Shadowman [Narrator]

After having found what they were looking for, the survivors finally began to depart the ranch on horseback. With the new arrangements set in motion, Andrea led the front as they headed back towards Jackson. The tranquil sounds of the wind and leaves almost daunting as it accompanied the dead silence.

Something had changed.

No one spoke on the whole ride back, not even one word. The unspoken alliance had been effectively shattered into tiny pieces, perhaps it was always meant to happen sooner or later, perhaps not. Although, it was clear that today's events had been a rollercoaster of emotions for everyone, having clearly taken its toll on the Pittsburgh survivors.

It wasn't long before the three horses approached a clearing in the trees, slowly stopping on top of a hill that overlooked the entire Jackson community from a distance. The town was in good view, boasting its electricity that had been operational since last week, which was clearly doing well to light up the streets within. It wouldn't be long before someone would have to break the persisting silence.

Kentucky [Joel]

The silence was excruciating. To only be left with your thoughts, others glancing over you and judging you as they did. It gave Joel a lot of time to think, a lot of thoughts churning and mixing in the soup of his mind. By the time they reached Jackson, he had made up his mind on one thing.

Joel glanced towards Andrea. "You might as well just tell us where the Fireflies are held up now." He adjusted his seat on the horse, still gripping the reins.

Dot [Andrea]

Andrea's gaze had lingered on the sprawling community beneath them, lit up by the street lights dotting the town center. The ride back had given her the time to think, to address the issue that had been brought to the forefront by this whole situation: this group's desire to find the Fireflies to get the cure. They even had Carl on board with this now, and that only complicated things for her. All she wanted to do was the right thing, and she'd thought that was keeping Ellie away from those terrorists, yet maybe… maybe her view on the Fireflies was clouded by her own murky past with them - something she'd never be able to let go - but the fact remained that they were not equipped to handle researching the cure here in Jackson. There weren't any other groups out there with the capability to pull it off, and FEDRA would more likely kill the child than try to get the cure from her. They'd given up on making one a decade ago.

So when Joel spoke up, asking about where the Fireflies were at, she wasn't surprised that the topic was brought up again. Though, she was surprised by who the question had come from.

She glanced towards him, eyes lowered slightly into a look of skepticism. "I thought you were leaving?"

Joel's expression remained unreadable, and he continued in his southern drawl. "I'd just like to know."

Sighing, she shifted uncomfortably in her saddle, looking between Ellie, Lee, and Clementine before focusing on the sight of Jackson once more.

Fuck it.

Tommy would forgive her.

"Last I heard, they're down south. University of Eastern Colorado."

Kentucky [Joel]

Joel began nodding, turning away from Andrea and smiling lightly. "Go Big Horns," he muttered, eyes drifting off towards his horse. He looked forward, at the town of Jackson, one more time, before his head slowly turned to his flank. He glanced at Ellie, opening up his mouth. "Ellie, get off your horse, give it on back to Andrea."

He paused, but it was too late. As said before, he had made up his mind. He turned to Andrea. "I'm gonna hang on to this fella, if that's alright with you." After this was said, he looked back at Ellie again. "Go on, don't make me repeat myself."

Ledge [Lee Everett]

The University of Eastern Colorado. Lee took note of that, it was key information he'd have to remember, seeming as though Joel's job was his now. Even after hearing everything that the Texan had spouted off today, he was still wondering…

Did Joel really believe what he was saying before? About wanting to leave? Most of all, did he really have the will to follow through with it?

Lee's gaze shot between Ellie and Joel in confusion as he heard Joel asking Ellie to give back the horse. He'd learned not to have false hope, but for a split second... he did.

"What are you doing?" He directed his gaze at the smuggler, brow raised.

Kentucky [Joel]

Joel leaned forward on his horse, looking back at the man who had accompanied him for so long now. "That girl of yours kinda scares me." He paused, smiling weakly from his position atop the horse. "I don't want her coming after me."

So, it was done. Just like that, he had changed his mind and shifted Ellie back towards him; he assumed, at least. The man turned around, waiting to help Ellie up onto his own horse.

Dot [Ellie]

For most of the trip, Ellie had been zoning out, trying to avoid looking in Joel's direction in the ever-darkening forest they had rode through. When Joel had asked about the Fireflies, her ears had perked up, attentiveness coming back in full swing. Joel's tone had changed, noticeably so, and she found her jaw dropping slightly as Joel told her to give her horse back to Andrea. She hadn't expected it, and that surprise had to be plastered across her face while she looked towards Lee and Clementine before finally settling on Joel once more.

As Lee and Joel talked, Ellie clambered off the horse, gently tugging it towards Andrea with the reins in her hands. Andrea's eyes lowered towards her as she held the reins out to her.

"Sorry for stealing your horse," she spoke softly, smiling, and Andrea returned it with a warm smile of her own before shifting her gaze to Joel and Lee.

"Look, come back to town, at least for the night." Her smile widened slightly, shrugging her shoulders. "Tommy'll be pissed if he doesn't see you off."

Kentucky [Joel]

Joel shrugged at Andrea, reaching out for Ellie's hand to pull her up. He supposed he would want Tommy to see him away, but... no, he didn't want to deal with that much anymore. It would just make things more complicated if he were to come back. So, he tilted his head and looked at Andrea. "Eh, you know me, my mind's all made up."

Ledge [Lee Everett]

" That girl of yours kinda scares me, I don't want her coming after me. "

Lee couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle at his remark. "Smart decision." A smile washed over his face as he glanced towards Clementine, then back at the man who he had figured he'd be seeing for the last time. But that wasn't the case anymore, he was staying… he really was. It was the right call, to see it through to the end, and he was pretty sure Joel knew that too.

He wanted to ask what the reason was for him deciding on staying all of a sudden, but seeing how genuinely happy Ellie looked, as well as Joel's overall change in attitude as he helped her up on the horse... it told him all he needed to know. Maybe all it took was someone to snap some sense back into him, and out of all of them… it could only be Ellie.

"Looks like it is." He spoke up after Joel, a warm smile on the man's face as his respect for the other man began to rise once more. He glanced over to Andrea, deeming it was time to get down to the nitty gritty before they headed onwards. "So, where exactly can we bet on finding their lab?"

Dot [Andrea]

"Tommy mentioned something about it being in the science building. Said that the whole thing looked like a giant mirror." Andrea shifted in her saddle once again. They were going through with this, and she was letting them. She was letting the cure for mankind leave, in search of a group she would never trust. Maybe she had gone crazy, but what mattered was that there was someone out there that could see this thing through. Terrorists they may be, but maybe things could change. If Joel could, then so could the Fireflies, right? She cleared her throat, continuing. "Sounds like something that'd be hard to miss."

Art [Clementine]

They had it. They actually had it…! The location of the Fireflies, down to the tiniest detail. It was verging on causing Clementine's head to spin out of control from just how long it took her and Lee to get to that point. Excitement came naturally with the news. Tired as the girl was, some semblance of direction after months had Clem stupidlyhopeful for the first time in a long while.

…Then there was Joel. Clementine wanted to stay pissed at him. God, did she try to, and still, against all odds, the guy managed to rob a smile from her. The jerk did almost leave without a word, but… Ellie was okay. They both… looked okay. At the end of the day, that sorta overshadowed the fact that they both scared the shit out of her. Sorta.

She could put on as big of a façade as she wanted, really. Clem was glad Joel was staying. That was the sincere, unfortunate truth. The girl groaned under her breath, staring off into the glimmering lights of the vast town below… largely to avoid the whimsical look Lee shot from behind her.

I'm notscary.

Kentucky [Joel]

Joel looked at Andrea."Jackson's nice, but... you know me." He shrugged it off, ignoring any semblance of an offer that she might throw his way. His head turned slightly back, nodding with a weak smile. "Tell my little brother I said adios." With one final turn, he glanced over to Ellie. "You good?" He asked.

Dot [Ellie]

Ellie climbed onto the horse with Joel's help, looking between Andrea, Joel, and Lee as they talked about their destination: the Fireflies base. They had the destination, finally. Now they just had to make it there.

When Joel looked back towards her, she replied to his question with a half-smile. "Yeah, I'm good."

She wanted to be angry with him after nearly abandoning her, but she couldn't. For some reason, he decided to stay, and that made her happier than she ever thought possible. It was all that she could've asked for, to be traveling with her best friend, and the man she was beginning to look up to with each passing day. Despite all odds, the four of them have stuck together since Pittsburgh, and that wasn't going to change. She could feel it.

8:50 PM

Dot [Andrea]

It wasn't long before Andrea found herself back inside Tommy's office. Once she'd returned, she informed the guards at the gate of the situation, finding Carl there as well, as if he'd been waiting for her. She told him to head back home, and they'd talk more about it after she's finished talking with Tommy.

That conversation was going to be more difficult.

The door creaked open once she was beckoned to enter, and her gaze fell onto Tommy once more. He was seated, his eyes focusing on her as she entered. She closed the door, returning the room to its semi-darkness.

"We found Ellie. Ran off to the old ranch in the north valley."

Baby steps. She thought to herself, taking a step closer to the man's desk. She already could foresee his angered expression when she told him that they've left for the Fireflies, but she was prepared for it.

Screamin' Eagles [Tommy]

Sitting had become very old, as of late. The feeling of going nowhere, the feeling of nothing getting done. When Andrea barged into Tommy's office, he knew he wouldn't be sitting any longer. Part of him was sure that he should have gone with her to deal with the problem, but he had faith in Andrea. She was the stern one, she could put them back in line. She told him where Ellie had gone, and he hazarded a smile. Nerves weren't soothed, but at least she didn't go somewhere especially dangerous. He stood up and clasped his hands together. "So I take it she's okay?"

As long as the cure was safe, he was content.

Dot [Andrea]

Andrea slowly nodded, smiling slightly as she placed her hands on the back of a chair in front of his desk. "She's okay."

There was a brief silence that followed, akin to the tension in the room dying, though that was hardly the case for her. This was only just beginning.

She let out a frustrated sigh. "Your brother pulled a stunt. Tried dumping Ellie off on Lee. She overheard, ran off." There was another pause, followed by the scuffing of Andrea's shoes against the wooden floor. "Whatever they talked about at the ranch changed his mind. Decided to stay. I..." Her voice trailed off, and she bit her lip, averting her gaze. This was it. "... I told them where to find the Fireflies."

Screamin' Eagles [Tommy]

She was okay. Thank god. Tommy relaxed a little more, but something seemed off. Andrea wasn't as sure as she usually was, and that was concerning. Listening patiently, she continued to tumble onwards with her words. Until it came to a very tumbling stop.

There was a very tense silence. He didn't say anything, squinting angrily at the woman through the semi-darkness. It took him a few seconds to fully comprehend what it was she was saying, but no part of it made him happy. His voice was dangerously low as he spoke, "I don't think I heard you right."

Surely, he was just getting old, and his ears were shot from gunfire. What on Earth could have happened that made Andrea be lenient enough to let them go? Nothing.

Dot [Andrea]

She didn't like the look Tommy was giving her. Her eyes narrowed slightly, defensively, and she leaned over his desk, tilting the brow of her hat upwards as it obscured her vision. Words hung on the tip of her tongue, but she held them back, ultimately deciding to approach this rationally. Tommy had a temper sometimes, but she knew how to handle him.

"They weren't gonna take 'no' for an answer, and face it, Tommy, we're not equipped to deal with this. What's the point keeping her here when we don't have a clue what we're doing, or if we're ever gonna be able to pull it off? At least the Fireflies have been looking into this thing for the past decade." She shifted, lips twisting into a frown. "They're terrorists, yes, but right now they're our only hope for getting that cure out there. Like it or not, we don't gotta choice."

Screamin' Eagles [Tommy]

Tommy couldn't help but be angry - it was Carl's speech Andrea was preaching. His words came quickly, "The Fireflies don't really know anything. They had gotten nowhere by the time I left!" The idea of a cure was so far-fetched that no one was really prepared for it. "And if they know anything about immunities, they'd be spreading the word and looking for more people. Ellie was the chance, and now she's wandering towards Colorado with no idea what to expect when she gets there." Finally, he fell back into his chair, his head in his hands.

His brother had come, bearing a tempest of news that shook the fundamentals of what he knew, and then vanished again without saying goodbye. Bringing the first and most important element to a cure, and taking it once he was ready to learn more. In a sudden burst of rage, he slammed his fists down on the desk. However, no words came.

Dot [Andrea]

His reaction had her pushing away from the desk, standing up fully while trying not to sigh. What did he expect her to do? Tell them they couldn't leave? Bring them back by force? They'd decided, and Andrea wasn't going to let go of her morals just to keep the catalyst to a cure in Jackson. The words spewing out of Tommy's mouth now were nearly complete bullshit, excuses that even she had used at one point to justify keeping Ellie here, yet they held no real meaning. It didn't matter if the Fireflies were prepared to make a cure or not, they had the manpower to pull it off, and they didn't. It was as simple as that. Knowing Joel and Lee, they'd ensure the cure would be distributed, or at least she hoped . Hope was something hard to come by, but she was sure that she'd bet on the right horse. She had to.

She didn't argue further, since she knew how it would turn out. He wouldn't change his mind. He rarely did. Instead, her voice was calm, collected, and she returned the man's steely gaze with one of her own. "He wanted me to tell you that he said goodbye."

She waited to see how he would react, to see if he'd continue to go down this path of letting his rage consume him. It was a quality that he'd picked up recently that she wasn't fond of. That same man that she met on the road, his heart full of conviction, wasn't anywhere to be found in that room. Maybe she'd see him again. Some day.

Screamin' Eagles [Tommy]

Andrea's words only brought Tommy anguish. Who does he even think he is? Swallowing back his anger, he hardened himself. "He said goodbye to you, not to me."

If Joel wanted to be the little brother, then that was how it would be. All that he had done was give Tommy a clear path forward; a fine silver lining. Sitting up and taking a deep breath, he didn't leave any room for Andrea to cut in.

"We're adults. I can't control him, and Ellie is in his care. For some reason." After hearing that he'd tried to pawn Ellie off onto Lee, it was a wonder they were still together at all.

With them gone, there was still no reason not to pursue a cure. Newfound determination entered his voice as he continued. "We need to continue looking for a cure. If one girl was immune, there might be others, and if we keep researching ourselves we might still make progress."

It was obvious that arguing was getting him nowhere, and he needed to act, they needed to act. If even Andrea wasn't on his side, then he'd drop his brotherly strife. This, however, was the future of mankind, and she had to understand that they couldn't wait for someone else to figure it out when they were in charge of their own lives. The Fireflies don't care about some town in the boonies, they'll want to cure their assets. It was up to them to save themselves in this world.

Dot [Andrea]

Tommy had calmed down, if only by a little. Andrea didn't move, slowly nodding as he went on about continuing their work on the research. Though they didn't have Ellie anymore, looking into it further wouldn't be the worst idea. A backup plan.

"I'll tell Eleanor to keep it up, then. Maybe get Carl and the other runners to extend the search radius around Jackson. Maybe we'll get lucky, find something useful." She finally sat herself down in a chair, meeting Tommy's gaze. "There's an abandoned QZ in Idaho Falls. Might be worth taking a look there. Who knows how much research got left behind, back when FEDRA was actually working on the cure."

Screamin' Eagles [Tommy]

In proper style, Andrea ignored his first comment and got right to the point. Grinning, Tommy agreed. "That's a great idea! There must be something hidden there... " After a second of thought, he opened a drawer and pulled out two books - the books Carl had brought. "We still have these, to work off of." He handed them to Andrea. "I was looking through them, but it's all gibberish to me. Eleanor could make more use of them." With just a little lack of thought he could bury himself in a new purpose, and that was exactly what Tommy needed after Joel left.

No longer was there a tension in the room, dreading the next shouted words or snide comment. Once again, they were leaders, and now they knew where they were leading everyone. He studied Andrea's eyes for anything that said she was unsure, but he saw nothing. Something in her eyes, however, brought him a moment of calm in the excitement. "I don't know if we'll succeed," he spoke slowly, "But now we fight for a higher cause."

Dot [Andrea]

Andrea was glad to see that Tommy had something to focus himself on, to get his mind away from his brother and the Fireflies. Granted, it wouldn't last long, probably. But… it was worth trying, if only to get a better understanding on what the hell they're doing with the cure. For Andrea, it only mattered because it gave them a goal, something to strive towards in this hellscape that surrounded them.

And that was enough to convince her that this was worth pursuing.

She slowly nodded then, pushing herself back to her feet as she clutched the books in her hands. "I'll get them back to her, then."

With seemingly nothing more to discuss, Andrea took a step back, turning to head towards the door. She didn't let out her breath until the door clicked shut behind her.