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“I want you all to keep your distance. She’s dangerous,” Marlon says when they finish grouping up around him, Louis watching over the kid elsewhere. Violet thinks he’s being a bit ridiculous because she certainly didn’t seem dangerous, blood trickling down from her hairline and blinding terror etched across her face before she was dragged out of the car unconscious, but what does she know? She doesn’t do people. “She’s an outsider. We don’t know who she is or where she came from so just be on guard.” Violet scoffs under her breath but doesn’t say anything, nodding when everyone else does. They disperse and she returns to her post at the guard tower, mildly irritated she still has to do her shift when she was part of the extraction team and she’s tired, damnit. But it’s not worth a fight so she climbs up anyways and takes her spot in the chair that pretends to be comfortable but really fucking isn’t.
She’s still up there when she hears Ruby shout and enter the courtyard with a stream of curses, clutching her hand. Marlon jogs up to her and they’re just close enough that Violet can just faintly hear them and she has to hide her smile in her shoulder. Marlon had said nothing about the kid being dangerous and that sounds like a mistake. She contemplated crawling down but they’re already moving away to care for Ruby’s hand that got…bit? Violet shrugs and returns to staring off in space, number three on her list of Favorite Things To Do In The Apocalypse (and also Before).
Violet turns away from the darkening sky when she hears Willy hollering about Walkers outside the fence. She sighs heavily, making sure her cleaver is still attached to her person before crawling down the ladder just in time for the Newcomer to walk up, looking vastly different than the last time she’s seen her. The fear is no longer there, likely driven back deep inside, replaced by confidence. She’s guarded, Violet can tell. She can relate. She misses most of what’s being said prior but knows enough to pick up the pieces.
“It’s almost like something drew their attention. Something like, I don’t know, an explosion. Or a car crash.”
The girl introduces herself and she snarks something else out. Clementine. What a pretty name for a girl who’s not willing to take any shit. Louis mimics a greeting for her and it’s good enough.
“What he said.”
Later, Clementine compliments her and her stupid heart jumps in her chest.
-----
She goes to grab Sophie’s art supplies and she can’t believe she doesn’t know that they’re staying there. She wanders right into Clementine’s stare and pauses, wondering if it’s worth it or not. She should have grabbed them before but here she is. And they’re not in the closet where she expected them to be and really, she wanted to be in and out but now she has to search for them and of course the kid has them. If she takes them from him now, she’ll look like an ass so she prepares herself to leave but Clementine is teaching AJ how to be an upstanding citizen or some shit so she’s locked in the uncomfortable position of waiting. And now if she leaves, she’ll look even more like an ass so she offers to let AJ finish his drawing first without knowing what she’ll do in the meantime.
“Huh. Seems like you’re settling in.” The room is the most cluttered Violet’s seen it in a year, bits and pieces of just about anything lying around and is that a skull? She goes on a spiel about Sophie and Minnie Minerva and when she realizes how much she’s been talking about her former girlfriend, ends the conversation. She’s doing just fine, thank you very much, she’s over it. And then Clementine calls them great friends and her big, dumb, stupid mouth opens again. “Uh, we were close, me and her.”
There might as well be a neon sign flashing ‘LESBIAN!’ in all caps across her forehead. Violet is proud of who she is but she’s not one for dumping Violet Facts all over others, especially when they’ve known her for less than a full day. They take seats on opposite beds and word vomit spews from her lips once again.
“Honestly, I just miss having someone around to talk to. There’s just…so many dudes. This place can get a little too Bro-town for my liking sometimes.” Did she actually just say Bro-town? Who is she? She peeks her eyes up just enough to catch the pretty curve of a smile on Clementine’s lips and shoots her gaze right back down and keeps talking. “And I’m not exactly like…a people person. You know? I know I sometimes have a habit, a habit of being a little bit too harsh.”
And of course, that’s when Clementine calls her cool and that’s about all she can take for the conversation. She squeezes out a compliment back and AJ the hero saves the day by finishing his art. Clementine goes over to observe and Violet follows to collect the kit. Clementine meets her eyes (twice!) and smiles gently (twice!!) and Violet just about trips over herself evacuating the room.
Clementine is a wild card thrown into a table of cards that have been the same for nine years. She’s beautiful, smart, brave, she can hold her own and knows how to survive, she’s caring enough to raise a kid through an apocalypse. She’s obviously leader material and she’s able to hold her ground against Violet’s snark. She’s dangerous, she reminds herself, but she also doesn’t doubt that every boy in the school is going to want her soon. She has something for everyone. She’s dangerous, she repeats, like a mantra. She’s dangerous.
------
Clementine spends a significant portion of the next day trying to repair the rift between Violet and Brody. Violet can’t help but maintain that leftover irritation even a year later. Maybe it’s just projected self-hatred, as her therapist used to tell her every Saturday morning during their sessions. Whatever. Sophie and Minnie are still dead because of Brody but that doesn’t stop Clementine from trying her damnedest to get them to be friends again. They stick to spear fishing for a bit to let things die down and Clementine is good at that too, of course she is. Violet grimaces, thinking back to the night prior, and apologizes for the whole thing.
“Don’t sweat it. I’m glad we got to know each other.”
Violet fumbles her next throw and has to chase her spear into the water before it floats away. “Um, yeah. I guess I am too.” Her shoes and socks are soaked now but the easy smile Clementine greets her with is almost worth it. Almost.
They return to talking about her issues with Brody because it’s still easier than talking about whatever is going on between her and Clementine. It’s only after they leave, Violet finally connecting with Brody again, that she realizes that Clementine probably saw the heart she and Minnie carved into the hut. Wonderful.
------
Violet quickly learns, immediately following another fight with Brody, that she already can’t say no to Clementine. Maybe that’s why she’s surrounded by Walkers and Louis is doing something he calls ‘singing’ on top of some train cars. She’s convinced they’re all about to die a horrific death when they manage to escape into the train station and somehow manage to escape again after minor altercations. They’ve got several duffel bags worth of food that’ll last them a few days and no one was hurt. Of course, it still leads to a fight but Violet isn’t all that surprised. The safe zone was created for a reason and Marlon and Brody have been anal about it ever since the twins died. They’ll get over it soon enough.
------
Brody is dead. Brody is dead, Marlon is a traitor, AJ’s wielding a gun, Sophie and Minnie might be alive and Clementine is looking at her with her beautiful, amazing, stupid eyes and begging her to help her. It’s pouring rain and it’s cold and dark and she was asleep, damnit. Her stomach churns painfully with an anxiety she hasn’t felt in quite some time. Marlon’s pointing the gun at Clementine and her brain is all jumbled up, unable to truly comprehend anything that’s happening. She takes half a step back, eyes wide and body switched to flight. She’s dangerous.
“I don’t know you Clementine. Not really. I’m sorry.”
“And now you never will!”
The more Clementine appeals to her, the harder her stomach churns and she clenches her fists at her sides, willing everything just to stop.
“I know you know bullshit. You can smell it a mile away. And you’re telling me you buy his story?” She almost sounds angry at her, but if Violet looks close enough, really looks, she can see the fear there, the fear of being alone and outnumbered and damnit Violet understands that. She sucks in a deep breath, squares her shoulders, and steps forward.
She positions herself in front of Clementine, blocking Marlon’s view of her with his gun, and although her new position only mildly terrifies her, she doesn’t let her hand shake when she brandishes her cleaver. Her eyes harden and narrow and the familiar burning of anger replaces the churning of her stomach. This is the boy that gave away Sophie and Minnie and lied about it. They grieved for a year because of him. He has no right to be upset they found out.
“Put down the gun. Now.” Others support her, stepping forward now that she’s chosen a side, and Marlon starts to look scared. Good. Coward. He starts waving the gun around and they collectively step back but not Violet. No, she’s pissed, and she takes a step forward. Clementine follows a step behind her.
“A real leader would’ve sacrificed himself,” Clementine says and Violet agrees with a firm nod of her head.
“You say you were trying to protect us, but what were you going to do when they came back? Just pick the next two to go?” Violet gestures towards the kids assembled with a quick movement, baring her teeth. “What if Clementine and AJ hadn’t shown up? Who was next? Who qualifies?” Sophie and Minnie are gone. Sophie is gone. Minnie is gone. They could still be alive.
“No! I wanted to get them, stage some kind of rescue.” He looks to Tenn, pleading. “Honest, Tenn. I just couldn’t. I was too…afraid.” The gun slips from his fingers and skitters backwards, lost in the downpour. Marlon rubs his hands over his face and does nothing but smear the blood across his cheek. “I’m so sorry.”
“You bastard! No, you’re not! You’re only sorry you got caught!” Violet yells, advancing another step forward. Her cleaver fell to the ground a moment after his gun and she violently pokes the air at him. “You would have left us in the dark forever!”
“No!” Marlon repeats, glancing at Louis for support but his best friend only looks away, ashamed. “Minnie, a-and Sophie - ”.
Violet doesn’t want to hear it anymore. With a primal scream, she charges him, knocking him to the ground with the intent to kick his ass just as she goes deaf. She looks around in a panic to see smoke still drifting away from the barrel of the gun AJ is holding, Clementine running over to rip it from his hands. Time moves in slow motion and sound slowly comes back in waves, mostly of everyone screaming. She leaps up, checking herself first and Marlon second and everyone else third, finding everyone standing just fine.
“What the fuck!” She croaks, falling to her knees once the adrenaline fades away, leaving her weak.
“What? You said to aim for the head!”
“Jesus Christ! Who were you trying to shoot?” Louis shouts, stepping forward and heaving Marlon off the ground.
“Marlon! He’s a bad guy! Clementine taught me to shoot bad guys!”
“We already talked him down! He didn’t have a weapon anymore! What the fuck are you teaching this kid?”
“Yeah, what happens the next time we do something this kid doesn’t like? He gunna shoot us too?” Mitch interjects, fingers clenched into a fist not quite raised. Marlon opens his mouth to speak but no words come out. “You could’ve shot Violet!”
She could’ve been shot. Right. That was a thing. Aasim steps over to help her up and she gratefully accepts his hand. “Alright guys, cool off. It’s been a long night. Let’s just, just go to our rooms and we can talk about it tomorrow.”
“Wait, we’re just going to let them go back to the dorms? What if that little terror decides he wants to off one of us in the middle of the night?”
“Shut up Louis! He doesn’t want to kill people! You try growing up in this world where people are trying to eat you or kill you! Marlon murdered Brody and tried to kill me! What would you have done if you were six right now?” Clementine yells back, tucking AJ behind her.
“Not fucking shot anyone!”
“Shut up! Dorms, now!” Violet snaps, finding her footing and corralling everyone towards the dorms. “Tomorrow, we’ll decide what to do with Marlon and Brody and AJ and everything else that fucking happened tonight but for now, go to sleep.” Mitch opens his mouth and she narrows her eyes at him. He shuts it quickly and stomps off, Willy not far from his side. Violet sighs when the last of them funnel in, lifting her hands and watching them tremble. She tucks them under her armpits and allows the door to swing shut behind her. Tomorrow is going to suck.
------
Tomorrow does, in fact, suck. They bury Brody with a handful of bowls from the cafeteria and although Marlon does most of the work, it’s exhausting. It’s clear that he’s no longer their leader and that empty space makes everyone panic just a bit. What if the raiders come back and there’s no leader? Who makes what call? It’s a lot to deal with. Brody’s grave is adorned with a shoddy wooden cross and a drawing Tenn makes and it doesn’t take long for Marlon to sink to his knees and sob over it.
Silence falls when AJ and Clementine show up. Aasim makes a snide remark and she shushes him just as quickly. The funeral is hard. They all speak about Brody and then a fight almost breaks out when AJ starts talking about atoning, which was a bit much as far as Violet is concerned but everything is off the rails and nothing is okay. Talk of a vote is brought up on whether or not they should leave or stay and time flies until they’re knee deep in yet another argument.
“He shot at Marlon! No hesitation! He could’ve killed Violet too!”
“Marlon gave up Sophie and Minnie and would’ve dumped the rest of us, he would’ve been doing us a favor.”
“How dare you say that!”
“I vote they stay.” All eyes turn to Marlon, slumped forward in his seat. “Don’t look at me like that. I fucked up. I’ve fucked up the entire year and he was just protecting Clementine the same way I tried to protect you guys. We’re not so different.”
“He tried to kill you,” Louis exclaimed in disbelief.
“I know, but I get it. I don’t blame him. Let them stay.”
“Absolutely not!”
“One for, one against, everyone else ready to make their decision?” Aasim, pen and journal in hand, sat as far from the others as he could, already having scribbled his vote down and putting Louis’ and Marlon’s down next.
“They’re staying,” Violet announces firmly.
“He could’ve killed you too!”
Violet shakes her head, looking Louis dead in the eye. “I’m aware. Sh- they stay.” Understanding blooms across his face and he sneers, lips parting to speak but Aasim cuts him off.
“Two to one, favor of staying. Next?”
------
Violet and Louis knock on Clementine’s door an hour later, entering after a moment’s hesitation. She and AJ look up to greet them but neither looks happy. Violet clears her throat.
“We took the vote.”
“You have to leave,” Louis snaps from his position at the door, arms crossed.
“Don’t we get a vote? I vote that we stay,” AJ says meekly. Louis scoffs, shaking his head.
“That’s not how it works.”
She catches Clementine’s eyes, trying to show her she tried, she did, but there’s only so much she could’ve done. Clementine looks away first and her heart clenches painfully. The next thing she knows, she and Louis are escorting them to the border of the safe zone, her fingers painfully gripping the bow she holds. It almost feels like a break up, if she’s being honest. Clementine isn’t happy, and Violet takes it personally. She voted them to stay and she tried to convince the others and she knows Clementine knows that so her anger is directed towards Louis but it still hurts. Their farewell is charged and lackluster all the same and Violet stews in her anger while they walk back to the school.
------
Clementine tells her to run, and without hesitation, she listens.
------
AJ is sick and Marlon is still moping in the office and now she and Clementine have to Talk, with a capital t. Marlon briefly looks up when they enter but slumps right back down next to Rosie.
“What happened out in the woods, I saw they had you pinned and I…shit, I got so crazy.” Clementine’s face softens and Violet breathes. “I wanted to help you, to shoot or run over, just do something, but when you told us to run, I had to trust you. I really thought you were dead, Clem.” Her voice catches and Clementine’s eyes open wide.
“It’s really good to see you again,” Clementine says, softly. Violet nods, smiles, and replies the same. Marlon coughs to himself in the corner.
------
“Louis is the only one not taking this seriously. Even Marlon crawled out of his hole and he’s been pulling serious weight to make up for things! Gah, I can’t stand it!” It’s been a frustrating amount of time and while Louis has done things, he’s not done nearly as much as anyone else.
“I had thought they would’ve shown up days ago. This waiting has everyone on edge.” Violet nods, sighs, puts her head in her hands. “Anything I can do to help?”
“Actually, Clem, if you could check on everyone, see how ready we are, that’d be great.” Clementine gives her another one of her special smiles and hops to it, leaving Violet to stare after her before going off to her own assigned task.
They meet back up and talk it over, which eventually leads to a group relaxation session (which also leads to FMK and Clem picks Ruby to marry and that’s a girl so maybe she has a chance?) before they break for the night. Violet’s off to the bell tower for last minute checks of their defense and her heart warms as Clementine immediately offers to help before her lookout shift. She doesn’t miss the look she shoots Louis when he asks for her help instead, turning to hide her smile. She hopes Clem will join her, but doubt still lingers.
It only takes a moment for Clem to catch up.
They chat on the way up the tower. She’s never had someone come up with her before. Minnie had known about it, but had never ventured up with her. This feels special. She smiles.
‘Why would I ever go anywhere else, if you’re here?’
They make up constellations together.
At some point, Clementine scoots closer. At some point, Clementine says she has feelings for her. At some point, Clementine kisses her and her mind goes blissfully blank.
“Holy shit.”
“That’s romantic,” Clementine scoffs. Violet can still see the faint reddening of her cheeks and doesn’t take offense.
“I mean, holy shit.”
They hold hands, sitting in pleasant silence until Ruby calls for Clem. They groan quietly but start their slow climb down. Clementine corners her at the base, traps her against the wall with her arms on either side and gives her a significantly better kiss that steals her breath away. As she’s gasping for breath, Clementine presses their foreheads together and stares her in the eye.
“Violet, you and I are the strongest people here. You know that, right? There’s a reason you were made leader after Marlon,” she starts. Violet stares back, the sudden seriousness of the conversation blinding her.
“Um, yeah?”
“So, we have to protect them. You and I. At any cost.”
“Um, okay?” This closeness is making it hard to think.
“Violet. If anything happens, I need you to let me get captured.” That snaps her out of it fairly quickly.
“What? No! We need you here. I need you here.”
Clem shakes her head, thumping her forehead into Violet’s again. “No. These kids wouldn’t survive being captured. It has to be me. Or you. And I’d rather it not be you but so help me god, I’ll try my damnedest for it not to be you, and if it is, I will get you back.” The conviction in her words stuns her and her mouth goes dry. She doesn’t want either of them to get kidnapped. But Clem’s words make sense and she trusts her, she really does. She shuts her eyes, sets her head against the wall, and nods. It feels too much like going to war to her.
Clementine sighs, eyes grateful, and kisses her one more time before jogging off to her post.
This battle can’t come soon enough.
------
It comes entirely too quickly. Their gates are down and their courtyard flooded and Minnie is alive. Clementine is highlighted in ash and flames and standing bravely against Lilly. Omar’s been shot and Tenn, Tenn is being really, really dumb. She wants to yell at him to get back but a) he won’t listen and b) she’s hiding with four other kids. He’s so young and naive. A lot of things happen at once.
Marlon lunges forward, shoving Tenn back and gets a knife to the gut as a thanks. Clem lets loose an arrow and Lilly falls back and everything else is a blur. The last thing she sees is Clem reaching for her before everything goes black.
------
Being kidnapped sucks. Minnie’s alive but she’s not the same so she sticks to herself and talks to Aasim and Omar when she can. Clem is coming. She promised. She won’t be broken. Oh, but they try. Her fingertips are burned from where they held fire to her when she couldn’t control her mouth and learned to after that.
Clementine appears like a bloody angel, pulling Violet close to her.
“I told you I would save you.”
“I know,” Violet croaks.
Once again, Lilly ruins their reunion.
------
Violet begs Minnie to come with her, escape, but she refuses. Violet loses everyone in the chaos, and they meet back up after the ship explodes. There’re zombies everywhere and Violet feels lost without her cleaver but Clem hands her a weapon and it’s better than nothing. And then Clem is gone and she feels lost more than ever.
------
Clem comes back missing a leg, laid out in a wheelbarrow and Violet just about gives up. Marlon is dead and Minnie and Tenn are gone and Clem is all she has left and she’s so pale. Ruby rushes her off to her ‘office’ and Violet tries to lead, tries to set an example but more often than not, she paces outside Clem’s room like an expectant parent.
It takes her a week to wake up, another to heal enough to stay awake. She’s relieved, sure, but she’s still worried.
She takes over caring for her, changing her bandages and controlling her temperature when it spikes.
“You don’t have to do this,” Clem says weakly, doing her best to smile through the pain. Violet smiles back, finishing rewrapping the bandage around her stump.
“It’s not a problem, and you know it Clem.” She lifts Violet’s hand as a response, kissing the few bandages remaining on the few stubborn fingers that refuse to heal proper. Violet grins. “It’s kinda nice being the stronger one for once.”
“Violet.” Clementine says her name like a prayer, brushing her hand against Violet’s pale face. “Did you ever think we’d end up here, back when you pulled me out of a car accident?”
Violet places her hand to the one pressed to her face, laughing quietly. “Absolutely not. I was prepared to never talk to you again after that. Didn’t think you would. Besides,” she grimaces momentarily, looking away, “Marlon called you dangerous, told us to stay away. I guess I didn’t care.”
“Marlon said something to me, before he died.” Clementine’s voice drifts, like she’s falling asleep. Violet wouldn’t be surprised if she was. “He protected Tenn, and while he was dying, he grabbed my hand tight, like a father’s handshake. Told me a real leader would’ve sacrificed himself, spat the words right back at me. He was smiling when he told me to take care of you, though. Like he was at peace.”
Violet blinks back her tears. While she’s glad he got the redemption he needed, she wishes it hadn’t ended in his death. “Let’s lead together, okay? That way we never get stressed out like that.” Clementine nods and within another second, is asleep again.
------
Clem proves she’s significantly better a month later when she charges into Violet’s room to hold back her hair as she violently vomits up the remaining contents of her stomach after she catches a flu.
------
Between the two genius minds of Willy and Mitch, they manage to craft a surprisingly well-designed prosthetic that’s padded enough that Clementine can stand to use it for several hours before needing to relax. She hasn’t quite perfected it enough to go up to the bell tower, so instead, they spend a lot of time on the balcony of the office, sitting and chatting and looking at the stars, both queens of the night.
Other times, when the night is quiet, they retreat back to Violet’s room and fall into each other, well into the night. Violet kisses her scars, her healed wounds, her brand tattoo. Clementine kisses her fingers, presses butterfly kisses to her eyelids. Sometimes they explore each other, other times they just lay and talk shit until they fall asleep.
AJ questions them after he catches Violet wearing Clementine’s jacket. He doesn’t really understand but Clementine explains that they love each other like parents love each other and it seems to be enough. Violet’s face erupts red and she coughs out the water she was drinking.
“You love me?”
“Oh. Well, yeah? I guess we should’ve talked about that first.”
“I, uh, I love you too,” Violet stammers out. If this is a dream, do not wake me up.
Clementine’s smile is blinding.
------
Years down the line, they’ll get married the best they can in an apocalypse, consequences be damned. AJ will throw flowers and Louis will happily play ring bearer to their makeshift ceremony. For now, though, Violet’s perfectly content sitting next to Clementine in the broken-down truck outside the fishing shack, one hand resting on the wheel and the other resting on Clem’s thigh as they talk about traveling the end of the world together.