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Joel leaned up from his place on the couch almost instantly after hearing a sound ring out through the house. It sounded like a Clicker had found its way past the barricades. He blinked and grabbed the revolver at his side, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the dark. With as much ease as he could, he cocked the hammer of the gun back and sat up.
He heard the noise again, but it wasn't clicking or moaning or any other sound the Infected made. They were short bursts of exhalation, coming from the couch adjacent of his. He put the gun down and leaned a bit closer to the still form. Each time the little puffs came out, she moved a bit. Finally, he cooed, "Ellie, lean up. It's okay,"
She jumped when she heard his words and had her blade at his throat within seconds. He didn't move a muscle at all, even though his heart was racing. Her eyes were wide, red, puffy, and her cheeks were soaked with tears.
"Ellie, darlin', it's me. Joel."
She immediately collapsed into his chest, dropping the knife. It landed against the wooden floor with a metallic clink, and Joel tensed a little. He hoped none of the Infected heard that. Almost instinctively, he wrapped his arms around Ellie's back, pulling her as close as possible to him. She sobbed loudly, gasping for air when she could. Joel stroked her hair and mused in her ear over and over, telling her that it was going to be okay.
"Did you have a bad dream?" he asked.
What kind of question was that? He scolded himself for being so stupid. It had barely been a week since she had a run in with that fellow. He didn't even press her for his name, he didn't want to know. The guy barely had a face left when he found them, and for Ellie to lose it like that, he must've hurt her in a way unimaginable to himself.
"Mhm," her muffled voice echoed between sniffles, "about David,"
"Shh, shh, there there. I've gotcha, nobody or nothin' is gonna hurt you,"
She calmed a bit and let loose of Joel. By this time, he was kneeling and she drew back to sit on his knee. Her eyes looked sore, but the tears had reduced to dried streams down her cheeks. He brushed a little strand of hair out of her left eye and let the back of his hand slide against her cheek. She managed to crack a smile albeit the sniffling of her nose.
"Baby girl, I've got you. I'll always be here for ya, no matter what,"
And at that moment he truly realized that he loved the little girl in front of him the same way he'd loved Sarah. She was everything to him, just as he was sure he was to her. He leaned down and kissed her forehead, and she didn't budge. When he pulled away, she was smiling and fighting off the sorrow.
"You alright darlin'?"
"Yeah, I think so,"
"Well, alrighty then. Tell ya what, if it makes ya feel safer, you can bunk with me."
She nodded and grabbed her blanket from the couch, then Joel's. He looked puzzled but eventually figured out what she was doing. She had made a pallet of blankets on the floor, using Joel's couch as a headboard. He let out a cheerful "hmph" and leaned back, resting his head against the plush, overstuffed cushion. Before he could say anything, Ellie had curled into his side, using his chest as a pillow.
He found himself draping his arm around her shoulder and running his hand through her hair over and over again. She nestled up against him a few more times and yawned. He couldn't help but smile and think "cute" to himself.
"Ellie?" he asked, checking to see if she was still awake.
"Yeah, Joel?"
"I uh, j-just wanted you to know somethin',"
He nearly choked on the words before he could retch them up. She turned on her side and look up at him, eyes twinkling and devoid of any tears. Finally, he swallowed the lump in his throat and found his courage.
"Baby girl, I love you."
She smiled and said, "I love you too, Joel."