Another short chapter, I started this one right after I posted chapter ten, hope you enjoy, wrote it out pretty quick, hope it's not rushed.

Chapter 11: Hangover

"Jesus fucking Christ"

John's eyes, despite the large amount of alcohol he had ingested, shot right open. He had thought Ellie would wake given the noise he had made. Ellie was much smaller than he was, and couldn't process the whiskey like he did, it would take longer to go through his system than it would hers. Now she was out, she was staying like that until morning. He could have slapped her and she wouldn't have woken up.

He wanted to slap her right now, sadly he was against hitting women. John let his head lean into the rock wall again and slammed it against the rock. "Oh my God"

Ellie was infected? How could that have happened? When? Did she get grabbed and bit? It was defiantly a bite, the corrupted skin was completely dead and infected. His head was swimming and he couldn't think, couldn't sleep.

What if I fall asleep and she turns? He asked himself. He looked at the girl in disgust, refusing to believe what was happening.

He didn't have time to contemplate this more before he passed out from all the whiskey.

BREAK

"Hey, handsome" The familiar voice called to John as he stirred. Ellie, the same girl he had spent the last almost 48 hours with, was standing over him.

He jumped of course, reaching for the knife on his hip. When he realized Ellie wasn't foaming at the mouth or trying to eat him, his heart rate declined.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she pulled one of her shoes on.

"Yeah" he said "What about you?" he asked

"I'm fine" she said as he rose. John clamped his hand on her forehead, feeling for hot spikes.

No fever he thought She should be burning right now. "You have sweat on you." He said, wiping it off and thanking God she really was sweating. "How'd you sleep?" he asked as he grabbed his backpack, slinging it over his shoulder and moving to the horse. John grabbed the reins and loosened the horse.

"Fine" she said "It's the waking up part that I hated." She slid the belt she had taken off the night before into the loops of her jeans and tightened it.

"Yeah, that's the hangover" he said getting onto the horse and pulling her up with him. She wrapped herself onto him and nibbled on his shoulder.

"DON'T bite me!" he snapped loudly, the cave echoed the phrase ten times.

She flew back, almost falling off the horse. She grabbed his shoulder. "Sorry, okay, no biting" she lightly massaged his shoulders, which had some major kinks to be worked out. "I'll remember that" she whispered in his ear.

Ellie wasn't sure what was wrong with him. Most likely the headache that came with the night of drinking. They still had a fourth of the bottle left. "We should get back soon. Joel is probably freaking out right now"

I can't decide whether I'd rather be killed by an infected Ellie or an angry Joel. John thought to himself as they exited the cave and started riding back to the town.

"Where the fuck are they?" Joel asked his brother in anger.

"They probably got stuck cause' of the storm" Tommy said as he put his feet up on the table. "They'll be back soon."

"I don't know" Joel said

"Joel, it's been a year. There is no threat from the Fireflies." Tommy said.

"That's what you say, you didn't see all of them in the hospital." Joel rubbed his chin. "There were dozens of em' Tommy"

"And you say their all coming after you and Ellie because you killed most of them?"

"Yes" Joel drank a gulp of water from his glass. "Why's that so hard for you to believe? I brought Ellie there, to manufacture the cure with the scientists. When the Fireflies saw me they freaked out and fired at us. I fired back, they sent more, no choice."

"And Marlene?" Tommy let his feet down "What about her?"

"Causality of war baby brother." Joel lied "She was trying to calm em' down. She took a stray bullet."

Joel didn't want to lie to his brother. Especially when it pertained to something so important, Joel knew Tommy wouldn't take his side. There was no way. Tommy believed in the sacrifice of one for many. Joel couldn't wrap his head around that anymore. He cared too much for that little girl to let her go. She wasn't exactly little anymore though.

"What aren't you telling me Joel?" Tommy asked, leaning forward in his chair.

Everything Joel thought to himself. "Nothing"

"All those poker games with Grammy thirty years ago" Tommy sighed "I know all your tells big brother. I know when your lying."

"And I know when your trying to bullshit me Tommy." Joel stood up and walked out the door. "I've told you about the hospital over fifty times, get over it" he slammed the door hard and walked away.

"Home sweet home" Ellie said as they galloped up to the gates. "Never thought I'd see it again."

John stayed silent as she taunted him. Ellie smacked her in the arm "No snappy comebacks about me lacking faith in your sense of direction."

He shook his head quickly and gave the stablemaster the horse. "Go see Joel" he said, "Make sure he knows your alright. Then meet me on the roof." He walked away, leaving Ellie in the dust as she shrugged her shoulders.

"What the fuck" she scratched her head and sighed. "Hangover I guess"

She walked back towards the main building and found Joel in the dining hall. Ellie waved to him and he turned his head sharply. He walked over quickly as she took off her bag and placed it on a table. "Where the fuck have you been?" he gave her a short hug.

"Oh we had to take a short detour" The young woman told him as they sat down. "Stayed the night in a five star hotel."

"Where?" he growled.

"By the town." She said "In a cave."

Joel handed her a water bottle. "Did you two run into any trouble out there?" he asked, brushing his thick hair back.

"Big hoard of infected."

Joel's face wavered as he stared her down. "And?"

"We got away without any problems." Ellie said after taking a sip from her water. "It was perfect."

"You find anything on Shaw during your date?"

Ellie laughed at the word 'date'. Which roughly described the event in question. Ellie smiled fondly on the hours they had spent huddled in that dry cave together. She could lie to everyone else, but defiantly not to herself. She enjoyed being in that tight squeeze with John, she felt safe with him. "Not really."

"What does not really mean?" he asked

"No Joel, we didn't find anything" she chuckled

"How about him?"

"John?" Ellie asked as Joel nodded. "It was fine, he's good at killing things" He's good at other things too. "I was glad he was with me."

"The next time we go out, it'll be you and me kid." Joel gave her an extremely rare smile, a short, small one.

Ellie nodded "Yeah, we'll see."

We'll see Joel thought Are you kidding me? he thought as she got up and walked away, grabbing her bag as she did so. Ellie headed to the roof and climbed the large steel ladder. John was sitting on the large, non usable chimney that occupied the roof.

"John?" she called out to him.

"Hey" he said back, scratching his leg and stretching his neck. Ellie walked over to him and dropped her bag on the floor. She let herself down on his lap, allowing her full body weight to rest on his upper leg. "What's up?" she wrapped her arms around his neck and pecked at his cheek.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he said morbidly, as if he was near death.

"Tell you what?" she stopped and met his gaze.

"We were out there the whole time and you couldn't let me know." John said "I was supposed to watch your back."

She got off of him and sat across from him "Your kinda freaking me out." The teenager said "Any particular reason your acting insane."

"Pull up your sleeve" his eyes looked like they could cut steel by looking at it.

"What?" she asked, puzzled and confused.

John rose to his feet and yelled "Pull your sleeve up. Your left arm." He wanted to grab her, to rip her sleeves off and validate his claims.

"Oh my God" she said, finally realizing what he was rambling about. "John, it's not what you think." She stammered.

"REALLY" he stammered right back "Why don't you tell me what I'm thinking right now?"

"Your thinking I was bit" her lip quivered as she spoke.

"Well? Were you?"

"Yes but…"

John started to walk away, leaving Ellie in the dust. She reached for his shoulder and pulled him back. "I wanted to tell you… it's just."

"What, you… you thought I couldn't handle it…" John yelled "It wouldn't have been the first time. You know, if you were anyone else, I might have just shot you instead."

"John!" Ellie gasped. "You won't even let me explain?"

"Well you better start now, cause the clock's ticking for you Ellie" John screamed at her.

Ellie reached up and smack John across the face as tears formed in her eyes. "Fuck you!"

Ellie grabbed her bag and walked away as a large red hand print formed on John's cheek, at the same spot she had placed her lips not two minutes before.