Author's Note:
Welcome to part 2 of the Last of the Walking Dead series! A few quick notes before we get into this: Since posting the novelization for this story, and with some folks saying that they preferred the RP format, I have decided to continue the RP Edition tradition for Snow Crystals. You will find them both here, and they'll be updated at the same time with each new release.
Now, for this release, I am doing these scenes in the order they were done in the RP, which means this first chapter will be brand new for you folks, and will be included in the next release for the novel. There also won't be the additional scenes added from TLOU 2 from the novelization, as those didn't happen in the RP.
SPOILER WARNING:
There'll be definitely spoilers for some TLOU 2 stuff in this fic, along with scenes adapted from it eventually. Keep that in mind going forward.
And since this is a sequel to Something to Fight For, I'd be remiss not to mention that reading that story first would probably be best, since a WHOLE LOT of stuff gets set up in that book, but if you don't feel like doing that, you should get the general gist of the story from these first couple chapters.
Anyway, let's carry on!
8:32 PM - Saturday, July 18, 2026 (Four weeks after Negan)
Dot [Ellie]
Saying that it was hard to get over Clementine's absence would've been the understatement of the century. Ellie's room was still a mess, a pile of broken shit that she'd swept into a corner and had no intention of getting rid of any time soon. Life had become trying to think or do anything else that kept her from getting swept away by her thoughts, and with school out until August, doing so became difficult.
For the first month, Tripp had quarantined her inside the walls, for reasons she knew without ever having to ask. Her damn immunity kept rearing its ugly head, and their asshole of a leader had her being poked and prodded by Eleanor to try and figure out the cure. No matter how many times Ellie told her that it was useless, that the Fireflies tried and failed, so how did they expect to succeed? Eventually, that seemed to get through his thick skull, and the nearly daily visits to the infirmary tapered off.
Around that time, she'd finally convinced him to put her on one of the scavenging teams. With Lee still healing, and Joel doing… god knows what, it came down to her to pull her weight in the community. For Ellie, it was another excuse not to think. She'd scrounged up enough stuff on a run to make a trade with a semi-decent Savior by the name of Andy, who traded her some battery acid for a box of Twinkies. It was an amusing trade, but Ellie wasn't going to complain.
The acid was… probably the most idiotic part of the plan she had, but that seemed to be the norm for her, coming up with things that sounded good on paper, but in reality, were beyond reckless.
Still, with memories plaguing her, and a desire to put it all to rest becoming all too encumbering, the plan was put into action. She'd found herself in her bathroom, the acid in one hand, and her other arm with its sleeve pulled up to her shoulder.
The bite looked as bubbly and vile as ever. A constant reminder of her failure. Looking at it left her feeling nauseous, ready to throw down that jar and instead spew her own acid into the sink. She held it back, though. If she was going to do this, she needed to be tough, tougher than Joel.
Of course, it wasn't just her failure that brought her to that sink that day. With the Saviors breathing down their necks, constantly keeping an eye on their new victims to make sure they didn't do anything rash, the odds of being discovered were growing ever more likely.
And knowing the Saviors, they wouldn't just leave her alone if they found out. It needed to be gone.
Her immunity needed to be nothing but a distant memory.
"This… thing. Maybe you think it's just you, but it's not." Clementine's words rang in Ellie's ears as if she were right next to her. She wanted to believe her, as much as she wanted her to be next to her. She wanted to move on, for her friend's sake, and her own. The voice in the back of her head, though, that one wouldn't let her.
"Are you really going to make this all for nothing?" Riley's soft voice always had the same effect on her, forcing her breath to hitch and her resolve to crumble. "I died for you."
You didn't die for me, Ellie thought to herself, her hand practically squeezing the jar. And it wasn't for nothing.
Tears welled in her eyes as she began to tip the jar over, watching as the vile liquid began to pour out.
"So be strong. A – And if you can't, then… fuck it , I'll be tough for you."
Now it was her time to be strong.
As soon as the acid made contact with her skin, pain shot through her body like a bullet, accompanied by a sizzling sound that was quickly drowned out by her screams.
No amount of mental preparation would've made her ready for that moment. The pain was unbearable, like her skin was boiling away in a witch's pot, searing hot in its ferocity. The tears that streamed down her face became more like a river, and she smashed the jar on the counter, trying to bang her clenched fist against the surface. However, glass poked her skin, causing the sensation enveloping her to tip past the breaking point. She fell to the floor, clutching her arm close as it continued to sizzle, clenching her eyes shut.
She didn't know what to do, what to pour onto the acid to make it stop. She was screaming at herself, both aloud and within her own brain, wishing that she'd done anything else. What if it kept eating away at her skin? To the bone? What if she lost her arm?
She scrambled to twist the handle on the sink, cold water streaming around her arm. The acid hissed, flowing with the water into the sink, sizzling until it eventually circled down the drain. She didn't want to know what it'd do to the metal piping. She let it run for as long as she could bear to sit there, hunched over the sink. When she finally pulled it away, turning the faucet off, all that was left was a red mark, splotched and bubbly.
Once the burning stopped, she pulled her sleeve back down, moving on. Days went by without anyone noticing, just as it was before, though eventually she'd gotten caught looking at it in the bathroom at the church, by another girl that went by Kat. She'd promised that she can cover it up with tattoos, and as surprised as Ellie was to find some sixteen-year-old that knew how to do that, she hardly questioned it. She just silently thanked her for the help.
The next day had been another exhausting day, though not in the way it usually tended to be. Normal days consisted of keeping herself busy, pulling any scavenging run she could get her hands on, or helping in the gardens, or spending some time in the gym. Granted, it wasn't like it was a state-of-the-art facility, but it got her mind off of Clementine, so she made the best of it. Today had been one of those days, where there were no scavenging runs to do, and that gym became her second home for the day. Her muscles ached, complaining with every step, but she pushed that aside for the time being. Tonight, she was supposed to meet up with Kat to talk about tattoos.
Ellie hadn't given it much thought on what she wanted except for 'something to cover up the burn', but seeing what her new friend was capable of would help. She found herself at the girl's front door, knocking on it timidly. Sighing, she took in a deep breath. Time to not be weird.
Vi [Kat]
"Yeah! One second, I got yer shit-!" A tired voice spat from behind the door, followed by a bunch of swearing with each object the girl tripped over. Eventually the noise stopped, and silence filled the area. One... two... Three locks clicked as the girl unlocked her door, soon swinging it open with an annoyed expression. She quickly wiped it away at the sight of the girl, a smile replacing her frown.
"Ah! I thought you were one of the guards I owe cards to! Come on in. Make yerself at home." She moved away from the door, picking up a few things laying on the floor thanks to her frantic move towards the door.
"Ya lose one poker game, and the whole guard is after ya to get the cards for a single person. Can't trust me, I guess." She shrugged, stuffing her ration cards back in her drawer as she looked over her shoulder to her house... er... shack... guest. This wasn't the most put together place to stay, but enough for her to call it home.
"Did ya want something to drink while I'm up?"
Dot [Ellie]
Kat's place was interesting to say the least, as interesting as the girl living in it. Most places left standing in Jackson were those fancy homes you'd see in magazines, but Kat's was straight out of a show about hillbillies, positioned near the very edge of the community.
As Kat offered her a drink, Ellie didn't hesitate to nod, smiling. "Please. It's been a long day."
She found herself sinking into the girl's couch, watching as a candle flickered on the coffee table.
"Yeah, the guards love to win, and hate to lose." She'd given them plenty of trouble, enough to afford a nice dinner every now and again. "Fionn's the worst. Always easy to guess if he's got a good hand."
Vi [Kat]
"I swear, that fucker cheated our last game. I owe him sixteen cards, which is basically my dinner for a month." She called from the kitchen - which was just the room she kept her bourbon. Her house was definitely styled, lots of splashes of dry paint from her attempt to get this place looking nicer... Attempt is the keyword.
Soon, the girl turned the corner, hovering a full glass in front of the girl as the bottle laid carefully in her other. "Try not to drink the whole supply," she joked, taking a seat next to her and setting the bottle on the table in front of them. She immediately then leaned forward, flipping open her sketchbook and tossing it on the girl's lap, all the while she used the candle on the table to light her joint. "Take a gander. See if anything interests you."
Dot [Ellie]
Ellie took a small swig of the drink placed in front of her, struggling not to cough as it burned in her throat. Memories plagued her then, and she chose to push them away with another drink. When the sketchbook was laid in her lap, she set the drink down on the table, flipping through the book.
Wow, she really was a good artist. There were designs ranging from what could be described as tribal pieces to full portraits. There was one of a girl with a pair of massive boobs, which had Ellie sipping out of her cup with an amused expression before moving on. Eventually, something did catch her eye. It was a moth, with a pair of some sort of leaves behind it. Simple, but would probably cover up her burn nicely.
She found herself staring at the design, thinking to herself ' Look for the light '. Somehow, she knew that was going to be what she wanted.
"This one," she said finally, looking toward Kat as she let out a puff of whatever she was smoking. "I like it. Well- I like all of them, but that one especially," she said, wincing at her own awkwardness.
Vi [Kat]
The girl exhaled into the open atmosphere, watching the cloud disperse as she leaned back into her sofa. Just as she breathed in to take another hit, her guest had shown off the design she had chosen. Kat's gaze shifted over, immediately causing her to cough out the smoke that filled her mouth, the rancid smelling cloud being waved away as she choked on her own breathing. After a moment, she waved a hand around her head, looking at the design closer before flickering her gaze up to Ellie. "Funny. I've only had one other person ask for this design, made it for her and everything. She never did get to come get the tattoo." There was a sober tone to her otherwise cheerful expression. There was… more to this story that she didn't seem to want to touch on. Not yet.
"I can probably handle doing that one. It be a miracle to finally get this one on skin. May I?" She held out a hand to take a better look at her arm, mainly to test out measurements and see how well the size of her arm fit the size of the concept drawing. As she did so, she also held out the joint, mainly to get a free hand to look between the two.
Dot [Ellie]
Ellie held out her arm, pulling up her sleeve to reveal the gauze wrapped around the burn. And, tentatively, she took the thing Kat had been smoking, holding it awkwardly. She looked at it, raising an eyebrow.
"What… is this?" Obviously not a cigarette. Smells nothing like it.
Vi [Kat]
Kat carefully took her hand and held Ellie's wrist, her other hand now holding up her sketchbook next to their arm. Her eyes scanned between the two, a smile on her face at the sight. This could work. Her gaze shifted as she was addressed, the girl asking what the fuck she was smoking. "Seriously? You need to get out more- It's weed. Feel free to take a hit, Lassie."
Dot [Ellie]
Ellie gave the cigarette a critical glance as Kat explained what it was, feeling herself slouch a little in embarrassment. "Didn't, uh… didn't exactly have them in the zone," she explained, bashfully. "We were lucky to find booze."
She slowly brought it to her mouth, taking a puff. She coughed violently, clutching the cigarette in her hand as she turned away from Kat. When she'd finally regained control, she let out a dry laugh. "That's fucking horrible." She inhaled another puff anyway, watching as Kat studied her arm.
It felt weird showing it to someone after hiding the bite for so long, like this was some forbidden act that she had to remind herself that it wasn't really a thing anymore. She winced as a finger came into contact with the gauze, pain flaring throughout her arm. "It still hurts," she said, as if she needed to explain herself.
Vi [Kat]
Kat let out a small, near quiet laugh as she listened to the girl choke on the smoke, remembering the first time she got into it herself. As Ellie mentioned the pain in her arm, the girl instinctively let go, mumbling an apology as she leaned back with her sketchbook, her body turned to face Ellie so they can talk.
Her fingers flipped through pages in her book, stopping on a clean sheet. She lifted a hand, taking a pencil that rested behind her ear and soon it was connected with the book. "Oh, that stuff is never easy the first time you do it. Just don't fuckin' inhale the smoke too much, you aren't breathin' it in your lungs."
Dot [Ellie]
Ellie let out a scoff, smiling. "I know how to smoke." No, she didn't. Still, she didn't like not knowing things; it was a bit uncomfortable being on this end. She took another puff of the joint, putting what Kat said to use. Thankfully, it went much better. She held it out to the girl next to her.
"Do you ever think about how fucked we are?" She asked, knowing well enough that the topic wasn't the best one to pick. "With the Saviors, and all that bullshit, and-" She fell silent, grabbing her cup and taking another sip. Anything to get through this. "My friend getting kicked out."
Vi [Kat]
Kat took the joint, taking a long inhale as Ellie spoke, only to exhale the stuff into the open air with a tired expression. That didn't take long, girl sure knows how to jump to the undesirable topics. "I think about a lot of stuff. Some more than others. The Saviors are… a bunch of pricks- If they came knocking on my door, I'd tattoo their eyes, and steal their shins… as for your friend-" She let the joint hang in her mouth, her hand no longer moving across the page.
"I don't think of her at all. I didn't know her, and didn't know much about the… situation she was involved in. Can't form an opinion if I don't know the details. But it seems you think about her quiet alot, right? You wouldn't have mentioned her if she wasn't on your mind at least a little." Her hand resumed its work on the page, her other offering the joint back her way. They needed that hit more than her for sure.
Dot [Ellie]
Her next puff did little to calm her nerves, though thinking about Clementine had become anxiety-inducing on its own, let alone talking about her. She didn't really want to bother Kat about it, after all, they weren't really friends yet, but who else did she have to turn to? Ellie was… angry, upset, depressed, and struggling to stay busy enough to push all those feelings away. Usually didn't work. This past year had dragged her through the mud, leaving her broken and tired and just… needing to rest. If only her brain would let her.
"She's, um…" Ellie trailed off, eyes falling to her lap as she took one more puff of the joint, letting it out in a slow breath. "She is - was - my girlfriend. After what happened with the Saviors, she just… left. Without a word. I think about that a lot."
It was weird talking about it out loud. She'd never talked about her relationship before, with anyone. Joel was the closest, and she'd never told him they'd actually gotten together. Maybe she just wanted to respect Clem's wishes about keeping things between them, but now that she's gone… well, maybe some advice couldn't hurt.
Handing the joint away, and taking a sip of her bourbon, she continued. "Maybe it shouldn't hurt as much as it does, but… yeah. It's hard not to think about if she's okay out there, wherever she is. Thinking about how things might be different if I'd been two seconds faster, somehow saving Tommy's life."
"Or maybe I'm just stupid, and think I can control everything I can't. I don't know." She shrugged.
Vi [Kat]
"Let me let you in on a little secret, E." The girl puffed a bit more of the joint before she set it down on the ashtray sitting on her table. The smoke left her nose like one of those animated cartoon bulls, her frame leaned back now so she can sketch easier. "Life is like... a big body of water. Right? And with each event that happens, more rocks are added to a bag tied onto your foot. The more rocks, the more you're dragged down. And eventually, you can feel yourself drowning in your own emotion."
The girl ran her hand through her hair, gaze shifting back up to her for a moment to see if she had her attention before shooting back down to her page. "Now, you can remove these rocks. Some are harder than others. They can be bigger and heavier. It takes a lot of strength and courage to let go of the past that is dragging you down. Did you know thinking back and focusing on the what ifs and the possibilities of what could have been doesn't do anything but make your rocks heavier? Do you want to drown, Ellie? Cause if you do, hold onto it. It'll only be your downfall. But if you want to survive, reach out and break that surface again for air? The rock has to go. Letting… letting her go might be what's best. You can hold her memories close, learn from them. But that doesn't mean you have to carry what she did in your bag. What happened was not your fault… okay? And - and if you don't think you can let go of that rock alone. If it's just too heavy? I'll grab your hand myself and pull you up to the surface. But only you can make the decision to let the rock sink to the bottom without you." She set her pencil down, letting out a short sigh as she shook her head.
"I was in a similar boat before. I let the rock drag me all the way to the bottom because I was naive enough to let some… asshole girl break my heart. And even after all she did, for some reason, her rock was still there, dragging me down because I had convinced myself that I still loved her… when I know she didn't love me - she never did. That rock kept growing and growing, and eventually I hit the bottom. I've fucking been there. She was the last fuckin' piece for me to sink, and hitting the bottom of the ocean is fucking terrifying. You lose all sense of right and wrong, you make horrible mistakes to fix something you can't. I've done things I can't take back just to please her, and it was for nothing. I… I can still hear those god awful clickers, and see her face as she turned her back to le-" She shut her eyes for a moment, fist tightening on her book.
"Don't be like me. I was lucky I realized I needed help. I was lucky I got out of that mindset before I hit deep shit. You'll hit it too if you let your past eat you alive. We already have a ton of things trying to eat us… this shouldn't be one. Besides…" Kat flipped her sketchbook around, showing the sketch to the girl with a half hearted smile. It was a sketch of a smiling Ellie!
"You have a nice smile, you should show it off more."
Dot [Ellie]
Ellie couldn't help but do exactly what was shown on the paper, a lopsided smile that felt like the first time she'd actually done it in weeks. She was right; of course she was right. She'd had this problem for months, way before Clementine ever left. Dealing with memories and regrets and an obligation to carry them all on her back - or tied around her ankles, in Kat's example - and never being capable of shrugging them off.
She missed Clementine, and always would, but she needed to to live for herself now, if not for Joel and Lee, and everyone else that depended on her here. It was better than drowning. Sitting there, all the stupid shit she'd done in the wake of Clementine's departure began to fill up in her mind. Her room was still a mess, most of it just tossed into a corner so she didn't have to deal with it. Call it laziness, or maybe just a reminder of what happened, but she realized now that it needed to go. Probably won't be able to find another decent lamp, but whatever. She could make do.
Ellie sat back on the couch, taking a slow sip of her drink before matching Kat's gaze. "You're not half bad, you know that?"
Vi [Kat]
Kat seemed to straighten up a bit at the compliment, her face slightly red. She let her dumb ass drop her guard, now they are being such a… nerd and getting all soft with her. She wiped a hand across her face as she rolled her eyes, hand turning a page to start a different sketch. "No no. I'm full bad. Total rebel, yea. Major lone wolf. I put the bad in… uh- Bad news. Yep."
Really helping your case there, Kat. Sure proved her wrong. Kat shook her head, a hand tapping against her face to die herself down from the embarrassment she's putting herself through. Girl can't take a compliment.
Dot [Ellie]
The girl's response left Ellie chuckling under her breath, rolling her eyes too. Yeah, whatever. If there was anything she'd learned today, it's that Kat would make for a pretty fucking cool friend, and Ellie had every intention of making it that way. Better than drowning herself in work to try and forget her last one.
Finishing her drink, laying the cup on the table in front of them, her face turned serious, yet managing to maintain the smile. "Thank you," she said, absolutely meaning it. "For the tattoo, and for the pep talk. Seriously. I'll hit you up when this thing's feeling better." She indicated the bandages around her arm before continuing, shaking her head amusedly. "I'm gonna look badass."
Vi [Kat]
"If I do my job, you surely will. After all, I did most of these myself, and they sure as shit weren't easy." She gestured to her own tattoos, many of which seemed to be various sea creatures and symbols. She smiled, standing from her seat to put away her sketchbook, the page with the chosen tattoo marked with her pencil. She dusted her hands off, making her way towards the kitchen where she happily rolled herself another joint.
The girl's voice picked up as she hummed to herself. It was some dumb song she heard on a cassette, and she was lucky it still worked given how many times she played it. Speaking of which, she popped it back in, and there goes some classic tunes. Early two-thousands 'punk rock' as they were labeled, but that's up to interpretation. She came back into the living room, lighting her joint and immediately taking a nice puff as she sat by the girl and swung her arm around their shoulders. "Now, let's get this party started." She called, taking another hit. And the two spent a good rest of the evening smoking that good shit and listening to Kat's music.