It is 2299. Twelve years after the Institute was destroyed, the Minutemen were declared the Heroes of the Commonwealth. For a time, they managed to fight the good fight, liberating settlement after settlement, generally improving the life quality of the people. However, this level of action wouldn't last long as Preston Garvey, one of the high ranking members of the organization, died six years ago from acute radiation poisoning in the Glowing Sea. A Deathclaw managed to break some important circuits from his power armor, rendering him helpless against the rads. Even though Nate managed to kill the Deathclaw, it was too late for Preston. Since then, the Minutemen weren't the same. Sure, they still fight, they still help, but they just seem to have lost their guiding light.

Nate was in Goodneighbor, listening to Magnolia as he has done almost every evening in the last years. His life was divided between wandering the wasteland, after leaving the Minutemen and joining Nick's detective agency and spending his time in Diamond City with his new wife, Sandra, and his nine years old son, Daniel. Nate never imagined he would find love again and much less, to have another child. She arrived in Diamond City with a caravan in 2288 and it was love at first sight. Nate adored her, with beautiful auburn hair and sky blue eyes and her cheerful personality. Sandra had a tranquil childhood in a small settlement in Vermont called New Utopia. Sure, a fancy name for a village made of scrap parts but it provided safety and happiness for the woman. She was 20 when she met Nate and, after a few months of dating, she decided to start a life with him. Their union was blessed with the birth of Daniel in 2290, an event that was celebrated across the entire Commonwealth, as he was the son of the one who liberated the wasteland from the fear and pain caused by the Institute. Even his naming was an event in itself as each of Nate's closest friends, Nick Valentine, Piper, John Hancock and Deacon wanted to become the godparent of the newborn babe. They decided to organize a drinking competition to establish who is worthy of such an honor. The contest was won, of course by Nick who, as a Synth, had a natural… let's call it tolerance for alcohol. Piper wanted to name the child Kane, as the fictional newspaper tycoon from a movie in the 1940s. Hancock wanted to name him Putnam, jokingly stating that they will both sign the Constitution of the Commonwealth. Deacon wanted to name him, of course, Deacon. Nick chose Daniel as it was the name of one of his closest friends from his time as a cop before the War. In Goodneighbor, Nate wanted to relax, to lose himself in the music of Magnolia. He looked at her, watching her perform her songs through the evening with the other patrons of the Third Rail, some of them ghouls, some of them former raiders and chem dealers and some of them simply people born into this hellhole called the Commonwealth who wanted a moment for them to forget the fact that their lives are shit.

"And that's all for now! I'm taking a little break, handsome boys and girls! Don't worry, Magnolia will return shortly to share her love with you!"

Magnolia's announcement was met with grunts and sighs from the patrons. The singer got down from the stage and approached Nate.

"So, cowboy, did you like the performance? I believe my voice was a bit off during the last song…"

"Don't worry. You were amazing, as always."

She smiled:

"Flatterer. So, how was the last case? I think I saw Nick here the other day, searching for a kid or something."

"Eh, a fourteen years old boy from Diamond City ran off with a girl. We found them in an abandoned house in Concord. Damn reckless that kid. He was armed only with a knife!"

"Young love in the Commonwealth… Well, I guess no nuclear war will kill those feelings. You call him reckless, I call him courageous. Not anyone would try to brave the road between Diamond City and Concord armed only with a knife. I guess knowing that your love's life depends on you puts steel in your spine. It's quite romantic, you know? Speaking of which, how is your family? I'm so sorry that even though you come here so often, I don't have the time to speak to you as much as I want."

"No problem, Magnolia. Well, Sandra asked me to find her a coffee machine next time I leave the city. She hates that swill they serve at the Taphouse. She says it's Brahmin dung mixed with water and served as coffee. As for Daniel… he is absolutely incredible. He is smart, courageous and kind. But… I don't know, sometimes I think this world will destroy him, eventually. He hates violence and in the Commonwealth, you know too well that violence is the way of living. It's wrong but it is what it is."

"You worry too much, cowboy. He is a sweet, innocent child. This world has too many raiders and murderers. It needs people like him."

"I love him so much… After Nora and Shaun died, I never thought I would find happiness again. He looks exactly like Sandra… his hair, his laughter… just like her. Except for his eyes, they are exactly like mine. It would kill me to see him hurt or worse…"

"Sssh… Enough with the pessimistic thoughts! Nine years nothing happened with him and I'm sure as hell nothing would happen. You just need to be there for him. Daniel needs his father to believe in him."

"Sometimes, I dream that he was replaced with a Synth. That the Institute has taken him and I would never see him again. Or that the Brotherhood of Steel killed him to get their revenge on me for blowing up the Prydwen…"

"Nate, calm down. Cast these thoughts out from your head and enjoy your son for what he is! A kind and compassionate boy, not a Synth or a Brotherhood of Steel target. Don't forget that you destroyed the Institute and the Brotherhood is gone from the Commonwealth. Well, glad I spoke with you… I should return to the stage! Crowd is getting restless. Don't forget my advice: be there for your family and don't think that your son is some kind of liability or weakness. Daniel is strong, so are you. Goodbye, handsome."

"Thanks, Magnolia! Break a leg!"

Nate just finished his drink when a tall Synth, wearing a trench coat and a hat entered the Third Rail.

"So, did you get your music fix?"

"Hello, Nick. As always!"

"Glad to hear it! So, our next case is in Lexington. A missing woman, early 30s. Husband says she acted strangely in the last couple of days, became colder and aloof. My gut instinct: she ran off with some beau."

"Or she was kidnapped by raiders or killed by Super Mutants or eviscerated by a Deathclaw or maimed by a rabid Radstag or…"

"I heard enough. Sure, it can be what you're saying but that's why we're detectives, to find out the truth."

"Hey, Nick… what if we start the search in the morning? I want to return to Diamond City this evening. I haven't seen my family in days."

"Of course. Wouldn't mind the break myself. Shall we be off?"

"Yeah."