Arthur Maxson was tired. It had been a long few weeks, with the Brotherhood going through some major changes. There had a breakthrough with the Institute, thanks to their newest recruit - Annaliese Harvey - and her determination to get inside. The Institute was a threat to all humankind and they needed to be taken down first and foremost. Then there had been an that unfortunate incident involving one of his most trusted members, Paladin Danse... what a fucking nightmare that had been.

He sat in his quarters on the Prydwen, wondering if he should go to bed, or stay up and finish the paperwork that really needed to be done.A knock on his door startled him. Who would come knocking on his door at this hour of the night. Most of the Brotherhood members would long be in bed,it was past midnight for god's sake.

At twenty-six, Annaliese Harvey was tall,blonde and shaping up to be one of his best damn soldiers in the team. She had been the one to convince him that Danse should live, despite being a synth. She had looked up to Danse as both a friend and a mentor. The hardheaded woman had gone toe to toe with him over the matter and threatened to leave the Brotherhood for good and although he had been fuming,he had admired her strength and determination. He had finally shown Danse mercy but told him that from that moment forward,Danse was dead to him. Why she was at his door at this hour, he didn't know.

"yes soldier." He barked

"I'm very sorry for the late hour sir, but Proctor Ingram said you wanted to see me.I've only just gotten back onboard."

"ah yes,I just wanted to say that the matter with Danse was something I never wished had happened, however we must move on and in doing so,I would like to promote you to the rank of Paladin" I think you would serve us well." He could see that she was wasn't sure what to make of his words or if it was because he was offering her the rank of Paladin. Nodding slowly, she offered her thanks and told him she would do her best to make the Brotherhood proud.

That's when he noticed she wasn't in her usual suit of power armour. He had been very attracted to her when she first stepped on board, but had quickly tried to get over that as it was unprofessional. But right now she was standing here in his room and all he could think about is how good she looked in a pair of combat pants and loose tee. Sbe bent over to tie a lace on her boots and he caught a flash of her gorgeous, flawless skin and cleavage and immediately grew hard at the sight.

Before he could stop himself, he let out a small groan of appreciation. She lifted her head and gave him a coy smile. "Everything ok sir? See something you like?" she said with a grin. He took a deep breath and counted to ten before telling her that he was fine. She winked, shut his door and headed across the hall to Danse's old room. Arthur cursed himself, he couldn't be having these thoughts about her, he was her boss. All he wanted to do was reach out and take her, press her up against the wall. Before he realized what he was doing, he was marching across the hall towards a certain Paladin's room….

Annaliese was slowly getting ready for bed. She wasn't sure if she was going to stay here come tomorrow or go back to Sanctuary. All of a sudden, her door burst open and Maxson strode in."excuse me" she spluttered "you can't just walk in here without knocking." He starred at her for a second as if to comprehend that she was indeed half naked, then took a step towards her before crushing his mouth to hers. She coulld get used to this, she thought before surrendering herself to his kiss.

He broke away, and managed to bark out his next orders "my quarters now soldier" before walking out. She watched his tall frame walk away before shutting the door behind her and giggled all the way across that hall. She thought how funny it would be to get caught by Cade or Kells. She made it to his room and opened the door. Arthur slammed the door shut and locked it behind him before he turned and pinned her against the wall. His mouth was o hers in an second. Annaliese was only half dressed, all he had to do was flick her bra off and her breasts came free before his mouth was instantly all over her. She cried out as he bit down hard on her nipple,before he soothed it with his tongue. He couldn't believe how quickly he had lost control.

He had wanted her from day one and now that he had her, he wasn't going to stop anytime soon. This woman had made his blood boil for weeks and weeks. He couldn't stop thinking about her, day or night. He had honestly thought there was something going on between her and Danse,and by god that had made him mad. When he had shown up at Listening Post Bravo, he had been prepared to find them together in bed. However, Annaliese had explained what a good friend Danse was. Now he had her, pinned up against his wall,making small cries as he licked and sucked those beautiful breasts of hers. He couldn't believe he was doing this,right here in his quarters where anyone could hear,but there was no stopping now.

He reached down to take off her pants,which came away with ease,but he looked down when he felt his hand touch something soft."What the hell is this soldier?" he asked with frustration.

She giggled "my underwear".

"Remove them,now."

"You do it" she challenged.

How dare she laugh,he thought as he ripped away the scrap of fabric to find what he was looking for. One finger pushed their way inside her as punishment, then two. "Maxson!" she cried as he moved his fingers in and out of her. "Do you want more" he growled in her ear. "Y-y-y-yess." She could barely get the words out."yes what,Paladin" Maxson's fingers felt so good inside of her that the words were hard to say "Yes please,sir" she managed to squeak out as he stroked her harder.

He couldn't believe how much of a turn on it was to see Annaliese come apart in his arms. He couldn't think clearly as she clenched around her fingers. She needed him to be inside of her,right now. She almost sobbed as his fingers left her,but the longing turned to relief when she saw him taking off his coat and reaching for his fly. "Let me do it" she whispered. As he kicked his pants away,she found him already hard for her.A tiny drop of pre-cum glistened on the head of his penis. She leant down and ran her tongue over him,smiling as he growled back a curse. Looking up,she saw him reach back and grip the table. Smiling up at him,she took him in her mouth,loving the way he slid down the back of her throat. With her mouth doing wicked things,he was having trouble thinking clearly. This woman, this fiery minx had him feeling like nothing was in his control. Knuckles white as he held on to the table so tight,he thought he would break it.

He couldn't take it anymore. Hauling her up, he carried her to the bed like she was light as a feather. Wasting no time, he opened her legs and slid into her wet heat. She tightened around him immediately and he almost came. It was in his nature to be rough,and right now was no different. He started to move,pulling almost all the way out before slamming back in. Her tight pussy was driving him over the edge and he felt the need to mark her as his. Annaliese met him stroke for stroke,loving how rough it was.

She raked her nails down his back and that seemed to urge him on and let him know she wanted more. Arthurbflipped her over so she was now riding him,and she tightened her inner muscles more as he moved in and out. He loved how she looked in that moment. Eyes heavy with lust,skin covered with a light sheen of sweat. He wanted to hear her cry out some more, so he quickened his strokes,slamming into her faster and faster as she held on to his headboard above them. One last thrust,and he emptied himself into her,bellowing out her name,while she cried out from the force of her own orgasm.

After lying there for a few minutes while they both caught their breath,he got up and kissed her on the forehead, a gesture she thought she would never see from a man like him. She feel asleep, the aftermath of sex making her drowsy. The next morning,she was up early and headed to the command deck. Arthur was in deep discussion with Captian Kells. Both Arthur and Kells turned to look at her as she entered the room,but Arthur gave no indication that last night had ever happened. "Ah Paladin,just the person I wanted to speak to. You will find Proctor Ingram at the airport,she is wanting to talk to you about your next mission". She looked at him with a questioning look on her face before answering. "Yes sir, however before I go,can I have a word with you in private".

Maxson gave a short nod to Kells before stepping closer to her. Before she could open her mouth,he cut her off. "listen soldier,before you say anything,I want to say that last night was a mistake.I cannot be involved with any of my staff and it was a lapse in judgement on my part.I have no feelings for you,and never is nothing more to be said on this I clear?" She couldn't fucking believe him. Two could play this game."yes sir,loud and clear.I came to tell you that last night was a mistake on my part and that I wanted to see what it was like to sleep with a member of the Brotherhood.I was going to choose Danse,but since he is now exiled,I picked you. Thank you for clearing the air though..sir".

She walked away before he could see how upset he had made her. Going back to her roon, she packed her stuff she needed and walked outside. She took a moment to regain her composure against one of the ships rails. Fuck this,fuck him,fuck the lot of them' she thought to herself before she boarded the Vertibird to the airporr. Arriving, she found Ingram. The proctor had given her a seemingly simple task - fly to Mass Fusion,locate the Beryllium Agitator,get back to the was no longer available, so the Proctor was going to be coming with her. This was fine, she liked the older woman, and her sass. They arrived with little trouble,but things soon heated up when they reached the lower levels. The pllace was crawling with synths - too many for her liking - but with Ingram there,it didn't take long to clear the place. She walked into the decontamination chamber,and quickly pulled out a handful of RadX and swallowed the pills before pocketing the rest of the bottle. Running into the reactor area,she grabbed the Agitator and got out of there as fast as she could. Sirens blared in the next room,but she couldn't get there fast enough. Finally,she was through.

Proctor Ingram was in full battle mode with a Sentry Bot. Pulling her gun out,she fired a few rounds before realizing that it wasn't doing any good. The bot abandoned it's battle with Ingram and came after her. Both her and Ingram fired all they had and managed to take it down. Both her and Ingram were both worn,and it appeared that killing the bot had alerted two assaultrons. One came at her with arms swinging,and by that point,she just couldn't hold her back. It sent her flying and came charging after her with it's laser beam ready to fry her..This is it,she thought, this is how I die - a damn assaultron was. A loud bang sounded and she saw a pile of metal go down. "Soldier,can you hear me!" She lifted her head "yeah,I can hear you".

With Ingram's help,she managed to make it to the lobby where reinforcements had been called. Stepping outside,she took a breath of fresh air. Too busy focusing on taking deep breaths, she didn't hear footsteps behins her until it was too late. A mechanical voice called out "target acquired". Oh fuck,not again.A synth had followed her out,and before she could lift her gun,it swept its arm out and knocked her full in the face then everything went blank.

Three days later and Maxson was pacing up and down in the Med Bay of the Prydwen."Cade, why the fuck hasn't she woken up! You said she was healing nicely,yet she won't open her eyes. So help me,if she doesn't wake up,your head will be on a plate." When the Med team had brought her in, he had dropped all he was doing and rushed to her side. The injuries had made her barely unrecognisable..there was so much blood and so many bruises. Over and over, he had played out the scene where he told her that sleeping with her had been a mistake in his head, so much that it haunted him.

"Sir,stop worrying" barked Cade. "She will wake up in her own time,she took a massive amount of damage,and her brain is just telling her body that she needs to heal. It's a wonder she made it at all". He walked out of the room. Fuck, Maxson thought,he really came close to loosing the only person he had really loved since Sara. Annaliese slept for two more days and when she woke up,he over to the side of the bed immediately. "how are you feeling,Paladin?" He asked quietly.

'Like a synth hit me. How long was I out for?"

He held up five fingers. "Well shit, I guess I better stop being lazy and get up then, we have an Institute to end". Surprisingly,she was up and ready to go within a day. With Liberty Prime ready for war, she headed out with soldiers at her back. They me up again in the middle of the C.I.T ruins,taking down synths while Liberty Prime opened up a way in for them ibery Prime had struck gold, Maxson watched as Annaliese climbed into the hole,then followed her. A quick debriefing from Ingram and they were on their way. The team reached their destination with minimal trouble,but found their way blocked. Annaliese offered to go and find a way in,and off she went. Returning barely ten minutes later,she had a a sad look on her face,and she didn't seem as focused as before. Reaching the reactor was easy. Placing the charge on it was a simple task and before they knew it, they wer teleported back to Ingram. "Paladin, this boy says he knows you" Ingram pointed to a small boy off to the side. Shaun,the synth Father had been working on,stood looking at her. She looked at the boy, no older than 10 and stepped over to embrace him as if he really was her son. She gave instructions for Ingram to take the boy back to the airport,where he could be given clean clothes and somewhere safe to sleep.

Standing on top of Mass Fusion with Maxson,she thought back to what had happened in her life so far. Her baby boy wasn't a baby at all,she had left Nate behind in a broken pod to start a new life,she had made new friends and enemies,she had killed her son and she had fallen for a man who had no feelings for her atall. With that thought,she reached out and hit the switch. In the distance,a blue ball of light grew bigger and dust settled over the city. "Well done soldier,I'll see you on the Prydwen" was all Maxson said. She glanced over to him and gave him a small sad smile before walking off.

Back on the Prydwen,Maxson had just named her Sentinel. She thanked him and returned to her room. Now that the Institute was gone, she could leave and put the Brotherhood behind her. She wanted a quiet life. Stepping out of her power armour,she sat on the bed with her head in her hands. A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. Maxson stood in the doorway,and after a moment she let him in and they sat down on the bed.

"I want to apologize soldier,for my behaviour.I had no right to stand there and lie to your face about my feelings for you. WhenI was younger, about 10 years old, I had a crush on a mentor. Her father was Elder of the Brotherhood, for the East Coast. Sara was older than me,and always thought I was cute for crushing on her,but nothing came from it.I was devastated to learn that she had been killed in action.I vowed that I would always make my feelings clear from that day,in honour of her memory.I pushed you away out of my own fear of getting hurt. Instead I lied and hurt you instead. I'm not good with words but I am truly sorry for not speaking the truth.

Annaliese was having a hard time taking all of this in. "So what are you saying,sir?" she asked. Maxson took a moment and said slowly "I guess I'm telling you that I want to be with you.I fell for you the day you walked onto my ship and since that moment,I haven't stopped thinking about you.I think I'm in love with you" he finally answered.

He stood up,took her hands in his and pulled her up so she was against his chest. Bending down slightly,he kissed her. It started out slow. Gentle even but built up quickly into something more He pulled away and lifted her top over her head before kissing along the tops of her breasts. The bra came off just as quickly,and his hands were there in place of it as inched and rolled her nipples in his fingers until she was crying out from the sensation. Arthur's mouth was on her body, trailing from her neck,to her breasts,then further. Breath hot on her skin as he pulled at the buttons of her jeans,which came away with ease. His m outh was back on her,slowly torturing her with kisses and occasional nips at her skin.

She moved away from him,pushed him back against the bed and removed his belt. Annaliese pushed his pants down until his erection sprung free into her hands. He had lifted her up in his strong arms and was taking off her panties in one quick movement. He sat on the desk and placed her on top of him so she was straddling his thighs. She lifted herself up slightly and impaled herself onto the rock hard length of him and began to rock. Arthur wasn't going to last long is she kept this up,. Switching positions, he lay her one the desk,before slamming back into her. Legs around his waist,she pushed herself up and started playing with her clit. The view was amazing,and he couldn't believe how hot this was. He bent down,marked her skin with his teeth,leaving behind a moment of pain before it washed into ectsasy. Cries of pleasure filled the room as he reached breaking point. She came with force,clenching around him like a vice. One more thrust and he filled her with his seed."Fuck,I love you" he groaned "you are mine for eternity".

Three years later…

Arthur Maxson was was stern leader of the Brotherhood of Steel, a man who scared half of his staff with his stern orders and harsh words, yet here he was, sitting at the end of his son's bed,trying to get the tyke to go to sleep.

"it's bedtime buddy,you've had a long day,how are you not tired?" he asked. "not tired daddy" was the reply,althought a few seconds later,Lucas was sound asleep . He turned off the light and shut the door. Entering his own rooms, his beautiful Annaliese was getting ready for bed."Arthur,you know you how you do the dad thing so well" she trailed off. "Yes" he said tentatively."well sweety,your going to have two soon." Had he heard her right…two? "Im pregnant again baby,this time it's a girl". He caught her round the waist,spun her round and laughed. "Well it means I'll have three to love…for all eternity".

The End