Chapter Text
"Clem, come on. We gotta go." Violet called down the hallway.
She leaned against the wall, crossing her arms. By her watch's account, they were close to being late if they didn't leave soon.
"Ok, I'm ready." Clementine said, stepping into the entryway, "but first, what's this?"
The brunette held up a beige hat with a devious grin on her face.
The lettering on the front of the hat read 'women want me, fish fear me'.
"Oh, that... Louis got it for me as a joke a while back." Violet explained with a chuckle.
Clem laughed and put the hat on her head, turning from side to side slowly as if she were modelling it.
"How do I look?"
"Like a huge dork." Violet laughed.
"Awesome, because that's what I was going for." Clem retorted coolly.
Violet paused for a moment, her eyes flicking from the hat to Clem's grinning face.
"You're not actually gonna wear it are you?" Violet asked.
"I might."
"But will you?"
"You know what? Yes I will."
She pulled the brim of the hat down, tightening the fit over her mass of hair that flowed out from under the cap in a halo of brown.
Violet rolled her eyes and stepped closer, draping her arms around Clem's shoulders.
She smiled coyly and pushed the brim of the hat up with one finger.
Clementine placed a hand against her cheek, gently brushing the blonde's face with her thumb. She leaned in, tilting her head slightly to the side and Violet did the same.
She brushed her lips against Violet's, feeling her gentle breaths against her face.
"Ok, I'm ready!" AJ shouted from his room, loud enough to make Violet and Clem jump.
He ran out into the hallway and stopped, cocking his head at the sight of them.
"What are you doing?" He asked, confused.
Clem's face became flushed, Violet looked closer in complexion to a tomato than her usual, pale self.
"Uh... nothing." Clem stammered, not letting go of Violet.
"Wait, you guys are kissing aren't you?" He asked, accusatorially.
"Wha- no, we were just... hugging."
"We totally were kissing, AJ." Violet laughed.
"Ew." AJ screwed up his face and chuckled.
Clementine gave her a quizzical look, she smiled back and planted a quick kiss on her cheek.
"We should probably get going." She said, waving clem and AJ over to the door.
***
"Just stop over there." Clem said.
Violet pulled over on the curb next to the apartment building.
James was sitting on the steps out the front and stood up when he saw Clem's car.
"Hey, guys." He greeted, opening the door and sitting in the back.
"Hi, James!" AJ said enthusiastically.
"Hey, AJ."
James smiled and ruffled AJ's hair. He buckled his seatbelt and Violet took off towards their destination.
"So... how have you two been?" James asked tentatively, in a hushed tone so that AJ wasn't privy to the question.
He leaned forward between the two front seats.
Violet knew exactly what he was asking about. The traumatic events of the last month were burned into her memory, vivid images of Joan stalking her with a knife in her own home, of the smear of blood and brain on the wall when she was shot. It wasn't something that was easy to forget.
Sometimes she'd wake up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat, her heart racing, recalling what had happened. But Clementine was always there to comfort her, which helped.
Although she didn't show it much, Clem was suffering too. There were times, Violet noticed, that she would go quiet and stare off into the distance. Her breathing would quicken, her hands would shake, just barely enough to be noticeable. She would flinch whenever they were watching a movie and a gunshot happened unexpectedly.
Most of the time Violet snapped Clem out of these episodes, she would claim to be fine. Violet knew what she was doing, hiding her trauma so that she could stay strong.
Clem had been lucky avoiding criminal charges. The judge had ruled that the statute of limitations meant she couldn't be tried for her actions as a teenager. There was also not enough evidence to connect her with the robbery, Joan had covered her tracks well in that regard. Despite all of their good fortune, they were both still struggling with the aftermath of it all.
"We're... we're doing a little better than we were." Violet whispered back to James.
"I can't imagine what it would have been like, for either of you."
He put a reassuring hand on Clem's shoulder.
"You know I'm always here if you need me. Same goes for you, Violet."
"Thanks, James. It really means a lot." Clem said, giving him a tired smile.
***
They pulled into the driveway of Louis' house. It was definitely not a modest dwelling, but Louis wasn't much of a modest person so it suited him quite well.
There was a fountain in the centre of the front yard, not turned on but still there nonetheless. A giant set of double doors served as the front entrance, shrouded by a porch and veranda.
Violet rung the doorbell and waited before the door was opened.
She was taken by surprise when Louis shot out over the threshold and wrapped her up in a hug. After the initial shock had worn off, she hugged him back.
"Nice to see you too." She chuckled faintly.
"You know I'm gonna take whatever opportunity I can get to hug you, right?"
Louis let go of her and stepped back, looking at Clem, his eyes widening.
"Wait a second. Is that the hat I got you, Vi?" He said, pointing at Clem's head.
"Yeah. Somebody found it in my closet and decided she'd wear it." Violet chuckled sarcastically.
"Well at least it's getting some use. I can't remember the last time you wore it." Louis smiled.
"There are reasons."
Louis noticed James standing behind them.
"Who's your friend?" He asked.
"Louis, this is James." Clem said.
"Hello." James waved timidly.
"Nice to meet you." Louis said, giving him a smile and extending his hand, which James proceeded to shake.
Louis stepped to one side to let them through the door before closing it behind them.
The inside of the house was old, but well restored. Wood paneling and bricks were on almost every surface, the ceiling was high and brass light fixtures hung from the centre of the wooden beams.
Louis led them through the hallway and to down a set of stairs. The room had a sliding glass door to the back yard, a bar on the right side and a piano on the left.
Mitch, Marlon, Brody, Omar, Ruby, Sophie and Asim were sitting around the room, chatting and drinking.
"Hey, guys." Clem said with a small wave.
Sophie crossed the room and approached Clem and Vi.
"Hi, I'm Sophie." She said warmly.
"Clementine. Nice to meet you." Clem said, looking up at the girl, who was much taller than she was, "and this is James."
AJ wasted no time running around the room and introducing himself to everyone. Clem couldn't help but laugh at his upbeat zeal.
"Come on over, take a seat." Louis said, ushering them towards the couches, armchairs and beanbags.
Clem and Violet took a seat on the couch next to Brody, who smiled at them.
"Clem, there's a pinball machine over here!" AJ yelled from across the room.
"AJ, don't..."
"No, it's cool. Play away bud." Louis said.
Clem smiled and shook her head at him.
"He's gonna think you're cooler than me now. I hope you're happy with yourself, Louis." Clem laughed.
"Well it is true. I'll forever be cool uncle Louis."
Louis stepped around her and went behind the bar.
"Now, what can I get you two?"
"Surprise me." Violet said, leaning back around the couch to see him.
"Me too." Clem added.
Louis went to work mixing drinks, he came back and placed a glass of what looked like milk in Violet's hand.
"A White Russian for you. And for Clementine, rum and coke."
Violet swirled the glass around, the ice inside making a small vortex in the centre of the drink.
"Is this milk?" She asked as she scrutinised the drink.
"Yep. Try it, it's good."
Violet shrugged and brought the glass to her lips, downing a mouthful of the cocktail. It tasted almost like a coffee, only with vodka.
"This is actually pretty good."
"See, sometimes it pays to listen to me." He gloated.
Louis sat at his piano and opened up the cover. He dramatically stretched out his fingers, making a crackling noise with his mouth.
Marlon whooped and applauded when he saw Louis manning the piano. Mitch shrugged and joined in, before long, everybody was hyping Louis up.
He began playing the first few bars of Tiny Dancer. Violet glanced at Clementine, who had a look of surprise on her face.
It had just occurred to her that Clem hadn't heard Louis play before. As much as violet liked to tease him about it, he was an amazing pianist.
Violet noticed James sitting in the chair across from them. He was watching Louis intently with a soft smile on his face. James rested his chin on his hand and leaned forwards.
Violet couldn't help but smile, it was pretty cute.
She tapped Clementine on the shoulder and discretely pointed over at James.
"I think your friend has a little crush on Louis." She whispered.
"I think you're right." Clem giggled.
Some time and quite a few drinks later, everyone was starting to get a little crazy. Sophie was dancing wildly with Brody, Mitch was passed out on his beanbag and Ruby, Asim and James were watching the chaos unfold.
Marlon was lying on top of Louis' piano, drunkenly belting out a duet of Billy Joel's Piano Man.
Violet couldn't stop laughing at the absurdity of it all, her cheeks turned pink.
Clementine looked over at AJ, who was enthralled by the various games at the back of the room, seemingly not taking any notice of the insanity behind him. She smiled and finished off her drink, setting the glass down on the floor beside the couch.
Her smile slowly faltered and she stared at her lap for a moment before standing up.
Out of the corner of her eye, Violet saw Clem get up and open the sliding glass door, stepping outside and closing it behind her.
The blonde left her seat and followed her girlfriend outside.
Clementine was standing in the back yard, staring into the woods behind the house. The sun was beginning to set, bathing the whole area in a brilliant orange light. Violet slowly approached her, Clem's hand was up to her face and obscured from Violet's view.
"Clem, what are you doing out here?" She asked.
Clementine turned her head sharply, she gazed despondently at Violet and blew out a cloud of smoke into the air above her.
"I didn't know you smoked."
"I don't." Clem sighed, "I quit years ago, but..." She trailed off, tapping the cigarette. The ashes were taken by the wind and swept off to god-knows-where.
"You needed a smoke that bad?"
"No I... I don't know how else to cope, Vi. I just don't." Clem croaked.
"What do you mean?" Violet asked, stepping closer to her.
"I put you and AJ in danger, I killed three people. How am I supposed to take that to sleep with me every night?"
"Clem... it wasn't your fault."
"Really? Because it feels like it. I should have gone to the police straight away. I should have told you the truth from the start. Maybe then everything wouldn't have happened the way it did..."
Clementine took another drag from the cigarette. The glow from the end lit up her face.
"Stop it." Violet said firmly, "You can not say shit like that. You're the only reason I'm alive right now."
"Would you have even been in that position if you'd never met me?"
"I'd be miserable if I'd never have met you."
Violet grabbed Clementine's hand, wrapping it up in both of hers and bringing it to her chest. She looked the brunette in the eyes sincerely.
"I know how hard it's been on you. I know you say you're fine, but I've seen you, Clem. You don't have to go through this alone."
Clementine closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and letting out a long sigh. She tossed the cigarette on the pavement and stomped it out. Placing her free hand on Violet's cheek, she opened her eyes.
"Okay." She said hoarsely, adding an "I love you."
Violet touched her forehead against Clem's, smiling. She could see the ghost of a smile on Clem's lips as well.
"I love you too."
Neither of them moved for a while, letting their conversation hang in the silence. The trees behind the house rustled gently in the wind and a cold breeze blew through Violet's shirt. She shivered and Clem wrapped her up in her arms.
"Maybe we should go back inside?" Clem suggested.
"Maybe. It's still nice out here, even if it is freezing."
Violet looked up at the sky, it was starting to get dark now and the first few stars were visible in the sky.
"By the way." She said, looking up at Clementine with a smile, "you're totally pulling off that hat."
Clementine giggled quietly and kissed the top of Violet's head.
***
Clementine stretched her arms out, squinting as a shaft of light fell directly over her eyes from under the curtains. She immediately noticed that Violet wasn't next to her.
Sitting up halfway, her eyes groggily scanning the small bedroom. As if on cue, Violet pushed open the door carrying two steaming mugs of coffee.
"Oh hey, you're up." She smiled.
Violet was wearing a pair of shorts and a white t-shirt that had 'fuck the clock' in large, bold letters printed on the front.
The blonde leaned down and kissed Clem, setting the mugs down on the nightstand.
"You made coffee?" Clem asked, picking up a mug and shuffling over to make room for Violet.
"Yep. I woke up first, so I figured It'd be nice."
"You figured right." Clem smiled.
She put her arm around Violet and sipped her coffee. It was black, the way she liked it. The fact that Violet remembered made her smile even wider.
"So I was thinking..." the blonde started, "the drive-in is showing Big Trouble in Little China tonight, we could take AJ."
Clem took another sip of the coffee, the drink warming her chest as she did.
"Alright, sounds fun. I'm always down for some Kurt Russell action." Clem chuckled.
"Oh my god, you're such a nerd."
"I am not! I'm the coolest one in this house." Clem exclaimed, feigning being offended.
"It's okay, you're my nerd." Violet grinned, kissing Clem on the neck.
Clem put her coffee down on the nightstand and gently turned Violet's face towards her. Clem closed her eyes and kissed Violet, one hand moving her blonde hair behind her ear and out of her face.
"We should start every morning like this." Violet whispered, breathing a laugh.
They were still inches apart, neither of them opening their eyes yet.
The sound of small footsteps outside and the TV turning on broke their concentration. Evidently, AJ was up now.
"Let's finish our coffees, I'm sure AJ's gonna want breakfast soon." Clem sighed, still in a good mood.
Violet left hers where it was, curling up and draping her arm across Clementine's chest.
"How are you feeling?" She asked, looking up at Clem tentatively.
"How am I feeling?"
"Yeah, about everything. Are you okay?"
Clementine paused and let out a sigh before answering.
"I'm not really okay." She said sadly, staring into her coffee.
"Fuck, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to spoil it." Violet sat up, facing Clementine. She felt like an idiot, of course Clem wasn't alright.
"But I am happy." Clem added, gently placing her hand on Violet's cheek, "Being with you and AJ, it helps a lot. But I think it'll be a while before I'm... okay again."
She smiled softly and Violet placed her hand on top of Clem's. The brunette leaned forward and gave Violet a light kiss on the lips.
She stood up from the bed and lead Violet by the hand out into the hallway.
"Come on." Clementine said, "Breakfast isn't gonna make itself."
Violet smiled and allowed herself to be pulled along. She removed ingredients from the fridge and placed them on the counter in the order Clementine asked for them, all the while grinning at her girlfriend.
She had a feeling today would be a good day.
THE END