Well since you guys are being so nice and reviewing I'll continue writing. :D

That afternoon was stormy and gloomy. The rain was coming down like meteor showers, soaking anything standing in it for more than thirty seconds. Today was Tommy's turn to check inventory and oversee his crew regarding the village turbines. Him and Maria would take turns to keep the workload balanced, in an attempt to keep stress levels low and maintain clear thinking. After all, they were the young leaders of this little slice of paradise. That took a certain work ethic and a high level of responsibility, and if they had to work extra hard to keep things running smoothly around here, than so be it. It was all worth it, and they knew it.

"I'm gonna go and check out these clowns you got mannin' the gates out there, Tommy." Joel said.

Tommy let out a heavy sigh, as if he was expecting this, but spoke in a jokingly matter. "What's wrong brother? They ain't meetin' your standards out there?" he chuckled to himself.

"If a fifteen year old girl can get past them whenever the fuck she wants, then yes, I'd say we got a problem here." he said in a stern voice.

"Fifteen year old girl? You don't mean... Ellie?!" Tommy asked.

Ellie turned her head to look at him sheepishly, trying to hold in her laughter.

"Umm... maybe? I guess?" she said, continuing, "And hey! I'm no ordinary fifteen year old girl, you old geezer!"

Maria decided now was a good time to voice her opinion. "Ellie, I don't think ANYBODY would be able to stop you from doing something if you really wanted to do it, let alone this pack of mangy mutts we got guarding the gates around here." she said in a complimentary tone.

"At least SOMEBODY around here understands." Ellie said with a playful sarcasm.

"I knew my guys weren't top dog, but come on. Didn't they at least say something to you when you went by? Some kind of warning at least?" Tommy was curious now. This could really turn into a serious security problem.

"Well, ya see... the thing is..." she chose her next words carefully, as to not spook Tommy, "They couldn't really say anything to me. You know, cus' they were kinda... sleeping." As soon as Ellie said this, she and Maria braced for the inevitable.

"WHAT?!" screamed Tommy, unable to believe what he just heard. "Are you FUCKING kidding me? SLEEPING? What the FUCK is that?"

At this point Maria was ready to piss her pants in laughter. The tears were streaming down her face like Niagara Falls, and Ellie was just standing there, finding amusement in Maria's reaction. She's never really seen her hysterical like this, and it was funny, admitting to herself.

"I told you!-" Maria forced out.

"NOPE", Tommy cut her off, he would have none of this.

"I did!" she continued. "I told you turkey was no good to be feeding them for dinner! Haven't you ever heard of what turkey does in the brain? It does something to the chemical balance in your head and it makes you sleepy!" she said, still laughing.

"It was either turkey, or that fucking blueberry shit again. And I'm tired of eating fucking WEEDS every night, Maria. I need PROTEIN." he defended himself. "We haven't been able to hunt for game in awhile thanks to this fucking bullshit falling from the sky by the gallon." he said, pointing upwards with middle finger.

Maria calmed down, but not without one last remark. "You men and your meat" she said smiling, getting a giggle out of Ellie.

Joel, however, wasn't finding the humor in this situation at all. 'Fuck this' he thought.

"Tommy, I'll train your men for you, teach these young little bitches how to guard a wall without falling asleep like sissies. Then we can all sleep better tonight. Can't guard the whole fucking place on my own, you know." he said, not giving much room for Tommy to deny him.

Tommy contemplated this for a second. He knew what his older brother was capable of, and he thought, maybe this wouldn't be such a bad idea. Teaching these guys how to kill the way he does would certainly help us out survival wise.

"Do me a favor, just don't kill anybody, okay? We're shorthanded around here as it is, and most of the people living here aren't fit for combat." Tommy explained.

Joel waved him off, getting ready to step out the door and get on with it, but stopped when he noticed Ellie was ready to follow him out.

"Ellie, why don't you stay here with Maria? I'm sure you girls got a lotta catchin' up to do, right?" he said.

Ellie immediately started panicking on the inside, but she doesn't let it show. She admits, she's kinda antisocial when it comes to not having Joel nearby. Really, she just wanted to tell him to fuck off, and force herself by his side again, not giving him a choice in the matter. It just doesn't feel right not being within a five foot radius of Joel. However, she decides against it, not wanting to insult Maria's feelings or make herself look like a fool.

"Uh, yeah sure. When will you be back though?" she asks him.

"This shouldn't take too long. Just gotta whip these kids into shape, and I'll be back. Don't worry about me, go have some fun with Maria. You deserve it." he reassures her, before walking out to accomplish his task.

Before Ellie has a chance to turn her head towards Maria, Tommy is already speaking.

"I'll be at the turbines honey. The techs are havin' me come over and take a look at something in one of the systems... says it could pose a threat to power supply. And in a storm like this, I ain't takin' any chances." Tommy says to his wife, leaving Ellie and Maria to themselves in the inventory room.

Maria was the first to break the silence.

"So, Ellie, how you doin'?"

"Okay I guess. Well, I feel like I'm kinda still in survival mode, if ya know what I mean. It's nothing against you or Tommy, you guys are doing a great job and a wonderful service here. I'm just so used to sleeping on the ground with Joel, looking over my shoulder every five minutes for hunters or mushroom faces, or just trying to survive. 'With Joel' she thought, mid sentence. I'm still getting used to this lifestyle." Ellie answered.

Maria immediately understood, knowing the girl's past and what her and Joel went through these past few months... speaking of the past, what the hell happened with the Fireflies?

"Well, you know you guys are welcome to stay here as long as you want. Ain't no reason to think you gotta keep living that way anymore." she comforted her.

Ellie looked at her with soft eyes and nodded appreciatively. It was a good feeling to be loved by somebody else, she thought to herself. She thought of Riley and Joel.

"You know, you guys never really mentioned what happened with your mission with the Fireflies. Tommy and I thought they needed you to get some kind of cure for this disease, since you're immune. Did they do what they needed to do?" Maria inquired.

Ellie didn't know how to respond to this, after all, she didn't even know herself. All she remembers was trying to help Joel. He was trapped in a bus under the water, but somehow the bus started moving from the force of the current, knocking her off balance and into the water. She couldn't swim.

"The truth is, I don't even remember. Joel and I were on our way there but we had to cross this nasty looking fucking river underground or something... I got knocked into the water but I can't swim. I thought that was the end of me, but then I woke up in the back of Joel's car. He told me that the Fireflies... there were dozens of others who were immune to the disease, and that the Fireflies could not find a cure from them. He said they stopped looking for a cure..." she stopped, waiting to see if Maria had anything to say.

Maria just looked at her, with a facial expression she really couldn't read. "What happened then?" Maria asked.

"Well, after that I got depressed. After all the shit we went through, all the people who died for us and we couldn't even reach our goal. After Joel told me, I just laid down in the back seat, and, well, here we are two weeks later." Ellie explained, a little too easily for Maria.

Maria could tell she was leaving something out. Perhaps dialogue between her or Joel, or something else that may have happened. She decided to press the issue.

"Ellie..." she said, "I want us to be friends. You can trust me, you know. I'm sure plenty of people have told you this already. Hell, I'm sure Joel already told you-"

Ellie cut her off. "Actually, Maria, he's never said those words to me. Ever."

Maria felt bad for saying that, but before she could apologize, Ellie continued speaking.

"But, he doesn't need to. I can feel his love for me, just by looking in his eyes. And it's so... strong. Sure, other people just see a murderer, or an over aged pervert with a younger girl. But I see love. I can feel it. I don't ever want to be alone, Maria..." and as she finished this sentence, her eyes started to water, tears streaming down her face. Before she knew it, she was sobbing in Maria's arms.

"That's why... when Joel almost died last winter... when that fucking animal David almost... he almost..." she couldn't finish the sentence, and buried her face in Maria's embrace.

Joel had told Tommy and Maria about what happened at Lakeside sometime during their first week here. At the time he wasn't sure if Ellie would appreciate this, but he trusted Tommy and Maria like family and thought that they should know about the trauma this poor little girl has gone through. And all for him.

"Ellie... it's okay now, sweetie." Maria comforted her, squeezing her gently in a loving embrace. "You, me, Tommy, and Joel. We're a family now, do you understand? You will NEVER be alone as long as we're still breathing. We love you, sweetheart. All of us." They were now both on the ground, hugging each other in sadness, and Maria continued her comforting words.

"You are such a brave girl Ellie, do you know that? You're the strongest girl I've ever met, and I'm so happy to be part of your family." Ellie was still crying, but it was happy tears now. She looked up at Maria, with shining, watery eyes. "Thank you... Maria. I'm sorry... you're shirt is a mess now." she said with a sad laughter.

Maria smiled and said "Don't worry about it, Ellie. I'm just glad you're okay."

Maria's voice was so soothing to Ellie. She would of never imagined a voice like that coming out of Maria's mouth, with her being an in-control type of woman. She was a leader, after all.

Before Ellie could respond, the door to the inventory room was busted open so quickly it almost flew off the hinge. Both girls looked over to the doorway, to see a man with a rifle in his hand with a terrified look on his face.

"TOMMY! WHERE THE FUCK IS TOMMY?!" the man asked frantically.

Maria recognized him as Fred. He was one of the guards.

"Whoa, calm down Fred. He's with the crew at the turbines, what's going on?" Maria asked, still holding Ellie. She could see the fear in his eyes.

"We need help at the gates! It's infected... there are DOZENS of them! We need back up, now!" Fred said, frantically.

"Shit. There are some guards at the other gates and near the turbines. I'll call Tommy on the radio and-"

But before she could finish, Ellie bolted out the door like a sniper bullet.

"Ellie!" Maria yelled, but it was no use. Ellie just kept running.

There was only one thing on Ellie's mind at this point.

'JOEL!'

Joel's lie will be addressed in later chapters. I will write Ellie's reaction in a way that I truly believe she would react, and I'll attempt to keep her as in character as I can when I'm doing it.

Next chapter is fun time. Thnx for reading guys!