A/N: Okay, thanks everyone for your reviews and continued support!

Lockdown- Thank you, I'm glad the theme of redemption is working well in this story as it was one of the theme's that made season 1 so great.

Chameishida- thanks for your review and observations on each group, and as for that story Skin deep... yes, that is amazing! I loved Growing Pains and now it has a sequel I will be eagerly awaiting updates.

ffapathy- Glad you liked the new plan I had for Lilly and her continued theme of redemption and in the end she was able to find that redemption by pushing Nick out of Harm's way and being the smartest one in the group, she was able to save Nick (and others) multiple times, and I liked your observation of the other groups, as writing a breather chapter was actually a nice change for me. (especially Eddie and Wyatt's bits) and like I said to Chameishida I already love Skin deep and I can't wait for the next chapter!

Rebloxic- 9.5, glad you're loving the story! and liking your predictions for the next chapter, you'll have to read on to find out if they were right!

FunFX2012- Yep, no death last chapter (I've been killing off so many characters later, so it was a nice change to write a chilled out chapter) and as for Mike and Christa being next on your hit list, I imagine Vince is up there as well?

Kristal Dynamite- Again, thank you for your fantastic reviews and I loved your observation on each group and the fact you were able to pick up on Nick's long sleeves... I saw someone mention it on a forum and it suddenly hit me. I realised that no one had seen Nick without his long sleeves in the first story (he wasn't stripped bare like the other's back at Howe's, Sarah never saw him get changed or anything like that, he kept mostly to himself in the greenhouses at Howe's and Sarah treated bullet wounds on his shoulder and stomach and not up his arms) so I thought now would be a perfect opportunity to bring it up, let's just say him and Sarah will have an interesting conversation about it this chapter.

Transformers g1's-prime- Glad to know your story has started (you'll have to send me a link) I imagine they'll meet up the same way as they did in the comics.

Thank you all for your reviews and now, on with the chapter!

Mike could only stare at a tearful Bonnie for a few seconds, the silence in the air grew too heavy for any sort of words as Bonnie looked on at the pair, Mike had no idea for how long she had been standing there, or for how long she had been listening to them. All he knew is that he had been caught, pants down, in the middle of the act. There was no way to explain this.

"Bonnie..." Mike began, regret tinged in his tone, as he extended a hand towards the redhead woman, she gasped and sobbed before she used one of her shaking hands to violently slap his hand away.

"Don't touch me" she ordered him, her voice sounded empty and lost as more tears rolled past the freckles on her pale cheeks.

"Bonnie... it was..." Mike began to explain helplessly, nearly tripping over his own trousers as he tried to walk towards her, Bonnie looked at Mike, as he slowly approached her, before she shrieked with the force of a lion "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Mike was jolted into a frozen trauma, as sweat trickled down his forehead and his stomach sunk, he felt awful, but no doubt Bonnie felt worse.

"What's going on?" came Rebecca voice's as she emerged from behind a nearby tree, Alvin was starting to cry quietly in her lap. Rebecca was looking at a teary Bonnie as she muttered "Bonnie, your screaming is going to draw walkers, and you woke up Alvin here, what's a matter...?" Rebecca never finished her question, as Bonnie pointed a shaking, accusing finger at where Mike still stood (trousers down) and where Christa was still planted against the tree behind her. Rebecca connected the dots quickly, as she suddenly realised how distressed Bonnie was and what was going on.

"Oh for the love of Christ..." she groaned to the sky, as Bonnie continued to whimper and Mike gulped and tried to speak up once again.

"Bonnie, Rebecca. I'm sorry... Jesus... I'm sorry! I didn't want...!" he voice trailed to a halt as Rebecca shot daggers at him, as Bonnie collapsed, sobbing hysterically on the forest floor.

"Pull your pants up. Both of you" Rebecca snarled at the pair of them, Mike instantly obeyed her order (he felt like an idiot with them down anyway) as Christa quickly followed his lead as the two stood staring at Rebecca. The African american mother poked Bonnie with her foot, as through her watery pools of eyes. The redhead looked up a stern looking Rebecca.

"Stop crying Bonnie, get up and hold Alvin" she commanded of the still-heartbroken younger woman below her. A confused Bonnie gulped before she shakily got to her feet as Rebecca planted the uncomfortable infant in Bonnie's still shaking fingers, with both hands free Rebecca stormed over to where Mike still stood. Mike and Rebecca were inches apart, as Mike nervously looked down upon the furious mother, wondering what on earth she was going to do.

He got his answer a second later.

WHACK

Mike gasped and instantly held a hand up to his cheek, Rebecca had slapped him and not just a dandy little slap either, that you would use to scald a child. No,a full on swinging slap, that left Mike's eyes watering and his cheek burning. Rebecca didn't hesitate, the loud crack of her hand as it connected with Mike's cheek, had already made Christa flinch. But Christa couldn't shield her face in time, before she knew it, she was doubled over against the tree. Her head dizzy, her cheek stinging as she could feel the outline of where Rebecca had no doubt left her red hand-print on her bony face.

"Get a grip you two. If you were getting it on, you could have least told Bonnie before-hand. And you were supposed to be on fucking watch, you put us all at risk!" Rebecca lectured of the pair of them, as Mike blinked rapidly to try and clear his vision of stars, as Bonnie continued to sob on, lost for words as she and Mike connected eyes once again.

"Why?" she begged of him for the answer, but it was Christa who answered.

"He wanted someone who would take action, not someone who would simply sit on the fence and let the group go to ruin before her eyes. That's why" Christa's statement was harsh as Bonnie looked over at her and then back at Mike, before she burst out laughing tears of mirth seemingly spilling from eyes now, as she flashed Mike and Christa cruel smirks.

"Oh, I see. That's what it is! Mike... you want action! Oh... I see it all now...!" Bonnie laughed seemingly in hysterics, as Christa continued to glare at the southern woman, however Mike's cold demeanour faltered instantly. As he tried to beg of her again "Bonnie, let's just talk about this..."

"DON'T YOU EVER COME NEAR ME AGAIN!" Bonnie screamed suddenly, laughter replaced by her sudden harsh scream that made Mike's heart leap into his mouth, as he gulped and looked at her sadly. For a second she looked like she wanted to attack either Christa or Mike, but then she realised AJ was in her grip and she stopped herself as she continued to wipe away her tears. As she did, Rebecca placed a comforting arm around Bonnie and held Alvin with the other hand, as she muttered to the two shamed beings behind her "It's nearly morning, we'll be moving again soon. I suggest you keep your distance from me and Bonnie and don't try and talk to us" she commanded of a silent Christa and Mike.

"Good then, let's go" Rebecca ordered helping Bonnie forward, as Mike shyly muttered "Well, I thought I was leader..."

It only took one look back from Rebecca to shut Mike up completely, as the former fireman shrunk into himself. Rebecca didn't say a word as she led Bonnie onwards (who was still sobbing) mumbling things like "I thought he loved me. I thought he was the one..." as Rebecca comforted her, mumbling things back like "I know baby bear, I know..." when they disappeared out of earshot, a stunned Mike turned back to Christa.

"Why the hell did you go and say all that! trying to aggravate them!" Mike spat at her, as Christa only looked back at Mike, an annoyed expression spreading across her face.

"For fuck's sake Mike, I was just stating the truth. They needed to hear it. The only thing I regret is not telling Bonnie about this beforehand, not the fact it happened. You're with me now, whether she learnt it the easy way or the hard way. I don't care, the bitch blew off my hand Mike! Me and you... were better together,you know it, I know it, I just wanted to make that very clear to them" Christa told him, as Mike sighed. He was with Christa now, and in a way she was right. He was acting like Bonnie, not taking enough action and stuttering for an apology, he needed to be more assertive and take more action.

The morning sun was something of a blessing, Clementine opened her eyes when she felt the first rays of sun warm her skin (only slightly though, as the temperature in the forest was dropping fast, added to the fact they were trekking further north every day)

Clementine rubbed her eyes as she went to reach for her cap on her head. Only then she sadly realised that it was no longer there. Her black curls looking increasingly wild, as more twigs and leaves nestled themselves in her growing hair. Yawning Clementine arose from her sleeping bag, wondering how on earth she had ended up here, in this state in a mere few days.

If only she could be sent back again, she would do what she could to prevent the argument from escalating, she would stop Stephanie from attempting to steal the truck. Then they wouldn't be the woods, they'd be heading towards Wellington. She would prevent the group from ever trusting Alex's group, then the whole herd thing wouldn't have happened, they wouldn't be separated and Kelly wouldn't be dead. Ever since they had left the Hardware store things had gone to hell...

First Randy, Patricia and Gill, then the Vitali and Natasha, then Kelly and now Arvo and Lilly and God knows who else had died in the herd back there. Her group numbers were depleting rapidly, everyone was making mistakes that got others killed. Clementine couldn't save anyone, anymore she could only watch helplessly as people died, or got shot, or torn apart in front of her.

She was glad she agreed with Luke now to stay at the Hardware store for as long as possible. It seemed like a bad choice at the time, but (as strange as it sounded) Lilly was right, the second they left the motor Inn everything had gone to shit. The exact same was happening here and Clementine knew how it had ended that time. In a radiator in Savannah lay the corpse of the man who guided her through the apocalypse, it was going to end badly this time as well, Clementine could feel it in her bones.

But for now, everything seemed peaceful. She looked up to see last night's smoking camp-fire, and the bits of bone left of the small weasel she had managed to shoot with Sarita's help. Clementine looked around the camp-fire with a flush of pride, (of course Sarita still had to skin the thing and cook it slowly over the fire and Clementine watched absorbing the information like a sponge) she ate ravenously that night. The cooked meat tasting so much better than the canned food she was used too. Nick was so hungry he nearly choked on a bone, which made Sarah laugh as he complained about the bone's in the thing.

It was first laugh since Lilly's death. Things were bad no doubt. But Sarah reminded Clementine of that tiny ray of hope and humanity still left in her.

Speaking of Sarah, the teenager lay upright near a tree, watching a sleeping Nick as her eyes flickered to him back to the smoking camp-fire. Clementine felt a need to approach her and speak to her, especially after what had happened to Sarah yesterday. Sarah was clearly thinking of something hard, as she didn't register Clementine's presence, even when Clementine said "Hi" to her, Sarah continued to look away. So Clementine said a little louder "Hi, Sarah" hearing her name, a cloudy eyed Sarah finally turned to her younger friend.

"Oh, hi Clem" she said simply, as Clementine sat near to her teenage friend, as Sarah eyes directed themselves towards her shoes.

"You look weird without your cap" Sarah pointed out, as Clementine couldn't help but smile lightly at her comment.

"It feels weird" she replied, as the pair of them sunk back into another silence, Clementine coughed to break it, before muttering "Are you okay Sarah?" she asked as Sarah gulped and looked at her friend, she was sure she could trust Clementine.

"I left Alex to die" she muttered emptily, as Clementine's eyes widened at this new news.

"I told Nick last night, he said it was fine and that he deserved it. But... if that's true than I deserve it too, because I'm just as bad a person. Than... than Nick deserves it for... for..." she trailed off their before she sadly muttered "Arvo kissed me".

Clementine blinked, before she automatically responded with "Well, did you like Arvo?" the question was met with an instant answer from Sarah.

"I never thought I'd have a boyfriend, or ever kiss anyone. But he was the first and I liked him. But Nick killed him, but then Arvo abandoned me... and Sarita shot Randy and you shot that guy... even when he was dead... I... I..." Sarah was whispering these words quietly, as Clementine (with a pang to her gut) was sadly reminded of Josh, who she murdered in cold blood. She looked Sarah in the eye and whispered back "I just got really mad, I didn't think straight" as Sarah nodded.

"The same with me when I left Alex. I didn't want to hurt anyone but..." she trailed off there as she looked out at the group, nervously from behind her glasses as she shivered. There was no wind to make her shiver like this though and Clementine knew what was bothering her.

"We've all done bad things Sarah, but what those guys did you too... that was fucked up" Clementine mumbled, the use of the swear word seemed to get Sarah's interest as she shivered again and hugged herself and constantly rubbed her hands against her clothing (as if to remind herself they were still there) and kept her body closed as she mumbled back "It... it hurt Clementine".

Clementine listened in silently as Sarah continued.

"Back at school, the most pain I was in is when I broke my finger the once. I still got teased and got called a fat wumble wee back then. Even though my mum said I was too skinny and should have eaten more, but now, I don't know what to do. Everything hurts more than it should, I don't know who the bullies are anymore, I don't know what to do, or who to trust" Sarah found herself confiding in Clementine. Clementine knew exactly how she felt, because this was just like her after Lee died. Who would she trust? What would she do? Her parents and Lee were gone, why was everything some overwhelmingly painful? Beforehand Sarah was simply surviving, but now Clementine knew she was reaching the next stage.

She was hardening to the world.

"Me, Nick and Sarita were your friends Sarah. No matter what happens were going to stick together" Clementine said, as Sarah smiled at her and lifted her pinkie finger.

"A pinkie swear is forever, promise me we'll stick together" Sarah asked of Clementine, who interlocked her pinkie with Sarah's.

"That''s a promise" Clementine announced, as the two friends smiled at each other. Despite everything, their friendship was still going strong.

The distant howls of wolves certainly kept Luke and Stephanie on their feet, despite suffering no attacks from the wolves at night, their was no doubt a pack of the haggard things were on their tail. Luke's wounds were starting to scab over and heal, yet Stephanie knew he was still in no condition to walk without support. Both of them felt their hair on the back of their neck rise on end at another howl in the distance, they seemed to be circling the pair and getting ever closer.

Stephanie had 8 bullets left, Luke had nothing other than his machete. She could scare the wolves off 8 times, and what if they didn't flee? What if she tried to shoot one and miss? She could try and climb into a tree but it would take an awful long time to get Luke up there as well, they were running out of time and Stephanie could only pray she'd find some sort of still standing structure very soon.

"So... I heard you were a farmhand?" Stephanie decided to ask of Luke, the howls of the wolves were getting to her and she needed something to distract her, Luke seemed to appericate the company as he smiled and muttered "Yeah... me and Nick used to be farmhands back in the day, then we tried to be businessmen and set up a gun store together. We went flat out broke, but it was a damn blast" Luke added as a cheerful afterthought, as they managed to cross over a small log.

"How about your parents? Did they work as farmhands or anything?" Stephanie inquired, trying to learn about more about Luke than she knew previously.

"Yeah, mum and dad were both into business, thought I'd try and carry on the legacy of the family. That fell flat, but my old folks were fine with it. I dunno, maybe I wasn't cut out for business. Because I did study Art and history at college..." Luke was saying as Stephanie listened on silently.

"Sounds like you're a jack of all trades" she commented brightly as Luke laughed.

"A jack of all failed trades" he mused, as Stephanie smiled at him, before he decided to ask back, "So come on, little miss pretty face, who stayed cooped up on her guitar, what's your story? What did you like to do?" Stephanie raised an eyebrow at him, as he looked on curiously. "What?" he eventually asked.

"This all very hypocritical coming from the guy who was cooped up in his office" Stephanie informed him, as Luke simply laughed again and uttered "Well, were as bad as each other" after hearing this Stephanie decided to open up more to Luke.

"Well, my life... I went to high school, I was in a band called the Mad Mumblers..." she recalled as Luke echoed "The mad mumblers?"

"Yeah, group of us first formed together after we got detention for stealing the principles favourite pen. He was overprotective of the damn thing... anyway when the principle told us off... he shouted at this. Scared the hell outta us and we only mumbled back, afterwards the other guys took the piss out of each other for mumbling at each other and we became good friends through that incident, by some strange means. I was the only girl but... I was okay around those guys you know. I grew up with those goof-balls, we all planned to go to University of Michigan together. We had our studies, but at the same time we wanted to make it big..." Stephanie sighed as she remembered her four band mates.

"Then, just as my life was finally going somewhere, all this shit happens. My four band-mates died, I never got to my parents in time, and the band manager got me outta the mess..." Stephanie recounted her back-story sadly, as she remembered Roman and the Mad Mumblers.

"It's a shame. It's 2006 now, in an parallel universe you could be the world's biggest band by this point" Luke told her as Stephanie smiled.

"Thanks, but it makes you wonder though. What would music be like now-days? What films would be out? From 2003 onwards the world ended" Stephanie told him, as Luke nodded before he threw another question at the raven haired woman.

"Did you... ever... date one of your band-mates?" he asked, as Stephanie only grinned and muttered "No, I never actually went out with anyone in all my school days. But I liked those guys, if this whole thing hadn't have happened. I get the feeling we would have ended up together. I always liked Matt the best, there was Frank, Joe and Carl, but Matt... I always liked him. Nick reminds me of him sometimes" Stephanie said as Luke processed these news.

"So Stan was your first?" he asked, as Stephanie laughed and nodded "Yeah, put me off relationships for life"

Luke and Stephanie laughed openly for a few minutes, before settling down again, as Stephanie decided to ask Luke "So before you started forcing yourself on every living thing with a pulse, any girls in your life?" Luke grinned and muttered "Oh yeah, I went around rapin' everything that moved. I'm a sex offender really, not a farmhand" as Stephanie simply nodded and said "Ah, I see and Nick is too?" she asked as Luke nodded "Nick's the worst. He could never stop himself, got sentenced to four life sentences, for rape, grand theft auto, robbing wall street, mass murder... etc... etc..." Luke finished as Stephanie giggled into her hand, she only stopped when Luke managed to look up seriously again.

"Nah, in all seriousness though. I did have a few girlfriends before all this. Could never keep them... but yeah. I had Jane. She was the girl for me..." he trailed off sadly, but before Stephanie could pipe up again Luke managed to regain himself "Nick's kissed a few girls too. But... his never had sex with any of them" Stephanie's eyes widened at this news as she asked him "How'd you know that? You spying on him or something?" she asked, hoping he would take part in the self-duplicating humour that she and Nick shared so often (she was glad Luke liked it too, Luke and Nick seemed to have that in common as well).

"Well, I just know never bragged about it. and it doesn't seem like the type" Luke replied to her seriously, as his eyes trailed to the ground again. Stephanie brought up the next question, wanting now to have a serious answer, if she was really going to figure Nick out.

"What about the long sleeves? When did they start appearing? Have you ever seen him...?" She asked in wonder, as Luke nodded and muttered "I saw him doin' it once. Thought he'd killed himself, I never screamed at him so loud before, he scared the shit outta me..." Luke sighed and ran a loose hand through his hair before muttering again "I wasn't always there for him, he had a shitty father Stef. Used to do all sorts of horrible shit to Nick, and I just wasn't there for him sometimes" he looked up again, thinking of his best friend.

"Stef, when we've dealt with Vince. Or when we find him. If I go down with Vince, or if something goes wrong. Let Nick know the truth, he'll believe you. I know he will" Luke said firmly as Stephanie remained silent on the matter, yet she would indeed tell Nick everything he needed to know about Vince. Lilly would be there too, no doubt the clever woman was still alive and probably helping Nick shoot or something like that. Stephanie smiled at the thought.

This wasn't over, her and Luke were in a bleak position, but they were only just beginning the longer journey.

"...I'd like Lee"

Sarita smiled down at Clementine as she muttered "If it is a boy, I may consider Lee. Kenny said that Lee was always a good friend to him too" the two smiled and looked down at Sarita's belly, Clementine could just start to see where the bump was starting to appear.

"It is amazing, that new life can grow amidst all this death" Sarita said as the four of them trekked onwards.

"AH!"

Sarah's scream cut through Clementine like a bullet, Clementine whipped around to find some a dangerously skinny looking wolf had pounced on her friend and was going to take a chunk out of her neck...

BANG!

The wolf above Sarah seemed to stiffen, it collapsed dead on top of her, as Sarah screamed and tried to kick the thing away, Nick held his gun at the wolf, his bullet instantly ending it's life. But his outstretched arm was suddenly attacked by another wolf, the thing clamped it's teeth down on Nick's sleeve but just before it's teeth could dig under Nick's skin he tugged the wolf away. So his skin didn't bleed but with an almighty RIP... and a tearing noise, the layers of clothes around Nick's sleeve were tugged off, leaving his lower arm exposed as he cursed and kicked the wolf away, the thing snarled at him preparing to pounce again...

BANG!

It fell dead, as Nick breathed a sigh of relief, he wiped his sweaty forehead and saw his savour was Sarita who had managed to shoot the thing in the head, she shouted over to him "ARE YOU OKAY!?" in which Nick answered a "FINE!" before he looked down at his exposed wrist.

Shit, they were showing...

"Where the hell did they come from?" Clementine asked Sarita as she helped Sarah from under the wolf, as the teenager wiped the wolf's grey hairs from her clothes. Sarita muttered "It's like Anne said the woods are full of them. Any fresh meat they'll be hunting down, we have to keep moving" Sarita stated looking around nervously.

"Can we eat the wolves?" Clementine suggested, as Sarita looked down at the thing. and all the flies already swarming around its corpse and the red tinge around the wolves eyes... it didn't look all to healthy and Sarita had never eaten wolf meat before? Could you? Sarita didn't want to take the risk she already had her baby inside of her. Weasels and Raccoons were one thing, but these wolves? They looked infected with something... and for once it wasn't the walker virus.

"No, they don't look safe to eat" Sarita commanded, as Clementine and Sarah nodded, maybe Sarita was being paranoid, but she couldn't help it. The pregnant woman looked up to find Nick clutching his wrist.

"Nick did it bite you?" Sarita asked approaching him.

"NO!" Nick bellowed, shoving his exposed arm out of sight, as he covered it with his other hand. Sarita seemed fairly alarmed at Nick's extreme reaction, yet Nick simply managed to mutter "No... I didn't get bitten"

"Then why are you holding it like that. Let me have a look, or let Sarah have a look" Sarita told him, as Sarah approached him, Nick felt trapped, he didn't know what to do.

"It's nothing, honestly!" He shouted, before striding past Sarah and Sarita, Sarah watched him as he walked ahead "He probably has been scratched or something like that. His just trying to look tough. I'll deal with it later" she told a nodding Sarita yet Clementine noticed one thing.

"If he got scratched, then where's the blood?"

Sarita and Sarah couldn't find an answer to this, as Clementine watched where Nick held his arm, no blood squeezed itself from under his palm, so he can't have been hurt. If that was the case, then what was Nick clearly trying to hide?

"I hope his not losing it" Sarita muttered sadly.