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

A/N: Hi, since I received a few reviews on my stories about the grammar mistakes on them, I want to apologize for that. As I put at the beginning of all my stories my English is not good as it is not my native language. I do not have any Beta for this and I just using a grammar program to fix the error. As I can see it doesn't fix them all. So again, sorry for the inconvenience this may cause and I hope that the error doesn't make to hard for the readers to understand and enjoy the story. Thanks for the people that left a review and let me know about this mistake that I will try to fix in future stories. But as I said English is not my language and I only use a program to fix the error. Again, thank you for reading my stories and I hope you enjoy them no matter the grammar error on them. Thank you.

Chapter 4: Revelations

After Ellie got out of Joel's house, she ran back to hers through the forest. I took her 40 minutes to arrive at her house, but soon she got there, she saw her aunt's car parked in the front of the house. She got a few calls and texts during her way back but she didn't answer any of them. Her aunt was not supposed to come back until later in the afternoon. So seeing her car there was a surprise to her and not a good one.

Shit… she is not supposed to be back yet, so what should I do now? Ellie starts thinking but doesn't find any story to tell her aunt except that she goes out to the lake. Don't matter what she says now, because her aunt is going to be mad anyway since she is not supposed to get out of the house. So after a few minutes, she starts walking again and goes toward the front door. Her first strategy is to get in and go to her room. As they're not talking much after the fight, it was normal for her to just ignore her aunt.

Ellie waits for a few minutes, then she opens the door and gets inside. She looked around the living room, but there was no sign of her aunt there, so she quickly went up the stairs and went to her room. It was better if she got there and closed the door and ignored her aunt if she went there to ask questions. But all that is not going to work now, because soon she opened the door of her room, her aunt was sitting on her bed waiting for her.

"Where have you been, Ellie?" asked her aunt with her arm crossed in front of her chest and with a mad tone on her voice.

"What are you doing in my room, this is my private space…" she answered while crossing her arm too.

This is my house, so I can be in whatever part of it I want to," Her aunt stood up and looked at her directly. "Now, are you going to tell me where you've been?"

"First of all this is not your house, it is just rented and secondly I'm not a prisoner here, so if I want to get out of the house you can't stop me."

Her aunt was a little surprised by her harsh answer. They have had some fights before, but Ellie never talks to her like that. "You're not supposed to get out since you're granted. So tell me where you been and why you didn't answer my calls?"

Ellie rolled her eyes. "I was in the lake… okay. I need some air and to walk because lately, I can't do any of that around here," said Ellie as she walked toward her dresser.

Her aunt shook her head, she did not want to have another fight, but she was not expecting to see her like this. " If you're in the lake, why didn't you answer your phone?"

Ellie turns around and looks at her. "Because I want to be alone there and I didn't want to talk to anybody, so why you just leave me alone and got out of my back," Ellie doesn't like to talk to her like that, but she was treating her like a prisoner for the last two mounts and she starts to get sick of it. "I want to be alone now, so can you get out of my room now?"

Her aunt walked closer to her. "What is wrong with you Ellie? You're not like this?" Marlene doesn't know what is going on with her nice, but she has been acting like that since the fight. "You better stop talking to me like that or you be granted for the rest of your life. I'm the adult here and you need to-"

"Yeah, you are the adult here, but you're not my mother and you never acted like one, so stop pretending that you're one now." Ellie crossed her arm again. "You can ground me all you want and keep me inside this house alone because it is what I do all the time anyway. so why you do not do what you always do and leave me alone?"

"This is not fair Ellie, I have taken care of you since your mother died. I try to do the best I can to give you the best you should have and give you a good life. Yes, I'm not your mother, but I always try to be one. I just want to protect you and I am not going to let anyone take advantage of you." she did not want to do this but Ellie was getting out of control and that was going to ruin her life, so she needed to stop this now.

Ellie looked at her surprised. "What are you talking about? No one is taking advantage of me. So why are saying that-"

"Oh… please. Do you think I'm stupid? I know where you're been going all this time and that will stop today... Now give me your phone?"

"What? Why do you want my phone? And what do you mean that you know where I was all this time?"

"Ellie, just gimme your phone. Because if I find out that he is still in contact with you. I will call the cops." Said Marlene extending her arm and moving close to Ellie.

"Wait.. he?" Ellie opened her eyes wilder and steep back a little.

"Yes, he… that old man that was living in the house on the other side of the lake. Now give me your phone Ellie. I am not going to let him ruin your life, because I can see he is the reason your grades are so bad at school."

"Wait a minute… How do you know about Joel?"

"That does not matter now. The only thing you need to know is that that old sick man only wants to have sex with you. I don't know what you're thinking about going there all this time, but all that is over now."

"What the hell are you talking about? Joel wasn't like that. You're getting this all wrong. He didn't do anything to me, he was only my friend."

"Friend? Yeah, they all start like that. You're only 16 Ellie and the only thing a man like him wants is just have sex with younger girls. I try to be calm and give him a chance to go away without calling the cops. But I can see that he does not want to stop, so I will put an end to this," Her aunt turned around and started to walk away.

"Wait… so it was you? You were the one that made him go?" tears start to fall down her cheek now. "Do you know what you did… you are the one that ruined my life." More tears got out of Ellie's. She thought that Joel went away because of her, but the real reason for him to leave her behind was because of her aunt. How did her aunt find out about Joel anyway? She was careful to keep it a secret, so how did she know? It won't matter now, Joel is gone and it was her fault.

"Did I ruin your life? Does he already brain watch you this much? You're 16 Ellie and what he was doing is illegal. So I did what I need to do to protect you."

Ellie wants to scream… or curse her aunt for what she did. Why people can't understand that love has no age. "I don't need your protection, I was better with him than with you. He made me happier in the short time he was here than the whole time I had with you," More tiers come out of her.

Her aunt was surprised to hear that. How can a man do this to a girl? Make her believe all the bullshit they say and make her hate her family. "Ellie! You can't believe that? He just was using you, telling you things so you fall in love with him and then use that to have sex with you. He doesn't really love you or-"

"You don't know him, so stop talking about him like you do. He cares more about me than you did. You only take care of me because you promise it to my mom. You don't even care what I do or what I feeling, the only thing you care about is your stupid job and yourself." Ellie was yelling now.

"That is not true, I do care about you. I love you... That old man was only taking advantage of you he not even care if-"

"STOP!" Ellie yells at her. "Stop saying things about him, because you do not know him. Do you think that I don't know that you didn't want to have any kids? That is why you left me alone all the time and no want to spend time with me? Do you know how miserable that makes me feel? I always feel so alone and I don't even have any friends to talk to. Do you know how many times I wanted to be dead because of that?" After that Ellie started crying, she didn't want to do it or talk to her aunt like that, but she was holding all that inside and now she doesn't care if her aunt knows how she feels all that time.

Her aunt moved slowly toward her. she never knew that Ellie felt like that, but that is not an excuse for not paying attention to her. Yeah, it was true, she never wanted to have kids and even got mad when her sister got pregnant from a man that it wasn't good for her. But that doesn't mean that she doesn't love her. Maybe she was right, she didn't pay too much attention to her after she got older and let her work be a distraction. But that is not the whole truth and maybe it was time to tell her. "Ellie, I didn't know that you feel that way. I am so sorry to not pay much attention to you before and even though I don't want to have kids that doesn't mean that I don't love you." She moves closer to her and grabs her by her shoulder. "They're something you don't know and maybe it was time for you-"

Ellie shakes her away from her. Tiers were falling down her cheek now. "I don't want to hear anything. I love him and he makes me happy and you take that from me. You push away the only person that makes me feel happy and loved. The only person that makes me feel alive and you just ruin that for me,"

Ellie moves away from her and walks toward the door. "I hate you! And right now I just wish to be dead, because you just broke my heart," then she ran out of her room and downstairs.

"Ellie!" Her aunt started following her out of the room and watched her go to the front door and get out of the house. She ran downstairs and went out of the house after her. "Ellie come back here!" Marlene yelled at her as she saw Ellie run into the woods. Her aunt kneels to the ground, tears falling down her eyes. "I'm so sorry Anna… I try to do my best, but I fail… I just made your daughter so miserable and I don't know how I'm going to fix it."

Ellie was running through the woods crying. She can't believe what just happened or why she said all that to her aunt. Some of them were true, but she was the only family she has left. And she knows that in a way, her aunt loves her, but that does not mean that it hurts. Joel was giving her hope. Hope for a better life, a life of happiness, even if she wasn't sure that he felt the same way for her. But he makes her happy and makes her want to have a life away from all her pain.

After running for a while Ellie stopped and lay down close to a tree. She pulls her knees close to her body and buries her head on top of them. I hate my life… Why do people only think the worse? Joel wasn't the man my aunt thought he was. I know that he never saw me like that. He was just a man in pain, just like me. We found comfort in one another, but that is all gone now… so I don't know what I'm going to do now. Ellie started crying again because her heart was all broken and she didn't know how to fix it.

After a few minutes, Ellie gets up and starts to walk toward Joel's house because there is the only place she feels secure. After half an hour, she arrived at the house and walked toward the back door. Ellie knows where the key is so soon she gets close, Ellie grabs the key and enters the house. She looks around not knowing what to do. Her aunt was the one that made Joel go away. And after what she said to her, things are not going to be the same for them. She needed to think, because she felt worse than before, so she walked to Joel's room and lay on his bed. Being close to him always calms her down and right now the memory of him is the only thing she has left.

After Ellie is gone. Marlene went back inside and grabbed her phone. She wanted to call the police, but soon she saw the number she stopped. What she could do… If she calls the police Ellie is going to hate her forever and with the time she has left she doesn't want that. Ellie maybe isn't going to believe that she loves her. And she only did what it was right. That man was just a sick man...right? He just wants to have sex with Ellie. He just tricks her until she thinks that she is in love with him. That is what all those men like him do… right? But after hear Ellie she was not so sure about his intention. She needs to fix things with Ellie, so she needs to talk to her and the only place she should go… was probably his house.

( Three Month Ago )

Joel was working in his shed. He was trying to keep himself distracted after what Ellie did and said. That girl was falling for him and that it wasn't right. He was starting to feel something for her too and that made it worse. He needs to talk to her but he doesn't know what to say without hurting her. It's been a week and he is not able to concentrate, because the only thing in his mind was Ellie. So he stops taking jobs until he knows what to do with all that. He was working on the same thing for a few days and he didn't know why. So he thought that it was time for a break and a drink. So he walks out of the shed and goes into the house.

Joel goes directly to the fridge and grabs a beer. He tried to stop drinking much since Ellie started to come to his house and he doesn't know why. That was probably good for him, but right now he needs one. He opens the beer and drinks half of it in one sip. He lowered the bottle as soon as he heard a knock on the front door. First, he thought it was Ellie, but she never used the front door or knocked.

"Who is it?" he asked while walking toward the door. Nobody answers, but it continues knocking hard. "I'm coming… I'm coming… Shit. Soon he opened the door, Joel saw a woman standing right on his porch. "And who are you?" he asked looking at her mad expression.

"My name is Marline and-"

"Listen, if you want me to do a job for you, I can tell you now, that I am not taking any new-" he didn't finish because the woman just slapped him in the face. "What the hell… are you nuts?" he said while putting one hand on his cheek and moving away from her.

The woman enters the house and stops in front of him. "Listen you old sick bastard. I know what you've been doing and I will make you stop right now."

"Listen, woman… I don't know what your problem is, but you better leave." Joel starts to walk toward the door, but the woman grabs his arm and stops him. Joel looks at her hands then back to her face. "You better let go of me… or-"

"No, you better listen to me you sick fucker. I'm Ellie's aunt and I know what you're been doing to her, you sick bastard."

Joel opens his eyes wilder. Now he gets what this is all about. "Listen I don't know what you hear or what you're thinking, but I do nothing wrong to her." well that is not entirely true, because she kissed me and I have been having this thought about her that are wrong. "She is only a friend that comes here from time to time."

"Yeah… friends. And you want me to believe that? How old are you 40- 45?"

"My age is not of your business miss and like I said I do nothing to her so you better-"

"Is it my business when you're corrupted my nice to like you… did you have sex with her? Because if you did I swear to god that I'm going to kill you right now."

Joel looked at her with a mad expression. Of course, she will think that because society will think about an old man to a girl her age. But who can blame her? He maybe doesn't have sex with Ellie but just have a feeling for her is wrong. "Are you crazy… of course, I never have sex with her… You may think that, but I'm never going to do anything to hurt her. I already told you that we're just friends."

Marlene is still not convinced of him. "If you didn't have sex with her what is your real intention? Because a man of your age is not supposed to be friends with a 16-year girl. Do you know that that is against the law?"

Joel rolled his eyes. This woman is convinced that his intention was bad so there is no way to make her believe him. "I didn't know that someone's age is an impediment to being friends with someone," Joel takes a deep breath and looks at the woman. "Look, I understand you're upset about all this, but I can guarantee you that nothing happens between Ellie and me," of course he is not going to tell her the entire truth. "You can see all this in the wrong way, but I was trying to help her. She just came here because she feels alone and needs someone to talk to."

"She doesn't need an old man to talk about things, she has me and friends for that. If she needs to talk with someone she can talk to me. No, come to an old man's house that the only intention he has is trick her into having sex with him."

Joel shook his head. Now he understands why Ellie feels the way she feels about her aunt. "I don't want to interfere with you and Ellie, but I can see that you do not even know her that well. Because if you do, Ellie will never come here in the first place."

"Don't try to sound like you're doing her a favor… I know people like you and what you do too little girls. You're just lucky that I decided to come here by myself and not call the cops and made them arrest you. Who knows what else you did before you came here."

"Listen, I've been patient here. But I am not going to stand here and continue to listen to you insult. Being friends with someone is not against the law and even if you don't believe me, I didn't do anything to her, except listen to her and be her friend. You should talk to her more if you really want to know her because when you do you will understand how she feels."

"Are you implying that I don't care about my nice?" She asked, moving close to him.

"As I said, you need to talk to Ellie about all that. Now if you excuse me I have work to do," Joel turns around and walks toward the door.

"I want you to go," said Marlene with a firm voice.

Joel turns around again and looks at her. "Excuse me?"

Marlen moves close to him and looks at his face. "I said that I want you to leave this town and never come back. I don't want my niece to be close to a man like you. I may not be able to prove that you did something to her. But I know that she is having feelings for you and that is wrong. She is just a kid that knows nothing about life. She lost her mother when she was just a little kid, I'm not going to let a man like you hurt her feelings again. If I call the cops, they are going to ruin you, no matter what you or not do here. But I don't want to do that to Ellie, she already suffers enough."

Joel looked at her for a moment. Yeah, she can't prove that something is wrong between them, but Ellie already told him that she loves him and if the cops get involved, that is not going to end well for any of them. This woman was right even if she has been neglecting Ellie for a long time. But she is still her family and he is just a poor bastard that can't fix his problems. So he needs to make a decision soon about all this.

"As I said I have a job to do, so please can you go now," he just said with a sad tone.

The woman looks at him and starts walking toward the door. When she was beside him she stopped. "I don't know you or know what your real intentions are, but if you really care about Ellie you should go and never come back. I don't want to call the cops on this for Ellie save, so I hope you do the right thing."

"Oh, don't worry, I will do what is best for her… and you... should do the same. Ellie needs a mother and someone to trust, so start acting like one," With those last words, Joel watches the woman walk out of his house and gets into her car. The woman gives him one last look, then drives away.

( Back to the present )

Marlene parked her car in front of Joel's house. It was dark now and even though most of the light was out she could see a little illumination in there. She doesn't know if the man came back but she knows that Ellie has to be there. So she got out of the car and walked to the front door. She tried to open the door but it was locked. She wants to knock or call Ellie to get out, but after what happened she doesn't want her to run away from her again into the forest at night. So she walks to the back of the house and tries the back door.

As she thought, the back door was unlocked, so slowly she opened and went inside. Most of the house was dark but the light of the moon illuminates the place enough for her to see. Soon she got to the living room, Marlene started to look for Ellie, but she wasn't there.

Then she saw that a door on the corridor was half open and some light was coming out of it. So she walks slowly toward there and stops when she hears Ellie crying. Marlene moves slowly toward the door and watches Ellie on the man's bed crying. She was mumbling things that she can't hear well. But she opened her eyes wild when she heard Ellie say the man's name.

Why did you have to go, Joel… you should not listen to her… you're the only one that really knows me and cares about me… you're the only friend I ever had. Ellie starts crying again. Now I just feel lost and all alone here… I need you… I don't know what to do without you... please come back. Ellie starts crying again.

Her aunt moves away from the door and leans on the wall. Oh, my god… what have I done?