UNITED IN BLOOD
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE!

   "SO, YOU LOVE ME, HUH?" The redheaded Williams girl cheekily teased Danielle. She stood cockily against the bathroom door frame, arms folded across her chest and smirk upon her lips. Her gaze remained locked upon the brunette as Danielle brushed her teeth.

An severely unamused look was sent her way as Danielle glared over at her, toothbrush still in her mouth and remnants of the foamed up toothpaste peaking out past her lips. She was beginning to regret ever admitting to loving the redhead. Only a few hours had passed since she had spilled her guts and cried her eyes out and she already felt like an idiot.

   The embarrassment she felt didn't help by the teasing grin that had been ever so present upon Ellie's lips from the moment the redhead had awoken that morning, the rumble in her chest from the chuckle she had released having woken Danielle, who Ellie had held tight to her body all night long.

"You sure teasing me right now is a good idea?" Danielle questioned the girl after she cleaned out her mouth and threw her back into the holder that sat by the sink. Her eyes flitted around, taking in Ellie's messy appearance. Her pyjamas had grown lopsided, practically falling off and her short hair sticking up every which way. "I could very easily send you back to your room. That wouldn't be very fun for you, now would it Ellie?"

Her reply was petty but Danielle didn't care. She wasn't just about to let Ellie tease her and get away with it. No way. At that moment, Danielle knew the power she held over the redhead and she planned to wield it with finesse.

The redheaded girl in question absentmindedly toyed with the fabric of her pyjama bottoms, all the while a spark of glee lit up her eyes. "You admitted you love me, Dani. I'm allowed to be happy about that."

That was true. That had been the first time that Danielle had uttered those three words. Well, sobbed the words but it still counted to the Williams girl, who had replayed the moment many times in her mind. Ellie knew she loved the brunette and before she'd left, she had been so sure that Danielle felt the same. But to hear her say it?

It was as if a kaleidoscope of butterflies had set up camp in her tummy, constantly fluttering about.

"You still haven't said it back yet." Danielle muttered in reply. She couldn't lie, she really wished to hear those words fall from Ellie's lips in a situation that didn't involve the redhead planning on leaving her minutes later.

Not really knowing how to respond, Ellie, who was quite known for her inability to discuss her feelings, simply said, "I've said it."

   "You mean that time just before you took off for six months. How could I forget?" Danielle sarcastically quipped at the auburn-haired girl, sliding past her as she did so and heading back into her bedroom to get ready for the day ahead.

   Ellie followed closely behind, mere inches away from the brunette. Her bare feet shuffled along the floorboards before stepping onto the carpet that was sprawled along the bedroom floor. "That time that I left like a little bitch and regretted instantly?"

Her white sock clad feet, that grew dirtier by the second, carried her forward, her slender hand reaching out and taking hold of Danielle's arm. Her action caused the brunette to stop in place, staring back at Ellie as the redhead uttered, "Dani, I love you."

"Say it again." Danielle coyly demanded. She wasn't going to lie, hearing Ellie say that she loved her made Danielle feel as though she was on cloud nine.

Fighting back a grin at the brunettes reaction, Ellie quickly repeated the three words. "I love you."

"Once more."

   "Dude..." The Williams girl laughed at the mischievous look that Danielle held. With an endearing smile, Ellie grabbed hold of Danielle's hips, holding her close. "I really really love you."

   "That's all I wanted to hear." Danielle smiled at the redhead, standing up high on her toes to place a quick peck upon the now crimson dusted cheek of the Williams girl. "Hurry up and get dressed. Dina and the baby will be here soon."

   "And Jesse?" Ellie questioned, following behind the brunette, completely disregarding Danielle's instructions to get ready. It took her like five minutes to throw on clothes and despite Danielle's insistence that she shower more often, Ellie knew she didn't smell.

As she descended the stairs, Danielle held tightly to the banister as the wood beneath her feet creaked. "Yeah sure, him too."

"You and Dina are so horrible to him." The redhead commented, laughter woven into her words as they left her mouth.

Jesse had become the butt of many of Dina and Danielle's jokes, both women having no issue in making fun of the man anytime he said or did something idiotic. Their comments and inability to let Jesse exist free of ridicule had provided Ellie with much laughter.

"Hey, I saved his life. I've earned the right to be mean every once in a while." Dani chuckled at her own words. She didn't truly believe that saving someone gave you the right to make fun of them but unfortunately Jesse made it far to easy for her. Dina had definitely rubbed off on her.

A smile grew upon Ellie's face at the sound of Danielle's laugh, a warmth building in her chest. She'd never grow tired of hearing it. "Sounds like excuses to me but okay."

The two ventured into the kitchen, Danielle immediately putting the kettle upon the stovetop, the Linden girl needing a cup of tea every morning to prepare herself for the day. As the brunette bustled about the kitchen, collecting everything needed to make her tea, Ellie stood off by the entrance, her eyes simply following along as Danielle went about her morning routine.

It was a welcomed sight for the redhead, who had missed the sense of normalcy that came from her relationship with Danielle Linden.

When the kettle began to whistle, a high pitched squeak resounding through the kitchen, Danielle swiftly grabbed it and poured away into her mug. "You planning on talkin' to Tommy any time soon?"

"Dani, he hates me." The redhead leaned herself back against the kitchen counter. One of her hands began to awkwardly massage at the nape of her neck, fingers applying pressure against the flesh. "And he knows that I didn't kill Abby so he probably hates me more."

"El, Tommy had become a man-child. He just wallows away in that house." Danielle complained about the man, her annoyance getting the better of her as she set down the spoon she used upon the kitchen counter with much force. "The only time I've really seen him out and about was when he helped set up the centre for the movie but I know he was only there for Maria."

"Think they're gettin' back to together?" Ellie questioned as she picked at the bowl of fruits beside her, tossing random apples and oranges about with little care to how they easily bruised.

   Honestly, Danielle didn't a clue if the two would get rekindle their marriage. "Who knows? Plus I don't think either of us have room to discuss other peoples relationships."

"Guess you're right."

There was a prolonged silence amongst the couple. Ellie knew that Danielle had some good ideas but some small part of her didn't want to listen. If she spoke to Tommy, she'd be admitting to the man that she'd failed him.

"Ellie." Danielle sighed as she moved forward to the girl, taking Ellie's hand and grasping it firmly, her thumb rubbing calming patterns along the back of it. "It can't hurt to just talk to him. You both loved Joel and knew him better than anyone else. Maybe you two just need to stop the animosity and celebrate the life that Joel lived instead of mourning his death."

"I have faith that you can be the bigger person." She then sweetly added, her free hand reaching up to swipe back a lone strand of auburn hair behind Ellie's ear. Her eyes drank in the many little scars that littered Ellie's face, each one a little deeper or a little longer than the last.

   "Have I told you that I love you today?" Ellie spoke in a lower tone, her voice sounding slightly husky as she utter those words. Her arms wrapped around the brunette tightly, unwilling to relinquish her hold of Danielle a moment sooner than she had to.

"Once or twice but I like hearing it so you can say it as much as you want." A sweet smile formed while Danielle stared at the auburn-haired girl. She'd missed interacting with Ellie this way. "I love you too."

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WITH SWEATY PALMS, ELLIE stood by the bathroom located at the back of the house. She knew she only had minutes before her best friend arrived at the house. Dealing with Danielle after her return from Santa Barbara had been a breeze in comparison to what was coming. Dina was a forced to be reckoned with and one that Ellie lived in fear of being on the receiving end of.

   She missed Dina the entire time she had been away but now, as she nervously awaited the girl's arrival, a part of Ellie wished that she had stayed away if only to avoid the burning glare that she was to receive the moment Dina's eyes landed upon her.

As she took a deep breath, the sound of the front door opening and Danielle happily welcoming Dina reached her ears, immediately causing a intense feeling of nausea to wash over her. Knowing that she needed to face the music, Ellie swallowed back the bile at the back of her throat and began to slowly make her way up the hallway. Her fists remained clenched tightly by her sides the entire length of the hall.

   "Well, well, well. If it isn't Ellie the Betrayer." Dina dramatically declared as she passed over her baby to Danielle, her gaze sharpened and focused upon the redhead who entered the room. "Or is it the redheaded deserter? Any name works for me."

Ellie weakly laughed at her friends words, not knowing how to respond or what could set the dark haired girl off. "That's...funny. I missed you too, Dina."

"Don't throw around the M word so easily, El." Dina snapped over at the redhead, hands falling to her hips and her brow furrowed. "You know, Dani here, might have taken you back, —don't try to lie to me Danielle, I can see it clear as day on your face, but I will hold you accountable."

"That was such a dick move, Ellie." Dina continued. Her words no longer seemed angry but upset. Dina missed the redhead and to see her standing there, down two fingers and clothes hanging off her incredibly thin figure left Dina with a bad taste in her mouth. She absolutely fucking hated the sight.

Ellie's head fell. "I know."

   All of the joy from earlier that morning, the fun little moment shared between the redhead and her girlfriend, was quickly draining from Ellie's soul, practically dripping from the metaphorical open wounds that were left behind by Dina's sharp as a knife words.

"Hi munchkin. Your mom is scary, huh?" Danielle softly cooed down at JJ, blocking out the argument that was taking place before her. "She might actually rip Ellie apart. That's not very fun, is it?"

   "—and you didn't even go through with it? You better have gotten down on your hands and knees and begged for Dani's forgiveness." The dark haired girl bellowed while dramatically throwing her about in the air.

From where she stood, Danielle could hear Ellie faintly reply with, "I would've if she'd asked me to."

Danielle glanced up at the sound of floorboards creaking, her eyes landing upon Jesse who stepped into the house. The man slowly walked towards the Linden girl, avoiding eye contact with her still yelling girlfriend. "You can hear her from the street."

   "Brilliant. Can't wait to explain that." Danielle sighed with a roll of the eyes. That was all she needed. Nosy neighbours with nothing better to do than to observe the goings-on of the Linden-Williams house.

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DINA AND JESSE HAD long since bid adieu to the Jackson Community, the pair exchanging warmth filled embraces with the couple before heading off home. The sun had began to fall as the pair vanished over the horizon, leaving behind an awkward situation with Ellie and Danielle.

   Well, the awkwardness was mostly on Ellie's part as Danielle had not been as effected by the days events as the Williams girl had been.

Dina's severe scolding, which would come in hand later in life as JJ aged and entered the 'terrible twos' as Jesses mother had called it, had left the redhead feeling pretty shitty once again. The words that had been spat at her in frustration had been running through her mind from the moment that escaped past Dina's lips.

She was right. Like an idiot, Ellie had left behind the one person who cared about her most. The one person who constantly put her wants, her needs and her interests first. Danielle had selflessly tended to Ellie's every little thing. Whatever plagued her, Danielle knew just the right thing to say. And Ellie had just left her.

Suddenly, the forgiveness that had been doled out for her felt tainted. Ellie felt unworthy.

Dina tore into me today. Not that she was
wrong for it though. I haven't stopped thinking,
can't get Dani's face from that day out of my head.
She'd looked so...disappointed. h̶e̶a̶r̶t̶b̶r̶o̶k̶e̶n̶
that was all me. I did that to her. I don't deserve
someone like her. I never have.

For some reason, she chose me. Decided that
I was the one she wanted in her life. She fixes
parts of me I didn't even know were broken.
I love her
but am I enough for her?
Have I ever fixed her broken parts or
have i chipped away at the cracks more and
more?

   The scratches of pencil against paper, that grew louder in volume the harder Ellie pressed the lead against the page, slowly woke up Danielle. Her eyes groggily opened up, her bleary vision falling upon Ellie, who was aggressively writing in her journal in the bed beside her.

Her voice came out quiet as she inquired worryingly, "Hey, you okay?"

   "Yeah, fine." She was not fine. Her heart began beating a mile a minute the very second she heard Danielle speak. Ellie didn't need to trouble Danielle with her issues.

Danielle may have just woken up but she wasn't an idiot. "Ellie."

   "What?" Ellie muttered back in reply, refusing to make eye contact as she cautiously placed her journal on the nightstand by her side of the bed.

   The brunette released a sigh as she leaned on her hands to push herself into a sitting position. She sighed as she turned her head back in Ellie's direction. "You're a terrible liar. You're not fine, it's written all over your face."

   "I'm not lying and for the record, I'm a terrific liar." Ellie said with laughter forcefully interwoven with her words. She attempted to deflect from her clear high levels of upset with humour.

   It really wasn't working. Danielle could read Ellie had the back of her hand. Probably knew her better than she knew herself and it was clear as day to the Linden girl just how thrown Ellie had become after the days events.

"What Dina said today really got to you, huh?" The brunette acknowledged the broken expression upon Ellie's face.
"She was just mad, she didn't mean half of what she actually said. You know that, right?"

   "Wasn't wrong though, was she?" Ellie whispered to herself, not intending to be heard but with how silent the house became at night, it was impossible for Danielle to not hear her.

"We've already been over this, Ellie." Danielle sighed, moving herself around in the bed to look the redhead in the eyes.
"We literally talked about it last night. What happened is in the past. We can't changed the things that have already happened, okay? We can only focus on the future and what it holds for us."

"What if I can't do that?" Ellie hoarsely inquired, slowly lifting her eyes to glance over at the Linden girl.

"What do you mean?"

   "I'm fucking worried, Dani. What if one day you decide that you can't forgive me? What if you just leave someday? I couldn't even blame you." Ellie all but cried out, her body almost shaking as she spewed out all of her emotions.

   "I wouldn't do that." Her head shook from side to side as a smile grew on her face. Hoping to pull Ellie from her state of low self esteem, Danielle lightly elbowed the girl in the side. "Believe it or not, I've grown pretty attached to this place. And you."

   When her nudge did little to bring a smile to Ellie's face, Danielle shifted herself in the bed, blanket pooling in her lap as she now moved herself closer to the redhead, taking hold of Ellie's hands in hers. "I meant what I said earlier, Ellie. I love you and nothing you can do will ever change that."

"But—"

  "No buts." Her voice was sharp as she cut Ellie off. Danielle couldn't stand listening to Ellie out herself down.  "Before I met you, my life was so fucking empty. Yeah, we didn't meet on the best of situations, but I have never once regretted speaking out that day. You mean more to me than you'll ever know."

   And with that, the brunette moved herself up to lean on her knees, arms reaching out to yank Ellie into an embrace. An embrace that Ellie quickly melted into, the comfort of Danielle lulling the redhead into a state of calm.

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jamielee's thoughts.
chapter twenty nine. not proofread. I'm considering leaving this fic open ended so that if a third game does follow ellie, that I don't have to rewrite the ending cause I would definitely continue this fic if a third game happened. anyway hope you enjoyed :)

also this is the second last chapter :)