Author's Note: So Ellie has some questions...

Did the transitions between Jay and Joel/Ellie seem weird or hard to understand? Anything else you thought could have been written better? Leave it in the comments, and I will do my best to make the story better.

When Tommy came to greet them, it had already been a few hours.

"Sorry, we're kinda busy today. It's good to see you again, brother. And you too, Ellie," he greeted them. "We got a place for you. I wasn't lying when I said you had a home here." A slight smile touched his face. "It's lookin' pretty worn out right now, but with a little cleaning and dustin' off, it'll be a cozy home." he said as he led them out into the main street. As they passed the houses, Tommy gave them an informal tour. "There's the cook's house. Makes mighty good meals, she does. And over there's Danny. He runs the stables. Got pretty angry when you ran off with his best horse." Tommy looked over at them. "Hey, what happened to him anyway?" Joel opened his mouth to say something, but Ellie spoke up before him.

"Oh, he was shot in the side." she said nonchalantly, as if this didn't affect her at all. But Joel knew better.

"Look, Ellie…" But she never knew what he was going to say, for at the moment, the familiar siren pierced through her thoughts.

"Goddamnit." Tommy's face was grim. "That's the second attack this week."

A guard blinked down at the orange-haired girl.

"Are you trying to fool us, girl? Our security systems are very tight, we would never-" He broke off abruptly as he saw the group of incoming bandits. "Shit. Sound the alarm!" As all the guards rushed out of the gates, Jay silently snuck in, her small frame easily sliding behind the mass of people. A high-pitched whining sound burst into the already-chaotic scene as people were running for their weapons. Jay pulled out her gun, hoping she wouldn't have to use it. As other people were distracted, Jay glanced around the place, imagining what it would be like to live here. Are they with the Fireflies? There seems to be an awful lot of people. Are they just a bigger bandit group? She never got a chance to find the answer to these questions, because she got pushed out into the open, and the bandits were getting closer. All the guards were hiding behind everything that they could. Jay quickly ducked behind a bush, and then the bandits were on them. Almost instantly, the ear-piercing shots rang out, Jay's joining them after a moment's hesitation.

"Stay back!" "This is our land!" Cries rang out from the desperate soldiers as they reloaded, aimed, and fired almost mechanically at the retreating bandits. "And don't come back!" As the chaos settled down, Jay had to think of a reason of why she was there. As she looked wildly around, trying to find someone to talk to, she noticed a blond-haired woman staring down at her, her blue eyes piercing right through Jay's.

"Are you one of them?" her voice cut right through the chatter of the soldiers.

"No, I was the person that warned-"

Maria cut her off. "Then get out of this town."
Jay hesitated for a moment. Why am I even considering staying? I'll just get attached to people, and that will make it harder to leave. You're better off alone, don't have to worry about your friends getting bit. Her mouth, however, seemed to have a mind of its own.

"Can I stay here? I can fight, or do whatever you need." Stop lying to yourself. You're lonely, okay? You're so desperate for friendship you're willing to walk right into trouble. Well, too late to turn back. No one would probably like you here anyway. Maria's eyes narrowed.

"She's right, y'know," A guard that had been listening to their exchange piped up.

"She a good shot with that thing." He gestured to her gun, which she had put back its holster. "She'd be a useful asset to the sentinels when she gets a bit older."

Jay turned her grey eyes toward the woman. After a moment's pause, Maria relented.

"You'd better have made the right decision, Patrick," she said to the guard, then turned to Jay. "All right, you can stay. We didn't know we were gonna have a newcomer, so you can room with someone else before we scrounge something up. Make sure you're earning your food. " Jay nodded gratefully.

"Of course." Now why did you go and do that? You were fine on your own. Jay shook her head. I wasn't. And besides, why say no to a constant supply of food? Her mind couldn't argue with that, and she followed the guards back into the town. Maria waved her over to a rather large house near the end of the street.

"My brother in law, Joel, and his daugh-" Maria cut herself off before she could finish the word. "Him and Ellie are staying in the house. It's got room for a great many more than just two. I figured you could stay with them until we get a separate place for you. Here are your keys." Maria handed her a rusty ring, with an equally rusty key on it.

"Thanks." Jay accepted the ring, and stared at the building. Now about that food. "If it's okay with you, I'll take a walk and explore the place. See you around."

"That's fine. See you," came her curt reply.

Ellie's mind raced with questions unanswered. What happened with the Fireflies? Why have they stopped looking for the cure? Are there really more immune people? Why didn't I know? Her hands balled into fists. What did he mean 'the drugs are still wearing off'? Why didn't I wake up in the hospital room? Her breathing got quicker, and she replayed a certain scene in her mind. Was there hesitation before his reply? What does he know about survivor's guilt?

"Well, that was a mess. Are you okay?" Joel's voice snapped her out of the daze. Ellie looked around wildly, tried and failed to steady her breathing, and forced her hands to relax.
"Yeah."

"Well, come on then. Our new house is waiting." He turned his key in the lock, and after some fiddling, the door swung open with a creak. "Welcome home, kiddo." Straight ahead, was a run-down kitchen. To their left, a rather large living room. And to their right, a hallway which Joel assumed led to the bedrooms. He inspected the kitchen while Ellie flopped down on the long couch on one side of the wall. She played with the dark red fraying edges of the pillows as Joel opened the cabinets, looking for food.

"Ah. Beans." He doubtfully turned one of the knobs under the stove. To his surprise, a small but warm fire started, and Joel dumped the beans on a pan that was nearby. "I'll have a nice dinner going soon." The house seemed oddly silent, and Joel eventually figured it out. What happened with Ellie? Is she gonna be okay? Did she... He focused on stirring the contents of the pan, but the thoughts kept coming. Did she find out I lied? Is she mad at me? A more battle-hardened part of his mind took over. You don't need her. She's right. She's not Sarah. She's not your daughter. Bill was right. It is better on your own. Joel tried to push the thoughts out of his mind, and he found himself stabbing at the beans. No. She's the reason I'm alive. The question is, what's hers?

"Joel?" Ellie's voice made him come running.

"What is it?"

Her eyes, pools of emerald, seemed to see right through his lies. There was a long pause, in which Ellie debated what to ask him.

"What happened to the Fireflies?"