Hey guys! So I had this pretty cool idea for a story for TLOU (SERIOUSLY THE BEST. GAME. EVER.) so I thought that I'd put it in writing! This takes place directly after the end of the first game. Also, this is NOT JoelxEllie or anything romantic like that. This is Joel/Ellie as a father/daughter type of relationship!
Disclaimer: I don't own any part of The Last Of Us. All rights go to Naughty Dog.
"Swear to me."
"What?"
"Swear to me that everything you said about the Fireflies is true."
"I swear."
"Okay."
"Now let's get to Tommy's. We're almost there." Joel said, gesturing towards Tommy's town. Without saying anything, Ellie continued walking behind Joel.
"You know, there might be some people your own age there. I reckon that we're going to start living normal lives from now on," Joel continued, hoping that Ellie would continue the conversation and not see straight through his lie.
"Yeah maybe." Ellie responded, seeming uninterested. Joel sighed and continued walking, deciding that Ellie wanted to process everything on her own. She had, after all, placed faith in the Fireflies that they could do something wonderful with her immunity. Something that defined her purpose.
"You have to tell Ellie the truth someday." Joel thought to himself, frowning at the thought. He knew that somehow, some way, the truth would come out. Joel knew that Ellie would be beyond furious, maybe to the point where his actions would be considered unforgiveable, if she found out from someone other than him. After all, the chances of other Fireflies finding out what Joel did, or the chances that even just one slipped away from Joel during the entire hospital incident, were probably high. There was officially a big target on Joel's back. He knew that there would be some sort of revenge attack or attempt to kidnap Ellie and bring her back for 'surgery' at some point.
He had to protect her.
"Look, we're at Tommy's now." Joel pointed out, looking at the large gate ahead of him. Ellie smiled lightly and looked away, staring at the ground.
"Well, I never thought I'd see your god damn face again big brother," A voice from above the gate said. Ellie and Joel looked up and saw Tommy grinning at them. He quickly opened the gate and let them both inside. He ran up to Joel and the two shared what Ellie called a "man-hug".
"I missed you Tommy," Joel said while hugging his brother, smiling.
"How have you been, Joel? Did you find everything you needed with the Fireflies? I thought that Ellie—"
"Another time, Tommy. We're actually pretty drained. It was one hell of a journey." Joel interrupted. Tommy nodded.
"How have you been, kiddo?" Tommy asked, looking down at Ellie.
"Fine I guess. I'm glad we're safe now," Ellie responded, smiling at Tommy.
Tommy, Ellie, and Joel began walking further into the town. Joel had never actually explored the area, since he spent his time killing bandits instead.
"Well, now that y'all are safe and sound, it's time that you guys start living normal lives again. That means that you two will live in a house, Ellie you'll be attending school—"
"School? Are you fucking kidding me?" Ellie cried out, exasperated.
"Ellie, watch your mouth." Joel warned, earning a frown from Ellie.
Tommy laughed out loud at Ellie's comment. "C'mon kiddo. Every kid has to go to school. It's important to learn math and science and—"
"Yeah yeah whatever." Ellie mumbled, kicking a small rock that was in front of her. The rock bounced off a house.
"Plus you'll meet people your own age. You can make some friends and have a chance at a real life. Plus, I'm sure you're tired of hanging out with this old grump," Tommy laughed, gesturing to Joel. Joel rolled his eyes.
"Somehow, I highly doubt that." Ellie responded, smiling at Joel. Joel couldn't help but smile at Ellie's comment. He felt a pang of guilt hit him, but he ignored it.
"I reckon you two have become a lot closer since you last came through Jackson," Tommy said, observing the sudden change in the attitude the two had towards each other.
"Joel? Ellie?" A voice called out. The three spun around and saw Maria running towards them.
"Hell, I didn't think you'd be coming back." Maria said, smiling at the two. She leaned up and kissed Tommy on the cheek.
"How have you been, Maria? Have you been treating my brother well?" Joel asked jokingly, smiling at her. Maria laughed.
"She most definitely has," Tommy mumbled, earning a light smack on the shoulder from Maria. Ellie scoffed and rolled her eyes at the couple.
"Anyways, I was coming here to tell you that dinner will be ready in twenty minutes. We have a dining hall just over there," Maria informed, pointing to a large white building in front of her.
"Dinner? What are we having?" Ellie asked, her stomach suddenly growling. Hell, it had been nearly a day since she had last eaten.
"Roast deer with mashed potatoes and salad. Oh, and strawberry parfait for dessert." Maria replied, smiling at Ellie.
"I have no idea what any of that is except for salad and deer," Ellie said, earning a laugh from the adults standing with her.
"I reckon you'll like it, Ellie." Joel commented.
"We have a house for you guys, if you'd like. Do you guys want to live together, or do you—" Tommy started.
"Together." Ellie interrupted. "Uh, if that's fine with you Joel… I uh,"
"Tommy, I'd love to have a house for me and Ellie," Joel said. Ellie, who had been feeling empty and vulnerable ever since the incident with David, had a sudden feeling of happiness growing inside her. She looked up at Joel and grinned.
"We have quite a few available actually. Right this way." Tommy said, leading them to a neighborhood.
The neighborhood consisted of a bunch of houses that must've been around before the outbreak of the Cordyceps infection. They were surprisingly in good shape and Joel didn't see any houses that were damaged or in ruins.
"Okay, houses 5, 8, 11, and 15 are open right here. Maria and I live in 1." Tommy said, pointing to a house on the corner.
"What do you think, Ellie? Which one do you like?" Joel asked.
"Wait, I get to pick?" Ellie asked, surprised.
"I don't see why not. Plus I'm sure you have better taste than me." Joel replied.
"I have to get back to helping Maria, but I'm sure you can manage finding a house. The keys for each of those four houses are under the doormats. We had some of the guys in the engine room make new ones since the original keys are probably long gone." Tommy stated. "Anyways, see y'all at dinner!" Tommy walked off, letting Joel and Ellie pick their home in private.
"Hmm.." Ellie walked down the street, inspecting all four available houses.
"Well houses 8 and 15 are only one-story and they look smaller than 5 and 11. I think it would be cool to have a house with stairs or some shit. Looks more complete. Maybe house 5 since it's closer to Tommy and Maria." Ellie stated, staring at the houses. Joel laughed lightly.
"Okay baby girl, house 5 it is." Joel said, nodding at the house. Ellie definitely did have better taste than he did. She picked the house that looked the most spacious, and was the most visually appealing on the outside. The house was made of red bricks, and had a small but cozy front porch. It was two stories tall and had a white painted lining around the door and windows. It looked a little worn out, and the paint was chipping, but it was a damn good place to live. Most importantly, it gave Ellie and Joel the chance to start a normal life.
Ellie and Joel went up to the house and Joel pulled out the key from under the mat. He opened the door and a cozy living room greeted them as they walked in. There were two couches and a small coffee table set up. On the far end of the living room was a doorway that led to a kitchen.
"This place is pretty fucking sweet." Ellie commented, looking around the living room.
Joel walked through the doorway in the living room, which revealed a medium-sized kitchen. A stove, microwave, oven, and fridge were all set up.
"I wonder if these things actually work." Joel wondered out loud, walking over to the stove. He turned one of the knobs on the stove, but it unfortunately did not start the fire that a normal stove would. He pushed a few buttons on the microwave, but it didn't turn on.
"Well, we can't get too comfortable too fast, can we?" Joel muttered. He turned around and noticed Ellie wasn't standing behind him.
"Ellie?!" He yelled.
"I'm over here!" Ellie yelled back. Joel sighed in relief. He was still in that protective mode that he had been in when he was traveling with Ellie. That panic mode that set in him whenever Ellie wasn't in his sight.
Joel followed Ellie's voice and found her looking at a stone setting on the wall. There was a hole in the wall with ashes in it.
"What the fuck is this thing?" Ellie asked, pointing to it.
"That's a fireplace. People use it to make fires in their homes for warmth in the winter. The smoke comes out the chimney."
"Oh, I see."
"You wanna take a look upstairs?" Joel asked, pointing at the stairs that were not too far from the fireplace.
"Sure," Ellie said.
The two walked up the stairs, which revealed three bedrooms and two bathrooms. One of the bedrooms was a lot bigger than the other two, which Joel figured was the master bedroom. The other two bedrooms were smaller, but still big enough to comfortably live in.
"Wow, multiple bedrooms. Looks like you and I can sleep separately and use our own bathrooms now." Ellie commented, shifting uncomfortably. She wasn't exactly sure how she felt about sleeping away from Joel, even though it was just across the hall.
Joel felt strange as well. It was going to take some getting used to to not sleep with Ellie right beside him.
"Yeah." Joel said. "Hey, we should get to dinner. Tommy n' Maria are waiting. I reckon you're quite hungry."
"I'm fucking starving, let's go!" Ellie exclaimed, running off.
"Slow down kiddo!" Joel yelled, running after her.
The two went to the dining hall where some volunteers were serving the deer, salad, and mashed potatoes. Ellie and Joel grabbed a plate and were given generous portions of deer, salad, and mashed potatoes. They looked around the dining hall, where there were tables set up.
"Joel! Over here!" Tommy called from the middle of the dining hall. He was seated with Maria.
"C'mon baby, let's go sit them them." Joel said to Ellie, who nodded and took a seat next to Maria.
"Hey guys," Joel greeted, eager to eat. He and Ellie were used to scarfing down whatever food they could find or hunt down, and Joel almost forgot about the proper table manners that people had when eating with company.
"So, Joel, which house did you end up picking?" Maria asked.
"Ellie and I picked house 5, the one just a few doors down from you n' Tommy. It's a nice, cozy place. Ellie picked a good one." Joel said, looking at Ellie. He opened his eyes in surprise when he saw Ellie shoving deer meat in her mouth, one bite after another, without completely chewing her food or closing her mouth.
"Ellie, we're not traveling alone anymore. Please eat slower, god damn you'll choke on the food." Joel said, trying not to laugh. Ellie immediately stopped and turned red.
"Oh shit, sorry. I forgot about fucking table manners." Ellie said, starting to chew the food more slowly.
"Ellie, what did I tell you about the swearing?"
"Oh, right. Sorry." Ellie looked up at Tommy and Maria, who just laughed and let it go.
"It's quite alright. I think that after what y'all went through some swearing doesn't matter." Tommy commented, taking a bite of the deer.
"The deer is really good, who made it?" Joel asked Maria, quickly swallowing it so that he wasn't talking with his mouth full of food.
"Me and a couple of people who work in the kitchen. They're pretty good cooks. There's one right now!" Maria said, gesturing to an older woman who was walking around with an apron.
"Milly!" Maria called. The old woman, who heard her name, came over and smiled at Maria.
"The deer is really good!" Ellie said, smiling at Milly.
"Why, thank you dear! I always loved to cook so I'm glad you're enjoying it." Milly responded.
"I'm Ellie, and this is Joel." Ellie said, introducing herself and Joel.
"Milly. Pleasure to meet you both!"
Milly smiled at the two and walked off to the kitchen. Ellie's plate was practically empty, and her stomach had never felt so full in her entire life.
"Oh man, I ate so fucking much." Ellie said, leaning back against her chair. She stretched her legs out and put her hands on her stomach. Joel chuckled.
"I told you not to eat so much that fast. Your body isn't used to eating this much. Just try to take it slow." Joel advised.
"Who wants dessert?" Milly asked, coming back to the table with a tray full of strawberry parfaits. Ellie, ignoring the fact that she was already stuffed, grabbed a bowl.
"Ellie, you said you were stuffed."
Ellie ignored Joel and took a bite of the fruity dessert. It was some sweet and cold type of yogurt topped with strawberries. The bottom of the bowl was coated with some sort of golden colored crust.
"This is so fucking delicious! Thanks Milly!" Ellie cried out, stuffing herself even more.
"Oh dear, you've got quite a sailor's mouth there." Milly commented. Joel raised an eyebrow at Ellie as a warning to behave. Ellie looked at Joel and smiled awkwardly.
"Uh, sorry Milly." Ellie mumbled, pushing around a strawberry with her spoon.
"Just don't do it again. I don't like swearing." Milly said, walking off.
"Jeez. She went from adorable grandma to stick-up-her-ass in a second." Ellie whispered, so that only Joel could hear it.
"You can have the rest of my dessert. I'm really really full now."
Joel, without hesitating, took Ellie's spoon and quickly ate the rest of her dessert. Maria looked at Joel, a little bit surprised, since she remembered that he wanted to get rid of her the last time he was in Jackson.
"Guys, thanks for the dinner. It really was delicious. Ellie and I are absolutely drained. I think we should head back for the night." Joel said to Maria and Tommy.
"Of course. Have a good night. Oh also, the power is down right now but it should be running by tomorrow morning. Maybe you can make some breakfast in your own house with the food in the cabinets. Or you can come to the dining hall again. We serve food three times a day." Maria informed. Joel nodded and stood up.
"Good night." Ellie said, walking off with Joel.
Joel and Ellie walked back to their house, which was only five minutes away from the dining hall. Joel took the time to understand his surroundings and get a familiar feeling of the area.
"So what'd you think of dinner?" Ellie asked, breaking Joel's concentration.
"It was good. I haven't eaten like that in a long damn time."
"Same. I'm so full it feels uncomfortable to walk." Ellie said, groaning. Joel laughed.
"Take it easy next time. Hopefully I'll be able to fix you up a small breakfast tomorrow mornin'."
Joel and Ellie both walked back to their new house. Joel pulled out his key and opened the door, entering inside with Ellie.
"Ya know, I think that both of us need showers." Joel said, brushing off some dirt and dust from his worn out shirt.
"Yeah, we both stink probably. Will the water work?"
"Let's try it."
Joel and Ellie walked upstairs and into the master bathroom. Ellie walked up to the shower and turned the knob.
Nothing.
"God fucking dammit!" Ellie cried out, kicking the shower wall. All of a sudden, some pipes began to creak inside of the walls.
"Ellie, what did you—" Joel couldn't finish his sentence because the two of them suddenly got drenched with cold water.
"Hey, I got the shower to work!" Ellie exclaimed, laughing at Joel's shocked expression. The two quickly hopped out of the shower, leaving a puddle on the floor.
"You can go first. I think you need that bath more than I do." Joel joked, earning a shove from Ellie.
Joel laughed and walked to the bedroom, where there were cabinets and drawers.
"Fuck you man, you smell like shit too." Ellie said, looking through the cabinets and drawers for towels and clothes. To her surprise, she found a stack of clothes in one of the dresser drawers. She pulled them all out and placed them on the bed.
"What do we have here?" Ellie said, looking through the clothes. She pulled out a black T-shirt, which was far too big for her small frame. She held up the shirt, which said, "My parents told me I could become anything, so I became an asshole" in bright white letters. Ellie laughed.
"Oh man, this is fucking amazing! I'm so gonna wear this!" Ellie exclaimed. She grabbed a pair of shorts as well, which was a little too big for her as well. She noticed strings hanging from the pants, which meant that she could tie it as tight as possible.
"Of all the shirts in the world, the person living here before us decided to buy that." Joel said, rolling his eyes. "Hell, it is pretty funny though."
Unfortunately for Ellie, there were no extra bras or undergarments for her to wear. "I'll just wash those while I'm in the shower and hang them to dry in my room." Ellie thought.
"Okay, I'm gonna go in the shower." Ellie said, closing the door and hopping into the shower. Joel sighed and looked through the pile of clothes, deciding on an old Bob Dylan T-shirt and a pair of shorts that looked like they could fit him perfectly. He even found some clean boxers.
"Oh man, my hair is so fucking dirty!" He heard Ellie yell from the shower.
"Just keep cleaning the dirt out!" Joel called back. He walked over to the over bathroom on the floor, seeing if it would work. Sure enough, it didn't.
After about twenty minutes, Joel realized that Ellie was taking a really long time in the shower. He knocked on the door.
"Ellie! You've been in there long 'nuff!"
"Sorry sorry! I'm done now!" Ellie called back. Joel heard the water turn off, and a few seconds later Ellie came out of the shower, wrapped in a towel. She was dripping wet, and her hair was down.
"I've never seen you without a ponytail," Joel commented, smiling at Ellie.
"That's because it's hard to kill off those hunter fuckers or clickers with hair getting in the way." Ellie said, walking over to the clothes she chose. Joel walked into the bathroom and closed the door. Ellie changed into her new T-shirt, smiling at the message written across it. Ellie walked to the room next to the master bedroom and placed her undergarments, now clean, to dry.
Joel stepped out of the bathroom about ten minutes later, looking a lot cleaner and fresher than before. The dirt from his hair and face was all gone, and he had a towel wrapped around his waist. He put on the Bob Dylan shirt and the shorts he found, happy with the fact that they both fit comfortably.
"Ellie?" He called out, hearing no response. Once again in the panic mode, he rushed into the hallway and into the next room – only to find Ellie asleep in one of the beds. He noticed a revolver sitting on the dresser right next to her bed, perfectly within arms reach. He sighed in relief and walked over to her.
"Good night baby girl." Joel whispered, leaning down and kissing her on the forehead. He looked at her lovingly one last time before going back to his bedroom to sleep.
AAAAAND that's a wrap of chapter 1. I know it was kind of slow and nothing exciting really happened, but I needed to set the setting and the background before getting into the really good stuff. I think that seeing how Joel and Ellie will fit into this town's society is important. After all, details are super important, and they definitely help in the understanding of the future events. BUT DON'T WORRY! I have some really exciting stuff for you guys planned. In the meantime, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW (and follow/favorite)! Reviews and feedback keep me going on the story! I already know what's going to happen in Chapter 2 (it's a lot more eventful than chapter 1 hahaha) so please please please please REVIEW so that I know you guys want me to go on!
