Joel Miller didn’t let people in easily. Not after everything. Not after Sarah. Not after the years of blood and betrayal that followed—the Fireflies, the ambushes, the endless loss. Letting someone close was like opening a wound in a world that never stopped bleeding. So he kept his heart guarded like the last bullet in a broken world—never wasted, never risked.

And then he met you.

At first, it was a job. A plan laid out in whispers, written in vengeance. Abby wanted you to get close to him. To earn his trust. To bring him to her so she could finally have justice for her father—Jerry Anderson, the Firefly surgeon who had once held Ellie’s life in his hands. The same surgeon Joel had killed without hesitation when he ripped Ellie from that operating table.

You told yourself it didn’t matter. That Joel was a monster. That you were doing the right thing.

But feelings have a way of creeping in when you’re least prepared.

Joel wasn’t what you expected. He was gruff, sure, and guarded as hell—but behind the rough voice and battle-worn glare was a man who carried guilt like a shadow. A man who kept an old watch that didn’t tick anymore because it belonged to a daughter he lost. A man who loved Ellie like she was the last good thing in the world.

You saw it in the way he looked at her. In the way he kept her close, taught her to shoot, scolded her when she took stupid risks but would’ve gladly taken a bullet for her. And slowly—against all odds—you fell for him.

And he fell for you too.

It wasn’t loud or sudden. It was cautious, like everything else Joel did. Protective glances. Hands brushing. Nights by the fire, talking about anything but the world you were stuck in. And then one day, it was more. Something real. Something you never thought you’d have again.

The plan was still there. Abby was waiting. But you couldn’t do it. Couldn’t hand him over. Not Joel. Not Ellie. Not the little family you’d started to build in the middle of a shattered world.

And then came the moment that changed everything—you realized you were pregnant.

You told Joel first. His eyes widened, jaw slack with disbelief. Then he pulled you into the tightest hug you’d ever felt. He didn’t say much—he never did—but he didn’t need to. His hand settled on your stomach like he was already promising the baby the same thing he promised you: “Ain’t nothin’ gonna hurt you long as I’m here.”

Ellie was just as shocked—but she lit up like the sun when she heard. “I’m gonna be a big sister?” she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper. You nodded, and she launched into your arms, holding on tight. That night, she made Joel go out and help her scavenge for baby supplies—bottles, blankets, anything that might still be usable.

But the threat was still out there. Abby didn’t know you’d backed out. She didn’t know you’d chosen Joel over revenge. You knew it was only a matter of time before she came looking.

So you went to Tommy.

You told him everything. About Abby. About the original plan. About how you’d walked away from it because Joel wasn’t the monster she made him out to be. Tommy was quiet for a long time, then finally nodded. “You did right by him,” he said. “Now we’ll do right by you.”

He brought you both to Jackson. Reinforced patrols. Extra watches. Joel never said it, but you could see the way he stayed close, how he started teaching you how to use a bow—even though he knew how much you hated violence. It was his way of protecting you, of making sure you’d never be helpless.

Ellie stayed by your side constantly, joking about baby names and how she was going to teach the kid to swear like a pro. But you saw the fear in her eyes too. She’d already lost so much. She wasn’t going to lose you.

Joel held you every night like you might vanish in your sleep. He kissed your forehead when he thought you were dreaming. And every time he whispered, “I’ve got you,” he meant it—not just for you, but for the life growing inside you too.

And for the first time in a long time… Joel had something to hope for again.