The Walking Dead: Return to Paradise Part Two

Chapter Thirteen: Another Day In Paradise

Clementine pulled the blanket up to her and ears to stave off the chill blowing in from outside and shuffled backwards into Violet's body. Her wife stirred slightly but remained sound asleep. Her arms were wrapped protectively around Clementine from behind.
Her gentle breaths tickled the back of Clem's neck, but she had no issue with it. Despite being in Violet's warm embrace, Clem still shivered from the biting cold blowing in under the door.
She reached her arm out of the bed and fumbled for her shirt on the ground.
A soft groan came from behind her and Violet arched her back, stretching out.

"Mmph, Clem?" She mumbled, still not quite awake.

"Right here. Sleep well?" Clem chuckled, her voice a whisper.

"So well. I forgot what a bed felt like." Violet gushed.

"Me too. Can't wait til we can sleep in our bed again."

"Back home?"

"Back home." Clem nodded.

"Clem I..." Violet began, sounding sad, "I can't wait either." She amended.

Clementine rolled over so she was facing Violet dead on. She placed a hand on her wife's chin and tilted it up so their eyes met.

"What're you thinking?" Clem asked softly.

"I don't know, nothing... No, that's a lie." Violet sighed, "It's just... we have no idea how far we are from home, or what direction back it is. We've been walking for like, a week? In that amount of time, we already managed to piss off another group of psychos who want to kill us. I just think you might be... getting your hopes up too soon?"

"Vi, where's this coming from?"

"Yesterday. That hole in your shirt." She pointed to the shirt in Clem's hand, "If that bullet was a little closer, that would have been it. I couldn't have carried you out of there and there's no fucking way I'd have left you. We'd both have been dead, just like that."

Clem was shocked, Violet looked and sounded genuinely distressed. The blonde was usually well put together and stoic, she took everything in stride, but this seemed to really have gotten to her.

"You got really lucky." She continued, "but luck doesn't last forever."

Violet took a breath, her venting session over. She was avoiding Clem's eye-line, looking at the mattress.
Clementine propped herself up on one elbow and pulled herself into Violet, kissing her deeply.
Violet melted into the kiss, letting out a gentle moan.

"Babe..." Clem whispered, breaking away, "I'm not going anywhere. Luck isn't what's been keeping us alive."

Violet sighed euphorically, closing her eyes. Clementine pulled her shirt on over her head and sat up on the bed, dangling her bare feet over the cold wood floor.

One step closer to home, right?

She got up and tossed the blanket back over Violet, who was watching her intently.
Clem slipped into her pants and pulled on her thick wool socks.

"Where are you going?" Violet asked, resting the side of her head on her fist.

Her messy blonde hair fell sideways, a few strands draping themselves across her face.

"I-" Clem said, stepping forward and gently brushing the hair out of her wife's face, "am going out onto the balcony to see if I can find the direction we should be going."

"I'll be up in a sec. I just wanna enjoy this bed a little longer." Violet replied, slumping back down.

Clem chuckled, threw on her sweater and coat, and stepped outside.
The icy air stung her face almost immediately. Clem drew her coat around herself and zipped it up to her neck.
It had snowed overnight, Clem kicked at the fresh powder, sending a small pile of it off the edge of the tower.