MARIA AND TOMMY led the way through the streets of Jackson as their new guests followed. Jane was with them and often added input to anything their leader explained.

"We settled here about seven years ago. Just a handful of us back then." Maria said and pointed ahead. "That section was already a gated community, so we built the rest of the wall out from there. Stopped most of the raiding parties, but we still find pockets of them."

"And you said Infected?" Joel asked.

Tommy chimed in. "Yeah, but usually smaller colonies, wandered off from the cities. All this open country out here, it's a turkey shoot. I still got my 700, but I found a variable power scope. Sub-MOA. Can headshot those fuckers from a half mile out."

"Can you teach me how?" Ellie asked him.

"No, he can't." Joel interjected. "How do you keep this place quiet?"

"Carefully. Being in the middle of nowhere helps. Not advertising what we have, staying off the radio." Maria pointed at Jane. "Which I found out this little lady wasn't doing."

Jane chuckled. "I apologized already, Maria. And I was careful."

"And that I appreciate. You were careful."

Maria glanced at Tommy after her statement, remembering how he used to radio Joel. He would travel to the tower in Cody to relay the message which, in her opinion, was very dangerous and not careful.

She continued. "Place has a house of worship, multifaith. School. Laundry. Old bank works as the jail..."

"Jail?" Y/N asked. "Had some rowdy people?"

"We haven't needed it, thankfully." Jane replied.

"And I'd like to keep it that way." Maria added. "You not rowdy are ya?"

Y/N raised his arms. "Trust me, I'm a saint."

Joel looked up at a post and saw a transformer hanging from it. Henry noticed it too.

"And you draw power from the dam?" He asked Maria.

"Got that workin' a couple years ago. After that, sewage, plumbing, water heaters, lights."

Ellie was astounded by all the luxuries the settlement had.

"This place actually fuckin' works." She muttered.

They kept walking and Maria took them to the stables. Going through a fence, a flock of sheep scurried away.

"Hey, Joel, check it." Ellie chuckled and bleated, remembering the older man's dream ranch.

The man just rolled his eyes. Ellie clapped her hands and spoke to Maria.

"So...are you, like, in charge?" She asked.

"No one person's in charge. I'm on the council. Democratically elected, serving 300 people, including children. Everyone pitches in. We rotate patrols, food prep, repairs, hunting, harvesting, in Jane's case...she teaches."

"Doesn't mean she's just a one-trick pony." Tommy added. "She's a pretty crack shot as well."

Y/N turned to Jane with an intrigued look. "You are? This is news to me."

"You never asked." She replied with a chuckle. "My...uh...dad was a sharpshooter."

Y/N nodded. Ellie overheard and turned to Jane.

"Can you teach me?" She asked since Joel wasn't going to let Tommy or Y/N do so.

Still, Joel rejected the notion again. "No."

The teenager groaned. Henry decided to go back to the topic of all their infrastructure.

"It all looks untouched." He said. "I'm pretty amazed."

"Everything you see in our town, greenhouses, livestock, all shared. Collective ownership." Tommy replied.

"So, communism." Joel chimed in.

He scoffed. "Nah. Nah, it ain't like that."

"It is that. Literally." Maria cut in. "This is a commune. We're communists."

Tommy kept quiet, the patriotic man not liking the comparison.

"No way!" Ellie abruptly exclaimed and went up to one of the stables.

"That's our newest one." Maria smiled and pointed. "Couple months old. You wanna pet her?"

Ellie went to do so. "Yeah, what's her name?"

"Shimmer." Jane answered. "She's the softie of the bunch."

"Shimmer." Ellie softly said and touched the filly. "You're so beautiful."

Maria turned to Tommy and the rest. "Well, I'm sure they'd like a shower, some new clothes. We can put them in the empty house across the street from us."

"Yeah. It's a decent place." He replied and spoke to the group. "Pretty much untouched since '03, but it's got the heat goin' in it. Could do worse."

"Trust me, we have been." Ellie said.

"We've been doin' fine." Joel retorted.

Y/M scoffed. "Yeah. Sure, we have."

There was silence after their exchange. Maria could sense some tension and wanted to quickly move on.

"Well, I'll take Ellie over there if you wanna catch up?" Maria said to the three Millers. "Henry too if he'd like a nice hot shower."

"Please." The young black man agreed.

Jane spoke up, taking Y/N by the arm. "Mind if I keep showing him around? There's still so much we gotta talk about."

Y/N glanced at her for a moment before nodding. He turned to Joel and Tommy.

"Yeah. I'll catch up later."

Tommy looked at Joel. The smuggler nodded. "Yeah. Okay."

"Joel." Ellie spoke up, not liking how both Millers were leaving her.

"You'll be fine." Joel replied and walked away with Tommy.

"You got Henry, anyways." Y/N said and looked at him. "Enjoy your shower, man."

"Oh, I will." He replied with a chuckle.

Y/N nodded and glanced at Ellie, doing so as well. He soon walked off with Jane.

"Shall we?" Maria asked Ellie.

"Uh...yeah."

The three soon left the stables and were on their way to the new house.

Jane took Y/N to Phil Baux Park. The open area was covered with snow but there was still a group of people around. Some kids played with snowballs and made snow angels as their parents watched. Several others were on the field playing baseball, which was a sight to see for the young man...since he'd never seen the game be played before.

The view of so many people spending time together...having fun...living, made Y/N speechless. His time spent within the bleak environment of the Boston QZ and traveling for months through devastation made him so used to such grimness. It seemed like there was basically nothing to be hopeful for and the only thing keeping him going was the likelihood of the cure. But his views were starting to change with what he was seeing.

There are other things that can bring hope.

"We brought the kids out here yesterday, from my class."

Jane speaking brought Y/N out of his thoughts. He turned to her and she continued.

"The lesson was actually on how snow is made. In all honesty, I don't think they really cared and just wanted to play around in it."

Y/N laughed. He looked back the field ahead.

"Can't blame them. I mean...who really gets to experience this?" He replied.

They both looked on at the people in silence for a moment. The young man turned to her again.

"So...how is snow formed, Miss Meadows?"

"You really want a lesson?" She asked.

"Coming from you? Gladly."

She chuckled. "Well, it's formed in the clouds by water vapor. It sticks to the clouds and becomes tiny ice crystals that drop down as snowflakes."

"Ah. That simple?"

"There's more technical stuff to get into but I don't want to bore you."

He shook his head. "We've talked to each other almost every day for the past year over the radio. Nothing you say can bore me."

Jane softly smiled and blushed a bit. The young woman gestured toward an empty picnic table nearby.

"Let's sit."

Y/N followed her to the table and sat down, wiping away some of the snow before doing so. They faced each other from opposite sides.

"This place is...amazing." Y/N began. "You described some of it before but seeing it in person...it's surreal."

"I remember when it started. Like Maria said, it was just the gated community and they formed the wall from there. Closed off the rest of the town and its infrastructure, cleaned it up, and maintained it from there." Jane explained.

"That's great, really."

"So you came all the way from Boston?" She asked, to which Y/N simply nodded. "Must've been quite the trip."

Y/N thought back to the beginning, Tess's death, Bill and Frank's town, the ordeal in Kansas City, and Sam's death. The young man let out a quiet sigh.

"Yeah, it has been." He said.

"Traveled with that group. Tommy's your uncle so Joel is your—"

"My dad, yeah."

"And that girl? The guy?"

Y/N paused for a moment. He wanted to give a reason for Ellie being with them but didn't feel comfortable yet telling her the truth.

"Someone from the QZ. Uh...we're trying to find her family around here. They're also with Fireflies." He replied. "We stumbled upon Henry and his brother in Kansas City."

"Brother?" Jane questioned since there wasn't any other person that arrived with them.

Y/N caught this and took a breath. He looked down at his hands.

"He...uh..."

The woman knew by his expression what the answer would be. She felt like she pried too much into what they endured.

"I'm sorry. I—"

"It's okay." He reassured her. "It was some time ago."

Jane nodded. She decided to move on from it.

"So that girl's parents are with the Fireflies?" She asked.

Y/N answered with a nod, looking from his hands back to her. The topic of the Fireflies reminded her of someone.

"Brent? I see he wasn't with you." Jane fiddled with her fingers. "Is he...?"

The young man was quick to offer his partner reassurance. He didn't think Brent was dead nor did he want her to believe so.

"He's fine. I know it." He said. "Back in Boston, he left with a group that was supposed to transport Ellie west. I was supposed to join them but shit got complicated and they had to leave earlier."

Jane heard his explanation and felt a sense of relief at the knowledge that her brother wasn't confirmed dead. Although they didn't know for sure, there was still hope. The young man continued.

"So I think Brent is still with that group...the group with her parents. That's why we were crossing Wyoming, so we could see Tommy and find out if he has any clue where they could be since he was a Firefly once."

"Tommy was a Firefly?" Jane asked rather surprised.

"Oh shit." Y/N reacted, feeling as if he revealed something his uncle didn't want anyone to know. "I mean...I—"

"I'm messing with you." She said with a chuckle. "Most of the people here know."

Y/N also chuckled and felt a sense of relief. "Good. I thought I said something that would lead to his divorce."

The couple shared a laugh. It was a nice change from their quiet and somber discussions of what he endured on the trip and the fate of Brent. Jane reached out and placed her hands on top of his.

"This is pretty surreal, you know? You being here...me being able to hold your hand like this." She said. "You're not just a voice anymore. You're really here."

Y/N smiled, feeling the same thing. He nodded as he looked down at their hands.

"So...am I actually what you expected?" He asked.

"What?"

"You know...what Ellie said. Am I?"

Jane chuckled, pausing for a moment as she gazed at him.

"I thought you'd be shorter."

"What?" Y/N replied with a snicker.

"I thought you'd be shorter." She repeated.

"How can you assume my height with just my voice."

"I don't know, it was just my thought. I'm five foot fucking one, I figured you'd be maybe a few inches taller at the most."

Y/N laughed. His height was like Joel's, which was around 5'11.

"Well, you hit the jackpot." He said and stood up. "I'm big enough that I'm able to piggyback you across town, Miss Fun-Size."

"Shut up." She shot back and got out of her seat too. "But I might take you up on that offer."

Y/N chuckled. Suddenly, a young Asian man, about eighteen, came up to the couple. He noticed Y/N with Jane as he was playing baseball.

"Hey, man." He spoke up and pointed back at the field. "Our buddy over there has to go and we need another guy to start the game. You down for that?"

Y/N was taken aback by the request. He had never played sports since kickball when he was a toddler and the only physical education FEDRA has was basic cardio and weightlifting.

"Uh...I—"

"Come on." Jane egged him on. "Sounds fun."

Y/N looked from her back to the man. With a quick nod, he ended up taking up the offer.

"Great." The young man said. "Let me introduce you to the team."

Y/N looked back at Jane, who was smiling, and motioned him toward the field with a quiet go. He smiled back and joined his soon-to-be teammate.

"What's your name?" The man asked him.

"Y/N." He replied.

The eighteen-year-old held out his hand for him to shake. "Jesse."

After showering, Henry got a new set of clothes and went out on the town himself after Maria reassured him that'd she stay with Ellie. He walked through Jackson alone, expecting to maybe run into Y/N or Joel.

He ended up passing by a church and by the street, a few people were passing out flyers. Out of curiosity, he went to see what they were advertising and was handed one by a curly-haired black woman.

Henry read it and saw that they were reminding townsfolk about an event they were having at the church where there would be music, dancing, and food. The young man was caught off guard by the pleasantries they were offering.

"Wow." He started to speak to the woman. "And you're having this all here?"

The woman didn't respond initially, as if she didn't understand what he said. Henry was confused. The woman pointed at her ears and quickly went for one of the papers and a pencil.

Immediately, Henry knew what the deal was. He reached out and stopped her from writing and started to use sign language.

"No need. I just asked if you're having this all here."

The deaf woman was taken aback by the fact that the young man knew ASL. There was barely anyone in Jackson who knew or even bothered to try, so it was a welcome sight.

"Yes, it'll be held here." She signed back. "Where did you learn ASL?"

There was a beat. Henry wasn't sure if he should bring up the reason why he learned since what happened to Sam felt so recent. Nonetheless, he thought being truthful was the correct thing to do.

"My brother was deaf. I learned for him. He sadly passed away."

She felt for him, and there was empathy in her expression since the woman had lost someone as well years ago.

"I'm so sorry."

He gestured that it was okay. Henry looked back at the flyer and nodded. It sounded like an event he'd enjoy if he and his group were to stay longer.

"Will you be here too?" He signed with a smile.

The woman grinned back. "Of course."

"I'm Henry. I just arrived earlier today, actually."

The woman nodded. "Diana."

Portrayed by Lauren Ridloff

Suddenly, a boy came running out of the church. Diana turned in his direction and he stopped in front of her.

"Troy wants me to come over. Can I?" The boy signed, which caught Henry by surprise.

"Let me think about it." She replied and then looked at Henry. "This is my son, Noah."

The young man expected the boy to sign a hello, but he ended up speaking.

"Hello. I'm Noah." He said clearly. "You know sign language?"

Henry looked at the boy and then turned to Diana. She quietly chuckled and signed.

"He was born with hearing."

He nodded and turned back to the little boy. Seeing him reminded him a bit of Sam. Henry smiled and spoke.

"I do. My name is Henry."

Y/N went with Jane to her home. The young man's hair was still covered in specks of snow from the game he played earlier. The lady brushed it off of him.

"Can't have you looking like that." She said.

He chuckled. "Why?"

"Because we're gonna see my mom."

Y/N seemed to stop in his tracks. He was already going to meet her parent? It felt so sudden and something he only heard about in movies. He never really thought he'd go through that honestly.

Jane noticed his expression and let out a soft laugh. "Don't worry. She won't bite."

"I hope not. Is she a Runner?" He tried to joke, but quickly realized it was stupid. "Sorry."

They stepped toward her house and went through the door. Y/N looked around, seeing the decor and well-kept painted rooms. Nothing seemed to be deteriorating or peeling off like most of the rooms he'd seen growing up.

"Mm-hm." Y/N nodded. "Very homey."

"Mom!" Jane called out. "Mama!"

A voice from upstairs replied. "Coming down."

Moments later, a Latina around the same stature as Jane, came downstairs. She noticed the young man with her daughter.

"Hello." She greeted, then turned to the girl. "And who might this be?"

"You know the person on the radio I told you and Maria about? The guy who knows Brent?" She gestured toward him. "This is him. Y/N."

Y/N smiled and nodded. "Hi. Yeah...I'm Y/N."

"I'm Ariana." She replied. "So you're the boy who's been in this long-distance fling with mi hija."

"Mom..." Jane groaned.

"It's kinda what it was."

Y/N chuckled. "Yes, ma'am. Pero es mucho más que eso (But it's much more than that)."

It came as a welcome surprise to hear the young man respond in fluent Spanish. She turned to her daughter.

"No me dijiste que era un hombre de nuestra cultura (You didn't tell me he was a man of our culture)."

"You never asked me." Jane replied with a chuckle.

Ariana laughed with the girl and then looked back at Y/N. She stepped up to him.

"Must've come a long way, I suppose?"

Y/N simply nodded. The older woman continued.

"And...Brent, mi hijo, you know him. Where is he now?"

"He's still out there. But don't worry, I know he's okay. After years of knowing him...there is no one on this planet as resilient as him."

Ariana deeply inhaled. It's been so long since he's seen her son, that last time being when they got separated ten years ago and her brother-in-law ended up taking him farther east, ending up in Boston.

"He's a survivor." Y/N added. "There's no doubt about it."

The woman nodded, placing her hand on one of his shoulders. The young man before her had offered Jane solace in a time recovering from her father's recent death and had also befriended Brent at a time when he likely felt alone. She was appreciative of him.

"I'm glad you've been there for both of my kids." She told him. "I can tell you're a good person. Thank you."

Y/N nodded with a smile. Jane looked at them and was content with the interaction between her mother and her partner. It had gone better than she expected.

There was a knock at the door. Jane went to open it and on the other side was Tommy. He greeted her and was surprised to see Y/N inside with Ariana.

"Oh, I hope I'm not interrupting anything. I just wanted to remind Jane about the check-up on the perimeter on the east side."

"Oh, crap." Jane huffed. "I totally forgot about that."

"It's fine. I can go ask—"

"I can come." Y/N butted. "Just a checkup, right?"

Tommy nodded. Y/N turned to Jane as he stepped to the door.

"Wouldn't mind if I take your spot? Check it out myself?" He looked at Tommy. "Catch up with my tio too."

Jane was fine with that. "Okay."

"I'll be back." He replied and then turned to Ariana. "It was nice meeting you, señora."

The woman smiled and waved. Y/N stepped out the door and joined his uncle.

"All right. Let's go." Tommy said.

The two men walked away. Ariana went toward the door and stood beside her daughter, watching as they left.

"You got lucky." Her mother said with a chuckle. "He's handsome...and tall."

After showering and putting on clothes given to her by Maria, Ellie stopped by her home across the street. 

"Hello?" She called out upon entering. "Maria?"

She walked into the living room but saw that nobody was there. Ellie let out a sigh and dropped her shoulders, but something above the fireplace caught her eye.

Ellie went up to the chalkboard behind the candles and saw two names written on it with the dates below them.

Kevin and Sarah.

There were also picture frames by the board. One was of a toddler, while the other was of a teenage girl hugging a little boy. Ellie figured it was the people whose name was on the chalkboard.

Maria came into the house and saw Ellie at the fireplace. She turned to the woman after hearing her come in.

"Oh, good." Ellie said.

"Just traded for this." Maria gave Ellie a thick coat. "Go ahead, try it on."

She did as told and put on the coat. "It's, uh, super fuckin' purple."

"Eggplant." Maria corrected. "It fits?"

"Yeah."

"Shoes aren't too big?"

"No. Where's my other stuff?"

"Rag pile." Maria answered. "Did you get the thing I left you?"

"Yeah." Ellie replied, knowing she was referring to the menstrual cup. "Weirdest gift ever."

"But useful. Who's been cutting your hair?"

"World-class salons."

Maria chuckled. "Let me get my scissors."

"No. I'm—"

"Trim. That's all." Maria interjected and walked away. "Just the ends, I promise."

Soon after, Ellie sat down and Maria went on with cutting her hair.

"So, this was, like, your job back then or something?" Ellie asked.

"No, I was an Assistant District Attorney out of Omaha, Nebraska." She answered as she trimmed her hair. "I put bad guys in jail."

"Cool, I guess."

"I always liked doing hair, though. Maybe it was a mom thing. You were looking at the little memorial Tommy made?"

"Yeah." The teenager admitted. "I'm sorry about your kids."

"It's okay. And kid. Just Kevin." Maria said. "Sarah was Joel's daughter. One of those pictures by the board...it's actually of her and Y/N."

Ellie stood quiet as she processed what she'd been told. Not only did she find out Joel had lost a daughter...but that Y/N also lost a sister. Maria noticed the girl's silence.

"Maybe I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, it's okay." Ellie replied. "I guess that explains them a little."

"Look, I'm not gonna ask you what you're doing with him..."

"Who?"

"Joel."

"Good. Don't."

Maria continued. "But there are clearly things
you don't know about him."

"Like how he used to kill people? I know about that."

"So then you understand my concern."

"He doesn't do that anymore."

"He stopped killing people?" Maria asked.

"Innocent ones." Ellie said after a pause. "And Tommy did it, too. Are you worried about him?"

Maria quietly sighed. "Tommy was following Joel...as was Y/N. That poor kid. Had to see all that the same way you are now."

"Well, maybe I'm smarter than Tommy. No offense. And I really don't care what I see."

Maria nodded, putting down her scissors and standing in front of Ellie.

"You are definitely smart. Would've made a hell of a lawyer. There's a whole lot you're not telling me."

Ellie didn't respond and kept quiet. Maria continued.

"Good. Therein lies the point. Be careful who you put your faith in. The only people who can betray us, are the ones we trust."

Ellie weakly nodded.

"You understand?" Maria asked.

"Mm-hmm."

Maria got off the table she was sitting on. "Now, come on. Grab your super fuckin' eggplant coat."

"Where are we going?" Ellie asked.

"Thinking of going around town, then afterward, the movies."

After the check-up, the two Milers walked back into town. This gave Y/N a chance to speak with his uncle and catch up.

"She's a few months along now." Tommy said, having just revealed to him about Maria's pregnancy.

Y/N was surprised by the news but was happy for his uncle. He smiled and tapped the side of his shoulder.

"You'd make a great dad." He said.

Tommy appreciated the words since it was a far cry from how Joel reacted earlier in the day. But at the same time, he felt bad since his kid would likely have the childhood Y/N was robbed of.

"Thank you..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "And...I'm also sorry, Y/N."

"Why?"

"The shit you had to go through. What you had to see when we were making our way to Boston. Me going off with Marlene."

Y/N looked down. "You—you don't need to apologize."

"I'll admit, we coulda done a better job with you. I could've." Tommy added. "I was young and naive and thought Joel should've done everything. I forced him to have much more responsibilities than he already had."

The young man took in his uncle's words. That is something he hadn't really thought of. How Joel had to basically care for his son and his brother and because of that they had to resort to the things they did.

Once Tommy left, Joel felt like he had to care for Tess too. Then after that one day when the two had to cut some ties was when Y/N was taken to the school.

Maybe Joel did have a valid reason to keep him there. Sarah was dead. Tommy had left. He probably wanted to have Y/N somewhere where he knew wouldn't also leave him too.

Tommy noticed Y/N's silence. He wanted to move on and avoid the awkwardness.

"So Marlene gave you this job? Taking the girl west?"

"Pretty much. Was supposed to go much smoother but..." Y/N said with a shrug.

"Joel told me about it. Then I told him about a lab they have at the University of Colorado. They might be there." Tommy replied.

"You think so?" Y/N asked.

"I said might. You're the first Firefly I've seen in years." Tommy said. "Speaking of, how is it?"

"Just doing what's asked of me. Gives me...some sort of purpose. Helping the world out somehow."

Tommy understood since that was a big reason why he joined at first. Unlike him, his nephew seemed more dedicated to the cause and that made him proud.

"So, what about Jane?" Tommy asked. "She's a good gal, you know?"

Y/N chuckled. "She is."

"Her and her mom have known Maria longer than I have. If I can recall, I think Ariana and Maria..."

As Tommy was speaking, Y/N looked ahead at a crowd in front of a man playing guitar. He smiled, but it quickly faded upon seeing someone within.

The girl had her back turned and he couldn't see her face, but what stood out was her curly perm hair. He started slowing down and kept staring, his uncle's words now fading out.

When the woman finally turned around, he half expected to see that it was Sarah but it wasn't. She beamed at a boy running up to her and embracing him.

The sight of the young mother and son didn't bring back his smile. He was still looking on in a crestfallen state...as the thoughts of how Sarah could've been a mother herself, how he could've been an uncle, if she was still alive, crept into his mind.

"Y/N?" Tommy called out, noticing he stopped. "Y/N?"

The young man looked at his uncle. He let out an exhale and walked up to him.

"You okay?" He asked Y/N.

"Yeah..." Y/N softly said and nodded. "Sorry. You were saying?"

Ellie was in the mess hall with a group of other kids around her age. They had activities going on before movie night which Ellie, reluctantly, decided to join in on.

She was currently at a table making bracelets. Ellie never had done anything like that before and it was pissing her off every time she messed up or one of the came out ugly.

"What the fuck..." Ellie muttered as she tried looping some of the thread. "This is bullshit."

One girl at the table overheard and looked over, seeing Ellie struggling.

"Having a hard time?" She asked.

Ellie just glanced at her and didn't respond, continuing on her own. The girl spoke again.

"Need help? I can show you."

She looked at the girl again and saw that she already had three nice-looking bracelets done. A part of Ellie wanted to tell her off and keep doing it on her own, but since she already acted like an asshole to the girl earlier that day, she decided to not be an asshole this time.

"Okay." Ellie muttered.

The girl smiled and went over to the seat next to her. She could see what Ellie was trying to do and started helping her loop the thread.

"It was a fucking hassle when I first started. But it gets easier once you get the hang of it." She told her then handed it back to Ellie. "Try it. Through here."

Ellie took the bracelet and tried to do it herself. There was still some trial and error but the girl was there to help. In the end, the bracelet was done and it looked okay all things considered.

"Not bad." She complimented.

"Yeah. I guess." Ellie replied. "Uh...thanks."

The girl smiled and introduced herself. "Cat."

"Ellie." She replied after a pause.

Cat looked back at the bracelet. "So, you made that for yourself or...?"

"No. I...uh, was thinking of someone. Figured they'd like this despite how ugly this shit looks."

"It's not that bad." Cat said with a chuckle. "I'm sure they'll like it."

Ellie nodded, looking back at the handmade bracelet in her hand.

Later on that evening, a bunch of people gathered in the mess hall for movie night. They were going to watch the 1977 film The Goodbye Girl. Children and their parents were all there to see it.

They all started getting in their seats before it began. Y/N was inside, talking to Tommy and a few others including the young man from earlier, Jesse.

Ellie came up to Y/N and the man was surprised to see her. The last time they saw each other was hours ago at the stables.

"Wow, look at you." He saw how well-kept she was and her haircut. "You did a good job hiding how musty you could look."

Ellie scoffed, remembering the same joke she told him back at Bill's town after he came out showered and changed.

"Yeah, yeah. Haha."

The young man laughed. Ellie finally let out a chuckle before going into her jacket pocket.

"I...uh...want to show you something."

Y/N raised a brow and was intrigued. Ellie took out the bracelet and handed it to him.

"Made this." She simply said.

He looked at it and then back at her. Y/N reached out and took it, holding it in his palm.

"For...me?" He asked.

It was for him, but she didn't want to explicitly say so. She shrugged and nonchalantly replied.

"I guess. I know Joel won't wear it. Henry would probably lose it. So..."

Y/N chuckled. He kept looking at the handmade bracelet.

"It's pretty damn ugly, not gonna lie."

"Fuck you." She butted.

He kept laughing, then stopped and smiled. Y/N put the bracelet on and gazed at it on his wrist.

"Thank you, Ellie." He glanced at her. "I'll cherish it."

Ellie smiled back, happy that the young man appreciated her gift to him. Suddenly, there was chatter as the movie was about to start.

"You staying for the movie?" Ellie asked and then pointed at the chairs. "I'm going to sit over there. I think there's a seat you could—"

"Oh, no...I'm...I'm actually going to go." He said and gestured ahead.

Ellie turned toward the door, seeing Jane speaking with someone and then looking over at Y/N, waving him down.

"Gonna stop by Jane's house again." Y/N added. "Her mom is making something."

Ellie's smile quickly faded as she looked on. She still had her back turned to him and Y/N noticed the girl's silence.

"You—you know, you don't have to stay here. You could—"

"No, it's fine. I wanna see the movie." She interjected, still not facing Y/N. "I'm gonna go sit down now."

Ellie immediately left Y/N, going to the chairs where the rest of the audience sat. He looked on and let out a sigh before his attention was back on Jane who was still waving him down.

Y/N soon walked off and left the mess hall with Jane, Ellie watching as they did.

Joel was in the workshop fixing up one of his boots. He frustratedly tossed the tool onto the table and looked down. Moments later, Tommy came in.

"The guys said I might find you here." He placed a new set of boots for him on the table. "Figured I'd save you the trouble."

Joel just looked at them. There was silence as Tommy thought of what else to say. He figured his older brother was still mad about what he said at the bar earlier.

"I shouldn't have said what I said. I don't even believe it. I know you're happy for me. It just...It's complicated for you and I'm sorry." Tommy apologized, then smiled. "So you gonna let me off the hook, or what?"

"This ride to the University, is it a suicide mission?" Joel asked, ignoring his apology.

"No. It's dangerous, but it's nothin' you can't handle. Just prepare and do what you do."

"You've had people go that way and come back?"

"All of 'em." Tommy reassured, but still questioned why Joel was so adamant about the trip. "What is this?"

There was a beat before Joel replied. "She's immune."

"What?" Tommy asked.

"Ellie. She got infected but she didn't get sick."

His brother wasn't sure how to respond. Joel could sense some doubt in him.

"Tommy. Tommy, I saw her get bit myself. That was months ago. Months. She's immune."

Tommy was still quiet. He went over to the stool in front of Joel and sat down.

"From the beginning." He told Joel and allowed him to explain.

"It was Marlene. She hired us to smuggle her to some Fireflies, even assigned Y/N to go with us. It went bad. Tess got bit. She made us swear to take the kid. It was her dyin' wish. What the hell was I supposed to do? We made it as far as K.C., and then..." He paused. "You know, she saved my life there from another kid. Five years ago, I would've destroyed him. But she had to shoot him to save me. Fourteen years old. Because I was too slow and too fuckin' deaf to hear him comin'."

Joel continued. "And then...that kid, Henry, he had to kill his own brother to save her, while I just watched. And today, I thought that dog was gonna tear her apart because it smelled somethin' on her. And all I did was stand there. I couldn't move. I couldn't think of anything to say. I just...I was so afraid.

Joel's voice started to break. Tommy took in the words coming out of his older brother's mouth. He continued.

"You think I can still handle things but I'm not who I was. I'm weak. Lately, there are these moments where the fear comes up outta nowhere and...my heart...feels like it's stopped. And I have dreams. Every night."

"What kinda dreams?" Tommy asked.

"I don't know. I can't remember. I just know that when I wake up I've lost somethin'. I'm failin' in my sleep. That's all I do. It's all I've ever done...is fail her again and again. And that's just it...constant failure. I've failed both of them."

Tommy knew he was also referring to Y/N along with Sarah. The man looked down at his hands.

"You want me to take her." He said.

"I'm just gonna get her killed. I know it. I have to leave her. And I sooner than not...I'm just going to be a burden for Y/N."

"Joel."

"It's why you took off on me, right? To make up for the things we did?" Joel asked. "Well, here's your chance to bring your kid into a better world. To give..."

Joel stopped for a moment. He looked down at his hands before glancing back at Tommy.

"I've seen him with that girl. The one from the radio. Y/N seems so...happy. For the first time since this entire shit began. He's finally experiencing something we couldn't give him. You take the Ellie...they do what they have to do...and he could finally be able to live in a world he should've been living in."

Tommy kept quiet. Joel continued.

"You're younger than me. You're still strong. You said it yourself, you'll come back. You have to take her. And you can't tell anyone, not even Maria. Tommy, you're the only one I trust. If anyone else sees those bites on her, what's under her skin, they'll shoot her. It's the last thing I'll ever ask of you...I swear."

Tommy leaned over and rested his arms on his knees. He touched his own hands and looked down.

"I'll take her out at dawn." He said, accepting the task. "And...I'll tell Y/N. Maybe get him to stay behind, since he finally has a place."

Joel nodded, content that his brother was willing to go the rest of the way.

Unbeknownst to the men, Ellie was outside the workshop and overheard their conversation. Dejected and somewhat angry, she stormed off.

Dinner with Jane and Ariana had just concluded. Her mother ended up going into town to meet up with Maria, which left the young couple at home alone.

"Is this right?" Y/N asked, placing the wet dishes on the rack.

"You never tried washing dishes before?" She asked.

"Well...no."

She chuckled, grabbing the other dish in his hand and putting it on the rack. "You are doing great."

Y/N softly laughed. There was a knock at the door and the young man decided to get it himself. Upon answering, he saw that it was Tommy.

"Hey." He greeted. "Movie night done already?"

"Can I speak with you?" Tommy looked in and saw Jane in the kitchen. "Out here?"

"Uh, okay." Y/N turned around and called out to Jane. "It's Tommy. I'm gonna talk with him."

He went outside and closed the door. Tommy stepped off the patio and Y/N followed.

"What is it?" Y/N asked.

Tommy faced Y/N and wrung his hands. "I just spoke with your dad..."

Y/N put his hands in his pockets and listened to what he had to say.

"I'm going to take Ellie to Colorado."

The young man arched a brow. "You're taking her?"

He nodded. "At dawn."

"...you want me to—?"

"No. I want you to stay here. I got it. And I'll be back before you know it." He started to walk away. "Just wanted to let you know."

"You don't have to go alone." Y/N called out.

"I know. But I want you to stay." He looked at him and then at the house behind him. "To stay with people that want you."

Y/N looked back at Jane's house too. He was thinking the same thing Tommy and his dad were thinking, that the young man finally had some semblance of normalcy and happiness.

Riding on that high, he looked back at Tommy and agreed with his plan.

"O—Okay." He sighed and looked to the side. "I'll see the two of you in the morning...say goodbye."

Tommy just nodded and walked off. Y/N watched as he left then glanced down at his left wrist, seeing the bracelet. He touched it before walking back to the house.

Joel went back to the house that was given to him, Ellie, Y/N, and Henry. It was just him and the teenager at the time and he went to her bedroom and talk with her.

"Ellie?" He called out and opened her door. Joel saw her sitting by the window reading a diary.

"Is this really all they had to worry about?" She asked, still reading the book. "Boys. Movies. Deciding which shirt goes with which skirt. It's bizarre."

"Listen, um—"

"Why are you here?"

"I came here to talk to you."

"No, why are you still here?" She shot back. "If you're gonna ditch me, ditch me."

Joel figured the girl had somehow overheard his conversation with Tommy.

"What exactly did you hear?" He asked.

"I have to leave her. You have to take her." She repeated. "You know, I stood up for you today because I thought..."

She stopped. Joel sighed and tried to justify his reasoning.

"I made this decision for your own good. You'll be way better off with Tommy. He knows the area better than I do—"

"Fuck that." Ellie erupted and tossed the book. "First Y/N and now you. Do any of you give a shit about me or not?"

"Of course, we do."

"Then what are you so afraid of?"

Joel didn't answer. Ellie shook her head and looked back at him.

"I'm not her, you know?" She said, which garnered a silent reaction from Joel. "Maria told me about Sarah and—"

"Don't." Joel stopped her. "Don't say another word."

"I'm sorry about your daughter, Joel. I understand what you and Y/N lost, but I have lost people, too."

"You have no idea what loss is."

Those words stung Ellie. She stepped closer to the smuggler.

"Everybody I have cared for has either died or left me." She suddenly pushed Joel and raised her voice. "Everybody, fucking except for you!"

"So don't tell me that I'd be safer with somebody else because the truth is I would just be more scared."

Joel kept staring at Ellie. After a moment of silence, he spoke up.

"You're right. You're not my daughter. And I sure as hell ain't your dad. Now, come dawn...we're goin' our separate ways."

Joel stormed out of the room, slamming the door as he did. Ellie stood there, now starting to tear up.

At that very moment, she felt abandoned...alone. In her mind, Joel had found Tommy and now wanted to get rid of her. Y/N had found Jane and now seemed to forget about Ellie.

The only people she trusted and felt safe with since the beginning now wanted no part of her...and that scared her.

Y/N was in the guest room, having just showered and changed into some comfortable clothes for the night. He was putting his other clothes away in a basket since Jane told him they'd be washed tomorrow.

There was a knock at the door, since Ariana was still out of the house, he figured it was Jane. He called out.

"Uh...come in."

He still had his back turned toward the door as he was putting away his things. Y/N was suddenly hit with a damp towel that covered his head.

"What the—?" He let out a chuckle and turned around as he removed it. "What was that for?"

His smile fell, surprised at what was before him. It was Jane...but the young woman was completely nude. He could tell she had just come out of the shower herself.

Just like he first saw her that day, Y/N was speechless...even more so this time obviously. He just kept staring at her as if she was the most beautiful being in the world.

"I—Uh—wha..."

She stepped up to him, their gaze still on each other. Jane lightly pushed him into the bed where Y/N laid on his back. She got on top of him.

He still tried to get words out but Jane stopped his stammering by kissing him. It was the first time they'd ever done so since meeting...and any stress he'd been feeling seemed to disappear.

"You don't need to say anything." Jane said softly after parting. "Just follow my lead."

She kissed him again, this time reaching down to his sweatpants. Jane rubbed over the swell where his hardening member was. Despite being told otherwise, he still spoke.

"Do—Do you know what to do?"

Jane seemed to drop her pseudo-dominating persona and shrugged.

"I...uh—a little." She admitted rather shyly. "Do you?"

"No." He replied. "I've never..."

"Me neither."

There were both virgins, but Y/N was surprised since the way Jane first initiated the moment made him think she was experienced.

"The way you came in here made you seem like a total pro." Y/N said.

She lightly laughed. "I've seen my share of movies."

"Ah." Y/N reacted. "Cool."

"So you want to keep talking about it or actually get on with it?" She asked with a smirk.

Y/N just chuckled before initiating contact this time and bringing her in for a kiss. It soon became more feverish as tongues battled for dominance.

He needed to get out of his clothes, so he turned Jane over and got out of bed. Y/N removed his shirt and sweatpants and she gazed at the man's physique. He soon removed his underwear, his erection springing free.

With lustful eyes, she gestured her partner back toward her.

"Bring that over here, caballero (cowboy)."

Y/N did as requested and got back into the bed, towering over the petite woman. He continued kissing her and put his hands over her breasts. His touch garnered a whimper from Jane.

He kept it going and moved his kisses to her neck. From there, his hand moved from her chest down to between her thighs where he touched her. He could feel the moisture building up between her folds.

"God..." She muttered after feeling his fingers.

"Am I doing that?" Y/N asked with a smirk, his head by her neck.

She didn't respond and immediately grabbed his penis. Y/N groaned at the feeling and Jane aimed it at her vagina.

"Come on. Fuck me already." She said breathily.

Y/N wasn't going to deny her of that, so he took hold of his member and slowly inserted it into her. It took a couple of seconds to get into her canal and then a few more to adjust. The couple laid there and wallowed in the sensation of their union.

"Fuck..." Y/N groaned at the tightness.

Jane rubbed the back of his neck and nodded, letting him know that he can keep going. Soon, the young man started the thrust which garnered inaudible gasps from the girl.

Seeing her expression gave Y/N all the pride in the world and he kept going. Jane pulled him in and kissed him again, the two savoring the moment of passion that they finally got to have after months of their budding relationship.

• • •

THE MORNING AFTER, Y/N was the first to wake up. He stood by the dresser, looking out the second-floor window of the guest room.

Jane was still asleep on the bed behind him. He glanced at her and smiled, thinking back at the night before. It was the first night in a long time when he didn't have a nightmare.

He looked back at the dresser, and on it was a bracelet. The bracelet Ellie gave him yesterday. Y/N started to remember that today was when Tommy would take Ellie to Colorado where the Firefly lab was. It was dawn, so they'd soon be on their way out.

Y/N picked up the bracelet and looked at it. He ran his fingers along the threading. Again, he looked back at the sleeping Jane.

The memory of the one great day with her, the one amazing night, was still in his mind. But upon looking back at the bracelet, other memories were coming back...ones including Ellie.

From the moment he was assigned to question her, to joining Joel and Tess in escorting her, their trip to Kansas City, their three-month trek before stumbling upon Jackson. They were still prevalent.

Y/N kept looking down at the bracelet in his hands, then let out a sigh.

Ellie followed Tommy into the stables on the east side of the town. They were all set up to go and just needed to get a horse. Surprisingly, Joel was there already attempting to get one himself.

"You came here to say goodbye or something?" Ellie asked.

"No." He replied. "I came here to steal one of these horses and go."

"I woulda gave you one." Tommy said.

"I know." Joel stepped away from the horse and looked at Ellie. "Anyway that was 30 minutes ago, and I guess you deserve a choice. I still think you'd be better off with Tommy—"

Ellie immediately handed Joel her bag. "Let's go."

"Okay." He replied with a nod.

They exited the stables with their horse. Suddenly, a young man galloped where they were. It was Y/N, having gotten a horse from the stables on the north side and already having his things.

"Y/N?" Joel called out.

He got off his horse and stepped up to them. "Good morning. Thought I'd find y'all here."

"What?" Ellie asked, an annoyed look on her face. "Don't you have a breakfast date with your girlfriend to go to?"

Y/N let out a quiet chuckle, looking at Ellie. He had an understanding of the reason for her tone.

"Tommy told me what was going to happen. How he'd take you himself to Colorado." He looked at his dad. "But it looks like he's handing the reigns back to Joel."

Joel simply nodded. Y/N turned to Ellie again and continued.

"But I'm coming too. Gotta finish what we started, you know? Gotta keep doing what I was tasked to do...which was to stay with you."

Ellie took in his words and her expression softened. Y/N unknowingly touched the bracelet on his wrist.

"You're so strong, Ellie. In a way, you make me stronger. I want to be by your side when we reach that finish line...and witness you saving the world."

There was a beat after his statement. Y/N was going to say something else, but Ellie suddenly lunged and hugged the young man. He was caught off guard and slowly placed his hands on her back.

After a moment, Ellie parted and that warm embrace was soon replaced by the light hit to his side, followed by a smile.

"Let's go." She said and went to her horse.

Y/N chuckled. He looked at Joel who overheard what he said. Although he would've preferred to have Y/N stay, he knew about his resolve and dedication to his goal...and he was willing to accept it.

"You sure about this?" He asked Y/N.

The young man pat the horse beside him and nodded. "Haven't been so sure before in my life."

Soon afterward, they all went to the gates of Jackson. Henry met up with them and he decided he'd stay, which his friends were fine with. They knew they'd be back and see him again.

"Take care of yourself, brother." Henry told Y/N after parting from the embrace.

Y/N smiled. "Hey, we actually traveled across the country together...and made it here. We really did it, man."

"We did." Henry replied with a smile of his own.

Y/N looked toward the gates and then back at Henry. He stepped closer and whispered.

"What we're doing to do, it'll make everything right. The people that have gone...the people we've lost...this'll be for them."

Henry nodded, thinking of Sam. The cure that'd be made because of Ellie would keep other people like Sam from fearing infection and dying, people like Diana's son, Noah.

The two shared a nod before Y/N walked off. The last person he had to bid farewell to was Jane, who he told earlier that morning of his plan.

"You will be back, right?" She asked.

"Of course." He replied.

"Promise?

The young man smiled and held her shoulders. "I swear."

Jane smiled back and embraced him, the man kissing her deeply.

He parted a spoke again. "Where we're going, there's a chance Brent is there. When I find him, I'll bring him back. I'll bring him back so you and your mom can finally see him again."

Jane kept smiling and gripped her partner's hand. He kept reassuring her and offering the girl hope.

"I'll make sure of it." He added.

He placed another kiss on her lips and started walking away. Joel and Ellie were already on their horse so Y/N got onto his.

"You said Southeast until the I-25?" Joel asked Tommy.

"Right off the interstate. Shouldn't be hard to miss." He replied.

Joel nodded. Before they can make their way to the opened gate, Tommy spoke again.

"There's a place for you here." He told Joel specifically, thinking that his brother still felt like he was still better off alone. "I want you to know that."

Joel looked back at his brother. "Countin' on it."

He bid farewell. "Adios, big brother."

Joel and Ellie went out first. Y/N looked back at his uncle and hid him farewell too.

"Until next time, Tío."

He followed Joel and Ellie through the gate and they trotted away from the city. Tommy, Henry, and Jane all looked on as they left before the doors shut.