#teamfun

Louis’ face twisted in a grimace as he woke with a groan. “I’m home? Sophie… is she OK? She must have dragged me back,”

“She’s on deck. Ruby went to look at her wound after she finished with yours,” Louis’ face fell. “She got hurt? I must not have blocked the attack fast enough. Damn it,” He tried to sit up, but quickly collapsed back on his bed, letting out a sharp hiss of pain. “Another shot to the ribs, huh?” “You were bleeding heavily,” Louis lifted up the corner of his shirt, examining the bandages. “Should make a pretty sick scar,” “Don’t joke about that,” His eyes went up to hers. Tears were forming in her eyes. “Clem,” he whispered, extending an arm. She pulled back. “No, don’t try to brush this off. What were you thinking, jumping in front of a blade like that?” Louis shrugged. “I was aiming to block the attack, but couldn’t get my weapon up in time. It happens,” “You could have been killed! And for what?” “For a friend,” “For a stranger you only just met! Louis…” Clementine rose from the bed, pacing the floor in anger. “You can’t keep doing this! You can’t adopt every stranger we come across with open arms!” “Well, that doesn’t seem fair coming from you, now does it? That’s how we got you and A.J. Prisha too. Besides, Sophie isn’t just anybody. She’s Tenn’s sister,” “Minerva was Tenn’s sister too,” Clementine’s voice was grim. “She isn’t anymore,” “Sophie isn’t Minnie,” Louis shook his head. “She’s different. You can see it in her eyes,” Clementine scoffed. “Is that so? Tell me, Louis, how close were you when you saw Minerva’s eyes? Because I sure got a close look at them when she cut through my leg,” They were both silent.

Louis sighed. “What do you want me to say, Clem? That I’m sorry I defended her? ‘Cause I’m not. I would do it again,” “I want you to think about yourself for once instead of jumping into danger at every turn! I want to know that when I take my eyes off of you, I can trust you to have the sense to stay safe, not get yourself dragged back bleeding and unconscious!” Clementine’s chest was heaving with emotion now, her heart racing as her anger swelled. “You shouldn’t have gone on that mission alone with Sophie! What if what you ‘saw in her eyes’ was wrong? What if she turned on you? What then? You would be dead!” “That’s not what happened!” “You can’t go putting your life in the hands of strangers you’ve just met!” “Strangers? Clem, she’s family!” “Not your family!” Clementine’s voice cracked with emotion. “Not everybody can be your family. A.J. and I, we’re your family, Louis. You made a promise to me that you’d stay by my side, forever. So don’t hold your own life so lightly,” “Clem…” “I-I need space, Louis,” She quickly exited the room. “Clem, please!” She ran up the stairs blindly. She had to be alone right now. She couldn’t contain all that she was feeling.

It had been a few hours now. Clementine stood in the crow’s nest, the wind blowing through her hair as she watched the empty sea. She shouldn’t be up here. She should be with Louis. But she couldn’t get herself to go back down. Part of her wanted to punish him, but for what? Being a good person? Having a sacrificial heart? Those were the same qualities that had endeared him to her so quickly. Yet they were the same traits that were driving her mad. Louis wasn’t built to be a pirate. He had slipped into the role accidentally, and he’d never truly fit the mold. The Ericson Pirates code, their constant willingness to take in whatever lost waif their boat came across, these weren’t the traits of a true pirate. Clementine was sure the moment she met Louis that if he were met with the murderous faces of those she’d been forced to walk amongst, he wouldn’t stand a chance. Yet instead of being disgusted by his apparent weakness, she’d sworn to protect him. Not just as her captain, nor simply as her friend. After she had sworn to herself that she had closed her life off from all purposes other than keeping A.J. safe, Louis broke through her walls with a warmly extended hand. He’d proven himself far stronger than she’d given him credit for. His body was littered with countless wounds, the worst of them received in the defense of others, just like this latest one. He seemed to shake them off, not holding any sort of malice toward those in whose stead he had been injured. Unlike most captains, he didn’t gain his crew’s obedience through a firm hand or a merciless demeanor. He held their respect because they knew how deeply he valued each and every one of their lives. He would die before he let any of them fall. She would kill before she lost him. Their code allowed for life to be taken if absolutely necessary. Louis hadn’t found that line yet. Clementine had crossed it several times before meeting him. She knew where the line of taking a life lay for her and that it was far closer than Louis’s would ever be. He must know this to be true. They had never spoken of it though. Were they simply tricking themselves by letting that conversation go unspoken, pretending that this difference would not test them to the point that it may someday tear them apart? Was she willing in loving Louis to take the risk each time he jumped into battle that she may lose a part of herself she could never fully regain?

Clementine looked down to the deck below. Sophie was sitting beside Tenn, drawing again. She knew this went far beyond Sophie. Yet Sophie was exactly the sort of enigma that proved how different she and Louis truly were. Louis couldn’t help but trust her. Clementine could never lower her guard. Time would tell which one of them was right. She hoped it would be Louis. She prayed it wasn’t her, that is, the part of her that looked in Sophie’s eyes and saw the murderous rage in Minerva’s eyes as she landed that blow, the one that took her leg. They had tried to reason with Minerva, to trust that she could change. Now Violet would never fully see again. Louis’ way didn’t always work, no matter how much they wanted it to. Eventually, she couldn’t stand it anymore. The pain of being away from Louis - of leaving things like that – was worse than whatever gain could be made in trying to prove her point. Perhaps believing that abandoning him proved any sort of point was a mistake in itself. Clementine descended from the crow’s nest, avoiding the eyes of her crew members. She wasn’t sure what she would see within them. Her mind was muddled enough as it was. When she opened the door to the captain’s quarters, she was surprised to find that Louis wasn’t alone. A.J. lay curled up beside him, his head resting on Louis’ shoulder as he softly snored. Louis raised a finger to his lips as she closed the door behind her. Clementine took a seat on the edge of the bed, careful not to shift her weight in a way that might cause the mattress to pull against his wound. They were silent as they looked at each other, trying to read each other’s hearts from what laid upon their faces.