Long chapter long chapter long chapter
2 years earlier
(Y/N) slows her horse down, relief crossing her features once she realises that Ellie was safe. "Ellie!" She shouts, jumping off and pulling her into a hug.
"The hell were you thinking? Running off in the middle of the night like that, you had Joel worried sick." The ex Firefly pulls back, placing her hands on the girl's shoulders. "You talk to me." She whispers.
"Anyway, what's with the note, that was all?" (Y/N) questions and Ellie pushes her off.
"Tell me... what happened here." Ellie orders, her voice was low but it was commanding and (Y/N) looks at her surroundings and the lies she had told here.
Ellie notices how she was holding something back. "If you lie to me one more time. I'm gone. You and Joel will never see me again. But if you tell me the truth, I'll go back to Jackson. No matter what it is."
(Y/N) struggles over her words, running a shaky hand through her hair and she wishes Joel had come with her, instead of her volunteering to find her alone.
"Just say it." Ellie pleads. "(Y/N)."
The woman can't bring herself to look at her, but she nods slightly, taking a deep breath. "Making a vaccine..." she starts, her eyes wandering the ground. "Would have killed you."
(Y/N) looks up, her tears glistening. "So we stopped them." She says and Ellie can't quite believe it, taking a few steps back, sitting back down and struggling to breath as she cries.
With her own tears falling, (Y/N) goes to place a hand on her shoulder when the teenager stands abruptly. "Don't you fucking touch me!"
She retracts her hand, just standing there and Ellie eyes her. "I'll go back. But I'm done with you and Joel." She tells her, grabbing her bag and storming off.
**
Seattle, Day 3
Joel comes back from his talk with Jesse and Dina, sitting down beside his wife who was wrapped up in a blanket.
He gently brushes her hair back, leaning down and placing a soft kiss on her forehead. The subtle gestures awakens her and she leans on her elbow, yawning slightly.
"Jesse tells me you can't keep your water down. He's concerned and so am I. Why didn't you wake me?" He mutters to her.
"I told him. You need sleep too, sweetheart." She whispers, caressing his cheek as she sits up.
"We're ready to leave if you are." Joel informs her and (Y/N) nods. "Ready as I'll ever be."
***
In the pouring rain, (Y/N) huffs whilst Joel and Dina pull her up on the ledge overlooking the drowned city. Pushing her hood back, she leans on her bow and looks down to the debris. "How are we crossing this?"
"We could use that road." Dina indicates. "It's pretty fucking far."
"Or we use that." Jesse points down to the speedboat cruising along.
The adults follow the teenagers downwards, making their way to the boat and listening to the conversations between the enemy. They could see only one of the WLF on the boat and (Y/N) looks over to Jesse studying outside a gap in the wall.
"We can get to the marina through here." He mutters and she frowns. "No, we're taking the boat."
"You heard them, right? They're talking about Tommy."
"We don't know that."
"Who else is it going to be?" Joel agrees and (Y/N) stares at him. "If it is him, he'll be long gone by the time we get there. Abby is where he'll be headed, so if we just foll-"
"What if he's in trouble?" Jesse questions, the group in hushed voices.
"He can take care of himself." Joel whispers and Jesse can't believe what he's hearing from the pair, giving Dina a look, who just shrugs.
"The best way to help Tommy is to go after Abby. You do this, and we ain't saving your ass again." (Y/N) threatens.
Jesse looks between the adults and sighs. "I really hope you make it." He says, turning to go through the gap.
(Y/N)'s eyes widen and Dina rushes forward, turning back to her. "I have to go." She whispers. "I'm sorry." She mouths, going after Jesse.
Joel reaches out to his wife, who shrugs him off and sits on the edge, pushing herself off into the water.
***
At the aquarium, Joel slowly pushes open the door to the sound of muffled voices and himself and (Y/N) duck behind barrels.
"People don't come back from that island!" The woman, Mel, exclaims.
"How many times has Abby risked her life for you?" The man, Owen, reminds her.
"She chose this, I'm not fucking going there."
"Then don't!" He yells. "Go back."
"Fuck you, Owen."
(Y/N) stands, her rifle aimed and Joel follows suit, his pistol brandished. "Hands up." He orders. "Where's Abby?"
"You're that couple from Jackson." Owen realises.
"Tell us where she went." (Y/N) orders, her aims on Mel and Joel's on Owen.
"How do we know you won't kill us?" Mel breathes and her partner scoffs. "You give them what they want and we're dead."
"You guys can survive this, we just need her." The ex Firefly promises.
"Bullshit." Owen spits and she turns her attention to him, pulling out the map. Flipping it open, she motions to Mel.
"You. Get over here." She instructs and Mel is hesitant. "Get fucking over here!" She shouts and she does as she's told.
"Point to where she is on this map." (Y/N) holds it out, moving her rifle to Owen. "And then you. It better fucking match up."
Joel shifts on his feet, the same technique he had used to find his girls all those years back.
"Okay." Mel agrees and Owen is aghast. "What are you doing?"
"She's probably dead anyway!"
"It is not worth it." Owen tells her, moving forward and Joel steps in front. "Don't." He warns.
"We can talk about -"
"Back the fuck up!" Joel yells and (Y/N) waves the map again. "Point to where she is." She grits her teeth. "Fucking point!"
Owen wastes no more time, lunging for Joel and the pair fall to the floor. Joel takes his shot, the gun pressed into Owen's stomach and he pushes him off. Mel screams, grabbing (Y/N) and pushing her against a barrel, a knife in her hand and edging closer to her neck.
(Y/N) cries out, twisting her hand and kicking Mel back, bringing the blade into the woman's neck. She goes cold, blood spurting from her neck and out her mouth.
Joel grabs his wife, pulling her back and she pushes him away, grabbing the pistol he had dropped and going over to Owen.
"Tell me where Abby is."
"She's..."
The woman kneels down, pushing it into his throat. "Where the fuck is she?"
Owen chokes out inaudible words that Joel strains to hear, but (Y/N) looks horrified, tripping over her own feet to get away from his body. Her eyes move to Mel and Joel frowns. "Honey, what -"
"No, no, no." (Y/N) whispers, kneeling next to the other woman and opening her jacket to reveal her pregnant stomach. Joel's own eyes look in horror, his hands covering his mouth and he tries to keep his breathing even.
(Y/N)'s ears begin to ring and she crawls back, choking up and she tries to throw it up.
"Guys!"
Joel spins to face Tommy, who scans over the scene. He notices how his brother can't comfort his wife and so he cautiously makes his way towards her.
"I'm sorry." She cries, gripping his sleeve and he shakes his head just Dina and Jesse run in.
"It's alright." Tommy promises, gently bringing her to her feet. He keeps repeating the same words, motioning for Joel to take her other side and the Miller brothers drag her away from the mess.
***
(Y/N) can't sleep and so she makes her way into the main theatre room where Joel and Tommy were speaking. Jesse had fallen asleep on a chair and Dina had napped in the room with (Y/N), wanting to keep an eye on her.
They fall silent at the sight of her, allowing her to sit cross-legged on the stage in front of the map, the two just below her. She was shell-shocked, her blood stained hand had never left her own pregnant stomach.
"Hey. They got what they deserved." Joel reassures.
"Yeah, but she gets to live." She mumbles, not allowing herself to look at them.
Tommy sighs. "Yeah. Is that okay?"
"It has to be."
Tommy nods at her response and then chuckles. "I'm really not looking forward to going through Idaho again."
(Y/N) drowns out the rest of the conversation, standing back up and Jesse had awoken, joining in with the brothers'.
Her vision was blurred and she stares straight ahead of her, only subtly looking in the direction of Tommy, who was now exiting the room.
It doesn't take long for a crash and a quietened scuffle for her to jump down and Joel and Jesse take point.
Crashing through the doors, Jesse is instantly shot in the face, going down and not moving. Joel pulls (Y/N) down, who reaches for the young boy. "Jesse?" She breathes.
"Stand up! Hands in the air or I shoot this one too." Abby orders, her gun trained on Tommy on the floor. Another person, Lev, stood in the corner, a bow pointed.
"Don't you do it! Get (Y/N) out of here!" Tommy groans.
"Stand up now!"
"Don't you fucking dare!"
"Shut the fuck up!" Abby kicks him in the stomach and Joel immediately stands, his hands up and (Y/N) follows his actions.
"Toss your weapons."
The ex Firefly instantly throws hers down, hesitantly followed by her husband. Tommy reaches out for them and (Y/N) breathes heavily.
"I know why you tried to kill us and killed Ellie. We did what we had to and now there's no cure because of us. She was the final hope. Just let him go." She rushes out in one breath, motioning to Tommy at the end.
Abby shakes her heads. "You killed my friends and we let you live, yet you wasted it."
She shoots, but not before Tommy had grabbed her arm, pushing the shots away. She knees him back, shooting him instead and he falls to the ground.
"Tommy!" (Y/N) screams. Joel firing back and he takes one last look at his brother, grabbing his wife's hand and running out of there, grabbing weapons along the way.
They open the sliding door that exits from the stage and close it, hiding behind where it would open. Joel picks up a piece of wood, gripping it with both hands.
Joel watches (Y/N)'s chest fall and rise, her hand steady around the knife when the doors burst open. He brings the wood down on her face, sending her into (Y/N), who grabs her shirt and shoves her into the wall.
Abby spins her around and the Firefly tries desperately to bring the knife into her skin, a look of pure rage on her features. Joel grabs Abby from behind, throwing her to the floor.
He throws his weight on her, grabbing her by the neck and slamming her head into the floor. Under the two of them, the fragile floor collapses and they land on the one below. (Y/N) jumps down, landing on her feet and swiping the shotgun.
She loads it, firing just as Abby rolls out of the way. The three fight once more and the woman manages to grab (Y/N), choking her and kicking Joel so the wind is knocked out of him.
Abby throws (Y/N) to the ground, twisting her arm and repeatedly punching her in the nose. Her friend joins them, shooting an arrow into Joel's shoulder and he falls.
Dina runs in, rushing for Abby, who grabs her by the hair and swings her to the ground. She pulls her head up and repeatedly slams it down.
"Stop! She has nothing to do with this." (Y/N) breathes, her knife being held by Abby against Dina's neck.
Abby drops her, striding over to (Y/N) and bringing the cool blade to her skin. "You're pregnant." She whispers, preparing to slide the knife across the neck.
"Abby!" Lev shouts.
She contemplates it, but with disgust, lets her limp body roll off her lap. She stands up, leaning over. "Don't ever let me see you again."
Abby juts her head to her friend, leading him out of the door.
Dina lay motionless on the floor. (Y/N) stares up at the ceiling, silent tears falling as she tries to clear her throat of blood, some running down the side of her face. Joel tilts his head towards her, his arm outstretched as his eyes close.