Super long chapter to hopefully make up for the super long wait.

I did want to address that I have gotten a few pms and comments regarding the twins. To answer some questions, I did have plans for Clem to have twins for quite a while, when I had first started Unravel. I choose to use Crystal (OmnitrixWielder1124's OC) as Aleena's twin because I got to know and love her as a character. OmnitrixWielder1124 is also a good friend of mine on this website, and I'm glad he allowed me to use Crystal.

Anyway, thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.

Without further ado, enjoy.


Kenny's eyes were wide when he noticed the small figure at the gate. A child… It had to be a child.

Without second thought, he went to open the gate. The second he did so the child seemed to freeze. It was a young girl, she looked about eight or nine. The girl was alone, which concerned him. It wasn't safe for a child to be alone in a world like this.

"Hey…" He spoke in a calm voice, trying not to startle the child. "Are you alright?"

The little girl seemed to start trembling.

Kenny slowly made his way towards her, "I'm not gonna hurt you. I promise."

The child didn't say a word. She looked around anxiously as if ready to run.

Not wanting to risk the chance of the child running off, Kenny stopped his movement. He reached for his walkie-talkie and spoke into it. "Edith, are you available."

"I'm free." Edith responded after a moment.

"Do you mind coming to the gate? It's important…" Kenny said.

A paused.

"What's going on?" Edith asked.

"Just get here… Please." Kenny sighed.

"On my way." Edith said.


"Are you sure you're okay, Clem?" Gill asked. Clementine had lost count of how many times he had asked her that.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Clementine asked calmly as Gill pushed her chair back towards the hospital.

"I just… never saw you get like that before." Gill replied.

"I think it was pretty badass." Becca said.

"It was dangerous…. Someone could've gotten hurt." Gill said.

"And they would've deserved it." Clementine said.

Gill was surprised by how calm the girl was.

"Do you really mean that, Clem?" Sarah asked.

"I do." Clementine said. "They started it anyway."

"Forget them." Becca said. "How are my Goddaughters?"

"They're good. We can go see them if you want." Clementine said.

"Clem…I think I'm gonna head home. Mom gets nervous if I'm gone too long." Gill said.

"Oh… Okay, bye, Gill." Clementine said.

"See you, Clem." Gill said, before walking off.

"Do you think he's mad at me?" Clementine asked after a moment.

"What for?" Becca asked. "You did nothing wrong."

Clementine didn't know how to respond.

"C'mon. Let's go see the twins." Becca start pushing the wheelchair while Sarah followed along.


When Edith arrived at the gate, she was surprised to see the small child, clutching to a stuffed rabbit while trembling in fear.

Edith approached Danielle, but the child kept her distance from Edith.

She tried to talk to the girl, but the child refused to speak. She was clearly frightened by the strangers.

"Hi... My name's Edith..." Edith spoke in a gentle voice. "I know you're scared, hon… But we want to help you."

The child didn't break her stare, and she didn't say a word.

"That's a cute bunny." Edith said, seeing the toy the child had. "What's her name?" Edith asked.

Danielle looked down to the toy in her arms before looking back to Edith. She didn't appear as tense as when Edith had initially approached her.

Edith waited for the child to answer, but she didn't.

However, the child didn't keep staring at Edith with the same tense look from earlier. She started looking at her toy more often. A while went by before the child made an attempt to talk. Nothing came out. It was as if she didn't know how to talk.

"How about we get you inside?" Edith suggested.

The girl nearly took a step back.

"It's okay… You're safe here. I promise." Edith spoke in a gentle voice.

It took several moments before Edith was finally able to convince the girl that everything would be okay and that they want to help her.

The child hesitantly allowed Edith to take her small hand, while nervously eyeing Kenny every so often.

Edith knew not everyone would be happy about them letting the girl in, but there was no way they could just leave her out there. She was just an innocent child.


Edith and Kenny brought the panic-struck little girl to the hospital to be checked over. Seeing how nervous the child seemed in Kenny's presence, Edith asked him to wait outside.

The girl seemed to calm down a bit as Kenny left the room but panic quickly returned when she caught sight of the male doctor.

The girl tucked herself into a corner, clinging tightly to her stuffed toy.

"Sweetie, it's okay… Everything's okay…" Edith said.

The girl was nearly in tears and nothing they said could get her to move from the corner she was backed into.

"Honey, we just want to help you. I'm a doctor." The doctor said.

The child whimpered a bit, keeping her distance.

Edith noticed see seemed to panic more around men. She tapped the doctor's shoulder. "May I have a word with you outside?"

"Of course." The doctor said.

Edith looked over to the frightened child, "I'll be right back, sweetie."

The child gave no response. Edith was worried about the young girl. The two adults stepped from the room.

"I don't know what happened, but she… seems a bit frightened about men in general." Edith said. "Perhaps we could have a female doctor look her over."

"Oh…" The doctor said. "That shouldn't be a problem."

"I'm sorry about this, but I just don't want her to be uncomfortable." Edith explained.

"It's not big deal. I'll get another doctor to check in on her." The doctor replied.

"Thank you." Edith said.

Edith returned to the room as the doctor walked off. "It's okay, sweetie, he's gone."

The child still remained silent, looking nervous.

"No one's going to hurt you, I promise. You're safe here." Edith said.

She didn't expect a response from the little girl.

"Where are your parents? Your mommy and daddy?" Edith asked.

The girl lowered her head with a frown.

Edith didn't take long to realize that the child's parents were probably gone. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I… I'm going to look after you. I'll make sure you're okay. I promise."


When the girls got into the hospital, they headed to the room but were surprised to see a couple doctors inside.

"Wh-What's going on?" Clementine called.

"Aleena had an apnea episode." Christa answered.

"What's that mean?" Sarah asked.

"She stopped breathing..." Christa said looking worried.

Suddenly, Clementine found her own self having difficulty breathing. She felt her body quiver a bit. An uneasy feeling in her stomach as a vision of the past filled her mind.

The girl felt her knees buckle and the world around her went dark. She couldn't hear the concerned calls of her name. She couldn't feel Christa take her into her arms and carry her over to the bed.

She was completely lost in her mind.

She found herself in some house. Luke was helping her after a bath and suddenly she could hear the yells of a woman- though she couldn't recall the person's name.

"LUKE! LUKE, GET IN HERE!" The woman's voice was filled with panic. A panic that made Clementine nervous as well.

Clementine felt herself being scooped up by Luke and rushed into a living room. There stood the woman, doing CPR on baby Aleena, while Crystal cried from the noise around her.

"What's wrong?!" Luke asked, concern in his voice.

"The baby stopped breathing!" The woman yelled.

Clementine found herself struggling to remember this woman's name.

"W-What?!" Luke placed Clementine down and rushed over to the woman. "What the hell happened?!"

"She... she just stopped breathing!" The woman replied.

Luke took over the CPR. Aleena baby was limp as a ragdoll, but she still had a pulse. It took many compressions and rescue breaths before the tiny infant once again began squirming and crying.

Clementine forced herself to her feet, reaching for her daughter.

Luke passed the baby over to Clementine, helping the child take a seat back on the bed.

Clementine hugged her daughter close and shot the woman a distrusting look, wondering what she had done to her baby.

She tried to recall the woman's name, but she drew blank. Nothing was registering… yet she had a bad feeling about her.

The more she thought about it, the more her head her. As images flashed in her mind. More memories of that woman flooded her thoughts…the nail file, the pills, and the deck...

"Clementine, breathe." Christa's voice reached her ears, and she felt the woman's hands on her shoulders as she snapped back into reality.

She couldn't ward off the anguish she felt, along with anger.

That woman... Jane...

Jane...

Realization quickly hit her… Jane had tried to kill her baby.

"C-Clem?" Sarah said nervously, almost whispering. "Are you okay?"

Clementine barely registered the question; the flashback shook her. She could feel her little body trembling. She held her chest and took a breath, then another, and another.

"It's okay, you're safe, Clem. Just breathe. In through your nose, out through your mouth." Christa said.

Clementine did her best to follow Christa's instructions.

"Are you okay?" Christa asked slowly and deliberately, her expression filled with worry.

"I…" Clementine paused, looking around the room, she noticed she was still in the hospital room, now seating on the bed with Christa kneeling in front of her. "Y-Yeah… I want to hold my babies."

"Sure, Clem. Sure." Christa said.

Clementine felt sick. "W-Why? Why did my baby stop breathing?"

"Possibly sleep apnea. Infant with severe BPD usually tend to have higher apnea hypopnea." One of the medics said.

All three of the girls looked confused.

"Sleep apnea is when someone stops breathing in their sleep. Aleena stopped breathing for about forty second. She's okay now, but we're going to have to keep a close eye on her..." Christa said.

"We can't be entirely sure if it was apnea. It could have been something else not related to her BPD. It could have been a case of SIDS caught early." The medic said.

"SIDS? What is SIDS?" Clementine asked nervously.

"Sudden infant death syndrome…" Sarah said. "I read about it in one of dad's medical books…"

Clementine felt panic hit her. "My baby's not gonna die, r-right?"

"She's not going to die, Clem. I promise. Both your twins are okay." Christa said.

"We did an oximetry test. The good thing is she's okay. The bad news is you guys are going to have to stay here another day or two so we can monitor her." The medic said.

Clementine couldn't even complain. She just wanted to be sure her daughter was okay.

Christa placed the twins into their mother's grip and Clementine held them close. "Girls, I think it might be best if you two head home… The twins will be fine. I promise."

"Okay… See you later, Clem…" Sarah said.

Clementine didn't respond to her friends; she just kept her attention on her babies, while listening to Aleena's soft breathing.


Clementine held the twins in her arms, sitting almost as if frozen in place.

It had been a good while since the doctors, as well as Sarah and Becca left.

"How about you put them in the crib so they can sleep?" Christa spoke to the girl.

Clementine shook her head. "I don't want to."

"They'll be fine, Clem."

"I don't want to take the risk." The child wore a solemn expression as she muttered, "I hate hospitals."

"Don't say that, Clem." Christa sighed.

"I do…" Clementine said.

"Hate's a strong word. You shouldn't say it unless you mean it." Christa said.

"I do mean it." Clementine stated. "I really do."

"Well, hospitals help a lot of people. It's a good thing they helped Aleena." Christa replied.

"Yeah…" Clementine said. "But if my mommy was here, she could've helped Leena herself. We wouldn't have to go to a hospital. Mommy was a very good doctor. She worked super hard."

"I'm sure she was a good doctor." Christa said. "But hospitals aren't bad, Clem."

"I feel like we're trapped here."

"We don't have much longer before we can leave, sweetie." Christa said.

"They said we could go home tomorrow, but now they're gonna make us stay longer…" Clementine mumbled.

"They just want to be sure Aleena's okay…" Christa told her.

"Except she's not okay. Or they wouldn't want to send her home with that giant oxygen tank…" Clementine huffed. "It's bigger than her."

"Being able to go home is progress." Christa said. "Try not to be so negative…" She knew Clementine had picked up her negative thinking from other people around her. The little girl wasn't like this when she first met her…

"Okay…" Clementine said with a sigh. "I'll try not to be…"

"I have a surprise for you." Christa suddenly said.

Clementine didn't reply. She wasn't in the mood for surprises.

Christa still went to grab the "surprise". She was sure the child would like it.

When she did, Clementine wasn't expecting to see a pair of crutches with a brace on them. "These are forearm crutches. The doctor thinks this might help you with your walking. I know you're tired of the wheelchair."

Clementine hesitated to look at the crutches before asking, "Can I try them?"

"Sure." Christa said. "Can I put the twins in their crib?"

Clementine bit her lip, clutching to them for a moment. "Th-They'll be okay, right?"

"They'll be fine. Don't worry." Christa reassured the child.

"…Okay…."

Christa gently took the twins from Clementine's arms and placed them in their crib. After doing so she help Clementine put on the forearm crutches.

The girl tried her balance with them for a few minutes before asking, "Can… Can I practice in the hall?"

"Okay, just be careful. And don't tire yourself out too much." Christa said.

"I'm always careful." Clementine claimed.

"We both know that's not true." Christa said.

"I will be though." Clementine said. "I can take care of myself."

"Alright, Clem."


Kenny stood in the silent hallway, pacing back and forth.

He was worried about the young girl he had found. What was a child doing all alone? The girl had seemed terrified. Kenny was bewildered. Had she been separated from her group?

As he continued pacing, he didn't even notice little Clementine stumbling towards him, with a pair of crutches. It wasn't until the child called out, "Kenny!" that he looked over to her.

"Hey, Clem. When'd you get those?" Kenny asked, noticing her new crutches.

"Just now… Christa gave them to me." Clementine said.

"That's good. How was the park?" Kenny asked.

"Okay..." Clementine's response was vague. She didn't want to talk about it.

"When'd you get back?" Kenny asked.

"A while ago. I didn't want to play with those kids..." Clementine admitted.

"Well, where's your little boyfriend?" Kenny asked in a slightly teasing tone.

Clementine wrinkled her nose. "I don't have a boyfriend."

"Okay, okay. Where's your friend?" Kenny rephrased.

"Gill had to go home." Clementine said. "I would've liked to play with Terrell more, but I wanted to be with my twins."

Kenny rose a brow, "What do you like so much about that Terrell guy?"

Clementine shrugged. "He's nice. And he's cute."

Kenny frowned at that. "You think he's cute."

Clementine nodded and Kenny didn't miss the light blush on the child's face.

"Well he's too old for you. Boys his age only want one thing anyway." Kenny said.

"To fuck?" Clementine questioned.

Kenny cringed at that. "Uh… forget I said anything…"

Clementine shrugged.

"What are you doing by yourself, darlin'? Where's Christa?" Kenny asked.

"In the room…" Clementine muttered. "She said I could practice with these…"

Kenny noticed the glum look on the girl's face and asked, "Something the matter?"

"I want to go home. I'm tired of being here." Clementine said.

"You could always come back with me and Sarita, darlin'."

"I want to go home with my daughters." Clementine said.

"I know..."

"Aleena stopped breathing earlier…" Clementine mumbled.

Kenny's eyes widened. "What?! Is she okay?"

"She's okay now… But I want her to be okay forever. They're supposed to be doctors! Why aren't they making Leena healthy?" Clementine huffed.

"She's here so they can make her healthy…" Kenny said.

"They said we could leave soon, but they lied. They always lie! I wish my mommy was here. She'd make Leena all better. We wouldn't need to be in a stupid hospital." Clementine said.

"Hey, calm down... They just want to help, Clem." Kenny said.

"Well, they're not helping!" Clementine snapped.

"They're doing their best, Clem." Kenny replied calmly.

"I guess their best isn't good enough." Clementine crossed her arms.

"What's gotten into you, Clementine? You never act like this." Kenny said.

"I… I just feel like we're trapped here. They keep saying we can leave soon and then changing their minds." Clementine said with a frown. "Christa said Leena's gonna be okay. I don't want her to die."

"She's not gonna die. I promise you that, darlin'." Kenny said. "Trust me."

"You can't promise that… Everyone dies…" Clementine said.

"We ain't gonna let that happen." Kenny said, pulling the small girl into a hug. "We'll make sure Aleena's okay…"

"…Okay…" Clementine muttered, allowing the embrace. She slowly broke the hug after a moment and asked, "Why are you here, Kenny?"

"Well… we found someone at the gate…" Kenny said.

"Really?" Clementine asked. "Are they naughty- I mean bad?"

"No. They're not… They're a little girl." Kenny said.

"Can I meet her?" Clementine asked.

"Sorry, Clem, but now's not a good time. She seems really scared of something." Kenny said.

"Oh… Of what?"

"I don't know…" Kenny said. "Kid hasn't said a word."

"Is she scared of something… or someone?" Clementine asked.

Kenny furrowed his brows at the question. "I'm… not sure, Clem… Look, go back in the room with Christa. I want you to stay close with her until we figure out the answer to that question of yours."

"Okay…"

"Thata girl." Kenny said.


When the female doctor stepped into the room Edith noticed the child started trembling a bit.

Edith did her best to calm the young girl, telling her she need not be afraid. "You're in a hospital, sweetie. The doctor just wants to help you. I know you're scared, but no one's gonna hurt you, I promise."

The girl eventually calmed enough to allow the doctor to examine her.

The doctor checked the child for any signs of injury, finding a couple scrapes and bruise from presumed falls but no major injuries. She used the stethoscope around her neck to check the child's heartbeat. "Heartrate is good." She said.

She then took the child's hand and checked her pulse.

She warmed the stethoscope and placed it on the child's back feeling her flinch slightly. She checked the girl's breathing.

She checked the girls eye sight by taking an index finger and have the girl track it with her eyes.

When the doctor finished her examination she tried to speak to the girl, "Can you tell me your name, sweetie?"

Not a word.

"How old are you?"

Silence.

The doctor frowned before looking to Edith. "May I have a word with you, please?"

Edith nodded and looked to the little girl, "I'll be right back, sweetie." She stepped outside with the doctor. "How is she?"

"She should be fine. We'll just let her rest and when she's stable enough we'll try to speak with her again." The doctor said.

"She's probably hungry..." Edith said.

The doctor hummed, "We should wait a few hours before giving her something to eat. Wouldn't want to risk her just getting sick. She clearly has some emotional trauma."

"Yeah… Okay…" Edith nodded.

"She has no serious injuries, but who knows what she's been through…" The doctor said. "Was there anyone else with her?"

"No… She was all alone." Edith replied.

"Poor kid…"

"Yeah…" Edith agreed.

"You should talk to the town leaders and see if it's fine to let her stay." The doctor said.

Edith looked surprised by those words. "She's a child. They shouldn't have a problem with it…"

"With everything that's been going on… they just might…" The doctor said.

Edith pondered on the words as the other woman walked away. She knew she had to bring this to the leaders' attention as well as inform the other guards, she wondered what their reaction would be.

She sighed, that would have to wait. For now, she had a child to look after.

With some hesitation Edith grabbed her walkie talkie. "Edith to Kenny."

"Go." Kenny's voice came through.

"Can you let the others know of our… situation?" Edith asked.

"Will do." Kenny said.


It took a while and some reassurance before the child felt comfortable enough to fall asleep. The child was now out like a light, tucked into a warm blanket on the hospital bed.

Edith had been quietly sitting by her bedside while Kenny had gone to inform the town leaders of the child's sudden arrival. When Edith heard her radio buzz she jumped, having been lost in her thoughts. She waited a few moments, hoping no one would call for her. Her hope crumbled as she heard a voice call her name. With a sigh and some brief hesitation, she hit the button on the radio to speak. "Go for Edith…"

"Meeting in town hall."

Those were the last words Edith wanted to hear.

"When?" Edith asked.

"Now…"

Edith frowned. She couldn't just leave the sleeping child. She thought of asking one of the nurses to look after her but decided against it. She thought on it some more- she felt there was one person who she could trust to look after the child. That person had a lot on her plate, Edith knew that much… But still, she felt that she could trust her more than anyone else...


A knock at the door drew Christa's attention. The woman placed down the book she was reading, wondering who was at the door. She glanced over to Clementine who was looking through a book herself.

Christa went over to the door and pulled it open. She was surprised to see Edith, who looked a bit distraught.

"Edith, is everything okay?" Christa asked.

"I… have a favor to ask of…" Edith said.

"Okay… What's up?"

"Kenny… found a little girl alone at the gate. We brought her in to get checked out." Edith started to explain.

"Is she okay…?" Christa asked.

"She's fine… for the most part…." Edith said. "She's sleeping now…"

"What do you mean for the most part?" Christa wondered.

"It's just… No one's been able to get a word out of her. Not even her name." Edith said.

"…Oh…" Christa said. "Maybe she's mute?"

"Maybe… I don't know…"

"Well, what did you need me to do?" Christa questioned.

Edith paused, "I have to go to a meeting. I was hoping you could keep an eye on her until I get back. I know it's a lot to ask and you have your hands full with Clem and the twins, but I didn't want to leave her alone and I-"

"I'll keep an eye on her. Don't worry." Christa said.

"You will?" Edith ask, looking surprised.

"Yeah. The twins are asleep, and Clem's preoccupied with a book right now." Christa said. "It's no big deal."

"Thank you so much!" Edith said. "Her room is about four doors away, on the left side. You can't miss it."

Christa nodded. "Got it. I'll be sure to check in on her."

"Thank you." Edith said.

"No problem."

As Edith headed off Clementine spoke up, "What did Edith want?" The girl had heard bits and pieces of what was said, but not everything.

Christa looked to the child, studying the book she was reading. The woman furrowed her brows as she noticed the small girl was reading a "parenting" book. "Don't worry about it. Bedtime's in twenty minutes."

"Do I have to? I'm not even tired." Clementine protested.

"You need your rest, Clem." Christa said.

"But I'm too awake." The child complained.

"No buts, Clementine. You're still a little kid. You have to get your rest."

"I'm getting sick of hearing that… I'm not a kid." Clementine argued.

Christa was taken aback by the girl's bitter tone. "Excuse me?"

"I'm not a kid. And I want you to stop calling me that." Clementine said in a firm voice.

Christa shot the child a look. "Don't talk to me like that, Clementine. You are a kid."

Clementine placed her book in her lap and crossed her arms stubbornly. "Stop calling me a kid."

"You ARE a kid. We're not going to have this conversation." Christa said. "And you better not take that tone with me, ever again."

Clementine pouted a bit but kept quiet looking back to her book.

"Twenty minutes." Christa repeated before walking out the room to catch up with Edith.


Christa made her way into the room the little girl was in. The child was still fast asleep. She was clinging tightly to a stuffed toy.

Christa couldn't help but wonder what the young girl had been through.

She took a seat in an empty chair. Picking up a magazine, Christa proceeded to look through it while the child slept.

She waited patiently for either Edith to return or the young girl to wake up.

She hoped that Clementine and the twins would be okay while she was in here. She didn't like leaving them alone for too long.


Clementine continued reading through the parenting book for a while. She would check on the twins every so often, but they were fast asleep.

The girl was curious on what Christa was doing. She had heard part of the conversation, but not word for word.

The child placed the book down and slowly climbed out of bed. She glanced over to her wheelchair before deciding to grab her crutches.

After checking that the twins were still asleep, the girl slowly made her way to the door, peeking out the room. When she didn't see anyone, she carefully made her way into the hall.

She made her way down the hall, wondering which room, Christa was in.

She continued down the hall, too nervous to knock on the closed door. However, her attention was drawn when she heard a voice speaking from what seemed like a storage closet. The girl moved closer, noticing the door was cracked open. She peered through, and noticed Terrell talking to someone one a radio.

She struggled to lean closer, as to hear what was being said.

"Relax, everything's going according to plan…" She heard Terrell say.

Plan? What plan was he talking about?

"We should just hold off on things a little longer." Terrell spoke again.

Clementine was more than confused. She wanted to question the older boy about what he was talking about, who he was talking to… but she didn't want to be accused of ease dropping.

The girl decided to her back to her room, but upon turning she lost her footing and tripped.

Hearing her fall the door opened and Terrell stepped into the hall.

"Are you okay, Princess?" Terrell asked, emerging from closet after hearing the commotion.

Clementine felt her cheeks heat up a bit. "Y-Yeah... I just tripped."

Terrell gently helped the girl to her feet. "Those are new." He motioned to the crutches.

"Christa gave them to me." Clementine said. "…What are you doing here?"

"Checking supplies." Terrell said. "What are you doing out here alone?"

"Just… trying out these crutches…" Clementine quickly said.

"Oh… Must've be hard for you to balance with those…" Terrell said. "You didn't get hurt did you?"

"No… I'm fine…" Clementine said. She was so tempted to ask him who he was talking to but was nervous to do so.

"That's good." Terrell said. "I'm surprised you're still here. In this hospital."

"Leena stopped breathing earlier… They're going to keep us longer because of it." Clementine explained. "They said a few days…"

"Sorry to hear that." Terrell said.

"Me too…" Clementine muttered.

"You must get bored being stuck here."

"Kind of…. I just want Aleena to feel better though." Clementine said.

"I'm sure she will." Terrell said.

"I… should get back to the room." Clementine muttered.

"Is your room far from here?" Terrell asked.

"Not really…" Clementine said.

"You wouldn't mind if I walked you back, would you?" Terrell asked.

"N-Not at all…" Clementine said.

Terrell did just as he said and walked the young girl to her room.

Clementine couldn't help but feel her heart pound in her chest. She was disappointed when they arrived at her down.

"This it?"

"Yeah… Thanks." Clementine said.

"No problem." Terrell said. "Maybe I'll drop by to see you tomorrow."

"Really?" Clementine said. "I mean… You don't have to."

"I want to. You're fun to be around." Terrell said. "Plus, you're a nice shot."

Clementine found herself blushing once more. "Thanks…"

"Goodnight, Clem."

"Goodnight, Terrell."


"What I'd like to know is what you two were thinking bring someone else into town?" One of the guards asked.

"She's a child, Frank." Edith said. "We couldn't just leave her."

"How do we know she's not with some group?" Frank said. "How do we know the people she's with won't attack us?"

"She just an innocent child. I don't think she's with anyone." Edith said.

"We don't know anything about the child. You don't even know her name." A woman spoke up.

"That doesn't matter, Nancy. She needed help, so we helped her." Edith said.

Nancy just shook her head.

"And she hasn't spoken a word, you say?" Another guard asked.

"Something must've really traumatized her…" Edith said.

"We don't know who she's with and from what you're saying she refuses to tell us." Nancy huffed. "Sounds suspicious.

"Maybe she can't. She might be mute." Edith said.

Some of the group exchanged looks and unsure mutters.

"So what, are you people really willing to kick a child out because you're scared of raiders? She's just an innocent little girl." Kenny spoke up.

"We don't want to kick her out." Another woman said.

"You people sure act like it. This little girl has been through a lot. She needed help and I'd be damned if I hadn't helped her." Kenny said.

"We can't just throw a child out… Children… Children should be protected. They're our hope for a brighter future." Edith added.

"We won't throw the child out. But do you at least know who she's with? We don't need anyone thinking we kidnapped her." Frank said.

"Like I said before, I don't think she's with anyone." Edith said. "I think she's alone."

"No way. A child can't survive out there on their own." Frank said.

"I'm with Frank." Nancy said. "A child can't make it out there alone…"

"Kids can be pretty damn tough…" Kenny said.

"Not that tough…" Nancy said.

"If she's alone, who's gonna look after her?" Another guard asked.

Silence filled the room, Kenny opened his mouth to speak, but Edith spoke first. "I will."

All eyes turned to her.

"Look, I don't know what happened or who she's with, but I'm gonna look after her, make sure she's safe." Edith said.

"What about your watch shift?" Frank asked.

"Don't worry about it. I'll take over for her." Kenny said.

Edith was surprised to hear that. "Are… Are you sure?"

Kenny nodded. "Just take care of that kid."

"…I will." Edith said.

"Okay then. The child will be placed under your care, at least for the time being." Frank said.

Edith sighed in relief, nodding in response. "I got it."


It was late when Kenny arrived home. He was quiet as he entered the house, as not to wake anyone. Exhausted he headed straight towards his bedroom.

Upon entering the room, he kicked off his shoes and started to settle down. However, a voice nearly caused him to jump.

"Kenny?" Sarita called.

"Yeah, hon…"

"You're back late… Where were you?" Sarita said.

"A meeting…" Kenny answered.

"A meeting at this time?" Sarita said.

"It was urgent…" Kenny said. "How are the kids?"

"Fast asleep." Sarita said

"Good..." Kenny said.

The was a brief silence as he settled in bed.

"I'm gonna... take over Edith's watch shifts for a while."

Sarita was surprised to hear that. "You can't do that. You're barely getting any rest as it is. You'll make yourself ill if you keep pushing yourself."

"I have to, Sarita. I already told her I would." Kenny said.

"Kenny..."

"We found a child earlier... A little girl... a bit younger than Clem..." Kenny said. "She was all alone. Edith's gonna to look after her... She needed someone to take her watch shifts so the kid can have time to settle in."

"...Then... Then let me help you." Sarita pleaded.

Kenny shook his head. "I can't do that, Sarita."

"Why not?" Sarita asked.

"Because it's too dangerous." Kenny said. "I can't put my family at risk."

"What are you talking about? We're safe here..." Sarita said.

"I can't take any chances..." Kenny paused. "The other day, they caught a doctor stealing supplies... That boy Clem hangs with, Terrell... offer to execute him."

"Oh my gosh. Did he...?" Sarita asked.

"I don't know..." Kenny said. "But I'm not putting my family at risk... I'll protect y'all with my life..."

"I know you will..." Sarita said.

"I don't trust Clem around that boy..." Kenny sighed. "Frankly, I wish Christa would just bring her and the twins here. We can make space."

"Do you think she'd be comfortable?" Sarita asked.

"I don't know... But I'd feel better if they were here..." Kenny said.

"Maybe I can convince Christa to stay with us." Sarita offered.

"Maybe. I know if I suggested it, she sure as hell would refuse." Kenny groaned as he laid down.

"I guess we'll see what happens..." Sarita said.

"I guess so." Kenny agreed.

"Now... let's try to get some sleep... You need it." Sarita said.

"Okay, hon. Okay."


The next day Edith took it upon herself to try to get some info on the child.

"Sweetie, can you tell me your name?" Edith asked the young girl.

The little girl bit her lip refusing to respond.

"I know you're scared, but I promise you're safe here." Edith tried to reassure the child.

The child didn't reply, but Edith noticed the skeptical look she wore.

"Were you with a group? Who was looking after you?" Edith asked.

Still nothing.

"Okay… You don't have to answer now. Whenever you feel comfortable…" Edith paused for a moment before speaking, "Okay… I've had an idea…"

The child gave her a curious look.

"Maybe you can use this, instead of talking." Edith presented the child with a notepad.

The girl didn't even move to accept it.

"You don't have to write anything now… I'm just giving you this, in case you feel like telling me anything." Edith said.

The girl paused and slowly took it.

Edith remained patient, though the child didn't write a single word.


When Gill came to visit Clementine the boy seemed withdrawn, and nervous almost.

He wasn't the only one being closed off. Clementine also seemed reserved at the time. "I don't think I can play… Not until Leena's out of the hospital."

"Okay… But can I ask you something?" Gill said.

"Sure…"

"The other day, when you aimed that bow at those kids… You wouldn't have shot anyone… right?" Gill asked.

"I didn't have to… So no." Clementine said.

"…Did you regret it?" Gill asked.

"Why would I?" Clementine questioned back.

"Well…Don't you think it was dangerous?" Gill asked. "Someone could've gotten hurt…"

"And that would've been their fault. They would've deserved it." Clementine said.

"My… dad was shot…" Gill said. "I don't think it's okay for people to play with weapons like that."

"I wasn't playing." Clementine said. "I was dead serious. Maybe that will teach them not to fuck with me."

Gill frowned. He wasn't used to his friend acting this way. "I… guess I'll see you around. I don't want mom getting worried."

"Okay… See you, Gill…" Clementine said.

"Bye Clem…"


Everyone could tell the child had been through a lot. She didn't speak to anyone and wouldn't look anyone in the eye. Each time someone approached her she seemed frightened. She wouldn't respond to any questions asked to her any eventually the doctors would give up asking.

At first people thought she was shy, but after an entire day of silence from the girl the doctors wondered if she was just mute.

Now three days into being in the town and still no one knew a thing about the girl- not even her name.

The first day Edith had simply allowed the girl to sleep, eat, and settle in, not pestering her with too many questions as not to frighten her. The second day she tried to learn a bit about the girl, by the child wasn't even will to give up her name. It was now day three and the girl still seemed reluctant to answer any personal questions.

However, Edith remained by her side, making sure she was well taken care of.

The girl seemed most at ease when Edith was by her side or at least it made her feel less anxious.

She didn't speak a word, but she was becoming more comfortable being in Edith's care.

Edith had given the girl a notepad and pen to communicate her needs, which the child rarely resorted to doing.

Now the two sat at a table and the cafeteria as Edith once again tried to speak with the girl urging her to write down her name or where her parents were, anything really…

However, the girl didn't budge. She silently played with her stuff toy.

Edith sighed. "I'm gonna get us something to drink. Hopefully you like apple juice."

The small girl gave a tiny nod.

Edith smiled a small smile. "Apple juice it is." Edith stood to go get the girl a drink.

The child sat at the table silently playing with her stuffed bunny.

She flinched a bit when she heard a voice from the hall call out, "Clementine, take it easy, sweetie."

"I'm okay." Clementine called back as she made her way into the cafeteria. Clementine was struggling a bit to keep her balance with her crutches and had to regain balance by catching hold of a nearby table.

The little girl sitting at the table looked to her with a curious expression. Clementine looked to the young girl who she had nearly bumped into. "S-Sorry!"

The girl lowered her gaze and said nothing.

"Are you okay?" Clementine asked.

No response.

Clementine paused, knitting her brows together. "Um…. Can I sit with you?"

The girl shrugged, looking away while toying with her stuffed rabbit.

Clementine slowly took a seat beside the other child. "So… Do you like it here?"

She got no response nor reaction.

"I don't… It's kind of boring." Clementine said. "But… I guess I shouldn't complain… We only have to stay until Leena feels better… How long have you been here?"

The other girl kept quiet.

"Probably long enough, huh?" Clementine asked.

The younger girl continued playing with her stuffed toy, hardly acknowledging the other child.

"Um… Am I annoying you?" Clementine paused as the other girl finally looked to her and shrugged. Clementine felt a bit hurt. "Sorry… Becca says I'm annoying, but I don't try to be…. I guess I just am…" She trailed off. "Becca's my friend by the way… And Aleena's God-mom."

Silence fell over the two for a bit. Clementine watched the girl play with her stuff rabbit. "She's a cute bunny."

A small smile crossed the girl's lip and she gave a small nod.

"Oh! I should've introduced myself." Clementine said. "My name's Clementine. What's yours?"

No response.

"Clementine? What are you doing here? Where's Christa?" Edith asked.

"I was going to bring Christa breakfast. She's helped me a lot, so I wanted to do something for her." Clementine said.

"That's nice, but where's your chair?" Edith asked.

"In the room." Christa's voice drew their attention to her. "Clementine, how many times do I have to talk to you about wandering off."

"I wasn't wandering off. I was talking to my friend." Clementine said.

The other girl was surprised by those words. She had barely acknowledged Clementine's presence, yet she was calling her a friend. The least she could do was give the girl her name.

"Where are the twins?" Clementine asked.

"With the nurse. You need to tell me before you just leave the room. Do I have to put a leash on you or something?" Christa said.

Clementine pouted at that. "No… I'm not an animal."

"I know you're not. But you keep running off…" Christa said. "Back to the room. Now."

"But-"

"No buts. Now, Clementine." Christa said.

Without the others noticing, the quiet child began writing on the notepad Edith had given her earlier. Just as Clementine was about to leave, she tapped the other child's arm and motioned to the notepad.

Clementine looked at the pad, seeing a single word. A name. "Danielle? That's your name?"

The girl, Danielle gave a nod.

Christa and Edith exchanged looked while Clementine gave the girl a smile.

"Nice to meet you, Danielle." Clementine said.


"So your name's Danielle? That's a really pretty name." Edith said.

Danielle gave a small smile at that.

"And… what's your bunny's name?" Edith asked her.

Danielle took the notepad and pencil and wrote something down. She offered it back to Edith with the word 'Flopsie' on it. "Flopsie. Is that name of your bunny?" Edith asked.

Danielle nodded.

"That's a nice name." Edith said. "How old are you sweetie?"

The child nodded before holding out her hand to get the notepad again. Edith gave it to her, and the child wrote down her age before handing it back to Edith.

"Ten?" Edith sounded a bit surprised. The girl was pretty small for her age. "You know little Clementine is close to your age. I'm sure you two would get along well."

Danielle simply shrugged in response.

"So… where are you coming from, sweetie? Did you have a group?"

Danielle lowered her head not responding.

After a while Edith decided to drop the conversation. The child was clearly uncomfortable. Edith wondered if she could come up with a way to make the child more willing to talk.


"She wouldn't tell anyone anything about her. Clem's the first person who got her to even give her name." Edith said.

"So you basically want to use Clem to interrogate her?" Christa asked.

"I want Clem around while I ask her questions- to make Danielle comfortable. Having another young child around might help." Edith said.

"I wouldn't have a problem with it, but Clem has been worried about Aleena..." Christa said.

"Oh no... is Aleena okay?" Edith asked.

"She's had some sleep apnea..." Christa said. "Apparently, it's not uncommon in babies with BPD."

"I'm sorry to hear that..." Edith said.

"It's a scary thing, but...she's okay... She's still a happy baby. Just not sure when we can leave this hospital." Christa said.

"Oh... maybe I should wait... we could give the girls some time to settle with everything and then set up a play date." Edith suggested.

"They'd probably like that." Christa said.

Edith nodded.

"Clem tries not to show it around other people, but it's really bothering her. Poor kid barely slept for the past few nights."

Edith frowned. "It must be tough for her."

"It is. She wants to be a supermom, but she's still just a kid..." Christa said. "She tries to convince herself that she's an adult..."

"But she's just a little kid…" Edith said.

"I know…" Christa said. "I just wish she would understand that. She thinks I should treat her like an adult because she's a mother now. It doesn't work like that."

"Right… I know Gill came by the other day, but I haven't seen him for a while… Did they get into a fight?" Edith asked.

"I don't think so… She hasn't really wanted to be around anyone. Terrell did drop by a time or two… I think Clem has a bit of a crush on that boy…" Christa said.

"She wouldn't be the only one." Edith rolled her eyes a bit. "Girls around town love him."

"He's nice though. Treats her like a little sister." Christa said.

"That's nice." Edith said.

"For the most part…" Christa said. "Look… I'll talk to Clem and see if she'll be up to spend some time with Danielle. But I can't promise anything. Clementine has a lot going on."

"That's understandable. I appreciate it." Edith said.

"No problem…" Christa replied.


Another day and the doctors deemed it was okay for Danielle to go home.

"Ready to go, sweetie? I'm sure you're tired of being here."

Danielle gave a small shrug. Danielle wrote out something and Edith read it.

"How's Clementine?"

"She's doing okay... I think… Would you like to see her?" Edith asked.

Danielle paused before quickly shaking her head. She didn't know if Clementine would want to see her.

"That's fine… Maybe another day." Edith said.

Danielle nodded.

Edith offered the girl her hand, "Come on. Let's go home."

Danielle hesitantly took her hand.


Upon arriving at Edith's home, Danielle began to take in her surroundings. The place was small, but it was neat. It seemed like a nice place. Still, Danielle felt a bit anxious being somewhere new. It felt strange; she wasn't used to being in a house. It had been so long since she had a home...

The child couldn't help but feel sad as she thought of the last time she was comfortable in her own house. That was back when her mother was alive… Back before everything fell apart.

"I know this is a big change... but I want you to feel comfortable. You're safe here." Edith told the child.

Danielle gave the woman an appreciative look but kept silent.

The young girl spent the day trying her best to get settled in.

"Are you hungry, Danielle? I can get you something to eat." Edith said.

Danielle gave a small nod in response.

"Okay. Let's get you some food." Edith said.

She walked toward the kitchen with Danielle following. "What are you hungry for?" Edith asked.

Danielle wrote on the notepad again and handed it to Edith.

Edith accepted the pad and read it.

"Anything, huh?" Edith said. "I'm glad you're not a picky eater. Let's see if we can find you something that most little kids like."

Danielle nodded in response.

Edith started to prepare some food while Danielle took a seat at the table.

Danielle sat down and wrote out something on the notepad before handing it to Edith. It read 'thank you'.

"You're welcome, hon." Edith said.

Danielle smiled before she began to eat.

Edith watched the young girl as she ate. She would look over her shoulder every few minutes. She was still curious on what had happened to the girl. Where was her group? Or her parents.

"Were you with a group before we found you, Danielle? Was anyone looking after you?" Edith asked.

Danielle got the notepad and wrote down 'I was with a group, but most of them are dead.

"I'm sorry to hear that, hon... What happened to your mommy and daddy?" Edith asked.

Danielle wrote on the notepad again and presented it to Edith. It read 'I never had a dad. I found mommy at our camp in the woods. Someone shot her.'

"Oh my gosh..." Edith frowned.

Danielle nodded. She was still unhappy over what happened to her mother.

"I'll look after you from now on. You don't have to worry about being alone." Edith said.

Danielle's eyes widened when she heard this. She wrote on the notepad. 'I don't want to be a bother to you.'

"You could never be a bother, sweetie." Edith said.

'DJ thought I was' Danielle wrote in response.

"Who's DJ?" Edith asked.

Danielle wrote on the notepad again. 'A member of my old group. She was really mean.'

"I'm sorry, sweetie. I don't know why she would be mean to you." Edith said.

Danielle shrugged. She didn't know either. She finished eating and wrote down on the notepad. 'I'm done. Thank you for dinner.'

"You're welcome." Edith said.

Edith said. "You tired now, or you want some time to play before bed?" She didn't have any toys, but she figured Danielle would be fine playing with Flopsie.

Danielle wrote down on the notepad. 'I'd like to play with Flopsie before going to bed.' She gave it to Edith.

"Alright, that's fine." Edith said.

Danielle nodded. She walked over to the nearby chair and started playing with her toy.

Edith decided to let the child have her bed for the night. She wanted to make sure the girl was comfortable.

She would have to get new clothes, toys, and a bed for the girl tomorrow. She would also have to find someone to babysit her when she would have to go work at the gate. She wondered who could look after the girl. She didn't know who she would be comfortable with.

She sat down and thought of the people she knew. Several minutes went by without much luck. She noticed that the young girl had yawned a couple of times. It was probably time for her to go to bed.

"Let's get you to bed, hon." Edith said.

Danielle looked up and nodded. She got up from her chair and followed Edith to the bedroom.

Once Edith had showed the girl to the bedroom, she offered to tuck the girl into bed, but Danielle fearfully turned down the offer.

Edith apologized for startling the child and wished her good dreams. Leaving the door cracked she left the room so the child could get some sleep.

An hour passed and Danielle lay in the bed, wide awake. The girl was unable to sleep as thought cluttered her mind. Thoughts that wouldn't go away and plagued her to no end. Different emotions filled her as she thought about the events that had transpired over the last few days.

Edith had been so nice to her… In some way the woman reminded her of a mother figure.

Danielle frowned, if only her real mother were around. She missed her so much.

Tears filled her eyes and Danielle tried to blink them back, telling herself not to cry. But the more thought flooded her brain the harder it was to control her emotions. Tears fell down her cheeks and the sorrow and pain she felt when she lost her mother came rushing back. Her heart clench with agony at the thought of not being able to hug her mother or tell her she loved her.

She longed to be held by the woman one more time.

The girl cried silently, not wanting to disturb Edith, until eventually she cried herself to sleep.


The next few days were rough as Danielle continued to get acclimated to her new home.

Danielle was clearly struggling to adjusted to her new "home". As time went by Edith was shocked the more, she learned about the young girl. She realized Danielle had frequent nightmares and also struggled with fear or anxiety.

Two weeks passed by slowly as Danielle spoke not at all. Though as the days passed, she became a little less frightened.

The girl had an obvious fear of men while Edith noticed during her first meeting with the child. Though she had picked up on somethings by observing the girl, the child was still a mystery to her. To lose your family, as anyone could imagine was very hard for a child. It was something that could easily scar them for life, but Edith felt there was more to Danielle's story… She was curious what the girl was hiding…


"How is she?" Christa asked as doctor Squire looked over little Aleena.

"Everything seems fine. Breathing is regular." Doctor Squire said. "No apnea last night?"

"Not at all." Christa said.

"That's good." The doctor said. "We'll have someone show you how to work the oxygen machine, so you can do the oxygen therapy."

Clementine couldn't help but glare at the oxygen tank. She couldn't believe that her poor baby needed that.

"We'll be sure to go over the precautions you need to take to make sure both the babies are okay. SIDS could happen to any child under two and it's important to take measures to prevent it." Doctor Squire spoke.

SIDS... Sudden infant death syndrome. The thought made Clementine sick.

"Once we have someone show you how to use the oxygen, you guys are good to go." Doctor Squire told them.

"Go?" Clementine repeated.

The doctor nodded.

"You mean go home?" Clementine asked.

"That's right, kiddo." The Squire said. "A few days from now, we'll have someone come by your house to check in, make sure Aleena's okay."

"You said she's okay…" Clementine said.

"Yes, I did, but there are a few things we have to talk about…" Doctor Squire said.

"Bad things?" Clementine asked.

"Not necessarily…" The doctor said. "Because Aleena does have pretty severe BDP she's at a higher risk for respiratory infections, such as the flu or pneumonia. If she were to catch an infection, she would get sicker than most children do. There's also a risk that she could develop issues to her circulatory system, but it's quite uncommon. It's important to take precautions to reduce her exposure to respiratory infections." The doctor said.

Christa nodded.

"What precautions?" Clementine asked.

"Simple things, cleaning hands before holding her. And limiting her contact with anyone who is sick." The doctor explained. "Most of our concerns are for the present but we should keep in mind that in the future she may have other issues…"

"Issues like what?" Christa asked.

"Hearing problems, vision problems, issues with weight gain, or even, cerebral palsy." Doctor Squire replied. "I also mention circulatory issues, but pulmonary hypertension and Cor pulmonale are my main concerns."

"What's Cor… Cor pulmony…?" Clementine struggled with the words.

"Cor pulmonale is failure of the right side of the heart." Doctor Squire explained.

Clementine felt her heart drop.

"It's rare as well." The doctor said, noticing her expression. "For most babies most symptoms of BDP start to settle down by age two or three, and are a lot less noticeable by age five, as a child's lungs improve and mature. However, she may continue to have lung problems throughout childhood and even into adulthood, and there is concern about whether a person who had BPD as an infant can ever have normal lung function. Prematurity alone predisposes to the development of asthma. The prevalence of asthma is usually higher in children with a history of prematurity and BPD compared to those without it."

"My baby… My baby's not going to die, right?" Clementine inquired.

"She should be fine…" The doctor said, awkwardly rubbing his neck as the child mentioned the baby being hers. He looked to Christa, "May I ask a question?"

"What is it?" Christa asked.

"The other little one, has she had any problems?" Doctor Squire asked.

"She seems generally healthy." Christa said.

"Hmm… I'm just curious as to why one twin has this illness, but the other seems healthy for the most part." The doctor said.

"Aleena had her umbilical cord around her throat… I always assumed that was a factor…." Christa said. "Also...The twins may have two different possible fathers. Which would mean they were conceived at different times. I would assume Aleena was conceived second…" It Luke was her father, that was.

"Luke's their dad. He said so." Clementine piped up.

"He couldn't know that for sure…" Christa said.

"Why would he say it if he didn't know?" Clementine asked.

"I don't know, Clem. But he couldn't possibly know for sure… Carver raped you. I know you don't want to hear it, but Carver could be their dad…" Christa said.

Clementine frowned. "Can we go home now…? I don't want to talk anymore."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but can I ask your mommy a few more questions?" Doctor Squire asked.

Clementine shot the doctor a look. "I don't have a mommy… My mommy's dead."

"I'm sorry to hear that…" The doctor replied.

"My mommy probably wouldn't want me anymore, because I'm a whore…" Clementine said.

Christa looked to her as Doctor Squire's jaw dropped. "Clementine, don't say stuff like that."

"But it's true." Clementine said.

"It's not true. Stop it." Christa said. "We don't use words like that."

"Then why are you talking about the people who fucked me…?" Clementine asked.

"Clementine, I said you're not allowed to talk like that… We're talking about what happened to you because it helps us get a general sense of how early the twins were actually born…" Christa said.

"Can we just go now?" Clementine asked again.

"Just be patient, Clem. Please… Play with Promise, okay." Christa said.

"...Okay." Clementine said.

"Can you give an estimate of when you think the twins were born?" The doctor asked.

"We assumed at twenty-nine weeks or gestation." Christa said. "That was back in the summer."

"…Do you have any idea how far apart the sexual encounters with the two guys was?" Doctor Squire asked.

"I'm not exactly sure…" Christa said.

"Hmm… May I hold the other twin?" Doctor Squire said.

"Crystal." Clementine spoke up. "Her name is Crystal."

"May I hold Crystal?" The doctor corrected himself.

"She's sleepy." Clementine said.

"I promise it won't take long. I won't wake her." Doctor Squire said.

"…Okay…" Clementine gave in.

The doctor hummed as he gently held Crystal. "They're both so small... Judging that they seem so close in size and weight, I'd assume they couldn't be conceived much more than a week or so apart. If that is the case. Both superfecundation and superfetation can be rare, but it would explain why Aleena seems more susceptible to illness…" The doctor said. He slowly placed Crystal back into her crib before placing Aleena beside her.

"So what now… Are we free to go?" Christa asked.

"I think so… Aleena seems fine." Doctor Squire said. "Once someone shows you how to work the oxygen tank, you're good to go."

"We can go home, today?" Clementine asked.

"Yes. Today." Doctor Squire said.

Clementine brightened immediately.

The doctor noticed this and gave her a small smile. "Been feeling homesick, Missy?"

Clementine nodded. "More than you imagine." She couldn't wait to get out of that hospital.

"Well, your wish is coming true." The doctor chuckled. He looked over to Christa and muttered. "You got your hands full…"

"I handle things okay." Christa said.

"I can see that. Let me know if you need anything."

Christa nodded. "Thank you…"


They had just finished a silent meal. Edith was now washing the dishes why Danielle played with Flopsie. It had become the usual routine for them. Danielle seemed to prefer Flopsie over any of the toys Edith had gotten for the young girl.

"You doing okay, Dani?" Edith called to the young child as she finished up washing the dishes. Getting no response, she turned to the little girl who had her head lowered as if something were wrong. Edith frowned and slowly approached the child. "Danielle, are you okay, sweetie?"

"W-Why?" The girl's voice cracked as she spoke in such a small voice it almost went unheard.

Edith's eyes widened and she paused for a moment, unsure if she heard right. "Huh?"

"Wh-Why are you being so nice to me?"

For the first time in the two weeks that she had been there the girl had spoken. Edith clutched that sentence like a souvenir. The first words Danielle had spoken to her.

"Why wouldn't I?" Edith asked.

"I don't deserve it… Why did you help me?" Danielle asked in a small voice.

"I wouldn't just leave you out there." Edith said. "But I am curious… why were you alone? You told me your mommy was shot… How did it happen?"

Danielle frowned, shoulders shaking a bit. "I… I don't know…I mi-miss her."

"I'm sure you do…" Edith said.

"I want her back…" Danielle whimpered. "I didn't even get to say goodbye…"

Danielle broke into sobs.

Edith hugged the crying child, trying to comfort her. "I'm so sorry, sweetie… I'm so sorry…"


They had been discharged to go home with a monitor to check Aleena's breathing and heart rate, as well as an oxygen tank.

Clementine was just glad to be out of the hospital.

"Home sweet home." Christa said as she stepped into the house. "You happy to be back?"

"Super happy." Clementine said. "I hope we never have to stay at the hospital again."

"I hope so too." Christa said. "How are you doing with those crutches?"

"They make me tired… But I'm okay…" Clementine said. "I like them better than the wheelchair. It's like I'm walking all by myself... kind of…"

"You'll be able to eventually." Christa said.

"I hope it's before my girls start walking…" Clementine said.

"Keep on practicing and you'll be walking without those crutches in no time." Christa said.

"And I get my knife." Clementine said.

Christa wasn't expecting that. "What?"

"You said once I didn't need the chair anymore, I could have a knife." Clementine said.

"Why do you want a knife so much." Christa asked.

"To protect myself." Clementine said.

"We've been here for almost a month Clem. I think we're safe." Christa said.

"I'd still like to be sure. I can protect myself with a knife. And protect my girls too." Clementine replied.

"…I'll think about it." Christa responded.

"Okay…"

"For now, let's get the twins settled in. And maybe after that, I'll make you a treat." Christa said.

"What kind of treat?" Clementine asked.

"You in the mood for some hot cocoa?"

Clementine beamed and quickly nodded.

Christa smiled. It felt good to be back home.


Night had fallen, Edith had tucked Danielle into bed and was now ready to turn in herself.

"Please no!" A cry echoed through the air.

"Danielle." A small nudge drew her abruptly from her nightmare. Her eyes flew open to meet Edith's concerned gaze.

The child trembled a bit.

"It's okay..." Edith said.

"I... I'm sorry..." The girl choked out.

"You have nothing to apologize for." Edith hugged the girl feeling her tense slightly before leaning into the embrace. "You had a nightmare, sweetie. It's okay..."

"D-Don't leave me…" Danielle begged.

Edith felt her heart clench at the tearful plea. "I'm not gonna leave you. I promise."

Danielle tried to blink back tears.

"Tell me what happened. I want to help you." Edith cradled the child in her arms, rocking her a bit.

"I... They... They hurt me..." Danielle stammered.

"Who hurt you?" Edith asked.

"Bad people..." Danielle choked out.

"Bad people?"

"Bad... bad men... hurt me..." The tiny child whispered. "They took me from my mommy." She was becoming more and more hysterical with each word. Danielle gripped her shirt. "T-They h-hurt me..." She was crying too hard to say anymore. She gripped Edith's shirt with a force Edith never would have imagine the small child was capable of exerting

"Can you... tell me how they hurt you?" Edith asked.

"They... They wouldn't stop! I wanted them to stop... I cried... but they wouldn't..." Danielle cried.

Edith frowned, her heart breaking as the child wept.

"They took my cl-clothes... and... hurt me..." The child continued crying.

Edith hugged her closer feeling tears of her own. "I'm so sorry, sweetie... I'll... never let you get hurt again."

"P-Promise...?" Danielle whimpered.

"I promise." Edith said. "It's gonna be okay..."

The child's tears seemed endless.

After about an hour, the girl drifted off.


They had only been home for a day and Christa was already stressed out. The woman was in desperate need of a break.

"How are you and the little ones?" Sarita asked as she sat on the couch with AJ in her arms.

Clementine was upstairs drawing and the twins were taking a nap.

"Do you want me to be honest?" Christa asked.

"Of course." Sarita said.

"Well… The twins are okay, but Clem and I… we're not doing so great."

"What's wrong?"

"A lot. Clementine's a child. She shouldn't have so much pressure on her to raise children-even if they are hers."

"I agree…" Sarita said.

"To put it simply, I'm exhausted. I never thought I'd be doing this…" Christa mumbled.

"Doing what?" Sarita asked.

"Taking care of three kids, on my own…" Christa said.

"Kenny and I are here. Anytime you need help." Sarita replied.

"I've been needing help. I've needed help from the day I learned Clementine was pregnant. I've needed help since she had those babies. And I sure as hell need help now." Christa said. "…Aleena's sick. We all know that…"

"…Why don't you stay with Kenny and I?"

"Do you really think that's the best idea?" Christa scoffed.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Sarita asked.

"I can think of multiple reasons." Christa said. "Spacing being the main issue."

"We've worked with limited space before. And I think the house has more than enough room for all of you. The kids could share a room and-"

"And that itself would be a problem." Christa interrupted.

"Why do you think that?" Sarita asked.

"Do you really think putting Clem and Becca in the same room is the best idea. Those two fight like cats and dogs." Christa said. "Plus I'm sure the last thing two teenagers want is a little kid forced into their space."

"I don't think Sarah would mind it. Though Becca might…" Sarita said.

"Exactly…"

"Well, we can work around that issue. We'll find a different spot for Clem. We do have a spare bedroom." Sarita said.

"What about the twins?" Christa asked.

"We have the nursery…" Sarita said.

Christa bit back a sigh. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course. What is it?"

"When you had Clem and Crystal staying with you- while Aleena and I were in the hospital- how did it go?" Christa asked.

"I… I guess it went okay, for the most part. We did have some struggles at some point." Sarita said.

"Where was Crystal sleeping?"

"She was with Clem." Sarita answered.

Christa hummed, recalling what the doctor had said. "Maybe we can work something out. The doctor suggested that we have Aleena in a room with Clem until she's six months old-by her adjusted age. And even then, it might just be better to keep her in the room until she no longer needs the oxygen or is at least a year old."

"What about Crystal?" Sarita asked.

"I wouldn't want to separate the twins from each other, or from Clem. They'd be in the same room." Christa said. "Like they are now."

"That makes sense. But you don't think the crying will bother Clementine?" Sarita asked.

"That's what I need to figure out. I could just stay in the room with them, but I don't want to invade Clem's space." Christa said.

"I doubt she would feel like you're invading her space. She doesn't even like sleeping alone. Besides Clem would appreciate the help, I'm sure." Sarita said.

"Yeah…" Christa muttered. "When Omid was around… I always figured when I had a kid, everything would be a team effort. We'd be raising our child together…Feeling like a single parent is the last thing would've ever thought about. And I never exactly had it in mind to have more than one kid."

"I know it's not easy…"

"When I was pregnant, I always used to worry about how hard it would be looking after Clem and a baby at the same time. But I would tell myself, we'd figure it out. Omid and I… we'd be a happy family…" Christa sighed. "Things just didn't work out how I hoped…"

"…Kenny and I want to help…You should stay with us…"

"I'll think about it." Christa said. The last thing she wanted to do was cram Clementine in a room with Becca. The two were on good terms now, but on any given day they could be arguing and intolerable toward one another. And putting the twins in a nursery with AJ meant they would have to worry about three babies crying each other awake at night.

"You can't do this on your own. We all need to help each other." Sarita said.

"Like I said, I'll think about it." Christa said.

"Okay…"


"Bad people took me from my mommy… They… They were hurting me… They took my clothes…" Danielle muttered.

Edith felt sick.

Danielle continued speak. "They were hurting me… And I was scared. When… one of them stopped hurting me I… I killed him and ran away as fast as I could. They couldn't find me… They never found me… I went to find my mommy's camp… but… but she was dead. Someone shot her…"

"I'm so sorry, baby…" Edith said.

"Me too… I stayed there with my mommy for a long time… But she didn't come back because she was shot in the head… I didn't want to go, but I knew I would need food. So Flopsie and I went to look for some…" Danielle explained. "It wasn't long after that before Jace found me…

"Who's Jace?" Edith asked.

"He was part of my old group… He… He looked after me… He taught me how to survive…" Danielle said. "I wish he was here… DJ wasn't happy… but Jace didn't let her kick me out. He took care of me, taught me how to defend myself."

"What happened to him?"

"We… We all got split up… I don't know if he's alive…" Danielle said. "Almost everyone is dead…" Danielle said. "… Jace… and my friend, Anne…. I don't know what happened to them."

"You…. Mentioned someone named DJ before… Who was she?" Edith asked.

"She… didn't like me very much." Danielle said. "She wanted me out the group… I don't think she liked kids…which was weird, because she was pregnant…"

"I can't believe you've been through so much…" Edith frowned. "Did… anyone know about what happened to you?"

"No… I didn't want to talk about it… You're the first person I told…" Danielle said. "I… I don't know why it happened. Why does bad stuff have to happen to me? Did I do something wrong?"

"Of course not, sweetie… Don't ever blame yourself for what happened." Edith said.

Danielle kept quiet, not knowing what to say."

"You know, I know someone who probably can relate to how you feel…" Edith spoke up.

"Really? Who?" Danielle asked.

"Do you remember Clementine?"

"Yeah… I do…" Danielle said.

"Well, I've heard she's out of the hospital." Edith said.

"R-Really?

Edith nodded. "Would you like to give her a visit? Maybe you two could play and get to know each other. She's been through a lot too…"

"I don't know…I don't know if she'll want to play with me." Danielle said.

"Why wouldn't she? She seemed to want to play with you last time you saw her." Edith reminded.

"Well… I wasn't super nice to her." Danielle admitted.

"I'm sure she's forgiven you for it, hon." Edith said.

"I hope so…"

"How about you just try to play with her. If you don't like it, we can head straight back home." Edith said.

Danielle thought on it for a moment, "Promise?"

"I promise." Edith said.

"Can… Can I bring Flopsie?" Danielle asked.

"If you Promise to play with Clem as well. No ignoring her."

"…I… I guess I can try to play with her…" Danielle said.

"Good. I'm sure you'll have fun."

"…We'll see…" Danielle muttered.


Christa wasn't expecting a knock at the door. She went to answer it and was surprised to see Edith and Danielle.

Edith offered the woman a smile. "Hey there. Is this a bad time?"

"Not really. Did you need something?" Christa asked. Edith noticed the woman looked quite exhausted.

"Well… I was just thinking that maybe Danielle and Clementine could have a play date. If that's okay with you." Edith said.

Christa thought for a moment before saying, "It's fine… Clem would probably like that."

"Danielle, would you like to say hello?" Edith said. She turned to the child and waited for her to speak.

"H-Hi..." The girl said.

Christa was a bit surprised. "She's… talking."

"Only since yesterday." Edith said.

"Hey there, my name's Christa. We never had a proper introduction, but it's nice to meet you, Danielle." Christa spoke in a soft voice, as not to startle the shy child.

"Y-You too." Danielle stammered, though she stayed behind Edith, clutching tightly to Flopsie.

"Sorry. She's not used to strangers." Edith said.

"I get it... Clem can be the same way sometimes... You two can make yourselves at home." Christa stepped aside allowing them to come in.

The two stepped into the living room.

"Can I get you a drink or anything?" Christa asked.

"Water please." Edith said.

Christa gave a nod. "Would you like some water too, Danielle?"

"Y-Yes... please." Danielle said.

"Alright." Christa said before heading to grab some water bottles.

The two waited for her to return.

While Christa was gone, Edith and Danielle went to the living room and sat on the couch. Danielle started to fidget with Flopsie's ears. Edith could tell the girl was nervous. She placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

It wasn't long before Christa returned with the water. "Here you are. It probably won't be too fun sitting in here with us grown-ups. I'm sure Clem would like a playmate, want to go see her, Danielle?"

Danielle quickly shook her head. She didn't feel comfortable leaving Edith's side yet.

"She just needs to get used to everything first. It takes her a while to warm up." Edith said. "I had to practical bribe her to come over."

"That's okay, maybe you two could play out here." Christa said.

"That would be a good idea..." Edith said. She nudged the child. "How about it?"

A moment passed by before Danielle nodded.

"Okay, I'll go get her." Christa said.

"Thanks Christa." Edith said.

"No problem." Christa said before heading off to get Clementine.

She went upstairs to find the child.

Christa peeked into the different rooms, before finding the young girl sitting alone coloring. "Hey, Clem. You doing okay?"

"Yeah." Clementine said as she looked up to Christa.

"Edith is here, she brought Danielle. I was thinking maybe you two could play together." Christa said.

"Really? Danielle's here?" Clementine asked before her face fell. "She… said I was annoying…"

"She didn't mean it, Clem. She wants to play with you."

Clementine thought on the idea for a moment. "What if... the twins wake up and cry?"

"I'll check up on them." Christa said.

"Okay..." Clementine said. "But I should check on them..."

"Okay." Christa said.

Clementine stood up grabbing her crutches and went to go to check on the twins. Christa decided to go with her. When they got to the nursery, they found the babies were still fast asleep.

"They're fine… So how about you play with Danielle." Christa said.

"I'm not supposed to play… I have to take care of the twins." Clementine said.

"The twins are asleep. We'll listen out for them." Christa said.

"…Okay." Clementine said.

As the two exited the nursery Christa heard Danielle's voice from the living room. "I don't know about this..." Danielle said.

"Come on, Dani. You got to make friends." Edith said.

"But... I'm... Sometimes... I shut down." Danielle said. "What if that happens now?"

"It's okay... Just try to play with her. It'll be nice to have someone to play with." Edith said.

"Okay." Danielle said.

Christa soon entered the room with Clementine. The young girl smiled as she saw Danielle. "Hi."

"…Hi." Danielle said. She still seemed rather shy.

"I didn't expect you to come here…" Clementine said. "I was just drawing with Promise… He's my friend."

"That's nice…" Danielle said.

"Umm...How old are you?" Clementine asked.

"Ten..." Danielle said. "I'll be eleven soon, I think…." It was hard to keep track of time when the main focus was survival.

Christa was surprised by this. She looked younger. She thought she was eight or nine.

"Really? I thought you were younger." Clementine said.

"Yeah... I haven't grown much since I turned eight." Danielle said. "How old are you?"

"I don't remember my birthday passing, but Christa said I turned twelve in October." Clementine said.

"I wouldn't have guessed you were twelve either…" Danielle commented.

Clementine simply shrugged. "Well, I'm a grown-up now. So that's okay."

"Grown-up?" Danielle seemed confused.

Clementine nodded. "Carver made me one."

"Clem, we're not talking about that stuff." Christa cut in.

"But it's true. He told me so." Clementine muttered.

"Who's Carver?" Danielle asked.

Clementine started to answer, but a stern look from Christa made her stop. "It… doesn't matter…"

"…Okay…" Danielle said.

"Do you want to play with me? We can color or... or play a board game if you want." Clementine said.

"I... Sure... I'd like to play a board game." Danielle said.

"Okay. I got a few of them. You can pick which one." Clementine said.

"Umm... I like Sorry." Danielle said.

Clementine nodded and went to get the game. Once she had, she placed it on the table and began to set it up. "I'd let Promise play with us, but he's with the twins right now."

"Promise is your friend, right?" Danielle asked.

"Yeah. Promise is my bear. He's like my best friend..." Clementine said.

"Oh okay. My bunny's name is Flopsie. I feel the same way about her." Danielle said.

"The bunny you were playing with when I met you? She was cute. Where is she?" Clementine asked.

"I... didn't bring her with me." Danielle said. "Edith told me to keep her at home."

"Oh... maybe you can bring her another day." Clementine said. "Her and Promise could be friends."

"Yeah. That sounds like a good idea." Danielle said.

The two girls begin playing the board game.

"I've never seen Promise before. What does he look like?"

"He's… kind of ripped up. He's missing an eye, and he's a bit dirty, but he's just like me. He's broken like me. Becca doesn't like him, but I love him." Clementine said. "Promise is guarding the twins for me, till they wake up."

"…Who are the twins?" Danielle asked after a moment.

"They're my twins. Their names are Crystal and Aleena." Clementine said.

Danielle's eyes widened and she said, "Oh..."

"They're really cute. You can meet them if you want, when they wake up." Clementine said.

"Okay. I'd like that." Danielle said.

"Okay." Clementine said. "Leena was sick for a while, but she's doing okay now… She has to have this stupid oxygen tank though. It's bigger than her."

"It helps her breathe?" Danielle asked.

Clementine nodded. "I wish she didn't need it though…"

The children continued playing the board game.

Edith was glad to see Danielle playing with another child, especially after the girl had been so closed off when she first arrived.

Danielle was starting to smile and was clearly becoming more comfortable around Clementine.

"Looks like they're getting along well." Christa said to Edith.

"I figured they would. I just knew it would be difficult to get Dani to play with Clem." Edith said.

"Well, I'm glad they're getting along. It's good for Clem to get to play every now and then." Christa said.

"Same for Dani." Edith said. "I figured… this would help her cope."

"What do you mean?" Christa asked.

"Well, being around another abused child can help Danielle get over her own trauma." Edith said.

"Hold on… She was abused… how?" Christa asked, looking worried.

"Sexually…" Edith said.

Christa frowned. "Shit… That's tough... It's hard enough for kids not to feel traumatized by everything around them. Why do people feel the need to add to that trauma?"

"I have no idea…" Edith said with a frown. "I'm just glad I'm here for her now."

"I know how you feel..." Christa said. "I've been looking after Clem for quite a while... We got separated, but I'm glad she's with me again... Even though...I wasn't the best guardian to her before..."

"It's not easy to look after a child nowadays. You got to give yourself some credit." Edith said.

"It's hard for me to not feel guilty about it, after everything... I'm just trying to do the best with her and the twins now..." Christa said.

"I understand. It can't be easy to look after a traumatized child and two babies on top of it. Truth be told, I've been struggling a bit too." Edith said.

"Kenny and Sarita do what they can, but they already got their hands full themselves..." Christa said.

"Of course. That's understandable. It's not easy looking after an infant." Edith said.

"Yeah... You're right." Christa said. "They want me to move back with them. I'm debating on it."

"I understand…" Edith said. "…So how are the twins and AJ?"

"They've been pretty good. AJ's started standing but Kenny said he hasn't taken more than a few steps yet." Christa said.

"Already? Sheesh... Before long, the twins will be the same way." Edith said.

"They're still so tiny. I don't think they're even ready to crawl yet." Christa said. "Kids grow up way too fast..."

"They certainly do." Edith said.

The sound of a cry drew the attention from the four in the room.

"Well, someone's awake..." Christa said. She got up and went to check on the babies.

"Is Christa like your mommy?" Danielle asked Clementine.

"Yeah. In some ways." Clementine said.

"And… are the... twins really yours?" Danielle asked.

Clementine nodded. Danielle was surprised to hear this.

"Where's... their dad?" Danielle asked.

Clementine frowned at the question.

Danielle noticed her expression change.

"I'm sorry..." Danielle said. "I shouldn't have asked."

"No... I just... It's hard to think about..." Clementine said. "…You can meet them now if you want, I'll even let you hold them."

A small smile formed on Danielle's face. "I'd like that." Danielle said.

"Okay, they're in the nursery." Clementine said. She started to push herself into standing position, with some struggled.

Danielle noticed this and stood herself, offering the girl her hand to help her up.

"Thanks." Clementine said, accepting the help.

Danielle gave a nod, grabbing the girl's nearby crutches. "Is it hard to use these?"

"Not really…I like them better than the wheelchair, even though they make me kind of tired." Clementine said.

"Oh." Danielle said.

"Come on." Clementine said. "The nursery's this way."

Danielle nodded and followed after Clementine.

The two girls made their way to the nursery to see Christa rocking one of the babies.

"I thought you two were playing." Christa said.

"We were, but I was letting Danielle meet the twins." Clementine said.

"Okay." Christa said. "Crystal just woke up."

"She's cute." Danielle said. "Can I hold her...?"

"Sure, sweetie. Here. I'll help you." Christa said. Danielle walked over and allowed Christa to help her.

"Make sure you support her head." Christa helped the small girl.

"Okay." Danielle said as she did her best to hold the baby.

"It would probably be easier to hold her if you were sitting down." Christa said. "But I think Crystal's ready for a bottle right now."

"I think you're right." Danielle said.

Christa took the baby back. "How about you two go play some more while I go make Crystal a bottle."

"But she didn't hold Aleena yet. And I can show her how to feed them." Clementine said.

Danielle glanced over to the crib and frowned as she noticed the nasal cannula little Aleena wore. "But… Aleena's still asleep. I don't want to wake her." Danielle said.

"Yeah, let's just let Leena sleep for now. I'll let you two give Crystal a bottle in the living room." Christa said.

"Yeah. That sounds good." Danielle said.

"Okay. Can I carry her?" Clementine asked.

"I don't think that's a great idea, Clem." Christa said. "But I'll let you hold her once you're sitting down."

"Okay..." Clementine said.

The three headed back towards the living room. Once the two girls took a seat on the couch, Christa carefully placed Crystal into the girl's arms, making sure Clementine had a secure grip on the baby.

With that, Christa headed to get a bottle.

"She's cute." Edith said.

"Thanks." Clementine smiled.

"Where's Leena?" Edith asked.

"Still asleep." Clementine said.

"How come… Aleena needs that breathing thing, but Crystal doesn't?" Danielle wondered.

"I… don't know… Christa said Aleena always had trouble breathing." Clementine said.

Eventually Christa returned with a bottle, which she handed to Clementine.

Clementine began to feed Crystal.

"Is it hard, taking care of them?" Danielle asked.

"Sometimes." Clementine said.

Danielle watched a while as Clementine fed the baby. "She looks just like you..."

"Thanks." Clementine said.

"You're welcome." Danielle said.

Eventually Crystal finished with her bottle.

"You can hold her again, if you want." Clementine said.

"Really? Thanks." Danielle said. She sat down on the couch, and with Edith's help, she held the baby in her arms.

Danielle was surprised at how calm the baby was in her arms. She liked holding her.

"You're a natural. Just like Clem." Christa said.

"Thanks." Danielle said. "She's really cute... But she's so little, I was scared I might hurt her..."

"Yeah. You have to be gentle with her." Christa said.

Danielle nodded. It was amazing holding little Crystal. But she was still surprised to learn Clementine was the twins' mother. She had never met anyone who had been through… something like her. She wondered what Clementine's story was.


The two children had quickly warmed up to each other. They spent the entire afternoon playing different games.

"Christa, can Danielle spend the night? I mean, if you want to, Dani..." Clementine said.

Danielle smiled and nodded.

"I think that would be a good idea." Edith said.

Clementine beamed.

"You know what, I don't see why not. I can look after the twins for the rest of the night. You two just have fun and be kids." Christa said.

"Okay. Thanks Christa." Clementine said.

"You're welcome." Christa said.

She knew it would be a good thing, for both of the girls.


Big thanks to WalkingDeadRox for helping me with Danielle's background. The characters mentioned by Danielle are OCs belonging to him and AquaDestinysEmbrace.