After the end

twelve

Lexi had gone into Ellie's room after a few hours of sleep and they were just talking until Joel entered the room. Lexi needed to say sorry to Lexi about what happened but she didn't have the chance earlier because she was yelling at Maria. "Why are you here?" Ellie asked which made Lexi turn to the door to see her husband at the door. "I came to talk to you." His voice was meek. "No. I mean like why are you here? Both of you. If you're gonna ditch me, ditch me." Lexi furrowed her eyebrows, what was she on about. Ditching her? why would they do that. "I have to leave her, you have to take her. You know I stood up for you today because I thought-" Ellie paused, shaking her head and looking at the diary. Joel looked at the floor, he didn't intend for her to hear that. He thought it was only him and Tommy. "I made the decision for your own good. You'll be better off with Tommy. He knows the area better-" "Do you give a shit about me or not?" Ellie asked raising her voice, then slammed the diary shut and threw it down on the bay window. "Of course I do." Joel replied and Lexi didn't know what to say, she just stood there. "Then what are you so afraid off?" Ezra was now in the room too listening in on what's going on. "That I'm gonna end up like Sam. I can't get infected. I'm not her you know. Maria told me and Ezra about Sarah and-" well this got out of hand quickly. "Don't. You are treading on some mighty thin ice." Joel shook his head, Ezra and Lexi looked at the floor as the other two continued to argue. "I'm sorry about your daughter Joel, but both me and Ezra have lost people too." She saw Ezra and decided he needed to be defended too and stop being so quiet. "Ellie don't." Ezra said but the teen shook her head in response before looking back at Joel. "You both have no idea what loss is." Joel spat, his voice full of venom and anger. Lexi eyes widened at his words. Why did he say that? They have both lost a lot. "Everyone I have cared for has either died or left me." Ezra looked at Joel then to Ellie because he slowly realised that besides the people he recently met he literally lost eveyone he cared for. His mum, his dad, Henry, Sam and his dog. "Everyone fucking except for you, Lex and Ezra!" Ellie shoved Joel back to where Lexi and Ezra were now next to each other and the two both put their hands up to make sure he didn't fall. "So don't tell me I would be safer with someone else. Because the truth is I would just be more scared!" Joel breathed out and Lexi knew something bad was about to come. "You're right. You're not my daughter, and I sure as hell ain't your dad. Now come dawn... We're going our separate ways." Joel passed the gap between Lexi and Ezra and Joel looked at his wife before walking out. Ezra was hot on his heels. Lexi looked at Ellie, tears brimming in her eyes.

"You okay?" Lexi asked. "Sorry stupid question. Of course you're not." Ellie just stood there with tears rolling down her face. "Come here kid." Ellie walked into Lexi's arms, her tears staining the jacket Lexi was wearing. "We both had an emotional night huh." They both got to the bed Lexi sitting with Ellie right next to her. Outside the room Ezra was calling out Joel's name but he was ignoring it. "Joel! Stop! Jo-" Joel slammed Ezra into the wall, grabbing his shirt collar. "Don't start with me Ezra." His voice was even more angrier and more filled with venom as he spoke to him. "Calm down, just breath." Joel slammed his hand on the wall next to Ezra's head which made the younger guy flinch. "Don't tell me to fucking calm down. And never. Never. Call me your dad or anything like that again! Like I said to Ellie, I'm not your dad. You are not my son! You understand!" Ezra's eyes were watering at his words. "I'm sorry." Joel let go of his shirt collar. "Thought you said you were tougher than this. Stop being so soft." Joel spat before he walked off and Ezra just breathed out and slid down the wall, tears falling down his cheeks and they wouldn't stop. Joel was right though, they weren't farther and son, but what he said sounded just like his dad in his nightmare and Ezra can't deal with that again. Rosa was walking around the corner looking for Ezra and saw him crying on the floor. Rosa's eyes widened as she recognized Ezra and she ran over to him pulling him in for a tight hug. Ezra was sobbing into the girls shoulder and Rosa was rubbing his back in comfort. "Hey it's okay. You're gonna be okay." Ezra then pulled away from her and wiped his eyes and saw Rosa jacket had a patch of tears from where he cried on her shoulder. "Shit I'm sorry about that." Rosa shook her head at him. "Don't worry there's been worse on that, she walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder and Ezra placed his hand on her hand.