Walking Dead Game Collection 2

"Retrieval"

Title: Retrieval
Characters: Clementine, Luke, Nick, Alvin, Rebecca, Carlos
Summary: Clementine loses her memory, and the season 2 cabin group needs to help her bring them back.
Author's Note: I hope this is okay!! this felt like the best I could do :(
Requested By: Anonymous
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♡ user: justajournalist ♡
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"We've tried everything."

"Fuck!" Luke slapped one of the medical kits to the floor. Luckily for all of them, it was locked and the contents didn't go spewing everywhere. Rebecca was pissed nonetheless and glared at him the entire while he paced the room.

Clementine had been lying unconscious on their living room couch for the past two hours. She had tripped and slammed her head on a rock while retreating from a swarm, and Luke had anxiously hauled her back home. Ever since, they'd been trying to wake her up.

They'd tried splashing her face with water, rocking her, shaking her, giving her water. Nothing had worked. So, they'd decided to leave it in her hands.

So, when she woke up an hour and a half later, to say they were stunned was an understatement. More so, they were confused.

"Clementine!"

"Thank fuck." Nick sighed, leaning back into his chair, sweeping an exhausted hand over his face.

Opening her eyes, scanning the room top to bottom, the child squinted. Her head ached — it had never felt this bad in her life — but worst of all, she was sitting in a house with strangers; people who'd taken her where she had no idea of their intentions. "What do you want with me?"

Her question caught everyone off guard; so much so that the room was thrust into silence. They all stared, jaws agape, trying to decode what they thought her statement meant.

"What?" Luke finally voiced.

Clementine tried to sit up and winced. When Alvin moved closer to help urge her back down, she flinched away from him and did it herself. "Why did you save me?" She squinted again. "What do you want?" She couldn't fight back. She couldn't defend herself. If they tried to rob her or hurt her, she'd be unable to do anything, so what else could she do but try and make peace with them?

Nick blinked in confusion.

Carlos crossed his arms. "Oh no," he hushed. He pressed a hand to his lips, studying the irritated — and only mildly scared — child. "She doesn't remember."

"What do you mean?"

Carlos swept a hand over his face, pressing it to his lips as he cast Nick a glare given his statement. Everyone in the room seemed to be given him the same look. At least that was reassuring to Carlos that everyone else knew what was going on. "She has amnesia."

Nick scoffed. "You're fucking kidding."

Carlos drew closer, attempting to offer the disoriented child water, food; anything nearby to establish their relationship as friends, not foes. "I'm afraid so."

"I don't know what that means." Clem said. Carlos had figured as much.

"So what do we do?" Rebecca asked, ignoring Clementine's statement, crossing her arms and easing herself into the chair beside Alvin.

Carlos scratched the back of his neck, clearly distressed. "Not much." He finally murmured. Luke scoffed, turning away to give him space to pace. "Unfortunately," Carlos continued, "all we can do is try to slowly jog her memory."

"And how do we do that?" Rebecca asked, dishevelled and irritated. "We barely know her. How are we supposed to help her remember who she is when we barely know?"

While Carlos couldn't stomach turning to stare at Rebecca — too distraught and pained — Luke did the job for him. "What do you suggest then, huh?"

"Guys." Alvin said, glare the coldest in the room. After all, the child in question they were carelessly discussing the well-being of was sitting right there in front of all of them. So, as they silently discussed the manner through silent gazes tossed across the room, Carlos had formulated what they were going to try.

Everything.

First thing the following morning, she helped Rebecca prepare meals for the day. While Rebecca was still irritated (and frankly a little leery) of the child, she was patient as she outlined how to properly wash and slice vegetables. She had to admit, while she didn't understand Clementine's true intentions, the kid knew how to get to work. She admired that. Maybe that was why she was so leery of her.

Later on in the day, Nick took her to the creak to remind her how to fish.

"Like this?" Clem asked.

"Good work." Nick said, already busy doing up his rod to toss in the water beside hers. "Don't worry. Soon, you'll be a pro again."

"You think?"

Nick scoffed. "Well, yeah. With practice, you can get better at anything." To that, for some reason, Clementine couldn't help but smile and turn her attention back to the water. Nick shifted his attention to catching fish instead of talking about it, confused as to her reaction. Maybe she was just innocent enough that the thought of being able to accomplish anything with effort was possible.

Somewhere in that, he found a bit of hope.

Finally, just as the sun was beginning to set, Luke took Clementine out hunting.

"Do you remember Lee?" Clementine blinked blankly, the name fluttering past here aimlessly. Her lack of response felt like a stab to the gut to Luke who had only just learned all about how much he meant to her. "He used to call you sweet pea?"

To that, there was a small sparkle in Clementine's eyes. She froze, standing still and patient, then blinked and returned to her body. "Can you say that again?"

Luke blinked, then his shoulder relaxed, and his look of pain was replaced with one of tender awe. "He used to call you sweet pea."

Clementine blinked again, as though the words had kissed her eyelashes and momentarily stunned her. She smiled, a warmth settling in her chest, then smiled up at the male. "I remember that word."

Luke blinked, his mind soaring knowing he was the first person to make a breakthrough in Clementine's recovery.

Was it going to take a while to get their 'old Clementine' back? Yes, but really, their real Clementine was still there. Still patient and sweet, and hopeful and pure. Only this time, at least for now, she didn't remember all the pain.

Seeing her genuine smile caused Luke's heart to melt. "I'm really happy to hear that." He hushed. He hadn't seen a smile of that from her ever. It seemed as though it would have been impossible for her to muster before.

For that, Luke hoped she took her time getting better.
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