AN: Had to use my series name somewhere

P.S. I wrote the beginning scene before the remaster came out where we learned that Ellie won JJ's toy, Ollie, as a prize. That was super cute but I also liked my version of Ollie's origin story better so I kept it the few times I stray from "canon"

P.S.S. Dina sneaks in a quick one and gets Ellie off

It's been about a week since Ellie recused Missy and her pups. Now, while it may have been lacking somewhat, she had just finished putting together a small house for them per Dina's request. She knew she'd eventually need to expand and make it bigger considering how big they'd grow out to be but for now, it'd suffice to keep them warm in the winter. There were enough cushions and blankets in there to keep them from freezing and luckily, Missy didn't argue too much when Ellie kicked them outside. It wasn't exactly a permanent decision that they'd keep them either but at least Dina was warming up to them a little. She stopped eyeing them with daggers and keeping a firearm on her person.

Better than nothing really.

"Dina?" Ellie called out as she came back inside before dusting the snow off her jacket. She then started shrugging off her coat and taking off her Converse before looking around aimlessly.

"In here El," Dina replied from their half productive and half recreational room.

Once Ellie was situated, she made her way over to where Dina was and once she was by her side, she smiled before hugging her from behind. "Hey beautiful, watcha doin'?" She wrapped her hands around her stomach and leaned down to kiss her neck.

"Mmh? Oh, nothing."

Ellie squeezed her affectionately again before taking a look at what was in her hand. "Oh, is that an elephant?"

Her fiancé looked somewhat bashful. "Yeah, I made it." She then nodded at the sewing book on the table. "Kinda messed up a little since it's under stuffed."

"What are you talking about? It's cute." Ellie then grabbed it from her hands with a chuckle before taking a closer look. She then turned around and saw JJ, who looked like he just woke up from a nap, staring at them curiously. "Mama's got a surprise for you!" She kissed Dina's neck one last time before walking over with the elephant in her hand.

Once she was by JJ's side, she crouched down before playfully poking at him. "Did you have a good nap?" She cooed, getting him to giggle and thrash about. "Yeah? Good napping!" She grinned before softly shaking the elephant in front of him. "Look at what Mama made you."

JJ blinked a few times before immediately giving her a big smile and aimlessly reaching out for the toy.

That made Ellie grin before she turned to face Dina. "See, he loves it." She then handed the elephant to JJ who immediately latched onto it and began sucking on its ear. "What should we name em'?"

"The toy?" Dina inquired as she began cleaning up and putting away the sewing materials.

"Yeah, obviously. We gotta name it." She then looked at JJ, "Right buddy? It's only right we name em' for ya."

JJ didn't look bothered at all as he fiddled around with the elephant.

"Hmm… how about Peter?" Ellie suggested before JJ kicked around randomly. "No? Then Robby?" Her son started waving the elephant back and forth. "Ollie? How about Ollie?"

As if JJ was giving his approval, he started cheering happily at Ellie's suggestion which only made his mom grin before confirming to Dina. "Alright, Ollie it is."

Dina just rolled her eyes but her smile was enough to show her current mood. "You're such a dork."

Ellie smiled warmly before facing away from JJ. "So."

"So…?"

"Tell me about…" Ellie fiddled with her fingers nervously. Ever since the wolf incident, Dina was still pretty upset with her, rightfully so, but Ellie wanted to make up with her. "Hanukkah."

"Hanukkah?" Dina repeated, not expecting this topic of all choices. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly in amusement before she asked, "Okay, what's the occasion?"

"Well, I mean… you celebrate it don't you?"

Her fiancé just shrugged. "If I had to choose, yes."

"Mmhmm and well, we're a family now and since we live together I thought we could…" She gestured to the space between them. "Celebrate it together, you know?"

A smile quickly grew on Dina's lips. "Aw, you're so sweet." She walked over into Ellie's space before wrapping her arms around her shoulders. "You don't have to, it's not a big deal."

That made Ellie roll her eyes. "Not a big deal? Of course, it's a big deal! It's a whole freaking holiday babe."

The smile on Dina's face only grew. "Since when were you a big holiday gal?"

"I've always been one!"

Scoffing in disbelief, Dina shot her a look. "You don't celebrate Halloween. What kind of kid doesn't celebrate that?"

Ellie's mouth parted and she was lost for words. "That's…" She sighed before admitting, "I'm just not a big fan."

"Mmhmm." Dina kept her judgmental look but before she could make her fiancé too uncomfortable, she let out a breath. "Okay, to be fair, I'm not super religious but I do dabble in it."

Her fiancé nodded in understanding before finally grabbing hold of her hips and reciprocating her hug.

"Mmm… how about I give you the rundown of the basics and what me and my sister do?"

"I'm listening," Ellie paused before glancing toward the kitchen. "Over a cup of hot cocoa…?"

"Sure," Dina smiled before lightly kissing Ellie's cheek. She then pulled back before picking up JJ from his spot.

The two of them made it over to the kitchen and Dina sat down at their dining table before letting JJ sit on her thigh. Ellie made quick work of making them a hot cup of cocoa and once she had two, she set down Dina's cup in front of her before taking a seat across from her. She then fiddled with her cup before glancing at Dina expectantly. In return, her fiancé just sipped her cup before bouncing JJ up and down slightly. After a second, she looked at Ellie before starting.

"So."

"So…?"

"As you know, Hanukkah is celebrated by the Jewish." Ellie nodded before she continued, "The holiday reaffirms the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem, and long story short, way back then, some cool rebel Jews, the Maccabees, fought against their oppressors here. Of course, after a long fight, they won and somewhere in that struggle, it was dark and they only had enough oil to light a candle for one day but miraculously, it lasted eight days. Ergo, that's why the holiday lasts that long."

"Hmm… That's cool."

"Mmhmm." She nodded before continuing, "Anyways, here's a random fun fact, because of that miracle, there's a symbolic meaning behind oil. So…because of that, my sister and I usually eat a lot of deep-fried foods like these bomb ass deep-fried jelly donuts called sufganiyot and then these potato pancakes called latkes." Moaning at the thought, she scrunched her nose slightly with a smile before covering JJ's ears. "The best fucking food honestly."

Ellie laughed at that. "Fried food is the bomb."

"Mhmm, delicious but it hella messes fucks up my diet."

Her fiancé chuckled again before joking. "Huh, I wonder why?"

Dina winked before adding, "Anyways, the main gist of it is remembering what our ancestors went through and being thankful for what they've done and what we've endured. You know, the classic holiday-loving cheese." Ellie nodded in understanding again and Dina patted JJ's head before concluding. "That's basically the main point of it and also that we light up a candle each day to remember those hard times."

Humming in understanding, Ellie took a sip of her cocoa. "Cool."

"Mm-hmm…"

"And…"

Dina finally sipped her drink before playing around with JJ's hands. "And?"

"And how do you and your sister celebrate it?"

Her fiancé smiled warmly before answering her question. "Well… me and my sister usually cook up a mini storm. We recite blessings, pray, eat, and after that, we meet up with other Jews in town and sing and dance at the community center."

Not believing her ears, Ellie let out a big sigh. "Man… how did I never notice this about you?"

Dina just shrugged. "I never really broadcasted it. Neither does my sister or the community." JJ started getting fussy so she bounced him around before lifting him and setting him down on her other thigh.

"True but still…" She sighed again before rubbing her face. "What kind of best friend does that make me? Did Jess—" She cut herself off before swallowing and finished his name. "Did Jesse know…?"

Looking up to meet her eyes, Dina eyed Ellie carefully before speaking. "He did." Ellie licked her lips before she continued, "He's been to my house, unlike a certain someone who wouldn't come over no matter how many times I invited you." Her fiancé twitched and she just shrugged. "Don't worry, I'm only a little bit salty."

Groaning softly at that, Ellie shot her a guilty look. "Sorry… I just," She looked away, avoiding eye contact, before giving her a guilty smile. "How do you expect me to go into your room when I had a big ass crush on you?"

Dina shifted in place while eyeing Ellie prettily. She grinned before teasing, "Simple really, just walk through my front door."

Ellie's eyes widened slightly in shock. "No way."

"Then through my window," Dina easily countered back. "You know you were welcomed."

Rolling her lips to hide her embarrassment, Ellie's cheeks grew warm. "W-Well whatever!" She rambled in a flustered huff, trying to change the topic. "It doesn't matter since we live together now."

Dina nodded in acknowledgment. "That is true."

"Anyways, what I was trying to get at was that were we going to do something this year? Since it's right around the corner no?"

"It is," Dina turned around and checked the date on the calendar. "About a week from now."

Ellie smiled softly. "JJ's first Hanukkah huh?"

Her fiancé smiled sweetly at that. "It'll be his first Christmas too."

A cute chuckle came from Ellie's mouth. "And his first New Year."

"God," Dina grinned brightly before saying, "I can't wait to take all those cute and embarrassing baby photos."

"Good thing we stocked up on Polaroids when we went back. The snow is starting to get pretty heavy so I don't think we'll be able to head back any time soon." She looked up at the ceiling before shrugging. "Well, I guess technically we could but it'd suck."

Laughing at that, Dina remembered a 'fun' detail. "Aw, you don't want to head to my uncle's cabin again?"

Ellie knew exactly what she was referring to before frowning. "How about a hard pass? I almost had a heart attack!"

"You have to admit, it was still fun though."

"After almost getting hypothermia?" Ellie sassed back with sarcasm.

"Well yeah, after you got a free show of my ass?" Her fiancé's face widened and Dina smirked before continuing, "I would argue you got a prettyyy good deal."

Scoffing at the accusation, Ellie brushed her off. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Dina rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, I know you were checking me out when I was turning on the generator."

"Wha— I did not! Where's the proof? You had your back turned the entire time!"

Wiggling her eyebrows, Dina snickered at Ellie. "I can feel your gaze, honey, you're not exactly subtle. Besides, there was an old picture frame on the floor which showed your reflection."

"What?!" Ellie's eyes shot open in horror. "Fuck—"

Dina started busting out laughing. "Hey, I don't blame you, I know I have a nice ass." She shamelessly bragged before throwing her a wink. "Besides… that's kind of the reason why I came onto you so hard that night."

Ellie pouted her lips. "You're kidding."

"Nope." She popped the 'p' before smiling at her sweetly. "That and well the weed. I really wanted to kiss those lips of yours."

Sucking in a breath, Ellie rubbed her mouth with her hand before licking her lips. She then eyed Dina's chest area without any remorse before clicking her tongue. "I don't blame you, I'm a good kisser."

Snorting at that, Dina shook her head. "Cause I taught you better."

"Oh shut up, no you didn't!"

"Did too."

"Did not!"

"Did too." Dina shot her a pointed look before proving, "Who taught you that with your tongue?"

Ellie opened her mouth to retort but nothing came out. Her face flattened before she rolled her eyes. "Okay fine, I'll admit, that tongue thing is good."

"Mhmm, that's what I thought."

Teasing Ellie was always Dina's favorite pastime and with the way her neck was turning red, she decided to go in for the kill. Without breaking eye contact, she sneakily lifted up her leg before brushing her foot against the inside of Ellie's thigh. Her fiancé immediately twitched and she flashed her a look of horror before exclaiming.

"Babe! JJ's is literally on your leg."

Dina just shrugged with a playful smirk. "Not the one I'm touching you with."

Ellie let out a deep groan. "I hate you." She then swatted her foot away before getting up. "You're the one I'm blaming if JJ turns into a perverted kid!"

"To my defense, I would say he takes after his mommy. You're the one staring at people for days."

Scoffing at that, Ellie pouted at her. "I do not stare at people."

"Sure you do…" Dina let a second of silence hang before she finished her off. "And you're not subtle either."

Glaring at Dina, Ellie shook her head. "Just drink your cocoa."

"Oh, I will." Her fiancé smiled playfully before sipping her drink. Once she was done, she looked down at JJ before making kissy noises at him. "Are you hungry yet?" He let out some random noises before she cooed again. "You want some num nums hmm? A snack?"

JJ frowned all of a sudden before crying out loud. That made Dina's eyebrow go up before she quickly got up and started bouncing him around.

"Oh it's okay baby, don't cry. What's wrong?" She spun him around in a circle before Ellie spoke up.

"You want me to grab him?"

Dina spared her a glance before shaking her head. "It's okay, I got him. Grab his snack for me though?"

"Sure."

Ellie went over to the fridge to grab the veggie and fruit puree they made for him. As she did so, Dina continued to coddle JJ before sparing her fiancé a glance. After a moment, she sighed in bliss.

"I'm so glad I don't have to pump out so much milk for him now."

That made Ellie chuckle. "Your tits can finally get a break."

Taking a deep breath, Dina exhaled dramatically. "Finally. His teeth have been killer."

Smiling at that, Ellie cracked a joke in a sweet voice. "You mean his lil' tiny itzy witzy teeth?"

"Yup," she popped the 'p' with a smile before proudly bragging as if Ellie didn't already know. "He's got three of them now."

"Mmh, what a chomper!" Ellie chimed back with a bright smile. "We need to be careful or else he'll bite through our fingers!"

Dina eyed Ellie prettily before smirking. "Yeah, 'cause you're a fine snack." Her fiancé froze before she shrugged cockily. "My snack though."

Breathing out a soft sigh, Ellie shot Dina a look. "Are you really flirting with me in front of our baby?"

The smile on her fiancé's face never left. "When wouldn't I flirt with you?"

Rolling her eyes with a small smile, Ellie shook her head. "JJ better not grow up as a player."

JJ started making noise at that comment and Dina cooed at him before pinching his nose. "I wouldn't count against it. He'll forsure be a player."

"Dina!"

That made her fiancé laugh. "If he looks anything like Jesse and me with an ounce of our social skills, he'll have girls, or boys, chasing after him for days."

"That doesn't make me feel better." Ellie's face flattened before she walked over to grab JJ from Dina. "Come here bubba, I'll feed you. Get away from that bad influence!"

Dina lightly whined in protest but allowed Ellie to grab their son. "Hey, you can't avoid it."

Once Ellie was settled in her seat, she started feeding JJ some puree. "Don't let mama rub off on ya okay JJ?"

JJ babbled excitedly before smacking his lips on his spoon and devouring his scoop. He then eyed Ellie with his big old eyes before blinking and whining again, signaling his mom for more.

Ellie happily fed him another spoon before accepting his promise. "It's a promise then okay bubba, I don't wanna go comforting the hearts you break alright?"

He mindlessly ate his scoop before swinging his arms around. He was slobbering like crazy as usual and Ellie wiped his lips before feeding him again however this time, she made some playful noises before feeding him via airplane style. Dina was smiling like a fool the entire time and she wished she had her camera in hand to capture this moment but for now, she was okay with burning this sight into memory.

There would be plenty of opportunities in the future after all.

Time quickly passed and their life grew more hectic with the holidays and snowy weather around the corner. Albeit, Ellie was more busy than Dina since she had to take care of Missy and her pups because Dina wasn't going to deal with them. The biggest progress that had been made though was when Dina allowed Ellie to bring a puppy inside, Poncho, the sleepiest of the three, for some so-called human baby and wolf puppy exposure.

JJ took it like a champ and was curious the entire time. He even managed to pet the little guy, who was fluffier and softer than Dina would have liked to admit, and that sure as hell made their son squeak in excitement. After that successful exchange, Ellie brought up the idea of making a dog door for them in the future.

Obviously, Dina shot Ellie a dirty look most of the time but she didn't outright give her a no. She said she'd think about it and Ellie was sure she'd be able to convince Dina to keep them with time since she was a hundred percent sure that her fiancé cracked a smile despite the scowl on her face.

The wolves were basically nature's fluffy friends after all.

Their herd of sheep and horses was introduced to the wolf pups as well. Most of them didn't even blink an eye and the majority of what they had done was just some sniffing. Good news for Ellie overall. When Hanukkah was right around the corner, Talia managed to swing by and hand over some food. She didn't stay long though since the snow was starting to settle in and after she left a few gifts for her nephew, she left just like that. Shortly after, Dina and her had been busier than they ever had been in a long time.

The best part about the whole shebang was, in fact, the food.

Dina even teased Ellie at some point about having a foodgasm and as embarrassed as she was to admit how good the food was, Ellie didn't deny it. However, if someone were to ask her, the highlight of the whole eight days of candles, prayers, and celebration was Dina's childhood memories. Her fiancé was practically beaming with the cutest smile around when she gushed about her past and favorite holiday game as a kid. The dreidel game in particular stole her heart because she loved getting those shitty chocolate coins as a child.

As for JJ, he had no idea what was happening but was extra cheery and bubbly thanks to Dina's wild energy. Topping that off with some upbeat tones, Ellie was forced to dance in front of their son which ultimately led to Dina swaying around with JJ standing on her feet. Unsurprisingly enough, he was the first to crash and after he was put to bed, Dina changed the record player to something a little more romantic.

The two of them ended up swaying together in this slow dance for god knows how long before Dina kissed her neck and pulled away out of nowhere. Ellie was about to question her actions when Dina abruptly went down on one knee. She cleared her throat before starting.

"Sorry, it took forever because it took a while to find the perfect one…"

Dina announced before reaching into her pocket and taking out a small box. She then popped it open before holding it up for Ellie to see. In the small box, there was this blackish-gray and somewhat oil-spill colored ring inside with their initials engraved on the inside that was connected by a heart. It matched her own gold ring and she smiled at it, enjoying the details, before continuing.

"Joel helped me out finding the right material actually. It's made out of this cool space metal that crashed down to Earth from some meteor a while back."

Ellie was shaken into silence as she gawked at the ring.

Dina finally took it out from the box before looking Ellie in the eyes and properly asking, "Ellie, will you marry me?"

Still stunned by the shock, Ellie blinked repeatedly and after a moment of processing, her lips parted. "No fucking way, are you serious?" Her voice rose in excitement and disbelief. "Is that seriously fucking space metal?!"

Okay, she may have been squealing a little.

Only a little bit.

A soft chuckle left Dina's lips as she held the ring higher for her to see. "Yes?"

"Oh my god!" Ellie broke out into the brightest smile around. "That is so fucking cool!"

"So… is that a yes?" Dina joked as a gentle reminder despite knowing her answer already.

"No shit that's a yes babe!" Ellie leaned down and practically shoved Dina into the floor. "You're the fucking best!" She then roughly claimed her lips and effectively pinned Dina to the floor.

Dina barely managed to save the ring from flying out of her hand and set it back into the box before relishing the kiss. They parted with a wet pop before switching angles and Ellie couldn't help but grope Dina's body which caused her fiancé to let out a moan. Their kiss grew a little more intense and when Ellie finally pulled back to nibble on her lip, Dina moaned again before giggling and pushing her back.

"Hey hey, you didn't let me put a ring on you yet." She loosely protested while pulling Ellie down by her hips and gently rocking her body back and forth.

Ellie groaned softly at the gesture before grinding against Dina subtly. She then kissed Dina's lips before hovering there. "I can't help it… you're so freaking amazing." She stole her lips again in an open-mouthed kiss.

Some tongue action was involved this time and Dina moaned again before playfully pushing her away. "Dammit woman, let me put the ring on you already!"

Huffing at that, Ellie pulled back enough to stick out her left hand in front of Dina. "You got five seconds."

That made Dina roll her eyes before grabbed the box and pulled out the ring. She then smiled sweetly before grabbing Ellie's hand and slipping the space ring onto her ring finger. After it was properly on, she quickly kissed her fingertips before praising her new look. "There, now you finally look like you belong to me."

Ellie rolled her eyes with a giddy smile. "Oh, shut it and kiss me already."

The grin on Dina's face grew into a cocky smirk. "Oh, I will." She then yanked Ellie down by her collar and gave her a searing kiss.

This time, Ellie whimpered in bliss and Dina worked her tongue into her mouth. She gently rolled the tip of her tongue around Ellie's before sucking on it tastefully. She then released her lips with a moist pop before quickly closing the gap, kissing her passionately again. As Dina happily devoured Ellie's lips, she worked her hands beneath her fiancé's shirt, hovering her hands at her hip bone before groping her purposely. That made Ellie crack.

"Mmh— fuck Dina— stop! What about JJ?"

Her fiancé just chased after her lips before whispering at her with lustful eyes. "He won't know if you're quiet."

"But—"

Dina silenced her with another hungry kiss however this time, she forcibly rocked Ellie's body into her own. When Ellie tried pulling back, Dina quickly fisted her hair and forced her to stay. In no time, she worked her free hand down Ellie's pants, right past her ass cheeks where her damp panties were. Ellie fruitlessly fought off Dina's advances before twitching when she ruthlessly slipped her fingers inside her pussy.

From there, Dina refused to part from Ellie's lips for more than a second, and in no time, she somehow managed to drop Ellie's pants and panties down to her thighs. She then quickly propped up her legs, forcibly spreading apart Ellie's before sinking her fingers even deeper into her depths. That made Ellie squirm even more and she twitched again before trying to speak.

"Fuc—"

Dina shut her up with her lips and she started pumping her fingers in and out of Ellie's cunt. She briefly slid them out, teasing her wet folds before sliding them back inside and curling them just the way Ellie loved. A few more pumps were all it took for Ellie to buck. She roughly jerked into Dina's body and she whimpered into her mouth as her body shook in bliss.

By the time Ellie stopped shaking, Dina finally released her lips with a wet pop. She looked at Ellie's face before giggling and kissing her cheek. "That was quick." She peppered kisses down her neck.

Ellie groaned in embarrassment before panting for air in her neck. "Shut up."

"It's okay." Dina chuckled with a shit-eating grin, "I know I'm good."

Grumbling at her smugness, Ellie bit down on her neck out of spite. "I hate you. You did not just get me off when JJ is literally upstairs."

"It's fine, we just put him to bed…" To spite Ellie even more, Dina hummed innocently while dragging her damp fingers across her ass. "You could always give back the ring."

Scoffing at that suggestion, Ellie shot her a glare. "Fuck no, it's mine."

"Mmh, yeah." Dina had a giddy yet smug smile on her face. "That's what I thought." She then pecked Ellie's lips a few times before hugging her affectionately. She buried her nose in Ellie's neck before confessing, "I love you."

A sigh left Ellie's lips before she nuzzled into Dina. "Love you too."

Dina kissed her again before hugging her tightly. It took them a while to get to bed but once they did, the two of them slept in peace. Days continued to pass and sure enough, Christmas was right around the corner. That also meant that the weather grew even worse and forgot about even questioning a white Christmas, they could barely open the front door to their animals' homes with the amount of snow that was piled up.

Heck, even Dina was slightly concerned about the wolves freezing to death, not that she outright admitted that, since she asked Ellie if there was enough firewood and coals to go around. Fortunately, there was, but with the amount of snow that was falling from the sky, they couldn't shake off the anxiousness. They took turns checking up on their animals since they were cooped up inside more than usual and thankfully so far, they were chilling.

A little restless but still alive and kicking.

Ellie finished up her turn this afternoon and once she was back inside, she brushed off the snow on her shoulders and arms before taking off her coat. She hung it on the rack before looking around the living room. JJ was seated on the couch and Ellie assumed that Dina was in the bathroom before she walked over to pick him up.

"Hey there squirt? Did Mama leave you?"

JJ babbled loudly as he raised his arms in anticipation of being picked up. Once he was in Ellie's arms, he giggled before nuzzling into her chest. He then frowned abruptly before scrunching his nose and shivering. Ellie noticed before laughing slightly.

"Sorry, I must be cold." She then rubbed him to get warm before glancing out the window and walking in that direction. "C'mon, you wanna see the snow?"

He let out some cute 'poo' noises as he wiggled around and once they were by the window, Ellie turned him around and held him comfortably so he could watch the snow. Once JJ was settled, he only shivered before sneezing in Ellie's arms.

Ellie was quick to wipe his nose with the sleeve of her long sleeve before bouncing him around in an attempt to create heat. "I guess it's too cold for my little goober huh?" She kissed the crown of his head before adding. "It's okay, I don't like the cold either." She kissed him again before rubbing his tummy to keep him warm.

As Ellie stared out their window, she glanced in the general direction their animals were in. Missy and her pups were fine. They were bred for the winter so their thick coats would keep them warm. Their herd of sheep wasn't exactly a concern either thanks to their wool. Her main worries were their chicken and horses. The amount of snow burying their front yard wouldn't ease Ellie's nerves no matter how much insulation and heated flooring they had for them.

Worrying about something they had no control over wasn't helping her sanity and the longer she stared at the snow, something about this white solitude made Ellie feel… isolated. Her thoughts began to wander and she thought about past memories where she did stupid teen things with Jesse and Dina. A short smile cracked on her lips before she was reminded that Jesse was no longer around.

She wouldn't be able to pay him back for a face full of snow.

She wouldn't be able to throw a snowball at his stupid smug face anymore.

The aching truth of that made her feel so alone but then, as if JJ was reminding her that she wasn't, he babbled loudly before lightly smacking her jaw with his tiny hand. That brought a smile to Ellie's face before she bounced him up and down. She kissed him obnoxiously while making some kissy noises before eventually sighing at the window.

She truly hated the cold.

"Fuck, it's just us huh potato?"

Out of nowhere, Dina's voice called out to them, reminding her again that she wasn't alone. "El, are you cursing in front of our baby?"

That made Ellie twitch slightly and her eyes shifted toward the direction of her voice. "No…?"

Dina appeared from the bathroom and once she was in the living room, she eyed her family before propping her hand on her hip. "The animals alright?"

"Yeah," Ellie turned to face her fiancé before adjusting her hold on JJ and coddling him on her chest. She started patting his back before asking, "Want to eat lunch yet?"

"Sure, let me go heat things up."

Ellie held JJ in one arm before making her way into the kitchen as well. "Christmas is right around the corner."

Dina glanced at her before smiling. "It is."

"Did you… want to make something special?"

"We can if you want. Anything in mind?" Dina said before taking out food from the fridge.

Before Ellie could respond, JJ started squirming around before speaking. "Bah! Baah! Mah mamah!"

That made both Ellie and Dina freeze in place before looking at him in the eyes.

Ellie blinked repeatedly before questioning, "Did he just…"

JJ started reaching out to Dina. "MAH! Ma-mah! Mamah!"

Dina's jaw fell as she dropped the Tupperware in her hand onto the counter. Her lips curled up into a smile as she beamed at JJ. "Yes baby, did you call me?"

Their son started squealing more as he reached out and clenched his tiny hands. "Amah! Mah! Mamah! Ma! Ma!"

Dina couldn't stop her grin as she walked over to his side. "Yes, baby?" Once she was next to Ellie, she took JJ from her before hugging him affectionately and kissing his face repeatedly. "Did you call for me?"

"Mah! Mah! Ma!" JJ giggled at Dina's cooes before happily swinging his legs around.

"Aw, is my baby hungry?" She cooed at him some more before noticing Ellie's pout. She chuckled at her jealousy before gently directing his attention toward Ellie's way. "You want Mommy to make some of the juice you like?"

JJ stared at her blankly before tilting his head.

"Can you say, mommy?"

Ellie stared at him expectantly before he opened his mouth and tried repeating after Dina.

"M-Moh! Muh mi!"

It wasn't the most annunciated word but Ellie still took it as a win.

"Aww, when did our little man learn how to speak?" Ellie swooned in a sweet voice before patting his little tuft of hair. "You know who we are?"

JJ giggled with a bright smile before babbling at his parents. "Bu buuu! Mah! Mamah! Muh!" He kicked his feet around excitedly while grabbing Dina's shirt. "Muhmeh!"

That made Ellie grab her chest out of nowhere. Dina lifted an eyebrow and before she could ask, Ellie beat her to it.

"Ugh, our baby is the cutest and smartest!"

Dina melted on sight. "Well duh, he takes after me."

Ellie snapped her fingers out of the blue. "Alright, that calls it, we should make a cake to celebrate his first word!"

"A whole ass cake?" Dina questioned with a big smile, "For the two of us?"

Her fiancé just shrugged. "Why not? We can use it for Christmas too."

Rolling her eyes playfully, Dina bounced JJ around more energetically. "Do you even know how to bake? You barely cook babe."

Ellie clicked her tongue with a wink. "I have you don't I?"

Snorting at that, Dina handed JJ over to Ellie. "Go feed your son already. We should eat actual food before making dessert."

"Hey, cake is proper food."

Dina just shot her a flat look that said 'really' without being said out loud. She then took in a breath before shaking her head. She looked at JJ before joking, "JJ… don't eat what mommy gives you okay? You'll regret it when you're older."

JJ shouted in excitement out of nowhere before thrashing about. He whined and his face scrunched as if he was about to cry. "Boo! Booo! Boouh!" His big eyes began to tear up as he stared at Dina longingly.

"What's wrong spud?" Ellie quickly started bouncing JJ up and down. "You hungry? Want food?"

Their son just whined some more as he kicked around in Ellie's arms more rebelliously.

"No? Pooty? Do you need to go poo poo?" She took a sniff off JJ's pants before scrunching her nose. "Yup. A diaper change." She then scrunched her face as she eyed him carefully as well. "And food probably. And a nap."

Dina pursed her lips before turning around. "You can handle that, I'm going to heat up some food."

Ellie looked up at her fiancé. "What? You're just gonna ditch me like that?"

"Yup." She popped the 'p' before pulling out a few plates. "Have fun babe."

Huffing at that, Ellie began walking over to the changing station. "Come on bubba, let's get you cleaned up. Don't need another cranky pants in here."

"Hey!"

She blocked JJ's line of sight with her chest. "Who's my good and healthy and not-flirtatious sweet and innocent baby boy?" She bounced her son up and down. "You? Yeah, you huh?"

JJ babbled some random sounds and in no time, Ellie had him all clean and wrapped up. They all had lunch together and as Ellie predicted, JJ was in fact a little hangry and sleep-deprived. He practically knocked out the second he was burped and after his mom tucked him to bed on the couch, he slept like a rock.

Meanwhile, Ellie did actually convince Dina to make a cake. She helped her the best she could of course and after a hot mess, the two of them whipped up a nice little cake however rather than eating it right then and there, they stuffed it in the fridge to get nice and cold. It wasn't until the next day that they brought it out to take a commemorative photo with JJ.

The cake in question was neatly decorated with white frosting all the way around with the word 'MAMA' written on the top with red ink gel. After taking a couple of nice photos, they decided to hack the system shortly after and redecorate the cake into something Christmassy since it was right around the corner. Lots of not-so-straight, sloppy green trees and red ribbons and even a splash of yellow stars. Topping that off with some green sprinkles, it worked like a charm and they took several more cute family photos, the best one being the one with JJ snatching a chunk out of the repurposed Christmas cake.

Despite the snowy weather and isolation away from Jackson, it was a memorable Christmas holiday. For their first time celebrating it as a family of three, excluding their needy furry children, of course, it went as great as it could. Lots of handmade and drawn decorations. Lots of feasting. Lots of cheesy small gifts and puns. Lots of sappy and festive songs as well.

Whether it was celebrating it at their family's home or as a community, it had always been a big deal. There were always lots of lights and flamboyant decorations. Even festive music could be heard down the block but here, in the middle of nowhere, it was more quiet and peaceful. It was a completely different experience from what they were used to in Jackson but it was somehow more special with just the three of them. Every interaction and sweet gesture was more personal and intimate. Despite this being the first real Christmas without Jesse, it was… surprisingly okay. At least that was what Ellie felt, thanks to Dina and JJ.

It was thanks to them that Ellie felt like she could live another day.

AN: Previously on… I was trying to speedrun the holidays