Clementine stared at the bridge as she ate from her can of beans, getting lost among the opaque green of the forest trees.

When she finished eating, she turned to the people around her, listening to Luke talking with Walter and Mattew next to Nick, Carlos talking with Sarah, and checking on Pete, who seemed increasingly tired of that bed, and insisted on getting up, even though Carlos said he couldn't force himself.

After a while, Luke approached her, while Nick entered the station with Walter and Matthew.

Luke- It looks like they have a ski lodge up the road, they invited us to stay. It's pretty big, and looks safe enough for the night.

He said, sitting down next to her and staring at the trees ahead.

Clementine-... Have you ever thought that this could be a trap?

She asked after a few moments of silence, propping her elbows on her legs and her head in her hands.

Luke - Why do you say that? They seem like good people, and they gave us food, which, compared to the standards of people nowadays, is an extremely generous thing.

Clementine- I've met people like this before, who looked nice on the outside, but turned out to be real pieces of shit.

Her mind was flooded with memories of the St. John's farm, where she almost ate a man's leg.

Luke- Well, even if they try something, we outnumber them here.

"Yeah, that could change any moment if we go to where their group is"- She thought, but said nothing, focusing her gaze on the leaves of the trees that swayed gently with the light wind that blew.

Some time passed, and Walter, Nick and Matthew came out from inside the station.

Nick- They are going back to the ski lodge now, get your things and let's go.

He said, walking over to Carlos and standing beside Pete's stretcher, who looked bored.

Pete - You know, I could just limp up the road...

He insisted once more.

Carlos- For the thousandth time Pete, no, you need to rest.

Pete- Damn, I lost a leg not a lung to rest that much. Rebecca is pregnant, and she is walking, why can't I?

he said, a little irritated. Clementine could understand the old man's anger, she herself felt useless when she had to depend on other people.

Nick -Because you don't have two legs anymore, Grandpa.

He said half-jokingly, lifting the stretcher with Carlos's help, and started walking soon after.

Pete - Give me a big branch to lean on and that's it, walking.

Carlos didn't answer, just sighed and shook his head at his insistence.

It took them almost two hours to get to the lodge. Clementine's eyes ran over the place, looking around.

It was a huge lodge, to say the least, but it was much safer than sleeping in the forest.

Walter- We still have plenty of energy, one of the reasons we decided to stay here longer. Plus we have plenty of food.

He started to explain some more things, but Clementine stopped listening.

She turned back, just checking that no walkers were following them, but her golden eyes focused on something else.

She swore she saw a light moving through the forest, not high enough to tell for sure, but something certainly moved.

"...Are they still after us?" - She asked mentally, remembering when Nick said they had been on the run from Carver for a long time.

- Who are they, Walter?

An oddly familiar male voice made itself present, and Clementine looked forward, seeing her group standing in front of the lodge door.

Walter- Oh, this is Luke and Nick, we met them and their group at the station down there. We decided to help them, they seem to need it.

Mattew- Yes, especially since they have a pregnant woman and an old man without a leg.

Pete- "Old" my ass!

Pete said a little irritated, but in an amused tone.

Mattew looked at him half embarrassed and with a silly smile.

Mattew- Sorry...

Clementine turned back once more, still looking for the light she saw.

After a few moments, she gave up looking and walked towards the group. As she passed Luke, her eyes widened as she saw one of the people standing in front of her.

Clementine- Kenny?

Her voice came out more surprised than she wanted it to, but she couldn't really help it, for all she knew, Kenny was dead...actually missing, but in a world like that, it was the same thing as dying.

Kenny's brown eyes almost popped out of his eyeballs at the sight of Clementine, shock and surprise was evident, not only in his gaze, but on his face.

Kenny- Clementine?

He said with his mouth slightly ajar.

Clementine was happy to see the man, despite her not-so-good history with him, but her mind soon recalled Duck. The boy missed his father, even more so since the last time he saw him was in the middle of a gunfight, she could imagine how happy Duck would be to see Kenny alive, and apparently, well.

Clementine- It's so good to see you Kenny.

She said with a small smile on her face, walking towards the man and giving him a small hug, in which was reciprocated by him.

Clementine felt Kenny squeeze her tightly and whisper some inaudible things. She then lifted her head, looking into Kenny's regretful, still wide-open eyes.

She wasn't angry with him, not anymore, she had no reason to harbor anger towards someone she thought was dead, and in a way, she even missed him, his spontaneous manner had proven to be very funny in the old days.

Kenny- Jesus... My God Clem... It's great to see you again.

He said sentimentally, undoing his arm and taking a few steps away from the girl.

Mattew- Um..."that" Clementine?

The young man said quietly, but loud enough for them to hear, and both Clementine and Kenny turned their faces to him.

Walter- Kenny talked a little about you, not much, but he doesn't talk much about the past.

He said gently, opening the door of the inn and stepping inside.

Kenny raised his eyes, as if analyzing the people Clementine was with.

Kenny-... Come in, let's talk inside.

He said, turning and walking into the inn.

Matthew- You can leave your weapons here.

The man said, removing his rifle from his back and placing it on the bench a few inches from the door.

Nick-... I think I will keep my rifle, thank you.

He said half hesitantly.

"Don't you think you should have been suspicious earlier?" - The girl thought, rolling her eyes internally.

Mattew- No need, like I said, if we wanted to do something bad, we would have done it already.

Kenny looked at them for a few moments, then turned his eyes to Clementine.

Kenny - Are they nice people?

Clementine looked at them for a while, focusing her eyes on Rebecca for a while.

Clementine- Good enough to not do anything stupid.

She said, following Kenny with her eyes as he placed the rifle he was holding on the bench beside Matthew's gun.

Nick and Luke looked at each other, and after a while, they also left their guns there.

Clementine- Can I...?

She asked, not wanting to part with the machete, it made her uncomfortable, vulnerable, and the pocket knife she had in her back pocket didn't offer much protection.

Kenny looked at her in confusion for a while, until his eyes focused on the handle of the machete.

Kenny-... As long as you keep it in its sheath, I don't mind.

He said, walking up the stairs.

Nick-what? Why can she keep her weapon?

Kenny- Because I trust her, and I know her, don't get me wrong, but I just met you guys.

He said in a neutral voice, looking at Nick.

Luke- It's okay, isn't it Nick? We don't mind.

He said, and went up the stairs, accompanied by the rest of the group.

Clementine followed Kenny to some couches further away, in front of a fire, and sat down across from him.

It was kinda nice to see a familiar face again, especially someone she hadn't seen in a long time.

Kenny-... It doesn't even seem true, I've dreamed a lot about the day I would see you again. Not a day has gone by that I haven't regretted what I did.

His embarrassed eyes seemed to want to avoid Clementine's, but forced themselves to look at them.

Clementine-Kenny, it's okay. I think I forgave you a long time ago, or something like that, I don't care what you did anymore, I'm alive.

She said, not trying to comfort him, but because she really didn't care anymore.

Besides, even Lee didn't hate him, why would she hate him?

Kenny- Even so Clem, I haven't had the opportunity to ask for forgiveness, or to make up for what I did. Looking back now, I am ashamed of my decisions, it wasn't fair, not to you...not to Lee... fuck, not even to my family.

There was real hurt in her words, which left Clementine not knowing what to do. No one had ever asked her for forgiveness, usually people cursed her, so this was something relatively new to her.

Clementine - Like I said Kenny, I don't hold grudges, what you did was horrible, but it's over... Lee didn't hate you, you know? Sure, he was pretty pissed at you, but that's all, he didn't dwell on what you did, he focused on surviving.

She said as gently as she could, looking deep into Kenny's brown eyes.

Kenny- Still, I'll never forget it. Fuck, I almost killed you, a little eight year old girl, I don't know what was wrong with me to do something so cruel... fuck, I almost killed Lee, and he was only trying to do the right thing, I realize that now.

He lowered his eyes, his mind flooded again with past memories, which he remembered every day, over the years that had passed.

Clementine - Like I said Kenny, I'm alive... and it wasn't you who killed him... it was me.

He looked at her, confused and surprised. The girl sighed, feeling her chest hurt.

It always hurt when she remembered the past.

She always regretted the things she had done, the things she had said... even the things she hadn't said.

She bitterly regretted not telling Lee that she loved him too.

Clementine- If I hadn't used that damn radio, if I had just ignored that man, I wouldn't have been kidnapped. Lee wouldn't have been shot...he wouldn't have been bitten, he wouldn't have lost an eye...and he wouldn't have been abandoned in a building infested with dead people.

It was her turn to have her eyes and voice cloaked in regret, causing Kenny to look at her sympathetically.

Kenny- Don't think like that Clem, he made a choice, and he said he would protect you until the day he died, right?

Clementine - But if I hadn't done that, he would still be here to protect me.

Kenny-... Did you ever stop to think how he felt when he found you again?

She looked at him, surprised and a little confused.

Clementine- What do you mean?

Kenny- He was shot, like you said, and you were kidnapped. Can you imagine how he felt to get you out? To see you one more time before you were separated?

She widened her eyes a little, she had never really stopped to wonder what Lee was thinking at that moment, and then she remembered the smile he had given her when he found her.

It was not a disappointed face, a sad smile, or an angry expression. He smiled at her happily, relieved.

Kenny- Clem, Lee loved you as if you were his daughter, anyone could see that. I guarantee you that he felt like the happiest man in the world to see you again, to see that you were fine. He had another chance to see you, and he grabbed that chance with both hands, you don't have to feel guilty. He protected you before you guys got separated, as much as he could, and I say he was very proud of that. If you want to blame someone, blame the man who kidnapped you.

The girl listened attentively to the words that came out of Kenny's mouth, and she didn't even realize when she had started to cry.

Kenny-Lee wouldn't leave you alone, not while he lived, not while he knew you were in danger. When he found you, he wasn't saddened by the situation he was in, I guarantee you that, he felt proud, relieved, happy, fulfilled. He was proud to sacrifice his life for you and I tell you, you don't have to feel guilty about it. You have to honor his memory by being happy to be alive, that's what he sacrificed himself for, if you feel guilty about it, you would just be trampling on the sacrifices he made.

She had never thought that way, she had always blamed herself for what happened to him, and although she still felt it was her fault, she regretted not considering Lee's feelings.

He wouldn't do everything he did if he didn't love her, if he wasn't willing to sacrifice himself for her. He might as well abandon her, she wouldn't blame him, she knew she deserved it.

Feeling the heavy tears that she had held back for so long run down her face, she hugs Kenny as tightly as she can, letting all the frustration she felt during those years leave her body.