AuthenticJoel

“I like the sound of that already!!” a big book? Hell yes, Jedi was down for reading a big book like that. Especially as she was getting the feeling that she was already going through most of the books that Joel owned. It was time for something else, maybe a different genre? Who knew what she was going to like, she just knew that she liked reading. 

“Yeah, okay.” she said, giving a small nod. “Be safe, alright?” She leaned back against her seat as she watched him leaving, frowning slightly as she did. Had the doc really given him the all clear already for his shoulder? That seemed a little too quick. 

She huffed out a breath, lifting up her arm to rub at her ribs. Now what? Just sit there until Maria came over to check on her? Apparently…

Tommy smirked as he glanced back at his brother. “Don’t worry, brother, she’s gonna be fine.” he commented, starting to make his way over to the stables, so they could get going. The last thing he wanted to see was his brother sulking the entire time they were out on the road.

“So, did she have any other requests to look out for, while we’re out?” Stepping into the stables, he reached for the reins of his horse, leading her out into the street and mounting up. 

“Feathers...she’s running low.” Joel sighed a little, “And she wants another update on the bow Jake has been working on.”

“He’s been working on it...finding the right wood to match has been a bit of a struggle, but I think he’ll manage it.” Tommy told him as the both got on the horses.

“Good. It’ll be a nice surprise, definitely cheer her up.” Joel urged his horse forward, “You can start by letting her borrow that book of yers.”

“Gladly. It’ll be nice to talk to someone about it who hasn’t seen the movies.” Tommy smiled brightly, “Come on let’s get this done with. It looks like it’s gonna storm later today. I wanna make sure everyone gets in on time.”

@authenticjoel

“And when this is over, this is gonna be my new home as well once I get my hands that bitch.” Tess added spotting a door nearby which she opens revealing a room full of screens. It’s the security room and she knew this would be useful enough to see where Ellie and Forest went. 

“Tommy, Joe, get over here. This is the security room.” She notified as she spots a screen right now which is the dining hall. Nemesis enters the scene this time carrying Ellie and Forest with Ellie trying to stab him in the neck but it doesn’t work. Awaiting them is a woman with blonde hair and dressed in a purple silk long sleeved jacket with a shirt complete with pants who claps.

“Forest Redfield and Ellie Williams. Welcome to castle Ashford.” The woman greed with Tommy’s hands curling into a fist. Joined by them are women with hooded medieval dresses and pale skin. Forest’s look is of shock as if he knows her.

“I know….you’re supposed to be dead! My dad killed you!” He screamed at her but Nemesis pins him on the ground. Ellie gets up pulling a knife on her but she suddenly stops making her struggle. She turns to see a figure appearing out of nowhere wearing a gas mask and hooded military overalls who pushes her on the ground then uses her foot to pin her by her chest taking off her mask revealing to be Riley.

“He did. I remember it so fondly….the arctic and the energy weapon. Good stuff.” She said with Tess gritting her teeth at the sight.

“Riley, it’s me! Ellie!” Ellie screamed at her.

“Well if isn’t this one big family reunion hm? Of all the people in this new world I created, I feel you two are most definitely worthy.” She spoke chuckling a little.

“New world you created? What the fuck are you saying?! You sound like you…holy shit….Forest….who is she?” Ellie gasped realizing it. This explains a lot about the monsters. 

“I am Alexia Ashford or they call me the lady of the castle. Whichever way that works. Now you want some questions to be answered and some unnecessary ones as well. Yes, I started the outbreak, I had connections with Neo-Umbrella before their downfall and spliced a harmless fungus into the C-virus.” Alexia bragged as Forest tries to get up but the Nemesis continues to pin him.

“WE ARE FUCKING GOING TO KILL YOU!” Ellie yelled at her with Alexia making a quick turn to her.

“Ah now for Ellie, time for some revelations about yourself and the reason why you’re immune to this. Remember Anna? Dear old Anna….well, she lived in this castle and wanted to see the outside world, of course she was no ordinary woman and she indulged a little made connections even the Fireflies. But she wanted a heir….a child so she had you.” The blonde explained. Ellie is in shock realizing her mother lived here….this place full of monsters and horrors.

“Here’s a thing….Anna never died. She lied a little to Marlene then went back here…..and you’re looking at right her.” She smiled mocking Ellie who tries to get up with tears in her eyes. No way in hell was this bitch her mother as she spoke in her head but Riley continues pinning her.

Joel growled at the screen. There was no way any of this was true. Marlene may have been a bleeding heart, but there was no way she’d be this blind. This woman...from just this brief introduction through a screen...was no person capable of creating a child as spunky and sweet as Ellie. 

It was interesting the way that the family was interacting with one another. And at the back of her mind, Jedi couldn’t stop that nagging feeling that she was intruding on them. That she was forcing herself into the family while maybe that wasn’t the case. After all, they wouldn’t go through this effort for her if they didn’t want her around, right? It was a stupid insecurity, one that she didn’t seem to be able to shake. 

She smiled however at the mention of the coffee stash, looking over to Joel. “My dad was the same way. He’d do anything for his coffee. I never got the appeal of it.” The taste was just gross. and adding sugar or milk to it? That didn’t improve it in the slightest. 

She watched Joel and Ellie as they ‘argued’ back and forth about the brace, already getting a kind of sense that this was going to be a long 10 days. The sooner she got her walking cast, the better it was going to be, if you asked her. but that was going to take a while and until then, she would be dependable on Joel. Well, at least until the Doctor brought over the crutches that were being made. 

“I think I can handle some fussing.” She commented. “Like I said, I can always pretend that I’m sleeping.” Which was something she’d been doing a lot anyway. Whether that was the concussion, or the fact that she didn’t really have much else to do being stuck in bed, she didn’t know. Hell, she was just glad that she was allowed to sit up straight at this point. 

“Bye, Ellie. Hey, we still on for movie night?” She called after her.

“Sure, I’ll let you pick!” Ellie called over her shoulder before closing the door behind her. 

Jedi smiled, moving the pillow behind her to get more comfortable, looking to the wall divider then back to Joel. “No, nothing’s missing.” She said. Everything that she owned, which admittedly wasn’t much, was in reach. She gave a small nod. “I’m comfortable.” she patted the mattress. Not too hard, not too soft. It was comfy enough. 

“I’m just- feeling a little useless…” She admitted. “I know the doctor said I should be on bed rest but I don’t wanna sit around with my thumb up my ass, you know.” It just wasn’t her thing. She wanted to be moving around, wanted to do the work she was assigned to do. Sure, working in the stables wasn’t going to be an option, but she could do something else, right? Something she could do from the bed. “Do you think Tommy’d let me do chores I can do sitting down? I know how to make arrows? Maybe I could do that? Can never have enough, right?” 

“I can probably convince him.” Joel smiled a little, “But I’ll only do it if you promise to rest for a couple more days. Then I’ll get you whatever you need to do whatever you can...” Sure enough she followed through and he was off gathering materials for making arrows. She was good at it. Days seemed to flow naturally as they lived with one another. He knew she was frustrated she needed help but he wasn’t going to let her struggle alone.

He stopped poking his head in looking at her, “I am heading out to get some supplies, you need me to get you anything?”

Tommy wasn’t sure about this. Not in the slightest. To him? It felt like a bad idea to have the girl stay at Joel’s when she had her own spot to stay, but he knew his brother. He was stubborn, and if this was the way he wanted things to be? Then they were going to be this way. There was no middle ground. 

So he’d watched as Joel got his house ready over the next couple of days, rearranging things in such a way that there could be a bed in the living room, making sure she wouldn’t have to bother herself with attempting to get up and down the stairs all the time.  Yet, in a way, it was understandable. He wanted both his girls close. With Ellie living in the shed at the back of the property? Yeah, he could understand it. 

Though, how he got roped into carrying the girl to Joel’s place? He would never figure it out. He was just going to chalk it up to some sappy reason of Joel trusting him more than anyone or something like that. 

“Here we go, little lady.” Tommy said, carefully placing Jedi down on the bed designated for her. “Thanks for takin’ a ride with Miller Airways. I’m now gonna hand you over to our flight attendant, who’ll be takin’ care of you for your stay here.” He winked, straightening up. yep, he was getting too old for this kind of thing. 

“Thanks, Tommy.” Jedi said, scooting back so she could lean against the headboard of the bed. 11 more days of being stuck in bed, she could deal with that. Right? It was just 10 days, that wasn’t that hard to deal with. She could do this. 

“Any time.” Tommy walked over to the door, patting Joel on the good shoulder. “Don’t let him drive you crazy, kid.”

“I won’t.” 

“He will.” Ellie commented, leaning against the doorway. “He’s gonna be fussing over you and asking you if you’re alright every 30 seconds.” She gave a small smile, as if revisiting a good memory. “He did it with me when I bruised my elbow last year.” 

Jedi gave a small smile in response. “Guess I’ll be faking sleep a lot, if that’s true.” 

She pushed off from the wall, walking over to sit on the edge of the bed. “You sure you don’t want the ‘how to handle Joel’ manual?” she asked. “I’m an expert at this point.”

“I think I’ll be okay. I could use some pointers on the grunts and hums, though.” 

Tommy smiled, glancing at the girls as they shared a laugh. “You sure you want those two becoming friends?” he asked his brother. “They’re gonna make your life hell.” He gave Joel a slight nudge.

Joel smiled crossing his arms, “I don’t mind...look at that those smiles. Makes everything worth it.”  Tommy looked at him seeing that smile...how...he’d gone from a full blooded killer and it took two young ladies to bring his brother back from a deep dark place. He felt a pain in his chest as he started to nod, “It’s good to see one on you brother...”

Joel looked at him making it disappear, “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t lie...I saw it clear as Noah’s rainbow...” Tommy smirked before stepping into the living room, “Ellie...I’m gonna need your help later...stop by stables when you get a chance.” “Can do.” Ellie smiled wave at him before looking back to Jedi smirking, “I am telling you though...threaten the coffee supply and he will comply...if you can hobble over to...”

“Hey now...you leave my stash alone.” Joel walked over to them both putting his hands on his hips, “I’m not that bad.”

“You are! You are that bad Joel.” Ellie stood up a small whine her voice, “Come on...that one time I had to wear a brace for a week you pestered me none stop about it. I didn’t even need it...He made me go see Doc and practically scared him into doing it.” She rolled her eyes crossing her arms.

“You kept complaining...” Joel defended himself, “I don’t hear you bellyaching about it anymore...”

“Because there wasn’t anything wrong...” Ellie punched his arm lightly giving a small smile, “I should go...Tommy rarely asks for help...”

“A’right...take it easy...” Joel called after her before looking at Jedi, “Well...I uh...hope everything looks alright...if something is missing...Just holler I’ll find it...and I got a room divider to give you some privacy.” He pointed over to a fold-able wall.

With the doctor having completed his job with Joel, and figuring that his other patient was likely awake, he excused himself, letting the Miller Brothers argue among themselves. He walked over to the room where Jedi was residing, knocking on the door to announce himself before moving into the room, watching the girl trying to make herself comfortable. It had to be hard for her, being stuck like this, unable to really rest on her side, or rest on her stomach with the cast on her leg and her ribs cracked. 

“Hey.” he smiled, walking over to the side of the bed. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired.” Jedi admitted. “In pain. Uncomfortable.” What else was she meant to say? 

“At least you’re honest.” he sat on the edge of the bed. “Do you know what day it is?” 

“No, I wasn’t told.” what kind of question was that? “Why?”

“Well, I suspect you’ve got a concussion. To know for sure, I need to ask you a few questions.” He smiled softly.  “Can you tell me your name?”

“Jedi Collins.” 

“What’s the thing on your leg called?”

“A cast.” She frowned at him. “Doc… this is stupid. I can remember what things are called.” 

He huffed out a soft laugh. “Yes, I suppose it is. Alright.” he reached into his pocket, pulling out a pen light. “Just look at me, okay?” He shone the light into her eyes, checking her pupil reaction, tilting his head slightly at the sight. “Hm, well, your pupil reaction is a little slow. We’re going to need to keep an eye on you. This means we’ll be waking you every two hours and asking you questions, to make sure you’re coherent. Okay?” 

“Okay.” Seemed a little redundant to her, but okay, not like she could argue.

“Alright, let’s have a look at your wrist. Is it painful at all?” 

“No, not really.” she watched as the splint was taken off, letting the doctor manipulate her wrist in the way he needed to check if it was fine. Asking periodically whether it hurt or not. 

“Okay.” The Doctor nodded to himself, reaching for the end of the bed to make a note on the clipboard. “So, I think you’re going to make a full recovery. You’re not going to be allowed to do any work for at least 2 months. 2 weeks of bed rest, after that, we’ll see about getting you a walking cast. Sound good?” He nodded approvingly when he got a nod in response. “Alright, I’ll let you get some rest.” He lightly patted her knee, getting to his feet again to go to the door. 

He wasn’t surprised in the slightest when he found Joel already on the other side. “It turns out her wrist is fine.” he reported. “Wake her every two hours and ask her name, age and date of birth. If she fails to answer any of those questions, come see me.” He smiled. “Don’t forget to ask for the right answers beforehand. and don’t forget to get some rest, yourself. let me know if you need a sling for your shoulder.” he very lightly patted Joel on the good shoulder, then moved past him. 

“Sling?” Jedi asked, looking over to the door. “Joel, is your shoulder that bad?” 

“It could be better.” Joel gave a small smile as he walked back over taking a seat, “Don’t worry about me though.” 

He looked at her, “Alright...so I have to ask you some questions...” He chuckled, “What was the name the horse you rode with me?” He asked some simple ones, and a few hard ones and he kept a few to himself that would be hard to bring up but he knew the answers and it would be a fair test then. He leaned back in the chair crossing his arms looking at the clock on the wall, “Well...two hours...try to get some rest. If you’re not tired I can get a pack of cards and we can figure out something...”

Jedi gave a small smile in response. SHe wasn’t sure how things were going to work out, but maybe this was something they could figure out together. As weird as it seemed, sometimes, it just took the right group of people to heal from something as bad as trauma. “Okay.” She said. 

She frowned at him, glancing at his shoulder. Had it been that bad? She didn’t think it had been. “Okay. Just- take care of yourself.” She settled back down onto the bed, letting out a quiet whimper as she did. Fuck, her ribs were aching badly. 

She struggled to get comfortable, still clutching her necklace in her hand. “Joel?” she asked. “Thank you.” she didn’t elaborate, hoping that the meaning of it was clear. Thanks for everything. For saving her life, for being there for her, for not abandoning her. Just everything. 

He stopped at the door looking back at her trying to give a reassuring smile before he turned to leave shutting the door behind him. He took a deep breath in seeing Tommy already geared up to say something, “Tommy...”

“Doc is ready to see you.” Tommy spoke dryly before leading him down the hall to another room.

Joel sighed as he stepped inside an was instructed to take off his shirts. He looked back at Tommy as he began to undo the buttons of the plaid shirt, “You mind?”

“Not at all.” His younger brother crossed his arms leaning against the wall. Joel rolled his eyes before pulling of the under shirt hissing when he felt the strain on his shoulder. His back was multi-color bruises at different stages of healing, “Jesus Joel...”

Joel didn’t say anything as the doctor began to manipulate his arm to check his range of motion. Tommy continued, “For as much as you say you care about everyone here...you sure don’t give a shit.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Joel glared at him as the doctor began to tell him he would need rest and to bandaged up for a while.

“What I mean is we fucking care about you...and when you don’t take care of yourself you’re putting everyone at risk!” Tommy shouted at him as Doc began bandaging him up, “You’re a damn fool...and now you’re getting yourself wrapped up into something...”

“I ain’t getting-” 

“Fuck Joel! It’s plain as day. You practically lost your damn mind when I told you Jedi wasn’t back...” Tommy pushed off the wall shaking his head, “I don’t what happened out there but for a second it was like Sarah all over again...I ain’t saying it’s wrong. I ain’t...”

Doc quickly finished up and excused himself as Tommy went on, “But I almost lost you back then...and I just...I don’t want to lose my brother again...I just want you to know what you’re diving into. I want you to know what the risk is.”

Tommy sighed scratching the back of his head, “I need you to hear me on this...because...Jedi is sweet. Really sweet and I haven’t seen you taking a shine to anyone in a long time...more than Ellie and she means the world to you...but it’s clear Jedi as been through the run of it and back. She’s gonna depend on you...you can’t just shut everything off like you normally do.”

Joel took a seat on a stool in the room picking up his shirts to put back on. Tommy sighed shaking his head, “To hell with you...you ain’t ever listened to me.”

“Tommy...” Joel looked at him pulling the t shirt down as his brother stopped at the door, “I hear you...”

Tommy looked at him surprised, “Alright...good...”

@authenticjoel

“Well my mind isn’t scrambled and I don’t have some device on me that makes me a goddamn slave.” Tess responded raising her handgun then uses the key to open the door of the castle. The metallic door opens with the sound making a long echo revealing the interior of the castle that has a giant hallway supported by pillars almost like a Gothic church. 

“Fuck….just when we were out of a giant house, we’re in another one….they could be anywhere.” Tommy growled as Tess leads ahead aiming her handgun. On the walls are painted portraits of important people of Umbrella with one being a portrait of Oswell E. Spencer as Tommy looks at it.

“Hey Joel, that’s the Spencer guy remember him before the outbreak? He was in charge of Umbrella until the whole scandal happened with the bio-weapons then he got killed by the BSAA in his mansion.” The man observed lowering his gun. They soon hear a phone ringing nearby which is near Tommy as they hear something grumbling causing them to turn and look at the entrance.

It’s Nemesis again but this time it appears to be trying to smile as Tess realizes it lured them into the castle. The monster gives a low chuckle then shuts the door.

Joel looked back feeling everything in his body as he cocked his shotgun, “Go look for the kids...”  Tommy looked at him, “Are you crazy...your can’t fight that thing alone!” “He’s right...” Tess looked at them both, “That crazy bitch wants us here...we’re stuck playing her game for now...”

Her chest was aching. Her broken heart was hurting so much that the pain was physical. It was something she’d suppressed for the longest time with a mask of being positive, attempting to be cheerful every single day despite the fact that the man she loved most was gone. Because that’s what he’d been like. Always positive, always smiling and laughing. And that’s what she tried to emulate. Tried to honor him with, trying to remain positive despite the shit hand that they’d been dealt in life. Growing up in a world that’s gone to shit.

She opened her eyes when she was pulled into an embrace, struggling a little to sit up properly and leaning into Joel. If she closed her eyes, then she could almost pretend that she was being held by her dad. that it was her dad talking. Joel had the same posture as him, the same type of voice. She listened quietly, buried against him. His words made sense, but they also hurt at the same time.  

When Joel pulled away, she looked up, giving a small nod. “I understand.” She whispered. As much as it hurt, she did understand.

There was just one final question that was burning in her mind right now. And she didn’t really know whether this was the best time to ask. But she could feel herself getting tired again. “Joel?” She asked quietly. “Whose Sarah?” 

He was glad to hear her say those words. Happy she was strong enough to understand their weight, but then it was like the air was sucked from the room. His chest tightened at the question.

“Uh...” He looked down as his mouth hung open as he dragged in air that felt like thick water. He cleared his throat and blinked several times before he spoke quietly...brokenly, “...uh...S-sarah...she...”

This was hard. So hard because it admitted so many things that he wasn’t exactly sure he was ready for, but by acting the way he was he already cemented it.

“Sarah was my daughter.” He finally whispered out, “You remind me a lot of her. You got the same spirit...same spunk.”