[AN] Sorry this took so long to come out. As I mentioned in the (now deleted) update I was sick.

This chapter goes back into in game dialogue. I only have a few more of these to go before I have long periods of open time to write original material. Just bear with me until then.

Joel shot up out of the water and gasped for air. He stared down at the lifeless body that had just been trying to drown him. He looked up and saw Ellie holding the pistol he had been struggling to grab.

"Man. I shot the hell outta that guy, huh?" The look on Ellie's face appeared to be a result of about a dozen different emotions, with shock being predominate.

"Yeah, you sure did." Joel said as he stood up.

"I feel sick." She sat down on a upside down crate nearby.

"Why didn't you just hang back like I told you to?" Joel grabbed the gun from her. He probably would have been able to take out that guy by himself, and Ellie should have listened to him.

"Well, you're glad I didn't right?"

"I'm glad I didn't get my head blown off by a goddamned kid." Joel said as he checked the hunter's corpse for any supplies.

"You know what, no." Joel turned around and saw Ellie walk up to him. "How about, hey Ellie, I know it wasn't easy but it was either him or me. Thanks for saving my ass. You got anything like that for me Joel?"

Joel thought about what to say for a second before replying, "We need to keep going."

"Lead the way." Ellie said as Joel started walking up the ladder.

[2010, Mid October, 5:00PM.]

"You still haven't told me where we're goin' dad." Sarah said as she got into Joel's car.

"I promise I'll let you know when we get there." Joel said as he checked the trunk of the car.

Folding table, check. Papers, check. Fencepost, check. Hammer and nails, check. Electric lamps, check. Ear plugs, check. Glasses, check. Suitcase, check. Joel opened the suitcase. "Everything's here." He thought to himself as he checked over its contents and closed the case.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with this being my tenth birthday, now would it?" Sarah said from inside the car.

"It's a surprise." Joel said, for once, I might actually surprise her with a gift.

"You know I hate surprises daddy." She said as Joel walked up to the front doors of their car. As he got inside, Sarah gave him her best 'sad puppy' face that got him to cave in more times then he would like to admit.

"Not today kiddo. And besides, you don't hate surprises, you hate waiting for them." He said as he put on his seatbelt and started up the car.

"Your seatbelt on?"

"Yes dad."

Joel pulled out of their driveway, and noticed a slight look of surprise on Sarah's face as they drove away, not towards Austin.

After a couple of minutes driving away from civilization, Sarah asked, "So are we going hiking?"

"Nope."

"Camping?"

Damn. I should have thought of that. "Nope."

Sarah looked out the window and watched the wilderness around them.

"Dad, mind turning on the radio to my station?"

Joel sighed inwardly. He hated the music she liked, but he had to admit, he didn't find anything in it objectionable, it was just simply not country music.

"Fine, but only because it's your birthday." He said knowing full well he would be doing this if it wasn't her birthday. Joel turned around to see Sarah's appreciative smile, which made the next few hours of crappy (read: not country) music easily worth it.

After around 3 hours of chatting, Sarah's music, and near empty highways, Joel pulled on to a dirt road.

"Okay dad, I'm stumped. What are you planing?" Sarah said from the backseat of the car as Joel drove on the dirt road for a couple of miles.

"You'll see soon enough." Joel said.

Joel pulled up to an abandoned building a few minutes later."Wait in here for just a second. And don't look in the trunk."

Joel grabbed the papers, suitcase, and one of the electric lamps from the trunk and walked inside the small building. He and to my hadn't been able to figure out what exactly it had been used for. It was fairly small, made of brick, had a few small windows, and only two rooms. The first floor, and a small basement, which actually had a dirt floor. All that mattered is that it was structurally secure, and nobody would care what went on around here.

Joel walked down to the cellar with one of the electric lamps on.

I'm glad I found this place. Joel thought as he placed the case on the ground, followed by the papers, making sure they were all face down.

Joel went back up to the car, and grabbed the second lamp, hammer, and fence post.

"Sarah, come on out and give me a hand."

Sarah got out of the car and walked to the trunk. Joel motioned over to the ear plugs and safety glasses. "Take those and follow me.", he said. They brought the stuff downstairs, and went back up for the table and nails.

Joel was setting up the table while Sarah turned on the second electric lamp.

"So, dad, why'd you spend around three hours dragging me to an abandoned building in the middle of nowhere on my birthday?"

"To be honest, I just wanted to spend some time listening to your favorite music." Joel said while sticking the fence post into the dirt floor. That got a laugh out of Sarah.

Joel nailed the paper on to the fence post , and walked over to the table

Joel picked up the suitcase and placed it on the table. "Come over here honey."

"Now before I open this, I want to emphasize that this is not a toy." Joel said in a firm, but kind voice. "I think you're mature enough to handle this, and I don't want to be proven wrong. I trust you. So after I open this box, I want you to do exactly what I say. We clear?"

Sarah nodded, "I understand."

Please don't be wrong on this. Joel thought. "Happy tenth birthday Sarah." Joel opened the case, and looked over to his stunned daughter.

"Wow. This was... quite the surprise dad. Didn't see this coming ." Sarah said.

Joel carefully picked up the nine millimeter pistol, checking again (for what was probably the hundredth time by now) that it was completely empty and the safety was on and and placed it on the table, with the gun barrel pointed towards the fence post.

"First of all, put these over your eyes and in your ears." Joel said to Sarah, handing her ear plugs and safety glasses. They both put on glasses and put in the plugs.

"Now, I need to follow some rules. First, never point the gun at anyone or anything you aren't going to shoot. Secondly, never put your finger on the trigger unless you're going to shoot. Third, always assume that a gun is loaded, even if you know its not." Joel looked at Sarah, who was looking up at him. He could tell she was committing all of this to memory.

"You remember all of that?" Joel asked seriously. "If you need me to repeat anything, now's the time to ask me.

"Never point the gun at anything unless I'm shooting it, finger off the trigger unless I'm going to fire, always assume the gun is loaded."

"Good. Now, this is the safety. When you aren't using the gun, alway have it flipped this way." Joel showed Sarah the safety, and how to turn it on and off.

Joel set the gun down on the table. "Now, you pick it up."

"Now you seem to know your way around a gun. You reckon you can handle that?" Joel placed a rifle in front of Ellie.

"Well, uh, I sorta shot a rifle before." Ellie took the gun from Joel. "But it was at rats."

"Rats?" Well if she's able to hit rats, people shouldn't be a problem. Joel tried to convince himself.

"With BB's."

Fuck.

"Well, its the same basic concept." Joel said, doing his best to not sound hopeless, which he felt.

"Lift it up." Ellie lifted the gun up against her shoulder. "Alright now, you're gonna wanna lean right into that stock 'cause it is going to kick a hell of a lot more than any BB rifle." Joel pushed her shoulder firmly into the stock.

"Okay."

"Go ahead and pull the bolt back. Grab it right there, tug it." Ellie chambered a new round into the hunting rifle.

"Now as soon as you fire you're gonna want to get another round in their quick."

"Listen to me, if I get into any trouble down there, you make every shot count. Yeah?" "And don't hit me."

"I got this."

"Alright." Joel gave a small nod. He knew that not giving her a gun was just delaying the inevitable. That didn't make him feel that much more comfort at putting his life at her mercy.

Joel snuck down towards the ladder. "And just so we're clear about back their. It was either him or me." Joel dropped down the ladder, not entirely sure why he had said that.

Joel heard a bullet fly right past his head, and a 200 pound weight fall on top of him. Joel pushed the now headless hunter's corpse of himself, and looked up at Ellie.

"Alright, come on down." Joel looked up to Ellie, who slowly got up and walked towards the ladder.

At least ten kills. She's a crack shot. Why didn't I do this earlier? He thought

Because you tried to kill her, you asshole. Another part of him thought.

Joel walked over to one of the dead hunters, Ellie got this one. He pulled the pistol out of his hand.

"How'd I do?" Ellie asked. Joel noticed the stunned look in her eyes. Joel gently took the rifle out of her hands.

"How about something a little more your size." Joel handed her the pistol, but pulled it back for a second. "It's for emergencies only." "Which will be at least 12 hours every day. He thought to himself.

"Okay." She said as she took the gun. She starred at it for a moment before putting it in the back of her pants, just like Joel did. She looked up at Joel with a look of, Confidence? Gratitude? Trust?

Trust. Joel decided. If only she knew about what I almost did a few days ago, I wonder if she would have shot me by now. Well, it don't matter, cause there is no way in hell she is gonna ever find out.

For better or worse, we're stuck together. Trusting her might just keep me alive. That's all this is about...

Right?

Joel was unsure why he ended that with a question.

[AN] I didn't expect this chapter to turn out this way, but I'm pleased that it did. Hopefully, I won't take nearly a week to upload the next chapter.