Been replaying Fallout 4-LET ME ROMANCE THE ROBOT, BETHESDA!
I've been partnered up with Nick so long that I decided writing a fanfic was the only way to get my pent up emotions about this good good boy out.
"Look, we are just here to report a break in." A frustrated man's voice caught Nick Valentine's attention. He glanced up from his report on Eddie Winters and spotted a rather haggard looking man accompanied by an equally exhausted and frightened woman.
"Well I'm sorry sir, but our automated receptionist should have told you that,"
The man shook his hand at the poor desk uniform, "I-I know what your automated phone thing said, but it's been three days! We have a newborn son that we're not even comfortable bringing home because we don't know what they've taken or if they'll be back." The man had black hair that looked like it was a week late on getting trimmed. His caramel skin looked sickly like he hadn't slept in the last three days, and his dark eyes were accentuated even more by his dark brown eyes.
"Hon, it's not this poor man's fault." The woman finally spoke up. She had bright red hair curled around her round face. Her hazel eyes seemed shadowed from days of unrest, and her pale skin was a stark contrast to her male counterpart. It made her look even more sickly. "Please," she looked at the uniform, "isn't there something that can be done?"
"I'm sorry ma'am, most of our officers are tied up in a pretty big case." The uniform apologized. "But as soon as one is available I will send them your way."
Nick turned back to his report. Seemed typical of these East Coasters. Pass off work until the last possible second to the last available person. No way would any low-pay uniform get him to check out some common neighborhood robbery, not when he felt so close to closing the Eddie Winters case.
When Nick finally finished his report late that day he'd nearly forgotten all about the young couple that had come into the station. Nearly. He slowed down as he passed the empty receptionist desk. He picked up the sticky note with an address on it. Sanctuary Hills. Cute little hamlet north of the city. It was most likely a one time offense, but Nick could understand the hesitation the new parents were feeling. Thumbing the sticky note back down on the desk Nick buttoned his coat up as he walked out of the station into the chilly autumn night.
"This is," Nick Valentine glanced around, feeling like an intruder, "your house? From before the war?"
Nora turned on her heel and nodded, "yeah."
Something sparked in the back of Nick's mechanical brain, but he couldn't put a finger on why it felt like some should be happening.
"Make yourself at home," Nora pathetically swept her arms out, "I'm-I'm just going to go grab something." She and Cogsworth had tried their best to tidy the place up, sweeping up debris, patching up what furniture survived, fixing the leaky spots in the roof. If Nick hadn't known better he would have figured he stepped into a time capsule.
Nora walked down the hall leading to the rest of the house once she'd seen Nick sit down on the old couch. The feeling that something should be happening couldn't stop pestering Nick. He felt like he was being watched by a hundred eyes, and began to get antsy.
What was taking Nora so long?
Would she care if he lit a smoke?
What was so important that they had to come here in the first place?
He stood up and walked down the hall. The first two doors on either side of the hallway were closed, so Nick crept forward. He recalled the way Nora's steps sounded as she had walked away, and peered into the back right room.
Nora was standing beside a crib. She didn't turn back to face him. "We finally felt it safe to bring Shaun home from my parents house." She whispered. "We'd come home from a weekend at their place in New Haven." She gripped a teddy bear that was half blasted away.
"Kid, I-I'm so sorry." Nick wasn't sure what to say. He'd obviously walked in on something personal.
"Don't be. If we hadn't come home we wouldn't have made it to the vault. We wouldn't have lived and I wouldn't have," Nora finally turned around, her hazel eyes filled with tears, and she took a breath before-
"General, word just came...from…" Preston trailed off once he noticed that he had clearly barged in on something. "Oh, I uh," Preston normally didn't enter Nora's house, and he certainly hadn't seen the decayed nursery before as he was suddenly at a loss for words. Nora, as soon as she heard his voice, had turned away from the door and was busily wiping her tears away.
"She'll be out in a second, Garvey." Nick laid a hand on Preston's shoulder and turned him away. Once Preston seemed to get the hint he turned and ducked out with his tail between his legs.
"I'm sorry, Nick. I'm trying to keep it together until I get my baby back." Nora sniffled. "It's just getting harder and harder to deal with."
"It's okay, kid," Nick finally stepped into the room. Breaking an unknown seal, tearing down an unseen wall. He laid his hands on her shoulders, "we're close. We're real close. And I promise you, kid, we are going to find Kellogg. Find him, and make him give Shaun back."
Nora smiled, tears still in her eyes, but a fire behind them. "Thank you, Nick."
And the feeling was gone.