The group sat cross-legged around the small fire, enjoying the fresh fish that Nick had prepared. It had been such a long time since Clementine had an actual warm meal, so she savored the taste of the fish on her tongue, and she liked it a lot. It was a cold and cloudy night, the stars not really wanting to show themselves, so it was darker than usual. The group of survivors thought it was safe to stop and rest here though, after all, they were secluded within the trees, and somebody would stay up and keep watch for the walkers and Carver. They all needed their energy for this five-day long journey into the mountains.
There was little chatter as the group ate. Everyone was sort of wrapped up in their own little thing. Rebecca and Alvin were talking about baby names, Nick and Luke were talking about the good old days before the apocalypse, Carlos was sort of wrapped up in his mind though as he sat there, and Clementine and Sarah were being awfully quiet too. But that was to be expected, everyone had a lot on their mind at the moment, but nobody wanted to bring it up. They were safe for now though, and that was all that mattered.
"I think I'm going to head to bed..." Carlos said as he stood up from the fire, stretching his stiff muscles. "Don't stay up too late." He said, directed to the group, but it was mostly towards Sarah and Clementine. He then leaned down to kiss his daughter on the top of the head, and stood back up to find him a spot on the ground to go to sleep. The group had brought all the blankets and sleeping bags they had, because they knew it would be cold when they traveled, so at least they wouldn't have to sleep too uncomfortably.
"I think I'm gonna crash too." Nick said, "It's been a long day." And he too went to find himself a good spot on the ground to go to sleep.
"Goodnight dad. Goodnight Nick." Sarah said as she continued to eat the rest of her fish. She'd been less talkative tonight; mostly because she was lost in her thoughts. She'd been contemplating it all day, but Sarah decided that tonight would be the night where she talked to Rebecca about her situation with Clementine. Ever since she had that conversation with her dad, she couldn't get it out of her head. She decided that she would wait until everyone fell asleep, and then go talk to her about it. Of course, the teen was nervous, but this had to be done. After all, she still never got all the answers that she needed, and she wanted to know why she felt this certain way towards Clem.
A cold breeze then whipped through the air and Clementine shivered violently, "Gah..." She barely managed to get out. But she had handled the cold before, so this shouldn't be too bad of a night.
"Are you cold?" Sarah asked as she began to remove her thin jacket, so Clem could have it.
Clementine shook her head, "No, that's okay Sarah... Really, I don't want you to get sick." She argued as she gave the jacket back to the teen. The rest of the group stopped their side conversations and watched with curious eyes. They thought Clem and Sarah were being cute, and they'd known for a while now that the two girls had become great friends.
"I've got a better idea." Sarah trailed off and grabbed her backpack that she brought with all her stuff in it. She fished around in it for a few moments, then pulled out one of the many sleeping bags that they packed. "We can share this..." She said as she wrapped the blanket around Clementine, and then herself. They scooted closer to each other, so they could stay warm.
"Thanks Sarah." Clementine smiled. It was quiet again for a few moments, the only sounds were the crack and pop of the little fire, and Clem relaxed a little and laid her head on Sarah's shoulder.
"Boy," Luke started. "Don't you two sure look comfy." He smiled at the two girls in a teasing manner.
"You girls sure have gotten close to each other, huh?" Rebecca asked.
"Clementine's the best." Sarah answered, and at this comment, Clem felt her cheeks begin to warm up. She wasn't sure when it happened, but throughout all this drama, throughout all the struggle and hardships, and the freaking apocalypse, she had found solace in Sarah, and she couldn't thank her enough for it. Their bond and feelings ran deep, and the eleven year old girl really didn't know what it meant yet. Maybe Sarah did since she was older? Who knew?
"Well, I'm glad you finally have a friend Sarah." Luke replied. He had been with the teen for so long he'd become somewhat of a guardian for her too, and he was just glad to see her happy, so was the rest of the group.
"And Clem's been such a great help to all of us." Alvin commented. "Hopefully she'll stay with us for a long time."
"I hope she does too." Sarah said as she looked down at Clementine.
The smaller girl shrugged, "It's not like I have anywhere else to go... Plus, Sarah needs me." And it was true. "And I need her." And that was true too, both the girls depended on each other when things got bad, whether they wanted to admit it or not. They relied on each other, and went to each other in their times of need. The group stayed silent after that, not wanting to draw attention to themselves for being too loud. They continued to eat their fish in comfortable silence, until they began to grow tired; yawns started to emit from each one of them.
"Y'all should go to bed," Luke said. "I'll keep watch for a few hours."
"Thanks Luke." Alvin said as he readied his and Bec's sleeping bag. Clementine watched as Sarah spread the sleeping bag out for them to lay on. It wasn't very big, so they'd have to lie close to each other for each of them to fit in it. They both laid down, and so did the rest of the group except Luke who was still sitting by the small fire.
"Goodnight Clementine." Sarah said as the two girls laid there. It was still pretty cold out, and Sarah was freezing. "Hey Clem?" She then asked.
"Yeah?" Clementine replied.
"Could you scoot closer to me so we can stay warm?" The teen girl asked. Clementine didn't reply, she only scooted forward and wrapped her arms around the bigger body that lie next to her. "Thank you." Sarah whispered. She then closed her eyes and pretended to be falling asleep, and hopefully everyone else would fall asleep soon because she really wanted to talk to Rebecca.
