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.

- Sorry for the late update, I've been busy - My laptop charger is broken, so I've got to type my fanfictions on my phone from now on until I replace it.

- Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper is featured in this chapter.

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!

Thank you for all the Faves, Alerts and Reviews.

Keep safe and enjoy!

Chapter 14!

Ellie walked back to her garage apartment with Joel, he had a lot to say to her on the walk back from the stables. He was in Dad mode, he had been so worried about her. Ellie listened to most of what he had said to her, but after awhile she just switched off. She loved Joel dearly and took his advice seriously, but sometimes it felt like he was smothering her. She just wanted some independence, she was going to be eighteen next year which meant she would be able to make her own decisions when she hit that milestone.

" Are you listening to me, Ellie?" Joel asked.

" Yeah, I hear you." Ellie replied.

Joel told her to be more careful on patrols, he didn't want her going out on anymore group patrols unless she was with him from now on. She wasn't too please when he said that, she had to bite her tongue for most of the walk back to Joel's house. It wasnt even her fault what had happened with Tommy and Jesse, she had been careful. She looked down at the sidewalk while she walked, it wasn't long until they arrived at Joel's house.

Joel opened the gate for Ellie, she thanked him while she walked through the gateway. She walked along the pathway and stopped at the porches steps, she looked back at Joel. She wasn't planning on going into his house tonight for a hot drink, she knew Cat would waiting for her in her garage apartment. Joel walked up the porches steps and stopped at the top of them, he then turned around to face Ellie.

" Aren't you coming in?" Joel asked.

" Cat is waiting for me outback." Elie replied, she adjusted her backpack's straps on her shoulders. " She's cooked me dinner, I don't want to keep her waiting."

" I see, goodnight then." Joel said.

" I'll see you tomorrow." Ellie said.

Ellie was about to leave, but Joel asked her to stay for a moment longer. She turned around to face him and asked him if they could talk tomorrow, she didn't want anymore lectures from him tonight. She told him that she was tired and hungry, but they arranged to meet tomorrow in the local community restaurant for breakfast. She gave him a smile and waved to him before she began walking back down the pathway, she had managed to escape his lecture by taking the long route home instead of cutting through his house.

" Take it easy old man! " Ellie said.

" Night Ellie." Joel said.

Ellie closed the garden gate behind her and headed back along the street, she cut through the greenhouse area and entered the backyard through the fence's door. She saw the kitchen's light on in Joel's house, she hurried over to her garage apartment and entered her home. She closed the door behind her and she was greeted by Cat, she was stirring some food in a pot on the stove.

" Honey, I'm home!" Ellie said.

Cat immediately turned the heat down on the stove before hurried over to meet her girlfriend, she wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tightly. Cat cupped Ellie's face and kissed her lips softly, she told her that she had been really worried about her when she hadn't returned from her group patrol.

" I was so worried about you!" Cat said.

" I'm fine..." Ellie said.

" You look like you've been sleeping in a coal mine." Cat said, she wiped some dirt from Ellie's cheek with her thumb. " You're filthy!"

" I thought you liked me that way." Ellie smirked.

" Oh I do, but not on this occasion since you stink." Cat smiled.

Cat softly kissed Ellie's lips once again before she pulled her into another hug, she then squeezed her tightly in her arms. Ellie returned her girlfriend's embraced, she was so happy to be home after the days events. Her gaze soon wandered over to the boiling pot of food on the stove, it smelt amazing. She pulled herself away from Cat and licked her lips, she was staving.

" Something smells good in here." Ellie said.

" I'm making you some soup." Cat said while she pulled a cobweb from Ellie's hair. " I'm also running you a hot bath, I'm going to sprinkle some lavender petals into the water. You'll be clean before you know it."

" Sounds good." Ellie said.

" Take your time, the water is already running." Cat said.

" Okay." Ellie said.

Cat left Ellie to get undressed for her bath, she told her she was going to add some lavender oil she had made to the bathwater. Ellie wasn't much for all the girly oils, but she put up with them because Cat liked making them for her. She took off her coat and hung it on her coat peg, she then removed her boots. She felt dirty, she couldn't wait to just curl up in bed next to Cat and get a descent nights sleep.

Dropping her backpack on the floor Ellie walked to the bathroom, she got undressed and threw her clothes on the floor before she got into the hot bath. She swore a little as she lowered herself into the streaming hot water, she could feel body aching already. She pulled her hair bobble from her hair and placed it next to the soap bowl, she ducked her head beneath the water before she emerged from the bathtub's depths.

Cat entered the bathroom and picked Ellie's dirty clothes up from the floor, she then threw them into the washing basket. Ellie told Cat that she would wash them in the morning, she just wanted a lazy night with her girlfriend. Cat knelt next to the bathtub and took the soap from the soap bowl, she then rubbed the soap bar on Ellie's back.

" Are you feeling better?" Cat asked.

" I'm getting there." Ellie replied, she looked at Cat and took hold of her soapy hand before she kissed it." You know I could get use to this, thank you for being here when I got back home."

" You're welcome." Cat smiled.

" It gave me an excuse to get out of one of Joel's lectures." Ellie said.

" Wow, thanks for making me feel special why don't you..." Cat said.

" I didn't mean it like that..." Ellie said.

" I know." Cat said with a smile. " Joel's been giving you a hard time again, huh?"

" Yeah." Ellie replied with a sigh before she pulled her knees to her chest. " I love the guy, I'd do anything for him. But he's always being overprotective, he just needs to back off and give me some space."

" Joel thinks the world of you, Ellie." Cat said while she rested her arm on the side of the bathtub. " He just wants what's best for you, we both do."

" I know." Ellie sighed. " But I just want to do my own thing without him breathing down my neck all the time."

" Then talk to him, tell him how you feel." Cat said.

" But what if I hurt his feelings?" Ellie asked.

" He'll understand." Cat replied.

" But what if he doesn't?" Ellie asked.

" Ellie, you'll be fine." Cat replied.

Cat kissed Ellie on the top of her head before she gave her the bar of soap, she told her to relax and get cleaned up while she went to get her dinner ready. Cat left the bathroom while Ellie began to clean herself up, she rubbed the soap between her hands. She dropped the soap a few times into the water, but she soon found it and sang softly to herself.

If you're lost you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall, I will catch you, I'll be waiting
Time after time
If you're lost, you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall, I will catch you, I will be waiting
Time after time

Ellie ran her soapy hands over her shoulders and through her hair, she was being to feel much better now. She was dreading speaking with Joel tomorrow over breakfast though, she didn't want to fall out with him after everything they had been through together since they first met when she was fourteen. She sighed to herself and rested her forehead against her knees, she would have to wait until the morning to talk things through with Joel.

The Next Day.

Cat had woken Ellie up early, she basically had to be dragged out of bed by her girlfriend. Ellie was still tired from yesterday, she just wanted to sleep the day away. But she had to go and have breakfast with Joel, she wasn't looking forward to it after yesterday's events. She had lingered in bed until Cat left for work, she then got out of bed and looked around for some clean clothes.

Ellie found some clean jeans and put them on, she smelt her armpits next before she put one of her shirts on. She yawned loudly while she put her sneakers on, she wasn't a morning person at all. Grabbing her hoody she left her garage apartment and put her hoody on while she walked towards the back gate, she couldn't even be bothered to tie up her hair today.

Closing the backyards gate behind her Ellie cut through the greenhouse area and headed towards the bustling stores of the community, she always enjoyed visiting the stores. It reminded her of those little towns you always see in western movies, the wagons being unpacked by store owners and people riding horses through the streets. The children playing hopscotch in the streets and having to move when wagons needed to pass, then people playing music together on porches. It always gave of western vibes to Ellie, she loved it.

" Morning Ellie!" Jesse said.

Ellie stopped when she heard Jesse's voice, he was standing on a store's porch and leaning on it's banister. She walked over to him and stepped up onto a small crate so she could be eye level with him from the other side of the banister, he wasn't with Dina this morning.

" Hey Jesse." Ellie said.

" Are you up to much?" Jesse asked.

" Not much." Ellie replied before she rested her hands on the banister. " I'm meeting Joel for breakfast, I'm running late actually."

" Your old man is giving you a hard time too, huh?" Jesse asked.

" Yeah, as always." Ellie replied.

" He just had words with me too." Jesse said, he looked at Ellie. " I've got to keep an eye on you if we go out on anymore group patrols, it looks like I'm going to be your babysitter from now on."

" I'll talk to him about it." Ellie said

" Good, I'm a terrible babysitter." Jesse said with a smile. " Hey, do you want to come hunting with me and Dina next weekend?"

" Sure, it sounds fun." Ellie replied.

" Great." Jesse said.

" I'll see you later, wish me luck." Ellie said.

" I wish you all the luck in the world." Jesse said.

" Thanks, I'm going to need it." Ellie said.

Ellie said goodbye to Jesse and carried on walking down the street, it wasn't long until she reached the restaurant's door. A woman said good morning to Ellie, she returned her greeting while she opened the door to the local restaurant. Joel was already there, he was sitting at a table by the window. He had already ordered himself a hot drink, he soon noticed Ellie and smiled at her. She took a deep breath and tucked some of her hair behind her ear while she walked towards him, she sat on the seat across from him and grabbed a menu from a little holder.

" You're finally awake I see." Joel said.

" Yeah, sorry I'm late." Ellie said.

" It's alright." Joel said before he took a sip of his coffee. " Cat told me she had trouble waking you up this morning, I saw her in the backyard."

" Yeah, she crashed on the couch at mine last night." Ellie said.

Ellie took a look at the menu and read through the breakfast meals, she always tried to avoid the Cat staying over talks. Joel just thought they were good friends, but she hadn't told him that Cat was her girlfriend yet. They'd only been dating for a couple of months, only a select group of people knew about their relationship.

The waitress soon came over and took their order, Ellie was surprised to see Lucy working here. She was the woman Joel and Ellie had rescued last year on their way back from the museum they had visited for Ellie's sixteenth birthday, she made small talk with Joel until Ellie had decided what she was going to have for breakfast. There was so many choices, she decided to have scrambled eggs on toast and a cup of hot milk. Joel ordered a steak and egg sandwich, Ellie didn't know how he could stomached something so heavy first thing in the morning.

" It will be about ten minutes." Lucy said while she jotted their orders down in her note pad. " I'll be back in a bit."

" Thanks Lucy." Joel said.

Ellie watched Lucy leave, she crossed her arms and blew some of her fringe away from her eyes. The restaurant was busy this morning, people always came for takeout food or just to order a mug of coffee. Joel once told her this is what it use to be like before the infection took hold of the world, he sometimes use to tell her about the city he grew up in when he was young. It wasn't long until their orders were brought over to the table by Lucy, she wished them a good day before she went to deal with some other costumers.

" So, how are feeling this morning?" Joel asked.

" Good, I could have done with a few more hours sleep though." Ellie replied, she took a sip of her mug of hot milk. " Cat woke me up early, she made sure I was up and ready to met you here before she left for work."

" Cat's a good kid." Joel said before he crossed his arms. " I'm glad you've got a friend like her in your life, she'll keep you on the straight and narrow."

" Yeah, she's a real good egg." Ellie chuckled.

" And what's that meant to mean?" Joel asked.

" Nothing, it was a bad joke..." Ellie replied.

Ellie picked her fork up and began to eat her food, she was starving. Joel told her to slow down in case she choked on her scrambled eggs. Ellie chewed her food slowly and took some toast from her plate, he was already in Father mode this morning. She made a joke about his heart packing in if he ate too much steak, she laughed slightly when he told her steaks only kill vampires. She liked spending time with Joel when the bad jokes were flowing, but the overprotective part needed to be sorted out.

" I was thinking of going out on a hunting trip with Jesse and Dina next weekend." Ellie said before she took a bite of her toast. " We're not going far, just a few miles away from the community."

" I don't know, Ellie..." Joel said with a sigh. " It's kinda dangerous out there right now, we've seen an increase of the Infected passing by the community since last week. It's not even Fall yet and they seem to be on the move already, I don't think it's a good idea."

" It's not until next weekend though, it could be safer by then." Ellie said.

" We'll see what it's like next weekend then, I'll let you go if the herds..." Joel said.

" Cut the shit Joel, it's safe if we're out there in groups!" Ellie interrupted.

" Ellie please, it's just..." Joel sigh, he rubbed the bridge of his nose with his finger and thumb. " I wanna keep you safe, I don't want anything to happen to you out there."

" I can take care of myself!" Ellie said.

" I know!" Joel said. " You're a capable young woman and you handle a riffle like a pro but..."

" Listen, just let me have some freedom for once!" Ellie interrupted, she leaned forward and spoke quietly to Joel. " I'm seventeen, I'm old enough to make my own decisions now! I'm not your little girl, I never was... I'm not Sarah!"

Ellie felt a ping of guilt in the pit of her stomach, she couldn't believe what she had just said to him. She could see the sadness forming in Joel's eyes, she regretted saying what she just said to him. She leaned back against the chair and sighed to herself while she placed her toast back on her plate, she wished the ground would swallow her up right now.

" I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that..." Ellie said.

" No, it's fine..." Joel said, he lowered his gaze to his breakfast. " You're right, I shouldn't keep holding you back. It's just everytime I look at you I see the fourteen year old girl I first met all of those years ago with Tess. We've been through so much together, I sometimes forget you're a young woman now."

" I do appreciate everything you've ever done for me, I really do..." Ellie said.

" I know." Joel said while he picked his breakfast sandwich up from his plate. " C'mon now, you better eat your breakfast before it gets cold."

" Okay." Ellie said.

Ellie leaned forward and picked her fork up from her plate, she didn't feel like eating breakfast anymore. She ate some of her toast and picked at her scrambled eggs with her fork until Joel had finished his sandwich, but she soon ate the rest of her breakfast when Joel asked her why she hadn't ate all of her food. She wiped her mouth with a napkin and cupped her hands around her mug of milk, it had cooled down now.

" So, what are you doing today?" Ellie asked.

" Nothing much, I've actually got a free day for once." Joel replied.

" Cool." Ellie said before she took a sip of her milk. " We can do something if you want, you know if you haven't got any plans already..."

" I'd like that, maybe I could teach you a new song." Joel said.

Ellie gave Joel a smile and told him she was down for that, she really loved when he taught her new songs on the guitar. They drank the rest of their hot drinks before they left the restaurant, they then walked down the street together while they made small talk about anything that came to their minds.