A Second Chance

Chapter 23

A/N- I'm so so so so sorry! My laptop died so I had to rewrite this ENTIRE chapter! Hopefully, the chapter itself should make up for it!

I sighed happily, relishing the feel of her skin against mine. Everything down to the scar on her right cheek was perfect. Her short, brown hair was splayed out around her head, giving her a wild, untamed look. God, she looked so innocent. Even in this world, it was a rarity.

I kissed her cheek softly and allowed my eyes to roam the cramped boxcar. In the corner, not too far away from us, Clementine slept, curled into a little ball with her hand snaking into a drawer that contained Logan. He was gripping one of her small fingers and grizzling as he slept.

I must have watched them for longer than I thought, because I soon heard a soft voice calling me.

"They're fine, Lee." She said, cupping my cheek with her hand and bringing my head around to look in her eyes. "They're fine."

"I know." I smiled, kissing her softly. I pulled away and my grin got even wider. "I just can't believe I found you!"

"Well, you did." She said, mirroring my smile. I relaxed next to her once again, feeling her cuddle into my chest. Eventually, her breathing evened out and soft snores rang through the boxcar.

BANG!

I awoke with a start and stared around me, trying to grasp my surroundings. The only other person, besides myself, was Molly.

BANG!

Molly mirrored my actions and grabbed for her climbing hook. I pressed a finger to my lips and stood, grabbing Carley's gun from the back of my jeans.

"What the fuck was that?" molly mouthed, cocking her head slightly to the side. I shrugged in response and opened the door to the boxcar. What I discovered shocked me. An old man stood, checking out the remains of the fire. I raised Carley's gun and walked towards him, barely making any noise.

"Stay right there, Jackass!" I growled. They froze at the sound of my voice and turned slowly, their hands in a surrender.

"Look, son. I don't want to hurt you." He said tiredly. "I saw you two earlier and told myself to get you on my way back from the supply run I was on. I'll take you to my camp. You'll be safe there."

After sharing a significant look with Molly, I sighed in acceptance.

"Fine. But if we don't like what we see, we're going."

Twenty Minutes Later

Tents. Rows of tents greeted us. I thought it would have been fortified with walls, no tin cans on string!

"This is your fucking camp?!" I hissed, careful to not alert anyone to our presence. It was sunrise now and people were already emerging from their tents. He gestured to a small clearing with two whitewashed logs and nodded, telling us silently to sit there.

We watched as he approached a three-man tent and peeped his head inside. He stayed like that for a while emerging with a small smile on his face. I scrunched my face in confusion, receiving the signal to stay patient.

Soon, the inhabitant of the tent began to emerge; chocolate brown hair, green eyes, a purple jacket and blue jeans.

"Dad! Seriously? This was the first time both of the kids have slept through since-" She stopped, looking directly at me. Honestly, I looked like I'd been to hell and back. My shirt sleeve was torn off, blood soaking into my white undershirt. My jeans were torn and I hadn't had a shave in god knows how long. But I was there, staring at my girlfriend. She simply stared for a long moment before releasing a breath. "Lee?"

"Carley!" I breathed out, launching myself towards her and enveloping her in a crushing hug. She collapsed into me and I felt her body shake with sobs. I stroked her hair and kissed her forehead softly. "I'm here."

"I thought… I thought I'd lost you." She sobbed, desperately clinging to the back of my neck and burying her head in my shoulder. "I thought you were gone."

"Hey… Shh… you know it takes more than a few undead people to take me down." I soothed, trying to make a joke. "Hey, come on. The last time you cried, you went into labour. We don't want any surprises, do we?"

I smiled as I heard her chuckle lightly and pulled back to look her in the eyes. Oh, those gorgeous eyes. Sure, they were slightly red from crying but they were still the shining emerald that had always been. I let out a laugh, cupping her cheek and wiping her tears away with my thumb.

"We left you." She mumbled, her eyes not meeting mine. I shook my head, dismissing her regrets.

A cry caught our attention. A baby's cry. Logan.

"I'll get him." Carley muttered, ducking back in the tent and emerging a moment later, clutching our son in her arms. She was whispering to him. "Hey baby boy, look who's here… it's daddy…" She muttered, gently bouncing him with his head resting on her shoulder.

I stretched out my arms, silently asking permission to take him. She nodded, handing him over. It felt so surreal to be holding my son once again. I softly kissed his forehead and hugged him to my chest.

"Hey buddy… Do you remember me?" I cooed, hearing him quieten and seeing his wide emerald eyes look at me. He reached up, grabbing my finger tightly and making what would have been a smile. "That's right… Oh, I missed you so much…"

Right then, in that moment, it was me and my son. No one else. People started emerging from the tents surrounding us. People I recognized: Kenny, Katjaa, Duck, Lilly…

"Carley?" I heard from back inside the tent, snapping me from my 'bubble'. Carley smiled, taking Logan back into her maternal embrace and opening the entrance for me. I shuffled inside and slowly unzipped the 'bedroom' compartment. Clementine was busying herself, stuffing her cap on her head. Fortunately, she hadn't seen me yet. "Carley? Are you there?"

"It's not Carley, sweet-pea." I muttered, laughing when her head snapped around and she launched herself into my arms, clinging for dear life. Carley approached us and joined our hug. I was back with my family.