Dot [Ellie]

The road home was uneventful, thankfully. Once the house had come into view, Ellie picked up the pace, heading up the porch steps two at a time. Being away from everyone was starting to feel like a blessing. She could finally take out some of her frustrations in peace, which she did without an ounce of hesitation, punching her pillow about a dozen times, imagining it to be Lydia's head. It helped, a little, but not enough. Once she had exhausted herself with that, she slumped onto the floor, leaning her back against the bed.

"…or did she just get sick of you already?"

Of course she didn't. Technically, Ellie ditched Clementine to go home. Maybe that was the wrong thing to do, leaving Clementine with Joel, but Ellie just wanted to rest before the inevitable shitstorm was kicked up by Tommy and Andrea. She pushed the thought away, trying to occupy her mind by going through her backpack, hoping to find that other cassette tape from Riley. Rummaging through the mess, her hand clasped a couple of familiar items, pulling them out from the bottom of the bag.

The cassette she'd been looking for, although it appeared… very gunked up, and she wasn't sure if she could even clean it enough to get it to work. Fuck you, sewers. The other was… she couldn't help but gulp, choking on her own saliva. Riley's Firefly pendant. She kept it in there for safe-keeping, and seeing it again was more than enough to have memories she didn't want to experience again to resurface. For a moment, she held the pendant in her hand, stuffing the cassette back into the bag. There was very little thinking involved as she wrapped the metal necklace around her neck, connecting the two ends together. The pendant rested against her chest, near her heart, and she grabbed onto it, turning it over to read the inscription.

RILEY ABEL

000129

"I miss you." The words tumbled out of her mouth, choked up by tears that threatened to break through. Despite how much she hated Boston, she missed those days with Riley. She missed hanging out in that abandoned mall, hanging out with Winston, and Princess. She missed the laughter and all the times Riley had made her smile despite how shitty she was feeling. Riley had been the only reason she stayed at the orphanage, until she disappeared. Afterward, it was just… there wasn't anywhere else to go.

She dug further into the backpack, her hand touching something that felt almost papery. Scrunching her nose, she pulled the object out, examining it. Her lungs deflated, and her heart sank.

The picture her and Riley took together. She thought that she'd lost it, after the sewers, but here it was. It was stained brown in a few areas, but otherwise was still in one piece. She couldn't hold back the tears anymore, holding the Polaroid in her hands while she laid her head against her knees, crying softly into them. She hated feeling like this, hated feeling powerless to do anything to save the people she cared about. She knew that the likelihood someone else in their group would share the same fate is higher than she'd want to admit. All because she had to save the world.

She wasn't ready for that eventuality.

Ledge [Lee Everett]

Lee Everett had finally made it back to the house, accompanied with a large paper bag in one hand and a springy stride in his step. He'd managed to pick up a few things for breakfast on the way back. Twisting the door handle, he opened it before quickly stepping inside, kicking the door closed with the back edge of his shoe.

"Hey, if you haven't found anything yet I think I got the perfect ide-" He paused, looking towards the kitchen and realizing he was talking to no one. Lee expected to see her rooting around the fridge… Or at least downstairs. It was dead quiet down here.

"Ellie..?" He called out softly again, confused. Setting aside the large bag next the the couch, he practically scoured the bottom level. Not down here… That left only one place to check. He needed to at least make sure she'd made it home… Joel wouldn't be too happy with him otherwise. Lee headed straight for the stairs, once he reached the top he quickened his pace towards the hallway… that was when he came to a dead stop. Hearing something coming from her room. He hoped it wasn't what he thought it was, but there was no doubt about it.

She's… crying?

Slowly but surely he made his way towards the doorknob, placing his hand on it. Lee could still hear the sobbing continuing in there. And it sounded bad. He contemplated maybe leaving it alone. But she seemed so happy back at the infirmary, there was the possibility that something went wrong. Had the kid gotten into some kind of trouble? Regardless, he decided to go for it. Twisting the door knob, he gently opened the door, peeking inside and finally seeing the mess that was Ellie, right there on the floor for him to see.

"Ellie? Wha- what's wrong?" He almost whispered as he opened the door a little more. Brow furrowed, clear concern for the poor kid smeared on his face.

Dot [Ellie]

As Lee's voice reached her ears, she quickly sniffled and wiped away the tears, desperately hoping that he hadn't seen her crying, a fruitless thought since he had obviously seen it and heard it. She held the picture close to her chest, as if trying to hide it, before replying in an uneven, broken voice. "I - It - It's nothing. I'm fine." Liar. "Just... bad memories." She whispered the last two words, focusing her gaze back on the photo she was trying to hide in her hands. She knew Lee wasn't going to give up there, no matter how much she wished that he would.

Begrudgingly, she held out the photo towards Lee, explaining herself when he looked confused by the action. "I found this at the bottom of my backpack."

"Why did you leave without telling me?"

"... I was in a weird space... Look, I didn't tell anyone."

"But - I wasn't just anyone... was I?"

She forced the memory away, cursing herself. Why did she always do this? Why did she let herself remember these things, when all they do is make her feel the exact same way she felt when she had to put a bullet in her best friend's head? It's like her brain loved to torture her, and it was only getting worse with time.

Ledge [Lee Everett]

If there was anything he'd learned over the years… 'It's nothing' meant something was always most definitely wrong, almost every time. It was becoming increasingly clear by every second that passed. Ellie was having one of those moments, where there was no one around. Where the memories just caught up… In that case, Lee could relate, hell… all four of them probably could.

Once she held the photo out, he glanced at it before gently taking it as she extended it out towards him. He held it in both of his hands, lifting it up slightly to his eyes. The photo was a little worn and creased, but the main features were still there. There Ellie was, accompanied by an African American girl her age it seemed, maybe a little older. It looked like it was happier times, probably not even that long ago. Before long, he smirked slightly. "So, this's who you were with before meeting Joel, hm?"

After a brief pause, he looked back towards Ellie, then the photo again. Lee slowly placed a hand out onto the floor as he slumped down into a sitting position with his back up against the wall behind him. "Don't mind me, just parking my old carcass here for a second." He joked, an attempt to lighten the mood before he finally assumed his position. Sitting down opposite her as he gave her photo a second glance. "I can tell you guys probably got on like a house on fire."

"I uh- used to have something similar to this. A family photo…" He recalled it… even after what'd happened, he could never forget the faces of his family. "Ripped it up a long time ago… Wish I didn't now." He admitted.

"Hang on to things like these. It's always good to have something to look back on." He spoke whilst extended his hand to give the photo back to her. He'd get to the bottom of it if anything else was bugging her, he just needed to ease into it first.

Dot [Ellie]

Ellie rolled her eyes as Lee plopped down against the wall opposite her, mainly at the horrible joke he decided to make. She appreciated what he was doing, she just wasn't sure if it would… mend the wounds.

"I can tell you guys probably got on like a house on fire."

Sometimes in good and bad ways, yeah.

She lifted her head away from her knees, leaning it against the soft mattress behind her, as Lee talked about a family photo. She never had a family photo, and never would. Her mother was dead, and her father… who the fuck knew? The closest thing she had to family had been Riley, and now… these three. She couldn't express her gratitude for that, not in a way that'd be meaningful, but she appreciated being a part of this nonetheless, even if their whole reason for being together was to get her to the Fireflies. She just hoped that they'd still all be together again, afterward.

She took the photo back as he handed it back to her, looking towards Riley's face again for what felt like a long moment before forcing herself to look towards Lee, her lips twisted into a small frown. "She used to be the most important person in my life, and now she's gone. But, now… I've got you and Joel, and Clem…" Her voice trailed off for a moment.

"…you need to learn to let go. I need you to."

She clenched her eyes shut, forcing the memory of the dream away. It was still so fresh in her mind, as if it had been imprinted through the same process as a real memory, and likely as hard to get rid of. Her mind drew a blank after that, mouth opening and closing, but no words following the movement. She didn't know how to voice her concerns, her worries and fears, her deepening connection with not only Clem, but the two adults they've been traveling with. Would they all just become faces in a picture, some day? Would she?

Her shoulders slumped, and she laid her chin against her knees. "I don't know…" she finally spoke, sighing. "I just… I miss her."

Ledge [Lee Everett]

He supposed he'd given it some thought before, about how close they'd all gotten. But hearing it from Ellie's perspective, it felt… eye opening in a sense. They'd spent months watching each others backs out on the road, and now it was just past their first night under the same roof. Talking with Joel on the porch while he played the guitar and getting to have a somewhat normal conversation. Even now Joel was out there, even if he had a funny way of showing it... he did care. Proof of that being that he'd volunteered to watch Clem's back in case anything happened out there, full well knowing the risk. It was those types of things that Lee appreciated.

Dare he say it, and maybe he was being too sappy for even thinking it. But he was starting to feel that Joel and Ellie were practically becoming like an extended family by now, perhaps a really confusing, disjointed one... but still one all the same. If Ellie wasn't immune… they could just stick around here, make a go of it. But it just couldn't be that simple… could it? That girl was getting there one way or another, and hell… maybe himself and Clem would be with them right up until the end of that.

"Clem and I, we're in this with you guys for the long haul." Lee didn't even remember if the decision to stick together was his, it just ended up being something that… happened, more of an unspoken agreement. "It's okay to miss her…" Lee completely understood what it felt like, there of course wasn't much he could do to make it better, but maybe there was some advice he could give. After a brief pause he continued on, "And it's also okay to live in the here and now too. There's no shame in it." He wanted Ellie to know that if she figured she was abandoning her old friend by trying to move on… she shouldn't feel that way.

Seeing Ellie break down like this, it was pretty rare for someone that was usually the most talkative one out of the group. And it couldn't have been for nothing, but Lee had a feeling there was more at play here, more weighing on this based on things that might've happened earlier today.

"Is that? Everything that's bothering you?" He decided to ask, a careful tone prevalent in his voice.

Dot [Ellie]

She sniffled slightly, pondering over the words reaching her ears. She'd told herself the same thing, once. Of course, it didn't stop her from entering this never-ending cycle, but hopefully… she'd be able to break the loop. Some day. She wiped her face against her jeans, ridding herself of the remaining tears staining her face. His next question hit her like a brick, and she wasn't sure what to say.

There were so many things bothering her that she hardly knew which one to tell him about. Lydia and her psychopathic tendencies; Clementine, and Ellie's… feelings for her; the dream that still forced itself to surface in her subconscious at any second.

In the end, the choice was easy. She wouldn't dare voice anything about that to Lee, or to anyone.

"I ran into Lydia…" she started, her voice trailing off shortly after. What was she going to say? That Lydia struck a chord with her when she mentioned Clem? That, despite how outrageous it sounded, maybe her friend was getting sick of her? They were silly thoughts, yet she was having them all the same.

Ledge [Lee Everett]

"Oh..." He spoke awkwardly after a drawn-out pause. Well, that explains the mood. She didn't look physically hurt at least, although he could see how the other girl may have gotten under her skin. "I'm uh- guessing that didn't go down so good." He knew he was being obvious, but it served as an invitation to get her talking more about it, if she wanted.

Dot [Ellie]

Ellie found herself shrugging her shoulders, lifting her head away from her knees. "She said some things that's just... got me thinking. That's all." She spoke quietly. Not a total lie, but not the total truth either. She didn't want to burden Lee with all of this, especially when it was just... so dumb. Sighing, she continued in a dismissive tone. "It's stupid." And she's stupider.

Her gaze fell to the picture in her hands, looking over it once more before placing it on the end table next to her. Returning her attention to Lee, she tried her best to put on a happier voice. "Thanks for... y'know, helping."

Ledge [Lee Everett]

Ellie made it clear that she wanted to move on from it now, and Lee wasn't about to try and prod her. Alright, I'll let it go then. He thought as he smiled along with a nod. "Well, we can't call ourselves a group if we don't look out for each other, can we?" He spoke whilst placing the palm of his hand against the back of the wall as he pulled himself up from the floor.

After a brief moment of silence, he looked towards the door, then back at Ellie. "Say uh- you don't have any allergies to any foods or anything that I should know about…? Kids still have those these days, right?"

Dot [Ellie]

Just the thought of food was more than enough to have her pushing everything aside, looking towards Lee with hopeful eyes. She pondered over his question for a moment, trying to think of anything she had an allergy to. As far as she knew, there wasn't anything. "Um, no," she finally replied, pushing herself to her feet as she wiped away the remaining tears on her face. "Not that I know of, anyway." She put on a smile, her curiosity getting the better of her. "What are we having?"

Ledge [Lee Everett]

A small smirk etched around the edge of his lips, because he was pretty sure Ellie was going to like this next part. Maybe it would be good to keep the kid occupied until Joel and Clem got back. Get her mind off things, this could be the perfect opportunity. "Pizza." He finally spoke after a brief pause, the smirk still prevalent. "Well uh- we still gotta make it first, but I'm pretty confident I picked up the things we need for it on the way here. If you're good, I could use a hand."

Dot [Ellie]

Pizza? Ellie found herself staring, agape, towards Lee. Of course she knew what pizza was, Winston would go on and on about it being the best thing in the world. She never expected to be able to have some herself, much less help make one. Her smile widened, and she pulled herself off the floor and stood up. "Hell yeah." She responded, following Lee downstairs. There was a large paper bag on the kitchen counter, and Lee rummaged through it. She leaned against the counter, before speaking up. "So... what's first?"

Ledge [Lee Everett]

As Lee rummaged through the brown paper bag, he began to place a few items onto the counter that he'd picked up from the stands outside the farm area. The first was an average sized container filled with flour, along with a few tomatoes, garlic cloves, cheese and a carton of eggs. If there was one thing he could say about Jackson, it was that their farm and croplands were state of the art. It was, quite frankly, amazing at how they pulled off managing to remake and regrow these things. He was just glad the woman there was nice enough to accommodate him when he enquired about it.

"Alright. Making pizza, right." She seemed excited enough, now the last thing he wanted to do was embarrass himself by screwing this thing up. He stepped over to one of the lower cabinets, pulling out some disposable plastic gloves that were stored in a box under there before throwing them on to the counter, along with a large glass bowl.

"First step. Hygiene. Throw those on."

Once Ellie had done so, he mulled over his thoughts for a minute. Trying to remember logically how it used to be done at home. Not like he could remember that well, whenever they had pizza it was usually just from take-out joints. They rarely ever did make one themselves.

"Okay, most of the flour goes into the bowl. Make a little hole in the middle. Then, uh… add about one and a half cups of water. Then one egg too. Just keep mixing it with your hands until it becomes… well- doughy. If you find that it's still a bit runny after you've mixed it, add flour. Other way around if it's too tough; add a bit of water. Eventually you'll get it right." He attempted to explain without seeming like he had no goddamn idea what the hell he was doing.

"In the meantime, I'll be working on the sauce, so you think you can handle it?"

Dot [Ellie]

Ellie simply nodded as Lee explained everything, looking towards the package of flour and the bowl the older man had set out for her. She did as she was told, pouring the flour into the bowl and using her hands to make the hole in the middle. She took a bottle of water and filled up a measuring cup, pouring it into the middle, followed by the egg. It took a couple tries to get it right, but as Ellie mixed the dough, it finally managed to become as doughy as Lee had said it should be. She pulled her hands away from the substance, looking towards her messy hands with a look of disgust. At least she had the gloves on.

Turning back towards Lee, she called out to him, wondering how things were going with that sauce. "All done, I think…"

Art [Clementine]

When noon arrived, the sun announced it so by reaching its peak, the scorching heat more apparent than ever, even when paired up with the humid air. Clementine carried two bags filled with vegetables, some cereals and different types of meat. They had a weekly limit imposed in regard to what you could take, but still, it was just nuts how much they did let you keep. The variety was probably the most impressive thing, as was the quality of Jackson's harvest. They must've had some massive farm to accommodate all of it. Man, just thinking about it had her mouth watering like crazy.

Though admittedly, it was hard to keep thinking about lunch when all her other thoughts involved Joel.

What she heard wasn't that surprising, maybe not as much as she hoped it would have. Ellie said he was hired by this woman Marlene to take her somewhere or other… since then, every gap remaining in that story ended up being filled by the girl's colorful imagination.

"Well, what kind of guy is he?"

"Honestly, I don't know him all that well. We've only been traveling together for a couple weeks."

Clem figured him out to be some type of thug right off the bat. The way he talked, the way he just… handled things. Maybe there was some merit to what that other guy so forcefully beat him over the head with, but… she didn't believe in it. Truth is, she didn't know the tiniest thing about Joel to come to any form of concrete thought. It fed her fears, nonetheless. Ones that she'd kept buried for a long time. As they both walked back to the house, Clementine pondered over the question she had engraved in her head ever since her and Joel met all those months ago. The guy was there for a job, and yet he stuck around… he stuck around long enough to be hearing earfuls whenever they got in a fight with other kids, to buy groceries with this 'little girl' he shouldn't give the slightest damn about.

Why?

What did he ever have to gain with that? This couldn't be just about the Fireflies anymore, it couldn't be. She hated to be put in that spot, to have to ask something like that after all they've been through. Maybe it was just a stupid fear… but Clementine had to make sure.

"What do you want with Ellie?"

Kentucky [Joel]

Joel peered at the girl, thoughts undoubtedly plaguing her mind after the talk with the other man, and his own brain was swirling. He carried the majority of their food that afternoon, an easy and welcome change to the usual weight that he lugged around. He frowned, her question shocking his roots. This wasn't something he had necessarily been prepared to answer; hell, if he had thought about it, he'd never have guessed he'd have to answer this. The man grunted, shaking his head. "She's the cure, I have to get her to the Fireflies. She... I made a promise to a friend a while back. I intend to make good on that promise."

Art [Clementine]

Clementine exhaled through her nose, her pursed lips giving away the girl's disappointment. "Don't… bullshit me." She told Joel in a quiet, hollow voice. There was something else at play between him and Ellie, something other than a job, some flimsy promise. Clem didn't know what it was, what drove that soft-spoken smuggler… not to say she didn't have a clue. It scared her a lot, not knowing, and she wasn't at all hesitant to admit it. If that guy tried to do something to Ellie... if he had some kind of sick intention… Clementine shut her eyes for the briefest instant, shaking the thought away for her own sake. That wasn't Joel, it wasn't… yet she had no way of backing that way thinking in any way. It was as comical as it was tragic; the way she so valiantly tried to justify in her head that Joel was a good man, despite the fact that she didn't know him at all. The girl lifted her gaze so that it could meet his, little more than desolation in her amber eyes.

"You care, right?"

Kentucky [Joel]

Joel was taken aback by the little girl's near accusation, squinting his eyes. Their game of fun in the market had fun its course, that had become apparent. He opened his mouth and in a bitter, yet guilty tone, he mumbled. "Of course I care. If I didn't care, none of you would be at Tommy's right now." His eyes flew back and forth, attempting to see if anything or anybody was surrounding them. He had been put on the spot by this question, heightening his anxiety and lowering his energy to do anything but leave right now.

Art [Clementine]

Even in the face of Joel's emphatic retort, Clementine's doubts went on to linger, the girl remaining largely unconvinced. He'd talk and talk, but Joel wouldn't ever quit saying the same crap. Nothing but… half answers, just as it'd always been. Clem's gaze gently lowered itself, sinking to her feet, as the girl pondered over the words dying to escape her lips. "You should tell her that…" She said to Joel, well-nigh under her breath, before dropping the subject altogether. Clementine fell silent, in the end. The staggering weight of the vegetables she held close to her chest just enough to keep her busy for most of the way home, though her mind continued to drift and wander, nonetheless.

Somehow, it always seemed to.