Chapter 6: Endless Nights

In the late afternoon Maya, Bonnie, Arvo, Alberto, and Robert hunt and fish to scavenge up some food for the night. Bonnie led the group to the water's edge and gave orders on what the plan is for the afternoon. And wanted to get some alone time with Maya to confirm Arvo's story if the girl she abandon years ago is alive in these same woods. She knows Maya is resourceful in telling the truth, and she hasn't lied once to save her skin.

"Okay, Maya, you take upstream with Robert, Arvo you are in charge of collecting what we can from that old cabin there. Take Albert with you as well." Bonnie commanded.

Arvo objected, "You sure you can trust miss softy over there who lets people threaten her when it comes to food." Arvo looks at Maya with vengeance.

Maya clunches her fits as she angrily glares at Arvo. Robert looks at her and held her back and silently shakes his head. Bonnie intervene, "Maya got us a bore for the night, and managed to actually track better animals on her hunting missions, which is more than I can say to you as a skilled hunter yourself who only manages to track down voles and weasels and a few rabbits."

Arvo didn't like that insult and he mumbles something in Russian. He then looks at Bonnie and made an insulting comment about her leadership skills, "I wish Mike was here to be our leader, he wouldn't let a softy dyke like her off so easily." Arvo glared at Maya with that comment of sensing Maya's sexuality.

Maya then latches out at Arvo, "Fuck you Arvo. I only let those three go, because it wasn't worth getting into a fight when they weren't going to kill me."

Bonnie had enough of this bantering between the hotshot young adult Russian and Maya's fiery passion. "Enough both of you. Arvo just goes, do what I asked of you. Please."

Arvo walks away with a grunt and cruising something in Russian as he storms off into the woods with his scouting partner. Bonnie closes her eyes and rubs her temples trying to take command of the group as it was slowly falling apart after the death of her friend. Bonnie is trying to pick up the pieces that Mike left behind several months ago. But even Arvo questions her leadership and can sense her failing at it. She never wanted to lead, but nobody stepped up after Mike was killed by walkers trying to save the little three-year-old girl who was left abandoned in the warehouse east of the state.

Robert was already down at the bank of the river casting a net for fish when Maya went up to Bonnie, and Bonnie looks down at the older teen. "What."

"You shouldn't let him treat you like that." Maya softly spoke.

Bonnie turns to look at her, "He's just…been through a lot."

"Don't make excuses for him. I know a sexist man when I see one." Maya looks at Bonnie, "He doesn't respect you as his leader because he doesn't see you as one, and he wants to be in control and the alpha male in this group." She eyes Bonnie's blue eyes, "He doesn't believe women should lead and take charge and only men should lead."

Bonnie looks in the direction where Arvo went, and she replies, "I know you have that gift of insight Maya, but you don't understand everyone's situation."

Maya scuffs as she crosses her arms over her chest, "I know enough. I had men back in my tribe out in Jackson who will pull the same shit. That women are not allowed to be chiefs, or warriors and our only role in our tribe is to be healers, perfect wives, and cook, clean and care, and nurture the young, because they are the gender roles we are supposed to be assigned. When I know perfectly strong women in my tribe who would have been excellent leaders and warriors if the men will drop their sexist ways thinking they are better than us."

Bonnie admires her passion and spirit of not letting people push her around, she wishes she shared that fire when she was with Carver. She looks at Maya and asks her straight up, "A few days ago when you ran into those kids, was one of them a female with black curly hair and amber eyes."

Maya looks back at her and she spoke the truth to her leader, "No. There was a black older teen, with dreads for his hair and freckles on his face similar to Robert, who is named Louis. A blonde hair older teen with unique hazel eyes, her name is Violet, and a little boy who is black who wore a purple hat with a D on it that freaked Arvo out don't know why and the little boy is named AJ."

When Maya said the name AJ, Bonnie looked up at her, "You sure his name is AJ?"

"Yes, I am pretty sure because he is the only one who answered my questions when I asked them. Why?"

Bonnie mumbles, "Well I'll be damned. She kept him alive all this time."

Maya looks at Bonnie reading her expression, "You met these kids before?"

"Not the other two you mention, but the little boy AJ. I helped care for him after his real mother, Rebecca, died shortly after giving birth to him. I knew AJ well before he was birthed in this world and still in Rebecca's womb." Bonnie revealed to Maya her past before things went to hell. "She kept him alive this whole time." She said again out of disbelief. She looks at Maya and then out into the woods, "If AJ is alive, then Clementine must be as well."

Maya is beginning to see a pattern here, "So you know of this Clementine girl too?"

Bonnie looks at Maya, "Yes. I felt bad leaving her behind after….after when Arvo shot her, but also at the time Clementine's friend scared me as a woman, and he reminded me of the man I will never speak of again. So I made the mistake and told Mike to just leave. I was in shock at it all, and…..I wish I could rewind time and make a different choice." Bonnie felt guilty about her actions. "You never met up with her, or did AJ talk about her to you."

Maya didn't want to lie to Bonnie but didn't exactly trust her to keep it quiet either. Maya knows if she tiptoes around this question Bonnie will know of it and will start to question her. So she decided to Bonnie the truth, "Yes. AJ made the comment that Clementine is the leader of their group."

Bonnie arches her eyebrows in surprise at the intel Maya gave her. She then asks but already knows the answer, "You didn't happen to know where their camp is do you, or how many others that are in her group."

"No, unfortunately not. Louis the dread hair boy, ushered AJ away before AJ was going to tell or give out that information. All I know is that Clementine is the leader of her group of teens somewhere in these woods." Maya confesses. "And I am guessing Louis, Violet and AJ are not the only members in her group."

Bonnie nods, "Thank you, Maya."

Maya then hates to ask of this but she doesn't want any harm to come to the three strangers she met up with a few days ago. She closes her eyes for a moment as she opens them again to look at her leader, "You are not going to hurt them, are you? They are just kids trying to survive in the woods like we are, they pose no threat, not like the Delta or the Scythe Lords."

Bonnie looks at Maya and sees the worry in her eyes. "I know. But sometimes people do crazy things when they get desperate. I want to keep my group safe any way I can Maya, just like you will with your sister."

Maya didn't like that answer as she turns, "I will go downstream to find more fish." She walks away as she closes her eyes. She doesn't want any group to fight. She picked up a sphere and headed downstream from Robert a bit. Robert picked up on her shift of mood and came to her.

"You okay Maya?" Robert asks.

"I'm swell," Maya said in a sarcastic tone.

"Bonnie, or Arvo?" Robert asks.

"Both," Maya responded as she waited in the water.

Robert nods slightly, "I'm never a fan of Bonnie myself. But at least she is better than…well.."

Maya flashed him an annoyed glance, "What do you want Robert?"

Robert was hesitant to say or ask her a stupid question. He rubs the back of his neck trying to come up with words to ask. Maya turns to him as he did not answer her question right away, "If you have something to say.."

"That boy you said, Louis?" Robert asks.

"Yes," Maya responded.

Robert looks to Maya then back at Bonnie who was looking at a map then returns his gaze to the older teen, "I've never told anyone this….but I have a son out here somewhere. When Bonnie was leading us to this state I got really anxious and nervous about coming across my son." Robert looks down in the water and took a seat on a wet bolder sticking out from the water, as he places his hands on the back of his neck. "My son's name is Louis. Louis Mason. When my boy was about seven years old, he figured out how to break into my bank accounts and made up a mistress that I supposedly had an affair with, and broke up my marriage with my wife. We got a divorce and my son told the truth, I got so mad and enraged I disowned him and put him in a boarding school called Ericson for people to fix him and make him better. I thought it was the right thing to do at the time, but I was so wrong."

Maya put her fishing sphere down as he was sharing with her something personal. Something she never thought Robert was capable of doing because he always kept to himself. She came near him to hear about his past silently.

"My wife was in such disarray and angry at me she wanted to find him and bring him back. She loved the boy, you know. In some ways, I do too. He is my own flesh and blood for fuck's sake. My creation I made out of love with my wife." Robert confesses. "My wife Monique tried to get him when this hellhole world started. I tried to stop her, but a mother would not leave without her child. Well, she didn't get far over here. A walker came out of nowhere and bit into her leg and arms." Roberts lets out tears as he remembers his past. "I never got a chance to mourn her. Say my goodbye, and then she turned. I had to kill her. I didn't want to. God, I didn't want to. I lost everything, my practice, my wife my child." Robert wipes his tears away as he looks into Maya's soft brown eyes.

Maya softly spoke as she places her hand on his shoulder, "You carry a lot of guilt with you I can sense it. And you feel guilty about your relationship with your son, and you feel remorse for your previous actions."

Robert nods, "That is one way of putting it. Anyways, when you said you came across a dread hair boy named Louis, I think you crossed paths with my son. He too has dread hair strains, like me."

Maya looks at him, "You don't have any dreads, Rob. You're somewhat bald."

Robert smiled a bit, "I did when I was in my early thirties and had dreads as my hairdo."

Maya was still not convinced it was Robert's son, she sighs, "Robert it could be anyone…"

"Maya, I am telling you, you met my son, and I think I know where the group of kids you found is staying at." Robert looks her in the eyes. Maya looks at Robert as he is going to tell her something that she will not repeat to anyone, "Ericson's Boarding School for Trouble Youth is not that far from here. Somewhere southeast in the forest on the other side of this river in that direction." Robert points. "I know this place exists…because I have done the research back then and know this area well. Just kept it quiet from our group because I don't want anything harmful to be done in case he is still alive."

Maya looks at him and then asks, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I trust you and only you in this fucking group, and you are the best tracker I have seen in a long time., and you have a good heart. A merciful and compassionate one and I don't see that often in people these days. Especially in a young teen like yourself." Robert looks at Maya who gave him an 'I'm not amused' look with a hand on her hip. Robert shifts his gaze and he corrected his previous statement, "You know what I mean, younger than an old timer like me. My point is, I don't want any harm come to my son if things get ugly with…" Robert falls silent and trails off. He pauses for a moment as more tears sled out of his eyes, "I want to make amends with my son…I still love him and he is my only child and what I have left to fight for in this world now. I don't want to fucking lose him not when I am this close. If he hasn't been, killed I know he is at that school where I last left him ten years ago."

Maya looks at Robert and sees he is being truthful here, she closes her eyes and softly whispers, "Okay."

Robert looks up with his tear-stained eyes, "What.."

"I will keep what you told me about Ericson's boarding school and see what I can do about tracking down your son. But will do it when I am not being watched.." aya looks over at Bonnie. Then she eyes the old man, "You are a good man Robert. I really mean that, and you have my word." Maya gave Robert a squeeze of her hand of reassurance. Then she turns back to the water and picks up her sphere again to fish. She can't believe she is the only one Robert trusts in this group. If Robert doesn't trust Bonnie or Arvo then something is off and Maya should keep her guard up.

Louis has officially moved into Clementine's room and the two of them have been sleeping near each other for a few nights. Louis's nightmares come and go on some nights, but on other times nights, it was hard for him to fall back asleep. He keeps replaying the images over and over and saying her face in his dreams as slept. He hopes Clem would not notice, and he has a hard time talking about it with her on this. But each night seeing her sleep and her sweet face so peaceful, eased him of his terror, and tries to melt in her embrace.

And AJ and Louis have been bonding a lot, going out hunting, Louis teaching AJ how to reset the traps, and gather food from the trap area. He wants to teach him how to hunt rabbits but knows Clem would not approve. And slowly Aasim has been working with Louis to set up the treehouse for Clementine.

Aasim places a few boards on a tree to build a base floor for the treehouse, and Louis was there helping with this project. He also wants a hand in it so he can tell Clem he helped construct it with Aasim.

The two boys are up in the tree laying and pounding boards when Violet comes in from the gates with firewood. She looks up at the two boys and a questioning but curious look made her walk over near the graveyard to inspect what they were doing, after dropping wood off at Omar's cooking spot, "Louis? Aasim? What the fuck are you two idiots pounding boards into a tree."

Louis looks up from his pounding a bit, "Building a tree house."

"A tree house?" Violet arches her eyebrows. "What for, none of us are eight years old anymore. Well…except for AJ….but still."

Louis looks down at Violet, "it's for Clementine."

Violet looks up at the tree and then in the direction where Clementine is with Ruby in the greenhouse, "And she told you to build a tree house."

Louis looks to Aasim and then back down to Violet, "She doesn't know of it yet. It's a surprise."

Aasim rolled his eyes as he blurted out what Louis is not telling Violet, "He wants to give her something that she and he dreamed up together when they were walking back to the school. A wish list of hers."

Louis closes his eyes as he feels Aasim's pain at Louis teasing him on sweet Ruby. "Shut up dude." Louis hissed at Aasim.

Violet laughs at Louis, "Oh, Lou…you really are a walking cliché. So in love with Clementine."

"Why does everyone keep saying that," Louis shouts.

Aasim and Violet both chimed in, "Because you make it so obvious."

Aasim adds calling back to Louis's own words, "And too easy."

Violet also adds, "And if it is not already clear, you moved into her room a few days ago. Just say that you love her you dummy, we all can see it."

Louis looks at his old friend, "Oh you're one to talk Vi. May I remind you of your own hard time confessing your love to someone who had to come to me for advice?"

Violet gives Louis the finger in a joking way, as she walks away from Louis and Aasim and heads over to Tenn and AJ.

Aasim looks at Louis, "Minnie?"

Louis nods, "Yes. But I am not telling what went down because it's all ancient history. And I swore to secrecy to Vi, so can't break that pack."

"You two have an odd friendship I will never fully understand." Aasim shook his head. Just then Willy comes over and whistles to them to stop working on the project.

Aasim put the tools in the box and climbs down the ladder in the tree along with Louis. They have a system in place. Whenever Clementine is away from school, hunting, fishing, or helping Ruby in the greenhouse Aasim and Louis work on constructing the treehouse for Louis's gift to Clementine. And Aasim looks to Willy, Tenn, or AJ for the lookout of spotting Clementine to return.

It was early October now as the fall colors are beginning to be in full bloom. And Louis still does not know of Clementine's birthday. As Louis and Aasim walk back nonchalantly to the picnic tables for dinner, Louis spots a beautiful bright red leaf that has fallen from a nearby tree and picks it up and plans to put this in his girl's beautiful brown hair. Seeing her walking with Ruby and carrying the pile of herbs made his heart race. He was trying to come up with how he is going to say those words to Clementine and really mean them.

Clementine drops the herbs off to Ruby as she heads in Louis's direction. Louis couldn't help but smile a dorky grin and embraced Clementine's warm hug. When she pulls back some to gaze at Louis, he tucks a strain of hair behind her right ear and places the red leaf in her bun. She smiles and laughs her cute adorable laugh to him, pulls on the collar of his jacket, and kisses him tenderly. Louis felt her smile against his lips when she did that and made him smile and kiss her lips a little bit longer holding her close to his body. He pulls back and nuzzles his nose to hers.

AJ walks past and mutters, "ugh…get a room you two."

Tenn was beside him, "Leave them be."

"The kissing stuff is getting gross to see." AJ said, "and it is getting annoying."

Tenn looks to his friend, "It is not annoying it is sweet. My sister and Vi did that all the time. Showing how much they love each other. It made me happy seeing them happy, and I was happy for my sister."

AJ looks down at the ground then his gaze went back to see Clementine in Louis's embrace still and for the first time, sees a happy glow on her face, as she is smiling a different smile that she doesn't normally express it to the other kids around the school or to him. Only with Louis does she smile a different smile and AJ doesn't understand why. AJ looks at his best friend, "Tenn…why do people smile different smiles."

Tenn looks back to AJ as they sit at a picnic table. "What do you mean?"

AJ looks down at his hands and then back up at his friend, "When Clem smiles at Louis she has a different smile on her face when she does with me, you, Ruby, or Aasim. Why?"

Tenn looks at AJ and then at Clementine who is walking and holding hands with Louis and they are smiling and looking at each other, he then turns his gaze back to his friend, "Because she is in love, AJ. When people are in love with someone, they have different smiles. My sister smiled a lot like Clem is doing now when she was side by side with Violet."

AJ looks down then back at an approaching Clementine and Louis, "So Clem is in love with Louis."

Tenn smiles at his friend, "Looks to be so."

However, AJ doesn't return his smile. As he fears Clementine will have no time for him anymore and just be her and Louis, and that made him mad and sad. He thought having Louis room with them would not be a problem and he was at first happy about it. But now, he feels conflicted about having Clementine's love and attention divided up between Louis and him, and he feels like Louis has the bigger half.

Clementine makes her way to sit beside AJ, "Hey kiddo how was lookout today."

AJ looks up from her, and has a little bit of an attitude, "Fine." Clementine picked that up.

Louis looks at her and decided to talk with AJ, "You want to learn a new song, little man."

"No," AJ said.

Clementine then really picked up that something was wrong, "AJ what is wrong?"

AJ then got angry as he shouted at her, "Why do you care! All you care about is Louis!" Tenn froze at AJ's sudden outburst, as he looks at Clementine and Louis.

Clementine looks to Louis and then to her adoptive son, "Alvin Jr!" AJ angrily got up from the table and storms off near the dorms, and d starts kicking the wall beside one of the benches. AJ cries angry tears and he doesn't understand why this is happening.

Louis looks to Clementine, "What was that all about?"

Clementine looks to him, "I have no idea, but I think I got to go talk to him."

Louis looks at her, "You want me to come too, and try as well."

"No." Clementine shakes her head as her eyes were fixed in the direction where AJ went. Clementine then turns her gaze to look at her boyfriend, "This time it has to be me and AJ kind of talk. His anger was directed at me." Louis nods and squeezes her hand for support. He felt Clementine squeezing his back and soon she lets go and heads in the direction where AJ is at.

Clementine sees AJ kicking at the wall in the dorms out of anger, and sees him crying. Clementine softly spoke to him, "AJ…what's wrong."

AJ looks over his shoulder, "Why do you care."

Clementine eases herself down on the bench, "Because I love you and cared for you since you were born AJ as if you are my child. I know when you are upset about something." When AJ doesn't respond but keeps kicking and breathing hard she tries again with an even softer voice, "AJ please…talk to me."

AJ heard her soft tone and stops kicking. She had that same voice when she asks him to come over to her in James's barn when it was going to be her last moments. AJ slowly turns his head to look at his mother figure, "When I asked Tenn why people smile different smiles, and I made the comment that you smile a different smile when you are with Louis than with me or the other kids, Tenn says that you are in love. Is that true? Are you in love with Louis?"

Clementine looks at her adoptive son and closes her eyes not wanting to admit to him that she is in love with Louis and falling deeply for him but she has never lied to AJ and she wasn't going to start lying to him now. She reopens her eyes to look at AJ and be honest with him, "As much as I don't want to verbally say it out loud, or even admit it to myself, yes AJ. I have fallen in love with Louis."

AJ turns away not looking at her and fixated his gaze on the ground as tears started to come out of his eyes. He wipes his nose off the sleeve of his jacket before crossing his arms over his chest, and in a breaking tone he mumbles, "Then you won't have time for me anymore."

Clementine looks at AJ's half-turned body as the evening shadows fell on his face, and a half smile fell on her face, as she knows AJ is for the first time feeling a bit jealous. "Is that what you think, that because I am in love with someone I won't have time for you anymore?" AJ nods still not giving her any verbal talk. Clementine looks at her adoptive son, "Kiddo, that is not true."

AJ turns to look at her, with his arms still crossed over his chest, "It is not.

"No." Clementine then gets up from the bench and kneels down in front of him.

"Then how come you always have more time for Louis and never me? Why are you and him always together? Do you even want to be around me and play?" AJ asks as he unfolds his arms from his chest to stare down at Clementine.

Clementine reaches out to her son, "Of course, I want to play with you at times, and I always love to be around you, you give me such incredible joy that no one else could give me. Hearing you laugh, is a joyous sound to my ears, and makes me happy beyond words." Clementine closes her eyes as she reaches up and strokes AJ's sweet face and dries his tears with her sleeve. "AJ, you need to know there is a lot of love inside every person. It's just not something that just gets used up and there is no more. Love takes on many different forms, and there is no time limit on love. I love my time with you kiddo just as I love my time alone with Louis. I love my time with both of you in different ways. But you know something that I love more than my romantic times with Louis." AJ shakes his head as he is trying to figure out this concept of love and the different meanings behind it.

Clementine continues, "Is spending it with both of you. You and Louis make my heart complete AJ, and you fill the empty void in my heart that has been lost for a long time now. Something I thought was lost forever when the world turned upside down and I lost everything, even my own family. You, Louis, and the Ericson kids are my family now, and I will never abandon either one of you guys."

AJ looks at her with understanding eyes, "So you still love me even though you love Louis."

"Yes. I will never stop loving you AJ, even if I gave my heart away to a man who loves me and makes me happy differently than you do, in a good way. But you will always be in my heart and I love you more than words can express AJ." Clementine spoke holding AJ near her.

AJ then embraces Clementine and hugs her. Clementine closes her eyes as she got through to him. Then in a soft whisper in her chest she heard him repeat the words back, "I love you back Clem."

Clementine pulls back from his embrace and looks at him, "Are you okay with Louis being in our room? I want you to be really okay with it AJ. I know sharing my affection is not easy, but I don't want you to feel excluded because of my happiness with Louis."

AJ thought about it for a bit then back up at Clementine, "I guess I didn't understand how love works before. Or you can express it in different ways." AJ smiles at her, "He makes you happy, I am okay with it." He watches as Clementine smiles at his words, then he holds her hand and looks at her, "You should tell him, Clem."

Clementine looks to AJ, "Tell Louis what?"

"That you are in love with him." AJ looks at her.

Clementine sighs, "It's complicated bud."

"It is not comp…complli..complicated, to me. You are in love with him just as much as Louis is in love with you, so what is the issue." AJ blurts out, he saw Clementine's shocked face when AJ told her what Louis said to him several weeks back. "He told me when I asked about it when we went scouting the caravan."

Clementine looks at Aj, then over to where Louis is sitting. Her heart rate increased seeing Louis smile with Tenn and Willy and she has an 'in love' smile on her face seeing him like that. Clementine turns her gaze back to AJ, "I will tell him when I am ready AJ. He is the first guy…I.."

"Love?" AJ finishes her thought.

"Yes. And I want to say those words to him when the time is right, and he doesn't freak out." Clementine spoke.

"He won't freak out Clem, he loves you too much." AJ looks at her.

Clementine chuckles, "I know. I feel it in his kiss."

"Then why are you being a chicken and holding back," AJ questions her.

Clementine eyes him, "Because I am afraid if I say those words I love you, I might lose him, and I don't think I can take that pain. As I said it is a complicated thing. And I will tell him when I feel ready and comfortable okay bud."

AJ looks at her and tries to understand Clementine's hesitancy here. "Okay."

"Let's go eat before it gets cold," Clementine said this as a way to change the subject of her love for Louis and think of ways to tell him how she feels.

"Okay." AJ walks off as Clementine follows close behind him.

AJ sits beside Tenn and Willy as Clementine chooses a seat opposite direction of Louis. He looks up at her and she gave a little nod, and mouthed 'I will tell you later.' Clementine ate her meal that Omar cooked and enjoy hearing people's conversations. After dinner, Clementine and Louis walk over to the couches as she watches Tenn and AJ play a game of jacks. Louis puts one arm over her shoulders as he looks down at the two kids playing.

Louis leans beside her nuzzling her neck and leaving behind sweet kisses. He can sense her smiling at his tender touch, and she reaches over and entwines her hands to his. Louis then asked, "Is everything okay with AJ?"

Clementine took her gaze off AJ and Tenn and looks at Louis, "Yes. He had a bit of a jealous moment."

Louis pulls back slightly, "Jealous of what?"

"Do I need to spell it out for you?" Clementine looks into his rich chocolate eyes hinting to him it is Louis.

"Me?" Louis asks.

"Yes," Clementine confirms. "He feels you are stealing me away from him, and that I won't have time for him anymore now that I am with you, and giving you my affection."

Louis casts a look at AJ and Tenn being in gross in the game to even care. He looks away and to Clem and his entwined hands. "I never wanted to come between you and AJ…just…you make me a bit crazy at times, I can't help to show it, how crazy I am about you."

Clementine looks at Louis and leans closer to him, "I know…I told AJ, that my affection can be spread out among the two of you, and that I adore my time with both of you. It is not a competition to me, and I enjoy you both." She kisses his cheek and sees him glowing red. Then in a very tender voice, she spoke out before planting a tender kiss on his lips, "I am crazy about you too, Louis." She looks Louis in the eyes, as this was the closes she has gotten to saying 'I love you' to him. She closes the gap and locks her lips to Louis showing him her love for him. She pulls back from his lips and eyes him with a glow in her eyes and smiles a warm smile at him.

Clementine moves to snuggle her head on his shoulder to watch AJ play. She wanted more of that firey fever feeling Louis gave to her a few days ago, but knowing peeping eyes are around she didn't want everyone to know of her running hormones when she is around Louis, only when they are alone together when she unleashes her passion for him.

Louis and Clementine cuddle together on the couch, keeping each other warm as the early October sunset in the distance, and watching AJ and Tenn play. This is Clementine's favorite part of being the leader of this group. Watching everyone come together as a family and watching the kids just be kids, and not have to worry about danger or surviving how it should be.

Later that night when the camp was asleep except for the night watchers, keeping watch, Clementine and Louis slept soundly until a nightmare entered Louis's dream, and left him paralyzed to fear.

Louis was sleeping peacefully until his nightmares came to him again. This time with a much harder force. He stands there in an out-of-body experience of the incident on the boat by the boat jails. Louis sees Minerva has Clementine pinned to the floor, holding her knife above Clementine's heart. He sees Clementine struggle with Minnie trying to kill her. Louis sees himself shouting at Minerva pleading with the redhead to stop. Louis was shaking as he wants this nightmare to end. He opens his eyes and sees Minerva about to put the knife into Clementine's heart when he hears a voice of a woman behind him. Louis out of shock fires Minerva's crossbow that is meant to go to Minerva instead it went right through Dorian's mouth. Seeing Dorian's face like that and falling to the ground in front of Louis shook Louis. Blood pooled from her mouth to Louis's boots.

Then a voice said you deserve what is coming to you, murderer. Louis tries to climb the walls to escape but something forces him down, and he is laying face down on a metal grate. He then sees Clementine and AJ wearing hooded clothes around their heads. And then Minnie, her evil eyes looking right at him. She takes off Clementine's hooded cloth to have Louis look into her eyes. Minerva then shoves Clementine forward and takes the crossbow, "You took someone important to me, and I will do the same. Say goodbye to your sweetheart Louis!" Minerva shoots the crossbow right into Clementine's skull and Clementine's blood is sprayed on Louis's face. "Clementine! NO!"

Louis flung his eyes open and sat up in bed. Panting as sweat dripped from his forehead. And tears stung his eyes as he wants the pain to go away. This is torturing his soul. He looks at Clementine and normally her sleeping calms him right to sleep after his episode, but not this time. Louis heard the rain outside and knows he isn't going to sleep anytime soon and needed something to distract him from his nightmares. Music is the solution. It helped him after his parent's divorce, the abandonment of the adults in this forsaken place, and the death of his best friend. Even though Louis had forgiven AJ for his actions, there is still a pain in his heart from losing his best friend.

Louis carefully climbs out of bed to not disturb Clementine in her slumber, and he heads to the music room to play tunes to calm his anxious mind and relieve him of his PTSD. Louis makes his way to the admin building as the rain-soaked his body cleansing him of his nightmares.

He makes it to his safe space, the music room, and sits down at his favorite instrument. He strokes the old wooden piano with his fingers, until his fingers found the heart and his and Clem's initials. He smiled at the memory of her confessing she has feelings for him, as it still is fresh in his mind.

"There first time played. We should mark the occasion. I think you have a future in Witlin. I like saying that word. Witlin. Okay, I'll stop. Witlin." Louis looks down to see Clementine thinking about something, then his heart thumps harder when he sees her carving a heart around their initials. He nervously spoke out loud, "Oh is that a potato? It's a heart I see it it's a heart. That is super cool. Really cool." Louis took back the knife Clementine handed him then he sighs as he decided to drop his kiddish ways, and be serious for once to tell her how he feels about her.

"I am going to dig a deep hole from which I will never emerge, cool? Cool. Time to get serious." Louis says with a nervous to his voice of doing something bold he has never done before to anyone.

"Serious, wow, are you feeling okay?" Clementine asks.

"Not really nope uh-hum". Louis admits. He then looks away nervous and hoping she doesn't crush his open heart for what he is trying to voice to her about how he feels. Louis took a deep breath and decided to go for it, "Thanks for being….here. Listening. Blowing on the strings. Coming here and helping me with my project, even after everything I have put you through. And everything I had to work through, for myself. Everyone hears the jokes, and the piano, and after that, they stopped listening. You didn't." He waits anxiously for her answer as he tries to say he likes her more than a friend and has a monster crush on her. He was advised by Marlon to not lose focus as it will only cause heartache and trouble down the line, but Louis couldn't stop his heart, from falling in love.

Clementine shyly looks away for a moment, then back up to Louis's eyes as she admits the truth to him that he has gotten in her heart as well. "So umm…I like you a lot. Like, like you, as more than a friend." Louis was shocked as she liked him back and was too stunned to speak. When he doesn't say anything, she replies, "No jokes? Nothing?" and eyes him with adorable uncertain eyes as she waits for his reply, hoping he doesn't reject her as she is being just as open and vulnerable as he is.

Louis tries to find the courage to speak and swallows the heart that is in his throat and looks into Clementine's beautiful amber gaze that makes him feel like puddy every time he looks into them. "When you said you had feelings for someone during the game, I was hoping it was me. And it is. Holy Shit it's me!" Louis was so ecstatic that Clementine liked him back. He was so giddy about it, his emotions shone through more than he had hoped and it got her to giggle that cute giggle he likes so much. He then looks at his piano and then at her and smiles. In a smooth voice, he continues, "Figured out what to call the song. Clementine, obviously. You know, because I like fruit, but I like you even more…so there."

Louis finishes tracing the heart as he reflects on his memory with Clementine of this moment. His smile was warm as he tried to focus on that instead of his nightmares. He sits on the bench and places his hands over the keys and lightly stroking it to the melody he hummed to her when Clementine was going through her struggles. It helped calm her down. He figured playing this song would help him center his heart to be at peace. The melody flowed in a sweet rhythm as Louis was lost between the piano keys and the song's melody.

…..

Clementine rolls over and expected to feel Louis's chest as she normally would drape it over him. When she doesn't feel his body, she slowly opens her amber eyes to notice the spot beside her is cold, and she notices Louis is gone. And she is no longer sleeping beside him. She knows he is not on lookout duty. It is Willy and Omar's job tonight. Clementine rises from her bed and notices AJ is still sound asleep. Something is going on with Louis, as she notices in the last few weeks, he hasn't been sleeping well on some days. She wants to find out what is troubling him. Clementine moves her body and puts on her prosthetic leg that is beside the dresser and walks outside.

She exits her room and into the hallway with a single-lit candle. She hears the soft rain splatter outside, and the cold wind chills her. She tucks her denim jean jacket closer to her body as Louis is not out in the hallway, and his old room, room 203, is empty. Clementine looks out the window through the rain, as she knows where Louis could have gone.

Clementine opens the doors to go outside into the rain and crosses the courtyard to find Louis in the admin building. Once she is inside, she hears the piano being played as beautiful music fills the darkness. She had never heard him play this song before. Her heart pushed her feet forward as she stood near the cracked open door. Clementine's heart aches to see him like this. She hasn't seen him like this since the raider fight. Clementine closes her eyes and slowly opens them to look at Louis and see his pain. She opens the door up just enough to step through and shuts it behind her, so they have a heart-to-heart moment. She feels one coming on. Since he helped her through her self doubts, Clementine wants to do the same and have him share with her what has been eating at him.

Clementine continues to hear Louis plays this familiar tune, as she recognizes it but can't recall what it is. She walks closer to him until he is aware of her presence and knows she is there. She waited patiently for Louis to finish playing. She knows this is his healthy way to express what is troubling him.

Clementine watches his fingers glide across the piano's keys, and she smiles at him to help give him a little bit of comfort. Louis soon stopped playing and turned to look at her, and Clementine softly spoke, "You don't have to stop playing because I am here, Lou. I enjoy it when you play."

Louis looks up at her, "I kind of forgotten how it ends. The tune I was playing."

"Ah.." Clementine looks at him and leans her body up against the back of the piano. She looks at him, "I never heard you play that song."

Louis blushes, "Because I never had a reason to play it until now." He looked up at Clementine and scooted over so she can sit beside him like before. Clementine moves from the back of the piano to sit beside him.

Louis looks at her slightly, "I didn't wake you did I?"

"No. But I saw you were gone, and you never leave my side at night. What is on your mind, Lou." Clementine said, getting to the heart of the issue.

Louis focuses his eyes on the keys to the piano, "I just couldn't sleep."

Clementine looks at his face and studies it. She knows he is hiding something from her. "I think there is more to it than that. What is going on, Louis? You can trust me." When Louis will still not answer her, she reaches out to him and nuzzles her nose to his neck, giving him all the love and support he needs. She whispers near his ear, "I am here for you, Louis, whenever you need to have your own 'rock', I will be that just please, talk to me and let me in so I can help you, as you helped me in my self-doubts."

Louis looks at her as he has tears in his eyes. She has never seen him cry before. Louis took a breath, and with a shaky voice, he spoke to her about what he was struggling with, "I have vivid nightmares or flashbacks…back on the boat." Louis looked down at his hands as they shake. Clementine saw and placed her hand on his and lightly stroked it. Her touch was so soft and gentle it felt unreal, or Louis was numb with his pain. He tries to calm his nerves but fails. His breathing became shallow as the thoughts were running into his head like on a neverending merry-go-round, "I keep seeing her face when I shot that crossbow. Over and over in my mind, her haunting eyes keep staring at me. It always replays the moment I shot her. And the blood soaks in my feet and hands. Then there is a voice that says, I am a murderer, and going to get what I deserve for taking a human life."

Dorian. Clementine thought as she closed her eyes to feel Louis's pain. She opens her eyes back up again to look at Louis's eyes as the candlelight flickers in those deep rich brown eyes. She softly asks him, "Does it always come in nightmares every night." Louis looks at her and silently nods. Clementine looked at him and spoke her concern, "Why didn't you say anything to me."

Louis sighs, "I thought I could handle it. Make it go away if I distract myself for a bit. But each night, it kept getting stronger and stronger. This last time…" Tears stained his eyes. His voice shook, "I…I saw your…death, Clementine."

Clementine looks at him and moves her body closer to his so he can feel her body heat. "It was just a nightmare, Louis. I am alive and not going anywhere or dying anytime soon, okay?"

Louis turned his head, as her head was near his, "I know it was a nightmare, but it felt so real. Seeing you die like that in my dreams….I don't know what I will do if I lost you or AJ." Louis looks deep into her eyes. Just then, he wants to say those words, but the words get choked up in his throat.

Clementine eyes Louis with sympathetic eyes, she moves her hands from his sides and up his chest, and she puts her forehead to his and her nose to his, feeling him and his heart. She looked up at him and spoke in her heart, "I will never leave you, Louis, or I will try not to put myself in harm's way. I don't think my own heart can take another heartache of watching someone I deeply care for die again." She looks down for a moment, "I lost too many people I cared for as it is."

Clementine buries her head in Louis's chest as she nuzzles him, and showing her affection, she raises her head to look back up into his eyes and softly speaks, "Louis, it is okay to feel this way. It makes you a good person, and not have your heart be hardened like mine was. When you told me that woman was your first, I knew you would struggle with this. I know I did with my first kill, and I wished I had someone to lean on and be my rock at the time."

Louis looked at her and dares to ask, "Who was your first?"

Clementine broke eye contact for a moment as she looked at the heart of her and Louis's initials as she tried to remember the face of the person who was her first living human kill and their name. She refocuses her eyes to Louis, "The man who kidnapped me and lied to me about taking me to see my parents back in Savannah, Georgia before Lee got to me and saved me."

"You never told me that. I thought that man named Lee was your first since you told me the first night you came here when I asked the question, 'Have you ever killed someone you loved'." Louis looks at her.

Clementine shook her head, "No. Lee was the second person I had to kill to spare him from turning. Lee got bit and was succumbing to the walker bit. I killed him out of love and didn't want him to suffer and become a walker."

Louis nods, "That makes sense then." Clementine looks at him with questioning eyes, and Louis continues, "When I brought you back to the school after Aasim, and I found you and AJ, AJ told me what you said to him in the barn. If you got bit, you wanted AJ to kill you, so you don't become a walker, like your friend Lee."

Clementine nods to that sadly, "It was the hardest lesson I had to learn at a young age, and I taught AJ to prepare himself if I get bit and meet my protector Lee's fate." Clementine continues, "It takes a toll on you each time you kill a living person. I know I had a hard time after….after I shot Lee, and had nightmares as well, and believed for the longest time that no matter where I went, I always brought death to the group I am a part of. "

Clementine pauses as she shares with Louis her previous groups before finding a home here with AJ and the Ericson kids. "It happened with my original group, with Lee, Kenny, Katjah, Duck, Lily, and Ben. The first to die in the group after Lily shoots Carly is Duck. He was my childhood friend, if you can call it a childhood. We started together surviving in a motor inn, and he was the only kid I have ever come to know, sort of like a brother I never had. Then Duck got bit when we all tried to flee a group of bandits who stormed our camp." Clementine looked at him as he was intrigued to hear about her past. "When Lee told Kenny to stop the train we were traveling on, because Duck was out of time, and we needed to put him down because he was going to turn."

Louis takes Clementine's hands and strokes her hand with his thumb, "Did he turn."

Clementine looks at him, "From what Lee told me, no. Kenny wouldn't allow it. Duck was Kenny and Katjah's only child. And when Kenny and Lee came back from the woods, there was no Katjah with them, and Kenny looked so distraught and broken. I only suspect, Katjah committed suicide and couldn't deal with the pain. Kenny told me the truth later when I met up with him in my other group I was a part of that Katjah killed herself at the thought of ending Duck's life." Clementine looks to Louis, "I never told anyone that. Not even AJ knows who Duck is. I tried to tell AJ about Kenny because Kenny loved AJ as a second chance at being a father. He is the only one who nicknamed AJ Alvie. Don't tell AJ that, as he still hates it when I call him 'goofball.'"

That got Louis to chuckle some, and he promised Clementine he wouldn't call him that. "I promise that nickname for AJ is locked in my vault of secrecy." Louis then looked at her, and in a serious tone, he dared to ask, "What happened to Kenny, if you don't mind me asking."

Clementine looks at him, "He died. He was teaching me to drive one time on the open road. I thought I was doing a good job, but I lost control of the steering and crashed the car I was driving and sending Kenny flying through the windshield. It is how I got this scar on my forehead." Clementine points just above her right eyebrow of an old indented scar. Louis reached out and touches her scar briefly, and she smiled when he did that. Clementine continues to tell the story of what happened to Kenny, "I tried to save him and try to get him to safety as walkers were closing in on us fast, and I had to make a choice, save Kenny or AJ, but he was a stubborn man made my choice for me and died nobly to ensure AJ, and I lived. He trusted me with AJ to look after him and raise him. I turned my back away, as I knew what was going to happen, and I didn't want to see it. He was like my uncle. And the one quote he spoke to me that I will never forget is this, 'Family is what you make it.' I am finally understanding what he meant by that quote," She looks at Louis and smiles, "You, AJ, and the rest of the Ericson kids are my family, and I feel at home when I am with you."

Louis was warmed by that and moved to kiss her forehead, "You and AJ are my family as well, Clem." They held each other for a moment, then Louis pulled away, "Thank you for helping me. I never knew you had it rough, and we share some not-so-pretty things in our life, and I am kind of thankful you understand what I am dealing with. I just don't want to admit it."

Clementine kisses his cheek and smiles, "I understand, and thank you for sharing and telling me what is bothering you. Talking about it is scary, and at times, it makes you feel weak, but really, it helps you grow and become stronger. And you don't have to share it with everyone Lou, only me if you want. I will try my best to help you if you are struggling." Louis smiles at her and squeezes her hand. Clementine looks at him and eyes the piano, "You want to play your song?"

Louis looks at her, "Actually, something different." Louis turns to face the piano and begins to play the melody of when Clementine first came into the music room that night.

Clementine melted to his playing and watched as Louis's fingers glided across the white keys like birds on the surf. She then looks up at him and asks, "Can you teach me?"

Louis pauses in his playing and looks down over his shoulder at her, "You want to learn to play."

"Always been on my mind, just been busy with other things and preparing for winter, but yes. I always wanted to learn an instrument. The only instrument I ever touched was the bazooka in the first grade, before, well.." Clementine admitted.

Louis chuckles to that, "bazooka, huh…."

"Don't laugh. It was the only one that made a funny noise." Clementine teases.

"I am not laughing." Louis held his hands, "Just never picture you with a bazooka." Clementine playfully nudges him, and Louis nudges her back. He then gets up from the seat, and Clementine tries to get up, but Louis says, "No, no, you stay where you are."

Clementine looks at him, "Then why are you getting up? Are you going to teach me?"

Louis smiles warmly and comes near her, "Yes, but for me to teach you, I got to be behind you, so you know how to place your fingers on the keys."

Clementine shyly smiles as she knows what Louis has in mind. She tries to hide her blushing, but it shows through with the candlelight, "Okay."

She scooches forward a bit to have Louis sit behind her. She felt the firey fever pick up again as things between him and her became intimate. Louis touched her hands and brought them to the first placement on the keys to play the notes. Clementine's heart raced with every touch coming from Louis, and her pulse increased a bit faster. He presses her hands down on the white keys as the melody of this new song starts to form. The piano music filled the room up, and Louis guided her hands over the keys as he did earlier. It was so thrilling. And Clementine had love in her eyes. She looks at him, and then the melody clicks as she plays the song he hummed to her when she was going through a rough time.

"Is this the song you hummed to me when I had my self-doubts?" Clementine asks as she turns to look at him slightly.

Louis leaned close to her ear and softly spoke, "Yes. This is one of my favorite piano pieces by one of my favorite film composers."

Clementine nods, "And mind I ask where this is from?"

Louis blushes a bit and shyly responds, "The love theme from the film Pearl Harbor. I forgot the actual name, but I remember it is played during all the romantic moments in that film, especially the umm…." Louis coughs a bit as he was nervous to say it, "the sex scene."

Clementine nods to that and smiles at him, being bashful here, "Ah..well, it is a very pretty song. Almost feels like I am flying and floating away."

Louis looks at her, "That is why it is my favorite. And I feel calm when I hear it. Gives me a sense of peace."

They played the tune a bit longer and sat and enjoyed the melody as both of their hearts pounded wildly with the intense emotion they felt with each other and being this intimately close. Louis looks at her over her shoulder, smiling an in-love smile at her, and can't help falling under her spell and being bewitched by this magic romantic moment, and kisses her neck softly. He heard Clementine giggle a bit to his touch, and soon she too fell under a spell and turned her head and eyed Louis's eyes with the love reflecting in her eyes. Then like the force of gravity, their heads come together, and both of them lock lips to each other, and she kisses him passionately.

Clementine felt the fire take flight in her soul as Louis stopped playing the piano, and they were wrapped in each other's embraces and having a heavy make-out session. Clementine's heart raced when she felt Louis pull away from her lips a bit and moves them down the slope of her neck. For the first time, Clementine's eyes rolled back, and she gripped Louis's jacket to feel that intense feeling. She doesn't know what he is doing to her to make her feel this way, but my god, it felt so good. Clementine felt his lips return to hers, and she wrapped her arms around his strong neck, pulling him near her and giving him what she felt for a while. She felt his tongue on hers, which only teased her about going farther. Clementine moves her hand to go into Louis's hair and felt his dreads against her fingertips, and she felt Louis's body tremble at her touch.

Louis guides her so her back is pressed against the keys of the piano, and he hears the thud sound of the keys being pressed down from the weight of Clementine's body up against them and his own hands pressing down on the keys to get better support. He felt her hands move down his cheeks and make their way to his collarbone as she felt the smooth skin near his neck and stroked it tenderly. Louis loved every minute of this and felt their own fire in his soul as Clementine hit all the right buttons to turn up the heat. Louis moves his hand to stroke her shoulders a bit as he tries to feel the passion that Clementine is giving him. But when he tried to go a bit down the firey passion road, Clementine pulled away from him.

Clementine soon pulled away because the moment was getting too intense for her liking. She slowly opens her eyes, and so does he, as they both look into each other's eyes and breathe heavily. Finally, Clementine spoke, "Did we just make out."

Louis looks at her, "I think we did."

Clementine looks at him, "You are a good kisser for someone who never had a girlfriend. That was the best kiss I ever had."

Louis blushes at that compliment and rubs the back of his head out of nervousness, "Thanks….." Louis then looks to her and returns the compliment that got Clementine to blush, and Louis saw it, "You are a good kisser yourself. Make a man go crazy for you, you know. A few more minutes and we could be walking that forbidden path that we are not ready for."

Clementine smiles and places her hands on his, "I see…." She looks down at their joined hands, "I'm sorry these feelings I have…."

Louis chuckles, "hormones."

Clementine looks up, "Right, hormones. They are hard to control sometimes when I am around you and when we kiss like that. I tend to get lost in the moment."

Louis places his forefinger under Clementine's chin to bring her lips to his once more. Before he kisses her lightly, he smiles and tenderly speaks, "I love it when you get lost in the moment, as I too can't help my hormones as well…you have me…go crazy…for yo.." Louis couldn't finish the sentence as Clementine locks her lips to his once more, and encircles her arms around his neck. Louis's heart was pounding like mad as Clementine, and he made out for the second time on the piano bench. Took them another few minutes to pull away from each other and not let their emotions rule them.

Clementine smiles and puts her head under his chin like before. She heard Louis's heartbeat wildly with her own, and she felt Louis leaving kisses on her head. And the two just held onto each other, hearing the rain and forgetting the piano. Until sleep came over them, and Clementine and Louis headed back to the dorms to sleep until dawn.