"I don't know what happened." Joel admits to Tommy as he starts to clean the neck of the guitar. The two brothers were out on patrol and decided to stop and take a break in this abandoned house, where Joel actually found two guitars. There, Tommy had to ask Joel what happened with the Fireflies as Joel seemed a bit tight lipped about what happened.
"I was suppose to take those kids to the Fireflies and walk away." Joel said before he let's out a small scoff. "You go halfway across the country with a couple of people. Elliot needed his immunity to mean something. Maybe I was starting to buy into that whole...cure business. Maybe I just wanted to do right by him. And then we made it." Joel explains as Tommy sits across from him, listen intently, as he hangs onto the second guitar for Joel.
"We found the Fireflies. And because of him...they were actually going to make a vaccine. The only catch...it would kill him." Joel said, whispering the last sentence. "Jesus, Joel." Tommy mutters, shocked, as he stares at his older brother. "What did you do?" He asked. Joel looks up at Tommy for a moment and replies. "I saved him."
FLASHBACK
"Sweet Jesus." Joel mutters as the young teen girl's jaw drops.
"Doctor?" A nurse said and the doctor turns to them and gasped. "What're you two doing here? I won't let you two take him. This is our future. Think of all the lives we'll save." The doctor said as Joel and the teen walk closer to him. "Don't come any closer. I mean it." The doctor threatens as he holds out a scalpel.
Joel goes up to the doctor, takes the scalpel and stabs the doctor in the throat and (y/n) gasped, slightly. "No! You fucking animal!" The nurse shouts. "Kari, shut the hell up!" The second doctor said to her. "Please. I don't wanna die. Oh God...oh God..." The nurse begs as Joel disconnects the tubes and goes to pick Elliot up.
"Stay back!" (Y/n) yelled at her as she holds up her switchblade and Joel whispers to Elliot. "Come on, son. I gotcha..." As he picks him up, they look out the window to some lights shining through. "Oh shit." Joel said as they run towards the door, burst through them and run out of the hall.
Present Day
"Damn, Joel. That's um...that's a lot." Tommy said, sounding like this was a hard pill to swallow. Tomny looks down then back up towards Joel. "What does Elliot know?" He asked as Joel continued to clean the guitar. "I told him they ran some tests. I told him...his immunity meant nothing." Joel replied.
"And he believed you?" Tommy asked, curiously. "He didn't say otherwise." Joel said, softly, as he looks down. "And (y/n)...she okay with this?" Tommy asked. Joel stops cleaning the guitar, looks at the floor for a bit before he raises his head up and nods at his brother.
Flashback
"April 28. Marlene was right. The boy's infection is like nothing I've ever seen. The cause of his immunity is uncertain. As we've seen in all past cases, the antigenic titers of the patient's Cordyceps remain high in both the serum and the cerebrospinal fluid. Blood cultures taken from the patient rapidly grow Cordyceps in fungal-media in the lab... however white blood cell lines, including percentages and absolute-counts, are completely normal. There is no elevation of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and an MRI of the brain shows no evidence of fungal-growth in the limbic regions, which would normally accompany the prodrome of aggression in infected patients. We must find a way to replicate this state under laboratory conditions. We're about to hit a milestone in human history equal to the discovery of penicillin. After years of wandering in circles, we're about to come home, make a difference, and bring the human race back into control of its own destiny. All of our sacrifices and the hundreds of men and women who've bled for this cause, or worse, will not be in vain." the voice recording said as (y/n) listens to it while Joel drives them down the highway, Elliot still passed out.
"Past cases? D-Does that mean there were other immune people?" The young girl asked Joel. "I'm not sure, but it for damn sure sounds like it." Joel said as (y/n) looks at the little recorder Joel was able to grab while he was fighting his way through the hospital to get to her and Elliot.
"And find a way to replicate this state under laboratory conditions? That sounds like they weren't even sure that this vaccine would work." (Y/n) said as she replays the recorder and listened to the recording again. When it finished, she stares at the device then curls her fingers around the device and shut her eyes, tightly.
Joel gives her a concerned look as (y/n) takes a deep breath then lets it out before she opens her eyes and looks up at Joel.
"And to think I trusted them and wanted to be a part of them." She grumbles as she puts the recorder away in her backpack then buries her face in her hands for a few moments. "Whatever you want to tell him, I'll go along with it." She said and Joel nods.
Present Day
Tommy let's out a heavy sigh and shakes his head before he looks back at Joel. "We should head back." Tommy said and he gets up and grabs his backpack then takes one of the guitars. Joel watches him start to leave then stands up, grabs his bag, and the second guitar and follows him out.
The two brothers go out to the garage, open the door then head to the horses and climb on. Then the two, with the guitars on their backs,, head out and start to head back home.
"We're almost there." Tommy said to Joel as they make it to the front gate of Jackson. As they got closer, the doors opened and they trotted inside and head over to the stable. Joel gets off of his horse, grabs the reigns and starts to lead the horse to the stable while Tommy takes the second guitar off of his back.
"It's okay. I got them, you go on." Tommy said to Joel. "You sure?" Joel asked and Tommy nods. "Alright." Joel mutters then he grabs his bag off of the saddle. "About what we were talking about earlier...." Tommy started to say and Joel stops and turns to him.
"I can't say I'd have done different. I'll take it to the grave if I have to." Tommy said to Joel, who nodded at him, then he hands Joel the other guitar. "I'll see you later, Tommy." Joel said, after taking the second guitar, and he starts to walk down the street while Tommy leads the horses to the stable.
Meanwhile, Elliot and (y/n) were sitting in Elliot's little room, which was basically a shed behind Joel's house, (y/n) was drawing in her journal. The two were listening to Elliot's walkman, which he fixed, and the two teens started bobbing their head to the music as she continued to draw while Elliot was reading.
"What do you think?" (Y/n) asked as she holds up her journal to Elliot and showed the drawing of a rabbit she made. Elliot leans in and looks at the drawing. "Is that supposed to be a potato? With ears and a tail?" He asked and (y/n) smacks his shoulder.
"No, you jerk, it's a bunny." She said and Elliot laughs. "I know that. I was messing with you." He said, smiling, and (y/n) rolls her eyes. "Asshole." She grumbles. "But seriously, it looks good, (y/n)." He said and she looks back at him.
"Really?" She asked, genuinely.
"Yeah. It really does." He replied, softly, and the two share a look just as they hear a knock at the door.
The door opens and Joel sticks his head inside. "Hello? Kids?" He calls out and the teens look up at him. "Hey." They greeted, in unison. "Hey." He said back and immediately there was the feeling of awkwardness in the air.
"What's up, Joel?" (Y/n) asked him. "Just checking in." Joel replied. "Folks are..." he let's out a sigh then he starts to pace back and forth in the room. "...y'know talking about how impressed they are with both of you and how well you two are helping out." He finished.
"Good." Elliot said as (y/n) nods. "Yeah." He mutters. "Tommy and I went out riding the other day and he, uh...he told me a joke and I thought about you two. It's ummm....." Joel said but then he stopped as he tries to remember the joke. "Well, shoot, I forgot it. Something about a clock...how do you--" he started to say but Elliot interrupts him.
"Joel, it's, uh, it's pretty late, and I gotta get up in a few hours--" he said as (y/n) looks between the two, nervously. "Yeah, yeah, I know, I know, and I'm gonna get out of your hair. I just um--" he said then he points towards the door then looks back at the teens. "I wanna show you two somethin'. Just gimme one second." He said as he goes to the door, opens it and picks up the guitars then comes back in the room.
"What's this?" (y/n) asked him, nodding towards the two instruments. "Some folks call these here gee-tars." Joel replied, really pouring into his Texas accent. "Funny." Elliot chuckles, softly, as (y/n) sniggers.
"You kids wanna hear something?" Joel asked them. "Okay." the teens said, in unison, and he nods as he sets the second guitar near the table then goes to sit down on the edge of the table, the first guitar on his lap. "Promise me that you two won't laugh." He said to them as he looks up at them.
"We won't laugh." (y/n) said and Joel raises his eyebrow, suspiciously.
"We won't." Elliot assures him.
"I'm trusting you two." Joel said, smirking, then he takes a deep breath and starts to play.
If I ever were to lose you
I'd surely lose myself
Everything I have found here
I've not found by myself
Try and sometimes you'll succeed
To make this man of me
All of my stolen missing parts
I've no need for anymore
Cause I believe
And I believe 'cause I can see
Our future days
Days of you and me
As he sings the song, Elliot and (y/n) smile, softly, at him and (y/n) sways her head back and forth a bit to the music that was coming out of the guitar. Joel may not have a professional singing voice, but it sounded real and raw enough he actually wasn't a bad singer.
It almost brought a tear to (y/n)'s eyes.
Joel strums the last notes then he gives the kids an embarrassed look at them. "There you go." He said. "Well...that didn't suck." Elliot replied, smiling. "I'd give you a thumbs up." (Y/N) said and Joel chuckles at them. "I'll take what I can get." Joel said then he stands up, grabs the second guitar holds them out to the teens.
"They're yours." He said to them, both kids look at this in shock. "No. No, no, no." Elliot said, shaking his head. "We don't know the first thing about this." (Y/n) said, quickly, pointing at the guitars. "I promised that I'd teach you two how to play." He said as Elliot and (y/n) take their respective guitars.
The teens look up at him, surprised that he remembered that, and they smile then look at the instruments. "You did." (Y/n) said, softly. "So what you say? Tomorrow night, first lesson?" He asked them and the two kids smile. "Deal." They replied, smiling. "Okay." Joel said, smiling at this.
Joel walks over to the door until Elliot speaks up. "Did--" he stops as Joel turns to them. "Did you remember the joke?" Elliot asked him and Joel leans against the door and thinks for a moment before he remembered how the joke went.
"What is the downside to eating a clock?" He recites and the kids think for a moment but shrug as they couldn't think of an answer. "It's time-consuming." Joel said and Elliot and (y/n) snicker under their breaths. "That's so dumb." (Y/n) laughs. "Yeah." Joel said then he grabs the knob of the door.
"Goodnight, kiddos." He said and Joel shuts the door and the kids look at the guitars and Elliot begins to strum his. "I guess I better get to bed too." (Y/n) said as she stands up, holding her guitar. "Okay...see you in the morning?" Elliot said as (y/n) looks over at him.
"Of course." She said, smiling, then she walks over to him and kisses his cheek. "Goodnight." She said. "Goodnight." Elliot said and (y/n) walks out of the shed and shuts the door behind her. Then she heads inside of Joel's house where she finds Joel in his kitchen.
"Hey kiddo." He greets.
"Hey." She greets back. "Uh, I wanted to say...thanks for...this." (y/n) said as she holds up her guitar. "You're welcome." Joel said, a small smile appears on his face and the young girl nods.
"Well...I'm pooped. I'll see you in the morning, Joel." (Y/n) said and she starts to head upstairs when Joel speaks up. "He hasn't said anything to you, has he?" He asked and (y/n) turns to him. "You know...about the Fireflies?" Joel said and (y/n) realized he was talking about the lie they were going with.
(Y/n) sighs and shakes her head at this. "He hasn't really said anything about it. And I don't bring it up." She said and Joel nods. "Okay." He said, softly, and he starts to walk off a bit. "But....he will figure it out, sooner or later. He's a smart guy." (Y/n) warns him and Joel looks over at her. "I'll do my best to make sure he doesn't." Joel said.
"And if that time comes?" She asks him and he sighs. "I'll think of something." Joel replies and she nods again.
"Well...Goodnight, Joel." (y/n) said.
"Goodnight, babygirl." Joel said and the young girl smiles a bit then heads up the stairs and into her bedroom.