Disclaimer: These characters belong to the creators

Warnings language

A/N: I have a wonderful beta! Somebodypeople is going through the story and fixing it up!

Sometimes Bill made sense, and that was when you knew things were getting crazy.

His head ached. Stupid snare, Joel thought to himself. It must have been the blood that rushed to his head while he hung in that damn trap, but it could have been the company.

"This way." Joel crossed into the suburban backyard gripping the shiv tightly in his hand. The clicker was staggering around in a circle. Joel crawled as its back turned and he managed to catch the blade in its neck. It gurgled as blood spurted out. Disgusting. He had done this a hundred times, but it was still the worst job.

The other two were crouched by the bushes waiting for the signal. Great job, Bill. I got this. Sit back on your fat ass. No, no. It's cool. Stay with the unarmed girl and hide behind her.

After dispatching the last runner, they were clear to run through the garage of an abandoned house. It still had some useful items inside. Joel grabbed some binding when it started again:

"What did I tell you about touching stuff?" Bill growled.

"What, this is yours, too?" Ellie held up a pair of scissors.

"It's in this town."

"Whatever, fucker. It's yours, then. Keep it." She went to the opening of the garage.

"Ellie?" Joel moved toward her. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Go get it!" Ellie tossed the scissors over the fence. She turned back with a grin before something on the receiving end of her throw screamed. "Shit!" She dodged to Joel's side.

"I told you, nothing but trouble! She is going to get us all killed!" Bill pointed a gloved finger at Joel. "It will be your fault, too."

"No one asked you to come along. You could have given us a map or something," Ellie hissed as she stepped between the men.

"Ellie, we did ask him to come along." Joel touched her shoulder lightly.

"I didn't ask for him to come along. He is just a rude dick that can go fuck himself." She tried to pull her shoulder away, but he caught her.

"Ah. Bill, could you go check on whatever she hit? We need to have a meeting."

"That sounds great," Bill answered. "That brat needs to get a good ass whooping. If you weren't going to do it, I was."

"I hope that runner bites you in the balls," Ellie growled.

"Why would Tess want to transport the girl? It's just fucking stupid," Bill thought out loud. He pulled his gun up to his shoulder as he rounded on the fence. God, it was another stab for him to mention Tess.

Joel caught Ellie's sleeve and hauled her up to the moss-covered swing set. He had to handle some business. This girl had no home-training.

He left her at a seat before joining her. They would watch the sunset from here.

"Joel,"

"Quit it."

"But,"

"What did I say?"

Ellie began to pout. Joel clasped his hands tightly and looked back at the sky to avoid her. Her reddish hair shined brightly in the dying light. "Listen. Sometimes we have to be nice to people who are not nice to us to get what we want. Okay? I don't want to hear you two fighting all the way to the high school." He shook his head. "That's all I got to say on the subject."

"He started it."

"I told you, he was strange. Now act like you have some sense!" He didn't mean for it to come out like that, but that girl had to learn some self control.

Ellie began to move her swing back and forth. "Whatever," she whispered.

Shit. The whole thing was getting a little close to home for his liking. First Tess, and now this girl. She was just like her: a firecracker. Lord knew that Tess would have been cursing, too. Something at that age and … Sarah. It hurt Joel's heart to think about that remnant of the past. Shit. Bill was right; this would not end well. It was going to be a mess and he would lose her again.

"Joel," Ellie pulled him from his thoughts. "I'm sorry. I just don't like how he talks to me." At least she was being honest. They did start off on a bad foot with the handcuffs and pipe. Bill could have been a little nicer, but the world was not a nice place.

"Baby, cursing a man out doesn't make you tougher. He's still got a gun and no firm grasp on human compassion, so just be quieter. Roll your eyes or something when he isn't looking. Besides, you know I wouldn't let him hurt you."

Ellie swung slowly, back and forth. "What do think he was going to try with the handcuffs? He would have just shot me."

"I wouldn't let him."

"Right. Easy to say." She rolled her eyes.

"I see you're getting practice." He replayed the scene in his head: the handcuffs, the pipe, both of them yelling. It all was just a rush. "Besides, I wouldn't have let it go that far." The pair swung in the cracked plastic swings in silence. Joel reached out and gripped her knee. "I wouldn't have." She looked up as his hand lingered.

He took his hand back and stretched as he got up. His legs ached from crouching around the infected clickers. Ellie joined him.

"We'd better check on Bill."

"That fatass is probably waiting in the garage."

Joel rolled his shoulders back and ruffled her hair. "We gotta work on your language."

"Fuck no. It's fine."

He had to suppress a smile. "Lead the way, young lady."

Ellie's ponytail swung lightly with her walk. She was definitely a firecracker. She was one part Sarah and one part Tess, and the rest was the girl in front of him. It still amazed Joel that Ellie would gasp in surprise when he killed a runner, but she had no problems stabbing an officer or bashing Bill with a pipe. She was a strange combination of growing up too fast and still being innocent. That was the root of it. Bill had no excuse for acting on the same level as a teenager, but Ellie didn't have the home or parents to help her become a lady.

"Dammit, Joel. Did you just talk to her?" Bill accused as they entered the room.

"Shut up, Bill," Joel snapped.

"She will get you killed."

"And that will be my problem, so butt out."

"He's got enough of that," Ellie grumbled.

For fuck's sake, thought Joel. "Ellie," he scolded.

"I got it, Joel." She moved back to his side, picked up his arm, and put it around her shoulders. "I'll play nice."

"Let's just go to the high school already," Joel said as he gave a her a squeeze. There might be hope for this girl yet.