Right where you left me {a Joel Miller fanfiction}

Chapter 7 - Gun Song

"I don't own a single gun. But if I did you'd be the one, to hold it, aim it, make all of the bad men run. But I don't own a single gun." - Gun Song, The Lumineers

-—————————————————————-

May 2018, Pennsylvania, Bill's Town

It had been a year since the day Bridget had broken into Joel Miller's apartment, with the intention of taking the supplies she needed, disappearing from Boston for good. Since that day she had kept her promise to the smugglers, helping them out twice a week. That arrangement eventually grew to three days, then four and by the end of the year she had become so close with two out of the three smugglers that she was around them at nearly every waking minute. They made the idea of being in Boston indefinitely seem bearable apart from her and Joel's ongoing feud.

It was no surprise that Bridget and Joel still butted heads on nearly every occasion, the man hadn't exactly been a fan of the woman who tried to rob them and cut his brother's throat in the process. The rest of the group had seemed to move on from that but Joel still wasn't over it and was never equipped for her back talk that was always directed at him. Sometimes he wished he could find a way to shut her up, but that would open a full other side of emotions that he wasn't ready to admit he was feeling yet.

They were both becoming slightly more tolerable though, as the months went by. If not for each other's benefit then it was just to please Tommy and Tess, who both desperately tried their best to get them to bond, mainly sending them to Bill and Frank's alone on supply runs. The journey between Boston and Pennsylvania was a good five days on foot, proving a real test of their tolerance towards one and other.

In the beginning Tommy would joke that only one of them would come back alive from it but as time went by the pair realised they had more in common that they thought and Joel started acting a little less like he didn't still want to shoot her every five minutes, which was progress for Joel.

It was one of those rare hot days at the end of spring, the type of heat that made the group of smugglers thankful that they were out of the cramped conditions of the QZ. While this hadn't been the first time Bridget had been to Bill's town by now, she had never stopped to enjoy the beauty and normality of it all. For the majority of the time she was just doing quick deals, but Frank was persistent on getting to know her so he had somehow managed to convince Bill to let him put on another dinner for the group.

"Can I just say how lovely it is to be back here again," Tess spoke up, taking another sip of the wine that had been hand picked out of the large collection Bridget had been told Bill kept in his bunker.

"I know and especially with the new exciting company," Frank turned his attention to Bridget, lowering his voice slightly, "I mean these guys are great, but you only have so much conversation in an apocalypse. It's nice to have someone new."

It was fair to say that Frank had taken an immediate liking to the younger woman, eager to know every small story that had led her to where she was now. Bridget tried to push away the dread she felt about opening up to more people, the smugglers barely knew the first thing about her past.

"Well I'm glad I can be of some entertainment, since you've provided such a lovely meal. I don't remember the last time I had decent food or alcohol for that matter."

"You've had alcohol before? Are we sure you're even over the legal drinking age Adams," Tommy teased.

"Very funny. I turned twenty-six at the start of this year, I think I'm way past the legal age," Bridget responded, rolling her eyes at the man sitting diagonally from her before bringing the glass to her lips once again.