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ericsonclan · 2 years

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Stockings Full of Cheer

Summary: Clementine and Louis awake to find the house suspiciously quiet on Christmas morning.

Word Count: 2050

Read on AO3:

The bed was warm as Louis and Clementine lay in it. Louis’ arm casually draped over his wife as they snuggled close together against the chill of the winter morning outside. It wasn’t just any winter morn either; it was Christmas day.

Clementine was the first to wake just the slightest bit, awoken by the scratch of her husband’s chin against her shoulder. “Shave…” she murmured sleepily.

Louis, hearing his wife’s voice but not really understanding it within his sleep-addled mind, leaned in closer to press a kiss to her cheek.

Clementine murmured in pleasure at the gesture but also wrinkled her noise. “You need to shave,”

“Do I?” A bit more awake now, Louis drew Clementine closer in his arms and mischievously rubbed his bristle-covered chin along her shoulder blades.

“Louis!” Clementine screamed, laughing despite herself. Turning round, she slipped her hands under her husband’s pajama shirt, tickling him mercilessly.

“Mercy! Uncle! I surrender!” Louis cried, raising his hands above his head in defeat, chuckling at his wife’s incessant barrage of tickles.

Withdrawing her hands, Clementine smiled smugly down upon her victim. Since it was Christmas though, she decided to be gracious this time. She leaned forward, planting a soft kiss on her husband’s lips. “Merry Christmas,”

“Merry Christmas,” Louis sat up to kiss Clementine again. Grabbing the alarm clock from off their bedside table, he looked at the time in shock. “8 AM and the kids haven’t woken us up yet? Were they kidnapped by Santa’s elves last night?”

It certainly was odd. Slipping out of bed, Clementine donned her slippers and robe. “Let’s check. But be quiet about it – no sense waking them if they’ll let us sleep longer,”

Silently the pair made their way down the hallway to the children’s rooms. Maisy and Lee Kenny’s room was empty, a disconcerting fact for both parents. A quick search of Juliet’s room revealed it was empty as well, causing Clementine and Louis to start to panic. Silently they headed toward the stairs to the first floor, neither willing to voice their fears aloud.

It was only when the children were practically underfoot that the couple spotted them and paused, relieved. Maisy, Lee Kenny and Juliet were all asleep together on the floor, curled up in their blankets, heads resting against one another. Louis and Clementine shared a knowing look and Clementine mouthed a single word: “Santa”. The kids must have tried to stay awake late into the night waiting for jolly old Saint Nick and fallen asleep somewhere along the way.

Both turned to leave their children to their dreams when all of a sudden Maisy shot up, eyes bleary at her sudden awakening. The outline of the stitches from her blanket was indented on one cheek. Looking back and forth in confusion between her parents, her eyes widened in horror. “Oh no, did we miss Santa?” Without waiting for an answer she wildly shook her younger brother awake. “Lee Kenny, it was your turn on watch! How could you fall asleep?”

“Wait, wha-?” Lee Kenny awoke with a start, looking utterly lost as to what was going on. It only took him seconds to put the pieces together though. “Ohhhh no, did we miss Santa?”

“You missed Santa! It was your turn on watch! How could you?”

“Juliet was sleepy and wanted a lullaby…” Lee Kenny looked down at the youngest of the siblings asleep by his feet. “I must’ve fallen asleep,”

Maisy was about to continue her scolding when she had a realization. Looking up, she searched her parents’ eyes for confirmation. “Wait… is it Christmas?”

“That’s right, smidget,” Louis winked, grinning.

That was all Maisy needed to hear. Jumping to her feet she tore down the stairs, Lee Kenny right behind her in a mad race to the presents. Juliet was left on her own, waking up with a tiny yawn and a look of befuddlement.

Clementine took her daughter into her arms, pressing a kiss to her cheek before heading down the stairs. “C’mon, babygirl, let’s see what Santa left for you,” She and Louis headed down the stairs side by side at a calm pace despite the chaos below.

Somewhere along the path to the Christmas tree Lee Kenny had gotten the lead. His victory was short-lived though as Maisy reached out and mercilessly pantsed her little brother, causing him to tumble clumsily to the ground as Maisy raced forward the last few yards. “Yes!!! First to the tree!” she declared proudly.

“Maisy Christa Everett!” Clementine handed Juliet over to her husband before heading over to lecture her eldest daughter. “We do not pants our little brother, especially on Christmas morning!”

“Sorry,” Maisy looked down guiltily, glancing over at the pile of presents and then back at her mother with concern. “Santa already delivered the presents though so he can’t take them back now, right?”

“Santa won’t take your presents away, but naughty girls don’t deserve to go first when it comes to opening stockings. Lee Kenny will go first this year,”

“What?! No fair! We always play rock paper scissors for who gets to go first!”

“Maybe next year you can walk up to the Christmas tree calmly and you’ll get to do rock paper scissors again. But for this year it’s Lee Kenny’s turn,” Clementine grabbed one of the stockings and brought it over to her son who looked rather embarrassed about everyone seeing his underwear but brightened up when given his stocking. He joined his parents in walking over to the couch while Maisy stood off to the side, pouting about her bad luck.

Lee Kenny lifted each object out of his stocking reverently as though it was the best treasure he’d ever received. There were candy canes, bubble gum, giraffe stickers, a bouncy ball with a sparkly snowflake in the center and little socks that had dancing reindeer on them. Best of all, a coloring book had been rolled up to fit in the center of the stocking with a set of markers in the middle. Lee Kenny flipped through each page in awe, exclaiming at all the different animals on the pages. “There’s otters! And zebras! And lions! That’s the boy and that’s the girl,” he explained, pointing carefully at each of the lions. “Oooh! Oooh! We saw this one at the zoo! It’s a man… a manafee!”

“Almost! That’s a manatee,” Louis corrected, ruffling his son’s hair fondly. “Look at you remembering all your animals!”

“When’s it my turn?” Maisy whined.

Clementine met her daughter’s defiant stare evenly. “Juliet goes next then it’s your turn,”

“Last? I’m going last?!” Maisy collapsed on the ground and let out a devastated groan.

“You know..” Louis said, leaning over, “Santa could decide that he needs to hold onto your stocking for a little while longer – maybe till Valentine’s Day,”

“No!” Maisy shot back up, looking distraught. “He doesn’t need to! I’ll be good!”

“Alright,” Louis smiled, amused at his daughter’s change of tune. “Then let’s all watch patiently while Juliet opens her stocking,”

Juliet sat in her adoptive father’s lap, looking rather nervous about everything that had just transpired but she eagerly opened her stocking when she was prompted too. This was Juliet’s first Christmas with the family and Clementine and Louis both wanted it to go perfectly.

There were several of the same things in Juliet’s stocking as in Lee Kenny’s: sweets, zebra stickers, a bouncy ball with a sparkly pink heart in the center and tiny socks with green and blue frogs wearing crowns on them. She had a coloring book too but rather than zoo animals hers was full of all sorts of cats and kittens. Her parents helped her thumb through each page of the book until suddenly Juliet stopped on one with a gasp.

“Brio!” she exclaimed, pointing excitedly to a black cat off in the corner of a page. “That one looks like Brio!”

As if on cue, the family cat emerged from beneath the tree with a soft meow and pattered over to the family. A strand of tinsel dangled from her lips as she rubbed against Louis’ leg, purring loudly and enjoying Juliet’s clumsy pats.

Louis chuckled at the sight, joining his daughter in giving Brio some much-wanted attention. “That’s right! If you want, you can color the cat’s eyes green just like Brio’s!”

“I can help,” Lee Kenny offered, looking up from his dedicated work coloring a warthog.

“Thank you, Lee Kenny, that would be very helpful,” Clementine replied. Helping Juliet off the couch, she guided her over to her big brother to join in the coloring fun while Louis went to grab the last of the children’s stockings.

“Alright, Maisy. It’s your turn,”

“Finally!” Maisy leapt excitedly onto the arm of the couch before course correcting and sitting up straight on the nearest couch cushion, hands in her lap and eyes expectant. Louis shook his head good naturedly at his daughter’s newfound politeness and handed over the stocking. Maisy immediately tore through the minor gifts, oohing and ahhing at all the candy and stuffing some in her mouth before she got to the items that really excited her. The bouncy ball she’d been given had a shiny star in its center. Maisy bounced it quickly upon the floor a few times before tucking it under her armpit to focus on other gifts. Her socks had skiing snowmen with sunglasses on them. Maisy immediately put them on and thrust out her feet for her family members to admire. Finally, Maisy’s coloring book was full of pictures of her favorite mythical creature.

“Dragons!” Maisy exclaimed. She rushed through each page of the coloring book, gushing over every cool set of wings, fangs or claws before flipping backwards through the book again. Finally she landed on the page she wanted to start with. “I’m gonna color this one red!” With that she scurried over to join her siblings, complimenting their coloring work before enthusiastically starting on her own.

While the kids enjoyed their coloring books, Louis and Clementine got a chance to open their own stockings. Clementine went first at Louis’ insistence. Her stocking was full to the brim of all sorts of treats. There were some of her favorite chocolates, a new perfume Louis had found for her to try, cute stickers for all four seasons with flowers, leaves, raindrops and snowflakes and a peppermint scented face mask. Clementine’s favorite gift though was a tiny skull tucked safely in a clear plastic container. “Oh, Louis, it’s beautiful!”

“Found it on one of our walks. I looked it up - it’s a squirrel skull. Made sure I sanitized it before I put it in your stocking. It should be display ready,”

“A squirrel skull?!” Maisy exclaimed, pausing her coloring to run over and admire it. Lee Kenny and Juliet were right behind her, each clambering to get a look at the real-life skull Mommy got for Christmas.

Once they had each gotten a look Clementine put the skull up high on a shelf where it couldn’t be reached then headed back over to the couch and kissed Louis’ cheek. “Thank you, it’s perfect. Now here’s your stocking,” She handed it over, smiling fondly at the way Louis’ face lit up with excitement as he began perusing his stocking’s contents.

Inside were tiny bottles of lotion for Louis to try, lavender and peach candles, some bon bons from a local patisserie that had just opened and a hot cocoa scented face mask. The most precious gift of all was in a tiny box which Louis opened with care. Inside lay a music box, the sort where all the machinery was laid out in the open so the musical mechanism could be seen. Carefully Louis turned the crank upon the side. “You Are My Sunshine” began to play, causing tears to prick his eyes. “Oh, Clem…”

“You like it?”

“I love it,” Setting the gifts aside, Louis wrapped his arms round his wife and drew her into a deep, warm kiss.

The pair kept close even as they drew apart, heads resting against each other as they watched their children chatter animatedly about their artwork while Brio chased a candy wrapper across the living room floor. It was shaping up to be a truly wonderful Christmas.

#twdg #twdg clementine #twdg louis #twdg maisy #twdg lee kenny #twdg juliet #twdg brio #twdg christmas #clouis #clouis family #ericson's diner au #merry christmas y'all!

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ericsonclan · 3 years

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Pumpkin Carvings

Summary: Carley and Lee get ready to carve some pumpkins with their family.

Word Count: 1752

Read on AO3:

“Alright, we have the knives, kid-friendly knives, bowls, sharpies,” Lee listed off the items on his fingers.

“Don’t forget the tea lights,” Carley appeared behind her husband, placing down the bag of little white candles before she wrapped her arms around his waist. With a quick kiss to his neck, Carley knew she had made her husband’s heart do a little flip. Lee moved further into her embrace then tilted his head back, stealing a small kiss.

“We’ve got everything we need except for the pumpkins which should be arriving any minute now,” Lee held onto the hug for a moment longer and then moved to double check things again when suddenly the front door opened. In scampered Maisy, her face obscured by a big orange pumpkin.

“Maisy, wait up!” Louis called out to his daughter as he held Juliet in his arms. The five year old seemed rather determined to hold onto her dad.

“I’ve got it, Dad!” Maisy smiled proudly and took another step forward but nearly tipped over from the weight of her pumpkin.

Carley jogged forward just in time, recentering the pumpkin before taking it into her arms “Good job, Maisy, but how about I carry it to the table, okay?” Carley smiled at her granddaughter who returned the gesture, giving an energetic nod.

“Okay!” Maisy immediately dashed forward past Carley and gave Lee a big hug. “Hi, Grandpa!”

“Well hey there, Maisy. I see you helped carry in one of the pumpkins,” Lee looked over at the door to see that Clementine was carrying another pumpkin as well as holding Lee Kenny’s hand as he carried a small pumpkin.

Behind her were AJ and Telulah who were talking excitedly as their joined hands swung back and forth between them. AJ balanced a pumpkin on his shoulder while the only pumpkins Telulah were sporting were the ones on her Halloween shirt underneath her overalls.

“I see you made it here alright, Sweetpea,” Lee smiled over at Clementine who struggled to place down the pumpkin.

“Yep, it took some work but we got everyone here and we’re ready to get to carving some pumpkins!”

Maisy bounced excitedly at those words and shot her hands up in the air. “WOOOO! Pumpkin carving! I even got my own pumpkin this year, Grandma!” Maisy beamed up at Carley.

“You did? That's great!” Carley helped AJ get the pumpkin on the table.

“Alright, just three more pumpkins,” Clementine took a deep breath. “Lee Kenny, why don’t you sit at the table and pick out a design for your pumpkin?”

“Okay!” Lee Kenny was a bit reluctant to let go of his mom’s hand but soon enough did and jogged over to his spot.

“Do you want me to help grab the other pumpkins?” Louis appeared beside his wife who shook her head.

“No, I think me and AJ’ve got it,”

“Yeah! I can totally carry two of them!” AJ smiled proudly as he stood beside his girlfriend.

“He totally can,”

Telulah’s agreement made AJ’s smile grow and he planted a small kiss on her cheek.

“Alright, well then I’m gonna help the kids get their designs ready.” Louis turned toward the table. “I’m sure you’re really excited about your first pumpkin carving, huh Juliet?” Louis smiled softly over to his youngest daughter, still in his arms. Juliet hid her face against her dad’s shoulder but gave a nod regardless. “That’s the spirit!” Louis then turned to Clementine and stole a quick kiss. “Be careful,”

“I will. Don’t worry, I’m not going to drop a pumpkin on my foot like Mitch did,” Clementine strolled towards the door with AJ and the two walked outside.

After a few minutes all the pumpkins were brought in and assigned.

“I’m gonna make mine look really cool!” Maisy exclaimed as her feet kicked under the table. She tried her best to draw but the little ten year old knew that out of all the art forms drawing wasn’t her best skill.

“Let me help you with that,” Lee offered and picked up a sharpie. “Just tell me what you want,”

“I want it to have big sharp teeth and scary eyes. Just like Uncle Jesse!” Maisy smiled enthusiastically. Lee chuckled then got right to work.

Across from them on the floor surrounded by pillows were AJ and T who were trying to make a cool T-rex outline on their pumpkin.

“Shit!” AJ swore then realized his mistake. “I meant shoot,”

“AJ said a swear!” Maisy pointed at AJ, seeming really happy about it.

“You know the rules,” Clementine looked over at AJ who grumbled as he put a dollar on the table.

“It's just a dollar, don’t be a frowny,” Telulah gave her boyfriend’s hand a quick squeeze and soon his mood turned around.

Lee turned to look at his wife as she worked to make a rather cute-looking and classic design on her pumpkin then let his eyes wander around to see what other designs were being made. Clementine was trying to make a pumpkin that looked like Louis who was rather pleased about that.

“I don’t know, can you capture all my beauty in a pumpkin?” Louis gave a playful smile to his wife.

Clementine immediately returned it. “I don’t know, it's hard to capture all of that a-dork-ableness.”

Those words made a light blush appear on Louis’ face and he quickly looked back to the task at hand as Juliet whispered what she wanted her pumpkin to look like.

“Okay, Juliet, do you want to give it a try?” Louis asked as he held out the sharpie. The tiny five year old looked at it cautiously then took it and began to draw on her pumpkin. Shuffling in his chair while holding Juliet in his lap, Louis looked over to his son. “Alright, buddy, what do you want on your pumpkin?”

“I want it to have big eyes and smile too but a small nose, like Aunt Renata!” Lee Kenny held out the marker, hopeful that his dad would help.

“Say no more,” Louis took the sharpie, spinning it around before flicking off the cap. “When we’re done we can even send Aunt Renata a picture. I’m sure Timothy will want to show you his pumpkin too,”

“Yeah!” Lee Kenny beamed, clearly excited to share his creation with Timothy.

Soon all the pumpkins were marked up and the carving began. Clementine put aside her own pumpkin, helping Lee Kenny who couldn’t stop talking about showing all the others his pumpkin once it was done. Clementine smiled and helped her son carefully carve out the eyes on his friendly pumpkin. Louis worked to decipher the squiggles Juliet had done on the pumpkin into what she’d really meant them to be: a heart. He nodded along, telling his youngest daughter that he now could see her design perfectly and a heart pumpkin was an awesome idea. Juliet gently kicked her legs under the table, definitely calmer than when they had entered. She was also gentler with her pumpkin than her older sister Maisy who was determined to do as much of the carving as she could on her own.

“I gotta get the pointy teeth juuuust right!” Maisy stabbed the pumpkin with the kid-friendly knife and soon realized she had jabbed it in too far. With a grunt she tried her best to get the knife out but instead landed roughly on her butt.

“Maisy!” Carley took a break from helping out with another pumpkin and knelt down to help her granddaughter. “Are you okay?” “That pumpkin is a jerk! I hurt my butt!” Maisy huffed as she held her butt, sending a glare at the pumpkin before sticking her tongue out at it.

“How about I help you out a bit?” Carley offered and Maisy gave a small nod. It took a minute or two to get the knife out but soon the pair was back on track.

AJ watched Telulah with a small smile as she carved the pumpkin, her tongue sticking out slightly in concentration. Soon her eyes traveled up and found his. “What?”

“Nothing, you're just cute,”

Telulah’s heart did a little flip at that. Leaning forward, she bopped her nose against AJ’s. “You’re pretty cute too,”

AJ felt his face grow hot at that but immediately got back to work. Telulah laughed softly and quickly got back to work as well.

Time flew by filled with laughter, talking and many, many pumpkin seeds and guts. After some time the pumpkins were done, leaving the table a complete mess. Lee and Carley worked to get all the small candles into the pumpkins then held open the door as the kids carried out their pumpkins.

“I want this spot!” Maisy plopped down her pumpkin that really did bear a striking resemblance to Jesse. Lee Kenny stumbled forward and immediately put his pumpkin near his sister’s. His pumpkin certainly looked happier than Maisy’s.

“Juliet, do you want your pumpkin next to ours?” Lee Kenny looked at his sister who was holding her pumpkin close to herself.

“Yeah,” She gave a soft smile then walked forward, placing her pumpkin in between her siblings’. The other three pumpkins were set down around them then Lee worked to light the candles. All of them stood together looking on proudly at their creations as the lights within them glowed in the dark.

“I have to say we really knocked it out of the park this year,” Louis wrapped his arms around Clementine’s shoulders and kissed her neck before resting his head on her shoulder. “And that pumpkin really does look like me!”

Clementine looked at her pumpkin. It was decorated with some yarn for hair and speckled with sharpie freckles highlighting the carved out smile. “Yeah, it really does.”

“I agree with Louis, everyone did a great job,” Lee smiled at his family then looked at the pumpkins. The happy ones, scary ones and even the dinosaur one all looked great. Each one different, but together they all belonged.

Everyone chattered in agreement before the topic of apple cider came up and soon their minds were distracted with a new fall-time fun. As Carley closed the front door, she felt a smile appear on her lips at the sound of happy laughter that her family was making. With the door snugly shut to guard from the cold, her attention turned to the warm fall drink and the joy that the rest of this family gathering was sure to bring.

#twdg #twdg clementine #twdg louis #twdg lee #twdg carley #twdg aj #twdg telulah #twdg maisy #twdg lee kenny #twdg juliet #cloius #carlee #twdg alulah #clouis family #fanfic #ericson's diner au

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ericsonclan · 3 years

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The Family Potato

Summary: AJ decides to surprise Clementine and Louis by adding to the carving on the piano.

Word Count: 3076

Read on AO3:

Many thanks to @bluebutterfly1 for helping inspire this fic!

AJ wandered down the hallway that led to the music room. His fingertips trailed on the side of the wall as he turned around the corner. Soon he was in front of the music room doors and with a heavy push AJ opened the doors. His mind was pulled back to the first day he was brought here. AJ remembered how scared he was and how much he wanted to know where Clementine was. His mind and heart were out of control until Louis began to play the piano.

AJ walked forward into the music room and towards the piano. He had never heard the sound of a piano before that day. It had startled him at first, firstly because it was so loud and he had always been taught that loud sounds were bad and secondly because even though it was loud the sounds it made were so pretty. AJ could recall how enraptured he was by the piano and in awe that Louis had made those sounds come to life. He remembered the friendly smile that Louis gave and that he’d treated AJ more as an equal than he thought he would.

Now years had passed and what started off as an acquaintanceship had morphed and blossomed into something more. Louis had become more than a friend or even a best friend. He had become like AJ’s dad. No, that wasn’t quite right. Louis was his dad now. That had become true the moment that Louis and Clementine had gotten married. AJ still wasn’t sure why the tradition was so important. He remembered them telling him that it meant that they would stay together forever. That they would all be a family. And although AJ already thought that was true, now that Clementine and Louis were married it made it doubly true.

AJ stopped in front of the piano, his eyes traveling over to the carved heart which held Clementine and Louis’ initials. It was a sign of their love for each other, that's what Clementine had told AJ the first time he had spotted it. AJ had already guessed that though thanks to the heart inside the fishing shack. Although that one was different now, a love that was no more. A love that had ended forever on the night of that bridge.

But as for the piano heart… AJ stared at the carving. Because Louis and Clementine were still together and alive and they were married, that had to make this carving mean even more, right? AJ shook his head. All of this was so confusing. But he didn’t need to focus on that. He had come here with a goal in mind. AJ planned to surprise Clementine and Louis and show that he wanted the three of them to be a forever family.

AJ hopped onto the piano stool and kicked his feet lazily as he took out his knife. Everyone was busy right now. Prisha was trying to get some lesson plans done with Aasim for their educational book club. They’d said they wanted to help everyone strengthen their reading skills, not only so they all could enjoy books but also to gain the knowledge they had in the books that remained at Ericson. Ruby was busy with Clementine in the greenhouse while Violet was on watchduty and Willy was helping out Omar with meal prep. It was the perfect time to work on his surprise.

AJ smiled to himself as he lifted his knife and carefully placed the blade below the set of initials. With a small grunt he began to carve his own initials. His eyes were laser focused; soon he’d finished up the A and moved on to the J. It ended up being a bit crooked and looked sorta funky but still, AJ was proud of his handiwork. Tucked away his knife with a grin, he sprinted off to find Clementine and Louis. He couldn't wait to show them.

“Okay, are your eyes closed?” AJ looked back as he held onto one of Clementine’s hands and one of Louis’.

“They’re closed, goofball. Isn’t that right, Louis?” Clementine moved her head over in the direction of Louis, her eyes firmly shut.

“That's right, my darling,” Louis gave his classic, charismatic smile as his eyes remained closed.

AJ beamed at that and led the two through the doors then kept going until they were standing right in front of the piano. “Okay,” AJ scampered over right by the carving and took a deep breath. “Open your eyes!”

Clementine and Louis listened and opened their eyes at the same time.

“Ta-da!” AJ held out his arms and displayed the carving.

Both Louis and Clementine blinked for a few seconds before they caught sight of the change to the carving. There, underneath the C + L now stood the initials AJ that were slightly crooked.

AJ smiled up at Clementine and Louis but his smile immediately faded when he saw that neither of them were reacting to this in the way he thought they would. Both of them were frozen in place, their emotions hard to read. “Did I do a bad?” His eyes stared at the ground, too worried to look up at the pair.

“Did you do bad? AJ, no, this-” Clementine felt her voice get caught in her throat and watched as Louis silently walked forward. His fingers gently brushed against the carving.

“You did this?” Louis looked over at AJ who gave a nervous nod.

His nervousness spiked when he saw tears in Louis’ eyes. Was he mad AJ had drawn on his piano? But no, these weren’t normal sad tears. Instead Louis looked thoughtful.

“A family,” Louis whispered. “You made this even better, little man,” He smiled warmly at AJ before kneeling down and wrapping him in a hug. Louis softly nuzzled his face against AJ’s and gave a shaky breath. “Thank you.”

“So, you’re not mad?” AJ pulled back and glanced at Louis then over at Clementine.

“Mad? No, AJ, we’re surprised,” Clementine walked over and knelt beside Louis then took his hand in her own. “Surprised and happy.”

AJ’s eyes shone with pride and joy at those words and he did a happy little dance before tackling both Louis and Clementine in a hug. “I did good!”

“You did!” Louis sniffled as tears of pure happiness slipped down his face and he tightened the hug, his eyes looking over at Clementine to see that she was tearing up as well. “Now the potato has become a family potato.”

Clementine rolled her eyes goodnaturedly at that, causing Louis to laugh. AJ, on the other hand, seemed lost.

“A family potato?” AJ’s nose scrunched in confusion.

“I’ll explain later, kiddo,” Clementine replied and AJ gave a short nod before looking back over at the carving. His heart felt a soft warmth to it as he looked at it - at the carving of his forever family.

AJ’s eyes stared at the carving, his mind harkening back to that day, now years ago. The soft lilt of piano music drew away his attention as his little sister Maisy who sat beside him on the piano bench continued to practice a new song. Each time she messed up on a part of the song she’d frown, causing her freckles to get lost as her nose scrunched up. But she never gave up on practicing and kept going, trying her hardest to play as beautifully as her father.

“Play?” Juliet’s voice made AJ look down to his youngest sibling who sat on his lap.

“You wanna play a game outside?” AJ smiled at Juliet who shook her head.

“No, you play,” Juliet took one of AJ’s hands and guided it over to the piano.

“Not now, Juliet,” AJ moved his hand away and saw the sadness in his little sister’s eyes. “It’s Maisy’s turn right now,” he explained and Juliet reluctantly gave a small nod.

“You can have a turn,” Maisy’s joyful playing stopped and she looked over at her older brother.

“Oh, umm...” AJ fidgeted with his black leather jacket. “I’m no good.”

“Dad always says practice makes perfect! I wanna hear you play!” Maisy bounced on the piano bench.

“Play! Play!” Juliet chimed in as held onto one of AJ’s sleeves.

AJ looked between his two sisters then gave a small sigh. “Okay,” His smile grew as he heard Maisy and Juliet cheer at the confirmation. Slowly AJ placed his hands on the piano keys and began to play the beginning notes to a song that he had asked Louis to teach him a while ago. The notes to the song “Shelter” came to life and started to fill the room when suddenly AJ missed a key then added the wrong note to the song. His heart dropped a bit; he was butchering Louis’ work. “Shit!” AJ let his face fall for a second before it hit him what he had just said in front of his siblings. “I mean shoot!”

“You said a bad word! I’m totally telling Mom and Dad!” Maisy had a mischievous smile then turned to play the piano again, in part to flex her skills compared to her older brother. Juliet held one of AJ’s hands and looked up at him then focused on Maisy’s piano playing.

Music had always been something that both Maisy and Juliet enjoyed. It was something that AJ shared in common with them although he could already tell that Maisy would become way better at piano playing than him. She’d become just like their dad in that regard. AJ enjoyed the music as his arms wrapped around Juliet, pulling her closer against his red Ericson shirt. AJ let himself live in the moment and enjoy the time with two of his siblings. Then suddenly his eyes trailed back over to the carving. Slowly he reached out one of his hands and let his fingertips brush against the wood. His eyes studied the carving for a moment before his mind was struck with an idea. This carving had been temporarily complete but now with Maisy, Lee Kenny and Juliet around it was no longer a family potato like Louis had called it all those years ago. AJ wanted to fix that.

“Maisy?” AJ’s voice made Maisy stop her playing and look up at her older brother. “Could you go and find Lee Kenny? There’s something important we gotta do but don’t tell Clem or Louis. This is a scallion secret between siblings.” AJ held out his pinky and Maisy beamed as she wrapped her pinky around her sibling’s.

“A scallion secret!” Maisy hopped off of the piano bench and started to scamper out of the room in search of her younger brother.

AJ watched in amusement for a second then looked down at Juliet. “How about you play us some music while we wait?” AJ’s suggestion was met by a big smile from Juliet and her tiny fingers eagerly sprawled over the piano keys.

“Don’t worry, Auntie Vi! I’ll guide you!” Lee Kenny looked up at Violet with a huge smile as he held both of her hands. His feet rested on top of hers as he faced her, his smile never leaving his face.

Violet gave a soft chuckle and started to walk forward through the courtyard. “Okay, I believe in you,” Her words made Lee Kenny’s eyes shine before they set with determination. Glancing back every few seconds to make sure they didn’t run into anything, he successfully guided the two of them around a picnic bench where Prisha was sitting with Savannah who was focused on braiding Prisha’s hair.

“You’re quite skilled at this,” Prisha smiled back at Savannah who beamed at the praise.

“Thanks! Mama showed me how!” Savannah continued to braid Prisha’s hair while sticking small flowers in it. Prisha hummed happily as her hair was braided, her eyes looking around the courtyard before finding Violet’s. The two shared a loving smile for a moment then quickly returned their attention to their respective niece and nephew. Violet laughed as she struggled to move forward even with the help of Lee Kenny’s encouraging words.

“We’re doing it! Look, Auntie Violet!” Lee Kenny smiled brightly up at Violet who returned the smile.

“Yeah, we make a pretty good team,” Violet started to move forward again then noticed Maisy barreling out of the admin building. The rambunctious kid moved past Zachariah who was doing leaf rubbings with Aasim and nearly ran into Willy who was on his way to check on Allison to see if she needed anything.

“Oops! Sorry!” Maisy called out to Willy who waved dismissively.

“Don’t worry about it!” Willy smiled then went off to the dorms.

Maisy’s attention soon turned back to her little brother and she pulled excitedly on his arm. “AJ needs us! It’s important!”

“But Auntie Vi needs me!” Lee Kenny’s eyes turned sad as he looked over at Violet then at his older sister.

“It's a scallion secret though!” Maisy whined as she yanked on Lee Kenny’s arm.

“You can go for a bit. We can do this later,” Violet smiled down softly at Lee Kenny who gave a small nod. He turned and began to run towards the admin building when he picked up on the fact that Maisy wasn’t beside him. Turning around, he saw that Maisy had convinced Violet to play the same game with her but only up to the point of the admin building.

“That’s not fair!” Lee Kenny pouted.

Maisy stuck out her tongue at her brother as Violet walked them forward, Maisy’s feet on top of hers. “Is too!”

“Is not!” Lee Kenny shot back. The two kept bickering until they reached the steps of the admin building.

“Guys!” Violet’s voice made them quiet down. “We’re here. No more fighting because then I might not play the game with either of you.”

That made the pair of siblings grow quiet and after promising not to argue anymore Maisy grabbed Lee Kenny’s arm and was off like a shot to the music room.

It only took them a minute to get there. Upon entering they heard the disjointed notes of the piano and saw that Juliet was trying her best to play the instrument while AJ gave instruction.

Hearing his siblings’ footsteps, AJ glanced up with a smile. “Good job, Maisy.” AJ’s praise made Maisy smirk as she strode forward, still holding Lee Kenny’s hand. “Okay, so here’s what we’re gonna do..”

“Come on, Dad, hurry up!” Maisy pulled on Louis’ arm desperately.

“Okay, okay, slow down, missy!” Louis chuckled as he stumbled around to try and keep up with his daughter.

Clementine laughed beside him as she held Lee Kenny in her arms who was pulling on her jacket sleeve, trying to get her to walk faster too. “Must be quite the surprise, huh?” She smiled at her son who gave a big nod.

“It's the best! But I can’t share it yet,” Lee Kenny hid his face so he wouldn’t spill the secret surprise.

Clementine ruffled her son’s hair affectionately then placed a kiss on his forehead before she kept walking.

Soon the pair was brought into the music room where AJ was standing, wearing his red Ericson shirt with the number forty four on it, hidden a bit thanks to his black leather jacket that was still a tad too long on him. Juliet was in her brother’s arms, happily clinging onto his jacket. Lee Kenny immediately squirmed out of Clementine’s arms and ran over along with Maisy towards where their other siblings stood.

“On three,” AJ instructed. “One, two... three!” On the final number he and his siblings held out one or both of their hands and did jazz hands towards the carving.

“Ta-da!” Maisy and Lee Kenny yelled at the same time.

Louis and Clementine’s eyes wandered over towards the carving and they felt their hearts melt. There were new initials added to the heart carving. In the right portion of the heart were an M , LK , and J . The sight made tears prick both parents’ eyes.

“We carved them ourselves!” Maisy boasted proudly, her hands on her hips.

“I had my hand on the handle of the knife for each one,” AJ added, reassuring Clementine and Louis who were too overwhelmed by the surprise and pure joy that had come with it to think of weapon safety.

“Now the family potato is complete!” Lee Kenny shot out his hands with a smile while Juliet clapped and giggled.

“Yeah,” Louis swallowed roughly as tears slipped down his face. He never thought a day like this would come. Not only had he met the love of his life and been lucky enough to marry her but now he had kids of his own, kids who he loved with his whole heart. To see the carving that he had started all those years ago, a carving that he had been too nervous to add a heart to himself be filled with the initials of his family... His heart was filled with an indescribable feeling. Joy, happiness, bliss, none of them seemed to encapsulate what he was feeling. Walking over to Clementine, Louis wrapped his arms around her shoulders and swayed back and forth. “It really is complete now,”

“Yeah, our little family potato,” Clementine held onto Louis’ arms for a moment then tilted her head back to kiss his jaw. The romantic gesture made Louis’ heart skip a beat and he leaned forward, capturing his wife’s lips in a tender kiss.

After a moment their attention turned back to their kids who were still excited about the surprise. Maisy bounced impatiently on the balls of her feet while Lee Kenny reached out and held onto the sleeve of AJ’s jacket. AJ smiled and leaned over toward his little brother, whispering that Clementine and Louis were happy.

“Do you love it?” Maisy asked somewhat nervously.

“Of course!” Clementine knelt down and swept Maisy up into a hug. Louis immediately followed her, picking up Lee Kenny and hugging him close before wrapping the rest of his family in the hug. The six of them held onto the hug, feeling the happiness and joy melt their hearts as they let a single truth resonate within them: that this family was forever and that no matter what they would always love each other. The carving on the piano stood as a testament to that.

#twdg #twdg aj #twdg clementine #twdg louis #twdg maisy #twdg lee kenny #twdg juliet #twdg savannah #twdg prisha #twdg violet #ninja family #clouis family #lee kenny violet brotp #clouis #fanfic

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ericsonclan · 3 years

Text

A Mysterious Bundle

Summary: Louis and Marlon return from a quest with a mysterious acquisition.

Word Count: 5833

Read on AO3:

“Maisy Mason, you get your ass down from that rigging right now!” Clementine scowled up at her eldest child, her hand on her hip.

Maisy peered down from amongst the ropes, smiling innocently. “What is it, Mama?”

Did you or did you not fill Zachariah’s hammock with potato peels last night?”

“Uncle Omar said to get rid of them-”

“Not in a hammock he didn’t! Now you get down here right this instant!”

Maisy was loath to do so but soon scurried down, little whimpers and sobs escaping her lips as she approached her mother.

“No crocodile tears, today. You know that won’t work with me like it does with your father. Now hold on to my other pant leg while I decide what to do with you,”

Maisy obliged, ignoring the curious gaze of her two year old brother Lee Kenny as he clung to his mother’s right pant leg for support in standing up.

Clementine’s eyes scanned the ship, looking for some task to assign her daughter as punishment. Over by the cartography room, Aasim was still picking potato peels off his five year old son’s back. Ruby was steering the ship, her daughter Savannah sleeping peacefully in the sling on her back and Willy was up in the crows nest with Allison. Violet and Prisha were heading off somewhere hand in hand. Clementine called out. “Vi, where you two heading?”

Violet turned around. “Nowhere really. Just scraping barnacles off the side of Ol’ Kickass.”

Perfect. “I have a volunteer who’ll join you!”

“Nooooo, Mom, anything but that!” Maisy begged, looking up at her mother with pleading eyes. “Barnacle duty is soooo boring!”

“That’s why it’s your punishment. Now scoot!” Clementine nudged her daughter forward and Maisy trudged off in dejection, walking beneath Violet and Prisha’s joined hands to the edge of the ship.

“Mama?” Lee Kenny wiggled round, tugging at Clementine’s pant leg.

“What is it, baby?”

“Poopoo,”

Clementine sighed and picked her son up. Her peg leg clacked against the wooden planks of the ship as she carried him over toward the head. Potty training was a process, especially at sea. Eventually Lee Kenny would be able to go on his own though and she’d be able to say goodbye to the poopy diapers and soiled pants stage of her life. That day couldn’t come soon enough.

Once Lee Kenny was done on the potty, Clementine decided to take a break from his walking practice and opted to carry her son on her hip, humming a soft tune to him as she looked out at the open sea. She’d expect Louis and Marlon home by now. They’d said something about a potential bounty and left early this morning. Surely if there was anything to find they would have succeeded by now. Clementine was about to give up her search when she heard a sharp whistle overhead.

“The captain and first mate off the port bow!” Willy declared, his spyglass pointed to the south. Clementine looked off in the same direction, squinting. She could only make out a speck, but that must be them. Clementine hurried over to the entrance below decks. “Sophie! Louis and Marlon are almost back!”

A clattering could be heard from the sleeping quarters before Sophie shot out, her son Raylan barreling underfoot and her daughter Marley on her shoulders. Sophie emerged above decks with a joyous laugh. “Finally!” I was going stir crazy on kiddo duty,” Her hair stuck out at odd angles, filled with all sort of ribbons and knickknacks Marley had decided to decorate it with.

“Dad’s back!” Raylan exclaimed, racing over to watch his return.

“Not so close to the edge, Raylan! Remember what happened last time!” Sophie warned. She and Clementine shared a sympathetic, frazzled glance before walking over to join him.

Eventually the boat arrived. As soon as Marlon reached the deck he swept his wife and children up in a hug, pressing kisses to all their faces and chuckling as his children peppered him with questions. Rosie and Sophie’s monkey Eight who’d tagged along on the adventure as well, were right behind him. Rosie slobbered all over Raylan’s face in greeting then got on her hind legs in attempt to reach Marley who reached down towards her with a laugh. Eight scrambled off of Rosie’s back and climbed up Sophie’s leg till he reached Marley and could give the toddler a hug.

Louis was a bit slower in his climb. He seemed to be holding some sort of parcel to his chest carefully as though he feared he would break it. As he emerged on deck, he smiled warmly over at his wife and son. “We’re back! Did you miss us?”

“Daddyyyy!” Lee Kenny wriggled in his mother’s arms, signaling he wanted down. As soon as his feet hit the floor he waddled over as fast as he could to his father, clinging happily to his pant leg.

Louis beamed down at his son. “Look who’s gotten so good at walking! Great job, kiddo!”

“Is that the bounty?” Clementine asked, nodding to the bundle Louis held.

“Not quite. The bounty turned out to be a no go but we found something else that we had to bring back with us,” The look in Louis’ eyes was uncertain but hopeful.

Clementine raised an eyebrow. “And what exactly is that?”

Louis lowered the bundle in his arms enough so Clementine could see what lay inside. There slept a baby with dark brown skin and a full head of hair.

Clementine looked up in shock. “Whose baby is this?”

“Well, considering that she had nobody when we found her, I guess she’s ours,”

“She?”

“Her name is Juliet,” Louis smiled down at the baby in his arms, clearly already smitten.

“Back up. Tell me exactly what happened that led to you bringing a baby back onboard. Start from the beginning,”

Louis and Marlon shared a look. Louis cleared his throat then began. “Well, I guess you could say it all started this morning when we headed out for that bounty mission off the coast of Bluff’s Point…”

---

“So what exactly did the description of the quest say again?” Marlon asked as he rowed out toward Crab Isle.

Louis paused his rowing to fish the pamphlet out of his pocket. “Wanted: hunters to acquire crab meat from the famous Gurlinder crabs of Crab Isle. Will pay top dollar for the real deal,”

“So it’s an exotic meal quest. We’ve done those before. I wonder what makes the crabs so expensive,”

“Rarity probably,” Louis shrugged. “It’s not the most exciting quest we’ve ever taken on, but with so many mouths to feed on Ol’ Kickass we don’t have the luxury to be picky anymore. Besides, whatever crabs we don’t sell we can cook up ourselves,”

“How do we know we’re grabbing a Gurlinder crab and not just a regular crab?”

Louis squinted. “Well, according to the description, Gurlinder crabs have yellow top halves, red bottom halves and blue arms. That sounds pretty distinctive to me,”

Rosie barked in agreement. Louis grinned and reached out to give her some pats before rejoining the rowing effort. Eight was asleep upon Marlon’s shoulder, his tail curled against the pirate’s chest. Clearly the monkey had deemed the voyage too boring and was waiting for their arrival.

“We getting close?” Marlon asked, glancing behind him.

“Yep! The island’s finally in sight,” Louis looked toward the island, its heavy forests the only visible thing at the moment. “I’d say another half hour of rowing and we’ll get there,”

Once they had reached the island and successfully pulled the rowboat ashore, the tiny crew set out in search of the famed crabs. Rosie got to work at once, her nose to the ground as she started the hunt. Eight found some crabs almost immediately but they weren’t the right ones; the monkey chased the tiny hermit crabs to and fro along the shore, eager to grasp their shiny shells. Louis and Marlon kept their eyes peeled but were having no luck.

“Think we have to dig for them?” Marlon stuck the toe of his boot in the sand, overturning a small pile.

“Hmmm, the quest flyer doesn’t have anything on the crabs’ habitat or how to locate them,” Louis squinted as if the secret was hidden somewhere between the lines on the page. “You’d think the people that post these would give a bit more detail,”

“Eh, rich folk never think of those things. They just pay the servants to figure details out,” Marlon glanced Louis’ way. “Except for you, of course,”

“A reformed rich boy,” Louis winked. His eyes widened though as they flitted across the sand. “Woah, did you see that? I think it was one of them!”

“Where?” Marlon spun around, doing a 360 in search of the crab.

“Right over that dune. It disappeared behind it and- there it is again! It’s huge!”

The crab was indeed massive, the size of a dinner platter. The captain and his first mate ran after it, Rosie and Eight in tow.

“That must be why they’re so valuable – the size!” Marlon exclaimed as they ran. “A crab that big could feed a whole family!”

“Imagine cracking into one of its claws! It’d be like eating a whole leg of lamb!” Louis’ breath came in little puffs as he sprinted across the beach to claim their prize. “Shit, I think it spotted us! You take right, I’ll take left. We’ll cut it off before it reaches the woods!”

Marlon nodded and followed suit. The pair split off, each hoping to capture the crab that was making a beeline toward the dense forest. It would be a close call, but they could make it. The two men circled back towards each other, ready to meet in the middle to nab the crab.

Just as they were almost upon it though, a deep rumble issued from the forest. The sand on the beach shifted as the ground shook and both men froze, leaving the crab to run off into the woods unimpeded. Both men shared a look.

“What the hell was that?” Marlon asked.

Before he could speak further, they had their answer. A massive claw shot out from between the branches of the trees, followed by a leg that matched the size of the trunks around it. A second later, beady eyes could be seen atop the massive disk that formed the body. This was it: a true Gurlinder crab.

“What the shit,” Louis breathed, frozen in fear. Then his survival instincts kicked in. “What the shit!” Both pirates turned tail and sprinted back towards the boat. Rosie ran ahead of them, barking like crazy while Eight finally looked up from his pursuit of the hermit crabs and joined the crew in running for their lives. The rowboat was all the way on the other end of the beach. Would they make it?

They would not. The giant crab came barreling onto the beach, blocking their way and snapping its claws in the air menacingly. Louis and Marlon stopped dead in their tracks, sharing a look. Their swords would have little to no effect against the crab’s bony exterior. Even Marlon’s gun might not be enough and they couldn’t risk the sound drawing in more of these behemoths. Their only choices were to run, but would they go forward or back?

“We gotta reach the boat!” Marlon declared before surging forward. His valiant effort was met with immediate retaliation. The crab lowered its massive claw, reaching out towards the blond pirate who barely dove to the ground in time.

“Marlon!” Louis leapt forward to help his friend to his feet.

At this point the crab seemed truly pissed. Lifting its leg, it brought it down as though intending to impale to pirates. Both men rolled out of the way just in time. Moving forward wasn’t an option after all. They’d have to seek shelter. Running along the shoreline, their eyes searched for any sort of hiding place.

“Do we risk the woods?” Louis asked breathlessly, running as fast as he could.

“And risk coming across more of these things?” Marlon shook his head. “We need something else!” He turned his head to look out at the ocean. Nothing at all. All that was left was the beach, but that only held sand. At the end of the shore though, by the reef… “There!” Marlon pointed to a rock formation by the water. “The crevice between those two rocks – it can’t reach us there!”

The crab was gaining on them. They had to hurry. Giving it their all, Marlon and Louis sprinted toward the rocks. Rosie reached them first, Eight clinging to her back. She barked worriedly, waiting for them to catch up. The pair didn’t even slow down as they reached the rocks. Marlon shot through the opening first, followed by Rosie and Eight and Louis right behind. Louis let out a yelp as he ran, tumbling and rolling in the sand right as he cleared the crevice. They all looked back to see the crab’s claw jammed in the crevice, still trying its best to reach them.

“It jabbed my ass,” Louis whimpered, his face still in the sand. Marlon walked over and helped his friend to his feet. They took a moment to look at the crab’s struggle and reassure themselves that it couldn’t break through. They were safe… for now. Turning round, they began to make their way down the new stretch of beach that was open to them.

“So what now?” Marlon sighed, looking out to the sea. “If we’re not back in the next few hours, everybody’s gonna panic,”

“Then we find another way home. We’ll comb the beach for supplies and if that doesn’t work, we’ll face the forest. Lash a raft together from logs or something,”

“And what will we fell trees with? My cutlass? Your rapier?”

“Maybe we can find fallen logs,” Louis offered. His face fell almost immediately though. “We’ll figure something out. Let’s just see what we come across,”

The island was massive. After twenty minutes of walking, the group had only circled the first bend. There were no fallen logs or other building materials in sight upon the beach. They’d soon have to turn to the forest and risk facing more crabs. That was when Louis spotted something. “Hey, you see that or am I just crazy?”

Marlon glanced over and his face immediately brightened. “Holy shit, it’s a boat!” A pale blue rowboat lay nestled upon the edge of the water, moored on a sand dune. They sprinted toward it only for their hearts to almost immediately falter. The boat was wrecked. The back half had been totally decimated, pieces torn and crushed irreparably. This was more than a patch job could fix. Perhaps it was another Gurlinder crab’s doing. Marlon still examined the exterior of the boat, hoping against hope that the boat was somehow salvageable. Meanwhile Louis began searching inside the boat for usable supplies. Rosie hopped inside, sniffing everything thoroughly. There didn’t seem to be much. A crumpled sail that was completely ruined lay in tattered pieces across the base of the boat. Piles of seaweed and sand had worked their way in with the rising tide. This ship looked to be recently abandoned. Or perhaps it had washed upon shore, its passengers, lost to the sea.

Rosie sniffed at one particular part of the sail with interest. Coming over, Louis pulled back the fabric to reveal a lumpy blanket underneath. Perhaps there was food there? Louis leaned forward to examine the blanket more closely and let out a gasp.

“What’s wrong?” Marlon asked, his hand immediately upon his saber.

Louis took the blanket in his arms and stared at it in awe. Gently, he pushed back a corner to reveal what lay inside: a baby. Louis cautiously pressed a hand to its forehead. “Still alive, just sleeping,”

Marlon came over to examine the baby. “How long has it been alone? We need to get it food, water at least!”

“The flask by my hip. Open it,”

“Lou, alcohol is not gonna do this baby any-”

“It’s full of water, OK? I just pretend there’s alcohol in there to look tough!”

Marlon gave Louis a look that told him he would take that secret to his grave then got the flask out and held it to the baby’s lips. Pushing them open just slightly, he let the water spill slowly into the baby’s mouth.

The infant woke immediately, letting out a strained cry. Louis laid the babe over his shoulder, patting its back softly. “Hey, hey. It’s ok. We’re here. You’re gonna be ok,”

Marlon looked round for any other signs of life. Nothing. Whoever the baby’s parents or guardians were, they had likely perished at sea. No one would leave a child unguarded in the open like this. As Louis bounced the baby and tried to calm it, he circled the boat, looking for anything that might tell them where it had come from. There was nothing more except the name of the boat painted in pink, faded lettering. Juliet.

Louis bounced the baby for a few seconds longer before the smell hit him, one that had been buried deep within the folds of the blanket. “Marlon, see if you can find a clean portion of that sail and cut it off. We’re gonna need to do a diaper change,”

A few minutes later with the use of a length of weathered sail and some leaves scavenged at the outskirts of the forest for cleanup, the baby had a new diaper. Louis picked up the baby once more, wrapping the blanket round its tiny arms and legs. “We should name her Juliet,”

“Juliet? After the boat? What about finding her parents or relatives?” Marlon looked at his friend with concern.

“We’re leagues off from the coast, at least a hundred miles from any port or town. Whatever family she had in that boat is gone. Maybe it’s strange to name her after the boat we found her in, but it’s the only part of her past we know,” Louis watched the baby with care, stroking a damp lock away from her forehead,”

“Well, if we want her past to have a future to it, we’ll need to find a way to get off this island. And Juliet’s a no go,”

“Back to our boat then?” Louis met Marlon’s eyes. “Do we have any other choice?”

“No. I guess we don’t,”

“Then we head back,”

The two men walked side by side, Rosie to Marlon’s right and Eight scampering along the shore to Louis’ left playing with leaves and other odds and ends. Juliet still cried intermittently, wriggling within Louis’ arms. Most of the water he offered her got spit up on her dress but at least a few drops got in so Louis kept trying. The forest was silent, eerily so. Perhaps the Gurlinder crab they’d run into had been one of the last of its kind. They could only pray that was the case.

“What’s Clem going to think when you bring a baby home?” Marlon asked, glancing over at Louis.

Louis was silent for a moment, deep in thought. “I don’t know. It feels the same as when we found her and AJ though: stranded, helpless. If Clem was here instead of me, I figure she’d do the same thing. That’s what Ericson Pirates have always done: taken in the outcasts and give them a home,”

“So you’re planning to keep her then?”

Louis looked down at the baby in his arms. Juliet had settled a bit and was gnawing hungrily on his finger. “I can’t make that decision without Clem. But I can’t help feeling like we were meant to find her. Maisy’s been asking for a little sister, y’know,”

“Clem laughed when she said that,”

“True… but can anyone say no to a face like this?” Louis held out Juliet who had started to happily gurgle as she clung to his finger.

Marlon smiled down. “Hell, if Clem feels overwhelmed, Soph and I can take a turn with her. Ruby loves babies too. Everyone will pitch in,”

“Just like we have for all of the kids,” Louis beamed down at Juliet, trying to get her to smile. “You hear that, Juliet? You’re gonna have a whole pirate family!”

As they began to round the corner of the beach, the forest ceased to be silent. They could hear rumblings from deep within as well as noises ahead. Both men drew their swords.

“It sounds like a lot of them,” Marlon noted, his eyes scanning the treeline.

“We couldn’t even handle one,”

“Then we’ll have to hope we can sneak around them,” As they rounded the corner, Marlon and Louis were prepared for the worst.

It was even worse than they imagined. The beach that only 20 minutes ago was completely clear was now crawling with Gurlinder crabs. The massive beasts along the sand, intermingling and waving their claws at each other. There had to be dozens of them.

“What the shit is going on?” Louis whispered. He tucked his coat further around Juliet protectively.

“Mating season? That’s the only reason I can think of,” Marlon watched the crabs cautiously. “If that’s the case, they’ll be way more focused on each other than us. That first one was probably pissed we messed with a baby crab. If we leave them alone, maybe they won’t even notice us,”

“That’s all we can hope for. Keep Rosie and Eight close,”

They headed out in a line, Marlon leading the way with Rosie behind him and Eight on her back. Louis took up the rear, rocking Juliet softly in hopes that she would stay quiet till they reached safety. Skirting the treeline, they walked along the edge of the beach, trying to keep out of the crabs’ way. Marlon’s hunch seemed to be right. The crabs shifted from side to side, waving their claws in rhythmic motions at each other. They must be trying to attract mates.

Their progress was going as smoothly as could be expected. Occasionally they’d have to freeze and wait for a crab to lumber on by or scurry out the way as a new crab exited the forest. Overall though, the Gurlinder crabs seemed utterly unaware of them, focused entirely on their courtship dances. Marlon felt himself breathing a sigh of relief. Rosie was staying nearby to protect the baby and Eight was happily chewing on the gold ducat Marlon had given. Juliet seemed to have fallen asleep as well. They just needed a few more minutes to reach the crevice and they’d be in the clear.

All of a sudden, Marlon felt a pressure from behind. Before he could turn round, he was yanked into the air by his collar. “Woahhh, shit!”

“Marlon!” Louis watched in horror as his best friend was lifted up on the end of a Gurlinder crab’s claw. Drawing his sword, Louis ran forward and began to whack the nearest leg of the creature. “Give him back! Drop him!” Rosie joined in the struggle, biting angrily at the crab leg again and again while Eight screamed in outrage and threw pebbles. The crab hardly seemed to notice them, instead drawing Marlon closer to its beady eyes and gazing at him in curiosity.

Marlon wriggled wildly, brandishing his cutlass in an effort to scare the beast off. “Fuck, I think it wants to eat me!”

“Maybe it’s just mistaken you for another crab!” Louis offered, trying to jab his sword into the joints of the beast to no avail. “After all, you’re yellow on top just like them!”

“You mean my hair?”

“Yeah, exactly!”

“So then it wants to mate with me?!” Marlon looked at the crab with fear, struggling even more to escape.

“Or maybe it thinks you’re a baby cause you’re so tiny!”

“Nu uh, fuck this!” Sheathing his scabbard, Marlon pulled out a dagger. Cutting through the collar of his shirt, he sawed at the material till it snapped and sent him plummeting to the ground where he tucked and rolled with a grunt before rising to find the crab still staring at him. It was not pleased to see him go. Taking steps forward, the crab began to pursue Marlon, almost crushing its attackers underfoot in the process. Letting out a frightened cry, Marlon ran away.

“Keep aiming for the rocks, Marlon!” Louis shouted, sprinting behind the pursuing crab. Juliet had been awakened by all the commotion and started to cry again, causing Rosie to bark in concern. All the noise drew the attention of the other crabs, who began to move toward them, curious as to what was going on. Louis swore under his breath, barely skirting a curious claw that was reaching his way. “Go between their legs, Mar! It can’t follow you there!”

Everything was chaos. Marlon frantically weaved between the enormous deadly legs of others crabs in an attempt to escape his pursuer but nothing seemed to work. The Gurlinder crab was still only seconds behind him. Meanwhile Louis tried to keep up with a baby in tow and make sure Rosie and Eight didn’t get caught up in fighting all the crabs that came their way. At one point when it looked as thought Eight was about to start climbing one of the legs Louis scooped the monkey up his hat and kept running with the furry stowaway tucked beneath his right arm, the baby cradled in his left.

Finally, the crevice was only a few yards away. Marlon dove for it headfirst, narrowly avoiding being nabbed once more by his captor’s claw. Letting out a frantic swear, Louis slid underneath the crab as it blocked the passageway, kicking up sand and seaweed as he scrambled after his friend. Moments later, all five members of the castaway crew emerged safely onto the other side of the beach, a beach that was still as bare as they had first found it.

“Thank fuck!” Louis gasped, taking a moment to catch his breath before removing Juliet from the folds of his coat and working to comfort her. Marlon knelt down, examining Rosie and Eight to make sure they hadn’t received any serious injuries. Once it was clear that everyone was alright, they continued to move forward, heading for their abandoned boat.

“We’re almost home,” Marlon said with a smile as he brushed the sand out of his hair.

“Yep! Almost back and no worse for the wear! Isn’t that right, Juliet?” Louis cooed at the baby in his arms who seemed entranced by the way his dreads swayed as he walked.

“Now all that’s left is to find the boat and… shit,” Marlon froze in his tracks. A second later he was running forward. “Shit shit shit!”

Louis soon saw what the issue was. The first Gurlinder crab they’d run into hadn’t left this beach after all. Instead it had made its way over to their rowboat and was now poking at it with interest. If they lost that boat, they were trapped. Louis sprinted afterwards, humming a shanty under his breath in an effort to keep Juliet calm. “There once was a ship that put to sea, the name of the ship was the Billy of Tea…”

They were still a great distance from the boat. The giant crab snapped at the edges of the boat with interest, drawing it out of the sand and up into its claws.

“Hey asshat, that’s not yours!” Marlon shouted angrily, his ponytail blowing in the wind as he ran. Louis tucked Juliet back into his coat, shielding her ears from the language. As they reached the crab, they all ran to the opposite side of the rowboat and grabbed onto the end of it. They wouldn’t be able to defeat the crab. They’d have to wrestle the boat from her grasp and get out to the sea before she could give chase. Marlon pulled with all his might, Louis using his spare arm to try to aid in the struggle.

The crab was unimpressed by their show of force. It glanced down at them with annoyance before lifting the boat higher. Both men gasped as they were lifted off of their feet. Rosie was barking like mad below them, trying again and again to bite through the crab’s outer armor and save her fellow pirates, but it was no use. Eight meanwhile had got ahold of one of the ropes dangling from the rowboat and climbed inside the boat to scold the crab face to face.

“You fucker! Give us back our boat!” Marlon growled. Drawing out his pistol, he fired a shot straight at the crab. The bullet bounced off like it was nothing.

“The eyes! Aim for the eyes!” Louis cried, his focus entirely on not dropping Juliet while they were shaked to and fro.

Dropping back to the ground, Marlon pulled a new bullet from his pouch and began reloading his gun. He couldn’t afford to miss again. Aiming the newly reloaded flintlock, he closed one eye, hoping his aim would be true.

A second before he fired though, the Gurlinder crab suddenly changed its mind. Opening its claws, it suddenly dropped the rowboat to the ground. Louis fell hard to the ground, his legs crumbling beneath him as he fell on his back in an effort to protect Juliet. Immediately he struggled to his feet though, letting out a pained moan as he and Marlon both leapt into the boat and pushed it down to the water. Rosie was right beside them, leaping into the boat beside Eight who shook his fists threateningly at the retreating crab.

“Are you hurt? Is Juliet okay?” Marlon asked as he got the oars sorted and began paddling out to sea.

“She’s alright, just shaken is all,” Louis rocked her back and forth, trying to quiet her cries. “Do you need me to row? I could try setting Juliet beside me or-”

“I’ll manage! You focus on her!” Marlon put all of his strength into rowing the boat out to the open sea.

Louis glanced behind them. “Why do you think it gave up? It was totally whopping our asses back there,”

“Beats me. Good riddance,”

“It just keeps heading toward the forest. Maybe it went to look for its baby? Wait…” Louis gasped. “There’s another crab!”

Sure enough, another crab had emerged from the forest and joined the first in a courtship dance. It looked as though the pirates’ enemy wasn’t the only crab to get lost on its way to the mating grounds.

“Awww, they’re sort of cute together!” Louis smiled at the joint dance.

“From a distance maybe. We’re never going back there again,” Marlon grumbled, putting extra force into his strokes.

“I mean, at the end of the day I guess the crabs were just trying to live their lives. Look at them, it’s like they’re kissing! Oh, wait, now they’re-” Louis flushed, quickly looking away and shielding Juliet’s eyes. “Yep, definitely not a place to visit again,”

“I can go for a bit longer then I’ll need a break. You willing to give me a turn holding the baby?”

“Of course! Uncle Marlon’s gonna take a turn holding you, ok, Juliet?” Louis smiled down at the baby who looked quite tired from all of the recent excitement. “You just rest. We’ll be home soon,”

---

“…And that’s the story of how we found Juliet!” Louis finished with a grin.

The rest of the Ericson Pirates who had all gathered round to hear the tale all began talking at once. The noise woke Juliet who started crying again, her wail broken and frail. Immediately Clementine stepped forward, gently taking her from Louis and rocking her in her arms. “She needs another diaper change, one with a real diaper this time. Also she must be starving. Ruby, are the supplies still in the crate under your hammock?”

“That’s right,” Ruby responded, stepping forward and taking Lee Kenny’s hand. “Y’all go ahead, we have things covered up here,”

While the others took care of things above deck, Clementine and Louis headed below deck to the sleeping quarters. Clementine sat down in the nearest hammock, directing Louis to grab a fresh diaper and some powdered milk from Ruby’s trunk. Once Louis returned with the needed supplies, the two worked together to change Juliet, laying her in Clementine’s lap while Louis kept her head stable and tried to keep her arms and legs out of the soupy mess that was her makeshift sail diaper.

“There was so family round there at all?” Clementine asked, her eyes focus on her work.

Louis shook his head. “None at all. It looked to have been abandoned for a few days. I’m surprised the boat made it to shore or even stayed there at all. Another day and it may have washed back out to sea,”

“She’s so skinny,” The concern in Clementine’s voice was clear. Working quickly, she hummed a little tune to the baby as she changed her, the same shanty Louis had sung back on the island. Soon the baby was changed and the impromptu messy diaper set aside. Clementine readjusted her grip on Juliet, nestling her in her arms. “The last bottle broke awhile back. Do you have your flask with you?”

“Well, it’s-”

“I know it’s water, Lou. I swiped it a while back to get a drink. Not surprised, just disappointed there wasn’t anything stronger around,”

Louis grinned knowingly up at his wife. “I’ll treat you to whatever your heart desires at the next tavern we visit,”

“I’m holding you to that. Now pour a bit of the powder into the flask and shake it up,”

Louis followed Clementine’s directions, turning the remaining water into a frothy white liquid. Clementine took the flask and raised it to the baby’s lips. This time Juliet drank more eagerly, gulping down the milk substitute noisily.

“We’ll need to stop in the nearest port town and get some more powdered milk and supplies. We weren’t expecting a baby again anytime soon,”

Louis listened for anger or annoyance in his wife’s words but there wasn’t any; she was only stating facts. Looking up at her, he could see the same fondness in her eyes as she looked down at Juliet that he had felt when he first held her.

Clementine caught him looking and a soft smile crossed her lips. “She’s beautiful,”

“She certainly is. The best bounty we’ve ever come across,”

The room was quiet now, the only sounds being the soft creaking of the ship and Juliet as she eagerly suckled the flask. Louis and Clementine watched her in silence, lost in the simple beauty of the moment. They both knew what was yet unspoken. They had found another daughter to call their own.

#twdg #twdg clementine #twdg louis #twdg marlon #twdg sophie #twdg prisha #twdg violet #twdg maisy #twdg lee kenny #twdg juliet #twdg rosie #twdg eight #louis marlon brotp #clouis #twdg marlie #twdg privet

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ericsonclan · 3 years

Text

Rockabye

Summary: Clementine and Louis are out in the woods when they hear a baby cry.

Word Count: 2856

Read on AO3:

“Been a long time since it was just you and me out here,” Clementine noted, smiling over at her husband as they walked through the woods together.

“That it has,” Louis agreed, flashing her his signature smile. “You could almost call this a date: you and I alone together, the ambient noises of the forest providing the perfect backdrop for a romantic moment or two to be stolen before we head back,”

“I would hardly call checking traps a date… but it is nice,” Clementine reached out, her hand taking Louis’. The pair let their intertwined hands swing back and forth lazily as they strolled deeper into the woods. With Maisy and Lee Kenny still so young there was rarely time where they could afford to both go out for the day. But Willy and Allison had promised to keep an eye on the kids and she and Louis had both jumped at the chance. Clementine loved her kids with all her heart but having some breathing space from the chaos was a gift to be enjoyed, one so rarely received she almost didn’t know what to do with it.

“We should take the scenic route. A little tiptoe through the tulips perhaps?” Louis grinned playfully, causing his wife’s nose to wrinkle in amusement.

“Alright. Five minutes. Then we get back to work,”

“But of course,”

Before Clementine could protest, Louis had swept her off her feet and was striding off the beaten path to a nearby patch of wildflowers. “Louis!” she exclaimed before devolving into giggles. “Put me down!”

“And risk you stepping on one of the flowers? No, my darling Clementine, leave it to me to safely navigate us to our final destination,”

“And where might that be?”

“That, my dear, is a secret,”

Clementine rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless. Leave it to Louis to still come up with little adventures even after all this time. Nearly ten years together and she was just as smitten as the day they’d first crossed paths. After a few steps further, Louis placed his wife down upon a fallen log that lay near the wildflowers. Sitting down beside her, he took her hand once more. Clementine rested her head upon Louis’ shoulder, nuzzling it gently. “This is nice,”

“Best five minutes I’ve had in a long time,”

They were silent for a moment, enjoying the stillness and peace of the forest around them. There hadn’t been as many walkers around this past month, likely because most of them had gone with a large herd that had swept through the area a few weeks back. Clementine had never been more thankful to be surrounded by brick walls than when she saw the size of the herd as it slowly passed by. It had been somewhat difficult to stay behind those walls as the woods cleared out, but the time spent in lockdown had shown all of them how truly self-sufficient the school had become. Still, Clementine hoped they wouldn’t have to face anything like that again for a long time to come.

“Hold still for a sec,” Louis’ hand reached out toward her face, pausing at the corner of her eye before drawing back. On his index finger lay a single eyelash. “Go on, make a wish,”

“What?”

“Make a wish then close your eyes and blow the eyelash off my finger. Trust me, it’s a thing,”

Clementine considered her wish carefully. What did she want that she didn’t have? For years growing up on the road all she would have wished for was a home and now she had that. Not just a home, but a family that she could never have even dared to imagine. Truth be told, she didn’t really wany anything more. She just wanted things to stay the same. With that thought in mind, Clementine closed her eyes and blew away the eyelash.

The sound of a baby’s cry carried through the forest. The sound immediately tore through Clementine’s heart. Her eyes shot up to meet Louis’. They were both thinking the same thing: the children. Sprinting toward the source of the sound, both ran with all their might, their minds frantic at the possibilities of what could have happened.

The cries were coming from the opposite direction of the school. It made no sense but there was no time to try to sort through how this had happened. Clementine almost tripped, causing Louis to pause to help her. “No! Go!” Clementine screamed. Louis looked torn for a moment then ran ahead, Clementine following behind as she struggled to match his pace.

Moments later they broke out into a clearing, the sounds louder than ever. Clementine’s eyes scanned her surroundings, searching for Maisy or Lee Kenny. Neither were there. Zachariah and Savannah were nowhere to be found either. She looked to Louis, but he appeared just as lost as she was. They ran through the clearing, still searching in a panic, but there was no child to be seen. Clementine paused for a second, trying to refocus her senses to hone in on the direction the screams were coming from. There, just across from them! Grabbing Louis’ hand, Clementine ran toward the cries.

They froze as they drew near. There at the base of a large tree were at least a dozen walkers all with heads and arms lifted toward the source of the crying: a basket that dangled from one of the lower tree branches.

“It’s not one of the kids,” Clementine whispered, eyes large in disbelief.

“No,” Louis shook his head. “It’s a baby,”

“Who the fuck leaves a baby in a tree?”

“Someone desperate? Either way,” Louis drew out Chairles, “We have to act now. If they haven’t returned at the sound of its cries, they may not be coming back at all,”

Clementine nodded. Drawing the compound bow, she aimed at the nearest walker. “As soon as I hit one, the rest will see us,”

“I’ll make some noise, draw a few of them off to the side,”

“It’s a risk. If there are more getting drawn in by the baby’s cries…”

“We can do this,” Louis gave his wife a look of determination. “We have to,”

He was right. “I’ll take the first one,” Making sure her aim was true, Clementine let out a centering breath before letting the arrow fly. It shot through the air and struck its target, braining a walker before it even knew what hit it. The corpse dropped to the ground, the sound temporarily drawing the attention of the other walkers away from the baby.

“Hey!” Louis shouted, walking away from his wife to get some of the heat off of her. “Over here, deadheads! Come at me!”

The walkers eagerly gave chase, their withered legs moving as quickly as they could. Drawing another arrow, Clementine shot another one. Her aim was a bit off though. Instead of going through the brain it knocked off the walker’s jaw, already dangling by a thread of sinew. Swearing under her breath, Clementine drew again. But this time there was another walker that was nearer with one more right behind it. With barely any distance between them Clementine shot an arrow directly between its eyes before drawing her knife to face the other.

“You’re doing great, sweetie!” Louis called over before swinging out to bash in a walker’s skull. The one that Clementine had de-jawed was now making its way over to him at the sound of his voice. “Oh, you want some more pain?” Louis quipped. Swinging upwards, he hit its head so hard that the neck snapped. The walker’s head flopped over to the side, still connected to the body but dangling as uselessly as its jaw had been. With the walker posing no more immediate threat, Louis kicked it backwards, sending it tumbling into the next two walkers behind it. Striding forward, Louis brained the collapsed walkers one after another.

The baby’s cries had picked up again, its wails more like screams. The sound was drawing the walkers back and from what Clementine could hear in the forest surrounding them there were more walkers nearby. Stabbing the walker she’d been grappling with through the eye, she dug in deep, twisting the knife to pierce the brain. The walker’s milky eye burst on contact with her blade, dribbling down the hilt of her knife and onto her hand. The walker collapsed as its brain ceased to function and Clementine quickly flicked the eye and brain matter from her knife before sheathing it and redrawing her bow.

Seeing his wife was aiming for the walker nearest the basket on the left, Louis headed right. Drawing back Chairles once more, he slammed it against the side of the nearest walker’s skull from behind before backstepping quickly. He needed to spread out the remaining walkers if he was going to be able to take them out without getting bit. A walker crumpled to the ground by the tree, an arrow embedded in the back of its skull. That was another one down. Four to go. Unless… Louis glanced backwards. A pair of walkers were approaching them from behind. Those needed to be dealt with before they got the jump on them. “Clem! We got some stragglers. You good with me stepping away for a sec?”

Clementine nodded. “Go!” She could see Louis running behind her out of the corner of her eye before she refocused on her next target. A particularly tall walker looked like it actually might have a chance at reaching the baby. Its outstretched hand brushed against the base of the basket, causing it to sway back and forth. “You get the fuck away,” Clementine growled. Her next arrow struck right on target, going through the walker’s brain and embedding itself in the tree. The walker’s corpse slouched lifeless, held upright by the very arrow that had killed it. Three more to go. Behind her, Clementine could hear Louis struggling. “Need help?”

“Nah, save your arrows! These two are just being extra cranky! Isn’t that right, fellas?” Louis looked up at the pair he was facing. He’d gotten a few hits in, but one had missed and knocked an arm off instead while the others hadn’t been enough to take down the nearer walker. “You, sir, have a remarkably thick skull. I wonder if that made it hard for your teachers when you were in school. It’s certainly an inconvenience for me,” Drawing close, Louis decided to take an alternate approach. Jamming Chairles into the walker’s mouth, he used the leverage to push the creature backwards. Kicking out the other’s knee to buy himself time, Louis walked forward, forcing the walker to stumble backwards till its back hit a tree. Perfect.

Chairles was lodged firmly in the walker’s mouth, so when Louis drew his weapon back the walker came with it. “Nice try, buddy, but no cigar for you,” Thrusting forward, Louis bashed the walker’s head against the tree before forcing it forward once more to prepare for another hit. The tree grew red with the walker’s blood before finally Chairles burst through the back of its skull, killing it instantly. Louis grinned proudly at his work before realizing his mistake. This walker was dead, but Chairles was now wedged inside its skull and there was another walker mere steps away. “Clem! A little help?”

Clementine spun round to see a walker about to grab her husband. “Louis!” The walker was inches away from her husband who was desperately trying to rip his weapon out of the dead walker’s skull. There was no time to think. Drawing her bow, Clementine immediately shot it, praying her aim was true. Before she could know, a grisly hand pulled her backwards. She’d let one sneak up on her. With a frantic cry, Clementine thrust her knife behind her, hearing a loud crunch as knife scraped bone then embedded in flesh. There was the warm feeling of blood spilling upon her shoulder before the dead walker collapsed, taking Clementine down with it and pinning her beneath its weight. Clementine groaned, her breaths labored as she struggled to get out before another walker reached her.

“Clem!” Louis was at her side in seconds. Her aim had been true after all. Grabbing his wife’s hand, Louis tried to pull her out from beneath the walker. But there were more pressing problems. A walker was approaching his pinned wife and looked intent on biting her exposed ankle. “Think again, fucker!” Louis yelled, leaping forward and swinging with all his might. The blow tore off the top of the walker’s skull. Its hair fluttered back and forth on the piece of bone dangling off the side of its head. That opening was all he needed. Sending Chairles crashing down from above, Louis obliterated the offensive creature. He then spun round to check on his wife. “Clem, are you-”

“I’m alright! Just help me get the rest of the way out!” Clementine grunted with effort, struggling to free her trapped prosthetic from under the corpse. Louis rushed over, lifting the walker just enough to let Clementine slip the rest of the way out before letting it fall once more to the ground. The couple smiled at each other before glancing over to the tree where the basket dangled. Only one walker was left, reaching for the basket in dazed desperation.

“Do you want the honors, my darling?”

“Nothing would please me more,” Withdrawing her knife one last time, Clementine snuck up behind the walker and thrust the knife deep within its skull. The walker went still and she tossed it to the side, finally breathing a sigh of relief. “We actually did it,”

“That we did,” Louis smiled proudly at his wife, stepping forward to join her. Both looked up at the basket. The baby was still crying, louder than ever. They didn’t have much time before all of this would be for naught and more walkers would come wandering in. The pair shared a look. Louis dropped to his knees. “Hop up on my shoulders. I think that’s our best bet to get the basket down safely,”

Clementine nodded and climbed on, gasping slightly as her husband got back to his feet.

“You good?”

“Yeah. Take a step to your right. One more…there,” Clementine looked down into the basket for the first time. The baby couldn’t be more than a few months old. It was dressed in a ratty, oversized t-shirt and wrapped in a blanket. Its dark skin was hot to the touch, from the heat or its prolonged screams Clementine couldn’t tell. She tried to calm it for a moment before realizing that was futile until they had it safely down. Holding the sides of the basket, she looked down at Louis. “Step back slowly. We’ll have to go bit by bit till we get it off this branch,”

Louis nodded and followed suit. Inch by inch they guided the basket off the branch as the baby wailed and writhed within it. The forest seemed quiet, but they knew that could change at any second. Clementine gripped the basket tightly, adjusting and tilting it slightly to get past the bumps and grooves of the branch. Finally after what seemed like a lifetime she pulled the basket the last few inches and it was free, the weight of the basket and baby shifting to Clementine’s arms. She held it close to her chest, smiling softly down at the baby as she shifted her grip to the handle. “Gonna hand the basket down to you then hop off your back. OK, Lou?”

Louis’ hands rose to receive it. “Gotcha,”

Once she was sure the basket had been safely transferred over, Clementine slipped down from her husband’s back. She circled round to look at the crying baby Louis now held in his arms. The baby was still wailing, clearly too overwhelmed to be comforted simply through cuddles. She needed food, water, maybe medicine. “We have to get her back to the school. Then we can head back out in search of any parents or guardians she might have,”

“Look,” Louis tugged on the corner of the blanket the baby was wrapped in. On it was sewn a single word in messy, tangled thread – a name. Juliet. “Think that’s her name?”

“Maybe,” Clementine pressed the back of her hand to the baby’s forehead. Her temperature was troubling. “You carry her. I’ll cover you with the bow,”

“Alright,”

“Just give me a minute to grab the arrows,” Walking round the corpses, Clementine retrieved her spent arrows. She wondered if the person who’d left Juliet was still nearby. Did they want her? They’d left her somewhere safe, but they hadn’t come when she cried. So were they dead or simply gone? Answers would have to come later. For now their priority had to be Juliet. Rejoining her husband, Clementine notched an arrow, bow at the ready. “Let’s go,” The pair headed out side by side, the baby still sobbing against Louis’ chest. One thing was certain: they would keep Juliet safe. No matter what.

#twdg #twdg louis #twdg clementine #clouis #twdg juliet #fanfic

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ericsonclan · 3 years

Text

Do Re Mi

Summary: Louis and Prisha prepare for some music time with the little kids.

Word Count: 2374

Read on AO3:

Prisha took a deep breath as she looked around the music room. Her eyes traveled over to Louis, his fingers brushing over the top of the piano keys. Resting on the music desk were the sheets to a musical number they had worked to write down the notes for years ago.

“You ready, my music confidant?” Louis smiled over towards Prisha who returned his smile.

“Are you kidding? I’m beyond ready. To tell you the truth, I’m quite ecstatic to be singing from The Sound of Music again,” Prisha readjusted her braid, her excitement radiating off her body.

Louis gave a laugh then spun around on the piano bench. “I can tell! I can’t blame you, I’m really excited to be playing for all the kiddos again too!” Louis’ fingers danced on the keys for a minute to double check that the piano had been tuned properly.

“Already playing I see,” Clementine’s warm voice drew her husband’s attention to the door. He was immediately greeted by Maisy who barreled forward and jumped onto the piano bench to hug her dad.

“Yay! Music time!” Maisy yelled happily then looked back to see her little brother Lee Kenny walking forward to reach Louis and his sister. Clementine shook her head good naturedly as she strolled forward, Juliet resting peacefully in the sling across her chest.

Louis swept Maisy into a hug and held her in his arms before leaning down and scooping up Lee Kenny as well. He kissed the pair’s foreheads and nuzzled his face against theirs.

“Stop, that tickles!” Maisy pressed both of her hands across her father’s mouth.

“Sowwy,” Louis’ reply was muffled behind his daughter’s hands.

“Maisy, what did we say about using your hands to cover people’s mouths?” Clementine’s tone was calm yet serious.

Maisy let her hands fall as she frowned. “That's bad. Sorry,”

“That's okay, just be more careful next time,” Louis smiled over at his daughter who returned the gesture in an instant. Soon Louis’ attention turned to Clementine who moved forward and captured his lips in a tender kiss. Louis hummed happily, a goofy smile on his face as he pulled back before stealing another kiss. Lee Kenny covered his face at that which seemed to amuse his parents as they shared a laugh together.

“I can take that little ray of sunshine,” Louis gestured toward Juliet, placing down Maisy and Lee Kenny who seemed sad for a moment before they noticed Prisha. While Louis worked to get the sling on and pressed a kiss to his youngest child’s forehead, Maisy and Lee Kenny scampered over to their aunt and began to fight over which one Prisha would hold. Prisha nervously tried to explain that they would both get short turns of being held though her voice was mostly drowned out by the quarreling. Louis and Clementine watched their friend for a few seconds, enjoying how overwhelmed Prisha was getting.

“Now hold your horses, Savannah,” Ruby’s booming voice made the others look to see that the loveable redheaded doctor was struggling to get her rambunctious two year old to slow down a bit so she didn’t hurt herself.

“Savannah, slow down for Mama,” Zachariah scolded his younger sister as he walked into the room while holding his father’s hand. Aasim smiled down at his son then looked over to see that Ruby had picked up Savannah who had a big pout of her face.

“Don’t make that face with me. You gotta behave or you can’t have music time with Uncle Louis and Aunt Prisha.” Those words made Savannah calm down a bit as she held onto her mother tightly.

“Heya, ‘Sim!” Louis smiled over towards Aasim. Aasim smiled back and moseyed into the room. His hand that held Ruby’s swayed back and forth as they walked forward together.

“Hello,” Aasim glanced over to see that Prisha was trying to calm down Maisy who was upset that Lee Kenny got to be held first.

“I’ll help, Prish,” Clementine walked over to run interference.

“Come on, Zachariah, let's get seated along with your sister,” Ruby instructed and her son gave a short nod before running forward, his tiny notebook tucked under his arm. Ruby shared a quick kiss with Aasim then headed over to settle her kids down. Zachariah immediately sat down and held out his arms to hold his younger sister. Savannah smiled and wrapped her arms around her big brother’s neck.

Soon Clementine had gotten Maisy to calm down and she guided her two oldest children to sit beside the others on the music room floor. Clementine said her goodbyes, giving all her kids a soft kiss then stealing one more from Louis before exiting the room. Aasim and Ruby soon began to say their goodbyes as well.

“Now both of you behave and Zachariah, be sure to look after your sister,” Aasim calmly told his son who gave a firm nod, his eyes shining with determination. After that was done Ruby wrapped both of her kids in a hug and peppered their faces with kisses then left, hand in hand with her husband.

“Well, looks like everyone is here!” Louis put his hands on his hips and gave a big smile to the kids.

“Not everyone,” Violet’s tired voice appeared in the doorway.

“This is fucking stupid,” Allison grumbled as she walked forward, one of her hands resting on top of her pregnant belly.

“Allison, language.” Prisha looked towards Allison who frowned. Her feet whacked against the floor as she made her way to the rocking chair.

“Sorry. I don’t know why I have to be here though; I’m not a little kid. I’m married. It's insulting being lumped in with them,” Allison gestured to the little kids. Lee Kenny was currently trying to sit in Maisy’s lap who kept pushing him away while Savannah was trying to put her foot in her mouth.

“Savannah, no! Mama said that was unsani- unsanit- it's not clean!” Zachariah struggled to help his little sister stop her bad habit.

“Because you’re a kiddo just like them!’ Louis beamed. “You’re Prisha and Violet’s kid,”

“I know who I am,” Allison groaned as she readjusted her position on the rocking chair. “But if that's the case, why isn’t AJ here?” She let out a tired sigh. It would be more fun with her best friend here, especially since Willy was out hunting with Jesse.

Louis’ eyes grew large at that as he realized that Allison had made a good point.

“Because you’re pregnant and besides the books show that the child’s ears have formed. I thought it would be nice for them to hear some music,” Prisha looked over at her daughter who saw the hopeful excitement on Prisha’s face as well as the ever prevalent concern in both her and Violet’s eyes.

“Fine,” Allison leaned back, forcing the chair to start rocking.

“Plus, AJ isn’t pregnant,” Louis added with a grin.

Violet gave a sharp yawn causing the conversation to stop.

“Are you sure you’re alright? You haven’t been sleeping well lately,” Prisha rested her hand on Violet’s face as her eyes searched her love’s.

“I’m fine. I’ll take a nap later, promise,” Violet leaned forward and captured Prisha’s lips in a warm kiss then sharply turned around on her heel to leave.

“Be careful!” Prisha called out to Violet who spun around and readjusted her glasses.

“Always,” With one final soft smile Violet left to go help out around the school.

“Shall we get started?” Louis stood up to push back his tailcoats and dramatically sat down on the piano bench again.

“Is it safe to have Juliet there?” Prisha’s question made Louis glance down at his daughter nestled in the sling against his chest then up at his friend.

“Yeah, totally. I’ve done it with Maisy and Lee Kenny when they were younger.” Louis had a casual smile on his lips as he responded.

“Music!” Maisy’s hands shot up and she bounced impatiently on her spot.

“Alright, alright, missy. Let’s calm down a bit, we’re gonna start soon. So, ready?” Louis glanced over at Prisha who gave a confident smile, her excitement quickly returning.

“Hit it, maestro,”

Louis beamed at those words and began to play the tune. It started with only a few notes and quickly Prisha’s voice joined in.

“Let’s start at the very beginning,

A very good place to start.

When you read you begin with,” Prisha gestured over to Zachariah who was surprised that the participating was already beginning but he quickly remembered this song.

“A-B-C,” Zachariah spoke slowly and clearly, his smile growing when he saw the proud look on Prisha’s face.

“When you sing you begin with Do-Re-Me,” Prisha’s warm voice danced around the room as she held out her hand to signal for the kids to repeat the final part she had sung.

“Do-Re-Mi!” the kids all sang together. Zachariah and Maisy tried their best to sing it while Savannah and Lee Kenny were shouting the three words with determination.

“Do-Re-Mi,” Prisha repeated the line. “The first three notes just happen to be... Do-Re-Mi,”

“Do-Re-Mi!” The kids joined in once more, some of them bouncing excitedly from the joy of getting to sing along. Prisha glanced over when she had heard Allison’s quiet voice join in, causing the musical enthusiast’s eyes to sparkle with happiness.

“Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti,” Prisha sang each note as Louis went up key by key while she sang it. “Oh let’s see if I can make this easier,” Prisha paced back and forth and gave a bright smile to the kids who seemed overjoyed.

“Do, a deer, a female deer.

Re, a drop of golden sun.

Mi, a name I call myself.

Fa, a long, long way to run.

So, a needle pulling thread.

La, a note to follow So.

Ti, a drink with jam and bread.

That brings us back to Do, oh, oh, oh.” Prisha’s finger bounced to the tune as Louis played it lively. Juliet squirmed around in the sling but she soon settled, seemingly calmed down by her father’s presence and the sound of music.

“Do!” the kids all yelled. Lee Kenny and Savannah seemed really proud about getting the word on the right beat before Prisha and Louis finished the line “a deer, a female deer.” With each note the kids chimed in then let their aunt finish the rest of the line.

Re, a drop of golden sun.

Mi, a name I call myself.

Fa, a long, long way to run.

So, a needle pulling thread.

La, a note to follow So.

Ti, a drink with jam and bread.

That brings us back to Do.”

Louis immediately started the next part of the song and Prisha took a break as all the kids began to repeat the chorus. Zachariah and Maisy seemed to keep on the beat, their voices working in harmony while Lee Kenny and Savannah only shouted out the name of the musical note in each line. Prisha soon joined in once more and smiled happily when she saw that Allison was rocking back and forth in the rocking chair as she sang quietly.

“Now is the fun part,” Prisha walked towards the kids while Louis’ fingers dramatically played the key as he gave a playful smile. “We can now mix up the notes. Ready?” “Ready!” The kids spoke in somewhat unison.

“So, Do, La, Fa, Mi, Do, Re,” Prisha’s voice rang throughout the room then she held out her hand for the kids to join.

“So, Do, La, Fa, Mi, Do Re,” the kids followed along and bounced happily in their spots.

“So, Do, La, Ti, Do, Re, Do,” Prisha’s voice went up and down with the notes she sang.

“So, Do, La, Ti, Do, Re, Do,” Maisy sang the loudest at this part and smiled proudly at her dad.

“Okay, now let's put it all together,” Prisha instructed, then took a deep breath. “So, Do, La, Fa, Mi, Do, Re. So, Do, La, Ti, Do, Re, Do,” The kids’ voice joined and melded with hers as Louis continued to play the piano.

“When you know the notes to sing, you can sing most anything,” Prisha’s alto voice danced through the room as she spun around once. She was starting to become lost in the joy of music. The sight made Allison smile softly. “Together!” Prisha instructed and the kids all immediately joined in.

“When you know the notes to sing, you can sing most anything,”

Soon the chorus started again and Prisha held out the music note as the kids finished the rest of the line before she moved on to the next one. Prisha pointed from child to child and they began to sing out the individual note as the music range grew higher and they approached Do. Then they went down the music notes one by one. After this the music notes jumped from one to another as Prisha pointed to each kid including Allison to let them know it was their time to participate.

“Do-Mi-Mi

Mi-So-So

Re-Fa-Fa

La-Ti-Ti

Do-Mi-Mi

Mi-So-So

Re-Fa-Fa

La-Ti-Ti!”

“When you know the notes to sing, you can sing most anything,” Prisha sang slowly and Louis joined in once more as the kids added in the music notes’ names here and there. Once that had finished up Prisha, Louis and the kids sung the chorus once more before finishing with a mixture of the music notes. Soon the song was reaching the final notes and everyone hit the final note together. Prisha belted it out, letting her voice ring throughout the music room as the last few piano keys were played. Just as Louis pressed the final key, Prisha finished the note and let herself catch her breath.

“Again! Again!” Maisy clapped her hands together and beamed at Prisha and Louis. The two friends shared a smile.

“What do you say, Prish? Once more from the top?” Louis held his hands over the piano, his fingers hovering mere inches from the black and white keys.

Prisha’s smile grew and she gave a short nod. “Let’s do it!”

The kids all exclaimed excitedly at that and the two music confidants shared a soft smile. There really was nothing like the joy of music.

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ericsonclan · 3 years

Text

Afternoon with the Kids

Summary: Prisha and Violet spend some time with the kids while their parents are busy.

Word Count: 1592

Read on AO3:

It was a quiet afternoon. The warm sunlight was peeking through the broken and boarded-up window of the room while Prisha and Violet enjoyed a peaceful moment together. Prisha’s arm was wrapped around Violet’s waist as they cuddled. The blonde curled into her girlfriend’s warmth, her hand holding Prisha’s. It was a rare moment that they had, no chores that needed to be done or other people to bother them. They knew the reason why: in a few minutes they had to get up and look after the kids while the others were busy with work. So they had been given a short break to enjoy each other’s company and cuddle the minutes away until duty called. Prisha hummed happily when she felt Violet’s thumb brush against her hand. Her warm breath tickled her girlfriend’s ear and caused Violet to scrunch up for a second before settling back in for cuddles. The two remained like this for some time, basking in the other’s warmth and embrace when Prisha spoke up.

“We should head out to the courtyard,” she whispered next to Violet's ear. “I’m sure Louis and Clementine are already waiting for us.”

“I know,” Violet gave a small pout; she had wanted the minutes to last longer. “Ruby and Aasim probably are too.” The blonde disentangled herself and was about to rise up to her feet when she saw that Prisha hadn’t let go. “Prisha,”

“I know,” Prisha let go and worked to shuffle out of bed as well. The pair quickly intertwined their fingers once more and within minutes were off to the courtyard where the others were waiting. When they arrived they saw that all the kids were already there. Maisy was in the middle of playing tag with Savannah whose pigtails bounced as she chased the older girl. Maisy turned around and gave a confident smile, her dark brown, kinky hair shone in the sun as she giggled. The two girls ran right beside one of the picnic tables where Zachariah was in the middle of doing a leaf rubbing. He gave a small frown when his sister bumped into the table.

“Oop, sorry, Zach,” Savannah gave a smile to her brother who shook his head but gave a smile in return. Lee Kenny sat beside the older of the boys, his eyes large with awe at the magic of leaf rubbings as his hands were placed on his freckled face. Juliet, the youngest of the kids, was sitting a small distance away, her legs casually kicking the air as she stared at the two boys then at the two girls who ran by her.

“There you are!” Louis ran forward to Prisha and Violet with a big smile. “Thought you might’ve tried to sneak in a few more minutes of alone time,” He gave a playful wink that caused a frown to form on Violet’s face.

“Louis,” The blonde glared at her best friend who gave a light-hearted chuckle before swinging Chairles over his shoulder.

“Louis, don’t give Violet and Prisha a hard time,” Clementine walked forward with a smile. “Thanks for watching them.”

“Sure,” Violet gave a small, warm smile. “It’ll be nice to spend some time with them.”

“That's right,” Prisha gave a smile towards her girlfriend then over to her friends. “Where are Ruby and Aasim?”

“Greenhouse,” Clementine stated simply. “Can’t have the kids in there after the last time,”

Prisha and Violet nodded in understanding. Savannah, being the curious kid she was, had found a loose nail and well, it was a good thing that Ruby had been keeping a close eye on her.

“We should probably get going,” Louis glanced at the gate. “Allison is on watch duty and AJ and Willy should be back in a little while from the fishing shack.”

“Alright,” Prisha replied, it seems they wouldn’t be alone with the kids for a super long time.

“Okay, let’s head out. Gotta bring home the bacon, or I guess for us it would be rabbits.” The dreadlocked man looked over at the kids with a smile. “Ready to head out, Clem?”

“Yeah, let’s say goodbye one last time,”

Louis nodded and took his wife's hand. The pair walked over to the picnic table where all the kids had begun to gather. They could tell what was happening.

“We’re going out for a little bit,” Clementine smiled warmly at her kids. Lee Kenny ran forward and tackled his mom in a hug. “Don’t worry, kiddo. We’ll be safe.”

Lee Kenny looked up at his mom and gave a short nod. Juliet hovered near and after a moment began to say goodbye to her mom as well. Meanwhile Louis was kneeling down in front of Maisy with his pinky extended.

“I promise to come back,” Louis’ words made his daughter stare at the pinky for a second before wrapping hers around it. “It's a forever promise.” Louis pushed his thumb against Maisy’s who blinked emotionally for a second then hugged him goodbye. After a few more minutes of goodbyes Louis and Clem walked towards the gates, ready to go hunting.

“Have fun with your aunts!” Louis called out before opening the gates and disappearing into the walker-infested world with his wife. As soon as their parents were gone, Lee Kenny and Maisy ran forward, excited to spend time with their aunt Prisha and aunt Violet. Maisy immediately scampered over to Prisha and held up her arms.

“Up?” The young girl stared up at Prisha with wide, pleading eyes.

“Of course,” Prisha smiled warmly down at Maisy and picked her up with her good arm.

After a second Lee Kenny appeared and held up his arms with a shy smile. “Up?”

“My apologies,” Prisha gave an apologetic look. “I only have one good arm.”

Lee Kenny’s face fell. “That's no fair,” He pouted for a moment before glancing at Prisha’s left arm. “That arm, you could use that arm.”

“No, I,” Prisha let out a sigh. “My nerves don’t work in that arm so I can’t pick you up. It doesn’t work.”

The freckled boy gave a sad frown then grabbed Prisha’s left arm and began to swing it back and forth. “It does work. See, see!” He smiled up hopefully at Prisha but her expression hadn’t changed.

“I’m sorry, Lee Kenny, but you will just have to wait your turn,”

“She doesn’t wanna pick you up because you’re stinky,” Maisy smiled down smugly at her younger brother. The young boy’s eyes grew large and he looked between his sister and his aunt.

“I’m not stinky, right?” Lee Kenny looked into Prisha’s eyes. Maisy wasn’t technically wrong - everyone smelled in the apocalypse - but since they had all lived together for years they were all used to each other’s scents.

“No, you don’t smell. I-” Prisha was cut off once again by Maisy.

“She just loves me more,” Maisy stuck out her tongue which made tears begin to prick her younger brother’s eyes.

“Hey, Lee Kenny,” Violet’s soft voice called out from the picnic table. She sat with Zachariah and Savannah. The older of the two siblings was still absorbed in his leaf rubbings. Violet’s own contribution lay on the table half-drawn and sloppy. Behind the blonde was Savannah who giggled as she played with Violet’s hair. “Wanna hang out at the table? I’ll let you touch my face.”

Those words brightened up the young boy in an instant as he scurried over to the table. Violet helped him up on her lap and within seconds Lee Kenny was touching her face. All the kids seemed to enjoy playing with Violet’s face due to the scarring she had received years ago. But out of all of them Lee Kenny and Maisy seemed the most intrigued by it. The boy reached up and began to gentle touch her face, giving a small giggle at the texture of it.

“Bumpy,” he whispered.

“Mmhmm, my face is very bumpy,” Violet smiled as Lee Kenny continued to trace her face with his fingers. Meanwhile Savannah had gotten rather invested in giving Violet a ponytail. After skipping over to where Juliet was sitting for a minute the pigtailed girl had returned and begun to sloppily put up Violet’s light blonde hair.

“You can join them too if you’d like,” Prisha smiled gently at Juliet who looked up at her aunt before looking back at Zachariah who was pleading for Violet to keep drawing with him too. He wanted to see her finished leaf rubbing. Prisha followed the young one’s gaze, her eyes stopping on Violet who was softly laughing as Savannah began to get interested in touching her face too. Her short ponytail made Prisha’s heart flutter for a moment.

“Okay,” Juliet’s quiet voice drew back Prisha’s attention. “Can you draw too?”

“Hmmm, how about it, Maisy?” Prisha asked the little girl, still contently sitting in her arm, her small hands wrapped around Prisha’s neck. “Want to join your siblings and friends over at the table?”

Maisy’s eyes lit up at that suggestion and she nodded enthusiastically. “Can you still carry me?” “Of course. Come on, Juliet,” Prisha paused when she saw that the youngest of the kids had already made her way over and sat next to Zachariah who offered her a blank piece of paper before starting up on a new leaf drawing. Violet looked over at girlfriend with a loving smile as Prisha made her way to the picnic table. Even if the kids were a handful, they really truly loved their nieces and nephews.

#twdg #twdg clementine #twdg louis #twdg prisha #twdg violet #twdg zachariah #twdg savannah #twdg maisy #twdg lee kenny #twdg juliet #fanfic #twdg privet

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