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[The scene opens up to Ellie's face. It's dark, and there's blood on her cheeks, smeared back into her hair. There are tears in her eyes, and she's fucking frantic.]

SOS- fuck, we- we need a healer.

[Over the top of her voice is another, almost shouting 'no, we don't!']

Gelfion Park, we've got-

[Her voice breaks.]

Two dead.

[There's that voice again, behind her, low, weak and gruff, probably familiar.]

Ellie, don't - just get us the hell out of here, Jesus-

[She looks back, moves away, and the scene behind her is horrific. Even in the darkness it's possible to see the headless corpse, tossed aside and hard to identify. There is blood all over the grass, and laying some feet away from Ellie is a severed arm. It's curled in a sad, broken crumpled heap and looking like nothing so much as a doll's part.

It's male, weathered and partially covered with bloodstained flannel. Joel's.

A figure moves and Joel comes into sight, barely, his arm a bloody stump and his face dark with dirt, a single tear track cleaning away and leaving a mark against his skin. He shifts, awkwardly, obviously trying to make his way over to something beside them - which would be awkward enough if he had both his arms, but with one? It looks nearly impossible.

At this point, Ellie drops her hand, and the view of the camera comes to rest on the arm and shoulder of a still figure laying in the grass, along with a good deal of blood.

The hand is female, much calloused, and isn't moving.]

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Someone might try.

[By her tone, and the barely suppressed anger? No. No fucking way are they going to survive it.]

I'm okay. We'll be okay.

Oh. But you have help, right? Someone is coming to help?

[Because even if she knows Ellie can be plenty capable, Clementine can't help but fret. It looks like things are bad enough without Ellie also getting hurt or killed in all of this, whatever happened. But she gives a nod.]

Okay. That's good. It just....it looks pretty bad.

[....understatement of the century there, Clem. :l]

Yeah- Merlin.

[Ellie's breath catches again. Tess. Tess is dead, and she can barely breathe. She's never seen Joel cry.]

I- we're okay. We're gonna be okay.

Okay. I hope he can help.

[She isn't sure what more could be done if someone was actually dead, but at least now she has been reassured that it doesn't mean they will come back as a walker. But Joel does need help - his arm....]

What about his arm though? Will Merlin be able to fix that? I mean....

... we don't know.

[She doesn't think so. Not that. Not a whole arm. But why say it?]

Oh. I guess it depends on the healing? I've been able to help with some things but nothing like that. Maybe things that need stitches and stuff. But maybe Merlin is better than I am. Just....just wait and see, Ellie? I won't come over, but I'm here with the bracelets, okay?

[She knows that doesn't. Really help much, but it is all she can do at the moment, with Ellie warning her to stay away.]

[There are tracks of tears down her cheeks, but Ellie is no longer crying. Instead she has her gun out, not focusing on the camera.]

Yeah, we'll wait and see. If Merlin can't do anything, nobody can.

Ellie? Is someone coming? [Because she notes that Ellie seems wary, gun out.]

It's Merlin, right?

Yeah. Merlin.

[Keep it together, girl. The video has gone dark, Ellie's trying to keep Joel from bleeding out, keeping a watch on them. Her responses are getting more delayed.]

That's good. I hope he can help, Ellie.

[Because if he can't....Joel wouldn't be able to hug her anymore. Or shoot properly. A number of things. But no, best to stay positive. That is the last thing Ellie needs, to hear something like that.]

I would hug you if I was there. Stay safe, okay? I can come see you when things calm down, right?

[Right now, Ellie is mostly focused on keeping Joel alive. It's amazing that he isn't going into shock. She's tied off his arm by now, getting the bleeding to slow. Hopefully it will be enough.]

Right. I'll call you when he's safe. Hang in there, Clementine.

[She has some stuff to say to her.]

[There is a nod, and Clementine waits, bracelet left on and trying to keep an eye on the other conversations to figure out how Joel is doing, what is going on.]

You too, Ellie. Stay safe.

[And she waits, hoping.]

[Hours later, when the world has calmed down, there's still something Ellie has to do. She leaves Joel resting, finds a quiet place, and calls Clementine.

Because she knows what it's like to feel useless. She knows what it's like to feel locked out and underestimated and helpless when people you care about are in danger.

Ellie knows better. She knows Clementine is a remarkably tough little girl, with a fighter's heart and more bravery than most adults. But because she is so young, she can't take it for granted that Clem will understand what she's doing, and why.]

Hey, kid. He's doing better.

He is, Merlin was able to help? That's good. What about you? That must have been....scary.

[Given her age, Clementine only has a more limited vocabulary. And sometimes the simplest words are the easiest. But she is relieved to hear that, her expression softening a little at that reassurance. She might not know Joel nearly as well as Ellie, but he didn't deserve this. Nobody did. She's glad he seems to be okay for now.

She is used to being told to stay back, used to people wanting to protect her and understands people being hesitant with her being so young, even if it isn't something she can control. It's something she has reluctantly come to accept. She's just glad a certain few seem to be an exception and let her help where she can.]

... I'm gonna be okay.

[She doesn't tell her about his arm, not yet- or the fact that Tess hasn't come back. Instead she sits in silence with her, remembering how to be strong.]

I'm sorry I yelled at you.

That's good.

[She notes no update on his arm, but isn't sure if she should ask or not. Maybe Ellie doesn't know yet how it will turn out. But there's a tilt of the head at her apology before she bites her lip.]

It's....it's okay. I mean, you were scared, right? You didn't mean to yell? I just wish I could have helped too.

Yeah, but you didn't deserve to be yelled at, either-

[Ellie sighs, trying to relax her shoulders.]

... I know. And I know you could have helped. You're a good healer.

Well....then why couldn't I? Ellie....are you sure everything is okay?

[Because this would not be the first time people have tried to protect her, not told her the whole story or even outright lied trying to keep her safe. Clementine is perceptive though and will usually pick up on this and call them out.]

I didn't want you to come because he's got friends. And it's pretty obvious that I care about you.

... he did this to try to get to me. He couldn't get me, so he went after Joel and Tess.

And if you showed up, and his friends happened to be watching, and waiting, and needed a hostage? They would have gone after you first.

[Because she is a child. Because she is apparently helpless. Because she's the most likely to get Ellie to completely lose her head and make a stupid mistake.]

Edited 2014-01-24 08:11 (UTC)

Who is 'he'? And who are his friends?

But....oh.

[Ellie probably does have a point there. As much as Clementine hates to admit it. She understands. She doesn't want to worry Ellie or the Doctor by getting kidnapped here.]

I guess. I don't want you feeling bad, or getting in trouble because of me. But couldn't they have also done that to anyone who showed up?

Tom Riddle. Voldemort.

-and it wouldn't be your fault. It would be because they're cowardly assholes who can't even straight-up fight me.

Voldemort? Okay. So I shouldn't talk to him on the bracelet or anything?

[And oh. Ellie pre-empts her apology. :l Clementine still looks nervous, worried, even as she considers the implications of what Ellie says.]

It's like people say. Sometimes it is easier to go after the people someone loves to hurt them. He really is that scared of you?

Yeah, don't talk to him.

[Not that Ellie follows her own advice or anything, ever.]

It's- complicated.

[But Ellie is coming to realize that she is scary as shit when she's in her element, like standing in the middle of Gelfion park, fully rested, fully armed.]

But yeah, I think he's at least a little bit scared of me.

Okay. So is his name Voldemort or Tom? [Just. So she knows. This is not to say she might not end up meeting him in person besides the bracelets, but at least she is warned now.

And she can't help but manage a small smile and nod at that.]

Well, that's good. If it means he won't try to hurt you, right?

Tom, but he likes to call himself Voldemort.

[She smiles back, tired and much older than she should be.]

No. It means he's going to be sneakier about hurting me.

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