Disclaimer: I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character is from my invention.

A/N: Yeah, another holiday story, LoL. I didn't have any idea for an Easter one, so I give you a little one for mother's day. This one is going to be short, so not expect too much on it, it just something that comes to my mind, so I write it. As I am still working in another one, I don't have much time to make this one longer or too much interesting. Also, this is the first time that I write a Pov fic, I don't do that much, because I not good it, so here we go hope you like it. I also want to thanks to all the people that still reading my stories and give me a little support on them. I really appreciate any review or comment you can add to them, so thank you.

TLOU: American Mothers

( Ellie Pov )

I am laying on my bed looking at the ceiling… yeah, that's right my bed, a softly and clean one. No a dirty one on a random house or a sheet on the ground. And I also have my own room too, wow I never expect to have anything of my own. Is been two years since Joel and I came to live in Jackson. Joel brother Tommy and his wife Maria welcome us with open arms after we come back from the fireflies in Salt lake city. Joel sewer to me that what he told me was the truth, but somehow, I still believe that Joel didn't tell me the whole truth about what happened there.

Sometimes I still think that it more of what he told me, and he never told me how Marlene agreed to let me go with him. Yeah, we never were that close, but she was my mother friend and she was the closed thing I have as a mother. But if she let me go, I guess that the fireflies were more important to her than me. Anyway, I'm grateful to be with Joel. He is been so good to me and he always does whatever he can to protect me. He even tries to make sure that I get the closed thing as a normal life. But what is normal in this world anyway? Even that we live in a protected town, with water, electricity and now our own house, all of that can end in a blink of an eye. Is hard to live with your self, when people still getting infected out there, and since the fireflies stop looking for the cure, I never get the chance to change that.

I thought that be special, I was going to change things, that I can help this world to be a better one. But the reality is that I never make any difference, that I just another teenage girl without a purpose in this world. But what I can do about that now? The only thing that I have left is Joel. At least I help him, well that is what he told me. I turn my head and look at the door of my room, expecting to see him standing there but he wasn't. Why is he taking so long in the bathroom? Did he know that this mother's day party is going to start to in one hour…. Or is already started? Oh yeah, the town is going to celebrate a mother's day, well they call it a celebration of the American mothers. I know that is only a few mothers living in here so I don't get why they going to celebrate that. Maybe is because Maria is the most recent one. Yeah, I remember Joel telling me that Tommy and Maria are been trying to have a baby for a few years. Well, it finally happens, I still remember the day they came to our house and wanted to talk to Joel.

( Flashback )

Joel and I were in the kitchen trying to make some breakfast, well Joel was trying to teach me, how to make breakfast, even that his cooking is not as good as he thinks. But at least his cooking is edible. We were almost finished when we hear a knock at the door, so Joel let go what he was doing, and walk out of the kitchen. He goes to the door and asked who it was. I hear Tommy's voice answer him, then I hear the door opened.

"Hey, little brother, what brings you here this early in the morning," I hear Joel talk to his brother.

"Oh… well, we come to pay you a visit."

As soon as I hear Tommy talk, I move to the entrance of the kitchen and stay out of the side. I know it was wrong but I want to know why he comes here this early. While Joel was talking with Tommy I saw Maria walking beside Tommy and enter into the house. "We came here to tell you something," I hear Maria say. She didn't look pissed, but the expression in her face, look like is something serious.

Tommy enters after Maria and stops beside her after that Joel close the door and walk closer to them. "Do you want something to drink? Or you like to stay for breakfast because Ellie and I were making some."

"Is okay Joel, we already eat… but we can drink something if you don't mind."

"Ahh… not at all, please sit" I hear Joel saying, then he looked toward the kitchen. I quickly hide behind the wall so he can't see me. "Ellie!... can you bring two glass with juice?"

I was lucky that he didn't see me, even that I don't think I was doing something wrong, I was a little nervous. "Oh sure… I will be there in minutes," I answer him, then I walk to counter and grab two glasses and put them on the kitchen table. Then I walk to the fridge and grab the jar with orange juice and serve some in two I finish I walk out of the kitchen and saw Tommy and Maria sitting on the couch and Joel one of the other chair.

I walk into the living room and get closer to Tommy and Maria. "Hi, good morning, glad to see you-you two here today," I say to them, then give them the glass with juice. After that, I move closer to Joel and ask him if he needed anything else. He says no thanks, so I start to walk back to the kitchen, but Maria said that I can stay if I want. That the news they bring was for both of us. That makes me curious, so I sat on the chair arm were Joel was sitting.

"Okay… so what is this news you want to tell us?" Joel asked.

Tommy took a sip of the juice, then he looks at Maria. "Do I tell them or you will?"

Maria also takes a sip of the juice, then lower the glass and hold it with her two hands. "Well, he is your brother… so I will give you the honor to tell them," answer Maria with a little smile on her face. Okay, all that was started to get weird. I don't know what they're going to say but I hope that is not something bad.

"Okay…" Tommy takes another sip of his drink, then he put the glass on the table in front of him. "Remember when I told you that Maria and I were trying to have…" he stops for a moment, and I notice that he was a little nervous. He didn't say anything for a few minutes.

I was started to get impatient, so I get up from the chair and look at them. "Don't tell me that what you're been try to say, is that Maria is going to have a baby," I say looking at Tommy.

Tommy's eyes were wide open, but he didn't say anything. Then I hear Maria talk. "Well, you guess right, because that's what he is trying to tell you … after all these years of trying, it will finally happen," Maria said with a big smile on her face.

"Wow… Really!" I almost yell with excitement, I just said that in the form of a joke, but now I feel really happy for them. I look at Joel and I can see the surprised expression in his face. Both Tommy and Maria stand up and I practically jump on Maria and give her a hug. After a moment I turn my head a little and saw Joel moving closer to Tommy and shake his hand. Joel told him that, he was proud of him, and that he was happy that finally, his little brother was going to be a father. After that Joel go closer to Marian and congratulate her too. That day was really a wonderful and interesting day.

( End of Flashback )

Some tiers got out of my eyes when I start to remember that happy day. Joel even goes to the kitchen and bring out a bottle of some kind of drink to celebrate. Of course, they told me that I can't drink any of that, because I was a minor. I don't know what was the problem with that, I was 16 at that time.

The few follower months were hard for Joel and Tommy, because Tommy has to take care of Maria more and Joel have to do some of Tommy work. But in the end, both of them were happy that Maria becomes a mother. They have a baby girl, but before they named, they come to our house to ask permission to Joel to name the little girl Sarah. I never saw Joel cry that much. I know that he was so happy about that, but I know that he misses his daughter so much.

I don't know if I can have that someday, I mean be a mother myself. Be infected is a boomer. I don't know yet if I can infect others. And even if I can't, soon people know about my condition, they probably want to be away from me. That is why Joel and Tommy told me to keep it a secret for the time to be. So having someone close to me is out of the picture for now.

Sometimes when I watch Maria with the little girl, it makes me think, that if one day I become a mother, I will be able to be a good one? But I'm only 17 now, so I will have time for that later, if things continue as good here in Jackson, maybe I will. Thinking on the mother's day party makes me think on my own mother. I don't even know how she looks like, she dies when I was a baby so I don't remember her face. Even that Marlene told me a few things about her when I get older, I don't have any image of her in my mind. Some time I feel glad that Joel has a picture of his daughter and the 12 years of memories with her. But the only thing I have from my mother is a piece of paper with a message that she wrote for me.

Thinking about the note, make me move out the bed and walk to my drawer. A soon I was in front of it I opened, and start to move some of my clothes until I saw the piece of paper that my mother left for me. I pick it up and look at it, a few moments later a few tears start to fall down from my eyes. And somehow I start to wish that maybe thing were different if she was still alive. After I wipe my eyes, I walk back to the bed and sat on the edge. I stay looking at for a few minutes, I pass my hand slowly on top of the paper. I keep it inside a plastic bag because is so fragile now, that sometimes I scare that someday is going to fall apart. Joel told me once to pass it to another paper, so that way I will keep that message forever. I told him, that is not going to be the same because this letter was written by my mother with her own hands.

I know is short, and not said much, but is all I have from her. Marlene never talks about her much, I saw some time on her face that it was a painful issue. But I really wanted to know more about my mother and the things she does before she got pregnant. I know that Marlene tries her best to keep the promise she makes to my mom and try her best to take care of me. I know that I didn't make that easy for her either. But she never was closer to me for long, Marlene has work to do, so when I get older she put me in that military school. That not go well for me either, so I try to forget those memories and keep them down. Sometimes I miss having a mom, not having a mother that I can talk to is hard. After a few minutes looking the note, I open the bag and get the letter out and opened. I start to look at her words, try to figure what more was on her head, that could put in there. But after a moment of thinking, I start to read her message for me.

Ellie,

I'm going to share a secret with you, I'm not a big fan of kids and I hate babies. And yet... I'm staring at you and I'm just awestruck.

You're not even a day old and holding you is the most incredible thing I've done in my life - a life that is about to get cut a little short.

Marlene will look after you. There's no one in this world I trust more than her. When the time comes she'll tell you all about me. Don't give her too much of a hard time. Try not to be as stubborn as me.

I'm not going to lie, this is a pretty messed up world. It won't be easy. The thing you always have to remember is that,

After reading that some tears come down from my eyes. So after I clean out my eyes with the back of my hand, I flip the paper and start to read the other side.

life is worth living! Find your purpose and fight for it.

I see so much strength in you. I know you'll turn out to be the woman you're meant to be.

Forever... your loving mother

Anna

Make me proud, Ellie!

A few more tears come down from my eyes. I still try to do that mom. I say to myself. But my mission to bring the cure to this world has failed, and now I don't know what more I can do, to make you proud of me. But if I think about it, At least I found something to fight for… Joel.

At that moment I feel someone sitting on the bed beside me and put one arm around my shoulder. I don't look at him at first, but I know that he was trying to make me feel better. I didn't even notice when he enters my room, but I am happy to have him at my side.

"You know that she loves you... right?" I hear him talking to me.

I didn't know what to say to him at first, because I was trying hard not to cry in front of him. I look at the letter one more time, then I speak at him without looking. "She didn't say much, not even that she loves me, just that she was my loving mother..." I paused for a moment trying to contain my sad feelings. "This is so short, that sometimes I wish… I wish that- that she should tell me more about her or…"

"She told you what you need to know and said that she was you loving mother, is a way to tell you that she loves you."

I take a good deep breath and then I look at him. "I know… but some time is so hard… and sometimes I wish to have my mother with me…" I look away and close my eyes. Then I feel Joel pulling me closer to him and kissed the top of my head.

"I know kiddo… I know that some time is hard, but life continues, so we have to do our best to keep going. She wants you to be strong and be the best you can be."

I look at him, but how am I going to do that? She said to make her proud… but how? now that my mission fails, and all the thing I did. So how she can be proud of me after all that."

"Ellie, you didn't anything that anyone in your position would do. So don't be too hard on yourself, all the thing you do, was to survive. I time you will know how proud she is of you-"

"But I didn't nothing good since I left Boston and even there I do… things... that I not even proud of. How my mother can be proud of me?"

"Because you're a survivor Ellie, just like she was before you. We all have to do things we're not proud of, but in the end, we just need to hold on something and try to be good. I know that we're never going to forget the things we did in this world, but we still can do things that will make us a better person."

I didn't know what to say, I know Joel only try to make me feel better, but some time is so hard.

Joel squeeze my shoulder a little, trying to make feel better. "Well is better to get going, Maria and Tommy are going to be piss if we don't show there… so why you don't go to the bathroom and get ready. I will wait for you downstairs... okay?" I feel Joel give me one more squeeze and then move off from the bed.

I look at him, then said his name before he walks out of the room. "Hey… Joel!"

He turns and looks at me. "Yes, kiddo?"

"Thank you!... you know for everything."

"You don't need to thank me kiddo… I love you, and never forget that."

Hear him said that, make me want to cry, but have to be strong for him and myself. "I love you too Joel," I say to him with a smile on my face. He smiles back at me, then he walks out of the room. After he was gone, I give one more look at the note, before I put it back into the plastic bag. I get up and put it back into the drawer. I love you, mom… and I promise that I will do my best to make you proud. I was walking away but stop and look back at the drawer. Oh by the way... Happy mother's day!

The End...