Ellie took in the fresh air and beautiful landscape that stretched for miles in front of her. The sound of the trees gently swaying in the breeze, the birds chirping as they flitted from branch to branch and back again. The vista was breathtaking, the mountains and the forest; the streams that lazily ran through the endless valleys and fields. Even after years of living in Jackson, she didn't think she'd ever get used to it. She felt lucky to live in such a place. To be able to walk around these grounds with no restrictions. No walls, no crumbling ugly skyscrapers that scarred the heavens. No broken roads or rotting corpses. At least not for a few miles anyway. It was the closest she felt to nature without actually being in the middle of nowhere. She'd spent the morning checking the ridge out with Tommy, taking out a straggler or two before hiding back towards the ski lift outpost where Joel was waiting for them.
The teen smiled as they walked through the door, watching as Joel strummed a few chords on the guitar he'd gifted her when they'd first arrived and settled in town. When he'd talked about the strings being changed, she'd genuinely felt confused about when the last time it'd been done. She didn't even know she was supposed to.
It's been Tommy's idea to head out to the old music store further into the town. She pulled gently at Shimmer's reins as she followed Joel on horseback through the woods. She'd only been half listening to him until he'd brought up Jesse's praise on how well she'd been handling the group patrols. Even going as far as recommending her for paired patrols; it was something Ellie had wanted to do since coming to Jackson. She was a better shot than almost all of the others and had more experience than some people twice her age. She knew she was more than capable but both Joel and her mother had voiced their concerns for her safety and had held off letting her go. Her eyes perked up at Joel's tone the more he spoke about it.
"Your mother and I have been talkin'." He explained. "We still think you're a bit young. But if you think you're ready...we trust you." Ellie beamed, a happy sighed lifting the weight on her chest at the thought of them saying no again. "Okay, thanks." She smiled; urging Shimmer into a trot to catch up with Joel and Duke.
"Just do me a favour..." He asked. Ellie rolled her eyes. Here we go... The teen thought sarcastically to herself. Of course there was a catch, what had she expected with how overprotective Joel and her mom were. "Just start with the shorter routes for now, for my sake and mostly for your mother's? Y'know...Just see how you handle them." Huh that actually hadn't been a big of a catch as she was expecting. What she had been was one of them insisting on going with her as her partner. Pick your battles she supposed. And it seemed this time, she'd actually won one.
When they reached the road it was easier to go on foot, they decided to leave the horses by the water side while they ventured further into the town. Ellie followed Joel's line of sight as he pointed to the music store in the distance; stopping abruptly when she saw their usual path was now blocked and the water too shallow. There's no way to swim across anymore. She turned on her heel as the two split up to look for an alternative route instead. She glanced across at Joel looking around for a ladder or plank of wood to help them get across, a smirk slowly inching across her face as she strolled over towards him.
"So..." She started mischievously. "You really think we'll be able to find anything in the music store?" Joel didn't look up, his eyes cast into the grass and under the cars for any sign of leftover debris that could prove useful. "I don't see why not..." He replied nonchalantly. "That's where I got the stuff to fix up your guitar in the first place and I don't see anyone else having any use for the stuff in there." She nodded, her eyes never leaving him as she leaned back against the frame of one of the old cars, left to rot and rust away on the broken remains of the tarmac of the old road. " Okay. Hey...maybe you could find something for my mom? Another record or something.." The older man just hummed in agreement, still not really paying much attention to her, which only seemed to add to her amusement. "Yep you could find something really nice to give to her." She grinned. "Maybe even something to wrap as...say...I don't know? An anniversary present?"
That stopped Joel Miller dead. His head snapped to attention as he looked back up at Ellie, his hazel eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights. "What...No...That's not..."He rambled. "It's today, Joel." Ellie said with a shit eating grin. "You forgot didn't you?" She teased. "No... Are you sure it's today?" He said leaning back on his heels and scratching at his bearded chin. "I could've sworn it was in January..." he mumbled to himself. The teen shook her head. He was thinking of the anniversary when they first got together; this however was their wedding anniversary and it was painfully clear that Joel had completely forgotten. "Well I mean it's only the first one right? So I suppose you get a pass, you guys have been together together for what... three years now?" Ellie guessed. Folding her arms and kicking one leg back to cross over the other.
"Two years, eleven months and nineteen days." Joel recited as he awkwardly tucked his hands into his jean pockets, leaving Ellie dumbfounded that he had actually just fucking said that outloud. She grunted a laugh as it snorted through her nose. "Oh my god! You kept count! That is fucking adorable!" She giggled, her smile growing even wider as Joel cleared his throat while rubbing self consciously at the base of his neck, all the while avoiding eye contact as Ellie continued to giggle at him. She took a gasping breath through her laughs, leaning back to glance at him again. "So...what, do you like, keep a diary under your pillow and keep track of every day you and Ada are together?" She asked, fighting through another fit of giggles trying to escape. "No wait! Do you doodle little pictures of the two of you with kissy faces and heart eyes? NO WAIT!! I bet in the corner of the pages you wrote J + A 4ever in a big love heart." The teen gasped for air once again through her deep chuckles that made her eyes start to water. Almost doubling over from the cramp that was beginning to form in her stomach. "Oh man! I can't fucking breathe!" She wheezed. Holding her middle to stop herself from toppling over. Joel sighed deeply, puffing out a breath of air as he fought the smile that pulled at his lips. Moving to clear his throat again in feeble to attempt to hide his own amusement at Ellie's teasing. His cheeks turning a deep red, an evident sign of his embarrassment. He hadn't meant to say it out loud; it had just come out.
But in truth he had been keeping count of every day he and Ada had been together. Not for the silly soppy reasons Ellie had suggested but because in reality he had wanted to appreciate every day they had together. It had been stupid at first. Just to help him believe that it was real. That he really did have something like that in his life again after so long. To help him appreciate every day they made it out alive. Another day with the woman he loved. But then it had just seemed to become a habit. Something he had just needed to do. In the end, it just made him damn grateful that they'd had all that time together in the first place. And the fact that number kept growing was a blessing to him.
To have Ada. To call her his wife. To have Tommy and Ellie. His family... Something he was convinced was gone for good. Wasn't anymore. In his mind that was his purpose, that was his something to fight for. He coughed to get Ellie's attention as her laughs began to die down as she managed to catch her breath again, wiping the tears from her eyes. "You done?" Joel asked with a knowing smile. "Oh no fucking way! I'm nowhere near done. Just wait till I tell Tommy!" Joel pinched the bridge of his nose. "Please don't tell Tommy." He begged jovially. The teen snickered again with an evil gleam in her eye. "Oh I'm definitely telling Tommy!"
The older man playfully rolled his eyes as he followed her towards the front of a hotel building, his eyes following hers as they looked to the other both sharing a knowing look. With no other way forward, they 'd have to cut through. Joel was just grateful Ellie dropped the subject.
After making their way inside, they split up both scoping the place out. Keeping both an eye and ear out for infected. The place was quiet and empty...until it wasn't.
Joel heard the groans and clicks of the infected before he even opened the door to the foyer; the two of them creeping in slowly as Ellie darted behind the bar while Joel moved towards the closest clicker to stab it swiftly in the neck. Before carefully lowering its body to the ground to not alert the others shuffling around the room. The teen was quick to follow suit; taking down the next one with her pocket knife. Letting the body slump to the floor with a dull thud. She glanced across to Joel who signaled for her to move forward into the next room, passed the reception desk. She nodded and crouched low, keeping close to the walls and around the edge of the large oak desk. Between the two of them they managed to take out the remaining infected rather quickly and efficiently. Both rising to their feet to take a breath and collect themselves for a moment before moving on through the building.
Ellie waited as Joel moved forward pushing an old couch blocking a doorway that took them through into what the girl assumes was the hotel's gym. Following the older man she takes a second to veer off towards the old changing rooms. She creeps through looking along the rusted lockers, pleasantly surprised when she finds a copy of Savage Starlight she has yet to read. "Aw sweet." She mumbled to herself. "Whatcha got there?" She flinches slightly at Joel's deep voice breaking the silence, having not realized he'd followed her inside. "Oh, I just found another issue." She replies with a smile as she waves the comic book for him to see. "Jesse and Dina's gonna lose their shit when they see this. We've been waiting for weeks to find out what happens next."
She quickly kneels to stuff the comic into her backpack before jumping up to her feet to join Joel back in the main room. "What's the deal with those two anyway?" He asks unexpectedly. " They're dating right?" Ellie froze for a second, her mind reeling as she wondered just where Joel was going with this. "Uh...on and off. Why?" She really wished she hadn't asked when the older man turns and smirks at her. " I hear the way Jesse talks about you..." he grins and it's the same shit eating grin she gave him not an hour earlier. "No. Jesse and I are just friends." She clarifies. But Joel is not convinced, stopping in place and turning to face her. A mischievous gleam in his eye and that damn smirk. "Oh I see. So that's where you draw the line, when it comes to talking about your love life." He chuckled. His arms crossed over his chest, giving her that disapproving dad look he did, that they both knew wasn't serious at all. Ellie just smirked back.
Two can play at this game, old man. She thought smugly. "Oh really? You wanna to talk about all that stuff right now? Okay then, hey Joel; where do babies come from?" She challenged biting back another laugh as Joel's face fell at the question. His cheeks blooming red again as he blushed. He cleared his throat, turning on his heel and walking away. "Okay I give up, you win." He conceded, throwing his hands up in defeat. "That's what I thought." Ellie grinned in victory as she followed on a few steps behind. She smiled towards Joel's back as he continued on in front. It was clear they weren't going to get those guitar strings today or an anniversary present for her mom either. But hey at least Ellie had a pretty damn good story to tell when she got home. And no matter what happened, she was definitely telling Tommy when they got back. Consequences be damned.