Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead. All rights reserved to their respective owners.
Clementine bobbed Genevieve on her lap. The toddler giggled and laughed as Clementine continued to play with her. Clementine smiled at the toddler as she giggled. Genevieve was easy to entertain and she was quite fun to watch. Clementine was glad that she had the chance to play with the toddler especially after enduring the first of Walter's lessons. She and Gil were back in school thanks to the former teacher. There was no homework, but there was certainly a lot of classwork.
"How are we doing?" Christa asked as she sat next to Clementine.
"She's a fun and happy baby, Christa." Clementine said with a smile.
"She certainly is." Christa said with a smile.
"Mama." Genevieve said and she extended her hands out to the woman. Clementine obliged and allowed the baby to go to Christa.
"Hi… what are you up to?" Christa said with sweet tone in her voice. Genevieve giggled and laughed again as Christa started to tickle her. However, both Christa and Clementine could hear the door open and footsteps running up the stairs.
"Christa!" Sarita exclaimed which made the woman and child look over to her. Sarita had a worried look on her face and she said, "There are people on the deck. It's a group and they appear to be armed." Sarita explained.
Christa was quick to act and she placed Genevieve into Clementine grasp. "Mama…" Genevieve said with a whimpering voice.
Christa looked back and she said, "Everything's fine, baby. You stay here and listen to Clem. I'll be back in a few minutes." Clementine was surprised to see that the toddler had calmed down a bit. Growing up with the walkers must have made her grow up too. "Omid, Walter, come on!" Christa exclaimed.
"Coming!" Omid said and he ran down the stairs with Walter following close behind.
"You think they'll be okay?" Gil asked as he approached Clementine.
"I hope so." Clementine said. She tried to bob Genevieve again in an attempt to make her giggle and laugh but the baby kept her eyes glued to where her mother and father were just seconds before. She was worried about them.
"So, how'd you survive Walter's lecture about Hawthorne?" Gil asked as he sat down next to Clementine.
"Wasn't easy." Clementine said. "My brain hurts from learning all that."
"Well, you can be proud in knowing something that only high school students would know." Gil said with a smirk.
"You know, that does help a little." Clementine said with a smirk. However, her smirk fell and she started to think to herself. She liked Gil a lot especially since he reminded her of Lee.
"What's wrong?" Gil asked.
Clementine looked to Gil and she asked, "Do you like me?"
"Wait, what?" Gil asked and his checks started to flush. "I, um, well… I…"
Clementine giggled and she said, "It's a simple question. Do you like me?"
"I… I… kind of… I think… yeah." Gil said as he looked away with a shy glance. "Sorry… it just… that caught me off guard."
"Because I know that I like you." Clementine said with a smile.
Gil looked back to her with a shocked stare. "Wait, why me?" Gil asked. "I'm… I'm weak and somewhat cowardly. I don't know what to do most of time, but you… You saved my life who knows how many times. You're strong, beautiful, caring, and really brave."
Clementine's cheeks started to flush as well. She had received compliments in the past, but to hear them coming from a boy that she liked was rare and nice. "You don't give yourself enough credit. You saved my life too. I was going down a dark road and you helped me out of it. You're also handsome, kind, and smart."
"I… um…" Gil said.
"Listen, we don't have to be alone anymore. We've been by each other's side for a while, and we both know that we like each other." Clementine said.
"I just… I don't know… what if things don't work out and… you go back down that road?" Gil said.
"I'm not going down that dark road again." Clementine said. "You'll always be there to help me. It's not like anything will change if we tell each other how we feel."
Gil nodded and he said, "Alright. I do like you."
"Good." Clementine said.
The two could hear the door open from downstairs and could hear footsteps heading up the stairs. Seconds ticked by until Christa, Omid, and Walter reached the top. "Mama! Dada!" Genevieve exclaimed and she had her arms out toward her parents.
Christa and Omid looked over to the baby with a pair of warm smiles. Omid walked to Genevieve to pick her up while Christa stayed at the top of the stairs. "It's safe. They seem like okay people… They're just a bit antsy." Christa said.
Omid picked up the baby and held her high while making a silly face. The toddler squealed and giggled at her father while Clementine and Gil got up. "Come on over. I don't think they're that bad." Christa said as she gestured Clementine and Gil to come and join her.
The two children obliged as the door opened up again. "Please make yourselves at home." Walter said. "You can leave your things over there."
Gil walked by Clementine as the girl looked down to the group below. Her eyes widened; it was her worst nightmare come true. It was that terrible group that lived in the cabin. The same group that took her supplies and held her at gunpoint. Pete, Carlos, and the older girl that helped her get her supplies back were missing from the group, but that didn't matter. The two most hostile group members were there. They were the last people she wanted to see.
"Clementine…" Luke said with a surprised stare aimed at the girl.
Nick raised his hunting rifle and aimed it at the girl. "You little shit." Nick hissed.
"Hey, hey, hey! Put that gun down now!" Christa exclaimed as she aimed at the young man with her hunting rifle.
"Ain't happening!" Nick said. "That little bitch stole from us!"
Clementine sent an irritated stare at Nick and she said, "I only took back my supplies which you stole from me."
"Doesn't matter." Nick said. "You still stole from us, and you're also the reason why Pete died."
"Nick, you need to calm down." Luke said.
"I'm not going to tell you again! Put the gun down!" Christa exclaimed with a ferocious voice. It made all of the inhabitants of the ski lodge shake a bit. Christa certainly was scary when she wanted to be.
"She got my uncle killed and she stole from us! I'm not going to let her get away with it!" Nick exclaimed with his glare still aimed at Clementine.
"How did I kill your uncle? I wasn't in that cabin for very long. Heck, maybe you're the one who killed him. You probably shot him like how you nearly shot me." Clementine said as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Shut up, you little shit! You brought Carver to us!" Nick exclaimed.
"What are you talking about? I don't even know who Carver is!" Clementine exclaimed.
"Don't play that bullshit with us. He shows up a day after you leave… it can't be a coincidence." Rebecca said.
"Maybe, this will make you talk, bitch!" Nick exclaimed. However, a shot rang out and a bullet hit Nick in the chest. The man fell back and started to choke on his blood.
"Nick! My gosh!" Luke exclaimed and he ran over to his friend.
"Anyone else want to give her shit?" Christa inquired as she glared at the three remaining people below. The doors to outside opened with Carlos, Sarita, and the teenager looking to the other cabin group members and Christa in horror.
"What happened? Is everything alright?" Sarita asked.
"Carlos, Nick needs help!" Luke exclaimed.
Carlos ran over while Christa kept her rifle aimed at the group. Rebecca was surprised and frightened by Christa's actions.
Carlos shook his head and he sighed. "There's nothing we can do for him. He's got a few more minutes to live." Carlos said.
Rebecca started to whimper a bit before she looked up and glared at Christa. "Are you happy? You just killed him!" Rebecca exclaimed with tears in her eyes.
"And I will kill the rest of you if you give Clementine any shit, got it?" Christa hissed.
"But, my baby!" Rebecca exclaimed.
"I. Don't. Care." Christa said. "Now weapons… over there on the bench." The remaining members of the cabin group were quick to comply and they placed their weapons and backpacks on the bench. Nick's gurgled breathing had stopped. He was dead much to cabin members' horror and sadness.
"Alright… while you're here. You are to not bully Clementine, Gil, or my daughter, Genevieve, at all. If you do, you'll either leave or you'll end up like your friend down there." Christa said. She aimed her rifle at Nick. The man was twitching and there was groaning coming from the man. The teenager from the group was crying uncontrollably; however, she squealed in horror when Christa shot the reanimated man in the head. "Am I understood?"
There was silence among the group members for a few seconds until Luke cleared his throat. "Yeah, we understand." Luke said.
"Good." Christa said. She turned to Sarita and she said, "Can you go ahead and show where they will be staying?" Her voice was back to being calm, and her glare was gone.
"Of course." Sarita said. She turned to cabin group and said, "Come, follow me." She headed up the stairs while Clementine looked to them with a glare. She hated that they came back to her, but at least she wasn't alone. Christa had proven that she was willing to go to any heights to protect her.
She looked back over to Christa and saw the woman sigh. "Christa, are you alright?" Walter asked.
Christa shook her head and she said, "It seems this world always has a few more surprises… the kind of people who live in this world... I wasn't ready for someone like him." She kept her stare on Nick. "How could anyone be as selfish and as arrogant as him?"
"It's a hard world out there. You and Omid know that better than anyone." Walter said. "Some people will sink to whole new lows… just because of how things are. That man was no exception."
Christa sighed and she said, "I guess I've been too fortunate. Omid and I have ran into some of the nicest people we've ever met… and I guess we've forgotten how shitty this world could be."
Clementine walked up to Christa and she said, "Thanks for defending me back there."
"Of course, honey. I wasn't going to let that man hurt you." Christa said. "I'm sorry that you had to see that, but I had to make sure that those idiots knew not to mess with you, Gil, or Gen."
"Christa, if anything, I should be thanking you. Nick would have shot me and killed me." Clementine said.
"Yeah, you're probably right…" Christa said.
"I'll go ahead and get dinner ready." Walter said and he left the three group members.
Christa looked up to Omid who was comforting Genevieve. It was obvious that the baby was upset over the arguing and the gunshots. "I need to go and check on my baby. Will you two be alright?"
"Yeah. We'll be fine." Gil said and Clementine nodded in agreement.
Christa nodded and she walked away.
Clementine looked back down to Nick's corpse; she had a hateful glare aimed at the body. "I'm glad he's dead. I hated him." Clementine said.
"Clem… you're… you're letting that group take you down. You're better than them." Gil said.
"You're right. I am better than them. I never hurt them, but they find a way to find me and they want to blame everything on me. They can all die for all I care." Clementine said with anger in her voice.
"Clem, they're probably scared and exhausted. You and I were exhausted when we found this place." Gil said.
"Are you saying that they're in the right?" Clementine inquired.
"No, of course not!" Gil exclaimed as he raised his hands in defense. "I'm just saying that they're people, and they just made a mistake." Gil looked to her with pleading eyes and he said, "Clementine, please, don't let these people drag you down. Don't go back to being cold."
Clementine looked down with a frown and she said, "I'm sorry, Gil, but… I have to be this way. I have to keep Christa, Omid, Sarita, Walter, Matthew, Gen, and you safe. I have to make sure that they don't do anything to hurt you guys."
Gil looked down with a frown and he sighed. "I wish these people had never shown up. You were doing so well… and now look what's happened. You're going to let them get to you." Gil said.
"It would have only been a matter of time. There's terrible people everywhere. These people are no different." Clementine said and she walked away.
One Hour Later
The atmosphere within the cabin was cold and filled with tension. Most of the cabin group were upstairs with the exception of Luke who had to take Nick's body outside. There was no way to bury him, so all that the man could do was mourn for his friend. Clementine stayed close by to Christa, Omid, and Genevieve. Her golden eyes were fixated on the group members upstairs. One of Walter's CDs was playing in the background, but Clementine knew that the cabin group were talking amongst themselves.
She turned when she heard the doors from outside closing and she looked over to see Luke. His eyes connected with hers and he walked over to where she was. "Hey… can we talk?" Luke asked the girl.
"No." Clementine said with a blunt and cold voice.
Luke sighed and he said, "Can you at least give me a chance to explain-"
"She doesn't want to talk to you. Leave." Christa said.
"Look, I'm sorry about Nick, alright." Luke said. "He lost his mom about a week before you showed up and he was still tense. Then he lost Pete… and well… he's been reckless ever since."
"He was hostile! He was going to shoot me!" Clementine exclaimed.
"Look, I know… but he wasn't a bad guy." Luke said. "He was sad and angry… and for some reason, he took that out on you. I know it doesn't seem fair, but it certainly wasn't fair of you to say that he probably shot Pete. That probably hurt him a lot."
"And you think I care?" Clementine inquired.
Luke sent a glare toward the girl and he said, "You know, I actually thought you were a nice little girl when we first met, but I guess I was wrong." He turned and stomped away from the group and the girl.
Christa sent a glare toward Luke and she turned to Clementine. "You don't have to worry about them. They're leaving tomorrow. I should have never let them in."
"It's fine." Clementine said. "I'm more worried about that Carver guy they mentioned. When I first met them, they lived in a cabin; it seemed like a good set-up. I wouldn't think that they would leave unless…"
"…Unless something made them leave." Omid said.
Clementine nodded and she asked, "Is there another exit in here?"
"Yes. There's an emergency exit in the back of the building. I made sure to hide it so that only Omid, Sarita, Matthew, Walter, and I know where it is." Christa said.
"Good." Clementine said. "If that Carver guy shows up… then we're going to need it."
"Alright, everyone dinner is served." Walter said from the table. It was peaches and beans again. Clementine walked over and sat at the table with Christa and Omid. Like last night, Christa had to fight with the highchair, but unlike last night, the room was very quiet and filled with tension. Clementine didn't have to turn around to know that the cabin members were sending glares at her.
…To be continued.
A/N: Peace is shattered… dammit Nick and Luke.