Loud gunshots rang out over the expanse of the barren plain.

Heavy panting and the light footfall of boots sounded out right after them.

Silver furrowed her brow and glanced out her window as a light blue blur zipped by. She almost dropped to the ground when three Raiders were right behind it. Silver snuck out of her door and hurried toward the third house down the street in the ruined town of Springvale. She raised her fist to knock on the door, but it opened before she even got the chance.

"Not even ten in the fucking morning and Raiders are already pissing on my doorstep!"

Silver dodged out of the way before she could get run over by her tall neighbor, trying to make sense of what was happening in front of her. A young woman was running down the street and three Raiders were chasing her and her neighbor was now right behind them. She never imagined that one of her mornings would have started like this.

Meanwhile, the 19 year old girl was ducking her head and dodging the bullets hissing by her.

Why did I think this was a good idea?! I should have just stayed out of Moriarty's business, she screamed to herself as she squealed and ducked behind the corner of a house. Her heart felt as if it was going to burst out her chest as she gasped for air.

"I'm going to have me some nice, blonde, puss-"

The girl's eyes widened when the Raider's voice was cut off by a gunshot. She quickly aimed her pistol around the corner and was surprised to see the other raiders that were chasing her turning around to aim their guns at the newcomer.

The man didn't hesitate to raise his shotgun and shoot again.

Before she could comprehend what was going on, the men that were chasing her were all dead and she was the only one now. She stumbled out into the middle of the street and opened her mouth to thank the stranger.

The man glared at her and growled, "Duck."

She didn't hesitate to drop to the ground as he raised his shotgun again.

She covered her head as she heard the sickening thud of the buck hitting a body and the heavy thump that followed it. Looking over her shoulder, she gasped when she saw the body of another raider with a crowbar in his hands. She quickly flipped over and crab walked away from the body as fast as she could, breathing heavily. She stared at it wide eyed; trying to figure out what was going on.

"Who the fuck are you?"

The girl whipped her head around and looked up at her savior, suddenly feeling light headed. Her eyelids fluttered as she tried to keep them open and her body felt as if it was made from the heaviest metal.

"Hey, are you okay?" the man asked.

The girl's vision started to blur and she swore she saw three men standing in front of her now. "No," she managed to gasp before her world went black.

Maverick cursed and quickly knelt down, catching the girl before she could fall to the ground. "Silver! Get some Med-X and shit out," he ordered, easily looping his arms underneath her knees and back, carrying her toward his home. He kicked his door open further and carefully ducked inside, setting her on his bed.

"I got some medicine. What's wrong with her?" Silver asked, handing him some Med-X and some RadAway.

Maverick didn't answer right away. Instead, he brought his knuckle to his chin as he studied the girl. She was sweating profusely and he knew her temperature was up just from holding her. His eyes roved over every part of her body, trying to find anything that could tell him what was wrong. He did a double take when he saw something bright pink near the girl's neck, right underneath her jaw.

Reaching forward, he pulled the collar of her jumpsuit down slightly and sighed when his suspicions were proven true. A light rash was starting to form on the girl's skin. "It's a Rad-cold. She must have taken on too much radiation recently," he grumbled, holding out his hand for the medicine.

Silver gave him an incredulous look. "How can you tell? Last I checked, you weren't no doctor."

Maverick sighed and pushed up the girl's jumpsuit sleeve. He injected the RadAway into her arm. "She should be fine with a few days rest and medicine. I'll look after her, Silver. Just make sure no more damn Raiders are nearby."

Silver rolled her eyes, heading toward the door. "Sure thing."

Soon, Maverick was left alone with the girl. He tilted his head, running his fingers through his hair as he studied her. He wouldn't call her tiny, just short. She only looked feeble because of the cold at the moment. He could tell she was strong when he held her. The delicate features on her face didn't match that strength at all. A lock of sandy blonde hair had pulled itself out of her ponytail and was now curled on her cheek.

No wonder Raiders were after her; she was blonde, pretty, and looked like she could put up a fight. Those fuckers liked that for some damn reason.

Maverick grumbled some curses and pulled a chair away from his table, setting it down next to the bed. He sat down and got to work on cleaning his shotgun.

One day, he was going to deny someone help, but that day was not today.

When Leyah opened her eyes, everything was dark. She tried to sit up, but her body was just too weak. She turned her head to the side and fear instantly gripped her when she saw a tall and large silhouette sitting next to the bed. Where was she? Who was this man sitting next to her bed? Why was she so weak? Was she drugged? What was happening?

She started to mildly thrash, trying to gain the momentum to pull herself out of the bed.

Unfortunately, the man was awake.

"Jesus, calm down." The heavy thud of his footsteps followed his words and the girl squinted when a dim light was turned on in the middle of the room.

"You have a Rad-cold. Kids usually get them because their bodies aren't used to the radiation yet. But, if you actually are from the Vault, it's not really a surprise you got it either." He sat backwards on the chair next to the bed, resting his forearms on the backrest. "Now, you're going to tell me who you are and why the hell you're not in the Vault."

Leyah eyed him suspiciously, but she didn't have the energy to be worried anymore. She spent it all trying to get out of the bed. "My name is Leyah Hunter. I was…forced to leave the Vault."

The man stared at her for some time and Leyah was starting to feel uncomfortable. Great, she just had to end up in a weirdo's house with a Rad-cold.

"Why were you forced to leave?" he finally asked.

Leyah sighed. Oh well, maybe this guy could actually help her. "I was forced out because my dad left the Vault. Now, I have no idea where he is and the only lead I have is to Moriarty in Megaton and he won't tell me jack squat unless I pay him or something."

The man tilted his head back with a bark of laughter. "Well, no shit! He doesn't tell anyone anything for free and he's a grade-A bastard." He paused and ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm Maverick, by the way. Sorry to scare you, I can only imagine how the wasteland has been treating someone as new as you."

Leyah rolled her eyes. "Oh, just great. These past couple days have been a blast!" she huffed. Her irritated outburst earned her a rush of dizziness.

"I bet it's been a fuckin' joyride," he sarcastically replied, standing up.

Leyah rested her head back on the pillow and studied her 'savior'. He was tall; taller than any man she'd ever seen. She was guessing he had to at least be 6'7". A light grey shirt clung tightly to his broad shoulders and Leyah wondered just how strong this guy was. His unruly, top cut chestnut hair stuck up a little in the front, probably from running his fingers through it. He faced the counter on the other side of the house and she could see his profile clearly now.

His rugged features seemed to fit everything else about him; from the high cheekbones, strong jawline, and to the firm set of his mouth. It was all angular and strong. He seemed to be in his late 20s or early 30s so she knew he trumped her in experience too.

Leyah knew from one glance that she wouldn't stand a chance if she wanted to escape.

Everything about the man screamed 'deadly'.

He poured something from a box into a cracked bowl and walked back over to her. "Here. Sugar Bombs aren't the best, but you need to eat."

Leyah tentatively took the bowl from his hand and peered inside. She picked up a piece of the cereal and popped it into her mouth. It wasn't too stale, and it actually tasted okay. And, luckily, she wasn't nauseous.

"So, what's your dad's name? He might have passed through here," Maverick asked after she popped a few more pieces in her mouth. He resumed his previous positon on the chair.

"James," Leyah said around a mouthful of cereal, "Doctor James Hunter."

Maverick stiffened and Leyah inched away from him and toward the wall on the bed. Crap, what if she ran into someone who didn't like her dad?

"Shorter? Dark hair? Heavy accent?"

Leyah scooted closer to him again. "Yes! That's him."

Rubbing the back of his head, Maverick gave her a broad grin. She was shocked to see how a simple grin could make him to look less terrifying. "I actually met him a long time ago. I didn't know he went into a vault…or that he had a daughter."

Leyah popped another piece of cereal into her mouth. So, that sleaze Moriarty wasn't lying to her. She was incredulous about her dad not being from the Vault…but it seemed like the fact was slowly being confirmed. "How did you know him?"

Maverick's brow furrowed and Leyah instantly regretted asking the question. She didn't want to upset this guy while she was so weak. "He…Shit, let's just say he did me a favor I'll never be able to pay back."

"What did he do?"

"That's for me to know, and you to not worry about," he retorted, resting his chin on his arms. "So, what are you planning to do?"

"Why do you care?" Leyah quipped, trying to sit up a little.

"Well, you obviously don't know what the fuck you're doing out there. And, you've been out for five days."

She almost dropped her bowl. "What?" she yelped, staring at him wide eyed.

"You. Have," Maverick said slowly, like he was talking to a toddler. "Been. Out. For. Five. Days."

The hand motions he did with every word only added to the sarcasm.

"I have to go! I can't just sit here, my dad-ugh." Leyah flopped back down on the bed as another wave of dizziness overcame her.

Maverick sighed and leaned forward, causing the chair he was sitting on to tip on its back two legs. "Look Vaultie, you don't stand a chance out there right now. I doubt you would if you were healthy too. So, I'm going to make you a deal."

Leyah's brows pinched as she glared up at him. "Oh really?"

"I can teach you how to survive out here. Then you can be on your merry way."

Leyah let out an incredulous laugh. "Oh? You'll teach me? I'm already a week behind my dad, what makes you think I want to wait any longer?"

Maverick snorted at the comment, pulling out a cigarette. "Vaultie, you're never going to find your dad if you become Super Mutant food. And I heard the Raiders like blondes more than anything else. Not to mention the slavers. Also, did I forget to mention the Mirelurks and the Deathclaws that would gladly make you their fucking snack?"

Leyah's eyes narrowed. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. She would never find her dad if she was dead. But, what did this guy want in return?

"You never said what you wanted in return…"

With an even stare, Maverick took out his cigarette. "Consider this as a payment for what your dad did."

"I can't waste any more time! By the time you teach me stuff, it could become impossible to find him." Leyah took a shuddering breath as she became dizzy again.

Maverick huffed. "No one can efficiently hide forever. I know that from experience. You'll find him," he stood up, "So, shut up and get some rest."

Leyah didn't get to argue before he turned off the light and she saw his silhouette move to a different part of the house.

The wave of dizziness from earlier caused her to lie down again, huffing.

This guy was weird, but she had no other choice but to trust him right now.

"So what is a Deathclaw anyway? Sounds like something from a bad Pre-war holotape."

Maverick held back a groan behind grit teeth. He believed in hands on experience being the best teacher, but he was regretting it at the moment. The girl, Leyah, wouldn't shut up. He was surprised there wasn't any radscorpions or anything worse on their asses at the moment.

"Vaultie, what part of 'you have to be quiet in the wasteland' do you not understand?" he snapped, glaring at her over his shoulder.

The girl halted in her tracks and stuck her lip out in an angry pout, slinging the rifle he gave her over her shoulder. "You said to ask questions when I had them."

"Yeah, when we're in the safety of my yard, not in the middle of fucking nowhere," he retorted, continuing on his way.

He heard her grumble something but she eventually followed along. Maverick finally saw their destination. The Scrapyard may look like junk, but he found more parts and things worthy of trading with every trip he took there.

A faint 'beep' caused him to turn and glare at Vaultie. She held up her hands with a smirk. "I'm just updating my map. Did that make too much noise, Oh Great One?"

Just fucking perfect, I'm dealing with a brat.

Maverick rolled his eyes and opened the gate to the scrapyard. "Don't push your luck, Vaultie."

For the next couple hours, he went through every part of the scrapyard and showed her the important things she could trade or use and how some things could easily be used to fix guns. And, he had to give it to her, she was a quick learner.

She was already fixing up the rifle by the time he was done showing her what a medical brace could be used for.

"Alright, let's head back. Try not to make scavenging trips too long, that just opens more opportunities for something to kill you and you could use up more supplies than you're finding."

Vaultie nodded and slung the rifle over her shoulder again with a salute. "Gotcha."

They got back to Springvale with no trouble, to Maverick's surprise, and he immediately led her to his 'back yard'. It wasn't much. It was basically a large empty space with the various targets and practice dummies he used.

"Alright, let's see how good you are with a gun," he pointed to the various targets, "Have at it, Vaultie."

Vaultie stuck her lip out again as her brow furrowed. "The name is Leyah, and I happen to be a good shot. I shot radroaches all the time in the Vault," she retorted, flipping her ponytail over her shoulder as she stepped forward with the assault rifle.

Before Maverick could give her his own sarcastic reply, she had already raised the gun and started shooting. His eyes widened when she hit all of the targets but one. He looked up at the target she missed on the windmill about 60 feet away and then looked back at her.

"Not bad."

Maybe she wasn't a lost cause after all.

Leyah had never been this sore and worn out in her life.

But hell, it was worth it.

After a couple short weeks, Leyah now knew how to disarm mines, use and repair every type of gun, the basic survival skills, and how to kick ass.

Maverick was adamant about showing her how to defend herself, and she wasn't complaining. After some of the looks she got from some of the men in Megaton, she was open to anything.

Maverick didn't turn out to be half bad in the end. Yes, he was grumpy and sarcastic, but Leyah learned to see the hidden meaning behind his acerbic words. Whenever he chastised her and gave her a smart remark, Leyah realized it was his own way of making sure she got the message.

And, surprisingly, he was hilarious.

Leyah found herself spitting Nuka-cola out more than once at their meals…like now. "You actually did that?!" she wheezed, wiping Nuka-cola off her chin.

"I never claimed to be smart when I was younger."

"But why?!"

"Look, the moral of the story is to never see if a Super Mutant has a dick or not."

Leyah threw her head back as she let out another laugh. "Why did you even want to look?"

Maverick shrugged as he took a swig of his beer. "Because I was 15, stupid, and someone dared me to."

"Who?!"

Maverick's amused grin slowly fell as he set down his beer. "My sister. Be glad you're an only child, Vaultie."

Perching her chin on her palm, Leyah gave him a smug grin. "Oh? So you let your sister bully you? That's news."

With an eye roll, Maverick stood and walked over to his refrigerator. "Whatever."

Leyah tilted her had a little as she studied him for a moment. "Tell me more about your sister."

Maverick barked out a laugh. "Nice try, Vaultie."

Leyah sighed and frowned at him, furrowing her brow. Maverick had a few rules; one of them was 'no personal questions'.

"Oh come on! I told you all about my life!" she whined, resting her arms on the table.

Maverick set another Nuka-Cola down next to her and shrugged. "That's your own damn fault."

Leyah puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. She answered every question he had about the Vault and her friends. Well, former friends. "Why are you so closed off? It's dumb."

"No, it's smart," he growled, popping the cap off of his beer.

"No, it's just easier to be crabby and a hermit," she quipped, gently nudging her Nuka-Cola away from her. She suddenly wasn't thirsty.

Maverick's thick brows furrowed as he set his beer down. "Are you implying something Vaultie?"

"Yes," she brazenly replied, sitting up and crossing her arms. For some reason, she wasn't intimidated by him anymore.

He sighed heavily through his nose. "Okay, fine. The only thing you'll ever know about my sister is that she's my best friend. Happy?"

"No," Leyah retorted. Well, she did feel a little happy. She got that much out of him at least. "Where is she now? Why don't you see her? Did she die?"

Maverick's mouth set in a thin, angry line as he grumbled and set his beer down on the table. "Good night, Vaultie," he snapped, stomping toward his room.

Leyah flinched as the door slammed shut and she stared down at the half empty beer can.

She rested her chin on the table, wondering how she managed to screw everything up no matter where she went.

"You can leave now."

Leyah looked up from her rifle in confusion. They were sitting on Maverick's front porch and it was early in the morning. Well, she was sitting in a chair, cleaning her rifle while he leaned on the side, smoking a cigarette.

"What?"

"Jesus, do they not teach you English in the vaults? You can leave now. You pass. Good luck."

Leyah furrowed her brow as her stomach dropped to the ground. Irritation bubbled up momentarily as she realized what was happening. That jerk, kicking me out after I asked too many questions.

The irritation quickly left when she thought about why she even stayed there in the first place. Her dad. But, go out on her own? She knew she would have to eventually. That didn't mean she had to like the fact.

Her heart started to feel heavy for a different reason. She honestly didn't want to say goodbye to Maverick.

When it seemed like her life was tumbling down around her, Maverick was the one who set her straight and gave her the backbone to move on when no one else was willing to. He became one of her few friends out in the Wasteland and she didn't want to leave him alone, even if he didn't think the same way.

He always seemed so lonely and sad when he thought she wasn't looking at him, and it broke her heart to see a man who was so willing to help others be that way.

Instead of saying all these things, the only thing she could croak out was, "Okay."

He helped her pack, giving her some of his own supplies and giving her some last minute tips. "Remember to always check your ammo and stimpak supply. You can get through any type of shit with those. Also, always make sure you have a few nonperishables at all times."

Leyah nodded as she watched him stuff the random supplies in the bag. When he finally stood up and gestured toward the door. She reluctantly stepped forward, carrying the pack.

She pushed the bag's straps over her shoulders and then slung her rifle on after them. Mustering up her courage, she stopped at the doorway and turned to him. He must have not expected her to stop because he almost ran into her.

Leyah's eyes widened when she found herself staring at his chest. She craned her neck to look up at him, meeting his hard gaze. She was surprised to see that his eyes were a mixture of blue and green, not one certain color.

He stared down at her, arching a brow. "What?"

Biting her lip, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his torso. "Thank you, for everything," she mumbled, burying her face into the front of his shirt.

Her heart started to flutter when he gently wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He finally pushed her away. "Good luck, Vaultie. Tell your dad that Maverick Barrington said 'Hi'."

Leyah slowly nodded, hitching her rifle up a little higher on her shoulder before finally walking out the door.