Joel paces one way, then the other, throwing Ellie a look. But then he crosses his arms over his chest, lifts a hand to his face and presses his fingers against his eyes with a rub and pinches the bridge of his nose.

Okay. Okay. Get a grip, he thinks to himself. Get a fucking grip. This is Ellie talking here. Ellie. The girl who's seen and been through shit that Joel wished like all hell he'd been able to protect her from. The girl who nursed him back to health when he was on the brink of death. The girl who reminds him so damn much of Sarah, who Joel would go the ends of the fucking earth to protect even if it almost kills him.

Maybe she is telling the truth. Maybe-- Jesus, it makes no fucking sense, but...

He drops his hand from his face to his arm. Looks over at Ellie. Underneath his hardened face, under the heavy-set lines around his eyes and in the tired wrinkles lining his forehead, there's something almost indescribable, like he's not sure how much more of this he can take. And bringing Tess and Sarah into all of this - hell.

"Well, then, I guess I am just gonna have to trust you, ain't I?"