One foot in front of the other. Keep moving. Keep marching. Don't fucking die.

That was all that Ellie could think of, as they pushed on toward Jackson. Even Joel had fallen into a grim, silent, forward momentum. No one spoke, for fear of bringing down on them infected and clickers that they did not have the energy to fight. It became a mechanical motion, one that felt artificial after a while, as if they were simply marching in place. The only sound was the occasional whimper from Hannah who was balanced in Joel's arms. His face was lined with determination, and Ellie trudged ahead of him, breaking a path in the snow so he could travel easier with his burden.

It was nearly noon, when Joel stumbled to a halt, carefully placing Hannah on the snow, and flexing his arms, face wincing in pain as the muscles protested the movement.

"We stopping?" Ellie called back, trudging back to where he stood. She blinked up at him, shielding her eyes from the overhead sun glaring off the snow. "Just stopping right here?"

"Yeah," Joel muttered, flexing and shaking out his hands then sitting down in the snow, his eyes closing wearily, as he tried to catch his breath. "Yeah, we're stopping here."

"How much farther do we have to go, do you think?"

Joel eyed the sky, his jaw flexing in a way that Ellie was familiar with and didn't like. He was worried, very worried.

"I don't know, Ellie. Might be another day, maybe two. It's slow going in these drifts. We are both exhausted." His voice trailed off and he shook his head. "Ellie, she's not going to make it, I know damn well, I just keep hoping...that baby." He ran a hand through his tousled salt and pepper hair and sighed. "Shit."

Ellie sank down in the snow next to him, looking over at Hannah who lay still and pale in the snow, looking so much like a china doll that Ellie had seen in the mall that Riley had taken her to so long ago. "We are almost there, come on Joel, we can fucking do this."

Joel just sat there, leaning on his rifle, his dull, dismal eyes watching Hannah for a moment, then glancing at Ellie. The pain in that glance nearly stopped Ellie's heart and it lurched in her chest. "Aw, come on Joel, come on, we are almost there. Here, I will take the packs and the rifle so you don't have as much to carry. Come on, Joel, we were never quitters before and we aren't going to fucking start now."

He shook his head, but stood, as she tugged on his jacket to get him moving. "Determined little shit, aren't you," he grunted, as if it was the first time making this observation.

Ellie grinned broadly. That was the Joel she knew and belonged to. "Yep," she replied brightly. "Come on, old man, daylight's wasting."

Joel cast her an annoyed glare but his lips curled slightly in humor. He rubbed his aching hip and moved to Hannah's side, pulling off the canteen that hung across his shoulder, and carefully dripping water between her pale lips. She tolerated it slightly, but a few more drops set her to coughing and Joel swore, turning her onto her side. He shook his head fiercely, screwed the lid back on the canteen, slung it over his shoulder, and gathered her up again, balancing her against his chest. "Let's go, Ellie. Keep the gun handy, eyes open."

At that moment, from the direction they had come, a screeching sound that they all knew well pierced the air.

Runners.

"JOEL!" Ellie tossed down the packs, scrambling for her pistol with one hand and holding out the rifle with the other, as Joel unceremoniously plopped Hannah back in the snow at his feet, taking his rifle from Ellie. From behind them, a group of seven or eight infected charged from the trees.

"Ah, shit," Ellie and Joel chorused together. Had it not been a dire moment, Ellie might have commented on how great minds think alike, and Joel would have rolled his eyes, but at this point, there was no humor to be had. Joel fired the weapon at the group, and so did Ellie, taking down one after the other. Ellie's pistol ran out after three shots and she dropped to her knees, scrambling for her knife, as Joel took out three of the other runners. One nearly reached them, but he slammed the butt of the rifle over it's head and it fell in a heap on the snow. The last one charged, venomously snarling at them, and finally with a triumphant shout, Ellie found her knife, and stepped forward. She was immune, and if anyone was getting bit today it would be her. Joel was shoving new rounds into the rifle, calling "Ellie stay back!"

At that moment, a powerful rifle exploded over their heads, and the last runner fell into the snow.

"What the actual fuck, Joel," a familiar voice rang out.

Joel and Ellie turned quickly, looking up to where the voice came from.

Tommy sat on the hill above them, seated atop a brown horse, two other men from Jackson on each side of him. His face was a mask of concern, as he urged his horse down the hill and jumped off its back.

"Joel?"

Joel's face was relieved, broken, and so very exhausted. He hugged his brother as if his very life depended on it, as the men from Jackson rode out to inspect the runners to ensure they were all out of commission.

"Joel, what the hell is going on. Why are you here?" Tommy asked, pulling back from the embrace after a moment.

"Tommy," Joel said urgently, clutching his brother's shoulder in one hand. "Take this little girl, her name is Hannah and get her to the clinic. Gunshot, just grazed the side of her head."

Tommy knelt quickly beside Hannah, quickly examining the injury, and pulling up her eyelids to look at her eyes. "What happened?" He asked, not looking up.

"We ran into a hunter who didn't think anyone else had a right to have an opinion. He tried to -"

"He tried to kill Joel," Ellie interrupted, as Joel helped Tommy get Hannah onto the horse. Joel glanced back at her, frowning.

"Well he did," she grumbled.

Joel looked up at Tommy and patted the horse. "Tell you all about it later. Tommy, there's something the clinic needs to know. She's about four and a half months pregnant."

Tommy's face took on an expression that mirrored Joel's and he nodded stiffly. "Will you be alright?"

"We will catch a ride with the guys," Joel waved at him. "Get her in, Tommy."

"Alright. You both come to the clinic when you get there, you hear? I will have Maria start some food for you both. Goodness knows you both look like you need it."

"You alright?" Joel asked, cutting his meatloaf into pieces. He glanced at Ellie who was poking at hers with a fork.

"Yeah, just struggling a little with the meat," she replied softly. Joel's face softened and he nodded once.

"It ain't people."

"I know."

"Alright." Joel continued eating for a moment, then shoved the bowl of potatoes closer to Ellie. "Have more of these if you can't get the meat down."

Ellie looked up at him, her eyes round with surprise, as if having expected more of a fight. "I don't have to eat it?"

"Well," Joel shrugged. "I figure you need to eventually but todays been a shit day, and I'm cutting you some slack."

Ellie gazed at him for a moment longer, then took the mashed potato bowl and scooped more potatoes on her plate. Joel reached across with his fork and stabbed the offending meatloaf, conveying it to his own plate, out of the way of her second helping of potatoes. She cast him a grateful half smile, and he nodded.

At that moment, the door swung open and Tommy strode in, sliding onto the bench across from them. He began filling his own plate from the serving dishes on the table and settled his elbows on the table with a sigh, hands steepled together.

"How is she?" Joel asked quietly.

Tommy did not answer right away. He simply tilted his head to one side, and took another spoonful of green beans. "The doctors aren't sure yet. She's been out for a long time, too long, really, going by the time frame you gave us. The baby is alright, based on what data the ultrasound machine we have can get. It's ancient as the hills, but it is detecting a heartbeat, and that's something at least. She hasn't made a sound since she got to the clinic. They did a small procedure to help with the pressure in her head, but only time will tell. Could be hours, or days."

"Will it cause any long term damage?" Ellie asked around a mouthful of potatoes.

"Ellie. Don't talk with your mouth full," Joel chided. She stuck out her tongue at him and he sighed long-sufferingly.

"What a perfect lady."

"Not ever gonna be a lady," she replied matter-of-factly, while Joel rolled his eyes in annoyance, then she turned her attention to Tommy expectantly. "So?"

Tommy glanced at Joel, tapping his fingers together. "We really don't know, Ellie." Ellie's face fell, matching the unsure faces of the men at the table.

The door opened as Maria entered, shrugging off her coat. "Hey, Ellie. Would you mind giving me a hand with the donuts? They made some this afternoon with the kids, and there's some left. I figured we could have some of them with coffee. They won't be any good tomorrow, and I think after the last few weeks you guys have had, you might appreciate a little treat."

"Yay for donuts!" Ellie nearly shouted, spinning around and launching herself off the bench. "I haven't had a donut in fucking years! No shit coffee for me though."

"We have hot chocolate," Maria offered, and Ellie stopped dead in her tracks.

"No shit! Really?!"

"Ellie, language," Joel chided mildly on deaf Ellie ears.

"Yes," Maria chuckled at the surprised girl. "Come on, I'll make you some while I make the guy's coffee."

"We only got hot chocolate on Christmas Day at FEDRA," Ellie announced, following Maria into the back kitchen.

Tommy and Joel looked at each other, so many words waiting behind a dam of emotions.

"Shit happened, Tommy." Joel said simply.

"I've got all night," Tommy replied evenly. His eyes were worried, concerned, hurting for his brother and the two girls that had followed Joel on this terrible journey. "Start talking."

"First, how did you find us?" Joel asked.

"We were patrolling and looking for runners, after the night shift had reported seeing some. We heard a gunshot, and we rode out that direction to investigate in case someone else had run into the runners and needed help. That someone else ended up being you guys."

Joel nodded, and then started from the beginning, speaking fairly quickly so he could get it all out before Ellie came back with Maria. Tommy's face shifted between different emotions, as Joel told about Silver Lake, his injury, finding Ellie after she left the restaurant, Hannah begging to come along. It had taken weeks of struggle to get to this point, but just a precious few minutes to tell and as Joel fell silent, Tommy twisted his hands together thoughtfully, studying the table top. When he finally raised his eyes to Joel, his face was neutral.

"Joel, you guys have been through fucking hell. I know you blame yourself, and maybe even blame me, because you wanted me to take her."

"She made her decision," Joel replied evenly, stabbing his meatloaf. "This damn thing is on me, Tommy. She chose me and I fucking failed her."

"Sounds to me like you fucking saved her," Tommy replied bluntly.

Joel frowned at his brother. "Tommy, have you not been fucking listening? She was fucking raped by a predator, had to haul my ass around while I was dying, bartering her deer for medicine to heal my fucking stab wound that I should never have had, but I was too damn slow to avoid. I fucked this up, Tommy, just like I told you I would."

"You didn't fuck it up," Tommy replied, his voice raising slightly. "Fucked up would have been you coming back in here with no Ellie, or her body slung over the saddle of a horse. You get another chance, Joel. And Hannah, you fucking made the biggest difference in her life that anyone could have done. Fuck, Joel, if I had taken Ellie, that all might never have happened, and Hannah would be stuck in that damn town being abused the rest of her life, which would probably have been short because she would have checked out at some point when it got to be too much."

"But Ellie wouldn't have been hurt," Joel replied. "Tommy, he beat her up, fucking raped her, broke her. She's never been the same since, and probably wont ever be."

Tommy nodded, poking at his potatoes with his fork. "Good thing she has you then, right?"

Joel stared at his brother for a moment, then his face softened. "You think I can do this, Tommy? I've already fucked it up so many times."

"Welcome to fatherhood, Joel," Tommy chuckled. "Surely you haven't forgotten what it's like? All the sleepless nights, kid stomping to their room and slamming the door, yelling at them to not talk with their mouth full, hearing them sneaking in at one in the morning?"

Joel leaned back from the table and crossed his arms. "No. Just thought maybe I had learned how to do it better this time around, but guess not."

"Joel, stop being so hard on yourself."

"Can't help it. Comes with the older brother territory," Joel grunted, smirking at Tommy. "Got to do the worrying for both of us."

Tommy snorted. "Yeah right. So, what's the plan for Hannah? You did kill her dad after all."

"You worried about her causing trouble?"

"No," Tommy admitted. "But she's likely to wake up and not remember you make peace with each other, or forget it all entirely, or forget she even had a father. I guess, are you willing to deal with whatever happens."

"Have to," Joel shrugged. "I brought her here. Tommy, I was hoping that you and Maria might help with her. She's going to need a lot more than what I can give her, me and Ellie. We are two bachelors basically, and she needs a woman's help."

Tommy smiled kindly. "Pawning your acquisitions off on me, are you, Joel? In all seriousness, Maria would be happy to take her under her wing. We can put her in one of the small houses by the school, where she will be close to us, and give her some sense of independence. Maria can help with the baby. Don't worry, Joel. She willhave a home here."

"Thank you, little brother," Joel replied, although his teasing was sincere this time.

Tommy's face became serious and drawn, and he tapped the table thoughtfully.

"What is it?" Joel asked, frowning at his brother. "What are you thinking"

"Joel," Tommy said slowly. "You mentioned - what happened to Ellie. Is she -"

"Don't know," Joel replied. His face also turned grim and worried. "Won't know for several weeks."

"How do you think she will handle it?"

"She's Ellie," Joel shrugged, sighing. "Anything from going batshit crazy and tearing the barn apart, to sitting in her room not talking to anyone for days. Your guess is as good as mine."

"Well," Tommy said kindly. "Maria and I can be there for her then too, if you want, if it happens."

"Appreciate that," Joel rumbled. His eyes told Tommy clearly that if he found out Ellie was pregnant, he would probably lose it himself. Tommy didn't doubt that.

"We have donuts!" Ellie announced, ad she and Maria re-emerged from the kitchen. Ellie had a tray of donuts, and Maria had a tray of cups, and they both set them on the table with a flourish.

"Joel," Ellie asked conversationally, plopping down next to him, and scooting close to his side. He smiled crookedly down at her, and raised an arm so she could lean against his side, and draped the arm over her shoulder.

"What?"

"What did the baker say when he looked outside on the morning of his first bake day?"

Joel's eyebrows raised. "No fucking idea."

Ellie giggled, for just a moment looking like the carefree little girl she should have been at this stage of her life. "He said 'Look at that sky! There's a 100% chance of sprinkles today'."

The adults at the table groaned, and for the next hour, they laughed, and shared good food, and Ellie shared more puns, and Tommy shared stories of his and Joel's boyhood days, and Maria poured coffee and hot chocolate late into the night.

They would have sat there for much longer, enjoying a moment of normalcy, but the door of the restaurant slammed open and one of the nurses from the clinic stood there, wringing her hands together nervously.

"Tommy? I am so sorry to bother you, I know you are catching up with your family, but I had to come right away."

"That's quite alright." The dark haired man stood quickly. "What is it, Molly? What's happened?"

"It's Hannah, Tommy. She's awake and yelling about someone named Joel. We had to restrain her, the poor thing, she's still quite out of her mind with fever."

"What is she saying?" Tommy asked, pulling on his jacket to go to the clinic. Maria was immediately at his side too, ready to go with him. Joel and Ellie had risen too, and were making their way to the end of the table where the group was gathering.

Molly glanced at Joel, then at Tommy, her face a clear picture of worry. "She - she said - "

"Come on, honey," Maria urged her. "Out with it, this is important. What did she say?"

Molly's shoulders slumped and she bit her lip. "She says she's going to kill him."