The next day, Sadie and Joel arrived at the town hall early in the morning with Ellie and Zach in tow. Both the teenagers were still exhausted, as seen by the discoloration under their eyes and slow movement in getting ready for the day. The two dragged through getting dressed and eating their breakfast, barely looking up from their bowls of oatmeal at the table. Sadie and Joel stood in the kitchen together with cups of coffee in hand as the kids ate. Neither knew what to say; yesterday came as an emotionally and draining day. Luckily no one got extremely hurt, Zach only suffering some minor bruising and pain from his fight and Joel with a barely scraped knuckle. It came as a small silver lining in the whole situation.

Now, the four of them sat at the front table in the hall with Tommy and Maria joining them shortly later. It was a gloomy morning all around; both in how everyone felt and the weather. Gray clouds filled the sky, signaling a likelihood of rain in the day at some point. The temperature dropped a bit more due to the sun's absence from the day, causing everyone to bundle up in an extra layer of clothes. Sadie kept her jacket zipped all the way up to keep the cold out and allowing her clothes to keep her body heat trapped underneath. She and Joel sat on either side of Zach and Ellie, making the teenagers feel a bit more secure in the situation with their caretakers close by. Then went Tommy and Maria arrived, the feeling of security only increased.

"I opened the meeting up to anyone who had concerns with the situation," Tommy explained. "It'll let us see who all has a problem with Zach's predicament."

Sadie turned to Zach and looked over at Ellie. "No matter what happens, nothing is going to happen to you."

Zach and Ellie both smiled, Zach leaning over and allowing Sadie to wrap her arm around him. As his arm grazed her back, he felt the familiar hard shape of a handgun in the waistband of her jeans. It hardly surprised him after how she handled the situation yesterday. He doubted that she would present hesitancy in shooting Pete, especially given his track record of angered behavior. Nevertheless, he wondered how the situation would unfold and what the possible consequences of his and her reactions could come as. The two of them concealed his bite and even though it he posed no threat to anybody because of it, he could see why hiding it could result in a negative outcome. He decided not to dwell on it, especially since the meeting that would begin soon was enough to keep his mind uneasy.

Not long after Tommy and Maria arrived, several town members began to enter. Pete, his wife, Julia, and Mary and Katelyn. Pete had clear annoyance on his face as soon as he entered, but it was hard to see at first given his bruised and swollen face. Both sides of his face were shades or purple and red, but his left side presented with more swelling; most likely because that is the side Joel punched. On top of his injured face he also walked with some obvious difficulty most likely a result from being knocked and thrown onto the ground multiple times. He shot the family unit a dirty look while the ladies accompanying him seemed to avoid everyone's eyes. Mary briefly looked up to glance at Ellie, apology in her irises. Ellie saw this and knew the girl possessed no reason to feel apologetic. What happened yesterday all fell on Pete and Pete alone for his evident long history of being the root of a fight that translated into the day prior.

Maria took center stage once the final person entered. The room was not nearly as full as her and the others thought, only about half the room filling. Sadie took it as a good sign. If the whole town showed up, it would have come as a much more difficult uphill battle in defending Zach. Based on the quantity of people in the room, Sadie could only guess she managed to gain support from more town members than she previously thought. Joel, Ellie, Zach, Tommy, and Maria all thought the same things as well.

"We all know why we're here," Maria began. "So, we might as well get right into the subject of this meeting. You are all here right now because you have concerns of the circumstances surrounding Zach's condition."

Hearing the word condition made Zach think there was something wrong with him, but he knew Maria did not mean it that way. If anything, he thought the use of the term would gather him a little more sympathy. While he clearly was not sick or dying, there was something that made him medically unique. Before he got too lost in his own thoughts, he surveyed the people as Maria spoke where he saw some individuals with visibly angry expressions that softened as Maria went on.

"In the interest of full disclosure, the only ones who knew of Zach's bite was him and Sadie. However, the situation is much more complicated than you may think. I am going to allow Tommy and Sadie to explain as they just a little more inside to the reality of it."

Sadie squeezed Zach's hand under the table before rising and walking to the front of the stage with Tommy. They both took a deep breath and exchanged a glance with one another before returning their focus on the town members before them.

"Zach was bitten, yes," Tommy began. "It happened months ago. Specifically, when he went missing on that run. The reason it took him days to return was because he stayed away from here and not run the risk of bringing infection or any other harm to this town. He never turned, though."

"How is that possible?" a man's voice called out from the front row.

"As y'all know, both Tommy and I were Fireflies back in the day," Sadie took over, causing Tommy to take a step back so attention was on her. "I knew Marlene, the leader of the Fireflies, before the outbreak and she brought me into the more exclusive fold of the organization and their bigger projects."

Both the mention of Marlene and Sadie's reminder of her close relationship with her made Joel tense up. Memories of Salt Lake City flashed in his head. The tunnel, the hospital, the parking garage…it felt like it was yesterday and a lifetime ago all at the same time. He tried to fight off the images as Sadie continued talking.

"The Fireflies have always been on the search for a cure," she began. "In that search, they realize certain evolutionary traits emerged in the generations born into the world after the Cordyceps took over. That is why Zach didn't turn."

"So, he's immune?" a voice aske from the audience.

"Yes," Sadie answered. "He's not the only case I've seen, though."

Ellie and Joel both felt their hearts begin to panic at this moment. Although they both agreed to what was about to happen, Ellie specifically began to regret that decision. She did not was to have eyes on her more than they already were, she did not want to be labeled with a "condition" or put at a higher risk because she was immune. She could not say anything now, it was too late, but it felt like she was going to be sick as she reached for Joel's arm under the table. He calmly placed a hand over hers to settle her as the same fears washed over him. He did not want anything to happen to her, not that he would let it even if it meant he died protecting her, but he knew as well as she did there was no going back now.

"The Fireflies found others who were immune," Sadie continued, causing Ellie and Joel to tense even more. "When they tried to engineer a vaccine, nothing worked. And now, there isn't much left of the Fireflies."

Ellie and Joel felt the tension in their bodies begin to subside. Where was Sadie going with this?

"Ellie is the daughter of a former leader of the Fireflies," Sadie went on, making Ellie's heart drop. How did Sadie know that?

"When the Fireflies left Boston, she was separated from them, and Joel was tasked with getting her back to them at Marlene's request . On their journey, they found that the Fireflies not only abandoned their research station at the University of Eastern Colorado, but also abandoned their post in Salt Lake City with no trail of where they went. As far as we can tell, the Fireflies stopped looking for a cure because it cannot be engineered, only inherited through evolution."

Joel almost got whiplash at the ease at which Sadie delivered that lie and just how many people seemed to buy it based on the looks of their face. Not only that, what she was saying made the lie he told Ellie leaving Salt Lake City less of a lie if other people were in fact immune. Why did she back out of telling them about Ellie, though? Ellie on the other hand felt like crying at the mention of her mother. She never knew her and by the sounds of it, Sadie did at one point if she had to guess. If so, why did Sadie never tell Ellie that?

"So, there are no more Fireflies?" Pete asked angrily from the back. "Why didn't you tell us this?"

"Because there may still be Fireflies out there looking and trying, but we just don't know at this point." Tommy interjected. "Sadie and I have to believe that there are people still out there, they were our people for a long time and we still believe in what they stand for. That there is some sort of hope for future and we didn't want to take what little you might have away."

"We were wrong to keep that from you at the end of the day," Sadie sympathized. "I would have not kept Zach's bite a secret if I thought it would endanger anyone in our town and knowing he would not endanger anyone, I had to keep him safe. He may not be my blood, but he is my son."

Hearing Sadie call Zach her son took him by complete surprise. Never in the years he lived under her roof and protection has she referred to him as that. Not that he minded, he knew she lost her own son to the world and never expected to be referred to as her son. He felt like her son, the same way she felt like his Mom, but never thought about calling her that knowing she lost her child.

"He went on a fighting strike after he got bit," Pete reminded everyone as he stood up. "That sounds like an endangerment to me."

"You have a worse temper than him, Pete," Maria jumped in. "And you're an adult as opposed to a teenager and you are the one that started that fight yesterday. I'd sit this one out if I were you."

"Sit down, Pete!" Julia demanded. "You've done enough! Think about the girls!"

Pete looked at Mary and Katelyn and saw the broken, scared looks on their faced. For the first time, he listened to the advice was given and sat back down with his family and did not say another word. Despite his arrogance and aggression, he loved his family and was not about to let his actions risk their safety and well-being. He whispered an apology to his wife and daughters and remained silent in his seat.

"Zach is a good kid," a soft, woman's voice interjected. It was Mayella. She stood up and moved to the front of the room to address everyone. Sadie and the rest of the room watched as Mayella as she took her place front and center. "So, he acted out and caused some fights, what teenage boy didn't do that at some point. I know my sons, may they rest in peace, were not always angels in their younger years. Both Zach and Sadie have proved to be valuable assets to our town and what kind of people are were to react with anger towards them. Jackson is a place of rebuilding and hope. If the Fireflies are gone, for the moment at least, we cannot lose our faith in humanity."

Sadie walked to Mayella side and took her hand.

"Thank you." Sadie said before turning back to the town members. "Zach is perfectly healthy and as of now, there is nothing anyone can do for him. I promise to monitor for him if anything with his health changes, but as of now all we can do is go back to the way thing things were before. Zach being bit changes nothing other than him having a scar. I am sure we have all seen and heard crazier things in our lifetimes than this."

Not much discussion ensued after that, only a few closing comments by Tommy and Maria to invite the anyone with questions to speak with them whenever they needed before dismissing the meeting. Joel and Sadie gathered Ellie and Zach after that, wanting to take the kids home for the remainder of the day before the impending thunderstorm began. The two of them, especially Zach, had a long two days and all Sadie wanted was to take him home so he could come own from the events. Last night, he spent part of the evening sobbing into Sadie's shoulder in fear that his bite would cause them to be kicked out of Jackson if enough people overpowered Tommy and Maria's leadership. Once he saw that they still had a home in Jackson as well as more of the town's support on the situation, he felt all the weight come off his shoulders. On top of that, Ellie's secret was safe as well. He did not know why Sadie and Tommy went back on their plan, but Zach took comfort in it knowing Ellie would not fall under the same scrutiny as him.

By the time that Sadie, Joel, Ellie, and Zach made it home, the rain was coming down pretty hard and they seemed to make it back in perfect time. Upon getting through the door, everyone took off their shoes and jacket to avoid tracking any mud and rain through the clean house. Sadie went towards the kitchen, asking if anyone was hungry. Joel and both kids exchanged some glances with one another in how Sadie glossed over the obviously. Knowing there was a need for answers, Joel began to unpack the elephant in the room.

"Sades," Joel began as he walked toward the kitchen, Ellie and Zach in tow. "Wanna tell us about what just went down?"

Sadie was filling a tea kettle and set it on the stove to boil as Joel walked in with the kids, Zach and Ellie sitting at the counter as Joel leaned against the end of the counter. Sadie waited until the kettle was set on the stove heating up before turning towards the three, focusing on Ellie first.

"I know you gave me permission," she began. "But not knowing how they would react and even though things seem to be working in our favor, I could not jeopardize your safety. Zach's secret got out, we are handling it, but I couldn't put you at any risk, Ellie."

Ellie felt tears prick at her eyes at seeing and hearing Sadie's sincerity and selflessness when she remembered the mention of her mother earlier.

"Did you know my Mom?" she asked.

Sadie felt her heart drop a little at the question as she remembered Ellie's mother and nodded in response. "Anna," she said. "I wasn't as close to her as Marlene, but I knew her enough. When she died, things changed. I took the lead on groups in locations because Marlene didn't want to jeopardize your safety by placing you in higher risk zones. After you were born, Marlene was trying to lead the Fireflies, but she always looked out for you and made sure you were protected."

The information made a couple of tears fall from Ellie's eyes. She never knew her mom, but she knew enough to miss her. As for Marlene, Ellie knew her and missed her just as much knowing what Marlene did for both her and her mom. The two women Ellie had as her protectors were no longer in her life, but they were replaced with Joel after Boston. Not only that, but now she had Sadie, too. A woman who has already protected her numerous times between punching Pete, finding her and Joel after Jackson was attacked, protecting her secret, and simply by looking out for her on the day to day basis.

"And the part about the other immunity cases?" Joel pressed. He remembered Tommy apprehensiveness about Ellie's immunity at first which meant he never saw others that were immune, and that Sadie never told him about it if it was true. More than that, it made him realize that what he told Ellie after the hospital held more truth.

"I saw a lot of things in my Firefly days," Sadie explained as the tea kettle began to scream. She walked over to it and took it off the burner to set on another one. "things I didn't even tell Tommy until after you guys came here the first time. We weren't always in the same location and we had different jobs, so I didn't even have the clearance to tell him certain things concerning the search for a cure. What you guys found at the University of Eastern Colorado and the hospital in Utah were two of several cure research centers. I wasn't super involved because I'm not a scientist but because of my relationship with Marlene, I saw the animal research where animals were presenting immunity to the Cordyceps virus which you saw in Colorado with monkeys. As for other humans, I never saw anything until Zach and Ellie. What I said was purely me just…bullshitting. Notice that I said "others" and not people because I don't know if they ever di find other immune people."

A silence fell over the four before Ellie got off her chair and rushed over to Sadie to wrap her arms around her. Sadie wasted to time returning the embrace, resting her head on top of Ellie's. Sadie did not let the hug's tightness go unnoticed she held onto the teenager.

"Thank you," Ellie said. "for doing all that and telling me about my mom. Do you think you could tell me about her more?"

"I'll tell you everything I know about her as best I can." Sadie promised.

After that, Sadie poured her cup of tea, as well as one for Ellie who happily accepted it, and said that the time for heavy talk was over. The four retired to the living room and spent the remainder of the afternoon watching movies as the storm ensued outside. Luckily, the rest of the town seemed to remain indoors as well, meaning no one came knocking on their door interrupting. The last day and a half was draining and felt like a week long ordeal with the emotional draining events. Spending the day on the couch in the safety of their home and enjoying a hot, homecooked meal later in the evening was what everyone needed. Over dinner and cleanup after, Sadie played some of her records and sand as she washed the dishes. After the kitchen was cleaned and leftovers were stored away, Zach retired to his room for the evening. Before heading upstairs, he hugged Sadie and thanked her once more for everything.

"There is no need for that, hun." Sadie told him.

"Yes, there is," Zach told her. "I know I won't ever replace what you lost, but I want you to you I have always thought of you like a mother."

Zach said the latter so only she could hear, and it made tears prick at her eyes, but she did not let them fall. She hugged him tighter and allowed herself to smile at the statement. She always feared referring Zach to her son or "like a son" in anyway after losing her own years ago would set her up for heartbreak all over again God forbid something ever happen to Zach, but she also knew she accepted that the day she offered to take him in. He may not be her blood, but he was her son plain and simple. Zach also hugged Joel, thanking him for having his back the day before. Joel returned the gesture and told Zach, "no sweat".

Ellie followed soon after and it left Joel and Sadie in the kitchen. Joel listened for the kids' doors to shut before going over to Sadie and wrapping his arms around her. Despite being slightly caught off guard, Sadie hugged him back easily. Her arms wrapped around his broad shoulders as his arms locked around her midsection.

"What you did," Joel began, Sadie cut him off.

"No more thank you's," she said. "They're our kids, plain and simple. I'd kill and die for either of them in a heartbeat and I know you would, too."

Joel pulled back enough to meet her eyes and nodded before pressing his lips to her. He raised his hands to her face and wasted no time deepening the kiss as Sadie pulled him even closer. As Sadie kissed him, he felt the rest of the world melt away as well as any worries that racked his body from the last two days. He slid his hands down to Sadie's waist to pick her up and place her on the counter behind her. Sadie's hands moved down to the buttons on his flannel which made Joel smile in the kiss before pulling away.

"Probably should move this upstairs, huh?" he asked.

Sadie could barely nod before Joel picked her up off that counter and began to talk towards the stairs. She laughed as she tightened her legs around his waist and kissed his cheek and neck as he walked towards the stairs that led up to their bedroom. After the stress induced, exhausting, and emotionally draining day and a half, things felt like they were returning to their version of normal. Ellie and Zach were no longer in danger, Tommy and Maria seem to have gotten things under control, and Sadie and Joel could return to their normal day to day lives.