The Walking Dead A New Frontier: Six Years Later

Chapter two: Home Sweet Home

Just before the story starts let me preface this by saying I completely forgot I wrote this. But I did feel like getting back into writing creatively and this is a good way to get feedback and whatnot. So a few things I didn't touch on in the last part, first of all this is based on the ending I got in ANF which is that Kate dies, David lives and Gabe lives. Since I started this before the final season came out obviously I didn't know how that one ended so let's just say for argument's sake that clementine  for whatever reason decided to travel again to meet old friends. Also another thing about that, in the final season I friend zoned Louis and Violet. Anyway, if you read this you're pretty patient and if you're one of the 11 people coming back to this then wow you've got a better memory than I do.

"Gabe, is that you?" Clementine shook her head in disbelief. He looked nothing like she remembered him.
Gabe laughed, "who else would it be? God, it's good to see you again. And it's good to finally meet this guy." He gestured to AJ.
"Hi." AJ said from Clem's back.
"Ok kiddo, you've freeloaded enough, you can walk for a while." She lowered him to the ground so he could climb off her back.
"Aw." AJ groaned.
"Follow me, I'll take you to Javi." Gabe looked down and his eyes widened in shock, "Clem, what happened to your leg?"
She took a quick glance down at the prosthetic leg that the Ericson group had built her to replace her lost limb.
"I got bit, I'd be dead if AJ hadn't cut it off."
Gabe's mouth was wide open, "holy shit."

After the exchange, they began heading back through the gate, Clem and AJ followed suit. Much like Gabe, Richmond looked completely different. The last time she had seen it the city was overrun with walkers, now it looked almost like something from before the outbreak. People roamed around chatting happily amongst each other, market stalls lined the streets selling everything from clothes and food to weapons.
"Wow, you guys really fixed this place up." Clem commented as her head tracked the basket of fresh apples on sale at one of the vendors.
"Yeah, there's a whole council like there used to be, with groups assigned to different jobs. Honestly though, we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Javi, but he won't admit it."
Gabe rounded the corner and pushed open the large wooden doors of the town hall causing the creak they made to echo throughout the marble floored building. They climbed a staircase and entered some kind of meeting room. At the head of the table, deliberating with other officials, was Javier Garcia. He looked up and his eyes widened, Javi pushed his chair back into the wall as he stood up.
"Clementine?" They both ran across the room, Clem hugged him tightly. She wasn't quite sure why, she had been composed meeting Gabe at the gate but seeing Javi again struck a cord. He was like the big brother she never had.
"Oh my god, is this AJ?"
AJ scratched his thick curly hair.
"Clem, who's he?"
"This is Javi, remember? He was the one that helped me find out where you were when I was looking for you."
AJ's brow furrowed, trying to recall the memory from years ago.
"Oh! Okay, hi." He gave a small wave.
Javi chuckled before turning back to the people in the meeting, "Can you guys finish up without me? We've got some catching up to do."

Javi was right, they did have a lot to talk about. So the four of them walked the streets of Richmond, Clementine told them about everything that had happened in the last six years, finding AJ, being out on the road, the school, Lily and her and AJ's trip around the country to come back to Richmond. Javi's six years weren't half as eventful, full of meetings, event planning and wall checking.
"So will you be staying with us?" Javi asked.
"Yeah, we will."
"That's great Clem, it'll be good to have you two here. Hey Gabe, why don't you show them to an empty house?"
Gave nodded, "follow me."
When Javi said 'house', Clem assumed he meant, 'apartment' or 'room', but this was a house. An entire house for her and AJ, she struggled with how strange it all felt. The interior of the house was surprisingly clean and well maintained, a far cry from the run down shacks she had slept in recently. There was a couch and a dining table in the main room.
"This is you guys. There's some basic supplies in the pantry over there, canned food, cereal, some bottled water."
He walked them through the house, "bathroom's there, AJ can sleep in this bedroom, and over there at the end of the hall is your room."
Clem's eyes widened at the mention of a bedroom. She walked to the end of the hall and opened the door, right in the centre of the room the single bed practically called out to her. She didn't care how stupid she looked, she jumped onto the bed and laid down. It had been so long since she'd been in a real bed, Clem couldn't help but let out a sigh. It seemed AJ had the same thought process, they heard the sounds of bouncing in the other room.
"Clem! There's a bed, with blankets and everything!"
Clementine and Gabe both laughed, "Well it's got his stamp of approval." He chuckled, "and yours too I guess." Clem sat up and moved to the end of the bed, "you have no idea how long it's been since we've been somewhere this nice. Hell, I have no idea." She felt herself smiling, it had been a while since she smiled at something that wasn't a lucky supply run. Gabe smiled back, "well I'm glad you like it. Hey, we're having this big communal dinner tonight in the park, if you guys wanted to come."
Dinner? A full meal, not just cold beans from a can? The idea sounded good to her. "Absolutely."
"Awesome, I'll see you there then. And just between you and me I'd get there early, Mikey O'Donnell is making barbecue chicken and they'll go quick." Gabe said with a half smile.
"I'll keep that in mind." Clem chuckled.
Gabe learned against the door frame, "I'll leave you two to get settled in, my house is number 35 if you need anything." He began walking away but stopped in the hall, "Hey Clem, it's good to see you again."
She heard the door shut as Gabe left the house. Clem felt like she should have said something, 'it's good to see you too' has crossed her mind but she had been distracted by everything going on. It felt strange to be inside a house, strange that the bed had blankets and pillows, strange that the city that she has left in ruins was a veritable metropolis and strangest of all was seeing the people she had left behind. She laid back down on the bed and let out another sigh, it would have been relaxing if not for AJ's bouncing just one room over.