TEN MILES WEST of Boston, Joel sat by the edge of the river. He reached down into the water and picked up rocks, solemnly stacking them into a cairn. He looked across the river in silence, thinking of the partner he just lost.

Meanwhile, Y/N was with Ellie at their camp a ways away. The young man sat against a tree, sharpening the hatchet he had for what seemed to be almost half an hour.

He had been quiet the entire time as Ellie sat nearby and wallowed in silence as well. Although she had a coat on, the girl also had Joel's jacket draped over her legs to combat the cold.

The cold didn't bother Y/N. He still had his gray short-sleeved t-shirt and cargo pants. His jacket was strung up on a branch so it could dry since it rained the night before. His Firefly pendant hung from his neck as he leaned over and kept sharpening.

After he was done, he took out his yellow bandana and used it to wipe the metal. He stared at the hatchet for a moment. Y/N huffed and slammed it down on the log nearby before leaning back against the tree.

Ellie looked at Y/N. There was a moment of quiet before the girl chose to speak up.

"Uh...look, about your mom..."

"She wasn't my mom." Y/N interjected, folding the bandanna and placing it back into his pocket. He knew she was mentioning Tess. "At—At least not by blood."

Y/N exhaled and sat up, resting his elbows on his knees. The man continued.

"She was just there since the start. She basically helped raise me when she didn't have to. So..."

Ellie felt for the young man. She looked down at her hands and fiddled with her fingers.

"That was nice of her. I...I never got to see my mom." Ellie admitted. "They told me she died right when I was born."

Y/N looked over at the teenager, nodding then glancing down toward the dirt.

"I guess we have something in common."

Ellie thought about asking about what he said, but that's when Joel finally arrived and walked by the two. He went over to his bag by a tree and rummaged through it.

"You want your jacket back?" Ellie asked him.

The smuggler didn't respond. He took out his jerky that was wrapped in paper and ate some before tossing it at Ellie's feet. She grabbed it and was about to ask Y/N if she wanted some, but he quickly waved it off.

Ellie started eating the jerky. She looked around at the trees.

"I've never been in the woods." She said. "More bugs than I thought."

Joel was still looking through his bag and not saying anything. Ellie got Y/N to open up a bit earlier about what happened and didn't want to think Joel was going to hold some type of grudge.

"Look, I've been thinking about..."

"I don't want your sorries." Joel finally spoke.

"I wasn't gonna say I'm sorry. I was gonna say that I've been thinking about what happened." She began. "Nobody made you or Tess take me. Nobody made you go along with this plan. It could've just been Y/N but you needed a truck battery or whatever and you made a choice. So don't blame me for something that isn't my fault."

Joel looked at Ellie before glancing at Y/N, who was sitting silently. He looked back at Ellie and nodded, accepting her words.

The teenager got up and walked over to Joel, handing him his jacket back. He put it on and then picked up his rifle from the floor.

"How much longer?" Ellie asked about the trip.

"Five-hour hike."

Y/N stood up and stretched a bit, picking up his bag too and holstering his hatchet.

"We can manage that." He chimed in.

The three started walking through the woods. They made their way down a path and then crossed a rickety bridge before finally making it onto a road. It was about an hour into the trip by then.

"You've gone this way a lot?" Ellie asked Joel. "No Infected?"

"Not often, no."

"What are you looking out for?"

"People."

Y/N looked ahead. "Hard to believe, but sometimes they're scarier than Infected."

"I don't know." Ellie replied. "What beats sprouting mushrooms through your face?"

Joel and Y/N didn't respond. Ellie took their silence and continued with them.

"Are Bill and Frank nice?" She abruptly asked.

"Frank is." Joel answered.

"Bill's not that bad." Y/N added.

"That's because he likes you more than me for some reason."

Y/N shrugged. Ellie moved on and asked Joel another question.

"How'd you get that scar on your head?"

Joel let out an exhale. Y/N knew the exact reason for it but decided to keep looking forward, not wanting to involve himself with that question.

"What? Is it something lame?" Ellie asked. "Like you fell down the stairs or something?"

"I didn't fall down any stairs." Joel butted.

"Okay, so what then?"

Joel shook his head. "Someone shot at me and missed."

"See, that's cool." Ellie replied. "You shoot back?"

"Yeah."

"You get him?"

"No, I missed, too. It happens more often than you think."

"'Cause you suck at shooting or, like, in general?"

Joel looked over at Ellie for a moment before gazing back ahead toward the road. "In general."

Ellie then glanced at Y/N to her right. She also noticed a mark on his cheek and had the same curiosity.

"How about yours?"

Y/N turned to her and immediately knew what she was asking about. He brushed over his scar for a quick second.

"Oh...uh..."

Flashes of Outbreak Day filled his mind, especially the moment of the car accident that caused the gash on his face and Sarah's broken ankle. He swallowed and kept his eyes forward.

"Cut myself shaving." He lied.

"Cut yourself shaving?" Ellie repeated, not wanting to believe it.

"Kinda hard to learn growing up in a world where that ain't really important."

Ellie blew a raspberry and shrugged. She thought it was a pretty disappointing reason for his scar compared to Joel's.

"That's pretty lame."

All Y/N did was grumble. "Hmph."

The trio kept walking. Ellie eyed the rifle Joel had by his hip.

"You know, seeing as it's just the three of us, I was thinking I should pro—"

Joel knew what she was going to say. "No."

Ellie chose to quit asking and maybe try again later. They made it to a convenience store on the lone road, one which Joel knew all too well.

"Cumberland Farms." Ellie read the sign on it.

"You two hang back a minute." Joel told them. "I gotta grab some stuff I stashed."

"Stashed?" Ellie replied, still walking and not hanging back like she was told. "Why do you have stuff stashed here?"

"You ask a lot of goddamn questions."

"Yes, I do."

The three entered the building. The room was dimly lit and it was covered in vines and other foliage.

"So, are you gonna answer me or what?" Ellie asked.

Joel sighed. "We hide supplies on routes in case we find ourselves short on gear, which we currently are 'cause..."

"No way!" Ellie suddenly exclaimed.

Y/N looked in the direction where the teenager was jogging towards. She stopped by an old arcade machine of Mortal Kombat II.

"Have any of you played this one?" She asked them.

"Not really my forte." Joel replied as he looked for his stash.

Y/N went up to the machine and crossed his arms as he eyed it.

"I was too young to play this when it was around, but I heard about it." He said. "A guy in my unit said his dad had one of these."

"I had a friend who knew everything about this game." Ellie said. "There's this one character
named Mileena who takes off her mask and she has monster teeth and then she swallows you whole and barfs out your bones!"

Y/N chuckled. "Eh, she sounds lame compared to that guy who yells get over here! What was—?"

"Scorpion." She quickly answered. "He's from the Netherrealm, basically hell."

The young man nodded, impressed by her knowledge of the arcade game. Behind them, the sound of Joel moving stuff around caused them to turn around.

"You forgot where you put your stuff." Ellie said.

"No, I'm just zeroing in on it." Joel replied.

Y/N shook his head, agreeing with the fourteen-year-old. "No...I think you forgot where you put your stuff."

"It's been a couple of years. Give me a break."

"You're losing it, viejo."

Ellie turned to Y/N. "What does that word even mean? You say it to him all the time."

Y/N was going to answer, but Joel stopped him.

"Don't, or else I'm going to have to hear her say it."

"I mean, I could still say it without even knowing what it is." She replied.

Joel let out a huff and turned to Y/N. "Just help me look for the damn things."

Y/N exhaled and went over to Joel. Ellie blew some air out of her mouth and started walking away.

"Okay, well, I'm gonna take a look around, see if there's anything good." She informed them.

"Trust me, it's all been picked over already." Joel called out.

"Maybe, maybe not." She looked into the back room. "Is there anything bad in here?"

"Just you."

"Ah." Ellie rolled her eyes and went inside. "Getting funnier."

Y/N and Joel stayed in the room looking for his gear. The older man was getting frustrated.

"Fuck." He muttered.

"This shit really is getting you worked up." Y/N remarked. "The treasure of El Dorado better be in this damn stash."

"How do you even know about El Dorado?" Joel asked.

"Had a teacher who loved history as much as I did. Probably the only positive to you throwing me into that school."

Joel glanced at Y/N for a moment but didn't respond and only let out a murmur. They resumed their search when suddenly, a noise was heard coming from the room Ellie was in.

"You all right back there?" Y/N called out.

"Yep!" Ellie responded.

The two looked at each other for a moment before continuing their search. Y/N ended up moving one of the shelves aside and saw a piece of loose flooring. He picked it up and saw a green lockbox within the hole.

"Found it." Y/N said. "Shit, I call dibs on whatever the hell you got in here since I saw it first."

"Nothing much in it anyway." Joel replied as he walked over. "Just revolver ammo, rubbing alcohol, more tape."

Joel started gathering some of the stash. They heard more noises inside the back room but they soon stopped. The smuggler looked ahead and called out.

"Ellie?"

There was no response. Joel waited a moment before unholstering his revolver and getting up. He ushered Y/N back.

"Ellie!" He called out again. "Ellie?"

He looked into the room. Before he can enter, the teenager came out with a box of tampons in hand.

"Picked over, my ass." Ellie scoffed.

She took off her backpack and put the box inside. Y/N was crouched down by the lockbox looking through it.

"I understand why he'd say the place was picked clean." Y/N said. "Us guys don't really need that."

"Lucky you." Ellie butted.

Y/N closed the lockbox and stood up, putting his backpack back on. Joel walked over and put the box back into the hole as well as his assault rifle.

"What are you doing?" Ellie asked him.

"There's not much ammo out there for this thing. Makes it mostly useless."

"Well, if you're just gonna leave it there..."

Joel was getting tired of Ellie prying to have a gun. He put the flooring back over the hole and looked at the teenager.

"No." He emphasized.

Joel put his backpack on and started going toward the door. Ellie rolled her eyes and started following with Y/N beside her.

"Why do you want an assault rifle anyway?" Y/N questioned with a chuckle. "Not really needed unless you're trying to be the Punisher or something."

Y/N exited the store with Joel. Ellie went through the door last, her brows furrowed since she didn't get his comic reference.

"Who the fuck is the Punisher?"

The trio traveled for another couple of hours. The sun was shining down on them and the weather was getting warmer, so they ended up removing their coats.

As they walked down the path, Ellie turned to her left and saw something on the hill in the distance.

"Holy shit."

Joel, Y/N, and Ellie stopped to look. It was the wreckage of a plane, likely from Outbreak Day. Ellie was simply in awe at the sight of an airplane.

"You fly in one of those?" She asked them.

"Few times, sure." Joel replied.

Y/N stayed quiet. He never experienced flying on a plane. But now, the sight of the aircraft brought back flashbacks of seeing the plane crash that fateful day when everything began. The young man let out an exhale.

"So lucky." Ellie responded to Joel.

"Didn't feel like it at the time." He said. "Get shoved into a middle seat, pay 12 bucks for a sandwich."

"Dude, you got to go up in the sky."

Y/N finally chimed in, looking ahead and gesturing toward the plane wreck.

"Yeah, well, so did they. Spend their last moments falling from the sky."

The young man turned and continued down the road. Joel gave one last look at the wreck before following him.

"Grim." Ellie remarked, then walked away as well.

The trio continued their trek. Ellie was getting tired of the silence, so she decided to dwell on her curiosity and ask more questions.

"So everything came crashing down in one day?"

Joel nodded. "Pretty much."

"How? I mean, no one was infected with Cordyceps, everybody's fine, eating in restaurants and flying in planes. And then, all at once? How did it even start? If you have to get bit to be infected, then who bit the first person?"

"All good questions." Y/N remarked.

"Was it a monkey?" She asked. "I bet it was a monkey."

"It wasn't a monkey." Joel answered. "I thought you went to school."

"FEDRA school. They don't teach us how their shitty government failed to prevent a pandemic."

There was a beat before Joel let out a sigh and decided to answer the girl's burning questions.

"No one knows for sure, but, best guess, Cordyceps mutated. And some of it got into the food supply. Probably a basic ingredient like flour or sugar. There were certain brands of food that were sold everywhere, all across the country, across the world. Bread, cereal, pancake mix. You eat enough of it, it'll get you infected. So the tainted food all hits the store shelves around the same time, Thursday. People bought it, ate some Thursday night or Friday morning. Day goes on, they started to get sick. Afternoon, evening, they got worse. Then they started bitin'."

The smuggler looked down and paused. He thought back at the day everything fell. Y/N was overhearing his explanation and kept looking ahead.

Joel finished. "Friday night, September 26, 2003. And by Monday, everything was gone."

Ellie took in his explanation. She then remembered Y/N's remark about bread a couple of days ago.

"I see why Y/N mentioned bread being dangerous back in Boston."

Y/N finally decided to speak. "It's crazy really. I vividly remember the morning before...wanting pancakes. We didn't have any mix and uh...Joel here said he'd get some tomorrow. And, of course, tomorrow ended up being the day the world ended."

Ellie also took in the young man's story. She let out a breath and looked down at her feet.

"It makes more sense than monkeys." She glanced at the two, appreciating their willingness to answer her question. "Thanks."

Joel nodded. "Sure."

He took a few more steps before Joel held his arm out and stopped them. Ellie arched a brow and wondered why that was.

"What?"

"We'll cut across the woods here." Joel said.

"Why?" Y/N asked. "Ain't the road easier?"

"Yeah, it's just..." Joel looked at Ellie. "There's stuff up there you shouldn't see."

Y/N still wondered what had Joel so worried. Ellie, on the other hand, was now very curious to see what it was.

"Well, now I have to see." She said and kept walking, still facing Joel.

"I don't want you to." Joel butted.

Ellie smirked and turned back around, still walking. Y/N shrugged and followed the teenager. If she wasn't worried, Y/N felt like he shouldn't be either.

"Serious. Ellie!" The smuggler called out and followed.

"Can it hurt me?" She asked.

"No."

"You're too honest, man. Should've said axe murderer."

Ellie kept walking. Y/N was close behind and turned around to face Joel.

"She'll be alright, viejo. You worry too much."

They kept walking. Ellie was way ahead and kept an eye out for whatever Joel said he didn't want her to see. So far, there was nothing in sight.

"Whatever it was, think it's gone."

Ellie looked to her left at the grass on the side of the road. A ditch caught her eye, and within were remnants of bones and rotting cloth. Y/N stopped beside her, also seeing the ditch.

Joel finally caught up with them. Ellie glanced at him, expecting him to give an explanation. The man let out a sigh.

"About a week after Outbreak Day, soldiers went through the countryside, evacuated the small towns. Told you you were goin' to a QZ, and you were, if there was room. If there wasn't..."

Ellie looked back at the ditch. She was a bit shaken up, biting her lip as she tried to hold in her emotion.

"These people weren't sick?" She asked.

"No, probably not."

"Why kill them? Why not just leave 'em be?"

Y/N kept looking ahead at the ditch. He knew exactly why. Immediately, he thought back to the moment when he and Tommy stumbled upon the soldier about to kill Joel after shooting Sarah.

The man swallowed. He held onto the straps of his backpack as he continued looking ahead and answered the teenager's question.

"Dead people can't be infected."

Joel, Ellie, and Y/N finally made it to the town of Lincoln. To the young man, he mostly referred to it as Bill's Town.

"Stay there." Joel told Ellie, going up to the gate and touching the keypad.

He typed in the code. After a buzzing, the gate unlocked and they went inside. Ellie looked around, gazing around at the seemingly untouched homes.

Joel led the way to their house. He opened the front door and was surprised it was unlocked. They followed him into the house, every footstep in the hallway emitting an echoing creak.

"What the fuck?" Ellie muttered as she looked around the home in awe.

"Bill?" Joel called out. "Frank?"

There was no response from either man. Y/N was confused, as he would've expected Bill to have immediately shouted back or come out at their presence.

"You stay there." Joel told Ellie. "Ya hear anything, you see anything, yell."

"What if they're gone?"

Joel didn't respond. He looked at his son and motioned toward the other door.

"Check the dining room and kitchen. I'll go see if they're in their room."

Y/N nodded and the two went to search the house. Ellie, not listening to Joel's request, went into the living room. She went up to the piano and tapped on a key.

Sometime later, Y/N came out of the kitchen and entered the dining room. There, he saw Ellie at the table looking at a piece of paper. She sat down and got comfortable before reading.

"What's that?" Y/N asked her.

"Uh...the envelope says it's from Bill."

"Ellie?" They heard Joel call out.

The older man came into the dining room and saw the two by the table. Ellie let Joel know about the letter too.

"It's from Bill."

Joel let out a quiet sigh and looked down. He assumed that since he left the letter, they were likely gone...whether that meant having left the town or left the world entirely.

Y/N also reacted. He looked to the side and went over to a wall, leaning against it. Ellie picked up the envelope she opened and read the front.

"To whomever, but probably Joel. I figured I fell under whomever." Ellie slid over a key toward Joel. "Came with this."

Joel picked up the key and looked at it. Y/N looked down and fiddled with his fingers.

"So they're dead?" He asked Ellie.

Ellie looked at the letter and nodded.

"Mm-hmm." She glanced at Joel and tried handing him the letter. "You—You wanna?"

He waved it off. "Go ahead. You do it."

Ellie nodded and looked down at the letter. She started reading it to them.

"August 29, 2023. If you find this, please do not come into the bedroom. We left a window open so the house wouldn't smell, but it will probably be a sight. I'm guessing you found this, Joel, because anyone else would've been electrocuted or blown up by one of my traps. Hehehehehehehehe."

Y/N silently chuckled at the line. He could basically hear Bill's voice when being read the letter.

"Take anything you need. The bunker code is the same as the gate code but in reverse. Anyway, I never liked you, compared to your kid, you were my least favorite Miller, but still, it's like we're friends, almost. And I respect you. So, I'm gonna tell you something because you're probably the only person who will understand. I used to hate the world and I was happy when everyone died. But I was wrong, because there was one person worth saving. That's what I did. I saved him. Then I protected him. That's why men like you and me are here. We have a job to do, and God help any motherfuckers who stand in our way."

Joel took in the words as he looked down at the key in his hand. Ellie continued.

"I leave you all of my weapons and equipment. And in case for some otherworldly reason Y/N is with you at the moment, tell him that I have something for him amongst the stash too. With that, you two could use them to keep—"

Ellie suddenly stopped. Y/N looked up and gazed at her, wondering why she did. Joel was confused too and went up to take the letter from her.

Joel looked at the bottom paragraph of the letter where she stopped. Four words caught his eye, and they hit him like an oncoming train.

To keep Tess safe

Joel let out a shuddered breath. After a moment of staying still, he crumbled the paper and threw it on the table.

"Stay here."

The man left the house. Y/N watched him go out the door before going over to pick up the crumbled ball of paper. He opened it up, wanting to see what made the two react so strongly.

Then, just like Joel, the words immediately struck Y/N. Seeing the mention of Tess, how Bill knew that Joel and Y/N both loved her and would do anything to keep her safe, made his heart ache.

She was gone now. They couldn't keep her safe. Joel felt like he never emphasized or directly showed how much he cared for Tess, while Y/N felt like he never got the chance to really thank her for being the mother he never had.

He took a deep breath in and let it out. Y/N looked up at Ellie, who was staring at him and seeing his reaction. Her expression showed that she felt for him.

The young man gave a quick nod and put the letter back down. He sat on the seat beside Ellie, leaning on his elbows as he fidgeted with his hands.

• • 2010 • •

IT WAS A sunny day in the almost-vacant town of Lincoln. In the front yard of Bill and Frank's house, the two were having dinner with their guests.

"Well, this really is just... it's amazing." Tess praised the food and drinks they had.

"Right?" Frank replied with a smile and grabbed the bottle of wine.

He looked over at his partner, seeing that he still had his hand on the gun near his plate. Frank disapproved of Bill's paranoia.

"Can you not, please?" Frank scolded, then gestured his head toward the eleven-year-old boy in between Joel and Tess. "Not with him at the table."

Bill glanced at Frank before putting it down and moving it aside. Joel kept staring at Bill as he chewed his food.

"I'm the same way." Joel said.

"Oh, you're a paranoid schizophrenic, too?" Frank replied.

"I'm not schizophrenic." Bill retorted.

There was a moment of silence as they continued eating. Y/N picked at his vegetables and ate some. Frank glanced at him and noticed his cup was empty.

"Would you like some more soda pop, buddy?" He asked. "I'd give you wine, but you still got about ten more years."

The boy gave a slight smile and nodded. "Yes, please."

Frank reached over and grabbed his cup, then opened a can of soda. He poured it in and handed it back to the little boy. Bill grumbled at the fact that his boyfriend was wasting his precious soda on people he just met.

Tess held up her wine, clearing her throat before beginning to talk.

"Well, can I just say, gun aside, which I get, by the way, how nice this is to have a civilized meal in such a beautiful place? It's been so long. I mean, I wanna thank you. Even if we don't end up working together. I really needed this."

"We are working together." Frank replied, holding up his glass and clinking it with hers.

He took a sip of his drink and glanced at Bill, letting him know that there was nothing he could say to change that. "We are."

Bill didn't respond. Frank took another sip of his wine before wiping his hands on his napkin.

"You know what? Let's go inside." Frank told. "I wanna show you something. You can bring your boy too. There's paintings and such he can look at."

"I have been wanting to see inside." Tess replied then turned to Y/N. "Would you like that?"

"Okay." He replied.

Frank picked up the wine bottle and got up from the table. Tess and Y/N followed the man inside as the two adults laughed. Bill called out, trying to stop his partner from letting them inside his home to no avail.

Joel and Bill were left outside, the latter had stopped eating and just looked at the smuggler. Joel took in a forkful of his food.

"I understand." Joel began. "If my...if mine, brought strangers into our situation, I wouldn't be happy either. But of all the people he could've found on the radio, we're actually decent people just tryin' to get by."

"Well, aren't I the lucky one?" Bill replied sarcastically.

"There's stuff we have in the QZ that you don't have here. Books, medicine, machine parts. We can help each other..."

As Joel was speaking, he noticed Bill with his grip still on his gun pointing at him.

"And get that gun outta my face." Joel said sternly. "Bad enough you had that fucking thing at the same table my son was at."

Bill sat back, choosing to oblige and holstering it at his side. Joel continued eating.

"So, what, you were a prepper or somethin'?" He asked Bill.

"Survivalist." He replied. "Maybe you are decent people, maybe not. Doesn't matter. We're self-sufficient here. I don't need you or your friend complicating our lives. Is that clear?"

Joel chewed and pointed at the gates of the town Bill had put up.

"That fence has got a year on it, tops. Galvanized wire already started to corrode. I can get you 10 spools of high-tensile aluminum. Last you the rest of your life. Lives."

Bill looked away from the fence he was talking about and then back at Joel. He thought about what he said...and began to wonder if he had a point.

After dinner and Frank speaking with Tess, it was time for the trio to go back to the Boston QZ. Frank was walking the woman and boy out. Tess had some extra clothes in hand and Y/N was given a yellow bandana. Frank tied it around the boy's head and he was pretty elated to have it.

"Are you sure about this?" Tess asked about the things they were given.

"Yeah, I mean, it's not a gift." Frank replied. "You'll come back, we'll trade."

The man looked down at Y/N, who was still smiling and adjusting his bandana. Frank beamed, still in awe that he was able to see and meet a healthy child in the current world.

"And I can't wait to see you again, kiddo." He added, then looked back at Tess. "Oh, and I had this idea that we should use codes for the radio in case anyone's listening."

"That's a good idea." Tess replied. "Like, with what?"

"I was thinking, like, the decades. Like, '80s, trouble, of course. '70s..."

They continued talking and walked toward the gate. Joel and Bill were close behind and were having their own conversation.

"FEDRA's never gonna come up here." Joel reassured Bill. "And you're well-protected against stray Infected. But sooner or later, there'll be raiders. And they'll beat that fence and your tripwires. They'll come at night, quiet and armed."

Bill looked back at him. He took a beat before replying. "We'll be fine."

Joel didn't say a word back, simply nodding and joining Tess, Y/N, and Frank by the fence. Bill just watched as they left, thinking about what the smuggler had warned him about.

• • 2014 • •

FRANK WAS TENDING to his strawberry garden. The man picked the last of the ripe fruit and placed it in the basket, smiling as he held one before eating it.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him shuffling against the grass. He turned around expecting to see Bill but was surprised to see a familiar looking fifteen-year-old.

"The hell? Y/N?"

Y/N wringed his hands together and stood where he was. "Hey, Frank."

"What are you doing here?" He asked as he got up. "Are Joel and Tess—?"

"No. Just me. I—I ended up ditching school."

Frank let out a sigh. A part of him thought about radioing Tess about Y/N being there, but he chose to hold it off for now.

"You walked all the way here from Boston?" He asked.

"I have a bike. Only took an hour." Y/N replied. "Would rather spend that time coming here than P.E."

The man let out a chuckle. He walked over to the boy with the basket of fruit in hand.

"I plan on making something with these. Bill has a sweet tooth, thinking of making some dessert. Wanna help?"

Y/N softly smiled and nodded. Frank pat his back and the two walked toward their house.

Later, Bill was outside on a field. He was having target practice with a crossbow he scavenged a couple of weeks ago. The man shot a bolt straight into the bullseye of the makeshift target.

A voice came from behind him. "Not bad."

Bill spun around and saw the teenager. He already knew he was in town, seeing him on the cameras when he first entered and at home helping Frank.

He turned back around and continued practicing. The boy walked up and eyed the target ahead.

"You found that?" Y/N asked. "That's so cool."

"You better stand back." Bill warned. "You never know if the aim will be off and it ricochets."

"Why would it be off? You always say you never miss."

The older man let out a chuckle. "I did, didn't I?"

Bill shot the crossbow a couple of more times at the target. As he went to retrieve the bolts, Y/N followed.

"Can I try?" He asked.

Bill pulled the bolts out of the target and placed them back into the quiver. He looked at Y/N before walking away.

"No."

"Oh, come on." Y/N whined and kept following.

"No."

"Please?"

"Give me a reason I should."

"I helped make your dessert."

"Haven't even tried it yet."

"Fine." Y/N stopped and put his hands on his hips. "Then I'll tell Frank about your stash."

Bill stopped, turning around and facing Y/N.

"What stash?" He asked.

"Your stash." Y/N raised a brow. "Magazines. You know what I'm saying?"

"You wouldn't."

Y/N simply shrugged. Bill kept looking at the teenager, then finally let out a sigh.

Sometime later, Frank served himself a drink and went over to the window. He looked out, seeing Bill and Y/N on the field.

The teenager had the crossbow in hand and Bill was beside him giving pointers. Frank smiled at the sight, as it was one of the first few times his lover decided to spend time with the boy.

• • PRESENT DAY • •

JOEL CAME BACK into the house. The man saw Y/N and Ellie sitting at the table but went directly to the girl.

"Show me your arm." He demanded.

Ellie got up and lifted her sleeve. He saw her old bite from weeks ago along with the scarring of her bite from a couple of days ago. It served as reassurance that she was indeed immune.

"I just finished makin' a truck battery. It's charging right now." He told them.

"Great." Y/N replied.

Joel spoke to Ellie. "I have a brother out in Wyoming. He's in some kinda trouble, and I'm heading out there to find him. He used to be a Firefly too. And my guess is he knows where some of them are out there, places Y/N might now even know about. Maybe they can get you to wherever this lab is."

"All right." Ellie replied, then let out a sigh. "Listen, about Tess..."

Joel held out his hand and stopped her. Y/N heard her words and looked back at them from the table.

"If I'm takin' you with me, there's some rules you gotta follow. Rule one, you don't bring up Tess. Ever." Joel pointed at Y/N. "And don't even ask him either."

Y/N scoffed. "What? I'm a part of your dumbass rules now?"

"It's something that don't need mentioning. We just gotta keep our histories to ourselves." Joel shot back.

The young man shook his head and looked aside. Joel continued speaking to Ellie.

"Rule two, you don't tell anyone about your condition. They see that bite mark, they won't think it through. They'll just shoot you. Rule three, you do what I say when I say it. We clear?"

"Yes." Ellie replied.

"Repeat it."

The teenager took a moment. "What you say goes."

Joel sighed. It wasn't the response he wanted but was going to take it anyway.

"Okay."

"So what now?" Ellie asked.

"We grab what we can."

The trio went into Bill's bunker beneath the house. The radio's music that was on filled the room. Ellie looked around, in awe at the sorted supplies and weapons on the wall.

"Ho-ly shit. This guy was a genius."

"Gotta love Bill." Y/N remarked.

Joel shut off the music. Ellie looked over at the smuggler and asked. "Why was the music on?"

"If he didn't reset the countdown every few weeks, this playlist would run over the radio."

Ellie nodded, now understanding that they were the ones Joel communicated with via his radio back in Boston.

"80s." She said.

Y/N looked around. On a nearby table, a weapon caught his eye. It wasn't up on the wall with the rest as it usually was. He went up to it and picked it up.

It was Bill's crossbow. On the handle was a note stuck to it. Y/N took it off and read it.

You best not miss. I taught you better than that.
- Bill

Y/N let out a chuckle, knowing that it was meant for him. Joel watched as the young man reacted to the note, but didn't bother asking what it was about.

"Grab some cans from over there." Joel told Ellie. "Nothin' dented or swollen."

Before she can go grab the canned food, she went up to the wall of weapons and pointed at them.

"Dude."

"No." Joel quickly said, knowing what she was going to ask for.

"There's a wall of them."

"I said no."

Ellie pointed at Y/N, who she saw pick up the crossbow and take it for himself.

"And he gets to keep that? How is that fair?"

Joel didn't say a word and just stared at her. Ellie took his look as a sign to let it go and walked over to collect some canned food.

The trio took the time to look through the house and gather more supplies. They ended up in the garage and packed more things into their bags and the truck Bill left them.

"Needs another hour." Joel informed them about the charging battery.

Ellie was by a sink and turned it on. She put her hand under the running water.

"They have hot water!" She exclaimed. "I'm takin' a shower."

Ellie started walking toward the door. She looked back at the men.

"And then you two are showering...because seriously." She added, making a face of disgust.

The girl left. Y/N stifled a chuckle as he continued packing things.

"I might smell. But not as much as you." He told Joel.

He huffed. "Whatever."

After Ellie, Y/N went to take a shower. The hot water hit his skin and it felt like the greatest thing ever. The QZ rarely had water available for showering and when they did it was lukewarm to cold at times.

Y/N closed his eyes as he let the water continue pouring over him. For what seemed likely the first time in a while...he got to relax and daydream.

• • One Month Ago • •

THE YOUNG MAN came into the dining room holding two cups of tea. Bill was right behind him holding a plate of fancy snacks and placing them on the table. Frank was in his wheelchair at the table, smiling at the two of them.

Y/N placed one of the cups in front of Frank and sat down to his right. Bill sat down as well, sitting to his husband's left.

"Thank you." Frank thanked Y/N for bringing him the tea.

"No problem." He replied with a nod.

They started having tea and snacks. Y/N held his cup and tapped the side of it.

"It's nice having this with you two. Feels...peaceful...compared to what's going on back at the QZ."

Bill and Frank knew about Y/N's ties with the Fireflies. They didn't mind as long as he didn't bring any of it back to their home. Y/N respected that.

"Hope you're having fun stomping those new world order fucks." Bill remarked mentioning FEDRA.

"Bill." Frank glanced at him after his curse.

"Sorry."

Y/N chuckled. "You know it."

Frank looked at Y/N. "How's Tess? Joel?"

The young man looked down at his cup and let out an exhale.

"They're good...I think. I—I haven't seen them in a while. I mostly go in and out of the QZ and don't stick to one place for too long."

Frank sighed. "I always tell you, Y/N—"

"I know. I should...I should talk to them." He interjected. "I will."

"I know when days go by...with things that happen, you sometimes never find the time. Feelings change. But they still care about you, even if you think otherwise."

Y/N took in Frank's words. He glanced at Bill, who understood the young man's feelings toward his father at the moment. Still, he agreed with his husband.

"I know the type of man he is. I know that kind of man you are." He said, then shrugged. "That's all I gotta say."

Afterward, they went outside. Bill rolled Frank out on his wheelchair as Y/N walked beside them.

"Again, thank you for welcoming me in." Y/N said.

"You're always welcome. You don't have to thank us all the time." Frank replied. "Thank you for still choosing to visit."

"Of course." Y/N smiled. "Who else am I going to get my all-important trail mix from?"

The two let out a laugh. Y/N chuckled as we started to bid farewell.

"I'll let you know on the radio when I get back." He said and started walking away. "You two take care of yourselves."

Bill nodded, placing a hand on Frank's shoulder. "Always."

The young man waved goodbye to them and made his way toward the gate. He had a bag containing smaller pouches of trail mix in hand. Y/N looked at it and smiled.

• • PRESENT DAY • •

Y/N HAD COME out of the shower. He entered the bunker and went to the radio. For the first time in over a week, he decided to finally try and communicate with Jane. He went to the channel and spoke.

"Wednesday? Wednesday 2-15?"

He waited, and waited, and waited. There was no response.

"Wednesday 2-15."

Yet again there was only silence. Y/N was going to try again but he heard footsteps and immediately turned off the microphone.

Ellie had come down after hearing him downstairs. She wore a red tee over a long sleeve shirt.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

Y/N stepped away from the radio and scratched the back of his neck.

"Oh, nothing. Just...uh...trying out the radio."

"Why are you saying Wednesday? Is that a code?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You guys and your codes." Ellie remarked, remembering Joel's from back in Boston. "I bet no one else listens in and you're all just paranoid."

Y/N let out a chuckle and started walking toward the stairs. Ellie got a good look at his new clothes, which were a navy blue button-up and jeans that once belonged to Frank.

"Wowza." Ellie reacted. "You did a decent job hiding how dirty and musty you can look."

Y/N stifled a laugh as he walked by. "And you didn't do a good job hiding that big ass forehead."

Ellie made a face and felt her own head. She looked at her reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall to see what he was talking about.

She let out a sigh. "Fuck you."

Y/N snickered. They two left the bunker and went into the living room. Moments later, Joel came in. He had a green plaid shirt, fresh pants, and his hair was slicked back.

Ellie took a good look at him. "Well, don't you look pretty."

"Shut up." He tossed a stick of deodorant at Ellie. "Freshen up."

"Nice." She replied and started applying it.

The three of them went to the garage to get into the truck. They put their things in the backseat and into the bed of the vehicle. Y/N ended up taking the back and stretching his legs while Joel and Ellie sat in the front.

Ellie looked around the car, mesmerized by it. She opened the sun visor and then adjusted the side mirrors. Joel eyed her through it.

"First time in a car?" He asked her.

"It's like a spaceship."

"No, it's like a piece of shit Chevy S10, but it'll get us there, I think."

"Way to shit on her dreams, viejo." Y/N remarked from the back.

"He can say whatever..." Ellie replied, touching the buttons on the radio. "This is still fucking cool."

Joel put on his seatbelt and then looked at Ellie. "Seatbelt."

The teenager looked back at Joel, confused about what he was saying. The man leaned over and pulled the strap over her.

"Seatbelt." He said again.

Ellie smiled and finished putting it on herself. "So cool."

Joel looked at Y/N through the rearview mirror. "Put yours on too, mijo."

Y/N scoffed at the name he was called but still put on his seatbelt.

"Don't call me that. What am I? Four?"

Ellie was intrigued at the mention of another non-English word. "Oooh. What does that mean?"

Joel ignored her question and started the car. Ellie shook her head.

"One day you're going to have to teach me...whatever it is you're all saying."

"Oh, I'll gladly give you a course." Y/N told her.

Joel scoffed. "Great."

Ellie opened the glove compartment in front of her. She took out a tape and removed it from its case. Joel took notice as he rolled out of the driveway.

"Would ya leave it? Put it back...Ellie."

She put the tape into the radio. Linda Ronstadt started singing, and it only took a few seconds before Ellie wanted to change it.

"Oh, no, wait." Joel stopped her. "No, leave it. Leave it. This is good. This is Linda Ronstadt. Do you know who Linda Ronstadt is?"

"You know I don't know who Linda Ronstadt is." Ellie shot back.

"Any chance there are any Coldplay tapes in there?" Y/N asked.

"What the hell is a Coldplay?" She asked.

"It's like listening to Jesus Christ in music form."

Joel remembered the music group from back then. He figured Y/N remembered songs from them before the outbreak and likely listened to some more while living in the QZ.

"They were all right." Joel remarked.

They continued driving and listening to Linda Ronstadt. While Joel was enjoying it and the two others were not, they started to warm up to it.

"Eh." Ellie shrugged and looked at Joel. "It's better than nothing."

Joel turned to Ellie, who smiled. He looked back toward the road. Using the remote in his hand, he opened the gate and drove out of the town.