Chapter Twenty Three
Orlando Bloom and Jennifer Aniston
Months had gone by since the night of Joel, Fran and Ellie's embrace. Winter had slowly but surely turned into spring - a time for new life, new beginnings, new stories to start and old ones to end.
The physical recovery of Fran's wounds had been slow, the three continuing on to where the fireflies were all heading. Joel had wanted to go back to Jackson first to get Fran the help she needed, and in turn leave her there to recover while he and Ellie made their way to the final destination. It was in good heart, but Ellie was quick to shut it down. She needed Fran, and she wanted her there.
Fran was understanding of Ellie wanting her there. Ever since Ellie had seen Fran so close to the end, she always wanted her near. Ellie looked at her differently now, Fran knew that. Ellie saw the beaten and bruised version of her, and wanted her close to ensure her safety.
The same could be said for Joel. Anything that the two needed and he was on it. He was still recovering from his own wound, but had pushed it to the back of his mind when finding the two in the states that they were.
The journey to the fireflies had been longer than they had expected. Fran couldn't walk very far in the beginning, and needed a lot of rest when they did travel.
She noticed that Joel was always right there next to her, hand hovering behind her back ready to catch her if she fell, or hold her if she got dizzy.
They were on an old highway right by Salt Lake City, a hospital not too far from them. Fran would be lying if she said she wasn't purposefully delaying the journey. She didn't want to say goodbye to Ellie, not even for a couple of days.
She had forced them to stop and look for any supplies they could find, a couple old RV's still on the road. Ellie hadn't put up a fight, or said anything, deciding to sit on the back of an old truck. Joel had tried to get her to join them, but Fran had lightly grabbed his arm and guided him away, telling him Ellie needed some time to herself.
When they got inside of the RV, it was pretty smashed up. The air smelt damp and nature had started to reclaim it. Fran had moved forward first, Joel behind her as he looked around himself.
She went to where an old couch wrapped around the end of the RV, old magazines messed up on top of the once clean sitting area. She picked them up, shuffling through them to see if any were of interest. Joel was behind her, head leaning over her shoulder to look too.
There was a gardening magazine that she looked through slowly, seeing all the tips and tricks for how to keep flowers alive longer, how to grow sweeter tomato's.
"I always wanted a little garden," She said to Joel with a small smile, "full of flowers, and a little greenhouse for tomato's."
"Housewife and a gardener?" Joel said to her, chin resting on her shoulder now, "that might be overdoing it."
"I could manage." Fran giggled at the sarcastic comment. She passed the magazine to Joel, purposefully hitting him lightly in the face as he spluttered, wiping the dust from his face.
He rolled his eyes as she laughed at him, "real comedian." He told her, going to put the magazine down.
"Ah, ah," she stopped him, "I want to keep it."
"Alright," He held his hands up, putting the magazine under his arm. That seemed to get her approval, as she turned to look at the other magazines. He just shook his head with a loving smile, watching her chuck the ones she deemed boring onto the floor.
She seemed to stop on one, looking at the front cover in interest. At her hesitance to put it down, Joel peeked over her shoulder to see what she was looking at, eyes widening at the sight.
"Orlando Bloom? Really?" He asked her. She sent him a confused look.
"What's wrong with him?" She asked.
"You're drooling over him? The man named after a fucking place in Florida?" Joel asked her, making her shake her head and look back down at the magazine.
"I was obsessed with him when I was seventeen... forgot how attractive he is," She told Joel, and he was quick to snatch it from her hands, "Joel!"
"No more drooling," he told her, hiding the magazine out of her view. She however was quick to snake her arm around him, snatching it back as he tried to protest. She held the magazine over Joel's face, lining it up with Orlando's.
"That's so much better," she emphasised, dropping it down to see Joel's unimpressed face. She laughed at the sight, head tilting back as she tried to catch her breath, Joel's face unmoving.
"You know, I can just go and leave you with Orlando," Joel said, turning to walk away.
"No!" Fran yelled between her laughs, grabbing his arm and turning him back towards her, "I'm sorry!"
"No you're not," Joel shook his head at her laughs.
"Yeah, I'm not," Fran laughed again. Joel turned and started to walk out, making Fran drop the magazine and run after him. She managed to grab him and turn him around before he could leave, grabbing his face and planting a kiss on his lips.
He just stared down at her, still unimpressed.
"I'd say he's no you, but I'd be lying," Fran said softly with a smile, the joke being picked up by him, "did you see him in Pirates of the Caribbean?"
"Not into pirates," Joel says to her, hand coming to hold her hip as her hands held his shoulders.
"Shame. You'd look great with leather pants and a sword," She joked.
"I'll stick to the gun." He argued, smile now on his own face, "Maybe I'll try the leather pants."
"I'll work with that," Fran whispered, leaning to kiss him softly. He embraced the kiss this time, letting it linger for a moment before she stepped back.
"We should probably go back to Ellie," he suggested to her as she started to look through different cupboards.
"Give her a little more time on her own," Fran told him over the noise of her moving random appliances about, "She's got a lot on her mind."
Joel didn't question it, knowing Fran knew better than he did about it all. Ellie hadn't told either of them what had happened, the two only imagining the worst.
Joel left Fran's side then; going through to the old bedroom of the RV. Inside was a a broken beyond repair guitar. He stared at it for a moment before starting to look through the cupboards, finding some more magazines and an old game called Boggle.
He placed the game next to him as he took a seat on the bed, looking through the magazines he had found.
His eyes shifted thought when a clutter was heard, Fran appearing in the doorway with a triumphant smile, holding out a can to him.
She walked over and he took it, her taking a seat next to him as he held it in his hand. He read the label, a small knowing smile appearing as he spoke, "Chef Boyardee."
"Mhm," Fran hummed, resting her arm against his, very proud of her find, "Ellie will like it."
"She will," Joe hummed.
Fran's eyes drifted then to the magazine on his lap; eyes widening as she mumbled, "you dog."
"What?" He asked, sending her a glance to see what had made her call him that. He caught on quickly, the magazine on his lap having Jennifer Anniston on the cover, "you were drooling over Orlando not five minutes ago!"
"It's different when I do it," she argued, him letting out a scoff. It seemed to offend her more, "what!"
"You are so..." Joel couldn't even think of a word to finish the sentence, letting out an amused huff.
"I'm so what?" Fran asked then, "finish the sentence."
"What's wrong with Jen?" He changed the topic just slightly, Fran's eyes widening.
"Oh it's Jen?" She asked him, seeming shocked, "didn't know you knew her like that."
"Jesus," Joel just muttered, taking the magazine and throwing it off to the other side of the bed, "You are unbelievable."
Fran didn't respond, crossing her arms and turning her head to look away from him. He just rolled his eyes, standing up.
At the loss of contact, Fran turned quickly to see where he was going, only for him to have moved in front of her, leaning down with his hands on her knees.
"Unbelievable," he muttered again, shaking his head and moving forward to kiss her again.
The two adults hadn't had much alone time since everything, finding comfort in talking quietly after Ellie had gone to bed, or finding moments like these. They were sweet and something to cherish.
Fran kissed back, trying to hold back a smile as her arms snaked around his neck, a plan coming to mind.
Joel seemed to realise what was happening, pressing against her knees to try and push her off. But she had him.
She managed to pull him onto the bed and absolutely switch their positions, sitting on his stomach as she held his shoulders down.
"What are you doing?" He asked her, catching his breath.
"Say sorry," she told him, not moving.
"For what?" He asked, even more confused.
"You know what?" She argued.
"I don't know-" he paused, looking at her features for a moment, her trying to hold up her fake anger, "is it about Jen?"
The nickname just seemed to annoy Fran more, the woman moving her hands off of his shoulders to cross her arms over her chest.
"Jen..." she mumbled, and before she could continue her rant, Joel quickly switched their positions, now leaning over her as her head hit the mattress.
"I'm sorry," he smiled, kissing her forehead quickly before grabbing the can of Chef Boyardee and his Boggle came and leaving.
Fran huffed, taking a moment to herself, before getting up. She grabbed the gardening magazine Joel had forgotten off of the side and followed him out of the RV.
He was yelling to Ellie, who was too far off in his own world to hear him. Her fake anger with Joel dissipated as she quickly made her way over to the girl, resting a soft hand on her shoulder.
"Ellie?" She asked quietly, the girl snapping out of it and looking up at her. Fran just sent her a concerned smile.
"Joel's calling you," she let the girl know. Ellie nodded, turning her head over her shoulder to look at Joel, who had been watching the interaction silently. Fran was ten times better at the comforting part of it all, he had reserved himself a spot as the one to cheer the young girl up.
"What?" Ellie asked him, still a little spaced out.
"I found this in there," Joel gestured his head behind him to the RV as he held up the can. "Beefaroni. Chef Boyardee."
"I found it," Fran argued, "don't take all the credit."
"Whatever;" Joel shook it off, holding up his own find, "And have you ever played this?"
He walked over to them, showing the two the box, "Boggle? It's a word game."
"Mm-mm." Ellie shook her head as she answered. Fran's eyes stayed on her at the lack of proper answer. Ellie would've been excited for something like that normally - it was sad to see her loose that part of herself.
Joel had noticed the same, but he wasn't going to give up so easily, "Well, if you wanna beat me at somethin', it would be this."
Ellie just looked away at that and down at her hands - Fran and Joel sharing a look at she did. Joel looked to Fran for help, the woman struggling on what to say.
"Well, all right then." Joel mumbled after seeing Fran's struggle, "We're gettin' close."
"Mm-hmm." Ellie hummed again.
"Hospital that way." Joel gestured to the road ahead, both girls eyes following, "May be the one we're lookin' for."
"Got it." Ellie mumbled. Fran took a step back then, letting Ellie grab her things. Joel went to grab his own bag, Fran throwing the magazine at his back for him to pack as well. He sent her a small glare at it, her sending a fake smile back.
She looked back to Ellie as the girl closed her backpack.
"You alright, scimmietta?" She asked her quietly, Elie hesitating for a moment before nodding. Fran didn't seem convinced, "you sure?"
"Yeah," Ellie mumbled, waking past her and to Joel. Taking his gun while he sorted out his bag. Fran stayed where she was, watching the two for a moment with furrowed brows, before walking after them.
The three set off walking, the silence heavy. Joel was desperate to break it.
"They had a guitar in that RV." Joel told the two, it had been broken so badly Fran didn't even recognise what it used to be, "It was all smashed up but got me thinkin', maybe I should find one."
"You play guitar?" Fran asked him, deciding to not let him struggle with conversation on his own.
"Used to," he answered her with a nod, "I haven't played in forever."
"Did you sing too?" She asked then, raising her eyebrows.
"I did," Joel hesitantly answered, moving on before Fran could make a joke, "I was thinkin' maybe I could teach you. I bet you'd be great at it."
Fran knew the offer was aimed at Ellie, both had been trying to make the girl speak more.
"What do you say, hm? You wanna learn how to play guitar?" Fran asked her, upon no response, she said her name worriedly; "Ellie?"
"Hm?" Ellie zoned back in, "Oh, yeah. That'd be great."
Joel and Fran shared another worried glance as Ellie walked ahead, both following after her quickly towards Salt Lake City.
-
The silence felt awful as they made their way through the buildings. There was no life, anywhere. No people, no infected. The whole place was a ghost town.
Ellie seemed to have jumped out of the slump she was in, at least a little bit. She'd been walking next to Fran, Fran telling her stories of when she first got to New York. It was the first big city she'd ever been to. It was nice just to listen to Fran talk, her voice soothing.
"And then there was the first time I went in a taxi," Fran told her, giggling slightly as she spoke. The noise alone raising a small smile on Ellie's face, "me and my dad were going to look for a birthday gift for my mom, and told the taxi driver to drop us wherever he knew a good spot for shopping."
"Bet that cost a pretty penny," Joel said to her, "taxi drivers were always chagrin' a fortune."
"Not this taxi driver," Fran told him with a shake of her head, "He called himself the king of the road. He meant it. It was the scariest ten minutes of my life!"
"What happened?" Ellie asked quietly.
"He drove up the wrong side of the road to cut through traffic, almost ran over this business guy, and ran several lights. He drove so crazily my dad threw up." Fran was laughing loudly at the memory now, "he said we got the king of the road experience, and then gave us a voucher for Dunkin' donuts."
"Strange man," Joel huffed a laugh as Ellie smiled. They came up to an obstacle, rubble in the way.
Joel stopped them, looking around for a moment, "Okay, so this is what I'm thinking..."
"Cut through that building to get around that stuff, find the skyscraper, go up and look around." Ellie cut him off, reciting the plan they'd done many times from the top of her head. It seemed to stun Joel, who looked at her in shock.
"Don't forget the part where Joel has to stop for ten minutes to catch his breath," Fran reminded her, Ellie nodding.
"Uhh, actually," Joel stopped them, "This time I was thinkin' we blast our way through that rubble."
Fran widened her eyes at the plan, looking ahead at the obstruction as Joel continued.
"I found some dynamite in that RV back there."
Fran sent him a look at the lie, him not looking back as he stared at the excited look growing on Ellie's face.
"Really?" Ellie asked him.
"No," Joel broke the lie, "So we're gonna cut through that building, find a skyscraper, go up and look around."
"You are so strange." Fran shook his head at him, Ellie rolling her own eyes as she followed Fran onwards.
"But I had you goin', didn't I?" Joel asked with a victorious smile, walking after them quickly.
A/N
And we're on to the final episode! I don't want this to end :(