Clementine & Louis One-shots

Stay With Me

Word Count: 1232

Summary: Clementine brings back devasting news, with the evidence to back it up. Louis can't handle it.

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"I should have gone with them," Louis thought as he paced around the courtyard for what felt like the 100th time that night. "Fuck would you stop worrying. They're all fine, she's fine."

When leaving the school to go on the hunt for the other kids, Clementine made Louis stay behind to protect AJ, Tenn, and Willy. Basically, it was just babysitting duty. An argument ensued but ultimately Clementine won, a trend Louis could sense was going to become popular in their relationship.

"Guys! I can see them!" Willy called it. It was the first time Louis was genuinely thankful for his loud voice. Willy immediately climbed down the ladder from his lookout post and opened the gate, eager to bring everyone to safety. Tenn, AJ and Louis were immediately trying to make sense of the figures hidden in the fog.

There was Aasim, who was profusely bleeding from his left shoulder with Ruby tentatively watching him. Omar had a slight limp and Rosie had blood dripping from her mouth. Tenn saw them first, Minnie and Sophie, holding onto each other so tightly. He ran to them with all his might, crying out their names as the two girls ran to meet their brother. It warmed AJ's heart to see his friend finally heal.

Violet had been leading the crowd, she too had a limp and a mighty bruise on her forehead. His major worry was quelled when he saw Clementine walking beside her, acting as a crutch for Violet. Her clothes were drenched in blood.

Louis immediately ran over to them as soon as they were in the gate, snatching them both in a hug. "I'm so glad you're both safe."

Both of the girls stayed silent. Violet couldn't handle it, she wandered over to Ruby and Aasim in desperate need of medical attention.

He looked at Clementine with a smile of relief, one that she didn't reciprocate. "What's wrong?"

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes, her lips trembling. "I..." Clementine couldn't find the right words to make the situation okay, it would never be okay. Her legs gave way beneath her and she fell onto Louis, yelling from the pain that shot up her entire body.

Louis frantically caught her and helped her back onto her own feet. AJ had wandered over to see what the fuss was about, eager to see Clementine in one piece. He ran over to her, arms open ready to reunite with her, but she pulled away at the last second.

"I...I can't AJ, I'm so sorry," Clementine coughed, a small amount of blood pooling in her mouth.

Louis grabbed her hand and held onto it tightly, ignoring her vicious movements to pull away. "Clementine, what happened?"

His stern voice demanded an answer, slowly Clementine reached up to the collar of her shirt and pulled the torn fabric away, revealing a pulsing bite mark.

It couldn't be real, no fucking way was it real. "What happened?!" Louis yelled.

Clementine was still replaying the situation over and over in her head. "It happened so fast...we had made it outside the building but a hoard of walkers had heard our gunshots. We tried to sneak through but one of them grabbed Aasim, I pushed him out of the way but the walker grabbed me instead."

Her eyes were closed and her skin was already pale. Louis couldn't help the tears that ran down his cheeks. "Clementine...not you. Please!" Louis yelled as he pulled at his dreadlocks, his voice became very hoarse and jagged. His heart had split into fragments, a broken vessel. He pressed his forehead against her own, desperate to feel her, she's been through too much to die from a fucking walker bite.

"We can fix it, I know we can! Abel survived his bite." Louis began spouting gibberish, all his comedic material had finally hit its end.

Clementine shook her head. "It's too late, you know how this has to end."

"No. No fucking way. We'll get help!" He shouted, desperate for a miracle.

"What good will it do to prevent the inevitable?" She retaliated. The pain in his eyes reflected how he felt inside, knowing that she caused such grief...god it made her want to die faster.

"You have to stay! For AJ, for me! I promise I will make you happier than you ever thought you could be." He whispered as he took her small hands in his calloused ones, their cold ambience sent shivers all over him.

"You've already done that," She smiled, remembering the little moments between them that made her fall head over heels for him. "This has to end now. I can't...I won't become a walker."

Louis's sobs broke the hearts of everyone around him, AJ had buried himself in a hug from Tenn and Willy, their clothes burying his cries. "I'm so sorry Louis," Clementine sniffled as she reached for the gun in her back pocket. "I won't make you do it." With a swift motion, she pushed away from Louis and had the gun at her head, the last bullet saved for herself.

AJ slammed into her, almost knocking her down again. "No! You can't die! I was supposed to protect you!"

Clementine ran her hand through his afro. "You've done such a good job, I couldn't be more proud. I'm doing this so I can't hurt anyone. I'm going to atone, remember when we talked about that? It's my turn now," She leaned down and kissed the top of his head. "I love you AJ."

"I love you back..."

Ruby had to pull AJ away from Clementine's grasp, he began to kick and scream, begging to be released. But Ruby kept a tight grip on him.

"Thank you. All of you, for what you've done for AJ and me," Clementine looked at the group of kids around her, her friends and now her family. "Take care of him, please."

"Stop!" Louis shouted again. "I can't say goodbye, I can't, I won't!"

Clementine just smiled, knowing how desperate Louis was for her own survival. She wishes that her life had a different outcome, that she came back fine as ever and lived out the rest of her days in this school surrounded by the people she had grown to care immensely for. "I know you, I know you'll stay strong. You still have my initial on the piano, as long as it's there I'll be with you."

Louis mouthed something to Clementine, her blurry vision made it hard to understand, but she saw 'love' and that was all she needed to know. Her smile faltered as she cocked the gun, the sound almost made her gag. This was what it had come to, how ironic. Clementine breathed in one last time, closed her eyes and pulled the trigger.

The world felt like it was caving in, rain started to slam onto the group, but no one cared. He couldn't hold it any longer, Louis screamed, his voice as harsh as the rain. It was all over, the last ray of sunshine had vanished from Earth. Everyone's tears mixed with the rainwater as they watched a friend die and another grieve, his pain reaching a new state that no one had ever seen before. He tried to imagine a world without Clementine...and what a worthless world it was.