Two Sides of the Same Street (A Clouis Fic)

Chapter Five

Pairing: Clementine x Louis

Word Count: 4223

Summary: Upon returning Clementine to her house, Louis gets the chance to meet her family.

A/N: I really have no excuse. I cannot thank you enough for the patience, I really can't say why this chapter took so long. I just fell out of my groove, lost a lot of inspiration for a while. This will be the last chapter in this series. I only ever intended for it to be short-lived and I feel like this is a nice place to finish. Hopefully, this ending will please you. Enjoy :)

-♥-

There was just darkness. Simple and suffocating darkness all around her. Clementine stretched out her hand, losing them to the dark. There was nothing, yet somehow everything felt..wrong. Oh so wrong.

"Stop it you're fine." She mumbled, her voice buzzing in the air above her. A slight breeze washed over her foot, causing Clementine to jump high into the air. Hidden amongst the darkness an empty row of nails began to surround her, creeping in from every direction. Clementine fell to her knees, desperate to sink into the floor and hide.

Her words couldn't break the silence. "Leave me alone." She gave a final cry before her vision went blurry, her lungs exploding in her chest.

The world around her fell together like puzzle pieces. Clementine immediately sat up, clutching the bed sheet that her legs were tangled in. Sweat collected beneath her knees, sending chills up along her thighs. A warm hand broke through her icy layer.

"Clem,"

Her head followed the hand on her shoulder to the body it belonged to, finding Louis kneeling beside her, his brows furrowed deeply. "What's going on? You were shouting in your sleep," He brushed some damp curls from her face, his heart sinking at the tears welled up in her eyes.

Clementine brought her knees up to her chest, holding herself tightly. "Yeah uh..it's fine.." She closed her eyes and took one long breath after another, thinking of the treehouse she had as a child. Lee told her to think of a peaceful place, a place where good memories hide.

"You wanna talk about it?" Louis whispered. He pulled the small lamp on the corner table closer to her, pushing away the darkness that always threatened her. "Sounded pretty serious." His pulse was running like a train in the night. Her screaming bloody murder had him thinking there was an intruder in the apartment, a physical threat would have been easier to deal with than an emotional manifestation that only she could see, that only she understood.

Nevertheless, his grandmother taught him never to leave someone crying alone.

"I have bad dreams from time to time, it's nothing new." Clem kept her eyes focused on the soft light beside her. If she even dared look at Louis she would reveal anything and everything about her, why her dreams are there and why they'll never go away.

Louis' eyes darted back and forth between her and the skinny hallway behind him. "Do you, uh...wanna stay in my bed? Just so you feel better!" He immediately adds to dial down her wide eyes. "You don't have to-"

"Okay," Part of her agrees just so she won't have to remain alone for the rest of the long night, the louder part of her brain agrees just so she can be closer to him. "I...don't really want to be alone." She voices the quiet side of her brain.

Louis wiped both his palms against his pants, unsure of where to tread now. "Well, let's go then." This situation wasn't included in the etiquette lessons his mother taught him as a young boy. Was there a protocol? Maybe offer her a glass of water? Tequila??