Sleep began to leave his body and he slowly rustled, opening his eyes. Ellie's guitar was lying beside him, and he registered the weight of her sleeping figure in his arms. He smiled, thankful she'd gotten some sleep. For the past two days, she'd been starving herself, and not allowing herself to sleep. The second day, Tommy had gotten her some medicine for her nightmares, it was supposed to help with her PTSD, but she still didn't chance it.
He'd had nightmares before, so he understood. He hated he couldn't help her, but he made up for it with getting her to sleep the previous night. Joel looked down to her, drawing back a strand of hair that fell from her lazy ponytail. He gently let her down, standing and stretching his legs. He stamped out the nearly dead fire and took a deep sigh. It smelled like nature, which was something Jackson lacked. It was so colorful with its scents, due to how many people inhabited it. He had a sneaking feeling that Ellie felt the same way about being in Jackson. He missed being alone on the road with her, and of course, he was grateful for having Tommy in his life again, and not having to worry about food, or Infected. He began to pack their belongings up.
Ellie's soaked clothing was laid in the sun, and now it was slightly damp. Joel's laid beside her and he folded them up, placing them in his bag. He then rolled up his sleeping bag, leaving her figure snoozing beside him. He moved quietly, wanting her to get as much comfort and sleep as she could, knowing it might not be the same scenario the next night.
Finally, he heard a shuffle behind him as he was packing her guitar onto his bag. She let out a small yawn, cracking her eyes open and see Joel looking at her, a small smile on his lips when he saw her mussed hair. "Mornin'."
She let out another yawn, taming her red locks and stretching her arms. Ellie hadn't -somehow- had a nightmare, which almost scared her more. She couldn't be afraid of anything anymore, because the worst she'd seen was more than any other child ever had. "Morning…" She made out, shutting her eyes again and laying back down, tired from how much sleep she'd gotten, as she wasn't used to it.
"You look like ya slept well." Joel smiled, brushing her hair down and watching a small smirk grow on her lips. "Very well."
"Yeah, yeah." Ellie chattered, playfully smacking him off and fixing it herself. She slowly stood, cracking her knuckles and her neck, making Joel throw a fake glare at her.
"Told ya, you can break your damn neck doin' that, kiddo." Ellie rolled her eyes, walking past him and stretching her legs out. "Reckon we should head back now, don't want anything surprising us." Joel took her hand and they sleepily began to walk through the woods, the birds and insects chirping around them.
It's too quiet. Ellie thought to herself, looking around them and scanning the trees. Joel squeezed her hand, sensing her unsettled feeling. "Hey, Joel." He looked back at her, dipping his head in acknowledgment. "Can I go on patrol with you again?" She asked, her voice still slightly quiet. Her reserve existed, but after actually getting some rest and taking a break from the stress of Jackson, she felt much better. Also, the boys had most likely been banished already while they were out, so Ellie felt a small bit of relief run through her. A funeral for Chase had already happened, but not many people showed up in a spiteful disgust at what he'd tried to do to Ellie. It almost comforted Ellie, knowing not everyone thought she was a total freak.
"I dunno, kiddo…" Joel itched the back of his neck, looking down. Ellie wasn't exactly in the most 'stable' state, and Joel didn't want to explore the consequences of what would happen if they were to run into any hunters.
"Please, Joel?" Ellie asked, her voice still slightly hushed. Her shyness and withdrawn personality lingered over her and Joel squeezed her hand, hating that she still wasn't okay. "Pleaseeeee?" She pouted up at him, giving him a sad face and he rolled his eyes, letting out a small chuckle and looking away.
"That ain't fair and you know it." He smirked, shaking his head and looking down to the ground as they walked. Finally, he sighed, breaking from her adorable expression. "Shit, fine… only if you're careful." Ellie let out a small giggle and hugged Joel, nestling onto him as they walked, shutting her eyes and taking a deep breath of his scent. It comforted her, as it was the only thing they relied on when they were on the road.
"Maybe I can go back to the ranch soon." Ellie muttered, wanting to return to Dina and Ellie. Dina had already begun making the new ranch a home, something that Jesse had told her about when he visited right after it happened. Ellie wondered if she'd ever tell them about what David had done to her. She wanted to, but part of her was fearful. She was worried Dina or Jesse would judge her, or stop hanging out with her, thinking of her as a broken toy… David certainly did. "Dina says one of the mares is due soon, so they'll need help."
Part of her face showed she was fearful of returning and Joel knew she'd be carrying her full bag around with her, which carried her weapons and different means to protect herself. Ellie trusted nearly no one now, no one other than Tommy, Maria, Joel and her friends. Anyone could hurt her, she learned that the hard way.
"Only if you're comfortable, kiddo." He assured her, looking seriously down into her eyes. She frowned and looked down, nodding. They stopped walking and Joel bended down towards her height, holding her jaw gently with his finger. "Hey… we're okay now, alright?" He asked and she slowly nodded, taking him into a hug. He breathed against her, quickly hugging her back. Besides… I don't think anyone's comin' near you again… everyone's too afraid.
"Okay." Ellie breathed, shutting her eyes and separating herself from Joel. "Okay, I let it have five its minutes… I'm okay now." She sighed, opening her eyes and looking back at Joel. She took his hand again and slowly began walking, pushing away the thoughts of what had happened to her half a week ago.
"Alright… reckon we can-" Joel was suddenly cut off as something threw him against the ground, ripping his grip from Ellie. Ellie let out a scream, frightened by the sudden separation and she spun around, seeing a stalker had thrown itself onto Joel, its teeth running for Joel's neck.
"Joel!" Ellie screamed, running towards him and wielding her knife, pouncing onto the stalker and throwing her blade into the back of its neck, quickly killing it. She fell with its body and Joel picked her up quickly, hearing the screams of more Infected. "Shit, Joel?" Ellie asked, looking up to him and seeing more Infected run from the trees.
"Okay, c'mon. We're runnin', the gate ain't too far." Joel ordered, dragging Ellie behind her. She still had a slight limp from her injuries from the boys' attack, so she was laggard and was a little slower than Joel. He looked back to see three stalkers chasing after them, along with two clickers. "Shit." He swore, knowing neither of them had enough ammo. Tommy supposedly cleared this neck of the woods, they weren't expecting a fight.
"Joel?" She asked again, her voice shaky and clearly fearful. He squeezed her hand, backing away from the Infected and pulling her along once again, unsure of what to do. It was around a mile to the fence and he knew Ellie couldn't run that far with the cut she'd acquired during the attack. "W-where are we going?"
"Just stay with me, kiddo." He whispered, pulling her along as the Infected grew closer and closer. Suddenly, a clicker pulled Ellie's foot, making her hit the ground and rip her hand from Joel for a moment. It threw itself onto her, its teeth aiming for her plush skin.
Joel's instincts immediately screamed at him to keep her safe as her horrible scream left her lips. She tried to keep the clicker off of her, but with her damaged arm, her strength was quickly fleeting. Joel took his revolver and cocked the gun, unloading onto the clicker and letting blood fly on both Ellie's and his face. "Ellie!" He roared, throwing the body off of her and scooping her up, carrying her since she was laggard and slow due to her injured self. "Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah, I'm okay." She whispered, grateful Joel was carrying her. He sprinted as quickly as he could, but the Infected were catching up. Finally, they saw the gate and Joel felt an ocean of relief run through him. Ellie wiped the blood from her skin and looked back towards the Infected. A series of bullets suddenly ran through the air and she flinched, hiding in Joel's chest and almost expecting to be dead.
But, she kept living. Ellie looked up to see that there was a guard on the fence, her rifle steaming. "Get the fuck in!" She yelled, dropping from the guard's post and unlocking the gate, grabbing Joel and yanking him in violently, slamming the gate behind her. Joel met her eyes; they were a fiery amber, matching her brunette hair. "Faye."
"Joel." He responded back, checking Ellie in his arms and breathing again when he saw that she was clean. Faye nodded, returning to her post and climbing up the ladder, beginning to shoot at the clickers and stalkers that were groping the wall. "Thank you." The woman had a similar accent to Joel's and she nodded in acknowledgement, looking back at Ellie with an odd expression, one Joel couldn't comprehend.
"Are you clean?" She asked, not lowering her rifle. Joel nodded instantly, sighing in relief when she dropped the rifle, looking back towards the Infected. "And the girl?" She asked, keeping her rifle trained on Ellie. Joel's eyebrows knitted together and he nodded quickly, thanking god when she lowered the deadly weapon. "Okay, so get your brat out of here, I have to deal with these fuckers."
Joel nodded, too relieved to even be angered at her calling Ellie names. He released Ellie, letting her stand on her own. She held her hands on her knees and sighed, wiping her hair back. Sprinkles of blood were hidden on her cheeks and a river of blood stained her shirt from when Joel had killed the clicker tackling her. "That was too damn close."
"That was fucking intense." Ellie corrected him, letting out a final breath and turning to face him, seeing the fresh terror on his face. Joel took her hand again, leading her towards their house. "That was nice, though… thank you." She whispered, grateful to have a break from everything that had happened to her.
Joel nodded, squeezing Ellie's hand and pushing their door open, feeling a rush of comfort run through them when they reached what felt like safety. Though, the house no longer felt like safety to Ellie, not after Chase. Joel was slowly helping her recover that, but slowly. "I'm fucking hungry." Ellie muttered, tired from the early scare. Joel nodded, moving towards the refrigerator.
"Yeah, reckon I could eat, too." Joel responded, pulling out a small box of something. Ellie looked at it, her stomach growling in anticipation. "Hold your horses." He smiled, presenting her with the box. "You're gon' love this." He packed the bacon into the oven, laying a few pieces on a metal tray. Her ears perked up and she watched it heat, giving Joel a chuckle. "It's gon' take a while. You should go change, ya stink."
"Yeah, you smell great, too, old man." She teased, slowly heading upstairs as the food cooked. She'd temporarily kept her things in Joel's room, since she didn't like sleeping or staying in her room now. It was haunting, sleeping on the same bed that Chase nearly assaulted her on.
So, she travelled to Joel's room, changing her clothing and replacing her scrunched ponytail holder with a new one. She counted swimming yesterday as a shower and sighed, looking out towards the hallway, still able to see trails of blood running down it. She heard a ding downstairs and recognized it as the alarm for the oven, meaning the food was ready. She tied her hair back a third time, her eyes burning into the hallway. Chase's hand had stuck out of the doorframe when she killed him… "Hey, Ellie! Food!" Joel called up, breaking her trance.
She took a deep sigh, pushing herself to travel down the steps. Ellie's nose instantly took in the smell of the bacon and she turned her nose up, sniffling at the delectable scent. "That smells fucking good." Ellie smiled, making her way towards the kitchen's island and sitting atop it, watching Joel ready the meat.
"Yeah, reckon it will. No idea how Tommy got his hands on this." Joel chuckled, splitting the bacon into small bits and handing one to Ellie. She placed it on her tongue and felt an ocean of flavor run through her taste buds. Her face erupted into joy and she looked up at Joel, seeing the man smile down at her. "So, that's a yes, then, kiddo?"
"Are you fucking serious? This shit is amazing!" Ellie gibed, taking another piece from Joel and swallowing it in a second, continuing to take more in more in addiction. "Can't believe this." She giggled, looking at the food as if it were magical.
"Slow down, slow down. You'll make yourself sick." He murmured, eventually taking away the food. She growled, reaching for it again. "This stuff ain't healthy for you, you can have more tomorrow once."
"Ugh, fine." She groaned, moving towards the couch and falling down on it, shutting her eyes. She contemplated going to the ranch; it was early in the morning, so Dina and Jesse were most likely just arriving. She was scared they'd pity her, or question why Chase had affected her so much… Ellie wanted to tell them about David, but she wasn't sure if she could go through that so quickly. Would they judge her? Would they alienate her? "I think I wanna go back today."
Joel walked over to her, squeezing her hand and bending down. "I can come with you, if you want." Ellie shook her head, taking a deep sigh. "Okay… no one's forcing you to go back so soon, kiddo." Joel reassured her, taking her hand and rubbing her skin, trying to comfort her.
"I know… I think being with Dina and Jesse will help, though." Ellie shrugged, hoping what she was saying was the truth. If nothing else, it would at least distract her, as long as Dina and Jesse didn't try to bring it up… but she worried they would.
"Okay, kiddo." He nodded, squeezing her hand again before she finally rose, slipping her hiking boots on and tying her hair back once again, but loose strands still framed her face as always. "Reckon you want me to pick you up again, then?" He asked and she nodded, slinging her bag over her shoulders. It held her pistol, her knife, her mother's letter -which she always kept on her-, and finally, her journal.
"I'm probably not going to stay that long." Ellie told him, giving Joel one last hug before wrapping her hand around the door. She hesitated for a second but finally, she exited the house, making her way towards the newly made ranch. Joel watched her until her figure was no longer visible from the house. It was the first time she'd left the house alone since what had happened. But, she kept her knife in her hands as she travelled to the ranch, and that calmed his concerns a little bit.
When she finally made it to the ranch, she heard conversation, but it sounded muted. She recognized it as Dina and Ellie, and she knew they were most likely discussing her. It almost made her feel better that they weren't so happy without her, it made her feel like they actually cared about her. "Hello?" Ellie called, looking into the ranch. Dina and Jesse sat in a pen, brushing the matted hair of one of the horses. They both turned around, seeing Ellie looking around in the doorway of the ranch.
Dina instantly ran towards her, completely covering her in her arms and hugging her tightly. "Ellie! I didn't think you were gonna come back." Ellie smiled for a second, nodding towards Jesse as Dina choked her.
"Yeah, uh, I wanna get out of the house, so…" Ellie shrugged, tossing her bag down and looking around the new ranch, seeing Dina had hung up string lights above the pens. "Definitely an upgrade." She smirked, letting out a small laugh. To Dina and Jesse, she seemed much better than she had been the last time they saw her.
"Yeah, Tommy finally let me put some shit up." Dina gestured to the lights around the ranch, a small smile on her face. "Still need to make name tags for the pens, though." She groaned. Both Jesse and Dina could tell Ellie didn't want to discuss what'd happened. Dina knew that her father was the one who she went to in that department. She remembered Jesse pitying her when she first got to Jackson, and how demeaning it felt.
"Joel might be able to do that. He used to be a carpenter." Ellie shrugged, knowing Joel would do it happily. He wanted to teach her how to carve, but she didn't have much interest in it, just his guitar. Still, she loved his finished products. He promised her he was working on something for her and anticipation was growing in her each day. She already loved her guitar, something Joel now continued to give her lessons for. He said he'd teach her.
"Yeah, that'd be cool." Dina nodded, taking Ellie's hand once again. Dina made her way over to one of the horses, Theodore, and saddled it, raising her hand to Ellie. "She's due for a ride this week, wanna join me? Plus, I know Jesse loves scooping all the horse shit by himself." Dina laughed, getting a glare from Jesse. Ellie nodded, taking Dina's hand and climbing onto the horse behind her. Jesse opened the gate for them and so, they began to ride out into the routes built for the horses.
"Sure." Ellie nodded, looking back towards Jesse as they began to ride out, clip clops sounding beneath them. "So…" Ellie began, looking around them. The wind blew in both of their hair, making it swarm around them. It was around noon, and the sun was high in the sky. Though, it'd begun to be shrouded by dark clouds. Ellie felt that it was going to be raining soon, which she made a mental note of. I should tell her. Ellie thought, taking a deep sigh. But, she wanted to save it for later. It was sensitive, and she wanted Dina to understand and not leave her.
"So, tell me, I've gotta know. Did you totally kick Jesse's ass in his game?" Dina asked, a smile on her lips. Ellie let out a small laugh, looking down and brushing a strand of hair from her eyes.
"Yeah… I did." Ellie smirked, looking to Dina and keeping her hands on the back of the horse, keeping herself steady. "Wasn't too high of a bar." Dina let out a snicker, but then it became quiet once again. What Chase had done was looming over them, but neither of them, especially Ellie, wanted to talk it about. She reminded herself of Joel's words from Autumn; 'things happen… and we move on.' "So, I was… I was thinking… maybe, I could put a mural in the ranch, or something… like a painting. It looks kind of boring now."
Dina faked a gasp and placed her hand on her chest, pretending to be offended. "And after all that time I spent hanging up those lights." Ellie laughed for a second, but eventually Dina nodded. "I can't promise Jesse or me will be much help, but, yeah, that'd look amazing, Ellie." Dina smiled back at her, continuing to ride through the woods. The horse neighed and Ellie stroked its fur, tangling her fingers in it without hurting the animal.
"Thank you." Ellie didn't know if Dina could see the seriousness behind the gratitude. "Not just for the mural, for… for everything." Dina blushed and she looked back at Ellie, taking her hand for a second before releasing it. "I didn't think anyone would notice me."
"We didn't think there was anyone cool left to meet." Dina smiled back at her, giving Ellie a wink. Ellie let out another laugh as they descended deeper into the woods. Suddenly, rain began to drizzled down and Dina let out a laugh, letting it fall on our hand.
"Should we go back?" Ellie asked, looking up at the sky and seeing that dark clouds were looming above them, thunder beginning to crack.
"Why? The rain is so pretty. Don't you just want to stand and dance in it?" Ellie laughed at her weirdness, watching Dina dismount the horse, trotting around in the now muddy forest. The trees above them broke the rainfall slightly, but water still fell from the sky.
"Are you high?" Ellie smiled, watching as Dina spun around in the ground, dancing like a ballerina.
"Always." She looked back at Ellie, earning a small giggle from the girl. Ellie watched as Dina suddenly grabbed a handful of mud, but without any warning, Dina suddenly hurled a ball of mud at Ellie, landing it on her cheek. Ellie gasped, wiping the mud away with a fake hurt expression. "Come on, let's see if you can beat my mud-war highscore." Ellie laughed, jumping off of the horse, taking a hand of mud and throwing it back at Dina. "Weak shot." She shook her head, disappointed.
Soon enough, both of them were absolutely drenched in mud and water, both from the rain and each other. Dina suddenly charged Ellie, pushing her to the ground and rubbing mud on her cheek, making her laugh. It was freezing and she shivered under it, but Dina sat atop her, making her blush. "So, what… my favor, then?"
Ellie laughed, nodding and taking one last hand of mud and sliding it against Dina's cheek. The slightly older girl chuckled and rubbed her face, trying to get the mud off. Ellie stilled for a second, debating if she wanted to lean in or not. Still, the trauma of Winter climbed over her and she pulled away, not wanting to lose someone again. After Winter, after… after Riley, and Tess, and Sam and Henry… she couldn't lose somebody again. She'd almost lost Joel, and that to her was truly horrifying. She couldn't do it again. "Sure, I'll give it to you." Ellie whispered, feeling Dina take herself off of Ellie, still smiling at her.
"Oh, that's very generous of you, Ellie." Dina sneered with a smirk, giving Ellie her hand and pulling her back up. Suddenly, Dina quieted and looked at Ellie, taking in every color of her clothing and skin.
"What?" Ellie asked, looking at Dina with a trace of a smile on her lips. Dina sighed, looking back towards the horse and then Ellie, her hands playing with each other.
"I never thanked you." Dina spoke suddenly, looking at Ellie with a grateful expression. "For saving me… if I died, I… Jesse would've been destroyed." Dina became serious for a moment and shifted from foot to foot, awaiting Ellie's response.
"I know you would've done the same thing for me." Ellie nodded her head, looking to Dina with a smile. Dina suddenly took her into a hug, squeezing Ellie hard. And with that, Ellie took a breath, squeezing her eyes shut and exhaling… "Dina, I… I need to tell you something." Ellie's voice suddenly shifted and she took herself from Dina's grip, slinking down to the ground and holding her knees in her arms.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Dina asked, bending beside Ellie. Ellie took a deep sigh, shutting her eyes and imagining that fucking lakeside resort and the horrors she'd experienced in it. Joel was lying on that fucking matress, David choking her. David molesting her. Dina needs to know. Both of them do. "Ellie?"
"The reason I was so… so upset about Chase…" Ellie started, looking into Dina's eyes, trying to use the dark chocolatey color to comfort her, and it almost worked. She imagined Joel around her, holding her in a tight hug and squeezing her, making sure she felt his presence. She calmed at that thought and took a deep breath. "Fuck… back when Joel and I were outside… he got hurt, and I had to haul his ass around during… during Winter." Dina took Ellie's hand, but the smaller girl shut her eyes, looking away at the horse and imagining Callus. We never even got to bury him. We should've gone back and buried him. "There were these fucking hunters… cannibals." Ellie corrected herself, remembering the first time she awoke in the cell, seeing that man chopping up limbs. A fiery fear had arisen in her that day, one she still held on to. "I led them away so they didn't get Joel… so they got me instead of him."
Dina examined Ellie, seeing the visible pain on her friend's face. Dina's eyebrows clenched together and she squeezed Ellie's hand, but the gesture didn't pull the girl out of the trance. "And then, he got me." Ellie whispered, not able to say David's name. She had never been this vulnerable around Dina, or Jesse, for that matter. Maybe besides the days after the fire… maybe the day after Chase. "And I couldn't stop it that time." Was all she said, looking up towards Dina, awaiting her reaction. "Joel found me after."
"Oh, Ellie." Dina breathed, quickly taking Ellie in her hands and squeezing her, unsure of what to say to make Ellie feel better. "I'm so sorry." Dina muttered, feeling Ellie sniffle in her arms. She wrapped her arms around Ellie, not letting go. The rain poured around them, almost to the point they couldn't hear each other. "I'm so sorry." She repeated, trying to block Ellie from the rain and the emotions she was feeling.
"I'm sorry." Ellie said as well, apologetic for burdening Dina with her problems. Dina shook her head, separating herself from Ellie and brushing her hair back, as it had come loose in their playful tussle. "Fuck, this is embarassing." Ellie laughed for a second, wiping her tears and sniffling, wiping her nose.
"No, no. Thank you for telling me." Dina whispered, looking straight into Ellie's eyes and being much more serious than Ellie had ever seen her. Ellie nodded, shivering and rubbing her nude arms, chattering her teeth.
"We should head back…" Ellie whispered, seeing Dina nod. She stood, not wanting Dina to pity her.
"Okay…" Dina watched Ellie mount the horse and hold her hand out for Dina. The girl accepted it and climbed on behind Ellie, keeping her hands on her shoulders. Ellie wiped her tears, but the pouring rain camouflaged them quite well. Dina rested her head on Ellie's shoulder, whispering and trying to comfort her. "Ellie-"
"I'm okay." Ellie assured her, looking back as she moved Dina and her back towards the ranch. Shit, Joel's probably wondering where I am. Joel must love being alone with Jesse. Ellie almost smiled at the thought of both of them standing awkwardly in the ranch, none of them knowing what to say. It almost cheered her up. Still, she focused on the pleasant afternoon with Dina and smiled for a second, taking a deep breath and letting the memories of Winter fade away. That's over… we're in Jackson now, and we're both safe, Ellie. You're okay, now, alright? It's going to be okay. She tried to tell herself, putting a small amount of the stress away from her veins.
"So, about that mural… Jesse's dad can probably get you some paints for that. Some decent brushes?" Ellie smiled, nodding her head and looking back towards Dina's face propped on her shoulder. "Yeah, thought you'd like that." Dina smiled, pleased to see that she had cheered up Ellie almost a little. Cold shock was running through Dina from Ellie's confession.
I know Ellie said there were assholes outside, but… fucking Jesus. She thought, pitying her friend, knowing that wasn't what Ellie wanted. I can't treat her differently… that's not what I would want. She'd been through that, Jesse had done the same thing when Dina first arrived in Jackson. "Yeah, some actual paints would be nice. Back in the zone, my friend and I used to sneak out and steal some from the other kids." Ellie fondly remembered sneaking out with Riley, something that would have horrifying consequences. Could I have stopped that? I told her we shouldn't have kept going. I told her we should've turned back. Maybe if I just pushed her a little harder. Maybe, just maybe she'd still be here.
"Kinda glad I didn't have to live in a QZ now." Dina remarked and Ellie nodded. They were now able to see the silhouette of the ranch as they got closer and closer. Ellie sighed, looking back at Dina.
"Marlene…" Ellie's breath hitched when she said that name. She hadn't thought of Marlene in a couple of days, something she felt guilty for. Marlene had been like a replacement mother for her… and Ellie just tossed her aside. Should I have gone back and buried her? Would Joel have even taken me back there. "Marlene looked after me. Made sure Riley and me were fed, but… Joel said they barely had rations… only way he got by was because he and… and Tess smuggled." She felt another brush of guilt when she thought of Tess, someone she hadn't "Tess was his… person." Ellie left it at that, and Dina didn't pry.
Finally, they approached the ranch, rain still travelling down both of them. The gates closed, so Dina swung herself down from the horse and opened it, leading Ellie inside. Ellie ducked her head down to fit under the ranch's doors and instantly she found Jesse and Joel inside, both of them awkwardly looking down at her feet. Ellie smiled, seeing both of them breathe when they saw the pair. "Jesus, you guys are soaked." Jesse smirked, taking the reins from Dina as she slicked her hair back. Ellie dismounted the horse once it was in the pen, taking Jesse's hand as he helped her down.
"Sorry we were out so long." Ellie apologized to Joel, letting her hair down and approaching him. Joel smirked, seeing that Ellie and Dina were both covered in mud from head to toe.
"What happened?" He asked, clearly amused. It showed in his face and Ellie punched his arm, glaring at him. Dina looked up from the pen, snickering.
"We, uh… we slipped." Dina answered, seeing that neither Joel or Jesse believed it. "Yeah, we slipped." Dina nodded, trying to assert her story.
"Okay, well, let's get you home before you catch a cold." Joel spoke to Ellie, taking her hand and beginning to lead her out of the ranch. Ellie waved a goodbye to Jesse and Dina, who returned one. Then, they both disappeared from the ranch, Joel trying to shield her from the rain, but there was no point. She was already soaked with both water and mud.
Finally, they made it to the house and Joel shut the door, smiling at her. "What? Dina wanted to stay out." She smirked, seeing the amusement on his face.
"So, do you like her?" Joel asked casually, watching Ellie's face brighten. She was still uncomfortable talking about girls with Joel. Part of her still believed that Joel would turn on her and make the nightmare she'd had so long ago true.
"No, she… she likes Jesse." She answered, but Joel moved towards her, still smiling at her. Ellie looked away, boring her eyes down into the floor and picking at her nails.
"Well… that didn't answer my question, kiddo." He teased, looking her in the eyes. He picked her chin up with his finger and looked at her, love in his eyes. "I'm just teasin', kiddo…" He smiled down at her, and she returned the favor. Ellie didn't want to confront her subtle feelings for Dina. In the world they lived in, there was a chance that she'd lose Dina… and if she loved her, and she lost her… she wouldn't be able to cope. So she tried not to love her, but she was slowly losing the fight. "Like I said, I don't care if you like boys or girls… as long as you're right here and you're happy."
Ellie's smile brightened with those words and she took Joel into a hug. He hugged her back, his arms wrapping around her before they finally let her go. "Alright, go take a bath, before you get that muck all over the house." Joel smiled, his eyes twinkling with happiness that she'd recovered, or at the very least felt better about Chase. She was recovering… he promised her she would, and he knew that it would take a while. He told her that, but finally, it was like she was almost happy.