AN: Hello, again! So, this is probably one of my favorite chapters so far. Lots of angst, lots of conflict. That's my thing. Anyway, I just thought I should let everyone know that there's going to be a bit of a wait between updates from here on out, as school just started back for me, so I can dedicate hours every day to writing and editing anymore. Plus, I have my own novel to work on, along with Summer Nights, and, since I have no self control, the new RP blog I'm thinking about starting on Tumblr, along with other real life responsibilities. Anyway, if it's any consolation, the next few chapters (there will be at least two or three) are going to be fantastic. I've been excited about writing them since I decided Tess and Joel were coming into the story. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. Be sure to let me know what you think!


"Are you sure you're okay?"

Riley sighed heavily, lifting her eyes from the knife she'd been sharpening. She found Ellie watching her intently, her brow furrowed with worry.

"No matter how many times you ask me that, my answer isn't going to change, Ellie."

Ellie's gaze didn't leave her as Riley looked away, returning her eyes to the knife.

"You just… haven't been yourself. That's all."

Riley's shoulders stiffened. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just forget it," Ellie muttered, standing up from the couch. "I'm going to go see if they're ready to head out."

She found Tess and Joel in the hallway of the house they were currently occupying, Joel sorting through the supplies in his backpack while Tess cleaned her rifle. Neither glanced up at her approach, but nodded in greeting nonetheless.

"I guess we're getting back on the road soon?" Ellie asked, leaning her shoulder against the wall.

"Soon," Tess agreed. "We're going to need to find somewhere to stay before nightfall if we can. Days are shorter now."

"Sounds good."

"New clothes working out alright?" Joel asked, consolidating pills from partially used bottles into a plastic bag.

Ellie toyed with the hem of her jacket. "They're nice. Warmer, at least."

Nodding, Joel zipped his backpack and then slung it over his shoulder. "Alright. Better get a move on, then."

Ellie turned to go retrieve Riley, only to find her already walking through the door, the hood of her jacked pulled up over her head. Their eyes met briefly, and then Riley glanced away, jamming her hands into her pockets and walking past her, going to help Tess gather up the food they'd found in the kitchen.

Ellie sighed, shaking her head when Joel looked at her inquisitively.

"Everything alright?" he asked, watching her shuffle past.

"Yeah," she muttered. "Just fine."

They set out twenty minutes later, the crisp fall breeze moving the fallen leaves around their feet as they walked. They'd crossed the Wyoming state line a few days before, moving continually westward, Joel insisting they were close to where they might find Tommy. Riley had voiced doubt about this multiple times, questioning the belief that Tommy would've miraculously stayed in once place for so many years. Ellie had told her to stop being so pessimistic, and received only an irritated sigh in response.

"So," Ellie said, as they trekked along the cracked pavement of a small, rather desolate road, "ready to see dear old brother?"

Joel didn't bother to glance back. "I'm just ready to get there."

"You think he'll still be pissed?" Tess asked, catching Joel's eye. Joel only shrugged in response.

Ellie frowned. "You guys part on bad terms?"

"Somethin' like that."

"How bad?"

"I believe the last thing he said to me was 'I don't ever want to see your goddamn face again.'"

"And you think he's going to help us…?" Riley asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I have no idea," Joel said simply, halting as he came up to a washed out section of the road.

"Well, this isn't going to work," he muttered, glancing around before spotting and heading down a footpath that led to the riverbank.

"We might need to think about an alternate plan," Tess said as they walked, the river's rumble nearly covering her words.

"We will when we have to," Joel replied.

They walked in silence after that, rain starting to mist down on them, chilling the air further. In the distance they could hear something a great deal louder than the river, growing slowly in volume as they approached.

"What the hell is that?" Tess muttered, her eyebrows shooting up when the source of the noise came into view as they rounded the corner of a rock outcrop.

It was a large structure, almost like a bowl sunk into the ground. One side was a wall, water rushing over it and into the river. Buildings sat behind it, large and imposing, surrounded by a concrete wall.

Ellie's eyes widened. "Whoa… what's that?"

"It's a hydroelectric power plant," Joel said.

"A hydra who?"

"It basically just a thing that uses the energy from the water to make power," Tess said. "It'd be a nice set up to have nowadays, if you could get it working."

"How does it work?" Ellie asked.

"No idea," Tess said. "Let's just try to figure out how to get across it."

Up a rusted set of stairs and across a metal deck they found a narrow but crossable bridge, the four of them walking it single file, Tess in the lead.

They followed another footpath up the hill, the power plant's imposing wall looming in front of them forebodingly.

"God, I'm starving," Ellie groaned, wrapping her arms around her stomach.

"We'll stop and eat soon," Tess said. "Looks like we're gonna have to cut through the plant. If it's clear in there we can stop for a while, take a breather."

Ellie shrugged, readjusting her ponytail from where it had fallen loose. "Sounds like a plan."

They made their way up to the plant's gate, the light rain still falling down on them steadily. Just as Joel's hands were brushing the gate's handle, a flicker of motion above them caught their attention.

"Drop your weapons," a harsh, commanding voice called.

A tall, blonde woman had appeared in the watchtower to the right of the gate. She was aiming a gun as large as her arm at them, and looked more than willing to use it.

"Do as the lady says," Joel instructed the girls, Tess having already rested her gun by her feet.

"Why—" Riley began, still pointing her gun at the woman.

"Do it," Tess growled. Riley obeyed hesitantly, keeping her eyes on the blonde woman as she lowered her gun to the ground.

"Please tell me you're lost," the woman sighed, glancing them over with a dubious expression.

"We don't mean any harm," Tess said calmly, palms raised. "We were just planning to pass through the plant. Didn't realize anyone had holed up here."

"Where are you heading?"

Just as Tess was about to respond another voice rose up from behind the gate. "They're alright."

"You know these people?" the blonde asked.

The gate opened to reveal a middle-aged man with a sun-weathered face and brown hair. He looked Joel over for a minute, shaking his head as awe crept across his expression.

"I know him," he said, gesturing to Joel. "He's my goddamn brother."

"Tommy," Joel breathed, wide-eyed.

Tommy laughed. "Holy shit."

The man marched up and pulled Joel into a hug, an honest smile creeping across Joel's face as he returned the embrace.

"Hey, baby brother," Joel said as they pulled apart.

Tommy rested a hand on Joel's shoulder, and then chuckled. "You got fucking old."

"Easy, it'll happen to you, too."

The blonde woman exited the gate a moment later, a vaguely apologetic expression on her face.

"This is Maria," Tommy said, wrapping an arm around the woman's waist. "Be nice to her. She kinda runs things around here."

Joel nodded. "Ma'am. Thanks for not blowin' my head off."

Her mouth curved up in a half-smile. "Would've been embarrassing, considering you're my brother-in-law."

Joel just looked at her in surprise.

"Everyone's gotta get wrangled up at some point," Tommy said, shrugging.

He and Maria turned to look at Tess and the girls, who had been watching the whole affair with amusement, apart from Riley, who looked slightly skeptical.

Joel cleared his throat, nodding to Tess. "This is Tess."

Tommy looked between them, raising his eyebrows.

"Like you said, gotta get wrangled up…" Joel mumbled, and Tess chuckled.

"That what we're calling it?" she asked, smirking as she shook hands with Tommy and Maria.

"Anyhow," Joel continued, "this is Ellie and Riley."

He gestured to the girls. Ellie waved, offering an awkward smile, while Riley nodded in greeting, picking her gun up off the ground and tucking it into her belt.

"What brings you through here?" Maria asked, directing the question more at the girls than anyone.

Ellie and Riley glanced at each other, and then Ellie shrugged.

"It'd kind of a long story."

"Well," Tommy said, glancing at Maria, "why don't we take them inside?"

Maria nodded. "You guys hungry?"

"Starving," Ellie said.

No further discussion needed, Maria and Tommy led the group in, Maria announcing to the men patrolling the walls that it'd been a false alarm. As they walked, she told them about the bandit attacks they had been suffering in the last few weeks, the activity in the plant having drawn the attention of the stragglers outside.

"We've held out alright, though," Tommy added, glancing toward the walls. "Been lucky."

"You guys run this place on your own?" Riley asked. "No military?"

Maria nodded. "Yes, ma'am. No military, no Fireflies. It's just – survivor-run, I guess would be the best way of putting it."

Riley shook her head in wonder. "Huh."

Her eyes traveled around their surroundings thoughtfully, eventually landing on the two horses that stood in the shade of the first of the large buildings, both relaxing as a slender, dark-skinned woman tended to them.

A small, almost-smile crept across Riley's face, and she nudged Ellie with her elbow. "Hey, look."

"Oh, man," Ellie breathed, grinning.

Maria looked from the girls to the horses and chuckled. "You're more than welcome to go pet 'em, if you like."

Ellie's grin stretched impossibly wide.

The smaller of the two horses, a stocky pinto, perked its ears up curiously as they approached. The other horse only tilted one ear lazily in their direction, its tail swishing away a fly.

Ellie ran a hand over the pinto's side. "Hey, big boy."

She glanced up to see Riley smiling as the gelding nuzzled her hand. The horse lifted its nose to snuffle at her hair, and Riley grinned, rubbing his neck gently.

"God, I forgot how good they smell," she laughed, catching Ellie's eye. Ellie looked at her in surprise, taking a moment to register that she looked a great deal happier than she'd seen her in months.

"Yeah," Ellie agreed, looking toward Maria, who was watching them with a smile.

"You guys ever ridden before?" Maria asked, patting the other horse's shoulder. The bay snorted quietly, eyes fluttering closed.

"Yeah, we have," Ellie said, running her fingers through the pinto's mane.

"Where'd you two find a horse?" Joel asked skeptically.

"Back in the zone," Ellie said, shrugging. "This soldier, Winston. He'd let us borrow his horse."

Tess narrowed her eyes. "Really, now?"

Ellie nodded. "Yep. Riley blackmailed him—"

"It was technically barter," Riley interrupted.

"Whatever. Anyway, we used to ride his mare, Princess. She was pretty cool."

"Well," Maria said, looking slightly perplexed, "we can take them riding later, if you'd like."

"That'd be awesome," Riley said, raising an eyebrow when Ellie turned to stare at her again. Ellie quickly glanced away, addressing Maria with a smile and a nod.

"Yeah, that'd be great. Thanks," she said, noticing Joel frowning, his arms crossed across his chest. He turned away quickly when he caught her looking, saying something to Tommy that she couldn't catch.

"Well," Maria said, resting a hand on her hip, "you guys want to go get somethin' to eat?"

Ellie nodded, finally pulling her gaze from Joel. "Sounds great."

The group headed toward the first of the few large buildings within the plant, Tommy telling Joel about their plans to restore power, and Maria pausing to let one of the workers off duty. Tommy pulled open the large metal door, holding it as the others passed through. Just as he was closing it, the radio on Maria's hip buzzed. She picked up and clicked it on, and, after a moment of buzzing static, a voice came through.

"We're in the control room. Steve's about to start it back up. Wanna come check it out?"

Maria let go of the button on the walkie-talkie and sighed, looking at Tommy.

"Honestly, I'd rather just go take them to get something to eat."

Tommy nodded. "It's my turn anyway. Go on ahead."

Joel cleared his throat. "I'm going to go with Tommy. Y'all just go get some food in ya."

He caught Tess's gaze as he spoke. Her eyes narrowed for a moment, and then she glanced at the girls.

"I'm going to go with the guys. We'll catch up with you later."

Ellie frowned at the obvious stiffness in their tones, and then looked at Riley warily, finding her watching Joel with a suspicious expression, her arms crossed over her chest. When she caught Ellie's eye she just shrugged.

"C'mon, let's let them catch up or whatever," she said quietly, turning to follow Maria, who was waiting awkwardly in the next doorway.

Ellie followed after her, finding herself casting a glance over her shoulder as the others disappeared back out the door.

"So," Maria said, glancing back at the girls as she led them down a hallway, crates stacked up against the walls to either side of them, "where do you guys come from?"

"Boston," Riley replied, glancing out of the window to her left, watching a woman lead a little girl by the hand in the grass. "We were in the military school in the zone."

"Why'd you leave?"

Riley glanced at Ellie, who looked equally uncertain.

"Well," Ellie said, threading her hands together, "something sort of came up. A friend of ours who… looked out for us, I guess – she wanted Joel and Tess to escort us to meet some people from her group."

Maria looked at her inquisitively. "What group is that?"

"The Fireflies," Ellie said, slightly hesitantly. "She kind of leads them."

Maria stopped in her tracks, and then turned all the way around to look at them. "You guys know Marlene?"

"Yeah," Ellie said, shrugging. "I know them because Marlene knew my mom, and she kind of promised to watch out for me. Riley joined them, back in the spring."

Maria looked at Riley with surprise. "No kidding? You're pretty young."

Riley snorted. "Yeah, I've heard that a lot."

Maria hummed, shaking her head. "Well, anyway, Tommy'll be happy to hear she's still around. They were buddies, back in the day."

"That's what she said," Riley said. "She talked about him a lot."

"Really?"

"Yeah. She trusted his judgment enough to send us off with Joel, at least."

Maria tilted her head. "What for?"

Riley hesitated, before simply shrugging. "Things were getting bad in Boston. She thought we'd be safer with another group in another city."

Ellie was slightly surprised by how smoothly Riley lied, and quickly busied herself with retying her shoe, hiding her expression from view.

After a moment of examining Riley skeptically, Maria nodded. "That seems reasonable."

They walked onward down the hallway, eventually heading into a large room containing an abundance of metal tables, reminding both of the girls of the mess hall at the school they'd left. In the corner there was a little walled off area that served as a kitchen. Maria took them there and left them to sit at the little island counter in the middle of the room while she pulled a few cans of soup from the cabinets.

"How long have you guys been living here?" Riley asked, looking around admiringly at the neat little kitchen.

"A few years. My dad and I set this place up, made it entirely self-sustained. We've got livestock, crops… We keep guards on the perimeter, but once we get the plant going we'll have an electric fence up and running, which'll make things easier."

"That's…" Riley shook her head in wonder, an incredulous smile on her face. "That's awesome. I guess not having to deal with the political conflicts like you do in the zone makes things easier."

Maria nodded, pouring the soup into a pot on the stove. "No Fireflies versus military, no fighting over rations… it's the closest I've seen anywhere get to being like it was before the outbreak."

"Do you guys still have problems with infected?" Ellie asked, resting her chin in her hands as she watched Maria stir the soup.

"Sometimes, unfortunately. And bandits. A place this big and active draws attention. But, considering the alternatives, it's not that bad."

A few minutes later, Maria divided the soup into three bowls and gathered a few spoons from a drawer and then brought the food to the table, sliding the bowls toward them with a smile.

"How long have you been on the road?" she asked as she lifted a spoonful of her soup up to cool.

"Jeez. Um, we left around the beginning of summer."

Maria frowned. "Where is the group Joel and Tess were supposed to take you to?"

"They were in Boston. They were supposed to take us to another group outside the city. But when we got to the place we were supposed to meet them…" Ellie trailed off. "The military had already gotten to them first. Tess decided she and Joel would bring us to Tommy, since he used to be with the Fireflies. She thought he might be able to get us where we need to go."

Maria looked at them for a moment with a perplexed expression, and then sighed, folding her hands in front of her.

"I want to ask you guys something."

Riley looked at hesitantly, and then nodded. "Alright. Go for it."

"Why exactly did Tess and Joel take the job? I mean, given Joel's past… I just can't see him being keen on taking a job involving kids."

Ellie frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"I guess no one told you?"

"Told us what?" Riley asked, raising an eyebrow. "What, did Joel do something or…?"

"No, nothing like that," Maria said, shaking her head. "Look, I'm going to tell you two something, only because I think it might make it a little easier to understand him. Just… don't tell him I told you. I personally don't know anything more about him than what Tommy told me, but…"

She sighed.

"Back at the start of the outbreak… Joel had a daughter, probably around your age," she said, gesturing toward Ellie. "Her name was Sarah."

No one spoke for a moment.

Ellie looked down at her hands, and then up at Maria. "What… What happened to her?"

Maria shook her head. "A soldier shot her. I guess he thought she and Joel were infected."

"Jesus," Riley said.

Maria nodded. "It… it destroyed him. Tommy said he was never the same after that. He was just a shell. No morals, didn't care about anything. He just moved on autopilot for years, just... surviving."

"That explains a lot," Riley said, after a moment. "I just thought he was an asshole."

Maria chuckled dryly. "I figured he was, too, from what Tommy said."

"Poor Joel," Ellie said softly. "I can't imagine."

Riley glanced out the window for a moment, and then shook her head. "But that doesn't fucking excuse it, you know? You don't just treat people like shit because you're hurting. It doesn't work that way. The idea that just because the world hurt you you should be able to take it out on everyone is such fucking bullshit."

Ellie raised an eyebrow at the anger in Riley's voice, stirring her soup with her spoon.

Maria looked questioningly between them, brow furrowed.

"Maybe not everyone copes the same way," she offered.

"Either way, that's just childish," Riley said flatly, finally remembering her own food and taking a spoonful.

No one spoke after that. Ellie was just about to ask about the horses in an attempt to alleviate the silence when a loud bang drew their attention. They heard voices, and then another metallic bang, followed by a gunshot.

"Oh, no," Maria breathed, standing up suddenly. Her radio buzzed on her belt and she grabbed it, lifting it to her ear.

"They've broken in," the garbled voice yelled through the speaker. "Bandits, a fuckload of them!"

"Jesus," Maria said, pressing another button and then talking into the radio. "Tommy! Bandits – they're breaking into the building!"

Riley pulled her gun from her belt, and Ellie drew her bow, both backing up as the voices and footsteps outside the kitchen drew closer.

"Girls," Maria yelled, waving them toward her. "Get down—"

"Can't we fight them?" Riley demanded, staring at her incredulously. "We can't just hide—"

"Just get down!" Maria pleaded, grabbing Ellie's arm and towing her down behind the counter. A moment later a bullet burst through the kitchen window, crashing into one of the cabinets. Riley dove behind the counter with them.

Ellie pulled out her switchblade, dropping her bow on the floor. "How many are there?"

"Fuck if I know," Riley muttered. Maria just hushed them, gripping her gun in her sweating palm.

They heard the kitchen door kicked open, and then the sound of heavy boots approaching. When the first man's foot appeared around the corner of the counter, Riley shot him in the knee, shooting him again in the chest as he collapsed.

A shotgun blast shattered the corner of the counter, the three of them scrambling backward as debris sprayed them. They heard the owner of the shotgun come closer, snarling something indecipherable under his breath.

Riley was considering simply aiming over the counter and shooting in the direction of the voice when she heard Ellie yell behind her. She whirled around to see another man had grabbed Ellie, towing her to her feet and pressing the barrel of his pistol to her temple. She struggled against him uselessly, her switchblade having been knocked from her hands when he grabbed her.

"Unless you want me to splatter her brains all over the floor both of ya drop the guns!" the man barked, tightening his chokehold on Ellie.

Riley and Maria froze in place, hearing the other man approaching behind them, his boots thudding against the linoleum.

"Do it!" the man snarled again, jerking Ellie's head back, causing her to cry out.

"Fuck you," she snarled, thrashing her legs against him.

"Shut the fuck up," he hissed, still watching Riley and Maria.

"Okay, okay," Riley said, her voice shaking more than intended as she dropped her gun to her feet. Maria had already beaten her to it. They kicked their weapons across the floor, hands still up in the air.

"Atta girl," the man breathed. Riley glanced back to find the other man aiming his gun at her back. He was short and harsh in appearance, and narrowed his eyes at her when she looked at him. She turned back to the Ellie's captor, cursing quietly under her breath.

"Whatdya want to do with 'em?" the short man asked in a nasally and slightly aggravating voice.

The tall, wiry man who was restraining Ellie looked each of them over for a minute, and then nodded toward Maria. "She's got a radio."

Riley glanced back to see the other man look at Maria's radio, which still rested on her belt. "Yep. And?"

The wiry man looked at the other one blankly, and then rolled his eyes before addressing Maria. "Lady, here's what yer gonna do. You're gonna get on that radio and tell your buddies out there that you need help. You ain't gonna tell him we're already 'ere. All yer gonna do is tell 'em to come here. You're not gonna do anything else unless you want these girls to get hurt. Got it?"

Maria glared at him, her lips pressed in a thin line. "Yes, I understand."

Closing her eyes for a moment, she pulled the radio form her belt and then pressed the button. She stared at for a moment, taking a nervous breath.

"Go on," the wiry man snapped. "Hurry up."

Maria lifted the speaker to her lips. "Tommy? Tommy, where are you? We need help."

She clicked it off, and then dropped the radio.

"He hear it?" the wiry man demanded.

"I called him," Maria growled. "That's what you wanted."

Riley met Ellie's eyes, and watched her gaze dropped down to her gun, which had landed by her captor's shoe. She looked back at Riley and then raised her eyebrows.

Riley nodded, glancing out of the corner of her eye at the man behind her.

She saw Ellie tap her foot against the ground once, twice, and then a third time. Then, without hesitation, she kicked Riley's gun toward her, and then bit into her captor's arm, causing him to cry out. He grabbed her by the back of her shirt, jerking her backward before he slapped her across the face, knocking her to the floor.

Riley grabbed her gun as it slid into her feet, diving down behind the counter as she fired a few shots in rapid succession at the short man by the door. She heard him scream and fall to the floor, and then she turned to aim at the wiry man. He had his gun pointed at Ellie, who was sitting on the floor, her arm trapped under the man's foot, her lip bleeding and a bruise forming on her cheek.

"Y'know, kid, I didn't want to have to kill anyone," the wiry man hissed at Ellie, wiping the blood off of his tanned forearm on his shirt. "I might've let ya go if you'd played along, but you're gonna pay for that."

Riley stood up, still holding her gun pointed at him. "Don't fucking touch her, or I'll blow your goddamn head off."

The man laughed. "I don't think you're in any position to be giving orders, kid. My bullet'll reach her head before yours reaches mine."

Riley took a nervous breath, readjusting her grip on her gun. "If I shoot it's still going to kill you, either way. Just let her go. Now."

"Nah, I don't think so. You're talking tough, but I get the feeling you don't wanna lose this gamble. So, here's what we're gonna do instead: you're gonna toss that gun across the room, and I'll let her go. Can't promise ya anything else, but better than her dying right now, right?"

"Right. And if I throw my gun away, how do I know you won't just shoot all of us?"

"I guess you'll just hafta find out, won't ya?"

Riley glanced away from him, meeting Ellie's eyes and finding her own terror reflected there. She could feel panic twisting in her gut as she realized there was no safe way out, nothing she could do to protect her. Her nails dug into her sweating palm and her mind raced desperately as she glanced between Ellie and her captor.

The man was just starting to look cocky, a smirk twisting his mouth, when a bullet imbedded itself in his neck, dropping him to the ground beside Ellie, who sat frozen in position, eyes wide.

A moment later, and before any of them could register what was happening, Joel, Tess, and Tommy were rushing in, guns out and expressions dark. Tommy ran straight to Maria, resting his hands on her arms, while Joel and Tess glanced around, checking for any other threats. Riley was on her feet instantly, rushing to Ellie's side.

She gripped her shoulders desperately, knowing she was fine, but needing to touch her, just to reassure herself of the fact. A moment later Ellie was throwing her arms around her neck, tugging Riley into a hug and burying her head in her shoulder. Riley sighed, pulling back to rest her forehead against Ellie's momentarily before they broke apart.

She reached up and wiped away the blood on Ellie's lip gently, her fingers brushing over her bruised cheek.

"That was too fucking close," she muttered, her voice cracking toward the end.

Ellie looked at her worriedly, grabbing her hand in hers. "Yeah, no kidding."

Riley just shook her head, pulling away and cursing quietly under her breath. Ellie frowned, reaching out and grabbing her shoulder.

"Hey, look at me. I'm fine. We're fine. It's okay—"

"It's not fucking okay, Ellie. That – that wasn't fucking okay. I mean, we've gotten into stupid situations before, but that wasn't—"

She cut off, sighing exhaustedly. "Never mind."

"Riley—"

"Just drop it."

Riley reached tucked her gun into her belt, and then glanced at the dead man behind Ellie on the floor, and reached down to pick up his revolver.

"Here," she said, handing it to Ellie, "the bow isn't going to cut it. You need a gun."

Ellie took it, watching Riley worriedly.

They turned at the same time to look at the others, finding the rest of the group staring at them with slight concern.

"Are you okay?" Joel asked them, stepping toward them.

Riley nodded dismissively. "Fine."

He didn't look convinced.

After watching the exchanging with a thoughtful expression, Tommy turned back to Maria, meeting her eyes.

"Hey," he said. "I need to talk to you about something."

She nodded warily, glancing back at the girls. "Are you two sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine," Riley muttered, leaning back at the counter and rubbing a hand over her brow.

Ellie nodded in agreement, casting another concerned glance at Riley.

Tommy and Maria walked out of the room together, leaving the others to stare at each other awkwardly.

"So, you're timing was pretty great," Ellie offered weakly.

Tess chuckled, looking slight amused. "I guess it was. Looks like you two did an alright job holding your own."

"If you wanna call it that," Riley said. Then she stood up away from the counter, smoothing a hand over her hair.

"I'm going to go out, go get some air. I'll catch up with you guys later."

Ellie nodded, starting after her as she headed toward the door. "I'll come with you."

They walked out of the door together, leaving Tess and Joel standing together in the silent kitchen, next to the tipped over bowls of soup.

"She's right," Joel said, leaning against the counter. "That was too damn close."

Tess looked at him for a moment, scrutinizing his face until he raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"You sure you wanna do this, Joel?"

He glanced down at his hands, his eyes lingering on his watch. "I think it's what's best."

"You actually think that, or are you trying to convince yourself?"

Joel said nothing.


"Hey… can I talk to you for a second?" Ellie asked.

They were standing in the shade of a large oak tree, a few fallen leaves littering the grass around their feet. Riley was reclined against the trunk, her gaze distant as she watched the guards on the wall talk amongst themselves. Ellie stood near her, her fingers threaded together in front of her.

Riley glanced at her, and then returned her eyes to the guards. "I don't see anyone stopping you."

Ellie's face twisted in annoyance, her brow furrowing, and then she sighed, looking down at her feet for a moment before returning her eyes to Riley.

"Look, I know you're tired of me asking you this, but... are you sure you're okay? You've just been acting different since—"

She stopped. Her teeth worried her lip for a moment.

Riley looked over at her, her expression reserved.

"Since Sam and Henry died."

"Yeah, I guess."

Riley said nothing, still watching her expectantly.

"I just—I feel like you're shutting me out again. Like you did back in Boston, before you left."

Riley's brow creased, and she opened her mouth to speak, and then closed it again, turning her gaze away to stare at the brittle leaves by her feet. She crushed one with the toe of her boot, the leaf busting into brown shards with an audible crunch.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Ellie demanded after a moment, feeling irritation starting to rise up within her.

"What do you want me to say?" Riley snapped. "I don't get why you're even asking. We—" she paused, shaking her head, "we don't have to talk about everything. Sometimes it's better just to leave it alone."

Ellie stared at her, her mouth agape. "Are you fucking serious? I—Riley, I've been trying to give you your space, or whatever, okay? I've tried to leave you alone, and let you deal with it on your own, but all you've done is gotten more fucking distant."

Riley stared at her, eyes hard.

Taking a deep breath, Ellie continued. "I can tell something is bothering you, but it's like you don't trust me enough to just fucking talk to me, and— and it just kind of hurts. Okay?"

Riley stood up from the tree, her arms crossed defensively across her chest. "Really? Seriously? God, everything just has to be about you, doesn't it? Oh, poor Ellie's little feelings are hurt just because I don't tell her my every passing thought. Jesus fucking Christ… Look, believe it or not, not every single thing people do has to do with you!"

Ellie stared at her speechlessly.

"Okay, y'know what?" Riley added, her voice rising. "We're talking now, so go ahead, ask me whatever it is you so fucking desperately need to know!"

Ellie's hands curled into fists, and she took a step toward her, feeling her pulse pounding in her neck.

"Okay, fine! What the fuck are you so afraid of?"

The anger on Riley's face was quickly replaced by confusion, uncertainty. "What?"

"You heard me. What is it you're so scared of, huh?"

Riley shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about—"

"Bullshit," Ellie snapped. "It's not healthy for you to bottle all of this shit up, Riley! You can't keep doing this."

Riley took a deep breath, her chin lifting as she stepped back.

"Watch me."

She started to turn away, and before she could take a step Ellie had grabbed her wrist, turning her back in her direction.

"No! Fuck that. For once you're going to stop fucking running and tell me what your problem is. I'm so tired of this!"

Riley pulled her wrist away, her jaw clenched. "Okay, fine. Fine. You know what I'm scared of? Fucking up again."

Ellie's eyes narrowed. "What? What are you talking about?"

Riley dropped her gaze for a moment, closing her eyes. When she looked up again her expression was so hopeless that Ellie felt her anger stutter, surprise taking over. "I'm scared of fucking up. Sam got bit because I couldn't deal with the fucking infected fast enough to go help him—"

"We were both there, that was on both of us—"

"No, Ellie, it fucking wasn't. I'm a goddamn Firefly. I should know this shit, shouldn't make basic fucking mistakes. When you got bit it was my fault, too, y'know. I couldn't get to you. I fucked up. And my father—"

Her voice broke off abruptly, and she swallowed, immediately turning her eyes from Ellie's.

Ellie's expression slowly softened, and she shook her head, reaching out to rest a hand on Riley's shoulder. "Riley…"

Riley stepped away immediately, just out of her reach. Ellie let her hand fall.

"You can't blame yourself for all that," Ellie said softly, watching Riley rub at her eyes roughly with a shaking hand. "And nothing happened to me, Riley. I'm still here—"

"Because of a fucking fluke. If you were anyone else you'd be dead right now—"

"Well, I'm not! I'm fucking alive, and mostly because you've been looking out for me—"

Riley laughed bitterly. "Ellie, you nearly died today. Just because you can't get infected doesn't mean that other stuff can't happen, shit that's a lot worse. That guy was a second away from shooting you today. The only reason you're alive is dumb luck. Again."

She was quiet for a moment, and then sighed, shaking her head. "I just… I feel powerless to protect you, and I hate it."

Ellie said nothing for a moment, wanting to reach out for her again, but refraining.

"So what do you want then?" Ellie asked tiredly. "I mean, we could die any day, at anytime. There's nothing we can do but be careful. You know, you could die just as easily as I could. I mean, I understand what you're feeling. The thought of something happening to you—"

"I know," Riley said quietly. "I know."

"So, what, then? I don't know how to help—"

"I didn't ask for your help," Riley muttered, more harshly than intended. She sighed, and then tried again. "Part of the reason I don't talk about this stuff is because… no one can help, you know? Sometimes it's just easier to try to forget about it."

Riley wiped at her eyes again, her expression steeling.

"So, let's just… let it go, okay? I know you care, and I know you want to help, but let's just leave it alone. Please."

After a while, Ellie just sighed.

"Okay, Riley. Okay."

They both glanced up at the sound of a metal door creaking closed to see Joel and Tess walking out of the building they'd left, their expressions strange, Tess simply looking frustrated while Joel looked solemn – which was not out of the ordinary – and a little guilty.

Riley, noting their expressions, scoffed quietly. "This should be fun."

Ellie glanced at her, raising an eyebrow, and then returned her gaze to the others, deciding not to ask.

Once Tess and Joel reached them, everyone exchanged awkward glances, Tess frowning warily at the girls' tired expressions and reddened eyes.

"Hey," Tess began, side-eyeing Joel, who sighed, crossing his arms.

"Since your lunch got… interrupted, we figured we'd all go ahead and have supper together. There's some… things we need to talk about," Joel said. He spoke almost awkwardly, unfolding his arms to rub at the back of his neck.

"Alright," Ellie said, glancing toward the west, where the last few rays of sunlight peeked through the trees, streaking the bright pink sky with gold. "Sounds fine."

When they walked back inside, they found the dining area bustling with activity, families filling up almost all of the available tables, minus one in the corner, where Tommy and Maria were waiting for them, a meager dinner already dished out onto tired looking plates. As they approached, both watched them with strange expressions. Maria looked frustrated, and a little sad, her brow wrinkled and her mouth downturned. Tommy just looked concerned.

"So," Tommy said, awkwardly, as they all settled down at the table, "everyone doing alright?"

There was a quiet confirmation from everyone that they were, and then another silence dropped over them, the tension all the more obvious in contrast to the clamor around them.

Everyone picked at their food uneasily until Joel finally spoke, setting his fork aside.

"Girls," he said, looking between them with a guarded expression, "Tommy has agreed to take you to find the Fireflies."

Ellie and Riley both stared at him blankly for a moment, uncertain of how to react.

"What?" Ellie asked, her face falling as realization set in.

"Wait a second – you just decided we're going with him? We don't get a say in this?" Riley demanded, gaze flickering between Joel and Tess incredulously before settling on Tess. "Seriously?"

Tess sighed, and then spoke, her tone slightly apologetic. "This – we told you we'd get you here, and we did. That's all we promised."

"Yeah, but—" Ellie started, only to be cut off by Joel.

"Tommy knows where to find them. You'll do fine with him."

"You told him about—"

"Your condition? Yes."

Ellie and Riley both looked at Tommy skeptically, and then back at Tess and Joel.

"So, that's it?" Riley asked after a moment, her tone flat. "You're just… what? Leaving?"

Joel sighed heavily, looking to Tess for help. She said nothing.

"It's for the best," Joel insisted.

Riley looked between them for a moment, her eyes cold, and then sat back in her chair, folding her hands in her lap. "Okay. Fine."

"Fine?" Tess said, dubiously.

"Yeah. Can't change your minds, obviously."

Tess and Joel both glanced at Ellie, who was still staring at them, the hurt on her face clear. She said nothing, eventually shaking her head and dropping her gaze back to her food, her eyes a little too shiny and her shoulders a little too slumped for Joel's comfort.

The rest of the dinner was passed in awkward near-silence, any attempts at conversation quickly snuffed out by the uncomfortable atmosphere. Everyone was more than relieved when, after dinner, they were all allowed to disperse, Tommy and Maria showing all of them to the rooms they would be staying the night in, since it was far too late for Tess and Joel to head out.

Riley turned in early, muttering something about not feeling well. Tommy managed to coax Ellie into coming to sit with him and Maria in the mess hall after it had been cleared out, insisting they wanted to talk with her, just to clear up a few details.

"What do you want to know?" Ellie asked, hesitantly, her hand unconsciously going to her sleeve.

"Do you mind if I see the bite?" Maria asked gently, her hands threaded together in front of her on the table.

Shrugging, Ellie rolled up her sleeve. The scars had faded in the months since she'd gotten the bite, but were still quite prominent, dark pink against the rest of her pale skin.

"Jesus," Tommy said softly. "How did it happen?"

"Same way it happens to anyone, I guess. Riley and I were out in this grocery store. We didn't realize there were infected inside until it was too late. I got bitten."

"How did you find out you were... immune?" Maria asked.

Ellie shrugged again. "We were just going to wait it out. Didn't see the point in wasting whatever time I had left before I turned."

Maria and Tommy both considered that in silence for a while, still looking at her scarred arm.

"Lucky you guys did, huh?" Tommy muttered.

"Yeah, no kidding."

Silence fell again.

"Listen," Tommy said, sighing. "I know this has to be a little weird for you two, being shipped off with someone you don't know. I'm not so happy about the arrangement myself, honestly. But… I can understand why Joel wants me to do it."

Ellie nodded. "Yeah, I guess. Look, you guys mind if I just… go ahead and go to bed? I'm kinda tired."

"Yeah, of course," Maria said, waving a hand. "Go right ahead. Sorry to keep you."

"Thanks."

Without another word, she stood up and retreated, her arms swinging by her sides as she walked.

After Ellie had disappeared from sight, Tommy and Maria looked at each other.

"What do you think?" Tommy asked.

Maria sighed, resting her head in her hands. "I don't know. I really don't."

"I think they're on to something with this. I've never seen anything like that bite."

"Tommy, it's not going to make a damn bit of difference if you or those girls get killed on the way to the lab or wherever the hell it is you're going to try to take them."

He shook his head. "I have to do this."

Maria lifted her head to look at him, and then reached out and took his hands, squeezing them in her own.

"I know," she sighed. "I know."

They looked at each other for a moment, eyes tired.

"They're sweet kids," Maria said. "Maybe when all this is over they can come back here, unless the Fireflies need 'em or something. I'd still like to have some kids around."

Tommy chuckled. "Don't go gettin' all broody on me, now."

Maria punched him in the arm gently. "Please. As if."


Tess and Joel had been given a double bed in a dusty-but-functional little bedroom, and had quickly retired to it as soon as it was polite to do so. Tess lounged across the foot of the bed until Joel finally coaxed her to get under the covers, muttering something about it being cold.

"Joel," she said, staring at him as he hunkered down against the dingy pillows, aggressively pretending to sleep.

"What?" he grumbled.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Tess…"

"I'm serious, dammit."

He sat up, rubbing his hand over his eyes.

"Look," she said, "I just want you to think about this. I promised you this would be the end of the line, that I wouldn't make you take it any further, and I'll stand by that, but… I just want you to make sure you know what you're doing."

"They'll be fine—"

"You don't know that. If we leave tomorrow you aren't going to have a damn idea what'll happen to those girls. You're going to have to live without knowing."

Joel said nothing, staring down at the faded blanket.

"All I'm saying is that you should think about it, Texas. That's it."

Joel didn't respond, laying back down and pulling the cover over his head.


When Ellie made her way back to her bedroom, she found Riley already in bed, her back to her. Ellie spent a good minute debating whether or not she should say something to her before she eventually just changed her clothing, donning the T-shirt and shorts Maria had given her, and then climbed into bed. She laid there in silence for a while, examining the ceiling and wondering if Riley was asleep or not. She doubted it.

After a few moments, she sidled closer to her and wrapped an arm around her waist, nuzzling her face into her hair. She heard Riley sigh, and then felt her hand wrap around her own.

"Hey," Riley said softly.

Ellie squeezed her hand. "Hey."

Eventually, Riley wriggled away so she could turn over to face her. Her eyes were thoughtful, the low light illuminating her features in a way that stole Ellie's breath. Riley examined her face for a while, eventually reaching out and tucking a lock of hair behind Ellie's ear, her fingers tracing gently over her cheek, delicately following the line of her jaw.

She took a deep breath, lifting her eyes to meet Ellie's.

"I'm sorry I was such an ass."

"Riley—"

"I shouldn't have gotten that pissed at you. You—" She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. "You didn't do anything wrong. I was just being a dick—"

Ellie rolled her eyes, and then cupped Riley's face, leaning forward and pressing her lips to hers. She smiled against her mouth when Riley stopped talking immediately, inhaling sharply against her lips before kissing her back, a hand threading into her hair.

When they broke apart Ellie sighed, a small smile lingering on her lips.

"It's – it's okay. I was an ass, too. I shouldn't have pushed you like that. It's just that you were hurting, and I hate seeing you like that. I just… I love you, Riley, and I want to be able to look out for you, y'know?"

They both paused once they realized what she'd said, staring at each other with wide eyes.

"I – I love you, too," Riley said, after a moment.

They laid there in silence for a while, looking at each other in the near darkness.

"We're kinda pathetic," Ellie said.

"More than kinda."

Ellie grinned. "Want to actually try to get some sleep now?"

"Yeah, that'd be great."

Ten minutes later, when Riley was nearly asleep, Ellie suddenly spoke.

"If I refuse to fall asleep, am I resisting a rest?"

Riley blinked, puzzling out what Ellie had just said. Then she glared at her.

"I take it back. I hate you."


The morning dawned softly, milky sunlight seeping through the thin veil of gray clouds and past the limbs of the balding tree outside to leaving splotchy dapples of light on the floor of the girls' bedroom. Riley woke first, finding Ellie's nose buried in the hollow of her throat, her hair tickling her cheek.

She found herself smiling, remembering their time back at the military school, when they'd first started sharing a bed. She'd learned quickly that, once asleep, Ellie became rather clingy, wrapping herself around whomever was nearest without hesitation. It'd taken Riley a while to get used to it, having not been around anyone she allowed to touch her so freely since childhood. However, she'd found that once she'd gotten past the strangeness of it all, she preferred it to sleeping alone. Plus, it help that Ellie seemed to be something akin to a compact furnace – she always seemed to emit her own warmth and light, a walking ray of sunshine. And Riley hated being cold.

She felt Ellie stir, sighing, her breath tickling her neck.

"Mornin'," she mumbled, blinking sleepily as she lifted her eyes to meet Riley's.

Riley's mouth curved into a half smile, and she leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss Ellie's mouth.

"Morning, sunshine."

Ellie smirked, pushing a curl out of Riley's eyes before reaching a hand behind her head and pulling her hair out of its bun, brushing it loose around her face.

"You should let your hair down more often," she said, her eyes meeting Riley's.

"Eh. It's too messy," Riley said dismissively. "Speaking of, you need to trim yours soon, y'know. It's getting wild."

Ellie frowned, touching her own hair unconsciously. Her ponytail reached down between her shoulder blades, much to her surprise.

"I'm just saying it wouldn't hurt," Riley said, propping herself up on her elbow. "It's not safe to have it so long."

Ellie shook her head. "You worry too much, Firefly Girl."

Riley's mouth quirked in a smirk. "Pfft. Whatever."

They both glanced up at the window when a bird flew by, its shadow flickering across the wall.

"I guess we should get up soon," Ellie said, the lack of enthusiasm in her voice obvious.

Riley shrugged. "Maybe."

Ellie was quiet for a moment, and then she sighed.

"I still can't believe that they're going to just… leave. I — what the hell, y'know?"

Riley frowned, rolling onto her back to stare up at the ceiling, the covers tucked up to her chin. "I can."

"I thought they… I don't know. Cared more or something. Stupid of me, I guess," Ellie said quietly, her voice turning bitter toward the end.

The dejection in her tone was obvious, and Riley felt a twinge of concern as she turned to look at her.

"Ellie, it's going to be okay. I get it – I'm bummed, too, and kinda pissed at them. But we'll be alright. We don't need them."

"It's not about needing them," Ellie said tiredly. Then she shook her head, burying her face in the pillow. "I guess it doesn't matter. Fuck it."

Riley stifled a sigh, uncertain of what to say. Eventually she just wrapped her arm around Ellie's waist, curling close to her and resting her face in the crook of her neck.

"As nice as this is, we should probably get up," Ellie said, resting her nose in Riley's hair.

"Nah. The floor looks cold. You're warm. We'll get up later."

Ellie found herself smiling. "Okay."


They eventually did get up, once it became apparent that they could no longer justify staying in bed, and quickly tidied themselves up before heading into the dining area, which was bustling with activity: people carried trays of food, children ran between the tables, and the hum of idle conversation permeated the air. There seemed to be a cheer about the place, a liveliness that was nothing like the mess hall back at the military school.

"You have to admit this is kind of cool," Riley said, as they made their way toward the table they had shared with the others the night before, curious glances landing on them as they walked. "They have an actual… community."

Ellie looked around skeptically. "Yeah, but so did Adam and the rest of those people."

"I think that was a little different," Riley reasoned. "No one has thrown a bible at us yet, so I think we're okay."

Ellie giggled, causing Joel and Tess to look up as they approached. There was a moment of awkward silence as the girls seated themselves at the table, Joel carefully avoiding eye contact while Tess simply examined the girls with a tired expression.

No one spoke until Tommy and Maria seated themselves at the table, Tommy offering an amiable smile, cheerfully ignoring the gloom settled over the table.

"So," he said, taking a bite of scrambled egg, "everyone sleep alright?"

"Yeah," Riley said, noticing that Ellie's eyes remained firmly fixed on her food, apart from when they occasionally darted up to Joel and Tess. "Your place is pretty peaceful."

Tommy nodded, glancing at Maria and then frowning when he saw the tension in her shoulders, her cold expression.

"We lucked out," he agreed, clearing his throat awkwardly.

"It's nothing to do with luck," Maria muttered, aggressively slicing a piece of canned apple in half. "We've worked at it. We've been careful."

Tommy's expression fell further, his eyes dropping to his food. He waited a few minutes before speaking again.

"I guess you guys'll be headin' out early?" he asked, looking at Joel.

Joel nodded, carefully avoiding Riley's cold stare, Ellie's irritated glance. "Yeah, in a little while. Gotta take care of a few things first."

He looked quickly back down at his food.

"Where are you guys going to go?" Ellie asked quietly.

"No idea yet," Tess said flatly. "Guess we'll figure it out."

Riley caught her gaze, raising an eyebrow. Tess just shrugged.

The rest of breakfast was passed in relative silence, and was just awkward enough to send everyone rushing away from the table as soon as they finished. Tommy and Joel went off to discuss something in private, while Maria set off to direct some of the workers in the plant to their next projects. Ellie retreated outside, muttering something about going to see the horses. Riley and Tess eventually found themselves standing silently underneath the oak tree Ellie and Riley had argued under the day before, both watching the members of the dam buzz by, going about their lives.

Tess glanced at Riley, after a while, and then nudged her with her shoulder.

"If it's any consolation, I think it's a stupid idea, too."

Riley sighed, pushing her hands into the pocket of her hoodie. "Then why are you doing it?"

Tess shrugged. "I promised Joel this was as far as we'd take it."

Brow furrowed, Riley shook her head. "So what? He doesn't have to come with us."

Tess chuckled. "You really don't like him, do you?"

"I don't hate him," Riley said, glancing back toward the wall. "I just think he's an asshole."

"I'll give you that one."

Riley shook her head. "What do you see in him?"

Crossing her arms over her chest, Tess exhaled heavily, considering her answer.

"Sometimes you settle for someone in this world because it's your best option. You and Ellie are lucky – most people don't have someone that can watch their backs, someone that they can trust. Really trust. You can work with someone, partner with them, and know them for a year and still not feel like you can turn your back on them for a second without them robbing you blind. Or worse. It's rare to find someone who's not only capable, but a halfway decent person. Joel… he's an ass. He's stubborn, harsh, set in his ways. He's a shitty person."

She laughed, then. "But I'm a shitty person, too. We're a good match. When you come across someone like that you wanna try to keep 'em around. Sometimes that means compromising, doing things you don't want to. I'm sure you've done that for Ellie before."

Riley said nothing, her hand moving to the Firefly pendant in her pocket.

"So, now that he wants to do this, I'm going to allow it, because it's only fair. Does that make sense?"

Riley shrugged. "I guess."

"That doesn't mean that I agree with him, though. I think he's being a dumbass."

"Why don't you just tell him that?"

Tess snorted. "Trust me, I have. He doesn't want to change his mind."

Riley rolled her eyes.

"Either way," Tess said, shrugging, "I think you two'll be alright. Tommy seems to have his shit together. He'll watch out for you. You'll watch out for each other. You'll be fine."

"It doesn't matter – it's still going to upset Ellie to lose you guys. Not to mention it's still risky," Riley muttered. "It took long enough to get Joel to stop treating us like kids—"

"I don't think you'll have that problem with Tommy. I'll make sure to let him know that you can handle yourselves."

Riley just shook her head. "Whatever you say."

They stood in silence for a moment, and then Tess glanced back at Riley.

"If you wanna go try to get through to Joel you could give it a shot. You might get him to listen."

Riley snorted. "Yeah, I doubt that. He doesn't like me."

"Nah, he does," Tess said. "You just piss him off, I think, because you're too much like him."

Riley turned toward her, hands going to her hips. "I am nothing like him."

"Easy," Tess said, waving a hand in a placating manner. "You actually are, like it or not. You're hardheaded, won't take orders to save your life, and don't know when to stop fighting."

Riley stared at her, jaw dropped, too offended to come up with a response. Tess laughed.

"Considering that, you might be able to make him see reason. Seeing things from your perspective might help. I think you should give it a shot. Worst he can do is say no."

Riley sighed, shaking her head. "Whatever. I'll see how it goes. For Ellie."

Tess smirked. "Have fun."

"Right."

Leaving Tess to recline against the tree, Riley found herself wandering more or less aimlessly around the plant, assuming that she'd stumble across Joel at some point, or at least someone who could lead her to Joel. Within a few minutes, she found she was right, having found Joel and Tommy standing outside one of the community's storage rooms, both looking tired. Both eyed her warily as she approached, Tommy rubbing the back of his neck, Joel shifting on his feet, arms crossed.

She stopped a few feet away, resting one hand on her hip.

"Hey, Joel. Mind if I talk to you about something?"

Before Joel could respond Tommy was nodding to her and walking off, mumbling something like, "gonna give y'all some space."

Joel watched him go with a look of apprehension, looking back at Riley unhappily.

"I get the feelin' your gonna say what you want to say whether I want you to or not."

"Yeah, probably," Riley said.

She sighed, rubbing a hand over the bridge of her nose before speaking.

"Look, I'm going to be honest," she began, crossing her arms, mirroring his position. "I don't like you that much. You're an asshole, and you kind of piss me off. I'm pretty sure you don't like me, either, and that's fine."

"Now—"

She shook her head, cutting off his protestations.

"But, for whatever reason, Ellie likes you. She likes both of you guys. And she's bad at making friends, so that kind of says something."

"She's bad at making friends?" Joel asked, raising an eyebrow.

Riley smirked. "Yeah. Not as bad as you are, but she is. Anyway, I get why you're so fucking set on getting rid of us—"

"It's not getting rid of you. It's not like that—"

"It's just like that. You've done what you were supposed to, and now you're dumping us on the nearest person, even though I don't think your brother is any happier about it than you were about dealing with us—"

"Riley—"

Riley's voice rose as she cut him off once more, holding his gaze intently. "Stop fucking interrupting me, and just listen!"

She sighed irritably. "Look, to get to the point, what I'm trying to do is just… I don't know. Ask you to think about it, I guess. I know this is… hard for you, or whatever—"

"What?"

"Maria told us about Sarah—"

"Kid, you need to stop right there—"

"Don't call me a kid, Joel!" she snarled, taking a step toward him. "I am not a kid. Ellie is not your kid. You need to get that through your head!"

He shook his head, turning away. "I don't have to listen to this—"

"Hey!" Riley snapped, stepping in front of him. "You're going to fucking hear me out whether you like it or not!"

Joel turned back toward her, rising to his full height, arms folded. Riley lifted her chin in response, staring him coldly in the eye.

"I'm sorry about Sarah. I'm sure that was shitty – I can't even imagine. But you know what? You need to move on. You don't get to stew in your own grief for the rest of your life. That's not how it works. Things happen, and you fucking move on."

"You have no idea what you're talking about."

Riley's jaw dropped, her expression incredulous. "Are you fucking serious? Really? You're going to try to tell me that I don't know what it's like to lose people?"

"You—"

"No! No. You don't get to do that. Joel. You don't get to invalidate what other people have gone through just because you don't think it measures up to what happened to you. It's not a fucking competition. You are not the only person who this world has taken something from. You are not the only one who is hurting! You need to grow up and get the fuck over yourself!"

She was yelling by then, rising almost to her tiptoes, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. Joel glared down at her, his jaw set.

"I know you're upset over your daughter, but you know what—"

"That's enough," Joel snarled, stepping toward her warningly. "That's enough, Riley."

Riley shook her head. "Look, your daughter is gone, but Ellie needs you now. We—we need your help. So, all I'm asking is that you just fucking think about it."

She exhaled tiredly, her voice softening. "Please."

Neither of them said anything for a moment, Joel standing stiffly in place, Riley examining him for a moment before eventually just shaking her head.

"Fuck it. I don't know why I thought this would help."

She turned on heel and marched off, leaving Joel rooted to the spot, silent.

By the time she found Ellie, the adrenaline from the argument had warn off, leaving her bitter and shaky. Ellie was helping brush down one of the horses at the barn, a grin stretched across her face that quickly faded once she caught sight of Riley.

"You… okay?"

Riley glanced up at her, having sunken down next to the horse's stall.

"Yeah, I guess. Just pissed off."

Ellie looked at her inquisitively, waiting, and Riley just sighed, resting her head against knees.

"You gonna tell me why?" Ellie asked.

"There's no point. It doesn't matter."


The girls spent the next few hours grooming and playing with the horses. There were ten of them, ranging in breeds and age, all, except for one particularly grumpy mare, happy to have the attention. Maria stopped by the stalls around midafternoon, looking frustrated. Nonetheless, she smiled at them when she approached.

"Hey. Having fun?"

Ellie nodded, mouth quirking up. "I forgot how much I missed horses."

The gelding she was petting bumped her with his nose impatiently, annoyed she had stopped scratching his shoulders.

"Well, I just came by to let you know that your friends are about to leave. Thought you might want to say goodbye."

Riley, who had been working on combing the tangles out of the horse's mane, glanced up, annoyance written on her face.

Ellie was quiet for a moment, and then nodded. "Thanks, Maria. We'll be over in a few."

"Alright. We'll be out by the gate."

Maria left awkwardly, her arms crossed. Ellie and Riley glanced at each other over the horse's back, both solemn.

"You okay?" Riley asked quietly.

Ellie just nodded. "Yeah. I'll be fine."

They walked to the gate slowly, shoulders brushing. Ellie's expression remained stoic up until she saw them standing together, backpacks on their shoulders, talking to Tommy. She inhaled slowly, swallowing, pressing her lips in a thin line. Riley pushed her hands into her pockets, watching Ellie cross her arms, and felt the morning's frustration and annoyance rise up within her again.

When they stopped in front of Joel and Tess there was a moment of silence, Tess looking slightly resigned, Joel conflicted.

Tommy stood awkwardly beside them, his hands buried in his pockets.

"Well, I'll, uh, leave you to it," he began, but Joel suddenly waved a hand, stopping him.

"Tommy…" he sighed, his voice trailing off.

"Joel, I'll take good care of them," Tommy said quietly. "We'll be fine, won't we?"

He glanced at the girls for confirmation, and Ellie nodded, giving him a weak smile. Riley only stared at Joel coldly.

"Yeah, we'll be… okay," Ellie said quietly. "It'll be fine."

She looked at Joel and Tess. "Thanks for everything, I guess."

Joel looked at her, and then at Riley, and then back at Ellie, and then he closed his eyes for a moment before turning to Tommy.

"Tommy, there anyway we could take two horses with us?"

Tommy frowned. "What—"

"One isn't gonna be enough to carry four people."

Ellie's eyebrows shot up, and she looked from Joel to Tess, hesitant.

Tommy was quiet for a moment. "You sure about this?"

Joel glanced at Tess. "If it's alright with the missus."

Tess snorted. "About fucking time. I told you you were being a dumbass."

Joel chuckled, glancing toward the girls. A smile broke out across Ellie's face as realization took hold.

"Why don't you two go get the horses saddled up?" Joel asked the girls.

Riley scrutinized him for a moment, and then her expression softened, a smile appearing.

"Rodger dodger," Ellie said quietly, grabbing Riley's hand and dragging her back toward the stalls, a grin having camped on her face. Riley jogged along after her, now smirking.

After talking with Maria about which horses would be best to take, they ended up with the blood bay gelding and a drafty pinto mare, both, in Maria's words, large and reliable.

They met Joel and Tess back at the gate twenty minutes later, astride the bay and ponying the pinto behind them.

Once everyone was mounted, Joel turned to Tommy.

"Where did you say this lab of theirs was?"

"It's all the way out there – the University of Eastern Colorado."

"How do we find it?"

"It's in the science building – looks like a giant mirror. Can't miss it."

Joel nodded. "Thanks, little brother."

"Be careful," Tommy said. "And just so you know, there's always a place for you here."

"Maybe we'll take you up on that some day."

Tess patted the rump of the mount she and Joel were sharing and smiled to herself, eventually turning to glance at Riley.

Riley met her gaze, holding the gelding's reins in her hands, Ellie's arms wrapped around her waist. She raised her eyebrows expectantly.

Tess just winked.

Riley found herself grinning.