It was a bright evening when Clementine sighs in relaxation as she looks towards the woods that lay in front of her from the lookout post. To prevent her from facing too much strain by standing using her crutches, Violet decided to fix a chair she found in one of the old dorms onto the wooden floor of the post.

I have no idea how she did that with one eye, she thought as she sat on the chair, turning her head back to look at Vi sitting on one of the benches, watching AJ drawing something while sitting on the ground. She told Clem that her eyesight was beginning to recover, but that it was far from okay. Louis was out hunting, although hesitantly. Ruby and Aasim talk animatedly at one of the adjacent benches, clearly in love with each other. Willy helps Omar with the stew by cutting up the meat, albeit with gloves, as Omar doesn't trust Willy's hygiene due to, well...

The brunette feels a prick of pain on what was left of her left leg. It also pricks her memory, bringing her back to the hours after their assault on the Delta, to that moment on the bridge, with the words "The night will be over soon…" ricocheting and echoing within their ears, to the agonizing pain of having her leg split from the knee-down, to her 'last' words to AJ in the barn, to the momentary jolt of pain as he aimed for the bitten leg instead of her head.

Sometimes she wonders. If she hadn't trusted AJ, where would she be? Probably in the barn with a head split in two, she thought bitterly. And Louis… she wouldn't dare think about it. AJ took the shot because she trusted him to make the hard decisions. But it had come with the cost of poor Tennessee. God, Louis was so devastated when he saw Tenn, with the recently brought upon gunshot wound on his neck, and the walkers grabbing him like a newfound feast. She understood that pain, more than anyone to say the least. The 8 years of survival in the apocalypse always had its costs with her, whether it be her parents, her innocence, Lee, Kenny, Omid, Duck…the list seems to go on and on the longer she went on.

Before she could delve deeper into the fragmented memories of her past, she was brought back down to earth by Louis appearing through the thick foliage that laid the woods, with…

She rose up to get a closer look to who the stranger is, and she finds it to be:

"James?" she concludes, with a look of pure astonishment and a hint of embitterment, most likely over the events in the cave.

James notices the hidden venom in her tone and guiltily nods. So he feels guilty, Clem thought, her shoulders releasing some previously unseen tension. She turns around to face the school and calls out for AJ.

He stops drawing and gets up, soil and mud scattered over the behind of his jeans and runs over to the bottom of the lookout posts, looking at the girl expectantly.

"Yes, Clem?" he asked.

"Can you open the gate for me? And here, catch my wood arm legs." she responded, grabbing the pair of crutches laid against the low wall.

AJ chuckles at her joke, no doubt referencing the moment when she first started roaming the school after the incident.

"You mean crutches?"

"Yeah, that…" she replied, a gleeful smile on her face as well. She threw over the clutches, which AJ catches, despite it having knocked the wind out of him. Beginning to climb down the ladder, the brunette focuses her weight on her one leg and both legs as she descends the ladder. One step at a time… one step at a time, she mentally repeated. Eventually, after what seems like an entire hour, she reaches the ground, giving out a sigh of relief. AJ hands over the clutches and runs towards the gate to open it. Pulling the lock to the side, he pulls open the gate to reveal both Louis, with three rabbits slung over his shoulder, and James, mask in hand.

"Hey there, little man!" Louis greeted, in his usual cheery self.

"Louis!" AJ gleefully screams out and hugs him. Over the time they spent in Ericson's, both AJ and Louis developed a strong bond with each other, almost brotherly. It made Clem feel happy within when she saw the two of them having fun together, whether it be them having a fun conversation, or pissing off Violet. He had something that would be generally unthinkable in this world, a something she only recently began to encounter: peace.

The girl looks at James, who shifts his gaze between her and her stump, at first in confusion, then in realization.

"Oh yeah, I met your, uh, friend out in the woods. Said he wanted to talk to you-" Louis attempted to explain but was cut off by James hugging Clementine. She was shocked by the sudden action, but reciprocated the hug all the same.

He pulls away, tears beginning to form in his eyes, attempting to blink it away. Clem is surprised by this. Never had she seen him shed tears of any kind.

"I… I wanted to say that I was sorry. For- for what happened in that cave, you know? I got so mad, a-and then, that thing inside of me ju-just came out, you know?" The girl nodded in understanding.

James takes a moment to control himself, preventing tears from falling out.

"When I escaped, I heard gunshots nearby, and I went away to the barn, to catch rest. When I did, I found your leg inside, and I couldn't help but feel responsible for that. I want to apologize for not being there for you. I could have helped, but I didn't. So I'm sorry."

Clementine couldn't help but smile at him.

"James, you don't have to be sorry. You had nothing to do with…" she motions at her missing leg. "You were just doing what felt was right. I know that feeling more than anything. You're more than welcome to stay with us. We need someone new 'round these parts."

"You shouldn't really be doing this for me, but thanks for the offer, Clementine. I'm done with moving around." James replied with a smile as he nearly echoed the girl's thoughts when she first found the school.

Clem turned around to face Louis, who looked happy at seeing the two reunite.

"So, Lou? I see you've gotten more than last time, which is saying something."

Louis shook his head.

"Actually, James here helped out after I found him. He's been a great help, so far." He looked at James, who nodded in response.

"What about the caravan?"

"They seem to be armed, with about five guys, and some children, as well as a good stockpile of supplies."

"That's good, then. We'll establish contact with them next morning. Alright, I'll see you guys soon. Just gotta check up on the others."

They nodded and begins to walk away from the gate as they wave at her. Firstly, she needed to find Vi, as her eye was a source of concern for both Ruby and Clem. Noticing Violet was missing, she looks around for her, fearing the worst, until she looks at the graveyard and finds her bending over a grave.

The girl frowns sadly, and walks towards the blonde.

Violet was filled with regret and guilt over what she had done to Clem in the boat. All she wanted to do was rescue them, and she drove her away coldly. "Some feelings you had for me." she had said, the words echoing in her head long after. Guess God paid in kind, huh? She had thought. She remembered her eyes agonizing themselves in pain as the brutal flames of the explosion greedily licked them. She remembered how Clementine still saved her from that walker, even if her actions would make anyone leave her be. She still cared. It was surprising for her really, because in all her life, nobody stayed with her. Hell, she said so herself. Her drunkard father, too busy drinking to give a fuck; her mother, abandoning her at Ericson's; Minerva… not only did she take herself away, but she took Tenn with her. She just sat there in disbelief when Louis broke the news, and she burst out tears. She burst out even more when she learned that Clem, the girl who risked her life to save her family, the one she'd known her entire life, was in a wheelbarrow with a missing leg.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the creaking of wood coming from behind her. She turns around to find the brunette walking- no, limping towards her with her crutches. Looking at the stump, she can't help but feel guilty at that. Maybe if she had been there…

She gets up, brushing off the remnants of soil and mud caked on her jeans, and turns around to face the girl, now without her signature cap.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself." said Vi, a grin beginning to form on her lips. To Clem's surprise, it quickly diminishes. So does her grin.

"Vi, I just wanna say that I-"

"No Clem, you shouldn't be apologizing for what I did. It should be me. It's just that that bitch Lilly, she kept saying how you'd never show up, that you got Mitch and Brody killed, that you were responsible for everything, and it got to me. And then Tenn-"

Violet was cut off by the brunette's lips as she kissed her. Whatever initial shock she had at this move subsequently vanished as she reciprocated the kiss. Their lips part after what felt like eternity.

"Don't worry, Vi. I'm always there for you. You don't have to worry about being alone. Not again." Clem admits, cupping Vi's cheek.

The blonde teared up at this. "Thank you, Clem. For everything."

She moved in to kiss again. So did Clem.

Their lips were about to touch. She could feel Clem's soft, sugary lips right-

"Hey, lovebirds! Dinner's ready, so come on down!" rang Louis' voice from the courtyard.

The two girls pulled away rapidly, and there was an awkward silence between the two, broken by a chuckle from the shorter girl.

"Fucking Louis." Violet mumbled, as she wiped away some of her tears on her sleeve.

"Come on." she motioned towards the picnic table where everyone was gathering around.. "Ladies first."

"I thought chivalry was dead?"

"Not anymore."

The taller girl laughed at that as she walked with Clementine at an equal pace, as her clutches slowed her down. Together, they sat down at the dinner table, and joined in on the conversation about Louis hilariously fucking up one of his hunting trips.

The dinner was mostly fun, with laughs breaking out here and there, with compliments to the chef (thank you, Omar), and the two girls staring at each other, love in their eyes.

As everyone left the table, AJ handed over the clutches to Clementine, who waves him goodbye.

On the way to her dorm, Clem meets James, who fidgets in place as he's visibly confused on where to go.

"Need any help, James?" Clementine asks, in a tone showing her willingness to help.

"Uh...where do I stay?"

"Hmm… for now, you take the dorm next to mine. We'll see about your long-term stay in the morning." replies the short girl.

"Follow me, James." she commands.

On arriving at her doorstep, she turns to James. "This here is my dorm. Your one's to the left of mine, okay?" she explains. The former Whisperer nods in response and walks towards the other door.

She looks at James with a smile as she enters her own room. James must have been through a lot out there, same as me. Glad he's welcoming a change of pace, she thought. Placing her crutches against the wall, she lies against the soft mattress to get sleep, something she'd never needed before her car accident. She sighs in relaxation yet again. AJ begun to sleep over in a nearby room, because apparently he's "too big to share a room with." She missed him already.

Before she sleeps however, she begins to talk alone, like she mostly did when no-one was around.

"Is this what it felt like to be you, Lee? You know, leading the right way, making things fun and worth living? Because I'm pretty sure that's what it feels like." she utters tiredly, yawning and twisting her body to get into a comfortable sleeping position.

"Good night, Lee."

As she closes her eyes, she can't help but feel that the stars are winking at her in response.