Author's Note: Okay, so, hi! This is new for me. I usually write stories for TV shows and junk, but I recently played the Last of Us and I AM HOOKED! Best game ever. Ten out of ten. The main characters were so well developed, the villians were so hate-able (is that a word?), the graphics were amazing, and the plot was perfect. Even if it had the Sam dude. I really hated him...Getting all comfy with Ellie...Ugh.

I tried to make them in character as much as possible.

A fanfic without reviews is Joel without Ellie. It's just wrong.

The silence was strange and scary. Calling her name in a semi-calm tone, Joel crept through the building. There was a bumping sound, and he began to panic slightly. Where was she? Was she alright? Damn it, she really needed to stop running off. He'd have a heart attack if she kept it up.

Ellie had taken off again after an argument and Joel was slowly tracking her down. She was getting better at covering her tracks. He was starting to regret teaching her.

The bumping noise was heard again, along with a faint cry. Joel picked up the pace, hurrying towards a large metal door. The voice was clearer now, and it was most definitely Ellie. He discovered the door had been blocked by a bent pipe, and there was no way he could bend it with his bear hands.

"Ellie!" He called, pounding on the door.
"Joel! Took you long enough, I thought I was going to fucking die in here!" came her response. Joel closed his eyes with a sigh.

"You alright?" He asked.
"I-I don't know. I can't move my leg, and I can't see."

"Okay," the older man breathed, feeling the familiar pang of worry hit him. He raised his voice, "I'm getting you out of there. Just…don't move."

"Yea, okay. I'll cancel the fucking acrobatics," Ellie replied sarcastically.

Joel looked around for anything he could use. They were in a butcher's shop, and other than a few odds and ends, everything was gone. He opened a cabinet, several drawers, and a chest. There was nothing that would break the pipe.

"Hurry the fuck up! It's not exactly warm and comforting in here," Ellie grumbled. He rolled his eyes.

"I'm looking, I'm looking," Joel assured, checking his supplies. Nail bomb, smoke bomb, health kit, bottle…Damn it, there had to be something he could use! Wait...Flamethrower?

"Ellie, move away from the door," he said, reloading his flamethrower. He heard shuffling that he guessed was her moving.

"Okay, all clear." With the assurance that he wouldn't accidentally burn her, Joel began to melt the pipe. After a while, the pipe clanked to the floor. Joel didn't waste time. In a matter of seconds, he was beside Ellie.

"Who locked you in here?" Joel said, picking her up. She shrugged.

"Another perverted hunter guy. He said he'd be back soon to finish me, so we could wait around to get revenge," Ellie grinned at him. Joel scowled.

"You're not saying what I think you're saying, are you?"

Ellie studied his expression. Finally, she laughed.
"Nah, I was going say lock him in there. But…I am kind of liking your idea."

There was a lurch as he jerked to a stop. Joel's look was priceless. She couldn't help but giggle.

"Joel, relax. I'm just fucking with you."

"Guess your leg's magically cured," He commented as he started back towards camp. Ellie winced, glaring at nothingness.

"No, it still hurts," she huffed.

She hated herself for getting trapped and hurt. So much for showing Joel she could handle being on her own. Ellie swore that guy came out of nowhere. If she only had her gun handy, that bastard would've been taken care of. Ugh, it made her sick to think of what would've happened if the man hadn't of been distracted by a clicker or if Joel hadn't come looking for her.

"Thanks, by the way." Joel glanced down in confusion. "For saving my ass, for being there, and for caring enough to come and get even if I called you an asshole. You are an asshole sometimes, though."

He chuckled, shifting his grip on her.

"It's my job. And I have to say…I sort of like my job."

She pouted. "Only sort of like it?"

Joel smiled and shook his head before saying, "Alright, I love my job. But sometimes it gets annoying."

"Was that really necessary?" Ellie muttered, crossing her arms. Joel gave a little shrug, arriving at the room they were camping in.

"Yea, I like to think so." He shifted to the right as he opened the door. Ellie hissed in pain, clutching her leg. In the better light, Joel could see the blood seeping through her jeans on her lower leg. It seemed to be a long but shallow cut stretching from her knee to her mid-calf. It was jagged and there were bits of glass embedded in it.

"Shit," He mumbled, setting her down on one of the two mattresses.

"That bad, huh?" Ellie sighed.

"It's nothing too serious, but it'll take a while to fix," Joel answered, searching for a bottle of alcohol.

"I still think we should take care of that son of a bitch," she said, ignoring the burning pain when the liquid made contact with the wound.

"He'll be a probably if we don't," Joel agreed. He plucked a glass shard from her leg.

"Ouch, shit, Joel! Be more careful, would you?" Ellie bit her lip as he jerked out yet another shard.

"It'll be over soon, princess." The girl glared.

"You know I hate that nickname."

"That's why I used it."

"Jerk," Ellie said, shoving his shoulder lightly.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Joel deadpanned. He stood up, grabbed his pistol, and walked to the door.

"You coming or am I supposed to capture the bastard by myself?" Ellie scrabbled after him.

"We're not going to kill him, right?" she asked, eyeing his gun.

"As much as I'd like to, no."

"Joel!"

"He did try to rape and kill you, baby girl," Joel reasoned, forcing himself not to think about how satisfying torturing the hunter would be. A horrible thought crossed his mind.

"He didn't do anything before I got to you did he?"

Ellie looked confused for a split second. Then she grimaced, searching her switchblade in her pocket.
"No, a clicker distracted him. Besides, I would've castrated him before he had the chance."

Joel chuckled. "That's my girl."