Sadie appeared at Sadie and Joel's the tie they agreed, right at 6:30. She knocked on the front door, an excited Ellie swinging the door open just a few moments ago after launching herself off the couch. A warm smile greeted Sadie, Ellie stepping to the side to let her into the home.
Sadie looked much more refreshed compared to earlier, given that they first bumped into her in midday in the woods under the Wyoming sun. Her hair now hung in fresh clean waves that cascaded to her shoulders, and her skin looked much more plump and rested which came from what Ellie assumed was a nice shower. Even the clothes Sadie selected for the evening did not read "end of the world". She wore a pair of light blue flare jeans with a black peasant top that matched her slip-on sneakers. The outfit offered a glimpse into how normal a life Jackson offered. Sadie could afford to wear more comfortable, seemingly once fashionable articles of clothing to something as routine as a dinner with new friends. It made Ellie all the more excited for her and Sadie's outing tomorrow for some new pieces.
The sound of steps on descending hardwood signified Joel making his way to the first level, rounding corned around the stairs, and smiling when he saw Sadie.
"Right on time." He commented with a smile.
"Punctuality is one of my many great traits." Sadie assured.
Joel chuckled, following Sadie as she led them out of the house and down to Rancher Street which they then walked down as they made their way to Sadie's. Most of the first structures they passed were Joel's neighbors or empty houses awaiting a resident, so she did not need to say much about them as they passed them by. As they rounded down the one street, she pointed out some of the shops of Jackson. There was a little bit of everything; welders and carpenters, eateries and a couple of different bakeries, seamstresses and other clothing places, and even a hall and church where various events could get held.
"We often have some sort of music and dance party in the town hall," Sadie explained. "It is always a good time."
Both Ellie and Joel felt themselves feel overwhelmed as they passed by the shops, most of the closing down for the evening so people could return home for the night. Some people on the streets glanced their way, curious about the unfamiliar faces, but many people who noticed them did not want to make them uncomfortable. Everyone in the settlement entered as the new person, a stranger from the outside, and all of them knew how unsettling stares and silent whispers of questioning could feel. Ellie stuck close to Joel who put a reassuring arm around her shoulders when he sensed she felt nervous from all the people in the new territory,
As they continued, Sadie explained the farm and agriculture parts of the settlement were on the other side, a lot of people took to growing some crops in their backyards and different greenhouses were set up strategically around town so certain crops got the necessary amount of light. As she spoke, Joel noticed that they were getting to the outskirts of the settlement as the building became fewer. They entered a seemingly untouched lot where a small home stood.
"We have arrived!" Sadie announced.
From the outside, Joel immediately took notice to how cozy it looked. There only appeared to be one main level, with only a room or two upstairs, and purple and yellow flowers adorned the home's perimeter as well as bit of shrubbery. A livid color painted the house, and the house's age showed in the weathered white color of the few window frames. The porch was small, but big enough to home a swing and an assortment of potted plants in various stages. Sadie led them up the makeshift walkway, Joel thinking that her house resembled one once seen in fairytales due to the touches of whimsy but managed to withstand the apocalypse and get resurrected.
Once inside, the theme carried over to the interior. A comfy nook of a living room existed directly to the right of the entrance that received tons of natural light based off the positioning of the side and front window. The natural light assuredly made the room appear much larger given the light eggshell color of the walls and seemed to make for a perfect room to curl up to watch a movie or read a book. A plush looking gray couch sat before a coffee table and fireplace; various throw blankets tossed over the top over the couch. The entire back wall was repurposed as a bookshelf, various titles and genres lining the shelves organized by what appeared the be genre first, and then alphabetically. Although the floor was hardwood, a large blanket took up much of the floor area that seemed to pull the whole room together.
A much larger living room took up the room to the left of the entrance that appeared to lead to a separate room, a bedroom Joel guessed, but Sadie led them straight back to the kitchen down the hall from the entrance. The kitchen, however, wowed him given that the house itself was not particularly large. It resembled his in some ways, with the large island in the center and plentiful cabinet space, but it looked to be much more set up for a real chef. The farmhouse style sink, a double stove and oven set up, pots and pans of various sizes and material hung over top the island, and drawers and additional storage seemed to exist at every possible space. A space at the back of the kitchen, beyond the island and in front of the back window held a table already set with plates, glasses, and cutlery. Natural light also stemmed in from the windows, making Joel guess that every room in the house offered a lot of natural light and that Sadie intended for that when she selected the house.
One thing that caught Joel's attention immediately was the fridge which was adorned with photos. Photos of Sadie with Tommy, Maria, and other faces of Jackson filled the double doors, but a specific collection caught his eye. A boy appeared in several of the photos at different ages of life. In some he looked quite young, only a boy, but Joel could tell that he was in some of the other photos due to the resemble. In his youngest photo, he appeared to be only nine or ten, and in the most recent photo he looked to be around Ellie's age, give or take a year. The photos showed him and Sadie riding horses, cooking in the kitchen, and standing on the front porch of the home.
"That's Zach," Sadie told Joel when she saw him studying the photos. "you aren't the only one with a teenager. He will not be joining us tonight due to him going through some teenage angst and wandering around Jackson until the late hours of the night."
Joel laughed as he joined Ellie on the high tops at the counter while Sadie began to pull things out of the oven. As promised, a heaping tray of mac and cheese and another dish full of roasted broccoli came out of the oven. Ellie's eyes immediately widened just as her stomach let out a ravenous growl. Joel had a similar reaction when he realized this would be his first hot meal in what seemed a lifetime.
"A white cheddar mac and cheese with a side of roasted garlic broccoli are is our main course tonight," Sadie announced in her best TV chef voice. "And what is a first night in civilization without…"
Sadie did a dramatic spin to the fridge where she opened the appliance and pulled yet another tray of something. Turning around, Joel and Sadie were met with a cupcake tin of delectable looking chocolate cupcakes.
"You made All of this?" Ellie questioned, causing a chuckle to emerge from Sadie.
"I wasn't kidding when I said I was Jackson's cooking extraordinaire." She replied. "Now how about you grab those plates while I get some serving utensils?"
Ellie quickly hopped up, and the girl's excitement made him smile. As he turned back to Sadie moving about the kitchen, it only made his smile widen.
OOOOO
Joel and Ellie stayed at Sadie's for a long while, even after they finished their desserts. Ellie asked Sadie all sorts of questions about her life before the dawn of clickers, and Sadie was more than happy to share her anecdotes. Ellie and Joel learned that in the world before, Sadie worked as a part restaurant owner and caterer alongside her mother. Their restaurant, located in Spokane and adoringly named The Pacific Mermaid, was started by Sadie's grandparents, and continued on as a generation owned location with Sadie set to inherit the deed next.
"Of course, the world ended before that day could happen." Sadie commented with a hint of sadness to her tone as she remembered the eatery that homed so many memories of her life.
Joel asked about how she met Tommy and their time in the Fireflies, and she happily recounted meeting Tommy when he joined. By the time Tommy joined, Sadie was a seasoned Firefly, and ending up showing him the ropes as a rookie. Joel laughed as she recounted his poor aim and inability to maneuver through obstacles in the beginning, but the skills eventually developed for him. She also discussed their argument when he left, as she admitted that she did want to lose one of her longest friends in the group but ultimately saw things how he did when it came to the Fireflies and tracked him down to Wyoming.
"Tommy was all I had left outside of the Fireflies," Sadie explained. "So, I managed to track him down since he connected with some of our groups on his way. That's how I ended up in Jackson."
"With Zach?" Ellie questioned.
Sadie smiled. "No, he came a bit later," she explained. "While we were clearing some of the nearby areas, we found Zach with his parents held up in a home that had clickers around it. Zach's parents were already bit, and trying to make it to Jackson, but were swarmed right as they got to us. I decided to take Zach in that day. He was nine or ten when we found him, and now he is a pain in the ass sixteen-year-old who I love regardless."
Joel chuckled at her statement and relished in the similarities between himself and Sadie. She firsthand what it was like to take on a kid in the apocalypse, and the challenges that came with it. The feeling of guilt racked him nonetheless when she made mentions of Marlene and the happier moments with the Fireflies as he was the one that brought them down to nothing. He pushed the thoughts away as he remembered what he walked into in St. Mary's when they were about to kill Ellie.
The night eventually drew to a close when the sun was long below the horizon, and Sadie walked Joel and Ellie out. She thanked them for coming for dinner, handing the duo a bag of leftovers.
"Thank you for having us," Joel replied.
"The food was amazing," Ellie added, hesitating before saying her next line. "Think you could teach me how to cook sometime?'
"Absolutely," Sadie affirmed with no hesitation. "I need a new sous chef."
Ellie and Joel headed home after that, Sadie offering a final wave before closing the door as she reentered her home. Ellie walked with a pep in her step as they headed home.
"I like Sadie," she commented. "She seems like a really good person."
Joel hummed in agreement. "I like her, too."
OOOOO
Tommy and Maria returned to the settlement the next morning. Joel was making breakfast for him and Ellie as she read her comic at the counter. They both were engrossed in their activities when a rapid knocking sounded on the front door. Joel looked at the door and then at Ellie who shrugged before hopping off her stool to go answer the door. Joel quickly turned the stove off and covered the chipped beef in the pan with a lid. "Let me get it, Kiddo." he said to Ellie as he took the dish towel he had slung over his shoulder off and placed it on the counter. He passed Ellie who stayed in the doorway of the living room and kitchen as she watched Joel go to the door. When he opened it, it only took a second to recognize his brother on the porch.
"You are here." Tommy said through a breath before going in to hug his brother. Joel met him in the embrace and hugged his younger brother tightly.
Joel wasted not time returned the embrace, squeezing his kid brother as tight as he could as he realzed they were together once more, this time for good.
"Hey little brother." Joel replied with a light chuckle. "How you doin'?"
Tommy took a step back from his brother and took a good at him, relied to see that he did not appear in worse shape than when he saw him last. "Better now."
Joel looked at Maria and gave her a smile. "Hey Maria."
The blonde woman stepped forward and hugged him. Joel was a little surprised at the action, but hugged her nevertheless.
"Thank you." she whispered so only he would here.
Confusion initially struck Joel, but then realized she was thanking him for not taking her husband away from her last Fall. She was thanking him for keeping her husband out of the crosshairs and letting her keep one of the few things she loved and cared about in this world.
"Anytime." Joel replied as he hugged her a little tighter before letting go.
He let the two in and the three stood in the front hallway together for a moment when Ellie finally came into sight.
"Hey kid!" Tommy said happily when he first noticed her presence. "How are ya?"
Joel turned to look at Ellie and immediately noticed how she was standing. Her arms were crossed across her body and shoulders slightly hunched forward. Joel recognized this particular stance because it was how she would stand around him when they first met. He knew it stemmed from feeling uncomfortable and unsure of what to do or say. At least that's what Joel assumed. As the time they spent together day in and day out on their journey increased, she seemed to relax. Her general body positions relaxed and how allowed herself to speak more on how she thought and felt. Joel guessed being around Tommy and Maria, two people she did not know all that well made her retreat into herself once more.
"I'm pretty good." Ellie answered, her tone sounding unsure of herself as she stayed frozen to her spot.
"I'm glad to see you again." Maria told her.
"Me too." Tommy seconded.
Ellie's arm unfolded and she stood up a little straighter. "Really?"
"Yeah." Maria replied crossed the room to her. "It was really nice meeting you back in the Fall. I was hoping I'd get to see you again."
Ellie smiled. "I was hoping to see you, too."
Maria gave the girl a smile and extended a hug to her that Ellie gladly acepted.
"You two settling in alright?" Tommy asked.
"Yeah." Joel answered. "Your friend Sadie is the one who showed us around and got us settled. Even had us over for dinner last night."
Tommy smiled. "Yeah, that sure sounds like Sadie."
Joel took in another glance at the sight of his brother, and Maria standing with Ellie. A smile creped onto his lips as he took in his family all under one roof. He was finally home.