#was all like oh baby girl it’s okay and when Abby and lev were running away from the wolves after Abby just killed a bunch and lev is like

[a-nice-egg-offering]

The last of us characters just be adopting queer kids left right and centre

[punkrockmads]

Found Family

Abby x F! Reader Mini Series

Warnings: Small bit of angst, violence, this chapter is a little bit longer

Chapter Four; Light Of Our Lives

*A MONTH LATER*

Abby has been such a joy to have in my life. I've moved out of the guest room and into Abby's bedroom, the two of us rapidly growing closer over the past month. We've had a couple little bickering matches over whether I should be doing patrol at three months pregnant, but that's to be expected for any couple worried for their baby. She's been a huge help with the baby, always staying by my side during my bouts of morning sickness and my occasional nightmares. We still haven't told Lev, waiting for my baby bump to get a little bigger before telling him. Lev is such a sweet kid, always energetic and happy. He and Abby are always jabbing at each other with their sarcasm and jokes. I sometimes cut in with my own teasing remarks, usually teaming up with Lev to harass Abby. The other day, Lev and I got up early just to sneak downstairs and hit Abby with pillows while she was cooking. Scrambled eggs ended up all over the floor and she made us clean it up but we all thought it was hilarious.

I sit behind Abby on our bed, braiding her soft blonde hair back as she talks.

"So we fell like a thousand feet through a glass ceiling and into a fucking swimming pool." Abby chuckles, telling me the story of the sky bridges for the twentieth time. It's one of my favorites, I'm always asking her to tell it.

"It was not a thousand feet!" Lev yells from his bedroom across the hall. Abby and I burst into a fit of laughter. "It was like ten!"

"Okay well it FELT like a thousand!" Abby yells back between laughs. "Anyways." She sighs, feeling my fingertips brush the back of her neck lightly as I continue to braid her hair. "I crawl out of the pool and lay there sprawled out on my back and Lev looks at me like I'm crazy! He's just up and ready to keep moving as if we didn't just almost die!" The two of us laugh as I use a hair tie to hold the ends of her braid together. I lean forward, placing a kiss on the back of her neck.

"All done." I mumble against her freckled skin. Abby turns around, pressing a sweet kiss on my cheek.

"Thanks, babe." Abby smiles. "You ready to head out?" Abby and I have early patrol this morning. It's rare we get assigned together since Abby is much stronger so she's usually doing assignments that put her muscles to use. Things like helping out with construction, moving heavy equipment, sometimes even helping people move furniture in and out of homes. When Abby does go outside of the base, it's for a supply run that's in a more dangerous area. That part always scares me, knowing they intentionally send her places with unknown numbers of infected. I know why they do it, though. She's more than capable of protecting herself and her group.

"Yeah." I nod. "Just gotta get my boots on." I stand up, getting ready to leave the room when Abby grabs my wrist.

"Uh, babe?" I look back at her, confused. "What's goin' on with your buttons there?" She asks, referring to my black button-up shirt. I look down, noticing two of the top buttons were missing.

"Oh!" I laugh. "So THIS is the shirt with the missing buttons!" I shrug, searching through the clothes in our closet. I find a grey sleeveless shirt hanging up on Abby's side of the closet. I glance back, seeing her making the bed. I take off my button-up, letting it fall to the floor as I take the sleeveless shirt off of its hanger and pull it on. It's a little too big, but I tuck it into my jeans and it fits a lot better. I pick up the button-up, spinning around and tossing it at Abby. It hits her in the face.

"Hey!" Abby looks over at me with a playful glare before freezing. She points at me. "Is- is that my shirt?"

"Perhaps." I grin, doing a little pose with my hands on my hips. "New fashion statement?" I chuckle. Abby walks over to me, putting her hands on my hips. She pecks my lips lightly. I place my hands over hers.

"You're such a dork." She smiles. "C'mon. We gotta get going."

"Alriiiight." I groan. Abby grabs my hand, pulling me into the hall. "Lev, don't be late for school!" I yell from the stairs.

"I'm never late!" Lev yells back.

"Literally last week!" Abby reminds him.

"Fuck you!" Lev replies as Abby and I laugh. I kneel down by the door, putting my brown leather boots on and tying the laces. Abby watches with a playful smile. I grab my dark blue backpack and bow before looking up at her.

"What?" I question, standing back up.

"Nothing." Abby shrugs. She puts a hand on my stomach. "Pretty soon you won't even be able to tie your own shoes."

"Six more months!" I sigh. "And then this little bean will be the reason we don't get a good night's sleep for years."

"I can't wait." Abby chuckles, following me out the front door. The two of us head to the main gate, spotting a few people waiting around talking with each other. "Get us signed out?" Abby asks.

"If you grab us lunch." I reply,

"Deal." Abby agrees. She lets go of my hand, walking off to the right while I continue forward to the booth. A woman with long red hair and blue eyes looks up at me.

"Oh, hey Y/N!" She greets, setting down the clipboard she was holding. "How're you doing?"

"Hey, Kayla." I smile. "I'm doing pretty great! They've got you workin' at the booth instead of the farm?" I pick up the clipboard and pen, signing my name and Abby's on the sign out sheet.

"Yep." Kayla tsks. "Shawn's sick today so I said I'd fill in. Nice break from being covered in dirt all day."

"And the booth is always shady." I shrug. "I'd say Shawn's got us beat!"

"Got that right." Kayla laughs. I jump when I feel a hand on my lower back. Kayla laughs harder. I don't even have to turn around to know who the culprit is. "Hey, Abby!" Kayla greets.

"Hey there." Abby replies, looking at me with a mischievous grin. "I'd love to stay and talk but the rest of our group is here. We gotta head out." I reach up to fix a loose strand of Abby's hair that's fallen in front of her face. She's a couple inches taller than me so I stand on my toes to make to easier.

"Be safe out there, you two!" Kayla calls as I follow Abby toward the group.

"Will do!" Abby turns around to wave back. The two of us join the rest of the group, piling into the back of a military truck and heading out to the first checkpoint where we'll all split into pairs and take separate routes.

Ten minutes later, we get to the first checkpoint, an old bar. I hop out of the truck, Abby following close behind. We get inside, everyone double checking their gear and partnering up.

"Okay." I sigh, everyone looking to me for instructions. I'm not exactly sure why, but Abby says I'm a natural born leader and that they trust my judgement. I had taken on the role as unofficial team leader without even realizing till she had pointed it out to me a few weeks ago. "Our team's covering the north routes today. The northeast route's been a little more active lately so I want four people to take that one just in case things get hairy. Any volunteers?"

"Mike and I can do it." A woman with brown hair says.

I nod. "Alright. Who's going with Mike and Bonnie?"

"We are." A man in the back says, gesturing to him and his partner.

"Okay, Mike, Bonnie, Chris, and Eric on northeast. Hayley, I want you and Moira to take north, okay?" Moira nods and Hayley holds a thumbs up. "Abby and I will take northwest. Be safe out there, guys. Be smart." With that, we all head off on our routes. Abby follows me, making sure to keep an eye on the treeline. The woods around us are full of life. Birds, deer, squirrels, insects... they all create a beautiful melody; the song of nature.

"Y'know..." Abby starts, pulling me out of my thoughts. "It's pretty hot watching you boss people around."

I scoff, kicking the dirt on the path as I walk. "I don't boss anyone around!"

Abby walks beside me, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "You so do!"

"Shut up!" I shove her playfully. She laughs, lightly shoving me back.

"You love me." She hums, taking my hand and kissing my knuckles lightly.

"I do." I hum back. We walk for a bit longer before we reach the first lookout, a gas station attached to a mechanic's garage. We sit and talk for a few minutes, writing in the sign in notebook that there were no signs of infected. After dawdling long enough, the two of us make our way to the second lookout. Ten minutes into our journey, I spot something moving in the trees.

"To our right." I whisper, both Abby and I ducking behind a bush and aiming our guns toward the movement. Just as I'm about to move up closer to try and get an angle, I hear maniacal screaming. I spin around to see a runner charging at me. I have no time to react as I'm shoved violently to the ground with the runner pinning me down, using all of my strength to keep the runner from biting me.

"Y/N!!" Abby screams. Before she can shoot the runner, a second one comes out from the trees. Abby quickly shoots that one before rushing back to my side and ripping the runner off of me. "You motherfucker!" She growls, slamming the runner to the ground and crushing his skull with her boot, the blood splattering on her and me. I lay there frozen, feeling like the wind got knocked out of me. "Shit!" Abby whisper yells. She kneels down beside me as I gasp for air. "Are you okay? Did it bite you?" She's panicking, frantically searching for any sign of injury. I grab her forearms, keeping her from moving them.

"I'm okay, Abby." I assure her when I catch my breath. "I'm okay." Abby grabs my shoulders, helping me sit up.

"Oh shit, your head is bleeding." Abby says, seeing the blood drip down the back of my neck. I feel the warm, sticky crimson flow down the back of my shirt. "We gotta get you back."

"The baby." I whisper, feeling lightheaded as Abby hands me her bag and gets in front of me, helping me onto her back. "We gotta check on the baby."

"We will, sweet girl." Abby says, walking as fast as she can while I cling to her like a little backpack. "Just hang on." I rest my head on her shoulder, closing my eyes as she carries me all the way back to the checkpoint. From there, she uses the radio to call an emergency pickup. She leaves a note for the rest of the team before helping me into the car and telling the driver to get us back as fast as possible. The car ride is a blur. I lean against Abby while she presses her jacket against the back of my head to keep me from bleeding out. I keep my hand on my stomach the whole time. Finally, we get to the infirmary. A nurse cleans me up and stitches the back of my head, giving me water and crackers to help with the dizziness. When I tell her I'm pregnant, she immediately understands my concern and checks the baby's vitals and preps me for an ultrasound.

"Ultrasound?" I ask as the nurse moves the hem of my shirt up to the edge of my bra, exposing my tiny bump. I've never heard anything like that before.

Abby takes my left hand in hers, squeezing it lightly. "It's kinda like a camera." She explains. "It's so they can see the baby. I read about it in a book." As I'm looking at her, I feel something cold and sticky being rubbed lightly on my stomach. I flinch, looking back at the nurse who is applying a clear jelly-like liquid to my stomach. Abby immediately senses my panic, leaning down to press a kiss to my temple. The bed creaks beneath her as she moves. "It's okay." She mumbles against my temple. "It's just to help the camera." I take a deep breath, sighing as I nod, letting Abby know I'm okay. I peck her lips lightly before she sits back up.

"You two make a cute couple." The nurse says, reaching for what I assume is the camera. Abby thanks her as I laugh a little. "You ready to see your baby?" I nod eagerly, Abby doing the same. The nurse presses the camera against my stomach lightly, moving it around as what looks like static appears on the camera. "There." She says finally, holding the camera in one spot. "See that little blob that's kinda shaped like a bean? That's your baby." I gasp, suddenly feeling tears running down my cheeks.

"Abby." I whisper, staring at the little being on the monitor. "Are you seeing this?" I hear Abby sniffle, looking up to see her crying, too.

"That's our baby, honey." She sniffs. I take her other hand in mine, squeezing both of them. "That's our tiny human in there." She's just as amazed as I am.

"It's perfect." I say, laughing a bit at our reactions. The nurse simply gives a proud smile.

"The baby's perfectly healthy, no sign of injuries." The nurse says. Abby and I feel immediate relief. "If you want, I can print out a picture of it for you. This old equipment still works pretty well.

"Absolutely!" Abby says, barely waiting for the nurse to finish her sentence. The nurse cleans off the gel, prints out a photo of our baby, and hands it to me before Abby and I head out to go home. The entire walk home is spent gushing over the photo, feeling like a warm, beautiful light is shining down upon us. When the two of us get home, Abby closes the door before grabbing my face and kissing me hard. My hands instinctively move to her cheeks, my eyes closing as I feel Abby's lips on mine, curving into a smile. She pulls away, leaving me breathless. "You are incredible." She says, only loud enough for me to hear. She strokes my cheeks with the pads of her thumbs. "I love you... so fucking much."

"I love you too." I whisper, pressing my forehead against hers. She kisses me again, this time gently, as if I might break if she kisses too hard. She pulls away after a few seconds, taking my hand and guiding me into the living room. I sit beside her on the couch, my legs resting across her lap and my body leaning into hers. We sit there in peaceful silence, Abby and I staring at the photo of our baby while she rubs gentle circles on my stomach with her warm hand. Just as I'm about to fall asleep, the front door opens.

[layce2015]

The Last of Us Part 2 (Joel Miller x Reader)

What If I Followed The Game's Story (Joel's Death) pt. 2

(A/N: Here's the conclusion of what if I followed the game's story and Joel dies. Also Lev still doesn't exist in this story so when Abby almost killed Dina, Ellie tells her that Dina is pregnant and Abby pauses and thinks it over then tosses Dina to the side and tells Ellie that she doesn't want to see her again)

What if Joel Died pt1

It had been weeks since Ellie and Dina left to Seattle, to settle the score on those WLF bastards. Even though a part of me hated myself for not going with Ellie, I was still glad that I stayed with Aiden and Ethan. Hell, I found out a day after Dina and Ellie left, Jesse went after them.

The boys were very devastated about losing Joel and it was so hard to explain to them that they were never gonna see their dad again. I don't know how many times throughout the nights of these last few weeks, I have heard both of them call out for Joel in their sleep only to wake up and realize he's not there.

All I can do is just hold them and try to calm them down as best as I could. 

They were also worried about Ellie and Tommy, wondering if they were gonna come back. I told them that they will it just might be awhile. 

Well, that day finally came.

I took the boys to Joel's grave and I just let them talk to his grave, almost like he was still here. Then they would set some drawings, they drew of him, on his grave and I would begin to cry then start to fiddle with Joel's wedding band that I had on a chain around my neck. They talked to the grave when I heard what sounded like shouting.

Suspicious and curiosity got my attention and I grabbed the boys hands and told them we might need to go. We walked out of the cemetery when Maria comes up to me, looking winded. "(Y/N)..." She said. "What's wrong?" I asked her. "They're back. Tommy, Dina and Ellie. They're back." She said and my eyes widen at this then all of us start to run towards the front gate.

We make it over there and I see Dina, Ellie and Tommy, all of them looked like shit. Dina looked bruised and scratched up in the face but otherwise she looked alright. Ellie had her right arm in a sling, which told me it was broken. And Tommy was worse as he had a patch over his eye and a bandage around his right leg.

Maria runs over to Tommy while Aiden and Ethan run to Ellie and hug her. "Hey..." she said, weakly, to them as she kneels down and hugs them back with her good arm. I go over to her and she looks up at me and stands.

I give her a worried look as she looks disappointed. "I-I tried, (y/n). I really tried but....she...she...got away." Ellie stampers but I go to her and embrace her. "The most important thing is you're alive." I tell her and she starts to sniffle and cry in my shoulder. "It's okay, babygirl." I whispered to her, softly, as I hug her then the boys come up to us.

"Where's Jesse?" I asked Ellie as I look around. She looks up at me with this sad look then looks down. "No..." I said, sadly, then we get down on our knees and get into a group hug, and I hold on to what's left of my family.

2 Years Later

Ethan was sitting on the couch, strumming the guitar, while I was sitting on the couch next to Ethan, helping him to practice his guitar. "Darn it." Ethan grumbles, after messing up a note. "Hey, you'll get it, honey." I assured him. 

He sighs and starts to replay the notes again and got it right. "See? There you go!" I said to him and he smirks a bit. "I just hope I get as good as Ellie....and dad." Ethan said and I give him an encouraging smile. "Oh you will. You just gotta practice and build up your callous." I said and Ethan nods. "That's what Ellie said." He said as he looks down at his little fingers.

Then I look over at Aiden to see him drawing in his notebook. "Whatcha doing, honey?" I asked him. "Drawing." He replied then he picks holds up his notebook and walks over to me. "Oh, what did you draw?" I asked and Aiden hands it to me and my jaw drops a bit.

It was a drawing of a house and six people standing in front of it, all of them smiling. Two little boys, a young girl, an older girl and a man and a woman. "I drew our family. See? That's me and Ethan..." Aiden said as he points at the two boys. "And that's Ellie..." he points at the older looking girl. "And that's Sarah..." he points at the younger girl. "And that's you and daddy." He said as he points at the man and the woman.

Tears form in my eyes and I place my hand over my mouth. "Oh, Aiden...this is wonderful." I said, tearfully, and Aiden smiles a bit then hugs me. "I miss Daddy." Ethan mutters and I look over at him and hold my hand out to him. He sets his guitar down then comes over to me and the three of us hug.

"Me too." Aiden said and tears run down my face. "Don't worry, my darlings'. I miss him too." I said to them as we break the hug. "Why did he die?" Ethan asked me. "I'm not sure, sweetheart." I said, sighing a bit. "Ellie said that it had something to do with some job you and daddy did a few years back." Aiden said and I look over at them then darted my eyes away from them then I sighed. "What you boys need to understand is..."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and I look towards the door. I walk over to the door, open it and see that it was Tommy. "Hey, Tommy." I greeted. "Hey...can I come in?" He asked me and I nod then opened the door wider for him.

He walks in and Aiden and Ethan walks out into the hallway. "Uncle Tommy!" The boys shouted and they run to him and hug him. "Hey boys. How are you doin'?" Tommy asked them. "Good." They said. 

"So, what's up, Tommy?" I asked as he breaks the embrace and turns to me. "I need to talk to you, privately." He said and I nod. "Uh, boys...go upstairs to your rooms." I said. "Okay, mommy." The boys said and Ethan grabs his guitar and Aiden picks up his notebook and they head upstairs.

Tommy and I exchange a look before I lead him to the kitchen area and we sit down in the chairs. "You doing alright?" I asked him. "Yeah, yeah, I'm...fine." he said. "And Maria? She doing good?" I asked. "Yeah, she's fine. We're..." he stops and scratches at his chest, uncomfortably. "We're actually taking some time apart." He said and my eyes widen at this.

"Tommy, I'm...I'm so sorry." I said, apologetically, but he just waves, vaguely, at me. "Nah, we talked about it a lot, so, uh, it's what we both want." Tommy said and I give him a sympathetic look. "You want me to go talk to her?" I asked. "No, no, no...it's fine. But that's not why I'm here. I got something to show you."  He said and he starts to pull out a map.

"So I've been putting out feelers for months now. And this new guy heard my story. He told me about a woman that he traded with while he was moving through California. Described her as built like an ox." said Tommy and my eyes widen at this then he points along the map. "He said she's living along the coast in a beach sailboat....right here." He said as he points at a part on California. I lean in and see he was pointing at Santa Barbara.

"That's gotta be her." He said then he and I share a look and I start to feel this anger, that I had buried for the last two years, start to rise within me. I let out a heavy sigh before I speak up.

"You haven't told Ellie yet, have you?" I asked him. "No. Once I found out about this, I came straight to you." said Tommy and I nod. "Good." I muttered then I take some deep breathes and let them out. 

"I'll go." I said and Tomny gave me a concerned look. "By yourself?" He asked and I nod. "What about Ellie?" He asked me. "She's been through enough. She's out there living the rest life with Dina and J.J." I said.

"What about Ethan and Aiden?" Tommy asked me. "I can handle it. You and Ellie have said that Abby has been wanting me to come out and face her. Well...I'm done with hiding from her. And I'll make her regret that she wanted to see me." I said, firmly, and Tommy nods. "Okay, if you say so." He said then he stands up.

"You want me to watch over the boys?" Tommy asked me and I nod. "Okay. And Ellie?" He asked and I sighed. "You can tell her if you want or make something up, I don't care. Just make sure to tell her that this is what I wanted." I tell him. "Okay. I'll let you get ready." He said and I nod. 

I head up the stairs and head into my bedroom and start to pack up clothes and weapons for the trip when I look over at the dresser and see the familiar broken watch. I go to grab it and look at it, sadly. I run my thumb over the broken face of the watch when a voice asked. "Are you leaving?"

I turn around and see that it was Ethan at the door. "Yes, baby. Uh, Uncle Tommy has a job for me to do." I said. "When will you been back?" He asked. "I'm not sure. This job could take awhile. Maybe weeks." I said and he gives me a sad look. "I don't want you to die, Mommy." He starts to cry then I kneel down and place a hand on his shoulder. "I won't. I promise you that, okay?" I said and he nods at me.

After packing up some stuff and saying goodbye to my sons, I grab a horse and started to head out and make my way to Santa Barbara.

2 Months Later

I had found the sailboat that Abby was residing in, but she wasn't in it. I look through her things and found a list of addresses and notes. "Where did you go to?" I muttered as I look over the crossed out addresses until I noticed one that wasn't crossed off.

2425 Constance

Then I look through the map of California to cross reference it with the address and found it. "Gotcha." I muttered and I put the map back into my bag and made my way out of the boat and into the beautiful beach. 

I jumped down onto the sand and rolled up the sleeves of the green flannel shirt I was wearing, that was obviously too big for me but I didn't care. It still smelled liked him ​and, strangely, it felt like he was still with me. I look around, trying to figure out how Abby got to the road, until I saw some broken down stairs and made my way there.

I made my way through this neighborhood and squeezed through a gap of a couple of vehicles when I heard a snap and I was yanked up into the air. I screamed and my bag flew off of my back as the rope, which had grabbed my ankle, pulled me up and let me hang in the air.

"Shit." I growled as I started to swing and then I hit a tree, and felt this sharp pain in my side. I screamed in pain and put my hand to my side and felt something warm. I pull my hand back and saw that it was blood. "Fuckin' shit. So fuckin' stupid." I growled in pain and I tried to find any way to get out but nothing.

The blood on my wound started to pour out and I felt myself losing consciousness until I finally closed my eyes.

Eventually, I opened my eyes and see two figures coming towards me, one of them looked very large. "Abby." I whispered. "Abby." I said alittle louder when I didn't get a response. "Is that you?" I asked but then I realized it was two men walking towards me. 

"See? We got a live one." The larger man said to the smaller man and both of them look up at me. "This bitch is fucked up." The smaller man said as they walk closer to me.

The larger man cuts the rope and I fall down to the ground and land on my injured side. I groan and yelp in pain as the smaller man said. "We'll be lucky if she lasts a month." And he unties the rope from around my ankle then turns to his friend. "Can we please just say we're done for the day?" He asked as he backs up and stretches.

"Yeah, yeah. Get that thing down and we'll reset the traps." The larger man said as he walks up to me and kicks me over so I'd be laying on my front instead of my back. "Really, man? I mean, is she worth the trip back? It's not like--" the smaller man started to say but then a loud clicking noise sounded out. The man jumped and screamed as he turned around and saw a Clicker was caught in one of their traps as well.

"Did it get you?" The larger man asked him as the second guy checks his arm, frantically. "No, no...I'm good. I'm good." He said, relieved, and I started laughing.

"Something funny?" The smaller man asked me. "Looks like you shit your pants." I said to him. "The fuck you say?" The man asked me and I start to laugh again. "What a little bitch." I spat. "Oh, you like funny, huh?" The man asked me and he grabs my arm and starts to pull me up to my feet.

"Come on, we don't need this." The larger man said but his friend shook his head. "No way, man. She's fucked up, anyway, come on." The second guy said and he was able to yank me up to my feet. "Please, don't..." I pleaded but he started to drag me closer to the Clicker. "Yeah, it's funny, huh?" He asked me, sarcastically, and he tries to grab my arm but I stomp on his foot then I elbow him in the stomach.

He groans in pain then I grab him and fling him towards the Clicker then it grabs him and bites him. "Holy shit!" The larger man said and he starts to pull out his gun but I take the gun away from his dead friend and shot the larger man in the kneecaps.

The man falls back and I started to walk towards him, gun aiming for him. "Whoa, whoa, you said Abby, right?" He asked, panicked, and I stopped but still had the gun aimed at him. "You're looking for an Abby, right? We picked one up a couple months ago." He said, quickly. "Yeah, sure." I growled and started to place my finger in the trigger.

"No, no, no. Big girl. Blonde? Arms like mine." He said as he points out his muscular arms. My eyes widen a bit and he nods. "Yeah, yeah that's her. You let me go, I'll tell you where she is." He said in between his groans of pain and I glare at him.

"Talk." I commanded, coldly. 

"She's in a holding cell in our camp." He replied. "Where's that?" I asked. "Head that way til you hit the railroad track. That'll lead you to a resort." He replied as he points behind me. "We keep 'em in a tall, round building." He said and I turn behind me to look towards the direction he pointed then back at him.

"I swear." He said, desperately, and I glared at him then I looked towards the Clicker that was still alive, hanging by its ankle, the other guy had fallen over dead. I go and grab my stuff, walk over to the rope and untie it, letting the Clicker fall. Then I aimed the gun towards the larger guy's direction and started firing, catching the Clicker's attention. 

"What are you doing? What are you--?" The guy asked me, panicked, and I start to walk away while I hear the Clicker go towards the man and hear his screams of pain as the Clicker kills him.

After cleaning and sewing up my wound, I make it to the railroad track and climb up in top of one of the train cars and found the tall round building that asshole talked about. And it seemed that these group of people were herding other people inside their compound, all of them were chained together.

"Oh God." I muttered and I start to, quietly, make my way inside. After getting in, I see that they had some infected tied up, like a dog. Smart. I thought but then I go towards the latch. But also very dumb. I thought as I go and unlatch the infected and they start to run off into the camp.

Then I hear the people start freaking out as the infected attack, gunshots soon followed. And I did my best to make my way around these people and down to the building.

After making it inside, I barricade the door and make my way to the basement. I walk towards the cells when someone pops out and attacks me. We struggled for a bit and rolled towards a cell that was full of people. The woman was on top of me and I kick her towards the cell and a couple of people grabbed her and started to choke her out, killing her.

"I got the keys!" One guy exclaimed and he goes to open the cell door. The prisoners get out and go towards a locker, which held their weapons. I scan the crowd but couldn't find the woman that looked like the one in the picture Ellie showed me, that she got during her time in Seattle.

The prisoners started to run but I raised a hand to them. "Where's Abby?" I asked them. "She tried to escape. She's down in the pilars." One guy replied to me. "The pilars?" I said, confused. "Head down to the beach. You won't miss it. She's probably already dead." The man said and I nod and stepped aside for them. "Thank you." The guy said and he and the others run off while I head down the hall and towards the door.

As the gunshots of the war plays off into the distance, I make my way down to the beach and see what the guy was talking about. "Holy..." I mutterd in shock. These sick bastards had several people hanging from a pole by their wrists. Almost in a crucifixion manner.

I walk around the pilars and tried to find her. "Abby!" I called out then I heard a weak voice behind me. I turned around and see a woman, with short blonde hair, tied up to a pole. I walk closer to her as she said, weakly. "Please help me."

I take a good look at her face and realize that this was Abby, which she looked totally different in the picture. Seemed like she lost most of her muscles and she looked tired, probably dehydrated. I couldn't help but feel alittle bit of pity for her.

I sighed then pull out a shiv and cut her down from the pole. She groans in pain but gets up and looks over at me. "Thank you." She said, weakly, then she points towards the side. "There are boats this way." She said and she leads me towards the ocean where there were two old boats.

At this point, I wasn't for sure what to do. Do I go ahead and kill her or let her go? I mean, she's obviously been through hell from staying here and she looked weak. Plus I'm not in the best shape with this wound on my side. Is this right? Am I doing the right thing?

As we get to the boats, she goes to one and I go to the other and set my bag in it. I hissed in pain and placed my hand on my side and pull my hand back and see that it was covered in blood. As I stared at the blood, Joel's bashed up face flashed in my mind's eye and I clenched my fist in anger while I closed my eyes, tightly, at this.

I have to finish this.

I open my eyes and turn to her as she starts to untie her boat off of the post. "I can't let you leave." I said and she stops then turns to me. "What? I-I'm confused...why would you save me, if...." she started to say confused but I talk over her.

"A couple of years ago, you and your asshole friends came to a place called Jackson and you lured a couple of men. And you killed one of them." I said and she keeps giving me that confused look.

"How did you know...?"

"I'm (y/n) Miller." I growled and her eyes widen. "Yeah, you wanted me. Well, you got me." I spat. "Look I don't wanna fight you." She said but I shake my head at her. "Oh because you don't have a shotgun to blow my knees off and a golf club to bash my head in?!" I asked, angrily, then scoffed. "Sorry, I'm here whether you like it or not. You shouldn't have killed my husband!" I yelled at her.

"You and him took my father away from me!" Abby shouts and now it was my turn to be shocked. "What?" I said, confused. Ellie told me that they were former Fireflies but she said they were after us cause we took Ellie away. "Yeah, my father was the doctor at St Mary's." She said.

"So that's what this was about? It wasn't because we took the possible cure for mankind away?" I asked. "Partially. But mostly because you and your fuckin' husband took my dad away." She growls.

"And you took my sons' father away from them!" I spat at her and she looks shocked by this. "Yeah, should've thought of that. You should've stayed the fuck outta Jackson!" I yelled. "I couldn't bear the idea of you and him alive and not suffer the consequences..." Abby said. "Funny...that's how I feel about you..." I growled and she glares at me. She growls then let's out a roar before she runs at me and knocks me down into the water.

The two of us struggle a bit until I grabbed my shiv and sliced at her. She backs off of me then I get up and stabbed her in the arm. She cries out then I pull the shiv out and sliced at her stomach and she falls back.

I go at her but she gets up and pushes me back then she goes to punch me but I dodge her punch and sliced towards her. She grabs my arm and tries to fight it out of my hand but I spin her around and have the blade aim towards her throat, her back to my chest, and I try to stab her but she holds my arm back then elbows me in the stomach.

I yell in pain and let her go as I stumble back. She charges towards me but I hold my ground and we struggled a bit more before I slam her down into the ground. I hover over her and bring down the shiv towards her chest but she holds up my hand, preventing me to stab her.

I put all of my strength into my hands and was able to bring the shiv closer to her chest until it inserted into her skin. She cries out in pain then shoves the blade out of her chest, out of my hand and punches me across the face.

I fall over to the side then get up and the two of us began to throw punches at each other for a few moments until I got a good hit across her face. She falls in the water and, before she could get up, I kick her across the face. She falls back into the water and I get on top of her and begin to hold her down into the water.

She struggles and starts to fight but I punch her a few times in the face and wrap my hands around her neck, holdong her down. She begins flailing her legs but I place my knee on her hips, preventing her from flailing so much. She grabs at my arms but I continue to hold her down, tears started pouring down my face.

As I hold her down, flashes of the memories I had with Joel flashes in my mind. 

The moment we met

Our first date

Our first kiss

The first time we said I love you to each other

The day he proposed 

Our wedding day

The day we lost Sarah

The day we met Ellie and then got her out of that hospital 

The day I told him that I was pregnant with Aiden and Ethan

And the one of the last things that came up was my last moments with him.

"I'll be back in a few hours." He said. "You better." I said and Joel chuckles before he comes up to me, leans down and kisses me. "Please be careful." I whispered to him. "Always." He mutters then gives me a quick kiss on the lips again before he walks over to his brother. "Hey." I said and he turns to me. "I love you." I said and he smiles. "Love you, too." He said and I smiled as he goes over to Tommy.

Then the last thing that came into my mind was of him laying down next to me on our bed, smiling at me.

I let out a loud, angry cry and I squeezed Abby's throat tighter until she finally stopped moving and I could see, through the water, her eyes rolling back. I stand over her for a few more moments, making sure she was dead, and I finally let go of her neck then I began to cry and sob at this.

I fall on my side into the water and just let every emotions I had build up for the last two years out. Every sadness and every anger I had built up burst out of me as I curl up in a ball and hold myself.

Even though I'm relieved she's dead, why do I feel so...empty? So numb? Like this was all meant for nothing?

Few Weeks Later

"Holy shit! That's (y/n)! Get the gates open!" A voice shouted as I make it to the front gates of Jackson. The large doors open and I slowly walk through them and I give a wave towards the people that opened the doors. I hear then shout some sort've command but I ignore them and start to make my way to my house.

I walk towards the front door, open it, enter through the door and shut it just as I hear footsteps and two little heads peek around the doorway of the living room. "MOMMY!" Aiden and Ethan shouted, happily, and they run to me. I kneel down and opened my arms and they run into my embrace and I hug them, tightly.

"Hey, my darlings." I whispered then I heard another set of footsteps. I look up and see that it was Ellie. "(Y/n)..." she said, shocked, and I smile a bit at her. "Hey, babygirl." I said as I pull out of the boys embrace then stand up.

Ellie runs to me and hugs me and I wrap my arms around her. "I-I was so scared." She whispered and she pulls back to look at me. "What are you doing here?" I asked. "Tommy told me what you were doing and that you wanted me to stay behind. So I thought I could help him watch the boys while you were gone." She said and I give her a concerned look.

"What about Dina and J.J.?" I asked her. "Dina was fine with this. She understood. Tommy is supposed to be back here in a few and then I was supposed to head back home. But since you're back..." she said and my lips twitched into a smirk.

"Sooo...did you..." she started to asked and I sigh. "I did." I replied. "And?" Ellie asked. "We don't have to worry about her anymore." I said in a cold voice and her eyes widen at this. "Oh." She said, realizing what I meant, and I nod.

"Still you should've had me come with you." She said, folding her arms across her chest. "I didn't want Tommy to disrupt your life. You deserve all the happiness you get, Ellie." I tell her. "But he could disrupt your life?" Ellie asked, angrily. "My life was already disrupted the moment I saw Joel's body at that cabin." I replied and she gives me a sad look.

I look down at the boys, who looked a bit sad, but I lean down and kiss their heads before I walk towards the dining area and sit down in a chair. I groan slightly at this and hold my side, Ellie took notice of this. "You okay?" She asked me. "Yeah, fine. Just still sore." I replied.

"Well, I'm glad you're not dead." Ellie said, giving a small smirk, and I chuckle. "Yeah, me too." I said. "H-H-How did it feel? When you...?" She asked and I look down as I try to think of my next words. 

But then a knock at the door startled my thoughts and Ellie and I exchange looks. "I'll get it." She said and she gets up and heads to the front door. I hear voices then footsteps and Ellie and Tommy come in. "Oh thank God!" Tommy said, relieved, and I smiled at him. "Hey, Tommy." I greeted, softly, then he comes up, kneels down and hugs me and I hug him back.

"How did it go?" Tommy asked me as he takes a seat and Ellie takes the seat next to him, Aiden and Ethan sitting across from them. "I found her." I said, breathless, and Tommy looks at me. "And?" He asked me, the same manner that Ellie asked, and I sigh. "She's gone." I said then I look over to Ellie. "And to answer your question, Ellie...to be honest, I really don't know what to feel." I said and the two give me a confused look.

"When I killed Abby, it was like something took control over me and when the moment happened, I blacked out. But I would see flashes of Joel when it happened, like all of our time we spent together. And when I saw the life fade from her eyes, I felt...relieved and sad. I was glad that she won’t harm anymore people, that I love, ever again..." I stop and bite my lips and my hand starts to shake a bit.

"But I felt like I already lost. Losing Joel was the worst moment that has ever happened in my life...and now he won’t get the chance to see you and the boys grow up." I stopped then I place my hand on Joel's wedding ring, which was still around my neck, and fiddle with it as I start to choke up again.

I place my left hand over my face and begin to cry. I hear footsteps and felt arms around me and I set my hand down to see that Ellie and my sons had come over and hugged me while I felt Tommy's hand over mine. "I'm sorry." Tommy said as I continue to cry.

So I've become the bringer of death

A lover of life

The one who guards from the dark of the night

I'll be the hammer of war

Justice and mercy don't live side by side

So in retribution, I abide

I'll tip the scales to justice's end, but can it make amends?

[punkrockmads]

Christmas Eve

I look over my shoulder, seeing my five year old daughter asleep in the backseat, her cheek pressed against the side of her carseat. I smile at the sight of her tiny blue plush seahorse held tightly in her little hand. I turn back around, glancing at my wife as she drives. I put a hand on her shoulder and she offers me a warm smile.

"Everything okay?" Yara asks, looking at me before quickly looking back at the road.

"Yeah." I nod, rubbing her arm. "Riley's asleep." Yara looks in the rearview mirror, a light chuckle escaping her lips.

"She couldn't go to sleep last night." Yara grins, lacing her fingers between mine. "Too excited."

"Yeah?" I bring Yara's hand to my lips, pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles. "You should've woken me up. The song always works." I say, referring to the lullaby I've sung since Riley was little. "When was the last time they got to see her?"

"Let me think." Yara pauses with a sigh. "Ellie and Dina saw her last year and... I think Joel and Tess saw her when we first brought her home."

"Wait, what about your sister and Lev?" I ask. Yara and I had gone to visit her sister Abby and her family a few months ago. It's hard going out to visit family since we live in the mountains in Colorado and they live in Wyoming. Ellie, Dina, and JJ live just north on their farm. Abby and Lev live about an hour away from them. My father and mother are further out near the northern border of Wyoming on their own farm.

"That was about three months ago." Yara reminds me.

"Oh, that's right!" I chuckle. "God, sometimes I feel like I'm eighty instead of twenty two."

"Careful, you'll start sounding like your father." Yara teases.

"Oh, God." I groan. "You remember when he saw JJ for the first time and said 'I'm so fucking old'?

"Poor Joel." Yara and I laugh at the fond memory. "He's gonna be there right?"

"I think so." I nod. "He said he would be."

"Mommy?" The sound of Riley's adorable little voice makes me turn my head. Yara and I decided before we brought Riley home that I would be 'Mommy' and she would be 'Mama'

"Hm?" I respond, noticing her seahorse has fallen on the floor. I reach back to grab it, stretching toward it.

"Are we there yet?" Riley asks, her big brown eyes hazey with sleep.

"Almost, babygirl." I answer, handing her the stuffed seahorse.

Riley's almost a spitting image of Yara. When Yara and I were nineteen, I found a baby seat sitting near the dumpsters of the old apartment building we used to live in. At first, I thought nothing of it. But as I got closer, I noticed the carrier still had something in it. A very tiny baby who looked to be only a few months old. Yara and I rushed her to the hospital immediately, finding out she had been abandoned by her mother.

We stayed with her as often as possible. Friends and family would stop by to check on us. They'd try to get us to go home and get some rest. We just couldn't. Not with this precious little miracle here alone. I remember her sweet little laugh when she saw us walk in one day. She reached out for us. That's when we knew this little girl would be a very important person in our lives.

After months of being in the hospital, the baby was finally back to a healthy state. We found out later that she was about two years old and, after being immediately bonded to the girl, Yara and I decided to adopt our baby Riley. We had been married for only a year, but we always knew we wanted to have children. The day we brought Riley home from the hospital was one of the best days of our lives.

"I wanna see grandpa." Riley grins, kicking her little feet.

"You will in a bit, sweetheart." Yara says as I look forward. "Hey, look out the window. I think Aunt Ellie has the sheep outside." Riley gasps as she turns to look out the window, seeing all the sheep grazing around in their field. I watch her eyes light up, a lock of long black hair falling against her cheek. She stares at the sheep as we pull into the driveway. When Yara parks the car, I get out and go to get Riley out of her carseat. As I'm unbuckling her, I hear the front door of Ellie and Dina's home swing open.

"Aunt Ellie!!" Riley cheers, running to her as soon as her feet hit the ground. Ellie kneels down, arms wide open. Riley runs into then, almost making her fall over.

"Woah!" Ellie chuckles. "Look at you all dressed up!"

"Mommy picked my outfit." Riley says, showing off her sparkly red dress and black tights. "And Mama picked my shoes."

"Well..." Ellie picks Riley up, grinning. "Let's go get your moms and head inside. It's cold!" Ellie steps off the front porch, leaving footprints in the snow with her winter boots.

"Is grandpa here?" Riley asks as I pull her backpack as well as another bag out of the trunk. Yara grabs our suitcase, kissing me on the cheek as I close the trunk.

"Should be soon." Ellie assures, putting Riley down. I sling the backpacks over either shoulder before hugging Ellie with a tired sigh.

"It's so good to see you again." I say, happy to finally be able to visit my sister.

"It's good to see you guys, too." Ellie says, moving to give Yara a hug. "Let's head inside. It's gonna get really cold soon." Riley is already two steps ahead of us, making her way inside and running over to Dina. I follow Ellie and Yara inside, immediately noticing the beautiful Christmas decorations. Lights strung up around every doorframe, paper snowflakes of all different sizes taped to the wall and hung from the ceiling, family photos placed on every shelf, and a beautifully decorated Christmas tree with a picture of Ellie, Dina, and JJ when he was just a baby resting nearly in the center.

"Beautiful as always, you two." I hum. "It looks even better than last year!"

"Hey, guys!" Dina calls, walking out of the kitchen with Riley on her hip. "Good to see you!" She hugs Yara and I while still holding Riley. "God, it's only been a year and you've gotten so big!" She laughs, smiling at Riley.

"I'm five now! I'm almost an adult!" Riley states matter of factly.

"You are so smart!" Dina laughs. "I hope you're not too grown up to play with JJ. He's only a year younger than you."

"Where is he?" Riley asks. Dina sets her down.

"I think he's in his room. Why don't you go up and see him?" Riley looks up at Yara and I, silently asking for permission.

"Go ahead! It's okay!" Yara assures and Riley runs off. "Be careful on the stairs, please!" Yara shouts after her. We watch Riley climb up the stairs, holding on to the railing just like I taught her. She's a bit too small to reach the actual rail itself so she clings to the siding. I set the bags down, taking Yara's coat off and hanging it up for her before doing the same with mine.

"Cute sweater, Mads." Ellie says as I pick up the bags.

"Thanks, I stole it from Yara." I laugh, glancing at the pale blue sweater I wore specifically because it belongs to my wife.

"God, you're like Dina!" Ellie chuckles. "She steals my clothes all the damn time!"

"I do not!" Dina cuts in, nudging Ellie.

"Whose flannel is that?" Ellie asks knowingly as she tugs on the sleeve of the pale grey flannel.

"....Yours." Dina groans, swatting Ellie's hand away. "Here. I can take your bags." She offers.

"Oh no, that's okay!" I assure. "Yara and I can take them to the guest room." Dina nods, squeezing Ellie's hand.

"Alright. I'm gonna go finish up dinner." Dina sighs. "Come help me, babe?" She asks Ellie.

"Course." Ellie smiles, following Dina into the kitchen. I head to the guest bedroom, Yara following close behind. The usual grey bedding has been replaced by a dark blue comforter with large white snowflakes and four matching pillows. A porcelain snowman sits on the nightstand beside the lamp. As I turn around to head back out, I bump into Yara.

"Oh!-" I'm about to apologize when she crashes her lips against mine in a hard, loving kiss. Her arms wrap around my waist, holding me close. My eyes close, arms moving to wrap loosely around her neck. She pulls away with a soft chuckle as I take a breath. She smiles at me, resting her forehead on mine as she tucks a lock of my hair behind my ear. I place a hand on her warm cheek, feeling the way she leans into my touch.

"I love you, honeybee." Yara mumbles, pecking my lips once more.

"I love you too, my angel." I hum. "It's so nice to be able to spend Christmas with everyone this year."

"It is." Yara agrees. We stay there for a peaceful moment, enjoying the quiet before the front door opens again.

"Hello!" An old but familiar voice calls out. Dad! I kiss Yara once more, taking her hand and leading her back into the living room. My father stands at the door, taking his coat off. Ellie and Dina walk in from the kitchen. Ellie walks up to Dad, hugging him. "Hey, kiddo!" Dad greets. "This place looks amazing!"

"Thanks, dad." Ellie says as Dad hugs Dina. As soon as he lets go, I run up and hug him. I haven't seen him in four months when I came up to help him and my mom on their farm. I feel myself tearing up.

"How the hell did we get here before you?" I chuckle, sniffling a bit. "You live an hour away from here."

"It's good to see you too, babygirl." Dad laughs, patting my back. "God, y'all have grown up. Stop makin' me feel old."

"Where's mom?" I ask, watching him hug Yara.

"She's outside talkin' with Abby and Lev. Got here when we did." Dad explains. "Where are my grandkids?" Dad looks around, finding no sign of his grandchildren. "Riley! JJ!" Suddenly, we hear the sound of two pairs of feet running to the stairs.

"Grandpa!" Riley cheers, a wide grin on her face.

"Don't run down the stairs!" I warn, afraid she might get hurt. I look away when the door opens, Mom walking in followed by Abby and Tess. I look back a second later to see my daughter jumping from the middle stair. I gasp, getting ready to yell when Dad catches her. I let out a relieved sigh, looking to Yara to see she had the same reaction as me.

"Don't you scare your mamas like that again, peanut!" Dad chuckles, squeezing Riley and ruffling her hair as she giggles.

"Never again." Yara sighs as I take Riley from Dad.

"I'm sorry." Riley says, hanging onto my forearms. "I won't do it again."

"Good." I nod, adjusting her on my hip. "You're forgiven. Now go see grandma."

"C'mere, Jellybeans." Mom says, kneeling down to hug Riley and JJ. "You're both getting so big!!"

"Are your bags still in the car?" I ask, noticing my parents didn't have overnight bags.

"Yeah." Mom answers. "Hey, how are we gonna fit everyone in here tonight?" She asks, standing up and pulling her coat off.

"Yara and I are gonna sleep in the den with the kids." I answer, hugging my mother. "It's so good to see you guys." I hug Abby and Lev. "Hey, can you stop being taller than me?" I joke with Lev.

"I'm only taller by an inch." He laughs.

"Yeah, and I envy that." I laugh with him. "You're gonna stay out here with us right?"

"Like always." Lev nods as Yara pulls him into a hug.

"Missed you, loser." Yara teases, hugging her brother.

"Missed you too." Lev replies. "Let go, you're squishing me!" Yara laughs, letting go and offering to take her siblings' bags to one of the guest rooms.

"Nah, I got this." Abby says, grabbing their bags.

"Hey, Abby?" Dina calls. "Have you asked out that girl from the cafe yet?" Abby doesn't bother turning around, playfully holding a middle finger up in the air.

"I'm TRYING!" Abby laughs. "Not everyone is as confident as you, Dina!"

"Yeah, she's not as confident as you think." Ellie cuts in, grinning at Dina's teasing glare. Everyone jumps when the front door swings wide open.

"What's up, bitches?!" Manny screams, an exhausted Jesse following close behind. Manny is wearing one of the brightest green Christmas sweaters I've ever seen.

"LANGUAGE!!" Yara reminds him, gesturing to Riley who has found her way back into my dad's arms and JJ who clings to Ellie's leg as she walks around the house helping Dina and I get things set up.

"Right, sorry!" Manny apologizes, forgetting there are small children in the room. Jesse laughs, putting a hand on Manny's shoulder.

"I'm about to make this house a little less full if you use that language in front if my kid again, Emmanuel." I say, only half joking.

"Yes ma'am." Manny nods with a half smile.

"Okay, everyone's here!" Dina cheers, setting up a camera. "Let's take some terrible Christmas photos and then we can have a great time, yeah?"

As the day passes by, the snow outside falls, covering the ground and the rooftops in a cold, white blanket. Ellie's gotten all of the sheep back inside the barn with a little help from JJ. The two walk back inside. Well, JJ kind of waddles. His snowsuit is a tiny bit big on him.

"It's cold out there." Ellie shivers, helping JJ out of his snowsuit before taking off her coat and boots. She picks up JJ as Dina walks over, wrapping a blanket around the two of them and kissing Ellie. "Thanks babe." Ellie says as Dina ruffles JJ's hair.

Mom and dad sit on the couch, dad's arm wrapped around mom, Riley sitting on his lap playing with her seahorse. Dad talks to Riley about why her seahorse is blue while mom talks with Manny and Jesse about the cruise they plan on taking for Christmas. Yara, Lev, Abby and I gather around the dining table playing UNO since it's not a good idea to play Poker around Riley. She's very smart for her age but Yara and I both agreed that she shouldn't be around when games like that are played. We made that mistake already with Cards Against Humanity.

"UNO!!" Lev yells, setting a card in the pile. We all laugh at Abby's wide eyed expression.

"How-" Abby stutters. "I HAVE LIKE TWENTY CARDS!! YOU'RE CHEATING!!" We laugh louder at her frustration as she begins to laugh at herself.

"I'm not cheating!" Lev defends himself. "Mads, tell her I'm not cheating!"

"Oh, you're probably cheating." I tease him, setting another card down. "UNO, by the way."

"YOU'RE CHEATING, TOO!!" Abby yells, her and Lev laughing so hard their faces turn red.

"Maddy, stop cheating!" Dad jokes from the couch. Ellie hands a sleeping JJ to Jesse, sitting beside dad. Jesse holds his sleeping son close, Manny watching in awe beside him.

"Jesse, we need a kid." Manny mumbles.

"Absolutely not." Jesse chuckles, rubbing JJ's back. "This little guy is plenty." Manny grins, wrapping an arm around Jesse.

"Babe." Yara nudges me gently, pulling my attention back to the game. "Your turn." I take a split second to look at the pile of cards and then the card in my hand before slamming the card down.

"And, I just won!!" I cheer, standing up and raising my hands in the air.

"No!!" Lev yells. "I was cheating and I STILL lost?!"

"You WERE cheating!!" Abby yells back. "We're FAMILY!!"

"Alright." Dad sighs, standing up and picking up Riley. "I think it's time we show your mommy how it's done."

"Bring it, old man." I tease, waving him over. He chuckles, looking at Riley.

"Whaddya say, peanut?" He asks her as her eyes light up.

"Yes!" Riley nods, pulling on the sleeve of his grey flannel. Dad nods, carrying Riley over and sitting at the table with her in his lap.

"Hey, all of you are playing! Get over here!" Lev orders, looking around at everyone.

"I'm holding my sleeping son, Lev." Jesse points out, looking at JJ with a small grin.

"Oh, hang on!" Dina rushes off into the den, coming back with the baby wrap they got before JJ was born. She helps Jesse put it on, making sure JJ is secure as he sleeps soundly in his dad's arms. "Alright, let's play."

A little while later, Dad slams his last card down. "We won!!" He yells, Riley cheering along. Surprisingly, JJ stays sound asleep.

"BY CHEATING!!" Lev yells, making Riley giggle.

"Just because we beat you doesn't mean you can accuse us of cheatin'." Dad laughs. Everyone goes off to do their own things again while Ellie and I pick up the cards.

"Riley's so much like you." Ellie says, closing the game box.

"Yeah, it's scary." I chuckle, watching my daughter climb on Dad's back.

"Hey, crazy!" Riley says, using the nickname she's come up with for her grandpa. "Play a song?" Uh oh. How can you deny a cute little face like that?

"Alright, peanut." Dad agrees, standing up. "Here, you go to mommy while I grab Aunt Ellie's guitar." Dad hands Riley over to me, giving me a loving smile before heading upstairs to find Ellie's guitar. Dad taught both of us how to play guitar the minute we were big enough to hold one.

After hours of my father playing different songs and even being convinced by Riley to play the Other Father's song from Coraline while she and Manny danced to it, everyone is beginning to grow tired. Riley sits on my dad's lap, watching him play different chords to show her the sounds they make. My mother leans against him, her eyes closed as she silently listens to the twang of the guitar.

Manny and Jesse have left to get to their cruise after putting JJ in his bed, making sure to say goodbye to everyone and leave a few gifts for JJ and Riley under the Christmas tree. Dina and Ellie sit beside each other on the loveseat, Dina's legs resting in Ellie's lap as they mumble about anything that comes to mind. Abby and Lev sit in front of the TV watching The Walking Dead. Once Yara and I finish wiping off the kitchen counters, she takes my hand and guides me to the couch, sitting down beside my mother. She takes my other hand, pulling me onto her lap. I wrap my arms around her, resting my body against her and laying my legs across her lap. Riley looks over at us with a big smile, pushing past Dad's guitar and climbing over mom to get to us.

"C'mere, babygirl." I chuckle, opening my arms for her as she crawls into my lap.

"Did you have a good Christmas Eve?" Yara asks Riley before peppering her face with kisses. Riley giggles, using her tiny hands to try and push Yara's face away. She nods when Yara finally gives in to her protests, placing one last kiss on her forehead. I hold onto Riley's shoulder as she shuffles closer, leaning against me. She takes Yara's hand in her little one, lining their fingers up. I watch as she silently compares them, moving my hand to rest on her back. Dad continues to play quietly, stealing glances at the three of us with his usual "proud father" look. Yara runs her free hand through my hair, her head resting against mine. I can feel myself drifting off, the sound of a song dad always plays for mom bringing me familiarity from my childhood. My eyes close slowly as I rub my daughter's back, the sound of Dad speaking to Yara finally lulling me to sleep.