Autumn - November

Twitching awake in a cold sweat, Dina let out a quiet sigh before shifting around and bumping against something, specifically her fiancé. She then moved again before pausing when she almost ran into someone else again, this time, JJ. Now the question was, how exactly did she get sandwiched between her family when JJ would usually be the one in the middle?

The answer was simple really.

Ellie and she were cuddling before bed, reading a book together. They had been sitting upright at first but as the night grew, Dina cradled JJ on her lap when he got fussy. After that, Ellie sneaked her way around Dina's hips and became the big spoon. They fell asleep sometime after that, rendering Dina in the position she was currently in.

Tightly sandwiched between her baby and fiancé.

She hoped that she wouldn't wake up Ellie let alone JJ from her moment of panic. It wasn't too often that she had nightmares but it wasn't never. She always had terrible sleep on the nights she dreamt about that day. The day she lost one of her best friends and her former love interest. She wouldn't lie, she missed Jesse dearly. Some days were fine and some were worse. Today was the latter but thankfully it wasn't too bad this time around even though she felt like her heart had been ripped into two.

Her racing heartbeat reminded her of the panic she went through when she woke up to a loud shout. Ellie's shouting, no, her terrified screams. Their hectic situation let alone the state of her body, ridden with nausea, was one thing but she knew something was horribly wrong from the tone of her voice. She had never heard Ellie so distressed before so she forced herself to get up. She dragged her body toward the source of the noise and her stomach dropped when she saw Ellie being strangled alive.

Her body reacted before she could even process the distant yet familiar body bleeding out and lying on the floor not too far away from Ellie and this foreign man.

Luckily, she still had her hunting strapped to her thigh so she pulled it out before lunging forward. Most of what happened after that was a blur but Dina remembered how cold her body felt when she got slammed to the floor. She shivered at the chilling sensation before blinking back her tears. Out of reflex, she tried pushing away from JJ so that he wouldn't stir only to run into Ellie.

Ellie.

Comfort washed over her when Ellie mumbled before adjusting the hold on her waist. She was still asleep considering her deep breathing but the way she unknowingly pulled her in made Dina feel warm and most importantly, safe. She hadn't been fully conscious after being slammed by that man but she did remember Ellie's touch some time after. Her touch had been warm and her voice let her know that she wasn't alone despite not understanding the words she said.

Her fiancé twitched before groaning in her sleep again. Her breathing picked up a little and Dina knew the reason why. She was having another nightmare. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she was squeezing onto her body tighter than earlier. That made Dina frown before turning slightly to kiss her cheek. She then brushed away a strand of hair from her face before cupping her cheek.

Weirdly enough, maybe it was thanks to losing her parents at different times of her childhood that let her cope better at losing people close to her. Obviously, it wasn't a walk in the park but it sure as hell wasn't something she hadn't done before. If anything, she was more worried for Ellie because this was the first time she lost someone important to her in Jackson, the town that she first considered home.

From what Ellie had told her, her mother had passed away giving birth to her while her father wasn't even in the picture and the people who vaguely took care of her in the system didn't exactly count. Marlene, her mom's closest friend, was probably the closest person she had to a parental figure but even then, they parted on fair terms due to unfortunate circumstances. Although, when she was thirteen, she did lose a close friend named Riley but she didn't say much. Dina could tell she didn't want to talk about it.

The point was that Ellie hadn't truly lost someone this close to her since they were either a phone call or a written letter away. Dina remembered the first time she felt this aching pain and loneliness when she lost her dad when she was nine. The feeling of something ripping a hole in her heart and no matter what she did, it wouldn't go away. She just felt empty and alone despite being surrounded by others. A few short years later, she lived through that same pain when her mother and even her uncle Eugene passed as well. She knew that hollow and numbing pain all too well.

Topping that grief off with what Ellie went through…what she had to do to survive and protect them.

Dina couldn't fathom how fucked up she must be on the inside. Ellie grumbled again before sighing and brushing up against her back. Dina let out a long breath before kissing her again. "Hey…" She whispered before repeatedly kissing her. "Ellie, I'm right here. You're okay."

Ellie twitched again before burying her face into the mattress. The grip on her shirt tightened and Dina could only sigh before reaching down to rub Ellie's arm. "I'm right here…"

Neither of them had really moved on from his death and with his death anniversary right around the corner, they had been stirring awake in the middle of the night more frequently than usual. However, the memories she had of Jesse filled the void in her chest when she thought about the cheesy dates they had because they were endearingly sweet. But, with every loving memory, she would be immediately reminded that their son would never be able to meet his father.

This dilemma was a first.

Moving past one's grief alone was one thing but having to deal with someone's life who could have needed him was different. One day, JJ might need a father figure and that wasn't something Ellie or her could give him. They could try but in the end, they could truly never replace him. How were they supposed to break news to him as well?

That fact he didn't have a father and that Ellie wasn't exactly related to him by blood. Just thinking about it drove her crazy even if she knew it would be fine in the end. She remembered being bullied as a kid for having a single parent. That sucked and was even worse when she lost both. She needed to play smart. She just…had to be an open book. Let JJ know that Ellie and she loved him. That they were family no matter what anyone said. That his father would have loved him if given a chance. She knew everything was going to be okay.

It was just the journey there that gave her anxiety.

Talking about Jesse openly in front of JJ got easier once she started. She'd tell him stories about their teenhood and how funny and cool he was. Obviously, JJ didn't understand what she was saying but she hoped that he'd know that his dad was a good man. It was bittersweet really but even then, she hoped that JJ would take after him when he grew up. He was pretty handsome for one and two, it'd be nice if he grew up big and strong just like him as well. That way Ellie and her would have someone tall at home and well, eventually someone who could help them with the heavy lifting work as well.

Dina rolled her lips together before stretching her neck awkwardly. She was starting to reach her limit of being in this position. Her arm was asleep and her neck was killing her but JJ and Ellie were still sound asleep. She didn't want to wake them up. Another sigh left her lips from her dilemma.

"It's fine… you're fine Dina…"

Shaking her head carefully to get rid of her funk, she ended up breathing out a quiet breath before bringing up her hand to pat JJ affectionately. He was cute as hell as usual and she smiled to herself, watching him sleep peacefully. Once her own racing heartbeat calmed down, she closed her eyes in an attempt to fall back asleep. She fell asleep in due time and by the time she stirred awake, she felt Ellie kiss her neck before pulling away with a sigh. She then shifted around before getting out of bed and despite tucking her in, it left Dina's backside feeling cold.

She got out of bed shortly after.

Their morning carried on as usual and while Ellie fed their sheep and watered their garden, Dina was pumping her breasts. She tried and wanted to have a decent amount of milk ready for JJ to eat when they went over to Jackson for Thanksgiving. They had planned to stay there for Thanksgiving day and the day after.

"Dina, I'm done." Her fiancé called out as she stepped inside their home. "Shimmer and Japan are ready so whenever you're good."

"Okay, just a few more minutes," Dina answered as she checked the amount of milk in the bottle. As convenient as this device was, it was seriously slow as shit. She started pumping at the same time Ellie left to do their morning chores and it usually took them about an hour on average together. Meaning, she has been at this for at least a little over an hour. Letting out a sigh, she turned off the pump before calling it good. "Fuck it, close enough."

Ellie walked over before offering a hand. "Need some help, babe?"

"I got it," she smiled when she looked at them, specifically JJ who looked like he was drugged up, swaddled on Ellie's chest. "He good?"

That made her fiancé chuckle. "Yeah, just tuckered out from waking early for once." She then shrugged with an amused smile. "That and probably a food coma."

Dina laughed before getting up from the couch. "Good stuff, what can I say?" She then buttoned up before nodding toward the door. "I'll meet you outside after I'm done with the dishes?"

"Sure. Let me grab his go-pack then."

"Sounds good."

In no time, the two of them mounted their horses before making their way toward Jackson. They enjoyed the serenity and not to mention the relatively nice and peaceful atmosphere. The air was extra crisp and fresh despite the muddy paths thanks to the rain. As long as they stayed on the path, it'd be smooth sailing if JJ remained asleep the whole way and so far, he was still knocked out on Ellie's chest.

Eventually, Dina rubbed Japan's neck before facing Ellie and starting, "You know, I don't think I've ever asked you before."

"Ask me what?" Ellie casually replied as she watched JJ dozing away, cozily tucked in against her chest. She then steered Shimmer off to the side to avoid a huge rock before looking at Dina.

"How do you usually celebrate Thanksgiving?"

Ellie just smiled at her comment as if it was a ridiculous question. "What do you mean how? Like everyone else in Jackson, big campfires, roasts, dancing, music, etc…"

Dina rolled her eyes at that. "Oh please, as if you ever went to those gatherings."

"Got me there." Ellie winked before laughing. "To be honest, not much. I usually kick it back at Joel's or Tommy's. We usually watch a movie, have a small dinner and such. You?"

"Lots of cooking," Dina answered before smiling brightly. "After my dad passed, my mom and sister, and I cooked together a lot. Most of it was for family bonding…" She paused to collect her thoughts, "It sort of forced us to spend time together and it kept us close, and especially after my mom passed as well, my sister and I would always tag team in the kitchen for every meal even if we were making something simple like pancakes or eggs, we'd do it together. So, we normally just make a bunch of food for the Thanksgiving feast and give it to the people. After that, we'd hang out with the crowd."

"Mmh, no wonder you're a good cook." Ellie causally praised with a sheepish smile.

That made her fiancé smile. "Thanks, you're not too bad yourself… with eggs. Half the time."

"Hey!"

Laughing softly, Dina shook her head before continuing. "Anyways, I only brought it up cause I was curious how it's gonna play out this year." She paused before shooting Ellie a side glance. "You know, since it's the first time we'll be celebrating it as a family. I think my sister said we were going to pass on making food for the town feast this year."

"Right… they did mention something like that. Think it was just gonna be our families and then Robin and Jack." Ellie took in a deep breath before huffing. "I think the plan was to gather at Tommy's since he has the biggest backyard. That and a fire pit."

"That he does."

"Yup, we'll probably eat dinner barbeque style or something around a campfire."

Dina groaned in anticipation. "That sounds so good."

Ellie grinned back. "It does."

They held eye contact with a smile before Dina had to ask. "Does this mean you'll play for me?"

"What? The guitar?"

"Yup."

Ellie's nose scrunched at that comment. "You hear me all the time at home though."

"Not next to a campfire." Dina innocently shot back and before Ellie could comment, she added, "You know how much I love listening to you by a campfire. It's romantic. Different vibes you know?"

Her fiancé just grumbled. "I'll think about it."

Dina smiled sweetly. "I'll look forward to it."

By some miracle, they made it to Jackson without JJ stirring awake surprisingly enough. It wasn't until they were inside the stables that he woke up with a loud whine once his mommy got off her horse. Ellie quickly shot him a look before giving him some kissy noises.

"Aw, is the poo poo smell too much for ya?"

JJ let out a loud whine as if he was agreeing to her statement.

"But that's what you smell like too! It's okay, we all smell like that from time to time." She bounced him up and down before handing over the reins to Dina. "You mind?"

Dina just grabbed it with a smile. "Not at all, ma'am." She then clicked her tongue while throwing her a playful wink.

Ellie rolled her eyes before kissing JJ's head and whispering to him. "Ugh, your mama is such a bad flirt."

"Hey! I heard that."

"Uh oh— and that's our cue!" Ellie stuck out her tongue at Dina before running off.

Dina just shook her head with a smile before settling in their horses. After Shimmer and Japan were comfortably in the stables, she threw their go-pack over her shoulder before walking to Ellie's side. Once there, she held out her hands.

"Here, I can take him."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I got him. Give your back a break from the horse ride."

Ellie hummed before pulling JJ out of his wrap. After she handed him over to Dina, she grabbed her go-pack in exchange before looking around. "We dropping by your sister's first?"

"Sounds good," Dina readjusted her hold on JJ before bouncing him up and down. "We can head over to Joel's after that."

"Cool."

In no time they swung by Talia's who was already waiting for them at the front door before heading to Joel's. Talia was quick to snatch JJ from Dina's arms, stealing his attention, but neither of them could complain. As much as they loved their baby boy, it was nice getting a break from baby duties from time to time. Thankfully, by some miracle, their families didn't live too far away from each other, just a couple blocks away by foot, so the walk to Joel's was short.

Once Joel's house was within reach, Ellie was the first to walk up to his door before knocking on it and calling out to him. "Joel, we're here."

JJ seemed to recognize Joel's name and immediately started thrashing about in Talia's arms.

Dina chuckled before pinching his cheek. "You excited to see Grandpa Joel?"

He started swinging his arms around and babbled enthusiastically while successfully slapping Talia on the neck. In response, she let out a yelp of distress, and her younger sister completely ignored her before cooing at her son.

"Yeah? Did my baby boy miss his grandpa?"

On cue, Joel opened the door and JJ started going wild. Joel's eyebrow went up in confusion as JJ reached out to him, clearly done with Talia. Talia just sighed with a frown before handing him off.

"He's your problem now."

"What?" Joel was confused as he took JJ from Talia's hands. Once JJ was settled in his arms, he started pawing at Joel like a needy kitten. "Okay…" He cleared his throat before facing Ellie, "You mind grabbing the boxes off the table?" He nodded inside toward the kitchen. "Tommy needed some supplies."

"Sure." Ellie turned around to grab Dina's hand before pulling her inside.

While the two of them grabbed the boxes, Talia faced Joel before asking, "I assume we're going by truck then?"

Joel nodded. "You mind driving?" He glanced down at JJ with a small smile before attempting to pull him away in vain. "He's got a mighty fine vice grip on me."

Talia laughed at that. "With pleasure." She walked over and grabbed the keys from Joel's pocket before heading to his truck. By the time she started the car, the two of them came out of the house.

"Want it in the back?" Ellie asked as she headed over to the truck.

"Yeah, just load 'er up."

Dina finally made eye contact with Joel before nodding at him. "Sorry about JJ, he's been… extra clingy these days."

Joel brushed her off with a chuckle. "It's no big deal Dina." JJ giggled before gnawing on his flannel, leaving a big slobber stain on it. "Mmh, it's just a sign he's energetic."

That made Dina sigh. "Ugh, oh boy. He's already energetic as it is. He flops around like crazy when we let him go loose."

Immediately chuckling at that, Joel shot her an empathetic look. "Trust me, it gets worse once they can walk."

"Wonderful."

"Are you two comin' or not?" Talia called out before tapping the side of the car. "Our wonderful dinner is not gonna cook itself."

"Right," Dina turned and quickly put the box into the trunk before joining Ellie in the back seat.

Joel sat up at the front and in about fifteen minutes, they were pulling up Tommy's driveway. Ellie was the first to unbuckle and once she was out, she grabbed the boxes in the back with Dina following behind her steps. Meanwhile, Talia went over to the front door and knocked on it with Joel on her tail. By the time Tommy opened the door, Ellie saw how unfestive his house looked and she couldn't help but make a comment.

"Geez Tommy, your house is blander than Joel's and he still has that plastic pumpkin from Halloween I left out last year."

Dina snorted and Tommy chuckled before confessing, "Well, I was actually hoping you kids could decorate the place." He walked outside and opened the box that was in Ellie's hands. "A little change in pace as they say. We'll keep JJ company so why don't you two knock yourselves out? We got a bunch of stuff you can fiddle around with to kill time until Robin and Jack get here."

Ellie cocked an eyebrow as she glanced at Joel who seemed to exactly know his brother's plan before turning away. She hummed before answering. "Sure, I guess." She then helped herself inside before looking inside the box.

That's when she noticed something before exclaiming.

"Aw man, I forgot about Gerald!" Ellie said with a bright smile before snatching a decoration out from the box.

When Dina caught a glimpse of what it was, she raised an eyebrow. "Is that a gnome?"

"Yup, Gerald and Alphonse." She pulled out the second gnome before commenting, "The cutest little dudes out there."

Snorting at that, Dina shot her a look. "Really?"

"What? Gnomes are cute!" Ellie exclaimed before holding up Gerald and flashing it at Dina. "Just look at him!"

Talia smiled at them before taking JJ from Joel's hands. The two brothers made their way to the kitchen as Maria came down from upstairs. She raised an eyebrow at the situation before watching the two interact. Dina rolled her lips together in an attempt to stop herself from laughing at Ellie. Of course, her fiancé didn't buy it before adding more reasons to her proclamation.

"C'mon, he's got a super tall and oversized fun hat! Wittle hands and feet, a nice beard and even wittle trousers and a small shirt! How is this not cute babe?"

"Okay, sure, it's cute." Dina shook her head before remembering something. When they bought some picture books for JJ, she recalled Ellie hating on a cute book that they ended up not getting because she didn't like it. So, Dina had to ask. "Yet… you think fairies are creepy?"

Her face immediately flattened. "Ugh, duh. They're just basically adult humans shrunk into a miniature size."

"Which is so different from gnomes?"

"What part of wittle hands and feet did you not get?

Snorting at that, Dina laughed before rolling her eyes. "You're ridiculous."

Ellie just shrugged. "Fairies are creepy! I said what I said."

"Yeah yeah," Dina leaned in and kissed Ellie's lips before touching her forearm. "C'mon, let's hurry and put the decorations out. I believe we're on help duty in the kitchen."

"On it."

In no time, they emptied out the decoration boxes, adding a bit of spice and life to Tommy's home, before heading to the kitchen where Talia and Maria were waiting. Ellie began washing her hands before she noticed something and asked the two.

"Where's Joel and Tommy?"

Dina put away the empty boxes before walking up behind Ellie, wrapping her hands around her waist and kissing her neck. She then giggled when her fiancé shot her a look before reaching past her and washing her hands, keeping her trapped in place.

"Joel's banned from the kitchen." Maria answered with a light laugh before concluding, "So he's helping Tommy prepare the fire pit outside."

"Banned from the kitchen?" Dina asked before giving Maria a look. "Why's that?"

"He's a menace in the kitchen," Maria concluded in a heartbeat. "Where do you think Ellie gets it from?"

"Hey!"

Ellie turned around with a red face as Dina snorted while thinning out her lips to stop herself from laughing.

"I'm right here."

Ellie had a cute pout on her face and Dina seriously wanted to kiss her silly, however, she made do by teasing her instead.

"Well, that explains everything."

Maria started laughing and Talia only shot them a look. "What am I missing?"

"Well…" Dina started as she shot her sister a look. "This one time—"

Ellie quickly cut her off by covering her mouth and pulling her in for a back hug. "I don't know what you're gonna say but don't!"

Dina mumbled into Ellie's hand before Maria answered on her behalf. "Joel set a pot of rice on fire on time."

"What?" Talia faced Maria before confirming, "He did… how… how do you even…?"

Maria just shrugged. "Beats me, takes talent I guess."

Dina finally had enough of Ellie's hold and stuck out her tongue, licking Ellie's fingers. Her fiancé immediately let go with a yelp before whining at her.

"Ew, what the fuck Dina?"

A smile grew on her face as Dina stuck out her tongue again. "That's what you get for—"

An abrupt cry got their attention.

"Anddddd, that's your call." Dina quickly grabbed Ellie's hand and pushed her toward JJ before speaking in a random etiquette accent. "Be a dear and check on him while we make dinner love." She then blew her a teasing kiss which made Ellie groan out loud.

"Oh god, please don't. You're embarrassing."

Dina had a shit-eating grin on her face as she leaned in to kiss Ellie's lips one last time. "Just go check on our baby."

Ellie rolled her eyes as she mumbled to herself and stormed off to JJ's side. He was sitting on a cushion on the couch and it seemed like he finally had enough and was planning his great escape. That's when Joel and Tommy came inside from the back to grab some supplies. Tommy looked left and right, noticing the funny atmosphere before asking:

"Alright, what'd we miss?"

The three in the kitchen looked at them before speaking at the same time.

"Nothing."