Disclaimer :I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

A/N: This story is going to be post every Sunday now, thanks for reading.

Chapter 10 : Back to the present

(Three days later)

Joel is sitting on top of an old wooden box inside an old barn. He is moving the wood in the fire pit with a stick to keep the fire alive. The fire is keeping the place a little warm as the snowstorm outside continues whipping the walls with hard winds and snow. He is lost with thoughts in his head. He is trying to stay focused and calm, but the only thing in his mind right now is Ellie. He doesn't understand how this happened… again. He was so close to getting her back in that camp, but he lost her again. And after they left... after the Fireflies that got her and the boy, another storm hit them a few hours after they got out of there. He wants to blame Bibi, the woman that betrayed them, even if it was to keep her son alive. But he can't blame her for trying to save her son's life, because he probably would've done the same. This is his fault, too; he became so blind in trusting people in the last 4 years that he let his guard down.

He trusted this woman, and now Ellie is gone. Yeah, she is helping him now, but Ellie's still gone, and every day that passes makes it harder to find her.

Of course, the woman saved his life when she changed her mind about helping those people. She asked for his forgiveness and told him that she is going to help him get Ellie back. But all that is not going to change the fact that those assholes got Ellie, and now the Fireflies. Besides, she needs him, too, to get her boy back. He feels a little sorry for the boy; she said that he was only five, but there's something he doesn't get. He probably knows why they took Ellie, if they recognized her, but why take the boy? Maybe they didn't want to leave the boy alone back there after they killed everyone in that camp. But he knows that he is starting to get soft, and that is not good in this world. The life in Jackson has been good... no need to worry much about infected, and that's good for Ellie.

But as good as it was, it made him more careless and softened his instincts. Being with Ellie changed all that, too - not only Jackson. She opened his heart again and made him try to be a better person. But out here, all that needs to change: he needs to become the old him if he wants to get his Ellie back. But those words that that man told them: 'The Fireflies took them' the Fireflies was a name that he didn't want to hear ever again. But now they're back again, and that makes him wonder if they ever are going to let Ellie and him live in peace.

How did they even find her, anyway? ...and why were they still looking for her after all these years? ...Are they still looking for a cure? He killed all those doctors in Lake Salt City, but he knows that the Fireflies in that hospital weren't all of them. He thought that when he killed Marlene, the Fireflies were going to fall apart and stop looking for Ellie. It looks like he was wrong, but all that doesn't matter now... he needs to find her… No, he is going to find her, and if they do something to her, they all are going to pay.

They are lucky that he found the horses in the camp. That those assholes didn't take them with them, or kill them. He thought that maybe they were in such a hurry that they didn't check the whole place out. Having the horses helped a lot, but when the storm started to get worse, they needed to find a place to stay until it slowed down. Lucky for them, they found an old barn that was in good shape and used it to get protection from the storm. Yes, it's difficult for them to go on now, but the good news is that the Fireflies are probably stuck, too. The problem is, where? This region is too big, and knowing where they're going is going to be a problem.

"Hey, you haven't eaten anything yet." A familiar voice takes Joel out of his thoughts.

The woman comes from the back of the barn where they put the horses, and sits on the other side of the wood fire. "I ain't hungry," he says with a hard voice. "We're wasting time here... we should continue looking for her," says Joel, not looking at her but at the fire.

Bibi lowers her head and looks at the fire, too. "Look, I know that you're worried about Ellie... I get that," she starts, then she lifts her head to look at him.

"Remember that they have my boy, too, and he is only five. I want him back as much as you do her, but killing ourselves in this storm is not going to help them."

Joel lifts his head and looks at her. "And how are we going to do that, hum?... They have a vehicle, and time ahead of us. And this fucking storm now has erased any tracks that we had of them."

"Don't worry about that - this storm is delaying us, but them, too. No matter what vehicle they're using, it's not going to get them out from this mountain. There's only one way out from here, and with this storm, that way out is going to be blocked. And there is only one place where they can go."

Joel stands up and moves close to her. "If you know where they are... why are we wasting time in here? I know these Firefly people, and if we don't get them before they get off this mountain,

I'm never going to see Ellie again, and I'm not going to let that happen," says Joel, moving away and toward the horses.

Bibi stands up and follows him, and before he gets to the horse, she grabs his arm, making him turn around to look at her. "Look, I know that this is my fault, and that you're still mad at me. I get it. But don't let that cloud your mind. It's going to be dark soon, and if you go out there now, you're going to kill yourself, and then who is going to save Ellie?"

( low blow) But he is not going to waste any more time in there. "I've been outside in worse conditions than this. So don't tell me what I can't do." He shakes her hand off and starts to move away again. "And I want to know why the Fireflies would take your son?... Because the last time I checked, they don't go out there kidnapping kids," he says, stopping and looking at her.

"I don't know why they took him. Maybe they didn't want to leave a small boy alone… I don't know. I've never seen any Fireflies in this part of the country. The only thing I know is that I know this mountain better than them. We're going to find them - you just need to trust in me," she says with a sad voice.

"That's the problem - I don't… and you know why?... because you're lying right now. I know that you know something that you're not telling me, and I want to know what it is?"

"I'm not lying… but yeah, I have secrets… you want me to be honest?... then what about you, hum? Why did the Fireflies take Ellie, too?" she asks him in a hard tone.

Joel looks at her, a little surprised. "Yeah, I may not be telling the whole truth, but I ain't the one that drugged people to sell them," he replies.

"I already told you that I am sorry for that... But you know what, go ahead. Go out and try to save your girl and see how that works out. Yes, I made a mistake, and I'm sorry about that.

But continuing to fight with me about that is not going to help them. I don't need your help to get my boy back. So if you want to kill yourself, be my guest." Bibi turns around and goes back to sit close to the fire again.

Joel looks at her for a moment, then continues toward the horses and stops beside Ellie's horse. He starts to pass his hand over his side. Don't worry, boy, we're going to get Mommy back, I promise, he says to the horse in a lower voice. He continues to pass his hand over the horse for a little while and talk to him. He knows that Bibi is right, even though he doesn't completely trust her. He knows that going out at night in this storm is going to be suicide. So for now, he's going to wait... not that that patience is his strong virtue, but he doesn't have any other choice.

After a few more minutes, he moves away from the horse and goes back to the fire and sits. He looks at Bibi, who seems a little sad now. Joel just stays there, not knowing what to say, and he's certainly not going to apologize to her. He feels sad that her boy is with them, too, but none of this would've happened if she hadn't betrayed them. He's very curious to know why the Fireflies are here.

Why are they still looking for Ellie after all this time, or is all this just a coincidence? Anyway, how did they know that she was in that camp, or were they looking for someone else? That is something he needs to ask one of them when he finds them. Well, that is if any of them stay alive after he finds them. He takes the stick that he was using before and starts to move the wood with it to keep the fire alive. "So… you know where they might be?" asks Joel without looking at her.

Bibi lifts her head and looks at him. "I'm not 100% sure, but there's an old lumber processing factory close to a river that is like 30 miles from here, I guess. But it's the only place they can be using if the storm hit before they had the chance to get off the mountain."

"That is going to take us one more day in this weather. So what makes you think that they're going to be there after the storm stops?"

"Hope!" is her only answer. After that, she gets up and moves to the sheet that she put on the floor close to the wood fire and lays down to get some sleep.

Joel looks at her for a few minutes, then does the same. He doesn't feel like sleeping, but tomorrow is going to be a long day, and he is going to need the rest. It's been hard to sleep without Ellie by his side. It's been more than a week since he saw her or felt her close to him, and that is starting to make him crazy. He starts to look at the ceiling of the barn and tries to think of her. Imagining her face, her smile, and how crazy she makes him with her questions and jokes. Ohhh I never thought that I was going to miss those. He starts to imagine that she is there, sleeping beside him with her head on his chest and a smile on her face. After that, he falls asleep with a smile of his own.

( In another place with Ellie )

Ellie is in the middle of the forest, looking at an old cabin there. The ground surrounding the cabin is all green, and the sunlight comes down through the tall trees. The place looks like it's a summer morning. Ellie finds that strange because the last time she saw the forest, it was covered with snow. She tries to walk to get to the cabin, but for some reason, she can't move. Ellie looks at the cabin again and notices that it looks kind of familiar.

Like she's seen it before, but doesn't remember where. She knows that this is not Jackson or any place close to there. But this cabin could be located anywhere, as she and Joel have been in so many places during their travels. So maybe this is just a dream; somehow, she feels in peace, just like she was at home, so she thinks that this has to be a dream.

Ellie starts to look around, hoping to see if she can recognize something. But there is nothing more except trees, so she looks at the old cabin again. After a few moments, she starts to hear some laughing coming from inside the cabin. She tries to move toward the cabin again, but can't do it, so she just stays looking at the front door to see if someone comes out. Then she sees the door open and sees a small girl run out of the cabin with something in her hands. The girl jumps the stairs into the grass and runs to the other side of the cabin.

She's not older than 3, maybe 4 years old, and has long reddish hair. She is wearing a pink dress and black shoes. She is laughing and playing around, just like someone is after her. A minute later, Ellie sees a little boy coming out of the cabin, just like he's chasing her. The boy looks like 5 or 6 years old and has black hair. He is wearing a blue shirt, black pants, and sneakers. He is running and yelling at her, but Ellie can't hear what he's saying.

Ellie doesn't understand why she is seeing all this. She knows that this has to be some kind of dream, but why is she seeing those kids? The two kids disappear behind the cabin, but Ellie still hears them laughing and yelling in the back, until they appear again on the other side of the cabin. When the boy catches the little girl in front of the cabin, both of them fall to the ground. The boy says something to the girl and then he starts to tickle her. Both children are laughing hard, like they don't need to worry about anything, just playing. After a few minutes, Ellie feels someone behind her, then two hands rest on her shoulders.

"They look beautiful and happy, don't you think?... I told you that this place... it was going to be good for them," a familiar voice sounds behind her.

Ellie moves one hand and puts it on top of the one on her shoulder. Joel! she whispers with a smile.

Then she tries to turn to see him, but still can't move the rest of her body, just the arm. The only thing she can do is lean backward until she feels his body. She closes her eyes as her heart starts to beat faster.

He feels so warm and comfortable against her body, and that makes her feel so good and happy. She wants so badly to see his face again, to have him in her arms and kiss him and do so much more... Oh yesss... She definitely wants to do more than just kiss him. She is going to say something, but he speaks again.

"You're late… but the children are going to be happy to see you," he says, resting his head on her shoulder. She feels his face touching hers, and that gives her a chilling sensation.

Ellie opens her eyes and looks directly at the cabin, where the little kids are still playing. "Joel… I… I don't-" She is interrupted by Joel's voice. "It's okay, kiddo… You will be fine… even if I'm not there to see them grow," he says with a sad tone.

Ellie's eyes go wide at those words, and when she turns her head to see Joel's hand, they start to disappear. "No… no...no!... Joel!?" When Ellie finally moves, she turns to look at him, but he isn't there. "Joel?... Joel… please don't leave me!" Tears start falling from her eyes as she starts to look at her surroundings, trying to see him again. When she doesn't find him, she looks at the cabin again. Then she notices that the place is starting to get blurred in her eyes, and it starts to disappear, too.

She sees the two children looking at her now. "Mommy!" she hears both of them say at the same time. Then she starts to see everything getting dark until it all vanishes from her sight. Then she hears his voice again.

"I am so sorry, baby… I wish things were different... But I want you to know that I will love you forever."

No… no… don't leave… please. I need you Joel… JOELLLL!

Ellie opens her eyes quickly. She is gasping for air as her heart is beating fast. She is trying to see where she is, because obviously she's not in the forest anymore. She is laying on the floor of some kind of place where she doesn't remember being before. Ellie tries to get up when she feels some pain in the side of her head. When she tries to move her hand to touch it, she notices that her hands are behind her back, and she can't move them. "What the hell!?" she says in a lower voice while trying to move around on the floor.

Before she can do something, Ellie hears some noises coming from the other side of the room that she is in. Ellie tries to move, to look in that direction, but can't see much because the room is a little darker. When her eyes start to get more accustomed to the dark, she sees a door open and two men entering the room. As soon as they get close to her, one of them speaks. "Oh, look... the little wild girl is awake!" says one of the men, who is holding a lantern that illuminates the room.

"Who the fuck are you?... And why am I tied up?" asks Ellie, looking at the man.

"Oh, don't worry, you will know soon enough… James is eager to talk to you," says the other man.