"Swear to me." Ellie said, eyes as hopeful as they were doubtful. She knew what kind of man he was. A deceitful, aggressive "survivor." But this was his last chance.

"Swear to me that everything you said about the fireflies was true."

Joel shifted around, locking his attention on her face as if that would make what he was about to say any more believable. "I swear."

And there it was. The lie she couldn't take. "Okay." She said. "I'm sorry."

Her back was turned to him, and the wind pushed against her face. The sun was high up in the sky. It was only noon, and they had only been driving for about an hour. Heading back now would result in a destination met before dark. It was time to say goodbye to this man.

"Wha- sorry for what?" He asked, breaking his sentence up and tossing in some attitude.

"They fucking told me, Joel." She barked. "The doctors. There were no others like me, you're lying."

His mouth hung open, and his eyes squinted, trying to think of something to say, but all he could really do, was let her speak.

"I was supposed to die. Riley was waiting for me, and she still is. Do you have any idea what you've done? I was ready."
"No. No, that was not your purpose, Ellie."
"What the hell do you know about my purpose? You should have let Tommy take me."

"If you knew, than why didn't you say anything? Why wait until now?"

"Would you have let me out of the truck?"

He said nothing, just stared, trying to figure out what that meant. What she was planning on doing.

"I'm going back, Joel. This is goodbye." She said with a cracking voice.

Knowing that death was imminent was hard. She'd go to sleep, and never wake up. Her consciousness would slowly disappear from the universe, but it sounded like a sweet exchange for the promised safety of others. It made it easier to let herself go.

"Do you really think I'll just let you leave?" He laughed. Laughed like an evil man. Ellie knew he was cynical, but he was never that way towards her. "After everything we've been through together, you think I'll just let you basically go and kill your damn self?"

"Not. Your. Choice. You aren't my dad, remember? And I 'sure as hell ain't' your daughter."

Those words he said to her back then were bitter, but it was only a wall that was torn down almost as fast as it was built. She was his daughter, for all intents and purposes, and it was obvious that Ellie loved him back, otherwise, that conversation never would have taken place.

"You don't mean that." He said, pointing, and shuffling his feet "This is not goodbye, you don't mean that."

For the first time since they met, this was a first, where Joel showed her his weaknesses. Now his voice was actually shaking. He was scared, and it was apparent. Losing Sara was hard. Now he had to lose someone he loved all over again

Ellie grit her teeth, regretting saying that. Joel's tough guy act rubbed off on her since the incident at the hotel. It had to, they'd both be dead if it hadn't, but it wasn't hard to tell that the act, was just an act. A curtain. She didn't want to hurt him.

There was nothing left to say. Every minute they spoke was another minute wasted, and if she got stuck in the dark, danger would increase. It wasn't that she was in a hurry to die, she just didn't plan on dying the wrong way. Getting eaten by a pack of clickers was definitely the wrong way.

She took a step, but no more. Joel had wrapped both of his arms around her, refusing to let go, refusing to let that child go and be sacrificed over something that may not even work. "You'll have to kill me first, Ellie."

"God-damn-IT!" She hollered in frustration, palms of her hands on his forearms, pushing down so she could try to inch up little by little. "Joel, JOEL let go of me!"

He let go, but turned her around so if she ran, she'd have to run past him first, where he would be able to catch her.
"I don't know what you think you're doing. You and Tess, you were just hires meant to get me from point A, to point B. It's time to let go."

"You're one to talk, don't ya think? A little while ago, you were damn close to TEARS at the thought of me leaving. Now you wanna play the one with the cold heart, huh? Well I can be just as cold." He promised. "Hate me all you want, but you ain't going no where."

She raised her gun up, finding all the courage in the world to pull the trigger by thinking of all the people who have died in this new world. If he wouldn't let her go, she'd shoot him. Shoot him in the leg to give him a chance of living, but not a chance of catching her.

He was shocked. After all those months having each others backs, after all those close calls, here she was holding a gun to him. For a second it made him think he really did do something wrong, but no longer. Memories flashed in his head. They were of her, and him, from back when they first met, from finding random places to wait out the rain, and all the things he taught her. Even her annoying whistling would be something he'd miss, but the thought of her not growing up tore him up the most. An image of her lifeless, cold body laying on a slab snapped something in his brain.

Joel's body turned to the side, quick as lightening, before Ellie could even realize what was happening. His fingers pushed down on her wrist, and a shot was fired into the ground. Felt like 3 seconds went by and he had her gun in his hands.

"I'm going to find Marlene one way or another."

"Marlene is dead!" He yelled, biting his lip right after her said it, sighing because he couldn't believe how dumb he was.

This is where Ellie cried.