I was thinking about doing random chapters of Ellie and Joel living in the Community in Jackson, I'm not sure how many chapters I will do but there will be random stories. There will be different events and holidays they may celebrate has a community, but be warned people who are sensitive... there maybe horror in some chapters.

I thought I'd begin where Ellie and Joel arrive at the Jackson Community, then we can venture through the years until the present day game. I finished the game now, it was a different. If anyone would like to discuss the game my dms are open.

-The Last Of Us is owned by Naughty Dog/ Sony Computer Entertainment

-Some of the parts of this fanfiction are in the game, other parts aren't in the game.

-Spoilers may happen.

-Stand by Me by Ben E. King

Snowflake Warning

-Ellie grew up in a world of monsters, TLOU isn't about butterflies and rainbows... it's horror.

-If you're playing the game I know, I know the story has thrown heartbreak at us. I'll give us some happy times.

-Sensitive material, Ellie likes girls... get over it!

Keep safe and enjoy!

Chapter 3!

Three Days Later

Ellie scrubbed at her foot with a bar of soap, she was taking a bath before she went out to meet Maria in one of the greenhouses near their house. Ellie had offered to help Maria out with the strawberry picking, after she learnt that other kids were going to be there she had tried to worm her way out of it.

Joel had told her it would be good for her to make some friends, but Ellie still had doubts about making friends because she was different. Most kids in The Jackson Community hadn't seen the horrors that she had seen with Joel, they had been sheltered from the evil the Apocalyptic world had to offer them.

Rubbing the soap along her right arm Ellie soon noticed her scar, she could still see the faded bite mark and her skin around it was red. She was going to have to lie about it and keep her immunity a secret from others, she could pass her scar off as acid burns. She lay back in the bathtub and rested her feet by the taps, it had been a while since she had enjoyed a hot bath. Taking a deep breath she ducked her head beneath the water and opened her eyes while she blew bubbles from her mouth, the water was getting murky now. She was trying to hold her breath beneath the water, she had a record of two minutes and she wanted to make it to two minutes and a half before Joel taught her how to swim.

" Ellie, are you okay in there?!" Joel asked.

Ellie emerged from beneath the water when she heard Joel's voice, she wiped some water away from her eyes while she coughed. She told Joel that she was taking a bath, but he told her that it was almost 8:30am. Pulling the bath pug out of the bathtub she climbed out if it and grabbed herself a towel from the side, she had already set herself some clean clothes out on the toilet seat. She had chosen a vest top and some blue jeans, she needed something that was comfortable to work in since the chores Maria had given her for the day were physical.

" Ellie, what are you doing in there?!" Joel asked.

" I'm taking a shit! What do you think I'm doing?" Ellie yelled while she wrapped a towel around herself. " I'll be out in a moment!"

Ellie laughed when she heard Joel telling her to get a move on, he didn't want Ellie to keep Maria waiting. He told her that he had made her some breakfast, she dared not ask what it was though in case he had burnt it. Ellie had mostly done all of the cooking for the last three days, she really enjoyed following recipes in cook books that Maria had even her. But Joel had insisted on making breakfast this morning, he could make toast with the aid of a toaster.

Drying herself off and getting changed into her planned outfit she threw her used towel into the laundry basket before she hurried downstairs to the kitchen, Joel was already eating his breakfast while he read a book about carpentry. He had made toast and boiled eggs, there was also freshly squeezed orange juice in a glass jug with sliced oranges floating around in it. There was a fresh pot of brewed coffee and small block of butter on a plate, there was even a jar of strawberry jam. Ellie sat on the chair across from him and poured herself a glass of orange juice, she took a sip of it while she helped herself to some toast.

" Morning kiddo." Joel said.

" Morning Joel, I'm so hungry right now!" Ellie said.

" You're always hungry." Joel said.

Ellie buttered herself some toast and took a big bite of it, the bread was so good. She spoke to Joel about how she could now hold her breath under water for two minutes and that she was excited about learning how to swim, but Joel soon brought up the subject about her making new friends.

Ellie sighed deeply to herself, she wasn't looking forward to meeting these kids Maria had asked to help with the strawberry picking. She pulled her slice of toast apart with her fingers while she ate it, she told Joel that she was still nervous about meeting them.

" You'll be fine, do you know where you're going?" Joel asked.

" Yeah, I remember where the greenhouses are." Ellie replied while she licked her fingers tips clean. " I can take a shortcut through the backyard, they're right behind our house. What are you doing today? Are you going out on patrol with Tommy again?"

" Not today, but I'll be out when you get back home." Joel replied.

" Where are you going?" Ellie asked.

Joel showed Ellie the book he was reading, he told her he was going to help out with some construction work in the community. Ellie told him to be careful in case he hurt himself because he was getting old, he playfully hit Ellie on the top of her head with the book and told her to get moving. She looked over at the wall clock in the kitchen, it was nearly 9am and that meant she was running late. She ate the rest of her toast and grabbed one of the boiled eggs from the plate before she went to get her sneakers from the shoe rack in the hallway. She sat down on the floor and put her sneaker on while she stuff the whole boiled egg into her mouth, she looked towards the kitchen when Joel called her name.

" Don't forget to bandage your arm!" Joel said.

" Yeah I know!" Ellie said with her mouth full. "I'll do it before I leave the house!"

Ellie swallowed the egg and fastened her shoelaces, she felt something bounce off the top of her head. She looked over her shoulder and saw Joel leaning against the wall while he drank his coffee, he had found her some bandages to use for her arm. She rolled her eyes at him and grabbed the bandages from the floor while she got onto her feet, she probably deserved having the packet of bandages thrown at her because she had been making fun of Joel's age again. She wrapped the bandage around her bite mark and fastened it with a nappy pin, she was ready to start her day of helping out in The Jackson community.

" Have you got everything?" Joel asked.

" I think so..." Ellie replied, she tied her hair up into a ponytail. " Wish me luck!"

" You've got this kiddo, you'll be making friends before you know it." Joel said.

" We'll see, I'll see you later." Ellie said.

" I'll leave the back door unlocked for you, be careful out there." Joel said.

" You too, old man." Ellie said.

Ellie hurried into the kitchen, she drank the rest of her juice and stole a slice of Joel's toast before she left the house through the back door. The day was hot and humid, she was happy that she had put her vest top on since she knew she would be getting all sweaty today. The last time she had been in a greenhouse was back in Boston, she use to steal apples for her and Riley in the Summertime.

Ellie kept on walking until she reached the area where all of the communities fruit and vegetables were grown, there was six greenhouses in total. She peered into one of them, she could see watermelons and tomatoes vines. The tomatoes looked so ripe and juicy, they would be perfect on sandwiches with cheese. She carried on walking until she reached the third greenhouse, she could see Maria with an asian boy inside of it.

Opening the door she walked inside the greenhouse and closed the door behind her, the heat hit her immediately. She could feel herself sweating already, her top was already sticking to her body and her bandage was beginning to feel damp. Maria greeted her as she joined them, she noticed her name written on a chalkboard along with two other names.

The boy with Maria eyed Ellie up curiously, he was tall with dark hair and brown eyes. He was quite handsome and he looked around the same age as her, she cupped her hands behind her back while she smiled at Maria.

" Sorry I'm late, I kind of lost track of time." Ellie said.

" It's fine, I'll let you off since it's your first day." Maria smiled.

Maria showed them around the greenhouse, she told them that the plants needed to be watered once a day and that all the gardening tools they would need are kept in the back on the greenhouse. They would have to make sure everything was put back when they had finished their chores, she wanted all of the strawberry plants to be checked and some green bean seeds to be potted before the end of their shift.

Maria then showed them where the baskets and the plant pots were kept, there were wooden boxes of soil stacked up in pile. There were jars of labelled seeds on a shelf, it was a simple system to follow. They were allowed to have a break at lunch time, someone would come around with water and sandwiches for them to eat outside of the greenhouse. Maria was about to leave them but she lingered in the greenhouse's doorway, it looked like she was looking for someone.

" Where's Dina?" Maria asked.

" Women problems, she should be here soon." The boy said.

" Alright, get started without her then." Maria said.

Maria left them alone and they both stood in silence, but the boy soon got to work. Ellie felt awkward while she followed him down the greenhouses pathway, she didn't even know what to say to this random guy. The boy began potting up the plant pots and Ellie grabbed a basket from a shelf, she left him in the back of the greenhouse. She stopped in front of the strawberry plants and sat down on the pathway, she stared at the strawberry plant for a moment before she picked one of the ripe strawberries. She jumped though when the boy sat down next to to her, he gave her a smile and placed a strawberry in the basket.

" So, you're the new girl?" He asked.

" Yeah that's me, I'm the new girl." Ellie replied.

" How are you finding Jackson?" He asked.

" It's different, I mean I'm still getting use to it." Ellie replied while she carefully pulled a strawberry from the vine. " I'm not use to being somewhere normal, I've been traveling a lot for the last year."

Ellie chatted with the boy, he told her after a while that his name was Jesse. He had moved to Jackson with his Mother, he had only been living in the community for a few years. He told Ellie that the community was cool, he really liked living here since it was safe. He wanted to start doing the patrols at some point, but he was too young to join them right now.

They were both interrupted by the greenhouse's door being swung open, a girl with dark hair hurried into the room and quickly closed the door behind her. She was out of breath and her cheeks were red, it looked like she had been running for miles.

" You're late, but I covered for you." Jesse said.

" Thanks Jesse, I owe you one." She said.

Ellie watched the girl speaking with Jesse, she hadn't seen her around the community. But Ellie was still new here, she had only met a handful of people and she couldn't remember half of their names. She turned her attention back the strawberry plant, she continued to pick the strawberries until the girl sat down next to her. They made eye contact for a brief moment, the girl held her hand towards Ellie and introduced herself.

" Hey, I'm Dina " She said.

" I'm Ellie." Ellie said, she shook her hand. " I'm new here."

" I've heard, how are you settling in?" Dina asked.

" I'm settling in good thanks." Ellie replied with a smile. " I'm still getting use to everything around here..."

" I bet, it can be overwhelming at first." Dina said.

Ellie spoke with the two teens while they worked together, they told her all she needed to know about The Jackson Community. They told her all about the patrol system and the stores, but the topic soon turned to life stories.

Dina told Ellie that she use to live in New Mexico with her Mother and Sister before she moved to Jackson, there was a group located there called The Ravens. The group didn't last for long so she left New Mexico with her big Sister Talia, but after her Sister passed away she joined the Jackson Community. Dina soon changed the subject, she wanted to know more about Ellie and where she use to live before she chose to live in Jackson. Ellie went a little bit shy on them, she wasn't use to speaking to others about herself.

" Well, I like comic books, drawing and bad jokes." Ellie said while she tucked some of her hair behind her ear. " I've not had time to draw much lately, but I'm hoping I can take it up again soon. I use to live in Boston, but things changed there."

" What kind of stuff do you draw?" Dina asked.

" Anything really, but I do like stretching animals and people." Ellie replied.

" Do you think you could draw me one time?" Dina asked.

" Sure." Ellie replied.

" You're living with Joel Miller, right?" Jesse asked.

" Yeah." Ellie replied.

" What's he like?" Jesse asked.

" Joel is cool, he's grumpy sometime but I like him." Ellie replied.

" Jesse, stop being nosy." Dina sighed.

" What? I heard Joel was a legendary badass!" Jesse said, he playfully threw a strawberry at Dina. " Is it true that he use to be a smuggler back in Boston? I heard he's a pro with a shotgun, it wouldn't surprise me much though since Tommy is the best sniper in all of Jackson."

" Ignore him, Jesse can be a big fanboy at times." Dina smiled.

" Hey, I heard that!" Jesse said.

Ellie laughed slightly when Dina punched Jesse's arm, they were pretty funny. They chatted for most of the day while they worked together, Ellie opened up a little bit more about herself and told them more about her hobbies at lunch time.

Dina did asked Ellie what she had done to her arm, but she told her that it was an acid burn she had gained on her travels with Joel. Jesse offered to show Ellie around the library on Saturday and Dina told her she would introduce her to a girl named Cat who she roommates with in the community's boarding house. Dina explained to her that Cat was a really good artist, Ellie said she would love to met her at some point.

The chores at the greenhouse soon ended, they had just finished tidying up before Maria came to check up on them. She was impressed with their work and applauded them for helping the community, she told them the same time tomorrow. Ellie said goodbye to Dina and Jesse, they told her they would see her in the morning. Ellie made her way back home, the back door of the house was left unlocked for her. She opened the door and closed it behind her, the house was silent.

" Joel, are you home yet?!" Ellie yelled.

There was no reply, she hurried upstairs and got some clean clothes from her bedroom. She kicked her sneakers off while she headed to the bathroom, she had a quick wash before she got changed into some jogging pants and a baggy white shirt. Grabbing her sneakers and talking her dirty clothes downstairs Ellie threw her dirty clothes in the unused bathtub downstairs before she placed her sneakers on the shoe rack, she then put a record on in the living room.

The song Stand By Me by Ben E. King blared from the record player's speakers, she loved discovering new songs. The vinyls Tommy had given Joel were old school, but she liked all of the old songs from the fifties and sixties. She also liked the eighties music, it was poppy but she didn't mind.

When the night has come

And the land is dark

And the moon is the only light we'll see

No I won't be afraid

Oh, I won't be afraid

Just has long has you stand, stand by me

Ellie moved her feet along to the rhythm of the song as she walked to the kitchen, there was a few dishes waiting for her in the sink. She quickly washed them and left them on the draining board, she then wiped down the kitchen's table. After she was done she started to prepare dinner, she was going to try and make a beef stew she had seen in a cook book. She sliced some vegetables and filled a cooking pot with water, she switched the stove's hob on while she added some cubs of beef to the bubbling water. She seasoned it and added the vegetables, it wasn't long until it was done.

Ellie sat down at the kitchen's table and flicked through one of her comic books while she waited for Joel to return home, she was getting hungry now. Joel had made one rule in the house, they would always sit and eat together at dinner time. Her attention was soon drawn to the hallway when she heard the front door open, she got up from her chair and hurried over to the stove. She switched the hob back on and stirred the stew, she didn't want to burn the cooking pot's bottom.

" Something smells good." Joel said.

" Well yeah, I'm cooking!" Ellie said with a smile. " How was your construction work? Did you build anything cool? You know like a Pyramid or some carriages, maybe a UFO."

" A UFO?" Joel asked.

" I'm just messing with you." Ellie laughed.

Joel told Ellie that he was going to get cleaned up before dinner, she continued to stir the stew while he went upstairs. The pot was soon bubbling, she took two bowls from the cupboard and served up dinner. She placed the bowls on the table and sliced them some bread for dipping in the stew, Ellie was pretty pleased with the way dinner had turned out. She sat at the table and waited for Joel to join her, her stomach was grumbling pretty loudly right now. It wasn't long until Joel joined her at the table, he looked exhausted. He helped himself to some bread and Ellie pushed a spoon across the table for him, they soon tucked into their stew while they spoke together.

" How did chores go today?" Joel asked.

" I actually enjoyed it, I'll be doing the same thing tomorrow." Ellie replied before she spooned some of her stew into her mouth. " I've made some new friends, I think..."

" That's great, kiddo." Joel smiled.

Ellie give Joel a smile, he told her he thought it was great that she was mingling with kids her own age. She told him all about Dina and Jesse, she even mentioned that they were going to take her to the Jackson library on Saturday. Ellie joked though about Joel finding his own age group of friends, but he soon changed the subject and asked her if she would like to learn how to swim on Sunday.

Ellie rested her spoon against her bottom lip and thought his offer through, she nodded her head at him while a big grin crept across her face. She had been dying to learn how to swim for ages, but she felt a little awkward though since she wasn't a little kid. Most people around her age should be able to swim by now, but she was willing to give it a shot.

" I would totally love that!" Ellie said.

" Then it's settled." Joel said.