You and Me

Welcome to this one-shot galore! This will be filled with one-shots and little stories revolving around our two favorite people, Joel and Ellie. Enjoy!

"Ellie! No!" Joel's screams were barely audible over the heavy downpour of the rain and the loud gunshots of the cannibal bandits. Joel managed to shoot the remaining bandit and rushed to his baby girl who was lying motionlessly on the ground. Her left hand was on her stomach and her right arm was flailing around, as if searching for Joel . Joel took her in his arms and began to add pressure on the wound, praying to himself that she would be okay and that she wouldn't leave him. That this was fixable and that he'd hear her laugh and tell him bad jokes.

"Ellie, baby, don't leave me. Don't do this. Please." Joel said, as his hands nervously tried to block the blood that was creating a large puddle on the side. He looked at her long and hard. Her hair was messy and tangled up. Her face was utterly pale and tired. Her mouth was gasping for air, begging for oxygen to reach her lungs. She whimpered at his touch. "Jo-Joel?" she managed to say, as if talking made the pain even worse.

"I'm here baby girl. I'm here, I ain't leaving you." He quickly said, too frantic and scared over the situation. Her hand went to his face and caressed him gently. His beard prickled her skin, but she couldn't feel it. She couldn't feel a thing anymore. Life was draining away from her body. Her blood stained her clothes. Breathing became painful. Ellie's once happy eyes vanished, leaving a spiritless look in its place.

"Ellie? Ellie, say something! Anything! Don't stay quiet! Please don't fucking leave me!" Joel screamed. His tears were falling freely. His throat became dry. "Thank you Joel. F-For everything. I'm.." Ellie coughed hard, blood spewing from her mouth, making Joel cry even harder. "You've been the coolest thing that ever happened to me." Ellie whispered her final words. Her hand dropped from his face. Her eyes were motionless. Her mouth stayed open. Her body still. Joel stayed silent, not accepting or analyzing what has happened. He noticed that her chest stopped heaving, and her mouth not moving.

"Ellie? ELLIE! NO! NO!" Joel screamed at the girl he treasured. His voice soon reduced to whimpers and sobs as he cradled her dead body in his arms, the images of Sarah flashed in his head. Reminding him of her death. He hugged her body hard, his sole reason for surviving has left him. His smile, his laugh, his reason to be was gone forever. The sense of failure and guilt washed over him. Marlene's words were all he could hear now. "You can't save her. Even if you get her out of here, then what? How long before she's torn to pieces by a pack of clickers? That is if she hasn't been raped and murdered first."

Joel looked at Ellie one last time, stood up, and shot himself.

"NO! ELLIE!" Joel shouted as he woke from his nightmare. He was covered in sweat and tears. His eyes searched for Ellie who was by his side, trying to calm him down.

"Christ, Joel. I'm here." Ellie sat on his cot and rubbed his back, mimicking what he does when she used to have a bad dream. She grabbed a piece of cloth and started to wipe away the sweat. Joel was breathing hard. His frantic eyes met Ellie's peaceful ones and he grabbed her and hugged her hard, releasing whatever tears he has left. Ellie, in shock, stayed frozen for a second, but recovered and hugged him back and whispered to him that she's here. Joel just wanted to feel her heart beating again. To hear her voice again. To tell him that they're okay.

"Joel, it's okay. We're okay. We're in Tommy's settlement. We're safe. She released herself from his death grip and looked into his startled eyes. Fuck, she has never seen him like this. Sure, she saw him have plenty of nightmares that can really fuck someone up, but man, this one's a first. She wiped a tear that was threatening to fall from his eye and half-smiled. "Wanna talk about it?" She asked, rubbing his arm.

Joel grunted in response, and recovered from his state of shock and fear. Jesus Christ, that dream felt so real. He looked at his surroundings, taking in the warmth of the cabin that Tommy made for them. He's been really happy since his older brother came back. Throwing parties and gatherings. Ellie enjoyed them a whole lot more than he did though, but as long as that kid was happy so was he.

"Just.. Just a bad dream." Joel said, rubbing his eyes with his large hands. Ellie rolled her eyes. "No shit, Joel. C'mon tell me. I bet you'll feel a lot better if you let it out." Her voice was encouraging. It was the best sound ever. Joel gave in, spilling to her what happened in the dream. How her death resembled the death of his late daughter Sarah. How he ended up killing himself. After the incident with the Fireflies, Ellie confronted Joel about it, and he told her what really happened, to say that she was angry was a fucking understatement, but she soon forgave him and moved on. He promised that he wouldn't lie to her anymore. Ellie wasn't shocked to hear about the dream, as he had this dream more than once, but she couldn't help but feel sad whenever he has a bad dream, especially if it reminded him of his daughter. "Joel, you're never gonna lose me. You're gonna need more than a bullet to get me out." Ellie joked, trying to lighten the mood. Joel tried to smile, he really did, but he was too tired, too wearied out. The dream really fucked him up, and Ellie noticed that.

"How about you go back to sleep? I'll do what you do to me when I have a bad dream. Just lay down, take a deep breath and close your eyes." He did as he was told, too tired to object, and closed his eyes. Ellie curled up next to him, so she's facing him, and begins to brush his growing hair from his forehead.

"You need a haircut… And a good shave." Ellie whispered, with a cheeky smile playing on her face. Joel's eyes were closed but he could feel her smile. He grinned at her, at her jokes, at her warmth, and finally slept a peaceful slumber.

"You're never gonna lose me."

A/N: Well, there you have it. My first TLOU one-shot. I hope I portrayed the characters correctly, if I didn't please hit me up with some tips and advice. Constructive criticism is welcomed. Now I have one question. Would you folks like it if I started a story about another female survivor (around her early 40s) who meets the duo in the settlement and like grows attached to Ellie in a motherly way, and possible attached to Joel romantically? We all saw Joel as a father towards Sarah and Ellie, but how about him loving again? Would be pretty fucking cool if ya ask me. So please, don't forget to review! Thanks for reading!