A gentle tapping, a flick of a lighter, and a heavy sigh – these were the only sounds to be heard throughout the whole of Sanctuary on this particular night. The Minutemen and the rest of the settlers were already sound asleep, but Nick Valentine couldn't bring himself to rest. He tapped the ash off of his cigarette, taking another puff, just waiting for her to come back. He sat by the jury-rigged teleportation device, at least a dozen burnt out cigarette butts at his feet. Every now and again, he glanced over his shoulder at the intimidating machine. Jill left the settlement nearly a day ago; it was already 3 AM, and there was no telling when she would return, or if she even made it to the Institute at all.
Tap...tap...tap...
Impatiently, he tapped his foot on the ground, getting a little more antsy and excitable with each hour gone by. He didn't want to think about all of the ways this could have gone completely wrong. Jill could have been disintegrated, dismembered with limbs and whatnot popping up in different places across the Commonwealth, dropped into a Deathclaw nest, or worse...she could be caught in a limbo of sorts – an in-between state of being. Neither alive nor dead, but simply energy that can't coalesce into a physical form again. That last thought made Nick shudder out of fear for her.
Indeed, the old detective was worried. When the relay interceptor was first proposed, Nick thought it was one of the most dangerous and idiotic ideas out there. He held his tongue, though. He knew there was nothing anyone could say or do to make Jill stop. Shaun was too important to her, and she would turn over the entire Commonwealth just to see him again.
Just as Nick found himself thinking about Shaun, a bright blue light flashed in front of the workshop station outside one of the old pre-war houses. A loud crack accompanied the spectacle, causing the Synth to leap to his feet. He would have drawn his gun, too, had he not seen her standing there. Fear turned into relief as he dropped his cigarette, and sprinted across the destroyed pavement to his friend. Without giving it a second thought, he pulled her into a tight embrace, and she returned the gesture without hesitation. She clung to the back of his trench coat, her nails digging into his synthetic skin underneath. She was just short enough that her head rested right under his chin.
"Jill...what's wrong...? What happened?" Realizing she was beginning to sob, Nick held her tighter. She sniffed, shaking her head. The Synth wasn't about to press the issue. He knew better than that. If he wanted her to talk, she would have to do it on her own terms. For the time being, he was just happy to know that she survived. However, he thought about a few possibilities. Was Shaun dead? Did the Institute not have him anymore? Did the Institute do something to Jill that caused her to have a breakdown? Question after question bounced around his head. He wanted to know the truth, but the only person that could tell him could hardly even stand on her own.
"He's there." She choked, her clinging becoming more desperate by the moment. "Nick...my son...my son is the head of the Institute." That was certainly not even on the list of things the detective expected to hear. He led her over to a couch inside one of the abandoned houses, sitting down and allowing her to curl up into him. "They took him from me sixty years ago, Nick...and they kept me alive as a contingency plan. The Institute wanted non-irradiated DNA to serve as the template for the Gen. 3 Synths, and so they picked Shaun; a baby with perfect, uncorrupted DNA."
"Your boy is sixty years old?" The old Synth spoke quietly, dumbfounded by everything Jill was explaining. She nodded, beginning to cry once more. Nick could only sympathize with her; she was a parent who'd never get to see her child grow up. "I knew the Institute was into some real shady dealings, but stealing a baby to serve their own agenda? That's low, even for them."
"It gets worse." Jill sighed, now resting her head on the detective's chest. "He wants to make me his successor."
"Are you...are you serious?" Nick was at a loss for words. When she nodded in response, he questioned her further. "Are you going to do it?" He was almost afraid of what she was going to say. On one hand, he wanted her to follow her heart, and he wouldn't blame her if she chose to stay with the Institute – with her son. On the other hand, he knew just how corrupt and dangerous the Institute was, and he almost couldn't stomach the thought of one of his closest friends actually joining them.
"No." She almost snapped back. "I couldn't outright refuse Shaun when he first asked, so I told him I'd think about it. He sent me with a Courser to Libertalia to find a Synth that had his memory wiped by the Railroad. The Synth, Gabriel, became a raider after that, eventually becoming their leader. Shaun wanted him 'reclaimed.' I knew it meant he'd have everything he was stripped from him, so I tried to convince the Courser, X6-88, it would be better to either leave him alone, or just wipe him out because he's a dangerous raider. X6 wouldn't go for it. I tried talking to Gabriel, but he wouldn't listen. X6 used his recall code and...shut him down, I guess?"
"Yeah...that sounds about right." Nick shuddered. He hadn't noticed until then just how tightly he was holding Jill. Just the mention of a Courser gave him a chill and a cause for fear. "What happened next?"
"After that, I knew I didn't want to be a part of the Institute, but I...I still didn't have it in me to just say no to my son." She took a moment for a couple of deep breaths before going on. "He wants me to join another Courser for a new job. There's a group of escaped Synths that he wants reclaimed, and they're guarded by the Railroad." She glanced at the pistol on her hip – the one she took from Kellogg's corpse. "I'm going to free them, but I'm going to make a statement while I do it."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Nick lifted an eyebrow, almost scared of what she was going to say next.
"Nick...I've seen enough. I got the grand tour while I was at the Institute. I've seen how they treat Synths – like slaves, like they're not even people. They don't understand that Synths are sentient beings. They're so high and mighty to believe the Institute is the only hope for mankind, and they act like everyone out here doesn't matter."
Without warning, she wiggled out of Nick's hold and stood up. "I can't bring you with me for this one, Nick. I'm not going to ask you to fight alongside a Courser, and then most likely kill him, and the entire team of backup that'd be there with us."
"Now hold on a second, Jill. This sounds reckless, even for you." The detective caught her wrist in his exposed mechanical hand, standing up next to her. "I've watched you pull a lot of stupid, crazy stunts – jumping off of buildings, charging headlong into hordes of feral ghouls with nothing but a shotgun, and my favorite: gunning down entire camps of Supermutants or raiders while you're hopped up on that Psycho junk. You're bold, brave, but also really impulsive. I can't let you do this alone."
"I'm sorry, Nick. I can't drag you into this one." With a quick twist of her wrist, she broke free from his grasp, and in almost an instant, she was gone. The same blue light from earlier flashed again, and another loud crack was heard.
"Damn it!" The old Synth threw his hat on the floor, kicking a nearby stool over. Jamming his hand into his pocket, he pulled out a lighter and a pack of cigarettes. "I swear, Jill, if you make it back from this, you owe me a carton!" For the rest of the night, Nick stationed himself back by the makeshift teleportation device. Another dozen burnt out cigarettes were dropped by his feet before dawn. He waited, staring off into space. As the light of the rising sun made its way over the horizon to touch his skin, he sat up straight. Surely, she would come back, right?
Morning came and went, and Jill was still nowhere to be found. She hadn't even told Nick where she was going, so it was useless to try and search for her. The Minutemen and other settlers questioned him about her whereabouts, but he was at just as much of a loss as they were. Throughout the afternoon, while helping out around the settlement, he kept looking over his shoulder, hoping he'd see her standing there. She never was. At this point, he was convinced he'd do anything just to know she was alive. His heart sank a little more every hour she was gone. For a fleeting moment, he thought back to a month ago, when she had kissed him. Tracing his lips with a metal finger, he closed his eyes, replaying the event in his mind. He wondered if he would ever get the chance to feel that again – not just a kiss, but her raw passion, and the strange sensations it caused him to have. He was afraid that he may have been too late to try and take that next step forward.
Sunset was finally upon the Commonwealth, and the old detective was back to sitting by the teleporter. Preston had told him he should get some rest, but he still couldn't do it. He wasn't going to relax until either Jill returned, or he heard news of what had become of her. Just as he was about to light up his last cigarette, he glanced up and to the west. A figure, masked in their shadow by the dying daylight behind them, was approaching the settlement. Cautiously, Nick got up to his feet and began heading in the direction of the silhouette. It didn't take long for him to realize Jill had finally returned to Sanctuary.
This time, she was the one to run to him. He readily embraced her, picking her up and swinging her around in a fit of joy. Setting her back down on her feet, he held her closer, holding her head against his chest. "Jill..." He muttered, knowing he would likely be crying had it been possible for him to. "Never do that to me again."
"I'm sorry, Nick. But...it's done." Jill sniffed, her own tears dripping onto the detective's shirt and tie. "I said my goodbyes to Shaun...it's over now."
"I'm sorry it had to be this way, Jill. Are you sure you...made the right choice?"
"I am." She craned her neck to look up at him. "I've realized that I wouldn't have it any other way. The people of the Commonwealth have come far without the Institute, and it gives me hope for our future. My home is here with the Minutemen...with you."
"Well..." Nick paused, giving her a warm smile. "Welcome home."