When a beaten and lost, near-dead girl walks up upon the gates of Jackson unannounced, people are bound to be suspicious of why she's shown up. But, when she reveals that she knows something about an organization in Seattle planning to come to Jacks...
"No one likes a mad woman, you made her like that."
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EPILOGUE
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He sat on one of the chairs playing the guitar.
He stopped as he saw her, standing up slowly and placing the guitar back against the wall panels.
Ellie walked up to Joel on one of the patios, standing next to him. The two hadn't really talked since the man she looked up to had told her the truth about the Fireflies, and to be honest, Joel was surprised the girl even wanted to talk to him. They stood in silence for a few moments, neither one of them wanting to provoke the other. Ellie was incredibly heartbroken about what happened with the Fireflies after she was delivered to the hospital, and she showed it by not speaking to the man who had become a father figure to her for a month. The only time Joel had actually seen her smiling over the course of that month was with the girl she had met and picked up during one of the patrols she took to keep herself busy. Tommy had told him that the girl, Willow, had been trekking by herself all the way from Catalina Island, California, where the infamous Rattlers called home. It was a miracle that she made it that far, let alone the fact that Ellie just stumbled upon her.
"Hey." Joel greeted, swirling the cup full of the hot drink he was sipping on. It was Winter, so it mainly kept his hands and throat warm every time he took a swig from the mug. He looked out towards Jackson as he waited for the young girl he saw as a daughter to say something, anything.
"What're you drinking?" Ellie asked, trying to make small talk that wasn't awkward. Joel sighed with content, happy that she was finally talking to him. He regretted what he did with every ounce of his body and muscle, but he couldn't take it back, and he knew it was best for Ellie to know before someone else told her.
"Coffee." He answered, pointing his mug towards her without spilling.
Ellie nodded, looking back out at the snow as it fell onto the homes of Jackson County, where she called home. "Where'd you get that?"
"Uh, those people that came through last week." Joel replied, the beard around his mouth making his voice seem muffled, but Ellie found it almost comforting in a way. She had never seen Joel without a beard, and she probably never would. "A little embarrassed as to what I had to trade to get it, but... it's not bad."
A few moments of silence passed. On one hand, it was comforting, it was like the silence you hear after a long storm. But, it also felt consuming, and both of them felt like they needed to talk, sometimes the silence got overwhelming.
"I had Seth under control." Ellie stated, clasping her hands together and rubbing them together, running her fingers down the soft scars that she had gotten over time.
"Yeah, I know." Joel responded, his voice shushing down into a low murmur. Everyone noticed that about him. If he ever was uncomfortable or he wanted to avoid confrontation, usually with Tommy or Maria, his voice would cower lower and lower, until he just wouldn't speak and leave it at a nod.
"And you need to stop harassing Jesse about my patrols."
"Okay." Joel's voice was almost a whisper at that point, barely making any noise with each word he spoke. Ellie nodded, turning back from him to the trees surrounding Joel's patio. The snow left little snowflakes on both of their eyelashes, making it a bit harder to see. "Willow. Is she your girlfriend?"
"No! No." Ellie answered immediately, not really knowing how comfortable Joel was talking about something like that. He was in his forties, he never lived a truly normal life, she never knew what his true beliefs were. "I mean- I guess." She sighed, it really wasn't worth it. Joel had put everything up in the air the last few months, it was only fair that she did the same. "I really like her. "
Joel nodded, trying not to make her uncomfortable in any sense of the word. He was happy for her, he didn't know how long he'd have left, it was the damn apocalypse, for Pete's sake, but it was nice to know that Ellie would have someone she could trust. "Look, I have no idea what that girl's intentions are, but- I do know that she would be lucky to have you."
They succumbed to silence for a few moments, both on the verge of tears. Joel pursed his lips together, trying to make the feeling at the back of his throat go away. He just wanted to talk to Ellie like they did before the Fireflies secret hit the air. He just wanted Ellie back. He knew it was impossible, what he did was horrifying, but Ellie was the closest thing he'd had to a daughter in a long time, and he just wanted to be a father to someone again.
"You're such an asshole!" Ellie exclaimed, wiping a stray tear off of her cheeks with the sleeve of her shoulder.
"I'm not trying to-"
"I was supposed to die in that hospital." She stated, pressing her hands up against the wooden railing. "My life would've fucking mattered. But you took that from me." She breathed out heavily, trying not to cry under the pressure. More and more snowflakes dusted the two, landing almost perfectly on each little freckle Ellie had on her nose and cheeks.
Joel pushed his hands off of the railing, standing up straight. His eyes were half-open, an attempt to not let any of the tears that loomed in his eyes fall down his cheeks and bearded jaw. "If somehow the Lord gave me a second chance at that moment..." He trailed, letting his voice sink lower and lower as he bit back tears. "I would do it all over again."
Ellie looked taken aback. She thought he wouldn't take it back, Joel was like that. He always kept his word and actions to heart, and would constantly make an attempt to justify them. Admitting to his mistakes was out of character, which was strange. "Yeah... I just... I don't think I can ever forgive you for that." Her nose and eyes glowed red, both from her actively trying to blink back tears and the chilly temperatures. "But I would like to try." Her eyebrows furrowed as tears slipped from her eyes, and she watched as Joel let the floodgate go, spilling a few of his own here and there.
"I'd like that." His voice was merely a whisper as he spoke, it cracked as he cried softly. He was getting Ellie back. The Ellie that he had grown to absolutely adore over the time he had spent with her.
"Okay. I'll see you around." She stated, walking off of the porch and into the deep snow that surrounded her leather boots.
"Yep." He coughed, trying to avoid making any more blemishes in his talking due to his emotion.
Even though Joel was content, happier than he had been, Ellie just wished she would've said more.
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THE END.
STARTED: January 11th, 2021 COMPLETED: March 22nd, 2021
