Just thought I'd add this because I had someone ask in the last story. Dedric's name is pronounced, Deed-Rick. And Aida's name is I-duh. Just so ya'll know.
Aida pushed the cart while Butch pulled it; he had fixed up one of the old rusted carts to help her when the Merchants made their trip past the vault. They were always stocked on food, armor and weapons they could house an army if they needed to with the supplies that filled the vault. In the few months that they had been restoring the vault they had taken a few people in including a lot of the people Aida had met while fixing Project Purity. They had completely restored most of the vault with the help of Stanley, he had fixed all of the generators, sound speakers, terminals, air filtration and the water purification system which had given them a lot of problems but they had finally got it up and running. Butch had personally seen to setting up the security system with Clover who showed him how Paradise Falls had kept theirs up and running throughout the years. Charon personally saw to training a few of The Pitt's slaves that came when Aida had said she was looking for security officers to keep order in the vault. They had not expected to take in anyone but once people had heard that someone was restoring a vault to working condition they flacked to vault 92 seeking safe haven. Most of them were small families, wanting somewhere to keep their children safe.
They hadn't heard from Dedric, even after Aida had sent a letter with Sarah Lyons when she had taken a Verti Bird with a small group of Knights to help the chapter in the Mojave that Aida had expressed concern about. She worried about him but had pushed it aside and tried to focus on finishing the vault before Burke made it back to the Capitol, which had become harder each day with her growing belly. The bigger it got the more she found it difficult to help Butch, he had refused her traveling with him once the security was in place. He told her it was too dangerous for and the baby to be in unsafe buildings and around the radiation that small areas in the Capitol still held. No matter how much she had protested he had refused to let her go forcing her to stay in the vault and only venturing out when the merchants came.
"Come on fatty!" Butch winked pulling the cart through the small cave that housed the entrance to the vault.
"Stop calling me that! You know how I feel about it!"
He laughed pulling the cart into the vault.
She looked up at the Brotherhood Knight as she hurried down the stairs to help them.
"Knight Captain Dusk?" Aida smiled her heart skipping a beat.
"Aida." The Knight smiled looking down at her stomach.
"Are you here to deliver a letter?"
"No."
Aida frowned letting go of the cart as her eyes began to feel.
"He didn't send a letter back, he told me to tell you that he would be back as soon as he could." Dusk smiled when Aida lit up. "He said there are still a few problems with the strip, some of the generators in the dam were damaged and he just wants to make sure they are fixed before he comes back."
"Did you watch him read the letter?"
"No but Sarah did. She told me to tell you he was nervous at first but then came around to it, she said that he wants to finish the repairs and come back as soon as possible. She told me he was kind of in denial but all he has to see is this belly and he will know that no one is trying to pull one over on him." She laughed rubbing Aida's belly. "It sure looks like you have a big healthy baby in there."
"A little too big for my liking." Aida giggled walking up the stairs with the Knight. "Have you seen the vault?"
Dusk nodded. "I am shocked at how much you it is restored in the little amount of time you have been here."
"Butch wanted to finish it before the baby came, and before Burke."
Dusk frowned. "Aida you know when he does come after you all you need to do is send us a warning from the terminal that Sarah had set up. We rip that bastard a new asshole before he can even get close to you."
"I know." Aida smiled. She guided Dusk through the vault to her large apartment that Amata had helped her fix up. It had taken them weeks to get all of the rust and dirt off of the walls and floor, but when they had finished it looked just as good as vault 101. The pictures of her Mother and Father and Aida and her Father sat on display on the small wood table Winthrop had built for her.
"This is nice Aida."
"Look…" she pointed to the small kitchen area. "The fridge and stove even work, like they were brand new."
"I might just have to take up an apartment here." Dusk chuckled following Aida into the large kitchen.
"Winthrop is working on a high chair for the baby and Amata even brought over my old crib."
"Seems you have everything for the sweet thing, now all you need is the Father."
"Yeah if he even decides to come." Aida frowned sitting down at the table.
"From the way Sarah looked, I would be surprised if he doesn't show up tomorrow."