#slwf

Working Title: I Can See Our Future Days (Days of You and Me) (From "Future Days" by Pearl Jam)

Original idea: "Joel teaches Ellie how to drive"

Joel's pretty sure he's going to die as long as Ellie's behind the wheel.

She finally, finally wears him down. After months of asking, nearly every single day, Joel agrees to teach her to drive. But not before a week of rigorous memorization of signals and signs (“Joel, most signs are destroyed at this point.”) and where each thing is in the car. Ellie would regret asking if she didn’t want to get behind the wheel so badly.

The day finally comes. Joel drives them to an open field and parks it, turning it off and tossing the key to Ellie. She scrambles out of the car and runs around the back, already standing ready before Joel’s even opened his door.

She hops in and immediately puts on her seat belt, bouncing as she waits for Joel to get in on the other side.

“C’mon, you old man!” she says as he slides into the seat.

He shoots her a glare with no heat behind it. “I can still take the keys back,” he warns.

Ellie sticks her tongue out at him and puts the key in, turning it on.

“Can you see out the back?”

Ellie adjusts the rearview mirror.

“And the sides?”

She nods, fingers tapping against the wheel. She’s in the driver’s seat! She’s in control!

“So the gas is on the righ—”

Ellie floors it and the truck flies forward before coming to a screeching halt as she slams the brake. Oh, what a rush. She can’t wait to take it out on the open road.

Working Title: Lives Lived, Lives Lost

Original idea: "Hob leaving his life to start a new one over and over and how tired that makes him"

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700 years. 20 identities. 20 Hobs. Sometimes he thinks the world certainly does not need that many. Hob Gadling. The original. The blueprint. “Hob” is quite an out of fashion name, but he misses it. He doesn’t miss a whole lot from that time, though. Too much death, too much dirt and smoke. But still, he longs for his name. It’s nice to hear it from Dream’s lips, once every few weeks. Maybe he can bring it back into popularity. Maybe next century.

Sir Robert Gadlen. Some of the most joyous moments of his life. Some of the most tragic. It’s been long enough that the pain has mellowed. Never gone, but bearable. He can look past it and remember the joy without crushing guilt.

Rob Goodman. And his son. And his son. It was easier that way. Why remember another name when you could just add a number?