Disclaimer: I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog and their creators.

A/N: I bet a lot of you are really disappointed about the TLOU 2. I know that most of the people that read in this fandom, love the first part, and loved Ellie and Joel. I waited for the second part for so long and is very disappointing for me what they did with the story. Of course, that is my opinion, because I know that some people maybe like it. I know that the stories I make are not exactly canon of the game, but I always try t do something different. For the people that like it, congratulation on that and I hope you enjoy the game. On my part, I hope people write more stories that don't have anything to do with the second part so that way I can enjoy stories about Joel and Ellie and not the plot they put on part-2. Anyway here the next chapter of Lolita part-2 and I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for reading and stay safe out there. Don't forget to left a review in the end I really appreciated those.

Chapter 3: A New Hope

After his talk with Tommy. Joel calls his friend from a public phone a few streets away from the diner. He told him to pick him up and take him back to the motel. His friend arrives half an hour later and on the way to the motel, he starts to explain how he got out of the bar without being arrested.

"Sorry to let you there man, but when the cops arrive I was close to the bar counter, so I go to the back door and get out. I'm under parole for something I did a year back and if I get arrested I could go to jail again. I am also sorry for taking your truck, but it was better than the cops take it with them. I called you after that, but I found your phone on the truck, so I need to wait for you to call me back."

"Don't worry about it, it all ends well at the end," says Joel while he was driving. "It seems that my brother talked to the owner of the bar and convinced him to not press charges if the damage gets paid. And as nobody saw who started the fight the other guys can't press charges either, so they let us free for the court."

"Oh, man that is luck… so your brother came to bail you out? Wow, I thought that he was not talking to you."

"Well, he is not. He just helped me out so he can ask me to leave the state."

The man looked at Joel surprised. "Shit… really? What the hell do you do to him, that he hates you so much?"

"Well, that is a long story that I don't want to tell right now," they finally arrive where his friend has his car park and stop there. They both got out of the pick-up and walked toward his car.

"So what are you going to do? He can't force you to go like he owns this country."

"Is okay. I was going to go anyway. They already told me at work that this was my last week. The job was slowing down and they needed to cut personal, so I'm out of a job."

"Shit man, I'm so sorry." the man said sadly.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. I really want to thank you for all the help you give me," says Joel, then he extends his hand.

The man took it and shook it. "It was my pleasure man, it was good to have you back again, even for a few weeks." They let go of their hands and then the man took his key out of his pocket. "So where are you going now?"

"I have a friend… or something like that in Arizona. I think I will go there and see if things work out there."

"Well, good luck man," the man said while putting one hand on his shoulder. " But remember that you still have a friend here, so don't forget to call me if you need anything. I don't have much, but I am glad to help you out if you need to."

"Thanks, Paul and give my regards to your wife," said Joel while closing his car door.

After they said their final goodbye, Joel gets into his truck and drives back to the motel and starts packing his things. It was strange to see his brother again but it was nice to find out that he is going to be a father. It wasn't the best way to find out, but they have a history that is not going to change. He can't blame him for that, and he was happy for him and it was sad that he can't tell him that. But now that his brother is going to be a father maybe he can understand his pain.

After he packs his things, Joel goes to bed and try to get some sleep. But like always his bed dreams didn't give him any rest. The next day he gets out of the motel to pay his bill and drives off to Arizona hoping that his friend Bill was in a good mood when he saw him.

( Back to Ellie )

A few days have passed since Ellie and her aunt had their discussion or a fight was the most appropriate definition. They aren't able to talk again about what happened or know why Ellie was so depressed lately. But Marlene was getting concerned about her niece being like that, but she didn't know how to dress the issues. Marlene doesn't like to fight with her, and even though she knows that Ellie sometimes seems to be distracted or wants to do things alone, she never saw her like that before.

Marlene tried a few times to talk to her about other things or try to find out the best way to help her with the school problem. But it seems that she was now mad at her so it was better to leave things as they are and calm down a little bit.

Ellie can't put down her feelings, not only about Joel but about her aunt too. She never had a fight like that before, but her aunt never listens or understands her. She doesn't know why her aunt was all over her. Because she never seemed to be really interested in what she did before. But for some reason, her aunt is keeping an eye on her for the past few months and doesn't let her go out much. Now Ellie regrets not having any friends to talk with. Because she really needs to talk to someone that she can trust and keep her secret. She talks to Joel about things before, but that option is gone. And now it will be nice to have a friend to talk about her feelings.

Ellie never felt like that before, and not being able to see Joel or hear his voice was hurting her. But to whom she can talk about this? She can't tell her aunt, because she is never going to approve of her love for an old man, so she doesn't have any other way to deal with this. Ellie starts thinking that her aunt is already suspicious that all her behavior is because of a guy. So she needs to try to get better at school so that she can make her aunt get out of her back.

She wants to go to Joel's house again, even if she knows he is not there. Being in there helps her a little to calm her mind. Sleep a few hours in his bed, make her remember how good it felt when he was close to her. She really wants to pack a few things and go out looking for him, but how that will end if she does not have any idea where he went.

( Back to Joel )

After Joel arrives in Arizona, he looks for a motel to stay first. It was already late in the afternoon, so going to see Bill at that time it would be a bad idea. So he decided to go in the morning and give him a surprise. So the next day he gets up and goes into his truck and drives to Bill's car repair shop.

( Half an hour later )

"Hey… Hey, take it easy. I didn't come here looking for trouble," said Joel, putting his hand up in a surrendered way.

"You really have balls to come back here after what you have done. I should blow your ass up, just to enter here? What the hell are you doing back here anyway?" Asked Bill while pointing a shotgun at Joel.

Joel tries not to move. The last thing he needs is to give Bill an excuse to shoot him. "I was just in the neighborhood, and decided to come here and pay a visit to a friend and see what he was doing."

"A friend… do you really want to call me that after all the trouble you put me into? Man, you must have a death wish or something."

"You still mad because of what happened with those guys? I already told you before that I had nothing to do with them and if I remember well, I did save your life a few times. So you owe me."

Bill moved closer to him and put his gun in his chest. "I didn't owe you a shit… And all those times you…. Save me, was because you made me get in trouble, so don't come here with that bullshit." Bill looked at him for a few moments thinking to shoot the man, but he did not want to get into trouble again, so he lowered the gun and walked back inside the mechanical workshop.

Joel took a deep breath and lowered his hands. After a minute he followed him into the shop. "So how is the business? Still keep leaving you dividends?" asked Joel while looking around the shop.

Bill walked toward a table and put the shogun there. "You should go, Joel… but if you wanted to know, no as much as I wanted. Things have been low for the last few months." Bill turned around and walked toward a car he was working with. The hood of the car was already up, so Bill just lowered himself and started working on the car motor. "So… you're going to tell me the real reason that brought you here?"

Joel moves close to him and looks at him working. "Well, I lost my last job back in Texas, so I was hoping… if you have some-"

Bill moves away from the car and looks at him. "Wait… did you go back to Texas? And your brother didn't kill you?" he asked surprised.

Joel rolled his eyes. "Why is this thing about everybody wanting to kill me? I'm not that bad." said Joel, looking at Bill's expression."Okay… okay, I think I got lucky… Going there not was my first choice, but I need to work and I still have a few friends there."

Bill shakes his head and goes back to work. "Friends… Do you still have those? But let me guess, if you are here, that means that it does not work well for you… right?"

"It does for a few months. But like I said I lost my job and now I have to start again. So I decided to get out of there and try in another place".

"Well, if you came here looking for a job, I can tell you right now that it was a waste of your time. Like I said before, the work here has been slow and-" he was interrupted by a young woman's voice.

"Hey Bill…" said the woman that came out of his office and walked toward them. "Your boyfriend is calling you again and I think he is mad-" she stopped soon she saw Joel beside him. "Sorry I didn't know you're talking to a customer."

"Who, Joel?" he says, pointing at him."He is not a customer… he is just a pain in the ass, that is leaving real soon… is that not right… Joel?"

"Oh, Really!" she says, looking at Joel with some interesting eyes. "So you're one of those Bill old friends? The ones he doesn't like to talk about?"

Joel looked at the woman with some curiosity. "I don't know what Bill told you about his past, but most of his stories are not true." Said Joel with a smile on his face.

The woman smiled at him too. "Relax… man, I like his stories, they are… how can I say?"

"Boring?" answer Joel for her.

The woman laughs at the comment. "No, I find them very entertaining," the woman finally said.

Bill looked at both of them and shook his head. "Okay, I will go to answer my call now, while she escorts you out of here," he said while walking away, letting the two of them alone.

The woman watched Bill go. "Wow… Bill most really hates you," then look back at Joel. "So, your name is Joel, right? I'm Carol, Bill's assistance nice to me you," she extended her arm at him.

Joel takes her hand and shakes it. "Nice to meet you too… Carol." Joel starts to feel strange. It was the first time he talked to a woman that it was not a client, except for Ellie but she wasn't a woman yet. The thought of Ellie made him let go of the woman's hand. She was a young woman, but she remembers him as Ellie. She probably is in her 23 to 25 he was not sure about that and he did not have any intention to ask her.

The woman looked at Joel with curious eyes. "So… what brought you here… Joel?" she asks with a smile on her face.

Joel watcher, not knowing what to think of her. But every time she looks at him and smiles it reminds him of Ellie. "I was looking for a job. I lost mine a few days ago and things are not going well right now… So I was hoping for Bill to help me," Joel doesn't know why he just told her that. He doesn't have any problem talking about that with Bill but to this woman? "But don't worry about it, I can see that I am not going to find any here. So I will try elsewhere."

Her smile was gone for a moment, but she kept her sigh at him. "Oh, I see. Are you a mechanic?"

"Not exactly. I work mostly in construction and handyman work. But I know a few things about cars too… Not complicated things but I can handle myself."

"Well, that is good to know… I think we can use a man like you around here," her smile came back.

"You really think so? But Bill said that things were slow here."

"They are… a little. But we still have some regular customers that like to get their car done faster. So I think that we can use another hand around here since the other guy that works here just quit."

Joel looked at her for a moment. Not let her know that he was staring at her. It was something about this woman's personality, that made him think of Ellie. "Oh, that sounds good… I mean not that you lose a worker or anything… but-"

She laughs a little at Joel's awkwardness. "Relax man… you don't need to say anything." She smiled at him again. "I like it... I mean I like the idea of you working here, we really need the hand," now was her turn to be awkward. She clears her throat and continues. " Don't worry, I will talk to Bill and-"

"Talk to me about what?" asked Bill as soon he came back from his office.

The woman turned her head and looked at him. "About hiring Joel. We're going to need another hand here and I think he is perfect for the job."

"What!" he says in surprise. "We don't have enough work to hire someone else. Beside Joel is not a mechanic he just works in-"

"In construction… yeah I know, he already told me. But we're going to need a hand after Arthur quitting yesterday."

"What? Why did he do that… and why are you telling me this now?" he yelled at her.

The woman turned around completely and put her hands on her waist. "Because he calls after you go home and we just open. So don't give me that tone... okay. I'm you, partner, here not you fucking secretary."

Joel looks at them as they continue arguing. In one way it was funny to see them like that, just like if they were a couple. And that reminds him the first time he met Ellie. Why did he always end up thinking about her? He goes away to forget about what happened, but for some reason, he can't take her out of his mind.

In the end, Bill moves away from her and starts to throw a few things around before going back to his office. After that, the woman goes back to Joel with a smile on her face. "You're hired, so when can you start?"

Joel looked at her surprises. "Hey, I appreciated the help, but it is obvious that Bill doesn't want me here so… maybe it's better if-

"Nonsense, I do the hire around here, so don't worry about it. He is just an old grumpy man."

"Oh… okay. But you're not his assistance? So how could you go over him?"

The woman laughed again. "I'm his partner, well in a way anyway. He likes to call me that because I am just 24. But the truth is that he bought this place from my dad and one of his conditions was to keep me here and help him run this place. He is a great mechanic. I don't have any doubt about that. But he is not good with the books or paperwork, so I'm the one that is keeping this place floated."

Joel looks at Bill's office and sees him still cursing inside. "As I said, I don't want to cause any trouble. Bill and I have some history and some of them are not good ones."

"Oh… that will make this more interesting. Anyway, you don't worry about him, he will need the help anyway. I had a few clients call yesterday and they are going to bring their cars tomorrow. So you think you can start tomorrow?"

"Sure, that will be okay for me… thanks,"

"Okay then, see you tomorrow," She smiled at him and walked toward Bill's office.

Joel goes back to his pick-up truck and drives away. He doesn't know why that woman helped him out. But at least he has a job, even if it is just for a while. Because knowing Bill he doesn't know for how long he will be supporting him.

( Back To Ellie )

Ellie doesn't know what to do with her situation. She was trying to up her grade for the last week. But thinking about Joel didn't help much. She tries a few times to go to his house but getting picked up by her aunt after school doesn't help with her situation either. So when the weekend came, she managed to sneak out of her house while her aunt had to go to a meeting and go to Joel's house.

She already spent some time there, before her aunt started to keep her at home or keep an eye on her. Soon Ellie goes into the house, she starts to feel strange. She goes to the middle of the living room and starts looking around. After a few minutes, she closed her eyes and tried to remember his voice. But after a few minutes, she can't hear anything. She knew that all this wasn't good for her; feeling sad all the time, not wanting to eat sometime, or be able to concentrate on her studies. It was affecting her and her aunt was starting to notice it.

Joel was a man and she was only 16, so how did she end falling for him. Yeah, she loves him, and even if for some miracle Joel loves her back, it does not matter now. Joel is gone and there is nothing she can do about it. Ellie opens her eyes and looks at the door, expecting him to show up there, but she knows that that is not going to happen. So she walked to his room and lay in his bed. Ellie tried to smell his essence but it was not used now. It was more than two months since he was gone and the bed was starting to smell of dust. So she just lay there and looked at the ceiling.

This can be it. She tells herself while looking at the ceiling. It has to be away for them to be together. I know Joel tried to do what he thought was the right thing, but he should talk to me first. He could wait for me to be... Ellie up herself and sat on the bed. That is, if I can talk to him I can convince him to wait for me. I will be 18 in less than two years so after that we are not going to have any problem with my age. But how do I do that? His phone has since been disconnected and I don't have any idea where he went or how to find him.

Going after him is not going to work anyway. My aunt is going to notice that I am missing and called the police, so what are my options? Ellie starts to think while looking around his room. I just need to get in contact with him. I know that he has to have another phone or another way of communication. So all I need is to find his phone number, but how? He mentions that he has a brother back in Texas, so maybe he will go there. That it. If I can get in contact with his brother, maybe he can tell me if Joel is there or at least give me his new phone number.

Ellie stands up from the bed and looks around the room. Then she saw the boxes there. Joel didn't take them all, so maybe I can find something about his brother or where he lives. So she walked toward the first box and opened. The first one just has some old clothes, she has never seen him with any of them before, so she closes that one and moves to the other. Soon she opened the second one, it had some books and papers, so maybe it was something there about his brother. Ellie starts to get things out when her phone starts ringing.

She grabs her phone and looks at the call. Shit!... she said as soon she saw who was calling. She doesn't need to answer, but she needs to get back home.

So Ellie sent the call to her voicemail and put things back in the box and stood up. Maybe she was interrupted, but now she has something to occupy her mind. So after Ellie gets out of his house and walks back home, she has a smile on her face. Because now, she has a new mission, a new hope to get Joel back or at least talk to him.