"Ellie!" I called out as I placed my hands on her knees finally getting her attention. "Hey, you're okay." I said as my thumb rubbed against her jeans trying to calm her down a bit. "You're safe." At times like these, I really wish there was more I could do. Something to help.

"Sorry." Ellie's voice sounded defeated. Like she was tired of the panic attacks. "You have nothing to be sorry for. It happens." I moved to sit beside her and grabbed her hand as she laid her head on my shoulder. "Where's (Y/d/n)?" Ellie asked.

"She is taking a nap. Meaning you have my full attention for about an hour." This earned a chuckle. "So, we can stay here and talk or whatever you want to do."

"Thank you."

____________________________________________________

"Ow, ow. That's quite a grip you got there." Tommy said as (Y/d/n) pulled at his face. I let out a slight chuckle as Ellie walked through the door. "Hey, Tommy." Her steps were almost cautious as she walked into the house completely. Tommy motioned to pass (Y/d/n) back over to me which I gladly excepted as he stood up. The two hugged saying their hello's again and engaged in some small talk as Tommy made his way to the dining table. "Come sit."

The air in the room was tense as Ellie moved to sit down. "Got something to show you two." I opted for standing behind Ellie's chair rather than sitting down. "So I've been putting out feelers for the past few months now." He continued as he pulled out a map. "And this new guy heard my story." He placed the map on the table. "Told me about a woman that he traded with while he was moving through California. Described her as built like an ox, traveling with a kid with scars across his face."

"He said they were living along this coast in a beached sailboat. Right here." I stared at the spot on the map that Tommy pointed to. I knew Ellie still wanted revenge even if she didn't say it out loud. Heck I wanted revenge too.

"I thought you guys were done with that." Dina's voice announced from the front door making us all turn to her. I knew I should have locked the door. "I'm sorry." Ellie's whisper made me almost flick my head back in her direction. "Well, I can't go."

"I know." I placed my hand on Ellie's shoulder. "I can."

"What?" Dina said placing her hands on her hips as her eyes glared at me. "You have a child to worry about."

"I'm sorry but when did you become apart of this Dina?" I glared back. "If Tommy can't go, I will. Ellie won't since all you've been doing lately is pressuring her into being what you think a good mom is. Pressuring her to forget about the past but you have no true idea of what that has done on her mental health."

Dina let out a huff. "Okay, and what about your daughter."

"Guys, stop." Ellie said as she stood up and took (Y/d/n) out of my arms since she started crying a bit. "We will talk about this." She whispered to me and looked back at Tommy as he stood up and put the map away. "Well... you know where to find me." He knocked his knuckles on the table and left.

"Dina, I think you should go too." Ellie said as she sat back down. "Fine, but you know what's best." Dina said as she too walked out. I scoffed as I sat down in the seat that Tommy sat in. "Do you really think it's best to just let her go?" I asked. "I don't know what is best."

I nodded as a sigh slipped out. "You know what you said when we got back to Jackson?"

"You said, 'I'll make her pay.' What happened to that?" Ellie was silent as (Y/d/n) played with her mothers hands. "If this is about (Y/d/n) we can have my dad, or Tommy, or Maria look after her while we go finish what Abby started." I scooted my chair closer to her. "But if you truly don't want to do this I can promise you that I will be back."

"You have to come back, okay?" Ellie stood up. "How could I not come back to my girls?" I stood up pulling the two into a hug and kissed the top of Ellie's head. "I'll always come back."