'Got Your Back' A Gabentine Story?

Chapter Eighteen The Final Stretch

1126 Words

Gabe eventually pulled away, his mind felt melted and his heart was happy. "Wow....that was my first kiss...." Gabe said,a seemly unfalterable smile on his face.

"Me too...." Clementine said,feeling like the apocalypse had just ended.

"I promise I'll never leave you,Clem. That's what the heart is,my promise to you." Gabe said gesturing towards it and gripping her hand in his.

Clem smiled at it, "It's beautiful, Thank you, Gabe."

Suddenly Clementine felt a surge of doubt and guilt as a terrible thought hit her.

"Oh no....oh fuck! How did I let this happen?!" Clem said pulling her hand away from Gabe putting her head in her hands.

"Hey, Hey it's okay." Gabe said worriedly. He tried to put his arms around her to comfort her.

Clem stood up quickly and pushed the wooden heart in Gabe's hands, "L-let's just forget this happened." Clem said shaking slightly as she turned away from him.

"What?Why? Clem,what's going?" Gabe asked,getting seriously worried.

"I-I just-....we can't be together,Gabe." Clem said pain in her voice as she crossed her arms, still not looking at him.

Gabe stood up, " What? I thought you just said you loved me?!" Gabe said hurt and confused.

"I do but...." Clem tried to steady herself, this was a problem she never had before and it was hurting her worse then she thought it could.

Gabe tried to put his arm on her shoulder but she shook him off and turned to face him, sadness in her face, "Please don't. It will just make it hurt more."

"Clem, please just tell me what's wrong." Gabe hoping she was exaggerating whatever it was.

She took a deep breath, "Tomorrow we are going to get to the ranch and then we'll end up going our separate ways! The whole area is about to become a war zone and I need to get AJ out of it! I-I can't go back to Richmond either, it's probably already become a war zone! But you need to get back to Richmond to help Javi, he's in a war and he's going to need all the help he can get! Do you understand now why we can't be together?" Clementine said,feeling awful that she had realized this so late.

Gabe wanted to say he would go with Clem but he realized what she said was true....Javi was in a war and he was going to need Gabe's help....but that meant letting Clem go alone.....

"I'm not going to hold you to that promise, Gabe. It's okay....it....just isn't going to work out ...." Clem said, her heart feeling broken.

"Clem-I-uh....I don't feel good...." Gabe said sitting back down and putting the wooden heart on the log where Clem had been sitting, his heart felt like it had been dropped off a tower and his spirit was crushed.

Clem looked sadly at Gabe before saying, "I'm going to bed.....I'm really sorry Gabe....."

Gabe didn't answer and he put his head in his hands, his body shaking. "What the fuck do I do?! I want to help Clem but Javi needs me at Richmond!" He thought, torn between the both of them.

Clem slowly walked back up to the campfire leaving Gabe alone with the still playing music player.

Clementine didn't sleep well, her mind and heart were upset. "How did I only realize we can't be together after I kissed him?! Now I broke his heart....Fuck! I'm such an idiot!" She thought rolling over for the tenth time. "How did it come to this?...."

Clem eventually fell into a poor sleep until she woke in the early morning to Gabe walking up from the lake. "Did he spend the whole night out there?" She thought angry at herself for letting him do that.

Gabe looked tired and broken, he didn't even look at Clem until she said his name. "Gabe....you ready to head out?" Clem asked, feeling terrible for the hurt teenager.

Gabe nodded only looking at her for a second before he looked away again. "I did this to him...." Clementine thought as she got the horse untied.

Gabe grabbed his backpack and walked to the horse, his head down.

Clem noticed Gabe's right pant leg had a tear and scuff marks on it.There was blood on his knee cap where the tear was. Clem knew he had been shot in the other leg, so she asked, "What happened?"

"I fell and cut my jeans in the dark. I'll be fine." Gabe growled, his voice deep and hurt.

Clementine had never heard him talk like that. "It's my fault too." She thought guiltily. Clem still stared at his knee where she could see a cut across the kneecap, "Don't you want to bandage that?" She asked.

"I said 'I'll be fine.'" Gabe snapped,getting on the horse.

Clem sighed internally, "Gabe's angrier then he ever has been before and it's all my fault."

"Stop blaming yourself Clem! You have to do what's best for AJ now!" Said a voice in Clem's head.

"I know. I just wish I didn't hurt Gabe." Clem thought as they started riding.

There was a minute or two minutes of cold silence from Gabe,which to Clementine felt like eternity, before he spoke, "What would be the last thing you would want to say to someone before you died?"

Clem eagerly spoke up, "Well I would say-" She froze and reined in the horse.

"Gabe, what are you talking about?" She said slowly,turning her head to face him,with fear crawling at her heart.

"Nothing. Let's keep going." Gabe replied hastily,looking away from her.

"Gabe, tell me." She said worry on her face.

She noticed he was breathing rapidly, "I-I-" Gabe stammered before jumping off the horse and dropping to his knees.

"Fuck..oh Fuck....no..." Gabe cried into his hands.

Clementine got off the horse and approached Gabe. She was deeply worried now. "Gabe...are you ok? What's going on?"

Gabe didn't answer expect to swear into his hands more.

"Gabe...please...I'm here for you, if you let me be." Clem said laying a hand on his shoulder.

Gabe looked up at her, his face tear-stained. "Ok Clem..." He said looking into her eyes, deep pain in his own.

He pulled up the right side of his pants and took his boot off. His sock was torn and there was a bloody mess all over his foot. Clementine saw he was also missing a few toes.

"I'm so sorry,Clem." Gabe said, tearing farther along the already torn end of the sock,revealing a walker bite.