A/N Hey guys, I know it's been awhile. I've gotten all of your messages and don't worry I'll be updating all of my stories soon enough. In the meantime this fic has just been bouncing around in my head for a while now so I finally got around to putting it down on paper. Since these are just small drabbles I'll be updating at least once a week and sometimes probably more! I have the next chapter of Starting Over halfway finished and then after that I'm going to get to work on The CarLee Collection so look forward to that soon as well! Thanks for putting up with me for so long!

A: Atone

The past was important, or at least it was to Lee. He thought it was natural that, being a history professor, he would often find himself reflecting on his own past. Like the saying goes "if you don't know your past, you'll never have a future", so as Lee sat on the couch in the parking lot of the motor inn, he let his mind wander to how he ended up here.

It was a weird feeling, to see yourself hit your lowest point, to know that your life is over. For Lee, the irony behind the end of his life as he knew it always brought a bitter smile to his lips. He always thought that as long as he had love and family, as long as he had something to live for, then he would never cross a point of no return and throw his life away. Yet he did, and what was supposed to keep him grounded ended up being the very thing that caused his downfall.

When he sat in that cop car 3 months ago, staring out the window, he had truly accepted that his life was over. However, fate seemed to have other plans for him and granted him a second chance in the weirdest way. Was this really a second chance though? Lee never truly believed in the concept of atonement, especially when it comes to such an unforgivable act like murder. How could he possibly give back the life he took away?

As Lee scanned over his view of the motor inn, his eyes landed on Clementine and Carley, who say on the other side of the parking lot playing some hand game that he couldn't make out. Most people would probably say that saving Clem was his way of atoning, but he just couldn't see it like that. People are not interchangeable; saving Clem doesn't change the fact that he took a life that wasn't his to take.

As he watched the little girl play, he mind wandered to the reporter who was playing with her. He had talked about this with Carley many times over the past 3 months since they met, and each time she tried to give him some hope. She was much more optimistic than him, and believed that he could use this second chance to atone for what he did. His lips turned up into a smile as he pictured the small pout she got every time he told her he just couldn't believe her words.

He was incredibly grateful though. Having Clementine with him restored the lost faith he had and made him see the light that was still left in this dark world, and having Carley by his side telling him that he doesn't have to give into his past actions and encouraging him to keep going, regardless of who he was, gave him a reason to change himself and keep moving forward. He couldn't have asked for anything better and to him, Carley and Clem were two gems that he didn't deserve.

"Hey!"

Lee was brought out of his head by the sound of Clementine giggling as Carley had attacked the girl, tickling her sides. Realizing he had enough introspection for one day, he smiled as he stood up and made his way over to them.

He still doesn't believe that he could ever atone for what he did, but that doesn't mean that he's eternally damned either. Second chance or not, he was given a gift, one that he refuses to waste.

A/N Sorry this first one was a bit rusty. I haven't written in a while and I'm trying a new style so please bear with me. Don't forget to leave a review!