A/N: Hi everyone! It's been such a long time since I've posted! How is everyone? It's been so long since I've written something and this is my first Fallout fic so please bear with me! I hope you guys enjoy!
Warning: Possible spoilers for the main story (from the beginning of the game through Institutionalized in this chapter) and side/faction quests: Kid In a Fridge, From Within, Call to Arms, and Shadow of Steel.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters.
Serena Thompson is a problem solver.
It's what she does. She built an entire career on it, as a matter of fact. Throughout her life, she never encountered a problem she couldn't solve.
Which made the loss of her husband and her only son all the more painful.
She was forced to watch as strangers stole her baby and murdered her husband, knowing that there wasn't a damn thing she could do to about it.
Her screams fell on deaf ears. Her begging and banging went unnoticed but when her husband's killer finally turned and looked her in eye, she knew that she was going to have her revenge.
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It was Nate's idea to get Codsworth.
He thought that having an extra hand around the house would benefit them while they were raising their baby, especially since Serena planned on returning to work post maternity leave and Nate is completely useless when it comes to housework.
And Codsworth was something. He was a tremendous help during Serena's pregnancy, helping to keep the stress at bay, especially when Nate got the order to return to base for three months due to heavy activity coming from China.
Codsworth was a great investment and seeing his familiar figure waiting loyally in front of their house after all these years twisted her heart, but also gave her hope. If Codsworth managed to survive, then there's a chance that Shaun may still be alive as well.
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When she met Preston and what was left of the Minutemen, she admired their cause and what they stood for.
In a way, Preston reminds her of Nate. Both are good men who went to war to protect people regardless of whom they were. It's part of the reason why she accepted the role of General as soon as it was offered. She knows it's the right thing to do. She believes in them and she knows Nate would want to help too.
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The first time she saw Boston, she cried.
This city—her city—that once was full of life, lay in ruins. Some merchants had told her that Boston (or The Commonwealth, as it and the surrounding areas are known as now) is in a hell of a lot better shape that most places in what's left of the United States. From what she's heard DC (and Salt Lake City, for some reason) were completely wiped off the map.
But, despite The Commonwealth's "success", walking through the ruins of Beacon Hill makes her eyes burn. She and Nate were originally going to live in this neighborhood until Serena found out that she was pregnant and they both made the decision to find a bigger (and cheaper) home. They had often talked about one day retiring in this neighborhood and spending their final years quietly tucked away in a cozy colonial home.
Now, the cobblestone streets, gas lamps, and historical aura that made Serena fall in love with this neighborhood are completely gone. In fact, the only reason she recognized that this was what was left of Beacon Hill is because of the blue Vault Tech building looming over the area.
Serena shakes her head, clearing her mind of all thoughts and clutches her shotgun close as she and Codsworth continue to navigate through the ruins. From what she's been told, Boston is dangerous and unknown enemies could be lurking around every corner. As much as she wants to reminisce, she needs to be on her A-game, so she doesn't end up as someone's dinner.
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If someone had told Serena in the year 2077 that there would one day be a city built on the ruins of Fenway, she would have laughed in their face at the shear absurdity of it.
When she stands in the center of Diamond City and closes her eyes, she can still hear the remnants of her world: the roaring of the crowd that drowns out the announcers, the smell of hotdogs, nachos, and burgers, the feel of Nate's arms wrap around her and pull her close. She feels as though if she keeps her eyes shut and wishes hard enough that she'll go back to her time when everything was much simpler.
But, when she opens her eyes, she's still standing in the city that was build on the ruins of Fenway.
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Goodneighbor is interesting.
Most of the people are kind and those who aren't freely admitted it. Hancock was especially charming. He reminded her of a guy she once knew in college named Peter. Peter lived in the apartment next to her and was one of the most laid back dudes she had ever met. There was one instance where he was so high that he brought her a stick that he dubbed "The Staff of Life" and would grant her the gift of infinite tacos.
One day, Peter accidentally locked himself out of his apartment and Serena invited him over until his roommate (whom she had never met) returned home from work. She made cornbread while Peter spent the entire time playing with her dog.
Hours later, Peter's roommate arrived, and Serena invited them both to stay for dinner, which they happily accepted. And honestly, if Serena would have known that one day, Peter's roommate was going to turn out to be the love of her life, she probably would have been too scared to open the door, much less ask him to stay for dinner.
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She thought that getting revenge for her husband would give her some sort of satisfaction and closure, but it just left her empty inside.
Kellogg was a horrible being and he needed to be eliminated for the safety of the Commonwealth. However, his death doesn't bring back her husband and leaves her no closer to finding her baby.
Serena feels hollow and as she and Codsworth collect what they need from Kellogg's still warm body, she wonders if Nate would even recognize her.
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The Brotherhood are dicks, but maybe it's apart of the charm.
When she and Codsworth helped Paladin Danse and his people fight off some ghouls, she wasn't expecting to join their ranks. But after thinking it over, she realizes the value of being friendly with Brotherhood. The Minutemen desperately need allies and can't afford any enemies while they rebuild. Plus, the Brotherhood has access to resources and technology that is hard for her to obtain on her own. She'd be an idiot to not go along with them.
Boarding the Prydwen was an experience though (she'll give them that). She and Codsworth follow Danse as he takes them on a personalized tour of the Prydwen, introducing them to the Proctors, showing them the mess, the quarters, and a secret spot for stashing things that not many people know about.
During the tour, she couldn't help but smile at the thought of Nate geeking out over the Prydwen. He loved Zeppelins and owned so many models that he was running out of space in his home office. While she was pregnant, she used to be lulled to sleep by Nate telling her whimsical tales about one day becoming the Commander of his own Zeppelin and taking her and Shaun on a grand tour of the world.
He'd love it here and the thought makes Serena pause as a feeling of sorrow washes over her. She takes a deep breath and struggles to keep the smile plastered on her face as Danse continues showing them around.
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When Serena meets Elder Maxson for the first time, she can't take him seriously.
This baby faced Commander (who is at least half a foot shorter than her) was giving a rousing speech to the new recruits about how they're the future of the Brotherhood and how they'll finally be able to put their training to good use and blah blah blah.
His words are really hyping the recruits standing in front of her, but she can't get over the fact that he is basically like a child to her and resists the urge to grin at the thought of his coat making him look a lot bigger than he actually is.
Soon, she finds herself alone with Elder Maxson, and it's when he's in the middle of explaining the basis of the Brotherhood's mission in the Commonwealth that she accidentally lets a snort escape. When he questions her on it, she immediately starts laughing. His cheeks puff up in the most adorable, indignant way and she knows that Nate would scold her for basically mocking a Commanding Officer but she literally can't stop her laughter.
Elder Maxson grumbles a reiteration that he's in charge that has her howling with laughter and when she's all but thrown off the Prydwen with the order to come back once she's regained her sanity, she realizes that she hasn't laughed like this since she was thawed.
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No matter how many defenses she builds, her settlements cannot stop getting attacked.
She and Codsworth are helping to defend Hangman's Alley for what seems to be the hundredth time. Granted, having a settlement smack in the middle of the Boston Area was probably not the best idea, considering who knows what is crawling though here. But at the same time, the settlers are minding their own business and sticking to themselves so she has no idea why they keep getting attacked.
Serena loves the Minutemen, she really does, but these missions are killer. She's not like Nate who could go into battle for hours on end and come out relatively unscaved. She's a lawyer, who went to the gun range once on their anniversary, and didn't particularly like it.
She puts down the last Raider and the settler's breath a sigh of relief. She stands at the mouth of the alley, almost expecting another wave of Raiders to show up and try to take what little food the settlers have. In her minds eye, if they put as much effort into farming as they did in theft, then the Raiders wouldn't have to ever steal from anyone.
Serena sighs. As much as she wants too, she can't control what everyone else in the Commonwealth does. She knows that the settlers need training and that she is the wrong person for the job. Sometimes, she wishes that Nate would have survived instead of her but then she quickly banishes the thought because she wouldn't want him subjugated to what is left of Boston at all.
Once the settlers have regained their composure, she and Codsworth leave Hangman's alley. In the distance, she can see the Prydwen and thinks that maybe help might not be so far after all.
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It doesn't take her long to convince Elder Maxson to help her with training her settlers in combat.
She still can't get over just how young he is but she knows that it would be unwise to cause a rift between them over something as silly as his age. Besides, she can always laugh about it with the scribes when he's not around.
With this partnership, not only will the Minutemen be gaining valuable allies in the Brotherhood while they rebuild, but they can also set up trade lines and the settlers would be giving the Brotherhood Soldiers a safe place to crash if their missions take them too far from the Prydwen and they cannot make the journey back.
She and Elder Maxson shake on the agreement and immediately get to work.
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Finding Billy trapped in the fridge broke Serena's heart into pieces.
For two hundred years, he was in there scared, alone, and calling out to people who were either too afraid to investigate, couldn't find the source of the voice, or just simply didn't care. Billy explained that he hid in the fridge during the Great War and discovered soon after he entered that he was trapped in there. He says all he wants to do is go home to his parents. Serena doesn't have the heart to tell him that his parents might be dead, but if he managed to survive as a ghoul for all these years, then maybe his parents would still be alive too. If not, she would bring him back to Sanctuary where he would be safe with the Minutemen.
The journey to Quincy is long and hard, especially when that fucker Bullet came up to them and asked if he was for sale. Serena doesn't think she was ever more satisfied to put a bullet in someone's head.
Once in Quincy, there was still a hell of a lot more fighting to do, but it was worth it to finally discover that Billy's parents were still alive as ghouls and waiting for him to return home. Watching Billy cry and hug his family make Serena ache for her own. She thinks of all the missed firsts that she and Nate are never going to have: Shaun's first word, first steps, going to school, making friends, movie nights, etc.
A watery smile crosses her lips and she struggles to keep it together when Billy's father thanks her and Codsworth repeatedly for bringing their boy back home. Serena tells them it's the least she could do.
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The Glowing Sea is terrifying.
She's heard rumors about this place throughout the Commonwealth and wasn't sure what to expect. The Glowing Sea appears to go on for miles, with a green haze hanging over the area like a dense fog. The ground is broken and bare, and the trees that still somehow exist in this area are slanted from impact. Ruined buildings are scattered throughout and it's a miracle that these structures even survived.
Serena grips her shotgun tighter, glad that she brought her power armor with her to protect her from the massive amount of radiation that still lingers within this area. She doesn't want to do this, but she knows that she needs to find Virgil and use his expertise to help her get into the Institute and rescue her baby.
She takes a deep breath and takes her first step forward, hoping that she and Codsworth can manage to survive.
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Finding Shaun wasn't what she expected.
She was just coming to terms with the fact that her son was a ten-year-old child when the sixty-year-old leader of the fucking Institute tells her that he's the real Shaun.
She can't believe that her child is the leader of the monsters. Ever since she became a part of the Commonwealth, she's heard nothing but horror stories about the Institute kidnapping people, subjecting them to who knows what, and replacing them with Synths only to send out Coursers sometime later to clean house. It's even happened to her settlers before! No matter how many defenses there are, someone always ends up dying by their hands.
Serena is brought out of her thoughts when Shaun asks her if she wants to join the Institute. She is about to say no, but then realizes that she has two favors that she needs to cash in on before she leaves. She tells Shaun she's unsure and Shaun gives her free reign to explore the Institute and get to know their scientists before reaching a decision. She thanks him and all but flees the room.
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As soon as she gets Virgil's serum and convinces Doctor Li to return to the Brotherhood, she gets the hell out of the Institute.
The entire place sets wrong with her and she absolutely detests the elitist attitude that everyone here seems to have. They genuinely believe that they are morally superior to everyone, including their own synths.
She loves Shaun and she wants to get to know him, but she cannot support the Institute. So, she leaves . . . and doesn't look back.