Chapter Two

TLoU BELONGS TO NAUGHTY DOG AND I DO NOT OWN IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM OWN THE GAME OR CHARACTERS!

A:N Second chapter! I rewrote this three times already so I hope you enjoy the read! Trying to update chapters from an Ipad is an absolute pain in the back side, but I got there! Anyway, please remember to subscribe and follow the story and please leave a review! I will try and respond as soon as I can! Enjoy! :)

It'd been just over two weeks since Joel and Ellie had returned to Jackson, for the first few days Tommy and Maria had let them rest as long as they needed, Joel was always up before Ellie even began to stir, every morning she would turn over and be met with nothing, she'd open her eyes and notice the bed was empty where Joel had been the night before, Maria had caught her leaving Joel's room on their third day, she'd been coming up the stairs and had almost collided with a startled Ellie, Maria just stood there looking at the girl with her arms crossed and a smirk across her face.

"What are you smiling at?" Ellie had said, her face blushing slightly at being caught red handed.

Maria chuckled, "Nothing, dear, I was just coming up to tell you breakfast was ready and to hurry down before the boys devoured it all." she looked at Ellie and then back at Joel's room before smiling warmly at the girl and turning to make her way back down stairs.

Ellie huffed in annoyance and went straight for her room to get changed for the days activities before reluctantly heading downstairs for breakfast.

The days had gone by quickly with Joel running around helping Tommy with jobs that needed to be done around the dam and on the farms, Ellie had gone with Maria to help her with sorting out the guard duty rosters or helping at the stables, Ellie was glad that Maria hadn't brought up about the morning she had caught her leaving Joel's room, she didn't want to have to explain to her that she was scared of sleeping alone and she doubted whether Maria would believe her or not anyway.

Ellie and Maria were on their way back home when they ran into the boys, Maria immediately walked up to Tommy and gave him a hug and a kiss on the lips to which he returned whole heartedly, Ellie just walked up beside Joel and nudged him with her shoulder, he threw his arm over her shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.

Tommy was the first to speak as he turned to face the two of them, "Now I've got a suprise for the two of you," he said as a smile spread across his face "follow me."

the four of them walked past Tommy and Maria's place and continued to the end of the road before turning up another and continuing further along till they came to a small cottage, the white paint had only just started to peal down the bottom of the walls and all it's windows were intact, all in all the outside looked to be in fairly good condition.

"Now y'all are residents of Jackson now so ya need a place to live, this was one of the nicer houses we had available so I got a few of the guys to clean it up for the two of you" Tommy said, turning to face them with a massive grin plastered across his face.

Joel was just standing there with a look of astonishment on his face, "Tommy, I.. You.. Thank you!" he says quietly,

Ellie was amazed now only at the little house that was now theirs, but also at how lost for words Joel had seemed, this is probably the closest thing he's had to a home since before the outbreak, She let a huge smile crawl across her face before speaking, "This is awesome! Oh my god, thank you guys so much!" excitement evident in her tone.

Tommy handed Joel the key "now go on in and get yourself settled, Maria and I will head back home to give you both some peace, you can come back and get the rest of your gear when you're ready." he said as he put his arm around his wife.

Joel nodded, "Thanks, brother, for everything" Joel turned his eyes to Maria, "and you too, Maria, Ellie and I are mighty grateful for your hospitality" he says earnestly.

Ellie nods in agreement to Joel's statement "Thank you guys, for everything!" she says with a greasy smirk on her face, "especially for this!" she gestures to the house as she says the last part.

"In a world as torn apart as ours, you've got to look out for the family that you've still got left" Maria says quietly, "now get in there and get settled already!"

Joel looks down to Ellie, "C'mon kiddo, let's go check it out." He says as turns and starts heading for the front door,

Ellie wastes no time in bounding past Joel, yelling out as she passes him "hurry up old man!" She turns and waits for him at the front door, bouncing on the ball of her feet.

"I'm not old"! Joel grumbles back to her with a small smile on his face, he slides the key into the lock and opens the door, he steps through with Ellie hot on his heels.

Joel is in awe at how nice Tommy had managed to get this place cleaned up, it looked almost untouched from the aftermath of the Cordyceps, the loungeroom was cosy with a three seater and recliner nestled infront of a TV unit, I wonder if that still works? he thinks to himself, over on the far wall is an open face fireplace with fresh timber inside ready to be burnt, the dining room had a table and four chairs all in reasonable condition and the kitchen is as you'd expect, stove, sink, cupboards and fridge, which Joel could hear the motor humming away in, he put it at the back of his mind to check it's contents when he was finished with the tour,

down the hall was the bathroom which had a bath, separate shower and toilet, Ellie came in behind him and turned the tap on the sink on and was suprised when water came out with decent pressure, she put her hand under to test the temperature and gasped when she felt that the water was hot,

"Fuck yes!" she yells, "we've got hot water, Joel!" smile beaming on her face as she checks out the bath tub and shower before rushing off to explore the rest of the house.

Joel just chuckles and shakes his head as he heads out and down the hallway to where the bedrooms are, there were only two bedrooms which was more than enough for him and Ellie, he opened the door and walked into the first room, a decent size, it had a queen sized bed , two bedside tables and a tallboy as well as a built in robe, more than enough storage for what he's got he thinks, he sits on the bed and gives it a bit of a bounce and is pleasantly suprised when it's not as hard as a rock like the bed at Tommy and Maria's, he decided that after they finished checking the place out he would let Ellie decide which room she wanted.

He get's up and walks to the next room and pokes his head in, it has similar furnishings to the first room however instead of the queen sized bed, it's only got a double which he finds the small red head spread eagled on with a giant smile on her face and her eyes closed.

"This is so my room" she says quietly not realising Joel is standing at the door until he clears his throat to announce his arrival, Ellie's eyes shoot open and she sits up on the bed.

"See you've made yourself at home." he says smirking at the girl as he leans against the door frame with his arms crossed.

"Yeah it's nice, it's a place that we can finally call home, ya know?" she says timidly, looking up to meet Joel's eyes

His smile falters slightly before he nods his head, "yeah.. I guess it is our home now innit?" he straightens up and beckons Ellie out of the room, "Now do you want this room or the other, it's got the bigger bed, ya know?" he says teasingly

Ellie looks away and starts heading for the kitchen, "Nahh, I like this room, you can have the other" she says, turning to flash a toothy grin at him.

"suit ya self" he says as he makes his way out to the front porch and takes a seat on the step looking down the street and out over the town.. Not a bad view he thinks to himself.

Ellie joins him moments later and breaks his train of thought, "What's this stuff?" she asks whilst brandishing a brown glass bottle in front of his face,

Joel chuckles, "well I'll be damned" he grabs the bottle from Ellie and examines it before twisting the top off, he's met with the satisfying sound of a carbonated beverage opening up, "this" he says then taking a quick drink and giving out a contented sigh, "is beer, not quite as bad as liquor, but it can still kick ya in the guts if you have to many of them!" he hands the bottle to Ellie, "have a try" he says with a reassuring smile on his face.

Ellie takes the bottle back from Joel pensively whilst putting the opening to her nose and giving a little sniff, it doesn't smell too bad she thinks to herself, she puts it to her lips and takes a small sip, letting the cold amber fluid wash through her mouth and down her throat, she doesn't cringe, cough or splutter like she did with the Jack Daniels those weeks back, it's a little bitter but sweet also, the feeling of the fizzy liquid running down her throat and settling in her gut gives her a shiver,

"That's.. not to bad actually" she says as she hands the bottle back to Joel,

He accepts it willingly before taking another swig, placing the bottle down, he gets up and turns to Ellie, "We should probably go get the rest of our gear from Tommy and Maria's before it gets to late" he says beckoning for Ellie to follow him.

"Yeah, okay" as she gets up to follow him.

It doesn't take them long to retrieve the rest of their belongings from Tommy and Maria's, Joel thanked them one last time for everything they'd done for the pair in the last three weeks since their arrival in Jackson, Ellie didn't say much during the time they were there, just nodding and giving the odd 'yeah' or 'okay' when required,

She'd been having weird moods since the day that they arrived here and it was all because of the two words that Joel had hesitantly said up on the ridge, the scene played continuously through Ellie's mind and she'd imagined him telling the truth, or confessing his lie before they made it to the gates, she'd imagined screaming at him, hitting him and even running off into the woods in the hope of loosing him and being able to calm herself down enough to decide whether or not to head back to Salt Lake City without him in hopes of still being able to produce a cure, it was eating her away and slowly but surely tearing her apart, and she was over it, she decided that tonight, she was going to confront him and get the truth out of him, even if it killed her in doing so.

Joel had said his goodbye's and was making his way past the front door, he'd put his hand gently on Ellie's shoulder and the contact made her jump, she wasn't expecting that, he looked at her with a raised eyebrow and a puzzled look on his face but didn't say anything, they walked back home in complete silence, with Joel up front and Ellie trailing behind running different scenario's through her head on how tonight was going to play out, it didn't take quite as long as she'd expected for them to reach their house but once Joel had held the front door open and she'd walked in and dumped her pack on the floor by the couch, he spoke up,

"Ellie, what's been goin' on with you? you've been actin' mighty weird lately and I'm startin' to worry 'bout you." he said, obvious concern evident in his voice and on his weathered face.

Ellie spun around to face him and looked directly into his eyes, "Joel, I.." she sighed before continuing "I want you to tell me the whole truth on what happened back at the hospital." she said

"Ellie."

"No, I know you lied to me Joel, I could see it in your face then and I can fucking damn well see it now, so cut the shit and tell me the truth!" she had started to raise her voice by the end and she was starting to feel flustered and annoyed that he was trying to skirt away from the subject.

Joel sighed, lowering his head and pinching the bridge of his nose, "Sit" he grumbled,

"What?"

"I said sit!" he barked as he pulled his pack off and dug through one of the side compartments.

Ellie complied reluctantly to his command and sat on the lounge, she watched him as he rummaged through his pack obviously looking for something, but what? she thought.

Joel finally dropped his pack to the floor and walked to where Ellie was and held out what he had in his hand for her to take, "this was on the trolley next to your operating table when I got you out of there." there was a hint of annoyance mixed with resignation in his voice,

"It was Marlene's recorder, you should listen to it first, and if you want more answers from me, I'll give them to you." he said as he sat down on the recliner by the lounge, he put his elbows on his knees and ran his hands through his hair before sitting back.

Ellie eyed the recorder skeptically before nodding once and pressing the play button, static crackled forth before a voice emanated from the speaker.

"It's been almost 12 months since you handed the immune girl off to those smugglers in Boston to get out to us Marlene, I'm starting to think that they aren't going to show" whoever the voice belonged too didn't sound angry or frustrated, it sounded old and calm, much older than Joel's voice Ellie thought.

"They will come, David. I know Joel and Tess, they will stop at nothing to get the job finished, this one is no different." it was Marlene's voice this time.

"And if they do make it here, then what? We left all of our research back at the university after the monkey's escaped, none of the machines in this hospital work, we don't have the right tools to run any viable tests on the girl, the only way we could potentially get anything from her is if we preform an autopsy and even then, the chances of us learning anything or even crafting a vaccine will be minimal." again, this David fellow sounded calm, too calm considering what the conversation was about.

"We will David, The Cordyceps attack the brain, we don't need to run tests on the girl, all we need is her brain and we can learn everything we've ever needed to know about the fungus from it!" She sounded determined for this to work which scared Ellie a little bit, did Marlene always know that this would kill her?

"You seemed to have missed the point that I'm trying to make, Marlene. Although the CBI's predominately attack the brain, the infection is spread through out the body via the blood stream, from the evidence gathered by our research back at the university, the only way the girl could be immune to the infection is if the CBI count in her blood is that low that it would be having no effect on her, she would be a carrier, she wouldn't be able to infect others either from biting them, getting her blood on them or via sexual intercourse.. We need to study her blood for that reason alone, so just cutting her brain out as you are suggesting will not advance us any closer to finding a cure than we are now."

"I would recommend sending a team to clear the infected monkey's from the university so that we can return and continue with the research there, we have functioning machines and laboratories that will allow us to test the girl and keep her alive so that we have more than one shot at this" David seemed to be raising a fair point, she thought.

"Absolutely not, I cannot risk any more of my men to do that, our security is already spread to thinly through the hospital, we will just have to make do with what we've got to do the job and if the girl dies in the process.. Well.. That's a price I am willing to pay for the vaccine." What the fuck, is she serious?

"Then I am afraid you will have to find another surgeon to do the job, I will not kill a little girl to save people who do not deserve to be saved!" David sounded angry and Ellie could hear the sounds of movement and the sound of a gun being cocked.

"You will do as I say David or you will be forced at gun point to do the job and if it comes to that, then once we have crafted the vaccine and you are no longer needed, I will kill you myself!" Marlene sneered at the man, Ellie could almost play out how the scene was unfolding in her head.

"Well you might as well kill me no-"

The recording died before David could get the last of his sentence out..

Ellie looked up to Joel who was still sitting in his chair, his eye's shifted to lock on with hers, "Is this true? Is this why you got me out of there before they could operate?" Her voice sounded shaky like she was on the verge of tears,

"Yes it's true, no it's not the reason I got you out of there, I didn't get the chance to listen to it until we were in the car" Joel said as he looked away from Ellie and out the front window.

"Then.. Why'd you do it if you didn't know about that?" her voice was small, a tear ran down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away with her sleeve.

"Because no matter what, you always find something worth fightin' for." Joel didn't move to look at her, instead he lowered his head into his hands and let out a shaky sigh,

"I did it for you, Ellie, because after everything you've been through and after everyone you've lost, you deserve to be able to live a somewhat normal life, you deserve to be happy, to find love, have a family and to be able to grow old and watch them grow around you, I wasn't going to let you be cut up like.. Like some fucking lab rat!"

Joel stood up and walked over to the window with his back to the girl who was yet to speak up and tell him that he had no right to do what he had done, "and I did it because... If I'd lost you that day, I wouldn't have made it out of that hospital before I'd eaten a bullet, you are worth more to me than the future of this fucked up world" he said in almost a whisper.

"What about me, Joel? Did you even stop to think that maybe I'd have wanted them to continue and let me die for the cure? Because that is what the whole fucking journey was for, wasn't it? Maybe I wanted to save the fucking world! But you took that chance away! And it still doesn't explain why you LIED!" she yelled, tears flowing freely down her face, but she didn't care, she was too angry.

Joel whirled around to face her, "You've seen what man is capable of out there Ellie, do you honestly think that scum like that are worth saving? Do you think they are worth your life? Because I sure as fuck don't! No way in hell!" Joel was frustrated, not at her but at himself, he's the one to blame here, not Ellie.

"And for lying to you, I am truly sorry! I wasn't thinking at the time and I regretted it the moment the words left my mouth, but you were still grogy from the drugs and you could barely think straight let alone walk in a straight line, so it was the only thing I could think to do! Hell, if I could do it all again, that'd be the only thing I'd change!" his voice had lowered and it was almost too quiet for Ellie to hear at the end of the sentence.

"Oh great, you're sorry for lying to me, Thanks Joel! That makes everything so much better now!" She spat the words out at him and winced as he flinched away like he'd been physically hit,

"Am I really the bad person here, Ellie? Because Marlene lied to you as well and it was far bigger and had many more consequences than what I'd said, she was practically a mother to you and she didn't give two fucks whether you lived or died!" Joel's voice was low and filled with anger and Ellie could see it in his face,

"it doesn't change the fact that you lied as well, asshole!" she screamed at him.

Joel's face softened at that and he sighed, " I know, I wish I could take it back, Ellie, I really do!" Joel walked over to Ellie and grabbed one of her hands in his, rubbing his thumb over the top of her knuckles, "You know I wouldn't have done it intentionally to hurt you.. Don't you?" he asked softly,

Ellie didn't pull away from the contact, as angry as she was at Joel, she knew that he was right, all he has ever done since they met is protect her, from infected, hunters, rapists, cannibals, water and even himself sometimes, she knew he meant well but she couldn't help but to still feel angry at him.

"Yeah.. I know you wouldn't." she said softly as she pulled her hand from his grasp, he didn't fight it and Ellie was glad for that even though the lack of contact left her feeling cold and alone.

"I... I just need some time to think about everything, so I can wrap my head around things." she says as she looks away from him and down towards her room,

"I understand." he says as he steps back from her, she looks up at him with sadness still evident in her eyes.

She doesn't say anything else as she picks up her pack and makes for her bedroom, she closes the door behind her and drops her stuff to the floor before falling face down onto the bed, she buries her face into the pillow and hopes that it muffles her sobs enough so that Joel can't hear them, she doesn't know how long she stayed like that but when she rolled over onto her side, it was clearly night time, she could hear the water in the bathroom and she presumed that Joel was having a shower, she heard it shut off and not long after she heard soft foot steps leading from the bathroom to the room across the hall from hers, the door shut softly and she let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding in.

She listened to the recording three more times before finally, sleep took hold of her and she fell into a restless slumber.

Joel watched as Ellie picked up her gear and headed for her bedroom, it pained him to see her like this but he knew that it needed to be done and better sooner rather than later, right? He sat down on the lounge chair and let out a heavy sigh as he rested his head against the old leather, his mind wondering to when they had first met, when she had first shot the bandit that was trying to drown him and how she'd been his guardian angel with the rifle when they ran into more of them, he remembered how scared she was when he'd fallen onto the rebar in the university and how hard she had fought to get them both out alive, they'd briefly spoken about that winter when she had nursed him back slowly from the brink of death, it brought a tear to his eye at remembering everything she'd done for him, and his mind immediately went to the burning steak house and what he'd found there, a battered and bruised hysterical girl who was swinging a machete into the head of her attacker with so much desperation, once the adrenaline had worn off he'd had to carry her to a safe house because of her injuries and exhaustion, she'd cried into his chest for hours and refused to let him go at all, that's when he broke.

Joel let the sobs come and go naturally, they didn't last long and he wiped his eyes once they'd stopped, he sighed and got up off the lounge chair, he decided to go have a shower to try and help him relax, he stood under the hot water for what felt like an eternity, he washed himself and his hand briefly moved over the scar on his lower belly, he tried not to think about it, he turned the water off and dried himself off before getting changed, he walked out of the bathroom and stopped briefly in front of Ellie's door, he wanted to check to see if she was still in there but decided against it and went to his room instead, he closed the door softly and practically fell onto the bed, he'd laid there for hours, tossing and turning, hoping that Ellie would come in and hop into bed like she'd been doing every night before hand but she never came, eventually he fell into a fitful sleep,