A/N: Sorry for the delay! Work and life has caught up with me recently! I also apologize how short this is, but I didn't want to make you wait anymore! Thank you again for all your support! I'm glad there is some love for this pairing! :) I wish someone else would write another love story about them. I am constantly on the look out for one. So *nudge nudge* maybe you guys can write one. Until then, I'll keep writing this! lol. Thank you again! It really does mean a lot!
Her hat laid silently on the grass, old stains from blood and dirt laced the white layer. With what it had seen, it realistically could be coming to the end of its life, but Clementine never had the heart to put the old hat away and get a new one. It had far too many memories, not only from when she was at the baseball game with her father and their home team scored the winning run, but also the way Lee had found it against all odds when she had lost it on two occasions. It gave her hope that fate could possibly be looking out for her.
The grip in her hair tightened, forcing her eyes shut and away from her watchful hat. The cool metal of the barrel pressed against her skin.
"Shoot her," she heard Robert's calm manipulative voice behind her.
Her eyes opened to the starry sky, the moon slowly dipping below the mountain, only making the big dipper that much more visible. She felt strangely calm, her hands stayed loosely by her side, her breathing was even, and her heart stayed steady. She didn't notice the dirt on her face, the grip in her tangled hair, or the metal threatening to take her life away from her. It was a familiar calm, the same calm that took over her when she faced multiple walkers trapped in a corner. She didn't want to say it was acceptance, because in some ways, accepting was merely another term for giving up. She never considered herself someone to give up, no matter the dire situation she faced. No, it was her calm before the storm.
She had dug herself this grave, but it never was too late to crawl out.
"Sir, Gandalf approved?" the man who held her hair wavered, and it was all she needed. She pushed his hand up with her own, the quick jerk, causing him to fire right above her head, and startle him. Her elbow shot back, and hit him right in the crotch, causing the man to topple over and drop his gun to the ground. She grabbed it, pulling the injured man towards her and using his body as protection from the other weapons pointed at her that fired and hit the poor man in the leg causing him to scream loudly.
She pointed her gun directly at Robert, her eyes focused, even if her hair was affray. Her finger was on the trigger, ready to cut the head off the snake. She knew he was poison that dripped through Eagleton. She wished his death would be the simple solution, though she could hear Lee's deep voice in the back of her head. "Sweet pea, remember to always think first. You're smart. They're not," he reminded her. She wanted to pull the trigger. She wanted to never see this man's stupid smirk ever again. He had played this town and Kenny. However, if she shot him all hope of a diplomatic solution would be lost. The thin man's face seemed peeved and worried as he looked down her barrel. It had obviously been the first time the man had been caught off guard.
Slowly, she removed her finger from the trigger and brought her gun down to her side.
"Shoot her now!" Robert shouted in anger, his hand waving in the air at the other guards.
"What the fuck is going on here!" she heard Kenny shout from behind her, and she released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding in. She could hear footsteps running up the hill towards the scene she was in the middle of. She didn't take her eyes off Robert. The man could pull his own gun out at any moment, and she didn't trust him to have her back turned.
Candle light was flickering on from the lodge and the buildings below. The sounds of gun fire had woke the innocent people sleeping in their homes. She let go of the man she was holding against her for protection. He curled into a ball, cradling his busted knee. She slowly stood up, gun still in her hand. Robert's jaw was locked, and she felt the daggers coming from his eyes until they finally ripped away from her. His face made a complete one eighty from anger to his usual calm adjusted snobbish appearance. The man straightened his tie on his suit. "We caught her sneaking into the war room. As we all know the penalty for spying is death," he stated.
Kenny came into the scene, walking straight into the middle. He looked furious. Her eyes fell back down to her hat that sat on the ground. She could feel Kenny's rage rolling off. She didn't need to see him to know his focus had turned to her. "Is that true, Clem?" he said shock.
She nodded. There was no point in lying. He would know. He always had a keen sense in catching her in a lie. She reached down and grabbed her hat, placing it back on top of her head. Kenny had turned his rage to Robert. "And you decided this decision without me?!" he snapped before he went over and helped the man who was shot up to his feet. "You two, get Joseph to the doctor," Kenny ordered, an edge in his voice. The two guards hopped over quick, grabbing hold of the man, and helping him down the hill. She watched him limp. She felt a tinge of guilt. He didn't deserve to be shot, but it was better his knee cap then her brain.
The next thing she knew, Kenny ripped the gun right out of her hand, and it snapped her attention onto him. His beard covered the red in his cheeks. There were wrinkles around his eyes and on his forehead and she couldn't tell if it was from exhaustion or his fury. "Hi," she said softly, and those wrinkles went away and his face relaxed for the briefest of moments before he frowned and brought the gun up to her forehead.
A crowd had started to form around them, people in pajamas, and thrown on jeans, a few mothers holding their children close. Kenny's attention appeared to be on her, however when he spoke was it was to the man behind him. "It's been a shitty night, and now you woke up all these great folks too. We don't do blind executions like some Soviet Union commie bull shit. That type of stuff is run through me," he stated.
"Gandalf, we have rules, I was merely following them," Robert spoke calmly with an air of control.
A gun shot rang into the air. Her breath caught in her throat, and she almost thought that it could be the last moment she had, only the gun was no longer pointing at her.
Robert wailed and collapsed with a thud to the ground, grabbing at his leg like a broken toy. She watched as Kenny walked over to the man on the ground, just as everyone in town watched, a few gasping in horror. "Don't spew that bullshit to me, Rob. If you were following the fucking rules, Joseph wouldn't have a bullet through his kneecap. Now, you can feel the pain of that stupid mistake as well," Kenny snapped, before nodding to two other guards to pick him up and take him to the doctor as well.
The thin suited man whimpered in pain, but he still managed to choke out. "You've…gotten weak. Stupid girl."
"Get him out of here before I put a bullet in his head too!" he yelled, and the two guards moved quicker, picking him up and leading him down the hill. He stuffed the gun into the back of his pants, and went to her. She felt frozen. He had actually shot him. His grip grabbed her arm and pushed her to another guard, the guard seemed taken as surprise by her, as they both stumbled to catch their baring. "Put her into another room, and make sure the god damn doors and windows are locked!" The guard nodded in a hurry and started to yank her back to the lodge. She tripped up the stairs, as she kept glancing back at Kenny. He wasn't even looking at her, and he hadn't even said anything to her. She had been so certain that he would be disappointed in her. She never considered that he would be indifferent to the entire thing…it was almost worse.
The door to the lodge closed behind her, and she once again felt the walls closing in on her.
Kenny only looked at the lodge when he heard the door shut. His rage was boiling over, and tonight had just gone to shit. Tensions were already high, and as he turned to see his people looking at him with a need of leadership, it became all more apparent that things were getting out of hand. "Everyone should get back to your homes, I'm handling it," he grunted. People who might have asked questions in the past were silenced; none of them wanting to get shot like Robert. The group started to disburse and head back down the hill to their homes.
He sighed in frustration, as he turned to take in the lodge once move, running his fingers under his hat and through his ruffled hair. He knew if it had been someone else sneaking through their material, he would have shot them on sight, but no…not Clementine. Why the fuck couldn't she have just waited and just been patient? Instead she had to go behind his god damn back and put him in a worse situation with his town. He kicked the dirt roughly, "Fuck." The North had Becca too. He knew Becca could keep her mouth shut. She was a stubborn little brat, but if she said anything, it could totally fuck them. The North could assume that they had killed Clementine and that other fool, and make a move against them. He needed to send them back tomorrow, if he hoped to have any chance to diffuse the situation. But he couldn't send them back if he didn't have a plan to advance their town's needs.
Clem was right. He hated when she was right. He had no fucking interest in settling this diplomatically. He didn't want to work with the hypocrites of the North. He wanted to send in a dirty bomb, destroy their defense and take over the town and their property. He couldn't do that to Clem. She had completely messed everything up. And now, she even knew about the plan, so even if it had been a possibility, it just got fucked. Everything was falling apart around him. He took a step to the lodge, wanting to yell at her for what she had done. She could have just fucking trusted him.
He stopped himself. He couldn't be alone with her now. Professional. She wanted to keep it professional, but every time they were in a room alone, he wanted to touch her. It had to be pure lust. He had a problem for sure. She felt like a drug, and now that he had a taste of her, felt her small form against his, and those lips on his, fuck. He was a sick bastard…
Or maybe she was using this against him…
His hand tightened into a fist as he ran the thought through his head. Clementine was an intelligent girl, even when she was little. He remembered her pouting out her lip and making her eyes big when she wanted something, and every adult would bend backwards to give it to her when she gave that face. Is it hard to believe she might use her body in a similar fashion? I mean seriously, why the fuck would a girl her age be interested in a man like him? He could feel his anger rising. She had taken off her clothes when he had plan on stopping. She had teased him with her tongue. She had helped initiate the entire scene.
He kicked the dirt again, and turned away from the lodge. "Damn it. Damn it! Damn it!" he shouted. He was getting played by a little girl! She was using his sexual need and fatherly protection against him! Fuck, how could he be so god damn stupid! It had been six years! Did they really even know each other at this point? She was going to be the next Sheriff of that stupid town, what did that say about her? It meant she was fucking manipulative! If she would have just sat in her room all night, they could have talked diplomatic solutions and all that bull shit tomorrow. No, she just had to sneak out, and try to find their weakness. Shit, maybe that was the only reason they were here.
The moon slipped below the mountain, and it got darker for the short hours right before sunbreak. He cursed under his breath, he could feel the sandman nipping at his eyes for sleep. Another short night. There was nothing more he could do. His men were coming back from the hydro plant, and the two northerners were locked away. He would have to regroup tomorrow and rehash their plan. He would not be fooled by a little girl anymore.
He walked to his home, which was one of the closets cabins to the lodge. It had a single candle burning in the window, lighting his way back. As he stepped in, he kicked off his shoes and pulled off his jacket. He stumbled through the dark home to the bedroom. He saw Rose already in bed. The guilt washed over him as he took in her form in the sheets. She had been by his side, always supporting his decisions, and how did he repay her? By fucking someone else. He slipped into the bed basically clothed and turned to her, wrapping his arms around her. His hand running along her belly, feeling the little child they were bringing into this world. This horribly unsafe world. He had to make it safe for them. He had too.
"Are you alright, Ken?" she asked him through a tired sigh.
He nodded into her shoulder, though his heart cringed. "It's been a long day," he said barely above a whisper.
"It's okay. You're home now," she responded, touching her hand to his.
Yes, he was home, and he needed to protect it.
No more, Mr. Nice Guy.