In the coming weeks, Joel worked alongside Matt and his father in the engine room, finding that the Oklahomans had a talent for repairing machinery that he himself possessed, and though they exchanged but little talk that concerned the youngsters they cared about, Joel knew it was in the forefront of a few minds, likely theirs. Maria and Tommy's, to say the least.

The thought disturbed Joel greatly, in fact, it put almost excessive strain upon his and Tommy's already flimsy relationship. Joel did his best not to make eye contact with Tommy at the house, or engage him in conversation beyond what was necessary for their work. Maria would eye Joel, but say nothing. This went on for some time.

As the spring sun began to thaw the snow more and more each day, Joel took it upon himself to hunt extra game for the community. With the addition of the new survivor group, something near a barter system had been worked out. Tommy had everyone operating on a communal system before: everyone shared everything, but with the differing skills, it was quickly becoming much more practicable to have a market situation. What any man had, he could trade for something he needed. And so Joel hunted deer and wild birds and traded them to anyone who needed it; someone who didn't have a hunter in the family, or was otherwise incapable of procuring meat. One of the women brought seeds and intended to plant a garden. They were on their way to becoming a regular town.

Joel was surprised when, one warm day, Matt approached him as he was preparing to ride out into the woods.

"Joel?"

He turned, one foot in his stirrup.

"Matt. How's it goin'?"

"It's going." The young man bobbed his head, his hands in his pockets. "Going shooting?" He gestured awkwardly, yanking a hand free, and indicating the rifle strapped to Joel's back.

"What's it look like." Joel chuckled, and returned his booted foot to the ground. "Can I help you?"

"I'd like to talk to you," Matt blurted, his eyes meeting Joel's. "Can I saddle up, and come with?"

"Sure, but if you aim on gettin' any meat today –"

A darker color suffused his face. "I won't scare the game off."

Joel scratched his beard and took a deep breath as Matt led forth a pale horse, and clambered to its bare back.

"No tack?"

Matt shrugged. "This'll do."
Joel watched the young man closely. He was smart, and handled his tools well, and safely. That he was gun-shy was a real shame, because he also rode well, despite the lack of saddle and bridle. They ventured into the woods a little ways before Joel cleared his throat.

"Well," he began, pitching his voice a little louder than he normally liked to speak in the forest, so that his words would reach Matt's ears, riding a few feet away from him. "Whatever you wanted to say, I s'pose you should say it while you're still young. Then we can get on with the day."

Matt cleared his throat. "So, this is going to sound really stupid."

"Now that you told me that, it certainly will." Joel sat up, stretching his back, and guided his mount with his knees around a tight grouping of pines.

A small off-branch of the river ran near them, and the sound of it filled the area, bouncing from the trees in a thousand echoes, and settling Matt's rising nervousness. The creek. The river, the water, that was his encouragement.

"So, Ellie tells me that she can't swim."

Joel nodded in assent. "That's right."

"Ever think of teaching her?"

"Lots." Joel did his best to keep his tone of voice under regulation, but he still squinted at the boy. "What're you getting' at?"

"I'd like to teach her," Matt said, his voice strange, and hurried. "We're friends, and we do all kinds of stuff together. I want her to be able to swim. Not just for survival, but for fun. Survival isn't all there is to life, fun is something that humankind can be trained to live without, but in the long term breeds a society of ill –"

"Son, you think I haven't thought of all that?" Joel regarded him sharply. "We don't all have the time to dream that some do."

Matt reddened again. "I do my share of work."

"You do. But keep that dreamin' to a minimum, that kind of stuff'll get you nowhere in the real world."

"Just because you're hardened against the simple joys of life doesn't mean that I should be," Matt asserted stiffly, his tone rigid. "Or Ellie."

"She ain't. Have you ever had a conversation with her?"

"Yes. Multiple times."

"Well, so've I. I traveled with that girl all the way across the country, and let me tell you somethin', she's a wonder for keepin' her feet on the ground and her head in the clouds at the same time. Now, I wouldn't've believed it was possible to be so smart about some things and so darn stupid about others, but that kid kept me guessing. We kept each other goin'. And to be plain honest with you," Joel met the young man's eyes, "I was wantin' to teach Ellie to swim myself."

Matt held his gaze, an intake of breath swelling his chest ever so slightly. Joel held up a hand. "But I don't want to keep her from havin' friends and doin' stuff with 'em same as normal kids, so if you want to, and she's willin', go ahead." His face took on an almost resigned expression which was quickly replaced with ferocity. "But don't you let any harm come to her. If I'm goin' to trust you with that girl, you'd better not let me down, or I swear I'll come after you."

Matt nodded, his words earnest. "You can trust me. I'd never want to do something that she wasn't comfortable with. I'd never make her do anything she doesn't want to. I'll keep her safe."

"Good. Now scuttle, and let me hunt."

Matt departed in grateful haste, the wind in his hair feeling jubilant, the smooth hide of the beast beneath him rubbing against his jeans. He dismounted the moment he was within the gate, running to a stop, and handing off the beast to Houser, who was standing by calmly smoking a kind of cigar of his own invention.

"Everything alright, Matt?" he called, and the young man nodded.

"Certainly, thanks."

Houser nodded, and began to remove the horse's tack as Matt hurried along at a fast clip, his boots making sucking noises in the muddied ground.

"Ellie!" he called, Tommy and Maria's house coming into view. "Ellie?" He clattered up the steps, and eased open the door. "Hello?"

"Matt?" Tommy's voice was heard calling.

"Hi, Tommy." Matt couldn't see where the voice was coming from, and so looked at his boots, leaning against the doorframe. "Ellie in?"

"She's with Maria down at the hall," Tommy's voice called back. "I thought you went with Joel."

"I did," Matt chuckled. "But I'm not much good hunting, so he sent me back, and now I'm looking for Ellie."

"Alright then." Tommy came into the room, wiping his hand on a shop towel, and opening a drawer beneath the counter, searching through the assorted implements until he found a wrench. "Pipes' backed up again," he explained with a shrug. "Nobody's complainin', but I'm still goin' to give it a few turns and see if that doesn't do the trick."

Matt nodded. "Alright, well, I'm going to find Ellie. See you around."

"See you, son."

Matt didn't have to go far, he encountered Ellie on her way back from the hall, chucking rocks ahead of her into the dust, and whistling merrily. She had her eyes on her feet and didn't see him until a pebble made contact with Matt's shin and he took in his breath.

"Ouch. What're you trying to do, lame somebody?"

Ellie looked up and her eyes widened. "Oh, hi! Sorry, didn't see you."

"Apparently." He crossed his arms and tipped his face upwards, regarding the bright sun beating down on them. "Warm day, hm?"

"Yeah, no kidding. If Tommy doesn't get the water fixed we'll be back to our bucket-of-water showers."

"What about the creek?"

Ellie's eyes were a bit wide. "Oh, I don't go there. I can't swim, remember."

"I could teach you."

She squinted. "You're pulling my leg."

"No, I'm serious." He smiled. "You need to learn – I'd like to teach you."

Matt pushed his hands into his pockets as he watched Ellie hesitate a few feet away, her eyes fixed on him.

"Alright," she said at last, bobbing her head. "Teach me to swim. But if you're going to do something for me, I've got to do something for you."

Matt's face took on an almost hurt expression, and he lifted a hand. "No, no, I'd rather – "

"Look, I'm not crazy about water in the first place. So doing this makes it like a deal." Ellie shrugged. "I can manage that."

Matt hesitated, then his face broke into a lopsided smile. "Alright. I've got something you can do for me."

"What is it?" Something about his expression unnerved her; her voice was filled with skepticism, her tone wary, something he'd never heard from her.

"It's ah – my hair." He shrugged. "Somebody's got to cut it, and I can't see to do it myself. At least not the back."

"Oh." Ellie's face lit up. "I can do that. I used to do it for Joel all the time."

"Grand." Matt pursed his lips. "Creek first, or haircut?"

"Creek," Ellie said decidedly. "Let's get this over with."