#reposting this one after lest than a minute cause I didn’t set it to a week

[tadfools]

Here's the You version

[goofygomez]

Twice Loved, Once Forgotten Pt. 1 - Clouis Oneshot

Description:  A walker attack goes awry, causing Clem to contemplate her past.

Wordcount: 3865

Hey everyone! I’ve recently returned to Tumblr after a hiatus, and I realize now that I deleted my entire account. I’ve decided to repost all of my fics on here, just in case anyone really wants to read them on this platform or is finding my works for the first time. I will be posting one fic (or chapter, depending on the fic’s nature) per day for about 3 months. Yeah, I have a lot of stuff...

Without further ado, I hope you enjoy this fic I wrote with the help of the amazing @twdteacakes

---

“What do you mean you don’t like the Beatles?”

Louis stared dumbfounded at Clementine, leaning against a tree. His favorite weapon, ‘Chairles’, was propped up against the trunk. Clementine stood a few feet ahead of him, checking the rope of yet another trap.

“I was never a fan of them,” she admitted with a shrug. “They were overrated if you ask me.”

“I cannot believe I’m hearing this,” Louis exclaimed, crossing his arms. “Remind me again why we’re together?”

Clem turned around, grinning at her boyfriend. “Cause you love me to death and back?” she suggested, winking.

Huffing, Louis looked down and shook his head. “You’re lucky you’re beautiful,” he said, stepping to the side and inspecting another sprung trap. One of the nooses had caught a walker overnight, and he had had the pleasure to take it down. Sighing, he redid the knot like Aasim had taught him all those years ago. How did Aasim get out of hunting duty today? he thought ruefully.

“Hey, I think there was another rabbit caught on that trap by the trail,” he informed her, gesturing to the other side of the clearing. They heard birds chirping above them as if mocking them for having tedious work to do.

“Yeah, I see it,” she agreed, nodding. “I’ll go check it out and we can get out of here.”

“Well, we can always stay a little while longer,” he suggested, shooting her a fleeting grin.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” she teased, crossing her arms and bounding off to her task, leaving Louis to wonder. He finished the knot, carefully placing the noose on the ground. It wouldn’t do to set it off accidentally. Satisfied with his job, Louis stood up and grabbed ‘Chairles’, swinging it over his shoulder. He could hear the soft groans of walkers in the distance, and he shook his head.

“Time to go, I guess,” he muttered to himself, walking in Clem’s direction.

Before he could take two steps, however, he heard his girlfriend yelp. Louis broke into a sprint, his chair leg gripped tightly in both hands. When he got to the edge of the clearing, he saw Clementine struggling with a rather robust looking walker. Stepping back, she lost her footing on a fallen branch and fell backward. Louis rushed to her side, aggressively swinging his weapon at the walker’s head and hearing the satisfying crunch of its skull breaking.

He kneeled beside her, grunting with the effort of pulling the corpse away from Clementine. As it rolled off of her, he realized that she’d stayed still. Concerned, he looked down at her face. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was shallow. Louis’s eyes went wide as he slipped one hand behind her head and lifted her up.

“Clem?” he mumbled, his eyes searching her features for any reaction, though none was forthcoming.

As he sat her up, he felt something wet on his left hand. Carefully, he set her down and looked at it. Blood stained his fingers, and his eyes watered. His lower lip quivering, he lifted Clementine off the ground. “Please don’t do this to me, Clementine,” he mumbled, trotting off toward the north; toward the school. “Don’t do this…”

-

She woke up on a bed, her head spinning. Clementine could hear the voices before her eyes completely responded. They were muffled and sounded anxious. Where am I? she thought groggily, willing her eyelids to open. Attempting to lift her body, she groaned in pain, which got the attention of the voices to her left. They went silent, and she mumbled,

“Wh – Where am I?”

Her eyes opened slightly, making her cringe when a light was shone into them. She blinked rapidly for a few seconds and then had the strength to fully open them. She was in a dorm room. A redheaded girl kneeled beside her bed, a concerned expression on her features. Her piercing blue eyes scanned Clementine’s face.

“Hey Clem,” the girl said, smiling slightly. How does she know my name? Clementine thought with a frown.

“Good to have you back,” a blonde girl said from the redhead’s side. She had straight shoulder-length blonde hair and deep gray eyes.

“I’m – I don’t…” Clementine stuttered, looking back and forth between the redhead and the blonde.

A third person walked into her field of view. This time it was a man. He had dreadlocks filling every part of his head, and he wore a coat over a lime green shirt. His cheeks were freckled and his eyes were a deep chocolate brown. She blinked a few times when their eyes met, all thought momentarily leaving her mind.

“Hey, Clem,” he croaked, a big smile replacing his frown. He sounded like he hadn’t spoken in a long time, deciding just now to use his voice to greet the girl.

“How – How do you know my name?” she stammered, frowning. The man chuckled and glanced sideways at the other women. He looked back at her.

“Nice one,” he complimented, sitting on the edge of her bed. She eyed his movements carefully, wary of his confident approach. “I thought I was the joker here.”

“No, really,” she assured him, her brows knitting in confusion. “I don’t know who you are.”

Immediately following her statement, Louis’s face fell. His eyes misted over as the girl he loved stared at him with indifference. He slowly stood up, inching away from her and turning. He buried his face in his hands, closing his eyes. “What happened?” he whispered to Ruby, who was standing beside him.

“It seems she has some sort of amnesia,” she explained softly, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I’ll have to ask her some questions to see the extent of it.”

Louis nodded, leaning against the desk. Violet switched places with Ruby and while the redhead kneeled beside Clem, she sat beside her friend. “Hey, at least she’s okay.”

“Yeah, I guess,” conceded Louis, looking down at his feet. “It’s just unfair. I was gonna…” he trailed off, shoving his hands in his pockets. Violet decided not to push further, instead choosing to gently lean against him, like she did when her friend was upset.

“Hello Clem,” they heard Ruby begin, offering the woman on the bed a warm smile. “Do you know me?” she asked gently.

Clementine studied the redhead’s features carefully, frowning when no thought came to mind. “Um, no. Sorry,” she muttered, looking down at her hands.

“That’s okay, sug. Name’s Ruby, by the way,” Ruby informed her, lifting her hand slowly and placing it against Clementine’s forehead. The woman flinched slightly, but relaxed when Ruby smiled once more.

Ruby stood up, turning to face Louis and Violet. The moonlight seeping through the window cast an eerie shadow on her face. A few candles had been lit on the dresser, and their flicker on Ruby’s face made her seem older than she was.

“Vi, could you bring AJ in now?” she requested. The blonde nodded silently and left the room, Louis watching her exit. His eyes drifted to Clementine, who was fidgeting with her hands, a troubled expression on her face. At the mention of AJ, however, her head perked up.

“AJ’s here?” she exclaimed, sitting up straight.

Louis allowed himself to hope for a moment. If she still remembered AJ, it was still possible she would remember him, right? He stepped forward, smiling at the girl. “He’s been anxious to see you,” he told her.

Clementine beamed at him, thankful for the information. He didn’t dare press on, lest she became annoyed with his presence, and leaned back on the desk. Soon after, they heard the door click open and a blur of movement rush toward Clem. AJ wrapped his arms around her tightly, tiny sobs escaping the ten-year-old.

“You’re okay!” he exclaimed into her shirt. The woman smiled, returning the gesture as best she could.

“Of course I am, kiddo,” she replied, her voice muffled by AJ’s shirt. She pulled away slowly, smiling at the boy in her arms and lifting her eyes. Amber eyes met brown ones, and Louis smiled weakly at her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name,” she said, cocking her head to the side.

Though AJ looked at her in confusion, Louis sighed dejectedly. “I’m Louis,” he informed her, nodding slightly.

“Clementine,” she replied, smiling. “Would you guys mind giving AJ and me a minute?” she asked, groaning when she sat up too fast and got dizzy.

“Of course,” Ruby said, ushering Louis out of the room with her. Once outside, Louis stared at the door dumbfounded. Violet stood beside him, frowning.

“It’s gonna be okay,” he assured him, to which he sighed once more. How could it ever be okay?

“Alright,” Ruby announced, clapping her hands. “Call for a meeting, I need to talk to all y’all.” With that, she bounded off down the hallway, a troubled expression on her face.

Ten minutes later, the entire group convened in the courtyard, Ruby sitting at the head. Aasim, Tenn and Willy all looked at each other in confusion, awaiting Ruby’s verdict. Omar was a few yards away, stirring the rabbit stew for the night gently. Ruby cleared her throat, and everyone looked at her in anticipation.

“Alright. I just came from checking on Clementine,” she began, looking down at the table. “Her head seems to be fine, which is good. But the problem is her brain.”

“What is it?” Aasim blurted, a frown passing through his features.

“She’s got long term memory loss,” she disclosed.

There were gasps all around the table, even from Violet herself. After the commotion was settled, Tenn leaned in and looked at Ruby. “How bad is it?”

“Well, she remembers AJ,” she informed them, to general relief. “But the rest of us are complete strangers to her. Right now, the best we can do is to make the transition easy for her.”

“I read about amnesia a couple years ago,” Aasim put in, smiling at Ruby. “It said that the best treatment was just reinserting the patient into their environment, but we have to let her remember us on her own.”

“What do you mean?” Louis asked, intrigued.

“Well, we can tell her that we’re her friends, and share stories with her. But she has to remember us all by herself,” Aasim explained. “Also, I know you’re gonna hate me for this…” he trailed off.

“Go on,” Louis croaked.

“I think you should hold off on telling her about your relationship,” he proposed. “We haven’t had a case like this before, and the sudden information might freak her out.”

“So I’m just supposed to pretend I’m just a damn acquaintance?” Louis snapped, his brown eyes flaring.

“Aasim’s right, Louis,” Ruby chimed. “How would you feel if someone came up to you and told you that you love them? No previous warning,” she explained.

“How can I be okay with this?” Louis’s voice rose, his usually jovial tone gone. “We’ve been going out for five years now!” he exclaimed and was cut off by Clementine’s voice behind him.

“Oh, sorry,” she said, making all eyes turn to her and the boy beside her. “Didn’t mean to interrupt.”

Louis sat back down, his anger still boiling inside him. “It’s alright, Clem,” Violet said, offering the girl a sad smile.

Clementine eyed Louis curiously, her brows rising slightly when she noticed his heavy breathing. Louis noticed she’d put her hat back on, and AJ wore a concerned expression on his face. She stepped forward, sitting down on the bench beside Louis, AJ sitting next to her. They all eyed her warily, making her blush slightly.

“AJ here tells me we’ve been here for a while,” she began, leaning on the table. The group looked at each other, exchanged looks of sadness and concern.

“Where do we begin?” asked Aasim, clapping his hands.

An hour later, Omar set down the bowls of soup in front of everyone as they spoke. The group had been telling Clementine about her time there, sneakily avoiding her relationship with Louis. The dreaded man hadn’t said a word, crossing his arms and staring blankly at the cracks in the table.

“I still can’t believe I’m 21,” Clementine commented, earning chuckles from the rest.

“Yeah, your birthday is a week from now, actually,” Louis put in; the first words he’d spoken in over an hour.

“How do you know?” she inquired, raising an eyebrow. Before he could answer, Aasim cut him off.

“Louis and I take a tally of the days that have passed since the outbreak,” he explained. “Today is October 19th.

Clementine nodded and looked down at her meal. Steam rose from the brown surface of the broth, small chunks of meat floating on it. Looks delicious, she thought. She took a spoon and slowly brought it up to her mouth. As soon as the taste reached her throat, her eyes widened and something inside her mind clicked.

“Omar, this is amazing!” she exclaimed, looking up at him. She blinked a couple times as if seeing the man for the first time. “I remember you now!” she announced, beaming at him.

He perked up, smiling at the woman with pride. “I’m glad you liked it this time, Clem.”

“This time?”

“Yeah, last week you said it gave you nausea,” he teased, a grin on his face.

In the wake of her sudden realization, the chatter around the table turned jovial. Even Louis reveled in his girlfriend’s progress. They shared a few fleeting glances, words unspoken transmitted through his brown eyes. As the night grew darker, the group scattered to their respective bedrooms. Soon enough, it was only Louis, Clem and AJ left at the table.

The man smiled at her, his hands behind his back. “What a night, huh?” he said, breaking the silence.

“Yeah, you could say that,” she replied, rubbing her left arm. What was it about him that made her nervous? she thought ruefully, looking down at her feet.

“Well, it’s a bit late,” he commented, looking up at the clear night sky. Stars and constellations were already visible in the black void of space, illuminating the sky with a beauty Clem could not explain. “I’ll escort you back to ou – uh, your room,” he caught himself, offering her a slight grin.

Though confused, Clementine accepted his proposition, and together with AJ, they walked into the dorms, turning left as they entered the building. Louis and AJ made small talk as they approached their room, leaving Clem to her thoughts. Even though she remembered AJ and Omar, she felt more alone than ever. And that wasn’t taking into account the weird feeling Louis made her feel when they found each other’s eyes…

When they got to her dorm, Clem walked in, taking in her surroundings. She remembered having collected animal skulls over the years, their bony remains staring at them from the shelves to her left. AJ stood idly at the door, looking back at Louis.

“What is it, AJ?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Isn’t Louis coming in?” the boy inquired, frowning.

“Why would he –,” she began before she was cut off by Louis.

“He’s just kidding,” he chuckled, ruffling AJ’s hair. “Can you give us a minute?”

“Sure?” Clem shrugged, nodding at the boys. “Come straight back, alright kiddo?”

“Yeah, Clem,” the boy rolled his eyes, following Louis out of the room and closing the door behind them.

Louis kneeled in front of him, sighing. He searched for words, thinking about the best way to let him know their new situation. “Listen, buddy.”

“What was that about?” AJ demanded, squinting.

“Well, I’m gonna have to sleep in my old room until Clem fully recovers, alright?”

“But why?”

“Aasim seems to think it will be better for her if I don’t tell her we’re together. Too much sudden information might not be good for her.”

“Can I – Can I sleep in your room tomorrow, then?” the boy asked innocently.

Louis chuckled, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Anytime, little dude.” AJ hugged the man tightly and walked into their room, sparing a glance for Louis. Sighing, Louis turned around and walked back toward his old room. The room he hadn’t used in four years…

As days passed, Clem’s memory slowly returned in bits and pieces. After two days, she could happily remember Ruby, Aasim and Willy. On the third day, Violet greeted her with an assignment. She had been playing cards with AJ, and the blonde approached them with a smile.

“How are you guys doing?” she said, sitting across from AJ.

Clem eyed her warily but smiled nonetheless. She was one of the few she could still not place, but the other woman’s attitude suggested they went way back, so she wanted to make an effort to trust her.

“We’re doing fine, Vi,” AJ answered for them, grinning at the woman.

“That’s great,” Violet quipped, nodding. “Hey, Clem?”

“Yeah?”

“Would you mind helping me with the fishing today?” she asked, tilting her head. “Ruby’s not feeling great.”

Clem looked down at AJ for a moment, considering. The boy smiled at her, and she smiled back. “Sure, why not,” she agreed, her eyes darting toward Louis, who was practicing his archery on the target by the cellar. She didn’t know why, but she had a gnawing feeling that he was hiding more than he was letting on.

Ever since her accident, he had been a courteous gentleman; walking her to and from her room, giving her little trinkets for her collection and just being an overall presence around her. It was comforting, she decided, to have someone care so much about her. It didn’t stop her from wondering why he was so adamant in going out of his way to being nice to her. Are we best friends or something? she thought curiously, raising an eyebrow.

“Wanna get going?” Violet’s voice broke through her thoughts.

“Yeah, sure,” Clem said absently, shaking her head and standing up with Violet. She followed the blonde through the courtyard, nodding at AJ over her shoulder. As they walked out, she locked eyes with Louis. He offered her a sad smile, casting his eyes downwards.

The walk toward the fishing hut was one Violet had taken a thousand times. She followed the trail they’d formed over the years, Clementine close behind her. Dead leaves crunched under their feet, fallen tree trunks littering the way ahead. Violet’s ears perked up when she heard Clementine humming a song.

It wasn’t just any song, however. With a jolt, Violet realized it was the song Louis had composed for her five years ago. She knew it because every year on Clementine’s birthday, he would play it for her.

“What are you humming back there?” she asked innocently, falling back to walk beside the amber-eyed girl.

Clementine shrugged, “Don’t know,” she admitted. “It’s the sort of song that gets stuck in your head.”

“That so?” Violet muttered.

“Yeah,” Clem confirmed, frowning. “I really wanna remember, because it sounds beautiful in my head.”

Violet chuckled and nodded pensively. “Maybe it will come back with the rest of your memories,” she suggested.

“Hope so.”

The rest of the walk was silent, punctured only by Clementine’s humming. They got to the hut, and Violet grabbed two spears for them. The blonde attempted to start small talk, mostly bringing up previous conversations they’d had. Ruby had said that certain topics may trigger her memory of Violet. So far, nothing.

Too distracted to focus on the task at hand, Violet missed the third fish in a row. The water splashed onto her boots, soaking her feet. Throwing her spear across the stream, Violet huffed and groaned. “God fucking damn it!” she exclaimed.

As Clementine looked at Violet’s hunched figure, her eyes widened and she recoiled. She blinked a few times and found her voice, barely above a whisper. “Violet.”

“What?” the blonde snapped, looking back at the amber-eyed girl.

“I – I remember…” she trailed off, tears welling in her eyes.

“You do?”

Violet was cut off as Clementine launched herself at her, embracing her tightly. They stayed silent, putting all their unspoken feelings into the hug. When they broke apart, even Violet had tears in her eyes. Now that’s a new one, Clem thought with a smile.

“6 down, 2 to go,” she announced happily, pulling Clementine in for another hug.

Later that day, Clem sat at the dinner table with the rest of the school. Louis sat in front of her, very clearly avoiding her gaze. The sun started touching the horizon, painting the sky in a soft orange hue. They could hear birds chirping from the trees outside, the fire sizzling by the tables. Omar brought them that night’s dinner: trout with brown rice.

“Looks delicious,” Clem told him.

“Bon appétit,” he announced, taking a serving himself and sitting beside Willy.

Louis didn’t touch his food much, instead choosing to watch Clem eat and chat with the people she remembered, all too aware that he wasn’t one of them. Clementine noticed his staring, and every time they met each other’s eyes, she would blush. At that point, she was sure Louis was hiding something from her.

They finished their meal, thanking Omar once more, and drifted into casual conversation. Clem was talking to Violet, happy that she could finally remember her best friend. Something was missing, however. She didn’t know what, but there was a hole in her heart that yearned to be filled. She just wished she knew what it had to be filled by…

Her thoughts were broken when AJ poked her shoulder from behind, making her turn. In his hands was a drawing of Clementine fighting off a walker, her knife plunging into its skull. The details were astounding, she thought.

“Wow, that’s great, kiddo,” she complimented. “Did you draw that?”

“Nah,” he said, grinning. “Tenn drew it this afternoon while you were with Vi. He asked me to bring it to you. He wasn’t feeling so well, I believe.”

She took the drawing in her hands, examining the details on it. Her amber eyes burned in passion, staring directly at the walker in her clutch. Her drawing counterpart wore her usual denim jacket over a shirt that said Ericson’s. As she inspected it, she blinked a couple of times and then looked at AJ, her eyes wide.

“What is it?” he asked her, concern filling his features.

“I remember Tenn now!” she exclaimed, cheers erupting from the remaining people at the table. As AJ embraced her, Violet and Louis shared a glance from the other side of the table. She leaned in, frowning.

“Now it’s just you, Lou,” she whispered sadly.

“I know.”

“What are you gonna do?” she asked him, eyeing Clementine from the corner of her eye. The golden-eyed girl was chatting absently with AJ, unaware of Louis’s struggle behind her.

The man lifted his gaze to his girlfriend, closing his eyes dejectedly. Looking back at his best friend, he nodded. “What I do best,” he said, smiling despite himself. “I’m gonna make her fall in love with me all over again.”