Author's Note: Somehow I just realized I forgot to post the last chapter on this site? Sorry bout that. In my defense it's been done on AO3 for ages. :)

The song is Mirah's "Promise." Please ignore the fact that the original song is on the piano, not the guitar. LOL


Chapter 11: Forward

All things considered, it was actually rather fortunate that Abby had sustained such a serious injury so close to Jackson. Jackson was lucky enough to have functioning medical equipment and a pre-outbreak doctor. Dr. Baker's medical office had previously been just a few miles from where Maria and Tommy's group established the town, and after joining the settlement he had been able to move all his equipment to a building on the main drag. When Ellie brought Abby to the office, Dr. Baker made no comment on his opinion of Abby and simply led her to the back room, where he treated her as well as he would have treated any of the townspeople. He took an x-ray of her wrist, set the bone, and made her an actual plaster cast. "Try and keep it dry," he said gruffly. "It needs to stay on for at least six weeks."

"We won't be here that long," Abby told him. She was sweaty and exhausted - the whole visit had been painful, and she hadn't been able to properly rest after her ordeal due to the pain. The good news was that her wrist didn't hurt nearly as bad now that it was held securely in the cast.

"Then find yourself a saw and get someone you trust to cut it off without dismembering you," he replied. "Someone who has a steady hand and no grudge against you."

"Note to self: Don't piss off my wife for the next six weeks," muttered Abby, and Dr Baker chuckled.

"Don't lift whatever you usually lift, either," he added. "Not unless you want it to stay broken forever."

Thinking of Ellie's enjoyment of her physical strength in the bedroom, Abby almost said: "That doesn't go hand-in-hand with not pissing off my wife," but she decided not to at the last second. Instead she asked: "I will be able to lift again eventually, though, won't I?"

"Barring any further complications I believe so, yes. It's a clean break that should heal up nicely. But that," he nodded at the bite mark on Abby's right arm, "I can't help you with. I can clean it and dress it for you, but other than that I don't know."

"We know how to treat them. The Fireflies have figured out a way. I suppose we should tell you how, since everyone in town will be vaccinated now. The infected will still bite, but it won't be a death sentence anymore."

She showed the doctor how to tend to infected bites, then went back out to the waiting area where Ellie was sitting. Abby had tried to convince her that she'd be fine on her own, but Ellie had insisted on escorting her. "There is no fucking way I'm letting you out of my sight in this town again," she'd said. It was too sweet a sentiment for Abby to argue with, so she'd acquiesced relatively quickly.

"Jesus," said Ellie when she saw Abby. She stood and trailed a hand down the side of Abby's face. "You're so pale! Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Abby assured her. "Getting the cast wasn't fun, but I feel much better now." She held up the bulky cast for Ellie to examine.

"Oooh, a cast! Cool! I'll be drawing on that later for sure."

"Knock yourself out." To Dr. Baker she said: "Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome," Dr. Baker replied. "Watch yourselves out there."

"We will."

They went out onto the main street, and now that she wasn't completely miserable from pain Abby took her first good look around. The town was lovely and quaint, with kids playing in the streets and dogs wandering leashless beside their owners. It reminded her of old western towns she'd seen in cowboy movies back when she was living in Seattle. On their way over here people had stopped to stare at her, and now they were doing the same as the two of them emerged from the office. "Move along," said Ellie irritably, making a shooing motion with her hand at the townspeople. "Mind your fucking manners, huh?"

"Ellie…" Abby started wearily, but Ellie interrupted her.

"Don't tell me not to tell them to fuck off. I want them to fuck off, and I get what I want."

"You certainly do," grumbled Abby. "Where are you dragging me to now?"

"Well, I still need to get my tattoo touched up. Wanna meet my other ex?"

Abby hesitated. She didn't want to tie Ellie down and make her cancel her plans, but she was so exhausted. All she really wanted to do was to take a bath and lie down. But then again, it was worth it to her to soldier on if that's what Ellie wanted her to do. Right as she was about to answer in the affirmative, Ellie threaded her arm through hers and said, "I'm a fucking idiot. Of course you don't want to do that. You want to go home and get some sleep. Come on." She started walking towards the RV.

"You don't have to come with me," Abby protested. "I can sleep by myself."

"Stop wasting your energy trying to convince me to leave you alone. You want to sleep, I want to cuddle... It seems to me like we should kill two birds with one stone."

"Can I add a third bird?"

"Abs, you can add as many birds as you want. What can I do for you?"

"I feel gross," Abby said. "I want to take a bath."

"Oh man," laughed Ellie. "That's my favorite bird of all."

Despite Abby's repeated protests, Ellie insisted on helping her with the bath. She prepped the hot water, helped Abby undress and sit in the tub, made sure her cast was kept above water level, and then gently undid her braid so that she could lovingly wash her long hair. It was far longer than it looked when it was braided. Ellie would never forget the first time she'd seen Abby without the braid. It had been during their mission in South America, and though her hair had been much shorter back then because it had been cut by the Rattlers, the difference it made on Abby's whole look had dumbfounded Ellie. It made her look softer, more feminine, less stern. For a short time afterwards Ellie had toyed with the idea of asking her to consider another style. Back then the braid still reminded her of the first time they'd ever seen each other - the Baldwin place, the golf club, and Joel. She thought maybe if Abby didn't look like that anymore, they might be able to get along better.

Then she had realized that she didn't want to forget that Abby, the Abby who had done that terrible thing. And more importantly, Abby didn't want her to forget it. The way to build trust between them could never be a path of avoidance. They had to confront their history, not run from it. So even while the truce had kept them from discussing it openly, the braid became a way for Ellie to keep that side of Abby in her mind, to remind her of what they'd been through. Over time it became less and less of an issue as she learned to accept and forgive the things she'd seen Abby do in the past.

Nowadays she loved the way the braid looked on Abby. It made her look strong and badass, like some kind of warrior from one of her Savage Starlight comic books. After they'd been together for about a year or so Abby had taught her how to braid it properly, just the way she liked it. Ellie loved the intimacy of the act. It made her feel so close to Abby, to know that she trusted her that much. With loving carefulness, Ellie gave her long mane a thorough washing, using her fingertips to massage her scalp. "Fuck," Abby said. "That feels good."

Grinning, Ellie gathered all her wet hair and piled it on top of her head. Then she began shaping it into different shapes.

Abby sighed. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Nothing," Ellie replied innocently as she shaped Abby's hair into a beehive. She stepped back, walked around to the front of the tub and surveyed her handiwork. "Looks good."

"Can't keep it, though," Abby commented, and she tipped her head to one side, causing all the hair to fall off and splash back in the tub. "Not sustainable in the long term. Maybe I should just cut it short like yours."

"Don't you dare," shot back Ellie. "I like it the way it is, and my opinion matters the most."

"Yes it does," Abby agreed. She let out a huge yawn. "Are you done playing yet? I'm fading fast."

"Oh, so now you're okay with letting me help? Which is it, Abby? Do you want me to let you bathe yourself, or do you want me to do it?"

For reply, Abby picked up the bucket that Ellie used to pour water over her and passed it to her.

Ellie laughed. "Spoiled brat."

Closing her eyes and leaning back in the tub, Abby pointed to her own head and said: "Get to work."

Abby fell asleep sitting up while Ellie was re-braiding her hair, and it made Ellie's heart melt in her chest. They were sitting on the bed in the RV, Ellie behind Abby with her legs stretched out on either side of her. She finished the job carefully and quietly, then scootched forward and wrapped herself more firmly around Abby, ducking her head to lay soft kisses along the side of her neck. "Hey, sleepyhead," she said soothingly. "All finished."

"Shit," said Abby, drawing a sharp breath as she woke. "Sorry. Didn't mean to conk out on you there."

"Yeah, if I didn't know what you just went through I'd be really offended right now. But today you get a pass." Backing off of her, Ellie laid down, tugged Abby down beside her and wrapped her arms around her. "Comfy?"

Burrowing herself further into Ellie's embrace, Abby sighed and murmured, "Ridiculously."

"Good. Go back to sleep."

"Mmm-kay."

Even though she wasn't particularly tired herself, Ellie did drift off into a light doze. Being snuggled up with Abby encased her in a warm, hazy bubble that made her feel calm and still inside. It made it easy for Ellie to close her eyes and rest. She was awoken after a few hours by a knock on the RV door. Abby was so deeply asleep that she didn't even stir when Ellie carefully extracted herself and went to answer it. Maria was standing there, and at her feet was a pile of guns - their guns. Ellie wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Either this meant Maria now trusted them to be armed within Jackson's walls, or she wanted them to leave immediately.

Before Maria could say anything, Ellie said, "Abby's sleeping. Let's go over there." She led Maria away from the RV, and she was surprised when Maria actually took a seat by the grill. She sat down across from her and said, "What's up?"

"JJ told his parents what happened, and they told me. I owe you an apology for how I acted last night," said Maria without preamble.

"No you don't," replied Ellie. "You were working off the information you had. Other people probably thought the same thing, except they have the luxury of keeping quiet about it. But you have a duty to keep this town safe. You have to be the one to say the things everyone else is thinking."

"Still, I should have trusted your judgement. There's nothing in your past that should lead me to believe you're not trustworthy in that respect. I let my personal feelings interfere where I should not have."

"Don't worry about it. It's fine. And we'll be out of your hair soon enough. We can finish the vaccinations tomorrow and be gone by nightfall."

"Stay a few more days, if you want," Maria said. "We're planning a dance to celebrate the vaccinations that you are more than welcome to attend. Both of you. And… It'll give her a chance to rest up before you go." She jerked her head at the RV to indicate she was talking about Abby.

Ellie was stunned, and she blinked a few times in shock. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Maria answered firmly.

Even though they both had been invited, Ellie was almost certain that there was no way Abby would go to the dance, which meant she probably wouldn't go either. But she appreciated the sentiment anyway. "Thank you," she said.

Maria nodded and got to her feet. "I'm not going to ask you to stay. You know what's best for you, and I'm going to respect that. But you know that if you ever do decide to come back…"

"I know," Ellie cut her off. Then, again, "Thank you."

With another crisp nod, Maria turned and strode off towards the center of town. After getting over her shock, Ellie stood, brought the guns inside the RV, then went to rejoin Abby on the bed. Abby cracked one eye open and lifted the blanket for her. "Maria?" she asked sleepily.

"Yeah," confirmed Ellie as she settled herself in place against Abby.

"You guys good?"

"Yeah, we're good."

"Good."

"Do you want to stay a couple more days?"

"Sure."

So they did. They finished the vaccinations the next day, and this time Abby stuck around and helped. She got some dirty looks, but for the most part everyone left her alone. It seemed word had gotten around about what she'd done for JJ and it was enough to let most people tolerate her in stony silence instead of displaying outright hostility. Amanda and John hung around with her the whole day as well, which helped to curb the worst of the unpleasant encounters. But her biggest supporter by far was JJ. He was like her shadow all day, sticking by her side and helping her with any task that required two hands.

At the end of the day, everyone left but Dina, Amanda and JJ, and what followed was a fun night with everyone sitting around the fire, drinking beer and talking amicably. It could almost be called "normal."

When Ellie mentioned being hungry, Abby immediately stood and offered to collect some apples from the orchard. To everyone's surprise, JJ also got to his feet and turned to Dina. "May I please go with her?" he asked politely.

Perhaps it was simply the fact that he actually asked instead of sneaking away, or perhaps it was a sign of her gradually changing attitude towards Abby, but either way, something made Dina reply: "You may."

Abby flashed a quick smile at Dina, then motioned for JJ to follow her. "Come on, kiddo," she said. "Let's find out if I'm strong enough to lift you up one-handed."

"Could you?" he asked eagerly as he skipped along at her side.

"I think I could probably manage it," Abby answered. As they left she could hear the others laughing at their exchange. They entered the dark orchard and started shining their flashlights up the trees to look for the best apples. "Let's not go too far in this time, huh? I don't know about you, but I'm really not in the mood to get captured again."

"They won't come back," said JJ confidently. "I heard Ellie and John saying they'd kill them if they stayed here. And they're both really scary."

"Yes they are," laughed Abby.

"But you're not."

"You might be one of the only people in this town who thinks that."

"Well, they're wrong and I'm right." He paused for a moment, then continued: "I don't want to be mad at you. I don't like the way it feels. But when I'm older, I'm going to ask my mom what happened. Do you think it will make me angry again?"

"Probably," Abby replied honestly. "And I won't tell you not to be. The only thing I will say is that it's up to you how you want to handle that anger. All my biggest mistakes have been me doing the wrong things with my anger. So I won't try to tell you how it should make you feel, but I will ask that you make me one promise, okay?"

"Okay."

"Promise me that when you ask your mom what happened, ask her what she thinks about the whole thing, too. Ask her if she thinks it was all worth it. I know it doesn't make any sense right now, but it will."

"Okay," repeated JJ. "I'll ask."

"Good. Now come on. You've been having to think about way too many grown-up things for a kid your age. Let's have some fun, shall we?"

They returned to the group with their arms full of apples, and Ellie laughed when she saw them. "Wow. Went a little overboard there, didn't you?" she said.

"I got them for you, so I really don't think it's fair of you to criticize," Abby said, tossing her an apple. "Eat up."

Amanda leaned forward and helped herself to one as well. "We were just talking about what happened."

"What about it?" asked Abby around a mouthful of apple.

"They were marveling over how weird it was that I decided to vaccinate those guys instead of going in guns blazing," Ellie told her.

"Yeah, I can see why that would be a mind fuck for you," Abby said to the others. "The Ellie you knew…"

"Would have rather died than do anything for those fuckers," Dina finished for her. "What did you do to her?"

"Don't look at me. She did it all by herself. If she hadn't changed like that by herself…" Abby shot a quick glance at JJ, then finished: "Santa Barbara would have turned out very different."

"Yeah, quit trying to give her credit for all the hard work I did," added Ellie, offended.

"So, explain your thought process, El," Dina said. "What made you decide to do that?"

Ellie shrugged. "They had Abby and JJ, and we were in a disadvantaged position. It didn't seem smart to risk it when I knew I could probably settle things without a fight."

"But didn't you want to fuck them up? I mean, they had your wife."

"Of course I did," responded Ellie. "But being that hot-headed in the past has only ever gotten me and the people I care about in trouble. It may take me a while, but I do eventually learn from my mistakes."

"Wow, would you look at that? Our little Ellie's all grown up," said Dina with exaggerated pride.

"Shut up," said Ellie with a laugh.

"What about you?" Amanda asked Abby. "You didn't think about raining a little hell on them?"

"Only if they touched JJ. Otherwise I was happy enough to see it end peacefully."

"Even though they broke your wrist?"

"Shit happens," said Abby easily. "I've had worse."

Shaking her head, Dina said, "I think it's fucked up that assholes like that get to be vaccinated as a reward for taking hostages."

"I agree, but they're human beings," said Abby. "Everyone deserves to get the vaccine. Even assholes."

"After all, you got one, right?" teased Amanda.

With a wry smile, Abby repeated: "Right."

Dina and Ellie exchanged glances, because Dina now knew that Abby had turned her vaccine dose down and given it to JJ instead. If only all the assholes out there were as self-aware as her, thought Dina. She cleared her throat and said, "Well, it's getting late. We should head home."

The three visitors rose to leave. "You're staying for a while, right?" Amanda asked.

"Yeah, for maybe another day or two," Ellie said. "Come over if you feel like hanging out."

Their time in Jackson after that was relatively easy and pleasant. Ellie took Abby with her to get her tattoo touched up, and Cat and Abby got along just fine. They wouldn't ever be best friends, but Cat was cordial enough with her. Tucker was also there, and Ellie was intentionally cold with him, mentally calling him an idiot the entire time they talked. Afterwards they went to see Edna, and she promptly began stuffing Abby with pie.

"This is so good," Abby complimented Edna with her mouth full.

"Probably tastes a lot better than a human finger, huh?" Edna teased.

Abby choked on her bite of pie and started coughing, causing Edna to roar with laughter.

"You're such a bitch, Edna," said Ellie, also laughing.

"Hey, maybe you're not mad about the fingers, but I am! You used to play a mean guitar back in the day."

Trying to hide her embarrassment, Abby asked, "You've heard her play?"

"You haven't?" replied Edna.

"When could I have? We didn't get close until after I bit off those tasty fingers. I wasn't going to ask her to play for me when she was murdering my friends."

"Good lord," said Edna. "You two are really something, aren't you? With all that bullshit between you, you must have the most solid marriage in the entire damn world."

"What makes you say that?" said Ellie as she reached over with her own fork and stole a bite of Abby's pie.

"Well, you know who each other are, don't you? Not every couple can say that. You saw each other's darkness, but it wasn't enough to make you want to turn away from each other. Is there anything left that you could see in one another that would make you change your mind?"

"Nope," said Abby.

"Not a damn thing," agreed Ellie.

"That's what I'm saying," said Edna.

"I'm surprised you see it that way," Ellie said. "We already knew that's what it was like, but most people think of our history and assume it would tear us apart."

"Most people are fucking idiots."

Abby lifted a huge forkful of pie in agreement before stuffing it in her mouth. "Amen," she said while chewing.

Sighing dreamily, Ellie said, "Isn't she just the hottest thing you've ever seen?"

"Second hottest," Abby corrected her, winking flirtatiously at Ellie.

When they left, Edna insisted on Ellie taking the re-strung guitar with her. "It used to belong to Eugene, and I think he'd love for you to have it. It'll be a little bit of Jackson to take with you."

Ellie hesitated, but Abby stepped forward and took the guitar from Edna's hands. "Thank you," she said. "Sorry for my wife's incredible rudeness in the face of your extreme generosity."

"That's quite alright. She's always been a little off, if you ask me."

Grinning, Abby said, "Yeah, that's what I like about her."

"Me too," said Edna, returning her smile.

The next day was the day of the dance. Ellie decided to go help them get set up, but Abby went to help rebuild the broken fence with John and Amanda. Even one-handed, she was an asset to the team. The set-up in the town hall only took Ellie a few hours, so afterwards she went back to the RV and fiddled around with the guitar. It felt really nice, as though she was reconnecting a wire in her brain that had been knocked out of place.

When Abby got back to the RV, Ellie sat her down and said nervously, "Do you want to hear something?"

"Ellie," said Abby seriously, "I would love to hear you play."

"Okay. But you have to cut me some slack, okay? 'Cause I only have three fingers. Some bitch bit the other two off."

"Quit stalling and entertain me, woman."

Ellie sat and picked up the guitar. "It's not gonna be very good. I just don't want you to be disappointed."

"Ellie," said Abby again. "Please."

Taking a deep breath, Ellie turned her focus to the guitar and started to play:

There was a child who was born to be the one who comforts me,
Who grew up strong and brave and holy,
Loves me rough and tenderly.
Can it be understood the reasons why you belong to me?

I need the steady of you, and I'd give you anything,
That I could cut with sweet precision from beneath my tender skin.
There is a way, there is a way, that you can save me from this.
Would you promise to be kind?
Promise to be kind.

The wind is ever faithful, and it carves a solemn sword,
Right through the hearts of the ungrateful, who are always wanting more.
There is a way, there is a way that you can help me.
With the ramparts built so high,
All the soldiers stuck inside.
But this will fall away with time,
If you promise to be kind.
Promise to be kind.
Promise to be kind.

She gave the guitar one last strum to delay the moment when she would have to look at Abby. It reminded her of Joel all those years ago, playing the very first song he'd ever played for her. And after that day, their guitar lessons had been a way to bond, up until their relationship had fallen apart. She hoped that Abby would think of it the same way - as a way for her to express her feelings and be close to her.

Finally, she forced herself to look up at Abby… And found herself caught in her gaze. The way Abby was looking at her was so intensely intimate that even after all their years together, it made Ellie blush.

"I wish I'd seen you do that before I bit the fingers off," Abby said softly.

"Wow," said Ellie. "That bad, huh?"

"Come on, El. You know that's not what I meant." She got up and went over to give her a kiss, then knelt beside her chair. "I loved it. And I love you."

Reaching out, Ellie wrapped her hand around the Firefly dog tags hanging against Abby's chest, now on a new chain since Ripper had broken the last one. "Love you, too." She leaned down for a second kiss. "You're going to get so sick of hearing me play, though."

"I'm not sick of your drawings, am I?" Abby responded. "I told you, I love anything that comes out of your brain. I am so not creative, it's amazing to me that you can do these things."

"Yeah, you have always liked my drawings. Maybe I'll write a song about the cock fan. Kinda combine the interests."

That whole thing had happened so long ago, it took Abby a second to remember what she was talking about. She burst into laughter. "Holy shit," she said. "Please do that. Please."

"Geeze, I really didn't think you'd be so into that idea."

"I have fond memories of that drawing. It helped start the thaw, you know? First time you made me laugh, I think."

"Alright," said Ellie. "I'll do it. Maybe it'll be your birthday present this year."

"Can't wait. But for now…" Abby rose and went back to her seat. "Play me another."

The sun set and cast the town of Jackson in an orange glow, and the light breeze brought sounds of the dance from the town hall not far away. People were laughing and having fun, but Ellie and Abby stayed at the RV, enjoying each other's company and resting up for their journey back to Avalon. They were heading out in the morning, and it pleased them to know they were leaving Jackson in such good shape. Everyone was safe and fully vaccinated, and their lives would continue on with one less thing to worry about - one big, massive thing.

Later in the night they were joined by Dina, Amanda and JJ, and John dropped by as well to say goodbye.

"Y'all ever think you'll come back?" he asked them.

After exchanging a quick glance with Abby, Ellie said: "Yeah. If we're ever out this way again, we'll drop in."

"Good," said John. He tipped his hat at them and said, "'Till next time, then, ladies. I'll keep y'all in my prayers. Fare-thee-well." Then he strolled away, whistling a jaunty tune as he went.

"You really mean it?" JJ said, looking hopefully at Abby. "You'll come back?"

Abby didn't know what would happen as JJ aged, or if he would even be happy to see her the next time their paths crossed, but she couldn't worry about that. Their situation was what it was, and nothing could change it. All she knew how to do was continue moving forward and keep playing the hand she was holding. And damn if she wasn't enjoying the way the game was unfolding. She loved her life, she loved her work, and she loved Ellie. What more could she ask for? So she would continue walking this path and hope that the next time she saw JJ, he'd still be able to find forgiveness in his heart.

"Yeah," she told JJ, smiling kindly. "We'll be back."

In the morning people turned to watch the RV drive past them, some just looking, some frowning, but most raising their hands to wave goodbye as Ellie and Abby made their way out of town. When the gates closed behind them, Ellie looked over at Abby and grinned. "Ready for our next adventure?" she asked.

"Fuck yeah," replied Abby sincerely. "Bring it on."

THE END


Author's Note:

We did it! We finished another story!

This is was a rough one for me. Personally I think it could have been a lot better, but my main focus here was to KEEP WRITING, even if I wasn't sure what to write. It was sort of an experiment I was doing to see if I could write a longer story that I wasn't 100% feeling. But even bad fanfic is appreciated in this world, and that's why I love writing fanfic. You guys don't HAVE to love the story, but someone out there will, and that's good enough for me.

Which isn't to say I'm not proud of the story. There are scenes in here that I did really like. PLUS I got to spend more time with the TLoU2, which has sort of been destroying my life for the last couple of months. I just love this game, you guys. I'm ruined for other video games.

Anyways. We're done here. Hope you liked the fic, and I hope you like the next fic you read, and I hope you like your next meal and your next dream and your next day off. Be happy!

Again, sorry for the delay on FFnet. I'm a dummy.

Bye!