A/N: Sorry this took so long, I was majorly caught up with exams and down with a really bad case of writer's block…Anyway, as promised I will be continuing with one-shots, although I only have ideas for about three of them right now…If you want to see more one-shots, pitch me ideas for the ones you want to see. I'm taking ideas from you guys as I said, and I will credit you if you give me one I do write with.

This one-shot idea wasn't given to me by anyone, but it was inspired by a review from MoonlitxAngel.

The hardest part about having a broken rib was that I was in pain 24/7. The resident doctor in Jackson said I didn't have to be on bed rest, but then again I couldn't do much else besides walk around town with Ellie, Quinn, and Char. I was basically useless because I couldn't shoot guns yet. I heard from Quinn that Dylan got jail time for about a week, and so did his buddies. Tommy kept reassuring me whenever he came by that something like that wouldn't happen again, but I still got an uneasy feeling every time I glanced out the window, paranoia nagging me in the back of my head.

Well, having two fractured ribs wasn't all bad. Sure, I had to keep up with the easier chores like washing dishes and sweeping, but most afternoons I had Ellie all to myself when Joel was out doing patrols or working in the storehouse. Just like Quinn said, she found ways to make me beg. I wasn't complaining, except when she kissed me for a little too long.

I had just woken up from a nap when the familiar squeaking of my bedsprings reached my ears, followed by the slight jostle of the mattress and Ellie's lips pecking my cheek in greeting. I cracked an eye open, letting her burrow her head into the crook of my neck. She smelled like fresh air and the forest.

"Where've you been all day?" I asked groggily, vaguely remembering that she and Joel left unusually early in the morning for a Saturday. Judging by the orange light spilling through the window, she had been gone for a good twelve hours. Neither Ellie nor Joel said where they were going, and I was too tired from the pain meds to ask.

"Joel and Tommy let me go hunting with them today. I shot a few rabbits in the eye. Did you try to ride Callus II today?" Ellie murmured, and from her half-lidded eyes and limp body I could tell the poor thing was exhausted.

She had been asking that question for two days, and for two days I said I wasn't ready. I was still in too much pain, and Maria was getting annoyed because she needed the meds for more "urgent" cases. So I cut back a little, which made me want to ride that horse even less. I didn't even know why she was asking, but then I guess she missed having a riding buddy besides Joel.

"Maria took away a lot of my meds, remember? I can't even lift that horse's saddle." I pointed out.

"Tommy said it would be good for you to test your limits a bit, but not to go faster than a walk." Ellie countered, and I gave her a skeptical look.

"Why are you so anxious to get me on that horse, anyway?" I queried with a yawn.

Ellie fell silent for a moment, like she was listening for Joel downstairs. I was still amazed that such a large man could be so quiet. He barely even made the floorboards creak. "While we were out picking berries a couple of days ago, I found these abandoned stores. Guess what I found inside?" It was just like Ellie to brag about the cool things she found outside the town, none of which I could see because I couldn't exactly leave.

Not only did abandoned buildings usually harbour Infected, I could tell from her quiet voice that she didn't want the man preparing dinner downstairs hearing. I smirked, "I can think of a lot of things, none of which Joel would like."

Ellie flicked my forehead, but her slight blush didn't go unnoticed. "Get your head out of the gutter!" she hissed as I rubbed the sting away, "I found baby clothes for Char. And toys and stuff. We should go check it out."

"Why can't you just tell Quinn where it is?" Another flick.

"I want it to be a surprise, dumbass! For when Char actually has her baby." Ellie snapped. I suddenly realized why she didn't want Joel to know. She wanted it to just be the kids who knew, not the adults.

"Are you the only one in on this plan?" I cocked an eyebrow.

Ellie shook her head. "No, a bunch of kids from school know, too. A few are coming with me tomorrow, mostly girls and their boyfriends. You haven't noticed them talking about it?"

I vaguely remembered whispered conversations, but then again some people were still calling me Widowmaker, even two weeks after the incident with Dylan. It was easy to confuse the two. "Naw, doesn't ring a bell. How are we going to sneak away from Joel? He doesn't work on Sundays." I expertly observed, listening for the clanking of dishes from downstairs. It was still going, faintly floating up from the kitchen, which meant he wasn't eavesdropping.

"So you do want to come?" Ellie smiled victoriously when I nodded. She probably wouldn't stop nagging me until I said yes, anyway. "I told Tommy and Maria everything, so they'll distract Joel in the morning with building one of the new houses. Then we can get the horses ready. But…Tommy's making George come with us."

"Old man doesn't trust us, huh? Fine, I'll wake up early tomorrow morning." I said, letting my eyes droop shut. I wasn't happy about having to be baby-sat like a kid, but Tommy made the rules, not me. I was jolted out of my temporary bliss as Joel called us down for dinner. He wasn't any the wiser, or if he was, he didn't let on.

"Well, there it is. Keep a lookout for Infected." Ellie informed the rest of us as she halted Callus II. I finally had a reprieve from the constant ache in my side, courtesy of the horse's movement. Our tiny group consisted of George, our brown-haired neighbour who looked no older than thirty, and two other girls and their boyfriends; the Chinese girl who pulled Dylan away from me and another blonde girl. I think their names were Chloe and Vanessa, but my morning pain meds made it hard for me to think straight.

"This is such a bad idea…" I groaned, more from my ribs than dread. We had arrived at a tiny plaza consisting of only three run-down buildings: the remnants of a gas station and its corner store, a dollar store, and a bait and tackle shop. I wasn't even sure how far away from Jackson we were, but it was at least a good hour's ride through dense forest.

The two other boys headed in the direction of the bait store while the rest of us explored the dollar store. I seriously doubted everything sold there was priced at a dollar back in the day, but that was a question for Joel when we got back…provided he didn't bite our heads off first.

Ellie waved me off as she entered after George, pistol held at the ready. I didn't have a choice in the gun matter, broken rib or no broken rib, so I cocked my handgun as I walked through the glass door. At least Ellie and her group were nice enough to clear the place three days ago, judging by the three Clicker corpses on the tiled floor and the blood on the windows. I tried not to gag from the stench.

"So where's this baby stuff?" I asked, wanting to get out of the stinking shop before the smell attracted more Infected. We strolled down empty aisle after aisle after we determined nothing was going to tear our throats out.

Ellie pointed to the back shelves, where items encased in plastic glinted dully in the dim light of the store. The small cases were covered in a thick film of dust, and I coughed as Chloe blew some off. I moaned weakly in pain, and she gave me an apologetic look.

"See? These are all baby toys, in perfect condition." Ellie smiled as she wiped the dust off the few cases still remaining. I guess not everybody had a use for twenty-year-old baby toys. I didn't trust the moth-eaten baby clothes to be safe for anything but tinder, and Ellie seemed to agree because she didn't touch them. One of the plastic encasements revealed a pristine toy giraffe. Ellie's expression fell a little, like she was remembering a bittersweet memory.

Before I could comment, we all craned our necks as we heard a gunshot and a screech from the tackle store. The two boys came rushing through the door that connected the shops, shooting frantically at a couple of Runners trying to squeeze through the doorway only meant for one. I swore George rolled his eyes as he effortlessly shot them both in the head.

I guess it was good having supervision after all.

A/N: Not bad for a one-shot, eh? I am looking forward to the ideas you guys give me, the more the better, which also means more one-shots. Let me know what you think!