#but i was in serious joel/ellie withdrawal today

[sotvtaughtmehowtofeel]

Nothing Bad Here - Part 2

Joel sat at the table long after Ellie had gone to bed. The trip back from Salt Lake City had been short, shorter than they were used to. Less trouble than usual, too. But he’d been on edge that whole time, unsure if they’d make it back to Jackson. And now that they were back… He ran a hand through his hair, finally standing. He reached to his hip, expecting to find a pistol there, but flexed his hand. No weapons inside the commune. Didn’t seem right, the way the world was now. Joel patroled the entire downstairs, checked the locks and windows, pulled all the curtains. No one was out this late except the guards. Guards. He shook his head again. She was safe.   He still considered pulling furniture in front of the doors. Habit.   Joel trekked up the stairs slowly, his knees protesting. He opened the door to Ellie’s room silently, looking inside. She was asleep on the bed. He released breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. She was safe. He closed her door and went back into his room to sleep. -  Joel woke with a start, Ellie’s scream echoing in his ear. His heart pounded as he pushed off the covers and lurched upright, looking around the room. She wasn’t here, where was she? He stood up, listening, reaching for a weapon at his hip that wasn’t there. He looked around, grabbed a lamp, and ripped it out of the wall as he crossed the room quickly and quietly. He crossed the hall to open her door, raising the lamp next to his head. Ellie was asleep in her bed. She was still asleep. She was safe. Had she screamed? He shook his head, standing in her doorway, looking down at her. It was still dark outside. She was safe. He huffed out a breath, closing her door again, going back to bed. It took him a while to fall back asleep. -   Blood. Cage. Fire. Screams. Hers? Blood. Cannibal. Predator. Murderer. BLOOD. Ellie jumped awake, looking around the room frantically. There was a man standing over her bed. She cried out, striking at him. He crashed to the floor, and her brain finally registered. Not a man. A lamp. On a table. Could have been a man. A short man. Fuck. Ellie sat up in her bed, drawing her knees to herself and putting her head in her hands. The dream hadn’t been coherent, just images flashing. Her heart was still pounding. She looked around the room. Joel- where the fuck was Joel?!   Joel was in the next room. It was weird, waking up without him near her. He was always within sight. Ellie rolled off the bed, stepping around the pieces of the lamp. She crossed the hall quietly, opening the door to Joel’s room. He was there, asleep in the bed. She drew in a deep breath, her heart starting to calm down. He was sleeping on his left ear. He wouldn’t hear her come in. Ellie closed the door behind her and laid down on the window seat across the room from Joel. It took her a while to fall back asleep. - It was light out when Joel woke up next. He scanned the room for Ellie immediately. She was curled up on the window seat. He sighed, and his eyes softened. He was glad to see her, but she wasn’t supposed to be in here. She had her own room. When had she come in? He ran a hand down his face, yawning, then stood. He took the blanket from his bed and spread it over her. It’s too cold in Wyoming to be sleeping without a blanket, especially near a window.   Ellie stirred when Joel lowered himself back into his bed. She blinked, looking around.   “Morning,” Joel said quietly.   Ellie didn’t respond, just sat up in the window seat, rubbing her eyes.   “When’d you come in here?” he asked.   She grimaced. “Sorry. I’m-”   “It’s ok,” he said immediately, softly. “Are you all right?”   She flushed, starting to get up. “Yeah, I won’t-”   Joel interrupted her, raising his eyebrows slightly as he spoke to her. “You come in here whenever you need to, all right? You wake me up, if you need to.”   “How? You can’t fuckin’ hear anything,” She wasn’t looking at him, and her quiet, flat tone belied the sarcasm.   Joel watched her for a moment. She was not ok. He got up and headed for the door. “Come on, kiddo, I’ll make you breakfast.”