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

A/N: Again thank you for reading this story, now lest continuing with it.

Chapter 6: Going Deep

After leaving Ellie in her place, Joel drives directly to the bar and since he was supposed to be there at 9:00 pm it was a little early. As soon as Joel arrived, he parked his jeep at the back of the building and got out. As he walked toward the back door, he saw the boy that helped in the kitchen and with cleaning the place.

"Hola Miguel… Ramon vino hoy?" said Joel as soon he got closer to the boy that was putting a few bags in the garbage.

"Hey… Joel llegaste temprano hoy… eso si es raro," said the 17-year-old boy as soon as he finished throwing the garbage on the can.

"Si… estuve dando un tour a… bueno a un turista… casi todo el día… así que Espero que no haya mucho trabajo," he said, as soon he grab the boy by his shoulder.

As they turn around and start walking toward the back door of the place. The boy looks at Joel with a smirk on his face. "Ohhhhhh!... bien por ti… hera bonita?" said the boy while trying to tease Joel.

Joel moves his other hand toward the boy's head and shakes it. "Eso no tiene nada que ver… Miguel…" he said while pushing the boy away from him and continuing walking toward the back door. "Solo fue un trabajo… ahora deja de bromear y vuelve al trabajo antes de que el Matt te vea." Added Joel as soon he entered through the door and went inside.

The boy followed him inside, still smiling. "Solo espero que no estés buscando una novia gringa… A Helena no le va a gustar eso…"

Joel stops and turns around to look at him. "Ya te dije que solo fue un trabajo… de todos modos lo de Helena y yo solo fue algo pasajero… y ya termino."

"Si… claro… y que tal lo de Maria?" asked the boy playfully.

Joel moves closer to the boy and covers his mouth. "Maria! ¿Estás loco? Deja de mencionar nombres aquí… Ella tiene marido… y lo último que necesito es que alguien empiece a decir cosas que no son ciertas." Said Joel before letting the boy go. "Ahora vuelve al trabajo y deja de estar regando rumores de mi…"

"Si claro… lo que digas," said the boy sarcastically.

Back in the guest house, Ellie orders dinner after taking a good and long bath. She texted her mother to let her know that she was okay, of course, it takes more than a few tests to finish the conversation, but at least she got that out of the way. She sent a text to her friends from college, but she didn't answer her. So half an hour later the food that she ordered arrived and she had to go outside to pick it up. The man from the counter told her where she could order food if she wanted something from outside. She thought about going to that bar restaurant where Joel works, but she was really tired and needed the rest. After she finishes the food, she goes to bed and watches a few youtube videos before she falls asleep.

After Joel finishes his turn at 2:00 am, he goes back to his house to get some rest. After taking a shower and drinking a few beers, Joel goes to his room and lies on the bed looking at the ceiling. He starts thinking about the girl's proposal to be her guide for a week. He definitely can use the extra money, but being alone with the young girl around the island would feel strange, even if it is only a job. He thought about that for a while before he fell asleep and then his mind went to another place.

Flashback

(12 years back)

"Ohhh MY GOOOD… are you Maverik? Man, I'm a fan… My name is Tommy… I love your surfing style…" said a young man as soon as he sat beside Joel in a bar. "Man, I saw you ride those big waves in Hawaii a few years back. Why did you retire… man you're the best…," said while looking at him with admiration.

Joel put his drink down and looked at the young man. "I don't know what they are talking about… My name is Joel and I am not the person you said," said Joel while looking at the bartender and asking for another beer.

The young man looked at him and smiled. "Man… you almost fill me… I know who you are, I will never forget your face… well look older than the poster I have in my room, but I know it is you."

Joel finishes his drink and turns to the side. "Look, kid… I have to go back to my girlfriend… she doesn't like when I'm late… so whatever you think I'm forget it and let me be." Joel stood up, paid for his drink, and started to walk out of the bar.

The boy stood up too and followed him outside. "Okay… I go, to be honest with you… I know who you're but I'm not here by coincidence… I was looking for you for the last two years"

Joel stops and turns around. "Listen kid… what do you want? An autograph?"

"That will be wonderful… but what I want is you to teach me how to be a good surfer… I mean I already know the basics, I just need someone to make me better… not make me the best."

"Sorry kid… but I'm retired. I do not surf anymore… I have a girlfriend and a new life here, so you should find someone else… that can help you."

"There is no one better than you… look, I understand that you like your private life," he said while moving closer to Joel. But the only thing you need to do is teach me how to do better… I will pay you for the classes of course… I just want to be the best, just like you." he looked at Joel with hopeful eyes. "So what you said?"

"Look, you don't need to be like me… Tommy… Everyone should be the best they can be by just being themselves… I'm sure that there is someone better than me that can help you." said Joel while putting a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"There is no one better than you… you're a legendary man… I just need a little help… please."

Joel looked at the boy's eyes and saw a reflection of himself, so he took a deep breath. "Okay… I tell you what… I will give you a few classes if that is okay with my girlfriend, is that okay?"

"Sure man… I will make sure to be good friends with your girlfriend…"

"Don't do that… just come to my house tomorrow and see." Joel turns around and starts walking toward his jeep.

"Hey!... Maverik, I don't know where you live?" said the young man while watching him leave.

Joel stops beside his jeep and looks at him. "Please don't call me that… It's just Joel now. Just ask the bartender… he will tell you the address." After that Joel entered his jeep and drove away.

The boy got back inside and saw the bartender grabbing the empty glasses and starting to clean them. Tommy sat on the stand and looked at the bartender when he turned around. "Hey… I assume that you know… Joel right? He told me that you will give me his address," asked the boy.

"This must be your lucky day, kid…"

The young man looked at him with surprised eyes. "Why did you say that?"

"Because he doesn't blow you off… like he always does with all the ones that come asking for his help." said the bartender.

"Other?"

"Yeah… Do you think that you're the only one that came to this island looking for him?" said the man while cleaning the glass. "He must see something in you to give you a chance. That man is the best that can be, so try not to screw things up kid… opportunities like this are rare."

The young man looked at the entrance of the bar. "Yeah… I bet they're."

(One year later)

"That is Tommy… you are doing great…" yell Joel while watching the kid ride a big wave in a local competition in California. The boy was moving great on the water, using all that Joel had taught him. He moved the board side to side with great style, until the wave ended a few minutes later. He raised his hand in the sight of victory, before moving down on the board and getting close to the shore.

There you have folks… That was Tommy Wiber, one of our best surfers in this competition. Said the announcement as soon Tommy went to the shore and another competition was getting ready for his turn. Now… ladies and gentlemen… get ready for Robert Joson… our next competitor.

Joel and his girlfriend Tess walk toward the young man as he grabs his board and walks out of the water.

"That was a great kid… I'm proud of you," said Joel as soon he got closer.

"I don't know Joel… I think I could do better than this… this competition is more for amateurs… When are we going to look for better waves?" said Tony in a disappointed voice.

Joel put his hand on his shoulder. "What are you talking about? You won a local competition last year and you will probably win this one here in the USA… that is great."

"Yeah… But all those men in those competitions are not the best… so there is no real competition here… I want to go national… be the best just like you," said the boy with a desperate tone.

"You will get there Tommy… just give it more time," said Tess while moving closer to the young man.

"How much time? It's been a year and Joel taught me all he knows… So when will I go to the world championship?" said the young man while looking into Joel's eyes. "I want to go to the Hawaii competition or better yet, go and chase some maverick wave… that will make me one of the best."

Joel moved to his side and put his arm on his shoulder. "Don't worry kid you will get there… Just be patient. Being the best on this is not all that the world can offer you… besides, being the best you can be is all you need." Joel pulls him away from the shore and walks toward where their things are on the sand. "I think that you will be ready for Hawaii soon, but I don't want to hear anything about chasing Maverick… those are too dangerous."

"But… you ride one…" he said, a little excited. "Some told me that you did… and that will make me great."

"That was a crazy thing to do… and almost cost me my life… a lot of people tried to ride those… and most of them had lost their lives. So I don't want you to talk about that ever… okay? Just concentrate on getting ready for the big league."

(End of Flashback)

Joel opens his eyes as he comes back from the sad memory. He was all sweaty and tired, so he sat on the edge of the bed and passed one hand on his face. He looked at the clock and saw that it was still early. He knew that he needed to do a few things today, so it was better to just get up and get started. Joel gets up from the bed and walks toward his kitchen which still needs some cleaning. Soon he gets in front of the fridge and opens it and grabs a beer. He looked through the mess in the kitchen for a bottle opener but ended up using his hand to do it.

As he drank the beer he thought about the girl and her proposal. It was not bad and it can be good for his tour business. Ramon was back at the bar so they didn't need him there early, so he can spend the day on that. Soon after he finishes his beer, Joel goes to his bathroom to take a shower and get dressed. Soon after he finished Joel got out of his house and went to his jeep to go and get things ready.

A few hours later, Ellie was in her room getting ready to go out, when the room phone rang. "Hello!" she said as soon as she answered.

"Buenos días, miss Willian… Is Carlos from the reception." said the man. "Sorry to bother you, but there is a man here looking for you."

"A man? Did he tell you his name?" she asked not knowing who can be since she did not know anyone there.

The man covers the phone and looks at the man in front of him. "She wanted to know your name, mister… what can I tell her?"

"Just give me the phone, I will speak with her…" said Joel while trying to get the phone out of him.

"You should not do that mister… our guests are-" he did not even finish as the phone was taken from his hands. "Hey! You can't do that… this is-"

"Hello! Ellie?" he asked while stopping the man from grabbing the phone back.

"Joel, is that you?" she asked.

"Yeah… Is it me… are you ready to go diving? I have things ready for you at the port." answered Joel.

"Really? But I thought that you were not going to accept my offer, so I was going to the beach today," she said while thinking about going with him or not.

"Well, I think about your offer and I want to talk with you about that… So since you ask me to take you diving, I have arranged that for you, but if you don't want to go-"

"No!... I mean yes… I want to go… just give me a few minutes to get ready.'' She said excitedly. She did not want to admit it, but she was hoping that Joel would accept her offer. She doesn't know why but it is something about the man that she finds interesting.

"Okay… I will wait for you outside," said Joel.

"Okay!" After that Ellie hear the man grabbing the phone from Joel and said something in Spanish that she didn't understand.

25 minutes later Ellie came out from the building with a backpack hanging from her shoulder. Joel looks at her as she walks toward him. She was wearing shorts and a top tank shirt. Also a baseball cap with her hair going out from the back in a ponytail.

"Hi, sorry for the delay, but I was not prepared to go diving," said Ellie as soon she get in front of Joel, that was beside his jeep in front of the place

"Don't worry about it, it was my fault for not calling early… I just need to do a few things first," said Joel while moving away from his jeep. "So… are you ready?"

"Sure…" said Ellie while walking to the other side of the jeep and getting in. "Are we going to any special place? Oh just go diving close to the coast?" she asked as soon Joel got in and closed the door.

"Don't worry… I have a few special places in mind," he said with a smile and started the engine. "You're going to love it…" he added while driving off.

30 minutes later Joel and Ellie were walking on a wooden pier where a boat was hooked up. Joel goes aboard first then helps Ellie to get inside the boat.

A few minutes later an older man came walking on the pier. "Hola jovencita… Joel no me dijo que nuestra pasajera fuera una joven tan hermosa." said the older man while unhooking the boat from the pier and getting aboard. He saw how Ellie looked at him and knew that she didn't understand him. "Oh… sorry… American right?" he said while getting close to her. "My name is Rodrigo… I'm the captain of this boat." he takes Ellie's hand and kisses it. Esto a sus servicio."

"Oh thank you… mucho gusto Sr… Mi nombre es… Ellie." she said while thinking if she said the words right. "Así que es usted… el… capitán?" said Ellie trying to talk in Spanish.

The man turns his head toward Joel and smiles. "Oh… tu le enseñaste a decir eso?"

"No… pero es un buen intento… ¿Ya podemos irnos?… oh vas a seguir chachareando ancianos?"

The man just laughs and looks back at Ellie. "No se como contrato a Joel… pero es su dinero," said the man while walking up small stairs where the boat driving part is.

Ellie watches as the man goes up and starts the engine. "He looks like a nice man… if he is your friend? Or you just rent his bout?" she asked while looking at Joel now.

"Both… but don't believe everything he tells you… especially if it is about me."

"Really! Maybe I should ask him a few things about you… since you don't-ohhhh," before Ellie can finish, she falls into Joel's arms as the boat starts to move forward and away from the pier. Joel grabs her arm for a few seconds before moving her away from him. "Sorry… I was caught by surprise," said Ellie while trying to hide her red face.

"Don't worry… accident… happens," he said while looking up where the man was driving the boat. He saw him smirking at him before turning his head to look forward and accelerating the boat.

10 minutes later Joel was on the back of the boat checking the diver tanks. "So where are you taking me?" asked Ellie while sitting on a bank on the side of the boat.

While Joel continues checking the equipment, he answers her. "Well, there are some coral banks where we are going, and close from there is an old sinking boat… that will be good to start," said Joel without looking at her.

"Oh… that sounds exciting… any pirate ship down there?" she asked while putting her hand together and leaning forward.

Joel turns his head and looks at her. "No one ever found any down there… but history said that there was a lot of pirate traffic on these waters…so who knows what you can find."

"Yeah… I hear a lot of that… the Caribbean was a lot popular for Pirates in those days… it will be cool to find a ship down there."

"Yeah… I bet," said Joel while standing up. "Ok, the equipment is ready and we are getting closer to our first stop… so why not go inside the cabin and put your diving suit on." Joel looked at the entrance of the boat cabin, but only saw one for a man. "Hey Rodrigo!... no empacaste un diving suit para mujer?"

"Que!" he answered.

"Que si triste-" Joel stops when he feels a hand on his shoulder.

"Is this one okay?" said Ellie while showing him the one she bought from the surf store. "I bought this yesterday but I don't know if this works for you."

Joel looked at it and saw what it was. "Do you buy a wetsuit?" he asked.

"Yeah… in a surf store when I arrive here." She looks at it and then goes back to Joel. "They told me that it can be used for both… diving and surfing."

Joel tries not to think about the surf part, so Ellie doesn't start asking again… especially in front of Rodrigo. "Yeah, that will work fine…" he said after a few minutes. "There is a small cabin inside… so you can use that to change," said Joel while pointing at the door.

Ellie looks to the entrance of the boat that goes down. She has her bikini on, so she can put the suit right there, but after a few minutes, she thought that it was better to do it out of sight. "Okay… I will go down and put it on," she said while grabbing her bag and going into the cabin. Soon she was inside, and Joel turned around to get things ready.

"Deberías ir abajo a ayudarla… esos trajes son difíciles de poner a veces." said the old man with a amuse tone. "No se talves… puedas ayudarla con algo más."

Joel turns around and looks up at him. "Que gracioso… solo es una cliente a si que no se de que hablas." Said Joel while turning around again. "Se lo que estás tratando de hacer… y no va a funcionar… Lo menos que necesito es que me demanden."

"Ahhh… no creo que esa chica te demande por solo evitar que se cayera… sabes que!? you creo que tu le gustas…"

"¡QUE!" Said Joel while turning around quickly. "No digas tonterías anciano… solo es una niña… yo podría ser su padre o algo así."

"Que? ¿Cuántos tiene? 19, 20?" the man start asking.

"21"

"Y tú que 38… 39?" he starts to guess, not remembering Joel's exact age.

"40… besides I'm not interested in any romance… so stop saying nonsense."

The man looked at him with curious eyes. "Sé que las cosas del amor no han ido bien… pero no debes cerrar tu corazón para siempre. Yo creo que le gustas… y no sería la primera vez que una jovencita se enamora de un hombre mayor…" he said with a smile before turning around and continue driving the boat. Of course, Joel ignored all that the old man said, but for some reason, he turned his sight toward the entrance of the cabin.

The boat is not big, Ellie just has to pass the middle part and is right in front of a little room. Soon she opens it. The room inside was a mess, but the bed was big enough for two people. She has never been inside a boat like this before, but she remembers watching a few love scenes on a boat like this in movies. She doesn't know why she thinks of that, and it was better to erase all that thinking from her head. So Ellie drops the bag on top of the bed and closes the small door. After a few minutes, she took off her tank top and shorts.

Soon Ellie was in her bikini, she grabbed the dive suit from the bed and started to put it on. It was a little difficult, but she managed to do it. Soon after she finished, Ellie felt the boat slowing down, so she presumed that they must arrive at their destination. Ellie took some scuba diving classes with her dad when she was younger, and since she is studying ocean biology she has been practicing a lot. Even so, she was a little excited to do it here and see what he could show her. As soon as she was ready, Ellie opened the door of the small cabin and went out.

When Ellie went out from inside the boat, she saw Joel already ready to go. He has his suit on and half of the diving things on him. "Are you ready for your dive tour?" asked Joel as soon as he saw her emerge from the cabin.

"As ready as I can be…" she replied while walking toward him. She saw him grab one of the oxygen tanks and look at her.

"Okay, let me help you to put the rest of your gear on." Ellie walked closer to him and turned around so Joel could put the tank vest on her. Soon Ellie was with the tank on her back, Joel helped her to turn around to face him, so he could be strapped on the front part. Ellie looks at his hand while he does it, feeling his touch on her body.

The old man was watching them from above with a smile on his face. He observes the girl's face as she looks at Joel. Joel is almost double her age, but he can tell that the girl likes him. Joel has been alone for a long time, so it was time for him to help to open his heart again.

Soon Joel finishes with her, he turns around and starts to put the rest of the gear on himself. "Do you need any help?" asked Ellie while watching him.

"No thank you… I got it… just put the diving clappers on and grab your mask…" he said while strapping a knife on one of his legs and sitting down on the bank to put his own diving clappers. Soon both were ready, they walked to the back part of the boat and sat on the edge. "Ready?" he asked while looking at her face.

"Ready?" she answered.

"I know it is a little late for this… but you know how to do this right?" asked Joel with a worried tone.

Ellie looks at him and smiles. "OMG… now I remember that I have never done this before… so I will probably drown… down there," She quickly put her mask on and jumped into the water. Joel shakes his head and jumps after her.

Soon both were on the water the old man looks at them. "Espero que la pasen bien allá abajo… y que no se encuentren con ningún tiburón." he said while waving his hand.

"What did he say?" asked Ellie, looking at Joel.

"Nothing… just have fun… now put on the breather and let go," he told her while doing it himself. Soon both were ready, they dive down into the water and started to swim deep. Ellie follows Joel down looking around on the clear water. She starts to see the beautiful coral formation and the fish around it. The place where they went down wasn't too deep, at least not close to the boat. She can see part of the sand on the button as they dive deeper.

Joel guides her over the coral toward the other side. Ellie watches the coral formation and the fishes moving around it. There were a lot of varieties of fish, some bigger than others and they had beautiful colors. The ones that stay closer to the coral, move away when they go closer to them. As Joel swims lower toward the other side of the coral, the water is darker and deeper, but the sunlight is still hitting the button sand and the coral where Ellie is. After a few minutes, they start to move away from the coral, Joel points at a few rays closer to the sand below them. Ellie looks fascinated and starts to move closer to them, but Joel grabs her arm and shakes his head when she looks at him. He told her with his hand that it was too dangerous to get closer when they were hunting, so they continued their swim beyond them.

After a few minutes, Joel moves closer to Ellie and points forward, where the sinking old ship was. The thing was so old that it was almost all covered with coral and started to become part of it. As they moved closer the sunlight was less, but they still could see the sinking ship structure. They swim closer looking at the fish's swing around the ship. They pass close to a hole on the side and an octopus swims out of it scaring Ellie a little. After circling the ship for a few minutes, they continue to swing toward another coral reef. Joel continues showing Ellie the beautiful nature of it. Joel and Ellie stay underwater for almost an hour, but when the oxygen from the tanks were getting low, they start swimming back to the boat.

Soon they go to the surface Ellie takes her dive goggles off and the breathing device. "Oh wow… that was amazing… thank you…" said Ellie while watching Joel take off his google too.

"You're welcome… glad you like it," said Joel while moving beside her.

"Hey… como les fue?" asked the old man while standing on the back deck of the boat.

"It was great… thanks," yell Ellie before starts swimming toward the boat. Soon she got to the back ramp, she was helped up by the old man.

"I'm glad… that you enjoy…" said the old man while waiting for Joel to get closer too.

Ellie takes out her diving clappers and moves onto the deck of the boat while Joel goes into the ramp and starts to take things off. Soon Ellie was on board, she took off her oxygen tank and put it on the deck beside her. After a few minutes, she sat on the bank and enjoyed the fresh air.

"Como les fue?" asked the old man as soon as Joel took off his tank and moved close to him.

"Creo que estuvo bien… pude enseñarle a Ellie muchas clases de peces y vimos ningún tiburón." he said the last part in a sarcastic way.

"Me alegro… my friend," he said while putting his hand on Joel's shoulder. "¿A dónde quieren ir ahora?" he asked while turning his head toward Ellie, who was with her eyes closed.

"Take us to the small palm island… that will be a good place to rest a little," said Joel.

The old man smiled at him. "Okay… a la isla pirata será.," he said while walking away.

"Puedes recoger el ancla… por favor?" said Rodrigo while climbing up the ladder and going to the driving part.

Joel walks to the front part of the boat and starts to bring the anchor up. Soon it was on the front deck. Rodrigo starts the engine and the boat starts to move away.

Soon Ellie feels the boat moving, she opens her eyes and starts looking for Joel. After seeing him walking from the front of the boat and toward her, she smiled at him. "Where're we going now… back to the port?" she asked him.

"No, this was only the first stop… I will take you to another place… you're going to like it," said Joel while sitting on the bank beside her.

"Soooo… what is this new place called?" she asked curiously.

"It's called… palm island… but local people call it 'La isla pirata. Is a small sandy island, with a few palms on it… I think you will like it, " Joel said with a mysterious tone.

Ellie smiles a little. "Una isla pirata? That sounds great… I never saw a pirate island before."

"Is not that big… but has some story behind it… but let's eat something first before we get there," said Joel while standing up and offering his hand to her.

"Okay… that sounds good to me," she said while taking it. "I'm hungry…"