Six Months Later

Six people were walking through Georgia's backwoods. Winter had been rough and the pickings slim, but they had survived as things got easier through spring.

Lee survived his bite, thanks to Y/N's quick thinking and he and Carley were happily together. Christa was now showing, at least six months pregnant, it was hard to keep track anymore.

Clementine found herself feeling happy most days. It had been hard at first, she mourned her parents terribly. Having Lee and Carley helped a lot. They had become a mom and dad to her, Omid and Christa like an aunt and uncle. Sure life was tough, they always had to be on guard, but they'd never gone hungry. Thanks to him. The only thing that worried her apart from wandering walkers and the occasional group they would happen across was him.

He was always there of course. He always protected the group. He always kept them fed- deer, rabbit, skunk, shrew, raccoon, opossum- whatever he could hunt and they could eat was gratefully accepted. When they ran across farms, or small towns, or even campsites he would go on ahead to assess the risk. He would often return with supplies. Sometimes he would be covered in blood. Nobody asked questions.

He had changed though since they left Savannah. Since they had lost Kenny. Grown quieter. Colder. He saw every person as a threat. He would tell Clementine over and over:

"It's the living you gotta watch out for"

She nodded in agreement. After she had been taken. After surviving that madman. She had learnt her lesson. She had always trusted Y/N, but it was much deeper now. The things he had done, had endured, all for her. She knew even if he didn't know how to express it verbally, his actions more than showed how much he cared for her.

Y/N's hand had scarred after he fought through the herd- a thick long line now extended across his left hand, from under his Pinky to his thumb. At night when he wasn't on guard duty Clementine would snuggle up to him for warmth. She would lay with her back to his chest, his arms wrapped round her, and she would run her finger along his scar as she played with his hands.

It made her feel happy and safe and warm all at the same time.

The group were currently outside a rest stop of some kind. It had two outside toilets, males and females, and a small shop around the side.

Y/N had gone ahead, as usual, to check it out. In the early days after Savannah, Lee and Omid would argue and insist on coming with Y/N. They knew better than that now.

As the four adults and Clementine waited Omid and Christa were having yet another argument.

"What do you think?" He asked happily.

"Omid, you cant be serious?" Christa replied with a furrowed brow.

"I am"

"We are not doing that" Christa replied fiercely as Carley and Lee chuckled.

"Why not? Come on Christa, what's wrong with Omid?" Omid asked with a chuckle.

"You can't call your baby Omid" Carley laughed.

"I think Christa having one of you is enough" Lee chuckled as well, his stump around Clementine's back as she sat next to him happily.

"Thank you" Christa replied before they turned to look at Y/N returning, crossbow in his arms.

"How's it look?" Lee asked the stone faced boy.

"And more importantly what do you think of naming the baby Omid?" Omid piped up.

Y/N stared at him momentarily before shifting his attention back to the rest of the group.

"Shop don't look too bad. May find some food and water in there. We could barricade the doors at night if you want to stop for a couple of days. Rest..." he trailed off as he looked at a pregnant Christa attempting to get to her feet.

"Thank you honey" Carley smiled sweetly. Y/N nodded to her, but his stone faced expression didn't change.

"Let's checkout those bathrooms first. I need to pee, and wouldn't mind freshening up" Christa chuckled as they began walking over.

"Me too" Clementine said happily.

"We'll take the men's room, Y/N- you and Clementine take the ladies" Omid chuckled with a wink.

"And Lee and I will check out the pit stop, see how much we can scavenge" Carley smiled happily. The thought of having four walls and a roof appealing to her.

The groups separated as Y/N held a hand up to Clementine. She nodded. She knew the drill. Y/N entered the bathroom with his crossbow up. No immediate walkers.

He walked quietly towards the three cubicles. First door, clear.

Second door, clear. Sort of. He'd seen people shit themselves in this apocalypse but the scene inside the toilet was something else.

He quietly edged forward, pushing the third stall door open....

Clear.

He walked back to the entrance and opened the door to see a smiling Clementine.

"It's clear, but don't go in the second cubicle. It looks like a Merle post bender special in there".

Clementine giggled before Y/N's meaning registered and she made a disgusted face. It was only momentary as she rushed into Y/N with a bone crunching hug.

"Thank you for checking Y/N"

"Yeah yeah" Y/N chuckled as he held the door open for her. Clementine entered and set herself up at the first sink, placing her bag and gun down on it. She tried to run the faucet but nothing came out. She reached into her bag and got her water bottle out, dabbing a little onto a cloth to wipe her face.

Y/N was at the sink next to her, resting his hands on it after having placed his crossbow down. He was looking down, as Clementine asked:

"Are you ok?"

Y/N smiled without looking up as he answered:

"Yeah Clemmy. Just tired".

"Let me clean your face" Clementine smiled, accidentally knocking her water bottle down as it rolled into the third cubicle. She ran after it as Y/N turned to watch her and chuckled:

"Lucky the lid was-"

He cut himself off as he heard a gun cock behind him, quickly snapping:

"Clementine lock the door".

He turned slowly as the cubicle door clicked.

"No you git out here" a woman's voice said.

"Fuck you bitch. Point the gun at me" Y/N growled to the woman who held Clementine's gun towards his face.

"That's my gun" Clementine said angrily from the cubicle.

"It's mine now" the woman chuckled.

Y/N stood silently, waiting. All he needed was a moment.

"You got anything on you?" The woman asked as she rifled through Clementine's backpack, gun still pointed at Y/N.

"Come on let's see" she continued impatiently.

Y/N stared hard, as he replied coldly:

"Put that gun down and walk away. That's your one chance of leaving here alive"

She laughed at Y/N, looking over at his crossbow.

"That piece... give it here!"

Y/N stared harder as he spoke, again coldly.

"Try and take it bitch. See what happens"

"I got a gun you little shit. You stupid? Guns kill people. Now-"

She was interrupted by Y/N answering with a sneer:

"Guns don't kill people. I kill people. This is your last chance"

"He's telling the truth" Clementine yelled from the cubicle, hoping the others would hear her.

The woman looked at the expression on Y/N's face and thought better of it, turning her attention back to Clementine's backpack.

"Junk junk junk. Look at this junk. Shit shit and more shit. Look at this picture. What a mob of suckers. This your family?" She asked Y/N as she showed him a picture Clementine had drawn of Kenny, Duck and Katjaa back at the Motor Inn all that time ago.

"You watch your fucking mouth!" Y/N snapped as he saw the door to the bathroom opening slowly.

Omid entered, quietly, trying to sneak up on the woman. It failed as the door behind him shut quickly, slamming hard. The woman turned, in a panic, her finger on the trigger...

Bang!

Omid looked down, clutching his stomach as he fell backwards. Christa shot through the door, looking at her boyfriend horrified as the woman turned back to Y/N, her eyes opened wide in fear as she dropped the gun, muttering:

"I didn't mean to-"

She was cut off as Y/N, pained and enraged, grabbed the left side of her head and smashed it into the mirror.

He pulled her head back, shards of glass sticking out of a face that already looked out of it and slammed her head down, straight through the porcelain sink, shattering it and the woman's skull. He looked down in rage as Clementine opened the door and ran out, gripping him tight from behind.

Lee and Carley rushed into the bathroom, having heard the gunshot, and were shocked to see their fallen friend as Christa wept.

"You all need to leave. I'll give him mercy" Y/N said coldly as Clementine sobbed into his back.

A/N: Prologue chapter. Updates will be slow but Season Two has begun.