Author's Note: Hi readers! Thanks for the reviews; we're almost at a hundred! Keep it up; I really appreciate your comments, so here's a nice long chapter for you. I hope you all had a nice holiday season; I have a laptop now so hopefully updates will come quicker since I'll always have access. Of course, classes are going to start up this week, so I may have to maintain updates every other Monday to keep up with it all. We're halfway through PII now, and there's action coming up very soon, so stay tuned.

Rated T for: Language, and mentions of death. This chapter is actually pretty mild, but very feelsy.

And now, without further ado, please read on and enjoy Chapter Sixteen of Stump! :) - Aqua

Stump

Chapter Sixteen

"C'mon, Luke, let me take the first shift." Nick insisted.

Clementine glanced up from her spot on the forest floor, resisting the urge to groan. She'd heard this argument more than enough lately, and she was sick of it.

They were at the end of their fourth day of travel, and tensions were running high, especially between Luke and Nick. They butted heads. A lot. About the smallest things, too. Luke had definitely stepped into a leadership role, and in addition to all the stress it was causing him, Clementine suspected it gave Nick somewhat of an inferiority complex. There was a noticeable change in the way Luke interacted with Nick. It was almost like Luke was sheltering him, always declining his offers to keep watch and checking up on him so frequently it was almost excessive.

Nick was at the end of his tether, chafing under Luke's overbearing concerns. His temper was short, and that combined with his lingering emotional fragility made for a toxic mix of emotions. Already the atmosphere was becoming unbearable, and Clementine had a bad feeling in her gut.

"No, it's alright, Nick," Luke said gently, as expected. "You just get some rest, okay?"

"I'm fine, Luke. You ain't slept for shit all week!" Nick pointed out.

There was a certain element of truth to his words. Luke's eyes were bloodshot and ringed with dark circles, his expression haggard. Even though he took turns with Alvin and Carlos, Luke was the one who kept watch the most. All the responsibility he'd put on himself recently was starting to wear him down, though Clementine knew he'd never admit it.

Irritation crossed Luke's features. "I said it was alright, Nick-"

"Bullshit!" Nick shot back.

"Nick, that's enough," Carlos stepped in, his voice stern. He spread his hands in a placating gesture. "This isn't worth fighting over. Just let us handle it."

"I already told you guys, I'm fine!" Nick folded his arms, defensive. He narrowed his eyes. "What, cause of what happened with Pete you don't trust me to keep watch anymore?"

"That's not true," Luke winced, and Clementine could tell Nick had hit the nail on the head. "You've just been through a lot, okay, and I thought you should just take some time and recover."

She watched the scene unfold with wide eyes, chewing her lip. Alvin and Rebecca were wisely staying out of it, and Sarah was trying to pretend she wasn't listening, her face hidden behind her book. Clementine didn't know whether she should intervene or not; it didn't really seem like her place, but things were quickly getting out of hand.

"In case you hadn't noticed, Luke, we're in the middle of a goddamn apocalypse!" Nick's voice had a scathing bite to it, raw with barely concealed emotion. "I can't afford to just 'take some time', alright? This group needs as much help as it can get, what with us on the run, Rebecca expectin', and us takin' care of two kids!"

"We managed just fine without you!" Luke retorted.

Hurt flashed across Nick's face before twisting into anger, his expression darkening. "Well, if you don't need me, then maybe I'll just leave!" He spat. Nick turned on his heel and stormed off down the trail, a dangerous habit he'd developed lately when he wanted to be alone.

The clearing was quiet for a moment. Clementine swallowed and glanced over at Luke, who was staring in the direction Nick had gone with regret.

"I... I shouldn't have said that," Luke sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'd better go after him."

"Want me to come with?" Carlos asked.

"No, that's okay," Luke waved him off. "I just need to talk to him."

"Be careful, then," Carlos offered, folding his arms. "You know how it gets at night."

"Yep." Luke disappeared into the trees, his footsteps fading away.

The air was filled with an uncomfortable silence. Carlos shook his head and sat back down heavily, worrying his temples like he was warding off a headache.

"Damn..." Alvin muttered. "I'm worried 'bout that kid."

"Luke, or Nick?" Rebecca asked tiredly.

"Both."

Clementine heaved a sigh. All this infighting was getting old. And just when things between her and the group had started getting better... she hoped that once they were safe from Carver, it would all just go back to normal. Or, as normal as they could be, anyways.

Her gaze shifted over to Sarah, who was staring blankly in the direction the two had gone. A pang of worry shot through her; Sarah didn't handle conflict well.

Walking stick in hand, Clementine stood and moved towards the other girl. She could feel Carlos watching her out of the corner of his eye, but she paid him no mind. Whether he approved of their friendship or not, Sarah needed some comfort.

She stopped in front of Sarah. "Can I join you?"

Sarah jerked her shoulder in a shrug, gesturing vaguely with her arm.

Clementine took that as a yes and sat next to her, carefully lowering herself to the ground. "Thanks. So... how are you? Are you alright?" She asked.

Sarah shrugged again, eyes downcast. "I- I don't know... I just... I hate it when they fight." She drew her legs in close, hugging her knees to her chest.

"Yeah, me too," Clementine agreed. "Everyone's just stressed out. I'm sure they'll be fine."

Sarah nodded, but didn't look up.

"Is something... bothering you..?" Clementine ventured. Things had felt off between them the past couple of days. She was starting to worry she'd done something to upset the older girl.

"No, it's just..." Sarah hesitated, her eyes flitting up to meet Clementine's for a second before darting away. "It's nothing."

"Hey, whatever it is, you can tell me," Clementine reassured her. "We're friends, remember?"

Sarah bit her lip, looking up warily. She studied Clementine for a moment before sighing. "Okay... you- you remember a couple of days ago..." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "When you were... yelling, at everyone..?"

Clementine's throat tightened. "Yeah?"

"It just... it really scared me." Sarah admitted softly.

Clementine swallowed hard, struck by guilt. She'd said some pretty horrible things to the group in her anger, and they'd forgiven her, but she hadn't taken the time to really explain to Sarah that she hadn't meant what she said. Of course she'd feel hurt and confused; Clementine was supposed to be her friend.

"I'm really sorry about that," Clementine said, her voice thick. "I was... emotional, and I said some things I didn't mean. I was working through some stuff, and you guys helped a lot."

"Really?" Sarah asked skeptically.

"Really," Clementine nodded. "It isn't good to bottle things up until you explode. I'm glad you told me how you felt; I don't want you to be afraid of me, and I want to stay here, with you guys."

"That's good," Sarah gave her a tentative smile. "I want you to be here, too. But... you're not going to get like that again, are you?"

"Don't worry, I won't, I-" Clementine paused. She'd been about to say 'I promise', and she didn't want to make promises she couldn't keep, especially to Sarah. Realistically, she had no idea how she'd act in the future. One heart to heart didn't mean all her emotional problems were solved.

"I'll try." She said truthfully.

"Okay," Sarah seemed satisfied with her answer. "I'm glad we're friends."

"Me too," Clementine said warmly. She could feel the last of the wall between them crumbling. "Do you think you could read me a chapter of your book?"

"Sure!" Sarah beamed, rifling through the pages until she found where she'd left off.

They huddled closer, squinting at the book in the fading light, and Clementine could breathe easy again.

Luke cursed under his breath, peering through the darkening forest.

This was just great. He hadn't meant to snap, but he had, and things were hard enough right now without them arguing all the time. Guilt churned in his stomach as he recalled the look on Nick's face. Anger, he could handle, but that raw pain was just too much for him to not try and fix things between them. Hell, they'd been through so much together... he knew Nick well enough to recognize when his fuse was getting short. He should've known not to push him.

Dammit.

"Nick?" Luke spotted his friend's lanky silhouette and broke into a jog. "Hey, wait up man, I need to talk to you," He caught up to him in a few long strides. "Please, Nick, just wait."

Nick huffed, but stopped all the same, turning to face him. "What?"

Luke swallowed hard. "Listen, man, I just... wanted to say I'm sorry for what I said before," He reached out and rested a hand on Nick's shoulder, who was avoiding his eyes. "I didn't mean it."

"S'fine." Nick mumbled, crossing his arms across his chest defensively. Luke recognized the familiar gesture as a sign of his anxiety, swimming just beneath his mask of indifference.

"No, it's not," Luke said quietly. "You're right, I have been treating you differently since Pete died. It's not fair to you, okay, and I'm sorry. I just... I worry about you, alright? I was just tryin' to help you. I... I know you can handle yourself, okay, but it doesn't make it any easier to see you hurting."

Nick looked up. "Ah, hell, Luke... it's okay. I- I know you didn't mean anything by it, I just..."

"You don't have to explain yourself to me," Luke reassured him. "My fault, okay? I'll try harder from now on, try and make it up to you. And... I've got something for you."

Nick raised an eyebrow warily. "We're doin' gifts now?"

"Oh, come on, I have a feeling you'll like this one." Luke slipped a familiar silver wristwatch from his pocket.

Nick's suspicious expression melted into one of shock as Luke held the watch out. "Holy shit, my watch!" Nick exclaimed, taking it from Luke gingerly. "I- I thought I left it at the cabin... it's... all I have left of Pete now." His voice choked, and his eyes grew misty.

"I know," Luke said gently. "I figured you'd like to have it, I was just waitin' for the right moment. Clem's got his whittling knife, if you wanted it."

"Nah, she can keep it," A ghost of a smile flitted across his face. "I'm a shit whittler, anyways. Thank you, Luke. This means... a lot," Nick strapped the watch to his wrist, running a thumb over the clock face. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Luke replied warmly.

Nick studied his face for a moment before pulling him into a hug. Luke returned the embrace, wrapping his arms around the other. His breath caught, and suddenly Luke didn't want to let go. The tears came unbidden, streaking down his face before he could stop them. He choked back a sob, squeezing his eyes shut.

Nick's arms tightened around him, and Luke stopped trying to fight it. He hid his face in the curve of Nick's neck and finally let go of the long withheld cries.

He realized suddenly how much of a goddamn hypocrite he was. He'd been neglecting his feelings these past couple of days, pushing it all to the back of his mind. A part of him knew it wasn't healthy, but he hadn't wanted to deal with the pain, not when they were still in so much danger. He had to be strong for the group, get them all away safely, and then handle his emotions alone.

He should've known better; Pete's death wasn't something he could ignore.

Growing up, the man was like a second father. Beneath that gruff exterior was a warm smile and some damn good wisdom, wrought from experience. He'd always been there for Luke, and when everything went to hell he was there for him time and time again. He saved them, taught Luke how to survive when he wasn't sure he even wanted to. Luke had looked up to him; a good leader, and a better man.

And now he was gone.

"It's okay," Nick said hoarsely. "I miss him too. You- you're allowed to grieve, yeah? It's okay."

Luke nodded, squeezing his eyes shut. "Yeah, I- I know. Thanks, man," He pulled back, brushing the tears away and managing a small smile. "I needed that. Let's get back to the others, before they start to worry."

"Yeah, okay." Nick's eyes were soft.

They walked back to camp in companionable silence. If anyone noticed the pair's red, puffy eyes, no one said anything. Carlos simply nodded at them in acknowledgement. Alvin and Rebecca were politely turned away, containing the concern and curiosity he knew they must have. Clementine and Sarah were snuggled up together, the latter reading from her book in a hushed but excited tone. Clementine was absorbed in the story, not even looking up at their arrival.

Luke caught Carlos' eye and grinned, inclining his head towards the two girls. He knew the doctor had his misgivings about Clementine joining the group, and he feared she'd be a bad influence on his daughter, but it seemed like the opposite was true. Luke himself was glad Sarah had someone closer to her age to confide in; he couldn't imagine what it was like growing up in the world now.

"Hey, girls," Luke greeted them. "Having fun?"

"Yeah," Sarah bobbed her head up and down. "It's a really good book!"

"Sarah's a really good story-teller." Clementine added with a glance at Sarah, who smiled bashfully.

"Well, I am happy to hear it," Luke said sincerely. "Sun's goin' down, we're gonna set up camp here, okay. You eaten' yet?"

"Nuh uh." Sarah perked up at the thought of food and rose to her feet, dusting her jeans off before turning to help Clementine up.

"I hope we have some applesauce left." Clementine said, letting Sarah pull her up. Luke masked his surprise; Clementine normally didn't like being helped.

"I'll go check!" Sarah exclaimed, darting off to check their food supply.

"Easy there," Luke chuckled. "Let me help you."

Clementine caught Luke by the arm as he passed. He stopped short, put off by her sudden and firm grip. "Everything okay now?" She asked quietly, her golden eyes narrowed and burning with intensity. "No more fighting? Because it's not helping Sarah, or anyone else for that matter."

Luke's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and he looked askance at Nick. "Uh, yeah, sorry 'bout that... we're all good now, Clem."

"Good," Clementine released him, letting her arm fall to her side. Her expression softened. "Don't push yourself too hard, Luke." Her voice was low and severe, far too mature for her age.

"I- hey, now, aren't I supposed to be lookin' after you?" Luke's voice was teasing, but his heart tightened painfully all the same. "I'm fine."

Clementine pursed her lips. "Okay then," She held his gaze for a moment longer before breaking into an easy smile, turning over her shoulder to call to Sarah. "Want to sit together?" She asked, her voice light and completely devoid of the threatening and serious tone she'd had earlier.

"Okay, sure!" Sarah replied, and the two girls were off, moving to an unearthed tree to eat their meal.

Luke was taken aback by Clementine's abrupt change in attitude. Around Sarah, she was a carefree, giggling child; a friend. She could act her age, enjoy the small things, and not have to worry about anything. But in the blink of an eye she could become a protector, a mediator... assume the responsibilities that befell her with a maturity beyond her years.

His surprise was quickly dulled by sadness. She shouldn't have to worry about Sarah, about him or the group... life was bad enough without her thinking she had to look after everyone. He needed to- they all needed to step up. Clementine had just suffered a horrible, life-changing injury; she should just be focusing on healing and adjusting.

He wondered, not for the first time, what it must be like growing up in all the madness; how it affected your psych. It was hard enough as an adult, dealing not only with lurkers but fucked up survivors as well. Sickness, cold, starvation... and wrestling with your own will to live. Luke didn't think about the future often, whether or not the world would ever return to normal, but he knew anyone who lived through this hell would never be the same.

He could see the damage and trauma in Clementine. It was in her eyes, the way she held herself; always anticipating danger. There were times he suspected she didn't even realize she was doing it. Her shoulders would hunch over with tension, her jaw would set, and her fingers would curl even tighter around her walking stick. And yet everything could be just fine; she could be talking, even laughing... they could be safe and happy and she'd still be on edge. He didn't think he'd ever seen the kid truly relaxed... well, except when-

Except when she was with Sarah.

Luke blinked and looked over at the two girls, who were chatting as they ate dinner. The change in Clementine was astounding; it was hard to believe she was the same wary survivor he found in the woods that night, piercing golden eyes filled with mistrust and the promise of a fight. Caution and grit like that was wrought from experience, and he'd known right away it wasn't just dumb luck that had kept her alive this long.

Clementine would do whatever it took to survive, and that made her dangerous.

Sarah couldn't be any more different. She hated violence and conflict, and avoided it whenever possible. She was soft-spoken, gentle, and very sensitive to the needs and emotions of those around her. And there was still a spark in her eyes; despite everything, she still held onto hope.

Clementine was jaded, while Sarah was still naive. Clementine's trust was hard-earned, while Sarah trusted wholeheartedly. Clementine had been tested in the hottest fires of hell, seen the very worst this world had to offer, and had come out on top. Sarah had managed to keep her innocence, through the efforts of her father's sheltering; she had never really seen how bad it was out there, but she wasn't totally clueless. She had an idea simply based on the experiences of everyone around her.

Despite these differences, they were close; closer than Luke would've expected. One would think that Clementine's drive for survival would make her disregard someone like Sarah, but somehow she repeatedly made an effort to seek out the other girl; not just a friendship of convenience, but one born from a deep desire for companionship. And Sarah's mild nature should make her recoil from someone like Clementine, but she had taken to the younger girl like a fish to water.

It had never dawned on him how important and special their relationship really was. He knew Sarah was the better for it, anyone could see that, but he hadn't realized just how much their friendship was helping Clementine.

It was obvious, now.

Luke decided, right then and there, that he would do whatever it took to help foster the tentative bond between them. Clementine was still in a very unstable state, and Carlos' disapproval might be enough to make Sarah withdraw. He'd show the doctor just how important their friendship was; he'd understand, it just might take a while for him to see Clementine really was no threat to his daughter.

It would all work out. For the sake of everyone involved, it had to.

"Alright, everyone, go ahead and hunker down for the night," Luke addressed the group. "We leave bright and early tomorrow. We're almost there, okay, and once we get to the mountains, we should be safe." Even Carver couldn't follow them there. Hopefully.

"That's what I like to hear." Rebecca murmured, rolling her shoulders. Alvin smiled reassuringly and put an arm around around her.

"We're almost there? Really?" Clementine sat up straighter, peering over tree tops in an attempt to see the mountain peaks in the distance.

"Yep," Luke nodded. "We should make it to the mountains by tomorrow night if we keep a good pace, so get some sleep. We'll need all our strength."

He hadn't missed how anxious this trip had been making Clementine, but it was hard to tell what exactly was causing it; being pursued by Carver, the constant threat of lurkers, or her fear of being unable to keep up. A little while back her leg had really been hurting her, and when Alvin had offered to carry her, Clementine had nearly panicked. When he'd scooped the kid up anyways, Luke had feared Alvin would end up with a black eye. But she'd given in eventually, after a few halfhearted protests, and the rest had helped her a great deal.

Clementine didn't want any of them thinking she couldn't keep up. He didn't know what she thought they'd do if she couldn't; they wouldn't abandon her, not after everything they'd been through. Even with Carver after them.

He couldn't help but wonder where Clementine had gotten that intense fear of being weak. What kind of group had she traveled with that made her feel this way? The idea that anyone who couldn't keep up was a burden and should be left behind... wherever she'd learned that, it had made a huge impression, and at such a young age... it was obvious she was ready for this journey to be over.

It was things like this that reminded Luke he didn't know everything about her. Which was okay; it would all come in due time.

"Good," Clementine's face was a mix of emotions. She shook her head and blinked, her expression clearing into one of contentment. "That's good."

Yes, Luke told himself as he settled down to keep watch. All in due time.

Sarah couldn't sleep.

She had gotten used to the cabin. Having a roof over her head, a bed to sleep in... things had been better there. Not good, nowhere was really good anymore and she didn't think there ever would be, but better. They were safe- wait, could people really be safe anymore? No, no, of course not, but you could be safer. That what the cabin had been.

Better. Safer.

And now things were... less so. To say the least.

The air was cold, biting at her skin, and the ground was hard and unforgiving. And it was hard to sleep because of the wind rifling through the trees, and every sound could mean danger- or it could mean nothing. She couldn't see well in the dark. That made it all even worse- she wasn't really afraid of the dark, no, not since she was little, but Dad had told her a thousand times that it was dangerous to go out at night, and out in the open like this they were so vulnerable...

A branch dropped from a nearby tree, and Sarah's heart jumped.

Beside her, Clementine stirred, her brows drawn together. After a moment, her face smoothed out again, body relaxing. Sarah watched her for a moment, the gentle rise and fall of her stomach as her breathing evened out. Her heart swelled with warmth, the feeling spreading to the very tips of her fingers. She liked Clementine; liked talking with her and being near her, liked when they read together... it was nice to have a friend.

Clementine shifted again, curling into herself as a shudder ran through her body. She was cold- of course. Sarah wrung her hands together; she was only an arm's length away... sometimes when she had nightmares she would climb into her dad's bed for comfort, listening to the soothing sound of his heartbeat. Maybe Clementine wouldn't mind if she moved a little closer. Would she? It was cold, and snuggling closer together would keep them warm...

She bit her lip, made up her mind, and inched closer to Clementine, as slowly as she could so as not to wake the other girl. Clementine rolled onto her side, subconsciously turning her face towards Sarah so that her head was resting on her shoulder. Sarah lightly draped her arm over Clementine, who snuggled closer instantly. Already her body heat was rising at the simple contact, and Sarah held back a contented sigh.

In moments like these, when everything was peaceful and quiet and Clementine looked so calm it was hard to remember what everything was really like. Only a few days ago she'd been so angry and scared and shouting- but Sarah couldn't hold that against her, that wouldn't be fair, no. It wasn't her fault; Sarah didn't think she could have survived what Clementine had. Her admiration and sympathy for the younger girl had only grown, so while she didn't like shouting, she supposed it really didn't matter that much.

Besides, she knew Clementine would never hurt her, and that was enough.

Sarah craned her neck up, careful not to disturb Clementine, and squinted through the darkness at her father. He'd switched out with Luke a half-hour ago; the latter was already snoring soundly, leaning against Nick. Dad was practically motionless, aside from occasionally swiveling his head to scan their surroundings. Illuminated only by the moonlight, his face looked older than she'd ever seen, each wrinkle and crease in his rough face deepened by shadows. He didn't know she was awake; he wasn't bothering to hide how tired he was, his shoulders sagging forward and his forearms resting on his knees.

It made her heart tighten because she loved her father more than anything, but she knew he wasn't happy about her being friends with Clementine.

He hadn't said so outright, but he didn't have to. It was as plain as anything; in the crease of his brows and the huff in his voice, the way he regarded Clementine. He didn't like that she was so closed off, but Sarah couldn't hold that against her like he did. But she also couldn't blame Dad for worrying; if he didn't feel like he could trust Clementine there was no way he'd want Sarah being friends with her.

He worried a lot, and it made Sarah feel bad, but she didn't know what she could do about it- aside from breaking away from Clementine. But the thought of doing that made her feel even worse.

Clementine was her friend; she didn't have to be perfect.

Sarah bit her lip and settled again, leaning gently against Clementine, who turned her head to nestle into the curve of Sarah's neck. The younger girl was breathing deep, heavy breaths that spoke of a dreamless sleep, a tranquil expression on her face. Sarah let her eyes finally drift shut.

Hopefully her father would understand.

A/N: Enjoy this chapter? Leave a review and let me know! I also welcome constructive criticism. See you next time! :) - Aqua