Chapter 33- Sweet Pea

- General POV

Clementine woke up to the sound of a train. Confused, she sat up, squinting her eyes in the bright sunlight that shone down. It wasn't long until she realized that something was...off. Despite being short all her life, this suddenly caught her attention when she realized that she was even shorter than usual. That, and her clothes were different as well. Clem looked around, shutting her eyes a moment when the passing trees made her dizzy. One other thing too: the hat was almost too big for her. Or...it felt that way. As she watched the ground beneath her, only three familiar words met her ears. "Hey, sweet pea."

Clem looked up to the tall man as he sat next to her, small smile on his face. "Lee?" She was surprised by her small voice, however what was even more shocking was the reunion. "What's on your mind this time, Clem?" He asked, looking back to the forest that surrounded them. The young girl's brows furrowed as the troubles met her mind again. She sighed. "I'm worried, Lee. There's so many people depending on me right now. I don't even know if I'm doing the right thing..." She trailed off sadly. Lee nodded in understanding. "You know...I've been in the same position. Didn't know if I was gonna mess up, and what it'd cost me. I was making it all up as I went along." He explained to the 8 year old. "Well, you had to. Walkers kinda took over and...you got stuck taking care of an 8 year old girl." Clementine's tone changed as she thought. Lee smiled as he said, "You were a handful. But I didn't 'get stuck' with anything. You kept me going. Wanna tell me what you're up against?" He watched at the girl sighed, worry as her expression. "I've been in so many groups...they all fall apart or...I get left behind. But I really like this one. It almost feels like...home." Clementine couldn't help but smile at the realization. "But now raiders came and took some of them. I don't know if I might get the rest killed trying to help."

"I'm not worried." Lee looked back up to the girl, who's face was now confused. "What?" She said. "Whatever trouble you're in, you'll get out of it. Get your friends out of it. I know you can do it." He smiled, grabbing her hand gently and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I made it this far...I can try." Clem spoke quietly. "Don't give in, okay?" Lee smiled a little before speaking again. "Aw, sweet pea. You always get like this before something big. Remember all those times you had to do something like this? Like McCarroll ranch. You survived that, didn't you?" He tried. "That was different. I was alone. I didn't have to worry about other people. Had no one to care about losing." Clementine shook her head, but she knew he was right. "It's harder when you've got something to lose. But it's worth it. It's always better that way. Having friends, and AJ...a boy who thinks the world of you." Butterflies emerged in her stomach remembering Louis. He was right, it was better when people cared about you. It gave her a reason to fight. "They're fighting beside you, Clem. Because of you. Don't forget that." And with that, Lee stood. "Come see me again, when you've gotten them out and safe, okay?" She hesitated as she struggled to form words. "Lee...I miss you. So much." The little girl fought back sudden tears as his face softened. "I miss you too, Clementine. But we'll have to make due with pretending."

The two stood in the middle of the train car, until finally the small girl hugged the taller man. Clementine felt a small relief in his embrace, however when she let go, she realized her clothing was back to normal. Same with her hat, her height, and voice. "Look at you...just look at you." Lee examined the girl fully grown, proud to be a father figure to her. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. "Time to go, Clementine." He spoke softly, finally letting go of her shoulders before backing away with a smile. "You've got people that need you." And with that, her dream came to an end.

Clementine groaned, shifting on the couch before the sunlight finally shone into her eyes. She felt a slight ease from the dream, however she still felt the piece missing in her heart. She could faintly hear another person's breathing. For once, it wasn't AJ's. Clem turned around to feel the warm embrace of a bigger figure, and when the girl finally opened her eyes, her breath was taken away. Louis lay beside her, asleep and free of worry. His dreadlocks were strewn over his face, and somehow she had ended up entangled in his coat. The boy groaned, moving a hand to his face as he shifted slightly. It wasn't long until he realized that for once, he wasn't alone. Clementine watched as he opened his eyes slowly, looking to her and clearly shocked when he saw her looking back. And that's when she realized that she'd been staring. Clem's eyes widened slightly, and she could feel her face heat up the longer they looked at each other. "Well good morning, Clemster." He said jokingly. It was easy to tell that Louis was nervous, unusually enough. "Morning. And...don't call me that." She laughed, finally moving to get up. "You ready?" He asked as they both stood tiredly. "What other choice is there? It's a long walk, we'll have to leave soon. You?" Clementine replied as she put her hat back on. "As ready as I can be for this. Just promise me you'll be careful?" She looked to him momentarily. "I will. You too, okay?" She patted his arm quickly before walking to the door. "Of course."

Sorry this took so long to get out. And sorry it sucks so much. I'll try to get back into the rhythm of writing these chapters. Thanks for reading!