A Moment of Clarity

by MilesTogether2092

Nearly three months after Clementine stumbled upon joining Carlos's group, Clem finds herself always trying to stay on his good side. When he tells her of an incoming thunderstorm, Clem volunteers to look after Sarah for the night. Will playing protector lead to forming a bond? Oneshot. Clem/Sarah, one-sided Clarah. Very slight femslash. Slightly AU-ish due to time placement.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead; it is property of AMC & Telltale Games. Please support the official release.

Key-
"Talking"
Thinking

Author's Note: Hey there guys! In celebration of Telltale's release of Amid the Ruins, I decided to make to add another work dedicated to the rarely seen Clarah pairing. I know some people may be opposed to writing Clementine in any sort of romantic pairing (other than with Luke oddly enough, who's older than Sarah) but I don't see a problem with it as long as it's kept innocent, Hence the K+ rating despite the actual content of the game being anything but.

I know there's going to be some people who think that Clementine is too young to find out she could be gay (fanon/canon whatever) but some people do find out their own orientation (gay/bi or not) at a rather young age; granted not everyone does, but some do. For the record the pairing is more on Sarah's end then Clementine's for this one-shot, so there's that too I guess. Considering the ages of Clementine (11 by Season 2) and Sarah (being 15) this isn't too bad of a pairing as long as it's kept relatively safe.

For the record I honestly like Sarah. I know a lot of people ride on her for being supposedly 'useless' but she's been sheltered all of her life even BEFORE the zombie outbreak; so now when the world's falling all to hell it's really no surprise things have wound up the way they have for her. She really was given no opportunity to be raised to adjust to things though being constantly sheltered, so her mindset is almost completely the fault of Carlos's coddling.

To be honest I've been kind of torn up about what happened to her in Amid the Ruins. With either outcome it was an utterly horrible, messed up way to go-no one deserves that crap, especially not someone like Sarah. I mean it's not like she did anything ever truly harmful or got multiple people killed simultaneously like Ben did in Season 1. The only person she ever ended up 'killing' was Reggie; and to be honest Carver was an absolute lunatic anyway, so that was going to happen to the poor guy at some point or another. I felt really bad when Sarah died-it was the loss of true, sheltered innocence. I'm not saying she would've lived in the world The Walking Dead has set up, (she just doesn't have the right mindset for it), but I wasn't really in any hurry to see her go either. If there's anyone remotely close to Sarah's age who really pissed me off it'd probably be Becca from 400 Days, how is innocent gullible Sarah who never directly harms anyone more target for criticism than some kind of AU Bitchy Heartless Clementine? I just don't get that at all.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this fanfic; like always I worked hard on it. I hope that not everyone hates Sarah, and that more people can open their eyes a bit further to see she wasn't really all that bad-she was just a victim of poor parenting at best.
_

Rubbing the temples of her forehead while leaning against a rather comfy couch, Clementine let out a small sigh as thoughts traveled through her mind. So much had gone in the past year, so many people met, and so many friends lost.

The world wasn't the same anymore-nothing was the same anymore. As much as she wished that one day it would return to the way it was, she had begun to highly doubt such sentiment when she saw the horrors of every new day take their toll on everyone around her, both friend and foe. So many had been lost to the passage of time, so many people she knew, people she cared for.

Katjaa, Duck, Carley, Mark, Chuck, Omid, Christa, Lee…

…Lee. Freezing up on the couch, Clementine couldn't help but shudder into her sigh. Lee Everett had been like a father figure to her, even in place of her own parents disappeared. He always did what was right for her, even if other people didn't like it. He always did his best to comfort her and be there for her, even when she was sure she'd be alone. And most importantly, he always came to help her when bad people came.

But now he was gone. There had been a void in the small girl's heart since Lee's passing-one that she couldn't fill with any new friendship, nor did she want to. She was sure it was different in relation to Christa having lost Omid to that girl in the bathroom, but it hurt all the same. In his last moments, Lee's parting words were always on Clementine's mind-be strong. While it was a wise reminder to keep moving ahead, it was far easier said than done.

Clementine knew at this point however that it wasn't meant to be easy; if it was, Lee and everyone she lost on the way would still be with her. There was nothing fair about it, nothing easy about it-but that's just the way it was. She took comfort and solace where she could find it even when it was rare, but she always remembered Lee's advice before his passing as well-to always be strong, no matter the cost.

For the first time in a while, she had found a form of sanctuary; but even getting to this point was a struggle. Omid's untimely demise had dampened Christa's spirits, and Clementine herself didn't even know if Christa was alive anymore after their encounter with the bandits.

Not to mention that wasn't even counting being attacked by those men, falling into rapids, having her arm ripped into by a starving dog, nearly getting shot for being a suppose 'bite victim', being locked into a shed against her will, sneaking into the house of her oppressors, doing her own stitches, and killing a Walker while still in bad condition. Clementine remembered that her own mother once told her that sometimes you had to go through bad times in order to find the good. While she agreed with that statement, her own patience of actually keeping those good times around was starting to grow thin.

The little girl had come to note whenever there was clarity of comfort; it would never last as long as the bad times did. It was an uncomfortable reality constantly leaning in to breathe on her shoulder like a hungry Walker. It happened with having to leave her own home, the short lived stay at Herschel's, the revelation of the Saint John Family's cannibalism, having to leave the hotel, the boat being stolen by Vernon and his fellow cancer victims, and so on and so forth.

It had been roughly two and a half months since the rather rough introduction between her & Carlos's group. From what she could tell they were good people, if a little lacking in judgment. Pete & Luke both were the two she trusted the most out of Carlos's group so far.

Luke was a fair enough guy with good intentions, even if he seemed a bit lacking in judgment sometimes, while Pete reminded Clementine of her grandfather on her mother's side, eccentric, but friendly. Alvin seemed like a good guy, even if his good heartedness and sense of reason seemed to mellow out once Rebecca voiced her opinion on anything. Shaking her head slightly thinking about Nick, Clementine couldn't help but be reminded of Ben. His lack of judgment, his helpful willingness accompanied by ill results, his naivety about looking at bigger pictures…it was all there. Clementine wasn't necessarily worried for her own safety due to Nick's actions, but rather how Nick's actions could affect others, or even himself.

Then there was Carlos & Rebecca…two of Clementine's current biggest worries. Rebecca was heavily pregnant with Alvin's child, so her body alone was a time bomb ticking down to a destructive end accompanied by consistent mood swings. Carlos on the other hand had more or less complete control of the cabin, so if anyone had final say on her stay than it would be him. I

t was more than important to stay on his good side for the moment, lest she not have a proper roof over her head. Granted Clementine guiltily admitted to herself that her age was more or less the reason she was being sheltered to begin with, but if it's what helped her, perhaps it was for the better. It might've been a reason only someone her age could use, and perhaps it wasn't the 'best' reason why she was being allowed to stay for the moment, but it was better than nothing.

She didn't know if Carlos would be the kind of man who would kick her out despite her age, but for what it was worth taking chances simply wasn't an option. Looking at the clock in a bored fashion, Clementine took note of the time-7:45 PM; it'd be time for bed soon.

"Clementine?" An accented voice called out.

I must be getting better at this. The young girl thought.

"Yes Carlos? Time for bed?" The girl asked as politely as she could, as the Hispanic man walked into the room with fresh clean pajamas in his arms.

"Yes, just about. Some of Sarah's old pajamas just are ready fresh out of the dryer-you can go get changed in the bathroom upstairs." Carlos instructed kindly.

"Thank you Carlos." Clementine said nicely.

Taking the clothes gently from his hands as they were given to her, Clementine made her way slowly to the stairs-almost welcoming sleep at this point, even with the uncertainty if she'd never wake up at all. Life was unpredictable now; there was really no way to tell what would happen at any given moment.

"Oh, and Clementine?" Carlos's voice rang out again, to which Clementine turned full view to see him to show she was paying full attention to his words.

"Yes Carlos?" The little girl responded somewhat nervously.

"We're kind of due for a bit of a thunderstorm with it being so hot and damp out. It's not a big one or anything, so it's nothing to be frightened of, but Sarah…" Carlos trailed off in an almost insecure manner, with hands in his pockets.

"You want me to comfort her if things start to get noisy?" Clementine asked, volunteering herself in good faith.

"Exactly that. Thank you, Clementine." Carlos said in a genuinely respectful manner, causing Clementine to let out a weak smile as she went back up the stairs.

With each step she took, there was a small creak in the floorboards. She knew she shouldn't fret over such a small thing, but for some reason it still bothered her a little bit. It felt weaker to Clementine than it actually was at times. Maybe it was because of her own growing insecurity? Possibly, it wasn't something she hadn't ruled out. Constant safety in any manner wasn't exactly a guarantee, but worrying about what could go wrong at every moment wouldn't do her any good either.

Arriving at the door to the upstairs bathroom, Clementine knocked to make sure no one was inside. After being greeted with silence, she entered to get dressed. After about two minutes of some fumbling due to her bandaged arm from her encounter with the stray dog Sam, the little girl was adorned in blue pajamas. They were a little itchy due to have being Sarah's old sleep clothes, but for what it was worth, they were pretty harmless.

Reaching Sarah's door, Clementine knocked softly as to not scare the rather easily frightened girl. The pitter patter of soft footsteps could be heard on the other side, and the door slowly opened, revealing Sarah clad in pink pajamas as opposed to Clementine who was decorated in blue.

"I hope my old pajamas aren't uncomfortable for you Clementine." Sarah inquired earnestly, wanting to stay on good graces with her new, and possibly only, friend.

"They're fine Sarah, thank you." Clementine said politely, making her way gently past the older girl and to the end of Sarah's bed. After a long stretch and a small yawn, Clementine made her way into the bed while Sarah followed. It wasn't long before both girls were resting comfortably against the bedpost, with Sarah looking slightly nervous.

"Dad said we're going to get a little bit of a thunderstorm, is that true?" Sarah asked nervously.

"Yeah, we might". Clementine responded earnestly.

Holding her covers a bit tighter around her, Sarah couldn't help but fidget out of habit. "Thunderstorms are scary-I don't really like loud noises."

If she thinks thunderstorms are frightening, I'm just glad she hasn't had to encounter any Walkers. Granted I don't think Carlos lets her more than six feet away from the house, but she's bound to see one eventually-that'll probably be the worst thing for her when she actually sees one, I can't imagine she's seen much.

"Well we'll be alright as long as we're here." Clementine half-lied, unsure if a lightning bolt would ever hit the house or anywhere near their respective area.

"You think so?" Sarah asked in an almost strained voice.

Biting her lip for a half second, Clementine could only nod in an almost unassured manner. This seemed to calm Sarah a bit though, and the two descended onto the pillows below as the covers draped over their bodies. Sighing lightly, Clementine prayed that the storm outside wouldn't be too bad.

The rain was already starting to pick up, and she could flashes of white light in the distance that seemed to be drawing closer and closer. The sounds of the rain pitter pattering heavily against the roof of the house could be heard, and small booms of thunder were starting to echo in the distance.

She could feel Sarah starting to stiffen up next to her, beginning to clench the covers tighter and tighter with each passing moment. Feeling a shiver from Sarah's spine run to hers, Clementine was sure that the older girl might need some support as the night went on. Looking out the window in the dark blue night, Clementine couldn't help but wonder what would've happened if Luke & Pete had never found her out in the forest.

The small girl deduced she'd most likely be dead by now, and at worse, become a rather diminutive Walker as a result. She shuddered at the thought, at being one of those…things. It was inevitable in the end, she knew that much.

Way back with Lee and the first group at the Motor Inn, Ben had revealed that you'd eventually become a Walker when you died, no matter what did or what didn't happen to you. It didn't matter whether you were bitten or not, when you died, you'd become one of them-it was just that fatally simple. It wasn't right, and it wasn't fair, but that's just the way it was going to be.

Huddling up herself into the covers, Clementine hated to admit that she once asked herself to why even bother fighting if such a thing was inevitable, but then she'd always remember what Lee told her-to never give up, no matter what. Even if it was unavoidable, she couldn't just lie down and die, not after all that had happened. She had seen too many good people die already, and she knew they wouldn't want her to just give up after all of this. Christa & Omid already told her upon meeting up with her outside of Georgia what happened to Kenny & Ben-something that continued to break her already injured heart after she was forced to end Lee's life.

Sarah was as innocent as the sunrise, and that's what Clementine feared the most. Having never truly seen the world outside, Clementine doubted that the older girl would be able to make it on her own. And despite her innocence and naivety, Clementine truly saw Sarah as a friend now-regardless of her faults. A sudden white flash of lightning reflected off the window temporarily blinded Clementine, and a thundering boom soon accompanied it.

Sarah let out a rather large 'eep' of surprise, and clung to the nearest thing closest to her, which just happened to be her new friend. Taken aback by the surprising strength of the naïve girl's grip, Clementine couldn't help but struggle against the embrace.

"Sarah, too tight…" She wheezed out under the older girl's arms, to which she found the release she desperately sought. Clementine gasped for air for a few moments, as Sarah had already risen from her sleeping position onto her knees to look at Clementine worriedly.

"Oh My God, I'm so sorry Clem! Are you okay? I didn't mean to-" The older girl began to exclaim; as Clementine held up a hand to stop what would be repetitive apologies.

"I'm fine Sarah…its fine. You just took me by surprise, that's all. You really don't like thunderstorms, do you?" Clementine muttered in a slightly tired tone.

"No…not at all." Sarah rubbed her arm in almost ashamed manner, still guilty about nearly suffocating her new, and very well only friend her own age.

It was Clementine's turn to rise from her position now. Shaking her head in a slight daze, Clementine leaned against the bedpost and gazed over in Sarah's direction. From what she could make out the older girl seemed to be squinting more than usual, most likely from her eyes not adjusting to the darkness just yet, and of course not wearing her glasses. Clementine looked over to the shelf and noted her cap lying dormant in a moment of reflection, and then turned to face the older girl again.

Rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly now was as good a time as ever to get on Carlos's good side. "So…um, what do you usually do when it comes to thunderstorms? Does anything make you feel better?"

"I usually go to my Dad's room and sleep with him. But I get the feeling he doesn't like it as much as he used to…probably because I'm older now." Sarah trailed off almost sadly, with Clementine thoughts echoing in her head all the while.

She still couldn't believe Sarah was fifteen; she acted more like she when Lee was still present., and she was only eight then. Clementine remembered how Omid taught her of the word 'irony', and considering that the person in front of her who was supposed to be one of the people to be more adjusted to hardship, the word definitely fit the situation.

"Um…is there anything else you do?" Clementine asked in a slightly offput tone. Maybe this wasn't going to be as easy as she thought…

"Well…maybe we could just talk for a little while?" Sarah said in a hopeful almost squeaky tone.

Running her right hand through her hair, Clementine sighed lightly. "Sure, why not? As long as we keep it quiet though-I don't want your Dad getting mad at me."

Nodding obediently, Sarah folded up her legs Indian style while Clementine did the same resting against the bed post. Another crack of thunder echoed in the distance, to which Sarah jumped slightly in surprise but not quite as much as before. The two girls looked at each other for a moment in contemplation, warm brown eyes meeting shining golden ones.

"So…what's your favorite color?" The older girl asked in a childish fashion.

"Blue." Clementine responded in the most amused fashion she could muster, noting the irony of the color of Sarah's old pajamas she was using.

"Mine's pink." Sarah said enthusiastically, as Clementine lightly rolled her eyes. Yeah, I can see that.

As her fingers played with one another, Sarah struggled to find another question in the uncomfortable silence of not wanting to be too loud to awaken her father. Sighing lightly Clementine put herself in the field to ask a question herself. "What's your favorite time of the year?"

Sarah tilted her head slightly. "You mean like in seasons? I'd guess I'd have to say…spring. Things are too hot in summer, and too cold in winter, and in fall things are starting to get chilly. Spring is just right for me."

"Mine's probably summer, back where I lived there was a community pool where my parents used to take me when I was little. It was…nice." Clementine sighed lightly in remembrance of better times.

Sarah hung her head in an almost saddened way, allowing Clementine to raise an eyebrow in slight surprise. Did the girl actually catch on to the obvious? Granted anyone else could, but for what she was seeing so far it would be uncommon for Sarah.

"I'm sorry, I'm guessing you don't know where your parents are, right? You were out there are all alone when Luke & Pete found you…do you have any idea where they might be?" Sarah asked in a naïve hopeful attitude. Clementine's eyebrows sunk, the chance that the girl might be more up to speed than she had hoped more or less crushed.

Swallowing her pride, Clementine looked up at the rather nervous looking girl as another flash of lightning illuminated the room, as Sarah clung onto the covers in surprise this time in a defensive reaction. This girl had to learn sooner or later, whether Carlos wanted her too or not. She knew it could very well mean being kicked out of the cabin, but something had to be done about this naivety; Sarah wouldn't survive in the real world without some sort of guiding knowledge of how it was now.

"My parents…they're gone, dead." Clementine muttered softly, as Sarah's eyes widened to the point where they looked like they'd consume her whole face. "They're…both dead?"

"Yeah…when I was in Savannah I saw the both of them; they're both gone. I'd hope when I'd gotten there they might still be alive, but I was too late." The younger girl replied solemnly.

Sarah's eyes surveyed the room, and scooted up to Clementine against the bedpost for some company and slight physical contact. Clementine briefly smiled at the action, and huddled into some of the covers herself. "Things are really bad out there, aren't they?" Sarah asked rather sadly.

Clementine gazed over at slightly, and rested her head against the bedpost. "Yeah…they are. I won't lie to you Sarah; your Dad probably doesn't want me talking to you about this."

The older girl jumped slightly as a smaller boom of thunder echoed close by, Clementine couldn't help but stiffen a small giggle. "My Dad's always been like that since my mother went up to Heaven...he's always been really protective of me. I honestly don't know how I'd get by without him at some points."

"Everyone else always looks so sure of themselves, like they don't need anyone to be there for them like my Dad is with me-they're always fine by themselves, even Pete, and he's the oldest one out of all of us. Sometimes I kind of want to try to do some things by myself, but then I get really scared and look to my Dad for help. It's…I don't know." Sarah trailed off rather sadly, earning a rather pitying look from Clementine.

"Frustrating?" Clementine suggested soundly. Sarah's knees sunk towards her face as she crossed her arms into them. "Yeah."

A moment of silence accompanied the two again. Sarah was still shivering at the lightning flashes every few moments, but it was less so now; hopefully it would stay that way unless the thunder picked up. Clementine scratched her head in thought, asking herself what to do for the situation at hand.

It's not that Sarah was helpless, but she wasn't exactly handy or self-reliant either; judging by Carlos's continued coddling, she could only assume why. Part of her thought that maybe she could teach the older girl a few things, that was if she was willing to learn, and assuming they never got caught by her father, or if Sarah never told him.

Teaching the girl to be self-reliant would be a blessing in itself, but at the same time that could risk having her be without a place to call shelter. Christa was most likely dead out there in the woods somewhere, as much as she hated to admit it. Clementine knew she wouldn't last long out there either, even if she had picked up on everything Lee had taught her.

"Sometimes...sometimes bad things will happen, Sarah. No one wants those things, but sometimes you just don't have a choice." Clementine said in a rather strong tone.

Shifting uncomfortably, Sarah couldn't help but squirm a bit. "That doesn't seem very fair..."

Sighing heavily, Clementine looked up at the ceiling and turned her attention back to the older girl."It isn't fair, not at all. The people who I've seen come and go often didn't want to die, but when they did, they just did. It wasn't about being fair, or nice, it just happened that way. And Pete...that was just an example of how bad things can happen to anyone."

Squirming even more, Sarah turned to look at Clementine. "You don't t-think, that could happen to my Dad or I...do you?" As Sarah's sad eyes locked with Clementine's, she struggled to find the words necessary to tell her. She couldn't lie to the girl, even if Carlos wanted her to. At some point or another, she had to know-she just had to. Otherwise if no one else was willing to teach her, it could very well mean the end for her in the future.

"Yeah...it could. I'm not saying this to be mean Sarah, I'm saying it because I care. I don't want to see you get hurt you know; and I don't want to see your Dad or anyone else get hurt or worse, either. But I will be here for you if you let me be here for you, do you understand what I'm saying?" Clementine asked authoritatively, earning a rather blank nod from the older girl. Holding her hand for just a moment, Sarah shivered slightly at the touch, but sank into it looking into Clementine's golden eyes. There was something about them that was commanding, but calming at the same time.

"Maybe…maybe I could teach you a few things tomorrow while you Dad is out gathering supplies? You know, so, you wouldn't feel as…isolated?" Clementine asked meekly, struggling to find the right words to describe Sarah without offending her. Sarah smiled brightly and nodded happily. "Yeah, that would be great Clemmy."

"Clemmy?" The young girl arched an eyebrow amusedly.

"Oh I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking-I tend to give people I like nicknames sometimes." Sarah said in an embarrassed tone. "It's kind of hard to give nicknames to everyone else though."

Deciding to make conversation to help skip around the girl's anxiety, Clementine played along. "Why's that exactly? Do you not like them enough?"

Shaking her hands in desperation, Sarah looked slightly panicked. "Oh no, nothing like that. It's just that shortening their names is tough sometimes. I mean everyone calls Nick, Pete & Luke, Nick, Pete & Luke; so I really can't call those nicknames if everyone else does it. My Dad's my Dad, so I don't think calling him by a nickname would make much sense. And if I call Alvin, Al, then I think Rebecca wouldn't like it very much; she's kind of grumpy sometimes."

"And I wouldn't call Rebecca, Becca, either; because that sounds too much like this girl who was always mean to me when…" Sarah trailed off almost nervously, as Clementine eyed her with worry. That would be a conversation for another time, the younger girl guessed.

"So I guess that means I'm the only one with a nickname so far, huh?" Clementine asked optimistically, hoping to shake the girl out of it.

Sarah was quick to react to the bright tone and nodded pleasantly. "Yeah, you are. I mean I can shorten your name because everyone just calls you by your full name, so it makes more sense that way."

"That, and I do like you a lot Clemen-, I mean, Clemmy." Sarah blushed slightly, rubbing her fingers through her hair tentatively. Clementine couldn't help but note the rather odd tone in the girl's voice. Granted she had sounded nervous before, but this time it came off as a bit…muddled, in the way she said. It sounded different, but she couldn't quite place why.

Sarah rubbed her forehead a bit, looking like she was struggling to find the right words to say. Clementine put her hand on her arm gently, despite the slight physical contact it made the older girl jump a little in surprise, but she calmed down upon realizing that the younger girl was there for her.

"It's just…I've never really had any sort of friend before. When my mom was around she and my Dad homeschooled me, so I never got to hang out with anyone my own age. And then whatever's happening out there happened, and I'm rarely allowed to go out of the house anymore. I guess…I've just never had anyone like you around before, Clemmy."

Clementine let a genuine smile creep across her face; she missed these kinds of conversations. The last time she truly talked to anyone beforehand was to her classmates when school was in session, and now the only thing she could do for them was wish that at least some of them were okay. Sarah was a bit too innocent to be sure, which was odd for her age in any other circumstance, but it still felt good to talk to someone more relatable.

"Thanks Sarah, I appreciate that…it means a lot." Clementine said honestly.

"You're welcome. That's what friends do, right? I think?" Sarah replied nervously, rubbing the back of her neck slightly. Holding the older girl's hands for a moment, Sarah shook softly at her touch.

"Right." Clementine said brightly, earning a big smile from Sarah.

Easing into a more comfortable position, the girls soon found themselves tucked under the covers ready to drift off to sleep. It'd been a long night for both of them so far, and for once darkness would be a more comforting companion to have in their eyes.

"Clementine?" The older girl asked, to which the younger girl looked over her shoulder. "Yeah?"

"Thanks." Sarah said sweetly.

As their eyes began to shut as if on cue, a large lightning flash blinded them both, and the most thundering boom off the night echoed across the house from the night sky. Sarah's surprised shriek was blocked out by the thunder, and once again clung to the nearest thing close to her. This time however Clementine had expected it and leaned her body towards the older girl in order to not be taken by surprise again. As Sarah shivered against the younger girl, she felt two small arms wrap around her waist.

Looking down in surprise, she saw Clementine with a sincere smile on her face. The younger girl mouthed the words 'it's okay' to her, and Sarah nodded in appreciation. Resting her head against Sarah's chest, a tired Clementine was the first to drift off to sleep. Sarah, not far away from fading herself, looked down at the younger girl with a nervous smile.

She looks…nice, when she's sleeping. It's kind of…I don't know. Cute? Is that the right word?

She bit her lip in confusion, butterflies filling her stomach. There was something about Clementine that was just…unique, to her. As thoughts buzzed in her head, she struggled to find the answers she wanted. Was it the way she talked? The way she did things? The way she talked to her differently than other people? It was really hard to place.

Sarah wanted a friend, and now she had one. It seemed simple, but somehow how or another, Sarah felt there was something different going than what she had wanted. It's not that it was bad or anything, she doesn't didn't understand. It made her feel weird…but a good butterflies had started in about two weeks ago, or maybe it was longer than that? Sarah herself wasn't quite sure when they started, but they were there in the least, that much she couldn't say wasn't true.

Maybe it was something she could ask her Dad about in a week or two? Granted it had been just about three months sense Clementine had joined them, but maybe waiting just a little bit longer to answer these questions would be better? She didn't want her Dad mad at her, or even worse, mad at Clementine herself. Whatever the case, she'd find out what these strange feelings meant sooner or later.

Drowsily smiling, Sarah lightly rapped her arms around the smaller girl, and pulled her in gently like a pillow. The thunder and lightning continued on outside, while rain poured against the window, a reminder of the dangers of the outside world.

It didn't bother the two though, not anymore-not for tonight at least. Was it too much to ask to be given a moment where she didn't have to worry about anything? Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. But with Clementine's company, Sarah knew one thing for sure.

For tonight at least, thunderstorms wouldn't be so scary.

-FIN.