Losing you ; Joel Miller

xxx. Alone

[2023]
EDEN

The reunion between Tommy and Joel was sweet, the brothers embracing each other with big smiles. Eden jumped off her horse, grinning as Tommy's eyes lit up. " Eden? Jesus Christ! How long has it been? 10 years?" The Texan's jaw fell slack when he noticed Ada in her sling. " Who's baby did you steal?" He questioned, dumbfounded. " It's your niece, dumbass" she signed, causing his eyes to grow even wider as he turned to his brother " you guys are fuckin' with me" Joel scoffed, shaking his head " Nope, now go say hi to Ada."

" There's more if you need it" Maria said as she watched them all scoff down their food. Joel halted slightly, straightening his back " thank you, ma'am. It's been a while since we've had a proper meal" Eden smiled at how polite he was being. " Actually, I don't think I've ever had a proper meal. This is fuckin' amazing" Ellie gushed, she couldn't disagree, they had all been eating 20 year old canned food for the past three months.

" Sorry. Ellie... let's mind our manners" Joel said to the teen, before sharing a look with Tommy. Noticing a girl staring, Ellie loudly snapped out " what?" Causing the onlooker to quickly walk away.

" What's wrong with you?" Joel questioned, eyebrows knitted together at how rude she was being. " What about her manners?" Ellie bit back. " She was just curious. Kids around here don't usually look or talk like you" Eden stood up to get the baby formula that had been cooling down by the microwave. When she returned, Tommy handed her Ada and said " a bad reputation doesn't mean you're bad."

" Not always, at least" Maria muttered out, eyeing Joel. Eden halted her movements, staring at the woman with shock. Who does she think she is? Her anger boiled over at the way Maria kept staring at him. " Who the fuck do you think you are? How about you keep your fucking mouth sh-" Joel gripped her hand, squeezing it reassuringly as he cleared his throat. " Ma'am... we're grateful for your hospitality and all. But it'd be nice to have a moment here, maybe just for family" Tommy shifted in his seat " well, um..." he started, taking Maria's hand into his " Maria is family, actually."

Eden totally disregarded Tommy's statement, still staring at Maria for having the audacity. " Oh, shit! Congrats... Joel, Eden, say congrats" Ellie whispered towards the adults, as Joel mumbled out a congrats, Eden signed " Like hell I'm going to fucking do that" before shooting Maria a glare. The men both coughed uncomfortably at the tension, eyeing each other " how 'bout a tour?"

" How do you keep this place quiet?" Joel asked as they walked around town, Eden was still fuming, Joel's hand tightly wrapped around hers, trying to keep his wife from exploding.

" Carefully. Being in the middle of nowhere helps. Not advertising what we have, staying off the radio" Eden shot a glare towards Tommy, who seemed to sink into his coat, finding the woman terrifying when she was pissed off. " House of worship, multifaith. School. Laundry. Old bank works as the jail, not that we've needed it..." Eden zoned out, not listening as they continued the tour. Every so often, Maria would shoot a glance at her or the sleeping baby in Joel's arms.

Sheep bleating pulled Eden back to reality, " Hey, Joel, check it. Baa" Ellie chuckled, looking back at the adults with a smile. " So are you, like, in charge?" The teen asked Maria.

" No one person's in charge. I'm on the council. Democratically elected, serving 300 people, including children. Everyone pitches in. We rotate patrols, food prep, repairs, hunting, harvesting" Tommy glanced at them with a small smile " Everything you see in our town... greenhouses, livestock, all shared. Collective ownership."

" So, uh, communism" Joel muttered out, which caused Tommy to scoff " Nah. Nah, it ain't like that."

" It is that. Literally. This is a commune. We're communists" Maria shrugged nonchalantly, Eden snickered as Tommy's pace faltered, the wheels in his head turning before ultimately self imploding as he, Tommy Miller, born and raised in Texas, a veteran, finds out that communism isn't evil.