#Tommy/Maria

[bumblepony]

I got this wonderful commission of Tommy and Maria dancing by the amazing @kenobiwanx, and I am just blown away by how perfect it is!

I love Tommy & Maria, and the more fan art I can put out into TLOU community for them, the happier I'll be.

[lauronk]

happy birthday to my wonderful amazing friend @bumblepony who i adore more than anything and am so grateful to know and have in my life

this is a bit out of my wheelhouse but i hope i did tommy & maria justice for you, i give you a thousand smooches

hanging on every touch (baby don't rush)

word count: ~1.7k words tags: tommy/maria; romance; first date; kissing; lil bit of lap sitting; tommy being a nervous guy; flirting

Tommy checks his reflection in the mirror for the hundredth time, brushes back a stray piece of hair. He honestly can’t remember the last time he was so nervous that his palms were sweating like this, and he wipes them on his jeans for the third time.

Then again, he can’t remember the last time he liked a woman this much.

He’s been in Jackson for nearly six months now, doing his best to fit in and help out and prove himself worthy of their acceptance here. The settlement is… he can’t think of another word for it but a fucking miracle. A town full of people helping, pulling their weight, nobody dragging someone down to claw their way up. Tommy’d saw his right arm off if they said he had to in order to stay in the walls.

Especially if Maria asked.

He fiddles with the collar of his shirt, wondering if it’s too nice or not nice enough, or if he needs to change his belt buckle. There’d been so many of them collecting dust at the swap; now they lived in neat rows in the top drawer of his dresser, shiny and ready for use. The round silver one he’s wearing, etched with prickly pear cacti, had seemed like the right choice at first but now…well, now that he’s looking at the whole outfit, he thinks he might change it out for another. He’s got a nice galloping horse one, another featuring the outstretched wings of an eagle.

But his fingers wander over the square golden one featuring a longhorn, his favorite. It feels like a little piece of home, of football and tailgating and simpler times gathered around the television with Joel and Sarah.

Hopefully it brings him a little luck today.

A final once-over in the mirror, and then Tommy sucks in a calming breath and makes himself step away from the mirror and towards the front door. He can do this. He used to do it all the time, asking a woman out, being charming and funny, showing them a good time.

But that was nearly twenty years ago, when there were restaurants and bars and shows.

And none of those women even began to compare to Maria Wesley.

She’s off today, Tommy knows that, no council duties or rotations. He may have done a little asking around, may have planned everything out in advance. Stashed a picnic basket in the stables, made sure Justified and Ruffian were both available, cleared the route himself the day before. He thinks Maria’s the type of woman that’ll appreciate a good plan, having that burden lifted from her shoulders for once.

Or he’s completely misread her and she’ll hate it. Only one way to find out now.

Her house is four streets over from his, a two story that she’d shared with her father until he passed away a year or so ago. Tommy jogs up the steps and - before he can chicken out - raps his knuckles on the door.

The seconds stretch into an eternity before it opens, and then Maria’s standing in front of him in jeans and a t-shirt, feet bare and braids gathered in a knot on top of her head. Tommy’s heart skips, thuds, and leaps right up into his throat. Jesus fuck, she’s so beautiful.

“Miller,” she says easily, lips curving up in a smile. “What brings you by?”

What brings you by? Excellent fucking question, since all words and coherent thought seems to have fled his brain.

Tommy clears his throat, wills himself to not fuck this up. “You busy?” The words come out smooth, even, and internally he cheers a little.

Maria’s head tilts, smile growing. “Not at the moment, no.”

Here goes nothing. “Wanna come out on a ride with me?”

Her entire face brightens; a swarm of butterflies lets loose in his stomach. “I’d love to. Give me a minute to get changed?”

“Yeah,” Tommy exhales with a grin, trying to pretend his hands aren’t once again sweating something fierce. “Yeah, alright. I’ll just…be out here.”

Maria nods, the corners of her eyes crinkling slightly, and then the door closes and again and Tommy’s left to mentally run through his plan. It’s nothing fancy, he didn’t wanna come on too strong or push too hard. He definitely doesn’t wanna seem like he’s into her just because she’s one of the people who gets to determine whether he stays or goes, even if he feels pretty firmly lodged in the staying column by this point. He just…really fucking likes her.

And when she emerges again ten minutes later in boots and a light jacket, braids spilling down her back and a bright grin across her lips, Tommy knows he’s well and truly fucked.

–

They never run out of things to talk about. It kind of astounds him really, how easy it is to just chat with her as they ride side by side up towards Flat Creek. Everything from her childhood to his time in the Army, the cases she worked on before the outbreak and how Jackson came to be, his time with the Fireflies and why he left.

The ride itself takes maybe an hour or so before they come to the spot Tommy picked out, a flat stretch of grass along the water that looks out on the plains and rolling hills across from them. He’d come through here on a couple patrols and seen the elk that cantered by; immediately, he’d wanted to show Maria. Never mind that she’s probably seen it a dozen times before - it had seemed to lovely to not share with her.

They settle onto the blanket he spreads across the grass, a small assortment of snacks between them. Jerky, granola, fruits from the greenhouse, cucumber slices, a bit of cheese from the town stores. Anything he’d thought Maria would like, Tommy had tried to provide.

“Y’know,” Maria says, teasing lilt to her voice and her eyes on the swaying grass ahead of them, “I was wondering if you were ever gonna get up the nerve to do this.”

Tommy laughs sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “That obvious, huh?”

She shrugs and leans back, her weight on her hands. “A little. I was kind of worried I was only seeing what I wanted to see, you know.”

He tries not to grin, tries to pretend that doesn’t make him as happy as it does. He used to be so much better at playing it cool, damnit. “What you wanted to see, huh?”

She rolls her eyes, still grinning. “You heard me.” And then before Tommy can blink Maria’s up on her knees, swinging a denim-clad leg over his thighs so she’s seated comfortably in his lap, thighs on either side of his. “Here’s the thing, Miller –” and boy does he like it when she last-names him “– in this fucked up world we’re in, I don’t really believe in wasting time or beating around the bush.”

Tommy can’t help but snort, hands coming up to wrap carefully around her hips and pull her a little closer. “I get the feeling, ma’am,” he clocks the way her eyes flutter at that, “that you didn’t believe in wasting time or beating around the bush even before the world went to shit.”

Her lips purse as though thinking his words over, and he can’t help it - he leans forward, just a little, lured in by her like he has been damn near every day since she sat across from him at the clinic and laid out the rules for living in Jackson.

Maria catches the movement, smirking, and she leans in a little too, close enough that it feels like her words are slipping from her mouth to his. “And you’d be right.” She closes the distance between them, soft lips pressing against him as her hands snake up from his shoulders to tangle in his hair, and thank the good Lord above he’d showered and washed it before this.

“You know,” Tommy manages when she’s pulled back just a fraction, chest rising and falling rapidly, “I don’t normally do this on the first date, I try to be more of a gentleman.”

Maria laughs, the vibrations of it rumbling into his own chest, her nose brushing his. “Liar,” she murmurs, before erasing the distance between them once more.

He’s careful with his own hands, even as the feeling of her settled above him with her braids falling forward like a curtain between them and the world threatens to undo his already fraying self-control. Fingertips dig into the meat of her hips before sliding up to wrap around her ribs and hoist her even closer to him, the barest graze along the side of her breast having her gasping against his mouth and he leans forward again, chasing the sound –

A twig snaps behind them and Tommy moves automatically, shifting to put Maria behind him, one hand reaching to the pistol on the blanket by his hip.

But it’s just patrol on the other side of the creek, Fred pointedly looking at the sky and Selina winking at them. Tommy flushes, Maria lifting her hand in an easy wave.

“Wrap it before you tap it!” Selina hollers across, nudging her horse into a canter to catch up with a rapidly fleeing Fred. “You kids have fun!”

“Jesus Christ,” Tommy chuckles, his head falling forward until it rests on Maria’s collarbone. “Damn near gave me a heart attack.”

“You and me both.” Her hand resumes its lazy wandering through the hair at the nape of his neck, and Tommy bites back a quiet moan. “Maybe we oughta be moving this…somewhere else.” The suggestion in her tone is unmistakable, and his hands tighten with the urge to pull her close all over again. Instead he pulls back, tilts his chin up to look her in the eyes.

“If you’re sure…”

She doesn’t hesitate, pushing to her feet and holding her hands out to help pull him up as well. Her arms wrap around his neck, lips finding his one more time. “I’m sure,” Maria says, no hesitation in the words.

And well - how in the hell could he ever tell her no?

happy birthday girly i hope you have the best day ever!!

find all my ficlets on ao3 and tumblr

[chronicallyonlinewriter]

for drabbles: more Tommy and Maria? you gave them such a cute family and I want to see more of that!

I'm actually working on a one-shot (tentatively titled Stand on the Rock) about them, which fits into my People Still Listen to Fleetwood Mac in the Apocalypse series. It takes place a year after the events of Go Your Own Way, and about two-and-a-half years before As Long as You Follow. Again, have a (long!) snip!

A crash resonated from somewhere within the house – downstairs, judging from the overall distance that seemed to carry it – and then a shout quickly followed. A second later there was another sound, and a far more terrifying one at that: the shattering of glass, followed by a young voice yelling out in surprise and then a more feminine tone screeching out, “you asshole!” 

“For fuck’s sake –” Maria turned her head, moaning this into her pillow. “Tell me I didn’t just hear something glass break.”

“You didn’t hear somethin’ glass break,” Tommy grunted. Still, they didn’t move, seemingly frozen in place. A deep sigh left his lips, his forehead pressed against her braids. “Maybe we can just…lay here, pretend like we didn’t hear nothin’.”

“Mama!” The sheer desperation of the cry made them both groan, and that was that – all hope was lost. Within seconds, their – thankfully locked – doorknob was rattling, twisting back and forth and shuddering as a small fist pounded against the painted wood. “Papa! Let me in!”

“You want broken glass, or the three-year-old?” Maria pulled herself away from him with a groan, leaving him suddenly feeling rather cold even under the warmth of their duvet. She slid out from over the covers and sat up at the side of the bed, stretching herself long, her feet on the ground and her head tilted back as her hands grasped at the back of her neck, working out the knots in her muscles. 

“I want you to get back in this bed, cariño,” he grumbled, reaching his arm out long just to tug at the bottom of her sleep shirt. “Whatever’s broken’ll still be broken in five minutes.”

“Five minutes, huh?” She twisted around to look at him still laying against his pillow, one eyebrow arched toward her hairline. “What girl could possibly resist an offer that enticing?” She rose to her feet as he chuckled, opening her dresser drawers and grabbing a clean pair of underwear and some jeans, both of which she wrangled over her hips with impressive speed as she hopped her way to their bedroom door. There was still a small pair of lungs bellowing for mama and papa on the other side, but as soon as it was unlocked and Maria pulled it open, the little face that was there to greet them switched from abject misery to pure joy almost immediately.

“Mama!” Artie threw hands in the air, jumping up and down on his tip-toes expectantly. Maria acquiesced immediately, sweeping the boy up in her arms and holding him securely at her shoulder. “Teo and Cece broke something!” he informed both of them chirpily, and Tommy snorted even as he covertly pulled his boxers back over his thighs, still under the protection of the blanket.

“My son, the narc,” he said, holding his hands out.

“My son, the state’s witness,” Maria corrected him, pressing a sloppy kiss on the boy’s cheek before dropping the giggling bundle of curly hair and fire engine red pajamas on top of the covers, where he immediately made a beeline for his father’s waiting arms. “All yours, Casanova. I’m going downstairs – see what the other two have managed to destroy. My bet’s on a window.”

“Don’t be a pessimist, mi vida,” he chided her, and she paused in the doorway, “we also got a TV, some mirrors – I mean, the possibilities are endless.”

She didn’t even bother replying directly to him, letting the shake of her head and a few mumbled words do it for her, and he listened to her feet stomping down the stairs while Artie pushed himself into his arms, pressing his face against Tommy’s chest.

“Do you know what they broke, cachetes?” he whispered to the toddler, brushing some of his curls away from his eyes. The boy shook his head, though his smile only grew. “No? You were in bed?” Artie nodded this time, and Tommy laughed. “Yeah, I don’t believe that for a second.” 

Artie said nothing to this, but he giggled again, reaching up to tug on the collar of Tommy’s t-shirt so he could pull himself closer to the man’s chest. He nestled in, a small, warm body curled against his father, and Tommy welcomed the embrace, more than willing to steal a few extra moments of rest so his heart could find some calm before the demands of the day began. He knew well enough that this was all very temporary – that someday Artie would decide that he was too old to start his mornings this way, that eventually he wouldn’t even want Tommy to hold his hand while they walked through the streets of Jackson. He still remembered the sting of it, the first time Sarah surreptitiously pulled away from him before they could cross an intersection together, barely seven years old but already convinced of her need for independence. 

“It’s just you, me, and the alborotadores today,” he said softly, palming one of Artie’s comically rounded cheeks. It was almost disappointing that they were beginning to diminish; that the boy was growing into his looks, stretching taller by the day and developing a leanness to his limbs that was propelling him out of toddlerhood faster than Tommy expected or wanted. “What d'you wanna do?”

When Artie smiled he was all Tommy, his nose wrinkling out of habit, a wide grin stretched over his teeth. In moments of tranquility Maria's influence on his features became more evident, his dark eyes just as wide and observant, his nose, when settled, more rounded at its tip. His hair seemed to darken more and more every day – and it was the hair that always gave Tommy pause, so reminiscent of the cousin he would never get to meet, tightly-coiled and springy and barely able to be contained under a hat when the weather turned cold. It was the hair that always caught his uncle’s attention, too; where his eyes always lingered for a little longer than he meant for them to, his expression carefully neutral until the child’s attention was upon him and he would remember to immediately force a smile that never quite reached his eyes.

“Pancakes,” said Artie now, “with syrup.” 

Forget the syrup one goddamn time, and Tommy was certain he would never hear the end of it. Still, he smiled down at the pair of eyes that were now carefully watching him, a young face that brightened considerably when he nodded in agreement. “Pancakes it is. Gotta go to the dining hall for it, though. You’re gonna have to get dressed – no pajamas allowed. You wanna get started, and then I’ll come in and help?” “Okay!” Invigorated by the promise of pancakes, Artie sprang up at once, crawling over his father and not even noticing the sharp ‘oof!’ pushed out of Tommy’s lungs when one of his small knees connected with sternum, dropping down on the other side of him and then wiggling down the side of the bed until his bare feet touched the cold hardwood. “Hurry!” the boy yelled, already dashing into the hallway. Tommy sat up slowly, one hand rubbing at his aching chest, a deep sigh leaving his throat.

He’d been awake for less than ten minutes, and already he could tell it was going to be a very long day.

[mariatesstruther]

i`ve just finished all your fics and they`re so goooooood, i want more! i'm in my Tommy/Maria rot and you write them so well, are you gonna write more for the pairing maybe? also what are your favorite Tommy/Maria fics?💖

omg thank u thank u thank u anon, whoever and wherever u are. i really appreciate this, and i am 100% writing more of maria/tommy. i just got a second job so my time is limited, but literally almost everytime in on the bus to/from work im thinking and writing about these two 🫶🏾

fear of heights, my tommy/maria origin story fic will have part 2 posted sometime in september! tommy’s chapter will finish off that fic, and i’d love to write more stories of them in that universe like flora and fauna

in the meantime, my joel/tess exes textfic also has a bit of tommy/maria and will be finished at the end of this month!

i also plan to write a tommy/maria hairdresser au in which maria does hair, either as a modern au or some type of miller family fic set in jackson!

as for my favorite maria/tommy fics, im actually working on a fic rec post with my favorite works about them and maria specifically. i feel like it’s so hard to find fics that appreciate and extend understanding to maria as a character along with tommy, so i want to make a list of the ones i personally really love. should be posted by wednesday!

off the top of my head though, i love anything by marchflower, especially in sickness and in health

germanus by @timelesslords

wool to brave the seasons by ducle_chisme

if it werent for second chances, we’d all be alone by mentallyinlothlorien

ANYTHING by cannedpeaches (who also has an amazing tommy/maria origin fic)

AND there was nowhere for me to stay by missicarus08

hope there’s something in here u haven’t read yet anon!!! if anyone has tommy/maria fics to rec please fell welcome to reply 🫶🏾🫶🏾🫶🏾🫶🏾🫶🏾

sm love and i will make sure to reblog this when i update!

[pearlessance]

Idle Threats MASTERLIST

Joel has watch duty with Jackson’s twenty-year old, smart-mouthed brat and gets more than he bargained for.

Warnings: Explicit sexual content MDNI, brat taming, religious imagery and symbolism, catholic guilt, dom/sub undertones, canon typical violence, age gap (32years), mean!Joel, jealousy, reader is given a backstory to progress the plot, size difference, mention of sexual assault, mention of loss and death, mention of sexual assault of a minor, (no explicit details), renouncing of god, desecration of a church, JOEL POV

i: Watch Duty

ii: Locked Doors

iii: The Hand that Feeds

iv: Feelin' Empty?

v: Faith in Me

vi: Her Love Endures

vii: Dig Two Graves

viii: Forgive Me, Father

ix: Judge, Jury, Executioner

x: 32:1

[completed on AO3!]

divider by @tsunami-of-tears <3

bottom graphic by @saradika-graphics <3

[bumblepony]

Is it this couple, by any chance? Because, like, I am totally staring at them, too. Like, can we stare at them together?

Hey boss I can’t come into work tomorrow. I need to stare at a screenshot of my emotional support fictional couple touching foreheads. Yeah one of them is covered in blood, so it’s gonna be an all day thing. You understand

[blackberrydeer]

[naughtyneganjdm]

Christmas in Jackson - Chapter 2

Summary: Waking up in Jackson is surprisingly more comfortable than Y/N expects, but she realizes that she needs to get a warmer wardrobe while she stays there. As a favor for Tommy, Joel walks her to the store. During their walk she starts to realize that she stands out in the small town more than she would care to.

Characters: Joel Miller, the reader (OC), Tommy Miller, Maria Miller, etc.

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/61159651/chapters/156639493

Warnings: Swearing, Angst, Grumpy Joel, etc.

Notes: Thanks for anyone that reads this. If you want to find the first chapter to read, you can find it here.

There were a lot of things that Y/N was expecting to feel when she woke up this morning, but refreshed was not one of them. After the night she had? She thought she would wake up regretting her decision to take this spontaneous trip completely. Everything started off badly, so it was easy to think that. But truthfully? Last night had probably been the most sleep she had gotten in a very long time. And it was sound sleep. Not the kind of broken up sleep that she had grown used to over the years. Especially with her job. Being a doctor meant long hours and very small amounts of sleep.

Surprisingly? The bed was comfortable. The extensive Christmas lights in her room were calming, helping to put her at ease by the time that she woke up. And it was nice to finally wake up when she wanted to. Usually she was woken up by an alarm or someone calling her into work. So this was something that she hadn’t felt in a very long time.

When she woke up, she laid in bed for a while. Having no obligations felt incredible. Getting up when she wanted was amazing. She made herself coffee from the machine that was in her room and got a hot shower in that lingered longer than it probably should have. Even though this was a strange place to stay, the amenities weren’t all that bad. It was quiet. And more than anything? That’s what she needed right now.

The only responsibility that she knew that she had to do today was get some warmer clothes to wear around town. Even though she felt like she could get lost in the hallways of the inn finding something new at every corner, she knew that she didn’t want to stay locked up all day. So, that’s where she was officially headed. Downstairs in search of someone that might be able to give her a suggestion as to where she could get clothes. Freezing wasn’t something she was hoping to do in her time here. The taxi driver from the night before had told her that a large snowstorm was coming in the next few days. Which meant she needed to be prepared before it was too late.

Leaving her suite surprised her. Unlike last night where the whole place was eerily empty, there was a group of people sitting by the second story fireplace. As she made her way downstairs, she was impressed to see that the lobby was also pretty full with people. Most of them were circled by the fireplace talking or walking around the lobby gazing upon the many decorations. A lot of people there appeared to be family or groups of friends? Truthfully? She looked like the only person that was there alone.

Looking around, she was surprised how many people were actually there. Then again, she wondered if these were people that were staying at the hotel or they were people just coming in to check out the decorations. There was also that bar and restaurant that was attached that probably drew people here as well. What she thought was a ghost town was really only a ghost town late at night. Things must have shut down early in Jackson and after living in New York City? That wasn’t something that she was used to.

Unlike last night, she allowed herself the chance to take everything in. Now that she had gotten sleep, she was observing everything in a different light. She still thought the whole place was a little over the top, but with people around, she wasn’t seeing it in the light that she did last night. There was a charm to it that brought a sense of joy throughout her.   

“Ms. Y/N!” a familiar voice called out to her and she looked over her shoulder to see that Tommy was talking with a group of people but had obviously seen her come down the stairs. Excusing himself, Tommy made his way over to her. It surprised her that he would even want to interact with her how things went last night, but his bright smile was still there when he approached her. “How are we doing this morning?”

“Surprisingly well,” she was honest, shocked to see that Tommy was still the one up and about. Considering he was the one that helped her last night when she showed up, she assumed that she wouldn’t be seeing him. “I got some of the best sleep that I’ve had in a long time.”

“Amazing, I’m so glad to hear that,” Tommy rubbed his hands together, his smile growing larger. Looking around, Tommy motioned Y/N to follow him toward a corner of the lobby where the majority of the people weren’t. “I’m very sorry for how my brother acted last night. We’re very thankful that you chose to join us for the holidays.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m from New York, I’m used to people like your brother,” she admitted knowing that Joel really did get under her skin last night, but she was trying to lie about it. After everything she went through Joel only felt like a minor inconvenience. “There is a huge difference between you and your brother. I can see that you are a genuine, sweet person. You have one of those smiles.”

“Thank you,” it looked like a huge amount of weight had been lifted from Tommy’s shoulders with her saying that to him. “I try my best to be the best version of myself that I can always be. And trust me, when you meet my wife, you are gonna love her. She’s my better half. When you meet her, you’ll understand the smile that is always on my face.”

“That’s very sweet,” she noted, giving a small nod and looking around the lobby again. “I hate to bother you, but seeing as this is the warmest outfit that I brought with me, do you think you could point me in the right direction of somewhere I can head to get some clothes?”

“That’s your warmest?” Tommy looked her over, giving her a quick nod. By the expression over his face she could tell that he was shocked she came here with only that. “Yeah, you’re definitely gonna need something more to keep you warm. Anything you need, you can pretty much find in walking distance here. I can write down a few places and…”

“Tommy, I’m just going to drop this stuff off at the post office,” a thick, southern drawl interrupted Tommy showing that Joel was moving out of the registration office wearing a thick winter coat. A bag was thrown over his shoulder and when he saw who Tommy was talking to, Joel’s words came to a quick stop. A rush of color flooded into Joel’s face and he forced himself to look down. “I’ll be back in a few. I have some things I need to do.”

“Y’know what?” Tommy looked between Joel and Y/N, clapping his hands together. “Why don’t you show Y/N here where she can get herself some warmer clothes in town. You’re going to the post office and I know that on the way there are a few shops.”

“Tommy!” Joel snapped, his brown eyes growing angry. The lines in his forehead grew deeper, his hand throwing up in frustration. “I don’t really have time right now.”

“You have nothing, but time!” Tommy cut Joel off from complaining, the smile that was usually plastered over his face disappearing and a serious expression replaced it. Their bickering made Y/N feel out of place. There was some obvious tension between the two brothers. But she wondered if it was because of her and only her or if it was there all along. “After last night, you owe me. And you owe her.”

“Sure thing little brother,” Joel grumbled under his breath, his brown eyes locking with Y/N’s. Firmly, Joel patted Tommy’s shoulder drawing a grunt to escape Tommy. There was probably more strength to that movement than Tommy would have liked. “I would love to show you around town on my way to the post office. We don’t want you freezing with the time that you are spending here.”

“Good man,” Tommy returned the gesture, patting Joel on the shoulder. Giving Joel a reaffirming nod, she could tell just by the way that they locked eyes that things were still uneasy between them. As fast as it was gone, Tommy’s smile returned and he brushed his longer hair back over his shoulders. “Alright, Ms. Y/N, just follow Joel here and he’ll get you to where you need to be.”

“You know what? He doesn’t have to do that,” Y/N was quick to turn down the offer getting both of the brothers to look over at her with their dark eyes. Really? She didn’t want to be the reason that these two were fighting with each other. And she could tell that she was causing them tension. “I can just walk around and find things myself.”

“Nah, I insist,” Joel slurred nodding his head toward the door for them to leave. “A town like this could be overwhelming for someone the first time they are in it. So I have no problem helping you find your way.”

“See you later,” Tommy waved with Joel leading Y/N toward the back door of the building to leave. Since she had entered through the front the day before, she was already seeing new parts of the inn that she hadn’t seen last night.  But instead of letting her get a look at it, Joel was quick to place his hand in over her lower back to rush her out.

Even though Joel had an obvious disdain for her, he still held the door open for her. Well, at least he had a sense of chivalry in him. That might have been the one thing he had left from his southern charm. A wince escaped her lips once she made it outside. The wind was cold and it didn’t matter if this was the warmest thing she had. Cold in New York was very different than cold in Jackson.

Turning on her heel, she let out a tense breath when she came face to face with a giant bear wooden carving, “Oh give me a fucking break.”

Realizing that the carving was actually a chair caused her to start laughing uncontrollably, “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

“Hey, don’t knock it. The guests just love taking their selfies and what not sitting on that thing,” Joel pointed over toward the bear that she was absolutely amused with. “In fact, I reckon if you sat there right now and we took a photo of you sitting there, I bet the people on your socials would go crazy for it.”

“My socials?” she couldn’t help but muse, her eyebrows bouncing up in amusement. “How old do you think I am?”

“I’m just repeating what I’ve heard,” Joel snorted, sucking in a sharp breath of air. Waving her forward, Joel tried to get her to focus so he could get to what he wanted to do. “Now if you’ll follow me…”

With a single nod, she started trailing behind Joel on the sidewalk. Pretty quickly, Joel noticed that she had stopped in her tracks. Looking over his shoulder, he could see that her eyes were locked on something in the distance. There was a certain awed expression that was in them. Throwing his hands up in the air, he scoffed with her keeping him back longer. When he realized what she was staring at, he couldn’t help but smirk, “What? You’ve never seen mountains before?”

“Nothing like this,” she confessed with the sight of the snowy mountain in the distance. The moment she saw them they took her breath away. Stepping in beside her, Joel joined her staring out at the mountain she was focused on. “The town is completely surrounded by them. I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

“I forgot that you showed up when it was dark so you didn’t see this,” Joel commented, stealing a quick look at her. It had been a long time since he had seen someone so impressed. Everyone here was used to this? This was normal. But for someone like her? This was a completely new experience all together. And the admiration she had for it was evident. Considering he had lived here for so long, it had been years since he stopped to appreciate the beauty of everything. “See, not everything around here is awful. Mother nature can actually be really beautiful. I know it’s not like your city scape, but this is just as beautiful, if not more if you ask me.”

“Hey, don’t knock New York. It’s the most beautiful city in the world,” she suggested getting a chuckle out of Joel who immediately shook his head.

Yes, Jackson was stunning. The buildings weren’t everything that she would want from a small town, but the surroundings? It felt like she was standing in the middle of a painting. They were so gorgeous that they didn’t seem real. But New York City? Well that was a very special place for her.

“I’m gonna have to disagree with you there,” Joel retorted, sucking in a sharp breath of air. “There is something about fresh air that just feels so much better than the pollution you breathe in every day in big cities.”

“Have you ever been to New York City?” she wondered, looking to Joel after she finally pulled her eyes away from the mountains. “There is something about it that is so beautiful. There are so many things magical about the city. Especially during Christmas time.”

“And yet you’re here,” Joel pointed out, tipping his head to the side with an arrogant bob. Realization struck when she knew that he was right. But it wasn’t the city she was running away from. It was her life. And she still found beauty in the city that she lived in. “I can’t say that I’ve ever been there, but I did spend some time in Boston for a while. With my old job, you’d think I would have loved the city.”

“What was your old job?” she questioned getting a laugh from Joel who started walking again. Swiftly moving forward, she did her best to catch up with him. Having her asking him about his life had turned him completely off of their discussion. “What? You weren’t always co-owner of the local inn?”

“This was Tommy’s idea,” Joel snorted, his nose wrinkling when he thought about the inn that they ran together. Giving her a quick glance, Joel swallowed down hard when he realized that she was staring out at him with big eyes desperate to have some kind of conversation. “I used to be a contractor. Ran my own business.”

“No shit!” she was blunt in response evoking another grunt from Joel’s throat. Truthfully? It was hard to pinpoint the kind of person that she was. When he first saw her eyeballing the inn when she arrived, he thought she was a stuck-up person. But when she said things like that? He thought something completely different. “Then a place like New York is perfect for you. If you’re a contractor…”

“I was a contractor!” Joel spoke loudly, interrupting her train of thought. There was some color growing in her cheeks and he didn’t know if it was from the cold or the embarrassment of being shut down by him.

“I was just saying I think you’d really love some of the buildings that were there,” she spoke quietly, unaware if she had offended him in some way. There appeared to be a sense of anger flooding throughout his body and she wondered what she had done. “Just getting to walk around would be enjoyable I think. You could get lost for hours. There is this church that I like to…”

“Isn’t it cold in New York City?” Joel shut her down once more with her talking about her thoughts on whether he would enjoy something or not. Noticing the way that she was tremoring, Joel found himself frustrated with her. “Why the hell did you come here with just that?”

“Yeah. Of course it’s cold in New York City. It’s just, not this cold,” she explained to him, rubbing her hands together as she tried to gather some warmth. Noticing that people were starting to stare at her while she walked with Joel made her feel out of place and uncomfortable. “People are staring at me.”

“Well, yeah. You kind of stand out like a sore thumb darlin’,” Joel reminded her with a raspy laugh. People around here were always sticking their nose in other people’s business so he wasn’t surprised that she was having people giving her weird looks. “You look like you’re dressed for a run in Central Park during the spring. Not for a walk-through Wyoming during the winter. You’re gonna draw attention. Plus, everyone knows everyone around here. And they don’t wear the kinda clothes that you do. That’s why I said, none of this really made sense with what you decided to do. We get people coming here all the time because they want to do the skiing. Or they want to see movie locations from the films that were done out here. But no one usually comes alone. Especially at Christmas time. Most businesses don’t pass through here. Hell, only twelve major cities in the United States have direct flights to Jackson. So, people aren’t gonna be used to someone like you.”

“It can’t be that bad,” she took a look around realizing that she was in fact getting strange looks from people as they passed. That was going to be hard getting used to. In New York City? For the most part, she felt invisible. Here, she was the center of attention. “Okay. So at least the mountains and the bed at the inn are nice. The people? They make me kind of ill at ease.”

“I don’t know what you expect,” Joel waved his hand about in the air, his blood boiling when he thought about her decision to just randomly show up to a city she knew nothing about. “I think if you told anyone how you ended up here, they would look at you like you were nuts. You don’t fit in here.”

“I recognize that,” she agreed with him, biting down on her bottom lip. Feeling guilty about things, she shrugged her shoulders and sighed loudly. “Let’s just say I wasn’t in the best headspace when I decided to get on a plane and leave.”

“Gotcha,” Joel grumbled under his breath, clinging tightly to the bag that was thrown over his shoulder. “I think that was fairly obvious. Most people don’t get on a plane and just have a stranger pick where they are going.”

“I just wanted to get away,” she was honest with Joel, not elaborating because she remembered him telling her the night before that he didn’t really care. Looking around them, she caught sight of the old movie theater that was across the street. And right beside it there was a grocery store. What really caught her attention was the names of things. The Grand Teton Theater. Twin Sisters Grocer. The Main Street Gallery. This was undoubtedly a small town. From their blacksmith to their hardware store. Everything looked like it was out of an old western film that was doing its best to cover up and pretend to be a modern town. “Let’s just say life isn’t really the best right now.”

“How bad can it be?” Joel retorted, his nose wrinkling in what looked like disgust. His question seemed to upset her when she cleared her throat uneasily. “I just mean you visibly have a large amount of money. You can do whatever you want. I picture you have a fancy apartment where you can watch the city. And enjoy it with your family.”

“I don’t have a family,” she muttered under her breath, her body tense when Joel stopped to steal a quick glance at her. “I’m alone.”

“Then friends?” Joel continued, stressing that there had to be something other than making crass decisions to fly herself out to the middle of nowhere. Knowing no one was likely worse than staying in a place where she had someone.  

“I was really focused on work and school. The friends that I did have, they’ve moved on. They have families…” she started to ramble on about her life having Joel’s eyelids growing heavy. Opening up to him was hard because she really never did that with anyone back home. “I have friends, but no one that I’m incredibly close to that would even notice that I’m gone. They are used to me working. And I’m close to some people I work with, but again, not that close.”

“Boyfriend? Husband?” Joel breathed out, desperate to find something to help her realize that life couldn’t be as awful as she thought it was back at home.

“My boyfriend and I recently broke up,” she declared having Joel’s prominent dimple sinking in with his eyes rolling. “He was the lead surgeon at the hospital that I work at.”

“I’m gonna assume that he dumped you,” Joel stammered, his throat tensing up when she stopped walking with him to glare out at him. “Your reaction tells me I’m right. You wouldn’t be running away from your life if you were the one that broke up with him.”

“I’m getting the hint that’s not why you said that,” she frowned, forcing herself to look down and away from Joel. The energy that she originally had in talking to him before was gone. It was obvious that he had offended her. “Am I really that off putting?”

Joel didn’t know what to say, so he stayed quiet, “My boyfriend was cheating on me with the chief of staff of the hospital. When I found out, he told me it was my fault because I was too busy with my job. Which is funny since he’s the lead surgeon and he worked more than I ever did. He said I wasn’t emotionally available and he…”

“Listen, I don’t know how I gave you the impression that somehow I care about your personal life because I don’t,” Joel started, his southern drawl getting thicker when they came to a stop on the corner of Main Street together. “I’m trying to pretend that I care enough so I can get through this walk with you. I’m only doing this because it’s what my brother wanted. I don’t care about your life. I don’t want to hear about it. Pretty soon, you’re gonna realize that this place isn’t for you and you’re gonna leave to go back to your apartment in the city.”

“Brownstone. I own a brownstone in the city,” she corrected him eliciting an amused rumble from him. Of all the things for her to respond to, she had to remind him that she was richer than he was suggesting.  

“Of course you do,” Joel scoffed, waving his hand about in the air. “You’re pampered Y/N. And you think everyone is supposed to care about you. Why you’re here. But no one does. You’re just an insignificant person in a town of people that are curious as to why you’re here because you don’t fit in. Soon, you’ll go back to New York City and just disappear into the crowd like everyone does in that city. So why don’t you gift me with some silence on our walk so I can actually enjoy it.”

“Wow,” she felt her heart skip a beat, her lips parting after it felt like she got kicked in the gut with what he just said to her. “You really are an asshole. Here I was just thinking it was you having a bad day and it was the alcohol talking. But no. You think just because I have money that I should be happy? Do you even know how I have my money? Why I have the place that I do? How hard I worked to get where I am? Why I took…”

“I’m trying to act like I care, but I don’t,” Joel interrupted her, holding his hand up in the air realizing that she was getting upset. “And you caring that I don’t care doesn’t make sense to me Y/N. I’m just an insignificant asshole who co-owns an inn that you are staying at. I’m a miserable person. Caring what I think proves that you are not in the right state of mind.”

Swallowing down the emotions that she was experiencing after what he had said to her, Joel shook his head and pointed his finger in the distance, “There are two places you can buy clothes on this street. The Nubuck Leather Company, which let’s be honest isn’t gonna do anything for you in this weather. And the other is the Main Street Outfitters. That’s where I think you’re gonna find what you need. It won’t be your style and you will likely snub your nose at it like you’ve done everything else, but at least you’ll be warm.”

Dropping his hand down at his side, Joel shook his head and nodded off in the other direction, “There’s nothing for you here Y/N. You really should just go home and figure things out there. But until then, I have things to do.”

Leaving her on the corner of the street, Joel walked in the opposite direction from where she would be headed to get clothes. Right then and there any positivity that she had been feeling was sucked right out of her from the things that Joel had said to her. It left her feeling like maybe she should have just gone back to the inn, grabbed her things and left. Then again? She knew how people treated her in New York and she wasn’t about to let people chase her away from here as well. She wanted something new for a while and she was going to force herself to try.

Walking down the street, she kept her head down. On the corner was the public library. There was a Main Street Gallery. Another grocery store. And across the street something drew her eyes to the town center. There was an archway made completely of antlers at the entrance of it. This was a weird town, but she was going to prove Joel wrong. She was going to show that she could make it here for a few more days.

Reaching the Main Street Outfitters, she entered the store and immediately felt out of place. Joel wasn’t wrong. She did stand out like a sore thumb. Browsing through the clothing racks, she just grabbed a few random things here and there that would fit her. These weren’t things that she would normally choose to wear, but she had to consider that this wasn’t a normal situation. Unlike Joel, there was a young girl at the store that was eager to help her find things to wear that she thought would look nice on Y/N. And she seemed excited to find out how Y/N got to town. When the girl found out Y/N was a doctor, it opened up a whole lot of discussion for the two of them. It sounded like they were lacking doctors and a good hospital around town.

After she got some things for herself and grabbed another traveling bag to put the clothes in, she took the walk back to the inn. Tommy wasn’t wrong when he told her everything was in walking distance. It really was. This was a very small town and she felt like she could easily walk through it all in a day. It would take longer to learn everything and understand it, but it wouldn’t take a lot out of her to walk it.

Getting back, she changed and then came back downstairs. The lobby was no longer as full as it was previously. Taking a seat on the steps, she knew that she just needed some time to get accustomed to things. Maybe walking around town was for the best.

“Hey there,” someone called out from the registration office getting Y/N to lift her head up. This time it was a woman that was there, her smile bright and welcoming. Stepping out of the room, the woman stepped before Y/N and held her hand out. “My name is Maria. I imagine you are Ms. Y/N. The woman that Tommy told me about.”

“Do I stand out that much?” she wondered, accepting the handshake that Maria was offering her. Maybe she was starting to think that Joel was right with this town.

“Well, all of the people that checked into this hotel did during the day and I already knew their faces. Your face, I don’t know yet,” Maria was honest with her, resting her arm on the handrail of the staircase while she spoke with Y/N.

“I feel better to hear that,” Y/N admitted, hating to think that she stood out that much. “After the way Joel treated me a few minutes ago, I was starting to think that I looked like an alien of some kind.”

“Oh boy,” Maria exhaled loudly, motioning Y/N to follow her. There was a look of disappointment that filled Maria’s face, but it didn’t seem like she was shocked that Joel had offended her. “How about I buy you a coffee and show you around the inn? Unless you already walked around?”

“I have not,” Y/N pulled herself up from the steps knowing that Maria was just trying to be kind in a moment where her brother-in-law wasn’t. Following Maria through the hallways, Y/N couldn’t help but stop to look at the décor while they walked around. “Did Tommy leave?”

“Yeah, he needed to get some sleep,” Maria answered with a weak smile, pointing down the hallway. “So at the end of this hallway, we have the restaurant and the bar that are connected to the hotel. They both draw a lot of people from town to come in. Enjoy a meal, a few drinks. We have bands play here a lot. It’s a lot of fun during some of our busier nights. If you don’t want to leave the inn, this bar is fine. But if you want to go to a nicer bar, I would suggest The Tipsy Bison. Joel and Tommy would swear by it. That’s where we go most nights to hang out. If you’re more into the wild crowd, there is a cowboy joint a few blocks over. It's popular with the tourists, but The Tipsy Bison is more so a local favorite. The cowboy joint pulls out all the bells and whistles. Worth seeing once, but other than that? It’s nothing special. Expensive drinks. Shitty food. You’re just paying for the environment.”

Listening closely, Y/N figured it was smart to learn about places from someone who actually lived there. Motioning Y/N to wait after they entered the restaurant, Maria was quick to head toward the kitchen area. Talking to someone in the doorway, Maria followed them and then came back with two to-go coffee cups for them.

“I hope you don’t mind peppermint mocha,” Maria muttered, handing the coffee that she had grabbed to Y/N who happily accepted. “We’re big on our Christmas flavors out here during this time of the year.”

“Sounds great,” Y/N took a sip of the drink, knowing that she wouldn’t turn it down because it was a nice gesture. Kindness seemed to be something that was very prevalent in both Tommy and Maria. Walking beside Maria, they took the same route back toward the lobby. What she was trying to do was take in all the decorations and information that were on the walls as they walked. Maria picked up on it so they were moving slow enough for her to do so. Part of her was amused by the cowboy sculptures and paintings, but she didn’t want to laugh. There was that chance she would offend Maria who had been nothing but kind to her. Getting another glance at the slot machines she had seen when she first arrived had her interested in learning more about the place. “I take it people are big into gambling out here.”

“Oh yeah. The original owners wanted this to be somewhere people could gamble when it first opened. That’s why you will see a lot of the blackjack memorabilia. We’re trying to keep the history of this inn alive,” Maria educated Y/N about the place she was currently staying at. “Really, there is some interesting stuff to learn if you take a look at everything that hangs on the walls. If you ever get overwhelmed and just want to relax? Down in the fitness area we have a few jacuzzies that you can get in. They are duo sized, but they are nice. And we have a tiny relax pool down there too.”

“Are there any big events that you do for Christmas?” Y/N wondered if there was something that she could actually look forward to in being here since this was a small town.

“You missed the tree lighting, that was in November. But right now? The town does the twelve days of Christmas. At certain locations, people like to do cookie decorating contests. Ice sculptures. Caroling. We have a lot of open mic nights at The Tipsy Bison. If you’re still here on Christmas the town puts together a really nice Christmas dinner that you can enjoy with people from around town. Santa appears at the square every day until Christmas Eve. On Christmas day they have him at the resort coming down on a tram. You can ski with him if you’re into that kind of thing. There is free ice skating. A holiday market that they do a little ways away. It’s a twenty-minute drive or so. They also do horse drawn sleigh rides. Those are cute.”

“So there is something to do here,” Y/N noted that there seemed to be things that she could get involved in while she was staying here. Just by looking at the area? You wouldn’t think there was much someone could look forward to.

“Tommy said you were from New York City?” Maria confirmed with Y/N who gave a simple nod in return. “It’s not like that. So don’t expect something grand and big like they do there. But it’s nice and homey. Like something out of those Christmas movies you’d watch on the television. I do kind of feel like I’m living on the set of a small film every day of my life. There is always something new and interesting happening.”

“I can see why you’d feel that way,” Y/N agreed with what Maria had expressed. When she woke up this morning and looked outside her window it felt like she had either traveled to the past or she was living on a movie set. Now that Maria mentioned Christmas movies on the television, this place did remind her of something that she would have watched on Hallmark or something like that back in the day. Stopping in one of the hallways, Y/N let out an amused sound when they came to another big bear sculpture. Unlike the one outside, this one was inside of a glass case. And it made her smile. “There is so much to see here.”

“I know it can be a little cheesy at first, but it does wear off on you,” Maria promised her, giving a wink when Y/N’s eyes gazed back at her. “Joel is really into the old west. Tommy? Not so much. But since he came here and owns the place? I think it really started to rub off on him.”

“Joel’s the one that likes this cowboy stuff?” Y/N found that bit of information interesting considering Joel was such a grumpy prick. Y/N was surprised that Joel liked anything at all. “I figured he hated everything with his attitude.”

Hearing that had Maria laughing, but she tried to cover it up by slapping her palm over her own mouth. It was hard not to be entertained by Maria’s reaction to her comment.

“Joel is a hard guy to get used to,” Maria frowned as they started moving down another part of the hallways. Even though this was a small place, there were a lot of places to get lost in. There really was so much to see. “Once you start to peel back the layers, you see the good parts of him, but there is more to him than you think there is.”

“Other than a condescending asshole?” she scoffed, her face growing hot when she thought back to their conversation earlier. “He has a good way of making you feel small.”

“He’s just eager to push everyone away,” Maria attempted to explain, but it was hard considering Y/N was a stranger. “If you knew his past, you’d understand it. It’s not right, but you’d understand it.”

“The sad thing is that I thought he was cute when I first saw him. With those big, brown eyes,” Y/N admitted getting a shocked sound to fall from Maria’s lips. Confessing that she was attracted to Maria’s brother-in-law was probably not the smartest of things, but she was opening herself more up to these people. They weren’t people she was going to know for long, so what did it matter? “There was something incredibly charming about his messy hair and the way that he dresses. And then he opened his mouth and ruined everything.”

“The big browns do get you. That’s how I feel for Tommy,” Maria playfully nudged at Y/N’s shoulder showing that she was attempting to bond with Y/N. A loud rumble of a growl came from Y/N’s stomach with her head dropping down to look. “You’re hungry, huh?”

“I guess so,” Y/N frowned, placing her hand in over her stomach. Well, that was embarrassing. “I haven’t eaten much in a few days. I got a few things from the vending machine, but my stomach wants something else clearly.”

“It’s what?” Maria lifted her wrist to look down at her watch for the time. “We’re reaching brunch time. If I were you? I would go across the street to The Pig Pit. It may not sound the most appetizing, but they have great homemade food. Especially breakfast. You can get a lot for cheap. They have some really fun pancakes and waffle dishes around this time of the year. I would go with you, but I already grabbed some breakfast and someone needs to be in charge around here.”

“Thank you again for showing me around,” Y/N stopped to turn and face Maria. There was something about Maria’s smile that was just so inviting. It was contagious really and it made her feel warm on the inside. Maria was someone that she got good vibes from immediately. “You and your husband have been nothing but welcoming to me. I see why the two of you are together. You’re very much alike.”

“Don’t tell him that. We don’t want it to get to his head,” Maria laughed, shaking her head at the comment and folding her arms out in front of her chest. “Don’t be a stranger. Tommy and I love to talk, so if you’re ever looking for a conversation, we’re around.”

“Thank you for that,” Y/N said her goodbyes to Maria and she was grateful for her. At least now she knew that she wasn’t completely alone in this town of strangers. Tommy and Maria had been nothing but hospitable with her. It was a nice feeling that Maria left her with.

Following the instructions that Maria gave her before she took off, Y/N headed over to The Pig Pit like Maria had suggested. Pulling open the door, Y/N felt her heart skip a beat when she entered the restaurant. Almost immediately, everyone that was seated looked back to stare out at her alone. The place was full. That must have meant it was good. But it still made her feel out of place to be there. Taking a look around, she realized it was all mostly wood. That was a popular design that town seemed to have. Rustic, wooden places.

A waitress came to ask her if she was waiting for someone and when she said she was alone the waitress seemed excited, “Thank God for that. We only have a small table left.”

“Are you guys always this busy?” Y/N followed the waitress through the crowd starting to get nervous at how many people’s attention she was drawing. Even though she was dressed like them now, it seemed like they still picked up on the fact that she didn’t fit in.

“Yeah. We get a good crowd in the mornings and afternoons,” the woman explained, leading her toward a table that had a lump growing in Y/N’s throat when she saw it. Sitting at the table behind the one that she was being led to was Joel. Before him on the table was a single cup of coffee and he was reading the newspaper. “So, you’re new to town, huh? Are you here visiting family for the holiday?”

Hearing that question had Joel’s long eyelashes fluttering with his eyes raising. Once he realized that it was Y/N the waitress was asking the question to it seemed to draw out a tiny scoff from him. Reaching for his coffee, Joel took a long sip of it and went back to his newspaper ignoring her.

“I’m just visiting. Not sure how long. But no, I don’t have any family here,” Y/N confessed staring out at the table. There were two options. She could sit directly behind Joel where there was some room for her to sit comfortably. Or she could sit at the other side where a large man was seated behind that area which would have left her with less room. Taking the seat behind Joel had him grumbling under his breath when he scoot in closer to his table.

“Where are you staying?” the waitress questioned, speaking loud enough so that Y/N could hear her through the chatter that was loud in the restaurant. With how busy this place was? It could have been New York City. Everything was always busy in New York. So this felt like home for her. Except. Not.

“The Copper Peak Inn,” Y/N was quick to answer, her face growing hot when the waitress reached out to hit Joel with the pad of paper that she was carrying.

“So this guy and his brother are hosting you, huh?” the waitress stammered, not getting much of a reaction out of Joel. Out of the corner of her eye, Y/N noticed that it made Joel cringe. “That’s a beautiful place to be. You made the right decision.”

Silence fell between the two of them with how awkward things grew, “I tell you what? We’re famous for our hot chocolate here. How about I go get you a classic? On the house. You can look at your menu, get a feel for things while you warm up.”

“Are you sure you want to do that?” Y/N was shocked to see that people were actually friendly here with her since she was in fact a stranger. The waitress nodded and Y/N knew that she couldn’t deny the hospitality. “That’s really nice of you to offer.”

“Alright honey, I’ll be right back,” the waitress promised, giving another big smile and back stepping away from the table.

“So…” Joel slurred from behind her, turning in his chair slightly so that he could mutter something to her. “Are they all looking at you?”

Turning her head, Y/N noticed that the entire restaurant did continue to steal looks at her from where she was seated. Letting out an anxious sound evoked a deep rumble of a laugh to fall from Joel’s lips. “I thought so.”

“Why are they like that?” Y/N tried to force herself to look down at her menu that she had grabbed swiftly from the side of the table. The last thing she wanted to do was focus on how she was being watched by a bunch of strangers.

“It’s the small-town effect,” Joel grumbled under his breath, turning back in his seat facing away from her. “People can’t help but notice that one thing that is different in town. So they have to gawk. Unfortunately? That just happens to be you.”

“You have a gigantic ski resort not far from here. How are they not used to strangers?” she was curious why she was someone gaining their full attention.

“Because most people that come out here, stay at one of the resorts,” Joel informed her, turning in his chair so that he could look back at her. Doing the same, their eyes locked and he shrugged his shoulders. “The Four Seasons hotel or some shit. They go with their families. They don’t come alone. Anyone who stays in town is usually here for their family. You? You however are alone. It stands out to people like this. You should have seen the way they were when Tommy and I moved to town. People like getting in your business in small towns.”

“In New York people don’t give a shit,” she acknowledged causing Joel to scoff under his breath and reach for his coffee. “I think you could walk through a park alone and people would never realize that you were there.”

“And that’s the kind of life that you prefer?” Joel inquired, his eyebrow arching up in curiosity with a large slurping sound that followed. It almost felt like he was slurping loud purposely to be annoying. “You seem like the kind of person that wants everyone to notice her. So this town is right up your alley.”

“And you seem like the kind of person that wants to be left the fuck alone, so New York might be more up yours,” she threw out, a scowl tugging at her features. After all the negative comments he made about her recently, she was getting sick of it. So instead of taking it, she just gave him back the attitude.

Thinking about what she said had a tiny smirk pulling at Joel’s lips when he lowered the coffee cup down, “Touché.”

They were both turned sideways in their chairs not looking at each other, but still managing to somehow have a conversation, “I prefer it out here. I’ve lived in a big city. I didn’t like it.”

“Did you ever like anything?” she replied back provoking an annoyed sound to fall from his throat. Yet, a small laugh followed afterwards. Shaking his head, Joel’s eyebrows bounced up and he took another sip of his coffee. “I like how anything feels like it’s possible in New York. Everything there appeals to me.”

“Here you are!” the waitress came back with a vintage looking mug. There was a significant amount of whipped cream on top of it, followed by a giant marshmallow and two pieces of chocolate that were sticking out of the whipped cream. Red and green colored sprinkles were shaken over the whipped cream and it made her smile. It was the true definition of homemade and it reminded her of her youth. “Enjoy! Do you have any idea what you want to eat yet hun?”

“I’m still looking. Thank you,” Y/N offered up a bright smile realizing that she had barely taken a look at the menu. With a nod, the waitress went off to check on the rest of the customers in the busy restaurant. “Do you have any suggestions?”

“Well, it’s called The Pig Pit,” Joel reminded her with a snort, pointing toward the logo that was on top of the menu. It was a gawdy logo of a pig with flying wings that made her smirk. “So they are obviously into their pig options. Bacon, ham, sausage…”

“And what do you like?” she inquired, tipping her head to the side to look at Joel who huffed and shrugged his shoulders. “No suggestions?”

“How hungry are you? They have big breakfast plates that have all of their meats with eggs, hashbrowns and toast. If you’re not into that kind of thing, they have all kinds of pancakes and waffles. They also have this really big cinnamon roll that’s probably as big as your head for pretty cheap. It has toffee, cinnamon, pecans…the whole thing,” Joel explained to her and it was the first time she felt like Joel talked to her this long without some kind of insult slung at her. “Then again, I reckon the price of things doesn’t matter much to you.”

“Damn, we were doing well,” she huffed, reaching out to grab one of the pieces of chocolate that were sticking out of her glass. Bringing it up to her lips, she gave it a tiny bite and shook her head. “That was the first time you had put together that long of a sentence without insulting me. And then you had to break it.”

“You consider that an insult?” Joel wondered, a raspy laugh escaping him. “I’m just saying, I think you’d be able to get whatever you wanted and not worry about the price. A hot chocolate like that in New York I’m sure would cost you a hefty amount.”

“There is actually this little Christmas village that they set up every year in Bryant Park. There are a lot of hot chocolate places that go above and beyond. It’s like a work of art really. It’s so pretty you would rather take photos of it instead of drink it and they are often at least ten dollars,” she alerted Joel with a long a sigh, reaching for the hot chocolate to take a long sip of it. There was an incredible richness to the hot chocolate that had been brought to her and it surprised her how flavorful it actually was.

Setting her drink back down, she noticed that Joel was staring out at her with an amused expression, “What?”

Shaking his head, Joel reached for a napkin handing it to her. Pointing at her face had a warmth flooding into her features, “You’ve got some whipped cream all over your face there.”

“God,” she was embarrassed, turning away from him and the crowd. Being quick in the way that she wiped at her face had Joel chuckling.

“I notice you two keep talking,” the waitress approached both Joel and Y/N drawing them to look up at her. “Do the two of you want to share a table? Open one up for us just in case.”

“No,” they both were quick to respond with Joel turning his chair back toward his table. Shrugging her shoulders, the waitress moved to the free seat that was open across from Y/N.

“So? What can I get you?” the woman opened her notepad, prepared to take Y/N’s order.

“Joel said you do a pretty good cinnamon roll. I guess I can go with that?” she responded, not sure of what to order exactly. Truthfully? She still hadn’t looked much at the menu.

“Do you want anything else? I can bring you some eggs, one of the meats and potatoes for not much more added on,” the woman suggested and Y/N didn’t know what to do really. It felt like she was on the spot since she really hadn’t taken a look at the menu. Just nodding her head, she didn’t want to be rude and it seemed to excite the waitress. “Okay then, hun! What would you like for the meat?”

“I don’t know,” she was quick to respond looking around the restaurant in search of what may have looked good. “What would you…”

“She’ll have the bacon,” Joel spoke up for her, his back still turned away from the table while he looked over the newspaper. “And the eggs over medium.”

“I’ll have the bacon I guess and what he said about the eggs,” she repeated what Joel answered, her face flushing over with more color when the waitress gave her a nod and got up from the table.

“You’ll thank me later about the bacon,” Joel commented from behind her again getting her to look back over her shoulder in amusement. Sipping at his coffee, Joel didn’t seem to be too focused on her as he read his paper. “And the eggs are the safest bet. The scrambled are too dry. Sometimes they have shells. Over easy isn’t good enough. Over hard is disgusting. Over medium is perfect.”

“You sure you don’t want to join me at the table? You were pretty much the one that picked out my breakfast,” she reminded him, her hand drawing out against the tabletop. Since Joel had started talking to her she had really forgotten about being the center of the attention of those that were surrounding them.

“I actually came here to get some peace and be left alone,” Joel alerted her with a grunt, not bothering to look back at her this time. “I’d like to get a little of that before I have to go back to the inn. So if you don’t mind.”

“Well excuse me,” she waved her hand about dramatically, letting out a surprised sound when the waitress had come back to her table to sit down across from her. There was a big smile over her face and Y/N didn’t know how to react. People weren’t usually this forward in New York City. “Hi.”

“I’m very curious about you,” the woman explained, pressing her hands out over the center of the table. It was then that Y/N noticed her nails were painted and decorated in a very Christmas way. “Where are you from? What do you do for a living? What brought you to town?”

“Well,” Y/N felt a little overwhelmed with how pressing the woman was being, desperate to get some kind of information from Y/N. It made Y/N wonder if the waitress would then be used by the rest of the town to get the gossip. “I’m from New York City.”

“New York City!” the waitress’s voice grew louder, her eyes getting bigger at her response. With how loud she was speaking, Y/N was pretty sure that the people surrounding them could hear her too. “You came all the way from New York City to out here? How long was that plane ride? I bet it’s beautiful out there during this time of the year. I’ve always seen those videos on the internet about New York City during Christmas. Y’all always seem so ahead with all the things you pull out.”

“The plane ride was about seven hours,” Y/N focused on the question that she was asked, noticing that a few of the people that were close seemed to be listening in. “I am a trauma surgeon at one of the hospitals out there.”

“A doctor!” the woman was just as excited to hear that as she was to hear where Y/N came from. “We don’t have a lot of doctors out here. I mean we do, but no one incredibly impressive. Our hospital is really small. Nothing like I’m sure you’ll find in New York City.”

What could Y/N really say to that? She just nodded and reached for her drink to take a sip of it, “You never said why you were out here? What brought you to Jackson?”

“I uh…” Y/N thought about that answer knowing that Joel had made her feel incredibly stupid about the truth of that. “I wasn’t feeling the best about my life so I had someone drive me to an airport. I had the woman I spoke to at the desk pick for me where I was going. I didn’t know I was coming to Jackson until I was at the gate. I just asked for her to pick a place where I would be leaving soon that was nothing like New York City. And here I ended up. With nothing more than the bag on my shoulder.”

“Well that’s exciting,” the waitress settled into the chair visibly getting comfortable. “Why were you down on your life?”

“Careful, this one will tell you her life story,” Joel scoffed from where he was seated causing a frustrated breath to fall from Y/N’s lips. Something told her though that this waitress might be more eager to hear about her life than Joel was. “You might be there all day.”

“I don’t mind, I love hearing stories,” the woman tried to assure Y/N, but someone in the distance was calling out to the waitress trying to get her attention. It seemed like she may have been the only waitress there at that time so it didn’t make much sense for her to have a conversation with Y/N. “Alright! Alright! Keep your pants on. I’m coming. We should finish this conversation some other time though. I’d love to hear about things.”

There was a sense of sadness that started to eat away at her. Talking about why she was here reminded her all over again how miserable she was back home. There was nothing for someone to be impressed with. And in that moment? She realized that she was truly alone. In the middle of nowhere surrounded by strangers that she had no idea who they were. Why she thought this would be a good idea was beyond her.

Lowering her head, she stroked her fingers along the mug that was before her on the table. Hearing movement behind her, she looked over her shoulder and saw that Joel was standing up. Folding up his newspaper, he put it under his arm and gave her a once over.

“Well, I’m headed out. Did you get all of your shopping done?” Joel wondered, his eyebrows bouncing up when she simply just gave him a small nod. “Good. We don’t need you freezing while you’re staying here. The story of a dead woman coming out to our inn wouldn’t be the best press. Then again, I have no idea how long you plan on staying with us.”

Pushing his chair in, Joel moved forward and realized that she wasn’t saying much in return. What he expected was a returned moment of sass, but he could tell that she looked unhappy, “You enjoy your breakfast. I hope my recommendations don’t let you down.”

And with that? Joel left. What was sad was that he was actually a comfort to Y/N. It took him leaving for her to realize that. He was a familiar face. Now she was surrounded by people that she didn’t really know. Back home, she would usually just pick something up to eat and take it home or sit somewhere like a park. Even if she was alone there, it didn’t feel as strange as it did here.

Pretty quickly her thoughts were brought back down to Earth when the waitress came back with her order. There was an incredible amount of food before her and she had no idea if she would be able to eat it. Joel was right. The cinnamon roll was huge. That alone probably would have been good enough for her breakfast.

“Say,” Y/N called out to the waitress before she could take off again. “Do you have any suggestions about what I can do around this area? Something to keep myself distracted.”

“Well, specifically around here not really. Not until night at least. At nighttime, there is nothing quite like the sky above Jackson. The stars are so clear. It’s calm and quiet. Walking around town with the Christmas decorations is beautiful. Near town square, we have a little area that’s decorated pretty nicely…well nicely for us. The magic really comes to life at night. Unless you’re looking for a resort escape with skiing during the day.”

“I don’t ski,” Y/N whispered, dropping her head down to push her plate slightly forward. “I’m afraid of heights.”

“Well then,” the waitress stepped forward to place her hand in over Y/N’s shoulder to give it a firm squeeze. “I’m sure you’ll find something to keep your interest until tonight.”

Left alone to herself, Y/N took a look around the restaurant and swallowed down hard. Maybe this really was a mistake.

----

Tags: @jdmorganz @carolineesnell @ayumi-wolf @dilfsandmartinis @christinamadsen

[missmarveledsblog]

ITS A START part one

summary : when joel is settling into life in jackson there's one thing that has his attention , a woman of the name Y/N . The loner who barely spoke to anyone other than his brother til joel and y/n are sent to find supplies he soon finds out the reason why the girls quiet as he tries to break down the walls she built so long .

warnings: mentions of death of family and children ( readers brother and joel's daughter) , animals being eating since its the apocalypse , pain and sadness but some happy tones in there too . Mention of domestic violence too so

Coming to jackson was never meant to be anything but temporary of course everything changes nothing is set in stone in a world that fell to pieces one day . it wasn't suppose to be long and yet it dawning on two years since ellie and he arrived in jackson . it had what he needed the rest be dammed , his brother was here , ellie had stability something that the girl never had before , it was like everything in the damned town amazed her but then again most of the kids or young folk were amazed at things from the past if it seemed new. It seemed like jackson had it all , community , security and god damn it was he too old to be kept on the damn road yeah jackson was the end stop to plant roots and live it out til the day he took his last breath .

what joel didn't expect jackson to have was Y/N . She arrived a little before joel and ellie , she kept to herself most times hell knows what the woman had seen or had to do but he knew it wasn't pretty , he knew that look one of a person forced to do the unthinkable just to keep going. She kept quiet maybe she was still not trusting of it all he couldn't blame her hell he had his reservations. He watched her eyes observing everything around her waiting for it to go bad at some stage and little by little she relaxed yet still kept herself to herself and it wasn't for lack of trying hell every single man in town had tried to chance their arm with the woman which he couldn't blame them she was a pretty one he couldn't deny it. But she was too closed off only ones that could get her to talk was tommy and maria and even at that it was short and to the point.

He was surprise one morning to find her and tommy standing on his doorstep , confusion didn't last long when tommy explain she would be joining joel as he went on a scavenge hunt looking for things the towns folk were low of .

" you know how use a gun and knife" he asked expecting the usual nod or shake of her head when people talked to her.

" yes sir" he was surprise to hear how soft her voice was , how sweet the tone it help in those two words.

" well i'll meet you in the stables in twenty minutes don't keep me waiting" he said wondering would she speak but it went back to the gestures of answers . " go get ready i'll see you then" he said before heading into his house nearly running into ellie on his way .

" i guess i'm staying with tommy and maria huh" she asked.

" Yeah, so keep the language to a minimum. we don't need that baby coming out swearing like a sailor," he teased, shooting her a little smile . " work a miracle and get the pretty one to crack her shell because that will be day i stop fucking swearing old man" she snorted heading into the kitchen ready to tease the old man make sure get some extra shots for the road too . he never took it to heart it was just here being a teenager, which was all he wanted for her now . Packing the small bag of things he would need he dropped ellie off at his brothers before heading to the stable not seeing her outside , he headed in thinking he'd get the horses ready so they could just go but what he didn't expect was the quiet woman had same idea both horses ready and the ones he would of choose at first.

" Ready," he asked .

" yes sir" she said again bit louder.

" call me joel," he simple said as they took off heading to a town not so far away maybe a day trip so it wasn't too much for the woman's first outing .

" we'll ride for couple of hours there's a cabin couple hours away stop for the night check around for some deer or something then hit the town first thing in morning" he explained.

" why not get the deer on way back meat would be fresher" she asked .

" or we could do that" he chuckled shaking his head.

" is it a list sort of thing or grab whatever available sort of thing" she asked again that damn voice calling him like a siren to a sea , how the hell could something as simple as a voice effect him so much maybe he been out of the game to long yeah that was it .

" grab whatever is well not broken beyond compare but the likes of medical supplies shit like that is always needed" he said taking the lead as the two looked for the nearest town or maybe the next one to that .

It was still daylight thankfully when they arrived in the town , it was completely void of anything that would be considered life . seemed a complete ghost town not even an infected about although it was never completely ruled out. They tied up the horse before setting off he notice her movement got more quiet but yet still efficient like this part she was born for and maybe she was granted she was probably twenty years younger then him . she probably was only a baby when this whole world went to shit which was sad kids now and young adult such as the one at his side never knowing what it was like before all the infected business like what it was like to go out with friends to the mall or movies or nightlife of dancing at clubs and bars it was simple things but they were missed by alot of the older folk . each house had barely anything few clothes that could be fixed up for the younger folk. One house they came to she took the upper level while he checked out the lower floor. He'd have to give it to her she move silently but when he was searching through a kitchen he noticed it was too quiet something that about that sent him into gear almost taking the steps two at a time.

Only to stop seeing her standing holding a blanket in her hands looking completely broken til she noticed him instantly that wall came up and she was almost emotionless again shoving the blanket into her bag and continuing the search pretend he didn't catch her in a moment of weakness , maybe it reminded her of life at some point but he wasn't going to push not now anyway instead silently he came to her side and looked with her , no words exchanged as the two set about there business.

The haul was surprisingly good they found shit ton of things that the town folk would appreciate even a couple of good sewing kits although she kept one and he was keeping the other not that he knew how to sew but couldn't be that hard . last house was all the needed to check and then it was it he took the top floor as she took the lower both taking turns even though it wasn't planned it worked well . what he didn't expect was as he searched the bathroom , a small smile on his face as he found a first aid kit fully stocked it was like finding gold as he added it to the bag . then he heard it that noise everyone dreaded when he looked up seeing the infecteds reflection in the small broken mirror . he went to turned as it dove at him , he felt like it was the end knowing this was it , this was going to be the last breath he drew but even in that sentiment he was going to go down fighting kicking and scratching if needed. He was ready to give it all he got only for a knife to be drove into the sweet spot instantly killing the fungus riddled bastard as it fell she stood calm as a peach pulling the knife out of the skull and wiping it clean on ratted up shower curtain .

" you good" she asked slight pant to her voice.

" yeah i'm good lets go before more come" he said only to earn a nod of agreement pulling the bags they walked quietly but fast towards the unharmed animals and setting off to the cabin needing some form of rest. He almost died nearly let an infected take him, and yet he was still standing all because the silent beauty was there . they barely spoke, scoping the place out wasn't only the infected you needed to be wary of, but the coast was clear , the area was empty bar some deer prints they could check out in the morning. Like it was second nature, she checked around the cabin before setting her things do, n grabbing some wood for the fire and grabbing some food they found . he barely registered his own voice as the words came from his mouth .

" thanks back there woulda been goner if it ain't been for you" he said almost gruff whisper.

" you woulda done same fer me" she shrugged.

" still a girl in jackson would be grateful" he couldn't help smile as he said it.

" well i'm glad i could save her daddy nothing worse losing family" she said so sadly .

" she not my daughter i'm just looking out for her , she alone needs some guidance is all" he explained.

" ellie right , nah that's your daughter you look at her like she is doesn't take blood to be family as much as people might think" she shook her head and he could of sworn he'd seen her mouth twitch up maybe for a second but he saw it.

" good she has you , worlds shit enough without trying to navigate it alone that's for sure" she added.

" you know i think this most i've heard you speak hell i think today is first time i've heard your voice" he chuckled .

" i guess being alone for so long you forget how to talk sometimes" she nodded.

" well you should get to know the folk of jackson, there good people and won't be so lonely" .

" lonely don't get you hurt" she said easily.

" the blanket earlier remind you of someone" he asked seeing it peak out of her bag.

" my little brother , he was four when he died , happiest little boy just full of life could make you forget the shit going on in the word , raiders came to my families camp wanted everything we had , my daddy gave it to them then they wanted me well my daddy shot the man that grabbed me quicker that you could draw a breath it all happened so fast bullets fly , lucas got scared went to run to my mama and she ran to him telling him get down then they were both down not moving , the only thing that made the world seem like it was ok was gone my daddy lost it seeing them like that he began shooting hitting them all only as he went to check on my mama, one wasn't as dead as he thought shot him i didn't even think i just picked that gun up and shot then i was alone all my world was gone in an instant maybe if i went with them he'd be alive now" said softly her voice cracking ever so slightly as her hand felt the material . " i've been alone ever since twenty plus years of living on this planet and i ain't never wanna feel that kind of pain again" she not daring to look up at the man .

" you must of been young yourself men like that are animals could of done all sorts" joel tried to reason yet he was more shocked she opened up. " i was fourteen i could of handled , then I thought I was safe , he made me feel safe but like most it was a trap , called his wife , you believe that way he treated me wasn't how man should treat his wife , my daddy showed me how from way he loved my mama been alone ever since " she said finally looking up . " well now you ain't got to , look i know what ever you had to do wasn't pretty i know that more than anyone i lost family but i also got family and wise person told me it don't take blood to make one" he winked .

" well they weren't my blood my real folks died and they took me in ,they were my family" she sniffled hating she was letting herself be so vulnerable how the hell was this man able to crack the what she though was indestructible walls so easily .

" come ere" he said softly watching her fighting on whether or not to take that step let herself to let someone in or not and yet she did she was tired of being the one that picked herself up even if it was just that night well she was going to let someone in. she slowly crawled into his arms letting it all out ten years of emotions spilled out of her the moment his arms wrapped around her. She must of cried herself to sleep because she woke during the night seeing herself still in joel's arms the man as rubbing her head and telling her

" i got ya " , " let it out". Letting the man sleep she pulled out of his arms letting the man rest as she sat in the stool near the door watching out for any sign of a threat that could be lurking in the darkness .

That was exactly how he found her eyes watching at the sun began to rise . " why didn't ya wake me" he said voice lace with sleep as he stretched his aching muscle out.

" ain't nothing i can sleep when i get back , you looked deep in sleep plus that snoring had to make sure you didn't lure the infected here" she said heading off to the back where the back room was could of sworn there was a playful lilt to her voice .

shaking his head he grabbed his water bottle and small pot to began making much needed breakfast a little proud of getting her to open up and from how hard she was crying it was like she needed it . When she walked out she seemed less tense , less tightly wound up like before .

" breakfast then we hunt that deer" he said nodding for her to take a seat.

" i brought coffee" she said pulling the small bag of it out of her bag.

" the most important thing in the morning" he joked and she actually laughed it was low but he heard it.

" you think that deer is still around" she asked seemly wanting to try the whole talking thing more .

" he's a round some where close if not sure rabbits and stuff are around" he said pulling two cups from his bag .

" whats the worse animal you've eaten" she asked getting set on her task.

" hmm id say cat" he winced remember it wasn't a great moment .

" i'd say rat"she chuckled again bit loud be if it wasn't the sounds of an angel he wasn't sure what was.

" rat ain't bad not much to em" he said.

" my daddy said he ate a hamster before said it worst thing he's ever eat although bless the man couldn't cook for shit" she shook her head smiling .

" how long where you with them" .

" oh since a baby , my birth mama was dying and she asked them take me , they could of said yes and just left me but they didn't , raised me as i was there own same with lucas was like the same thing all that history repeating itself sort of thing they didn't even think twice and took him" she said voice cracking .

" i know what it's like to lose family , i lost my daughter sarah , died in my arms just as the world was falling , it never leaves you and i did what you done i never let myself get close but that ain't living either hell she'd give me hell for doing it" he said his own voice wavering but if she could bare that part of herself well he could do the same.

" i'm guessing ellie didn't give you much choice did she" she asked smiling more that was his new favourite thing about it all was her smile .

" no she didn't , got mouth of her too i mean she would put a sailor to shame" . " come on lets eat and get that deer i doubt there's hamster about" he joked as he began plating up the food as the two made small talk learning little things about each other , joel would tell her about life before infected and she would tell him places she'd been seemly all over the continent the sad part was she was alone through it all dealing with things no one should at such a young age with the hands of a monster .

They followed the tracks , again quiet as she walked both hiding behind a tree , the deer indeed had not strayed too far . he held up his rifle ready to shot until the deer headed off running and they heard them coming . least three voices getting louder and louder as the hide out of view .

she was pale , he could see fear in her eyes she though it was history repeating itself , god she was idiot for letting him get close and now it was going to be all over. They spotted them coming closer she went to move towards joel only for a hand to pull her away.

" well look what we have here" the man snickered looked down her frame hungrily .

" let her go and be on your way" he almost growled the other two held out their knife .

" or we take her and not kill you" the man pulled her harder to his chest smelling her hair making her body cringe.

" joel" she said softly telling him what she wanted to tell her father all those years ago he could see it in her eyes . " can take care of yourself" he said almost telling her to look past that fear and thankfully she did pulling the blade from her belt and holding it to the man's crown jewel.

" i wouldn't move if i was you i got ammo and she got him by the balls" he said holding the rifle up at the men.

" how about you turn your asses around and go back where you came" she said pushed the tip hard as if pierced through his jeans yet didn't touch anything.

" KEEP YOUR CRAZY BITCH" The man gulped pushing her forward out of his grasp only for her to pull the pistol from joel's belt.

"Says the scum that sniffling my hair drop your weapons and fuck off" she yelled.

" aint gonna use that princess" which was perfect timing for her to spot something fussy as she took the shot sending the men running .

" i got dinner" was all she said walking and picking up the now dead rabbit.

" you were going to let them take you" he growled.

" i would of gotten away" she said .

" well you ain't alone anymore so i ain't leaving if trouble come you got me .. im your friend " he said heading back in the direction of the cabin .

" they would of attacked you" she said getting annoyed.

" i got a gun" he said. But she stayed silent holding out his gun for him to take it back slight guilty seeing he was hurt she was gonna let them take her but she didn't want the first friend she's had to get hurt because of her.

" truce i don't have the social awareness to deal with an argument" she asked being honest but it did make him laugh.

" enough to crack joke next time no being alone no more , you got me now" he said taking the gun.

" do i have a choice" she asked trying to not smile .

"no come on that gun shot might attract infected" he nodded as two headed back to the cabin packing up their things and heading back.

Tommy opened the gate as they headed in following the two to the stables ready to help with the suppile .

" what you get" he asked as they tied up the horses she handed over the bag of thing as well as the rabbit that was still dripping of blood.

" wait here" joel took the blanket out and handed it to her clean hand .

" really" she asked .

" really take it , she good out there saved my ass a couple of times" he said turning to tommy . " doesn't shut up talking though" he added .

" says the one what is it with you millers and talking so much i swear y'all could talk for texas" she called over her shoulder as tommy's jaw dropped in shock .

" i'll be damn she's cracking joke i think that loudest i've heard her voice what hell you do out there" he turned to his brother.

" didn't give her choice i mean she aint gonna be social butterfly with but it's a start" he chuckled heading out to his own house leaving his brother stunned completely at the even thought little but major interaction from the towns two most social awkward people .

" it a start" the younger miller chuckled to himself wondering where this was heading but boy was he excited to see it unfold because it a start of something .

Part two

[chewbacca]

THE LAST OF US | S01E06 KIN

[bumblepony]

Tommy & Maria Ponies

I am so delighted to share this picture with the world. Tommy and Maria as Ponies was done by the amazing @arrgh-whatever, who also made my Joel and Ellie Ponies. Seriously, every detail is just perfect, and I love how much emotion the artist was able to portray in these characters. I look at them, and I see Tommy and Maria Miller.

[becomethesun]

@mote-of-star-dust gave me an early secret santa gift, this absolutely incredible comic of the sweet little Scrabble scene from my fic A Heart, A Hand to Hold Onto. All of the little details are so perfect 🥹 So grateful for the lovely friends this little community has brought into my life!! 💗

[chronicallyonlinewriter]

Stand On the Rock.

And don’t tell me no!

I have given you so many snips at this point that you've read most of what I've written, haha. Stand on the Rock is a slice-of-life one-shot that takes place in my People Still Listen to Fleetwood Mac in the Apocalypse series. I gave Tommy and Maria three kids in that universe (one biological child, and two older children they eventually adopt) but those stories aren't really about them, so I never really got to flesh them out the way I wanted. The story really ended up growing as I got into it, so we actually get a glimpse of how Tommy and Maria begin seeing each other, and then fast-forward into them trying to deal with the fact that the children in their house now outnumber them. Have a tiny snip:

“One dance – then I’ll fuck off,” Tommy promised, covertly wiping his palms against his jeans and then extending a hand out to her. Maria didn’t reply for a solid few seconds, and it was an eerie thing to be on the receiving end of such an intense gaze. The weight of her stare pinned him into place, a laser that felt likely to bore right through him – but she took his hand anyway; lightly, hesitantly, as though she was afraid she was condoning something wicked if she at all squeezed his fingers or showed any enthusiasm whatsoever about what she was currently instructing her body to do. 

“That a promise?” she asked, and he snorted, drawing her a little closer, taking a chance to slip his arm around her waist – and this resulted in a rather withering look, certainly, but after a quick scan around the room confirmed many other dance partners in similar poses, she seemed to relax a little, the tension slowly seeping out of her shoulders. She settled into his hold, if not with enthusiasm then at least with a grudging acceptance.

“I’ll getcha it in writing,” he said with a nod, and she choked back a laugh. For a wonderful few moments, she allowed him to lead her; they swayed with the crowd, following the melody of a vaguely familiar country ballad that Tommy thought he’d last heard in an Austin dive bar, but wasn’t entirely sure. And it was easy – easy to lead, to keep his arm wrapped around her waist, to try to pretend as though he’d ever been this nervous at any point in his life that did not involve him aiming a gun at someone. “So,” he said finally, slowly turning on the spot, apparently determined to immediately ruin this, “Jay, huh?”

“Oh, here we go,” she sighed. 

“Nice guy,” he said, “but don’t you think he might be a little…I dunno…young, for you?”

“Is this how you flirt?” Her voice held an edge to it – he grinned anyway. “By telling women they’re too old for their dance partners?”

“Nothin’ to do with you,” he reasoned, and he took a step back from her, quickly, lifting her arm – and though she was surprised by it, she followed his lead, allowing him to spin her. When they came back together, it was with a laugh that she tried and failed to hide. “Just him. Don’t get me wrong – Jay’s a nice fella. Real nice – but, do I really gotta say it?”

“Say what?” she asked coolly.

“C’mon, now,” Tommy huffed, “you know what I mean. That one – he’s a boy. You don’t need that. You need –”

“So help me,” she warned, rolling her eyes to the ceiling, “if you finish that sentence with ‘a man,’ I’m leaving.”

[mariatesstruther]

just a reminder yall that buying the tlou 2 remaster is supporting neil, which is supporting israel and its genocide against palestinians!

i love the tlou world as much as anyone else, but financially diverting away from anyone/thing/company supporting israel is one of the simplest and easiest ways palestinians have asked us to help. i hope we all consider boycotting the remaster and pirating s2

[auburnstargazer]

Not Strong Enough by auburnstargazer

In the aftermath of a failed revenge quest, Ellie condemns herself to a life of solitude. But when she gets word from Jackson that Tommy is dying, she knows she must make the long trek across the country to say her final goodbyes. Returning home proves more difficult than she anticipated. The people of Jackson revile her. Dina, Ellie’s lost love, cannot meet her in the eyes. Joel haunts every street corner, plaguing Ellie's every thought. She is a stranger in the only place she ever called home. In order to rekindle her relationship with Dina and rebuild her family, Ellie must learn to face her grief head on or risk losing everything for good.

Complete on Ao3!

[kkcauseway]

Time Is Of The Essence

Joel Miller x pregnant f!reader

Summary: Joel's on a patrol when you go into labour and ends up missing the birth of his daughter. But it doesn't take him long to get back and the aftermath is so frigin cute! Content/warnings: aftermath of childbirth- talks of placenta. Its just full of a load of rootin' tootin' fluff- honestly I'm obsessed with daddy Joel Miller he's adorable. Joel being the best dad to his new baby. Joel having such big palms that the baby basically fits in one. After outbreak, no use of y/n. A/N: I am obsessed with this fic oh my god!!! Also fun fact when i decided on the baby name I wasn't originally going to go for it but when I googled names meaning hope it was the first to appear and I knew it was a sign, and really I think it makes the fic ten times cuter! I really really hope you enjoy!!

Going into labour whilst Joel is out on patrol is the last thing that’s supposed to happen. He’s not meant to miss the birth of his child; part of the reason he is the man he is today. Part of the reason he’s finally stopped beating himself up and allowed himself to have a ‘normal’ life. To be happy. He deserves it too and you’ve always made sure he knows it.

They’d already been out on patrol for a while when your waters suddenly broke and as much as you tried radioing it was to no avail, they were too far out to catch a signal, so it was very much a waiting game. Thankfully, you had Maria at your side, and she aided you through every part, the best kind of birthing partner with her having not long gone through it when she had her and Tommy’s son.

The baby comes fast all in all your labour is maybe only four hours, and when word finally got to Joel that he needed to come back him, and Tommy raced to make it.

Joel rushes in the door “I’m here I’m here!” He screams running over to where you’re lay on the couch still with your legs apart the baby screaming in your arms freshly wrapped having only been on the earth a few minutes. Sweat is dripping down your face as you coo at the bundle, Maria is behind you peering at the baby over your shoulder.

You’re still crying reeling from the fact your baby is finally here as you grin so wide at him, and he kneels on the floor next to you.

“Oh my god” he lifts his hand to brush over his new babies head.

“Daddy, meet your daughter.”

“S��a girl?” He chokes on the words and turns to look at you his eyes glossy.

“Yeah baby.” You nod trying your best to hold it back.

But when a few tears escape him, you can’t help the way you’re bawling again. You know how difficult this is for him, opening his heart up to another child.

You continue to support your daughter in one arm bringing the hand of the other up to brush away the tears and he closes his eyes leaning into the touch as he lets the floodgates fully open. Not a care in the world that Tommy and Maria are present. He leans in close to your chest tears dropping off the tip of his nose as he stares down at the now calm bundle of joy who’s freshly opening her eyes and staring right back up to him. Her tiny feet kicking out of the end of the blanket and he’s absolutely enthralled with her.

The nurse, Cassie who’s just finished sanitising a few things in the kitchen comes back and smiles noticing everyone here.

She moves back over to you leaning over the back of the couch to peer down at your daughter. “Congratulations she’s gorgeous.”

“Thank you” you reply in unison.

“Okay sweetie I just need to make sure everything’s okay with you and that this placenta is coming okay. You gonna be okay for me to check?”

“Honestly I couldn’t care less what you do right now she’s here.” You chuckle not taking your eyes off your content little bundle.

“She’s here” Joel adds kissing at your temple, before staring back down at her as she pushes out her little tongue. Her piercing blue eyes explore her surroundings.

“Take her” you whisper to him, your temples touching as you stare down at her.

“Yeah?” He pulls away to look at you.

“Yeah, baby she’s yours too.” You chuckle.

He smiles as he pulls slightly away from you, jumping slightly when you wince. “Okay?”

“Yeah, just a cramp.” You groan.

“Just your placenta on its way honey nothing to worry about” Cassie looks up from between your blanket covered legs.

“Why don’t you do some skin-on-skin Joel?” She adds before getting back to business

He seems shy, but nods. “Oh yeah, good idea.” He rips his shift over his head that will never get old and then carefully takes his daughter from you. Helping to cover your chest back up with the blanket in the process so you’re decent. He’s so careful in how he holds her and how he moves with her over to the armchair. He sits himself back puts his legs up on the footrest and careful manoeuvres her to be laid against him. Head resting to one side, she snuggles into his warmth.

He bends his neck down to kiss the top of her head as you watch the most beautiful moment unfold. It completely distracts you from the cramping and uncomfortable feeling of delivering your placenta and before you know it, it’s over.

“You’re the perfect patient” Cassie utters as she wraps the placenta into a bunch of newspaper ready to take to the greenhouses to use as a fertiliser. “No stitches, no complications and you’re both doing perfectly.”

“She’s perfect.” He utters kissing her head again.

She stands helping you to carefully lay your legs flat on the couch to get more comfortable. She  claps her hands together as she basks in how much love there is in the room. “Well I think my work here is done, if you need anything in the night give me a shout but I think you’ve got enough help round here that I won’t be needed.” She looks around the room to Joel, Tommy, and Maria.

“Thank you for everything Cassie.” You call to her.

“My pleasure.”

“Thank you for all you did and helpin’ her when I weren’t here Cass.” Joel utters from his chair his eyes still on your daughter.

“Of course.”

“Here I’ll show you out.” Tommy utters moving to place a hand on her back once she’s collected her things.

“Do you want me to cook you something, you hungry?” Maria quizzes.

You groan in absolute delight. “Fuck yes please Maria, I think I love you forever.”

“Anything in particular?”

“Honestly Maria I don’t care, everything you make is so good.”

She chuckles, “okay fine I’ll get to it. Joel, you want anything?”

“M’good here thanks.” He utters stroking at his daughters back.

She chuckles noticing Tommy making his way back and drags him along with her once she moves to the kitchen. You can tell he’s not happy about being stripped away from his newborn niece but at the same time you are grateful for having a little time to bask in all of this just the three of you.

Watching the love of your life become a father really is the most precious thing, this isn’t his first rodeo, but you know it’s different this time. Every detail of his behaviour towards her is beautiful. His need to hold her tight, to make sure she’s warm, happy, and content.

The room is silent as he tickles at her back her entire body seemingly fitting in his large palm. You listen in tune to her coos as he continues to stroke her.

However, it doesn’t take long till she begins getting grouchy clearly hungry. So Joel carefully stands with her in his arms and brings her back over to you. “Lil miss is definitely hungry.”

“Seems that way” you chuckle. “Will you get her a diaper too? Otherwise I don’t see this ending well.”

“Sure. Want me to quickly do that first?”

“Please. Think there’s an outfit on the changing table for her too.”

He nods. “Of course ma’am.” And he walks to the changing table ever so gently placing her down before placing one onto her tiny body.

“Baby she’s so darn small.”

“I know.”

He mumbles to her softly as he dresses her in a tiny pink outfit fit with mittens to stop her scratching herself. Thankfully, he’s able to keep her calm the entire time but as if she knows all that needs to be done has been done, she begins screaming again.

“Okay baby come on.” He murmurs as he places her against his chest, chin resting against his shoulder as her body curls into a tiny ball.

So beautiful.

He’s quick to come back over to you and hands her to you. “Good ol’ set of lungs on her.”

“She has us as her parents I don’t know why you’d expect her to be anything other than loud.” You chuckle as you move the blanket back off your chest to place her comfortably at your breast. She’s already fishing around for the nipple as you bring her closer and once, she gets it into her mouth she instantly suckles.

It hurts, of course it does, this is the first ever time your body has done anything like this. And it doesn’t go unnoticed.

“You, okay?” He quizzes from beside you.

“Yeah, I promise it’s just a bit weird.”

“Will get easier every time baby.”

“It’s worth it for her I don’t mind” you smile at him before turning your attention back to your daughter drinking as though she’s desperate.

He follows your gaze and gently brushes a knuckle over her cheek. “She needs a name.”

You hum “yeah, she does.” And that’s when you get the best idea in your head “you pick.”

That stops him in his tracks and his eyes shoot up to yours. “Me?”

“Yeah baby, give her a name you know Sarah would love for her little sister, a name that makes you happy.”

He nods his eyes glossy once more as he contemplates the reminder of his loss whilst also basking in the presence of his new hope, fresh start.

He looks back at her and you can’t help watching the struggle on his face as he fusses over again whilst thinking, but you notice the exact moment he decides.

“Ellie, cus she brought this big bright shinin’ light into our lives.”

Ellie Miller, it’s perfect.

“It’s so perfect baby I love it.” He looks up at you and smiles moving to kiss you.

“Thank you f’givin’ her to me.” He whispers as he moves to rest his forehead against yours “thank you so fuckin’ much baby.”

“You don’t ever have to thank me, Joel Miller. I love you.”

“I love you so much I think m’gonna burst.” He chuckles “fuck what are you doin’ t’me?” he pulls away to wipe at a few more tears and then his attention is right back on his girl.

His beautiful healthy baby girl.