UNITED IN BLOOD
CHAPTER SIX !

   FALLING INTO A SLUMBER hadn't been easy that night as Danielle tossed and turned beneath the thick duvet cover. Hundreds upon hundreds of thoughts invaded her mind, the daunting feeling that something bad was going to happen had cloaked its dark shadow over her. The birds had just begun to sing right outside the window, though the sky was still dark with only the moon to light your path, when the young girl finally began to drift off to sleep.

   A creaking door hinge could be heard from downstairs which immediately yanked the brunette from her sleepy haze. All thoughts of falling asleep were now gone, replaced by her internal voice just screaming bloody murder at her, demanding she run. Find a weapon and prepare to defend yourself though Danielle remained completely still, staring at the closed bedroom door in fear as light footsteps, which while light still echoed throughout the noiseless home, began ascending the wooden stairs.

   Fear that someone, maybe Tommy or Ellie, had finally come to kill her for her involvement with Joel's murder rendered the young girl unable to move. She was desperately clinging to the minuscule shred of rationality that pleaded with her to believe that no one was coming to kill her. Not Ellie and most certainly, not Tommy.

   The thudding footsteps stopped right outside her bedroom door, the person seemingly hesitating to grip the handle. After what felt like hours, the door handle finally turned just before the door pushed open to reveal Ellie Williams, her figure shrouded in darkness with only the moonlight to highlight her features.

   "Get up." The auburn haired girl demanded. Her voice was gruff and a little hoarse. This girl meant business as she stood looming in the doorway, almost entirely blending with her very own silhouette.

   "Ellie?" Danielle questioned as pushed herself in a sitting position amongst the ruffled blanket that now pooled around her waist. Ellie scared her, that was a fact and she definitely wasn't someone Danielle wished to cross. "What are you doing here?"

   "Just get up." The Williams girl stepped forward until she was fully in the room, now only mere meters away from the end of the bed. Her eyes were cold as she stared at Danielle. "You said you would do anything to change what happened. This is it. I'm going to Seattle and you're coming with me."

   "Yeah, okay." Danielle saw absolutely no point in arguing with the freckled redhead. There had been an underlying belief that this exact situation would happen. Ellie would come commanding her help and Danielle would just go along without a fight.

   The idea of returning to Seattle wasn't particularly ideal for Danielle as she was now most definitely branded a deserter which meant she would be killed on sight, should any WLF soldier see her traipsing around the city with Ellie. But there wasn't much of a choice. Back when the brunette first began trying to make amends for the Miller man's murder, she had made a promise with herself that should avenging his death come to pass, she would help wherever she was able. Even if it meant losing her life.

   The guilt that consumed her had manifested itself in horrendously awful thoughts of self sacrifice. Danielle was willing to do anything to assuage her guilt, to rid herself of the hulking mass of shame that was permanently weighing down on her chest.

   Danielle threw back the thick blanket with a sigh, preparing herself mentally for the exhausting trek across states that was to come as the freckled girl allowed herself to glance around the bedroom. Ellie couldn't help but notice how un-lived in, this house looked in.

   Danielle had been residing in Jackson for over a month at this point and yet her home seemed so bare. There were no personal touches, no fun little quirks that screamed that a teenage girl lived there. Hell, the brunette was still living out of the backpack she had been travelling with, almost as though she was forever on edge, ready to be kicked from the community.

   And now here she was once again, packing up her life in that godforsaken backpack, about to return to Seattle. Right in the middle of a fucking war zone with people from both sides taught to shoot first and ask questions later.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

   WAS DANIELLE TRULY SURPRISED to find out that Tommy had hijacked a horse and took off for Seattle in the middle of the night? Okay, maybe a little. Though his behaviour the night prior had practically screamed anxiety and if she had just looked a little closer, maybe read between the lines, she might have picked up on the obvious signs of a determined man.

   Tommy Miller had tricked so many people with his facade. He had masqueraded round as the grieving brother unwilling to risk the lives of Jackson citizens to avenge Joel's murder yet the entire time he had been planning on taking off, planning on taking revenge against the WLF himself.

   His desperate plea to Ellie the night before, begging the freckled redhead to remain in Jackson until he received the go ahead from Maria, now made so much more sense. The brunette hadn't known Joel personally nor did she know much about him other than what she had heard, but from what she had gathered, he loved and cared for Ellie immensely. This led Danielle to make the assumption that Tommy wanted Ellie to stay safe for Joel's sake. Though the man was now dead, Tommy still wanted to fulfil his brothers wishes.

   The crisp crunch of the slowly melting snow beneath her black winter boots filled the morning air. Danielle avoided staring ahead at probably the most heartbreaking sight she had ever laid eyes upon. Though her head was kept low, the brunette couldn't help it as her gaze shifted from the ice that cracked under her feet, up to the crouched down figure of Ellie Williams.

   The redhead donned a olive green jacket which shielded her from the chill that moved through the air, though that did little to thaw the frozen shell that encompassed her heart. Her eyes stung from held back tears as her fingertips lightly brushed over the headstone in front of her.

'Joel Miller'

   This was all the headstone said. No touching insight into who the man had been. No 'Father.' No 'Brother.' Just his name and that was it. It angered Ellie greatly. He had been an amazing man and yeah maybe they hadn't been close in his final few years but even she knew that the Miller man had been a better person than most.

   A sniffle could be heard while the gravel on the ground rustles beneath her sneaker clad feet. Danielle watched on at the young girl. The two were similar in age and yes, Danielle had lost people before but never like this. Not once in her entire life had someone she loved perished until such brutal circumstances. The only person she had truly lost was her mother and that was years ago. Now it was a distant memory, buried deep within her subconscious, suppressed to shield her from pain.

   Ellie's approaching figure, coming closer and closer, snapped the brunette from her thoughts just as the freckled girl stopped right in front of her.

   "Dina said she'd meet us at the far gate. We're gonna sneak out." Ellie announced, her feet carrying her in the direction of Joel's home which forced Danielle to jog behind her to catch up with her speedy pace.

   "Dina's coming with us?" Confusion consumed the brunette, her head turning to glance at Ellie as they continued walking. Last time she spoke to Dina, it had been very clear to the hazel eyed girl that Dina was pregnant. She could pick up the signs of pregnancy with such ease. Hell, she had knew long before Owen of Mel's pregnancy. "Is that safe?"

Ellie's gaze shot over at the brunette and she looked quite mad. "Why wouldn't it be?"

   Danielle's very being filled with regret almost instantly. Judging by the redheads reaction, she obviously had no idea of her best friends predicament and Danielle was in no position to reveal the truth. That was up to Dina. "No reason. Never mind. Just ignore what I said."

   "I need to get a few things." Ellie muttered with slight quiver of the lip, her hands shaking as they hovered over the doorknob. For a split second, Ellie considered asking Danielle to breach the barrier of the home for her, but deep down Ellie didn't want her inside of Joel's home. She may not blame the brunette but that didn't mean she liked her or truly trusted her. "Stay here."

   Her words hurt. Danielle had been under the impression that the two had been making headway with one another and yet Ellie's insistence of her staying on the porch quickly knocked the brunette down multiple pegs. The chilled atmosphere suddenly reached Baltic temperatures as realisation set in. Ellie wanted her help in Seattle but she didn't trust her enough to let her walk past the threshold that was Joel's former home.

   As Danielle came to terms with the situation at hand, inside the home Ellie was struggling to win at her own battle that continued to invade her mind. On one hand, if it hadn't of been for Danielle, both Ellie and Tommy would most likely be dead at that very moment. The young brunette had risked a lot by standing up to her former cohorts, and somewhere deep within her battered and worn out soul, Ellie respected the fuck out of her for that.

   But on the other hand, if she allowed herself to forgive the brunette for her, albeit unwilling participation, then who would Ellie have to blame? No... she couldn't forgive her. She wouldn't forgive her. No matter how much her thoughts screamed at her, 'she risked her life for this.' Ellie just couldn't do it.

   Danielle wiped away a stray tear that had trailed down her cheek at the same time that Maria arrived at the former residence of Joel Miller, looking like she was on the warpath as she clutched tightly to a piece of paper.

   "Maria, hi." Danielle found herself standing up straight as she stuttered out her words. "I-I was sorry to hear about Tommy taking off. I'm sure he's okay though. He's tough."

"Is she inside?" The blonde woman asked of the young girl.

   "She- Who is sh-" Her initial idea to feign ignorance quickly backfired as it dawned on her. Why would she be standing outside Joel's home if it wasn't for Ellie? Danielle breathed a heavy sigh, nodding her head in reluctance. "Yeah she's inside."

"Get her for me, will you?"

   "She didn't want me inside." The former WLF medic admitted to the woman. It was true after all. "She told me to stay here on the porch."

   "She- okay come on." Maria looked shocked at what Ellie had asked of her. With a quick wave of the hand, Maria led the brunette into the home. The wooden floor boards creaked under her weight as she walked in, shutting the door behind her. Maria threw Danielle a soft smile before gesturing to the dining room. "I'm gonna wait in here."

"Ellie?" Danielle softly called out for the very same girl who had told her to remain outside.

"What do you want?" The Williams girl sounded upset or maybe it was pissed off. Either way, she wasn't happy.

   Danielle didn't really want to aggravate the redhead, having already been on the receiving end of her fiery temper. "Could you come down here for a sec?"

   "Why? What's wrong?" For a brief moment, a 'blink and you'll miss it' moment, it almost sounded as though Ellie seemed genuinely concerned but it quickly faded into a mere hope that grew at a snails pace within Danielle's soul.

"Just please come down." Danielle all but begged of the redhead.

   Both Maria and Danielle could hear the shuffling of Ellie's shoes along the carpeted floors of the upstairs hallway as she began to make her way down the stairs. Within seconds she had descended the stairs, eyes landing upon Maria who stood with her hands on her hips.

   "Maria. I'm headed to Seattle. I wish I could let it go, but I can't. I have to bring these people to justice. Ellie's gonna try to come after me but stop her. Take her guns. Lock up the horses. Maybe lock her up. Buy me some time so I can end this. Love you always, Tommy." Tommy had left this? Danielle couldn't help the pity that she felt for Maria. If Tommy, god forbid, did die during this then all she was left with was that letter?

   "He's gonna get himself killed." Maria hissed in anger, anxiety swirling within her ageing eyes. She was mad. At her husband? At Ellie? At the world? Who truly knew.

   "He should've taken me with him." Ellie vocalised her frustration at the man. She was extremely annoyed that Tommy had just taken off though she was quick to turn her irritation towards Maria. "You should have given us a group to go after those fuckers!"

"I wish I could."

Ellie stood her ground, staring defiantly at the community leader. "You gonna try and lock me up?"

   "I prefer that you stay-" Before Maria could finish her sentence, the freckled redhead cut her off with, "That's not gonna fucking happen-"

   To which, Maria cut the girl she considered a niece off as she leaned down on the table with her hands flat against the wood. "I prefer that you stay, but I know you better."

   "You're going with her, I presume?" Maria's words were now aimed at the brunette who glanced up at her in shock. She hadn't expected to be spoken to during this conversation. "And Dina?"

   The two girls glanced at one another in surprise. How had Maria known about Dina's involvement? A scoff fell past Maria's lips as she caught the shared look of disbelief. "Oh yeah, I saw her by the stables earlier."

   "I figured it made more sense if I were to go along." Danielle spoke up in defence of Ellie, pretending as though it was her idea to tag along. As she spoke, the hazel eyed girl didn't appear to notice the look of gratitude that was shot her way. "I know Seattle better than them both and I'm a doctor. If either of them were to get injured, they would fair better if they had someone with medical knowledge around."

   It was clearly bullshit and everyone in that room knew it. Her words held merit, it was true but why on earth would she ever willing want to return to Seattle? Her former group had left her for dead in that mansion and would have no qualms about shorting her on sight. Maria didn't truly believe her but it didn't matter to Danielle nor did it matter to Ellie.

   Though she would deny it if you asked, Ellie was appreciative of Danielle's words in that moment. It wasn't much but that fact that the brunette hadn't just immediately ratted the Williams girl out for emotionally blackmailing her garnered Danielle just a little bit of trust.

"You were just gonna sneak outta here?"

"Yeah." Ellie simply replied to the woman.

"On foot?"

"Yeah." Once again, this was all the redhead said in response.

   "I told the stable to let you out with yours and dina's horses." Maria admitted to the two girls. If they were to truly embark on this journey, she might as well give them a fighting chance. "Grab some ammo, too."

Danielle spoke up, wanting to express her appreciation for how understanding the blonde woman was. "Thank you, Maria."

   Maria nodded in the brunette directions before speaking once more, this time more hesitant. She was clearly scared for her husband. "Just uh, do me a favour and bring my dumbass husband home in one piece, please."

"Of course." Ellie muttered.

"Alright then. Get going... you're losing light." And with that Maria walked out of the dining room and towards the front door, the woman pulling the door shut behind her as she took off.

   The room was now silent. The pair stood very still for what felt like forever. Suddenly Ellie began heading for the front door, with Danielle following closely behind.

   Danielle hoped to speak to the redhead alone one more time before they ventured across state. She just needed to get something off her chest and before she could chicken out, the brunette forced herself to speak.

   "Hey, look." Danielle's voice croaked slightly as she spoke up, just as the pair were walking past the homes entryway, shutting the door tight behind them. The sound of her voice caused the redhead to glance over at her. "I know this won't mean anything to you but uh,"

   Her nails had begun aggressively picking at the skins around her cuticles as soon as the apology had started to fall past her lips. "I'm just really sorry, Ellie."

   "I know." The freckled girl acknowledged the apology after a small pause. She didn't wish to dwell on the matter for much longer. Apologies weren't going to bring him back. "Let's get going. Dina's waitin'."

The redhead began to walk on ahead, her eyes keep dead ahead the entire time. "You'll be on my horse, by the way."

   "Yeah, okay." Danielle muttered in response before she began to walk once more. Yet again her apology to the broken girl had meant nothing and done nothing but make both of them feel even more shitty than they already did.

It was already going to be a long, awkward journey to Seattle and Danielle's apology had most likely made it ten times worse.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

jamielee's thoughts.
the next maybe chapter will be the three girls travelling to Seattle and then act two will be comprised solely of the Seattle part of the story. also Danielle already knows of dina's pregnancy? of course she does, she's a doctor. anyway I hope you enjoyed :)