Clem stood up frantically, finding that the others were still asleep. "Sarah?" She walked over to the open space of the observation deck, but still no luck. "Did she offer to take watch for the others so they could rest?" She heard a gurgle from the newborn before she could continue her search, glancing down to see him nestled snugly in Sarah's hooded jacket. Without another glance to the others, she made a beeline for the exit route. The demolished mess caused her stomach to churn, and brought horrible images of a walker Sarah to Clem. Why did everyone else just abandon the grieving teen? She grimaced in pain when her foot met something hard.

It turned out to be a medium sized rock, and there were others. Rocks and twigs laid out in front of her like a trail. Clem sighed in relief, assuming that it would lead her to Sarah. She dashed down the path hopefully, not even bothering to stare at the frosty plants. A half hour later, her feet came to a halt as she was met with a disturbing sight.

Sarah was perched on a log with hunched shoulders, holding onto a gun with both of her hands. There was also a familiar hat next to her. "Hey, Clem. Did you sleep okay?" She turned around to smile weakly, urging the eleven year old girl to sit next to her.

Clem frowned in confusion, but approached her nevertheless so she could settle next to her. Her amber eyes ran down Sarah's bare arms. Without her jacket, she was only wearing a short sleeve shirt on her upper half. Her arms were a bit purple due to the cold weather, even with a fire she managed to get going. "Why did you leave without waking me up? It's not safe to travel by yourself. You should be resting your leg too."

"You were sleeping. You needed a chance to rest, and I thought you looked pretty peaceful." Sarah crossed her left arm over her chest as a reflex, as if she were hiding something invisible. "I wanted to get Nick's hat before it was too late. So I could give it to Luke." She mumbled shakily, avoiding Clem's eyes. "I s-saw him already. I know he's dead. I'm fine."

With distaste, Clem's eyes followed Sarah's small movement. Why did she always cross that arm? She did it all the time at Carver's camp. She was puzzled by the compliment thrown her away, and she felt her cheeks heating up in embarrassment. "Thanks I guess. Why are you doing this for Luke? He betrayed you. I couldn't do that for someone like that, Sarah."

Sarah grimaced weakly, nodding her head in agreement. "I am mad, and hurt a lot. But staying mad isn't going to help anyone. Especially with how everything turned out. Him and Nick have been friends for over a decade, so that's why. It's okay, Clem."

"No it isn't. He put you in danger. All of us, including Rebecca's baby." Clem responded in disbelief, unable to hold back a fond grin. "You're a puzzle. I never said it, but you are." She stared at the warm flames in front of them, warming up her hands happily. "How did you even build this fire? My friend was going to teach me. It looks hard."

"Dad always took me camping every other week. I was bullied at a young age. So he ended up having me homeschooled. And he thought camping would ease my worries." Sarah's eyes became unfocused as she recounted the happy memory. "Mom died giving birth to me. So I guess.. t-that's when he started becoming protective. And it got worse a-after, after.. the dead started moving."

Clem touched her arm for a second, trying to calm the stuttering girl. "It's okay, I get it. I'm sorry. I went camping every year. I hated it because of the spiders and bugs. But they don't bother me anymore. I actually hid a bug in someone's pillow."

Sarah became silent after that, placing the gun on the ground as she avoided looking at Clem. She tried repeatedly to blink the tears that were brimming in her brown eyes. "Why did he lock you up in the shed? P-Please tell me if it's true." She raised her head, making sure Clem wouldn't be able to look away now.

"That's what she was trying to ask me before we left Howe's." Clem closed her eyes for a brief moment, the dreaded question piercing her sharply. Then she looked at Sarah hesitantly, afraid of her reaction to all of this. "He was scared. It was because of the dog bite. I wanted him to listen, but he decided that I needed to stay in the shed until the next day in case I turned. He also wanted me to stay away from you. I'm sorry, Sarah."

"Of course he would do that. Another thing he wouldn't tell me." Sarah bitterly addressed, her hands clenched into fists. "He never told me anything. Probably because I'm stupid like people would tell me. Or he... Was he?"

"No!" Clem cried out in shock and despair, having felt guilty in the past for her own judgement of the doctor. "Your dad isn't a bad man. I didn't like him at first. He didn't even want me to speak to you. It was only because he wanted to keep you safe. It was kinda cruel, but I can finally admit it was smart for him to keep me locked away. For safety precautions. My group would've done the same."

"Don't defend what he did to you. He had no right. I don't care. What if he's been lying to me? He has lied to me. To keep me s-safe. Well, look at how he turned out." Sarah covered her mouth in shame, hating herself for allowing to be sheltered. For being kept from the real world. "It's because I'm already sick. I'm sick in the head. I've seen some horrible stuff, but I would lie to myself. Hide away. It's my fault. Not his." She bit her hand as quivering sobs were wrenched out of her slowly.

"Sarah.." Clem stared at her with frantic eyes, knowing she could have another breathing issue again. Or whatever it was. Before she unintentionally gave Sarah another chance to run off, she grasped her wrists securely. "Stop it. You're not sick. You're not. You're right about being holed up, but you're wrong about your dad. He loved you like any parent would. I am not mad at him anymore. And you shouldn't be. He really was a good man. You believe me, right?"

The bookworm froze at the last sentence, looking at the hands around her wrists with regret. "Why did you save me again? You've saved me twice when no one else wanted to. Why didn't you choose Jane?"

Clem didn't even take her eyes off Sarah, even if she was caught off guard once more. "It was a mistake." She felt the Spanish girl try to move away, but she knew how that came out wrong. "I mean.. I was going to send Jane down. It was stupid of me. I don't know what's been stopping her. And I almost got you harmed by doing that. I saved you, because I care about you. I shouldn't have slapped you back at the mobile home. Not after what your dad did. If I had a chance to save you every time, I'd take it. No matter what Luke or Jane say about you."

"I-I.." Sarah's squirming stopped immediately as Clem defended her, just because of their promise. Instead of pacing around, or having a panic attack, she rested her head on Clem's shoulder and laced her cold arm through hers. "He's dead. My dad is dead. You've been trying to tell me."

"I shouldn't have been so harsh about it. I'm not going to hide this anymore. Jane wanted to leave you behind twice, because she's worried you'll get someone killed." Clem covered one of Sarah's hand with hers, sighing in frustration. "You just lost your dad not even twelve hours ago. They shouldn't have shrugged it off like that. I made sure to talk to Luke. Even when I lost Lee, I was the same way. I wanted to just escape. But at least I had Christa and Omid to help me through his death. You don't deserve to do this alone."

The young survivors stayed close like this for a while, taking in the comfort of each other's presence. Sarah finally had the courage to raise her head, squeezing Clem's arm one last time. "I want to do it. I want to live. C-Can you teach me? I'll do anything I can to fight. I need to learn, right?"

Clem nodded weakly, releasing Sarah from her arms as she nodded in agreement. "I mean it when I said you could die. I've been wanting to teach you for a while now. But, um... the first thing I need to do is cut your hair. It's too long, and a death wish. I don't know if there is anything we had to cut it though."

"Cut it? That is rude of you to say." Sarah frowned sadly, touching her wavy hair reluctantly. "Wait.. death wish?"

Remembering her own reaction when Lee suggested it, Clem laughed and stood up to start searching around. She did have a machete, but that was too unsafe for her length. "So the walkers can't grab you. Trust me, it's worked for me a long time. I just need to give it a good trim."

Sarah stared at her awkwardly, unsure of how this will work. "I do trust you." She got up from the log, recognition sparkling in her eyes. "Oh, wait!" She reached into her back pocket to reveal a pair of scissors. "I found it first originally, and then I got the idea of taking Luke's gun too. They are a bit rusty, but in good condition I think."

Clem signaled for her to sit back down, reaching for the scissors to examine them. "We'll see. I must tell you, I've never done this before."

"Wait, what?" Sarah heard the first snip and she knew it was too late to back out. She just sat quietly for a few minutes, letting Clem concentrate on her job. She made sure to take off her glasses, ignoring the large cracks. "S-So, was Lee the one who would cut your hair?"

"Yes.." Clem ran her hand through the silky, dark hair in sadness. She gotten so used to the beautiful hair, and this was the only time she got to touch it. But she continued on clipping the strands, making sure to loosen any knots. "We were on the way to Savannah. We got there by a train Lee fixed up with Kenny. Next thing I know, Lee told me he wanted to teach me how to protect myself. So we used a map to figure out where to go, he showed me how to use a gun, and then he cut my hair. It was either his idea or Chuck's. A guy who lived on the train."

"How did you and Lee meet?" Sarah asked hesitantly, trying her best to ignore pieces of her hair hitting the ground. "You're from Marietta, right? Or were you close before that?"

The younger girl paused her hair trimming, staring at the mess of clumped hair. She never told Luke more about Lee ever since they first met, and maybe it's because she needed someone else who was compassionate like Sarah. "He was on his way to prison, and..." She swallowed a lump in her throat, resuming cutting the wavy hair.

Sarah turned for a moment, noticing something new from her best friend. It was the first time Clem became visibly vulnerable with her. "S-Sorry. I-I just was curious. I shouldn't be rude."

Clem stared at the stammering teen with a saddened frown, letting out a shaky breath. "Don't be sorry for asking. I just never talked about it much. I guess I need to." She moved to another section of her hair to work on, hoping her hands stay still enough. "He was a convicted murderer. I don't know much. But he did kill someone, not a walker or anyone like Carver. He and the cop got into a car accident. I found him when I heard the commotion. I was scared though, and ran back to my house so I could hide in my treehouse."

"And then he escaped and met you?"

"Hmm. He got hurt badly, but he managed to climb a wooden fence. I was going to drop a hammer on his head, because I thought he wasn't up to good. I'm glad I didn't." Clem smiled fondly, remembering her conversation with Lee in the RV. "I was alone because my parents went to Savannah for a vacation, and left me with my babysitter, Sandra. But one of the walkers got her, and I stayed in the treehouse for days. I really was scared. Lee found... a walkie talkie and spoke to me through it. I used to talk to Mom and Dad that way. So when I knew Lee wasn't a bad man, I left the treehouse and saved him from a walker."

Sarah touched Clem's hand for a moment with a silly grin, trying to imagine if their first encounter was slightly awkward as well. "He took care of you. And that's why you have the picture to this very day."

Clem nodded quietly, amazed that Sarah didn't hold any judgement against her or Lee. "The picture was from an article we found in a store his family ran. It was shortly after we met Kenny and his family. It's how I met Duck. He was sorta like you, but his stories irritated the shit out of me." She smiled when Sarah allowed the swearing to pass, probably because she knew Clem was speaking about her past. "But he was still a good friend. We met them at a farm where we stayed for the night, and then we came across the store I just mentioned. The group we met there... well, it was very dysfunctional. Scary."

"We weren't any better, Clem. Your first encounter with us was horrible. You were locked up like some dog." Sarah gripped the log in annoyance. "I wasn't much with just handing a bottle of peroxide."

"Don't talk like that." Clem chided lightly, but she knew it was only because it could be a while until Sarah could see all of her potential. "I gave you no reason to trust me. And l was the first girl you met in a long time, asking for help. But you did it. You helped me. No one would do that today, Sarah."

A bashful blush crossed the fifteen year old's face, but she brushed it off so she could focus on Clem this time. "What else happened?"

"Well, we met Lilly and her father. His name was Larry. There was another lady in the group, a bit younger. She was someone who knew about Lee's past because she was a reporter. Her name was Carley. Lee liked her a lot. There was a young man named Glenn. He delivered pizzas. And then Doug. I didn't know much about him. I think he had a crush on Carley." Clem gazed at the back of Sarah's head, knowing what it was like now. But did the other girl even feel the same? "Larry had a heart attack. After we got the pills that could help him, a herd of walkers tried to invade the store. So we all left, and stayed at a motor inn for the time being. Glenn left though."

Sarah frowned in concern, wondering how Clem and Duck must've felt the whole time. "It sounds scary, having to see adults argue like that. And your parents weren't with you still?"

"No, I didn't know where they were. Lee decided on day one that he'd keep me safe until we found my parents. He and Larry always butted heads. Larry was a bit scary and hot headed. Kenny fought with Lilly a lot. She was the leader of her group, and always wanted to be in charge I guess. The motor inn was boring. But Lee helped me stay busy. I learned to draw more, met a boy named Ben, did leaf rubbings and played with Duck." Clem stood up after she finished the last bit of her hair, unready to talk about the St. Johns or the time after that. "Okay, Sarah. Let me get a good look at you."

"Oh no..." Sarah touched the back of her head, barely able to grab the short strands above her neck. She stood up slowly, turning around to face Clem. She didn't like the idea of looking weird in front of the others, but mostly Clem. "Do I look horrible?"

Clem's eyes widened as Sarah revealed her new hairstyle, chuckling nervously as she clutched the scissors to her chest. "It's.." Her face was now framed with uneven hair. She gave her a pixie cut with medium side bangs. She stepped around the log and circled the taller girl. She definitely cut the hair in the back a lot shorter than intended, and the side bangs were slightly uneven. She really would miss the long hair.

When Clem couldn't even place an adjective, Sarah sat back down and covered her head with her arms. "You don't like it.. I'm sorry you had to do this for me."

"Hey." Clem knelt in front of her, taking her face between her hands. "It needs some improvement. Let's try this." She adjusted her hair carefully, tousling it a bit. If only she had a brush on her. After fixing what was out of place, she took the red glasses and situated them back on. So it's the glasses that made things better. "You look really cute. I like it a lot, Sarah."

Sarah grinned at her best friend in gratitude, happy that part was over. "Thank you. I wish I had a mirror so I could see you. But if you like it, so do I."

The two girls exchanged shy glances at one another before Clem caught a glimpse of the forgotten weapon. She picked up Luke's gun and faced the now grim teen. "It's time to do this."

Clem and Sarah were able to find two glass bottles and a few cans they could practice on. As predicted, it was easy to find a garbage bin as well. To their relief, it was a round garbage bin that still had a lid they could place everything on. Sarah carried the rubbish bin and deposited it onto the muddy ground until it was ten yards away from a tree stump the short girl could use to her advantage. They made sure to go through the safety measures, and Sarah was shown how to safely reload and unload the handgun.

"Do you remember what I first taught you?" Clem stood behind Sarah, happy that she had the muzzle pointed downwards and her finger off the trigger.

Sarah bit her lip in concentration as she thought for a few moments. "T-That it's just a thing. Don't point a gun at you. And when I go to shoot, take a breath before I pull the trigger. But I don't know what else."

"That's right. Don't lock your elbows." Clem instructed, grabbing her arms to adjust them correctly. "When you have a walker approach you, one of the things to remember is to always aim for the head. Unless it's someone trying to harm you. Like Carver's men. In that case, you just keep shooting. You have to look at the top, through the notch to aim. Squeeze the trigger steadily, you don't want to pull it when you shoot. It's gonna be quite loud."

"Okay, I think I understand. I'm just afraid of hurting you, or messing up." Sarah frowned at the gun, dark thoughts clouding her mind. "Dad wouldn't want me to do this. And I don't want to hurt anybody."

Clem nodded her head patiently, knowing how scary it was handling a gun the first time at age eight. "I thought it'd be horrible to use it. It isn't so hard when you get used to it. I know this isn't easy, but you need to learn so you can continue living. I'll guide you through this."

That brought a small smile of comfort to Sarah's lips, and she positioned the muzzle of the gun at one of the plastic bottles.

With careful movements, Clem climbed onto the tree stump and was relieved that she was almost at Sarah's height. She covered the unskilled girl's ears with her hands. "You need to aim a little lower, and move to the left a bit. Keep it nice and steady."

"Nnngh.." Sarah gave her first shot, jumping at the loud sound and gasps from the recoil of the gun kicking against her hands. She fought to keep her breathing under control and saw that she missed the target as well. "Oh God! I can't believe I just shot it. M-My hands feel funny."

Clem uncovered her ears to touch her shoulders gently. "Hey, hey. It's okay. It was a good first try. You missed but we can give it another few tries. I actually found more bullets in case you run out. Just breathe."

"I don't know." Sarah allowed Clem to talk her out of her panic mode, her shoulders relaxing under the other's grip after a minute. "That actually helped. Thanks. I'll do it again."

The fact that she was able to help Sarah through her panic attack gave Clem hope. She did grow pissed lately at everything the others expected of her. But she liked being the trainer and protector in her relationship with Sarah. It gave her purpose and helped her from not feeling so small. "Good, that's good. Okay, do the same with your arms again."

After unlocking her elbows once more, Sarah took in a deep breath as she aimed once more. The next two fires were missed, but once she got a feel for it and all the tension was gone, the sound of glass shattering reached her ears. "What?" She blinked a few times to confirm that she hit the target, facing Clem with a wide smile. "I got the bottle!"

"That was really good, Sarah." Clem praised her proudly, not even thinking about the attention they brought to themselves. "Let's do another few rounds."

With Clem's sharp eyes and assistance, Sarah shot down the other recyclables until the last can stood out. The short girl stepped off the stump and crossed her arms with a smug grin. "I want you to do this one by yourself. I know you can get this one."

Sarah glanced at the target with determination, keeping a good grip on the handgun as she fires another bullet at the aluminum can. She and Clem watched as the can flew off the bin's lid, a small silence coming between them as they basked in the glory of their first lesson. "I can't believe I know how to do this. Well, I can understand how it works I mean."

The two sat back down after cleaning up the mess, trading fond grins. "I knew it." Clem let out before she could restrain herself, chuckling happily before becoming serious. "I knew you were strong. The night we met, I just knew something was different."

"I'll do my best. I'm still afraid and sad. I don't know what'll happen, but I want to be like you. Just like you told me." Sarah leaned to the side until their arms grazed, genuine spark of hope in her eyes. "Thank you for this. It might not seem big to you, but you didn't have to do all of this. You saved me twice, and just taught me something that could save my life. I feel lucky with you, Clementine."

"I was not right about that." Clem shook her curly head with a deep frown, moving closer to Sarah without realizing it. "I wasn't right to slap you, or make you assume that you need to be like me. I don't want you to change who you are, Sarah. It's going to be hard shooting a walker, or even a person. I do know that you try to see the best in people, and stay positive. Even when everything is confusing. It doesn't make you stupid."

Sarah's brown eyes glimmered with heartfelt gratitude, but something else Clem couldn't trace. "E-Even a liability?" She felt Clem stiffen beside her, reaching out to embrace her tightly. "Yes, I've heard Jane speak about me. I've been called that for a long time though. I still believe it, but it could change. A-A lot happened before we met. For now, I want to get through this. I want to live. But not for the reason you think."

Clem quirked her brows in amusement and interest, shocked that Sarah initiated the affection this time. "What reason would that be?" She nestled her head against Sarah's neck, hitting her face with the brim of her hat in the process.

"Okay, maybe a few." Sarah laughed, taking the offensive baseball cap from Clem in a blink of an eye. With an impish grin, she stood up and held it above her head. "I guess it would be cool to see you grow. You're pretty small for your age. It's funny."

"My hat!" Clem got to her feet, her fingers barely grazing the hat as she tries to jump up for it. She narrowed her eyes, doing her best to hide the hint of a smile. "You know it's because I don't get much food. That's why I haven't grown. You just watch, it'll happen."

Sarah decided to play fair, holding it in front of her chest. "Come on, get your hat then." Every time Clem tried to grab it, she was quick enough to move it behind her back. "You can do this. I know you have skills. And you can fight better than me."

"At least we can run around. More room than what the cabin would have." Clem gave her a playful look, turning her back to the older teen. "That's a cue for you to get as far as you can. Three seconds, Sarah." The emitted squeak and fast, padded footsteps was her only answer. Wanting to get back at her for the height joke, she counted down fast.

"That was not fair." Sarah hid behind the tree in panic, placing the hat on her own head in case she had to make a run for it.

Clem popped up beside her with a smirk. "What isn't?" She didn't even allow Sarah to get more than a few inches away before she grabbing her from behind, not expecting that it would result with them both falling on the ground. She got on top of Sarah, chuckling real hard for the first time in months. Probably more than that. She goes to swat the hat off her, but paused her movements. "You actually look good in my hat."

Sarah's smile disappeared at the compliment, but her brown eyes lit up as she placed the hat aside. "Here." She reached up to take the pigtails out slowly, making sure not to pull the tangled hair. "I always wanted to see you with your hair down. You look amazing."

The gentle brush of fingers running through her hair pushed Clem's insecurities away. She never allowed someone to really touch her hair, but Sarah was a good exception. "Shut up, Sarah."

"Stop." Sarah chortled, no traces of hurt in her expression. She could already tell Clem didn't do well with praise, at least about her appearance. "I may be strong to you, but you're the strongest person I've ever met. I need to tell you that in case... anything else happens."

Clem tried to avoid the kind eyes, but she felt her chin being lifted up so she could the sincerity. Hearing all of this from Sarah helped her realize that this was the perfect chance to make her move. She's fought many walkers and assholes, but this girl scared her. She tried to form a few words, but Sarah's slightly chapped lips gain her attention.

Sarah was about to ask what was wrong when Clem just stayed silent, shouting and giggling when pain shoots through her nose. So that's what Clem was trying to do... finally.

"S-Shit. I didn't mean to do that." Clem rubbed her own nose, feeling embarrassed that Sarah might've caught her intentions but also from hurting her accidentally. "That was stupid." She felt hands cup her face this time, and her amber eyes met the chocolate pair.

"It's okay, Clem. Here, try it this way." Sarah tilted her head to the side, going an opposite way so she can bring their faces closer. With her heart racing and a blush on her cheeks, she brought Clem in for a faint kiss with her eyes closed.

The faint brush of her crush's lips caused joy to flow through Clem, and without any hesitation, she returned the kiss gently. Sarah's lips were as soft as she imagined, a little cold due to the weather. But it was the best feeling in the world. Suddenly all of the bad things just went away. It wasn't rushed at all.

The two girls separated their lips with a light smack, their faces heated up. Sarah drew her eyes away when a few flakes touched her face, and she pointed a finger with a huge smile. "Clem, it's snowing."

Clem glanced up to find that she was correct, and she helped Sarah stand up so they could admire the snow together. She interlocked Sarah's pinky with hers for a few moments, before she allowed their hands to clasp together instead. "It is. It's amazing."

"Clem! Sarah!" The two girls stare at each other wide eyed, recognizing that it was Luke, Bonnie, and Mike calling for them.