Spring - March

It's been about a month since Dina moved into Ellie's place. It took some adjusting to get used to not living alone but Ellie quickly latched onto the idea of living with her. It was nice having someone waiting at home after a long day. Now, they didn't exactly work 'proper jobs' but they did help around in the community.

Ellie went back to hunting with the patrol team. Of course, she had a thorough scolding and lecture to not stray off the path. She didn't have an intention of doing so in the first place though. She wanted to make things quick so that she could get back home to Dina as soon as possible. If anything, she had been more focused than ever and usually ended up being one of the first pairs to make it back home.

As for Dina, she ended up giving a hand to whoever needed help. Some days, she would help out Maria, making sure they had enough supplies and got them to where they needed to be. On other days, she would help out at the clinic, and on some, she'd mentor the kids, teaching them what needed to be taught. Although, in Ellie's humble opinion, she was doing too much for the bratty kids.

Time was slipping and it was almost as if life was normal again.

Today was like any other day and Ellie managed to hit their hunting quota faster than expected. She went home before hopping into the shower and cleaning herself up. After she was out and ready to go, she fluffed her hair out with a towel before drinking a glass of water and noticing that Dina wasn't home yet. She ended up rubbing her left forearm. Her wound had healed the best as it could but there was a gnarly scar that made her arm look fucked up. It gave her flashbacks to her right arm and a part of her laughed at the irony.

Taking a seat on her couch, she brought up her guitar before setting it on her lap. She then looked at the strings before strumming a few cords. She ended up tuning a few before playing a few notes before singing softly.

"If I ever were to lose you…"

Ellie was lost in her head, completely in the zone, until Dina chimed in out of nowhere. "What was that?"

She looked up from her guitar and found her girlfriend leaning against the door frame. She smiled before breathing in and dismissing, "Nothing."

"Hmm. Well, nothing sure sounds nice." She then kicked off the wall before shutting the door and walking over.

Tapping the side of her guitar, Ellie looked up at her before asking, "Remember that night by the bonfire?"

Dina simply nodded. "Yeah."

Ellie started strumming her guitar again and Dina took that as a sign to sit down on the carpet.

"Talking away~"

A sweet smile grew on Dina's face as she settled down comfortably while Ellie began singing in a light and airy voice.

"I don't know what

I'm to say I'll say it anyway

Today's another day to find you

Shying away

I'll be coming for your love, okay

Take on me

Take me on"

Dina couldn't take her eyes off Ellie as she wavered from looking at her endearing face and her skillful fingers strumming the guitar. Of course, as Ellie continued to perform for her, Dina's smile continued to grow.

"I'll be gone

In a day or two

Needless to say

I'm odds and ends

But I'll be stumbling away

Slowly learning that life is okay

Say after me

It's no better to be safe than sorry

Take on me"

Ellie finally glanced at Dina before smiling.

"Take me on

I'll be gone"

She looked at Dina again as she sang the verse with a bubbly smile.

"In a day or two

In a day or two~"

Her strumming came to an end shortly after as she breathed in bashfully and looked at Dina. In response, Dina just looked her in the eyes before commenting:

"You should've kissed me then."

Letting out this dreamy sigh, Ellie leaned onto her guitar. "I wanted to."

"Me too." Dina held eye contact before letting out a soft chuckle. "You know, I meant to ask you. If I didn't make my move on you at the dance, how would you have hit on me?"

That made Ellie scrunch her nose. "I don't think I would have hit on you."

Rolling her eyes, Dina scoffed. "You totally would have hit on me!" She insisted before deadpanning, "I mean c'mon, how bad could it have gone?"

She quickly shook her head. "You might have rejected me and then what? I have to watch you… fall for someone else."

Dina scoffed again. "Okay, worse case, it would have been a little awkward and then we'd just move on."

That made Ellie let out a dry laugh before arguing back. "There's no way we just move on."

"Yes, we would have." She insisted again in a confident voice.

Frowning at that, Ellie gently asked in a scared voice. "What if you were grossed out… what if you didn't want to be around me anymore?"

"Such a pussy."

"Okay!" Ellie scoffed before reminding her, "Who was the one who had this blinding urge to kiss me for four years and didn't do shit."

Dina just ignored her and smirked before teasing, "Tell me about when you first realized you were into me. Was it my swagger? My overwhelming beauty?"

The dopey grin on Ellie's face wouldn't go away as she shook her head. "I was into you from the day we met."

"Go on."

She breathed through her nose before looking Dina in the eyes and explaining, "The day we met, you introduced yourself to me and Joel like, you were the mayor or something."

Dina had the brightest smile out there. "Because I thought you were cute."

Ellie rolled her eyes. "Pssh, shut up."

"I hate you." Dina started out of the blue.

Her girlfriend laughed and rolled her eyes again. "No, you don't."

"Yes, I do."

"No, you don't."

Dina finally held this playful look for a tense second before proclaiming, "I love you."

Letting out a soft sigh, Ellie looked into Dina's eyes before shooting back, "I love you too."

Giggling on that note, Dina got up before leaning in to kiss her lips. "I'm gonna go shower."

"All right, you want me to start dinner?" She asked before setting down her guitar and getting up.

"Sure." Dina took off her coat before walking over to grab some clothes.

Ellie was in the kitchen by the time she grabbed her things. "You want a sandwich or that egg sh-shakusa thing?"

That made Dina freeze before shaking her head with a smile. "Shakshuka," she corrected before walking back and kissing her cheek. "But a just sandwich is good, I'm starving."

"All right, consider it done."

By the time Dina was clean and refreshed, she stepped out of the bathroom still semi-wet. Ellie gave her the side eye before letting her eyes eat up her curves. They started at her neck, slowly traveling down to her collarbone and neck before landing at her waist and hips. She licked her lips before swallowing and turning away. "Dinner's ready." She then brought over two plates in her hands to the living room table.

Of course, Dina wasn't blind to Ellie's blatant stare. If anything it made her feel delighted before she walked over and sat down next to her. Their legs bumped into each other as she picked up that sandwich and took a small whiff. "Mmh, smells good." She took a small bite before chewing on it gingerly.

Ellie just shrugged. "Just a regular pesto, turkey, and spinach sandwich."

"Mmh…"

After a few more bites, Dina got up before grabbing something from the kitchen. She came back with a jar of pickles before opening it and putting some into her sandwich. Ellie's nose immediately scrunched at that before she asked:

"Pickles? In a pesto sandwich?"

Dina took a more healthy bite before asking back, "What?"

Ellie eyed her sandwich, watching as pickle juice dripped down onto the plate before replying, "Nothing." She then took a bite of her sandwich and looked away.

They enjoyed the rest of their evening in relative peace. Although, Dina ended up running to the bathroom a few times before they went to bed. Thankfully, she managed to keep her food inside today however, before they went to sleep, Ellie rubbed Dina's feet for a bit. Dina sighed in bliss before cuddling with Ellie when she was done.

"How are you feeling babe?" Ellie asked as she rubbed Dina's lower back.

Dina groaned softly before nuzzling into her chest. "Alright… at least I'm not puking every two seconds now."

Ellie chuckled at that before patting her arm comfortingly. "Good, I need you well-fed for our baby. Nice and plump."

"Hey!" She lightly slapped Ellie's chest, "What are you trying to imply?"

"Mmh… that you're… getting a little plump?" She teased with a little grin.

Scoffing at that comment, Dina pinched her side. "Oh fuck you!"

Ellie giggled before rubbing her hand over the small bump on her stomach. "You're starting to show…" She then pressed her lips against her neck. "It's kinda cute actually."

Dina practically purred before drawing a playful circle on Ellie's bare thigh. "Well…" she started with a raspy voice, "Even if I get a little… plump, I'm pretty sure I'm still the only person who could push your buttons."

"Uh huh… sure you are. Sureeee you are."

Ghosting her lips above Ellie's, Dina looked into her eyes, completely lost in arousal before whispering. "I can prove it to you."

Holding in a grunt, Ellie breathed in a deep yet quiet breath before tugging at her shirt. "You're gonna have to try pretty hard then."

"Is that a challenge?"

"Maybe…?"

They kissed each other's lips before Dina began trailing them down Ellie's neck. As she made her way down, peppering kisses on her skin, she gently pushed up Ellie's shirt. As she made her way with her girlfriend's body, Ellie settled on her back before sighing and shifting around, surrendering herself to Dina. A soft moan left her lips before closed her eyes and focused on Dina's touch.

Now, Ellie had to admit that one of the fun parts of living together was that they got to have sex whenever they pleased.

This woman has been driving her crazy for years now so it was only right they made up for whatever sexual tension that was between them all these years. Ellie ended up knocking out after Dina 'showed' her what she wanted to prove. Nights like this continued on and while most of them were nice, some of them were…exciting but not quite the good kind of excitement.

Groaning in her sleep, Ellie twitched to the side. She tossed around before her eyebrows creased deeply as she began sweating. She groaned again before mumbling something. Sure enough, Dina stirred awake before turning Ellie's way.

"Ellie…?"

Ellie only flipped around before grunting. Her breathing grew more hectic and Dina fully stirred awake before quickly reaching out to her.

"Hey, Ellie." She started shaking her body, "Wake up."

Her breath only hitched as she pulled at their blanket.

"El, wake up." She shaked her more firmly, "Wake up!"

Ellie's eyes snapped open as she abruptly gasped for air. She started panting, gasping as she pulled at her shirt. Dina quickly pushed herself up and cupped her cheek.

"Oh Ellie…" She rubbed her cheek before cooing, "It's just a bad dream. You're okay, we're okay."

She was practically grunting in pain as she choked some sobs while breaking down. She couldn't forget the moment she took that man down and strangled him to death. "I… I took away that guy's life." Her chest was tight and the cold sweat made shivers shoot down through her bones. "I…" Her eyes shimmered with tears before she rubbed her face. "Fuck— I… Jesse—"

"Hey hey hey," Dina shushed her again before pulling her into a tight hug. "You did nothing wrong. You're okay. It's over now."

Ellie continued to wheeze and choke. Dina simply rubbed her back and comforted her until she caught her breath.

"There there, I'm right here. I got you."

"Fuck…" Ellie buried her face into Dina's face. "God damn it… I'm sorry…"

"You don't have anything to apologize for." Dina firmly stated before kissing the back of her head. "I love you."

Ellie let out this sad laugh as she sniffled. "I love you too."

She cried to sleep after that.

When Ellie woke up that morning, she felt like shit. She was thankful that Dina didn't say anything about that night but instead, gave her a tight hug. She even heated a cup of hot cocoa for her. Like, how sweet was that? She made sure Ellie had everything she needed so that she could be lazy in bed that day before leaving for community work. It took a while for Ellie to pull herself together but she managed to do so by the time Dina came back.

It wasn't the first time that Ellie woke up with nightmares within the past month. It wouldn't be the last either. Only time would tell but as it passed, the number of times she woke up screaming lessened ever so slightly. Days carried on whether or not she liked it or didn't with all-time emotional highs and lows. That's how she carried about her days, doing her best and whatever kept her hands busy.

Today was another day and another hunt.

Sadly, she wasn't as focused as she could have been meaning, the hunt took longer than it should have. She missed the target multiple times and every time she did, she grew more frustrated at herself and that's why Ellie was taking a walk around town. She needed to calm down and cool her temper before heading home.

By the time the sun had begun to set, Ellie headed home and took a deep breath before opening her door; however, the moment she went inside and saw Dina, she froze. She came to a full-on halt the moment she eyed what Dina was snacking on. She blinked in disbelief before asking in a playful voice. "Are you… eating pickles and ketchup?"

Dina turned around after she popped one in her mouth and chewed on it softly. "Yeah?"

Scrunching her face, Ellie made a noise of disgust. "Urgh, babe that's gross." She went inside before shutting the door.

"Hey! Don't knock it 'till you try it. Besides, you eat them all the time in burgers." She defended before cocking an eyebrow to prove a point.

Ellie started shrugging off her coat. "I do but not like that." She nodded her chin toward her mountain of pickles drowning in ketchup. "That's way too much ketchup, Dina."

Rolling her eyes, Dina stabbed one with her fork before offering her one. "Stop being a wuss and just try it." The frown on Ellie's face only grew as she reluctantly walked over. Dina scoffed again before teasing, "You're such a baby! These pickles are fucking amazing by the way. I made them myself."

Groaning softly, Ellie let out a sigh before leaning down. "Fine." She then opened her mouth before eating it off Dina's fork. She immediately gagged and covered her mouth before fighting for her dear life. She ended up swallowing all the ketchup first before chewing on the pickle. Once everything went down her throat, she coughed a little before letting out a half-hearted barf noise. "Disgusting."

Shaking her head, Dina stabbed another piece and popped it in her mouth. "Your loss."

Swallowing back the vile aftertaste, Ellie eyed that nasty, red saucy glob on her plate, before looking at Dina's lips. She watched her eat it before mumbling in a quiet voice. "And I have to kiss that…"

Dina turned her head. "Hmm? You say something?"

Ellie's face immediately flattened. "Nope."

"Okay…?" They held eye contact before Dina pursed her lips. "I can feel your judgment from over here."

That made Ellie clear her throat as she turned away. She then scratched her neck before changing into something more comfortable. As she changed, Dina eyed her up from head to toe before finally asking, "So, how was the hunt today?"

Ellie tossed her hoodie onto their bed before pulling off her tee shirt. "It was alright. I missed a few shots."

That immediately made Dina smirk before she playfully joked. "Oh, I knew you were a lousy shot."

"Hey!" She scoffed before taking off her bra and putting on a tank top. "I am not a lousy shot and you know it! I can smoke your ass a mile away!"

Dina immediately laughed at that. "Oh, sure you can. I remember saving your ass when you got jumped by that pack of possums that one time."

"They came out of nowhere! How was I supposed to know there was a den of them next to my foot!" She pulled off her jeans before slipping on some booty shorts.

A smile crept up on Dina's lips before she stared at her lovingly. "You're a mess."

"Oh, I'm a mess?" Ellie challenged back before walking over to Dina's side. She then leaned in real close before pinning her against the couch. "So what if I am?"

Humming thoughtfully, Dina licked her lips before letting her eyes fall onto Ellie's lips. She then teased her by slowly tilting her head left and right. "Then I'd say…" She leaned in a little closer, "You're a hot mess."

A huge grin formed on her lips before she chuckled. "I knew you were into me."

Dina's breath only tickled Ellie's lips. "I am. So what?"

Licking her lips, Ellie got as close as possible without touching her lips before whispering, "It makes me wanna kiss you."

"Then why don't you do it?" Dina challenged back in a light and airy voice.

"I will."

Ellie pressed her lips against Dina's without a second to waste. She kissed her once, pulling back, before opening her mouth and kissing her more passionately. Dina was quick to moan and Ellie cupped her cheek while pulling her in by her neck. Another strained moan left Dina's lips and she sighed before pulling Ellie onto her lap. In no time, Ellie pressed her tongue into Dina's mouth before ignoring the pickle-ly taste. She sucked on the tip of her tongue, relishing her warmth, before rolling it around.

They moaned again, lost in their kiss when suddenly, Dina pulled away abruptly and pushed her aside. Ellie immediately fell off her lap with a heavy thud, smacking her head on the floor. "Ow, fuck—"

However, before Ellie could ask, Dina smacked her mouth shut before rushing into the bathroom. She gagged and once she was above the toilet bowl, she puked out her guts. Ellie could hear the contents of her stomach splashing into the bowl and she quickly sat up before rushing over to her side.

"Aw shit." She went down on her knees before rubbing her back. "Hey, hey hey hey. It's okay… I'm right here." She then pulled hair out of her face, holding it back as Dina only responded with violent hurls. By the time she calmed down, Ellie held her close while rubbing her back soothingly. "You okay?"

Dina spit out the residue of her vomit before panting in disgust. "I'm sorry… I just ruined the moment. Quite a literal mess I am now aren't I?"

Ellie laughed before the side of her face. "Hey, if I can kiss you with your nasty pickle-ly ketchup breath just before you puke, I think I'm pretty good with handling nasty shit."

"Oh, is that so?" She gave her tired smile before grabbing her hand. "Good to know."

"Mmhmmm," Ellie rubbed her back again before asking, "You want some water?"

Letting out a sigh, Dina nodded slightly. "Yeah, that'd be nice." She ended up flushing the bowl before staying near it as Ellie grabbed her a glass. Once it was in her hand, she took a small sip before sighing, "God I hate this shit."

"You mean the puking or our interrupted kiss?"

"Both you dingus," she took another sip before swallowing back nausea. "Feeling queasy all the time seriously sucks ass."

"Oh, I couldn't tell." Ellie playfully joked before getting weakly punched on the arm. "Ow— geez, ease up on the gun violence! They're locked and loaded, I don't want you getting hurt."

Her jaw dropped. "You did not just joke about your 'guns.'"

Ellie couldn't help but flex her biceps with a wink. "They're out of your league babe."

Dina immediately groaned while rolling her eyes. "I hate you."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do."

"No, you don't~"

"Ugh, I love you."

"Love you too."

It wasn't a good night for Dina that day. She hardly slept through the night and every time she ran out of bed to puke, Ellie would comfort her by staying at her side and rubbing her back. She'd even hold back her hair when needed. Whatever Dina instinctively wanted, Ellie served.

When morning came, there was a knock on their door. Ellie was the one who twitched awake first. She shifted around, staring at the door before someone knocked on it again. She immediately sighed before rolling out of bed, grumbling to herself.

"Urgh, who is it?"

Ellie quickly slipped on a hoodie to cover her almost bare self before opening the door. She blinked before freezing when she saw who it was. It was Joel and Talia.

"Morning Ellie," Joel started as his eyes flicked inside.

For once in her life, she was glad that Dina was sick all night long because that meant they weren't intimate so they were both decently dressed.

"Sorry to interrupt you two so early in the morning," Talia said as her eyes flickered toward her sister. "Is she okay?"

Ellie gave her a sad smile as she spoke in a soft voice. "Not so good, was up all night puking."

That made her sister frown. "I see…" She then glanced at Joel before commenting, "Maybe we'll wait for you at the tavern for lunch? We wanted to talk to you both."

"Okay…?" Ellie eyed her suspiciously looking at Joel. He only avoided eye contact which made her get more suspicious. "Sounds good, I'll let Dina know once she wakes up."

Talia smiled warmly. "Thank you," she eyed her sister again before gently squeezing Ellie's shoulder. "Take care of her for me."

"I will." Ellie responded with hesitation while making eye contact, "I will."

"We'll see you later then."

Joel just gave her an awkward wave before they left. Ellie raised an eyebrow, curious as to what they wanted, before shutting the door.

"Okay…?" She ended up shrugging before checking up on Dina.

Dina was still curled up on her side, sound asleep and breathing softly. She looked a bit tired but better than when she had woken up two hours ago. Ellie smiled before rubbing her cheek affectionately. She then pulled up the blank to keep her toasty before washing up for the day. By the time Dina stirred awake, Ellie was busy drafting a song on the couch. It wasn't until Dina grumbled that Ellie looked up and set aside her notebook.

"Good morning beautiful."

"Mmh… mornin'..."

"How are you feeling?" Ellie asked as she sat on the side of the bed. She then brushed the back of her hand against her cheek.

Groaning on that note, Dina nuzzled against her. "Better… not exactly feeling it today…"

"Shit." Ellie leaned down to kiss her forehead, "Do you think you'll be good to go on a little walk? Joel and your sister stopped by earlier. They wanted to talk to us about something."

"A talk?" Sighing again, Dina pushed herself up before Ellie held her. "I wonder what's it about."

"No idea but Joel looked a little… nervous?"

"Nervous? Oh no," Dina got up before heading for the bathroom. "Maybe he's finally done with your ass and is going to disown you?"

Ellie scoffed at that. "He's not my dad, he can't disown me! I'm not even on his family registry."

"Wait, you're not?" Dina paused with a toothbrush in hand as she poked her head out of the bathroom. "No way."

She just shrugged. "Technically speaking, one can say that Joel kidnapped me."

"Oh god."

"Yep. Besides, it's not exactly like I had papers as an orphan on the run from riots either. He just… kinda took me? And brought me here to settle down. That's why our last names don't match either. We didn't care too much about formalities when we were running."

"Geez," Dina started brushing her teeth. "Thaz kindah fuahny achewally."

Ellie chuckled as she just shrugged. "Right? Anyways, you wanna try eating a light snack, or are you good to go?"

Dina spit into the sink before rinsing out her mouth. She then wiped it before shaking her head. "I'm good, let me just change and we can go."

"All right. Sounds good."

After Dina was dressed, the two of them made their way into town. It didn't take them long to find Joel and Talia in the tavern. They were seated in the corner and once they were at the table, Talia stood up and pulled Dina into a hug.

"Hey little sis', feeling better?" She then kissed her cheek.

Dina kissed her back before pulling away. "Better than I was like two hours ago."

Talia gave her a warm smile before rubbing her cheek. She then looked at Ellie before nodding, "Well, let's take a seat shall we?"

Once they were seated, Dina looked at her sister before looking at Joel and back. "What's going on…? Ellie told me you needed to talk to us?" She then grabbed Ellie's hand from beneath the table who gave her a warm squeeze in return.

"Yeah, we got some news to share…"

Ellie and Dina just raised an eyebrow before looking at each other.

Joel cleared his breath. "So we have been thinking…"

"And we as in us, Robin, and even Tommy and Maria."

The two of them just had an even more suspicious face. "Uh huh…"

"Since the two of you will be starting a family together, we thought it would be better for you two to move into a home."

"Wait— what?" Ellie's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean? Are you trying to say my place is not good enough?" She scoffed before adding, "I mean sure, it's your garage but we're managing just fine!"

Joel sighed, "That's not it Ellie. We know you two are doing fine as you are and—"

Talia quickly interjected when Ellie's face grew meaner. "And, we don't think you're incapable of starting a family." She explained before adding, "We thought it would be a nice gift and change in pace for you two." She then looked at her sister with a smile, "And I know it's been a dream of yours to have a farm."

Ellie's face just flattened as she still wasn't a hundred percent sure about what was happening. "I'm not following."

"Can you just cut to the chase?!" Dina finally snapped out of the blue.

They all turned to face her before Joel cleared his throat. "Right, basically, there's this large plot of land available just outside of Jackon and we know you girls have been… itching to get out of town."

"That's not—"

Joel stopped her with a raise of the hand. "You don't have to hide it. We all know. You're both restless and antsy all the time here. This place isn't the same as it used to be for you."

Frowning slightly, Ellie glanced at Dina who mirrored the exact same look on her face.

"There's this abandoned farmhouse there just on the outskirts of town. It was a little beat up but Tommy and I fixed it up so it's practically good as new now and well… if it's okay with you two, we'd like to give it to you."

Dina blinked repeatedly as she processed her thoughts while Ellie was the first to speak even if it was with profanity.

"You're giving us a fucking house?" Ellie exclaimed before shaking her head. "No, we don't need your guys' charity or something this— this fucking grand! We'll do just fine on our own."

"Ellie, please, we insist." Talia pleaded before grabbing Ellie's hand. "We want you two to have it. You're still both so young and we want what's best for both of you."

Ellie's mouth flattened and she looked at Dina for help. Dina saw her plea and looked at the two before starting, "Joel, sis… as nice as this sounds, we don't want you to worry about us. We can manage just fine in our space and if we need more, we'll just look for a new one."

Talia looked her sister right in the eyes before giving her that look. "Dina, we know that you two could handle yourselves. Just let us spoil you and give you this house."

Joel cleared his throat before adding, "And it is a farmhouse. It's equipped to handle some furry friends if you so choose and the two of you will have all the privacy you need. Just a horse ride away from town as well."

Ellie suppressed an irritated groan. She looked at Dina before leaning into her ear to whisper. "They're not taking fucking no for an answer are they?"

Dina shot the two of them a look before whispering back. "Doesn't seem like it but a house? That's too much."

"I know." Ellie glanced back at them, shooting a purposely glare. She then turned her body to face Dina before grabbing her hand and whispering again. "You've never told me that you wanted a farm…"

Taking in a soft breath, Dina ignored Joel and Talia before leaning into Ellie. "I've always dreamed of fixing up a farm…"

"Why wouldn't you stay in town?"

"I dunno." Dina started rubbing Ellie's hands with her thumb. "I like the idea of real space."

"Sounds lonely."

She just shrugged. "Only if you're doing it alone."

"Okay." Ellie finally grinned slightly before adding, "So are we going to like… raise sheep and milk cows?"

"Are you making fun of me?" Dina was two seconds away from slapping her thigh.

Ellie laughed. "No. It actually sounds… kinda nice."

"Really?" Dina's voice was bright and hopeful that Ellie didn't mind living out her dream.

"Yeah. Really." She then leaned forward and kissed Dina's lips before freezing when their family members cleared their throats. She shot them a look again, half embarrassed and half irritated that they were ruining the moment. She ended up clearing her voice loudly before squeezing Dina's hand. "So… you and me. A farmhouse?"

Sighing at that, Dina held her hand tighter. "Fine."

The two of them faced Joel and Talia before Ellie started. "Fine. We'll take the stupid house but that's all. I don't care if you try to help us with anything else, if we didn't ask, I'm tossing it in the trash."

Talia was the first to smile and respond. "That's all we ask of you two. We love you and just want the best for the start of your family."

Ellie's hand twitched at the word family. It was a concept she was unfamiliar with given her background. Joel and her weren't exactly the best example of it either and neither was Dina per se. They had lost their parents at a young age leaving Dina with her sister and Ellie with random fosters until Joel took her in. So, the thought of raising a child together with someone was scary but also… exciting when it would be with Dina. She ended up squeezing her hand for comfort before responding with the only comment she could think of.

"Thanks, you two…"

Dina rubbed her hand endearingly before agreeing, "Thanks. it means a lot to us."

Ellie let go of Dina's hand to rub her thigh. "We'll have to thank Jesse's parents later… and Tommy and Maria."

"We'll have a house welcoming dinner as thanks sometime later." Dina added, "We'll invite you all after we're settled in."

"Alright, sounds good." Joel agreed with a smile.

Talia had a happy smile of relief on her face. "Just let me know if you need help baby sis."

Dina just gave her a flat smile, not wanting to start another war. "Sure."

And that was how Ellie and Dina found themselves living in a farmhouse just off the outskirts of town.