Three Orphan Pilgrimage (The Alternative to TWDG's Final Season) [Walking Dead]

5. Candy is Dandy

"We should go to bed," yawned Sarah as she looked at the dim moonlight shining in through the bedroom window. "We'll have to get up early to start packing tomorrow."

"It just got dark," argued Clementine. "Come on, it's still my birthday, let's stay up a little longer."

"And do what?"

Clem thought to herself for a moment."I got it. Come on." Clem dragged Sarah back into the living room, then headed for the kitchen. She removed a large brown bottle from the refrigerator and a couple of glasses from the cupboard. "We gotta both try some." Clem set the bottle and glasses down.

"Whiskey?" asked a concerned Sarah. "I mean—"

"Remember? It's okay if we have some on my birthday," said Clem. "Come on. Last time you tried it, you didn't drink enough. It makes you feel really good."

"I don't know, I really don't like the taste."

"I don't either, but trust me, if you drink enough you'll like it."

"It's just—"

"Sarah," said Clem. "Please? For my birthday? Have a drink with me." Sarah smiled and Clem didn't hesitate to start pouring whiskey into the glasses. The girls had only tried it once before, right after Omid was born. Clem remembered that, for a little while, it made all her worries melt away. Thinking back to that night, Clem poured a little more in each glass, reasoning she had a lot more to worry about now than she did then.

"We should do that thing," said Sarah.

"What thing?"

"Where they like, touch the glasses together."

"Oh yeah." Clem picked up her glass. "They usually say something too."

"Like what? What should we say?"

"Um, I don't know, how 'bout..." Clem thought to herself for a moment. "How about, to another year together?"

"We haven't been together that long," reminded Sarah.

"Then to just us being together at all." Sarah smiled and raised her glass. Clem touched her glass to Sarah's, creating a slight clink sound while jostling the sticky liquid inside.

"And to us having Omid." Clem brought the glass to her lips. Tasting the whiskey immediately reminded Clem of how much she actually hated trying it the first time, but she forced the rest of the foul liquid into her mouth and swallowed.

"Ugh." Clem slammed her empty glass onto the end table, right next to Sarah's. The girls looked at each other for a moment, then hurried to the fridge. They hastily chugged some water to get that horrid taste out of their mouths.

"You're sure this was a good idea?" asked Sarah as she wiped her lips.

"Yeah, just give a minute. It's going to be great." Clem put the whiskey away and turned to Sarah. "When your next birthday gets here, I'm going to throw a really great party for you," promised Clem.

"My birthday?" Sarah sighed. "That's almost nine months away."

"Then I've got plenty of time to plan it," reasoned Clem.

"Don't forget about Omid's birthday. He's next," said Sarah. "He was born on leap year."

"He was? I thought you said we left Shaffer's on the twenty-eighth?"

"Yeah, but it was really late when he was born," said Sarah. "If it was past midnight that means he was born on leap year. Although, I guess we can just do it on the twenty-eighth, since there's no leap year this time."