An Evening Stroll Down Memory Lane

By Justin - EllieandJoel4ever

Jackson Wyoming

It was a beautiful late Autumn evening so Ellie and Joel had decided to go for a stroll to walk off the big meal they'd had for supper. Joel had done the cooking, or they wouldn't be walking; they'd be at the clinic.

As usual, Ellie had eaten twice as much food as Joel and had scarfed it down twice as fast as him; so he wanted to take Ellie for a walk to help her digestive system process all the food she had devoured.

For the life of him, he didn't know where she put it all. She was still as skinny as the day he'd met her all those many months ago in Boston. It confounded Joel; because they had been eating pretty well for the last two years they'd been living in Jackson; a stark contrast to pretty much starving for the eight months or so that they were fighting for every step out on the road trying to find the damn Fireflies.

'Where does all that shit go when she eats like that? She must have a tapeworm the size of Texas! Gotta get Doc to check her out n' make sure she's okay.' Joel had thought when he'd watched her eat. Even though watching her eat was kinda comical.

Ellie is the most unique person that Joel has ever met. Will ever meet. She never ceases to amaze him in some way or another, every day.

She's the bravest person, besides himself and Tess, that he's ever seen. She's smart as a whip and funny as hell to boot. But he thinks that her greatest attribute is that she's wise well beyond her years. She makes decisions on the fly like she was born to lead. On top of that, she's the best shot that he's ever seen too; even better than him with a rifle and bow. And to top all that off; she's immune to the Cordyceps infection. She's more than likely the only immune person in the world. She's even got that goin' for her.

Yep. She's damn special; that little spitfire of his. And he wouldn't have her any other way. Flaws and all.

She still drives him nuts though. But he absolutely loves that about her too.

It had been a couple of weeks since their last disaster when Joel had failed to come home from his shift on the wall on his Birthday and had went to the local tavern instead. Naturally, a pissed off Ellie went and found him, scolded the fuck out of him and then she had gotten a little drunk. Houser and Cyrus over at the bar were still talking about that. It was pretty comical.

The townsfolk of Jackson were starting to talk about the 'Adventures of Ellie and Joel' among themselves and Ellie and Joel were becoming quite the little Legends in town because of their exploits and antics. Ellie and Joel could care less what the rest of the town thought of them. They only care about each other.

No adventures tonight though. Just a nice evening stroll to walk off their supper. And what ever trouble the little spitfire walkin' next to Joel was gonna cause. THAT was inevitable.

Joel was walking along using a 'walking stick' to help support himself with every other step. He didn't really need it, but it gave his right hand something to do as he was walking.

Ellie was walking beside him whistling-which drove Joel crazy-and kicking an old Pork 'n' Beans can ahead of herself so she could catch up to it and kick it again in a couple of steps. That was driving Joel crazy too. But he tolerated both; cause' it's Ellie. That's her job. Driving Joel nuts. She's DAMN good at it.

"Gonna have to trade that walkin' stick in for a cane sooner or later, old man."

"Cute, Ellie."

"I'm just sayin."

Joel stuck his tongue out at her.

"Cute, Joel."

"Just as cute as when you do it to me squirt."

"Yeah, but I do it with a certain panache, you old fart."

"You even know what that means squirt?"

"Nope. Doesn't matter. Sounds good though, don't it."

"Yep. I reckon it does squirt. Sides', I ain't even sure that I know what it means either." He said with a smile and a chuckle.

"Hey Joel..." Ellie said as she quit kickin' the can-much to Joel's delight-and quickened her pace to catch up and walk beside him.

"What squirt."

"You ever miss the good old days?"

"You mean before the World went to shit?"

"No, you big dummy! I mean the good ole days when it was just me and you against the World out on the road. You know; the 'damn the torpedoes; full speed ahead!' days when the 'shit would hit the fan' and me and you would fuckin' hit it back. You remember those days Joel?"

"How could I forget em' squirt." Joel said reflecting in his mind. "Some of the best days of my life and some of the worst days of my life. Can't forget em' squirt. Don't even want to."

"We were a team back then though, weren't we old man."

"Still are squirt. Always will be."

"Awwww...you're sooo sweet Joelsy! For an asshole, anyway."

Joel snorted.

"Save the 'Joelsy' for when your little ass gets drunk again squirt." Joel said with a wry smile and Ellie chuckled.

"We're sorta like Batman and Robin; you and me. Aren't we old man."

"More like Laurel and Hardy squirt." Joel said as he stopped walking, turned toward Ellie and mimicked flicking an invisible tie hanging from his neck and said in his best Laurel voice, "Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!"

Ellie was lost and stood there looking at him with her arms crossed over her chest. "Um...what in the fucking hell was that Joel?"

Joel tilted his head downward, closed his eyes and put his right hand over his forehead. He sighed as he said "Never mind squirt." and turned to keep walking; feeling a little dejected that Ellie didn't get his Laurel and Hardy joke. Suddenly, he felt old.

"So, tell me old man...how DO you feel about being Robin?"

"What!? Bull shit squirt! I'm Batman. You aint!"

"Pffft...Whatever old man! Remember!? I'm the Boss!"

"Yeah? You wish squirt..."

Ellie reared back like she was gonna punch Joel. "ALRIGHT squirt, alright! Your the Boss. You'reBatman!...Jeez." Joel said with his hands held up defensively in front of him.

"Damn right old man. And don't you forget it. And if we ever find that fuckin' Batmobile; I'm driving! You're ridin' shotgun...Robin."

Joel rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"Sure thing Boss."

After a few moments of walking, Ellie remembered and broke the silence.

"You never answered my question, dumbass."

"What question was that squirt. You sorta sidetracked me there with the whole Batman and Robin bullshit...(cough)...I mean thing."

"Bet you can't chew gum and walk at the same time either, can you old man."

"Cute, Ellie."

"I'll repeat the question." Ellie cleared her throat. "Ahem...Do you ever miss the old days when you and me were kicken' ass and takin' names, dumbass. Earth to Joel!?" Ellie said as she rolled her eyes.

Joel just shook his head and chuckled. "Yes and no, squirt. More yes than no."

"Yeah. I kinda miss them too, old man."

"Hey Joel..."

"What squirt."

"You remember that time when I took on that big ass Bloater and put that fucker in his place?"

"You mean one of them Bloaters me and you took out in the underground tunnels back in Salt Lake City squirt?"

"Nope. I was talkin' about that fat-ass dickhead Bill."

Joel stopped dead in his tracks and doubled over at the waste laughing. He had to catch his knees with his hands to keep from falling over he was laughing and snortin' so hard.

Ellie quickly walked up next to him, grabbed his right arm and started patting him gently on the back with her left hand.

"You alright there old man? You ain't havin' a heart attack on me are ya?" she said with a smile; and a little bit of worry mixed in with it.

"No squirt, I ain't." Joel said as he gingerly stood back up straight; grabbing his abdomen because his stomach muscles were hurting from laughing so hard.

"But you damn near killed me with that Bill joke you just pulled outta your ass!" Joel said as he chuckled and wiped the tears away from the corners of his eyes.

"You loved it old man!"

"Damn sure did squirt!"

"You love me too."

"Damn sure do squirt."

"Whew!...that was a good one Ellie. DAMN!" He said as he wiped the perspiration from his forehead from the exertion of laughing so hard. Then he turned to continue walking.

'Fuck! I ain't laughed that hard in over twenty years! God bless that little shithead!' Joel thought as he chuckled and walked along smiling to himself.

Ellie, now walking again by his side with a triumphant smile thought, 'Fuck! I ain't NEVER seen Joel laugh THAT fuckin' hard before! Gotta remember to mark this day on my calendar.' Inside her mind she was doin' the happy dance.

Joel stopped and turned toward Ellie.

"Oh, hey squirt...I've been saving this joke to tell you for a special occasion. But, since you just about damn near killed me just now, I better go ahead and tell it to ya before you actually do kill me."

"FUCK YEAH! Lay it on me, you old fart!"

"What do you call a Knight who won't fight?"

"I don't know Joel. What DO you call a Knight that won't fight?"

"Sir Render."

"OOHHHhhhhhh...That's a good one Joel!" Ellie said as she bent over laughing.

Joel chuckled at her and then folded his arms over his chest and smiled. 'Huh...not bad if I do say so myself!' He thought as he watched her laughing.

"Awwwww...I'm so proud of you, you old fart! That was pretty fuckin' good." Ellie said, still chuckling.

"See there squirt? You ain't the only one in the family that can tell a good joke."

"WHOA there now assmunch! Let's not get carried away now." Ellie said. "Don't want that head of yours gettin' any bigger than it already is, old man. You could barely fit that sucker up an Elephant's ass as it is now! Mister know it all!"

Joel snorted. "One of these days Ellie...one of these days." He said with a chuckle.

"I'm still waitin' asshole." Ellie said as she looked at an invisible watch on her wrist and tapped her foot on the pavement.

After they both finished chuckling, they turned and resumed walking.

"Joel..."

"What squirt."

"Would you change anything about it?"

"What...our time together out on the road squirt?"

"Walk and chew gum at the same time Joel...Jeez...Yesssss, dumbass!"

"Cute Ellie."

"Well, would ya?"

"Yep."

"Oh, here we go...And what would you change about it?"

"The very first time I saw you pull that damn pun book outta your backpack, I'da grabbed it outta your hands, threw it up the air and blew the everluvin shit out of that damn thing with my shotgun."

"WHAAAAT?! No you wouldn't have, you asshole!"

"And why not squirt?"

"Cause' then you woulda' been walkin' around with my shoe stuck up your ass the rest of the day, dumbass."

"Cute Ellie."

"Sides', you LOVE my jokes, you grumpy old asshole."

"Yeah. I kinda do squirt." Joel said as he grabbed her around the waste and ruffled her hair with his hand. Ellie broke the embrace and punched him lightly on the arm.

"Dickhead." she said with a smile.

They started walking again.

"Do you regret any of it Joel?"

"There are a lot of things about our little journey that I regret squirt. Some a lot more than others."

"Really? And what would those be?"

Joel reached around and scratched the back of his head in thought. "Well, for one; I regret that you had to do awful things to protect yourself squirt while you and me were out there. You should never have had to do those things. You're to young."

Ellie started to protest, but Joel stopped her. "Now, don't get mad squirt. I know that you're just as capable as I am of takin' care of yourself, but still; you shouldn't have had to do those things. Especially at your age."

"Your safety was always in the back of my mind when I was doin' those things Joel."

"I know baby girl, I know. Still, you shouldn't have had to do those things."

"Anything else you regret about it Joel?"

Joel let out a sigh and then his shoulders slumped.

"Yes. The lie baby girl. I regret lying to you. I wouldn't change anything I did at the Hospital, ever. But, still; I lied to you about it baby girl. I'll always regret that."

"I know why you did it Joel. And listening to the tapes together when we got back here helped me to realize that if our roles were reversed; I would've done the same for you too Joel. I can't ever loose you either."

"Thanks again for forgiving me baby girl. I never should have lied to you."

"You're welcome old man. Oh, and don't you ever lie to me again."

"Not even one little ole fib now and then squirt?" He said with a smile.

"Not unless you want my foot up your ass sideways; shoes, socks and all, old man."

"Duly noted squirt." Joel said with a nod.

"Any more regrets Joel?"

Joel suddenly stopped and as Ellie stopped and turned back to look at him, she could tell that his thoughts were turning somber. She saw that his hands were twitching and his body was starting to shake a little. He was looking down at the ground but his thoughts were focused somewhere far away.

"Well, my biggest regret was...my, my biggest regret was..." Joel started to choke up. But he continued and Ellie could see that he was struggling with his words. "My biggest regret was not being there for you...to protect you...against that piece of shit son of a bitch while I was hurt." He said with his eyes closed tightly and a scowl on his face.

Joel's hands clinched into fists and the blood rushed to his face as he scowled and gritted his teeth in anger at just the thought of the man that has given Ellie so many sleepless nights since that horrible winter two years ago.

Ellie could see that he was losing himself in his anger. She walked up next to him and took hold of his arm to break his angry thoughts and make him turn around to look at her. She reached up and cupped his cheek in her hand, which seemed to calm him a little and release the tension that was building in his muscles.

"It's okay Joel. I'm here. Because of you I'm here. You're the reason I'm ok. That asshole can never hurt me again. He's dead. I killed him. You taught me how to take care of myself. It's because of youthat he can't hurt me anymore. I'll eventually get over the nightmares. But that'll be because of youtoo."

The tension in Joel's body melted away and he reached up and cupped her cheek in his hand. Ellie nestled into it with a warm smile.

"Thanks baby girl. You've no idea what that means to me."

They turned and started walking again, arm in arm.

After a few moments, Joel said, "What about you baby girl. You have any regrets?"

Ellie scrunched up her face and scratched her temple trying to think.

"Hmmmm...let's see...Oh! I regret not puttin' my foot up Bill's fuckin' fat ass; for one."

Joel chuckled.

"Hmmmm...what else...Oh! You'll LOVE this one Joel. I definitely regret not finding anymore pun books!" Ellie said and looked over to Joel with wide eyes and a big shit eating grin.

Joel closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. "Thank the good Lord abovefor that...Amen." Ellie punched him playfully on the arm.

"You love those books, old man!"

"Keep tellin' yourself that squirt."

After a few moments of silence, Ellie began to speak again. Joel thought that she looked somber and a little worried.

"But my biggest regret is that you lost Tess, Joel. Because of me."

Joel stopped. And with a hand on her shoulder, he turned Ellie to look at him.

"Ellie, baby girl...Tess did what she did for me and you. She gave her life to protect us; both of us. Don't regret that baby girl. Tess wouldn't have. She was very brave; just like you are. You and I both know that you would have done the same for her, yeah?"

Ellie looked down at the ground and shuffled her feet. "Okay."

They turned to continue walking.

"Would you change any of it Joel?"

"No baby girl. I wouldn't. Notta thing."

"But, why?"

"Whose to say that if you and I were able to go back and change things Ellie, that it wouldn't change the way things are now. Who's to say that if I changed any one thing that it wouldn't take you away from me. I couldn't live with that."

"But Joel..."

Joel stopped and turned Ellie to look at him again. "C'mere baby girl." He reached out and pulled her toward him and then rested his hands on her shoulders.

"Let me ask you something baby girl." Ellie nodded. He thought she looked a little worried. He reached up and cupped her chin in his hand and tilted her head up so she could look into his eyes. He wanted her to know that he meant everything he was about to say.

"Do you know where the center of my Universe is baby girl?"

Ellie's eyes started to water, but she just couldn't help herself from cracking a joke. "Above your knees and below your belly button old man?"

"No squirt. Right here." Joel said as he placed his hand gently on the center of her chest just above her sternum. "This...this is the center of my Universe."

She couldn't hold back the tears any longer and they began to run down her cheek as she started to cry.

"Everything that I do, everything that I will ever do, is to keep this heart; your heart; my heart; our heart...beating." And he gently patted her chest to mimic the rhythm of her beating heart.

"If for any reason this quits beating...my reason for living ends with it."

"Joel..." Ellie said with tear-filled eyes.

"I love you baby girl. There ain't a word that even exists that can explain to you just how much I love you. Never will be."

He cupped both of her cheeks in his big hands and wiped away her tears with his thumbs as he looked into those beautiful green eyes. Then he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. Ellie wrapped her arms around his waste and pulled him into a hug as she nestled her self into his chest. Joel gently hugged her back and nestled his cheek into her hair. He rubbed warm circles into the small of her back as he heard her whimper into his chest. It seemed that time had stopped; but it felt like a comfortable eternity for both of them. They stayed like that for as long as they could until they broke the embrace and turned to head home.

Joel wrapped his arm around her shoulder and Ellie wrapped her arm around his waste. She wiped some tears from her cheeks with the sleeve of her shirt.

She sniffled a little and said, "So, old man, what kind of cane do you want? Would you rather have one with a handle on it, or just a straight one with a nob on top?"

Joel pulled his lips inward, folded his arms across his chest and turned to look at Ellie.

"I'll take the straight one with just the nob on top. That way when I bend you over my damn knee and use it to spank your little brat ass, I'll be able to grip it better for maximum brat ass whippin' effect."

In her best distraught southern belle voice, Ellie said "Why Joel Miller! Why would you ever do such a thing to my sweet little ole self? Why I never heard of such a thing. My stars...spankin' a delicate little ole angel like me!? For shame Joel Miller! For shame..."

Joel lunged forward and grabbed Ellie around the waste from her side. He picked her up and bent her over; half straddling his leg as he stood there and brought his hand up over his shoulder like he was going to spank her ass.

"I believe I'll just skip waitin' for the cane and commence to whippin' your little ole butt right now little ole Miss Ellie. How do you feel about that? HmmmmMMM?" And he looked at her over his shoulder with a devious smile on his face.

Ellie looked back at him over her shoulder with a wry smile of her own.

"I swear to God old man. If you spank me, I'll beat your ass so bad that Maria will have to get Tommy to come scrape your worthless butt off the pavement and wheel your busted ass over to Doc's in a wheel barrel!" Then she stuck her tongue out at him. He returned the favor and let her go.

Joel gave her a playful little shove and Ellie gently punched him in the shoulder. Then with a smile and a laugh at each other, they turned to continue walking.

They walked the rest of the way back home arm in arm, their fingers entwined, and in comfortable silence. Nothing needed to be said. They both new what the other was thinking. Nothing could ever tear them apart.

When they made it back home and up the steps of the front porch, Ellie stopped Joel from opening the front door to head inside. She turned him around to face her and placed her hand on Joel's chin to tilt his head down so he could look into her eyes and know that she meant every word she was about to say. She brought her hand down from his chin and placed it in the middle of his chest over his heart; gently patting it to mimic the rhythm of his beating heart.

"Me too old man...me too." She said. Then she reached up and cupped his cheek in her hand so he would know that she meant it. She wrapped her arms around his waste and pulled him in for another hug. They stayed that way for a few moments with Ellie's cheek nestled into Joel's chest and his cheek nestled into her hair.

"Unless we run outta food. Then you're on your own, asshole." Ellie said into his flannel shirt.

She broke the embrace and looked up at him with a wry smile and winked at him. She reached around behind him and smacked his ass as hard as she could. Then she let out a scream and ran laughing through the front door and into the house.

"OW...Goddamnit...Not again." Joel muttered to himself.

He rubbed his butt to ease the sting. 'I have GOT to find some sorta padding to put down my pants back there for the next time the little twirp decides to smack my ass hard again.' he thought to himself.

Suddenly, after thinking about it for a few seconds, he had an idea and he snapped his fingers.

'That's it! I got the perfect padding to cover my ass for the next time.' He thought and turned to run inside the house yelling for Ellie.

"Hey Ellie! Can I borrow your joke books for a while!?"