Chapter Nineteen
The Contractorrrr
When Ellie woke up the next morning, there was a deep heaviness in her heart. She knew that it was the day she left Joel for good, the day that their little journey came to an end. A horrible ending to a horrible journey.
What she didn't expect, when going room to room, was Fran to not be there. She knew that Fran and Joel had some kind of deep connection to each other, wether they ever wanted to admit it or not, but it hurt to know that she had chosen Joel over her. The woman who had promised Ellie the world had also taken it away within a minute.
She didn't know what was harder, the fact that they weren't coming, or the fact neither had plucked up the courage to come and say goodbye. Did she mean that little to them?
The wait for Tommy to come by was hell, every small crack or noise that the house made had Ellie up on her feet and checking the front door, Fran never appearing like Ellie so desperately wanted her to.
The last time Ellie had seen the woman, she was storming out of the house after Maria had so carelessly told them about Joel's daughter.
I sure as hell ain't your dad.
She couldn't say for certain that the words from Joel didn't affect her. She knew that he wasn't her dad, she'd told him herself that she wasn't like his daughter, but it was different with Fran. The woman had actively taken on the role of a mother without even trying, with her, with Sam. She knew Fran had had a hard couple of months, they all had, but she didn't expect her to give up so quickly.
When her and Tommy did make it to the stables that morning, the journey spent with Ellie's eyes scanning early morning crowds in hopes she'd see the woman she wanted so badly, she wasn't expecting both Joel and Fran to be having a quiet conversation next to a horse.
From where Ellie stood she could only see Joel's face, Fran had her back to her, standing in front of Joel. She was quick to notice Joel's hand gently holding the side of Fran's waist and she knew in that moment that Fran had most likely decided.
She'd picked Joel over her.
"You came here to say goodbye or something?" Ellie's tone wasn't kind when she spoke to the two, Fran turning towards her at the sound of her voice. Joel had told her very briefly what had happened, and by briefly it was 'told Ellie Tommy was taking her, she didn't take it well.'
"No," Joel responded gruffly, moving to finish securing the saddle on the back of the horses back, "if I had it my way I would've stolen this horse and ran by now."
"I woulda gave you one," Tommy said to his brother, which while a sweet sentiment, didn't matter too much in the grand scheme of things.
"I know," Joel sniffed and looked to Fran then, who was looking at him to continue, "Anyway... that was last night, and this one cares about you a little too much to just let you go."
Ellie suddenly felt very bad for assuming the worst of Fran, sending her a small look as Fran smiled softly back to her.
"You deserve to choose," Fran said to her with a small nod, "If you trust Tommy then we'll stay-"
"I still think you'd be better off with Tommy..." Joel cut in, making Fran send him a small look to keep it quiet.
"But you have us if you want-" Fran couldn't finish her sentence.
"Let's go," Ellie cut her off, pushing her bag into Joel's hands. The man slightly being pushed back.
"Okay." Joel mumbled, looking back to Tommy then, knowing realistically it would never be comfortable for three of them to be on a horse together, "no chance we could steal another horse?"
Tommy just silently nodded, grabbing them another and putting a saddle onto it. While he did that, Joel helped Ellie get onto the horse, helping her move out of the stable with it.
Fran however stayed put where she was, arms coming around herself in a tight hug as she moved to where Tommy was tightening the saddle.
"I'm sorry about my behaviour yesterday," Fran said to him quietly, still embarrassed by the breakdown she had.
He was quick to dismiss her embarrassment though; shaking his head at her unneeded apology, "don't mention it. Joel told me about what you three have been through," he told her, sending her a small smile; "would've lost my head a long time ago."
"Yeah," Fran said softly then as he moved from the horse, going for his bag he'd discarded on the floor.
"Before I forget," he grabbed a dark blue material from his bag, "Maria said to give this back to you."
He passed the item over to her, her heart falling sightly at the sight of her jeans, the embroidered flowers on the pocket facing up. She smiled at them rubbing her finger over the design softly.
"Thank you," She whispered, closing her eyes for a moment in the relief of having them back, and put them into her pack, following Tommy out with the next horse in tow.
Joel was quick to join the two as they left the stables; Ellie now happily stroking the horse she sat on top on.
"General direction?" Joel asked his brother as Fran moved to his side.
"Head southeast till you hit I-25. It's right off the interstate. Shouldn't be hard to miss." Tommy gave the directions. Joel nodded hesitantly, still thinking about how Tommy had described the journey, how dangerous it was. The feeling of pinky finger adorned with a plastic ring barely linking with his own reminding him on why he was so scared to take Ellie in the first place.
Tommy noticed his hesitance, looking between the two adults before speaking quietly; "There's a place for you here... all three of you."
"Countin' on it." Joel responded, Fran leaving his side to go and show Ellie the jeans that had been returned to her. With Fran now gone, Tommy was quick to mention the unlikeliness of their connection to Joel.
"You two sure are something," he said to him quietly, not wanting the girls to overhear. Joel, who had subconsciously kept his eye on Fran as she left his side, looked back at him then with a questioning gaze, "Go for it."
"What-"
"You remember what you told me, about how you were waking up and knowing you'd lost something?" Tommy asked him, Joel nodding softly at the reminder of his own little breakdown yesterday, "I think you're starting to find it again, brother."
Joel was not one for this type of talk this early in the morning. He and Fran hadn't discussed the kiss, neither feeling the biggest need to make it clear how they were feeling - it was just a mutual thing they both knew. They hadn't discussed much since the night before, just wrapped up in an embrace that they both needed for most of the night.
He was quick to change the subject, looking at the rifle Tommy had hanging over his shoulder; "Can I borrow that?"
"Yeah," Tommy nodded, passing it over to him.
"'Cause Maria took mine, you know?" Joel continued on, the statement making Tommy shake his head at the petty behaviour. Joel nodded at him then, turning to Fran and going to help her up onto the horse.
"Hey; hey hey, slow your roll dude," Ellie said, putting her hands up to stop Fran from getting up, her almost falling if it wasn't for Joel catching her, "there's two horses."
"You and her on this one, me on the other," Joel said as if it was obvious.
"I want my own. You two share," Ellie said dismissively. To be honest, she didn't want the awkward talk with either Joel or Fran about yesterday. That and it made her feel cool when they went past the school.
"Ellie-"
Joel was then cut off by his brother, "let her ride solo; Maria said she did well yesterday."
Tommy and Ellie shared a look, a very devious look as Fran and Joel shared their own; a silent conversation on if they trusted Ellie enough on her own.
"C'mon," Joel was the one to give up; moving Fran over to the next one and helping her up quickly. When she was situated and on it properly, he walked back to his brother; hugging him tightly.
"Adios, big brother."
-
One thing Fran was not aware she'd be doing again was trying to shoot a gun. She sat on a little log as she watched Joel teach Ellie how to shoot a rifle. They'd made a target to hit, not something living, and Fran for once had not been against it.
When Ellie missed the shot, she was quick to start blaming the gun, and the target; before trying again, and missing again. She could see from where she sat the small smile on Joel's face as he watched her try over and over again.
"The guns a piece of shit," Ellie told him, standing up out of frustration, "give Fran a go, she'll believe me."
Both Joel and Ellie looked to Fran then, both expecting her to shoot down the idea and stay where she sat, but to their surprise, she got up, wiping down her coat and slowly going over.
"I don't know how to even shoot it;" Fran told Ellie as she approached them, "I'm not the right mediator for it."
"I'll show you," Joel offered, gun still in his hands after Ellie had let it go, "only if you want."
She thought to herself for a second; before nodding her head and taking a seat to the left of him. She wanted to be stronger after everything that had happened in Jackson, she wanted to prove herself. Prove that she could do it, that she could be strong.
Joel passed her the gun, the barrel facing the sky as Fran took a deep breath, staring at the heavy metal in her hands, before looking to Joel, "what do I do?"
He carefully moved his arm around her; ignoring Ellie's look as he got the gun to point to the target. And for all fran had been taught before, she held it like it was a stick she'd found on the ground.
He carefully moved her hands to where they needed to be, "your left hand goes under here to keep the shot steady," he explained, her nodding as she focused, "other hand rests more on the right side."
"A deep breath in, slow breath out." He instructed, her following what he does and closing her eyes for a moment, "eyes open, Fi."
"I'm trying to relax," she argued with him, looking up to him then; "dare I have a moment in peace?"
Ellie giggled at that, Joel rolling his eyes as the arm that was around her and holding over her left shifted; grabbing her by the chin and facing her head forward again.
"Nope," he said simply, "you know that by now."
"Look through the scope," he instructed next; hand going back to the top of her own, "and when you shoot; you squeeze the trigger like you love it."
"Okay," she mumbled trying to look through the small scope.
"Gentle..." he spoke basically into her ear now; "steady... nice and slow."
"You gonna let her shoot this thing or are you gonna get her pregnant?" Ellie asked, cutting into the focus Fran had. Both adult's heads turn to give her a little glare; a victorious smile on her lips as Joel shook his head, "It isn't gonna work anyway. It doesn't aim right."
Fran looked forward again, eye looking carefully through the scope and focusing in on it. She took a deep breath in, before breathing out and pulling the trigger.
The recoil of the gun hurt her shoulder a bit as she moved back into Joel's chest at the force of it. The noise making her ears ring for a short second.
"You dіck."
She looked to where the target was, seeing she'd shot it right in the centre. It was mostly on Joel, him the one to keep her steady and help, but the sight made her let out a large laugh, head falling back at the fact she'd done better than Ellie without even meaning to.
Joel had his own victorious smile on his face, taking the gun from Fran as he looked at Ellie.
"That was so unfair," Ellie tried to argue, "how is no-guns-allowed here better than I am!"
"Talent," Fran joked, calming down. Her answer made Ellie roll her eyes, saying she was now bored and wanted to keep travelling.
-
Back on the horses and hours later, Ellie was still managing to grovel about Fran's 'beginners luck' with shooting. She was still on her own horse, Fran and Joel still sharing. At some point Fran had done the unthinkable and fallen asleep, head rested inbetween Joel's shoulder blades. She'd woken up when almost falling off, Ellie laughing at her as she quickly regained her balance.
Fran, quickly trying to move on, created a new conversation topic, "did you like Jackson, Ellie?"
"It was cool," Ellie said with a small shrug - it was nice; but the memories she had there were not the best. Not that she was going to bring it up, both adults seeming to be in a better mood than that morning. She didn't know about Fran's breakdown in the street, but knew something had to have happened due to the fact both adults wouldn't step more than five steps away from each other, "still waiting for Joel to realise I had a haircut."
"You had a haircut?" Joel asked Ellie, looking over the girls hair that was in her usual ponytail.
"It was a tiny trim," Fran argued, "and you threw it in a ponytail anyway."
"Whatever," Ellie shook her head, "The way they ran stuff in Jackson, was that how things used to be?"
"No," Joel answered, "The country was too big for that. Back then, there were basically two main ways of lookin' at things. Some people wanted to own everything. And some people didn't want anyone to own anything at all."
"Which one were you?" Ellie asked.
"Neither. I just did my job." He told her, defeating the whole point he'd made. Fran didn't voice it though, arms still around his middle, scared to fall off the horse.
"Which was contracting, right?" Fran asked him then.
"That's right." He nodded, "Houses, stores, that kinda thing."
"Why were you called a contractor if you were building?" Fran asked him a little confused by the terms, "I thought it was to do with like... signing things."
"Because I would be contacted about building things, and then I'd contract the construction." He answered for her, and while she still didn't really get it, she did nod her head, not that he could see it.
"The Contractor." Ellie said as if he was some villain in a movie, "That's pretty cool."
"Yeah. We were cool." Joel smiled as he spoke about it, "Everybody loved contractors."
"I beg to disagree," Fran cut in.
"Oh yeah? You hate contractors?" He asked her, sending a look over his shoulder.
"House next door when I was ten had a renevation and the builders started work really early. My sister was sick so my mom had been up all night and had only just got to sleep when they started." Fran told him, a sad little smile on her face at the memory, "She went out and yelled at them about the noise. About how they didn't understand how hard it was to be a mother.
That they should call their wives and learn how important a mothers sleep is."
"I'd pay to see it," Ellie was laughing now, Fran smiling at the image in her head.
"You heard all that and still wanted kids?" Joel asked Fran, "To deal with that all the time?"
"Yeah!" Fran was giggling now, "the builders were all scared of her after that. She was maybe a foot shorter than all of them and they'd still act awkward if they saw her."
"That; I'd pay to see." Joel agreed with Ellie then; all of them smiling as they continued the long journey to the firefly base.