Chibi1309: As always, thank you for the lovely feedback. I am glad you are enjoying this little story. Otherwise, what was the point?! Haha. In regard to those colors, it was a happy coincidence—or perhaps it was fate. Clem's favorite color was mentioned in the games, so I did not select that one. And Louis…I just went with his shirt color. It all just happened to line up quite nicely. It's always nice when that happens.

Sanzojoe: Are you reading my mind? Predicting what is to come? Haha. But yes, you are correct. Tests are coming their way. The first of which just might be at the end of the current chapter. *cue the doom and gloom music*

Supernova1219: You are spot on that Louis has a good heart. But that doesn't make him a good survivor. Clem will get him there, though. No worries! Also, I'm glad you liked the mattress bit. Louis is a stud, isn't he?! As for Clem's favorite color…it was actually mentioned in one of the games, I believe. She told Katjaa that she liked purple if I am not mistaken.

Sweet and Sour

Two more days had passed without much incident. Clem wanted to let her guard down, even if just a little bit, but the survivor in her had her realizing that this was more than likely just the calm before the inevitable storm. It always was. The sweet was always followed by the sour.

And speaking of sweet—the past two nights, Louis had dragged a spare mattress into the master bedroom of the places they'd stayed. Each night, he'd placed himself within reach of her own bed if she would need him but not so close that she would feel crowded by his presence. It was like he somehow just knew what she needed.

Leaning back against the headboard, she wrapped her arms around her knees and gazed down at where he was currently stretched out on his back on the mattress, his long legs taking up nearly all of its length. "So what is the game for tonight?" she asked with curiosity. She knew there would be a game. There always was. It was something she'd come to look forward to after a long day of traveling.

Yesterday, he'd found a game called Twister in a closet and had convinced her to play with him. She'd been quite surprised at the sexual nature of a game meant for children. But then again, if it had been kids playing, they would have been more focused on winning and less focused on finding ways to purposely tangle their bodies in risqué positions. She was fairly certain her blush had lasted a good hour once they'd finally collapsed onto the dotted mat. She was also fairly certain the odds were automatically tilted in his favor when he had more feet to put on the colored dots than she did.

"The game for tonight?" He pursed his lips thoughtfully before grinning. "There's a game we used to play back at the school called Questions and Confessions. Someone asks you a question. You can choose to answer it for a reward. The better the answer, the better the reward."

"Okay. That seems easy enough. What kind of reward are we talking?"

He grinned and cryptically said, "You'll see." He chuckled when she rolled her eyes, then pressed on. "I'll go first and show you. It's as easy as it sounds." He fell silent, obviously trying to come up with a good question.

After a moment, he nodded his head. "What's the weirdest monster you've ever seen out there? I mean, we all know they're terrifying, but surely there was one that made you stop and laugh at the ridiculousness of it all."

Clem thought back on all of the horrifying things she'd seen in her days. She tried to weed through it all, to find a memory more silly than frightening. And then suddenly an image popped into her head.

"Once, I was looking for a place to spend the night, some place that might have food. I found this small rental hall. They'd had some type of convention there. With those people who dress up and stuff?"

"Cosplayers?" Louis asked with open interest.

"Yes, I think that's what they were called." She chuckled lightly. "Anyway, I peeked in the doors and there are about ten to fifteen monsters inside. Most had wandered out the open back doors and were long gone. Many of the remaining ones, though? They were dressed…like themselves. Monsters dressed as monsters. Only the costumes were really cheesy and over the top. So these things were dressed as the thing they'd become, only greatly exaggerated. It was like some type of insane paradox." She shook her head with a smirk. "I knew I should have been frightened by that many, but it was just so absurd I ended up laughing so hard I couldn't breathe."

"I assume, despite the inappropriate giggles, you survived the encounter."

Though it had been a statement and not a question, she smirked. "Gee, what gave you that idea?" On his arched brow, she continued. "They'd been doing some construction on the nearby playground. There was this pit." She shrugged. "I managed to lure them over and knock them inside, one by one. It was all gravel in there, so they couldn't climb their way back out. I easily disposed of them with my knife and spent the night in the rental hall."

"And was there food?" he asked, returning to the reason why she'd chosen that building in the first place. It was a testament to his listening skills. Louis didn't just listen to respond. He actually listened to learn about her. It was touching.

Clem gave a groan and closed her eyes to better picture the memory. "Yes." Her eyes popped back open and she grinned. "There was this huge, bulk-sized can of nacho cheese. Because there was a cheese fountain at the event. The fountain was ruined, along with the food inside of it, but the canned stuff? It was untouched. And there were just bags and bags of tortilla chips lying around the kitchen. I gorged myself on liquid cheese and chips."

"That sounds amazing," Louis said wistfully. "I miss cheese. In any form."

Clem nodded in agreement before sitting up straight in the bed. "So what does my confession win me?" she asked, eager to know what sort of reward was to be had in the type of world they lived in.

Louis grinned and waved a hand regally in the air. "Next time you have greenhouse duty, I will come assist you." Before she could comment, he pushed on. "I know you'd never complain about it—you're grateful just to be accepted at the school—but I can tell how much you struggle in there. You're used to using your knowledge in a more physical capacity. You're used to feats of strength. Carefully pruning crops is not an area where you shine. No offense. Plus, don't think I haven't noticed that you struggle to tell the difference between edible mushrooms and nasty weed-type mushrooms."

"I do not—"

"You've licked some gross ones, Clem."

Her shoulders sagged and she gave in. "Fine. I suck at gardening. Your help would be very much appreciated." She sent him a stern look, demanding he make no further comment. "Now my turn. What's the weirdest monster you've seen?"

"Me?" He gave a bark of laughter. "I don't even have to think on that one. Hands down the oddest monster I've ever seen was at a house on the other side of the train station, back when we had a wider safe zone."

His lips spread into a grin. "I guess this monster had a family member who couldn't kill them. So they put one of those big cones for dogs around the person's neck. When we got there to scavenge, everyone else was long gone but this monster in a dog cone. It kept bumping into all of the walls, had trouble making it through doorways. It was hard to be frightened of something so pathetic."

Clem giggled, picturing such a thing. She always tried to remember that the monsters had once been people, with hopes and dreams. She tried to offer them some bit of respect. But sometimes it was nice to simply laugh. "That confession was way too easy for you. All you get is…" She paused, thinking on it. "How about a private lesson with my bow? I could help you get better at it."

"Any private time with you is a fantastic reward," he said cheekily. "I'll take it." Sitting up, he draped his arms over his bent knees as he thought on his next question. "How about…what is it about me that you find appealing?" He shrugged, his expression curious. "I mean, why me? Why not Aasim or Omar? Hell, why not Violet? I am unbelievably grateful you picked me, but I'm not sure I understand why. We're very different."

Clem's lips eased into a smile. That was an easy question to answer. "It's because we're so different that I like you as much as I do. My whole life has been running from one disaster to the next. Most people I cared about died. My entire existence has been solely about surviving to see the next sunrise."

She shrugged, a blush heating her cheeks. "But then I met you. And I realized there's more to life than just surviving. There's fun and games and just…stupid silliness. You taught me that it's okay to let go and enjoy yourself occasionally. I needed that. A person can't keep going when they have nothing joyful to live for. Eventually they burn out, and I fear I would have ultimately reached that point if not for you."

Of course, she had A.J. to live for, and she would never give up when it came to keeping him safe, but since meeting Louis, she understood that she had more to fight for than just seeing A.J. grow into an adult. She had her own life to live and enjoy. And it was about more than just survival. It was about appreciating those around you and the happiness they had to offer.

"There's also the fact that you're ridiculously cute."

"Ridiculously?" he asked with a teasing grin at her cheeky addition. "Is that so?"

"Shut up," she grumbled with embarrassment. Before he could make another comment, she added, "Can you tell me my reward so we can move on?"

"Hmm. That was a good one. I want to give you a reward worthy of that answer." He rocked from side to side as he thought on it. "How about next time you go hunting, I do all of the skinning and gutting for you?"

"You hate that part," she said with a raised brow.

"Don't we all?" He grinned. "Just goes to show how much I appreciate being called cute." Winking at her, he said, "Your turn."

"Okay." Clem considered asking him the same question in return again, but she wasn't as forward as Louis. She couldn't get through it without feeling utterly embarrassed. Instead, she went with a safer question. "What is your best memory? Before all of this," she said with a wave of her hand, indicating the current state of the world.

"Best memory…" A sad smile touched his lips. "My dad took me to this baseball game. I don't even remember what teams were playing. But our seats were right on the first base line. I could see the whole field. He bought me a hot dog and cracker jacks. Then some cotton candy. I was seated between him and my mother."

He let out a wistful sigh. "It was a perfect afternoon. The sun was shining. My parents were both smiling and happy. It was the last thing we ever did together as a family. Shortly after that…" He scowled, shaking his head in disgust. "Shortly after that, I ruined it all."

Clem scooted forward on the bed so she could reach down and squeeze his arm. "We've all made mistakes we regret." Her breath caught momentarily in her throat at the truth of those words. "Your parents loved you. No matter what. That's what parents do."

"They never came for me," he said bitterly. "When things went to hell, I kept waiting for them to show up and take me out of this place. I kept waiting for us to be a family again. Facing the end of the world together. But they never came."

Clem slipped fully off of the bed to sit beside him on the mattress. "Louis, I'm sure they tried. Just the same way I'm sure my parents tried as well. There's no way they wouldn't have." She reached out to touch his face. "Despite past mistakes, it would have been impossible for your parents not to see the good inside of you. I saw it after talking to you one time. They raised you. They no doubt saw it every day of your childhood."

He leaned his cheek against her palm, and she saw his expression soften as the bitterness left him. "Thanks, Clem." His voice was a whisper. "I've spent years wondering if they simply chose to leave me. If they thought I wasn't worth the hassle of coming to get. But you're right. Despite everything, we were still a family. They wouldn't have abandoned me. Even with the state of things, they wouldn't have abandoned each other."

He let out a shaky breath. "You have no idea how much that means to me, realizing that I wasn't just forgotten here and left to die alone. You right. We were a family. They would have tried to come for me."

"Of course they would have." They stared at each other for a long moment. The seriousness in his gaze left Clem feeling slightly flustered. "I'll do your laundry duty next time," she said hurriedly, breaking eye contact. "Next time it's your turn."

"Very thoughtful." He leaned against her, bumping her shoulder with his. "I like embarrassing you, so I've got another question to make you blush."

"Louis," she grumbled, feeling that blush starting before he even asked his question.

Chuckling, he said, "When did you realize you had feelings for me? What moment? What inspired the crush?"

She rolled her eyes at his eagerness. But instead of shying away, she turned to face him and offered up some truth. "There were quite a few things, actually." She bit her lip for a moment, shyly, before shaking it off. "When I first got to the school, I was in rough shape. I woke up to I find out you'd been watching out for A.J. for me while I was unable to. That was major."

She felt herself blushing even more and gave an internal growl of annoyance. Why was this so hard? "Once I tracked you down, you were playing the piano for him and it just…" She trailed off as she pictured that day, the way her heart had skipped a beat the moment she'd laid eyes on him. Not only had he helped them out, Louis was also the most attractive guy she'd ever seen. "I definitely took notice."

Clem smiled shyly at him. "But it was when you gave him your stew that I knew I was totally into you. I knew you had to still be hungry, but you gave him your stew because you knew we'd been going without food and he needed it. You went hungry so that A.J. didn't have to. I knew right then what kind of person you were, and I liked what I saw."

"Wow," he said after a moment's pause. "Wow. And here I'd thought it was my sense of humor that reeled you in. Those things…" He shrugged with a little grin. "I didn't even think about it. It was just the right thing to do."

"I know." Clem reached out and placed her hand atop his, lightly squeezing his fingers. "Most people don't do the right thing anymore. The fact that you did, without even thinking twice about it, means a great deal."

Louis grinned, and she could see the pride on his face at her compliment. It was obvious to her that he truly hadn't given those situations much thought at all, but they'd had a lasting impact on her.

"I was going to reward you by taking more household chores off of your hands, but now I'm thinking a kiss might be a better prize," he said in a quiet voice, leaning closer to her.

Clem met him halfway. "I'd rather have the kiss," she whispered just as his lips met hers. The kiss was slow and gentle, but there was a sensuality to it that she hadn't expected. Her heart skipped a beat and she scooted closer to him on the mattress.

His hand slipped to the back of her neck, holding her close as his lips explored hers. When her lips parted slightly, his tongue darted forward to brush against the tip of hers. A moment later, Louis pulled back, a sheepish expression on his face. "I've, uh, never done that before. I hope it wasn't…weird."

Clem's heart was still pounding in her chest, a testament to the fact that it hadn't been weird in the slightest. "Nope. Not weird," she said breathlessly.

His eyes crinkled in the corners with his smile. "Cool."

"My turn," Clem said, trying to distract him from the fact that she was indeed blushing just as he'd promised. There were many things she'd gotten used to in life. Kissing him wasn't one of them. She still got flustered every time. "Same question. When did you realize you had a thing for me?"

"Easy. It was the moment I first laid eyes on you."

She raised a skeptical brow, which drew a laugh from him.

"Honest," Louis said, his face open and earnest. "It was…" He trailed off, looking sheepish himself now. "I don't think you know this, but I was there. When you wrecked that car. I helped Marlon drag you and A.J. from the wreckage."

Her eyebrows rose for an entirely new reason now. She'd known Marlon had been there. In her hazy memories, she remembered seeing his bow when he pulled A.J. out of the crashed car. She'd never stopped to think that if Marlon had carried A.J. to safety, someone else would have had to carry her to the school.

Realization hit her, and she turned to look at Louis, stunned.

"Yep. It was me. As I was struggling to get to you, you kept weakly calling out for A.J. I remember thinking you must really love him. Because you were so messed up, but all you were worried about was making sure he was safe."

He paused, as if reliving the memory. "By the time I got to you, you'd lost consciousness." He shrugged, looking slightly embarrassed. "We never got to officially meet, but I picked you up and cradled you against my chest. I carried you all the way back to the school and I—" He broke off, shaking his head. Taking a deep breath for courage, he pressed on. "I couldn't stop staring at you. You just…you took my breath away. I think I fell in love with you on that walk back to the school. The selfless girl who cared only about the little boy with her."

He grinned over at her, giving a small chuckle. "When you came in to get A.J. after you'd woken up, I thought you'd see it on my face. I thought you'd know. But I tried so hard to play it cool. I—"

Clem didn't give him a chance to finish. Lunging toward him, she pressed her lips to his. She couldn't help herself. She practically crawled into his lap. To know he'd had feelings for her from the beginning—and more importantly why—filled her heart with something she'd never felt before. It went beyond being attracted to him, to finding him cute. It was a deeper feeling, one she was afraid to look at too closely.

Though with the way he was tugging her fully onto his lap, thinking was pretty much out the window for the moment anyway. Clem settled in against his chest, her hands moving to his cheeks as her mouth pressed firmly to his.

She was surprised with just how much she enjoyed kissing him—and just how little she was embarrassed by that fact at the moment. All hesitation and shyness was gone. Instead, she pressed against him, giving a small sound of encouragement.

Louis deepened the kiss, his mouth moving eagerly against hers. His fingertips grazed along the small of her back, caressing through her shirt.

They continued this way, fingers tentatively and cautiously exploring while they kissed. Clem was certain she'd never experienced anything more soothing in her life. Time seemed to cease existing. Nothing mattered but Louis. Not her new leg. Not the fucked-up world they lived in. For a few precious minutes, the only thing that matter was him, how me made her feel—as if things couldn't be all that bad if something so good could still exist. Being with him, being able to forget it all for just a bit, filled her with an inner peace she'd never experienced before.

When they finally parted, Louis shot her a flustered smile and tugged lightly at the end of one of her ponytails. "If I'd have known this would be your reaction, I would have confessed to that ages ago," he teased.

She rolled her eyes with a little snort. But instead of responding, she merely tucked her cheek in against his chest. Closing her eyes, she listened to the rhythmic patter of his heartbeat. It was steady and strong, a comfort in a world where there wasn't much to be had. "Can I stay here tonight?" she asked before she could talk herself out of it. "With you?"

"You want to share my mattress?" he asked with surprise. On her nod, he grinned. "Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that." He stretched his arms over his head with a yawn, before falling back against the pillows he'd piled at the top. Grabbing her wrist, he tugged her to lay down next to him, tucking her in against his side.

Clem snuggled in against him, her head coming to rest on his chest so she could continue to listen to the steady thump of his heart. It was a sound she liked very much. "Goodnight, Louis," she whispered into the growing darkness.

"Night, Clem."

With his arm around her, and a new sense of inner peace in her heart, Clementine drifted off to sleep.

OOOOO

Waking was not as peaceful as going to sleep had been. Clem awoke with a startled gasp, bolting upright on the mattress.

Louis was slow to follow, easing up and blinking into the dimness that came just before sunrise. "What's wrong?" he asked tiredly.

Clem wasn't certain at first, but then her brain caught up to instinct. "Breaking glass," she informed him on a whisper. "Downstairs." There was no knowing what it meant. A tree branch could have broken and fallen into the window, causing her to worry over nothing. But it was more likely that a monster had found its way into the house. Or worse yet—other people.

At her whispered words, Louis was immediately alert. His eyes widened, and he eased carefully to the floor. Moving silently, he slipped into his boots, lacing them up, and then grabbed for the knife sitting on the floor beside the mattress.

She nodded her approval. He might not have had to live out here for years like her, but he was learning quickly. Everything was a threat. Everything. She reached to the dresser on her right where her crutches leaned and snatched them up.

She pressed herself up into a standing position, then leaned back against the dresser for support, giving her a little bit more freedom with her hands. Then she lifted Marlon's old crossbow from the dresser top and aimed it at the door.

"I know you're up there!"

Clem flinched at the loud voice that hollered up the stairs. And here was the sour to go with the sweetness of the night before. It seemed she could never have one without the other.

"Hidin' ain't gonna save you." Footsteps clomped up the stairs. "It'll be easier for you if you just surrender. Quicker."

Louis placed himself at the edge of the doorway, pressed up against the wall, his knife held at the ready for an attack. Hopefully he wouldn't be seen until it was too late and he'd already gotten in an offensive assault.

She quickly nodded her approval at his positioning before training her gaze on the door. Whoever it was coming up those stairs, they obviously meant she and Louis harm. The person also already knew they were in the house. There was no way this wouldn't end in violence.

It wasn't like Clem could sneak out a second-story window with only one leg. Besides, their horse was in the garage. They couldn't get to it without drawing attention. That left them one option—fight.

The sound of splintering wood sounded in the hallway outside their room. It didn't take much to put together that someone had kicked in the door for the other bedroom. She tightened her grip on the crossbow, readying herself.

"If you just admit defeat and surrender your supplies to us, maybe we'll let you live." A low, menacing chuckle followed. "Then again…maybe not. I guess that's a chance you're going to have to take."

Us. Clem's stomach turned at this simple word. That meant there was more than one person out there. At best, there were even odds. And worst case? Well, she didn't even want to think about it.

Not that she had much time to do so. She'd barely processed the man's statement when the door to the bedroom was kicked open. It bounced off the wall with a loud bang, but she didn't pay it any attention. She was too focused on the man pushing through the doorway. Without hesitation, she pulled the trigger on the crossbow and watched with satisfaction as the arrow it released plunged right into the throat of the first man through the archway.

He collapsed instantly to the ground, eyes staring vacantly at the ceiling. The men behind him gave cries of surprise and dove out of her line of fire, hiding themselves in the hallway.

Clem readied another arrow, knowing she would need it. She'd seen three or four other men in the hallway. She and Louis were about to have a difficult fight on their hands.

"One little girl with a crossbow ain't gonna stop us," the original voice growled with irritation. "Give yourself up before you do something you'll regret."

So they hadn't seen Louis yet. Good. They thought she was alone. That gave them an advantage, one they desperately needed right now. "Why don't you come say that to my face?" she called out.

There was a moment of silence before the man let out a cruel laugh. "Oh, honey. Those are some mighty tough words, but you and I both know you can't get us all with that thing. If all four of us come racing in there, you'll maybe get one more shot off before we get to you. Then we'll make you pay in a very painful way for what you done."

"I'll take my chances." Clem readied the bow, knowing they were about to rush her, knowing they would come at her hard. She doubted they had a gun—otherwise, they'd have already used it. But the man was correct. She couldn't take them all out before they reached her, and they would no doubt have some type of weapon on them. Even with Louis to help, things were about to get very violent.

These thoughts flashed through her mind in the matter of a second, and in that time the men came racing through the door, hoping to overwhelm her with their number advantage.

Knowing this would be the last shot she got with the crossbow—it was no good in hand-to-hand confrontations—she aimed carefully. Her next arrow took a man straight between the eyes. His head whipped back and he collapsed, but the other men lunged over the falling body and dove for her.

Clem dropped the crossbow, knowing it was useless. Instead, she went for her knife. As she did, she saw Louis thrust his arm out from his hidden spot against the wall. He caught one of the men as they raced through the doorway, his own knife driving deep into the side of the man's neck.

Pride welled inside of her that he hadn't hesitated to defend himself—something only a handful of months ago he might have done. This quick flash of him was all Clem got to see before one of the men reached her.

She lifted her arm up, intending to lash out with the knife, but the man blocked her attack.

His forearm slammed down violently against her wrist, causing her to lose her grip on her weapon. "Stupid bitch," he growled as he kicked the knife away." Then he seemed to realize her handicap, because he added, "Stupid one-legged bitch."

Then he did something unforeseen—he shoved her over. Clem had experienced many odd things during scuffles for her life. She'd been bitten (by live humans). She'd had her hair pulled. She'd been poked in the eyes. All manner of dirty fighting had occurred in the past. Nothing should have surprised her.

But this did.

The man who'd already put so much effort into taunting her made her feel weak and helpless with one simple act. He saw her missing leg and used it to his advantage. He shoved her over, causing Clem to lose her balance. She topped to the floor, barely managing to catch herself before her forehead hit the hard wooden flooring.

As she caught herself, she saw Louis locked in a battle with the other remaining invader. They were currently fighting over the knife Louis had used to kill the man's ally.

She couldn't linger on him long though. The man in front of her demanded her attention.

With a cruel laugh, he lifted one of her crutches up and held it over his knee. "I don't think you'll be needing this anymore."

"No!" Clem had just enough time to holler out in protest before the man snapped the wooden support over his leg. It cracked easily, and he tossed the pieces aside.

He reached for the second crutch, her last remaining way of moving around without support. Without the slightest hesitation, he busted this one too. "You're not so tough without your crutches, are you?" he taunted. "Now how are you going to kill me, huh?"

"She doesn't need to. I will."

Louis rose up suddenly behind the final man, his knife dripping blood. When the man spun to him with a gasp of surprise, Louis drove the knife into his gut. He twisted the blade before pulling it back and stabbing the man again.

Their attacker fell to the floor, and Louis dropped down to one knee above him. He lifted the knife and brought it down forcefully into the man's skull, assuring he wouldn't get back up as a monster and come after them.

"Louis!" Relief swept through her at seeing him save.

He was quick to come to her. He hurried over to where she sat and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. "I thought he was going to hurt you," he whispered against the top of her head. "I didn't think I was going to get to you in time."

Clem could feel his hands shaking. She wasn't surprised to hear the knife clatter to the floor behind her back as he dropped it. Knowing what he needed in that moment, she wound her arms tightly around him and just hugged him in return.

"I killed them. I killed three people."

She could hear the horror in his voice and knew what it meant to him. Louis had only killed one other person before—and it had been by accident. The woman had attacked him and, in a panic, the weapon in his hand had fired. He'd shot her in the head, killing her. It was something that had haunted him for a long time. It had been self-defense, and still it had been hard on him. Killing three people, it had to be devastating to someone with very little violence in their past. And here again was that sour. Life always seemed to turn sour any time she experienced even a little bit of happiness.

"You saved us," she said firmly, squeezing him tight. "You didn't have a choice. They would have killed us."

He was still trembling, but she felt the strength in his arms as he hugged her in return. "I hate it. You know how much I hate it." He pulled back slowly, his gaze locking onto hers. "But I would do it a million times over if it meant keeping you safe."

Clem's heart melted at these words. So few people gave a shit anymore. She could count on one hand the individuals she trusted (or had trusted) completely. Louis was on that short list. He cared about her in a way no one else ever had. She could see it in his eyes when he looked at her. What was happening between them… It was something different than any other relationship she'd ever had. Something new. She'd never been in love before, but she was starting to understand what it meant to be.

Instead of answering, she simply cupped his face in her hands and drew him to her for a slow kiss.

He sank into her with a breathy exhale, and Clem could feel his anxiety melting away. What he'd been forced to do today in order to protect them would weigh heavy on him for a while, but she could tell by the way he held her that he was starting to understand the necessity of it. Sometimes people didn't give you any other option.

Louis was learning, becoming stronger, and she was proud of him for that.

He eased back from her embrace and though his eyes were still troubled, he was no longer shaking. "We should get back on the road," he said firmly. "We're nearly to the factory. You'll have that new leg in no time."

The reminder of why they'd made this trip came back to her, and Clem glanced to her broken crutches. "I…" She suddenly realized just how vulnerable she was right now, what a liability she'd become. She couldn't walk on her own anymore. The best she could do was hop, and that would greatly slow them down.

Louis sent her a very pointed look as he sprang to his feet and slipped their travel pack onto his back. "How many times do I have to tell you that you don't have to do it all on your own anymore?" He slid his arms underneath her thighs and lifted her up off of the ground. "I've got your back when you need that little extra bit of help."

Instead of fighting it as she might have in the past, Clem slid her arms around his neck, pressing in close. "What would I ever do without you?" she asked, batting her eyelashes playfully at him.

"Your life would be really boring," he informed her as he bent and picked up the crossbow, placing it in her lap. His gaze went to the bloody knife on the ground, and he shook his head. He left it where it was, and she didn't comment. Knives were easily available and they still had a few others. If he didn't want to keep the weapon that he'd killed three people with, she wasn't about to make him.

Louis stepped over the downed bodies in the doorway. He did stop to yank the arrows free from the men she'd killed—those were too sparse to leave behind. Then he carefully carried her down the stairs and into the garage where their horse still thankfully waited.

He helped her onto it, and it was only once she was seated that Clem found the courage to say what was on her mind. "Thank you," she said quietly.

"For what?" he asked, an expression of amused puzzlement on his face.

"For having my back. When most people wouldn't." She knew that she was a liability right now. She knew most people would have ditched her and saved themselves. But not Louis. He was far too good to ever do such a thing.

He stared up at her, hands on his hips. After a moment of silence, he said, "I will always have your back, Clem. Always. We're a team."

Heart melting, she leaned over until she was able to kiss him. "We're a team," she repeated. In that moment, she realized that even though life often threw sour moments her way, the sweet always seemed to come back around. And Louis, he was her sweetness.