Chapter 1: Aftermath

# Chapter 1: Aftermath

The horses' hooves pounded against the snow-covered ground as the small group made their way back to Jackson. Joel winced with each jolt, his injured leg sending waves of pain through his body. Tommy rode beside him, vigilant eyes scanning the perimeter for any signs of infected or human threats. Behind them, Ellie and Arthur followed on a shared mount, an uncomfortable silence hanging between them.

Arthur kept his posture rigid, decades of Firefly training making it impossible to fully relax even as exhaustion threatened to overcome him. His eyes continually darted to the man riding ahead—his father. The word felt foreign in his mind, a concept he'd only understood in abstract terms until today.

"You okay?" Ellie asked, breaking the silence. Her voice was cautious but not unfriendly.

"Fine," Arthur replied tersely, then caught himself. These people had just accepted him—a complete stranger—based solely on his claim and resemblance to Joel. He owed them more than one-word answers. "Just processing. It's been a long day."

Ellie nodded. "Yeah, that's one way of putting it." She paused, choosing her words carefully. "Thank you. For saving him. For saving Joel."

Arthur's jaw tightened. "I didn't do it for you."

"I know," she said, unperturbed by his coldness. "Still appreciate it. Joel is..." she trailed off, unable to articulate exactly what Joel meant to her, especially after their recent fight.

The conversation died as Jackson's walls came into view, lights glowing warmly against the darkening sky. Guards spotted them approaching and shouted alerts. By the time they reached the gates, Maria was already waiting, her face tight with concern.

"What happened?" she demanded, eyes widening at Joel's bloodied state.

"We were ambushed," Tommy explained, helping Joel dismount. "Would've been killed if not for him." He nodded toward Arthur.

Maria's gaze shifted to the newcomer, immediately assessing. "And who is he?"

Joel straightened despite his pain. "Maria, this is Arthur. He's..." he hesitated, the reality still sinking in. "He's my son."

A murmur spread through the gathered townsfolk. Maria's eyebrows rose sharply, but she quickly regained her composure. "Let's get Joel to the clinic first. Questions can wait."

As they moved through the town toward the medical building, Arthur observed everything with trained precision—defensive positions, resource stockpiles, civilian movements. Old habits from Firefly training died hard. But what struck him most was how the community parted for Joel, concern evident on their faces. His father wasn't just accepted here; he was valued.

The clinic was a converted house, surprisingly well-equipped for a settlement this size. An older man with glasses—Arthur identified him as the doctor—immediately directed Joel to an examination table.

"Everyone out except Tommy," the doctor ordered. "I need space to work."

Ellie looked like she might protest, but Maria placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Come on. Let's get some food and give them space."

Outside, Arthur found himself being guided toward a large building that served as a communal dining hall. The warm air inside carried the scent of stew and freshly baked bread, making his stomach growl audibly. He couldn't remember his last proper meal.

Maria steered them to a quiet corner table. "Sit. I'll get you both some food."

Once she left, Ellie studied Arthur openly. "So you're really Tess's son? Joel never mentioned her having a kid."

"He didn't know," Arthur said, uncomfortable under her scrutiny. "No one did except my mother and the Fireflies she gave me to."

Ellie's expression darkened at the mention of Fireflies. "They raised you?"

Arthur nodded. "Trained me. Taught me to fight, to survive." He paused. "Taught me to hate Joel, too. For what he did in Salt Lake City."

Ellie's eyes widened slightly, her body tensing. "And do you? Hate him?"

"I did," Arthur admitted. "For years. I tracked him—tracked both of you—planning to..." He didn't finish the sentence. "But seeing him with you, in this place, I started questioning what the Fireflies told me."

Maria returned with two steaming bowls of stew and thick slices of bread. "Eat," she instructed, sitting down beside them. "Then talk."

Arthur didn't need to be told twice. He ate ravenously while Maria and Ellie exchanged quiet words about Joel's condition and additional patrols to ensure no other threats lurked nearby.

As Arthur finished his meal, Maria fixed him with a level gaze. "So, Arthur. Tommy's message was brief. You showed up just in time to save Joel and him from a group seeking revenge for the Salt Lake City incident."

Arthur wiped his mouth. "That's the short version, yes."

"And the long version?"

Arthur considered how much to reveal. These people were still strangers to him, despite the blood connection to Joel. "I've been watching Jackson for months. Trying to decide what to do about Joel." He looked at Ellie. "About both of you."

Ellie's expression hardened. "You were stalking us?"

"Observing," Arthur corrected. "I needed to understand who Joel was before I confronted him."

"And what did you discover?" Maria asked, her tone neutral but her eyes sharp.

Arthur leaned back, choosing his words carefully. "That he's not the monster the Fireflies painted him as. That he found something worth protecting." He glanced at Ellie. "Someone worth protecting. Just like my mother tried to do for me."

The door to the dining hall opened, drawing their attention. Tommy entered, looking exhausted but relieved.

"How is he?" Ellie asked immediately, half-rising from her seat.

"He'll be fine," Tommy assured her, dropping heavily into a chair. "Doc patched him up. Said to let him rest tonight, but the injuries aren't serious. He's asking for you." His eyes moved between Ellie and Arthur. "Both of you."

Ellie stood without hesitation, but Arthur remained seated, suddenly uncertain.

"You coming?" she asked.

Arthur hesitated. "I'm not sure he really wants to see me. The shock will have worn off by now. He might be having second thoughts about bringing a stranger—a Firefly-trained stranger—into your community."

Ellie rolled her eyes. "If Joel didn't want you here, you wouldn't be inside these walls. Come on."

Arthur stood reluctantly and followed her through the now-dark streets to the clinic. Inside, the building was quiet, most patients sleeping. The doctor nodded to them as they passed, pointing them toward a private room at the end of the corridor.

Joel was propped up on a bed, his leg bandaged, face bruised but alert. When they entered, his eyes immediately found Arthur, studying him with an intensity that made Arthur want to shift his weight.

"You came," Joel said, his voice rough.

"Ellie insisted," Arthur replied.

A ghost of a smile touched Joel's lips. "She can be persuasive."

Ellie moved to Joel's bedside, concern evident in her eyes despite her attempt at nonchalance. "Doc says you'll live."

"Takes more than a golf club to put me down," Joel said, but his attempt at humor fell flat as they all remembered how close he'd come to death.

An uncomfortable silence filled the room until Joel broke it. "Arthur, I need to know... how did you find us? How long have you known about me?"

Arthur leaned against the wall, keeping some distance between them. "Fireflies told me about you when I was sixteen. After Salt Lake City. They said you were the reason my mother was dead."

Joel's expression tightened with pain that had nothing to do with his physical injuries. "Tess chose to stay behind. To give us time to escape. I didn't want to leave her."

"But you did," Arthur said, unable to keep the edge from his voice.

"Yes," Joel admitted, meeting his son's gaze directly. "I did. Because she asked me to get Ellie to the Fireflies. It was her last request."

Ellie watched this exchange silently, her hands clenched at her sides.

"When did she..." Joel struggled with the words. "When did she have you?"

"Twenty-one. Eight years after the outbreak."

Joel closed his eyes briefly, calculating. "We were already partners by then. Working together daily."

"She kept me hidden," Arthur explained. "Had others watch me when you two went on runs. She was afraid..."

"Afraid of what?" Joel prompted when Arthur trailed off.

Arthur's voice lowered. "Afraid you'd reject me. Or worse, get attached and make mistakes trying to protect me." He paused. "She told me about Sarah sometimes. Said you were still broken from losing her."

Joel's face went blank at the mention of his daughter, a mask slipping into place that Arthur recognized—he wore it himself when emotions threatened to overwhelm him.

Ellie stepped closer to Joel, a silent show of support. "Joel couldn't have known about you. If he had..."

"If I had," Joel interrupted, his voice firm, "I would've been there. For both of you."

Arthur wanted to believe him. Part of him did. But twenty years of survival had taught him skepticism above all else. "Maybe. We'll never know now."

The tension in the room thickened until Ellie cleared her throat. "So... what happens now?"

It was the question hanging between all of them. Arthur straightened from the wall, hands slipping into his pockets in a gesture that reminded Joel painfully of Tess.

"That depends on what your people decide," Arthur said. "I'm still a stranger here. Former Firefly. Not exactly the kind of background that inspires trust."

"You saved my life," Joel countered. "Tommy's too. That counts for something in Jackson."

"And you're Joel's son," Ellie added, as if that settled the matter.

Arthur looked between them, these two people who had somehow found family in each other despite the broken world around them. Something ached in his chest—longing for what they had, fear of reaching for it only to have it snatched away.

"I need some air," he said abruptly, turning toward the door.

"Arthur," Joel called, stopping him. "There's a spare room in my house. It's yours if you want it. For as long as you want to stay."

Arthur paused in the doorway, not looking back. "I'll think about it," he said finally, before slipping out into the night.

Ellie watched him go, then turned to Joel. "He saved your life, but I still don't completely trust him."

Joel sighed. "You don't have to. Just... give him a chance. Like I gave you."

Ellie's expression softened as she remembered her own arrival at Jackson—suspicious, angry, unwilling to let anyone close. "Fine. But I'm keeping an eye on him."

Outside, Arthur stood in the cold night air, letting the chill clear his head. Jackson's lights glowed around him, the settlement quiet but alive in a way few places were anymore. For the first time in years, he allowed himself to wonder what it might be like to stop running, to belong somewhere.

To have a father. To have... whatever Ellie was to Joel. Family, in some form.

He touched the worn photograph of Tess in his pocket, the edges soft from years of handling. "What would you want me to do, Mom?" he whispered to the darkness.

The snow began to fall gently around him, covering yesterday's tracks, offering a clean slate for tomorrow.

In the distance, Arthur spotted a girl with dark hair watching him from the shadow of a building. She seemed about Ellie's age, curious but cautious. When she realized he'd noticed her, she stepped forward into the light.

"You're the new guy," she said. "The one who saved Joel."

Arthur tensed slightly. "Word travels fast."

She shrugged. "Small community. I'm Dina, by the way."

"Arthur."

"Joel's son," she added, studying him with undisguised interest. "You don't look much like him."

"I take after my mother."

Dina nodded as if this explained everything. "Ellie's my friend. Joel means a lot to her, which means you did her a huge favor today." She cocked her head. "You staying?"

Arthur looked around at the peaceful settlement, then back toward the clinic where Joel and Ellie waited. "I haven't decided yet."

"Well," Dina said with a small smile, "if you do, I'll see you around." She turned and walked away, leaving Arthur alone with his thoughts and the gently falling snow.

The choice lay before him—continue the solitary existence he'd known for years, or take a chance on the father he'd never had and the unexpected community that came with him. Arthur took a deep breath of the cold, clean air and began walking—not toward the gates, but toward Joel's house, where a room and a possibility waited for him.

He would stay. For now. Just to see what might come of it.