#Teton County

[travelella]

Historic Mormon Row, Grand Teton National Park, Jackson, Teton County, Wyoming, USA

Cora Leach

[conandaily2022]

Victor, Idaho's Jeremy Best arrested; What happened to Kali Jean Randall and Zeke Best?

Zeke Gregory Best‘s mother Kali Jean Randall of Victor, Teton County, Idaho, United States has died. She was 38.

[vincentblackbearmediallc]

Jackson Hole is a valley surrounding the city of Jackson, Wyoming in Teton County. It lies near the Wyoming/Idaho border and is home to Grand Teton National Park, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, and the National Elk Refuge.Visitors flock to the area in droves for shopping, exploring, dining, skiing, and wildlife spotting. If you’re wondering where to stay in Jackson Hole, there are options throughout the valley for every taste.

[beyondtheadobe]

[chososcamgirl]

iya i was bedrotting and yearning and i j realised that i was yearning for sjap bc its so FUNNY ddhshsjsj i havent been this attached to a smau in a while and ily for existinf dont fall into old faithful, upper geyser basin, yellowstone national park, teton county, wyoming, u.s. with the coordinates 44.46046°N 110.82815°W ty

LINAAAA !!!!! (˃̣̣̥ᯅ˂̣̣̥)

i always catch myself smiling at ur asks like they r gen the sweetest things to read like ily. i litch stopped editing sjap mid way for this ask :,) ALSO HELP NOT OLD FAITHFUL😭😭😭 the coordinates made me laugh out loud i actually got ppl staring at me rn… HOPEFULLY new chap of sjap will b out tonight or tmr fingers crossed if i get the editing out the way but i will fulfill ur yearning desires 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

[loliwrites]

V. Dedication | Edelweiss

pairing: joel miller x f!reader  rating: explicit, 18+, minors dni  warnings/tags: jackson era!joel, sharpshooter!reader, enemies to lovers [ish], age difference [joel is mid 50s, reader is early to mid 30s], joel lives forever fight me, canon compliant violence, infected and terrible humans present, death and murder, blood, groping under the guise of a pat down, big angry joel, reader gets thoroughly beat up [happens off-screen], terms of endearment [babygirl, sweet girl], female reader, joel is able to carry reader, reader has hair long enough to brush back, no other physical descriptions, protective!joel, no use of y/n. word count: 6.0k series masterlist  a/n: the penultimate part of this series! i’ve had so much fun writing it and i hope you all have enjoyed

⌾ ⌾ ⌾ ⌾ ⌾

Holding onto your horse’s reins, your eyes bounced back and forth between the arguing Miller brothers. They were in a spat over something you believed to be ridiculous. A quarrel over you.

“It’s just one day. It’ll be fine,”

“If she’s goin’ out on patrol, I’m her partner. End of story,”

“We got word of a bloater in Teton County and a pack of stalkers on Elk Creek trail. Do you really want her to go up against a bloater?”

“I can go with her to clear the stalkers,”

“No, you can’t, ‘cause I ain’t gonna fight a bloater with Jesse.” Tommy paused and turned his head toward the young man who stood next to you with his own horse, “no offense.”

Jesse was nice enough. Competent. A good shot and tough. All around a good patrol partner. You nudged his shoulder and tilted your head to the side to lead him away. No use wasting daylight listening to Joel and Tommy bicker like an old married couple.

Up on your horse, sliding your rifle into the scabbard at the side, you started to mentally prepare for the upcoming fight you were about to take part in. Until today, you’d never been on patrol without Joel. There wouldn’t be the shorthand of routine; of knowing what his next move would be. About his strengths and weaknesses. For all intents and purposes, you were going in blind with Jesse. Left to nothing but prayer that he was good enough to not get either of you in hot water. Regardless, there was no point in dwelling on it. You were going out into the great wilderness with Jesse. Case closed.

That is until your horse came to an abrupt stop, let out a startled whinny, and backpedaled. Below, just in front of you, Joel was there. Hands pressed to the horse’s neck, halting the animal’s forward advance, “Joel, move.”

“Just hold on a second ‘til we figure–”

“There’s nothing to figure out,” you shot him your most sympathetic smile. Life was dangerous these days. You weren’t about to hold his concern against him, even if it was a little misplaced. “I’m going with Jesse and you’re going with Tommy, and I’ll see you when you get back. ‘Sides, I should be more concerned about you,”

He inhaled deeply and came around to the side of the horse. His hand drifted up to your knee and cocked his head back to look up at you sitting tall in the saddle. “Be careful, alright?”

“You too, Miller,” you leaned over, practically folding yourself in half to be able to reach his lips for a kiss. Perhaps it was a little foolish for how unafraid you felt. Maybe a little fear would do you good. 

Once upright again, you clicked your teeth and dug your heels into the horse’s sides, urging forward out of the gates of Jackson. Out there for the first time in months without Joel. In fact your partner for the day couldn’t be more different than Joel. Youthful, thin, never knew a life without the cordyceps outbreak. It was the only world he knew and he had learned to excel in it. He had to. Survival depended on it. It was partly the reason that fear hadn’t entered the equation. Jesse had gone on plenty of patrols and he’d come back from every one of them. Today would be no different. Even if you did find it strange that he preferred to keep a shotgun on him instead of a rifle. Anytime you’d had to use a shotgun meant you were within a handful of yards away from the target.

Plus it would give you a chance to extend your roots. Being out on patrol with Joel five or six times a week left very little time for you to feel like you wanted to do much of anything other than sleep and lounge around. Didn’t want to socialize at the Tipsy Bison, or make your nights longer going to the movies. You wanted to get sufficiently fucked and then pass out so you could do the whole thing over again in the morning. Despite not having had much of a chance to be friendly, Jesse proved to be a better conversationalist than Joel had been on the first day out. He asked about how you were adjusting to your first couple seasons in Jackson. Naturally you asked where he’d found the edelweiss (in the woods off of the ski lodge, not far from where you were on your first patrol with Joel).

“How’s it going with him?”

Your eyes darted over in Jesse’s direction. “It’s good. He’s… reliable on patrol. Good at what he does,”

“No, I mean…” Jesse trailed off and adjusted himself in the saddle. Nearing Elk Creek, you knew there was a finite amount of time left to talk before you’d be trained in on eliminating the stalkers that had been seen. “Ellie’s mentioned stuff to Dina and I. And that kiss,”

You nodded slowly and returned your gaze straight ahead, nearing the edge of the woods. Though they weren’t exactly on a talking basis, you figured Ellie was observant enough to have gathered your presence at the house or Joel’s absence because he was at yours most nights. That was another thing you remembered about being a teenage girl. Gossip.

“Been a long time since I was part of a community this normal. Like before. Joel’s really helped me assimilate. Helped me feel useful here. I–”

A twig snapped off in the distance. Something with weight to it. Eyes widened, ears straining. You and Jesse looked in every imaginable direction and yet saw nothing out of the ordinary. Just trees and trees and trees. Swallowing, you looked down at the saddle horn, trying to focus on all the sounds of nature around you, for anything that seemed out of place.

“Stalkers?” Jesse whispered. His head was still whipping around, trying to locate something. Anything.

You lifted your head again and shook it, “we woulda’ heard something else by now.”

“Maybe just an animal?”

Nodding, you really hoped he was right and yet knew he wasn’t. You were being watched and supposed the only reason you hadn’t been shot at yet was that you were out of range and they didn’t want to waste their bullets. Tugging on the reins, you got your horse to take a couple steps backward, “follow me. Real slow,”

But no sooner than you whipped around in the opposite direction, prepared to regroup with Jesse and come in from a different angle to get the upper hand on what you assumed were raiders of some sort, a shrieking started from your new direction. You glanced over at Jesse, “those are the stalkers.”

“Any chance the stalkers and the people hiding sort themselves out?”

That got a laugh out of you. God that would’ve been great if they could. “Probably not,” you glanced back over your shoulder to see if you were being snuck up on. “Go back to Jackson and bring a couple more people. We’re gonna need ‘em,”

“I can’t leave you here alone,”

“Go,” your tone was matter of fact and left absolutely nothing to be confused. He hesitated, fear in his eyes – but not for himself. For you. You pulled your rifle out of the scabbard and outstretched it in his direction. “Gimme your shotgun,” but Jesse wouldn’t reach for it. Just shook his head, almost paralyzed, so you all but forced it into his hands, “take mine back to town.”

It took a little convincing. A few angry glares and frustrated sighs before you swapped guns and he trotted out of the woods. Truth was, if things ended up going sideways, you wanted your gun safe in Jackson and not in the hands of some halfwit bandit. Another problem was the half ton beast you were currently atop. There wasn’t a real way to be stealthy while remaining on it. It’d be a dead giveaway of your position. Putting you high up on a platter for picking off.

That was how you found yourself in a tree. A literal tree with your horse tethered to a different tree twenty or so yards off. Nestled up high in the branches with a knife in one pocket, a handgun in your waistband and the shotgun precariously wedged between two limbs. In a perfect world, you would’ve positioned yourself some place where you had a vantage point to watch the other humans who were undoubtedly around. As stupid as they might be, they did have a functional brain not overrun by a fungus. It would’ve been nice to be able to keep an eye on their movement. If only you had known where they were.

⌾ ⌾ ⌾ ⌾ ⌾

Joel stared straight ahead, choosing not to give Tommy more attention than was necessary. He was still stewing in his saddle over the thought of you out there with Jesse. And Tommy was no fool. He could tell his brother was fuming. Could tell he was one bit of bad news away from blowing his lid. Unfortunately he was going to have to deliver some.

“I don’t exactly know what we’re up against,” Tommy admitted, squinting his eyes, looking off into the sun. Anything to not have to look Joel in the eye.

“No one saw anything else with the bloater? More ‘an likely a handful of clickers,”

“No one saw the bloater.”

Joel slowly turned his head in Tommy’s direction. An icy glare and pure disdain on his face. Seeing red didn’t begin to describe it. He yanked on his reins until his horse came to a stop.

“I said we got word of a bloater. We’re checkin’ it out,”

“Tommy,”

“All the other times we got word of one, there was one. I’m sure it’ll be there,”

“You better hope there’s one there,” Joel clicked his teeth and got his horse moving again. “You better hope there’s a stupid amount of clickers with it.” 

Tommy shook his head, “she’s fine, Joel. Horse’ll outrun the stalkers. She could be a hundred yards from ‘em and pick ‘em off,”

“S’not the infected that worry me,” Joel glanced in Tommy’s direction again, this time catching his gaze. “Elk Creek is like fuckin’ Route 66 for raiders. They’re gonna go up against people. It’s warmin’ up, they’ll be on the move. Stickin’ close to the river. I’ve seen her shoot down clickers like it was child’s play. It was never the stalkers I was worried about,”

⌾ ⌾ ⌾ ⌾ ⌾

You hit the ground, back first, with a heavy thud. The air, knocked out of your lungs and came from your mouth with a pained grunt. That wasn’t the only pain though. Something else stung at your side and you figured one of the three fuckers standing above you had clipped you. It was the only reason you could come up with for why you’d so clumsily fallen out of the tree. It hadn’t been the first tree you’d ever climbed, and it surely wouldn’t be the last. But now outside of trying to fill air back into your lungs, you had to figure out how you were going to get out of this. Alive, if possible. They already had you at an impossible disadvantage.

“Well, looky here,” one of the men smiled down at you. There was a small bit of relief to find you didn’t recognize any of them. “Shook a tree and a girl fell out,”

They all laughed. Unnerving considering none of them seemed to care that you were supine and they were all hunched over, towering over you.

“What’re you doin’ out here, girl?”

You forced a smile, thinking maybe if you just played it cool and unassuming they’d leave you be. But what was that thing about a girl rather being stuck in a forest with a bear over a man? “Just hangin’ around,”

They laughed again; this time at your shot at a joke. But it was short lived before one pulled a revolver out from behind his back and cocked it, pointed down at your face. Not much of a chance now. The only upper hand you had was that you knew there were two stalkers a few handful of yards away from where you lay and hoped that these three big oafs over you didn’t know that. And rather unfortunately, the shotgun was out of reach – not that these guys would let you make any moves without their permission.

“Get up. Slow,” the one with the gun wiggled it around as if that would be the thing that got you moving.

All you could do was play it smart. Turning onto your side, you kept your eyes locked on the barrel of the gun as you hoisted yourself off the ground. Back on your feet, you flicked your hands beneath the hem of your jacket. It looked natural but it was a subtle way to make sure it hadn’t gotten hung up on the handgun in your waistband. If these guys had any sense, they’d pat you down. That was when you’d make your getaway. You figured it could give you a few steps head start to create some space. 

After more than two decades of this, these guys were well-seasoned to survival, and search you they did. The one with the gun lowered it so his buddy could press on your shoulder and spin you around; away from them. His hands then drifted down your sides, though it felt more like groping than searching for any weapons. That’s for the best. His fingers reached down to your ass and lingered longer than necessary to do the job and that was probably as good of a time as any to start trying to get away from them.

You coyly reached into the inner pocket of your jacket and slowly pulled out the pocket knife in it. It wasn’t as flashy as a switchblade, and not as easy to open. You’d have to complete a rather exaggerated flick of the wrist to get it unsheathed. That was going to take away from your getaway time – if there was any. But no time like the present, you flicked your knife-wielding hand out to the side and angled it behind your back. With one swift motion, sunk the blade into the side of the man patting you down. He let out the most wretched scream you could imagine, with the expletive, “fuckin’ bitch”, but that was all you heard before your pulse pounded in your ears and you took off running. They were no doubt going to be quick on your heels. Truly a toss up whether it’d be all three or just two.

Swerving left and diving beneath a thicket, you were glad (and lucky) that the thorns had caught on your clothing and stopped you short of coming out on the other side, where it appeared the stalkers were on the move in your direction. And more importantly the direction of the men, whose voices now started to ring in your ears again, searching for you. Maybe Jesse was right. Maybe those guys and the stalkers would sort themselves out. And following that train of thought… where the fuck was Jesse?

He should’ve been back by now. Or close to it. He should’ve–

All thought was cut off by adrenaline. By the feeling of a thick hand wrapping around your ankle and squeezing tight. By the knowledge that that hand was about to do unspeakable harm to you and it all started with the hand yanking you backward. Out of the brush and into the clearing of three large men and however many stalkers came to join in the fun.

⌾ ⌾ ⌾ ⌾ ⌾

Joel stomped out of the armory with Tommy right on his heels. If the weather had been slightly colder, surely there would’ve been steam coming out of his ears. Pissed didn’t even begin to cover how he was feeling right now. As much as he wanted to pin all that anger on Tommy, he couldn’t help that he felt a great deal of anger at himself; for not having put up more of a steadfast disapproval and fight over you going out there with anyone other than him.

“They should’ve been back by now,” he growled in Tommy’s direction, teeth practically gnashing together. Looking skyward, the sun was nearing the horizon. If it got as far as the moon peeking into the sky, he knew you’d never make it through the night.

Tommy clapped his hand down on his brother’s shoulder, doing his best to be reassuring, “you know Jesse plays it smart. If they came up on something he didn’t think they could handle, they would’ve come back.”

“He did come back,”

Joel’s head whipped around toward a voice he never thought he’d hear again. Ellie. Standing at the entrance of the stables with a freshly tacked horse by her side. They’d been through so much together. He’d seen her through terrifying experiences, but at this moment, she’d never looked so worried.

“But he didn’t come back with her,”

“Goddamnit, Tommy!” Joel screamed, surely loud enough for everyone left in the community to hear. 

He neared her, and Ellie held her hand out, offering the reins to him, “grabbed Dina and Astrid and went out again.”

“Joel, quit.” Tommy pushed on his brother’s chest, trying to get him away from the horse. “Even if she is still alive, you ain’t gonna be any use to her once night falls,”

But Joel shoved harder, sending Tommy stumbling a couple steps backward. “If it were Maria, I wouldn’t be stopping you.” He lifted his foot into the stirrup and hoisted himself up in the saddle, “Ellie get me a gun.”

She was in the armory before Joel even got done speaking. His rage, however, diffused slightly at the sound of the guards up on the wall screaming about incoming riders. Joel dared himself to hope you were safe with them. Allowed himself the optimism to believe you were there. But when the gates opened, all that wishful thinking evaporated. Four horses came in with three humans. Jesse, Astrid, and Dina. He recognized the fourth horse to be the one you’d left on this morning. 

Joel yanked on the reins to keep his horse steady despite the anxiety caused by the energy of the newcomers, “Ellie!” Then he shot the angriest of glares at Jesse, “where is she?”

“I didn’t want to. She made me leave her and come back for help…”

“Where is she?!” His voice thundered, sending some people not even in the conversation cowering.

“I don’t know! Wasn’t where I left her. Just her horse, a couple dead stalkers, and two raiders,”

A nudge at his shin and Joel glanced down where Ellie pressed a rifle at his leg for his attention. Your rifle. God, how he wanted to turn it on Jesse in this moment. He scooped up the rifle from Ellie and slid it into the scabbard at his side. There wasn’t time to let anyone else have another word. He had to get out there. Night was coming far too quickly.

“Let me go with you. Help you find her,” Jesse insisted.

“Why?” Joel snarled, “‘cause you did such a good job last time?”

Horse spurred and running out past the gates, Joel was of one track mind. The whole stretch of creek trails went on for nearly seven miles. If you were along any length of it, hidden back in the brush, it could take him a whole day with good daylight to find you. As it stood, he’d have about a half hour by the time he arrived at the trail before pure darkness overtook the landscape.

“Incoming from the east!”

Joel’s head swiveled and followed the direction from the call from the guard on the wall. One look and he knew it had to be you. About a quarter mile out, you were just a little blip in his vision. But it was you. It had to be you. He wouldn’t accept any reality other than that.

⌾ ⌾ ⌾ ⌾ ⌾

There was a pounding in your head that felt like an ice pick was sticking out of your skull. Breathing had become a little more laborious, not sure if your nose was just abysmally bruised or if it was broken. The taste of blood had become less prominent, but based on the color of the saliva you spit at the ground, it was only that you’d gotten used to it, not that it had stopped. Your side hadn’t stopped bleeding either. The realization that you’d been hit came on the long walk back to Jackson when your shirt began to stick uncomfortably to your skin. It was then you noticed a red patch seeped through. A graze of a bullet wound.

Every part of your physical body wanted you to stop. Wanted you to lay down and give up. Give it a rest. But there was a flicker in the back of your mind. No. Keep going. Get back home. Get back to him. If you were going to see the last of life, you were going to have Joel in it. You would move to the other realm with the image of him forever burned into your soul’s memory. So you put one foot in front of the other and repeated that over and over again until the walls of Jackson loomed close.

You didn’t recognize it as his horse but you knew it had to be Joel in the distance. No other person would’ve risked their life to come search for you in the darkness. Only when he was near enough that you could correctly identify it as him, did you allow yourself out of the self-preservation phase, and into the emotional one. The tired one. Your chest started to bounce up and down, taking in ragged breaths while quiet sobs overtook your body. Tears came easily. Too easily. You hadn’t been lying when you’d told him most of your nightmares had become about losing home. Shit. Losing him. And today had been a hell of a close call.

He was close now. Not close enough for your aching voice to reach him, but close enough for him to swing himself off his horse before it had even come to a full stop. He ran up to you, never missing a beat or stride.

“Joel,” you wept, dropping to your knees. Your feet could take you no further. Luckily they wouldn’t need to.

He skidded up in front of you, landing on his knees, too. “I got you, babygirl. I got you,” he so badly wanted to touch you – to hold you – but you looked like you’d just clawed your way out of the seven levels of hell, and no spot on your body seemed safe to embrace. “Let me get you home,”

“I hurt everywhere,” you sobbed a little harder, bowing your head as crying didn’t exactly make your ribs feel any better. 

His eyes scanned your body, “I know, babygirl. I’m sorry. What hurts the most?” Finally his gaze rested upon your chest, where your hand pressed against the center of it. “Chest?”

“Heart,” you whimpered, trying to stifle your tears.

“Then we gotta get you to the doctor quick,”

You shook your head. “No,” you sniffled but another round of tears sprung loose. Having to admit this to him… “Didn’t think I was gonna make it,” you swallowed and choked on your breath, “scared.”

Words failed him. What could he say? Nothing particularly coherent came to mind, perhaps because he’d been just as scared. Instead, Joel leaned forward and pressed his lips to your forehead. He cradled your skull as delicately as he could, and furrowed his eyebrows to press his lips to you a little harder. It was all he could do for fear of causing you even more pain. But when he pulled away, he helped you up to your feet; much to your dismay. You couldn’t just stay out there all night. 

Joel’s arm ghosted around your back, enveloping you closer to him, trying to usher you toward the gates though your feet wouldn’t move. “Think you can get up on the horse?”

The shake of your head was immediate and paired with a distressed hum. Climb up on a horse? Absolutely not. So Joel scooped you up with one arm behind your back and the other beneath your knees. A wince assaulted your expression when he lifted you – it all being a bit too much pressure on all of the sore parts. He apologized but there wasn’t much he could do to make it better. He had to get you home. 

“Wait, my gun,” you looked over Joel’s shoulder and back at the horse he’d come in on, where your rifle was still holstered. 

“Look,” Joel jostled your legs to get a better hold on you, “Jesse’s comin’ out for the horse. He’ll get it,”

You turned your head and did indeed see Jesse running out in your direction. You wondered if he’d been just as scared as you – arriving back to where he’d left you, only to find it abandoned. He must’ve been pretty startled not being able to find you; thinking he’d lost a patrol partner. Knowing he’d have to go back to Jackson and admit it. It surely couldn’t have been an easy thing to do – not with Joel staring him down with something evil. And Joel passed by him so quickly, you only had a passing glance at each other. Horror written all over Jesse’s face. You figured you looked as bad as you felt. 

Thankfully Joel got you back inside the gated perimeter of the community quickly. Back into this safe haven where the terror you’d faced earlier in the day could start to slip away. Maybe it would never leave completely – none of it ever did – but within the walls of Jackson, it would be easier to forget. 

As he walked down the main street with you in his arms, you were only half aware of all the people that had gathered around. Staring. Unsure if the feat was the state of your being or the fact that Joel, a man on the back half of his life, was carrying a woman in his arms like it was just as natural as breathing. The vague awareness surrounding you, however, wasn’t due to any injury sustained. It was because your eyes were locked on Joel’s, listening to every little word he whispered.

“You’re safe now, sweet girl. You’ll be alright. Gonna get ya’ fixed up and then never let you outta my fuckin’ sight again,”

A soft smile flashed over your face. It was all you could muster. That idea seemed absurd. That you’d spend the rest of your life under Joel’s watchful eye. And yet… it sounded pretty good. After all the time you’d spent feeling unsafe (for longer than you could remember), you could get a shot at turning that around.

⌾ ⌾ ⌾ ⌾ ⌾

Your pulse evened out sometime around the point Joel turned onto his street, very clearly taking you back to his home, where he’d be able to keep a watchful eye over you. By the time he was climbing the steps of his porch, you’d gained your breath back too. No more active tears fell from your eyes and you thought that if you could just rest for about a week straight, you’d get back to normal in no time. 

But it seemed Ellie had picked one thing up from Joel – a flair for panic when someone he cared about was in trouble. Though her panic wasn’t directly for you, but for Joel. Surely it was evident to her that Joel had developed more than just a fondness for you. Even if she spent most of her time tucked away in the converted garage, there was no way she could’ve been immune to the knowledge that you spent most nights in Joel’s upstairs bedroom.

Joel twisted the knob on the front door with unforeseen ease given that you were also still in his arms. He kicked the door open and turned sideways to shuffle inside. And you were greeted by the scent first, noise second, and sight third, of Ellie in the kitchen. She stood hunched over the stove with a spoon in her hand, haphazardly – anxiously ��� pushing scrambled eggs around in a pan. Her head flicked around when Joel’s footsteps made way into the threshold of the room. She looked frazzled, scared. You weren’t sure if Joel knew it, but you did… knew that this was her running back to father. Were those not the eyes you looked at your own dad with when it all became too much?

“I–shit, fuck–” she snapped her hand away from the pan where her knuckles had fallen against the searing hot edge. Ellie looked back up at Joel with an unsure gaze, “I made eggs. It’s kind of all I know how to make, and I’m fuckin’ hungry, so I bet you’re…” her eyes danced over what you were sure were bruises forming on your face, “fuckin’ hungry…”

A smile twitched over your lips, nearly regretting it as all that did was send a new sharp pain up the side of your face. “Thanks, Ellie. Maybe I can eat upstairs?” You shifted to look up at Joel, hopeful he’d get you there sooner rather than later. Your entire body was beginning to throb, becoming keenly aware of all the places where Joel’s arms dug uncomfortably into your flesh.

“Mind fixin’ her a plate, Ellie?”

It was all a fluid moment in time. Ellie shaking her head that of course she wouldn’t mind, turning on her heels to make you a plate of food, and Joel climbing the stairs up to his bedroom. His mattress, with all its bumps and lumps, seemed pretty good right now. Seemed like it’d feel like one of those hotels you remembered staying in while on vacation as a kid.

He was gentle in laying you down, foregoing shuffling around the sheets and instead opting to set you on top of them. To allow for rest to begin as soon as possible. Joel sat on the edge of the bed beside you and brushed your hair away from your face. You recognized the fear scattered on his features.

“How you feeling?”

You forced a smile, eyes shut. “Like I got the shit kicked out of me,” 

He pursed his lips together and set his hand on your arm. It looked like the only place to touch that wouldn’t be painful. “Let me grab you food,”

Joel went to stand but now you were the one grabbing onto his arm. Your fingers didn’t have the strength or energy to grip onto him too tightly, but even the suggestion of your hand there had him pausing. “Eat with her first. She’s running back because she’s scared for you.”

“I wanna get you settled. You’re still bleeding–”

“I want to sleep,” your eyes drifted shut, heavy now from bruises and exhaustion. “This is her olive branch. So go eat,”

With eyes closed, you felt the mattress beside you dip lower beneath Joel’s weight. And moments after, you felt his lips on yours. Just a whisper of a kiss and without any more fight, Joel got up from the bed and exited the room. You could hear his feet pad down the stairs and his deep voice call out to Ellie in the kitchen. There was only slight recognition of their conversation downstairs before you slipped off to sleep, longing for something restful and yet knowing that you’d soon be plagued with another nightmare of losing home. Of something that almost became far too real today. Despite being taken by sleep, you hoped this truly was the olive branch from Ellie you perceived it to be. Lord knows Joel needed it to be.

⌾ ⌾ ⌾ ⌾ ⌾

Passed out. Dead to the world in the most figurative of ways, you only roused when you felt fingers lifting your blood-soaked shirt. Your body had stiffened in sleep; muscles tightening up and clenching to dull the pain which only intensified it now in consciousness. When your eyes opened, you saw Joel standing over you, inspecting the wound on your side.

“Sorry,” he mumbled in the dark. You weren’t sure how long you’d been out. Long enough for the most noticeable thing in your body to be hunger. “Looks like it’s stopped bleeding,”

“Just a scratch,” you smiled weakly. It wasn’t lost on either of you that you were now trying to diminish the damage to keep from any further emotional pain on his end.

“Yeah,” he falsely agreed. He lowered your shirt and sat on the edge of the bed again, this time reaching for the nightstand where you noticed a small plate of food. “Brought you some eggs and toast. Feel up to eating?”

Then as best you could, you pressed your arms on the bed beneath you and tried to wriggle your way up to rest your back on the headboard. It was slow going; any quick movement sent you grimacing in pain. And Joel, waiting patiently, watched you find a comfortable spot before he stabbed at the scrambled eggs and brought the forkful up to your mouth. You eyed him keenly, wondering if he was getting a rise out of this “taking care of you” bit. If there was a part of him that liked knowing you needed him. To be honest, there was a part of you that certainly did.

He pulled the fork out of your mouth gently and looked back down at the plate to get another bite prepped. “Y’know you scared the hell out of me today,”

You nodded and opened your mouth again to take the second bite. Realizing he was content to feed you to your heart’s desire, you sunk lower into a more slumped, relaxed position.

“Not knowin’ where you were or what had happened.” He scooped up another bite of eggs for you, “m’not sure I would’ve found you if you hadn’t nearly walked yourself all the way back.” A relieved grin stretched across his face. “How the hell did you walk yourself back after all this,” he nodded at your wounds. Sure, he’d walked himself through some pretty terrible things, but how easy it would’ve been to just lay down and give up.

“Had to get back to you,” you smiled in return. And after swallowing the next bite of eggs, you dodged the fork and picked up the piece of toast. “Make sure you weren’t bein’ an asshole to Tommy,”

A hoarse laugh shook his body, “not sure you got back soon enough for that.”

“Figured,”

Joel let you finish eating in peace; happy to watch you take slow bites. It was almost like he was trying to commit you to memory now. Every line on your face. Every curve of your body. Trying to remember it without all the marks and injuries that now colored you. They might leave scars in their place but he’d do his best to forget those as well – to not let the past change the way he saw you now – as perfect.

When sleep overtook, it was the kind you’d hadn’t experienced since early childhood. The kind where you were just out. The kind that wasn’t riddled with any fear or worries. Just eyes closed, breathing even and deep… safe. A sleep, while all-encompassing, still rendered you aware of the fact that at some point throughout the night, Joel had crawled into bed next to you. He let out a deep exhale as he turned in and scooted himself closer, up against you with the slightest of pressure. Tonight, instead of flinging his arm around you entirely, and pulling you in tighter to his chest, he settled for the gentle placement of his hand on your hip. Ever present, ever ready to spring up at the tiniest shift of movement to be there to provide whatever you may need. For every bit of dedicated you clearly were to him, it was entirely reciprocated.

[artnwill]

Resources for animal artists

As an animal artist I am always trying to find good resources that I can use in aiding my artworks or for studying animals and animal anatomy. Here are a few that I have found that have been really helpful and wanted to share some for any other artists that may need more resources to learn from. I also try to look for resources that do not include AI generated images as it can be difficult to find regular photos in-between all the new AI spam on Google images.

iNaturalist - This is a website in which users can upload pictures of animals and have them identified by other users for identification purposes. There are a large amount of photos for various species of animals and some included videos. I recommend starting with explore and hitting the species tab to get a list of different species that you can start referencing from. Love this site for bug references!

Here is the link to the website: https://www.inaturalist.org/

ArtProf- ArtProf is a website created by Clara Lieu, who was a professor at the Rhode Island School of Design. This website focuses on teaching art online for free and is a great resource for artist who are beginning or for educational materials. Seriously recommend checking them out and they also have thousands of image resources that you can use as well as a YouTube channel. Definitely recommend them! Here is a link to their website: https://artprof.org/

Here is a second link that links directly were you can view reference images. Not only are there animal references but they also include people, building, fish markets and many more: https://www.flickr.com/people/189561381@N07/

National Museum of Wildlife Art- This is the website for the National Museum of Wildlife Art, which is a museum in Teton County, Wyoming. This museum features a collection of thousands of animal artworks created by various artist from around the world. This website is really nice to use when wanting to study other artists animal artwork from past eras and recent ones.

Here is a link to the website: https://www.wildlifeart.org/

and another for the collection area specifically: https://www.wildlifeart.org/collection/explore

Biodiversity Heritage Library- The Biodiversity Heritage Library is a digital library that provides information on biodiversity and resources for old literature and artworks that have been collected from different eras such as from the 17-18 hundreds. They also provide a collection of hundred of thousands of old illustrations of different species and old scientific illustrations of animals.

Here is a link to the website: https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/

and to specifically the photo collection they have on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/people/biodivlibrary/

I hope these resources help any artists who are looking for resources to use in learning more about animal art. I also recommend going to museums and zoos, as they can be great resources to learn from, especially zoos as you can do live drawings of the animals, which helps with observation skills. Of course if it is not possible for you to go to these places in person, I hope these resources help you and many more that can be found online.

Here is a few of my favorite pictures from when I visited a museum in California:

[rapeculturerealities]

Wyoming’s Abortion Bans Are Unconstitutional, Judge Rules - The New York Times

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/18/health/wyoming-abortion-ban-overturned.html

A Wyoming judge ruled on Monday that two state abortion bans — including the first state law specifically banning the use of pills for abortion — violated the Wyoming Constitution and could not be enforced.

Judge Melissa Owens of Teton County District Court wrote in her ruling that both the ban on medication abortion and a broader ban against all methods of abortion “impede the fundamental right to make health care decisions for an entire class of people, pregnant women.”

She added, “The abortion statutes suspend a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions during the entire term of a pregnancy and are not reasonable or necessary to protect the health and general welfare of the people.”

[salem-witch-slut]

Unrequited

Ellie Williams X Abby Anderson

SYNOPSIS: Ellie and Abby hate each other, and all of Jackson knows it. But when Ellie has a dream about the blonde one night, she suddenly starts to feel things that are not exactly hate... and Ellie does not like it.

WARNINGS: Swearing, Everybody Lives AU, loser!ellie, no real warnings its SFW

DIVIDERS MADE BY @cafekitsune

for @olliesasimplething who always encourages me to keep writing. my biggest supporter

It was a cold day in winter when they first met 3 years ago. One of the worst blizzards to ever come about Jackson was upon the city and two patrol groups were stranded in the snow. Teton County, and Elk Creek became a maze of white and ice, and the creek group took shelter within an abandoned library, while the other group was forced to keep moving…

Infected were swarming the massive office warehouse building near the lodge on the Teton County trail, and the two assigned to the route before the sun came up were able to spot what was happening. A young woman, no more than 24, tackled by a runner into the snow, struggling to keep its gnashing teeth away from her but failing due to clear exhaustion.

Joel reacted first. His revolver pressed into the runner’s face, and he fired a quick round, reaching down and shouting at the blonde to give him his hand. She was disoriented, shaking, but otherwise unharmed as she stood on her feet.

“We’re gonna have to run!” Joel warned as his brother, Tommy, laid down the cover fire that was needed to escape. The blonde went along with the two men wordlessly, and it seemed that she was just as desperate to escape as they were. No questions were asked as they ran throughout the entire building, deflecting attacks and fighting off the infected that just seemed to never, ever, ever end.

The group made it to the lodge where two horses were, but the infected just kept coming. Very slowly, Tommy reached out to get the woman’s attention. Her heart was racing and her pupils were dilated, barely able to focus on what was what.

“Hey, I’m Tommy, and that’s Joel,” Her eyes flittered between the two and she shared a moment of centering herself. Almost like her ears were still ringing from the gunshot. “What’s your name?”

“Abby,” She stated, out of breath as her hands trembled on the gun with every bang against the door that was just barricaded shut. Tommy asked her if she was okay, and she barely agreed as she took a step back, almost like she was preparing for the door to come down at any second.

The two brothers seemed to have different ideas about what to do. Joel wanted to get out of here, but Tommy was adamant that staying put was the best option due to the horses being with them and they would not outrun the blizzard.

Abby was quick to offer a solution. “My friends! My friends are at a mansion just north of here; It’s fenced in, we have the whole perimeter secure.”

Joel looked towards his brother and nodded. “It’s the Baldwin place. That could work.”

“I’ll get the door!” Tommy rushed to the front door and began to untie the horses while Joel put his pistol down.

“You ride with me, come on!” Joel told Abby who was quick to agree, following close behind him like her life depended on it; and it, in fact, did depend on it. Without these two, she would be deader than dead. As soon as she was close to Joel, she grabbed his hand and he lifted her onto the saddle behind him.

In seconds, they were gone.

All Ellie needed to hear was that Tommy and Joel never showed up to the lookout point. In mere seconds, she was out the door on Shimmer to find him in the snow, regardless of the blizzard state outside. She split up from the group, covering the entire Teton County trail in a few hours.

“Joel! Tommy!” Ellie shrieked over the howling wind, desperate to find the two most important people in her life. Shimmer ran through the snow quickly, her rider frantically searching the area and coming to a halt when she saw the dead infected at the gate of the Baldwin place… Her stomach dropped and she immediately dismounted from her horse, tying Shimmer up to a tree out of the direct sight line as she made her way down the hill.

Ellie knew the Teton County trail and she’s been to the mansion before. She knew how to get in the back way. Her legs wobbled in terror as she slunk down through the hole in the fence and jumped the railing to get inside. “Joel? Tommy?”

Her voice seemed to reach on deaf ears as she came in through… an open sliding glass door? Something about this felt far too eerie. Ellie’s fear was at an all-time high as she moved through the mansion, looking for something… anything…

The sounds of voices had her jumping as she pulled out her pistol and followed them. Those voices could belong to anybody, and trespassers were always a problem, but Jackson’s policy wasn’t to shoot first, it was to see if they would shoot first… Ellie breathed slowly and followed the voices, down a large staircase to a door that led to a basement.

Laughter echoed in the room and Ellie gulped, grabbing the door handle and slowly pushing the wood out of her way. She was not expecting the number of people inside of this room and before Ellie could even blink, she had at least four guns pointed at her face.

“Hey, hey, put your fucking gun down!” Ellie shouted, not giving one shit that she was outnumbered as she lifted the pistol and stepped inside of the room. “Back up! What the fuck are you—”

“Ellie!” The voice rang in her ears as Ellie looked up and almost immediately, her fears were quenched. Joel ran right up to her and immediately put his hand on her pistol. “Ellie, calm down, it’s alright. They ain’t dangerous—”

Ellie didn’t even care about the crowd as she immediately wrapped her arms around the man and let out a breath of relief. Joel stumbled back and wrapped his arms around her, pushing his nose into the top of her head and scratching her face somewhat with his beard. “C’mon now, what’s this all about?”

A moment passed before Ellie stepped back and immediately shoved him with her hands, making him stumble back yet again. “You fuckin’ dick, don’t scare me like that!”

“Could- could you put the gun down, Ellie?” Joel said, holding out a hand and the girl sighed with a slight growl, tucking the gun back into the waistband of her jeans and putting her hands on her knees. She was covered in snow and her nose was red from how long she had been traversing the landscape looking for him and his brother. “Here, there’s a fire in this room, alright? C’mon.”

The others in the room seemed to be relaxing at the girl’s presence as Ellie stepped in time with Joel, going to the other room. “Who are these guys?”

“They’re just passin’ through Wyoming, trynna get back to Washington… We came across one of ‘em in the snow ‘bout 2 hours ago? She was getting’ swarmed by infected near the lodge,” Joel explained what happened and why they had to hunker down and wait out the storm. Tommy was sitting by the fire and Ellie let out a sigh of relief at seeing him, crouching down next to the blonde man and whacking him in the shoulder.

“Hey! Respect yer elders, girl!” Tommy joked, making Ellie chuckle before she sat down on her knees and put both hands on the warm ground near the little firepit. “Ellie, this here’s Abby. She helped us get outta the storm.”

Ellie was confused who he was talking about but she heard heavy boots fall in front of her and she looked up to see a blonde that was at least half a foot taller than her, long hair in a braid going down her shoulder as she knelt down next to the fire across from her.

“Hey,” Abby said, looking at the girl for a bit too long before she looked over her shoulder at where Joel went, seeing him talk to a man with reddish-blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. “See those two got along almost immediately?”

“Well, yer dad’s easy to like,” Tommy shrugged his shoulders. Ellie watched Joel converse with who was apparently Abby’s father, seeing them talk away from the group a little and try to keep things hush. Ellie had a suspicion of what he was declaring…

That was over 3 years ago. The rest would be history. Joel said that if they didn’t find what they were looking for in Seattle, they were welcome to come back to Jackson. Half a year passed by, and just as spring was coming to an end for summer to roll in, the group reappeared at the gates in front of Jackson, minus a few people… It seemed that Jordan, Leah, and Nick didn’t make it back with them.

It was almost too easy for them to integrate into the life of Jackson as Joel vouched they were good people and they were offered a place to stay. At first, Ellie was indifferent to Abby and the rest of the group… but that began to wear thin.

Abby was quickly becoming a pain in the ass. Whenever they were paired together for patrol, which happened quite often, Abby insisted searching everywhere and anywhere possible, causing more trouble than was needed and nearly getting them killed on several occasions.

And it didn’t take long for Abby to break Ellie’s record of the amount of infected killed on a patrol. It didn’t matter what either of them did, everything felt like a competition, and Ellie was losing. She hated losing.

It was the night after a particularly hostile patrol, and Ellie was sporting a brand new set of stitches on her cheekbone and two splints on her left ring and pinky finger while sitting at the bar in the Tipsy Bison. Dina was sitting next to her, going on about something that Ellie just wasn’t paying attention to, but then she flinched at hearing the door open. Ellie didn’t need to look to see who it was.

Abby’s right arm was in a sling for a few days thanks to an infected knocking her onto the ground and having her roll down a hill into a riverbed. Ellie laughed at first, but she knew that Abby needed her to save her sorry ass, so she was quick to join her at the bottom of the hill.

She was so busy worrying about the runner that she didn’t hear the clicker approaching and before she could defend herself, the infected knocked her down onto the ground, her fingers breaking under her body and her face slicing against a very sharp stone in the dirt.

Everything was fucked, and Ellie was pissed off, but Abby was just as equally pissed as she approached the bar and slammed her left hand down onto the counter. “What the fuck is your problem?”

“I’m not the idiot that went into that trailer—”

“You’re such an asshole,” Abby grabbed Ellie by the front of her shirt and lifted her off the barstool. “You stood there and laughed at that runner taking me down!”

Ellie shoved her hands into Abby’s chest, a hand getting too close to her dislocated shoulder and making her grunt in pain. Ellie could have cared less. “Stop acting like you’re fucking invincible, you dense cunt! You could have gotten both of us killed!”

“And I could have been bit,” Abby got near Ellie’s face, close enough for the redhead to smell her pine scented soap that she used. Ellie tried not to inhale, finding that she detested the smell now more than ever before. “But you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

“Guys, can we just calm down?” Dina stood up, stepping between both of them and Ellie scoffed. Abby could see blood dripping down her cheek and sliding into the collar of her black t-shirt, her adrenaline rushing and opening her wound back up. Her heart raced as she picked up the glass of whiskey and downed it in almost two seconds. Abby tried not to flinch at seeing the ugly bruises on her splinted fingers.

“I may fuckin’ hate you,” Ellie snapped. “But that doesn’t mean I wanna see you dead, Anderson.”

With that being said, Ellie left the bar and went straight home, leaving Abby to be her brooding self inside of the building. The entire walk home, Ellie wanted to tear her hair out. How can one human be so damn infuriating?! Ellie can’t remember the last time a person had pissed her off so badly. Her heart was racing, and she felt nauseous… or maybe that was just the whiskey in her system.

 In her haste to get inside of her home, she didn’t even acknowledge Joel on his back porch, Jerry sitting next to him on a chair and both of them bonding over the coffee they recently got through a trade. Joel tried to say hi, but she ignored him and slammed her door.

Ellie slammed her hand against the wall, and immediately groaned in pain at her broken fingers throbbing under the skin. Her blood was boiling and dripping from the wound on her cheek. Everything felt overwhelming and she had to calm down somehow. Her heart felt like it was trying to escape from her chest.

After a very short shower, she replaced the bandages on her cheek and changed into a different set of clothes not covered in her sweat. After getting her shit rocked today, Maria agreed to give her a few days off to recuperate from having her bones broken. Ellie could sleep in… And forget about bitches named Abby.

It was well into the night and Ellie had been tossing and turning through her entire dream. Turning onto her left side, she curled both hands into her chest and muttered something under her breath; something she would have slapped herself for saying if she was conscious… “Abby…”

The sensation of rough, calloused hands across her cheeks had Ellie’s eyes fluttering in an embarrassingly lovesick manner. The strong palms on her face slid up, a thumb swiping over her lower lip as Ellie reached up, her own rough-skinned hands sliding over massive biceps to rest on broad, freckled shoulders.

The blonde braid was unmistakable, and Ellie leaned ever closer to her, feeling the heat of her body against Ellie’s own and trembling in the blonde’s grasp. Oh, the scent of pine filled her nose, and she reveled in the pleasure that coursed through her entire being.

“We’ll take things slow, yeah?” That melodic, heavenly voice that stroked along her brain and sent shivers all over her nerves. Ellie sighed, almost like she couldn’t get enough of this, and leaned forward. Her hands went higher, one curling around the base of her braid and pulling her down a little more, but she stopped Ellie with a palm on her chest. Ellie’s heart quickened.

“Abby,” Ellie begged. Abby chuckled, and she leaned forward slowly… Her lips got so close, and Ellie swore she could feel the heat of Abby’s breath on her face. She was so close… so close that Ellie could practically taste her on her tongue—

Ellie let out a loud gasp and jolted upward from the bed. Her body glistened in the moonlight pouring from the window and she grabbed at her chest over her shirt with her good hand. Everything felt like it was buzzing and Ellie couldn’t calm her heart down.

“What the fuck did I just—” Ellie’s thoughts went to her dream, and lingered on Abby… Where she once saw annoyance, Ellie found herself BLUSHING! She remembers the way Abby once grabbed her hip to keep her from falling. She remembers that time Abby patched up her leg when she got hurt. She remembers the way Abby winked at her once a long time ago…

Ellie remembers the dream, and suddenly…. Abby was the one thing on her mind. She tried to think of anything else, but the sound of Abby’s breathing in her head refused to escape and she found herself wondering what she would look like in such an intimate moment…

A pure whine of pitiful defeat, and a little annoyance, tore through the air and Ellie simply covered her face with the pillow, screaming and wishing that she was now dead. What was once in her mind of Abby— all the hatred and disgust for her existence? Ellie couldn’t get the image of her hands caressing her face out of her mind.

If she closed her eyes again and brushed the spot where dream-Abby touched her cheekbone, her entire face would glow with a blush again and it felt borderline sickening.

“Fuck, fuck,” Ellie cursed, not knowing how else to react to this situation.

Ellie was content on hating Abby for a long time, maybe even until one of them inevitably got killed on patrol or by raiders or anything of the sort. But noooooo… that would be too easy for her brain to comprehend. So instead, Ellie would avoid her. And this time, she wouldn’t even look at Abby Anderson, afraid that if she looks at her for too long, she’ll wonder what she tastes like.

So, Ellie did what any normal person would do: she locked the door and pretended to die for a few days.

“Has anybody seen Ellie?”

The question had everybody stopping for a brief second in what they were doing. Dina shared a look with Tommy who simply just shrugged. No one has seen her in, apparently days? It had been three since her fight with Abby in the bar.

“She ain’t been comin’ out of her room,” Joel concluded, his features creased with slight worry at the idea of Ellie being hurt, or even sick. He knows that having 2 broken fingers wasn’t very fun, but she burned herself with chemicals in order to hide her bite mark. The girl was tough as nails, she could do anything with 2 broken fingers.

“I haven’t seen her either,” Dina frowned. It wasn’t like her best friend hiding away on her days off. She’s always doing something. “I can go check on her?”

“Good idea,” Jesse said, lifting a hay bale off the ground and tossing it towards the pile where the others were. “She’s gotta come back for patrol tomorrow.”

Dina stripped off her gloves, tucking them away in her back pocket before she left the stables. The walk to Ellie’s little garage home wasn’t exactly long, but it felt like forever under the Wyoming sun. Sweat dripped from her hairline as she approached Ellie’s front door, gently knocking on the wooden surface.

“Ellie? It’s Dina,” Dina announced, hoping that saying just her name would be enough for Ellie to let her in. But when she was met with silence, Dina began to tap her foot on the ground outside of the door. “I know you’re in there, Ellie. I can see you moving around in there.”

A curse echoed in the bedroom before Dina could hear Ellie actively tripping almost every single thing in her wake. And when she opened the door, Dina had to step back in order to fully take her in. What the hell happened to her?

“Ellie, are you—” Her nose wrinkled up a little as she smelt the unmistakable scent of weed and alcohol on her breath. “Fuck, have you just been in here getting shitfaced for three days?”

“What do you want, Dina?” Ellie deflected, like she always does when she’s got so much on her mind. Dina doesn’t know what upsets her more; that Ellie is getting high, or she’s getting high without her.

The redhead pushed her sweaty forehead against the doorway, almost like she was going to collapse if she stood there for another second than she needed to. So instead of talking outside, Dina pushed herself into Ellie’s home like it was her life’s purpose. Almost instantly, Ellie fell onto her ass, either too blazed or too plastered to fully take in what was happening.

“Dina, what the fuck—”

“What the hell is going on with you?” Dina crouched down, slapping her hands on Ellie’s cheeks and making her blush under her freckles. “And it isn’t the broken fingers because you broke your nose last month and still went on patrol the next day!”

“Wh- nothing! Nothing is wrong, I just—”

“I know you’re lying,” Dina snapped, still holding onto Ellie’s face. She looked like a bunny staring down a rifle barrel. “You wanna know why? Cause you suck at it!”

“Get off!” Ellie shoved Dina’s hands away, attempting to stand on her own but failing miserably. Her knees wobbled as she got off the ground before she fell right back onto the floor and for a few seconds, simply laid there with her face on the dirty rug near her sofa. “Just… Just go, Abby—”

Dina immediately froze in place, her brows knitting together for a brief second as it seemed like the whole world was coming back into focus. Before this moment, Dina was prepared to knock some sense into her best friend, but that moment passed quickly.

“This is about Abby,” Dina said, standing up and running a hand across her face. “Come on El, Abby is always gonna be a bitch, that’s just how she is!”

“S’not about that,” Ellie finally stood up off the ground, her shirt sticking against her sweaty skin as she rubbed her forehead, trying to stop the room from spinning. Her wobbly legs managed to carry her to the bed where a half-burned blunt was sitting inside of an ashtray. “Just go. I can’t deal with this right now…”

Dina watched as Ellie picked up the roach and inhaled very slowly, the end of the blunt glowing and illuminating her face. Dina could see the bruises under her eyes from a lack of sleep. Whatever was happening inside of Ellie’s head, Dina couldn’t figure it out… So she left.

As soon as Dina was gone, Ellie let out a harsh breath as she looked down at the sketches littering her bed. And if Dina had stayed, she would have understood. Abby’s face was all over the papers, her eyes staring back with that characteristic scowl she always held, and the slight pout to her bottom lip…

A curse escaped Ellie’s lips as she shoved all of the drawings on the floor and shoved a pillow back over her face. There was no reason that this affected her so badly, she’s had stupid crushes before—

“No, nope, absolutely fucking not, this is not happening,” Ellie scolded herself, gripping the fabric of the pillowcase like it was her lifeline from drowning. Lines were drawn on the invisible white board in her mind, and she felt like thoughts were knitted together.

Realization hit her like a bus. Ellie Williams has a crush on Abby frickin’ ANDERSON!

When Ellie emerged from her so-called hobbit hole, as Joel called it, she looked like death warmed up. Her face was pale and she looked like she was going to be sick at any given moment. Her trek to the stables felt like the longest walk of her life. She chugged a ton of water just to get through the day and Maria had been gracious enough to give her one extra day to sober up…

Wandering around the town was normally a good idea, so she decided to take a walk and try to clear her head. Everyone seemed to be out in full force today enjoying the warm weather while Ellie is starting to wish that she grabbed those sunglasses she saw on patrol last week. Her limbs felt impossibly heavy as she turned a corner towards the stables, going to see if Joel was back yet. But on her way, Ellie nearly fell over as she ran directly into someone.

“Hey! Watch where you’re–” Ellie looked up, ready to fight whoever wasn’t watching where they were going, and then she went completely silent. 

That blonde braid was unmistakable, not to mention the sling over her shoulder. Abby looked pissed, to say the least. Her brows were pulled together and her bottom lip was pouted out even more than usual. It was a look that Ellie has seen almost a thousand times… so why did it feel different now?

“Can you get out of your own world for five damn seconds and watch where you’re going?” Abby snapped, readjusting the sling on her shoulder and biting her lip to try and hide the wince of pain she felt. Normally, this would be the time that Ellie would fire back. She was waiting for her words that usually cut as deep as her switchblade. 

But when Abby looked back, she saw Ellie had gone red in the face. Abby figured she was coming up with some “clever” retort, and she decided to poke the bear again. “What’s wrong, Williams? Clicker got your tongue?”

If Abby had been looking closely, she would be able to see Ellie’s hands trembling slightly as she took a step back and immediately turned around and walked in the other direction. What the fuck, that didn’t make sense– Ellie never misses the opportunity to fight with Abby. What was going on?

“Williams,” Abby started following behind Ellie, who pretty much refused to acknowledge Abby’s presence. If Ellie was even more childish, Abby would assume she was being given the silent treatment, but she was more mature than that… by a miniscule fraction. Ellie was never afraid for someone to know just how much she hated them. Reminders of Ellie almost stabbing Seth in the bar will forever be a prime memory for Abby. 

She wasn’t stopping, and Abby didn’t know what to do. “Ellie,” A hand went on the redhead’s shoulder and she immediately went still. “Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine,” Ellie said way too fast to be convincing. Her heart was racing and as long as she didn’t look at Abby, the blonde couldn’t see the color rising to her cheeks. “Can you just…” 

Abby watched Ellie carefully grab Abby’s wrist with the hand that had two fingers in splints. Suddenly, Abby felt a surge of guilt in her stomach from the sight. It technically was Abby’s fault that Ellie had broken two of her fingers, but she was also responsible for her dislocated shoulder. 

Actually… No, it was all Abby’s fault. Had she been thinking, she wouldn’t have gotten attacked by that infected. She let her guard down, and in doing so, almost got both of them killed because of her dumb quarter collection. She’d never tell Ellie that’s why she went exploring; Ellie would only make fun of her for it, and she didn’t need the girl to have anymore reasons to pick on her.

“Are you-” Abby tried to step around to look at her face and try to see if the stitches on her cheek were okay, but before she could, Ellie turned her head to avoid eye contact. “What is wrong with you? Why are you–”

“I have somewhere I need to be,” Ellie immediately changed the subject, turning away as fast as possible and going towards the stable. This time, Abby didn’t chase her. The blonde just stood there, looking more confused than she’s ever been before in her life. 

The redhead, on the other hand, felt like her heart was going to burst from her chest and she immediately hid behind a house, covering her face with both hands and feeling like her skin was suddenly too tight for her own body. Her stomach twisted, and she wanted to bash her head into the brickwork of the house behind her. 

What the hell is her problem? She’s had crushes on people before, none of them have made her act like this! Even when it was Cat, she was cool about it… Well, as cool as she could be. And even with Dina, she didn’t go practically paralyzed with fear or pure discomfort that she may discover how Ellie feels. 

So why did she do this with Abby? Why couldn’t she play it cool and act like nothing was wrong? 

Because Ellie didn’t fucking want to like Abby. 

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Joshua Wolfson, Madelyn Beck, and Maggie Mullen at WyoFile:

A Teton County judge on Monday struck down Wyoming’s two abortion bans, ruling they violate the state constitution. The decision by Judge Melissa Owens keeps most abortions legal in the state. She concluded a near-total ban on abortion and a prohibition against abortion medications — laws that were passed by state legislators in 2023 after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade — conflicted with a 2012 constitutional amendment that protects individuals’ rights to make their own health care decisions.  “The Defendants have not established a compelling governmental interest to exclude pregnant women from fully realizing the protections afforded by the Wyoming Constitution during the entire term of their pregnancies, nor have the Defendants established that the Abortion Statutes accomplish their interest,” Owens wrote. “The Court concludes that the Abortion Statutes suspend a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions during the entire term of a pregnancy and are not reasonable or necessary to protect the health and general welfare of the people.”

Owens put the bans on hold last year while considering the arguments for and against their constitutionality. The bans were challenged by a group of women, health care providers and an aid group who asserted the laws violated a dozen provisions of the Wyoming Constitution. In Monday’s ruling, Owens honed in on the 2012 provision pertaining to health care autonomy. While the state of Wyoming, which defended the laws, asserted an abortion does not constitute a woman’s “health care decision” since it affects both the woman and the fetus. The judge disagreed. “The Health Care Amendment does not prohibit a person from making their own health care decision if their decision impacts any other person,” she wrote. “As the Plaintiffs argued, only a pregnant woman can make a decision to have an abortion. No other person can make that decision for a competent pregnant woman. To adopt Defendants’ argument the Court would have to rewrite the Health Care Amendment.”

The case is expected to be appealed to the Wyoming Supreme Court. In the meantime, two medical providers in Wyoming — one in Jackson and one in Casper — continue to offer abortion services. An arsonist set fire to the Casper clinic in 2022, delaying its opening.

[...] Those included the near-total abortion ban, House Bill 152 – Life is a Human Right Act, and a ban on using medications to induce abortion called Senate File 109 – Prohibiting chemical abortions. Both of them passed the Legislature, though Gordon only signed the latter, simply letting the former go into effect without his signature.

Wyoming’s pair of abortion bans got struck down by Judge Melissa Owens, thanks to a 2012 referendum at the peak of anti-Obamacare backlash.

See Also:

AP, via HuffPost: Judge Strikes Down Wyoming Laws Banning Abortion, Abortion Pills

[travelella]

Hiking trail to Inspiration Point at Jenny Lake, Grand Teton National Park, Jackson, Teton County, Wyoming, USA

Cora Leach

[wrishwrosh]

picked up a nice short story collection to relax and the very first one is about a guy driving from massachusetts to wyoming. no rest

didnt realize exactly how passionate i was about portrayals of the interstate highway system until they had joel and ellie taking 70 from BOSTON to WYOMING

[musings-of-a-rose]

Falling Slowly - Chapter 11

Pairing: Tommy Miller x f!reader

Word Count: 5000+

Rating: Mature - 18+ ONLY!

Warnings: Just like ao3, “creator chooses not to use warnings.” If you click Keep Reading, that means you agree that you’re the age to handle mature themes. Also by clicking Keep Reading, you understand warnings may not be complete in order to avoid spoilers for the story. 

Notes: What started as a simple “wanting to make Tommy an actual daddy” turned into a whole ass fic. Is anyone really surprised? I absolutely adore Tommy and Daisy and would love to revisit them! 

**If you want to be added to the taglist, join here or let me know!

❤If you enjoy the fic, please consider giving me a warm beverage! (It is not required in any way!)

**Divider made by @benkeibear 

**Reader is not described

Main Masterlist

Falling Slowly Masterlist

Tommy Miller Masterlist

The truck runs out of gas just inside of Teton County. We gather up our packs, keeping our guns loose in our hands but ready, as we march through the woods. Tommy had found a paper map of Wyoming, noticing that there was a small notation of a hydroelectric dam on it. He's convinced that this settlement will be near there and I admit, that's a great place to start looking.

We don't make it within 20 miles of that plant before horses and riders come from nowhere, immediately surrounding us, their faces masked. Tommy puts his arms out to shield us, knowing that there was no way he could shoot them all.

"What are you doing out here?" A man bellows at us, his horse snuffing, a swirl of air puffing out from his nose in the cool, fall breeze.

"We heard there may be a settlement around here. We're looking for a place to call home."

"You know anything about dams?" A woman speaks up from behind the first man.

"I uh, I was in construction. I know some things. I can take a look."

She stares at him from behind her mask, weighing our usefulness. "And them?"

"My wife can grow anything. And has some medical knowledge. My son..helps her."

Several long moments pass. I can't get a read on them. If they are from this settlement, I can't really blame them for being so selective. And secretive.

"You come here on foot?"

"For the last 50 or so miles. We had a truck. Still works, but no gas."

She nods. "Stash it?"

Tommy nods. "Just in case we needed it again."

"Smart man. Alright, you guys come back to town with us."

They offered us horses, which Jax hopped on immediately, his whole face lighting up with excitement. It had been years since he was able to ride. I'm still on the fence about trusting them. After a while, we see their gates in the distance, a little shotty and in need of, well, Tommy's expertise. But that's not what holds my attention.

"Is your town named Jackson?" Jax asks the woman.

She nods. "It is."

Jax laughs, a sound I hadn't heard in a very long time. "That's my name! Must be a sign, right mom?"

The gates open and I'm rendered speechless. It's a town. A whole ass town. People are milling about like everything is normal. The woman, Maria, starts to give us a tour, pointing out the town hall, the bar, clothing swap and repair, and little general stores. She takes us around and shows us the barns, slots for at least 40 horses, the herd of sheep, and the dairy cows and goats. Jax practically comes unglued from the Earth when seeing everything. Maria smiles at his excitement.

"You're 17, right?" Jax nods. "Well I think you should still attend school. At least to just get to know the other kids. But your official duty, in my opinion, should be with the animals. What do you think?"

"Yeah! Dad, is that ok?" Jax clings to Tommy's arm and he smiles patting his hand.

"Yeah, of course, bud."

Jax whoops and punches the sky, immediately apologizing to the chickens that had started frantically clucking and running around their enclosure.

But what really impressed me was our house, an actual house. Maria stopped in front of this beautiful 3 bedroom, two story house, complete with a front porch. It was like stepping into a time machine. They had cleaned all of the houses and kept them maintained, but the decor was exactly the same as it was on outbreak day 14 years ago.

Jax picked a room once belonging to a teenage boy, judging from the decor. We quickly unpacked our things and headed into town, getting a hot, fresh meal and trying not to overstuff ourselves. They gave us a small ration of food to take home, a carton of eggs, some flour, salt, yeast, honey, a carton of milk, and, much to Tommy's delight, a small container of coffee.

I was afraid that all of the time spent just growing up around us, and then on the constant move with the Fireflies would make it difficult for Jax to make friends.

I couldn't be more wrong.

Immediately, the kids from town were fascinated by Jax, asking him tons of questions about the outside, about him. He eventually takes off with them, going to movie night at the community center.

Tommy and I walk back home, his arm around my shoulder, tucking me into his side. "That kid made fast friends."

"I was so worried about that. Guess I didn't need to be."

"Nah. He's a good kid and they can see that."

We stop for a moment outside of our house, looking up at it. "This was a good move, Mr. Miller. I like it here."

I turn to look at him and he smiles, pressing his lips to mine briefly before we head inside, the early fall chill on the wind making us shiver slightly. Tommy starts to unpack the food while I take a quick shower, groaning as the hot water sends goosebumps across my skin. I hadn't had a proper hot shower since we'd left the cabin.

I lay on the bed wrapped only in my towel, finally allowing myself to relax for the first time in...years. I can't remember how many at this point. Tommy comes in and wolfwhistles at me and I try, and fail, to hide my smirk.

"Looks like they left a present for me on the bed," Tommy chuckles, attempting to sit next to me. I put my foot out to stop him.

"Nuh uh. Take a shower first, stinky."

He looks fake hurt, putting a hand to his chest. "How dare you, I smell delightful."

"Yeah to a group of flies."

He pretends to storm off in mock anger, shedding his clothes as he goes. He stays a bit longer in the shower than I thought he would, but I can't blame him. That hot water is too much of a lure. He comes out, towel wrapped around his waist, his hair wet and curling. His incision is healed by now, a small red line all that's left of the metal that nearly took his life. Tommy lays next to me on the bed and I curl into his side.

"Hey, darlin? I know you're all clean and sexy and naked next to me, and I so want to have my way with you. But do you think it could wait until morning?"

"Oh thank God - I'm so exhausted."

We both chuckle and burrow into the blankets, talking for a bit when we hear Jax come in, closing the door to the bathroom and taking a shower.

I haven't felt this safe in years.

An electrified warmth, pulsing out from between my legs yanks me from sleep and I moan, my hands moving down and finding Tommy's head between my legs, his face pressed into me. My fingers grip his dark curls and I tug, loving the sound he makes when I do.

"Fucking hell, Tommy. Warn a girl."

He chuckles and my hips jolt. "Alright, well I'm warning you now, my beautiful wife. I'm not done with you yet."

Tommy makes good on his promise, sliding into me with practiced ease, my body taking him in greedily, responding to every touch, every kiss and nip. He digs his fingers into my hip, slowly moving me in time with his hips, angling himself to go deeper, hitting that spot that has me gasping his name, my fingernails digging into his broad back. His hips sputter, his head drops to my shoulder as be bites it, filling me with his warmth. He picks up his head, his nose lightly dragging across my face before kissing me.

"I fuckin' love you, Mrs. Miller."

"I fucking love you, Mr. Miller."

Life in Jackson is good. We're all kept busy but a natural busy, not a frantic "is this the moment when we all die" busy. Jax settles in beautifully, finishing their school and learning more about animals and their care as he works with them. About a year in, he finally asks out the girl he had been crushing on since we got here, Lara and, a year later, they're already talking about marriage. Young love.

Tommy helps to fortify the walls, manging to tinker with the dam and get it fully operational. He admits he had virtually no idea what he was doing. He just banged his wrench around and it eventually turned on. He joins patrols too, but mostly stays inside the gates, making repairs and fortifications.

I help a little old lady named Lu with the garden. I had brought some medicinal herbs with us and we were able to propagate some more from the clippings, which works out great for the clinic.

New people do show up, but it's rare. Jackson is fairly secluded, and Maria pretty much forbids anyone from giving away our location. I can't blame her. If everyone knew about this place, it would be overrun in a heartbeat, our supplies spent. Not to mention the clickers that would likely follow a crowd that large.

But today is one of those days. Maria radioed in that 3 new people were coming into Jackson, and to ready the clinic. The doctor there called me in to help, as I often did when she needed it. She told me what to prep and I realized whomever is coming, one of them must be pregnant.

"Imagine trapsing this lanscape, pregnant," The doctor said, no trace of malice to her voice. A little pity and awe though.

The clinic door opens and the doctor greets the people. I turn around and drop the tray I'm holding.

Sarah. Sarah is standing in the clinic.

A man stands next to her and on her other side-

Rose.

Rose and Sarah are alive and here.

"Sarah?" I choke out and her head snaps up, her round belly on prominent display.

"Aunt Daisy?"

"Holy fuck!" Rose gasps and I run to them, pulling them both into as tight of an embrace as I can manage, tears streaming down my face. I feel theirs as well. But when a small kick hits my stomach, I back up, apologizing to Sarah.

"Ah I'm sorry! I forgot! Come, the doctor will take a look." Sarah grips my hand, lacing our fingers together.

"Come with me?"

"Of course."

Sarah turns out fine, about 7 months along. She could do with a warm meal, some water, and a good shower. Sarah introduced me to her boyfriend, or husband, the second they can find someone who will marry them. He's a sweet boy by the name of Eli. We head over to the cafe and I point out all the places to Sarah and Rose and Eli. Once they get seated with food, I head outside, a smile on my face as I run to the stables. Tommy will be there with Jax, as he's repairing a broken stable door. I run, full on run to the stables, sliding inside the barn and coming to a stop in front of them, gasping for air.

"Mom! Mom, is everything ok?" Jax drops his hammer and puts his hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah...yes..." I take a few more deep breaths of air. "Sarah..and Rose...are here."

Once they get settled in a house, conveniently across the street from ours, we bring them over for some hot tea. Sarah sips on hers, a little moan coming from her as it warms her up.

"So...how did..where is..."

Rose and Sarah exchange a look and I don't like it. Sarah nods at Rose and takes another sip of her drink.

"We stayed another year or so after you left. They seemed to buy the story at first, that you had all gone out on some family thing and just...never came back. It happens. But Joel suspected that they were getting suspicious. So he said we needed a way out, to find the Fireflies so we could find you. They demanded Joel go on a long run with them, taking them somewhere up above Maryland."

"Maryland??"

Rose nods. "Yeah, that's what I said. Anwyay, Joel said he'd go but we had to go with and that we were off limits. Well... nothing happened but some guys were being creeps and that finally tipped Joel over the edge. He killed the guy in his sleep and we left on foot. We were heading towards Boston. There's a qz up there. We figured we could find out where you were from there. We had to cross this bridge. But they caught up with us and the bridge couldn't hold everything. Not with all the old cars on it and it not being upkept for years. The bridge went down and..." Tears poured from Rose's eyes, silent ones pouring down Sarah's cheeks as well.

"Joel?" Tommy asks, barely a whisper.

Eli speaks up. "I wasn't there, but they told me." He puts his hand on Sarah's giving it a little squeeze. "The bridge collpased. Took out the raiders and they nearly died too. But they looked for Joel for days. Couldn't find him. I'm so sorry."

I started to cry, but it was less about the loss of Joel, whom I loved like a brother, and more for Tommy, who looked like he had lost a limb. He got up and walked out the backdoor, slamming it behind him. I followed him, gently pulling him to me as he crumbled against my chest, gripping my shirt as he wailed over the loss of his big brother.

We eventually learned that Rose and Sarah ended up in a different qz than Boston, which is where Sarah met Eli. He was FEDRA but hated them, supporting the citizens in any way he could, even if that meant turning a blind eye to some insider trading. He and Sarah fell in love, but shortly after, the qz got violent, the people rising up against FEDRA. They managed to escape, Sarah finding out she was pregnant a few weeks later.

Eli had some Firefly connections, so they headed to their posts, eventually figuring out that we had left the Fireflies and relocated "somewhere in Teton County, Wyoming." And so they came here, hoping to find us. And being completely surprised to find Jackson City.

Sarah gives birth to a beautiful baby girl, Juniper, with her eyes, Joel's eyes. As Juniper grows, her hair becomes this beautiful carbon copy of her mother's, her curls bouncing away. Eli is a fantastic father and husband, always by his family's side.

Jax and Lara move in together and get married, Lara getting pregnant a short while after.

"I don't know if I'm ready to be a grandma," I say to Tommy while I look in the mirror. "Although I do have the greys."

"You'll be the hottest grandma I know." Tommy waggles his eyebrows as he pulls me to him, his tongue pressing against mine.

"If I'm a grandma, that means you'll be a grandpa."

Tommy looks shocked. "Holy shit. You're right. You still gonna wanna kiss this old man?"

My fingers wind in his shirt, pulling him down to me as I speak against his lips. "That's not all I'll do for this old man."

"Tree! Tree, mommy!" Juniper jumps up and down, yanking on Sarah's coat as she pushes back from our table, shoving the last bite of egg in her mouth.

"Yes baby. We're going to see the Christmas tree. You guys coming?"

Juniper looks up at Tommy with her big eyes. "Great Uncle Tommy coming?"

"Sorry, kiddo. Not today. I gotta fix the barn roof before the big snows come in." Juniper sticks out her lip. "But I'll see you tonight for hot chocolate?"

She thinks, her little finger tapping her lips. "Ok!" She yanks on Sarah's coat again, half jerking her towards the front door.

"See you tonight, Aunt Daisy?"

"Yup. I'll have cookies too."

"Yay!" Juniper yells from the doorway. Sarah and her leave, the house considerably quieter when they do.

"Crazy to think that in a few months, there will be another little one running around here."

"Yeah. I can't wait."

"Me neither."

Tommy kisses me before heading off to the barns, finishing up the last of the roof work. The last snow storm took off some of the panels and so it needs to be repaired before the next big storm or we may lose a horse or 2.

Tommy walks back in 10 minutes later. "Forgot my work gloves."

"How did you forget those, Mr. Construction?"

"I got distracted looking at your ass."

"How dare you, good sir. I am a lady."

Tommy walks up to me, pressing his body to mine. "A lady that I had bent over this table last night."

I slap his chest playfully before kissing him again. "Oh wait. I'll walk with you. I got to pick up a couple things for the cookies."

Tommy walks me a few blocks, intending on turning left to head to the barn while I continued on to the main strip. But then we hear yelling, just making out Sarah's name. Tommy and I glance at each other, immediately anticipating the worst as we run towards the wailing sound. We come out of a side ally onto the main strip, half a block away from the Christmas tree. And there, at the bottom of the tree is Sarah, crying her eyes out, her body desperately holding onto someone. No, wait.

"Joel?" Tommy says next to me in disbelief. But then their bodies shift, and there he is. Joel, with his mop of now grey hair, grasping onto the daughter he undoubtedly thought he'd lost.

Tommy runs as fast as he can over to them, Sarah pulling him down into their embrace. Juniper, who had been standing there holding her mom's other hand, immediately jumps on Tommy and hugs him, her little fists digging into his arms. I walk up, wiping tears from my eyes and, to my surprise, Joel looks up at me and pulls me down to him, hugging me as tight as he can.

"I thought you were all dead," He says it so quietly in my ear, but I can hear the wobble in his voice.

"We're here. We're all..." I turn my head, looking into the small crowd of people. "Someone get Rose. Now!"

Joel snaps back from me, his eyes boring into mine. "Rose is here?"

I smile at him. "Yeah she fucking is!"

Suddenly his eyes look over my shoulder and I see the shift in them, know he sees Rose, and I know that feeling. The one of loss and relief, the pain that causes in your heart. Joel tries to stand but it's too late - Rose is there, dropping into his lap as she clings to him, tears streaming down her cheeks. He pulls back, cupping her face, his eyes roaming over hers.

"You're real?"

Rose nods. "Are you?"

He pulls her to him, their lips meeting and I look away, giving them a moment of privacy, marveling at the fact that our family is somehow together, at the other end of the country, even all these years later.

As it turns out, Joel was not traveling alone. Ellie is spunky, full of attitude, keeping Joel on his toes. I love her already.

Tommy told me later about exactly why Joel and Ellie were here, what secret Ellie was carrying. That he has to bring her to the Fireflies so they can try and make a cure, an actual cure.

"And you think they can do that? They have the resources?"

Tommy shrugs, pulling his shirt over his head and exposing his bronzed skin, freckles spattered about, along with several scars. He starts to rummage through his dresser drawer, looking for a shirt to sleep in.

"Joel seems to think so."

"Hhhmm. I bet Rose will have something to say about it."

"She probably will."

I walk up to him, lightly brushing my fingers across his back. My arms slide around him as I press kisses into his back. He hums, his arms folding over mine. The warmth radiates out from his body and seeps into mine, relaxing me but also heating me up for very different reasons. I slowly move my hand down, dipping under the waistband of his sweatpants.

"And here I thought you said you were a lady." Tommy sucks in a breath after that last word, my fingers encircling him, slowly pumping him as he hardens in my grip.

"I want you to do un-ladylike things to me."

"Yes, ma'am."

He pulls my hand from his pants with a groan, from which of us I'm not sure. I turn to walk towards the bed and yelp, Tommy's hand lightly slapping my ass. He chuckles as I look fake shocked. I turn to him, my hand on my chest.

"How dare you sir! Ah!" He somehow reaches around me, slapping me on the other cheek, the shit eating grin on his face lighting up the room. He presses his lips to mine, but I'm not making it that easy. I pull back, turning to walk or run away, I'm not sure. But I know I'm not fast enough, Tommy's arms pulling me to him, caging me against his broad chest. One arm wraps around my chest, the other sliding into my panties. He moans as his fingers sink into me.

"Fuck, is this for me?"

"It's always for you, Tommy."

He continues to touch me, using his other hand to turn my head up, swallowing my moans with his kiss. The air electrifies and the mood shifts, both of us suddenly very desperate for the other. He pulls his hand from me and pushes me onto the bed, helping me to yank my panties down. They never make it off, just shoved down somewhere around my knees as he hikes my shirt over my hips. I'm already angling my body, my chest against the bed, Tommy's fingers digging into my hips as he gets into position. He pushes forward and I can't help the gutteral whine that erupts from somewhere within me, louder and more primal as his hips rut against me.

"My wife, the lady, begging me to fuck her."

I'm seeing colors now, my fingers twisting into the sheets to get some sort of purchase so I can push my hips back, driving him deeper.

"T-Tommy," It comes out more like a plea, a whimper of his name. But he knows me well, knows my body sometimes better than I do.

"I got you, darlin'."

He pulls me up, holding me against his chest again, one arm wrapped around me and one hand between my legs, touching me where it makes my legs shake.

"Come for me, baby," his voice rasps in my ear, low and sultry. And I do, I come hard, pulsing around him, his name chanting from my lips as I watch the colors dance around my vision. His hand stalls for a moment before pushing me back down, laying his body over mine as he continues to fuck into me a few more times before he comes, groaning and biting my back. He takes several breaths before pulling out, cleaning us both up before plopping back down on the bed. I scoot in next to him a minute later and he pulls me to his side, lifting my jaw with his finger to gently kiss me.

"You definitely know how to treat a lady."

Joel and Ellie leave the next morning, much to our dislike. Tommy knew they were leaving, of course he did. I guess it makes sense. Less people out in winter time, less chance of a confrontation. Still, it made me uneasy and I wish they'd stay at least until spring.

What surprised me most was that Rose stayed behind. She was not happy by the looks of it, but she still showed her love to Joel, Ellie clearing her throat and looking anywhere but them.

"Listen, Ellie. I know we don't really know each other, but I want you to know, you'll always have a home here. Ok? No hesitation." I may have only met her yesterday, but I really liked this kid. She gave Joel the crap he needed and that won her all the points she needed in my book.

"Thanks. I'll probably just stay there in case they need more blood. But it's good to know." She gives me a quick, slightly awkward hug before nodding to Tommy and Sarah, who had just come walking up to the stables where we all stood.

"I can come with you, you know?" Sarah asked her dad when he pulled back from Rose.

"No, you can't. You have my granddaughter to take care of."

Sarah hugs him tight, and I swear I can see a tiny glint of a tear in Joel's eyes, his head slightly turned as he breathes her in, having thought he'd never be able to hold his daughter again.

"But I just got you back."

"I know, baby girl. I know. But this is important. You know I wouldn't go if it wasn't."

Sarah nods against his chest before pulling back, wiping tears from her eyes. She stands between Rose and me, watching Joel pull Ellie up into the saddle. Rose moves forward, brushing away some stray dirt on his pant leg and he leans down, kissing her once more.

"Remember what I told you, Joel."

"I will. I love you, baby."

"I love you too."

Winter progresses, Lara getting further along in her pregnancy leaving Jax looking utterly lost as to how to help her.

"Just get her whatever she asks for and make sure to rub her feet. Oh! And when her belly gets big, stand behind her and lift it up. Your mom loved that."

"I just hated it when you had to stop."

Jax's smile fades and he turns serious. "I'm just afraid this one won't stick, too."

I cup his face. "Oh baby, sometimes these things happen. It just wasn't meant to be. But I'm sure this one will be running around and calling me grandma in no time."

Thank God I was right. Lara has her baby just as the winter snows start to melt, a beautiful little girl they name Emma, after Lara's sister who died saving her on outbreak day. She immediately has Jax wrapped around her little finger.

Our house is loud again, baby sounds echoing off the wood boards. I couldn't be happier. Tommy feels the same, his face lighting up whenever he gets to see Emma.

"I always feel like we're imposing," Lara confesses as she rocks Emma to sleep.

"Never. You are never imposing. Even if you just need a moment for yourself, you bring her right over," I assure her.

"Thanks, Mrs. Mil-I mean, Daisy. Sorry, that's still weird to say."

The false spring ends, the final snows melting away as flowers and trees bloom. Tommy and I walk arm in arm down main street, intending on having a quick bite to eat at the restaurant before heading back to work. There's a small commotion at the main gate before it opens slightly. Tommy stops, pressing his hand above his eyes to shield them from the bright sun.

"Holy shit. It's Joel and Ellie."

We jog up to them, embracing them both. Something is different. Off, a little. I can tell something happened, but they're both back and safe and that's what we focus on. We head right into the clinic, Rose running and jumping into Joel's arms. He kisses her hard before setting her down, where she promptly breaks the kiss and punches his arm as hard as she can.

"Ow."

"Joel Miller, if you ever leave me again, I will find you and kill you myself. Do you understand me?"

A small smile tugs at the corners of his lips. "Yes, ma'am."

We take Ellie for a meal, allowing Joel and Rose some time to themselves. She's a little quieter than normal, shoving food around her plate for a bit before eating.

"Hey. Everything ok?" I ask, trying to put no pressure on the question.

She shrugs. "Yeah. I guess I'm just disappointed things didn't work out."

I hesitate for a moment before grabbing her hand and squeezing it. "You are fucking brave for even trying it. You're a bad ass."

She chuckles. "A bad ass?"

"Hell yeah!"

She shifts a little in her chair before resuming eating, a little more eager than before. I'm not sure what what on between here and Salt Lake, but I hope they can both come to terms with it. I'm sure they will.

Emma sits on her father's lap, happily chewing on some food we'd cut for her from the absolute feast we've put together. Everyone is here, Jax and Lara and Emma, Eli and Juniper and Sarah, who is rounder than ever with their second child. Joel and Rose and Ellie, who asked to bring her new friend Dina along. We all sit at a big table out back, the late summer air warm but cooling as the sun sets whispering through the trees. The laughter is loud and smiles are all around as we all sit and chat long into the night. I push my chair against Tommy's, leaning my head on his chest as he wraps his arms around me. As I look out at everyone I can't help but be amazed and grateful that we're all here together, after all this life has thrown us, in this little corner of the world.

And how different my life would've been if some random drunk didn't hit on me at that bar, so many years ago.

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[laracrofted]

your back beneath the sun

synopsis: rhett never wears enough sunscreen. luckily, his girlfriend is there to take care of him.

pairings: rhett abbott x fem!reader (no y/n)

warnings: 18+, minors dni, explicit smut (unprotected sex, slight slight overstimulation, oral), swearing, bad sunburns. please wear sunscreen and also condoms. (wc: 1.5K)

note: someone listened to preacher's daughter at the beach and thought about rhett abbott's shoulders all afternoon. i'm someone.

much love to @lewmagoo who fed the rhett abbott on the beach thoughts. and summoning a few people who might like: @theharddeck @bradshawsbitch @rhettabbotts @roosterbruiser

Rhett Abbott is a stubborn man. So damn stubborn.

You’d never understand what Rhett went through with Royal Abbott as a father and Perry Abbott as a brother, always asking him to shoulder the weight of burdens that weren’t his, always asking for more and more and more. You couldn’t fault him if Rhett had come out of the other side more hardened, more guarded.

Especially not when Rhett softened for you, looking at you with those blue eyes that held oceans and streams and all manner of wonderful and beautiful and wild things. You loved him because, not despite.

You could, however, fault him for this. 

“Did you put any sunscreen at all? I mean, Christ, Rhett.” 

Rhett had never been to a beach, not a real beach, not something other than the lake shores that land-locked states sometimes called beaches. He’d grown up with swimming holes and occasionally, hot springs. You’d grown up near beaches; learned to swim in the ocean.

You were so excited to show him your world; same as Rhett had shown you Yellowstone and Grand Teton a few months back.

You drove down to a rented cabin and for a whole week, rode horses and hiked through the wooded mountains in the afternoons and made love in the evenings beneath the biggest and most beautiful blanket of stars you’d ever seen in your whole life. It was surreal. 

And now, Rhett is here with you for a whole week in a beachside bungalow that cost more than a pretty penny. It's well worth it.  

You spent the whole day at the beach, breathing in the salt air; splashing around in the cool ocean waves that lapped at the shore; picking out the prettiest sea shells to bring home with you.

He was beautiful, relaxed beneath the sun, eyes squeezed shut as Rhett napped on the beach, stretched out like a barn cat. 

He didn’t have any worries here. It was only you two. 

You admired him, admired the length of his beautiful back and big arms, strong from hard work. He has a scar on his shoulder, faded and years old now, from when Rhett didn’t dodge a bull fast enough at the Amelia County Rodeo. You pressed your lips against the raised skin and traced the shape of your name between his shoulder blades with a light finger, careful not to wake him. 

He stirred, mumbling something unintelligible but unmistakably fond, and rolled over to pull you against his side. You slept the rest of the afternoon away, there in the sun.

You’d been diligent with your sunscreen, but apparently, Rhett hadn’t been so careful. 

“I put… some on,” Rhett grumbles, pulling a shirt on to hide the evidence from your questioning gaze and visibly wincing. He abandons the shirt and sits on the edge of bed, dressed in his unbuttoned jeans. He looks around the room, bottom lip jutted out in an almost pout. 

You think Rhett might be a little embarrassed but can’t actually tell because Rhett is already red all over. His shoulders are the worst. A painful cherry red that is warm to the touch. You press gently, and Rhett lets out a sound that is close to a whimper. 

“Hands’re cold.” Rhett mumbles, pressing his face against your middle, leaning in. You run your fingers through his hair, pulling through the strands in the way that Rhett likes. He hums. “Feels good. I’m so hot.”

He can be such a baby sometimes.

So different from the Hometown Hero Rhett Abbott, from the Abbott Ranch Rhett Abbott. He would never be so open, so vulnerable around anyone else. He is your Rhett here. 

His complaints are almost endearing, begrudgingly so. 

“I think I have some aloe.” 

You put the bottle in the fridge for a few minutes to get it as cool as possible and bring him an Advil. He doesn’t argue, placing the pill on his tongue and swallowing it dry. You retrieve the aloe from the fridge and gently push him down on the bed with a spread palm, running down his chest. 

“Turn over. Get on your stomach.” 

His grin is devilish. “Isn’t that my line, darlin’?” 

You bite back a smile. “Are you in pain or not, cowboy? Turn over.” 

He goes.

You kneel on either side of him, hovering above his back, and Rhett reaches back to run a finger over your bare calf, closing his hand around your ankle in a loose hold, stroking. Not to start anything. 

Rhett just wants to feel you, hold you. 

Affection pinches in your chest.

Aloe is cool on your palms, and Rhett lets out a low moan, near pornographic, at the cold sensation, the soothing press of your hands, always gentle against the warm skin. He sighs into the pillows, stroking the pad of his thumb across your ankle bone. 

You are thorough in your attention and gentle.  

He deserves gentleness. You do too.

You are both working on that together, learning that gentleness doesn’t need to be bought or earned, learning to accept gentleness and love and affection. It is a work in progress, but at least, Rhett will accept this. 

Rhett is so muscular, so solid beneath your hands. You are very thorough.

It is more of a massage now, but Rhett doesn’t seem to mind. 

He moans again, lifting his hips underneath you, pushing down into the mattress in a way that makes you wonder if Rhett is reacting to the aloe anymore or in the absence of the fading pain, is focused on your hands now, running over all of that bare skin and muscle.

He answers your unspoken question, reaching a hand back to grab ahold of your thigh, stroking a thumb under the hem of your dress, all the while humming absentmindedly into the mattress with closed eyes. 

His voice is a low, rasping rumble. A rough repetition. 

“So good, darlin’. Feels so good. So good.” 

You remember the morning, a moment in the quiet pre-dawn blue, and Rhett between your spread thighs, pinning you open with the same shoulders that are now red with sun, rutting down into the mattress. He came at the same time as you, untouched and overwhelmed with your taste and your sounds and – 

So good, Rhett. Feels so good. 

You lean down, brushing your lips across the warm shell of his ear, smoothing your cool hands across his shoulders. He shivers beneath you, between your parted knees. 

“Shame I won’t be able to ride you with your back all burned. Isn’t that your favorite position? Cowgirl?

You’re much less smug when seconds later, Rhett has you on your stomach, bent over a precarious stack of pillows, one large hand resting on the back of your neck and the other splayed across your stomach, guiding you back against him.

His second favorite position. 

“You’re still my pretty little cowgirl like this, right, darling?”

He rasps the words against your shoulder, breath warm, pressing an open mouthed kiss to the spot where your neck and shoulder meet, biting down and sucking on the sensitive skin. His broad, worn palm slides down your stomach, cupping the spot between your legs, holding you there. Nothing to do but close your eyes and – 

“Answer me.” 

You choke out the words. Moan them. 

“Yes, I’m yours, I’m yours.” 

At the end, when Rhett is growing more desperate, more uneven, pulling out and pushing back in at a bruising pace, Rhett pulls you back against him, upright, and murmurs, “Come for me, pretty darlin’. Come for your cowboy.” 

He circles your clit with wet fingers. Bites down on your shoulder again, leaving a half-moon indent that’ll be visible in any sundress or bikini for the rest of the damn vacation. Loud as the words Rhett coaxed from your mouth. 

I’m yours, Rhett, I’m yours. 

You come with a high-pitched keen, muffled by the hand that Rhett puts over your mouth. He is unsatisfied, coaxing one more from you, limp with pleasure against him, unshed tears welling in your eyes, before Rhett follows you over the edge, spilling into you with one last thrust. 

After, Rhett brings you a damp rag and runs it between your thighs, cleaning the stickiness from your skin. He leans down and kisses you there, tongue darting out to taste you both, lavishing. You can’t do anything more than weakly spasm, still sensitive from the morning and now, even more so.

His chuckle vibrates against your core, but Rhett pulls back.

A clean cloth waits on the edge of the mattress, creating a damp spot on the sheets, and Rhett wipes the remnants of the aloe vera from your palms with the cloth. Presses a chaste kiss to each one. 

He crawls over you, pressing a loving kiss to your forehead, damp with sweat, and with a nudge, tips your chin back to give you a gentle but thorough kiss. You are liquid against him, warm and tired from the sun. Content. 

It isn’t long before Rhett dozes off next to you, exhausted from the sunburn. You set an alarm to wake you both for your dinner reservation and curl up against his side. He is warm and solid. 

He might be stubborn, but Rhett is yours. 

end note: posting before i have a chance to be self-conscious. 🤠

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WHAT is going on in alleghany county?? there are a few other spikes this shape, but almost every other county in the country is less than half that (saline ar, teton mt, tippecanoe in, are the ones at more than half), with the vast majority being under 500 covid copies/ml wastewater. there are maybe a dozen counties that had larger spikes than this during omicron

saw this week that over 7m have taken the new vaccine and that's 2% of the country's population. last updated booster topped out at 17%, which means, at best, 97% of the population is not fully vaccinated and 82% was not last year

the branch of strains that this year's vaccine is updated to target (xbb) is no longer the most prevalent one (eg5). the total of all xbb strains is larger (60%), but eg5 is now the most prevalent single strain (35%)

hospitalizations appear to be going down and remain at a lower level than usual, but two months ago we ended our 15-consecutive-week record of less than 1000 deaths/wk, which continue to rise at a rate of about +100 deaths/wk (greyed out recent weeks are incomplete tallies)

biobot - cdc

[dailyoverview]

The Grand Prismatic Spring — located in Teton County, Wyoming, inside Yellowstone National Park — is the largest hot spring in the United States and the third largest in the world. The spring is approximately 370 feet (110 m) in diameter, 160 feet (50 m) deep, and discharges an estimated 560 gallons (2,100 L) of water per minute. Its vivid colors, which match the rainbow dispersion of white light by a prism, are caused by layers of microorganisms that live around the edges of its mineral-rich water.

44.525000°, -110.838056°

Source imagery: Maxar