Y/N and Clementine followed Edith into the settlement, Y/N turning and watching as the large gates closed behind them. They had finally made it. A settlement. Walls. But Kenny was now gone again, forever, and what of these warnings and dangers that Edith was referring to?

As Y/N and Clementine came round a corner from a boulevard of mostly heavily armed men and women the settlement opened to what looked like a city/town. Some buildings were pre existing, some were somewhat ramshackled, others seemed to be modified from shipping containers.

Clementine looked around happily-  she hadn't seen this many people for years, not since the rise of the Walkers. There must have been hundreds of people in the settlement, possibly even a thousand. They entered a large two story building that had a number of guards at the door.

"This is our medical centre, we need you to both be checked, well all three of you. We have a male and a female doctor for you both, and while you're in there I'll get you both some new clothes" Edith smiled.

—~—

Y/N was sat in shorts, having showered and his clothes having been taken by a nice lady named Claire to be washed. A man in a white coat walked in, smiling to Y/N as he did.

"Hi, Y/N Dixon right? My name is Simon Tam and I'm one of the doctors here at Wellington" the man smiled as he shook Y/N's hand. It quickly faded as he looked at Y/N's battle scared body- the scar along his cheek, the round bullet hole on his shoulder, the thick scar on his left hand and of course the bright pink MINE that sat visibly across his abdomen.

"Well there's clearly no bite, but that... it looks very recent, Y/N. Can I ask, uh...?" Simon stammered. Y/N replied calmly:

"I was tortured by a psychopath, Doc. We were held prisoner by him and his people."

Simon looked at Y/N shocked, before finally sighing as he examined the scar tissue which was beginning to heal.

"I'm sorry. The world has truly gone to shit" Simon said as he listened to Y/N's heartbeat and started to take his blood pressure.

"No need to be. I got my payback" Y/N said calmly as he yawned.

—~—

The medical had taken about half an hour, clothes arriving for Y/N which he changed into- jeans, a shirt and a jumper that was tight fitting. Y/N didn't like feeling constricted so instantly rolled the sleeves up at the elbow. He walked out to find Clem already sat waiting for him, showered and changed as well in jeans and a purple jumper. She was holding AJ with a big smile on her face, their duffel bag next to her on the floor.

"Hey you" Y/N smiled as he sat, taking AJ from Clementine who beamed and replied "hey" back, blushing as she looked at the jumper tight against Y/N's torso, his arms and muscles looking somewhat bulgy through the tight fabric. Clem felt a bright hue break across her cheeks as Y/N's next words made her break out in an unexpectedly massive smile.

"Were you good for Mommy, AJ?" Y/N asked the contented sleeping baby in his arms.

"Mo-Mommy?" she asked in happy shock.

"Well, we're all Ass Kicker has left, like Kenny said" Y/N replied, sadness breaking across his face before he pushed it deep down. "So yeah, that makes you AJ's Mom, wouldn't you say?" Y/N smiled.

Clementine flushed with happiness before she answered:

"That makes you AJ's Daddy, doesn't it?"

She was happily surprised seeing Y/N smile at his sleeping 'son' and answer with genuine warmth:

"Yeah it does, Clemmy. I'm not Alvin, but I'll do everything in my power to be the Dad he would have been to AJ. I'll give my life to keep him safe. And you..."

Y/N trailed off, as he looked up at Clementine, straight into her eyes. She was looking back into his, their eyes locked in silence as Y/N felt his heart beat faster before their attention was drawn by Edith coming round the corner.

"Oh hi guys, all done?" Edith said happily, pushing something in front of her.

"We had this packaged in one of our storage warehouses not too far from here, this will be perfect for AJ for quite a while" Edith smiled as Y/N and Clementine rose to their feet, thanking her genuinely as Y/N carefully placed AJ in his new pram.

"There's some more tins of formula we had in the bottom, along with some bottles and nappies" Edith continued to smile, holding her hand to the side and adding:

"Come down the hall with me, I'll give you a bit of an induction to our settlement, how things work."

"And the danger you're in?" Y/N asked, politely but in his usual no nonsense way.

"Yes... how did you-?"

"I pay attention" Y/N said with a wry smile as he carefully pushed AJ's pram down the hallway. He and Clem stopped as they got to a room Edith opened for them. They walked in and Edith shut the door and smiled, sitting across from the couple.

"Ok where to start...? I guess welcome to Wellington again. We are a very large community, with in excess of a thousand people. We're led by a council of five elected officials, the Oligarchs, and have elections each year. We had them a few weeks ago so there's nothing you need to worry about in that regard. Everyone works here, we have some people in food production, in the armoury, scavenging, hunting but mainly at the moment in our armed forces."

Y/N and Clementine glanced at each other, wondering why that was their biggest employment sector as Edith continued.

"So we are allied with three other large communities, all about ten miles from each other in basically a line east to west. The communities are Jackson, Harrogate and Fiddler's Green."

Y/N and Clementine nodded along as they listened.

"Our four communities share a common currency, Bones." Edith finisher pulling a rectangular box from her pocket and sliding it across to the pair. Clementine opened the box and Y/N and Clem looked down at the contents puzzled.

"Dominoes?" Clem asked still confused. Edith chuckled.

"The world's largest domino manufacturer was just fifty miles from here. We and the communities use them as a way to keep the trade of goods consistent- you get paid your weekly salary in Bones and then trade it back for food, goods, services. One circle is one bone, all the way up to twelve. That's yours to get started and tomorrow we can work out jobs for you both. It could be tricky with AJ- everyone needs to work, unless you work in our military, when you get double salary. A lot of our men with children do that so their partners can stay home."

"Your military, is this about the danger and conflict you've mentioned?" Y/N asked with intense sincerity. Edith nodded and sighed.

"Our four communities are at war. Not with another group, with these things... they're something between living and dead, a mutation of whatever infection turns everyone who dies. We call them the Reavers. They're..."

Edith involuntarily shivered as Y/N and Clementine exchanged worried glances. They thought they were safe, but not even close.

"They're an evil, a sickness, like nothing else. They have no speech, communicate through grunts from what we know but seem to be able to coordinate attacks. They mutilate their bodies, seem oblivious to pain. They're... the things.... they only eat human flesh. Living human flesh mostly. And there's more. As I said we and the other communities are at war with them. They live in forests in large groups, spreading like locusts."

"What would happen if they got inside Wellington?" Clementine asked in fear. Edith shivered:

"If they take the settlement, they'll rape us to death, eat our flesh and sew our skins into their clothing. And if we're very, very lucky, they'll do it in that order."

Clem was horrified and terrified as she turned to Y/N and then saw a darkness grow on his face. The same one when he killed Carver. The same one when he thought Jane had killed AJ. He asked coldly:

"Where do I sign up for the army?"

Edith looked at Y/N surprised, answering:

"Y/N, you're a teenager, you-"

"Have killed more men than I can count since this started. Have hunted, fought and kept people alive for years. I join I can protect this community. I can let Clem stay home with AJ. I can help keep AJ and Clem safe. How do I join?"

Edith took in the sincerity in Y/N's tone, noticing Clementine look saddened and asked:

"Are you ok Clementine? You don't seem happy with that?"

Clementine smiled sadly, reaching over and taking Y/N's hand in hers, squeezing as Y/N allowed their fingers to interlock.

"Oh sorry, I didn't realise you two were together together" Edith smiled, before chuckling as the two teens lit up bright.

"No we're not, it's not... we met a couple of days after the walkers started, right at the start. From that very first day Y/N has protected me, and got hurt protecting me. This scar on his hand, he fought through a horde of walkers with a knife and some glass to save me from a kidnapping psycho, he's got a bullet wound on his shoulder he got protecting me. The scar on his cheek..."

Clementine wiped her eyes with her hand that wasn't attached to Y/N.

"... he's just been hurt so many times protecting me, and again his first thought is to put himself in harms way for me and AJ. It's just hard you know."

Edith smiled and nodded.

"Well you guys have some bones to help you get started, and we can go to your new place. You're actually taking my place" Edith said with a giggle.

"Oh we can't-" Y/N started but was quickly cut off,

"My boyfriend is a Captain in our army, and we had been talking about moving in together so it worked out well. He's at your new place now so I can introduce you, and he can have you try out tomorrow Y/N."

—~—

The three of them (and a pram) walked for about ten minutes through the centre of Wellington, passing streets, shops, bars and ramshackled homes, moving further towards the inside of Wellington. They took a slight hilly incline up, and Edith stopped at a shipping container that had been modified to a home. There was a wooden framed window and a wooden framed door cut into the front of the container as it ran lengthways front to back. Edith opened the door and smiled:

"Welcome to your new home guys."

She held the door open, Clementine entering first, and then Y/N and AJ's pram.

The container was surprisingly spacious, set into three areas- at the very front was a living/dining wirh a small two seater couch, a book shelf and a round dining table. The second area was a small kitchen that had been built into container from what looked like a flat pack, and a squared off small room, and then finally the small 'hall' between the kitchen and small room opened to a large bed they could see.

"Mal, Preach, you still here?" Edith called out happily.

"Just finishing up now" came a man's voice back.

"Have a seat guys, enjoy your new home" Edith smiled as the pair sat at their dining table, AJ still happily sleeping.

Two men walked down the hall a moment later, arriving in the dining area. The first was a white man, solidly muscular and standing about 6'2."

The second was a silver haired African-American man who stood about 6' and had a white collar on.

"Y/N, Clementine, this is my boyfriend, Captain Mal Reynolds" Edith said introducing the taller muscular man.

"And this is your new next door neighbour and our preacher, Shepherd Book" she smiled at the African-American man.

"Wait your name is Shepherd Book? And you're a preacher" Y/N asked with a raised eyebrow.

"My father was a preacher too, I guess my destiny was decided for me before my birth" Shepherd smiled.

"Sounds familiar" Y/N chuckled to Clementine.

"Are you like your father, Y/N?" Shepherd asked.

"My father was a killer. I'm a killer. I guess I am. Speaking of, Edith said you were the person to talk to Mal, about signing up?"

Mal looked surprised to his girlfriend before looking to Y/N:

"You're a little young to-"

"I hunt, I track, I kill. I fight. I've been tortured, abused and pushed through any pain. I will be an asset to you, I will pass any test you got. But double bones, the change to protect my family and let Clem raise AJ. Can't see any other option, Mal. At least let me try out."

Mal looked at the teen, who seemed physically and emotionally mature beyond his years, for a moment before he nodded.

"Alright, I'll pick you up first thing in the morning. I'll take your bags back to my place, babe" Mal smiled, kissing Edith and shaking Y/N's, Clem's and Shepherd's hands before smiling down at a sleeping AJ.

"So tiny. Book and I put together a cot we had in flatpack for you, in the bedroom. Nice to meet you both, I'll see you in the morning, Y/N."

Mal picked up a suitcase from next to the front door and nodded before leaving.

"Thank you for that Shep" Y/N smiled along with Clementine.

"I have to go too, I have a sermon to give to my flock. I'll call in to see you both tomorrow. God be with you" Shepherd replied with a smile before leaving.

"I'll take you down the street if you like Clem, show you where you can get you and Y/N some food and drinks for dinner tonight?" Edith said happily.

—~—

Clementine had come back about twenty minutes later with two containers of baked potatoes and beef stew, a can of coke for each of them, as well as six 17oz bottles of water. The two enjoyed their dinner, a nice hot meal, and made AJ a bottle up for when he woke.

Clementine quickly washed their containers, which were to be returned for a one bone refund the next morning, before using their toilet, which was the small room across from the kitchen. She came back excited, whisper shouting to Y/N:

"We have a toilet, and a shower, and there's even hot water!"

Y/N couldn't help but smile at Clementine's excitement. As nighttime came they turned on the light switch in their dining room, excited to see it worked, and sat and talked, feeding AJ his bottle. Once AJ was down for the night they retired to bed, their doors and windows locked and their container surprisingly warm despite the outside conditions.

"Edith said Mal put in insulation for her, before he put down the flooring and walls, so it's always nice and cosy in here" Clementine whispered as they used their battery powered lantern to walk down to bed. AJ was comfortably asleep in his cot, as Y/N stripped down to boxer shorts.

"Is this ok Clem?" The chance to sleep comfortably under warm blankets with nothing on top really appeals to me."

"Of course" Clementine replied in shorts and a t-shirt, glad she didn't have the worry about Y/N seeing the happy blush on her face. The two of them settled down into bed, Y/N on the side closest to AJ with his arm around Clementine under the blankets.

"Good night Y/N" Clem smiled happily as she nuzzled back into him.

"Good night Clemmy" Y/N yawned as he squeezed, both soon surrendering to sleep, Y/N feeling safe to sleep properly for the first time in months.