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stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale · 5 years

Text

with you [4/6]

Summary: Clementine pops the question.

Preview:

Louis chuckles to himself, causing her to quirk a curious brow.

“What?”

“We’re engaged.”

Clementine laughs with him now. “We are.”

“That’s crazy!”

“Is it?”

“Uhm, yeah. You’re my fiancée.”

“Soon to be your wife.”

“Holy shit.”

His smile is so wide it’s almost painful.

All night, the evening replayed in his head. Her fingers gliding along the piano keys, the golden glow reflected in her gaze, the heaviness of her voice when she admitted to wanting him- really wanting him - and shock of metal pressing into his skin as she slid the ring on.

His mind mulled about the fact that almost everyone seemed to know about it. Except him, of course. How little things started to make sense; Aasim’s weird behavior and the whole deer plot in general, Mitch throwing his shoe to keep him out of the basement, Willy bursting into their bedroom looking for Clementine, Ruby’s over-friendliness towards him, AJ’s eagerness to occupy most of his time…

His smile falters, just a bit.

His mind wanders to Violet.

Warnings: Ruby says “hootenanny.” Aasim hits his head. Mitch doesn’t know how to deal with gross feelings. Violet’s angsty again. Clementine and Louis each have some worries of their own. This is anything but short and sweet jfc

Author’s Note: [insert “it’s too long had to split it again” speech here] Yeah I’m not even gonna bother at this point just know that it’s five parts now [maybe] and I’m still a big liar. I’ve just got too much to say about these kids so... yeah. Anyway, on a lighter note, THANK YOU to everyone who’s read and left comments/likes! I’m sorry that it took so long! It seriously means so much to me and I hope you enjoy this part.

---

The early morning isn't gray, but a soothing lavender and brilliant amber. The colors merge into neon pink and peach, a hue that would be blinding if not for the pulled curtains. The sweetness of dew ridden grass wafts in through the cracked window, cooling the room's temperature.

Louis inhales deeply. Though he's one to usually sleep in, he does have a fancy for the smell of mornings during the spring's transition to summer. It's a floral freshness you can't find any other time of year.

He watches Clementine slip her jacket on with such a fondness he can't begin to describe. He twists the ring around his finger over and over again as a reminder that last night really happened. All of it. From the silly and exasperating deer hunt to seeing the music room engulfed in a golden glow to the feeling of Clementine's finger tracing his palm.

"Louis, will you marry me?"

She sits with him now, scooting close enough for their legs to press and tangle together. Her eyes flutter shut as she relaxes against him, face buried in the crook of his neck and arms wrapped around his waist.

They barely slept last night.

They both could hear AJ tossing and turning over in his bed, sighing heavily several times during the night.

Clementine wasn't any better. With her body curled up against his back, she found that no matter how long she kept her eyes shut, sleep wouldn't take her.

It didn't help that every once in a while, a quiet, involuntary giggle would escape Louis. He tried to play it off like he was coughing, but she knew better.

Eventually, frustrated with his own restlessness, AJ hopped out of bed. Fully aware that he wasn't the only one awake, he claimed he would go on patrol and check on watch. Neither of them argued because, with the young boy gone, Louis could roll over and press a kiss to Clementine's lips without any judgment or awkwardness.

"We should get up," she sighs uncommittedly and without any movement.

"Should."

"Lots to do today."

"Lots."

"Ruby's probably waiting for us, too."

"Probably."

Neither of them attempts to get out of bed.

A particularly harsh gust of wind hits the window just right, blowing the curtains up and letting that morning luminosity seep in over the floor.

The cool air tingles his skin, so he pulls her closer. They would consider closing the window, but it's a pain in the ass to get open again due to the boards nailed over half of it. Besides, most days it's way too warm to keep fresh air out. They'll secure it when winter rears its ugly head again.

Louis lifts his hand up before him, admiring the ring adorning it. He uses his thumb to twist it until the carved initials appear.

So, he didn't just imagine that, either.

"This doesn't feel real," Louis mumbles.

"It is."

Clementine holds up her hand, too. Together, their rings are a perfect match. She places her fingers over his, bringing their hands down to intertwine over his chest as she rests her chin on his shoulder, peering up at him.

"You slept okay, right?"

"You assume I could sleep?"

"I mean, no bad dreams?"

"No," he answers lightly, relieved. "Course, you have to sleep long enough to actually dream. I just couldn't turn my brain off, I guess."

He tilts his head back, expression soft and thoughtful, but with a hint of something else. Like he's bothered.

Quietly, almost apprehensive, she brings herself to ask, "Are you having second thoughts?"

"No." He shakes his head, tightening his grip on her. "Of course not, Clem. I just can't believe this is happening. What brought this on? Like I said, I didn't think this was something you would've wanted."

Clementine pulls back from him to meet his gaze, saying, "Back at the train station, seeing you try and explain marriage to AJ and the way you looked," she grins, soft and pretty, "I couldn't get it out of my head and I just... knew that I wanted to marry you, end of the world or not."

"Wow," he breathes out. "Are you sure?"

She playfully pinches his nose. "Thought we talked about this."

"Yeah, but I want to one-hundred percent sure!"

"Then, yes, Louis. I am one-hundred percent certain that I want to marry you."

"Even though my nose is big and I have funny-looking ears?"

"All ears are funny-looking."

"Maybe so," Louis laughs. "But, still."

Clementine presses a light kiss to his cheek, resting her forehead against his. "What do I need to tell you to get you to believe me? Since my romantic proposal wasn't enough."

"Oh, it was plenty," he tells her with a beaming grin. "Never thought I'd ever get married, much less proposed to. Especially like that. I mean," he shrugs a little, "didn't think I'd make it this far in general, to be honest."

Her smile fades.

"I know," he says before she can speak. "I know. On a happier note, my bride-to-be, you're right. We have lots to do today."

He gives her cheek a quick peck and slides out of bed. He nearly blinds himself when drawing the curtains open, but boy does it snap any drowsiness out of him. He rubs his eyes, blobs of colors staining his vision as he moves around the room to gather up his things. Clementine remains on the bed, watching him with a reflective look.

She can see his mood is light now, still full of elation as evident by the grin stuck pulling at his lips.

Of course he could hardly sleep last night, he thinks.

How do you sleep when the girl of your dreams proposes to you?

Hell, not only proposes but plans an entire evening consisting of a well thought out candlelit dinner and sweet, classical music. And, on top of that, manages to acquire a set of matching bands to propose with?

Clementine did that for him.

Him.

Even now, he's not entirely sure this isn't just some intense hallucination, but god, he hopes it's not.

Louis chuckles to himself, causing her to quirk a curious brow.

"What?"

"We're engaged."

Clementine laughs with him now. "We are."

"That's crazy!"

"Is it?"

"Uhm, yeah. You're my fiancée."

"Soon to be your wife."

"Holy shit."

His smile is so wide it's almost painful.

His mind mulled about the fact that almost everyone seemed to know about it. Except him, of course. How little things started to make sense; Aasim's weird behavior and the whole deer plot in general, Mitch throwing his shoe to keep him out of the basement, Willy bursting into their bedroom looking for Clementine, Ruby's over-friendliness towards him, AJ's eagerness to occupy most of his time...

His smile falters, just a bit.

His mind wanders to Violet.

Clementine's talk with her made sense now.

He'd tried to push aside those less enjoyable thoughts over the night, the ones of Violet, the overly dark ones lurking in the back of his mind. Those ones, in particular, he forced away into the deepest parts of his mind. Those thoughts were ones that could break him, so he did his best to focus on the rush of love he felt for the woman pressed against him.

Now morning is here and it's time to face the reality that came with it. While he isn't ready to face his biggest fears just yet, he does let those thoughts of Violet race through his mind, which caused his small grin to quickly pull into a frown.

As he watches Clementine place her worn out hat upon her head, he knows that it's time to get serious.

"Clem?"

She turns to him, brow raised.

"Does Violet know?" he asks.

She glances away. "No, she doesn't."

"You didn't tell her? During your talk, I mean."

"I was going to," Clementine says slowly. "While we were still planning things, we weren't sure if we should or how we should tell her. I thought maybe if I told her it'd be the best chance I had at fixing things."

She steps closer now, arms still folded over her chest and expression pained.

"After we argued and she told me how she really felt," she shakes her head, "I just couldn't. I knew I had upset her enough and I don't know how she would've taken it."

Louis nods, understanding. "And, you're sure Tenn hasn't told her?"

"No, he promised he'd keep it to himself for now."

He pulls her close, holding her comfortably against him. "Well, don't worry. I'll talk to her today."

"Are you sure?"

"She has to know, Clem. She can't not be a part of this. Maybe she'll take it better if it's coming from me."

Clementine hesitates before mumbling, "What if she doesn't want to be a part of it at all?"

That's not something he wants to think about. It's that thought that he's tried avoiding all night.

If he's going to get married, end of the world or not, he wants Violet there.

Ideally, and totally unrealistically, Louis imagined her singing at their wedding.

He imagined him and Clementine dancing together, close and intimate, with him holding her hand to his chest and gripping her waist firmly. He imagined Violet's lovely voice filling the music room with whatever sappy love song he'd picked out for her. And when she finished, she'd smile at both of them and sing again.

That's where those thoughts ended because there's no point in making himself feel so sad over something he knows would never happen in the first place. While optimistic, Louis can see things through a realist sight. Daydreams and fantasies have their place, and right now isn't the time for it.

Right now, he needs to focus on talking with Violet. Clementine wasn't able to tell her, and that's okay, but she needs to know. He needs her to know that he wants her there. Even if she only popped in to grab a drink and wave at him, that would be enough.

Whether or not she'd listen is another story. Louis knows he can't force her to come. Hell, he doesn't want to force her to do anything. In the end, it's Violet's choice. All he can do is be as open with her as possible and tell her how he feels.

"In the very least, she deserves to know," he says. "And, maybe it's time me and her sort out some things of our own. There's..." he sighs, "there's some stuff that needs to be said, I think. Things we've been ignoring." He smiles at her, warm and comforting. "Leave it to me, Clem."

Clementine studies his face for a moment, worry furrowing her brow. "Just... be careful, okay? I don't want this to be like the last time you guys talked about something involving me."

"It won't be, I promise. I'll take care of everything. Besides, you've got other things to worry about."

"Do I?"

"You've got a wedding to plan, right?"

She smirks. "I guess I do. Although, I think Ruby's already planned most of it."

He chuckles. "Well, in that case, we shouldn't keep her waiting."

---

The full brightness of the day has taken over now, even if most of the sunlight is buried beneath the fluffy white clouds. It's much warmer than the past few days, too, giving the full effect of spring.

The first one they see is Willy.

Outside the open basement doors, he's down on his knees digging through a plastic tub and pulling what looks like Halloween decorations out. Rosie's beside him, curiously poking her nose around a long orange and black streamer.

Mitch's voice echoes from down the basement steps, but neither of them can make out the words.

"What!?" Willy calls out, tossing aside a smashed up paper pumpkin.

More undistinguishable yelling is followed by a loud thump.

"I don't know! Maybe in the back!"

Omar's gathering and sorting through wood, prepping it for a fire. Clementine can see his cooking equipment is stacked neatly on his table, freshly cleaned. He waves at them, whistling Rosie over to keep him company.

James' up on watch with AJ, from what Clementine can see. The young boy has his binoculars up to his face, searching outside the walls for any danger while James peers off in the opposite direction.

Ruby's nowhere in sight.

"She's probably already tearing apart the music room," says Louis with concern. "Don't see Tenn or Aasim, either."

"Clem! Louis!" Willy calls out to them, waving them over using a plastic skeleton arm. "Come look!"

Louis chuckles as they approach the boy, saying, "Didn't think our theme would be jack-o-lanterns, but I must admit, the approach is charming." He grabs a broken plastic pumpkin basket, one that would've been used for trick-or-treating.

Clementine bends down to admire the various decorations. "Wow," she says, "can't believe you guys kept all this stuff."

"The school used to go all out on holidays," Louis explains. "I mean, all out. Not a single corner wasn't covered for Halloween or Christmas or whatever. Even the dumb ones got decorated for. Said it'd make us cheerier if we were surrounded by it."

"Makes sense, I guess," Clementine nods.

Ericson's a pretty big school, and if they really did deck out the entire place, then that required a lot of decorations. It opens up a lot of potential for the decor of the wedding, she thinks.

Picking up a torn cardboard cutout of a glittery pumpkin, she finds her heart swelling fondly.

It reminds her of when she was little, before the outbreak. Her mom had bought her the most beautiful fairy costume to wear trick-or-treating. The skirt and wings had so much glitter on them that whenever she moved a puff of sparkles seemed to flow around her. It took her weeks to get all that glitter out of her hair, and even longer for her mom to get it out of the carpet.

While it does bring happier memories to mind, she's not sure how she feels about a Halloween themed wedding. Especially in the spring.

Willy pulls out a terrifyingly cheerful vampire mask and slips it on, cackling and wiggling his fingers at her. "Blood! Blood!"

She waves him away, laughing. "Okay, okay, please tell me you aren't using this stuff for the music room."

"Nah," Willy shakes his head, yanking the mask off. His messy hair sticks up in all directions, static from the plastic mask. "Just thought it was cool. Haven't touched this shit in years." The young boy's face lights up when he finds a crusty tube of fake blood. "Mitch's still looking for the real decorations. He's got this really cool idea! I dunno how it's gonna work, but if it does, it's gonna be awesome."

"Nothing explosive, right?" Clementine asks.

"No," Willy frowns, "Ruby already told us we couldn't make you guys fireworks."

"That's probably for the best."

"No fireworks, huh? But think of the crowd they could attract," Louis jokes.

"Yeah, a crowd of walkers."

"Hey, if James' friends want to come, I'm not opposed. Add 'em to the guest list, I say."

Clementine lightly smacks Louis' leg with the cardboard pumpkin, sticking glitter to his jeans and making him chuckle with amusement.

"Shit!" A sharp hiss comes from down the stairs of the basement, catching their attention. Two large plastic totes with a cardboard box stacked on top come into view carried by a struggling, panting Mitch. Louis is there quick, pulling off the box and handing it to Willy before taking the top tote.

"Dude, careful!" Louis says, grunting at the unexpected weight of the tote. "You'll fall and break your neck."

Mitch, his flushed face now in sight, huffs out, "Thanks."

They drop the totes and box to the ground with hard thuds. Mitch wipes his sweaty palms against his jeans and takes a breather, plopping down on the ground.

"They were buried in the back," he says. "Shit's a mess down there now, but I found 'em."

Willy pulls out what looks like thick batteries and small solar panels, as well as some black tape and a bundle of wires. "Think these'll work?" he asks. "We've never tried using them for something like this."

"We'll hafta try out a few different ways of hookin' them up." Mitch catches his breath, saying, "If they don't do the trick then we'll have to go to plan B."

Louis kneels down to examine the equipment for himself.

"And, what exactly is plan A?" he asks.

A wide grin spreads across Mitch's face. He tears off the plastic lid to one of the totes and pulls out an armful of tangled string lights. He shows them off with such a proud confidence that you'd think he'd struck gold.

"Ruby's not budging on having your wedding in the evening and wants to use all those candles again, but I got an idea. Get enough of these and they'll light up the place just as good. They'll also look better and we won't have to deal with that nasty ass smell those candles give off when you burn 'em too long. Just need you to pick out which ones you want."

Clementine eyes the string lights, dumbfounded. She and Louis share a look and she finds him just as perplexed.

"Pick out...?"

He begins to carefully pull apart and separate the lights. "We've got red ones and green ones and multi-colored ones, or there are some white ones, a few orange, but I think those ones are broken. These ones flash, I think. Found some with hearts, but it's only one set. And they're ugly. Anyway," he puts them back in the box, turning to the couple, "which ones?"

"Uh, Mitch?" Louis cocks his head to the side. "I-I don't know how to break this to you, but... those lights need to be plugged in and we haven't had electricity for years now."

"Yeah, dumbass, I know," Mitch scoffs. "Don't mean I can't get them to light."

"By...?"

Willy holds up the batteries and small solar panels. "These!"

"We're not one-hundred percent sure this'll work or if we'll have enough, but if not," Mitch shrugs before opening the second tote, pulling out a handful of clear boxes containing battery powered lights. They're smaller and much more delicate than the others. "We got these. They'll take up some smaller batteries, but we got a lot of rechargeables so it shouldn't be too much of a problem. Except they won't be enough to light up the whole place."

While Clementine finds it odd that Mitch is more willing to waste batteries than candles in this situation, she can't help but share his excitement. The thought of string lights illuminating the music room is quite compelling, even if she has no idea how the boys plan to pull this off.

"Smell or not, wouldn't it be easier to just use the candles?" Louis asks. "It sounds like this'll be a lot of work for something that might not even turn on."

"Your rings were a lot of work, too, and they turned out better than the piece of shit Clem wanted to give you."

"Hey, that ring was perfectly fine until you broke it," Clementine argues.

"And yet, you prefer the ones I made, don't'cha?"

"I never said I didn't." Clementine pulls out more lights to study, these ones green. "You really think you can get these to work?"

"Do you doubt me?"

"No."

"Then, hell yeah, I can," he smirks. "S'not like you're gettin' married tomorrow, so I should have plenty of time to figure this shit out."

"Ah, jack-o-lanterns," James' soft voice comes from behind. His smile is delighted as his eyes widen in awe at the various decorations.

"Hey, James, look!" Willy shoves the vampire mask back on, though crooked this time. "Mwahahaha, I've come to suck your blood!"

James' shoulders shake as he gives a heartful laugh. "You're quite terrifying," he compliments, charmed by the sense of nostalgia the decorations bring. "I haven't seen anything like this in a long time."

"Halloween used to be a pretty big deal here," says Mitch. "Used to get dressed up and trick-or-treat at all the different rooms, but they'd always give us the shitty candy."

"Is that why you preferred the 'trick' part of it?" asks Louis. "Weren't you the one who set off cherry bombs in the toilets?"

"Yeah, but only because Mr. Henderson gave me a handful of Almond Joys."

"Poor, poor Mr. Henderson," Louis sighs. When Clementine gives him a questioning look, he says, "He was the janitor. But, wait, the story gets worse when you find out the toilet still had a bunch of shit in it."

Willy bursts out laughing, holding his sides.

"It was fucking everywhere," snickers Mitch.

"Mitch!" Clementine scolds, crinkling her nose at the horrific idea. "That's disgusting!"

"Well, who the fuck likes Almond Joys? You don't hand that out on Halloween!"

"I wasn't ever a fan of those, either," James says. "I always liked Reese's."

"Yes!" Mitch points at him. "Reese's were the shit!"

"Kitkat's, too."

"Hell yeah! M&M's?"

"All except the peanut ones," James grins.

"Fuck peanut M&M's, man," Mitch happily agrees. He holds his fist out to James, prompting him into a fist bump which James excitedly does.

"Yeah, I was always more of a Skittles man, myself," Louis adds.

"Really?" Clementine asks.

"Oh yeah, I could scarf down bags and bags of Skittles until I made myself sick," Louis grins. "And I did. A lot. What about you?"

"At Halloween? I used to love candy corn."

"Seriously?" Mitch exclaims.

"Oh, darling, no."

"Ew."

"What?" Clementine laughs. "My mom used to make cupcakes every year and decorate with them. They were good!"

"Uh, no, candy corn's worse than Almond Joys!" argues Mitch. "Sorry, Clem, don't think we can be friends anymore."

"Likewise," says Louis.

"Hey!" She picks up the paper pumpkin again and smack's Louis' knee with it again. "Don't judge me!"

"I'm judging you super hard," Louis shakes his head, twisting his face into one of dramatic, exaggerated sorrow as he places his hand over his chest. "My darling Clementine, a lover of candy corn."

"It's not that bad."

"It's pretty bad," James agrees.

"Nasty," Willy nods.

"You were deprived as a child," Louis laments. "My poor Clementine."

"Oh, jeez," she rolls her eyes. "You guys are being ridiculous, you know that?"

"Hey!" A voice calls from the school. They turn to see Aasim coming towards them. "There you are. Ruby's waiting for you guys in the music room."

"Hey, Aasim. We were just looking for her," Clementine says. "Thought maybe she'd pop out here first before getting started."

"Oh, she's been in there all morning moving shit around. Had me and Willy take the couch out," Mitch scoffs. "She was barkin' at me to help her fix something before I snuck out."

"Yeah, the table," says Aasim. "I'm helping her with it. I just need something to tighten the legs. Got anything in the basement?"

"Yeah, check my toolbox," Mitch nods. "Should be by the stairs."

"Great." Aasim wanders towards the basement, uninterested in the various Halloween items thrown about.

"Well," says Clementine turning to Louis, "we've kept her waiting long enough. We better go."

"Before that," Mitch motions to the tote, "which ones?"

Oh, right, the lights.

"Well, obviously," Louis spots a string of green, four-leaf clover lights, no doubt used to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. "These ones, of course."

Clementine rolls her eyes, smirking. "Yeah, probably not."

She likes the idea of the white lights instead of the colored ones. She's still not sure how Ruby's planning on decorating and white lights go with everything.

"These," she says firmly. "They're the same color as the smaller ones, right? We'd probably get more use out of them."

"That's what I was thinking, too," Mitch grins. "We'll practice and test things out on the others. Tell Ruby not to bother with candles."

James peers over her shoulder curiously. "Lights?"

"Mitch here's gonna make them work with no electricity," Louis shrugs. "Like a goddamn wizard."

"Oh," James smiles. "Perhaps I could help? I don't have much to contribute to this wedding and I'd hate to just be a bystander."

Clementine grins. It's sweet that James is so eager to help, and it's good to see him involving himself more with the others.

"That is, if it's okay with you?" James adds, looking for Mitch's approval.

"Uh?" Mitch blinks up at James, obviously thrown off by his offer.

"Hell yeah!" Willy exclaims. "You can help! We're gonna hook 'em up to these batteries and string 'em all over the room!"

James, happy to be included, moves to kneel beside Mitch and pulls out the lights to study them closer. Mitch eyes him, mouth twisted into an unsure frown, but upon seeing Willy's excitement, he shrugs.

"Sure." Then, he nods over at Clementine. "Go see Ruby. We'll take care of things out here."

Clementine offers them one last smile before she and Louis wander away.

"Think he'll actually get them to light?" Louis asks.

"I think if anyone could, it'd be Mitch. And, if he can't, we still have plenty of candles."

"Right," Louis nods. He gazes up at the sky, brows furrowed in thought. Then, a charming smile spreads across his face. He pulls open the door, standing aside and motioning towards the entrance. "Shall we?"

---

When they walk into the music room, they're greeted with the unusual sight of what looks to be an aisle leading from the doorway and towards the center of the room.

On the left side, there are three rows of mismatching chairs.

On the right, there are the same three rows but instead of chairs, there are piles of pillows. Ruby's at the other end, peering back and forth between the two in contemplation.

On the far left of the room, Aasim's fixing the legs of a long table, no doubt the one that'll be holding their meal. He's quietly grumbling to himself, something about none of the wrenches working or being the proper size.

"Ah! Clem, Lou!" Ruby beams at the couple, rushing down the aisle towards them. "Good, yer here!"

"Wow, Ruby, you've already transformed the place."

"More like emptied it," Louis says, looking around the room. "Heard you took the couch out but damn."

Now that he mentions it, Clementine does notice that it feels particularly empty. The couch is gone, as well as the modified table they used last night. The walls are bare now, too. Even the portrait of the old headmaster's gone.

"Yeah, me and Aasim moved it all out," says Ruby. "Gotta make room fer the aisle! Which, now that yer here, ya can help me decide."

She takes a few steps back now, pointing to both sides.

"Which one ya like better? Chairs or pillows?" she asks. "I've been goin' back and forth on it for ages now. Chairs would maybe look nicer and it'll be easier ta stand, but pillows are comfy and cozy and easier ta kick outta the way." She turns to study the chair side some more. "Then again, chairs would be more traditional since we ain't got benches."

"There's nothing traditional about this wedding," calls Aasim from under the table.

"True," Ruby considers.

"Uh?" Louis glances at Clementine. "We're deciding on seating arrangements, right?"

Ruby motions to the aisle they're standing in. "Yep. Ya see, when Clem walks, she'll come down this path ta meet ya over there," she points over where the aisle stops, "and the rest'a us will be seated on either side," she explains. "Whattya think? Should we sit in chairs or on pillows? Which do ya prefer?"

The couple takes in their options before turning to each other.

"Whatever you want will work for me," Louis shrugs.

Clementine shakes her head. "It's your wedding, too. You're allowed to have a say."

"Isn't the bride supposed to make all the choices for her special day? I thought all I had to do is stand up there and look pretty."

Clementine laughs. "Well, sure, that's part of it," she teases, "but this isn't just my wedding. You should get as much choice in it as I do."

That's... not what he expected.

Not that he was expecting Clementine to turn into Bridezilla or anything, either. He just always assumed that the bride has the final say in everything since the wedding is supposed to be "her day."

But, glancing between his two choices, he can't deny any blatant favoritism towards one, and if he really does get a say...

"Not gonna lie, I like the pillows."

"I'm shocked."

"What?" he chuckles. "Ruby's right. They're cozy! They're also mine, by the way, just collecting dust in my old room. Might as well put them to good use."

"Yeah, had Willy grab the rest of 'em this mornin'," Ruby says. "Hope ya don't mind."

"Nah," Louis waves a dismissive hand. "Just, y'know, make sure they get put back in our room when everything's said and done."

"Uh, no, not all of them," Clementine objects. "We don't have space for all of these. You're pushing it already with the ones you have."

"Ah, my darling, I think you're missing the bigger picture here. Imagine the pillow fort we could create with all of these. It'd be magnificent, the coziest castle in all the lands. It'd put all those who tried to match its majesticness to shame."

Clementine rolls her eyes so hard it almost hurts. "Too bad there's no room for such a fort."

"We might have some extra space if you didn't pick up every animal skull you found."

"Hey, that's different," she laughs. "Those look cool!"

"Uh-huh."

Clementine bites her lip to suppress a smile, turning back to Ruby. "Pillows it is."

"Got it! Aasim?"

Aasim, still under the table, jerks up too fast and smacks his head against the corner. "Ah, shit!" he hisses.

"Shoot, you okay?" Ruby asks, worried by how harsh that thump sounded.

"Yeah, yeah," Aasim waves it off while rubbing the tender spot on his head.

"Sounded like that hurt."

"Nope, not at all," Aasim lies. "What do you need?"

"Can ya help me move some of these ta the side? Figure we keep some in case anyone wants ta take a break after the dancin' starts."

"Dancing!" Louis says with a bright grin. "Hear that, Aasim? We'll finally get to see those sweet moves you've been hiding from us."

"Dude, piss off."

"Oh, don't be such a sourpuss," Ruby chuckles. "I already picked out a bunch'a swing and slow songs fer it. And, yes," she pointedly looks at Aasim with a smirk, "we're all dancin', at least a little."

"I don't dance," Aasim says flatly.

Ruby jerks her thumb towards Clementine. "Well, ya gotta at least dance with the bride. It's good luck."

Aasim looks at Clementine, an awkward panic rising in his features. "Uh-"

"And the groom," Louis adds with a wink. "The good luck's only valid when you dance with the bride and the groom."

Aasim's shoulders droop as his expression becomes exasperated. "Oh my god..." he grumbles.

At that, Louis laughs. More thoughts, ways to tease poor Aasim, enter his mind but he decides to keep quiet for now. Don't want to provoke the guy too much, especially in front of Ruby.

"Aw, don't be embarrassed, Aasim," Ruby smiles at him. "I'm sure yer a great dancer. Oh, also," she turns back to Louis, "I pulled some slower, prettier ones out fer ya ta look at. We need somethin' to play while Clem's walkin'."

"I'll give 'em a look," he says. "Sounds like this'll be quite the hoedown."

"Oh, this's gonna be better than any other hootenanny we've had before," Ruby's excitement carries in her voice as she begins to move the chairs. "And, now that yer both here, we can get down to the nitty-gritty."

"Nitty-gritty?" Clementine asks, amused.

"Right," Ruby grins. "Like I said, yer gonna walk down this way and over here," she moves to the other side of the room, close to the fireplace, "is where we're gonna have one'a those big arches fer ya ta stand under."

"An arbor," Aasim adds.

"Right, that. Mitch said he'd figure somethin' out."

"He sure has his hands full, doesn't he?" Clementine says. With him trying to fix a bunch of lights that may not even work, as well as his other daily duties, she wonders where he's going to find the time build an arbor.

"Does it ta himself," Ruby rolls her eyes. "Did he tell ya his big idea?"

"Oh yeah. He's pretty excited about it," Clementine grins. "James is helping, too."

"Well, maybe he'll keep that boy outta trouble," Ruby frowns. "Anyway..."

Ruby told them all about her plans, from how they'll decorate the serving table down to where they'll hang the banner Tenn and AJ's making.

All the while, Louis went through different records in search of the perfect one. When he finds it, he glances over at Clementine, who's deciding how many candles they'll need if the lights fall through, and smiles. He tucks it away where she won't see it, making a mental note to tell Ruby about it when the day comes.

It's decided that AJ will be the one to give Clementine away, while Aasim will be the one to marry them.

"Really?" Clementine turns to the other boy, brows raised in surprise.

"Sure," Ruby grins. "He's the best choice, don't'cha think?"

At that, Aasim glances away, scratching the back of his head with mild nervousness. He shrugs, saying, "Yeah, I can marry you guys. It's not like it'd be that hard."

"'Pastor Aasim' does have a nice ring to it," Louis mumbles more to himself than to them, still over messing with the records.

"I think the term is 'marriage officiant,'" Aasim says. "At least, according to 'Save the Date!' weekly."

"Been doing your research?"

"Not research," he replies defensively, "I mean, it was with the other magazines. We were looking at it for ideas."

After going over all the fine details of the wedding, neither of them expected Ruby to kick them out.

"Decided that we want it ta be a big surprise," Ruby explains. "So, neither of ya are allowed in here 'til yer wedding day, that's the rule."

"Uh, I have a very strong objection to that!" Louis complains. "You're telling me that I don't get to play piano until after I'm married?"

"Yep, and don't you think 'bout sneakin' in here," she warns, pointing a stern finger up at him. "I ain't afraid ta drag you out by yer ear."

"But this could take weeks! Weeks!" Louis turns to Clementine with pleading eyes. "Tell her she's crazy!"

Clementine rolls her eyes. "I actually think some time away from the piano could do you some good. It's not going to take weeks to plan, right?"

"Wouldn't say so, but it'll take time ta put it all together."

She turns to him, shrugging a shoulder with a smile. "I like the idea of it being a surprise."

Louis frowns, hands planted on his hips in a way that reminds her of AJ when she doesn't give him what he wants. Now she knows where he learned it.

"Thought I got a say in this?"

"You do, but I have a feeling Ruby's not gonna budge on this one."

"Not even a little," Ruby agrees. "Ya two will live stayin' outta here fer a while. When it's all prepared, ya'll be the first ta know. Trust me, it'll be worth it. We won't disappoint ya."

Louis' shoulders slump, defeated with a hand pressed against his chest. "Sweet, sweet Ruby, you've broken my heart."

"Oh, Lou, don't you fret. I'll make sure ta keep yer piano nice and safe while yer gone."

"You'll find something else to occupy your time," Clementine tells him, grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze.

"Think'a this as a good thing, Lou," Ruby says. "It'll give ya extra time ta work on yer vows."

"My what?"

"Yer vows! Y'know, ta tell each other how ya feel durin' the ceremony!"

"Like," Louis glances at Clementine, "in front of everyone?"

"I didn't know that was a thing," says Clementine a little surprised.

"Well, not all weddings have an exchange of vows," Aasim shrugs. "But, Ruby thinks it's a good idea."

"It is a good idea! It don't gotta be nothin' dramatic. Yer just makin' a promise ta each other. And no helpin'! They gotta be yer own words."

With that, Ruby shoos them out of the music room. Louis takes one last look inside, over at the piano and the initials adorning the wood, before Ruby slams the door shut behind them.

They move down the hallway together with Louis still partially sulking over the fact that he's been exiled from the music room, his home away from home.

He knows he shouldn't complain. Ruby's just trying to make things perfect for them, and bless her heart for that, but kicking him out of his safe space? What's he supposed to do now after a long day of survival?

"Shit," Louis sighs.

"It's not that bad. We'll just have to tune the piano after we're married."

"Great."

"Don't pout."

"I'm not."

"Uh-huh."

"Vows, though?" he asks. "You mean I have to actually put how I feel about you into words and say it in front of everyone?"

While this certainly wasn't something she expected when she first started planning to ask Louis to marry her, the idea of exchanging vows did make her heart flutter. She knows that even now, two years into their relationship, Louis still has his doubts. Perhaps she could use her vows to cement and bring peace to his mind about the way she feels about him.

"I'm actually excited. Aren't you?"

At that, he softens. "I'm fucking ecstatic. About marrying you, that is. Not the being kicked out part, and the vows thing I'm still a little iffy about."

She stops walking, turning to face him with a kind, loving grin. "Good, I'm glad to hear it. And, don't worry, I know you. You'll write something great."

He grins, still a little uncertain. She seemed to always have so much faith in him. He just didn't want to let her down.

"I'm going to check up on AJ. See if he wants to go hunting. You wanna come? It'll take your mind off it."

He almost says yes, but then another pressing matter fills his brain, reminding him what's more important at the moment.

"Nah, you go on ahead," Louis says. "I think I'm gonna go see Violet now."

"Oh," Clementine's shift away, as if thinking. "Okay. Just... don't get your hopes up, alright?"

"Clem..."

"I don't want you to get hurt again."

"I know. I'll be okay, promise. To be honest, I'm looking forward to it," he admits. "I haven't hung out with her in a while." He smiles down at her. "You be safe out there. Both of you."

"Always."

With a final kiss goodbye, they separate.

---

Louis' hesitant to knock.

He knows he shouldn't be. He knows that Tenn'll answer the door and let him in. It's just what happens after he's in the room that's bringing the delay upon his hand.

He'd gone back to grab a few things, including the thick blanket folded over his other arm. He just hopes he can sell this idea to her well enough to cheer her up.

He can hear someone moving around, the wooden floor wincing and the hum of a voice.

Louis' arm starts to ache from having it raised, ready to knock without actually following through. He hears a softer voice now, definitely Violet's, and it tugs a small smile on his lips.

He's eager to speak with her, see her face. Even though it's only been a few days since they really talked, it feels longer. Especially since he had planned on checking in with her yesterday before all the excitement went down.

Thank god for Tenn.

He takes a deep breath, counting to three, and knocks.

After a brief moment, the door unlocks and Tenn peeks out at him. Upon seeing it's Louis, he opens the door further with a polite grin, glancing back at where it's assumed Violet is.

"Hey, Tenn!"

"Good-morning, Louis," the young boy greets. He glances back again, then pulls the door open all the way.

Violet's sitting on the bed with her back against the wall, legs crossed, and her water bottle resting in her lap. Louis can't help but lightly chuckle at her bedhead and the imprint lines still running along her cheek from the pillow. Seems that she's just woken up.

"Nice to see you, sunshine," Louis beams.

She rolls her eyes, yawning. She avoids looking directly at him, taking an interest in her cuticles instead.

He makes sure the door is shut and locked before he proceeds. Tenn moves over to his desk, not wanting to get in the way of the conversation. Louis can see he's practicing his bottles, though unhappily.

Louis confidently approaches the bed and sets the blanket over the bed frame, standing before her with hands gripping the opening flaps of his jacket and a brow quirked playfully.

"Vi, put on your best climbing boots, you and I are going on an adventure."

She blinks up at him slowly, blankly.

"Now, now," Louis holds his hands up, "I know you're excited, but please, let me finish."

He exaggerates clearing his throat.

"I don't know if you've looked outside today, but it's damn beautiful. Not only is it warm and breezy, but the clouds are big and fluffy. It's a depiction of a perfect day. I say we go enjoy it the best we can by climbing up to that place you like and breathing in some of that fresh air."

She glances away, mouth twisted in contemplation.

Louis takes a careful step towards the bed, deeming it safe to sit on the edge. That catches her attention. When she meets his eye, he gives her a genuine smile.

"It's been a while since we hung out, just the two of us, don't you think?" Then, with a smirk, he reaches into his jacket and pulls out a wrinkly, noisy bag. "And I brought pretzels, so, I mean..."

The corner of her mouth twitches up into an involuntary grin before she bites her cheek to hide it. Violet lightly shakes her head, murmuring, "I don't know." She flicks the mouthpiece of her water bottle up and down absently. "I'm not feeling too good today."

"Hmm," Louis fully faces her now, bringing his leg to rest on the mattress as he leans against the frame. "That fresh air might make you feel better."

Tenn's chair scrapes against the floor as he stands to gather up his drawing board. "It really is nice out," he says. "I'm gonna go out there and draw, okay?"

Louis grins, nudging Violet's knee and pointing at the young boy. "Have you seen how much he's improved? You should see the one he did of my handsome mug."

Tenn glances away timidly. "Um..."

This time, Violet smiles. She really smiles. "Yeah," she says, "you're getting better every day."

"Th-thank you."

Not wanting to feel awkward or butt into their conversation, Tenn leaves.

Now that they're alone, Louis takes a deep breath and allows his tone to become more serious.

"Haven't seen you for a while."

She shrugs, staring back down at her hands.

"I've been worried about you," he says. "I'm not gonna force you to hang out with me or anything, but I really do think going outside could be good for you."

"I-" she sighs. "You don't have to play nice. I know why you're really here."

"To challenge you to that wall climb? Because I'm totally going to beat you this time. Unless you cheat, of course."

She shoots him an unamused look.

Louis shifts closer to her on the bed. "Alright, you got me." He sets the bag of pretzels down and digs in his pocket again, pulling out his famous deck of cards. "I'm really going to challenge you to a very serious game of Go-Fish! Winner gets the last pretzel."

She rolls her eyes. "Dumbass."

"Maybe," he pockets the cards, "but, I haven't heard a 'no' yet, so there's a good sign." He picks up the bag of pretzels again, closing them up tightly and shoving them back into his jacket.

Violet takes a sip of her water, pointedly looking the other way.

"We don't have to go outside, and we don't have to talk about what happened. That's totally up to you, and if you really don't want to hang out with me, then all you have to say is 'no.' I'll get out of your hair. Promise."

He's patient as he watches her eyes fall shut.

Louis completely understands her hesitation, especially since she can see through him. At least, she thinks she can. He won't bring up the chat from the night before, but he's going to tell her the truth about him and Clementine, and he still doesn't know how she'll react.

Maybe she'd congratulate him in her own 'Violet' way, or maybe she'd snap at him for bringing Clementine up in the first place. Maybe she'd do nothing, just crawl back into her shell and refuse to ever talk to him again. Maybe she'd throw him over the balcony.

The possibilities are endless.

"It's really that nice out?"

"Best we've had in a while."

Violet scoots off the bed, handing him her water bottle as she gathers up her boots and slips them on.

"I'm totally gonna kick your ass on that wall climb."

Louis smirks. "Oh-ho! Cocky, much? Careful, Rabbit," he stands, teasingly shaking her water bottle, "sleep on this tortoise and he just might pass you."

"Hmm, we'll see."

She's still tentative about leaving, as evident by how long she sits on Tenn's bed after putting her vest on. But, Louis gives her his best encouraging smile, and that seems to put her at ease.

Shit, he's relieved that she's actually agreeing to come with him.

It's true, he does want to spend time with her, impending wedding confession or not. It really has been a long time since it was just the two of them.

With his nightmares and always being with Clementine, and Violet being so reclusive, it's hard sometimes. He knows he needs to make more effort, set aside more time to be with her. The guilt always begins to seep in whenever he goes more than a week without truly speaking to her.

Of course, she doesn't always make it easy.

He gives her space, even if he knows she needs someone.

What else can he do?

Their walk outside is peaceful. He carries the blanket, as well as her water bottle. By the time they reach the wall they need to climb, he's trying to stuff the bottle into his coat and keep the blanket secure on his shoulder.

"Y'know, I'm starting to think you only win because you weigh me down with all this stuff," he complains.

"Think of it as your shell," she smirks. "Ready?"

"Nope."

She's already climbing up, leaving him to still try and find his footing on one of the wooden planks.

"Hey, hey!" he says. "I didn't hear a 'ready, set, go!'"

"Ready, set, go!"

"Disqualified!" he exclaims, pulling himself up the wall while keeping the blanket from falling off his shoulder. "Rabbit, you're disqualified! I win by default!"

"You wish."

By the time he reaches the final ledge, adrenaline's coursing through his veins from the climb and height of where they are. Not that's he's afraid of heights, per se. It's more like he's completely aware of what would become of him if he were to slip off the edge and that's certainly not a happy thought.

Violet offers him her hand to help pull him up. When he's safely resting on his knees away from the ledge, he playfully glares at her.

"Cheater."

"Sore loser."

They find a spot lacking debris, smooth enough for Louis to lay the blanket flat. He plops down with a huff, ready to lighten the load of his heavy pockets. She sits close beside him, inhaling deeply and taking her water bottle from him. She sips the lukewarm water, looking up at the cloudy sky.

The breeze is nice, fresh. It ruffles her hair and cools her skin.

Louis can see by the serenity laying upon her features that she's already feeling better. It causes a smile to break free on his lips.

He offers her the bag of pretzels, saying, "What'd I tell you? Beautiful day."

"Eh, it's always nice up here."

"Maybe, but it's even better when the weather's like this. I don't know about you, but I'm not exactly gonna picnic up here in the middle of winter."

Louis lays back, stretching out across the hard surface and tucking his arm behind his head. He should've brought some pillows, but he can only imagine the disaster that would've been him trying to balance them while climbing the wall. The tortoise surely would've gone splat.

From the corner of his eye, he sees Violet lay down beside him. They both stare up at the white, fluffy clouds as they pass over.

"Ah, see how nice this?" he asks. "So calm and peaceful and quiet."

"Not if you keep talking."

"If I don't talk, I'll fall asleep. That's how relaxing it is."

Violet doesn't reply, but Louis can tell she's smiling. He pops a pretzel in his mouth, racking his brain for something to say.

He can't just come out with it now since they just got here. Well, okay, he could but it's not the best idea. He wants to enjoy her company before they got into the deeper stuff that could potentially end with him being thrown over the railing.

"Okay," he starts, "would you rather... be half fish or half bird?"

"So, a mermaid or a harpy?"

"Yep."

Violet mulls it over before firmly answering, "Harpy."

"Really?"

"I could go anywhere I want, travel the world without having to worry about walkers."

"What if there are walker harpies?" Louis asks.

"Even if there are, they wouldn't be a threat. They'd be flying into trees and buildings with how stupid they are. I'd be faster and smarter, and much more terrifying."

Louis laughs at that, imagining Violet flying around kicking walkers in the head and smacking them with her meat cleaver, screeching like some kind of rooster. Harpies don't make rooster calls, he's pretty sure, but it's funny to imagine regardless.

"And where would you go?"

"Everywhere. Nowhere. Depends on the day." Violet smirks. "Okay, would you rather only get to eat one serving of possum stew once a month, and that's the only food you ever get, or only eat cantaloupe every day for the rest of your life?"

"Aw, c'mon," Louis complains, frowning over at her. "Really? Guess I'm gonna starve."

"Just plug your nose and swallow."

"I think you underestimate how awful and lingering the taste of cantaloupe is. No matter what you eat or drink after, you'll be tasting it for the rest of the day." Louis scrunches his nose, shaking his head. "I'd rather eat walker guts."

"Oh yeah, because that taste would fade away."

They laugh, really laugh together.

"Okay, okay," he giggles. "Would you rather have a head the weight of a bowling ball or the size one of those big, bouncy workout balls?"

"Easy. Workout ball," Violet answers. "Here's a fun one. Would you rather be stuck in the middle of a crazy snow storm naked, or stuck in a blazing hot desert with ten layers of clothing on?"

"Shit," says Louis. "Can I at least wear shoes in the snowstorm?"

"Nope, you're as naked as the day you were born. And no, you can't take anything off in the desert."

Well, that seems highly unrealistic.

"Why not? What's stopping me?"

"You're dehydrated and can't move."

"And why am I naked in the middle of a snowstorm?"

"Wolves stole your clothes."

"Wolves? What- they took my boots, too?"

"All of your stuff."

"Those bastards," Louis lours. "Fuck, I dunno. Neither of those are exactly appealing ways to go."

"They're not supposed to be. That's the point of the game."

"Which would you choose?"

"The desert. When I die of heatstroke, at least I'll have my dignity and won't be found black and blue and naked. Then again, you might die faster if you freeze to death."

Well, this game took a turn to the morbid, as it usually does. He shouldn't be surprised. It is Violet he's talking to, after all.

"Damn." Louis focuses his gaze on one of the clouds, its shape reminding him of a whale, thick and huge with a long tail spreading out.

"So?"

"The snowstorm," he decides. "Maybe the wolves will eat me and I won't have to worry about my dignity."

"Always the optimist," Violet sighs, reaching to grab a handful of pretzels.

A long time passes as the two of them point up and laugh as the disfigured clouds take shape of various things. Every once in a while, they come up with another 'would you rather' question, each more disturbing and hilarious than the last.

Eventually, they let the silence take over and enjoy the light whistling of the wind and rustling of leaves.

As Louis studies the sky, he can't help but feel his nerves tingling under his skin and his heart became heavy with anticipation. He thinks back to Clementine's worried eyes before they parted ways and how her lips felt pressed against the sensitive skin of his cheek.

Fuck, he could keep stalling the inevitable all day and all night sitting beside Violet and pretending nothing else existed, just them and the sky.

But, he can't, and he doesn't want to.

Subtly glancing over at the girl beside him, a strange wave of guilt floods through him.

He has to tell her.

Every time he thinks it, imagines it, his confidence wavers.

Violet points up that the sky, her voice snapping him out of his thoughts.

"That cloud looks like a dick."

He turns to stare at her with wide eyes. "I'm sorry, what?"

"It does. Look."

"You don't know what a dick looks like!" He pauses, a little disturbed. "Do you?"

"How could I not? They're carved all over the place."

"Ah, touché." He squints. "Yeah, okay, I can kind of see it."

He goes quiet again, but his mind continues to race.

Should he just say it?

Hey, Vi, guess what? I'm getting married! Cool, huh? Be my best lady?

Violet seems to notice his sudden silence, looking over at him every so often. He's sure he appears unsettled by something. Most of the time, when she bothered to really pay attention to him, she could read him easily.

And now, she knows something's wrong.

She sighs, almost annoyed, pushing herself up to rest back on her elbows, looking over him.

"What?"

"What?" he echoes stupidly.

Her irritation only grows, but something in her eyes tells him that it stems from some sort of knowing.

"You look upset," she says. "What'cha thinking about?"

When he doesn't say anything, she chuckles dryly, bitterly.

He can feel it. The air has changed and there's no more real laughter.

It's finally time.

"Lemme guess... you don't really want to hang out with me. You're just trying to think of a way to ask about the other night."

"No, that's not true," he replies quickly. "I already told you we didn't have to talk about it."

"So, she already told you everything." Violet lays back again, shaking her head with a clearly pissed off expression. "Fucking- ugh."

"She didn't, actually," Louis tells her softly. "She just said that she came to you to try and fix things and you two talked. That's it."

He cranes his neck to fully look at her, looking over the profile of her face, angry yet somber, lips pressed into a tight line.

"Fix things," she scoffs. "She tell you she brought Mitch with her? Like I'm some sort of psycho that'll cut her in half if she doesn't have any protection."

"That's not-," Louis sighs. "He was worried that things might get out of hand and wanted to be there just in case."

"You really think I'd fucking attack her?"

"Of course not, but... you did before, and you know how Mitch is."

Violet shoots up, bringing her knees in and wrapping her arms around them. Louis follows, trying to meet her eye but she refuses, her glare focused out through the trees.

"I don't want to fight. That's not why I brought you up here."

"Then why are we really here, Lou?"

Despite the disgruntled eyes, her tone isn't angry. It's tired, dreading what his answer might be.

"Because something crazy happened yesterday."

"Crazy?"

"Yeah, unbelievably crazy. I-" Louis bites his lip.

Fuck it.

Beating around the bush is never the right way to go about these things.

"Spit it out."

With one final look at her, he slowly raises his arm up and over her line of sight, spreading his fingers and allowing his ring to be seen. He watches for a reaction, finding her brows knitted with confusion.

Finally, Louis says, "I'm getting married."

The words hang in the air.

Hell, he's not positive he actually spoke them given her lack of response.

He brings his hand back to rest against his chest, feeling his anxious heart pounding against his palm.

He swallows, finding his mouth and throat suddenly dry. "Clementine proposed last night," he says quietly. "I said yes, of course."

She's processing everything he's saying, and with every passing second, her eyes become wider with realization.

"I know. Like I said, it's crazy," Louis says. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. We're having a wedding. In the music room, of course, where else? Heh, uh..."

She's unmoving, still unresponsive to his attempted light tone.

"Ruby's there now, decorating and tearing the place apart," he tries. "She's banished us from going in there. Can you believe that? I'm not allowed to flex my piano skills until after the wedding. I still don't know if I'm gonna be able to handle that, you know."

Nothing.

"And, apparently, Mitch is magic now because he thinks he can get some of those old Christmas lights to work without electricity, so we'll see how that goes. Hopefully, he doesn't end up electrocuting himself, or James. Or Willy, or all three of 'em."

Louis watches her fingernails dig into her sleeve.

His heart sinks as a small, disheartening sigh escapes his lips. He searches within himself, trying to find the right words to get something out of her.

"I don't know when it's gonna be, but when the day comes..." he takes a deep breath, "...I'd really like it if you were there."

She tenses, breathing deeply through her nose.

"Everyone'll be there, and it wouldn't be perfect without you, Vi. You know that, right? You don't have to stay long. Omar said he's gonna make a big feast. Of what, I don't know but even if you just came to grab something to eat, that'd be enough. I just... I need you there with us. All of us."

Nothing.

"Vi, say something," he pleads. "Please talk to me."

"What the fuck, Lou?"

He flinches at the harsh pain cracking her voice.

"I-"

"That's why you brought me up here? You butter me up with 'Oh, Vi, I miss you, let's hang out' and pretzels and stupid questions and then you tell me that?"

"Should I have just kept it to myself? Let you find out from Tenn or Ruby or whoever?"

"You could've just told me back in the dorms," she glares over at him. "You didn't have to drag me all the way up here for some 'big reveal.'"

"I just wanted to spend some time with you before I-"

"Shut up," she snaps, her hand flying out in a gesture of silence. "Just, shut up. I should've fucking known. First Clementine, now you." She scoffs.

"I don't understand why you're so pissed! You're one of my best friends. Even if you don't like Clementine, I thought you'd at least be a little happy for me."

"Happy for you? Are you fucking serious? You really don't get it?"

"Of course I don't! You need to explain it to me or else we'll be stuck in this shitty loop!"

Violet finally looks at him, right in the eye.

"How can you love her?"

"What-?"

"After everything she put us through? After AJ killed Marlon?"

"Clementine saved us, Vi. She saved you. Without her, we'd all either be dead, or worse. And Marlon, I- shit, why does that even matter to you? You hated Marlon, and-and I get why AJ did what he did and I don't hate either of them for it."

"You did, though, remember? When you kicked them out?"

"That was a mistake, one of the worst ones I've ever made. I-I was still in shock over what happened, and scared, and-"

"Doesn't change what you did," she says coldly. "Just like how it doesn't change what she did." Then, she shrugs. "Maybe you were right. We should've kicked them out permanently."

"Don't," he snaps, his voice coming out surprisingly harsh. "Don't say that. Who knows what would've happened to us, or to them, if you hadn't shot Lilly!"

"You wouldn't have been shot."

"So? It saved them!"

"Oh, that's right," she scoffs, her voice becoming bitter, "I forgot. If we didn't save them or let her back in, you two wouldn't have been able to suck face instead of preparing for our doom. How could I forget?"

"Violet, that's- How can you say all this stuff? You defended her!"

"Yeah, and look where it got me!" exclaims Violet as she slaps the bag of pretzels between then, sending it flying near the edge of the balcony. "Abandoned, beat upside the head and thrown into a cage! Maybe I should've been an asshole. Maybe then she would've saved me."

"I-"

He can't look at her now. He stares down at his fists curled in his lap, trying to control his heavy, aching heart.

"You have no idea what they threatened to do to us on that ship, Louis. And if you did, if she let them take you, then I guarantee you wouldn't be so quick to defend her, much less love her."

"God, Vi, I-" he chokes out. "It's not her fault. It was those sick fucks who did that. Not her. Say we did leave her, never brought her and AJ back in. We wouldn't have been ready for their attack- they would've taken and threatened and tortured or even killed all of us. We'd all be brainwashed soldiers... just like," he swallows thickly. "...just like Minnie."

Violet's fuming, hands shaking violently at his words.

"Blaming all of it on Clem... it's not- it's not going to fix anything. It's made you miserable, and it kills me seeing you like this."

Louis scoots closer to her now, throwing caution to the wind as he reaches and grabs her hand, holding tight even when she tries to jerk away.

"I wish I could heal it, take it all away, I really do! Fuck, I-I wish Clementine had saved you instead! Maybe if she had, things would be better. Shit, you're a better fighter, better strategist, better everything! You sure as hell wouldn't have panicked like I did! We would've taken down the delta together and we'd all still be friends, but- fuck!"

He shrugs his shoulders helplessly, weakly.

"She should've picked you."

Her grip on his hands tighten.

"The entire time you guys were gone, I just... I tried to be better, I tried to be strong and help the best I could to bring you all back, I-" his voice cracks.

Violet remains silent.

"I don't want to fight anymore."

He lets go of her hand.

Violet holds her wrist as the quiet falls over them again for the first time in minutes.

"I love you, Violet," he whispers, "and whether or not you feel the same, we're family. We're all we have left. You don't have to hide from us- any of us. We miss you."

She stands up, pausing before passing him.

"Violet, please..."

"I've had enough fresh air."

He watches her leave, biting his lip to stop his chin from quivering. When it's just him, completely alone with nothing but the sunshine and clouds, Louis lays back on the blanket. He forces himself to breathe, to calm down, to swallow the lump choking in his throat.

He lays there a long time, hours, just thinking to himself.

When the sky turns a pretty orange, he finally rolls up the blanket and climbs back down.

Clementine and AJ are sitting and talking at one of the tables when he comes out.

She spots him, quickly standing with such a devastatingly hopeful look that Louis about loses it.

All he can do is shake his head.

---

For the past week, in between the usual have-to's of surviving, they've been preparing for the wedding.

Ruby has transformed the music room with the help Tenn and AJ, who both drew and cut out white and gold hearts to tape all over the walls, as well as other various decorations.

Aasim has taken his role of the 'marriage officiant' rather seriously. When he wasn't helping Ruby, he was jotting down everything he planned to say during the ceremony.

Omar spent his extra time helping the kids out with their decorations, as well as preparing a centerpiece for the serving table and thinking up ideas for the main course.

Mitch, James, and Willy spent the entire week together figuring out how to hook up the lights, and miraculously, they managed to get them to work. That one had left Ruby stunned, but elated.

Of course, Clementine and Louis weren't too involved, as per Ruby's request to keep pretty much everything a surprise. The most the two of them contributed were answers to what colors they wanted for this and what should they do with that.

As a result, they got stuck doing a lot more of the hunting and scavaging, but with that came more time together, just the two of them. As much as they both love AJ and enjoy his company, as well as the company of the others, it's nice to venture out from the walls of the school and be alone.

When it's just them out in the woods, hunting or fishing -when Louis allows it- or just resting against some of the protruding boulders laying around, it's different.

They really did work well together, in more ways than one. With Clementine in charge of the bow and Louis on walker look-out and trap duty, they got plenty done in a short amount of time.

Well, plenty done in between their conversations, flirtations, and stolen kisses, of course.

And, when they weren't together or hanging out with the others, they were writing their vows.

Well, Clementine was.

Louis mostly just stared at an empty piece of paper before growing frustrated and putting it off some more.

As for Violet...

She's taken to sleeping in Tenn's room every night, but, surprisingly, she'd began spending most of the days sitting outside. She'd place herself at one of the unoccupied tables and silently write in her little journal, the one Aasim had given her. Whenever someone came out, whether that be Omar coming out to cook, or Mitch and James with their tote of lights, or even Clementine and Louis preparing to go on a hunt, she always watched them. Not noticeably, and not with vexation.

Louis and Clementine had overheard Ruby asking her if she wanted to help decorate the walls. Violet had declined, but not sourly.

Louis wanted to go over there himself, but Clementine stopped him.

He hates it, but they both agreed it's best to give her space until after the wedding and after the excitement dies down. He couldn't keep throwing himself down on his hands and knees begging Violet to be apart of this.

Shit, he's just happy to see her outside so much.

Then, the evening finally comes where Ruby's swinging their bedroom door open, bursting with excitement as she enters with the big news.

"How do ya feel about tomorrow?"

Tomorrow.

After waiting all week, it almost doesn't feel real.

Ruby continues to tell them that nearly everything's ready, with the exception of some lights from Mitch and the banner AJ and Tenn are working on.

After that, she confiscates their rings.

"Yer gonna need 'em off so ya can slip 'em back on when ya say 'I do,'" she explains before Louis can begin to protest.

Louis looks down at his hand with a small frown, as does Clementine. They'd be lying if they said they hadn't grown attached to wearing them over the past week, hadn't grown used to admiring them in the quieter moments.

The boys really did do a wonderful job on making them damn near perfect, and to have to take them off now? Well, it's understandable, and perhaps it'd feel more special if did so now.

Clementine's the first to slip hers off and put it in Ruby's palm, followed by Louis who now stares at his naked hand.

"This should go without saying but please don't lose them," Louis sighs.

"Oh, Lou, don't you worry about that. 'Sides, Mitch would have my hide if I did."

Then, Ruby turns to Clementine with a glint of eagerness in her eyes, who meets this gaze with a questioning one.

"Now, as ya know, it's bad luck ta see the bride before the weddin,' so Clem and I are gonna have a little girls night." Ruby then turns to Louis, who wears a look at dread at what's coming next. "And, Lou, I already talked ta Aasim, yer bunkin' with him tonight."

"But-"

"No buts! Clem's gotta try on clothes and that's even worse bad luck ta see her in her weddin' outfit the night before!"

"But-but-"

"And ya need ta work on yer vows anyway. I know ya don't got 'em done."

"But-"

"I'll come back in a while with the clothes and we can have some fun."

"But-"

"Louis."

Ruby's tone shuts him up.

---

Violet's head pounds lightly, the beginnings of a headache starting to creep up. She forces herself to chug the rest of her water bottle, grimacing at the stale taste clinging to her tongue.

Resting comfortably in Tenn's bed with her back against the wall, she rests her chin on her knees as she watches the younger boy work on the floor.

It's a long banner made from some sort of canvas cloth that he'd found in the old art room. The school used to decorate them for sporting events. 'GO TEAM!' and all that. Of course, Tenn isn't working on this for some stupid game.

From what she gathered, James had sketched on the banner for him, since they want it to look "fancy," and with paint - 'Antique Gold', if she remembers correctly - Tenn traced the cursive script carefully, desperately attempting to make it as neat as possible.

Louis & Clementine

Underneath that is a pair of gold-painted rings looped around each other, also drawn by James. Tenn had added little accents of swirls and flowers near the corners and edges, all done in white, black and gold paint.

When he first walked in, he appeared guilty, which Violet didn't like at all. He explained that it's too windy outside for him to work on the banner there, and he wanted to finish before the wedding tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

Shit.

Then, he asked if that was okay, and she told him, "It's your room. You can do whatever you want."

That didn't stop him from occasionally glancing up at her, checking to make sure she didn't look mad.

She knows he doesn't want to upset her, doesn't want her to think he's shoving the wedding and its banner in her face.

But, the truth is, she doesn't feel upset.

To say it's confusing is putting it mildly.

As fucked as it is... she actually feels left out.

That's a feeling and a thought that had really fucked with her head. It's not like she had asked to help and then they turned her away.

No, several times this week Ruby has asked if she wanted to help and she turned her down every single time.

Ever since she and Clementine talked, things have been fucked.

"I don't want to fight with or avoid you anymore. I- ...I really miss you, Vi."

Violet was happy to spend the rest of her days in the shadows of the school, hiding away from almost everyone. Well, shit, okay she wasn't happy but she accepted it.

It was easier that way.

Then, Clementine just had to come and try to patch things up, reopen the flood gates and make Violet remember why she had liked her so damn much in the beginning.

"I'll never let anyone take you again. We're family."

It's fucked, and she hates it.

Then, there's Louis who had come to her with good intentions, brought her to her favorite place and made her laugh like no one else could.

Louis, who had opened himself up to her again, like he always does. Louis, who had grabbed her hand and poured everything out to her, all with complete honesty, raw emotion.

Louis, the only one besides Tenn to continuously stay by her side after the delta.

Louis, who's getting married tomorrow.

And she couldn't just congratulate him and move on.

That's what a real friend would've done. Someone who isn't fucked up, selfish, or so stuck in her own mind that she can't help but hide behind her wall. A real friend would've found a way to climb up and over and hug her friend, especially after everything he's done for her, despite all the pain.

But, no...

Violet just... had to be Violet.

And she wishes she could be anything but.

"I love you, Violet, and whether or not you feel the same, we're family. We're all we have left. You don't have to hide from us- any of us. We miss you."

Why did she have to get so goddamn angry? Why did she have to throw around the same arguments, despite knowing deep inside her that they're bullshit?

Why did she have to nearly bring Louis to tears - fuck - because she couldn't control everything that had built itself up inside of her over the years?

No, it's not all Clementine's fault.

No, they wouldn't have been better off leaving her and AJ in the woods.

No... that wasn't the Minerva she fell in love with.

That Minerva died a long time ago.

But, none of those things take away the pain, the absolute terror of what happened.

None of those things make it any easier to forgive.

...As much as she wants to, to forgive Clementine, the trepidation prevents herself from doing so.

"Ruby and Clem are having a sleepover," Tenn says suddenly, breaking Violet of her thoughts. He sticks his brush in the can and rubbing the paint off his hand. "Ruby said you could go, too, if you want."

And with those words, Violet finds herself enervated.

"She said they're picking out what Clem's gonna wear. It might be fun."

Fun...

"Is AJ coming over here?"

"Y-yeah..." Tenn sullenly looks down at the floor. "You don't have to leave i-if you don't want."

"No, it's okay," Violet reassures him. "Really."

She could sleep in her room tonight. She's bothered the young boy long enough with her overstay.

Just as she's about to leave, Tenn stands, approaching her with his fingers pressed together anxiously.

"Are... are you going tomorrow?"

Something sharp, something painful twists in her gut.

After all the hurtful things she said to Louis... said to Clementine, was she even allowed to attend?

...Did she want to?

"Everyone'll be there, and it wouldn't be perfect without you, Vi. You know that, right?"

"...I don't know."

"I-I'll go with you," Tenn says hopefully. "We can sit together and everything. It really looks nice in there and-and James helped me draw a portrait of them. It's hanging over the fireplace."

She doesn't answer him.

What could she possibly say?

---

Louis' sullen face worries her.

Clementine knows he's not happy about having to spend to the night completely apart. Honestly, she's not thrilled about it either.

This'll be the first time in two years that they won't be sleeping in the same room together. Shit, even when they got into petty fights they still slept in the same bed.

The one comforting thing about this is that neither of them will be alone. She'll be with Ruby and he'll have Aasim. And, when the night's over and the sun rises, it'll be their wedding day. That's enough to make it all worth it, she thinks.

Louis lets out a long, groan mixed sigh. He's sat at the edge of their bed hugging one of his pillows to his chest with a pout on his lips.

She sits beside him, her arm sneaking around his shoulders to comfort him.

"You're gonna be okay," she smiles.

"I dunno," Louis frowns, tone taking a sarcastic turn. "Cuddling with Aasim sure won't be the same as cuddling with you."

That gets a laugh out of her.

"Didn't realize you two were planning that," she teases.

"We're not, but hey, things happen. Might mistake him for you again."

"Again?"

"The morning he came to wake me up to hunt Bambi, I was still half asleep and thought he was you," Louis shrugs. "We held hands."

She laughs harder now, which kills his pout, just a bit. He shakes his head and chuckles with her.

"Aasim failed to mention that part."

"I don't think he liked it very much."

There's banging on the door. Ruby pushes it open with her hip, hands full with a box of clothes.

"Alright, Lou, yer officially kicked out."

A deep, heavy sigh escapes him as he stands from the bed. "Fine, fine. I'm going."

He tosses his bag over his shoulder and tucks both pillows under his arm. He heads out with Clementine close behind. They stop just after the doorway to share a final, tight hug.

"Sleep tight," he murmurs.

Clementine pulls back and rests her palm against the warmth of his cheek. "You, too. Try not to give Aasim too many gray hairs, okay?"

"No promises," he chuckles. He presses a light kiss against her forehead. "Try not to get too crazy."

"You know I can't promise that," she smirks against his chest. "Ruby's quite the party animal."

"Ruby can hear ya!"

"Don't keep her up too late!" Louis peeks back into the room. "Don't know if you've heard, but she's got a big day tomorrow."

"Oh, I know it!"

Louis lets out another deep sigh, forcing a smile down at his bride to be. She leans up on her toes to give him a final kiss, lingering close even when they break away.

"See you tomorrow?"

"Absolutely."

---

"Watch your step. These stairs are pretty steep."

Mitch turns to make sure James has a hold of the railing before heading down into the darkness of the basement. He flicks on his flashlight, bathing the room in a soft light.

With the wedding being tomorrow and still having to fix up the rest of the lights, Mitch admitted to himself that he wouldn't be able to finish it by himself. James was happy to volunteer since it's Willy's turn for lookout tonight.

Mitch didn't mind seem to mind his company, and for that, James is grateful.

"Alright, so I got these left," he says, pulling out four pristine boxes of white string lights, setting them on the workbench. He pulls up another stool, adjusting it to be taller for the other boy. "Here."

"Thank you." James gets comfortable, squinting through the darkness and silently wondering how Mitch plans to work with the lack of light. Then, as if answering his thought, Mitch hands him the flashlight and pulls out a pack of matches.

"Shit, where- ah-ha," Mitch lifts an oil lamp. With a flick of his wrist, the match is lit, then the lamp. He places it between them, close to the wall. Rubbing his hands together, he says, "'Kay, just need'ja to hold the light where I need it and we'll have these done in no time."

"Okay."

He gets straight to it, pulling up the first box.

Mitch is fascinating to watch work, James decides.

Prior to this week, he'd only spoken to with him briefly in the times he stayed, but nothing more. He wasn't one for extended conversation until something was happening, something that he felt strongly about. Something he could get angry about, or get his hands dirty with. Otherwise, Mitch mostly kept to himself, always tinkering with something and grumbling to himself.

"Shine it a little closer," Mitch mumbles. "Riiiight... there- okay."

James had noticed a lot of things throughout the week.

Like how hyper-focused he can get while working on his various projects, and how he never half-asses anything. He gets frustrated, curses worse than any sailor on the seven seas when something fails, but that only seems to motivate him to do it right the next time.

Which is the case with the lights.

The first ones they tested, the "ugly" heart lights, didn't work. They'd been cramped up in that box so long that the wires had become faulty, making them mostly useless.

Mitch cursed, then grabbed another set of lights and tried again, and again, and again until they finally lit.

Then his profanities were ones made out of joy.

The best part, James decided, was watching his and Willy's eyes light up brighter than the lights themselves, the two high-fiving and fist bumping. Then, Mitch ruffled the boy's hair and sent him off to get the other batteries they had charging in the sun.

It intrigues him, knowing he and Willy are so close.

Willy doesn't keep anything to himself, even when he should, and that seems to be the polar opposite of Mitch, who never shares anything truly personal. The deepest thing he's learned about Mitch in the two years he's known him is his passionate hate for Almond Joys.

James supposes that the two share a deeper bond than one could see on the surface, given how long they've known and survived this world together.

What's still a mystery for him is Mitch's fondness for Clementine.

From what he's been told, after the tragedy of AJ taking another boy's life, the two were anything but friendly.

However, upon her return and the agreement that their lives and safety were the highest priority, they pushed their differences aside to work together and their friendship somehow sprouted and grew out of forgiveness, trust, and understanding.

It's nothing romantic, of course. That's easy enough to see. If it were, James rationalizes, then undoubtedly Mitch wouldn't be so passionate about preparing for this wedding; spending days perfecting their wedding rings, dusting and setting up the music room for Clementine's proposal, helping AJ and Tenn build the wedding arbor, modifying old holiday lights to work after they've lived without electricity for years.

Perhaps he finds it humanizing for someone like Mitch, or rather the person he initially thought him to be, to form such a connection to Willy and Clementine.

Then again, James has only known him a short while, and in that short time, he decides that he does like Mitch, oddly enough. Despite most of their conflicting views on things such as the walkers, he finds him enjoyable to be around, interesting to watch.

"Shit," Mitch jerks his chin towards James' arm. "Tape."

James tears off a chunk of the sticky black tape while trying to balance the flashlight. Mitch takes it, going back to work.

Soon enough, the pretty glow of the lights surrounds them.

"Fuck yeah!" Mitch smirks.

Hm.

Mitch has a dimple on his right cheek. The shadows of the basement accentuate it.

"One down," he flips them off, "three to go."

He carefully coils the lights up, sticking them atop their battery and pushing them aside. As he tears open another box, he says, "To think, Ruby still wants to use those nasty ass candles."

"Candles do have a romantic appeal."

"Gross."

James raises a curious brow at him. "You say that a lot," he says, attempting to study his expression.

"Say what?"

"Gross. You call a lot of things gross."

"Probably because they are," Mitch shrugs. "The candles, the wedding, it's all gross."

"Why?"

"Huh?" Mitch finishes untangling the lights, holding up the plugin.

"Why are they gross?" he repeats.

"Well," Mitch starts, "first off, Clem and Louis are pretty gag-inducing with their 'oh Darling!' and 'oh, Lou-Lou!'"

He's never once heard the name "Lou-Lou" come from Clementine, but for some reason, it's an amusing image that makes him grin.

"They're always kissing in front of us, too," Mitch wrinkles his nose. "I don't know if they think we don't see it but we do, and it's gross. And I still think this whole wedding thing is unnecessary."

"Really?" That's a surprise. "Then why are you so eager to help?"

The question seems to catch him off guard. "I-I'm not eager, I just- If they're so hellbent on having a wedding, stupid or not, might as well make the most of it. Besides, gives me something to do. More light."

James brings the flashlight closer.

After a beat of silence, Mitch mumbles, "Everyone's pretty pumped about it, too. Little more."

James scoots closer, giving him more light.

"There- ...uh, and, I dunno. Clem's excited, so..."

"She is," James nods. "You're happy for her?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Your support is important to her."

"...Whatever."

Another thing James has come to notice: Mitch doesn't like to let off like he cares. Which is curious, indeed.

He also realizes that they're actually holding a conversation rather than just sharing a few words here and there, which is exciting. So, he decides to try pushing, just a bit.

"I think it's wonderful," he says quietly. "It brings hope. Proves that love can still exist."

Mitch scoffs. "Don't need a wedding to prove that."

"Maybe not, but if that's how they want to express it, why not let them?"

"Not saying they can't," Mitch frowns. "Just saying it don't mean much these days. Really, what changes? Now they get to call each other husband and wife? You can do that without the big wedding."

"You seem very opposed to this for someone who's been helping out so much."

"Well, that- I just- uh." His hands hesitate as if forgetting what they're working on. He pulls back, brows knitted and mouth frowning. "I'm not opposed."

Something strange occurs in his mind, something he's almost afraid to ask. James bites his tongue, figuring the question may make Mitch defensive or hostile.

"Lemme put it this way," Mitch finally says. "Just 'cause it's not something I'd ever do, don't mean that I'm not gonna help them out any way I can, okay? I mean, if anyone's gonna survive all this bullshit and get their 'happy ending,' or whatever, it'd be them, even if it's a huge fucking risk. So, give it to 'em, y'know? That answer your question?"

In a way, it does, but...

"Risk?"

"Either one of them could die at any time, same for any of us."

"Yes."

"And doing this, falling in love and getting married'll only make it hurt worse."

"You'd never get married?"

"No."

"Not even if you fell in love?"

"Pfft," he scoffs.

"What?"

Now, Mitch almost looks amused. "And who exactly am I gonna fall in love with?" he almost asks sarcastically, rhetorically, but James decides to take it as a serious question, pondering on an answer.

"I don't know. Perhaps Ruby?"

Like that, all amusement is gone when Mitch scrunches up his nose and shoots James a distasteful look. "Ruby? Are you fucking serious?"

James is a little offended at his tone."Why not? She's very sweet."

"And bossy, nosy, loud, and she's always throwing stuff at me, or threatening to hit me with wooden spoons. And she has a hissy-fit whenever I try to go to the greenhouse."

"She's also got a big heart, and she's very pretty."

Mitch says nothing to that.

"Don't you think?"

"Dude, I dunno. I don't look at her like that."

Well, he supposes that's fair. While he can't say he approves of Mitch's choice of words regarding the girl, he's understanding that the feelings just aren't there.

"I don't want that shit, anyway."

"Excuse me?" James frowns deeply.

"No- fuck, I'm not talking about Ruby. I mean that gross love shit in general."

"Oh."

Well, that's somewhat of a relief.

Mitch goes back to work on the lights, flipping the switch to the battery. The glow is back as they turn on. Without any enthusiastic words, he turns them off and grabs the next box.

As he's pulling the lights out, he mumbles, "I just don't think it's worth it. Not for me, anyway."

"What?"

"Love like that."

James' curiosity is piqued. "How so?"

Mitch doesn't answer right away, and James gets the feeling that he's debating on whether or not he really wants to. But, as he's detangling the lights, he says, "You weren't here when we first lost the twins."

James holds the light up again, listening.

Mitch sighs. "Y'know, Minnie? The one who was on the delta? She tried to fuck us over?"

"Clementine told me about her, yes."

"Back before- like, years before Clementine and AJ got here, she and Violet had a thing."

Then, strangely, as he's saying the words, he watches James as if looking for something. A change in his expression, a reaction of some sort. Of what kind, he's not sure.

"I mean, they got together. As a couple. Girlfriends."

"Right, that's what Clem said. Then, Minerva and Sophie got kidnapped."

"...Right. Yeah, uh, so," Mitch puts the lights down. "Um, they were really into each other. And, after Marlon told us the twins died, Violet shut down."

"She was heartbroken."

"Fuck, more than that. She was fucking destroyed. Not even Louis could cheer her up for the longest time. It got better after a while, but she never did herself any favors. Everything was always, 'Minnie used to do this,' or 'Minnie would've liked that,' or whatever else. It was..." Mitch shakes his head. "...fucking pathetic."

"That's-" James finds a swell of agitation forming in his gut. "That's terrible to say."

"But, it's true," Mitch argues. "She's worse now, too. I didn't think that was possible, but yeah, ever since the delta Violet's just been nothing but a real bi-"

"Mitch," James warns.

"Fuck," he closes his eyes, "Yeah, I know. But it doesn't change the fact that she should just get over it. Minnie died a long time ago. That bitch on the boat? That wasn't her."

"You weren't there-"

"I didn't need to be," Mitch scowls. "I know all about it. Violet betrayed us because she couldn't get over the dead girl she fell in love with. And it's not Clementine's fault, none of it is, so she shouldn't still be so pissed. Whatever those assholes did to them couldn't have been that bad. They all came back in one piece."

James is glaring now, he's sure.

Mitch notices.

"Do you truly believe that nothing happened to them?"

"They're alive, aren't they?"

"And you think losing someone you love is that easy to get over? You've never had those feelings for anyone, have you?"

Something strange dances in Mitch's eyes, his glare wavering ever so slightly. He jerks himself to face forward, breaking the eye contact they held.

"...No."

"I see," James nods. "Explains why you don't understand. What it's like to lose someone you're romantically involved with, I mean."

"What's there to understand?" Mitch forces out stiffly. "It's like losing anyone close to you. It sucks for a while and then you get over it. Life goes on."

They're silent, tense.

This certainly wasn't where James wanted to steer the conversation, and now he's not entirely sure how he feels about the boy beside him. For someone who did indeed have genuine kindness in him, he spoke so heartlessly, so ignorantly.

"Do you think Clementine and Louis are doomed to that sort of fate?"

"Like I said, if anyone's gonna survive, it's them. But, yeah, eventually one of them will die, it'll hurt, and then they'll either shut down or move on"

Another period of uncomfortable silence fills the air between them. James shifts the flashlight to his other hand after his arm's cramped up from holding it too tightly.

"I'm never gonna be like that," Mitch finally says. "I'm not gonna let myself be like Violet. I'm not taking the risk."

"You think you can help that?"

"Yeah," he says firmly. "I'm not... built that way."

Even through his agitation, he finds that to be an odd thing to say.

He thinks back on Mitch's words, his attitude towards the topic of their conversation. James finds his heart slow, but hard and heavy. Something builds up inside of him when he turns to peer through the darkness at Mitch's sullen face. He finds that he wants to make Mitch understand, see this conversation in a new light.

He makes a decision and reaches into his pocket.

"Can I show you something?"

Mitch doesn't physically react, but his eyes dart towards him, his expression unreadable.

Still, even without an answer, James pulls out the photo still stuck in the plastic holder. He places it on the table between them, watching Mitch as he does.

Mitch blinks down at the photo before turning to face him again, waiting for an explanation.

"This is me," James says, pointing at the younger, smiling version of himself before sliding his finger over, "and this is Charlie."

Mitch follows, listening.

"He-" Already, James has to correct himself before even speaking the words, "-was my boyfriend."

Immediately, Mitch freezes, eyes growing wide and lips parting in a silent gasp. His fists, still wrapped around the lights, tighten.

A little thrown off by such a visible reaction, he continues, nonetheless.

"We survived together, just the two of us, for a long time. Eventually, we joined the Whisperers in order to stay alive and... everything got worse from there. He wasn't the Charlie I fell in love with anymore, but I kept holding on to him, telling myself that it's okay because I've changed, too. Those people... us- we..."

James swallows thickly, his eyes falling shut.

"...I left, and I don't know what became of him. He could still be alive out there, or he could be dead. I don't know. But, losing him, the real him, was one of the most painful things I've ever experienced and it wasn't some that I could just 'get over.' It's an easy thing to say, but what it comes down to it, it's not something that'll ever go away. I'll never 'get over' Charlie, just like how Violet will never 'get over' Minerva. So, what you're saying is foolish, sprouted from ignorance."

Mitch is silent, unmoving, still staring at the photo.

"Talking like that will only do more damage than good-"

"You- you need to leave."

The words are harsh but bitten back, like they're trying to hide something true, something dark.

"What-?"

"I'll finish by myself." Mitch snatches the flashlight away from him. "Just... fucking go."

A sharp blade of ice seemingly swipes through him, leaving him staggered. An ache, all too familiar, tightens his heart and drops to his gut at the coldness of Mitch's tone, his eagerness to get rid of him.

And that rejection, one he's no stranger to, cuts deep, tender and painful.

Silently, pitifully, James takes his photo and pockets in, gaze falling to the floor. The stool scrapes against the uneven floor, breaking the silence with an eery wince. Mitch doesn't look at him, he doesn't say anything, he just continues to stare forward without any acknowledgment, as if he and James hadn't just shared the personal conversation that they did.

As he's treading up the stairs, James takes note of what else he noticed about Mitch.

He undoubtedly knew how to be cruel.

---

Aasim's room is much different than Louis remembers.

It's freshly picked up with books stacked neatly along the shelves of a short bookcase. His desk is clean with a can of dull pencils and pens resting upon it. There's an astronomy poster hanging above his bed, one Louis remembers being in the old science lab. The other bed, Louis' bed for the night, is where Aasim seems to keep all his spare clothes folded, as well as some of the larger books that won't fit on his shelf.

Aasim's quick to move everything off the bed for him, tucking things in drawers and his closet.

Louis tosses his pillows onto the mattress and plops down with a huff.

"Dude, I still have to write my vows."

"Always waiting 'til the last minute," Aasim mumbles. "Here." He pulls out the chair of his desk and begins filing through one of the drawers. "Where-ah." He sets a notebook down on the desk before moving to his bed. "You can work on it there."

"Thanks, man."

Tossing the pillows aside, Louis sits down, lights the candle placed in the corner, and tries to find a sharp enough pencil to write with. He plucks a blue one with little cartoon cats on it out of the can. He can't believe he's about to write his wedding vows for the woman he loves with this, but it's a little better than the one that says 'SAY NO TO DRUGS! SAY NO TO DRUGS!'

A little.

"You nervous?" Aasim asks while kicking off his boots.

"Like I'm gonna vomit," Louis answers honestly.

He chuckles a little at that. "You're not gonna vomit."

"What if I'm standing up there, giving my amazingly romantic vows and I just throw up and then that makes her throw up? Then, you'll definitely throw up because you have a weak stomach and then Ruby'll be so pissed that she throws up and then there's just puke everywhere-"

"Dude," Aasim grabs a pillow to smack him with, "Stop. You're only digging yourself deeper into that nightmare hole. Climb out."

"I'm just saying."

"You won't throw up. You're just nervous."

"Oh, is that what this feeling is? And here I thought I caught a stomach bug."

Aasim rolls his eyes. "It's okay to be to have pre-wedding jitters. Before you know it, tomorrow'll be here and you and Clem will be married and dancing."

"And you'll be dancing with Ruby?"

"No."

"Right! Sorry, I meant James-"

"Louis," Aasim warns. "I already told you, I never had a thing for James. Drop it."

"Yeah, yeah," Louis waves his hand. "I know. I promised Clem I wouldn't tease you so much tonight. I'll drop it for now." Then, he points at the bed. "You don't have to wait up for me. I'll probably just say here all night trying to figure out what to say."

"Say what you feel."

"Oh, just like that, huh?"

"Seriously. It doesn't have to be long or poetic. Keep it short and sweet."

"Short and sweet," mumbles Louis. "Yeah, okay."

Aasim doesn't say anything else. Instead, he grabs a book off his shelf and lays down in his bed to read.

Louis briefly wonders if that's what he does every night, but doesn't bother asking. He has more important things to think about.

The blank page is intimidating, so Louis jots down his thoughts as they come to him. He crosses out ones that he doesn't like and makes little notes and adds onto the ones he does.

Eventually, he hears Aasim yawn and shut the book. He grumbles a "good-night" before turning over with a sigh.

His weariness catches up with him hours into the night as he tries and tries again to write his vows. He doesn't know how many pages he goes through re-wording and rewriting it, but with every sentence, he finds his eyes dropping and his limbs becoming heavier.

Soon, after nearly finishing what he had to say, his cheek rests against the notebook as sleep takes him.

---

She can hear Ruby's delighted giggles, muffled by the door. The wood creaks, wincing beneath her as she shifts her weight from foot to foot.

Violet can't distinguish what they're actually saying. How could she? All she can hear is the pulsating beat of her heart thumping in her ears, heavy but accelerating the longer she stares at the door.

No matter what she does, no matter how much she tightens her fists, Violet's hands won't stop shaking. The tremors run up her arms and down her legs, nearly buckling her knees, but she refuses to collapse. They would certainly hear and find her pathetically curled up into a ball at their feet.

Violet squeezes her eyes shut, forcing herself to breathe in deep through her nose.

Raising her fist up only sends more trembles down her arm, weakening her down to the bone. Her palms ache from the sharp nails bitten into the tender flesh, leaving a sore redness and imprints ready to split.

Get over yourself.

Just knock on the fucking door.

More giggling.

Clementine's voice.

So pleased, so light.

Her chin quivers, so she sinks her teeth into her bottom lip. She doesn't know what's louder; her short, gasping breaths, or the pounding of her searing heart.

Louis asks her for one thing. One fucking thing.

And she can't.

She can't do it.

Her arm falls weakly back to her side, defeated and piteous.

What did she expect, really?

To knock on the door and be invited in with welcome arms? To sit down with Clementine and Ruby and fawn over what Clementine would wear to her wedding? To talk about how much she fucking loved Louis and how she can't wait to start a new chapter of their lives together? To pretend that everything's okay between them and they're best friends again? That the forgiveness is mutual?

And Clementine would ask her to be her maid-of-honor and to hold her bouquet for her as she and Louis swear their vows to each other and kiss and live their happily ever after in this shithole of a world?

...She can't do it.

She just can't.

---

Clementine hadn't ever changed her clothes so many times in one night. None of the dresses Ruby had gathered up fit her, all way too small. They had better luck trying on blouses ranging from ones with lots of ruffles to plain t-shirts that wore long on her.

"Whatta 'bout this one?"

Ruby holds up a baby blue one with short sleeves and lace at the bottom. When Clementine pulls it on, it fits well.

"Oh, that's sweet," Ruby admires. "It'd count fer yer somethin' blue, too."

They add it to the 'yes' pile.

Over their time together, a total of four shirts end up in that pile. She decides that she'll make her final decision tomorrow since it's getting late.

They end up closing the window when the night breeze comes in particularly cold, saying their goodnights with Clementine alone in her bed and Ruby on the top bunk opposite of her.

Absently, her hand reaches out beside her. The bed feels much bigger than it usually does. She has so much room to spread herself out comfortably but still ends up on her usual side.

She can't help it. She misses him and his warmth beside her.

On any other normal night, after spending the day apart, one of them would creep into the room and get in bed and they'd be together again, ready to cuddle and sleep. Now, it feels like she's taken that for granted.

Perhaps this is good, she thinks. Like the old saying goes, distance makes the heart grow fonder.

How she could grow fonder of Louis, she didn't know.

She lays there a long time, her mind buzzing with the excitement of what's to come, as well as thinking what the future may hold, good and bad. Though, she tries not to dwell on the bad. Most of her life had been spent dwelling on threats and concerns.

Now, she gets to experience something like this, like it wasn't the end of the world.

So, she pushes all those dark thoughts, the ones of death, of Violet's hatred, of Louis' guilt, AJ's traumas, all out of her mind and images herself seeing Louis waiting for her in the music room... ready to take her hand.

Clementine's eyes fall shut, this time, remaining that way. She tries to calm her nerves, allowing her own exhaustion to wash over her, relax her body. She tries to think of nothing, tries counting sheep.

Eventually, sleep takes her.

---

The trees all look the same, flashing by one after the other in a blur of desaturated greys and browns. The grass is tall, much more overgrown than it usually is. If Clementine were to stretch her leg out it surely would tickle her ankles and feet. Leaves of various hues swirl around in the air as if dancing together.

The constant hum of the train's wheels running on the track is soothing. It vibrates through her body as she rests against the frame opening. Her legs swing relaxed as her fingers absently drum on her knee.

Clementine closes her eyes and breathes in the scent of wood and sun-dried grass. She doesn't fight the tranquil smile tugging at her lips. Strips of sunlight leak through the cracks between the trees, warming her cheeks as they pass.

"Something big is happening, isn't it?"

Her smile grows.

Lee sits down beside her, shifting to get comfortable.

"Been a long time," he says. "I was starting to think you forgot about me."

Clementine peeks an eye open to peer at him. "You?" She shakes her head. "Never."

He quirks a brow with a matching grin. Clementine scoots away from the frame and closer to the man beside her. He wraps a comforting arm around her shoulders as the two watch the nature fly by.

She can't contain the glee growing inside of her as she looks up at him.

"You're never going to believe it, Lee."

Lee chuckles. He admires the abundance of trees and falling leaves. He reaches out and snatches a large, yellow one. He pinches and twirls it's stem between his fingers as he asks, "It's a good thing?"

"A very good thing."

"Don't hear very many good things these days," he says. He catches another fallen leaf, sticking it with the yellow one. "Don't see very many smiles like that, either."

Clementine lightly touches her cheek, sore from the straining grin. Her skin is warm, flustered.

Lee catches more leaves, sticking and rearranging them together. "So, what's made you so happy, Sweet Pea?"

"I'm getting married."

Lee's brows raise in shock. "Married?" he asks. "Little young for that, aren't you?"

"In this world?" she smirks. "I don't think I'm too young for a lot of things."

Lee scoffs. "Oh, yes you are."

Clementine laughs, a sweet melody that warms the air. She leans closer into him as a red leaf gets stuck against her leg. She plucks it up and admires its vivid color.

"Married..." Lee mumbles to himself. "Wow. How did you get so grown up?"

"I didn't really have a choice." She lets the leaf go. It flies out and disappears with the rest.

"No, you didn't..." Lee nods to himself. "It's Louis, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"He's a good kid."

"He's..." Clementine laughs. "He's amazing, Lee. You'd really like him."

He nods, thoughtfully. "Well," he says, "I can't hate anybody who can make you smile like that. And AJ likes him?"

"AJ loves him."

"Good," Lee grins. "That's good to hear. The two of them are quite a pair, I assume?"

"You have no idea."

Lee chuckles. "And, everyone else?"

"They've worked so hard on the music room," she tells him. "Ruby, Tenn, and AJ have been decorating all week, and Mitch made our rings. He made them, him and Willy! Out of quarters! And Aasim, he's going to marry us, and Omar's going to cook and-" Clementine stops.

Something strange curls in her gut. A tingle runs along her neck.

"What's wrong?" Lee asks.

"I..." she closes her eyes and rests her head against his shoulder, "I just... I am happy, Lee. So happy and excited, but," she weakly shakes her head, "what if something happens?"

"Like what?"

"This kind of happiness, it-it doesn't last in our world anymore. It's never lasted for me, at least." The air becomes cooler, raising goosebumps along her skin. "Sometimes, I think that life at the school, with Louis and AJ and everyone else, is just too good to be true. We're happy now, but what if that changes? What if something happens and we lose more people? What if... what if something bad happens between Louis and me?"

"What if, what if..." Lee gives her a comforting smile. "You'll drive yourself crazy if all you think about are the 'what ifs'. You can't predict everything that's coming, just like how you can't go back and prevent the past."

"I know. It's just," she murmurs, "I can't help but think about Louis looking at me one day and thinking about all the terrible things I've done and... realizing that he can't love someone like me."

Lee's silent.

Then, he hands her a leaf, a green one.

"You really believe that?"

She doesn't answer.

"Tell me something, Clementine," he says. "Louis has done bad things, hasn't he? Both before and after the world ended?"

"Yes."

"Do you hate him for those things?"

"No," she shakes her head. "It's different. His bad things don't compare to mine. I've hurt so many people, Lee. Good people. Just so that I could survive, or to protect AJ, protect both of us."

"Does Louis know of these things?"

"Not all of them."

Lee goes quiet again. He closes his eyes and lowers his head.

"Do you remember when I told you about what I did? Why I was in the police car the day we first met?"

"Yes."

"Did you hate me? After you found out?"

"Of course not."

Lee smiles, just a bit. "I did a lot of bad things, too, Sweet Pea. We've all done bad things; you, me, AJ, Louis... it's this world that makes us do things we never would've done before."

She reaches out and grabs his hand. "It scares me," her voice is barely above a murmur, "I don't want him to look at me like-" she swallows thickly, "-like Violet does."

"Violet's different," he says. "She's still in a lot of pain, just like Louis. Like you. We all handle it differently, whether it's keeping it bottled up, covering it with a smile and a laugh, or hiding away from everyone. But, just because you see their pain doesn't mean you understand it. How many nights have you had to hold Louis because of his nightmares? And, how often do you wonder why? Why does it still haunt him?"

"He didn't mean to kill that lady," she says. "But, he was also justified. She would've killed him if he didn't react."

"He doesn't see it that way, though, does he? It's something that you may never come to understand, Clementine. Just like how you may never fully understand why Violet feels the way she does. Or, why AJ gets spooked so easily when someone comes up behind him. But, that doesn't mean you give up on them." Lee hands her another leaf, this one red. "You still stay by their side, even when everything goes to hell. That's what family does."

Family...

"I don't know what I would do without them," she says. "I wish I could make it better. Take all that pain away."

"Can't tell you how many times I thought the same thing," Lee grins. "It's a tough world, but you're tougher and smarter. You'll always have AJ there by your side. And maybe one day Violet will open herself up again and you two can rebuild that trust. It'll be a rough and slow process, but maybe you'll even be friends again. As for Louis?" Lee chuckles, shaking his head. "That boy isn't going anywhere."

Clementine looks up at him.

"How can you be so sure?" she asks.

Lee turns his focus to the collection of leaves in his hand.

"Relationships aren't easy," he says slowly. "They never were, even before."

"I know."

"Both of you have a lot to carry. There'll always be that unknown territory between you. Whether you choose to explore it or leave it alone is up to you. You'll have bad days, and so will he. There'll be times where you two fight for little to no reason, times where you could just strangle him. A time may come where you're in trouble again, where you might get hurt or separated, lose someone else."

The green and red bleed out of her leaves, leaving them yellow. He plucks them from her fingers and adds to his collection.

"But, everything Mitch said before?" Lee squeezes her hand. "It's all true. After all you two have been through? There isn't a doubt in my mind that you will overcome anything this world throws at you."

Her eyes burn.

"That boy loves and trusts you, Clementine, and he's not going to leave you. It's okay to believe that."

The forest blurs.

"Thank you, Lee," she whispers.

Lee leans forward and waves his free hand like he's signaling someone. As the train whistles and comes to a stop, he grabs her shoulder to steady her. The forest is still before them and the grass is at its longest.

He hops down and offers her his hand.

"It's time, Sweet Pea."

She gives him a questioning look that he answers with a smile.

He helps her down. She's unsteady on her feet. The humming of the train still rattles through her body, buzzing in her ears. When she turns to Lee, lips parted and a question laying on her tongue, she's startled to find his usual blue shirt has been replaced.

He chuckles again with a shrug. "I used to clean up nice, you know."

His black suit is clean, untouched, untainted. His tie is perfectly straight and he's cleanly shaven. The multicolored leaves previously in his grasp are gone, replaced with a bouquet of yellow roses tied together by a white ribbon. His dark eyes soften when they lay upon her.

"Oh, just look at you..." he whispers.

Clementine cocks her head to the side, giving him a questioning look. He extends the bouquet to her, and when she grasps it, her gaze falls down to her sleeve.

White lace.

She glances down and gasps.

The dress is pure white. Beautiful lace and glittering details line her torso and fade down the silky material. Her hat is gone, allowing her curls to hang loosely over her shoulders. She runs her fingertips cautiously over the lustrous dress in disbelief. The silk glistens when the speckles of sunlight shine through the trees and hit her.

She meets Lee's warm, proud gaze. He offers her his arm.

"Ready?"

With a shaky breath, she grabs a hold of him.

They leave the train to walk through the forest at a comfortable pace. The leaves continue to fall around them. However, they've all turned that lovely shade of yellow.

"Lee?"

"Hm?"

Her grip on his arm tightens. "I wish you were really here."

He places his hand over hers.

"You're not supposed to cry those kinds of tears on your wedding day."

She doesn't even realize that she's crying until he says so. She wipes her cheeks with the back of her hand, careful not to poke herself with the roses or their stems.

"Oh, Clementine," Lee sighs. "I know it's hard, but look around you. You've found a place to call home, a family. I always wanted that for you, hoped you'd find it even after I left. Now, you finally have."

"But, you're still gone."

"I'm still gone," Lee nods. "And you're still alive."

The trees are starting to spread out more, making the path clearer. The grass has gone from long and dry to short, thick and dark green. The air's sweetly floral. Still, the leaves fall.

"You're alive, Clementine," he says again.

There's chatter, whispers. A hum of several voices, all cheerful, some laughing. The closer they walk, the louder they become.

And, behind all those voices, is the playing of a piano.

Her song.

Clementine.

Her heart beats hard, slow. Somehow, her throat's gone dry.

Lee gazes about, admiring the beauty surrounding them.

Soon, there's a gate ahead of them, stuck between two enormous trees. Thorny vines weave through the bars where more yellow roses sprout.

They stop just before it.

"Are you ready?" he asks.

She peeks through the openings of the gate.

Rows and row of white benches line the grass leading up to a set of white stairs. At the top is a stage with an arbor covered in dark green leaves and vibrant yellow roses. Off to the right is a grand piano that, oddly enough, has no one playing it, yet the keys play her song. On the left are several tables, all with white tablecloths and candles and roses as centerpieces. There's a long table filled with various desserts and a five-tier cake.

The benches are full of people, all talking with one another, all dressed in various hues of yellow.

When Lee pushes the gate open and they step through, the chatter immediately stops.

The piano goes quiet.

It's silent.

All together, they stand and turn.

Every single smiling face, she recognizes.

Her breath catches in her throat, and her eyes dart across the overwhelming rows of people rapidly. Her grip on the bouquet and Lee's arm tighten.

"Lee?" she gasps out.

"It's your special day," he grins. "Did you really think they'd miss it?"

The sun shines brightly through the trees now, lighting up the area, breathing life into it. The warmth pools in her belly and spreads through her veins. All eyes, all full of admiration and tenderness, are on her.

Lee steps forward, and by instinct, so does she. Her song begins to play again, faint, like a soft whisper. Down the aisle, they tread slowly. Her eyes dart from face to face, overwhelmed.

So many of them, all smiling at her; those from her previous groups, friends from before the world ended, mere acquaintances made during survival.

Luke and Nick stand side by side whispering to each other before Jane shushes them, motioning towards Clementine. She almost trips upon seeing them. All together, they proudly watch her walk past.

Sarah's practically jumping with glee, happily waving at Clementine and trying to catch her attention. Carlos places his hands on her shoulders in an attempt to keep his daughter still.

A lump forms in her throat.

She gasps at Christa and the baby in her arms. Omid beams, mouthing, 'Good luck!'

Duck waves at her with a smile far too big for his face. Katjaa wipes at her eyes with a tissue, sniffling. And Kenny, he reaches out to briefly touch her shoulder with a fond grin and a tender nod at her, then at Lee. His touch leaves a warmth that spreads down her arm. Her eyes become wet seeing the three of them holding each other again.

The Garcia's all take up one row with Javier standing the closest. He winks at her with a smirk, giving her a thumbs up. Clementine rolls her eyes at him playfully. Kate nudges Gabe and he shyly meets her gaze with a smile. David offers a solemn nod, but even he can't fight the tiny grin pulling at his lips.

She slows her walk to almost a stop when she sees Rebecca and Alvin. They both reach out to her and grasp her arm. 'Thank you,' they mouth. 'Thank you.' Clementine shakes her head, biting her lip to prevent her chin from quivering. Rebecca reaches around her and puts their foreheads together. 'Thank you.'

They let go, and Clementine continues down the aisle.

Lee chuckles again. He pats the hand on his arm and smiles at her. "It's crazy, isn't it?"

"That's-" She gives a heart filled laugh, sniffling and blinking back tears. "That's one way to put it." She looks up towards the sky where all the leaves still flutter and dance, swaying with the music. Her eyes fall upon the altar, and a wave of emotion rolls over her.

They're all there, lining up on either side of the steps.

Marlon, Mitch, Aasim, Omar, Tenn, James and Willy on the right.

Ruby, Brody, Sophie, Minerva, and Violet on the left.

All waiting for her to reach the stairs, all dressed in their respective matching suits and dresses.

She's ready to move forward, but Lee stops her. She turns to him, but he motions to her left.

And it's like all the air is knocked from her lungs and her heart's swelled fully in her chest.

Her mother and father stare back at her with tears in their eyes.

Lee lets her go.

Clementine rushes to them, throwing her arms over her mother's shoulders and holding on for dear life. She can't do anything but sob. Her father wraps himself around both of them. There's so much warmth surrounding her and it's hard to breathe. The rush of emotions is so overwhelming she thought they might cause her to implode, cease to exist.

When they pull away, her father's thumb wipes away her tears. And she laughs. She laughs and she cries. They say nothing, they only gaze upon her with love in their eyes. Her mother kisses both of her cheeks and holds her hands firmly, kissing them as well.

Words bubble in Clementine's throat, but refuse to come out. There's so much to say, so much she wants to tell them. But, they shake their heads and move back to their seats.

'It's time...'

Her mother and father turn their attention to Lee as he offers her his arm again. The gratitude, the affection they have for him is clear. Lee humbly gives a knowing nod.

She keeps her eyes locked with them, looking back even as they move forward. She can feel herself trembling, as if she may crumble if it weren't for Lee's hold keeping her together.

Violet steps down from her place on the stairs and catches Clementine's attention. She takes the bouquet from her, then she pulls her into a loving hug. Clementine melts into her, holding her back tightly. "Vi..."

They part with a smile, and Violet goes back to stand with Minerva, where they pull the ribbon off and pass around the roses, making sure everyone has one in their hands.

There's a giggle from the top of the stairs.

They turn to see AJ. He's dressed in his own suit with a yellow rose adorning it. He gleefully strides down the stairs in a hurry, jumping off the third to final step. He leaps at Clementine, holding her in a firm embrace.

AJ admires the glittering details of her dress before leaning over to wave at his mother and father. Clementine looks back, seeing both Rebecca and Alvin waving and tearfully laughing.

Lee lets go of Clementine to kneel down and fix AJ's twisted bowtie, earning another giggle from the young boy. Lee pinches his nose.

"Hey!" AJ laughs. He retaliates by pinching Lee back. That gets him a chuckle.

Clementine's lips curl into a warm smile as she watches the two laugh and hug one another.

There's something at the top of her peripheral sight. A small movement, just enough to catch her attention.

Louis stands at the top with a bright smile and when their eyes meet, everything stops; the leaves, the faraway murmuring, the piano. Nothing but a small, shuddering gasp escaping her lips.

His suit matches AJ's; black with a pale yellow tie and adorned with a rose. He ascends down the stairs one step at a time, never breaking their connected gaze, never losing his smile. The way he looks at her with so much love, like he can't get enough of her, takes away any lingering breath she has.

She steps forward to meet him as he moves off the final step. He reaches for her, and when their fingers curl together, it's like the sun lighting up within her.

Louis only breaks his loving gaze away to look at Lee as he approaches, his smile becoming a little nervous.

Lee eyes him, then he holds out his hand. Louis accepts it with great enthusiasm, giving him a firm handshake. But, Lee doesn't let go. Instead, he pulls him in for a tight hug, which Louis eagerly returns.

Lee, his expression calmed and content, turns back to Clementine.

"Good-bye, Sweet Pea."

Then, they're hugging again. She buries her face into his chest and does her best to contain the sobs forming threatening to spill over. "Good-bye, Lee..." she whispers.

She pulls away when AJ tugs on her dress.

She watches as Lee walks away, as he takes a seat next to her parents and gives her an encouraging smile.

"It's time."

When she turns back to Louis, he laces their fingers together once more while AJ grabs her other hand.

And together, they ascend up the stairs, hand in hand.

When they reach the top, AJ wanders away.

Now, Louis holds both her hands in his, and as she stares up at him, she can't help but lightly shake her head in disbelief.

"Louis..." she murmurs.

"Clementine." He pulls her closer until they're only breaths away. She can feel the warmth radiating off his entire being, soaking into her.

AJ approaches them again carrying a yellow silk pillow, and on it is the rings. Silver, freshly polished, and baring their initials.

C + L

Louis takes one and slips it onto her finger, and she does the same for him.

He cups her blushing cheeks.

"I do."

She feels her eyes fluttering shut.

"I do."

He kisses her.

And the world ceases to exist.

---

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