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.

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!

-I thought I'd write a little bit about Cat's past in this chapter.

Thank you for all the Faves, Alerts and Reviews.

Keep safe and enjoy!

Chapter 10!

Christmas Day.

Snow covered the backyard of Joel's house, but the sky was bright blue this morning. It was finally Christmas day, the community was in full celebration mode. The Tipsy Bison Bar was serving meals for people who had no families, it was a yearly tradition so Ellie had been told by Maria. It was nice knowing that no one would be spending the day alone, Ellie felt lucky that she had Joel. He had told her that it would be a traditional Christmas with presents and a big lunch, there would also be board games and Christmas movies in the evening. She couldn't wait to celebrate the day, it would be her first Christmas surrounded by family and friends.

Ellie had wrapped Joel's present in brown wrapping paper, she had also framed the portrait she had drawn of Joel. Cat had given her a few tips about shading, she couldn't have finished it without Cat's advice and help. She had also found some books for Maria and Tommy outside of the community, she had sneaked out with Dina a few days ago. They hadn't gone far, they just explored some abandoned stores and houses near the community. That's where she had found the books, they were about gardening and wildlife. She planned on telling them that she had found them at the library, she would be in so much trouble if they found out that she had broken the rules by sneaking out at night with Dina.

Ellie left her garage apartment with the presents in her arms and headed towards Joel's house, she could already smell the turkey cooking. The kitchen's window was open, she could see Maria peeling potatoes at the window. She hurried up the porches steps and entered the house through the back door, she could hear some Christmas music playing from the living room. She walked along the hallway and saw Tommy setting the table, she gave him a smile before she hung her coat up on a coat peg. She looked over her shoulder when she heard Maria's voice coming from the kitchen, she saw Maria peeping her head around the kitchen's door frame

" There you are, we thought you had overslept." Maria said.

" I nearly did, luckily Cat set my alarm clock for me before she left mine last night." Ellie said, she turned around to face Maria. " Where's Joel?"

" He's upstairs, he should be down soon." Maria said.

" Okay, do you need any help?" Ellie asked.

" I could do with an assistant in the kitchen, how do you feel about peeling carrots?" Maria asked.

" I'm cool with it." Ellie replied.

Maria told Ellie to put the presents underneath the tree before she joined her, she then returned to the kitchen. Ellie took her time walking to the living room, she headed towards the tree and knelt in front of it. She placed the presents underneath it and looked up at the tree, Joel had managed to get some lights from one of the stores in town about a week ago. She left the living room and headed to the kitchen, Maria had already left her a potato peeler and a pile of carrots for her to peel on the counter. She began to peel the carrots, she was going to chop them when she had finished peeling them to save a little bit of time.

" Hey there, Ellie." Tommy said.

" Hey Tommy." Ellie said, she glanced up at him from the carrot she was peeling. " Happy Christmas!"

" Why thank you, little lady." Tommy smiled.

" You're such a dork." Ellie laughed.

" I know." Tommy smiled.

Ellie listened to Maria telling Tommy about using the best china and to get the silverware out, she wanted the day to be perfect since it was the first time they would be celebrating Christmas together as a family. It wasn't long until the carrots were peeled and chopped, Ellie had put the chopped carrots into a boiling saucepan of water on the stove.

Mostly everything had been done now in the kitchen, the stuffing was in the oven and the turkey had been based for the fourth time by Tommy. Maria had poured Ellie a cup of eggnog, she went to sit in the dining room while she waited for Joel to come and join them. She took a sip of her festive drink and watched Tommy putting out the silverware, he was making idol chat with her.

" Did you do much last night?" Tommy asked.

" Nothing much." Ellie replied while she took a sip of her drink. " I watched It's A Wonderful Life with Cat, it was an okay movie. A little morbid when you think about it, you know since the main character thought about killing himself at Christmas time."

" You're right, it's not a very festive movie when you think about it." Tommy said.

" So, what's Joel doing upstairs?" Ellie asked.

" I think he's wrapping your Christmas present, but let's pretend you didn't hear that from me." Tommy replied.

" My lips are sealed." Ellie said.

Ellie continued to chat with Tommy until Joel joined them in the dining room, he ruffled up Ellie's hair before he headed towards the kitchen. He seemed to be in a good mood for once, she didn't like it when he got grumpy. He soon returned with some wine glasses, he began to help Tommy with the table setting. Joel wished Ellie a Happy Christmas, she returned his seasonal greeting and raised her cup to him which earned her a little chuckle from him. Maria soon joined them and asked if they would like to open the presents before or after dinner, it was a easy decision for Ellie to make.

" What do you say, kiddio?" Joel asked.

" Before dinner." Ellie replied.

" Then it's settled." Tommy said.

" Okay, I'll just go and check on the turkey first." Maria said, she crossed her arms. " We don't want anything to burn now, do we?"

" Definitely not, it smells so delicious!" Ellie said.

" Go on, I'll join you in a moment." Maria said.

Maria returned to the kitchen while Ellie hurried to the living room, she was really excited about giving Joel his present from her. Tommy and Joel settled down on the couch, Ellie sat down near the tree and Maria sat down on the couch's arms near Tommy. Joel told Ellie to hand out the presents, he didn't have to tell her twice. She read each label and handed them out, they each took turn in opening each others presents. Ellie watched Maria and Tommy opening the books she had gotten them from one of the abandon houses outside of the community, they seemed pleased with what she had gotten them.

" Thanks, Ellie." Maria said.

" How about you open what we got you next." Tommy said.

" Okay." Ellie said.

Ellie pulled the present they had gotten her towards her, it was a medium sized box. They had wrapped it in some colouful festive paper, she was surprised that they had managed to find wrapping paper like this decades later after the apocalypse. She carefully ripped the paper away from the box and placed it down next to her, she squealed when she saw some roller boots in the box. They weren't in the best of condition and about one size bigger than her foot size, but she had always wanted a pair since she was about eight years old. She hadn't told anyone besides Cat about her birthday wish, she couldn't believe she finally had a pair of her very own.

" Holy shit!" Ellie yelled, she took them from the box. " So fucking cool!"

" Cat told us that you wanted a pair." Tommy said with a smile. " Me and Joel found them a few weeks back on patrol."

" You guys are the best, I can't believe you found some!" Ellie smiled.

" Thank Tommy, he's got a keen eye for spotting stuff." Joel said.

" I can't wait to try them out!" Ellie said.

They continued to open their presents together, Maria had left halfway through because she needed to check on the turkey and vegetables. Tommy began to tiny up the wrapping paper, he told Ellie that this use to be his job when he was a kid. He left Joel and Ellie in the living room while he went to join Maria in the kitchen, Joel then gave Ellie her present from him.

Ellie quickly opened it, she smiled to herself when she saw a little wooden carving of a rabbit. It was adorable and small, it reminded her of the rabbit she had shot in the woods that one time when she was looking after Joel when he had been injured. She gave Joel a tight hug and he returned her embrace, she pulled herself away from him with a big smile on her face.

" Thank you, Joel." Ellie said. " I love it!"

" You're welcome, kiddio." Joel said.

" This one is for you, it's from me." Ellie smiled while she picked a present up from the floor and held it towards him. " I hope you like it."

" Thank you, Ellie." Joel said.

Ellie jiggled her shoulders slightly with excitement while she watched Joel opening his present from her, she couldn't contain her excitement anymore. She watched him ripping the paper away from the present until it was revealed, Joel held the picture frame out in front of him while a smile crept across his face. She joined his side and sat down on the arm of the chair, she was also checking out her own artwork.

" Did you draw this?" Joel asked.

" Yeah, I'm sorry if it's crappy." Ellie replied.

" No, it's real good," Joel smiled, he got up from the couch and placed it on the fireplace's shelf. " It's gonna be the pride and place of my living room."

Ellie tucked some loose strands of hair behind her right ear while she smiled at Joel, she was really happy that he liked the drawing she had done for him. Maria interrupted them, she told them that dinner was ready. They both left the living room and joined Tommy in the dining room, they all sat around the table while Maria served them their Christmas dinner.

Spring - 2035

The Spring night was warm and calm, the community was still. It had just turned 12am and not many people were around, the normal street patrols patrolled the streets on horse back. Ellie was planning on sneaking out of the community tonight with Cat, they had done this several times before with Dina and Jesse. There was a loose panel behind a shed in one of the unused houses backyards in the west side of the community, it had been empty for over a year now. The previous owner had died on patrol outside of the community, they hadn't moved anyone new into the house yet. They were fixing some parts of the house since it had been damaged in a storm a few weeks ago.

Ellie made sure she had her 9mm Pistol and her trusty switchblade with her before she left her home, she even packed a few sandwiches in case they got hungry. She crept out of her garage apartment and hurried through the backyard, she was meeting Cat in the backyard of the unused house. She kept to the shadows, she hid now and again behind bushes or cars when the patrols were nearby. She hurried along the street and climbed over the fence of the unused house, she soon met up with Cat behind the shed.

Cat slide the loose panel open and slipped through the gap in the community's wall, Ellie followed after her. Cat made sure that the panel was closed behind them, they didn't want anyone from the outside knowing that there was a secret way into the community.

" Follow me." Cat whispered.

Cat grabbed hold of Ellie's hand and led her along the wall of the community, they stayed close to the wall so no one in the watch towers would see them while they were sneaking out. They kept on going until they reached the edge of the forest, after that they were safe to wander through the woods to the Summer Camp they had visited last year before Ellie's birthday. It wasn't that far from the community, it had become a secret base to Ellie and her friends since Ellie had seen it across the lake when Joel had been giving her swimming lessons.

Cat shone her torch ahead of them, she was keeping an eye out for wild animals and other things that went bump in the night. Ellie had her switchblade at hand just in case she needed it, there hadn't been many sightings lately of the Infected near the community but she wasn't going to take any chances. It wasn't long until they reached the Summer Camp, the camp reminded Ellie of those Friday The 13th movies she had watched with Joel last year. Cat and Dina had teased Ellie when they first visited this camp, they kept telling her that Jason was coming to get her. But surprising enough Jesse had stuck up for her, he actually told Ellie in secret that he was creeped out by Jason too.

The Summer Camp was dark and creepy, most of the windows of the buildings were broken. There were overturned canoes and overgrown tree branches hanging over one building's doorway, they had used one of the camping stoves the last time they had been here. Ellie followed Cat down the gravely pathway, she took her little clip on touch out of her backpack and clipped it to her jacket before she turned it on. She looked up at the sky above them, the moon was full and the stars were shining brightly in the night sky. It was nights like these that Ellie loved, it was the perfect time for looking at the stars through her telescope.

" It's a nice night, I wonder if we'll see any owls tonight?" Cat asked.

" Maybe, we heard enough of them while we were here last time." Ellie replied.

Cat peered through one of the Boathouse's windows, she shone her torch through the window and checked out the room inside. They had only explored some of the buildings at the Summer Camp, they had already cleared out the dinner hall in the camp. There was about three Infected people inside the dinner hall building, it was sad since two of them were children. They must have been a family passing through in the winter months, it could get cold in these parts. But that was about two months ago, it had been pretty clear since then.

" It seems empty inside, do you want to check it out?" Cat asked.

" Sure, why not." Ellie replied while she walked behind the back of the boathouse. " We may find something cool inside, you know like fishing gear."

" I'm sorry about your fishing rod, we're find you a replacement at some point." Cat said.

" Well you did break it..." Ellie said.

" I said I was sorry!" Cat sighed.

Cat had accidentally broken Ellie's fishing rod on one of their fishing trips with Joel about a month ago, she had broken the hook keeper and snapped the handle on the rod. Cat had apologized about it over a hundred times now, but Ellie enjoyed watching her squirm. Ellie wandered around the building and found the dock of the Boathouse on the other side of the building, the lake looked beautiful in the moonlight. It sparkled like the water in the snow globe she kept above her bed, it reminded her of a painting she had seen in Tommy and Maria's house.

The door to the Boathouse was unlocked, the door's chain had been broken years ago by the looks of it. The door creaked while she opened it wide, there were cobwebs hanging down from it's door frame. Ellie checked inside of the building in case there was anyone or anything inside of the pitch black room, it was quiet and still. Cat joined her side and shone her torch inside the Boathouse, she stepped inside while she led Ellie by her hand into the unknown building.

" It's dark in here..." Ellie whispered.

" Tell me about it, just watch out for the water's edge." Cat said.

" You don't have to tell me twice." Ellie said.

Ellie let go of Cat's hand, she wandered around the room and looked at some plaques hanging on the wall. There were pictures of past boat races and trophy plaques on the wall, they were dated from 2012. There was also a shelf full of dusty trophies, she took one of them from the shelf and blew some cobwebs from it. Ellie looked over her shoulder when Cat said her name, she watched her pull a sheet away from something big and boat-like. She tilted her head to one side when she saw a white giant swan, she walked over to it and gently touched it's neck while she placed the trophy inside the boat.

" What the hell is this things?" Ellie asked.

" It's a paddle boat." Cat replied with excitement in her voice. " I've not seen one of these things for years! My Mother took me on a boat ride once on one of these things, well we slept in one in the middle of a pool for safety reason. But still, I loved it!"

" That sounds pretty cool." Ellie said.

" Do you want to take it out on the lake?" Cat asked.

" Is it safe?" Ellie asked.

" Safe as houses, don't be such a stick in the mud!" Cat replied.

" Alright, we'll go for a quick boat ride then to please you..." Ellie sighed.

" You won't regret it, I swear you'll enjoy it!" Cat smiled.

They both checked out the paddle boat for holes or any other damages, it looked sail worthy besides it's damaged paddle. Cat began to pull the paddle boat towards the water's edge while Ellie looked for some oars for it, they were going to have to row instead of peddling it's broken watermill. In the end they both managed to get it into the water, Cat got into the boat first and Ellie soon joined her. She wobbled slightly before she sat down next to Cat, they both took an oar and giggled when the boat rocked side to side.

" Let's get rowing!" Cat said.

They began to row in time together, the paddle boat soon began to move smoothly across the lake. The lake was still and peaceful, it made the boat trip easier for the both of them. Ellie and Cat stopped rowing after awhile when they reached the middle of the lake, they placed the oars safely down inside the boat and relaxed while the boat drifted by it's self. Cat took a flask of green tea from her backpack, she also had some leftover sponge cakes that her Mother had made for the nursery children. Ellie told Cat that she had also brought some sandwiches, they had brought quite the feast between them.

" I guess great minds think alike, we've got the next few hours of feasting ahead of us." Cat smiled.

" We'll need the energy, it's field duties today." Ellie said.

" Oh, I forgot about that." Cat sighed while she poured them both some tea. " We'll be tired later, may be we should have left the sneaking out until the weekend."

" Nah, this is great!" Ellie smiled.

" Yeah, we deserve this little night out." Cat smiled.

Ellie took the sandwiches from her backpack and placed them on the boat's seat, she then took one of the mugs of green tea. She wrapped her hands around her warm drink while she looked across the lake, it was so peaceful at night around here. Cat pointed out some fireflies not far away from the boat, they looked so pretty while they dance around on the lake's surface. They laughed and spoke about everything while they tucked into their little feast, they even shared a few of their deep dark secrets together. Ellie didn't tell Cat about her bite mark though, that secret was for her alone and a select bunch of people.

" This is the life." Cat said with a smile. " I wish this night would last forever."

" Do you wanna stay in this moment forever or something?" Ellie asked.

" Only if you stay with me." Cat replied.

" Well, I guess I could arrange something." Ellie said, she emptied the leftover tea from her mug into the lake. " I'll have to run it passed Joel first, he may miss me if I just runaway without saying anything to him."

" Joel is a sweetie!" Cat said, she wiggled her little finger at Ellie. " You've got him wrapped around your little finger."

" Joel is an animal, no sweetness and light like you think!" Ellie joked.

" Well, he's always nice to me." Cat said.

" It's because he likes you." Ellie said.

" I'm a likable person, I thought everyone knew that!" Cat said.

" You've got a big head, be careful it doesn't weigh down the boat." Ellie laughed.

Ellie smiled at Cat before she looked up at the sky, the night was being kind to them so far. They both lay back in the boat and Ellie pointed out the odd star constellations to Cat, Ellie had been studying star constellations ever since Joel had given her a telescope last year. She only knew a few of them though, Cat told Ellie that she knew where The Big Dipper was located. She took hold of Ellie's hand and guided it towards a group of stars in the sky, she let go of her hand while she told her that The Big Dipper looked like her Mother's saucepan.

" You're such a dork." Ellie smiled.

" I know." Cat giggled.

Ellie put her hands behind her head while she continued to look up at the sky, she pointed out the odd shooting star to Cat. They lay in the boat together and spoke about their lives before The Jackson Community, Cat was being open with Ellie for once about her Family. Her Mother and Father were originally form China, they had moved to America before Cat was born. Cat's parents had settled down in West Haven, Connecticut. But after the outbreak they had travelled by boat to Tybee Island Beach, they had docked off the coast there for a few months and lived off the sea.

" It was a beautiful place to stay." Cat said, she rolled over onto her side and leaned on her hand while she looked at Ellie. " It wasn't far from Savannah, I would have loved to explore the city but it was too dangerous because of the Infected. My Father was the only one who went out on supply runs, I had to stay on the boat with my Mother. I was allowed to explore the beach with my parents though, we use to go fishing and my Father taught me how to make fishing nets."

" The Infected seem to ruin everything, but you're so lucky to have seen the ocean." Ellie said.

" You would have loved it, the sunsets were to die for and the crabs were delicious." Cat said with a smile. " My Mother does the best steamed crabs, I miss those days."

" Then why did you move to Jackson?" Ellie asked.

" My Father died..." Cat replied.

Ellie looked at Cat and told her she was sorry to hear about her Father, but Cat said it was okay. Cat went onto tell Ellie that her Father had been killed on a supply run when they had docked in Saint Louis Bay, it was located in southern Mississippi. He had been exploring some abandon house not fair from the coast when a group of Hunters turned up in their armored truck, he managed to warn them with a flare before he was shot dead.

" Me and my Mother were on the beach when it happened, we had been waiting for him to come back." Cat said while she took a seashell from her pocket and showed it to Ellie. " We had been collecting seashells, it was my silly little hobby when I was a kid. We saw the flare and hid until the Hunters left, we found my Father's body on the road by the beach. We buried him on the beach, he would have loved the spot my Mother had chosen for him."

" Did you ever find the Hunters?" Ellie asked.

" No, we just packed up our things and travelled by foot after that." Cat replied.

Ellie took hold of Cat's hand and gave it a little squeeze, she could see that Cat was getting a little bit upset when she was talking about her Father. Cat gave Ellie a smile and told her the rest of her story, it was Ellie's turn next to tell Cat about her past. Ellie told Cat about her Mother dying after she was born, she mentioned Marlene and Tess. She told Cat about how she had met Joel, but she left the part out about Saint Mary's Hospital. They spoke about their lives until the first rays of dawn began to shine in the sky, it wouldn't be long until they were working in the fields and greenhouses for the day.