Save each other // Joel Miller

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"Captain Fluff, I'm gonna need you to work with me here." Sophie pleads with the lone sheep standing in front of her. It had been a busy morning of chasing the herd around, trying to get them to listen, leading up to this point. A stand-off between the redhead and the mockingly bored, lazily chewing animal.

An exasperated sigh escapes her lips and she drops her head, her hands on her knees and completely faltering at the defeat. It was not the end of the world for her, but she could already hear the sound of Joel's mockery ringing through her ears. He would never let it down if she asked for help again.

"Looks like you're getting the shit end of the deal here." A voice sounded behind Sophie, making her jump. She spun around to find Ellie leaning in the doorway with a smirk on her face.

"Ellie!" Sophie smiled, jogging over to her and wrapping her arms around her in a hug.

It had been about a month since they had seen Ellie last. She had traveled back to Jackson, updated everyone on the couple's activities, and decided to live in both places. She would take a few weeks in one place and then pack up and go back to the other.

Dina stayed in Jackson as her pregnancy progressed and Ellie was spending a little more time there rather than on the farm recently. Sophie and Joel enjoyed their little secluded sanctuary but Ellie's visits were always celebrated and welcomed.

"How's the better half?" Sophie asked, pulling away slightly but keeping her hands on Ellie's shoulders. Ellie chuckled nervously, making Sophie scrunch her eyebrows in concern.

"Actually, I'm glad you mentioned that. Where's Joel? I think he'll want to hear this next part."

Ellie's response did nothing to ease the worry Sophie felt. She motioned for Ellie to follow as she walked through the door and out into the field. Down the pasture a ways, Sophie spotted Joel, tromping through the shin-deep snow along the fence line. His face serious with concentration as he examined it.

"Hey! Old man!" Ellie called out, her mitten-clad hands cupping around her mouth. "If you're wondering what that is, it's called a fence."

Joel stopped mid-stride. He shook his head at her comment, but couldn't keep a smile from creeping onto his face. Sophie mirrored the look, a warmth flowering through her chest at the entire scene. Joel and Ellie were the most important people to her and to each other. She was forever grateful to be able to know and love them.

Joel eventually reached them as they waited, greeting her with open arms, and walking back to the home with a few passing questions. They all shed their outer gear and settled at the dining room table. They chatted happily for a while until their small talk dwindled down. A thick silence, paired with expecting looks from Sophie and Joel, made Ellie fidget in her seat.

"Okay, okay." Ellie began, a slight edge to her tone. "Im just gonna cut through the bullshit. I'm not here to stay for a while. I'm here to try and convince Sophie to come back with me."

Sophie stiffened in her chair. She wasn't sure what was bothering Ellie but she definitely wasn't expecting this. Her heart pounded in her chest as her brain raced with the possible reasons why.

"Explain." Joel said sternly after a beat of silence between them. His hand snaked under the table and gave Sophie's thigh a reassuring squeeze.

"Right. Yeah. Um, both Barb and Dina sent me. Dina is getting close to her due date and well..." Ellies words fell over themselves, obviously nervous at the idea of the baby being born.

"They want me to come back and deliver this baby," Sophie says, realization hitting her like a brick wall. Ellie swallowed hard and nodded.

Of course, Barb would want help and if she talked to Dina about it, that would be two forces of nature forcing Ellie into this awkward position. Sophie smiles softly at Ellie, trying to comfort her. Then looks to Joel, who was already watching her. His deep eyes searched her face and his hand still squeezed her leg.