I think that this route is very interesting to explore, so I wanted to try writing this fic. I hope you enjoy it, and please let me know what you think or how I can improve.

The past few days, and especially the past few hours, have been a blur to Violet. She was captured by the raiders, and she saw Minerva again.

She wasn't sure what happened after, she couldn't remember the words she said to her. She couldn't even remember what happened when her friends came to rescue her, Aasim and Omar, but there was one thing that rang in her mind.

"Some feelings you had for me."

Her own voice, was clear as tonight's sky.

She didn't know how or why, but she managed to carry Minnie out the boat, following Louis and the boys.

"I'll stop you myself, and don't think I won't."

The look of hurt in Clementine's eyes, was the first thing she thought of when she saw the boat blow up. That explosion was what made her snap out of it.

Clementine and AJ… were still on the boat.

"Holy shit." Minerva shook her head, waking up to see the fire. "What the fuck did they do?!"

"No…" Violet whispered, slowly walking towards the river. "No, no, no!" She shook her head, her voice growing louder as she tried to run to the boat, but Louis caught her, stopping her from going there. "Let me go! Let me fucking go!"

She couldn't hear what he was saying. All she did was struggle and try to go into the fire, to find them.

"Look! I see someone!" Aasim said, and watched as two figures approached them.

Violet stopped fighting, and watched as Tenn and AJ swam towards them. Aasim and Omar ran towards them, helping them out of the water.

"Where's Clem?" Aasim asked, helping AJ out.

"She's…" The boy tried to catch his breath, and turned to look for his guardian. "She's… she's hurt. James was behind us, he's… there he is!" He pointed at James, who was swimming towards them, holding a barely conscious Clementine.

Louis's grip loosened, and Violet escaped, running towards the stranger. She watched as he carried Clementine to safety, and Louis ran to take her from him.

Violet felt her heart sink when she noticed something sharp, piercing her side.

She couldn't speak, so Louis did it for her.

"What happened?" He asked, fearful for his friend's life. He held her closer, noticing how she was shivering.

"She- she protected me when the boat blew up." AJ stared at her, worried.

"AJ?" Clementine whispered. She could barely open her eyes, and her hand moved, looking for his. He immediately took it, holding it as tight as he could, without hurting her. "You're okay…" She said in relief.

"Hang in there Clem, we're taking you home." Louis reassured her, but his voice broke.

"Louis… did everyone make it out?" He nodded, giving her a forced smile. "Vi…? She refused to..."

"I'm here, Clem!" Violet said, forgetting all of her anger for a moment. Clementine tried to look at her, but her eyes remained unfocused.

"I'm sorry." She said, before passing out.

"Fuck. We have to do something." Aasim said, wincing at the injury.

"We need to go back. This explosion will bring too many walkers." Omar stated.

"She might not make it that long." Louis argued.

"Minnie?" Tenn, who has been worried about his friend, finally noticed Minerva, who was trying to walk away. "Is that really you?"

"Tenn, I…" She turned to her brother, but couldn't stare him into the eyes. "I have to go."

"No, you don't." He said, reaching for her hand. "I forgive you. We all want you back. It's over, so let's go home now."

"No, Tenn… I…" She let out a shaky breath. "I killed Sofie."

"What?" He stared at her in disbelief, and shook his head. "That's not true… Minnie, tell me that's not true!" He kept shaking his head, tears starting to blur his vision.

Minerva couldn't do it. She couldn't stay any longer. She turned and started sprinting, away from her brother, away from her friends…

They were too focused on their leader, to notice her.

Violet was too focused on Clementine, to even look her way.

So she kept running, knowing that she no longer had a place she belongs to.

Her friends left, going to the place they call home, the place she no longer had.

Violet and AJ followed closely, keeping an eye on her, scared that the moment they would look away, she would stop breathing.

When they got to the school, Ruby was freaking out over the state her friend was in. Louis carried her to her room, and placed her on the bed as Willy ran to bring a kit.

"Oh my God, Clem…" Ruby shook her head, fighting back tears. She looked at the others. "I need help getting… that out of her."

They all looked at each other, and Violet was about to suggest helping, but James beat her to it.

Louis put a hand on her shoulder, and made her leave the room when Willy came back.

AJ was the only one inside with Ruby and James. They couldn't ask him to leave her side. She was the most important person in his life, if he were to lose her…

They all hoped that wouldn't be the case. None of them wanted to lose her, not after everything they've been through together, not after she protected them.

"Is she going to make it?" Violet asked, crossing her arms, and trying not to think of that possibility. "I… Louis I… what the fuck did I do?" He glared at her.

"Yes, what the fuck did you do? Clementine, worked her ass off so that she could come and rescue you!" He said, and his words made her flinch. "You know who she was worried about the most? YOU! And you attacked her!"

"I know! I fucking know that, okay?!" Violet yelled back. "Do you know how it feels to be left behind so many times? So many times that you don't want to open up to people anymore?!"

"I know! I know that! I know you're hurt!" He shook his head, gritting his teeth. "Clem had to make a split second choice! She would have saved you if she could! Or did you want them to take me?"

"Of course I didn't! What the fuck, Louis?! I… I opened up to her, and I defend her every time because I thought she was worth believing in… And she didn't save me. I…" She hugged herself. "It's a cruel reminder, of everything."

Louis looked at her for a moment, knowing that her trauma was what led her to feeling this hurt, but he still needed her to see clearer.

"If you were in her shoes, if you had to choose between me and her, would you be able to make that decision?" He asked, and she looked at him in surprise, before lowering her head.

That was when they heard an agonizing scream from inside. James was holding Clementine down as Ruby tried to pull the sharp object out of her. AJ desperately watched, not knowing what to do. He couldn't look away, how could he when the person he loved the most was in so much pain?

Violet turned to Louis, who wore a pained expression as well. They wanted to go inside, but what good could they do?

The blonde covered her face as she teared up. He could only hug her and let her cry on his shoulder, as they waited for the cries to die out.

It felt like forever, but Ruby was finally done, and everyone came to check on her.

"Is she going to be okay?" Louis asked, and stared at Clem with worry.

"I… I don't know. All we can do is wait." She said, letting out a deep sigh.

Everyone was silent. They were tired of losing people, of losing friends.

"I…" James broke the silence, feeling out of place. "I should get going."

"You don't have to. We have spare beds, and it's dangerous to go at night." The musician said, and the ex whisperer turned to AJ.

"Yeah, I'd like it if you stayed." The kid said, lacking his usual enthusiasm. "You should stay, at least until Clem wakes up."

"If, she wakes up." They all thought.

He looked at them reculantly, before nodding.

He walked away with the others, leaving only Louis, Violet, and Alvin Junior, in the room.

"Violet, Louis?" He asked, holding his surrogate sister's hand. "Is Clem going to die?" The two glanced at each other, not sure what to say. "I'm scared. I can't live without her with me. She's all I have."

"Of course not." Louis mastered up enough courage to speak. "She's tough as nails! She's the toughest person we all know! She'll make it!" He smiled at him, and what started as a forced smile grew into a genuine one when AJ's eyes lit up.

"I'm going to check the school, make sure no raiders or walkers followed us." He said, before leaving. Patrolling was the best way for him to distract himself.

Violet's eyes moved to Clementine, and she stood right next to her bed, staring at the bandages, and the blood on her clothes.

She didn't think back to when the raiders took her. She thought of when the two were staring at the sky, when Clementine kissed her.

"Clem, you better not die. Don't you fucking die, okay?" She said, knowing that she couldn't hear her. She held her hand, and her voice broke with every word, and she barely sounded like herself anymore. "You're going to wake up and get better. You're stronger than all of us… I love you so don't you dare leave me. Don't even think about it."

She wiped her tears, then her eyes widened, as she realized what she said. She turned to Louis, who was just as shocked.

"Vi? Did you just…"

"Oh no… no, I did not fucking say that!" She pulled away, desperately looking between them. "Please tell me I didn't say that…" She whispered, knowing full well that he couldn't reassure her.

Louis looked down.

Violet was in love with the girl who broke her heart. She was in love with the girl who was now lying in bed, and possibly dying.

Violet was in love, and it was the one thing she feared the most.

For once, he couldn't joke to lift the mood, or to cope.

He could only hold his friend in his arms, as she broke down, grasping into his sleeves and crying.