(A/N): Didn't see that coming did you? Yep. Thought so.

Following up while the iron is now RED HOT. And well...time to go hide under a rock. This time, I'm not coming out.


EDIT 2: Real steamy version here now. I decided to not censor anything because well...because I can. Reread this chapter once more, there's definitely a significant change in the content here.


DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Last Of Us


Chapter 8: The Price Of Freedom


Two Days Later- Glacier National Park's Borders

I looked at the map carefully.

"It should be just up ahead beyond those trees," I said.
"Got it," said Gary.

I rolled up the map as the truck stopped. I turned to everyone.

"Everyone stick to the plan," I ordered.

I looked at Doan, who still had completely soulless eyes. I put a hand on hers.

"We're gonna get him back...ok?" I assured.

She didn't respond to me. She was in no condition to even respond. Flora attempted to calm her down with a hug but nothing was getting through that soulless exterior.


Yesterday Morning- The Trading Post

"WHAT?!" I screamed.

I cursed loudly and slammed my first into the desk in anger. I looked at Flora who was now crying. The group looked completely down in morale...especially Doan who was usually in high spirits. In fact, she seemed completely devoid of happiness. I walked up to her and put a hand on her back.

"It wasn't your fault...you did everything you could've," I said in an attempt to breathe life into her.

She looked at me with tears welled up within her eyes.

"I...I couldn't do anything...it all happened so fast...if I was more proactive...maybe I could've..." she sobbed.

Maria was instantly at her side and hugged her warmly.

"What're we gonna do?" asked Kyle.
"We have to go get him...but I know The Fallout...they're luring us into a trap," I said.

I put a hand on my chin.

"The large man...did he have a Russian accent?" I asked.

Doan slowly nodded and I cursed.

"That guy's second in command...his name is Berkley," I said.
"Who is he?" asked Mabry.

I sighed deeply.

"...He used to be a part of the post...but we kicked him out because of how relentless he was; it was inhumane and he ended up getting three people killed," I explained.

I explained his story, detailing back to when he used to lead the security force. He led a squad of four others but his bloodlust was too much...and he ended up taking them all into a suicide mission that resulted in three of them dying. Once we found out from the remaining survivor that it was his word that cost them their lives, Berkley killed him during the night and left us, swearing revenge for throwing him out.

"Berkley's drawing us into a trap...I know the way he operates," I said.

Emile stepped forward.

"We have to get moving then!" said Emile.
"We can't...the fuel shipment isn't scheduled until tomorrow and we have no hawks to send to them," I explained.

Emile cursed loudly.

"Berkley will keep his word...Jordan's not going to last very long unless we get there," he growled.

Flora continued to cry as Frani walked over to her and hugged her in an attempt to calm her down.

"So what the fuck can we do?! I'm not going to stand here and wait for my friend to suffer!" bellowed Mabry.

I sighed softly.

"We'll have to wait till tomorrow...there's nothing we can do," I sighed.

Zoey stepped forward.

"I have a plan," she said.

I looked at her as if she were insane.

"There's no way he's going to let us come there and walk away without some kind of repercussion," she said.
"Are you thinking of fighting?" I asked.

She shook her head.

"Just safety measures...because if the way you describe him is right, there's no way he's going to let you walk away from there alive," she said.

I swallowed hard.

"If he catches wind of it...he'll kill Jordan on the spot," I groaned.

Zoey shook her head.

"Trust me?" she asked.


The Rendezvous Point

"Everyone in place?" asked Zack.
"Ready to fire if needed," replied Mabry.

He turned the dial to a different channel.

"You in place?" he said.
"Clear shot," replied Zoey.

Zack closed his eyes as he turned the dial on the radio to link both channels.

"Can you both hear me?" he asked.
"Loud and clear," they said in unison.

Zack nodded in relative satisfaction before he turned to me.

"Let's get him back," he said.

He opened the door but turned back to me.

"No matter what he does to him...don't lose your cool...if you do anything reckless, he'll kill him on the spot," instructed Zack.

I nodded but he shook his head.

"You have to promise me Doan," he said sternly.
"...I promise," I replied.

He nodded slowly as I followed him out into the field. True to his word, Berkley was there with Jordan on his knees. He had cuts all over his face, a blindfold over his eyes an a cloth tied over his mouth. He also had his hands bound by what I assumed to be rope.

"Ahh! Zacky my boy!" he said happily.

My heart sank more and more as I looked at Jordan's deteriorating condition; he was definitely starving as his posture looked weak. He probably didn't have anything to drink either as his lips were chapped and dried out. I couldn't imagine what kind of torture they put him through.

"So you took two days to come here!" he said.

He turned to Jordan and raised him to his feet.

"But I'm a kind man so I won't do what I said before," he said as he shoved him forward.

He then picked up the bat by his legs and much to my horror, he swung it hard and connected with Jordan's left arm. He cried out in pain and fell to the ground as Berkley shrugged and walked up to him before slamming the bat twice more on the same arm, each strike producing a blood-curdling scream. He then dropped the bat and pulled Jordan to his feet, holding him by the back of his shirt collar.

"I'll just break one instead of two since you responded to me so punctually!" he said.

I had an almost unbearable urge to run over to him, to let him know that I was there for him but Zack grabbed my hand. I turned to see rage in his eyes and it was then that I realized why he didn't do anything; Berkley was trying to make him react irrationally. Zack swallowed his pride and walked forward with me as he removed the key from around his neck. This key was the one to the main gates of the post. Berkley's eyes lit up.

"Hand it over," he ordered.
"Him first," replied Zack.

Berkley looked at him in slight annoyance but shoved Jordan forward. I couldn't restrain myself from running forward and catching him before he fell to the ground. I hugged him deeply, absolutely relieved that he was still alive.

"I'm here...I'm here..." I whispered.
"D-D-Doan...it's...a trap...get out of here..." he murmured.

I turned to Zack instantly and gave him a horrified look. He immediately got the message and paused.

"How do I know you won't kill me when I hand you this key?" he questioned.

Berkley chuckled.

"If you don't, you'll find out the fun way," replied Berkley.

Zack drew in a breath before whistling loudly. The signal had gone off. I quickly helped Jordan to his feet and ran as fast as I could with him back to the humvee. Berkley laughed as he raised his radio.

"Get em boys...I want that key on his neck," he said.

He turned to leave as several men on motorcycles rode forward from the trees. A single arrow flew from a tree and connected with the chest of one of the drivers, dropping him and his passenger to the ground.

"MABRY NOW!" ordered Zack.

An unforgiving volley of rifle fire erupted from the trees from Mabry's fireteam, dropping more of them. Berkley turned around with a smile as he got into his humvee. Six more riders came from the trees with two of them having a passenger cart with a man carrying a machine gun. Zack cursed as he broke into a sprint towards the humvee which I had gotten Jordan into and taken cover.

"COVERING FIRE!" he shouted.

More shots rang out but only hit two riders this time until another arrow flew from Zoey's tree, connecting with the driver of a two person motorcycle and dropping him off the vehicle. The second man had no control over the bike and fell.

"Everyone fall back!" ordered Emile through the radio.

Zack finally made it to the humvee and switched it on.

"We're getting out of here...Gary, man the mounted gun," he said.

Gary nodded as he jumped over the seats and let him take the wheel. We quickly zipped out of there but the motorcyclists were in hot pursuit.

"Everybody out of there?" asked Zack.
"On the way to the bridge on the planned path," replied Mabry.
"Good job out there, really good shooting from all of you," praised Zack.
"Worry about praise later...right now, we have to get Jordan back to my lab or he's probably going to fade away from the sheer pain he's in," said Emile.

Zack cursed loudly as Jordan groaned loudly in pain.

"Give the radio to Doan," said Emile.

Zack handed me the radio.

"I'm here Emile," I said.
"I need you to check if the bone in his arm is broken so I want you to remove his jacket and tell me how his arm looks," said Emile.

I did as he asked as I eased him up from the seat and slowly but sure got the jacket removed. His arm was horribly discolored with black and blue swelling. I touched it as gently as I could but he groaned loudly in pain.

"Tell him it's broken..." he groaned.
"Ask him if they did anything else to him," said Emile.

I tried to check but much to my horror, Jordan passed out.

"Emile! He's not conscious!" I cried into the radio.
"Not many people can handle that much stress...I can't imagine what that Russian shithead did to him..." sighed Emile.
"We're nearing the blockade point!" shouted Gary.

The motorcycles still hadn't caught up but now was no time time to gain hope. Zack grabbed the radio from my hand.

"SNIPER TEAM READY!" shouted Zack.
"Ready and waiting sir," replied Andrew.

I looked ahead to see that we had indeed made it to the highway blockade as Zack recklessly pulled the humvee onto the road and sped towards the blockade we set up.

"Free to engage?" asked Andrew.
"LIGHT EM UP!" replied Zack.

The humvee went through the opening in the road and I saw that Mabry's team had already arrived along with Zoey. I turned to see that the cyclists were still in hot pursuit but once they saw the blockade, several of them stopped before shouting at their companions to as well. A volley of gunfire followed, slaughtering the stragglers that did not heed their warning. The remaining cyclists disappeared into the trees. Zack sighed in relief as he turned to look at Jordan, who was still not conscious in my lap.

"Let's get him back...I hope we aren't too late," he said.


15 Minutes Later- Emile's Lab

Heart-shattering cries filled the room as Emile laid Jordan on the table.

"Flora, morphine right now," he instructed.

She nodded as she brought a stand with a bag of it attached.

"Zoey, go to the medical section and get me these items," he said as he handed her a piece of paper.
"On it," she replied as she sprinted off.

He then turned to Frani.

"I need you to get me a syringe, a splint and a sewing kit from the first aid locker," he said.

Frani nodded and ran to get the requested items. Emile attached the end of the bag to a small needle before looking at Jordan.

"The pain's gonna go away my friend...I'll do everything I can," he assured.

He stuck the needle into his arm before picking up a mask and holding it over his face.

"Breathe in and count to five," he instructed.

Jordan obeyed him and soon, he was out cold. Emile swallowed hard as he examined Jordan's exposed torso.

"He's got a lot of cuts all over his body...but thankfully nothing major and nothing that won't heal," he said.

He then examined his left arm.

"He definitely has a broken arm...this is going to take weeks to heal," he sighed.

He looked at me and beckoned me over before handing me a large amount of cotton and disinfectant.

"While I tend to the arm, you and Flora disinfect those cuts of his," he said.

I nodded as I handed a lot of the cotton to Flora and began to wipe them off.

"They must've put him through some horrible torture...most likely trying to find out everything about the post," growled Zack.

He shook his head.

"I should've risked going there without the extra fuel...he wouldn't have had to spend a day there," he said.

Emile shook his head.

"If you went there without your fuel, you'd all be dead right now," he said.

Zack looked down as he nodded.

"I'm gonna have a word with the security force," he said.

He put a hand on my shoulder as he walked out.

"How bad is he?" I asked.

Emile shook his head.

"His arm's in really bad shape...he'll be able to use it but he can forget doing work with it for a few weeks," he said.

He removed a syringe from the drawer as he looked at him.

"What's that?" I asked.
"The reason why our security force doesn't stay down for long," he explained.

I looked at him in shock but he raised his hand.

"Don't worry, it's not some kind of X-Men mutagen type of thing but it will accelerate the healing process greatly...it's something that I'm going to apply to his broken bone to help mend it," he explained.

He looked carefully at the arm before sinking the needle into the afflicted area and once he found the spot, he emptied the contents before drawing it out and covering the piercing point with a cloth. Just then, Zoey returned with the items and Frani returned with the other items. Flora and I had just finished disinfecting the cuts all over him.

"You're going to need these things to care for him whenever I'm not there...things are a little hectic right now but I trust Flora enough to watch over him medically until I can come to the compound...right now, he needs to rest or the compound I injected into his arm can't work effectively," he said.

I nodded as Emile took the bandage and splint from Frani and applied it to his arm, slinging it snugly over his shoulder.

"The sleeping gas will wear off in about half an hour...so it's up to him now," said Emile.

Emile rose to his feet.

"Lunch?" he asked.

I shook my head, as did Flora. Emile shook his head.

"You haven't eaten a thing all day Flora...I think he'll be fine with Doan watching over him so come eat something; he's not going anywhere," urged Emile.

Zoey held out her hand to Flora. After several seconds of what seemed to be deep and conflicted thoughts, she took it.

"I'll be right back..." she said softly.

Emile looked at me.

"If we aren't back in half an hour and he wakes up, bandage him up," he instructed.

I nodded as they left.


I had no idea I was so tired until I stirred from my sleep. My hand was still locked with his as I brushed my hair from my face.

"Had a good trip in dreamland?"

My heart raced as I looked up to see Jordan looking at me with a smile.

"Morning beautiful," he said happily.

I threw my arms around him and buried my face in his neck, tears now freely flowing from my eyes.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...I couldn't do anything..." I sobbed.
"It's alright...I understand," he whispered soothingly.

His good arm wrapped around my back and stroked the back of my head.

"I was reckless...I don't blame you for it at all," he whispered.

He continued to stroke my head gently for a few moments until I leaned back to look at him. He was smiling, despite all of the hell he just went through, he was smiling at me.

"I'm just glad I'm here with everyone...especially with you,"

I blushed tremendously at his sincere words as he put a hand on my cheek a wiped a tear from it.

"Don't cry...your smile makes surviving all of this worth it," he whispered again.

My eyes locked onto his but for some reason, his eyes started turning golden. His face quickly progressed into that of a Clicker...


Later That Evening

I woke up with a jolt as I looked around frantically. I felt no hand in mine as my heart began to race.

"Finally awake?"

I turned around and much to my relief, Jordan was standing by the window. Someone had bandaged him up and for some reason, we were the only ones in the lab. Most of the cuts on his face had already sealed up. All in all, he looked worlds better than he did before. My emotions once again took hold of me as I ran over to him and hugged him deeply. I was amazed he wasn't hurt by the force of my body but he happily accepted it, wrapping his good arm around me and stroking the back of my head gently. I was amazed he didn't feel much pain in his right shoulder considering the stab wound he had before.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.
"Annoyed that this stupid sling is blocking me from doing much...but otherwise I'm alright," he replied.

I released him and leaned away as I lowered my head...now feeling my guilt coming back in full force.

"I...I let you get...taken..." I sobbed.

He shook his head and smiled at me.

"I understand...you don't have to explain yourself," he whispered.

I don't know how he could be so kind to me when I literally sat there and did nothing to help him.

"If you had attacked him...Berkley would've killed you...I'm glad you didn't interfere because if I lost you...I don't know what I would do," he whispered.

He moved a little closer and lifted my chin to face him.

"Don't cry...someone as kind as you should never have to do so,"

~ o ~

To say that I was overjoyed to see her again was an understatement. I woke up twenty minutes ago to see that I was already bandaged so I could only assume that Emile or Flora had come and did the job was I was still out cold. I saw Doan asleep at my side and didn't see anyone else around so I slipped my hand through hers and got on my feet, feeling surprisingly energized despite my obviously broken arm. Emile did good work with me. I didn't want to remember what those Russians did to me and it was the longest day of my life. They spent the entire day...hitting me with various things like bats, whips and belts in an attempt to get me to tell them everything about the post. Despite the maddening amount of pain I was in...I didn't say a word about the post or the compound. That didn't stop them from trying however...

Then here I was now...holding her in my arms and looking right at her.

"Promise me something," she said.

I nodded.

"Don't take on everything by yourself...let us help," she said.

I opened my mouth to retort but she silenced me with her index finger.

"I don't want to hear an argument...promise me," she whispered.

Her tone was close to breaking so I nodded.

"I promise," I replied.

She gave me one of her signature heart-melting smiles. Every time she did...I couldn't describe the feeling it gives me. It always rendered me speechless and it warmed my heart so much...and it sent an unknown million volts of red hot electricity through my body. I don't know if I had ever felt so strongly for someone before...

Seeing her happy was at first just a luxury but now...it felt like I had to do whatever it takes to ensure that her smile would never turn to a frown. Her eyes met mine and I couldn't help but stare back. The silence suddenly became comfortable and for some reason, she appeared in much greater detail.

Her beautiful brown eyes were slightly red from an obvious lack of sleep; she must've been unable to during my absence. They were still her eyes however...the very eyes I learned to adore in the past month and a half. Her face was as usual devoid of any blemishes and still held the same tan tone that she always had albeit a little darker thanks to the hot sun. Her long brown hair was still in surprisingly great condition despite the lack of hair care products but most importantly, she had the same smile...that was purely her.

I closed my eyes and turned away, releasing her from the embrace before my emotions got the better of me. She seemed confused as to why I turned away as I started to walk away. She however grabbed my right hand.

"Why are you running away?" she asked.

I let out a heavy breath.

"I'm trying to keep myself from doing something stupid," I replied.

I knew things would get worse if I let myself feel this for her; decisions would be clouded, judgement would be altered in her favor and irrationality was sure to follow.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

I closed my eyes tightly, feeling my courage reach a boiling point.

"Tell her you dumb fuck...TELL HER!"

"I...I can't say it," I said.
"Remember what I said before?" she asked.

My eyes opened.

"You shouldn't be worried about you wouldn't do...the rules change," she explained.

"I LIKE YOU!" I snapped.

My eyes shut instantly as the bottle finally popped.

"It's incredibly hard to to accept this but I LIKE you!" I said again.

~ o ~

His words made my heart skip a beat. He wasn't looking at me and his tone sounded like a mad mix of anger and sadness.

"I'm not supposed to feel this way about anyone because NOTHING good can come of it!" he continued.

I attempted to say something but he continued on.

"It's barely been three months...THREE MONTHS and I can't get you out of my head no matter how hard I try...it's maddening," he said.

He had to have been bottling this up for a long time to be reacting like this; I've never heard him so disheartened and...scared?

"I'm going think of you in every single decision I make and that's not going to help the group...it will affect my judgement and most of all, it will make me irrational because I would do ANYTHING to not put you in danger so if you thought I was reckless BEFORE? That's NOTHING compared to how I'll be...if..."
"If what?"

He turned to look at me, clearly still deep in conflict in his mind. He just admitted the way he felt about me...and he thought it was a bad thing? He opened his eyes.

"If this,"

I barely got to react as he placed his lips on my forehead, kissing it gently. I blushed profusely at the gesture as he moved back.

"I tell myself that I shouldn't allow myself to care so much...but I can't help it when it comes to you," he explained.

He then turned away, his face now drained of happiness and replaced with regret.

"I'm...sorry," he said.

His eyes closed.

"I didn't want to say anything anymore...but when I was in that compound...you were the only thing that kept me going," he said.
"W-W-What?" I said in surprise.

He looked away.

"They tortured me...there were a few times I contemplated just letting them end it all but I wanted to come back to everyone...to the group that we now call our family and...to you," he said.

He shook his head and turned around.

"Everything I just said has been long since coming...and the last thing I wanted to do was to make everything awkward and strange which I'm positive I just did," he continued.

He tried to leave but I immediately ran ahead of him as I looked at him.

"Why are you running away from what you feel?' I asked.

He looked at me, still deep in conflict mentally.

"Have you ever once thought about...how I might feel?" I asked.

I would be lying if I said I didn't understand the conflict but at this point, I didn't give a damn; I felt quite strongly for him too. He wasn't the definition of a dream guy...not by any stretch of the imagination but after spending so much time with him, he really grew on me. I didn't even pause to consider my own feelings...not until that night he danced with me.

That single day felt like a year...I blamed myself for not being good enough to help him and I punished myself but once he told me that he didn't blame me...it was like I confirmed my feelings for him. Sure he took life very seriously but considering that he became the de-facto leader of the group and he's the main reason most of us are still around. Despite how serious he was, he was always there for us. He takes good care of all of us...and I loved how kind he was. The fact that he didn't blame me...and the fact that he had the courage to tell me how he feels despite how stubborn he is...it confirmed everything I was feeling. I now knew for sure that I would rather face the problems than keep it in.

I was about to speak but much to my surprise, he captured my lips in a kiss. He had removed his broken arm from the sling to awkwardly place it behind me and used his free hand to gently cup my cheek. My body tensed for a moment and as quickly as the contact came, it disappeared. I looked at him to see that his eyes were so passionate, as if he were hoping for reciprocation...then he closed his eyes and turned away.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

I didn't realize that I got backed up into the wall...but he began to move away. I put a hand on his cheek, causing his face to snap back and focus on me.

"Don't be..."

I was thoroughly amazed that he did that of his own accord...when he previously barely had the courage to look me dead in the eyes. Despite it being slightly sloppy...he was a decent kisser.

His face was sincere but I could see deep fear in his eyes. So I did what came naturally...

~ o ~

"Do that again..." she whispered.

I couldn't believe my ears. I opened my mouth to retort but I was once again silenced by her finger.

"Don't talk...just do what I say," she whispered.

I took a breath and leaned towards her once more. She responded by gently holding my shirt collar and pulling me in to kiss her again. My good arm automatically wrapped around her waist and my left arm moved out of the way of her body as she leaned into me, deepening the kiss. I had no clue what I was doing but the fact that she didn't pull away made me believe I was doing something right. I tried to move but my legs refused to respond. My brain sent futile impulses for my limbs to move but my arm was perfectly content resting on the small of her waist. Those few seconds felt like days until I broke away from her, not realizing that we had somehow backed up into the couch. I dropped to it and sighed as I tripped backwards.

"Way to go Cassanova..."

She didn't seem at all disappointed. In fact, she simply laughed softly before joining me on the couch and leaning her head on my shoulder.

"This was not how I pictured this would unfold," I said, still stunned.
"Expect the unexpected," she replied.

I turned to her.

"...I'm not going anywhere again," I said.

~ o ~

I never imagined that someone who has never dated a girl before would be such a good kisser. He was extremely nervous and his heart was going so crazy that I was sure it was going to jump through his ribs and run outside. He was however...very gentle. No one would be able to tell that he was capable of being so gentle if they saw the way he trains with parkour and swordsmanship or even the way he kills the infected...but he didn't make a move beyond simply kissing me. I knew at that moment that his feelings weren't superficial; many guys tried to get with me whenever I visited the post but they used words such as "hot", "smoking" or "sexy" but he never used words like that. Incredible, Lovely, Intelligent, Kind-Hearted, Encouraging, You, Optimistic, Upbeat...those were a lot of the words he used to describe me. It made me warm inside...to know that he never once thought like those other guys who clearly just wanted what they could see.

"You better not," I snapped.

He responded with a smile and lifting my chin up to kiss me once more.