The Broken But Strong

Shut Up And Work This Out

(Clementine's Pov)

I was looking at the leaves as they started to fall. This time of year, always get to me. The cold air, the falling leaves, the changing of the colors the memories. I looked over to AJ as he was helping Violet with the greenhouse and I go over and help them. I watched as Violet took measurements and she would look to me and I smile at her as she smiled at me. I then see the others come over to the cabin and they opened the gate as they walk in.

"Hey how's the greenhouse coming?" Omar asked.

"Coming along good, just measuring for the glass panels since I lost the other papers but hey." Violet shrugged and I roll my eye at this. She didn't lose them she thought she did the math wrong but I wasn't going to call her out on that. I look over to see Louis as he just kept to himself and I was glad about that. We didn't need any shit today.

"Well, I have to check the fuses to see if they're good once we finish the makeshift watermill." Marlon says and I nod at this. Honestly, he's come a long way from when we first met and I'm glad that he's been improving, hell he's even come to me a few times when he felt like he needed to talk to someone. I look to the side where AJ had gone over to Violet and I stretch a bit.

"Mind if I help?" I asked and he looked to me and nods. We head inside and he looks to the box and we checked the wires and taped some of them that weren't too bad.

"Got to replace some of the wires but all in all they're fine, I might have to go and check up in the attic since it's not so hot out anymore but last I saw they were good." He tells me and I nod a bit.

"We can check on them later... how are you?" I asked him. He was looking at some of the wires and he sighed a bit and I look to him.

"Been fine, but uh... right now... this time... I feel guilt." He says and I look to him and I nod a bit.

"It's going to happen a lot, guilt is... it's never going to go away." I tell him and he nods.

"I felt guilt when I gave up Sophie and Minerva, when I made Brody keep it a secret... but over the year I had just... I still had it but I learned to keep it buried deep down... and when I hurt Brody... I didn't mean to." He tells me and I look to him a bit as he looked to the ground.

"I still haven't picked up a gun since that day.... I don't trust myself." He tells me and I nod a bit.

"And... sometimes I wish AJ had killed me that day... but I think that it would have been a blessing and that Brody and the twins wouldn't have had justice you know." He says as he looked to me and I look back to the fuse box and I think for a while and I sighed.

"I get what you are saying, you having a quick death makes it seem like they wouldn't have gotten justice, and you think suffering is what you deserve in order to feel right on what you did to them... I don't think I ever felt that way, honestly, I felt guilt when I got Lee bitten, it was my fault and he came looking for me... and I had to shoot him... that was my punishment... to shoot the man that took care of me, who saved me from a crazy stranger who kept his wife's head in a bowling bag... I was a stupid kid... I sometimes felt that he should have left me to die." I tell Marlon. We look to each other and he looked back to the ground. I pat his back gently and he nods a bit and then leaves the cabin. I closed the fuse box and then I see Louis as he came in.

"I uh... is it ok if we talk?" He asked and I just look to him and then nod. He stood there and I wait for him to speak. Though it was taking too long I decided it would be ok for me to leave but he stopped me. I take his hand off me and he raised his hands up in a surrender and I glare at him.

"Look I just... can you talk to Violet for me?" He asked.

"No." I tell him and he looked to me a bit.