their separate ways again. Maybe in the future, they could meet up again, and she would like that. Until then, though, she couldn't get too attached, but she was glad that he had dyed his hair another color for safety: a very light brown. Even she had a disguise ready: a (different h/c) wig and (different e/c) contacts. For the night, however, she simply would enjoy talking with him and watching some television as they drank hot chocolate and ate dinner.