Note: For those of you that read Traveler, you're probably wondering what the heck I'm doing, writing another fic when I need to update that one. Yeah… sorry. I'm in a bit of a rut for Traveler and I decided to get the creative juices flowing by writing something else that's been rattling around in my head. I promise, I'm not abandoning my other story!

That said, enjoy!

Disclaimer: Fallout is not mine. That should go without saying, really.

Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End

Where are those darn bobby pins?

Quinn rifles through the medicine cabinet, then her makeup box, growing more frustrated by the second. Too little sleep has her fraying at the edges. The fact that a bobby pin could be the metaphorical straw that broke the camel's back just makes it worse. Quinn feels her eyes prickle, warning of oncoming tears, and swallows hard.

"No. No crying." They've got to be here somewhere…

"What, hon?" Nate asks from the other room.

"Nothing!" Quinn calls back distractedly.

Finally, after another few minutes of searching, she finds the little buggers and gives a small whoop of victory. Nate doesn't say anything to that; he's used to her oddness. Quinn brings them over to the mirror and starts pinning her ginger hair back into a simple bun.

No fancy hairdos for this lady.

Not when there's a certain baby around that likes to grab at the tresses. Quinn smiles softly at the thought of her child and puts the pins away in a place she hopes she'll remember next time.

Nate is sitting at the table when she walks into the kitchen. He's sipping coffee and reading the paper and Quinn takes a moment to just soak in the domesticity of it.

Nate glances up and smirks. "And just what are you looking at?" he teases.

"Just the most handsome man I've ever seen," Quinn answers, cocking her hip playfully. "Tell me, are you seeing anyone?"

Nate grins. "Sorry, doll. I've already got a beautiful, loving wife."

Quinn just laughs lightly and moves further into the room.

"Good morning, mum!" the floating robot in the kitchen greets her cheerfully.

"Good morning to you, too, Codsworth," Quinn says through a yawn.

Codsworth floats closer. "Ah! I see you are in need of a bit of a pick-me-up." He pours her a cup of coffee. "There you are, mum. Freshly brewed and piping hot! It might be wise to blow on it before you take a sip."

"Thank you," Quinn says and takes a greedy gulp of coffee… and immediately regrets it. "Ow!"

"I did warn you, mum!" Codsworth chimes in unhelpfully.

"Are they all so sassy?" Quinn grumbles, sitting down next to Nate.

Nate chuckles. "I know you're still a bit leery of Codsworth, but I think we did the right thing in getting him."

Quinn sighs. "You're probably right… It's just strange, you know? He's not human."

The sound of Shaun crying interrupts whatever Nate might have said and Quinn is halfway out of her seat without realizing it.

"Sounds like someone is getting fussy!" Codsworth declares, moving for Shaun's nursery. "Don't worry, mum, I will see what the problem is. Please sit and enjoy your breakfast."

Quinn sits back down, feeling relieved, but also guilty. It's not that she doesn't love her son. She just hasn't gotten a full night of sleep in a very long time and it's nice having someone else to change Shaun's dirty diapers.

Maybe Nate is right. Wait… does that make me a bad mother?

Quinn chews on her lip anxiously.

Nate's hand covers hers and gives a reassuring squeeze. "Stop worrying and eat something. You know how you get on an empty stomach." He gives her a look and she concedes, starting to pour herself some cereal.

She's about halfway through the bowl when Codsworth floats back into the room, somehow managing to look distressed.

How in the world does he do that? He has no face!

"Mum, I'm very sorry, but I can't seem to calm young Shaun down. It seems he needs some of that motherly affection you are so very good at giving."

Quinn sighs internally, giving her cereal one last longing glance, before pushing back from the table and heading for her child's room.

His crying makes her chest ache and she hurries over to his crib, reaching inside and tickling his tummy. "Hey there, little guy," she greets him softly. "What seems to be the problem, hmm?" Quinn softly strokes one of his chubby cheeks and smiles down at him.

Shaun's crying gradually quiets. "There, see? You're okay."

"How did I ever get so lucky?" Nate's voice surprises her a bit and she knocks her head on the mobile when she straightens abruptly. Nate just smiles and shakes his head. "Such a klutz," he teases, coming to stand next to her and put his arm around her.

For a while, they both just watch the little person they created, happy and carefree.

Then comes Codsworth's panicked voice from the living room. "Sir, mum! I think you should come see this!"

Quinn and Nate glance at each other, then Quinn hurries out of the room.

Codsworth is hovering anxiously in front of the T.V., on which the newsman seems to be announcing something distressing. Nate is soon beside her, holding Shaun tightly.

He grabbed Shaun… Why didn't I do that…?

"Yes… yes." Quinn turns back to the T.V. "We've got confirmed reports coming in of nuclear detonations in New York…"

Quinn feels numb and the rest of the report turns to static in her ears. She clutches at Nate's shirt, trying to ground herself. "W-what…? Nate…"

"Come on, hon, we need to head for the vault. Now." Nate sounds more serious than she's ever heard him. This is his soldier voice, she thinks.

Quinn starts for the hallway in a daze. "I-I need to grab the-"

"Quinncy," Nate barks, grabbing her arm. "Now."

And then they're running, as fast as they can, but Nate doesn't let go of her. Twice, she trips, but Nate doesn't let her fall.

At the fence, he pauses to talk to someone and Quinn sees a man in a yellow hat. It's the Vault-Tec guy that came to their house the other day and he looks terrified.

What's going on? Why won't they let him through?

The man suddenly makes eye contact with her. It feels profound for some reason, but Nate is pulling her through the gate and towards the vault. Then they're standing on top of it and he's pushing Shaun into her arms. Shaun is wailing.

"Take him, Quinncy!"

Quinn grabs her baby and holds on tight.

There's an explosion in the distance, then, so loud and bright that it hurts. People are screaming and Quinn thinks she might be among them. Nate wraps his arms around them and pushes them down. He does his best to be a shield when a concussive wave of heat and dust slams into them, but Quinn still feels it in her bones.

I'm gonna die…

But a few seconds later, when the elevator stops moving, she's very much still alive. Even so, Quinn doesn't open her eyes until Nate nudges her.

"Come on, sweetheart," he encourages softly, urging her to follow the line of people up the stairs.

Our neighbors.

Quinn suddenly wonders what's happening to the people above and can't help the tears that well up in her eyes.

"We're okay, Quinn," Nate keeps talking in a soothing voice. "Shaun's okay."

But what about everyone else? she can't help but wonder silently.

There are a lot of people in blue suits inside. They wait in line and Nate grabs two of the suits, then guides her over to a secluded corner. He holds Shaun while she changes, then she returns the favor.

A man in a lab coat leads them into a room with a bunch of pods. Quinn isn't really sure what she expected, but it certainly wasn't this. Something feels… off, but her thoughts are too jumbled right now to make sense of anything.

Nate pulls her into his arms, giving both her and Shaun a gentle hug. Then he kisses her forehead tenderly and steps back.

"What's happening, Nate?" Quinn almost doesn't recognize her voice. It's so… small.

"Just decontamination," he explains. "Makes sense, I suppose. Just step into that one there, okay?"

"I can keep Shaun with me?" she asks, heartrate picking up.

"Of course," Nate reassures. "Here, I'll help you in." He takes her elbow and balances her while she climbs into the pod. "All right, hon, I'll see you soon."

Quinn just nods and holds Shaun tighter, watching as Nate gets into the opposite pod. He gives her a small nod and a smile as the doors close. Quinn feels a moment of panic as the pod seals, locking her in the cramped space. Her breathing speeds up to match her heart and she stares through the little window at Nate, trying to keep it together.

An automated voice drones in her ear and she doesn't bother listening. A part of Quinn's brain notes that it's getting colder, and then… nothing.

So… cold…

Quinn's thoughts are sluggish, oozing like molasses in the dead of winter. Her eyes open slowly. Everything is blurry at first, but she thinks she hears voices.

Nate…?

As her vision clears, she notices that the little window in front of her is frosted with ice. Even so, she can see out of it somewhat, enough to tell that there are people. Two of them.

Quinn tries to say something, to get their attention, but all that comes out is a pathetic wheeze.

Then the door opens. Quinn is very confused. Where are the Vault-Tec people from before? The doctor that showed them to their pods?

"Here they are," says the balding man in strange clothing.

Quinn's limbs feel so numb, she almost doesn't realize there's a person in a white cleanroom suit trying to grab her baby.

"Hey!" Quinn croaks, trying to twist away from the person.

"It's okay, ma'am," the woman says, reaching for Shaun again. "Just give me the child."

"No!" Quinn cries, holding her child tighter. Shaun begins to cry.

Something clicks. "I suggest you let go of the kid, lady," a gruff voice commands and Quinn looks back at the man. It takes her a second to realize he's pointing a gun at her.

What the hell is going on?!

The woman gets her hands on Shaun and tugs. Quinn struggles with her. "No! He's mine!" she cries. The man grabs her arms and pries them apart, letting the woman pull Shaun away. It's almost embarrassing how easily the man overpowers her.

"No!" Quinn screams hoarsely, voice cracking. She struggles harder, thrashing against the man holding her back as the woman walks off with Shaun. She cries out again, wordlessly this time. Quinn feels something hard collide with the side of her head and everything goes dark again.

When Quinn wakes again, she's gasping for air. Everything still feels cold, though. Quinn pounds against the window, feeling as if she'll lose consciousness again at any moment. But then the door opens and she falls out, catching herself at the last moment and feeling a jolt of pain travel up from her wrists.

Quinn stays like that for a bit, gulping in mouthfuls of air and shivering uncontrollably. Slowly, the alarms and repeated warnings shove their way into her awareness.

Evacuate? What?

Quinn shakily pushes herself up and looks around. The first thing she notices is the pod directly in front of her.

Nate…?

"Nate!" she cries, stumbling forward and looking through the window. He's not moving. Quinn pounds against the glass. "Nate! Wake up! Please!" But her shouting is to no avail, so she tries tugging at the door. No use…

She glances around frantically, then notices some buttons on a panel next to the pod. She presses the one that says 'open' and watches anxiously as the door hisses and swings upward. She ducks beneath it and reaches for her husband.

He's so cold… too cold. Quinn shakes him, calls out his name, but his eyes remain closed. She finally feels for a pulse…

There isn't one.

Quinn sinks to the floor at Nate's feet, sobbing. She feels as if she's being torn in two. Or maybe a thousand. Surely there's nothing left but scraps… not if Nate is gone.

Gone.

The word echoes painfully in her head, ripping through memories as it bounces off of her skull.

"No…" she moans, grabbing at her hair and curling into a ball.

Time passes. Quinn isn't sure how much, but slowly she comes back to herself.

Shaun, she reminds herself. I have to find Shaun.

With new determination, she pulls herself up and turns back to her husband.

"We have to get out of here," she mutters and wraps her arms around Nate, trying to pull him out of the pod. She doesn't get very far, quickly realizing she's not strong enough to carry him.

I can't leave him here!

She knows she has no choice, though, and carefully tucks him back into the pod. Eyes blurring with tears once again, she wiggles the ring off of Nate's finger and tucks it in a secure pocket of her jumpsuit. Then she steps over to the panel and presses the button to close the door.

Quinn allows herself one moment to press her forehead to Nate's pod and gather her wits before turning for the exit.

There are a lot of pods between her and the door and she briefly glances into each. She should probably feel something when she realizes they're all dead, but after Nate…

Quinn checks the other room, too, just to be sure. It's only a confirmation of what she knows already…

I'm the only one.

As she makes her way out of the vault, she can only hope she's not the only one left alive, period. That desperation only grows when she has to smash a giant cockroach with a baton, because if she has to deal with stuff like that alone, she knows she's not going to survive.

But as she nears the vault door, the only thing she finds are skeletons and more roaches. Quinn has never been so terrified in her life and a few times, she has to sit down and put her head between her knees.

When she has to access the Overseer's terminal to open a door, she finds other files and dated entries. Her curiosity gets the better of her and she reads some of them… then sits back in the chair and laughs, albeit hysterically.

It's just too much. Vault-Tec was supposed to help them! But instead they shoved them into pods and kept them on ice while they fought amongst themselves.

With a weary sigh, Quinn stands and keeps moving. More skeletons, more bugs, and then she's at the door. She has no idea how to open it. Pressing the big red button doesn't work, but she keeps trying, desperate to get out of this hole of lies and despair. Just as she's about to give up, Quinn notices something next to the skeleton at her feet.

Carefully, trying not to touch the arm bones, Quinn picks up the device and examines it. It looks like it goes on a person's wrist, if the skeleton is any indication. She shrugs, thinking what the hell, straps it on and flicks the switch.

The thing starts booting up and Quinn takes the time to clean some of the grime off. The screen it shows after loading has Vault Boy on it, looking disgustingly cheery. It also shows her vitals.

That's… handy, she supposes.

Quinn examines the… Pip-Boy some more and notices a plug on the underside. She pulls it out and finds it matches an outlet on the console.

Ah!

After plugging it in, the screen says the door is ready, so she tries pressing the red button one more time.

A groaning sound from her left has her sighing with relief.

Quinn waits a bit impatiently for the door to open and the walkway to extend, then she's power walking across and racing for the elevator. This, too, seems to take a long time.

Something above her opens and light spills in, bright and blinding. Quinn squeezes her eyes shut, moaning in pain. The elevator comes to a halt and she hesitantly opens one eye, just a slit. What she sees has both eyes flying open, which she regrets. The light is still too much, so she squints and holds a hand up to the sun.

Quinn shuffles forward, feeling nothing but horror at what lies before her.

"God help me," she whispers and sinks to her knees.

Note: If you read Traveler, let me know what you think of my third person writing style versus my first person. Not so good? Equal? Better?

You're probably also like "Wow, this chick has a thing for names that end with 'nn!'" Yes, yes I do.