I cranked the fluff up to elven for this one. Enjoy everybody.

Below the title will be a rating, given to each individual short. It has nothing to do with the rating for the story as a whole. Some of my shorts do have adult content for example, and those are certainly not a T. Next to the rating will be a description of why it had been given that, so you could, for example, read an M rated story about violence as opposed to a M rated story about more intimate matters. Simple, right? What you read is entirely dependant on your comfort levels, though rest assured I will not be writing something so sexually graphic it reads like a porn novel. That's simply not my style.

Below the rating will be a summary, and it will tell you a few things: When the story in question takes place (before/during/after the main plot), and a usually cryptic message about what the story is about. (Because I can. No need to come out and ruin all the fun by giving a plain description.)

What day is it again?

Rating: T [language]

Summary: [After the main plot] Hey, thanks and stuff.

September, 2035

The day was a bright, sunny blue, and clouds listless rolled far overhead. Joel reclined into the rough wooden chair perched on his back porch, his gaze trailing over the edge of the wall to roll up and down the hills. It was a beautiful day, and he was at peace. Marcus had disappeared up to the dam at Tommy's request, and the aging man had gotten to spend some quality time with his adoptive daughter, the two spending most of yesterday relaxing together, before joining his younger brother and wife for a good home cooked meal. For reasons unknown she had darted off after supper, wandering home a few hours later. It was only just becoming noon, and he was letting Ellie sleep in. Funny, he thought, how for as much as he tried to be stern with her he still couldn't help but spoil his baby girl with extra sleep and all the fatherly affection he could muster up from his battered soul.

He smiled to himself, closing his eyes and stretching his arms behind his head. He breathed in, the cool air relaxing and comfortable. Fall had crept up on them, and Jackson was bathed in a constant refreshing breeze. It was just one of those days where everything seemed to click into place. No one was shooting at them, Ellie had gone to bed with one of her patented grins on her face, and life simply felt…right.

He moved a hand to gently trail over a section of pale skin on his wrist. He no longer wore the watch. It was kept on his nightstand, carefully draped on the picture frame that held his deceased daughter's image. He hoped that if she were watching him now she was smart enough to realize that him not wearing it didn't mean a damn thing. He still loved his Sarah all the same. Always had, always would. But he had learned a thing or two from Ellie. Grasping on to trinkets only made things worse. All that mattered were the memories you had. You keep those, and you've got everything. If she were still alive he'd still be wearing it, but only because it was a gift she gave him. He knew she'd understand why he didn't, and he knew she'd be more than happy to have a sister. She was like that.

He heard the door open and shut, and felt cool fingertips press into the muscles of his forearms. They prodded him, and he lazily opened one eye.

"Hey…hey old man. Dad. Wakey wakey."

Ellie hovered nearby, still in her pajamas, poking him to get his attention. He sat up in the chair, and turned his head to her.

"I don't poke you awake, do I?"

She shook her head, a grin forming at his challenge.

"No. You send Marcus up to do it so I bitch at him. You're crafty like that, but don't think I don't fucking see through it."

He chuckled and she grinned wider, walking around in front of him, her figure outline by the blue of the sky. She seemed slightly excited at something, and he woke up just a bit more.

"What's up baby girl?"

She shifted from foot to foot, and sucked in a check before letting it go with a pop.

"So…I call you dad now, right?"

He nodded slightly, and she continued.

"Well, I was wondering if maybe you uh…would be open to another name?"

What the hell had gotten into her?

"And that would be?"

She paused, clasping he hands together, trying to keep a smile off her face.

"Uh…I was thinking grandpa?"

In half a second his blood was on fire, and adrenaline coursed through his veins. He was standing in an instant, and Ellie looked up at him, her eyes wide and her face frozen in shocked amusement.

"Call me what now?! You best not be pregnant at sixteen."

Her reply was quiet, and meek. A snicker escaped her lips as she spoke.

"April fools…"

He lifted a finger, struggling to find words to throw at her. His voice died in his throat several time, and when it remained it was quiet and still held tinges of shock.

"Ellie, it ain't even April."

She bit her lip, a foolish grin threatening to break out.

"That's…that's why you never saw it coming."

He sat back down, staring at her goofy expression, letting a sharp breath hiss from between his teeth. Damn kids. He only kept his temper because he remembered he had done the exact same thing to his parents. With a grunt he realized he had told Ellie that story last weekend. The clever, though slightly unoriginal girl.

"Did you just come out here to give me a heart attack?"

His voice relaxed back into its gravely drawl, and she shook her head, her eyes still alight.

"No. I was talking with Maria last night after dinner, and out of nowhere Tommy told me you were born in September, so I…well I thought I should get you something. You know, you being my dad and all. A uh…birthday present, I think that's what they were called. That's where I disappeared to last night."

He blinked, cocking his head at his daughter as she continued to shift from foot to foot. She was nervous. If it wasn't so adorable he might have told her he'd have loved anything she got him. She spoke quickly, her voice rushed on by her jumpiness at giving him a gift.

"You know you're a bitch to shop for Dad. It's like you don't like anything. I mean seriously, what the hell do you like anyways?"

He cleared his throat, the words coming before his mind processed them.

"I love you. That's about it."

The words rocked her, and she seemed slightly stunned before a ridiculous smiled broke across her face, her cheeks coloring red. He couldn't help but grin back. She kicked at the wooden deck.

"Well fuck. You sure do know how to make a girl feel like a daughter."

His voice remained quiet.

"Feel? Ellie you are my daughter."

She seemed to melt in front of him, and he counted it as a win in his book. She recollected herself, and held up a finger for him to wait. She darted back into the house, and returned with a package in her hands, wrapped in old magazine pages duct taped together. She held it out to him, her cheeks puffed with anticipation.

"Here. Open it."

He took the box, and gently ripped the pages away. It was an old, battered cardboard box, the lid barely sticking on. He pulled it off, and reached his hand in. The fingers brushed against cool leather, and he pulled out a worn cowboy hat. She self-consciously grinned at him as he studied it.

"It's not 'designer,'" her fingers curled into air quotes at the word, "but I figured with you being from Texas, well you have the guns and the guitar, Jackson has the horses, that hat's the last missing puzzle piece to make you one hell of a stereotype. If you like it I mean."

He put the hat on, adjusting it to block out the rays of sunshine, leaning back and looking up at his daughter. His eyes were shadowed, and he let a grin crawl up one side of his face.

"How do I look?"

She took a step back, one hand on her chin as she looked him over.

"Pretty badass dad. The beard helps."

He laughed, and she scooted next to him, dragging a stool over to sit down on. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and she twisted to kiss the top of his hand.

"I made you a card too."

The nervousness was back, and suddenly a flimsy piece of paper was thrust at him, Ellie holding it as if it would turn around and bite her. He took it, and peeled it open. The words were carefully written in neat lines. She was a stickler for that sort of thing. It read:

Dear Dad, Joel, Old man ect ect,

So it's your birthday. Happy birthday! (I'm really bad at this shit.) I just wanted to let you know that I wouldn't be the girl I am today (or alive for that matter,) if it wasn't for you. You didn't have to keep going with me. You had hundreds (fuck, thousands) of chances to leave me behind. But you never did. Even the hospital, you were still there. I know I hated you, or tried to after that, but I just want to say I've never been more thankful for anything in my life. Well, except for you being my dad and all now. That's pretty fucking cool. I guess I seem like I'm rambling, but seriously, I love you old man. I don't know what you saw in me, and I hope you don't regret the things you did, but I just want to let you know that my heart still melts in that mushy way when you call me baby girl. Father-daughter moments are awesome. I never really had a father, and for the longest time didn't want one. But now I couldn't imagine life without one. I couldn't imagine life without you. So thanks for being my dad, and stuff. You rock.

Love (haha seriously you've made me fucking sentimental now),

Ellie

Joel laid the piece of paper in his lap, and Ellie looked up at him expectantly, her eyes wide and open.

"Did you…like it?"

He didn't say anything, and simply tugged at her, dragging her up and into his lap. His arms wrapped around her and she was promptly crushed by one of his rare hugs. His beard tickled the side of her face and she giggled incessantly. His voice was muffled, his usual gruff exterior dissipating for the moment.

"Thank you Ellie, so much."

Just like she had admitted in the card her heart melted, and she smiled wide, hugging her father back.

"I love you too Dad."