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

A/N: Hi, first I want to thanks all the people that are reading this story like it. As I said before it was a surprise for me that a lot of people like this AU story that is nothing to do with the game except for some of the characters. So Thank you for that. I also apologies for the bad grammar in this story but as I said at the beginning English is not my native languish so my writing is not that good. Besides that, I hope that people can understand that story. Also, some people ask me when I post the new chapters, so I going to LYK that I post one chapter a week and is every Wednesday, s you can expect a new chapter that day. If you have any question feel free to ask, I will try to answer them if I can. Again thank you for reading and remember to leave a comment at the end if you like. So now let continue with the story.

Chapter 5: A Second Chance

It's been two weeks since Joel started working with Bill, and even though things didn't go well at first, they're more friendly with each other now. They're getting new cars to fix for the last two weeks, so work has been okay for them. Carol, on the other hand, gets well with Joel from the beginning, she really likes him. Even if Joel does not pay much attention to her indiscreet approach toward him. But the distraction has been good for Joel, even if he still had some nightmares from time to time. But getting himself to forget Ellie had been more difficult than he thought.

Joel tries to not think of her much, but she is always in his mind and he doesn't know why She always shows up in his nightmare to rescue him. Maybe that was a sight, but he tried to not think about it. He did the right thing to get away from her because the last thing he wants is to get Ellie stock with him.

"So… when you're going to make a move..?" Bill asked while he was working beneath a car.

Joel was working on a motor on another car beside the one Bill was working on. But he was trying to avoid Bill's question all morning. "Make a move about what?" he answered trying to be clueless.

Bill finished removing the defective part of the car and put it on the floor beside him. "Carol… C'mon, don't tell me that you don't notice what she has been doing since you started working here."

Joel rolled his eye. "I don't know what you are talking about," Hel says while continuing to work.

"Yeah… right." Bill moves from beneath the car he was working with and stands up. He walks to a small table and put the part he removed from the car and cleans his hands. Then he walked to where Joel is and put one arm around his neck. "What is wrong with you man? The Joel I knew before, never turned down the attention of a woman."

Joel stops working and takes a deep breath. "That was a long time ago man… things change you know that."

"Yeah… I know. You get married, then divorced… You stop talking with your brother, and the list goes on… but what all that has to be with having some fun now?" Bill stops when Joel shakes his arm away and turns around.

"Look, I came here because I need to work… and my personal life is none of the business so stay away from it… okay?" Joel grabs a rag and starts cleaning his hand.

Bill up to his hand in surrender and back away. "Sure, man whatever you said. But a woman can be a good distraction, especially if you need to leave some bad things behind."

"Or they can bring up new ones… did you think of that?" he threw the rag at Bill and landed on his chest. "The car is done… you can call the owner to pick it up." he turns around and closes the car hood and starts to walk toward another car.

Later that day after he finishes his work. Joel walked toward his pick-up after the workshop got closed. He does not do much in town after work, he just goes to a store to get some food then back to the motel. So soon he gets to his truck he opens the door and goes in. Joel was about to start the truck when someone stood at the door,

"Hey!" Say Carol while bending down and put her arm on the open window.

Joel turns his head and looks at the woman standing there. "Hey… I thought you're gone already?"

"No, Bill gave me a ride today, but he needs to stay a few more hours to do some paperwork. So… I'm out of a ride," she said with a smile on her face.

Joel looks at her face that it was very close to him right now. He has to admit that the woman is beautiful, but he really wants to stay away from her. "I thought that was your job?"

"Well, yeah… but sometimes Bill likes to check everything to make sure all is okay … I think he still has some doubts about me because of my age. Anyway, I do not want to get stock here until he finishes… so can you… give me a ride home?"

Joel turned his head and started to think. He doesn't want this woman to get close to him. He didn't come here looking for any romance and apparently, that is what she is looking for, but he can't help her with that. Also, it doesn't help the issue that every time he looks at her, she remembers him, Ellie. But on the other hand, she helps him by convincing Bill to hire him. So it is the right thing to help a person that helps you. Besides, it is just a ride, so what can happen?

Carol makes a disappointing face. It was obvious that Joel didn't even want to give her a ride, so she was going to give up on that plan. "Look, if you can't, it's okay… I can call a-"

"Get in,?" Joel says while starting the truck.

The woman smiles, comes back, so she walks to the other side of the truck, opens the door, and gets into the passenger seat. "Thank you… I don't like taking caps."

Bill was looking through his glass window and watched Carol enter Joel's truck and drive away. "Good luck girl… you're going to need it." He smiles and goes back to his desk.

A few minutes later. Joel was driving into the traffic with no direction. "So where do you live? He asked while stopping on a red light.

"In Wilson streets. It is 10 blocks from here," said Carol while looking at him. When the light changes Joel continues driving. The woman looked to the side and looked at the sky. "But it's still early… so you want to stop for a drink? I know a good place close from here is quiet and-"

"Look, don't take this the wrong way… but I'm not looking for anything okay… I just came here looking for a job. I have a lot on my mind and I don't think it is going to be good… for you," Said Joel without looking at her.

The woman looked at him. "I am not looking for nothing serious either… I just want to be your friend and maybe get to know you a little better. It is good for people that work together to know each other, don't you think?"

Joel looks at her and tries to find a way to say something to her without hurting her feelings. "I don't think it is a good idea for you to be my friend."

"Why? You look like a good person to me, so whatever problem you have before you can leave it behind."

"Is not that simple. Besides people that get close to me always get hurt. Look, my life is… a fucking disaster and I prefer to keep people away from all that shit."

"We all have problems, Joel… but sometimes it is good to have someone to talk to about them. I live here half of my life and I still don't have any friends around here except for Bill. And he is not even a good person to talk with. The only thing he talks about is cars and his boyfriend."

Joel looked at her. "I am not good at talking either. So it is going to be like talking to Bill."

"C'mon… we don't even have to go to a bar… we can just go to dinner, and have something to eat... C'mon Joel...what you said?" The woman put her hands together and started to beg.

Joel shakes his head and continues driving. "I don't know… I still think that this is no a good idea."

( 30 Minutes Later )

Carol ending convincing Joel to drive to a place she knows to get something to eat. Joel can't believe that he let her do that. That was another thing that this woman made him remember about Ellie.

"So, can I take you to order now?" said the waitress while stopping beside their table.

"Yes… Bring me the special... and a beer, please," said Carol.

"Okay…" after the waitress wrote Carol Order in her notebook, she looked at Joel. "And you Sir?"

Joel closes the menu and looks at her. "The same… but just bring me water… thank you."

The waitress wrote his order too and smiled at them. "Okay, I will bring the beer and the water in a minute," then she turns around and walks away.

Carol looked at Joel surprised. "Water? Are you going to let me drink alone?" she said with a mocking tone.

"I'm trying to not drink, that never brings good things to me… besides, you're the one that wanted to come here. But if you want a drinking partner I can go and-"

"You don't need to do that. If you have a drinking problem, I can understand that. We can just eat and talk. So don't worry about it."

"I'm not an alcoholic if that is what you are thinking… I just…" Joel turned his head to the side and started thinking about Ellie again.

"Is okay Joel. we can only talk. No need to worry about it…" she looked at him, noticing a few things on him. "So do you come from Texas?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

Joel looked at her. "Did Bill say something to you?"

"Relax Joel… I'm not a cop. As I said, I just want to know you better." She looks at his face and tries to find why he acts like this. She asked Bill about him a few days after he started working on the shop, but he didn't say much about him. The man was a mystery and she liked that. "Yes. I asked him about you… but after telling me a few things, he told me to ask you if I want to know more. He also told me to be careful with you… but I don't know why he says that. Because you look like a nice person to me."

After a minute of silence, the waitress came with the drinks. "Here are your drinks. One beer for the lady and one water for the gentleman."

Joel looks at the woman. "I changed my mind. Can you bring me a beer too?"

"Sure Sir… I will be back with it. And your order is going to be ready soon."

After the girl goes away Joel takes a sip of his water. "You should listen to him. As I said, people that get close to me, always get hurt," Joel turned his head to the glass window and looked outside. He starts to think about Ellie again, and what he did to her. He broke her heart, just like he has his, and he can't change that.

Carol takes a big sip on her beer. "You don't need to worry about me. I like the danger…" she said with a smirking tone. "So… what did you do for a living?"

The food came a few minutes later, and they started eating. Carol continued asking him a lot of questions. That, of course, Joel didn't answer all, just the basics one. Joel told her that he worked in construction for a while and that he lived in Texas and other places for a time. They talk while eating, but Carol was the one that did most of the talking. She told him about her parents, what she did in college, and how she met Bill. She even talks about Bill and his boyfriend, even if Joel doesn't want to hear any of that.

After they finish. Joel takes Carol back to her apartment. So now, Joel and Carol were sitting in his truck in front of her apartment. "So this is your home?" said Joel after five minutes there without saying anything.

"Yep… home sweet home. My dad left me his house after he died, but it was on the other side of town and it was too big for me alone. So I rented and came to live here. It is closer to work and smaller."

"Yeah… I bet... anyway I have to go and I know I, not a good company at all, but-"

Carol looks at him. "Joel… don't worry about it, I like it. I am not a good company either, but it was good to get to know you a little. I had a good time today, so thank you for that."

"Carol… I had a good time too… But my life is complicated… and I did a few things that I am not proud of… and is better-" Joel lowered his head and again thought about Ellie and what he did.

The woman put a hand on his shoulder. "Is okay Joel, I like you… I like you a lot, but I am not going to press you to do anything you don't want to do. We just can be friends for now, and if you need to talk or need anything else you can count on me okay? I know that we only know each other for two weeks, but I wanted to let you know that I'm here for you."

Joel looks at her. "Thanks… I don't know if I deserve that… but thank you."

"Whatever happens to you… is in the past, Joel. I hope that one day we can talk about it, but for now, I think that you're okay. Anyway... I'm sure that whatever happens, everyone deserves a second chance." Carol leans on him and kisses him in the check. "See you tomorrow at work cowboy." She got out of the truck and walked toward her apartment. But before she enters the building she turns around and smiles at him.

Joel looked at her and started the truck and drove away. On the way, he touched the part that she kissed and thought about Ellie. She used to kiss him there when he took her back home. She was only a friend back then, but he liked it. He never told her that, because it was wrong. Falling in love with a 16 years old girl was wrong and sick. He always taught that his life was all fuck up before he moves to that town. But right now is worse. He is just a pervert that likes young girls and for that, he deserves to be in jail or hell.

A/N: This is the follow part when Joel going to open the door in the Motel in the first chapter. All the things that happen after that part and this point were early this even that were between the three mounts that pass after Joel left Ellie. If you get confused by this please send I PM so I can be splained better. Thank you for reading and I'm sorry for any confusion.

"I am coming so hold your horses," Joel yells at the man on the door. He gets out of his bed and walks toward the door and opens it.

"You own me two weeks and I need the money now." the man says as soon Joel opens the door.

"Look, sorry for that, I have your money… I just forget to pay you… so if you give me until tomorrow, I can take it out from the bank and pay you-"

The man looked at his face. "Are you drunk? You don't have money to pay the rent but have to buy liquor?"

"What I do with my life is my fucking business… and I already told you… that I will pay you tomorrow… okay. Now go and fuck yourself and leave me alone." Joel moves back and slams the door in his face.

It is not like he doesn't have the money to pay the rent, but he doesn't like the man coming every day and asking for it. He wanted to be alone with his pain, so he went back to bed and lay there.

"I'm just a fuking bastard that deserves the worse… so why can't I just die and stop the pain?"

"Because you're not done in this life… yet."

"Ellie?" he sat up on the bed and looks around.

"No, but she needs you... And you need to stop being sorry for yourself and get on with your life."

"Who the hell are you? I'm getting crazy too?" asked Joel while looking around his room.

"It doesn't matter who I am. But you need to fix your life… because some people depend on you."

"I can't help anyone… My life is all fuck up… and I can't take it anymore."

"Life is what you made of it… so you can change it if you wanted. There is someone who needs you… so get your life together and stop thinking only about yourself."

After that, Joel waited for the voice to talk again but it didn't. He looked at the bottle on the stan table. What the hell was all that?... first the nightmares and now I'm hearing voices?… shit, I need to stop drinking that shit."

( A few days later )

Joel goes back to work, but he was afraid that things in his life were starting to get fucked again. The nightmares don't let him sleep well, and even that Carol tries to help him, he was afraid that he will fuck her life too just as he did with Tess, his brother… and Ellie.

"Hey, are you okay?" asked Carol as soon as he entered the car shop. "I have been calling you for the last few days but you never return my calls."

Joel looks around trying not to look at her face. "Yeah… sorry about that and for not coming… but I didn't feel well."

She walked close to him and grabbed his hand. "This has nothing to do with what happens after… you know."

Joel turns his head and looks at her. "No… of course not… I think it was something to do with something I eat." He moves his hand out of her grab and looks at one of the cars there.

"Are you sure? Because it looks like you're avoiding me?"

"Look I'm good now… I just need to go back to work…" he started to look around again. "Where is Bill?"

"He takes the truck and goes to pick-up a new car. He will be back in a few hours."

"Okay… so what will I have for today?" asked Joel while moving close to one of the cars.

"No much." She looked at the three cars there. "We have the minivan, but that is the transmission, so that is for Bill. We have the Nissan that has some problems with the engine and the pick-up that needs a change of oil and needs a new radiator. You can start with that one if you want." she finally said.

"Those two are not going to last the day," said Joel trying to avoid looking at her.

"Well, it's been a little slow the last two days." Carol grabs him by the arm and pulls him away from the car. "C'mon, let's get some coffee first. I just made a fresh one… so that way we can talk before Bill comes back."

After they finish talking, Joel goes back to the garage and starts working in one of the cars. After he finishes with one of the cars, Bill arrives with a new one. It needs a lot of work, so he asks Joel to help him with it. After that more cars arrive to get fixed so the job starts to move again.

A few weeks early Joel tries to give Carol a chance. He was hoping that going out with her he would forget all about Ellie. So he invited Carol to have dinner with him after work. But three days early, things don't go so well on their date. They go to a bar to have a few drinks and have a good time. After a few hours there, Carol asks Joel to take her home because she doesn't feel well. Joel drove her home, but when they got there, she asked him to help her to her apartment because she was a little drunk and couldn't walk much.

But soon they get into her apartment. Carol jumps at him and kisses him in the mouth. Joel doesn't know what to do after she ends the kiss, but before he says anything, she starts to fall down. Joel grabs her before she goes down to the floor and picks her up. She was so drunk that he just took her to her room and put her on her bed, and just left. She called him a few times the next day, but he didn't answer the phone. After he left her in her apartment, Joel went to a liquor store and bought a few bottles of whiskey and drank them all for the next two days. He thought that going out with her will help him to forget Ellie, but that kiss just made him remember her more.

( One week later )

Joel was lying on the bed in his motel room looking at the ceiling. It was Sunday, so the car shop was closed. Carol calls him and asks him to go out with her and do something, but Joel tells her that he needs the rest and wants to stay at the motel all day. Joel didn't talk to her much after that night, even if she insisted that she not remember much of what happened that night except for the kiss. The kiss that makes Joel remember the one Ellie gave him before she confesses that she loves him.

Joel has been trying to forget her, to move on, even accepted going out with Carol to forget her, but that is not even working. And all that is making him crazy, not only because of the nightmares but also he has been hearing voices too. At first, he thought that was because he was drinking too much, but he hears them a few times later this week after he stopped drinking. And now that was making him trouble concentrating at work, and he couldn't sleep much either.

After a few conversations with her before. Carol was insisting on him moving to her apartment. She told him that she has a spare room that he can use, but he only told her that he will think about it. Carol is a good girl, decent and beautiful, but he does not want to hurt her. How he can tell her that he doesn't love her, yeah he likes her as a friend but that is all. He can't tell her about his past, and why his life is all fuck up. How he can tell her, that he doesn't love her because he is in love with a 16-year-old girl and how that is all that is fuck up.

He did the right thing by going away, even if her aunt didn't ask him to do it, he was going to do it anyway. He promises to his little baby girl, that he will move on, that he will continue with his life. But this is too much for him and he is getting tired of all this. He buys a gun after his brother asks him to get out of Texas. Because if he can't fix things with his brother, he can't fix anything with anyone. He was getting tired of hurting the people he cared about all the time. Joel turns his head away from the ceiling and looks to the nightstand beside the bed.

He has his gun there, and he starts to think that maybe it was time to end all this. He was going to get out of the bed when someone started to knock at the door. Fuck!... What now? It is that fucking guy from the motel office trying to collect the money from this week. I swear to god that I'm going to kill that bastard with my own hands. Joel gets up from the bed when the knocking continues.

"Fuck!... I'm coming. So stop the knocking at the door already." he yelled to the one behind the door. "I swear to god if you come here to collect the rent money… I'm going to-" he stopped as soon as he opened the door and saw the person that was knocking at the door.

"Hello… Mr. Miller!"